LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 03/2012
Bible Quotation for today/The
Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast
Luke 13/18-21: "18 Jesus asked, What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I
compare it with? It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and plants it in
his field. The plant grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make their nests in
its branches. Again Jesus asked, What shall I compare the Kingdom of God with?
It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour
until the whole batch of dough rises
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Hezbollah's secret war on Syrian rebels/By Michael Weiss/February
03/12.
From Russia, for Bashar’s eyes only/By Michael Young/February
03/12.
Bashar “al-Jaafari”/By
Tariq Alhomayed/February 03/12.
Nassib Lahoud, Simply a decent man/By:Now Lebanon/February
03/12.
Nassib Lahoud/By: Hazem al-Amin/February
03/12.
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
February 03/12.
Israel: Iran's nuclear arms program is complete, its missiles can reach US
Some 200,000 missiles aimed consistently at Israel, top
IDF officer says
Paul Auster to Erdogan: Unlike Turkey, Israel still has
free speech
IDF Chief of
Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz : Iran atom program must be disrupted
Up to 100 dead in Syria while West, Russia wrangle at U.N.
Russia official says Moscow will not stop sale of weapons
to Syria
Syria opposition
commemorates Hama massacre
Syria's Alawites, a secretive and persecuted sect
Report: Turkey Would Consider Assad Family Asylum Request
Syrian troops battle defectors near Damascus in fresh assault
Egypt's
Muslim Brotherhood uses Palestinian Hamas as channel to Tehran
Canadian Statement by Minister of State
Ablonczy on Arrest of Naser Al-Raas
Israel asks U.S. to prod Palestinians to continue peace talks
Palestinians throw shoes at convoy carrying UN chief Ban Ki-moon into Gaza
73 people dead in Egypt's worst-ever soccer disaster
Egypt's army, police blamed for deadly soccer riot
Protesters Throw Shoes at U.N. Chief in Gaza
Israeli General Warns Houses in Southern Lebanon Used as
Storage Facilities
2012 trial a “goal” for STL
Respected Lebanese
politician Lahoud dies after long illness
Mikati says patience
wearing thin, rules out stepping down
Lebanon: Appointments row freezes Cabinet
Four Hezbollah men to be tried in absentia for killing of ex-Lebanon PM
Maronite:Bishops:
Feuds are paralyzing state
- 4 hours ago
Lebanon reluctant to accept
Iran electricity proposal
Lebanese physically assaults Syrian opposition
activist on TV
March 14 bloc lauds SNC letter on Syrian-Lebanese
relations
MP Janjanian thanks French envoy over Armenian genocide
law
Pro-Aoun MP slams Mikati decision to suspend Cabinet
meetings
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Feb. 2, 2012
Suleiman Reiterates Efficiency and Seniority Should be
Base of All Appointments
Watkins: Hizbullah is Keen on Keeping Dialogue with U.N.
Open
Geagea Calls on Cabinet to Resign, Urges Formation of a
Technocrat Government
Miqati from Tripoli: Lebanon Will Not Become Victim of
Powers Seeking to Split Spoils
2012 trial a “goal” for STL
Matt Nash, February 2, 2012 /Now Lebanon/The Special Tribunal for Lebanon plans
to start a trial in absentia in 2012, a spokesperson said Thursday, adding that
the timeframe is not fixed and could still change. “That is our hope and that is
our goal,” STL spokesperson Marten Youssef said at a press conference following
the trial chamber’s Wednesday decision to begin proceedings in absentia.
However, Youssef cautioned that judicial proceedings take time and no solid
guarantees can be given on when a trial will begin. Following the court’s
decision on Wednesday, the Defense Office will now appoint lawyers for Salim
Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra, the four men
accused of involvement in the 2005 blast that killed former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri and 22 others. Appointing lawyers is only one of several steps that will
follow the court’s decision to begin a trial, the STL said in a press release
Wednesday. The STL is beginning a trial in absentia less than one month before
its mandate officially expires. According to UN Security Council Resolution
1757, which established the tribunal, the court’s mandate can be extended for
“further period(s) to be determined by the Secretary-General [of the UN] in
consultation with the government [of Lebanon] and the Security Council.”Youssef
told NOW Lebanon that if the court’s mandate is extended, the three memorandums
of understanding (MoU) Beirut signed with the court will not have to be
renegotiated.“The MoUs will carry over,” he said.
Israeli
General Warns Houses in Southern Lebanon Used as Storage Facilities
by Naharnet /Houses in southern Lebanon are a storage facility for missiles or
rockets or a launch pad which are destructive and could hit the heart of the
Israeli cities, Israel's chief of military intelligence, General Aviv Kochavi,
warned on Thursday at a security conference.ce estimates, he said, showed "one
in every 10 houses in south Lebanon is a storage facility for missiles or
rockets or a launch pad for devices that are increasingly accurate and
destructive.""From Lebanon, Syria and of course from Iran, they can hit the
heart of our cities, and the whole region of Tel Aviv is within their reach,"
Kochavi said.
Hizbullah fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006. Iran has enough
radioactive material to produce four nuclear bombs, Israel's chief of military
intelligence, Kochavi stated. "Today international intelligence agencies are in
agreement with Israel that Iran has close to 100 kilograms of uranium enriched
to 20 percent, which is enough to produce four bombs," he told the annual
Herzliya conference. "Iran is very actively pursuing its efforts to develop its
nuclear capacities, and we have evidence that they are seeking nuclear weapons,"
he said. "We estimate they would need a year from when the order is given to
produce a weapon." Israel and much of the international community have long
accused Iran of using its nuclear program to mask a drive for weapons, a charge
Tehran denies.
The Jewish state, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear
arsenal, has pushed for tough sanctions against Iran and warned that it retains
the option of a military strike if necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining
atomic weapons. Kochavi also warned that Israel faces increasing threats from
more conventional weapons, including "some 200,000 rockets and missiles," in the
hands of Israel's enemies.SourceAgence France Presse.
Watkins: Hizbullah is Keen on Keeping Dialogue with U.N. Open
by Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon ad interim Robert Watkins said
Thursday that Hizbullah has stressed the need to continue its dialogue with the
world body.
In remarks to al-Mustaqbal daily, Watkins said that despite the party’s
frustration from some of the remarks made by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon during his
visit to Beirut last month, Hizbullah has expressed its respect for “the
integrity of the U.N. and the necessity to keep the dialogue open.” He expressed
relief that the world body “can still be capable of holding constructive
dialogue” with Hizbullah. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on
January 14 that he “felt happy” when he heard that Ban said he was concerned
about the party’s military power. Ban had expressed concern at the military
capacity of Hizbullah during a press conference he held a day earlier in Beirut.
Watkins held talks with the head of Hizbullah’s international relations
department, Ammar Moussawi, last Friday. On the security situation in Lebanon,
the diplomat said that security officials have expressed to him their hope that
the country’s stability would not be affected by the developments in Syria.
The security forces should remain on “high alert,” he told the newspaper, and
called for a better monitoring of the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Watkins reiterated the U.N.’s readiness to help the Lebanese government in
better monitoring the border. Asked about the bloody crackdown on Syrian
protestors by the Assad regime since last March, the diplomat said: “It’s time
to have some consensus at the Security Council.”Russia has rejected the adoption
of a tough Council resolution condemning the violence.
Israel: Iran's nuclear arms program is complete, its missiles can reach US
DEBKAfile Special Report/February 2, 2012Iran has completed the development of a
nuclear weapon and awaits nothing more than a sign from Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei to start assembling its first nuclear bomb, said Israeli Military
Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi on Thursday, February 2.
Assembling a bomb would take up to a year, Kochavi estimated. With 100 kilograms
of uranium enriched to 20 percent grade and another 4 tons of uranium enriched
to 3.5 percent already in stock, Iran would need another two years to make four
nuclear bombs. Therefore, by the end of 2012 or early 2013 Iran may have a
single nuclear bomb, but by 2015 the figure would jump to four or five.
The officer was essentially amplifying the words of his predecessor, Maj. Gen.
(res.) Amos Yadlin, who said on Jan. 26 that as long ago as 2007 or 2008, Iran
had already passed the point of no return in developing nuclear weapons. Kochavi
agreed with him that none of the sanctions imposed thus far had persuaded Iran
to slow down, least of all shut down, its drive for a nuclear weapon. His
comments coincided with the findings published Thursday by the Enterprise
Institute, an American think tank, that Iran would be able to manufacture a
15-kiloton nuclear bomb as soon as August of this year, just seven months from
now.
Also Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon disclosed that the big blast
at the Iranian missile base near Tehran last November blew up a new missile
system with a range of 10,000 kilometers, capable of targeting the United
States. Commenting on Iran's underground bunkers for nuclear facilities, the
minister stressed that any facility built by man can be destroyed by man.
"Speaking as a former chief of staff, I say none of Iran's installations are
immune to attack," he said.
Major General Kochavi went on to say that if Iran had attained a nuclear
capability, this meant that the US and Israel had failed to pre-empt this
outcome.
Turning to another threat, the military intelligence chief painted a grim
picture of 200,000 rockets and missiles of assorted types pointing at Israel.
Wednesday, February 1, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz stressed that there
is no longer any point on the Israeli map that is outside the range of enemy
missiles.
According to Gen. Kochavi, Iran, Syria, Hizballah and Hamas are dispersing their
missiles and rockets to sites deep inland and integrated in urban environments
to minimize their vulnerability to IDF attack. He warned "the enemy" had
prepared increasing numbers of its missiles for "depth strikes against Israeli
population centers, their warheads more lethal than ever." "Every tenth
residential house in Lebanon," he said, "harbors a missile arsenal or launching
position. Their sheer volume has reached a strategic dimension with which Israel
will have to deal."Tuesday, Jan. 31, the IDF practiced mobilizing an armored
division under war conditions, debkafile's military sources report. The drill
simulated moving the troops to conscription bases, arming them with equipment
and weapons and getting them to battle lines – all under the heavy missile
bombardment of military facilities, national highways and railway lines.The
various assessments of Iran's nuclear capabilities have faced serious
credibility problems over the years, debkafile's intelligence sources note.
Today, thanks to Kochavi and Yadlin, we know that the US National Intelligence
Estimate of 2007 accepted by the Bush administration was wrong. Its main finding
was that Iran had discontinued its military nuclear program in 2003. For five
years, Western intelligence officials have given out misleading estimates to
save their governments having to pursue direct action for preempting a nuclear
Iran. One school of thought claimed that Iran would not build a bomb until it
had the resources to create an arsenal; another, that Tehran lacked the
technology for weaponizing enriched uranium. Does the latest evaluation that the
manufacture of a bomb awaits the decision of one man, the Iranian Supreme Ruler,
fall into the same category as the others? Or is it another gambit to fend off a
military strike against Iran for five more years?
How do the US and Israel know for sure that Khamenei has not given the order and
that Iranian teams are not already busy assembling a bomb in some bunker?
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has maintained more than once that America has
the resources for finding out about a decision by the Supreme Leader, but no
American or Israeli intelligence officer can endorse this certainty. It should
be remembered, debkafile's military and intelligence sources note, that when
Western intelligence announced the discovery of the Fordo underground facility
near Qom in mid-2009, construction had begun undiscovered at least eighteen
months earlier.
Israel Vice PM: Military
strike can hit all of Iran's nuclear facilities
By Barak Ravid
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-vice-pm-military-strike-can-hit-all-of-iran-s-nuclear-facilities-1.410626
Speaking at Herzliya Conference, Moshe Ya’alon calls the possibility of a
nuclear Iran a 'nightmare to the free world,' says explosion at Iranian missile
base targeted missile system that would have threatened the U.S.All of Iran's
nuclear faculties are vulnerable to a military strike, Vice Prime Minister and
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Thursday, calling the potential
of a nuclear Iran a "nightmare to the free world."
Want to know more about Israeli attempts to prevent a nuclear Iran? Join
Haaretz.com's official Facebook page.At the closing day of the Herzliya
Conference, Ya’alon referred to the many tools at the international community's
disposal that could serve to slow down or stop Iran's advancement toward nuclear
weapons capability: international pressure, economic sanctions, support of
Iranian opposition, and military actions.
Speaking of the possibility of a military strike of Iran's nuclear facilities,
the vice PM said that "the West has the ability to strike, but as long as Iran
isn't convinced that there's a determination to follow through with it, they'll
continue with their manipulations."
"The Iranians believe that a determination isn’t still there, both in regards to
military action and in regards to sanctions," Ya'alon said, adding that "any
facility protected by humans can be infiltrated by humans. It's possible to
strike all Iran's facilities, and I say that out of my experience as IDF chief
of staff."
The vice PM's comments seem to counter reported remarks by U.S. defense
officials quoted last week by the Wall Street Journal, according to which the
Pentagon was not in possession of conventional arms strong enough to destroy all
of Iran's nuclear facilities.
Ya'alon reiterated the Israeli stance that a nuclear Iran was a global threat,
saying that "if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, it would be a nightmare for the
free world, a nightmare for Arab states…and of course a threat to the State of
Israel." "We'll see a more intense undermining of regional regimes and the
acceleration of terror attacks against those regimes, as well as against Israel
and western states, with the United States at the forefront," Ya'alon said. The
former IDF chief also indicated that an explosion which virtually destroyed an
Iran Revolutionary Guard missile base near Tehran late last year targeted a
system "getting ready to produce a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers,
thus threatening the United States."
"The Iranian threat is not a case of Iran Vs. Israel. Israel has never declared
war on Iran, but the Khomeinistic regime has declared total war on the States of
Israel's very existence," Ya'alon added, saying that Iran was interested in
repelling a perceived western hegemony around the world and not just in the
Middle East.
Ya'alon's comments came after, earlier Thursday, Military Intelligence Chief
Major General Aviv Kochavi said that Iran's ability to obtain nuclear weapons
was solely dependent on the will of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, adding that Israel was threatened by about 200,000 missiles at any
given time
Some 200,000 missiles aimed
consistently at Israel, top IDF officer says
By Amos Harel /Haaretz
Head of military intelligence Aviv Kochavi reiterates army estimates that Iran
could further enrich that uranium it already has to create 4 atomic bombs.
About 200,000 missiles are aimed at Israel at any given time, a top Israel
Defense Forces officer said on Thursday, adding that Iran's ability to obtain
nuclear weapons was solely dependent on the will of Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The remarks by Military Intelligence Chief Major General Aviv Kochavi came after
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said on Wednesday that the threats
facing Israel have increased and intensified in recent years due to regional
instability. Speaking to the Herzliya Conference, Gantz said that Iran's nuclear
program is a "global problem and a regional problem," adding that Tehran's
attempts to acquire nuclear weapons must continue to be disrupted. On Thursday,
Kochavi, speaking at the opening session of the Herzliya Conference's closing
day, spoke of the growing threats Israel was facing: "a more hostile, more
Islamic, more sensitive Middle East, one more attune to public sentiment, less
controlled by the regimes, and less susceptible to international influence." The
chief of military intelligence then indicated that about 200,000 missiles were
aimed at Israel at any given time, adding, however, that "Israel's military
deterrence is intact."
Referring to Israel's concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions, Kochavi presented
a relatively tame estimation of a possible timeline en route to an Iranian
atomic bomb, saying that the project depended more on the will of Iran's Supreme
Leader than on any technological advancement.
"If Khamenei issues a command to achieve a first nuclear explosive device, we
estimate it would take another year before that's achieved," the top IDF
official said, adding that "if he asks to translate that ability to obtain a
nuclear warhead, that would take another year or two." Kochavi also reiterated
the IDF estimate that Iran is in possession of more than 4 tons of low-grade
enriched uranium as well as almost 100 kilograms of uranium enriched at 20%. "If
those are enriched more, to a 90% level, that would be enough for 4 atomic
bombs," the IDF officer said.
The military intelligence chief added that the sanctions on Iran "are taking
their toll. There's 16% unemployment, 24% annual inflation, and practically no
growth," he said adding that "at this point the pressure isn’t leading Iran to a
strategic shift." However, Kochavi added that "there's a potential, with greater
pressure, that the regime, interested first and foremost in its own survival,
would reconsider its position." Speaking at the Herzliya conference on Tuesday,
President Shimon Peres also referred to the Iranian nuclear threat, saying that
Tehran's "evil" leaders cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.
"It is the duty of the international community to prevent evil and nuclear
[weapons] from coming together. That is the obligations of most of the leaders
of the free world, one which they must meet," Peres said.
IDF Chief of
Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz : Iran atom program must be disrupted
Yoav Zitun/ 02.01.12,/Ynetnews
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4184147,00.html
IDF chief says international community must take 'determined action' to compel
Iran to abandon nuclear arms ambitions
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz said Wednesday that
"determined action" on the part of the international community could compel Iran
to abandon its nuclear program.
"There is no doubt that Iran is striving to develop nuclear capabilities for
military purposes," Gantz said at the Herzliya Conference on security, adding
that the Islamic Republic's atom ambitions "must be disrupted."The general noted that Iran is seeking to obtain nuclear weapons to bolster its
deterrence, and warned it could cross the nuclear threshold within a year.This
immunity that (Iran) seeks will be used to influence the surrounding Gulf
states, and to further its interests in countries worldwide," he said.
"I am sure that if we tune in to what's going on in the Gulf nations, we will
find them no less concerned than we are. But we can't forget that the State of
Israel is the only country that has become the target of another state's threats
of destruction... This is not something that can be ignored."
Gantz added that the arms race in the region poses a risk for the Jewish state
more than any other."Some of the largest arms caches are found in Gaza and Lebanon, which are
supplied by Iran, Syria and Russia, which continues to send weapons to Syria
without knowing who will rule it next," he said. "(…) the bad news is that the
target of all this armament is Israel."
Hezbollah's secret war on
Syrian rebels
By Michael Weiss/ The Telegraph
February 2nd, 2012
The other night I spoke to Alaa al-Sheikh, the Free Syrian Army’s Khaled Bin
Waleed Brigade in Rastan, a city that’s home about 25,000 people and lies on the
main Damascus-Aleppo highway in the province of Homs. Over the last several
months, Rastan has become the frontline in the war between Syrian rebels and
pro-Assad loyalists as well as a kind of de facto headquarters for the FSA. When
I asked al-Sheikh about the rebels’ targeting of power lines and water mains in
the country, I was surprised at his response. He said that this tactic was not
in fact designed to rob the regime of electricity and water but rather to affect
Lebanon: retaliation, he said, against Hezbollah’s provocations. “Hezbollah
received information that the Iranians who were captured in Homs had been taken
to north Syria,” he told me. “So Hezbollah started bombing us there with
Katyushas. They fired around 21 rockets from near Al-Hermel in Lebanon, which is
close to the Syrian border.”
The Iranians he’s referring to are seven nationals in FSA custody; five of them,
the rebels insist, are members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
brought in to assist Assad’s Air Force intelligence in sniping. However, Syrian
state media adamantly denies the allegation and insists that five Iranian
engineers who were on their way to work at the Jandar power plant in Homs on 21
December were kidnapped by “terrorists”. Press TV, the Iranian regime’s
propaganda outlet, says two more engineers were taken after they attempted to
investigate the whereabouts of their missing colleagues.
Yet last week, James Hider and Nate Wright of the Times reported that Mahmoud
Haj Hamad, the head financial auditor at the Syrian Defence Ministry who
defected last month, confirmed that the Assad regime had indeed been paying
“military consultants” from Iran and Hezbollah out of a US-dollar slush fund
financed by Iran. These consultants, Hamad said, now number in the “thousands.”
Tehran's facilitation of Assad’s brutality is matched by Moscow's obstruction of
any UN Security Council resolution that demands the dictator’s ouster, an
obstruction that, even after yesterday’s intense diplomatic wrangling by the US,
Europe and Arab states at Turtle Bay, shows absolutely no sign of abatement.
Clearly, Assad has used the Security Council deadlock to his advantage. In the
last day, the regime has waged a comprehensive offensive and reprisal campaign
in Idleb and the Damascus suburbs. One member of the Syrian Revolution
Coordination Union (SRCU) told me yesterday that Rankous has been hit especially
hard: there have been mass arrests, shabbiha gangs have confiscated cellphones
and electronics, and houses have been burnt to the ground. Even animals, the
SRCU activist said, have been killed “just for fun.”
Rastan, too, has been pounded by regular army forces, both with tanks shells and
heavy artillery. “The army has used 130-millimetre towed field guns, which can
hit a target at 28 kilometres,” al-Sheikh told me. “These are Russian-made. The
tanks have pounded houses, one of which we saw collapse. It’s hard to say how
many have been killed here because we are just now able to pull the bodies out
from under the wreckage.” The rebels claim that yesterday they destroyed eight
of the Syrian army’s tanks and captured four more in Rastan. A different
activist told me that 300 more soldiers tried to defect but of them, 225 were
killed by the loyalists they turned against.
“We hold the city right now,” al-Sheikh said of Rastan. But for how long? “A
week, maybe two.” The aim is to weaken the regime by inflicting "painful"
losses, not topple it, which is something the rebels can't do so long as the
regime receiving armaments and supplies from Iran and Russia. "Iran is sending
weapons inside civilian airplanes," al-Sheikh added, "landing in civilian
airports."
The only other “liberated” city in Syria is Zabadani, but the army now has it
completely surrounded. Still, morale seems to be high among the FSA combatants.
Al-Sheikh sent me the link to this YouTube video showing an urban side street
littered with rubbish and rubble; out of a thick fog of pulverised concrete, a
tank was being tentatively manoeuvred. “You see here, we captured a tank and
they’re driving around in it,” he said, laughing. “Look at the driver, he is
parking the tank like a taxi in front of his house.”
Egypt's army, police blamed for deadly soccer riot
CAIRO (AP) — Scores of Egyptian soccer fans were crushed to death while others
were fatally stabbed or suffocated after being trapped in a long narrow corridor
trying to flee rival fans armed with knives, clubs and stones, in the country's
worst ever soccer violence that killed at least 74 people, witnesses and health
officials said Thursday.
The tragedy Wednesday evening — which followed an Egyptian league match between
Al-Masry, the home team in the Mediterranean city of Port Said, and Al-Ahly,
based in Cairo and one of Egypt's most popular teams — was a bloody reminder of
deteriorating security in the Arab world's most populous country, as instability
continues nearly a year after former President Hosni Mubarak was swept out of
power in a popular uprising.
It was also the deadliest soccer violence worldwide since 1996. One player said
it was "like a war."
Egyptian activists have accused the police and military of failing to intervene
to stop the mayhem.
On Thursday morning, dozens of angry protesters sealed off Tahrir Square, the
epicenter of the uprising that toppled Mubarak, while others blocked the street
in front of the state TV building in downtown Cairo ahead of planned marches
later in the day to the Interior Ministry to denounce the police force.
The melee at the stadium in Port Said erupted when Al-Masry fans stormed the
field following a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly. Al-Masry supporters, armed with
knives, sticks and stones, chased players and fans from the rival team, Al-Ahly,
who ran toward the exits and up the stands to escape, according to witnesses.
Ahmed Ghaffar, one of the visiting Al Ahly fans at the stadium, said "layers of
people" were stuck, "suffocating inside a narrow corridor" as they tried to get
out of the stadium
"The people were stuck over each other because there was no other exist,"
Ghaffar tweeted on Thursday. "We were between two choices, either death coming
from behind us, or the closed doors."
Ghaffar said that seconds after the match ended, Al-Masry fans rushed onto the
pitch from all sides while the police stood by motionless. A power outage
followed, he said, and "the soccer field fell into darkness."
"We were surprised the the police let them in that easy. The numbers were huge,"
he said.
As many Al-Ahly fans crowded into the corridor leading out of the stadium, they
were trapped, with the doors at the other end locked.
Ghaffar said Al-Masry fans beat those Al-Ahly fans who fell on the floor and
also described several stampedes.
Al-Masry fan, Mohammed Mosleh, posted his account on Facebook, saying he saw
"thugs with weapons" on his side in the stadium where police presence was
meager.
"This was unbelievable," he said. "We were supposed to be celebrating, not
killing people. We defeated Al-Ahly, something I saw twice only in my lifetime.
All the people were happy. Nobody expected this."
Health ministry official Hisham Sheha said deaths were caused by stabs by sharp
tools, brain hemorrhage and concussions. "All those carried to hospitals were
already dead bodies," Sheha told state-TV.
One man told state TV he heard gunshots in the stadium, while a lawmaker from
Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood said the police didn't prevent fans carrying
knives from entering the stadium.
TV footage showed Al-Ahly players rushing for their locker room as fistfights
broke out among the hundreds of fans swarming on to the field. Some men had to
rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten. Black-clothed
police officers stood by, appearing overwhelmed.
The Interior Ministry said 74 people died, including one police officer, and 248
were injured, 14 of them police. A local health official initially said 1,000
people were injured and it was not clear how severely. Security forces arrested
47 people for involvement in the violence, the statement said.
State TV appealed to Egyptians to donate blood for the injured in Port Said, and
the military sent two aircraft to evacuate serious cases to the capital, Cairo.
A number of political parties called on the Egyptian parliament to pass
no-confidence vote against the government of Kamal el-Ganzouri, a Mubarak-era
politician appointed by the much-critized ruling military council. El-Ganzouri
himself held an emergency cabinet meeting early Thursday.
Essam el-Erian, a Brotherhood lawmaker, said the military and police were
complicit in the violence, accusing them of trying to show that emergency
regulations giving security forces wide-ranging powers must be maintained.
"This tragedy is a result of intentional reluctance by the military and the
police," he said.
The trigger for the violence, however, remains a mystery since most of the
attackers were from the winning team.
April 6 group, which was among youth groups that led the anti-Mubarak uprising,
accused the ruling military of collaboration in the violence.
"Is it logical that the force that managed to secure parliamentary elections in
nine provinces can't secure a soccer match where skirmishes among fans were
expected," the group said in a statement Thursday.
The organized soccer fans known as Ultras have playing an important role in the
anti-Mubarak uprising and rallies against the military rule. Their anti-police
songs, peppered with curses, have quickly become viral and an expression of the
hatred many Egyptians feel toward security forces that were accused of much of
the abuse that was widespread under Mubarak's regime.
In the eyes of political activists, the long enmity between Ultras and
much-hated security forces under Mubarak and under the military rule explains
why the police stepped aside in the face of deadly brawl.
In a statement signed by Ultras of Al-Ahly, the group said Thursday that the
military council and former members of Mubarak's regime were retaliating for the
Ultras role in the revolution.
"They want to punish us and execute us for our participation in the revolution
against suppression," it said, and vowed a "new war in defense of our
revolution."
Bashar “al-Jaafari”
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
I think that al-Assad’s envoy to the United Nations, whose name appears in the
title, sums up the whole story of Syria under its repressive, murderous regime.
Al-Jaafari’s presentation to the the Security Council, the day before yesterday,
contained wholly unconvincing statements, especially when talking about the
Arabs, and specifically Lawrence of Arabia.
In his speech before the Security Council, al-Assad’s envoy Bashar al-Jaafari
said that Syria had a parliamentary government in 1919, “one year after the fall
of the Ottoman Empire while Lawrence of Arabia was wreaking havoc with the
destinies and resources of the states and was trying to turn the bloc back to
obscurantism”. The question here for the al-Assad envoy is: Why since that date,
and particularly since Hafez al-Assad came to power, has Syria no longer had any
sort of parliamentary rule? Even when al-Jaafari talks about Lawrence of Arabia,
does he not know that his era was famous for the Arab revolt, whilst al-Jaafari
and his president’s era represents a Khomeinist Persian revolution? It is
suffice that at the time of al-Jaafari’s address to the Security Council, news
agencies were circulating reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader had declared his
support for al-Assad, and warned of interference in Syrian affairs!
Of course, the peculiarities of al-Assad’s envoy to the Security Council - who
said at the start of his speech “I will speak in Arabic, and this is an honor
for me” - do not stop here. He also lectured his global audience with poetry,
quotingthe words of the Damascus poet Nizar Qabbani, saying:
Damascus, the treasure of my dreams;
Shall I bemoan to you Arabism or bemoan my fellow Arabs?
The question here is: Why then, did Qabbani live in exile in London? The other
question is: What does al-Assad have to do with the Arabs and Arabism, he being
the one who hides under the turban of Iran’s mullahs, having never fired a
single bullet towards Israel? Al-Jaafari told the Security Council that Israel
has not once received any sort of condemnation, so why did al-Assad not punish
it for occupying the Golan Heights, like he is currently punishing the Syrians
demanding reform? Of course, this is a question that al-Jaafari would not dare
to answer; al-Assad’s envoy is only fluent in flattering Al-Assad. Otherwise if
he had a degree of awareness and prudence when talking about what he called the
“oligarchical” states, he would realize that he represents a republican regime
governed by a man who inherited power. Syria is not a monarchy, and yet al-Assad
did not come to power via free and fair elections. The regimes that al-Jaafari
described as oligarchical do not kill their own citizens, and do not make them
live in a sea of underdevelopment; rather they have raced against time in order
to advance their people. Also, those regimes that al-Jaafari was alluding to do
not take from their people every day with Persian support; rather these regimes
in fact represent their people!
Therefore, al-Jaafari’s speech in front of the Security Council, and before him
the performance of al-Assad’s envoy to the Arab League, show that the Arab
League and the United Nations today should eradicate their institutions of al-Assad
delegates, just as they got rid of representatives of Saddam Hussein and Muammar
Gaddafi in the past.
Will West help the Jews?
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4183238,00.html
Giulio Meotti / 02.01.12/Ynetnews
Op-ed: As Iran approaches nuclear bomb, will world step up and prevent second
Holocaust? In 2007, French President Jacques Chirac suggested that an Iranian
atomic weapon would not be used offensively. Now, many European “pragmatists”
and American “rationalists”, sitting at their chancelleries and think-tanks, are
trying to convince Israel that Iran would never use the bomb against the Jewish
State. Yet Israel should trust her enemies’ apocalyptic rants more than the
futile experts’ opinion.
It’s the unique ideological atmosphere that makes the Iranian nuclear program
more dangerous. Iran’s Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust to advance the next one.
Ayatollah Khomeini, prior to his death, declared that the Jews deserved “divine
retribution” because they are the “embodiment of filth. Making his intentions
clear, he stated: “We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah. For patriotism is
another name for paganism. I say let this land (Iran) burn. I say let this land
go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world.” The
“Mutually Assured Destruction” theory, which characterized Cold War deterrence,
doesn’t work with a death cult regime. As the Nazis managed to destroy
everything Jewish from the Pyrenees to Stalingrad, the Iranians went to Buenos
Aires to kill Jews. Pure hatred
Iranian hatred, like that of the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, is pure and ritual.
These Holocaust-enabler terrorists preach the god of martyrdom. Former Iranian
president and Ayatollah, “the moderate” Hashemi Rafsanjani, rationalized the use
of nuclear weapons against the Jews, declaring: “An atomic bomb would not leave
anything in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim
world.”
When Islamic leaders vow to wipe Israel off the map, Israel must believe them.
To do otherwise would be a suicidal form of deafness to the lessons of the
Holocaust.
Because of the Holocaust, Menachem Begin ordered the destruction of the nuclear
bomb plant built by Saddam Hussein on the outskirts of Baghdad. Because of the
Holocaust, Golda Meir ordered Mossad operatives to kill Palestinian terrorists
who slaughtered Jewish athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Because of the
Holocaust, Israel raided Tunisia to kill Abu Jihad, Yasser Arafat’s terrorist
chief.
Iran wants to destroy Israel
Mohammad Hassan Rahimian, representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei,
now says: “The Jew” – not the Zionist, note, but the Jew – “is the most
obstinate enemy of the devout. And the main war will determine the destiny of
mankind. . . .”
However, despite the evidence of Iranian madness and willingness to destroy
Israel, the “experts” repeatedly argue that the Iranians are pragmatists who
will never strike the Jews. But aren’t they the same experts who were wrong
about Iran’s revolution in 1979, about Saddam Hussein, about the Islamists’ rise
in Turkey and most recently about the Egyptian “spring?"
What will be left of Israel in case the Iranian priests launch a nuclear bomb on
the coastal plain, where one-third of all world Jews live? Israel’s airports and
industries are all there, and from 600 feet in the air you see it all, from
Ashkelon to Haifa.
Just as Adolf Hitler sought to “liberate” humanity by gassing the Jews, the
Ayatollahs believe they can “liberate” humanity by vaporizing Israel. Iran has
the motivation to destroy Israel, and if it is allowed to gain nuclear weapons
it will not need an excuse to do so. In that mindset, the “Jew Devils” must all
suffer a violent death, down to the last one. Now, the question is: Will the
West help the Jews?
**Giulio Meotti, a journalist with Il Foglio, is the author of the book A New
Shoah: The Untold Story of Israel's Victims of Terrorism
From Russia, for Bashar’s eyes only
February 02, 2012/By Michael Young/ The Daily Star
You know something is not right in Russia when the foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, sounds increasingly like Andrei Gromyko, his hermetic predecessor under
the onetime communist regime.
This week, Russia declared that it would oppose a United Nations Security
Council draft resolution calling for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.
The draft, introduced by Morocco, reiterates the aims of an Arab League plan for
Assad to hand over power to a vice president and allow the formation of a
national unity government. This government would work to end the violence in
Syria by pulling the army and security forces out of cities and releasing
prisoners.
The Russians may sense that they’re backing a lame horse in Assad, and an
indication of this was Lavrov’s statement in Australia this week. He noted, “We
are not friends or allies of President Assad. We never said that Assad remaining
in power is a precondition for regulating the situation. We said something else
– we said that the decision should be made by Syrians, by the Syrians
themselves.”
Lavrov’s caveat notwithstanding, you would have thought that the Syrians, or a
substantial number of them, who have braved bullets and cannonfire for 10 months
had already made their choice. Then again, the foreign minister’s remarks jar
with what the Syrians and their allies in Beirut are saying. For them, Russia
has indeed made Assad’s political survival a precondition for a deal over Syria.
This seemed apparent when Moscow offered earlier this week to host a dialogue
between the Syrian opposition and regime.
Where is the truth? Perhaps in the rather straightforward reality that no leader
who massacres thousands of his own people, whose army is falling apart through
proliferating desertions, who has been asked to step down by the Arab states,
reflecting an unprecedented consensus – that no such leader can hope to regain
his legitimacy and remain in power for any significant length of time. This is
so evident as to not merit repetition, and it’s astonishing that the Russians,
whatever their national interests, have refused to adapt to the shifting mood on
Assad inside Syria, in the Arab world and internationally.
The argument that Russia hopes to protect its stake in a future Syria is
unconvincing. By holding on to Bashar Assad so stubbornly, despite the killing,
the Russians are ensuring that a post-Assad government will impose retribution.
Nor does there appear to be bargaining yet between the Russian government and
the Syrian opposition that would persuade Russia to drop Assad if it gained
satisfaction.
Then there is the Libyan argument. Russia will not make the same mistake in
Syria that it did in Libya, where it agreed to U.N. action leading to regime
change in Tripoli, though the resolution authorizing force was intended solely
to protect civilians. Perhaps, but to believe that version one must assume the
Russians are boy scouts. From the moment NATO warplanes were permitted to bomb
Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, the only plausible outcome of the campaign was some
version of regime change. Yet Moscow did not wield its veto.
This week Lavrov also remarked, “The Russian policy is not about asking someone
to step down; regime change is not our profession.” What an odd thing to say.
It’s not as if Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans, Yemenis and Syrians sought Russian
acquiescence before overthrowing their dictators. Russia may have obstruction
power, but regime change during the past year in the Arab world has been the
consequence of internal discontent. For Russia to hinder the process is an
example of the domineering tendencies it has denounced in the West.
Yet another Russian argument against approving the Arab plan to remove Assad
from office is that this might provoke a Syrian civil war. Are the Russians
watching the same channel as the rest of us? Syria, precisely because of the
homicidal policies of its leader, is heading inexorably toward civil war. The
single way to derail such an outcome – and the opportunities are diminishing
daily – is to make it apparent to Assad and his acolytes that there is Arab and
international unanimity, Russia included, behind their departure.
Only a Security Council resolution affirming this will shake the will of the
Alawite security elite bolstering Assad’s rule, forcing it to consider
alternative options. Lavrov knows very well that one of the last threads
sustaining the Syrian regime’s confidence is Russian assistance and Russian
arms. That Moscow refuses to use that thread as leverage is not making it more
relevant; it is guaranteeing that Russia will gradually become less relevant to
a solution in Syria.
A more nuanced perspective is that Russia is using the Syrian card to negotiate
with the West on other vital regional issues, for instance Iran, where Moscow
opposes new sanctions and military action. That may be true, but if so it may
not lead very far. For the West, sanctions preventing Tehran from developing
nuclear weapons are a way of averting a military solution. No one, least of all
the United States, wants a war with the Iranians. If Russia aspires to defend
its conditions in Iran, it seems strange to do so at the expense of its welfare
in Syria.
The philosophical argument may be the most persuasive. Russia inherently opposes
bringing foreign leaders down, because it doesn’t want that principle to be used
against its own leaders – above all Vladimir Putin, who is facing opposition in
his renewed bid for the presidency. But even there you have to wonder. If Assad
is all but destined to fall, isn’t Putin better off embracing the winning side,
to better bolster his “democratic” bona fides at home?
It could be that we’re missing something much more obvious. Russia has a
devouring need to affirm itself in a world where its power is dwindling.
Flexibility means marginalization, in Russian eyes. Maybe, but inflexibility is
frequently a surer ticket to the margins, and that’s a price the Gromyko
generation is still paying.
*Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR and author of “The Ghosts of
Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon’s Life Struggle” (Simon &
Schuster). He tweets @BeirutCalling.
Statement by Minister of State Ablonczy on Arrest of Naser Al-Raas
February 1, 2012 - The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign
Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), made the following statement on the
arrest today of Canadian Naser Al-Raas:
“We remain deeply concerned that the Bahraini appeal court rejected medical
evidence of Mr. Al-Raas’s grave health complications, and we appeal to the
Government of Bahrain on humanitarian grounds for the release of Mr. A-Raas to
allow access to needed treatment not available in detention.
“The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry recently recommended that the
Bahraini government take steps to ensure, among other things, freedom of speech
and protection from arbitrary detention. Canada urges the Government of Bahrain
to implement the recommendations of the Commission fully and apply them to Mr.
Al-Raas’s situation.
“Canadian officials will continue to raise Canada’s concerns regarding Mr. Al-Raas’s
situation with the Bahraini government and will urge that his case be resolved
expeditiously, particularly in view of his serious health issues. Canadian
consular officials in Ottawa, Riyadh and Manama are in contact with the family
of Mr. Al-Raas in Canada and with local authorities. Officials are providing
consular assistance and are thoroughly engaged on his behalf.”
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood uses Palestinian Hamas as channel to
Tehran
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report /February 1, 2012/ As one Palestinian Hamas leader,
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, heads to Tehran, the Hamas politburo in Damascus,
contrary to reports in the West of a cutoff, firmly maintains his ties with the
Assad regime, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards operating in the Syrian capital
and Beirut as well as with Hizballah, debkafile's Israeli and Western military
sources report.
debkafile's intelligence sources also stress there is no sign of Hamas leaders
seeking to break their ties with Iran, which has for years supplied them with
funds and weapons.
Indeed, the forthcoming Haniyeh visit to Tehran is welcomed by the Egyptian
Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas's parent organization, as the lock for opening a
secret back channel through which the Brotherhood is keen to mend its fences
with the Iranian leadership.
Some Hamas politburo officials have indeed left Damascus, but its operations and
intelligence command centers remain in situ. debkafile's Middle East sources
report that Meshaal for the past two years has resided in the Qatari capital of
Doha, and his wife and children live in Amman, Jordan; his deputy, Musa Abu
Marzouk, moved this year with his family from Damascus to Cairo; Mohammad Nazal,
Hamas political bureau secretary, relocated with family to Jordan; and Imad al-Alami,
who commanded Hamas cells in Lebanon and moved in the past six months to Doha.
The rest of the staff hold down the Hamas fort in the Syrian capital under the
command of intelligence chief Izat Rishak who is in regular touch with the
various Syrian intelligence and security commands in Damascus and Iranian
Revolutionary Guards officers.
Izak has risen to the status of Hamas strongman, according to our sources, and
the recognized superior commander of the Gazan military wing Ezz e-din al-Qassam
and its chief Muhammad Jabary.
Some Western and Israeli circles have presented the Hamas as bolting from its
Damascus headquarters as evidence that the Palestinian fundamentalists have
turned their backs on the radical Iranian-Sytrian-Hizballah bloc and opted to
throw in their lot with the pro-Western moderates of the Arab world. Speculation
has been rife that Meshaal, 55, who was said to have offered to resign the
politburo post after 14 years, was about to line up with the Palestinian
Authority Chairman, Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and his tactic of declaring
opposition to terrorism and advocacy of "popular resistance" to Israel.
This, according to our sources, is far from the true state of affairs.
Our Middle East sources cite the conditions under which Meshaal was allowed to
officially visit Amman Sunday, Jan. 29 for the first time since King Abdullah's
father Hussein threw him out of the kingdom in 1999.
Abdullah II, who works closely with Saudi and Qatari intelligence, refused to
receive the Hamas leader and his delegation as an independent delegation. They
were only admitted as part of the entourage of Qatari Crown Prince Tamim bin
Hamad al-Thani. The Hamas group was forced to wait outside until the king and
the Qatari prince had finished their conversation and only then were invited to
enter the palace guest chamber.
Over the lunch the Jordanian monarch held for his guests, the Qatari prince and
entourage sat at the top table with the king, while the Hamas officials were
relegated to a smaller side table.
The king made it clear that Meshaal was only invited to Amman after signing a
Palestinian unity accord with Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo last month. His next visit
was contingent on his upholding it. On no account would the Jordanian king hear
of Hamas opening offices in Jordan or carrying out any diplomatic or military
business from the kingdom – certainly not among West Bank Palestinians.
The Hamas leader promised to refrain from activity among Jordan's Palestinian
community.
Our Middle East sources say that the Jordanian monarch was briefed by Riyadh and
Doha before receiving Meshaal & Co. According to their intelligence, Meshaal and
his three colleagues ' removal from Damascus had nothing to do with any wish to
distance their organization from the beleaguered Assad regime. They received
orders from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to relocate outside the Syrian
capital for three reasons:
1. The Hamas politburo could not afford to be seen in bed with Assad while his
regime was hounding the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to extinction.
2. The Hamas politburo was ordered to get ready to seize control of the
Palestinian Authority in Ramallah – as the terrorist group did in Gaza - as part
of the Muslim Brotherhood's strategy for attaining rule in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt
and soon Syria.
3. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's relations with Tehran and Damascus are at a
low point but need not always stay that way. Maintaining the ties between the
Palestinian Hamas and Iran gives the Brotherhood a useful back channel for
mending relations. Haniyeh is travelling to Tehran with the Egyptian
Brotherhood's blessing.
Therefore, the claim that Khaled Meshaal has turned moderate and away from
extremist Iran and Syria has no foundation in fact.
Report: Turkey Would Consider Assad Family
Asylum Request
by Naharnet /Turkey would consider giving asylum to Syrian President Bashar
Assad's family if such a request is made, President Abdullah Gul was quoted as
saying by daily Radikal on Thursday."There is no such thing right now," said Gul,
when asked about Turkey's answer to a possible asylum request from Assad's
family.
"It would of course be considered if such a request were made."Syria's lethal
response to protests that erupted in mid-March has left more than 5,400 people
dead since mid-March, according to figures from the U.N. The ongoing violence
has fed increasing international anger at the regime in Damascus and Turkey,
together with the Arab League, spearheaded regional condemnation of the Syrian
leadership.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also urged his one-time friend
Assad to quit.
Source/Agence France
Geagea Calls on Cabinet to Resign, Urges Formation of a Technocrat Government
by Naharnet /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized on Thursday the
performance of the cabinet, calling on its members to resign and urging the
formation of a technocrat government.
“Any member of this cabinet that respects himself should submit his
resignation,” Geagea said during a press conference in Maarab.
He said that the government members don’t have a unified plan but to “topple”
former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s cabinet.
The Lebanese Forces and its allies in the March 14 coalition have accused the
Hizbullah-led March 8 forces of toppling Hariri’s government last year and
appointing Miqati as premier.“They criticized our cabinet tenure for making
payments from outside the state-budget but the parliament wasn’t holding any
sessions at the time. Now they allow themselves to do the same,” Geagea said. He
urged the formation of a technocrat government, saying that it would “deal with
the people’s daily issues.”The LF leader stated that the Lebanese citizens are
paying the price of a one-sided cabinet which President Michel Suleiman has
criticized over its bad performance.
In January, Suleiman said the government has “limited productivity.”The cabinet
session, held at the Baabda Palace on Wednesday, witnessed a heated debate over
the controversial issue of appointing top civil servants, as the President
suspended the session upon Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s request.
Miqati revealed that he will not call for any new sessions until all the thorny
issues were resolved.
Miqati from Tripoli: Lebanon Will Not Become Victim of Powers Seeking to Split
Spoils
by Naharnet /Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Thursday that he is keen on
safeguarding Lebanon and its constitution.
He said during a ceremony on the expansion of the Tripoli Port: “Lebanon will
not become a victim of powers seeking to split the spoils.”
Addressing his decision to suspend cabinet sessions, he remarked: “I am still
open to calm dialogue, but issues that are linked to the constitution and reform
should not be dealt with lightly.”“I have been the victim of several fraudulent
claims over the past few months, but I overcame them for the sake of the country
because I seek to establish and maintain stability in Lebanon,” he cadded. “Some
sides are seeking to obstruct cabinet’s work and in the name of all Lebanese, we
reject such attempts,” he continued.
“We will not resign from our duties in serving the nation, but it is time that
cabinet became productive and effective,” said the premier.
“It should not be an open ground for settling scores and petty disputes, which
is why I decided to suspend Wednesday’s session until an agreement is reached on
how to revitalize the government’s productivity,” Miqati explained. “We are
counting on all sides to fulfill their duties towards their country because
Lebanon cannot tolerate more disputes,” he declared.
“Lebanon will regain its position as an economic and service hub in the region
and we hope the expansion of the Tripoli Port will be a step in that direction,”
he noted. On Wednesday, Miqati suspended a cabinet session at the Baabda Palace
over an ongoing dispute over the issue of administrative appointments.
The suspension was prompted when Free Patriotic Movement ministers walked out
from Wednesday’s session. “The move is meant to push everyone to act responsibly
and use their energy positively, towards the smooth run of state affairs not the
opposite,” the prime minister said on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
A dispute between President Michel Suleiman and FPM leader MP Michel Aoun over
shares allotted to Christians has prevented consensus over administrative
appointments, leaving several high-ranking posts vacant.
Protesters Throw Shoes at U.N. Chief in Gaza
by Naharnet /U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon came under a brief shower of shoes as he
entered Hamas-run Gaza on Thursday, hours after a barrage of rockets was fired
from the territory into Israel.As the U.N. chief entered the Palestinian
territory, protesters threw shoes, sand and small stones at his convoy, which
was briefly held up before continuing on to Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza
Strip.A crowd of around 50 demonstrators, most of them relatives of Palestinians
in Israeli jails, said they were protesting the fact that Ban was not meeting
with them or Palestinian prisoner groups during his brief trip to Gaza.The U.N.
chief's first stop in the territory was at the Amal (Hope) school in Khan Yunis,
with a visit to a Japanese-funded housing project also on the agenda. He is not
scheduled to meet with any member of the Hamas-run government. U.N. security
decided to go ahead with the trip despite a barrage of eight rockets fired into
southern Israel from Gaza on Wednesday night.
Israel and the militant groups in Gaza maintain an informal truce, but rockets
are periodically fired from the territory, usually causing no damage or
injuries, prompting retaliatory attacks by Israeli forces. On Wednesday, after
meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ban condemned rocket
attacks from Gaza as "unacceptable" and said he had discussed the delicate
informal truce."I shared with him my concerns about the fragility of the calm
and stressed that continued rocket attacks out of Gaza must stop," Ban said,
adding that he remained concerned about Israel's restrictions on the
territory.Israel closely limits imports and exports from Gaza, citing security
concerns and the need to deny Hamas, which it considers a terrorist
organization, access to weapons and money.But much of the international
community has said the restrictions negatively affect Gaza's entire population,
unfairly affecting civilians."Gaza remains a priority for me and the United
Nations family," Ban said on Wednesday, after meeting with Netanyahu. "I thus
urged the prime minister to take further steps to facilitate the delivery of the
United Nations' important humanitarian and development assistance in the service
of the Gazan people."
Netanyahu did not directly mention Gaza on Wednesday but stressed that Israelis
must be protected from "terror."
Ban's trip to Gaza comes as part of a visit to Israel and the Palestinian
territories intended to convince the two sides to continue meeting, as the
international community seeks a way to kickstart direct negotiations. He arrived
in the region shortly after five rounds of so-called exploratory meetings
between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators ended without an agreement on a path
back to direct talks, which have been on hold since September 2010. On
Wednesday, he urged Israel to offer "goodwill gestures" to the Palestinians to
lure them back to talks. But his call for Israel to halt settlement
construction, a key Palestinian demand, appeared to be rebuffed by Netanyahu,
who said Wednesday he considered settlements an issue for discussion during
negotiations, not before.
SourceAgence France Presse.
Respected Lebanese politician
Nassib Lahoud dies after long illness
February 02, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Nassib Lahoud, head of the Democratic Renewal Movement and a leading
figure in the March 14 coalition, died at the age of 68 Thursday after a long
battle with illness.
Lahoud died at dawn at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Ashrafieh, Beirut. A funeral will
be held for him Saturday.
After earning a degree in electrical engineering from the United Kingdom in
1968, he founded “Lahoud Engineering Co. Ltd.” in 1972.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said Thursday Lahoud’s death was a “great loss to
Lebanon.”
In a Tweet, President Michel Sleiman expressed his deepest condolences and said
he had a lost a friend.
"Lebanon lost with ex MP Nassib Lahoud's passing a wise and moderate man. I
present my deepest condolences to his family and all Lebanese," Sleiman said on
his Twitter feed.
"I lost a dear friend who was key in forming the first government of my
presidential term, and remained a close consultant afterwards,” Sleiman added.
The French Embassy also hailed the “dear friend” and described Lahoud as a
“Lebanese national figure par excellence.”
“We lost a great person, fully committed to serving his country and its people,”
the embassy said in a statement.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri also grieved over Lahoud’s death.
“Nassib Lahoud played an influential role in political life and has left his
fingerprints in the defense of freedoms,” Hariri said in a statement released by
his office.
Part of the Lahoud family, one of the most prominent Lebanese-Christian
political families, Lahoud is survived by his wife, Abla Fustuk, and two
children, Salim and Jumana.
The 68-year-old, who hailed from the Metn town of Baabdat, served as minister of
state in the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in 2008 and 2009.
He was elected a member of Parliament for the Maronite seat in the Metn district
in 1991 in line with the Taif Accord and again in 1992 in the country’s first
post-war parliamentary elections.
A sharp critic of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Lahoud has held various
political posts including ambassador to the U.S. in 1990.
He served as chairman of the parliamentary Defense Committee in 1991 and 1992
and as a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Finance and Budget
Committee from 1992 until 2005.
Lahoud opposed all amendments made to Article 49 of the Constitution, which
relates to presidential elections, and, thus, was the only MP who voted against
these amendments three consecutive times in 1995, 1998 and 2004.
In April 2001, he established the Democratic Renewal Movement along with
politicians, businessmen, academics as well as public sector and civil society
activists.
Among the party’s main goals is to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and
independence.
From 2001, Lahoud took part in the establishment of "Qornet Shehwan,” a mainly
Christian coalition of politicians, intellectuals, and businessmen opposed to
the Syrian military occupation of Lebanon.
He also played a key role in bringing together the various political parties and
forces that formed the "Bristol Gathering” in September 2004.
He was a leading figure in the “Cedar Revolution,” a chain of demonstrations in
Lebanon, particularly in Beirut, triggered by the Feb. 14, 2005 assassination of
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Lahoud did not win his nomination as president of Lebanon in 2007.
In 2008, he was appointed State Minister in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s
government.
Nassib Lahoud
Hazem al-Amin, February 2, 2012/Now Lebanon
Nassib Lahoud is dead, and it seems as though his death is symbolic in nature.
Indeed, his physical death was preceded by the death of those like him or those
who wish to be like him, those who went out of the confines of their
confessions, parties and regions to take part in the March 14, 2005 protests.
Yes, we died before Nassib Lahoud did. Rather, the man’s death is a culmination
epitomizing a major political death that had been creeping slowly from the day
following the success of the protest.
Nassib Lahoud, who took part in the protest from an exceptional standpoint in
Lebanon’s public life, was the only March 14 figure whom we can say we resembled
without mentioning the word “unfortunately.” Much like the March 14 coalition
forsaking him in the latest elections, it had also forsaken us, and here again,
his being cast aside was a culmination of our being cast aside.
The man attended former PM Rafik Hariri’s funeral even though he was opposed to
the economic governments of Hariri Sr. No matter how hard he tried, Former
Deputy PM Michel al-Murr was not able to deprive the man of a parliamentary seat
in the Metn. Nassib Lahoud defeated former President Emile Lahoud in his
hometown of Baabdat, thought one day that Paul Achkar could head his electoral
campaign, and believed in the need to reconcile former Communist Party leader
George Hawi with his Metn origins. This same Nassib Lahoud died yesterday and
signaled the death of an illusion. George Hawi was killed in a car bomb
explosion in Mosseitbeh, and Paul Achkar is now wandering all over Latin America
while still holding onto an expired press card.
Rumor had it that Nassib Lahoud had relinquished his loyalty to the Metn in
favor of a new and progressive loyalty to Lebanon. Yet, contrary to such rumors,
the man is as much loyal to the Metn as he is loyal to Lebanon. This native of
the Metn region came to public office from a traditional political family, and
now he leaves behind an advanced and modern political substance. In this sense,
Nassib Lahoud is a rare occurrence. Indeed, political dynasties in Lebanon have
long provided us with young people who acted as the exact clones of their
fathers and grandfathers. In contrast, they provided with Nassib Lahoud the true
and promising meaning of the succession of generations. Should we have realized
early on that the man was out of place in our republic? We almost did when we
realized that he could not be president. In fact, we knew the man would never be
president on the day he submitted his candidacy for the job when he announced
his platform at BIEL in front of the Lebanese people, as he never departed from
his stance on March 14, 2005 and never took one step closer toward his new
allies. No Lebanese president actually announces his platform in front of the
Lebanese people or chooses the people whom Nassib Lahoud chose as his audience.
Should we have realized that the man would never become president when it dawned
on him and on us that the March 14 coalition was bargaining his seat away in
favor of a candidate who is a big, scary symbol of decadence?Is there a clearer
political sign than the fact that General Michel Aoun and former President Amin
Gemayel were both opposed to him? This goes without mentioning his decisive
rejection of Hezbollah’s weapons and his realization that the March 14 coalition
was no longer speaking to its public without whom no spring could be complete,
which was indeed the case. Nassib Lahoud’s death is merely the intensive
culmination of the failure to have our own spring. This article is a translation
of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Thursday February 2,
2012
Nassib Lahoud, Simply a decent
man
February 2, 2012/Now Lebanon
Nassib Lahoud, the Maronite politician who died early on Thursday at the age of
67 after a long battle with cancer, was always held up as ndeef, a “clean” man
whose presidential aspirations were perhaps thwarted because of that very
quality. But he was a man who was nonetheless genuinely respected by Lebanese of
all sects because he was simply a decent fellow. From the outset of his
political career (Lahoud served as an able parliamentarian and cabinet minister
for nearly two decades after the civil war), he made it clear that he would have
no truck with compromise. He opposed Syria’s post-war “presence” in Lebanon and
the way in which the regime, through its tacit acceptance of wholesale
corruption, brought the economy to its knees. He voted against extending the
mandates of post-war presidents Elias Hrawi and Emile Lahoud—who was his
cousin—moves designed to consolidate Syria’s power within her less powerful
neighbor with as little fuss as possible and with even less respect for the
constitution. Lahoud also did not approve of the economic policies of Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri when the billionaire-turned-premier set about rebuilding
Lebanon, in particular the center of Beirut, at great expense to the nation’s
coffers. But when Hariri was murdered in 2005, most likely at the behest of
Damascus, Lahoud knew the position he had to take, and his role at the forefront
of the 2005 Independence Intifada—the revolution that followed Hariri’s
assassination—was arguably his finest hour and the distillation of all for which
he stood. It will no doubt have saddened him in later years that the good work,
the energy and the optimism of those heady days almost seven years ago have all
but disappeared, undone by a combination of bad luck, bad leadership and—in the
case of Michel Aoun—that most Lebanese of qualities, the pursuit of
self-interest. (Indeed, if ever there were two Maronite politicians with
presidential aspirations who were polar opposites, they are Lahoud and Aoun, who
is simply not in his class.) There is a curious paradox in Lebanese politics and
it goes something like this: The voters will mutter that most politicians are
liars and thieves, and yet when it comes to polling day, they will vote in the
very same liars and thieves. The clean guys, they will reason, cannot be relied
upon, either to get things done or to bend the law when expediency dictates.
They like them and they respect them but won’t vote for them. Nassib Lahoud
bucked this trend and stands among a small group of Lebanese politicians who see
public office as an opportunity to serve. At a time when we have to contend with
the likes of Wiam Wahhab and other stooges, it is the mark of how low the bar of
Lebanese politics has dropped that Lahoud will be instantly remembered for his
honesty and uprightness. He stood out among the mediocre and the corrupt, and it
is because of this and not just out of sentimental nonsense that we should honor
his life. Lebanon has lost a great ambassador, a man who, as well as being
likeable and urbane, was the embodiment of integrity and who was proof that our
political class doesn’t always churn out in-bred nincompoops, chancers and
gangsters.