LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 27/14
Bible Quotation for today/ I am
the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they
die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die
John 11,17-27/When Jesus arrived, he found
that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was
near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha
and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus
was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to
Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even
now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’Jesus said to
her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will
rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’Jesus said to her, ‘I am the
resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die,
will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you
believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the
Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’
Latest analysis,
editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For
May 27/14
The plight of Christians in the Middle East, the cradle of
Christianity/Written by : HRH the Prince of Wales/ May
27/14
The future presidents of Iran and Syria/By: Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/May 27/14
In Egypt, El-Sisi’s victory may be short-lived/By: Sarah Hynek and Andrea/May 27/14
Sisi will win Egypt’s vote, but what then/bY: H.A. Hellyer/Al Arabiya/May 27/14
The Daily Star Latest News Reports From
Miscellaneous Sources For May 27/14
Pope Francis's Middle East Visit
Netanyahu: Security barrier saves lives, anti-Israel incitement makes it necessary
Pope: Christians, Jews, Muslims will work together to end conflict
Pope at Kotel: I pray God will make peace
Pope at Yad vashem: 'Never again, Lord!'
Pope: Reject violence in the name of God
Pope makes detour visit to terror victims
Pope's Mideast visit filled with precedents
Pope's trip a delicate dance around politics
I want to teach Jews I'm not their enemy
Lebanese Related News
Plumbly: There is No International Impediment to Electing President
Fletcher Meets Salam, Calls on Officials to Find Compromise to Elect President
France Seeks to Press Election of President via Security Council
ISGL calls for presidential election without delay
Lebanon is fine, summer will be good: Machnouk
Continuity of state institutions vital: British Ambassador
Nasrallah slammed for ‘arrogance,' 'intimidation'
Nasrallah’s latest war speech is taken literally by Israeli military chiefs
Nasrallah says the resistance protects the president not vice versa
Sound monetary policies protected currency: Salameh
Legislative work in vacuum unnecessary: Aoun's bloc
"Cana" ship collects scientific data off Lebanon's coast
Syria Opposition Urges Lebanon Not to Return 'Refugees Fleeing Assad Tyranny'
Aoun won’t run unless race is 'serious'
Legislative work in vacuum unnecessary: Aoun's bloc
Rockets hit Bekaa in retaliation for Syrian strike
Lebanon to extradite Saudi Islamist
Kataeb Urges MPs to Secure Quorum for President Election, Hails Suleiman
Cabinet unconstitutional without president: Gemayel
Chief of Protocol at Baabda Palace passes away
LU contract professors to strike May 27-28
Berri Calls on Parliament to Convene on June 9 to Elect President
Syrian Warplanes Raid Outskirts of Arsal as Two Rockets Hit Bekaa Plain
Miscellaneous Reports And News
Turkish court asks Interpol to arrest former IDF chief Ashkenazi, 3 others for flotilla raid
Jordan expels Syrian ambassador
Sisi poised to win presidency as Egyptians vote
Despite nuclear probe progress, IAEA access to key Iran site elusive
Syria expels Jordan envoy in tit-for-tat move: ministry
Pope: Christians, Jews, Muslims will work together to end
conflict
Sara Miller/Published: 05.26.14/ netnews
Francis expresses 'hope pain of those afflicted by conflict in mideast will soon
be eased,' tells Peres 'you are a man of peace, I admire the path you have
taken.' The overarching message of Pope Francis's speech in his meeting
with President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on Monday was the urgent need for
peace. Francis praised Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, for his efforts to
solve the conflict. "You are known as a man of peace and a maker of peace, and I
express my admiration and thankfulness for your attitude," the pope told Peres.
Urging both sides to work together to find a resolution, the pope expressed
"hope pain of those afflicted by conflict in Mideast will soon be eased." "I'm
happy to meet you in Jerusalem, the guardian city of the holy places," the pope
said, calling for "open access" to worshipers of all faiths - Jews, Muslims and
Christians - to the holy places in Jerusalem. "The holy places are not museums
or monuments for tourists, but places where communities of believers live their
faith, their culture, their charitable efforts. Thus, one must constantly
protect their sacredness, thus protecting not only the legacy of the past but
also the people who worship there today and those who will worship there in the
future," Francis said. Reiterating his condemnation of "anti-Semitism in all its
possible forms," the pope also criticized the vandalism and "manifestations of
intolerance against persons or places of worship for Jews, Christians and
Muslims," after a recent spate of vandalism committed by Jewish nationalists
against Muslim and Christian sites.
Peres returned in kind, saying he believed Francis' visit would contribute to
revitalizing the peace process with the Palestinians, "based on two states
living in peace, a Jewish state, Israel, and an Arab state, Palestine." The
president praised the humility in the pope's nature, noting that "the power in
your spirit raised a spiritual elation and a thirst for peace. The values which
you stand for enrich us and bring righteousness between people.""Sadly, rotten
apples are also exposed," Peres continued, touching upon those who rage war and
prevent peace. "Those who plant the seeds of evil today are the terror
organizations. They have no pity and spread destruction. They kill without
judgment, without distinction, without pity without logic," he said. "We must
stand together to prevent the menace on the lives of people and on world
peace.""The world is shocked by the blood that is shed in city squares, and in
the thick of villages. The blood of the clean-handed is crying from the land.
The blood of the innocents, the blood of children which had yet to taste the
flavor of life," Peres continued. Turning to religious leaders of all faiths,
Peres asked to "show moral responsibility in the face of moral corruption."
"It is our duty that our children, the children of the world, regardless of
religion or nationality, may live without fear and grow up in a world free of
slaughter, a world which allows each person to live as a human being," he added.
The president also stressed the importance of meetings between religious and
political leaders. These encounters, he said, have the "ability to enhance
political aspirations with the religious authority necessary to enable the
compromises needed to achieve peace.""I believe that your visit and call for
peace will echo through the region and contribute to revitalizing the efforts to
complete the peace process between us and the Palestinians, based on two states
living in peace. A Jewish state – Israel. And an Arab state - Palestine," Peres
told the pope. "The threats of war will not bring peace. The dead will offer no
praise. Only constructive perseverance can achieve peace. Only peace has the
power to uproot poverty, overcome despair. Only peace can free people from
tyranny," the president stressed.
"To the skeptics we shall say that we achieved peace with Egypt and Jordan,
despite the fact that many saw this as a distant dream," he added. Concluding
his speech, Peres insisted the dream of peace is not yet dead, and can still be
reached. "I was young and now I am old. I learnt that dreams do not age and I
recommend to all act accordingly."Following their public comments, Francis and
Peres planted an olive tree - a sign of peace - in the garden of the President's
Residence, and then held a private meeting. **AFP and Attila Somfalvi
contributed to this report.
The plight of Christians in the Middle
East, the cradle of Christianity
Written by : HRH the Prince of Wales
Monday, 26 May, 2014
http://www.aawsat.net/2014/05/article55332624
For more than 20 years, I have tried to build bridges between Islam and
Christianity and to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding between them. Islam is
the second-largest faith community in the world and the second-largest in
Britain, and so bridges between Islam and Christianity are something that must
concern every responsible person. That is one of the reasons I have been happy
to be involved in many faith bridge-building projects, including helping
establish the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and setting up the Prince’s
School for Traditional Arts in 2004. In 2008, I was honored to be the first
Westerner and Christian to receive an honorary doctorate from the 1,000 year-old
Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and will continue, God willing, to build bridges
whenever possible.
I have for some time felt great concern about those of all faith communities in
the Middle East who are suffering so grievously at the present time. The rights
of all people of faith in the Middle East should be respected. But it saddens me
deeply that the ancient Christian communities are among those facing growing
difficulties, despite the fact that part of their long and deeply rooted history
in the region is testimony to the tolerance and understanding Muslim leaders
have shown in the past. It seems to me that the bridges of understanding which
matter to us all are being deliberately destroyed by militant fundamentalists
with a vested interest in doing so—and this is achieved through intimidation,
false accusation and organized persecution. It is my fervent hope and prayer
that this should cease.
It is essential to remember that Christianity was, literally, born in the Middle
East. The church communities there link us straight back to the early Church, as
I was reminded by hearing Aramaic, Jesus Christ’s own language, spoken and sung
in the Syrian Orthodox Church in London I visited a few months ago. The region
has for 2,000 years enjoyed such a rich panoply of church life in the Middle
East, including the Antiochian, Greek, Coptic, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox
Churches; the Melkite, Maronite, Syrian Catholic, Chaldean and Roman Catholic
Churches, as well as the Church of the East and churches established somewhat
more recently, including the Anglican Church. Yet, today, the Middle East and
North Africa have the lowest concentration of Christians in the world—just four
per cent of the population—and it is clear that the Christian population of the
Middle East has dropped dramatically over the last century and is falling still
further.
This has an effect on all of us, although, of course, primarily on those
Christians who can no longer continue to live in the Middle East; we all lose
something immensely and irreplaceably precious when such a rich tradition begins
to disappear. It is important to note that Arab Christians—Syrian, Iraqi,
Palestinian, Egyptian, as well as those from other Arab countries and from
Iran—are not Western Christians living in the Middle East, but native Arabs and
Middle Easterners and, as such, are an integral part of the very fabric of
society in many Middle-Eastern countries. During my visits to the region I have
been fascinated and encouraged to learn about the many links and friendships
which cross the boundaries between ethnic and faith groups.
I am fully aware that the Middle East is not the only part of the world in which
Christians are suffering and that it is not only Christians suffering there.
But, given the particularly acute circumstances faced by the church communities
in the Middle East today, I felt it is essential to draw attention to their
current plight. In this regard, I welcome the efforts being made to preserve the
traditions of hospitality and moderation in the Middle East, in spite of the
current severe strains. As my wife and I saw for ourselves during our visit last
year, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has once again fulfilled its enormously
hospitable obligations and taken in a huge number of refugees, this time from
Syria during the present troubles. Both under the late King Hussein, and under
His Majesty King Abdullah II’s leadership, Jordan has proved a most heartening
and courageous witness to the fruitful tolerance and respect between faith
communities. Others in the region are displaying amazing humanity in receiving
huge numbers of refugees, despite putting immense strain on their resources.
However mixed the picture elsewhere, I salute the efforts made by the Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques, His Majesty King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and others,
to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding. I was also pleased to meet
Christians from many backgrounds and congregations during a visit to Qatar in
February.
Now is the time to redouble our joint efforts to stress what binds the three
Abrahamic faiths together and, as Christians, Jews and Muslims, to express
outrage at what tears us asunder. In doing this, it is important to remind
ourselves that an emphasis on love of neighbor and doing to others as we would
have them do to us are the ultimate foundations of truth, justice, compassion
and human rights—the same way that the Common Word initiative of 2007, now
endorsed by so many leading Muslim scholars, sought to point out. Such profound
wisdom is at the very heart of all three religions, however obscured the message
may have become.
My special thoughts and prayers, therefore, are for all beleaguered communities,
of whatever faith and denomination. Beyond prayer, we must also speak up for
such communities, and work to help them, along with all our Muslim friends. Does
the Qur’an not say:
For each among you, We have appointed a law and a way. And had God willed, He
would have made you one community, but [He willed otherwise], that He might try
you in that which He has given you. So vie with one another in good deeds. Unto
God shall be your return, all together, and He will inform you of that wherein
you differed. (The Table, 5: 48)
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk
HRH the Prince of Wales
Berri Calls on Parliament to Convene
on June 9 to Elect President
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri set June 9 as a new session to elect a president,
reported the National News Agency on Monday.
This will mark the sixth presidential elections session. Four of the past five
sessions failed to be held due to a lack of quorum at parliament given the March
8 alliance's boycott of the meeting due to the ongoing dispute with the March 14
camp over the elections. “I will call for a parliamentary session on the first
day of vacuum if there is a vacancy in the president's post,” Berri told
lawmakers at the start of the last session that was held on Thursday. “There is
no need to specify certain dates for sessions because I am ready to invite MPs
whenever I see that there would be quorum,” he said. President Michel Suleiman's
term ended over the weekend after six years in office.
Syrian Warplanes Raid Outskirts of
Arsal as Two Rockets Hit Bekaa Plain
Naharnet/Syrian warplanes raided on Monday the outskirts of the
border town of Arsal in northern Bekaa with several missiles. The National News
Agency reported that the area of Wadi Hmeid on the outskirts of Arsal was
targeted with four missiles. Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said that the Syrian
regime hit the areas of al-Ajram and Wadi al-Zaarour with six missiles. The
radio station said that the warplanes targeted Syrian opposition groups. Later,
the NNA reported that a rocket fired from the Eastern Mountain Range (on the
Lebanese-Syrian border) landed in the Bekaa town of Nabi Othman. Another rocket
targeted the international highway that links northern Bekaa with the Syrian
town of Homs. The Army Command said in a statement that two rockets hit the
public road between the towns of al-Labweh and al-Nabi Othman, lightly wounding
a citizen and damaging a number of shops. The mountainous area has long been a
smuggling haven, with multiple routes into Syria that have been used since the
conflict began in March 2011 to transport weapons and fighters.
Syria Opposition Urges Lebanon Not to Return 'Refugees
Fleeing Assad Tyranny'
Naharnet/The opposition Syrian National Coalition on Monday urged
Lebanese authorities not to turn back refugees fleeing the brutal war in the
neighboring country and expressed its “intention to revise treaties” signed
between Lebanon and Syria. “We fully understand the unbearable burdens that this
refugee influx inflicts on Lebanon at the demographic, economic, security and
social levels,” the Coalition said in a “letter to the Lebanese people,” the
third since the Syrian revolt started in March 2011. “As the Lebanese state
practices its rights and performs its duties, it must not allow that refugees
fleeing the Assad regime's tyranny be handed over to it under one excuse or
another,” the SNC added. It said it extends its hand to the Lebanese government
and concerned NGOs to “help alleviate Lebanon's burdens and the refugees'
suffering.”Separately, the Coalition said it intends to coordinate with the
Lebanese government in order to “revise the treaties and agreements that were
signed during the era of detestable hegemony over Lebanon.”The SNC stressed that
it will seek to establish “sound diplomatic relations between the two countries,
to demarcate the border and to seriously look into the issue of Lebanese
detainees and missing persons in order to resolve it in a clear, fair and
satisfactory manner.” “Our revolution does not need to use your Lebanese land in
its battle (against the regime) and it is not using it,” the Coalition said in
its letter, accusing “the criminal regime” of seeking to “reshuffle cards and
gain time.”And as the SNC condemned Hizbullah's military role in the Syrian
conflict, it rejected “any retaliatory acts against our innocent brothers in
Lebanon, whatever sect they may belong to.” Eight non-governmental organizations
have recently urged Lebanese authorities to “immediately stop the deportation”
of Palestinian refugees fleeing war-stricken Syria. Earlier in May, Human Rights
Watch and a U.N. refugee agency expressed concern that Lebanon was blocking
Palestinians fleeing Syria from entering the country. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for
Palestinian refugees, said it was "concerned about the increased restrictions on
Palestine refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria from entering Lebanon."HRW,
meanwhile, criticized Lebanon for refusing entry to Palestinians from Syria and
returning them to the war-torn country. It accused Lebanese authorities of
"arbitrarily" denying entry and documented the deportation of around 40
Palestinians accused of having forged documents. Lebanese authorities have not
announced a blanket ban on the entry of Palestinians from Syria, but government
sources have confirmed a general policy to keep out Palestinians fleeing the
conflict. Lebanon is home to more than a million refugees from Syria giving it
the highest refugee population per capita in the world. On Friday, the
government formed an emergency committee to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis.
The UNHCR's periodic report revealed last week that the number of Syrians who
fled the war-torn country had reached 1,058,088. The United Nations has called
for gathering USD 1.89 billion to support Lebanon in dealing with the refugee
crisis in 2014, but has only received USD 242 million of the total amount.
Change and Reform Bloc Says No Legislation Except for Reforming Political System
Naharnet /The Change and Reform bloc announced after its weekly meeting on
Monday afternoon that all legislation amid the presidential vacuum is
“illegitimate.”“Except when it's concerned with reforming the political system, such as voting
on an electoral law,” a released statement read by former Labor Minister Salim
Jreissati said after the meeting.
"And our priority remains electing a new president and reaching consensus over
an electoral law,” he stressed. "We underscore the importance of consensus and
abiding by the National Pact in the coming stage.” Earlier in the day, Free
Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun slammed the presidential vacuum, saying it
damages the legitimacy of other state authorities.
“We tried to avert vacuum... Our principles, which were based on a series of
national postulates, were clear,” Aoun said in a press conference in Rabieh.
He pointed out that the introduction of the constitution states that “any
authority that violates coexistence has no legitimacy.”The FPM leader told
reporters that “vacancy at the helm of the presidency causes malfunctions at all
other state powers unless the matter is linked to the country's higher interest
or the re-establishment of an authority.”“We will only deal with the parliament and cabinet based on these to
principles.”The Christian parties from the March 8 and 14 coalitions plan to boycott
legislative sessions comes after parliament failed to elect a new president.
Aoun said that “no one has yet nominated him for the presidency,” adding that
“when the real battle kick starts” he might run for the post.
On his rapprochement with al-Mustaqbal Movement, Aoun said that “when I become a
president, I will head to Paris and bring (head of al-Mustaqbal movement Saad)
Hariri back to Lebanon.
Aoun continuously said that he will not announce his candidacy for the
presidency if there was no political consensus on him.
He said last week that he wanted to be part of an "integrated triangle" along
with Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal Movement, angering several parties for leaving
out key political components out of his proposal.
“We reject to interfere in the local affairs of any state and refuse any
intervention in ours,” Aoun stressed.
He also criticized the United Nations “that has no right to meddle in the local
affairs of any country.”The Christian leader described the election of a new head of state as a
“necessity.”“The country cannot go on without a president.”
He pointed out that his party is “seeking to end vacancy,” considering that “a
president who is accepted by all sects and rejected by the Maronites cannot be
elected.”“We want a strong and active president to take power even if he had limited
jurisdiction.”Aoun denied that his ties with Speaker Nabih Berri are “tense,” criticizing the
reports.
“They are mere rumors,” the FPM chief said.
Asked about attempts to extend ex-President Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure,
Aoun said that the matter was suggested to the political arch-foes.
Lebanon has been plunged into a leadership vacuum after Suleiman's mandate ended
on Sunday with rival political blocs still divided over a new leader.
Over the past two months the parliament convened five times to try to elect a
successor to Suleiman but failed during the last four sessions due to a lack of
quorum.
The political paralysis is mainly due to a deep rift between two rival camps
over the conflict in Syria, the powerful neighbor that dominated Beirut for
almost 30 years until 2005.
Kataeb Urges MPs to Secure Quorum for President Election,
Hails Suleiman
Naharnet/The Kataeb Party on Monday called on parliamentary blocs
to “end obstruction” and secure the needed quorum for the election of a new
president, stressing that the parliament cannot act in legislative capacity amid
a presidential vacuum. In a statement issued after the weekly meeting of its
political bureau, the party urged lawmakers to “abide by their constitutional
and national duty and elect a president in order to put an end to the current
state of vacuum and contribute to restoring balance and orderly work at state
institutions.”Kataeb called for tackling the current political situation
according to the constitution and the National Pact of coexistence, underlining
that it considers the parliament “an electoral and not a legislative committee”
during the period of presidential vacancy.
The party said the parliament “must immediately embark on electing a president
without any delay and without discussing any other issue, in line with Article
75 of the Constitution.”
It reiterated that the government must not practice full presidential powers
during the vacancy period and that it must act in caretaker capacity. The Kataeb
Party also called on "the partners in the country" to "acknowledge the authority
of the state and its embracing and protective role," emphasizing that the state
should protect everyone through its legitimate forces.Turning to the issue of
former president Michel Suleiman's term of office, the party lauded the
ex-president's “approach,” especially “the neutrality stipulated by the Baabda
Declaration, the administrative decentralization proposal and the inevitable
national dialogue.”Suleiman's six-year term ended on Saturday with parliament
failing to elect a successor due to the ongoing differences between the rival
March 8 and 14 camps over the elections. The dispute prompted the March 8
forces, namely Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, to boycott the
majority of presidential elections sessions.
Plumbly: There is No International Impediment to Electing
President
Naharnet /United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek
Plumbly lamented on Monday the parliament's failure to elect a new president,
expressing the U.N.'s regret over the emergence of vacuum in the presidency. He
said: “We underline again that there is no international impediment to the
election.” “On the contrary, while the process must remain a purely Lebanese
one, Lebanon’s friends within the international community stand ready to offer
Lebanon every possible encouragement and support at this time,” he added after
meeting with members of the International Support Group for Lebanon.
He therefore called on Lebanon’s leaders “to engage intensively to ensure the
election of a new president without delay.”In addition, Plumbly said: “We call
on the leaders to ensure that the government is able in this new circumstance to
act effectively, as it has to date, to address the economic, security and
humanitarian challenges facing the country and to meet Lebanon’s international
obligations.”
The International Support Group is committed to continued support for, and
partnership with, the government as it seeks to achieve these objectives, he
stated. “We underline again the importance for confidence and stability of
avoiding a prolonged vacancy in the presidency,” remarked the U.N. official. He
also stressed the importance of parliamentary elections being held on time in
accordance with democratic practice. Furthermore, Plumbly paid tribute to former
President Michel Suleiman’s leadership “during six critical years and to his
commitment to Lebanon’s unity and stability, to keeping it safe against the
backdrop of the conflict in Syria and to international cooperation not least in
respect of the International Support Group and the implementation of United
Nations resolutions in particular resolution 1701.”Suleiman's term ended on
Saturday with parliament failing to elect his successor due to the ongoing
differences between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over the elections.
The dispute prompted the March 8 forces, namely Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic
Movement, to boycott the majority of the presidential elections sessions.
Fletcher Meets Salam, Calls on
Officials to Find Compromise to Elect President
Naharnet/British Ambassador to Lebanon Tom Fletcher stressed on
Monday the need for the election of a president in Lebanon, saying that the
opportunity to choose a President “Made in Lebanon” remains despite the vacuum
in the presidency. He said: “We are in a new phase. But Lebanon has come through
tough times before. With the right spirit of responsibility and compromise
Lebanon can come through this.”“President Michel Suleiman led Lebanon through
six turbulent years with great wisdom and dedication, never ceasing to promote
dialogue and compromise,” he stated after holding talks with Prime Minister
Tammam Salam. “We hope now that Lebanese leaders will show that same spirit,
putting aside factional interests to respond to the challenges facing the
country, as they did in the formation of Salam’s government,” he added.
“Continuity of state institutions is vital,” remarked Fletcher. “There is no
magic international fix” to the deadlock over the presidency, he added, while
noting: “It is a dangerous illusion to pretend that there is.”“Lebanon needs a
president to take this country forward. To provide the balance its institutions
require. To confront massive humanitarian, economic and political challenges. To
lead much needed dialogue,” added the ambassador. Moreover, he said: “Lebanon
needs a president chosen because of what he or she can offer the country, not
what they offer regional or local allies.”“The international community needs a
president too, as a partner for the support we want to give for stability,”
Fletcher continued. “As we enter this new phase, the UK will continue to help to
build the Lebanon that its talented and resilient people deserve,” he concluded.
Suleiman's six-year term ended on Saturday with parliament failing to elect his
successor due to the ongoing differences between the rival March 8 and 14 camps
over the elections. The dispute prompted the March 8 forces, namely Hizbullah
and the Free Patriotic Movement, to boycott the majority of the presidential
elections sessions.
France Seeks to Press Election of
President via Security Council
Naharnet /The United Nations Security Council is mulling a French draft
resolution regarding the importance of electing a new head of state in Lebanon
and end the presidential deadlock.
According to a report published on Monday in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, the
Security Council is discussing ways to convince the political arch-foes to elect
a new president to fortify state institutions and safeguard the country. The
draft also aims at dissociating Lebanon from the conflict in the neighboring
country Syria and calls on political foes to abide by the Baabda Declaration.
However, the daily said that Russia hasn't yet agreed on the draft. Lebanon has
been plunged into a leadership vacuum after Suleiman's mandate ended on Sunday
with rival political blocs still divided over a new leader. Over the past two
months the parliament convened five times to try to elect a successor to
Suleiman but failed during the last four sessions due to a lack of quorum. The
political paralysis is mainly due to a deep rift between two rival camps over
the conflict in Syria, the powerful neighbor that dominated Beirut for almost 30
years until 2005.
Nasrallah’s latest war speech is taken
literally by Israeli military chiefs
http://www.debka.com/article/23946/Nasrallah’s-latest-war-speech-is-taken-literally-by-Israeli-military-chiefs-
DEBKAfile Special Report May 26, 2014/The Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s
belligerent speech Sunday night, May 25, on the 14th anniversary of the IDF’s
withdrawal from south Lebanon, was taken by Israel’s top military chiefs as the
precursor for operational plans to bring his forces up to the Israel border in
South Syria and the Golan – not just to fight Syrian rebels, but to challenge
the IDF.
This conclusion is shared by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Chief of Staff Lt.
Gen. Benny Gantz and his deputy Maj. Gen. Gady Eizenkott. debkafile’s military
sources say they have been watching the spate of reports Damascus and Beirut
have been planting in the last fortnight, which describe Hizballah as poised for
a major offensive to prevent Syrian rebels taking Quneitra opposite Israel’s
Golan border.
The Israeli army is accused of backing them with firepower.
The official Saudi publication Okaz reported Saturday, May 17, that Hizballah
had sent surveillance teams to the battle ground to lay the ground for an
operation to keep the vitally important Golan town from falling to rebel forces.
The next day, Sunday, Damascus issued an official notice of the death of Lt.
Gen. Hussein Ishaq, Syrian Air Defense Chief, of wounds he sustained Saturday in
an Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra attack on the Mleia base outside Damascus. The
Syrian government is known never to report the deaths of high-ranking officers.
This unusual release raised suspicions in Western intelligence sources. They
wondered what an officer so senior was doing in this small base, and how he came
to be caught up in a local firefight. The answer they came up with was that the
late general was sent to Mleia to prepare Syria’s air defenses as cover for a
Hizballah operation. The rebels discovered this and ambushed his convoy before
it reached the base.
Other Saudi sources disclosed Saturday, May 24 that the Iranian Al Qods Brigades
chief, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who is in charge of his country’s military
operations in the Syria conflict, had arrived in Damascus to study the state of
battle on the Golan, although no other source has confirmed this. From the
Israeli side, our sources report that no major Hizballah troop advances have
been sighted heading in the direction of southern Syria and the Golan - only the
advance surveillance teams which turned up briefly last week on the Syrian side
of the Hermon range overlooking the Golan.
Nevertheless, Nasrallah’s speech set off alarm signals. In all the many
pugnacious speeches the Hizballah chief has delivered against Israel in his 22
years as secretary general of the Lebanese Shiite Hizballah, he has never before
gone into detail on the intelligence he claims to have obtained on IDF
operations. But in his latest peroration, he did just that - in reference to
alleged IDF actions in southern Syria.
“When the senior strategist of Hizballah – or any military group – shows off his
intelligence on enemy moves in detail, that is a declaration of war,” said one
Western military source.
Nasrallah made it clear he was not talking about Israel’s medical aid to rebels
wounded in battle, but the IDF fire he said was aimed at Syrian units and
positions on the Golan. Its purpose, he said, was to carve out a security zone
in southern Syria. “This would not be a ‘good fence,’” he said (in reference to
the friendly border between South Lebanon and Israel in the years 1978 and 2000,
that was manned by the IDF-founded South Lebanese Army). It will be much more
than that.” Nasrallah accused Israel of incursions across the “land border
between Hizballah and Israel,” including the shooting of farmers. “Until now we
haven’t reacted, but left it to the Lebanese army and UNIFIL,” he said. “But no
more: For the next violations, we will hit back at once,” he said.
This was taken by Israel’s military chiefs as a threat by Hizballah to make war
on Israel from two fronts: Lebanon and Syria.
The future presidents of Iran and
Syria
Monday, 26 May 2014
By: Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
In an unprecedented move, the head of the Syrian coalition Ahmad al-Jarba dared
to meet with head of the Iranian opposition Mariam Rajavi. The Iranian regime
considers Rajavi to be a red line and considers dealing with her as unacceptable
behavior. Jarba and Rajavi both agree on opposing the Iranian regime and both
aspire to lead their countries towards a better future. Jarba may be luckier in
making it to his country’s capital, Damascus. However Rajavi, who’s been
tirelessly fighting for 35 years, has a rather more difficult task and she will
probably spend the rest of her life in Paris.
Meeting with Rajavi is a smart move because it’s the first practical response
against the Iranian regime which is actually leading the war in Syria and
supporting it with funds and manpower. There’s no longer a justification for the
Syrian opposition to respect anything when dealing with the Iranian opposition.
Engineer Mariam Rajavi is one of the figures who harms the Iranian regime the
most, and the latter has failed to eliminate her. She gains her power from
leading the People's Mojahedin Organization Of Iran, which combines leftism with
Islam. Over a time period of three decades, no Arab regime - except for Saddam
Hussein - dared support the movement. “The gravest crime Tehran committed is in
Syria as the Iranian regime is responsible for the tragedy of hundreds of
thousands of Syrians”
When it comes to relations with Iran, what is left to respect when it is
responsible for most of the region’s problems? The gravest crime Tehran
committed is in Syria as the Iranian regime is responsible for the tragedy of
hundreds of thousands of Syrians. If it hadn’t been for Iranian support, Bashar
al-Assad’s regime would have collapsed during the initial stages of the
conflict. Iran’s support of the Syrian regime is costing the Iranian people
billions of dollars and thousands of their sons. The result will be a huge
disappointment. Assad’s regime resembles Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq as
despite all the weapons and suppressive apparatus the latter had, Saddam ended
up losing power.
What can Jarba do for the Iranian resistance?
I asked an expert what the significance of this group that lives in Europe is.
He said that in addition to shedding light on the People’s Mojahedin of Iran
movement and to bringing it back to the region after the Americans silenced it
and abandoned it following their occupation of Iraq, the Syrian opposition can
establish special relations with it since it is a trained group capable of
threatening the Iranian regime. As long as the Iraqi regime wants to get rid of
Camp Ashraf and its residents – made up of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran
members - it’s expected to later move the camp to Syria. In addition to the
People’s Mojahedin of Iran members who are present in Camp Ashraf, there are
thousands of others who belong to the movement in Europe and the United States.
All those are capable of allying with the Syrian opposition to fight the Syrian
and Iranian regimes. He added that cooperating with them may not alter the
balance of power but it does send an important message. The first of these
messages is that Tehran’s government must realize that supporting Assad has a
political price that includes allying with the People’s Mojahedin of Iran. The
second one is that the Syrian opposition is not sectarian and is aware of the
Iranian regime’s habit of exploiting religion. When Jarba puts his hand in the
Iranian opposition’s hands, he’ll prove he’s neither against the Iranian people
nor against the Shiites and that he’s against the evil regimes of Tehran and
Damascus. The third message is to respond to the Iranian intelligence
community’s move of supporting the fake Syrian opposition that in fact supports
the Syrian regime and aims to replace the real Syrian opposition which the
coalition and the Free Syrian Army represent. All of the region’s regimes
somehow suffer from opposition mounted against them. However, Iran -which uses
the “oppositions” of the region’s countries against them - is in fact a country
made of glass. Iran is the country with the most domestic threats as there are
many parties inside Iran that disagree with the regime and that are acting
against it - even though only a fraction of this activity is reported by the
media. These parties’ members have infiltrated the regime itself and possess
huge manpower in terms of Iranian expats living in the West. There are also
opposition groups consisting of minorities such as the Arabs, Azeris and Baloch
peoples. There are also the Kurds who are the strongest and most militarily
active group in the north west of the country. By meeting with Rajavi, Jarba has
ended the Arab rupture with the Iranian opposition and has opened the door for
the rest of Iran’s opposition parties to communicate with him.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on May 26, 2014.
Ashton, Zarif to meet in Iran to
discuss nuclear talks
AFP, Reuters /Published: 05.26.14
Iran's foreign minister says West should 'stop demanding too much,' be remains
optimistic compromise was still possible despite the difficulties.
TEHRAN - EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are to meet Monday in Istanbul to
review progress on negotiations toward a nuclear deal, Iranian news agency ISNA
reported, citing a source close to the Islamic republic's nuclear negotiating
team. The previously unannounced two-day meeting comes after fruitless talks
between Iran and world powers in Vienna earlier this month when no "tangible
progress" was made ahead of a July 20 deadline. Zarif, speaking in Tehran before
leaving for Turkey, said a compromise was still possible despite the
difficulties. "They should stop demanding too much. We have our red line, and
they too want assurances that our nuclear program will always remain peaceful.
We believe these two add up," the state news agency IRNA quoted Zarif as saying
on Monday. "I feel the realism awakened from the last round of talks will bring
us closer to conclusion. We may be able to remove one of two of the previous
hurdles, or rather face new ones. In any case, we should make an effort to pass
through this phase." Iran considers the right to enrich uranium for nuclear
energy a red line but that levels of enrichment are negotiable. Enriched uranium
provides power for nuclear generating stations but also, if refined to a high
level, for atomic bombs. The powers want Iran to agree to scale back enrichment
and other proliferation-prone nuclear activity and accept tougher UN inspections
to deny it any capability of quickly producing atomic bombs, in exchange for an
end to economic sanctions. Zarif said world powers should refrain from
additional pressure on the Islamic Republic to force it into concessions.
"Sanctions haven't served them any purpose, only led to our making 19,000
centrifuges," he said, according to IRNA, referring to the machines that enrich
uranium. Zarif left Tehran at around 10 am (5:30 am GMT) and will head to
Algeria Tuesday when his meetings with Ashton end.
No representatives from the P5+1 group - the five permanent members of the UN
Security Council plus Germany - that is negotiating with Iran over its nuclear
activities will be at the meeting, the report added. No further details of the
discussions between Zarif and Ashton were disclosed but several issues
reportedly remain. These include the scope of Iran's enrichment of uranium,
which if further purified could be used to trigger a nuclear explosion, and its
unfinished Arak research reactor, whose by-product waste could provide an
alternative route to an atomic bomb.
Iranian and Western negotiators said major gaps remained after the talks in
Vienna, which failed to spark the start of producing an early draft of a
comprehensive agreement. Iran's refusal to include its development of ballistic
missiles at the nuclear talks also reportedly caused a rift in Vienna.
But all sides have since expressed willingness to continue the talks in the
coming months, with the P5+1 seeking to curb Iran's nuclear activities which
international monitors suspect could be masking military objectives. An interim
deal reached in November between Iran and the United States, Russia, France,
Britain, China and Germany could be extended for another six months should the
sides fail to reach a long-term settlement by July 20. But Iran is eager for a
speedier resolution to the conflict. "If we do not reach agreement by (the
self-imposed July deadline), we still have another six months, but our goal is
to reach a conclusion in these two months," said Zarif. Iran, which denies
seeking nuclear weaponry and insists its atomic work is for purely civilian
purposes, needs relief from damaging economic sanctions imposed over its
disputed nuclear activity in order for President Hassan Rouhani to fulfil his
election campaign promise last year of bringing Iran out of international
isolation.
In Egypt, El-Sisi’s victory may be
short-lived
Sarah Hynek and Andrea/26 May 2014/
Democracy and government
Presidential frontrunner and former military chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi can rely
at present on considerable public support. But this support appears to be less
substantial than the Egyptian media machine projects, and will not last unless
he is able to address Egypt’s deep economic, political and social problems.
Anniversary commemoration of the April 6 movement. Demotix / Mohamed Kamal
Since July 3, 2013 and the military takeover that removed the Muslim
Brotherhood’s Muhammad Morsi from power, Egypt’s former military commander and
current presidential frontrunner Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has been glorified as the
nation’s saviour.
He has used that public and media support to imprison Muslim Brotherhood
supporters and other voices of political dissent under Egypt’s newest fight
against terrorism. Stigmatising and persecuting dissenting voices focuses public
attention away from essential economic and political reform. Instead, it helps
legitimise the regime’s battle against ‘Egypt’s enemies.’ While this strategy
may strengthen the new regime’s rule in the short term, it will also lead to
increased political polarisation, dehumanisation of political dissent, and
further strain the fabric of Egyptian society.
When Egyptians took to the streets on January 25, 2011 they rallied for economic
reforms, freedom and social justice. Under Morsi’s Islamist-led government these
demands were neither tackled nor adequately addressed. Instead Morsi’s
non-Islamist opposition found they were increasingly alienated from the
political process as the Brotherhood sought to consolidate its hold on power.
This eventually led to mass consensus and mobilisation seeking Morsi’s removal,
of which the military and its allies in the old order were quick to take
advantage.
The period since Morsi’s removal has been characterised by the silencing of
political and ideological rivals. The Brotherhood’s support base has been
imprisoned by the thousands by security forces and very likely tortured. And
with the top tiers of Brotherhood leadership behind bars, the youth are now
running the organisation on the ground. With their allies in the anti-coup
movement, they continue to rally behind Morsi’s reinstatement as Egypt’s
democratically elected and legitimate president.
Additionally, groups like the April Sixth Youth Movement have also been
targeted. Its leader, Ahmad Maher, imprisoned, as other key activists have been,
including women’s rights advocate Mahienour El-Massry, targeted for protesting
illegally under Egypt’s draconian new protest law. Ironically, she was
demonstrating in solidarity with Khaled Saeed, a young man whose death at the
hands of security services was one of the events that sparked the 2011
revolution.
El-Sisi will seek to strengthen his own legitimacy and the Army’s through the
electoral process and he will almost certainly win. However, his victory will
not reflect his support on the ground. Many opposition movements have boycotted
the elections, including Islamist groups (with the exception of the Salafist
Nour Party), liberal groups like April Sixth, and a great number of individuals,
especially youth, who are disillusioned with the broader political context.
A study published by the Pew Research Centre conducted in April of this year
revealed that 54% of those surveyed think of El-Sisi favourably and over the
last year support for the institution of the military has decreased from 73% to
56%. Thus, while the media scramble to contribute to El-Sisi’s cult of
personality by portraying him as Egypt’s saviour, fighter of terror, and
most-recently, defender of Islam, public opinion seems less inclined to accept
this image than the Army elites might have wanted.
While Egyptians may currently support the regime-endorsed focus on ‘stability’
at the expense of individual rights and freedoms, this outlook will very likely
change unless the Army leadership is capable of addressing Egypt’s deep
socio-economic problems. Ironically, in the long term, this might end up
renewing the strength and legitimacy of opposition groups, from the Islamist
Brotherhood to the liberals and the left. Although elements of the old regime
remain deeply rooted in the Egyptian institutional framework, individual
political awareness has been changed over the past three years.
The January 25 Uprising opened up new spaces to question and actively engage
with the regime, and while some paths have been closed, it seems only a matter
of time before things change again.
Sisi will win Egypt’s vote, but what
then?
Monday, 26 May 2014
H.A. Hellyer/Al Arabiya
“Numerous reporters are cancelling trips to Egypt to cover Sisi ‘coronation
elections’ because their editors, or producers don’t care.”
- Borzou Daraghi, Middle East and North Africa correspondent for the Financial
Times.
It is not that the election of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is insignificant in Egypt.
Of course, it is noteworthy – the former defence minister is about to formally
take the reins of government in a highly significant country for the
international community. The relevance of the election, however, is highly
diminished by the fact that no-one really doubts the outcome. Much of the
Egyptian media continues to purport there is a race of sorts – but in reality,
neither of the two candidates (and there are only two, compared to many more in
2012’s presidential election) doubts that by this time next month, President
Sisi will be presiding over his government. The question is not if Sisi becomes
president – it’s what he is going to do when he formally is.
The word “formally” is also important to put into the discussion. There has been
an interim president since the former president, the Muslim Brotherhood leader
Muhammad Mursi was removed by the military last year. He has presided officially
over the office of president since July 3rd – but few observers have been left
in any doubt that if Sisi was not the power behind the throne, he certainly had
the power of veto over other cabinet ministers. Whether he chose to use it or
not on a daily basis is another question – but he certainly had it.
“Do Egypt’s youth, who account for the overwhelming majority of Egypt’s
population, want a country more like what they remembered during the 2011
uprising?”
H.A. Hellyer
This will be different going forward – and it will, actually be different. There
will be those that claim that a President Sisi will be little different from a
Defence Minister Sisi, based on the inordinate authority he had as defence
minister. It’s an understandable assessment, but ultimately a deeply flawed one.
Not so much due to incorrect appraisal of Sisi’s power as defence minister –
that much is clear – but the nature of his position going forward, and the
nature of the state itself.
We are all curious
Observers and analysts, Egyptians and the international community, are all
curious – what will a presidency occupied by Sisi look like in its policies?
It’s a difficult question to answer, given the lack of information his campaign
has provided on all manner of issues related to specific policies. However there
is another critical question to ask, that is less about his micro-policies, or
even his macro ones, which few seem to be asking – and that relates to Sisi’s
vision of the nature of the Egyptian state itself.
Under Hosni Mubarak, who was removed by the military after the beginning of the
January 25 revolution in 2011, the state’s elements and makeup were more or less
clear. Even if unruly, it existed according to a certain kind of logic,
regardless of its many unsavoury aspects. The last four years has seen that
logic unravel – and no one knows what will take its place. The assumption
unfolding in many quarters is that it will be simply a return of the
“Mubarakian” state – but that set of agreements is over.
It is not to say that will come will be better than the Mubarakian system. The
point is that it will be different – and it is still in the process of being
formed. There will be different interests groups struggling for power dominance
in the new arrangement. There may be many of the same actors and players – or if
not them in particular, then those related to them in some way or another. It
would be foolish to assume otherwise – but while that may tell us something
about some of the elements that eventually get absorbed into the new
accommodations, it does not tell us which elements will have what power
positions. That, in and of itself, could make a great difference.
What differences will arise?
As of yet, we do not know what differences will arise. It could mean, however,
that those who were a part of Mubarak’s wider network may turn out to be some of
the new regime’s most critical foes. Their reasons will hardly be similar to
why, for example, more progressive elements backed the revolution against
Mubarak. But that does not obviate the possibility of their, nonetheless,
playing a significant role in problematizing certain parts of Sisi’s forthcoming
period in office. It’s entirely likely that the military apparatus will play an
even more direct role in not only being an immensely strong pivot in Egypt’s
power structure – but also at the heart of Egypt’s economic plans. That too will
be different from Mubarak – and it will bring a different set of problems and
challenges.
It ought to go without saying that none of this is what the revolutionaries who
fought for the January 25 revolution had in mind when they went to the streets
time and again over the past four years. Their struggle has morphed into
something very different, with challenges they could not have begun to imagine.
Mubarak’s system was an animal they understood and knew how to navigate. They
ultimately set its destruction into motion. The forthcoming period will bring
different kinds of opportunities, alternate trials they will have to endure, and
distinctive tests they’ll be forced to pass. The more sage among them know that
their struggle is not over, nor have they been defeated – but certainly, they’ve
learned a revolution is not a moment, but a process.
The real question for them, as well as for Egypt’s new rulers – do Egypt’s
youth, who account for the overwhelming majority of Egypt’s population, want a
country more like what they remembered during the 2011 uprising? Or do they want
a world inspired by a Sisi presidency? That is the real question – and sooner or
later, Egypt will be forced to answer it. One way or another.