LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 19/2012
Bible Quotation for today/The Would-Be Followers of Jesus
Luke 09/57-62: "As they went on their way, a man said to Jesus, I will follow
you wherever you go. Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes, and birds have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lie down and rest. He said to another man,
Follow me. But that man said, Sir, first let me go back and bury my father.
Jesus answered, Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the
Kingdom of God. Someone else said, I will follow you, sir; but first let me go
and say good-bye to my family. Jesus said to him, Anyone who starts to plow and
then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
The difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran/By Tariq
Alhomayed/January 18/12
Hezbollah’s two options/By:
Hazem Saghiyeh/January 18/12
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
January 18/12
ran's
Al Qods cells for Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait to hit oil and US targets
Barak: Israel 'very far off' from decision on Iran attack
Iran says in touch with big powers on new nuclear talks,
EU denies it
Russia says western strike on Iran would be 'catastrophe'
Report: Iran planning attacks on U.S. targets in Turkey
Western sanctions against Iran stifling'
Israeli analysts: Iran still mulling whether to build bomb
Obama promises to consult Jordan on Israeli-Palestinian
peace talk issues
Obama: Syria violence
unacceptable
Britain urges tougher
Syria sanctions
IAEA Delegation to Visit Iran January 29-31
Syria Rejects Arab Troop Deployment
EU Powers Slam Moscow’s New U.N. Resolution on Syria
France, Germany say Russia's UN resolution on Syria
inadequate
Israel Fears ‘Syria’s Chemical, Biological Weapons Could
be Transferred to Hizbullah’
Grief-stricken Ashrafieh buries victims of building
collapse
Ashrafiyeh in Mourning as Funerals Held for Victims of
Building Collapse
March 14 reiterates call for Hezbollah to disarm
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Jan. 18, 2012
Britain Says Hizbullah Offering Support to 'Tyrant' Assad
Hizbullah Denies Firing Rockets into Syria: Accusation
Aimed at Inciting Public against Party
March 14: Govt. Must Hold those Responsible for Ashrafiyeh
Bldg. Collapse Accountable
Watkins: U.N. Ready to Share with Beirut Expertise in
Disaster Management
Preserving Jabal
Moussa’s heritage through eco-tourism
Lebanese Probe Says Pilot Error Behind Crash but Ethiopian
Airlines Points to Sabotage
Gross crew errors behind 2010 Ethiopian Airlines crash:
report
Lebanese
Cabinet to vote on
salary hike plans
Lebanese
Fashion designer Georges
Chakra pays tribute to Beirut
Locals voice outrage at
building collapse
Cabinet to vote on
salary hike plans
Students lend a hand to Ashrafieh victims
LAU symposium discusses women’s rights in aftermath of
Arab uprisings
Sleiman pledges to resume arms talks
Aridi warns Jal El Dib bridge at risk of collapsing
Pietton Meets Miqati, Discusses PM’s Upcoming Trip to
Paris
Al-Rahi: Talks with Hizbullah Revolving around State,
National Pact, Lebanon Role
Kuwait to deport stateless protesters: report
Hamas: Palestinian killed, another critically hurt in IDF
strike on Gaza
Saudis deny stock exchange website infiltrated by Israeli
hackers
Grief-stricken Ashrafieh
buries victims of building collapse
January 18, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Funerals were held in Beirut Wednesday for 15-year-old Ann-Marie Abdel
Karim and a Lebanese family killed in a building collapse over the weekend.
Weeping students bade farewell to Miss Abdel-Karim, the first victim of the
building collapse disaster to be pronounced dead Sunday, as the procession
bearing her coffin stopped at the school where she studied. The procession,
consisting of cars decorated with white ribbons and branches, then made its way
to the disaster site before heading to St. Mary’s church where services were
held for Abdel-Karim. Shops and businesses in Ashrafieh shut down Wednesday in
mourning for the victims. ABC Ashrafieh said it would close during the funeral
and expressed its regrets over the painful incident. The Kataeb-run Voice of
Lebanon also said it would honor the victims of Sunday’s building collapse by
changing its regular radio programs between 12:00 and 3:00 p.m. The nearly
six-decade-old, seven-story building in the Fassouh neighborhood collapsed
Sunday, killing 27 people. Twelve people were pulled out alive. A similar
procession was held for Tanious Naim and his three sons – Charbel, Jihad and
Farhat.
A huge crowd bade farewell to the Naims as the procession carrying their coffins
stopped at Sassine Square in Ashrafieh. The procession then headed to Sacred
Heart church in Badaro, where services will be held for the deceased men before
burial in their hometown of Zhalta, Jezzine, in south Lebanon. Ashrafieh MP
Nadim Gemayel, who attended the funeral mass held for the Naims, said he has
urged residents living in the building adjacent to the one that collapsed to
evacuate. “I have asked the families who live in the neighboring building not to
return to the building because it is uninhabitable,” Gemayel told the Voice of
Lebanon radio station.
Ashrafiyeh in Mourning as Funerals Held for
Victims of Building Collapse
by Naharnet /Shops in Ashrafiyeh shut down until 3:00 pm Wednesday as the
funeral processions for several people killed in the building collapse in the
Fassouh neighborhood went underway.
The funeral procession for 15-year-old Anne Marie Abdul Karim took place at
Saint Mary’s church in Ashrafiyeh. Her coffin stopped at her school in her
neighborhood as weeping students bade her farewell. Anne Marie has a twin
sister. Antonella Abdul Karim, who survived the collapse, told reporters on
Monday that she was asleep when the incident happened.
"I was asleep, I woke up and felt everything shaking and then something fell on
me and I started screaming," said Antonella. Twenty seven people were killed and
12 others injured when the six-storey building collapsed on Sunday evening,
burying residents, many of them foreign laborers. Another tragedy struck
the Naim family when the bodies of four of its members were recovered from the
rubble of the building on Monday afternoon. Tanios Naim and his three sons
Jihad, Charbel and Farhat were going to be laid to rest in their hometown in
Jezzine district later Wednesday.
Their funeral procession was held at noon at the Sacred Heart Church in the
Beirut neighborhood of Badaro. The young men were seeking to carry their sick
father out of their apartment when the building collapsed, their sister Gladiss
had told reporters. Gladiss asked the mourners after the procession to pray for
her and her mother so that they could overcome their grief.
Iran's Al Qods cells for Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait to hit oil and US targets
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report/ January 18, 2012/ In the past 48 hours, Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait and Turkey have alerted Washington to intelligence reports of
Iranian Al Qods Brigades operatives heading their way for attacks on oil
installations and American targets. The alert was accompanied by a query about
how the US intended to respond to the approaching menace.
Reporting this, debkafile’s intelligence and counterterrorism sources say the
information relayed to Washington was more detailed and specific than the
customary tip-off.
Tuesday, Jan. 17, a US spokesman accused Tehran of deepening its involvement in
the Syrian conflict. For the second time in a week, Washington disclosed that Al
Qods commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani had visited Damascus recently, confirming
Iranian arms shipments for ensuring President Bashar Assad's victory over the
uprising against him.
debkafile’s intelligence sources report that another part of Soleimani's
Damascus mission was to synchronize the Al Qods cells' strikes across the Middle
East – in Turkey, Lebanon, Gaza and Sinai – with the tempo of Assad's crackdown
on protest. He also dealt with setting up terrorist attacks against Israeli
targets.
A US spokesman said: “We are confident that he was received at the highest
levels of the Syrian government, including by President Assad.”
Four months ago, in October 2011, the US accused Soleimani of a hatching a
conspiracy to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.
Tuesday night, the Turkish Security General Directorate-EGM put all the
country's 81 districts on guard for the expected arrival of Al Qods operatives
to stir up mass unrest against the Erdogan government and attack the US embassy
and provincial consulates-general.
Their arrival, said the EGM notice, would be coordinated with the infiltration
of Hizballah terrorist teams to Turkey.
debkafile’s sources in Ankara believe Tehran is kicking off its first round of
Middle East terrorist operations in Turkey as punishment for consenting to the
installation of a US radar station on its soil for the NATO shield against
incoming Iranian missile attacks, in defiance of Iran's warnings. The Erdogan
government is also being penalized for actively supporting Syrian resistance to
the Assad regime, especially the Free Syrian Army-SFA.
When Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani visited Ankara Jan. 12, he
delivered a last warning to the Turkish government to desist from both steps,
although the visit was officially billed as focusing on the resumption of
nuclear negotiations between Iran and the five powers plus Germany. Larijani's
talks clearly ended in disagreement, judging by his parting shot: “We've got our
ways of doing things.”
A senior counterterrorism source told debkafile sources on Wednesday, Jan. 18
that the Iranians are setting Turkey up as an example to show the US and their
Middle East antagonists what they can expect when Tehran lets the Al Qods
Brigades loose against them.
According to the information relayed to Washington by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,
Al Qods has been placed on the ready for action, such as blowing up oil fields,
oil pipelines and oil export terminals. Some of its cells are already present
among the two countries' Shiite populations in the guise of longtime Saudi and
Kuwaiti nationals of Iranian descent; others to be dropped by sea on the Saudi
and Kuwaiti coasts.
Western sanctions against Iran stifling'
Russian FM Lavrov warns further sanctions against Tehran may destabilize entire
Middle East; says Moscow won't allow military op against Syria, either
Associated Press Published: 01.18.12/Ynetnews
A military attack on Iran would destabilize the region while new sanctions
against Tehran would "stifle" the Iranian economy and hurt its population,
Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday. Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is
seriously worried about the prospect of a military action against Iran and is
doing all it can to prevent it. The consequences will be extremely grave," he
said. "It's not going to be an easy walk. It will trigger a chain reaction, and
I don't know where it will stop." Lavrov also warned that sanctions on oil
exports considered by the European Union could stymie efforts to solve the
Iranian nuclear standoff through talks. "It has nothing to do with a desire to
strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation," Lavrov said at a news conference.
"It's aimed at stifling the Iranian economy and the population in an apparent
hope to provoke discontent."
Russia has walked a fine line on the Iranian nuclear crisis, mixing careful
criticism of Iran, an important trading partner, with praise for some of its
moves and calls for more talks. The EU is weighing whether to impose sanctions
on buying Iranian oil, which is the source of more than 80 percent of Tehran's
foreign revenue. The US has already imposed new sanctions targeting Iran's
central bank and, by extension, refiners' ability to buy and pay for crude.
Russia believes that "all thinkable sanctions already have been applied" and
that new penalties could derail hopes for continuing six-way negotiations on the
Iranian nuclear program, provoking Iranian intransigence, Lavrov said.
He noted that the EU's consideration of new sanctions comes as Iran plans to
host a delegation from the UN nuclear watchdog. "We believe that there is every
chance to resume talks between the six powers and Iran, and we are concerned
about obstacles being put to them," he said. "The sanctions could hardly help
make the talks productive."
'No need for military op in Syria'
Also on Wednesday, Russia warned against military action in Syria, as Lavrov
said that Russia will block any attempt by the West to secure UN support for the
use of force against Syria.
Lavrov said Russia's draft of a UN Security Council resolution on the violence
in Syria was aimed at making it explicitly clear that nothing could justify a
foreign military interference.
Western diplomats said it fell short of their demand for strong condemnation of
Syria's President Bashar Assad's crackdown on civilians, that has left more than
5,000 people dead.
The Security Council has been unable to agree on a resolution since the violence
began in March because a strong opposition from Russia and China. In October,
they vetoed a West European draft resolution, backed by the US, that condemned
Assad's attacks and threatened sanctions.
"If some intend to use force at all cost ... we can hardly prevent that from
happening," he said. "But let them do it at their own initiative on their own
conscience, they won't get any authorization from the UN Security Council."
Lavrov also said that Russia doesn't consider it necessary to offer an
explanation or excuses over suspicions that a Russian ship had delivered
munitions to Syria despite an EU arms embargo.
Lavrov told a news conference that Russia was acting in full respect of the
international law and wouldn't be guided by unilateral sanctions imposed by
other nations.
"We haven't violated any international agreements or the UN Security Council
resolutions," he said. "We are only trading with Syria in items, which aren't
banned by the international law."
Lavrov accused the West of turning a blind eye to attacks by opposition
militants and supplies of weapons to the Syrian opposition from abroad.
'Attack
on Iran would be 'catastrophe': Russia
January 18, 2012 /M By Dmitry Zaks /Daily Star
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow,
Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
MOSCOW: Russia Wednesday said a military strike on Iran would be a "catastrophe"
with the severest consequences that risked inflaming existing tensions between
Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also accused the West of trying to suffocate the
Iranian economy and incite popular discontent with new sanctions such as a
proposed oil embargo.
"As for the chances of this catastrophe happening, you would have to ask those
constantly mentioning it as an option that remains on the table," Lavrov said
when asked about the chances of military action.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak had earlier said his country was not even
close to deciding to attack Iran over its nuclear weapons programme and still
believed that a military option remained "very far away". Lavrov told an annual
foreign policy briefing that the chances of war were too dire too contemplate
because they would incite inter-communal tensions in the region and flood
neighbouring countries with Iranian refugees.
"I have no doubt in the fact that it will only add fuel to the fire of the
still-simmering Sunni-Shiite conflict. And I do not know where the subsequent
chain reaction will end.
"There will be large flows of refugees from Iran, including to Azerbaijan, and
from Azerbaijan to Russia. ... This will not be a walk in the park," he said of
possible military involvement.
Lavrov added that punitive sanctions aimed at winning more transparency from
Iran had "exhausted" themselves and only hurt the chances of peace.
"Additional unilateral sanctions against Iran have nothing to do with a desire
to ensure the regime's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation," Lavrov said.
"It is seriously aimed at suffocating the Iranian economy and the well-being of
its people, probably in the hope of inciting discontent."
His comments came as EU diplomats closed in on a July date for a full oil
embargo that would suit nations such as Italy with a strong reliance on Iranian
supplies.
Lavrov said Russia had evidence that Iran was ready to cooperate more closely
with inspectors from the United Nations IAEA nuclear watchdog and was preparing
for "serious talks" with the West.
He also hinted that Europe and the United States were imposing the measures with
the specific purpose of torpedoing new rounds of talks.
Russia has been one of the few world powers to enjoy open access to senior
Iranian leaders and on Wednesday hosted its Supreme National Security Council
deputy chief Ali Bagheri.
The Iranian embassy said Bagheri would hold talks with Lavrov and discuss the
option of resuming nuclear negotiations with the five permanent members of the
UN Security Council and Germany.
Moscow was also due to receive Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar
on Sunday for talks focusing on domestic security issues and drugs trafficking.
Tehran's ambassador to Moscow for his part said he expected Russia's support to
continue because it too was being threatened by the West.
"We expect Russia not to agree to a deal with the West," Iranian Ambassador
Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi told the Interfax news agency.
"If there are (non-Western) countries that want to see Iran become a victim of
the West, they must understand that the West will get to them too," said Sajjadi.
"We hope that the Russian government and the Russian people will take note of
this."
Barak Says Israel Decision on Iran Attack 'Far Away'
by Naharnet /Any decision by Israel on whether to attack Iran in a bid to halt
its nuclear program remains "very far away," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told
army radio on Wednesday.
"We don't have a decision to go forward with these things. We don't have a
decision or a date for taking such a decision. This whole thing is very far
away," he said.
Asked to explain what he meant by "far away," Barak said he did not want to make
"forecasts."
Barak's comments came as tensions rise over Iran's nuclear program, which Israel
and Western governments suspect masks a drive for a weapons capability.
Iran denies any such ambition, saying the program is for peaceful power
generation and medical purposes only, and has refused repeated U.N. Security
Council ultimatums to suspend uranium enrichment.
Israel, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, has said
an Iranian nuclear weapons capability would pose an existential threat to the
Jewish state.
It has not ruled out resorting to military action to prevent any possibility of
the Islamic republic developing one.
The United States, which has expressed serious concern over Iran's nuclear
program, has pushed for much tougher sanctions, targeting its oil exports and
financial institutions.
But Israeli officials have accused Washington of dragging its feet, with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the sanctions currently in force do not go
far enough.
SourceAgence France Presse.
EU set to implement Iran oil embargo by July, diplomats say
January 17, 2012 /European governments are set to implement an Iranian oil
embargo by the start of July, giving companies time to phase out existing
contracts, EU diplomats said Thursday. "A deal should be finalized in the coming
days" by European Union ambassadors, said one, ahead of Monday talks among EU
foreign ministers in Brussels. "A consensus is taking shape over the
transitionary phase," another added. Some countries wanted an earlier,
three-month deadline, whereas financially-stressed nations that rely on Iranian
crude – Greece, Italy and Spain – wanted up to a year. The EU may also allow
Iranian companies to continue repaying debts to European firms with crude
instead of cash, an idea raised by Italy. That would mean Tehran having less
crude to sell on the market. EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels on January 23
to decide on the new sanctions, part of a concerted effort with the United
States to pressure Iran into halting its controversial nuclear program. The EU
takes in some 450,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil, making it a key market
alongside China, which has refused to bow to pressure from Washington, and
India. Iranian oil accounted for 34.2 percent of Greece's total oil imports,
14.9 percent of Spain's and 12.4 percent of Italy's in the first nine months of
last year, according to the latest EU statistics. Oil prices climbed in New York
Tuesday on positive US and Chinese economic data and after Saudi Arabia said it
would like to keep prices high at around $100 a barrel, analysts said. Saudi Oil
Minister Ali al-Naimi said Monday that the kingdom's output could be boosted by
around 2.6 million barrels a day to offset a potential cut in Iranian exports.
Iran on Tuesday warned Saudi Arabia to reconsider its vow to make up for any
shortfall, saying Riyadh's pledge to step into the market was
unfriendly.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
France, Germany say Russia's UN resolution on Syria inadequate
January 17, 2012/France and Germany said Tuesday that a new Russian draft
resolution at the UN Security Council on the Syrian crisis was inadequate. It
was "very far from responding to the reality of the situation in Syria,” where
President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protests has left thousands of people
dead, French foreign ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal said. France wants the
Security Council to demand that the Syrian regime end repression, respect the
rights of the Syrian people, and back the Arab League plan to end the crisis, he
said. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also said the draft did not go
far enough. "In our view, the United Nations Security Council needs to deal
again with the situation in Syria," he said in a statement. "The latest Russian
draft resolution does not, in our view, go far enough, although I welcome the
fact that other partners, including Russia, are beginning to show some movement
in their position.”"What is important in our view is a clear and unambiguous
condemnation of the violence committed by the Assad regime. We will push further
for this.”"The talks in New York are intensifying. We Europeans are pushing for
the UN Security Council to take a common position on Syria."Russia produced the
draft on Monday after facing weeks of criticism over the slow pace of talks,
diplomats said. Western diplomats, however, said there was no apparent change in
the Russian position opposing any strong UN action against Assad's crackdown.
Russia and China vetoed a European resolution on Syria in October, calling it a
move by Western nations toward regime change in Syria. Russia proposed its own
resolution in December but Britain, France, Germany and the United States have
said the text is not acceptable because it puts opposition violence on the same
level as the government's assault. Diplomats said the latest text distributed by
Russia will be discussed by experts on Tuesday. The new text, however, only
takes the existing Russian resolution and adds a list of amendments proposed by
the European nations and the United States.-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Obama decries Syria violence
January 17, 2012
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday decried continued and "unacceptable" levels
of violence in Syria and pledged to redouble international efforts to force
President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
Obama also thanked King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Oval Office for being the
first Arab leader to call for Assad to go, after talks that also focused on
Jordanian efforts to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.The president said
the two leaders discussed regional issues including Iran and Iraq and praised
the king for being "ahead of the curve" in his efforts to promote political
reform inside Jordan.
But he said the violence in Syria and the crackdown on demonstrators by Assad's
armed forces had been "uppermost" in their minds. "We continue to see
unacceptable levels of violence inside that country," Obama said. "We will
continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international
pressure and environment that encourage the current Syrian regime to step aside
so that a more democratic process and transition can take place inside of
Syria."Obama also praised King Abdullah for being willing to "stand up" by
calling on Assad to go, and for joining Arab League efforts to mitigate the
crisis.The president also praised Jordan's leadership in seeking to revive
direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
"We talked about the importance of continuing to consult closely together to
encourage the Palestinians and the Israelis to come back to the table and
negotiate in a serious fashion," Obama said.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Obama: Syria violence unacceptable
January 18, 2012 03:17 AM Agencies
DAMASCUS/ WASHINGTON: Obama condemned as “unacceptable” Tuesday Syria’s
continuing crackdown on protesters and repeated his call for President Bashar
Assad’s government to leave power. “We’re continuing to see unacceptable levels
of violence inside that country, and so we will continue to consult very closely
with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that
encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside,” Obama said after White
House talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah. Meanwhile, Syria said Tuesday it would
not object to extending an Arab League mission to monitor its compliance with a
peace plan, but ruled out any deployment of Arab troops as proposed by Qatar to
halt 10 months of deadly unrest. It warned that such a move would serve to
“worsen the crisis ... and pave the way for foreign intervention,” the foreign
ministry said.
“The Syrian people refuse any foreign intervention in any name. They will oppose
any attempt to undermine the sovereignty of Syria and the integrity of its
territory,” it said in a statement.
“It would be regrettable for Arab blood to flow on Syria’s territory to serve
known [interests],” the ministry added, without elaborating.
In an interview with U.S. television aired over the weekend, Qatar’s emir,
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, said he favored sending Arab troops to Syria
to “stop the killing.” The Arab League is due to meet on Syria Saturday and
Sunday and is expected to discuss the fate of its widely criticized observer
mission in the violence-stricken country.
“The outcome of the contacts that have taken place over the past week between
the Arab League and Syria have affirmed that Syria will not reject the renewal
of the Arab monitoring mission for another month ... if the Arab foreign
ministers call for this at the coming meeting,” an Arab source said Tuesday.
Some Arab countries say the monitors need a broader mandate to help stop
violence, if the mission is to be continued, but sources said that Syria would
reject any expanded mandate and would not permit monitors into “military zones”
that are not yet agreed.
From its base in Turkey, the Free Syrian Army has called on the 22-member Arab
League to “quickly transfer the case of Syria to the U.N. Security Council,” in
a statement signed by its leader Riyadh al-Asaad, a dissident colonel.
The United Nations has pledged to assist the Arab mission deployed in Syria
since last month, saying Monday it would start training the bloc’s observers
within days.
But the defector force is seeking much bolder action from the world body and
urged the international community to “act quickly against the regime through
Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter to maintain peace.”
The United Nations Security Council’s robust Chapter 7 provision allows for
U.N.-backed forces to initiate military action, rather than merely responding
when attacked.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon Monday said “the situation in Syria has reached an
unacceptable point,” and urged the Security Council to respond with “seriousness
and gravity and in a coherent manner.”
However, tough action by the Security Council has been repeatedly blocked by
Damascus allies China and Russia, which vetoed a Western draft United nations
resolution in October of 2011 that would have condemned Assad’s regime.
Russia, which has accused the West of eyeing Libya-style regime change in
Damascus, distributed Monday its second draft resolution that blames both sides
for the crisis and opposes strong United Nations action, Western diplomats said.
France dismissed the Russian draft Tuesday, saying that it fell “very far from
responding to the reality of the situation in Syria.”
Syria’s warning against the deployment of Arab troops comes amid signs of
stronger coordination between the military and political opponents of President
Bashar Assad’s regime. The Syrian National Council, a political umbrella group,
said it has opened a liaison office and hotline with the FSA to follow
developments on the ground. The FSA claims to have gathered some 40,000 fighters
under its command since an anti-regime revolt broke out in Syria in mid-March.
The crackdown on dissent has since cost more than 5,000 lives, the U.N.
estimates. A media adviser to a top Syrian army defector, General Mustafa Ahmad
al-Sheikh, said last week that a special council is being set up to oversee all
military operations.
Meanwhile, reports that Syrian troops fighting rebels in the town of Zabadani
near Lebanon had agreed Tuesday to a cease-fire under which the army would
withdraw and insurgents would leave the streets, a senior opposition leader in
contact with residents said.
Rebels in the town, 30 kilometers from the capital Damascus, have been resisting
tank fire and mortar shells for several days.
“Tank bombardment has stopped. Preachers are broadcasting the agreement from the
minarets of Zabadani,” Kamal al-Labwani told Reuters.
In more violence Tuesday, at least 14 civilians were killed, including eight who
died as a blast hit a minibus in the northwestern province of Idlib, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said. A senior military official in Israel,
meanwhile, said his country had serious concerns about what will happen to “huge
stockpiles” of chemical and biological weapons if the Assad regime collapsed.
Moscow against sending troops to Syria
January 17, 2012 /Russia announced on Tuesday that it rejects sending Arab
troops to Syria, stressing that it “will oppose” such an attempt if it “was
proposed for discussion at the UN Security Council,” according to the Syrian
Arab News Agency (SANA). During a press conference, Russia's Deputy
Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov voiced confidence that “such a decision will
not be made,” and expressed doubts over the Arab League’s “right to send forces
to Syria, [because the pan-Arab body] has no authority to do so,” according to
SANA.
Gatilov added that he views the possibility of sending foreign forces to Syria
“negatively, because such an act will not lead to anything good and certainly
will not resolve the [current] issues in Syria.”
The emir of Qatar has said he is in favor of sending Arab troops to Syria to
"stop the killing" that has claimed more than 5,000 lives over the course of a
10-month revolt there.
However, Syria's government on Tuesday rejected the possibility of the Arab
League deploying troops in the unrest-swept country as suggested by the emir of
Qatar and said its people would confront such action. -NOW Lebanon
The
difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran’s recent threats towards Saudi Arabia, both overt and covert, help the
observer to understand the difference between Riyadh and Tehran. Likewise, they
are an indication that Iran has actually begun to suffer from the international
sanctions that are now targeting its oil, central bank and the Iranian economy
as a whole.
The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Akbar Salehi, has called on Saudi
Arabia to “rethink” its pledge to compensate for any shortfall in the supply of
oil that may result from the imposition of further sanctions upon Iran,
describing the Saudi step as “unfriendly”. In addition to this, Iran also issued
another, more aggressive statement, when Mohammed Ali Khatibi, Tehran’s
representative to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said
that “If they (Saudi Arabia and Gulf states) give the green light to replacing
Iran's oil, these countries would be the main culprits for whatever happens in
the region”!
These two Iranian statements show the difference between Riyadh and Tehran.
Saudi Arabia, as usual, is trying to reassure global markets and promote
stability, while Iran is seeking to blackmail the international community and
threaten the Gulf States, primarily Saudi Arabia. Tehran is acting as if it is
holding the Gulf hostage in order to implement its nuclear, political or
sectarian agenda, and it wants the Saudis to comply with that! What Iran is
doing, specifically in light of its confrontation with the international
community, is that it is saying “grant me this otherwise I will do that to the
Gulf States”, and this is piracy, or at least the work of bandits, and not the
art of politics or good neighborly relations. If Iran deems Saudi Arabia’s
reassurances to global markets to be an unfriendly act, then what should we call
the Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz?
This is not all of course, Iran’s recent statements towards Saudi Arabia also
tell us that Iran has actually began to suffer from the sanctions already
imposed, and those that will be imposed. It appears that Tehran’s mullahs are
now feeling the pinch of the sanctions, and what they will lead to. Thus, they
have rushed in a wave of retaliation against Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States,
in accordance with its practice of extortion. This shows that the mentality
which runs the Iranian economy, and likewise its oil sector, is no different
from the mentality that runs politics in Iran. This is what we are seeing
whether from Tehran’s foreign policies, or from what is issued by its allies in
the region, in Iraq, Lebanon, and even Syria, where we see kidnappings,
assassinations, bombings and of course the capture of hostages. This is what
happened with the British embassy in Tehran, not twenty years ago, but just two
months ago or less!
Thus, the same mindset, it seems, is running Iran’s oil and economic policy,
when we see, and hear, the Iranian threats to Saudi Arabia, both overt and
covert. These statements also indicate that Iran has actually begun to suffer
from the economic sanctions, in terms of what has been imposed already and what
will be imposed. This is a good thing, no doubt.
Reform Party of Syria
CORRECTION-Hezbollah Controls the SNC, Driving its Agenda
Farid Ghadry Blog
I published earlier today a story about how General Arafat Hamoud (Abu Imad) is
a Hezbollah operative who has suddenly appeared in Turkey side-by-side with the
SNC.
The story came from a source I trust and that I worked with in the past. There
were other Syrians who collaborated with me on other details such as Hezbollah
operatives who smuggle arms from Syria, etc..
Then I came to learn that there was a Col. Arafat Rasheed al-Hamoud who defected
on Jan. 13 to the FSA. I have no information about Col. Arafat al-Hamoud, but
the confusion over the names rendered my information incorrect.
Nonetheless, since the information is not fully corroborated and there is no
concrete evidence over names and activities, I, therefore, have no choice but to
redress the issue by refuting the story all together. At a later time, if and
when I am 100% confident of the accuracy of the names and activities of those
involved, I will re-publish.
As a dissident and a leader of the Syrian opposition, the Assad regime and those
supporting that regime is the target of our struggle for a free Syria. The fact
the SNC is refusing what the Syrian people and the Free Syrian Army are
demanding makes the organization a legitimate target having shaped itself as an
opposition in support of the Syrian people; but never at the expense of
inaccurate or confusing information. I apologize to my readers for this mistake
and for writing the story before checking and re-checking the facts several
times due to the sensitivity of the matter. If you ever worked in the Arab
world, you will understand how daunting the task of reporting accurate
information is.
French envoy comments on Ethiopian airliner report
January 17, 2012 /French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton said on Tuesday
that he was not surprised by the report on the 2010 crash of an Ethiopian
airliner in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. Pietton, whose wife died
in the crash, said he expected the plane’s crew and the airline company to be
responsible for the incident.
“What is important for me and for the families [who lost relatives in the crash]
is that the truth be revealed,” he said following his meeting with Prime
Minister Najib Mikati.
Earlier today, a report issued by Lebanese authorities said pilot error and
inexperience were behind the crash of an Ethiopian airliner in Lebanon in which
all 90 people on board died. However, Ethiopian Airlines immediately rejected
the Lebanese findings, saying the crash was likely caused by sabotage, a
lightning strike or that the plane was shot down. The French envoy also said
that he and the premier discussed the program of the latter’s upcoming visit to
France in February.
-NOW Lebanon
US: Russia UN resolution on Syria needs work
January 17, 2012 /The United States said Tuesday that a new Russian draft
resolution at the United Nations on violence in Syria was insufficient and
needed to hold President Bashar al-Assad accountable.
Russia, which along with China vetoed a European resolution in October on Syria,
distributed a new proposal on December amid Western charges that it has
emboldened Assad by turning a blind eye to the crackdown on demonstrators. "It's
evident, obviously, that more work needs to be done from what we've seen so
far," State Department spokesperson Mark Toner told reporters.
"We're going to work to realize a draft resolution that holds the Assad regime
accountable but also obviously supports the Arab League efforts in this regard,"
Toner said.
But Toner refrained from more detailed criticism and said: "To a certain extent,
we're pleased that the Russians have shown a willingness to discuss this."France
and Germany earlier criticized the latest Russian draft resolution, with Paris
saying that it was "very far from responding to the reality of the situation in
Syria."
Russia also proposed a resolution in December but Britain, France, Germany and
the United States said the text was not acceptable because it put opposition
violence on the same level as the government's assault which the UN says has
left more than 5,400 dead.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon
Preserving Jabal Moussa’s
heritage through eco-tourism
January 18, 2012 01
By Brooke Anderson The Daily Star
JOUNIEH, Lebnaon: Just 50 kilometers northeast of the Lebanese capital lies some
of the country’s most diverse natural heritage. Today, some dedicated
conservationists are working to keep it that way through sustainable eco-tourism
and local development projects.
“You cannot conserve a place unless you showcase it,” says Pierre Doumet,
president and founder of the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa,
established in 2007 to protect the area and establish a program of sustainable
development, involving the expertise of local residents, the financial help of
institutions and private donors.
He adds: “We want eco-tourism to be responsible, and we want people to keep the
area beautiful, bring jobs to the area and help local development.”
Locals have been trained to serve as guides and guards, while women from the
rural areas are now selling their traditional food, mouneh, including kshik,
tomato syrup, zaatar (thyme) and hosrom (juice from grape vines), as well as
handicrafts. A kiosk has been installed near the entrance to the reserve as a
first point of sale, after which they hope for the goods to reach the cities. In
addition, local families are being trained to run guest houses for visitors who
choose to stay the night.
With most of the members of the association originally from Jabal Moussa, they
say it was not difficult to approach the locals, many of whom are related to
them. In fact, some of them came forward asking how they could participate in a
project that would allow them to preserve their cultural and environmental
surroundings.
“Before, they were doing crafts for their families and neighbors, but they
didn’t have a way to market their products,” says Abou Chabke. “This will help
keep people in their villages instead of going to Beirut and Tripoli. And
they’re doing something that helps preserve their traditions.”
As part of the association’s research, a team of students from St. Joseph
University studied the area and determined that one of the main setbacks for the
local community was a lack of job opportunities, which has led to rural flight
and, at other times, inadvertently caused residents to harm their own
surroundings by sometimes earning money from grazing and cutting trees.
Today, they’re using their traditional knowledge and skills to preserve their
surroundings. Flanked by the Dahab and Ibrahim rivers and rising from 350 to
1,600 meters above sea level, Jabal Moussa forms a stunning natural oasis in
comparison to the natural landscape approaching the reserve that has seen years
of damage by quarry after quarry.
The steep mountains make a thrilling but hard hike for trekkers, and an even
harder life for rural residents, whose traditional lifestyle is under threat of
disappearing.
In 2007, a group of conservationists created the Association for the Protection
of Jabal Moussa with the goal of protecting an area rich in natural diversity
and cultural heritage. Two years later, the organization presented their
research to the ministry of agriculture and then to UNESCO, which designated it
as the third biosphere of Lebanon, after the cedars in the Chouf and the Rihane
forest in the south. Jabal Moussa now has three nurseries dedicated to
reforestation and preserving biodiversity. The project’s annual budget is
between $300,000 and $400,000, and is financed by grants from local embassies,
the United Nations Development Program and private donations.
Although it sits on a relatively small area, 1250 hectares, Jabal Moussa is
notable for its rich diversity of species of more than 700 species of plants,
including six that are native to the area. While it might be too early to
determine the results achieved by the five-year-old conservation project, some
returning, local dwellers might already be an indication of its success.
Layal Boustany, in charge of the nurseries at Jabal Moussa says, “Through our
sensory camera, we’ve seen animals come out during the day, and that’s very rare
in Lebanon.”
Hezbollah’s two options
Hazem Saghiyeh, January 16, 2012/Now Lebanon
Following Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s latest address, which represents a
quality leap in terms of attacking Syrian society, and following indications of
a dangerous deterioration of relations between Iran and the West, there are good
reasons to say that Hezbollah may be forced to link Lebanon to the negative
repercussions of regional events. But if things go the other way around, if Iran
concludes that it is better to assimilate the conflict as best as possible,
there are no better reasons to assume the exact opposite, i.e. the continuation
of tough coexistence between an extremely frigid civil peace and Hezbollah’s
weapons. In that case, Hezbollah will find itself in a tough predicament and
will find it hard to hide it. In addition to the loss of Syrian support and the
collapse of the bridge between Lebanon and Iran due to the Syrian uprising, the
party is confronted with a crisis, as the ideology that provided cover to its
sectarian project—the Resistance ideology—has been uncovered. As is the case
with any ideology, the Resistance has been used as a cover for the real nature
(sectarian and religious) of Hezbollah and its project in order to gloss over
them and link them to forces and ideas that have nothing to do with them. It has
become very difficult to do that today, as sectarian polarization has risen to
unprecedented highs and as the Resistance came to a virtual halt following the
promulgation of Resolution 1701. This would hold all the more true if
Hezbollah’s capacities are reduced as a result of the receding Syrian and
Iranian support. As the true nature of Hezbollah’s ideology is revealed by its
stance on the Syrian uprising, it becomes clear how disconnected the party is
from the broad civil movement with its multiple cultural and societal concerns.
Even the narrow leftist environment, which provided Hezbollah with
“intellectual” services it did not ask for and sometimes even did not want, is
now moving like a car being steered in one direction whereas its wheels are
pointing in another. This is best illustrated by some articles published in the
“leftist” press lately, mirroring the confusion and sense of loss, which are
always “protected” by triviality and insults. Upon the whole, it is easy to
predict additional cleavages in Hezbollah’s immediate environment, leading to
inner contradictions exacerbated by social structures, security deterioration
and some phenomena of “lawlessness” in a conservative society. Accordingly, it
will not be too hard to predict that Hezbollah will progressively corrode, thus
affecting its efficiency even if it remains a large body and an extremely loud
voice. If such an assumption turns out to be accurate, one can only stress the
importance of renewing dialogue and reassurances to the Shia community, not to
mention the need to ignore Hezbollah and abstain from any provocation, which it
uses as a tool to revive an ever-waning fanaticism. This article is a
translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Monday,
January 16, 2012
Press Release - Joint Media Group inc.
January 17, 2012, for Immediate release
Parents dreams fullfilled through documentary film
Since Lebanese bornTrooper Marc Diab's death in Afghanistan in 2009, it had been
the wish of parents, Hani and Jihan to share the story of Marc's life with
Canada and the World. From the town of Ain-Ebel, Diab's came to Canada from
Lebanon in 2000. Marc enlisted in the Canadian Forces to serve his new
home.Former St. Joseph’s High School, Mississauga, Diab enlisted and was posted
to The Royal Canadian Dragoons based out of CFB Petawawa. Diab deployed to
Afghanistan September, 2008. He died on patrol, March 8, 2009, in an IED
explosion, 3 weeks before end of his tour.
Almost a year after his death in January 2010, Diab's parents met film maker's
Paul Culliton and Mike Roberts of Joint Media Group based out of London.
Culliton and Roberts were taken with the story of Marc's life and the Diab
family they decided to make a feature length documentary based on Marc's life.
Result was "If I Should Fall". (Film honours all Canadian soldiers fallen in
Afghanistan through a roll of portraits of all 158).Completed November 2, 2011
"If I Should Fall could only be seen in film festivals. Winning Best Documentary
awards at the Hamilton Film Festival 2011 and Silver Wave Film Festival,
Fredericton 2011. "If I Should Fall" has been chosen to screen at the 1st Annual
Lebanese Film Festival, Sydney, Australia, August 2012. It is considered one of
the finest and the most unique film of the Afghan War.As of January 16th, the
Diab's wish has been granted. They can now share the story of Marc's life around
the world. After tweaking and fine tuning the DVD for "If I Should Fall", is now
available to the public. After Marc's death, parents Hani & Jihan. fullfilled
one of Marc's dreams opening Madameek Restaurant in Petawawa in 2010. The
restaurant offering Lebanese food has been a hit with the military and public in
Petawawa. So much so a second Madameek is set to open in Pembrooke.
"If I Should Fall" is a not for profit film. All proceeds to charity. Military
Families Fund. Marc Diab Children's Foundation.
DVD Information: website: www.IfIShouldFall.com
Contact: Paul Culliton, Producer: email; culliton@rogers.com, cell, 519-902-7444
Paul Culliton
Producer
"If I Should Fall"
Joint Media Group inc.
London, Ontario, Canada
cell: 519-902-7444
email: culliton@rogers.com