Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources/August 25/13

Suleiman Calls for Disassociating Lebanon from Regional Interests, Urges Dialogue 'without Preconditions'
Médecins sans Frontières: Thousands suffering neurotoxic symptoms in Syria
Al-Qaida vows to strike at Hezbollah for Lebanon bombings
Investigations Ongoing over Tripoli Blasts as Death Toll Rises to 45
Tripoli bombing suspects arrested, death toll rises to 47
ISF Denies 'False' Media Reports about Tripoli Blasts' Investigation
Political solution best way for Syria despite chemical weapons evidence: Canada's FM, Baird
AMAL Postpones Sadr Disappearance Commemoration, Berri to Give Televised Speech
Arslan Says 'Same Attackers' behind Tripoli, Dahieh Explosions
ISF Arrests 'Dangerous' Fugitive in Dahr al-Baydar
Australia's FM Condemns Tripoli Bombs: Hizbullah's Fighting in Syria Affects Stability in Lebanon
Fear and Grief as Tripoli Buries Its Dead
Qaida Accuses Hizbullah of Tripoli Blasts
Miqati Says Tripoli Will Not Yield, Offenders to be Detained
Tripoli Ulemas Accuse Assad of Blasts, Demand Popular Committees to Help Control Security
GCC Condemns Tripoli Blasts, Warns of Sectarian Sedition
Intermittent Gunfire Heard in Tripoli as Gunmen Erect Checkpoints
Al-Rahi Slams Outside Players in Arab World
Geagea Urges Obama to Act over Chemical Weapons Claims in Syria
Obama to discuss Syria with national security team on Saturday
UN official in Syria to press for chemical inquiry
Merkel Raps China, Russia for Neutering U.N. Stance on Syria Inspectors
Iran Says 'Proof' Syria Rebels Used Chemical Weapons
Obama, Security Team Meet on Syria Chemical Attack
France's Fabius Says Mideast Needs Israel-Palestinian Deal 'More than Ever'
MSF Says 3,600 Syrians Showed 'Neurotoxic Symptoms', 355 Dead 24
Syrian Opposition Urges Western 'Actions' after Chemical Attack
Syrian soldiers enter rebel tunnels, find chemical agents - state TV
At Least 29 Dead in Bolivia Prison Violence
Constitutional tweaks may empower Mubarak-era politicians in Egypt

Suleiman Calls for Disassociating Lebanon from Regional Interests, Urges Dialogue 'without Preconditions'
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman urged Saturday disassociating Lebanon from regional interests, calling also for the formation of a new cabinet and the resumption of national dialogue sessions.
"Amid all the dangers threatening the country, I call on all factions without any exception to disassociate Lebanon from regional interests,” Suleiman said in a televised speech on Saturday night.
“I urge putting national interests first,” he added.
“We demand transcending international considerations to avoid losing the opportunity of peace and stability in the country.”
The president's statement comes one day after two deadly explosions rocked the northern city of Tripoli, killing at least 45 people and wounding 900 others.
Suleiman considered that forming a new cabinet and taking part in national dialogue sessions “would prevent divisions and fighting in the country.”
"Participation in national dialogue should be done without any previously set conditions,” he remarked.
He also urged political and religious figures in the country to adopt a "moderate" approach in their speeches.
"They must all go back to adopting and abiding by the Baabda Declaration, to secure the higher national interest and to be in harmony with the stance of the majority of the Lebanese.”
The head of the state ordered military and security authorities to "maximize the level of alert."
"These bodies should pursue criminals and terrorists that are threatening the security and the safety of the Lebanese,” he elaborated.
Addressing the Lebanese, Suleiman said they should “preserve their unity and solidarity.”
"We also call on the citizens to cooperate with security bodies and to report any suspicious activities that might threaten public safety,” he added.
Suleiman ended his speech warning against the country turning into a “prey in the international game.”
"The collapse of Lebanon terminates the idea of religious coexistence between different sects and threatens the presence of diversity.”
Prior to his speech, Suleiman had discussed the latest security developments in the country with caretaker premier Najib Miqati, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and several security officials.

The Name of the Killer
Husam Itani/Al Hayat
If any of us - who are safe in our homes - were to walk among the martyred children of Ghouta, we would think they were the siblings of our own children whose warm rooms we check at night to make sure they are fine. The facial expressions of this child resemble that of your eldest son when he sleeps, and the hair of that other one is similar to your niece's long straight hair. As for this newborn, it is as though he were the twin of your friend's son, the same friend you visited a few days ago to congratulate him on the birth of his child.
The familiarity of the victims' faces and identification with them, place the viewer in the position of witness to the crime, while the horrific nature of the act silences all voices and renders condemnation and anger meaningless, amid total astonishment and helplessness. On the other hand, the questions surrounding the reality of the scene exceeds its explanation by far. How can all this killing take place so close to us, while benefitting from our silence, collaboration, and indifference? How did we, as humans, stoop to such bestiality, to the point where we can see these corpses laid down on the cold floor, turn our faces, and proceed with our wretched futile lives? Those among us with live consciences lit a candle, some might have even shed a tear, but then they all resumed their normal activities the following morning in search for their livelihood.
The question surrounding the killer, the criminal, and the responsible party is no longer of any use. Everyone knows the killer's name, who committed the massacre, who planned it and used it to serve its political goals, and who justified it with words, positions, congratulations and gloating. The murderers and criminals have become so ordinary and banal that one can refer to their names, ranks, positions and homes without any mistake or confusion, at a time when their affiliates and followers are also known with their cheap media outlets, hypocritical smiles, dead faces, and filthy "it's war" leitmotif.
There is no point in asking about the tyrant or he who resides amidst intelligence apparatuses, under the pretext of rejectionism, resistance and the deterrence of heinous Western conspiracies. Indeed, we see the latter every day, with their pettiness and servility, glorifying the criminal, urging him to kill more innocent people, and uttering meaningless words about strategy, capitals, and states.
However, the question that requires a quick answer is the one related to us, who are proclaiming our bias in favor of the victim, saying that we do not accept the death of the innocent, refusing that the Palestinian cause be linked to the torture cellars carrying its name and perceiving life as being an abstract value rising above necessity and the beloved leader. The question should tackle the ways to exit the state of the powerless victim caught between the fangs of internal and external parties, in order to become active and influential, and capable of determining our fate and of deterring pointless killing and the murderers' pandemic. The latter, who grew accustomed to the taste of blood and became reassured about the world's impotence, empty warnings and red lines tainted with irresponsibility, will not stop offering their advice and sermons.
This does not imply the incitement of reactions to the massacre with similar massacres or to counter violence with violence, considering that this has already been put in motion after the killers themselves inaugurated the infernal cycle of violence, killing and retaliation. We are merely saying that the lines of a new chapter should be drawn between the people of this country, i.e. between those whose realism pushed them join the sectarian mass and those insisting on maintaining whatever humanity is left in them, regardless of the cost. The battle is not with the Damascus butcher alone, or with those justifying the daily killings in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere. It is a battle to prevent our countries from remaining killing arenas and hunting grounds for the criminal and its entourage to have fun in, while those with good intentions desperately await the arrival of a savior. It is a battle to prevent the ongoing display of the corpses of our children, lined up and piled up before camera lenses, surrounded by ice.

The sarin shells fired on Damascus - by Syrian 4th Division’s 155th Brigade - were followed by rockets on Israel and car bombings in Lebanon

http://www.debka.com/article/23218/The-sarin-shells-fired-on-Damascus---by-Syrian-4th-Division%E2%80%99s-155th-Brigade---were-followed-by-rockets-on-Israel-and-car-bombings-in-Lebanon-
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis August 24, 2013/In the space of 48 hours, the Assad regime, Iran and Hizballah launched a three-point offensive against foreign intervention, DEBKAfile reports. Here are some facts: The sarin nerve gas atrocity of Wednesday, Aug. 21, alleged to have claimed more than 1,000 lives, was the work of the 155th Brigade of the Syrian army’s 4th Division, headed by President Bashar Asad’s younger brother Gen. Maher Assad.
The poison gas shells were fired from the big Mount Kalmun army base south of Damascus, one of the three repositories of Syria’s chemical weapons. In response to a demand from Moscow last December, Assad collected his chemical assets in three depots. The other two are Dummar, a suburb 5 kilometers outside Damascus, and the Al-Safira air base, west of Aleppo. Not a single shell or gram of poison gas is loaded for use at any of the three sites without an explicit directive from the president or his brother. Therefore, the clamor raised by the US and French presidents, Western prime ministers and Russian leaders for an independent investigation to turn up evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria and identity of its perpetrator – the Assad regime, says the West, and a rebel provocation, according to Moscow – is nothing but playacting. The facts are known and the evidence is present. And the price for refusing to come down to earth and putting an immediate stop to this horrifying precedent may be unimaginably grim – not just for Israel and Jordan – but for the rest of the Middle East and beyond.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu commented Thursday, Aug. 22 that Iran is using Syria as its testing ground while closely monitoring international responses to its actions.
His remark followed the four Grad rockets fired on northern Israel the day after the chemical attack in East Damascus. His words were scarcely noticed, mainly because Israel’s own spokesmen were busy spreading a blanket of disinformation over the attack, attributing it vaguely to “Global Jihad” (whatever that is). DEBKAfile’s military sources affirm that, just as the Assad brothers orchestrated the chemical shell attack on Syrian civilians, so too did Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah set in motion the rocket attack on Israel. By good fortune, the two which exploded in built-up areas caused damage but no casualties and a third was intercepted by Iron Dome.
Nasrallah had his disposal two Palestinian terrorist groups functioning in Lebanon and Syria under direct Iranian command. They are the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian – General Command (PFLP-GC) and Jihad Islami – both of them eager to attack Israel.
Then, on Friday night, two car bombs blew up outside Sunni mosques in the northern Lebanese town of Tripoli, killing 42 people and injuring 500.
The triple coordinated outrages added up to a dire warning from Tehran and Damascus about what they have in store for the region, and especially Syria’s neighbors, as payback for foreign intervention in the Syrian civil war.
On the subject of intervention, the French daily Le Figaro took the liberty last Thursday, Aug. 23, of lifting wholesale and publishing without credit the exclusive report carried Wednesday, Aug. 21, by DEBKAfile. We were the first publication in the world to reveal on Saturday, Aug. 17 the entry from Jordan into southern Syria of a unit of US-trained Syrian rebel commandoes, under the caption: Reported Syrian gas attack after first US-trained rebel incursion from Jordan.
In that report, DEBKAfile was also the first to expose Assad’s poison gas attack as a warning of the heavy price he would exact for intervention in the Syrian war by foreign forces or by rebels trained by foreign forces – in this case US instructors and officers based in Jordan. CBS News reported Friday that US and Israel intelligence monitoring known chemical weapons sites detected activity there 20 minutes before the chemical shells were fired Wednesday. Those agencies were therefore on top of valuable advance information, but did nothing to stop - or even warn against – the coming poison gas attack.
Washington and other Western capitals as well as Israel continued to circle around reality Friday and Saturday, when Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel let it be known that US warships had been sent to the region for possible cruise missile attacks, in case the president decided on action against Syria. The Secretary “forgot” to mention that, had the president really wanted to do something, all he had to do was keep the USS Truman aircraft carrier, which was present in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, the day of the chemical attack, from sailing out through the Suez Canal Thursday.
Furthermore, America doesn’t need to send more warships to the region for possible attacks on Syria. It holds plenty of assets at US air and missile bases crisscrossing the Middle East, southern and central Europe and the Persian Gulf. All are fully capable of conducting a variety of operations against Syria without bringing in extra warships.
Except that none of these assets has so far been ordered into action. What could the Obama administration do if it was so minded?
DEBKAfile’s exclusive military sources described three options available: One: Striking the Syrian unit which perpetrated the poison gas last Wednesday east of Damascus. Two: Destroying the Syrian army’s three chemical weapons depots. Or Three: Coordinated attacks on the first two targets.
For Options Two and Three, the attack would have to destroy all the poison shells at once before they exploded and leaked contamination across wide regions of Syria and neighboring Turkey, Israel and Jordan. The Syrian ruler is capable of having the shells’ contents mixed and armed ready for use ahead of a US attack, thus maximizing the deadly impact of lethal gases across a broad Middle East region.
Notwithstanding the grave risks of action, the consequences of inaction by the US and Israel would be worse: It would give Damascus and Tehran a green light for escalating their viciousness – and not just against the Syrian people. If the barbarity is not stopped, they will get away with making nerve gas and other poison substances acceptable weapons for fighting their foes. Lebanon and Israel are in extreme jeopardy.

Al-Qaida vows to strike at Hezbollah for Lebanon bombings
By REUTERS/Al-Qaida's North African branch blamed Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim militant group Hezbollah for twin bombs that hit the northern city of Tripoli on Friday and threatened retribution, a US-based intelligence monitoring website reported on Saturday. Although al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is not operational in Lebanon, its statement shows a growing regional hatred against Hezbollah by radical Sunni Muslim groups and a wider, deepening sectarian divide in the Middle East. AQIM said in tweets it knew "with certainty" that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah was responsible for the attack that killed more than 42 people in Tripoli.
That vile party... should know that it will meet retribution soon," AQIM said, according to the SITE monitoring service. Hezbollah, which was once lauded by both Sunnis and Shi'ites for its battles against Israel, has lost support from many Sunnis since it joined Syrian President Bashar Assad's side in his 2 1/2-year-old fight against a majority Sunni uprising.
Syrian rebels, whose strongest elements are radical Sunnis, have been hosted in neighboring Lebanon by sympathetic Sunnis and there have been attacks on Hezbollah members on Lebanese soil. Both Hezbollah and radical Sunni groups in Lebanon have sent fighters into Syria to fight on opposing sides. The explosions in Tripoli, 40 miles from the capital Beirut, were the biggest and deadliest there since the end of Lebanon's own civil war and came a week after a huge car bomb killed at least 24 people in a Shi'ite district of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah. "We know with certainty that behind this deplorable act committed against are the hands of the vile, rafidah (“rejectors”) Hezbollah, which stands side by side with Bashar in Syria," the AQIM tweets said, as quoted by SITE. Al-Qaida groups follow a hardline ideology that rejects all non-Sunnis as infidels and regularly incites antagonism towards Shi'ites. Assad's family is from the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Médecins sans Frontières: Thousands suffering neurotoxic symptoms in Syria
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The international humanitarian aid organization Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, said in a report released Saturday that three hospitals it has been assisting in the Damascus governorate of Syria “received approximately 3,600 patients displaying neurotoxic symptoms in less than three hours on the morning of Wednesday, August 21, 2013. Of those patients, 355 reportedly died.”
Allegations of a chemical weapons attack surfaced on Wednesday, although few concrete details of have emerged and the MSF report is the first outside evidence that such an attack may have taken place.
Syrian opposition groups have claimed that some 1,300 civilians had been killed as a result of chemical weapons across a number of districts in and around Ghouta—an area in which opposition forces are known to operate.
The report continued, explaining that the MSF “can neither scientifically confirm the cause of these symptoms nor establish who is responsible for the attack.”
Nonetheless, “the reported symptoms of the patients, in addition to the epidemiological pattern of the events—characterised by the massive influx of patients in a short period of time, the origin of the patients, and the contamination of medical and first aid workers—strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent. This would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law, which absolutely prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons.” MSF also stated that its supplies of atropine, a drug used to treat neurotoxic symptoms, have been exhausted. The non-governmental organization is now trying to replenish its stocks and provide additional medical supplies. Various neurotoxin-related symptoms have been reported, including convulsions, excess saliva, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision and respiratory distress, according to Bart Janssens, MSF’s director of operations.
“MSF hopes that independent investigators will be given immediate access to shed light on what happened,” said Christopher Stokes, MSF general director.
Numerous European governments likewise called on the government in Damascus to provide UN chemical weapons inspectors with full access to the sites in question.
The British and Swedish governments went further, openly asserting that the government of President Bashar Al-Assad was responsible for the incident.
“We do believe this is a chemical attack by the Assad regime on a large scale, but we would like the United Nations to be able to assess that,” British foreign secretary William Hague said on Friday.

One million Syrian refugee children another shameful milestone
By: António Guterres and Anthony Lake/Asharq Alawsat
Today, another Syrian child has crossed the border, fleeing the horrors of a war now into its third destructive year.
And at that moment, we passed a new milestone of global shame. This was the one millionth child forced from Syria since the horrors began.
Imagine that child. Forced from a community under gunfire. Walking, often for several days, in search of safety. Then, in exile, forced to live in a tent, shack or an abandoned shop with their family—if they still have one. Reliant on the support of international aid agencies to survive. Haunted by the memories of this terrible conflict, vulnerable to exploitation, scarred by the trauma of a childhood which has witnessed things no child should see.
Those scars appear as loss of speech, broken sleep, and challenging behavior. Financial pressures may lead parents to send this child to work rather than to school or, if she is a girl, to marry her off at a tender age. This child may be all alone, separated from the rest of the family during flight. Or perhaps he or she is suddenly the head of the household, charged with the care of younger siblings.
Now imagine that child’s future, and the future of all those innocent children caught in the midst of the terror. Robbed of schooling—indeed, in many ways, robbed of their childhood—how will they recover, and some day even thrive, supporting their families, and contributing to society?
Many are becoming angry at their plight. This is sad for them—and dangerous for the region, because these are children and young people, whose anger and frustration will all too likely replicate the divisions and hatreds of today in the next generation.
That is one reason why, earlier this year, UNHCR and UNICEF warned that a whole generation was at risk in Syria. We repeat that warning today.
More than half of the refugees fleeing Syria are children. We are doing all we can to help each and every one of them, their families, and the communities that host them. We also work to bring aid to the three million vulnerable children who are at particular risk inside Syria. Along with partners in non-governmental organizations and civil society groups, we continue to work to meet urgent needs in the refugee camps and to assist generous host families in neighboring countries.
This year alone, inside and outside Syria, more than 10 million people have been provided with drinking water. Some 2 million children have been immunized against killer diseases. More than 250,000 children have been helped to access some form of education. Nearly 170,000 have received psychosocial assistance. We have registered thousands of children, giving them an identity, and helped the babies born in exile get birth certificates, preventing them from becoming stateless. Whether in camps, villages or cities, most live in a basic, but safe, shelter.
But the needs are growing faster than our capacity to respond to the plight of all these children. The Syria Regional Refugee Response plan is, to date, less than 40 percent funded.
Syrian children need action by those who can enable humanitarian agencies inside Syria to safely and immediately reach those worst affected. They also need action by donors—traditional and new—who, in addition to their existing generosity, will be called upon to do even more, so humanitarian organizations can alleviate suffering. But more than anything, these children deserve action by those who have the power to bring an immediate end to this conflict and the suffering it has caused.
One million children. One million.
Surely, those involved in the fighting, and all those with the influence to stop it, can agree that one million refugee children is one million too many. They have the means, and therefore a particular responsibility, to put an end to this horror.
 

Investigations Ongoing over Tripoli Blasts as Death Toll Rises to 45
Naharnet /At least 45 people were killed and about 500 others wounded in the two blasts that rocked the northern city of Tripoli amid reports saying that the explosive-laden car that hit al-Salam mosque was rigged with 175 kilograms of explosives. According to An Nahar newspaper published on Saturday, the car used in the blast near al-Salam mosque is a Ford jeep rigged with 175 kilograms of TNT, while military experts are still identifying the car used in the second explosion, which targeted the Taqwa mosque in the northern city. Witnesses told As Safir newspaper that they saw a person parking a Honda Civic near al-Salam mosque and left the car to take another, minutes before the blast took place. The two explosions caused extensive material damage in the two areas. Both blasts hit at the hour of weekly Muslim prayers, in a city where Sunni supporters of Syria's rebels engage in frequent, often deadly, clashes with Alawites, who back President Bashar Assad regime. Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported that the preliminary investigation at al-Salam blast scene showed that the bomb contained TNT and nitrate. Informed sources told the newspaper that the two booby-trapped cars probably contain timers and were detonated from a distance while worshipers were performing their weekly Muslim prayers.
The sources pointed out that the competent security agencies weren't able to thoroughly examine the scene of the second blast that took place near the Taqwa mosque due to the angry residents that prevented them from carrying out their tasks. The state-run National news agency reported that the death toll in the two explosions reached 45 and 160 others wounded are in a critical condition. That was the highest toll in an attack since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and brought condemnation from Western powers, the United Nations and Syria. Coming a week after a bombing in the Beirut bastion of Hizbullah, a close ally of Bashar Assad, the bombings in the northern port of Tripoli risk further stoking tensions between supporters and foes of the Syrian president.

ISF Denies 'False' Media Reports about Tripoli Blasts' Investigation
Naharnet /The Internal Security Forces denied on Saturday reports claiming that explosives were seized and that information were revealed following the deadly blasts in the northern city of Tripoli. "Media outlets, particularly electronic news platforms, reported news regarding the investigation in Tripoli's blasts, among them that bombs were seized,” the ISF said in a released statement. "These reports are not accurate and investigation in this case remains confidential.” The ISF urged the media “to be careful” in reporting any news, explaining that it is because “they may cause confusion” amid the current situation in the country. "We demand media outlets to be responsible and to refer to the Public Information section of the ISF for any information about its work.” Earlier on Saturday, al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Sheikh Ahmed al-Gharib was detained in Tripoli over links to Friday's blasts. According to the report, Gharib was detained after security agencies seized at his residence military maps for the city of Tripoli and explosives. The newspaper said that he was moved to the ISF intelligence Bureau center in Beirut. And on Saturday afternoon, MTV said the ISF Intelligence Bureau has arrested a second person suspected of being involved in Tripoli's explosions.  Powerful car bombs exploded outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli on Friday afternoon. The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside. The second explosion struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port. Caretaker premier Najib Miqati announced that the explosions killed 35 people and wounded 900 others, including 110 in a critical condition.

Syrian Opposition Rejects Chemical Attack Accusations as U.N. Envoy Arrives for Probe
Naharnet/Syria's opposition denied Saturday charges that rebels had resorted to the use of chemical arms, saying the government was attempting to divert attention from its own use of them. "The National Coalition totally rejects the lies from the (President Bashar) Assad regime and considers them a desperate bid to divert attention from its repeated crimes and methods against Syrian civilians," the main opposition bloc said. The "international community knows full well that the Assad regime is the only party in Syria which possesses the means to produce, use and stock chemical weapons," the statement said.
It also said it was trying to obtain satellite imagery proving the regime's use of chemical weapons and criticized U.N. investigators for the delay in visiting the site of an alleged "massacre" Wednesday with such arms in a Damascus suburb. Syria's government said earlier Saturday rebel fighters had used chemical weapons in a northeastern district of the capital, countering charges by insurgents that the regime was behind such attacks.
State television ran footage of "barrels filled with highly dangerous toxic and chemical agents" as well as gas masks, saying they were only a small sample of what had been unearthed in overrunning rebel positions. The rebels "used these agents to try to halt the advance of the army," it said.
"An army unit is surrounding a sector of Jobar where terrorists used chemical weapons," said the state broadcaster, adding that soldiers who tried to enter the neighborhood had "suffocated". Rebel-held Jobar on the outskirts of Damascus has been under army bombardment and air strikes for several months. The state broadcaster said several soldiers had suffered poison gas inhalation and some were in critical condition.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government carried out four air raids Saturday on areas near Jobar, where soldiers and rebels fighters were locked in fierce clashes.
The state broadcaster also said Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which both openly support the 29-month-old revolt against Assad, had supplied rebels with the gas masks and medication. In a sweep of Jobar, "the army found barrels marked 'made in Saudi Arabia' and gas masks, " a correspondent for the channel reported, adding that medicine for poison gas inhalation was also found, with the brand of an unnamed German-Qatari firm.
Rebels have "resorted to chemical weapons after the successes of the Syrian army in recent days," the television charged. Meanwhile, U.N. Under Secretary General Angela Kane arrived in Syria's capital Saturday for talks aimed at establishing the terms of an inquiry into alleged chemical weapons attacks, an Agence France Presse journalist said.
Kane did not comment to reporters as she entered the Four Seasons hotel, only a few kilometers (miles) away from the site of Wednesday's reported chemical weapons strikes. Her visit comes after U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon handed her the task and called for Syria's regime and its opponents to cooperate in the U.N. efforts to establish an investigation into the attacks said to have killed hundreds of people. Opponents of Bashar Assad said the president's forces killed 1,300 people when they unleased chemical weapons east and southwest of Damascus in the attacks on Wednesday. The Syrian government has strongly denied the accusations, but so far it has not said whether it will let U.N. inspectors visit the sites. Source/Agence France Presse.

Tripoli Ulemas Accuse Assad of Blasts, Demand Popular Committees to Help Control Security
Naharnet/Tripoli Salafist cleric Sheikh Salem al-Rafei accused on Saturday the Syrian regime of carrying out the blasts that rocked Ruwais neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs and the northern city of Tripoli, pointing out that if the state can't protect the city then the residents will. “We are the victims of the Syrian terrorism. We are not takfiris,” al-Rafei told reports after a meeting for the Committee of Muslim Ulemas. He lashed out at the government, saying: “if the government is incapable of acting responsible then it should leave.” On Friday, powerful car bombs exploded outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli, killing at least 45 people and wounding hundreds. The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside. The second explosion struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port.
Al-Rafei called on Hizbullah to stop helping the regime of Syrian president Bashar Assad and to withdraw from the neighboring country. “Let us kick-start a new beginning,” he urged Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
A statement issued after the committee's meeting called for the formation of organized popular committees to help control the security situation in the northern city of Tripoli.
“Hizbullah should withdraw from Syria immediately,” the Ulemas added. In a broadcast speech he gave at a ceremony marking the end of the July 2006 war, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah explained that his combat in Syria is against Takfiris, vowing that he is “ready to personally go fight in Syria if necessary.”The Ulemas called on the security agencies to demolish the hotspots in the northern city that support the Assad regime and to detain those who are responsible for the blasts across the country. “The army and security forces should defend citizens in Arsal and prevent Hizbullah militia from killing others,” the statement pointed out. Al-Rafei said that the state's security agencies are not protecting Tripoli. “Either the state defends us or we will defend ourselves,” he told reporters. He revealed that a bulldozer removed all the evidence from the blasts sites, noting that he was informed by security agencies that he was targeted. “They told me they can't protect me,” the salafist cleric said. Tripoli has seen frequent Syria-related violence during the past two years, including waves of deadly clashes. Lebanon is officially neutral in Syria's conflict, but the country is deeply divided.

AMAL Postpones Sadr Disappearance Commemoration, Berri to Give Televised Speech
Naharnet/AMAL Movement announced on Saturday postponing a mass rally that was to be held in the southern Nabatiyeh province to mark the 35th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr and his two companions. "We have decided to postpone the commemoration of the disappearance of Sadr and his companions and the new date for the event will be announced later,” a statement released by AMAL said following an urgent meeting for the party's leadership committee, which was presided over by Speaker Nabih Berri. The statement explained that the decision was taken after evaluating the situation in the country.
“We have postponed the event following the terrorist attacks and the blood that was shed to cause sedition between the Lebanese in general, and between Muslims in particular. We took this decision to express our strong condemnation of the series of organized terrorist crimes that are targeting the country and to avoid another chance of possible random killings. ”AMAL Movement pointed out that Berri will instead give a televised speech on Saturday, August 31, 2013 at 5:30 pm. "The date and time of the postponed rally will be revealed later on.” The party reiterated in the released statement its commitment to the approach adopted by Sadr “to prevent sedition between the Lebanese though stressing on national unity and dialogue.”Earlier on Saturday, al-Akhbar newspaper published said that security officials advised AMAL to cancel the rally. I said the warnings come in light of information obtained by security agencies that terrorists will target the anniversary. “An explosive-laden car in Nabatiyeh is set to explode in such popular scenes,” the daily reported. Lebanon has been a scene of violent attacks in recent day. On Friday, two powerful blasts rocked the northern city of Tripoli, killing over 45 people and wounding 900 others. These attacks came eight days after 27 people were killed and around 300 wounded in a car bombing that rocked the Beirut southern suburb of Rweiss, a Hizbullah bastion.Source/Agence France Presse.

ISF Arrests 'Dangerous' Fugitive in Dahr al-Baydar
Naharnet/The Internal Security Forces announced on Saturday the arrest of “one of the most dangers fugitives” in Dahr al-Baydar. "The detainee was in a Taxi going from the Bekaa towards Beirut when he was arrested at a checkpoint in Dahr al-Baydar,” a statement released by the ISF detailed. "He is one of the most important and dangerous fugitives.”The ISF identified the man as H.A, noting that he is a Lebanese national born in 1971.
It added: “There are more than 100 arrest warrants against him and he is wanted on charges of drug dealing and for being involved in armed robberies.” "The detainee was referred to the competent court for investigation.”

Australia's FM Condemns Tripoli Bombs: Hizbullah's Fighting in Syria Affects Stability in Lebanon
Naharnet /Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bob Carr warned on Saturday that Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war and the uncontrolled border between the two countries threaten stability in Lebanon.
"The participation of Hizbullah and of extremist groups such as al-Qaida and Al-Nusra Front in the Syrian conflict will have an impact on stability in Lebanon,” Carr stated during a visit he made to the offices of the state-run National News Agency in Beirut. He added: “The uncontrolled border with Syria also exposes Lebanon to many dangers.”Carr condemned Friday's blasts in the northern city of Tripoli, calling on Australians “to reconsider their visits to Lebanon.” "We urge them to avoid going to the southern suburbs of Beirut and to register their presence in the country at Australia's embassy in Lebanon.” Powerful car bombs exploded outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli on Friday afternoon. The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside. The second explosion struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port. Caretaker premier Najib Miqati announced that the explosions killed 35 people and wounded 900 others, including 110 in a critical condition. In a separate matter, the Australian FM stressed that if it was confirmed that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons in its attacks, "Russia will be pressured to urge President Bashar Assad to resort to a ceasefire." "He will also have to accept peaceful political changes in the Syrian regime,” he noted. Meanwhile, Carr assured that Australia will keep supporting Syria's refugees, expressing his concern over the “increasing number of Syrians present in Lebanon.” "We offered USD 100 million to countries that were affected by the presence of refugees on their territories," he revealed.

Arslan Says 'Same Attackers' behind Tripoli, Dahieh Explosions
Naharnet /Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan condemned on Saturday the deadly explosions that rocked the northern city of Tripoli, stating that the “same attackers' are behind the latest bombings in the country.
“The blast in the (Beirut's southern suburb of) Rweiss and the bombings in Tripoli were orchestrated by the same party,” Arslan said phone calls he made with caretaker premier Najib Miqati and ex-Prime Minister Omar Karami. He added: “The perpetrators are the same in all bombing and they aim at causing a sectarian strife in the country through threatening the security situation.”  The Druze leader urged national leaders not to encourage such activities whether in their speeches or in their political stances. "These positions do not serve the unity of the Lebanese and instead serve the campaign that targets the country's security and stability.” "We call for unity and solidarity in Lebanon,” he stressed. Powerful car bombs exploded outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli on Friday afternoon. The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside. The second explosion struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port. Miqati announced that the explosions killed 35 people and wounded 900 others, including 110 in a critical condition.

Miqati Says Tripoli Will Not Yield, Offenders to be Detained
Naharnet/Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati vowed on Saturday that the northern city of Tripoli will not yield, noting that those who carried out Friday's attacks will be pursued. “The security forces are fully carrying out their tasks in Tripoli. We called for backup,” Miqati told reporters after a security meeting at his residence in Tripoli. He called on citizens to cooperate with security forces and facilitate their work. Miqati pointed out that committees will be formed to reveal the damages caused by the two blasts. On Friday, powerful car bombs exploded outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli. The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside. The second explosion struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port. Miqati said that the explosions killed 35 people and wounded 900 others, including 110 in a critical condition. The official called on the residents of Tripoli to neglect “fanaticism,” hold on to the state and and not to resort to self-security. Miqati said that those who are responsible for the Dahieh blasts are also behind the explosions in Tripoli. “We must fill the gap,” he added. In July, a booby-trapped car exploded at a parking lot in Bir al-Abed, leaving 53 people wounded and causing extensive material damage. And on last week, 27 people were killed and more than 336 others wounded in a powerful car bombing that went off between the suburbs of Bir al-Abed and Ruwais. The security meeting was held in presence of caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi, Youth and Sports Minister Faisal Karami, Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas, State Minister Ahmed Karam and MPs Mohammed Kabbara and Samir al-Jisr in addition to prominent security officials.



 

Political solution best way for Syria despite chemical weapons evidence: Canada's FM, Baird
By Terry Pedwell, The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press –
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/political-solution-best-way-syria-despite-chemical-weapons-175445203.html
CHELSEA, Que. - A political solution remains the best way to end the civil war in Syria, says Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, even in the face of what he calls "overwhelming" evidence of a chemical weapons attack against civilians in that country.
Canada wants to ensure it has all the facts before deciding how to respond to allegations that chemical weapons killed as many as 1,300 people this week outside Damascus, Baird said Friday.
"Our first response is to validate the use of these chemical weapons," he said after a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart on picturesque Meech Lake in Chelsea, Que., about half an hour outside Ottawa.
"The evidence is increasingly building up, and it's overwhelming."
Baird's message of political parley may fall on deaf ears when he meets with the head of Syria’s main Western-backed opposition group.
George Sabra, president of the Syrian National Council, is expected to visit Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa next week. Following the deadly attacks in which he alleges that the Syrian government used nerve gas against its own population, Sabra has dismissed any hope for a political solution to end the bloodshed in his country.
Baird strongly suggested that he believes the attacks were carried out by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, saying he hopes Assad's key ally Russia can convince the regime to allow United Nations inspectors to visit the location of the shelling spree.
"If our colleague (Russian foreign affairs minister) Sergey Lavrov believes that the opposition used chemical weapons against their own people, he should be most enthusiastic to use his influence with President Assad to let those UN investigators in," said Baird.
"The fact that Russia — being the chief supporter and chief ally of Syria that has allowed Assad to soldier on — can't convince him to allow the inspectors in, I think, is quite telling."
The United Nations has demanded Syria give its chemical weapons experts immediate access to the rebel-held Damascus suburbs where the attacks took place, just a few kilometres from a hotel where the inspectors are staying.
They were allowed into the country this week, but have had their movements limited to other locations.
Images broadcast and published around the world have shown scores of people — some foaming at the mouth — and dead bodies laid out on floors on the outskirts of Damascus with no visible signs of injury.
Rebels in Syria are crying for outside help, and have accused the West of sitting idle while they watch people dying.
The Syrian government insists the attacks were not its doing and Moscow has said rebels may have released gas to discredit Assad. Still, Russian officials have urged Assad to agree to a UN inspection.
Britain and France have warned that foreign force may need to be used to end the mayhem in Syria, although Washington has taken a more cautious tone.
Baird said Canada would work with its allies to determine what steps, if any, need to be taken to deal with a complicated problem.
"If there was an easy solution the (UN) Security Council, Canada and like-minded countries would have tackled it much sooner than now," said Baird.
"We're obviously appalled at the violence."
 

At Least 29 Dead in Bolivia Prison Violence
Naharnet/At least 29 people were killed and about 50 others wounded Friday at a prison in eastern Bolivia as clashes between rival gangs ended in a huge fire, officials said. One of the dead was a child living with incarcerated parents in the maximum-security Palmasola prison in the eastern city of Santa Cruz -- a facility that houses about 5,000 inmates. "The latest information we have is that the number of dead is already at 29. Of those hospitalized, 35 of them have very serious injuries," prisons director Ramiro Llanos told Agence France Presse. Police had earlier put the death toll at 15. Local police commander Jorge Aracena said authorities had brought the situation under control. Aracena said the incident began early Friday when a group of inmates broke into another sector of the prison, setting a huge fire fueled by exploding propane gas tanks. Bodies were taken to the morgue for autopsies and identification, he said. Television networks broadcast images of charred bodies and ambulances taking the dead and injured to hospitals, which were overwhelmed by the number of victims. Authorities called on local residents to donate blood to help the wounded. Prisons in Bolivia suffer from serious overcrowding. Hundreds of children are forced to live with their parents in jails because they have no other relatives, or because both parents are incarcerated. Source/Agence France Presse.

All the Tyrant's Men: Chipping Away at the Assad Regime's Core
Grace Abuhamad and Andrew J. Tabler/Washington Institute
August 23, 2013
The regime's cadres have held together through two years of war, and they will likely continue doing so unless Washington and its allies present them with a stark choice: leave and live, or stay and die.
Bashar al-Assad has no exit strategy in Syria and does not believe he needs one. Two years after President Obama called for him to "step aside," he is still in power and still supported by a well-woven web of loyalists. Since Bashar's father Hafiz rose to power -- first as part of a coup in 1966, then by claiming the presidency for himself in 1970 -- the Syrian regime has developed into a network of elite military officers and businessmen connected by familial and sectarian loyalties. This network has yet to collapse despite pressure from the ongoing civil war. Yet a closer look at recent developments and the language of U.S., EU, and Arab League sanctions indicates where wedges could be driven if Washington wants to bring about a real transition.
WHO'S WHO IN THE SYRIAN REGIME?
The Assad regime's core is a family business: the president is surrounded by his brother, his uncle, and a slew of cousins. On the chart below, red lines connect them.
Click to view at full resolution (PDF)
Although Bashar still wields executive power, his younger brother Maher has robust powers of his own. Maher is a Republican Guard commander whose marriage to a Sunni woman -- Manal (nee al-Jadaan) -- strengthened his business connections with the Sunni elite. His brother in-law is Mohammed Hamsho of Hamsho International Group, a large holding company with subsidiaries and affiliates in multiple industries (e.g., construction, horse breeding). Washington and Brussels have sanctioned these companies along with Hamsho himself (see the note at the end of this article for details regarding the sanctions on Hamsho and other regime figures). Sanctions have also been applied to some of Maher's other Sunni business associates.
In addition, Maher oversees the regime's newest and perhaps most menacing manifestation: the armed Alawite militia known as the Shabiha. His paternal cousins Fawaz and Munzer lead the militia; along with Ayman and Mohammad Jaber, they coordinate with the regime through Maher.
Elsewhere, Bashar's maternal uncle and cousins, the Makhlouf family, head the security and telecommunications sectors, a major cash cow. Cousin Hafez Makhlouf heads the General Intelligence Directorate in Damascus, where Iyad Makhlouf works as well. Cousin Ihab and his father, Mohammed, are chairman and vice president, respectively, of SyriaTel, one of the country's two cell phone companies; Ihab's brother Rami works there too. The expansive Makhlouf businesses also include financial firms and the country's only private "second-national carrier" airline, Syria Pearl.
The next layer out from the core consists of Hafiz al-Assad's old friends serving in security and intelligence directorates under the Ministry of Defense (Air Force Intelligence and Military Intelligence) or Ministry of Interior (Political Security and General Intelligence). Regime elites have served in multiple offices within these ministries over the years, often working with each other. One such official, Abdul Fatah Qudsiya, moved across the Defense Ministry's intelligence agencies, serving as head of Air Force Intelligence, then as head of Military Intelligence from 2009 until his promotion to deputy chief of the National Security Bureau in 2012. While most elites rose to prominence through normal rank advancement, a few were "cross-trained." For example, Rustum Ghazali, a Sunni from the Houran region south of Damascus, served in both the Defense and Interior Ministries. He was head of Military Intelligence in Damascus and Lebanon until 2012, when he became head of the Political Security Directorate -- a post he took over from Mohammad Dib Zaitoun, who became head of the General Intelligence Directorate in 2012.
Yet movement between the four intelligence agencies is rare, and their existence as separate entities allows the regime to balance and limit the power of individual elites. Like Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Syria's intelligence structure seems designed to build up elites with varied backgrounds while limiting their actual power and, therefore, the potential threat they pose to the familial core.
ASSASSINATIONS, A DEFECTION, BUT THEN NOTHING
July 2012 could have been the regime's downfall. In a targeted bombing that month, the regime lost four of its staunchest and most powerful figures: Hisham Ikhtiar, Daoud Rajiha, Assef Shawkat, and Hassan Turkmani. Rajiha served as armed forces chief of staff until 2011, when he was promoted to defense minister. Shawkat -- a relative of the president by marriage to his older sister, Bouchra -- served as Rajiha's deputy, perhaps to assure his superior's loyalty (Rajiha was Greek Orthodox, the core regime's only Christian member). Upon Rajiha's death, former chief of staff Fahd Jassem al-Freij became defense minister. Yet Shawkat's deputy post was left vacant, further suggesting his unique role in the regime and indicating his deep professional connections with Freij.
Hassan Turkmani, arguably the highest-ranked Sunni in Assad's upper echelon, played a unique role as well. A former defense minister (2002-2004), he was serving as a close security advisor, special envoy of the president, and deputy vice president at the time of his death. His posts were left vacant, indicating that his service to Assad was based on their personal relationship. And Hisham Ikhtiar, a former General Intelligence chief, was head of the National Security Bureau at the time of his death. He was replaced by Ali Mamluk, a trusted regime elite and cofounder of the Air Force Intelligence Directorate.
Although observers initially regarded the deaths of these four elites as big losses, the regime seemed to fill the breach quickly. As mentioned above, the Assad regime is designed to foster trusted, experienced elites who can be moved up in the power structure in easy, interchangeable fashion. In this case, Turkmani and Shawkat were serving in unique administrative roles based on their personal relationship with Bashar, so no replacement was required, while the other two victims were replaced by experienced officials via traditional promotion -- in Ikhtiar's case by an even more trusted regime figure.
The only significant defection to date has come from the Sunni military elite that Hafiz al-Assad built around the regime's inner core. Shortly after the July 2012 bombing, Republican Guard commander Manaf Tlass fled the country and announced his support for the opposition Free Syrian Army from the safety of his family's home in Paris. Historically, the Tlass clan was perhaps the closest Sunni family to the regime. Patriarch Mustafa Tlass served with Hafiz al-Assad in the air force academy and later as his defense minister from 1972 to 2004, while Manaf and his older brother Firas were childhood friends of Bashar. Firas chose a career in business, starting the MAS Group of agriculture and food service companies in 1980. Both sons fortified their links to the regime through marriage: Firas married an Alawite woman (Rania, nee al-Jabiri), and Manaf married a powerful Damascene woman (Tala, nee al-Kheir), introducing Bashar to Sunni merchants through her connections. When the Tlass clan cut ties with the regime last year, it was more significant from a personal perspective: while the family was politically powerful in Hafiz al-Assad's era, the younger generation was not as involved in government. Thus far, then, their defection has not provided a wedge into the regime's inner core.
WHAT NOW?
The last significant blow to the regime was over a year ago, and it did not do enough damage to shake the president or his intricate network of loyalists. The regime has reorganized somewhat since the uprising began, but it has not cracked. Given the Assad family's decision to shoot its way out of the crisis and use missiles and chemical weapons on the Syrian people, the chances of one of the president's relatives defecting or being offered safe haven are likely nil. For now, the specter of being decapitated by the opposition's growing contingent of Sunni extremists is keeping the regime together.
Yet the armed forces and the non-blood-linked security services may be susceptible to pressure, since they have the most to lose from a war that is becoming increasingly sectarian, from the prospect of becoming an Iranian satellite state, and from the raft of persistent sanctions. Another opportunity lies in expanding the sanctions net to include more businessmen near the regime's core, then offering to lift sanctions on them in exchange for providing information on the regime and breaking with it. But much of the outcome now depends on whether Washington and its allies are willing to use military means -- such as surgical strikes and arming the opposition with more formidable weapons -- to put regime members on the horns of a dilemma: leave and live, or stay and die.
Grace Abuhamad is a research assistant at the Governance Lab and a former research intern at The Washington Institute. Andrew J. Tabler is a senior fellow in the Institute's Program on Arab Politics.
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NOTE ON SANCTIONS
Below are details about U.S., EU, and Arab League sanctions that have been imposed on the regime figures mentioned in this PolicyWatch. For more information, consult the relevant government lists of U.S. sanctions and EU sanctions (PDF).
The United States sanctioned Mohammed Hamsho and Hamsho International Group on August 4, 2011, pursuant to Executive Orders 13573 and 13572. The EU sanctioned Hamsho on May 23, 2011, and his company on June 26, 2011.
The EU sanctioned Fawaz and Munzer al-Assad on May 23, 2011, for being "involved in violence against the civilian population as part of the Shabiha militia." The Arab League imposed travel bans on them in November 2011.
The United States sanctioned Ayman and Mohammad Jaber on December 11, 2012, pursuant to EO 13582 and EO 13572. The EU sanctioned Ayman on January 8, 2011, and Mohammad on August 23, 2011, for being "associates of Maher al-Assad for the Shabiha militia." The Arab League imposed travel bans on them in November 2011.
The United States sanctioned Hafez Makhlouf on May 18, 2011, pursuant to EO 13572. The EU sanctioned him on September 5, 2011, and the Arab League imposed travel bans on him in November 2011. The EU also sanctioned Iyad on May 23, 2011.
Rami Makhlouf was sanctioned by the United States on February 13, 2008, and by the EU on September 5, 2011; the Arab League imposed travel bans on him in November 2011. The EU also sanctioned Ihab on May 23, 2011, and Mohammed on August 1 of that year.
Abdul Fatah Qudsiya was sanctioned by the United States on May 18, 2011, pursuant to EO 13573, and by the EU on May 9, 2011. The Arab League imposed travel bans on him in November 2011.
Rustum Ghazali was sanctioned by the United States on June 30, 2005, and by the EU on May 9, 2011. The Arab League imposed travel bans on him in November 2011.
Mohammad Dib Zaitoun was sanctioned by the United States on May 18, 2011, pursuant to EO 13573, and by the EU on May 9, 2011. The Arab League imposed travel bans on him in November 2011.
Ali Mamluk was sanctioned by the United States on April 22, 2012, pursuant to EO 13606, and by the EU on May 9, 2011. The Arab League imposed travel bans on him in November 2011.
Mustafa Tlass was sanctioned by the United States on November 14, 2011, and by the EU on November 14, 2011.