LCCC ENGLISH DAILY
NEWS BULLETIN
October 17/2013
Bible Quotation for today/Honor
your Father and Mother.
The
fifth of the Ten Commandments is “Honor Your Parents,
i.e., honor your father and mother.” in the merit of
doing that, you will have a long life. As a matter of
fact, when the Ten Commandments are repeated a second
time, in the final book (Deuteronomy), it even adds
another element there: that you will not just have a
long life, but you will also live in peace, and have a
good life.
Proverbs 23:22/Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For October 1
7/13
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources For October 17/13
1. The world powers must accept Iran’s right to enrich
uranium without limitations. All the enrichment sites at Fordo and Natanz and
the Arak heavy water plant under construction for plutonium production will
remain in place.
2. All sanctions on the Iranian economy whether imposed by the UN Security
Council, the US or Europe must be removed at once.
3. Iran guarantees to provide transparency and accept the supervision of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) but rejects snap inspections.
4. Khamenei’s “fatwa” is the first step towards an agreement with the world
powers. At the end of the first day of talks, EU foreign policy executive
Catherine Ashton, who chairs the Geneva conference, took the Iranian negotiator
Araghchi aside and told him to bring to the table more serious proposals. Up
until Tuesday night, the Obama administration had not relayed a single word on
the Geneva proceedings to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who was waiting in
Jerusalem for a promised update. His response to Iran’s arrogant intransigence
at the Geneva talks and the fact that he was kept in the dark was not long in
coming.
Addressing a Knesset session marking the 40th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war,
Tuesday afternoon, the prime minister said: One lesson Israel learned from the
Yom Kippur war was “never disallow the option of a preemptive strike a priori.”
While this option may not meet all situations, it deserves careful and earnest
consideration.
Netanyahu went on to say: The potential international reaction to such an attack
is of less consequence than the price in blood Israel is apt to pay from a
future “strategic blow” and the necessity to hit back.
Iran proposal aims to break nuclear
standoff
By: Mina Al-Oraibi/London, Asharq Al-Awsat—It is too early to say
whether the Iran-P5+1 talks would make progress in resolving the decade-long
standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas
Araqchi said on Tuesday. Speaking at the end of the first day of talks in
Geneva, he told Reuters: “They went well. We had very constructive, very good
exchange of views, very serious. It was, I can say, very businesslike.” Iranian
negotiators had put forward a proposal that has the “capacity to make a
breakthrough” on the first day of vital talks between Tehran and the five
permanent UN Security Council members and Germany on Tuesday. Iranian Deputy
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the plan’s official name was “An End to the
Unnecessary Crisis and a Beginning for Fresh Horizons,” adding that Iran no
longer wants to “walk in the dark.”
The plan would see crushing international sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange
for concessions it had previously been unwilling to consider, including
increased monitoring and scaling back of uranium enrichment.
Iranian foreign minister and lead negotiator, Mohammad Javad Zarif, posted a
message on Facebook on Tuesday saying that the Geneva talks were “the start of a
difficult and relatively time-consuming way forward”.
“I am hopeful that by Wednesday we can reach agreement on a road map to find a
path towards resolution. But even with the goodwill of the other side, to reach
agreement on details and start implementation will likely require another
meeting at ministerial level,” he added. Speaking on the eve of the nuclear
negations, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the window for diplomacy over
Iran’s nuclear program is “cracking open.”
“But I want to know that our eyes are open too,” he added. “When we say that
Iran must live up to its international responsibilities on its nuclear program,
we mean it,” he told reporters in London.
“I believe firmly that no deal is better than a bad deal,” he added.
A US diplomatic official, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of
anonymity prior to the launch of nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday, said: “Our
focus at this time is a resolution to the international community’s concerns
regarding Iran’s nuclear program.” “As the President said, resolving the nuclear
issue could serve as a major step forward in a new relationship between the US
and the Islamic Republic of Iran—one based on mutual interests and mutual
respect,” the source added. However the US official clarified: “Iran’s recent
rhetoric will need to be followed by concrete, verifiable actions.”
Responding to a question regarding concerns among US allies to any proposed
deal, the US official told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We will be in close consultation
with Israel and our other friends and allies in the region during this process,
and our hope is that we can resolve this diplomatically.” For his part, Karim
Sadjadpour, a leading researcher on Iran at the Carnegie Endowment, told Asharq
Al-Awsat: “The most difficult negotiations may not be between Obama and Rouhani,
but between Obama and Congress, and Rouhani and Ayatollah Khamenei. Both
presidents are constrained by their domestic politics.”
“Put another way, the bigger challenge won’t be getting Obama and Rouhani to
agree, but getting Congress, Khamenei, and Netanyahu to acquiesce,” he added.
Commenting on the historic phone call that took place between US President Obama
and Iranian President Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General summit last
month, Sadjadpour said: “For longtime observers of US-Iran relations this
appears to be a rare and propitious moment. Yet, you have to manage your
expectations, mindful of the fact that the last 35 years has been littered with
hopes of breakthrough which never came to fruition.”
However both Rouhani and Obama have faced criticisms at home for their seeming
openness to a nuclear deal. 10 US senators from both sides of the aisle
announced on Monday that they would be open to suspending new sanctions on Iran,
but only if Tehran takes significant steps to slow its nuclear program.
In a letter to Obama, the 10 Democrat and Republican senators said the US should
consider a “suspension-for-suspension” initial agreement which would see Tehran
suspend uranium enrichment and Washington suspend the implementation of the
latest round of sanctions. Sadjadpour told Asharq Al-Awsat that according to
opinion polls, Iran is the most negatively perceived country in the US, “before
even North Korea.”
“Rouhani has perhaps undone some of the damage caused by Ahmadinejad, but
improving Iran’s reputation in the US is going to be at least a decade long
process, if not more,” he added.
Moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has been seeking to build momentum at
home and abroad for a possible nuclear deal, carrying out a number of interviews
with US media over recent weeks.
For her part, Atlantic Council vice president and director of the Rafiq Hariri
Center for the Middle East, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “In general, the American
public would be relieved to have a negotiated nuclear agreement with Iran and to
set aside the possibility of any military conflict. Americans who follow the
Iran nuclear issue closely, however, such as members of Congress, will be
concerned about the specific content of a deal, and particularly about how
quickly Iran would be able to build a nuclear weapon should it break out of the
agreed-upon set of arrangements.”
Israeli strategic affairs minister, Steinitz: Israel
hopeful, concerned about Iran nuclear talks, but not opposed to diplomatic
solution
By LAHAV HARKOV, JPOST.COM STAFF/10/16/2013/Strategic affairs
minister says as far as Israel is concerned, Tehran can use nuclear power for
peaceful purposes, but only if it buys nuclear fuel from abroad.Israel is both
hopeful and concerned about nuclear talks with Iran, Strategic Affairs Minister
Yuval Steinitz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Wednesday.
"The State of Israel is not closing the door to a diplomatic solution. If an
agreement is signed preventing Iran from having nuclear capabilities, we will be
happy with it," Steinitz explained, saying the agreement should follow "the
Libyan model" but not "the North Korean model." Steinitz reiterated Israel’s
concern that Western powers could be duped by Iran into removing sanctions
without ensuring that Tehran’s capability to produce nuclear weapons are
adequately curtailed. At the same time, though, Steinitz said "we're worried
Geneva 2013 will end up like Munich 1938," which allowed Nazi Germany to annex
Czechoslovakia and led then-British prime minister Neville Chamberlain to
announce there would be "peace in our time." “History has seen agreements that
were celebrated by the world only to see it lead to war,” he said.
Steinitz was set to meet with US officials next week to discuss strategic
bilateral dialogue, with Iran as a central issue. Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu has also stated that Israel is not against diplomacy with Iran, but
rather wants to ensure that negotiations with the Islamic Republic will lead it
to a halt of uranium enrichment. On Tuesday, Iran presented a three-phase plan
for ending the standoff over its nuclear program during the first day of an
October 15-16 meeting with six world powers in Geneva. The talks were due to
resume later on Wednesday. As part of Tehran's proposals during talks to resolve
a decade-old nuclear dispute with the West, Iran suggested it was ready to
address calls to give the UN atomic watchdog wider inspection powers. The P5+1
powers - the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia - also
want Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment program and suspend higher-level
activity. Refined uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants, Iran's
stated aim, but can also provide the fissile core of a nuclear bomb if processed
further, which the West fears may be Tehran's ultimate goal.Western diplomats
stress they want Tehran to back up its newly conciliatory language with concrete
actions.
**Herb Keinon and Reuters contributed to this report.
Israel urges world powers to stand
firm on Iran as Geneva talks start
By TOVAH LAZAROFF, LAHAV HARKOV/LAST UPDATED: 10/15/2013/J.Post
Prime Minister Netanyahu asks Western powers to maintain sanctions until Iran
completely dismantles nuclear program. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spent
his day in Israel continuing to warn the international powers not to accept any
deals from Iran during P5+1 nuclear talks in Geneva. He urged world powers not
to accept anything less than the full dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and
removing enriched uranium from the country before agreeing to ease sanctions
against Tehran. He repeated his message during a meeting he held with the prime
minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, and at a special ceremony in the Knesset to
mark the 40th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. In the evening, he traveled to
the Golan Heights, where he was briefed by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.- Gen.
Gadi Eisenkot and OC Northern Command Maj.- Gen. Yair Golan. “Today also marks
the start of talks between Iran and the major powers, the P5+1,” the prime
minister said. “I think that it would be an historic mistake to give Iran
discounts and ease up on it without it having to dismantle the nuclear
capability that it is building. Iran is now on the ropes, and it is possible to
use the sanctions at full strength in order to achieve the desired result. I
hope that the international community does this, and I call upon it to do so.”
He alluded to Iran when he talked about the lessons learned from the Yom Kippur
War and appeared to send them a warning that Israel would be prepared to use
force if necessary.
“I think that we have three main lessons from that war: The first lesson is not
to deride the enemy. The second is not to give up in advance on a preemptive
strike against an immediate and tangible threat. The third lesson is the
importance of buffer zones,” Netanyahu said. In the Knesset, he added that
although a preemptive attack was not always necessary, “there are situations in
which the international reaction to such a step is not equal to the price in
blood that we will pay if we absorb a strategic attack and have to respond
later, maybe too late.” The prime minister said that “preemptive war is one of
the hardest decisions a government has to make, because the war cannot prove
what would happen if there was no action.”In an unusual move earlier in the day,
the Security Cabinet issued a lengthy statement in which it, too, spoke of the
importance of maintaining sanctions. The cabinet rarely issues a statement.
Democrats, AIPAC Threaten Iran Talks
By Yochi Dreazen, John Hudson Tuesday, October 15, 2013/Foreign Policy
The Obama administration is facing an unexpected hurdle in its new nuclear talks
with Iran - a sizeable bloc of Democratic lawmakers who have made clear that
they would break with the White House and fight any effort to lift the current
sanctions on Tehran.
The future of those sanctions is a key issue in this week's negotiations in
Geneva between senior officials from Iran and the U.S., the most serious talks
between the two longtime adversaries in decades. Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohamad Javad Zarif kicked off Monday's session with a PowerPoint presentation,
delivered in English, which offered to put new limits on his country's nuclear
program in exchange for easing the Western sanctions that have devastated the
Iranian economy and decimated the value of its currency.
The White House has already signaled a potential openness to that kind of deal,
but a wide array of powerful Democrats -- including the top members of both the
Senate and House foreign affairs committees -- strongly oppose lifting any of
the existing sanctions on Iran unless Tehran offers concessions that go far
beyond anything Zarif has talked about in Geneva. The American Israel Public
Affairs Committee, one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, has also
promised to do everything in its power to keep the punitive measures in place.
"If the president were to ask for a lifting of existing sanctions it would be
extremely difficult in the House and Senate to support that," Rep. Steve Israel
(D-NY), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told The
Cable. "I'm willing to listen but I think that asking Congress to weaken and
diminish current sanctions is not hospitable on Capitol Hill."
"I'd say no," said Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) when asked if he'd accept a
presidential plea to lift sanctions. "They've got a long way to go to
demonstrate the kind of credibility that would lead us to believe we can move in
a conciliatory direction. And sanctions are what has strengthened the
administration's hand."
Opposition from Democratic lawmakers represents more than just a political
headache for the administration. Congress has the power to impose, modify or
remove sanctions regardless of what the White House wants, and it has shown a
willingness to overrule the administration in the past. In late 2011, for
instance, New Jersey Democrat Robert Menendez, a senior member of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, worked with Illinois Republican Mark Kirk to impose
crushing sanctions on the Iranian central bank despite strong opposition from
the administration.
It is far from clear that Iran will offer enough concessions in the current
talks for the administration to seriously consider softening or lifting the
current sanctions. The Rouhani government has insisted on the right to continue
enriching uranium on its own soil, something the White House opposes. Tehran has
also yet to signal a clear willingness to shutter its underground,
heavily-fortified nuclear plant at Qom, a source of particular concern for both
the U.S. and Israel because it is largely impervious to airstrikes, or to
dismantle any of its centrifuges. Even if Rouhani signed off, meanwhile, Iran's
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, could veto the deal.
Still, the Obama administration's chief nuclear negotiator, Wendy Sherman, told
a Senate panel earlier this month that the White House was willing to
potentially soften some of its sanctions if Tehran took "verifiable, concrete
actions" to delay its nuclear program. Sherman also urged lawmakers to hold off
on imposing new sanctions on Iran until Tehran detailed its potential nuclear
concessions at this week's talks.
Sherman's testimony sparked predictable outrage from Republicans like Kirk, who
said her comments showed that the White House was pursuing a policy of
"appeasement," but many Democrats were just as upset. Massachusetts Senator Ed
Markey said the U.S. "should not relax the sanctions one inch while Iran's
intentions are still unknown."
Markey is far from the only Democrat who believes that the White House needs to
not just keep the current measures in place but also prepare to add newer,
tougher ones.
"The intent of sanctions is to force Iran to halt and dismantle its nuclear
weapons program," lawmakers from both parties wrote in a letter this week signed
by prominent Democrats like Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the head of the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Once this goal has been accomplished
in a real, transparent, and verifiable way we will be prepared to remove
existing sanctions in a measured, sequenced manner. However, at this time, we
reaffirm that a credible military threat remains on the table and we underscore
the imperative that the current sanctions be maintained aggressively."
Trita Parsi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, a group
that lobbies on behalf of the Iranian American community, said Tehran would
almost certainly reject any call to entirely dismantle its nuclear program
before the current measures are softened or removed. "The bar being set by the
senators is wholly unrealistic," Parsi said. "To say that existing sanctions
won't be lifted is a non-starter."
Meanwhile, as the voices of Iran hawks dominate the halls of Congress,
Democratic lawmakers who support a less rigid opening position have been largely
silent, such as Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) or Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass).
Some have chalked up the relative silence to the shutdown. "We're in such a
weird situation on the Hill with the shutdown and all the oxygen is pretty much
going to that fight," said Rep David Price (D-NC) who gathered 131 signatures in
favor of engagement with Rouhani in July. Others chalked up the lack of
administration support to a desire to wait-and-see how the talks unfold. "Rouhani
is still a little bit of a mystery to everyone," said a top Senate aide whose
boss leans dovish. "On one hand, we've seen this movie before -- crazy nuke
states pretend to negotiate while buying time to enrich (a la North Korea) ... [B]ut
his perceived openness seems to have the implicit backing of the mullahs --
which adds a new element to these negotiations, and one that could result in
some actual concessions."
Still, lawmakers like Menendez, Murray and Kirk show no signs of softening their
positions. Their demands to maintain the current measures reflect, in part, the
success of a concerted lobbying campaign by AIPAC. The pro-Israel group has sat
out some recent potential fights over large-scale U.S. weapons sales to Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in order to focus all of its energy on Iran.
During its annual conference in March, AIPAC sent hundreds of volunteers to
Capitol Hill to personally lobby lawmakers from their home states to support
tough measures on Iran. It has also drafted templates of letters lawmakers could
send the White House under their own names calling for continued sanctions on
Iran. Iran is one of the few issues that bind Democrats and Republicans, so
AIPAC is in some ways preaching to the choir. Israel said he hadn't been lobbied
by the group, but he said it had no reason to. "Maybe they're not talking to me
because they know my profile is strong and deep on this issue," Israel said.
Winston Netanyahu
By: Yechiam Weitz/Ynetnews
By: Op-ed: Only thing Israeli PM has in common with late British
leader is fondness for expensive cigars
It appears that our prime minister, Benjamin (Winston) Netanyahu, has a very
high opinion of himself. In a recent interview with The New York Times,
Netanyahu stated that great leaders, such as Churchill, who served as Britain's
PM during the decisive years of World War Two, are always isolated.
Netanyahu repeatedly mentions the British leader, particularly when he is
talking about his obsession - the Iranian bomb. The Israeli PM sees himself as
almost the only leader who is capable of understanding the lethal significance
of Iran's actions – as opposed to most of the Western leaders. This comparison
is arrogant and fundamentally wrong for a number of reasons. The use of
Churchill's name in the dispute turns Iran into Nazi Germany, Tehran into Berlin
(the capital of the Third Reich) and Iranian leaders Hassan Rohani and Ali
Khamenei into Adolf Hitler types. This comparison detracts from the severity of
the Holocaust. It turns it into another banal event and blurs the horrible
uniqueness of the murderous Nazi ideology and its disastrous effect on the
Jewish people.
While Iran is a dangerous enemy state, it does not view Israel in terms of the
need to annihilate all Jews in order to bring salvation to the universe.
Netanyahu's comparison is similar to the comparison Menachem Begin made between
Yasser Arafat and Hitler, mainly during the first Lebanon war. Author Amos Oz
said at the time that the comparison is indicative of a "severe mental
distortion" and that "this urge, to revive and destroy Hitler again and again"
can lead statesmen to dangerous paths.
Netanyahu's comparison is wrong also because Churchill's struggle was conducted
mainly within his Conservative Party, against Neville Chamberlain (Britain's
prime minister from 1937 to 1940) and Lord Halifax, the foreign secretary who
supported negotiations with Hitler in order to reach a separate peace agreement.
Netanyahu is inadvertently turning those Likud members who oppose his stance on
Iran into Chamberlain-like politicians. This absurd outlook stems from his
arrogance – 'only I am capable of understanding the horrible truth.'
Moreover, Churchill was a leader capable of making difficult decisions while
risking his political standing. Israel also had leaders who took fateful
decisions – David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin. Netanyahu is not
such a leader. He has never presented a clear stance that could risk his
premiership. His most dominant characteristic as prime minister is survival –
the desire to please everyone in order to remain close to the golden calf that
is the regime. He has never displayed any courage.
There is no comparison between the colorful and optimistic Churchill and the
dark, anxious Netanyahu who is capable of making only apocalyptic prophecies.
There is one thing Netanyahu has in common with Churchill – a fondness for
expensive cigars.
**Yechiam Weitz is a history professor at Haifa University
Arrests after several wounded in e.
Lebanon shootout
October 16, 2013/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army said
Wednesday it arrested a number of suspects after an overnight family feud in the
Bekaa Valley developed into a shootout that left several people wounded.
The Army, in a statement, said the shooting took place in the Western Bekaa
Valley town of Kamed al-Loz as a result of an old dispute between families. The
military said both sides used light weapons and shotguns in the brawl that left
“a number of them slightly wounded.” The statement said the Army intervened and
managed to restore calm in the area. Several men suspected of firing the shots
were later arrested in house raids that ensued, the military said. A quantity of
weapons and ammunition was also confiscated during the raids. According to the
Army statement, the wounded men were taken to local hospitals and kept under
military guard. The military is in pursuit of other suspects involved in the
shootout, the statement added.
March 14 Officials Visit Shaar amid Call for Civil Peace,
Coexistence
Naharnet /A delegation from the March 14 general-secretariat
visited the northern city of Tripoli in a show of support and held talks with
Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar to stress coexistence. “What harms Tripoli, harms us
as well,” said March 14 general-secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid at al-Shaar's
residence. “The killers belong to the sect of killers and do not belong to the
Christian or Muslim confessions,” he said. Tripoli has been rocked with a series
of bloody incidents, the latest of which were car bombs near two Sunni mosques
in August that left hundreds of casualties. The city also witnesses continued
clashes between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, which is majority
Sunni, and Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are from the Alawite sect of Syrian
President Bashar Assad – a clear spillover of the war in neighboring Syria. “We
are all responsible for civil peace and coexistence,” said Soaid. Phalange MP
Samer Saadeh, who was part of the delegation that visited al-Shaar, hoped that
the March 14's “initiative would be a new start for Tripoli.”The mufti also
hoped that Tripoli would be the cornerstone for civil peace in Lebanon. He
slammed the arms owned by his rivals, saying they seek to cause provocation.
Al-Shaar called during his sermon to mark Eid al-Adha on Tuesday for unity in
Tripoli. The city is urged to remain steadfast until the judiciary issues its
decision against those charged in the bombing of al-Salam and al-Taqwa mosques
on August 23, he said. State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr
charged on Monday seven people, three of whom are in custody, in connection with
the blasts.
50 Kilos of Explosives in al-Maamoura Car, Suleiman Lauds
Army Efforts
Naharnet/A booby-trapped car seized Monday by the army in Dahieh contained
around 50 kilograms of explosive material, an army statement said, as President
Michel Suleiman hailed the military institution for its achievement.
The vehicle turned out to contain “around 50 kilos of explosives: three
landmines, six anti-vehicle grenades, a quantity of TNT, and some 20 kilograms
of aluminum powder that is mixed with yellow sulfur and electric fuses,”
according to the statement. “It turned out that the aforementioned car had been
sold several times in the past,” the statement added. The Army Command noted
that investigations are ongoing under the supervision of the relevant judicial
authorities “with the aim of identifying those involved in this criminal act,”
urging citizens in all Lebanese regions to immediately report any suspicious
activity. Meanwhile, President Suleiman hailed the army for seizing the car and
lauded its efforts. “Eid (al-Adha) for the officers and soldiers takes its true
meaning from their sacrifices for the sake of the country and civil peace,”
Suleiman said, slamming “the plots against the innocent citizens that are aimed
at undermining the stability that we are all seeking.” On Monday evening, the
army said an explosive-rigged Grand Cherokee was found in the Beirut southern
suburb of al-Maamoura and that military experts dismantled the bomb after
cordoning off the area. At least 53 people were wounded in a car bombing that
rocked the Beirut southern suburb of Bir al-Abed on July 9 while 27 people were
killed and more than 280 injured in a bomb attack in the Rweiss suburb. Army
troops and security forces deployed in Beirut's southern suburbs – a Hizbullah
stronghold -- in September, taking over checkpoints set up by the party in the
wake of the two massive bombings.
Deputy Head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, Sheikh
Abdul Amir Qabalan Urges the State to Disarm 'All Factions'
Naharnet/The deputy head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, Sheikh Abdul Amir
Qabalan, called on Wednesday on the authorities to disarm all factions of the
society. In his Eid al-Adha sermon, Qabalan “urged the state to disarm all
factions and stop issuing licenses” to gunmen. He said that the authorities
should take “strong measures” against them. “The land is protected through good
deeds and not arms,” he added. Qabalan urged all the people to come to their
senses, have good deeds, be religious and become honest. He said the people
should recognize the rights of others and be responsible. “God urged us … to
have patience.”Addressing the waring parties in neighboring Syria, Qabalan said:
“Enough with terrorism.” Qabalan also asked Bahrain's rulers to “have mercy and
steer clear of violence.”He said “those supporting terrorism through their money
and stances” will be held accountable by God. Qabalan wondered why there was
injustice and killing in Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq. Eid al-Adha, which
commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son at God's command,
is the biggest Muslim holiday of the year. Wednesday marks the first day of the
Eid for Lebanon's Shiites.
Abducted Turkish Pilots Appear in Video, Say They're in Good Health
Naharnet/Two Turkish pilots kidnapped near Beirut's airport in August were shown
in a video broadcast by LBCI television on Tuesday, saying they wished they
could be back home. The video showed Murat Akpinar and Murat Agca both saying
they were in good health but adding that they wished they could be home with
their families for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha that began on Tuesday. They
said they were speaking on Monday, the day before the start of the holiday. “I'm
safe and sound. I miss my family, my children and my country,” Agca says in
English in the video. “I would like to be at my home. I'm fine,” says Akpinar,
also in English. In a previous video on August 29, Akpinar called on everyone to
"help in freeing the kidnapped Lebanese pilgrims," who were nabbed in Syria's
Aazaz in May 2012. Agca, meanwhile, thanked the abductors “for their kind
treatment.” The families of the Lebanese abductees accuse Turkey of being behind
the kidnapping. They, however, have denied any involvement in the abduction of
the Turkish pilots. On August 9, gunmen ambushed a bus carrying Turkish Airlines
crew from Beirut's international airport to a hotel in the city, and snatched
the two pilots. A previously unknown group calling itself Zuwwar Imam al-Rida
claimed the abduction, and demanded that Turkey use its influence with Syrian
rebels it backs to secure the release of the nine pilgrims. Lebanese authorities
have since arrested three suspects and charged them in connection with the
pilots' abduction. On September 26, An Nahar newspaper said the captors of the
pilots had moved them from Beirut's southern suburbs to an unknown location
ahead of a major security deployment in Dahieh.
Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui: Had There
Been a Real State, Rifi Would've Been in Jail, Not a Lecturer in Sovereignty
Naharnet /Caretaker Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui
on Tuesday hit back at former Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf
Rifi, stressing that the ministry abides by the cabinet's decisions regarding
the handing over of telecom data to security agencies. The ministry “used to
deliver the data whenever authorized by the cabinet and it withheld the data
only when the council of ministers asked it to do so,” said Sehnaoui in a
statement issued by his press office. On Monday evening, Rifi told MTV that
slain ISF Intelligence Bureau head Wissam al-Hasan had evaded four assassination
attempts before he was murdered on October 19, 2012 due to “lack of cooperation
in the issue of telecom data.”Rifi accused Sehnaoui of being accomplice in the
assassination “because he withheld the telecom data from investigators.” But the
minister stressed that “security agencies were receiving the complete telecom
data everyday during the past three years, including during the period of the
assassination of martyr Major General Wissam al-Hasan and the other
incidents.”“Had anything suspicious been recorded, Maj. Gen. Rifi would not have
hesitated for a second to publicize it during his command of the ISF,” Sehnaoui
said, reminding that “the ministry hands over telecom data to security agencies
three times per week in line with an agreement between the ministry and these
agencies and according to the mechanism stipulated by the law, knowing that the
ministry bypasses this mechanism during extraordinary situations and delivers
the data even at a verbal request.”“Rifi's accusation that the telecom minister
is a front for Hizbullah is rejected, especially that it was issued by an
officer who has become accustomed to working for all types of regional and
international foreign intelligence agencies,” the minister added, describing the
rest of Rifi's remarks as “political propaganda.” “Had the state possessed any
prestige, the retired general would have been in jail, not a lecturer in state
authority, virtue and sovereignty,” Sehnaoui added.
Syrian Observatory: 21 Killed as Truck Hit by Blast in
Daraa
Naharnet /A powerful blast ripped through a pickup truck in the
southern province of Daraa in Syria early Wednesday, killing 21 people including
four children, a monitoring group said. "Twenty-one people were killed in the
Nawa area (of Daraa), among them four children and six women, in a blast that
detonated as their vehicle went past Tal al-Jumua," said the Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights. A battalion of troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad
"is positioned there, and is under siege by rebel forces. Activists blamed
regime troops for planting the explosives", said the Britain-based group. Daraa
is the cradle of the uprising that broke out against Assad in March 2011. More
than 115,000 people have been killed in the war that broke out after Assad's
troops unleashed a brutal crackdown against protesters calling for political
change.
Rebels fighting Assad's troops have made significant progress in recent months
in Daraa, which is strategically located on the border with Jordan and near
Damascus province. In the northeastern province of Hasake fierce clashes pitting
Kurdish fighters against jihadists resumed, killing at least 10 al-Qaida
fighters, the Observatory said. Clashes have raged in majority Kurdish areas for
months, as the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has sought
to expel the Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG) from
areas under their control. Wednesday's clashes hit the Kharrab Bajar area, and
resulted in the killing of at least 10 ISIL fighters and the YPG's takeover of
an Islamist checkpoint, said the Observatory. Analysts say ISIL aims to crush
competition from other armed groups active in areas out of the control of
Assad's regime, and that its war with the Kurds is part of the strategy for
control of territory and resources. Elsewhere, Assad's loyalists pressed a
campaign designed to crush rebels positioned near the capital, as fresh clashes
broke out on the edges of rebel-held Douma east of Damascus, said the
Observatory. SourceAgence France Presse
Iran, U.S. Teams Meet in Geneva as Tehran Brings
'Breakthrough' Offer to Nuclear Talks
Naharnet /Iranian and U.S. delegations held "useful" bilateral
talks Tuesday evening on the sidelines of high-profile nuclear talks in Geneva,
a senior State Department official said, as "As had been expected, Under
Secretary (Wendy) Sherman and members of the U.S. delegation held a bilateral
meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister (Abbas) Araqchi and members of the
Iranian delegation tonight," the U.S. official said. The meeting lasted nearly
an hour, the source added. A figure close to Iran's nuclear negotiation team
also confirmed the talks, but did not provide details. The rare meeting came
after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his U.S. counterpart
John Kerry held a 30-minute face-to-face discussion in New York last month on
the sidelines of talks within the framework of the so-called P5+1 group. The
last time Iranian and American delegations held bilateral meetings was in
October 2009. Iran's two-day Geneva talks with the European Union-chaired P5+1
group -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany --
ends a six-month freeze sparked by its refusal to curb uranium enrichment in
exchange for the easing of punishing international sanctions. Tehran said it had
presented a potentially "breakthrough" proposal to end a decade-long standoff
with world powers on Tuesday, noting that the offer Despite the upbeat
tone, Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted senior Iranian negotiator Abbas
Araqchi as saying that snap inspections of the Islamic republic's nuclear
facilities were not part of the new proposal.
"It does not exist in the offer," Araqchi told IRNA. Iran has drawn other red
lines, saying it will not accept any demand to suspend uranium enrichment or
ship out stockpiles of purified material.
Iran's team said it received a good reception to its new plan to make headway in
the dispute with global players, who fear Tehran's atomic program is a disguised
effort to build a nuclear bomb, a claim it denies.
"The session focused on technical aspects of Iran's proposal, many questions
were put forward," an Iranian source close to the talks told Agence France
Presse after the first day of discussions wrapped up in Geneva.
"The atmosphere of talks was positive and constructive." Meanwhile, senior
Iranian negotiator Araqchi said: "The proposal that we have introduced has the
capacity to make a breakthrough."
He told reporters it was "very comprehensive" but that all parties had agreed to
keep it under wraps.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was to meet one-on-one with Iran's FM
Zarif later in the evening to take stock of the first day of negotiations,
officials said. The Geneva talks are the first since President Hassan Rouhani
took office in August after conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrapped up his
second four-year term in power. Rouhani, seen as more moderate, has pledged
transparency on the nuclear program and engagement with the international
community to try to get the sanctions lifted. In what Western officials said was
a sign of the new mood, the Iranian team on Tuesday delivered a presentation in
English for the first time.
Earlier, Zarif said Tehran's plan contained three steps that could settle the
long-running nuclear standoff "within a year", with the first achievable "within
a month or two, or even less." EU spokesman Michael Mann said discussions had
been "very detailed" and technical, and underlined the "very different"
atmosphere compared to previous talks. A senior U.S. State Department official
added: "For the first time, we had very detailed technical discussions, which
carried on this afternoon. We will continue these discussions tomorrow."
Iran's Araqchi also praised the "very positive environment" and said the
"reaction was good" to Iran's hour-long PowerPoint presentation. Iran rejects
charges that it is developing an atomic bomb, insisting its nuclear program is
for power production alone, and says it wants to settle the issue in good faith.
"We are very serious. We are not here symbolically, to waste our time. We are
serious for target-oriented negotiations," Araqchi told reporters in Geneva.
Israel -- believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear armed state -- warned
Tuesday against accepting "cosmetic concessions" that would not impede Iran's
weapons quest.
It has not ruled out a military strike on archfoe Iran to halt the nuclear
drive, and has warned the world not to fall for Rouhani's "sweet talk". Western
negotiators insist they are cautiously hopeful but not naive.
"We have come here with a sense of cautious optimism and a great sense of
determination because we believe it's really time now for tangible results,"
Mann said. "There are signals from Tehran that they want to engage in these
negotiations, that they want to be more transparent. The proof would be if they
made real progress," he said. "We are on our side ambitious to move forward
quickly... The ball remains in their court."
A senior U.S. administration official said earlier in Geneva that any easing of
sanctions would be "targeted, proportional to what Iran puts on the table". "We
are hopeful, but that has to be tested with concrete, verifiable actions," the
official said. A first meeting between Zarif and his counterparts from the six
powers took place last month during the U.N. General Assembly, accompanied by a
landmark two-way meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry underlined
Sunday that while the diplomatic window was "cracking open", Washington was
serious about never allowing room for a nuclear-armed Iran.
Source/Agence France Presse.
Iran Says Will Accept Snap Visits of its Nuclear Sites
Naharnet/Iran's top negotiator said on Wednesday that a nuclear proposal
presented to major powers in Geneva does allow for snap inspections of the
Islamic republic's nuclear facilities, correcting his earlier remarks.
"None of these issues exist in the first step, but they are part of our last
step," Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA. He
was replying to a question about whether the application of the additional
protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which allows unannounced
inspections of Iran's nuclear sites, was included in the proposal.
Araqchi had on Tuesday been cited by IRNA as saying the implementation of the
additional protocol "does not exist" in the offer. The additional protocol
allows reinforced and unannounced inspections of a country's nuclear facilities
by the International Atomic Energy Agency and requires that information be
provided on all activities regarding the nuclear fuel cycle. As it stands now,
Iran is only obliged to inform the IAEA three months ahead of transferring
fissile material into the nuclear site.Iran, a signatory of the NPT, voluntarily
implemented the additional protocol between 2003 and 2005 but ceased to apply it
after its nuclear case was sent to the United Nations Security Council. Last
month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said acceptance of the additional
protocol by Tehran would help to resolve Iran's decade-long nuclear standoff.
Araqchi had on Tuesday given brief details of Iran's nuclear offer. He said that
the first phase is expected to last six months. It is aimed at "restoring
bilateral trust" and "avoiding measures which could aggravate the (political)
climate".Both parties must also pledge to "address the immediate concerns" of
the other side, and to resolve disputes through dialogue. Araqchi said it would
take "several rounds of negotiations" to reach an agreement.
Source/Agence France Presse.
Israel Warns against Nuclear Compromise with Iran
Naharnet/Israel on Tuesday urged the world to avoid a partial deal with Iran
which could see a relaxing of sanctions, as a new round of nuclear talks were
launched in Geneva.
The security cabinet warned the international community against any "partial
agreement that would fail to bring about the full dismantling of the Iranian
military nuclear program...(which) could lead to the collapse of the sanctions
regime."Iran began two days of closed-door negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday
with the P5+1 countries -- the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and
Germany, ending a six-month hiatus. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
has launched a media blitz in recent days, warning against concessions to
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Rouhani's conciliatory tone has raised hopes of a breakthrough in the
decade-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear program. The security cabinet
statement called on world powers to be wary of Iran at negotiations.
"Iran believes it can get by with cosmetic concessions that would not
significantly impede its path to developing nuclear weapons, concessions that
could be reversed in weeks," the statement said. "In exchange, Iran demands an
easing of the sanctions, which have taken years to put in place."
The security cabinet said the P5+1 should "reject Iran's attempts to reach a
deal that would leave it with the capability to develop nuclear weapons."
An Israeli official told Agence France Presse that the seven-member ministerial
committee had met on Monday night but released the statement Tuesday morning to
coincide with the talks. Israel, it said, did not oppose Iran having a peaceful
nuclear energy program -- one which would not require uranium enrichment or
plutonium production, it said.
"Iran claims that it supposedly has the 'right to enrich.' But a country that
regularly deceives the international community, that violates U.N. Security
Council resolutions ... has no such right," it said.
Later in the day, Netanyahu stressed that "now" was "an opportune moment to
reach a genuine diplomatic solution that peacefully ends Iran's military nuclear
program."
Speaking ahead of a meeting with Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Netanyahu
said that pressure in the form of sanctions is what brought Iran back to the
negotiating table.
"And it is that pressure which makes the peaceful dismantling of Iran's military
nuclear program possible," Netanyahu said in remarks relayed by his office.
The Geneva talks are aimed at reaching accord over Iran's nuclear program, which
Israel and the West say is aimed at developing an atomic bomb and Tehran says is
for peaceful purposes only.
The Islamic republic has been slapped with several rounds of sanctions because
of its nuclear program.
Israel, the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power, wants Iran to
meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium
enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its
underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium
reactor. Israel has refused to rule out military strikes against Iran, with
Netanyahu telling the U.N. General Assembly this month that the Jewish state
would act unilaterally if necessary.Source/Agence France Presse.
Downsides Of The War On Terror
Abdullah Iskandar/Al Hayat/The current US administration is proud to have
achieved substantial success in confronting the Al-Qaeda organization, and
terrorist groups in general, in the world and inside the United States. Indeed,
President Barack Obama, like his administration’s spokespersons, never misses an
opportunity to focus on this aspect of US strategy.
Alongside the process of military withdrawal from the arena of the two wars
waged by the previous Republican administration, the current Democratic
administration is engaged in a kind of political withdrawal as well, considering
that the priority should be to persist in the war against Al-Qaeda and
affiliated groups, and that the US strategy in the region should be in the
service of this war.
The strategy of the War on Terror can be summed up, in terms of field
operations, in focusing on the assassination of targets accused of terrorist
activity that has affected American interests or persons, by way of unmanned
drone strikes or swift commando operations.
Such a strategy spares the US from sending troops on the ground, with what this
would entail in terms of logistic, financial and political complications, thus
ensuring local support for the administration in its domestic battles,
especially in Congress. Yet at the same time, such a strategy introduces
fundamental changes to the way the United States deals with the issues of the
Middle East – which are in the first place connected to the US War on Terror –
and in fact leads to repercussions that negatively affect historical relations
between the United States and the countries of the region. Under the slogan of
focusing the battle on terrorism, President Obama’s administration has placed
the United States’ main allies in both the Arab and Muslim worlds in a position
of extreme embarrassment. Indeed, it clings to its airstrikes against the
citizens of some of those countries, exposing the latter’s governments to
criticism and accusations of treason by violating their sovereignty. At the same
time, Washington urges those governments to organize military campaigns on their
own soil against locations that are supposed to be safe havens for terrorists
and extremists. On the other hand, that same administration assumes a position
of criticism, condemnation and threats to cut aid, every time authorities in
these countries take practical steps in the field of the War on Terror, after
accusing them of violating human rights, infringing on democracy, etc… This at
the end of the day weakens those authorities and undermines their ability to
take action at the domestic level, driving them to further failure – and this is
what has happened in Pakistan and in Yemen, for example.
In addition to the current state of harsh division and the likelihood of
internal armed conflicts erupting in both Iraq and Afghanistan, coinciding with
the US military withdrawal, in view of the lack of clarity of the American
vision regarding the alternatives that could ensure a certain extent of
stability in the two countries, Iran has found its way through the cracks,
expanding its influence in the region and filling the vacuum caused by the
absence of an American vision. This has taken place at the expense of those
countries in the region that ensure, through the sources of energy they hold,
strategic depth for the United States. Thus Iran has overwhelmed Iraq and has
broadly infiltrated the remaining countries of the region, reaching the shores
of the Mediterranean in Lebanon and Syria. The recent phone call between Obama
and Iranian President Hassan Rohani has come to somehow reinforce this trend,
which is arousing a great deal of fear and concern among the remaining countries
of the region, whether with regards to repercussions in the Gulf or on the issue
of Syria. Indeed, the way the US has dealt with the latter has been, from the
beginning, governed by the obsession with the War on Terror. Thus, in the
American mind, the peaceful protest movement of a people who have suffered for
decades under the rule of a tyrant and oppressor became mixed up with the
actions of suicide bombers who target US interests. Such a mix up has led, and
continues to lead, to a lack of realistic vision of the significance of what is
happening in Syria, going as far as to grossly exaggerate the role played by
extremist fighters. In fact, this latter issue has for the administration become
tantamount to confirmation of its fears about terrorism and of the necessity of
persisting in the strategy of fighting it, without paying heed to the political
significance that lies behind ceasing to understand and support popular
aspirations. Thus, the strategy of the War on Terror, the way it is being
applied by the US administration in our countries, becomes counterproductive.
Indeed, terrorism and extremism are spreading, and with them widens the sphere
of confrontations and local wars, while the margin of freedom and pluralism
narrows.
Iran hints it could consider wider nuclear inspections
October 16, 2013/Reuters/GENEVA: Iran suggested it was ready to
address calls to give the U.N. atomic watchdog wider inspection powers as part
of Tehran's proposals to resolve a decade-old nuclear dispute with the West. The
comments from Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi appeared to be the
first specific indication of what concessions Tehran might be prepared to make
in return for the removal of sanctions hurting its oil-dependent economy. Iran
presented a three-phase plan for ending the standoff over its nuclear programme
during the first day of an Oct. 15-16 meeting with six world powers in Geneva on
Tuesday. The talks were due to resume later on Wednesday. Iran did not give
details of its proposal On Tuesday, but said it included monitoring by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear body
which regularly inspects declared Iranian facilities. Iran's official IRNA news
agency asked Araqchi about the issues of uranium enrichment and the so-called
Additional Protocol to Iran's agreement with the IAEA. "Neither of these issues
are within the first step (of the Iranian proposal) but form part of our last
steps," he replied without going into further details, in comments reported on
Wednesday. The Additional Protocol allows unannounced inspections outside of
declared nuclear sites and it is seen as a vital tool at the IAEA's disposal to
make sure that a country does not have any hidden nuclear work. The world powers
have long demanded that Iran implement the protocol. Iran says it is voluntary.
The powers - the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia -
also want Iran to scale back its uranium enrichment programme and suspend
higher-level activity. Refined uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants,
Iran's stated aim, but can also provide the fissile core of a nuclear bomb if
processed further, which the West fears may be Tehran's ultimate goal. Western
diplomats stress they want Tehran to back up its newly conciliatory language
with concrete actions. Both sides are trying to dampen expectations of any rapid
breakthrough at the two-day meeting, the first to be held since President Hassan
Rouhani took office, promising conciliation over confrontation in Iran's
relations with the world.
Egypt-U.S. relations in turmoil: Egyptian foreign minister
October 16, 2013/Reuters/CAIRO: Relations between the United
States and Egypt are in deep-seated turmoil which could hurt the entire Middle
East, the Egyptian foreign minister said in remarks published on Wednesday.
Nabil Fahmy told the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper the extension of the period of
instability in ties would "reflect negatively on the entire region, including
American interests." "We are now in a delicate state reflecting the turmoil in
the relationship and anyone who says otherwise is not speaking honestly," he
said. Egypt criticised a U.S. decision last week to curtail military and
economic aid to Cairo after a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, although
Washington stressed it was not severing ties with its long-standing ally. U.S.
officials said the move reflected Washington's unhappiness with Egypt's path
since the army overthrew freely-elected President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim
Brotherhood on July 3. The army-backed interim government insisted Egypt would
not bow to U.S. pressure, saying it found the decision strange at a time when
the country was "facing a war against terrorism".
Opinion: The Great Escape
By: Ali Ibrahim/Asharq Alawsat/We are witnessing a daily tragedy.
This is the news of the sinking of boats carrying hundreds of migrants, whether
in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy, or in the Indian Ocean between the
Indonesian and Australian coastlines. The latter incident saw a number of
Lebanese migrants attempting to reach Australia drown before they could reach
safe shores.
In the Mediterranean, around 400 migrants drowned within a week, while in the
Indian Ocean—particularly the thousands of sea miles that separate Australia and
Indonesia—dozens drowned to death in the latest incident. As for the survivors,
or shall we say those who did not fall prey to this tragic maritime adventure,
they are forced to return to their countries of origin having endured this
difficult journey, perhaps even losing loved ones on the way.
The facts and figures speak for themselves, drawing a picture that deserves
consideration. These migrants, which include women and young children, are well
aware of the risk they face in boarding these primitive boats and sailing across
open waters to illegally enter another country. They also pay large sums of
money for this dubious privilege, estimated at several thousand dollars per
head, which means that those who undertake this journey are not destitute.
Despite all this, they resort to this dangerous method to escape their current
reality; this means they see no future for themselves in their own country.
Another fact is that the majority of these boat migrants come from Arab
countries, and this is a relatively recent phenomenon, with Arabs joining other
migrants from Africa and Asia on these dangerous sea voyages. The majority of
these migrants or asylum seekers are Muslims, as is clear from the names of both
the survivors and victims of the recent incidents. They are all seeking to
travel to the West, while the countries where they set off from, whether in the
Middle East or Malaysia or Indonesia, are nothing more than a transit point on
the way to their final destination.
Statistics reveal that hundred of illegal migrants seek this means of entry
every week. These same figures also reveal that hundreds, perhaps thousands, are
successful in reaching their destination, or else are waiting in transit points
to undertake the final leg of the journey. One such place is Libya, and a report
yesterday revealed that a Tripoli zoo had been transformed into a migrant
processing center to deal with the huge number of migrants arriving there. These
migrants are able to enter the country thanks to smugglers, who are operating,
of course, in coordination with armed militias.
This is also a phenomenon, albeit a pre-existing one. However the large number
of Arabs now resorting to this type of illegal immigration is something that has
only happened in recent years, owing to the security deterioration in a number
of states, particularly in Syria which is witnessing a bloody civil war that has
led to approximately 2 million refugees. Estimates indicate that this figure
could rise to approximately 4 million by 2014 if the war continues unabated.
This means that the flow of migrant boats will not stop, and indeed will only
increase. Incidents of migrant boats capsizing is nothing new, and stories taken
from migrants—or those who succeeded in this perilous journey across open
seas—portray a people who are willing to sacrifice everything to reach what they
view as the shores of happiness. Whatever the reality, these migrants who are
risking their lives on the open sea are seeking something that they view as
absent from their own societies, whether we are talking in terms of security,
freedoms, or a better future. That is the crux of the matter. However the
reality is that when they arrive, they will discover that things are not as easy
as they had thought it would be. It is true that these are advanced societies,
but they are also facing problems of unemployment and economic slowdown. This is
not to mention competition over job opportunities, with the local population
unhappy to see anybody coming in from the outside to challenge them,
particularly illegal immigrants.
The only thing that could reduce this dangerous phenomenon in a practical or
realistic manner is to renew hope in these societies which are witnessing a kind
of mass exodus of citizens. If opportunities were available in these countries,
then everybody would not be leaving them to those who turned them into
wastelands in the first place. Renewing hope is also related to stability and
security, and the belief among citizens that there is hope in a future where
they can find suitable job opportunities, reward for hard work, a minimum of
personal freedom, and respect for diversity.
As for the countries that are receiving these migrant boats, whether in Europe
or Australia, they have every right to fear these waves of immigrants. However
the real solution is in helping the countries where these migrants come from to
develop and grow, raising the standards of living there so that citizens don’t
want to leave. This may ultimately be cheaper than bearing the cost of erecting
barriers and establishing security patrols to keep illegal immigrants out.