LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 24/12

Bible Quotation for today/
Luke 14/12-15: "He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
The Mideast's Vanishing Christians/By: Benjamin Weinthal/The National Interest/August 23/12
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman's shifting stances/By: Matt Nash/Now Lebanon/August 23/12
The costs of the Hezbollah “regime’s” endurance/By: Hazem Saghiyeh/Now LebanonAugust 23/12
No hint of an Iran breakthrough, but/By David Ignatius/The Daily Star/August 23/12

US, UK, French elite units on standby for seizing Syrian chemical weapons
http://www.debka.com/article/22296/US-UK-French-elite-units-on-standby-for-seizing-Syrian-chemical-weapons
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report August 23, 2012/US C130 transports stand ready at Middle East air bases to fly into Syria US elite units especially trained in combat against chemical and biological weapons and tactics for securing their arsenals. Western intelligence sources reported Thursday, Aug. 23 that those units are on standby at bases in Israel and Jordan. Their assignments are to engage Syrian troops attempting to move those unconventional weapons systems to battle fronts or Hizballah and to prevent them falling into the hands of radical Islamic rebel fighters, especially Al Qaeda.
Those elite units have been issued with special equipment for chemical and biological warfare including anti-contamination suits. The transports are also fitted with purification equipment for operating in polluted terrain. These plans followed President Barack Obama’s warning Monday, Aug. 20 that "we cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people." He announced, "We have put together a range of contingency plans.”
Also on standby for stealthy raids into Syria are British special operations forces in Cyprus and French units trained in unconventional warfare in Jordan. Thursday morning, President Obama talked by phone to British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande to wrap up the details of their combined operation in Syria, effectively the onset of direct Western intervention in the Syrian conflict. The Pentagon had not by Thursday reacted to these reports, but did release photos of US special operations soldiers clad in anti-contamination suits standing by armored personnel carriers equipped for chemical and biological warfare. The American media were also briefed on US plans to land special operations teams trained in the handling of these weapons for missions to protect or destroy unguarded Syrian stockpiles before they fall into the wrong hands. They also refer to air strikes to incinerate chemicals without dispersing them in the air.
debkafile’s military sources report that alongside the US satellites and drone aircraft monitoring the chemical and biological weapons stores, small American reconnaissance teams are already on the ground, marking out landing sites and setting up bridgeheads for the incoming US, British and French special forces.
Some - though not all - of the targeted stockpiles of shells and missile warheads are located around centers of the fiercest fighting in Syria’s civil war such as Aleppo in the north. They may be inadequately guarded since the Syrian ruler may have been forced to throw the units securing them into battle against rebel forces.
Important stress was laid by Obama in his comments Monday on the fact that he had not ordered US military engagement in Syria “at this point.” In other words, beyond that point, he was free to change that order. debkafile’s military sources report that direct American military involvement in the Syrian conflict has to all intents and purposes begun and looks like expanding in the coming days.
This is a sharp reversal of the military situation in the Middle East. It could lead to all-out warfare exploding in Syria possibly involving Hizballah ahead of a strike against Iran’s nuclear weapons, although this strike could unfold from the Syrian campaign - during its course or at its conclusion.
Washington is hoping that its direct action in Syria, aside from grappling with the unconventional warfare menace looming over the region, may persuade Tehran to cave into American demands for halting uranium enrichment and turn it aside from its race for a nuclear weapon in order to save itself from attack.
The Obama administration is split between two factions on the Syrian question – those who are pushing hard for direct US military intervention - both to end the bloodshed and Bashar Assad’s reign in Syria and to preempt a unilateral Israeli strike against Iran. The other faction is dedicated to Obama’s anti-interventionist mindset.
This controversy is explored in the coming issue of DEBKA-Net-Weekly (for subscribers) out next Friday.

U.N. Urges Support for Lebanon to Protect It from Syria Fallout
Naharnet /The United Nations on Wednesday called for greater international support to protect an increasingly divided Lebanon from fallout from the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Deadly clashes in Lebanon between supporters and opponents of Syria's President Bashar Assad have highlighted the need for international action, the U.N.'s political chief told the Security Council.
"As the crisis in Syria continues to deteriorate, the situation in Lebanon has become more precarious and the need for continued international support to the government and the Lebanese Armed Forces increasingly important," said under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman. "Tensions over domestic and security concerns remain high throughout the country and are easily exacerbated by developments in Syria," Feltman told a council meeting on the Middle East. Clashes in the northern city of Tripoli on Wednesday that left at least eight dead, the kidnappings of Syrians in Lebanon, and shelling across the border have all heightened concern about Lebanon's stability. Feltman said the arrest of former minister Michel Samaha for involvement in smuggling explosives from Syria had also "deepened concerns about attempts to draw Lebanon into regional concerns." U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently held talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati on the crisis and "remains focused on protecting Lebanon's stability and sovereignty," Feltman said. The United Nations has an 11,500 strong peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon to police a buffer zone with Israel.
Agence France Presse

Lebanese Justice Minister Hands Parliament Request to Lift Merhebi’s Immunity over Army Remarks
Naharnet/23 August 2012/ Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi handed parliament on Thursday a request to lift immunity off MP Moeen al-Merehbi. The request was made to parliament’s general secretariat and at the behest of the Army Command after it accused him of incitement against the army, reported al-Jadeed television. Merehbi later told LBCI television that he “is ready to be tried.”He added a hope that all powers, regardless of their rank, would be held accountable as well. On July 31, the Army Command announced that it had “launched measures aimed at prosecuting Merehbi” after he “insisted on attacking the military institution and insulting its leadership.” Earlier that day, Merehbi slammed Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji as an “unsuccessful person,” accusing him of being “responsible for all the mistakes and seditions.” The lawmaker also said the army commander is “an employee who should do his job,” accusing him of “exploiting the (military) institution in order to become the next president of the republic.” In a statement issued by the Army Command in response to Merehbi’s remarks, the military institution said: “Let the lawmaker know that all the officers and soldiers of the army are not his employees, but rather the servants of all the Lebanese people, and they only abide by the decisions of the legitimate authorities and the collective national will.”
Merehbi has been locked in a war of words with the military institution ever since the shooting death in May of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed at an army checkpoint in Akkar.

Syria army recaptures central Aleppo areas as fighting rages
August 23, 2012 /The Syrian army recaptured three Christian neighborhoods in the historic heart of Aleppo from rebels Thursday but fierce clashes continued in other parts of the main northern city, residents said. Aleppo residents spoke of heavy exchanges in the heart of the city during the army's offensive to recapture neighborhoods seized by the rebels at the weekend.
"We have had the worst two days of our lives," said Sonia, the wife of a wealthy businessman in the northern city told AFP. "If our house weren't built like a fortress, we'd all be dead. The entrance is very badly damaged." Rebels had seized control of three Christian quarters of the Old City of Aleppo during the weekend, including Jdeide and Telal, once frequented by tourists for their restaurants and handicraft shops. The rebel Free Syrian Army had also seized the nearby neighborhood of Sulamaniyeh, most of whose inhabitants are Armenian Christians.
The neighborhood is home to some ancient monasteries and a cathedral of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. "Battles on Monday and Tuesday were very violent, and they lasted for many long hours before the army managed to expel the rebels," a resident of the neighborhood told AFP by telephone. "After cleansing the area, hundreds of residents of the districts of Telal and Sulamaniyeh took to the streets to celebrate and express their support for the army," he added. After the rebels' expulsion, residents set up "popular committees" to prevent their return, another resident told AFP. Communities like those in the heart of Aleppo are among those in which support for Assad's government and suspicion of the rebels runs highest. -AFP

Jumblatt says Tripoli clashes aim to divert attention from Syrian crisis
August 23, 2012 /Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said that the ongoing deadly clashes in Lebanon’s Tripoli sought to turn the northern city into a hot spot in an attempt to divert attention from the Syrian events. “Time has come for all political factions concerned with the ongoing battle in the city of Tripoli to become aware that the [fighting] will not have any influence on the events taking place in Syria. [Tripoli’s clashes] seek to turn the [city] into a blazing playground to divert attention from the Syrian events,” Jumblatt said in an interview with the PSP’s website published on Thursday.
The PSP leader also called on all political factions in Tripoli to halt “all means of funding and arming” and resolve their difference without resorting to violence.
“This war of attrition requires a [radical] solution; starting with [offering] absolute support for the efforts of the Lebanese army… [in order] to confront the plan aiming to drag Tripoli and North [Lebanon] into strife and fighting; and through [halting] completely [the support thrown behind] armed [people] and saboteurs [who need to be] handed over to the relevant authorities to be tried.”
Jumblatt also said that the act of smuggling “suspicious fighters” needed to be stopped, saying that some of them “could be serving the Syrian regime or others.”
The PSP leader added that the developing events in Tripoli required “political awareness,” saying that sectarian tension should not be taken advantage of.
Two people died in the latest violence after a bloody day which saw six people killed in street battles between gunmen from Sunni and Alawite groups, whose rival districts – Bab al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen – are divided by a thoroughfare called Syria Street. On Thursday, another person was killed in Tripoli’s continuing clashes despite a ceasefire agreement that was reached on Wednesday.
-NOW Lebanon

Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 23, 2012/The Daily Star
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest.
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Thursday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
Al-Mustaqbal
Mikati responds to Berri ... Tufaili surprised at the crazy support of the Syrian regime
Ali Mamlouk directs Tripoli battle
Syria’s tools in Lebanon, particularly the Arab Democratic Party of Rifaat Eid, continue to implement orders given by Syrian officers to keep the northern Lebanon capital of Tripoli crippled in light of sniping and shelling.
Confirmed reports made available to Al-Mustaqbal said Eid takes direct orders from Col. Hafez Makhlouf, assistant to Gen. Ali Mamlouk, to escalate the already explosive situation in Tripoli.
The Syrian regime, which tampers in Lebanon’s security, prompted the world to mobilize to protect [this tiny nation]. U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council Wednesday that as the crisis in Syria continues to deteriorate, "the situation in Lebanon has become more precarious and the need for continued international support to the government and the Lebanese Armed Forces increasingly important."
Feltman said the arrest of former minister Michel Samaha has deepened concerns that there are attempts to drag Lebanon into regional tensions.
Prior to Feltman’s comments, France and the U.S. raised similar concerns. While France stressed the need to move the regional conflict to Lebanon, the U.S. expressed “deep concern” over the violence in north Lebanon.
Meanwhile, former Hezbollah chief Sheikh Sobhi Tufaili said Hassan Meqdad was kidnapped in Syria “either by a group of thieves and murderers associated with foreign countries or a group associated with the Syrian regime to create strife in Lebanon."
Addressing residents of Jabal Mohsen, Tufaili said in an interview with Future TV: “Think of your children. Do we want to be displaced from our homes? We have to find a solution to our problems.”
Tufaili pointed out that Shiites are going to pay dearly as a result of the Syrian regime collapse and expressed surprise at those “indulged in this crazy policy.”
Al-Akhbar
Lebanese Army gathers field commanders away from politicians
The Lebanese Army replaced politicians to achieve a compromise between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh by organizing a dialogue between the rival leaders to defuse tension, which is renewed from time to time.
In the midst of the fighting in Tripoli, the Lebanese Army command announced its readiness to engage in dialogue with the field commanders of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh away from politics.
After it denied that military units had ever withdrawn from the battle zone, the army called on the various political leaders “not to intervene on the ground or contribute to instigate disputes.”
The army held direct meetings at its headquarters in Yarze with field commanders of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.
Army officers will continue to coordinate these meetings in the coming hours away from parliamentary and political meetings held in the city.
Al-Joumhouria
Sleiman to Tehran next week, stringent measures at Yarze meeting to pursue those tampering with security
In the absence of any real political solution to curb the ongoing madness and put an end to the security chaos, the Lebanese Army took matters into its own hands with a meeting Wednesday at the office of Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi.
This meeting came to fill the government vacuum after the Cabinet abandoned its national responsibilities at a very delicate and dangerous stage Lebanon is passing through.
It grouped, in addition to Kahwagi, Lebanon’s most senior security leaders, including police chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, and deputy General Security head Brig. Gen. Fouad Khoury.
Sources told Al-Joumhouria that the “emergency meeting” tackled kidnappings in Lebanon and the intimidation of Lebanese, in addition to taking stringent security measures against those who interfere with the security and the stability of Lebanon in general and Tripoli in particular.
An-Nahar
War of attrition from Tripoli to the border
Feltman mobilizes world support for Lebanon
Mounting crisis between Berri and Mikati and no Cabinet meeting before September
March 14 launches popular movements in support of the army and security forces
Despite reaching a new cease-fire agreement in Tripoli and intensive efforts to end the battles of attrition that went into its third day – leaving about 10 people killed and more than 100 injured amid mass fleeing – internal and world concerns grew that the Syria unrest has spilled over to Lebanon.
The Lebanese Army boosted its military presence Wednesday evening along the dividing line between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, following the announcement of the cease-fire. Two people were killed and 10 wounded as soon as the cease-fire took effect.
Meanwhile, there were growing signs that the silent or open “crises" were escalating within the pillars of the government and inside the Cabinet, the latest of which was between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
It was clearly evident yesterday that the March 14 coalition had made a decision to change its handling of events by gradually moving toward popular movements.
The first signal came Wednesday when March 14 youth and student organizations called for a peaceful sit-in outside the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry Wednesday to demand political support for the Lebanese Army and security forces so that they can track down the kidnappers, free the kidnapped [Syrians] and expel the Syrian ambassador from Lebanon.

U.N. says no side in Lebanon should overstep state authority
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: U.N. official Robert Watkins said Thursday all sides in Lebanon should not overstep the authority of state institutions and that the latter should not allow the presence of actors who take the law into their own hands. “We believe the Lebanese state has an important role to play in ensuring that stability is preserved, while all sides in the country should respect and not overstep the country’s state institutions,” Watkins, the U.N. special coordinator in Lebanon, told reporters after meeting Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.
He also said that repeated security breaches undermine efforts by many in Lebanon to promote peace, stability and long-term development.
“Lebanon cannot accept that there are actors who take the law into their own hands with impunity. We support the statements by the Lebanese president and prime minister to bring those guilty of crimes to justice,” he said. President Michel Sleiman has asked the judiciary to issue warrants against kidnappers of Syrian nationals and secure the release of the abductees.
The armed Meqdad clan last week kidnapped over 20 Syrians and a Turkish national in retaliation for the abduction of their relative in Damascus by rebels. Some 10 Syrians and another Turkish man were also kidnapped by Al-Mukhtar Al-Thaqafi group, who demanded the release of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria on May 22.
The abductions, along with the repeated blocking of the road leading to the airport in Beirut, prompted many countries to issue travel advisories, with Kuwait evacuating almost all of its citizens.
“I also agreed with Minister [Marwan] Charbel that the Lebanese state has a moral responsibility to protect innocent people, including Syrian nationals, many of whom are here as refugees seeking shelter from the violence in their own country,” Watkins said. The U.N. official also said that Secretary General Ban ki-Moon has strongly condemned kidnappings and retaliatory hostage-taking in Syria and Lebanon and called for an immediate release of all those detained without due process and in violation of their human rights.
Speaking about the ongoing clashes in the northern city of Tripoli between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad, Watkins said the U.N. has been following closely the fighting with concern, expressing “deep regret for the unfortunate loss of life that was reported and the fact that the violence has continued in Tripoli.”

Hariri slams LBC over report, accuses Daher of serving Assad
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star
In this June 12, 2009 file photo, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri speaks during an interview at the Grand Serail in Beirut, Lebanon. (Grace Kassab/The Daily Star)
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri launched a scathing attack against LBC Thursday after it reported he had received $4 billion from Qatar and Saudi Arabia to end his reputed financial troubles, accusing the channel of having ties with Syria. Hariri’s press office denied LBC’s report, saying: “This report is not accurate at all, nor was another report by the same channel which said that the prime minister is on the brink of bankruptcy.” On Wednesday, LBC reported that Hariri received “a gift” of $4 billion on the occasion of Eid Fitr from both Qatar and Saudi Arabia to resolve his financial crisis. It added that some of the money would go to his Saudi Oger construction company and Future Television. LBC also said that the money was secured after Hariri made several trips to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
In the statement, Hariri’s press office said that the channel’s insistence on broadcasting false reports against Hariri “coincided with news that the head of LBC Pierre Daher has held several meetings with the head of the Syrian Intelligence Ali Mamlouk.” Mamlouk was accused along with former Information Minister Michel Samaha earlier this month by the government’s deputy commissioner at the Military Tribunal of plotting to assassinate political and religious figures in Lebanon and carry out terrorist attacks. “We have known for a while that Daher has decided to launch campaigns of incitements and defamation against Hariri and has put himself in the service of the butcher Bashar Assad,” the statement said.
“Faced with Daher's unprecedented abandonment of professional journalism and spreading of rumors and lies without proof ... we found that it is our duty to deny such fabricated news and show the people the truth about them,” it added.

Justice Ministry asks Parliament to lift immunity from Future Movement MP
August 23, 2012/ The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Justice Ministry asked Parliament's general secretariat Thursday to lift immunity from Future Movement MP Moeen Merhebi so that the Army can pursue its lawsuit against the official. The content of the letter sent to Parliament by Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi was not immediately disclosed but a source close to the matter said that the request was part of the legal procedure against a parliamentarian. The Army has filed a law suit against Merhebi over his comments against the military institution and its commander. Merhebi has accused Gen. Jean Kahwagi of taking advantage of his position as part of a bid to become the country’s next president. The Akkar MP has also said that Kahwagi was a “failure” and “responsible for civil strife in the country.”
The Army hit back at Merhebi and accused him of politicking ahead of the 2013 parliamentary elections, saying in a statement last month: "An MP is supposed to protect state institutions, especially the Army, and not abuse his parliamentary immunity to attack the military and put Akkar and the armed forces in conflict [with one another].” MP Marwan Hamadeh, a member of the general secretariat, responded to the request, saying it was unconstitutional and that the minister should prosecute criminals and not parliamentarians for expressing their views. “The initiative by the justice minister is unconstitutional. As man of law he should have known that,” Hamadeh said in a statement.
According to Hamadeh, Article 39 of the Constitution stipulates that no member of Parliament can be legally pursued for their opinions during their term.
“The Justice Minister should prosecute criminals and kidnappers before getting distracted with punishing a representative of the people for his opinions,” he said.

Sniper fire kills one, cuts through shaky truce in north Lebanon
August 23, 2012 /The Daily Star
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Sporadic sniper fire left one man dead Thursday in northern city of Tripoli Thursday, violating a shaky truce aimed at putting an end to the violence.
Mohammad Sulteye was gunned down in Jabal Mohsen Thursday afternoon. Earlier, cautious calm had prevailed in rival neighborhoods of the anti-Assad Sunni dominant Bab al-Tabbaneh district and the pro-Assad Alawite area of Jabal Mohsen following three days of deadly clashes that killed at least 12 and wounded over 70, including 11 soldiers.
The periodic sounds of gunshots coupled with sniper fire came as no surprise Thursday given that some groups in Bab al-Tabbaneh had not agreed to the cease-fire.
In a bid to resolve the crisis in the city, political and security officials met at Future Movement lawmaker Mohammad Kabbara’s residence Wednesday and orchestrated a truce agreed to by leaders from Jabal Mohsen which went into effect at 5:30 p.m.
The officials also called on the Lebanese Army to deploy in all conflict zones. Army units strengthened their presence along Syria Street, with a symbolic presence in both neighborhoods.
Lebanon’s Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn defended the army’s performance Thursday, saying the military is doing its best given its minimal capabilities.
“The Tripoli problem between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in particular is chronic and only needed a few issues for it to reignite, but the Army is trying to control the situation according to the available capabilities,” Ghosn told a local radio station.
The minister also warned that if the fighting continued, all of Lebanon would be affected.
Lebanon at most critical juncture since 1989: report
August 23, 2012/By Antoine Ghattas Saab/The Daily Star
An Arab diplomatic report on recent events in Lebanon puts forward a security strategy for averting chaos amid an unjustified and complete absence of the state.
According to the report, “Lebanon is heading toward a critical and dangerous stage that could destroy all the achievements that have been made since the Taif Accord was signed in 1989.
“The Lebanese government has never passed through such critical circumstances as it is today, with the logic of weapons, force, violence and terrorism conquering the logic of the state and its institutions,” it continued.
“There are increasing fears that Lebanon is at the gateway of sectarian strife, and signs of that are clear in the tension arising from the division of opinion over the Syrian crisis,” the report said.
It also discusses attempts by the regime in Damascus to ignite strife in neighboring countries, including Lebanon, in order to reduce Arab and international pressure on the Syrian government.
It argues that the Syrian leadership wants to demonstrate to the international community that it alone is capable of being a calming influence in Lebanon through its management of factions and parties loyal to the regime.
These attempts are basically an indirect threat designed to convince Arab and Western states that their continuing support for the Syrian opposition will lead to the exportation of the crisis to Lebanon.
The arrest of former Information Minister Michel Samaha is also evidence of this, the report says.
Following his arrest, Samaha confessed to acting on Syrian orders that were intending to spark conflict in Lebanon with a series of attacks targeting public figures in the north of the country.
Meanwhile, the bloody exchanges between the Tripoli neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, and the kidnappings carried out by the Meqdad clan are, according to the report, reactions to Samaha’s arrest, as well as to the stances of high-ranking government officials who have recently become more assertive in their opposition to the Syrian regime.
However, the report contends that the most difficult issue the country will have to face in the coming few weeks is that of Syrian refugees.
A Cabinet official told a European official concerned with human rights affairs that the number of Syrian refugees will multiply rapidly in the coming period and that he has an emergency plan to confront this problem. According to the report, the Cabinet official said he could not disclose the details of the plan at present.
Diplomatic sources who saw the report said it was largely in agreement with Western reports on Lebanon but neglected a main issue: The West has a vested interest in the status quo and wishes to preserve internal stability in the country because it is currently preoccupied with the Syrian situation.
Recent developments have shown that local groups and parties are pushing forward regional interests over Lebanon’s national interests and are continuing their attempts to drag the country into the region’s wars, the sources added.
The president, prime minister and speaker have all recently stressed the need to prevent Lebanon from slipping into the crisis surrounding it, given that there are a number of foreign groups or states who want to involve it in the struggle in the region.
According to sources, senior Western politicians have advised Lebanese officials at home and abroad that the current government is the best possible option right now, and have said that all indications suggest it will remain in office until the 2013 parliamentary elections.
The politicians added that it is unlikely that supervision of the elections will be biased since the authority charged with this task is the Interior Ministry, which is headed by a minister with views independent of the current political alignment in the country.
They said it will be Interior Minister Marwan Charbel’s responsibility to maintain the elections’ neutrality by approving reforms to be agreed upon by all groups.
In the event that the current opposition is convinced it will be impossible to force Mikati’s government to resign, it might send a request to the United Nations and ask that the elections be supervised by international observers as happened in 2005, they added.
Sources believe that it is likely a national unity government will be formed following the elections, as the Syrian crisis will most probably still be ongoing.

Turkish hostages’ fate tied to pilgrims
August 23, 2012/ By Van Meguerditchian
The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The fate of Turkish citizens kidnapped in Lebanon is tied to the 11 Lebanese pilgrims currently held in Syria, a Turkish official said Wednesday, signaling Ankara’s involvement in negotiations to end a crisis that began three months ago. “The fate of the Turks kidnapped in Lebanon is de facto linked to the fate of the Lebanese inside Syria,” said a Turkish official told The Daily Star speaking on condition of anonymity.
The official also said that the chief of Turkey’s intelligence service is directly involved in the negotiations to free the Lebanese hostages in Syria.
According to the official, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and director of General Security Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim were briefed on the current status of the Lebanese kidnapped in Syria by Hakan Fidan, head of the Turkish Intelligence Service.
Charbel visited Turkey over the weekend in search of accurate information regarding the Lebanese pilgrims amid conflicting media reports concerning the fate of the men, many of whom had been reported as killed in airstrikes that targeted the Syrian town of Azaz, which killed at least 40 people.
The strikes on Azaz last week came the same day as a 28-year-old Turkish businessman was kidnapped by the Meqdad clan in Beirut.
The clan said that Turkish businessman Aydin Tufan Tekin was kidnapped in retaliation for the Free Syrian Army’s abduction of their relative – Hasan Meqdad – in Damascus.
Head of the FSA Col. Riad Asaad denied that the FSA had any hostages from the Meqdad family.
“This is one of the regime’s games to create strife and instability in Lebanon,” Asaad said in remarks to the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper Tuesday.
Commenting on the FSA’s statement, the Turkish official said that “the ball was now firmly in the Meqdad family’s court after the FSA denied involvement in kidnapping.”
Charbel said Wednesday that he was waiting to speak with Turkish officials to plan a new visit to Turkey.
“Officials in Turkey following up on the case of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims will notify me with the new information they received,” Charbel said, ruling out a visit to Turkey this week.
Charbel briefed Tuesday the Cabinet’s crisis committee, which was formed to follow up on the case of the Lebanese hostages in Syria, on his meetings with Turkish officials in Ankara over the weekend.
The interior minister, who refused to elaborate further on his talks in Turkey, said that he had decided to keep information on the 11 Lebanese pilgrims confidential until officials reached a solution.
Meanwhile, officials at the Turkish Embassy maintained that the issue of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims and the two Turkish citizens kidnapped in Beirut were independent of one another, adding that Turkish officials were working to secure the pilgrims’ release.
“The case of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims is very important to us and we are doing the best we can on this,” said the embassy official who refused to be identified by the media.
The official also said that last week’s strikes on the Syrian town of Azaz had further complicated the case of the Lebanese pilgrims in Syria.
The pilgrims were kidnapped by an armed group in the northern Syrian district of Aleppo in May.
Their kidnappers have said that the abductions were aimed at pressuring the Shiite community in Lebanon to stop supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour said Wednesday that the kidnapping of the pilgrims affects not only their relatives, but the entire country.
“This is a national suffering for all Lebanese. It is not a suffering for a certain sect or the families of the kidnapped, this is a Lebanese suffering,” Abu Faour said, speaking on behalf of Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt at a graduation ceremony in Baabda’s Aley. Abu Faour added that all efforts should be made to ensure the return of the pilgrims to their families.
“What the National Dialogue did was great ... Forming a national delegation to visit all friendly and sisterly countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others will contribute to the release of the kidnapped and will defuse the threat of division among us,” Abu Faour added.
For his part, Beirut MP Imad Hout accused Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime of being behind the kidnapping of Hasan Meqdad in Damascus. Hout added that the series of kidnappings of Syrians in Lebanon was an attempt to force an end to Lebanese support for the Syrian opposition and refugees.
“The regime is behind the kidnapping of Hasan Meqdad in Syria,” Hout said in an interview with Radio Orient.
“It has done this to transfer the chaos into Lebanon after the plot by Michel Samaha was thwarted,” he added.
Former Information Minister Michel Samaha was arrested for carrying explosive devices from Syria into Lebanon and plotting with Syrian security officials to carry out terrorist attacks in the country.

Guns, anger rule streets of Tripoli
August 23, 2012/By Mirella Hodeib
The Daily Star
TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Gunshots fired out of SUVs by bearded as well as clean-shaven men interrupted the precarious calm governing Tripoli’s main street of Al-Mutran Wednesday morning.
The defiant convoy was en route to the nearby cemetery of Al-Raml to bury Zakaria al-Omar, one of the fighters killed during a fresh round of clashes between the notorious neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh. “There’s nothing wrong in firing gunshots in the air in the upscale neighborhoods of Tripoli,” said a top commander in Bab al-Tabbaneh, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a cigarette break. “It’s OK if they feel our agony. The rich and the politicians should feel our pain.”
In the narrow streets of the anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad Sunni stronghold of Bab al-Tabbaneh, where the smell of gunpowder, sweat and blood mixed, a general feeling of indignation and anger seemed to prevail. Gunmen and residents alike have been taking it out on their traditional foes, the pro-Assad Alawites of Jabal Mohsen but they also expressed unprecedented criticism of the Lebanese Army. An Army unit was forced to retreat Tuesday afternoon after coming under a barrage of machine-gun fire and RPG attacks when it tried to halt the violence that had erupted a day earlier between residents of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.
The spike in the number of wounded among the Army’s ranks sounded the alarm that the military, which is considered the last line of defense against greater sectarian violence, stands on a slippery slope in Tripoli. Abu Mahmoud, the spokesperson for the fighters in the Baal Darawish region of Bab al-Tabbaneh, accused the Army’s 4th Intervention Regiment of committing a “massacre” Tuesday, charging that the regiment was carrying out the orders of the Syria regime.
The gunmen of Bab al-Tabbaneh pulled out of the streets after a cease-fire was announced during a meeting between the Future Movement lawmakers and representatives of Islamist movements at the residence of Tripoli MP Mohammad Kabbara, said Abu Mahmoud. However, the 4th Intervention Regiment “brutally” deployed inside Bab al-Tabbaneh and used “extreme violence.”
“Even though we agreed to the cease-fire and pulled the gunmen out of the streets, the 4th Regiment went inside the neighborhood through the Maluleh zone and combed the area using all sorts of heavy weapons, killing four and wounding more than 18,” he explained. “This is what created the friction.”
While an Army source refused to comment on the accusations – highlighting only that all military decisions were centralized – the top commander in Bab al-Tabbaneh rejected suggestions that there was tension with the Army as a whole.
The 12th Brigade and other regiments deployed in the zone of conflict acted as guarantor of stability, he said. However, the 4th Regiment was another story.
“We have a big problem with the 4th Regiment,” the fighter said. “We want those responsible for the killings arrested and investigated.”
A senior security source in north Lebanon argued that in light of the abundance of reports that Assad was living his last days in power, armed gunmen of Bab al-Tabbaneh and groups that stood behind them were seeking a “show of force.”
“They want to show their opponents, including the Alawites and Hezbollah, that they have become strong and fully capable of confronting them,” the source said.
Last week, Tripoli-based Salafist preacher Sheikh Salem al-Rafei called for the establishment of a “Military Council” for the Sunni sect reminiscent of the “military wing” of the Meqdad family, which kidnapped a Turkish businessman and an unknown number of Syrians last week in retaliation for the capture by the Free Syrian Army of one of their relatives.
While Rafei’s call received a warm welcome within Islamist circles which contended that such a council was necessary to protect the Sunnis of Tripoli and elsewhere, it was criticized by the Future Movement, which said the establishment of such a council was “out of question.”
But in Bab al-Tabbaneh, where the women and children have abandoned their apartments on the fault line on Syria Street to safer shelters, including schools and shops located in the inner streets that are not fully exposed to fire from Jabal Mohsen, gunmen said the establishment of a military council for the Sunni sect was a “brilliant idea.”
“We are not waiting for a green light or permission from any political group,” said the top fighter.
“We will form this council because it’s not the political leaders who carry out revolutions, it’s us the people.”
Everyone in Bab al-Tabbaneh brandishes his AK-47 when fighting with Jabal Mohsen ignites. The gunmen, however, categorically dismissed claims that they were armed and funded by outside forces including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, insisting they bought their weapons with their own money.
Abu Mohammad says he had to sell his wife and daughter’s jewelry to buy his weapon and fighters like to tell the story of a comrade named Mustapha who sold the two refrigerators he owned to purchase an AK-47. The fighters said they are in for a long conflict. “The fighting of the past two days has been the fiercest so far,” the top military commander confided, adding, tongue-in-cheek, “As long as we have bread, cigarettes and caffeine in store we are well and we will continue to fight.”
Residents of the calmer neighborhoods of Tripoli, who have found themselves confronted by the presence of the armed men on the streets of the northern port city, seemed to have found ways to deal with the nearby fighting. Tuesday night, while fierce battles raged in the city’s impoverished pockets, the posh district of Dam wal Farz and the seaside area of Al-Mina were jam-packed with residents celebrating Eid al-Fitr. “Let’s face it, arms in Tripoli are only a reaction to weapons seen in the south Lebanon and the southern suburbs,” said Tamim, a businessman. “Let’s not forget that during times of conflict arms trade flourishes and people have more money to spend.”

4 Lebanese Dead, 10 Hurt in Shelling on Syrian Border Town
Naharnet/Four Lebanese nationals were killed and 10 others wounded in shelling by regime forces on the Syrian border town of Jousiyeh on Wednesday, media reports said. “Four people who hail from Arsal were killed and 10 others wounded in the town of Jousiyeh on the Syrian side of the border,” the Beirut-based, pan-Arab television al-Mayadeen reported.
The pro-Syria, Hizbullah-affiliated al-Manar television said “Syrian warplanes hit the headquarters of the gunmen in the Syrian town of Jousiyeh, which left four Lebanese who hail from Arsal dead and 10 others wounded.” The two TV networks did not say if the alleged Lebanese nationals were fighters or civilians.
But Agence France Presse quoted a Lebanese security source as saying that four Lebanese villagers died in an airstrike while fighting alongside the rebels.
Syrian forces have staged several incursions into Arsal since the beginning of the popular revolt in Syria in March 2011. Several Arsal residents were also killed by cross-border shelling.
Arsal residents deny fighting alongside the rebel Free Syrian Army and have been calling on the Lebanese army to deploy on the border with Syria.
Clashes broke out in June between Syrian troops and Arsal residents after a Lebanese man was killed and two wounded on the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons were fired during the clashes at Kherbet Daoud, an area on the outskirts of Arsal.
The fighting broke out after Syrian security forces intercepted smugglers crossing into Syria. However, there was no information as to what they were smuggling.

2 Dead, 12 Hurt after Tripoli Figures Agree on 'Miqati-Backed' Ceasefire
Naharnet /The Islamic National Gathering agreed on Wednesday to a ceasefire in the clashes of the northern city of Tripoli that came into effect as of 5:30 p.m., but the fragile truce was shaken by intermittent gunfire that left two people dead and more than 10 wounded. The initiative was supported by Prime Minister Najib Miqati and granted the army the right to respond to the sources of gunfire.
MTV television reported that the army has since deployed heavily in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods as soon as the ceasefire took effect at 5:30 p.m.
LBCI television later reported that sniper operations were ongoing in the rival neighborhoods despite the ceasefire. State-run National News Agency said Mohieddine Mahmoud, 75, died of wounds sustained in the clashes in Jabal Mohsen. Media reports quoted Arab Democratic Party media officer Abdul Latif Saleh as saying that "a woman from the Shahine family was killed by a gunshot."
LBCI said 12 people were wounded after 7:00 p.m. despite the declared ceasefire. MP Mohammed Kabbara announced after the Tripoli meeting that the army was requested to redeploy in the areas that have witnessed clashes in Tripoli and respond to any gunfire. Clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen erupted on Monday over a personal dispute.
At least nine people have been killed and 80 wounded in the ongoing clashes. Kabbara revealed that the gatherers were in contact with Miqati during the meeting, saying that he had voiced his support and praise for the ceasefire. The initiative was agreed upon by all the Bab al-Tabbaneh factions, revealed the MP. “The army and security forces are our one guarantee for security because they are obligated to protect the people and preserve stability,” he noted. An explosion was heard as soon as the MP finished reading the statement to the media.
Miqati later issued a statement stressing the role of the army and security forces in controlling the situation in Tripoli. He held a series of security meetings at the Grand Serail aimed at addressing the situation in the northern city, adding that all violators of security must be arrested. The premier later received a telephone call from Kabbara informing him of the results of the Tripoli meeting.

Clashes defy Tripoli cease-fire
August 23, 2012/By Misbah al-Ali, Antoine Amrieh
The Daily Star/TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Sporadic exchanges of gunfire persisted in Lebanon’s second-largest city Wednesday night despite a cease-fire agreement between rival groups to end three days of fierce clashes that killed at least 12 people.
A senior security source, however, said the cease-fire was precarious at best despite the deployment of Lebanese Army units in the battle zone and expressed fears that fighting between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Tripoli was likely to resume in the next few hours.
Meanwhile, a senior United Nations official warned that the fighting was a sign that the Syrian crisis was spilling over into Lebanon. “As the crisis in Syria continues to deteriorate, the situation in Lebanon has become more precarious and the need for continued international support for the government and the Lebanese Armed Forces increasingly important,” U.N. Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said in New York. “Tensions over domestic and security concerns remain high throughout the country and are easily exacerbated by developments in Syria,” added the former U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the senior security source said there was still no political consensus for fighting to end in Tripoli. “Tonight the fighters are resting.”
The security source added that the Bab al-Tabbaneh fighters had run out of ammunition and were waiting to replenish their stock before engaging in a new round of clashes.
Also, according to the source, some anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad groups in Bab al-Tabbaneh have not agreed to the cease-fire, dimming hopes of a possible conclusive end to the fighting.
In a bid to resolve the crisis in the city, political and security officials met at Future Movement lawmaker Mohammad Kabbara’s residence and agreed to a cease-fire that went into effect at 5:30 p.m.
Kabbara announced that Prime Minister Najib Mikati had expressed his readiness to visit Tripoli, along with Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn to oversee the implementation of the cease-fire. The officials also called on the Lebanese Army to deploy in all conflict zones.
Mikati, who held talks with President Michel Sleiman over the situation in Tripoli, called on the Army and the security forces to “be strict in controlling the [security] situation, prevent [clashes] and arrest those challenging the security [of Tripoli],” he was quoted as saying by the state-run National News Agency.
Army units entered Syria Street, which separates the rival districts.
However, the security source denied that the Army had carried out a “wide-ranging” deployment as it still lacked the necessary political cover since it had been given orders to deploy rather than intervene to end the conflict. “The military has dispatched only five vehicles to Bab al-Tabbaneh that are carrying out ... patrols along Syria Street,” the source added.
The three-day clashes had intensified earlier Wednesday between gunmen in the anti-Assad Sunni stronghold of Bab al-Tabbaneh and others in the Alawite-dominated pro-Assad Jabal Mohsen district, killing 12 people, including a soldier, and wounding over 76. Among the wounded are 11 soldiers and a policeman.
Meanwhile, the Army called on political leaders “not to intervene on the ground” or contribute to the conflict by instigating disputes, asking them to behave responsibly during this difficult phase.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the Army also denied that it had withdrawn from conflict zones, saying it continued to adhere to a comprehensive military plan. It expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with rival field commanders in the city “to bury sedition and defuse tensions,” and expose those undermining security.
Earlier Wednesday, there was no Army presence in either Bab al-Tabbaneh or Jabal Mohsen, but four military vehicles were stationed on Syria Street.
The Army was responding to sources of sniper fire which forced the closure of the highway connecting Tripoli to the northern city of Akkar.
On the streets of Bab al-Tabbaneh, gunmen – some of whom are children – continue to roam freely.
Khaled al-Sayyed, the newly appointed spokesperson for armed groups in Bab al-Tabbaneh, told The Daily Star that the groups had no intention to reignite the conflict and urged the Army to intervene when necessary. Fighters accused the government of providing political cover for their rival, Arab Democratic Party head Rifaat Eid. Eid, who during similar clashes in Tripoli earlier this year called for the return of the Syrian army so that it might restore calm, said that his party was not armed but that its members were, adding that combating the proliferation of weapons in the country requires dialogue.
Speaking to Al-Jadeed television station, Eid also urged Sleiman to give Tripoli more attention in future National Dialogue sessions. Earlier Wednesday, Saad al-Masri, a gunman who held sway in one of the main districts of Bab al-Tabbaneh, was buried in a large funeral. Lebanon’s stability has been in the spotlight since Syria’s uprising – now in its 18th month – intensified at the start of this year. Differences over the uprising have exacerbated tensions between Lebanon’s already divided political camps: the pro-Assad March 8 alliance and pro-opposition March 14 coalition. The violence came less than a week after Lebanon was jolted by a wave of kidnappings of Syrians and two Turkish nationals by the Meqdad clan and other groups that seek to exchange them for 12 Lebanese held hostage by Syrian rebels. A Meqdad family member was recently kidnapped by Syrian rebels in Damascus and 11 Lebanese pilgrims were abducted in May.

Lebanese natural gas wealth significant: Spectrum
August 23, 2012/By Osama Habib/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Explorers will very likely find substantial quantities of natural gas and possibly oil off the Lebanese coast, according to a top executive at a Norwegian company carrying out the first 3-D seismic survey of Lebanon’s offshore deposits. “You will never know [how much gas there is] until you drill a well under the sea, [but] you can make an assessment from the site we surveyed,” Spectrum CEO David Rowlands told The Daily Star. “Our assessment indicates so far there is a significant volume of gas to be discovered, and maybe even oil.”
Rowlands said the company would soon begin a 3-D survey in order to better determine the quantities of gas and oil off the Lebanese coast.
Spectrum already carried out a 2-D seismic survey off the Lebanese coast in 2000, as well as a second one in 2002.
Spectrum is carrying out the 3-D survey in collaboration with the Norwegian company Dolphin Geophysical, which is providing its high-capacity seismic vessel, M/V Polar Duke.
Both companies have said that the survey would acquire a minimum of 1,500 square kilometers of 3-D data.
The survey is the first stage of a project that will generate up to 3,000 square kilometers of data when completed, Spectrum said.
The survey has been fast-tracked to conclude in September, and the data will start to be made available to the government of Lebanon and other interested clients by November, according to Spectrum.
The final set of data will be completed in early 2013, which is when the Lebanese government has said it will open its first licensinground.
Dolphin said in a press release that the mobilization and acquisition would start imminently and fit well with the schedule for Polar Duke’s voyage to a previously announced contract in East Africa, which will commence in early October 2012. Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil has said that tenders for oil companies could start at the end of this year or early next year once a technical oil committee is formed. The seven-member committee is expected to be formed as early as September, Bassil’s adviser told The Daily Star. Rowlands stressed that all the data would be passed to Lebanon’s Energy Ministry, which in turn would offer it to interested oil companies. “Our contract with the ministry covers up to 3,000 square kilometers off the Lebanese coast, and our survey will be confined to areas within the recognized Lebanese territorial waters,” Rowlands added. Rowlands said Spectrum would focus its survey on the exclusive territorial waters of Lebanon and would avoid the disputed economic maritime waters near other countries. “We will not be acquiring data from any disputed waters,” he said.
The area which Spectrum is acquiring is the southwest corner. The survey will start 60 kilometers off the Lebanese shore and extend to the area near the maritime border with Cyprus.
“We anticipate to have our data available by the end of this year or early next year. The contract allows us to provide copies of the data to interested companies from America, Europe and the Far East. The aim is to get as many companies as possible [vying for tenders], and then they will apply to drill for gas,” Rowlands explained.
Rowlands said several international companies had already shown keen interest in extracting Lebanon’s oil and gas, saying that the discovery of deposits prompted a “stampede to explore the deepwater of the Levantine Basin.” He added that Shell, BP and a number of other global firms had voiced interest in drilling.
Lebanon’s offshore area covers a total of 22,730km2 in the Eastern Mediterranean and has never been previously licensed for hydrocarbon exploration, according to the Energy and Water Ministry’s website. “The recent deepwater, sub-salt gas discoveries to the south and west, which encountered high quality Lower Miocene sands, have significantly increased the industry interest in Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Levantine basin within the Eastern Mediterranean region is [believed] to contain some of the most exciting exploration plays in the region which are being re-evaluated through advances in seismic technology,” the website says.
It adds that the Levantine Basin is a large deep basin estimated to contain more than 10,000 meters of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments.
“The basin contains all the key elements for successful hydrocarbon exploration with deepwater hydrocarbon plays within the Tertiary (Miocene/Oligocene sands) anticlinal structures enhanced by large potential stratigraphic traps. Nearer to shore, in relatively shallower water, hydrocarbon leads have also been recognized in the basin margin invoking new petroleum systems,” the ministry said.
Experts say it will take a minimum of five years until companies start extracting gas and oil off the Lebanese coast if everything goes according to plan.

Two Syrian military helicopters fly over east Lebanon
August 22, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Two Syrian military helicopters are flying over east Lebanon, security sources told The Daily Star Wednesday.
The helicopters have been flying over Masharih al-Qaa and the villages of Joura and Doura at low altitude since 5 a.m., the sources added.

March 14 calls for expelling Syria envoy, freeing hostages
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The March 14 coalition urged the government Wednesday to secure the release of all hostages in the country and to expel Damascus’ envoy, charging that the Syrian Embassy is being used as a base to organize kidnappings. “[March 14] requests that the Lebanese government expel the Syrian ambassador [as] the Syrian Embassy has turned into a center for administering kidnappings, explosions and the sowing of sectarian strife,” the opposition coalition said in a statement following its weekly meeting.
The coalition also urged the state to enter areas of conflict and enforce security irrespective of the dangers.
“March 14 calls on the government to order the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces to intervene and free all abductees and prosecute the abductors,” the statement said.
It added that assistance for the abductees should occur “regardless of the identity of the party [that is] providing moral and financial support to the kidnappers, [particularly] as enforced disappearances are a crime against humanity, punishable by international law.” The statement by the March 14 coalition comes amid the deterioration of security in the country with armed clashes in Tripoli, the spate of kidnappings and the discovery of a bomb plot aimed at inciting sectarian conflict. Former Minister Michel Samaha was charged last week in connection with the terror plot, which intended to undermine Lebanon’s security. The March 14 alliance has repeatedly accused Syria of instigating clashes in north Lebanon in a bid to divert attention away from the uprising challenging President Bashar Assad.
The statement also reiterated the coalition’s demand that the government “lodge a complaint with the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council against the Syrian government for violating Lebanon’s sovereignty and undermining its stability.”The statement described the security-related incidents in the country – including the assassination attempts of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and MP Boutros Harb, as well as clashes in Tripoli and Akkar and Syrian border violations – as “part of a plot to blow up the situation as the Syrian regime collapses.”
March 14 went on to accuse Iran and Syria of masterminding the plot, which is being carried out by local forces “who have been and still are following that axis and are hostage to its security orders.”
In reference to the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, the alliance said the Lebanese are witnessing the collapse of the state due to its “inability to secure minimum stability and its [failure] to carry out its duty to impose security.”March 14 praised President Michel Sleiman’s stance on recent events but called on the premier to take concrete decisionsand follow through on his plans. The coalition also reminded state officials that they have the duty not only to form alliances, but to act.

Mikati vows to stay on until extraordinary Cabinet is agreed
August 23, 2012 /By Hasan Lakkis/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati responded Wednesday to Speaker Nabih Berri, who accused him of not wanting to govern, by saying he would continue to bear his responsibilities until an extraordinary government is agreed. “We continue to shoulder our responsibility until conditions, following the National Dialogue session in Beiteddine, are ripe to agree on an extraordinary government,” he said.
President Michel Sleiman set Sept. 20 as the date for a new session of all-party talks to discuss a national defense strategy.
In remarks published Wednesday by the local Al-Akhbar newspaper, Berri criticized Mikati, saying the premier “does not want to govern, because when he formed the government, he – like us – did not know that Syria would witness [an uprising],” Berri said. Berri added that he would remain in his position because he was sure of his “political calculations.”
“Mikati, however, found himself in new circumstances that do not match his calculations,” Berri argued. Mikati refused to respond to Berri’s remarks and said there were things he could not talk about. “Never before did I accept to respond to opponents, so how will I respond to a friend and a brother – Mr. Berri,” he said in remarks published Wednesday by the state-run National News Agency.
“Governing in Lebanon is not something done by the prime minister, but by [governmental] institutions ... and Mr. Berri is a partner as [leader of] a political party and as Parliament speaker,” he added.
Mikati also said the speaker was aware of the “weight of the burden on my shoulders.”
“But I do not neglect my responsibilities and I do not hesitate to make the right decision at the right time,” he added, while praising Berri for saying he would punish any who block the airport road.
Turning to Tripoli, Mikati said he feared that the city’s gunbattles were a new attempt at dragging Lebanon into the Syrian unrest. “The bloody events taking place in Tripoli are, in some respects, a new attempt to push Lebanon into a conflict on a large scale,” he said. Meanwhile, parliamentary sources speculated that the country had entered “a dark tunnel connecting it to the Syrian crisis.” According to the sources, neither Arab states nor the West would like to see Mikati resign because such a step would create “a dangerous vacuum in Lebanon.”
“For these reasons, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt’s ministers won’t resign from the government and because the government would be able to appoint other Druze ministers in case they do,” the sources added. The sources also said that the current security situation in the region did not ensure the proper atmosphere to hold parliamentary polls in 2013 or presidential elections in 2014. “In light of these circumstances, Parliament will likely propose an extension for its term beyond 2013 and an extension for the president’s term as well as the term of the Army commander,” the sources predicted.
Mikati, meanwhile, would remain prime minister for another two years as long as there was no resolution to the Syrian crisis, the sources said.

Lebanese Forces MP criticizes Syria summonses
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces MP Shant Janjanian criticized the summonses issued for Lebanese political leaders by Syrian officials, the National News Agency reported Wednesday. He called the summonses a groundless retaliation for the prosecution of former MP Michel Samaha, who has been charged with being involved in a terror plot. While the Samaha case has plenty of evidence, the Syria summonses of Lebanese opposition figures have none, Janjanian said, according to the NNA. Syria is expected to summon 30 Lebanese politicians on suspicion of supporting armed groups in Syria with weapons and money. Syrian sources told Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television Tuesday that former Premier Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt were among the politicians targeted by the summonses. Janjanian criticized the Syrian regime for its harsh tactics and called for the judicial process in the Samaha case to continue and new arrest warrants to be issued as needed. He said the Syrian regime was involved in a plot to intimidate and kill people in Lebanon.

Kataeb youth: Dissolve Syria-Lebanon council
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Protesters called on Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour Wednesday to summon Syrian’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali to the ministry and to dissolve the Lebanese -Syrian Higher Council. The protests outside the Foreign Ministry which was organized by the Kataeb (Phalange) Party’s youth department displayed posters asking the Syrian ambassador to “respect us or leave.”
The protesters also accused Mansour of being a minister only in name. Patrick Richa, head of the Kataeb youth department, called for a review of Lebanese-Syrian agreements and the dissolution of the Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council, according to the National News Agency. Speaking during the rally, Richa said that the Treaty of Brotherhood between Lebanon and Syria, signed in 1991, was in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and did not respect the mutual interests of both countries. “We all saw throughout the years that this treaty is only being applied by one side and it has placed Lebanon in the service of Syria,” said Richa. “Meanwhile, Syria has never made any effort for stability and progress in Lebanon, but on the contrary, the security violations and the security threats were routine,” Richa added.
According to Richa, former Information Minister Michel Samaha’s plot with Syrian officials that was recently foiled was the clearest evidence yet of the failure of the brotherhood treaty.
Samaha was arrested earlier this month on charges of transporting explosive devices from Syria to Lebanon and plotting terrorist attacks with top Damascus security officials.
The demonstrators expressed surprise that Mansour had so far failed to summon the Syrian ambassador despite the significance of the threats the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch discovered.
“It is unfortunate that you [Mansour] have ignored the simplest rules of diplomacy and international law ... You have even made us question whether you are a minister in the Lebanese government or just an ambassador to the Syrian regime in Lebanon,” Richa said. The party’s youth department warned Wednesday that in the event that the ministry failed to consider their demands, the demonstrators would hold a bigger rally against the government, along with other parties from the March 14 coalition.

Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Moussawi warns against weakening resistance
August 23, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Moussawi warned against weakening the resistance in Lebanon, saying it would give Israel an opportunity to attack the country, the National News Agency reported Wednesday. “I want to tell whoever is betting on canceling the resistance: You are making a poor decision,” he said, adding that Israel and its allies had failed to do so since the July 2006 war. Moussawi said that Israel favors a policy of internal crises in the country and strife that hurts the resistance, the NNA reported. “A true Lebanese patriot would not attack the resistance in this critical stage and would put political differences aside. Those who are working to weaken the resistance are giving Israel the green light to start its attack on Lebanon,” he said. The Hezbollah MP made the statement on the occasion of a memorial for victory in the 2006 war.

No hint of an Iran breakthrough, but ...
August 23, 2012/By David Ignatius/The Daily Star
As Israel and Iran entered this summer of confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear program, the Iranians were also conducting talks with the United States and other leading nations to seek a diplomatic alternative to war. Since then, the rumors of an impending Israeli military strike have grown almost daily, but whatever happened to the negotiations? The answer is that the “P5+1” talks have been in recess during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but contact is expected to resume soon between the top negotiators. Talking with Iranian and American experts, I don’t hear any hint of a breakthrough that would ease the war fever, although some useful new ideas have been floated.
The diplomatic track has been frustrating to U.S. officials, so far. But it remains important because the military alternative is so fraught with dangers – not least for Israel and its long-term goal of preventing the Iranians from having nuclear weapons. An Israeli military strike might set the Iranian program back several years. But it would probably shatter the international coalition against Iran, galvanize support for the mullahs at home and in the region – and thus might make Iran’s eventual acquisition of a bomb even more likely.
Because of such risks, many leaders of Israel’s national-security establishment, past and present, appear to oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s consideration of a military strike. Despite this internal Israeli split, Republican candidate Mitt Romney has strongly endorsed Netanyahu and chided President Barack Obama for taking an independent U.S. position, saying at a campaign rally Monday: “The president throwing Bibi Netanyahu under the bus was totally unacceptable. Him negotiating for Israel, our friend, totally unacceptable, in my view.”
Here’s the situation in the negotiations Romney evidently dislikes: By the end of August, Catherine Ashton, the European diplomat who is chief negotiator for the P5+1, will likely talk by phone about next steps with Saeed Jalili, the representative of Iran’s supreme leader. The possibilities include another technical meeting of experts or deputy negotiators, or a full, top-level negotiating session.
The P5+1 nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia plus Germany) are still discussing their bargaining position. The consultations quickened last week with a trip to Beijing, Moscow and London by Wendy Sherman, the undersecretary of state who is the top U.S. negotiator. The six countries agreed to continue working together despite some disagreements about tactics: “At the end of the day, we will proceed in unity,” said a senior administration official.
There remains a “significant gap between the P5+1 and Iran,” according to the U.S. official. The Iranians officially have offered only to suspend enrichment of uranium to the 20 percent level, in exchange for lifting sanctions. This position is a non-starter for the U.S. and its negotiating partners.
Unofficially, Iranians have signaled that they would be ready to export their stockpile of 20 percent uranium and cap future enrichment at 5 percent. This comes closer to meeting U.S. concerns, but it still leaves Iran with a big stockpile of about 6,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium that could fuel a breakout. It’s this ability to “dash” toward a bomb that most worries Israel.
An interesting bridging proposal comes from Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian negotiator who’s now a visiting fellow at Princeton University. He told me this week that in addition to capping enrichment at 5 percent, Iran might agree to a “zero stockpile” of this low-enriched fuel. A joint committee with the P5+1 would assess Iran’s domestic needs, and any enriched uranium would either be converted immediately to the needed fuel rods or panels, or it would be exported.
In exchange, Mousavian argues, the P5+1 would recognize Iran’s right to enrich uranium and would gradually lift sanctions.
This intriguing proposal lacks official Iranian support, but it would address Israel’s biggest concern and would surely interest American officials. Mousavian also notes Iran’s willingness to allow much wider inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency into what are known as “possible military dimensions” of the Iranian nuclear program. This transparency proposal would allow the IAEA to monitor any possible breakout, but U.S. officials caution that if the Iranians decided to go for a bomb they could simply expel the IAEA inspectors and make the dash.
Here’s a final thought, based on the all-too-real possibility that negotiations will remain deadlocked and Israel will decide to take unilateral military action. In the resulting fog of war, there will be a need for reliable communications in the Gulf and a hotline with Tehran. Establishing these communications links is an urgent priority, as the rumors of war continue.
**David Ignatius is published twice weekly by THE DAILY STAR.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman's shifting stances
Matt Nash, August 22, 2012 /Now Lebanon
President Michel Suleiman has been taking emboldened stances vis-à-vis Lebanon’s different political powers.
Albeit a week late, President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday ordered the country’s judicial authorities and security forces to act against members of the Moqdad clan, who recently went on a kidnapping spree. Trying to take on the powerful Moqdads (who are reportedly backed by Hezbollah and, to a lesser extent, Amal, though all three have denied any connections) is the latest example of an increasingly assertive Suleiman.
Late last year and in early 2012, the president sat silent as Syrian troops fired on, shelled and even entered Lebanese territory along the two countries’ northern border. Near the end of July, Suleiman sent an official complaint to his Syrian counterpart requesting Damascus “avoid the repetition of border incidents.” While that does not sound like a president forcefully defending his state’s sovereignty, it was significant in that it was the first time a Lebanese president has complained of Syrian interference in nearly a decade—at least.
More recently, he not only reiterated accusations against Syria for allegedly working with former Information Minister Michel Samaha to plant bombs in Lebanon, he said the head of state in Damascus has some explaining to do. “[The Lebanese judiciary] accused a Syrian official [of sending weapons to Lebanon], and I expect the Syrian president to call me and explain [the incident]. I hope this call happens,” the National News Agency quoted Suleiman as saying on Saturday.
And it’s not only Bashar al-Assad to whom Suleiman is showing more backbone.
On August 1—the day commemorating the Lebanese army’s formation—Suleiman undermined the so-called “army-people-Resistance” formula for defending the country which has been repeatedly endorsed by Lebanese cabinets following the civil war. The president said: “Defending the nation and ensuring its sovereignty with the force of arms is the exclusive prerogative of the national army.”
He has also continued to call for discussing a defense strategy (code for Hezbollah’s arms, in Lebanese political lingo) during national dialogue sessions, even after the Party of God apparently vetoed talks about that issue.
From the first day of his presidency, Suleiman was boxed in. He was inaugurated at the end of a six-month power vacuum that followed the expiration of former President Emile Lahoud’s term in November 2007, and after Hezbollah and its allies used military force to prove their power in May 2008. Suleiman was a “consensus candidate,” which prevented him from doing just about anything.
So why is he now apparently not so eager to stand neutral in the face of Lebanon’s political dichotomy? Part of the reason must simply be because he can be more assertive. Things do not look good for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and many argue that is also weakening Hezbollah’s hand in Lebanon.
“Everyone is preparing for what will happen in Syria post-Assad, and how that will impact Lebanon,” Elias Hanna, a retired general who teaches Political Science at local universities, told NOW Lebanon. Hanna argued Suleiman simply has a freer hand to exert his authority as president, which he should have done “a long time ago.”
“As Hezbollah weakens, he will become more assertive,” Hanna added.
He may also be working on “brand Suleiman.” The president’s term ends in 2014, and Future MP Ahmed Fatfat told NOW Lebanon the he “has announced more than once that he rejects an extension or renewal of his presidency.”
He may, however, be quite concerned about his own legacy. “The president is very upset because of the security situation, and as his mandate is nearing its end, he would like to make some achievements before leaving,” Fadia Kiwan, head of the Political Science Department at the University of St. Joseph. “He wants achievements in the second part of his mandate because he wasn’t able to do much during the first,” she added, saying Suleiman has personally complained to her about feeling powerless in the past. Neither the president nor his advisors could be reached for comment.
That said, his concern about legacy may extend to his family as well. There are rumors Suleiman wants his son to run for a parliamentary seat in Jbail in 2013. Asked if the president was thinking of next year’s polls in weighing his words and actions these days, Fatfat said he would not rule out the possibility of “someone close to him” running for office.
“That is his right,” he said.

The costs of the Hezbollah “regime’s” endurance
Hazem Saghiyeh, August 21, 2012/Now Lebanon
In addition to their close alliance, the Syrian regime and the Hezbollah “regime” in Lebanon are alike in that they are both adamant about their survival in spite of and regardless of everything.
The cost of the Syrian regime’s endurance is now obvious and is calculated in terms of people killed and the destruction of cities and society. In comparison, we may discover soon that the endurance of the Hezbollah “regime” causes the Lebanese to shoulder major costs. No one can question today the huge danger the Lebanese society incurs as a result of the alliance of Hezbollah and its allies with Damascus. From the sporadic clashes between Akroum and Hermel in the far North and the unstable situation in Tripoli to the airport-for-Masnaa equation and the Ahmad Assir phenomenon in Sidon, Lebanon is rotting to an unprecedented extent. Furthermore, while all people were busy with the Michel Samaha issue and its underlying criminal intentions to import the Syrian crisis, innocent Syrian nationals residing in Lebanon were kidnapped on a wide scale. These kidnappings shed a light on the frightful weakness of the state, which is supposed to protect the Lebanese people and those residing in Lebanon. Yet the state’s weakness reveals society’s readiness to conflict on two levels: On the one hand, the emerging racism against the Syrians sheds a light on the dangerous level of tension build-up among Lebanese communities and introduces us, on the other hand, to the phenomenon of military wings of Beqaa clans. Whether these military wings are facades for Hezbollah or whether they express a tremendous armed retrogression of the core of society behind a civil and civilized façade does not bring many changes to the wretched results. The list of legitimate fears does not end here. Indeed, we are aware that the Hezbollah “regime” has caused us to live on the edge of an Iranian-Israeli conflict that may erupt anytime and take the shape of destructive weapons that will threaten us. Who knows? Hezbollah may – in such a case – think it a pressing need to get involved in this destructive conflict and take a leadership role in it. This is added to the concerns expressed by international capitals with regard to a hypothetical Syrian arsenal of chemical weapons and its potential transfer to Lebanon. This goes without mentioning the threats to Israel via the Israeli tourists killed in Bulgaria, and the fact that Tel Aviv accused Hezbollah and Iran of being behind the operation. The above warns against what may lie in store for us if we insist on reliving the past now and in the future. The Syrian regime is crumbling as proven by countless telltale signs. Likewise, the pretexts invoked to establish the Hezbollah “regime” in the 1980s ended in 2000, i.e. the year of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Therefore, the sole remaining mission of weapons is to poison society with hatreds and expose it to existential threats in which the Lebanese people have never had a say.
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Saturday August 18, 2012

IAEA Chief Dampens Hopes on Iran Talks Friday
Naharnet /The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog IAEA said Wednesday he had little hopes of a breakthrough at a meeting later this week with Iran to discuss Tehran's contested nuclear program.
"I cannot say at this time that I am optimistic about the outcome of the coming meeting," Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Agence France Presse during a visit to Helsinki. Friday's talks are aimed at resolving outstanding issues relating to Iran's nuclear program and obtaining a "structured approach" agreement to clarify accusations that Iran is carrying out suspected nuclear weapons research. "We have made our best efforts in a constructive spirit to work out an agreement between Iran and the IAEA but so far we have not been successful in reaching an agreement," he told reporters. "I do not have the indication that this will be changing very soon," he said, adding that Iran's "level of cooperation is insufficient". IAEA chief inspector Herman Nackaerts and deputy director general Rafael Grossi were expected to attend the talks at the Iranian mission in Vienna. In June, the IAEA and Iran failed to agree to a deal allowing greater access to examine Tehran's contested nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes. Amano said meanwhile that satellite imagery of Iran's Parchin military site suggested Tehran was trying to block verification of the site.
"Until we have access to the facilities we cannot say for sure. But through the satellite imagery we think that Iran is moving soil, demolishing buildings, using water, removing fences, doing landscape activities, etc," he said. "We are thinking that this would hamper verification activities," he said. "We are not saying that Iran has some nuclear weapons ... (but) because the pieces of information are indicating activities with possible military dimensions we would like Iran to engage with us to clarify these issues," he said.
Agence France Presse

Report: Royal Bank of Scotland Probed by U.S. on Iran Sanctions
Naharnet/U.S. officials are investigating possible violations of sanctions against Iran by Royal Bank of Scotland, Britain's Financial Times reports. The bank declined to comment on Wednesday's report except to repeat previous disclosures that it is in contact with U.S. and British authorities "to discuss its historical compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. economic sanctions regulations." The Financial Times says the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve investigations were prompted by voluntary disclosures made by the bank about 18 months ago. Two years ago, Royal Bank of Scotland was fined $500 million by U.S. regulators for money-laundering activities by the Dutch bank ABN Amro, which was taken over in 2007 by a consortium led by RBS.
Associated Press

The Mideast's Vanishing Christians
Benjamin Weinthal | August 21, 2012
S: Sept-Oct Issue of The National Interest Out Now
Times are tough for Christian communities across the Middle East.
http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-mideasts-vanishing-christians-7369?page=1
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was putting it lightly when she said that Coptic Christians “are deeply anxious about what the future holds for them and their country.” And her words captured the plight not just of Copts in Egypt but also of panic-stricken Christians across the Muslim-majority Middle East.
Of course, the persecution of Christians is nothing new in the Middle East. But times are tougher now with the rise of governments motivated by Islamism, which in some interpretations does not give equal billings to other faiths. And amidst the ongoing unrest, some of these regional states have imposed crackdowns on non-Islamic religious communities when their stability is threatened.
Take the example of the Islamic Republic of Iran, where there are as many as 270,000 Christians. In a scarcely noted June report by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the group wrote that “Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Intelligence Organization has recently and abruptly taken over the oversight of Christian churches in Iran, which were previously overseen by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.”
The IRGC’s intervention marks a new phase of stifling Christian religious freedom in Iran. In 2007, the United States government designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a global terrorist entity. Two years later, the IRGC played a key role in decimating the prodemocracy protests against Iran’s fraudulent presidential election.
But the IRGC is not the driving force behind this persecution. The regime itself is behind the horrific case of Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who faces the death penalty because he sought to register a home-based church and questioned the compulsory Islamic education of his children.
Nadarkhani’s plight has caught the attention of the international community. Efforts are now underway to secure his release, including a Twitter campaign in which users have sent nearly three million tweets a day with the hashtag #TweetforYoucef.
U.S. president Barack Obama said last September that
The United States condemns the conviction of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people. That the Iranian authorities would try to force him to renounce that faith violates the religious values they claim to defend, crosses all bounds of decency, and breaches Iran's own international obligations.
But Iran is not alone in such breaches. In March, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority openly called for such treatment of Christians.
Indeed, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, the grand mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, told a crowd that it was “necessary to destroy all the churches in the Arabian Peninsula.” The crowd, it should be noted, was a group of Kuwaitis from the Al Qaeda-linked Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, which was designated by the U.S. Treasury for its terror-finance activity.
Under fire for intolerance in 2006, the Saudi government assured the international community that it would permit religious freedom to be practiced by non-Islamic believers. This was a reference to Shiites and the 4.4 percent of Saudi Arabia’s total population that are Christian foreign workers performing tough manual-labor jobs.
Yet, Saudi religious-police authorities—mutaween—raided the Jeddah home of an Ethiopian worker last December because the worker held a private religious service during Advent. According to human-rights groups and the U.S. government’s Commission on International Religious Freedom, the twenty-nine women and six men who were arrested faced beatings and sexual assault. After over seven months of captivity, the Saudi authorities released in early August the thirty-five Christian Ethiopians and deported the workers back to Ethiopia.
Christians are also under fire in the tiny Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip, where the terrorist organization Hamas has gained control. Recent reports have alleged that Christians have been forcibly converted to Islam, prompting protests. The diminishing Gaza Christian community of 2,500 also accused the Hamas-affiliated Palestine Scholars Association and its chairman Salem Salama, a senior Hamas figure, of stoking anti-Christian bias. The plight of Coptic Christians in neighboring Egypt is plagued by a wave of government exclusion and indifference to violence. This is nothing new. Copts suffered under former president Hosni Mubarak. Nevertheless, the current head of the Egyptian Coptic Church, Bishop Bakhomious, bitterly complained about the politics of exclusion in the new government. Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egypt’s population.
Egypt’s newly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, is not only under fire for the political disenfranchisement of Coptic Christians. His new government has stood by and watched a wave of Christian cleansing. In early August, the roughly one hundred-family Christian community in Dahshour was forced to flee after Muslim neighbors launched attacks against the Christians’ homes and property. Morsi downplayed the violence as "an individual incident and its origin is not about Muslims and Christians, and it happens every day. It was blown out of proportion.”
Of course, all of this anti-Christian sentiment and violence belies a weakness of leadership. Indeed, as leading German-Iranian intellectual Nasrin Amirsedghi argues, “the systematic and state-sponsored persecution of Christians in Iran . . . is a sign of an increasingly weakened regime leadership. Wherever there is a fear of losing legitimacy, the regime employs violence and repression.”
While this may be true, it does not protect the region’s Christians from persecution. With regional instability mounting, this embattled minority increasingly appears to be in a fight for its very survival.
*Benjamin Weinthal is a Jerusalem Post reporter and writes about Christians in the Middle East. He is a Berlin-based fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Egypt: Christians Threatened for Selling 'Filthy Idols'
by Raymond Ibrahim • Aug 22, 2012 at 10:38 am
Cross-posted from Jihad Watch
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/2012/08/egypt-christians-threatened-for-selling-filthy
Youm-7, one of Egypt's popular secular media that was recently attacked by Muslim Brotherhood supporters, reports that at least seventeen Christian bookstores in Shubra, one of Cairo's largest districts, are under threat for selling Christian icons and statues. The storeowners, who are "in panic," say they received threat letters by mail demanding that they stop selling their "idolatry." One of Shubra's Christian stores threatened for "trading in idolatry." Among other things, the letters, copies of which were presented to Youm-7, say "We warn you Nassara [Koran's derogatory term for Christians] to cease your foul trade, whereby you sell filthy idols."Accordingly, the bookshop owners rushed to the police stations to file reports in the hopes that the identities of those sending such letters be revealed. The report concludes by saying not much has been done to secure the stores and that only one security agent has been sent to patrol, and only during morning hours.