LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 27/12

Bible Quotation for today/
Exodus 20:2/Fifth Biblical commandment: "Honor your father and your mother that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you"
Proverbs 23:22: "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old".

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Asharq Al-Awsa/Interview: British envoy to the Syrian opposition John Wilkes/August 26/12
Overblown fears of Islamists in Syria/By: Shane Farrell/Now Lebanon/August 26, 2012
The fair and the Brotherhood/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/August 26/12

Against any Party that does not recognize Lebanon as a Final Nation
Elias Bejjani/Parties such as Hezbollah, the PSNS, the Baath party, hezb el tawhid, and other extremist factions, DO NOT recognize Lebanon as a legitimate, legal and final nation. Their charters clearly pursues other agendas, and their daily political proselytizing and actions on the ground blatantly push towards such deviant projects as the welayet el fakeeh, a greater Syria, a single-party dictatorship, or a shareeha governed state. This situation contravenes in full our constitution, our heritage, our social pact, and our political contract. It also tramples ALL principles of democratic governance, trashes ALL our basic human rights, and replaces ‘rule of law’ with ‘law of the ruler’ There was a time when such parties were banned, and their leaders were arrested and sentenced. Back then, Lebanon was a free, strong, prosperous, and sovereign nation. Help us bring it back. Outlaw non-Lebanese parties.

Iran opens developing nations summit
Reuters Published: 08.26.12/Ynetnews
Islamic Republic welcomes 120 countries to Non-Aligned Movement meet; officials hope for show of solidarity against US, EU sanctions
Iran welcomed a group of 120 developing nations on Sunday to a summit it says proves that Washington has failed to isolate it from the rest of the world.
Opening the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) meeting in Tehran, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said he hoped for a show of solidarity against sanctions the West has imposed to punish Iran for its nuclear activities. The non-aligned (movement) must seriously oppose ... unilateral economic sanctions which have been enacted by certain countries against non-aligned countries," Salehi told the summit's opening session. Western diplomats have sought to downplay the importance of the summit and the start of Iran's three-year presidency of NAM, a body set up in 1961 to counter big power domination of international relations. But 80 countries are participating in the summit at the level of minister or higher, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said, with 50 sending their heads of government.
And the expected attendance of big players including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Egypt's new president, Mohammad Morsi - the first Egyptian leader to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution - will give the meeting diplomatic heft.
Since the toppling of Egypt's Western-backed President Hosni Mubarak last year, non-Arab Iran has hoped for a thaw in relations with the regional power, but Cairo has appeared less eager to embrace Shi'ite Muslim Iran which is viewed with suspicion by its Sunni Gulf Arab neighbours. "The presence of the Egyptian president in Tehran will help develop Tehran-Cairo relations," Mehmanparast told reporters. Divisions within the Muslim Middle East were also evident when Tehran moved to deny media reports that it had invited Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip. "From Palestine, only Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has been invited to Tehran for participation in this summit, and an official invitation has not been sent to any other individual," Mehr quoted Mehmanparast as saying. With the Syrian crisis likely to dominate talks, Iran's support for President Bashar Assad, who is using heavy weaponry against an uprising that threatens to have repercussions around the region, is likely to face scrutiny. Mehmanparast said Iran expected to consult with countries on the sidelines of the summit on a "comprehensive package" to resolve the Syria crisis. Tehran has declared a five-day holiday in the capital to ease traffic pressures and potential security problems.
Conservative cleric Ahmad Khatami warned opposition activists, in an interview published last week, not to use the NAM summit as a chance to rekindle their protests which brought huge numbers to the streets in 2009 to protest against the re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. An opposition group based outside the country has asked UN chief Ban to ask to meet opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi who have been held under house arrest since February 2011 as the Arab Spring uprisings raged in the Middle East.

Hizbullah: Day in which Lebanon’s Resistant Identity is Changed Will Never Come
Naharnet/ 26 August 2012/Hizbullah official Nabil Qaouq stated on Sunday that those banking on the Syrian crisis to weaken the resistance will be disappointed.
He said: “The day in which Lebanon’s resistant identity is changed will never come.” He made his remarks during a ceremony marking the sixth anniversary of the end of the July 2006 war.
He added: “Those hoping to weaken the resistance must realize that the resistance equations have demonstrated that they are too powerful to be affected by international resolutions and the statements of American pawns.” “The resistance is a solid mountain that is too strong to be threatened by intimidation and incitement,” continued Qaouq. “The military and security wing of the U.S. Embassy is working on threatening civil peace and the security of the resistance,” he added. “This wing is threatening Syria from Lebanon through its Lebanese pawns,” he stated.
In addition, he noted that an alliance has been made between the March 14 camp and the “so-called Free Syrian Army,” accusing the American administration of funding and arming this side in Syria and Lebanon. “The presence of Syrian gunmen in Lebanon is aimed at dragging our country towards the Syrian crisis,” Qaouq said. “The March 14 forces have become involved in the crisis and they are now complete partners in the assault against the country,” added the Hizbullah official. Meanwhile, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi stated: “The Syrian crisis can only be resolved through a settlement or open civil war that will involve all areas surrounding it.”“There will be no victor or vanquished in Syria. A settlement will be reached sooner or later,” he remarked.

Hezbollah hopes return of kidnapped Lebanese signals others will be released
August 26, 2012/ The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar Sunday expressed hope that the release of one of the 11 Lebanese kidnapped in Syria would pave the way for the return of the rest.
“I hope that the release of [Hussein Ali] Omar is a positive sign for the return of the 10 others,” Ammar told reporters at Omar’s residence in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
He also condemned the tit-for-tat kidnappings and the involvement of “innocent civilians in regional conflicts,” and urged everyone to put in efforts to secure the release of every Lebanese in Syria.
Omar was released Saturday by the Free Syrian Army, who kidnapped 11 Shiite pilgrims shortly after crossing from Turkey into Syria on May 22.
The rebel group said that their move came in response to a request by head of the Committee of Muslim Scholars in Lebanon Sheikh Hasan Qaterji. The committee has been involved in efforts to win the release of the Shiite hostages Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri phoned Omar Saturday and congratulated him on his return and said he hoped for the rapid release of the rest of the abductees in Syria. Hours after the release of Omar, the armed Meqdad clan, which has kidnapped over 20 Syrians and a Turkish national in retaliation for the abduction of their relative, also released six Syrians, saying the remaining hostages were members of the FSA. The clan released some 20 Syrians last week. Another four Syrians were released Saturday by the group Al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, which abducted 10 Syrians earlier this month. The group kidnapped the Syrians to demand the release of the Shiite pilgrims

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi Lauds Release of Abducted Pilgrim: We Reject Security Chaos, Militia Mentality
Naharnet /26 August 2012/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi condemned on Sunday the various security incidents that had taken place in Lebanon in recent weeks, saying that the situation has reached an unacceptable level. He said during his Sunday sermon: “We cannot accept the security chaos and the return of militia practices.”“We reject the meddling with civil peace, the violation of human dignity through kidnappings, and the so-called tribal councils,” he continued. The kidnappings are a violation of the state’s administrative, military, and judicial institutions, he noted. Furthermore, the patriarch condemned the “political cover being provided to these heinous practices.” “We thank God however for the blessed efforts that led to the release of one of the Lebanese kidnapped in Syria,” al-Rahi remarked.
“We hope the remaining ten pilgrims will be released as well,” he continued. He also urged the Lebanese who have kidnapped foreigners in Lebanon to release them “out of respect of human dignity.”
Hussein Ali Omar, one of the 11 pilgrims, was released from captivity on Saturday. The pilgrims were initially kidnapped in Syria’s Aleppo in May as they were making their way back to Lebanon from a pilgrimage in Iran. Al-Meqdad clan’s military wing had retaliated to the abduction of Hassan al-Meqdad in Syria with the abduction of several Syrian nationals and a Turkish national. On Saturday, it released several of the Syrians in a goodwill gesture in light of Omar’s release.
Addressing the developments in the northern city of Tripoli, al-Rahi voiced his rejection to the unrest, “particularly that in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.” He rejected the use of Tripoli as a “message box over the division over the painful events in Syria.” “Tripoli and the North are not areas of extremism, narrow-mindedness, and security chaos,” he declared.
“The North has long been the launch pad for Lebanese unity and loyalty,” he added. The Tripoli clashes erupted on Monday over an individual dispute which escalated into the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen unrest. The fighting has left at least nine people dead and 85 wounded. Commenting on the Syrian crisis, al-Rahi remarked: “We cannot accept the ongoing circle of violence.”
“It’s unfortunate that the rightful demand for reform would be turned into a sectarian civil war,” he added. “It’s also unfortunate that attempts would be made to spread this war to Lebanon through Tripoli,” al-Rahi said. “Who is responsible for this and who is benefitting from it?” he asked.

.Israeli rabbi calls for prayers for Iran's destruction
Reuters – .JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An influential Israeli rabbi has called for prayers for Iran's destruction, a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to court his support for a possible attack on a nuclear program Israel sees as an existential threat. The sermon by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef added to a flurry of recent rhetoric from Israeli officials that has raised international concern that Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East's only atomic power, might attack Iran's nuclear facilities. "(When) we ask God to 'bring an end to our enemies', we should be thinking about Iran, those evil ones who threaten Israel. May the Lord destroy them," Yosef was quoted as saying by Israeli media on Sunday. Last week, Netanyahu sent his national security adviser to brief Yosef, 91, on Iran's nuclear activities in what was widely seen as an effort to win his backing for any future military strike, possibly before the U.S. presidential vote in November. Yosef, a former Israeli chief rabbi, is the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a key member of Netanyahu's governing coalition. Netanyahu is frustrated that Western diplomacy to try to force Iran to rein in its program has so far proved fruitless. He said on Friday that Iran, whose leaders have threatened Israel's destruction, had made "accelerated progress towards achieving nuclear weapons".
Yosef issued his call in a sermon late on Saturday in which he said Iran should be included in a traditional Jewish New Year blessing next month over food in which God is asked to strike down Israel's enemies. Netanyahu's security cabinet, which Israeli officials have said is divided over the question of launching a go-it-alone attack on Iran, includes a Shas minister as one of its eight members. Iran says it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes. Yosef wields significant influence over Shas's lawmakers, who seek his guidance on policy. In the past, the Baghdad-born Yosef has stirred controversy by likening Palestinians to snakes, calling for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to "perish from this world" and describing non-Jews as "born only to serve us". But he has also spoken out in favor of Israel ceding occupied land for peace with the Palestinians in order to end conflict and save Jewish lives.(Writing by Jeffrey Heller; editing by Anna Willard)

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai criticized what he described as the decline in Lebanon’s society
August 26, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai criticized what he described as the decline in Lebanon’s society including the rise of armed local clans, hinting that foreign forces may be fueling clashes in the northern city of Tripoli. “We cannot accept the decline in our Lebanese society, with security anarchy, a return to the logic of militias and their practices, the phenomenon of military council for clans, violations of the law, the messing with civil peace and the general order [and the] targeting of people's dignity via abductions,” Rai said during his Sunday sermon in the north Lebanon town of Diman. He added that all these “anomalous and shameful” practices enjoy political support. Rai also spoke about renewed clashes in the northern city of Tripoli which left at least 16 dead and over 120 wounded, saying the situation was no longer acceptable and that external interference is at play. “We can no longer accept what is going on in the northern capital of Tripoli, the transforming of it into an arena of clashes,” Rai said. “Meetings have taken place to agree on a cease-fire, to lift the political cover gunmen enjoy and to call on the army to strike with an iron fist, and soon after the agreement fails. This means that there is a regional hand rather than a local one at play,” he added. The fighting, between the Sunni dominant anti-Assad neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the Alawite majority of Jabal Mohsen who staunchly support President Bashar Assad, has prompted local and international figures to warn against the spread of the crisis in Syria to Lebanon.
“It is unfortunate that this sectarian war is reaching Lebanon via Tripoli, what's the justification? Who is benefiting and responsible for lighting this fuse?” Rai asked.
During his sermon, Rai also praised the release Saturday of one of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims who were kidnapped in Syria over two months ago, calling on Lebanese to release any Syrian hostage they hold.

The fair and the Brotherhood!
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat,
Look around you, specifically at the Arab Spring states, and you will find grievances highlighted today not from those ousted by change, but from those who contributed to its occurrence and were eager for it in the first place. Now they are condemning all that goes against their original opinion or vision. Today this is most obvious in Tunisia, the country which sparked off the Arab Spring, and in Egypt as well, which represents the most prominent case given the country’s size and influence. In Tunisia we find President Moncef Marzouki accusing the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Ennahda movement, which leads the ruling coalition, of seeking to control all aspects of the state and criticizing its “insistence” upon adopting a parliamentary system rather than an amended form of governance. He added that what the Ennahda movement is doing now “reminds us of the previous era”, i.e. the era of ousted former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Mocef Marzouki is not alone in accusing the Ennahda movement of trying to control all aspects of the state; even Tunisian intellectuals, and specifically journalists, are accusing the movement of trying to impose its control over the media. The same applies today in Egypt, but the only difference is that those complaining about Brotherhoodization in Egypt, and the Brotherhood imposing its control over all vital aspects of the state - legislative, executive and of course the media – were former allies of the Brotherhood in the recent Egyptian revolution. They consist of intellectuals, media figures and different political forces, and now in Egypt we are witnessing demonstrations against the Brotherhoodization of the state, and clashes with supporters of the Egyptian President. Remarkably, in both Egypt and Tunisia there is a frantic race between the dominant political forces, in the name of the people and under the cover of the revolution, to control the media, and to punish anyone who criticizes the President in the case of Egypt, and the Ennahda movement in the case of Tunisia. Meanwhile, there is no punishment for those who denounce critics of the Brotherhood and its leadership, whether Egyptian or Tunisian, as infidels. I say this is remarkable because the revolutions and mass movements that took place in Egypt and Tunisia were intended to consecrate state institutions, and likewise ensure the independence and separation of powers. The intention was not to create a similar situation to what life was like before, whether in Egypt or Tunisia. All this tells us is that what happened in the Arab world, specifically in Egypt and Tunisia, is not what some used to, and indeed continue to, portray as a democratic revolution aimed at strengthening state institutions and so on. Rather we are facing the declining power of some forces and the rise of others in the same conditions unfortunately, practicing the same exclusionary tactics and absolute control. This was expected, as was noted and pointed out by a few, specifically in this newspaper, but it is remarkable to see some, especially intellectuals, continuing to promote illusions about the Arab Spring. Some intellectuals in the Gulf States are among the most deluded about what has happened in Tunisia and Egypt, whether in good faith or otherwise, and it is clear that they have not realized that the majority of critics of the Arab Spring today are those who contributed to it in the first place. Their error lies in oversimplifying matters and suspiciously glossing over the historical, political, economic and intellectual facts and realities, especially in their understanding of the Brotherhood and what it really thinks about democracy and the transfer of power. It is suffice to consider the stances of both Egypt and Tunisia today towards what is happening to the unarmed citizens of Syria! Of course the intention here is not to prevent change, this is impossible, but we do not want change for the worse.

Farouk al-Sharaa makes first public appearance
Syria VP appears in public, ending defection rumors
Farouk al-Sharaa makes first public appearance since mid July effectively proving Jordan defection rumors wrong
Associated Press
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa has made his first public appearance in several weeks, ending rumors that he defected.
Al-Sharaa was last seen at the funeral of four top Syrian government officials who were killed in a blast in Damascus on July 18. Since then, speculation has circulated that he defected to Jordan in what would have been a blow to Bashar Assad's regime. On Saturday, the Al-Arabiya news network reported that al-Sharaa fled to Jordan. Both Amman and al-Sharaa's office denied the report.
On Sunday, reporters saw Al-Sharaa exit his car and walk to his office for a meeting with Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran's powerful parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene said Al-Sharaa looked serious and steered away from reporters covering the meeting. He did not make a statement.
Recent weeks have been riddled with reports of Syrian officials of all levels defecting to Turkey, Jordan and other Arab countries.
The UN said Friday that since the revolt against Assad began over 18,000 were killed and 200,000 have fled the country.

The Daily Star/Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 26, 2012
August 26, 2012 09:46 AM
The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest.
Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
An-Nahar
Hostage crisis gives way for an exchange deal
If the release of kidnapped Lebanese man Ali Omar Saturday represented a sign of hope for the end of the hostage crises in Syria and Lebanon, it did not lessen the daily and various security breaches and attempts by [security forces] to contain the repercussions.
As the released hostage reached Rafik Hariri International Airport amid a warm welcome, a Kuwaiti citizen named Isam Ibrahim Nasser Al-Houti was kidnapped in the Bekaa. Tensions were also running high after the killing of Mustafa Ramez Shafiq and Sheikh Mussa in Dohat al-Hoss in Aramoun. The killings prompted residents to block the sea road for a couple of hours.
Sources close to the matter told An-Nahar that a swap deal will be made, a possibility that became more likely as the Meqdad family began releasing some of the kidnapped Syrians.
Ad-Diyar
Sunni-Alawite war in Tripoli and Sunni figures fight over the city's leadership
A Sunni-Alwaite war broke out in Tripoli and the head of the Alawites in Tripoli Rifaat Eid refused to attend meetings with the Sunni leaders in the city and said any talks should be held with the Lebanese Army.
It seems that Rifaat Eid insists on the battle with the Sunni side in Tripoli and feels that he is stronger while the other side looks divided: disorganized fighters incapable of waging war against Jabal Mohsen and moderates who include Tripoli MPs, and want a solution, hold meetings and call on the Army and security forces as well as the prime minister and Mufti Tripoli to intervene.
A meeting was held between figures of both sides who agreed to hold another one Saturday night at MP Mahammad Kabbara's house. Four hours later, Eid refused to join the meeting and accused Bab al-Tabbaneh of targeting Jabal Mohsen, while the Sunni side accuses Jabal Mohsen of doing the same thing.

Free Syrian Army Riad al-Asaad: Release of Remainder of Pilgrims Won’t Be Easy as Most Are Hizbullah Officials
Naharnet/The head of the Free Syrian Army Riad al-Asaad accused Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of obstructing the release of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims “because he failed to perform what was asked of him,” reported Voice of Lebanon radio on Sunday.
He said: “The release of the remainder of the pilgrims will not be as easy as some believe because most of them are Hizbullah officials.”
“Instead of complying with the abductors’ demands, Nasrallah threatened the Syrian people and announced a war against them,” he continued.
“We now see Hizbullah members fighting alongside the Syrian regime against the people,” he added.
Nasrallah was demanded to apologize for a May 25 speech addressed to the kidnappers in which he said that his party would not change its position concerning the conflict in Syria, declaring: "If this kidnapping is aimed at putting pressure on our political position, it's a waste of time."
“The release of the captives requires intense negotiations, which in the end will fall in the Syrian people and revolt’s favor,” Asaad stated in what VDL said was the first indirect acknowledgement by the FSA that it is linked to the pilgrims’ abduction. Hussein Ali Omar, one of the 11 pilgrims, was released from captivity on Saturday.
The pilgrims were initially kidnapped in Syria’s Aleppo in May as they were making their way back to Lebanon from a pilgrimage in Iran.
Commenting in Hassan al-Meqdad’s kidnapping, Asaad stressed that the FSA has no information on him. He suspected that the Syrian regime may have been behind the abduction in order to tarnish the image of the FSA and create strife in Lebanon “through Hizbullah’s cooperation.”
He explained that al-Meqdad clan’s military wing’s swift retaliation to the abduction of their family member in Syria is evidence of this claim.
The clan responded by kidnapping several Syrian nationals in Lebanon. It released a few of them on Saturday as a goodwill gesture to Omar’s release.
Asaad called on the Meqdad clan to exercise restraint, release the remaining captives in its custody, and avoid “falling in the Syrian regime’s schemes.”
“The regime will not rest until strife is created in Lebanon,” stressed the FSA head.

Cautious Calm in Tripoli amid Heavy Army Deployment, Intermittent Sniper Gunfire
Naharnet/A tense calm has pervaded the city of Tripoli after days of clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
Prominent security sources told the daily that the army and Internal Security Forces have deployed heavily in the city and carried out raids against the areas where gunmen are located.
It has confiscated weapons and is pursuing the fighters, they said. The army is “cleansing the area” of the fighting and it will respond to any gunfire, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat Sunday.
Despite the efforts however, sniper operations have continued in the city, the last of which was reported at dawn on Sunday, reported Voice of Lebanon radio.
The gunfire did not thwart the residents of the rival neighborhoods from reopening their stores, revealed al-Mustaqbal daily on Sunday. The sources noted to An Nahar that the exhaustion of the fighters has led to the decrease in the intensity of the clashes. Meanwhile, the Tripoli municipality announced that a sit-in will be held on Sunday morning in front of its headquarters in the city to protest the situation, said al-Mustaqbal. A meeting was held on Saturday at MP Mohammed Kabbara’s residence in order to tackle the unrest. He said after the meeting that contacts are ongoing with all concerned sides to that end, said al-Hayat. The gatherers voiced their support for the security forces and army to restore calm in Tripoli.One of the Bab al-Tabbaneh officials Sheikh Mazen Mohammed told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat Sunday that the fighters in the neighborhoods have withdrawn from the streets. The Tripoli clashes erupted on Monday over an individual dispute which escalated into the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen unrest. The fighting has left at least nine people dead and 85 wounded.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour Heads to Iran to Attend Non-Aligned Summit
Naharnet /Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour is scheduled to travel to Iran on Sunday to attend the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
President Michel Suleiman is set to travel to Tehran to attend the summit later next week. Meanwhile, deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdul Lahyan stated on Saturday that his country rejects the “negative repercussions the Syrian crisis is having on Lebanon.” He made his remarks during a visit to Lebanon, which kicked off on Saturday by holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri and later Prime Minister Najib Miqati on local and regional developments. “We will continue to support the Lebanese republic as part of the axis of resistance and defiance” to Israel, he said during his meetings. The NAM, born at the height of the Cold War as a grouping of nations that saw themselves as independent of both Washington and Moscow, counts 119 member states plus Palestine as members. Other participating nations include Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ghana, India, Iraq, Kuwait, Pakistan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Zimbabwe. Iran is presenting the summit as proof that it is not as isolated on the world stage as the United States has tried to portray. On Sunday, a meeting of experts from NAM countries began a two-day meeting in Tehran to prepare for the summit. On Tuesday and Wednesday, foreign ministers from several of the countries are to develop that work ahead of the summit itself on Thursday and Friday.

Iran says Hamas not invited to Non-Aligned summit
August 26, 2012 /Now Lebanon /The Hamas premier in Gaza has not been invited to this week's summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, Iran said on Sunday, heading off a threatened boycott by the Palestinian president. "Up to now, no official invitation from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the person of [President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad has been sent to Hamas's popular prime minister [Ismail Haniya]," the Iranian spokesperson for the summit said. "Only [Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas has been invited to the NAM summit," Mohammad Reza Forqani said in a statement quoted by the ISNA and Mehr news agencies. Hamas said on Saturday that Haniya would take part in the summit in Tehran on Thursday and Friday, "in accordance with the invitation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," according to a statement by his spokesperson. Abbas, whose internationally recognized Palestinian Authority is at odds with Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers, responded with a warning through Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki that he would stay away from the summit if Haniya went. Forqani's statement that Haniya had never been invited appeared an effort to spare Iran embarrassment over an Abbas boycott. Iran is a fierce supporter of the Palestinian cause and an arch-foe of Israel.
On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ramin Mehmanparast, told reporters that Iran has "the duty to invite all [NAM] members" and that Abbas would take part and "some special guests" had also been invited. The NAM, born at the height of the Cold War as a grouping of nations that saw themselves as independent of both Washington and Moscow, counts 119 member states plus "Palestine" as members. Other participating nations include Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ghana, India, Iraq, Kuwait, Pakistan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Zimbabwe.
Iran is presenting the summit as proof that it is not as isolated on the world stage as the United States has tried to portray.
On Sunday, a meeting of experts from NAM countries began a two-day meeting in Tehran to prepare for the summit. On Tuesday and Wednesday, foreign ministers from several of the countries are to develop that work ahead of the summit itself on Thursday and Friday.-AFP

Lebanese-French National Kidnapped in Ferzol Freed
Naharnet /Lebanese-French national Mohammed Hassan Sabra was released on Saturday in exchange for ransom, media reports said. Unknown assailants kidnapped Sabra on Friday in the Bekaa town of Ferzol from the vegetable market. OTV reported that the value of the ransom was 30,000 dollars. Sabra works in the fashion industry and frequently travels between Lebanon and France.
Media reports said that the culprits were riding in a Grand Cherokee and kidnapped Sabra on the Ferzol road in the Bekaa.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel: no political reasons behind abduction of Kuwaiti national
August 26, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said the kidnapping of a Kuwaiti national in east Lebanon was not politically-motivated, and that the security forces and Army intelligence are working relentlessly to secure his release, in remarks published Sunday. Speaking to An-Nahar, Charbel said “preliminary investigation indicates no political reasons” behind the kidnapping of the Kuwaiti citizen. Issam al-Houty was kidnapped by gunmen in Hawsh al-Ghanam in the eastern Bekaa region outside his house. Reports said his wife informed the Kuwaiti Embassy of the abduction.
Meanwhile, Kuwait's Ambassador to Lebanon told the Kuwait-based Al-Anbaa newspaper that no party has announced responsibility for the kidnapping yet, denying rumors that a $500,000 ransom was asked in exchange of al-Houty. Following a spate of kidnappings of Syrian and Turkish nationals along with threats by local groups to target Gulf citizens in tit-for-tat abductions, Kuwait and several other countries issued travel advisories, asking its citizens to avoid traveling to the country. Kuwait has also said that most of its citizens have been evacuated. An-Nahar also reported Sunday that 50,000 Kuwait nationals have left the country due to safety concerns.

Flurry of hostage releases in Lebanon and Syria
August 25, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: There were signs of a breakthrough in the case of the Syrian hostages in Lebanon after the Meqdad family clan said Saturday that it would release all but four of its captives.
Meanwhile, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) freed one of 11 Lebanese pilgrims it kidnapped in Aleppo three months ago.
The FSA said that Hussein Ali Omar’s release came in response to a request by head of the Committee of Muslim Scholars in Lebanon Sheikh Hasan Qaterji.
The Committee’s press officer, Moneer Rokia, expressed gratitude to the rebels.
“We thank them for releasing Omar, although the move came late,” Rokia told The Daily Star.
He expressed disappointment that the rebels did not keep their promise in freeing two of the hostages as in the first batch. The scholars issued a statement later Saturday urging the abductors to release the 10 remaining pilgrims. The committee has been involved in efforts to win the release of the Shiite hostages, who were snatched in Syria on May 22 while on their way home from a pilgrimage to Iran.
Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu telephoned Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to inform them that Omar would be flown to Beirut aboard a private Turkish plane later Saturday. "I wasn't kidnapped and was not a captive; I was a guest of the rebels," Omar told Al-Jazeera satellite channel upon his release.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Omar’s release was a goodwill gesture and thanked all the parties involved in efforts to secure the pilgrims’ freedom, including the Committee of Muslim Scholars.
Lebanese security sources told The Daily Star that head of Lebanon’s General Security Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim had been informed by the Turkish intelligence Saturday of the FSA’s intention to release Omar. The sources said news of the release was relayed to Ibrahim during a meeting he held Saturday morning with the Turkish ambassador to Lebanon and was also conveyed to Omar's son and Sheikh Abbas Zogheib, a spokesperson for the families of the hostages. The Meqdads’ announcement that they would set free all but four of the more than 20 Syrians they hold came shortly after news of Omar’s freedom. However, it has not been established that there was a link between the two acts. “We have started releasing the Syrians in our custody. We will keep only four,” Maher Meqdad, the family spokesman, told The Daily Star by telephone. Maher did not reveal the specific reason the family decided to release the bulk of the hostages, but said that the clan had noticed the “seriousness” of the Lebanese government in ending the hostage crisis. He vowed that the Meqdads would cooperate with the state until the matter was resolved.
He added that the four men the Meqdad clan planned to keep were leading members of the FSA, identifying them as Hammad Rajab Allawish, Ibrahim Yeyha al-Ahmad, Qassem Mohammad al-Dsouki and Maher Mustafa Abboud. When asked how the Syrians were being released, Maher said the Meqdad clan was driving each one home. Security sources have identified those released so far by the Meqdads as Maher Rabih, Nawwaf al-Hamad, Nasser Allawish, Mufid al-Zabel, Mohammad al-Latif Musa and Ayman al-Muslimani.
The clan kidnapped the Syrians in retaliation for the mid-August abduction of kinsman Hassan Meqdad in Damascus. The family is also holding Turkish businessman Aydin Tufan Tekin.
Tekin was snatched upon arrival in Beirut on Aug. 15 to pressure Turkey to help ensure Hassan’s release.
Another Turkish citizen, Abdulbasit Arslan, was kidnapped on Aug. 17, but the Meqdad family has denied involvement in his abduction.
The clan has accused the FSA of Hassan’s abduction, but FSA commander Riad al-Asaad has denied that the Syrian rebel group is holding him.

Hamas scales back hopes of open Egypt border
August 26, 2012/By Karin Laub/Daily Star
RAFAH, GAZA: Business is down because of an Egyptian security clampdown, but smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border keep operating under the supervision of Gaza's Hamas rulers.
The militant Hamas had hoped the Islamists who took charge in Egypt this summer - fellow members of the region's Muslim Brotherhood - would swiftly turn the shared border crossing into a free-flowing trade route, ending Gaza's five-year isolation from the world and making the tunnels obsolete. However, a senior Hamas official acknowledged that Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi hasn't promised dramatic change, even as he tries to distance himself from the policy of his ousted predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, of keeping Gaza sealed.
"I think it's a mistake that some people expected a lot from the new political regime (in Egypt)," Ghazi Hamad, deputy foreign minister of Gaza and a key Hamas point man with Egypt, said in an interview this week. "Egypt is a big country and Gaza is not the only problem for Egypt."
Gaza became a bigger problem for Egypt after an Aug. 5 attack in which gunmen in the Sinai Peninsula, next to Gaza, killed 16 Egyptian soldiers. That raised new worries about the smuggling of weapons and militants through border tunnels, and Egypt is investigating whether the assailants had ties to Gaza.
Hamas denies anyone from Gaza was involved and said it is cooperating with the Egyptian investigation, but senior Hamas figures also complained about a subsequent Egyptian border clampdown.
Despite the Egyptian security sweep, Mursi has assured Hamas leaders Egypt wants a new border regime. Some in Hamas and even some Egyptian officials raised the idea of a free trade zone between Egypt and Gaza.
However, open cross-border trade could trigger unintended consequences. Stronger Gaza-Egypt ties would deepen Gaza's economic and political separation from the West Bank, located on the opposite side of Israel, and undercut already remote chances of melding the two areas into a Palestinian state.
Trade ties could also hurt Egypt's own attempts to broker a unity deal between Hamas and its main rival, West Bank-based Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. An open border to Egypt would boost Gaza's hobbled economy, strengthen Hamas and might make reconciliation even less desirable for the Islamic militants who balked in the past at giving Abbas a renewed say in Gaza for the sake of unity. Hamas seized the territory from Abbas by force in 2007.
Hamad, the Gaza official, said that because of such constraints, he expects Egypt to offer only limited improvements on the border for now, such as allowing more people to cross and sending more electricity and fuel. A Hamas delegation left for Cairo on Saturday to discuss such arrangements.
"They want to move step by step," he said of his Egyptian counterparts. "They move very carefully."
Last month, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said Mursi will not lend a hand to suffocating Gaza, but was evasive when asked whether Egypt would allow regular trade.
In one hopeful sign for Gaza, the Rafah passenger terminal, Gaza's gate to Egypt and the world, will resume operating six days a week, starting Sunday, a Gaza border official and the Egyptian news agency MENA said. After the Sinai attack, Egypt had closed the terminal for several days, then allowed only limited movement.
In a next step, Hamas wants Egypt to keep Rafah open for 12 hours per day, up from eight now, to reduce what Gaza officials say is a backlog of 40,000 people wanting to cross. Hamas also wants Egypt to strike names from a blacklist of thousands of Gazans barred from entering Egypt. Hamad said Egypt promised to study the requests.
Amid the uncertainty, tunnels remain Gaza's safety net. The underground passages - usually several hundred meters (yards) long, with white tents marking their entry points - served as Gaza's lifeline during the harshest days of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade after the Hamas takeover.
After Israel resumed shipping consumer goods to Gaza two years ago, tunnel operators shifted to building materials and other goods restricted by Israel.
Since the Sinai attack, Egypt has closed dozens of tunnel openings. But previous security crackdowns failed because smugglers recoup, and an Egyptian security official said he expected a similar outcome this time. One Gaza smuggler said Egyptian troops sealed his tunnel immediately after the attack, and he was told by his partners in Egypt that far fewer smuggled goods are now reaching the border because of a heavy troop presence in Sinai. At some point, the Egyptians will ease up and he'll try to reopen his tunnel, said the 41-year-old who, like others interviewed about tunnel operations spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions. Hamas has turned the border zone into a bonded area with checkpoints, where it levies taxes on goods coming through. On a recent afternoon this week, trucks loaded with cement and gravel from Egypt stopped at a Hamas-run gate, paid their fees and headed into the border town of Rafah.
Underground travel between Gaza and Sinai, a lawless haven for militants and smugglers, is also continuing.
A 32-year-old Gaza man, who returned from medical treatment in Egypt several days before the Sinai attack, said sneaking under the border is "as easy as crossing the street." Travelers are vetted by Hamas security, walk for about five minutes through a short tunnel and pay $25 in fees, he said.
Since the Egyptian clampdown, only one of several passenger tunnels is operating, said a Gaza fish importer and frequent traveler. Returning to Gaza earlier this week, he was interrogated by Hamas security and had to pay $300 in bribes to Egyptian officers, triple the usual amount, he said. Underground trade, with an estimated volume of hundreds of millions of dollars a year, has dropped by more than 50 percent since the Egyptian clampdown, said a Hamas security official. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Gaza needs the tunnels until Egypt can offer trade above ground, but that Hamas promises to monitor closely who and what gets into Egypt. "When the (Rafah) terminal is opened for goods and passengers, these tunnels are going to be completely sealed," he said.
That may be a long way off. Hamad said Egypt is concerned that full trade ties will deepen the Palestinian split and provide an opening for Israel to "unload" Gaza. Israel occupied Gaza for 38 years, until a withdrawal in 2005, and many in the international community still hold Israel partially responsible for Gaza because it controls access.
"We talk to them many times. We assure them that Gaza is part of the Palestinian homeland. Gaza is not part of Egypt," he said.

Syria wages new onslaughts on two main cities
August 26, 2012/By Sara Hussein/Daily Star
ALEPPO, Syria: Dozens of bodies were found as Syrian forces launched a deadly assault in the southwestern belt of Damascus on Saturday, in what activists said was a new bid to crush "once and for all" the insurgency in the capital. Combat helicopters and tanks also pounded rebel-held areas of the battered northern city of Aleppo, an AFP journalist and monitors said, as the army pressed on with its war against fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad.
The total death toll in Syria was 370 on Saturday including at least 200 in the town of Daraya southwest of Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The monitoring group, which had earlier reported the discovery of dozens of bodies in Daraya where troops have been waging a fierce assault against rebel holdouts, said 80 victims had been identified and the others were being identified. Militants put out on YouTube a video titled "Massacre at the Abu Sleiman Addarani Mosque in Daraya" showing dozens of bodies on the ground.
The video, whose authenticity could not be checked, had a commentary stating: "An odious massacre committed by the gangs of ther Assad regime in the Abu Sleiman Addarani Mosque. More than 150 innocent martyrs fell in a brutal campaign by the criminal gangs against the city." State television, for its part, said Daraya was being "purified of terrorist remnants."
The fresh violence erupted a day after new international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi admitted he was "scared" of the enormity of the task he faces to try to end the increasingly ferocious conflict, now in its 18th month. Brahimi, who takes over from former U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan next month, held talks with U.N. leaders in New York on Friday, saying the Syrian people "will be our first masters."
Annan, a former U.N. chief, quit earlier this month after the failure of his six-point plan to try to bring peace, which was left in tatters by the relentless bloodshed and divisions among world powers over how to tackle the conflict.
The army claimed to have retaken most of Damascus in late July, after about two weeks of intense fighting across the capital's southern belt.
Most rebel Free Syrian Army fighters were forced out into the nearby countryside, but have since resumed hit-and-run operations, according to activists.
In Aleppo, an AFP correspondent reported heavy shelling by tanks in several neighborhoods, sending civilians scrambling for safety as exploding shells sent up clouds of smoke and dust.
As rebel snipers faced off against the government's heavy armor, long breadlines formed in several neighborhoods, including Qadi Askar where a fight broke out as people queued in the hot afternoon sun.
Rebels said earlier this week they controlled 60 percent of Aleppo but the regime has dismissed the claims and said Thursday the army had recaptured three Christian neighborhoods, where residents are largely pro-Assad.
Opposition fighters said they were digging in for a war of attrition in Aleppo, the once thriving commercial hub where the regime had warned last month of "the mother of all battles."
"The situation? They are trying to advance in the area, we're holding them back, but there are a lot of wounded and martyrs," said one rebel commander in Saif al-Dawla neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the body of a veteran Japanese war reporter killed this week during a gunfight in Aleppo was flown home on Saturday.
Mika Yamamoto, 45, was the fourth foreign journalist killed in Syria since March 2011 and the first to have died in Aleppo, which has borne the brunt of the conflict since fierce fighting erupted in the city last month. An American, a Turk and a Jordanian journalist of Palestinian origin are still missing.
August is already the deadliest single month of the conflict with more than 4,000 people killed, according to the Observatory, which reported at least 118 people killed nationwide on Saturday.
It says more than 24,500 have been killed in the 17-month revolt, which began as a peaceful uprising against Assad's rule but has descended into a bloody civil war with no early resolution in sight.
The United Nations puts the death toll at more than 17,000 -- up sharply from the 9,000 it reported when Annan's ill-fated ceasefire was first introduced in April.
A troubled U.N. observer mission also wrapped up last week and the team's chief, Senegalese General Babacar Gaye, left Damascus on Saturday.
Damascus has said it is ready to work with Brahimi and voiced hope he could pave the way for "national dialogue," while also suggesting it was ready to discuss Assad's exit as part of any negotiated solution.
An Iranian delegation was in Damascus on Saturday for talks with Syrian officials, a day after Tehran -- the regime's staunchest ally -- said it would submit a plan for ending the conflict at a Non-Aligned Movement summit next week. Tehran's initiative comes as its foes in the West seek to ramp up the pressure on Syria, with Washington and London threatening possible action if Damascus uses its chemical weapons and Paris voicing support for a partial no-fly zone. International concerns are also mounting over the humanitarian crisis both in Syria and neighboring countries after the United Nations said that the flow of refugees fleeing the fighting has jumped to at least 202,500.

Neil Armstrong, 1st man on the moon, dies at 82
August 26, 2012 /By Lisa Cornwell
CINCINNATI, Ohio: Neil Armstrong was a quiet, self-described "nerdy" engineer who became a global hero when as a steely nerved U.S. pilot he made "one giant leap for mankind" with the first step on the moon. The modest man who entranced and awed people on Earth has died. He was 82.
Armstrong died Saturday following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures, a statement from his family said. It didn't say where he died.
Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, 1969, capping the most daring of the 20th century's scientific expeditions. His first words after setting foot on the surface are etched in history books and in the memories of those who heard them in a live broadcast.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong said.
In those first few moments on the moon, during the climax of a heated space race with the then-Soviet Union, Armstrong stopped in what he called "a tender moment" and left a patch to commemorate NASA astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts who had died in action. "It was special and memorable, but it was only instantaneous because there was work to do," Armstrong told an Australian television interviewer this year. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the lunar surface, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs.
"The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to," Armstrong once said.
The moonwalk marked America's victory in the Cold War space race that began Oct. 4, 1957, with the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1, a satellite that sent shock waves around the world.
An estimated 600 million people - a fifth of the world's population - watched and listened to the moon landing, the largest audience for any single event in history.
Parents huddled with their children in front of the family television, mesmerized. Farmers abandoned their nightly milking duties, and motorists pulled off the highway and checked into motels just to watch on TV.
Although he had been a Navy fighter pilot, a test pilot for NASA's forerunner and an astronaut, Armstrong never allowed himself to be caught up in the celebrity and glamour of the space program.
"I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer," he said in February 2000 in one of his rare public appearances. "And I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession."
Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, who interviewed Armstrong for oral histories for NASA, said Armstrong fit every requirement the space agency needed for the first man to walk on the moon, especially because of his engineering skills and the way he handled celebrity by shunning it.
"I think his genius was in his reclusiveness," said Brinkley. "He was the ultimate hero in an era of corruptible men."
A man who kept away from cameras, Armstrong went public in 2010 with his concerns about President Barack Obama's space policy that shifted attention away from a return to the moon and emphasized private companies developing spaceships.
NASA chief Charles Bolden recalled Armstrong's grace and humility in a statement Saturday.
"As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own," Bolden said.
In a statement issued by the White House, Obama said Armstrong was one of the greatest of American heroes, "not just of his time, but of all time."
Armstrong's modesty and self-effacing manner never faded.
When he appeared in Dayton, Ohio, in 2003 to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of powered flight, he bounded onto a stage before 10,000 people. But he spoke for only a few seconds, did not mention the moon and quickly ducked out of the spotlight.
He later joined former astronaut and Sen. John Glenn to lay wreaths on the graves of airplane inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright. Glenn introduced Armstrong and noted it was 34 years to the day that Armstrong had walked on the moon.
"Thank you, John. Thirty-four years?" Armstrong quipped, as if he hadn't given it a thought.
At another joint appearance, the two embraced and Glenn commented: "To this day, he's the one person on Earth, I'm truly, truly envious of."
Armstrong's moonwalk capped a series of accomplishments that included piloting the X-15 rocket plane and making the first space docking during the Gemini 8 mission, which included a successful emergency splashdown.
In the years afterward, Armstrong retreated to the quiet of the classroom and his Ohio farm. Aldrin said in his book "Men from Earth" that Armstrong was one of the quietest, most private men he had ever met.
In the Australian interview, Armstrong acknowledged that "now and then I miss the excitement about being in the cockpit of an airplane and doing new things."
At the time of the flight's 40th anniversary, Armstrong again was low-key, telling a gathering that the space race was "the ultimate peaceful competition: USA versus U.S.S.R. It did allow both sides to take the high road, with the objectives of science and learning and exploration."
Glenn, who went through jungle training in Panama with Armstrong as part of the astronaut program, described him as "exceptionally brilliant" with technical matters but "rather retiring, doesn't like to be thrust into the limelight much."
Glenn said Saturday that Armstrong had had a number of close calls in his career. He recalled how Armstrong had just 15 seconds to 35 seconds of fuel remaining when he landed on the moon. He called Armstrong's skill and dedication "just exemplary."
Derek Elliott, curator of the Smithsonian Institution's U.S. Air and Space Museum from 1982 to 1992, said the moonwalk probably marked the high point of space exploration.
"The fact that we were able to see it and be a part of it means that we are in our own way witnesses to history," he said.
The 1969 landing met an audacious deadline that President John F. Kennedy had set in May 1961, shortly after Alan Shepard became the first American in space with a 15-minute suborbital flight. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin had orbited the Earth and beaten the U.S. into space the previous month.
"I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth," Kennedy had said. "No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important to the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish."
The end-of-decade goal was met with more than five months to spare. "Houston: Tranquility Base here," Armstrong radioed after the spacecraft settled onto the moon. "The Eagle has landed."
"Roger, Tranquility," the Houston staffer radioed back. "We copy you on the ground. You've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot."
The third astronaut on the mission, Michael Collins, circled the moon in the mother ship Columbia while Armstrong and Aldrin went to the moon's surface.
Collins told NASA on Saturday that he will miss Armstrong terribly, spokesman Bob Jacobs tweeted.
In all, 12 American astronauts walked on the moon between 1969 and the last moon mission in 1972.
For Americans, reaching the moon provided uplift and respite from the Vietnam War. The landing occurred as organizers were preparing for Woodstock, the legendary rock festival on a farm in New York.
Armstrong was born Aug. 5, 1930, on a farm in Ohio. He took his first airplane ride at age 6 and developed a fascination with aviation that prompted him to build model airplanes and conduct experiments in a homemade wind tunnel. He was licensed to fly at 16, before he got his driver's license.
Armstrong enrolled in Purdue University to study aeronautical engineering but was called to duty with the U.S. Navy in 1949 and flew 78 combat missions in Korea. After the war, Armstrong finished his degree and later earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He became a test pilot with what evolved into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, flying more than 200 kinds of aircraft from gliders to jets.
Armstrong was accepted into NASA's second astronaut class in 1962 - the first, including Glenn, was chosen in 1959 - and commanded the Gemini 8 mission in 1966. After the first space docking, he brought the capsule back in an emergency landing in the Pacific Ocean when a wildly firing thruster kicked it out of orbit.
Armstrong was backup commander for the historic Apollo 8 mission at Christmastime in 1968. In that flight, Commander Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell and Bill Anders circled the moon 10 times, and paving the way for the lunar landing seven months later.
Aldrin said he and Armstrong were not prone to free exchanges of sentiment.
"But there was that moment on the moon, a brief moment, in which we sort of looked at each other and slapped each other on the shoulder ... and said, 'We made it. Good show,' or something like that," Aldrin said.
In Wapakoneta, media and souvenir frenzy was swirling around the home of Armstrong's parents.
"You couldn't see the house for the news media," recalled John Zwez, former manager of the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum. "People were pulling grass out of their front yard."
Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins were given ticker tape parades in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and later made a 22-nation world tour. A homecoming in Wapakoneta drew 50,000 people to the city of 9,000.
In 1970, Armstrong was appointed deputy associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA but left the following year to teach aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
He remained there until 1979 and during that time bought a farm, where he raised cattle and corn. He stayed out of public view, accepting few requests for interviews or speeches.
"He didn't give interviews, but he wasn't a strange person or hard to talk to," said Ron Huston, a colleague at the University of Cincinnati. "He just didn't like being a novelty."
In February 2000, when he agreed to announce the top 20 engineering achievements of the 20th century as voted by the National Academy of Engineering, Armstrong said there was one disappointment relating to his moonwalk.
"I can honestly say - and it's a big surprise to me - that I have never had a dream about being on the moon," he said.
Armstrong married Carol Knight in 1999. He had two adult sons from a previous marriage.
His family's statement Saturday made a simple request for anyone who wanted to remember him:
"Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

Overblown fears of Islamists in Syria
Shane Farrell/Now Lebanon/August 26, 2012
Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri who endorsed Syria’s armed opposition in February, 2012. Some fear a strong Islamist current among the rebels, but others feel these fears are overblown. (AFP Photo)
Two events in February of this year turned rumblings of an Islamist presence in the Syrian uprising into a hard reality. The first was the endorsement of Syria’s armed opposition by Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in a video aired just after a string of deadly car bombs exploded in Damascus, which some blamed on the organization. The second came shortly thereafter, when a little-known brigade called the al-Nusra Front (or Jahbat al-Nusra) took credit for deadly car bombings in Aleppo and Damascus.
While the al-Nusra Front has taken center stage in Western media reports, Islamists are present in other groups such as the Kataeb al-Sahabeh, based in the Damascus area, and Ahrar al-Sham operating in Aleppo, according to Maher Esber, a Syrian pro-democracy activist based in Lebanon. These groups are seemingly foreign funded, and well-armed and organized, at least according to reports by journalists who recently travelled to rebel-held areas in the north of the country.
The al-Nusra Front is believed to have ties to Al Qaeda. Its presence is confirmed in Aleppo, though rebel fighters have mentioned that the group is also in Homs, Idlib, the suburbs of Damascus and elsewhere in Syria. According to Yara Nseir, another Lebanon-based Syrian activist who recently visited northern Syria, the al-Nusra Front is causing frustration among Free Syrian Army (FSA) members who are critical of the group for tainting the rebellion with an air of extremism and for adopting tactics they don’t approve of. Other groups, such as Ahrar al-Sham, are less extremist and cooperate with FSA members in operations directed against government troops, according to Nseir.
The presence of such Islamist groups has raised alarm among many commentators and (particularly Western) nations, who are worried about the direction the opposition is taking. Concerns of weapons ending up in the hands of Islamists, moreover, was one of the reasons given by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to justify the country’s decision not to arm Syrian rebels.
But are concerns over the Islamist influence among rebels overblown?
A detailed report on the armed opposition by Washington-based think tank Institute for the Study of War suggests so. It states that “the majority of evidence through early march 2012 indicated that while Syria’s insurgents may be inspired by Islam, they are not radical jihadists.” According to numerous journalists who visited Syria in the past month, as well as experts who spoke with NOW Lebanon, the above statement holds true.
Justin Vela, a reporter who recently interviewed followers of al-Nusra in Aleppo, estimated that there are around 300 members of the group in the area. Speaking to NOW Lebanon by phone, Vela said that while painting an accurate picture of the make-up of Syrian rebels remained extremely difficult under the circumstances, he estimated that fighters with indirect connections to extremist groups such as Al Qaeda make up just one or two percent of the total number of insurgents in the area.
While total figures are difficult to come by, the Institute for the Study of War report put the number of rebel fighters in Syria at 40,000 as of March 2012. Since then, Michael Weiss, research director at the of the London-based think tank the Henry Jackson Society, believes the numbers have likely increased as defections have become more frequent and as the pattern of noncombatants joining the war effort continues. Several reports even suggest that fighters in brigades with extremist ideologies may not necessarily subscribe to their beliefs. A June article published by Reuters, for example, quotes an activist who claims that some rebel groups adopted Islamist slogans and made jihadist-style videos to “please their financiers in the Gulf.” Also, some of these groups may attract members more as a result of superior funding and equipment than because of shared ideology. When asked about the presence of Islamists in Syria, Nadim Shehadi, an associate Fellow at Chatham House, replied “I can’t tell you the number of calls I’ve received on this topic,” a subject he feels “is diverting attention from more important matters [regarding the Syrian conflict].” He, along with Weiss and others, feels the Islamist threat is exaggerated and that the confirmed presence of a small group of Islamists is being used by the press and people who don’t support intervention to justify their position.
Although reports suggest extremism is not widespread in Syria at present, Shehadi and Weiss feel that a prolonged conflict will see numbers of extremists increasing. “We saw this in Iraq with the killing of minorities,” said Shehadi. “The longer it takes for the international community to intervene in Syria—diplomatically and militarily—the more we will see extremism,” he added.
**Assem Bazzi contributed reporting.

Asharq Al-Awsa/Interview: British envoy to the Syrian opposition John Wilkes
26/08/2012
By Mina al-Oraibi
London, Asharq Al-Awsat – Following its decision to close its embassy in Syria, the British government appointed a special envoy to the Syrian opposition, to keep in contact with the various opposition groups both inside Syria and abroad. Asharq Al-Awsat spoke with British Envoy to the Syrian Opposition John Wilkes about the situation in the country, the state of the Syrian opposition and preparations for the post-Assad period.
John Wilkes is an expert in Middle Eastern affairs, previously serving as British Ambassador to Yemen during the transitional period which saw long-time Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh signing the Gulf Initiative and stepping down from power. Wilkes also previously served as Britain’s Deputy Ambassador to Iraq.
The following is the full text of the interview:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In light of the British focus of providing non-lethal aid to the Syrian opposition, can you tell us precisely what kind of aid is Britain providing?
[Wilkes] The British government announced last week that it was providing an additional £5 million in non-lethal aid, and we are now reaching an agreement with the Home Office regarding the specific projects. This includes medical aid, namely providing the opposition with medical supplies, as well as communication devices. We are also training opposition cadres to document human rights violations and crimes committed by the regime in Syria. In addition to this, there is the training of cadres in managing local affairs in Syria following [regime] change…we must train activists to manage the affairs of Syria’s cities and villages for the post-change period.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Does this £5 million represent the first aid given to the Syrian opposition at home?
[Wilkes] There were projects costing £1.5 million, and these projects have been implemented now. We have relations with activists inside Syria, and we are training them in neighbouring states, providing aid and training via networks of activists abroad.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How is aid sent to the Syrian opposition? How do you allocate whether medical aid or communication devices go to the Free Syrian Army [FSA], the refugees in Turkey or elsewhere?
[Wilkes] British Home Secretary [William Hague] made it very clear that we are providing non-lethal aid to the political opposition, not the armed opposition. For legal reasons, we do not want to get involved in the conflict inside Syria.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about medical aid? Is this only being allocated to Syrian civilians?
[Wilkes] Of course, because we want to help the [Syrian] opposition in protecting civilians, for there are innocent civilians in Syria’s cities and villages who are suffering as a result of the violent attacks being carried out by the regime.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How is such aid delivered?
[Wilkes] Via the Syrian – Turkish border and other borders. We are also training cadres from inside Syria in neighbouring countries, following which they return [to Syria].
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There have been news reports about Britain providing the Syrian opposition with intelligence. Is this true?
[Wilkes] As usual, we do not comment on intelligence affairs however I can say that the British aid focuses on non-lethal aid, including communication devices, training and medical supplies, more than anything else.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The Times newspaper reported that some Syrian regime officers were getting bribed in order to defect. Is there any truth to these claims?
[Wilkes] No, we have not directly provided any funds to any groups inside Syria or abroad. This is because we want to know who this British aid is going to. This is a message to all [Syrian] opposition groups – we want to know how the opposition groups are utilizing the aid from Britain, and we ask them for reports on how this aid is being used in order to ensure accountability. This is something that is required by Britain’s parliament and public opinion.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] To what extent do you coordinate with other allied countries, such as France, the US and Turkey, in terms of providing aid to the Syrian opposition?
[Wilkes] We coordinate with the majority of countries that are friends of the Syrian people, particularly the US, France, EU states and Turkey, not to mention Arab states. This is because many countries today are providing additional support, and huge amounts of money, therefore we require greater coordination in order to build the capabilities of the Syrian opposition. We also want the opposition to coordinate between the different groups regarding priorities and classification of requests and the needs of the different regions of Syria.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In terms of priorities, many of the Syrian opposition have called for the establishment of buffer zones in Syria to protect civilians and strengthen their position on the ground. What is the possibility of such safe zones being established?
[Wilkes] Establishing safe zones requires military intervention, such as a no-fly zone as well as a means of protecting these zones. Of course, Britain and the western states as a whole do not want to get involved in a war in Syria. We want change and a regime that is more respectful to the diversity of Syrian society; however we also want to avoid chaos in Syria. We do not want to pour oil on the fire in Syria; therefore the door is always open for a political solution with regards to all problems due to the actions of the regime and the violent attacks it is committing against the Syrian people. However we want to build the capability of the opposition to govern the country’s affairs, even before the fall of the regime.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] As for supporting the opposition to govern the country, there are some areas of Syria that are not under the control of the al-Assad regime. Do you fear that the opposition will be unable to govern these areas?
[Wilkes] It is true that there must be coordination between opposition groups at home and abroad, as well as between armed groups, political groups and civilian activists. This is because we want to avoid the historic fate of the army and armed groups being completely separate from the politicians. We need a political framework that governs the affairs of the country, and for the armed groups to respect the politicians. This is why we are sitting down with political representatives to the armed groups to encourage the establishment of a political leadership for the opposition groups at home, whether armed or political or civilian, in order to establish a local administration in some areas. The regime may be in control of the large cities; however its presence in many rural areas is very limited.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Can you achieve this via local coordination committees?
[Wilkes] We are now expanding communication with local coordination committees in Syria, as well as civilian activists.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are many questions regarding the Syrian National Council [SNC]. Following broad external support for the SNC, and it being viewed as one of the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, foreign parties are now seeking to expand their cooperation with other opposition groups. What is your assessment of the SNC?
[Wilkes] The SNC is an important part of the Syrian opposition, but there are other opposition elements and we communicate with all members of the opposition. We want the SNC and the other political groups to work and cooperate with each other to develop the plan for the transitional period that was developed at the Cairo Conference for the Syrian Opposition last July. There were two documents [put forward at this conference], namely the National Pact, which puts forward the future vision for Syria which is based on establishing a civil state in Syria. In addition to this, there is a strategic plan for the transitional period. We are now encouraging the different groups to participate with the international community in the so-called follow-up committee to promote this plan within Syria and abroad, coordinating and consulting with the major donor states. We are all now preparing for the period following the collapse of the regime, and all the security, political and economic requirements of the country. We require a strong Syrian voice to develop this strategy for the transitional period. There are consultations currently taking place within the Syrian opposition regarding the appointment of representatives to the follow-up committee and opening an office in Cairo under the umbrella of the Arab League to develop this plan for the transitional period and to coordinate with all groups at home, as well as the international community.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] When you talk about a “political framework” to govern the affairs of the country, does this include a transitional government?
[Wilkes] At this stage, we are only talking about forming a technical committee for consultations over the transitional period, not to mention the economic and security requirements during this period in order to avoid chaos. Of course there are consultations between the Syrian people and the opposition and the formation of what can be called an Elders Council and later a transitional government, but we must first begin by focusing on the practical matters.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You have talked a lot about coordination amongst and between the Syrian opposition, but this is very difficult to see on the ground, and there are clear divisions between the opposition groups. To what extent does this hinder the technical coordination or planning for the transitional period?
[Wilkes] Yes, there are well-known divisions, however despite this there is an agreement between all major political groups, firstly, regarding the need for change, and then avoiding chaos during the transitional period. We want to encourage cohesion between the different groups by focusing on practical matters, away from personal conflict or minor or traditional differences between groups. There are youth activists who have the experience and vision to establish a modern state in Syria, and we would like to make room for them under the umbrella of the political leadership of different [opposition] groups in order to make progress in building understanding between different regions of Syria, and different political groups. God willing, if we focus on the practical and technical issues we can overcome some of the well-known tensions and problems that we have seen in the past.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are also prominent political figures on the scene, particularly in terms of defectors like former Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab. Are you in contact with him?
[Wilkes] I have yet to sit down with the former Syrian Prime Minister until now, but God willing the defectors will play a constructive role in the political negotiations to resolve the Syrian crisis. For in the end, even if this conflict in Syria continues for an unspecified period of time, we must find a political solution, and this requires negotiations with some members of the regime, and some members of the opposition.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There were expectations that Manaf Tlass would play a political role following his defection, however many in the opposition have objected to this. Are you in contact with Tlass? Will you seek to convince the opposition to allow Tlass to play a role?
[Wilkes] We are not in contact with him and these matters are up to the Syrian people. We need a strong and clear Syrian voice regarding the future of the country and who will play a role during this transitional phase. I think that it is clear, in order to avoid chaos in Syria, that we need the participation of the majority of the different political groups. In any case, the [Syrian] opposition has said that any Syrian who has been part of the regime but whose hands are not stained with blood can play a role if they adopt the vision of the Syrian opposition to establish a modern, civil state that respects the diversity of Syrian society.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you have any information about Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa and his possible defection?
[Wilkes] I have heard the news and read the reports but until now we do not have any confirmed information regarding the fate of Farouk al-Sharaa.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are fears of sectarianism affecting the political process and the coordination between different Syrian groups. How much is this a factor?
[Wilkes] Sectarianism is intensifying, and we are increasingly concerned about the sectarianism in Syria. However despite this, I believe that the majority of Syrians reject the sectarian system in place in the country and we must build on the figures and groups that have adopted the vision of the civil state that respects all components of Syria’s social fabric. I believe that the National Pact has made it very clear that the vision of the majority of groups in the Syrian opposition is based on the participation of all components of Syrian society. Without this vision, I do not think that the transitional period in Syria will succeed, and Syria would enter an extremely different period. Therefore, we want to provide assistance and aid to the groups that respect the natural diversity of Syrian society.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] However documents and statements are one thing and implementation is something else. To what extent do you sense a conviction regarding these principles amongst the Syrian opposition?
[Wilkes] Implementation is the second step; however agreement on a vision, principles and strategy is the first step. The opposition has made progress in this area, and there is a need to complete the mission, and that is part of the work of the follow-up committee. I believe that in the period following the ouster of the regime, the transitional Syrian government will need assistance from the donor countries and we will ask it for a convincing strategy. Therefore, we can work now to develop a strategy that convinces, firstly the Syrians and secondly the international community. This, God willing, will help to contain the fallout following the ouster of the regime.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] When do you think this might happen?
[Wilkes] As soon as possible, God willing.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] However until now, there is a need to reach a political solution, do you think there is any room for successful dialogue between the regime and the opposition?
[Wilkes] This dialogue is necessary. There is communication between some elements inside the regime and some members of the opposition, and this is good, however we need commitment on the part of the majority of [opposition] political groups and regime officials to save the country from the current deterioration and this requires courageous decisions. In Britain’s view, Bashar al-Assad has had many opportunities to open the door for this dialogue, however unfortunately he did not take any of these opportunities and instead adopted violent methods. There is no security solution for the legitimate demands of the Syrian people. Therefore, the door must be open for a political solution. However, due to the behaviour of the regime until now, it is clear that the Syrian people are in need of protection, and we must exert more pressure on the regime to change its behaviour.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is Britain in contact with any Syrian officials?
[Wilkes] We do not have an embassy in Damascus…we talk to people who have ties to the regime; they are not opposition activists but rather businessmen and figures from inside Syria. There is a large group of Syrians who are neither part of the opposition, nor part of the regime.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Can there be dialogue with the regime whilst Bashar al-Assad remains in power? Does al-Assad have to step down for dialogue to succeed?
[Wilkes] The majority of opposition groups completely reject al-Assad remaining in power, and I believe that at the current time, the political solution depends on the departure of al-Assad. However we all want to avoid the complete destruction of the state, therefore if there was a formula to launch a political process and transitional period on the basis of negotiations between members of the regime and opposition, this would be the best solutions under the current circumstances.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What are the greatest challenges that you personally face as Britain’s envoy to the Syrian opposition?
[Wilkes] As I said, we all want to avoid chaos in Syria; that is why we want the opposition to develop a security plan to avoid chaos in the country following the collapse of the regime. We also need to work quickly to get the economy moving in Syria because the economic conditions have completely deteriorated. We must develop these plans now in order to preserve security and economic movement following the collapse of the regime. I believe that the operations of the follow-up committee are very important, in addition to the political consultations regarding the features of the transitional stage. The international community is ready to consult with the Syrian opposition to develop a convincing plan. We want to involve the follow-up committee in these talks now. There is an opportunity for the first meeting of this committee to take place next week.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you expect all opposition factions to send a representative to next week’s meeting?
[Wilkes] At this time we encourage the SNC and the other groups to get ready for the first meeting because the situation in the country is deteriorating and we want to send a clear message to the Syrian people that there is serious work taking place to save the country.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Will the FSA send a representative?
[Wilkes] We encourage the appointment of two political representatives for consultation representing the [opposition] groups at home and abroad…and they will have a role because they are present on the ground.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are some concerns regarding the FSA. Why is that?
[Wilkes] As the Home Secretary said, we are ready, and I personally sit down with political representatives, I do not sit down with fighters. We want to encourage the development of the strategy of the armed groups, for without political goals for the opposition…we will miss the opportunity to build a better Syria.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are reports of foreigners and extremists present in the ranks of the Syrian fighters, including even British citizens. How concerned are you regarding these developments?
[Wilkes] We are carefully and closely monitoring this issue. We are all afraid of the chaos being utilized by extremists and radicals, however there are encouraging signs from the armed groups within the FSA and the political groups in the country that they are rejecting the presence of Al Qaeda, or the so-called Jabhet al-Nasrah…because the majority of Syrians are moderates and do not want to see sectarianism or any force dividing the country. We must build upon the majority of the Syrians who reject extremism. However there is certainly concern regarding the presence of extremists and concerns regarding whether there is chaos in Syria and the problem of chemical weapons. We do not want any extremist groups to get their hands on these weapons. Their presence, until now, is limited, but this is increasing and we have concerns over the impact that this will have on the neighbouring countries. We are afraid of the extremists securing a permanent presence [in Syria], allowing them to plan for operations abroad.