LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Quotation for today/‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you.
Luke 12/16-22: " He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Suleiman Travels to U.S. on Private Visit
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman traveled on Monday to the United States on a private trip, the press office at Baabda palace said, confirming a report in Naharnet a day earlier that the head of state will make a previously unannounced trip. The terse press release did not provide further details except for saying that Suleiman went on a several day visit.Highly informed sources told Naharnet on Monday that Suleiman will make a stop at a European capital before heading to the U.S. They said the presidential palace has put the relevant officials in the U.S. administration in the picture of the trip, without ruling out the possibility of talks between Suleiman and U.S. officials. Suleiman held talks with al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora before he headed to Rafik Hariri International Airport.

Eichhorst: EU Cooperation with Future Cabinet to Remain even if Hizbullah in it
Naharnet /The Head of the EU delegation, Angelina Eichhorst, said on Tuesday that the latest decision to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing would not affect the cooperation with the new Lebanese government even if the Shiite party had representatives in it. “The EU differentiates between Hizbullah's political and military wing,” Eichhorst told reporters at Bustros Palace following talks with caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour. The EU backs the efforts exerted by Premier-designate Tammam Salam to form a new cabinet and cooperates with the caretaker government which is dominated by Hizbullah, she said. “It will also work with any cabinet that represents all parties and even if Hizbullah was part of it,” she stressed. When asked if there will be sanctions against Hizbullah officials, Eichhorst reiterated that the unanimous decision taken by the 28 EU foreign ministers on Monday places only Hizbullah's military wing on the terror list. “Lebanon is an important partner. We hope there would be stability in it,” she said. “Ties with Lebanon will remain strong,” she said, adding “support for Lebanon will not stop” after the latest decision against Hizbullah. She echoed remarks made on Monday by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who said that economic aid would be unaffected. The ambassador said the EU will announce the details of the resolution on Thursday. She told reporters that Mansour expressed regret at the EU decision and that she would inform Brussels about it.
He is “worried about the repercussions” of the latest measure, Eichhorst said. The blacklisting entails asset freezes and paves the way for possible travel bans on members of Hizbullah's military wing. The EU foreign ministers hope it will also curtail fundraising. But implementation promises to be complicated since officials will have to unravel the links between the different wings within Hizbullah's organizational network and see who could be targeted for belonging to the military wing. Diplomats late Monday were working on pinpointing the entities and organizations that make up the military wing. Because of this legal uncertainty it was unclear how many assets could be involved, and how many individuals could eventually be targeted.

Iran Slams EU 'Lack of Correct Judgment' on Move against Hizbullah
Naharnet /Iran has denounced the European Union for its decision to blacklist Hizbullah's armed wing as a terror group, accusing it of acting in Israel's interests, Iranian media reported Tuesday. Iran and Hizbullah are both sworn enemies of Israel and the Lebanese Shiite group has received Tehran's moral, financial and military support since its inception. Iran "strongly denounces the (EU) decision... and believes (it) is in line with the illegitimate interests of the Zionist regime," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by official media. "The European Union, due to lack of correct judgment about the regional crisis, took this wrong decision," Salehi said. The action, he added, is "against the Lebanese people since Hizbullah has put up a legitimate defense against the Zionists' aggressions," he added. Iran's ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi expressed a similar viewpoint, saying Israel should know that the decision will not affect the resistance. Hizbullah fought a bitter war with Israel in 2006 and more recently has been providing military support to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad as it tries to put down an insurgency that has escalated into civil war. Salehi's comments come after the EU on Monday put Hizbullah's military wing on its of terrorist organizations, a move the movement slammed as aggressive and unjust. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, ministers had to overcome reservations in some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon. Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act. Hizbullah's military wing was blamed for a deadly attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year. In March, an alleged Hizbullah operative was also convicted in Cyprus of plotting a similar attack.Source/Agence France

Hezbollah Following the European Charges
Elias Harfoush/Al Hayat
The Lebanese diplomatic corps saw the failure of the campaign it had launched at the European Union to defend Hezbollah and prevent the blacklisting of the party’s “military wing.” All what this campaign succeeded to do was to reveal the extent of Hezbollah’s control over the Lebanese cabinet and how dependent the Lebanese decision making process is on this control, even when it comes to accusing the party of acts deemed to be ones of terror by the Europeans on the territories of Bulgaria and Cyprus , two non-hostile countries to Lebanon. The European resolution that received an unprecedented consensus did not slam Hezbollah over actions carried in the framework of the resistance to the Israeli occupation, which was the reason for establishing the party in the first place. The Europeans have also so far abstained from charging Hezbollah over the decision of the special tribunal for Lebanon to summon four Hezbollah members for investigation in the crime of the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik al-Hariri.
The European decision was rather based on proofs presented by the concerned cabinets and obtained following the investigations into the attack that targeted Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in addition to plotting to carry out similar attacks in Cyprus as per the confessions of a Hezbollah member. In other words, the decision was based on the right of the European countries to protect their lands, sovereignty, and residents, and did not target Hezbollah’s religious identity or its right to carry out anti-Israeli actions from Lebanon. Furthermore, the decision did not allude to the party’s military intervention in the Syrian war, considering that this has nothing to do with the protection of the European interests. Surprisingly, as he was defending Hezbollah, Minister Adnan Mansour failed to allude to the aspect that constituted the basis for the European decision, i.e. the party’s involvement in illegal actions, to say the least, from a European perspective. Mansour focused on the fact that Hezbollah “is a main constituent in the country” and added that it’s hard “to make a distinction between the party’s military and political wings.”
Oddly, these two arguments do not serve the party. They can rather be used to politically convict the Lebanese government, which is covering up on the party’s actions. The difficulty to make a distinction between the party’s “political” and “military” actions, as per Mansour’s confession, means that all the party’s members are guilty, including those members that represent Hezbollah within the Lebanese cabinet or the officials responsible for the external relations who hold regular meetings with the EU representatives in Beirut. As for saying that Hezbollah is a main constituent in the country, this aims at referring to the party’s power within the domestic political equation. Indeed, Hezbollah has full control over the decision making process within the Shiite sect. Thus, this entire sect (which constitutes an essential part of the Lebanese social structure) is now a suspect as a result of being forced to sympathize with Hezbollah. This might expose all the Shiites residing in European countries to investigations and restrictions against the transfer of funds to their families in Lebanon. This could also constitute a reason for increasing the complications facing these individuals when applying for visas and residencies in the EU countries.
It wasn’t easy for the European governments to take this decision in Brussels yesterday. Everyone knows that major differences occurred within the EU before taking this consensus-requiring decision. Britain and Holland were among the main countries calling for taking this decision against Hezbollah; and the judiciary and security-related proofs presented by Bulgaria and Cyprus succeeded in convincing the hesitant parties.
Although the Europeans are saying that this decision will not affect their historically good relations with Lebanon, the implementation of this decision and the potential subsequent prosecutions against Hezbollah members or affiliates will negatively affect the European-Lebanese relations, especially that the Lebanese political decisions are now entirely monopolized by Hezbollah and only serve its interests.

Mustaqbal: Hizbullah Could Have Avoided EU Decision Had it Adhered to Lebanon
Naharnet/The Mustaqbal bloc lamented on Tuesday the European Union's decision to list Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorists organization, saying that it targets a large segment of the Lebanese population.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Hizbullah could have avoided this decision had it kept its goals linked to higher Lebanese interests and remained keen on Lebanese unity that was demonstrated during its honorable resistance against Israel.”
This national unity was demonstrated on numerous occasions against Israel, even during the July 2006 war when the party took a unilateral decision to wage a war against the Jewish state, it added.
Hizbullah did not take advantage of its victories against Israel, but it instead “turned against them and directed its weapons on the internal Lebanese scene and later against the Syrian opposition,” it remarked.
“Hizbullah transformed from a resistance group into a militia that contradicts Lebanese laws and the country's constitution,” said the Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc.
On this note, it demanded that Hizbullah respect the state and its institutions and international resolutions. “Hizbullah must withdraw its fighters and militia groups from Syria,” it urged. “It must hand over the suspects wanted by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on charges of being linked to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” it continued.
“The party must halt all security and military activity abroad,” added the Mustaqbal bloc.
The tribunal accused four Hizbullah member of being involved in the assassination of Hariri on February 14, 2005. Hizbullah has rejected the accusation, saying that the STL is an American-Zionist product aimed at destroying the party.
Party leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Hizbullah will not cooperate with the tribunal, adding that he doubts that the suspects will ever be found.
On Monday, 28 EU foreign ministers unanimously voted to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, ministers had to overcome reservations in some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics.
Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act. Commenting on recent demands to resume the national dialogue, the Mustaqbal bloc welcome these efforts, saying that talks “remain the best way for communication among partners in Lebanon, especially given the critical regional situation.”
It revealed that it will hold consultations with its March 14 allies in order to take a final decision on the matter.
It stressed however “the need to derive lessons from past dialogue rounds and implement the decisions taken at the time, the last of which was the Baabda Declaration.”
The Declaration was adopted during the last national dialogue session that was held in June 2012. It demands that Lebanon disassociate itself from regional developments, especially those in Syria.

SNC Hails Blacklisting of Hizbullah Military Wing, Calls for Trial of Senior Officials
Naharnet/Syria's main opposition National Coalition applauded on Tuesday the European Union's designation of the military wing of Hizbullah as a "terrorist organization,” saying that its leaders should be put on trial for their role in the Syrian war. The coalition considered that the decision is a “step in the right direction,” stressing in a statement on the importance of taking “practical measures” to halt Hizbullah's involvement in battles in Syria.
Hizbullah, a Muslim Shiite movement and long-time ally of President Bashar Assad's government, has been increasingly involved in the Syrian conflict now its third year, with fighters battling alongside the Syrian army against the mostly Sunni Muslim rebel fighters. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had previously justified the group's involvement in Syria by saying they were defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and Shiite holy sites in the neighboring country. “Justice must take its course and Hizbullah officials must be tried over the terrorist crimes they committed in Syria,” the statement said. The SNC also called on other “free” countries to take deterrent measures against Hizbullah and “its supporters, who participated in the bloodshed in Syria.” European Union foreign ministers on Monday put the military wing of the Hizbullah on its list of terrorist organizations despite Lebanon warning against such a move. At the same time, analysts voiced doubts about the effectiveness of the measure, questioning if Hizbullah really can be broken down into separate parts for punishment or reward.

Salam: EU Decision Doesn't Help Lebanon Overcome Internal Complications
Naharnet /Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam hoped on Tuesday that the European Union would retract its decision to list Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorist organization. He said: “The decision goes against EU member states' repeated claims that they seek to help Lebanon overcome the complications on its internal scene.” He noted the “vagueness” in how the EU will implement its decision and how it will impact Lebanon and its people. “The EU's measure does not help support efforts exerted by President Michel Suleiman to revive national dialogue that is aimed at bolstering stability and fortifying the country on the security and political levels,” added Salam. On Monday, 28 EU foreign ministers unanimously voted to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, ministers had to overcome reservations in some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics. Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act.

Berri Accuses EU of Serving Israel in Decision on Hizbullah
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri urged on Tuesday the European Union to retract its decision against Hizbullah, saying it underestimates justice and serves Israel. “The EU should back off from its decision and the measures that without any doubt would target all the Lebanese and their interests in Europe,” Berri, who is also the head of the Amal movement that is allied with Hizbullah, said in a statement. On Monday, 28 EU foreign ministers unanimously voted to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing. Such a decision would “paralyze the European partnership … and cause more tension and instability in the fragile situation in Lebanon,” he warned. The statement said that the move underestimates justice after judicial bodies failed to make outright accusations against any Hizbullah member. Monday's EU decision came after some of its 28 foreign ministers overcame reservations in some member states that such a move would further destabilize Lebanon. To do so, ministers agreed that EU political and economic links with Lebanon would be maintained. They also highlighted the fact that it is the military wing alone that is blacklisted after Hizbullah was blamed for a deadly attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year. The party was also accused in March of plotting attacks on Israelis in Cyprus after a criminal court found a Hizbullah member guilty of helping to plan the plot. Both Bulgaria and Cyprus are EU members. Berri accused the EU of bias towards Israel, of “providing it a free service” and “covering up” the crimes committed against Lebanon.
He also slammed the Jewish state for its continued violation of Lebanese sovereignty and of its occupation of Lebanese territories. Amal's politburo also issued a statement condemning the decision, which it described as “racist.”It said the move subjects the EU body to the “Israeli will and represents a type of mass punishment for Lebanon's resistance against the Israeli aggression.”

UNIFIL Takes Precautionary Measures in Light of EU Decision against Hizbullah
Naharnet /The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has taken precautionary measures around its posts in the South, reported the National News Agency on Tuesday. It said that the measures were taken in light of the European Union's decision to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorist organization. UNIFIL intensified its security measures near its posts and added more cement barriers as a protection around some of them.
It set up barbed wire fences around others and placed surveillance towers to counter any retaliatory attack linked to the EU's measure. The NNA added that UNIFIL reduced its patrols in the South, except those it carries out with the Lebanese army. The news agency noted a lack of any UNIFIL patrols in southern border villages, especially Bint Jbeil, Ainata, and al-Tairy. On Monday, 28 EU foreign ministers unanimously voted to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, ministers had to overcome reservations in some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics. Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act. UNIFIL patrols had been the target of various unclaimed roadside bomb attacks in the past, the last of which took place in 2011. There have been constant fears that the UNIFIL force stationed in the south of the country would be an easy target should the unrest in Syria reach Lebanon. On Sunday, Turkey's Anatolia news agency reported that Hizbullah members intercepted a Spanish UNIFIL patrol in the South and accused it of taking pictures of a house belonging to a member of the party who was killed in Syria, before army units intervened and resolved the dispute. Spain currently commands the 12,100-strong UNIFIL force, which was founded in 1978 and expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah. France has one of the largest contingents with 1,300 soldiers. In July 2011, six French UNIFIL troops were wounded, one of them seriously, in the southern coastal town of Sidon, in an attack similar to Friday's. Earlier that year, six Italian peacekeepers were wounded in Sidon, also in a roadside bombing. Three Spanish and three Colombian peacekeepers were killed in June 2007 when a booby-trapped car exploded as their patrol vehicle drove by.

Syria: EU's Decision on Hizbullah Was Made at American, Israeli Orders
Naharnet/The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned on Tuesday the European Union's decision to list Hizbullah's military wing as a terrorist organization. It said that it took the decision at “American and Israeli orders to target the resistance in Lebanon and the rest of the Arab world.” “Such a measure encourages acts of occupation and aggression,” it added in a statement. On Monday, 28 EU foreign ministers unanimously voted to blacklist Hizbullah's military wing. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, ministers had to overcome reservations in some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics.
Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act.

Syrian National Council Says Unearthed Hizbullah 'Mass Graves' in Syria
Naharnet/..The opposition Syrian National Council on Tuesday claimed that it has documented the presence of a number of mass graves containing the bodies of hundreds of Hizbullah fighters who were killed in Syria.
“We have discovered a number of mass graves in which Hizbullah used to bury its members after every battle on Syrian territory, instead of repatriating the bodies to Lebanon,” SNC spokesman Mouayyed Ghizlan told CNN.
“For Hizbullah, these cemeteries have two objectives: the first is avoiding the traumatization of the dead's families and thus avoiding a strong outcry from the Lebanese public opinion, and the second is hiding the real number of casualties and preventing the Syrian fighters and rebels from knowing the real figures,” Ghizlan added. Hizbullah has dispatched fighters to battle alongside the Syrian regime against rebels seeking the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The party had justified its intervention in Syria by saying it was backing popular committees defending Lebanese-inhabited border towns in Syria from attacks by rebels and extremists. It had also admitted that its fighters were guarding Shiite holy shrines in Damascus province. But in a speech in May, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his party will stay involved in the Syrian conflict, after having helped government forces recapture the key town of Qusayr from rebels. "Where we need to be, we will be ... To defeat this very, very dangerous conspiracy (against Syria) we will bear any sacrifices and all the consequences," said Nasrallah.
"The alternative (to the Assad regime) is chaos and the rule of these groups," he said, referring to extremist Islamist rebel groups he said were part of an "American-Israeli-takfiri plot."The conflict, pitting a Sunni-dominated rebel movement against Assad, has raised sectarian tensions in Lebanon and Lebanese Sunni fighters have also been killed while fighting alongside Syrian rebels.

Al-Mustaqbal Agrees on Extending Qahwaji's Term for One Year
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal movement voiced support to a decision to extend the mandate of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji by at least one year, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Tuesday.
According to the newspaper, the decision came in light of a series of meetings held between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and senior officials in al-Mustaqbal movement. The newspaper said that Hariri personally contacted Qahwaji to inform him of the final decision. Hariri, according to the daily, contacted the army chief twice over the weekend to discuss the latest developments. The extension of Qahwaji's term which ends this September when he turns 60 – the maximum age for the post of the army commander – had created a disputed among the political foes. Al-Mustaqbal allegedly linked the extension of Qahwaji's term to the return of Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi to his ISF command post. Al-Joumhouria also reported that Hizbullah vowed to convince the Free Patriotic Movement of the extension. Last week, a parliamentary session was postponed for the second consecutive time over lack of quorum caused by the boycott of several parliamentary blocs due to a dispute with Speaker Nabih Berri. The three-day session was set by Berri for July 29. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, the March 14 alliance's MPs and the Change and Reform bloc have boycotted the session. The speaker has insisted to keep the 45 draft-laws on the session's agenda and said he would continue to call on MPs for a General Assembly meeting until the agenda is discussed. However, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform has a different reason to boycott the session. Aoun staunchly opposes the extension of Qahwaji's tenure.
Aoun's stance is not on a par with its ally Hizbullah, whose MPs attended Tuesday's session along with members of Berri's bloc and the centrist National Struggle Front of MP Walid Jumblat.

Aoun to EU: Your Accusations against Resistance are False, Your Wars in Syria Have Impacted Lebanon
Naharnet/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said the EU's decision to blacklist Hizbullah's so-called armed wing was “based on false accusations,” noting that Lebanon has been suffering from "the wars waged by some of your countries in Syria."“Today, I will limit my statement to one topic. I will send a message to the EU which has put Hizbullah's armed wing on the terror list,” said Aoun after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc. “As a Lebanese citizen, I have the right to address them regardless of my political position. I will speak to the European mind according to its values,” Aoun added.
“Yesterday, I was stunned by the news of placing Hizbullah's military wing on the terror list, because that contradicts with the Charter of the United Nations which mentions the right to liberate the land,” he said.
Reciting a written statement, Aoun added: “These weapons were the factor that forced Israel to withdraw from the South in the year 2000, following 22 years of occupation.”
“It took 22 years for the U.N. resolution (425) to be implemented and it was only put into effect under the pressure of the resistance's weapons and the July war is still in our memory,” Aoun went on to say.
He pointed out that Lebanon is still facing “three forms of aggression: the persistent occupation of parts of its territory, the problem of Palestinian refugees, and the daily violations of its airspace.”
“We were hoping European states would back our right to regain our land, as Argentina had announced that Hizbullah had nothing to do with the incident that happened on its territory and Bulgaria has said that Hizbullah's role in the Burgas bombing has not been confirmed,” Aoun said. He noted that when the EU member states “turn their backs on the peoples who are defending their freedom, they would be renouncing their own right,” as “all peoples have practiced their right to resist occupation.” “If only you could realize how Lebanon has suffered from the wars waged by some of your countries in Syria,” Aoun added. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, European foreign ministers had to overcome reservations of some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics.
Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act. Hizbullah's military wing was blamed for a deadly attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year. In March, a self-confessed Hizbullah operative was also convicted in Cyprus of plotting a similar attack. Lebanon had asked the EU not to blacklist Hizbullah on the grounds it was an "essential component of Lebanese society."
Support for the EU sanctions against Hizbullah grew in recent weeks after the party openly declared it was sending fighters to back the Syrian regime.

Miqati: Govt. Rejects EU Decision on Hizbullah, Will Seek to Reverse It
Naharnet/aretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Tuesday declared that the Lebanese government rejects the European Union's decision to put Hizbullah's so-called military wing on its list of “terrorist organizations.”
“It has become evident to everyone that the situation is not fine and that overcoming the stalemate will require concessions from everyone,” Miqati said during an iftar banquet organized by the Social Welfare Institutions at the BIEL exhibition center in Beirut. “We call on everyone to sacrifice their narrow political interests for the sake of the country's interest,” Miqati added. He warned that “it has become easier for Lebanon's enemies to act in an unhealthy environment and they are working night and day to undermine the country's stability and prevent its progress and prosperity.” The premier said he was hoping the EU would refrain from designating Hizbullah's “so-called military wing” as a “terrorist organization” due to the possible “negative impact on Lebanon and the Lebanese components.”“We will follow up on the issue through the diplomatic means that preserve the best ties between Lebanon and Europe and the international community, and here I will reiterate what I have always been saying: Lebanon has no enemy but Israel and Lebanon with all its components is keen on its Arab and international relations,” Miqati added. “The Lebanese government rejects this decision and will seek to reverse it through its nonstop contacts with all EU member states,” he went on to say. On Monday, the EU placed Hizbullah's military wing on its list of “terrorist organizations.”Hizbullah described the decision as a “hostile and unjust” step, saying it was “written by American hands and with Zionist ink.” "Hizbullah firmly rejects the EU decision... and sees it as a hostile and unjust decision that has no justification and is not based on any proof," the party said in a statement. To get the required agreement of all 28 EU member states, European foreign ministers had to overcome reservations of some members that the move would further destabilize Lebanon, where Hizbullah plays a key role in politics. Accordingly, EU political and economic ties with Lebanon will be fully maintained in a delicate balancing act. Hizbullah's military wing was blamed for a deadly attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year. In March, a self-confessed Hizbullah operative was also convicted in Cyprus of plotting a similar attack. Lebanon had asked the EU not to blacklist Hizbullah on the grounds it was an "essential component of Lebanese society." Support for the EU sanctions against Hizbullah grew in recent weeks after the party openly declared it was sending fighters to back the Syrian regime.

Qaida Claims Attacks on Iraq Jails that Freed its Leaders
Naharnet/An Al-Qaida front group on Tuesday claimed brazen assaults on Iraqi prisons that freed hundreds of militants including top leaders, killed over 40 people and threaten to further erode confidence in the government.
The attacks on the prisons in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, and Taji, north of the capital, illustrate the growing reach of militants in Iraq and the deteriorating security situation in the country, where more than 600 people have been killed in violence so far this month. "The mujahideen (holy warriors), after months of preparation and planning, targeted two of the largest prisons of the Safavid government," said a statement signed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, using a pejorative term for Shiites. The statement claimed that "hundreds" of inmates, among them 500 militants, were freed in the attacks.
It also said that the operation was the final one in a campaign aimed at freeing prisoners and targeting justice system officials, which was called for in an audio statement attributed to the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, last year. The statement, posted on a jihadist forum, came as security forces were hunting intensely for the escapees, said by MPs to number at least 500 before they are able to rejoin the ranks of the militants.
"Dark days are waiting for Iraq. Some of those who escaped are senior leaders of Al-Qaida, and the operation was executed for this group of leaders," a high-ranking security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"Those who escaped will work on committing acts of revenge, most of which might be suicide attacks," the official said. In what appears to have been a carefully-planned operation, militants waiting outside the prisons launched their attacks after inmates inside began rioting. "The first information we have indicates that the incident started from inside the prison," the security official said. "There were riots and then the prisoners took control of some guns and called the groups that were waiting outside." Militants then attacked with mortar rounds, bombs and gunfire, sparking clashes with security forces that raged for 10 hours. At least 20 security forces members and 21 inmates died in the unrest. Officials have declared "a curfew around the two prisons, where ongoing search operations are being conducted," justice ministry spokesman Wissam al-Fraiji told AFP. Fraiji said that 108 escaped prisoners had been recaptured, and reinforcements from the interior and justice ministries have been sent to the two prisons. MP Hakem al-Zamili, a member of parliament's security and defense committee, confirmed that senior Al-Qaida members had escaped, and expressed fear that they would return to haunt Iraq again. "Most of the inmates who escaped from Abu Ghraib prison were senior members in the Al-Qaida organization and (had been) sentenced to death," Zamili told AFP. "These terrorists will go to Syria to return to the (Al-Qaida) organization and return again to Iraq to carry out terrorist attacks against the Iraqi people," he said. Al-Qaida-linked fighters are among those battling the regime of President Bashar Assad in Syria, which shares a long border with Iraq. The conflict pits mainly Sunni Muslim rebels against Assad, a member of the Alawite sect, which is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. It has spilled over the border on several occasions and raised tensions in Iraq. Both Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites have traveled to Syria to fight. The prison assaults and escapes illustrate the woeful security situation in Iraq and threaten to undermine confidence in the government, experts told AFP. "The escape of prisoners in this organized way from the biggest prisons in Iraq is another sign of the deterioration of security in Iraq in general, and Baghdad in particular," said Hamid Fadhel, a political science professor at Baghdad University. "It seems that the security situation is the victim of the political conflict in Iraq today," he said, referring to long-running disputes among the country's various political factions that have paralyzed the government, with almost no major legislation passed in years. The assaults and mass escapes "affect people's trust in the security forces and in the government, because people will start to worry that the criminal can commit a crime, go to prison, and then get out easily," said Ali al-Haidari, an Iraqi expert in security and strategic affairs. "What happened puts the government in a very embarrassing situation. What we saw was a huge attack with large numbers of fighters, and it seems that the guards of the two prisons were not able to stop such an attack," he said.Source/Agence France Presse.

Suspect Linked to Masnaa Bombing of Hizbullah Convoy Arrested
Naharnet/The army succeeded on Monday in arresting a suspect linked to the bombing of a Hizbullah convoy near the al-Masnaa border-crossing on July 16, reported the National News Agency on Tuesday.
It said that the army intelligence arrested a Syrian national in the Bekaa town of Majdal Anjal on suspicion of planting the explosive that targeted the convoy. It identified the suspect as A.H., who hails from the Syrian city of al-Zabadani. Two people were wounded in a bomb attack against a Hizbullah convoy that was traveling towards the Lebanese border-crossing with Syria on July 16. One vehicle was struck by the explosion near the al-Masnaa border-crossing, while the other vehicles in the convoy escaped the attack and continued along the road. The bombing is the fourth time that a vehicle has been targeted by an explosive device in the Bekaa region, which is a stronghold of Hizbullah. On July 7, three people were injured, including two army troops when two bombs exploded in the area. That attack followed a similar blast on June 28, when two small bombs hit a Hizbullah convoy in the area, detonating as four cars passed, a security source said. Hizbullah has dispatched fighters to battle alongside the Syrian regime against rebels seeking the overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The party had justified its intervention in Syria by saying it was backing popular committees defending Lebanese-inhabited towns in Syrian territory near Lebanon's border from attacks by rebels and extremists. It had also admitted that its fighters were guarding Shiite holy shrines in Damascus province.

Nose-first Landing Injures Eight, Closes NY Airport
Naharnet/Eight people were injured on Monday after the front landing gear of a Southwest Airlines plane with 150 people on board collapsed on landing at New York's La Guardia airport. The accident left the Boeing 737-700 with its nose resting against the runway and forced the temporary closure of the airport, which mostly handles flights to and from other U.S. cities. The airline confirmed that emergency services had helped with the evacuation of the passengers and crew of flight 345 from Nashville. "Eyewitness reports indicate the aircraft's nose gear collapsed upon landing," it said in a statement. "Initial reports indicate local responders are caring for five customers and three flight attendants who have reported injuries at this time. Southwest is cooperating with local authorities, and the (U.S. aviation safety body) NTSB has been notified." Television images showed the plane with its nose angled down to the ground and its evacuation slides out. The fuselage was surrounded by emergency vehicles. Passengers on board the plane saw sparks flying as the nose scraped along the runway, according to accounts given to waiting relatives and friends. Planes scheduled to fly to La Guardia were held at their origin airports, while those already en route were diverted to New York's other hubs, Newark and John F Kennedy, contributing to long delays. All take-offs were suspended for more than two hours after the incident. The NTSB said it would be sending an investigator to La Guardia to look into the incident. Three people were killed and 180 were injured earlier this month when an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed while landing in San Francisco. According to preliminary findings from the NTSB, the Asiana flight crashed because it was flying too low and too slowly as it approached the runway. The tail of the aircraft broke off as the plane clipped a seawall short of the runway, skidding out of control and quickly catching fire.Source/Agence France Presse.

Miqati Renews Mufti Sousan's Leadership of Sidon's Islamic Endowments
Naharnet/Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Tuesday decided to renew the mandate of Sidon Mufti Sheikh Salim Sousan as the head of the southern city's Islamic Endowments for one year starting June 20, 2013. "Miqati issued decree number 1378 on Tuesday afternoon in which he decided to renew the term of Sousan,” revealed LBCI television. The administrative council of Sidon's endowments had unanimously tasked Sousan to head the affairs of the institution for one year, due to the need for his “expertise, services and wisdom in this post.” However, Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Qabbani slammed Miqati's decision as a “barefaced interference in the Mufti's affairs and powers.” In a released statement, Qabbani elaborated: “Based on the laws that govern the administrative work of the Islamic Endowments, it is among the Mufti's powers to name the head of the institution.”
He added: “Dar al-Fatwa has appointed Sheikh Nazih Naqouzi as the head of Sidon's Islamic Endowments.”Qabbani called on the caretaker premier to “deal with issues within his specialty and leave the matters of Dar al-Fatwa and Islamic Endowments to the Grand Mufti.” "The premiership must not be a party in the feud taking place on the Islamic scene today,” the statement pointed out.
Dar al-Fatwa called for respecting Qabbani's decision and abide by them. "Any attack against Qabbani and his post is an insult to all Muslims.”Qabbani had appointed in May Sheikh Ahmed Nassar as the new Mufti of Sidon as a replacement for Sousan. He had rejected extending the mandates of Sousan and Bekaa Mufti Sheikh Khalil al-Mays, whose terms ended in May 2013, due to differences between him and the current and previous premiers. He also repeatedly expressed his rejection over the extension of the Higher Islamic Council's term, explaining that the previous its mandate was extended numerous times over a three-year period, which consequently made it past is legal end date of four years. The Council, which elects the mufti and organizes the affairs of Dar al-Fatwa, has been at the center of controversy after 21 of its members, who are close to ex-Premier Saad Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement, extended its term until the end of 2013 despite Qabbani's objection. The mufti has refused to hold or join any meetings at Dar al-Fatwa, Lebanon’s top Sunni religious authority, and called for the elections of council members.But last month the Shura Council allegedly deemed the call illegal and canceled the elections. Meanwhile, deputy head of the Higher Islamic Council Omar Mesqawi held talks with HIC members, after which they announced their rejection of all decisions issued by Qabbani concerning the council's elections and that oppose Miqati and previous premiers' stances.They said Qabbani's decision should not be taken into consideration, “as if they never happened.”

Egypt's Interim Cabinet: Challenges and Expectations
Adel El-Adawy/Washington Institute
Cairo's formation of a new cabinet marks the first step toward transition to an elected government. Egypt's new interim cabinet held its first official session on July 21, and the mere fact that a new government is in place will plant the first seeds of stability. Yet this cabinet is unique from a historical perspective, as its agenda has already been established by the military with the agreement of all political forces except the Muslim Brotherhood: namely, to oversee the rapid political transition to an elected government. In the past, especially under Hosni Mubarak, the cabinet's agenda was shaped by the presidency, but current interim president Adly Mansour is a pure figurehead without any political agenda or leverage. Instead, the military has set a defined transitional roadmap and will make sure the civilians in the cabinet follow it. All ministers understand the parameters under which they are allowed to operate and will not deviate from them.
RETURN OF THE OLD GUARD
The cabinet's makeup does not carry an overwhelming revolutionary flavor, as no youth leaders are among the appointees. At this stage, however, such an approach makes sense given the transitional government's temporary nature and the need for experienced technocrats. The appointees have been well received by the international community; as Secretary of State John Kerry put it, "I know a number of them personally, and I know they are extremely competent people."
Yet the new cabinet has one major drawback: the reemergence of the old guard, who hold several prominent seats on the thirty-five-member body. New foreign minister Nabil Fahmy was Egypt's ambassador in Washington from 1999 to 2008 and was responsible for Gamal Mubarak's succession portfolio. Minister of Local Development Adel Labib was the governor of Alexandria and Beheira under Hosni Mubarak. Minister of Information Dorreya Sharaf al-Din was on the policy committee of Mubarak's now-dissolved National Democratic Party. Minister of Transportation Ibrahim al-Demeri held the same post during the Mubarak era and had to resign in 2002 after a tragic train accident. Minister of Housing Ibrahim Mehleb served as the government-appointed head of the public Arab Contractors company for a decade during the Mubarak era. Minister of Agriculture Ayman Abu Hadid was part of Mubarak's last cabinet reshuffle during the eighteen-day uprising. Minister of Planning Ashraf al-Araby headed the technical advisory office of Mubarak-era minister Fayza Aboul Naga from 2006 until 2011. In addition to Defense Minister Abdul Fattah al-Sisi (a senior military intelligence officer during the Mubarak era), two former military generals on the cabinet had close ties to the Mubarak regime: Minister of Civil Aviation Abdel Aziz Fadel and Minister of Military Production Reda Mahmoud Hafez Muhammad. The latter was a member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which governed after Mubarak's fall.
At the same time, the cabinet also includes an unprecedented number of women and Christians (three of each). And the majority of the appointees are technocrats without political party affiliations; only eight ministers have such ties, and they have all resigned or frozen their party memberships. Moreover, the four parties in question have diverse ideological orientations (e.g., the Nasserist Karama Party and the social-democrat Constitution Party), compared to former prime minister Hisham Qandil's cabinet, in which members with party affiliations mostly originated from the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm.
Finally, the new cabinet has ten holdovers from Qandil's cabinet, among them Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazou, who resigned when former president Muhammad Morsi appointed al-Gamaa al-Islamiyah member Adel al-Khayat as governor of Luxor. More interesting is the decision to retain Minister of Electricity Ahmed Imam, who faced much criticism before the June 30 uprising due to regular power outages. Strangely enough, the Muslim Brotherhood claims that Imam's retention is evidence of a larger conspiracy against them -- an argument that makes little sense given that he was a Brotherhood appointee under Morsi.
ROLE OF THE NEW CABINET
During a long interview before the first official meeting of the transitional cabinet, new prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi emphasized the need to bridge the gap of political polarization by fostering a broader understanding between all political forces. These efforts will be spearheaded by Mohammad Amin El-Mahdy, who will serve as Minister of Transitional Justice and National Reconciliation. The Muslim Brotherhood has decided not to recognize the ongoing political transition, so it will be important to reach out to the group -- especially to second-tier Brotherhood leaders -- and include it in the process. Yet such inclusion cannot occur if the group resorts to acts of violence and terror.
Beblawi's most important role will be on the economic portfolio, as he is a renowned economist. His political network is limited, and he depended heavily on others to recommend people for ministerial posts. His deputies will be more influential in the decisionmaking process, especially those dealing with the security portfolio.
General Sisi, the first deputy prime minister and defense minister, is the main behind-the-scenes powerbroker, but he will not act alone -- Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa Eldin will play a key part as well. Under the previous government, Bahaa Eldin turned down an offer to be Qandil's deputy, believing that his role would be superficial and that he would have no impact on the decisionmaking process. His acceptance of the position earlier this month indicates a firm belief that he can help stabilize the economy and join the inner decisionmaking circle. Together with the new finance minister, World Bank veteran Ahmed Galal, Bahaa Eldin will play a critical role in setting the economic agenda for the transitional period.
This agenda includes putting Egypt on the path toward economic reforms required to secure an International Monetary Fund loan in the future. But as Planning Minister Araby noted, "The time is not appropriate to begin new negotiations with the IMF." Prime Minister Belbawi explained that his current cabinet will lay the economic foundation for future governments by attracting domestic and foreign investments, leaving the task of major reform initiatives to the next elected administration. The transitional phase is projected to last nine months, with parliamentary elections slated for January 2014 and a presidential election in March.
Given that only a handful of ministers will be able to shape the transition, the interim cabinet is, in a sense, symbolic. The majority of the appointees will largely be confined to running their own ministries in autonomous fashion. Foreign Minister Fahmy will not reorient Egyptian policy or undertake any groundbreaking initiatives. As he explained during a recent press conference, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is giving top priority to explaining the goals of the June 30 revolution." He also noted that Egypt will reevaluate the decision to cut ties with Syria and engage in dialogue to overcome its differences with Ethiopia. Fahmy will play a secondary role behind Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, who is also reaching out to the international community and is in charge of the foreign policy portfolio.
Meanwhile, Local Development Minister Labib will name new governors in the near future to fill the vacant posts formerly occupied by Brotherhood appointees. And the Minister of Supply, Muhammad Abu Shadi, indicated that Egypt will resume wheat imports from Ukraine, Romania, and Russia. His predecessor, Bassem Ouda, had halted those imports, forcing the country to rely on its domestic harvest.
Overall, the challenges are enormous for the new ministers, and expectations are high. For the interim cabinet to succeed, Cairo must uphold the transitional roadmap by writing a consensus-based constitution and handing power to an elected government as soon as possible. More important, it will be critical to bring the Muslim Brotherhood on board, since alienating the group would be a strategic mistake for Egypt's democratic transition.
**Adel El-Adawy is a Next Generation fellow at The Washington Institute.

Jihadi Groups: Against Themselves
Hazem Saghieh/AlHayat
The most significant thing jihadi militants are doing, throughout the many theaters where they operate, over the multitude of their factions, and regardless of the disparity in their groups’ respective strength, is that they are only reinforcing solid facts and trends that have the ability to prevail in the societies in which they are active. This is regardless of whether one has a positive or negative view of these many facts and trends.
In Lebanon, we saw a small sample of this in the case of Sidon’s Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, who ultimately allowed Hezbollah to score another victory and entrench the reality of the dominance of its weapons, and subsequently, perpetuate its alleged ‘legitimacy’ imposed by de facto force. Ahmad al-Assir – with all his mental faculties intact – also ended up imposing desensitization to the intersection between official legitimacy and that of Hezbollah. Indeed, something like this now appears ordinary for a larger number of Lebanese!
On a broader and more important scale, jihadi groups operating across northern and eastern Syria, and which other revolutionary factions have refrained from confronting, have pushed two trends that must not be downplayed to the forefront. First, by assassinating military commanders and threatening others in the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the jihadists strengthened the civil war’s propensity for devouring or dwarf the revolution.
Second, through their armed confrontation with militants of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the jihadi groups pushed this propensity further, in such a manner as to effectively put the creation of a Kurdish state in northern Syria on the regional agenda.
Needless to say, these two events, the civil war and the Kurdish state, are two popular and objective phenomena, whatever one’s opinion of them may be.
In Egypt, the acts of the jihadi factions, which comprise Egyptian, tribal, and Palestinian elements, are helping solidify the new political order and its military and security crackdown supported by large segments of the people. In truth, this could expedite the crystallization of this regime, which is still surrounded by much speculation, especially in what concerns its nature and composition.
But another equally important result may be consolidating Egyptian-Israeli peace which was instituted through the Camp David accords in the late 1970s. While the jihadi menace may have prompted the Israeli army to consent to Egyptian military deployment in Sinai, which is in violation of the original treaties, this only reflects common grounds among everyone, not just the Egyptian and Israelis, in confronting this threat. Even when this menace is nothing but a bogeyman, it makes it easier for all those willing to transform the jihadi bogeyman to a menace, to do just that.
The fact of the matter is that there is nothing in common among these discordant outcomes, i.e. consolidating Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon, enshrining the proclivity for civil war and a Kurdish state in Syria, and solidifying Egyptian-Israeli peace, except in their being inconsistent with the supposed goals and interests of the jihadi groups. However, these outcomes are all being furthered and fueled, if only in part, by these same jihadi groups.
If anything, this amounts to unprecedented absurdity in politics, seen only in the environment of the nihilistic jihadi factions that are ultimately obsessed with only death and suicide.

A Painful Lesson
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
What hurts Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood the most is not the army, not the Tamarod (Rebellion) movement, not the Al-Azhar institution, nor even the 22 million Egyptians who allegedly supported the toppling of former President Mohammed Mursi.
What hurts them the most is that the Salafists stood against them and sat among the audience that cheered Mursi’s ouster and interim president Adly Mansour’s appointment. What really hurts them is that the Salafists, until this day, continue to religiously and politically challenge them in the media.
The most important lesson learned from toppling Mursi is that there is not a single party that dominates in Egypt, and that hiding behind religion is not enough to quash people’s anger and their revolutions. It has become clear that the Egyptians are not owned by the Brotherhood, no matter how long their beards are or how many times they call their adversaries “infidels.” It has also become clear that the army does not dare sack an elected president without the support of a strong majority.
It has become clear that the Egyptians, as parties and individuals, cannot be categorized only as religious adherents and infidels. This is evident in the Salafists’ move to abandon the Brotherhood and join the Tamarod movement and the National Salvation Front (NSF). A year after their attempts to dominate, the Brotherhood found out that they failed because they rejected political participation.
Many mvoements and parties have important stock in the political market, which makes them a partner in Egypt’s governance even if they were not in government: The Brotherhood, the Salafist Nour party, the National Salvation Front, the Strong Egypt Party, the Al-Wasat (Center) Party, the April 6 movement, the Tamarod campaign and dozens of others.
Let us stop at the Salafist Nour Party. Who would have believed that the Salafists had a voice in Egypt and that they were a group capable of political activity?
They have become the surprise of the Egyptian arena, with their ability to work, manoeuver, develop their discourse and integrate pragmatically. I advise those who have not read their statement to do so. It’s a clever defense against Brotherhood accusations that they failed Mursi by siding with those who staged the coup.
The Salafist document says they agreed with the Brotherhood not to take to the streets on June 28, according to their vision that “the army would never abandon Mursi, while we thought that Mursi would never abandon the palace, but that it was possible that the army would side with the protesters if their numbers exceeded a certain figure, which was what happened.” Protesters at Rabaa Al-Adawiya played no role until the July 3 declaration was made.
The Salafists also noted how the Brotherhood manipulated their followers’ minds, accused them of vetoing the Bay’ah (oath of allegiance)—in its religious context—and claimed that elections were an act tantamount to Bay’ah and described their opponents as secularists and Christians.
In their document, the Salafists said if Mursi considered the elections to be the same as Bay’ah, then this meant he must adhere to the constitution. The constitution allowed protests and prohibited confronting those who took to the streets to protest against Mursi.
The Salafists also voiced surprise that the Brotherhood criticized them for meeting with secularists and Christians at a time when Brotherhood members themselves bragged that there were secularists and Christians with them at Cairo’s Rabaa Al-Adawiya.
Of course, such discussions are only fit for those engaged in religious political controversies. The general public wants stability, jobs and better living conditions—something that cannot be achieved through the ruling party’s exclusion of other political parties that participated with it in the revolution, in the elections and the course of political life.
Mursi’s sad ending, being ousted and detained, came amid celebrations from all other political parties. The streets across Egypt were packed with millions of people cheering the ouster of Mursi and his cabinet.
Recent events have shown that there is not a single party, be it the army, the liberals or the youth, that can alone mobilize the people during this phase. During Hosni Mubarak’s era, the Brotherhood claimed that more than 60 percent of the people supported them. After the revolution, they won with a weak majority after leftist and Nasserite parties voted for them. A year after their failed governance, it is impossible for the Brotherhood to garner what they attained a year ago.
What took place, in removing the elected president and the dangerous disruption of order, is a painful lesson to all political parties—not just the Brotherhood. Respecting the constitution and state institutions serves both the governor and those governed. Mursi and the Brotherhood annulled the original constitution and insulted the judiciary, only to discover that the people and the army surprised them by taking over power.
Now after their ordeal, they will be convinced of their need for a constitution that respects the rights of the people as well as the rights of the president. They will be convinced that they are paying the price for their stupidity, for not respecting the legitimacy that brought them to power.