2 Gunmen Dead, 2 Soldiers Hurt as Army Intercepts Explosive-Laden Car in Bekaa
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Two Syrians were killed and two Lebanese army soldiers were wounded in a clash Thursday after the army intercepted a car carrying explosives and gunmen in the Western Bekaa area of Hawsh al-Harimeh. “After the Intelligence Directorate obtained intel that four people were transporting explosives, a patrol from the directorate chased the aforementioned car in Hawsh al-Harimeh and an exchange of gunfire ensued,” said an army statement. “Two soldiers were wounded and two unidentified gunmen, one wearing a suicide vest, were killed, while two other people were arrested – a Lebanese and a Syrian who was wounded in his legs,” it added. The army said several types of explosives estimated to weigh around 250 kilograms were found in the car, in addition to a quantity of fuses. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said the gunmen were members of the extremist al-Nusra Front, identifying one of the wounded army soldiers as Hussein Araji. On Wednesday, the Lebanese army said troops seized in the Wadi Hmayyed area an arms-laden car coming from Syria and arrested its four Syrian passengers. Four Syrian nationals were arrested and a quantity of machineguns, pistols, ammunition, military equipment and hand grenades was found in their possession, a statement said.
On September 29, the army announced seizing a Syria-bound truck loaded with “obsolete” ammunition in the border town of Arsal. According to LBCI television, the truck came from the northern border region of Wadi Khaled. On September 25, the army said a Syrian man was killed and two others were wounded after troops fired on a van that failed to stop at a checkpoint in Arsal. And three gunmen were arrested by the army on August 8 as they tried to infiltrate the Bekaa border town of Arsal from Syria. Weapons and a suicide vest were found in their possession according to an army statement.

2 Gunmen Dead, 2 Soldiers Hurt as Army Intercepts Explosive-Laden Car in Bekaa
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Two Syrians were killed and two Lebanese army soldiers were wounded in a clash Thursday after the army intercepted a car carrying explosives and gunmen in the Western Bekaa area of Hawsh al-Harimeh. “After the Intelligence Directorate obtained intel that four people were transporting explosives, a patrol from the directorate chased the aforementioned car in Hawsh al-Harimeh and an exchange of gunfire ensued,” said an army statement. “Two soldiers were wounded and two unidentified gunmen, one wearing a suicide vest, were killed, while two other people were arrested – a Lebanese and a Syrian who was wounded in his legs,” it added. The army said several types of explosives estimated to weigh around 250 kilograms were found in the car, in addition to a quantity of fuses. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said the gunmen were members of the extremist al-Nusra Front, identifying one of the wounded army soldiers as Hussein Araji. On Wednesday, the Lebanese army said troops seized in the Wadi Hmayyed area an arms-laden car coming from Syria and arrested its four Syrian passengers. Four Syrian nationals were arrested and a quantity of machineguns, pistols, ammunition, military equipment and hand grenades was found in their possession, a statement said. On September 29, the army announced seizing a Syria-bound truck loaded with “obsolete” ammunition in the border town of Arsal. According to LBCI television, the truck came from the northern border region of Wadi Khaled. On September 25, the army said a Syrian man was killed and two others were wounded after troops fired on a van that failed to stop at a checkpoint in Arsal. And three gunmen were arrested by the army on August 8 as they tried to infiltrate the Bekaa border town of Arsal from Syria. Weapons and a suicide vest were found in their possession according to an army statement.

2 Dead, 21 Hurt on Thursday as Fighting Continues in Tripoli
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Two people were killed on Thursday and 21 others were injured, including a soldier, in renewed fighting and sniper activity in the northern city of Tripoli, the state-run National News Agency reported. The fighting had reportedly escalated following the death of Arab Democratic Party top military official Bassam Abdullah in Jabal Mohsen. NNA identified the other victim as Musbah al-Nazer. Media reports said he was killed when snipers opened fire at his car. Thursday's casualties bring the toll from four days of fighting to three dead and 60 injured including nine soldiers, according to NNA. A security official told Agence France Presse that four people have been killed and 35 others have been injured during the ongoing violence. In the evening, the sounds of intermittent gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades were still being heard and sniper fire was targeting homes and roads in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, the agency said. “Army troops are still responding to the sources of gunfire and trying to contain the situation,” it added.
Earlier, Tripoli MP Mohammed Kabbara reiterated his call to salvage the city, which for years has been witnessing deadly gunbattles between rival gunmen. “We are losing patience,” Kabbara told LBCI TV station. He urged President Michel Suleiman to take a “courageous stance to salvage Tripoli.” The lawmaker also urged security agencies to establish a joint operations room to bring the situation under control.
The fighting broke out on Monday evening as celebratory gunfire erupted in Jabal Mohsen over Assad’s appearance on al-Mayadeen television for an interview. The violence between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen has worsened since the March 2011 start of Syria's uprising.
 

Tripoli Fighting Death Toll Rises
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/One person was killed on Thursday and eight were injured in renewed fighting and sniper activity in the northern city of Tripoli, the state-run National News Agency reported. NNA identified the dead man as Mohammed al-Nazer. Media reports said he was killed when snipers opened fire at his car. Another eight people were injured, the agency added. Tripoli MP Mohammed Kabbara reiterated his call to salvage the city, which for years has been witnessing deadly gunbattles between rival gunmen. “We are losing patience,” Kabbara told LBCI TV station. He urged President Michel Suleiman to take a “courageous stance to salvage Tripoli.” The lawmaker also urged security agencies to establish a joint operations room to bring the situation under control. Thursday's death brought the toll from the four days of clashes to three. Dozens have also been injured. The fighting broke out on Monday evening following Syrian President Bashar Assad’s appearance on al-Mayadeen television for an interview. The violence between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen has worsened since the March 2011 start of Syria's uprising. Bab al-Tabbaneh's Sunni inhabitants support the anti-Assad revolt in Syria while Jabal Mohsen, a majority Alawite neighborhood, backs the Syrian president.

Miqati: Tripoli Has No Other Option but Resorting to the State
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati condemned on Thursday the renewal of clashes between the rival Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods in the northern city of Tripoli, saying that its residents feel like pawns in regional schemes. He said after holding a security meeting with President Michel Suleiman on the latest developments in the city: “There is no other option for Tripoli but resorting to the state.”He urged all sides to adhere to and cooperate with the security agencies in order to restore calm. “It feels like Tripoli is no longer part of the state,” he lamented. “Its residents want to feel part of the state and they oppose autonomous security,” added Miqati. Furthermore, he rejected claims that politicians are fueling the tensions in the city, saying: “We are demanding that the security agencies assume their responsibilities.” “No political cover will be granted to anyone,” he declared. Commenting on the security plan that was recently approved for Tripoli, he revealed that it has not been completely implemented. He explained that it will be implemented in phases, adding that certain security measures will be taken in the northern city. “The situation in Tripoli can no longer persist this way,” stressed Miqati. One person was killed on Thursday and eight were injured in renewed fighting and sniper activity in Tripoli. Thursday's death brought the toll from the four days of clashes to three. Dozens have also been injured. The fighting broke out on Monday evening following Syrian President Bashar Assad’s appearance on al-Mayadeen television for an interview. The violence between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen has worsened since the March 2011 start of Syria's uprising. Bab al-Tabbaneh's Sunni inhabitants support the anti-Assad revolt in Syria while Jabal Mohsen, a majority Alawite neighborhood, backs the Syrian president.

Report: Lebanon Mulls Participation in Syria Peace Talks ahead of Brahimi Visit
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Lebanese officials are mulling the country's participation in a peace conference over Syria in accordance with the dissociation policy that the country has adopted since the conflict in the neighboring country erupted in March 2011. Diplomatic sources told An Nahar newspaper published on Thursday that Lebanese officials will inform U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, who is expected to arrive in Beirut on Saturday, that it will not join Geneva ll conference.The Lebanese division over the matter surfaced as Hizbullah and its allies are calling for Lebanon to join the planned late November talks, while the March 14 coalition and its allies are calling for Lebanon to refrain from attending the peace talks. The Baabda Declaration was unanimously adopted during a national dialogue session in June 2012. It calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria. According to An Nahar, President Michel Suleiman and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati will inform Brahimi that Lebanon will refrain from attending the peace talks in accordance with the Baabda Declaration. Lebanese parties are sharply divided over the crisis in Syria as the March 8 alliance continuously expresses its support to President Bashar Assad, while the March 14 camp voices its support for the popular revolt. The international envoy is on a regional tour to whip up support for Syria peace talks, which are facing resistance from the opposition. Brahimi has so far visited several countries including Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. He has said his tour will also take him to Iran, Qatar and Turkey as well as Syria itself.
 

Leave Our Holy Cedars: Sacred leverage

October 24, 2013 12:22 AM The Daily Star
The Cedars of Lebanon have long been a national symbol; these days they are especially symbolic – but of what is wrong with the country. Round two of a particularly depressing episode involving the Cedars unfolded this week. Round one took place this summer, when a former MP from Bsharri decided that his son had to have the most spectacular and unique wedding ever. This could only be achieved by building a concrete amphitheater next to the forest of the Cedars, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The former MP relied on the argument that the theater would be on his private property, showing little to no concern for any possible adverse consequences on one of Lebanon’s national treasures. The politician, who can count on support from the March 8 coalition, went through with the wedding plans and the venue was completed, despite loud local objections, in round one of this sordid affair. When an official committee decided that the structure had to go, the public saw round two: a violent confrontation between police and local residents, whipped into a fury over this violation of the sacred Lebanese right to do anything one wants, irrespective of the consequences – as long as it’s with political backing. The Cedars affair should leave a particularly bad taste in the mouth because it comes in stark contrast to other areas of the country where construction violations are removed without fanfare because the people involved aren’t “connected.” Political parties might intervene with the authorities to prevent a confrontation and seek a mutually satisfactory compromise. In this case, the politician and his friends are openly defying the authority of the state, and had no shame in constructing their structure next to an ancient forest, promoted as a treasure for both Lebanon and the world. Similar crimes against Lebanon’s heritage have taken place regularly in the capital, where greedy developers seek to do everything in their power, legally and illegally, to ensure that construction takes place. It could be in Downtown Beirut, where unscrupulous firms deny that their projects will be located on the site of antiquities. A little bit of working one’s connections and destroying the evidence on the ground is usually enough to get the project moving along. Average citizens who try to so flagrantly bypass the law would probably find themselves in jail. The same applies to the drug trade. Individuals with tiny amounts of prescribed substances are hauled off to police stations, while the drug barons who handle the supply appear on television to say the authorities won’t dare come after them, because they have already reached agreements to that effect with state officials. “Respect the law unless you’re powerful enough to violate it” is the resounding message that was sent this week from the Cedars

Aoun Calls for Local Agreement on New President, Suggests New Consultations by Salam
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has advocated the election of a president away from foreign intervention and advised Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam to launch a new round of consultations with parliamentary blocs. “There should always be a first time. Currently there are a lot of crises and no one's thinking about us. So we should elect the president internally,” Aoun told al-Akhbar daily in an interview published on Thursday. President Michel Suleiman “was appointed in Doha and the initiative was made by the Arab League and its secretary-general,” he said, adding “it was not the Lebanese balance that made the president.” Asked how the rival parties would be able to agree on the next head of state if they have so far failed to form a new government, Aoun said: “Our laws are wrong.”
“Is it possible for a premier-designate to work for six months without any deadline?” he wondered. Aoun called for an amendment to certain constitutional deadlines such as setting 45 days for the formation of the government. The FPM chief, who leads the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, suggested for Salam to hold a new round of consultations and visit him in Rabieh. “We have coffee and lemonade,” he joked.
“If he wants to propose something new, then he should launch a new round or invite us for new consultations at the parliament,” Aoun said. The MP blamed conditions and counter-conditions set by the rival parties on Salam's failure to form a cabinet since his appointment in April. “They don't want to respect our force and presence and the PM-designate says he wants to form the government the way he wants it to be,” Aoun said about his rivals in the March 14 alliance and Salam. The March 8 coalition, which Aoun's FPM is part of, has been asking for veto power, saying its members should be represented in the government in accordance to their parliamentary weight.
Turning back to the presidential elections next year, Aoun stressed that a new head of state should be chosen even if the bickering sides failed to agree on the new cabinet.
“The election cannot be paralyzed,” he said over fears that the differences between the two alliances would lead to a vacuum in the presidential post. Suleiman's six-year term ends in May 2014. He has stressed that he rejects any extension of his mandate. Asked about who is seeking to get a seat in the top post, Aoun said: “We still don't know who the candidates are. My name is being mentioned but I can't say that I am a candidate.” On the parliamentary crisis, Aoun said his bloc has launched consultations to resolve the crisis on a legislative session that has been postponed several times over lack of quorum. “There is a new stage and there should be a new agenda,” he told al-Akhbar about the speaker's continuous call for sessions to discuss 45 items. “Dialogue with Speaker Nabih Berri has resumed and we will hold talks with everyone about this issue so that there would be no unilateral decision,” Aoun said. “If these discussions succeed, then we can go back to discuss the cabinet issue,” he said.

33 Indonesia boat victims identified: NNA
October 24, 2013 01:44 PM The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The bodies of 33 Lebanese who drowned off the Indonesian coast in a tragic boat accident last month have been identified following DNA analysis, the National News Agency reported Thursday. A boat carrying around 80 migrants trying to illegally cross from Indonesia to Australia foundered off the Indonesian coast last month killing over 30 people. Only 18 survived.
Most of the Lebanese victims hailed from the underdeveloped area of north Lebanon and mainly from the Akkar village of Qabeet. The NNA identified the bodies of the victims as: Kawthar Mohammad Taleb, Reem Hussein Khodr, Wafaa Hussein Khodr, Ali Hussein Khodr, Ahmad Hussein Khodr, Rawaa Hussein Khodr, Malak Hussein Khodr, Rana Hussein Khodr, Mariam Hussein Khodr, Rayya Mohammad Taleb, Dania Assaad Assaad, Maya Assaad Assaad, Aida Ali Al-Mohammad, Fatima Omar Mahmoud, Wouroud Omar Mahmoud, Talal al-Rai, Nour Talal al-Rai, Karim Talal al-Rai, Mariam Yehya al-Ghemrawi, Sarab Mohammad Abdel Hay, Bassam Osman, Ibtisam Osman, Mohammad Khodr Jadid, Basel Ahmad al-Masri, Mahmoud Khaled Naser, Mohammad al-Hibawi, Manal Ali Hamze, Omar Mohammad Abbas, Abdullah Omar Jawhar, Mustafa Ahmad Abdo, Jamil al-Rai, Khadija Saleh al-Dali and Ali Mamdouh Awad. The NNA said two Lebanese who were on board of the boat, a man and a child, were still missing.  A search is under way for the remaining two, the state-run agency said, adding that the bodies would be returned to Lebanon as soon as possible.The 18 survivors from the boat accident have already returned to Lebanon.

Syria Sets Free 61 Women Detainees as Part of Deal to Release Lebanese Pilgrims
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Syrian authorities have released a total of 61 women detainees, an activist group said Thursday, the latest in a three-way prisoner exchange that was one of the more ambitious negotiated deals in the country's civil war in which rival factions remain largely opposed to any bartered peace. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday the government of President Bashar Assad had freed the women over the past two days. There was no immediate comment from Syrian officials, nor details on who the women are or their current location. The Observatory said the release was part of a complicated hostage swap last week brokered by Qatar and the Palestinian Authority that saw Syrian rebels free nine Lebanese Shiite pilgrims, while Lebanese gunmen simultaneously released two Turkish pilots.
Lebanese officials have said a third part of the deal called for the Syrian government to free a number of women detainees to meet the rebels' demands. The involvement of Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority in the deal showed the extent to which the Syrian crisis, now in its third year, has washed across the wider region. Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped by rebels in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo in May 2012. Two of them were released after a few months. But the rest returned home over the weekend through the deal that also saw the release of two Turkish Airlines pilots, who were kidnapped near Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport in August. Source/Associated PressNaharnet.

Damascus Says 'Terrorist Attack' on Gas Pipeline Causes Power Outage across Syria
Naharnet Newsdesk 23 October 2013/An attack by rebels near Damascus has caused a power outage across Syria, state news agency SANA quoted the electricity minister as saying. "A terrorist attack on a gas pipeline that feeds a power station in the south has led to a power outage in the provinces, and work to repair it is in progress," Emad Khamis said. Earlier on Wednesday, Syrian activists said blazes erupted and blasts were heard near the Damascus International Airport. And the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "flames were seen in the al-Ghassouleh area near the airport and the sounds of blasts were heard."
"Preliminary reports said the area was shelled by rebel brigades, which led to the explosion of the gas pipeline," it added. An Agence France Presse journalist in Damascus said he could see from a distance a huge fire blazing near the airport, which is located near the affected power station. He also confirmed power was out in the capital. The Observatory reported outages in several areas of the country, including Aleppo in the north and Homs in the center. "It is likely this was a large-scale operation planned well in advance," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. In September, a similar outage was caused after a high voltage power line was sabotaged.
Source/Agence France PresseNaharnet.

Syria Describes Bishops Abduction as 'National Matter', Criticizes Lebanon
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Syria expressed resentment over Lebanon's exploitation of the case of the two kidnapped bishops, who are Syrians, An Nahar newspaper reported on Thursday. According to the newspaper, Syria stressed that the case of the Bishops Youhanna Ibrahim and Boulos Yazigi, who were kidnapped by armed men in Syria in April, is “a national Syrian matter,” which Lebanon is interfering in.
The daily reported that a meeting held between General Security Chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and Syrian President Bashar Assad was “good.” “The meeting focused on the case of the two abducted bishops,” Ibrahim said in comments published in As Safir newspaper. He described the meeting as “positive and fruitful.” Ibrahim said that Assad expressed readiness to exert efforts to help the release of the two bishops. As Safir reported that Ibrahim is expected to visit several countries to push the case forward, including Qatar. An Nahar newspaper reported that the two bishops were abducted by a radical Chechan faction led by Mahmoud Agarov. Ibrahim and Yazigi were kidnapped on April 23 in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo while they were on a humanitarian work.

U.S. Envoy Meeting Syria Rebels on Peace Talks Plans
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013, 03/U.S. officials were working hard behind the scenes Wednesday to try to persuade the Syrian opposition to agree to join peace talks mooted for next month. U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, who has built up a close relationship with the opposition leaders over the past years, huddled with key figures in Istanbul seeking to coax them to the negotiating table. "Ambassador Ford is in Istanbul as we speak having meetings with the opposition to help continue to get them to increasingly coalesce," deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. Prospects for peace negotiations, which have been in works since May, dimmed again Wednesday as leaders of the National Coalition -- the main opposition umbrella group -- insisted they would not attend the talks slated to be held in Geneva in late November.
"Their participation is pivotal. We will continue encouraging them to attend, and that's why Ambassador Ford's on the ground talking to them right now in Istanbul," Harf said. But the opposition is refusing to sit at the same table as members of the Syrian regime. "The only thing we are willing to negotiate is a transfer of all power and then the departure of the mass killer," said coalition head Ahmad Jarba said, referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
He also reiterated a call for the rebels' supporters, including the U.S., to open up humanitarian corridors to reach civilians under siege in Damascus and the Syrian city of Homs.
"We cannot sit at the negotiating table while, in some areas, children are dying of hunger and women are being tortured in jails," Jarba said. The aim of the peace negotiations -- dubbed Geneva II -- is to map out a path towards a transitional government in Syria and hopefully end the fighting which has left an estimated 115,000 people dead since it erupted in March 2011. Prior to the planned late November talks, Ford and U.S. Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet in Geneva on November 5 with Russian officials and U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, to try to plot a way forward. "This is a chance -- another meeting to have a trilateral dialogue to review progress towards a Geneva II conference and hopefully work out some of the issues that we need to work out before then," Harf said. She said it was possible that the United Nations might announce the date of the conference -- dubbed Geneva II -- after the November 5 talks. "We don't have official dates yet... But we're still tracking towards late November," Harf said. A defiant Assad has shown no sign of backing down after a two-and-a-half-year civil war, and on Monday he too poured cold water on the plans for a peace conference, saying the right factors were not in place for it to succeed.
SourceAgence France Presse

Germany Summons U.S. Envoy over Merkel Phone Spy Claims
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Germany on Thursday summoned the U.S. ambassador to Berlin over suspicions that Washington spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said. Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will personally meet with U.S.. envoy John B. Emerson later Thursday, the spokeswoman told AFP, in a highly unusual step between the decades-long allies. "The American ambassador was summoned for talks with Foreign Minister Westerwelle this afternoon," the spokeswoman said. "The position of the German government will be presented clearly." Merkel had called U.S. President Obama Wednesday demanding answers after learning U.S. spies may have monitored her phone, warning this would be "breach of trust" between international partners. The White House spokesman said it is not now listening in on Merkel, but did not deny the possibility her communications may have been intercepted in the past. The allegations sparked outraged in Germany and Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement that she "made clear that she unequivocally disapproves of such practices, should they be confirmed, and regards them as completely unacceptable". She had demanded "an immediate and comprehensive explanation" from Washington, the statement said. "Among close friends and partners, as the Federal Republic of Germany and the U.S. have been for decades, there should be no such monitoring of the communications of a head of government," the statement added, indirectly citing Merkel's comments to Obama. "This would be a serious breach of trust." "Such practices must be stopped immediately," the German chancellor told Obama, the statement said.
German and U.S. intelligence agencies cooperate closely on counter-terrorism efforts and other matters related to espionage. But the latest revelations threatened the personal trust and close cooperation between Obama and Merkel, which saw the U.S. leader pay a long-awaited visit to Berlin earlier this year. Merkel grew up in communist East Germany, where state spying on citizens was common. Germans also carry the trauma of mass abuses by the security services under the Nazi regime. News of the eavesdropping suspicion and the German protest came first from Spiegel Online, whose parent magazine reported many of the U.S. surveillance claims made by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.Source/Agence France Presse.

Syrian Kurds and Jihadists Clash near Iraq Border
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Fierce clashes erupted in Syria overnight between Kurdish fighters and jihadists near the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.
"The clashes began around midnight (21:00 GMT Wednesday) and lasted around 12 hours, with the Kurds advancing in the direction of Al-Yaarubia, an area controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other jihadist groups," the Britain-based monitor said. "The Kurds have managed to take two villages controlled by the jihadists but it will be difficult to capture Al-Yaarubia from ISIL," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France Presse. The Al-Yaarubia border crossing with Iraq is seen as a key supply route for arms and fighters. ISIL has carried out attacks on both sides of the border. The Kurds and the jihadists have been fighting for control of northeastern Syria, an area rich in oil and wheat, for months. Rebels ostensibly fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have increasingly turned their guns on each other in recent months, with jihadists clashing with the mainstream Free Syrian Army in the north, where the rebels control vast swathes of territory. Kurdish fighters affiliated with Turkey's separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have meanwhile struggled to carve out an autonomous region in northeastern Syria similar to one in northern Iraq.Source/Agence France Presse.

Israel Minister: 'Small Differences' with U.S. over Iran
Naharnet Newsdesk 24 October 2013/Israel's international affairs minister on Thursday said there were "small differences" with the United States over the Iranian nuclear issue, a week after direct talks between Tehran and world powers. "We generally see eye to eye with the Americans on the final objective, which is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but there are sometimes small differences over the way to do that," Yuval Steinitz, who is also intelligence minister, told Israeli public radio. Steinitz, who was on a visit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the U.S. to discuss Iran, did not elaborate, but added that sanctions against Tehran must not be relaxed until there is "an agreement guaranteeing 100 percent that Iran will never be able to have a nuclear weapon."Israel has repeatedly warned against the so-called charm offensive of Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani, which led to direct talks between Tehran and the P5+1 countries -- United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- held in Geneva on October 15 and 16. The Jewish state, the Islamic republic's arch-foe, has insisted there be no relief for Iran from crippling economic sanctions which it says brought it to the table in the first place. 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.
Western countries, along with Israel, suspect Iran's nuclear activities are aimed at military objectives, a claim Tehran vehemently denies. Steinitz said Israel does not oppose Iran's right to civilian nuclear energy, but insisted it must not be able to enrich its own uranium, which is required for nuclear fuel but can also be used to develop a warhead. Ahead of marathon talks in Rome with Netanyahu on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said "words are no substitute for actions" on the Iran nuclear issue, adding that it was too early to talk about easing sanctions on the country. At the same time he hailed the recent signs of openness in Iran following Rouhani's election and said the country should now respect the same rules as other nuclear powers. Source/Agence France

US nuclear negotiator’s comments angers Iranian conservatives
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Comments made by US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman in Congressional testimony earlier this month are causing uproar among Iranian conservatives suspicious of President Rouhani’s outreach to the West. In testimony before the US Senate on October 3, Sherman—the State Department’s lead negotiator in meetings between Iran and world powers over the country’s controversial nuclear program—said that the US would be looking for Iranian attempts to deceive its negotiating partners because “we know that deception is part of the DNA.” In the same hearing, Sherman appealed to legislators to postpone a new round of sanctions on Iran until after the upcoming Geneva negotiations between Iran and the group of states known as the P5+1, the five permanent members of Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), scheduled for the 7 and 8 of November. Two weeks after the hearing, fierce criticism of Sherman’s comments began to appear on Iranian media outlets affiliated with the country’s conservative political factions. On Wednesday morning, the ultra-conservative daily Kayhan demanded Iran’s nuclear negotiators withdraw from the next round of talks in Geneva if Sherman is present as part of the US delegation.
In a belated response, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said on Tuesday October 22 that “the US official’s comments not only run counter to the principle of mutual respect but indicate Sherman’s lack of knowledge about the conditions of the Iranian nation,” according to Iran’s Press TV.
Afkham, speaking to reporters in her weekly press conference, added that “resistance against any form of bullying” is part of the Iranians’ DNA.
Sherman’s comments have reportedly been re-published in more than 30 pro-conservative websites and newspapers, many in Iran’s provinces. Elsewhere in Iran, Sherman’s comment was met with outrage by Sadeq Ziba-Kalam, a vocal Iranian academic and media commentator described it as “scientifically baseless and racist.”Within the Iranian parliament, Hossein Naghavi, and MP and member of National Security and Foreign Policy Committee also condemned Sherman’s remarks, saying “The repetition of such rhetoric by US officials will lead to the Iranian nation and government’s distrust of the US.” In an attempt to clarify the comments attributed to Sherman, the US State Department’s Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf said “I think first that doubtless each side has said things that have offended the other side over the last, what, thirty years now, and each side has commented publicly on its inability to trust the other side.” “This mistrust has deep roots, and we don’t think it can be overcome overnight, but we made some progress last week in Geneva, and we hope to continue making progress, including with additional bilateral meetings going forward,” Harf added.  Harf was asked in a press briefing on Tuesday if Sherman’s comment “was not meant to imply that President Rouhani is genetically incapable of telling the truth?”“In no way,” Harf replied. “We’ve been very clear that we appreciate…many of the things President Rouhani has said, that we appreciate the tone coming out of him and the rest of the Iranian delegation to the P5+1, and hope to continue that tone going forward.” The new Iranian administration under President Hassan Rouhani is under enormous domestic and external pressure to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear program in order to reduce and ultimately remove sanctions on Iranian economy.  However, Rouhani’s recent unprecedented phone conversation with US president Barack Obama, and the face-to-face meeting of Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry have already been interpreted as weakness by Iran’s conservatives, who remain suspicious of any agreement that resembles compromise or surrender to American pressure. The Rouhani administration’s efforts have also attracted the implicit criticism from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, indicating that his support for Rouhani’s charm offensive is conditional upon securing a deal which appears to uphold Iranian national sovereignty.

A Belated Discovery
By: Mshari Al-Zaydi/Asharq Awsat
At the start of the popular demonstrations in Syria more than two years ago, which soon shifted into a revolutionary struggle against the Assad regime, the attitude of Hezbollah, and of course Iran, appeared confused. The state of confusion was because the Syrian public’s rage spoiled the propaganda of Iran’s Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his associate Hassan Nasrallah regarding what happened in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. We all remember Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech, which he delivered in classical Arabic—a speech which I admit I thought was brilliantly delivered and full of zeal and ecstasy—which said that the toppling of Mubarak was an “Islamic revolution” along the lines of Khomeini’s revolution. Khamenei’s words were repeated by his fellow Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon until the moment when uprisings erupted in Deraa, and the mullahs and all those turbaned leaders, as well as their fellows in the media, were taken unawares. How could you explain what happened in Syria against Bashar Al-Assad, a so-called member of the “resistance”? There was much whispering and chatter about the importance of patience and dialogue in order for those behind the international imperialist to be denied the chance of toppling Bashar, alongside his officers and merchants, from Rami Makhlouf to Assef Shawkat. At the beginning, Iran and Hezbollah’s chatter was meant to reinforce their self-image, for they only passed superficial critical remarks of the Assad regime. Yet in time they placed all the blame on the “spasmodic” Syrian opposition. Notice that, until that moment, there was no talk about Al-Qaeda in Syria. Later on, however, Assad and Iranian propaganda found their long-desired objective in these organizations, and the Syrian scene was summed up in the fighters from the Al-Nura Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Those fighters became an excuse to brand the entire Syrian Cause as a devilish one. Then, we began to hear Nasrallah roaring and threatening, wagging his finger, adjusting his turban, and cursing the “liver eaters.” Here, Nasrallah’s rhetoric contained an unmistakable historic sectarian reference that stirred our memory. Who of us does not remember Hind Bin Utbah [who acted similarly by eating the liver of Hamza, the Prophet's paternal uncle]? Hassan Nasrallah introduced himself as a fierce enemy of Al-Qaeda only following the outbreak of fighting in Syria. Even when Abu-Musab Al-Zarqawi’s bloodshed in Iraq was at its peak, Nasrallah always acted as the kind adviser because Iran and Bashar Al-Assad were then taking a closer interest in expelling the US from Iraq—in order to allow Iran to swallow the country. In the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr Al-Bared, following the conflict between Lebanese forces and Fatah Al-Islam, Nasrallah adopted a very relaxed attitude, advising Hezbollah fighters not to get involved. Has Nasrallah only now suddenly discover that Al-Qaeda is a takfirist organization
 

Pope banishes Germany's 'luxury bishop' from diocese
By Philip Pullella | Reuters –VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis banished a German Roman Catholic prelate known as the "luxury bishop" from his diocese on Wednesday for spending 31 million euros ($43 million) of Church funds on his residence at a time when the pontiff is stressing austerity. But the pontiff stopped short of dismissing him outright, a step which many German Catholics and the media had called for.
In a highly unusual move, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg was ordered to leave his diocese while an investigation and audit into cost over-runs is held, a Vatican statement said.
The bishop, who met the pope on Monday, "was currently not in a position to carry out his episcopal ministry". It said he should stay outside his diocese "for a period," and that it would be administered in his absence by a vicar-general. The issue has proven a major embarrassment for the pope, who has called for a more austere Church that sides with the poor. He has told bishops not to live like princes, and has also promised to clean up the murky finances of the Vatican bank. The German media has dubbed Tebartz-van Elst "the luxury bishop" after an audit of his spending, ordered after a Vatican monitor visited Limburg last month, revealed the residence cost at least 31 million euros - six times more than planned. He has apologized for any "carelessness or misjudgment on my part", but denies wrongdoing. Tebartz-van Elst has also been accused by German magistrates of lying under oath about a first-class flight to visit poverty programs in India. German media, citing official documents, said the residence had been fitted with a free-standing bath that cost 15,000 euros, a conference table that cost 25,000 euros and a private chapel for 2.9 million euros.
LIMBO
The pope's decision on the fate of Tebartz-van Elst was unusual because it appeared to leave him in limbo, falling somewhere between a suspension and an outright dismissal. This was apparently to buy time for the Vatican and German Church leaders to review the situation in the troubled diocese along with its broader ramifications. Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German bishops' conference, said he hoped the decision would herald "a space that will allow a return to inner serenity and create a new basis for dialogue". The "luxury bishop" story has deeply embarrassed a Church enjoying an upswing in popularity thanks to Pope Francis's mass appeal and following years of criticism for hiding sexual abuse cases among clergy. Tebartz-van Elst, 53, is 22 years away from official retirement age in the Church and his saga represents an extraordinary management quandary for the Vatican. Even if he eventually steps down from the diocese of Limburg, he would retain the title and rank of bishop, meaning the Vatican would have to find another post for him somewhere. Last week, while the Vatican and the German Church were in crisis mode over the Limburg case, Tebartz-van Elst was kept waiting for eight days in Rome before the pope received him. The scandal has also put pressure on German bishops for more financial transparency in the entire Church in their country, forcing them to scrap centuries of secrecy over the reporting the value of their private endowments. Alois Glueck, president of the Central Committee of German Catholics, the country's main lay Catholic group, said in a statement that all German Catholics had a right to "full transparency" about the building costs. Germany's church tax, collected by the state and handed over to the churches, raised 5.2 billion euros for the Catholics and 4.6 billion euros for Protestants in 2012. According to some media reports in Germany, the Limburg scandal has prompted more Germans to decide to formally leave the Church.
(Additional reporting by Tom Heneghan and James Mackenzie; Editing by James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich and Mike Collett-White)
 

Obama, Pakistani PM Sharif vow cooperation
Washington, Associated Press—President Barack Obama and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have pledged cooperation on the security issues that have strained ties between their nations, but sources of long-standing tensions did briefly bubble to the surface. Speaking alongside Obama in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Sharif said he raised the issue of American drone strikes during their two-hour meeting, “emphasizing the need for an end to such strikes.” For his part, Obama made no mention of drones, which have stoked widespread resentment in Pakistan where many believe the targeted strikes by the armed unmanned aircraft kill large numbers of civilians.
Despite the Pakistani concerns, the US has shown no indication it is willing to abandon the attacks, even though the number has dropped in the past couple of years. The Pakistani government secretly supported the strikes in the past, and US officials claim some key leaders still do. The Washington Post, citing top-secret CIA documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos it had obtained, reported that top officials in Pakistan’s government have endorsed the program for years, if secretly, and routinely received classified briefings on strikes and casualty counts.
In a story posted Wednesday on its website, the Post reported that markings on the documents indicate that many of them were prepared by the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center specifically to be shared with Pakistan’s government. The documents, which detailed at least 65 strikes in Pakistan, are marked “top secret” but cleared for release to Pakistan, the newspaper reported.
Wednesday marked the first time Obama and Sharif have met since the Pakistani leader took office in June. And the mere fact that the talks took place was seen as a sign of progress after a particularly sour period in relations between the security partners. Obama acknowledged that there will always be some tension between the US and Pakistan, but said he and Sharif agreed to build a relationship based on mutual respect.
“It’s a challenge. It’s not easy,” he said. “We committed to working together and making sure that rather than this being a source of tension between our two countries, it can be a source of strength.”
Tensions peaked in 2011 following the US raid inside Pakistan that killed Osama Bin Laden and the accidental killing of two dozen Pakistani troops in an American airstrike along the Afghan border that same year. But there have been recent signs of progress, with Pakistan reopening supply routes to Afghanistan that is closed in retaliation for the accidental killing of its troops. And ahead of Sharif’s visit, the US quietly decided to release more than USD 1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan that was suspended in 2011. Washington has warmly welcomed Sharif, who arrived on Sunday for his first visit to the US capital since taking office. He dined with Secretary of State John Kerry and other top US officials and was hosted at a breakfast meeting Wednesday at Vice President Joe Biden’s residence. Sharif’s wife was also the guest of honor at a tea and poetry reception hosted by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the vice president’s wife.
A military honor guard also lined the driveway leading to the West Wing of the White House as Sharif arrived for his meeting with Obama.
Beyond drones, the other hot-button issues on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting included plans for winding down the US-led war in Afghanistan and the longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan.
Both leaders agreed on the need for a stable and secure Afghanistan after combat missions formally conclude there at the end of next year. The US and Afghanistan are negotiating an agreement to keep some American troops in Afghanistan after 2014, but one unresolved issue—which is a deal breaker for the US—is whether American military courts maintain legal jurisdiction over the troops.
US officials have said the White House is looking to keep fewer than 10,000 troops on the ground after 2014 for counterterrorism and training purposes. Some Pakistani officials fear that a full American withdrawal could increase the flow of extremists across its border with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s conflict with India over the disputed region of Kashmir was also a central topic of the talks. Hours before Obama and Sharif met, India accused Pakistani troops of firing guns and mortars at at least 50 Indian border posts overnight in Kashmir. Indian troops returned fire, but one Indian guard was killed and six were injured by a shell fired at the Arnia post in the Jammu region, officials said.
Neither leader mentioned Wednesday’s incident. But Obama praised Sharif for seeking to end tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“Billions of dollars have been spent on an arms race in response to these tensions,” Obama said. “Those resources could be much more properly invested in education, social welfare programs on both sides of the border between India and Pakistan.”Sharif said he was committed to cooperation with India, including on Kashmir. The Pakistani leader also invited Obama to visit Pakistan, but the US president did not publicly accept the offer. During his first term, Obama had told Pakistani officials that he wanted to visit the country, but those plans were halted by the increased tensions that followed the Bin Laden killing.

Fighting the wrong battles at the wrong time
October 24, 2013/By Marlin Dick/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: The war in Syria is poised to become even worse for mainstream rebels if hard-liners push through with plans to attack controversial targets, as propaganda and media coverage often distort what is happening on the ground.
One recent flashpoint has been the southern suburbs of Damascus, where activists and opposition figures are scathing in their criticism of military tactics by the sometimes-cooperating, sometimes-feuding rebel militias.
A rebel attack on the border between the suburbs of Mliha and Jaramana grabbed headlines over the weekend, when a suicide bombing operation by the Al-Qaeda-inspired Nusra Front paved the way for a takeover of a strategically located factory complex.
Defenders of the rebels’ tactic say it will help them approach and target the Air Defense Administration building nearby, but critics say it brings the fighting directly to next-door Jaramana, which has a large Druze and Christian population. The suburb was already teeming with Iraqi refugees who had arrived over the last decade, and in the last two years it has become home for thousands of displaced Syrians, mainly from Sunni-majority areas.
A Druze source active in opposition political circles said the Nusra Front had relayed the message that it would be attacking Jaramana this week, which the source called a potentially catastrophic move.
“The rebels should be eating up Damascus, starting with Abbassiyin [home to army and intelligence sites] instead of hitting Jaramana,” the source said.
He also complained that hard-line rebel militias were arresting civilian activists in the suburbs of the eastern Ghouta, a method many have criticized as resembling the regime’s behavior.
The confrontations that pit hard-line Islamists versus secular activists or non-ideological FSA units in Greater Damascus are an echo of similar tension and clashes between these groups across areas of the north and northeast.
“All of [these militias] are working against the revolution, against the drive to topple the regime,” the source said.
The rebel actions, or lack thereof, in Greater Damascus extend to the southwestern suburb of Moadamieh, which has been in the headlines because of the horrific humanitarian conditions in the rebel-held majority of the town.
Another opposition activist source stressed that the FSA rebels in Moadamieh were largely locals, without significant political-material support or ties to Al-Qaeda.
In Greater Damascus in general, both sources pointed to the frustrating performance of the Islam Brigade, which leads a group of some 50 formations and is believed to be awash in weaponry and funding.
One of the main civilian activist networks, the Union of Coordinating Committees of the Syrian Revolution, has slammed the rebel brigades for their lack of action to relieve the pressure on Moadamieh.
In a statement issued Friday, the group threatened to expose the militias that have “used their weapons in a way that doesn’t serve the interest of the revolution and are in fact carrying out agendas that have nothing to do with the revolution.”
While the Saudi Arabia-backed Islam Brigade, the Salafist Ahrar al-Sham network and the jihadist Nusra Front have been fighting in various suburbs of the capital, none has managed to change the equation in Moadamieh.
The sources described the militias’ actions as being a case of doing just enough, often by getting on YouTube, to convince backers to continue the flow of money and weapons.
“Neither the regime nor the hard-line Islamists have an interest in taking each other on directly” in large-scale fashion, one activist said.
“The Nusra Front just wants to get stronger and not lose; it has no intention of really sacrificing” to achieve devastating blows against the regime, he continued. Some in the opposition accuse the Nusra Front or other Islamist factions of being in league with the regime, to weaken the nationalist FSA and the small, local forces with weak outside political connections.
The source described other fronts that have seen activity recently as being complicated to assess.
“In Deir al-Zor, the Nusra Front made a big deal about the attack” last week that killed intelligence chief Jamaa Jamaa, he said. “In reality, the Deir al-Zor rebels are overwhelmingly locals, organized along tribal and other local lines.”However, he continued, the Nusra Front gets the attention in an area he described as relatively ignored by media coverage.
“And then you have groups like the Tawhid Brigade; it publicizes campaigns in areas such as the province of Hama, announcing the taking of village after village, but without significant military value,” the source argued.
“What do they want with villages in rural Hama?” he asked. “These kinds of groups just wage ‘battles’ to get support and show that they’re active. The competition among them is more important than toppling the regime.”
Foreign backers and financiers in the Gulf and elsewhere have their agendas, but the diversity of players continues to generate a stalemate, with no one apparently interested in delivering a knockout punch to the regime.
The next “decisive” battle, in the eyes of some analysts and political sources, will be in Qalamoun, an area lying roughly north of Damascus, and adjacent to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
The regime and its Hezbollah allies, according to some sources, have begun a concerted offensive against the largely rebel-held mountainous area, as government airstrikes picked up this week.
The Druze source questioned whether the regime’s intent to mount a sustained campaign was really serious, while noting that the Islam Brigade had already begun pulling fighters out of Greater Damascus to support the locals in Qalamoun.
“Why advertise a campaign before it happens?” he asked.
Pro-regime media promoted the idea that loyalist forces would go all-out to retake Aleppo after the fall of the town of Qusair in June, but it didn’t materialize into a sustained offensive.
“The regime did the same thing with Aleppo, to cover actions elsewhere,” the source said.
Another disappointment for the mainstream, nationalist opposition will come when the hard-line rebels end up fighting in Christian-majority villages and towns, sparking even more criticism of their tactics. As a seeming response to the regime’s nearby Qalamoun offensive, rebels this week surprised the government forces by attacking the Christian-majority village of Sadad, east of the Damascus-Homs highway.
While Sadad might be a legitimate military target due to its geographic location, any incidents of Christians losing their lives will be pounced on by the regime and its supporters as further evidence of the jihadists’ sectarian agenda.
The killing of five people in Sadad, presumably by rebel sniper fire, was reported Wednesday.
The seemingly haphazard flaring up of fronts is an apt metaphor for the tensions that dominate inter-rebel relations, with the hardliners increasingly accused of fighting the wrong battles at the wrong time.
Opposition media have also reported that both FSA and Islamist rebels are moving their attacks in Hama province closer to the town of Sqailbieh, which has a majority Christian population.
The moves by rebel militias against areas inhabited by religious minorities infuriate secular activists and others who would like to see the nerve centers of the regime targeted instead.
“The rebels hold a lot of territory,” one activist complained. “But the majority of military facilities they’ve taken are small facilities – stations, mainly, not major bases.”
This tactic does nothing to dislodge regime forces from the inner lines to which they have retreated, he continued.
The debate over the priorities continues, based on the slogans of the last two Friday nationwide protests: A call to save Moadamieh from its plight was preceded by a call to rebel factions to stop fighting each other and instead unite their efforts.
A young demonstrator in the province of Idlib held a sign that urged rebels to head for Homs, “the heart of the snake,” and Latakia, “the head of the snake,” referring to the home province of President Bashar Assad.
Homs and Latakia have seen much violence, but little overall change in the military equation.
The other key front, naturally, is the central part of Damascus itself, but no faction has shown itself ready or willing to undertake the endeavor.
In recent weeks, with the prospect of Geneva II peace negotiations looming, a series of small groups of rebel battalions have announced their “unification” via YouTube, but it remains to be seen whether this will have any political or military impact.
Mainstream rebels blame the jihadists for imposing their agenda and clashing with the FSA and highlight the opposition National Coalition’s failure to provide sufficient material or other support.
A rebel fighter based in Safira, south of Aleppo, issued a call Tuesday via YouTube to the various factions to drop their infighting in rebel-held areas, saying they should leave such places to their residents and instead head for Safira.
He also addressed the National Coalition, issuing the usual scathing criticism of its lack of material support or guidance.
“[The regime] is using a scorched-earth policy – what are you using? A policy of tables and dialogue, and negotiations above and below the table” in the run-up to Geneva II, he alleged.
On Monday, residents of the eastern Damascus suburb of Douma held a short demonstration to chant “one hand,” a call to the various Islamist militias and mainstream FSA groups to unite.
It would represent a radical change from the current situation.
Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2nGJcKqQqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d97U6s7wQDY
A rebel fighter in Safira criticizes infighting in rebel ranks, and the National Coalition’s lack of support or strategy.