Report: Syria asked IDF to hold fire as it battled rebels
By JPOST.COM STAFF06/09/2013/UN peacekeeping troops report allegedly submitted to UN Security Council states that the Syrian regime asked the IDF not to fire at their tanks in Golan Heights buffer zone between countries. The Syrian regime asked Israel not to fire on its tanks in the Golan Heights buffer zone between the two countries during Thursday's internecine fighting in the area, according to a report apparently by the United Nations peacekeeping troops on the Golan. The Syrian armed forces were battling opposition troops who had briefly seized control of the Syrian side of the Quneitra border crossing between Israel and Syria. American journalist Nabil Abi Saab, who regularly covers United Nations activity in his blog UN-Report, on Saturday posted a copy of a document apparently from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the ceasefire between Israel and Syria following the 1973 Yom Kippur. Saab writes in his blog that he was informed by diplomats that the document was sent to the UN Security Council on Friday, by Herve Ladsous, UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations. The report states that the IDF warned UNDOF that it would "take action" if Syrian army tanks continued to operate in the buffer zone.
After receiving the message, the Syria regime asked that Israel refrain from firing on its vehicles as "the presence of the tanks was solely for the purpose of fighting the armed members of the opposition." Israel acceded to the request, but did confirm that it had given medical treatment to members of the Syria opposition wounded in the fighting.The battle at the Quneitra crossing ended Thursday with the Syria regime regaining full control of the area. Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have been fighting for more than two years against the opposition that is determined to unseat him. More than 80,000 people are reported to have died since the fighting began in early 2011.

Armed men declare Al-Qusayr a “Shiite city”
AFP/Now Lebanon/ A video posted Saturday on YouTube showed gunmen purportedly speaking with a Lebanese accent declaring Syria’s Al-Qusayr a “Shiite city,” after rebels lost the battle for the strategic area. The men shown in the video raised a Shiite flag that read “Ya Hussein,” one of the Shiites’ most revered religious figures, on one of the city’s Sunni mosques. They were also chanting “we are the sons of Ali,” another key figure in the Shiite and Alawite Muslim confessions. Al-Qusayr, a Sunni-majority city, has witnessed fierce clashes between Syrian regime forces, supported by fighters from the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, and rebel forces. On Wednesday, the rebels conceded they had lost the battle for the strategic town after the army claimed it had seized total control of it and the surrounding region. At the same time, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Hezbollah fighters, who had spearheaded the regime's assault, were in control of the town. Control of Al-Qusayr was vital for the rebels as it was their principal transit point for weapons and fighters from neighboring Lebanon. The group's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has acknowledged that members of his movement are involved in the Syria conflict which has so far left more than 94,000 people dead according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog.

Ambassador calls on all Saudi nationals to leave Lebanon
Now Lebanon/Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Assiri said that Saudi nationals living in Lebanon should return to their country. “It is important for all Saudis present in Lebanon to return to their country for their own safety according to the advice given by the Gulf Cooperation Council,” Assiri said in remarks published by Saudi daily Ash-Sharq on Saturday. He added that a mobile message was sent out to all Saudi nationals who own a Saudi mobile number in Lebanon to inform them of their country’s safety concerns. On Thursday, Gulf Arab states advised citizens not to travel to Lebanon, a popular summer tourist destination that is becoming increasingly engulfed in neighboring Syria's civil war, official Saudi news agency SPA reported. "Most GCC states have urged their nationals to avoid travelling to Lebanon due to the instability of the security situation there," GCC’s chief Andullatif al-Zayani was quoted as saying. Lebanon has officially maintained a policy of neutrality in Syria's conflict, but is sharply divided along sectarian lines that have been emphasized by the conflict in Syria.

Lebanese army slams "plot" to embroil country in Syrian war
AFP/The Lebanese army warned on Friday that a plot was afoot to embroil the country in the 26-month conflict in neighboring Syria, as deadly clashes between Damascus supporters and opponents inside Lebanon multiply.
"The army command... calls on citizens to be wary of plots aimed at taking Lebanon backwards and dragging it into an absurd war," a statement said, adding that it would give an "armed response to any armed action".
"The army command has been trying for several months to work firmly, determinedly and patiently to prevent Lebanon being turned into a battlefield for regional conflicts and to prevent any spillover of the events in Syria," it said. "But in recent days, some groups have seemed determined to stoke security tensions... against the backdrop of the political divisions in Lebanon over military developments in Syria."It was the strongest statement from the Lebanese army since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule erupted in March 2011. It came after the public intervention of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement alongside Assad's troops in the battle for the border town of Qusayr which culminated in its recapture on Wednesday and deepened political divisions. Sunni communities in Lebanon have been sending arms and fighters to the mainly Sunni rebels inside Syria. One person was killed and seven wounded in a clash in the heart of Lebanon's second-largest city Tripoli on Thursday in the latest in a spate of deadly violence between Lebanese supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime.

Another Syrian Air Raid Targets Arsal
Naharnet /Syrian helicopters fired rockets near Arsal, a Lebanese border area whose residents back the rebellion against President Bashar Assad, a security official said, in the latest incident raising new concerns of Syria-related escalation in Lebanon. The late Friday raid was the second such Syrian strike against the Sunni-majority border areas in less than a week. "Syrian helicopters fired rockets at the Wadi Hmeid area near (the town of ) Arsal. There were no casualties," the Lebanese official said. The attack was the latest in a series related to the escalating war in Syria, in which Hizbullah has become fully engaged.
On Wednesday, a Syrian helicopter strafed Arsal, the majority of whose residents are Sunni and support the anti-Assad revolt in Syria. The latest raid comes soon after the Syrian town of Qusayr was captured by the regime army and Hizbullah fighters from the rebels after nearly three-weeks of fierce fighting. Ever since the Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011, Arsal has become a key conduit for refugees and wounded people fleeing strife-torn Syria. Security officials say the town has also served as a passageway for fighters and arms flowing into Syria.On Friday, the Lebanese army warned a plot was being hatched to embroil Lebanon in the Syrian war.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Suleiman Briefs GCC Diplomats on Proposals to Share Syria Refugees Burden
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman discussed on Saturday with Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors Lebanon's suggestion to help it confront the influx of Syrian refugees, Baabda palace said. The terse statement said the meeting, which was attended by caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, tackled the proposals made by Lebanese authorities for the contribution of several states in sharing the burden of the refugees. The diplomats promised to inform their respective governments about the proposals, the statement added. The U.N. said Friday that a total of $3.8 billion is needed to help Syrian refugees who have spilled across the country's borders to escape fighting at home. The figure for operations inside Syria was put at another $1.4 billion. "If the fighting doesn't stop, we risk an explosion in the Middle East for which the international community is not prepared," U.N. refugee agency head Antonio Guterres told reporters. "It is not only a matter of generosity but also of enlightened self-interest."More than 94,000 people have been killed since the civil war began in March 2011 after President Bashar Assad's forces cracked down on protests against his regime, according to The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The flood of refugees to Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt has also swelled to more than 1.5 million. Syria's pre-war population was estimated at about 22 million. Guterres noted that Lebanon and Jordan in particular have borne the financial brunt of hosting about 500,000 Syrian refugees each.
Lebanon and Jordan have asked donors for $450 million and $380 million respectively.

1 Dead, 5 Hurt as Central Tripoli Clashes Renew despite Army Deployment
Naharnet /One person was killed and five other people were wounded on Friday afternoon as clashes renewed in central Tripoli between armed Salafists and gunmen loyal to Damascus and Hizbullah. A security source told Agence France Presse that one person was killed and five others wounded in the old souks area as a house went up in flames after being hit by a shell.  State-run National News Agency said Toufic Shalabi was killed and several other people were wounded in clashes in the gold market, the fish market and the areas of al-Nahhasin, al-Rifaiyeh and Bab al-Hadid.
MTV identified the wounded as Omar al-Nashar, Ali Toufic al-Shalabi, Abdullah Qaddour, Fadi Ahmed Nasrallah and Ahmed al-Qimi. MTV had reported that “the head of al-Nashar family's gunmen" was wounded in the gunfight.According to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3), the army, which had restored a tense calm on Thursday, was "shooting back at the sources of gunfire."
Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) were being used in a “fierce manner” in the clashes. Later on Friday, LBCI television said cautious calm engulfed the conflict zone and that the army deployed in the area after the withdrawal of gunmen. One person was killed and seven others were hurt in fierce clashes on Thursday between members of al-Nashar family, loyal to Syria and Hizbullah, and armed Salafists from the Hajar family, who back the Syrian revolt. It was the first battle since 2008 in central Tripoli, although frequent Syria-related violence has raged in other districts.
It comes after some three weeks of sectarian fighting in the flashpoint Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhoods, during which around 40 people were killed.
The state-run National News Agency had reported cautious calm on Friday morning in the souk area after the military took control of bases from al-Nashar family.
The clashes came after a security plan by the army managed to relatively contain the violence in the flashpoint districts of mainly Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, whose majority of residents are Alawites.
On the political front, President Michel Suleiman voiced relief over the deployment plan executed by the army in Tripoli and its surroundings. He stressed the need for all leaders and citizens to “cooperate with the army's measures to preserve the region's security and the safety of its residents.”Suleiman added that “it's about time everyone realized the importance of sparing our domestic arena the repercussions of the events happening around us, especially after it became evident that the parties' involvement in fighting and clashes, in support of one side or another, will only lead to the death of innocent Lebanese civilians and the destruction of properties, without any impact on the current conflict equations.”Troops have set up checkpoints in all neighborhoods in Tripoli and deployed heavily in Syria street that separates the flashpoint districts. Soldiers opened fire on snipers in Bab al-Tabbaneh overnight and carried out raids in most Tripoli neighborhoods to chase the gunmen, NNA said. The fighting in Tripoli is linked to the war in Syria where a mostly Sunni-led uprising is seeking to topple the regime of President Bashar Assad, who is an Alawite.

Fighting Erupts Again in Central Tripoli's Old Souks
Naharnet/Clashes renewed on Saturday evening in the old souks in central Tripoli between rival armed groups despite a heavy deployment by the army and security forces in the city, state-run National News Agency said. “Heavy gunfire was being heard in Khan al-Saboun, the gold market, Bab al-Hadid, al-Diftar Square and Souk al-Nahhasin,” NNA said. The renewal of the clashes comes after a gunfight on Friday between armed Salafists and gunmen loyal to Damascus and Hizbullah left one person dead and five others wounded. The army had managed to restore a tense calm in the area after shooting back at the sources of gunfire and deploying heavily in the conflict zone. The fighting in central Tripoli first erupted on Thursday, when one person was killed and seven others were hurt the clashes. The gunfight pitted members of al-Nashar family, loyal to Syria and Hizbullah, against armed Salafists from the Hajar family, who back the Syrian revolt. It was the first battle since 2008 in central Tripoli, although frequent Syria-related violence has raged in other districts.
It comes after some three weeks of sectarian fighting in the flashpoint Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhoods, during which around 40 people were killed. The state-run National News Agency had reported cautious calm on Friday morning in the souk area after the military took control of bases from al-Nashar family. The clashes came after a security plan by the army managed to relatively contain the violence in the flashpoint districts of mainly Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, whose majority of residents are Alawites. Troops have set up checkpoints in all neighborhoods in Tripoli and deployed heavily in Syria street that separates the flashpoint districts. The fighting in Tripoli is linked to the war in Syria where a mostly Sunni-led uprising is seeking to topple the regime of President Bashar Assad, who is an Alawite.

Israel Wary of Security in Golan: We Don't Want Hizbullah on Two Fronts
Naharnet /After new clashes between Syrian troops and rebels in the Golan, and Austria's announced withdrawal from a U.N. monitoring force, Israel is concerned about security along its ceasefire line with Syria.
The Israeli army remained on high alert in the region on Friday, bringing up reinforcements of tanks and troops, and readying an anti-tank missile unit, media said. That came after Austria said it would withdraw peacekeepers from the U.N. force, citing deteriorating security, and the Philippines said it was studying a similar move after one of its soldiers was wounded in the fierce fighting on Thursday. The Quneitra crossing between the Israeli and Syrian sides of the armistice line was briefly seized by rebels and then recaptured by government troops following small-arms and artillery exchanges, a security source said. An Agence France Presse correspondent saw tanks of President Bashar Assad's regime approaching the ceasefire line later in the day. Israeli army spokesman Captain Arye Shalicar told AFP on Thursday: "We're watching very closely what's happening there, and we have to be ready for any development. We hope there won't be any spillover into Israel. "It is very worrying because, on the one hand, you have jihadists and Islamists who are fighting there (on the rebel side) and, on the other hand, you also have government forces which are allied with Hizbullah. "We certainly don't want to have Hizbullah on two fronts," he said, referring to the presence of the group in southern Lebanon.Quneitra, the only crossing along the ceasefire line, is used almost exclusively by Druze residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights who are allowed to cross over to study, work or get married. Several dozen Syrian civilians tried to enter Israel through Quneitra on Thursday but were turned away by the Israeli army. The crossing remained closed on Friday. The Israeli army has repeatedly warned farmers on the Syrian side against straying too near the ceasefire line. Because of the fighting, the stability and makeup of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, which has monitored a ceasefire between Israel and Syria since 1974, has come into question. Austria, which has been a cornerstone of UNDOF, said on Thursday it would withdraw its 377 soldiers, who make up more than a third of the force, because the threat to them had "reached an unacceptable level."
"The secured movement and supply of our troops on the Golan can no longer be guaranteed," added a joint statement from Chancellor Werner Faymann and Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger.
Other contributors to the mission include India, Morocco and Moldova. In Manila, the government said on Friday it was studying whether to pull its 341 troops out after a Filipino soldier was wounded by shrapnel from the fighting on Thursday. An Indian soldier was also lightly injured on Thursday. Israel reacted with dismay to the Austrian announcement, as the U.N. held emergency talks to replace its contingent. "In light of Austria's announcement, there are questions over the stability of the 'border' between Israel and Syria," said Jacques Neriah, an Israeli reserves colonel and former military intelligence analyst.
He warned that the Filipinos "could follow the Austrians." "The Security Council should therefore present a solution. And (although) Syria has no interest in having tension with Israel... we cannot leave the zone without observers," he said. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin proposed on Friday that Russian peacekeepers replace the departing Austrians. "Considering the difficult situation that is developing today in the Golan Heights, we could replace the departing Austrian contingent in this region separating Israeli forces from the Syrian army," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying. The Kremlin chief stressed that this was only a proposal and that a formal request had to come from the United Nations and be agreed with both Israel and Syria. Source/NaharnetAgence France Presse.

Report: March 14 Memo Rejects 'Shame' Caused by Hizbullah Role in Syria
Naharnet/The March 14 alliance's leaders are expected to approve a memo informing the Arab world and the international community that the majority of the Lebanese disapprove Hizbullah's involvement in the war in Syria, An Nahar daily reported on Saturday. The newspaper said that the coalition's officials are set to hold a meeting next week to study the repercussions of the role that Hizbullah fighters are playing in Syria. They are also set to approve a memo that the alliance intends to send to President Michel Suleiman and U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, An Nahar said. The document addresses the Arab countries and the international community, saying “the majority of Lebanese call for swiping the shame that Lebanon has been tainted with over Hizbullah's involvement in Syria,” it said. The memo also criticizes caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, saying he neither represents Lebanon nor the foreign ministry. It accuses him of being a Hizbullah complicit. Hizbullah's intervention in Syria and its major role in taking over the Syrian town of al-Qusayr by government troops threatens to bring that country's conflict even further into Lebanon, where rebels have vowed to retaliate with attacks on the Shiite group's home turf.It has also enraged Sunnis in Lebanon and led to street fighting between rival neighborhoods in the northern city of Tripoli. Mansour has on several occasions defended Hizbullah. On Tuesday, he rejected attempts to label it a terrorist organization a few days after Gulf states warned that they could take measures against Hizbullah in the near future.

Divisions Allegedly Mar Constitutional Council Decision on Parliament Extension
Naharnet /The Constitutional Council is reportedly divided on challenges made by President Michel Suleiman and MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform Bloc on the 17-month extension of parliament's mandate.
As Safir daily said Saturday that five Christian members are likely to approve the challenge but five other Muslim members prefer to reject it. The report came despite the secrecy in the council's meetings.
The head of the 10-member council, Issam Suleiman, has completed his report on the two challenges made by the president and the bloc respectively on June 1 and June 3, it said. The council's by-laws call for holding a meeting for the body's members five days after being handed over the report. The parliament extended its four-year mandate last month after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law.
The extension delayed the polls until November 2014. But President Suleiman and Aoun's bloc filed separate challenges with the Constitutional Council. Al-Liwaa daily quoted sources as saying that the council doesn't have the authority to limit the duration of the extension of legislature's tenure which is only done by parliament. But the council can consider the extension law illegal if it was found that it contained constitutional irregularities. The 10 members are seeking to issue their decision before the end of the parliament's mandate on June 20 to avoid shoving the country into a vacuum, the sources said. They told al-Liwaa that in case they approved the challenges, then parliament should meet to agree on holding the elections within a month or two and leave it to the government to oversee the polls. But caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that he needed at least six months to prepare for the elections if the rivals agreed on a new law.

Syrian Activists: Several Hizbullah Members Captured in Muadhamiyat al-Sham
Naharnet /The rebel Free Syrian Army on Friday captured a number of Hizbullah members in Damascus province following clashes, Syrian activists said. “The Free Army has seized control of several posts west of Muadhamiyat al-Sham,” the opposition Local Coordination Committees, a network of peaceful Syrian activists on the ground, announced. Rebel forces have detained "a number of members belonging to the (Abu al-Fadl) al-Abbas Brigade and Hizbullah," the LCC said. The Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade, which is fighting alongside regime troops, is a guerrilla group made up of Shiite fighters who hail primarily from Lebanon, Iran and Iraq. It says that its objective is to defend Shiite holy shrines, particularly the Sayyeda Zainab shrine in Damascus, from any attacks by hardline Sunni insurgents. Syrian regime forces backed by elite Hizbullah fighters on Wednesday managed to recapture the strategic town of Qusayr near Lebanon's border from rebel hands following a fierce assault. Hizbullah chief 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 Damascus province. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the hardline Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Hizbullah Denies FSA Captured Party Fighters near Damascus
Naharnet /Hizbullah on Saturday denied that a number of its fighters had fallen captive into the hands of rebels in Syria on Thursday. “Following what was circulated by media outlets about the armed groups in Syria capturing a number of Hizbullah members, Hizbullah categorically denies these baseless reports,” the party's media relations office said in a statement. It called on media outlets to “seek accuracy and verify their reports before publishing.”Syrian activists said Friday that the rebel Free Syrian Army captured a number of Hizbullah members in Damascus province following clashes.“The Free Army has seized control of several posts west of Muadhamiyat al-Sham,” the opposition Local Coordination Committees, a network of peaceful Syrian activists on the ground, announced. Rebel forces have detained "a number of members belonging to the (Abu al-Fadl) al-Abbas Brigade and Hizbullah," the LCC said. The Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Brigade, which is fighting alongside regime troops, is a guerrilla group made up of Shiite fighters who hail primarily from Lebanon, Iran and Iraq. It says that its objective is to defend Shiite holy shrines, particularly the Sayyeda Zainab shrine in Damascus, from any attacks by hardline Sunni insurgents. Syrian regime forces backed by elite Hizbullah fighters on Wednesday managed to recapture the strategic town of Qusayr near Lebanon's border from rebel hands following a fierce assault. Hizbullah chief 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 Damascus province. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the hardline Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Report: Hizbullah to Suspend Syria Operations after Taking Zabadani
Naharnet/Hizbullah will suspend its military operations in Syria after securing the Damascus suburb of Zabadani “from which rockets are being fired on Shiite villages in Baalbek and Hermel,” the Central News Agency reported on Saturday. “After the operations officially ended in Qusayr, Hizbullah is about to finish the Zabadani battle, from which rockets are still being fired on Baalbek and Sarein,” the agency quoted prominent high-ranking sources close to Hizbullah as saying. Zabadani is a city in the Damascus governorate, close to the border with Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. “The party's leadership has informed the allies and friends that the mission of protecting the Lebanese in Syria and towns inside Lebanon from any attack is almost accomplished,” the sources said. “It is not in the party's interest to engage in a war in Syria's heart (against rebels) as the Syrian army is capable of winning it,” the sources added. Around 10 rockets and mortar rounds from Syria slammed into the northeastern city of Baalbek on Wednesday night, injuring a Lebanese man and causing material damage.
Last week, around 18 rockets targeted the Baalbek region. Over the past weeks, Syrian rebels have also fired dozens of rockets on the northeastern region of Hermel, across the border from Qusayr.
Syrian regime forces backed by elite Hizbullah fighters on Wednesday managed to recapture the strategic town of Qusayr near Lebanon's border from rebel hands following a fierce assault.
And on Saturday the Eastern Bweida village, the last rebel bastion in the area, was seized by Syrian forces, bringing the entire Qusayr region near the border with Lebanon back under regime control.
Only 10 kilometers from Lebanon, Qusayr is strategic for the regime and Hizbullah because of its proximity to the border and because it lies on a route linking Damascus to the the regime's bastion on the Syrian coast.
For the rebels, it was an important conduit from Lebanon for men and weapons. The sources close to Hizbullah also downplayed remarks by the rebel Free Syrian Army and the jihadist al-Nusra Front, who had threatened to retaliate against the party in its strongholds in Dahiyeh and southern Lebanon, describing them as “mere media soap bubbles aimed at raising morale.”The sources advised the rebels to “focus on the battles in the Syrian interior, where regions have started falling one after another.” 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 Damascus province. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the hardline Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. He said: “If Syria falls in the hands of the Takfiris and the United States, the resistance will become under a siege and Israel will enter Lebanon. If Syria falls, the Palestinian cause will be lost.”

Dozens of Anti-Regime Fighters, Including 10 Lebanese, Arrive at Bekaa Hospitals from Qusayr
Naharnet/Dozens of Syrian and Lebanese fighters wounded in fighting against Syrian regime troops and Hizbullah forces in Qusayr have been evacuated to Lebanon, security officials said Saturday.
They were evacuated as the regime seized the last remaining insurgent bastion in the Qusayr area of central Syria, near the Lebanese border. The sources said the rebels included around 10 Lebanese Sunnis who had crossed to Syria to join the insurgency. "Some 30 wounded fighters are being treated in hospitals in the Baalbek area" of eastern Lebanon, a security official told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.
He also said "dozens of wounded rebels" had arrived in the Bekaa border town of Arsal, awaiting treatment. Another security official in northern Lebanon told AFP that "10 Lebanese Sunnis from (the port city of Tripoli) have been brought back for treatment. We are expecting more to arrive."Earlier on Saturday, the Beirut-based, pro-Damascus television al-Mayadeen quoted a source as saying that “300 wounded gunmen who had fled Qusayr are now in Arsal and they will be transported to hospitals in the Bekaa and the North in batches." Later, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Lebanese Red Cross ambulances, escorted by the Lebanese army, transported more than 30 Syrians who were wounded in clashes in Arsal's barren mountains and Qusayr to hospitals in the Lebanese region of Bekaa.
“Eight of them were transported to the Rashaya state-run hospital, 22 to Farhat Hospital in the Western Bekaa town of Jeb Jannine, and several others to hospitals in the Bekaa,” NNA said. It also reported that a Lebanese man who hails from Tripoli was among the wounded and that his relatives arrived at Rashaya's hospital to move him to another hospital in the North. Later on Saturday, NNA said nine more wounded fighters were transported for treatment in hospitals in the central and western Bekaa, raising the number of insurgents receiving treatment to 37.
It noted that 10 wounded fighters were transported to hospitals in the Bekaa on Friday. In the evening, an international Red Cross convoy carrying wounded fighters from Arsal to Bekaa hospitals was pelted with stones on the al-Labweh-Baalbek road, NNA reported. The convoy, however, continued its trip towards hospitals in the Bekaa, the agency said. Pro-government forces captured the town of Qusayr on Wednesday after a nearly three-week assault by Assad's troops backed by elite fighters of Hizbullah. Scores of civilians have also poured this week into the majority Sunni town of Arsal, a local official told AFP. "Some 30 families arrived today from the Qusayr area," Ahmed al-Hujairi of Arsal municipality told AFP. "Their situation is very bad -- they arrived exhausted. They have nothing. Some came here on foot," he said, adding that local authorities were short of funds and "only managing to provide basic assistance."Source/Agence France Presse/Naharnet.

Syria State TV: Regime Took Last Rebel Bastion Near Qusayr
Naharnet /Regime forces have retaken the village of Eastern Bweida from insurgents, Syrian state television said on Saturday, four days after the nearby rebel bastion of Qusayr fell to the army and Hizbullah. "Our heroic troops have restored safety and security in Eastern Bweida," the channel said. The village was the last insurgent-held area in the Qusayr area, and hundreds of people who fled Qusayr as it fell on Wednesday had taken refuge there.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was concerned for the fate of hundreds of fighters and civilians, among them wounded people. "Where are the hundreds of civilians and wounded people who fled Qusayr and took refuge in Eastern Bweida? We have no news," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France Presse. He said it was currently impossible to reach any of Observatory contacts in the area. State TV broadcast footage of a barren village devoid of signs of life. Its correspondent warned of the presence of explosive devices in the area. Hizbullah also announced the news of Eastern Bweida's fall on its own television channel, al-Manar. Its correspondent said: "Qusayr's countryside is finished... The army has taken back the whole Qusayr region. "The regime staged a war of nerves by bombarding (Eastern Bweida) all night long," the reporter said. "We have entered a new phase" in the conflict, he added. Scores of people have poured this week into the majority Sunni town of Arsal in northeastern Lebanon, a local official there told AFP. "Some 30 families arrived today from the Qusayr area," Ahmed al-Hujairi of Arsal municipality told AFP. "Their situation is very bad -- they arrived exhausted. They have nothing. Some came here on foot," al-Hujairi said, adding that the local authorities were short of funds and were "only managing to provide basic assistance.”Source/Agence France Presse.

Sabra: Syria War Becoming Sectarian over Hizbullah Role
Naharnet/The leader of Syria's main opposition group on Friday warned that the involvement of Hizbullah is transforming the war in Syria into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, and says peace negotiations aren't possible as long as Hizbullah and Iran are fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's regime. George Sabra, acting head of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, told The Associated Press that Syria was under occupation from foreign troops and urged the international community to act now or risk the Syrian conflict spreading to other parts of the Middle East.
"The intervention of Hizbullah starts to transfer the problem into a sectarian conflict, a sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites," he said. "The problem will (spread) all over the Middle East, to Lebanon, to Turkey, to Iraq, to Jordan and maybe to the Gulf."He said that Hizbullah fighters, who back Assad's regime, are now "all over the country," including in Aleppo and Damascus. His claims could not be independently verified.
"If our country (is) under occupation of foreign troops of Hizbullah and Iran, nobody can talk about peaceful initiative," he said. "The problem is not between the Syrian people and the regime; it is between the Syrian people and invasion of Hizbullah and Iran." His comments came after Assad's forces captured the strategic town of Qusayr due in large part to Hizbullah fighters' increasing role and the West's continued reluctance to arm the rebels out of fear they might fall into the hands of Islamic extremists fighting in the rebel ranks.The capture of the town near the Lebanese border was portrayed by Syrian state-run media as a turning point in the civil war that has lasted longer than two years and killed tens of thousands of people. Hizbullah has justified its involvement in the fight for Qusayr by saying it is protecting Lebanon from Sunni extremists among the ranks of rebels fighting Assad. Sabra was in Copenhagen to meet with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal as he seeks support from Western capitals.Source/Associated Press.

Jumblat Urges Army Support, Says 'Tripoli Clashes Will Not Solve Syria Crisis'
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat called on political parties in Tripoli to back the Lebanese Army's security plan, stressing that inflaming the northern city will not weaken the Syrian regime but will only “exhaust the army and allow direct Syrian army intervention in Lebanon's territory.”“It is useless to inflame the front in Tripoli, as it will not affect the course of events in Syria,” pointed Jumblat in an interview to As Safir daily.
“All those who believe that sniper fire will weaken the Syrian regime are mistaken. It only exhausts the Lebanese army and drains its strength. Moreover it allows the Syrian army to intervene directly in Lebanon,” added Jumblat.
The army warned Friday that a plot was being hatched to embroil Lebanon in the 26-month Syrian conflict, as fresh clashes and sniper fire linked to Syria in Tripoli killed one person. Moreover, Jumblat stressed the necessity to form a new a cabinet to move the conflict away from the streets to the government's table for discussion, stressing commitment to include Hizbullah in it “because no one can isolate or cancel the other.”Efforts exerted by Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam to form a new cabinet still face several roadblocks including the conflicts among politicians and the fighting in Tripoli and Hizbullah's involvement in Syria. Nevertheless, the Druze leader called on Hizbullah to take into consideration the interests, security and stability of the Lebanese as well as the fate of thousands of expatriates working in the Gulf states.
Hizbullah fighters' public intervention alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops in the battle for the border town of Qusayr deepened political divisions inside Lebanon and threatened the interests of Lebanese working abroad.Hizbullah's involvement drew strong international condemnation and the European Union opened the door to adding Hizbullah's military wing to its list of international terrorist groups

Gambia Expels Lebanese Grocery Mogul for Selling 'Expired Foodstuffs'
Naharnet /The Gambia on Friday banned imports of frozen chicken legs after expelling one of the country's most powerful business magnates for stocking groceries months past their sell-by date.
Lebanese-Gambian multimillionaire Hussein Tajudeen, a former close friend of President Yahya Jammeh, was kicked out of the country this week for "engaging in undesirable business activities".
Tajudeen, who owns a chain of outlets including Gambia's largest supermarket, "was engaged in selling expired foodstuffs, most of which have been in his stores for the past seven months," a government investigator told Agence France Presse. "After a careful review and consideration of trade and health- related issues, the ministries of trade and health inform the general public and all importers of frozen foodstuffs that the government has decided to ban the importation of frozen chicken legs into the country with immediate effect," a Gambian government statement said.
The affair has sent shockwaves through the business community in mainland Africa's smallest nation, where retailers and the impoverished public rely on cheap imported goods to keep shopping bills down.
Tajudeen, scion of the nationwide Kairaba supermarket chain and a Gambian resident for 15 years, was also the country's main importer of rice and flour as owner of the parent company, Tajco.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to Tajco's Gambian interests in his absence.
The government did not officially link Tajudeen's deportation and the import ban but a presidential source told Agence France Presse: "The move to ban the importation of chicken was a reaction to Tajudeen's way of doing business." Tajudeen, who owns businesses worth several million dollars in the Gambia and Lebanon, was ordered to leave within 72 hours on Tuesday and is understood to have complied.A government statement said his "undesirable business activities" had "very serious health and economic consequences to the people and the state."
"Despite the fact that the Gambia has a liberal economy, the state will not condone greedy and unscrupulous businessmen who are just after their profit margin and not the welfare and well-being of the consumers," the government said. The Kairaba chain and its Banjul-based parent company Tajco were reportedly placed under U.S. sanctions in December 2010 for allegedly forming part of a multinational network that investigators said generated millions of dollars for Hizbullah, designated by the United States as a "terrorist group."The sanctions targeted a network of businesses owned or controlled by Tajudeen and his brothers in the Gambia, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the British Virgin Islands. Source/Agence France Presse.

Syria opposition again rules out peace talks
AFP/Syria's main opposition coalition reiterated on Saturday its refusal to participate in proposed international peace talks, saying recent developments in the civil war had "closed the doors" to any political initiative. "What is happening in Syria today completely closes the doors on any discussions about international conferences and political initiatives," George Sabra, interim head of the National Coalition, told a press conference in Istanbul.
He was referring to an initiative headed by Washington and Moscow to bring the Syrian regime and opposition groups to peace talks in Geneva. "The war declared by the regime and its allies in the region has reached a level we cannot ignore," Sabra said. On May 30, he had already said the opposition would not attend a peace conference while Iran and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah were supporting Syrian troops on the ground. Syrian forces have captured the last rebel bastion near the strategic town of Al-Qusayr, Syrian state television reported on Saturday. That came four days after the town of Al-Qusayr, which had been in insurgent hands for a year, fell to the army and forces from Lebanon's powerful Shiite Hezbollah movement.

When resistances collide
Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon
While reports last week of Hamas members in Lebanon being ordered by Hezbollah security officials to leave the country have since proven false, they have nonetheless revived questions about the state of relations between the Palestinian Sunni Islamist militia-cum-party and its Lebanese Shiite Islamist counterpart. Having both firmly sided with opposing camps in the Syrian conflict raging next door, the two nominal allies appear to be straining to preserve what they can of a relationship increasingly challenged by political and sectarian differences. The official line was summed up by former Hezbollah MP Hassan Hoballah, who said Friday that, “What brings us together, in terms of our hostility towards the Zionist entity, is greater than a dispute over the […] situation in Syria.” This was echoed by Hamas’ spokesperson in Lebanon, Ali Baraka, in a phone call to NOW. However, Baraka also admitted to NOW that, “Of course, relations are not like they were in previous years.” Moreover, he explicitly condemned Hezbollah’s now-publicly acknowledged military intervention in Syria on behalf of the Assad regime, saying, “We are against [it], just as we are against any foreign intervention in the Syrian conflict.”That includes intervention by Hamas, Baraka added, responding to allegations that the group is training and even fighting alongside the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Damascus and Aleppo. While no hard evidence has surfaced to support the accusations, they appear to be believed by some Hezbollah fighters themselves. Upon returning from the recent battle for Qusayr in Homs province, one such militant told a newspaper, “There’s a kind of irritating familiarity [in the rebels’ tactics]. Hezbollah taught Hamas all those tactics to fight the Israelis. Hamas apparently decided to transfer their experience to takfiri groups [Hezbollah parlance for the FSA].”
Whether true or not, there are certainly other indications of a deepening divorce between Hamas and its fellow members of the so-called ‘Resistance Axis’ – Hezbollah, and the Syrian and Iranian regimes. The London Telegraph reported last Friday that Iran has almost entirely ceased its financial support to Hamas – said to total some £15m ($23m USD) per month – as well as all military cooperation, in retaliation for the latter’s opposition to the Assad regime. (A subsequent article denying this was in turn denied by Hamas’ official website, a website which, significantly, describes the Syrian uprising as a “revolution” and has issued condemnations of regime “massacres” of Palestinian refugees.)
Such developments follow the broader pattern that has emerged since the Syrian uprising began. One month after Hamas’ politburo chairman Khaled Mashaal quietly left his Damascus headquarters in January 2012, the group’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah “saluted” the Syrian opposition in a Cairo speech. Mashaal has since based himself in Qatar, whose Emir Hamad al-Thani later paid a visit to Gaza in what was widely interpreted as a message that the Gulf state would henceforth be Hamas’s primary patron. This new bond with Qatar – which is also among the most forthright sponsors of the Syrian opposition – is likely one reason why Hamas’ relations with the ‘Resistance Axis’ continue to deterioriate, according to Dr. Yezid Sayigh, senior associate at the Carnegie Middle East Center and former negotiator with Palestinian delegations in peace talks with Israel in the 1990s.
“Clearly Qatar has pledged lots of assistance [to Hamas],” Sayigh told NOW. “It’s possible that there’s been some sort of quid pro quo.”
However, Sayigh said equally significant are domestic pressures on the group in Gaza from friends and rivals alike, most of whom have welcomed the Syrian uprising.
“Having supported the Arab Spring in other countries, especially Egypt, I guess [Hamas] just found it awkward to be supporting the Assad regime, [especially] given that they’re trying to meet challenges in Gaza from people like the Salafists who are more openly supportive of the rebels in Syria.”Ultimately, beyond Syria, perhaps the larger question is what will become of the ‘Resistance Axis’ now that it appears to have fragmented along political and sectarian lines. “It’s certainly been weakened,” said Sayigh. “And it’ll be weakened further if the perception grows that this is basically a Shiite axis, or Shiite crescent, connecting the Shiites of Lebanon, Iraq and Iran with the Alawite regime in Syria. If Hamas is the odd one out, that would be very uncomfortable, because they really can’t afford anything that would undermine their [alliances,] with Egypt in particular, but also with the Saudis, who are [still] upset about their takeover of Gaza in 2007. I guess they just don’t have the choice of staying in the Axis of Resistance when almost everyone else sees that in a sectarian way.”
Or, as Dr. Nadim Shehadi, associate fellow at Chatham House, put it to NOW more bluntly: “Without Hamas, the Axis of Resistance is reduced to a mere sectarian alliance.”
*Yara Chehayed contributed reporting.

Official blames STL delays on flood of requests

Mirella Hodeib/ The Daily Star
BRUSSELS: One of the main reasons for the delay in setting a tentative date for the start of trials at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon is the flood of requests the Defense Office has submitted to the prosecution, court officials hinted this week. “[The Pre-Trial Chamber] is now dealing with the ninth or tenth request from one of the defense teams; so we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the defense is asking the prosecution to give, and the prosecution must give because this is an ongoing obligation,” Christopher Black, one of the legal officers at STL’s Pre-Trial Chamber, told The Daily Star.
Black spoke during a news briefing on STL’s upcoming trial phase in Brussels Thursday. The panel was also attended by the court’s Acting Registrar Daryl Mundis and spokesman Marten Youssef.
Court officials said pretrial Judge Daniel Fransen would set a tentative date for the start of trials only when he was certain that the date is “attainable and realizable.”
The three officials also confirmed that an internal enquiry has been launched into the publication of an alleged confidential witness list in Lebanese media outlets in the past month, but refused to elaborate as investigations were ongoing. They reiterated that the STL was not the source of the leaks. The previous start of the trial date, tentatively set for March 25, was postponed in February by Fransen following a request from the defense, citing the prosecution’s failure to disclose all relevant documents.
Black revealed that the Office of the Prosecutor would submit to Fransen the last batch of information it was required to disclose, in line with the court’s statute, on June 17. “The prosecution informed the pretrial judge that by the 17th of this month it will have achieved a final disclosure of all exculpatory material; in other words all the evidence it has which might suggest the innocence of the accused or at least undermine the reliability of the prosecution’s evidence,” Black said.
The legal officer explained that evidence must be disclosed by the prosecution according to three categories.
First, Black said, the prosecution must provide all the information it relies on to make a case – in other words – the concerned witnesses, the exhibits that they will be submitting and all the information concerning the evidence it will be making use of, so that the defense can prepare for the case. Black said the prosecution has already fulfilled that requirement. Second, the prosecution is required to provide any information that it knows it has in its position “which either undermines its own case or demonstrates the innocence of the accused.”
“There is no deadline for that,” said Black, who added that this was an ongoing process on the part of the prosecution that had yet to be achieved but did not hinder the trial process as the prosecution could and should be giving out this type of information throughout the pretrial and trial phases.“I can say for now that the prosecution has now provided everything that they know they should provide but that through the course of the trial they will continue to execute that obligation,” he added.
The third category is the information which the defense itself requests and there is no deadline for submitting those requests.
Black maintained that the pretrial chamber would have a clearer idea after June 17 with regard to setting a second tentative date for the start of trials.
Asked whether Sept. 1 could become the new date as circulated in media and political circles, spokesman Youssef explained that Fransen had not set a new date but based on submissions from the court’s organs – the prosecution, the defense and the victims’ representatives – the last quarter of 2013 has been suggested as a potential date. “This, however, does not mean that this is when the tribunal will begin trials,” said Youssef.
Black noted that the “last quarter of the year runs from the first of September to the 31st of December.”
He added: “Are we still working toward a tentative trial date toward the end of the year – in the last quarter? Yes. Does that mean the first of September? No.”
According to Black, one of the reasons why that decision is taking more time is because the chamber knows that it is important to get it right and he intends to “set a date that is “attainable and defensible and realizable.”
“Because it makes no sense either to the people of Lebanon it would be unfair to the defense and inefficient for us simply to set another date that will have to be amended and reset and delayed,” Black continued. “Please rest assured that at such time when the pretrial judge announces the next tentative date for trial will be announced after deep reflection and research and after consulting with all concerned organs and it will be fully realizable.”
As for efforts exerted by Lebanese authorities to arrest the four Hezbollah operatives the STL has accused of plotting the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Youssef said the STL’s trial chamber concluded in its decisions that “all reasonable steps have been taken by the Lebanese to secure the appearance of the accused and to notify them of the charges against them.” He explained that Lebanon did have an ongoing obligation to search for and arrest the accused and they also had an ongoing obligation to report to the president on a monthly basis about the steps they had been taking to fulfill that obligation. “Lebanese authorities have been submitting reports on the 19th of every month,” Youssef said. Black said the state of Lebanon “is not obliged to arrest the suspects.”“But it should do its best to arrest them,” he added. “If they stop trying then this is a problem.”

Putin acts to override Israeli, UN objections to Russian troops on the Golan

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 8, 2013/The Kremlin pointedly disclosed Saturday, June 8, that President Vladimir Putin had talked by phone to Binyamin Netanyahu Friday on the Syrian question. It was their third conversation in a month. In his first call on May 6, Putin administered a dressing down to Netanyahu who was visiting Shanghai on Israel’s air strike against Damascus the day before. On June 14th, the prime minister flew to Sochi for an abortive attempt to dissuade the Russian president from consigning advanced S-300 missiles to the Syrian army.
There was no comment from Jerusalem on this latest conversation. However, the frequent communications between the Russian and Israeli leaders speak volumes about who calls the shots for the Syrian war arena - and the wider Middle East as well - since the Obama administration opted out. It also demonstrated that Putin is not giving up on the deployment of Russian troops on the Golan, despite the UN veto on their stepping into the shoes of the departing 377 Austrian members of the UN force policing the Golan separation zone between Israel and Syria.
Hoping to circumvent this veto, Putin turned for clearance directly to Jerusalem, one of the two parties to the 1974 disengagement agreement. No details of their conversation have been released.
Ever the opportunist, the Russian leader decided to take advantage of the exaggerated Israeli reporting of “heavy fighting” on June 5 between Syrian and rebel troops over the Quneitra crossing, as his fulcrum for generating a crisis around the divided enclave. Our military sources report that the Quneitra battle was nothing more than the brief seizure of the Golan crossing by a small group of Syrian rebels while Syrian troops were asleep. They were soon chased away by three Syrian tanks. Clouds of black smoke from fires ignited by Syrian shots filled TV screens for hours, giving Putin his answer for countering the arrival in Jordan last week of 1,000 American Marines (disclosed exclusively by debkafile on June 5), US Patriot missile interceptors and F-16 fighters, for deployment on the Syrian border.
The Russian president knew perfectly well that Israel and most likely the UN would bar his offer of Russian troops for the Golan force on legal grounds: The 1974 ceasefire accord precludes the five, veto-wielding UN Secretary Council permanent members from serving with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). He put the offer forward nonetheless for two reasons:
1. As a reminder to the US and Chinese Presidents Obama and Xi Jinping, holding their first face to face in California, that neither of them controlled the state of play over embattled Syria and that Russia held the whip hand by virtue of its leadership of the Iranian-Syrian-Iraqi-Hizballah alliance.
2. As the groundwork for his next moves for deploying Russian troops on the Syrian Golan. Next time, he won’t ask the US, the UN or Israel for permission. He will go straight to his ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, and advise him of the importance of deploying Russian soldiers to the Golan – on the same footing as the US military deployment in Jordan. Placing the unit just outside the Golan separation zone would save Moscow having to turn to the UN or Israel first.
debkafile’s military and intelligence sources report that the Kremlin has not finally decided if and when to go through with this plan but stands ready to order the troops’ departure for Syria at any time. For now, Russian leaders are keeping track of the large Syrian-Hizballah military force building up for the next big offensive against the southern town of Deraa, and watching the Iraqi forces standing ready on their side of the border to push into eastern Syria.If their joint command determines, in consultation with the Kremlin, that a Russian military presence is needed for back-up, Russian troops will be dropped on the Golan.
Uncertainty still surrounds the Russian S-300 missiles sold to Syria. Israeli military sources insist they have not yet arrived, while Pentagon officials report that the Russians are sending batteries over in sections – not yet the missiles. Their fate, like that of the future Russian Golan contingent, awaits determination by the Russian President.

Canada Comments on Iran’s Suppression of Democratic Voices Before Election
June 8, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“The Iranian election is just around the corner, and Iran’s rulers have taken every step they can to suppress the collective will and democratic voices of average Iranians inside the country.
“Iran has taken no steps to arrange for Iranians in Canada to participate in this election, confirming that the regime itself sees the vote as an empty propaganda exercise. We have not yet received any proposal from Iran concerning the representation of its interests in Canada. Despite having nine months to make such an arrangement, Iran has failed to do so, depriving Iranian nationals of a range of services as well as the opportunity to vote.
“This sidelining of the sizable Iranian diaspora in Canada is, sadly, not surprising and makes this upcoming election even more of a sham.
“Canada will continue to stand with those millions of disenfranchised Iranians and will work with those on the ground, pushing for meaningful reforms and for Iranians’ basic rights to be respected. While we long ago lost faith in the regressive and hollow Iranian regime, we have not lost faith in the Iranian people.”
A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
Backgrounder - Canada and the Iranian Election
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada considers all official requests from foreign states seeking to establish balloting stations in Canada in order to facilitate the casting of votes.
For details about Canada’s policy on this matter and related requirements, please consult Foreign Elections in Canada and Foreign Electoral Constituencies.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada has no record of any request from the Government of Iran, nor from a third country representing Iran’s interests, to establish voting stations in Canada in advance of the Iranian election.
Suspending Diplomatic Relations with Iran
On September 7, 2012, Canada closed its embassy in Iran, and declared personae non gratae all remaining Iranian diplomats in Canada. Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iran were suspended at that time.
For more information, please visit Canada Closes Embassy in Iran, Expels Iranian Diplomats from Canada.
Protecting Power Arrangements
The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations give nations the authority to designate a protecting power, or third country, to exercise consular and other functions on their behalf should diplomatic relations cease between two states.
Canadians in Iran seeking routine consular and passport services should contact the Canadian embassy in Ankara or any other Canadian mission.
Canadians in Iran who require urgent assistance should contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa by calling collect 613-996-8885 or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.
 

Mandela Back in Hospital in 'Serious but Stable' Condition
Naharnet /Former South African president Nelson Mandela, 94, was readmitted to hospital on Saturday with a renewed lung infection and is in "serious but stable" condition, the presidency said. "This morning at about 1:30 am (2330 GMT Friday) his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to a Pretoria hospital. He remains in a serious but stable condition," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement.
It marks the second hospitalization for the ailing anti-apartheid hero in two months. On April 6 he was released from hospital after being treated for pneumonia during a 10-day stay. Mandela spent 27 years as a prisoner of apartheid before embarking on a "long walk to freedom" which saw him crowned South Africa's first black president and a Nobel peace laureate. Increasingly frail, the 94-year-old remains one of the world's most beloved figures even as his public appearances have become rare.
In 2009, the United Nations declared his birthday Nelson Mandela International Day, the first such honor for an individual. One of Mandela's most recent forays on the world stage was to help bring the World Cup to South Africa in 2010, the first time the tournament was held in Africa. He delighted the crowds at the final with a surprise appearance on the back of a golf buggy.
Source/Agence France Presse.