LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 18/2013

Bible Quotation for today/Last Instructions
02 Timothy 03/10-17: " But you have followed my teaching, my conduct, and my purpose in life; you have observed my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, and my sufferings. You know all that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, the terrible persecutions I endured! But the Lord rescued me from them all. Everyone who wants to live a godly life in union with Christ Jesus will be persecuted; and evil persons and impostors will keep on going from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves. But as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe. You know who your teachers were, and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful[a] for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed

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Tripartite electoral talks in Rome yield no results March 18, 2013/By Wassim Mroueh/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Rome yielded no breakthroughs for the deadlocked electoral law to govern elections in June. Also tackling the thorny issue of the electoral law, President Michel Sleiman said he would not accept that other countries impose an electoral law in Lebanon. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Berri said he was still waiting for consensus to be reached between rival political groups over a voting system. “I repeat what I said during the sessions of Parliament’s joint committees. The worst electoral law that the Lebanese agree on is better than any other law” imposed from abroad, he said. Asked about his stance regarding the hybrid electoral law the opposition and the Progressive Socialist Party were currently discussing, Berri said: “I first proposed a hybrid law to the [parliamentary] subcommittee and when I found that it was opposed by various groups I said, ‘Let us withdraw the draft law and wait for an electoral law that draws a consensus from any group and I will support it.’”
Asked whether he would call for a Parliament session to put the Orthodox proposal to a vote if rival groups fail to achieve consensus, Berri replied that he was “very patient.”
Besides Berri, Mikati and Rai, Environment Minister Nazem Khoury also attended the meeting, which lasted for more than an hour. Berri and Mikati left Beirut for Rome on a private jet Saturday evening to take part in newly elected Pope Francis’ inauguration Mass, which will take place Tuesday. Mikati stressed that the government would remain in place, denying claims he would soon resign.
“We have heard such talk on more than one occasion and some are always banking on this taking place. But let us be optimistic; the Cabinet will not resign,” he said. Mikati was responding to a question regarding reports that a Cabinet session scheduled for Thursday would be the government’s last. The Cabinet is expected to discuss Thursday the formation of the controversial supervisory committee to oversee elections.
The move is opposed by the March 8 coalition because, it argues, it would lead to holding elections based on the 1960 law, which it opposes. But Sleiman argued that the committee should be established in line with the constitutional deadline, since no agreement was reached on a new electoral law. Sleiman said Sunday he did not accept another country imposing an electoral law in Lebanon. “There is talk that the Americans favor this or that electoral law. I say that no Lebanese president would accept any state imposing on him its opinion on the electoral law,” he told a delegation from the Lebanese community in Ghana, a stop in his one-week visit to four African countries.
Hezbollah said earlier that Mikati and Sleiman had followed U.S. instructions by signing a decree earlier this month that called for holding parliamentary elections based on the 1960 law.
Sleiman and Mikati’s decree came hours after U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly said elections should be held on time regardless of whether a consensus is reached over the electoral law. Sleiman also reiterated his opposition to the Orthodox proposal. “I will not accept that during my term [as president] a sectarian electoral law is endorsed,” he said.
“In the law there is an item stipulating that expats have the right to participate [in elections]. But if a sectarian law is endorsed, I will ask that either expats do not vote or assign them MPs that are elected on a nonsectarian basis ... we will not send sectarian ballot boxes,” Sleiman added. “You should teach us how to abandon sectarianism,” he said. Sleiman said that the new electoral law should bring the official voting age from 21 to 18 years and help encourage the representation of women in Parliament. Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, from Berri’s Amal Movement, said that the March 8 coalition, which has a majority in the Cabinet, would oppose the formation of the elections supervisory committee during Thursday’s session. “If President Michel Sleiman proposes this issue [during Thursday’s] Cabinet session, then we will vote against its establishment and all sides should respect the results of the vote,” Khalil told a local TV station. “The elections supervisory committee will not receive enough votes to be approved and the president should deal with this constitutional path through institutions and [acknowledge] that the 1960 law no longer exists,” Khalil said. “Threats of taking certain measures are useless.”

War in Syria Hurts Lebanese Tourism Sector
Paige Kollock/March 17, 2013 /VOA
ALEY, LEBANON — As the war in Syria enters its third year, its economic impact is being felt by neighboring countries. Lebanon’s tourist industry declined by as much as 15 percent in 2012.
Visitors from the Persian Gulf states, who makeup approximately a third of Lebanon’s tourists, but account for about 60 percent of the tourism spending, have stopped coming. Some are worried about the security situation, others are boycotting Lebanon for political reasons.The nickname of the once popular Lebanese mountain town Aley is ‘Arous el Masayif’ - ‘the bride of touristic places.’ But the picturesque village outside Beirut that once attracted many Saudis and other Gulf nation nationals for its quaint atmosphere and cool evening breezes, looks abandoned these days. Many restaurants are empty. Some have closed down for good. Maher Abou Hassan, the manager of a restaurant in Aley said, "Before, you needed two to three hours just to get through the main street of Aley. It used to be packed. Now, look. It’s empty. Most of my customers used to be from the Gulf. This year, I had only two from there. And even the Lebanese customers are not coming much."Abou Hassan’s restaurant, “The Sound of the Oud” - like the streets of his village - also used to be packed, filling all 200 seats every Saturday night. Now he’s lucky if he gets 40 customers. Abou Hassan had to cut his employees from around 18 to four.
Sagging numbers
With its beautiful mountains, stunning beaches, Roman ruins and Ottoman architecture, Lebanon’s economy has long leaned on tourism, which accounts for more than a quarter of its gross domestic product. Visitor numbers are down nearly 38 percent from 2010. But the war in neighboring Syria is just one of the factors, says Lebanon’s Minister of Tourism Fady Abboud. "We don’t have a road link with the rest of the world because certainly we don’t have a link with Israel, the only link is through Syria and probably I lost about a quarter of a million tourists coming by road to Lebanon, mainly Jordanians, Iranians and certainly from the Gulf," he said. To entice tourists, the ministry recently offered a promotion of 50 days for 50 percent off. Discounts were offered on airline tickets, hotels and restaurants.
Nizar Khoury is head of the commercial section for Lebanon’s national carrier, Middle East Airlines.
"I regret to tell you that it hasn’t really worked because the reason for the Arab nationals not coming to Beirut is not the price actually; it’s the situation, political and security situation.
So Lebanon is trying to diversify its pool of tourists by reaching out to new audiences from Russia, Latin America and Africa, among others

Israel will seek US air strikes to thwart Hezbollah missile transfer
Ynetnews/Britain's Guardian says Jerusalem will use US president's visit to persuade Washington to carry out air strikes on Syrian missiles if there is evidence they are being handed over to Hezbollah
Israel will use President Obama's visit which begins on Wednesday to try to persuade the US to carry out air strikes on Syrian missiles if there is evidence that they are being handed over to Hezbollah in Lebanon, or at least to give full support to Israeli military action to stop the transfer, Britain's The Guardian newspaper reported Sunday.
The Guardian claims that Obama will also come under Israeli pressure to lower the US threshold for military action against Iran, while the US president will try to extract greater Israeli commitment to a peace process with the Palestinians. Neither side is likely to be successful, leaving Syria as the most promising arena for US-Israeli agreement. The Obama administration has made clear, says The Guardian, that it would intervene militarily to stop the Assad regime using its chemical or biological weapons or transferring them to extremist groups, but Israeli officials say they feel they have been left alone to deal with the threat of the spread of Syria's arsenal of anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. In January, Israeli warplanes destroyed a Syrian convoy that Israeli officials say was taking sophisticated Russian-made ground-to-air missiles to Hezbollah.
The government of Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that it would strike again in similar circumstances.A day after the convoy was destroyed the Syrian army made an official announcement in which it stated: "Syria holds Israel and those who are protecting it at the Security Council responsible for the results of the attack and confirms its right to defend its land and sovereignty."

Hezbollah fighter killed in Syria buried in Lebanon
Daily Star/March 17, 2013 /MARJAYOUN, Lebanon: The body of a Hezbollah member killed in fighting in Syria was buried in southern Lebanon early on Sunday, several residents of the man's village told AFP.
"The funeral of Hassan Nimr Shartuni, 25, was this morning in Mays al-Jabal after the arrival of his body from Syria where he was killed in fighting yesterday (Saturday)," one resident told AFP.
Two other residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the details of Shartuni's burial. Lebanese group Hezbollah has in recent months buried a number of fighters killed in Syria, without publicly disclosing how the men were killed, or where.Sources close to the movement have said only that the men were killed "while carrying out their jihadist duty."The group has acknowledged that its members living in Syrian villages on the border with Lebanon have taken part in battles against "armed groups" in self-defence. But it refuses to discuss allegations by Syrian rebels that it has sent fighters from Lebanon to bolster the forces of its ally, President Bashar al-Assad.
The issue has inflamed tensions in Lebanon, where the domestic opposition which backs the Syrian uprising has accused Hezbollah of endangering the country by intervening in the conflict.
The group has in turn accused the opposition of backing the Syrian uprising and turning a blind eye to the flow of weapons and Syrian rebels across the Lebanese border.
The Syrian conflict, which began with peaceful protests against the Assad regime, is now in its third year. The United Nations says that at least 70,000 people have been killed, and more than one million Syrians have been forced to seek refuge abroad. Millions more have been internally displaced.On Saturday, at least 126 people were killed in fighting across the country, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activists -- 54 rebels, 28 regime forces and 44 civilians.

Hezbollah MP slams U.S. ambassador ‘interference’
March 18, 2013/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s Baalbek-Hermel MP Nawar Saheli denounced Sunday what he called “flagrant interference” by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly in internal Lebanese affairs when, he said, she demanded that “the forthcoming elections be held on the basis of the 1960 law.”“We in Lebanon do not accept [foreign] ambassadors or ministers to interfere in our internal affairs.She [Connelly] should have applied the law in her country,” Saheli told a sports event organized by Hezbollah in the northern Bekaa Valley town of Al-Ain. He urged those within the March 14 alliance who are keen on Lebanon’s sovereignty to ask the U.S. ambassador to respect diplomatic rules and not interfere in internal Lebanese affairs. Earlier this month, Connelly told reporters after meeting Speaker Nabih Berri that parliamentary polls should be held on time regardless of whether politicians reach a consensus on a new electoral law.“We encourage Lebanon to hold its elections on time,” she said. Lebanese politicians have been at loggerheads over which electoral law will govern the 2013 polls.

French wish to arm rebels behind Syria’s threat to Lebanon: FSA
March 17, 2013/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: A recent Syrian threat to target rebels in Lebanon came in response to a French decision to arm those seeking to topple President Bashar Assad, the media coordinator for the Free Syrian Army said in remarks published Sunday. “The letter sent from the Syrian Foreign Ministry to Lebanese authorities is in retaliation for a French decision to arm the rebels with missiles,” political and media coordinator Louay al-Meqdad told Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper.Damascus, in a letter sent to Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry Thursday, warned Beirut it would attack Syrian rebels in Lebanon, reiterating its claims that arms and gunmen were being smuggled from the poorly delineated border.The letter said Syrian forces were still exercising self-restraint by not striking “concentrations of armed gangs inside Lebanese territory in order to prevent them from crossing into Syrian territory.”“But this will not last indefinitely,” the letter warned.
France and Britain said Thursday they wanted an EU arms embargo to Syria lifted, arguing Europe could not allow the Syrian people to be massacred. The EU rejected the proposal Friday but European Union foreign ministers will consider the issue again next week.The FSA official also told An-Nahar that Syrian rebels would withdraw from border towns in Lebanon and return to Syria if the Lebanese Army could ensure proper control of the shared border.“The Free Syria Army is ready to cease fire and draw back its units toward Syrian territories on condition that the Lebanese Army controls the joint border with Syria,” he told the Lebanese daily.
President Michel Sleiman stressed over the weekend that the Lebanese Army needed to prevent the infiltration of fighters across the border with Syria and said he had issued instructions to the military to arrest militants.
He also reiterated commitment to Lebanon’s self-disassociation policy toward developments in the region, particularly in Syria.
Violence has repeatedly spilled over into Lebanon as a result of the two-year-old crisis in Syria.

March 14 members commemorate 8th anniversary
Now Lebanon/The opposition March 14 coalition on Sunday celebrated its eighth anniversary in Beirut’s BIEL exhibition hall, an event marked by the absence of its top leaders. The rally did not see Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, nor the head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea or Kataeb chief Amine Gemayel speak. None of the three leaders attended the ceremony, with both Hariri and Geagea citing security reasons for their absence. However, Future bloc MP and former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was present, along with a number of opposition and independent MPs. “We will keep on fighting for our values until we reach true independence and the liberty we all strive for,” Siniora said as he wrapped up the ceremony. During the rally, fourteen civil society activists from different backgrounds gave speeches tackling various Lebanese political, social and security issues. March 14’s “martyrs” were remembered, notably the founder of the Future Movement, former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated in 2005. “Ever since the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, [prosperity] has turned into destruction,” an activist said. “The Martyrs make a nation,” another added. The issue of Hezbollah’s weapons was also tackled in the speeches, with activist Elie Fawaz saying that “it is [unlikely] that Hezbollah would hand in its weapons, but it is not impossible.” “We say no to any arms that threaten to [plunge the country] into strife. We only want legitimate weapons,” said another activist commenting on the same issue. Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre Katrib talked about respecting citizens’ freedom and rights and stressed the necessity to protect them from any violence.“We will not allow Al-Nusra Front or other [organizations] to fight any Lebanese,” another activist said.On Friday, a military judge charged ten Lebanese people for being members of the Al-Nusra Front, a day after the Syrian regime warned Beirut that it might target “terrorists” on Lebanese territory if the state took no action to stop the flow of fighters into Syria. The Syrian demarche came amid accusations against Hezbollah that the party is fighting against the rebels in Syria.During the rally, one activist warned about politically covering up for killers, kidnappers and thieves, while another addressed the issue of sectarianism within the country. “The cure for Lebanon is a civil state,” the activist said. The March 14 coalition is named after the mass anti-Syrian rally in 2005 during which over one million Lebanese converged on central Beirut to demand the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and an end to Syrian meddling in Lebanese political affairs.The mass protest took place a month after the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14, 2005 that killed 21 people and launched the Cedar Revolution against Syrian hegemony over Lebanon.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman says parliamentary elections an “internal” concern
Now Lebanon/Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said on Saturday that the country’s parliamentary elections are an internal concern, the National News Agency reported.
“The parliamentary elections remains an internal Lebanese concern, and efforts are focused on coming- p with a modern and democratic law that agrees with the Taif Accord [stipulations] and constitutional strategies,” Suleiman said during a press conference following his meeting with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
Lebanon’s political players are currently debating prospective electoral law proposals that may be adopted for the upcoming parliamentary elections, but so far they have failed to reach a consensus on an electoral law proposal to replace the 1960 law currently on the books. Meanwhile, Suleiman and Prime Minister Miqati in March signed off on a decree in March stating that elections will take place on June 9, a move that would have the elections held in accordance with the current 1960 law if the country’s political parties fail to reach a consensus on a new electoral law.Suleiman went on to praise the “major role that Ghana still plays at the level of peace-keeping operations in the world; especially in its participation in the "UNIFIL" peace-keeping forces in South Lebanon.” He added that “the Lebanese community in Ghana is given special attention and care… and it contributes greatly to the economic empowerment and [general] development of the country.” Suleiman and Mahama both agreed on Lebanon and Ghana's attachment to the United Nations' legislations and decisions. They also highlighted the urgent need for “initiating serious dialogue between civilizations, cultures and religions in order to confront certain factors that are pushing towards clashes, extremism and violence.”
Mahama, in turn, praised the historical, friendly ties between Lebanon and Ghana, and the active presence and contribution of Lebanese community in Ghana.
He stressed Lebanon's pioneering role, whereby he considered that “a state of prevailing peace in Lebanon becomes an added value to the world at large.”Later Saturday, Suleiman met with the Lebanese community in Ghana where he stressed that “the Lebanese Armed Forces are the [far reaching] symbol of national unity.” He also said that “a defense strategy must be implemented through which the LAF will benefit from the Resistance’s capabilities until it obtains the tools and equipment which enable it to fulfill its national duty in an independent manner.” Suleiman left Beirut on Tuesday for Senegal to start a tour of several African countries to meet top officials as well as members of Lebanese communities in Africa.

Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman won’t allow adoption of sectarian electoral law
Now Lebanon/Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman reiterated his refusal of the Orthodox electoral proposal as an alternative to the current 1960 law for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“I will not accept the [adoption] of a sectarian electoral law during my term,” Suleiman said on Sunday on his Twitter account. The head of state went on to say that “no Lebanese president would accept the state imposing its opinion on the electoral law.” Suleiman explained in another tweet that the new electoral draft should be a “modern” law that would respect the Taif Accord, the negotiated settlement that brought an end to Lebanon’s 15 year civil war. The president has previously voiced his objection to the sectarian-based Orthodox law, which was endorsed by Lebanon’s four major Christian parties and approved by the joint parliamentary commissions in February. Suleiman, along with Prime Minister Najib Miqati, signed a decree to hold the elections on June 9, a move that would have the elections held according to the current 1960 law if the country’s political parties fail to reach a consensus on a new electoral draft. This decision sparked angry responses from the March 8 coalition, who refuse to contest an election under the 1960 electoral law and advocate for the adoption of the Orthodox law, which proposes proportional representation and voting along sectarian lines. However, the Orthodox law was met with vocal opposition and claims that it would lead to sectarian divisions within the country.

Future MP Mouin Merhebi: Iran seeks to control Lebanon

Now Lebanon/Lebanon’s Future bloc MP Mouin Merhebi said that Iran has made a decision to try and control Lebanon rather than attempt to exert control over Syria.
“The reason that the security threats have been made by Iran’s allies in Lebanon is to control Lebanon entirely. It is to ensure the Syrian army [has a means of withdrawing] from Syria when it is trapped,” Merhebi told As-Siyasah Kuwaiti newspaper in remarks published Sunday. He continued: “[President Bashar] al-Assad’s regime is working on moving his forces closer to the coast [in an effort] to maintain the safety of these forces. This is being done… because their retreating inland has become increasingly difficult over the course of time.” “Regime forces will enter Lebanon through the northern Al-Masnaa border crossing and the crossings controlled by the general command, in addition to the Akroum, Wadi Khaled, and Al-Arida areas. [They will move to] consolidate the Assad-controlled areas with the ones controlled by Hezbollah.”
The opposition MP also warned that “this topic is worrying because of the Lebanese Armed Forces’ compliance with these talks as for its withdrawal from said areas; in addition, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has given orders to evacuate the Wadi Khaled police station of its security members.” On Saturday, military reinforcements have reached Syrian regime posts overlooking Lebanese northern border towns, Anadolu news agency reported.
Later Saturday, Free Syrian Army spokesperson Louay Almokdad said in a televised interview that Hezbollah is sending military reinforcements to the Lebanese-Syrian border areas.
Lebanon is sharply divided over the Syrian conflict, with the Sunni-led March 14 movement supporting the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad and the Shiite Hezbollah and its allies backing the regime
More than 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the outbreak of Syria's anti-regime revolt in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Lebanon responds to Syria warning
AFP/Lebanon must prevent fighters from crossing into Syria, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said after Damascus threatened to respond to cross-border infiltrations and started deploying troops on the Lebanese border.
Shortly after his office announced the comments, made in a meeting with the Lebanese community in the Ivory Coast during an official visit, witnesses on Saturday reported a Syrian troop buildup along parts of the border with Lebanon. Lebanon's stability depends "on all of us... not sending militants to Syria and not receiving them," Suleiman said, adding "we must commit ourselves to neutrality."
Suleiman said he had tasked Lebanon's army with "the arrest of any militants intending to fight [in Syria], whether for the opposition or not."
A statement released by Prime Minister Najib Miqati's office said the premier had met the army chief to discuss "the measures being taken by the Lebanese military... on the border with Syria to prevent the infiltration of militants and arms smuggling operation." Syria warned on Thursday that its forces would fire into Lebanon if "terrorist gangs" continued to infiltrate the country.
"These past 36 hours, armed terrorist gangs have infiltrated Syrian territory in large numbers from Lebanon," the Syrian foreign ministry said, in a message quoted by official news agency SANA.
"Syrian forces are showing restraint by not striking these gangs inside Lebanese territory to prevent them crossing into Syria, but this will not go on indefinitely," it said in a message to its Lebanese counterpart.
A Lebanese government source, speaking to AFP on Saturday, said Beirut took the warning "very seriously" and that "intensive consultations are underway to find the best way to control the border."
On Saturday afternoon, witnesses in villages along Lebanon's northern border reported an increased Syrian troop presence on the Syrian side, visible from villages including Wadi Khaled and Al-Arida.
Lebanon's opposition March 14th movement, which opposes the Damascus regime, has called for the army to deploy along the border with Syria to halt the flow of arms and militants, and protect Lebanese territory. Beirut has officially pledged neutrality in the violence engulfing its neighbor, but has found itself increasingly embroiled in the civil war. Lebanon's opposition backs the revolt, which entered its third year on Friday, while the Shiite Hezbollah and its allies stand by the Syrian regime. Violence has already spilled over into Lebanon on several occasions, causing fatalities, and on Thursday the UN Security Council expressed "grave concern" about cross-border attacks.

Beirut on edge after Sheikhs assaulted
Now Lebanon/Tensions rose in Beirut late Sunday evening following attacks against Sunni Sheikhs in Shiite neighborhoods, sparking anger as protesters cut roads and armed men appeared on the streets of Beirut's Tariq al-Jedideh neighborhood. Two Sheikhs, identified as Mazen Hariri and Ahmad Fakhran, were beaten in the central Beirut neighborhood of Khandaq al-Ghamik while walking from Downtown Beirut's Mohammad al-Amin Mosque, the National News Agency reported. Meanwhile, another sheikh, identified as Omar Imami, was assaulted in the South Beirut suburb of Shiyyah, Lebanon's state agency added.
Following the incident, protesters in Sunni areas of Lebanon's capital began cutting roads, as tension rose in the city. Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir checked up on two of the wounded Sheikhs in the Makassed Hospital in Beirut’s Tariq al-Jedideh neighborhood, as hundreds of young men with Islamist flags gathered outside the building to protest against the attack. The protesters then marched to the nearby Imam Ali Mosque, where a number of them started firing their weapons into the air, an eyewitness told NOW. Following the gathering and prayers, the angry Sunni youths rushed to the Kola roundabout and began burning tires and garbage dumpsters. Smoke rose into the air all across the Kola roundabout that links the Sidon-Beirut highway to the central areas of Lebanon’s capital.Armed men could be seen roaming the streets of Tariq al-Jedideh, the eyewitness said, adding that traffic was at a minimal. As the night wore on, the Lebanese army deployed to on the western side of the Kola roundabout across from Tariq al-Jedideh, the eyewitness added. Local media outlets reported that roads were also cut in Beirut's Tayouneh neighborhood as well as in Sidon. Amid the growing tension, the Lebanese army announced in a statement that it had raided the homes of men suspected in the attacks, arresting five of them. Lebanon's top Sunni cleric, Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, called for "self-restraint" following the incident. Meanwhile, Lebanese Premier Najib Miqati wrote late Sunday night on his Twitter account, "May God protect Lebanon from these [agitations] and aggressors from any party will be held accountable."Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel also visited the Makassed Hospital in Tariq al-Jedideh, saying afterward that he had spoken with Speaker Nabih Berri—the leader of the Shiite Amal Movement—who stressed security forces need to take action against the perpetrators of the Sheikhs’ assaults, MTV reported.
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement condemned the attack on the Sheikhs in Khandaq al-Ghamik, saying the incident aimed to incite strife.Protesters gather Sunday outside the Imam Ali Mosque in Beirut's Tariq al-Jedideh. (NOW)Following the incident, MTV reported that supporters of the sheikhs blocked the road at Cite Sportive and Corniche al-Mazraa.

Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir: I have no problem with the army
Now Lebanon/Sidon’s Sunni Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir claimed that he is not in conflict with the Lebanese Armed Forces despite several confrontations between the army and the cleric’s supporters in recent weeks.
“I have no problem with the Lebanese army or the Shiite sect,” Assir was quoted as saying during a protest he called for Sunday afternoon in Sidon’s Al-Karama roundabout.
Assir has caused disturbances in Sidon in recent weeks following his calls to hold sit-ins in protest against the alleged deployment of gunmen affiliated with the Shiite party Hezbollah in apartments near his Bilal Bin Rabbah Mosque in Abra. The daily protests has necessitated the deployment of security forces in the southern city, with an entire brigade reportedly encircling the firebrand Sunni cleric’s Sidon mosque earlier in the week, blocking access to it. Sheikh Assir rose to prominence for his outspoken opposition to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his calls for disarming the Shiite party 'Hezbollah.

Future MP, MP Khaled Zahraman : Syria wants to plunge Lebanon into unrest
Now Lebanon/Future bloc MP Khaled Zahraman said that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is looking to cause conflict in Lebanon. “The Syrian regime seems to have taken the decision to [spark disturbances] across Lebanon,” Zahraman told Future TV on Sunday. The opposition lawmaker specified certain areas he claimed that the Syrian regime is planning to strike. “There are indicators of a military operation in Akkar, and [others of spurring conflict] in Tripoli which has seen its [security] situation deteriorate.” The Future official went on to say that Syrian regime forces “have the intention to enter Lebanese territory.” On Thursday, the Syrian regime warned Beirut that it might target “terrorists” on Lebanese territory if the state takes no action to stop them from entering into Syria. The protest note came following repeated deadly clashes along the Syria-Lebanon border in the two years of the conflict between the Assad regime and the rebel opposition which has so far claimed the lives of over 70,000 people.

Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun holds Miqati responsible for border violations
Now Lebanon/Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun said the country’s premier has failed to prevent disturbances in Lebanese border towns as a result of the Syrian war.
“I hold the prime minister responsible, because being neutral on the Syrian [conflict] means not allowing for the [conflict] to spill over to Lebanon,” Aoun said on Sunday following a visit he made to the Keserwan district.
The Free Patriotic Movement chief added that the border Lebanon shares with war-stricken Syria “should not remain open to armed men and weapons smuggling.” “It is every country’s responsibility to secure its border and not allowing them to be used to attack a neighboring state,” Aoun added. The FPM leader went on to urge security officials to “[control] the border and fight extremism.” The Lebanese government has insisted on maintaining a neutral stance regarding events in Syria, despite its disassociation policy being cast into doubt after Hezbollah was accused of providing military support to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and fighting against rebels in towns along the Syrian-Lebanese border. Elsewhere, Aoun criticized the representation of the Christians in the parliament. “The [majority] of Christian MPs in the parliament are not elected by the Christians, which makes the latter’s voice marginalized.” Christian concerns over their representation in the parliament emerged amid discussions over a new electoral law for the upcoming parliamentary elections. This prompted the leaders of Lebanon’s four major Christian parties – including the FPM - to endorse the Orthodox proposal, claiming it ensured fair representation for Lebanon's Christians. The Orthodox draft was approved by the joint parliamentary commissions but met with severe criticism from the Future Movement, Progressive Socialist Party and independent Christian MPs, as well as President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati, who warned that the proposal would lead to sectarian divisions in the country.

Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad: Security ‘chaos’ poses threat to elections, not electoral law issue
Now Lebanon/Lebanon’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayyad said it is security “chaos” that is threatening the upcoming parliamentary elections, not the adoption of a new electoral law.
“Security chaos caused by sectarian tension and armed groups who seek to close areas off to others, threaten the army, and rebel against state institutions are threatening [the sanctity of the] elections; it is not the debate over the adoption of a new law,” the National News Agency quoted Fayyad as saying during an event held on Sunday. The Hezbollah MP added that “while we stress the necessity of holding the parliamentary elections according to a new consensual law, those [in reference to the Future Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party] who are promising us a new law… have refused the most balanced of laws proposed during the sub-committee’s meetings.”
“We expect that what is being prepared lacks political balance, unity, and does not provide proper representation for Christians,” he continued. Earlier in March, Premier Najib Miqati and President Michel Suleiman signed off on a decree to hold the elections on June 9, a move that would have the elections held according to the current 1960 law if the country’s political parties fail to reach a consensus on a new electoral law.
March 8’s Change and Reform bloc party has called for the Orthodox law—which the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb backed—to be brought up for a vote in a general session of the parliament, but Speaker Nabih Berri has said that he would not convene the legislature until consensus can be reached on a law. However, sources told NOW the Future Movement and PSP have reached consensus on a mixed electoral law based on majoritarian voting in 26 electoral districts and proportional voting in 9 other constituencies which they will discuss with other parties and expect will get approval of the majority.

Lebanon’s National Liberal Party leader MP Dori Chamoun says March 14 still maintains unity
Now Lebanon/Lebanon’s National Liberal Party leader MP Dori Chamoun said that March 14 still maintains its unity in spite of differences in opinion regarding the electoral law issue. “The March 14 group is still cohesive and maintains its unity in spite of the differing opinions its parties hold about the electoral law issue,” the National News Agency quoted Chamoun as saying on Sunday. Lebanon’s political circles are currently debating prospective electoral law proposals that can be adopted for the upcoming parliamentary elections.Disagreement over the issues has hit the March 14 alliance after its main political party, the Future Movement, voiced its opposition to electoral laws based on proportional voting, while Lebanon’s four major Christian parties—Future Movement’s allies the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb—have expressed support for the Orthodox Gathering law, which calls for proportional voting along sectarian lines. Chamoun also reiterated that he is against the 1960 electoral law “which nobody wants. However, even if a better [law proposal] fails to be agreed upon, I will still run for the parliamentary elections.” “Holding the elections based on a bad law is better than not holding them at all,” the NLP leader added. Meanwhile, President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati, early in March, signed off on a decree to hold the elections on June 9, a move that would have the elections held according to the current 1960 law if the country’s political parties fail to reach a consensus on a new electoral law.

Jordan, Lebanon playing with "fire," Syrian daily says
AFP/Lebanon and Jordan are playing with fire by allowing jihadists and weapons to pass across their borders into Syria, the Syrian government daily Al-Thawra warned on Sunday."The fire of terrorism will consume not only Syria, but could spread to Lebanon and Jordan, particularly if these two countries intervene in the situation in Syria, ignoring the flow of armed men and weapons from their territory, or by participating directly in the conspiracy against Syria," the newspaper said."Jordan has opened its borders in recent days [allowing] passage of jihadists... whereas before it was satisfied with just facilitating the movement of elements trained on its territory by US intelligence," it added. "As for Lebanon, it is closing its eyes to the trafficking of weapons to Syria, led by elements that are not part of the government." On Friday, a security source in Damascus criticized Jordan, saying the kingdom has "opened its borders and is allowing to cross over [into Syria] jihadists and Croatian weapons bought by Saudi Arabia.""This can only intensify the conflict and cause more casualties," the source told AFP in Beirut on condition of anonymity. "There's been a change of attitude because up until now, Jordan had imposed strict controls on its border to prevent the passage of terrorists and weapons," said the source, blaming "pressure by countries that are hostile to Syria" for the change. And on Thursday, Syria's foreign ministry warned that it would retaliate if Lebanon continued to allow "armed terrorist gangs" to infiltrate.
"Syrian forces are showing restraint by not striking these gangs inside Lebanese territory to prevent them crossing into Syria, but this will not go on indefinitely," it said in a message to its Lebanese counterpart.
Beirut has officially pledged neutrality in the violence engulfing its neighbor, but has found itself increasingly embroiled in the civil war.
Lebanon's opposition backs the revolt, which entered its third year on Friday, while the Shiite Hezbollah and its allies stand by the Syrian regime.
Violence has already spilled over into Lebanon on several occasions, causing fatalities, and on Thursday the UN Security Council expressed "grave concern" about cross-border attacks.

Hezbollah MP Kamel Rifai denounces “attack” on Lebanon's Mufti
Now Lebanon/Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Kamel Rifai condemned the Future Movement’s “attack” on Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani after relations between him and the mainly Sunni party have soured of late.“There is a political party within the Sunni confession that has been trying to annul any political opinion that goes against its internal and regional political plan,” the National News Agency quoted Rifai as saying on Sunday.The Hezbollah lawmaker also spoke against the premier’s remarks that he would take action if the Mufti does not hold elections for a new Higher Islamic Council.
The March 8 official labeled the prime minister’s statement as “an encroachment on the Mufti’s authorities.”“We refuse any [offense against] Dar al-Fatwa,” Rifai added. On Wednesday, Premier Najib Miqati said he would hold an emergency meeting if the Mufti does not heed calls to convene the Higher Islamic Council before March 16 in order to elect a new council, a statement Qabbani characterized as “threatening.”
In November 2012, Qabbani called for a new election for the Higher Islamic Council at the end of the year, but clerics in the body allied with the Future Movement opposed the move, after which the Grand Mufti reversed his decision. The mostly Sunni Future Movement and Qabbani are at loggerheads over the management of the Dar al-Fatwa religious body. Qabbani later had a disagreement with the Higher Islamic Council as well, after the latter extended its own term without the Mufti’s approval. Reports speculate that there are clerics in the council who aim to unseat Qabbani as Grand Mufti.

Obama hails new Israel government
AFP/President Barack Obama looks forward to "working closely" with the new Israeli government formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the US leader's visit, officials said Saturday."President Obama looks forward to working closely with the Prime Minister and the new government to address the many challenges we face and advance our shared interest in peace and security," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

Ex-army chief Yaalon named Israel's new defense minister
AFP/Former chief of staff Moshe Yaalon was named Israel's new defense minister on Sunday to succeed Ehud Barak, a statement from the ruling rightwing Likud party said. "In a period so critical to the security of the state of Israel, with all the region around us in turmoil, it is important that this position be filled by a man so rich in experience as Moshe Yaalon," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement released by the party. "In the name of all the citizens of Israel, I wish him success."The bespectacled 62-year-old has made a name for himself as a strong supporter of Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, but has shown himself to be more moderate regarding Iran, whose nuclear program Israel sees as a bid to build a weapons capability. On Saturday evening, Netanyahu formally notified President Shimon Peres that after 40 days of tortuous negotiations he had formed a new government, just as a legal deadline for him to do so expired. The new government will be sworn in on Monday, just two days before the arrival of US President Barack Obama on his first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories since being elected more than four years ago. The rightwing coalition will control 68 of the 120 seats in parliament and comprise Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu list (31 seats), the centrist Yesh Atid (19 seats), the far-right national-religious Jewish Home (12 seats) and the centrist HaTnuah (six seats).

French wish to arm rebels behind Syria’s threat to Lebanon: FSA
March 17, 2013/ The Daily Star /BEIRUT: A recent Syrian threat to target rebels in Lebanon came in response to a French decision to arm those seeking to topple President Bashar Assad, the media coordinator for the Free Syrian Army said in remarks published Sunday. “The letter sent from the Syrian Foreign Ministry to Lebanese authorities is in retaliation for a French decision to arm the rebels with missiles,” political and media coordinator Louay al-Meqdad told Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper. Damascus, in a letter sent to Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry Thursday, warned Beirut it would attack Syrian rebels in Lebanon, reiterating its claims that arms and gunmen were being smuggled from the poorly delineated border. The letter said Syrian forces were still exercising self-restraint by not striking “concentrations of armed gangs inside Lebanese territory in order to prevent them from crossing into Syrian territory.”“But this will not last indefinitely,” the letter warned. France and Britain said Thursday they wanted an EU arms embargo to Syria lifted, arguing Europe could not allow the Syrian people to be massacred. The EU rejected the proposal Friday but European Union foreign ministers will consider the issue again next week. The FSA official also told An-Nahar that Syrian rebels would withdraw from border towns in Lebanon and return to Syria if the Lebanese Army could ensure proper control of the shared border. “The Free Syria Army is ready to cease fire and draw back its units toward Syrian territories on condition that the Lebanese Army controls the joint border with Syria,” he told the Lebanese daily. President Michel Sleiman stressed over the weekend that the Lebanese Army needed to prevent the infiltration of fighters across the border with Syria and said he had issued instructions to the military to arrest militants. He also reiterated commitment to Lebanon’s self-disassociation policy toward developments in the region, particularly in Syria.
Violence has repeatedly spilled over into Lebanon as a result of the two-year-old crisis in Syria.

Syria’s pro-Assad hackers infiltrate Human Rights Watch Web site and Twitter feed
Posted by Max Fisher on March 17, 2013
Screenshot taken Sunday 4:55 p.m. EST (Washington Post)
Hackers associated with the Syrian Electronic Army, which supports President Bashar al-Assad, appear to have hacked into the Web site and Twitter feed of Human Rights Watch. The NGO, one of the world’s most respected, has conducted a number of searing investigations into the human rights abuses of Assad’s regime since fighting began in Syria. The hackers posted messages announcing their presence and condemning Human Rights Watch (HRW). “All Your reports are FALSE !! Stop lying!!!” one message read. The messages on the HRW site redirect to the homepage of the Syrian Electronic Army. A screenshot of the hacked HRW page appears at the top of this page. Ironically, it included the tags “Syria” and “Press freedom.” The hackers also appeared to have seized the HRW Twitter account, which has over a half-million followers. This tweet directs readers to the above, hacked page:

Syria rebels seize security compound near Golan
Yazen Homsy/By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
Sun Mar 17, 2013/AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels on Sunday seized a Syrian military intelligence compound in the southern Hauran Plain near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, stepping up attacks in the strategic region which stretches to the outskirts of the capital Damascus, rebel commanders said. The frontier, quiet since Israel and Syria agreed on a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 1974, has turned volatile in recent weeks, after opposition brigades stepped up attacks against army and intelligence compounds dotting the agricultural plain stretching from the border with Jordan to the Damascus outskirts.
At least 70,000 people have been killed since a peaceful protest movement led by Syria's Sunni Muslim majority broke out two years ago against four decades of family rule by President Bashar al-Assad, who belongs to the minority Alawite sect, and his father, the late Hafez al-Assad. The demonstrations were met by bullets, eventually sparking a Sunni backlash and a mostly Islamist armed insurgency increasingly spearheaded by the al Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front, creating a political dilemma for regional and Western powers and deepening the Shi'ite-Sunni divide in the Middle East. The compound near the Yarmouk River in the town of Shagara, 8 km (5 miles) from a ceasefire line with Israel, fell after a five-day siege, the sources said. "We have completely taken over this security compound this morning. It's a command center for the shabbiha (pro-Assad militia). They retreated after strong blows dealt to them during a five day siege," said Abu Iyas al-Haurani, a member of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade. "Anyone who was arrested in the Yarmouk Valley was sent to this military intelligence headquarters to be tortured and it has a strategic importance. With its fall we have completed our liberation of the town of Shagara," he added. Another rebel commander said the aim of the attacks in western Hauran is to open a new front in the fight against Assad that would stretch troops deployed in Hauran, cradle of the two-year revolt, and to secure a supply route to the western and southern approaches of Damascus, where battles have been fierce.
Assad's elite forces, however, remain dug in at Qasioun Mountain in the center of Damascus.
DAMASCUS BATTLES
On Sunday battles broke out in the southern Damascus suburb of Sbeineh, a residential area on the main road leading south into Hauran after opposition fighters stormed a compound housing shabbiha militia, activists in the capital said. Dozens of people were killed and wounded in the fighting and in ensuing army shelling in the town, they added.
Rebel brigades overran last week a missile squadron in Khan Sheihoun, a town southwest of Damascus on the road to the Golan, and seized an army barracks.
Further south, in the old center of Deraa, Hauran's main city, situated at the border with Jordan, rebels were trying to take the Omari mosque, scene of killings at a pro-democracy demonstration on March 18, 2011 that sparked the national revolt, but security forces positioned at a nearby post office were fighting back, activist Thaer al-Abdallah said from Deraa.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague interview with Sky News, said on Sunday that Britain has "taken no decision at the moment to send arms to anybody in Syria".
He said sending arms to the opposition had to be weighed against the risks of "international terrorism and extremism taking root in Syria, the risks of Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan being destabilized, and the risks of extreme humanitarian distress."(Additional reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi and Tim Castle; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Lebanese Jew: 'We want an MP'
Carla El Zayed/Now Lebanon
If one were to ask Lebanese about their opinions on the Orthodox Gathering draft electoral law, the answers would probably either be “odiously sectarian” or “rectifying representation and alleviating fears.” Yet there is a third opinion we have yet to hear about. “Voters exclusively elect candidates of their own sect. Christian voters of minority sects shall vote for minority candidates whereas Muslim voters of minority sects that are not represented by any parliamentary seat shall have the right to vote for the Muslim candidates of their choice regardless of their sects. Jewish voters shall have the right to vote for the Muslim or Christian candidates of their choice.”
The above passage, paragraph C of Article 2 of the Orthodox Gathering offered, knowingly or unknowingly, a way out of elections for those who wish: Be a Jew and vote for the Muslim or Christian candidate of your choice. Some opponents of the Orthodox Gathering draft on social networking sites are actually pondering the idea of converting to Judaism in order to take part “freely” in the 2013 elections should the draft be adopted in the plenary session of parliament and come into effect. But what do ethnic Jews want?
“Our community should be represented in parliament. We are the only Jewish community in the Arab world that enjoys constitutional protection, but we are not politically represented,” says Michel Zilkha, a Lebanese Jew who decided to speak publicly to NOW because “it is important not to remain anonymous if we want to obtain our rights.”
No electoral law ever adopted in Lebanon has earmarked seats for the Jewish community. The 128 seats of the current parliament, including those of minority sects, are divided equally between Christians and Muslims.
Former Deputy Speaker Elie al-Ferzli, who is considered ‘the father’ of the Orthodox Gathering draft, explained to NOW that “Jews can file for candidacy if the community is accounted for as part of the minority sects’ share.” However, Ferzli went on to say that this seat is earmarked for Christian minorities in the Beirut constituency, and is part of the [Christian minorities’] share. Following the Ta’if Accord, the Alawite community, which is considered a minority, obtained two seats of its own, one in Tripoli and the other in Akkar.
The Jewish community’s attempts to gain parliamentary representation date back to 1937, a year that witnessed parliamentary reforms bringing the number of parliamentary seats from 26 to 60. The Jewish community hoped then that it would obtain a seat as part of the new bloc. Joseph Farhi, president of the Jewish Council, visited then-President Émile Eddé, said at the time: “It is vital for our interests to be represented in parliament.” Eddé was receptive in principle to this demand, but [French] High Commissioner [Damien] de Martel showed little enthusiasm for earmarking a parliamentary seat for the Jewish community.
The battle for seats between the government of Kheireddine al-Ahdab and its opponents ended with the adoption of new divisions with 63 seats (42 elected and 21 appointed ones) with one seat added for minorities. Non-Jew Dr. Ayoub Tabet was appointed to fill it and the Jewish community, which numbered 6,000 at the time, remained unrepresented in parliament.
This history supports Zilkha’s belief that Jews have no seats in parliament “due to a sacrosanct agreement between Christians and Muslims” on the division of power. He asserts that Lebanon’s Jews need someone to represent them and defend their rights, saying: “During the war, our properties were [forcefully] occupied and when my father showed the police court-obtained documents to recover buildings he owned, they said: ‘when you Jews return Palestine to us, we will return your buildings to you.’” He went on: “This was the case with many Jews who lost their property because we do not have any representative or political party to stand for us.”
Despite the ‘privilege’ offered by the Orthodox Gathering draft, Zilkha believes that it is pointless to take part in the elections: “I think I will not vote because we are not represented.” Many among Lebanon’s Jews have changed their religious affiliation on their IDs out of fear of persecution. “It might come as a surprise to some that many companies currently operating in Lebanon are owned by Jews.” He revealed that Lebanon is home to about 1,000 Jews, both residents and visitors, adding: “Shabbat dinners are secretly held, and so are celebrations featuring popular artists.”
When asked about his ties as a Jew with the State of Israel, Zilkha said: “I get this question all the time. We are Lebanese Jews, much like Lebanese Christians and Lebanese Muslims. We are stuck here because Lebanon is our nation and our identity. Lebanon is there whenever we speak, live, eat, and breathe. Yet some dare say we are not ‘Lebanese’, so what are we then? The [Lebanese] Jews who emigrated to Europe and America went to cities with a Lebanese diaspora. This is no coincidence, for we are one people. The majority of them refused to go to Israel even though they were offered security and money. The majority chose to go to Paris, New York, or Montreal instead. We are Lebanese, Lebanese Jews who never emigrated to Israel as did the Jews of Iraq and Syria because they were protected as a community. Israel, for me, is like Mecca for Muslims and the Vatican for Christians: It is nothing more than a religious link.”
With regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict, Zilkha said that Arab Jews and Palestinians have paid the dearest price: “Jews were massacred in Europe and they wanted a country to protect them. Israel did, albeit at the expense of the Palestinians, which were neither in Europe nor took part in the Holocaust, so why are they suffering? What Europe’s Jews did was to come up with the idea of a homogeneous ‘Jewish people’ whereas we, in reality, are brothers sharing the same faith.” His concludes: “This is partly why some believe that every Jew is Israeli.”
In this context, Zilkha described what he referred to as the ‘marginalization’ targeting Eastern Jews in Israel, saying: “Leadership positions in Israel all went to the Ashkenazi (Western Jews). Still, the other side is also to blame for this marginalization. When the state of Israel was founded in 1948, Jews in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere were evicted from their homes. Why? These innocent people who have nothing to do with what is happening to the Palestinians were thrown out of their respective countries following thousands of years of contribution to the rich culture of these communities. Palestinians and Arab Jews have been victims of many mistakes indeed.”
Zilkha is planning to return to Lebanon as soon as he finishes his studies in the United States. He hopes that the opening of the Magen Abraham synagogue, which is scheduled for this summer, will act as a prelude to a revival of the community’s presence in Lebanon. “We will finally be able to pray in public rather than in homes, as we used to do during the civil war… People will go to the synagogue again,” he said. Still, his hope is fraught with caution: “Let us not be naïve. Lebanon is still a dangerous country… Our businesses and properties were stolen and the state did not stand up for us. My family lost hope a long time ago but it stayed in Lebanon because we had nowhere else to go.”
**This article is a translation of the original Arabic

Mufti’s transfer of managerial duties ‘symbolic’
March 18, 2013/By Wassim Mroueh
The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani’s decision to transfer managerial duties at Dar al-Fatwa to religious scholars is a symbolic move and aims to show that the institution’s decisions are independent, said Sheikh Mohammad Anis Arwadi, member of the Higher Islamic Council. “It is not the significant move some are implying ... by this move, his eminence is saying that the decisions at Dar al-Fatwa are independent and cannot be hijacked by a certain political group,” Arwadi told The Daily Star Sunday.
“The grand mufti is delivering a message that Dar al-Fatwa has institutions, each institution is managed by a sheikh and at the top is the grand mufti,” Arwadi added.
Qabbani transferred the management of Dar al-Fatwa to religious scholars Saturday. Arwadi said the move does not mean that the mufti has relinquished his powers. “He only gives up his powers if he resigns.”
Qabbani said he would remain grand mufti until his term expires in September 2014.
A source from Dar al-Fatwa said Qabbani did not relinquish any his powers; on the contrary, he made his decision in line with them.
“He tasked religious scholars with the day-to-day administrative management of Dar al-Fatwa, he has the authority to ask anyone to handle this task,” the source said.Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other former prime ministers urged Qabbani last week to convene the Higher Islamic Council no later than March 16 in order to set a date for electing a new council, which is the top administrative body for Sunnis.
They complained that by repeatedly turning down requests to hold a session, Qabbani was disrupting the functioning of the Higher Islamic Council, which he heads.
The officials also said they would take unspecified measures in the event that Qabbani turn down their request.
But the grand mufti responded in a letter to Mikati Friday that he could not convene the council, as its term had expired last year. Qabbani set elections for a new council on April 14.
Contrary to Qabbani’s bidding, 22 members of the council, close to the Future Movement of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, extended the body’s term last December. This new term would expire by the end of this year.
They argue their decision is lawful because it was published in the Official Gazette and that Qabbani’s call for elections in April is illegal, as he did not consult them before making it.
Ties between Qabbani and the Future Movement have deteriorated over the past two years.
Dozens of protesters gathered near the headquarters of Dar al-Fatwa in the Beirut neighborhood of Aisha Bakkar Saturday in support of Qabbani.
Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, Ahmad Merhi said the gathering was unplanned and aimed at supporting Qabbani.
“This meeting and spontaneous movement by Beirut’s youth comes to affirm that this organization is fortified and should not be used for political purposes,” Merhi said.
Sheikh Hisham Khalifeh, the general director of the Islamic Endowment, welcomed the protesters and relayed to them the grand mufti’s appreciation of their support.
Khalifeh expressed hope that politicians would take notice of their show of support to the mufti. “We hope that this movement will represent the return of wisdom to the minds of our politicians and [we hope] they will reconsider their thoughts, and that Dar al-Fatwa will not be treated this way,” he said.
“We refuse to divide unity among Muslims just like the grand mufti, who has held stances calling for the elections at the Higher Islamic Council to bring about a new council, rather than [the current] one that only convenes to issue political statements,” he added.

How long can Netanyahu’s disparate coalition survive?
DEBKAfile Special Report March 17, 2013/
After being sworn in Monday night, March 18, Binyamin Netanyahu’s third government gets down to its first order of business the next day. Does anyone know what that business is? The answer is no, because each of the components of this roughly welded coalition government - his own Likud, Yesh Atid (Future), Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) and Hatnuah - has its own well-defined political, social, economic and religious agendas.
Melding those agenda into agreed guidelines for action is obviously a Herculean or even an impossible task, which is why some top people in Jerusalem say half-jokingly that the new lineup will need “two years grace” – that is, if it lasts one year.Even Netanyahu (“Bibi”) kidded the disgruntled members of his Likud members who didn’t make it into the abbreviated government of 22 ministers by wishing them better luck next time. That would presume his winning a fourth term and beating the record of Israel’s founder and three-term prime minister David Ben Gurion.
As this government sallies out into terra incognita, the only sure thing is that four of its new leading lights are sure of what they want - whether their stint is short or long - and the prime minister will have his work cut out to run them as a team.
1. Ehud Barak’s successor as defense minister, commando and former chief of staff Moshe Yaalon: He has won a chance, which any professional soldier must envy, to remold the Israeli Defense Forces into a national army better suited to the exigencies of the first half of the 21st century and the wars of the future.
In line with his vision, he would scrap the present structure of corps, divisions, brigades and battalions in favor of an army based on compact fighting units – mostly of special forces – each capable of acting autonomously and independent of other forces.
If Yaalon gets his way, the massive ground forces and heavy theater tanks corps will be relegated to the past. The air force and navy, with their long range missiles, submarines and fast assault ships, will no longer be structured as professional corps but revamped as forces taxed with guarding Israel’s vital strategic depth by sea and air.
However, Defense Minister Yaalon may not get the time, money or trained manpower he needs for his program, given the rapid changes overtaking the Middle East and the advances Iran is making in the pursuit of a nuclear weapon.For US President Barack Obama, when he comes to Israel for a visit Wednesday, March 20, Yaalon’s selection as defense minister is not altogether bad news, despite his pessimism about any dealing with the Palestinians: As Strategic Affairs Minister in the previous Netanyahu government, he insisted that it was essential for any Israeli attack on Iran to have the full cooperation of the United States.
2. The former TV anchor Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid – Future) has made his political debut with a leap to the top government echelon as finance minister and carved out plum spots for his previously unknown faction members, who are as untried in government as himself.
They campaigned vigorously for military service for all, including the ultra-Orthodox and Israeli Arabs, and benefits for the middle class.
Now he must sit down to the forbidding task of drafting the next state budget at top speed. Netanyahu jokes about heading a provisional administration, whereas Lapid speaks seriously of the government lasting eighteen months to two years at most before it falls and an early election which dumps the prime minister of today and installs him in his place.
This calculus presents the Yesh Atid leader with a dilemma: He could try designing a popular budget, but then Netanyahu would reap the same benefits as himself in the coming election. On the other hand, he might decide to prove he is a statesman and compose a responsibly balanced budget, incorporating essential spending cuts and painful measures for the very classes he pledged to promote.
But then, he would be a fool to face the voter precipitately.
His political fortunes in the foreseeable future are therefore tied to those of the prime minister he aspires to displace, like it or not.
3. Former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, came in from the political cold to join the government as Justice Minister claiming that all she really wanted was to promote and lead peace talks with the Palestinians. This mission is likely to prove elusive. Not a single Palestinian official of any rank is willing to talk to her. She would also have to overcome obstacles placed in her path by many of her new colleagues in cabinet. Such as he next new minister.
4. Naftali Bennett, a software tycoon, was able to revive the fortunes of the veteran National Religious Party and repackage it as the pro-settlement Habayit Hayehudi (the Jewish Home). For the horse trading with Netanyahu, he formed an alliance with Lapid and came away with a fistful of high-wire jobs: minister of industry, trade and labor, he is also tabbed to head the cabinet committees charged with finding ways and means of reducing the cost of living and breaking up the concentration of economic power, and even has also won a coveted place on the inner security cabinet now pared down from 15 to 7 members.
What Bennett has clearly demonstrated is that he wants a finger in every pie.
Netanyahu has demonstrated a gift for survival in the past. Will it carry him through his next ordeal?

Iran’s Nuclear Program, a Pawn in a US-Russian Deal
By : Huda Al Hussein/Alsharq Alawsat
Iran left the meeting with the P5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, United States, plus Germany) in Kazakhstan—which took place in the country’s former capital Almaty—under the impression that what was offered was both constructive and pragmatic. Eight months after the Baghdad conference, the P5+1 group acknowledged that it would have to come forth with “acceptable” proposals based on new grounds, with four prominent points:
Firstly, suspending Iran’s uranium enrichment at the 20 percent level only, as opposed to the suspension of all enrichment operations, preserving its right to a 5 percent enrichment level. Secondly, reducing activities in the Fordo facility and terminating the installation of its centrifuge equipment, instead of the total closure of the facility as was previously suggested. Thirdly, transferring the 20 percent enriched uranium to a third party abroad under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), or reprocessing it to a 5 percent enrichment level and keeping it inside Iran. Fourthly, increasing the IAEA’s supervision of Iranian nuclear sites.
In return, the group pledged to provide Iran with uranium slides required for operating the Tehran Nuclear Research Center for medical objectives, and to refrain from seeking the implementation of new international sanctions. The pledges also included lifting sanctions imposed on the Iranian gold and jewel trade as well as on Iranian petrochemicals, and deposing the ban on the purchase of aircrafts and spare parts to ensure the safety of civil Iranian aviation.
According to an informed Iranian source, Iran is anticipating that the upcoming expert-level meeting in Istanbul will focus on what is required from Iran and the returns it will gain. According to Iran, “cooperation must be met with cooperation.”
On 24 February 2013 the British Daily Telegraph published an article and satellite images showing steam rising from the Arak heavy water production plant, indicating that it is ready for operation. The newspaper accused Iran of attempting to produce the plutonium needed for the construction of a nuclear bomb.
According to a nuclear expert, although these images have been published recently they are not new, and the IAEA reports that the heavy water plant has been functioning for years. Satellite images were used to confirm the status of operation yet the IAEA stated that “one cannot deduce from these images the actual amount of heavy water produced”.
The reactor at Arak heavy water production plant is still under construction. It requires 90 tons of heavy water in order to begin operating, and the Iranians have yet to attain such a quantity. Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, the Iranian vice president and head of Iran’s nuclear program, stated that the reactor will begin functioning by early 2014. However, according to a former IAEA official, such optimism is irrelevant in view of the current heavy water production rate, and especially since the manufacture of 20 percent enriched uranium is yet to begin at the Isfahan plant, despite the fact that the fundamental elements of uranium conversion have already been observed there. The nuclear expert added, “we have to expect the Arak reactor to be a real danger by the second half of 2014, when the production of plutonium will begin”. It is worth nothing that heavy water production, the construction of the Arak plant, and the manufacturing of fuel all are restricted activities for Iran according to the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
When the plant begins to operate, it is estimated to produce 8 to 12 kilograms of plutonium annually, providing another means for Iran to acquire nuclear capabilities. This type of reactor, and volume of plutonium, were used previously in the Indian CIRUS reactor (providing the uranium for India’s first nuclear experiment in 1974) as well as in the Pakistani Khushab nuclear complex (that witnessed an explosion in April 2008 due to a gas leak) in order to produce heavy water in the Punjab province.
Such reactors are used to produce plutonium for mass-destruction programs, not for peaceful purposes or as an alternative to the Tehran Nuclear Research Center, as the Iranians claim. The original Arak plant blueprint contained a design for a large hot cell, which could isolate plutonium from the fuel in use, a detail that Iran withdrew later on when questioned by the IAEA about the actual purpose of such a design.
Nevertheless, according to the nuclear expert, if work commences at the Arak plant before a political solution with Iran is reached, a problem is bound to emerge. The international community will then have to deal with this before the reactor receives the necessary nuclear fuel. In turn, “a schedule must be drawn up and monitored.”
From its side, Israel senses that diplomatic talks with Iran will be to no avail and it will find itself forced to prevent Iran—regardless of America’s standpoint—from producing the plutonium necessary for manufacturing a bomb in Arak. This would entail a military strike before work commences on the plan, the same tactic used by Israel with regards to the Osirak plant in Iraq. If the Arak plant was to start functioning, an assault on it would be extremely dangerous in terms of the risks of unleashing highly radioactive fuel.
Even if a political settlement is reached with Iran, the international community must oversee the Arak plant before it receives its first shipment of fuel, even if under the protection of the IAEA. It is highly probable that Iran will withdraw from the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons when the plant is in operation, and so the danger is impending. There are no sufficient guarantees that this won’t happen under the current regime.
In addition to the Arak plant there is also the Bushehr reactor, control of which is due to be handed over from Russia to the Iranian authorities this month. However, the facility is likely to be out of action for two or three months due to emergency problems with the main power generator.
According to international experts, handing this reactor over to the Iranian authorities does not mean it will really be in the hands of the Iranians. Inevitably, Iran will exploit this event to serve its propaganda in the media as well as in the political sphere. However, the operation of the plant will remain under the supervision of the Russian administration, given that Iran has signed three agreements regarding the Bushehr plant for the next two years: One agreement entitles the Russians to continue operating the plant, a second one allows them to maintain it, and the third entails providing Iran with expertise and technical support.
Thus far, the Iranians have refused to sign the Convention on Nuclear Safety. The reason for this could in fact be political since some Iranian politicians, in meetings with IAEA officials, have expressed a strong desire to sign the convention as it will offer them the chance to adopt modern techniques and methods of nuclear safety, and will entitle them to participate in specialized courses and conferences. However, the Iranian leadership is still seeking to maintain its bargaining chips with regards to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Furthermore, Iran does not want to completely reassure its neighboring states, claiming that the signing of an early “warning agreement” is more than enough for now.
It is inevitable that Iran will be part of an anticipated American-Russian and deal. What about China and North Korea?

UN report reveals Iranian violence against Bahai's

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT03/18/2013/
Research discloses extreme state-sponsored discrimination against minority community, says Bahai's "systematically deprived."
The Baha'i Shrine of the Bab Photo: The World Baha’i Center BERLIN - Two new studies have disclosed state-sponsored violence directed at the Bahai religious minority in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, announced the findings of his report last week in Geneva. According to his report titled “On the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Shaheed found “that 110 Bahais are currently detained in Iran for exercising their faith, including two women, Mrs. Zohreh Nikayin (Tebyanian) and Mrs. Taraneh Torabi (Ehsani), who are reportedly nursing infants in prison. It was further estimated that 133 Bahais are currently awaiting summonses to serve their sentences, and that another 268 Bahais are reportedly awaiting trial.”
The UN report noted “members of the Bahai community are reported to continue to be systematically deprived of a range of social and economic rights, including access to higher education. Informed sources have reported that authorities from three different universities expelled five Bahai students in November 2012.”
In a second March report issued by the Bahai International Community titled “Violence with Impunity: Acts of aggression against Iran’s Bahai community,” persecution between 2005 and 2012 was analyzed. According to the study, “this persecution has intensified in recent years. Since 2005, more than 660 Bahais have been arrested, and, by the end of 2012, at least 115 Bahais were languishing in prison The increase in arrests has been accompanied by a rising tide of violence against Bahais, marked by incidents that include arson attacks, anti-Bahai graffiti, hate speech, the desecration of Bahai cemeteries, and assaults on schoolchildren.”
A leading international expert on the Bahai community in Iran, Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, told The Jerusalem Post that the in-depth BIC study is “excellent.” Wahdat-Hagh, a senior fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels, examined the 45-page BIC report for a series of articles in a German newspaper. Since Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in 1979, successive Islamic administrations have cracked down on the Bahai, Iran’s largest non-Muslim faith, a peaceful religious community founded by Bahá'u'lláh in Iran in 1863.
The Bahai religion accepts and recognizes the right and universality of all religions. There are an estimated 350,OOO Bahai in Iran.
The BIC depicts a systematic form of repression against Bahais in all walks of life in Iran.
The report states, “In 2007, a 16-year-old Bahai high-school student in a suburb of Tehran found herself subject to repeated harassment by a group of religious fanatics who had apparently been monitoring her movements. During November and December 2007, these anonymous individuals threatened to kill her, made harassing phone calls, and then one day forced her into a car and assaulted her, breaking her glasses, before she managed to escape.”The report continued, “In October-November 2010, more than a dozen Bahai-owned properties were the target of arson attacks in the city of Rafsanjan.”
The role of Iran’s regime in state-sanctioned violence and judicial indifference was noted in the BIC report. “Yet many if not most of these attacks bear the imprint of direct involvement by government agents, or, at least, official sanction or encouragement. And even if some are the work of ordinary citizens acting simply out of religious intolerance, there can be little doubt that their passions were inflamed by official anti-Bahai propaganda, and that they feel free to act because they have no fear of prosecution or punishment,” wrote the authors.
The BIC study urged the international community to ramp up the pressure on Iran’s regime. “History has shown that the only real protection for Iranian Bahais comes from continued international outcry and action. The last three decades have proved that Iranian authorities are indeed cognizant of international opinion and that pressure to meet their obligations under international human rights law can have an effect.”

High-Ranking Syrian Military Officer Defects
By: Asharq Al-Awsat
In another setback for regime, Al-Assad’s head of logistics defects
Syrians step on a picture of Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez al-Assad during a protest marking two years since the start of the uprising, in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman. (R)
Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—A high-ranking Syrian military officer and approximately 20 soldiers defected from the embattled Syrian army in two separate incidents on Saturday.
Appearing in a YouTube Video yesterday, Brigadier General Mohammed Khalouf was shown dressed in a camouflage military uniform and said he had planned his escape with the opposition movement for some time.
The video, which could not be independently verified, shows a man with white hair in civilian clothes getting into a car and a voice off-screen naming him as General Mohammed Khalouf, head of logistics, who has defected.”
The man speaking in the video says that Khalouf and his family were being escorted out of Syria on Friday.
Activists said they waited before reporting the defection to ensure that Khalouf and his family had crossed safely into neighboring Jordan.
There was no comment about the defection on Syrian state news outlets.
Defection of high-ranking military and political figures has slowed in past months.
However, a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) published this week estimated that Assad’s forces, thought to be more than 300,000-strong at the start of the uprising two years ago, were now at a much lower effective strength and were likely to diminish further.
The IISS said that perhaps 50,000 of the Syrian army’s elite troops could be depended on for loyalty. Most of them were likely to be from Assad’s minority Alawite sect, which has dominated the country for more than four decades.Many deserters report that their units were held inside bases to prevent their escape.
Since the March 2011 start of the conflict between Assad’s regime and rebel forces, dozens of senior army officers including some 40 generals have defected and headed to Turkey.
Turkish authorities have refused to give the exact number of Syrian defectors, who typically join the anti-Assad Free Syrian Army.
Former Syrian premier Riad Hijab defected to Jordan in August 2012.
Syria’s civil war began as a popular street movement but has evolved into an increasingly sectarian conflict. The opposition has been mostly led by the Sunni Muslim population, with Alawites and other minorities mostly throwing their weight behind Assad.