LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
04/2011
Bible Quotation for today.
Lamentations 5/1-22: "Remember, Yahweh, what
has come on us: Look, and see our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to
strangers, Our houses to aliens We are orphans and fatherless; Our mothers are
as widows. We have drunken our water for money; Our wood is sold to us.
Our pursuers are on our necks: We are weary, and have no rest. We have
given the hand to the Egyptians, To the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.
Our fathers sinned, and are no more; We have borne their iniquities.
Servants rule over us: There is none to deliver us out of their hand. We
get our bread at the peril of our lives, Because of the sword of the wilderness.
Our skin is black like an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine. 5:11 They
ravished the women in Zion, The virgins in the cities of Judah. Princes
were hanged up by their hand: The faces of elders were not honored. The
young men bare the mill; The children stumbled under the wood. The elders
have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music. The joy of our
heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen
from our head: Woe to us! for we have sinned. For this our heart is faint; For
these things our eyes are dim; For the mountain of Zion, which is
desolate: The foxes walk on it. 5:19 You, Yahweh, remain forever; Your throne is
from generation to generation. 5:20 Why do you forget us forever, And forsake us
so long time? Turn us to yourself, Yahweh, and we shall be turned. Renew our
days as of old. But you have utterly rejected us; You are very angry against us.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Iran: Planning for the post-Assad
period/By
Huda al Husseini/September 03/11
Thank you, Qatar/By:
Hazem al-Amin/
September 03/11
Why is the
world’s most-quoted Syria expert a flack for Bashar al-Assad?/By:
James Kirchick, September 3/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for September 03/11
Turkey maligns Israel to freeze the
IDF out of the US anti-Iran missile shield
Turkey to refer Israel's blockade
of Gaza Strip to The Hague
Germany urges Turkey to accept
findings of UN Gaza flotilla report
France calls for 'accelerated'
regime change in Syria
More than 20 dead in Syria,
Russia criticises EU embargo
Documents show Western spy
agencies' ties to Libya: reports
U.S. Official: Policy of Neutrality
Towards Miqati Doesn’t Mean Support for Hizbullah
France Urges All Lebanese Parties
to Respect International Legitimacy
Report: Miqati Likely to Chair
Security Council Meeting on Mideast
Mountain’s Unity bloc MP Fadi
Aawar: Mikati’s STL stance is personal, and not that of cabinet
U.S. Lauds Miqati on His Stance
from STL Funding and Syria
Death Toll in Syrian Regime
Crackdown on Protests Rises to 21
Syrian Refugees Continue Fleeing to
Lebanon, Numbers Reach 2600
Al-Rahi Travels to Paris: It’s Not
Worth Responding to Every Person who Attacks Army
ISF, Hizbullah Clash Over Spy
Networks
Suleiman Calls for Modern Electoral
Law that Improves Democratic Performance
Berri Says Lebanese National
Defenses in Danger
Lebanese Sheikh Killed in London
Mosque
Hariri will return when security
matters resolved: Ahmad Hariri
Aoun: We Might Call for Negative
Stances because We Won’t Give up
.
France Urges All Lebanese Parties to Respect International Legitimacy
Naharnet /French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has expressed concern to Premier
Najib Miqati on the latest attacks on UNIFIL and urged all Lebanese sides to
respect Security Council resolutions, including 1701, French diplomatic sources
said. The sources told An Nahar daily that during his meeting with Miqati on the
sidelines of the “Friends of Libya” conference on Thursday, Juppe condemned the
bombing attacks on UNIFIL troops on May 27 and July 26. In a meeting with French
ambassadors at the end of their 19th conference, Juppe said that he held talks
with Miqati. He stressed that Lebanon should benefit from the freedom atmosphere
in the region and consolidate coexistence. Meanwhile, sources close to the prime
minister said that Miqati also held talks with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, Qatar’s
Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
the foreign ministers of Turkey and Kuwait, respectively Ahmet Davutoglu and
Sheikh Mohammed al-Sabah, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs Jeffrey Feltman. The sources said that Miqati informed Ban about
Lebanon’s commitment to international resolutions. “I won’t allow Lebanon to
fall out of international legitimacy.”Informed sources also told As Safir
newspaper that Miqati stressed during his meetings in Paris that Lebanon wants
to stay neutral on the situation in Syria but said Lebanon won’t confront the
international community if it decides to take more measures against the regime.
U.S. Official: Policy of Neutrality Towards Miqati Doesn’t Mean Support for
Hizbullah
Naharnet /A top U.S. official has said that the Obama administration is adopting
a neutral policy towards Premier Najib Miqati because it can’t easily overlook
the way he came to power.
The official told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in Paris, that the U.S. “is adopting
neutrality because it knows Miqati since he became prime minister in 2005.”His
government back then made important achievements including parliamentary
elections.But the Obama administration “can’t easily overlook” his appointment
which came after Hizbullah and its allies toppled former Premier Saad Hariri’s
cabinet and brought Miqati to power, the official said. “We stand neutral from
Najib Miqati because we monitor his movements,” he added. However, neutrality
doesn’t mean support for Hizbullah that brought him to power. The official
stressed that the U.S. adopted sanctions against Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon
Ali Abdul Karim Ali over the disappearance of several Syrian opposition
activists in Lebanon. The diplomat and the embassy have a responsibility in this
regard, he added. The sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department are the third
in a series of punitive U.S. measures placed on Syrian President Bashar Assad
and top government officials. Asset freezes and bans on business interactions
were imposed on Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, top presidential advisor
Bouthaina Shaaban, and Ali, the Treasury Department said. The sanctions on the
Syrian regime are “linked to what Assad is doing to its people and not to what
he is doing in Lebanon, or Iraq or with Palestinians,” the U.S. official told
al-Hayat.The Obama administration is seeking along with its partners to end the
brutality of Assad against its people, he said. Hizbullah’s political and
tactical support for Assad is deepening Sunni-Shiite tension in the region, the
official added.
U.S. Lauds Miqati on His Stance from STL Funding and Syria
Naharnet /U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly lauded Premier Najib Miqati for
announcing that the Lebanese government will fund the international tribunal and
rejecting to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs. In remarks to An Nahar daily
published Saturday, Connelly also praised Miqati for saying Lebanon was
committed to international resolutions particularly 1701.
"Lebanon's interest lies in financing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the
government will act in Lebanon's best interests," Miqati told the pan-Arab daily
al-Hayat on the sidelines of the “Friends for Libya” conference held in Paris on
Thursday. Asked whether Lebanon would implement international sanctions against
Syrian figures, Miqati said Lebanon would not "turn its back on international
will." "We must separate the situation in Lebanon from that in Syria and refrain
from interfering in the affairs of others, so that others will not interfere in
our own affairs," he said. In her remarks to An Nahar, Connelly reiterated that
the U.S. will not target Lebanese banks. She also stressed that Washington does
not pressure Lebanon into adopting a stance with or against Syria in terms of
the U.S. and European sanctions on the regime. On Friday, Connelly met with
Deputy Prime Minister Samir Mokbel and discussed with him ongoing areas of
bilateral cooperation. An embassy statement said that she stressed the Lebanese
government’s obligations to uphold all its international commitments and
reiterated the U.S. commitment to a sovereign and independent Lebanon.
Report: Miqati Likely to Chair Security Council Meeting on Mideast
Naharnet /Premier Najib Miqati will visit New York end of the month and will
likely head the monthly U.N. Security Council meeting on the Middle East on
Sept. 27, a diplomatic source said. The source told An Nahar daily published
Saturday that Miqati will not travel on the same plane of President Michel
Suleiman who is expected to go to New York on Sept. 18 at the head of the
Lebanese delegation that will participate in the 66th General Assembly meeting.
Suleiman is scheduled to address the Assembly on Sept. 21 and chair the next day
a Security Council session on preventive diplomacy. Discussions on the situation
in the Middle East will be held at a closed-door session and statements will be
limited to the 15 members of the Security Council, the source told An
Nahar.However, the U.N. source stressed that preparations for the session are “ongoing.”Meanwhile,
the Lebanese mission led by Ambassador Nawwaf Salam is making intense
preparations for Suleiman’s visit to New York and setting the stage for the
meetings that he will hold with heads of state and top U.N. officials
Lebanese Sheikh Killed in London Mosque
Naharnet /Sheikh Maymun Zarzur, a Lebanese imam, was killed after leading
prayers at the Muslim Welfare House in London, the Islamic center said
Saturday.Zarzour was found dead on Friday after leading the early morning Muslim
(Fajr) prayers at the Islamic community center, Muslim Welfare House said.
Police said they had arrested a man at the scene on suspicion of murder.
According to a Muslim Brotherhood official in Lebanon, Zarzur is Lebanese and
from the southern Iqleem al-Kharoub region. He was in his 40’s.Zarzur had been
the imam at the Muslim Welfare House in north London since 2009."Our imam has
passed away," the center said on its website."It is thought that he was killed
inside his office. We would like to send our condolences to all the Muslims in
north London and the UK."The sheikh was very friendly and never had an argument
with anyone in the community during his career in this mosque."
Friday's Fajr prayer is listed on the trust's website as being at
04:38am.Scotland Yard said they had made one arrest."Police were called by
London Ambulance Service at 10:21am on Friday to reports of a man seriously
injured at Muslim Welfare House in Seven Sisters Road, north London," a
spokeswoman said.The man was pronounced dead at the scene. While detectives
await formal confirmation of his identity, they are contacting his family, who
live outside Britain. A post-mortem examination is being arranged, the
spokeswoman said.
"A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. At this stage we are
not seeking to make any further arrests."Police have opened an incident room and
are appealing for witnesses.
Officers are working closely with the Muslim Welfare House "to reassure the
community during this difficult time."Inquiries continue to establish the full
circumstances and any motive; although we believe the person we have arrested
attended the mosque."This is not believed to be a race/faith hate crime."The
Muslim Welfare House was founded in 1970 and functions as a community center. It
is a registered charity with offices, two training centers, a youth center, a
library and prayer rooms for men and women.
*Source Agence France Presse
Berri Says Lebanese National Defenses in Danger
Naharnet /Speaker Nabih Berri slammed some officials in the state without naming
them, stressing that they don’t want to continue the establishment of Lebanon’s
national defenses.
Berri statements came after Israeli press reported that their country began
establishing a military strategy to secure the oil fields disputed over with
Lebanon.“They don’t want to restore the political, national and strategic
awareness aimed at preserving the nation's rights and natural resources,” he
said. The speaker noted that Israel will not hesitate to violate Lebanon’s unity
and hit its strength to halt any attempt by Lebanon to renew the dialogue among
the Lebanese. Israel has for months been moving to develop several large
offshore natural gas fields, some which are shared with Cyprus, that it hopes
could help it to become an energy exporter.But its development plans have
stirred controversy with Lebanon, which argues the gas fields lie inside its
territorial waters. Israel does not have officially demarcated maritime borders
with Lebanon, and the two countries remain technically at war.
Russia Successfully Tests Veteran Missile with New Warhead
Naharnet /Russia on Saturday successfully tested its Topol strategic missile
with a new warhead designed to breach missile shields, Russian news agencies
reported, citing the defense ministry. "The experimental warhead of the missile
hit the designated target with high precision at the testing site on Kamchatka
peninsula," a spokesman for the strategic rocket forces told the Interfax news
agency. The Topol intercontinental missile used has been operational for 23
years and was being tested to check its durability in extended use, the
spokesman said.
The missile was fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the northwestern
Arkhangelsk region to its target area around 6,000 kilometers (3,730 miles) to
the east.
**Source Agence France Presse
Aoun: We Might Call for Negative Stances because We Won’t Give up
Naharnet /Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has said that hatefulness
is embodied in al-Mustaqbal movement and slammed parties who supported the
electricity plan and then backed off from it. At a dinner organized by the FPM,
Aoun accused some parties of obstructing the movement’s reforms. “We are
determined not to back off from our reform plan, not just that of electricity
but of the tax system, maritime property and water projects,” he said. Aoun
defended his son-in-law Energy Minister Jebran Bassil against accusations that
he was seeking to siphon off money from $1.2 billion funds aimed at generating
700 Megawatts of electricity if the power plan is approved by the cabinet. “We
are at important crossroads … We hold onto our reform and security approach … We
might call for negative stances because we won’t give up.” The FPM works for a
stable and prosperous nation and does not serve another state or embassy, Aoun
said. Lebanon will remain stable, he said, adding that Syria will also remain
stable. “If the people are united, no one can vanquish them.”
Al-Rahi Travels to Paris: It’s Not Worth Responding to
Every Person who Attacks Army
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi described the Lebanese army on
Saturday as Lebanon’s backbone saying the country has no pride or dignity
without a strong army.
In remarks at Beirut airport before travelling to Paris on an official visit,
al-Rahi said: “The army is Lebanon’s backbone, it is Lebanese pride and
honor.”The patriarch made the remark in response to a question about a campaign
launched by al-Mustaqbal movement officials and MPs against the army. “It is not
worth responding” to every individual who attacks the army, he said, adding that
the point of view of one person does not represent the entire Lebanese. No one
can attack the sanctity of the army, the presidency, the government, parliament
and state institutions, al-Rahi told reporters. “We appreciate the role of the
state and its institutions,” he said. Al-Rahi also thanked French President
Nicolas Sarkozy for inviting him to Paris. The two will meet on Monday. He told
reporters aboard the plane that consensus has been achieved among Christian
officials on a new electoral draft law. He didn’t give further details.
ISF, Hizbullah Clash Over Spy Networks
Naharnet /The Internal Security Forces leadership snapped back at Hizbullah
mouthpiece al-Manar TV station over accusations that the Intelligence Branch had
neglected its duties in arresting Mossad agents. Without naming al-Manar, the
ISF general directorate said in a communiqué on Friday that unlike the TV report
that no spying network was arrested in the past year, the Intelligence Branch
had arrested 4 rings, the latest in June 2001. The general directorate expressed
regret that al-Manar was using a “national case” against the indictment that was
issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s
Feb. 2005 assassination case. Hizbullah accuses the STL of being an Israeli and
U.S. tool, saying they had manipulated data through their spies in Lebanon to
accuse members of the Shiite party of involvement in Hariri’s murder. Al-Manar
broadcast a report on Thursday doubting the telecom data that was used to indict
the four suspects and accusing the Intelligence Branch of arresting the spying
networks to serve al-Mustaqbal movement.
Syrian Refugees Continue Fleeing to Lebanon, Numbers Reach 2600
Naharnet /Syrian refugees fleeing the unrest in their country to Lebanese border
towns since the uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad regime reached
2600, the Central news agency reported on Saturday. “The numbers of refugees
reached 2600, distributed in areas near the border especially in Wadi Khaled,”
Security forces told the news agency.
The source stressed that the refugees will return to their country once security
and calm return to their towns that were hit by a brutal crackdown by the Syrian
security forces on anti-regime protesters. They noted that the Lebanese security
forces enhanced security over the border crossings to control the border and
stop any illegal immigration and terrorism, in addition to halting any attempt
to smuggle weapons from Lebanon to Syria. The sources urged officials to
reinforce the security forces on border with the necessary technical devices,
expertise and training from foreign countries especially the European countries
so that Lebanon becomes capable of controlling the border and improving the
situation of all the crossings.Thousands of Syrians have fled into Lebanon in
recent months, often using illegal border crossings. The United Nations
estimates more than 2,200 civilians have been killed since mid-March.
Suleiman Calls for Modern Electoral Law that Improves Democratic Performance
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman said Saturday that the improvement of the
country’s democratic performance should start by the adoption of a modern
electoral law.
Suleiman told delegations visiting him at his summer residence in Beiteddine
palace that the electoral law should provide the right representation to all
Lebanese and their right role in decision making. “The right representation
facilitates governance at all levels and gives each person his right,” he said.
“Lebanon has a lot of strengths which help make its democracy an example to
other democracies.” A good democratic system is what the world is searching for
today, Suleiman added.The president returns to Baabda palace on Saturday
afternoon after a one-month stay in Beiteddine, his office said.
Mountain’s Unity bloc MP Fadi Aawar: Mikati’s STL stance is personal, and not
that of cabinet
September 3, 2011 /Mountain’s Unity bloc MP Fadi Aawar said on Saturday that
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s stance concerning the cabinet’s funding for the
UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) is the PM’s “personal position” and
he did not refer to that of the cabinet. “If this was Mikati’s personal opinion,
then he can’t impose it on his partners inside the cabinet, and everyone knows
that the STL file is complicated,” he told Akhbar al-Yawm News Agency. “Since we
perceive this tribunal as being a US-Israeli conspiracy against the [Arab
world]… we think that Mikati voiced his stance without referring to the cabinet,
which leads to an estrangement between different political sides,” Aawar added.
The STL, which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik
Hariri, is financed by an assortment of donor countries from around the world as
well as Lebanon. However, Hezbollah and other March 8 parties and figures have
spoken out against Lebanon’s ties and funding for the tribunal and called it an
Israeli tool to incite sectarian strife in Lebanon.
Mikati said in comments published on Friday that the government will commit to
paying Lebanon’s share of funding for the STL. The UN-backed court indicted four
members of Hezbollah for the murder of Rafik Hariri in late June
The professor of propaganda
/Why is the world’s most-quoted Syria expert a flack for Bashar al-Assad?
James Kirchick, September 3, 2011 /Now Lebanon
In February, Vogue magazine published one of the most notorious profiles in the
history of recent American journalism. In six, full-color pages, the
world-famous fashion title featured Asma al-Assad, the “glamorous, young, and
very chic,” wife of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who, over the past six
months, has killed upwards of 2,000 fellow Syrians protesting his authoritarian
rule. Media critics and Vogue readers alike pilloried the magazine, and its
editors eventually took the article down from their website and erased it from
their online archives.
But if Vogue was too embarrassed to stand by the piece, there was one figure
willing to defend it: Professor Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle
East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Writing on his blog, “Syria
Comment,” Landis tore into the Atlantic’s Max Fisher and Jeffrey Goldberg, both
of whom had criticized the profile, labeling them “big supporters of Israel.”
“Doubtlessly,” Landis asserted, “they would be gratified to see a positive
report of Israel’s first lady even though Israel has killed, wounded, and
imprisoned without trial many more of its subjects in the last 10 years than
Syria has.”
As with nearly everything he writes, Landis was parroting the Syrian regime, in
this case, its attempts to rouse populist anger against Israel as a means of
distracting attention from its own failings. Landis’ attempts at whitewashing
the Assad dictatorship would be inconsequential were he some obscure figure in
the world of Middle East studies. But Landis is perhaps the most oft-cited
expert on Syrian politics, who, largely through his blog, has created a perch
for himself in the minds of many as a dispassionate observer of events on the
ground.
To read Landis’ commentary about Syria over the past half year is to track the
development of Baath propaganda. When protests broke out in March, he was quick
to predict that they would never reach the scale of those in other Arab
countries. “Western accounts of the protest movement in Syria have been
exaggerated,” he wrote for Foreign Policy magazine on April 5. As the
demonstrations grew in size and intensity across the country, however, Landis
shifted the focus of his analysis to a defense of the regime and an attack on
its opponents.
When evidence of Syrian atrocities became impossible to deny, Landis asserted
that Assad could not be held responsible for the actions of his military. In an
article for Time published March 25, Landis wrote, “Even President Bashar
al-Assad himself seems to have been shocked by the level of violence used by
Syria’s security forces to suppress demonstrations that began a week ago,”
implying that the leader of the Syrian police state was unaware of what his
security forces, headed by his own brother, were doing.
Landis has persisted in his denial of the claim, in the face of mounting
evidence compiled over a series of months, that the Syrian regime has carried
out a policy of killing soldiers who refuse to fire on unarmed civilians. In
July, a series of defectors from the Syrian military confirmed to international
media outlets and independent human rights organizations what others had been
saying for months: They had been ordered to kill fellow soldiers who refused to
fire on unarmed protestors. Human Rights Watch interviewed a group of defectors
who, rather than carry out illegal orders, fled the country. Yet Landis
continues to deny the overwhelming proof. “So far, no evidence has surfaced to
demonstrate that Syrian military have shot their fellow soldiers for refusing to
carry out orders,” he wrote as late as August 3. “Most evidence supports
government statements that armed opposition elements have been shooting security
personnel.”
And then there’s the case of Hamza al-Khateeb, whose fate, recorded in a grisly
video broadcast on the Internet, inspired massive outpourings into the streets.
The regime is reported to have apprehended the 13-year-old boy, castrated him,
burned him alive while torturing him to death, and then dumped his mutilated
corpse on his family’s doorstep. But while posting voluminous defenses of the
Syrian regime, Landis saw fit to mention this catalytic incident only twice. The
first time was to cite an item from Syrian state television reporting that the
dead boy’s family, after meeting with Assad, said that the president “engulfed
us with his kindness and graciousness” and that “the president considered Hamza
his own son and was deeply affected.” The second was a mere paragraph arguing
that the Syrian regime would resist calls for an international inquiry into the
murder because to do so would bring “the country down the slippery slope of
foreign investigative teams for every conflagration.”
As for what the outside world should do about Syria, Landis’ mantra has always
been precisely that of the regime: Don’t put pressure on Damascus. Last month,
as pressure for European Union oil sanctions began to build, Landis cited highly
misleading information about the effect of United Nations sanctions on Iraq to
make the case that “Syria’s poorest and most vulnerable will likely be the first
to feel privation as the wealthy and powerful kick down the pain,” as if the
negative effects of sanctions are the fault of the international community, and
not Saddam Hussein, Bashar al-Assad or the other tyrants whose brutality stirs
the world to action. Landis considers mere symbolic gestures of support with
peaceful demonstrators being mowed down by machine gun fire too provocative. In
July, after US Ambassador Robert Ford visited Hama and was greeted by cheering
crowds bearing olive branches, Landis derided the ambassador’s “antics.”
Landis is too sophisticated to serve as an uncritical mouthpiece of the regime.
He posts occasionally messages from the Syrian opposition on his blog, and he
readily acknowledges that Syria needs to “reform.” But an incident from 2007
demonstrates how Landis, while speaking obliquely about the need for more
democracy in Syria, has ulterior motives. That year, in an article in the
Washington Quarterly about the Syrian opposition, he claimed that prominent
opposition figure Michel Kilo had made “a clandestine trip to Morocco” in 2005
to meet with an exiled former leader of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. The
allegation, incredibly dangerous given the Brotherhood’s illegal status in
Syria, was footnoted to a report, however, that made no such claim. At the time
that Landis’s article appeared, Kilo was already in custody for his opposition
activities. Several months later he was sentenced to three years in jail.
The crux of Landis’ defense of the Syrian status quo is that the country is
highly “sectarian” and, thus, most Syrians prefer the “order” provided by Assad
to the “democracy” they see in Lebanon and Iraq. “There isn’t self-confidence on
the part of the Syrian people, if you will, that they can manage their affairs,”
he said recently on France 24. “And this is when the government steps forward
and says I’m not going to bring you democracy, but I’m going to bring you order,
and there are still many people who cling to that because of the fear.” But the
real purpose of the four-decade-long Assad rule has been to maintain the
privileged power of an Alawite clique that rules over a country that is 74
percent Sunni. If there are fears of sectarian violence, it is mostly because
Assad, on the ropes, is attempting to foment it.
Syria is a closed society, and the Assad regime has little interaction with the
West. Landis has been able to broker his rare access (the extent to which is
unknown, though he is married to the daughter of a retired admiral in Assad’s
navy) into a position of authority in the broader debate over American foreign
policy toward Syria.
Newspapers need quotes, and cable news needs talking heads. However, as the
Syrian regime murders more of its own citizens with each passing day, Landis’s
message that it is Assad—and only Assad—who can manage a transition to democracy
has gone from analytically inaccurate to morally perverse. In 2006, Landis
dismissed the idea that the United States should “tighten the screws on Damascus
to the point that the regime collapses or internal rebellion is sparked,” as “We
have learned that using violence as a policy tool can backfire.” He should tell
that to the Syrian regime.
*James Kirchick is a contributing editor of The New Republic.
Thank you, Qatar
Hazem al-Amin, September 2, 2011
Public affairs in Lebanon are so frivolous that only the populace can put up
with them. One look is enough to make you feel the insult and disdain leveled by
politics not only at your intelligence, but also at your dignity, a word that
has returned to the Arab political dictionary thanks to popular uprisings. Up
until less than a year ago, the expression “Thank you, Qatar” adorned the
streets of Lebanon’s south, and Qatar was the darling of rejectionist press,
“elites” and societies. This culminated in Speaker Nabih Berri’s famous
wordplay, in which he compared Qatar to countless droplets of much-awaited rain.
When going from Beirut to the South nowadays, one will not encounter any sign
similar to the one raised by the “Resistance society” in honor of the state of
Qatar. Rather, a giant sign hangs on the outskirts of the town of Kafra, but
whoever put it up did so upside down so as to convey that he is recanting his
thanks to the state that rebuilt his village!
The rejectionist press, which had previously elevated Qatar from the ranks of a
Gulf state to those of an oasis and a dream, diabolized this “petrodollar” state
overnight. In so doing, it used the same ideological arsenal as the one used to
confront its enemies. Al-Jazeera went from being the sole holder of truth,
knowledge and ethics to being a mouthpiece of “imperialism” reeking of hatred
and poison.
All this was caused by Qatar’s transition from being an ally of the Syrian
regime to being its foe and by Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the uprising in Syria in
a manner that displeased the regime.
Still, an observer of the troubled rejectionist scene as a result of the Syrian
uprising will not be surprised by such facts (turning the sign upside down and
the press transition to insults following years of glorification). Rather, the
surprise comes from the ease of “sweeping down on Qatar.” It happened
automatically at the same level and speed with which Qatar dissociated itself
from Syria. Indeed, Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassem al-Jaber al-Thani
went to Damascus and met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The two men
disagreed, so the former returned to his country, and “Thank you, Qatar” signs
were brought down in South Lebanon. On the following day, rejectionist
newspapers took their Qatar-loving and Qatari readership by surprise by calling
on them to review their feelings regarding that state. This happened suddenly
without any transition respecting the intelligence of those who listen to such
rhetoric.
The funny thing is that the “Resistance society” adopted sharp emotional stances
on Doha, its TV station and its government. Its transition to a wholly different
attitude is tantamount to a lover staggering away from his beloved. While love
might justify staggering, politics makes no allowance for it, especially the
kind of politics that abides by the diktats of logic and reason. Accordingly,
the satire against Qatar nowadays is closer to hallucination in a vicious circle
than to politics as an expression of community interests.
Still, this would all be acceptable if we bear in mind that Qatar was elevated
to the status of an oasis state only to be brought down to the rank of a
“petrodollar hell” with much the same ease characterizing various other aspects
of the rejectionist rhetoric. In this respect, we are merely describing
something that has happen and will inevitably happen again.
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW
Arabic site on Friday September 2, 2011
Iran: Planning for the post-Assad period
By Huda al Husseini/Asharq Alawsat
Is Khamenei’s Iran concerned for the people of Syria, or is it solely concerned
about its regional plans and ambitions? Iran has today – via Iranian Foreign
Minister Ali Akbar Salehi – called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to
respond to his people's legitimate demands, whilst warning NATO of becoming
embroiled in a “quagmire from which it would never be able to escape.” Salehi's
call confirms that even Iran, the last remaining ally of the Syrian regime, does
not believe everything that it is saying with regards to it embarking on a
process of internal reform that requires six months to be implemented. The
reason for this warning [from Tehran] is that Iran does not want to find itself
embroiled in a war outside of its own borders. For what if Tehran becomes
embroiled in such a war, and then the expected popular uprising breaks out in
Iran?
In recent weeks, there has been a lot of speculation about how long the Supreme
Guide of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intends to uphold his
alliance with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Until recently, the Iranians
were criticizing Turkish politicians for acting "as if al-Assad’s Syria is on
the verge of collapse.” The Iranian leadership even said that if it were forced
to choose between Syria and Turkey, then it would choose Syria without
hesitation. A number of articles to this effect were published in the media,
particularly publications affiliated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
If you look at the changes in the positions taken by Iran [towards Syria], this
reveals that the Iranians are planning for a possible political change in
Damascus, in the same manner as the Turks. The Turks began by urging al-Assad to
embark on the legitimate demands for reform demanded by the people. Following
this, the Turks took a harder-line, receiving groups of Syrian political
dissidents and refugees, and then Turkish President Abdullah Gul came out to say
that al-Assad’s actions so far have been insufficient, or in other words that
the regime should go.
Iran today itself is preparing for a post-Assad Syria.
Confirmed information coming out from Tehran indicates that despite the
considerable military and economic support that Iran is providing to Syria in a
bid to rescue the regime from collapse, Iran is preparing itself for “the day
after al-Assad.” In this regard, Iran is considering [political] elements that
can rise up to take power in Syria, and is studying all options with regards to
protecting and maintaining Iran’s influence in the country, as well as the
region, in order to consolidate the interests of the Islamic Republic.
The Iranian Supreme National Security Council has devoted itself to studying the
key causes for concern for Iran with regards to the Syrian crisis, and the
difficulties that Tehran is expected to face should the al-Assad regime
collapse. The Supreme National Security Council came up with a set of
recommendations in this regard, the majority of which have received the approval
of Iranian Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei. The Secretary of the Iranian Supreme
National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, had presented his list of
recommendations to Khamenei on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan.
Jalili stressed that the Iranian Supreme National Security Council believes that
if the al-Assad family rule in Syria comes to an end after 41 years in power,
this will create a power vacuum that other countries – particularly Turkey, the
US, and other Western states – will attempt to fill. Jalili reportedly informed
Khamenei that the Supreme National Security Council members believe that foreign
states will try to exploit any new leadership in Syria and direct it away from
the Islamic Republic, particularly as these countries supported anti-regime
elements both inside and outside of Syria. The Iranian Supreme National Security
Council has therefore warned that the collapse of the al-Assad regime may create
a number of logistical difficulties for Tehran. Iran’s fears are that:
Firstly, that the critical route through which Iran provides Hezbollah in
Lebanon and the Palestinians – particularly the Hamas movement – with military
and logistical supplies and funding will be blocked.
Secondly, that the main source through which Iran provides support to resistance
groups, namely Syria, will be shut down.
According to the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, these two scenarios
are highly likely to occur [should the al-Assad regime collapse], either due to
the complete state of chaos that will prevail in post-Assad Syria, or if the new
government does not want to cooperate or participate in the "regional
resistance" against the "enemies of Islam."
Due to these fears, the Iranian Supreme National Security Council has
recommended that Tehran should prepare itself for the day after the collapse of
the al-Assad regime. In addition to this, recommendations included Tehran
reviewing potential scenarios that would see it withdraw its support from
al-Assad in order to protect Iranian interests.
Jalili also stressed that protecting freedom and the liberation of Muslims, as
well as opposing any foreign intervention in internal affairs, must be
considered more important than Iran's backing of the al-Assad regime or
Hezbollah.
It is clear that Tehran is considering the best way to proceed with the
proposals put forward by the Iranian Supreme National Security Council. A
high-level discussion of these proposals was held in Khamenei's office, in the
attendance of the Iranian Supreme Guide himself as well as Chairman of the
Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed
Forces Major General Sayyid Hassan Firouzabad, Iranian Intelligence Minister
Haider Moslehi, al-Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani, and a number of senior
foreign policy consultants.
During the meeting, it was agreed that any new Syrian leadership must upheld
resistance [to Israel]. Accordingly, the Iranian intelligence apparatus was
assigned to make extensive clandestine contacts with new (potential) Syrian
leaders outside of al-Assad’s inner circle and help strengthen them.
Simultaneously, al-Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani was instructed to take
measures to "exterminate elements of the [Syrian] opposition who cannot be
trusted”; this includes prominent Syrians who call for more liberal and
democratic values and can be recognized by the West [as potential Syrian
leaders]. This also includes those who are ready to reach a compromise or
settlement with the "Zionists to regain the Golan Heights."
During the meeting, Suleimani reportedly said, tactically, "We will adopt the
techniques that were previously adopted successfully in Iraq and which are now
being applied in Egypt and Libya." (Suleimani did not detail these tactics
during the meeting) Whilst Iran viewed Damascus as a major investment for a long
period of time, especially in "resisting" common enemies, Iranian leaders now
view the al-Assad regime as a burden on their shoulders, particularly as the
crisis continues in Syria with no end in sight.
In reference to the pragmatic nature of strategic relations between Syria and
Iran over the past years, Iranian Intelligence Minister Haider Moslehi – who is
also a religious cleric (but does not hold the rank of Ayatollah) – has
reportedly stated that “neither al-Assad senior or junior were ideal partners
for Iran.” This reflects an implicit criticism of the secular nature of the
Baathist regime in Syria. Such criticism is often repeated behind closed doors
in Iran, especially during the meeting of some of the more hard-line Ayatollahs.
Khamenei approved all the measures put forward during this meeting with the
objective of ensuring that Iran avoids any harm should the Syrian regime
collapse. However the Supreme Guide also stressed the need for caution and
instructed that these measures should be kept top secret, and that no public
measure should be taken that could increase the pressure on al-Assad in Syria.
This once again confirms that Tehran’s interests are more important than all the
relations which the Islamic Republic [of Iran] has established with other
countries and organizations. However, if the Syrian regime has become exhausted,
then all of Iran’s “tentacles” in neighbouring states may also become exhausted
in the same manner, indeed many Iranian affiliates have already begun to exhibit
symptoms of such exhaustion. The Syrian regime is in a race against time, and
this is a race that will be decided by the regime’s ability to continue to
reject all "recommendations and offers" and by its ability to continue to
believe that it is not in trouble and that power is not slipping from its grasp.
However, this latest Iranian decision means that the “chess” game [between Iran
and Syria] has changed, and that in the end it might be Khamenei’s hand that
“checkmates” the Syrian regime. This is because Iran is not interested in going
to war for anybody else. Tehran is only interested in defending its own regime.
And so Lebanon will not serve as the battlefield to defend the “life” of the
Syrian regime this time around, in the same manner that it was utilized as a
battlefront in 2006 to defend Iran's nuclear program. Iran, which is
geographically distant from Israel, knows this well, as does Hezbollah.
Turkey maligns Israel to freeze the IDF out of the US anti-Iran missile shield
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis September 2, 2011
Turkey has run into two obstacles in its two-year campaign to destroy Israel's
good name and squeeze it into a corner: First, the UN report out Friday, Sept. 2
justified Israel's Gaza blockade and its navy's interception last year of a
Turkish vessel leading a flotilla aiming to breach that blockade, although it
was assailed for its "excessive response" to the violence of Turkish extremists.
Ankara tried in vain to squash this report and postpone its publication.
Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu laid down an ultimatum which
gave Israel 24 hours to abandon its refusal to apologize for the nine deaths
aboard that vessel, Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmora , caused by a clash
between armed Turkish "peace activists" and Israeli soldiers who boarded it.
Davutoglu said Israel must also compensate the bereaved families and end the
blockade.
Israel again stood by its refusal to apologize - Turkey's second contretemps.
The UN report composed by former New Zealand Prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer
then recommended that Ankara accept "an appropriate statement of regret" and
payment of compensation. This is exactly what Israel has repeatedly offered,
only to be slapped down by Ankara.
The Erdogan government's hate campaign for bringing Israel to its knees has
entailed support for the terrorist organizations dedicated to its destruction,
including the Palestinian Hamas, Hizballah - up to a point, and Turkey's very
own IHH whose activists set about the Israeli soldiers as they boarded the Mavi
Marmora.
The UN report is hard on the flotilla's "true nature and objectives," accusing
it of acting "recklessly in attempting to breach the naval blockade" and holding
the Turkish government responsible for not doing more to prevent this encounter.
Israel's naval blockade was ruled legal and justified – "Israel faces a real
threat to its security" from Gaza - and the actions of its commandos were deemed
"honorable and appropriate," although the Palmer report assails Israel for its
"excessive and unreasonable" response to the violence it encountered on the
Marmora.
Having failed to bring Israel low with its two-year long Plan A, Ankara is
putting Plan B into action.
The Israeli ambassador (who is on home leave before retiring) was expelled and
Turkey's longstanding military accords with Israel suspended.
The Turkish foreign minister has already threatened to enforce anti-Israel
sanctions and ask international tribunals to prosecute Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, ex-Chief of Staff Gabby Ashkenazi, Navy
Commander Zvi Merom and a string of naval officers for causing the nine Marmora
deaths and requiring them to compensate the victims' families.
None of these measures were recommended in the Palmer report.
Turkey's combative intransigence over the flotilla episode and rank hostility
toward Israel reflect the Erdogan government's frustration over the failure of
its strategy to carve a role for Turkey as the leading regional power broker,
especially in the Arab Revolt.
Syrian President Bashar Assad simply laughed off Erdogan's "last warning" to him
to stop slaughtering civilian demonstrators and return his troops to barracks.
Davutoglu went to Damascus especially on Aug. 9 to deliver the warning by hand.
But since then, the Syrian army has killed an estimated 437 people, including
nearly 100 Palestinians in the town of Latakia – apart from the scores who are
dying from maltreatment in custody. Thousands more are injured daily by military
gunfire. Yet Assad not only keeps on sending his troops into Syrian cities but
has improved on their tactics: In the last two weeks tanks are smashing their
way into one city district after another.
Assad is not alone in showing contempt for Ankara's attempt to make its mark on
the Arab Revolt
In Libya, for instance, Turkey undertook to build security and administrative
institutions for the dominant Transitional National Council in the rebel
stronghold of Benghazi– only to be cold-shouldered after refusing to take part
as a NATO member in the military offensive against Muammar Qaddafi and his army
- unlike Qatar and Jordan, which put their backs and special forces into
toppling the Libyan regime.
The turmoil in Arab lands has made the alliance Erdogan strove to shape between
Ankara, Tehran and Damascus, irrelevant, as well as dashing his vision of Turkey
as the great bridge between the West and the Muslim world.
Erdogan is now working on a new alliance with Saudi Arabia at the head of the
Gulf emirates, but their differences of approach are formidable. Riyadh is
focused on establishing a Sunni Muslim lineup to challenge the Iranian-led
Shiite world. Erdogan and Davutoglu are not sure this concept will advance their
own vision of Turkey's role.
All the Turkish leaders' efforts to make friends and allies have had an
important common objective: To isolate Israel and make its military
inconsequential as a Middle East force. There is no point therefore in the
Netanyahu government acceding to Ankara's demands. Even if the Gaza blockade
were to be lifted, Erdogan would find another pretext for slapping Israel down.
And if Plan B goes the way of Plan A, his foreign minister certainly has Plans C
and D in his briefcase ready to go.
Some Israeli officials refer to Turkey as an important regional power which
should be placated. The facts do not support this description. The rift will be
healed only when Turkey's rulers stop using Israel as whipping boy for their
failed agendas, whether in the Sunni or the Shiite arenas, and understand that
the Israeli army is not about to play kids' games with Turkish terrorists.
Israel must understand too that the glory days of close military ties, when
Turkish military air crews training in Israel swooped low over the Tel Aviv
beachfront are gone for good. Erdogan has forced the generals of those days into
retirement or put them in jail.
Only eight months ago, Hakan Fidan, head of the Turkish National Intelligence
Organization, MIT and an Erdogan trusty was ready to hand Iran all the
classified data on Israel's weapons systems in Turkey's possession to help
Tehran stand up to a potential Israeli strike against its nuclear facilities.
This was only prevented by the outbreak of the popular uprising in Syria and the
attendant deterioration of Ankara's ties with Tehran and Damascus.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been proactive in the Obama
administration's effort to heal the breach between Ankara and Jerusalem. This is
a hopeless task because Erdogan and his foreign minister are after big game:
They will be satisfied with nothing less that pushing Israel and its army out of
the anti-missile setup the US and NATO have deployed for intercepting Iran's
ballistic missiles.
debkafile's military and Washington sources report that Ankara accompanied its
hostile acts against Israel with swift permission for the deployment of NATO
electronic warning stations on Turkish soil.
Turkey's eyes are fixed on the shared ballistic missile defense facilities the
US established with Israel in recent years. Erdogan plans next to warn
Washington that it will not allow the data incoming to the Turkey-based stations
to be relayed to Israel thereby driving a hole in the missile shield America is
building.
Turkey's aim is to drive a wedge between Washington and Jerusalem, derail their
close military and intelligence collaboration and cast Israel out of the
collective missile shield.
US withdrawal from this partnership under Turkish pressure would leave Israel
wide open to Iran's ballistic missiles. Whether or not Ankara succeeds in this
maneuver depends on how the Obama administration treats what looks in Jerusalem
very much like Turkish blackmail.