LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

Bible Quotation for today/
The Letter from James 2/1-13 : " My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in; and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”; haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts? Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”* you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”* also said, “Do not commit murder.”* Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment

US hits Hezbollah agents in W.Africa with sanctions
June 11, 2013/Daily Star/WASHINGTON: The United States announced sanctions against four Lebanese supporters of Hezbollah on Tuesday, alleging they were working to extend the group's influence in West Africa. The US Treasury Department named the four as responsible for Hezbollah's activities in Sierra Leone, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Gambia: Ali Ibrahim al-Watfa, Abbas Loutfe Fawaz, Ali Ahmad Chehade, and Hicham Nmer Khanafer, respectively. The operatives "have organized fund-raising efforts, recruited members, and in some cases styled themselves as ambassadors of Hezbollah's Foreign Relations Department," the Treasury said in a statement. The sanctions freeze any assets they have on US soil and ban Americans and US businesses from any transactions with them. The United States has designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group. "Today's designations... further expose the alarming reach of Hezbollah's activities and its determination to create a worldwide funding and recruitment network to support its violence and criminal enterprises around the world," the department said.
"Even as Hezbollah claims to be a resistance organization, its expansive global network is sending money and operatives to carry out terrorist attacks around the world and fighters to the front lines of the Syrian civil war."
David Cohen, the Treasury's under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, vowed to use "all tools at our disposal" to disrupt Hezbollah's efforts to extend its influence beyond the borders of Lebanon.
"These actions are increasingly important as the funding from Hezbollah's traditional patron, Iran, is squeezed by international sanctions," Cohen said.

June 11/06/13/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The Constitutional Council failed Tuesday to convene for lack of quorum, reducing the likelihood of the body reaching a decision over recent challenges to the extension of Parliament’s mandate. The lack of quorum came after two Shiite members of the Constitutional Council and another from the Druze community failed to show up to the noon meeting of the 10-member body, which is split evenly between Christians and Muslims. The participants had planned to discuss a report submitted Monday by its head, Judge Issam Suleiman, on the petitions contesting the extension of Parliament’s term.
The body is scheduled to issue a final decision on the challenges Wednesday. "I called for a meeting [of the council] tomorrow but I cannot guarantee the quorum will be secured for the session to be held," Suleiman told reporters while leaving the Council headquarters in Hadath. The failure of the three members of the Council to show up appeared to be aimed at obstructing the body’s work, reducing its chances of issuing a decision over the matter. Ninety-seven members of the 128-member Parliament endorsed a draft law on May 31 to extend the legislature’s four-year mandate for 17 months and delay the parliamentary elections until November 2014 after failing to agree on a new electoral law. Earlier this month, President Michel Sleiman and MP Michel Aoun’s parliamentary Change and Reform bloc submitted petitions opposing the extension of Parliament’s term. The council has a deadline until June 20 to issue its decision over the petitions, the date when Parliament’s mandate expires. A decision would require the support of at least seven members.Sources from Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc ruled out Monday that the council would scrap the challenges, while a March 14 lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said validating the challenges “was inconceivable.”
Also Monday, political sources expected that as a compromise to both the supporters and opponents of the extension, the Constitutional Council may reduce the 17-month period to eight months. In a report published by pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat Tuesday, visitors to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt quoted the Druze leader as saying that holding the elections in the current circumstances would be “an act of madness.”
“Holding the elections in the current circumstances would be an act of madness ... whereas postponing the elections would mean avoiding sectarian incidents and strife, especially between Sunnis and Shiites,” the visitors quoted Jumblatt as saying. The PSP leader said that not holding the general elections was the only means of preventing strife in the country.
“It is for the best of the Lebanese to delay strife, if not to prevent it completely, and this can only be done by disregarding holding the elections until further notice or else the whole country will fall into a vacuum that starts from Parliament and might extend to other institutions,” he said. For his part, caretaker Environment Minister Nazem Khoury said Tuesday that the elections cannot be held in light of the current security situation in the country.
“The elections cannot be held in such a security situation, especially given that the situation is likely to get worse,” he said as he called on Lebanese officials to safeguard the country and prevent the security situation from further deterioration.

Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad Visits Suleiman in 1st Meeting after Criticism of Hizbullah Role in Syria
Naharnet/Hizbullah MP Mohammed Raad visited President Michel Suleiman on Tuesday, the first such meeting between the two sides after the head of state's criticism of the party's involvement in the fighting in Syria.
The meeting lasted 45 minutes and Raad left the presidential palace without making any statement. As Safir newspaper quoted Baabda palace sources as saying that Suleiman would stress to Raad, who is the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, the importance of abiding by the Baabda Declaration and the official policy of self-dissociation. He would also urge Hizbullah to pull its fighters out of Syria, the sources said.
Suleiman has recently issued several statements criticizing the party's role in Syria. Hizbullah has been fundamental in the fighting in the Syrian town of Qusayr. Its fighters openly spearheaded a 17-day assault which culminated with Qusayr's recapture from the rebels last Wednesday.

President Suleiman Urges Iranian Embassy, Hizbullah to Cooperate in Probe into Assault on Protesters
Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman urged on Monday the Iranian embassy and Hizbullah to help investigators uncover the details of a deadly attack on protesters in the Hizbullah stronghold of Beirut's southern suburbs. In a statement issued by Baabda palace, Suleiman stressed “the importance of the cooperation of citizens and the region's parties mainly Hizbullah, and the Iranian embassy to facilitate the mission of specialized agencies in revealing the circumstances” of the incident. The president said unveiling the truth behind Sunday's attack would “prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.”
On Sunday, Hizbullah members wielding batons assaulted protesters from the Lebanese Option Party and killed one of them after shooting him in the abdomen outside the Iranian embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan. The demonstrators had barely time to stage their rally near the mission when they came under attack by the Hizbullah members who were wearing black shirts with yellow ribbons around their arms. Suleiman telephoned acting General Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud and other security officials to speed up the investigation into the incident and “arrest the wrongdoers and the instigators,” said the presidential statement.The Lebanese Option Party is headed by Ahmed al-Asaad, a Shiite politician who is a fierce critic of Hizbullah. The head of al-Mustaqbal movement, ex-PM Saad Hariri, telephoned al-Asaad on Monday to condole him over the death of the protester, who was the head of the party's student committee. He condemned the attack and said the Lebanese reject turning Hizbullah's strongholds into “security reserves.”

Aoun Urges 'Distribution of Burden' of Syrian Refugees and Wounded, Warns against 'Crippling' Constitutional Council
Naharnet /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday said countries sponsoring and arming the Syrian opposition must share the “burden” of the refugees and wounded who arrived in Lebanon from the war-torn country, warning that “crippling” the Constitutional Council will lead to “unknown repercussions.”“They have been mentioning camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and I've heard remarks by the EU's ambassador that it is impossible for Lebanon to bear this burden and we've heard the social affairs minister's remarks, and we tell them, 'thank God you've woken up,'” Aoun said after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc in Rabiyeh. “According to which treaty the wounded have arrived in Lebanon and where will they go to after their health improves? Will they continue their heroism on our territory? We ask the ministries: under which legal obligation you have received them and is there an agreement with the Red Cross about their repatriation?” Aoun wondered. Dozens of wounded Syrian rebels have arrived at hospitals in Lebanon in recent days after they incurred injuries in the battle for the strategic town of Qusayr, which was eventually recaptured by Syrian regime forces after key support from Hizbullah elite fighters. “Why don't they send them to their countries given the remarks about the losses incurred by the health institutions? Why don't we share the burden with the countries that armed them?” Aoun asked. “Large parts of Syria have been returned to state control and nothing prevents the creation of camps -- for example in Qusayr for Qusayr's residents -- and they would help rebuild their houses,” the FPM leader suggested.
He stressed that it is important to distribute the burden to a group of countries. Syrian pro-government forces captured the town of Qusayr on Wednesday after a nearly three-week assault by President Bashar Assad's troops backed by elite fighters of Hizbullah. Scores of civilians have also poured this week into the Lebanese town of Arsal. The U.N. says it has registered around 500,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but Lebanese officials say their number has exceeded one million. Turning to the issue of the challenge filed against the extension of parliament's term before the Constitutional Council, Aoun warned that “crippling the Constitutional Council through the absence (of some of its members) is a very dangerous step, and this is the only institution that has not been crippled until now." "We urge the parties concerned to take this thing into consideration or else we will face unknown repercussions," Aoun added. Answering a reporter's question, he said: “Lowering the extension period to 6 months is a rumor and I won't comment on the ruling before it is issued.”
“The political forces that crippled the Constitutional Council are well-known,” he noted. The Constitutional Council, which was set to study petitions filed against the extension of parliament’s term, failed to convene on Tuesday over lack of quorum, a sign that several of its members intended to validate the extension law. The approval or the rejection of the petitions filed by President Michel Suleiman and the Change and Reform bloc requires the go-ahead of seven out of the council's 10 members. But a lack of quorum would make the 17-month extension law valid after the end of parliament's mandate on June 20. Separately, Aoun said: “I'm not following up on the cabinet formation process and no one has asked me any question.” Commenting on the outcry of the Economic Committees, a grouping of the country's businessmen and owners of major firms, Aoun said: "The Economic Committees always voice objections in a non-technical manner ... and those lamenting growth over Hizbullah's involvement in Syria are short sighted."“It was not the issue of Qusayr that closed our border and this is politicization, not economy,” he added.

Failure to convene Constitutional Council dangerous: Aoun

June 11, 2013/ The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun warned Tuesday that the failure of the Constitutional Council to convene earlier in the day was a dangerous development. ““There was supposed to be a meeting of the Constitutional Council [today] and this was transformed into a political session. We await the decision and hope [the Council] convenes because sabotaging the Constitutional Council by failing to secure a quorum is a dangerous matter,” he told reporters.The FPM chief, who spoke following the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, also said he opposed extending Parliament’s term by any period. “Whether it is six months or a year and a half, it’s the principle of extension that we reject and not the period of time,” he said. Both Aoun’s FPM and President Michel Sleiman have put forward challenges to the recent decision by lawmakers to extend the term of Parliament for a period of 17 months. The Constitutional Council failed to convene earlier in the day because of lack of quorum.

GCC States Inform Lebanon of Names of 9 Lebanese whose Residencies Won't Be Renewed
Naharnet/Lebanon has received a list containing the names of nine Lebanese citizens from different sects whose residency permits will not be renewed by Gulf countries they live in, a media report said on Tuesday.
“The foreign ministry received a list containing the names of nine Lebanese who work in Gulf countries and whose residency permits will not be renewed due to their political affiliations,” LBCI television reported.
“The list does not only contain names of individuals from the Shiite sect, as it also mentions the names of two Sunnis and three Christians,” LBCI added.For his part, caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told LBCI that “ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council member states are excellent,” noting that the GCC's decision to take measures against Hizbullah members is “political and will not affect the brotherly relations with these countries.”“The Lebanese abroad do not interfere in the policies of the countries in which they work,” Mansour added, saying “more than a Lebanese party has intervened militarily in Syria and no one side should be held fully responsible.”“The measures must be based on facts and must be balanced,” the minister added. The Gulf Cooperation Council on Monday decided to adopt several measures against Hizbullah members in the council's member states as a response to the party's involvement in the Syrian conflict. The council strongly condemns the party's involvement in the fighting in Syria and announced measures against Hizbullah members regarding their residency permits and their financial transactions. Hizbullah fighters spearheaded a devastating 17-day assault on the Syrian town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border which culminated on Wednesday with its recapture from the rebels. The party's 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.
But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the 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.”

Nasrallah Picture Burned in Demo outside Lebanese Embassy in Kuwait
Naharnet/Dozens of demonstrators on Tuesday held a sit-in in front of the Lebanese embassy in Kuwait to protest Hizbullah's interference in the Syrian crisis. "The protesters burned a picture of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah,” Naharnet correspondent in Kuwait reported, adding that they demanded placing the party on the list of terrorist organizations. He noted: “They referred to Hizbullah as the party of the devil.” “The protesters also held banners calling for the expulsion of the Lebanese ambassador in the country.”Pictures of the sit-in published on social media websites revealed that the demonstrators are Islamists. On Sunday, tens of the supporters of the Muslim Revolutionaries movement in Egypt staged a sit-in in front of the Lebanese embassy in Cairo to protest Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war. Meanwhile in Doha, demonstrators rejecting Hizbullah fighting alongside Syria President Bashar Assad's forces in the neighboring country also held a protest on Sunday in front of the Lebanese embassy in Qatar's capital. Hizbullah fighters spearheaded a devastating 17-day assault on the Syrian town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border which culminated on Wednesday with its recapture from the rebels. The party's chief Sayyed Hasan 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. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria.

3 Hurt as Supporters of Mustaqbal, al-Taqwa Clash in Tariq al-Jedideh
Naharnet/An armed clash erupted on Tuesday between al-Mustaqbal Movement and al-Taqwa Islamic Social Association in the al-Tamlis Alleyway in Beirut's Tariq al-Jedideh, state-run National News Agency reported.
“A personal dispute erupted into an exchange of gunfire between supporters of al-Mustaqbal Movement and al-Taqwa Association in al-Tamlis Alleway, leaving two people wounded,” NNA said. Later on Tuesday, the Army Command issued a statement saying “a dispute over personal reasons between citizens in the Abu Shaker Square in Tariq al-Jedideh erupted into a fistfight and an exchange of gunfire with light assault weapons, leaving three people wounded.” “Subsequently, the army units that are deployed in the area intervened and cordoned off the scene of the incident and raided the houses of the shooters who fled to unknown destinations,” the statement added. “Normalcy has been restored and army units continue to hunt the perpetrators in order to arrest them and refer them to the relevant judicial authorities,” the statement noted. Al-Jadeed television said two wounded men were transported to the nearby Makassed Hospital. Al-Taqwa leader Abed Alawiyyeh is close to prominent, Tripoli-based Salafist cleric Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal. In the wake of the attack on Sunni clerics Sheikh Mazen Hariri and Sheikh Maher Fakhran in Khandaq al-Ghamiq on March 17, around 30 members of the association took to the streets and started chanting “The people want the declaration of jihad.”

Mustaqbal Holds Hizbullah Responsible for Salman's Death: Its Practices Model Iranian, Syrian Regimes
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal bloc on Tuesday held Hizbullah responsible for the death of Lebanese Option Party member Hashem Salman, expressing that the party's practices are a “simulation of the Iranian and Syrian regimes.”"The crime of killing Salman should constitute a call that mobilizes the Lebanese people to defend their freedom of expressing themselves peacefully,” a released statement stressed after al-Mustaqbal bloc's weekly meeting at the Center House. It elaborated: “Defending public freedoms in the country is the battle of the democrats and the free people against Hizbullah's executions of the Lebanese youth just because they had a different point of view from that of the party.” The MPs warned that Hizbullah's practices “indicate that it decided to adopt policies and steps to suppress public freedoms and frighten the Lebanese, similarly to the practices of the Iranian and Syrian regimes.” They also criticized the security forces' performance during the incident. “Why didn't the security forces prevent the aggressors from attacking the protesters near the Iranian embassy? Did the judicial system do anything regarding the killers whose pictures have been published and shown in the media? Were any arrest warrants issued?,” the bloc asked. "We call on the judicial and security authorities to identify the criminals and try them in court.”Salman was killed on Sunday and at least eleven others were wounded in a scuffle between supporters of Hizbullah and protesters near the Iranian embassy in Beirut. The Demonstrators were holding a sit-in near the embassy in the Bir Hassan area south of Beirut, to protest Hizbullah's involvement in the war raging in Syria. According to LBCI television, all the wounded belong to the Lebanese Option Party, which is led by the March 14 Shiite politician Ahmed Asaad. Regarding the latest developments in the Syrian border town of al-Qusayr, al-Mustaqbal said what happened revealed that “Hizbullah is a militia working for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.”
The lawmakers expressed: “The party's headquarters is in Lebanon but it gets involved in fights following orders coming from Tehran.”
“Hizbullah no longer has a national project for Lebanon and for the Lebanese people's interests.” The bloc warned against the repercussions of “Hizbullah's practices on the economic situation in Lebanon and on the Lebanese people's interests.” "We call for the immediate withdrawal of Hizbullah's militia from Syrian territories to avoid further losses before it is too late.” Hizbullah fighters spearheaded a devastating 17-day assault on the Syrian town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border which culminated on Wednesday with its recapture from the rebels. The party's chief Sayyed Hasan 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. But during a May 25 speech marking the 13th anniversary of Israel's military withdrawal from Lebanon, Nasrallah said the Takfiris are the “most prevailing group in the Syrian opposition,” warning against a defeat against them in the ongoing war in Syria. As a response to the party's involvement in the Syrian war, several Gulf nations announced adopting measures against Hizbullah members. The Gulf Cooperation Council on Monday decided to adopt several measures against Hizbullah members in the council's member-states. These measures will affect their stay permits and their financial transactions in GCC countries. Tackling the situation in the northern city of Tripoli, al-Mustaqbal lawmakers revealed their satisfaction regarding the implemented security plan, stressing that they support the state's authority.

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri Calls on Officials to Safeguard Country, Avert Syria Repercussions
Naharnet /Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri urged on Tuesday officials to safeguard Lebanon and avert any negative repercussions imposed by the turmoil in the neighboring country Syria.
“Lebanon and the region are passing through a delicate situation caused by the developments in Syria,” the ambassador said in an interview with As Safir newspaper. He warned that the conflict in Syria is at the risk of becoming a sectarian conflict that would drag the whole region. Asiri called on officials to adopt moderation, back dialogue to prevent the conflict from spilling over into Lebanon and the region. He denied that his country supports “extremism,” pointing out that Saudi Arabia “paid the price of its moderation.” Asiri said that ending the disputes in Lebanon is “difficult” as Lebanon is based on a wide variety of sects and political divisions. He pointed out that his country is keen to “continue contacts with all parties in Lebanon.” Although Lebanon has officially adopted a position of neutrality in Syria's war, its people are sharply divided with Hizbullah and its allies backing President Bashar Assad's regime and the March 14 coalition supports the rebellion. Syria's civil war has exacerbated sectarian tensions in Lebanon and its security situation has deteriorated due to various groups intervention in battles in the neighboring country. Analysts recently warned that the foray into Syria's civil war by Hizbullah has fueled a Sunni-Shiite polarization that threatens to feed extremism on both sides and export the conflict to the wider region.

June 11, 2013/Daily Star/PARIS: France said on Tuesday the conflict in Syria had reached a "turning point" after the fall of the city of Qusair to President Bashar al-Assad's forces, raising the question of whether to arm Syrian rebels. The battlefield tilted against the rebels in Syria's civil war last week as Lebanese Hezbollah helped Assad's forces to retake the strategic town. The weakening of Syria's rebels after Qusair and other losses made it more difficult to bring them to the negotiating table with representatives from Assad's government, said France's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Philippe Lalliot. "With the fall of Qusair, we are seeing a dramatic development," he said. "It's even more worrying given that Aleppo is being announced as the next target of the regime and its allies ... We are at a turning point in the Syrian war." France is among Western countries including the United States and Britain that say Assad has lost his legitimacy as Syria's ruler, although they have shied away from arming the rebels for fear of bringing Islamist Jihadists to power. Lalliot said a French official would be talking at the weekend to Salim Idris, head of the Free Syrian Army, in Turkey. The official had also started talks with the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others on how to strengthen the rebels. "There are consequences to be drawn from what happened in Qusair and what's happening in Aleppo. The first consequence is to strengthen the ties with the coalition, and the question we're asked is whether to go one step further and deliver weapons," Lalliot said. The lifting of a European Union embargo on arms deliveries to Syria, and rapid changes on the battlefield, meant that "talks and thinking" were now needed on the issue, he added. "We cannot leave the opposition in the situation in which it finds itself." The United States and Russia are trying to bring Assad's government and his opponents together, but are still at odds on several issues before the talks can begin. "The serious weakening of one of the parties does not help efforts to hold the Geneva conference," said Lalliot. "In order for both sides to negotiate, one side must not be too weak and the other too strong."

Austria pulls out Golan Heights troops
Maor Buchnick/Ynetnews Published: 06.11.13/Israel News /Austrian peacekeeping troops patrolling the Golan Heights withdraw to Israeli territory ahead of flying home; 'We took over a different mandate, which fitted a neutral country,' Austrian FM defends decision Austria has begun withdrawing peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, winding down a four-decade mission due to spillover fighting from the Syrian civil war, the defense ministry said.
A Reuters journalist in the Golan said Austrian troops had already moved from the Quneitra crossing point to a United Nations base inside the Israeli-held part of the heights on Tuesday.The first 60 to 80 soldiers will land in Vienna tomorrow afternoon, so you can already see the withdrawal on site," Defense Ministry spokesman Andreas Strobl told Reuters in Vienna.

Leading Egyptian cleric slams Shi'ite foes in Syria
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Leading-Egyptian-cleric-slams-Shiite-foes-in-Syria-316175
By REUTERS 06/11/2013/ Sunni leading voice, Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb condemns Hezbollah for straying from its "struggle against Israel."
CAIRO - Egypt's most senior Muslim cleric, a leading voice of mainstream Sunni Islam across the Middle East, has condemned Shi'ites for engaging in "hateful sectarian strife" in Syria. In a statement that highlighted a deepening rift in the region since Hezbollah committed itself in the Syrian civil war, Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb also condemned the Lebanese Shi'ite militia for turning away from its struggle against Israel. Hezbollah fighters helped Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces retake the strategic town of Qusair near Homs on the Lebanese border last week from rebels drawn mostly from Syria's Sunni majority and backed by Sunni powers like Saudi Arabia. "Syria is nothing but a theatre of the absurd in this battle which has become a Shi'ite-Sunni struggle," Tayeb, who heads Cairo's 1,000-year-old al-Azhar academy, said in comments made on Monday. "We would have wished that the Shi'ites would reject this bait, but the last few days have led one to believe that they have fallen into the trap of hateful sectarian strife." Al-Azhar, like the Muslim Brotherhood which now governs Egypt, has historically been more open than Saudi clerics toward Iran and Shi'ite Arabs. But the Syrian war hardened attitudes and the latest actions by Iran-backed Hezbollah on the battlefield have alienated many Sunnis in the region who once admired its fight against Israel. "Everyone has now become busy, looking away from the Zionist entity, and especially after Hezbollah joined in the fighting alongside the regime against the Syrian people," said Tayeb, who has previously criticised Hezbollah but in less harsh terms. "Liberating Jerusalem does not pass through Qusair or Homs; al-Azhar can do nothing but condemn this intervention, which contributes to yet more bloodshed and the tearing apart of the national fabric of Syria and the region.

On America’s Defeat in Qusayr
Elias Harfoush/Al Hayat
This is the result of the world being led by one major country: one Syrian town has been shredded to pieces; dead bodies are scattered in the streets; and families are carrying their children as they flee to look for a home and treatment across the border while the towns of Rif Homs and Rif Hama are bracing to face the same fate.
The Syrians did not need the tragedy of Qusayr to realize the extent of the deception they suffered at the hands of Barack Obama’s administration. Obama told the Syrians on several instances that Bashar al-Assad’s days are now numbered, that the use of chemical weapons constitutes a red line, and that committing massacres against the civilians is a crime that the United States, the defender of human rights, will not condone!
All what the Syrians obtained from these promises and empty warnings were additional killings, massacres, and the use of Sarin gas by the forces of the Syrian regime, as was confirmed by UN investigations and international media. Obama felt no shame at all. He even argued that the terrorist An-Nusra front is taking part in the battles alongside the Syrian rebels and used this as a pretext to prevent the armament of the opposition. Obama overlooked the fact that the kidnappings and terrorist activities in the region are actually the work of the Syrian regime. He also looked past the intelligence reports asserting that the radical elements only constitute a small proportion of the Syrian opposition fighters. In addition, the fact that the regime confronted the peaceful protests at the beginning of the revolution with weapons, and the continued massacres have paved the way for the radicalism of the opposition forces and the infiltration of dark and terrorist elements.The Syrians never asked the Obama administration to take part in the fighting against the regime on their behalf. All they asked for was a minimum power balance on the ground and for the United States to allow its allies to support the opposition, especially that the regime is benefiting from full Iranian military and financial support, in addition to Russian supplies and full Russian cover at the Security Council.
Bill Clinton was not mistaken when he recently called Obama the fallen president. He also called him an impotent president who cannot run the world. Because of this impotence, Obama is not only harming his country (which is the least of the Arabs’ concerns) but also harming the religious and societal structure in our region, which has been severely affected as a result of the Sunni-Shia sectarian strife in all the different countries where these two sects coexist. The uncalculated pullout from Iraq turned the country into an open arena for Iran and its allies. The same goes for Syria as highlighted through the participation of thousands of Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard fighters in the fights to rescue the regime. All these instances showed how ignorant the Obama administration is when it comes to the region’s history and sensitivities resulting from the fall of these two countries in the hands of the one power that constitutes the strategic competitor of the Arab world, Iran. Iraq and Syria were once at the center of the two most important empires in Arab history.
Some might say: what does America have to do with rescuing the Arabs from their sectarian wars? Isn’t America the main benefactor from drowning the Arabs in these wars; and destroying their countries such as the case of Syria; and deviating their attention away from the main enemy as highlighted by Hezbollah’s implication in the Syrian war and thus its turning away from Israel?
Perhaps this is correct. America is neither concerned about nor responsible for the Arab interests. However, the only thing that this major country is supposed to be concerned about consists of its alliances in the regions and the interests of its so-called allied countries. When Iran stands in a position that opposes these forces, and when it has the capacity to achieve field gains, then the USA is compelled politically and not just ethically to achieve the necessary balance between the conflicting forces. Otherwise, Iran’s Qusayr victory will not be its last.

Netanyahu: Iran Ordered that Syria Provide Hizbullah with Advanced Arms
Naharnet/Iran has ordered that Syria provide Hizbullah with advanced weapons; Israel will do all in its power to stop this transfer of weapons, the Israeli prime minister said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports in the media on Monday of alleged Israeli forces operating in Syria. "Any talk of undercover Israeli forces operating in Syria is nonsense," Netanyahu said. According to the prime minister, "Syria is in the midst of a long process of breaking apart that is seeping into our area. In fact, Iran is propping up Assad's regime and it is they who have instructed Hizbullah to enter active combat in Syria. Iran is providing Assad with money, resources, and advisers. For 40 years the Syrian border had been peaceful, but this might be changing before our very eyes."Netanyahu asked the members of the Knesset not to leak to the press his comments regarding the arrangements that were reached with respect to the transfer of S-300 missile systems from Russia to Syria, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported Tuesday. "Syria decided to provide Hizbullah with advanced lethal weapons," he said. "The weapons in question are of high quality and in a larger quantity than Syria had handed over up to this point. The transfer of arms can be sourced to an Iranian decision, with Assad carrying it out. The transfer of these weapons is sufficient to tip the balance of power to the point that we may have to change our security policy."According to Netanyahu, "Israel will do all that it can to prevent the transfer of these weapons to Hizbullah."

The Muslim Brotherhood in the Gulf: Prospects for Agitation
Lori Plotkin Boghardt /The Washinton Institute
Local Brotherhood groups range from regime irritants to regime supporters, and the security challenge they represent to the Gulf monarchies should be assessed on a country-by-country basis.
In three weeks, the United Arab Emirates state security court is slated to issue verdicts for nearly 100 citizens linked to a local Muslim Brotherhood group and charged with subversion. The trial has shaped perceptions about the potential for Brotherhood organizations in the Persian Gulf to pose security threats to the region's rulers, and the verdicts -- some of which are expected to include stiff sentences -- likely will too. Yet there is no "one size fits all" formula for understanding the near-to-midterm interests and undertakings of indigenous Gulf Brothers. The strength, fortunes, and political activities of such groups stem directly from their particular relationships with their rulers and reflect the distinct societies in which they operate.
SEEDS OF POLITICAL MOBILIZATION IN THE UAE
When it comes to countering the Brotherhood, the UAE has been more proactive than other Gulf governments for a reason. Local Brotherhood group al-Islah has been the most organized nonstate actor in the country for decades, and Emiratis linked to it have been key participants in calls for political reform despite the government outlawing political organizations and discouraging political debate. In March 2011, al-Islah supporters represented dozens of the 130 signers of an exceptional petition demanding comprehensive elections and legislative authority for the advisory Federal National Council. Since then, UAE authorities have detained, tried, and sentenced some of the signers, albeit for unrelated charges; several of those currently on trial were signers as well.
In general, Emiratis are quite comfortable with their high living standard and are not politically active, so popular support for the Brotherhood's transformational goals appears limited. Al-Islah backers remain concentrated in the poorer and more religiously conservative northern emirates. Not coincidentally, the government announced a multiyear, $1.6 billion infrastructure investment plan for those emirates shortly after the March 2011 petition surfaced. Although al-Islah associates are some of the most likely activists to press for political change, and the best-placed to reap the rewards of any limited liberalization process, they still face an uphill battle in rallying the public around their cause. Down the road, however, broader electoral participation, greater political awareness, and increased discussion of national issues among Emiratis might work to the group's advantage.
TACTICAL ALLIANCE WITH RULING FAMILIES IN BAHRAIN AND QATAR
The ruling families in Bahrain and Qatar have each co-opted local Brotherhood organizations, albeit in different ways. Bahrain's al-Minbar Islamic Society -- the political arm of the local Brotherhood's al-Islah Society -- is one of the few such organizations permitted to operate in a country where political parties are outlawed. Many believe that Bahrain's Royal Court and Islamic banking sector even bankroll the group.
Government support for the Sunni al-Minbar society reflects the Sunni royal family's fundamental interest in offsetting the country's Shiite majority, which is well-represented in parliament. Al-Minbar has won parliamentary seats in each of the three elections held since 2002, and it generally supports the monarchy's political and economic agenda while pursuing its own Islamist social objectives in conjunction with the Sunni Islamist group al-Asalah. In February, for example, al-Minbar announced that it would boycott the national dialogue, ostensibly intended to address Shiite political disgruntlement. The group claimed it was protesting the Shiite opposition's "silence" about acts of violence that erupted during the second anniversary of the country's 2011 uprising.
Despite supporting government interests, al-Minbar does pose certain hazards to Bahrain's rulers. One danger lies in its potential to side with one royal faction over others on issues such as Sunni-Shiite relations and political reform.
In Qatar, the local Brotherhood affiliate dissolved itself more than a decade ago, partly to avoid contentious relations with the country's rulers at a time when other Gulf governments were arresting Brotherhood supporters. Today, most former members see little reason for antigovernment agitation in a country that has become host and home to some of the region's most famous Brotherhood figures, that has provided public platforms to these individuals, and whose foreign policy since 2011 has been anchored in support for Islamist groups. As a result, there is little evidence of Brotherhood political activism on the ground in Qatar. Yet younger elements of the original Qatari Brotherhood who did not agree with the decision to dissolve the group may be engaged in underground activity.
COOPERATION WITH THE OPPOSITION IN KUWAIT, SAUDI ARABIA, AND OMAN
The Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood is a superbly organized and extraordinarily wealthy monolith that has worked both with and against the ruling family at various times. Its political fortunes increased significantly following the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation, when local Islamist associations and figures organized resistance activities and community services. More recently, the Brotherhood's political wing -- the Islamic Constitutional Movement, also known by its Arabic acronym Hadas -- joined other opposition groups late last year in major protests against a government ruling on electoral procedures. Hadas's proven willingness to work with opposition factions, combined with its potential to benefit from the growing strength of more-conservative tribal elements of Kuwaiti society, suggest that the group will pose an increasing challenge to the ruling family's monopolization on power going forward.
In Saudi Arabia, the royal family's relationship with the Brotherhood has been a mix of support and co-option, along with anxiety and antagonism toward the group's political agenda. Most Saudi Brotherhood figures have maintained a low profile, avoiding public criticism of the palace or calls for change. Some, however, have confronted the royal family on political issues. In the early 1990s, Brotherhood figures joined the al-Sahwa al-Islamiyah (Islamic Awakening) intifada, a movement that focused on opposing the deployment of foreign troops on Saudi soil to liberate Kuwait from Iraq, and also encompassed protests and petitions demanding political reforms such as the creation of an independent advisory council. In early 2011, several Brotherhood figures unsuccessfully urged the organization to support other Saudis calling for far-reaching political reforms. These episodes show the group's selective interest in partnering with other factions calling for political change -- an interest seemingly tempered by careful calculation about putting the Brotherhood's position in the kingdom at risk.
In Oman, Brotherhood influence is limited by the group's Sunni roots. Unlike in most other Gulf states, Sunnis make up a minority (15-20 percent) of the Omani citizenry, which is mostly Ibadi Muslim. Nevertheless, the Brotherhood does operate secretly there, and the government has taken action against it in the past. In 1994, authorities arrested hundreds of individuals presumably linked to the Brotherhood, charging them with subversion. Those tried in court included a former ambassador to the United States, a former air force commander, and two undersecretaries of government ministries, suggesting that key Brotherhood figures permeated high levels of government. Given its limited appeal to most Omanis, however, the Brotherhood should be viewed as a wider threat to the government only in collaboration with other groups. The most likely impetus for such collaboration would be the unexpected departure of Sultan Qaboos bin Said -- who has been ruling the country for nearly forty-three years without a publicly identified successor -- and the subsequent reopening of old political fissures.
CONCLUSION
In the near- to midterm, the security challenge that local Brotherhood organizations represent to the Gulf monarchies is far from monolithic. These groups hold different stakes in each country's political system and garner different levels and forms of support from their fellow citizens. Accordingly, neither the UAE view nor the Egyptian model of the Brotherhood threat represents a particularly useful lens through which to understand Brotherhood activity in the Gulf. Instead, U.S. policymakers should pursue a well-calibrated approach to indigenous Brotherhood organizations in each Gulf state based on the local political environment.
**Lori Plotkin Boghardt is a fellow in Gulf politics at The Washington Institute.

Iranian elections remain as relevant as ever
By: Seyed Hossein Mousavian/Asharq Alawsat
As the presidential elections in Iran approach, many observers ask if there is any point in holding the elections in the first place, given that the real powers lie with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini.
The Iranian constitution details the powers of the supreme leader and makes it clear that he plays the key role on foreign and domestic policies. However, his powers are not unlimited. There is a clear division of powers in the Iranian system of government, proper checks and balances, mitigating the influence and concentration of power into the hands of one person or institution.
There are many examples of this system of checks and balances. While in most democracies the president can dissolve the parliament, this is not the case in Iran. The Iranian constitution does not allow anyone to dissolve the parliament.
Although the supreme leader appoints the head of the judiciary, no one, not even the head of the judiciary, can intervene in or reverse a court judgment. Any disputes between the executive and the parliament over legislation are resolved by the Expediency Council.
Based on the Iranian constitution, the president has the second most powerful position after the supreme leader. The president nominates the members of his cabinet, but the nominations have to be approved by the parliament. The executive also selects and appoints the governors of the country’s provinces, who carry considerable weight in their regions.
The national budget, drafted by the executive and approved by the parliament, also allocates funds to the Office of the Supreme Leader.
Finally, the Iranian supreme leader has less constitutional powers than, say, the US president. At least President Obama can veto Congressional decisions.
There is also a perception that the Islamic Republic has marginalized the concept of elections in Iran’s political culture. However, this is, to a large extent, misleading. There have been ten presidential elections in Iran since the Revolution, with presidents limited to serving two consecutive terms.
The following is the voter participation in all presidential elections that took place in Iran so far: 67.86%, 64.24%, 74.26%, 54.78%, 54.59%, 50.66%, 79.92%, 67.77%, 59.76% and 84.83% respectively. The average voter turnout since the Islamic Revolution has been 65.87%, while the first three elections attracted 68.79% and last three elections 70.79% respectively. This is clear evidence that elections remain an important part of the political process in the country. There have been two schools of thought since the formation of the Islamic Republic, either battling to maintain the status quo or reform the system. What is ironic is that in the upcoming elections, the six conservative candidates are all pressing for change, which is not their usual stance. This is an indication that the economic and social circumstances have propelled them to address the situation seriously and comprehensively. The dismal economic conditions will be one factor that will push ordinary Iranians to make their voices heard through the ballot box, increasing the chances of high voter turnout. However, in the first presidential elections, there were 124 candidates registered and 123 were approved to run. In the upcoming elections scheduled for June 14, out of 686 registered candidates, only eight were approved, a meager 0.01%. Although this vetting process ensures limited competition amongst candidates, this trend is also present in maturing democracies, where two or three parties with their singular candidates dominate the electoral process.

The Syrian Chessboard
By: Abdullah Al-Otaibi/Asharq Alawsat
The comparison of international struggles to a chessboard was first used by Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s National Security Advisor, in his book The Grand Chessboard. The expression is a fitting description of politics’ conflicts, complexities, the way it is intertwined with ideology, and legacies of the past, all of which can be seen in Syria.
The Syrian crisis has three levels: international, regional and domestic. As for the international level, it has become commonly known that Russia has a vision and a will and is putting it into action, whereas the retreating US is seemingly short of both—at least for now. The US seems to have decided to split its international influence and power with Russia once again. This was made increasingly apparent following prolonged controversies in American political circles—in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the so-called New World Order during the time of the elder George Bush—over whether the US must remain the sole leader of such an order, or if it should have one partner or several partners. If the latter is the answer, then should this partner be the unified Europe, Russia or China? If Russia is to be the partner, then would the partnership be with the Democratic Russia or with new Tsardom of Russia?
Somewhere between the two sides of Europe and Russia lies China, which is now biased somewhat towards Russia. Yet China has high aspirations of establishing stronger relations with the US. Similarly, Europe is bewildered, as both Britain and France have vision and will, yet implementation is contingent upon American approval, which is currently lacking. However, it must be admitted that Obama’s decision to appoint Susan Rice as the National Security Adviser may suggest some change in the US attitude.
Regionally, Iran is drawn towards a policy of regional domination, motivated by memories of old Persian glory which it seeks to revive, apart from its revolutionary ideology and Shi’ite sectarianism. Despite the deplorable state of its economy, Iran is meeting its requirements through the budget of Iraq, the economy of which is recovering at a remarkable speed.
Internally in Syria, there are two parties: the first party is the Assad regime and its fatigued troops, Russian experts, ethnic militias and the Lebanese Hezbollah. The second party is the Syrian opposition alliance, the Free Syrian Army, the Al-Nusra Front, fighters who flock to Syria as the crisis escalates, and, most important of all, the great majority of the Syrian people.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II spoke of the emergence of a “Shi’ite crescent” some years ago, but now the region has two crescents. The first is the Shi’ite one that extends from Tehran and Iraq under Maliki and Syria under Assad to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The second is the Muslim Brotherhood crescent, or rather the crescent of political Islam, which extends from Sudan to the “Arab Spring” states ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt and Tunisia, and other states where the Brotherhood have enormous influence.
The crescent, when marked on the map, gives a fair description, yet politics is more complicated than simple geography. In Yemen, there are the Houthis who adhere to the Shi’ite crescent, and there are also Muslim Brotherhood followers who aspire to power and who also adhere to the Brotherhood crescent. Similarly, Gaza’s Hamas government has shifted from the former crescent to the latter, though it has failed to denounce the Syrian government for its brutal response to the uprising, and has instead tried to maintain links with both the Arab states and Iran.
Now there seems to be a third crescent being formed—one that can be called the Sunni crescent. Though still incomplete, it can form a security axis vis-à-vis the two existing crescents. This third crescent extends from Turkey to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states all the way down to Jordan. Through strategic partnerships, Iraqi Kurds could join that crescent, particularly in view of the new understanding these states have reached with Turkey. This could be made possible by standing up for the rights of suppressed political parties, currents and popular groups—whether Sunnis or Shi’ites—in Iraq, that hate to see the Iraq in the hands of the supreme guide of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
Leaving aside the map as a tool to understand the Sunni crescent, Arab states such as Morocco and Islamic ones such as Pakistan, as well as others, all are important actors that could back that third crescent.
Any strategy for confronting the Iranian crescent must not exclude any of the strengths of these states. This incorporates strong relations, international alliances, booming economies, strong Sunni ideology—the latter being a strength Iran has voluntarily refreshed among decision-makers as well as among the people—military deterrence and public opinion, through the coverage of the war of extermination being waged against the Syrian people. In fact, the strength of the media, particularly when screening the scenes of massacres, destruction and chemical weapons, must be of great impact on numerous international human organizations that are capable of mounting pressure on decision makers.
In view of this new axis and the many major conflicts, which seek to set the political scene in the region at the expense of those states being targeted, these states must benefit from their strengths in order to prove that they cannot be overlooked, and also to protect their own people and interests. Sometimes allies, just like enemies, need to be reminded of your strengths.
In fact, this group has great potential for success in affecting the regional scene and in impacting the international scene, as well as in protecting the interests of its nations and allies. This crescent also has the potential convince other states that its members are peaceful states that aspire for development and progress, but also have claws to protect themselves against those who incite sedition and who are using sectarianism as a shield. Thus, these states must declare their attitudes more explicitly, call things by their true names and make decisions to curb the infiltration of Iranian influence. We can start by declaring Hezbollah as an occupying enemy and a terrorist organization, pursue its investments in the Gulf States and Turkey, expel all its affiliated elements and besiege it by all means possible.
The Arab world now lives in the era of post-Pan-Arabism. The states that were the first to raise the banner of Pan-Arabism are now the same ones that act most contrary to it. This deed was performed by the late President Nasser, who incited and attempted to promote coups abroad. This was also disgracefully performed by Saddam Hussein when occupying Kuwait, and by also Bashar Al-Assad when completely abandoning the Arabs and fully engaging in the Iranian/Persian project.
When the Iranian crescent announces that “no voice must be louder than that of the battle,” the Sunni crescent must declare that “no voice must be louder than that of reason.” This is because if it is true that reason sometimes inclines towards wisdom, reason also sometimes inclines towards steadfastness.