Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For March 20/14

Is an Aoun presidency more realistic/By Michael Young/The Daily Star/March 20/14

U.S. challenges Russia on the Syrian chessboard/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/March 20/14

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources For March 20/14
Lebanese Related News

Syria Documents: Nasrallah sent message to reassure Israel

U.N. Urges Respect for Lebanon Sovereignty as Major Power Diplomats Call for Controlling Security Situation

Vatican Says Policy towards Lebanon 'Fixed', Tasks al-Rahi with Following Presidential Elections

Roads Blocked in Beirut over Killing of Young Man at Pro-Arsal Demo

Salam Vows to Confront Terrorism at Confidence Vote Session

Salam to Win Confidence Vote as Parliament Discusses Policy Statement

Intermittent Clashes Break out in Tripoli as Gunmen Target Army Vehicle

100 Narcotic Pills Seized at Tripoli Jail

General Security: Five Detained Syrians Confessed to Belonging to Terrorist Network

Four Rockets Strike Bekaa's Hermel, al-Aqidiyeh

Plumbly Lauds Close Follow up of Refugees Issue, Reopening of Labweh-Arsal Road

Hizbullah: Labweh Road was Blocked to Call for Army Deployment in Arsal

Security Meeting at Baabda Palace Calls for Further Cooperation, Restoring Calm

Geagea Says March 14 Shouldn't be Indifferent to Presidential Polls

Report: Hizbullah in Possession of 'Dangerous' Nusra Front Documents

Israel Beefs Up Security Measures along Border with Lebanon

Miscellaneous Reports And News'

Kerry slams Israeli Defense Minister Ya'alon's Obama remarks

Israel’s bankrupt military policy for Gaza won’t work for Golan either

Soldier Killed as Israel Bombs Syria Army after Golan Attack

Israel strikes Syrian posts, warns Assad
Pro-Russian Militias Seize Ukraine's Crimean Navy HQ as Russian Forces Take Base

Syria Documents: Nasrallah sent message to reassure Israel

http://www.aawsat.net/2014/03/article55330236
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sent an indirect message to Israel last year in which he described Lebanon’s southern border as “the safest place in the world,” seeking to reassure Tel Aviv that his Shi’a militia have no intention of taking any action against Israel, according to leaked documents seen by Asharq Al-Awsat. In cooperation with the Masarat Center and the Wathaiq Dimashq [Damascus Documents] website, Asharq Al-Awsat has obtained a copy of the full transcript of a meeting between Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov on May 23, 2013, in which the Syrian side passed along Nasrallah’s reassurances to Israel. During the meeting Bogdanov told Mekdad that he had a three-hour midnight meeting with Sheikh Mohamed Raad and Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
According to Bogdanov, Nasrallah told him: “You can tell the Israelis that Lebanon’s southern borders are the safest place in the world because all of our attention is focused on what is happening in Syria,” confirming that Hezbollah “does not harbor any intention of taking any action against Israel.” According to the leaked document, Mekdad inquired about the role that joint UN–Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi was playing regarding the Syrian crisis. “[Brahimi] said there is no solution to the crisis because both sides [the government and the opposition] have adopted the military and security solution and do not have the desire to engage in a dialogue or reach a peaceful solution because they hope to achieve success militarily,” Bogdanov said during the meeting. As for whether Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad intends to remain in power, Mekdad said: “President Assad . . . has become a basic need,” and without him “there would not be Syria . . . and the Syrian army would turn into terrorist gangs and fragmented factions.”
“Therefore, the main goal of the conference [Geneva I] should be stemming foreign intervention,” Mekdad added. The meeting was also attended by a number of senior officials on both sides, including senior Syrian Foreign Ministry figure Ahmad Arnous and the Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riyad Haddad, as well as the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for Middle East and North Africa, Sergey Vershinin.
The leaked document quotes Vershinin as asking Mekdad: “I will meet with the Israelis during my visit, do you want me to convey any message to the Israeli side?”
Mekdad answered: “There are no messages from us to the Israelis, particularly following the attack on Jamraya [military research center near Damascus] and Damascus International Airport, which despite being destructive, failed to achieve its objectives as there were no Hezbollah weapons there.” “Our message to them is that we will not be silent in the face of any new attack. If next time they fire a rocket [into Syria], we will respond by firing several rockets [at Israeli targets],” Mekdad said. “We will not allow them to exploit our situation and we will provide Hezbollah with the sophisticated weapons it needs,” he added.

U.N. Urges Respect for Lebanon Sovereignty as Major Power Diplomats Call for Controlling Security Situation
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman has urged Syrian authorities to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty, expressing concern over the impact of the fighting in Syria on Lebanon.  Feltman briefed the Security Council on Tuesday on the latest suicide bombings which the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front has claimed responsibility for. He also told Council members about the clashes between rival neighborhoods of the northern city of Tripoli and the rocket attacks from Syria and air raids carried out by regime warplanes. Feltman said he was very pleased by the government’s focus on matters, among other, respect for U.N. resolutions – including resolution 1701, support for decisions taken under the national dialogue, and recognition of the importance of securing Lebanon’s borders. Among other efforts exerted by the government are improving security and preparing for the presidential election process, he said. “It remains important that all parties in Lebanon continue to work together in the same spirit under which the new government was formed in order to tackle the very significant security and humanitarian challenges the country faces,” he added. An Nahar daily said Wednesday that the representatives of the permanent members of the Security council were in contact among each other and the Lebanese presidency and the premiership to avoid a further deterioration in the security situation. The ambassadors warned that the recent road closures would have “uncalculated consequences,” the newspaper said. The diplomats urged the security agencies to control the situation on the streets, it added.

Soldier Killed as Israel Bombs Syria Army after Golan Attack
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Israel launched air raids against Syrian army positions early Wednesday and issued a stark warning to Damascus just hours after a bomb on the occupied Golan Heights wounded four Israeli soldiers. The Syrian army said one soldier had been killed and seven others wounded in strikes on its bases in the Quneitra region, which it denounced as "acts of aggression" that endangered regional stability. The bombing marked the most serious escalation along the ceasefire line with Syria since the 1973 Middle East War, with Israel's defense minister warning that Damascus would pay a "high price" for helping militants bent on harming the Jewish state. Although there was no claim of responsibility for Tuesday's roadside bomb attack which targeted soldiers patrolling the Israel-Syria ceasefire line, Israel has raised the alarm about increased activity there by Lebanon's Hizbullah, calling it a "new threat" for the Jewish state. Militants from the powerful Shiite movement, who fought a bloody war with Israel in 2006, are now fighting alongside the Syrian army against rebels seeking to overthrow the Damascus regime. Following the Golan attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would act "forcefully" to defend itself, with the air force making good on his pledge several hours later.
The pre-dawn strikes targeted a Syrian army training facility, a military headquarters and artillery batteries, the Israeli army said. "Our policy is clear: we hurt those who hurt us," Netanyahu told ministers on Wednesday. Tuesday's attack, which injured four paratroopers, one severely, was the third such incident in two weeks along Israel's northern frontiers. Two previous attempts to strike soldiers along Israel's northern borders on March 5 and March 14 were blamed on Hizbullah. "We see the Assad regime as responsible for what is happening under its authority, and if it continues to cooperate with terror elements who seek to harm Israel, we will make it pay a high price," Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement. "We will react with determination and force against anyone operating against us, at any time and any place, as we have done tonight," he said. Calm returned following the strikes although three Israeli tanks could be seen positioned along the ceasefire line, just southeast of the Druze town Majdal Shams, an AFP correspondent said. In the town, which is populated by Druze residents many of whom are fiercely loyal to Damascus, there was anger over the Israeli raids. "It was an unacceptable act," said Ali Abu Saleh, a man in his 30s with an outsized moustache, accusing Israel of trying to topple Assad.
"Israel has no right to strike inside Syria," agreed bookshop owner Sagar Abu Slah. "It's a Syrian internal war. Israel shouldn't interfere but nor should Hizbullah."
Israel, which is technically at war with Syria, seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights plateau during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community. Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, the plateau has been tense, with a growing number of stray projectiles hitting the Israeli side, prompting an occasional armed response.
But the recent string of attempts to harm soldiers has raised fears that years of calm which have prevailed along Israel's northern frontiers may soon end. "There has been no such series of events in the north since the Second Lebanon War in 2006," said Haaretz newspaper, linking the surge in attacks to a February 24 air strike which targeted a Hizbullah position in Lebanon, which the group blamed on Israel. If the current escalation continues, Israel was liable to be drawn into "a more forceful response," the paper said, suggesting the military may have to "set a higher price tag" for such attacks. Yediot Aharonot also took a similar line saying Israel should consider sending a clear message in the form of "one or several hammers that will pound Damascus or Beirut powerfully and shake up somebody over there.""A policy of 'sit-still-and-do-nothing'... is an invitation to the next incident."
Source/Agence France Presse.

Israel strikes Syrian posts, warns Assad
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News/Wednesday, 19 March 2014
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/03/19/Israel-bombs-Syrian-military-posts-over-Golan-attack.html
Israeli air raids on Syria on Wednesday killed one soldier and injured seven, the Syrian army said, warning that the strikes endangered regional security and stability.
The army command in a statement said the strikes targeted military bases in the Quneitra region “leading to the martyrdom of one soldier and the wounding of seven others”. “We warn that these desperate attempts to escalate and exacerbate the situation in these circumstances by repeating these acts of aggression would endanger the security and stability of the region,” the statement added. The statement came after Israel announced it had carried out air raids overnight against several Syrian army positions that “aided and abetted” an attack against Israeli troops on Tuesday. Syria, which has long accused the rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad of ties to Israel, said the Jewish state's strikes were intended to bolster the opposition. “This new aggression is an attempt to divert attention from the successive victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army, particularly in Yabrud,” the statement said, referring to the army's capture of the former rebel bastion on Sunday. The Syrian army statement made no mention of Tuesday's attack that targeted the Israeli soldiers.
Attack on Syrian military posts
The Israeli army attacked several Syrian military sites on Wednesday in retaliation for Tuesday's attack on an Israeli patrol near the Golan Heights Frontier. Four soldiers were wounded in the assault. Israeli military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner, said the attacks targeted Syrian military headquarters, a training facility and artillery batteries, according to statements carried by Reuters. The Syrian fighting sometimes spills over into Israeli border communities, prompting occasional retaliations from Israel.
Israel warns Assad

Israel warned the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday that it would pay a “high price” for helping militant groups bent on attacking the Jewish state.
“We see the Assad regime as responsible for what is happening under its authority, and if it continues to cooperate with terror elements who seek to harm Israel, we will make it pay a high price,” Israel Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said. “We will not put up with any breach of our sovereignty or attack on our soldiers or citizens, and we will react with determination and force against anyone acting against us, at any time and any place, as we have done overnight,” Yaalon said in a statement. “Whoever tries to harm us takes his fate in his hands.”Syria's forces are supported in their battle against rebels seeking to topple Assad by fighters from Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shiite movement which battled Israel to a bloody stalemate in a 2006 war.(With Reuters and AFP)

Salam Vows to Confront Terrorism at Confidence Vote Session
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Prime Minister Tammam Salam vowed on Wednesday during the first day of a parliamentary vote of confidence session that his cabinet will take extraordinary measures to counter terrorism and fortify the capabilities of the security forces. “The cabinet is holding onto the unity of the state and its authority in all issues linked to the country's general policies... Amid the ongoing security deterioration in several areas across the country,” Salam said during a two-day parliamentary session to discuss his government's cabinet policy statement. He vowed that his cabinet will adhere to the constitution and implement the Taef accord, saying “we will undertake extraordinary measures to confront terrorist acts and fortify the capabilities of the army and the security forces to control the border.”Salam told lawmakers that the government will also commit to the state's dissociation policy to “safeguard the country amid the ongoing repercussions by crises in neighboring countries.”“The national interest needs to prevail,” the PM said. He considered in his speech that the cabinet will pursue the pressing challenges to oversee the upcoming presidential elections within the constitutional deadline, vowing to seek a new electoral law and achieving an administrative decentralization. The premier also remarked that he will “seek to revive the national dialogue and discussions over the state's defense strategy... to prevent the country from sliding over into sedition.”“Our cabinet is keen to strengthen ties with other countries and to cooperate with them... It will also respect the international decision and commit to implementing the United Nations Security Council's resolution 1701.” Salam said on behalf of his government that his cabinet will also set clear mechanism to deal with the crisis of Syrian refugees. He expressed hope that the formation of the government would have a positive impact on the country's economy.

Vatican Says Policy towards Lebanon 'Fixed', Tasks al-Rahi with Following Presidential Elections
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/The Vatican stressed on Wednesday that its agenda regarding the Lebanese presidential elections is explicit, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported. According to the daily, the Vatican tasked Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi with following up the matter. The newspaper said that the Vatican will only intervene to facilitate disputes over the upcoming presidential elections if the process was hindered by any obstacles. “The Vatican is seeking to sponsor a presidential settlement with Arab and International sides, a source at the Vatican told al-Joumhouria. President Michel Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate. Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil discussed on Tuesday with prominent figures at the Vatican the importance of maintaining stability in Lebanon to facilitate the cabinet's mission to oversee the upcoming presidential elections. Bassil held talks with the Vatican's secretary for Relations with States, Cardinal Pietro Barawlin, the Vatican foreign minister, Monsignor Dominique Mamberti and Monsignor Alberto Ortega, who is in charge of the file of the Lebanese state at the Vatican. A Vatican source described Bassil's visit as a normal visit carried out by any Lebanese official. “It will not change in the Vatican's policy towards Lebanon,” the source said.

Roads Blocked in Beirut over Killing of Young Man at Pro-Arsal Demo
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Protesters blocked two key roads in Beirut on Wednesday to condemn the death of the young man Hussam al-Shawwa who was hit by a bullet Tuesday during a pro-Arsal demo.
“A number of young men blocked the Sports City road with burning tires in protest at the death of the young man Hussam al-Shawwa,” state-run National News Agency reported. Al-Jadeed TV said the Qasqas road was also blocked with burning tires as mourners fired heavily in the air during Shawwa's funeral. Media reports said protesters also blocked the road in the nearby Shatila area. “Security forces reopened the Cola-Sports City road and the Qasqas-Tayyouneh road after dousing the burning tires,” MTV reported later on Wednesday. Shawwa's killing prompted some lawmakers to call for an investigation on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Al-Jazeera TV said "a man (Shawwa) was killed in Beirut's Tariq al-Jedideh as security forces dispersed a protest that was held in solidarity with Arsal." For its part, LBCI television said "the army's Military Police launched a probe into the killing of a man from the Shawwa family and the wounding of another during the dispersion of young men who had blocked the Qasqas road." Demonstrators had blocked several key roads throughout the country on Tuesday to protest the closure of the only route leading from and to the border town of Arsal by residents of neighboring al-Labweh. The army reopened the Labweh-Arsal road on Wednesday morning and sent reinforcements to Arsal and its outskirts as well as to neighboring towns in northern Bekaa. On Saturday, al-Labweh residents had blocked the road leading to and from Arsal in the wake of a rocket attack on their town that left a young man dead. They said that the rockets were fired by gunmen operating in Arsal's outskirts. The road was reopened on Sunday afternoon at the request of the family of the slain young man before it was blocked again late Sunday in the wake of a deadly suicide car blast that rocked the nearby town of al-Nabi Othman. Lebanon has been on edge since the Syrian town of Yabrud near the border was taken by President Bashar Assad's troops and Hizbullah fighters on Sunday. Its rebel defenders started pouring into Arsal, which is surrounded by villages that are sympathetic to Hizbullah. Lebanese aid organizations distributed a three-day emergency food supply to the neediest refugees in Arsal on Monday, a U.N. official said, but stressed that tens of thousands more had to rely on dwindling stocks within the town.

Salam to Win Confidence Vote as Parliament Discusses Policy Statement
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Parliament held a session on Thursday to discuss the policy statement of Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet, which is certain to win a vote of confidence. Lebanese Forces MP Strida Geagea was the first to withhold the confidence of the parliamentary bloc, saying however that the LF lawmakers would not obstruct the government's work. LF MPs Joseph al-Maalouf and Fadi Karam abided by the party's decision not to give its vote of confidence, making statements similar to Geagea. The LF has no representatives in Salam's 24-member cabinet although its allies in the March 14 alliance have participated in it. LF chief Samir Geagea, Strida's husband, has repeatedly rejected to share power with Hizbullah. “The only solution to end the status quo is to resort to the state legally and in practice,” MP Geagea told Salam, cabinet minsters and legislators, who attended the session. Geagea doubted that the policy statement would be able to resolve Lebanon’s security problems or help the state distance itself from the region's turmoil. Addressing Hizbullah, she said: “Let us all put our energy in the service of the state. Your capabilities are huge and you have different expertise.”To her allies in the March 14 alliance, Geagea said: “We have never been against dialogue. On the contrary, we engaged in talks with everyone ... to serve the interest of Lebanon and its people.” Addressing the parliament before her was former Premier Najib Miqati, a lawmaker from the northern city of Tripoli, who gave the cabinet his vote of confidence and on the behalf of Tripoli MP Ahmed Karami. Independent MP Robert Fadel and Change and Reform bloc lawmaker Ibrahim Kanaan followed suit. Kanaan, who spoke on behalf of members of the bloc, said the government should guarantee the appropriate circumstances for the election of a new president. He said Change and Reform gives it its vote of confidence for being a consensual cabinet and not on the basis of its policy statement. Al-Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri said in his statement that the state should regain its sovereignty. “We hope Lebanon would distance itself from the region's turmoil,” he said. "We disagree with some of our partners in the nation” over the involvement in Syria's war, the presence of illegitimate weapons in the country and noncooperation with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, he said. “I give Salam's cabinet my vote of confidence because it is a national interest government,” the MP added. Another two members of his bloc, Mohammed Qabbani and Moeen al-Merehbi, followed suit. Change and Reform bloc lawmaker Nehmatallah Abi Nasr and National Struggle Front MP Alaeddine Terro also gave their votes of confidence. Phalange MP Elie Marouni told lawmakers and ministers that his party “has always confronted the project to destroy the state.”Marouni, whose party first threatened to quit the cabinet over its rejection of the phrasing of the resistance clause of the policy statement, said: “We decided to confront ... from inside the government and parliament.”

15 Syrians, Including al-Nusra Members, Arrested at Arsal Checkpoint
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Fifteen Syrian nationals, including members of the extremist al-Nusra Front, were arrested Wednesday in the Bekaa border town of Arsal, according to state-run National News Agency.
NNA said the men were arrested at the army's Wadi al-Shaab checkpoint in Arsal for entering Lebanon with “fake identification papers.” The detainees will be referred to the Military Police for further investigations, according to the agency. On Tuesday, five Syrian nationals were arrested in the Akkar town of Shadra for entering Lebanon illegally. And on Monday, the army arrested two Lebanese and 19 Syrians in Wadi Khaled for entering Lebanon with a Kalashnikov rifle, two guns, ammunition, 30 mobile phones, a laptop and various foreign currencies in their possession. Since the eruption of the uprising in Syria in March 2011, security forces and the army have arrested a number of gunmen and individuals who sought to enter Lebanon illegally. The un-demarcated Lebanese-Syrian border has facilitated the flow of gunmen to and from Syria.

Intermittent Clashes Break out in Tripoli as Gunmen Target Army Vehicle
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/
Clashes in the northern city of Tripoli renewed on Wednesday between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported that clashes erupted at Syria Street during the funeral of Omar al-Ahmed, who died of wounds he sustained during the latest round of fighting in the city. VDL (100.5) also said a few sniper shots were targeting al-Mallouleh and the Abou Ali roundabout, while an RPG landed near Souk al-Qameh and another on al-Omari Street. A military vehicle was also targeted in the unrest, reported LBCI television. It added that First Sergeant Omran Habous was wounded by sniper gunshots fired from al-Rifa area in Jabal Mohsen.  A member of al-Khodr family from Jabal Mohsen was also injured by the sniper shots. The Tripoli clashes erupted on Thursday after the death of a resident from Jabal Mohsen. Prime Minister Tammam Salam had announced on Tuesday that a comprehensive security plan will be proposed for Tripoli, while rejecting the lawlessness in the city.

100 Narcotic Pills Seized at Tripoli Jail
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Security forces at Tripoli prison seized on Wednesday a number of narcotic pills that were going to be delivered to an inmate in the facility, reported the National News Agency.
It said that about a hundred benzhexol pills were found hidden in the handle of a mop that was delivered to a grocery store near the prison. A delivery boy was then supposed to send the mop, along with other items, to a prisoner at the jail. The pills were discovered when the items were inspected at the prison. In addition, security forces at the jail announced that they confiscated on Tuesday 13 mobile phones that were smuggled into the facility.

General Security: Five Detained Syrians Confessed to Belonging to Terrorist Network
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/The General Security announced on Wednesday that Syrian detainees it had arrested on Monday confessed to belonging to a terrorist network, reported the National News Agency.
It said that the five Syrians, who had entered Lebanon illegally, confessed to transporting a booby-trapped vehicle from Syria to Lebanon. The suspects transported a pickup truck, on behalf of the Nusra Front, from Syria's town of Yabrud to the outskirts of the Lebanese region of Arsal. The suspects have since been referred to State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr for further investigations.
The General Security added that it will not “hesitate in pursuing terrorist organizations,” saying that it will continue its efforts in coordination with the other security forces.

General Security: Five Detained Syrians Confessed to Belonging to Terrorist Network
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/The General Security announced on Wednesday that Syrian detainees it had arrested on Monday confessed to belonging to a terrorist network, reported the National News Agency.
It said that the five Syrians, who had entered Lebanon illegally, confessed to transporting a booby-trapped vehicle from Syria to Lebanon. The suspects transported a pickup truck, on behalf of the Nusra Front, from Syria's town of Yabrud to the outskirts of the Lebanese region of Arsal. The suspects have since been referred to State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr for further investigations.
The General Security added that it will not “hesitate in pursuing terrorist organizations,” saying that it will continue its efforts in coordination with the other security forces.

Four Rockets Strike Bekaa's Hermel, al-Aqidiyeh
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Four rockets struck two areas in the Bekaa region on Wednesday, causing no casualties.Two rockets fired from the Eastern Mountain Belt on the Lebanese-Syrian border landed in agricultural fields in the al-Aqidiyeh area near the central Bekaa town of Beit Shama, causing no casualties, state-run National News Agency reported. Earlier on Wednesday, two rockets from Syria hit the eastern town of Hermel. The two rockets reportedly landed near the Hermel public hospital. No casualties were were reported. Meanwhile, Free Lebanon radio said that Syrian jets carried out an airstrike on the outskirts of the eastern border town of Arsal. Earlier, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported that Syrian warplanes flew over the villages of Shadra and Mashta Hammoud in the northern district of Akkar  Arsal has a long shared border with Syria, stretching along much of Damascus province and part of Homs province. Several border areas in the north and east have been frequently struck by cross-border shelling, while the Syrian regime has told Lebanon to better control its porous border to prevent the smuggling of fighters and arms. Lebanon is sharply divided over the war in Syria and Arsal is a particular flashpoint as refugees from the uprising and fighters and smugglers hostile to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad traverse the border.

Plumbly Lauds Close Follow up of Refugees Issue, Reopening of Labweh-Arsal Road
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly lauded on Wednesday the determination of the government to follow up closely on the issue of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and the reopening of a vital road in the eastern Bekaa Valley. Following a meeting with Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas, Plumbly said: “I congratulated him on his new and heavy responsibilities.”
“I welcomed the determination of the new Lebanese government, particularly the minister himself, to follow up closely on the issue of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, their needs and the needs of the Lebanese communities hosting them,” he said. Plumbly also lauded “the government’s intention to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the issue and its intention to ensure close cooperation with the United Nations in addressing it.” The diplomat told reporters that their discussions focused on the situation of the refugees in the northeastern border town of Arsal, which is now home to 40,000 Lebanese and 52,000 Syrian refugees. Another 200 Syrian families arrived in Arsal over the past few days, fleeing fighting as Syrian troops seized the central strategic town of Yabrud near Lebanon's border, said Lisa Abu Khaled of the U.N.'s refugee agency. Plumbly welcomed the measures taken by the Lebanese army on Wednesday to reopen the Labweh-Arsal road, which was blocked by Hizbullah gunmen and Shiite residents of Labweh after several rocket attacks on Shiite towns and following the infiltration of rebels from Syria into the town. The reopening of the road “is very important for the continuity of the work of the U.N. agencies and other relief organizations there,” Plumbly said. Derbas also said he agreed with the U.N. diplomat “that assistance for the Syrian refugees is a joint responsibility of Lebanon, the United Nations, donor countries and the international community as a whole.” Plumbly “voiced his satisfaction with the measures taken by the Lebanese army to avoid a crisis,” he added.

Hizbullah: Labweh Road was Blocked to Call for Army Deployment in Arsal
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Hizbullah said Wednesday that the residents of the eastern town of al-Labweh had blocked the village’s road for having a single demand, which is the deployment of the army in the rival village of Arsal. Reading a statement from parliament ahead of the vote of confidence session, Hizbullah's Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan said: “The military's deployment will help control the security and constrain actions that are harmful to Arsal.”He said the residents blocked the Labweh-Arsal road after the fall of rockets on several Shiite towns and following car bombs in several regions, mainly Hermel, and despite appeals by the residents for the state to carry out its responsibilities to deploy in areas under attack. “They had a single demand, which was the deployment of the army in Arsal,” the statement said.
“This is a patriotic request,” he told reporters. “There shouldn't be any hindrance to the preservation of security. This is not just about Arsal but all areas in Lebanon,” he said. “There shouldn't be any rejection for the army and security forces to enter any area or any town in Lebanon,” the Hizbullah minister added. The army deployed in the Sunni town of Arsal along the border with Syria early Wednesday, reopening the main road out of the town after a night of tension. The town had been sealed off by residents from the mostly-Shiite neighboring town of al-Labweh. The closure of the main road out of Arsal prompted fury among Sunnis in other parts of Lebanon, and many took to streets across the country, including Beirut, on Tuesday night to burn tires in protest. On Monday, several rockets struck al-Labweh and al-Nabi Othman near Arsal. Some angry al-Labweh residents claimed the rockets were fired from Arsal and closed off the main road. But the blockade also appeared to be aimed at containing a fresh influx of Syrian rebels and refugees into Arsal since Sunday, when President Bashar Assad's troops and his Hizbullah allies captured the opposition stronghold of Yabrud just across the border.

Security Meeting at Baabda Palace Calls for Further Cooperation, Restoring Calm
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/A security meeting at the Baabda Palace on Wednesday ordered the competent ministries and security forces to intensify cooperation and take the necessary measures to restore calm in tensed areas across Lebanon. President Michel Suleiman chaired a security meeting that tackled the security chaos in several areas in the country, in particular, in the northern city of Tripoli and the Bekaa. The meeting was held in presence of Prime Minister Tammam Salam, the competent ministers and high-ranking security figures. The attendees ordered security agencies and ministries to further enhance cooperation, take the necessary measures to restore calm in the areas witnessing tension and to maintain stability.Later, Salam said during a parliamentary vote of confidence session that the participants decided to call on the Higher Defense Council to discuss a security plan set to restore the state's authority..On Saturday, al-Labweh residents blocked the road leading to and from Arsal in the wake of a rocket attack on their town that left a young man dead. They said that the rockets were fired by gunmen operating in Arsal's outskirts. The road was reopened on Sunday afternoon at the request of the family of the slain young man before it was blocked again late Sunday in the wake of a deadly suicide car blast that rocked the nearby town of al-Nabi Othman. On Tuesday, demonstrators blocked several key roads throughout the country to protest the continued closure of the only route leading from and to the border town of Arsal. The standoff around the eastern town is the latest in a growing spillover of the Syrian conflict into Lebanon. Arsal is a town of 40,000 Lebanese and 52,000 Syrian refugees for whom the road is a vital lifeline. Another 200 Syrian families have arrived in Arsal over the past few days, fleeing the fighting after Syrian troops seized Yabrud. Meanwhile, the latest fighting broke out on Thursday after a Sunni man was killed by unknown gunmen on a motorbike in central Tripoli. But tensions between the districts have run high for decades, only increasing with the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in March 2011, where Alawite President Bashar Assad faces a Sunni-dominated uprising. The Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood backs the revolt, while residents in Jabal Mohsen support the Syrian regime.

Geagea Says March 14 Shouldn't be Indifferent to Presidential Polls
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has urged the March 14 alliance not to be indifferent and to work on guaranteeing the election of a coalition candidate for the presidency.
“The March 14 alliance can't confront an important event such as the presidential elections with indifference,” Geagea told a delegation from Jbeil that visited him at his residence in Maarab. The coalition “should exert all necessary efforts to bring its candidate to the presidency,” he said. Geagea was asked by delegation members, who the March 14 candidate was. “The answer is that democracy should say its first and last words,” he replied. No one has yet officially announced his candidacy for the presidency as President Michel Suleiman's six-year term expires in May. Geagea told his visitors that the LF considers the presidential post as a means to reach objectives. “We are not in existence to become presidents,” he said, shying away from directly announcing his candidacy. “We are a traditional party and we are not after posts,” Geagea added. Constitutionally, the parliament should start convening March 25 to elect a new president. Several names have been mentioned for the post, including Geagea's arch foe Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

Russia Says U.S. Renounces Syria Peace 'Co-Sponsor' Role with Embassy Closure
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Russia said Wednesday the United States had renounced its "co-sponsor" role in negotiating peace in Syria by closing down the Syrian embassy in Washington. "By making such a unilateral move, our American partners in essence are depriving themselves of the role of co-sponsor of the process of political regulation in Syria and willy-nilly playing into the hands of the hard-core Syrian opposition," the foreign ministry said in a statement. The United States on Tuesday closed down the Syrian embassy in Washington and told Damascus it will no longer be able to operate two consulates in Michigan and Texas, citing the illegitimacy of President Bashar Assad's rule. Moscow said it viewed the move with "concern and disappointment" and that it went against an agreement drawn up by world powers in Geneva in June 2012 on a political transition that did not spell out Assad's future. It accused Washington of prioritizing regime change over the tasks of destroying Syria's chemical weapons and helping its people. "Resolving these without direct cooperation with the Syrian government is impossible," the statement said. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the decision was taken because "the illegitimacy of the Assad regime is so overwhelming."Source/Agence France Presse.

Report: Hizbullah in Possession of 'Dangerous' Nusra Front Documents
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/Hizbullah is in possession of documents belonging to terrorist groups containing maps on roads in Beirut's southern suburbs, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported. The road maps of the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front contained signs, the daily said. It did not explain how the Shiite party was able to seize the files. But said that Hizbullah was also in possession of papers that had “dangerous information” on al-Nusra Front and its supporters and financiers. They will be made public at the appropriate time, the daily said. Hizbullah has also information that 15 booby-trapped vehicles have entered Lebanon through “illegal and secret crossings” after the fall of the central Syrian town of Yabrud to government troops, al-Joumhouria said. The fall of the strategic town came after months of fighting in the mountainous Qalamoun region between Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and Hizbullah fighters on one side and the rebels, mostly Islamist militant groups, on the other. The rebels fleeing Yabrud have infiltrated Lebanon's northeastern town of Arsal, whose residents support the uprising against Assad.

Israel Beefs Up Security Measures along Border with Lebanon
Naharnet Newsdesk 19 March 2014/The Israeli army stepped up security measures on Wednesday along its border with Lebanon and the Golan Heights, the state-run National News Agency reported. The NNA said that Israeli armored personnel carriers deployed heavily in the occupied Shebaa Farms and the Golan Heights. The deployment was accompanied by the hovering of helicopters. Simultaneously, Israeli drones flew over several towns in southern Lebanon, reaching Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh). On Tuesday, a bomb along the Syria-Israel frontier in the occupied Golan Heights wounded four Israeli soldiers. Israel retaliated on Wednesday overnight with warplanes that struck Syrian army positions. It was one of several incidents this month on Israel's northern borders with Syria and Lebanon. Israel said Friday it shelled a position belonging to Hizbullah inside Lebanon, in response to a blast targeting its troops along the border. And the army said on March 5 it had opened fire on and hit two Hizbullah members as they tried to plant a bomb near the Israeli-Syrian ceasefire line.
Hizbullah, which supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, has threatened to retaliate after an air raid in February, in what was first reported Israeli strike on the group inside Lebanon since a devastating 2006 summer war between the arch-foes. There was no immediate indication that Hizbullah was involved in Tuesday's blast.

Kerry slams Israeli Defense Minister Ya'alon's Obama remarks

By MICHAEL WILNER, JPOST.COM STAFF/03/20/2014/In response to harsh US criticism of Ya'alon over comments he made about Obama, sources close to the defense minister say that some in the US have "marked" him for being a bothersome element in the peace talks. Moshe Ya'alon John KerryUS Secretary of State John Kerry called Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday morning to "protest" Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's criticism of US President Barack Obama, stopping short of calling for the minister's resignation, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
"Clearly his comments were not constructive," Psaki told reporters. "It is certainly confusing to us."
Psaki added that Kerry does not believe Ya'alon's comments "reflect the view of the government of Israel."
Ya'alon later apologized for his inflammatory comments in a phone conversation with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Wednesday evening.
"My comments were not intended to express opposition, criticism or offense to the United States or to our relationship with you," he said, adding that a strong strategic and personal relationship with the United States is Israel's top priority. "I highly appreciate the relationship between Israel and the United States on all levels, and specifically between our defense administrations. I have a very deep appreciation of our diplomatic relations and of you personally," he told Hagel. "I am fully committed to these relations and to cooperation between Israel and the United States all its forms."
Hagel responded by thanking Ya'alon for his clarification. "I acknowledge that some comments were taken out of context," he said, adding that he, too, appreciates their personal and diplomatic relationship.
Sources close to Ya'alon responded Wednesday to the harsh US criticism over remarks he made about Obama on Tuesday.
Ya'alon's sources claimed there are "some people" in the US that have marked the Defense Minister as a "bothersome element in the peace talks with the Palestinians," Israel Radio reported. The sources said that the Americans who oppose Ya'alon are seeking to deligitimize him because they know that he is a "hard nut to crack," according to the report.
The sources added that Ya'alon would continue to forward Israel's security concerns even if people try to tarnish his image.
Defense minister Ya'alon will clarify his comments to the Americans in private meetings, a source in his office said.
Netanyahu and Ya'alon discussed matter today, the source added. On Tuesday, the United States used unprecedented language to condemn Ya'alon after he continued weeks of criticism of Obama, and members of his foreign policy team, on Tuesday. “We were shocked by Moshe Ya’alon’s comments, which seriously call into question his commitment to Israel’s relationship with the United States," a senior administration official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night. "Moreover, this is part of a disturbing pattern in which the Defense Minister disparages the US Administration, and insults its most senior officials." Ya'alon said on Tuesday that, in light of developments on crises in the Middle East, relations with China and with Russia over the annexation of Crimea, Obama's "image in the world is feebleness." Ya'alon sensed "disappointment" in the world community, he said at Tel Aviv University.
"Given the unprecedented commitment that this administration has made to Israel’s security, we are mystified why the Defense Minister seems intent on undermining the relationship," the official continued. The defense minister also implied that US policy on Iran was pushing Israel to plan for war, should talks over its nuclear program fail in Vienna.
"At some stage the United States entered into negotiations with [the Iranians], and unhappily, when it comes to negotiating at a Persian bazaar, the Iranians were better," Ya'alon said.
Ya'alon's criticism of the US administration was extensive: he suggested the White House "come to its senses," or else risk new terrorist threats from around the world.
"Look what's happening in Ukraine, where the United States is demonstrating weakness, unfortunately," he continued. **Herb Keinon contributed to this report.

Israel’s bankrupt military policy for Gaza won’t work for Golan either
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 19, 2014/That Israel’s military chiefs have not yet come up with an answer for the attacks building up from Syrian territory - four this month - was apparent in its responses to the bomb which Tuesday, March 18 injured four paratroopers – one seriously – who were manning Post 104 near the Golan village of Majdal Shams. Artillery and rocket fire was instantaneously directed at a Syrian army post near Quneitra. Then, before dawn Wednesday, Israeli warplanes struck Syrian posts, command centers and artillery batteries in the Quneitra region of Syrian Golan.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon then issued a warning that the Assad regime would be held responsible for any attacks on “our sovereignty, soldiers and civilians” and pay a heavy price for "collaborating with terrorists."
The same old policy of holding a sovereign state responsible for terrorist action from its soil, a policy which never worked in the Gaza Strip, has apparently been recycled for the Golan. It won’t work there either.
Just as Hamas doesn’t control the pro-Iranian Jihad Islami, the Syrian army cannot prevent terrorists from planting roadside bombs and attacking Israeli targets from the Syrian Golan.
Predictably, the only effect of Israel’s Tammuz rocket was to relieve the pressure the Syrian Army’s 90th Brigade encampment had exerted on the rebels under Gen. Abdul-Illah’s command and embolden them to go on the offensive against the 90th brigade. Not only have Israeli’s military chiefs run out of ideas, but it was also evident from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s comments after the attack on the paratroopers that they have not identified its perpetrators. Until recently, the Lebanese Shiite Hizballah was the obvious assailant and presumed to be retaliating for Israel’s March 6 air strike on its weapons convoy on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
But then another player, Al Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant-ISIS, entered the picture to claim responsibility for the roadside bomb planted on March 14 against an Israeli military patrol in another sector, the disputed Shebaa Farms border intersection. No one was hurt then. Israel hit back at the old enemy by pounding Hizballah positions in the neighborhood.
ISIS is waging an implacable war against Hizballah in Syria and Lebanon. It is therefore hard to see the relevance of Hizballah to the Shebaa Farms attack – and therefore the point of Israel’s reprisal. Indeed it missed another point: By attacking Hizballah, Israel recognized the Lebanese terrorist organization’s armed presence in that part of southern Lebanon in breach of UN resolutions.
Netanyahu also noted that the Syrian border region with Israel has been filling up of late with jihadist and Hizballah elements, confronting Israel with fresh challenges. He praised his government’s success in keeping Israel clear and safe from the Syrian civil war and pledged to “aggressively guard Israeli security here too.”
DEBKAfile: The appearance of Al Qaeda and Hizballah in this area is hardly recent. For months, the two rival groups have been building up strength along Israel’s borders. On March 16, Hizballah gained a major victory by conquering jointly with the Syrian army the key mountain town of Yabroud near the Syrian-Lebanese border. Control of Yabroud provides Hizballah with another springboard for striking at IDF border targets from Syrian soil.
The hostile forces around Israel’s borders are gaining ground. Adhering to the unimaginative tit-for-tat template that failed in the Gaza Strip will not deter them. Unless Israel’s leaders come up with better and more effective ideas, Israel's northern and southern fronts are in for what the military call a war of attrition.

Russia threatens to change stance on Iran because of Crimea sanctions
Associated Press/Ynetnews/Published: 03.19.14/In clearest threat to US, Russia warns it will take advantage of nuclear talks with Iran to 'raise stakes' in response to actions taken by US and EU in wake of Crimea annexation. A senior Russian diplomat says Moscow may change its stance in the Iranian nuclear talks amid tensions with the West. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted Wednesday as saying by the Interfax news agency that Russia didn't want to use the Iranian nuclear talks to "raise stakes," but may have to do so in response to the actions by the United States and the European Union.
The statement is the most serious threat of retaliation by Moscow after the U.S. and the EU announced sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.
World powers have not seen any impact so far from tension with Russia over the Ukrainian region of Crimea on nuclear talks with Iran, a spokesman for the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.The powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - adjourned a new round of nuclear talks described as "substantive and useful" Wednesday, only two day after Washington and the EU imposed sanctions on Russian officials. Talks are set to resume April 7 in Vienna. The two sides spoke at the end of two days of negotiations focused on curbing Tehran's atomic activities in exchange for full sanctions relief. Their joint statement was read by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who speaks for the six countries negotiating with Iran, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif.
"I haven't seen any negative effect," spokesman Michael Mann told reporters on Tuesday while talks were still in full swing. "We continue our work in a unified fashion".
The talks ended in deadlock with the two sides at odds over Iran's Arak nuclear reactor, which Western powers fear could yield weapons-grade plutonium. "It's a gap (on enrichment) that's going to take some hard work to get to a place where we can find some agreement," a senior US administration official said after the latest round of negotiations on Iran's atomic program in Vienna. However, Tehran's foreign minister voiced optimism that their July 20 deadline for a deal is within reach

US: 'Hard work' needed to agree with Iran on enrichment
News agencies/Published: 03.19.14/ Ynetnews
Iran and 6 world powers lock horns over Arak nuclear reactor that could yield plutonium as negotiations meeting comes to end.
VIENNA - It will be very difficult to overcome differences between Iran and six world powers over Tehran's uranium enrichment programme, though all parties aim to adhere to their 6-month deadline to reach a nuclear deal, a senior US official said on Wednesday.
"It's a gap (on enrichment) that's going to take some hard work to get to a place where we can find some agreement," the senior US administration official said after the latest round of negotiations on Iran's atomic programme in Vienna.
The official said the differences over Iran's planned Arak heavy-water reactor, which Western powers fear could yield weapons-grade plutonium, remained similarly wide. However, Tehran's foreign minister voiced optimism that their July 20 deadline for a deal is within reach. Negotiators for Iran and six world powers on Wednesday adjourned what they described as "substantive and useful" nuclear talks and said they will resume April 7 in Vienna.
The two sides spoke at the end of two days of negotiations focused on curbing Tehran's atomic activities in exchange for full sanctions relief. Their joint statement was read by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who speaks for the six countries negotiating with Iran, and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif.
At this week's round, the two sides attempted to iron out their positions on two of the most thorny issues: the level of uranium enrichment conducted in Iran, and its Arak heavy water reactor that the West sees as a possible source of plutonium. The United States has called on Iran to scrap or radically alter the planned reactor, but Tehran has so far rejected that idea while hinting they could modify it. A Western diplomat said on condition of anonymity that the goal of the current round of negotiations was not to reach any final agreements. "The goal of these sessions is not to solve any topics at this point (but) to be talking through the gaps and working on how to narrow them," the diplomat told Reuters. Western nations want to ensure that the Arak reactor, which is still under construction, is modified sufficiently to ensure it poses no bomb profiferation risk. Iran insists the facility will be free to operate under any deal, saying it will be geared solely to producing radio-isotopes for medical treatments.
Possible options that could allow Iran to keep the reactor while satisfying the West that it would not be used for military purposes include reducing its megawatt capacity and altering the way it would be fuelled.
Iran and the six powers aim to wrap up a lasting settlement by late July, when their groundbreaking interim deal from last November expires and would need to be extended, complicating diplomacy.
The talks are meant to overcome ingrained mutual mistrust and give the West confidence that Iran would not be able to produce atomic bomb and Tehran - in return - deliverance from economic sanctions that have crippled the OPEC state's economy. Iran denies that its declared civilian atomic energy programme is a front for developing the means to make nuclear weapons, but its restrictions on U.N. inspections and Western intelligence about bomb-making research raised concerns. Tehran's chief delegate voiced optimism about the talks.
"At this stage we are trying to get an idea ... of the issues that are involved and how each side sees various aspects of this problem," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif told Reuters at the start of the second day of talks in Vienna. Asked whether he expected negotiators to be able to meet their deadline, he said: "Yes, I do ... I am optimistic about July 20".
Zarif said talks were going well so far but few details have emerged. One Western diplomat told Reuters on Tuesday that no agreements on any individual issues would be reached at the Vienna discussions, expected to end late on Wednesday. The sides are conscious it may be difficult to reach gradual deals without having the overall picture in sight and are insisting that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".
Much of the progress so far has been achieved since last year's election of pragmatist President Hassan Rouhani, who launched a policy of "constructive engagement" to end Iran's international isolation. Since then, the day-to-day relations between Iranian and six-power negotiators have improved dramatically, with senior officials addressing each other by their first names and using English in talks, rather than going through onerous translation.
But the vast gap of expectations about the final deal could still scupper diplomacy.
Both the U.S. and Iranian delegations - the two pivotal players in the negotiations - face intense pressure from hawkish critics back home. In Washington, a big majority of U.S. senators urged President Barack Obama to insist that any final agreement state that Iran "has no inherent right to enrichment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty". That would be a non-starter for Iran, which cites a right under the NPT to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes. The final settlement will also have to address the acceptable level of uranium enrichment, the extent of research Iran is allowed to conduct into new enrichment technologies, and its remaining nuclear facilities. The powers will also want to spread out the sanctions relief over years, or possibly decades, to ensure they maintain their leverage over Tehran and that it meets its end of the deal. The Islamic Republic has already suspended its most sensitive, higher-grade enrichment - a potential path towards bomb fuel - under the November accord and won modest respite from sanctions. The Vienna talks were being held under the shadow of the Ukraine crisis, which has pitted the United States and the European Union against Russia over its move to annex the Russian-majority Ukrainian region of Crimea. Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Abbas Araqchi, said that the crisis in Ukraine - the worst confrontation between the West and the East since the Cold War - had so far had "no impact" on talks with the six nations. "We also prefer the (powers) to have a unified approach for the sake of negotiations," he told reporters late on Tuesday, noting that the first day of talks was "positive and very good". A spokesman for European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the six, said the powers were working in a "unified fashion". Araqchi said that the next round of talks were expected to be held in the Austrian capital on April 7-9. In the past, Russia has generally enjoyed warmer relations with the Islamic Republic and suggested Western fears about any nuclear weapons designs by Tehran are overblown. Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report

U.S. challenges Russia on the Syrian chessboard
Wednesday, 19 March 2014/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya
After three years of bloody war in Syria, Washington closed the Syrian embassy, as Assad’s regime “has no legitimacy” and Washington considers the Syrian embassy in the U.S. an insult. The U.S. then freezes the diplomatic relations with Syria. This breaking news hits the headlines of the world’s news agencies. But is this news really breaking, or just long overdue?
The Syrian conflict, as it was mentioned, started three years ago and the death toll already amounts to more than 140,000 people, while some argue that the real number remains unknown. We could endlessly discuss who is to blame for this bloodshed as there is not “right” answer, a common trend of all civil wars.
However, the current state of play is that the Syrian opposition is absolutely fragmented; that Islamists and jihadists from abroad fight on the side of the Free Syrian Army, that Syrian territory has been completely invaded by numerous brigades of the al-Qaeda backed terrorist groups that represent a threat to regional and world stability. In this case, other questions over the conflict should be raised - not who is to blame, but how to stop it.
Knock on effect
The decision to freeze diplomatic ties comes after the decision by Syrian parliament to hold presidential elections in the areas under government control this summer; President Bashar al-Assad is likely to be one of the several candidates to run. Earlier, the U.N. envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said that Syrian elections now would not contribute to peace efforts, as the opposition would not be interested in pursuing further peace talks with the government. But the U.S. decision to sever diplomatic ties cannot be explained solely by the erroneous decision of the Syrian government, the story is far more complicated.
The Ukrainian case pushes the U.S. to defeat the Russian Federation in other geopolitical fields
The success of the Geneva-II talks, that took place in January, resides only in the fact that they took place and were not interrupted during the supposed period. They have not yielded any tangible results, and in this sense it is still a failure. However, the principles of the 2012 Geneva communiqué stay the only possible and adequate way to settle the conflict. Nevertheless, some actors on the world stage are not so satisfied with this situation and demonstrated numerous times their readiness to act divergently, breaking the agreements. Here is when the matter comes to the United States. The Russian Federation, that stays strong on the principles of the Geneva communiqué as the basis of the conflict regulation, criticized the U.S. for taking steps that violate the principles. The “hawks” have already demonstrated their lack of interest in such apparently peaceful initiatives, backed by other great powers. This refers especially to those who are not in their camp – in other words, those whose interests do not match.
Critical month
March is a critical month for Syria as the deadline for dismantling its chemical weapons arsenal is approaching (it is set for April). Chemical weapons in Syria seemed the only reason that restrained the U.S. from taking more militant steps on the field. After the Geneva-II, my exchange of views with colleagues has shown that the expert circles are waiting for the development of the coercive scenario to be realized by the U.S. right after the last shipments of chemical weapons leave the Syrian shores. Moreover, the elections for Congress will take place in the U.S., and democrats need to gain scores in the eyes of their electorate. What can be better for these goals than a brutal demonstration of American force and power?
The partial failure of the Geneva-II talks, home affairs agenda and the Syrian decision to hold the presidential elections are pushing the U.S. towards more active steps, whatever the world community may think about them.
Moreover, the Ukrainian case pushes the U.S. to defeat the Russian Federation in other geopolitical fields. Despite the tough game and threats, the U.S. looses the game over Ukraine, as Moscow has widely demonstrated its power and will to defend its interests. Also, it was revealed that both Europe and the U.S. have little resources to influence or isolate Russia. Furthermore, last year was a positive one for Russian diplomacy, especially in Syria. So, the U.S. needs revenge. The greatest problem of Syria is not the jihadists or terrorists, neither is it the regime of Bashar al-Assad, nor is it the fragmented opposition. The greatest problem of Syria is that it has become the geopolitical battlefield of two major great powers and their allies with opposite points of view on the conflict. As a result, the crisis in Syria becomes the hostage of U.S. domestic affairs and the international context and has been complicated by the Ukrainian case. All in all - it is a matter of principle for the U.S. to regain its position and to show its might due to its perceived failure in Ukraine. How brutal the response and policy of the United States towards Syria will be – time is yet to show. Yet, a Libyan-type scenario, even without approval from the U.N. Security Council, does not seem very unlikely in the current circumstances.

Is an Aoun presidency more realistic?
March 20, 2014/By Michael Young/The Daily Star

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2014/Mar-20/250749-is-an-aoun-presidency-more-realistic.ashx#axzz2wS9aYQQ8
Some circles in March 14 are openly talking about the possibility that Michel Aoun, all 80 years of him, may be the next president of Lebanon after Michel Sleiman’s term ends in May.
While this may be speculation, that it is being discussed at all indicates how the political scene has changed since 2008, when Sleiman took office. So what would a serious Aoun presidency entail and how would it gain steam?
Earlier this year a rapprochement was organized between Saad Hariri and Aoun, thanks to the efforts of Gebran Bassil and Nader Hariri. While it is unlikely that any agreement was reached, those offering up theories of a deal suggest that it would go something like this: Aoun would have the support of the Future Movement in his presidential bid, while Hariri would return to Lebanon to be prime minister.
This is a bit too clear-cut to be convincing, but there is nevertheless a mood in Future ranks that Aoun as president would be very different than Aoun as presidential aspirant. Once he is in a position of authority, the argument goes, he would be less likely to cover for Hezbollah’s transgressions.
Sudden reversals are not new to March 14. In 2006-2007, Sleiman was widely viewed as Syria’s and Hezbollah’s candidate to replace Emile Lahoud. March 14 had put forward two candidates of its own, Nassib Lahoud and Boutros Harb, to block such an eventuality. Yet in November 2007 the mood in the Future Movement changed when it supported Sleiman, again based on a belief that most presidents will defend their institution and the state whatever their prior political positions.
Sleiman has doubtless lent credibility to that premise. But a successful Aoun candidacy poses a number of other questions as to who will support him and what may happen in the parliamentary elections come November.
The conventional wisdom is that Hezbollah, though an ally of Aoun, does not really want him as president. Rather, the party prefers to have a Maronite entirely beholden to it, which narrows the list to two front-runners: the Army commander Jean Kahwagi and the Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh.
The only problem with both individuals is that, given their status as grade-one civil servants, a constitutional amendment would be required to allow them to stand for election. And Hezbollah does not have the two-thirds parliamentary majority required to amend the Constitution.
The reality is that the party, whether it wants Aoun or not, would have little choice but to vote for him if he declared himself a candidate. The presidency cannot be seen in isolation from the parliamentary elections later this year, and Hezbollah cannot afford to forego Aounist Christian support in that contest.
What of Walid Jumblatt? His enthusiasm for an Aoun presidency is next to nil, but the Druze leader is a realist. If there is something vital to be gained by endorsing Aoun, then Jumblatt may go along with it. That is why he would seek guarantees that the parliamentary elections will be held on the basis of the 1960 election law. The law grants him political preeminence in Aley and the Chouf and is of existential importance to him.
Jumblatt’s support for Aoun would provide another advantage, this time to Hezbollah. With the Jumblatt bloc, Hezbollah and Aoun would hold a majority in parliament against what remains of March 14. Hezbollah does not want to depend on the Druze leader, but in the absence of alternatives it will probably accept a situation that grants Jumblatt a swing vote in Parliament.
Even if Jumblatt is unreliable, the Druze leader will almost certainly continue to side with the majority in order to remain politically relevant. That is doubly true in the event that Bashar Assad prevails in Syria, which would give Jumblatt much less latitude to turn against Hezbollah and its allies.
The 1960 law is equally of benefit to Aoun and Hezbollah. It gives them an unbeatable majority in several key districts where they are allied, and has repeatedly allowed Aoun to overcome his Christian rivals, above all the Lebanese Forces. Despite the Aounists’ public rejection of the 1960 law last year, if Aoun were to become president, he would do everything in his power to keep the law in place, as it would allow him to buttress his presidency with a significant Christian bloc in parliament.
Moreover, an Aoun presidency could be used to counteract the main Christian protest against the 1960 law: that it marginalizes Christians. The Aounists would argue that by reinforcing a President Aoun, the law would contradict that assertion. A more realistic reading of the Aoun affair is that the Future Movement would not back Aoun’s candidacy, but that Hariri and Aoun may have agreed to something else. Constitutionally, a two-thirds quorum is required to hold a presidential election. Hariri might not persuade his parliamentarians to vote for Aoun, but he can oblige them to attend an election session, in that way ensuring there is a quorum allowing a vote to go ahead. According to the Constitution, if a candidate cannot win a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting, a second round is held, in which candidates need only an absolute majority of 65 votes to win. Aoun, if he is backed by Hezbollah, which may then force Nabih Berri to go along, would have most of the votes. For him to win, however, Jumblatt would have to rally behind Aoun, which is plausible if the 1960 law is preserved.
A lot will happen between now and the May presidential election. Aoun may be a credible candidate, or he may not be. But one thing is increasingly obvious: Walid Jumblatt holds the balance of power in Parliament, and he will use the election to safeguard that weapon. His political survival may depend on it.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR. He tweets @BeirutCalling.