LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 24/2012
Bible Quotation for today/Jesus and Beelzebul
Luke 11/14-23: "Jesus was driving out a demon that could not talk; and when the
demon went out, the man began to talk. The crowds were amazed, but some of the
people said, It is Beelzebul, the chief of the demons, who gives him the power
to drive them out. Others wanted to trap Jesus, so they asked him to perform a
miracle to show that God approved of him. But Jesus knew what they were
thinking, so he said to them, Any country that divides itself into groups which
fight each other will not last very long; a family divided against itself falls
apart. So if Satan's kingdom has groups fighting each other, how can it last?
You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so.
If this is how I drive them out, how do your followers drive them out? Your own
followers prove that you are wrong! No, it is rather by means of God's power
that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already
come to you. When a strong man, with all his weapons ready, guards his own
house, all his belongings are safe. But when a stronger man attacks him and
defeats him, he carries away all the weapons the owner was depending on and
divides up what he stole. Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone
who does not help me gather is really scattering.
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Saudi Arabia has done it so what about the rest of you?/By
Tariq Alhomayed/January 23/12
Christmas Under Islam Hardly a Season to be Jolly/By:
Raymond Ibrahim/January 23/12
Iran: Game over!/By Abdul-Malik Ahmad Al Al-Sheikh/January 23/12
Mr. Prime Minister, good night, and good luck/By:
Hanin Ghaddar/January 23/12
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
January 23/12
Panetta: USS Enterprise carrier group to transit Hormuz in March
U.S. aircraft carrier enters Gulf without incident, day after Iran backs from
threat
U.S. warship passes through
Hormuz without incident
EU bans Iranian oil,
Tehran responds with threats
EU agrees on oil embargo over Iran nuclear program
Report: Russia to deliver combat jets to Syria
Arab monitoring head
says violence dipped in Syria
Syria rejects new Arab League plan to end crisis
Arab League to Seek U.N. Support for Syria Decisions, Asks
Assad to Cede Power to VP
Arab League calls on Syria's Assad to transfer power to deputy
Saudi Arabia withdraws monitors from Syria, urges world pressure on Assad
Arab
League urges Yemen scenario in
Syria
Turkey Says Ready to Work with U.N. if Syria Crisis
Worsens
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemareto
Discuss with Charbel Results of Lebanese Probe
Delegation from Beirut and Tripoli Bar Associations Visits
STL
Iranian general’s words twisted: Roknabadi
Suleiman Relays to Ahmadinejad Keenness on Ties Based on
Mutual Respect
MP Nuhad Mashnouq calls for cutting Iran ties over
general’s remarks
UNIFIL mission tough but possible: Asarta
Group organizes vigil for
victims of Ashrafieh building collapse
MP Imad al-Hout says Mansour not behaving as Lebanese FM
Lebanese-British Al-Qaeda
official killed in Somalia by U.S. drone
Hezbollah decries Assad’s Lebanese detractors
Rai: Maronite Church committed to open, democratic state
Al-Rahi Urges Bickering Politicians to Put their Efforts
in Service of Economy
At least one dead in Tripoli clash
Grief, rage as Arida residents bury fisherman
Syrian refugees arrive for overdue medical care
Bank Audi profits offer hope for Beirut stocks
Deir Ammar pays tribute to
slain Wissam Eid
Gulf human rights
center relocates to Beirut
Officials check on Hariri
following successful surgery for skiing injury
Lebanese demand Army on border after teen killed
Landmine Wounds Lebanese Man on Syria-Lebanon Border
Ain al-Hilweh residents call for an end to camp violence
Report: Most Lebanese Expatriates Not Willing to
Participate in 2013 Polls
Jerusalem mufti faces harsh Israeli criticism for incitement against Jews
British Jews cancel meeting with Abbas in wake of pressure from Netanyahu
Yemen president heads to U.S. for 'medical treatment'
Mubarak is still Egypt's president and cannot be convicted, attorney tells court
Human Rights Watch reports 'serious violations' in Israel, Palestinian
territories
U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords resigning to focus on recovery
Panetta: USS Enterprise carrier group to transit
Hormuz in March
DEBKAfile Special Report/January 22, 2012/ Three weeks after Tehran threatened
action against any US aircraft carrier entering the Strait of Hormuz, US Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta disclosed Sunday, Jan. 22, that the USS Enterprise
Carrier Strike Group is heading for the Persian Gulf and would steam through the
strategic strait in March. This was a direct message to Tehran that the US would
continue to deploy ships there.
debkafile's military sources report that the Iranian threat was issued on Jan 4.
The USS Stennis aircraft carrier passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the
Sea of Oman on Dec. 28 during a big Iranian naval exercise Velyate 90 and was
then prevented by the threat from re-entering. That was the last time an
American warship navigated the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the
world's oil is shipped to market.
However Panetta, on his first visit to a carrier during operations at sea, clad
in the uniform of the ship's crew, told an audience of 1,700 personnel that the
US would maintain a fleet of 11 carriers despite budget pressures.
"That's what this carrier is all about. That's the reason we maintain a presence
in the Middle East… We want them to know that we are fully prepared to deal with
any contingency and it's better for them to try to deal with us through
diplomacy."
debkafile's Washington sources note that Panetta was the first high-ranking
administration official to give Tehran an ultimatum: Accept the American offer
to negotiate terms for halting your nuclear weapon program, or face up to
America's mighty fleet of American aircraft carriers.
"Our view is that the carriers, because of their presence, because of the power
they represent, are a very important part of our ability to maintain power
projection both in the Pacific and in the Middle East," said the defense
secretary.
His statement gave Iran a time frame for responding to the US ultimatum, just
over a month. If by March, Tehran has not accepted the offer to negotiate,
President Barack Obama will order the Enterprise to sail through the Strait of
Hormuz.
Saturday, Jan. 21, the Washington Post disclosed that Obama had sent a special
emissary to Tehran with an oral message proposing that Iran join the United
States for resumed nuclear negotiations.
The emissary was not named – although there was some speculation that the
Turkish Foreign Minister was chosen for the mission - nor was Iran's reply
revealed.
According to the WP, the message ran as follows: The United States and the
international community have a strong interest in the free flow of commerce and
freedom of navigation in all international waterways… Since taking office, the
president has made it clear that he is willing to engage constructively and
seriously with Iran about its nuclear program.
Also on Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards stated it considered the likely
return of US warships to the Gulf part of its routine activity.
Some American and Israeli media interpreted this as Iran climbing down from its
truculent threat to US aircraft carriers entering the Strait of Hormuz.
debkafile's Iranian sources don't think so. The Guards issued their statement
only after they saw the USS Stennis, the object of their threat, exiting the
Gulf Friday, Jan. 20, and decided it was the Americans who had backed down.
Panetta's comments Sunday aimed at correcting that impression and making it very
clear to Tehran that although the Stennis was gone, the Enterprise would take
its place and be "fully prepared to deal with any contingency."
Report: Russia to deliver combat jets to Syria
By The Associated Press
Russia has signed a contract to sell combat jets to Syria in a show of support
for President Bashar Assad's regime, a newspaper reported Monday.
The business daily Kommersant said, citing a source close to Russia's
Rosoboronexport state arms trader, that the $550-million deal envisages the
delivery of 36 Yak-130 aircraft. A spokesman for Rosoboronexport refused to
comment on the report
If confirmed, the deal would mark an open defiance of international efforts to
put pressure on Assad's regime, which has faced broad condemnation for its
brutal crackdown on an uprising. The UN says more than 5,400 people have died
over 10 months. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week that
Moscow 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 international law and wouldn't be guided by unilateral sanctions
imposed by other nations. He accused the West of turning a blind eye to attacks
by opposition militants and supplies of weapons to the Syrian opposition from
abroad and warned that Russia will block any attempt by the West to secure
United Nations support for the use of force against Syria. Russia has been a
strong ally of Syria since Soviet times when the country was led by the
president's father Hafez Assad. It has supplied Syria with aircraft, missiles,
tanks and other modern weapons. The Yak-130 is a twin-engined combat trainer jet
that can also be used to attack ground targets. The Russian air force has
recently placed an order for 55 such jets.
EU set to adopt embargo on Iranian oil
European Union foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton says pressure of sanctions is designed to make sure Iran 'takes
seriously our request to come to the table.'
By The Associated Press
EU foreign ministers are set to impose an embargo on Iranian oil to pressure the
country to resume talks on its nuclear program.
The EU is also considered likely Monday to freeze the assets of the Iranian
central bank. "The pressure of sanctions is designed to try and make sure that
Iran takes seriously our request to come to the table," EU foreign policy chief
Catherine Ashton said on her way into the foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.
Iran says its nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful purposes. But many
international officials fear the country is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
While an oil embargo is likely to be announced, diplomats say important details
on how and when it would be implemented remain to be negotiated.
Syria rejects new Arab League plan to end crisis
23/01/2012
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria rejected Monday a new Arab League plan aiming to end the
country's 10-month crisis by calling on the government and the opposition to
form a national unity government within two months.The Syrian statement carried
by the state-run news agency SANA came a day after Qatari Foreign Minister Sheik
Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabr Al Thani told reporters in Cairo that the Arab League
was launching a new initiative to solve the crisis.The Syrian uprising began in
March following popular revolts that overthrew long-serving leaders in Tunisia
and Egypt. President Bashar Assad retaliated with a deadly crackdown that the
U.N. says has left more than 5,400 people dead. A statement issued by Arab
foreign ministers after a Sunday Arab League meeting in Cairo called for the
establishment of a national unity government within two months, in which the
government and the opposition are included, and which is led by a figure of
consensus.
The mandate of this government, said the statement, is to prepare for free
parliamentary and presidential elections to be held under Arab and international
supervision.
It also provides for Assad to give his vice president full powers to cooperate
with the proposed government to enable it to carry out its duties during a
transitional period.
SANA quoted an unnamed official as saying Syria considers the plan "a violation
of its sovereignty and a flagrant interference in its internal affairs." It
added that the plan comes as part of the "conspiracy Syria is being subjected
to."The Syrian government blames the violence in Syria on terrorists and armed
gangs that it claims are part of a foreign conspiracy to destabilize the
country.
The Local Coordination Committees opposition group also criticized the Arab
League plan saying it gives the Syrian regime "a new opportunity, time and
cover, in its attempt to bury the revolution."
The LCC said the Arab League should declare that it failed to end the crisis,
and ask for help from the "United Nations to force the regime to comply with the
demands of the opposition."
Arab League foreign ministers also extended the much-criticized observers
mission for another month, according to a statement from the 22-member
organization.
The Arab League faced three options Sunday: ending the mission and giving up its
initiative, extending it, or turning the crisis over to the U.N. Security
Council, as some opposition groups have urged. There, however, it would face a
possible stalemate because of disagreements among permanent members over how far
to go in forcing Assad's hand.
The mission's one-month mandate technically expired on Thursday. Saudi Foreign
Minister Saud al-Faisal told reporters that his country will pull out its
observers because "the Syrian government did not implement the Arab plan." He
urged Muslim countries, China, Russia, Europe and the U.S. to put pressure on
Assad's government to stop the violence.
Saudi Arabia has been one of the harshest Arab critics of the crackdown, It
recalled its ambassador from Damascus last year in protest.
Iran: Game over!
By Abdul-Malik Ahmad Al Al-Sheikh
Asharq Alawsat
Ever since the Khomeini revolution in Iran, political analysts and research
centers in the West, particularly in the US, have been speculating about a
"major deal" anticipated between the US and Iran, regarding the Arabian Gulf.
Both the Iranian and US pragmatic political maneuvers in dealing with the issue
of security in the Arabian Gulf, alongside Iran's major role in facilitating the
occupation of Iraq and the expulsion of the Taliban from Afghanistan, make up
the primary cause behind such talk of an anticipated deal between the two
countries.
However, the political developments in the Arab world - the so-called “Arab
Spring" - and the exposure of Iran's sectarian agenda when handling the
situations in Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere, Iran’s declining influence in
these countries as a result of increased Arab awareness of Tehran’s destructive
terrorist role in the Arab region and the wider world, the exposure of the false
Iranian façade regarding the Palestinian cause and its support for oppressed
nations, Iran’s continual defiance of the international community through its
drive to acquire nuclear weapons, and finally its recent threats to block the
Strait of Hormuz - the world's vital commercial artery, have prompted the US and
the entire world to reconsider their handling of Iranian ambitions, and also to
redefine the Iranian role in the region.
The political game surrounding the “major deal” is no longer amusing for the
American side, but the Iranian regime continues to believe that the game is
still being played. However, the Iranian regime is not aware that the number of
players on the opposing team has increased considerably, to the extent that
former bystanders and even ex-supporters of the Iranian team have become key
players for the other side, and Iran's political maneuvers and threats do not
intimidate them, nor do they intimidate the world. Yet, such threats will
continue as long as these players continue to deal with the issue of stability
in the Arabian Gulf as a mere target among other targets - rather than the focal
point, an issue that will only pose a risk if Iran possessed nuclear weapons.
Protecting the Arabian Gulf region against Iranian threats, as well as ensuring
the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the region, both require
an international alliance that has already began to emerge, yet such an alliance
will not be crystallized without a regional and international consensus that
places the stability of the Arabian Gulf as the top priority, and acts to
prevent Iran from amassing nuclear weapons.
The achievement of this particular target requires more than just plans or
maneuvers aiming to mount diplomatic pressure or impose economic sanctions, as
this only brings the two sides back to the arena of negotiations and deals.
Stability in the Arabian Gulf region is no longer the demand of the Gulf States
alone; rather it has become an international necessity. The ball is now in the
international playfield, and the international alliance should send a clear
message to the ruling regime in Iran to say that the game is over.
Saudi Arabia
has done it so what about the rest of you?
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia has cut off all ties with those procrastinating, stalling, and even
conspiring against the Syrian people and their revolution, and all those
attempting to support the tyrant of Damascus, Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal announced the withdrawal of Saudi observers from
Syria, and called upon the international, Arab and Islamic communities to
exercise all possible pressure to stop the shed of “precious” Syrian blood.
Saud al-Faisal did not only speak, but also took practical and effective steps,
when today he received the Syrian opposition delegation led by Mr. Burhan
Ghalioun. It was interesting that this meeting was being held at the same time
as the Arab ministerial committee on Syria was convening, and this simply means
that Prince al-Faisal has decided to put an end to the Arab procrastination
being carried out through the Arab League. He has decided that Saudi Arabia will
exercise its leading role in the Arab and Islamic world, in order to protect the
Syrians. Likewise, al-Faisal meeting with the Syrian opposition is tantamount to
tearing up the report of al-Dabi’s monitoring team, which seems to be answering
to Bashar al-Assad, not the Arab League! How depressing are the statements
attributed to al-Dabi’s team, saying that it is unhappy with the Arab media. I
wish his team could tell us what really happened in Syria yesterday, let alone
throughout the duration of the entire Syrian revolution, where it has been
common, for example, for the al-Assad regime to open fire on funeral
processions!
Therefore, this commanding and responsible Saudi position now requires further
important and practical steps. The first is to be aware that al-Dabi’s report
means that there is no hope for the Arab League, and this is what I have said
before many times. In fact, the role of the Arab League in the coming days will
become even more negative, especially when the presidency of the League is
subject to its members such as the government of Nuri al-Maliki, and if we were
to sit and wait for an Arab solution, this would only serve as a lifeline for
Bashar al-Assad. This is very dangerous, especially if we recall Iranian
statements confirming that Iraq lies within the region of Iranian influence.
Thus what is required now is to immediately form a new regional alliance to
handle the Syrian issue, comprising of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, joined
by Turkey and those Arab states keen to protect the Syrian blood that is
“precious to everyone” - as expressed by Prince Saud al-Faisal, under the slogan
“Friends of Syria”, along the lines of what was done in Libya. Willing countries
from the international community are also invited, especially as there are those
who want to disable/disrupt the resort to the Security Council. This effectively
means, of course, the end of the Arab committee for Syria’s mission, because it
will go down as a failure.
Of course, the other Gulf States today must take the same step as Prince Saud
al-Faisal, and initiate a meeting with the Syrian opposition and Burhan Ghalioun
in public. It is not enough to hold clandestine meetings with the opposition,
whilst Hezbollah, for example, openly champions al-Assad and sends its fighters
to Syria, and the Arabs, particularly in the Gulf, are hesitant in their support
for the Syrian people!Therefore, the state of affairs today dictates: Saudi
Arabia has done it, what about the rest of the Arabs? Do they want to protect
the Syrian people or kill them?
League urges Yemen scenario in Syria
January 23, 2012 /Daily Star
Syrians residing in Egypt join a rally outside Arab League headquarters in Cairo
on January 22, 2012 during the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo. AFP
PHOTO/KHALED DESOUKI
CAIRO: Arab league foreign ministers voting to extend their widely criticized
Syria observer mission agreed Sunday on a new political road map that calls on
President Bashar Assad to delegate power to his deputy and set up a unity
government as a prelude to early parliamentary and presidential elections. The
Arab League decided to extend the mission, a move that was rejected by
opposition groups and Saudi Arabia, which said it was withdrawing its observers
after the mission failed to end 10 months of bloodshed. Riyadh called on the
international community to exert “all possible pressure” on Damascus.
Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told a news conference after the
meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo that the Arab League would take the
power handover initiative to the U.N. Security Council and ask for its
endorsement.
The unity government would be responsible for setting up an independent
commission of inquiry into violations committed against Syrian citizens during
the 10 month uprising. The draft pledges Arab support for the unity government,
as well as funds and support for a complete overhaul of the internal security
forces in Syria.
The plan is reminiscent of an agreement for a transfer of power in Yemen.
The unity government would prepare for elections within three months to a
constituent body that will draft a new constitution to be put to referendum.
It calls on Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby to send an envoy to Damascus to
follow up on the political process. It was not clear
how the League might enforce any of these measures.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the move to end their role in
the controversial observer mission was being taken because Damascus had not kept
its promises, hinting at sharp differences of opinion within the League’s ranks.
Riyadh “is withdrawing from the mission because the Syrian government has
not respected any of the clauses” in the Arab plan aimed at ending the crisis,
he said according to the text of a statement he made at a ministerial meeting.
“We are calling on the international community to bear its
responsibility, and that includes our brothers in Islamic states and our friends
in Russia, China, Europe and the United States,” Prince Saud said, calling for
“all possible pressure” to push Syria to adhere to the Arab peace plan.
A panel, meeting behind closed doors, was briefed on the first month of the
Syria monitoring mission by its chief, General Mohammad Ahmad Mustafa al-Dabi of
Sudan.
In a statement late Saturday, the general said the mission’s mandate was “to
verify that the Syrian government has implemented the terms of an Arab League
plan to solve the crisis, not to stop the bloodshed and violence.”The opposition
Syrian National Council, which been lobbying in Cairo for U.N. intervention,
said it would reveal “a counter-report” late Sunday to try to discredit Dabi’s
account.
Hundreds of Syrians have been killed since the observers began their work in
late December and the SNC has called for the Syria file to be transferred to the
U.N. Security Council for referral to the International Criminal Court, so that
all Syrian officials implicated in “crimes against humanity” could be prosecuted
under international law.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia, regional rivals of Syria and its ally Iran, are
impatient for decisive action against Assad but military action against Assad
would need unanimous backing and several states prefer a negotiated solution,
League sources said.
While none have yet followed suit, a diplomatic source said the remaining Gulf
states backed the Saudi position while Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and
Tunisia criticized its move.
The Security Council is also split on how to address the crisis, with Western
powers demanding tougher sanctions and a weapons embargo, and Assad’s ally
Russia preferring to leave the Arabs to negotiate a peaceful outcome.
Suggestions to send in U.N. experts to support the Arab observers made
little headway at the last meeting earlier this month and Damascus has said it
would accept an extension of the observer mission but not an expansion in its
scope.
Qatar, which has led calls for escalation, said it that was time to rethink the
mission and consider sending Arab peacekeepers.
“What is needed now is a full review of the work of this mission,” Qatari Prime
Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani told the ministers.
As the league met, violence continued in Syria. Two Syrian army officers, an
infantryman, a rebel and two civilians died in clashes Sunday in Talfita, a
village near Damascus, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syria says
2,000 security personnel have been killed in the revolt.
Intermittent fighting continued in the town of Douma, 14 km northwest of the
capital, which had been encircled by the military, said the U.K.-based rights
group.
An opposition activist and a rebel fighter in Douma told Reuters by telephone
the fighting had eased and the rebels held about two thirds of its main streets.
Masked fighters had set up checkpoints and a funeral procession for five
civilians killed Saturday was passing through the town, they said. Angry cries
could be heard in the background as they spoke.
Arab League to Seek U.N. Support for Syria Decisions, Asks
Assad to Cede Power to VP
by Naharnet /Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on Sunday decided to go to
the U.N. Security Council to seek its support for the Arab League’s decisions
aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis.The Arab League "has decided to go to the
U.N. Security Council to seek its support for the Arab initiative and we're not
seeking internationalization or a military solution," Qatari Prime Minister
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, the head of an Arab taskforce on Syria,
clarified after the meeting.
During the talks, aimed at discussing the fate of the widely criticized Arab
observer mission in Syria, the ministers also called on Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad to "delegate his powers to the first vice president (Farouq al-Sharaa),
who would have every prerogative to cooperate with a national unity government
that would include the opposition. "
Such a government would be formed "within two months, and be presided over by a
consensus candidate. Its mission would be to implement the Arab League plan to
end the crisis, and to prepare free and fair legislative and presidential
elections under both Arab and international supervision."The national unity
government would also prepare the election of a constituent assembly within
three months and a new constitution which would be put to a referendum.
The League foreign ministers also recommended "continuing the observer mission
in Syria and cooperation with the U.N. Secretary General to reinforce their
task."
"Arab foreign ministers call for the release of detainees, a halt to all forms
of violence and the facilitation of the observer mission’s work," Sheikh Hamad
said.
"I urge the Syrian leadership to shoulder its responsibilities before God, its
people and the Arab nation and to seek an end to the crisis," he added. Earlier
on Sunday, the Arab League taskforce headed by Sheikh Hamad met behind closed
doors to be briefed on the first month of the monitoring mission by its chief,
General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi of Sudan.
The monitors’ report blamed both sides, the government and opposition, for the
bloodshed, according to an Arab diplomatic source. It recommended an extension
while cautioning that its observers would not be deployed indefinitely.
The Arab observer mission in revolt-hit Syria was launched a month ago.
In a statement late Saturday, Dabi said the mission's mandate was "to verify
that the Syrian government has implemented the terms of an Arab League plan to
solve the crisis, not to stop the bloodshed and violence."But the opposition Syrian National Council has been lobbying for U.N.
intervention and said it would reveal "a counter-report" later on Sunday to try
to discredit Dabi's account.
The SNC said it also plans to send a delegation to the United Nations to press
the Security Council for intervention.
International pressure has been steadily growing on the regime of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, with more than 5,400 people killed since
anti-government protests broke out last March, according to U.N. figures.The Arab League deployed observers in Syria on December 26, and there are
presently about 165 monitors on the ground.
The Local Coordination Committees, which organize anti-regime protests, said in
a statement on Sunday that 976 people have since been killed in a bloody
crackdown on dissent, despite the observer mission.The SNC has appealed to the
Arab League to turn the Syria crisis over to the United Nations. Its chief
Burhan Ghalioun met on Saturday with Arabi to lobby for scrapping the observer
mission.
Qatar has proposed that Arab troops be deployed in Syria, but Damascus rules out
the proposal.Source/Agence France Presse.
Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemareto Discuss with Charbel
Results of Lebanese Probe
by Naharnet /Special Tribunal for Lebanon Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare is
expected to hold a series of talks with Lebanese officials during a two-day
farewell visit to Beirut on Thursday.
An Nahar daily said Monday that Bellemare will discuss with Interior Minister
Marwan Charbel the results of the investigations carried out by the Lebanese
security agencies on issues linked to the court’s work. The STL has indicted
four Hizbullah members in the February 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik
Hariri. But Lebanese authorities have so far failed to arrest them.
The court announced in December that Bellemare has informed U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon
that, for health reasons, he does not intend to seek reappointment for a second
term as prosecutor at the end of next month. "It has been an honor and a
privilege to seek justice for the people of Lebanon. While this long and
difficult journey is far from over, solid foundations have been laid to achieve
justice and accountability for the attack of 14 February 2005 and connected
cases, through the rule of law," Bellemare said in a statement.
Informed sources told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat last week that Bellemare will meet
with former Defense Minister Elias Murr, MP Marwan Hamadeh and the family of
slain ex-communist party leader George Hawi. The attacks on the three officials
have been linked to Hariri’s murder.
Delegation from Beirut and Tripoli Bar Associations Visits STL
by Naharnet /A delegation of 29 Lebanese lawyers from the Beirut and Tripoli Bar
associations began a working visit in The Hague on Monday, announced the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon’s press office in a statement.In addition to the STL, the
group will visit the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,
the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court, it
added.
Judge Sir David Baragwanath, the President of the STL, will welcome the
delegation, along with top representatives from the tribunal's four organs.The
lawyers will be briefed by senior officials at the STL, as well as other
tribunals based in The Hague.Representatives from the four organs of the
tribunal will discuss criminal proceedings before the STL, such as the
investigation and pre-trial stage, trials in absentia, and how certain features
of the STL compare with the Lebanese legal system.The seminar, which runs from
23 to 25 January, is part of the efforts of the Outreach and Legacy Section of
the STL to promote international justice and expand awareness of the tribunal’s
procedures and rules.
Suleiman Relays to Ahmadinejad Keenness on Ties Based on Mutual Respect
by Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman sent a clear message to his Iranian
counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday about Lebanon’s keenness on the mutual
respect in their bilateral relations.A statement issued by the presidential
palace, said Suleiman discussed with Iranian ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi the
latest controversial remarks of the commander of Iran's Quds Force, Brig. Gen.
Qasem Soleimani.The commander had said that the people of southern Lebanon and
Iraq are under the effect of Iran’s “way of practice and thinking.”But his
remarks were badly translated into Arabic and interpreted to mean that south
Lebanon was under the Islamic republic’s influence.Roknabadi reiterated to
Suleiman the clarifications of the Iranian foreign ministry, the Baabda palace
statement said.
“Upon hearing the clarifications, President Suleiman asked Ambassador Roknabadi
to relay to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Lebanon’s keenness on
the establishment of bilateral ties with a friendly state based on mutual
respect and noninterference in internal affairs.”Al-Mustaqbal movement MP Nohad
al-Mashnouq urged Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Sunday to cut diplomatic
relations with Tehran to protest Soleimani’s alleged remarks.
Iranian general’s words twisted: Roknabadi
January 23, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Remarks by an Iranian general that drew the ire of the opposition March
14 coalition were twisted, Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi
said. The head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, had
reportedly said that both south Lebanon and Iraq fall under Iran’s influence. "I
am surprised at the fuss that was made before anyone read the text in the
original Persian,” Roknabadi said in an interview published by As-Safir Monday.
“In his original remarks, Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani said many countries in the
region are inspired by the ideas of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Unfortunately, his words have been deliberately twisted,” Roknabadi said.
Speaking during a conference on youth and “Islamic Awakening” in Tehran
Wednesday, Suleimani said: “In reality, in south Lebanon and Iraq, the people
are under the effect of the Islamic Republic’s thinking and practice.” His words
were interpreted by many to mean that south Lebanon falls under Iran’s
influence, and March 14 officials demanded clarification from Hezbollah, Iran's
ally. Asked whether Iran is involved in mediation efforts to end the Syria
crisis, Roknabadi reiterated Tehran’s position.
“Iran’s stance has been clear from the beginning. It supports the just demands
of peoples, including the Syrian people,” he stressed. “We are doing our best to
support this popular Syrian demand. We look forward to the return of stability
and security across Syria while at the same time hoping that the popular demands
are met," the Iranian envoy added.In response to a question as to whether Tehran
would continue to support the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Roknabadi
said: "We stand by Syria, its people, leadership and the government.”He said a
visit to Beirut by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salihi is “imminent, God
willing.”
UNIFIL mission tough but possible: Asarta
January 23, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Maj. Gen.
Alberto Asarta Cuevas said over the weekend that the international forces’ goal
of reaching a durable cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel is difficult but not
impossible. “To accomplish this mission between these two mutually hostile
countries with a force of more than 12,000 soldiers from 36 countries ... under
the flag of the United Nations in an unstable regional environment, is difficult
and complicated but not impossible,” Asarta, a Spanish national, said during a
dinner party in his honor at the Spanish Embassy held to mark the end of his
term. “In UNIFIL, we believe that the principal goal we came here to accomplish,
which is a durable cease-fire that will allow both parties to live in peace as
neighbors, can and will be achieved,” he added. Asarta, who assumed command of
the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon on Jan. 28, 2010, also enumerated the
successes notched by the 12,077-strong international force, which include a
cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel, the building of confidence
between the concerned parties and UNIFIL, and the drawing of the Blue Line,
which serves to demarcate the border between Lebanon and Israel. “UNIFIL has
been successful in some instances and less successful in others but, as I always
say, the success of the overall mission depends not only on the United Nations
but also on the goodwill of the concerned parties and their coordination with
us,” Asarta pointed out. The UNIFIL presence in the south was beefed up in the
wake of the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, as per the requirements of U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1701. The U.N. Security Council in September 2011,
voted unanimously to extend UNIFIL’s mandate to Aug. 31, 2012, while condemning
“in the strongest terms” the attacks against UNIFIL in south Lebanon. Last year,
French troops were attacked by a roadside bomb twice, while a similar attack
against the force’s Spanish contingent wounded a total of 16 peacekeepers. “I
conclude my term as commander of the UNIFIL with peace of mind, and knowing that
I have done everything I could do. I wish this country, which I love, all the
best and a better tomorrow, particularly for people in the south among whom I
was happy to live,” said Asarta.
MP
Imad al-Hout says Mansour not behaving as Lebanese FM
January 23, 2012 /Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout slammed Lebanese Minister
of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour’s recent speech in front of Arab foreign
ministers, and said Mansour is acting as if he were the Syrian FM. “[Mansour’s]
recent speech aims to grant the Syrian regime all guarantees without granting
the Syrian people even one guarantee,” Hout told LBC television.
Commenting on the “policy of dissociating” Lebanon with Syrian events, Hout said
such a policy does not express his stance, adding, however, that he respects the
cabinet’s position amid the current divisions on the Syrian crisis. “Mansour’s
speech [yesterday] did not [reflect] the policy of dissociation,” the MP also
said, adding that Mansour’s position on Syria does not express the opinion of
all the Lebanese people. “We might soon [witness] an interrogation for Mansour,”
Hout added. Mansour on Sunday requested the Arab League reinstate Syria’s
membership in the League and end the economic sanctions imposed against it.
Syria has witnessed anti-regime protests since mid-March. The United Nations
estimates that more than 5,400 people have lost their lives in the regime’s
crackdown on dissent.
The Syrian regime has repeatedly blamed “armed groups” for the unrest.-NOW
Lebanon
MP
Nuhad Mashnouq calls for cutting Iran ties over general’s remarks
January 23, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Beirut Future MP Nuhad Mashnouq called Sunday on Prime Minister Najib
Mikati to break off diplomatic relations with Tehran to protest remarks made by
the commander of Iran’s elite Al-Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards Corp,
Qassem Suleimani, who was quoted as saying that south Lebanon fell under Iran’s
influence.Mashnouq urged Mikati “to cut diplomatic relations with Iran in order
to make the commander of the Revolutionary Guards understand that Lebanon is not
the appropriate place to announce his statement.”Suleimani, said: “In reality,
in south Lebanon and Iraq, the people are under the effect of the Islamic
Republic’s way of practice and thinking.”But Suleimani’s remarks were
mistranslated by Arabic media and interpreted by March 14 politicians to mean
that south Lebanon was under Iran’s influence. Suleimani’s remarks have drawn
harsh criticisms from some March 14 politicians who demanded that Hezbollah
clarify its statement.
Grief, rage as Arida residents bury fisherman
January 22, 2012 02:/The Daily Star
Arida, Lebanon: A tense atmosphere fueled by anger described the scene at the
border town of Arida Sunday after residents held a funeral for a teenager who
was killed when Syrian naval forces seized a fishing trawler carrying three
Lebanese fishermen a day earlier.During the funeral procession, angry residents
stormed the border crossing, throwing rocks at the Syrian border outpost and
shouting anti-Syrian slogans. Lebanese army personnel attempted to stop the
young men from crossing into Syria but to no avail. On Saturday morning at
around 6:30 a.m., three fishermen, identified as Fady Hamad, 37, his brother
Khaled Hamad, 33, and their nephew Maher Hamad, 17, were kidnapped by Syrian
security forces after a Syrian naval vessel crossed three kilometers into
Lebanon’s territorial waters.
Maher was shot in the stomach and killed when Syrian forces fired in the
direction of the trawler, Arida residents said.
According to a police report, the 17-year-old's mother told personnel at the
police station in Arida at 4 p.m. Saturday that she had crossed into Syria after
the incident and confirmed that her son had been killed.At 1 a.m. Sunday,
families of the fishermen headed to the Abboudiyeh border crossing to receive
the two freed men while a Civil Defense vehicle transported the body of the
slain teenager.
Sources told The Daily Star that the release occurred as a result of efforts by
President Michel Sleiman and President Bashar Assad in coordination with the
Lebanese-Syrian Higher Council.
Hours after the kidnapping, President Sleiman, who condemned the firing at the
trawler that resulted in the death of Hamad, urged the Syrian government to
release the kidnapped men as soon as possible and stressed the need for both
countries' sovereignty to be respected. According to his press office, the
president also urged both Lebanon and Syria to bolster coordination in order to
prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The Lebanese-Syrian
border has become increasingly tense since the uprising in Syria began 10 months
ago, with several incursions by the Syrian army, the killing of Lebanese
citizens by Syrian security forces, and the firing at two fishing boats in
August.
Reform Party of Syria /Brutality,
Cruelty, and Impartiality
Farid Ghadry Blog
During last Sunday's 60-Minutes interview of the ruler of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin
Khalifa, he suggested the use of Arab Forces to quell the violence in Syria. His
words echoed widely in the Arab world and the west.But if one looks closely into the legality of this bold statement in the ink of
the Arab League Charter, one would quickly discover the emptiness of his call.
The Arab League Charter contains no specific language in either Articles 5 or 6,
both addressing aggression, conciliation, and arbitration, one will find no
legal basis for such an action.
s an example, the Charter left out any language related to one Member State
aggressing the sovereignty of another, which provided the Arab countries with an
excuse to assemble Arab Forces to secure the liberation of Kuwait in 1991 under
Operation Desert Storm.
In fact, I do not recall Arab Forces ever used against a Member State if there
was no aggression by another and Syria’s suspension of membership does not
provide the legal basis to attack (Article 18 discusses “exclusion” before an
action is taken but not suspension).
Also, in support of the insignificance of Qatar’s statement, Article 8 states
that “each member shall respect the form of government of another .. and shall
pledge itself not to take any action tending to change that form” (Which
incidentally may mean the Arab League would want to replace one dictatorship
with another in Syria in order to abide by the “form” pledge).
The use of Arab Forces in Syria is not a serious issue except for Sheikh Hamad
to soften his image in an angry Arab street bewildered by the inaction of the
Arab tyrants calling themselves a League.
It's rather cruel for his High Highness to suggest it when he knows well it is
not an option. Yesterday's Arab League meeting simply extended the failed
mission of Arab Observers to observe the killing. Their Observers observe but
who is observing those who dispatch the Observers to observe?
Our modern history, and that of Lebanon, is being written with the Assad
family's sweat to drench our towns with blood and tears. Qatar's modern history
is being written with cruelty and hypocrisy towards others.
The Syrian people are facing three enemies today: Brutality by Assad, cruelty by
the Arab League starting with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and impartiality by the
rest of the world.
A nuclear Iran is no existential threat
January 23, 2012/By Bruce Riedel The Daily Star
The danger of war is growing again over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran is
rattling its sabers, the Republican presidential candidates and others are
rattling theirs. But even if Tehran gets the bomb, Israel will have overwhelming
military superiority over Iran, a fact that should not be lost in all the heated
rhetoric.
The former head of Israel’s Mossad, Meir Dagan, says Iran won’t get the bomb
until at least 2015. In contrast, Israel has had nuclear weapons since the late
1960s and has jealously guarded its monopoly on them in the region. The Israelis
have used force in the past against developing nuclear threats. Iraq in 1981 and
Syria in 2007 were the targets of highly effective Israeli airstrikes against
developing nuclear weapons programs. Israel has seriously considered conducting
such a strike against Iran and may do so, especially now that it has special
bunker-busting bombs from the United States.
Estimates of the size of the Israeli arsenal by international think tanks
generally concur that Israel has about 100 nuclear weapons, possibly 200. Even
under a crash program, Iran won’t achieve an arsenal that size for many years –
perhaps decades.
Israel also has multiple delivery systems. It has intermediate range ballistic
missiles, the Jericho, that are capable of reaching any target in Iran. Its
fleet of F-15 long-range strike aircraft can also deliver nuclear payloads. Some
analysts have suggested that it can also deliver nuclear weapons from its
German-made Dolphin submarines using cruise missiles.
Israel will also continue to have conventional military superiority over Iran
and the rest of the region. The Israeli military has a demonstrated qualitative
edge over all of its potential regional adversaries, including Iran. The Israeli
air force has the capability to penetrate air defense systems with virtual
impunity, as it demonstrated in 2007 when it destroyed Syria’s nascent nuclear
capability. The Israeli armed forces’ intelligence and electronic warfare
capabilities are vastly superior to those of its potential rivals. The 2006
Lebanon war and the 2009 Gaza war demonstrated that there are limits to Israel’s
conventional capabilities, but those limits should not obscure the underlying
reality of Israel’s conventional military superiority over its enemies.
Iran, on the other hand, has never fully rebuilt its conventional military from
the damage suffered in the Iran-Iraq war. It still relies heavily for air and
sea power on equipment purchased by the shah 40 years ago, much of which is
antique today. Moreover, the June 2010 United Nations sanctions and U.N.
Security Council Resolution 1929 impose a very stringent arms ban on Iran.
Virtually all significant weapons systems – tanks, aircraft, naval vessels,
missiles and so on – are banned from sale or transfer to Iran. Training and
technical assistance for such systems is also banned.
In other words, even if Iran wants to try to improve its conventional military
capability in the next few years and has the money to do so, the U.N. arms ban
will make that close to impossible. Iran does not have the capability to produce
state-of-the-art weapons on its own, despite its occasional claims of
self-sufficiency. It certainly cannot build a modern air force to compete with
that of Israel on its own.
Finally, Israel will continue to enjoy the support of the world’s only
superpower for the foreseeable future. Assistance from the United States
includes roughly $3 billion in aid every year. That is the longest running
financial assistance program in American history, dating back to the 1973
Arab-Israeli war. It is never challenged or cut by Congress and permits Israeli
planners to do multi-year planning for defense acquisitions with great certitude
about what they can afford to acquire. When Texas Governor Rick Perry suggested
cutting aid to Israel to zero in one Republican debate, his poll numbers
plummeted. He backtracked very quickly.
U.S. assistance is also far more than just financial aid. The Pentagon and
Israel engage in constant exchanges of technical cooperation in virtually all
elements of the modern battlefield. Missile defense has been at the center of
this exchange for over 20 years now. The United States and Israel also have a
robust and dynamic intelligence relationship, which helps ensure Israel’s
qualitative edge. Every American president from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama
has been a supporter of maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge over its potential
foes, including U.S. allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Iran, in contrast, has no major power providing it with financial help. Its arms
relationships with Russia and China have been severed by Security Council
Resolution 1929. Its only military ally is Syria, not exactly a powerhouse. And
Syria is now in the midst of a civil war, its army dissolving. If President
Bashar Assad falls, Iran is the biggest loser in the “Arab Spring.” Hezbollah
will be the second largest loser. The deputy secretary general of Hezbollah and
one of its founders, Sheikh Naim Qassem, wrote in 2007 that Syria is “the
cornerstone” of Hezbollah’s survival in the region. While Syria and Hezbollah
have their differences, the relationship is a “necessity” for Hezbollah.
So don’t let the hot air from Tehran or the Republican debates confuse the
reality on the ground. Iran is a dangerous country but it is not an existential
threat to either Israel or America.
*Bruce Riedel is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington,
D.C., and has advised four U.S. presidents on the Middle East and South Asia.
This commentary first appeared at bitterlemons-international.org, an online
newsletter.
Christmas Under Islam Hardly a
Season to be Jolly
by Raymond Ibrahim
PJ Media
January 17, 2012
http://www.meforum.org/3157/christmas-under-islam
Earlier I discussed how mosques, some of which breed radicalization and serve as
terrorist bases, flourish in America, while churches are increasingly targeted
and destroyed in the Muslim world, especially the Middle East, the cradle of
Christianity.
This pattern—religious appeasement of Muslim minorities in the West, religious
hostility for Christian minorities under Islam—continues and manifests itself in
other ways.
Consider Christmas. The same appeasement that allows a "victory mosque" to be
erected near Ground Zero, where jihadists killed some 3,000 Americans,
compromises one of Christianity's most important events.
For instance, a "Montreal suburb has decided to remove a nativity scene and
menorah from town hall rather than acquiesce to demands from a Muslim group to
erect Islamic religious symbols." Contrast this with Iran, where many churches
were "ordered to cancel Christmas and New Year's celebrations as a show of their
compliance and support" for "the two month-long mourning activities of the Shia'
Moslems," a reference to the bloody flagellations and self mutilations Shias
perform in memory of Imam Hussein during Ashura.
Likewise, the University of London held Christmas service featuring readings
from the Quran—Islam's holy book that unequivocally condemns the Incarnation,
which is precisely what Christmas celebrates. Meanwhile, Islam's clerics in the
West proclaimed things like "saying Merry Christmas is worse than fornication or
killing someone," since doing so is to "approve of the biggest crime ever
committed by humanity": the belief that God became man on Christmas. As the
cleric makes clear, these are not his words, but rather the words of Islam's
most authoritative clerics.
Nor are these just words. Around the Muslim world, Christmas time for Christians
is a time of threats, harassment, and fear. One can point to any number of
Muslim attacks on Christians to prove this—whether churches attacked, burned, or
forced into closure; whether Muslim converts to Christianity beat, killed, or
imprisoned; whether Christians abused on "blasphemy" charges; or whether just
sheer violence and killings of "infidel" Christians. (See "Muslim Persecution of
Christians" for a list of December's abuses alone).
More telling, however, are the attacks that specifically targeted or revolved
around Christmas:
December 25, 2011 was "Nigeria's blackest Christmas ever": in a number of
coordinated jihadi attacks, several church were bombed, killing over 40 people,
"the majority dying on the steps of a Catholic church after celebrating
Christmas Mass as blood pooled in dust from a massive explosion." As expected,
the New York Times all but apologized for the terrorists.
Christmas Eve in Uganda saw Muslims throw acid on a church leader, leaving him
with severe burns, blinding one eye and threatening sight in the other. The
pastor was on his way to a church party when a man pretending to be a Christian
approached him from behind, yelling, "Pastor, pastor." When he turned, the
Muslim threw acid in his face while others poured it on his back, all running
away while screaming Islam's victory cry, "Allahu Akbar!"
In Muslim-majority Tajikistan, "a young man dressed as Father Frost—the Russian
equivalent of Father Christmas—was stabbed to death" while visiting relatives
and bringing gifts. Considering that the crowd beating and stabbing him were
shouting "you infidel!" police cited "religious hatred" as motivation.
These are among the more violent and illegal attacks on Christians around
Christmas time, undertaken by Muslim mobs and terrorists. In their own way,
however, Muslim governments—many deemed "friends" of America—also make Christmas
a very "un-merry" time for celebrants.
For example, if "vandals" in Indonesia decapitated the statue of the Virgin Mary
in a small grotto days before Christmas, Indonesian officials have been shutting
down churches; one "embattled church" fighting for survival was forced to move
its Christmas prayers to a member's house.
This pattern of treating Christian minorities as dhimmis—Sharia's legal term for
non-Muslims under Islam forced to live as despised, second-class citizens—is
business as usual in the Muslim world. Some more Christmas-related examples
follow, from a cursory Internet search:
Malaysia: Parish priests and church youth leaders had to get "caroling
permits"—requiring them to submit their full names and ID numbers at police
stations, an eerie practice for any non-Muslim under Islam—simply to "visit
their fellow church members and belt out 'Joy to the World,' [or] 'Silent Night,
Holy Night.'"
Iran: While celebrating Christmas, a church was raided by State Security. All
those present, including Sunday school children, were arrested and interrogated.
Hundreds of Christian books were seized. The detained Christians suffered
"considerable verbal abuses."
Pakistan: Intelligence reports warned of threats of terrorist attacks on
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Christians also lamented that "extreme power
outages have become routine during Christmas and Easter seasons."
In closing, if people in the West think Christmas is a time of "peace on earth,
good will toward man"—to the point of compromising this Christian holiday to
appease their "fellow [Muslim] man"—they should know that, increasingly, it is
neither a time of "peace" nor "goodwill" for Christians under Islam.
Raymond Ibrahim, author of The Al Qaeda Reader, is a Shillman Fellow at the
David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
Mr.
Prime Minister, good night, and good luck
Hanin Ghaddar , January 23, 2012
Now Lebanon
A Syrian refugee in Lebanon, Khalil Hassan, was arrested by the Lebanese General
Security on Saturday. Hassan has refugee travel documents granted by the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, but these documents did not protect him
because he was wanted by the Syrian regime. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Army
Intelligence detained three Syrian activists in the Bekaa on the same day.
These arrests coincided with the return of two of the three Lebanese fishermen
who were seized by Syrian naval forces and taken to Syria on Saturday after the
latter opened fire on their fishing boat near the maritime border with Syria.
The Syrian authorities also handed over the body of 16-year-old Maher Hamad, who
was killed by the Syrian navy’s gunfire during the incident.
On a different, but not-too-distant, front, an Iranian general said on Thursday
that Iraq and Hezbollah-dominated South Lebanon follow the orders of Tehran.
“Those two countries, in a way or another, submit to the will and the wishes of
Tehran,” head of Iran’s elite al-Quds Force Qassem Suleimani was quoted as
saying by Iran's ISNA student news agency. He added that his country “can
organize any movement that leads to the formation of Islamic governments [in
Iraq and Lebanon] in order to fight imperialism.”
Surprising? Not really. It would be naïve to think that Lebanon as a whole, not
just the South, does not submit to the will and wishes of Tehran. But what is
surprising is that our prime minister does not say anything to defend Lebanon’s
sovereignty.
Of course, no one would expect Hezbollah to react to this statement, although
Iraqi Sadr Movement leader Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr rebuked Suleimani on Friday.
Even the spokesman of the Iranian foreign minister, Ramin Mehmanparast, told
Iran’s Arabic television service Al-Alam that the report that cited Suleimani
“has been refuted and it is not accurate.”
Brilliant! Everyone rebuked Suleimani’s statement except Lebanon. Anyone can
interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs and no one will complain except a bunch
of civil society groups and activists. The Syrian regime has repeatedly sent
troops to stage deadly incursions into Lebanese border villages, and Lebanon has
not seriously complained.
The only thing that seems to matter to Lebanon’s government and its prime
minister is the Syrian regime’s approval.
Apparently, the decision to arrest Khalil Hassan came following a meeting held
between PM Najib Mikati and Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali on
Wednesday in Beirut.
Ambassador Ali stressed the need to implement agreements signed between the two
countries in terms of border control, putting an end to the infiltration of
gunmen, the spread of extremism, and preventing verbal attacks on Syria in its
sister state Lebanon. He added that Mikati vowed to foil campaigns against
Syria, including the smuggling of arms and the infiltration of militants across
the border.
So it is happening. The Syrian regime wants Lebanon to increase the crackdown on
anti-Assad activists, and Lebanon is accommodating. Mikati “vowed.”
The prime minister is not a stupid man. He has proved to be canny on many
critical occasions, specifically in his dealing with Hezbollah on the issue of
financing for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He proved both to the
Lebanese—mainly the Sunni community—and the international community that he does
not “submit” to Hezbollah, as we all thought he would when he became PM last
year.
He acts when the ball is obviously in his court, if the blame will be directed
solely at him and if he would be the one to suffer the consequences as a Sunni
leader and a businessman. However, allowing Lebanese security and intelligence
institutions to crack down on anti-Assad activists is something else. It is an
issue that he thinks he can steer clear of.
But maybe Mikati should consider one thing before turning a blind eye to the
suffering of the Syrians in Lebanon. When Assad is gone, and he will eventually
be gone, and the international community decides to prosecute his regime for
crimes against humanity, what will happen to those who allowed these crimes to
take place when they had the power to stop them?
One of the fishermen released this weekend said that he was tortured while he
was being interrogated in Syria and was forced to claim that he was handing over
weapons to one of his relatives in Syria.
Mr. Prime Minister, you know exactly what happened. You are fully aware of the
repeated violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty and of Syrian refugees’ basic human
rights. If you do not act now, when this is all over, no one will forgive you.
I know Khalil Hassan. The unbroken smile on his face and his relentless hope
that he will return to his beloved country free and dignified made me realize
that no one is capable of stopping the Syrians from realizing freedom, no matter
what it takes.
I imagine Hassan’s wife and daughter now, living their darkest nightmare. I
imagine Hassan being held in detention now, maybe being tortured, and thinking
about one thing: that this is all worth it, because freedom and dignity are
waiting at the end of the tunnel. And I think of PM Mikati, sitting in his
comfortable chair, eating an expensive meal and enjoying the company of his
family.
Mr. Mikati, will you sleep well tonight? Before you go to bed, maybe for once,
consider the following: How do you envision your life when the Syrian regime is
gone? Yes you, because you are, at the end of the day, the head of this
government and all its institutions, which are handing over activists like
Hassan to the Syrian regime.
Think about that, Mr. Prime Minister. Think about the Syrian lives that you
could have saved. Think about Hassan in his cell and the boundless smile on his
face.
Now, good night, and good luck!
Hanin Ghaddar is the managing editor of NOW Lebanon