LCCC ENGLISH DAILY
NEWS BULLETIN
January 10/2013
Bible Quotation for today/Using
Common Sense
Sirach 08/ Do not challenge a person who has influence;
you may fall into his power. Do not quarrel with someone rich; he may
bribe people to turn against you. Gold has destroyed many people and corrupted
kings. Don't argue with someone who talks too much; you will just be
adding fuel to his fire. Don't make fun of someone who has bad manners; he
may insult your ancestors. Don't criticize someone if he is already
turning away from sin. Remember that we are all guilty. Never think less of
someone because he is old; some of us are growing old, too. Don't be happy
over the death of anyone; remember that all of us must die. Do not
disregard what the wise have said. Study their proverbs; from them you can learn
to be cultured and to serve great people. Pay attention to what old people
say, for they learned from those who came before them. You can learn from them,
and they can teach you how to have an answer ready when you need one. You should
not provide a sinner with more opportunity to sin. You might get hurt yourself;
it's as easy as getting burned while adding logs to a fire. You should not
get up and walk out on someone who is insolent. He might twist your words and
use them against you. You should not lend anything to someone more
powerful than you. If you do, you might as well consider it lost. You should not
guarantee anyone else's loan to an extent that you cannot afford. You must be
prepared to pay any such guarantee. You should not bring a lawsuit against
a judge. He will win because of his position. You should not travel with anyone
who is reckless. It will cause you nothing but trouble. He will do any foolish
thing he pleases, and you will die with him. You should not get into an argument
with anyone who has a hot temper or go to some place where the two of you will
be alone. Violence means nothing to such a person, and he will attack you when
there is no one to help you. You should not ask a stupid person for
advice. He will not be able to keep secret what you tell him. You should
not do anything in front of a stranger that should be kept secret. There is no
way of knowing what will happen if you do. You should not reveal your most
private thoughts to anyone. If you do, you may as well throw away any chance of
happiness.
Latest analysis, editorials, studies,
reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
The confused/By Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat/January 10/13
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous
Sources for January 10/13
Israel: State of Syrian chemical weapons could change in a moment
Is Venezuela harboring Hezbollah
Hezbollah sent 5,000 fighters to help Assad, Al-Watan daily reports
Death toll rises as storm batters Lebanon
Hotel ‘house arrest’ frustrates March 14 MPs
Lebanese
Lawmakers kick off discussion on electoral law
Marada leader says ready to attend Dialogue
Illicit financial flow estimated at $21 bln
Poll reveals fears of Lebanon’s Christians
Lebanon's Parliament meetings will go nowhere
Beirut: Death of homeless Abdullah leads to relief campaign
Lebanon releases member of National Syrian Coalition
Sayyed hands judiciary recordings implicating Saqr in funding rebels
Israel a pawn in Washington's political game
Russia and US enter bartering phase over Syria
Alawites in the “Damascus Mezze 86” district fear reprisals
Syria 'has chemical weapons that could be used within two hours'
'Israel stopped Assad's chemical warfare'
Syria: Fighting flares in Palestinian camp
UN: Million Syrians short of food
Fighting flares in Palestinian camp in Damascus
Iran says it's hopeful on Hagel nomination
Israel: State of Syrian chemical weapons could change in
a moment
DEBKAfile Special Report January 8, 2013/Syria’s chemical weapons
are under control for now, but no one in America or Israel can tell what the
situation will be five minutes from now,” a senior Israeli defense official told
debkafile Tuesday, Jan.8. The situation is dangerously fluid because there is no
certainty about who is in control, or when some Syrian chemical unit commander
may take it into his head to use it.” There were two touch-and-go moments in the
last two months – first, when Assad was on the verge of directing chemical arms
to be used against the rebels; second, when Al Qaeda’s Jabhat al-Nusrah front
fighting in rebel ranks came close to getting hold of them. The first occurred
in the last week of November and the second in the last ten days of December.
The New York Times Tuesday reported that, in the first instance, Israel’s top
military commanders called the Pentagon to discuss troubling intelligence
showing up on satellite imagery that “Syrian troops appeared to be mixing
chemicals at two storage sites, probably the deadly nerve gas sarin, and filling
dozens of 500-pound bombs that could be loaded on airplanes.” American sources
then mobilized international forces, Russia, China, Turkey, Jordan and other
Arab nations for sharply worded messages to the Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and
his senior commanders to stop the mixing of chemicals and preparation of bombs.
The sources did not say what persuaded Assad to halt the process. According to
debkafile’s military sources, there was no direct threat of US or NATO military
action in Syria. Our sources add that, among the messages’ recipients, were
commanders of the top secret Chemical Weapons Unit 450 of the Syrian Air Force.
This brought to light for the first time that the US has developed direct
channels of communications to Syrian unit commanders, including a top-secret air
force outfit which has not so far taken part in the fighting.
According to debkafile’s American sources, the bombs filled with sarin were not
dismantled and they are still sitting in stores at - or in close proximity to -
Syrian air forces bases, ready for operational use at short notice.
This means that the Syrian ruler in effect flouted the American demand, although
it was backed by Moscow, to dismantle the bombs. In his defiant speech Sunday,
Jan. 6, Assad made it clear that he “no longer takes dictation from anyone” –
especially the West. It is important to note that sarin nerve gas once mixed has
a life of 60 days, after which it must be destroyed. More than half of this
period has elapsed and so the Syrian ruler has until the end of January to
decide how he wants to dispose of those deadly bombs.The German newspaper Die
Welt recently quoted the head of the BIND external intelligence service as
estimating that he Syrian Air Force was able to have chemical weapons ready for
operation within four to six hours from receiving an order. The New York Times
believes that two hours would be enough. Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu, in a rare comment on the Syrian chemical weapons question, told a
cabinet meeting that the Syrian regime is very unstable and “the question of
chemical weapons here worries us.” He said that Israel was coordinating with the
United States and others “so that we might be prepared for any scenario and
possibility that could arise.” Then, in an interview Monday, Netanyahu warned
that world peace is under grave peril from the nuclear weapons under development
in Iran and Syria’s chemical arms arsenal, which could reach the wrong hands. A
senior security official told debkafile that the prime minister was referring to
the repeated rebel assault on Syria’s largest chemical weapons depot at a=Al
Safira near Aleppo, which has been repulsed by the Syrian army – for now.
Rival Christian parties back Orthodox vote plan
January 08, 2013/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: On the eve of a parliamentary subcommittee’s discussions on a new
electoral law, the country’s rival Christian parties came out Monday in support
of a controversial proposal calling for every sect to elect its own MPs in this
year’s parliamentary elections.
However, the chances of the Orthodox Gathering’s proposal being adopted as a new
electoral law appeared to be slim, given the fierce opposition voiced by major
Muslim parties on both sides of the political divide. Muslim politicians in the
March 8 and March 14 camps, including the Future Movement, have rejected the
Orthodox proposal, arguing that it would create deep sectarian and confessional
divisions in the already politically split country.
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora warned that the Orthodox Gathering’s
proposal would encourage extremists from all sects and serve as “a recipe” for a
clash among the Lebanese.
Asked to comment on the Orthodox proposal, Siniora, also the head of the
parliamentary Future bloc, told MTV Monday night: “We want to foresee the
results that might be entailed by this [proposal]. The Taif Accord called for
[sectarian] coexistence and approved the adoption of a senate. When we approve
that each sect can elect its own representatives, we will be giving a chance to
extremists from each group to use their opinions in an attempt to win the
people’s sympathy. Therefore, we will be prescribing a fast recipe for a further
clash among the Lebanese.”
“We want an electoral law that can ensure a just representation and freedom of
choice. The law also should be in conformity with the Taif Accord,” he added.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Metn MP Sami Gemayel from the Kataeb
Party voiced support for the draft law that calls for each sect to elect its own
MPs under a proportional representation system based on a nationwide district.
Geagea and Gemayel also reiterated their rejection of the 1960 law, which
adopted the qada as an electoral district and is based on a winner-take-all
system. The 1960 law, used in the 2009 elections, has been rejected by officials
on both sides of the political divide, as well as by the Maronite Church.
Their remarks came a day after representatives of a four-party committee
representing the LF, the Kataeb Party, MP Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement
and Zghorta MP’s Marada Movement met at the Maronite patriarch’s seat in Bkirki,
north of Beirut, to discuss several electoral proposals for the elections
scheduled in early June.
No statement was issued after the meeting Sunday night. But statements made by
representatives of the four rival parties said that agreement was reached on
supporting the Orthodox proposal and totally rejecting the 1960 law. Geagea said
the 1960 law did not ensure correct representation. “The law that can ensure in
a better way a true representation [for the Christians] is the Orthodox
Gathering’s [draft] law,” he said at his residence in Maarab, north of Beirut.
“We were the first to propose this law but when we found a fierce [Muslim]
opposition to it, we returned to study what is a better law than this [Orthodox]
law.”
Geagea said that after Muslim parties opposed the Orthodox proposal, the March
14 Christian parties presented a draft law that would divide Lebanon into 50
small districts under a winner-takes-all system. “The small districts’ law is
also one of the best proposals after the Orthodox proposal,” he added.
He pointed out that the FPM had agreed to the government’s draft law based on a
proportional representation system with 13 medium-sized electoral districts.
Geagea said the government’s proportional representation law, which was rejected
by the opposition March 14 coalition, did not ensure “a true representation.”
“Today, the Orthodox [draft] law is again brought up and we support it provided
that the FPM’s allies [Hezbollah and the Amal Movement] also support it,” he
said. He added that the Orthodox proposal was floated during Sunday’s meeting in
Bkirki on the basis that the FPM had obtained the approval of its allies to the
plan.
MPs from the FPM, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement met Monday night at the home
of Energy Minister Gebran Bassil in Rabieh to coordinate their stances ahead of
the parliamentary subcommittee’s meeting.
Al-Manar TV quoted a source in the parliamentary majority as saying: “Our stance
is to support proportional representation, but we will accept what is accepted
by the FPM. Therefore, we stand with the FPM even with the Orthodox draft law.”
Geagea said agreement was reached in Bkirki on two things: A pledge not to
return to the 1960 law and the work of the parliamentary subcommittee.
“We will go to the subcommittee’s meetings with an open spirit. We will use all
our efforts in an attempt to reach an understanding with all the parties present
on the table,” Geagea said.
He added that if the parliamentary subcommittee, which includes MPs from the
March 8 and March 14 parties, failed to reach an agreement on a new electoral
law, the only solution left was to go to Parliament to vote on a new law. “Even
though we are boycotting the government, we will break this boycott in order to
approve a new electoral law,” Geagea said.
Referring to the parliamentary subcommittee, which is scheduled to resume talks
on a new electoral law in Parliament Tuesday, Gemayel, a member of the
subcommittee, said: “The March 14 parties will go to the subcommittee’s meeting
with a positive spirit. We will use all energies to reach a new law.”
Gemayel, LF MP George Adwan, and Future MPs Ahmad Fatfat and Serge Torsarkissian
checked into the Etoile Hotel near the Parliament building Monday in preparation
for Tuesday’s meeting.
The subcommittee’s March 8 MPs are FPM’s Alain Aoun, Hezbollah’s Ali Fayyad, the
Amal Movement’s Ali Bazzi and Tashnag Party’s Hagop Pakradounian. It also
includes Progressive Socialist Party MP Akram Shehayeb.
Alan Aoun, also a member of the Bkirki committee, said all Christian parties
were in agreement on the Orthodox proposal: “This is a positive development.”
Also Monday, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai urged the subcommittee’s members to
agree on a new law to replace the 1960 system, which, he said, marginalizes a
large segment of the Lebanese.
“We and the Lebanese want an [electoral] law that ensures the right
representation, a law that makes everyone feel there is a real partnership in
the country and be assured of their future and the future of their children,”
Rai said.
The parliamentary subcommittee, to be chaired by March 14 MP Robert Ghanem, will
resume discussions on a new electoral law after a suspension of its meetings for
more than two months.
Formed in early October, the subcommittee was tasked with studying the type of
electoral system and the distribution of districts in the absence of Cabinet
members or representatives. It will also discuss a Cabinet proposal for
increasing the number of Parliament members from the current 128 to 134 to allot
six seats for Lebanese expatriates.
Meanwhile, President Michel Sleiman has postponed for the second time a National
Dialogue session, scheduled for Monday, after the March 14 coalition had refused
to attend unless its conditions were met. .
The March 14 coalition has upheld its demand for the government’s resignation
and the formation of a neutral salvation Cabinet to oversee the elections as a
prerequisite for attending any Dialogue session
Lebanese Lawmakers kick off discussion on electoral law
January 08, 2013/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lawmakers kicked off a long-awaited discussion on an electoral law for
the upcoming parliamentary polls Tuesday as Christian MPs entered the debate
with a rare consensus on the controversial Orthodox proposal.
Tight security was in place in Central Beirut’s Nejmeh Square and surrounding
areas, as ten lawmakers representing the country's wide political spectrum made
their way to Parliament. Several of the MPs are staying at the Etoile Hotel for
their safety.
The session began around 10:30 a.m. and ended four and half hours later and will
resume later this afternoon at 5 p.m. Following the end of the first half of the
session, the head of the subcommittee MP Robert Ghanem said there were several
common factors among the draft electoral laws presented and that the contents of
the meetings should remain confidential.
“We have skimmed through the draft laws during the meeting and the door remains
open in the face of all proposals and there are commonalities among all the
proposals,” Ghanem told reporters.
He also said that another meeting will take place Wednesday at 10:30 p.m.
Ghanem also asked the media to refrain from asking MPs about the details of the
meetings.
“We will not discuss further details because there is an agreement on keeping
the deliberations confidential,” he added. During the meeting, MPs discussed the
possibility of increasing the number of lawmakers in Parliament.
Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel suggested an increase of the number of Druze seats in the
128-member Parliament. He also proposed allocating seats to the Syriac
community.
His proposal will be studied in Wednesday’s session.
Upon arrival at the square, Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said his party would
support the Orthodox Gathering proposal if the Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance
agreed to it.
“We will support it if March 8 does so,” Adwan told reporters, referring to
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
Christian parties in the March 8 and the March 14 coalitions agreed Monday to
support a draft law presented by the Orthodox Gathering which calls for every
sect to elect its own parliamentarians.
The proposal treats Lebanon as a single district.
However, Future Movement and MP Walid Jumblatt’s party have rejected the
proposal, with former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora saying it encourages
extremists and contributes to sectarian divisions.
“When we give approval for each sect electing its own representatives, we will
be giving a chance to extremists from each group to use their opinions in an
attempt to win the people’s sympathy. Therefore, we will be prescribing a fast
recipe for a further clash among the Lebanese,” Siniora, the head of the Future
Movement Parliamentary bloc, told MTV Monday night.
Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah have voiced a similar stance on the draft,
with the former backing “any law that Christians agree on.”
“I will not oppose the Orthodox Gathering proposal if it gets a Christian
consensus, regardless of my opinion,” Berri, said in remarks published Tuesday
in As-Safir.
All parties, aside from Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party, have rejected
the use of the 1960 law.
MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement met Monday
night at the home of Energy Minister Gebran Bassil in Rabieh to coordinate their
stances ahead of the parliamentary subcommittee’s meeting.
Al-Manar television quoted a source in the parliamentary majority as saying:
“Our stance is to support proportional representation, but we will accept what
is accepted by the FPM. Therefore, we stand with the FPM even with the Orthodox
draft law.”
Jumblatt, however, warned Tuesday against the adoption of the Orthodox Gathering
proposal, describing it as a “risky adventure.”
“Adopting the Christian proposal has many risks that would lead to extremism and
isolation of sects,” Jumblatt, who also spoke to As-Safir, said.
Jumblatt also said that the Christian proposal jeopardizes coexistence and the
Taif Accord.
The subcommittee is discussing three main proposals: one drafted by the Cabinet
based on proportional representation which divides Lebanon into 13 medium-sized
districts, another by the March 14 group based on a majority-system with 50
small districts, and that drafted by the Orthodox Gathering.
MPs within March 14 have said that their safety is at risk and asked to be moved
to a hotel near Parliament until they finalize discussions.
Beirut: Death of homeless Abdullah leads to relief
campaign
January 09, 2013/By Olivia Alabaster The Daily
BEIRUT: The death of Ali Abdullah Monday provoked an immediate outpouring of
online mourning from those American University of Beirut students and staff who
knew the Bliss Street regular well.
For some, his death has served as a wake-up call, coming as it did amid one of
the fiercest storms Lebanon has witnessed in decades, prompting a discussion
over the lack of state support for homeless people in Lebanon, including the
provision of any official shelters.
The creator of a Facebook group, Fighting Homelessness in Beirut – which already
has over 800 likes – Michael Khoury, is conducting an online survey into
attitudes surrounding homelessness in Lebanon, and gauging how best to respond.
Another student, Karim Badra, wanted to help in an immediate way, handing out
blankets to other homeless people in Hamra, angered as he was by Abdullah’s
death.
“I didn’t really do much, it was more of a cathartic thing: I wanted to go down
to the street to help whomever I could,” Badra said.
Now he is coordinating efforts with the Anti-Racism Movement, which is
collecting donations to distribute to anyone in need during the harsh winter,
including refugees.
Items – anything from blankets and sleeping bags to clothes and household items
– are being collected at the Nasawiya cafe in Mar Mikhael before being
distributed to those who are in need and those whose houses or shelters have
been damaged during the storm.
Farah Salka, from ARM, said that the storm provided an opportunity to call for
more donations.
“These sorts of campaigns gain momentum at weird times,” she said. “Because of
the storm it’s now easier to talk to people and ask people to donate.”
So far they have been distributing warm bedding and canned goods to people whose
houses have been severely damaged, “houses that have no protection,” she said.
Salka said the center would continue receiving and distributing donations “as
long as people need them.”
As the harsh winter continues, and the number of Syrian refugees continues to
rise, it doesn’t appear this need will diminish any time soon. While numerous
NGOs are working, alongside the Social Affairs Ministry, to provide for
refugees, there are always gaps in aid provision with a refugee population as
large as Lebanon’s.
ARM has, until now, been distributing only in the capital, but Salka hopes that
they will soon be able to operate in Sidon also.
FoodBlessed, a group of three volunteers who help to distribute food to those in
need, has also been working with Nasawiya this month.
Maya Terro, one of the group’s co-founders, explained that FoodBlessed works by
creating links between those NGOs already working with people in need, and
companies with corporate social responsibility commitments.
They also accept surplus food from events such as weddings, which is then
distributed to local charities, and packages of goods, donated by companys’
staff members.
“We try and stress that people are not hungry only at Christmas or Ramadan, but
all the time,” Terro said.
Although systems are in place to support refugees in Lebanon, there is no
official support for homeless people, and Badra hopes that recent events may
help mobilize people to work to provide assistance to those who need it in a
nuanced way, rather than simply throwing aid at those in need.
“I’m glad people are talking about the issue now,” the political sciences major
said, but “one thing we have to do is that we have to understand who these
people are in these positions.”
Working alongside more organized groups was important, he added, as was having a
level of “empathy to talk to them and understand them.”
Syria 'has chemical weapons that could be used within two hours'
The telegraph 08.01.13
The Syrian regime has “dozens of 500-lb bombs” being armed with Sarin nerve gas,
according to reports of satellite imagery from seen by the Pentagon at the end
of last year.
The bombs were being loaded on to vehicles near Syrian airbases and could be
airborne within two hours, if President Bashar al-Assad ordered their use, the
officials told President Barack Obama.
The details of the briefing were released to the New York Times and explain a
sudden warning issued by Mr Obama to the Syrian regime at the beginning of
December.
His statement, which said that any use of chemical weapons would have
“consequences” and that “the world would act”, was followed by private messages
to the Syrian authorities from Russia and neighbours including Turkey and Iraq
that they would be held “personally responsible”.
Those messages, which diplomats told the paper were coordinated from American,
European and Arab capitals, seem to have been enough to deter the weapons’ use
for the time being, if it were intended.
Leon Panetta, the US Defence Secretary, who said the regime would cross a “red
line” triggering military intervention if it used the bombs, followed up a week
later by saying the worst fears were over.
Whether Syria might use chemical weapons has become one of the most contentious
issues surrounding the crisis.
Its spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, said in July that the regime would not use such
weapons “unless Syria is exposed to external aggression” — a significant
formulation given that the authorities repeatedly say the rebellion is funded by
“foreign enemies”.
Mr Makdissi himself muddied the waters by disappearing from sight – and
allegedly defecting to the United States – shortly before Mr Obama made his
threat.
The regime and other critics of western policy claim that chemical weapons
reports are a fiction, comparing them to those made for Saddam Hussein’s
“weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq a decade ago.
But Rami Jarrah, a Cairo-based Syrian activist, said sources inside the Syrian
government had told colleagues the regime was now prepared to use weapons in
areas of Aleppo and Idlib from which civilians had fled.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis affecting Syria’s millions of refugees
worsened with extreme cold hitting camps across the region. An unauthorised
electricity supply being used to power heaters in tents at a camp in Turkey’s
Sanliurfa province sparked a fire that killed two children.
A riot broke out in the giant Zaatari camp in the desert of northern Jordan,
home to 50,000 refugees, mostly children, after floods and storms washed away
tents. The United Nations says there are now 600,000 refugees outside the
country, along with many more displaced inside Syria. The World Food Programme
also said it would only be able to reach 1.5 million of the 2.5 million people
it intended to supply with food this month, leaving another million hungry. A
worldwide appeal to raise $5 million in private donations to send wheat for
making bread was launched by 152 Islamic charities around the world on Tuesday.
Activists said shortages of basic necessities were becoming increasingly acute.
“People are in a desperate scramble for food. They can queue for hours for
bread, which is 10 times more expensive than it was and come away with just five
flat slices which is nothing for large Syrian families,” said Mohammad Najjar, a
London-based doctor who carried out a private aid mission to Aleppo at New Year.
Hezbollah sent 5,000 fighters to help Assad, Al-Watan daily reports
According to Al-Watan, members of the Shiite Lebanese militia have already
killed 300 Syrian rebels
By Elhanan Miller January 8, 2013
Some 5,000 Hezbollah combatants entered Syria in December to aid the faltering
regime of Bashar Assad, a Saudi daily reported on Monday.
According to Al-Watan, a government daily, four “support battalions” comprising
at least 1,300 soldiers each had succeeded in killing some 300 rebel soldiers in
recent weeks as battles raged between government and opposition forces around
the capital Damascus. The fighters reportedly entered Syria through the border
town of Madaya, located northwest of Damascus. Hezbollah has remained staunchly
allied with the Assad regime throughout the popular uprising in Syria that began
in March 2011. Syria has served as a conduit of logistical support and weapons
sent to Lebanon from Iran.
A number of Lebanese bloggers have reported funerals conducted by Hezbollah
recently for fighters killed in action in Syria, Jordanian daily Al-Ghad
reported on Monday.
In early October, a Hezbollah commander, Ali Hussein Nassif, was reportedly
killed by an opposition ambush near the Syrian city of Homs along with a number
of other fighters when a roadside bomb destroyed the vehicle he was driving.
Is Venezuela harboring Hezbollah?
American conservatives warn of militant Islam's spread in Latin America. But
their claims are hard to prove.
Simeon TegelJanuary 8, 2013 06:00
Editor's note: This is part of a series on the alleged spread of Islamic terror
cells in America's "backyard." See part one here.
LIMA, Peru — Is Venezuela providing operational support to Islamic terrorists?
That deadly serious question is increasingly troubling foreign policy and
security experts as the South American country and Iran — which funds Hezbollah
— move ever closer.
Despite deep cultural differences, a shared antagonism toward the US has drawn
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, into an unlikely political friendship in recent years.
"Iran is an example of struggle, resistance, dignity, revolution, strong faith,"
Chavez said during one early visit to Tehran. "We are two powerful countries.
Iran is a power and Venezuela is becoming one. We want to create a bipolar
world. We don't want a single power [i.e., the US]." Beyond the rhetoric lies a
strategic alliance that has seen Caracas, along with Damascus and Havana, vote
against United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, and
increasing Iranian investment in the Venezuelan economy, now worth more than $5
billion.
All of that is very public.
But, according to critics such as veteran US Republican Latin Americanist Roger
Noriega, Venezuela is also providing operational support to Hezbollah, the
Lebanese-based organization classified as terrorist by the US, UK and other
allies.
It even came up in November’s US elections, with the Republicans claiming in
their official online party platform: “Venezuela has become a narco-terrorist
state, turning it into an Iranian outpost in the Western hemisphere.”
“The current regime issues Venezuelan passports or visas to thousands of Middle
Eastern terrorists offering safe haven to Hezbollah trainers, operatives,
recruiters and fundraisers.”
The GOP did not respond to GlobalPost’s requests for comment. But its claim was
questioned — and even ridiculed — by several security experts in Israel and
South America contacted by GlobalPost.
“That is exaggerated. Generally, this kind of activity [terrorism] is conducted
by small units. It is political rhetoric,” said Ely Karmon, one of Israel’s top
independent counter-terrorism experts.
Nicholas Watson, a senior analyst at British firm Control Risks, who specializes
in South America, agreed, describing it as “unhelpful.”
He added: “That kind of rhetoric, the blatant accusations, doesn’t help the US’
position in the region. It actually plays into Chavez’s hands and strengthens
him within Venezuela.”
That Hezbollah has been active in Latin America is hardly news. Argentine
investigators have linked the group to two deadly bombings in Buenos Aires in
the 1990s. Together, the attacks on the Israeli Embassy and a Jewish cultural
center killed 114 people. One of five Iranians wanted by Interpol over the
second bombing, Ahmad Vahidi, is now Iran’s defense minister.
Last year, he had to make a rapid departure during a state visit to Bolivia when
Argentine prosecutors requested Bolivian police arrest him.
Meanwhile, according to the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington, DC,
nonprofit research group, there's growing evidence that Hezbollah is
infiltrating other parts of Latin America, taking advantage of widespread
corruption and drug trafficking to raise funds for its activities in the Middle
East.
The Buenos Aires attacks took place years before Chavez, now cancer-stricken but
recently re-elected, came to power in Venezuela. He was even in jail, awaiting
trial for his role in a failed coup, at the time of the first bombing, on the
Israeli embassy.
Nevertheless, a jigsaw of data, put together by everyone from Karmon to
Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, paints a disturbing picture of
apparent bilateral cooperation in areas such as Iran’s outlawed nuclear
ambitions and the Venezuelan military’s adoption of Tehran’s defense doctrine of
“asymmetrical” warfare; in other words, guerrilla resistance to a potential US
invasion.
Now canceled, there was also a secretive weekly flight from Caracas to Tehran,
with a stopover in Damascus, operated jointly by Iran Air and Conviasa, the
state airlines in Iran and Venezuela respectively. Karmon and others say the
passengers did not pass through customs.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Lebanese-born Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami — who
was previously in charge of the country’s passport office, fueling the
Republican claim of papers being given to Islamic terrorists — makes no secret
of his sympathies. “I’m also the son of Arabs, I’m Palestinian, I’m Iraqi, and
today we are the resistance force,” he said at a 2009 event in support of
Palestinians in Gaza.
“There are Hezbollah supporters in the Venezuelan government. They have been
neither investigated nor fired. They have been kept in their jobs,” said Roman
D. Ortiz, director of Bogota-based security consultancy Decisive Point. But does
that translate into the Chavez government arming or providing training
facilities or other logistical support to Hezbollah?
“The existence of a Lebanese community [in Venezuela] plus a left-wing populist
government plus the anti-American rhetoric does not equal terrorism,” says
Control Risks’ Watson. “That is speculation.”
Decisive Point’s Ortiz suggests the US needs to focus its intelligence work
south of the Rio Grande more closely on the activity of Iran and Hezbollah and
prioritize the issue in relations with Latin America.
Watson agrees, while backing the White House’s policy of “restraint” on this
issue. He also notes how the George W. Bush administration’s backing for the
failed 2002 coup against Chavez means that the Venezuelan leader’s warnings of a
possible US attack rings anything but hollow in his homeland.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/venezuela/130104/harboring-hezbollah-latin-america-iran-washington
Israel a pawn in Washington's political game
Yitzhak Benhorin Published: 01.08.13/ynetnews/ Israel News
Republicans, Democrats spar over Chuck Hagel's appointment as defense secretary
citing his Israel record; but as senator, Hagel consistently voted in favor of
military aid to Israel
WASHINGTON – Israel has recently become a major issue in the Democrat-Republican
feud in Washington. Even those genuinely worried about Chuck Hagel's appointment
as defense secretary should be far more concerned that Israel is once again a
pawn in the American capital's political game.
The Emergency Committee for Israel was a major player in the fight for the
Jewish vote in the latest US elections, taking care to represent Obama as
anti-Israel and reluctant to fight Iran's nuclear program. Their anti-Obama
campaign included videos and press releases which depicted the president in a
negative light.
The charge against Hagel's appointment took a similar direction. The same group
that tried to discredit Obama is now on a mission to undercut Hagel's
appointment. Having unearthed past Hagel quotes the group released a scathing
advert on TV channels in New York and Washington.
"While President Obama says all options are on the table, Hagel says military
action is not a viable, feasible action," the ad said.Republicans are apparently
under the impression that the presidential elections are still going on
considering that Dan Senor, Mitt Romney's senior foreign policy adviser,
continues to appear on TV to slam Hagel's appointment.
Anti Obama advert
In response, David Axelrod, the brains behind Obama's election campaign, twitted
a warning: "Supporters of Israel, of which I am one, also make a huge mistake by
depicting Hagel as hostile." Senor and Axelrod are both Jews and Israel
supporters, though they represent opposite views in the current political
debate.
Israel's enemy or true friend?
Senor could have easily been Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political
adviser, like Ron Dermer. Conversely, Axelrod could have filled the same role
for Tzipi Livni or Shelly Yachimovich and push for a two-state solution.
The argument has also reached US media with Washington Post columnist Jennifer
Rubin taking up the rightist position in criticizing Hagel and the New York
Times' Richard Cohen advocating for the ex-senator. Cohen says that Hagel's
Senate hearing should decide who Israel's true friends really are.
Ari Fleischer, Jewish White House spokesman for the Bush administration, told
CNN that Hagel will be a "disaster" for Israel. Aaron Miller, a Jewish-American
diplomat whose interview with Hagel in 2006 provided ammunition against his
appointment, said that Hagel's statements were distorted.
While the pro-Israel American Right attacked the Hagel appointment, the Left has
played the defense through the National Jewish Democratic Council, J Street and
other organizations.
The conflict over the new defense secretary is reminiscent of Israel's
settlement debate. Right wingers are convinced they are patriots defending the
nation while the Left thinks Israel needs "tough love. "
Obama will not fold
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham defined Hagel's proposed role as defense
secretary as the "most opposed" to Israel in history.
However, many would note that Caspar Weinberger, President Ronald Reagan's
defense secretary, was much more critical of Israel than Hagel.
Hagel's record does include a few questionable statements, like his reference to
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as the "Jewish Lobby" and
his refusal to sign petitions by AIPAC.
Indeed he has a lot to explain in the upcoming Senate hearing and in private
regarding Israel and Iran. Nevertheless, as a senator he consistently voted for
military aid for Israel and initiated anti-Hamas legislation in 2006.
Eric Cantor, Jewish leader of the Republican majority in the House and a staunch
Israel supporter, announced his disappointment at Hagel's nomination. Obama,
however, is showing no signs of capitulating.
In fact, Israel has nothing to do with Obama's choice. Obama's Israel and Iran
policy hasn't changed. His decision is based on the belief that Hagel will stand
strong in the face of pressure against major cuts in the defense budget.
Hagel himself is far from being anti-Israel. But to win the Senate's trust he
will have to convince at least 10 Democrat senators, Jewish and non-Jewish
Israel supporters, to remove their objection to his appointment.
Hagel made the first step in this direction in an interview for a Nebraska paper
and in private talks.
The White House examined Hagel's voting history regarding Israel and Iran and
came to the conclusion that as far as US-Israel military cooperation and
sanctions against Iran go, Hagel's views are in line with the president's.
Sources close to Obama were satisfied with Hagel's views regarding the two-state
solution – not just as an American interest but as an Israeli one, as well.
Russia and US enter bartering phase over Syria
By Michel Abu Najm
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat –Western media viewed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s
speech on Sunday as an attempt to torpedo the efforts of UN – Arab League envoy
to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, who just days ago announced that he had a plan that
could bring an end to the Syrian crisis. On Sunday, Brahimi announced that he
had crafted a ceasefire plan that “could be adopted by the international
community” adding “I have discussed this plan with Russia and Syria.” For their
part, Arab diplomatic sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat of the presence of a “new
atmosphere” that can facilitate communication between Washington and Moscow and
which will, in turn, “serve” Brahimi’s mission, which has failed to achieve any
positive objective until today.
The Arab diplomatic sources, which were present during Brahimi’s talks in Cairo
and Moscow, acknowledged that both sides’ demands are “different” but stressed
that they both agree on the need for “cooperation” in order to manage the Syrian
file. The sources also revealed that both Washington and Moscow appear to have
arrived at a conviction that “neither the opposition is capable of toppling
President al-Assad, nor is al-Assad capable of militarily eliminating the
opposition”. This state of affairs means the continuation of the battle
indefinitely, as well as more destruction and an increasing death toll.
The west had been seeking to push Moscow to abandon the al-Assad regime, but to
no avail. This is because Moscow “had no serious reason to respond to all those
who came to it and asked it to help them pressure al-Assad to give up power.”
The Arab diplomatic sources asked “why should Moscow lend a helping hand to the
west and help it out of the corner that it has placed itself in?” adding “so
long as the al-Assad regime is standing on its feet, Moscow will not respond to
the desires of the west.”
Beyond this, the Russian side has begun to “play” on US fears of extremist
movements in Syria obtaining sophisticated weapons that could later be used
against western interests or allies of the west in the region. Moscow believes
that its repeated warnings against “bloody chaos” spreading across Syria in the
event of the collapse of the al-Assad regime, as well as warnings regarding the
increasing strength of fundamentalist jihadist movements on the scene, have
begun to have an effect. This can be seen in Washington designating the al-Nusra
Front as a “foreign terrorist organization”, saying that the movement has ties
to Al Qaeda. Therefore it seems clear that the “military option” – in the manner
of Afghanistan or Iraq – is extremely unlikely and all that is left is a
“political solution”, the features of which remain unclear. Washington does not
want to see the collapse of Syria’s military or security apparatus, as occurred
in Iraq following the 2003 US invasion. On the other hand, nor do the Americans
want to see Syria following the Afghanistan scenario where the collapse of the
Talban regime did not lead to the establishment of an independent regime despite
the presence of international forces in the country for more than 11 years.
Finally, Washington also does not want to find itself militarily embroiled once
more in the Middle East.
On the other hand, diplomatic sources involved in the Syrian file believe that
Washington has concluded that it must review its regional priorities, and
“modify its approach”, as well as the manner it is dealing with Moscow.
According to more than one source, Washington believes that cooperation with
Moscow represents a “necessity” and it may therefore be willing to deal with the
Russians over the Syrian file in return for Russian cooperation on the Iranian
nuclear file. The Iranian nuclear file is set to return to the spot-light over
the forthcoming weeks, particularly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has granted international efforts until spring to put an end to Iran’s nuclear
activities before Tel Aviv considers military options. Last month, the New York
Times also issued a report reflecting this “transformation” in America’s
approach.
In view of these developments, identical sources confirmed that we have now
entered the “bartering phase”, particularly after Moscow has confirmed that it
must be engaged with to reach a solution regarding the Syrian file and that it
remains a “major player” on the political and diplomatic scene. Following this,
the Russians will perhaps take the decision to reveal their cards and identify
their demands regarding accepting a political settlement in Syria.
Therefore, those primarily concerned with the Syrian file – namely the al-Assad
regime, the opposition and the involved regional parties such as Iran, Turkey
and Arab states – are closely monitoring what results Moscow and Washington can
achieve in this regard, and which party will offer the greater concessions. It
is likely that President al-Assad will have pre-empted this move and selected
his conditions for leaving power, with the negotiations then beginning from this
point.
Alawites in the “Damascus Mezze 86” district fear reprisals
Asharq Al-Awsat
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat - An Alawite activist revealed that families living in
the “Mezze 86” district, in the south west of the Syrian capital Damascus, are
fearing retaliatory measures in the event of the fall of President Bashar
al-Assad’s regime. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Alawites in this district,
which largely consists of slums, are living in a state of fear and caution,
waiting for how things will unfold”.
The residents of the district, according to the Alawite opposition activist
speaking under the condition of anonymity, “had deluded themselves at the
beginning of the revolution into thinking that the regime would resolve matters.
As for now, they fear that the al-Assad regime could fall at any moment and they
are worried about the reprisals and acts of violence against them”. The activist
said that his fears, and likewise those of the other residents, came to
prominence “after the district turned into a stronghold for the Shabiha and
supporters of the regime. This led to a sense of anger among Damascus residents,
given the Shabiha’s behavior towards some residents of Mezze 86”.
The presence of barriers at the entrances to the district, erected by so-called
“popular committee” groups, led to restrictions being placed upon non-Alawite
residents, whereby “they would be searched and sometimes insulted”, according to
the Alawite activist. He also confirmed that “these groups, supported by the air
intelligence force, were responsible for getting residents of the neighborhood
involved in the problems of neighboring districts. They recruited young men,
armed them and took them to locations where demonstrations were being held, in
order to commit acts of repression and murder”. He pointed out that “these acts
may result in reprisals in the event of the fall of the regime, which will
happen sooner or later”. He called upon the “Syrian opposition, represented by
the Syrian National Coalition, to develop mechanisms for the protection of these
districts, in order to avoid a lot of bloodshed the moment the al-Assad regime
falls”.
“Mezze 86” lies on one of the surrounding hills of the Mezze district of
Damascus. It is a desolate hill that was once home to the military barracks of
the “Defense Brigades”, led by Rifaat al-Assad, brother of the late President
Hafez al-Assad. The name Rifaat al-Assad evokes terrible memories for the
Syrians, especially with regards to the Tadmor massacre.
In the early 1980s, following the Syrian regime’s repression of the Muslim
Brotherhood in the district, Rifaat al-Assad allowed his men to build
accommodation for themselves. Soldiers, the vast majority of whom were Alawites,
quickly flocked to “Mezze 86” with their wives and children, living in houses
constructed of mud bricks and sheet metal, using water and electricity from the
public grid, and building primitive sewage systems feeding into a valley close
by. “Mezze 86” has recently been exposed to a series of bombings claiming the
lives of a number of residents. The Syrian opposition has accused the al-Assad
regime of being behind these measures in an attempt to intimidate the Alawite
minority. The district hosts around 200,000 people, and its sheet metal houses
have now transformed into buildings, some of them five stories high, but still
built with the mentality of a shantytown; without a license and with illegally
procured water and electricity, and overlooking narrow streets and alleys.
Although the Alawites still represent the majority of residents, other
communities have begun to move to “Mezze 86” and now constitute a considerable
proportion of the population there.
The confused
By Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat
One of the questions that has certainly crossed the minds of many is how exactly
the Syrian regime has managed to withstand, for nearly two years, the tide of
peaceful and then armed opposition, despite losing control of over half the
country and carrying out the most heinous acts of violence against the residents
of Syrian cities and villages.
The answer was provided by a recent report in the New York Times newspaper, and
it lies with the undecided, on in other words, the confused. It is clear that
this category still constitutes a considerable portion of the Syrian population.
They could be opposing the regime's policies, but they also fear for their
future, they could be opposing the regime’s repression and violence, but the
opposition has failed to convince them to do so. This category includes
professionals, army officers and civil servants who administer the affairs of
the state, hence ensuring the continuity of the regime. At the same time, the
confused are sitting on the fence and have failed to adopt a stance that could
tilt the balance to one side.
The confused are a natural phenomenon in any society because the majority of
people are distanced from politics and their prime concern is to support the
daily lives of themselves and their families. They will attempt to adapt to even
the most difficult conditions, unless their rage finally boils over and the idea
of the regime remaining in power becomes unthinkable.
We would have expected this rage to have boiled over by now, had the Syrian
popular uprising remained peaceful. During its early months, the revolution
garnered popular mobility and sympathy in view of its demands for freedom and
social justice, whilst the regime's strategy - as has been made abundantly clear
- was to counter the situation by means of blatant military and security force.
As a result, the opposition or protestors had no option but to resort to arms in
response to such excessive use of force, and this is what happened.
Weapons for weapons, blood for blood, this became the situation in Syria. It
terrified many, especially in large cities where a considerable part of the
people sought only to achieve reform, freedoms and better living standards.
These people were well aware that the regime would not allow such developments,
and that their chances of acquiring more rights would be zero as long as they
were being governed in the same manner as in past decades, and ever since the
Baath party rose to power. Yet despite this, these people were also not ready to
risk their lives, and they were prepared to endure a degree of restraint and
repression in return for a semblance of normality.
This is to be expected, as ordinary people are not "revolutionaries or
adventurers by nature", otherwise society would transform into a state of chaos.
As for activists, they are merely a minority or elite grouping in society, and
their success or failure is conditional upon their ability to convince the
general public to follow them.
In fact, this is the dilemma facing the opposition in Syria. They need to win
over the confused and frightened who are sitting the fence, watching but not
taking a side.
Those people are right to harbor apprehensions towards armed resistance. Thus,
the opposition, in their various guises, need to consider such fears as part of
their strategy on the ground. They must act to eliminate these fears, whether
they stem from sectarian or ideological motives, and they must also seek to
preserve state institutions and prevent any reprisals.