My Beloved Lebanon/By: Randa Marouni
Lebanon is a reality and an imagination
Lebanon is a Pray that Almighty God has mixed with soil and made a homeland for beauty and love
Lebanon shall remains tall as its holy cedars no matter who assaults, envies, covets or spreading gossips about it.
Lebanon is untouchable and no one shall be able scratch its pride or holiness
Lebanon is God's creativity, lets love, and safeguard it

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For November 006/13

Opinion: One woman stands alone defying ISIS in Syria/By: Diana Moukalled/Asharq Alawsa/November 06/13

Opinion: We’re not as different as we think /By: Ataollah Mohajerani /Asharq Alawsat/November 06/13

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources For November 06/13

Lebanese Related News

Syrian forces deploying on Lebanese border as talks over peace conference stall
Suleiman Says Dialogue, Baabda Declaration Save Lebanon from Crisis, Urges 'Fair' Rulings in Bombing Cases

Saqr Charges Ali Eid, His Driver with Helping Suspect in Tripoli Bombings Evade Justice

Tension in Tripoli, pro-Assad Eid charged

Miqati: Cabinet Could Discuss Fate of Arab Democratic Party ahead of Judicial Verdict

Al-Mustaqbal Condemns Jabal Mohsen Bus Attack, Says Hizbullah's 'Disrespect' of Constitution behind Crisis

Change and Reform: Powerful President Derives his Strength from his Political Representation

U.S. Embassy Denies Holding Talks with 'Terrorist Hizbullah'

Two Arrested for Kidnapping Lebanese-Iraqi in Mansourieh

Tawhid Party Fighters Killed in Syria while Combating 'Takfiris, Terrorists'

Al-Rahi Urges Christians to Play 'Conciliatory Role' in Country's Political Crisis

Eichhorst Shies Away from Revealing Effects of EU Decision on Hizbullah

Tripoli on Edge as Tension Mounts between Rival Neighborhoods

'No Ransom Paid' as Abducted Palestinian Businessman Released

Lebanese-Canadian Appeals Extradition over 1980 French Bombing

Lebanon party mourns ‘martyrs’ killed in Syria

U.S. voices support for forming Cabinet in Lebanon

Lebanon bombing suspect arrested on border with Syria

Amid security, AUB votes for student representatives

Miscellaneous Reports And News

Kerry arrives in Israel amid pessimism on prospects for peace

Moscow announces Netanyahu to meet Putin in two weeks – as Kerry lands in Jerusalem
Brahimi: Still No Date for Syria Peace Talks

Syria talks under way, Damascus insists Assad will stay

Germany Asks Britain for Explanation of Spying Report

Kerry arrives to shepherd Israeli-Palestinian talks

Defeated M23 ends revolt in Congo, raising peace hopes

UN envoy: No deal on Syrian peace talks date

UN nuclear chief reportedly to visit Iran in possible sign of progress
Iran, Israel take part in secret nuclear meet: diplomats

Iranian FM says nuclear accord 'possible' this week
Lapid: Jerusalem is not up for negotiation because the city will never be divid

Suleiman Says Dialogue, Baabda Declaration Save Lebanon from Crisis, Urges 'Fair' Rulings in Bombing Cases
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/President Michel Suleiman assured on Tuesday that the current crisis in Lebanon can only be dealt with by “committing to unity and adopting the Baabda Declaration.”"The Syrian crisis is causing many problems in Lebanon and those can only be dealt with by committing to out unity and to the Baabda Declaration,” Suleiman said in a speech he gave at an event marking the 5oth anniversary of the Institute of Judicial Studies. He added: “Sooner or later this stage will come to an end dialogue and cooperation will prevail.”“Collaborating together reduces the problems affecting us.”
The head of the state stressed that preserving the Lebanese “democratic system requires our solidarity and religious coexistence.”“Let us avoid destroying what we had built by boycotting parliamentary sessions and the formation of the new cabinet or by not providing the necessary quorum to elect a new president of the constitutional council.” “We have to prove that we deserve this country and its unique political system in this turbulent East,” he expressed. Suleiman also tackled the judicial system in his speech, calling for adopting “fair” rulings against assailants accused of planning and executing the bombings of the northern city of Tripoli and the Beirut suburb of Dahieh. “It is urgent to prosecute, in cooperation with military forces, the suspects behind the kidnapping crimes, attacks against the army and those who killed the four judges (in the southern city of Sidon),” Suleiman stated.
The president, however, admitted that many problems face the judicial system in the country. “The judicial system must work on fixing its problems and this is the duty of the Justice Minister and judicial committees. This would be done by reviving the work of the Disciplinary Board and implementing article 95 and adopting other measure that safeguard the judicial system's integrity.”He addressed judges urging them not to let fear or temptation affect their decisions. “You issue decisions in the name of the Lebanese people,” he pointed out. He added: “We must work on pending issues such as the situation of prisons in Lebanon and other cases that have an influence on the image of the judicial system in the country.”

Saqr Charges Ali Eid, His Driver with Helping Suspect in Tripoli Bombings Evade Justice
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Tuesday Arab Democratic Party chief Ali Eid and his driver Ahmed Mohammed Ali with helping a suspect in the Tripoli bombings escape justice, reported the National News Agency. They were charged with helping suspect Ahmed Merhi flee to Syria. A search and investigation warrant was issued against former MP Eid on Monday. Ali is being held by the Intelligence Bureau on charges of smuggling to Merhi to Syria. Saqr also charged Syrian national Sukeina Ismail with terrorism over her links to the Tripoli twin bombings, said LBCI television. She is charged with transporting the two cars that were used in the bombings from Syria to Lebanon, it added.Later on Tuesday, security forces at the Abboudieh border-crossing arrested Chehade Shdoud, who is charged with smuggling Ismail to Syria. Last week, the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau summoned Eid to question him over his alleged involvement in the August double bombings in the northern city of Tripoli. MTV reported that Ali was first arrested on October 26 by Lebanese army intelligence agents on charges of smuggling Merhi into Syria at the request of the pro-Damascus former lawmaker. Merhi is reportedly the driver of the second explosive-laden vehicle that blew up near al-Taqwa mosque. On October 14, seven people involved in the August bombings were charged, including three in custody. The majority are from the Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen. Forty-five people were killed and over 800 wounded in the twin bombings that targeted the al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques on August 23. The Arab Democratic Party has denied any involvement in the attacks and stressed that the suspects are not members of the party while slamming media leaks attributed to the Intelligence Bureau.

Miqati: Cabinet Could Discuss Fate of Arab Democratic Party ahead of Judicial Verdict
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati said on Tuesday that the government could look into the fate of the Arab Democratic Party ahead of the judicial verdict against the suspects in the twin bombings that targeted the northern city of Tripoli. “Nothing prevents head of the Arab Democratic Party ex-MP Ali Eid from appearing before the judiciary as he is denying any ties with Ahmed Merhi,” Miqati said in comments published in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat. State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr issued on Monday a search and investigation warrant against Eid a week after the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau summoned Eid to question his alleged involvement in the August twin bombings in Tripoli. The northern leader said he was willing to appear before any security agency except for the Intelligence Bureau.
Eid's driver Ahmed Mohammed Ali is being held by the Intelligence Bureau on charges of smuggling to Syria Merhi, one of the main suspects in the bombings against al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques in Tripoli on August 23.
“These accusations don't target the Alawite sect... We are working on halting all sectarian incitement,” Miqati told the newspaper. He stressed that calm should be restored in Tripoli, hailing the ongoing cooperation between the Lebanese army and the Internal Security Forces. Miqati also revealed that he will file a request for the parliament to hold a session set to explaining the tasks that could be carried out by a caretaker cabinet. “I am not seeking to amend the constitution... Several matters require the approval of the cabinet amid the exceptional conditions that Lebanon is passing through and the sharp rift between the political foes over the formation of a new cabinet,” Miqati added. Endeavors are ongoing to end the cabinet deadlock amid reports that President Michel Suleiman insists on forming it ahead of the Independence Day on November 22 based on any distribution of portfolios as long as the rival parties agree. Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam continuously said that conditions and counter-conditions set by the rival sides have brought his efforts to form a cabinet to a stalemate.
Since his appointment to form a cabinet in April, Salam has been seeking the formation of a 24-member cabinet in which the March 8, March 14 and centrists camps would each get eight ministers.
However, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah expressed support to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's proposal to form a new cabinet in which the March 8 and 14 alliances would get nine ministers each and six ministers would be given to the centrists – Suleiman, Salam and Jumblat. This formula prevents a certain party from controlling the government by giving veto power to Hizbullah and its team and another veto power to March 14, he said.

Al-Mustaqbal Condemns Jabal Mohsen Bus Attack, Says Hizbullah's 'Disrespect' of Constitution behind Crisis
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Al-Mustaqbal bloc condemned on Tuesday the attack on workers from the Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen, stressing that the assailants are “saboteurs.”"We condemn and reject the bus attack in Jabal Mohsen. This is a crime that has nothing to do with the city's ethical values and principals," the bloc said in a released statement after the MPs' weekly meeting at the Center House. The bloc added: "We call on authorities to prosecute the attackers and refer them to judicial bodies." "The assailants are saboteurs,” the MPs stated.  The statement remarked that the residents of Jabal Mohsen “have nothing to do with the mosques' blasts in Tripoli.” “The criminals that planned and executed the crime in Tripoli must be penalized and Jabal Mohsen residents have nothing to do with the incident,” it said. "We call for peace to prevail all over Tripoli.”
Forty-five people were killed and over 800 wounded in twin bombings that targeted the al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques in Tripoli on August 23. The Arab Democratic Party has denied any involvement in the attacks and stressed that the suspects are not members of the party while slamming media leaks attributed to the Intelligence Bureau. However, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr charged earlier on Tuesday Arab Democratic Party chief Ali Eid and his driver Ahmed Mohammed Ali with helping a suspect in the Tripoli bombings escape justice. They were charged with helping suspect Ahmed Merhi flee to Syria. And on Monday, a search and investigation warrant was issued against former MP Eid. The al-Mustaqbal bloc reiterated that the problems facing Lebanon are caused by Hizbullah's disrespect of the constitution and the National Pact and its involvement in Syria. "The first problem facing the country is Hizbullah's disrespect of the constitution, the National Pact and of the people's will through its involvement in the battles in Syria,” it said. The statement noted: “Hizbullah is dragging Lebanon into many problems and creating many enmities.” The MPs stressed that finding solutions to the current crises in the country would be achieved by committing to the Baabda Declaration. “Especially Hizbullah must commit the the Declaration and the party must withdraw its fighters from Syria,” they said. “Then we'll be able to look into forming a national-unity cabinet that is composed of nonpartisans.” In a separate matter, the al-Mustaqbal lawmakers criticized caretaker Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui for not paying required internet fees on time, “despite reminding him to do so.” “Not paying the required internet fees by the caretaker minister led to placing Lebanon on the list of failed countries,” they said. “All of this is due to the minister's negligence and it indicates his failure in the sector. Lebanon avoided being cut from the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) consortium project after Sehnaoui announced that the country had paid its dues, he said via Twitter on Saturday. The bloc also condemned the Israeli shelling on military bases in neighboring Syria, questioning the Damascus regime's silence over this matter. “The Syrian regime only care about staying in power even is this required destroying the entire country,” it said.
 

Change and Reform: Powerful President Derives his Strength from his Political Representation
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/The Change and Reform bloc noted on Tuesday that the president of the republic should derive his strength from within himself, which will help him advance in Lebanon.
MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the bloc's weekly meeting: “The president also derives his strength from his political representation.” He reiterated the need to elect a strong president and the Change and Reform bloc's rejection of the extension of President Michel Suleiman's term. Suleiman stated on Sunday that a strong leader is one that liberates himself from parliamentary alliances. “A strong president acquires power by not being affiliated with a parliamentary bloc,” he said on Twitter. He added: “What makes a leader strong is being free from any alliance that threatens an independent, balance and sovereign decision the president can take.”Addressing the Change and Reform bloc's dialogue proposal, Kanaan remarked: “We have heard a lot of speculation about it. We took the initiative to hold talks with all parliamentary blocs.”It is scheduled to hold talks with the Mustaqbal bloc on Thursday. “All sides should agree on how to fortify Lebanon,” he declared. “An agreement should be reached to avoid fragmenting the state. Lebanon's fate should no longer be linked to Syria. What if the situation there lasted for years? What will we do then?” he wondered.

Two Arrested for Kidnapping Lebanese-Iraqi in Mansourieh
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Two people were arrested on Tuesday for their involvement in the kidnapping of Lebanese-Iraqi Wafer Bahnam in October, announced the National News Agency.
One of the arrested suspects, M.S., confessed that three other people were involved in kidnapping Bahnam from his Mansourieh residence. The suspect said that he worked at the same site as Bahnam, adding that he, along with two other Lebanese, and a Syrian national, plotted the kidnapping. He informed them of the location of the victim's residence. Two days later, three of the assailants, dressed in Internal Security Forces uniforms, kidnapped Bahnam from his home and fled with him to an unknown location. Two of the suspects were also involved in the kidnapping of an Iraqi national, also in Mansourieh, on April 16.Investigations are underway to arrest of all the suspects involved in the abductions.
 

U.S. Embassy Denies Holding Talks with 'Terrorist Hizbullah'
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/The United States embassy in Lebanon denied on Tuesday reports saying U.S. officials have been engaged in talks with Hizbullah. "No official at the embassy has or is engaged in discussion with members of the terrorist organization Hizbullah,” the Embassy clarified to Naharnet in a statement.  The Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper reported on Monday that indirect and secret contacts are ongoing between Hizbullah and the U.S. embassy in Lebanon. The daily quoted a March 14 MP as saying that the “relations between the Hizbullah and the U.S. are developing positively.” The MP also noted that U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale informed various Lebanese leaders that “a cabinet can not be formed without Hizbullah participation.” However, the embassy's statement also denied this claim, stressing that the makeup of the new Lebanese cabinet is to be decided by the Lebanese people only. "We will judge the government not by its numbers, but by its composition, mandate and actions,” it remarked.
 

Lebanese-Canadian Appeals Extradition over 1980 French Bombing
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Lawyers on Monday challenged a decision to extradite a Lebanese-Canadian university professor accused of a deadly 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue, calling France's key handwriting evidence "fatally flawed." Hassan Diab is appealing a 2011 court decision and the Canadian government's order to extradite the University of Ottawa sociologist to France, despite the court's concerns that the case was "weak." Diab denies any involvement in the first fatal attack against the French Jewish community since the Nazi occupation in World War II, which left four dead and many wounded.
At the Court of Appeal for Ontario, in a room filled with more than a dozen Diab supporters, lawyer Marlys Edwardh sought to discredit handwriting analysis of five words undertaken by France's expert, Anne Bisotti.
Edwardh cited the opinions of five other experts and said Bisotti's conclusions -- that Diab likely signed a Paris hotel slip under a false identity (Alexander Panadriyu), which was also used to purchase a motorcycle used in the bombing -- are "untested, unverified, and contrary to accepted methodology." The handwriting sample is considered to be the "smoking gun" in the decision to extradite Diab, Edwardh said.
Edwardh also questioned the decision by Justice Robert Maranger to commit Diab for extradition, suggesting the Canadian judge accepted the reliability of the evidence based on Bisotti's bonafides.
Bisotti's report was the third such analysis to be submitted to Canadian courts from France. The first two were dismissed after criticism by the defense.
"This case isn't (just) weak; this would be a case that would be unsafe to convict," said Edwardh. Diab lawyer Daniel Sheppard also sought to prove that then-justice minister Rob Nicholson reached beyond his jurisdiction to order Diab's surrender, and that some of the evidence in the case came from unsourced intelligence from the French government, making it impossible to call it reliable, the defense said.
"In no criminal proceeding can the merits be determined on the admissibility of unsourced, uncircumstanced evidence. That is not how we run criminal trials," said Anil Kapoor, speaking as an intervener with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. The conversation turned to how nations can use intelligence to safeguard citizens and prevent attacks in what Appeals Court Justice Robert Blair called the "changing world of terrorism."
"We all struggle with it. We're not saying France stands alone with an unfair system... It is, in good faith, struggling to answer these difficult questions," said Sheppard.
"The civilized response is not to put people on trial, the civilized response is to put people on trial fairly," he added. "It doesn't matter who it is -- if you are depriving any human being of their human rights, you have to let them know the case against them." Diab's legal team also said that the intelligence has a "plausible connection" to torture. Sheppard said Nicholson should have engaged in "credible inquiries to either satisfy himself that the evidence itself is not from torture, or if he cannot do so, to ensure that no one is ever sent from this country to face trial with evidence attained by torture." Lawyers for Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association also spoke at the hearing as interveners in the appeal. Diab, who has been placed under strict bail conditions, has been detained for the duration of the appeal hearing, which continues with a response from the Crown expected on Tuesday. Source/Agence France Presse.

Tawhid Party Fighters Killed in Syria while Combating 'Takfiris, Terrorists'
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Members of the Tawhid Party, which is headed by former MP Wiam Wahhab, were killed in Syria as they were fighting alongside the country's regime, it announced in a statement on Tuesday. It said that the fighters were killed in a battle in the village of Arna in the Mount Hermon region on Monday. Hassan Barakeh, Sami Abou Aaqel, Asaad Abou Morra, and Hassan Badreddine were killed in combat.
“The blood of the martyrs will not go to waste as they will continue to haunt the conspirators, takfiris, terrorists, and extremists,” added the statement. Wahhab had on Monday held talks in Syria with its Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Badreddine Hassoun on the latest developments in the country. This is the first time that the Tawhid Party announces the death of fighters in Syria. Hizbullah has been involved in the fighting in Syria, but it does not officially announce the names of its dead. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that over 170 Hizbullah fighters have been killed in Syria.

Al-Rahi Urges Christians to Play 'Conciliatory Role' in Country's Political Crisis
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi criticized the country's rival leaders for paralyzing state institutions and reiterated his call for Christians to play a pivotal role in resolving the country's political crisis.In remarks at Rafik Hariri International Airport before heading to Rome, al-Rahi said: “We should not paralyze the state just because we have joined regional-international axes.”“Christians have played a cultural and social role throughout history,” he said, urging them “not to distance themselves and to play a conciliatory role because we need an exit to the political crisis.”Lebanon still lacks a new government and a new electoral draft-law, and next year's presidential elections are looming amid a boycott of parliamentary sessions. Al-Rahi urged Christians not to be dragged along the “sectarian-political current that is paralyzing the entire state.” He also lauded the role played by President Michel Suleiman on different issues.

Eichhorst Shies Away from Revealing Effects of EU Decision on Hizbullah
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst has stopped short of revealing the effects of an EU decision to put Hizbullah's military wing on its list of terrorist organizations. In an interview with the Saudi al-Yaum daily published on Tuesday, Eichhorst said the main reason for EU's decision in July was the deadly bombing that targeted Israeli tourists in Bulgaria a year earlier. An unidentified bomber blew himself up near an Israeli-packed tourist bus at the airport in Burgas, a popular Black Sea destination, on July 18, 2012, killing five tourists, their Bulgarian driver and himself. Bulgaria has said that the bomber was helped by two Lebanese-born Australian and Canadian passport holders with links to the military wing of Hizbullah. However, the EU ambassador insisted that it's not the party that is being sanctioned, saying the EU only targeted its military wing without giving names. But Eichhorst did not answer a question as to what the EU had achieved through its decision particularly that Hizbullah fighters continue to help troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad in the battle against rebels. Asked about the fragile situation in the northern city of Tripoli, the ambassador said: “What's happening in Tripoli is a reflection of what's going on in Lebanon in general.” “It is the duty of the Lebanese state and officials to protect this city and its residents,” she told her interviewer. “It has become essential to use the funds (appropriated by the sate for the city) and to implement the security plan,” she said. Eichhorst told al-Yaum that despite reports about the involvement of foreign parties in Lebanon, “the state and politicians should carry out their responsibilities and should be willing to put an end to the tense situation in Tripoli.”She expressed surprise at the failure to form a new government “after the painful incidents that shook Lebanon,” such as the recent car bombings in Tripoli and Beirut's southern suburbs.

Tripoli on Edge as Tension Mounts between Rival Neighborhoods
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Calm prevailed on Tuesday in the northern city of Tripoli despite the rising tension between the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh. According to the state-run National News Agency, the army is deployed between the two neighborhoods, carrying out raids to detain violators and erecting checkpoints. Buses that carry students from Jabal Mohsen to neighboring areas held a sit-in earlier in the morning to denounce the continuous attacks against the residents of the neighborhood. The news agency pointed out that several buses refused to transfer students as a large number of them didn't head to their schools as fears mount that the security situation in the rival neighborhoods might deteriorate. At least six residents from Jabal Mohsen were wounded on Saturday when a mini-bus carrying eight passengers came under attack by masked gunmen in the neighborhood of al-Tabbaneh near Dar al-Salam school. The assailants took the passengers at gunpoint to local streets in the area and shot six of them in their feet.
Tripoli is the scene of frequent Syria-linked battles pitting Sunnis from Bab al-Tebbaneh against Alawites in neighboring Jabal Mohsen. Most Sunnis support Syria's revolt against President Bashar Assad, while Alawites, who belong to the same sect as Assad, back his regime. The latest fighting ended when the army deployed along Syria Street, which separates the two districts and acts as the makeshift frontline.

Two Arrested for Kidnapping Lebanese-Iraqi in Mansourieh
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Two people were arrested on Tuesday for their involvement in the kidnapping of Lebanese-Iraqi Wafer Bahnam in October, announced the National News Agency.
One of the arrested suspects, M.S., confessed that three other people were involved in kidnapping Bahnam from his Mansourieh residence. The suspect said that he worked at the same site as Bahnam, adding that he, along with two other Lebanese, and a Syrian national, plotted the kidnapping. He informed them of the location of the victim's residence. Two days later, three of the assailants, dressed in Internal Security Forces uniforms, kidnapped Bahnam from his home and fled with him to an unknown location. Two of the suspects were also involved in the kidnapping of an Iraqi national, also in Mansourieh, on April 16. Investigations are underway to arrest of all the suspects involved in the abductions.

No Ransom Paid' as Abducted Palestinian Businessman Released
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/A Palestinian businessman, who was kidnapped in the northern Akkar province on Monday, has been released, the state-run National News Agency reported. Armed men kidnapped trader Youssef Loubani in the Akkar plains. But NNA said he was released at 2:00 am Tuesday and returned to his house in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared. While the agency said the circumstances of his release were not clear, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) quoted his relatives as saying that no ransom was paid for setting the 50-year-old free. NNA said on Monday that Loubani's family had filed a complaint with concerned authorities, explaining that they received a phone call from a number with the 08 area code of the eastern Bekaa valley demanding a ransom. Loubani, a former sewer, is father to 22 children from two different wives, one of whom is deceased. Several of his kids live in the United States.

Germany Asks Britain for Explanation of Spying Report
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/Germany said Tuesday it had asked to speak to Britain's ambassador following a media report that London has been operating a secret listening post from its embassy in the German capital. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the British envoy was called in and it was pointed out that "tapping communication from an embassy would be a violation of international law". The request, which was not a summons but is unusual between European Union partners, was prompted by a report in the Independent newspaper Tuesday of a spy post not far from Chancellor Angela Merkel's office in Berlin. Almost two weeks ago, Germany summoned the U.S. ambassador over evidence that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had tapped Merkel's mobile phone, fraying German-U.S. ties. The Independent report said Britain's electronic eavesdropping center GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) appeared to be using high-tech equipment on the embassy roof to intercept German data. The broadsheet cited aerial photographs and information about past spying activities in Germany, as well as documents provided by Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who has fled to Moscow. An eavesdropping post on the roof of the U.S. embassy in Berlin is believed to have been shut down last week as Washington scrambled to limit damage from the row, the Independent reported. William Gatward, press spokesman for the British embassy, confirmed the meeting had taken place. "The ambassador did attend the meeting at the foreign ministry this afternoon," he told AFP, without giving further details.Source/Agence France Presse.

Brahimi: Still No Date for Syria Peace Talks
Naharnet Newsdesk 05 November 2013/World powers failed Tuesday to set a date for a hoped-for Syria peace conference in Geneva, U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said after meeting with senior diplomats.
"We were hoping that we'd be in a position to announce a date today, unfortunately we're not," Brahimi told reporters. "But we're still hoping that we'll be able to have the conference before the end of the year," he said, adding he would meet again with U.S. and Russian envoys on November 25.
Source/Agence France Presse.

Opinion: One woman stands alone defying ISIS in Syria
Diana Moukalled/Asharq Alawsat
Soad Nofal. Memorize the name of this Syrian woman. Keep an eye on her activities. Her bravery makes her exceptional. But she’s the only one who is this bold and only few media outlets will report on her. She is the woman who, for more than two months, has been writing banners and protesting alone in front of the headquarters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Raqqa in order to condemn the group’s acts of murder, detention and torture against Syrians, and to condemn the arbitrary laws practiced against citizens, particularly against women. Soad is a teacher who previously protested against the Syrian regime. She currently makes sure that she takes to the street everyday, carrying a new banner to raise in front of the ISIS headquarters and accuses the group of being an obscurantist one that serves the regime and humiliates the Syrians just like Bashar Al-Assad does. The extremist group responded by preventing the media from talking to Soad or shooting footage of her. It threatened to kill her if she continues to protest. Therefore, no one dared support this woman or stand with her.
In an interview, she said: “My pants annoy them. Okay, but I didn’t ask them why they are dressed [like] Afghanis!” The video footage shows her narrating the difficulties she faces. The most significant of these difficulties is fear. Fear which has pushed many to surrender to ISIS extremism. Soad bitterly narrates how one of her students politely condemned the “mistake” of protesting in front of the ISIS headquarters. As for Soad’s parents, they worry every time she carries one of her banners and goes to protest because they’re afraid her acts may bring trouble to the family doorstep, particularly against its male members. Almost three years after the revolution, and after so many people were killed and displaced and so much was destroyed, one wonders where Soad obtains this momentum from. She’s on her own and she’s a woman. Her life will mean nothing to a group that is a master of the brutal art of murder and considers it a commendable deed. One of its rallying songs says: “Oh how many throats we’ve slit!”People in Syria feel that everyone has given up on them. There’s no deterrence against the regime’s violence. There’s no power to confront ISIS in the areas it controls. Civil activity in Syria has become moribund as so many activists have fled. Activists who remained behind are subject to death threats either by the regime or by extremist groups, particularly by ISIS. Soad’s revolution is not only a struggle against murder. It’s also a struggle on behalf of women. Tyranny in Syria has many faces, and that rooted stance on women’s rights lies at its core. ISIS is annoyed by Soad’s rebellion against its authority, arms and masculinity. The ISIS is annoyed by this woman’s pants. But Soad insists on wearing them and taking to the street to protest. Despite everything, Soad Nofal embodies the spirit which ignited the Daraa youths’ protests three years ago. We really miss this spirit today. And we really fear for you Soad and stand in solidarity with you!

Opinion: We’re not as different as we think
By: Ataollah Mohajerani /Asharq Alawsat
Recently, I was invited by a cultural center in Dubai to speak about the cultural relationships between Arabs and Iran. The cultural center was indeed cultured! It was housed in a unique building—a building that made you feel you could breathe comfortably and joyfully, because it possessed a cultural atmosphere. To be honest, nowadays politics has killed the soul of culture. Based on culture we should accept other people, though it may be that they do not think as we think. Differences may be obvious in their values, ideology and traditions. We might be living on one planet, in one country, one city, or even in one family, but there may still be a significant gap among generations. Culture makes a bridge between people, and politics and extremism in any form destroy these bridges.
In ancient history, the Greeks believed they were unique, because they were Greeks and all others were barbarians. Arabs believed they were Arab and others were Ajam. Jews believed they were the “chosen people” and others were Gentiles. Look at the tall walls in Palestine, and how Israelis divide themselves from Palestinians—but we should be mindful that the real walls are, in fact, built into their minds and their beliefs about each other.
A question arises: Is it possible to truly exist without others? Let me give you an obvious example. Persian is mixed with Arabic more than any other language. At least fifty percent of Persian words are Arabic. Before the Islamic revolution, Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty and a group of secular and anti-Islamic academicians tried to delete the Arabic words from the Persian language, but the result was a joke. For the Arabic words, they came up with replacement words that were so ridiculous that no one took their work seriously. In other words, what is intertwined with culture cannot be divided by politics.
Not only is the Persian language enriched by Arabic words, but Arabic is the academic language in Iran’s seminaries, too, including those in Qom, Mashhad and Isfahan. Ayatollah Tabatabaei—the great Iranian philosopher, theologian, and interpreter of the Qur’an—wrote his Qu’ranic interpretation, Al-Mizan, in Arabic in 20 volumes. He wrote his classic books on divine philosophy, Bedayat Al-Hikmah and Nehayat Al-Hikmah, in Arabic. Ayatollah Khomeini wrote his interpretation on Al-Fosoos Ibn Arabi in Arabic at the age of 28 and, interestingly, Khomeini’s interpretation on Fosoos has not been translated into Persian yet! In addition, the great classic book in Islamic philosophy, Al-Hikmat Al-Motaalieh was written by Sadrol-Mataallehin Shirazi in Arabic—all nine volumes of it. It is the main academic book for the leading Shi’a seminaries in Qom and Najaf.
Ibn Sina used the wisdom of Greek, Indian and Persian medics to create a great encyclopedia of medicine, again in Arabic. Using three trends of thought and philosophical tradition—Greek philosophy, Persian philosophy and mysticism, and Islamic theology—Sadr Al-Motallehin Shirazi established a new school of thought in the divine Islamic philosophy, and he titled it “the divine wisdom.” This shows that the Arabic language was and still is the academic language in Iran’s seminaries. I believe the enrichment of the Persian language by Arabic—and more importantly, the enrichment of the Persian theology by Islamic concepts—was a great turning point in the cultural history of Iran. For instance, when we compare Iran with Greece, we can see that before Islam, we in Iran did not have great philosophers, poets and thinkers like Socrates, Plato, Plotinus, Homer and so on. On the contrary, the Islamic period gave birth to science and literature in Iran. Unfortunately, today we are faced with an organized program to create animosity, hatred and rancor between Iranians and Arabs. I do not want to focus on the role of politics and its negative effects on culture, which could be seen in instances such as the case of Saddam Hussein, and the major role he played in destroying the image of Iran and Iranians in the Iran–Iraq War. He referred to this conflict as the war between Arabs and “Majoos.” I think we should concentrate on culture, and political ambitions and agendas need to be put aside. We should pay attention to culture and common ground, not politics and difference. It is said that Andre Malraux’s chair in the French cabinet was located on the right hand of General De Gaulle. The foreign affairs, interior and defense ministers asked De Gaulle, “Why is the Minister of Culture’s chair the best?” De Gaulle replied: “Because I want to look at politics and other affairs through the eye of culture.”

Moscow announces Netanyahu to meet Putin in two weeks – as Kerry lands in Jerusalem
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report November 5, 2013/Shortly before US Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Jerusalem Tuesday night, Nov. 5, the Russian president’s office announced that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would pay a short working visit to Moscow on Nov. 20 for talks with President Vladimir Putin. debkafile’s sources: The Israeli leader has determined to explore the route trodden by Saudi Arabia, Gulf Emirates and Egypt, who - feeling let down by the Obama administration’s decision to pull out of the Middle East, and concerend by its outreach to Iran - turned to Moscow in search of closer diplomatic and military ties.
Although this was in Netanyahu’s mind for some time, Putin chose to announce his visit just as Kerry was to land in Jerusalem, attesting to Moscow’s eagerness to maintain the political and military momentum it has established in the Middle East. Earlier Tuesday, Moscow announced that Geneva II, the conference for a political solution of the Syrian war, would not take place at the end of the month as scheduled.
Monday, debkafile’s military sources revealed exclusively that Russia, with Saudi encouragement, was negotiating for a permanent berth for its warship in one of Egypt’s Mediterranean ports.
With the wheels of the region spinning at such speed, Netanyahu felt obliged to find out for himself what Israel had to gain from closer ties with Moscow. Russia is becoming more and more influential in determining Middle East affairs against the growing passivity of the Obama administration - a situation Israel cannot afford to ignore. Neither is Netanyahu indifferent to Putin's expanding role in developing the back-channel between Washington and Tehran. Netanyahu last met Putin in May when he made the trip to the Black Sea resort of Sochi to urge the Russian leader not to supply Syria with S-300 anti-aircraft batteries.
The coming visit will have a wider agenda, including Syria and the ongoing negotiations with the Palestinians sponsored by the United States. But the most central issue will no doubt be Iran and its nuclear program. That visit will no doubt overshadow Secretary Kerry’s talks in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority and his reproof on the sluggish pace of their peace talks.