Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources/August 19/13
Coptic Pope Blasts Muslim Brotherhood, US, EU

Syrian opposition: Iran and Hezbollah ruling Syrian regime
No Casualties as Five Rockets Hit Hermel, al-Qaa

250 Kgs of Explosives Found in Car near Naameh Municipality Building

Four-Member Gang Confesses Attempts to Detonate Naameh, Other Booby-Trapped Cars

Jumblat Calls for a National Unity Cabinet, Rejects Attempts to Divide Security Agencies

Jarba Says Iran, Hizbullah Now Running Syria

EU Warns of 'Urgent Review' of Egypt Ties Failing End to Violence

Jumblat Calls for a National Unity Cabinet, Rejects Attempts to Divide Security Agencies

Internal Security Forces acting chief Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous Denies Booby-Trapped Car Located near his Residence

Couple Defy Destruction with Symbolic Wedding at Ruwais Bomb Site

ISF: Pilots Case Detainees in Good Health, Can be Visited upon Permission

Miqati Voices Support to Army Measures in Tripoli, Calls on Parties to Resume Dialogue

Mouawad Condemns Ruwais Bombing, Slams March 14 Alliance's Carelessness

Report: March 14 Says Hizbullah to Further Involve Lebanon in Syria Conflict

Iran, Hezbollah now running Syria: opposition

Rockets from Syria hit east Lebanon Hezbollah stronghold
Jumblatt slams labeling security agencies in sectarian terms
Army reopens Jbeil road blocked by Lassa residents
U.N. chemical weapons inspectors to start work in Syria on Monday

Mansour Describes Ruwais Blast as 'Massacre', Warns of Sectarian Division

Charbel Calls on Lebanese to Unite to Prevent Instability

Relatives of Aazaz Pilgrims Protest as Three Suspects Held over Turkish Pilots' Abduction 

Hariri to Nasrallah: Your Speech Drags Lebanon Further into Syrian Turmoil

Egypt's al-Sisi: Army to confront violence
Sisi Says Violence Won't be Tolerated, Urges Islamists to Join Political Process

Hungry and Scared, Syrian Kurds Seek Refuge in Iraq

Egypt Islamists Cancel Some Marches amid Violence Fears

Egypt cabinet debates Brotherhood's fate, death toll climbs

Advancing army kills jihadist emir in Syria's Latakia: Activists

Egypt Islamists Vow New Demos after Police End Mosque Stand-Off 

Egypt's al-Sisi: Army to confront violence
American al-Qaida militant calls for attacks on US diplomats
New Centcom underground war room in Amman for US intervention in Syria

Egypt security forces storm protester-held mosque; government considers Muslim Brotherhood ban

Ashton Urges Iran's New FM to Resume Nuclear Talks

Assad Says Determined to 'Eradicate Terrorism'

U.N. Chemical Weapons Inspectors Arrive in Damascus

Dozens of Egyptian Brotherhood members die in jailbreak as army warns against violence

Coptic Pope Blasts Muslim Brotherhood, US, EU

http://www.aina.org/news/20130818125428.htm

(AINA) -- Since ex-president Morsy's ouster on July 3, attacks on Egyptian Christians by members of the Muslim Brotherhood have taken place in most governorates across Egypt. These attacks have escalated since security forces ended the pro-Morsy protests in central Cairo on August 14th. During their 6-weeks of protests, Muslim Brotherhood leaders explicitly threatened to harm the Copts should they be forced to end their protests, which they vowed to prolong until Morsy is restored to power.
"Over the past weeks we have witnessed an increasing trend of anti-Christian rhetoric calling for 'the attack upon and eradication of Christians and churches' in Egypt," said Coptic Bishop Anba in the United Kingdom. "The result of such incitement, at least in part, has been the unprecedented attack on fifty two churches and numerous Christian homes and businesses across eight governorates in Egypt, within the space of twenty four hours."
Yesterday Dr. Naguib Gabriel, President of Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organization, said "82 churches, many of which were from the 5th century, were attacked by pro-Morsy supporters in just two days."
Coptic Pope Tawadros II issued a statement yesterday expressing his views on the violence which engulfed Egypt, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of fomenting sectarian clashes.
The Pope said the Church is on "the side of Egyptian law, the armed forces and all the Egyptian civil institutions when it comes to confronting violent armed organizations and terrorizing forces, either within the country or from abroad." The Pope pointed out that one should look beyond the squares where the Muslim Brotherhood have been holding their protests, in order to gain a general overview of what has been happening for weeks in Egypt. "The attacks on government buildings and peaceful churches terrorize everyone, whether they be Copts or Muslims. These actions go against any religion, any moral code and any sense of humanity."
The Coptic Church also criticized the way in which the crisis is reported outside of Egypt. It expressly speaks of "false broadcast by Western media," and urges for an "objective" revision to be made of the descriptions given to the actions of those "blood-thirsty radical organizations." The Coptic Orthodox Church says that "instead of legitimizing them with global support and political coverage while they are trying to wreak havoc and destruction upon our beloved land, report all events truthfully and accurately."
Pope Tawadros reaffirmed his support for "national unity" and rejected any form of "international interference in our internal affairs."
The Pope is at the top of the Islamists' assassination list.
The views of the Coptic church are also held by Copts in general, who are angry with the US and EU powers, "who almost daily issue statements threatening to take further actions against our interim government and army, portraying the Muslim Brotherhood as victims while not even mentioning the destruction of over 80 churches, as well monasteries, orphanages, businesses and Coptic schools by the Muslim Brotherhood," says Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub who believes that this western attitude emboldens them to carry out further violence. "To add insult to injury the Muslim Brotherhood this week hoisted the black Al-Qaida flag on top of St. George's church in Sohag. Three churches were turned into mosques in Minya and Friday prayers were held inside them."
By Mary Abdelmassih
© 2013, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.

New Centcom underground war room in Amman for US intervention in Syria
http://www.debka.com/article/23199/New-Centcom-underground-war-room-in-Amman-for-US-intervention-in-Syria
DEBKAfile Video August 17, 2013/Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Amman this week to inaugurate the Centcom’s Forward Command in Jordan manned by 273 US officers. US media correspondents were permitted to visit the new war room for the first time on condition of non-disclosure of its location and secret facilities. debkafile’s military sources report that the installation is bomb- and missile-proof against a possible Syrian attack. The US Air Force command section is in direct communication with the US, Israeli, Jordanian and Saudi Air Force headquarters ready for an order by President Barack Obama to impose a partial no-fly zone over Syrian air space. Another section is designed to coordinate operations between US and Jordanian special forces, as well as the units trained in commando combat by US instructors in Jordan. A closed section houses CIA personnel who control the work of US agents going in and out of Syria and also a communications center.
In his briefing to US forces Thursday, Aug. 15, Gen. Dempsey commented: “Jordan lives in a very volatile region and at a very critical time in its history. They can count on us to continue to be their partner.”
He suggested that the operation could continue well into next year or beyond. Situated atop the underground facility is a large surface structure accommodating the American military and civilian offices dealing with Syrian issues from Jordan. It is guarded by US and Jordanian security units. There are today some 1,000 US military personnel in the Hashemite Kingdom, plus a squadron of F-16 fighters and several Patriot anti-missile batteries strung along the Jordanian-Syrian border to shield Jordanian and American bases and the capital, Amman. This special debkafile video presentation illustrates US, Saudi, and Jordanian preparations for military intervention in the Syrian civil war and its likely repercussions. Obama’s final decision on US military intervention – consisting of a no fly and a buffer zone in Syria – is expected in the coming two to three weeks, depending on Dempsey’s recommendations upon his return to Washington after checking out preparations in Israel and Jordan. In neither operation will US boots touch Syrian soil. The buffer zone in the south up to Damascus would be captured by 3,000 rebels trained in special operations tactics and armed by US forces in Jordan. Jordanian special forces are to spearhead the operation under US command. Assad may take the fight outside his borders by launching missiles against Israel, Jordan and maybe Turkey. Hizballah may join in with rocket attacks on Israel. Iran will beef up its active military presence in Syria and Jordan. And Russian Rapid Intervention units are on standby for saving Assad at their Black Sea and South Caucasian bases

250 Kgs of Explosives Found in Car near Naameh Municipality Building
Naharnet /Explosive materials and devices were found on Saturday evening in a car parked near the municipality building of the Naameh neighborhood in Mount Lebanon's Shouf district. "Five barrels of TNT, explosive material, fuses and detonators were found in the car,” the state-run National News Agency reported, noting that the weight of the explosives is estimated at 250 Kgs. The NNA detailed: “The car was parked on the main road in Naameh, specifically near the town's municipality building. It is an Audi and has a fake number plate.” “The car was set to be remotely detonated,” it said. Security forces asked civilians and reporters to stay away from the scene as it is still being inspected by experts, according to the same source. Later, MTV said the experts dismantled the explosives that were planted in the car's door. Earlier on Saturday, the NNA said security forces cordoned off the Naameh region after suspecting that a car parked in a building's parking is booby-trapped. Lebanese regions have been a scene of several violent attacks in the last months. On Thursday, a huge explosion rocked the southern suburb of Beirut, killing 27 people and wounding over 325 others.And in July, a booby-trapped car exploded at a parking lot in Dahieh's Bir al-Abed, leaving 53 people wounded and causing extensive material damage. Meanwhile, on May 26, four people were wounded in a rocket attack on Beirut's southern suburbs. Earlier this month, one Egyptian national was killed and two other people were wounded when they were setting up explosive devices in Mount Lebanon's Iqlim al-Kharroub's region.

Four-Member Gang Confesses Attempts to Detonate Naameh, Other Booby-Trapped Cars
Naharnet/At least three people detained by the General Security Directorate confessed that they were planning to detonate a booby-trapped car found in Naameh neighborhood in South of Lebanon in another location.
Information obtained by Naharnet on Sunday showed that the confessions of the car-bombing ring helped the security agencies seize the car parked in Naameh neighborhood. The members of the network revealed that the car, which was rigged with explosives, was set to be detonated in another area. Saturday afternoon security agencies seized a car filled with 250 kilograms of explosives near the municipality building in Naameh. The Audi car carrying fake license plate numbers contained five barrels of TNT, explosive material, fuses and detonators were found in the car along with a device to remotely detonated it. The Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces swiftly cordoned off the area. The state-run National News Agency later reported that the gang, which is formed of four members, confessed that they belong to a network which was planning to detonate several cars across Lebanon. Later on Sunday, the ISF announced that among the seized material from the explosive-laden car were "five kilograms of an unknown explosive substance" and that a lab test was underway.

EU Warns of 'Urgent Review' of Egypt Ties Failing End to Violence
Naharnet /European Union leaders, Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, warned Egypt's army and interim government Sunday that the bloc was ready to "review" ties failing an end to violence and return to dialogue. In a long statement, the presidents of the European Council and European Commission leaders warned that further escalation could have "unpredictable consequences" for Egypt and for the region and placed responsibility for a return to calm on the army and government. "The calls for democracy and fundamental freedoms from the Egyptian population cannot be disregarded, much less washed away in blood," Van Rompuy and Barroso said. "In cooperation with its international and regional partners, the EU will remain firmly engaged in efforts to promote an end to violence, resumption of political dialogue and return to a democratic process.
"To this effect, together with its member states, the EU will urgently review in the coming days its relations with Egypt and adopt measures aimed at pursuing these goals." The statement was released 24 hours before senior diplomats from the 28 EU nations hold emergency talks on Egypt in Brussels in which they are expected to call for a snap meeting of foreign ministers within the next days. Saying it was crucial that violence end immediately, the statement added that "while all should exert maximum restraint, we underline the particular responsibility of the interim authorities and of the army in bringing clashes to a halt." "The violence and the killings of these last days cannot be justified nor condoned. Human rights must be respected and upheld. Political prisoners should be released."
Source/Agence France Presse.

Internal Security Forces acting chief Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous Denies Booby-Trapped Car Located near his Residence
Naharnet /Internal Security Forces acting chief Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous denied on Sunday that a booby-trapped car was found near his residence in the town of Chheim in Mount Lebanon. MTV reported earlier that the car was located near Basbous's residence, however, the acting ISF chief denied to LBCI the news. For his part, Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel also denied the news in comments to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3). He voiced hope that media outlets would carefully report news and check with the concerned people first. MTV said later that the car contains a dynamite and a detonator. However, security sources told LBCI that residents reported a suspicious car that has gunfire traces on it. The car belongs to a soldier and was parked in Daraya and moved later on to Chhim. The reports come after huge explosion rocked the southern suburb of Beirut on Thursday killing at least 27 people and wounding over 336 others.

Report: March 14 Says Hizbullah to Further Involve Lebanon in Syria Conflict
Naharnet /The March 14 coalition considered on Sunday that Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is not willing to alter it's policies and ready to further involve Lebanon in the turmoil in the neighboring country Syria. “We should expect the worst,” a leader in the March 14 alliance said in comment published in the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper. Nasrallah said on Friday he himself was ready to go and fight in Syria. The prominent leader in the March 14 camp told the newspaper that Hizbullah failed to abide by the so-called army-people-resistance equation, which Nasrallah vowed to hold on to. The sources said that the “bloody message” conveyed by the attack that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Ruwais on Thursday indicates that the Takfiris are setting the "rules of the game" by dragging Lebanon into the conflict in Syria. Nasrallah had accused radical Sunni takfiri Muslims of being responsible for the car bombing. The death toll from a car bombing that ripped through Ruwais has risen to at least 27 and wounded 336 others. A group calling itself the Brigades of Aisha Umm al-Moemeneen claimed in an online video the attack. Hizbullah is a key supporter of President Bashar Assad and has sent fighters across the border to Syria this year to bolster government forces, which have been battling a deadly anti-regime revolt since March 2011. Lebanon is deeply divided into supporters and opponents of the regime in neighboring Syria and the conflict now in its third year has stoked sectarian tensions and violence in the country.

Mouawad Condemns Ruwais Bombing, Slams March 14 Alliance's Carelessness
Naharnet /Head of the Independence Movement Michel Mouawad denounced on Sunday the “terrorist attack that targeted innocent Lebanese citizens in Beirut's southern suburbs,” pointing out that “targeting any Lebanese target all Lebanon.”“Those who died in Ruwais, Qusayr, Homs and Aleppo have sacrificed their lives in favor of schemes that have nothing to do with Lebanon or its interests,” Mouawad said during a dinner banquet in Ehden Country Club. Twenty-seven people were killed and more than 336 others wounded on Thursday afternoon in a powerful car bombing that went off between Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Ruwais. The official also condemned the celebratory gunfire at some areas after the Ruwais blast, stressing that “Hizbullah fault was that it distributed Baqlawa after the Syrian town of Qusayr fell in the regime's control.”
“We have reached a conclusion that intervening in Syria under the pretext of safeguarding Lebanon from Takfiris is a delusion,” Mouawad added. Hizbullah is a key supporter of President Bashar Assad and has sent fighters across the border to Syria this year to bolster government forces, which have been battling a deadly anti-regime revolt since March 2011. Lebanon is deeply divided into supporters and opponents of the regime in neighboring Syria and the conflict now in its third year has stoked sectarian tensions and violence in the country. He noted that the Lebanese should confront the “Iranian-Hizbullah project” in Lebanon by supporting the state and uniting their ranks. Mouawad called on the March 14 alliance to have a clear plan, saying that he opposes the coalition when “it weakens, contradict itself and haggles.”He also called on the state to operate the Qlaiaat airport in the North. “It's a strategic demand to Lebanon and the North,” he added

Couple Defy Destruction with Symbolic Wedding at Ruwais Bomb Site
Naharnet/In a show of defiance, a young man and a young woman on Sunday held a symbolic wedding ceremony in the bomb-hit neighborhood of Ruwais, which witnessed Thursday a devastative bombing that left 27 people dead and around 300 wounded. The couple's wedding had been previously scheduled for Sunday, but they refused to change it in the wake of the deadly blast. “Our joyful and mournful ceremonies are held in commemoration of the martyrs,” the groom, Ali Alaeddine, told reporters during a live broadcast of the event. “We offer our homes and souls to the resistance,” Alaeddine said, referring to Hizbullah, before he started chanting slogans in support of the group's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. For her part, the bride, Fatima Ajroush, said: “We tell the world that we do not fear anyone.” The young couple – who arrived on the scene in a yellow convertible sports car -- then headed to the bomb site and laid a wreath of flowers. The symbolic wedding soon turned into a popular demonstration, as residents of the area converged on the site and started chanting in support of Hizbullah and its leader. The casualty toll is the highest in Lebanon since a massive car bomb attack on the Beirut seafront killed former prime minister Rafik Hariri and 22 others in February 2005. Hizbullah is a key supporter of President Bashar Assad and has sent fighters across the border to Syria this year to bolster government forces, which have been battling a deadly anti-regime revolt since March 2011. A defiant Nasrallah said on Friday he himself was ready to go and fight in Syria against radical Islamists, whom he accused of being responsible for the car bombing. On Saturday, the Syrian opposition National Coalition warned against a "cycle of violence" in Lebanon if Hizbullah continues to send fighters to help the Damascus regime.

ISF: Pilots Case Detainees in Good Health, Can be Visited upon Permission
Naharnet/The Directorate General of Internal Security Forces on Sunday announced that the detainees held in connection with the case of the two abducted Turkish pilots are in “good health,” noting that their relatives are allowed to visit them after obtaining a permission from the public prosecution. “Some media outlets are still publishing news obtained from non-credible sources about the health of one of the detainees, whom they claimed Roumieh Prison's physician had refused to examine due to multiple fractures allegedly sustained from abuse during interrogation,” the ISF said in a statement. “These lies are baseless and the detainees are in good health and have not suffered any harm,” the statement added. The ISF noted that the relatives of the detainees can visit them at the Roumieh Prison anytime they want “after obtaining a permission from Mount Lebanon's public prosecution, according to the norms of the prison law.” Earlier on Sunday, al-Jadeed television said it had received phone calls from Roumieh inmates who confirmed that the detainee Mohammed Saleh “is wounded and he slept in the prisoner transport vehicle after Roumieh Prison's doctor refused to examine him.” Meanwhile, Hayat Awali, a spokeswoman for the families of the Aazaz abductees, told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that “the next steps will depend on the ruling that will be issued by the judiciary tomorrow (Monday) concerning the three detainees, and we will then act accordingly.”On Saturday, three people were arrested over their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of the Turkish pilot and copilot last week in Beirut, state-run National News Agency reported. The suspects, whose identity was not revealed, underwent an initial round of interrogation and their case has been referred to the prosecutor general, a judicial source told Agence France Presse. They "have been charged and were interrogated by a deputy prosecutor who issued arrest warrants against them," the source added, without giving further details. On Thursday, four people were summoned for investigation over their links to the abduction. Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had told al-Joumhouria newspaper that the individuals are relatives and friends of the Lebanese pilgrims held in Syria's Aazaz region. He revealed that their names were divulged by Mohammed Saleh, another relative of the pilgrims who was arrested on Sunday over his links to the pilots' kidnapping. Meanwhile, the families of the Lebanese pilgrims kidnapped in Syria's Aazaz staged a sit-in on Saturday to protest the “arbitrary” arrests of their relatives suspected of taking part in the abduction of the Turkish pilots. Following the Turkish pilots' kidnapping, the relatives of the pilgrims were quick to deny having any links to the abduction although they have repeatedly accused Turkey of being responsible for the release of their loved ones. In May 2012, eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo region as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage from Iran. Two of them have since been released, while the rest remain held in Aazaz.

Miqati Voices Support to Army Measures in Tripoli, Calls on Parties to Resume Dialogue
Naharnet /Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati expressed relief on Sunday over the measures undertaken by the Lebanese army to control the situation in the northern city of Tripoli, stressing that all officials fully support the military in its actions. Miqati called in a statement issued by his press office the army command to intensify the measures in the Tripoli to comfort the citizens in the northern city, which image was tarnished by the absurd battles. The rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen exchanged gunfire on Friday. Tripoli has witnessed recurrent clashes between the Sunni-majority neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the mainly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen. The clashes have become more frequent and deadly since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, which pits the Sunni-led opposition against the regime of President Bashar Assad, who is Alawite.
Tripoli police chief Brig. Gen. Bassam al-Ayyoubi announced early August the launching of a crackdown on gunmen in the northern city. The caretaker PM urged the city's prominent figures to contribute in spreading calm in the city by ending the strong rhetoric amid a period filled with challenges. Miqati considered the political situation in the city “alarming,” calling on all sides to resume dialogue in order to surpass the “difficult stage in the region.” He wondered where's the national interest by involving Lebanon in the battles of others, calling on the Lebanese to re-adopt the dissociation policy and resolve the local crises. “Exchanging the blame will not benefit us... We should swiftly form a unity cabinet and resume dialogue without setting any preconditions,” Miqati said. Lebanon is deeply divided into supporters and opponents of the regime in neighboring Syria and the conflict now in its third year has stoked sectarian tensions and violence in the country.

Jumblat Calls for a National Unity Cabinet, Rejects Attempts to Divide Security Agencies
Naharnet /Progressive Socialist Party Chief MP Walid Jumblat called on Sunday for a national unity cabinet, rejecting attempts to divide security agencies on sectarian basis. “A national unity cabinet should be formed as the ongoing vacuum disables attempts to resolves crises and halts the economy and people's living,” Former PSP's secretary Sharif Fayyad said quoting Jumblat at a press conference. The PSP canceled a ceremony set to commemorate the annual anniversary of the PSP martyrs in Aley after a blast that rocked Ruwais neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday. The death toll from a car bombing that ripped through Ruwais has risen to at least 27 and wounded 336 others. However, the PSP replaced the ceremony with a press conference where Fayyad said Jumblat's speech. Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is seeking the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the March 8, March 14 and the centrists camps would each get eight ministers and rejects to grant the veto power to any side. However, the formation consultations are expected to slow down as Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker PM Najib Miqati are on a vacation outside the country and Suleiman is expected to leave on a private vacation on August 18. The March 8 alliance has meanwhile been demanding that it granted veto power in a new cabinet, which the premier-designate has repeatedly rejected. While the March 14 coalition is calling for keeping Hizbullah away from the cabinet lineup over its role in Syria's war.
Jumblat described in his speech that attempts to divide the security agencies on sectarian basis as “a strong hit to the latest efforts exerted to safeguard the country.”Fayyad reiterated the Druze leader's calls for dialogue, stressing that the PSP is holding onto “dialogue, civil peace and stability.” “The PSP never hesitated to sacrifice to protect Lebanon,” Fayyad quoted Jumblat as saying. He voiced the party's support to the revolution in Syria, calling on the opposition in the neighboring country to “unite.” Hizbullah is a key supporter of President Bashar Assad and has sent fighters across the border to Syria this year to bolster government forces, which have been battling a deadly anti-regime revolt since March 2011. Lebanon is deeply divided into supporters and opponents of the regime in neighboring Syria and the conflict now in its third year has stoked sectarian tensions and violence in the country.

Ashton Urges Iran's New FM to Resume Nuclear Talks
Naharnet/The EU's top diplomat Catherine Ashton, who leads global talks with Tehran on its disputed nuclear drive, called for a resumption of the talks in a phone conversation Saturday with Iran's new foreign minister.
A statement from her spokesperson said Ashton phoned the new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to congratulate him on his new post.
Ashton "underlined her continued determination and commitment to seek a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue," the statement said.It added that she said the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany that Ashton represents in the negotiations "were ready to work with the new Iranian negotiating team as soon as they were appointed.""She confirmed the need for substantial talks that will lead to concrete results swiftly," it said, adding that Ashton and Zarif "agreed to meet soon". Early this month Ashton called on Iran's new President Hassan Rowhani to agree a fresh round of negotiations as soon as possible.
Ashton serves as lead negotiator with Iran for the so-called P5+1 powers, who believe the Iranian nuclear programme is being used to develop an atomic bomb though Tehran insists it is for peaceful purposes.
Rowhani has said Iran was ready for "serious" talks on its nuclear programme without delay. He headed Iran's nuclear negotiating team under reformist president Mohammad Khatami in the early 2000s, and Western leaders have expressed hope his election could herald a more constructive approach in the protracted talks. The hardline policies of his firebrand predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, prompted crippling EU and U.S. sanctions against Iran's oil and banking sectors that he has vowed to seek to relax. But Rowhani has said there could be no surrender of the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy that Iran claims under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Earlier Saturday, Iran's atomic agency said it has about 18,000 centrifuges, including 10,000 active ones, confirming figures from the U.N. watchdog overseeing its disputed nuclear drive.
"At the beginning of the month of Mordad (from July 23) we had 17,000 first generation centrifuges, of which more than 10,000 are active and 7,000 ready to start work," said Fereydoon Abbasi Davani, quoted by ISNA news agency. "Some 1,000 second generation centrifuges have also been installed and are ready to start work," he said at the handover ceremony for his role to Ali Akbar Salehi.
In May, the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had installed 17,600 centrifuges, including 16,590 first generation and 1,000 second generation. Iran says it enriches uranium to five and 20 percent for peaceful purposes. Officials in the Islamic republic say the higher level is needed for a medical research reactor in Tehran.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Jarba Says Iran, Hizbullah Now Running Syria
Naharnet /Opposition leader Ahmad Jarba said Syria is now being run by regime allies Iran and Hizbullah, with President Bashar Assad out of the picture, in an interview published Sunday. Jarba also told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat that Syrian rebels have seized control of "at least half" of the country, 29 months into an anti-Assad uprising. Assad is "a killer and a criminal, and... he has collapsed," the National Coalition chief charged.
The opposition leader reiterated the rebels' insistence that any settlement must exclude Assad, demanding that he be "punished for the war crimes he has committed against the Syrian people". More than 100,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in mid-March 2011, the U.N. says. Assad "no longer runs Syria. The real rulers of Syria are the Iranian (elite) Revolutionary Guard... with the participation of Hizbullah fighters," Jarba said. Tehran is Assad's main regional backer, while Hizbullah has sent in troops from Lebanon to help the army fight the anti-regime rebellion. Jarba said that supplying the rebel Free Syrian Army with sophisticated weaponry would "change the course of the revolution," despite Western fears that the arms could land in the hands of extremists.
Source/Agence France Presse.
 

Egypt security forces storm protester-held mosque; government considers Muslim Brotherhood ban
By Maggie Michael And Tony G. Gabriel, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – CAIRO - Egyptian security forces stormed a Cairo mosque Saturday after a heavy exchange of gunfire with armed men shooting down from a minaret, rounding up hundreds of supporters of the country's ousted president who had sought refuge there overnight after violent clashes killed 173 people.
The raid on the al-Fath mosque on Ramses Square was prompted by fears that deposed President Mohammed Morsi's group, the Muslim Brotherhood, again planned to set up a sit-in, security officials said, similar to those that were broken up Wednesday in assaults that killed hundreds of people. The arrest of the brother of al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri came in connection to the raid on the mosque. Officials said that he planned to bring in armed groups to provide support to those holed up inside the mosque. Mohammed al-Zawahri, a Morsi ally, is the leader of the ultraconservative Jihadi Salafi group which espouses al-Qaida's hardline ideology. He was detained at a checkpoint in Giza, the city across the Nile from Cairo, the official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to brief journalists about the arrest.
The Egyptian government meanwhile announced it had begun deliberations on whether to ban the Brotherhood, a long-outlawed organization that swept to power in the country's first democratic elections a year ago.
Such a ban — which authorities say is rooted in the group's use of violence — would be a repeat to the decades-long power struggle between the state and the Brotherhood.
For more than a month since the July 3 military overthrow of Morsi, Brotherhood members and supporters have attacked and torched scores of police stations and churches, in retaliation. Shops and houses of Christians have also been targeted. Such attacks spurred widespread public anger against the Brotherhood, giving the military-backed government popular backing to step up its campaign against the Islamist group. It reminded people of a decade-long Islamist insurgency against Mubarak's rule in the 1990s which only strengthened security agencies and ended up with thousands of Islamic fundamentalists in prisons.
The unrest in Egypt has raised international concerns over the country's stability and prompted U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to condemn in a statement on Saturday both "violent protests" in reference to Brotherhood's rallies and the authorities' "excessive use of force."
Ban also noted, in an apparent rebuff of Brotherhood demands to reinstate Morsi, that the "political clocks move only forward, not backward" and urged "maximum restraint and shift immediately to de-escalation."
Former President Jimmy Carter expressed deep concern over the violence, saying it is "rapidly eroding the chances for dialogue and a road to reconciliation." Carter added that he is "especially concerned that Egyptians are arming themselves and engaging in inter-communal violence."
In Cairo, the assault on the al-Fath Mosque began on Friday when pro-Morsi protesters and armed men fled into the worship centre to avoid angry vigilantes and arrest. They piled furniture in the mosque's entrance to block authorities and enraged anti-Morsi protesters from reaching them. The mosque served as a field hospital and an open-air morgue as a Brotherhood-called day of protests descended into violence. By daybreak Saturday, security forces and armoured personnel carriers had surrounded the mosque and it appeared that military-led negotiations might defuse the standoff.
A post on the Facebook page of the army spokesman, Col. Mohammed Ali, accused gunmen of firing from the mosque at nearby buildings, located on Ramses Square in central Cairo. The upper floors of a commercial building and blood bank towering over the square caught fire during the mayhem, with flames engulfing it for hours.
A Muslim cleric, Sheik Abdel-Hafiz el-Maslami, told The Associated Press that people were afraid to leave the mosque out of fear of detention or being assaulted by the crowd outside. He said there were armed men inside the mosque at one point but protesters had forced them out. "We lost control over things," the cleric said. "There were men with arms in the mosque who were forced out of the mosque but we can't control things here."
He said there were ongoing negotiations with the military to enable the protesters to safely leave. State television showed small groups emerging from the mosque by late Saturday morning.
However, local journalist Shaimaa Awad who was trapped in the mosque with the Islamists said the talks failed after three women were detained by the military after agreeing to get out early Saturday morning.
An AP reporter said that thousands of anti-Islamist protesters rallied outside the mosque, chanting: "God take revenge on Morsi and those standing behind him!"
Army tanks and soldiers closed off the main entrances to Ramses Square as soldiers sealed off the area with barbed wire.
By midday Saturday, gunmen took over a mosque minaret and opened fire on the security forces below, the state-run MENA news agency said. The crowd around the mosque panicked as soldiers opened fire with assault rifles, the chaos broadcast live on local television channels. Several security officials told The Associated Press that ending the standoff at the mosque was essential after receiving information that the group planned to turn it into a new sit-in protest camp. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
On Wednesday, riot police, military helicopters, snipers and bulldozers broke up two sit-in protests in Cairo by Morsi's supporters, leaving more than 600 people dead and thousands injured. That sparked days of violence that killed 173 people and injured 1,330 people on Friday alone, when the Brotherhood called for protests during a "Day of Rage," Cabinet spokesman Sherif Shawki said.
Among those who died Friday was Ammar Badie, a son of the Brotherhood's spiritual leader Mohammed Badie, the group's political arm said in a statement.
Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, who leads the military-backed government, later told journalists that authorities had no choice but to use force in the wake of recent violence.
"I feel sorry for valuable blood shed," el-Beblawi said. However, he cautioned that there will be no "reconciliation with those whose hands are stained with blood or those who hold weapons against the country's institutions."
Signalling the Brotherhood's precarious political position, Shawki said the government was considering ordering that the group be disbanded. The spokesman said the prime minister had assigned the Ministry of Social Solidarity to study the legal possibilities of dissolving the group. He didn't elaborate.
Mustafa Hegazy, a political adviser to interim President Adly Mansour, told a press conference Saturday that the current Egyptian leadership is not in a "political dispute or difference" with the Brotherhood, instead, "we are in a war against treason and some sort of terrorism."
He added that Egyptians took to the streets on June 30 — the day that led to Morsi's ouster — to revolt against "religious fascism."
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, came to power a year ago when Morsi was elected in the country's first free presidential elections. The election came after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising in 2011.
The fundamentalist group has been banned for most of its 85-year history and repeatedly subjected to crackdowns under Mubarak's rule. While sometimes tolerated with its leaders allowed to be part of the political process, members regularly faced long bouts of imprisonment and arbitrary detentions.
Disbanding the group, experts say, would mean allowing security forces to have a zero-tolerance policy in dealing with the group's street protests, as well as going after its funding sources. That could be a serious blow to the Brotherhood, though it likely wouldn't mean an end to a group that existed underground for decades
The possible banning comes amid calls by pro-military political forces to brand the Brotherhood a "terrorist organization."
"We are calling for declaring the Brotherhood as a terrorist group," said Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, one of the leaders of the Tamarod youth movement that had organized mass rallies calling for Morsi's ouster.
The military-backed government has declared a state of emergency and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew since Wednesday, empowering army troops to act as a law enforcement force. Top Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi, remain held on a variety of charges, including inciting violence.
Since Morsi was deposed in the popularly backed military coup, the Brotherhood has stepped up its confrontation with the new leadership, rallying thousands of supporters in sit-ins and vowing not to leave until Morsi is reinstated. After security forces broke up the protest camps, Islamist supporters stormed and torched churches and police stations. In response, the interim government authorized Egypt's security forces to use deadly force against those attacking vital government institutions. On Saturday, Egypt's Interior Ministry said in a statement that a total of 1,004 Brotherhood members had been detained in raids across the country and that weapons, bombs and ammunition were confiscated from the detainees.
Several foreigners were also rounded up including Sudanese, Pakistanis and Syrians, the Interior Ministry said.
Morsi himself has been held incommunicado since his ouster. Top Brotherhood leaders including General Guide Deputy Khairat el-Shater were detained last month.
 

Why is the West bowing before the Brotherhood?
By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
Most of the Western remarks about the Muslim Brotherhood’s exclusion from governance in Egypt seem to indicate that the Brotherhood is controlling the keys to terrorism, and that the West can either instigate it or end it. I cannot understand how the West believes the Brotherhood is actually administrating Al-Qaeda, or even that it has political and religious powers directing armed groups. I cannot also understand how the Brotherhood’s rule would save the West from terrorism in the world. This is nonsense. At the time of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda’s organized operations, the Muslim Brotherhood’s words were not heard or taken into consideration and their ties did not work towards halting the violence. The Muslim Brotherhood never succeeded in supporting Al-Qaeda in any of its operations. The group was bragging about representing the other half of dynamic Islamists.
The ongoing violence since the 1990s is directed by Islamic extremist groups expressing their intentions, ideas and programs. These groups have their own leaders, followers and marketing means. We cannot confuse these groups with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the National Islamic Front in Sudan, the Ennahda Movement in Tunisia, or any other political group. Al-Qaeda and the other jihadist groups do not recognize the Brotherhood or similar political movements: Al-Qaeda believes that such groups are conspiring with the regimes. On the other hand, why does the West believe that Arabs and Muslims have to accept such political groups, even if they violated rights and sought to dominate institutions? Why do they feel that such groups must be accepted and obeyed? That is what happened in Egypt, as the West is afraid to provoke these groups because, according to them, they can incite terrorism. Why is the West ready to concede defeat as soon as these groups’ leaders blackmail the West? You either have to submit to their demands or they will wage violence against you; this is what leaders speaking on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, seeking to amplify their threats on English-speaking channels, made sure to convey to Western capitals.
The greatest dangers of terrorism groups come from Al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Syria today; these are neither linked to the Free Syrian Army, which is fighting against Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, nor to any Muslim Brotherhood group, whether in Syria, Egypt or elsewhere. The armed jihadist groups in Libya and Algeria have nothing to do with any of the Islamic parties in these countries. Two problems occur when the West supports the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt today and calls for solidarity and dialogue with them, or when the European Union holds a meeting, as it will next week, for this same purpose. The first problem is supporting extremist leaders within the Brotherhood, who entangled the group with their practices that did not take into consideration the government’s rules, but rather only worked to dominate the country.
There are great leaders, such as Abdel Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, who seceded from the Brotherhood because of the extremism of the group’s leadership. The world, and not just the West, is expected to push the Brotherhood forces to support moderate historical and young leaders, not leaders such as the current supreme guide or Khairat Al-Shater, Mohamed Beltagy, Safwat Hijazi and others.
The second problem is unsettling any possibility for political reconciliation, where extremists feel they are able to impose any solution on the Egyptians from outside. Finally, surrendering to the blackmail of extremist groups did not succeed in modifying the behavior of these groups in the past and will not succeed today. Rather, it will strengthen terrorist voices, which say that the West is ready to walk out on the largest Arab country. These are fascist groups that want to dominate the region. What will it be like when they will control Egypt on their own terms?

Arms for Peace in Syria?
by Gary C. Gambill/Foreign Policy Research Institute
http://www.meforum.org/3584/syria-arms
As the Syrian civil war rages on with no end in sight, many advocates of U.S. intervention are claiming that an infusion of Western arms to carefully vetted rebel factions will help bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Though hardly the first time that tools of war have been recast as instruments of peace, this curious proposition has gained unprecedented currency across the ideological spectrum, from liberal internationalists to conservative hawks.Unfortunately, the magic bullets theory doesn't hold much water. Arming the rebels might bring the war to a close sooner by helping "good" guys kill "bad" guys more efficiently, but there's no compelling reason to believe it will entice them to stop fighting.
The superficial logic of arms-for-peace is elegant, to be sure, rooted in the classic diplomatic axiom that a political settlement to an armed conflict is possible only when, for all relevant players, the expected utility of a negotiated peace, E[u(p)], is greater than the expected utility of continued war, E[u(w)]. There are several arguments as to how a calibrated infusion of arms into Syria will help produce this rare condition (presumably absent from the large majority of civil wars in the modern era that ended in the military defeat of one side or the other). Let's take them one at a time.
DECREASING E[u(w)] FOR PRO-REGIME ACTORS
The most common arms-for-peace argument, frequently invoked by Obama administration officials, is that arming the rebels will begin shifting the balance of power away from pro-government forces and signal Western resolve to tip it further, thereby diminishing E[u(w)] for the regime, its domestic supporters, and/or its Russian and Iranian backers. "Altering the balance of power on the ground … is the only way a politically negotiated transition can become possible," writes Dennis Ross. Negotiations "will amount to little given the current power asymmetry," concurs Elizabeth O'Bagy.
However, the balance of power is not the only thing influencing E[u(w)] in the Syrian arena. For President Bashar Assad and upper echelon regime elites, Iranian patronage is increasingly a central determinant of E[u(w)], and they have very good reason to believe that Iran will continue financing and resupplying them for the foreseeable future. Even if Damascus falls, they can carry on the fight for quite some time in the coastal heights of northwestern Syria where non-Sunnis constitute a majority of the population, then go into comfortable exile in Tehran if and when continued resistance becomes untenable. Whatever their battlefield setbacks, they will be loathe to abandon Iranian protection at a time of great danger and uncertainty.
For ordinary Syrians who support and fight for the regime (mostly Alawites and other non-Sunni minorities), on the other hand, E[u(w)] is far more dependent on the anticipated outcome and costs of the conflict. However, while American sponsorship of the rebellion may sap their confidence in military victory, the perception that Washington is pulling the strings of the rebels could also raise E[u(w)] for regime supporters if they expect image-conscious American policymakers to balk at green-lighting the horrific violence sure to accompany a successful rebel push on Damascus, or if they assume that Western involvement will mitigate the political consequences of losing the war. In any case, because their E[u(p)] is very low (more on this below) and they have little independent capacity to mobilize, a diminished E[u(w)] is more likely to produce individual defection, desertion, or passivity than concerted bottom-up pressure on their leaders to change course. Lower morale among regime supporters may make it easier to overpower Assad's forces, but this alone won't open a path to peace.
A stronger case can be made that tilting the military balance will diminish E[u(w)] for Russia. However, this may not precipitate a major policy change, as Moscow is bearing few of the war's costs – its economic support for the regime is minimal,[1] while its arms sales would appear to yield a net profit. The reputational expenses of arming murderers loathed throughout the Sunni Islamic world may eventually lead Russia to cut off arms sales to Assad, but Moscow will incur these costs irrespective of whether Washington aids the rebels. In any case, there is little reason to believe that a more enlightened Russian policy will decisively change expected utility calculations for the regime as long as Iran is backing it to the hilt.
Iran, on the other hand, is directly subsidizing pro-regime forces financially (to the tune of 12.6 billion dollars so far, according to one recent estimate) and mobilizing Iraqi and Lebanese Shiites to fight alongside them. A military escalation precipitated by an influx of Western arms will undoubtedly strain its sanctions-riddled economy. But this doesn't mean, as some interventionists maintain, that it "will most likely back down when faced with the prospect of confrontation with the United States."
There are many intervening variables that make it difficult to predict E[u(w)] for the Islamic Republic. The intense religiosity of Iranian leaders surely inflates their confidence in ultimate victory. Overt U.S. involvement in the rebel war effort may shift the military balance, but it could also serve to legitimize Iran's Syria policy as a fight against the Great Satan (or otherwise make abandoning it more politically unpalatable). Though it's difficult to imagine how continued conflict could turn out well for the Iranian regime in the long run, some commentators have suggested that it can use even a losing war in Syria to expand its influence among Shiites in the region.[2] In any case, if the past is any guide, a major change in Tehran's disposition is likely to drag far behind the changing realities that drive it. Whatever else it might achieve, an arms-for-peace strategy with this aim in mind won't produce peace anytime soon.
INCREASING E[u(p)] FOR PRO-REGIME ACTORS
Of course, even a substantial reduction in E[u(w)] for one or more of the above won't matter if their E[u(p)] is demonstrably lower. For regime elites, E[u(p)] is abysmally low. Rebels have constantly reiterated that Assad and his inner circle must step down and relinquish control of the military-security apparatus at the start of any negotiated political transition. They are unwilling even to negotiate with anyone who has "blood on their hands" let alone offer them a place in the post-war order. Assad and his ilk are being asked to accept a conditional surrender, not a power-sharing arrangement of the kind that brought an end to the 1975-1990 civil war in Lebanon.
Iran's E[u(p)] is also very low. The predominantly Sunni rebels' overt sectarian discourse and frequent denunciations of the Shiite theocratic republic – even before the large influx of foreign Shiite fighters in the first half of this year – leave little doubt that Iran will lose out in any peace settlement that produces a stable post-war majoritarian government. Significantly, both the rebels and Western governments have thus far refused to allow Iranian representatives to attend prospective peace talks in Geneva. While Russia can hope to win some American-guaranteed concessions in post-war Syria in exchange for leaning on Assad (like keeping its naval base at Tartus), Iran will be left squarely in the cold.
Ordinary regime supporters are more amenable to a negotiated settlement than their leaders and foreign benefactors, but they also have deep reservations about majoritarian rule. Though Alawites have dominated Syria's Baathist state for over four decades, they and other sectarian minorities previously endured centuries of socio-political exclusion and impoverishment at the hands of Sunni rulers. Given the pronounced Islamist character of the rebellion, many understandably fear that they will be made to pay for the Assad regime's crimes. Insofar as regime supporters have the capacity to project influence over their leaders, it will not be to support a transition process that leaves them at the mercy of their adversaries.
A second family of arms-for-peace arguments hold that Western patronage of the rebels will increase E[u(p)] for the regime and/or its supporters (particularly lower echelon security personnel and civil servants). One strand of this reasoning holds that American sponsorship of the rebellion will alleviate their fears of Sunni domination and retribution by strengthening moderate rebels vis-à-vis extremists[3] and obliging the former to act more responsibly.[4] A second strand holds that equipping and supplying the rebels will unify their ranks so that they can make credible commitments to possible pro-regime interlocutors (at present, no one has the power to ensure that disparate rebel forces comply with anything).
However, it's doubtful that U.S. patronage will produce these effects in sufficient measure to generate much constituent pressure on regime leaders to stand down. While those who receive the weapons will surely pay lip service to American ideals, any Lebanese ex-warlord can tell you that building proxy forces on the basis of patronage doesn't create a culture of civic responsibility. The U.S. experience in Iraq underscores how fleeting are the returns of distributing money and power to Middle Eastern supplicants.
An influx of American arms may increase cohesion among those groups who receive them, but it will surely come at the expense of deepening antagonism between pro-Western and jihadist rebels. This would raise E[u(w)] for pro-regime actors by giving them hope that their adversaries will turn on each other if they keep up the fight long enough.
So long as the rebels have a surrender-or-die attitude toward peace with their adversaries, it's unlikely that they will find many takers. After witnessing the collapse of an eerily similar minoritarian autocracy and its violent aftermath next door in Iraq, regime supporters have little faith that an American-managed transition can protect their core interests. They will not agree to disband (or relinquish to civilian authority) their military forces until the transition process is near completion (if then), a condition that no rebel commander is today prepared to accept.
INCREASING E[u(p)] FOR PRO-REBEL ACTORS
A third arms-for-peace argument posits that Western military aid will raise E[u(p)] for the rebels by giving them the strength and confidence to risk negotiating with an enemy they do not trust. The rebels are unwilling to negotiate at present "because they think that they will be bargaining from a position of relative weakness," writes Bilal Y. Saab. "We are trying to get the opposition to get involved in a negotiation with people they really don't want to negotiate with ... They need an incentive," explains Reza Afshar, head of the Syria team at Britain's Foreign Office.
Far from encouraging rebels to negotiate in good faith, however, the Obama administration's decision in June to begin directly providing them with arms appears to have done the opposite. In late July, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) added new preconditions for talks, such as an advance commitment by Assad to step down and the withdrawal of foreign Shiite fighters from Syria. SNC President Ahmed Jarba now even balks at granting Assad and his family safe exit from Syria if the president gives up power.
The problem is not that the rebels lack confidence. Whatever their current circumstances, most are quite certain of prevailing over the regime in the long run, and for good reason. Syria's Sunni Arab majority, which overwhelmingly supports the rebels, is five times larger than minority Alawites who comprise the bulk of pro-regime forces. Moreover, outside powers that dwarf Russia and Iran financially and militarily are steadily increasing their support for the cause. Add to that the strong belief of most rebels that God is on their side and it appears likely that more arms will only further embolden them not to compromise.
CONCLUSION
While the Obama administration officially maintains that its paramount goal in Syria is to bring about a "political solution that ends the violence," its steadily expanding role in arming combatants isn't likely to create conditions conducive to a negotiated peace. Indeed, it could make the pursuit of peace more difficult by bolstering rebel confidence in absolute victory, deepening intra-rebel antagonisms, encouraging Iran to double down, and myriad other ways discussed above. As Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham and William Reed recently reminded us, external intervention in civil wars serves, on average, to prolong their duration.[5]
Unfortunately, there is very little the United States can do to bring about a negotiated settlement of the Syria conflict until all of the major players are willing to forgo many of their wartime objectives in favor of a compromise that salvages what is left of Syria's state institutions and economic infrastructure. If that day should ever come, the Syrian people will need a powerful neutral arbiter, not a war-weary external partisan, to provide the necessary guarantees for combatants to make credible commitments to one another.
Of course, that day may never come. All signs indicate that the burgeoning jihadist factions of the rebel alliance will stop at nothing to bring about the kind of oppressive postwar order that many regime supporters will stop at nothing to prevent – as long as that's the case, moderates will be powerless to bridge the gap. Like the large majority of civil wars in history, the conflict in Syria appears destined to endure until someone wins.
In view of this unfortunate reality, the use of American patronage to buy influence and equity in the Syrian arena may be justified. Whatever the strategic merits of aiding and abetting Syria's rebel alliance, however, we shouldn't call it peacemaking or pretend that it isn't going to be a dirty business. No matter how carefully Washington vets potential recipients, it is very likely that rebel groups receiving American arms will commit egregious human rights violations before (and probably after) the smoke clears. When the co-directors of the New York-based Campaign for Peace and Democracy, ostensibly devoted to promoting a "progressive and non-militaristic U.S. foreign policy," obliquely endorse the Obama administration's arming of Syrian rebels,[6] something has gone very wrong in the public debate in this country. Proxy warfare, as Henry Kissinger famously said of covert action, "should not be confused with missionary work."[7]
*Gary C. Gambill is a frequent contributor to Foreign Policy, The National Interest, The National Post, and FPRI E-Notes. Formerly editor of Middle East Intelligence Bulletin and Mideast Monitor, Gambill is an associate fellow at the Middle East Forum.
[1] Although Western media reports often allude to Russia's "deep financial support" for Assad and there have been some statements by Syrian officials implying as much for public relations purposes, there is little evidence of Russian economic assistance aside from small amounts of humanitarian aid (ostensibly raised through religious charities) and preferential barter agreements (mainly crude oil for fuel).
[2] See Phillip Smyth, "Even if Assad loses, Iran gains from its support of Shia militias," The National (Abu Dhabi), August 12, 2013.
[3] For an eloquent elaboration of this point, see Frederic Hof, "Syria's Time Is Running Out," Foreign Policy, December 19, 2012. Hof argues that arming the rebels will ensure "that weapons go to those advocating a non-sectarian, decent political system for Syria and are denied to those seeking a sectarian outcome."
[4] Emile Hokayem, "Arm Syrian rebels to make a political solution possible," The National (Abu Dhabi), October 31, 2012. Michael Bröning, "Time to Back the Syrian National Coalition," Foreign Affairs, December 17, 2012.
[5] See Kathleen Gallagher Cunningham and William Reed, "Arming Syrian rebels may make peace elusive," The Baltimore Sun, July 11, 2013; David E. Cunningham, "Blocking Resolution: How External States Can Prolong Civil Wars," Journal of Peace Research, vol. 47 no. 2 (March 2010), pp. 115-127; Ibrahim A. Elbadawi and Nicholas Sambanis, "External Interventions and the Duration of Civil Wars," paper presented at the World Bank's Development Economic Research Group (DECRG) conference on "The Economics and Politics of Civil Conflicts," Princeton University, March 18-19, 2000.
[6] Thomas Harrison and Joanne Landy, "Syria's fate must not be decided by foreign powers or forces," Green Left Weekly, July 9, 2013. They write that they "strongly oppose" any outside diplomatic initiative that "prevents the Syrian people from overthrowing the Assad regime," and that "the democratic opponents of the Assad dictatorship have the right to get guns where they can," while bemoaning "all attempts by those who provide arms to acquire political and military influence in return."
[7] "Covert action should not be confused with missionary work." Remark in testimony to the Pike Committee in 1975.