LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِSeptember
08/2011
Bible Quotation for today.
Isaiah 3:4-6: "I
will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them, People will
oppress each other, man against man, neighbor against neighbor.
The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored. A
man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, You have a
cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!”
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
Activist in hiding /Talking to
Syrian dissident Yassin Al Haj Saleh/By:
Hanin Ghaddar/September
07/11
Egyptians and Turks/By Ali
Ibrahim/September
07/11
From Spring to Autumn and WinterظBy
Hussein Shobokshi/ September
07/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources
for September 07/11
WikiLeaks: Kebanese Speaker Nabih
Berri sought US help against ‘bastard’ Emile Lahoud
Berri denies seeking US support
against Emile Lahoud
Lebanon's Arabic press digest -
Sept. 7, 2011
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Qaddafi is
hiding in Targan Oasis, Sahara
Syria Postpones Arab League Chief
Visit
7 Killed as Syria Forces Sweep
through Homs
Turkey set to sign military pact
with Egypt after cutting frayed ties with Israel
Turkey suspends defense trade with
Israel
Amos Harel / Israel not facing an
all-out Middle East war
French Mideast envoy fired for
opposing Palestinian UN bid
Iraqi Kurdistan President Calls for
U.S. Troops to Stay
March 14 Urges Govt. to Take
Initiative and Fund STL
Al-Rahi from France: No Lebanese
Faction Can Impose Certain Fate on Lebanon
Jumblat Visits Libya: Authorities
Won't Be Lax in Unveiling Sadr Fate
Aoun: Govt. Must Give Answer on
Electricity Project
Mustaqbal Calls on FPM to Disavow
Karam over 'His High Treason'
PM: Others Must Respect Our Oil
Wealth and We Must Respect Theirs
Michel
Aoun's Press Conference of September 06/11
Lebanese
ISF Completes Command Council
Appointments
Miqati Voices Optimism Over
Electricity Plan, Denies Enmity Inside Cabinet
Berri Rejects Meddling in
Electricity Proposal Drafting, Says it Would be Adopted by Consensus
Electricity Project’s Fate Awaits
Aoun’s Answer to ‘Smart’ Suggestion
Energy sparks electrocute Lebanese
Cabinet
Civil marriages on the rise
amongst Lebanese
Vehicle of
Leb MP, Khreiss Goes on Fire, MP Escapes Unharmed
Rai: Christians against division of Mideast into sectarian states
The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said Tuesday that the Christians of the
Middle East reject any attempt to divide the region into sectarian states, the
National News Agency reported. Rai was speaking following a meeting with French
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe in Paris on his first official visit to France.
“For the Lebanese and the Christians of the Middle East, any attempt to divide
the Middle East into sectarian states is denounced,” Rai said, adding that the
pluralistic composition of the region guarantees dignity and freedom better than
any other.
“We suggest, in order to confront sectarianism, the model of the civil state,
which separates state and religion, is based on fundamental human rights,
recognizes freedoms of belief, and provides a decent and secure life for all
minorities,” Raid continued.
Rai addressed the French government stating that the Arab peoples will need its
experience and assistance to establish civil states that respect human rights in
the countries of the Middle East.
Rai also addressed the risks of the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in
Lebanon.
“We are with the creation of a Palestinian state and we insist on their right of
return to their homeland,” he said.
According to Rai, pending a final and fair settlement of the Palestinians in
Lebanon, they must keep their refugee status and remain under the supervision of
UNRWA.
“We call on France to work to guarantee Lebanon’s particular [demographics], as
the country cannot under any circumstance allow nationalizing the Palestinian
refugees,” Rai said.
“In the midst of the complex and changing geopolitics of the Middle East, we
hold on to the pillars of our multifaceted friendship, understanding, and
cooperation.”
The patriarch praised UNIFIL’s French contingent, thanking its peacekeeping
forces for the sacrifices they’ve made while implementing U.N. resolution 1701.
“We also thank your concern for Lebanese groups residing in countries where
France has great presence whenever the need arises to protect them or repatriate
them to their country of origin,” Rai said.
Rai also met with a delegation of March 14 forces in Paris and discussed with
them the problems facing the Lebanese immigrants in France.
The delegation called on the patriarch to place the issue of the participation
of Lebanese expatriates in the 2013 parliamentary elections on the top of the
agenda for the upcoming meeting of Christian leaders in Bkirki on Sept. 23.
WikiLeaks:
Kebanese Speaker Nabih Berri sought US help against ‘bastard’ Emile Lahoud
September 7, 2011 /Speaker Nabih Berri described former President Emile Lahoud
as a “bastard” during a meeting with former US Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey
Feltman in 2007, a leaked US cable said. According to WikiLeaks, “Berri sought
Washington’s help in derailing what the speaker suspected is a diabolical
Syrian-inspired plot Lahoud plans to implement to destroy Lebanon's parliament.”
“Berri outlined a scenario in which Lahoud, drawing on his insistence that the
[then cabinet headed by Fouad] Siniora does not legally exist, will use a
creative interpretation of the constitution to dissolve parliament unilaterally
when it fails to meet in its ordinary session that expires May 31,” Feltman said
in his remarks, according to the cable. The US envoy reportedly stated that
“Lahoud will argue that he is free to appoint a new prime minister and cabinet,
without the need for parliamentary approval…And this sets up a scenario in which
Lebanon is plunged into new legislative elections.”“The emerging pro-Syrian
majority would then elect Lebanon's new president, or the Lahoud-appointed
cabinet would inherit the powers of the presidency.” Lahoud’s scheme as
described by Berri would, at least, set up two entirely parallel structures: two
PMs, cabinets, parliaments, and presidents. But it would be more likely that
Lebanon would be plunged into chaos, with institutions splitting and the army
sitting on the sidelines as the two parallel structures battled for supremacy.
The cable quoted Feltman as saying that “Berri advocated a first step … [which
is to] open the parliament, and thus prevent Lahoud from dissolving it.”
In 2004, the Syrian government decided to extend the term of Lahoud, then
Lebanon's president, for three years, sparking a wave of protests demanding
Lahoud’s resignation after the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri.
WikiLeaks has unleashed a torrent of more than a quarter million confidential US
cables detailing a wide array of potentially explosive diplomatic episodes.-NOW
Lebanon
Berri denies seeking US support against Emile Lahoud
September 7, 2011 /Speaker Nabih Berri issued a statement on Wednesday denying a
US leaked cable published in Al-Mustaqbal newspaper. “They want us to
believe that we are with the US, and they are against it,” the statement said.
“They want us to believe that in 2007 - after the [UN-backed Special] Tribunal
[for Lebanon] was established unconstitutionally by [former Fouad Siniora’s]
cabinet - we did not agree with the position that [former President] Emile
Lahoud had adopted, i.e. opposing the STL.”Four Hezbollah members have been
indicted by the STL in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri. However, the Shia group strongly denied the charges and refused to
cooperate with the court.
Berri also denied describing Lahoud as a “bastard.” According to a WikiLeaks
cable, Berri described Lahoud as a “bastard” during a meeting with former US
Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman in 2007.-NOW Lebanon
7 Killed as Syria Forces Sweep through Homs
Naharnet /Syrian forces killed at least seven people in a massive tank-backed
raid on the flashpoint city of Homs on Wednesday, activists said, after the
regime put off a visit by the Arab League chief. The U.S. ambassador to Syria,
Robert Ford, went on Facebook meanwhile to denounce the regime of President
Bashar Assad over the brutal crackdown on protests, which the United Nations
says has killed 2,200 people since March. Wednesday morning's deadly security
operation in Homs came after 2,000 people took to the streets of the central
city for anti-regime protests the night before, the human rights activists told
Agence France Presse in Nicosia.
"Security forces opened fire during a security operation launched in the city of
Homs, killing seven people and wounding 20 others," said the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Earlier, the Local Coordination Committees
reported one person was shot and killed during the operation in Homs.
The LCC, which organizes the anti-regime protests on the ground, said security
forces backed by tanks swept early morning into Homs, where communications and
Internet services were cut in many neighborhoods. Activists said heavy
machine-gun fire was heard in the Bab Dreib and Bostan Diwan neighborhoods of
Homs after 2,000 protesters had set out for the area from Bab Tadmor. They
reported that anti-regime demonstrators also took place in several other parts
of the strife-torn country, including the central city of Hama, but that a
massive security clampdown prevented rallies in the port of Latakia. The
security operations came hours after Syria requested the postponement of a
planned visit by Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi in which he had been due to
present a reform initiative of which Damascus had been strongly critical.
"Syria has asked Arab League secretary general Nabil al-Arabi to delay his visit
to Damascus due to circumstances beyond our control," the official SANA news
agency said late on Tuesday. "He has been informed of those circumstances and a
new date will be set for his visit," the news agency added.
Arabi had been commissioned by the 22-member bloc to travel to Damascus on
Wednesday with a 13-point document outlining proposals to end the government's
bloody crackdown on dissent and push Syria to launch reforms. According to a
copy of the document seen by AFP, Arabi was to propose Assad hold elections in
three years, move towards a pluralistic government and halt immediately the
crackdown on anti-government protesters. The initiative, agreed at an Arab
foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo last month, calls for a "clear declaration
of principles by President Bashar Assad specifying commitment to reforms he made
in past speeches."
The initiative angered Syria which said it contained "unacceptable and biased
language."
Overnight, U.S. ambassador Ford denounced Assad's regime in a posting on his
Facebook page, taking aim at Syria's justifications for the violent crackdown.
Ford said he accepted security forces had died during the nationwide protests,
but stressed this was "far, far lower than the number of unarmed civilians
killed".
The U.S. envoy said Syria's government, with "a clear preponderance of arms and
force, bears the responsibility for the violence".
"Neither the Syrian protest movement nor the international community will
believe that this Syrian leadership desires or is capable of the deep, genuine
and credible reforms that the Syrian people demand," he wrote.
It is not the first time Ford has clashed with leaders in Damascus. In July, he
infuriated the regime by making a widely reported visit to the flashpoint city
of Hama.
And after being refused permission three times to undertake new trips around
Syria, Ford travelled on August 23 to the southern city of Jassem without
informing the authorities beforehand.
Syria's regime, which has promised to launch a wide range of reforms to appease
the protest movement, blames the deadly unrest on foreign-backed "armed
terrorist gangs."
Its finance minister acknowledged on Wednesday that the violence has driven down
economic growth expectations to one percent for 2011 and three percent in 2012,
from the 5.5 percent recorded last year. "Now, it will be around one percent,
because of the events ... maybe between one to two percent," minister Mohammad
Jleilati told reporters on the sidelines of an Arab ministerial meeting in Abu
Dhabi when asked about economic growth. "The current circumstances, no doubt,
have some negative impact on the economy. We hope to overcome it through
reforms," he said. *Source Agence France Presse
Syria Postpones Arab League Chief Visit
Naharnet /A planned visit to Damascus Wednesday by Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi
in which he had been due to press the bloc's calls for reform has been
postponed, diplomatic sources said. "The visit has been put off to an
undetermined date at Syria's request and a new meeting will be arranged soon,"
one diplomatic source told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Syria’s state-run television said “Syria has asked the Arab League’s
secretary-general to postpone his visit to Damascus for objective reasons of
which he has been informed.”
Arabi was scheduled to propose during his visit to Damascus that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad hold elections in three years and immediately halt a
crackdown on dissent, according to a copy of the proposals seen by Agence France
Presse. Arabi, who had been tasked by Arab foreign ministers with relaying the
13-point document, was also supposed to ask Assad to free political prisoners
and compensate those wounded in more than five months of almost daily
anti-regime protests.
The proposal, agreed at an Arab foreign ministers' meeting last month in Cairo,
calls for a "clear declaration of principles by President Bashar al-Assad
specifying commitment to reforms he made in past speeches." It said Assad should
declare his "commitment to making the transition towards a pluralistic
government and use his powers to speed up reforms and announce multi-candidate
elections ... for 2014, when his mandate ends." It also demands an immediate
halt to the Syrian government's crackdown on anti-regime protests.
At the August 27 meeting, the Arab ministers had called for an end the bloodshed
"before it is too late" and for "respecting the right of the Syrian people to
live in security and respecting their legitimate aspirations for political and
social reforms." More than 2,200 people have been killed in Syria since the
almost daily mass protests began, according to the United Nations. Assad's
regime says it is fighting foreign-backed "armed terrorist gangs." The proposal
also calls on Assad's minority Alawite-led government "to immediately end" the
crackdown on protesters in order "to spare Syria from sliding into sectarian
strife or providing justification for foreign intervention." The initiative also
calls on Assad to "separate the military from political and civil life" and for
the start of "serious political contacts between the president and
representatives of the Syrian opposition."*Source Agence France Presse
10 Killed in 'Terror' Bomb at Delhi High Court
Naharnet /A powerful bomb hidden in a briefcase ripped through a crowd outside
New Delhi's High Court on Wednesday, killing 10 people and injuring 62, many of
them petitioners waiting for legal hearings. The device had been placed near an
entrance gate reception area, police said, where more than 100 people were
queuing for passes to the court complex, located in the heart of the Indian
capital. It was the first major attack on Indian soil since triple blasts in
Mumbai on July 13 killed 26 people. It has still not been established who
carried out those attacks."Ten people have been confirmed dead," said Delhi
police spokesman Rajan Bhagat, who put the number of injured at 62.
Investigators said they were probing an emailed claim of responsibility
purportedly sent from Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI), an Islamist militant
group linked to previous attacks on Indian soil. Grisly mobile phone footage
from the immediate aftermath of the blast was broadcast by television news
channels, showing screaming victims on the ground surrounded by scattered files
and bloody limbs. "More than 100 people were in a queue at the reception," Rahul
Gupta, a petitioner whose case was listed for a hearing Wednesday, told Agence
France Presse.
"Then there was a huge explosion. I saw a lot of people lying around in a pool
of blood."Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India would
not be cowed by terrorism. "This is a cowardly act of a terrorist nature,"
Singh, who is currently on a visit to Bangladesh, told television reporters in
Dhaka. "This is a long war in which all political parties, all the people of
India, have to stand united so that this scourge of terrorism is crushed."
The email being studied by investigators warned that other courts would be
targeted unless authorities repealed the death sentence on a man convicted for
conspiring in a 2001 militant attack on India's parliament. "It would be very
premature to make any comment on the mail at this stage, but yes that mail has
to be looked at seriously because HUJI is a very prominent terrorist group,"
S.C. Sinha, Director General of India's National Investigation Agency, told
reporters. India and Pakistan have provided the main theatre of HUJI operations
in the past, although an affiliate group is also active in Bangladesh.
The last bombs in the Indian capital were in September 2008, when a series of
blasts in several upmarket shopping areas killed 22 people and injured nearly
100.
A home-grown militant outfit called the Indian Mujahideen claimed it was behind
that attack.
Rajesh Gupta, a 45-year-old businessman, was among those queuing for a court
pass when Wednesday's bomb went off.
"My hand was injured. My colleague suffered a serious injury in his leg -- he
has been taken to hospital," Gupta said.
"The area was very crowded; there must have been some 200 people there.
"The scene here is total chaos. People are really frantic and worried about
their friends and loved ones."
The High Court has been targeted before. In May this year a low-intensity device
was set off in the parking lot but there were no casualties and only minimal
damage.
One lawyer inside the court told AFP he was working in his office when the bomb
detonated.
"I was in my chambers when I heard a huge explosion and the windows in my room
were blown in," M.I. Chowdhary said.
"People were carrying the injured away. Some of them looked horribly hurt.
"That time is peak hour for petitioners and other people getting their entry
passes at the reception area. So it seems somebody had timed it to cause maximum
casualties.
"Security is really not up to the mark," Chowdhary said. "It needs to be
tightened around such a sensitive target."
India has made efforts to improve domestic security since the 2008 Mumbai
attacks, in which 10 Islamist gunmen laid siege to the city, killing 166 people.
Other recent bombings include a blast in February last year at a packed
restaurant in the western city of Pune which killed 16 people including several
foreigners.
*Source Agence France Presse
Miqati Voices Optimism Over Electricity Plan, Denies Enmity Inside Cabinet
Naharnet /Premier Najib Miqati denied that there were animosities inside the
cabinet saying the government was working as a single team on a series of
proposals that would resolve the electricity crisis.“Things are heading towards
a solution and we’ve reached a point in the discussions that everybody agrees
on,” Miqati told An Nahar daily published Tuesday.
The electricity project, which was proposed to the cabinet by Energy Minister
Jebran Bassil calls for the allocation of $1.2 billion to his ministry to
generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.
The cabinet has so far failed to approve it. But it is scheduled to meet under
President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace Wednesday to discuss it.
Miqati confirmed that the session would be held amid reports that ministers
loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, including Bassil, would
pull out of the meeting if the government failed to approve the project, which
is at the top of the agenda. The prime minister stressed that the disagreements
among ministers on the plan were not political. “They are technical and
financial,” he said. “We are working for the interest of the citizen and
everybody wants the approval of the plan,” he told An Nahar.
“There is no team inside the cabinet against the other as it is being described.
On the contrary, we are working as a single team on a package of proposals that
would put the plan on the road of implementation based on the standards and
measures that comfort everyone.”Asked about the possibility that FPM ministers
would withdraw from the session if the plan wasn’t approved, Miqati said: “I
have made a decision not to engage in any debate that doesn’t benefit anyone.”“I
will not make prior conclusions. We are heading towards consensus to guarantee
that electricity is provided to all Lebanese,” he said. “We won’t save an effort
to achieve that.”Miqati held talks with Bassil at noon Wednesday. There was no
information if they reached any deal on the electricity crisis or not.
Michel
Aoun's Press Conference of September 06/11
September 6, 2011
On September 6, Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun spoke to the press
following his bloc’s weekly meeting:
“We discussed the issue of electricity and how it developed. Yesterday we heard
[Lebanese Forces leader Samir] Geagea comment on the energy issue and we will
respond to him. [Also,] concerning the matter of former Brigadier General Fayez
Karam, [who was sentenced to two years in prison for collaborating with Israel],
I had received a notification [from the Internal Security Forces (ISF)
Information Branch] the morning after Karam’s arrest [in August 2010].
At the time, I was told by [former] Interior Minister Ziad Baroud that there
were [leads that linked Karam to collaborating with Israel]. The day after [Karam’s
arrest], his wife received a letter from him, in which he was insulting himself.
This shocked me and I said, ‘something must have happened to him [in detention],
that made him describe himself the way he did.’
The law was not respected [during Karam’s investigation] and the attorneys did
not take part in the probes. We have accepted to try Karam and prove his
conviction, but this issue was no longer the subject of a judicial
investigation. [The ISF] said that all of Karam’s investigation was recorded.
Here is the contradiction. Who had the right to destroy the transcripts [of
Karam’s statements] before his trial had ended? Until today, we do not know how
Karam confessed [to having collaborated with Israel] to the ISF. We do not know
if he did it under [pressure] or if he was drugged.
[Concerning our bloc’s electricity bill, yesterday,] Geagea said that I
submitted [to the cabinet] an energy proposal written on an A4 piece of paper. I
shall not respond to him in order not to start an argument. But, it is not
acceptable for a person like [Geagea] to address the public and be ignorant or
malicious. The daily losses in the electricity field amount to $17 million. We
have submitted this proposal to [gain] time. No one has the right to say that
they did not look over the bill, because it has been discussed in past cabinets
and parliamentary commissions. Let the cabinet secure the money to fund the
electricity [bill]. We can conclude that there is a plan to corner us, [but] we
will not make concessions on anything.
We want to guarantee electricity for all Lebanese and we defy anyone who tells
us that our bill has technical flaws. If the Future Movement [does] not want to
be malicious, it has to stick to its initial position and support the
electricity bill. The cabinet is compelled to inform the parliament tomorrow of
its decision regarding the energy bill. We want to know who our friends [in the
government] are and who is against us. [The other parties] will see if I have
the courage to withdraw [my ministers] from the cabinet. They have the right to
say that I don’t have the audacity to do so, but what am I supposed to do if
other parties withdraw?”
Electricity Project’s Fate Awaits Aoun’s Answer to ‘Smart’
Suggestion
Naharnet /A new suggestion to resolve the row on the funding of a controversial
electricity project is awaiting Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun’s
approval ahead of a crucial cabinet session on Wednesday, media reports said. An
Nahar daily reported that a new suggestion was made during talks between Premier
Najib Miqati and Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who informed Speaker Nabih Berri
about it and later told Hizbullah officials and Aoun about the proposal. A
ministerial source described the suggestion as “smart” and said it is up to par
with the state budget’s ability to fund the project over the years. One of the
mediators told As Safir newspaper that Aoun is expected to approve it because it
doesn’t introduce a major change to the electricity project proposed by the FPM
chief’s son-in-law Energy Minister Jebran Bassil. Agreement has been reached on
the other items of the project, including the party that would manage it and
supervise its implementation, ministerial sources said. The project has led to
controversy after several ministers refused to give Bassil full control of the
funding of the $1.2 billion plan to generate 700 Megawatts of electricity. Last
ditch talks on Wednesday are expected to decide the fate of the cabinet session
that is scheduled to be held at the Baabda palace in the afternoon. Aoun’s
ministers could resort to withdrawal from the session if the government failed
to approve the project. If it was endorsed, the plan would be referred to
parliament for approval.
Mustaqbal Calls on FPM to Disavow Karam over 'His High
Treason'
Naharnet /The al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday called on the Free
Patriotic Movement to “disavow” retired Brig. Gen. Fayez Karam, who was
sentenced Saturday by the Military Court to two years in jail on charges of
spying for Israel. “The verdict issued against Fayez Karam requires the FPM to
quickly disavow him due to his high treason,” the bloc said.
Tackling the controversial issue of the electricity plan proposed by Energy and
Water Minister Jebran Bassil, the bloc said “neither the country nor the
successive Lebanese governments had ever witnessed a case of blackmail such as
that being practiced by the energy minister and his political movement.” “Is it
reasonable that development and improvement plans concerning a key issue that
requires major expenditure be put forward in such an incomplete, rushed manner,
which lacks the minimum level of needed transparency,” the bloc wondered in a
statement issued after its weekly meeting at the Center House.The bloc accused
Bassil of being “arrogant and intransigent.”Bassil’s “objective has become
clear: evading the supervision of Arab and international funds,” al-Mustaqbal
charged.Addressing the latest controversy over bloc MP Khaled al-Daher’s remarks
on the army, the conferees said “the al-Mustaqbal Movement believes that the
Lebanese army and the Lebanese security institutions … should have the exclusive
right to bear arms, protect the country and preserve security.”
“But that does not mean we must remain mum concerning some necessary remarks”
about the army’s role, the bloc added. Separately, the bloc saluted “the martyrs
of the Syrian revolution and the freedom fighters and heroes who are shaping
with their souls, voices and forearms the path of pride, dignity, development
and liberation.”It also lauded “the stance of Turkey, which has recalled its
ambassador to the Zionist entity, lowered its diplomatic relations (with Israel)
and suspended military and economic agreements.”
Vehicle of Khreiss Goes on Fire, MP Escapes Unharmed
Naharnet /AMAL movement MP Ali Khreiss escaped unharmed from a fire that erupted
in his vehicle’s engine in the southern town of Bazourieh, media reports said
Wednesday.
Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) reported on Wednesday that Khreiss was in
the car with his daughter, but they were able to escape safely after a spark in
an electric wire caused the fire. An explosive expert arrived at the scene and
confirmed the preliminary report. Khreiss was on a family visit when the fire
erupted in his Mercedes 320. However, the MP said that “the accident was caused
by a gasoline leakage.” “The security services arrived at the scene and began
investigating, and I informed them that the fire accident was caused by a
gasoline leakage and there are no other reasons,” Khreiss stressed.
Jumblat Visits Libya: Authorities Won't Be Lax in Unveiling Sadr Fate
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Tuesday
stressed that “the Libyan authorities will not be lax in helping to unveil the
circumstances of the case” of the 1978 disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr and his
two companions “after restoring security and stability across Libya.”
Jumblat voiced his remarks in a statement issued by the PSP following a visit by
the Druze leader to Libya, where he held talks with Mustafa Abdul Jalil, head of
the rebel National Transitional Council, his deputy Abdul Hafiz Ghogha and a
number of NTC members.
Jumblat was accompanied by Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, PSP deputy
chief for foreign affairs Dureid Yaghi and PSP official Bahij Abu Hamzeh.
A statement issued by PSP’s media department said Jumblat “extended
congratulations to the Libyan revolution on its triumph on decades of darkness
and dictatorship.”
Jumblat “hoped Libya will transit to a new phase characterized by stability,
democracy, diversity, pluralism and reconstruction.”
Abdul Jalil, for his part, briefed Jumblat on “his stance and point of view
concerning the current developments in Libya and the Arab region,” according to
PSP’s statement.
The two men “agreed that peoples can only come together and interact under the
slogan of freedom, away from captivity, dictatorships and autocratic parties and
theories.”
“The Libyan side lauded Lebanon’s stance at the Arab League and the U.N.
Security Council and its support for the revolution,” according to PSP’s
statement.
Jumblat and the accompanying delegation also visited the Tahrir (Liberation)
Square in the eastern rebel bastion of Benghazi, where he met with a number of
rebels.
On August 24 Jumblat held talks in Beirut with an NTC delegation.
The delegation handed Jumblat an invitation to visit Libya and a letter of
gratitude from NTC chief Abdul Jalil.
The Lebanese government has recently tasked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour with
following up the case of Imam Sadr with the leaders of Libya’s new government.
Regarded by Lebanon's Shiites as a key spiritual and political guide, Sadr
vanished in 1978 amid mysterious circumstances and was last seen in Libya where
he was invited by Moammar Gadhafi.
At the time, Sadr was trying to negotiate an end to the Lebanese civil war
(1975-1990), in which Palestinian factions were involved.
Gadhafi was believed to be shipping weapons to the Palestinians and other groups
and Sadr, according to reports, was hoping to convince the Libyan leader to
refrain from stoking the unrest in Lebanon.
But his visit to Tripoli along with two aides, Mohammed Yacoub and Abbas
Badreddine, took a sour turn after he got into a heated argument with Gadhafi
who ordered that the three men be "taken away," according to an indictment
against the Libyan leader issued by Lebanese authorities.
The Gadhafi regime had stated that the three officials left Tripoli to Italy,
which after conducting an investigation into the matter denied the claims.
In 2004, the passports of Sadr and Yacoub were found in a hotel in Rome.
In August 2008, Lebanon issued arrest warrants against Gadhafi and some of his
aides, accusing them of kidnapping Sadr and his companions.
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Sept. 7, 2011 /The Daily
Star
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese
newspapers Wednesday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these
reports.
An-Nahar
Wednesday’s Cabinet [meeting]: Priority to government, not electricity
STL funding to take place within time limit
Jumblatt first Lebanese official to visit Libya, pursuing Sadr case
The problem over the electricity bill – which has turned into a dispute within
the government – goes to Cabinet Wednesday afternoon after becoming an issue of
government survival.
Between the electricity plan and government survival, reports indicated on the
eve of the Cabinet session that the will to survive was stronger, no matter the
outcome of discussions on the electricity bill which swayed between a compromise
and firmness as reflected both by Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun.
In any case, observers believe that contacts in recent days, both internally and
regionally, ended with an agreement that a collapse of the government would be
intolerable given its original function toward the Special Tribunal for Lebanon
(STL) and the situation in Syria.
Mikati told An-Nahar in response to a question on the electricity issue that
“things were moving toward a breakthrough,” adding that discussions have reached
a point where harmony has been achieved.
“We don’t want to defeat anyone … We all work as a team on a bunch of proposals
that will put the plan on the road to implementation within the regulations and
standards that will prove convenient to everyone,” Mikat said.
Asked on the likelihood that FPM ministers would withdraw from the meeting if
the electricity bill was not endorsed, Mikati said he has decided “not to enter
into an argument that does not help anyone,” adding that Cabinet ministers want
to reach consensus to provide the Lebanese people with electricity.
“We will spare no effort to achieve that,” he said.
Meanwhile, and for the second consecutive day, the issue of STL funding was
raised with Mikati during a meeting with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon
Michael Williams.
A ministerial source told An-Nahar that funding would take place within the time
limit “and there is plenty of time for that.”
The source stressed that the decision to finance the Special Tribunal “will be
made at a national level and with responsibility, because Lebanon cannot afford
[repercussions] for not funding [the STL].”
An-Nahar has learned that STL Registrar Herman von Hebel has informed Lebanese
officials that funding is not limited to the current year, but includes a total
of $32 million accumulated from the previous government.
As-Safir
Pre-meeting discussions: comprehensive deal ... variety funding …
re-distribution of amounts
Electricity either illuminates government today or else … confrontation
Cabinet is expected to take a decision on the electricity issue during
Wednesday’s meeting – whether by consensus or a vote. Speaking to As-Safir,
well-informed officials ruled out a ballot decision.
Backstage contacts intensified Tuesday between the various parties within the
government in a race with time in an effort to build a common vision for the
electricity plan prior to the meeting. In this respect, more than one telephone
conversation took place between Speaker Nabih Berri as well as Mikati and
leaders from Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement. Meanwhile, MP Ali Hasan
Khalil shuttled back and forth between the parties.
In one of the phone conversations, As-Safir learned that Mikati had told Berri
that he would send him a draft solution. But Berri refused to receive the draft,
saying that he was not concerned with the details of the text. Instead, Berri
called for “reaching a joint understanding on a satisfactory draft. And I am
willing to go with what you agree on.”
Consultations, which lasted well into the night, achieved a positive climate
that should create an appropriate environment for the Cabinet meeting. Yet the
translation of this climate awaits a final response from Aoun on the latest
version proposed as a solution to the electricity dispute.
Sources told As-Safir late Tuesday that Aoun was likely to approve the draft
since it meets the spirit of the plan put forth by his [son-in-law] Energy
Minister Jibran Bassil.
Al-Liwaa
Regional pressure rescues government … STL funding precedes electricity funding!
Aoun demands Hezbollah backing … Franjieh ministers voice reservations about
withdrawal from [Cabinet] session
Talks Tuesday night rescued the government from collapse and preserved the image
of its unity after those involved took into consideration both regional and
international developments beyond domestic affairs.
Despite Aoun’s reiteration that he would not compromise on the electricity bill
– which followed a press conference by Bassil aimed at pressuring [Mikati] –
ministerial sources said late Tuesday evening that efforts neared an agreement
necessitated by regional events, yet preserved the spirit of the power plan as
presented by Bassil.
The agreement, according to the sources, calls for the gradual implementation
related to finance and operations, or a solution to the problem in stages.
Contributing to the achievement of this solution was Hezbollah’s success in
avoiding a collapse in the government, said a source closely following up on the
electricity issue. Ministers from Tashnag and Suleiman Franjieh’s Marada
Movement informed Aoun that they were not compelled to withdraw from Wednesday’s
meeting, leaving pro-Aoun ministers to fight alone.
Meanwhile, parliamentary sources close to the Shiite party said they believed
the priority should be the STL and not the electricity plan.
According to information, the STL delegation which met Mikati and Justice
Minister Shakib Qortbawi called on Lebanon to ensure the payment of arrears owed
to the government – equivalent to 49 percent of the tribunal’s budget for 2011.
DEBKAfile Exclusive: Qaddafi is hiding in Targan Oasis, Sahara
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 7, 2011, In a world exclusive, debkafile's
intelligence sources reveal that Muammar Qaddafi, two of his sons and several
thousand fighters have gone to ground at Targan. This dot on the vast Saharan
map lies several hundred kilometers southwest of the remote desert town of
Jiffra which, too, is more than 1,500 kilometers from rebel-held Tripoli and
Sirte, where his loyalists are holding out against Libyan rebels.
Western intelligence sources believe that if Qaddafi feels threatened there too,
he will use a prepared escape route to Burkina Faso, whose president Blaise
Compaoré and prime minister Luc Adolphe Tiao, despite their official denials,
have promised him sanctuary. Burkina Faso is a member of the CEN-SAD (Community
of Sahel-Saharan States) which still acknowledges Qaddafi as ruler of Libya and
refuses to recognize the rebel regime.
Targan is a vast oasis covering hundreds of square kilometers with lakes and
connecting streams wreathed in densely-growing palm trees and papyrus rushes.
This hideout has so far eluded US spy and aerial satellite searches for the
fugitive Libyan ruler. In case he is run to ground, he is believed to have
prepared more than once escape route, some of them burrowed underground in
places hidden by vegetation.
With him almost certainly are two of his sons, Saif al Islam and
Moatassem-Billah and a part of the 32nd Khamis Brigade.
Two long, heavily-guarded Libyan convoys were sighted crossing the Libyan border
into Niger this week, some said to be carrying large sums of money and gold from
the Libyan state bank. debkafile's intelligence sources deny this.
NATO and rebel forces have two major problems before they can catch Qaddafi:
1. Getting to the remote and vast Targan area is one. Another is controlling it.
A very large military force would be required, inured to combat in the extreme
climatic conditions of the Sahara which neither NATO nor the rebels have
available. They would also need to find out which of the dozens of nomadic
tribes in the region have given their allegiance to the Libyan ruler, because
without the cooperation of some of those tribes no military operation has a
chance of succeeding.
2. NATO and rebel spokesmen now say that once Bani Walid falls and the way is
clear to capturing Qaddafi's home town of Sirte the war will be won.
debkafile's military sources say that even if the elders of those towns can be
persuaded to let the rebel forces in without a fight, a third formidable
obstacle remains: There is a large enclave between Sirte running up to a point
east of Tripoli populated by large tribes which are the hard core of diehard
Qaddafi support. They will hold out fiercely against opening the door to the
rebels from the east.
Missing Syrian opposition leader kidnapped by al-Assad regime - Daughter
By Paula Astatih
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – The daughter of former Syrian Deputy Prime Minister
Shebli Aysami, who disappeared more than 3 months ago in Lebanon, has revealed
that her family has received information that he “was kidnapped by the Syrian
regime, and he is today being held as a political prisoner in a Syrian jail.”
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Aysami’s daughter, Raja Sharafeddine, revealed that
“all the security leaks and information in the hands of Human Rights
organizations – as well as information coming out of Syria – indicates that he
is being held in one of Syria’s jails.” She added that Aysami may have been
arrested as a result of “a security mistake or claims made against him or even
fear regarding the timing of his visit to Lebanon, which took place after the
revolution broke out in Syria.”
Mrs. Sharafeddine also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “my father has always been an
opponent of the [current] Syrian regime, but his opposition was always objective
and non-violent.” She added that Aysami has not been involved in politics for
many years, due to his age – he is 86 – stressing that “he has devoted his time
to writing poetry.”
Aysami was last seen on 24 May in the Lebanese town of Aley in the Mount Lebanon
region. He was one of the founders of the Arab Socialist Baath Party in the
1940s, and served as Syrian Deputy Prime Minister under Amin al-Hafez. Aysami,
who is a prominent member of the Syrian Druze community, later split from the
Syrian Baathist party in 1966 over political differences with then president
Hafez al-Assad, later joining the Iraqi Baathist party. He has since lived in
Iraq, Egypt, and the United States, and has reportedly not been involved in
politics since 1992.
Raja Sharafeddine called on the Syrian regime to “match its words with actions
as the political amnesty that was declared by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
should apply to Shebli Aysami.” She also stressed that “the denials that he has
not been abducted does not serve anybody’s interests, particularly not the
interests of the [Syrian] regime” adding that “it is in nobody’s interests for a
person of Shebli Aysami’s standing to be kidnapped.” Aysami’s daughter also told
Asharq Al-Awsat that “as he was kidnapped on Lebanese territory, the Lebanese
authorities should therefore be responsible for mediating with Syria to secure
his safe return to his family.”
Mrs. Sharafeddine also did not hesitate to express her dissatisfaction with
regards to the manner in which the Lebanese security authority have dealt with
this case, stressing that “we did not receive our information from this
[Lebanese security] apparatus but rather from other sources, therefore the
Lebanese authorities delay and lack of seriousness in dealing with this case is
clear and must be questioned.”
For his part, official Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party [PSP] spokesman,
Rami Rayes, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the PSP is utilizing all of its
capabilities to monitor this case, and is carrying out the required political
and non-political communication to uncover the truth.” He also called for the
public not to “jump to conclusions before all the facts are in.” Rayes stressed
that “we have confidence in the Lebanese security apparatus that is solely in
charge of monitoring this case and uncovering the truth and we should therefore
avoid speculation.”
As for the Aysami family’s ongoing attempts to uncover the truth regarding
Shebli Aysami’s whereabouts and secure his safe return, Lebanese Druze figures
on Thursday organized a gathering to call on the Lebanese security apparatus to
uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the former Syrian Deputy Prime
Minister. Participants at the meeting included Druze spiritual leader Sheikh
Naim Hassan, PSP MP Akram Chehayeb, Salim Hamadeh of the Lebanese Democratic
Party – representing party leader Talal Arsalan – and other Druze figures. The
[Lebanese] National News Agency reported that “the members of the meeting called
for the truth behind the disappearance of Aysami to be uncovered.”
During this gathering, Aysami’s grandson, Amir Sharafeddine, speaking on behalf
of the Aysami family, called on the Lebanese security apparatus to “assume its
responsibility, intensify its efforts, and work and cooperate to secure Aysami’s
release.”
For his part, PSP MP Akram Chehayeb, who is also a member of the Lebanese
National Struggle Front, told the gathering that “he [Aysami] was kidnapped for
his political symbolism, therefore we are meeting to affirm our complete
rejection of this abduction…and we reaffirm our belief in freedom of speech,
freedom of political belief, and freedom of political participation, and we
completely reject the logic that anybody who is not with us should be either
kidnapped, jailed, or killed.” He added that “we believe in the system of the
state…and we are waiting for answers from the [Lebanese] security apparatus. We
must take it upon ourselves to continue lodging complaints until we secure the
freedom of Shebli Aysami.”
From Spring to Autumn and Winter
By Hussein Shobokshi/AsharqAlawsat
It seems that talk about the” Arab Spring”, and the freedom revolutions that
came with it in different Arab countries, also necessitates talk about the “Arab
Winter”, or the painful economic realities on the ground. There is now growing
talk about the need to prepare a new “Marshall Plan” for the Arab world, in
order to deal with the consequences and results of the Arab Spring. The
“Marshall Plan”, as it has become known, was the proposal put forth by the U.S.
Secretary of State in 1948, in order to relieve and rescue Europe after World
War II, and provide large financial incentives to promote the economy. The
volume of financial support at the time was around US$13 billion, directed to
develop industry and agriculture, reduce trade barriers between countries, and
foster political coordination. The plan worked with great success, and after
only a matter of years in 1952, all countries involved in the “Marshall Plan”
had economies recording positive growth at a rate of 35 per cent above pre war
levels. This was the European boom.
In today’s rates, if we translated the US$13 billion into its present value, the
affected Arab region would require US$670 billion. Of course, none of the 8
major global economies are talking of numbers such as this, rather they are
talking today about an amount of approximately US$30 billion, in addition to the
US$10 billion and US$4 billion pledged respectively by Qatar and Saudi Arabia to
Egypt. There are many urgent and necessary requirements, and these needs vary
according to the negative state of the sector or country concerned. In Libya,
for example, there is an alarming need for the reconstruction of entire cities
destroyed by military bombardments, such as Misrata, Az Zintan, Zawiya and
Zliten. Likewise, there is a need for the expansion and reform of hospitals,
refineries and government buildings. Yet what makes Libya’s task somewhat easier
is the existence of private funds reserved for the state in different
international banks around the world, in addition to Libyan oil revenues as the
sector is expected to return to production and exportation by 2012.
In Egypt the needs are different, and they relate to support for basic food
commodities due to high prices and generally low incomes, as a result of the
worrying stagnation of the tourism industry and its services, which has led to
tremendous pressure being put upon foreign exchange reserves, and substantial
withdrawals being made. Egypt “refused” to respond to a funding offer from the
World Bank and the IMF, because of public pressure to reject such a proposal.
This comes as a result of years of an abnormal relationship between Egypt’s
former regime and the two financial institutions.
Yemen is another country which has very urgent developmental demands, relating
to the improvement of infrastructure and reducing unemployment. The same applies
to Tunisia, where the rate of unemployment has reached a worrying stage, whilst
the level of tourism is yet to improve, which was always the most important
element of national income for the economy there.
Syria, where the regime is breathing its last breath, will soon be another
candidate to receive economic support. It urgently needs to develop all its
sectors without exception, after the current regime prohibited the country from
a normal life and normal economy. Unemployment remains the most serious concern
in the Arab world and is concentrated mainly in the youth sector, with
unemployment in this category reaching 40 per cent in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco
and Tunisia, and even up to 60 per cent in Egypt and Syria. Without doubt this
is a catastrophic rise. Likewise the rise in food prices is astronomical, which
means that there is a serious flaw in the concept of food security in the
economies of Arab countries. In addition to this, spending on infrastructure in
the economy of Arab countries amounts to barely 5 percent of total public
revenue, while emerging economies are spending an average of 15 per cent. This
explains the deterioration of airports, roads, ports, public buildings, schools
and hospitals in the Arab world. Economic growth has barely reached 3 per cent
in the best of circumstances, although oil prices continue to rise over US$100
per barrel, and oil is still the most powerful engine for the region’s economy.
However, the economic challenge is extremely worrying, and if we do not become
aware of this then spring will turn into a very long autumn and winter.
Activist in hiding /Talking to Syrian dissident Yassin Al Haj Saleh
Hanin Ghaddar , September 7, 2011
Yassin Al Haj Saleh is a Syrian writer and political dissident who is wanted by
the Syrian regime for his pro-democracy activism and has been in hiding since
the popular uprising—and the government’s subsequent bloody crackdown—began this
spring. Saleh already knows well the kind of retribution the Syrian government
doles out to dissidents, having spent 16 years in jail for his involvement in
the pro-democracy movement before being released in the mid-1990s. But he has
kept up his activism from hiding and writes regularly for Al-Hayat newspaper
about the situation in his country.
NOW Lebanon spoke to Saleh about the Syrian opposition’s activities and how the
ouster of Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi will affect their morale and strategy.
What does Moammar Qaddafi’s downfall mean for the Syrian people and regime?
Yassin Al Haj Saleh: For many Syrians, Qaddafi’s fall represents something that
they look forward to emulating in Damascus. It gives them great hope in bringing
about change in Syria and, maybe, in allowing their case to receive greater
world interest.
I think that Qaddafi’s fall is a bad omen for the Syrian regime because it
normalized its rule by taking advantage of the steadfastness of Arab rulers and
the plans made by some of them to bequeath power to their sons. Following the
fall of Qaddafi, and those of [Tunisian President Zeineddine] Ben Ali and
[Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak before him, it emerges today as the greatest
rogue and “unnatural” regime of all. Therefore, it must end.
Do you believe that the West will try to shift its military operations toward
Syria? Why?
Saleh: I think this is unlikely in the near future. The West’s approach to
regional issues is based on stability rather than on democracy. Western forces
have turned with excruciating slowness to exerting pressure on the regime as it
emerged as an ever-increasing threat to stability and as it became apparent that
Syria would transform into a melting pot for chaos that would extend to the
whole region.
Moreover, the West does not have any immediate interest in intervening in Syria,
and no significant Syrian forces are requesting such an intervention.
A Western military intervention may be possible in one case: If the regime
starts committing broad-scale massacres with victims in the thousands. In this
case, such an intervention would acquire a humanitarian aspect and may be
accepted by larger swaths of the Syrian population.
From my part, I hope that nothing of the sort happens, not only to avoid
numerous victims, but also because Syria would lose its independence, and Syrian
society would be violently torn apart in the event of a Western intervention.
How are Libya and Syria similar to one another, and how do they differ?
Saleh: The Syrian uprising is essentially peaceful, whereas many Libyans turned
to weapons early on. The Syrian regime is more established and essential within
the Arab and Middle Eastern system than Qaddafi’s regime, which did not have any
friends. Libya has a lot of good-quality oil and is very geographically close to
Europe, whereas Syria has [not very much] oil and is geographically close to
Israel, which occupies Syrian territory. This makes the Syrians sensitive to the
West and to Western interventions, and this will rise again to the surface once
the Syrian regime falls.
Now that there are talks about the formation of a Transitional Council in Syria,
what do you think of it? How can it be representative?
Saleh: The council that was declared last week in Ankara is not as
representative as it should be, but this might be the least of its problems. It
was established without the knowledge of many people whose names were mentioned
as council members, including myself. And this cannot be. Things should abide by
logic, and what is being inadequately built will not work.
Nevertheless, this bears witness to the feeling harbored by many Syrians within
the opposition and the uprising, whereby the uprising needs to have a political
face that represents it, speaks and potentially negotiates in its name. This
representative body would take up the political leadership of the uprising and
address the threats of political void in the event of the regime’s fall. This
would also help project Syrian affairs on the regional and international levels.
In what way do the Syrians need a transitional council today?
Saleh: They need a political leadership or an “alternative” to cover for it
during the transitional period following the fall of the regime, or to act as
the unified political reference of the opposition and the uprising. However, the
multiplication of initiatives, all of which failed to achieve reasonable
unanimity, was detrimental to all of them, and, rather than providing an
alternative, seems to have deepened the feeling that there is no such
alternative.
To what extent are calls for arming the Syrian opposition true?
Saleh: You mean how important and useless are they?
I think they represent worrying indicators to the influence of the Libyan model,
to the fact that patience has run out and, of course, to anger vis-à-vis the
regime’s persisting repression and killing of protesting Syrians. These calls
are still marginal and isolated, but they are likely to muster additional
support if the regime continues on the same path, especially given the rampant
feeling across the country that the Syrians are left to their own devices, and
that the Arabs and the world left them at the mercy of a regime that knows no
limits when it comes to violence.
In my opinion, this call is dangerous because it means drifting toward a terrain
where the regime possesses a certain advantage; hence, it is tantamount to
sacrificing peaceful protests to the benefit of a costlier and less fruitful
armed activity. This goes without mentioning the blow to the moral superiority
of a peaceful popular movement calling for freedom in the face of a killer
regime. Furthermore, it will narrow down the uprising’s social base and will
push armed people to the forefront. Violence is elitist and minority-related,
whereas the current uprising is social and democratic.
For all these reasons, armament will eventually spell the end of the uprising
without providing any guarantees that the regime will be brought down.
*Hanin Ghaddar is managing editor of NOW Lebanon
Egyptians and Turks
By Ali Ibrahim/AsharqAlawsat
Turkey’s decision to cut its diplomatic representation with Israel, ranging from
the level of ambassador down to the level of third secretary, in response to the
latter’s refusal to apologize for the deaths of nine Turks in the Freedom
Flotilla incident, has been met with widespread praise on the Arab street. This
is especially true in Egypt, where the Turkish decision coincided with a state
of public anger at the deaths of three Egyptian police officers on the border
with Israel. A joint investigate committee from both countries has been
established to identify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In Egypt, considerable room has been devoted to comparing the reactions of the
two countries [Egypt and Turkey], in the headlines of newspapers and in current
affairs television programs. This painted a picture that Egypt’s reaction was
hesitant, confused and fearful, whilst Turkey’s was courageous, decisive and
conclusive.
There is confusion as to what actually happened regarding the incident that took
place on the Egyptian-Israeli border, and this has been represented in the
contradictory information issued by the Egyptian government. There are political
forces that have criticized the official response, claiming that it mirrors what
the previous government used to do before the January 25th revolution, whilst
revolutionary supporters have rallied in front of the [Israeli] embassy to
demand the expulsion of the ambassador.
However, by comparing between the positions of the two countries in this way, we
are exposed to a lot of political outbidding, in which different forces seek to
score points on the street to raise their popularity, ignoring the fact that the
circumstances of each country are not identical. The most dangerous thing in
this process of outbidding is that we fall into the trap of “impeding battles”,
whether in good or bad faith. As a result, the masses and the politicians become
distracted from the most important goal of the January 25th revolution at this
stage, namely to rebuild the foundations of a civil, democratic state in the
shortest possible time.
The problem for all revolutions is that they carry with them enormous hope for
change and dreams, but they face many impeding battles, most notably infighting,
and at other times foreign wars and battles that they are dragged into. History
bears witness to this, most notably the French, Russian and Iranian revolutions.
In the Turkish – Israeli crisis, Ankara did not act recklessly after it was
angered by what happened to its nationals, and the show of force by Israel.
Turkey has waited for an Israeli apology for more than a year, and has waited
for a similar period for a report from the United Nations fact-finding
committee. Then the elected government took its decision, which still keeps the
door ajar [for rapprochement], because it does not specify the outright
severance of diplomatic relations.
If we move on to Egypt, although it is recognized that there was something
suspicious or reckless in what Israel did [on the border], and the masses are
entitled to express anger and demand action, the response at official level
should be governed by rational and interest-based calculations, in light of the
results of the investigation. It should not succumb to political speculation, as
has happened previously in the modern history of Egypt, and ended in disaster.
In any case, all future strategic decisions must be left to the government and
the president, who have established legitimacy through the popular mandate
granted to them by elections. Only then can they say that they represent the
voice of the people, rather than the interim government or transitional
authority that runs the country on a temporary basis until the handover of
power. This brings us to the importance of focusing on the internal political
process, completing the transitional phase, and rapidly moving on from the
current moment of weakness.
I asked a friend in Cairo if he was concerned about what we read daily, in terms
of reports about incidents of security breakdowns, quarrels, and clashes,
raising concern for the future of the political process, and the rebuilding of
the state and its institutions after the January 25th revolution. He answered:
“It is true that there are breakdowns, but not in the magnitude reflected by the
media portrayal. [The media] seeks to increase its distribution, gain viewers,
or work towards other goals such as improving its record and image, after the
revolution. [In reality] people are moving in the streets, sitting in cafes and
going to the northern coast in their summer holidays…Despite the troubles, there
is optimism.”