LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
February 09/2013

Bible Quotation for today/Riches in Heaven
Luke 12/32-40: "32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.  Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them.  For your heart will always be where your riches are. “Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with your lamps lit,  like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast. When he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him at once.  How happy are those servants whose master finds them awake and ready when he returns! I tell you, he will take off his coat, have them sit down, and will wait on them.  How happy they are if he finds them ready, even if he should come at midnight or even later!  And you can be sure that if the owner of a house knew the time when the thief would come, he would not let the thief break into his house.  And you, too, must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you are not expecting him.”

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
 The War between Jihadists and the Free Syrian Army/By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat/February 09/13
 Power is Poison/By Osman Mirghani/Asharq Alawsat/February 09/13
Iran: Old Revolutionaries Say Sorry/By Amir Taheri/Asharq Alawsat/February 09/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 09/13
 12 IAF planes fly over Lebanon, army claims

 Patriarch Rai praises Tripoli during long-awaited visit
Lebanon's General Security Chief to Probe Alleged Link between Syrian Defector and Kidnapped Pilgrims
 Report: Al-Madina Bank Scandal in Lebanon Back to Spotlight after Madi-Harb Dispute
 LF Urges Hizbullah to Hand Over Suspects in Bulgaria, Harb, Hariri Cases
 EU unlikely to press for Cabinet resignation
Outdoor Bekaa phone ‘central’ draws Syrians
Government looks to limit Bulgaria fallout
 Army has list of 70 wanted people: Arsal mayor
 Charbel opposes formation of Arsal investigation committee
Pregnant teen killed by brother, cousin at Lebanon farm
Lebanon minister says Syria’s Abu Ibrahim dead  
 Fire at jewelry shop in Beirut
Pretrial of Islamist in Lebanese prisoners begins amid tight security
Iran denies involvement in Bulgaria bus bombing
 New US secretary of state, Kerry urges Iran to offer 'real substance' on nuke program
Ali Khamenei shuts door on direct nuclear talks with US
 Iran: New US sanctions aimed at creating tension
 Iranians support nuclear program despite sanctions
 Panetta exposes rift with Obama over Syrian rebels
 Patriarch sounds alarm over Syria’s Christians
 Female detainees languish in Syrian prisons
Kerry Says U.S. 'Evaluating' Next Steps in Syria Conflict
 Rebels block off key Damascus highway
Canada's FM, Meets New his U.S. Counterpart
 Tunisia Braces for Unrest following Funeral of Slain Opposition Leader
 Tunisia: Protesters chant anti-Islamist slogans
 Egypt Anti-Mursi Protesters March for Change
Former Algerian PM Benbitour Ready to Challenge Bouteflika
 Car Bombs in Shiite Areas of Iraq Kill 34

 

Lebanon, Maronities And Saint Maroun
 By: Elias Bejjani
February 09/113
Fouad Afram Boustani, (1904- 1994), the Lebanese Maronite historian described the Maronite denomination as, a faith of intelligence, an identification of life, a solid belief in Catholicism, a love for others, an ongoing struggle for righteousness, a mentality of openness on the whole world, and on its different civilizations, and a vehicle for martyrdom. The Maronites established the state of Lebanon and made it an oasis for the persecuted in the middle East. They believed and practiced  multiculturalism and pluralism. They created with the help of other minorities in the Middle East the unique nation of Lebanon.
The Maronites made Lebanon their homeland since the 4th century after converting its native inhabitants to Christianity. They were identified by it, and it was identified by them, they were and still are one entity. The Maronite people were always hopeful, faithful and strong believers in the Christian Catholic doctrine. They made victories of defeats, joy of sorrow and hope of despair. The Maronites successfully created with hard work and a great deal of faith and sacrifices, the Maronite nation by fulfilling its four basic pillars, a land, a people, a civilization and a politically independent entity. They constantly fight for what was theirs, and never ever surrendered to despair.
On the ninth of February for the past 1600 years, Maronites in Lebanon and all over the world have been celebrating the annual commemoration of St. Maroun, the founder of their Christian Catholic denomination.
Every year, on the ninth of February, more than ten million Maronites from all over the world celebrate St. Maroun’s day. On this day, they pay their respect to the great founder of the Maronite Church, Maroun the priest, the hermit, the father, the leader and the Saint. They remember what they have been exposed to, since the 4th century, both good and bad times. They reminisce through the past, examine the present and contemplate the future. They pray for peace, democracy and freedom in Lebanon, their homeland, and all over the world.
Who was this Saint, how did he establish his church, where did he live, and who are his people, the Maronites?
St. Maroun, according to the late great Lebanese philosopher and historian, Fouad Afram Al-Bustani, was raised in the city of Kouroch. This city is located northeast of Antioch (presently in Turkey), and to the northwest of Herapolos (Manbieg), the capital of the third Syria (Al-Furatia). Kouroch is still presently in existence in Turkey, it is located 15 kilometers to the northwest of Kalas city, and about 70 kilometers to the north of the Syrian city, Aleppo.
As stated by the historians, Father Boutrous Daou and Fouad Fram Bustani, Maroun chose a very high location at the Semaan Mountain (called in the past, Nabo Mountain, after the pagan god, Nabo). Geographically, the Semaan Mountain is located between Antioch and Aleppo. People had abandoned the mountain for years, and the area was completely deserted.
The ruins of a historic pagan temple that existed on the mountain attracted Maroun. Boustan stated that St. Maroun moved to this mountain and decided to follow the life of a hermit. He made the ruined temple his residence after excoriating it from devils, but used it only for masses and offerings of the holy Eucharist. He used to spend all his time in the open air, praying, fasting and depriving his body from all means of comfort. He became very famous in the whole area for his faith, holiness and power of curing. Thousands of believers came to him seeking help and advice.
St. Maroun, was an excellent knowledgeable preacher and a very stubborn believer in Christ and in Christianity. He was a mystic who started a new ascetic-spiritual method that attracted many people from all over the Antiochian Empire. He was a zealous missionary with a passion to spread the message of Christ by preaching it to others. He sought not only to cure the physical ailments that people suffered, but had a great quest for nurturing and healing the "lost souls" of both pagans and Christians of his time. Maroun’s holiness and countless miracles drew attention throughout the Antiochian Empire. St. John of Chrysostom sent him a letter around 405 AD expressing his great love and respect asking St. Maroun to pray for him.
St. Maroun's way was deeply monastic with emphasis on the spiritual and ascetic aspects of living. For him, all was connected to God and God was connected to all. He did not separate the physical and spiritual world and actually used the physical world to deepen his faith and spiritual experience with God. St. Maroun embraced the quiet solitude of the Semaan Mountain life. He lived in the open air exposed to the forces of nature such as sun, rain, hail and snow. His extraordinary desire to come to know God’s presence in all things allowed him to transcend such forces, and discover an intimate union with God. He was able to free himself from the physical world by his passion and eagerness for prayer and enter into a mystical relationship of love with the creator.
St. Maroun attracted hundreds of monks and priests who came to live with him and become his disciples and loyal Christian followers. Maroun’s disciples preached the Bible in the Antiochan Empire (known at the present time as Syria), Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel, They built hundreds of Churches and abbeys as well as schools and were known for their faith, devotion and perseverance.
At the age of seventy, in the year 410 AD, and after completing his holy mission, St. Maroun died peacefully while surrounded by his disciples and followers. His will was to be buried in the same grave with his beloved teacher, the great monk, Zabena, in the town of Kena, next to Kouroch city, where a temple was built in Zabena’s name. St. Maroun’s will was not fulfilled, because the residents of a nearby town were able to take his body and bury him in their town and build a huge church on his grave. This church was a shrine for Christians for hundreds of years, and its ruins are still apparent in that town.
After Maroun’s death, his disciples built a huge monastery in honor of his name, adjacent to the ornate spring, (Naher Al-Assi, located at the Syrian-Lebanese border). The monastery served for hundreds of years as a pillar for faith, education, martyrhood and holiness. It was destroyed at the beginning of the tenth century that witnessed the worst Christian persecution era. During the savage attack on the monastery more than 300 Maronite priests were killed. The surviving priests moved to the mountains of Lebanon where with the Marada people and the native Lebanese were successful in establishing the Maronite nation. They converted the Lebanese mountains to a fortress of faith and a symbol for martyrhood, endurance and perseverance.
Initially the Maronite movement reached Lebanon when St. Maroun's first disciple Abraham of Cyrrhus, who was called the Apostle of Lebanon, realized that paganism was thriving in Lebanon, so he set out to convert the pagans to Christianity by introducing them to the way of St. Maroun. St. Maroun is considered to be the Father of the spiritual and monastic movement now called the Maronite Church. This movement had a profound influence on northern Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and on many other countries all over the world where the Maronites currently live. The biggest Maronite community at the present time lives in Brazil. More than six million Lebanese descendents made Brazil their home after the massive  emigration that took place from Lebanon in the beginning of this century.
God Bless all those who struggle for freedom and liberty all over the world

Lebanon's General Security Chief to Probe Alleged Link between Syrian Defector and Kidnapped Pilgrims
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman asked General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on Friday to investigate a media report that a Syrian army deserter was involved in the kidnapping of Lebanese pilgrims by rebels last year.A presidential statement said that during a meeting they held at Baabda palace, Suleiman tasked Ibrahim with investigating the report carried by al-Akhbar daily that Syrian army lieutenant Mohammed Tlas, who has fled his country to Lebanon, was aware of the full details linked to the abduction of the 11 men. Al-Akhbar also said that Tlas has close ties with their kidnapper Amar al-Dadikhi of the rebel North Storm brigade, also known as Abu Ibrahim, and has called him several times as part of a mediation effort aimed at releasing the pilgrims in return for ransom. But Abu Ibrahim has rejected the offer, it said.
The rebel told New York Times journalists in December that he will not release the men unless the Syrian government sets free two prominent opposition figures and Lebanon frees all alleged Syrian activists in government custody.The 11 pilgrims were kidnapped in May last year as they crossed to Syria following their return from a pilgrimage in Iran. Two of them were released in August and September but nine still remain in custody in the Aleppo town of Aazaz.Also Friday, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told a delegation from the Editors Association that Turkish authorities have informed Lebanon that Abu Ibrahim was killed.
Turkey is a major supporter of the rebels fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad since March 2011. It has also engaged in the negotiations to set the pilgrims free.
The ministerial committee tasked with following up on the case of the pilgrims then held a meeting at Charbel's office to discuss the latest developments in the issue in light of the recent trips conducted by Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the interior minister to Turkey,“Tangible steps have been taken by the interior minister in this file,” revealed Labor Minister Salim Jreissati after the meeting.
The ministerial committee meeting was attended by Charbel, Jreissati, Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi, and Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour.
The premier recently traveled to Turkey to discuss the pilgrims' abduction, with media reports saying that Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan had joined efforts to ensure their release.
The families of the pilgrims had frequently held Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar responsible for the ongoing kidnapping of the pilgrims.

Report: Al-Madina Bank Scandal in Lebanon Back to Spotlight after Madi-Harb Dispute
Naharnet /A decision by General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi to reopen the fraud case at al-Madina Bank raised question marks on his intentions, only days after he requested lifting the parliamentary immunity off MP Butros Harb for allegedly offending the president and the judiciary. Madi tasked on Thursday an experts committee to reveal the names of persons who had received funds from al-Madina and its twin the United Credit Bank.
The committee was formed when the bank's millions of dollars of fraud erupted in 2003 to investigate money laundering.
The general prosecutor also asked the committee to probe the amount and the reasons of the payments made within a maximum three week deadline.
Madi's decision raised questions whether he intended to target Harb who had been at a certain stage the lawyer of a defendant in the bank scandal, Rana Koleilat, who was accused of playing a key role in the fraud.
But sources close to the lawmaker denied that he was paid off. They said that Koleilat once asked Harb to represent her in court but when he studied the bank's case he discovered a bouncing check of more than euro 300 million. So he informed the suspect that he could not defend her, they added.
During 12 years at the private al-Madina bank, Koleilat rose from clerk to executive. It was an era in which Syria dominated Lebanon and when paying off Syrian intelligence agents and providing gifts to powerful politicians was common. Koleilat was at the center of the scandal that engulfed al-Madina when the Central Bank announced in July 2003 that it had detected a cash deficit at the bank of more than euro 250 million, along with other irregularities. Other suspects in the case include Adnan Abu Ayash and his brother Ibrahim. Reports have said that the amount missing from the two banks could total as much as euro 1.0 billion.
Madi sent a memo to Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi on Monday requesting that the Batroun MP's immunity be lifted, so that he can be tried for offending President Michel Suleiman and the judiciary.
But Harb challenged him, saying he would file a lawsuit against the general prosecutor for trying to strike a deal with Hizbullah over a party member accused of involvement in an assassination attempt against him last year.

Lebanon minister says Syria’s Abu Ibrahim dead
February 08, 2013/By Jana El-Hassan The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Interior Minister Marwan Charbel quoted Friday Turkish officials as saying the head of the group behind the kidnapping of a Lebanese group in Syria in 2012 has been killed. But a mediator in the case denied Abu Ibrahim is dead.
"I have received information from the Turkish side that Abu Ibrahim has been killed and that Abu Jaser has replaced him," Charbel was quoted as telling a delegation from Lebanon’s Journalists Syndicate.
He added that Abu Ibrahim died as a result of wounds.
Charbel said contacts are still ongoing with Turkey in order to resolve the case of the kidnapped Lebanese.
However, a mediator involved in the case of the kidnapped pilgrims who spoke to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity said Abu Ibrahim was still alive.
“He is not dead. He is wounded but he is still alive,” the mediator said, adding that the Abu Ibrahim periodically “played dead” in order to alleviate pressure on him to release the Lebanese Shiites.
News of Abu Ibrahim's death surfaced in recent days when the Free Syrian Army allegedly attacked Azaz where the Lebanese are thought to be held.
The source, who described Abu Ibrahim as flaky, said the kidnapper has yet to outline specific demands for the return of the Lebanese.
"Sometimes Abu Ibrahim says he is holding the Lebanese because he wants money and at other times he claims it is for sectarian reasons," the mediator said.
Eleven Lebanese were kidnapped by a rebel group on May 22, 2012, in the Syrian district of Aleppo after crossing from Turkey, returning from a pilgrimage to Iran. Two of the group were released in late 2012.
The mediator said the Free Syrian Army had launched an attack to free the pilgrims and that Abu Ibrahim was constantly relocating the group in Azaz, Aleppo.
However, the mediator said the pilgrims were in good health.
Also Friday, President Michel Sleiman sought clarification as to whether there was a link between a Syrian Army defector who is in the custody of Lebanese officials and the 2012 abduction of Lebanese pilgrims in Syria.
“[The president] asked General Security head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim to investigate the validity of media reports that there is a link between Syrian Lt. Mohammad Tlas and the kidnapping of Lebanese in Azaz and what he [Tlas] has information about this issue," according to Sleiman’s office.
Lebanon's Military Tribunal has ordered the deportation of Tlas, a defector from the Syrian military who was sentenced earlier this week in Lebanon to two months in prison and fined for illegally entering the country.
However, Lebanon’s interior minister said Wednesday that the deportation was unlikely to take place.
According to a security source, Tlas has yet to be handed over to General Security, the security apparatus responsible for returning him to Syria.
“Political considerations” would likely block such a move, the security source, who spoke to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity Wednesday, added.
Sleiman said Thursday that there are instructions against deporting any Syrian back to their country in line with the Human Rights Declaration.
Qatar has recently appointed an official to follow up on the case of the kidnapped men. The appointment came after Lebanese officials traveled to Doha and appealed for help given the Arab state’s close ties with the Syrian opposition.Turkey has said that it is exerting efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped and has described the case as “sensitive.”
According to the statement Friday, Sleiman and Ibrahim also discussed the required means to secure the return of the nine pilgrims who remain captives in the Syrian border town.

Patriarch Lahham sounds alarm over Syria’s Christians
February 09, 2013/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorius Lahham III voiced alarm Friday about the situation of churches and Christians in Syria and appealed for urgently needed aid.
“The news that you follow in the media does not truly reflect the tragic situation that citizens are having to live, particularly at the Homs and Latakia dioceses as well as in Aleppo, Hawran and Damascus,” Lahham said in a letter ahead of the start of Lent.
“Many of our sons have been kidnapped and large sums of money have been paid to secure their release. About 100 of our children were killed and martyred along with some 1,000 Christians of all the sects,” he said.“Around 20 churches were destroyed, damaged or evacuated in the area mentioned, and prayers are no longer held there as the faithful and priests have deserted their parishes,” said the prelate, who is based in the Metn town of Rabieh.
Earlier this week, the bishop of Aleppo voiced similar concerns, saying that Christians in Syria were being terrorized by kidnappings for ransom.
Concerns over the fate of Christians in Syria have grown amid reports about the rising influence of Islamists among the ranks of anti-regime fighters.
Lahham also spoke about the condition of Christian students and the destruction of a Greek Catholic school that was hit by a rocket.
“Not to mention the psychological condition of Christians: doubt, fear, apprehension, the loss of loved ones like a spouse, child, a relative or someone who has gone missing or has been kidnapped,” the patriarch said. Churches were working to ameliorate the suffering of Syria’s Christians and Muslims alike, he said, urging the international community to help religious institutions to continue their aid.
“We don’t know how we can continue without aid programs for food, heating, rents, school grants and medicine and that is why at the start of the 40-day Lent we have drafted this letter to document some aspects of the tragedy in the country,” Lahham said.
“We thought of creating a central committee of solidarity in Syria under our supervision to achieve the contents of this letter and we suggest the creation of subcommittees in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and the rest of the dioceses and in our centers in Western countries.”
He appealed to bishops in all countries to work and suggest names of businessmen that could head the subcommittees in order to gather support and funds to face the challenges awaiting “our parishes and Christian presence.”

Iran denies involvement in Bulgaria bus bombing
By REUTERS 02/08/2013
After Hezbollah's denial of involvement in Burgas attack, Tehran says it is "against any form of terrorism."
SOFIA - Iran played no part in the bombing of a bus last year that killed Israeli tourists, its ambassador to Bulgaria said on Friday, rejecting Israeli charges that it was involved in the attack.
Bulgaria has accused the Iranian-backed Hezbollah of carrying out the July attack, a charge the Lebanese Shi'ite Islamist movement dismissed as part of a smear campaign by its arch foe Israel.
'EU reluctant to blacklist Hezbollah after probe''Hezbollah will gain immunity without EU blacklist'"This (the attack) has nothing to do with Iran," Gholamreza Bageri told reporters. "We are against any form of terrorism and strongly condemn such actions."Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week accused Hezbollah and Iran of waging a "global terror campaign" after the attack in Burgas, which killed five Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian driver and the bomber.Given the link to an attack on European Union soil, Brussels is considering adding Hezbollah - which is part of the Lebanese government and waged a brief war with Israel in 2006 - to its list of terrorist organizations.The United States already lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group and US and Israeli authorities want the European Union to take a similar position, which would mean Brussels could act to freeze its assets in Europe.

IDF spokesperson posts caricature of Nasrallah seeking terror target
Ynetnews/Brig.-Gen. Mordechai posts cartoon on Facebook page, says Hezbollah leader 'not sitting in bunker counting prayer beads'
Yoav Zitun Published: 02.08.13/ ynetnews
IDF Spokesperson Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai posted on his Facebook page Friday a caricature showing Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah standing by a globe and contemplating where to carry out the next terror attack.Mordechai took a swipe at Nasrallah after Bulgaria announced earlier this week that its investigation concluded that Hezbollah was behind the bombing of a bus filled with Israeli tourists in the Black Sea city of Burgas last July. The attack killed five Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian driver and the bomber. Undoubtedly, Nasrallah is sitting in his bunker, his hideout, and is not counting beads on a misbaha (string of prayer beads)," Mordechai wrote on his Facebook page. The cartoon was drawn by a female soldier from the IDF Spokesperson's Film Unit. Over the past year Mordechai has frequently posted caricatures on his Facebook page to convey messages against terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The Israelis security establishment raised its alert level recently for fear that Hezbollah will attempt to carry out a terror attack as retaliation for last week's alleged Israeli airstrike on a convoy delivering advanced weapons from Syria to Lebanon.

New US secretary of state, Kerry urges Iran to offer 'real substance' on nuke program
By REUTERS 02/08/2013/New US secretary of state indicates international community ready to respond to Tehran if it addresses questions about its ongoing nuclear development: Let diplomacy be the victor in the confrontation. WASHINGTON - Major powers are ready to respond if Iran comes to February 26 nuclear talks ready to address questions about its nuclear program, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.
Related: Iranians support nuclear program despite sanctionsIran: New US sanctions aimed at creating tensionThe powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - are scheduled to meet Iranian negotiators in Almaty, Kazakhstan, later this month to see if there is a way to address Western concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
The United States, and its allies, suspect Iran is using its civilian program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies this, saying its program is for peaceful purposes such as generating electricity and producing medical isotopes."The international community is ready to respond if Iran comes prepared to talk real substance and to address the concerns, which could not be more clear, about their nuclear program," Kerry said in an opening statement at a news conference with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird. Kerry, who replaced Hillary Clinton as secretary of state on Feb. 1, voiced concern about Iran's recent announcement of plans to install and operate advanced uranium enrichment machines, a technological leap that would allow it to significantly speed up activity the West fears could be put to developing a nuclear weapon.
"It's disturbing," Kerry said. "And so my plea to the Iranians - or my statement - is a clear statement. We are prepared to let diplomacy be the victor in this confrontation over their nuclear program."

Ali Khamenei shuts door on direct nuclear talks with US
DEBKAfile Special Report February 7, 2013/Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turned down the US offer of one-on-one talks on its nuclear program Thursday, Feb. 7, just 24 hours after US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that due to budgetary constraints, the US could only keep one, not two, US aircraft carrier strike groups in the Persian Gulf, and had cancelled the departure of a second carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman.The ayatollah in a speech posted on his web site accused the US of proposing talks while "pointing a gun at Iran.”
On Saturday, US Vice-President Joe Biden suggested direct talks – separate from the wider international discussions scheduled for Feb. 26 in Kazakhstan between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. No previous negotiations in this format over the years have ever produced a breakthrough.
Biden said Washington was prepared for direct talks with Iran "when the Iranian leadership, supreme leader, is serious". "That offer stands,” he said later, “but it must be real and tangible and there has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to. We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise," he said.
But the ayatollah said such negotiations "would solve nothing.” He added: "You are holding a gun against Iran saying you want to talk. The Iranian nation will not be frightened by threats."
Wednesday, the US widened sanctions on Iran for tightening the squeeze on Tehran's ability to spend oil cash.
The cancellation of the Harry Truman’s departure for the Gulf leaves a single US aircraft carrier in the vast naval region of the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean and southern part of the Indian Ocean bordering on Africa, debkafile's military sources report, and no US fleet presence opposite Syria.
Khamenei’s rejection of Washington’s latest offer of direct talks followed the new US ban imposed Wednesday on the transfer of revenues from Iranian oil exports to its coffers. The money will henceforth be available only for the purchase of goods in the countries of destination for Iranian oil.
Senior American officials said that this sanction would significantly restrict Iran's freedom to use its oil income at will.
Khamenei did not say so specifically, but his rejection of dialogue with Washington was undoubtedly influenced by President Barack Obama’s forthcoming visit to Israel. By the metaphor of “holding a gun against Iran,” the Iranian leader was not just reacting to the new sanctions; he was also hitting back at the White House announcement’s stress that the president’s talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would focus on Iran and Syria - as debkafile reported Wednesday.
The expectation is that Obama and Netanyahu will confer on the military option both governments have reserved for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
Khamenei's rejection of face-to-face talks does not cancel the international negotiations scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan. It does, however, render them more pointless than ever.

Power is Poison
By Osman Mirghani/Asharq Alawsat
I paused at length before two news items published by Asharq Al-Awsat on its front page last Wednesday, and I found myself amazed by the glaring contrast in the words of two leaders from to two different generations. One spoke in a way that reflected a failure to grasp the challenges of diversity and coexistence and the need to understand others and hear their demands, while the other spoke with wisdom gained from experience and harsh lessons, and realized the importance of coexistence in light of religious and ethnic diversity.
The first piece of news was Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s assertion that dictatorship is better than chaos, saying, “Chaos is far worse than a dictatorship because warlords can exploit it to implement their own agendas.” The second news item quoted Rahul Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi, who was recently promoted to vice president of the Congress party, which has ruled India for decades. Gandhi suggested that power was akin to poison, and warned of the dangers of failing to address underlying sectarian and ethnic grudges.
Maliki was speaking against the backdrop of repeated accusations against him from his opponents that he is becoming increasingly autocratic. This has even led to disputes between Maliki and some of his close allies, who have begun to overtly suggest that they are seeking to replace him. Some have gone on to say that there is a great difference between the Maliki who spent years as a political opponent in exile, and who criticized the oppressive and dictatorial nature of Saddam Hussein's rule, and the Maliki who is now clinging on to power, has no patience with political opponents and demonstrators, and is trying to convince Iraqis that dictatorship is better than chaos.
Many dictatorial regimes have tried to intimidate their people by emphasizing threats to justify their authoritarianism. Sometimes they warn against chaos, sometimes against Al-Qaeda and terrorism, and sometimes against foreign conspiracies. We heard this same rhetoric in different forms from Gaddafi, Mubarak, Saleh, and Ben Ali, when the streets were full of rage and despair and the people were protesting against corruption, bankruptcy, and repression. Today Maliki is repeating the same rhetoric, merging all excuses and justifications into one, warning of chaos, warlords, and foreign entities eager to see Iraq immersed in sedition and chaos. It is sad that Maliki—who came to power through the electoral process—is now unable to stand the voices of his political opponents. He is suppressing demonstrations while trying to convince the people that dictatorships are better than chaos. Of course, he is not trying to reproduce the Saddam Hussein regime. Instead, he is seeking to justify his style of governance whenever he is accused of autocracy. He is always trying to find excuses for his failure to fulfill the people's aspirations, for using violence against demonstrators, and for marginalizing his political opponents.
Without a doubt, no one wants chaos. However, the greatest danger Iraq is facing is sectarianism, which seems to have grown rapidly and is now ravaging the country, having been fueled by those who "treat power as a business." As a result, there are now parties and groups using sectarianism as a political tool, and recently groups have emerged that are fighting and killing in the name of sectarian identity. This is the gravest danger that Iraq and the Iraqi people could face, and everyone must stand together to maintain the integrity of their country, end the bloodshed, and prevent the emergence of a dictatorship, sectarian or otherwise.
Maliki's words were in complete contrast to the speech given by Rahul Gandhi. They followed his appointment as vice president of the Congress party, positioning him up as the successor to his Italian-born mother Sonia, who has chaired the party ever since the assassination of her husband Rajiv. Sonia Gandhi is a symbol of coexistence and has helped India maintain its democratic system despite its religious and ethnic diversity. Thus it was more poignant when Rahul addressed the Congress party after his appointment, saying, "Last night my mother came to my room and she sat with me and she cried. Why did she cry? She cried because she understands that the power so many people seek is actually a poison".
Sonia Gandhi described power as poison because of her bitter personal experience of its effects. Her husband Rajiv, the sixth prime minister of India, lost his life as a result of political struggles and sectarian strife when he was assassinated in 1991. A Tamil woman holding a bunch of flowers approached him during a public meeting before detonating a bomb hidden in her belt, killing them both. When a court sentenced a young woman named Nalini Sriharan to death for plotting Rajiv's assassination, Sonia Gandhi intervened and asked for clemency because Sriharan had a young daughter, and so the sentence was reduced from the death penalty to imprisonment.
This was not the only lesson to come from this story. Priyanka Gandhi, Rajiv's daughter, went on to visit Nalini in prison, and afterwards announced that she felt pity for the woman who had taken part in the killing of her father, as her time in prison created a barrier between her and her daughter. Like her mother Sonia, Priyanka said she bore no malice or hatred towards Nalini.
When addressing the Congress party audience on the dangers of sectarian and ethnic division, Rahul Gandhi also gave an example from his own life. He recalled how he always used to play badminton at his grandmother Indira's house, yet this all changed when two soldiers shot Indira Gandhi—the then prime minister of India—dead in October 1984. What Rahul failed to say, although it was well known to the audience, was that the two soldiers, who were part of Indira's personal guard, were followers of the Sikh religion. They had carried out the assassination to avenge the Indian troops' invasion of the Golden Temple in Punjab, a sacred shrine for Sikhs.
Sonia Gandhi has learned a lot about the exorbitant price of political power when it becomes embroiled in sectarianism. This is why she cried when her son took his latest step forward along the path their family has forged in the world of politics. However, she taught her son and daughter the significance of tolerance and the importance of remedying sectarian and ethnic wounds. She also taught them an important lesson by refusing the position of prime minister when the Congress party won the election under her chairmanship in 2004, making room for another candidate, Manmohan Singh, to become India’s first Sikh prime minister. This was another gesture of tolerance and an attempt to reconcile with the Sikhs and defuse any underlying sectarian malice.
Some politicians in Iraq should heed Sonia Gandhi’s message to her son about how power and prejudice are dangerous poisons.

The War between Jihadists and the Free Syrian Army
By Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
A Salafi jihadist leader in Jordan was quoted as saying, “A war will break out between jihadists and secular fighters (the Free Syrian Army) if President Bashar Al-Assad falls.”
This threat can be interpreted in tow possible ways. It is either part of the Syrian regime’s campaign of intimidation or an honest statement expressing the agenda of jihadist groups in the region. Both possibilities are catastrophic.
The statement, hinting at a possible war between jihadist and secular fighters in Syria, was attributed to the Al-Qaeda supporter known as Abu Sayyaf. Since he was speaking from Jordan, the statement is akin to an observer making judgments from the outside, but its timing only serves Bashar Assad. The Syrian president is facing an uprising led by the majority of the Syrians, whom he claims are terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda.
Abu Sayyaf’s statement corroborates the Syrian regime’s allegations. When one hears such statements, they instantly think: Is it better for Syria is ruled by an evil man with smart clothes like Bashar Assad, or an evil man dressed in shabby clothes and carrying a sword?
Unfortunately, many could fall for this and believe the situation in Syria is now a choice between Bashar Assad and Ayman al-Zawahiri. Here they would choose Syria’s Assad instead of Afghanistan’s Taliban and Al-Qaeda. They would not accept a Somali version of Syria and they would not fight for Damascus to become another Timbkutu.
This terrifying vision is based on the following scarecrow: The fall of Assad means the rise of Zawahiri, Jabhat Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda. But why do we assume that overthrowing the Assad regime, which is a popular demand, would inevitably be followed by Al-Qaeda’s seizure of Damascus? The truth is that Abu Sayyaf is merely enhancing Assad’s propaganda; a campaign designed to intimidate the Syrians who have been struggling for two years to topple a regime that has suppressed them for forty.
It is an attempt to intimidate the countries that support the revolution such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It is an attempt to intimidate the global powers and other European countries, which, despite their reluctance, are tightening the noose around Assad’s regime on the financial and economic level, and will have a major role in establishing a future Syrian state.
But we do not want Abu Sayyaf to lie to us, and we, ourselves, do not want to lie to others. Yes the situation in Syria is very dangerous. Iran and Russia are exerting great efforts to support and protect the Damascus regime, and they hold the key to why Assad remains in his palace to this day. Amid a campaign of intimidation, starvation and genocide, it is normal for groups to emerge seeking vengeance, and for segments of society to support extremism. However, it is certain that Assad’s regime, along with Hezbollah and Iran, are encouraging terrorist groups and facilitating their entry into the opposition in order to cause alarm within the international community, which is fighting Al-Qaeda today in Yemen, Afghanistan and Mali. It would not make sense for the west to support any revolution raising an extremist flag.
Abu Sayyaf said that “if Assad is toppled, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) or those who oppose the ideas of Jabhat Al-Nusra will request all Islamic groups to immediately put down their weapons…Here a clash will take place, and the losses will be grave. We cannot say how exactly, because we cannot pre-empt events.”
In turn, we say to Abu Sayyaf that the extremists will fail and the Syrian people will fight them. Look around; Al-Qaeda has failed everywhere. It failed in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and even in Somalia. It is currently besieged in Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It is a Takfiri group acting against 90 percent of the Muslim community.
I personally think that Abu Sayyaf’s statements are a free service to Assad in order to frustrate the rebels’ courage, raise the Syrians’ suspicions regarding their revolution, and intimidate the wider world. The majority of Syrians are against Al-Qaeda and Salafi jihadism. The overwhelming majority of the Syrian rebels are defectors from the Syrian army; young men who have risen up against injustice. They are neither jihadists nor Al-Qaeda affiliates. If Jabhat Al-Nusra is really affiliated with Al-Qaeda, it will end like all other Al-Qaeda organizations; in failure. But if it is genuinely a Syrian revolutionary group, there will be a place for it among the others. What we have to understand is that the FSA is the overwhelming power. It is genuine and patriotic, and its religious slogans must be understood in context and not considered as extremist. Christian fighters often draw the cross and Jews carry the Torah. It is piety not extremism, and it is normal for people to express their religion.
The FSA’s agenda is to build a new country while Al-Qaeda’s agenda is destruction and bloodshed. This is why the latter failed and why religion will always overcome it. The US did not succeed in its war against Al-Qaeda in Iraq but Sunni tribes managed to eliminate it. The Syrian people are civilized, moderately religious, and will not allow the evil of Al-Qaeda to replace the evil of the Assad regime. They will do what the Saudis, Egyptians, Algerians, and Jordanians did, and what the Yemenis are doing no, by fully rejecting the terrorist organization’s ideology. Therefore, we do not need to fear that jihadists will thwart the Syrian revolution.

Iran: Old Revolutionaries Say Sorry
By Amir Taheri/Asharq Alawsat
As Iranians prepare to mark the 34th anniversary of the seizure of power by Ayatollah Khomeini a new style of moral self-flagellation is all the rage in revolutionary circles.
This is expressed in essays, poems, speeches and interviews making the rounds in the media and the blogosphere.
Leading the self-flagellation are Islamist and leftist intellectuals who played a role in “The Islamic Revolution”.
One repentant revolutionary suggests that had Iran not experienced that event it would now be a leading economic power with high living standards and ample social and cultural freedoms.
Another repentant revolutionary, this time a poet, has composed a qasida (ballad) lamenting the creation of the Islamic Republic as a “national catastrophe.”
The average citizen might agree. After all, the Tehran leadership is offering a sad spectacle.
Last month, “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei warned regime grandees that if they caused tension by attacking each other he would regard them as traitors. Yet this is precisely what President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani did last week during an open session of the ersatz parliament. Ahmadinejad played the secretly recorded videotape of a meeting in which one of Larijani’s brothers promised a businessman to get him government contracts in exchange for a $20 million bribe(Since then the taped video of the sting operation has been put on YouTube, presumably by Ahmadinejad).
Speaker Larijani retaliated by practically throwing Ahmadinejad out of the Majlis. Larijani’s elder brother, Sadeq, who is head of the Islamist judiciary, retaliated by having Sa’id Mortazavi, a shadowy figure close to Ahmadinejad, arrested on a charge of entrapping the younger Larijani.
Larijani’s brother-in-law Ali Motahhari, a member of the Majlis, went further and branded Ahmadinejad a “traitor.”
The daily Kayhan, relaying the views of the "Supreme Guide", echoed the sentiment by accusing Ahmadinejad of "treason". Since Ahmadinejad's two predecessors, Rafsanjani and Khatami, have also been accused of treason, this means that for a quarter of a century at least the Islamic Republic has been presided over by “traitors”.
The power struggle in Tehran is conducted in the style of the Mafia with the president secretly taping his opponents without referring their misdeeds to the police. Also in Mafia-style, the president's opponents abduct and, in some cases, murder, people close to him as a means of ensuring his retreat or silence.
Ahmadinejad claims that the Larijani clan is acting as a crime syndicate using some organs of the state. The Larijanis counter by accusing Ahmadinejad of presiding over a shadowy organization engaged in “plundering” the national treasury.
Needless to say, it is difficult to verify the claims made by both sides.
However, one thing is certain: While rival factions are engaged in a zoological struggle for power, the country is looking increasingly like a rudderless ship adrift in stormy seas.
When all is said and done, the real issue is not whether the Larijani “crime syndicate” or the Ahmadinejad “circle of treason” should be in charge of the Islamic Republic. The real issue is whether the Islamic Republic, a hybrid monster created by a semi-literate mullah, can best reflect Iran’s hopes and aspirations in the 21st century.
You would not be surprised to know that my own answer is a resolute “no”. I have always believed that the Khomeinist revolution was a tragic mistake. However, now that it has happened it is part of history. Thus the current wave of self-flagellation would serve little purpose. Repentance might make former revolutionaries feel good in the same way sinners feel better after confession. That, however, would not address Iran’s present and future needs.
After three decades of direct experience of the Khomeinist system Iranians have arrived at a certain judgment of it. The final judgment, however, will be made by history.
We must not chain ourselves to the past, either as “I-told-you-so” counter-revolutionaries or as “I-am-sorry” agents of the revolution.
What matters now is the nation’s current situation with a leadership torn by Mafia-style squabbles and a political set-up designed to lead the country into impasse. The economy is in dire straits and the national currency in free fall. Many people, including former senior officials, are fleeing the country with Samsonites full of foreign currency. Every day over 1,000 people lose their jobs. At the same time, pawns are being propelled to fix another so-called presidential election. A wayward foreign policy is leading the nation into conflicts and possibly even war. In large chunks of the country there is a steady breakdown in law and order. Resources badly needed at home are squandered on propping up Syria’s doomed despot and hiring adventurers like Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and his Islamic Jihad counterparts in Gaza.
The interesting question is not whether the revolution was a mistake. Like other revolutions in history, the 1979 Iran revolution happened because the Shah’s regime could not offer an efficient mechanism of reform to provide the changes necessary.
The interesting question is whether or not the Khomeinist regime has also led itself into a closed circle. Its refusal to tolerate any opposition, including the loyal one led by people like Mousavi and Karroubi, and its failure to develop a credible national strategy while drunk on hubris amplify the disastrous effects of its incompetence.
Today, the question that repenting revolutionaries and others must ponder is whether or not Iran can get out of the current impasse without regime change.

Former Algerian PM Benbitour Ready to Challenge Bouteflika
By Bouallem Ghamrasa
Algiers, Asharq Al-Awsat—Former Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Benbitour has announced his willingness to run for president at the expected 2014 presidential elections “if the Algerian people have a desire for change.” He stressed that Algeria cannot remain immune to the wave of change that has struck other regional countries with similar political and social conditions as Algeria.
Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, the former Algerian Prime Minister revealed that he had held “meetings with citizens who believe in change”, adding that many of them had encouraged him to stand at the forthcoming presidential elections. These will be the fifth presidential elections in the history of Algeria.
He said that he was in the process of putting the finishing touches on his electoral program which he will put forward to the Algerian electorate, adding the proviso, “I will not stand for election before I guarantee widespread support.” Benbitour’s electoral program is based on rebuilding Algeria’s flagging economy and diversifying the country’s sources of income as well as confronting Algeria’s reliance on income from fuel exports.
Regarding his view of the situation in the country, Benbitour said, “The crux of the matter today is change, which there is no running from. So should we prepare for this and approach this in a manner that serves our interests, or let problems fester and then change will be imposed on us, perhaps according to a foreign agenda? So will the regime learn the lesson from what is currently taking place in Tunisia and Egypt and take the initiative for a peaceful and smooth change, or will it continue to be stubborn and ultimately be surprised by sweeping change?”
He added, “The country’s rulers believe that it is moving towards collapse, but despite this refuse to prepare for change. This is despite the fact that change will impose itself in the end and under circumstances that will be against our will. We saw what happened in Iraq and Libya and what is currently taking place in Syria as well as what Egypt is living through. We are aware of the difficulty of the transition towards democracy and this is because the leaders of these countries did not prepare for this in time.”
Benbitour served as prime minister of Algeria between December 1999 and August 2000. He previously served as Minister of Energy (1993-94) and Minister of Finance (1994-96). He resigned as prime minister in protest over deep divisions between the office of prime minister and the so-called “president’s ministers”, government ministers taking orders from President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Benbitour is the only Algerian prime minister to resign.
The Algerian government launched a package of reforms in 2011 against the backdrop of the Arab Spring. However these reforms were largely viewed as being superficial and not reflecting any real change. The Algerian opposition has accused the government of attempting to waste time and void the reform demands of any significance.
As for reports that those close to President Bouteflika are urging him to run for a fourth term in office, Benbitour told Asharq Al-Awsat, “There is a large group of people today who only excel at bribery, corruption, and mismanagement . . . these figures are served by the president remaining in power for a fourth and fifth term in office, and indeed for life. However if this president fails to understand that it is in the country’s and his own interest to leave before we reach destruction, then this means that he is unaware of the danger of the situation. This is the natural state of autocratic regimes that refuse to listen to opposing views.”
Benbitour stressed that he believed that “the next president (of Algeria) will be the product of change” calling on “the rebuilding of Algeria’s civil and military institutions.”
The former prime minister said that he was not sure if Bouteflika would stand for re-election, but confirmed that the prevailing view is that his brother and senior adviser, Said Bouteflika, wants the president to remain in power. Bouteflika amended Algeria’s constitution in 2008 which had previously restricted presidencies to two terms in office.

Canada's FM, Meets New his U.S. Counterpart
February 8, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird travels to Washington today for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
“Canada and the United States are friends, allies and partners on the economy, energy and the environment,” said Baird. “The strong bonds of our cooperation are rooted in our shared values and interests.
“I look forward to working with Secretary Kerry to find new ways to create jobs, growth and opportunity on both sides of our shared border.”
Minister Baird and Secretary Kerry will emerge from their meeting to hold a joint media availability.
Event: Media availability
Date: Friday, February 8, 2013
Time: Approximately 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street N.W., Washington, D.C.
Additional information:
Pre-set for video cameras: 1:30 p.m. from the 23rd Street N.W. entrance lobby. Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 2:15 p.m. 23rd Street entrance lobby.
For more information, please contact:


Question: "What does the Bible say about demon possession / demonic possession?"
GotQuestions.org?
Answer: The Bible gives some examples of people possessed or influenced by demons. From these examples we can find some symptoms of demonic influence and gain insight as to how a demon possesses someone. Here are some of the biblical passages: Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; 17:18; Mark 5:1-20; 7:26-30; Luke 4:33-36; Luke 22:3; Acts 16:16-18. In some of these passages, the demon possession causes physical ailments such as inability to speak, epileptic symptoms, blindness, etc. In other cases, it causes the individual to do evil, Judas being the main example. In Acts 16:16-18, the spirit apparently gives a slave girl some ability to know things beyond her own learning. The demon-possessed man of the Gadarenes, who was possessed by a multitude of demons (Legion), had superhuman strength and lived naked among the tombstones. King Saul, after rebelling against the LORD, was troubled by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-15; 18:10-11; 19:9-10) with the apparent effect of a depressed mood and an increased desire to kill David.
Thus, there is a wide variety of possible symptoms of demon possession, such as a physical impairment that cannot be attributed to an actual physiological problem, a personality change such as depression or aggression, supernatural strength, immodesty, antisocial behavior, and perhaps the ability to share information that one has no natural way of knowing. It is important to note that nearly all, if not all, of these characteristics may have other explanations, so it is important not to label every depressed person or epileptic individual as demon-possessed. On the other hand, Western cultures probably do not take satanic involvement in people’s lives seriously enough.
In addition to these physical or emotional distinctions, one can also look at spiritual attributes showing demonic influence. These may include a refusal to forgive (2 Corinthians 2:10-11) and the belief in and spread of false doctrine, especially concerning Jesus Christ and His atoning work (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 John 4:1-3).
Concerning the involvement of demons in the lives of Christians, the apostle Peter is an illustration of the fact that a believer can be influenced by the devil (Matthew 16:23). Some refer to Christians who are under a strong demonic influence as being “demonized,” but never is there an example in Scripture of a believer in Christ being possessed by a demon. Most theologians believe that a Christian cannot be possessed because he has the Holy Spirit abiding within (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19), and the Spirit of God would not share residence with a demon.
We are not told exactly how one opens himself up for possession. If Judas’ case is representative, he opened his heart to evil—in his case by his greed (John 12:6). So it may be possible that if one allows his heart to be ruled by some habitual sin, it becomes an invitation for a demon to enter. From missionaries’ experiences, demon possession also seems to be related to the worship of heathen idols and the possession of occult materials. Scripture repeatedly relates idol worship to the actual worship of demons (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20), so it should not be surprising that involvement with idolatry could lead to demon possession.
Based on the above scriptural passages and some of the experiences of missionaries, we can conclude that many people open their lives up to demon involvement through the embracing of some sin or through cultic involvement (either knowingly or unknowingly). Examples may include immorality, drug/alcohol abuse that alters one’s state of consciousness, rebellion, bitterness, and transcendental meditation.
There is an additional consideration. Satan and his evil host can do nothing the Lord does not allow them to do (Job 1-2). This being the case, Satan, thinking he is accomplishing his own purposes, is actually accomplishing God’s good purposes, as in the case of Judas’ betrayal. Some people develop an unhealthy fascination with the occult and demonic activity. This is unwise and unbiblical. If we pursue God, if we are clothing ourselves with His armor and relying upon His strength (Ephesians 6:10-18), we have nothing to fear from the evil ones, for God rules over all!
Recommended Resources: Logos Bible Software and Unseen Realities: Heaven, Hell, Angels, and Demons by R.C. Sproul.