LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 12/14

Bible Quotation for today/‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.

Luke 5,1-11/: "Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.".

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For May 12/14

Gemayel Hails Geagea's 'Positive Proposal' to Withdraw Presidential Candidacy Should Need Arise
Naharnet /Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel stressed that contacts between various political leaderships is necessary in order to stage the presidential elections, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday.
He praised to the daily Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's recent “positive” proposal to withdraw his candidacy from the presidential elections if a deal was reached to back the candidacy of another March 14 alliance member. Asked by the daily if his tour on various officials earlier during the week will pave the way to him running in he elections, Gemayel replied by stressing the importance of staging the polls and saving the republic. “Contacts between the leaderships is necessary at this stage, because the lack of communication signifies the loss of hope,” he explained. “We set in place a means to communicate between the major political powers,” he revealed. Meanwhile, sources close to Gemayel told An Nahar daily Sunday that his talks with political leader were “difficult, but they paved the way for further contacts in the future.” They also denied that he had presented himself as a candidate. They said that his “most pessimistic talks” took place with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, who had expressed doubts over the possibility of electing a president before the end of the constitutional deadline on May 25.
His talks with Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun were described as “relaxed,” while Gemayel described them as “existential and national.”
For his part, Aoun thanked the Kataeb chief for his initiative to hold talks with political leaders in an attempt to bridge the divide between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over the elections.
He voiced his optimism that his meetings will meet the desired results. Gemayel has met with several leaders in the country in the past week as part of his initiative to resolve the presidential deadlock.
He has held talks so far with Geagea, Aoun, Franjieh and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat. The ongoing disagreement between the March 8 and 14 camps is raising fears that they will fail to elect a president before May 25, resulting in vacuum in the country's top post. One presidential elections session was held on April 23, but neither Geagea nor Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou garnered the necessary 86 votes to emerge victorious. Two other sessions were supposed to be held, but they failed over lack of quorum after a March 8 camp boycott over the ongoing disagreement over a candidate. The fourth session is scheduled for May 15.

Hizbullah Delegation to Visit Bkirki to 'Dissuade al-Rahi from Jerusalem Visit'
Naharnet/A delegation from Hizbullah is expected to visit Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Tuesday on the occasion of Liberation Day and a time of heated debates over his visit to Jerusalem, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Sunday. The daily said that the delegation will indirectly attempt to persuade the patriarch against making the trip or thank him for canceling it should he do so before Tuesday.
Liberation Day, marking the end of Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, falls on May 25. President Michel Suleiman had recently informed al-Rahi that it was preferable for him not to visit the Holy Land later this month over controversy over the planned trip. The president also expressed readiness to provide political cover to any stance made by the Maronite patriarchate to go back on the decision to go ahead with the visit. Al-Rahi had however reportedly defended his decision to accompany Pope Francis to Jerusalem and hinted that he would not change his mind, saying that as Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, it is his duty to welcome the Pope in any country in the region. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Thursday al-Rahi was not part of the official delegation heading to the Holy Land and was going on his own initiative. Al-Rahi would be the first patriarch to travel to Israel since the Jewish state was created in 1948.

Report: Mustaqbal, LF Say Hizbullah Seeking to Impose its Presidential Candidate or Vacuum
Naharnet/The Mustaqbal Movement and Lebanese Forces held a meeting on Friday to discuss the latest developments linked to the presidential elections, agreeing that Hizbullah is adopting policies “that do not favor Lebanon's interests,” reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday. It said that the meeting between Mustaqbal and LF officials, in the presence of an unnamed major political figure, concluded that Hizbullah is attempting to impose its candidate or vacuum in the presidency through the ongoing obstruction of quorum at parliament. They said that the March 14 camp would be forced to ally itself with the candidate. “Hizbullah is pushing Lebanon towards adopting policies that are greater than it,” said the gatherers without elaborating. They agreed to counter the party's measures by committing to LF chief Samir Geagea's nomination and urging lawmakers and political blocs to take part in presidential elections session at parliament. “Taking part in the elections is part of civil resistance,” stressed the Mustaqbal Movement and LF. The ongoing disagreement between the March 8 and 14 camps is raising fears that they will fail to elect a president before May 25, resulting in vacuum in the country's top post.
One presidential elections session was held on April 23, but neither Geagea nor Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou garnered the necessary 86 votes to emerge victorious.
Two other sessions were supposed to be held, but they failed over lack of quorum after a March 8 camp boycott over the ongoing disagreement over a candidate. The fourth session is scheduled for May 15.

Foreign Maid Jumps Off Seventh Floor in Dahieh
Naharnet/A foreign domestic worker attempted suicide Sunday by throwing herself off the seventh floor of a building on the Hadi Nasrallah Street in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Al-Jadeed television said “medics and security forces immediately arrived on the scene.”A video aired by the TV network shows an ambulance crew attending to the maid and dressing what appears to be a major wound on her leg. “What has she done to herself?” a citizen asks another in the footage as curious onlookers gather around the wounded woman amid the sirens of speeding ambulances.
On March 17, an employee and a secretary of an agency for the recruitment of migrant domestic workers were arrested after an Ethiopian maid filed a report alleging that she was raped and assaulted at the agency's offices. In 2012, Ethiopian housemaid Alem Dechasa, 34, committed suicide at a psychiatric hospital east of Beirut a few days after she was beaten by a man in Beirut. Human Rights Watch documented deaths of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon in 2008 and found that there had been an average of one death a week from unnatural causes, including suicide and falls from tall buildings.
Many of the estimated 200,000 foreign domestic workers in Lebanon hail from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Ethiopia. The most common complaints documented by the embassies of labor-sending countries and civil society groups include mistreatment by recruiters, non-payment or delayed payment of wages, forced confinement to the workplace, a refusal to provide any time off for the worker, forced labor, and verbal and physical abuse.

Al-Rahi: Those Seeking, Causing Presidential Vacuum Will Bear Historic Responsibility
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday blamed the presidential vacuum that has started to loom on the horizon on “those who are seeking it and those who might cause it,” rejecting what he described as a “maneuver.”“We warn of the consequences of presidential vacuum and those seeking it or causing it will bear a historic responsibility,” al-Rahi said during Sunday's mass in Harissa.
“Vacuum is totally rejected by us and by the people because it would harm the National Pact (of coexistence) through eliminating a main component” of society, the patriarch added.
He noted that vacancy in the country's top post would also violate the constitution as it would “contradict with the constitutional responsibility that obliges MPs to elect a president,” stressing that “any other interpretation is a maneuver aimed at reaching vacuum.” On Saturday, Bkirki spokesman Walid Ghayyad said al-Rahi had informed Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil – a Free Patriotic Movement official and son-in-law of FPM chief Michel Aoun -- that the election of a president by May 25 would be guaranteed by the attendance of all lawmakers to the parliamentary session. Ghayyad noted that the patriarch expressed his dismay at “Christian MPs who are boycotting electoral sessions and violating the Bkirki agreement.” On Thursday, al-Rahi held separate talks with President Michel Suleiman and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who announced for the first time that he is willing to leave the presidential race once the March 14 forces agree on a consensual candidate. The ongoing disagreement between the March 8 and 14 camps is raising fears that they will fail to elect a president before May 25, resulting in a vacuum in the country's top post. The 128-member parliament held a presidential election session on April 23, but neither Geagea nor Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou garnered the necessary 86 votes to emerge victorious. Two other sessions were supposed to be held, but they failed over lack of quorum amid a boycott by the March 8 camp. The fourth session is scheduled for May 15.

15 Syrians Arrested in Arsal in Three Days
Naharnet/The army arrested this week in the Bekaa border town of Arsal 15 Syrian citizens on charges of illegal entry into the country and involvement in security-linked cases. “Over the past three days, the Lebanese Army apprehended in the town of Arsal 15 Syrians, some of whom had entered Lebanon illegally and others are involved in security-linked cases,” state-run National News Agency reported.
The detainees were referred to the relevant authorities, NNA added. On Saturday, an armed Syrian national was arrested in Arsal as he was trying to infiltrate the border region.
Ever since the Syrian revolt erupted in March 2011, Arsal has served as a key conduit for refugees, rebels and wounded people fleeing strife-torn Syria. Last week, the army said it arrested seven Syrians in Arsal for trying to enter Lebanon illegally.

Marten Youssef: Contempt Case Not Aimed at Silencing Media, but Protecting STL Witnesses
Naharnet/Spokesperson for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Marten Youssef defended the tribunal's summons of two Lebanese journalists and two media organizations on charges of contempt for interfering with the administration of justice, saying that legal measures should be taken against the publication of secret affairs linked to trials, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday.
He told the daily that the contempt case is not aimed at silencing the Lebanese media, but protecting the witnesses in the case. It is also aimed at ensuring that justice is not obstructed, he added. Asked why the journalists and media organizations are being charged and not the source, likely from the STL, who leaked the information on the witnesses, he replied that the investigator in the contempt case did not find evidence that proves that the information was leaked by sources from within the STL. Youssef stressed however that discovering the source of the leak is part of the case that kicks off on Tuesday.
He explained that the protection of witnesses entails prosecuting media that publishes information that may endanger them, as well as sources that leaked the information, and finally securing their safety.
Any tribunal must take action should it discover a threat to the lives of the witnesses, Youssef stated. Sources from the tribunal revealed to al-Hayat that some witnesses contacted the STL upon the publication of their names, saying that they felt threatened by the development. The tribunal is aware that strenuous efforts are being exerted in order to threaten the witnesses and demonstrate that the STL cannot be trusted due to the leaks made to the media, they added. It therefore had to take legal measures against sides that threaten the witnesses, they explained. The Contempt Judge at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has ordered initial appearances on Tuesday of the accused in the case against New TV S.A.L. and Karma Khayat, and of the accused in the case against Akhbar Beirut S.A.L. and Ibrahim al-Amin. The two journalists and two media organizations were charged with contempt before the tribunal for knowingly and willfully interfering with the administration of justice.
New TV S.A.L. and Khayat, the network's deputy news and political program manager, are charged with “knowingly and willfully interfering with the administration of justice by broadcasting and/or publishing information on purported confidential witnesses” and “knowingly and willfully interfering with the administration of justice by failing to remove from al-Jadeed TV’s website and al-Jadeed TV’s YouTube channel information on purported confidential witnesses.” Akhbar Beirut S.A.L. and al-Amin, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, are charged with “knowingly and willfully interfering with the administration of justice by publishing information on purported confidential witnesses in the Ayyash et al. Case.” In April last year, a list of 167 names of so-called witnesses for the former Premier Rafik Hariri trial was published by a previously unknown group identified as "Journalists for the Truth". The group said it wanted to "unveil the corruption" of the STL.Both al-Akhbar and al-Jadeed published the list. Several lawmakers voiced their solidarity with the journalists and slammed the STL for its actions. Hizbullah's MP Hassan Fadlallah said that the move is an assault on the freedom of the Lebanese, warning: “Any journalist uncovering the corruption of the tribunal will have the same fate as al-Khayat and al-Amin.” The STL, established at Lebanon's request, seeks to try five members of Hizbullah for the attack that killed former PM Hariri and 22 others on February 14, 2005, in Beirut.

Syria Presidential Campaigns Begin as Assad Office Urges Citizens to Express Opinion Freely
Naharnet/Campaigning began Sunday for Syria's June 3 presidential election expected to return Bashar Assad to power, as the regime marked a symbolic victory with the exit of rebels from Homs.
In Damascus, campaign posters lauding Assad hung on shopping streets and in public gardens, in the run-up to the country's first multi-candidate presidential vote. The election is being staged despite a raging civil war, with dozens of people killed every day nationwide. Polling will be held only in government-controlled territory, excluding large areas held by rebels, and refugees who fled through unofficial crossings are barred from voting. Nevertheless, the president's office in a statement "called on all Syrians to express their opinion on any candidate in full freedom and transparency through the ballot box on election day." It urged Syrians to respect the campaign period and praised the "civilized" and "pluralistic" election process. Assad, standing for his third seven-year term, came to office in 2000 after the death of his father and predecessor Hafez Assad, who had been in power since 1970. He faces two opponents, both largely unknown, who qualified from a pool of 23 who sought to stand against him. Maher Abdel Hafiz Hajjar is an independent MP and former communist party member from Syria's second city Aleppo, and Hassan Abdullah al-Nouri is a Damascus businessman who was a member of the tolerated internal opposition. In the capital, a few posters for Nouri's campaign could be seen, calling for a "battle against corruption," a "free economy" and the "return of the middle class." His campaign broadcasts have also aired on state television. In the Baramkeh neighborhood, a Hajjar campaign billboard bore his photo and the slogan "Sovereignty belongs to the people, they have the final word, Syria belongs to those who build it." But the Assad campaign dominated the landscape, with dozens of posters showing the Syrian flag overlaid with the word "together" and his signature. Several residents professed ignorance when asked about those standing against him, including 55-year-old housewife Mayada, who said she was backing Assad. "We hope that people outside Syria understand that this is our country, this is our president and we don't want anyone else," she told Agence France Presse. In a public garden near the commercial center of Salhieh, pictures of the president hung alongside images of his father and Lebanon's Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. In the Sabaa Bahrat neighborhood, one billboard posted "by citizens of Syria" proclaimed: "We won't close our eyes until we have said yes to the ophthalmologist" -- Assad is an eye specialist by training. Elsewhere, posters read: "Our Bashar, we will not accept a president other than you. We have chosen you, you have our loyalty."
Outside the capital, posters declaring "with our blood, we elect Bashar Assad" were displayed at the country's border with Lebanon, and his campaign billboards lined the highway leading to Damascus.
Assad's campaign has also begun online with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram accounts all set up to promote his candidacy.
The campaigning begins just days after Assad's government claimed a symbolic victory in the central city of Homs, where it retook the Old City after a deal granting rebels there safe passage out.
The government lay siege to the Old City and surrounding rebel neighborhoods for nearly two years, and near daily shelling reduced much of the area to rubble. Under the deal, the last of around 2,000 fighters and civilians left the Old City on Friday, and government forces moved back in. Just one neighborhood of the central Syrian city still remains under opposition control. Over the weekend, the army swept the evacuated area for explosives and began clearing rubble-strewn streets as residents returned to check on homes they had not seen for nearly two years.
At the Church of the Belt of the Virgin, in the Old City of Homs, the faithful gathered for a mass and prayers of thanks for "the return of security in Homs", state television said.
Homs saw some of the worst fighting so far in the country's conflict, which began after a regime crackdown on anti-government protests in March 2011. Source/Agence France Presse

Hizbullah Says March 14 'Provocative' Candidate a Recipe for Presidential Vacuum
Naharnet/Hizbullah on Sunday stressed that the country's new president must be “in harmony with the resistance,” accusing the March 14 camp of seeking presidential vacuum through fielding a “provocative” candidate. “We insist on and cling to a president who would be entrusted with the national principles, interests and achievements, contrary to the March 14 camp, which is awaiting a chance to turn against the domestic political equations,” deputy head of Hizbullah's executive council Sheikh Nabil Qaouq said at a memorial service in the southern town of Kafra. “March 14's insistence on a provocative candidate is a presidential vacuum decision,” Qaouq added. He said the rival camp has concerns that withdrawing support for its nominee, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, could lead to the collapse of the political coalition. “Should they pull out their provocative candidate, they would be opening the door for an agreement over a president who would be entrusted with the national principles,” Qaouq went on to say.
He described the presidential election as a “historic national responsibility,” calling for choosing a “strong president.”“This stance is not subject to bargaining and it is not aimed at provocation or at seeking offers,” Qaouq underlined. Meanwhile, MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc noted that any presidential candidate must be able to “unify the Lebanese.” He pointed out that Geagea's “mere nomination is a reason for their division and for undermining national unity.”“Any presidential candidate must mention in his presidential program a plan to liberate the Lebanese territories that are still under occupation,” Moussawi said. They must also explain their plan to “preserve Lebanon's natural resources” and their strategy to “defend Lebanon in the face of Israeli aggression and threats,” the lawmaker added. Accordingly, Moussawi emphasized that “it is normal for any presidential nominee to be in harmony with the resistance, without which it would have been impossible to liberate the land and the people.” The ongoing disagreement between the March 8 and 14 camps is raising fears that they will fail to elect a president before May 25, resulting in a vacuum in the country's top post.
The 128-member parliament held a presidential election session on April 23, but neither Geagea nor Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou garnered the necessary 86 votes to emerge victorious.
Two other sessions were supposed to be held, but they failed over lack of quorum after a March 8 camp boycott over the ongoing disagreement over a candidate.
The fourth session is scheduled for May 15.

Derbas Denies Claims that Syrian Refugee Camps Will Be Set up in Lebanon
Naharnet /Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas denied recent reports saying that the United Nations is discussing with Lebanese authorities the possibility of setting up camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah on Sunday. He described the reports as “inaccurate,” saying that the Lebanese government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs, is in constant contact with international organizations and UNHCR over the case of the refugees. These organizations confirmed that they will set up the camps only with the government's approval, explained the minister.
The government has not yet given the go ahead for such measures, he clarified. Derbas revealed that Prime Minister Tammam Salam had tasked him with devising a roadmap over the case of refugees. He did not give details about its contents, but said that it will soon be tackled by the ministerial committee in charge of the case of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The old cabinet did not have a clear plan on how to tackle the refugee file, he noted, adding that some Lebanese powers still refuse to set up camps for the displaced. “These refusals will however be eliminated through dialogue, discussions, and understanding,” Derbas stated. Moreover, he revealed that the cabinet will propose to the U.N. setting up camps within Syrian territories that are not witnessing fighting.
Meanwhile, Public Information Associate for UNHCR Joelle Eid told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday that the “unprecedented rise in the number of Syrian refugees makes it necessary to set up camps.”“Such a step however requires a political decision,” she remarked. The UNHCR and the Social Affairs Ministry have conducted studies over the areas where these camps can be set. Most of them will likely be located in the North and eastern Bekaa region, said Eid. Media reports said on Saturday, that Director of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa Bureau Amin Awad stated that the U.N. is discussing with Lebanese authorities the possibility of setting up camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The proposal calls for establishing the camps in Lebanese territories away from the border with Syria and the dividing lines between the warring sides to limit the presence of refugees in several locations, he explained. More than one million Syrians have registered as refugees in Lebanon after fleeing war in their country. The conflict has killed more than 150,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while half of the population is estimated to have fled their homes.

Nuclear talks in jeopardy: Khamenei orders Rev Guards to mass-produce missiles - regardless
DEBKAfile Special Report May 11, 2014/
http://www.debka.com/article/23908/Nuclear-talks-in-jeopardy-Khamenei-orders-Rev-Guards-to-mass-produce-missiles---regardless
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threw a large spanner in the works of nuclear diplomacy Sunday, May 11. Less than a week before the next round of talks with the six powers, he said: “The Revolutionary Guards should definitely… not be satisfied with the present level [of missile production]. They should mass produce.” Referring to Western concerns that Iran is designing missiles able to carry nuclear warheads, Khamenei said: “They [the West] expect us to limit our missile program while they constantly threaten Iran with military action. So this is a stupid, idiotic expectation.” Khamenei spoke during a visit to the aeronautics fair organized by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), which are responsible for Iran’s missile and nuclear programs. In recent weeks, Washington, Tehran, Moscow and the International Atomic Energy in Vienna have pumped out a stream of optimistic reports about the progress made in drafting a comprehensive nuclear accord and Tehran’s faithful observance of the interim deal reach last November. DEBKAfile’s sources, however, persisted in pointing out that this progress was possibly only because the six powers, led by the US, refrained from addressing the military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program and its planned production of missiles for carrying nuclear warheads. Therefore, the text of the comprehensive accord, drafted in collaboration with the Iranian team under the guidance of President Hassan Rouhani, left the military aspect of the nuclear program untouched.
Of late, mainly under pressure from Israel, Washington informed Tehran that there was no escape from opening a discussion on ways of restricting the weapons dimensions of its nuclear program and its ballistic missile projects. Hence Khamenei’s furious comeback – intended to force the Obama administration to give ground on these demands or prepare for nuclear diplomacy to be blown out of the sky.
In the last DEBKA Weekly, published Friday, May 9, exclusive Iranian sources revealed another reason for the supreme leader’s pugnacity. The radical Revolutionary Guards chiefs have made it clear that they will never give up on a nuclear weapon. The closer the negotiations come to a deal, the nearer Tehran approaches a military coup that would oust President Rouhani and reduce the supreme leader to a figurehead. Khamenei read the writing on the wall and, finding himself between a rock and a hard place, decided that he had better stand firm on any further concessions - even this meant sacrificing nuclear diplomacy and its rewards.

Rebels Claim Mass Turnout in E. Ukraine Self-Rule Vote as Kiev Slams 'Farce'
Naharnet/Pro-Russian rebels claimed a massive turnout in a vote they held Sunday to split east Ukraine into two independent republics, though Kiev slammed it as a "farce" amid Western fears it could lead to civil war. Thousands of people queued in front of a limited number of polling stations in the restive provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk to cast their ballots, Agence France Presse journalists in several towns reported.
"I want to be independent from everyone," said ex-factory worker Nikolai Cherepin as he voted yes in the town of Mariupol, in Donetsk province. "Yugoslavia broke up and they live well now."
Insurgent leaders said that more than 70 percent of the electorate in the two regions -- home to seven million of Ukraine's total population of 46 million -- had slid voting slips into the transparent ballot boxes.
There was no way to verify that assertion however. No independent observers were monitoring the vote, which took place in the absence of any international support -- even from Moscow, which had asked it be postponed.While there were no reports of violent incidents during polling, tensions remained high amid an ongoing military operation ordered by Kiev against the rebels. Early Sunday, an isolated clash occurred on the outskirts of the flashpoint town of Slavyansk as militants tried to recapture a TV tower, but polling in the center was unaffected. Roman Lyaguin, the head of Donetsk's self-styled electoral commission, told reporters that voter turnout across the province was 70 percent six hours before polls were to close at 10:00pm (1900 GMT). Lugansk's rebels put their province's turnout at more than 75 percent. Lyaguin added that results would not be in until Monday, but he already appeared confident that the outcome would be in favour of independence. After the results, he said, "there will likely be a period of negotiation with the authorities in Kiev."
The hastily organized poll fell short of Western balloting norms. Notably, curtained booths were not set up in every town taking part, and polling staff lacking up-to-date electoral rolls registered anyone who turned up to vote without being able to check if they had already voted elsewhere. Kiev called the process a "criminal farce" that had no legal or constitutional validity.
It said the vote was "inspired, organized and financed by the Kremlin." Western nations backing the Ukrainian government also dismissed the regional "referendums." They were "null and void," French President Francois Hollande said on a visit to Azerbaijan. Britain's Foreign Office issued a statement calling the "illegitimate, so-called referendum" regrettable. It added that a nationwide presidential election Ukraine is scheduled in two weeks that will give "all Ukrainians... a democratic choice." Britain also added its weight to a French and German warning of "consequences" against Russia if that election were to be scuppered. "It will be necessary to move on to another level of sanctions" in that event, Hollande said. The United States and the European Union see Russian President Vladimir Putin's hand in the unrest that has gripped eastern Ukraine since early April. They believe he is seeking a repeat of the scenario that led to Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
If Ukraine's May 25 presidential election is stymied, the West has warned of immediate sanctions to cripple broad sectors of Russia's economy. "Russia continues to isolate itself for a short-term gain. They, the Russians, may feel that somehow they're winning. But the world is not about just short term," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told ABC television. But questions over the vote's validity or the geopolitical consequences appeared far from the minds of those lining up to vote in Ukraine's east on Sunday. Tatiana, a 35-year-old florist voting in the regional hub of Donetsk, told AFP: "If we're independent, it will be hard at the beginning but it will be better than being with the fascists." The "fascist" epithet she used was the one separatists and Russian state media use to describe Ukraine's Western-backed government. Mariupol, a city of 500,000 inhabitants, saw some of the longest voting lines because only four polling stations were operating. Anti-Kiev sentiment was riding high after a fierce firefight between troops and rebels that killed up to 21 people on Friday. Coupled with deadly clashes and an inferno in Odessa a week earlier that killed 42 people, many Russian-speaking Ukrainians who had been wavering, decided to vote their anger against the government. "I know many people who were strongly anti-Russian but after what happened in Ukraine with the slaughter of people, with what happened in Odessa, a lot of them changed their position to pro-Russian," said Yaroslav, a post-graduate student who gave only his first name as he queued to vote in Donetsk.
Others, though, were strongly opposed to the rebels and the referendums.
"It's an illegitimate action carried out by an unknown group of people who took over the administration buildings and run around with weapons in their hands," growled Donetsk resident, Anatoli Kozlovskiy.
One 20-year-old fireman in Mariupol, Ivan Shelest, told AFP: "If this goes through and they really become the Donetsk Republic it will be a disaster. What sort of people will lead it? It will be chaos -- even worse than now." A poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center in the United States suggested 70 percent of Ukrainians in the east want to stay in a united country, while only 18 percent back secession. Later on Sunday, the European Union said it will not recognize the results of a "so-called" votes organized by the separatists. "The so-called referenda in the parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions were illegal and we do not recognize the outcome," said Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy Catherine Ashton. "Those who organized the referenda have no democratic legitimacy, and their organization runs counter to the objective of the Joint Geneva Statement to de-escalate tensions," Kocijancic said. EU Council president Herman Van Rompuy, who represents the bloc's 28 leaders, will fly to Ukraine on Monday to meet the interim government. His visit takes place as European Union foreign ministers gather in Brussels to attempt to reconcile broad differences over how to respond to the worst crisis in Europe since the Cold War. Source/Agence France Presse

Israel Offers to Help Find Kidnapped Nigerian Girls
Naharnet /Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday offered to help Nigeria search for hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped by extremist Islamist group Boko Haram, his office said.
A statement said that Netanyahu, currently on an official visit to Japan, made the proposal in a telephone call to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. "Israel expresses its deep shock at the crime against the girls," it quoted the premier as saying. "We are prepared to help in locating the girls and to fight the cruel terror which has struck you."Boko Haram, whose name is loosely translated as "Western education is forbidden" kidnapped the girls from their dormitory on April 14, and has threatened to sell them. The abduction caused worldwide outrage and offers of help, including from U.S. President Barack Obama.

Hagel Says No U.S. Troops to Aid Search for Nigeria Schoolgirls
Naharnet/The United States has no plans to send troops to Nigeria to help recover hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in an interview broadcast on Sunday. "There's no intention, at this point, to (put) American boots on the ground," Hagel told ABC television's "This Week" program. Washington last week sent a team of military advisers as part of an international effort to help Nigeria find the girls, who were abducted nearly a month ago by the extremist Islamic group. The U.S. defense chief was far from upbeat about chances of finding the girls.
"It will be very difficult. It's a vast country. This is not going to be an easy task," Hagel said, in the interview recorded Saturday. "We're going to bring to bear every asset we can possibly use to help the Nigerian government," he said. Boko Haram, whose name is loosely translated as "Western education is forbidden" kidnapped the girls from their dormitory on April 14, and has threatened to sell them. The incident has drawn worldwide outrage, including from U.S. President Barack Obama. First Lady Michelle Obama in a recorded message on Saturday condemned the kidnappings as "unconscionable."
Source/Agence France Presse

Khamenei Says Iran Won't Curb Ballistic Missile Program
Naharnet/Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday problems such as Western sanctions should not be linked to the nuclear talks, the IRNA news agency reported. "Officials should address the question of sanctions by other means," he added, speaking at an exhibition about Iran's military capabilities organized by the powerful Revolutionary Guards. He added that Iran will not limit its ballistic missile program as the United States, Israel and some European countries have demanded. "The U.S. and European countries call for Iran to limit its ballistic program while continually making military threats. Such an expectation is therefore stupid," he said. Tehran has developed an extensive ballistic missile program, with some weapons capable of hitting targets 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) away, putting Israel and U.S. regional bases within range.Source/Agence France Presse

On hate preacher Abu Hamza’s trial
Sunday, 11 May 2014 /Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
We didn't know his name but we knew him by his nickname, Abu Hamza. Mustafa Kamal Mustafa is currently being tried in New York as one of the worlds' most dangerous inciters of extremism. The trial exposed his character and how he shifted from utmost absurdity to utmost religious extremism. The trial exposed his several characters - from working as a night club manager to dealing with British intelligence to becoming an extremist leader. He lost both hands and one eye while building a road in Pakistan for the Pakistani army and not during jihadist work as he claimed. He then went to Britain and imposed himself as imam of Finsbury Park mosque in London where he rose as a hate preacher. He became a TV star who distorted the image of Islam and Muslims. Abu Hamza, with his glass eye and prosthetic hook for a hand, became a fitting image of the villain who scares children. He's now being tried on several charges, including conspiring to carry out an abduction in Yemen and establishing a terror camp in the United States. Also read: British hate preacher managed London strip club
Also read: Rise and fall of Abu Hamza: the 'Captain Hook' of controversial preachers
It's not strange that several extremist groups are led by men who worked in fields irrelevant to piousness - fields like night clubs, drug dealing and theft. Some of these men graduated from religious awareness courses in jails and some repented before shifting from one type of extremism to another. The latter type of men are characterized by their bold characters.
A secret weapon?
According to what was leaked about him, Abu Hamza worked as a British intelligence services' consultant for a while, but we don't know the depth of this relation and whether he only consulted as an expert in extremist Islamist groups or whether he was also an informant. Was he an agent who deceived innocent men? Or was he a terrorist who deceived intelligence? We don't know. Security services have tirelessly infiltrated secret groups - either by recruiting extremists from within them or by planting people inside them. This is their secret weapon when fighting these groups. However recruiting extremists is a double edged sword and although it may succeed at capturing a few members, it may be reason to further complicate the problem. The problem in fighting terrorism lies in the ideology and not the individuals.
“The only solution to extremism must be ideological and neither security-related nor judicially-related”
A number of extremists who were active on several websites in the late 90s and the later years turned out to be informants. They were traps set to penetrate al-Qaeda and extremist preaching organizations. Such operations were smart as they succeeded at capturing some terrorists and helped collect precious information about these groups' secret rings and activities.
A suspicious Abu Hamza
The downside to these methods - of recruiting extremists or planting members in extremist organizations - is that they expand the call for terrorism. For society, they become part of the problem though for the services tasked with monitoring them, they were part of the solution. They establish extremist websites and market inciting videos and ideas. These activities may allow authorities to succeed at arresting some terrorists or expose their operations. I've always felt suspicious myself when it came to the acts of some famous agitators and I've wondered whether they are really extremists or men planted by security services. I've particularly had suspicions regarding those who were overly agitators, like Abu Hamza. He defied the police and took no one into consideration. He insisted to deliver hate and threatening sermons in front of authority representatives in the street despite all banning orders. However during the New York trial, we see a servile Abu Hamza exonerating himself of most of his actions and words. This mysterious preacher greatly harmed the Muslim community which he lived within in Britain and was also behind the extremism of many young men.
It's not strange for someone to move from one camp to another. Osama Bin Laden himself was pushed towards performing jihadi work in Afghanistan. One of his services was to deliver funds to those involved in the war against the Soviets. Influence of some leaders, like Abdullah Azzam and Ayman Zawhiri, led Bin Laden to revolt against his sponsors and become a hardened terrorist himself.
The only solution to extremism must be ideological and neither security-related nor judicially-related. No matter how successful security services are, the terrorism and extremism crisis will not end unless Islam is saved from extremist preachers and unless a method is devised to guide society towards moderation.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on May 11, 2014.