Transatlantic crossing: Did Phoenicians beat Columbus by 2000 years?
By Sheena McKenzie, for CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/28/world/americas/phoenician-christopher-columbus-america-sailboat/index.html?iref=allsearch

Thu February 28, 2013
(CNN) -- Christopher Columbus has long been the poster boy Renaissance explorer who found fame and fortune by sailing from the Old World to the New.
Crossing the great unknown waters between Spain and the Caribbean in 1492, he became one of the most renowned -- and pivotal -- Europeans to set foot in America.
But more than five centuries later, a British adventurer plans to show that the New World could have been reached by another seafaring nation 2,000 years before Columbus.
Former Royal Navy officer Philip Beale hopes to sail a replica Phoenician boat 10,000 kilometers across the Atlantic in an ambitious voyage that could challenge maritime history.
Expedition leader Philip Beale.By completing the journey, Beale aims to demonstrate that the Phoenicians -- the ancient Mediterranean civilization that prospered from 1500BC to 300BC -- had the capability to sail to the U.S.; a theory disputed by historians.
"It is one of the greatest voyages of mankind and if anyone could have done it [before Columbus], it was the Phoenicians," said Beale.
"Of all the ancient civilizations they were the greatest seafarers -- Lebanon had cedar trees perfect for building strong boats, they were the first to use iron nails, and they had knowledge of astrology and currents."
Read: Adventurers recreate 'greatest survival story' of the Antarctic
The new home of sailing?
Best sailors of 2012 crowned
Top Olympic sailor embraces new venture The prospect of sailing a 50-ton wooden vessel identical to those built 2,600 years ago across the Atlantic might appear foolhardy, had Beale not already challenged maritime history two years ago.
Beale sailed the replica boat -- aptly named The Phoenician -- around Africa in 2010, in a bid to demonstrate the ancient civilization had the capability to circumnavigate the continent 2,000 years before the first recorded European; Bartolomeu Dias, in 1488.
Setting sail from Syria in 2008, The Phoenician covered 32,000 kilometers over two years, battling everything from six-meter waves off the Cape of Good Hope to Somali pirates.
"We had run the gauntlet of pirate-infested waters, overcome numerous technical problems and traveled deep into the Indian and Atlantic Oceans," Beale says in a new book on the incredible voyage; 'Sailing Close to the Wind.'
"I had proved she was an ocean-going vessel and when she was coasting along the waves, her sail billowing in the wind; to captain her had been an unforgettable experience."
Beale based his ambitious quest on a quote by Greek Historian Herodotus, who claimed the Phoenicians circumnavigated Africa in 600BC.
Along with their sophisticated seafaring skills, the Phoenicians were renowned as an intellectual and industrious civilization who helped develop the alphabet we still use today.
Highly skilled in metalwork, ivory carving and glass-making, the name Phoenician derives from the iconic purple color they used to dye their superior textiles.
Dr Julian Whitewright, maritime archaeologist at the University of Southampton, added that a Phoenician voyage around Africa was "quite a plausible undertaking, based on the capabilities of the vessel of the period and historical material stating it took place."
Read: Are traditional sailboats the future of trade?
The boat was modeled on an ancient 19-meter Phoenician shipwreck excavated off the coast of Marseille. Using locally-sourced materials, shipbuilders stayed true to the original down to the exact thickness of the planks and position of the mast.
The crew of volunteers ranged from six to 15 people at any time, with 53 sailors from 14 different countries taking part over the entire journey.
It is one of the greatest voyages of mankind and if anyone could have done it, it was the Phoenicians
Philip Beale"We didn't have any mechanical winches and the anchor had to be pulled up and down by hand -- it was back-breaking work," Beale said.
"There was just one traditional toilet which dropped straight into the ocean, so you literally had to step out on the side of the boat to use it. When you had big waves coming at you in the middle of the night it could be quite scary. But at least there was no cleaning."Read: Arctic vagabonds -- French family makes home on polar yacht
The final leg of the journey took them wide out across the Atlantic and a mere 965 kilometers off the coast of Florida. It was here Beale got his inspiration for the journey to the U.S.
"Archeologists have found Egyptian mummies with traces of tobacco and cocaine which could only have come from the New World," Beale said. "It indicates there was something going on across the Atlantic."
Dr Mark McMenamin, professor of geology at Holyoke College, also points to evidence of Phoenician coins bearing maps of the Old and New World. He said copper coins with Phoenician iconography have also also been discovered in North America. "The available evidence suggests that the Carthaginians (the western tribe of the Phoenicians) had the ability to cross the Atlantic at will," he said.
Many historians however, remain doubtful. "If the Phoenicians got to England -- which we think they did -- I wouldn't be surprised if the boat could get to America physically. But whether they could have done it without running out of food is a different matter," maritime historian Sam Willis said. There's plenty of solid archeological proof the vikings got to America
Historian Sam Willis"If you're circumnavigating Africa you can always stop along the way. But you can't when you're going to America -- it's a massive stretch of sea and that's the difference."
Setting off from Tunisia, the modern-day Phoenician vessel is expected to take two to three months to reach America -- granted Beale can raise £100,000 ($156,000) for the expedition.
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has already invited him to display the boat as part of their upcoming exhibition on the Phoenicians, opening in September 2014.
"The conventional wisdom is that Christopher Columbus discovered America. But anyone who looks a little closer will see the Vikings were there around 900AD. They've found Viking settlements in Newfoundland, it's undisputed," Beale said."So Columbus was definitely second -- at best. I put forward the theory that the Phoenicians could have been first and I hope to prove that was the case."

Washington sets stage for Israel’s back-off from demand to shut Fordo

http://www.debka.com/article/22797/Washington-sets-stage-for-Israel%E2%80%99s-back-off-from-demand-to-shut-Fordo

DEBKAfile Special Report March 1, 2013/Grave concern was voiced in Jerusalem over the upbeat accounts appearing Thursday, Feb. 28 of the six-power talks with Iran which ended Wednesday in Almati, Kazakhstan. A Western diplomat described the nuclear talks as “more constructive and positive than in the past.” For the first time, said the diplomat, “they were really focusing on the proposal on the table” although he admitted that Iran’s willingness to negotiate seriously will not become clear until an April meeting.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi chimed in buoyantly that the talks had reached “a turning point” this week and “a breakthrough was within reach.”
Intelligence sources following the Kazakhstan negotiations told DEBKAfile that all this optimism is far from representing the true content of the session and no practical discussion took place on “proposals on the table.” The participants did not delude themselves that the next round of nuclear talks with Iran scheduled for April would achieve any more progress on the disposal of Iran’s nuclear program than the current session. In any case, Tehran is determined not to budge from its hard and fast position on this issue – if ever – before the Iranian presidential election in the coming June.
The sudden outburst of Western-Iranian optimism is seen in Jerusalem as part of a US administration effort to soften Israel’s resistance to the continued operation of the underground plant at Fordo which is turning out 20-percent enriched uranium that is easily converted to weapons grade material.
A softer Israeli approach would lighten the nuclear cloud hanging over the meetings Barack Obama is scheduled to hold with Israeli leaders during his visit to Jerusalem on March 20.
Israel’s categorical demand is for the immediate closure of the Fordo plant.
But this is not what the US delegation put before the Iranian negotiators in Kazakhstan. Instead of demanding the plant’s shutdown, the American proposal was for Iran to suspend 20 percent uranium enrichment in a way that “constrains the ability to quickly resume operations” there.
This is a major letdown for Israel’s expectations and for Binyamin Netanyahu. No wonder the Iranian foreign minister was upbeat.

Hezbollah corners March 14
Michael Young/Now Lebanon
Many things can be said about the current disagreement over an election law, but one thing is undeniable: Hezbollah has very successfully shifted the debate away from the 1960 law, which, it believes, would ensure victory for Saad Hariri and his allies.
It was the error of the March 14 coalition not to see what was coming, and it was negligence on the part of the Future Movement in particular not to prepare an election proposal of its own to throw into the pot in order to have something with which to negotiate.
The 1960 law has been delegitimized, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Christian parties in March 14, such as the Kataeb, who have said that it failed to give Christians proper representation. The Lebanese Forces were more ambiguous, but have now signed off on the Orthodox proposal, which, if nothing else, has split March 14, perhaps irreparably. So, Hezbollah and the majority have hit two birds with one stone. They have created a rift in the ranks of their opponents, and they have discredited the one law that might have given Saad Hariri and his comrades a chance at victory.
The calculation in Hariri circles was that lack of agreement over a new law would ensure that the old law applied. Yet this conclusion (which I also argued) was a misreading of the mood in the Christian, particularly the Maronite, community, as well as of the unwillingness of Samir Geagea and the Gemayels to hear Michel Aoun again say that their parliamentarians had won thanks to Muslim voters. There was also a realization that the Maronite patriarch, Bishara al-Rai, would weigh in and heighten Christian fears, in this way further marginalizing Geagea and the Gemayels.
But if March 14 didn’t adequately prepare for the oncoming train wreck of the election law debate, Hezbollah and Aoun did, and played their cards right. The results have been bad, since the Orthodox proposal they defend (the same one Walid Jumblatt insists is dead) would ensure more sectarian fragmentation of a country already well divided. But it will also mean that Hezbollah and its allies have a good chance of remaining in control of Lebanon. That is their aim, and has been since they realized that Bashar al-Assad might not hang on.
In a speech on Wednesday, Hassan Nasrallah denied that Hezbollah sought to delay elections. Why would it, he asked, when all the laws on the table appear to presage a defeat for March 14. In that respect Nasrallah was in agreement with March 14, or at least those in it who do not support the Orthodox proposal. But it was also odd to hear him implicitly admit that the fears of March 14 were justified.
So what is next for the opposition? Saad Hariri has said that he will return to Beirut at election time. However, political campaigns require more than a last-minute appearance by the leading candidate. Hariri must come back before then and help define what the election is about. He has much legwork to do to repair his alliances and formulate a message that injects new life into a moribund March 14.
One can, of course, say that Samir Geagea and the Gemayels struck a blow at March 14 through their endorsement of the Orthodox proposal, and that they consciously walked into the trap that Hezbollah and Syria had set for them. But blaming the Christians for March 14’s demise is simplistic. When the leader of the coalition has been absent for nearly two years, to the extent that every appearance by him is regarded as an exceptional event, we have to wonder whether this hasn’t damaged the cohesiveness of March 14 even more.
The first question it prompts is whether Hariri truly wants to be a major player in Lebanon, or whether he is driven largely by a desire for retribution against those suspected of having killed his father. If he does seek a political role, then politics is about presence, dealing with issues and people; it’s about using all the instruments at one’s disposal in pursuit of clear objectives. If Hezbollah was able to widen the cracks in March 14, that’s because it saw that in the absence of its most powerful figure, the coalition would collapse in disarray.
And with all due respect to the current Future leadership, it is only Saad Hariri who has the latitude to persuade the Sunni community, to rebuild March 14 as a more cohesive entity, to open a dialogue with Hezbollah and decrease tensions between Sunnis and Shiites, and to gradually fill the large spaces left by his extended departure.
When Hariri urged voters to choose March 14 candidates in 2009, he failed to say that he would not be among them two years later. But his responsibility to voters has not diminished. Hezbollah is manipulating the void Hariri has left because it can, at a moment when March 14 seems to have lost any common sense of direction.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon. He tweets @BeirutCalling.


Report: High-Ranking Iranian Security Chief in Lebanon during Hasan Assassination
Naharnet/A prominent Iranian security chief was present in Lebanon at the time of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan last year, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday. According to the newspaper, Brigadier “Hindawi,” one of Iran's elite Quds Force who is close to the commander of the Force General Qassem Suleimani, was in Lebanon when the assassination occurred.
Hasan was killed in a massive car bomb in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on October 19. He was close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and hostile to the regime in Syria. He had been tipped to take over as ISF head at the end of 2012. Informed sources told the daily that “Hindawi” is currently carrying out “security missions” in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The report noted that “Hindawi” was tasked to participate in battles in the neighboring country Syria in support of regime troops to suppress the popular revolt. Lebanon is deeply divided over the conflict, with the March 14 bloc opposed to Assad's regime, while Hizbullah and its allies supporting it.
Iran, Syria, and their ally Hizbullah are considered as the “axis of resistance” in the region.

Report: Berri telephones Hariri over Injury Rumors
Naharnet/Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was rumored to have been wounded during a visit to a town along the Lebanese Syrian border, An Nahar newspaper said on Friday. The newspaper reported that Speaker Nabih Berri swiftly telephoned Hariri Thursday night to ask about his health. Berri later refuted the rumors. “These rumors come within allegations that targeted (Hizullah Chief Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah and his deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem,” he said in comments published in An Nahar. He pointed out that the aim is to “create chaos in the country.”Nasrallah denied on Wednesday reports claiming that he had been transferred to Iran for treatment after falling ill. Qassem was also reported to have been slightly wounded in car accident.

At Least Five Dead in Restaurant Boat Sinking at Lebanese Club in Baghdad
Naharnet /A restaurant boat belonging to the Lebanese Club moored on the bank of Baghdad's Tigris River sank on Thursday night during a private party with 150 people on board, leaving five people dead, Iraqi officials said.
"A boat belonging to the Lebanese Club in the Karrada area sank tonight," an interior ministry official said, adding that the cause was not immediately clear.
Baghdad provincial council member Mohammed Jassem al-Rubaie told Agence France Presse at the upscale club where the single-deck boat was moored that 150 people were on board when the boat sank, leaving five people dead and three missing, all of them Iraqis. Police also said that there were 150 people on the boat when it sank."Most of them were Iraqis; only a few were guests from Middle Eastern countries," Rubaie said, adding that the party was for U.S. heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar.  "I am 100 percent sure that it was just an accident," he said.A crowd of people, including relatives of those on the boat, gathered at the club following the sinking.
Some stood next to an ambulance crying, while others shouted that the owners of the club should be held responsible for the deaths.Fire trucks and a number of police were also at the scene, with people approaching the police to ask about their family members' fates."My husband was on the boat, and thanks be to God, he got out safely," said Zainab, 48. "The owners are responsible for this because they let a large number of people enter the boat."
Agence France Presse

2 Policemen Killed as Nigeria Gunmen 'Fail to Kidnap' Lebanese Engineers
Naharnet /Gunmen have stormed a residence in central Nigeria that housed Lebanese workers, killing two police guards in an attack a company source said Thursday was a failed kidnapping.
Police in Taraba state confirmed the raid in the village of Tella at the site owned by the Triacta engineering firm, but declined to provide details, including whether the three Lebanese engineers working there were the target.
But an official from Triacta, who requested anonymity, told Agence France Presse that "based on what has been happening (recently in Nigeria) we have every reason to believe that our expatriates were the target."
"It was a clear case of a failed kidnap," he added. "Last night, there were shootings around the house where the expatriate construction workers are living," said resident Yonana Dauda. "Two policemen guarding the house were shot dead."The company official and other residents confirmed those details, adding that the Lebanese engineers ran when the gunfire broke out and escaped the incident unharmed.
Police spokesman Amos Olaoye said only that there "there was an incident in Tella last night... details are sketchy."On February 16 gunmen raided a construction site in northern Bauchi state. abducting seven foreigners, including two Lebanese.The attack was claimed by Islamist group Ansaru, seen as an offshoot of Boko Haram, a more prominent group of Islamist extremists that have killed hundreds in Nigeria since 2009.
Separately, seven members of a French family, including four children, were abducted near the Nigerian border in Cameroon on February 19. In a video posted on YouTube, the kidnappers claimed to be members of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, but their affiliation remains unclear. Taraba has a long, porous border with Cameroon, but the targeted village, where Triacta has a bridge project, is deep inside Nigerian territory.Kidnappings have for years been common in Nigeria's oil-rich south, with the abducted foreigners often released following a ransom payment.Such incidents in the north and center of the country were once considered rare, but a recent spate of attacks has raised concerns of changing tactics among the Islamist and criminal groups operating in the region. Taraba lies in Nigeria's middle belt region dividing the mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south of Africa's most populous nation. The region is regularly hit by outbreaks of violence between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups.Sectarian riots sparked over a disagreement about a football pitch left at least one dead over the weekend.Agence France Presse

Israeli President Shimon Peres to Lobby in Europe against Hizbullah
Naharnet /Israeli President Shimon Peres will visit Brussels next week to lobby the European Union to list Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, his office said on Friday.Peres' office said the Israeli president would also meet Bulgarian counterpart Rosen Plevneliev and other leaders of the European bloc during his March 5-12 trip. "The meetings will take place in the context of the inquiry into the terror attack in Bulgaria which found that Hizbullah was responsible for the bombing and the subsequent discussions within Europe on the consequences," it said.Washington has also asked Brussels to blacklist Hizbullah but the issue is contested among the 27 member states which would have to reach a unanimous decision. While in Brussels, Peres would also meet NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development chief Angel Gurria, the statement said. During a week-long trip, Peres, 89, would also address the European Parliament in Strasbourg and call on French President Francois Hollande in Paris, said a statement.
Last month, Peres urged the European Union to list Hizbullah as a terrorist group, after Bulgaria blamed it for a July bombing in the Black Sea resort of Burgas which killed five Israeli tourists and their driver.
Agence France Presse

Dispute at Mohammed al-Amin Mosque Ends Calmly
Naharnet/Four gunmen stormed Mohammed al-Amin mosque in downtown Beirut during a sermon by Sheikh Hisham Khalifeh on Friday, the state-run National News Agency reported. The news agency said that a verbal dispute occurred between Sheikh Khalifeh and the armed men during the prayers. The four men later left the mosque. However, the army command denied later on in comments to the NNA that any armed man entered the mosque. According to LBCI, the army imposed security measures near the mosque after a dispute between Sheikh Khalifa and three men, who refuted his speech. The channel said that the three men fled the premises later on. Sheikh Khalifeh, according to LBCI, was preaching about national and Muslim unity.

Palestinian Arrested in Tyre on Suspicion of Collaborating with Israel
Naharnet/The Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch has arrested a Palestinian in southern Lebanon on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, The state-run National News Agency reported Friday.
NNA said Mohammed Kamal Rahil, 29, was arrested by a patrol in the area of Burj al-Shamali in the southern district of Tyre. Also Friday, NNA said that an Intelligence Branch patrol arrested M.H., 34, on the Halba-Jouma main road in northern Akkar district for killing a Syrian woman. She was identified by her initials as 25-year-old T.A. The suspect was handed to the Halba police station for interrogation

The Syndicate Coordination Committee Strike Goes Ahead for 2nd Week, Vows New Escalatory Measures
Naharnet/The Syndicate Coordination Committee went ahead with its open ended-strike for the second week in a row by holding a sit-in near the Labor Ministry in Beirut's Shiyah district and announcing of the implementation of new escalatory measures starting Monday. “We will implement new escalating measures starting Monday, in particular, near private schools,” head of the private school teachers association Nehme Mahfoud told protesters.
He announced that Saturday's sit-in will be held near the mechanical inspection in Dekwaneh at 8:00 a.m. The SCC, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, has been staging protests for the last 11 days near public institutions to protest the cabinet's failure to refer the new wage scale to the parliament. Mahfoud lashed out at Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi, stressing that protesters will not yield nor back down. “We will not leave the street until the salary scale is referred,” the SCC official reiterated.The committee intends to hold a general strike on Wednesday to coincide with a cabinet session at the Grand Serail. Future television later reported that public and private school teachers and civil servants held a sit-in near the house of Miqati in Tripoli. The cabinet approved the wage scale last year but has been stalling in finding sources to fund it, leading to growing differences with the SCC, which has been accusing it of negligence.However, the government argues that it is delaying the decision on the funding in an attempt to thoroughly discuss plans to boost the treasury's revenue to cover the expenses of the salaries boost. The state treasury will have more than $1.2 billion to cover over the presence of 180,000 public sector employees including military personnel.
 

Peres to Lobby in Europe against Hizbullah
Naharnet /Israeli President Shimon Peres will visit Brussels next week to lobby the European Union to list Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, his office said on Friday. Peres' office said the Israeli president would also meet Bulgarian counterpart Rosen Plevneliev and other leaders of the European bloc during his March 5-12 trip. "The meetings will take place in the context of the inquiry into the terror attack in Bulgaria which found that Hizbullah was responsible for the bombing and the subsequent discussions within Europe on the consequences," it said. Washington has also asked Brussels to blacklist Hizbullah but the issue is contested among the 27 member states which would have to reach a unanimous decision. While in Brussels, Peres would also meet NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development chief Angel Gurria, the statement said. During a week-long trip, Peres, 89, would also address the European Parliament in Strasbourg and call on French President Francois Hollande in Paris, said a statement.
Last month, Peres urged the European Union to list Hizbullah as a terrorist group, after Bulgaria blamed it for a July bombing in the Black Sea resort of Burgas which killed five Israeli tourists and their driver.
Agence France Presse

Israeli Army's General Gantz: We'll Respond to Army Transfer between Lebanon, Syria
Naharnet/Israel's armed forces chief Lieutenant General Benny Gantz ruled out on Friday reports saying that Hizbullah possesses chemical weapons, warning the party and Syria that the Israeli army is fully ready to face any emergency in the region. "Israel will respond to any development that might shake the security balance in the region,” Benny stated during a meeting with high school students in Israel. He noted: “Transferring weapons from Syria to Lebanon will be faced, as well as attacking Israel on the border or by hostile organizations”. Gants warned of the dangers resulting from the developments on the Lebanese northern border: “We will try to prevent threats but we will respond to any escalation of dangers against Israel”. “The ongoing tranquility since 2006 is a proof that war succeeded in deterring Hizbullah,” the army general remarked. Israel had frequently warned that if Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons fell into the Hizbullah hands, this would be a casus belli. But the Jewish state has also raised the alarm over long-range Scud missiles or other advanced weaponry, such as anti-aircraft systems and surface-to-surface missiles, being transferred to Hizbullah. Hizbullah has repeatedly denied these claims, saying that “hostile intentions” are behind such reports.

Saudi Embassy in Lebanon Urges Citizens to Take Precautions
Naharnet/The Saudi embassy in Lebanon called on its citizens on Friday to take precautions in the country.
"We urge Saudi citizens in Lebanon to limit their movements and to communicate with the embassy when necessary,” it said. Alriyadh.net news portal clarified: “The decision was made due to Lebanon's latest security-related developments”. Several security incidents took place in the country in the past few weeks, requiring an army interference to restore stability. On Friday, controversial Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters rallied after the Muslim prayers in Abra neighborhood in the southern city of Sidon, to protest claims that Hizbullah rented apartments in the vicinity of his mosque in the town. The protest ended calmly after al-Asir called on his supporters to head peacefully to the two apartments claimed to be owned by Hizbullah until the army detains the residents. Meanwhile in the northern city of Tripoli, several roads were blocked on Friday in protest at a dispute that erupted between army troops and the bodyguards of Salafist cleric Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal in the Bekaa town of Majdal Anjar. Protesters shouted slogans condemning “the harassment against clerics” and threatening further escalation “should this treatment continue”.In August 2012, Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri urged all KSA citizens to leave the country “immediately”, after media reports said a Saudi man and his son were kidnapped by al-Meqdad clan in retaliation for the abduction of one of its members in Damascus by the Syrian opposition.

Rai supports extending terms of Sleiman, Parliament

March 02, 2013/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai has come out in support of extending the terms of Parliament and President Michel Sleiman to allow rival factions to agree on a new electoral law, in a development boosting the chances of postponing the June 9 elections.Rai’s stance reflected growing doubts about the ability of the March 8 and March 14 parties to reach agreement on a voting system as the deadline for inviting voters to participate in the June 9 elections draws near, thus enhancing the possibility of the polls either being conducted under the 1960 law, or not held on time. Rai, who returned Friday from an official visit to Russia, lamented the feuding parties’ failure to agree on a new electoral legislation to replace the 1960 law. “Everyone has complained about the 1960 law. They have been working for years on a new [electoral] law through committees and draft laws. The good will and dignity of the Lebanese are sufficient [for the parties] to come up with a new electoral law on which all the parties agree in the interests of everyone,” Rai said in an interview with Russia Today.
Referring to failed attempts in the past few weeks by a parliamentary subcommittee to agree on a new electoral law, Rai said: “I am still confident that the Lebanese will reach a solution and a law will be approved.”
“If they have to extend the terms of [Parliament or the president] in order to give people time to understand the new law and prepare for it, then so be it,” Rai said, adding that the extension should be from two to four months.
“Everyone is against extending the mandate, be it for Parliament or for the president. Everyone says they’re against the extension,” he added.
Speaking to reporters at Beirut airport, Rai confirmed his call for the extension of the terms of the president and Parliament.
“Shame on us, on the Lebanese and on those in power for not arriving at a new election law after having studied it in committees and draft laws for five years. Shame on all of us for not reaching a new law,” Rai said. Sleiman has recently declared that he opposes an extension of his six-year term in office, which expires in 2014. He has also pledged not to sign a decree extending Parliament’s four-year mandate, which expires on June 20.
In the interview with Russia Today, Rai rejected governing the upcoming elections with the 1960 law. “Returning to the 1960 law is no longer acceptable. For the sake of the dignity of the Lebanese, we must find an [electoral] law,” he said.His comments came a day after Prime Minister Najib Mikati signaled that his Cabinet was close to moving forward with the elections based on the 1960 law after the failure to agree on a new voting system. Mikati said Thursday he had agreed with Sleiman to sign a decree calling on voters to participate in the elections.
The 1960 law, which has been rejected by both sides of the political divide, including the Maronite Church, adopts the qada as an electoral district and is based on a winner-takes-all system. The 1960 law was used in the 2009 elections. Rai also said security conditions should not prevent the elections from being held, “unless, God forbid, things take a turn that restricts people’s movements, then there will certainly be difficulty.”
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said in a statement that he had sent a decree calling on voters to participate in the polls to the Cabinet’s Secretariat General on Dec. 3, and not two days ago as reported by some media outlets.
Meanwhile, a group of independent March 14 Christian lawmakers, including Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, reiterated its rejection of the Orthodox Gathering’s electoral proposal, while voicing support for a hybrid vote law that combines proportional representation with a winner-takes-all system.The lawmakers met with Beirut Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi to discuss the issue.
Referring to the Orthodox proposal, Makari told reporters after the meeting: “We hope all the parties have really bypassed this proposal, which contradicts Lebanon’s philosophy, its Constitution and the spirit of its National Pact and causes damage to the Christians themselves.” Asked what was the best electoral formula that could ensure true representation of the Christians, Makari said: “The only logical formula, and not the best formula, that can be accepted is the formula that combines a winner-takes-all system and proportional representation.”The Orthodox proposal, which designates Lebanon as a single electoral district in which each sect elects its own lawmakers through a proportional representation voting system, has widened the political divide in the country.Makari indirectly slammed a proposal announced by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Wednesday calling for adopting proportional representation with Lebanon as a single district. He said such a proposal was aimed at preventing the elections from being held.

Report: High-Ranking Iranian Security Chief in Lebanon during Hasan Assassination
Naharnet /A prominent Iranian security chief was present in Lebanon at the time of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan last year, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday. According to the newspaper, Brigadier “Hindawi,” one of Iran's elite Quds Force who is close to the commander of the Force General Qassem Suleimani, was in Lebanon when the assassination occurred.
Hasan was killed in a massive car bomb in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district on October 19. He was close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and hostile to the regime in Syria. He had been tipped to take over as ISF head at the end of 2012. Informed sources told the daily that “Hindawi” is currently carrying out “security missions” in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The report noted that “Hindawi” was tasked to participate in battles in the neighboring country Syria in support of regime troops to suppress the popular revolt. Lebanon is deeply divided over the conflict, with the March 14 bloc opposed to Assad's regime, while Hizbullah and its allies supporting it.
Iran, Syria, and their ally Hizbullah are considered as the “axis of resistance” in the region.

Army: Egyptian Held for Selling SIM Card to Child Abductors
Naharnet/The army has arrested an Egyptian man on charges of selling mobile phone lines without requesting legal identification documents from the buyers, including from one of the abductors of the child Mohammed Nibal Awada who was abducted last week. “As part of the efforts exerted by the intelligence directorate to combat the wave of kidnappings, and after expanding the investigations into the abduction of the child Mohammed Nibal Awada, a patrol from the directorate arrested Egyptian national Mohammed Sayyed Zaki Sayyed al-Fidawi on Feb. 27,” an army statement said.
Fidawi, “who owns a mobile phone shop in Shiyyah, was arrested for selling one of the abductors a mobile phone line without keeping a legal document that verifies the identity of the buyer,” the statement explained.
The man kept copies of personal identification documents in his possession in order to use them when selling SIM cards to customers seeking to keep their identity under wraps, the statement said, adding that Fidawi sold such mobile phone lines for prices higher than the market price.The Army Command warned the owners of mobile phone shops of the consequences of violating the law by failing to keep identification documents of customers who buy SIM cards, noting that such a violation would subject perpetrators to legal prosecution “due to threat it poses to security and stability.”Twelve-year-old Awada was released on Monday after being kidnapped last week in Beirut’s Ramlet al-Baida area. On Wednesday, media reports said Fidawi was arrested in Shiyyah on charges of “spying for Israel.”
"The man owns Gina Cell mobile phone store in Shiyyah,” al-Jadeed television said.LBCI television said the army confiscated all devices found in the store.

Palestinian Arrested in Tyre on Suspicion of Collaborating with Israel
Naharnet/The Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch has arrested a Palestinian in southern Lebanon on suspicion of collaborating with Israel, The state-run National News Agency reported Friday.
NNA said Mohammed Kamal Rahil, 29, was arrested by a patrol in the area of Burj al-Shamali in the southern district of Tyre. Also Friday, NNA said that an Intelligence Branch patrol arrested M.H., 34, on the Halba-Jouma main road in northern Akkar district for killing a Syrian woman. She was identified by her initials as 25-year-old T.A. The suspect was handed to the Halba police station for interrogation.

Lebanese Union vows immense escalation of protests to demand wage hike
March 02, 2013/By Mohamad El Amin/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Union Coordination Committee vowed Friday to start a week of “exceptional” protests Monday in another bid to pressure the Cabinet into passing a new salary scale to the Parliament. “[The government] gambled on [teachers] getting tired, but we will not grow weary or bored,” head of the Private Teachers Association Nehme Mahfoud told protesters massing near the Labor Ministry in Shiyah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut. “We will not leave the streets until the new salary scale is passed,” he said, adding: “It will be a week of immense escalation.”
Mahfoud told The Daily Star that private school teachers were gearing up for a total strike by the beginning of next week. He estimated that some 90 percent of private school teachers would go on strike Monday. Mahfoud claimed that about half of the country’s schools remained closed Thursday and Friday. The Bank Employees Association, which has been demanding the renewal of an expired collective labor agreement for over a year, has started coordinating with the UCC, Mahfoud added.
Head of the BEA Assad Khoury told The Daily Star that the union would be taking escalatory steps by next week if ongoing mediation by the Labor Ministry fails to bring the Banks Association to agree on renewing the contract. “But of course, we would not jump into a strike directly. We would start by organizing sit-ins and demonstrations, and if they do not agree on the Labor Ministry offer, we will be eventually forced to go on strike,” he said. The group, he confirmed, was in coordination with the UCC and would stand firmly behind their demands. “The UCC has established itself as the key labor group. We will work together and coordinate efforts,” he said.
The collective contract, which still remains effective in the view of the employees association, is gradually being disregarded by banks after it expired two years ago, Khoury added. He said several banks had extended the working hours of employees without reimbursing them for overtime work. A yearly wage increase of 3 percent has been also overlooked by several banks, he added.
As the labor unions agreed on escalatory steps, government efforts to secure funding for the wage increases received another setback Friday when a key ministry said revenues expected from a new real estate tax had been highly overstated.
Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi downplayed Friday revenues expected from Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s proposal to allow real estate developers to add an additional floor in return for a state fee.
“Some sides gave imaginary numbers for revenues with estimates reaching $1 billion or $1.5 billion. Where did the figures come from?” he told reporters following a meeting with Mikati.
He said the Urban Planning Council, under the authority of his ministry, was not responsible for estimating state revenues.
Aridi said Mikati’s proposal was being drafted by the Urban Planning Council as a modern project that relaxes zoning limits for green developers complying with strict environmental and urban planning standards.
He said that while some real estate developers might be interested in the project, that might not be true for others. “We cannot expect fixed revenues from the project,” he added. “The new salary scale will put heavy fixed expenses on the budget and the government must come up with fixed revenues,” he said. “We cannot rush into things based on arbitrary calculations like what has happened.”
An unofficial ministerial meeting Thursday had failed to agree on a plan to fund the new public sector salary scale, which is expected to add a combined increment to wages of at least $1.2 billion a year.
The five ministers who attended the meeting opposed taxes suggested by Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi, prompting the minister to say his colleagues are forestalling the issue as his ministry wrongly took blame.
Public sector salary expenditures already increased to $2.4 billion in the first 10 months of 2012, $460 million more than the same period in 2011. The sharp increase was a result of a government-mandated wage increase, which was awarded in February 2012. Safadi has suggested paying the wage hike in installments, a pitch which labor unions have already rejected outright.
Since the strike started 11 days ago, the UCC has protested daily in front of key government institutions across Lebanon, managing to bring public schools and many private schools to a halt. The biggest protest gathered thousands last Wednesday at the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut. Beirut Municipality employees held a demonstration Friday, vowing to back the UCC in demanding the wage increase. They also called for offering contract employees at the municipality full employment. Public servants and teachers also protested in front of the Beiteddine Serail in support of the UCC demands.
Hundreds also protested in Tripoli, promising to travel to Beirut Wednesday for a key demonstration.
“The demonstration Wednesday could be the biggest in the history of the Lebanese labor movements,” said the statement by the Tripoli chapter of the UCC.

Christian-Muslim tension flares in southern Egypt

March 01, 2013/By Haggag Salama/Daily Star
LUXOR, Egypt: Dozens of Muslim residents threw firebombs and rocks at police on Friday as they tried to storm a church in southern Egypt in search of a woman suspected of converting to Christianity, security officials said.
Clashes between Copts and Muslims usually are sparked by disputes over rumors of conversion, Muslim-Christian love affairs and the construction of churches. Violence between Egypt's Christians and Muslims has risen in the past two years in the wake of the country's uprising that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak, but also weakened security across the nation.Officials said 11 policemen were wounded in the clashes in the town of Kom Ombo, which is near Aswan High Dam, about 980 kilometers (608 miles) south of Cairo. Coptic Christian activist Ibrahim Louis said 12 Christians also were wounded, including one man who was in serious condition. The fighting erupted late Thursday night when hundreds of Muslim residents tried to get inside the church. Police used tear gas to keep the crowd from storming the church as some of the residents burnt tires along a major highway and cut off traffic. The clashes erupted again Friday afternoon when dozens of residents again threw firebombs and rocks at police. In anticipation of renewed clashes, police had set up checkpoints and increased their presence around the church. Tensions rose after a 36 year-old Muslim woman, who has been missing for five days, was allegedly seen outside the church with a female Christian friend on Thursday. Some residents believe the woman, who is a teacher, converted to Christianity and is hiding inside the church. Others suspect she was forced into conversion and is being held against her will inside the church. Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 85 million people, have long complained of discrimination by the state. They are the largest Christian community in the Middle East.

Aazaz Abductors Agree to Swap Pilgrims for Women Held in Syria Prisons
Naharnet /The abductors of the nine Lebanese Shiite pilgrims held in the Syrian border town of Aazaz on Friday announced that they are willing to free the hostages in return for the release of all women detainees from the prisons of the Syrian regime. “After several and repeated mediation efforts by international and humanitarian organizations and committees, we announce that we agree to free the nine Lebanese 'guests' in return for the release of all women detainees held in the prisons of Assad's gangs,” the so-called Northern Storm Brigade said on its Facebook page. “This is our only demand and we do not want anything else, neither in public nor under the table,” the Brigade noted. It said the swap deal must happen “in full coordination with the organizations and official committees that are seeking the release of the Lebanese guests, especially the Turkish state and the Arab Gulf countries, topped by the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Committee of Muslim Scholars in Lebanon.” The Brigade described its offer as “an initiative of brotherhood towards the Lebanese people.”
On May 22, eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo district as they were making their way back by land from a pilgrimage in Iran.One was released in late August and another in September, while the rest remain in Aazaz.

Kerry Says Erdogan Zionism Remarks 'Objectionable', Davutoglu Hits Back
Naharnet/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Turkey's leaders on the Syria crisis Friday amid a row over controversial comments by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan branding Zionism a "crime against humanity.""Obviously we disagree with that, we find it objectionable," Kerry said at a joint press conference in Ankara, referring to a speech delivered by Erdogan that likened Zionism to fascism and anti-Semitism.
Kerry said he would raise the issue "very directly" with Erdogan and express Washington's hopes to see the two "vital allies" work together.
The top U.S. diplomat's visit came a day after Washington announced that it would for the first time provide direct aid to Syrian rebels in the form of food and medical supplies as well as $60 million in extra assistance to the political opposition. But the discussions were overshadowed by renewed tension between Turkey and Israel, two major Washington allies, following comments Erdogan made earlier this week at a U.N.-sponsored forum in Vienna. "As is the case for Zionism, anti-Semitism and fascism, it is inevitable that Islamophobia be considered a crime against humanity," Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Kerry said it was essential for Turkey and Israel to rekindle their "historic cooperation" but the situation got more complicated "in the aftermath of the speech that we heard in Vienna."
Turkish-Israeli relations have remained in free fall since Israeli troops raided a Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship in 2010, killing nine people.
"We have never made any hostile remarks against any nation," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in response to a question over Erdogan's remarks.
"If you want to talk about hostile you can call Israel's attitude that, after it killed nine civilians on high seas," he added.
"If some countries acted in a hostile way against our citizens' right to life, allow us to reserve our right to make a statement."
The incident strained bilateral military and diplomatic ties and left Washington in a bind to mend relations between its two fundamental allies in the region.
Erdogan's comments were branded as "a dark and mendacious statement," by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while Washington said "characterization of Zionism as a crime against humanity... is offensive and wrong."A U.S. official traveling with Kerry on his first trip abroad since taking over as secretary of state from Hillary Clinton said Washington was "dismayed" to hear Erdogan's remarks.
"This was particularly offensive frankly," said the official who requested anonymity.
As part of their agenda, Kerry and Davutoglu also discussed the two-year civil war in neighboring Syria which has killed at least 70,000 people according to the U.N.
"There is no legitimacy in a regime that commits atrocity against its own people," Kerry said.
Turkey, once a close ally of Syria, has joined the US in its campaign to oust the regime of President Bashar Assad and has given shelter to Syrian rebels and to nearly 200,000 refugees along its volatile border.
In January, the United States began deploying Patriot missiles, along with Germany and the Netherlands, as part of a NATO mission to protect Turkey from any spillover of the Syrian conflict.
Turkey had requested the measure after several cross-border shelling incidents, including one in October that killed five civilians.
Kerry also attended a memorial ceremony in Ankara, in honor of the U.S. embassy guard who was killed in a February 1 suicide attack claimed by the fiercely anti-U.S. Marxist group the Revolutionary People's Liberation Front (DHKP-C). Also on the agenda during the talks was Washington's pressure for increasing sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
Turkey says it is bound by only U.N. sanctions against Tehran imposed by the United States and the European Union.
The situation of jailed journalists in Turkey -- which has more imprisoned reporters than any other country in the world -- was also expected to be raised by Kerry.
Agence France Presse

Lebanon, Jordan Say Donor Pledges for Syrian Refugees Haven't Materialized
Naharnet/Lebanon and Jordan confirmed on Friday that both countries still haven't received any of the aid that donor Arab and other states pledged to pay to assist with the influx of Syrian refugees.
“We need to tackle the matter with the international community in a united and collaborative way to resolve the burden of the refugees on our countries,” visiting Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jawdeh told reporters at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Adnan Mansour.
He called on creating new ways to provide Syrians with the necessary humanitarian aid to limit the numbers of refugees.
For his part, Mansour considered the situation as “very difficult,” pointing out that “the two countries will be able to overcome this dilemma.”
Jawdeh said that his country's stance from the turmoil in Syria is “firm,” noting that Jordan “will not close the border between the two countries” despite the fact that more than 3,000 refugees enter it daily.
The state-run National News Agency reported that the two officials also discussed the bilateral ties between the two countries and the latest developments.
President Michel Suleiman has asked for $1.5 billion during a donor conference in Kuwait to help host the increasing number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Around 97 percent of the refugees have fled to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq.
Lebanon is currently hosting around 300,000 Syrian refugees.

Miqati's Attendance of Orthodox Vote Law Parliamentary Session Unclear
Naharnet/Officials close to Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed that he would not support the Orthodox Gathering proposal even if he has to boycott a parliamentary session to approve it. The sources made their remarks to An Nahar newspaper published on Friday after reports that Miqati would attend any session that Speaker Nabih Berri calls for to adopt an electoral draft-law, including the Orthodox proposal. The reports said that the prime minister's attendance of the assembly would come following a request made by Hizbullah to give state institutions more impetus.Miqati said Thursday that he had agreed with President Michel Suleiman to sign a decree calling on voters to participate in the polls.He was quoted as saying that the 1960 law is so far in force and he is responsible for implementing it.Suleiman and Miqati have criticized the Orthodox proposal which calls for a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system. The proposal has been also rejected by the opposition al-Mustaqbal movement, the Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblat and the March 14 opposition's independent Christian MPs. The 1960 law, which governed the 2009 elections with some amendments, adopts the qada as an electoral district and is based on a winner-takes-all system. However, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel warned in remarks to pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that the political differences between the parties would lead to a deteriorating security situation. “All political parties and not just the sides represented in the government should meet and agree on steering Lebanon clear of the consequences of their differences,” he said.

Lebanon' House Speaker, Berri 'Welcomes' Vote Law Proposals as Discussions Go Back to Starting Point
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri said Friday that he was ready to hear proposals on the controversial electoral draft-law after he withdrew his hybrid plan, which became a point of contention between the March 8 majority and the March 14 opposition alliances. In remarks to An Nahar daily, Berri said he has “now become in the position of hearing” proposals. “Those who have better plans are welcomed to propose them,” he said. Berri withdrew on Wednesday his hybrid proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems after he failed to convince the rival parties on its adoption. Parliamentary sources also told An Nahar that the latest statements made by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun that the alternative to the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal is the adoption of a single district based on proportionality, forced the collapse of Berri's plan. The withdrawal of his proposal brought back the discussions on an electoral draft-law to the starting point, they said. Berri's sources told the newspaper that the speaker was upset by the behavior of several members of the March 14 alliance and his allies in the March 8 majority coalition. Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri telephoned Berri on Thursday to stress that he holds onto holding the elections, scheduled for June 9, on time. But Berri's sources said the speaker told him that all sides want the polls to be held in their constitutional deadline but “I need a law first.”Lebanon's rival parties and parliamentary blocs have so far failed to agree on an electoral draft-law that would govern the elections. Despite the lack of consensus, Prime Minister Najib Miqati said Thursday that he had agreed with President Michel Suleiman to sign a decree calling on voters to participate in the polls. He was quoted as saying that the 1960 law is so far in force and he is responsible for implementing it. Despite the latest developments, consultations between the top officials and leaders continued on Thursday to reach consensus on a new law. Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour told An Nahar in remarks published Friday that a visit he made to President Michel Suleiman came as part of consultations between the head of state and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on the electoral proposals. “We agreed on the need to hold the elections on time and to form the authority that would oversee the polls no matter which law was adopted,” he said.“The polls should not become the hostage of any law as long as there is another law in force,” Abou Faour added.

Lebanon, Jordan Say Donor Pledges for Syrian Refugees Haven't Materialized
Naharnet /Lebanon and Jordan confirmed on Friday that both countries still haven't received any of the aid that donor Arab and other states pledged to pay to assist with the influx of Syrian refugees. “We need to tackle the matter with the international community in a united and collaborative way to resolve the burden of the refugees on our countries,” visiting Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Jawdeh told reporters at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Adnan Mansour. He called on creating new ways to provide Syrians with the necessary humanitarian aid to limit the numbers of refugees. For his part, Mansour considered the situation as “very difficult,” pointing out that “the two countries will be able to overcome this dilemma.”Jawdeh said that his country's stance from the turmoil in Syria is “firm,” noting that Jordan “will not close the border between the two countries” despite the fact that more than 3,000 refugees enter it daily. The state-run National News Agency reported that the two officials also discussed the bilateral ties between the two countries and the latest developments. President Michel Suleiman has asked for $1.5 billion during a donor conference in Kuwait to help host the increasing number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Around 97 percent of the refugees have fled to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. Lebanon is currently hosting around 300,000 Syrian refugees.

Islamist Detainees Riot in Roumieh to Ask for Amnesty
Naharnet /Islamist detainees in Roumieh prison held several members of the Internal Security Forces hostage after a small protest turned into a riot amid demands for general amnesty, the National News Agency and TV stations reported. NNA said the prisoners began calling for amnesty when the security personnel prevented a female visitor from meeting a detainee for not having a visit permit. While the state-run agency did not reveal whether officers were detained, MTV and LBCI stations said around 13 ISF members were held in the prison's bloc B. But they were released shortly after, they said. Islamists staged a protest in downtown Beirut on Sunday calling for justice for the detainees. The prisoners have been held in Roumieh without charge since 2007. They were arrested on charges of fighting or aiding the Fatah al-Islam fighters in the gunbattles with the Lebanese army at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp that lies near the northern coastal city of Tripoli.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel: Police Arrest 54, Pursue 87 Other Kidnap-for-Ransom Suspects
Naharnet /Interior Minister Marwan Charbel revealed on Friday that security forces have so far arrested 54 people involved in the kidnappings in return for ransom but scores remain on the run.After presiding a meeting of the Central Security Council, Charbel said: “Those responsible for the kidnappings are known and will not receive any politician cover.”Fifty-four suspects have been arrested and 87 others are still on the run in more than 39 cases of abductions, he told reporters.Lebanon has been recently plagued by the kidnap-for-ransom phenomenon. The abductions are mostly targeting wealthy businessmen or their family members. Charbel reiterated his call for a parliamentary seal of approval for strong measures by armed forces to deal with any security situation. “The parliament should meet and sign a document that gives security agencies the authority to respond firmly to any attempt to create instability,” he told reporters. The political deal between the MPs should include the withdrawal of gunmen from the streets, he said. “The security situation in the country and the political divisions are forcing the security agencies to suffer from the consequences of what's happening on the ground,” he added. But he stressed that the armed forces were “dealing wisely” with security incidents. “My strength is that I don't belong to any party and I serve the citizens,” he said in response to his critics. He challenged them by saying that he was ready to resign to pave way for them to take over his post. “Let's see what they will be able to do,” Charbel said.

Controversial Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir Supporters Hold Sit-In amid Heavy Security Deployment
Naharnet /The army deployed heavily on Friday in Abra in the southern city of Sidon as controversial Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir and his supporters rallied after Friday's Muslim prayers to protest claims that Hizbullah rented apartments in the vicinity of his mosque in the town.Al-Asir called on his supporters after the prayers to protest in the premises set by the security forces, urging them not to confront them.
Despite a decision taken by the Sub-Security Council of the South that al-Asir's protest should remain within the premises of Bilal bin Rabah's mosque, the Salafist cleric and his supporters went ahead with what he called a “peaceful” protest. LBCI reported that the town of Abra was declared a military zone, saying that special permits need to be granted to anyone who wants to enter the town.
The protest ended calmly after al-Asir called on his supporters to head peacefully to the two apartments claimed to be owned by Hizbullah until the army detains the residents, the channel added.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told reporters after an extraordinary meeting for the Central Security Council that al-Asir was informed that it is forbidden to shake the security situation.
“We are living in a difficult security situation which has repercussions all over Lebanon,” Charbel pointed out.
The minister criticized the Salafist cleric saying that security forces will “deal with the appropriate measures with al-Asir and anyone else in Sidon who carries arms.”
Former head of Sidon's municipality Abdulrahman al-Bizri said in comments to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) that schools in Abra suspended classes over security fears.
Last week, the anti-Hizbullah Salafist cleric urged officials and authorities to force the evacuation of the apartments to avert a possible “strife or any dangerous incident.”
He claimed that “the mosque's neighbors, and we're among them, noticed some rented apartments that are inhabited by young men who are not residents of the area.” Al-Bizri demanded in his comments to VDL officials to take a firm political stance to end the tension in the city. “If the government is incapable of carrying out its duties it should step down... (Prime Minister Najib) Miqati's cabinet is unable to protect Sidon,” al-Bizri added.
For his part, Popular Nasserite Organization head Osama Saad called for calm in the city of Sidon and for relying on the security forces to resolve any provocative acts.
Saad called on figures in the city to lift the political cover off any person who carries out provocative acts in it. Al-Liwaa newspaper reported that al-Asir wrote his will and revealed that he intends to “become a martyr to defend Sidon's dignity and its residents.”Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned during a televised speech on Wednesday that “some parties are pushing Lebanon in a very rapid manner to sectarian strife and working on that night and day and all the facts verify this issue.”He pointed out that some statements and remarks by some Sunni MPs and clerics are taking a very provocative and seditious course.

Syria Jihadists Take Iraq Border Post
Naharnet/Jihadist fighters of Al-Nusra Front have seized control of a checkpoint on northeast Syria's border with Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. The rebels overran the post at Yaarubiyeh in oil-rich Hassakeh province on Thursday after fierce clashes with government forces, the Britain-based Observatory said in a statement. The border crossing had been controlled by rebel forces last year before the army recaptured it. Al-Nusra Front, an increasingly influential factor in Syria's conflict, also took control of the nearby town of Shaddadeh and surrounding villages in mid-February. It first gained notoriety for its suicide bombings in Syria's main cities and has evolved into a strong fighting force leading attacks on battlefronts throughout the country. The Front's tactics and suspected affiliation to al-Qaida's offshoot in Iraq have landed it on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. Rebels of the mainstream Free Syrian Army have told Agence France Presse that Al-Nusra fighters, despite their small numbers, have greater economic and logistical support than other insurgents and funding from abroad. The jihadist group targets strategic points mainly in eastern Syria, including oil and gas facilities, and draws recruits from the local population by paying them a salary. It aspires to create an Islamic state in Syria, whose regime accuses Saudi Arabia and Qatar of financing Islamist fighters in the two-year-old conflict that the U.N. says has killed at least 70,000 people.Agence France Presse

Dozens of Egyptian Christians Held in Libya's Benghazi
Naharnet /Around 50 Egyptian Christians suspected of trying to convert Muslims have been arrested in the eastern city of Benghazi on illegal immigration charges, a Libyan security official said on Friday."Forty-eight Egyptian traders who worked in the Benghazi municipal market have been arrested based on reports of suspect activities," the source told Agence France Presse. He said they were found in possession of a quantity of Bibles, texts encouraging conversion to Christianity, and images of Christ and the late Pope Shenuda of Egypt's Coptic Christians, none of which were for "personal use." But the main charge was illegal entry into Libya, he said. A video posted on the Internet shows dozens of men with shaved heads squatted on the floor in a tiny room as a bearded Libyan recounts how they had been arrested on charges of proselytising. A local official, meanwhile, said the group of men were being well treated and would be deported after an investigation over illegal immigration was completed. Four foreigners -- an Egyptian, South African, South Korean and a Swede with a U.S. passport -- were arrested in Benghazi in mid-February on suspicion of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, something that is strictly banned in Islam. Since the 2011 revolution which ousted Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's small Christian minority has expressed fears over Islamic extremism, especially with the rise of armed militias enforcing their owns laws in the absence of central control. In December, two Egyptians died in a blast at a Coptic church in the Libyan town of Dafniya.
Agence France Presse

Maronite Cardinal Beshara Rai says for extending terms of president, MPs if need be
March 01, 2013/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Cardinal Beshara Rai has voiced support for extending the terms of Parliament and president for a limited period of time in order to prepare for the adoption of a new electoral law.
“If they have to extend the terms in order to allow people [time] to understand the new law and prepare for it then so be it, whether for two, three or even four months,” Rai told Russia Today in an interview published on its website Friday. “Everyone is against extending the mandates, whether for Parliament or for the president. Everyone says they're against the extension. It is no longer acceptable to return to the 1960 law,” he said.
Rai’s comments come a day after Prime Minister Najib Mikati signaled his government was close to moving forward with the parliamentary elections based on the 1960 law.
Mikati said Thursday he agreed with President Michel Sleiman to sign a decree calling on voters to participate in the upcoming elections.
The move is likely to refute expectations that the polls scheduled for June 9 could be delayed.
Sleiman, who strongly opposes the Orthodox Gathering electoral law that won the support of the Maronite Church, major Christian parties and been endorsed by Parliament’s joint committees, says he will not sign a decree extending Parliament's mandate.
The 1960 law, rejected by most of the country’s politicians, was used in the 2009 parliamentary polls and adopts the qada as an electoral district based on a winner-takes-all system.
“Everyone has complained about the 1960 law and for years they have been working on finding a new law in committees and through projects ... Their dignity lies in drafting a new law that everyone can agree on in the interest of all [Lebanese],” Russia Today quotes the religious leader as saying.
Rai said some political groups were attempting to tailor the new law according to their interests, adding: “[Even with] all this, I still have faith that the Lebanese will reach a solution and a law will be adopted.”
He reiterated his support for the rotation of power and elections, describing them as some of the hallmarks of Lebanese democracy.
The head of the Maronite Church also said that the current security situation in Lebanon should not prevent the holding of the elections, "unless, God forbid, things take a turn restricting people’s movements then there will certainly be a difficulty.”
On the situation in Syria, the preacher said Lebanon needed to play a role of peace promotion.
“Lebanese should recognize that their interest in Lebanon and Syria lies in being an element of peace in Syria - not a source of tension,” he said.
The Maronite leader added that Lebanon had a role to play in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East as a whole.
“We should be demanding peace, understanding and stability as loudly as we can,” he said.
“We too have experienced the plagues of war and we recognize that it was absurd and did not resolve anything,” he added.
Rai also said that the government in Damascus and the Syrian people needed to work together and implement needed reforms.
“Reforms cannot be forced or come from the outside but it should be from the inside and so Syrians, as a government and people, should sit together on the negotiating table to manage their affairs and reach solutions,” Russia Today quoted Rai as saying.

Christian-Muslim tension flares in southern Egypt

March 01, 2013/By Haggag Salama/Daily Star
LUXOR, Egypt: Dozens of Muslim residents threw firebombs and rocks at police on Friday as they tried to storm a church in southern Egypt in search of a woman suspected of converting to Christianity, security officials said.
Clashes between Copts and Muslims usually are sparked by disputes over rumors of conversion, Muslim-Christian love affairs and the construction of churches. Violence between Egypt's Christians and Muslims has risen in the past two years in the wake of the country's uprising that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak, but also weakened security across the nation.
Officials said 11 policemen were wounded in the clashes in the town of Kom Ombo, which is near Aswan High Dam, about 980 kilometers (608 miles) south of Cairo. Coptic Christian activist Ibrahim Louis said 12 Christians also were wounded, including one man who was in serious condition.
The fighting erupted late Thursday night when hundreds of Muslim residents tried to get inside the church. Police used tear gas to keep the crowd from storming the church as some of the residents burnt tires along a major highway and cut off traffic. The clashes erupted again Friday afternoon when dozens of residents again threw firebombs and rocks at police. In anticipation of renewed clashes, police had set up checkpoints and increased their presence around the church.
Tensions rose after a 36 year-old Muslim woman, who has been missing for five days, was allegedly seen outside the church with a female Christian friend on Thursday. Some residents believe the woman, who is a teacher, converted to Christianity and is hiding inside the church. Others suspect she was forced into conversion and is being held against her will inside the church.
Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 85 million people, have long complained of discrimination by the state. They are the largest Christian community in the Middle East.