LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 28/14
Bible Quotation for
today/In the world you face persecution. But take
courage; I have conquered the world!’
John 16,29-33/His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly,
not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do
not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from
God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is coming,
indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and
you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I
have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you
face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies,
reports, letters &
Releases from
miscellaneous
sources For June
28/14
A War of
Sectarians, Not a
Sectarian War/By:
Amir Taheri/Asharq
Alawsat/June 28/14
Iran’s biggest
challenge? To retain
its strategic
‘crescent’/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya/June
28/14
ISIS has reached
the border of Saudi
Arabia/By:
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al
Arabiya/June 28/14
Reports From
Miscellaneous
Sources For June
28/14
Lebanese Related
News
U.S. House Foreign
Affairs Committee
Further Restricts
Hizbullah Activities
Syria Rejects
Bassil's Idea of
Border Refugee Camps
Saniora Urges
Avoiding Regional
'Volcanoes' to Halt
Lebanon Terrorist
Operations
Qabbani Urges
Election of
President to End
Chaos
Terrorist Group
Linked to ISIL
Claims Duroy Bombing
Siniora: Hezbollah's
Syria exit is a
security priority
Shaar Says Not
Running for Grand
Mufti Post Unless
Consensual
Report: Saudi
Delegation to Visit
Beirut over Bomber's
Identity
Detainee Confesses
to Hiding Explosives
in his Land in
Fnaideq
Beirut Electrician
Keeps Shatila Camp
Dwellers on the Grid
President Amin
Gemayel Admitted to
Hospital after Leg
Injury
Beirut Electrician
Keeps Shatila Camp
Dwellers on the Grid
Change and Reform MP
Micheal Helou Passes
Away
Berri Prioritizes
Security but Rejects
Paralysis of
Cabinet, Parliament
Citibank, foreign
financiers mull
Lebanon investment
Israel tells US:
Iraqi Kurdistan is
inevitable
UN rejects Iran,
Saudi request to
condemn Israel
Liberman: Israeli
Arabs who
demonstrated against
IDF are terrorists
West plan strategy
to rescue Iran
nuclear deal
Miscellaneous
Reports And News
For June 28/14
King Abdullah calls
up Saudi armed
forces on high
preparedness.
Egyptian troops
ready to fly to
kingdom
US Mideast envoy
quits after attempt
at peace deal
Pope Cancels Rome
Trip after 'Sudden
Indisposition'
Dozens of Foreign
Diplomats Seek
Asylum in Canada
Ukraine Seals EU
Deal that Sparked
Revolution and
Crisis, Poroshenko
'to Extend
Ceasefire'
Kerry in Saudi to
Discuss Syria, Iraq
U.S. Flying Armed
Drones over Baghdad
Iraq Forces Fight
for Militant-Held
Tikrit
Kerry Says Moderate
Syria Rebels Could
Aid Fight on Iraq
Jihadists
Iraq Top Shiite
Cleric Urges Unity
in Government
Formation
Humanitarian
Corridors Needed to
Reach Many Displaced
in Iraq
Iraq's Barzani Says
Kurdish Self-Rule in
Kirkuk to Stay
Egypt's Sisi in
Sudan after Africa
'Terrorism' Warning
Israeli Air Raid
Kills Two
Palestinians in Gaza
Iraqi Crisis/Own up
to intervention
Hezbollah Occupies
Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/Every
politician in
Lebanon knows very
well that Hezbollah
is behind each and
every atrocity,
explosion or any
other criminal act,
BUT sadly the
oppression and
serious threats that
Hezbollah criminals
inflict on the
Lebanese politicians
and intellectuals
force many of them
to swallow their
tongues and to
practice with mere
Dhimmitude
mentality.
US House panel okays expanded Hezbollah sanctions
By JTA /House Foreign Affairs C'tee approves legislation designed to keep int'l
financial institutions from conducting business with terror group.
WASHINGTON – The US House Foreign Affairs Committee approved legislation
designed to keep international financial institutions from conducting business
with Hezbollah.
The Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014, introduced by US
Representatives Mark Meadows (R-NC) and Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), includes a
provision to sanction foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitate
the activities of the Lebanese militia and party. Hezbollah already is subject
to sanctions as a designated terrorist group. The bill extends such sanctions to
third parties — an expansion that has proven effective in isolating Iran, a key
sponsor of Hezbollah. “To deter dealings with Hezbollah, the bill targets those
financial institutions that knowingly do business with what has been called the
‘A team’ of terrorists,” said Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), the committee’s
chairman, who joined with its ranking Democrat, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), to
advance the legislation on Thursday.
“The threat posed by Hezbollah’s global operations has exploded,” Royce said.
“Underpinning that development is a financing and logistical network. In 2011,
we saw the tip of the iceberg when a massive Hezbollah drug and money laundering
operation was uncovered.” The American Israel Public Affairs Committee praised
the committee’s efforts, noting in a news release that Hezbollah “poses a direct
threat to American and Israeli security, dominates the Lebanese government,
[and] fights for the Syrian Assad regime.”
A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate.
Report: Saudi Delegation to Visit Beirut over Bomber's
Identity
Naharnet /Saudi security officials are expected to visit Beirut to identify the
suicide bomber who blew himself up at Duroy Hotel in Beirut's Raouche area on
Wednesday, pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported. The newspaper quoted a Saudi
security official as saying on Friday that the delegation would bring with it
DNA samples to confirm the identity of the bomber. Lebanese authorities said his
name is Abdul Rahman Nasser al-Shenifi. The bomber detonated his explosives at
his hotel room during a raid by General Security officers on Wednesday evening,
and died in the blast. Another accomplice was wounded and was being questioned
at his hospital bed. He is also a Saudi citizen identified as Ali Ibrahim al-Thwaini.
A Saudi official told Agence France Presse on Thursday that al-Shenifi, 20, was
wanted by the interior ministry. But Asharq al-Awsat's source denied that al-Thwaini
was also wanted by the Saudi authorities. Wednesday's suicide attack was the
third in Lebanon in less than a week and sparked fears of renewed violence in a
country that has been deeply affected by the civil war in neighboring Syria. The
General Security agency on Thursday circulated the picture of a Lebanese man,
al-Monzer Khaldoun al-Hasan, accused of providing the Duroy Hotel bombers with
explosives. Media reports have said they were plotting to target al-Saha
Restaurant in Beirut's southern suburbs.
President Amin Gemayel Admitted to Hospital after Leg
Injury
Naharnet /Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel was admitted to
Beirut's Hotel Dieu hospital on Friday after injuring his left leg. According to
a statement issued by the hospital, Gemayel sustained a bone crack during a
workout. He was admitted to the hospital for the necessary checkups and
treatment. “Gemayel is in good health and will leave the hospital today,” the
statement said.
Beirut Electrician Keeps Shatila Camp Dwellers on the Grid
Naharnet/By his own account, Abu Wadih is a man very much in demand.
One look at the jumbled mass of sinewy electricity cables, TV and Internet lines
that droop over the damp, narrow alleyways of the Palestinian refugee camp of
Shatila, and it's easy to see why. Abu Wadih, as the chief electrician in
Shatila, is responsible for making order out of that chaos and ensuring that the
camp's more than 20,000 residents can turn on their lights and televisions.
"When I first started working, I ran away. I thought to myself, 'why would I do
this?'" he said on a recent humid afternoon spent tending to the wires. "The
network of wires is a spider web. ... I was in awe. How was I supposed to figure
all that out?" But in his five years on the job, Abu Wadih has indeed figured it
out. He oversees his electrical empire from a dusty, white-washed building that
serves as one of four substations that connects the camp to the Lebanese state
grid. The station borders the largest open area in the crowded camp: a gravel
yard the size of a volleyball court surrounded by six- and seven-story concrete
bloc buildings. At ground level, the yard betrays the camp's tortured history as
a place of politics and refuge. On one wall, someone has spray-painted a
Palestinian flag, a yellow butterfly and flowers. On another, a torn poster of
Yasser Arafat, his mustache still a youthful dark, clings to the dusty
paintwork.
The camp was founded in 1949 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to
take in hundreds of Palestinians who fled their homes during the war surrounding
the creation of Israel. It was heavily damaged during the 15-year Lebanese civil
war, particularly after the 1982 Israeli invasion. Over three days in September
of that year, Israeli-backed Christian militiamen swept through Shatila, and its
sister camp of Sabra, slaughtering hundreds of men, women and children. The
United Nations Relief and Works Agency says there are some 22,000 Palestinian
refugees registered in Shatila, but only about 8,000 live there — comprising
around 30 percent of the camp's population. The rest of the residents are a
combination of Lebanese, Filipinos, Sri Lankans, and now a large contingent of
Syrians who have fled the civil war next door, according to UNRWA. Abu Wadih, a
34-year-old Palestinian who was born in Syria, moved to Shatila at the age of
16. His given name is Mohammed Hazina, but his friends dubbed him Abu Wadih, he
said, because of his resemblance to the Syrian crooner George Wassouf, whose own
nickname is Abu Wadih. He sold makeup for a few years before finding work as an
apprentice electrician making house calls in the camp. It turned out he had a
talent for the job, and eventually the camp committee hired him at $400 a month
to tend to the government-supplied electricity grid.
"It's a source of money for me. I have a wife and two children and I rent a
home," he said. "And it's hard for a Palestinian to get work outside the camp."
He works six days a week, usually staring around 8 a.m. and finishing around
midnight. The work flow is structured around the regular rolling power outages
that affect the camp, as well as the rest of Lebanon. When the power's cut, he
heads out to repair frayed lines or to replace fried connectors. During a recent
visit, he climbed up on a plastic chair in one of the camp's dank alleys to
switch out connectors hanging overhead. Laundry — a black abaya, an embroidered
table cloth, a towel — hung out to dry dangled just above him. He bantered with
passers-by, teased his assistant and told dirty jokes. The moment he finished
one cigarette, he lit another. "I feel like I'm doing something when a
neighborhood is out of power and I bring the power back," he said. All told, he
said, it's not a bad job. And it's made him almost a camp celebrity. "Everybody
knows me, everybody asks for me," he said. "What I gained from my work is the
people's affection for me. I like people and I want them to be satisfied. This
is a camp at the end of the day and there's no security. You have to be merciful
with people. That's why people like me, and they wouldn't let me go. Honestly."
Associated Press
Saniora Urges Avoiding Regional 'Volcanoes' to Halt Lebanon Terrorist Operations
Naharnet /Al-Mustaqbal bloc head MP Fouad Saniora stated on Friday that
resisting terrorist operations could be achieved through avoiding the expansion
of the Syrian and Iraqi turmoil into Lebanon."We have condemned and deplored
(the recent) terrorist operations that have nothing to do with religion, ethics
or with high standards and morals which the Lebanese have always held onto,”
Saniora said after meeting with local delegations in the Hilaliyeh neighborhood
of the southern city of Sidon. "But we must say that an action was and is still
being carried out and is dragging the country into areas that do not serve the
Lebanese people's interest,” he added. He explained these actions in terms of
Hizbullah's involvement in the fighting in neighboring Syria alongside President
Bashar Assad's forces. "This contradicts with Lebanese principles... and is
against the Arab League's Charter, and what the Lebanese people have agreed on
especially during the former cabinet's rule which 'invented' the disassociation
term,” Saniora went on to say. "How can you disassociate the country while
prominent members in the former and the current cabinet continue to interfere in
what is happening in Syria?” he asked.
He continued: “(Hizbullah's interference) is also against against what the
Lebanese agreed on during the national dialogue sessions under the chairmanship
of the president and produced the Baabda Declaration.”Therefore, the important
and main solution to resolve the problem of terrorist operations taking place in
Lebanon would be by first preventing the repercussions of the Syrian and Iraqi
“volcanoes,” the former Premier considered, reiterating his calls for
Hizbullah's withdrawal from Syria. "Other efforts should be exerted to promote
internal cohesion and preserve civil peace...This is the role of all Lebanese
people and parties,” he said. The Lebanese Army and all legitimate security
forces also play a main role in preserving security, he stressed. On the ongoing
vacuum in the presidency, the head of the al-Mustaqbal bloc considered that this
reality “is not natural or normal,” adding that the Lebanese must reach an
accord to elect a new president. "All efforts must be directed towards the
election of a new president as soon as possible, especially considering the
current regional situation,” he said. "Of course all the Lebanese want a strong
president but they disagree on the definition of the word. A strong (president)
is one who has leadership skills and a correct vision that is based on the Taef
Agreement and on Lebanon's role in the region and the world. He must embrace all
the Lebanese and attain more solidarity and consensus among them...,” Saniora
elaborated.
Syria Rejects Bassil's Idea of Border Refugee Camps
Naharnet /A suggestion by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil Friday
that refugee camps be set up along the country's border with Syria was swiftly
rejected by Damascus's ambassador, Ali Abdul Karim Ali. Bassil "met ambassadors
from the powerful five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council today
(Friday) and discussed with them the establishment of camps for Syrian refugees
along the border," a ministry statement said. Those talks were followed by a
meeting with Ali to discuss the question of refugees, who now number more than a
million in Lebanon. Afterwards, Damascus's envoy told reporters that his country
opposed the idea. "We are against such camps... Syria is a large country that
can accommodate all of its citizens," he insisted. Lebanon is the only country
bordering Syria to practice an open border policy, but highlights the economic
burden of the Syrian refugee presence. More than three years of conflict have
created millions of refugees in addition to more than 162,000 dead, Refugees now
account for a quarter of the population of Lebanon and cost Beirut $4.5 billion
(3.3 billion euros) a year, according to Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. In
May, the International Monetary Fund estimated that because of the conflict in
neighboring Syria, unemployment in Lebanon had nearly doubled. It said the
number of people without jobs had hit about 20 percent, and noted that growth of
2 percent was well below pre-Syria crisis levels. Agence France Presse
Detainee Confesses to Hiding Explosives in his Land in Fnaideq
Naharnet/A detainee confessed on Thursday to storing a number of explosives and
weapons in property he owns in the northern region of Akkar, announced the Army
Command in a statement on Friday. It said that Mahmoud Khaled revealed that he
hid explosives and weapons buried in the ground of the property in the town of
Fnaideq. The army consequently raided the area on Thursday where it discovered a
number of explosives, mortar shells, and ammunition. It also seized a large
quantity of metal balls that are used in preparing explosive belts. Also
Thursday, the army raided another residence in Fnaideq where it seized 42
dynamite sticks, 34 120-millimeter and 80-millimeter mortar shells, 14
propellant charges for the mortar shells, and 36 stun grenades. The army
searched for the owner of the residence, Alaeddine Mohammed Kanaan, without
finding him. Thursday's raids come amid recent security developments in
different regions in Lebanon. On Wednesday, a Saudi man blew himself up at the
Hotel Duroy in the Beirut neighborhood of Raouche as security forces stormed his
room, killing himself and wounding several others. The security raid followed
the arrest last Friday in a hotel in the nearby Hamra district of the capital of
a Frenchman of Comoran origin on suspicion of plotting to carry out suicide
bombings in Lebanon on behalf of the ISIL. On Monday, a suicide bomber blew up a
vehicle near an army checkpoint and a cafe just after midnight in the Tayyouneh
area on Dahieh's peripheries. The bombing killed one person and wounded 20.
Another bombing in eastern Lebanon last week killed a police officer and wounded
several others.
Shaar Says Not Running for Grand Mufti Post Unless Consensual
Naharnet/The Mufti of Tripoli and the North Sheikh Malek al-Shaar stressed on
Friday that he will not run for the Grand Mufti post but said that he will not
hesitate to assume the tasks if there was consensus on him. “I will not submit
my candidacy for the post but if the rivals agreed on my nomination I will not
hesitate,” Shaar said in a press conference. The dispute between the council led
by Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani and that of his deputy Omar
Misqawi is the result of political interferences. Early in June, the head of Dar
al-Fatwa's Islamic Endowments, Sheikh Hisham Khalifeh, called for electing a new
Grand Mufti in August, but this announcement was met with the opposition of the
Higher Islamic Council led by deputy chief Omar al-Misqawi, who demanded the
elections to be held as soon as possible. Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Qabbani's
term ends on September 15. The Higher Islamic Council -- which elects the Mufti
and organizes Dar al-Fatwa's affairs – became the center of controversy in 2012
after 21 of its members, who are close to al-Mustaqbal movement, extended its
term until 2015 despite Qabbani's objection. The Mufti later held elections for
the Council, which were deemed illegal by ex-PMs Saniora and Najib Miqati, and
the group led by Misqawi, who argued that the polls violated Shura Council
decisions and did not enjoy a legal quorum. Shaar urged the people of the North
and Tripoli to return to their religions values, stressing that the “Islamic and
Christian values call for love, which should be applied in the political and
daily life.”“Each and every Lebanese is obliged to maintain the state's entity
and the unity of its land and people,” the mufti said. “Values should prevent us
from acting upon our previous grudges.” Shaar pointed out that there should be
no arms but that of the state, calling on Hizbullah to aim its arms towards
Israel.
Change and Reform MP Helou Passes Away
Naharnet/Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Helou passed away on
Friday after a long battle with illness, media reports said. The casket of Helou
will move at 9:00 am on Saturday from Asharq al-Awsat Hospital in the Metn town
of Bsalim to his hometown Jezzine in southern Lebanon, where the funeral will
take place. The family will receive condolences at Mar Maroun church in Jezzine
from 11:00 am till 7:00 pm for three days, starting Friday. While on Monday and
Tuesday condolences will be received at Lady of the Habchieh Church in Ghazir
from 11:00 am till 7:00 pm.
U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Further Restricts
Hizbullah Activities
Naharnet/The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee approved
unanimously a sanctions bill that prevents any financial and logistic
institutions from funding Hizbullah. The bill contains a provision that target
countries that refuse to cripple Hizbullah's fundraising, money laundering and
global logistics networks. It was strongly supported by the pro-Israel lobby
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).The bill urges President Barack
Obama administration's to clamp down on financial institutions, primarily in
Lebanon and Europe, that knowingly engage with Hizbullah and its enablers. It
also targets Hizbullah's al-Manar television by requiring the U.S.
administration to list and penalize any satellite provider that still carries
the television channel. The U.S. considers Hizbullah a terror group and accuses
Syria and Iran of arming it. The bill requires Obama to determine whether
Hizbullah “meets the criteria of a transnational criminal organization.” It also
said that the Treasury Department has 120 days to ban any U.S. accounts or
impose strict conditions on “the accounts of any foreign financial institutions,
including central banks, that knowingly facilitate the activities of Hizbullah.”
The resolution also gives Obama a 30-day ultimatum to determine whether
Hizbullah is considered a significant narcotics trafficker or a transnational
criminal organization. In 2013, Obama renewed a “national emergency” which
imposes a freeze on assets of people linked to Hizbullah, stressing that they
still “undermine Lebanon's stability.” In August 2007, President George W. Bush
ordered a freeze on U.S. assets of anyone Washington deems to be undermining the
Lebanese government.
Berri Prioritizes Security but Rejects Paralysis of
Cabinet, Parliament
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has reiterated the need to provide
military assistance to Lebanon to confront terrorists and stressed the
importance of protecting the role of the legislative and executive branches.
“Every time I meet Arab or Western ambassadors … I tell them we need assistance,
and financial and military support,” Berri said in remarks published in local
dailies on Friday. “We don't have a choice but to back the army and the security
agencies,” he told officials who visited him on Thursday. “I will say it out
loud that terrorists would not be able to carry out any attack if these
institutions are strong,” the visitors quoted him as saying. Berri described
Lebanon as a “graveyard for extremists” and blamed the country's problems on
politicians like him and not the Lebanese people. “Despite all what's happening,
Lebanon is better off than the region's countries,” he said, adding “that's why
we should focus on security.”Berri reiterated that he was keen to hold the
presidential elections although there was no sign that the parliamentary session
he set for July 2 would be successful. Rival MPs have so far failed in several
rounds of electoral sessions to choose a successor to President Michel Suleiman
whose six-year term expired on May 25. Berri also discussed with his visitors
about the executive powers granted to the government in the absence of a
president. He lauded the performance of Prime Minister Tammam Salam and backed
an agreement reached among cabinet members for all government decisions to be
based on consensus. Salam said Thursday that the cabinet will put aside any
issue that does not win consensus. Berri stressed in his remarks that parliament
and the cabinet should be able to function without paralysis. “If a person's leg
is broken, does it make sense to break the other leg?” he asked.
“We should treat the broken leg instead,” he said. “The activation of the
government's work should be accompanied by the parliament's ability to carry out
its legislative and monitoring role,” the speaker added. Berri has repeatedly
expressed dismay at the boycott of parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a
president and discussing the controversial wage-hike draft-law.
Beirut Electrician Keeps Shatila Camp Dwellers on the Grid
Naharnet/By his own account, Abu Wadih is a man very much in demand.
One look at the jumbled mass of sinewy electricity cables, TV and Internet lines
that droop over the damp, narrow alleyways of the Palestinian refugee camp of
Shatila, and it's easy to see why. Abu Wadih, as the chief electrician in
Shatila, is responsible for making order out of that chaos and ensuring that the
camp's more than 20,000 residents can turn on their lights and televisions.
"When I first started working, I ran away. I thought to myself, 'why would I do
this?'" he said on a recent humid afternoon spent tending to the wires. "The
network of wires is a spider web. ... I was in awe. How was I supposed to figure
all that out?" But in his five years on the job, Abu Wadih has indeed figured it
out. He oversees his electrical empire from a dusty, white-washed building that
serves as one of four substations that connects the camp to the Lebanese state
grid. The station borders the largest open area in the crowded camp: a gravel
yard the size of a volleyball court surrounded by six- and seven-story concrete
bloc buildings. At ground level, the yard betrays the camp's tortured history as
a place of politics and refuge. On one wall, someone has spray-painted a
Palestinian flag, a yellow butterfly and flowers. On another, a torn poster of
Yasser Arafat, his mustache still a youthful dark, clings to the dusty
paintwork.
The camp was founded in 1949 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to
take in hundreds of Palestinians who fled their homes during the war surrounding
the creation of Israel. It was heavily damaged during the 15-year Lebanese civil
war, particularly after the 1982 Israeli invasion. Over three days in September
of that year, Israeli-backed Christian militiamen swept through Shatila, and its
sister camp of Sabra, slaughtering hundreds of men, women and children. The
United Nations Relief and Works Agency says there are some 22,000 Palestinian
refugees registered in Shatila, but only about 8,000 live there — comprising
around 30 percent of the camp's population. The rest of the residents are a
combination of Lebanese, Filipinos, Sri Lankans, and now a large contingent of
Syrians who have fled the civil war next door, according to UNRWA. Abu Wadih, a
34-year-old Palestinian who was born in Syria, moved to Shatila at the age of
16. His given name is Mohammed Hazina, but his friends dubbed him Abu Wadih, he
said, because of his resemblance to the Syrian crooner George Wassouf, whose own
nickname is Abu Wadih.
He sold makeup for a few years before finding work as an apprentice electrician
making house calls in the camp. It turned out he had a talent for the job, and
eventually the camp committee hired him at $400 a month to tend to the
government-supplied electricity grid. "It's a source of money for me. I have a
wife and two children and I rent a home," he said. "And it's hard for a
Palestinian to get work outside the camp."He works six days a week, usually
staring around 8 a.m. and finishing around midnight. The work flow is structured
around the regular rolling power outages that affect the camp, as well as the
rest of Lebanon. When the power's cut, he heads out to repair frayed lines or to
replace fried connectors. During a recent visit, he climbed up on a plastic
chair in one of the camp's dank alleys to switch out connectors hanging
overhead. Laundry — a black abaya, an embroidered table cloth, a towel — hung
out to dry dangled just above him. He bantered with passers-by, teased his
assistant and told dirty jokes. The moment he finished one cigarette, he lit
another. "I feel like I'm doing something when a neighborhood is out of power
and I bring the power back," he said. All told, he said, it's not a bad job. And
it's made him almost a camp celebrity. "Everybody knows me, everybody asks for
me," he said. "What I gained from my work is the people's affection for me. I
like people and I want them to be satisfied. This is a camp at the end of the
day and there's no security. You have to be merciful with people. That's why
people like me, and they wouldn't let me go. Honestly."
Associated Press
Terrorist Group Linked to ISIL Claims Duroy Bombing
Naharnet /A previously unknown jihadist group linked to the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the Duroy Hotel
suicide attack in Beirut. The group calling itself the state of Damascus-Qalamoun
said via twitter on Thursday that two ISIL members targeted General Security
agents at the hotel in Raouche. It also vowed to carry out more attacks against
Hizbullah and its agents, saying Wednesday's bombing was just the start. The
Saudi suicide bomber blew himself up at the hotel when he detonated his
explosives during a security raid. His accomplice, also a Saudi citizen,
survived the blast and is being questioned at hospital. The General Security
agency on Thursday circulated the picture of a Lebanese man, al-Monzer Khaldoun
al-Hasan, accused of providing the Duroy Hotel bombers with explosives. Media
reports have said they were plotting to target al-Saha Restaurant in Beirut's
southern suburbs. Wednesday's attack was the third suicide bombing in Lebanon in
less than a week. Syria's civil war has spilled into Lebanon on numerous
occasions and inflamed sectarian tensions. A series of car bombs have struck
Shiite areas across Lebanon, killing dozens of people. Sunni militants have
claimed responsibility for the attacks to avenge Hizbullah, which has sent its
fighters to Syria to help President Bashar Assad's troops in their fight against
the rebels seeking to topple him.
Qabbani Urges Election of President to End Chaos
Naharnet/Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani called on Friday for ending
the vacuum at the presidential palace to stop further security chaos. This "is
an unnatural phenomenon, which should be stopped,” Qabbani said in his Ramadan
message. “Some parties are imposing vacuum and consolidating its presence in our
lives,” he warned, saying the citizens are paying the price of the crises
gripping the country. “The vacuum is opening the door to security and political
chaos … We won't find solutions to the security situation in the absence of a
president,” he said. Qabbani stated that “Lebanon without a president means a
nation without a head.” s been vacant since the expiry of President Michel
Suleiman's six-year term on May 25. The vacuum is the result of differences
between the rival March 8 and 14 camps on a compromise candidate. The Mufti
slammed what he called “hatred” among the Lebanese. He also urged unity among
Muslims and Christians, saying they should find common ground to confront
strife. In his Ramadan message, Qabbani called for “holding elections in all
religious and civilian institutions.” He said he exerted all efforts to prevent
strife among Muslims during his tenure, which ends in September. He urged Sunnis
to unite and elect a new Mufti. The Higher Islamic Council -- which elects the
Mufti and organizes Dar al-Fatwa's affairs – became the center of controversy in
2012 after 21 of its members, who are close to al-Mustaqbal movement, extended
its term until 2015 despite Qabbani's objection. The Mufti later held elections
for the Council, which were deemed illegal. Earlier this month, the Council led
by the Mufti and the one formed by his rival deputy Omar Misqawi called for the
election of a Mufti before the expiry of Qabbani's term on Sept. 15.
Ukraine Seals EU Deal that Sparked Revolution and Crisis,
Poroshenko 'to Extend Ceasefire'
Naharnet/EU leaders on Friday gave Russia three days to change
policy on Ukraine or face the prospect of tougher sanctions as Kiev said it
would consider a ceasefire extension with pro-Moscow rebels.
In a statement Friday, the 28 European Union leaders said Moscow had to take
four steps, among them clear backing for the Ukraine government's peace plan, by
Monday June 30.
The leaders "will assess the situation and, should it be required, adopt
necessary decisions," the statement said. EU leaders underlined their
"commitment to reconvene at any time for further significant restrictive
measures," it added. Diplomatic sources meanwhile said President Petro
Poroshenko, who was in Brussels to sign a historic association agreement with
the EU, had decided to extend by 72 hours a ceasefire agreement with the rebels
that was set to end at 1900 GMT Friday. Poroshenko did not confirm the ceasefire
extension at a press conference but said he would consult his national security
council on returning to Kiev. "But of course the (ceasefire time) will be up at
10:00 PM (1900 GMT) so a decision has to be taken today," he added. Among the
other conditions listed by the EU leaders were that Russia agree a verification
mechanism, monitored by the OSCE, on a Kiev ceasefire in eastern Ukraine with
the rebels and "for the effective control of the border." Ukrainian authorities
should also be allowed to resume control of three border checkpoints at Izvarino,
Dolzhanskiy and Krasnopartizansk, while "hostages including all of the OSCE
observers," should be released, the statement said. Four observers from the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe abducted on May 26 by
pro-Russian rebels were freed Thursday but several others are still being held.
The EU has so far imposed visa bans and asset freezes on more than 60 Russia and
Ukraine figures for their role in stoking the crisis but have so far baulked at
outright sanctions on important economic sectors despite strong pressure from
Washington. EU leaders agreed in March to examine and prepare such 'Phase 3'
sanctions for use if needed. Friday's statement noted that member states have
been preparing such sanctions "so that further steps can be taken without
delay."Agence France Presse
U.S. Flying Armed Drones over Baghdad
Naharnet/The U.S. military is flying "a few" armed drones over
Baghdad to defend American troops and diplomats in the Iraqi capital if
necessary, a senior U.S. official said Friday.
"For the last 24 to 48 hours, we've started that," the official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, told Agence France Presse. The move comes after the
United States deployed 180 troops as military advisers in recent days to help
the Iraqi government army fend off the advance of Sunni militants, who have
captured territory north and west of the capital. But officials said the armed
drones would not be used to carry out offensive strikes on Sunni extremists, a
move that would require a decision by President Barack Obama. The drones
were there as a precaution to safeguard Americans in Baghdad, or what the
military calls "force protection," officials said. Obama has not ruled out air
strikes but for the moment, American forces are focused on gauging the state of
the Iraqi military and its adversaries on the battlefield, according to the
White House and the Pentagon. The U.S. advisers, drawn mainly form special
operations forces, along with troops sent in to bolster security for the U.S.
embassy in Baghdad, bring the total number of American military personnel to
roughly 500, officials said. The armed robotic planes are in addition to other
manned and unmanned U.S. aircraft that are conducting about 30-35 surveillance
flights a day, as Washington attempts to gain a better picture of events on the
ground. The surveillance effort includes armed F-18 fighter jets, flying from
the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Gulf.Agence France Presse
Iraq Forces Fight for Militant-Held Tikrit
Naharnet/Iraqi forces fought for a strategically located university campus
outside Tikrit Friday and bombarded the city in an effort to retake it from
Sunni Arab insurgents.
The military operation came after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki conceded that
political measures will also be needed to defeat the jihadist-led offensive that
has killed nearly 1,100 people overrun major parts of five provinces. In further
fallout from the crisis, the president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region
declared there was no going back on Kurdish self-rule in disputed territory,
including ethnically divided northern oil city Kirkuk, now defended against the
militants by Kurdish fighters. Iraqi forces swooped into Tikrit University by
helicopter on Thursday, and a police major said that there were periodic clashes
between insurgents and security forces on the campus on Friday. A senior army
officer said that Iraqi forces were carrying out a major wave of air strikes
against militants in Tikrit to protect the forces at the university and prepare
for an assault on the city. Iraqi troops are deployed in areas around the city
for the assault, the officer said.
Another senior officer said taking the university is an important step in
regaining control of Tikrit, the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein,
which was seized by Sunni Arab militants on June 11.
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani said Baghdad could no longer object to
Kurdish self-rule in Kirkuk and other towns from which federal forces pulled out
in the face of the insurgent advance.
"Now, this (issue) ... is achieved," he said, referring to a constitutional
article meant to address the Kurds' decades-old ambition to incorporate the
territory in their autonomous region in the north over the objections of
successive governments in Baghdad. Iraq's flagging security forces were swept
aside by the initial insurgent push, pulling out of a swathe of ethnically
divided areas, including the northern oil hub of Kirkuk. Despite Barzani's
declaration, it is likely that the territory row will continue to haunt Iraq for
years to come. On Thursday, Maliki, who has publicly focused on a military
response to the crisis, said political measures were also necessary, ahead of
the July 1 opening of the new parliament elected in an April 30 poll. In an
interview with the BBC, meanwhile, Maliki said the Syrian air force had carried
out strikes against militants on the Syrian side of the Al-Qaim border crossing,
which is controlled by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Maliki said Baghdad had not requested the Syrian strikes, but he "welcomed" any
such move against the ISIL-led militants. Iraq has appealed for U.S. air strikes
against the militants, but Washington has only offered up to 300 military
advisers, the first of whom have begun work in Baghdad. The authorities have
also purchased at least eight fighter jets from Russia, and six more that are
currently stored in Belarus, in a deal valued by Vedomosti newspaper at up to
$500 million. Washington has urged Iraq's fractious leaders to unite in the face
of the militants, and Hague echoed that message Thursday, saying the "urgent
priority must be to form an inclusive government."Washington has stopped short
of calling for Maliki to go, but has left little doubt it feels he has
squandered the opportunity to rebuild Iraq since American troops withdrew in
2011.Maliki's security spokesman has said hundreds of soldiers have been killed
since the offensive began, while the U.N. puts the overall number of people
killed at nearly 1,100.Agence France Presse
Pope Cancels Rome Trip after 'Sudden Indisposition'
Naharnet/Pope Francis canceled a visit to a Roman hospital at the last minute on
Friday after "a sudden indisposition," the Vatican said, without providing any
details. "Following a sudden indisposition, the Holy Father will not be going
this afternoon to the Gemelli hospital," it said in a statement, adding that a
cardinal would take his place. It is not the first time the hardworking
77-year-old pontiff has canceled programmed events at the last minute. "I cannot
say whether the pontiff is suffering from tiredness or indigestion," Vatican
spokesman Federico Lombardi told Agence France Presse. "With so many
undertakings, it's clear there's a need for a break every now and then," he
said, describing "the intense pace" of the Argentine's schedule. The usually
energetic pope gets up at five o'clock every morning and goes to bed early after
a long day of religious and diplomatic engagements.Agence France Presse
Dozens of Foreign Diplomats Seek Asylum in Canada
Naharnet /Dozens of foreign diplomats have requested asylum in Canada, the daily
French-language newspaper La Presse reported Friday, citing secret government
documents. They include 38 Afghanistan envoys and their families, from 2009 to
2014, as well as 16 diplomats from countries such as Syria, Iraq, Greece,
Honduras, and even an American embassy staffer. Former head of Canada's consular
affairs, Gar Pardy, told the Montreal newspaper this is an "unprecedented
number" of refugee claims by foreign officials. Experts said they are motivated
by the hope for a better life, or are aware of rights abuses in their homeland
that they can no longer support, or they have simply become accustomed to a
North American lifestyle and do not wish to return home after their assignment
ends.
Immigration spokeswoman Alexis Pavlich noted that Canada has "one of the most
fair and generous asylum systems in the world." She would not comment on
specific cases, citing Canada's strict privacy laws. However, she added: When a
mission employee makes an asylum claim in Canada, his/her accreditation or
diplomatic status is rescinded by the Department of Foreign Affairs... and
he/she is processed in the same manner as all other asylum claimants." Agence
France Presse
King Abdullah calls up Saudi armed forces on high
preparedness. Egyptian troops ready to fly to kingdom
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 26, 2014/Thursday, June 26, the
day before US Secretary of State John Kerry was due in Riyadh, King Abdullah
summoned a National Security Council meeting “upon the current security events
in the region, especially in Iraq,” and ordered “all necessary measures to
protect the kingdom against terrorist threats.” This meant a general call-up of
military units for a high level of preparedness.debkafile’s military sources
disclose that Egypt is assembling an expeditionary commando force to fly to
Saudi Arabia and bolster its border defenses.
This flurry of Saudi-Egyptian military steps comes in the wake of intelligence
gathered by Saudi reconnaissance planes showing Iraqi Al Qaeda-linked Sunni
fighters (ISIS) heading for the Saudi border and aiming to seize control of the
Iraqi-Saudi crossing at Ar Ar (pop: 200,000). ISIS and its Sunni allies are
still on the march after capturing Iraq’s border crossings with Syria and Jordan
earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Kerry warned Mideast nations against taking new military action in
Iraq that might heighten sectarian divisions.
By then, he had been overtaken by a rush of events, as debkafile reported this
morning.
When the first of the 300 military advisers US President Barack Obama promised
the Iraqi government arrived in Baghdad Wednesday, June 25, Iranian and Saudi
Arabian arms shipments were already in full flow to opposing sides in embattled
Iraq, debkafile’s military sources report. At least two cargo planes from bases
in Iran were landing daily at Baghdad’s military airport, carrying 150 tons of
military equipment. More than 1,000 tons were flown in this past week alone.
Tehran has replicated for the Iraqi army the routine it established for Bashar
Assad’s army, furnishing its needs on a daily basis as per its commanders’
requests. Those requests come before a joint Iranian-Iraqi headquarters set up
at the Iraqi high command in Baghdad for approval and the assigning of
priorities for shipment.
At the same time, Saudi arms are flowing to the Iraqi Sunni tribes fighting
alongside the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) against the Iraqi army
and the Shiite Nouri al-Maliki's government.
They are coming in both overland and by airlift.
Saudi arms convoys are crossing the border into Iraq with Saudi and Jordanian
air force cover and heading north up to the Al-Qa'im district near the Syrian
border. There, Sunni and ISIS fighters, after capturing this key Anbar district,
have begun refurbishing the bases and runways at H-2, once one of Saddam
Hussein’s largest airbases. Situated 350 kilometers west of Baghdad, this air
base has two long runways and hangars for fighter planes and helicopters.
debkafile's military sources disclose that, on Tuesday June 24, unmarked
civilian cargo planes landed at the base, bringing arms shipments from Saudi
Arabia. The response was swift. Syrian warplanes, on their first bombing mission
inside Iraq, tried to damage the partially repaired runways at H-2 to prevent
any more Saudi air shipments from landing. Military sources in Washington
confirmed Wednesday June 25 that those air strikes were conducted by the Syrian
Air Force “in Anbar province” and left at least 57 people dead and 120 wounded -
most of them Iraqi civilians. They declined to say what was attacked, referring
only to ISIS-related targets.
That incident was a striking demonstration of the tight operational sync between
the Iranian command centers in Damascus and Baghdad, which are attached
respectively to the high commands of the Syrian and Iraqi armies. This
coordination offers Tehran the flexibility for its command centers in both Arab
capitals to send Iranian drones aloft from Syrian or Iraqi airbases to feed
those centers with the intelligence they need for the strategic planning of
military operations to be conducted by the Syrian and Iraqi armies.Iranian
command centers in Baghdad and Damascus are fully equipped therefore to decide
which Syrian, Iraqi or Hizballah force carries out a planned operation in either
Syria or Iraq. Both are now pushing back against further ISIS advances towards
its goal of a Sunni caliphate spanning both countries.
This is just what US Secretary of State John Kerry meant when he said in
Brussels Wednesday June 25, after two days of talks in Iraq, that "the war in
Iraq is being widened."
He had good reason to sound worried. Shortly before he spoke, the first group of
US military personnel, out of the 300 that President Obama had promised, had
arrived in Baghdad. But neither Tehran nor Riyadh had consulted Washington
before they organized heavy arms shipments to their respective allies in Iraq.
The Iraqi battle arena is become a veritable Babel of war. So far, six countries
are involved in varying degrees: the US, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordan and Saudi
Arabia.
Editorial/Own up to intervention
Daily Star/Any talk of warding off foreign intervention in Iraq comes too late:
The Iranians already have units on the ground, and the first batch of some 300
U.S. military advisers has arrived in the country.
What is needed now is nonmilitary intervention that will pave the way for Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s exit. Were Maliki to remain in power, this would be
little other than hoping for a different outcome despite the same facts on the
ground. As long as he remains in charge, the resentment against his sectarian
policies will continue, and therefore the opposition to him will maintain an
important support base. The Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria will
increase its areas of control, further contributing to the likelihood that the
country will break up, with the Kurds in the north already taking advantage of
the situation. Any establishment of a Kurdish state will have ramifications far
wider than merely Iraq, with Kurds in Iran, Syria and Turkey undoubtedly joining
any new territory. In Iran, such a scenario could even see other minorities,
such as the Baluchs, Arabs, Armenians and Christians, beginning to demand their
own statelets. The breakup of Iraq into sectarian zones may well trigger an
earthquake across the region. It is important now for Iran and the United
States, the two external powers most heavily invested in the Iraqi government
and with perhaps the most to lose should the situation continue to slide into
chaos, to own up to intervention in the country, but crucially, to use their
influence positively and usher Maliki out the door. Anything else will be in
their own interests only, and will provide further evidence that they are
colluding against the current state of Iraq..
A War of Sectarians, Not a Sectarian War
By: Amir Taheri/Asharq Alawsat/Friday, 27 Jun, 2014
The current crisis in Iraq is routinely described by international media as a
“sectarian” war. The assumption is that Iraq is being torn apart because its
various component parts, especially Arab Sunnis and Shi’ites, have somehow
decided they can no longer live together. How accurate is that analysis? The
answer to that question could have a major impact on shaping the outcome of the
crisis. Some of those who claim that Iraqis can no longer live together insist
that the frontiers drawn after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire are no longer
valid and that new frontiers should be envisaged for newly emerging
nation-states. At the heart of such analyses is the claim that Iraq is an
“artificial country” that was unsustainable from the start. Once, on a BBC
television program, I was bitterly attacked by an American university professor
because I had suggested that the US should have remained by Iraq’s side for a
few more years, as had been the case with West Germany after the Second World
War, to help the Iraqis consolidate their new institutions. Adopting a mocking
tone, the professor shot back that, being a new state with no democratic
experience, Iraq could not be compared to Germany, which had a long history and
much experience of democracy.
Apparently, our professor did not know that Iraq has a history dating back at
least 4,000 years, long before the first Germanic tribes appeared in Europe. Nor
did he know that Germany became a nation-state in 1870. Modern Iraq attained the
same status in 1921. With an interval of half a century—a mere flash in the
saucepan of history—both Germany and modern Iraq emerged from the debris of
empires.
As for “democratic experience,” neither Germany’s tragedy under Nazism nor Iraq
under Ba’athism amounted to “democratic experience.” Under its monarchy, Iraq
enjoyed as much freedom as various components of the future German state had
done under their respective princes.
The subtext of my American detractor’s claim is that Iraqis, being Arabs or
Muslims, are incapable of living in freedom. Arabs and Muslims, in his view, are
generally genetically programed to favor despotic rule. If Iraq’s “newness” and
“artificiality” means it has no right to be a united modern nation-state, why
not apply the same rule to the 158 members of the United Nations that are newer
and more artificial than Iraq? With that yardstick, every single country in the
world could be divided into its parts and every frontier redrawn. Believe it or
not, Iraq in its present form is one of the three oldest modern Arab states.
There are, of course, several powers and a few elements inside Iraq itself with
a vested interest in seeing the country dismembered. Dismantling Iraq might suit
the strategies of those powers and elements, but it will be no solution to the
current crisis, which is rooted elsewhere.
The current crisis could best be described as a war of the sectarians, rather
than a sectarian war. The mass of Iraq’s Sunnis and Shi’ites are not involved in
this conflict except as victims. The fact that sectarian factions on both sides
use a theological vocabulary should not mislead us. The reason is that Islamic
languages, notably Arabic, lack a secular political vocabulary. That has been
manifest throughout Islamic history. The first civil war in Islam, between Ali
Ibn Abi Taleb and Muawiyah I, had nothing to do with rival interpretations of
the faith. It was about political power and was caused by rival claims to
rulership. Nevertheless, the only way that rivalry could be expressed at the
time was through a theological lexicon, which, in turn and over several
centuries, encouraged the concoction of a doctrinal schism.
Today in Iraq, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki wishes to hang on to power as long
as he can. This has nothing to do with his being a Shi’ite. Saddam Hussein,
supposedly a Sunni, had a similar attitude to the bitter end. The Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its allies who are wreaking havoc in Iraq are also
motivated by a thirst for power, rather than any concern about a specific
interpretation of the faith. They fight for political objectives disguised as
religious aims.
That is underlined by the fact that no credible theologian on either side has
provided a religious cover for the struggle. On the Sunni side, almost all bona
fide theologians have appealed for peace and reconciliation. On the Shi’ite
side, too, the overwhelming tone of the senior clergy has been in favor of
calming things down. Despite a string of political pressure, senior clerics such
as Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in Najaf and Grand Ayatollah Alawi Borujerdi
in Qom in Iran have refused to declare jihad against ISIS. In Qom, only one
Ayatollah, Makarem Shirazi, has used the term “jihad,” indicating his ignorance
of the principles and rules under which such a call is made. However, Shirazi,
like Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is a political rather than religious
figure, and thus cannot pretend to express a theological position. As Borujerdi
has declared in a fatwa, regardless of sectarian backgrounds, Iraqis should
fight in self-defense in support of the country’s regular armed forces against
those who wish to dismember their state. Thus, the current conflict should not
be sued by such adventurers as Moqtada Al-Sadr to revive their militias and push
Iraq back to the bad old days of terror in the name of faith.
Others, including some Kurds who muse about secession, hoping to fish in muddy
waters by advancing their political pawns, should also be warned that they could
end up among the losers.
Iraq can and must weather its latest storm. And it is in everyone’s best
interest that it does so with its sovereignty and territorial integrity intact.
Iran’s biggest challenge? To retain its strategic ‘crescent’
Friday, 27 June 2014 /Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya
In order to preserve its national interests, the Islamic Republic of Iran has
spent a significant amount of political capital, invested financially,
politically, militarily, and strategically to keep hold of the Shiite Crescent
extending from Iran to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. After the U.S.-led invasion of
Iraq in 2003, Iranian leaders put all of their political, military, economic and
intelligence efforts into making sure that Iraq would emerge as a Shiite state,
which would contribute to the Shiite Crescent and preserve Iran’s geopolitical,
economic and strategic interests as a staunch ally.
Although the Shiite government of Iraq - backed by the Iranian government, Quds
forces and the IRGC— has repeatedly encountered some unrest, the Iraqi
government of Prime Minister Maliki was capable of cracking down and repressing
the opposition with the assistance of Iranian leaders. Unlike previous instances
of unrest, we can argue that the current development, the rise of the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or other Sunni extremists groups in Iraq, is in
fact the largest strategic and security challenge that the Islamic Republic has
encountered since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
“The longer the fighting and battle in Iraq continues, the more the government
of Maliki will become dependent on the Islamic Republic”
Even Iran’s president, Hassan Rowhani, who calls for “moderate and prudence” in
foreign policy, has joined the voices of the IRGC and Iran Supreme Leader in
implicitly warning, blaming and accusing other Arab states in the gulf for
assisting ISIS. Recently, he pointed out that some countries “feed terrorists by
their petrodollars.” He warned that this support will have repercussions in the
countries that “feed terrorists.”Uniqueness of Iran’s foreign policy and its
pillars: national interest, sectarianism and ideology
Iran’s foreign policy is anchored in three crucial pillars that interact with
each other, operating simultaneously, and ultimately informing Tehran’s foreign
policy. The three pillars are: national interest, sectarianism, and ideology.
The combination of ideology, sectarianism and national interests makes the
foreign policy of the Islamic Republic distinct, in a sense that Iran employs
ideological policies, sectarian tactics, and nationalistic policies at an
unprecedented level. In other words, the Islamic Republic can be viewed as one
of the most ideological, sectarian and nationalistic governments in the world.
When it comes to the Shiite Crescent, sectarianism and ideology play dominant
roles. Iraq is crucial for Iran ideologically, for sectarian purposes as well as
national interests. When it comes to national interests, Iraq is strategically,
geopolitically and economically crucial for the Islamic Republic. Ideologically
speaking, Iranian leaders view themselves as the defenders and protectors of the
Shiite population and Shiite shrines in Iraq. For example, from the Islamic
Republic’s perspective, the Iraqi Shiite cities of Karbala and Najaf (which the
Islamic Republic has vowed to defend from attacks of ISIS) are considered sacred
places, which belong to the Shias around the world, rather than being cities of
other sovereign states. From a sectarian perspective, a Shiite led government in
Iraq would be a crucial nexus of the Shiite Crescent. According to Iran’s media,
Iranian chief of police Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, pointed out that in order to
“protect Shiite shrines and cities,” the National Security Council of the
Islamic Republic would consider intervening in Iraq. The prospective trend:
Nouri al-Maliki, Iran’s man
In previous sectarian conflict in Iraq since 2003, the Islamic Republic mainly
provided military and strategic planning rather than sending significant amounts
of troops on the ground, or providing fundamental manpower. The danger that ISIS
poses on Iran’s security and strategic interests has prompted the Islamic
Republic to dispatch commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite
Quds Force, according to several reports, including from The Guardian and The
Wall Street Journal. Quds forces, which the Islamic Republic dispatches for
sectarian purposes to other countries (such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq), are among
the most experienced cadre of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Led by
General Qassem Soleimani, Quds forces are a secretive branch of Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards. Soleimani, who helped built Hezbollah, has been
characterized as “the single most powerful operative in the Middle East today.”
In addition, the Islamic Republic has been using and manipulating the
Iraqi-Shiite diaspora in Iran to join this holy and ideological war. Many
Iranians have signed up to join Iran’s forces in assisting the Iraqi government
of Prime Minsiter Maliki to crack down on ISIS and other Sunni extremists.Majid
Ghamas, the representative of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq in the Islamic
Republic of Iran stated in the Washington Post that, “We’re sending a message to
the world that Iraqis living in Iran, although we are few in number, have a
strong voice and we’re ready to defend our homeland and our sacred sites.” In
addition, many Iranians or Iraqis who view the Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and
Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as their highest religious
authorities will join the fight as well— in case a fatwa is issued. Sistani has
issued a fatwa for Iraqis to bear arms.
The longer the fighting and battle in Iraq continues, the more the government of
Maliki will become dependent on the Islamic Republic, particularly the senior
cadre of the Quds forces and the IRGC. In other words, the more Maliki clings to
power, the more the Quds forces and the IRGC will dominate Iraq. In addition,
the more Mr. Maliki insists on maintaining his power, the more likely other
opposition groups will join ISIS against the Shiite-led government. This can
turn Maliki into a hated figure for large sections of the society. Iran’s Quds
forces increasing involvement in Iraq and cooperation with Maliki can also
persuade those Iraqi Sunnis, who do not support ISIS, to shift their stance and
side with ISIS or other militants against the Maliki government.
For Iranian leaders, the rise of ISIS as well as the rapid advancement of other
Sunni extremist groups pose the largest strategic and geopolitical challenges to
Tehran’s regional hegemonic ambitions and foreign policy objectives.
ISIS has reached the border of Saudi Arabia
Friday, 27 June 2014 /By: Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
The brief statement by the Saudi Royal Court reflects the heightened state of
alert in the entire region. The Extremists have reached the border. Al-Qaed is a
stone's thrown from three countries: Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. ISIS, the
most extreme faction of al-Qaeda, is mobilizing its forces to face Assad’s
regime and recently, Maliki’s government. ISIS has built an army of thousands of
suicide bombers of different nationalities, all of whom are prepared to return
to their countries and start a world war. Similar to what happened in Syria,
what is now happening in Iraq is a genuine revolution against a sectarian,
repugnant rule. Al-Qaeda became involved in this revolution under many banners:
ISIS, the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham. They claimed supporting the
oppressed people until they took they stage with their extraordinary global
capabilities. The group exploited the anger of millions of Sunni people around
the world, from Indonesia to Britain, and made them cheer to its achievements.
Today, ISIS is the star of the box office. as my colleague Youssef al-Dini said.
In order to understand the unprecedented and rapid developments, we should be
aware that we have two rivals which we cannot take sides with: Assad and
Maliki’s sectarian governments on one side, and ISIS and its terrorist
affiliates on the other. Turkey, which was at first confused between Syrian
nationalists and Islamist extremists, has finally decided to close its borders
to Islamic terrorist groups, declaring that they are now threatening its
security and not the Assad regime. Jordan and Saudi Arabia had from the
beginning distinguished the moderate national Free Syrian Army from the
terrorist ISIS and al-Nusra Front, despite the fact that all three of them are
against the Assad's regime.
“Limiting the solution to military action against ISIS will not succeed, as
evidenced by its failure since 2001”
How can we put together the rivals Assad, Maliki, ISIS and al-Nusra all in one
basket? In fact, if it weren’t for Assad and Maliki, ISIS and the al-Nusra Front
would not have existed. Most of their leaders were detained in Syrian and Iraqi
prisons and then were released by the regimes who believed that their release
would shuffle the cards. Indeed, the cards were shuffled: Turkey, Jordan and
Saudi Arabia announced their readiness to fight these terrorist groups.
Collective activity
There is no doubt that all regional and international concerned countries are
aware of what is happening. We will surely witness vital collective activity on
the international military and political levels. It is most likely that this
will lead to a military and security camp that will wage a larger-scale war
against terrorism. Nevertheless, the problem is still a political one, as each
state perceives the danger from a different angle. They are all against these
terrorist organizations, but each of them believes in different solutions. The
United States has two competing visions: the first calls for dealing with Iran,
and therefore continues to support Assad and Maliki. Meanwhile, European and
Gulf countries believe in the change, and believe that without a strong
centralized regime that is acceptable in Syria and Iraq, it would be impossible
to eliminate extremist groups. Therefore, a political solution must be imposed
in Syria and Iraq; Sunnis should be mobilized to cooperate and fight against the
extremists.
The Gulf countries believe that fighting against al-Qaeda will only succeed
through the cooperation of the Sunni people of Syria and Iraq, as it will ensure
the eradication of these terrorist groups. It will stop the international
diaspora of Sunnis from sympathizing with this group and its ideology. However,
the policies of Assad’s and Maliki’s sectarian governments have triggered this
chaos. Therefore, the solution lies in a strong central government in Baghdad
and Damascus with American, Western and regional support. This will most
probably be accepted by the Russians.
Limiting the solution to military action against ISIS will not succeed, as
evidenced by its failure since 2001. ISIS will bspread thanks to the chaos and
sectarian governments that want to export their problems to the world so that
they can extend their existence.
This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on June 27, 2014.