Bible Quotation for today/Warning against Judging One Another
James 04/11-12: " Do not criticize one another, my friends. If you criticize or judge another Christian, you criticize and judge the Law. If you judge the Law, then you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it.  God is the only lawgiver and judge. He alone can save and destroy. Who do you think you are, to judge someone else?

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources

Lebanon’s new government and Syria/By: Abdul Wahab Badrakhan/Al-Hayat/April 14/13
A View from Cairo: Egypt Is Too Big to Save/By: Mahmoud Salem/Washington Institute/April 14/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 14/13

Suleiman on Civil War Anniversary: Lebanese Must Cooperate to Steer Clear of Regional Crises
Lebanon's president makes national interest top priority

Suleiman Signs Draft Law Suspending Nominations Deadline until May 19

Lebanon stability key for region: Kuwait deputy speaker
Three missiles from Syria land in Lebanon’s Hermel
Charbel Suspends Deadline for Elections Nominations until May 19
North Lebanon: Scabies outbreak in Syrian refugee camps
Assir “will not rest” before closing Hezbollah apartments
Kataeb bloc MP Elie Marouni calls for politically-powered cabinet

Geagea on Civil War Anniversary: We Strive for Strong State as War Does Not Benefit Anyone

March 8 Dismayed by Leak of Alleged Technocrat Cabinet Lineup
Dar al-Fatwa: Higher Islamic Council Elections Set for Sunday
Abductions between Arsal, Jaafar Clan End with Release of Remaining Captives
Report: Salam Working within Ten-Day Deadline to Form New Govt.

Miqati Urges Youth on Civil War Anniversary to Avoid Being Manipulated in 'Futile' Battles

Report: Neutral Govt. Aimed at Marginalizing Christians, Says FPM

Report: March 8 Reaches Agreement on Main Conditions over New Cabinet

Report: March 8 Reaches Agreement on Main Conditions over New Cabinet

Kidnappers free Lebanese, Italians held in Syria

Britain has proof of chemical weapons use in Syria, report says

Bomb Blast on Bus Kills Nine in Northwest Pakistan

Retrial of Egypt's Mubarak Collapses in Chaos

Kerry Tells Xi N. Korea, Iran and Syria 'Critical'

U.S., China agree on NKorea denuclearization push

Frustration as retrial of Egypt's Mubarak aborted

Syrian troops kill at least 12 rebels in ambush
Chemical warfare looms over Syria. Israel passes atropine to rebels

Report: Iran successfully tests three new missiles
US takes Iran sanctions violators off blacklist

Suleiman on Civil War Anniversary: Lebanese Must Cooperate to Steer Clear of Regional Crises
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman stressed on Saturday the need for national interests to be placed above all else in order to keep the country clear of foreign conflicts.
He said: “We must derive lessons from regional developments and realize the need for cooperation among all sides to keep country away from these crises.”
He made his remarks on the 38th anniversary of the eruption of the Lebanese Civil War.
Suleiman continued: “Lebanon must be kept away from the regional disputes in order for the Lebanese people to live in stability and prosperity.”
They should not be made to once again pay the price of other people's conflicts, he added.
In addition, the president highlighted the importance of respecting constitutional dictates, through forming a new government and staging the parliamentary elections.
The civil broke out in 1975 and ended in 1990 through the Saudi-sponsored Taef accord, signed in 1989.
Around 120,000 people were killed in the unrest.

Lebanon's president makes national interest top priority
Now Lebanon/Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on Saturday called on Lebanese politicians and party leaders to make the country’s national interest a priority.
“Putting the national interest above all other considerations [should be] the common goal that officials and [party] leaders [strive to achieve],” the National News Agency quoted Suleiman as saying.
The president also reiterated the importance of holding the parliamentary elections on time “to [maintain] Lebanon’s image and reputation as a democratic country that deserves the respect of the international community.”
Last month, Suleiman and Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati signed a decree to hold the elections on June 9, a move that would have the elections take place according to the current 1960 law if the country’s political parties fail to reach a consensus on a new electoral draft.
This decision sparked angry responses from the March 8 coalition, who refuse to contest an election under the 1960 electoral law and have repeatedly called for the Orthodox proposal to be brought up for a vote in a plenary session of the parliament.

Geagea on Civil War Anniversary: We Strive for Strong State as War Does Not Benefit Anyone
Naharnet/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea renewed on Saturday the demand for the rise of a state capable of achieving stability, security, and justice for all in Lebanon. He said: “We realize now more than ever that war does not benefit any side, which is why we seek the rise of a strong state capable of imposing its authority throughout its territories.” He made his remarks before a delegation from the Joy of Giving non-profit organization on the occasion of the 38th anniversary of the eruption of the Lebanese Civil War. Geagea added: “I understand your concerns as no one likes a war and when I was young like you I was fearful over my fate and that of my family.”“I was forced to take part in the war against my wishes in order to defend the nation and our existence,” he stressed. “We have high expectations from the youth of Lebanon. You are a promising future for the country and you must continue your struggle,” he declared. “You must continue your sacrifices for the rise of a state that believes in the freedom and dignity of its citizens,” he added. The civil broke out in 1975 and ended in 1990 through the Saudi-sponsored Taef accord, signed in 1989. Around 120,000 people were killed in the unrest.

Dar al-Fatwa: Higher Islamic Council Elections Set for
Naharnet /The elections of members of the Higher Islamic Council will take place on Sunday, said Dar al-Fatwa on Saturday. It announced in a statement that the elections will take place at 10:00 a.m. in all centers of the authority throughout Lebanon. The Higher Islamic Council elects the mufti and organizes the affairs of Dar al-Fatwa, Lebanon’s top Sunni religious authority. Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani stressed on Friday that a new Council will be elected on Sunday, denying reports on any postponement. Divisions within Dar al-Fatwa began to surface last year when the 32-member council extended its own term until the end of 2013, a move Qabbani deemed as illegal. The mufti refuses to hold or join any meetings at Dar al-Fatwa and called last month for elections of council members to be held on April 14. Last year, the Shura Council suspended a call for the elections after 21 Council members, who are close to ex-Premier Saad Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement, filed a challenge against Qabbani's invitation to hold the polls.

Report: March 8 Reaches Agreement on Main Conditions over New Cabinet
Naharnet /The March 8 camp will continue to facilitate Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam's mission to form a new government amid an agreement being allegedly reached between its members, reported various media outlets on Saturday. As Safir newspaper said that a meeting had taken place Friday morning between the Hizbullah leader's aide Hussein Khalil, Speaker Nabih Berri's political aide caretaker Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's aide caretaker Minister Jebran Bassil during which they agree on core issues over the new government that they will not waiver on. The gatherers at the meeting, held at Rabieh, agreed to “completely reject the formation of a one-sided government,” revealed As Safir. They also opposed any violation in the manner in which the cabinet will be formed, adding that the “former parliamentary majority should be represented at cabinet according to its true political size.” They voiced their commitment to the Taef Accord, while rejecting any attempts to violate it. In addition, they stressed the importance of forming a political cabinet capable of tackling the developments in the region. Meanwhile, a prominent March 8 official told As Safir that even if the new cabinet is primarily aimed at staging the parliamentary elections, “does that mean it will not face economic, political, and security challenges?” “Can a technocrat government take the decision to disassociate Lebanon from the Syrian crisis?” asked the official who was kept unnamed. “The demand to form a cabinet capable of overseeing the elections may be an excuse to establish a one-sided one,” he noted. He also did not rule out the possibility that the new government may take decisions that may lead Lebanon to dangers more serious than the ones previous governments were made to face.
Leading March 8 sources later told al-Joumhouria newspaper that the camp is monitoring the government-formation process with optimism. On claims that conditions are being imposed on Salam, they said: “One must be reminded that when former Premier Saad Hariri was attempting to form a new government, he met with Berri ten times, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah twice, and Aoun three times.” The March 8 forces have called for forming a political, national unity cabinet, while the March 14 forces have called for forming a neutral, technocrat cabinet. Salam has meanwhile said that he is seeking a cabinet to oversee the parliamentary polls that does not contain MP hopefuls.

Report: Neutral Govt. Aimed at Marginalizing Christians, Says FPM
Naharnet /The Free Patriotic Movement is keen on forming a government that will tackle national concerns, not just the parliamentary elections, reported al-Joumhouria daily Saturday. FPM sources noted: “The alleged neutral government is aimed at marginalizing Christians.” “We want a government that will not be strictly aimed at holding the elections, because several pending issues could topple the cabinet,” they added.
They want a cabinet for the elections, but there are several issues that cannot be avoided and need to be tackled, remarked the sources. “How will these cases be addressed and with what political cover?” they wondered.
The March 8 forces have called for forming a political, national unity cabinet, while the March 14 forces have called for forming a neutral, technocrat cabinet. Premier-designate Tammam Salam has meanwhile said that he is seeking a cabinet to oversee the parliamentary polls that does not contain MP hopefuls. The FPM, of MP Michel Aoun, has a “comprehensive vision” of the situation in Lebanon and the elections, starting with an agreement over a new electoral law, explained the FPM sources. Moreover, they said: “If the alleged leaks over the names of possible candidates in the cabinet are true, then it means that preparations are underway to form a government of ghosts.” “There is no such thing as neutrality and the cabinet's real purpose is to impose the 1960 electoral law in the elections,” they explained. The real battle will center over the electoral law and not the formation of the government, they remarked. The FPM and the majority of the political parties of the rival March 8 and 14 camps have repeatedly rejected the adoption of the 1960 electoral law for the elections, which was adopted during the 2009 polls. The Movement has advocated the Orthodox Gathering law that it says offers Christians in Lebanon fair representation. The law has been rejected by President Michel Suleiman, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, the Mustaqbal Movement, National Struggle Front of MP Walid Jumblat, and independent Christians March 14 officials, who said the proposal deepens sectarian divisions in Lebanon.

Abductions between Arsal, Jaafar Clan End with Release of Remaining Captives
Naharnet /The series of kidnappings between the Bekaa town of Arsal and the Jaafar clan ended on Saturday with the release of the remaining captives held by both sides, reported the National News Agency.
It said that seven Arsal residents were released by the Jaafar clan, while five clan members were released by locals from the town. The case was resolved through the Army Intelligence's assistance. Late Friday night, a member of the Jaafar clan who was abducted in March by unidentified armed men and taken to Syria was freed, the An Nahar daily said Saturday. “Hussein Jaafar arrived to Arsal Friday night. The families of Arsal had collected the ransom demanded by the kidnapers which amounted to $139,000,” the Jaafar clan told the daily. “A number of the Arsal dignitaries headed to the Syrian region of Yabroud, where the kidnappers are, under the close supervision of the Lebanese army,” they added. A fresh wave of tit-for-tat kidnappings erupted on Thursday between members of the Jaafar clan and residents of Arsal after mediators almost managed to secure a swap deal between the rival parties. Arsal residents abducted four members of the Jaafar clan and a member of the al-Rachiini family who were working in the vicinity of Arsal. The Jaafar clan kidnapped Arsal resident Bilal Ezzedine on the Arsal-al-Labweh road in retaliation. Reports identified the rest of the hostages as Ali al-Rachiini, Ali Karami Jaafar, Hasan Nazir Jaafar, Mohammed Ali Jaafar and Mohsen Jaafar.
The kidnappings and counter-kidnappings started after the abduction of Hussein Jaafar, who hails from the town of al-Bustan in Hermel, on March 24.

Report: Salam Working within Ten-Day Deadline to Form New Govt.
Naharnet /Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is unlikely to follow the lead of his predecessor Najib Miqati, who took too long in forming a new government, but he is keen on establishing one that will oversee the elections, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. Observers monitoring his activity told the daily that Salam is working within a ten-day deadline within which he will announce the formation of a new cabinet.
They noted that the premier-designate had completed his consultations with the president, speaker, caretaker prime minister, and parliamentary blocs and he is therefore now capable of coming up with a government that will meet their demands under his slogan of a cabinet of national interests. He is working in accordance to the constitution and he will therefore not allow any power to impose its conditions on him, they stressed.
Moreover, they deemed the leaks over the identities of potential ministers of the new government as an attempt to force Salam to conduct a new round of consultations, “which will not happen because each bloc has already expressed its vision of a new cabinet.”“In the end, the premier-designate will act as a leader, not a messenger,” remarked the observers. Sources meanwhile told al-Joumhouria daily Saturday that the leaks are aimed at pressuring Salam to adopt a certain government formation. “No one can impose their candidates on the prime minister-designate and he will not follow the conduct that was adopted in previous government-formation processes,” they noted. “He is seeking the establishment of a cabinet that can oversee the elections and it will therefore not include any factional or provocative figures,” they added.
The March 8 forces on Friday voiced dismay after media reports said Salam intends to form a small, technocrat cabinet and after the names of its alleged members were leaked.
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, ex-Minister Jean Obeid, former Minister Ziad Baroud, Raed Sharafeddine, former MP Nasser Nasrallah, Bahij Abou Hamze, Nicolas Nahhas and Mohammed al-Mashnouq are among the names that are being considered for the new government, according to several local newspapers. Change and Reform bloc MP Nabil Nicola criticized the leaked lineup during an interview on OTV.
“If technocrat means that the minister should be totally neutral, I think the political affiliation of some of the published names is very well-known,” Nicola said, in an indirect reference to Abou Hamze, who is close to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat. The March 8 forces have called for forming a political, national unity cabinet while the March 14 forces have called for forming a neutral, technocrat cabinet. And while Salam has said that he is seeking a cabinet to oversee the parliamentary polls that does not contain MP hopefuls, Jumblat has reassured March 8 that he will not vote for a one-sided government.

Three missiles from Syria land in Lebanon’s Hermel
Now Lebanon/One missile landed in the outskirts of the town of Al-Qasr and two others in the Sahlat al-Maa town in Lebanon’s Hermel. The National News Agency reported that the missiles landed in Lebanon due to the clashes taking place in nearby Syrian territory. The damage was only material with no casualties reported; however, the electricity network in the area was struck by the shelling.
Shells from Syria hit the northern border town of Al-Debabiyeh on Wednesday night, while a poultry farm was hit in Akkar’s Al-Kawashra and helicopters fired five rockets on the area of Al-Ajram outside the Beqaa town of Arsal. Syria had previously conducted air strikes outside the border town of Arsal on April 3 and March 18, after Damascus warned Beirut it would strike "terrorists" based in Lebanon. Syrian troops have conducted a number of incursions into Lebanese territory, some of which have resulted in fatalities. Syrian armed forces have also been accused of kidnapping Lebanese nationals along the border.
The border incidents and repetitive shelling of border towns prompted the Lebanese Foreign Ministry to send a memorandum to the Syrian embassy as per the instructions of President Michel Suleiman.

Assir “will not rest” before closing Hezbollah apartments
Now Lebanon/Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir stressed that he will not cease his fight against alleged Hezbollah gunmen who he purports are stationed near his Sidon Bilal Bin Rabbah Mosque. “We have vowed to not rest until we close Hezbollah’s apartments in Abra,” Assir said on Friday. “Hezbollah completely controls the state’s institutions,” the Sunni cleric added. He later noted, however, that his stance regarding Hezbollah and its Shiite ally Iran is merely “political.” Hezbollah was not the only target of the firebrand cleric’s condemnations, as he also denounced the positions of the Dar al-Fatwa Sunni religious body, Islamist Movements and the Future Movement.
He went on to accuse the Lebanese army intelligence of “tightening the noose” on him, and condemned their “actions against my followers.”Assir has been at the center of controversy in recent months, notably after causing disturbances in Sidon following calls to hold a sit-in protest against the alleged deployment of gunmen affiliated with the Shiite party Hezbollah in apartments near his mosque in Abra. The firebrand Sunni cleric rose to prominence for his outspoken opposition to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his calls for disarming the Shiite party Hezbollah.

Kataeb bloc MP Elie Marouni calls for politically-powered cabinet
Now Lebanon/Kataeb bloc MP Elie Marouni said that an efficient cabinet should be one that is strong, political and supported by all. “The country needs an efficient cabinet, that is capable of resolving the bad situation prevailing on all levels, and an efficient cabinet should be political, strong and supported,” Marouni said Saturday during an interview with the Free Lebanon radio. The MP also said that if a consensual salvation cabinet was formed, his party would participate in it. “If the cabinet is not to include candidates for the elections, the Kataeb will also facilitate its [formation], and participate in it,” he added. Lebanon is awaiting the formation of a new government after caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati announced his resignation last month citing differences within his cabinet over electoral and security issues. Unlike the Kataeb, its allies the Lebanese Forces and the Future Movement support the formation of a non-political technocrat cabinet. PM-designate Tammam Salam held talks over the last few days with the country’s parliamentarians and consulted with them over the shape of the government that he will attempt to form.

Lebanon’s new government and Syria
Saturday, 13 April 2013
By: Abdul Wahab Badrakhan/Al-Hayat
If what happened last month is not a victory for Lebanon’s March 14 bloc then it is definitely a defeat for the March 8 bloc. The criterion is the lousy performance of the resigning Lebanese government in comparison to the tremendous success of the drastic transformation that moved the majority from one camp to another. At the time, March 14 was undoubtedly the defeated party. Former Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati must have understood by now who had manipulated him and why he had been unconvincing. It is not related to his character, but rather to the political context.
Some might say that Hezbollah has become wiser and willingly gave up embarking on adventures or reconsidered its position and it always does in order to cater to the needs of its secretary general no matter how unrealistic they might be. No, it is not possible for a party who controls the government to give it up all of a sudden and relegate itself from a “ruling” party to a “participating” one.
Surprise choice
Most importantly, the party and its allies would have to accept what is said about “the return of Saudi to Lebanon,” a matter that Saudi itself did not state, and they shifted from the “one-color government” option to naming Tammam Salam, who was neither its choice nor that of its allies in Tehran and Damascus. This means Hezbollah would agree to, rather insist on, a “consensual” government, which the Lebanese know from experience would turn into the opposite and become “hypocritical” government. As for the “national interest government” suggested by the new prime minister, it needs to be given a chance and the same applies to him even though the term “national interest” has been subjected to series of insults and manipulations. It could mean that Bashar al-Assad and his regime are to remain in power, or that the Iranian supreme guide would support the “armament of the resistance” or that Michel Aoun is to go back to Baabda Palace as president or the monopoly of oil that is still in the sea. That is why the term “national interest’ needs to be re-defined and re-produced.
Former Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati must have understood by now who had manipulated him and why he had been unconvincing.
For those who do not know or do not want to know, it is important to point out some basics. First, the Syrian-Iranian camp found itself unable to repeat the game and bring a government with the same criteria as Mikati’s. Second, Iran could not see itself run the country on its own after the end of the Syrian role especially that this makes its responsible for a kind of “stability” it cannot achieve despite its obsession with power and control. Third, the “Saudi sponsorship” with a forced Iranian approval does not mean that Hezbollah will withdraw from al-Qusair and all its strongholds in Syria regardless of what the Baabda Declaration stipulates.
**This article was first published in Lebanon-based April 13, 2013.

Kidnappers free Lebanese, Italians held in Syria
Saturday, 13 April 2013/Al Arabiya with Agencies -
A Lebanese man kidnapped in the border area with Syria was freed on Saturday, prompting the release of 11 other people who had been held in a string of retaliatory kidnaps. Hussein Kamel Jaafar, a Shiite resident of an area near the northern Lebanese town of Arsal, was kidnapped last month and reportedly taken into Syria. In response, members of his family took captive several local Sunnis, whose families also carried out retaliatory kidnappings.
“A delegation of Arsal residents returned from Syria at dawn this morning after receiving Hussein Kamel Jaafar,” a security source told AFP. “They paid a ransom of $150,000 to secure Jaafar’s release,” the source said.
Local television showed footage of Jaafar arriving in Arsal in the early hours of Saturday, and being received by officials. “I was kidnapped by bandits and thieves, not the Free Syrian Army,” Jaafar told LBC news, adding that his captors “beat me and tortured me.” In a statement, the Lebanese military confirmed the release of Jaafar and 11 other men who had been abducted in recent weeks, both Sunni and Shiite.
After Jaafar’s kidnap, armed members of his family from Hermel and Baalbek kidnapped several Sunni residents of Arsal, security sources said, prompting additional counter-kidnaps of Shiite Lebanese.
Arsal is a majority Sunni Muslim town whose inhabitants generally support the revolt in neighboring Syria. Largely Shiite Hermel and Baalbek are strongholds of the Hezbollah organization, which backs the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Meanwhile, four Italian journalists kidnapped and held in war-torn Syria since April 4 were freed, a statement from interim Foreign Minister Mario Monti said according to Reuters.
The statement gave no details about who had held the reporters or where they were released, but state news agency ANSA said they were now in Turkey.

Britain has proof of chemical weapons use in Syria, report says
Now Lebanon/Experts in Britain have found proof of chemical weapons being used in Syria.
British military scientists have found forensic evidence that chemical weapons have been used in the conflict in Syria, the Times newspaper reported on Saturday. A soil sample thought to have been taken from an area close to Damascus and smuggled back to Britain has provided proof that "some kind of chemical weapon" had been fired, it quoted defense sources as saying. The tests were carried out at the Ministry of Defense’s chemical and biological research establishment at Porton Down, it added in the front-page story. Diplomats at the United Nations said on Thursday that Western Nations have "hard evidence" that chemical weapons have been used at least once in the Syrian war, without giving details. The British team were unable to discern whether the weapons had been fired by President Bashar al-Assad's regime or by the rebels fighting him, nor could they say if there had been widespread use, The Times said. It cited an unnamed source as saying: "There have been some reports that it was just a strong riot-control agent but this is not the case -- it's something else, although it can't definitively be said to be sarin nerve agent." The Ministry of Defense had no comment when contacted by AFP, although the Foreign Office said it was deeply concerned about the possible use of chemical weapons.
"We are deeply concerned about multiple reports alleging the use of chemical weapons in Syria," a spokesman said. "We have shared our concerns with the UN secretary general and fully support his decision to investigate. "The use of chemical weapons would be a horrific crime. Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who participate in their use, will be brought to account. Assad's government has asked the United Nations to investigate its claims that opposition rebels fired a chemical weapon shell in Aleppo province on March 19. In response, the UN assembled a team of international experts, led by Ake Sellstrom of Sweden, in the region.
But Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem wrote to UN chief Ban Ki-moon this week saying the government could not accept an inquiry that extended to claims against its own forces.

North Lebanon: Scabies outbreak in Syrian refugee camps
Now Lebanon/Poor hygiene caused scabies outbreak in areas overpopulated with refugees
An outbreak of scabies among Syrian refugees in the village of Assoun in the Dinniyeh district of North Lebanon has raised concerns this week that the skin infection could be prevalent in other areas where refugees are concentrated.
“There are a lot of cases of scabies [in Lebanon],” said Ali Aoun of the non-profit International Medical Corps. “Wherever you find a collective [refugee] shelter, you can find scabies.”
Scabies, or the “seven-year itch” as it’s also known, is a contagious skin disorder that leads to an exceptionally uncomfortable rash caused by mites burrowing under the skin. It is contracted by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person and is usually passed on after prolonged hand-holding. The rash from scabies has a similar appearance to a collection of small pimples or mosquito bites.
According to Aoun, scabies is usually caused by poor hygiene. “It depends on the shelter, where refugees are living, the water being used, if sewage water is going directly into the ground or into the sewage system, the [quality of the] bottled water and many [other] issues,” he said. “There are five to six families sharing a house, and each person tends to have very bad hygiene, so that’s how they contract scabies,” said Aoun.
Earlier this week, the president of the Assoun Municipality, Moutasem Abdel Kader, released a statement calling for government action against the scabies outbreak. With Assoun hosting 350 Syrian refugee families, Abdel Kader said the refugees outnumber the locals causing a fear of contamination. “The number of cases is big and spreading fast,” said Dr. Samira Elsaghir, a Tunisian national working with a group funded by a member of the Qatari royal family. Elsaghir said she distributes towels and medication to those infected as well as organizing sessions about scabies and hygiene. Still, the actions of her and her colleagues have not been enough to eradicate the infection. “The scabies are spreading because the area is overpopulated, crowded, there is a lack of hygiene and the disease is contagious,” she said, adding that although the situation was precarious it has improved since December when she started working with the refugees to combat scabies.
Abdel Kader said in his statement that he had informed the Ministry of Public Health but no action had been taken. Aoun said each district in Lebanon has an office manned by a medical doctor and a few administrative workers in addition to primary health care centers. “The support of the Minister of Public Health to these health care centers is not sufficient to cover the needs so [International Medical Corps] is covering the needs by supporting many clinics,” said Aoun.“The Ministry of Health does not cooperate with us,” Elsaghir said, adding that this may change since her group has received permits to set up mobile clinics. Currently though, Elsaghir maintained that “the Ministry of Public Health is doing nothing.” Neither the Ministry of Health nor the head doctor at Assoun’s government-run medical office responded to NOW’s requests for comment.
Without support from the ministry, the only battle against the spread of scabies is being waged by non-profits and non-governmental organizations. But these groups are also stretched thin, with very few actually working in areas as hard to access as Assoun. “Unfortunately, in the mountainous Dinniyeh area, we are not supporting any clinic at the moment, but our mobile medical team will visit this area soon and will assess the number of refugees and their shelter and act accordingly,” said Aoun.
While Aoun indicated that the situation should be taken seriously, he also sought to calm overreactions.
“It’s not a pandemic or something that should be feared, but it’s a [parasite] that comes from bad hygiene,” he said.

Chemical warfare looms over Syria. Israel passes atropine to rebels
DEBKAfile Special Report April 13, 2013/As the Syrian civil way went into its third year this week, signs abounded of increasing readiness for the use of chemical weapons on both sides of the conflict.
Since February, the US, Israel, Ankara and Amman have been aware of Bashar Assad’s resolve to override their threats and resort to deadly poison gas if the rebels closed in on the heart of Damascus. On April 3, an unnamed Syrian army officer made the warning clear. By continuing to advancie on Damascus, he said, “the rebels and their leaders” were assured of “certain death.”
At about the same time, debkafile reported exclusively that the Syrian ruler had ordered protective suits for chemical warfare and gas masks distributed to the 4th and 3rd Divisions defending the capital. Tank commanders were told to activate their filtering systems against chemical and biological agents.
Protective suits have since been distributed to the Syrian army units fighting in southern Syria and the Golan, the enclave divided between Syria and Israel by the 1974 ceasefire that ended the Syrian war of attrition after the Yom Kippur War. These steps were registered by the joint counter-chemical warfare center set up between the US, Israel, Turkey and Jordan when President Barack Obama visited their capitals in the third week of March. In the last few days, Israeli troops were asked by this center to start handing out atropine injections or IV drips to Syrian rebels fighting Syrian troops on the Golan.
Extracted from deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), Jimson weed (Datura stramonium) and mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), atropine is highly effective for blocking such nerve agents as sarin, VX, soman and tabun and counteracting the effects of poisoning, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and low heart rate.
The IDF’s distribution of a chemical weapon antidote to Syrian rebels may be regarded as the first Israeli intervention in the Syrian conflict, a small step past administering medical treatment to Syrians wounded in battle.
The Syrian high command will have noted this, or been tipped off by its Iranian, Russian or Hizballah intelligence comrades. And, say debkafile’s military sources, this may account for the Syrian decision for the first time in 34 years to direct shell fire at an IDF Golani patrol on duty Friday night, April 12, in the northern Golani area of Kibbutz El-Rom.
No one was hurt. But in order to deter the Syrians from making this attack a precedent, Israeli artillery and a Tamuz rocket returned the fire, achieving a direct hit on the Syrian outpost.
The British disclosure April 12 in the Times of London of soil samples smuggled out of Syria provided forensic evidence of the use of chemical weapons but carefully avoided assigning responsibility.
Though containing traces of “some kind of chemical weapon” collected from an unidentified “neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus,” the British experts could not identify the type of weapon – possibly even tear gas – or whether it was fired by forces loyal to President Assad or the rebels fighting him. debkafile’s military sources note that, even if Britain’s MI6 secret service knew the answers to these questions, they would take care not to make them public so as not to build up the pressure for Western military intervention - pledged by President Obama in the event of chemical weapons being used in Syria – before the US president was ready to give the go signal.

A View from Cairo: Egypt Is Too Big to Save
Mahmoud Salem/Washington Institute
April 12, 2013
Prematurely granting an IMF loan without pressuring the Muslim Brotherhood government to reform and compromise would only accelerate Egypt's descent into failure.
Two years after the popular revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, Egypt appears headed toward a "failed state" scenario. While Cairo has not yet defaulted on its debts -- an economic hallmark of nearly all erstwhile states -- it already meets many of the other political conditions associated with comprehensive failure. In Washington, the discussion is narrowly focused on the implications of the rapidly deteriorating economic situation, with little appreciation that the financial morass is inextricably linked to the government's increasingly authoritarian politics. If the ruling Islamist party does not change its approach, the economy will not improve, and the state will move closer to collapse.
THE POLITICAL CRISIS
Since the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) came to power, governance in Egypt has exhibited several classic characteristics of failed states:
Inconsistent and selective application of law. On March 27, an Egyptian court overturned President Muhammad Morsi's November 2012 decision to replace the sitting prosecutor-general with Talaat Abdullah, a crony who has since focused investigations solely on the MB's political opponents. The ruling renders all of Abdullah's investigations illegal. By ignoring the verdict and going after activists even more aggressively, the state -- personified in the president, his government, and the prosecutor-general -- has shown its willingness to undermine rule of law.
Deterioration of services. Basic public services such as electricity and gas are falling apart, with most Egyptians experiencing daily power cuts.
Unaccountable security apparatus. The interior minister, a Brotherhood loyalist, deploys the police to clash with opposition protesters while protecting the MB thugs who beat and torture demonstrators.
Delegitimization of the state. Due to a legally faulty election law issued by the Morsi-appointed upper house of parliament, the legislative elections originally slated for this month have been delayed until November. Meanwhile, the opposition is now refusing to participate in elections because Egyptian institutions cannot guarantee the fairness of the process. When Secretary of State John Kerry tried to mediate last month, the MB undercut his efforts by publicly calling for elections without any of the promised changes to the electoral law, which were the basis of his mediation. The situation is pushing Egypt toward failure, and the MB government shows no sign of seeking a solution.
POLITICS LINKED TO ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
The political crisis has contributed to the country's rapid economic deterioration. Unemployment has risen sharply, and tourism -- which traditionally comprised around 20 percent of gross domestic product -- is virtually nonexistent, with hotels experiencing occupancy rates of 10 percent on average. The dearth of dollars from tourism and foreign investment has left foreign reserves at a record low. Foreign currency is scarce, forcing many to turn to the black market at exorbitant exchange rates. Devaluation of the Egyptian pound has exacerbated the rising price of goods, and inflation is expected to worsen once the government implements the austerity measures mandated by the International Monetary Fund.
To be sure, an IMF deal could help jumpstart the moribund economy. Politics have stymied any such agreement since 2011, however. Last December, the government declared that it would move forward with austerity measures, but when backlash from the announcement threatened passage of the constitutional referendum a few days later -- a vote essential to the MB's power-consolidation agenda -- Cairo hedged on its commitment. In response, the IMF made its loan contingent on approval by the future parliament, a condition the government agreed to because it believed a new legislature would be in place by June.
To reach that target date, the MB attempted to force through an electoral law, but the Supreme Constitutional Court deemed it legally inconsistent and noncompliant with the new constitution in a February 18 ruling. The government ignored that finding and continued with plans to call for elections, only to have the law struck down by the Supreme Administrative Court two days later.
Given the time required to redraft and pass the law, as well as the intervening month of Ramadan, parliamentary elections seemingly cannot be held before October. As a result, Egypt will be unable to secure the IMF loan until year's end at the earliest -- six full months after the promised austerity measures are slated to kick in, the effects of which the loan money was supposed to alleviate.
With the loan that far off, the economy will face grave challenges this summer. The government will struggle to cover pensions, salaries, and remaining subsidies, and any number of nightmares could materialize: prices of consumer goods succumbing to hyperinflation; the U.S. dollar vanishing from banks and exchange offices; bank runs leading to bankruptcy; unprecedented losses on the stock exchange; lack of liquidity for new or existing projects; a lower credit rating that further drives away foreign investors; a drastic increase in petty crime; increasing layoffs; and the ever-looming prospect of a hunger revolution. Indeed, at the rate Egypt's economy is deteriorating, the much-debated IMF loan would likely keep the country afloat for only a few more months at most -- it is by no means clear that the money would catalyze much greater foreign assistance as Cairo expects.
This heightened potential for failure has not led the Brotherhood to the logical solution of finding political compromise or implementing much-needed economic and security reforms. In fact, the Morsi government shows no sign of changing the very methods that fueled the crisis, and its negotiating pitch has effectively been reduced to a threat: "Egypt is too big and too important for the United States to allow it to fail. Enough talk of reforms -- give us the money now without preconditions or risk the country failing on your watch." In short, the MB is holding Egypt for ransom, leaving Washington with a handful of dangerous options.
IMPLICATIONS
Current U.S. support for Cairo is tied to America's three main interests in Egypt: the Suez Canal, military cooperation, and the peace treaty with Israel. Given that each of those interests is secured by the independent Egyptian military, backing the Morsi government holds little advantage for Washington. If anything, it opens the Obama administration to unnecessary criticism on the domestic and foreign fronts.
If Washington pushes the IMF to expedite the loan under the current economic and political conditions, it will not succeed in stabilizing the country or restoring investor confidence. Rule of law is key -- a loan without necessary reforms would be money wasted on propping up a failing government for a few more months, further entangling Washington with the Morsi administration at a time when the latter's long-term survival is increasingly costly and doubtful.
A more effective option is to support the IMF's demands and make clear that Egypt's welfare depends on Morsi's ability to compromise with the opposition. Without such measures, Egypt is simply too big for outside actors to save. The funds required to jumpstart the economy as is would be similar to those needed for the reconstruction of Iraq, which neither the United States nor the EU can afford at the moment. If Morsi's government survives the summer, and if the eventual elected parliament approves the IMF austerity measures, Cairo could then receive its all-important loan. In the meantime, Washington can rest assured that its strategic interests are being secured by the Egyptian military.
Mahmoud Salem, a.k.a. @Sandmonkey, is a blogger and columnist for Daily News Egypt. In 2011, he was a candidate for parliament with the Free Egyptians Party.