Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for November 10/12
'EU to mull listing Hezbollah as terror group'
ٍShiites Pilgrims held hostage in Syria contact kin in Lebanon
Mikati: Cabinet will not cover up corruption
National Dialogue up in the air
Assir threatens to tear down Hezbollah posters
Geagea: President should work to stop political killings
Maronite Patriarch calls for bold step toward reconciliation in Lebanon
Aoun: We will not empower those who reject dialogue
Lebanese MP: Drug forgery case already in judicial hands
Opposition MP says received another death threat
Opposition MP: Some political groups should be referred to international court
Lebanese health minister: No political cover-up in drug forgery case
Lebanese University contract teachers to strike
Fletcher says job creation key to Tripoli stability
Sidon businesses gradually closing down
Lebanon’s Health care at risk as NSSF on verge of collapse
Forum puzzles over Lebanon’s inability to preserve heritage
CIA Director Petraeus resigns, admits extra-marital affair
Palestinian missiles again rain down on Israel after injuring 4 Israeli soldiers
Barrage of rocket attacks slam southern Israel
MB denies seeking to impose control over Syrian opposition - Syrian MB chief
Syria opposition talks intensify as bombs hit army
Suicide blasts in Syria kill at least 20 troops
Syria opposition blames West
Iraq cancels $4.2 bln Russian arms deal over suspected graft
Vatican computer expert convicted in leaks case
EU annual budget talks collapse, in worrying sign
17 Turkish soldiers killed in helicopter crash

 
'EU to mull listing Hezbollah as terror group'
By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT 11/11/2012 02:38 Austria’s Foreign Ministry tells 'Post' discussions underway to designate Lebanese Shi'ite group as terrorist organization.
BERLIN – A discussion is under way within the EU about possibly listing Hezbollah as a terrorist group, Austria’s Foreign Ministry informed The Jerusalem Post on Saturday.
Austria appears to be the first EU country to acknowledge that that the 27- member body has begun a process to designate the Lebanese Shi’ite group as a terrorist organization.Spokesman Alexander Schallenberg, a seasoned Austrian diplomat, couched the process with caveats. “A possible listing of the entire Hezbollah within the EU as a terror organization must consider various political aspects,” he wrote.
He noted that Hezbollah is not only represented in Lebanon’s parliament but is part of its government, with two ministers in the cabinet.
“A listing of the Hezbollah could, therefore, have immediate effects on the security of the country and the stability of the government,” Schallenberg continued.
He noted that Lebanon President Michel Suleiman seeks to create a “national dialogue” in his country, with the goal of, for example, integrating Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons into the state’s security forces. Schallenberg said that the EU has up until now clearly supported Suleiman’s efforts.
He stressed that it is important that the EU find a “joint position, especially in light of the situation in Syria.”
News organizations reported that Hezbollah’s militias joined forces with Syria’s regime to suppress the Syrian rebellion.
The division among EU countries revolves around whether to designate the entire Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, or just parts of it.
Michel Malherbe, a spokesman for the Belgium Foreign Ministry, told the Post on Thursday: “We believe that it could make sense, instead of qualifying Hezbollah as a whole, to isolate armed subgroups, or individuals. This method has proven its merits, and deserves a try.”
Critics of this approach (treating armed wings separately from political branches) point to a statement from Hezbollah’s No. 2 leader, Naim Qassem, who said in 2009: “Hezbollah has a single leadership,” and “All political, social and jihad work is tied to the decisions of this leadership.”
Qassem added, “The same leadership that directs the parliamentary and government work also leads jihad actions in the struggle against Israel.”
The United Kingdom classifies Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization, but recognizes its political wing as a legitimate political party. The Netherlands designated Hezbollah as whole to be a terrorist group. Both Dutch and British foreign ministers have urged their EU counterparts to place Hezbollah on the EU terror list.
Jacek Biegala, a spokesman for the Polish Embassy in Germany, told the Post last week that “Warsaw represents the opinion that in the case of a ban of Hezbollah it is very important that the European Union has a joint position.” What “is crucial” to an application to ban Hezbollah is the reasoning of the argument, he added.
Pekka Marttila, from the Finnish Foreign Ministry, wrote the Post by email on Friday, “At the moment Finland has no national system that would list terrorists or terrorist organizations.
Instead, as a member of the European Union, Finland agrees and implements the EU Council decisions in this regard.”
When asked if Finland supports a ban of Hezbollah, Marttila declined to respond.
Asked about the presence of Hezbollah members in Austria, Karl-Heinz Grundböck, a spokesman for the Austrian Interior Ministry , referred the Post to a report from the country’s domestic intelligence service.According to the 2012 report, the Turkish Hezbollah group, which consists of non-Lebanese Kurds, is listed as a terrorist organization, and was “able to expand its structures in Europe and in Austria.” The Turkish Hezbollah group is aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
When questioned about the presence of Lebanese Hezbollah members in Austria, Grundböck said Austria’s intelligence agency (Verfassungsschutz) cannot provide information beyond what is stated in its report. In late October, John O. Brennan, counterterrorism chief for US President Barack Obama’s administration, slammed the Europeans for their failure to outlaw Hezbollah. “Let me be clear” that European opposition to a ban “makes it harder to defend our countries and protect our citizens,” Brennan said, speaking in Dublin •

Palestinian missiles again rain down on Israel after injuring 4 Israeli soldiers
DEBKAfile DEBKA-Net-Weekly November 10, 2012,.Violence spewed out of the Gaza Strip again Saturday night, Nov. 10, with a rocket attack on an IDF Givaty Brigade jeep on a routine task some distance from the border, injuring four Israeli soldiers – one critically, two in moderate condition. This time Hamas’ contractor was the Palestinian Popular Front. After Israeli tanks and helicopters fired back, the Palestinians loosed rockets against the Eshkol and Shear Hanegev districts, followed by Grad rockets aimed at Ashkelon, Ashdod and Gan Yavneh. Iron Dome intercepted two. Locations north of Ashdod as far north as Gedera went on missile alert. No more casualties are reported thus far. Thursday, Nov. 8, Palestinian terrorists detonated by remote a tunnel packed with explosives against a group of Israeli soldiers. None were hurt. The soldiers were searching for bombs rigged as booby-traps for use against their comrades. IDF units in the Gaza sector have been on high alert since before then as Palestinian attacks have kept on coming in an escalating spate – eight from Oct. 8 until this Saturday.
But before that, on Oct. 6, two days after an Iranian stealth drone flew over Israel, Hamas loosed its heaviest barrage ever of 60 rockets and missiles against the Eshkol district. The IDF made no response this this outrage. On Oct. 13, after an Israeli air strike killed the jihadist Majlis Shura’s commander, Hisham Saidani, Israeli civilians in Beersheba, Netivot and other locations suffered two running days of Palestinian rocket fire on their homes. On Oct. 19, an IDF patrol was hit by a roadside bomb near Ein Hashlosha. For three days, Oct. 22-25, rocket salvoes descended on Ashkelon and other locations. This time, the Palestinians began firing for the first time mobile 120mm multiple-firing “Katyusha” systems. Another roadside bomb near Kissufim seriously injured a senior IDF officer, blowing off both his arms..There was a further escalation after the Israeli bombardment of an Iranian missile plant near Khartoum, one of Hamas’ arms suppliers. On Oct. 28, Palestinian Grad missiles were again fired at Beersheba and the regional area of Dimona where Israel’s nuclear reactor is situated.
Now, once again, nearly a million civilians living within the Palestinian terrorists’ ever widening radius of fire are being told to stay close to shelters – those who have them - and mayors worry about opening schools. And once again, they hear that the Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called an urgent conference with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz. The people living in an area between Gedera and the southern tip of the Gaza Strip up to Beersheba wait again on tenterhooks for some action to put an end to their long agony as hostages to Hamas.

Mikati: Cabinet will not cover up corruption
November 10, 2012 / The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati pledged Friday that his government would not protect officials nor civil servants involved in corruption in public departments. “The government will not cover up any violator because no official or civil servant, regardless of his rank or post, should be above the law. When a civil servant does his job, he does it with the force of the law and is obeyed with the force of the law rather than with his individual force,” Mikati told an anti-corruption meeting he chaired at the Grand Serail. He said U.N. agencies would assess next year Lebanon’s attempts to fight corruption in the public administration. “Our meeting today is aimed at forming a team to prepare answers to questions to be sent by the United Nations in this regard,” Mikati said.
“The Cabinet has finalized a number of draft laws relating to the corruption issue and [they] have been sent to Parliament. We hope they will be approved by Parliament before the assessment date at the United Nations.”Mikati said the government would not take “retaliatory or spiteful” measures against civil servants in its bid to stamp out corruption in public departments. Any measures taken against violators should be based on true and accurate information, he said. “The government will not protect anyone who facilitates the continued laxity and negligence in public departments and institutions,” Mikati said. “The watchdog agencies are called upon to fully do their duties, especially since their officials enjoy immunity that enables them to do their job in an impartial and neutral manner.”
He said the issue of reported financial wrongdoings at Beirut Port would be investigated by the Financial Public Prosecution and the Central Inspection Department.
Corruption has for years been rampant in public departments where people have complained that they had to bribe employees in order to have their paperwork or official documents processed. Leaders from both sides of the political divide have repeatedly called on the government to stamp out corruption in the public administration.
“Fighting corruption is a national workshop that must not be confined to one party,” Mikati said. Everyone is called upon to participate in it to thwart any attempt that leads to further spreading the phenomenon of corruption.” The meeting at the Grand Serail was attended by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi and representatives from the Finance Ministry.

National Dialogue up in the air
November 10, 2012/ By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: There is no chance of holding a new round of National Dialogue this month to resolve the current political crisis given the diametrically conflicting attitudes of the feuding parties, officials from both sides of the political divide said Friday.
President Michel Sleiman had originally scheduled a Dialogue session for Nov. 12, but media reports said he had delayed it until Nov. 29 to allow time for consultations after the opposition March 14 coalition demanded the government’s resignation first as a condition for attending any talks with the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance.
“The president is encountering difficulties in his attempts to convene National Dialogue because of the parties’ conflicting attitudes and conditions,” a source at Baabda Palace told The Daily Star.
He noted that Sleiman has won Arab and international support for his efforts to convene an inter-Lebanese dialogue to maintain stability in Lebanon amid security threats following tensions linked to last month’s assassination of police intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan.
Beirut MP Ammar Houri reiterated the March 14 stance on dialogue. “The position of the March 14 parties has not changed: No dialogue before the government’s resignation. As long as the government stays in office, there can be no dialogue with the other [March 8] side,” he told The Daily Star.
The key to relaunching National Dialogue between the rival camps, Houri said, was “the government’s resignation and the formation of a neutral salvation Cabinet.”
Houri, who belongs to former premier Saad Hariri’s parliamentary Future bloc, said the March 14 coalition would use “democratic and legal means” to topple Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s March 8-dominated government. Minister of State Ali Qanso from the March 8 bloc also ruled out the possibility of holding an early Dialogue session to discuss the political crisis sparked by Hasan’s assassination. He blamed the March 14’s rejection of dialogue before the government’s resignation for scuttling Sleiman’s efforts to resume all-party talks.
“The chances of National Dialogue are nil because the other [March 14] side has rejected dialogue before the government’s resignation,” Qanso told The Daily Star.
“We support the president’s efforts to convene an early Dialogue session to discuss the political crisis and we call on all the parties to accept his call for dialogue,” he said. “There is no other choice to dialogue.” Qanso maintained that the March 14 demand for a Cabinet change could not be discussed outside the dialogue table. “If the other [March 14[ side upheld its rejection of dialogue before the government’s resignation, there would be no solution and the political crisis with all its repercussions would drag on,” Qanso said.
A ministerial source said the possibility of convening National Dialogue later this month was remote “because the March 14 parties are putting conditions that cannot be met.” The source also ruled out the formation of a new Cabinet as demanded by the March 14 parties before attending a Dialogue session. “There will be no dialogue or a new Cabinet. The government’s resignation will further deepen the political crisis,” the source told The Daily Star.
Sleiman has been consulting with rival leaders in an attempt to convene an early National Dialogue session to explore a solution for the political crisis triggered by Hasan’s killing, including the possibility of forming a new government. He has consulted with some Dialogue members, including former Prime Minister Fouad, who conveyed to him last month the March 14 stance that there can be no dialogue before the government steps down. Sleiman has yet to consult with Speaker Nabih Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on convening a Dialogue session.
Arab and Western countries have voiced concerns for stability and a power vacuum in Lebanon following the opposition’s calls for the government’s resignation in the wake of Hasan’s assassination. The March 14 coalition has called on Mikati to step aside after accusing his government of complicity with the Syrian regime in Hasan’s assassination. The coalition has also announced a total boycott of the government and all Cabinet-related meetings in Parliament as part of its moves to pressure the government to resign.
Meanwhile, Energy Minister Gebran Bassil told Al-Manar TV Friday night that there would be no parliamentary elections next year if held on the basis of the 1960 electoral law. The law, used in the 2009 elections, adopts the qada as an electoral district under a winner-takes-all-system. However, Sleiman told visitors at Baabda Palace that there was no chance for postponing the parliamentary elections, scheduled in spring next year, “because the power rotation is the first cornerstone in democratic practice.”
A senior Hezbollah official said dialogue was the only way to resolve the political crisis. “The Lebanese are destined to resolve their crises not through obstruction or boycott, but through dialogue and meeting together,” Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed, head of Hezbollah’s Political Bureau, told reporters after talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki, north of Beirut. He led a Hezbollah delegation to congratulate Rai on his recent appointment by Pope Benedict XVI as a cardinal in the Catholic Church. Sayyed accused the March 14 parties of scuttling talks on a new election law in order to hold the polls on the basis of the 1960 law. Responding to March 14 calls for a Cabinet change, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt told As-Safir newspaper Friday: “Anyone who really wants to bring down the government and form another one must accept dialogue without conditions.” He said that nothing short of a new Taif Accord was needed to resolve the issue of Hezbollah’s arsenal. “I am sure that the Future Movement is pretty aware that when the time comes, the price of disarming Hezbollah will be nothing less than a new Taif Accord,” he added.
Future MP Ahmad Fatfat swiftly responded to Jumblatt’s comments, saying there was a “political price for Hezbollah’s weapons.”
“This does not surprise me as [Hezbollah] is no longer a resistance party but a militia seeking political gains. This means Hezbollah is ready to take Lebanon into a long war because the Taif [Accord] only came after the [Civil] War,” Fatfat told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

Pilgrims held hostage in Syria contact kin in Lebanon
November 10, 2012/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The nine remaining Lebanese pilgrims being held in Syria urged late this week in phone calls to their families to protest outside the Iranian and Syrian embassies in Beirut, freed hostage Awad Ibrahim told The Daily Star Saturday. “The hostages told their relatives in Lebanon to protest outside the Iranian and Syrian embassies as this might help in their release,” said Ibrahim, who was released in September after being held for over four months by rebels in the northern Syrian border town of Azaz.
Ibrahim and 10 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria by the rebels on May 22 shortly after crossing from Turkey. They were heading back to Lebanon after a pilgrimage in Iran. Only two of the pilgrims, including Ibrahim, have been released so far. Ibrahim and the families of the hostages have held several demonstrations outside the Turkish and Qatari embassies in Lebanon to urge the release of their loved ones after they said efforts by the Lebanese government had failed. Ibrahim said Saturday that the families of the hostages were very happy and surprised when they received the phone calls from their loved ones. “We were talking from around 5 p.m. until after midnight ... One of them almost begged me to go protest outside the Iranian and Syrian embassies,” Ibrahim, who spoke to all of the remaining hostages, said.According to the 47-year-old, three of the hostages are suffering from health problems.
“This is another reason why the pilgrims should be freed as soon possible,” Ibrahim added. The former hostage said he also managed to speak to some of the “leaders of the abductors,” who told him the families should hold protests outside the Qatari and Iranian embassies. “We’ll go wherever they ask ... anything to see them freed,” said Ibrahim, adding that the families are planning to hold demonstrations next week. Speaking to New TV, Future Movement MP Khaled Daher said his party’s leader, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, has tasked MP Oqab Sakr to negotiate with the abductors for the release of the pilgrims. “Everyone knows Sakr has been trying to secure the release of the pilgrims,” said Daher, recalling that the kidnappers had asked for a formal apology from Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah over his support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. The kidnappers have repeatedly linked the release of the Lebanese captives to the stances of the Hezbollah leader, urging him to withdraw support from Assad. Daher, a stout supporter of the Syrian uprising, said his group condemned the kidnapping of the hostages and that they should be released.

Probe launched into case of illegally imported drugs
November 10, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The country’s state prosecutor launched Saturday an investigation into the case of illegally imported medications, judicial sources told The Daily Star.
The case came to light Thursday when Future Movement MP Atef Majdalani said over 100 medications had been illegally imported into the country through the forging of stamps and laboratory tests at the Beirut Arab University. “The stamp of the Health Ministry and the [health] minister’s were forged to allow drugs into Lebanon that didn’t meet the required standards,” Majdalani, who heads Parliament’s Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs committee, told The Daily Star Saturday. The National News Agency reported Saturday that the Beirut Arab University had filed a complaint to the Judiciary on Oct. 12. In a statement, according to the NNA, Health Minister Hasan Khalil said he had referred the file to a complaints’ committee on the very same day. Khalil also said he had issued a decision on Nov. 6 to withdraw the illegal drugs from the market. The judicial sources said State Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi would be handling the investigation. The news of the illegal importation of medications, described by Majdalani as a “scandal,” has drawn further attention following media reports this week that one of State Minister Mohammad Fneish’s brothers might be involved in the forging of the certificates. Fneish said Friday he would not protect anyone found guilty in the case of illegally importing medications. The NNA also quoted Saturday Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi as saying that anyone found guilty in the case would be prosecuted.

Al-Assad: Secularist who will “live and die” in Syria
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Like sand through an hourglass, Bashar al-Assad and his regime are running out of time. This is not just a wish on my part, but rather a reality confirmed by statements issued by the regime, and indeed Bashar al-Assad, himself. Most recently, we have his interview with “Russia Today” in which al-Assad said that he will “live and die” in Syria, and claimed that his regime is the last stronghold of secularism in the region, protecting minorities and coexistence! To be certain, this statements serves as his farewell address. Some might ask: how so?
The answer is very simple: by looking at the recent history of all the tyrants in our region, including those who blinded themselves to the facts, like former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak; they all said that they would live and die in their countries. Saddam Hussein said this, and later Muammar Gaddafi. They all said the same thing, demonstrating their incalculable arrogance. As did Mubarak himself, demonstrating a critical miscalculation and stubborn obstinacy. The end is known, some of these tyrants were killed whilst others ended up in prison, albeit the hospital wing. Whilst today al-Assad has arrogantly made the same mistake indicating that the man is completely detached from reality, particularly when he said “I am not a puppet. I was not made by the West to go to the West or to any other country. I am Syrian, I was made in Syria, I have to live in Syria and die in Syria.” It is clear that al-Assad has forgotten that it is the Syrian people who are seeking to oust him from power; how can he expect to live and rule in a country where even districts of the capital are being bombarded by warplanes? Certainly, this is the talk of a man who is completely out of touch from reality, which indicates that his end is fast approaching. In fact, it is those who surround al-Assad who are most convinced of this, especially when they hear him making statements such as this. Those close to him are well aware of the reality of the situation, and these statements only serve to further convince them that al-Assad is leading a suicide operation that will ultimately kill them all.
As for al-Assad’s claims of secularism, saying “we are the last stronghold of secularism and stability in the region and coexistence”, warning that any military attack on Syria “will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific and you know the implication on the rest of the world”, this is further evidence that this regime is over and bankrupt. The first observation that we can make is that al-Assad is no longer seeking to play up his legitimacy – or the legitimacy of his regime – in terms of the “resistance”, rather he has resorted to raising the slogans of protecting the minorities and secularism. This is a further miscalculation, as al-Assad – and those around him – seems to have forgotten that not only was Hitler secular, but he also came to power by democratic elections! The al-Assad regime represents the worst example in our region in terms of regimes that claim to be secular, not to mention those that pay lip service to protecting minorities. Saddam Hussein was secular, as was Gaddafi, but like al-Assad they were bloodthirsty. As for the Islamists who want to claim that al-Assad is their regional enemy, in reality they have been his primary allies. Some of them remain his allies today, whilst others were allied to him just hours ago! Islamist Iran is al-Assad’s unerring ally, as his Hezbollah and the Shiite Islamist parties of Iraq, whilst Hamas and other Palestinian jihadist groups were allied with him until very recently, as were the Muslim Brotherhood. As for Al Qaeda, al-Assad is their biggest investor, particularly in Iraq!
Therefore, al-Assad’s recent statements tell us that this regime is bankrupt even of arguments, and its end is just around the corner.

MB denies seeking to impose control over Syrian opposition - Syrian MB chief
By Mohammed Al-Shafey
London/Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has announced its support for the idea of establishing a unified opposition political leadership, such as a national unity government, in the event of the collapse of the al-Assad regime. In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Syrian Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Mohammad Riad Al-Shaqfa announced that all members of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood support the objective of toppling the al-Assad regime and not entering any dialogue or negotiations with it.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat from Doha, where the Syrian opposition is meeting with the objective of forging a new, broader opposition leadership group, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood chief revealed that the General Secretariat of this as-yet unnamed opposition body will be comprised of 41 members, 10 of whom will be Muslim Brotherhood affiliates.
He added that this group’s leadership will be elected in the near future, whilst its Executive Office will be comprised of 11 members. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood General Guide also asserted that negotiations are ongoing in Doha amongst the Syrian opposition regarding the “Syrian National Initiative” and other issues that have yet to be resolved.
He strongly denied that the Muslim Brotherhood was seeking to impose its control over the proposed new broad-based opposition umbrella group.
As for the absence of female activists from the General Secretariat of the Syrian National Council [SNC], al-Shaqfa said that this was the result of democratic elections, stressing that the new opposition umbrella group would represent the broadest spectrum of Syrian society.
Well-known Syrian dissident, George Sabra, was elected as the new head of the SNC on Friday. The SNC has been reluctant to join any new opposition umbrella organization, fearing that it could lose its influence within a larger platform. Negotiations are ongoing in Doha regarding the establishment of this new group, with this expected to last several days.
Following his election as the new SNC chief, Sabra immediately appealed to the international community to arm the Syrian rebels. He said “we need only one thing to support our right to survive and to protect ourselves: we need weapons, we need weapons.”
The Syrian opposition and the SNC in particular have been subject to international criticism in the recent period. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking last week, said “we’ve made it clear that the SNC can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition. They can be part of a larger opposition, but the opposition must include people from inside Syria and others who have a legitimate voice that needs to be heard.” She also warned of “extremists” trying to “hijack the Syrian revolution”, calling on the Syrian opposition to strongly resist such efforts.
Sabra, speaking in Doha on Friday, acknowledged that some of the criticism of the SNC had been justified but stressed that this should not be used as an excuse to delay international aid. He said “don’t hang (your) delay to provide Syrians what they need, what they want, on the neck of the opposition.”
He added “let’s say, we have our responsibility, no doubt about that, and we will carry this responsibility, but we need from the international community to carry their responsibility also.”
Responding to Hillary Clinton’s comments regarding “extremists” trying to “hijack the Syrian revolution”, Syrian Muslim Brotherhood General Guide Mohammad Riad Al-Shaqfa, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “whenever the killing intensifies, so too does extremism”. He added “the west is also responsible [for this], because its leaders did not sufficiently stand with the Syrian revolution. It is not reasonable for massacres to take place in Syria whilst the world stands watching.”
The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leader also expressed his regret at the international unwillingness to get involved to put an end to the ongoing conflict in Syria, repeating calls for the international community to provide the Syrian opposition with anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank capabilities to repel the al-Assad regime forces. In spite of this, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood chief stressed that “the Syrian people will win without this.” He added “obtaining the support of the international community will hasten al-Assad’s departure, however he will fall regardless, but this would save a lot of lives.”
Commenting on President Barack Obama’s re-election, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood chief said “Obama winning a second term in the White House does not change anything, and the conflict will remain as it is until al-Assad’s fall, which I believe is fast approaching.” In related news, Syria’s opposition Local Coordination Council [LCC], a major network of on-the-ground activists, said that it was withdrawing from the SNC on Friday over its failures to implement “serious and effective” reforms to make it more representative.
The LCC issued a statement asserting that “it is clear to us now that the SNC is not fit to assume such a role, especially after the disappointing results of its restructuring attempts.”
LCC spokesperson, Rima Fleihan told AFP that “nothing has changed in how the SNC works, despite a reform project, because the new structure is under the near-total control of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Did Ahmadinejad and al-Assad celebrate Obama's victory?
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
It is being claimed that the people of Tehran, Damascus and Beirut’s southern suburbs – where Hezbollah is centered - celebrated Obama's re-election for a second presidential term, or at least celebrated the defeat of his Republican rival. So, is Obama’s victory a setback for those of us who stood up for the Syrian people and who rejected the policies of the Iranian ghoul?
Personally, I don’t think that this is the case whatsoever. I think that the soft-spoken Obama will be the one to destroy the al-Assad regime and end the threat posed by the Iranian regime during his second term. Anyone who knows the US administration's work mechanism will be well aware of the extent of the president’s influence in his second term. In these four years, the president will be stronger and more able to take decisive action. We must not neglect the fact that whilst President Obama was building positive relations with the Arabs and Muslims four years ago, he was also simultaneously pursuing Osama Bin Laden until he was ultimately successful in killing him. Whilst, at the same time that he was withdrawing his troops from Iraq, Obama imposed the heaviest sanctions on the regime of the Supreme Guide in Tehran, causing a near-collapse of the Iranian economy.
Therefore, those who think that they can use Obama should think again. This soft-spoken man has achieved more victories in the Middle East than his predecessor George W. Bush. He restored US relations with the Arabs and Muslims after this had reached an all-time low over the past half century. He succeeded in strengthening these relations to the point that when he ordered the killing of Bin Laden, no protests were seen in the Arab Street, for the Arabs were convinced of Obama's good intentions in the same manner that they were quite certain of the evil nature of Al Qaeda. In addition to this, Obama managed, over the previous four years, to economically and politically suffocate Iran more than any time since the beginning of Tehran's struggle with the Americans in the 1980s.
Although Obama is accused of letting down the Syrian people's revolution – deemed the fieriest and most important revolution of the entire Arab Spring – we have to wait and see what he will do in the post-election period. We do not know to what extent he is prepared to intervene in the Syrian crisis, yet I expect that Obama will adopt a more aggressive policy and will include his name as a partner in overthrowing the last of the evil Arab dictatorships. However, we must also be aware that this particular issue may become exceedingly complex. Obama may therefore prefer to lead from behind in the toppling of the al-Assad regime and therefore let Arab states take the initiative. It is not a matter of guesswork when we say that the al-Assad regime will fall, even without American intervention, yet it is not easy to anticipate what happens next, and this is when the American role becomes crucial. At the same time, we must not generalize and exaggerate or build up too many expectations with regards to Obama's actions in Arab affairs because he does not possess the necessary capabilities in this regard, or perhaps does not want to interfere in the Arab revolutions or regional disputes. The constant factor in American policy, as well as the positions of each new president, is not to be negligent towards the vital oil-producing areas of the world. This is something that will reflect on America’s relationship with Iraq, the Gulf States and Iran.

Opposition MP: Some political groups should be referred to international court
November 10, 2012 /A Lebanese parliamentarian who is a member of the opposition Future bloc said Saturday that some groups currently serving in Lebanon’s government “should be referred to” the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which is investigating the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafiq Hariri. MP Nabil De Freige told Free Lebanon radio on Saturday that “Prime Minister Najib Miqati [deceived] Lebanese [by saying that] he wants to refer the [October 2012 assassination of top Lebanese intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan] to the international court.” “The international community knows well that the [present Lebanese] government is catastrophic and corrupt,” the opposition lawmaker said, adding that there is a possibility to form a neutral government in the country. As for the national dialogue, sponsored by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, the MP said: “There will be no dialogue in the absence of [Hezbollah’s Secretary General] Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah; otherwise it will be a waste of time.” “It is clear that the March 8 [alliance] does not want any government other than the current one. Therefore, [the coalition] will [impose challenging] pre-conditions [before resuming dialogue] in an attempt to preserve [this cabinet],” De Freige also said. Turning to the issue pertaining to the criticisms made against the opposition March 14 lawmakers, who have decided to boycott meetings of joint parliamentary committees, the lawmaker said: “Speaker Nabih Berri [is required] to be present at the parliament and not at his home under the excuse that he is threatened. Therefore, it is [unjust] to blame the March 14 lawmakers for not attending the meetings of the parliamentary committees for security reasons.” Lebanon’s political tension has run high amid the opposition’s calls for the cabinet’s resignation following the October 19 assassination of Internal Security Forces Information Branch Chief Wissam al-Hassan, which the Western-backed March 14 blamed on the Syrian regime and its allies in Lebanon. The March 14 group announced in late October that it will cut all ties with the current government, including meetings held by parliamentary committees for discussing proposals transferred by the cabinet.
The Lebanese political scene is split between March 14 supporters of the Syrian opposition and the March 8 backers of the Syrian regime. Miqati’s present cabinet is mainly comprised of ministers affiliated with the March 8 camp that is led by the Shiite organization Hezbollah. -NOW Lebanon

Lebanon’s March 14 cannot boycott political affairs, MP says
November 10, 2012 /A Lebanese parliamentarian, who is a member of the Change and Reform bloc, said Saturday that the opposition March 14 alliance cannot stay away from domestic political affairs, adding that the group’s decision to boycott meetings on governmental matters was a mistake. “The other group, [March 14 camp], cannot isolate itself from political affairs, [and also] boycott Hezbollah,” Salim Salhab told the Free Lebanon radio station. “The March 14 forces committed mistakes that included statements made by [Future bloc leader MP] Fouad Siniora during the funeral of [slain top Intelligence Chief] Wissam al-Hassan; the attack on the Grand Serail, and the [statements made after a] meeting at” the residence of former PM Saad Hariri in Beirut, the MP also said.
According to Salhab, the solution for the current political crisis can be reached through the national dialogue sponsored by President Michel Suleiman.
Lebanon’s political tension has run high amid the opposition’s calls for the cabinet’s resignation following the October 19 assassination of Internal Security Forces Information Branch Chief Wissam al-Hassan, which the Western-backed March 14 blamed on the Syrian regime and its allies in Lebanon. The March 14 group announced in late October that it will cut all ties with the current government, including meetings held by parliamentary committees for discussing proposals transferred by the cabinet. The Lebanese political scene is split between March 14 supporters of the Syrian opposition and the March 8 backers of the Syrian regime. Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s present cabinet is mainly comprised of ministers affiliated with the March 8 camp that is led by the Shiite organization Hezbollah.
-NOW Lebanon

Maronite Patriarch calls for bold step toward reconciliation in Lebanon
November 10, 2012 /Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros al-Rai visited the location of the blast that killed Internal Security Forces intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan in one of Beirut’s Christian quarters and called for a bold step toward peace and reconciliation. “I call on all those who hold positions of responsibility to step up to these responsibilities for the sake of the blood that has been shed, to turn the page, and practice peace and reconciliation so that this blood does not go to waste,” Rai was quoted by the National News Agency as saying on Saturday during a visit to Beirut’s Ashrafieh.
The patriarch also said that the Lebanese people could not continue to live under the specter of mutual political accusations, adding that judicial authorities should take the necessary measures to prevent these accusations from being launched. Hassan was killed on October 19 in a huge explosion that rocked the Beirut area of Ashrafieh, which left at two others dead and more than 120 wounded, in the first such attack in the Lebanese capital since 2008. -NOW Lebanon

Geagea: President should work to stop political killings
November 10, 2012 /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea called on Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to put all his effort into ending assassinations in the country instead of convening national dialogue sessions. “We call on Suleiman to [sympathize with] us and to put all the components of the state at the service of the effort to stop the killing machine,” Geagea told Al-Jazeera television on Saturday.
“We will sit and hold dialogue with the other parties after the killing machine is stopped.” Lebanon’s national dialogue committee convened on several occasions under Suleiman’s request during the past months to discuss Lebanon’s defense strategy and the thorny issue of illegal arms in Lebanon, especially those belonging to the Shiite group Hezbollah.
However, political tension has run high recently amid the opposition’s call for the cabinet’s resignation following the October 19 assassination of Internal Security Forces intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan in a car bombing in Beirut’s Ashrafieh, which the Western-backed March 14 blamed on the Syrian regime and its allies in Lebanon. March 14, of which the LF is affiliated, announced in late October that it would cut all ties with the current government of Prime Minister Najib Miqati – mainly comprising March 8 politicians - including meetings held by parliamentary committees for discussing proposals transferred by the cabinet.  During his interview, Geagea reiterated his view that a regional axis linked to the Hezbollah-led March 8 group was implicated in Hassan’s death.
“The axis, which starts in Tehran, goes through Damascus and ends with the March 8 group, is responsible for the assassination of Hassan.”
“Those conducting these assassinations are part of the current government, that is why we are calling for it to step down, and we will persist in our political pressure.”
Geagea also said that the accusations waged against the March 8 forces were “politically motivated while being backed by evidence.”
“The evidence found at the crime scene in the case of the assassination attempt against March 14 MP Boutros Harb is linked to a person called Mahmoud Hayek who is a Hezbollah member.”
In July, Harb said that he escaped an assassination bid. The attempt on Harb's life followed a bid in April to murder Geagea at his Maarab residence. Regarding the 2013 parliamentary elections, the LF leader voiced skepticism over the chances of reaching a consensus with the March 8 factions. “This does not mean that a parliamentary majority cannot be created to back a new electoral law… We will take part in the elections anyway since it is not acceptable to disrupt constitutional deadlines.”The LF leader also addressed the crisis in Syria, and called for arming the rebels “in order to allow them to continue with their uprising and to bring a quick end to the crisis.” More than 37,000 people have been killed since the outbreak of Syria's anti-regime revolt in March 2011, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. -NOW Lebanon

Lebanese MP: Drug forgery case already in judicial hands
November 10, 2012 /Lebanon’s Parliamentary Health Committee chief MP Atef Majdalani confirmed that the health minister had taken legal action in a forgery case concerning illegally imported pharmaceutical products, and had referred it to a Justice Ministry committee. “The judiciary should have acted quickly, especially that the Health Ministry referred the case on October 9, 2012, but sadly the judiciary has not yet taken any action,” Majdalani told NOW on Saturday. “The lack of action on behalf of the judiciary is considered an act of negligence. The Lebanese judiciary says that it didn’t receive anything, while the Health Ministry has confirmed that the case had been sent under number 6328.” Majdalini, a Future bloc MP, also said that he will follow up on the issue with the judiciary.
“This case concerns the health of all Lebanese citizens; therefore no one can prevent me from looking for the truth surrounding the [judicial] files, as well as following up on them and the way the judicial authorities are handling them.” According the Majdalani, the Health Ministry first discovered the forgery case “around a month ago” when false authorization to distribute the drugs by the Health Ministry and other health authorities was brought to light. “It is then that Health Minister [Ali Hassan Khalil] put together a file regarding 100 [illegal] medications and took the necessary measures, which we considered to be insufficient.”  “[Khalil] should have taken stricter measures.” Majdalani also criticized Khalil for his decision to return the pharmaceutical products to their country of origin, saying that the products should have been destroyed. He added, however, that he did not consider the countries of origin to be responsible for the forgeries, “but it is rather the [importing] companies that were implicated in the forgery act, and this is considered to be a criminal act against all Lebanese.” Earlier on Saturday, Lebanon's Health Ministry said that the case of illegally imported pharmaceuticals was referred to a Justice Ministry committee last month, but a Lebanese judge told a local newspaper that the case has yet to be received by the relevant authorities. The forgeries were revealed by Majdalani on Thursday, who said that over 100 types of untested non-brand name pharmaceuticals were illegally imported into Lebanon.-NOW Lebanon

Lebanese University contract teachers to strike
November 10, 2012 /Contract teachers at the Lebanese University said that they will hold a strike on November 13 to protest the government’s lack of initiative on their demands to be hired as full-time teachers.According to a report by the National News Agency on Saturday, the teachers called on the government during a press conference to hold a special meeting to address their demands.
-NOW Lebanon

Lebanese health minister: No political cover-up in drug forgery case
November 10, 2012 /Lebanon’s Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said that the scandal that hit the country’s pharmaceutical sector would be dealt with without any political considerations.
“We never worked according to any political allegiance and for any political interest… the ministry will not cover up for anyone when it comes to issues related to people’s health and their interests,” Khalil was quoted as saying by the National News Agency on Saturday. “No exceptions will be given to anyone on the issue of [illegal pharmaceuticals], and we will surely not accept the reprieve requests on behalf of those implicated in this case.” Meanwhile, the head of the Pharmaceutical Investigations Department at the Ministry of Health Colette Raaidi was quoted by the NNA as saying that “contrary to what is being propagated” the ministry did not accept any reprieve requests made by the companies implicated in the pharmaceuticals forgery case.
Furthermore, Attorney General Judge Hatem Madi told NBN television that on November 6 he received a copy of the case from the Health Ministry and that he requested the file be joined with a similar case that the judicial authority received in October 2012. The case of forged prescription drug import documents was revealed by Future bloc MP Atef Majdalani on Thursday, who said that over 100 types of untested non-brand name pharmaceuticals were illegally imported into Lebanon. Earlier on Saturday, Khalil said that the forgery case was referred to a committee associated with the Justice Ministry last month. But a Lebanese judge told a local newspaper that the case is yet to be referred to the relevant authorities.
-NOW Lebanon

LF leader says “human dignity” incompatible with support for Assad regime
November 9, 2012 /Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Friday that whoever supports Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation on Middle East peace and reconciliation cannot support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. “Whoever supports the Apostolic Exhortation and the victory of human dignity cannot support in any way [Syrian President Bashar] Assad’s regime,” Geagea said while presiding over a seminar on the exhortation. Pope Benedict XVI signed the document during a three-day visit to Lebanon in September, which aimed to preserve religious diversity in the region.
The LF leader added that “whoever supports the Apostolic Exhortation cannot be allies with dictatorial regimes, or be part of the same government as a murder group, or support the [Michel] Samaha-[Ali] Mamluk axis or defend it,” according to a statement issued by his office.On August 9, Lebanese security forces arrested former Lebanese Information Minister Michel Samaha, who has close ties with Syria's embattled regime, for smuggling weapons into Lebanon in a bid to foment terrorist plots. Two Syrian army officers, including Syrian national security chief General Ali Mamluk, were also indicted by the Lebanese judiciary for their involvement in the plot. -NOW Lebanon

Question: "Why did God send Jesus when He did? Why not earlier? Why not later?"
Answer: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law” (Galatians 4:4). This verse declares that God the Father sent His Son when “the time had fully come.” There were many things occurring at the time of the first century that, at least by human reasoning, seem to make it ideal for Christ to come then.
1) There was a great anticipation among the Jews of that time that the Messiah would come. The Roman rule over Israel made the Jews hungry for the Messiah’s coming.
2) Rome had unified much of the world under its government, giving a sense of unity to the various lands. Also, because the empire was relatively peaceful, travel was possible, allowing the early Christians to spread the gospel. Such freedom to travel would have been impossible in other eras.
3) While Rome had conquered militarily, Greece had conquered culturally. A “common” form of the Greek language (different from classical Greek) was the trade language and was spoken throughout the empire, making it possible to communicate the gospel to many different people groups through one common language.
4) The fact that the many false idols had failed to give them victory over the Roman conquerors caused many to abandon the worship of those idols. At the same time, in the more “cultured” cities, the Greek philosophy and science of the time left others spiritually empty in the same way that the atheism of communist governments leaves a spiritual void today.
5) The mystery religions of the time emphasized a savior-god and required worshipers to offer bloody sacrifices, thus making the gospel of Christ which involved one ultimate sacrifice believable to them. The Greeks also believed in the immortality of the soul (but not of the body).
6) The Roman army recruited soldiers from among the provinces, introducing these men to Roman culture and to ideas (such as the gospel) that had not reached those outlying provinces yet. The earliest introduction of the gospel to Britain was the result of the efforts of Christian soldiers stationed there.
The above statements are based on men looking at that time and speculating about why that particular point in history was a good time for Christ to come. But we understand that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and these may or may not have been some reasons for why He chose that particular time to send His Son. From the context of Galatians 3 and 4, it is evident that God sought to lay a foundation through the Jewish Law that would prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The Law was meant to help people understand the depth of their sinfulness (in that they were incapable of keeping the Law) so that they might more readily accept the cure for that sin through Jesus the Messiah (Galatians 3:22-23; Romans 3:19-20). The Law was also “put in charge” (Galatians 3:24) to lead people to Jesus as the Messiah. It did this through its many prophecies concerning the Messiah which Jesus fulfilled. Add to this the sacrificial system that pointed to the need for a sacrifice for sin as well as its own inadequacy (with each sacrifice always requiring later additional ones). Old Testament history also painted pictures of the person and work of Christ through several events and religious feasts (such as the willingness of Abraham to offer up Isaac, or the details of the Passover during the exodus from Egypt, etc.).
Finally, Christ came when He did in fulfillment of specific prophecy. Daniel 9:24-27 speaks of the “seventy weeks” or the seventy “sevens.” From the context, these “weeks” or “sevens” refer to groups of seven years, not seven days. We can examine history and line up the details of the first sixty-nine weeks (the seventieth week will take place at a future point). The countdown of the seventy weeks begins with “the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem” (verse 25). This command was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 445 B.C. (see Nehemiah 2:5). After seven “sevens” plus 62 “sevens,” or 69 x 7 years, the prophecy states, “the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary” and that the “end will come like a flood” (meaning major destruction) (v. 26). Here we have an unmistakable reference to the Savior’s death on the cross. A century ago in his book The Coming Prince, Sir Robert Anderson gave detailed calculations of the sixty-nine weeks, using ‘prophetic years,’ allowing for leap years, errors in the calendar, the change from B.C. to A.D., etc., and figured that the sixty-nine weeks ended on the very day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, five days before His death. Whether one uses this timetable or not, the point is that the timing of Christ’s incarnation ties in with this detailed prophecy recorded by Daniel over five hundred years beforehand.
The timing of Christ’s incarnation was such that the people of that time were prepared for His coming. The people of every century since then have more than sufficient evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah through His fulfillment of the Scriptures that pictured and prophesied His coming in great detail.