LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 21/14

Bible Quotation for today/ Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table

Mark 16,9-14/:"[[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen."

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For April 21/14

Pope Francis Leads Easter Celebrations Marred by Ukraine
Naharnet /Pope Francis celebrated Easter mass on Sunday with a message of social solidarity as the world's Orthodox marked a holiday marred by bitter divisions over Ukraine and clashes broke out in Jerusalem. Francis led the ceremony for the holiest day in the Christian calendar on St Peter's Square, which will be followed by a special blessing and address to crowds of Catholic faithful in the famous Vatican piazza. Swiss Guards and cardinals could be seen as tens of thousands of people crowded into St Peter's Square and the main avenue leading up to the Vatican, which was decorated with 35,000 flowers donated by Dutch growers. At an Easter vigil on Saturday, Francis asked Catholics to bring "the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world... to all people, to the very ends of the Earth".
Francis said the core of the Easter message was about returning to the basics and asking: "Have I gone off on roads and paths which made me forget it?" This is Francis's second Easter since he was elected by fellow cardinals in March last year promising to make the Catholic Church less "Vatican-centric", more transparent and closer to ordinary people. On Good Friday, Francis attended a traditional torch-lit ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome where he called for help to "abandoned people" and railed against "the monstruosity of humankind". Prayers read out during the event honouring Christian martyrs past and present touched on pressing contemporary social issues including drug addiction, unemployment, prison overcrowding and domestic abuse. The Vatican almoner meanwhile dispensed charity on the pope's behalf to homeless people sleeping rough around Rome's main train station Termini, handing out an Easter greeting card and 50-euro ($69) notes each. At the start of four days of Easter rituals on Maundy Thursday, the pope washed the feet of 12 disabled people at a centre in Rome in a new take on a traditional ceremony inspired by Christ's humility. Easter this year coincides with the Orthodox calendar and Ukraine's government said it was holding off on a confrontation with pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine until after the Easter holidays. But four people were reported killed in a gunbattle at a barricade in the volatile eastern Ukrainian town of Slavyansk on Sunday, a local leader told journalists. And there was a bitter war of words between religious leaders, with Kiev's Patriarch Filaret thundering that Russia was an "enemy" whose "attack" was doomed to failure because it was evil and against God's will. In Moscow, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill prayed for God in turn to put "an end to the designs of those who want to destroy Holy Russia" and said Ukraine was "spiritually and historically" at one with Russia. There were also tensions in Jerusalem amid Easter celebrations, with Israeli police arresting 16 Palestinians as they clashed with demonstrators at the Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City -- a sensitive holy site revered by Christians, Jews and Muslims. Source/Agence France Presse

Pope Francis Makes Call to Spread Faith at Easter Vigil
Naharnet/Pope Francis on Saturday called on Catholics to bring the message of God "to the very ends of the earth" during an Easter vigil mass in St Peter's Basilica. Francis said the core of the Easter message was about returning to the basics of faith and asking: "Have I gone off on roads and paths which made me forget it?" He said there was a need to recover "the fire which Jesus has kindled in the world and to bring that fire to all people, to the very ends of the earth". The message reiterates his previous calls for a Roman Catholic Church that is closer to ordinary people, more international and less "Vatican-centric". The mass wrapped up a series of Vatican ceremonies leading up to Easter Sunday -- the holiest day in the Christian calendar, which celebrates the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Tens of thousands of people are expected at mass on Easter Sunday in St Peter's Square where the pope will deliver a blessing from the same balcony of the basilica where he first appeared on the night of his election last year.The Vatican then hosts a historic event on April 27 -- the first double papal canonisation, with popes John Paul II and John XXIII being declared saints.
Hundreds of thousands are expected for the celebration, including many pilgrims from John Paul II's homeland, Poland.On Good Friday, Francis attended a traditional torch-lit ceremony at the Colosseum in Rome where he called for help to "abandoned people" and railed against "the monstruosity of humankind". Prayers read out during the ceremony touched on pressing social issues including drug addiction, unemployment, prison overcrowding and domestic abuse. Francis also instructed the Vatican almoner to give out charity to homeless people around Termini railway station, with each receiving a 50-euro ($69) note and an Easter greeting from the pope. On Holy Thursday, Francis washed the feet of 12 disabled people at a centre in Rome. Last year, he had performed the traditional pre-Easter ritual on 12 inmates at a youth detention centre, including two young Muslims. Popes performing the ceremony -- which commemorates the gesture of humility believed to have been carried out by Jesus for his 12 disciples -- have usually washed the feet of priests. Source/Agence France Presse

Sleiman reiterates rejection of extending his term
April 20, 2014/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman reiterated Sunday that he would not accept an extension of his presidential term that ends next month. “I am bored of answering the question about extending my term, and I say it once again that I am against the extension because it not democratic,” Sleiman said, speaking from Bkirki where he attended the Sunday Easter Mass. “I say no for extension of the presidency or in Parliament,” he said. Sleiman said that boycotting the upcoming Parliament session to elect a new president would be “wrong” as it meant “boycotting consensus and Dialogue.” Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai also appealed to lawmakers to attend the session, saying that “it is an honor for lawmakers to elect a new president.” Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a Parliament session to elect a new head of state Wednesday, but it is not certain whether a quorum for such session will be secured. The president also praised the presidential campaign platform of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who declared his candidacy for the election earlier this month. “I like the presidential program of Samir Geagea because it is national and sovereign, and I congratulate any president who applies such program,” he said. A delegation from the LF held a rare visit to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun at his Rabieh residence Saturday afternoon and gave him a copy of Geagea's presidential program. The delegation included MPs Strida Geagea, Joseph Maalouf and Fadi Karam, along with former Minister Toni Karam and a member of the party's executive committee, Eddy Abi al-Lamaa. Sleiman also spoke about his ties with Hezbollah, which have deteriorated recently over the president’s criticism of the party’s role in Syria. “My ties with Hezbollah are normal, Hezbollah ministers are present within the government and I see them once or twice a week,” he said. “The party just took inappropriate stances, and I made statement that they did not like.”

Suleiman Rejects Attempts to Extend his Term: I Will Return Home on May 25
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman reiterated on Sunday his complete rejection to any attempt to extend his term, describing his relations with all parties, including Hizbullah, as normal. “Extending the term of any official is not democratic despite the extension of the current parliament's term,” Suleiman said after holding a behind-closed door meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi at Bkirki ahead of the Easter mass. The president considered that he and Hizbullah have different points of view. “The party took inappropriate stances and I said remarks that Hizbullah officials didn't like,” Suleiman pointed out. The president stressed that his term ends on May 24 and he will return to his home the next day. Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state began on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of the president's mandate. Suleiman congratulated the Lebanese on the occasion of Easter, praising stability in Lebanon despite the shaky situation in the region.
He expressed hope that the economic situation in the country would improve. Suleiman also urged the political arch-foes to unify stances over the upcoming presidential elections ahead of the constitutional deadline, saying: “the important matter is the stances taken by the upcoming president and not if he was consensual or affiliated in a certain party. “The president should preserve the constitution and the country's sovereignty and doesn't represent anyone,” the president added. Asked about the presidential program launched by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Suleiman hailed it. However, he regretted that “he can't grant him his vote as the president's vote doesn't count.” “Geagea's presidential program is national, sovereign and I hope that it would be implemented.” On Wednesday, Geagea announced a presidential program that focused on “restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.” He is the sole politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, which are first scheduled to be held on April 23. The election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

Geagea: Hariri told me he endorses my candidacy
April 20, 2014/The Daily Star/BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said that his ally in the March 14 coalition, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, had personally endorsed his candidacy for the coming presidential election. “Saad Hariri informed me directly that he supports my candidacy and [that the Future bloc] would vote for me in Wednesday’s session and he will declare this officially prior to the session,” Geagea said in an interview with Al-Jazeera to be broadcasted Monday. A source in the Future Movement said the group was likely to endorse Geagea’s candidacy but had not yet reached “a final decision” over the issue. “Contacts are ongoing within the Future Movement and with the Lebanese Forces to discuss the presidential election, what matters to us is to preserve the unity of the March 14 coalition,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The source said a meeting, the second of its kind, between Geagea and Hariri’s chief of staff, Nader Hariri, took place over the weekend but could not confirm if former PM Hariri directly contacted Geagea to voice support for his candidacy. Speaker Nabih Berri called for a Parliament session Wednesday to elect a new head of state, though the session seems to have little hope of achieving a vote for a new president, with it remaining uncertain if it will even achieve quorum. Geagea declared his candidacy for the presidential election earlier this month. Although the LF leader says he is confident of his allies’ support, the March 14 coalition has not yet endorsed Geagea’s candidature. Kataeb Party head Amine Gemayel, another leading figure in the March 14 coalition, is also set to run for the presidential election. The LF leader told Al-Jazeera that Wednesday’s session would be like a “test” and that the quorum to elect a new president was not likely to be secured “because the stances of the March 8 [parties] are not encouraging.” “The March 8 team has not yet declared it has the intention of taking part in the session,” he said.
Geagea also said that “the Kataeb Party informed me it does not mind voting for me in principle but would like to go more in the details of the election process before declaring its final stance.”

Archbishop of Beirut Elias Awdeh Calls for Electing New President Within Constitutional Deadline
Naharnet/Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Awdeh said on Sunday that if a new president was elected within the constitutional deadline then Lebanon would be moving on the right track. In his Easter sermon at the St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut Awdeh said that “all vacuum posts in the state should be filled” with competent employees.” “We have always been advocates to the civil state that treats its people equally and relies on the person's qualifications and expertize in choosing the right individual for each post,” he pointed out. He noted that the “public post aims at serving the people not the personal, sectarian or political interests.” On Wednesday, Speaker Nabih Berri called for a parliamentary session to elect a new president on April 23. President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ends on May 25. But the Constitutional deadline for parliament to start convening to elect a new head of state started on March 25. Under the 1943 power-sharing agreement, the president should be a Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni and the speaker a Shiite. Only Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, a Maronite Christian, has officially announced his candidacy.

Al-Rahi Calls in Easter Message on Lawmakers to Elect New President
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged on Sunday lawmakers to attend parliamentary sessions to elect a new president, calling on prioritizing Lebanon's national interests. “MPs should carry out their role to elect a new president,” al-Rahi said during his Easter sermon at Bkirki. “It's an honor for lawmakers to elect the head of state,” he stressed. On Wednesday, Speaker Nabih Berri called for a parliamentary session to elect a new president on April 23. Al-Rahi addressed President Michel Suleiman, who attended the sermon, saying: “You said the truth and confronted everyone locally and internationally.”“You pleased your conscience and history will be fair with you... You have restored Lebanon's status-quo in the international community” the Patriarch continued.
Suleiman's six-year term ends on May 25. But the Constitutional deadline for parliament to start convening to elect a new head of state started on March 25. Under the 1943 power-sharing agreement, the president should be a Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni and the speaker a Shiite. Only Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, a Maronite Christian, has officially announced his candidacy. Al-Rahi held a behind-closed door meeting with Suleiman ahead of the Easter mass. “The word vacuum shouldn't be mentioned cause its similar to death,” the patriarch told reporters. Al-Rahi also expressed hope during his sermon that wars and violence around the world would come to an end. “Arms should be put aside,” he said, hoping that “peace would prevail.”

Mustaqbal Movement to Support Geagea's Run for Presidency
Naharnet/Al-Mustaqbal movement is expected voice its support to Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea's candidacy to the presidency, An Nahar newspaper reported on Sunday. According to the daily, the al-Mustaqbal will officially adopt Geagea's candidacy within 48 hours. The report comes in light of a second meeting held between al-Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri's adviser, Nader Hariri, and Geagea in Maarab. An Nahar said that the meeting focused on the “appropriate mechanism to announce al-Mustaqbal's stance that is keen to safeguard the unity of the March 14 alliance.”Hariri's envoy had previously held a meeting with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, who had reportedly informed him that Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun will not announce his candidacy for the presidency if there was no political consensus on him. Al-Mustaqbal's decision was also taken after a meeting held between representatives from the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb party. The three-hour meeting between Kataeb officials former Minister Salim al-Sayegh and Joseph Abou Khalil was held in Maarab. LF officials have been holding talks with different parties and leaders in the country to hand them over LF leader Geagea's presidential program, and to discuss the upcoming elections. On Wednesday, Geagea announced a presidential program that focused on “restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.”He is the sole politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, which are first scheduled to be held on April 23. The election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate. President Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure ends on May 25.

Report: Hizbullah, Suleiman Relations 'Diplomatic'
Naharnet/The relations between Hizbullah and President Michel Suleiman are merely diplomatic and standard after ties witnessed deterioration over the Baabda Declaration and the people-army-resistance formula, the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Sunday. Sources close to Hizbullah said that the party's stance from Hizbullah is “final and clear.” “Contacts with Suleiman are merely diplomatic and within the limits of the protocol not more,” the sources said. The sources said that Hizbullah will not engage in any dialogue with Suleiman, in particular after his latest stances. Hizbullah's sources ruled out the extension of Suleiman's term, saying: “Hizbullah will always respect the presidency post.”Sources close to Suleiman also denied that “the president is seeking to extend his tenure by consolidating ties with Hizbullah.”The sources reiterated that Suleiman had continuously rejected any attempt to extend his tenure. “Relations with Hizbullah are normal and communication through the cabinet is ongoing,” the sources added. Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state began on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate. In March, Hizbullah and the president were at loggerheads over Suleiman's statement concerning the cabinet's policy statement. Suleiman said that the land, people and common values formed the country's “permanent equation,” describing that the people-army-resistance equation as “wood.” Hizbullah's slammed on the president's comments, accusing him of not being able to differentiate between “what's golden and what's wooden.” The party said that Baabda Palace has come to require “special care."Suleiman replied via twitter saying that what Baabda Palace needs is acknowledging the unanimous consensus over the Baabda Declaration that was reached inside its premises.

Farmers Targeted with Israeli Gunshots in the South
Naharnet/Israeli forces fired gunshots at farmers in the South on Saturday without causing any injuries. "Israeli troops targeted four farmers with gunshots in the southern village of Khyam,” the military institution said in a communique on Saturday evening. "No injuries were reported as a result of the shooting,” it added. On Thursday, the Israeli army kidnapped five Lebanese, including 2 women and a child, from Lebanese territories in the South. The kidnapping occurred in the farm of Bastara after a unit crossed the technical fence, said the army in a statement. However, later in the evening, all five abducted Lebanese were released.

Parents of New Born Abandoned in Qana Detained
Naharnet /The mother of a newborn, who was abandoned in the southern Lebanese town of Qana, and her husband were detained on Sunday. “After investigations were carried out police in the south detained Syrian nationals H. H., the mother of the newborn, and her husband B. A. Aa.,” a communique issued by the Internal Security Forces said. According to the statement, the husband of the mother isn't the biological father of the baby girl and had told his wife that her newborn was dead during delivery, prompting him to abandon her on the side of the road. The suspect confessed that he didn't want to raise the baby. The state-run National News Agency reported that the mother was later on released, while her husband remained in custody. On Saturday night, the newborn was found on the side of the road in the town of Khishneh in Qana, wearing a hospital designed hand-bracelet on it the name of the mother Hajr Halabi. The baby girl was submitted into Jabal Aamel hospital in the southern city of Tyre.

Syria's Assad Visits Recaptured Christian Town of Maalula
Naharnet/Syrian President Bashar Assad on Easter Sunday visited the ancient Christian town of Maalula, which his troops recently recaptured from rebels, state television said. "On the day of the resurrection of Christ, and from the heart of Maalula, President Assad hopes all Syrians have a happy Easter, and for the reestablishment of peace and security throughout Syria," the channel announced in a caption at the bottom of the screen, without showing images of the visit. It added that Assad had inspected the Mar Sarkis (Saint Sergius and Bacchus) monastery, damaged in recent fighting. It said the damage had been caused by "terrorists," using the regime's term for rebels. Founded in the fifth century, the monastery is one of the Middle East's oldest. It is dedicated to two Roman Christian soldiers who were killed by emperor Galerius because of their faith. The Facebook page of the Syrian presidency posted a picture of Assad standing next to a Christian priest. He held what appeared to be damaged friezes showing the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Backed by Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah, Syria's army took control of Maalula last Monday. Located north of Damascus, Maalula is one of the world's oldest Christian settlements, and its inhabitants still speak Aramaic, the language of Christ. Rebels and their jihadist ally Al-Nusra Front had taken control of Maalula in early December. They kidnapped 13 nuns and traded them for women prisoners held in regime jails in March. Assad has rarely made public appearances since the outbreak of a revolt against his regime in March 2011. Syria's large Christian minority has sought neutrality throughout the three-year war, and has viewed the Sunni-led rebels with growing concern as jihadists have flocked to their ranks. Source/Agence France Presse

Hollande Says France has 'Information' Assad Regime Using Chemical Weapons
Naharnet /France has "information" but no firm proof that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime is still using chemical weapons, President Francois Hollande said Sunday. "We have a few elements of information but I do not have the proof," Hollande said in a radio interview after he was asked about reports that Assad was currently using chemical weapons. "What I do know is what we have seen from this regime is the horrific methods it is capable of using and the rejection of any political transition," he told the Europe 1 radio station. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the same radio station there were "indications, which have yet to be verified, that there have been recent chemical attacks". He said they were "much less significant than those in Damascus a few months ago but very deadly", and had taken place in the northwest of the country, near the Lebanese border. A French source close to the matter told AFP that the reports "had come from different sources, including the Syrian opposition".
There are conflicting accounts about one attack that happened in the town of Kafr Zita in the central Hama province earlier in April, with both the government and the opposition accusing each other of being responsible. Activists in the area accused the regime of using chlorine gas, saying it caused "more than 100 cases of suffocation". Videos circulated by opposition activists on YouTube showed men and children in a field hospital coughing and showing symptoms of suffocation. But state television blamed the al-Qaida-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, a key force in Syria's three-year armed revolt, for the attack, which it said had lead to the death of two people and caused more than 100 to suffer from suffocation. Under the terms of the U.S.-Russia brokered deal reached last year, Syria has until the end of June to destroy its chemical weapon stockpile if it wants to ward off the threat of U.S. air strikes. The agreement was reached after a deadly chemical attack outside Damascus last August that the West blamed on Assad's regime. Last week the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical watchdog, said Syria had surrendered almost two-thirds of its chemical weapons, including many priority chemicals. Damascus had halted exports temporarily, citing security concerns, but restarted transfers earlier in April. Speaking on April 14 after Syria had completed its latest shipment, the OPCW chief Ahmed Uzumcu said "both the frequency and the volumes of deliveries have to increase significantly" if the deadline was to be met. Norwegian as well as Danish naval vessels are involved in the process of removing chemical materials from the port of Latakia in western Syria. The most dangerous are being transferred to a U.S. Navy vessel specially fitted with equipment to destroy the chemicals at sea. Source/Agence France Presse

Salehi’s Arak “deal” – cover-up for 1,300 kg enriched uranium smuggled to Parchin for secret upgrade
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 20, 2014/Tehran’s trickery and tactics of misdirection were on full show Saturday, April 19, when Iran’s Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi offered “to redesign” the controversial Arak reactor so that it produces one-fifth of the plutonium initially planned and his claim that this concession had “virtually resolved” Iran’s controversy with the West. But the giveaway was his mock-innocent comment: “We still don’t know why they [nuclear watchdog inspectors] want to visit Parchin for a third time…” debkafile: For three years, Tehran has denied monitors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to this military facility to investigate suspected nuclear explosive tests. Of deepest concern, say debkafile’s intelligence and military sources, is the way the Obama administration and European Union members are ready to be taken in by Tehran’s deceptions in their ongoing negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear accord. They dispose of one issue after another and stay willfully blind to the true ramifications of their concessions to Iran and its program’s clandestine military dimensions. In its latest report, the Vienna-based IAEA disclosed Thursday, April 17, that, after reducing stocks, Iran was left with “substantially less of the 20-percent enriched uranium than it would need for a nuclear warhead.” On the face of it, therefore, the immediate danger of Iran stockpiling enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb is over and a sigh of relief should now follow US Secretary of State John Kerry’s warning to a Senate committee a week ago that Iran had enough enriched uranium to start building a bomb within two months. That being the case, the military option for curtailing the Iranian nuclear threat should be set aside and the six world powers and Tehran can resume their negotiations on May 5 for putting the final touches on a comprehensive accord for finally putting their nuclear controversy to rest. But only on the face of it: This scenario ignore Tehran’s duplicity and conveniently passes over the sudden spurt in Iran’s production of low, 5-percent grade enriched uranium and the covert smuggling of the surfeit to the Parchin military facility of near Tehran for its secret upgrade to 20 percent, a level which can be rapidly enriched to weapons grade. So with one hand, Tehran has reduced its low-grade enriched uranium stocks, but with the other, has smuggled a sizable quantity of those stocks for further enrichment to a facility barred to nuclear watchdog inspectors. debkafile’s intelligence sources reveal that 1,300 kilos of low-grade material has been transferred to Parchin and 1,630 advanced centrifuges have been installed there for rapid upgrade work. Whenever the IAEA applied for permission to inspect the facility in the past three years, it was fobbed off with the pretext that Parchin was strictly a military base which did not host any nuclear activity. It therefore did not qualify for international inspection. Ali Salehi continued the pretence Saturday when he remarked with mock puzzlement: “We still don’t know why they want to visit Parchin for the third time despite two visits to the site [earlier}. They say they have some information [about the site] and we have told them to pass the information to us to make sure about its validity, which they have refused to do so far.” Well, debkafile is now putting the information out for the benefit of the nuclear watchdog. With yet another layer of duplicity stripped from Iran’s nuclear program, it is hoped that the six world powers will sit up and take notice before they face Iran’s nuclear negotiators for another round of talks in two weeks’ time.

Opinion: Real Reform, not Revolution
Amal Mousa/Asharq Alawsat/Sunday, 20 Apr, 2014
Amid all the uncertainty and confusion that accompanies the social changes most Arab societies are currently experiencing, there is one clear fact that must be courageously acknowledged: Arab constitutions today are in need of fundamental revisions to bring them in line with international standards on human rights and personal freedoms. It is important to highlight that there is a vast difference between fundamental revision and partial amendment. Fundamental revision requires us to be objective and engage in a process of real rebuilding, in accordance with new concepts that will create and impose a new social reality. Amendments can only have superficial effect. The constitution is the highest legal document in society. It is the strongest legal reference and the authoritative source of all law. It acts as the broadest umbrella under which all other laws pertaining to all aspects of life fall. Even when political practices undergo a kind of deterioration during certain periods, a good constitution remains an obstacle in the face of anyone seeking social regression. I believe that, for the most part, Arab constitutions have been founded on the marginalization of individual rights and personal freedoms. They are largely an expression of loyalty to the culture of community and the values of social institutions, with the rights of the individual remaining subordinate. Therefore from the beginning, the interests of the group have outweighed those of the individual. Objectively, this collective approach to the concept of personal rights and freedoms varies from one Arab country to another, depending on the path of modernization in these countries. The modernization project, on the other hand, is inherently inclined to uphold the individual and to support personal freedoms. It is clear today that the factors forcing Arab societies to carry out fundamental revision of their constitutions have become stronger and more prominent. The global culture today strongly supports human rights, to the extent that their observance can be used as a litmus test of the level of development and modernization in any given society. In other words, individual rights and basic freedoms are what communities today pride themselves on. On a practical level, this translates into the signing of as many human rights agreements as possible: the ones relating to non-discrimination on the basis of sex, religion and race, in addition to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as one of the constitutions’ sources of reference. The discussion regarding human rights and personal freedoms and how these are incorporated into a constitution is more than just a formal or superficial political discussion. The time has come for Arab culture to be reconciled with the individual and to move away from the dominance of the group, whether in terms of society, authority or social institutions. Our individual freedom of choice, speech, expression and belief has a direct impact on our self-realization. It is not an exaggeration to say that the rearrangement of our relationship with freedom, as a basic human value, represents the real revolution, and that has yet to take place in the countries of the Arab Spring. The Arab youth are still waiting for this, while they experience the lethal dualism whereby the only true freedom they experience is in the virtual world. Meanwhile, their real world is still lightyears away from personal freedom and the liberation of the individual. Many of the Arab political, cultural and intellectual elite believe that real reform is more important than confused and confusing revolutions. Wisdom, righteousness and rationality lie in true reform, not revolution. Most people believe that merely reviewing Arab constitutions, highlighting the concept of citizenship and human rights, is what is needed to rectify matters. But the more educated and interactive our societies become, the greater the threat of finding ourselves back at square one.

Opinion: A Hero for All Iranians
By: Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Asharq Alawsat /Sunday, 20 Apr, 2014
President Rouhani was in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan in southeastern Iran on April 15,. To the cheering crowds who met him, he proclaimed: “We don’t have second-class citizens; all Iranians are equal.” Rouhani thanked local Sunni and Shi’ite leaders and the people of Sistan and Baluchistan for helping secure the release of four border guards kidnapped by the Jaish Al-Adl militant group in February. But he forgot to thank someone: Of the soldiers kidnapped, four of them were returned a week ago due to the intense efforts of Molavi Abdul-Hamid, a local Sunni leader, as well as other local elders. The fate of the fifth soldier is still unknown. While the whole nation took to cyberspace to thank Abdul-Hamid, the popular Sunni Friday prayer imam of Zahedan province, many hardliners in the capital raised their eyebrows in jealousy and disapproval. Overnight, when the news broke of Abdul-Hamid’s mediation between the regime and the rebels, he become the most popular and likable figure in whole Iran—except among the country’s rulers. The province Rouhani visited this week is one of the most dangerous areas of Iran, due to its proximity to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Maintaining security there is hard, if not impossible, because the regime does not trust the local people to be in charge of their own security. It has been almost 35 years since the revolution, and this region is still discriminated against. The poor security situation is used as an excuse for the deployment of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and domestic intelligence agents to the area, which causes a great deal of friction between the people of the province and the central government. It is obvious that when a particular group or sect is discriminated against and their natural rights to live like other citizens are trampled, some of them will become violent. Yet still, Rouhani stood before the people on Tuesday, thanking them for their assistance in getting the border guards back and talking about equality. He doesn’t have even a single Sunni in his Cabinet.
The polls show that people of Sistan and Baluchistan voted for President Rouhani in large numbers in the election last summer. During his campaign, Rouhani promised to secure equality for all Iranians, regardless of their religion or sect. Not only did the president fail to convince the hardliners to agree to appoint a single Sunni to his Cabinet, he couldn’t even appoint a Baluchi governor for Sistan and Baluchistan. Rouhani told the audience that meritocracy rules in Iran and that there are no differences between Iranian citizens. Are we meant to believe that among all of Iran’s Sunnis—who make up almost 10 percent of the population—they couldn’t find a single person capable of serving as a minister? What about for the governorship? Sistan and Baluchistan has been recognized as the most deprived area of Iran. Developing these parts of the country is risky for the Shi’ite powers that be because the majority of the province’s people are Sunnis, and they are constantly accused of collaborating with radical armed groups. What most Iranians forget is that if the people of this province could have stable lives, jobs, and access to the nation’s wealth on the same basis as other citizens, they wouldn’t get involved with terrorist activities or separatist groups in the first place. Keeping them in poverty and appointing trusted regime insiders instead of locals to govern them does not make them feel like part of society.
Troubled enough by instability coming over the borders from Pakistan and Afghanistan, their troubles increase when their rights as Iranians are denied. Poverty, drug trafficking and armed rebel groups like Jaish Al-Adl and Jondolah are all born out of this mistrust and mistreatment. On other occasions, abducted Iranian soldiers have been brutally killed by the armed rebel groups. This time, when the border guards were kidnapped, the regime approached local people and sought their help in solving the problem. It worked because they refrained from using the harsh language of death and punishment that has so often been used in the past. We Iranians were hoping to see Molavi Abdul-Hamid standing beside Rouhani on Tuesday, welcoming the president to the region. We wanted to hear him and cheer him for all he has done for the soldiers, but instead his welcoming speech was canceled and his appearance on camera was deliberately cut. But he doesn’t need publicity: Iranians know what he done for the country and all people, regardless of their religion and sect, appreciate his service.

Gulf states take a time out from rift
Sunday, 20 April 2014 /Dr. Theodore Karasik /Al Arabiya
The rift between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain with Qatar seems to have been resolved. On April 17, 2014 the GCC countries, led by their foreign ministers, held an extraordinary meeting at Riyadh Air Base and signed a document that appears to have ended the dispute over Doha’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) and allowing their followers to denounce Gulf monarchies and their allies from the Emirate. Qatar’s Foreign Minister Dr Khalid bin Mohamnad Al-Attiyah took part in the meeting along with his counterparts. They agreed that the policies of GCC member states should not undermine the “interests, security and stability” of each other. The Riyadh Document also states that such policies must also not affect the “sovereignty” of a member state. Some observers are noting that Qatar’s effort is most likely temporary and Doha will return to its previous position. One Arab official called the agreement “pictorial.” Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar last month, accusing it of meddling in their internal affairs and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. In the wake of this event, Arab officials were talking about ways to punish Qatar across an array of economic measures up to and including sanctions and blockades. “Arab officials are noting that this declaration is a test for Qatar and forces Doha to behave. They think that Qatar and the rest of the GCC may return to their dispute, likely in a worse state or perhaps in a better situation depending on the regional environment and the ongoing P5+1 negotiations with Iran. ”
Doha continued to behave as if the dispute did not exist with Emir Tamim making several diplomatic trips, particularly to Sudan, where the Qatari leader reportedly gave one billion dollars to Khartoum. This action sent shock waves through Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other allies who saw the potential for Qatar to form Sudanese proxies on the Sudan-Egypt border in order to pressure and embarrass the Egyptian government and al-Sisi’s pending presidency.
Brokering a deal
These actions brought about questions about the cohesiveness of the GCC at a time of immense geopolitical changes and challenges in the region. At the same time, Saudi Arabia apparently requested that the UK investigate the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities in Britain or else there would be trouble between the two countries. Consequently, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that such an investigation was about to be launched. Riyadh’s threat was real: The kingdom’s investments in Britain total over 100 billion pounds. Many of Saudi Arabia’s financial instruments are tied up in British real estate, bonds, and in the weapons industry. Pulling out of some of these investments would likely have a devastating effect on Britain’s economy. Suddenly, the Bahraini daily Al Ayam, reported that a new accord had been reached that stipulates that Qatar will deport around 15 Gulf nationals who are allegedly active members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including five UAE and two Saudi nationals, living in Doha.
The deal also postulated that Al Jazeera would be less aggressive in its coverage of events in some GCC countries and Egypt and avoid referring to the Egyptian military’s ouster last year of the Muslim Brotherhood-led government of Mohammad Mursi as a “military coup.” Egyptian opposition figures living in Qatar would not be allowed to use Qatari media or Qatari-funded media.
Subduing the storm, for now
The truth of the matter is that Doha appears to have acquiesced to take a time out. Riyadh’s threat to Cameron apparently forced the British, who also have close financial ties to Qatar, to reign in the al-Thani government for the time being. The Saudis want to calm down the situation in the Gulf states - especially Qatar’s overt support for the Ikhwan- so that elections in Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey run smoothly without the continuing face-off. In addition, according to an Arab official, a senior Iranian intelligence official visited Doha and pushed the Qatari government to “take a break” from the dispute as well.
Why? Because Tehran, who is growing closer to Doha and Ankara, want the Syrian file to run smoothly in the coming months too. Overall, there seems to be an interesting and timely convergence of interests between all parties against the Qatari government’s intransigence. Since Qatar seems to be buying time, Doha will be increasingly under the microscope, especially after the regional elections are over. It is significant to note that the Riyadh Agreement does not include many of the Ikhwan owned businesses and groups in Qatar who are at the heart of Doha’s support network throughout the region.
Arab officials are noting that this declaration is a test for Qatar and forces Doha to behave. They think that Qatar and the rest of the GCC may return to their dispute, likely in a worse state or perhaps in a better situation depending on the regional environment and the ongoing P5+1 negotiations with Iran. Overall, a breather is clearly necessary, but it is not quite time to call the disagreements between the Gulf states over the Muslim Brotherhood settled or over.