Bible Quotation for today/Jesus Enters Jerusalem
John's Gospel, (12/12-19), as follows : "On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt. ”His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they had done these things to Him. The multitude therefore that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it. For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.” Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus."

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources

Pakistan and Iran: Dominating Afghanistan/By: Huda Al Husseini /Asharq Alawsat/March 24/13

Iran: A Clash of Religion and Nationalism/By: Amir Taheri /Asharq Alawsat/March 24/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 24/13

Pope Francis tells Benedict: "We're brothers"
Ban Stresses the Need for Lebanese Unity after Miqati Resignation
Canada Concerned Following Collapse of Lebanese Government
London Urges 'More Consensual Government' after Miqati Resignation
Suleiman Accepts from Miqati Govt. Resignation, Tasking it with Caretaking Role
Lebanese PM tenders Cabinet resignation, EU ‘concerned’ over Lebanon
Consultations to Form New Govt. Start next Week as Miqati Says Resignation 'Protects Lebanon'
3 Dead, 4 Hurt in Tripoli Clashes, Army Readies to Enter Jabal Mohsen as Part of Security Plan
Charbel from Tripoli: New Govt. Must Be Formed Quickly as Lebanon is in Danger
Mikati throws in the towel, opening door for dialogue
Sniper fire kills one in Tripoli, Mufti calls for calm
Aoun slams Mikati motives to resign as ‘silly’
Aoun Accuses Suleiman of Harming Christian Rights: Miqati Resigned for Silly Reasons
Samir Abi Lamaa Elected Maronite League Head, List Wins 12 Seats
Turkey badly needed to end row with Israel. Netanyahu’s apology gave Obama a diplomatic breakthrough
Hezbollah condemns Obama's call for terrorist designation
NObama: Why don’t U.S. presidents visit Lebanon?
Obama tours Jordan's fabled ancient city of Petra before heading home after Mideast visit
Obama plays tourist in Petra at end of Middle East trip
Kerry meets Netanyahu in push to restart peace talks
Kerry to meet Palestinian, Israeli leaders after Obama visit
Rebels seize air defense base in southern Syria
Syria Rebels Seize Key Military Base in Daraa
Pakistan Taliban Threaten to Assassinate Musharraf

Palm Sunday: Faith, Victory and Joy
By: Elias Bejjani
March 24/13
Those who do not witness for the truth because of selfishness and earthly calculations, as well as those who are cowardice, fearful, resort to compromise and cajoling, and bend for the same reasons, all those are actually detached from Jesus and from the sense and core of genuine Christianity. Jesus never ever compromised on any righteous principle. He loudly, openly and straightforwardly preached His Godly message to every one who was ready to hear, including all those in key authority position; the Pharisees, the scribers, the tax collectors, the rulers etc. He rebuked them stridently and pinpointed their flagrant infringements on God's law.  His fascinated response to the Pharisees who asked Him to muffle His disciples while entering Jerusalem is an everlasting map road and a solid pillar for courage, freedom of expression and witnessing for what is righteous and Godly.
The Pharisees were disturbed, envious, worried and angry because of the way the people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus, and from the kind of chants they were uttering joyfully with the top of their voices. He did not succumb to their request and recognized the right of the people in saying what they believe must be said.  "Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” they said, “command your disciples to be quiet!” Jesus answered, “I tell you that if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting.” (Luke 19/39-40)
The on going war between righteous and evilness has never changed since the days of Adam and Eve. This fierce fight takes many forms and many styles, but simply it is a deadly struggle between the divine and earthly nature of  the man. According to Saint Paul, for any individual to become a partaker of the divine and not of the earthly nature he is ought to acquire; "all diligence in faith, to supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge; and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control patience; and in patience godliness;  and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.  For if these things are owned and abound, they make the individual to be not idle nor unfruitful to the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins.  Therefore, every faithful person needs to be more diligent to make his calling and election sure. For if he do these things, he will never stumble. For thus he will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
On the seventh Lantern Sunday, known as the "Palm Sunday", our Maronite Catholic Church celebrates the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The joyful and faithful people of this Holy City and their children welcomed Jesus with innocent spontaneity and declared Him a King. Through His glorious and modest entry the essence of His Godly royalty that we share with Him in baptism and anointing of Chrism was revealed. Jesus' Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, the "Palm Sunday", marks the Seventh Lantern Sunday, the last one before Easter Day, (The Resurrection).
During the past six Lantern weeks, believers renewed and rekindled their faith and reverence through genuine fasting, contemplation, penance, prayers, repentance and acts of charity. By now all believers are expected to have fully understood the core of love, freedom, and justice that enables them to enter into a renewed world of worship that encompasses the family, the congregation, the community and the nation.
Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to participate in the Jewish Passover Holiday. He was fully aware that the day of His suffering and death was approaching and unlike all times, He did not stop the people from declaring Him a king and accepted to enter the city while they were happily chanting : "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”.(John 12/13). Jesus entered Jerusalem to willingly sacrifice Himself, die on the cross, redeem us and absolve our original sin.
On the Palm Sunday we take our children and grandchildren to celebrate the mass and the special procession while happily they are carrying candles decorated with lilies and roses. Men and women hold palm fronds with olive branches, and actively participate in the Palm Procession with modesty, love and joy crying out loudly: "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21/09).
On the Palm Sunday through the procession, prayers, and mass we renew our confidence and trust in Jesus. We beg Him for peace and commit ourselves to always tame all kinds of evil hostilities, forgive others and act as peace and love advocates and defend man's dignity and his basic human rights. "For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us" (Ephesians 02:14).
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus' story into Jerusalem appears in all four Gospel accounts (Matthew 21/01-17), (Mark 11/01-11),  (Luke 19/29-40), (John 12/12-19). The four accounts shows clearly that the Triumphal Entry was a significant event, not only to the people of Jesus’ day, but to Christians throughout history.
The Triumphal Entry as it appeared in Saint John's Gospel, (12/12-19), as follows : "On the next day a great multitude had come to the feast. When they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” Jesus, having found a young donkey, sat on it. As it is written, “Don’t be afraid, daughter of Zion. Behold, your King comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt. ”His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they had done these things to Him. The multitude therefore that was with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, was testifying about it. For this cause also the multitude went and met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “See how you accomplish nothing. Behold, the world has gone after him.” Now there were certain Greeks among those that went up to worship at the feast. These, therefore, came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew came with Philip, and they told Jesus."
The multitude welcomed Jesus, His disciples and followers while chanting: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”.(John 12/13). His entry was so humble, meek simple and spontaneous. He did not ride in a chariot pulled by horses as earthly kings and conquerors do, He did not have armed guards, nor officials escorting him. He did not come to Jerusalem to fight, rule, judge or settle scores with any one, but to offer Himself a sacrifice for our salvation.
Before entering Jerusalem, He stopped in the city of Bethany, where Lazarus (whom he raised from the tomb) with his two sisters Mary and Martha lived. In Hebrew Bethany means "The House of the Poor". His stop in Bethany before reaching Jerusalem was a sign of both His acceptance of poverty and His readiness to offer Himself as a sacrifice. He is the One who accepted poverty for our own benefit and came to live in poverty with the poor and escort them to heaven, the Kingdom of His Father.
After His short Stop in Bethany, Jesus entered Jerusalem to fulfill all the prophecies, purposes and the work of the Lord since the dawn of history. All the scripture accounts were fulfilled and completed with his suffering, torture, crucifixion, death and resurrection. On the Cross, He cried with a loud voice: “It is finished.” He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.(John19/30)
The multitude welcomed Jesus when He entered Jerusalem so one of the Old Testament prophecies would be fulfilled. (Zechariah 09/09-10): "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth".
The crowd welcomed Jesus for different reasons and numerous expectations. There were those who came to listen to His message and believed in Him, while others sought a miraculous cure for their ailments and they got what they came for, but many others envisaged in Him a mortal King that could liberate their country, Israel, and free them from the yoke of the Roman occupation. Those were disappointed when Jesus told them: "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom" (John 18/36)
Christ came to Jerusalem to die on its soil and fulfill the scriptures. It was His choice where to die in Jerusalem as He has said previously: "should not be a prophet perish outside of Jerusalem" (Luke 13/33): "Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem".
He has also warned Jerusalem because in it all the prophets were killed: (Luke 13:34-35): "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! "behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord".
Explanation of the Palm Sunday Procession Symbols
The crowd chanted, "Hosanna to the Son of David" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21/09), because Jesus was is a descendant of David. Hosanna in the highest is originated in the Psalm 118/25: "Please, LORD, please save us. Please, LORD, please give us success". It is a call for help and salvation as also meant by the Psalm 26/11: "But I lead a blameless life; redeem me and be merciful to me". Hosanna also means: God enlightened us and will never abandon us, Jesus' is a salvation for the world"
Spreading cloth and trees' branches in front of Jesus to walk on them was an Old Testament tradition that refers to love, obedience, submission, triumph and loyalty. (2 Kings 09/13): "They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!". In the old days Spreading garments before a dignitary was a symbol of submission.
Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, and the "Daughter of Zion" is Jerusalem. The term is synonymous with "paradise" and the sky in its religious dimensions.
Carrying palm and olive branches and waving with them expresses joy, peace, longing for eternity and triumph. Palm branches are a sign of victory and praise, while Olive branches are a token of joy, peace and durability. The Lord was coming to Jerusalem to conquer death by death and secure eternity for the faithful. It is worth mentioning that the olive tree is a symbol for peace and its oil a means of holiness immortality with which Kings, Saints, children and the sick were anointed.
The name "King of Israel," symbolizes the kingship of the Jews who were waiting for Jehovah to liberate them from the Roman occupation.
O, Lord Jesus, strengthen our faith to feel closer to You and to Your mercy when in trouble;
O, Lord Jesus, empower us with the grace of patience and meekness to endure persecution, humiliation and rejection and always be Your followers.
O, Lord Let Your eternal peace and gracious love prevail all over the world.
(Psalm118/26): "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of Yahweh! We have blessed You out of the house of Yahweh".
A joyous Palm Sunday to all those carry its ritual with their children and grandchildren
To Read the Arabic Version of the editorial Click Here
http://10452lccc.com/elias%20arabic11/elias%20chanien01.4.12.htm
Audio/To hear an explanation for the editorial in Lebanese dialogue/Windows Media Player file) Click Here
http://http://www.clhrf.com/elias1.events/elias%20chaanien12.wma

The Play of Assaulting Four Sunni Sheiks In Lebanon/By: Elias Bejjani/March 23/13
http://www.10452lccc.com/elias%20english09/elias.sheiks22.3.13.htm
Introduction/Summary of my new Arabic piece: the crime of assaulting the Sunni four Sheiks was planned, mastered and executed by the terrorist, Iranian Hezbollah in a bid to serve the pro Hezbollah Sunni Mufti Qabani who has been charged with his son with corruption and is on the way to be forced out of his position. Meanwhile the other main objective was to push the stone age Sunni fundamentalist and salafists, like Sheik Assir, Sheik Omar Bakry, Sheik Al Chahal, etc to the forefront on the account of the modernist Sunnis, especially Al Musaqbal Movement.

Canada Concerned Following Collapse of Lebanese Government
March 23, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“Canada is concerned by the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and key members of his government. We commend Mr. Mikati for his service to Lebanon and for his stabilizing influence regionally.
“Today's developments could embolden Hezbollah, increasing volatility in Lebanon, and undermine efforts to hold a fair and peaceful national election in June.
“We recognize the importance of rapidly forming a new government, as the country is facing serious domestic and regional challenges. In the meantime, we encourage dialogue through the formation of an interim government that will continue the difficult work begun by the outgoing administration and call for calm during this important time.”
Canadians in Lebanon are encouraged to register online with the Registration of Canadians Abroad system. The Government of Canada currently advises avoiding all non-essential travel to Lebanon; for more information, visit Country travel advice and advisories for Lebanon.

Ban Stresses the Need for Lebanese Unity after Miqati Resignation
Naharnet /United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged on Friday all sides in Lebanon to unite behind President Michel Suleiman in light of the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati.He called on all Lebanese factions to unite and cooperate with state institutions in order to maintain stability and respect the Baabda Declaration.In addition, he hoped that the people would support the army and security forces in bolstering national unity, sovereignty, and security.Ban also called on Lebanese parties to maintain their policy of "disassociation" from the Syrian conflict, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said in a statement released late Friday.
Miqati announced his resignation on Friday night in light of the cabinet's failure to approve the decisions to form of an authority to oversee the parliamentary elections and extend the term of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi.He said that all political powers “must assume their responsibilities in order to steer Lebanon away from the unknown.”Reactions to Miqati's step were mixed with some sides calling for the formation of a salvation government and others condemning his step at such a critical time in the region and ahead of the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for June 9.Suleiman accepted the government's resignation on Saturday, tasking it with a caretaker role.

London Urges 'More Consensual Government' after Miqati Resignation
Naharnet/British Foreign Minister William Hague on Saturday expressed concern about the violence in Tripoli and urged all Lebanese parties to work for "a more consensual government," in the wake of the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati. "It is critical that all parties in Lebanon prioritize national interests and ... reach a broad consensus to enable parliamentary elections to take place within the legal and constitutional framework," he said in a statement. “We are monitoring the situation in Lebanon carefully, following Prime Minister Miqati’s offer of resignation. I am also very concerned about the violence in Tripoli in recent days,” said Hague.
“As I saw for myself last month, the crisis in Syria presents Lebanon with mounting challenges. Prime Minister Miqati is playing an important role in responding to those challenges and I pay tribute to his efforts,” the top British diplomat added. He called on the rival political parties to “support the work of the Lebanese security forces to maintain peace and protect Lebanon’s territorial integrity,” adding that London “fully” supports “the efforts of President (Michel) Suleiman in this process.”Miqati on Friday announced his resignation after a cabinet session in which he failed to pass the extension of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi's term and the formation of the committee to oversee the elections, stressing that all political forces must shoulder their responsibilities to “pull Lebanon out of the unknown.”

Consultations to Form New Govt. Start next Week as Miqati Says Resignation 'Protects Lebanon'
Naharnet /Consultations to form a new government are expected to kick off next week in light of Prime Minister Najib Miqati's resignation on Friday, reported various media outlets Saturday.
The premier told the daily: “I decided to resign because I believe it is the best way to protect Lebanon.” “History will judge whether I made the right decision,” he added. Miqati is expected to meet with President Michel Suleiman Saturday in order to submit his written resignation. Meanwhile, An Nahar daily Saturday said that consultations to form a new government will not begin before mid next week due to Suleiman's presence abroad.
The president is scheduled to attend an Arab League summit in Qatar on Tuesday and Wednesday. Miqati announced his resignation on Friday night in light of the cabinet's failure to approve the decisions to form of an authority to oversee the parliamentary elections and extend the term of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi. He said that all political powers “must assume their responsibilities in order to steer Lebanon away from the unknown.”
Reactions to Miqati's step were mixed with some sides calling for the formation of a salvation government and others condemning his step at such a critical time in the region and ahead of the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for June 9.

Lebanese PM tenders Cabinet resignation, EU ‘concerned’ over Lebanon
March 23, 2013/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman requested Saturday Prime Minister Najib Mikati stay on as caretaker prime minister after accepting the government’s resignation, as the European Union voiced concern over the deteriorating situation in the country, particularly after Mikati stepped down. Meanwhile, sources close to Baabda Palace said Sleiman would set a date next week for launching parliamentary consultations over naming a prime minister-designate. “Prime Minister Najib Mikati handed President Michel Sleiman [Saturday] at Baabda Palace the letter of resignation of his government and [Sleiman] asked him to continue as caretaker until the formation of a new government,” a statement from the president’s office said. Following the meeting, Mikati reiterated that his decision was a personal one aimed at paving the way for National Dialogue that would lead to a “salvation Cabinet.”
“I did not consult any side before taking the decision to step down from my position: My decision was a personal one,” Mikati, who formed his 30 member Cabinet in June 2011, told reporters at Baabda Palace, where he formally handed his resignation to Sleiman. According to the statement from Sleiman’s office, the president expressed gratitude to both Mikati and his government and requested the Tripoli lawmaker continue as caretaker prime minister. Mikati’s decision Friday came shortly after Hezbollah and its March 8 allies foiled attempts during a Cabinet session to create a body to supervise the June 9 parliamentary polls and rejected the premier’s proposal for the extension of the police chief’s term. At the news conference following his talks with Sleiman, Mikati reiterated his hope that his resignation would pave the way for a solution to end the political deadlock in the country.
Asked whether he would be willing to head any future Cabinet, Mikati replied: “I have said this before: It is too early to address such an issue.”
“What is more important is that the Lebanese come together and that the National Dialogue recommence and a salvation government be formed during this difficult period,” he added.
Meanwhile, the European Union voiced concerns about the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, “particularly after the decision of PM Mikati to step down.”
In a European Union statement, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton voiced also regret over the political stalemate that led to Mikati’s resignation and expressed concern over security incidents undermining stability in the country. "The EU will pursue its support to the institutions, to the security forces and to the people of Lebanon to respond to the current challenges in the spirit of our long-standing partnership," Ashton said.
Her comments come a day after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties in Lebanon to remain united to maintain calm and stability following Mikati’s resignation.
“At this challenging time for the region, the secretary-general calls on all the parties in Lebanon to remain united behind the leadership of President Sleiman,” a statement from Ban’s office late Friday said.
Ban also urged political parties to work with Sleiman to reach a solution to the impasse.
“The Secretary-General urges all concerned to engage positively with the President to agree the way forward in accordance with Lebanon's constitutional requirements and with full respect for the democratic process,” the statement said. The UN chief also called on parties to remain committed to “Lebanon’s policy of disassociation consistent with their commitment in the Baabda Declaration.”
Although receiving praise from the March 14 coalition Friday, Mikati was heavily criticized Saturday by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, a leading figure in the March 8 alliance which enjoyed a majority of seats in the government. “The reasons behind Mikati’s resignation are silly,” Aoun, who heads the Change and Reform parliamentary block, he told Sawt al-Mada radio station.
The FPM leader also launched a stinging attack on Sleiman, saying he had “behaved like a dictator in trying to impose the formation of the committee to oversee the upcoming elections.”
After accepting the resignation of the prime minister and appointing him as caretaker, Sleiman sets a date for the launch of parliamentary consultations for the naming of a new prime minister-designate.
Sources close to Baabda Palace said Sleiman would set a date for the launch of parliamentary consultations for the naming of a new prime minister-designate upon his return next week from Qatar, where he will attend an Arab League summit Tuesday and Wednesday.

Suleiman Accepts from Miqati Govt. Resignation, Tasking it with Caretaking Role
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman accepted on Saturday the resignation of the government. He has since tasked it was assuming a caretaking role until a new government is formed. The written resignation was submitted to the president by Prime Minister Najib Miqati. In his resignation letter, the outgoing premier explained that he stepped down from his post “to pave the way for the formation of a national salvation government that would ensure the participation of all political forces and parliamentary blocs.” “The new government should serve to restore dialogue that the president was and still is seeking,” he added. “I therefore present my resignation from the government, which I had the honor of heading,” said his letter. Furthermore, he thanked Suleiman for the efforts he exerted in facilitating the government's work. After the brief talks at the Baabda Palace, Miqati said: “I did not consult any side before taking the decision to step down from my position.” “I did not inform anyone of my decision in order to avoid any pressure from any side,” he explained. “My decision was a personal one,” he revealed.
It is now important that dialogue among the Lebanese begin, he added. “I hope that the resignation will pave the way for a solution to the political deadlock in the country,” stressed Miqati.
Asked by reporters if he would be willing to head the new government, he responded: “It is too soon to speak of this issue.”“It is now important for the Lebanese to come together, launch national dialogue, and form a national salvation government during this critical time,” he stressed. He announced his resignation on Friday night in light of the cabinet's failure to approve the decisions to form of an authority to oversee the parliamentary elections and extend the term of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi. He said that all political powers “must assume their responsibilities in order to steer Lebanon away from the unknown.”
Reactions to Miqati's step were mixed with some sides calling for the formation of a salvation government and others condemning his step at such a critical time in the region and ahead of the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for June 9.

3 Dead, 4 Hurt in Tripoli Clashes, Army Readies to Enter Jabal Mohsen as Part of Security Plan
Naharnet/Three people were killed and four others were wounded on Saturday as sniper activity and clashes renewed between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in the northern city of Tripoli. "The army is readying to enter Jabal Mohsen and declare that the neighborhood is under its authority ahead of the withdrawal of all fighters from the streets," state-run National News Agency reported. It said the army was expected to enter the district at any time between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. "Today's death toll from the Tripoli sniper activity has risen to three after two people were killed in al-Dabbagha," Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5) reported earlier on Saturday. "Three people were wounded in fresh Tripoli clashes – Ghaith Hashem al-Dabbagh and Abdul Rahman al-Nahhas in Bab al-Tabbaneh, and Fatima Hussein Mustafa in al-Baqqar," NNA reported in the evening. Al-Mayadeen television said several people were wounded in Bab al-Tabbaneh, one critically. "The Tripoli areas of al-Riva, al-Baqqar and Jabal Mohsen are witnessing fierce clashes, in which RPGs are being used heavily, and the army is firing back at the sources of gunfire," NNA reported. It later said sniper activity intensified on all frontiers between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, with bullets reaching al-Zahriyeh district, which is outside the area of clashes. The explosion of a rocket-propelled grenade was heard in the vicinity of Abu Ali Roundabout, NNA said. In the afternoon, a large number of army commandos entered with their vehicles Syria Street, which separates the rival districts, in a bid to pacify the situations, the National News Agency said. But a few hours later, NNA said "clashes with light- and medium-caliber weapons erupted on all frontiers in Tripoli, particularly al-Shaarani, Hariri Project, al-Barraniyeh, Bab al-Tabbaneh's Syria Street, al-Mallouleh, al-Mankoubin and Jabal Mohsen."It added that army troops were continuing to fire back at the sources of gunfire.
Earlier, an unidentified assailant hurled two hand grenades on the Bab al-Tabbaneh area of Baal al-Darawish. Arab Democratic Party media officer Abdul Latif Saleh had announced that Fouad Chahine was killed by a sniper shot in Bab al-Tabbaneh. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) identified the victim as Jamal Chahine. The National News Agency meanwhile reported that Hanan Maarouf was wounded in the renewal of the violence. LBCI television had stated earlier that three people were injured in the unrest on Saturday. The sniper shots also targeted the international highway that links Tripoli to Akkar at the Nahr Abou Ali and Mallouleh roundabout. Security forces have since cordoned off the area for the people's safety. Later, NNA said two hand grenades were hurled on Syria Street, causing no casualties. Calm had engulfed the city on Saturday morning after overnight clashes between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen that followed the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Miqati.NNA said that private and public schools were closed in the neighborhoods that witnessed unrest.Six people, including a soldier, were killed in the Tripoli clashes that broke out on Wednesday.The gunfight erupted when a soldier was wounded along with his brother after gunmen entered the state hospital in the area of al-Qobbeh and opened fire at him.
Tripoli has been witnessing deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime for several years now. The majority of Bab al-Tabbaneh residents are Sunni and back the revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Jabal Mohsen's residents are mainly Alawites from Assad's sect.

Mikati throws in the towel, opening door for dialogue
March 23, 2013/By Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced the resignation of his government Friday in a dramatic move that came amid political divisions and threats to Lebanon’s security and stability from escalating tension on the border with Syria and fighting in the northern city of Tripoli. Mikati’s decision came shortly after Hezbollah and its March 8 allies foiled attempts during a Cabinet session to create a body to supervise the June 9 parliamentary polls and rejected the premier’s proposal for the extension of the police chief’s term, underlining long-running splits within the government.
March 14 leaders swiftly hailed Mikati’s move, saying the government’s resignation would clear the way for the relaunching of National Dialogue and the formation of a new Cabinet to supervise the elections.
In announcing his resignation, Mikati, in power for nearly two years, called for National Dialogue aimed at forming “a salvation Cabinet” to meet the country’s major political, security and economic challenges.
“Today I announce the resignation of the government, hoping that this will constitute the only gateway for the major political blocs in Lebanon to assume their responsibilities and come together to bring Lebanon out of the unknown,” Mikati told a news conference at the Grand Serail. His resignation came a few hours after President Michel Sleiman suspended Cabinet sessions after March 8 ministers blocked a decision on the formation of a committee to oversee the upcoming elections. The March 8 ministers hold a majority in Mikati’s 30-member Cabinet.
Mikati is expected Saturday to hand in his resignation to Sleiman, who will ask him to continue in a caretaker capacity and then call for the launch of parliamentary consultations for the naming of a new prime minister-designate.
Parliamentary sources said Mikati’s resignation dealt “a strong blow” to the March 8 parties and was similar to the strike they dealt to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in 2011, when 11 March 8 ministers resigned in a move that led to the toppling of Hariri’s Cabinet. At the time, the March 8 parties expressed joy that Hariri entered the White House as prime minister and met with President Barack Obama but left as an outgoing premier.
With his resignation, Mikati avoided several major thorny issues such as the fighting in Tripoli, the financing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a new election law and the extension of the term of Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, director general of the Internal Security Forces, the sources said. They added that if Mikati’s resignation took place in the absence of a reasonable scenario to speed up the formation of a new Cabinet, the country might enter the unknown. According to the sources, no elections may be held without a new Cabinet because these polls need funds and the transfer of allocations, something a resigned government cannot do.
The sources said National Dialogue for which Sleiman would call following Mikati’s resignation might serve as a venue for the rival political leaders to agree on the formation of a new Cabinet and a new electoral law. However, this might require the extension of Parliament’s mandate for at least three months, the sources said.
Mikati said he decided to resign after the formation of a committee to supervise the elections was blocked and his bid to avoid vacuum in the post of the ISF chief, who goes on retirement on April 1, was thwarted by March 8 ministers. Over the past few weeks, the formation of an election supervisory committee and Mikati’s proposal to extend Rifi’s term posed two explosive issues that could have led to Cabinet’s collapse.
The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties rejected the naming of experts to a committee to oversee the elections that, they argue, would signal an official step to proceed with the polls based on the 1960 election law, which they reject. Likewise, March 8 ministers opposed the extension of the term of Rifi long perceived by these parties as loyal to the opposition March 14 coalition.
Mikati said there was no alternative to National Dialogue sponsored by Sleiman to rescue Lebanon and end political divisions that were a result of the bloody 2-year-old conflict in Syria.
“Dialogue sponsored by the president is inevitable. There is no way for Lebanon’s salvation and protection except through this dialogue that opens the way for the formation of a salvation government in which all Lebanese political forces are represented to shoulder the responsibility of saving the country,” he added. Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, head of the parliamentary Future bloc, said the Cabinet’s resignation would set the stage for a new round of inter-Lebanese dialogue. March 14 leaders have rejected Sleiman’s call for National Dialogue, insisting on the government’s resignation first. “We have reached a stage where it is difficult to meet the constitutional deadline for parliamentary elections,” Siniora said in an interview with the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya channel. “The government’s resignation opens the door for the resumption of dialogue and the formation of a new Cabinet.”
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said he appreciated Mikati’s resignation after March 8 parties insisted on pushing the country into a power vacuum.
Geagea called in a statement on Sleiman to quickly set a date for parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister who would form “a new Cabinet to protect the people and the Constitution.”
Kataeb leader ex-President Amin Gemayel said he was surprised that the government, which he called “a government of contradictions,” had survived until now.
“Lebanese leaders must draw lessons. All leaders must at this stage have sufficient national sense to cooperate with the president to find a quick solution to this crisis as soon as possible,” Gemayel told LBCI.
Mikati said he had contemplated resignation twice during his tenure: once over the divisive issue of funding Lebanon’s share toward the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and the other following the Oct. 17 assassination of Brig. Gen. Wissam Hasan, head of the ISF’s Information Branch. Mikati formed his 30-member Cabinet on June 13, 2011, months after ministers loyal to the March 8 coalition forced the collapse of Hariri’s government.
The Cabinet was formed in the wake of the uprising in Syria, a subject that has divided the country and raised the specter of a spillover from the conflict. Mikati’s resignation came against the backdrop of two days of clashes, fueled by the Syrian conflict, between supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad in his home city of Tripoli in the north, that left at least six people dead. It also came following a string of deadly incidents on the Lebanese-Syrian border, including a Syrian airstrike in the northeastern Bekaa Valley this week that heightened fears of the turmoil next door spilling over into Lebanon. – With additional reporting by Hasan Lakkis

Aoun slams Mikati motives to resign as ‘silly’
March 23, 2013/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement Leader MP Michel Aoun went on the offensive Saturday, slamming both the president and now Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati over the recent resignation of the government.
Aoun, whose Change and Reform bloc enjoys a majority of seats in the government, described the motives behind Mikati’s decision to throw in the towel as “silly” and accused President Michel Sleiman of being dictatorial over the thorny issue of the elections supervisory committee.
“The reasons behind Mikati’s resignation are dumb and Sleiman behaved like a dictator in trying to impose the formation of the committee to oversee the upcoming elections,” he told Sawt al-Mada radio station.
Mikati announced the resignation of his government Friday after citing the Cabinet’s failure to pass a proposal to extend the term of the country’s police chief, who will retire on April 1, as well as the blocking of a decision to form a supervisory committee for the 2013 elections.
Sleiman suspended the government after the fallout among ministers and on Saturday accepted Mikati’s resignation, tasking the Tripoli lawmaker with continuing as caretaker prime minister, in preparation for parliamentary consultations to name the next prime minister-designate.
Aoun described Mikati’s proposal to extend Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi’s mandate as unlawful.
“They want to extend the term of an officer that has reached the retirement age, which is a violation to the law and an affront to the [Internal Security Forces] institution,” Aoun said.
The March 8 coalition regard Rifi as too close to the Future Movement, which heads the country’s opposition March 14.
Parliamentary sources told The Daily Star Friday that Mikati’s resignation dealt “a strong blow” to the March 8 parties and was similar to the strike they dealt to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri – who head the Future Movement – in 2011.
Hariri’s cabinet came to an end after ministers loyal to the March 8 resigned while Hariri was on an official visit to the United States.
In the radio interview Saturday, Aoun also took aim at the president, saying his insistence on the formation of the elections committee to supervise the elections under the 1960 law was the result of U.S. interference.
“The visit of the U.S. ambassador to some politicians is what brought to light the issue of forming the supervisory committee and Sleiman supported such a course,” said Aoun.
Sleiman suspended sessions of the government Friday, stating that he could not forsee any future sessions or Cabinet agenda that did not include the question of the supervisory committee, which the March 8 coalition regard as a step toward holding the June 9 elections under the 1960 law.
Aoun also accused the president of going against the wishes of Christian sects in the country, which he said all opposed the 1960 law – a qada-based electoral system used in the last parliamentary polls.
“Sleiman did not give a hoot for all the stances of sects that oppose the 1960 law and appeared like he was bullying his own [Christian] sect,” said Aoun.
The four major Christian political parties have endorsed an electoral proposal put forward by the Orthodox Gathering, which allows each sect to elect its own representatives and adopts Lebanon as a single district based on a proportional representation system.
However, the proposal is opposed by the Future Movement, Progressive Socialist Party, March 14 independent Christian lawmakers and the president.
In light of Mikati’s decision, the FPM leader said attention should now turn to the constitutional protocols for the formation of a new government.

Aoun Accuses Suleiman of Harming Christian Rights: Miqati Resigned for Silly Reasons
Naharnet /Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun stated on Saturday that Prime Minister Najib Miqati's resignation “surprised us and yet didn't,” while accusing President Michel Suleiman of harming the rights of Christians.He told al-Mada radio: “Miqati resigned for silly reasons.”He added that one should head to “one of the embassies” in Lebanon in order to uncover the real purposes of the resignation, saying that he has “not yet understood why Miqati stepped down from his post.”On the consultations to form a new government, the MP remarked: “Naming a new prime minister is a complicated issue.”
“The country is living in chaos and the government could not even refer an officer to retirement,” Aoun said in reference to the end of Ashraf Rifi's term as head of the Internal Security Forces.
Rifi's “predecessors were more loyal to the country than he is and they all left their post at the end of their tenure,” remarked the FPM leader.
“Several crises erupted under Rifi's term. Failure to find his successor is an insult to the ISF,” he stressed.
Miqati announced his resignation on Friday night in light of the cabinet's failure to approve the decisions to form of an authority to oversee the parliamentary elections and extend Rifi's term.
He said that all political powers “must assume their responsibilities in order to steer Lebanon away from the unknown.”
Turning to Suleiman, Aoun accused the president of “violating the rights of all Christian sects, as well as some Muslim ones who rejected the 1960 parliamentary electoral law.”
“Suleiman employed his authority against his sect” when he rejected the Orthodox Gathering electoral law, he noted.
The law, advocated by Aoun and a number of Christian parties, divides Lebanon into a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system.
The proposal has been rejected by Suleiman, Miqati, the Mustaqbal bloc, centrist National Struggle Front of MP Walid Jumblat, and the March 14 opposition’s Christian independent MPs, who said that the law fuels sectarianism in Lebanon.In another interview later on Saturday, Aoun told OTV: "The reasons behind Miqati's resignation are well-known: there is a local and international desire to hold elections according to the 1960 law."
He noted that "this resignation opens the door to either a solution or a crisis."
"The provocation that happened is the attempt to hold elections according to the 1960 law or the attempt to obstruct the elections, especially that the Mustaqbal bloc can only win under the 1960 law," Aoun added.
Asked about the security situation in the wake of the government's resignation, Aoun said: "There is no governmental vacuum and the military forces on the ground are obliged to preserve security and take the necessary measures."Asked about the issue of relaunching national dialogue, Aoun said: "Dialogue would be beneficial only if it has a goal, because we wasted a lot of time without being able to achieve a result" in the previous rounds.
"The government's resignation did not annoy us, because we had a lot of reservations over its performance," Aoun noted.

Samir Abi Lamaa Elected Maronite League Head, List Wins 12 Seats
Naharnet /Samir Abi Lamaa, a former head of the lawyers syndicate, was Saturday elected as the new president of the Maronite League, while Maurice Khawwam was elected as deputy president, state-run National News Agency reported. The list headed by Abi Lamaa won 12 seats as the rival list headed by Antoine Qlimos -- also a former head of the lawyers syndicate – won three seats, NNA said.
The elections witnessed a heavy turnout amid a “competitive, calm and democratic atmosphere,” the agency reported. Several political, syndical and social figures took part in the election. After he cast his vote, outgoing League chief Joseph Torbay said “elections are held every three years to elect a new executive council, and we're glad it is being held in a democratic manner.”“There are no political divisions in the League and voting it taking place according to the League's interest, not political interests,” Torbay noted. Qlimos described the electoral battle as “vital, positive and civilized,” calling on politicians to draw lessons from it in their polls. For his part, Abi Lamaa said the competition was “brotherly, democratic and free.” MP Naamtallah Abi Nasr said the atmosphere was “calm and civilized, unlike the expectations of some people who said it will be tense.”A heated debate had surfaced after former Ambassador Abdullah Abu Habib withdrew his candidacy, describing elections as “not serious.”Habib withdrew last week after considering that the elections is merely a conflict between old and new groups aiming at controlling the league.Chairman of the Maronite General Council Wadi al-Khazen called on Monday for impartial elections to achieve the best interests of the Maronite sect and the Maronite Patriarchate. “The interests of the Maronite sect amid the current developments in Lebanon and the region should triumph over all personal interests,” Khazen said in comments published in al-Liwaa newspaper. He urged the members of the General Maronite Council to prevent the political bickering in the country from having an impact on the league. Asked about the stance of Bkirki, Khazen said that it isn't biased and supports all candidates. “Bkirki gathers us and is seeking to activate the role played by the league,” he added.Khazen noted that the council will cooperate with the new head of the league.The league is formed of president, vice president and a 15-member board, who are elected for three renewable years.

Fierce fighting rocks Lebanon's second city
March 23, 2013 /The Daily Star/TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Fierce clashes raged between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Lebanon's second city of Tripoli Saturday night, shattering a day-old ceasefire in the latest round of fighting that has killed seven people. Security sources said the fighting with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, erupted as Lebanese Army units were preparing to deploy in the mainly Alawite Jabal Mohsen district, where residents back Assad against rebels seeking an end to the Syrian president’s rule, security sources said. There was no immediate word on casualties in the night-time fighting that was the heaviest in the city since the latest bout began Thursday. The fighting also cut off all mobile communications with the city.  Combatants in Jabal Mohsen and their rivals in Bab al-Tabbaneh, where support for the uprising in Syria is staunch, had issued Friday separate cease-fire announcements. Seven people, including a soldier, were killed in the three days of clashes which also left 30 others wounded.
Commenting on the unrest in the northern city, Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani Saturday called for calm and urged residents of the city to cooperate with state institutions.
“Tripoli and residents in the north should enhance cooperation with each other and state institutions to avoid steering the country toward instability,” he said, according to a statement from Dar al-Fatwa.
The top Muslim figure also warned that Lebanon was passing through “critical conditions” and stressed the need to deal “wisely” with emergency issues “for the sake of maintaining the people's unity and [in order to] avert strife.”
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, who held a news conference in the city, also warned that the situation in Tripoli was dire and urged Parliament to take steps that could help curb violence there.
“There are some who want trouble in Lebanon, some media being among them, but there is something more important and what is happening in Tripoli is [grave] and is linked to regional [developments],” he said, in a reference to the conflict in Syria. “We hope there will be a genuine understanding. I have faith in Speaker Nabih Berri and urge him to convene a session of Parliament to sign a pact that has the headline ‘Security in Lebanon’, particularly in Tripoli,” he added.Residents of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen have been fighting on and off since 2008. However, tensions and clashes between both the sides have increased in frequency and intensity since the Syrian uprising began in 2011.
 

Charbel from Tripoli: New Govt. Must Be Formed Quickly as Lebanon is in Danger
Naharnet/Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on Saturday called for a speedy formation of a consensual new government, warning that the deadly unrest in the northern city of Tripoli is "very dangerous" and that entire Lebanon is in danger. “It is the right of the citizen to ask about the measures taken by the Lebanese state concerning the situation in Tripoli, and the state does not only mean the government, but also the administrative and security institutions,” Charbel said at a press conference he held after a security meeting at Tripoli's serail.“What prompted me to come to Tripoli is the fear of citizens, especially amid the absence of the government, but I reassure that I will carry on with my duties until the last moment,” Charbel added.He warned that “some people want to create a problem in Lebanon.”
“What's happening in Tripoli is a very dangerous thing and it has regional connections and I hope it won't drag international involvement,” Charbel added.
He called on Speaker Nabih Berri to “convene the parliament, which represents all the parties, and to raise the voice high,” adding that the MPs must “sign a charter titled 'Security in Lebanon, especially in Tripoli.'”
The caretaker minister condemned “the provocative religious rhetoric.”“I hope religious leaders will help us, because what's happening in Lebanon is unprecedented and did not happen during the days of civil war,” said Charbel, referring to security chaos.“We must form a consensual government as soon as possible because Lebanon is in danger and Tripoli is bleeding,” Charbel added.
In an interview with Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5) earlier on Saturday, Charbel said the government's resignation “has kind of led to political pacification, after its presence had aggravated the tensions.”
He stressed that the security situation in unrest-hit Tripoli is under control, reassuring that there will be no security vacuum in the country.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Friday announced his resignation after a cabinet session in which he failed to pass the extension of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi's term and the formation of the committee to oversee the elections, stressing that all political forces must shoulder their responsibilities to “pull Lebanon out of the unknown.”

 

Turkey badly needed to end row with Israel. Netanyahu’s apology gave Obama a diplomatic breakthrough
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 23, 2013/ Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu granted the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan a face-saver for ending their three-year rift out of willingness to crown US President Barack Obama’s three-day visit with an impressive diplomatic breakthrough. He swallowed Israel and its army’s pride and, at the airport, with Obama looking on, picked up the phone to Erdogan and apologized for the killing by Israeli soldiers of nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in 2010 aboard the Mavi Marmara, which was leading a flotilla bound on busting the Israeli blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The crowing comment by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu - “Turkey’s basic demands have been met; we got what we wanted” – was out of place, spiteful and ill-mannered.
He knows perfectly well that for the past year, amid a constant stream of ranting abuse from Ankara, Israel has been quietly responding to Turkey’s desperate need for cooperation in four essential fields, which are disclosed here by debkafile:
1. The Turkish armed forces are heavily dependent on Israeli military technologies from the long years of the close alliance between the two countries, which Ankara cut short. This dependence applies most particularly to its drones, the backbone of today’s modern armies. It is also holding up the huge transaction for the sale of American Boeing Awacs electronic warning airplanes to Turkey.
Boeing was unable to deliver the aircraft without Jerusalem’s consent, because a key component, the early warning systems, is designed in Israel. This consent has been withheld in the face of Turkey’s urgent need and the US aviation firm’s impatience to consummate the deal.
Turkey is in need of those planes - not just to monitor events in neighboring wartorn Syria, but to complete its air defense lineup against Iranian ballistic missiles. Without the AWACs, the advanced FBX-radar system the US has stationed at the Turkish Kurecik air base is only partly operational. The Kurecik battery is linked to its equivalent at a US base in the Israeli Negev, a fact which Ankara chooses to conceal.
2. In view of the turmoil in Syria, the bulk of Turkey’s exports destined for the Persian Gulf and points farther east have been diverted to the Israeli ports of Haifa and Ashdod, whereas just a year ago, they went through Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Since no end is seen to the Syrian conflict and the closure of the Turkish-Syrian border, more and more export traffic from Turkey is making its way through Haifa port and thence by rail across Israel to Jordan. Turkish goods bound for destinations in Europe and the US are diverted to Israeli ports too as Egyptian ports are made increasingly dysfunctional by that country’s economic crisis..
3. In the first year of the Syrian uprising, when Davutoglu was still a frequent traveler to Damascus for talks with Bashar Assad, Ankara entertained high hopes of becoming a major player for resolving the Syrian debacle. But he also sought to strike a deal with the Lebanese Hizballah, Assad’s ally, for obstructing Israeli gas and oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean
Three years on, Turkish leaders have woken up to the realization that they had better hurry up and jump aboard the US-backed Israeli energy bandwagon or else they will miss out on an outstanding and lucrative economic development, namely, the forthcoming opening up of a Mediterranean gas exporting route to Europe.
4. Turkey, Israel and Jordan are all in the same boat as targets for the approaching large-scale use of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons.
This topic was high on the agenda of President Obama’s talks with Jordan’s King Hussein Friday, March 21, in Amman, after he had explored the subject with Israel’s prime minister in Jerusalem.
Obama presented them with his plan to consolidate into a single US-led Turkish-Israeli-Jordan HQ the separate commands established six months ago in each of those countries to combat the use of unconventional weapons.
This unified command would stand ready to launch units of the four armies into coordinated land and air action inside Syria upon a signal from Washington.
The US president used his visits to Jerusalem and Amman to tie up the ends of this contingency plan with Netanyahu and Abdullah, while Secretary of State John Kerry got together with Erdogan in Ankara.
However, this four-way military effort to combat the Syrian chemical threat could not have taken off with Ankara and Jerusalem not on speaking terms.
This had been going on for three years, ever since Erdogan suspended military ties with Israel and downgraded diplomatic relations pending an Israeli apology for the Marmara incident, compensation for the victims and the lifting of its naval blockade on Gaza. The Turkish prime minister insisted on the Israeli prime minister paying obeisance to Turkish national honor. And finally Netanyahu relented. But Israel stood its ground on the last condition; a UN probe had pronounced the Israeli blockade legal and legitimate although its raid on the Turkish ship was deemed “excessive.” So the blockade remains in place and, indeed, Friday, March 23, Israel’s new defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, tightened it by restricting the Gaza offshore areas open to Palestinian Mediterranean fishermen.
This was punishment for the four-rocket attack staged from Gaza on the Israeli town of Sderot Thursday, the second day of President Obama’s visit to Israel.
debkafile’s military sources comment that the new defense minister may have also been directing a reproach at the prime minister for apologizing to Turkey and admitting to “operational errors,” thereby casting aspersions on the professionalism of the Israel Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit and its legitimate action in defense of Israel’s legal Gaza blockade.

Hezbollah condemns Obama's call for terrorist designation
Reuters – Fri, 22 Mar, 2013..
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah condemned on Friday a call by President Barack Obama for the militant Shi'ite group to be designated a terrorist organization following a bomb attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year. The European Union has so far resisted U.S. and Israeli pressure to blacklist Hezbollah, but those demands are likely to increase after a court in Cyprus convicted a Hezbollah member on Thursday of plotting against Israeli interests on the island. Obama said the killing of five Israeli tourists in July, which Bulgaria's government blamed on Hezbollah, as well as its weapons stockpile and support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, were all grounds to take a stand against the group. "Every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is - a terrorist organization," he said in Jerusalem on Thursday. Washington has imposed sanctions on Hezbollah over the terrorism allegations. Hezbollah says accusations against it are part of an Israeli smear campaign, while the European Union has resisted pressure to follow Washington's lead, arguing this could destabilize Lebanon's fragile government and add to regional instability. The Islamist militant group said on Friday that Obama's comments, made during a visit to Israel, showed that the United States was only interested in satisfying the Jewish state, and reinforced its own commitment to armed struggle. "Hezbollah...can only express its strong condemnation of these American positions...which place Washington in the position of full partner to the (Israeli) enemy in all its crimes," the group said in a statement. The European Commission said two weeks ago it did not yet have sufficient evidence to make a decision about the group, which is also a powerful political force in Lebanon where its allies dominate the cabinet of Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Hezbollah, established with Iranian support during Lebanon's civil war and blamed for devastating suicide bombings on the U.S. embassy and a Marines base in Beirut in 1983, fought an inconclusive 34-day conflict with Israel in 2006. Israel killed 1,200 people in Lebanon during that war, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Hezbollah killed 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers on Lebanese soil. Both sides have said any future conflict would be deadlier. The group accused Obama of taking Israel's side by telling the Arab world to accept Israel as a Jewish state and make peace without accepting Arab demands such as the return of millions of Palestinian refugees and a halt to Israeli settlements. Obama's comments made him appear "like an employee of the Zionist entity rather than a top official in the administration of an independent country, the United States", it said.
It said his remarks strengthened Hezbollah's conviction that negotiations to resolve Arab-Israeli conflict were futile and showed that the correct approach was "resistance...as the only way to retrieve rights and dignity, freedom and independence." (Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Obama tours Jordan's fabled ancient city of Petra before heading home after Mideast visit
By Julie Pace, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – PETRA, Jordan - President Barack Obama set aside the Middle East's tricky politics Saturday to marvel at the beauty of one of the region's most stunning sites, the fabled ancient city of Petra. "This is pretty spectacular," he said, craning his neck to gaze up at the rock faces after emerging from a narrow pathway into a sun-splashed plaza in front of the grand Treasury. The soaring facade is considered the masterpiece of the ancient city carved into the rose-red stone by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago.
Obama's turn as tourist capped a four-day visit to the Middle East that included stops in Israel and the West Bank, as well Jordan. The White House set low policy expectations for the trip, and the president was returning to Washington with few tangible achievements to show. Aides said his intention instead was to reassure the region's politicians and people — particularly in Israel — that he is committed to their security and prosperity.
Curious residents and picture-taking tourists lined the streets of modern Petra as Obama's motorcade wound toward the entrance to the ancient city. The president, dressed in khaki pants, a black jacket and hiking boots, began his walking tour at the entrance to the Siq, a narrow, winding gorge cutting between two soaring cliffs.
The path opened into a dusty plaza with the massive columned Treasury as its centerpiece. Obama declared the carved monument is "amazing."
The Bedouins named the building the Treasury because they believed that urns sculpted on top of it contained great treasures. In reality, the urns represented a memorial for Nabataean royalty. Over time, historians have disagreed on the Treasury's purpose. However, a recent excavation proved that a graveyard exists underneath it.
The Nabataeans established Petra as a crucial junction for trade routes linking China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. The city flourished until trade routes were redirected in the seventh century, leading to Petra's demise. Petra is Jordan's most popular tourist attraction, drawing more than a half million visitors yearly since 2007. It may be familiar to many people who saw the 1989 movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Some scenes were filmed in the ancient city. High winds and overcast skies nearly grounded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, in the Jordanian capital of Amman, which would have forced Obama to scrap the tourist stop. But the weather cleared enough for him and his delegation to make the hour-long flight across Jordan's rugged landscape, arriving in Petra under bright sunshine.
The president departed Jordan after the tour and was due back in Washington late Saturday.

Kerry to meet Palestinian, Israeli leaders after Obama visit
March 23, 2013/Daily Star
AMMAN, Jordan: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman before flying to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Saturday as he seeks ways to revive long-stalled peace talks. Kerry's back-to-back meetings will follow up on President Barack Obama's visits to Israel and the Palestinian Territories this week in which he called for fresh diplomatic efforts but offered no new peace proposals of his own. Obama promised that Kerry, Washington's new top diplomat, would dedicate time and energy to the Israeli-Palestinian problem, one in which the president failed to make progress during his first term. Kerry accompanied Obama on his four-day Middle East trip.
"In addition to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu this evening, Secretary Kerry will meet with President Abbas at his house in Amman later this afternoon to continue the conversations they started with President Obama and the secretary earlier this week," a State Department official said.

Pope Francis tells Benedict: "We're brothers"
March 23, 2013/Agencies
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy: Pope Francis traveled Saturday to this hill town south of Rome to have lunch with his "brother" and predecessor Benedict XVI, a historic and potentially problematic melding of the papacies that has never before confronted the Catholic Church.
The two men dressed in white embraced warmly on the helipad in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo, where Benedict has been living since he stepped down Feb. 28 and became the first pope to resign in 600 years.
In a series of gestures that ensued, Benedict made clear that he considered Francis to be pope while Francis made clear he considered his predecessor to be very much a revered brother and equal. They clasped hands repeatedly, showing one another the deference owed a pope in ways that surely turned Vatican protocol upside down.
Traveling from the helipad to the palazzo, Francis sat on the right-hand side of the car, the traditional place of the pope, while Benedict sat on the left. When they entered the chapel inside the palazzo to pray, Benedict tried to direct Francis to the papal kneeler at the front of the chapel, but Francis refused.
"No, we are brothers," Francis told Benedict, according to the Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi. He said Francis wanted to pray together with Benedict, so the two used a different kneeler in the pews and prayed side-by-side.
Francis also brought a gift to Benedict, an icon of the Madonna, and told him that it's known as the "Madonna of Humility."
"I thought of you," Francis told Benedict. "You gave us so many signs of humility and gentleness in your pontificate." Benedict replied: "Grazie, grazie."
Benedict wore the simple white cassock of the papacy, with a quilted white jacket over it to guard against the chill, but minus the sash and cape worn by Francis. Walking with a cane, he looked frail compared to the robust 76-year-old Argentine.
Outside the villa, the main piazza of Castel Gandolfo was packed with well-wishers bearing photos of both popes and chanting "Francesco! Francesco!" But the Vatican made clear they probably wouldn't see anything.
The Vatican downplayed the remarkable reunion in keeping with Benedict's desire to remain "hidden from the world" and not interfere with his successor's papacy. There was no live coverage by Vatican television, and only a short video and still photos were released after the fact.
The Vatican spokesman said the two spoke privately for 40-45 minutes, followed by lunch with the two papal secretaries, but no details were released.
All of which led to enormous speculation about what these two popes might have said to one another after making history together: Benedict's surprise resignation paved the way for the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit, and the first to call himself Francis after the 13th century friar who devoted himself to the poor, nature and working for peace.
That the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was second only to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the 2005 conclave that elected Ratzinger pope has only added to the popular imagination about how these two popes of such different style, background and priorities might get along.
Perhaps over their primo, or pasta course during Saturday's lunch, they discussed the big issues facing the church: the rise of secularism in the world, the drop in priestly vocations in Europe, the competition that the Catholic Church faces in Latin America and Africa from evangelical Pentecostal movements.
During their secondo, or second course of meat or fish, they might have gone over more pressing issues about Francis' new job: Benedict left a host of unfinished business on Francis' plate, including the outcome of a top-secret investigation into the leaks of papal documents last year that exposed corruption and mismanagement in the Vatican administration. Francis might have wanted to sound Benedict out on his ideas for management changes in the Holy See administration, a priority given the complete dysfunctional government he has inherited.
Over coffee, they might have discussed future of Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, Benedict's trusted aide who has had the difficult task of escorting his old pope into retirement and then returning to the Vatican to serve his successor in the initial rites of the office.
Gaenswein, who wept as he and Benedict made their final goodbyes to staff in the papal apartment on Feb. 28, has appeared visibly upset and withdrawn at times as he has been by Francis' side. The Vatican has said Francis' primary secretary will be Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, who had been the No. 2 secretary under Benedict.
Both Xuereb and Gaenswein were present for lunch. Start to finish, the meeting lasted about 2 ½ hours, with Benedict escorting Francis back to the helipad for the ride back to the Vatican.
Benedict's resignation - and his choices about his future - have raised the not-insignificant question of how the Catholic Church will deal with the novel situation of having one reigning and one retired pope living side-by-side, each of them called "pope," each of them wearing papal white and even sharing the same aide in Gaenswein.
Before Benedict announced his decision to be known as "emeritus pope," one of the Vatican's leading canon lawyers, the Jesuit Rev. Gianfranco Ghirlanda, penned an article suggesting that such a title would be inappropriate for Benedict since in renouncing the papacy he had "lost all the power of primacy" conferred on him by his election as pope.
The alternate title - which Vatican officials had suggested would be likely be chosen - was that of "emeritus bishop of Rome," since bishops routinely retire and are known as "emeritus bishops."
But Benedict opted instead for "emeritus pope," ''Your Holiness" and also chose to keep wearing the white cassock of the papacy, leading to questions about both his own influence on the future pontiff and whether Catholics more favorable to his traditional style might try to undermine his successor's authority and agenda by keeping their allegiance to the old pope.
Clearly aware of that potential, Benedict in his very last meeting with his cardinals on Feb. 28 pledged his "unconditional reverence and obedience" to the then-unknown future pope, who was nevertheless in the room.
Lombardi said he understood Benedict repeated that pledge of obedience to Francis on Saturday. Asked how the popes addressed one another, Lombardi demurred, saying he didn't think they addressed one another as "Your Holiness" or "Pope," saying the exchange was too familiar and warm for such titles.
After a few months in Castel Gandolfo, Benedict is to return to the Vatican to live in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens, just a short walk from St. Peter's Basilica and the shrine devoted to the Madonna where Francis went to pray on one of his first walks as pope.
Despite Benedict's expressed intent to fade away, Francis on virtually every occasion afforded him has made clear he has no intention of letting his "venerable predecessor" disappear from memory: Francis called Benedict right after his election, urged prayers for him in his first papal Masses, and called the former Joseph Ratzinger to congratulate him on the feast of St. Joseph on March 19.
The Vatican has similarly made clear that the ex-pope hasn't completely lost interest in the matters of the church, following on television Francis's inaugural appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after his election, when he charmed the crowd with a simple "Brothers and sisters, good evening."
The two men couldn't be more different in style and background: The Argentine-born Francis has made headlines with his simple gestures - no papal regalia, simple black shoes, paying his own hotel bill - and basic message that a pope's job is to protect the poor.
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio worked in the slums, celebrating Masses for prostitutes and drug addicts. He plans to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass this week at a juvenile detention center, where he will wash the feet of 12 inmates in a show of humility echoing that of Jesus.
The German-born Benedict is an academic, one of the world's leading theologians who spent more than 30 years in the frescoed halls of the Vatican where he was its chief doctrinal watchdog and then its pope. His primary concern was to remind Christians in Europe of their faith and bring back a more traditional Catholic identity, and with it many of the brocaded trappings of the papacy. His Holy Thursday Masses included the traditional foot-washing, but it involved clerics at the St. John Lateran basilica.
While there is a difference in style, there is a "radical" convergence between the two men in terms of their spirituality, according to Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine whose articles are approved by the Vatican before publication.
"They are two figures of the highest spirituality, whose relationship with life is completely anchored in God," the magazine wrote. "This radicalness is shown in Pope Benedict's shy and kind bearing, and in Pope Francis it is revealed by his immediate sweetness and spontaneity."

NObama: Why don’t U.S. presidents visit Lebanon?
March 23, 2013/By Olivia Alabaster/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Currently in Jordan after his first trip to Israel as president, Barack Obama joins a long line of American heads of state who have overlooked Lebanon on their travels.
In fact, no sitting U.S. president has ever set foot in the country, although American officials routinely cite their concern with events in Lebanon.
The U.S. clearly recognizes Lebanon’s unique position and is one of the most significant supporters of the state and Army – annually, the U.S. provides over $100 million in military assistance to Beirut.
So why has no U.S president visited the country while in office?
In 1962, Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited Lebanon by accident on an extended refueling trip, while en route to several countries in the Mediterranean and Iran.
The New York Times said Johnson halted his motorcade while heading to the capital from the airport when he saw children gathered at a roadside melon stand.
“Mr. Johnson walked over to shake hands and presumably influence people. His first convert was Ibrahim Sawaan, a 15-year-old boy in overalls,” the Times said. “The vice president, squinting in the sun, shook the youth’s hand and told him that the United States stood behind the ‘integrity and independence of Lebanon.’ The youth smiled.”
And on Oct. 26, 1983, George Bush, also as vice president, visited Beirut in a show of support for American troops stationed here, three days after the barracks bombing in which 241 U.S. soldiers were killed.
Most recently, Vice President Joe Biden visited in 2009, for a total of seven hours, to assure the country that it would not be overlooked amid Washington’s outreach, at the time, to Syria.
For Bruce Jones, director of the New York University Center on International Cooperation, Lebanon is simply too small to warrant a stopover.
“I don’t think it’s security issues, or diplomatic ones. Lebanon’s security and success matter to the U.S,” he said, “but U.S. presidents average about 30 international trips while in office, and major relationships – Britain, France, China, India – often warrant more than one trip. So it’s a very small number of countries that make it onto a presidential schedule.”
According to a U.S. diplomatic source in Beirut, the reason Obama did not choose to add a Lebanese stop to his current regional tour was due to concerns over Hezbollah.
“The president’s travel was scheduled long ago. It would be difficult for any senior U.S. official to visit Lebanon when a party that is part of the government has been accused of actively engaging in terrorism such as the Burgas bombing and the investigation of a terrorist plot in Cyprus,” the source said.
The U.S. has accused Hezbollah of being behind a Bulgaria bus bombing last July at the coastal resort city of Burgas in which five Israeli tourists and the local driver were killed. Bulgarian authorities support this claim, but have produced no evidence to this end. Hezbollah denies involvement.
And Thursday, a Hezbollah member was convicted in Cyprus of helping to plan terrorist attacks against Israelis on the island. The dual Lebanese-Swedish citizen had admitted to being a member of Hezbollah and for couriering items for the party, but denied being involved in terrorism.
Speaking in occupied Jerusalem Thursday night to an audience of Israeli students, Obama, apparently addressing the EU, urged foreign governments to join the U.S. in blacklisting Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Despite having only two ministers in the Cabinet, Hezbollah leads the March 8 coalition, which in turn dominates the government. But wouldn’t it be possible for a U.S. president to visit Lebanon, merely to express a commitment to national sovereignty?
As Biden said in 2009, facing Hezbollah criticism for interference in domestic affairs, “I do not come here to back any particular party or any particular person ... I come here to back certain principles.”
For Alexander Lubin, director at the American University of Beirut’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Center for American Studies and Research, the problem that plagues potential tourists to Lebanon – have they visited Lebanon’s southern neighbor? – is also behind the lack of any visit by a U.S. president.
“I think the main reason that a sitting U.S. president hasn’t visited Lebanon is due to the so-called ‘special relationship’ the U.S. has with Israel.”
Pointing out that the first sitting U.S. president to visit Israel was Richard Nixon in 1974, Lubin adds, “Of course, since 1974 [or ’73] Lebanon and Israel have been officially at war. To visit Lebanon would entail a visit to Israel’s enemy.”
While Clinton visited Syria in 1994, he stayed only for six hours.
Speaking Thursday night, Obama underscored Washington’s special relationship with Tel Aviv when he reassured Israel, in Hebrew, that “you are not alone.”
In 2006, a month after the July war with Israel, Tony Blair became the first British prime minister to visit Lebanon. His arrival was greeted with large protests, accusing him of complicity in the war and the loss of civilian life, due to his government’s close relationship with both the U.S. and Israel.
Downtown Beirut was secured with razor wire as he met with then-Prime Minister Fouad Siniora as protesters shouted, “Shame on you.”
The late Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, the country’s most senior Shiite preacher at the time, urged the government to refuse Blair entry, so that he could understand “we are not so naive as to welcome him when he has contributed to killing us and slaughtering our children.”
Undoubtedly, a visit by a U.S. head of state would be beset by even more intense opposition.
Security might also be an issue, given the American State Department’s travel warnings for regular civilians in Lebanon, which currently urges “citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon because of current safety and security concerns.”
But for David Kenner, associate editor at the American magazine Foreign Policy, security is a minimal concern, highlighting the fact that “presidents, after all, go to Iraq and Afghanistan, where the threats are much greater.”
“I think the real reason is that such a trip would be politically problematic for everyone involved: A president would have to justify why he’s getting involved in a country that many Americans still associate with the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks bombings,” Kenner says, adding that the March 14 coalition would be criticized for its cordial ties with Washington.
The March 8 grouping would see such a presidential visit as “signaling a renewed effort to establish American preeminence in Beirut. Basically, a lot of diplomatic energy goes into smoothing over divisions in Beirut, and this would do just the opposite.”
Also, he says, the Lebanese government “simply isn’t in a position to deliver anything on any of the fronts” Obama is set to address on his current regional visit – the Middle East peace process, the Iranian nuclear issue, and the fallout from the uprisings in Egypt and Syria.
“There’s only one person in Lebanon who would have some sway on those issues, and that’s Hasan Nasrallah. And I think ... we know that meeting is never going to happen.”

Syria Rebels Seize Key Military Base in Daraa
Naharnet/Rebels fighting the regime of President Bashar Assad on Saturday seized a key air base in the southern Syrian province of Daraa after two weeks of fierce battles with loyalist troops, a watchdog said.
"Opposition fighters loyal to al-Nusra Front, al-Yarmouk Brigade and other rebel groups seized air defense Base 38 near the town of Saida, on the road linking Damascus to Amman, in the province of Daraa," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The seizure came "after 16 days of fighting," said the Britain-based group.
At least seven rebels were killed in their final assault on the base, said the Observatory, which also documented the deaths of at least eight regime troops including an officer.
"Dozens of prisoners were freed from the base's headquarters," it said.
Amateur video filmed by rebels and distributed by the Observatory showed the bloodied, mutilated corpse of a man identified as Mahmoud Darwish, an officer.
Activists also distributed footage showing a group of men, most of them bearded, being set free.
The Syrian Revolution General Commission, a network of activists on the ground, said the rebels also captured a checkpoint in the Daraa town of Sahem al-Golan.
Amateur video showed rebels seizing at least two regime tanks and several military vehicles after they captured the checkpoint.
"I swear to God, we are coming for you, O Bashar," a rebel said in a video distributed by anti-regime activists.
The capture came days after rebels seized a border crossing on the frontier with Jordan, said the Observatory.
A security source in Damascus told Agence France Presse this week Jordan was allowing jihadist fighters and arms bought by Saudi Arabia from Croatia to be smuggled into Syria.
In Quneitra, meanwhile, at least 35 rebels were killed on Wednesday and Thursday fighting troops loyal to Assad, said the Observatory.
Some 20 other fighters were also believed dead after battles in majority Druze villages in Quneitra province, which lays on the sensitive ceasefire line with Israel.
In the central city of Homs, troops pressed a relentless campaign against rebel enclaves after more than nine months of a suffocating siege by the army and security forces.
At Bouti's funeral in Damascus, Syria's top Sunni authority Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun called on "the Islamic and Arab world to save Syria, which is facing a global war.
"If Syria falls today you will be next," he said before thousands of mourners.
The ceremony was led by Toufiq Bouti, the dead sheikh's son, and representatives of key Damascus allies Iran and Hizbullah also attended.
The United Nations estimates that violence across Syria has killed at least 70,000 people since the conflict erupted in March 2011.
On Saturday alone, at least 63 people were killed in violence across Syria, according to the Observatory, which added that at least 23 of them were civilians.
SourceAgence France Presse

Pakistan Taliban Threaten to Assassinate Musharraf
Naharnet/The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday threatened to assassinate former military ruler Pervez Musharraf when he returns to the country to contest elections after nearly five years in self-imposed exile.
The 69-year-old escaped three assassination attempts when in office from 1999 to 2008, a target of Islamist extremists because of his alliance in the U.S.-led "war on terror" and attempts to clamp down on militants.
"We have prepared a special squad of suicide bombers for Musharraf," Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.
"They will attack Musharraf after he arrives (in) Pakistan."
Musharraf is due to fly into Karachi, his home town and Pakistan's largest city of 18 million which is suffering from record levels of violence linked to ethnic and political tensions, on Sunday.
When former prime minister Benazir Bhutto returned to Karachi from eight years in exile on October 18, 2007, bomb attacks killed at least 139 people in what remains the deadliest single terror attack on Pakistani soil.
She was later assassinated in a gun and suicide attack at the end of an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. Her son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, has accused Musharraf of her murder.
Musharraf is wanted by the courts over Bhutto's death, the 2006 death of Akbar Bugti, a Baluch rebel leader in the southwest, who died during a military operation, and for the 2007 sacking and illegal arrest of judges.
He went to the top of the Taliban hit list after ordering the army to storm the Red Mosque in Islamabad, where radicals were holed up. The operation left more than 100 people dead and opened the floodgates to Islamist attacks in Pakistan.
Taliban and Al-Qaida-linked groups went on the rampage, carrying out hundreds of attacks that have killed more than 5,700 people according to an AFP tally.
In an interview with AFP in Dubai on Friday, Musharraf said he was prepared to risk any danger to his life in order to stand for election on May 11, polls which should mark the first democratic transition of power in Pakistani history.
"Two hundred percent! I am traveling back on Sunday to Pakistan," he said.
"I will go by land, air or sea... even to the peril of my life, this is the oath I took for the country."
On Friday a court in Karachi granted him protective bail for at least 10 days on charges of conspiracy to murder and illegally arresting judges, but analysts say the risk of arrest is less than the danger to his life.
"Security will be a huge challenge for him," retired lieutenant general Talat Masood told AFP.
It is not only the Pakistani Taliban, but Baluch groups, who hold him responsible for Bugti's death, and hardline sectarian groups who want to kill him, said Masood.
"Moreover he is arriving in Karachi where the security situation is very difficult. He wants to be part of the political landscape. He will have to move around to meet people and travel to other places," the retired general said.
"I don't know why he is taking the risk when he has not a bright future in Pakistan," he added.
Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup when he was army chief of staff in 1999 and left the country after stepping down in August 2008, when Asif Ali Zardari was elected president.
Last year he delayed a planned homecoming after being threatened with arrest and commentators say most of his powerbase has evaporated and that he will only secure, at most, a couple of seats for his All Pakistan Muslim League (APLM) party.
He has presented himself as "a third alternative" to the PPP and to opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, whom he ousted in 1999 and who is considered a frontrunner in the May vote, by promising to reverse economic decline and restore security.
In 2010 a U.N. report said Bhutto's death could have been prevented and accused Musharraf's government of failing to provide her with adequate protection.
Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in August 2009.
SourceAgence France Presse

Pakistan and Iran: Dominating Afghanistan

By: Huda Al Husseini /Asharq Alawsat
Prior to receiving US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Afghan President Hamid Karzai stressed that “those bombs that went off in Kabul in Khost were not a show of force to America. They were in service of America. It was in service of the 2014 slogan to warn us if they [Americans] are not here then [the] Taliban will come.”
This discourse aroused the resentment of both Hagel and the US military chief in Afghanistan General Joseph F. Dunford. The latter said: “We have fought too hard over the past 12 years, we have shed too much blood over the past 12 years, we have done too much to help the Afghan security forces grow over the last 12 years to ever think that violence or instability would be to our advantage.”
Hamid Karzai’s statements reflect an impression in the public consciousness of Afghanistan that the Americans have a hidden agenda, and that they will not leave Afghanistan or Central Asia for free. This notion was strengthened when the US declared its intention to establish military bases in Afghanistan, and when its endeavor to grant its soldiers diplomatic immunity was revealed.
There are other issues that provoke Karzai, such as Washington’s failure to encourage dialogue with the Taliban under Afghan supervision, as well as the United States establishing contact with representatives of Taliban behind his back. However what enrages Karzai most is American reliance on Pakistan in their “reconciliation” with the Taliban. He feels that the Pakistani military leadership has returned to its previous approach of exploiting contradictory US policies towards Afghanistan in order to serve its own interests.
The attacks on Saturday March 9 targeted the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Kabul. A week earlier, an Afghan military convoy came under attack in Badakhshan during which the Taliban killed 16 soldiers.
It is well-known that Taliban are the traditional enemies of the Tajik, while the Tajik now form the backbone of the Afghan military leadership. This is what arouses Karzai’s suspicion, as he is well aware that the Taliban’s victory in the 1990s was achieved as a result of the Pakistani intelligence apparatus working against the Mujahedeen who refused to join the Taliban. This was mostly the Tajik, who are well known for their patriotism and objection to any Pakistani interference in Afghanistan.
Returning to Karzai’s statements, these will not stop US operations, coalition forces, or Afghan troops from pursuing the Taliban, as well as other armed terrorist militias that are active in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. If Karzai’s main concern is the Taliban leadership (who are permanently in contact with him, but do not want to let him perform a leading role in negotiations that will decide their future), then the coalition’s main concern is the presence of various multi-national and jihadist organizations.
To be even clearer, only a few days after Karzai’s “revolt”, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) announced it had detained one of the leaders of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which is an Al-Qaeda affiliate based out of Kunduz province. According to the ISAF statement, the captured leader is accused of being in charge of “directing fighters during the operations against security troops, as well as being an expert in explosives who trained other elements in a terrorist cell.”
It is striking that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is fighting, side by side, with both the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Like Al-Qaeda, it is providing training to Taliban fighters and is active in Afghanistan’s northern provinces, particularly Kunduz. Last year, coalition forces, alongside Afghani troops, launched a total of 36 raids—16 of which were conducted in Kunduz alone.
In the first few months of 2013, the movement suffered eight air raids. If we take into consideration the withdrawal of a large number of coalition troops and the announcement of the withdrawal of 34,000 US troops in 2014, this increase in the number of raids can only mean that the activities of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are on the rise.
On the same day that one of the leaders of this movement was detained in Kunduz, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Imam Saheb district, killing 10 people. However, it was later revealed that the target had been the Kunduz security commander and his family (his brother is the Afghan speaker of parliament). The bombing killed the security commander, his father, and four of his guards.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is a major ally of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It is backing operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, in addition to preparing for operations in Europe. Its affiliates are fighting side by side with the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan and have even been enrolled in the Taliban’s shadow government in northern Afghanistan.
This movement’s fighters often serve as the personal guard of Pakistani Taliban leaders, as well as Al-Qaeda commanders. Apart from its operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the movement has escalated its operations in central Asian states. In September 2010, the movement claimed responsibility for the killing of 25 Tajik soldiers, threatening to carry out further attacks in central Asia. It is also worth noting that the common denominator for hostility here is the Tajik.
In 2000, the US State Department added the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan to its list of designated terrorist organizations. This helped ISAF in its war on terror, particularly to reduce support for terrorist organizations.
In October 2012, the US State Department added the name of Qari Ayoub Bashir—chief of the movement’s funding department—on the international terrorist blacklist. Bashir is a member in the movement’s Shura Council and resides in the northern province of Waziristan which is dominated by the Pakistani Taliban. In his capacity as a financier, he is in charge of ensuring the financial and logistical support necessary for all the movement’s operations in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, and is also responsible for raising funds from other states outside of the region.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan became a prime target for the US Special Forces after it claimed responsibility for the attacks against Bagram Airfield in 2010, and the provincial Reconstruction Team base in Panjshir (a Tajik area) in 2011. They also claimed responsibility for the suicide attack that targeted an armoured vehicle in 2011.
Apart from the raids on the movements’ headquarter in Kunduz and northern Afghanistan, US troops focused on the movement’s leaders in Pakistan’s tribal areas, succeeding in killing two of the movement’s commanders in drone strikes.
Last year, the movement announced that its leader Othman Adel was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan, and that Othman Gazi had been selected to replace him. Just like his predecessor, Gazi is committed to continuing the fight in Afghanistan. For his part, Adel has succeeded the movement’s co-founder Tohir Yo’ldosh who was also killed by a drone strike in 2009. Adel was known for his endeavor to consolidate the movement’s roles and activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan following the killing of Yo’ldosh. Whilst Yo’ldosh had preferred to limit the movement’s operations to Pakistan’s tribal areas, Adel acted to expand its operations towards northern and eastern Afghanistan, in addition to Central Asia.
The so-called Greater Middle East is facing several problems and disturbances. Karzai fears that he may be defeated, while he is suspicious about Pakistan’s role. The US is well aware that it needs Iranian influence in Afghanistan, while Pakistan also knows this and is challenging the agreement over the gas pipeline that is set to extend from Iran to Pakistan. Islamabad also knows that the Americans must compensate the Pakistani army for its losses, and must also cooperate with its state apparatus to the highest degree possible in order to succeed in withdrawing its troops via the port of Karachi.
The US does not reject military or financial compensation, which it is moving towards paying. Yet in addition to this, Pakistan wants political compensation; namely returning to the previous security strategy. While today, Pakistan is extending its hand as well as its pipelines to Iran. However Iran is sensing that its standing in Syria and even in Iraq and Lebanon may be destabilized, prompting it to begin pumping gas to Pakistan, while at the same time putting forward a “friendly face” towards Karzai.
The problem with both of Pakistan and Iran is that these two states rely on jihadist and terrorist movements in all their projects.
How long can we countenance this?

Iran: A Clash of Religion and Nationalism

By: Amir Taheri /Asharq Alawsat
Over the past year or so, the choice between two adjectives has developed into an important theme of the power struggle within the Khomeinist ruling elite in Tehran.
The adjectives are “Iranian” and “Islamic”.
Under the Pahlavi shahs who promoted a nationalist narrative, the adjective “Islamic” was quietly set aside in favor of “Iranian”. Official discourse presented “Iranian” as synonymous with excellent and sublime.
Having seized power in 1979, the mullahs were uneasy about the words Iran and Iranian from the start. Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali, one of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s sidekicks, even suggested that Iran be renamed “Islamistan”.
The Khomeinist sect tried to scrap Nowruz, the Iranian New Year and, for years, banned pre-Islamic Iranian names for new-born children. Khomeinists insisted on attaching the adjective “Islamic” to everything under the sun. Thus, we got “Islamic” physics, biology, mathematics, cuisine, and, more interestingly, even music and cinema. The mullahs claimed that love of Iran was a form of “shirk” or association with the Unique God.
The constitution imposed by Khomeini cast the “Supreme Guide” as leader of the Islamic ummah of which the Iranian nation formed only a part.
Over the years, thousands of “hidden graves” of supposed descendants of imams were discovered across the country. The title “Sayyed”, denoting Arab descent, began to appear in front of more and more names. Khomeinists wished to hide their Iranian origin to emphasize Islamic credentials.
The mullahs’ leftist allies shared their hatred of “Iran” because they, too, saw nationalism as an ideological threat. To Marxists, people should not be defined by national background but by class affiliation.
However, just as the downgrading of the adjective Islamic under the Shahs did not script Islam out of Iranian life, the mullahs and Marxists hatred for the very concept of Iran has failed.
Khomeini and his successor Ali Khamenei failed to stop Iranians from celebrating Nowruz and ended up by acknowledging it as the national New Year with an official message. Also, they did not manage to stop Iranians from jumping over the purifying fire on the last Wednesday of the Iranian year. Nor could they force Iranians not to use pre-Islamic names for their children.
By adopting an anti-Iranian posture, Khomeinists ended up encouraging Iranian nationalism. Last autumn more than 6,000 poets participated in the Annual Festival of Poetry organized by the government. A selection of their poems published by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance shows that almost all were inspired by nationalistic, rather than Islamist, themes.
This does not mean that Iranians have become anti-Islamic. But it means that, as might have been expected, they are trying to defy a narrative imposed by the rulers. Being tempted by the forbidden fruit is an old-established trait of human character.
Conscious that the Khomeinist ideology is bankrupt, some younger members of the ruling elite have for years tried to find alternative themes to a moribund discourse.
In the 1980s, then Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi tried a version of North Korea’s ideology of self-sufficiency and anti-Imperialist defiance. The mélange didn’t work. In the 1990s, Hashemi Rafsanjani, as President and “strongman, promoted the Guizotesque formula of “getting rich quick”. His model was Communist China, with its mix of capitalist economy and totalitarian politics. That formula, too, proved a failure.
When first elected President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his ideological guru Esfandiar Masha’i, tried to imitate Hugo Chavez’s petro-populism. Their slogan was: “Oil money on the dinner table of families.” That, too, failed.
Starting a couple of years ago, the Ahmadinejad-Masha’i tandem started talking of Iran and Iranian-ness. The famous “Cyrus Cylinder”, on which the founder of the first Iranian empire had engraved his “Charter of Human Rights”, was brought to Tehran on loan from the British Museum in London. Ahmadinejad and a guard of honor went to welcome the “cylinder”. The president described Cyrus as “equal to Prophets”.
In the sequence that followed, Masha’i spoke of the “Iranian school”. He claimed that it was Iran that had transformed Islam, a mere creed, into a civilization. According to him only the “Iranian school” offered an alternative to Western civilisation.
Last week, the government announced it was organizing 2,500 feasts across the country to mark Nowruz. The figure 2,500 recalled festivities organized under the Shah in 1971 to mark the 25th centenary of the empire founded by Cyrus.
To hammer in the nationalist theme, the planned festivities are called “The Voice of Spring” a reference to Iran’s pre-Islamic cult of Anahita, the Goddess of Fertility.
Khamenei’s initial reaction to the “Iranian School” slogan was one of outrage. The media, under his control, launched bitter attacks against Ahmadinejad and Masha’i for supposedly falling for the siren song of nationalism.
Last week, however, in a surprising volte-face Khamenei announced the creation of something called an “Islamic-Iranian” model of civilization, as “an alternative to Western civilization.”
To develop that model, Khamenei ordered the creation of a special organization and appointed Sadeq Vaez-Zadeh to lead the program.
Khamenei’s implicit message is: Since the adjective “Iranian” cannot be discarded, what about giving it second place to the adjective “Islamic”?
Will Ahmadinejad accept the compromise or will he continue peddling “Iranian-Islamic”, a model in which religion plays second fiddle to nationalism?

Kerry meets Netanyahu in push to restart peace talks

By HERB KEINON03/23/2013/J.Post
US secretary of state meets with PA president, prime minister Netanyahu to seek common ground to resume peace talks; survey shows Obama's 'charm offensive' effective: 39% say they have better feeling toward US president. US Secretary of State John Kerry with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, March 23, 2013. Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom/GPO
After the pomp and ceremony of US President Barack Obama’s three-day trip to the region, Secretary of State John Kerry began nitty-gritty efforts at re-starting talks between Israel and the Palestinians with a late night meeting Saturday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Kerry, who arrived in the region last Tuesday, accompanied Obama during his two days in Jerusalem and Ramallah, and also went with him to Jordan on Friday.
Indicating that the meeting focused on the Palestinian issue, Netanyahu was joined in his talks with Kerry by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, his minister in charge of talks with the Palestinians; Yitzhak Molcho, Netanyahu’s envoy on the Palestinian issue; and National Security Council head Yaakov Amidror.
One government official said that Israel’s message to Kerry would be that the diplomatic process would only succeed if “it is a two way street.”
“If only one side – the Israeli side – is asked to be flexible, then it won’t work,” the official said. “It is crucial that this be a two way street, and both sides move together.
It cannot be that only Israel is expected to take steps. We are prepared to move forward together with the Palestinians.”
Obama, at a press conference in Jordan with King Abdullah II on Friday, said his immediate hope was that “we can explore with the parties a mechanism for them to sit back down, to get rid of some of the old assumptions, to think in new ways and to get this done.”
During his speech on Thursday to Israeli students in Jerusalem, Obama reiterated that the US remained strongly committed to working for a two-state solution, and urged the Israeli public to push its leaders forward toward that same goal.
Earlier, at a press conference in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, he stressed that for the sides to move forward, everyone was “going to have to get out of some of the formulas and habits that blocked progress for so long. Both sides are going to have to think anew.”
Obama, who said he “absolutely believes” peace was still possible, said that it was difficult because “sometimes, even though we know what compromises have to be made in order to achieve peace, it’s hard to admit that those compromises need to be made, because people want to cling on to their old positions and want to have 100 percent of what they want, or 95% of what they want, instead of making the necessary compromises.”
Regarding the Palestinian Authority demand that Israel freeze all settlement activity before negotiations could be renewed, Obama said, “If the expectation is that we can only have direct negotiations when everything is settled ahead of time, then there’s no point for negotiations.”
Obama spent his last morning in Israel on Friday first laying wreaths on the graves of Theodor Herzl and slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin on Mount Herzl, and then visiting Yad Vashem. He then met with Netanyahu for some two hours, before visiting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, and then leaving via Ben-Gurion Airport.
At the airport he met another time with Netanyahu for an hour, which included the call Netanyahu made to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan where he apologized for mishaps during the Mavi Marmara raid that led to the killing of nine Turks.
All told, beyond the ceremonial and symbolic aspects of the US president’s two-day visit, Obama met intensively with Netanyahu for about nine hours, spread over three meetings.
The symbolic aspects, including his outreach to Israelis, seemed to have already reaped benefits: a Channel 2 survey found that 39% of the public said that their perceptions of Obama improved or improved greatly as a result of the visit; 34% said the visit did not change their perceptions; and only 2% said that their feelings toward the US president became more negative.
Regarding Israeli confidence that the US will not allow Iran to get nuclear arms, some 58% of the public said they believe or believe strongly that Obama will not let Iran to go nuclear, while 38% did not believe he will keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.