LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
October 09/2013
    


Bible Quotation for today/No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other
Matthew 6/22-26: “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
 

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For October 09/13

U.S. Should Hold Firm in Iranian Nuke Talks/By: Michael Singh/Washington Institute/October 09/13

Could we fight Al-Qaeda without America/By: Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat/October 09/13

Into a Vacuum Comes Russia/By: Hussein Shobokshi/Asharq Alawsat/October 09/13

Hymenoplasty: Why do women get virginity back/By Kareem Shaheen/The Daily Star/October 09/13

 

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources For October 09/13
Lebanese Related News

Lebanon Possible Destination for Papal Trip

Report: Fifth Suspect in Hariri Assassination Identified

Suleiman Meets Raad, Reiterates Adherence to Baabda Declaration

Geagea Urges Suleiman, Salam to End Their 'Harmful, Unjustified' Wait

Lebanon arrests three in network planning attacks

Human smuggling ring busted in south Lebanon

Syria airstrikes target rebel assault on key bases

Lebanese national kidnapped in Angola: minister

Sleiman denounces Syria attack on Arsal

Lebanon adjusts Eid Al-Adha holiday

Miqati: We Will Reconsider Residency of Any Syrian Not Registered as Refugee

Mufti of Tripoli to Return to Lebanon Wednesday Despite Security Threats

Report: Aazaz Pilgrims Moved to Safe Location at Syrian-Turkish Border ahead of Their Release

Gemayel Opposes Amending the Constitution, Calls for Timely Presidential Election


Miscellaneous Reports And News

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz: Qaeda may try to abduct commander

Iran insists on right to enrich uranium

Iran jails dissident for six years: reports

UN recommends 100-strong Syria chemical arms demolition team
Netanyahu, Greek PM Samaras to meet amid Iranian overtures

Chemical arms chief reports on Syria mission

Putin Says Syria 'Very Actively' Cooperating on Disarmament

Chemical watchdog says will deploy second team to Syria

Turkey says not aiding Qaeda-linked Syria rebels
Turkey's Erdogan says Syria's Assad is a terrorist, not a politician
US opens door to Iran taking part in Syria peace conference

Putin says US, Russia agree on how to destroy Syria's chemical weapons

King Abdullah affirms Saudi support for Egypt
'God Particle' scientists win Nobel Physics Prize

Egypt revokes permit for Brotherhood's NGO

Death toll from Egypt clashes rises to 57: ministry

Libya PM says US raid will not hurt ties

State of myopia
Hymenoplasty: Why do women get virginity back?


 

Lebanon Possible Destination for Papal Trip
Naharnet/Pope Francis is planing to kick off a tour to the Middle East that would include Lebanon, to express the Vatican’s solidarity with the people of the region, who are confronting tremendous challenges. According to As Safir newspaper published on Tuesday, the pontiff's visit to Lebanon is on his 2014 schedule, where he is set to express the Catholic's church concern over the fate of the Christians in the Middle East. The daily said that the pope's visit is to urge Christians to hold onto their land and to send a message to the World that “it's time to reach viable solutions to fortify peace in the region.” The report said that the pontiff also decided to invite the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholics and Orthodox for a meeting at the Vatican in November. “The meeting will set a road map for all the patriarchs to maintain the historic legacy of the Eastern Christians and activate their presence.”Pope Francis met with President Michel Suleiman at the Vatican in May. The two men discussed the ethnic diversity in Lebanon and the importance of dialogue and collaboration among the different ethnic communities.

 

Report: Fifth Suspect in Hariri Assassination Identified
Naharnet/A new suspect linked to the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has been identified, reported the daily An Nahar on Tuesday. It said that the identity of the suspect was determined based on the initial findings of former United Nations investigator in the case Detlev Mehlis.
Mehlis' 2005 report on the murder said that a number of high-ranking Lebanese and Syrian officials were involved in the crime. He however did not name any of the officials. Hariri and 22 others were killed in a massive car bomb in Beirut on February 14, 2005. An indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon investigating the crime accused four Hizbullah members of being involved in the attack. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has slammed the tribunal, saying that it an American-Israeli product bent on destroying the party. He vowed that the party will not cooperate with the STL and that the suspects will never be found.

 

Suleiman Meets Raad, Reiterates Adherence to Baabda Declaration
Naharnet/In the framework of his regular meetings with different political factions, President Michel Suleiman met on Monday with Head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad with talks focusing on the ongoing efforts to form a government and the necessity to distance Lebanon from the Syrian crisis.
“Suleiman is keen to maintain contacts with all factions, pinning hopes that a solution could emerge anytime,” sources told al-Joumhouria daily Tuesday. Briefing Raad on his latest meetings in New York where he attended U.N. General Assembly sessions and a conference of the International Support Group for Lebanon, Suleiman reflected the international assertion that Lebanon should distance itself from the Syrian crisis on the basis of respect for the Baabda Declaration, which calls for keeping Lebanon away from the unrest in the neighboring country. Suleiman was clear and stressed the importance of halting involvement in the Syrian turmoil, reiterating the need to spare Lebanon any additional disturbances.
The president had previously stated that he is against Hizbullah's engagement in battles in Syria and has therefore held discussions with the party's leadership to withdraw its fighters. Ahead of his visit to Baabda, Raad had stressed that any government should adhere to the army-people-resistance equation, saying: “If this equation was left outside the ministerial statement, then nothing would be left of Lebanon. We want, together with the other camp, to form a cabinet that involves all political components.”
Discussions between the two officials touched on the issue of the abducted Aazaz pilgrims with sources pointing to some progress in the file.
 

Lebanese national kidnapped in Angola: minister
October 08, 2013/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: A 22-year-old Lebanese citizen has been kidnapped in the Angolan capital of Luanda, and the kidnappers are asking for a $2 million ransom, the National News Agency quoted caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour as saying. Mansour said that he was informed by Ara Khachaturian, Lebanon's chargé d'affaires in Pretoria, South Africa, of the kidnapping of Moein Azmi Yazbek. Khachaturian told Mansour that abductions of Lebanese nationals have recently increased in Angola. “This is the fifth incident of its kind since the beginning of this year,” said Khachaturian. Mansour asked Khachaturian to head to Luanda and work on securing Yazbek's release. The NNA said the Foreign Ministry is also looking into reports that a second Lebanese national, identified as Bilal Koteish, was kidnapped with Yazbek. The ministry investigating to confirm if such reports are accurate, the NNA said.

Human smuggling ring busted in south Lebanon

October 08, 2013/The Daily Star
/SIDON, Lebanon: More than 13 people were detained Tuesday in south Lebanon on suspicion of forming a human-smuggling ring, security sources told The Daily Star.
The Army Intelligence, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces-Information Branch, arrested the members of the ring off the coast of south Lebanon, the sources said.
The detainees are Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian nationalities, the sources said. They added that the Army intelligence arrested the alleged ring while they were aboard a boat between Tyre and Sidon shores. They had people on board and they intended to smuggle them outside Lebanon; most were Syrians, the sources said. The boat, named Elissar, was destined for Italy, said the sources added. The sources said that the boat was owned by a man from Sarafand called Samir Salim. Salim originally bought it from a man in Tripoli called Mohammad Abdel Rahman Zeini, they added. The gang is suspected to have planned to smuggle several individuals in other trips into different parts of Europe, they said. Last month, a boat carrying over 69 Lebanese intending to illegally enter Australia sank off the Indonesia coast killing at least 27 people. Eighteen Lebanese survived the incident while several others remain missing. The would-be migrants were victims of a people-smuggling network coordinating illegal travel to various countries.


President Amin Gemayel Opposes Amending the Constitution, Calls for Timely Presidential Election

Naharnet /Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel called on Monday for holding the presidential election on time, rejecting any attempt to amend the constitution.
"We support holding the presidential election on time and we are against amending the constitution,” Gemayel stressed at a press conference after the Phalange political bureau's weekly meeting. He continued: “We cannot afford the postponing of the presidential election and we cannot go through this amid the absence of a cabinet.” “We will do everything we can in collaboration with other factions to form a cabinet and secure the presidential election.” The former president considered that forming a cabinet has become an “urgent” matter. "We call on President Michel Suleiman and premier-designate Tammam Salam to form a cabinet that answers people's demands,” he said. Gemayel pointed out that the Phalange party, from the beginning, has demanded a rescue cabinet. "But we are not against any other proposal submitted by Salam,” he noted, rejecting all preconditions to the cabinet's formation. He added: “The Baabda Declaration is the basis for the cabinet's formation and everything else is debatable with the premier-designate.”The political bureau also tackled the Indonesian boat tragedy, lamenting the “misery” that forces the Lebanese to migrate.  But the Phalange leader remarked that while there is misery on one side, on the other, however, “Lebanon is proud that its national Dr. Gabriel Gharib was chosen as the best cardiologist in France.”“Lebanon's is losing the great potentials of its people and migration is the indication,” Gemayel expressed. Capital, a French magazine, chose Gharib as the best cardiologist in France among 200,000 doctors in the country. What made Gharib, who hails from the Beirut neighborhood of Rmeil, stand out in medicine was his achievement of being able to conduct a coronary artery bypass operation without resorting to medical hypnosis. Gemayel lashed out at the current caretaker cabinet, counting various problems Lebanon is suffering from. “The cabinet is not functioning and we have a parliament's whose mandate has been extended. The security situation is deteriorating and all of this is at the expense of the Lebanese's interests and of the economic situation. Security affects the economy and we are not dealing with this problem from its roots but trying to temporarily calm the symptoms.” He continued: “Another problem is that of the new wage scale, in addition to the refugees' crisis. We care about doing all required efforts towards refugees but we have duties towards the Lebanese as well.”“This situation is intolerable.”

 

Mufti of Tripoli to Return to Lebanon Wednesday Despite Security Threats
Naharnet /The Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, is expected to return to Lebanon on Wednesday, nine months after he traveled to the French capital after receiving death threats. As Safir newspaper said in a report published on Tuesday that al-Shaar will swiftly head to his residence in the northern city of Tripoli after arriving in Beirut's Rafik Hariri International airport accompanied by a security escort.
The daily said that all the security measures were taken to guarantee the Mufti's safety. Mufti al-Shaar told the newspaper in a telephone conversation that he “took a final decision to return to Lebanon ahead of Eid al-Adha despite threats." Al-Shaar announced in December 2012 that he will not be returning to Lebanon from a trip to Europe after he has allegedly received death threats. Sources close to Tripoli's Dar al-Fatwa told As Safir that “the threats remain real... But the Mufti decided to take the risk and return to the country.” “Mufti al-Shaar is aware that Tripoli is in dire need for his efforts to bridge the gap between the foes amid the distressful security circumstances,” the sources added. On August 23, Forty-five people were killed and at least 500 wounded in bombings that targeted al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques in the northern city as worshipers were still performing weekly prayers.

Syria airstrikes target rebel assault on key bases

October 08, 2013/Daily Star
DAMASCUS: Syrian regime war planes on Tuesday bombed rebels spearheading an assault against two military bases, as Russia praised Damascus for "very actively" cooperating with chemical weapons inspectors. The fighting underlined comments from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who on Monday warned that inspectors overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal face unprecedented danger.
In a report to the UN Security Council seen by AFP, Ban said it would take 100 foreign experts to complete "an operation the likes of which, quite simply, has never been tried before".
The fighting in the northwestern province of Idlib began on Monday, when rebels launched an operation dubbed "The Earthquake" against the Wadi Deif and Hamidiyeh bases. Around 25 rebel brigades joined forces for the assault, which sparked fierce fighting around the nearby opposition-held town of Maaret al-Numan, a watchdog said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 regime troops and five rebels had been killed in the clashes. The monitoring group reported regime air strikes on areas of Maaret al-Numan as well as on the nearby areas of Maarshamsha and Deir al-Sharqi, which it said caused casualties. Russian President Vladimir Putin meanwhile praised Syria's President Bashar al-Assad for his government's cooperation with the team of international weapons inspectors. "Doubts about whether the Syrian leadership would adequately respond to the decision taken on chemical weapons -- these doubts did not bear out," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as telling reporters at a regional summit in Indonesia. "The Syrian leadership has very actively joined this work and is acting in a transparent manner, helping international agencies," said Putin. A team of experts from the United Nations and the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons arrived in Damascus a week ago to begin verifying the details of Syria's chemical arsenal and destroying and disabling it. They were dispatched under the terms of a United Nations Security Council resolution passed on September 27, which enshrines an US-Russian deal for Damascus to relinquish its chemical weapons.
The deal averted threatened US military action in response to an August 21 sarin attack outside Damascus in which hundreds of people died. Ban: 'Dangerous' work for inspectors
Ban on Monday warned of the dangers the team faces in Syria, where more than 115,000 people have been killed since March 2011, according to the Observatory.
The UN chief highlighted the threat to the experts and Syrian civilians from the sarin, mustard gas and other chemical weapons which are to be moved amid the "carnage" of Assad's daily battle with rebels.
The experts will have to work in "dangerous and volatile" conditions, particularly in urban areas such as Damascus, Homs and Aleppo, Ban warned.
"Heavy artillery, air strikes, mortar barrages and the indiscriminate shelling of civilians areas are commonplace and battle lines shift quickly," he added. Russia and the United States have the ambitious aim to seize and destroy Syria's huge chemical weapons arsenal, estimated at 1,000 tonnes, by mid-2014. Some 19 OPCW arms experts and 16 UN logistics and security personnel are in Syria and have started to destroy weapons production facilities.  Ban recommended the team be increased to about 100 scientists, logistics and security experts who will stay for up to a year. The mission will have bases in Damascus and Cyprus. Syria has already made a declaration of its weapons facilities. And the UN resolution set a November 1 deadline for the eradication of production and chemical mixing facilities. That work started Sunday when the first "missile warheads, aerial bombs and mixing and filling equipment" were cut up and destroyed, according to the UN.
The Security Council resolution passed on September 27 threatened "measures" under Chapter VII of the UN Charter if an infringement of the disarmament accord is proved. Chapter VII allows for possible military action or sanctions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed the progress made so far. "I think it's extremely significant that yesterday, Sunday, within a week of the resolution being passed, some chemical weapons were being destroyed," he told reporters in Indonesia on Monday. "I think it's a credit to the Assad regime, frankly. It's a good beginning and we welcome a good beginning."


Lebanon arrests three in network planning attacks
October 08, 2013/The Daily Star
/BEIRUT: General Security said Tuesday that it had arrested three individuals believed to be part of a terrorist network planning bomb attacks and assassinations in Lebanon. In a statement the security agency added that the three, who are Lebanese and Syrian nationals, were planning terrorist attacks. It also said that security personnel confiscated from the suspects' possession explosive material and communication devices as well as a weapon with a silencer. The suspects were interrogated and referred to the military judiciary under the supervision of the Deputy Military Prosecutor Judge Dani al-Zani and Military Prosecutor Judge Saq Saqr. Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told a local website that the suspects confessed to planning terrorist acts and that an investigation was underway. In the statement, General Security also said it would pursue terrorist groups, mobs and networks who are involved in human trafficking. Since July, Lebanon has witnessed three devastating car bombs in the northern city of Tripoli and Beirut’s southern suburbs. Scores were killed in the attacks and hundreds more wounded. Last year, a car bomb killed a high-ranking security official in the Beirut district of Ashrafieh while Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and MP Butros Harb have reported beings targets of attempted assassinations during the past year.

Could we fight Al-Qaeda without America?

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Alawsat
Al-Qaeda’s ability to survive, move, recruit, destroy and develop itself and its members has proved how dangerous the organization is. No other group resembling this network of terrorism and misery has emerged in 50 years. No terrorist organization born after World War II can be compared to Al-Qaeda.
The most important weapon it has is manipulating extremist religious thought. This has helped it recruit combatants who are willing to give up their money, their souls and their sons—more than the followers of any other extremist ideology in the world today. It has remained the most prominent active terrorist organization, despite the fact that most of its early leaders and founders, except for a few like Ayman Al-Zawahiri, have been killed or arrested.
Moreover, the organization was displaced from its first home, Afghanistan, and defeated in Saudi Arabia–its dream land.
In addition, since the 9/11 attacks it has failed to infiltrate American territory.
More than 30 countries have dedicated their capabilities to monitoring and pursuing Al-Qaeda through a quasi-international consensus to fight the most dangerous organization in the world. Despite this, Al-Qaeda continues to operate, and it continues to work to achieve its ends.
Arresting Abu Anas Al-Liby, who appears to have been kidnapped, reminds us that the war is ongoing. Luckily, the Americans are a party in this battle.
This monster dubbed “Al-Qaeda” possesses capabilities that cannot be fought by any one country. There is no doubt that ever since the 9/11 attacks, the Americans have considered Al-Qaeda to be the biggest threat to their security. Thus they decided to dedicate all their capabilities to fighting it.
The war between Al-Qaeda and its rivals is almost a daily pursuit, and it is spread to the far corners of the earth.
What is interesting is that in the 1990s, America—and the West in general—were not entirely convinced that this organization exited or that it followed the ideology it does.
Most of what was written then focused on explaining the phenomenon as one resulting from poverty, unemployment and a lack of political freedoms.
But in this, the second decade after the 9/11 attacks, many realized that Al-Qaeda is a radical ideological movement that has nothing to do with jobs, human rights, freedoms or elections.
Perhaps the model that it resembles most closely is the National Socialism movement in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, which rejected others and believed that its ideas were superior. But Al-Qaeda is more dangerous, because it exploits religion.
Al-Qaeda has targeted a large number of the world’s governments and has encouraged an alliance committed to fighting it. If Al-Qaeda had continued to operate like it did in its youth—targeting specific countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia—the situation would have been more dangerous for Arab states.
Currently, Al-Qaeda does not pose a threat to a specific regime. However, it is capable of causing harm everywhere. It has proven that it is capable of surviving, hiding and renewing its cells, no matter how much it is pursued. It has also proven that it is capable of juggling and rebuilding its leadership despite the deaths and detentions of its key players.
Al-Qaeda documents previously revealed a dispute among its leaders regarding how the 9/11 attacks should have been carried out. According to the documents, some objected to the idea of targeting the Americans in their homeland, arguing that such a move must be saved for later.
But Bin Laden knew that attacks against prominent targets, like buildings New York and Washington, would be a message to the world that would highlight their ability, determination and aims. The attacks they had previously carried out against American interests in Saudi Arabia and Yemen were part of limited battles. But targeting the United States is what altered the game and changed the world. Arab countries did not have the power to confront this horrifying threat, which is still part of the biggest ongoing war today.
It must also be noted that the Americans could not have won over this extremist organization if it were not for the cooperation of Islamic countries, which better understand local customs and are more capable of confronting the organization’s religious bent. The Americans, however, continue to dominate the field capabilities in the war against Al-Qaeda.

 

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz: Qaeda may try to abduct commander
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz presents frightening scenario for future multi-front war with terrorists. 'It's not so unimaginable,' he says
Yoav Zitun Published: 10.08.13, 12:19 / ynetnews/It will begin when an IDF force patrolling the border in the Golan Heights will be attacked with an anti-tank missile. The army jeep that will arrive at the scene will also be attacked. Three soldiers, including a battalion commander, will be kidnapped into Syria by a group affiliated with al-Qaeda. This possible scenario for a future war was presented by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz on Sunday at the Israel Towards 2020 Conference at Bar-Ilan University. Gantz's scenario was not based on any warnings or intelligence, but he said it was "not so unimaginable." In this scenario, the IDF will retaliate to the kidnapping of the battalion commander and the terrorists will respond with "rocket barrages on the Galilee's communities. Within a short time a similar terror organization in Sinai will fire rockets toward Eilat, and hundreds of Hamas activists in Gaza will rush toward the Erez crossing and the security fence. At the same time, along the border with Syria, terror cells will attempt to cross the fence and carry out attacks in (Israeli) communities." "Simultaneously," Gantz continued, a huge cyber attack will be launched on civilian and military computer systems and false messages will be sent to civilians." The IDF chief told the conference that such a scenario could begin with a missile hitting the General Staff headquarters in Tel Aviv's Kirya compound, with a cyber attack that will put all traffic lights in the country out of commission or with an attack by terrorists on a border community.  The IDF chief said Israeli attacks resulting in civilian casualties will lead to lawsuits filed against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and anti-Israel protests worldwide. "The pastoral scenery in the Golan can change in one explosive moment into a field with blood, fire and pillars of smoke. This will require the chief of staff to employ force and determination alongside strategic reasoning. The State of Israel's hourglass will flip over and we will pay a bloody price for every hour of war, which will force us to cut it short," Gantz said.

 

Into a Vacuum Comes Russia
By: Hussein Shobokshi/Asharq Alawsat
Is the American epoch in the Middle East coming to an end? This question has been raised by many political circles, in both the US itself and in some Arab states. The question seems perfectly reasonable in light of some highly significant developments. These range from the American withdrawal from Iraq and the cuts in the US military presence in the Gulf to the tense relations with major American allies in the region as a result of US handling of the Arab Spring. Also complicating matters is the absence of clear US support for the second revolution in Egypt after people took to streets on June 30 to demand Mursi’s ouster—and that came in contrast to the American applause for the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
The Russians can sense the American feebleness and weakness in the region, and they are trying to fill the vacuum. On this front, the Russian are relying on some regimes’ longing for the old Soviet Union and existence of two poles of power in global politics. The Russians are portraying their support for Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria as a stance of opposition to the US and its domination of the world and the Middle East. The problem with the Russians, however, is that their words are unconvincing. Their former support of tyrants like Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad, and other oppressors in the Arab world and elsewhere do not entitle them to speak of championing and supporting nations today. The Russians are currently trying to show courtesy to the Egyptian government in order to exploit the tension between Egypt and the US administration. The US is attempting the same thing with the Iraqi and Algerian governments, but apparently to no avail. Russia is eager to return to an area of the world that was once entirely under its direct influence and was clearly submitting to its policy. Therefore, losing it influence in this region in favor of the US was a painful blow.
Important parts of the US foreign policy establishment are fully convinced that the Arab world has become a “worrisome” region. They are also aware that the costs of maintaining relations with it are much higher than the benefits, particularly in light of the shrinking reliance on Arab oil and the increase of American tight oil. The US is also exporting tight oil in increasing quantities, which will pose a threat to OPEC in the future and greatly impact its market share, competitiveness and ability to set prices. It is firmly believed that the Asia–Pacific region is the most important for American interests and national security. This is obvious not only in the economic sphere, but also in the political, diplomatic, military and security ones, because of China’s increasing financial revenues and its immense spending on its military capabilities.
China is expanding its arsenal in terms of quality and quantity, expanding its influence in the region, and is demanding a return of long-disputed territories in Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines. It is for this reason that the US decided that its largest military base beyond its borders will be in Australia. The Americans are of the view that evacuating from the Middle East will offer only a short-term advantage for the Russians. This is because the Russians and regional oil-producing states will soon clash, as both of them rely on this particular commodity as a major source of income and they both export to the same market. Thus, the advantage the Russians will gain in the short run would be destroyed by the fight over oil later on. A vacuum is being created in the Middle East. We don’t know what it will look like yet, but it will happen one way or another. But the Russians will not be able to fill the vacuum the way they think: they will be stepping into the region while carrying the baggage of support for tyrants and oppressors, and while being perceived by many as anti-Islam. It is the beginning of a new round of struggles over the Middle East, the impact of which is sure to be enduring.


Egypt revokes permit for Brotherhood's NGO
October 08, 2013/Daily Star/CAIRO: Egypt's interim government has revoked the permit for a non-governmental organization set up by the Muslim Brotherhood. Tuesday's move by the Cabinet is the latest in its push to dismantle the Brotherhood, from which ousted President Mohammed Morsi hails. It follows a Sept. 23 court ruling that banned the Brotherhood and its affiliates, and ordered its assets confiscated. The Brotherhood's NGO was registered in March, while Morsi was still in power. It was set up as one of the two main legal faces of the Islamist group, which was outlawed for most of its 85-year existence. Morsi was ousted in a popularly-backed military coup on July 3. Since then, hundreds of Brotherhood supporters and the group's top figures have been arrested. Morsi is being held incommunicado at a secret location.

King Abdullah affirms Saudi support for Egypt
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia reiterated its full support for Egypt’s fight against terrorism during talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, and Egyptian interim president Adly Masnour in Jeddah on Monday. “We will support Egypt against terrorism, sedition, and those who try to undermine its security,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted King Abdullah as saying during the meeting at his palace. The Egyptian interim president thanked King Abdullah, the Saudi government, and people for their support of the will of the Egyptian people, in addition to Saudi Arabia’s economic support. The two leaders also discussed prospects of cooperation between the two countries, as well as ways of enhancing Saudi-Egyptian cooperation in all fields.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mansour said: “It goes without saying that the support provided by Saudi Arabia and our Arab brothers has had the greatest impact in prying Egyptian decision making away from the pressures of the deteriorating economic situation. In July, Riyadh offered a USD 5 billion aid package to Egypt’s new government, as the country continued to struggle with a high budget deficit and rising unemployment.
The Saudi funds comprised a USD 2 billion deposit in Egypt’s central bank, USD 2 billion in energy products, and USD 1 billion in cash, according to Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. Speaking prior to Monday’s visit, Egyptian presidential spokesman Ehab Badawi said that Mansour’s trip to Saudi Arabia was to “express thanks” to the Saudi people and leadership. For his part, Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, Abdulaziz Khoja, said that the Saudi cabinet welcomed Adly Mansour’s visit to the country, highlighting the deep-rooted relations between the two countries and their keenness to strengthen bilateral ties.
Mansour departed Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning for Jordan as part of the second leg of his regional tour where he is scheduled to meet with King Abdullah II. Speaking following Mansour’s departure, Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz said: “Egypt is in safe hands. Egyptians have accustomed us to overcome their crises, by the will of God. Egypt’s strength is strength for the Arab world.”

U.S. Should Hold Firm in Iranian Nuke Talks

Michael Singh/Washington Institute
If President Obama stands fast on key requirements, both sides can get what they need most: relief from crushing sanctions, and a strategic shift in Tehran.
In an Oct. 3 op-ed in the New York Times, Vali Nasr asserts that Iran is approaching the nuclear negotiations slated to resume Oct. 15 from a position of strength and that American ambitions should therefore be modest. He suggests limited sanctions relief in exchange for "concrete steps to slow down Iran's nuclear program and open it to international scrutiny." Nasr's prescription, however, would provide neither U.S. President Barack Obama nor Iranian President Hasan Rouhani with what they need.
Iran is not riding nearly as high as Nasr, the dean of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, suggests, but is in fact under tremendous economic, political, and military pressure. The charming self-assurance projected by Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif masks a desperate need to make a deal with the United States.
As much as if not more than other Middle Eastern countries, Iran's security has been threatened by recent events in the region. The Syrian regime is Iran's main ally and conduit for projecting power; it may have been granted a reprieve from American attack, but it is by no means secure. And Syria is just one part of a broader, increasingly sectarian regional struggle that has dented the once-high popular prestige of Iran and its proxies.
Furthermore, U.S. military credibility may be at low ebb, but Iran cannot discount U.S. and Israeli military threats. An attack by either would not only set back Iran's nuclear efforts, but would expose the weakness of its military and the hollowness of its bombastic rhetoric.
Economically, Iran is suffering mightily. Iran's oil revenues have dropped from $8 billion monthly in 2011 to just $3.4 billion today, much of which cannot be repatriated due to sanctions that require Iran's customers to pay in local currency. Sanctions have also isolated Iran from the international financial system, contributing to high unemployment and inflation, stagnant economic growth, and a plummeting currency.
These pains come in the wake of Iran's widespread 2009 political unrest, which was followed by the brutal suppression of dissidents and the marginalization of reformist politicians and even pragmatic conservatives. The regime's repression was effective but had the effect of uniting a coalition of otherwise disparate political forces in opposition to hard-liners dominating the regime.
Rouhani's election in June was a result of (or at least the supreme leader's response to) these dynamics, but was not itself a solution to Iran's domestic problems. In voting for Rouhani, the Iranian people overwhelmingly endorsed the platform of social and economic change on which he campaigned. But to deliver on his promises, Rouhani needs not merely the lifting of one or two sanctions, but broad relief from them. And thus, he needs our help.
Iran's predicament provides Obama with both opportunity and leverage, neither of which should be squandered. But Rouhani will surely seek to alleviate Iran's suffering at the minimum price to its nuclear options, offering transparency and confidence-building rather than far-reaching limits on Iran's nuclear activities. The United States is susceptible to such arguments, as Washington wants not just to reach a nuclear agreement but to ease hostilities with Iran, and it is worried that the chance to do so may be fleeting.
But a limited nuclear agreement that leaves Iranian capabilities in place, even if subject to enhanced inspections, will not build confidence or stability. Inspections will raise tensions, not lower them, when Iran inevitably objects to inspectors' desire for access to sensitive military sites or denies activities for which the United States has evidence, such as Iran's weaponization work. Similar efforts with North Korea and Iraq in the 1990s and with Iran in the early 2000s eroded, rather than built, trust. And even if the United States chooses to trust Iran, its allies will not. Instead they will hedge their bets by matching the capabilities permitted to Tehran.
Furthermore, an agreement that leaves Iran's nuclear fuel fabrication capabilities and weaponization research program in place will permit Tehran in the future -- once economic and military pressures are safely relieved -- to expel inspectors and resume its march toward nuclear weapons, as North Korea did in the early 2000s.
Avoiding this risk and opening space for a gradual improvement of U.S.-Iran ties and cooling of regional tensions will require an agreement that rolls back rather than simply halts the progress of Iran's nuclear program, and it will require Tehran to come clean about its past nuclear work. In exchange, Washington should be prepared to offer broad relief from sanctions. Negotiating such an agreement will require a stiff spine from the Obama administration; the United States may need to increase the pressure on Iran even further and defer hopes of rapprochement until a sustainable nuclear accord is concluded.
To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, neither Obama nor Rouhani may get what they want from nuclear talks -- for Obama a historic diplomatic breakthrough, and for Rouhani the preservation of Iran's nuclear options and capabilities -- but with some effort each may get what he needs. For Rouhani, this is relief from the crushing burden of sanctions. For Obama, it is a strategic shift, not merely a tactical retreat, by Tehran.
**Michael Singh is managing director of The Washington Institute.

Hymenoplasty: Why do women get virginity back?
October 08, 2013 /By Kareem Shaheen The Daily Star
BEIRUT: “A woman’s honor is like a match, it can only be lit once.”This long-worn Arab idiom is evidence the cultural pressure that many women feel to remain virgins until marriage, or, in the case of Mohammad Saad’s ex-girlfriend, to seek out a doctor who would “make her a virgin again.”“A long time after we broke up she called me and asked me to arrange it because I knew the doctor and she was getting married,” said Saad, not his real name, a Syrian who now resides in Lebanon. “She did the operation in the morning and got married the next night,” Saad said. Saad was referring to hymen reconstruction surgery, or hymenoplasty, an operation that restores the hymen, the membrane that carries so much baggage as a symbol of virginity. There are two main types of the surgery. One restores the hymen for a brief period immediately before marriage, and the other is a long-term procedure. Saad’s girlfriend opted for the former. Saad went with her on the day of the operation, adding she was scared of the anesthesia. “After she woke up, she was so happy, that now ‘I can do it,’” he said, referring to her upcoming marriage. Doctors said the procedure may be on the rise, as increasingly liberal attitudes toward sex collide with rigid societal expectations. The prevailing double standard toward male and female sexuality leaves many women vulnerable to domestic abuse and damaged reputations.
Wissam Ghandour, a doctor who runs a private clinic in Mar Elias that offers the surgery, became animated when discussing this double standard. “You are not a devout Muslim, and you had sex many times before marriage, and you drink alcohol, and you don’t fast or pray, but you ask if she is a virgin?” he said. “I understand if you have a large beard, pray five times a day, don’t drink alcohol and you fast all of Ramadan and want a virgin.”
Ghandour said he does the surgery two or three times per year, but declined to say how much he charges for it. He believes it is a worthy cause, because the alternative for the woman could be disrepute, or even violence. “Sometimes the circumstances dictate what you must do,” he said.
He went on to say that he feels pride because the surgery helps secure the future of his patients, some of whom go on to have happy marriages and children, “and all the old stories are forgotten.”Ghandour rejected the notion that the surgery is a form of cheating or deceit, saying it is borne out of a double standard in society that deems it alright for men to be sexually active before marriage, but not women. “I would definitely say that in a country like ours, in a mentality like ours, if the lady had premarital sexual relationships ... what’s the problem if we did a hymenoplasty?” he said. “Some people say it’s cheating. But a question then, who gave men the authority to have premarital sex?” He said his patients span the socio-economic spectrum. A new study by scientists at the American University of Beirut, published this summer in the Springer online journal, paints a detailed picture of attitudes toward hymenoplasty and sexuality in general, claiming that demand for virginity restoration is on the rise in the region. The study surveyed a sample of 600 Lebanese university students. The students were from the five main universities in Lebanon and were split by gender. Just a quarter of the men approved of the procedure, compared to 19 percent of women. Most saw the practice as a “form of deceiving and cheating.” Those who approved cited a belief in women’s rights, autonomy and freedom, as well as the possibility of a woman being harmed or killed as a result of not being a virgin when she got married.
“When they get to the point where they need to get married, they are faced with this ambiguity, when the man himself has done whatever he wishes,” said Johnny Awwad, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and head of the division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at AUB Medical Center, and the study’s lead author.
According to the findings, a majority of 61 percent of males were likely to approve of premarital sex, compared to just 27 percent of women. The results of the study showed that Muslims were more likely to reject marrying a nonvirgin than Christians. Males were also more likely to insist on marrying a virgin than the females. There are no statistics available regarding the number of hymenoplasty surgeries.
Awwad said that most women who opted for the surgery usually either feared domestic violence or being rejected for marriage. Anecdotally, doctors get numerous requests from young women asking if they can help, he added.
“We don’t interfere,” he added. “We simply tell them we don’t offer it here and they go to private doctors who do it in their own private clinics.”To reach some sort of estimate, the study’s authors sought out the opinion of local gynecologists, inquiring about the number of surgeries they performed. Out of 60 who received the questionnaires, 90 percent refused to respond, and some doctors responded angrily to the very idea that a study was being carried out. Lebanese law does not prohibit hymen reconstruction. In fact, it does not mention it at all. The study’s authors argued that Parliament ought to draft laws that enforced gender equality, in an environment where a woman’s future “can literally hang by a membrane.” But Awwad said it was unlikely that a law regulating hymen surgery could be passed because of religious opposition.
“In Lebanon, anything that’s controversial can’t be passed as a law,” he said. “I think if the government, [were] to face the religious trends and say we want to discuss hymenoplasty, for them virginity is a taboo, and you’re not supposed to lose your virginity.”
To demonstrate this point, students were asked what they would do if they found out after marriage that their spouse had her hymen reconstructed. Nearly half said they would divorce her while the other half would forgive her. Muslims were less likely to forgive such an act than Christians. But nearly 10 percent admitted they would physically assault their wife, with 5.3 percent saying they “would hurt her” and 4 percent that they “would kill her.”
Students who said they were more likely to commit violence in response were often poorer and less privileged, but Awwad said the numbers were alarming because those polled were university students.
“These are the educated, the people who should be aware that there is law and order,” he said.
Female participants in the study tended to be more accepting of sexual activity that did not include vaginal penetration, including “sexual flirting” and anal sex.
This led the study’s authors to conclude that many who want to marry virgins care more about the physical manifestation of “virginity” as opposed to the virtue of “chastity.”
“This is the transition you see between what’s really conviction, and what’s really fear,” Awwad said. “I would assume that culture and religion would really be strong in favor of chastity rather than simple virginity.”
Ghandour agreed.
“The whole idea is a psychological reassurance of the man,” he said, that his wife is untouched.
Ghandour disputed the suggestion that the hymen surgeries are on the rise, saying the poor economic situation means marriage is less likely, which, he asserted, corresponds with higher sexual promiscuity.
With a new patient, Ghandour said he starts by examining her, measuring the width of her vaginal canal, checking for infections or pelvic or ovarian problems, and then sets a date for the operation and advises the patient on postoperation recovery. He doesn’t keep records of the operations, since he believes most of the patients give a fake name and phone number out of caution. But he doesn’t shy away from admitting to doing the procedure. “For me it’s not under the table,” he said.
 

State of myopia
October 08, 2013/The Daily Star
During the last few years of popular uprisings in the Arab world, leading Western countries have repeatedly made it clear that they want to see a certain type of political and social order rise from the ashes of authoritarian regimes that have been toppled, or are faced with the threat of collapse. Officials from Western states have been fairly consistent in their rhetoric. They have spoken of the need for many things for the Middle East to be up to their standards. They want to see stability, and they want to see new systems of government based on several principles that are of paramount importance: democracy, rotation of power and diversity. Whenever the words “Islamic state” are uttered in the region, many Western officials and opinion-makers automatically feel a sense of unease. They, or a legion of commentators and analysts, can be expected to express their reservations about such an objective. Officials might use diplomatic language, as they express concerns about the status of minorities, and personal freedoms in a religious state. Others, meanwhile, will be much harsher – they will talk about how religion is incompatible with democracy, as the entire notion by definition involves a violation of fundamentally important principles.
Therefore, it was jarring to see a Middle East leader Sunday declare the need to enshrine religion as the basis of politics, and generate no fallout and outrage in Western capitals. The leader in question, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was giving a speech at a university in Tel Aviv, and he spoke adamantly about how Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state. However, no Western leaders issued statements of concern about these divisive, worrying remarks. Apparently, enshrining a country as a state based on religion is permitted to one group in the region, but not the rest. There were no statements of worry about the fate of religious minorities in a Jewish state, and whether they would feel themselves to be second-class citizens. There were no human rights groups expressing outrage about the lack of freedom or respect for liberties. Even though Palestinians have said time and time again that they reject recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, short-sighted politicians like Netanyahu continue to trot out their objectionable, worrying demands. But the speech did have some impact, it should be noted. It was described as “probably the best speech by Netanyahu as prime minister” – by a former leader of the settler movement. At a time in which the Arab world is in turmoil, and there is stepped-up U.S. pressure on Israel to move forward in their dysfunctional negotiations process, the best Netanyahu could come up with is a hard-line rhetoric directed squarely at his hard-line base of support, with nothing of any political value for the Palestinians, the side he must engage in dialogue.Perhaps the many developments in the region are confusing Netanyahu, like Israel in general. This could explain his remarks in an interview with the BBC Persian service, the day before his speech in Tel Aviv, when he said that “if the Iranian people had freedom, they would wear jeans and listen to Western music.” Iranians quickly took to social media and let Netanyahu know that in fact, they do engage in quite a bit of jeans-wearing and listening to Western music. In the final analysis, Netanyahu remarked Sunday in Tel Aviv that “the root of the conflict is the Jewish state.” On this point, he was absolutely correct.