LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 27/12

Bible Quotation for today
Psalm 140/1-5: "140:1 Deliver me, Yahweh, from the evil man. Preserve me from the violent man; those who devise mischief in their hearts. They continually gather themselves together for war. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips. Yahweh, keep me from the hands of the wicked. Preserve me from the violent men who have determined to trip my feet. The proud have hidden a snare for me, they have spread the cords of a net by the path. They have set traps for me

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Al-Assad commits international suicide/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 26/12
The Brotherhood’s “Caliphate” revolution/By Mshari Al-Zaydi/Asharq Alawsat/July 26/12
The truth about Iran/By: Hagai Segal /Ynetnews/July 26/12

Kataeb to act after Chartouni interviews
July 26, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Beirut MP Nadim Gemayel promised Wednesday that his party is preparing to act after Habib Chartouni, his father’s self-confessed assassin, recently broke his silence in newspaper and TV interviews. According to the Central News Agency, Gemayel said: “We are not concerned by any action taken by this criminal and there will be future steps” on Chartouni’s case. An interview with Chartouni published in Al-Akhbar newspaper Monday drew condemnations from a number politicians who asked that the state prosecutor question the journalist who conducted the interview. Chartouni spoke to Al-Jadeed TV channel Wednesday via telephone and said the Kataeb Party was paying a heavy price for its acts during the Lebanese Civil War. Various politicians condemned the sit-in that a group of activists called for in solidarity with Chartouni and asked for his arrest.

March 14 says Hezbollah arms give Israel pretext to attack
July 25, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The Future Movement-led March 14 coalition stressed Wednesday the need to disarm Hezbollah in order to deprive Israel of a pretext to attack Lebanon.
March 14 said that Lebanon now faces an additional rationale the Israelis might use to justify aggression against Lebanon, what with "Israeli attempts to hold Hezbollah and Iran responsible for the Bulgaria attack and accusations that [Hezbollah] will likely receive chemical weapons the Syrian regime is trying to smuggle into Lebanon,” according to a statement issued at the end of the coalition’s weekly meeting.
March 14 sees this “rising threat” as requiring swift action, both internationally and domestically, if danger is to be averted.
While the statement called on the international community to “protect Lebanon from any Israeli attack,” it stressed the need for Hezbollah's disarmament in order to “deprive Israel of the pretext it is using to justify its aggression.” Israel blamed Iran and Hezbollah for last week’s suicide attack at the Black Sea airport of Burgas in which five Israelis and their Bulgarian driver were killed.
Tuesday, Syrian rebels accused President Bashar Assad of moving chemical weapons to Syria’s borders, a day after his beleaguered regime said it would use its stockpiles if attacked by outsiders.
Israeli army chiefs said Tuesday that Syria’s chemical weapons are under the Assad regime's control, but warned the arms could still reach hostile elements. Israel has expressed concern that Syria's chemical weapons might fall intothe hands of Hezbollah.

Lebanon, Syria trade complaints over border violence
July 26, 2012 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanon and Syria exchanged memos Wednesday complaining about border incursions and violations of each country’s sovereignty, amid calls for a parliamentary vote of confidence in Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour. Syria’s ambassador to Beirut, Ali Abdel-Karim Ali, received a memo that calls on the Syrian authorities to avoid a repeat of incursions into Lebanese territory. Ali returned the favor and objected to the Lebanese violations in a separate memo the same day. The memo to Damascus was sent by Mansour two days after President Michel Sleiman asked him to send a letter of protest to the Syrian ambassador about repeated Syrian incursions into Lebanese territory, which have resulted in at least 10 deaths so far.
It remains unclear whether Lebanon sent the memo to Damascus before the Syrian ambassador filed his complaint. The foreign minister was not available for comment later Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Robert Serry said that Syria was continuing its violations of the Lebanese-Syrian border through shelling and armed incursions.
According to the United Nations, Serry told an open debate at the Security Council that “nowhere else does the impact of the Syrian crisis loom larger than in Lebanon.”
The latest incidents took place Sunday, when the Syrian army entered in Masharih al-Qaa in the Bekaa in its actions against armed Syrian rebels, killing four of them and causing damage to property on the Lebanese side.
Prior to Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Mansour told reporters that he had sent a memo to Syrian officials to draw their attention to repeated incidents along the northern and northeastern border.
Sleiman’s unprecedented move has drawn praise from the March 14 coalition and outrage from the Syrian envoy.
Speaking to Al-Mayadeen television channel, Ali said Tuesday that Syria, and not Lebanon, should be the one complaining of border violations.
According to Mansour, there was no need for Ali to be officially summoned over his remarks and the border violations, because Lebanon and Syria are sisterly countries, and there is no emergency situation that would justify such a measure.
Officials in the March 14 coalition said they would call for a parliamentary vote of confidence in the minister, while demanding Ali’s expulsion.
“It seems that the Lebanese foreign minister does not care about Lebanese blood,” said Minyeh MP Ahmad Fatfat. Speaking to Future TV, Fatfat also said that the March 14 coalition would seek a vote of confidence in Mansour during the next session of Parliament.
Separately, following a meeting with Metn MP Sami Gemayel, Western Bekaa MP Ziad Qaderi, from the Future Movement, lamented that parties in the government were engaged in a debate on the issue of safeguarding national sovereignty.
“Unfortunately it takes time for debate between a group supporting sovereignty and the protection of the borders and Lebanon’s independence and another Lebanese group looking for justifications for the Syrian regime and the Syrian ambassador to allow the continuation of the border violations,” Qaderi said.
For his part, Tourism Minister Fadi Aboud told Voice of Lebanon radio station that it was important to stop Syrian violations of the Lebanese sovereignty, while adding that it was also necessary for “Lebanon to stop interfering in Syria’s domestic affairs.”
During its weekly meeting, the March 14 general secretariat praised Sleiman’s move and issued a list of 34 incidents in Lebanon stemming from the Syrian uprising – most involve violence by Syrian forces against Lebanese and Syrian nationals in Lebanon.
March 14 added that Lebanon also faced the threat of an aggression by Israel, in the wake of the Jewish state’s statements holding Iran and Hezbollah responsible for the recent bombing of a bus in Bulgaria, which killed five Israelis and one Bulgarian, and accusations that Syrian chemical weapons might be smuggled into Lebanon.

President Michel Sleiman vows to ensure resumption of Dialogue sessions
July 26, 2012/By Nafez Qawas/The Daily Star
BAABDA, Lebanon: President Michel Sleiman said Wednesday he would re-launch contacts to ensure the resumption of National Dialogue next month after it stalled following the March 14 coalition’s decision to boycott a session that was scheduled for this week.
Sleiman stressed that dialogue was needed to protect civil peace in Lebanon and distance it from regional turmoil.
“I will restart my contacts and efforts starting tonight to guarantee the resumption of National Dialogue on Aug. 16,” the president said.
Speaking during an iftar banquet he hosted at Baabda Palace, Sleiman said he would hold responsible all political factions that fail to seriously “remove hurdles, avoid crises and allay fears” through dialogue.
In attendance were Prime Minister Najib Mikati, ex-Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and a host of politicians from across the political divide, along with Muslim and Christian religious figures.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Michel Aoun, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun, did not attend.
Political sources said Speaker Nabih Berri had earlier informed Sleiman that he would be unable to attend, saying he had other engagements.
Recent media reports have indicated that Berri may be the target of an assassination plot by Islamist extremists.
After the National Dialogue resumed and two sessions were held in June, the president postponed until Aug. 16 a session that had been scheduled for July 24 after the March 14 coalition said it would boycott the talks. The coalition tied its participation in future sessions to the Cabinet providing security bodies with telecommunications data which they argue is necessary to investigate assassination attempts targeting Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in April and Batroun MP Butros Harb earlier this month.
March 14’s decision to boycott the Dialogue also followed Hezbollah’s declaration that it was premature to discuss a national defense strategy, which politicians were to address during the session Sleiman postponed. “It is ironic that Dialogue stalled when the U.N. Security Council convened to praise the call for resuming Dialogue and to encourage leaders to carry on with it,” said Sleiman, adding that the EU had done the same. “Let us take advantage of clear regional and international support so we do not tie our stability to wagers on events abroad or narrow political interests, and so that we proceed with building a just and capable state,” he added.
Sleiman said Lebanon’s interests and the need to distance the country from regional turmoil and protect civil peace required that politicians participate in Dialogue and address disputed issues “with open minds and hearts.”The president warned against “wrong stances based on ambiguous readings or short-term calculations.”
“The logic of the history of our diverse society holds that no group or sect in Lebanon can dominate the other,” he said.
“Arms cannot dominate in Lebanon, no matter how the balance of power of local and regional groups changes.”
Sleiman said that in parallel to Dialogue, efforts should be made to implement all the items of the Taif Accord which ended Lebanon’s 197590 Civil War and to improve the functions of institutions “in consensus ... and based on Constitutional mechanisms.”
He also highlighted the need to adhere to an agreement reached during the National Dialogue session on June 11 to implement agreements reached in previous Dialogue sessions. These include disarming Palestinian groups outside Palestinian refugee camps. Politicians also agreed to support the Army, distance Lebanon from regional conflicts and tone down political rhetoric.
Sleiman emphasized the need for the quick endorsement of a new election law and another law implementing administrative decentralization which he said would be discussed soon.
Touching on the ongoing unrest in neighboring Syria, Sleiman said he still hoped that a “comprehensive political solution” would be reached as soon as possible, and voiced fear that the alternative would see Syria sliding further into violence.

Beirut Bishop Boulos Matar appointed to Vatican council
July 26, 2012 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Pope Benedict XVI appointed Boulos Matar, the Maronite bishop of Beirut, Wednesday to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, a department aimed at countering growing secularization. The Vatican announced that Matar, as well as Archbishop of Jos in central Nigeria Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, would be joining the department.
Benedict created the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization in 2010 in a renewed effort to reach out to traditionally Christian regions that have become increasingly secularized.
The pope said at the time of the inauguration of the council that one of the reasons behind its creation was that secularization had caused “a serious crisis” of the sense of the Christian faith and the role of the church. Members of the council attend an annual plenary at the Vatican and serve renewable five-year terms. Matar had been favored last year as a replacement for Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, who was succeeded by Beshara Rai. His appointment comes ahead of the pope’s visit to Lebanon which, despite the violence in neighboring Syria, is scheduled for Sept. 14 to 16. It will come 15 years after the historic visit by the late John Paul II, in 1997. The visit is to take place under the slogan, “I give you my peace,” and the pope will sign the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation for the Middle East. Benedict XVI is expected to meet with Muslim leaders, as well as deliver a speech to government officials, emphasizing coexistence in the Middle East.

Nuclear Iran more dangerous than preventing it: Israel
AFP./Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday that an Iran armed with nuclear weapons would be far more dangerous to the Jewish state than the possible consequences of preventing it from obtaining those arms. "We might have to reach difficult and fateful decisions regarding Israel's national security and ensuring its future," Ehud Barak told graduates of the national security college in remarks relayed by his office. "I am well aware and have in-depth knowledge of the difficulties and the complexities involved in thwarting Iran's reaching nuclear arms," he said.
"But I have no doubt that dealing with that same threat once it ripens, if it ripens, will be vastly more complicated, dangerous and exacting in human lives and resources," said Barak.
Israel, the sole if undeclared nuclear power in the Middle East, says Iran's nuclear programme poses an existential threat to it, and has repeatedly refused to rule out military action to halt Tehran's nuclear activity. In video remarks broadcast at the same Wednesday event, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran's nuclear programme "a threat to us, to the Middle East, to world peace."
"We are galvanising the international community to hard, heavy pressure against Iran, and are committed to doing anything we can to stop it from becoming nuclear," he said.
Iran refuses to bow to Western demands that it curb its sensitive uranium enrichment under the pressure of punishing economic sanctions that were ramped up at the beginning of the month to their toughest level so far. Tehran is demanding that its "right" to enrichment be recognised and that the sanctions be eased.
The Islamic republic rejects Western suspicions that it is seeking a nuclear weapons capability, insisting that its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful.

Canada worried Syrian chemical weapons could fall into wrong hands: Baird
By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says the government is concerned about the possibility of Syrian weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands. Baird met with members of the Syrian opposition and with Syrian-Canadian representatives in his office. The topic of a post-Assad regime was discussed during the meeting.
He says Canada and its allies are worried that chemical and biological weapons stockpiled by Bashar al-Assad's regime could either be used against opponents, or by other extremist groups before or after the government falls.There has been evidence that al-Qaida jihadists have been infiltrating the crisis in Syria, something Russia has held up as a reason for blocking United Nations sanctions against Assad.
Baird says Canada is still hoping for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, noting that not every situation requires military action.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Baird Meets with Canadian Members of Syria’s Opposition
July 25, 2012 – Ottawa - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird met today with Canadian members of Syria’s opposition in order to discuss recent developments in Syria, the concerns of Syrian-Canadian oppositionists and concrete ways in which Canada can help with the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria.The group was accompanied by Father Paolo Dall’Oglio, an Italian-born priest who was a prominent voice for interfaith dialogue in Syria for many years until his recent expulsion by the Assad regime.

Iran accuses Israel of plotting Bulgaria bus attack
(Reuters) - Iran's U.N. envoy accused Israel on Wednesday of plotting and carrying out a suicide bomb attack on a bus in Bulgaria a week ago in which five Israeli tourists were killed.
A suicide bomber blew up the bus in a car park at Burgas airport, a popular gateway for tourists visiting Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, killing himself, the Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian bus driver and wounding more than 30 people.
Israel has accused Iran and the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah of the bombing. Iran has denied the accusations.
"It's amazing that just a few minutes after the terrorist attack, Israeli officials announced that Iran was behind it," Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told a U.N. Security Council debate on the Middle East. "We have never and will not engage in such a despicable attempt on ... innocent people."
"Such terrorist operation could only be planned and carried out by the same regime whose short history is full of state terrorism operations and assassinations aimed implicating others for narrow political gains," Khazaee said. "I could provide ... many examples showing that this regime killed its own citizens and innocent Jewish people during the last couple of decades.
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Haim Waxman said Iran's fingerprints were all over the bomb attack in Bulgaria, as well as dozens of other plots in recent months around the world.
"These comments are appalling, but not surprising from the same government that says the 9/11 attack was a conspiracy theory and denies the Holocaust," Waxman said in a statement.
Some analysts believe Iran is trying to avenge the assassinations of several scientists involved in its controversial nuclear program that it blames on Israel and the United States. Israeli diplomats have been targeted in several countries in recent months by bombers who the Jewish state maintained had struck on behalf of Tehran.
"The time has come for the world to put an end to this campaign of terror, once and for all," Waxman said.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Jackie Frank)

Syria's chemical weapons shrouded in secrecy
AFP – Tue, 24 Jul, 2012.
.Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, which Damascus has acknowledged for the first time, is decades old and among the biggest in the Middle East, but experts are divided over its exact nature.
President Bashar al-Assad's regime caused a global uproar Monday when it vowed to use its chemical weapons if attacked by outsiders, although not against its own people.
But public data about the stockpile is scarce, as Syria is one of the few countries that has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Damascus has however signed the Geneva protocol, which bars the first use of chemical and biological weapons, though it does not make stipulations about production, storage and transfer.
"We are closely following information about Syria... but we can't say more without sending inspectors on the ground," Michael Luhan, a spokesman for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, told AFP.
Intelligence services also have little to say on the subject.
"Syria's well-established chemical warfare program includes a stockpile of nerve agent, which can be delivered by aircraft or ballistic missiles," Defense Intelligence Agency chief Lieutenant General Ronald Lee Burgess said in March 2011 testimony before a Senate panel.
"Syria continues to seek chemical warfare-related precursors and expertise from foreign sources."
Syria is stockpiling "hundreds of tons" of various chemical agents, according to Leonard Spector of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
"Their panoply of chemical agents is quite robust," said Olivier Lepick of the Foundation for Strategic Research think tank in Paris.
"They have successfully mastered the synthesis of organophosphorus compounds -- the latest, most efficient and most toxic generation of chemical weapons."
This family of compounds includes sarin and VX nerve agents, as well as older agents such as mustard gas, a mix of sulfur dioxide and ethylene.
Syria's program was launched in the 1970s with help from Egypt and later from the former Soviet Union. In the 1990s, Russia lent a hand, followed by Iran since at least 2005, according to the independent Nuclear Threat Initiative.
The Scientific Research Council in Damascus appears to be directing the Syrian chemical weapons program, the NTI said.
The US Congressional Research Service pointed to accessible information suggesting that the production and storage of nerve gas and mustard gas is concentrated in and around the cities of Al-Safira (southeast of Aleppo), Damascus, Hama, Homs and Latakia.
Delivery vehicles include Scud ballistic missiles and launch systems, along with aerial bombs and shells, according to publicly-available information.
However, "there is not sufficient information in open sources to draw any conclusions about the security of Syria's CW arsenal," the NTI warned.

Iran’s Support for Terrorism in the Middle East
Matthew Levitt /U.S. Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on Near Eastern and Central Asian Affairs
July 25, 2012/As Iran continues its efforts to become a nuclear power, it has employed an aggressive foreign policy that relies heavily on clandestine assets abroad to collect intelligence and support foreign operations. The world's most active state sponsor of terrorism, Tehran relies on such activity to further its perceived interests. At the same time, the regime faces increasing international pressure in the form of diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, and outright sabotage. From the Stuxnet virus to the assassination of Iranian scientists, Tehran feels targeted by Israeli and U.S. intelligence services in particular. This convergence of interests and threats has strengthened the regime's longstanding and intimate relationship with the terrorist organization Hizballah, making their combined operational capabilities and willingness to act abroad that much more dangerous. Download Dr. Levitt's remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the past scope and near-term outlook of Iran's terrorism sponsorship, including its willingness to take direct terrorist action of its own using intelligence personnel and elite military units.

Israel and Egypt: In-Depth Reports from a Changing Region
David Makovsky and Eric Trager
July 25, 2012
An unexpected crisis such as rocket attacks from Sinai, rather than an immediate abrogation of the peace treaty by newly elected leaders in Cairo, is the leading threat to Egyptian-Israeli relations, Washington Institute Ziegler distinguished fellow David Makovsky told an audience of policymakers and journalists at a Policy Forum on July 25. Makovsky, who recently returned from a trip to the region, was joined by Institute Next Generation fellow Eric Trager, who spent much of June and July conducting extensive research in Egypt.
Israeli leaders are concerned that their window of opportunity to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon is fast closing, Makovsky reported, and the lack of synchronization between U.S. and Israeli timelines on Iran may raise the chances of Israeli military action before America's elections in November. Though U.S. and Israeli policymakers are in regular contact, the Israeli government believes international "P5+1" talks with Iran are running out the clock and may force Israel to take unilateral action or lose its ability to prevent an Iranian nuclear breakthrough.
Trager charted the Muslim Brotherhood's networks of contact with and control over the leading Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) as well as President Morsi's administration. While the Egyptian military will likely remain locked in a low-intensity struggle with the Muslim Brotherhood and allied political parties for some time, Trager warned Americans not to look to the Egyptian armed forces as a bulwark against rising Islamism. Rather than standing up for secularist principles, the military is chiefly concerned with protecting its bureaucratic and budgetary turf. In parliament, Trager outlined a near term of "competitive theocracy" between the Brotherhood-aligned FJP and more hardline Salafists -- a battle the Salafists may be better positioned by their ideology and organization to win.

Report: Nasrallah offered Assad to meet in Lebanon
Roi Kais/07.25.12/Ynrtnews
Unconfirmed newspaper report says Hezbollah chief contacted Syrian president following Damascus terror attack, offered to help army with reinforcements
Lebanese newspaper Al-Joumhouria reported Wednesday that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah contacted Syrian President Bashar Assad after last week's terrorist attack in Damascus and offered to meet him in Lebanon and help with reinforcements. The report has not been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Russia accused the US of trying to justify terrorism against the Syrian government and berated Western nations it said had failed to condemn a bomb attack that killed senior security officials.to Al-Jounhouria, Nasrallah offered his condolences for the death of four top Syrian officials and proposed meeting Assad where he was staying or at the Iranian embassy in Beirut. Assad rejected the offer.
Sources told the paper that Hezbollah had drawn up a plan for military intervention in Syria in coordination with the former Syrian defense ministry who was killed in the terror attack. According to the plan, 2,000 Hezbollah members will join Assad's forces and set up missile batteries and radar systems at the Jordan Valley. The sources estimated that the plan had not changed.
Meanwhile, Russia said it has received "firm assurances" from Damascus that its Syrian chemical arsenal is "fully safeguarded", Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the state-owned Itar-Tass news agency. Moscow also said fresh European Union sanctions against Syria were "counterproductive" adding that it would not recognize measures it viewed as a de-facto blockade of the country.
The Foreign Ministry expressed dismay over measures requiring EU member states to inspect sea and air cargoes headed for Syria from third countries if they suspect weapons may be on board.
Also Wednesday, Turkish authorities have told the UN refugee agency that its borders with Syria will close to commercial traffic but remain open for Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict, a UNHCR spokeswoman said.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report

The truth about Iran
Hagai Segal /07.25.12/Ynetnews
Op-ed: Iran’s positive Olympic statements about Israel won’t interfere with plans to murder more Jews . I’m sorry to rain on the parade, but in my view there was no reason to celebrate the Iranian Olympic chief’s announcement that his athletes would be willing to compete against Israelis. Such face-offs are highly unlikely as it is, so the historic declaration will not be translated into practical terms given the Olympic schedule. Moreover, such things happened before. For example, in the previous pope’s funeral in 2005, Israel’s then-President, Moshe Katsav, warmly shook hands with his Iranian counterpart at the time, Mohammad Khatami. Right after that, Katsav shook hands (twice!) with the current Syrian president, mass murderer Bashar Assad.
Mideastern affairs experts and body language masters rushed to view this as a positive harbinger on our eastern front, yet shortly thereafter, vigorous denials were issued in Damascus and in Tehran. In short, we ended up looking like fools. Yet even if the Iranian sports minister himself shows up for a judo contest against our own Arik Ze’evi, it would be better for us to refrain from loud applause. Indeed, in the past we have seen a ping-pong game prompting the resumption of diplomatic relations between two hostile nations (the United States and China, in 1972) but this is not the case here.
We are not America, and Ahmadinejad is not Mao Zedong. Iran is a sworn enemy that seeks our extermination. One of its arms is building a nuclear bomb, while the other arm is organizing terror attacks against us worldwide. An Iranian decision not to boycott us at the London Olympics would be similar to the racist Germany agreeing to host black and Jewish athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1936, simply because there was no other choice. By the way, the head of Iran’s delegation to London also pledged the other day that should a minute of silence be declared in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered in the 1972 Olympics, “The Iranians will honor the event.” This is truly touching, but there should be no confusion here: These days, the Iranians are planning many more moments of silence for us ahead of future Olympic competitions.

Al-Assad commits international suicide
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
Like a whale deliberately beaching itself, Bashar al-Assad committed suicide internationally when his official foreign affairs spokesman announced that the regime has chemical and biological weapons, stored in secure locations and under the control of al-Assad’s forces. The spokesman then added that these weapons would not be used regardless of how the Syrian crisis develops, and that the regime would only resort to such measures in the event of foreign aggression!
Acknowledging the possession of these weapons, from the mouthpiece of the al-Assad regime itself, constitutes a compelling reason for an international coalition to move against it, not to mention the fact that the regime has threatened to use such weapons in the case of any external interference. This acknowledgement does not only implicate al-Assad, but it also exposes the Russians who are defending the tyrant of Damascus. Acknowledging the possession of these weapons, and threatening to use them, indicates of the level of desperation the regime in Damascus has reached. Al-Assad has now freely admitted what he spent the past 40 years denying. This evokes memories of Muammar Gaddafi, who allowed the Americans to inspect even his chicken coops and claimed to have handed over all his banned weapons; however he still kept some that were only discovered after he was overthrown. This also brings to mind the case of Saddam Hussein, who fell victim to his own lies about chemical weapons in the past, but admitted after he was captured that he could not reveal the truth about not possessing nuclear weapons, in order to maintain his “macho” image in front of Iran! Meanwhile we find al-Assad, in a clear state of desperation, publicly delivering his neck to the Israelis and the international community!
This step can only be described as political suicide, and gives a clear justification now to deal with a tyrant who does not hesitate to commit the most heinous crimes against the people of Syria. Consequently, he may use these weapons against his people, or against his neighbors, especially considering that the weapons will only be used in the case of foreign intervention in Syria, and the regime has never stopped labeling the rebels and the revolution as the product of a foreign conspiracy! After this, who can continue to safeguard a regime such as this, which has killed around 17,000 Syrians so far? Certainly no one! Hence, al-Assad’s acknowledgement of using chemical and biological weapons is evidence that the regime is on the verge of collapse, and it has genuinely lost its senses. Otherwise, it would not have dared to issue this highly provocative statement, which by necessity requires international action quickly in order to ensure that these weapons do not fall into the hands of Hezbollah or some other entity. More importantly, intervention is required to ensure that the regime does not use these dangerous weapons against the unarmed Syrians, especially with the intensification of fighting in the Syrian capital Damascus, and in the city of Aleppo, and the increasing violence that the al-Assad regime is carrying out as it loses control all over Syria. The al-Assad regime may well use its prohibited weapons, just as Saddam Hussein did against the Kurds in Halabja.
Al-Assad and Saddam Hussein are two sides of the same coin; they are Baathists, although their crimes varied. They also share the same suicidal mentality, Saddam ended up in a hole, and here is al-Assad digging one for himself!

The Brotherhood’s “Caliphate” revolution
By Mshari Al-Zaydi
Asharq Alawsat
There was nothing new or surprising in last week’s Friday sermon given by Sheikh Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas Government in Gaza, during which he said that the Muslim Brotherhood reaching power in Egypt and Tunisia represents the beginning of the "Islamic Caliphate."
During this sermon, Haniyeh considered the meeting that took place between Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi and Hamas Political Bureau chief Khalid Mishal – both of whom were brought up in the Muslim Brotherhood under Hassan al-Banna’s ideology – as being the result of the Arab Spring, which "will open the chapter of the Caliphate."
Prior to this, Hamadi Jebali in Tunisia issued a rousing speech on 13 November 2011 at the Ennahda movement summit in Sousse during which he announced the dawn of the sixth Rashidun Caliphate.
As for Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, one of the symbols of the political Islamist movement in Yemen, he waxed poetic about the mass protests in Sanaa against Ali Abdullah Selah’s regime, saying this represented the dawn of the Islamic Caliphate across the Muslim world. Al-Zindani repeated this in a subsequent interview with Kuwait’s Al-Rai newspaper, saying that Mursi’s election win in Egypt portends the rise of the Islamic Caliphate.
Less prominent symbols of the Islamist movement have followed suit, such as Muslim Brotherhood intellectual Kamal al-Hilbawi, who in recent weeks has repeatedly called for an alliance of Arab Spring states ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood, specifically Tunisia and Egypt. I think al-Hilbawi was betting on Libya joining this list before the latest election results there. Al-Hilbawi is also calling for the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate, even if he is explaining this in a modern manner in order to reassure the general public. Al-Hilbawi is saying that this alliance would be along the lines of the European Union or the Union of South American Nations, despite the fact that we already have an organization for Islamic cooperation, namely the Organization of the Islamic Conference [OIC]. Al-Hilbawi does not hide the fact that Iran would be a principal party in this Muslim Brotherhood union; moreover, he has also reproached the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt for failing to “rush” into the arms of its ally of yesterday, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Therefore, we are facing something that goes beyond a civil or democratic revolution against tyranny, corruption, and bequeathal of power. Nor can this be described “merely” as a civil movement. In fact, we are facing a movement or trend that has epic historical dreams, and its danger lies in its vagueness and manipulation of historical and religious sentiments in order to cling to power. Who would dare reject pledging allegiance to the "Caliph," or oppose the “Caliphate” project, when Mursi – as his follower Safwat Hegazi previously said – in in the position to be the president of the United Islamic Arab States, whose capital would be Jerusalem, not Cairo! This Muslim Brotherhood thinking about a “United Islamic Arab States” is very dangerous, as it indicates a lack of belief in the current established borders, and that these are only being accepted and dealt with out of necessity. During an interview with Al-Jazeera, al-Hilbawi also previously stated that Egypt is merely a subsidiary province in the grand guardianship state, i.e. the Caliphate. Whilst is true that al-Hilbawi said this within the framework of justifying women assuming some governmental posts in Egypt, as the guardianship that prohibits women from assuming such posts under Islamic Sharia law is based on the grand guardianship. However, this justification has had grave results and impact beyond the “soft” jurisprudential stance regarding the guardianship of women in Egypt. I truly wish we had been spared this booby-trapped jurisprudential gift!
Thus, the dream of establishing the Islamic Caliphate is a dream that has been in the blood of the Muslim Brotherhood from the beginning, and it is the "sacred spear", which they raise against their opponents, and via which they attract supporters who are moved by such imperial dreams. This is precisely the way that dreams of the “Third Reich” moved Hitler’s supporters, or the Roman dreams of Il Duce Mussolini moved the public in Italy.
The Muslim Brotherhood movement started in Ismailiyah in Egypt in 1928, i.e. six years after the official announcement of the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1922, and the establishment of the Turkish republic in 1923. The psychological, jurisprudential, intellectual, and political impact of this is something that continues to affect us today. The Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb ut-Tahrir and many other movement and organizations are the result of this fragmentation.
One of the essential reasons behind the establishment of Hassan al-Banna's movement is the restoration of the Caliphate, which is "sacred" in the Muslim Brotherhood’s view. This is not to mention the Brotherhood seeking to ascend to power and gain “mastership” of the entire world, as well as impose Hassan al-Banna’s ideology on the international community at large. Last year, during the year of revolutions, Muslim Brotherhood General Guide, Dr. Mohamed Badie, said “we have moved closer to achieving our greatest aim, as identified by Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, namely to gain mastership of the world.”
We are facing an epic revolutionary trend that is haunted by historical delusions. At the very least, this is the ideological rhetoric that has justified their survival all these years, and it is also the essential raison d'etre of this group. Thus, let those good people who chant innocently about democracy and civil society, and those who subscribe to the policy of “wait and see”, have mercy on us! The issue is far more dangerous and complicated than this fleeting understanding of the situation.
In 1924, when the opportunistic political dreams of inheriting the throne of the Ottomans started to emerge, there were rational and enlightened men in Egypt and elsewhere, who put the issues on the right course and exposed the secret ambitions hidden under the cover of religion and [historic] delusions.
The contemporaries of the Ottoman, Abbasid, or Umayyad states, and all the Islamic sultanates did not view them as possessing a divine glow or romantic symbolism. This is something that the new writers of history, including television preachers and so-called “story-tellers” have tried to promote.
Those who lived under these caliphates considered them a temporal, not spiritual authority. They had the right to agree or disagree with them, and even rebel. The irony is that most of those who rebelled did so in the name of God and Islamic Sharia law, at least superficially, and then when they themselves ascended to power and tasted the sweet fruits of authority, in turn became liable to criticism on the pretext of lacking religious authority. This was a state of affairs that was repeated over and over again, this is our never-ending story.
Among those who tried to break these intellectual shackles, and expose the delusion with valid questions, was the courageous and enlightened Al-Azhar-educated Sheikh Ali Abdel-Raziq in his important book, "Al-Islam wa Usul al-Hukm [Islam and Foundations of Governance]. This book became the subject of fierce attack from all directions, from Al-Azhar itself which withdrew Abdel-Raziq’s postgraduate degree, to the allies of the King of Egypt, who aspired to inherit the title of Caliph after the sun had set on the Ottoman Empire, to the scholars and theorists of the Caliphate illusion. However, Sheikh Ali Abdel-Raziq’s questions remained unanswered until today. He said, “The messenger of God, peace be upon him, was sent as a mercy to the people, and he is a Messenger of guidance and blessings whom God sent to the entire human race, he was not a King preoccupied with establishing a state.”
In his distinctive book, Abdel-Raziq stated that: "the Message is different from Kingship, and there is no correlation whatsoever between them. The Message is one thing, and Kingship is another; there are many kings, who have not been prophets or messengers, and God Almighty has sent many messengers who were not Kings; moreover, most of the messengers we have known have been only messengers [not kings]."
However, ambitious politicians can always find those who will protect them, as well as those willing to imbue politics with [religious] sanctity and purity. This is precisely what the Muslim Brotherhood’s orators, preachers, writers and their ilk are doing in their escape to the fore from the worldly question to the slogan of religion. Therefore, there is nothing new under the sun!

Cairo: Dr. Hisham Qandil: From Water Resources to Prime Minister
25/07/2012
By Asharq Al-Awsat
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – Dr. Hisham Mohamed Qandil, who held the post of Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources in the Essam Sharaf and Kamal el-Ganzouri governments would never have imagined that the first democratically elected Egyptian president in the post-revolutionary period would appoint him as prime minister and charge him with forming a government.
Qandil distinguished himself as the first bearded Egyptian minister in the post-revolutionary period, whilst he is now the first bearded Egyptian prime minister to serve under the first bearded – and democratically elected – Egyptian president. This is a state of affairs that has raised questions over whether Qandil is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood organization. Qandil has asserted that he has never belonged to any political party, either before or after the Egyptian revolution, whilst a spokesman for Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi described the new prime minister as an “independent patriot.”
Qandil is a relatively low-key figure, and information about his life is scarce. He speaks in a quiet voice and has shunned the media spotlight during his time as Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources. Mursi’s selection of Qandil as his prime minister has served as something of a surprise in Egypt, as many believed that the Egyptian president would appoint a more prominent or well-known figure.
The new Egyptian prime minister was born in 1962 and graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University in 1984. He obtained his Master’s degree from Utah State University in 1988 and his PhD from the North Caroline State University in 1993.
Qandil was also awarded the Egyptian Order of the Republic – Second Class in 1995.
He served as chief of staff for former Irrigation Minister Mahmoud Abou Zeid between 1999 and 2005. Following this, he served as a member of the Nile Council of Ministers of the Nile Basin Initiative and later as president of the African Ministers Council on Water. The Nile Basin Initiative is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to equitable and sustainable management and development of the shared water resources of the Nile Basin.
Qandil later worked as an engineer at the African Development Bank [AfDB] in Tunisia, eventually becoming chief water resources engineer at AfDB. He was in charge of developing AfDB water resources and irrigation projects in a number of African countries, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and others.
He also served as an observer of the joint Egyptian – Sudanese Nile Water Authority.
On 15 July, Qandil accompanied President Mursi to the African Union [AU] summit in Ethiopia. This trip sought to strengthen Cairo’s ties with its African neighbors after years of neglect under former president Mubarak. Mursi previously stated that improving Egypt’s relations with the Nile Basin countries is one of his priorities, and Qandil’s appointment as Egyptian prime minister will serve in this regard due to his strong ties with the Nile Basin Initiative.
Qandil was not considered a prominent figure on the Egyptian political scene prior to the 25 January revolution. Following this, he was appointed Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources in successive post-revolutionary governments before being Mursi’s surprise choice for prime minister. Qandil is not a member of any political party and has denied being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, stressing his moderate credentials.
During his tenure as Minister of Irrigation, Qandil hired 8,000 temporary workers from different sectors. He also promoted approximately 5,700 ministry employees, granting them a permanent contract.
Qandil has stated that he will seek to form a technocratic government, stressing that “competence” will be the sole criterion for selecting ministers. Speaking at a press conference following his nomination as prime minister, Qandil said “we must exert all efforts to achieve the goals of the revolution.” He also called on “all political forces and the people of Egypt to support us in this difficult mission”, highlighting the economic, social and environmental challenges that lie ahead.

Report: 105 families flee Syria, enter Gaza
Elior Levy/25.07.12/Ynetnews
Palestinian families, Jihad operatives escape escalating violence, return to Gaza Strip through Egypt, Palestinian news agency says
More than 100 Palestinian families have fled Syria due the escalation in fighting between government and opposition forces, the Palestinian Maan News Agency reported Wednesday.
Hamza Abu Shanab of the Gaza-based Palestinian Coalition for the Syrian Revolution told the news agency that that 105 families originally from the Gaza Strip have returned safely through Egypt's Rafah crossing in recent days. Some of the migrants had business ties in Syria, while others were students attending local universities, the official said.
Abu Shanab noted that 300 Palestinians were killed and 900 injured since the violence in Syria began 16 months ago. Some 10,000 Palestinians have been detained by Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, although some have been freed.
According to the report, Palestinian terror operatives, including Ibrahim Shehada of the Islamic Jihad, have also returned to Gaza.
Hamas' government in Gaza confirmed that many Palestinians have fled Syria and entered the Strip through Rafah. The families were not ones residing in Syrian refugee camps, but ones that previously left the region.
Earlier this week, London's Asharq Alawsat newspaper reported that the Islamic Jihad's leadership has left Damascus, where it been based for years, and has relocated to Iran. Hamas leaders have reportedly left Damascus months ago.
Meanwhile, Turkey has closed its Syria border crossings to traffic and cargo, effectively cutting the trade ties with its neighbor.
Turkey's foreign trade minister, Zafer Caglayan, said that the measure was taken due to the deteriorating security situation in Syria.