LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 27/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus Appears to His Disciples/And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit
John 20/19-23/On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on April 26-27/19
U.S., Israel Pressuring UN to Increase Monitoring of Hezbollah, Lebanese Report Says
Maronite Patriarch Says the Lebanese Already Living in Austerity
Rahi meets with Armenian Catholic Patriarch, a German delegation and another from UNIFIL: Lebanon is a model for the recognition of civil liberti
Jumblat: Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese
UN Says Third Hizbullah Tunnel Crossed Lebanon-Israel Border
Lebanon, Kuwait Discuss Enhancement of Trade Ties
Report: Khalil ‘Appeases’ Collapse Fears, Says No Tax on Fuel
Five Accused of Murdering Palestinian Boy in Belgian Asylum Centre
Lebanon, Iraq Invited to Join Astana Talks on Syria
Kanaan: No going back on reconciliation with Lebanese Forces
Burning tires in Ain alHilweh to protest the assassination of Fateh Movement member
Jumblatt says states should recognize the Armenian massacre
Turkish Embassy condemns burning of its flag
Geagea calls for official demand to disclose the fate of prisoners and missing in Syria
Russian deputy tours Akkar region with an Orthodox Council delegation
Minister of Culture, Mohammed Daoud from Geneva: Lebanon is committed to protecting its cultural heritage
Kataeb's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh : Reconciliation Must Be Based on Clear Values
Hankache Questions Ministry's Credibility About High-Voltage Project Safety
Marouni: State-Building Requires Exclusive Decision-Making Power
Hezbollah Allows Lawmaker to Resume Work Following Two-Month Suspension

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 26-27/19
Macron: Political Islam Posing a Threat to France
Sri Lanka police hunt 140 after Easter bombings as shooting erupts in east
Turkey Detains 115 Soldiers over Gulen Ties
Russian air strikes kill 10 civilians in Syria’s Idlib
Russia: Syria constitution body could be agreed on soon
UN: More than 7,000 Syrians quit camp near Jordan border
North Korea's Kim Leaves Vladivostok after Putin Summit
Putin Says He'll Brief US on Summit with Kim
Sri Lanka, like world, again sees scourge of suicide attacks
Iran: Israel will drag US into war it doesn't want
The plague of burning churches on Passover
Egypt Referendum Firms Up Sisi Rule as Regional Unrest Flares

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 26-27/19
U.S., Israel Pressuring UN to Increase Monitoring of Hezbollah, Lebanese Report Says/Jerusalem Post/April 26/19
Putin Says He'll Brief US on Summit with Kim/Associated Press/Naharnet/April 26/19
Sri Lanka, like world, again sees scourge of suicide attacks/Associated Press/Ynetnews/April 26/19
Iran: Israel will drag US into war it doesn't want/Reuters/Ynetnews/April 26/19
The plague of burning churches on Passover/Yaron London/Ynetnews/April 26/19
Egypt Referendum Firms Up Sisi Rule as Regional Unrest Flares/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 26/19/
Iran’s investments in Syria in jeopardy thanks to US sanctions/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 26/19
Crowded field as Democrats seek challenger to take on Trump/Ellen R. Wald/Arab News/April 26/19
Deadly attacks are an echo from country’s violent past/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/April 26/19

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on April 26-27/19
U.S., Israel Pressuring UN to Increase Monitoring of Hezbollah, Lebanese Report Says
Jerusalem Post/April 26/19
According to Hezbollah-linked Al-Akhbar newspaper, Washington and Jerusalem want peacekeepers to increase patrols in southern Lebanon and are pushing the UN to boost inspections in the area. Sources in Lebanon have accused the U.S. and Israeli governments of pressuring the UN to begin monitoring Hezbollah's activity south of the Litani River, the Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is linked to the Iran-backed Shi'ite group, reported on Friday. According to the report, the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) has in recent weeks received instructions to begin patrolling areas that were previously not subject to patrols. The newspaper's sources alleged that this is the result of American and Israeli pressure to keep Hezbollah forces as far as possible from the border with Israel, and that similar pressure led to the insertion of the term "inspections" into the description of UNIFIL's mission in the 2017 resolution extending its mandate. The report further claimed that the UN headquarters instructed UNIFIL to add fifteen new patrols – ten in the eastern sector of the territory it patrols, and five in the western sector – to inspect areas that Israel claims Hezbollah uses to hide rocket and missile batteries. On Friday, UNIFIL confirmed the existence of a third tunnel crossing the Lebanon-Israel border in violation of the cease-fire resolution that ended the Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Israel says the frontier tunnels are a tactic used by Hezbollah in previous wars and has called on the international community to impose new sanctions on the Lebanese militant group. Meanwhile UNIFIL says it informed Lebanese authorities about the violation and requested follow-up actions. Israel in January wrapped up Operation Northern Shield which aimed to destroy the part of the tunnels stretching into Israel. *Reuters contributed to this report.

Maronite Patriarch Says the Lebanese Already Living in Austerity
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/Maronite Patriach Bechara al-Rahi on Friday admitted that it might not be possible to resolve all the problems facing Lebanon, stressing, however, that it would be enough to do something, even if on a limited scale, in order to reinforce people's steadfastness and boost their sense of belonging to their country. “It is true that we are going through difficult conditions, but we must be patient. We must serve as a beacon of hope during these dire economic phase during which they keep talking about austerity, while people are already experiencing it unwillingly as they are living in hunger and deprivation,” al-Rahi said. The Patriarch called for optimism despite hardships, hoping that the government's electricity plan and the budget would usher in the reforms that the country needs.

Rahi meets with Armenian Catholic Patriarch, a German delegation and another from UNIFIL: Lebanon is a model for the recognition of civil liberties
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, met Friday in Bkirki with the Armenian Catholic Church Patriarch, Gregorios Boutros XX Gabroian, at the head of a delegation of priests who came to express their Easter greetings. The Armenian Patriarch thanked al-Rahi for his declared positions in calling for the enlightenment of consciences "because it is important for all of us to know that Lebanon is for all its sons and not for a particular sect or a party.""The Lebanese people can no longer tolerate, especially in terms of shouldering the country's economic burdens," he added. "Patriarch al-Rahi speaks the language of the Christians not only at home, but in various parts of the world. Christians in the Middle East are keen on the survival of Christians in Lebanon, for they are a beacon in this East," Gabroian asserted. Later, the Patriarch met with a German delegation from the "Abraham Group" led by Prof. Stefan Feymor, accompanied by a delegation from the World Forum for Religions and Humanity. They congratulated the Patriarch on Easter occasion, and listened to his views on interfaith dialogue and his expectations of the German community in this regard.
Feymor then gave a briefing of the 18-year-old Abrahamic Group in Germany, which includes members of different faiths whose purpose is to introduce people to each other, thus bringing views and perspectives closer together. "Lebanon has been chosen to visit this year for its exemplary model of the message of meeting and dialogue between religions and cultures," he said, adding, "its [Lebanon's] history is very rich, so we decided with great enthusiasm to visit and explore it closely."For his part, Patriarch al-Rahi praised the Group's "keen interest in spreading the culture of dialogue and coexistence among religions.""Unfortunately, the Middle East is witnessing the imposition of foreign policies that justify wars, conflicts and fighting, and therefore the separation between the region's constituents, which is known as a land of peace and love, to become today the land of international conflicts," Rahi added regretfully.
"As you have seen in your visit, Lebanon is a unique example among the countries of this region, for it is a pluralistic country whose constitution and charter are based on living together in equality between all its citizens who share in governance and administration," the Patriarch emphasized.
"Its system separates religion from the state but does not separate the state from God. It does not legislate what is contrary to religion," he maintained.
"Lebanon is a model for the recognition of civil liberties," the Patriarch underlined. Rahi continued to indicate that "Lebanon today hosts about half a million Palestinian refugees and about one and a half million Syrian refugees, which has greatly affected its economic, social, security and educational status."
He cautioned that "time is not in favor of Lebanon if this presence continues on its territory.""We have repeatedly expressed our position on the return of refugees and displaced persons to their land. It is not out of hatred, God forbid, but for the sake of our mutual interests...Our small country can no longer bear this burden and they must return to their land and adhere to their culture and history," Rahi emphasized.
"But the problem today lies with the huge powers, since they do not want to facilitate their return. To the displaced Syrians, these countries insist not to separate their case from the political solution in Syria. However, if the status quo persists, it foretells of future risks," warned al-Rahi.
He continued to stress that "it is not in the interest of Europe and the West to ignore the matter because it may also cause them serious conflicts." Al-Rahi added, "The Christian presence is necessary in this East and must be preserved in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and all countries."
"We speak of the coexistence of religions. Let us raise our voice in all parts of the world, calling for the rejection of the language of war, destruction and hatred, and for establishing the language of peace, dialogue and openness, which alone preserves the dignity of human beings and their diversity," the Patriarch reiterated. In another context, Patriarch al-Rahi met this afternoon with the UNIFIL Italian Contingent Commander, General Diodato Abaniara, and the spiritual leader of the battalion, Father Claudio Mancozi, with whom he reviewed the situation in the area south of the Litani River.
The encounter was a chance to stress "UNIFIL's interest in maintaining the stability and security of the region and extending an aiding hand to its residents."

Jumblat: Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese
Naharnet/April 26/19/Progressive Socialist Party chief ex-MP Walid Jumblat on Friday said in an interview to Russia's state-owned English-language channel RT that the Israeli occupied “Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese,” noting that Hizbullah is a political party representing around 30% of the Lebanese people. “In my opinion, Shebaa Farms are not Lebanese. After the liberation of the south in 2000, the maps of the south were changed by Syrian officers in partnership with Lebanese officers. Theoretically, we occupied Shebaa farms and Wadi al-Asal. The first geographical change came on paper in order to keep Syrian and non-Syrian pretexts calling for the liberation of Shebaa,” said Jumblat in his remarks. “The Syrian regime holds historic spite for Lebanese politicians who opposed it,” he added. On the US sanctions on Iran and Hizbullah, Jumblat said the “current US administration is tougher than its predecessors when it cancelled the nuclear agreement (during Obama’s term) with Tehran.”On the repercussions of that measure on the Lebanese State, Jumblat said: “The Lebanese State has different problems but the main one is how to begin serious measures in an austerity plan. If we do not take serious measures to reduce the deficit, things will take a dangerous turn.” He added: “Meaningless spending must stop.Why all these (Lebanese) embassies in the world? Why are there imaginary salaries for some military. We can do a lot besides fighting corruption.”"The United States and the majority of countries in Europe provides great military assistance to the Lebanese army, and financial for the displaced Syrians in Lebanon,” adding "after termination of the nuclear agreement, there is a new US policy to punish the Islamic Republic of Iran and its branches including Hizbullah.”

UN Says Third Hizbullah Tunnel Crossed Lebanon-Israel Border
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 26/19/A UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon Thursday said a tunnel discovered earlier this year by Israel had crossed the Lebanese-Israeli border, in the third such breach of a ceasefire resolution. Israel in January accused Lebanese Hizbullah movement of having dug what it described as the deepest, "longest and most detailed" tunnel it had discovered. The Israeli army said the tunnel from the Lebanese town of Ramyeh -- just 800 metres (yards) from the border -- reached a few dozen metres into Israel, and descended to 55 metres underground. UNIFIL on Thursday said the tunnel was the third to have crossed the "blue line", a demarcation line drawn by the UN to mark Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000."UNIFIL's independent assessment confirms that this tunnel crosses the blue line in violation of resolution 1701", which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah, it said. "UNIFIL has informed the Lebanese authorities about the violation and has requested urgent follow-up actions," the UN force said in a statement. Lebanon and Israel are still technically at war. Israel is currently building a wall along the 130 kilometre (80 mile) frontier to block Hizbullah attempts to infiltrate. Since early December, Israel has said it discovered six tunnels, destroying them either with explosives or by filling them with a cement-like material. Five have been confirmed to exist by UNIFIL. "Of these, three tunnels have been found to be crossing the blue line," the peacekeeping force said. Israel alleges Hezbollah had planned to use the tunnels to kidnap or kill its civilians or soldiers, and to seize Israeli territory in the event of any hostilities. On January 26, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said it had taken Israel "years" to discover some of the tunnels, but did not specify who had constructed them. Hezbollah is the only side not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. In recent years, Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes against what it says are Hezbollah weapons convoys in war-torn Syria next door, where the group is backing regime forces. The United States has designated Hezbollah a "terrorist" group since 1997, while the European Union blacklisted its military arm in 2013. But it also functions as a political party, with posts in the current cabinet. The United States on Monday offered a $10 million reward for information that would disrupt the group's finances.

Lebanon, Kuwait Discuss Enhancement of Trade Ties
Naharnet/April 26/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri discussed the ways to better bilateral and trade relations between Lebanon and Kuwait during a meeting with Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry Khaled Nasser Abdullah al-Roudan and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Al al-Qinai.After the meeting at the Center House on Thursday, al-Roudan said discussions focused on "bilateral relations between the two countries and increasing the trade exchange since the current figures are not up to the ambitions of the two countries."He added: “An economic team will discuss ways to enhance the volume of exchange between our two countries, which are linked by brotherly relations.”

Report: Khalil ‘Appeases’ Collapse Fears, Says No Tax on Fuel
Naharnet/April 26/19/Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil appeased concerns of an economic collapse saying “everything said was the result of rumors some find easy to circulate around,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. In remarks to the newspaper about the government’s efforts to approve Lebanon’s 2019 state budget, he said: “Our aim is to take out a budget in the form that restores public finances, what we are trying to do is to reduce the deficit to below 9 percent.”He said people should not be concerned because “everything said was the result of rumors and mere talk that some find easy to circulate around without any basis.”In response to question on the possibility of increasing the fuel prices, Khalil said: “The issue of gasoline fees has not been discussed at all, and all the rumors about the increases are baseless rumors, the same is related to what has been said about the increase in value added tax."

Five Accused of Murdering Palestinian Boy in Belgian Asylum Centre
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 26/19/Belgian authorities on Thursday charged five Palestinian men with the murder of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy at an asylum-seekers' centre near Belgium's northern port city of Antwerp. Officials said the boy, who had been staying with his mother in the Broechem centre, went missing late on Monday before a search turned up his lifeless body in a ditch on Wednesday. The Antwerp's prosecutor's office said the five had been charged with the boy's murder. "The facts are qualified as hostage-taking and murder," the prosecutor's office in Antwerp said in a statement without confirming a news report the boy may have been kidnapped for ransom. The accused are aged between 19 and 34, the prosecutor's office said, with spokesman Kristof Aerts confirming they were Palestinian. The boy's uncle, Bassem Chihadeh, told Flemish TV channel VTM he was found dead with "his hands and feet tied". He suggested the child had been the victim of a kidnap for ransom attempt explaining that after he disappeared the family received a WhatsApp message demanding 100,000 euros ($111,000) . The shocking case has drawn the attention of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. "An investigation will be conducted in a transparent and independent manner. The culprits must be punished," Michel wrote in a tweet earlier, offering his condolences after this "tragic death". The boy, born in Lebanon but of Palestinian origin, had been staying with his 26-year-old mother in the Broechem asylum centre when he disappeared on Monday evening, Aerts said. He was last seen riding his bike. A source close to the prosecution told AFP that statements that the accused have given investigators "are not clear" and none of them has confessed. Belgium, a country of about 11 million inhabitants, receives about 20,000 asylum seekers annually, many of whom come from conflict areas in the Middle East, according to the Fedasil asylum seekers' reception agency website.

Lebanon, Iraq Invited to Join Astana Talks on Syria
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/Iran, Turkey and Russia on Friday agreed on inviting Lebanon and Iraq to join Astana talks on Syria as observers, according to a joint statement. The statement, issued following the 12th round of talks in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan, said that the Iranian, Turkish and Russian delegations discussed the issue of increasing the number of observers, and, therefore, decided to invite the two regional countries to attend the talks. Turkey, Russia, and Iran serve as guarantor states in the Astana peace process which was launched in 2017 to bring all warring parties in the Syrian conflict to the table to facilitate U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Kanaan: No going back on reconciliation with Lebanese Forces
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - "The reconciliation between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, which laid the foundation for a reality we always dreamed of as Christians in exercising governance, cannot be left to fail or break, for it is our responsibility to ensure its continuity and eliminate all obstacles so it can persist at both the Christian and national levels," said Strong Lebanon Parliamentary Bloc Secretary, MP Ibrahim Kanaan. In a spiritual and brotherly encounter at the "New Life Monastery" in Antelias this afternoon, where he was joined by former Ministers Melhem Riachy, Youssef Saadeh and Salim Sayegh, Kanaan emphasized that "there is no turning back when it comes to reconciliation" and that "convergence in politics is possible as long as we are in understanding over the nation." Kanaan stressed "his support for all kinds of reconciliations between Christians and non-Christians, especially within the Christian House that took place recently, because it fortifies the nation and ensures its immunity in wake of the challenges we are experiencing."

Burning tires in Ain alHilweh to protest the assassination of Fateh Movement member
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - Family members of Fateh Movement member, Mohammad Nazih Khalil, nicknamed as Abu al-Kul, who was assassinated today in Ain al-Hilweh camp, set fire to tires in the Quds orchard locality inside the camp as an expression of anger and protest against the killing of Khalil," NNA correspondent in Sidon reported.

Jumblatt says states should recognize the Armenian massacre
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, deemed via his Twitter account Friday that "it would be best to commemorate the Armenian genocide through a moment of silence and contemplation, while calling upon all countries without exception to recognize this crime against humanity so as not to be repeated in other or similar ways." "Hence, the burning of the Turkish flag is an irresponsible act in our diverse Lebanese society," Jumblatt underlined.

Turkish Embassy condemns burning of its flag
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - In an issued statement on Friday, the Turkish Embassy in Beirut denounced the recent burning of the Turkish flag by Armenian protestors. "During the demonstration organized by the Armenian groups on April 24, 2019, the Turkish flag was burned. We strongly condemn this action and demand the necessary legal measures against those responsible," the statement underlined.

Geagea calls for official demand to disclose the fate of prisoners and missing in Syria
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - In remembrance of prisoners and missing persons in Syria, Lebanese Forces Party Chief Samir Geagea said in an issued statement Friday: "In this week of suffering, we remember the detainees, the prisoners and the missing in Syrian jails, and we have to work day and night to ease the pain and agony of their families."Geagea called for a formal Lebanese demand to unveil the fate of all prisoners and missing persons in Syria. "Bashar al-Assad's regime has managed to recover the remains of Elijah Cohen since 1965 and managed to find the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon in 1982, yet till this moment does not respond to any Lebanese request to return the missing and the prisoners or at least to disclose their fate!" Geagea exclaimed in his statement."The Lebanese Forces ministers have raised the issue before the Council of Ministers in its meeting yesterday, but unfortunately we did not receive any answer...So we are sending out a new cry through the media this time to the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister and the majority of cabinet ministers, to demand the General Security to do all the necessary to uncover the fate of these detainees, prisoners and missing persons because they are Lebanese citizens in the first place," Geagea underlined. He added: "It would be better for the Assad regime to reveal the fate of these people instead of revealing the fate of Israeli soldiers!"

Russian deputy tours Akkar region with an Orthodox Council delegation
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - A delegation from the Orthodox Council headed by Robert al-Abiad accompanied Russian Parliament Member, Deputy Yevgeny Marchenko, who heads the Russian-Lebanese parliamentary committee, on a tour across the North region earlier today.
Their first stop-over was at the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, then the region of Akkar where they toured its various parts, and met with Head of the Archdiocese of Akkar and Safita, Metropolitan Bishop Basilius Mansour, and had a closer look at the construction underway of the new church in Halba, the Diocese headquarters, and received a briefing on all the parish activities. "The Russian State always stands by the Orthodox Church in the Middle East to preserve the Christians," Marchenko confirmed, adding that he was visiting Lebanon to listen closely to the concerns of the Orthodox community.
Following the tour, Bishop Mansour hosted a luncheon banquet in honor of the delegation, during which he presented the Russian MP with a token of appreciation and loyalty to the Russian State for its support of the East and its standing alongside the Syrian State in its war against terrorism.

Minister of Culture, Mohammed Daoud from Geneva: Lebanon is committed to protecting its cultural heritage
Fri 26 Apr 2019/NNA - Minister of Culture, Mohammed Daoud, pursued Friday his visit to Geneva where he is representing Lebanon at the International Conference organized by UNESCO in cooperation with the Swiss Government to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Protocol II of the Hague Convention (1954) related to cultural property, in the presence of culture ministers from across the world. In his address at the Conference yesterday, Daoud said, "At a time of heightened tension in international relations, the language of dialogue is declining, and given the risks and consequences of crises, solutions must be found, particularly in the area of cultural heritage protection." Daoud deemed this issue highly significant in our present times, especially in wake of the conflicts existing in various parts of the world, most prominently in the Middle East, "where our societies face comprehensive challenges, most notably the growing threats of extremism and terrorism and absurd wars, and their negative repercussions on the cultural legacy." "This poses a challenge to our international community, which has a duty of demonstrating solidarity and mutual assistance to protect human heritage, in order to achieve stability and peace in the world," he corroborated. "Lebanon, in its keenness on the protection of its cultural heritage, is committed to the implementation of international conventions and treaties in the field of heritage protection, most notably the Convention on the Protection of Heritage," Daoud asserted.
"Throughout these years, the Lebanese Ministry of Culture, in close cooperation with UNESCO and Blue Shield Organization, has organized a number of training workshops to motivate all segments of society to ensure the protection of heritage in times of emergency. The Ministry also sought to update laws, regulations and decrees to enhance protection and preservation of our cultural heritage," the Minister assured. "Today, twenty years after the Second Protocol of the Hague Convention, Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to joining the Protocol," stressed Daoud, disclosing that his Ministry has commenced the administrative and legal procedures in this respect, in cooperation with the concerned ministries.

Kataeb's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh : Reconciliation Must Be Based on Clear Values
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/Kataeb's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh on Friday stressed that any reconciliation must be preceded by an objective and conscient self-assessment, saying that the failure to carry out self-criticism is the reason why many political rapprochements came unstuck.
“Reconciliation is not a mere political agreement as it can lead to further problems if not built on a solid ground,” Sayegh said during a debate organized by Mission de Vie association. Sayegh stressed that political reconciliations must be based on clear values, or else they would end up being just mere partitioning deals that would terminate once common interests cease to exist. "In order to reach out to others, we must first reconcile with ourselves."

Hankache Questions Ministry's Credibility About High-Voltage Project Safety
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/MP Elias Hankache on Friday condemned the Energy Ministry's insistence on executing the high-voltage power lines project in Mansourieh despite the residents' objection, wondering why it is seeking to acquire properties if it really considers the plan as safe. “You want to appropriate 58 apartments located along the network of high-voltage power lines in Ain Najem for $16 million, while the installation of the power lines underground would cost roughly $20 million,” Hankache wrote on Twitter. “Why are you being intransigent and adamant on taking the risk?”“But the main question is: If you are convinced that the high-voltage power lines don't pose a threat, then why are you opting for properties acquisition?" Hankache asked.

Marouni: State-Building Requires Exclusive Decision-Making Power
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/Kataeb politburo member Elie Marouni stressed on Friday that state-building requires that the first and last decision be made by the state itself. “One faction is prevailing over the others so there is a non-state army that exists in parallel to the Lebanese Army,” Marouni told Voice of Lebanon radio station.The former minister reminded that President Michel Aoun had promised to convoke a dialogue to discuss the country's defense strategy, adding that three years have passed and nothing has happened yet.

Hezbollah Allows Lawmaker to Resume Work Following Two-Month Suspension
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/Hezbollah has lifted the ban it previously imposed on Nawwaf Moussawi, thus allowing him to resume his work as a member of the party's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, LBCI channel reported on Friday. The Daily Star newspaper also quoted sources as saying that Moussawi committed to several pledges “within and outside” Hezbollah, and will be present at the next parliamentary session. Moussawi's role as deputy was suspended two months ago following remarks he had made during a Parliament session. During his speech before the Parliament during a February session aimed at discussing the Cabinet's policy statement, Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel pointed out to Hezbollah's dominion over the major political events in Lebanon, including its role in the election of President Michel Aoun. "It is an honor for the Lebanese that President Aoun reached office thanks to the rifle of the Resistance," Hezbollah MP Nawaf Moussawi replied to Gemayel. It was the first time that a Hezbollah figure makes such a statement that clearly and brazenly admits to the role that the party had and still plays in the current presidential term. "Aoun was brought to the presidency by the rifle of the Resistance and not on the back of an Israeli tank like others," he added, in reference to Martyr President Bachir Gemayel. Moussawi's allegations prompted a fiery response from MP Nadim Gemayel.

Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published on April 26-27/19
Macron: Political Islam Posing a Threat to France
Kataeb.org/ Friday 26th April 2019/French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday pledged to fight “political Islam”, deeming it as a threat to the country as it is seeking secession from the French Republic. “We are talking about people who, in the name of a religion, pursue a political project. A political Islam that wants to secede from our Republic,” Macron said during a press conference at the Elysee Palace.“We must not hide ourselves when we talk about secularism. We do not really talk about secularism. We talk about the communitarianism that has settled in certain neighborhoods," he added, asking the government to be “intractable". The control of funds from abroad to some organizations should also be tightened, Macron pointed out.

Sri Lanka police hunt 140 after Easter bombings as shooting erupts in east
Reuters/April 26/19/COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police are trying to track down 140 people believed linked to Daesh, which claimed responsibility for the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 253, as shooting erupted in the east during a raid. Muslims in Sri Lanka were urged to pray at home after the State Intelligence Services warned of possible car bomb attacks, amid fears of retaliatory violence. And the US Embassy in Sri Lanka urged its citizens to avoid places of worship over the weekend after authorities reported there could be more attacks targeting religious centers. Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told reporters he had seen a leaked internal security document warning of further attacks on churches and there would be no Catholic masses this Sunday anywhere on the island. The streets of Colombo were deserted on Friday evening, with many people leaving offices early amid tight security after the suicide bombing attacks on three churches and four hotels that also wounded about 500 people. President Maithripala Sirisena told reporters some Sri Lankan youths had been involved with Daesh since 2013. He said information uncovered so far suggested there were 140 people in Sri Lanka involved in Daesh activities.
“Police are looking to arrest them,” Sirisena said.
Nearly 10,000 soldiers were deployed across the Indian Ocean island state to carry out searches and provide security for religious centers, the military said on Friday. The All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ullama, Sri Lanka’s main Islamic religious body, urged Muslims to conduct prayers at home in case “there is a need to protect family and properties.” Illustrating the tension that has gripped the country, shooting erupted between security forces and a group of men in the east during a search and cordon operation, a military spokesman said. The raid took place in the town of Ampara Sainthamaruthu near Batticaloa. The spokesman said there was an explosion in the area and when soldiers went to investigate they were fired upon. No details of casualties were immediately available. Police have detained at least 76 people, including foreigners from Syria and Egypt, in their investigations so far. Daesh provided no evidence to back its claim that it was behind the attacks. If true, it would be one of the worst attacks carried out by the group outside Iraq and Syria. The extremist group released a video on Tuesday showing eight men, all but one with their faces covered, standing under a black Daesh flag and declaring their loyalty to its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
The government said nine homegrown, well-educated suicide bombers carried out the attacks, eight of whom had been identified. One was a woman. Authorities have so far focused their investigations on international links to two domestic extremist groups — National Thawheed Jama’ut and Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim — they believe carried out the attacks. Government officials have acknowledged a major lapse in not widely sharing an intelligence warning from India before the attacks. Sirisena said top defense and police chiefs had not shared information with him about the impending attacks. Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando resigned over the failure to prevent the attacks.
“The police chief said he will resign now,” Sirisena said. He blamed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government for weakening the intelligence system by focusing on the prosecution of military officers over alleged war crimes during a decade-long civil war with Tamil separatists that ended in 2009.
Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe in October over political differences, only to reinstate him weeks later under pressure from the Supreme Court. Opposing factions aligned to Wickremesinghe and Sirisena have often refused to communicate with each other and blame any setbacks on their opponents, government sources say. Cardinal Ranjith said that the church had been kept in the dark about intelligence warning of attacks. “We didn’t know anything. It came as a thunderbolt for us,” he said. The Easter Sunday bombings shattered the relative calm that had existed in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka since the civil war against mostly Hindu ethnic Tamil separatists ended.Sri Lanka’s 22 million people include minority Christians,  Muslims and Hindus. Until now, Christians had largely managed to avoid the worst of the island’s conflict and communal tensions. Most of the victims were Sri Lankans, although authorities said at least 38 foreigners were also killed, many of them tourists sitting down to breakfast at top-end hotels when the bombers struck. They included British, US, Australian, Turkish, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese nationals. Britain warned its nationals on Thursday to avoid Sri Lanka unless it was absolutely necessary. Fears of retaliatory sectarian violence have already caused Muslim communities to flee their homes amid bomb scares, lockdowns and security sweeps. But at the Kollupitiya Jumma Masjid mosque, tucked away in a Colombo side street, hundreds attended a service they say was focused on a call for people of all religions to help return peace to Sri Lanka. “It’s a very sad situation,” said 28-year-old sales worker Raees Ulhaq, as soldiers hurried on dawdling worshippers and sniffer dogs nosed their way through pot-holed lanes. “We work with Christians, Buddhists, Hindus. It has been a threat for all of us because of what these few people have done to this beautiful country.”

Turkey Detains 115 Soldiers over Gulen Ties
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 26/19/Turkish police on Friday detained 115 soldiers suspected of ties to the group blamed for a 2016 coup attempt, state media reported, the latest arrests in a massive crackdown. The detentions came after the Istanbul public prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 210 active duty soldiers including five colonels, state news agency Anadolu reported. Officers detained 55 suspects in Istanbul, 60 suspects elsewhere, Anadolu said, without giving details about the remaining individuals. Those arrested are among tens of thousands of people detained over alleged links to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara blames for orchestrating the 2016 failed coup, which Gulen strongly denies. Since the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, police have carried out raids across Turkey with operations almost everyday in recent months. The Istanbul public prosecutor's office said the Gulen movement, referred to by Turkish officials as the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation," is the "terrorist group which poses the most danger to the constitutional order", Anadolu reported. The movement insists it is a peaceful group promoting education and moderate Islam. The Ankara public prosecutor's office earlier on Friday also issued detention warrants for 41 suspects in 13 provinces over alleged links to the Gulen movement. Turkish authorities say the raids are necessary to remove Gulen's influence in state institutions but activists and Western allies criticise the magnitude of the crackdown.As well as the arrests, authorities have sacked or suspended over 140,000 public sector workers including teachers, judges and soldiers.

Russian air strikes kill 10 civilians in Syria’s Idlib
AFP, BeirutFriday, 26 April 2019/Air strikes by regime ally Russia killed 10 civilians in the region of Idlib in northwestern Syria Friday, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said those killed included two children. The raids took the lives of three civilians including a boy on the outskirts of the town of Kafranbel, and seven including a girl in the town of Tal Hawash, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. Russia and rebel-backer Turkey in September inked a buffer zone deal to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region, near the Turkish border. But the region of some three million people has come under increasing bombardment since former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took control of it in January. The latest air raids came as two days of talks on ending the war in Syria – sponsored by Russia, fellow regime ally Iran, and rebel backer Turkey – concluded in Kazakhstan. In a statement released by the three countries after the meeting, they expressed concern about HTS extending its influence in Idlib. They stressed their “determination to continue cooperation in order to ultimately eliminate” HTS and ISIS, the statement said.
Syria’s war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since the conflict began with the repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

Russia: Syria constitution body could be agreed on soon
Reuters, Nur-SultanFriday, 26 April 2019/The Syrian government and armed opposition groups, together with both sides’ backers, could agree on the makeup of a constitutional committee in coming months, Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev said on Friday. Forming a constitutional committee is key to political reforms and new elections meant to unify Syria and end an eight-year war which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced about half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22 million. The sides have so far failed to agree the constitutional committee’s makeup, and a fresh round of talks in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan, produced no apparent breakthrough on Friday. But Lavrentyev said it was close. Diplomats from Russia, Iran and Turkey will meet with United Nations negotiators in Geneva to discuss the issue again, he said, adding that the issue was “at the finish line.” “The timing has not been agreed yet, taking into account the upcoming month of Ramadan, it is most likely to happen after that,” Lavrentyev told reporters. “But I think by that time (UN mediator) Mr Pedersen will be able to announce” the establishment of the committee. Ramadan starts on May 5 this year and ends on June 4. Russia, a backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has taken a lead role in diplomatic efforts in Kazakhstan that has largely sidelined UN diplomacy. Tehran, like Moscow, is an ally of Assad’s regime, while Ankara has aligned itself with the rebels but has repeatedly threatened to attack Kurdish fighters on the Syrian side of its southern border that it views as “terrorists.” On Thursday, a Western diplomat told AFP that Moscow will be aware of perceptions that recent rounds of the so-called “Astana process” have made little progress and may push to speed up the creation of a long-awaited constitutional committee. The capital of Kazakhstan was called Astana until last month, when it was renamed after the country’s outgoing president.

UN: More than 7,000 Syrians quit camp near Jordan border
AFP, BeirutFriday, 26 April 2019/More than 7,000 people have left a desperate desert camp for displaced Syrians near the Jordanian border since March, a United Nations spokesperson said on Friday. According to the UN’s humanitarian coordination office OCHA, around 36,000 people remained in the isolated Rukban camp near al-Tanf base used by the US-led coalition fighting ISIS extremist group, after over 4,000 left between March and April 21. The Syrian government and key backer Russia said in February they had opened corridors out of the camp, calling on residents to leave.
“Since March, over 7,300 people have left Rukban,” OCHA spokesman David Swanson told AFP, including some 3,000 who left after April 21. Those who have quit the camp have moved to collective shelters in the central city of Homs or resettled in their areas of origin in the province of the same name, OCHA said Thursday. It said Rukban residents were organizing their own transportation to the edge of a de-escalation zone established around al-Tanf, from where they either continued in their vehicles or were transferred by private or government-provided vehicles to four collective shelters in Homs city. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says those returning to government-held parts of Homs from Rukban had struck so-called “reconciliation deals” with the Syrian government. Conditions inside Rukban are dire, with many surviving on just one simple meal a day, often bread and olive oil or yoghurt, according to one resident. The camp has been particularly difficult to reach due to its location on the Jordanian border and the proximity of US forces and the rebels they support. In February, a humanitarian convoy of 133 trucks delivered food, clothes, healthcare items and medical supplies to the camp’s residents. The February 6 delivery was just the second in three months.Syria’s civil war killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

North Korea's Kim Leaves Vladivostok after Putin Summit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 26/19/North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left the Russian city of Vladivostok on Friday after a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin where the two vowed to pursue closer ties. Kim took part in a departure ceremony at Vladivostok station before his armoured train departed around 0530 GMT. Kim and Putin met Thursday in the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok for their first face-to-face talks. The two men agreed to seek stronger relations between Moscow and Pyongyang and Kim accused Washington of acting in "bad faith" in negotiations over the North's nuclear arsenal. Putin left the city on Thursday for another summit in Beijing while Kim stayed on overnight for events including a wreath-laying ceremony.

Putin Says He'll Brief US on Summit with Kim
Associated Press/Naharnet/April 26/19
President Vladimir Putin says he's willing to share details with the United States about his summit on Thursday with Kim Jong Un, potentially raising Russia's influence in the stalemated issue of North Korean denuclearization. The two leaders' first one-on-one did not indicate major changes in North Korea's position: Putin said Kim is willing to give up nuclear weapons, but only if he gets ironclad security guarantees. However, Putin said Kim urged him to explain the nuances of North Korea's position to President Donald Trump. Such an interlocutor role could be meaningful in light of Trump's apparent admiration of the Russian leader. Trump has said he "fell in love" with Kim, possibly indicating a proclivity to being swayed toward accommodation with the North Korean leader, although that declaration came before the Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi in February that collapsed over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament.
At Thursday's summit in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the North Korean border, Kim criticized Washington for taking "unilateral attitude in bad faith" at the Trump-Kim meeting that has caused a diplomatic standstill, North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said Friday. Kim told Putin that the situation on the Korean Peninsula has reached a "critical point" where it could return to tensions and that peace and security will "entirely depend on the U.S. future attitude," the agency said.
The KCNA said Kim and Putin held in-depth discussions to promote "strategic communication and tactical collaboration" over the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and also talked about boosting high-level visits and other exchanges between the countries. The agency said Putin credited Kim's diplomatic initiatives for stabilizing the situation surrounding the peninsula and accepted Kim's invitation to visit North Korea at a "convenient time." It did not report on any specific agreements regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons program and U.S.-led sanctions against the North. After the summit, Putin stressed that Moscow and Washington both want North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. But, he said, the security guarantees Kim demands in exchange should be underwritten by multiple countries, hinting at an arrangement like the six-nation talks Russia participated in until their collapse in 2009. Putin later headed for a two-day trip to Beijing, where he said he will inform the Chinese leadership about the summit. "And we will just as openly discuss this issue with the U.S. leadership," Putin said. "There are no secrets. Russia's position always has been transparent. There are no plots of any kind."
Putin's remarks reflect Kim's growing frustration with Washington's efforts to maintain "maximum pressure" until the North commits to denuclearization.
But his characterization of Kim's comments also suggests there have been no major changes in North Korea's basic position.North Korea has all along contended that it needs its nuclear arsenal to defend itself against what it sees as U.S. hostility and wants concrete reassurances of its safety — including the removal of the American nuclear threat as an integral part of the denuclearization of the entire Korean Peninsula. Trump has made clear that he is eager to work out a deal with North Korea and has already indicated that he thinks he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Russia's involvement in the issue could bolster his confidence, though some analysts think Washington and Moscow are too far estranged. "For Russia, I don't think it will deliver any leverage with the U.S. simply because the relations between Russia and the United States are at such a low level," Vasily Kashin, a researcher at Russia's Higher School of Economics, told The Associated Press. Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, saw the summit as burnishing Russia's credentials.
"The fact that Kim Jon Un asked Vladimir Putin to brief the Chinese and U.S. leadership on the results of the summit attests to Russia's significant role as a guarantor of security in the Asia-Pacific region," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Tass. It wasn't immediately clear what other agreements the leaders might have struck. Along with a statement of political support, Kim was believed to be looking for some kind of economic support and possibly even a workaround to sanctions that will force more than 10,000 North Korean laborers in Russia to leave by the end of the year. The laborers are a major source of income for Pyongyang. Putin said they discussed the issue and would find a solution taking into account "humanitarian" factors, though he didn't say what that would be. On the economic front, both sides share an interest in enhanced cooperation if sanctions are eased. Russia would like to gain broader access to North Korea's mineral resources, including rare metals. Pyongyang, for its part, covets Russia's electricity supplies and investment to modernize its dilapidated Soviet-built industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure. For Putin, the summit was also seen as an opportunity for Russia to emerge as an essential player in the North Korean nuclear standoff. Moscow has kept a relatively low profile as Kim embarked on what has been an audacious diplomatic journey over the past year. The Putin summit follows four summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping, three with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and two with Trump. Despite the current stalemate, Trump has said he would like to meet Kim again. Moon said Thursday he will try to hold a fourth summit with Kim and facilitate the resumption of U.S.-North Korea talks. European Union Council president Donald Tusk said after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Brussels, "We call on (North Korea) to concretely engage on denuclearization and the complete, verifiable dismantlement of all its nuclear weapons."
Since Kim's latest talks with Trump, in Hanoi, ended without any sign of progress, North Korea has expressed its open anger with what it calls an excessively hard-line position by Trump's top advisers in the deadlocked negotiations.
Last week, it demanded U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from the talks and strongly criticized national security adviser John Bolton. There have been reports that Kim has done some internal shaking up as well, possibly firing one of his own main negotiators.
Though Kim appeared confident and respectful as he and Putin met for the first time, he comported himself formally — creating a scene reminiscent of old Soviet-style meetings and a sharp contrast with his more cordial summits with Moon and, at times, even Trump. Moscow was part of six-nation talks on the North Korean standoff that fell apart after Pyongyang's withdrawal in 2009. Putin said Thursday he wasn't sure if the talks could be revived, but he emphasized that international involvement will be needed to discuss guarantees for Pyongyang. Vladivostok, a city of more than half a million on the Sea of Japan, faced gridlock on its roads as traffic was blocked in the city center due to Kim's visit. The authorities also temporarily closed the waters around Russky Island to all maritime traffic. Kim was expected to return to Pyongyang on Friday.

Sri Lanka, like world, again sees scourge of suicide attacks
Associated Press/Ynetnews/April 26/19
The Sri Lanka suicide bombings bring to mind the country’s 26-year civil war, and the carnage recalled by many in the West when Middle East extremists embraced it as a weapon; since 1980, suicide bombings numbered about 6,000 -- half of which in Iraq and Syria alone
The Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka are a bloody echo of decades past in the South Asian island nation, when militants inspired by attacks in the Lebanese civil war helped develop the suicide bomb vest. Government ministers have said seven Sri Lankans from a little-known local group carried out the six nearly simultaneous bombings at churches and hotels on Sunday that killed more than 300 people and wounded about 500. While little else was known about the group or their motives, Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger fighters used suicide bombings in the country’s 26-year civil war before being wiped out by government forces. Similar bombs would then detonate across Israel, wielded by Palestinian militants, and later across the wider Middle East, Africa and Europe by Islamic extremists in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Such attacks strike fear around the world because of their indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, like those eating breakfast at a hotel or worshipping in a church on Easter. Sunday’s assault also raises questions about whether the perpetrators had help or experience from abroad.
“I call today the age of the suicide bomber. This is very much a time of extreme acts that have to, in a way, usurp the previous attacks,” said Iain Overton, executive director of the London-based group Action on Armed Violence, who wrote a book on suicide bombings. “They have to be much more devastating, more impactful, more hurtful, to get as much media headlines as possible.”
Experts put the first modern suicide bombing in 1881, when a radical killed Czar Alexander II of Russia. What may be the first photographs of a suicide bomb vest came in the 1930s, when China used them in its war against Imperial Japan. Japanese kamikaze pilots turned their own planes into weapons.
But the shock of the suicide bomber only struck the minds of many in the West in the 1980s with Lebanon’s civil war. Suicide truck bomb attacks struck both the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people, and later U.S. Marine and French barracks, killing 231 American troops and 58 French soldiers in the bloodiest day for the armed forces since World War II. The U.S. later would blame the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which formed out of Lebanon’s civil war, and Iran for the bombings. Both deny involvement.
At that time, however, a small contingent of Tamil fighters was receiving weapons training in Lebanon and took what they learned back to Sri Lanka, Overton said. Their first suicide attack, in which a bomb-laden truck drove into a Sri Lankan army barracks and killed 55 people in 1987, resembled the U.S. Marine barracks attack.
Over 26 years of civil war, the Tamil Tigers would launch more than 130 suicide bomb attacks, making them the leading militant group in such assaults at the time. They killed a Sri Lankan prime minister and a former Indian prime minister, among others, including bystanders. The war ultimately ended in 2009 with the government crushing the Tamil Tigers, with some observers believing that tens of thousands of Tamils died in the last few months of fighting alone. But while the Tamils were secular nationalists, Islamic extremists in the Middle East would embrace the suicide bomb as a weapon. By the 1990s, Palestinian militants from both Hamas and Fatah would use suicide bombs against Israel. Then al-Qaida under Osama bin Laden would employ them against U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and later against the USS Cole off Yemen.
Then came Sept. 11 and the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.
Up until then, there were some 350 suicide attacks worldwide from 1980, said Robert A. Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago who directs the school’s Chicago Project on Security and Threats.
The U.S. war in Iraq followed, fueling bloody sectarian violence that put Iraq on the brink of civil war. Suicide bombers pounded the country. An al-Qaida branch there would morph into the Islamic State group, which would launch its own suicide attacks around the world.
Today, the number of suicide attacks since 1980 is around 6,000, Pape said, with around half in Iraq and Syria alone. “When we invaded and conquered Iraq, we touched off the largest suicide terrorist campaign in modern times,” he said.
Sri Lankan authorities have blamed a local Islamic group, National Thowfeek Jamaath, for the Easter attacks. However, there is no recent history of Muslim extremist attacks in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist island nation off the southern tip of India. Nor was there any explanation for how a group previously not known for violence could engineer such a massive attack, which experts said resembled an assault by the Islamic State group or al Qaeda.
“What they are seeking to push is this ISIS mantra, which is ‘We love death more than they love life,’” Overton said, using an alternate acronym for the militant group. “It is the icon of a death cult.” The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Sri Lanka attack via its Aamaq news agency on Tuesday. The group, which has lost all the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, has made a series of unsupported claims of responsibility. Since it lost all its territory, there’s been more concern among nations about foreign fighters returning home. Sri Lanka’s justice minister told parliament in 2016 that 32 Muslims from “well-educated and elite” families had joined the Islamic State group in Syria. It’s unclear what happened to them.
“There weren’t many, but there don’t have to be many,” Pape said.

Iran: Israel will drag US into war it doesn't want
Reuters/Ynetnews/April 26/19
Iranian foreign minister says Trump's 'B-team' - which includes Netanyahu and national security adviser Bolton - might 'plot an accident' to trigger a broader crisis or even an armed conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif does not believe US President Donald Trump wants war with Iran, but Trump could be lured into a conflict by his Israeli counterpart and anti-Iran advisers, he said in an interview on Wednesday. "I don't think he wants war," Zarif said in an interview at the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York. "But that doesn't exclude him being basically lured into one." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Zarif's remarks. Zarif said a so-called "B-team," including Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could goad Trump into a conflict with Tehran.
"Those who have designed the policies that are being pursued do not simply want a negotiated solution. But let me make it clear that Iran is not seeking confrontation, but will not escape defending itself," he said. In somewhat cryptic remarks, Zarif also warned of the possibility that people could try "to plot an accident" that could trigger a broader crisis. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen since the Trump administration withdrew last year from an international nuclear deal with Iran and began ratcheting up sanctions. Earlier this month, the United States blacklisted Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions. The US blacklisting of the IRGC, Iran's most powerful security organization with huge stakes in the economy, was the first time any nation has labeled another country's military a terrorist organization.Zarif said Iran would act with "prudence" in response to what he saw as dangerous policies by the United States. In one example, he said Iran would still allow US warships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil artery.
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
Zarif called the decision on the IRGC "absurd," but suggested that Iran did not plan to respond militarily unless the United States changed the rules of engagement guiding how it interacts with Iran's forces. The US military has not suggested it would change its behavior after the blacklisting.
"We will exercise prudence but it doesn't mean that if the United States changed the rules of the game, or changed the rules of engagement, it would be able to get away with that," Zarif said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and some senior military commanders have threatened to disrupt oil shipments from the Gulf countries if Washington tries to strangle Tehran oil exports. Carrying one third of the world's seaborne oil every day, the Strait of Hormuz links Middle East crude producers to markets in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and beyond. When asked if US warships could still pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Zarif - a veteran diplomat who has been foreign minister for more than six years - said: "Ships can go through the Strait of Hormuz." "If the United States wanted to continue to observe the rules of engagement, the rules of the game, the channels of communication, the prevailing protocols, then in spite of the fact that we consider US presence in the Persian Gulf as inherently destabilizing, we're not going to take any action," Zarif said. The United States has accused Tehran of destabilizing the Middle East and helping to prop up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war that began in 2011. Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, the overseas arm of the IRGC, appeared on frontlines across Syria. Zarif said Iran would remain "vigilant" in Syria and in Iraq after investing resources to fight there. "And we will not simply abandon that, that fight," Zarif said.
'PHD' IN SANCTIONS BUSTING
Zarif, the US-educated architect of the 2015 nuclear deal who came under attack from anti-Western hardliners in Iran after Trump pulled out of the agreement last year, signaled Tehran would be resilient in the face of US sanctions. "I mean there are always ways of going around the sanctions. We have a PhD in that area," Zarif said. The United States on Monday demanded buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May or face sanctions, ending six months of waivers which allowed Iran's eight biggest buyers, most of them in Asia, to continue importing limited volumes. Zarif acknowledged that oil sanctions hurt ordinary Iranians and the government would do whatever it could to sell oil to provide for its citizens. When asked who else Iran might consider selling oil to, Zarif said: "If I told you, we won't be able to sell it to them."

The plague of burning churches on Passover
Yaron London/Ynetnews/April 26/19
The sight of Notre Dame on fire may have struck sadness in the hearts of those who, as God commanded, do not celebrate the downfall of others, but one rabbi appears to have been carried away with the spirit of the current holiday
The Passover Haggadah has been read in a format familiar to our contemporaries for over a thousand years.
When it comes to the custom of the Passover Seder, almost all Jews are observant, even though following it requires considerable effort. The stomach rumbles along as hours of prayers are recited, although many are beyond the comprehension of the average listener. Few are able to even utter even a complete verse without making any mistakes. The songs do make it a little easier, although the familiar melodies are often at odds with the number of syllables – a combination that demands an ability to perform linguistic gymnastics as well as sing. The message contained within the strange text is somewhat fuzzy. It is often said that it is a pedagogic exercise whose function is to kindle the desire for freedom from the recollection of the agony of servitude. And what in this instance qualifies as freedom? According to the Haggadah, it has nothing to do with freedom of thought - on the contrary, it is to strengthen and adhere to the doctrine of faith in God. The Haggadah is about a release from hard labor that is followed by voluntary enslavement to the whims of God. It is not the slaves of pharaoh who initiated a rebellion – it is the shadowy force that sits in the heavens and plays "masters and slaves" like a puppeteer.
Moses, the great rebel and leader of the people of Israel, whose wonderful image so captures the imagination in the Torah, is not mentioned in the Haggadah even once.
There is no doubt that the Haggadah is not a politically correct text. The participants in the Seder are directed to rejoice in the suffering of the Egyptians and to dab drops of wine that are reminiscent of blood. It is contrary to the teachings of the Book of Proverbs: "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles". And it is contrary to the Sanhedrin story of how God reproaches His angels at the demise of the Egyptians: "My handiwork is drowning in the sea, and you are singing." Yet it was this schadenfreude that was expressed last week by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, a famed and respected clergyman in Israel who had perhaps allowed the spirit of the holiday to sway his mind a little. Answering questions about the terrible fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, he replied that a rabbi must faithfully adhere to the truth and he would therefore not express sorrow over the sight of a church in flames, although non-Jews might see that very sentiment as provocation. Is it advisable to set churches on fire? The answer apparently is that Jews are exempt from setting fire to churches abroad, but not in Israel. In fact, we are commanded to burn churches in Israel, but it is not worthwhile to fulfill this commandment, lest we must rebuild the burnt-out church, which is a graver sin than leaving it in its ruined state. So really, Rabbi Aviner should be commended for his thorough treatise on the "pros and cons of setting fire to churches."
It really is a joyous festival for Jews.

Egypt Referendum Firms Up Sisi Rule as Regional Unrest Flares
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 26/19/
As mass protests rock other Arab countries, a snap referendum in Egypt has gone against the grain and cemented President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rule for years to come. The three-day ballot saw constitutional changes sail through that allow the former military chief to stay in power until 2030, boost his control over the judiciary and give the army even greater influence in political life. Amid criticism that Sisi has silenced opposition and cracked down on freedoms, officials said more than 88 percent of ballots cast were for "yes". The government has "made sure Egyptians don't see any credible alternative to Sisi so that they don't start to imagine an Egypt that is ruled by anyone else," said Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
The vote in the Arab world's most populous country came on the heels of uprisings that have forced veteran leaders in Algeria and Sudan to step down earlier this month. And Kaldas said after years of turmoil that saw the ouster of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak and his Islamist successor Mohamed Morsi, stability remains a priority for many Egyptians. "Undoubtedly some still support Sisi and believe that he has prevented Egypt from suffering the fate of neighbours," he said. "For most Egyptians, they believe they've overthrown two presidents and seen their quality of life get worse each time, so there's little faith that a third uprising will improve the situation."Around 27 million votes were cast, with a turnout rate of 44.33 percent, at the referendum after it was called and held within a matter of days. The amendments prolong Sisi's current term to 2024 from 2022 and allow him to then run for another six-year term. "The country is on the right track and it's stable... it's logical that Sisi is given his full chance to finish what he started," said Mervat Abdel Fattah, a housewife in her fifties. After the result state television broadcast images of Sisi supporters waving flags and blaring national tunes in Tahrir Square -- the site of angry protests that toppled his two predecessors.
No 'unified' opposition
Analysts put Sisi's thumping victory down to the fractured state of Egypt's marginalised opposition and the use of state resources to back the changes. The opposition's lack of political power and the absence of "a unified stance on the referendum" helped Sisi to an easy win, said Ziad Aqel, political sociology expert at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Especially when coupled with "mobilisation" at the ballot box by state bodies, he added. While people did take to the streets to celebrate, Aqel said their behaviour was "typical" of a political process controlled almost entirely by the state. The New York-based Soufan Center said before the vote that the amendments helped "solidify Sisi's grip" on Egyptian politics. The absence of public opposition to the constitutional changes was "likely a result of the oppressive nature of the Egyptian government", it said in a report published last week.
Bucking the trend
As army chief of staff at the time, Sisi led the military's overthrow of elected president Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against the Islamist leader's rule. Sisi won his first term as president in 2014, three years after the uprising that toppled Mubarak, and was re-elected in March 2018 with more than 97 percent of the vote, after standing virtually unopposed. His government has been widely criticised by human rights groups for the repression of political opponents, thousands of whom have been jailed. Sisi's security services rely on a policy of silencing dissidents on social networks, which played a key role in the overthrow of Mubarak. Reporters Without Borders says there are 33 journalists in Egyptian jail -- accusations authorities deny, saying they have no political prisoners. Egypt's referendum and its outcome have bucked the trend in neighbouring countries like Sudan, where protesters succeeded earlier this month in ousting Omar al-Bashir after 30 years of iron-fisted rule.  Now Sudanese protesters are demanding the military, which took power after helping to topple the veteran leader, hand over the reins to a civilian administration. That came little more than a week after an uprising in Algeria forced long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down. Protesters there have since kept up their rallies, calling for a complete overhaul of the country's political system.

Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 26-27/19
Iran’s investments in Syria in jeopardy thanks to US sanctions
د. ماجد رافيزادا: استثمارات إيران في سوريا في خطر بفضل العقوبات الأمريكية
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 26/19
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Sanctions leveled by the US on the Iranian government’s military institution — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliates — as well as the banking system and the oil sector are placing significant pressure on the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s economy shrank last year and is expected to decrease by 3.6 percent or more this year, according to a recent report published by the International Monetary Fund. Iran’s oil exports have also declined by more than half, and its national currency, the rial, continues to lose its value, while the flood disaster is adding further weight to the economic crisis.
But it is not only inside the country that the Iranian leaders are feeling the economic losses; Tehran’s economic influence, investments and assistance to other countries, particularly Syria, are being negatively impacted too.
In addition to military and geopolitical assistance, economic interference was one of the most important tools that the Iranian regime utilized to intervene in Syria, make profits, control the Arab state, and help keep President Bashar Assad in power.
While the two countries played almost equal roles in bilateral economic trade, business dealings and investments before the conflict in Syria erupted, Tehran has since provided considerable amounts of financial assistance and made significant investments across the country. This granted Iran economic leverage over Damascus and caused its debt and dependence on Iran to increase dramatically.
For example, a few months after the conflict began, the Iranian authorities signed a $10 billion agreement with Syria and Iraq for the construction of a natural gas pipeline that would start in Iran, run through Syria, Lebanon and the Mediterranean, and reach several Western countries.
Tehran also opened a credit line for Syria and invested a considerable amount of resources, skilled forces and labor in Damascus. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei supported the allocation of billions of dollars in aid to Syria, including $5.8 billion that was provided by Iran’s Center for Strategic Research, which concentrates on Tehran’s strategies in six areas, including foreign policy research, Middle East and Gulf research, and international political economy research.
Tehran also began establishing military bases across Syria, while Iranian authorities and Assad made plans for more comprehensive agreements that sought to establish a regional economic bloc. This included a 17-article agreement that was signed by both parties and focused on “trade, investment, planning and statistics, industries, air, naval and rail transportation, communication and information technology, health, agriculture, (and) tourism.”
While the two countries played almost equal roles in bilateral economic trade, business dealings and investments before the conflict in Syria erupted, Tehran has since provided considerable amounts of financial assistance and made significant investments across the country.
Iran’s investments in Syrian infrastructure, power generation capabilities and its gas market also increased as part of the reconstruction process.
But Iran cannot afford to maintain its business dealings in Syria. One day after Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif visited Syria on April 16, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan revealed, in an unprecedented move, that Tehran had halted its credit line to Damascus.
Tehran has also been incapable of shipping oil to Syria in the last six months. Accordingto Al-Watan, this has caused significant fuel shortages because Syria only produces roughly 25 percent of the fuel that the nation needs.
The fact that a Syrian newspaper made such disclosures just after Zarif’s visit indicates that Damascus most likely failed to convince Tehran to extend its credit line and oil exports.
The US sanctions on currency transactions have also impacted Iran’s dealings with Syria because the Iranian-Syrian economic alliance has operated using multi-level contracts involving state and semi-private organizations through the adoption of the dollar for transactions.
One of the major reasons that the Iranian government was previously capable of offering billions of dollars of credit, free oil exports and investments in Syria was due to the nuclear deal, which lifted four rounds of UN sanctions against Tehran and increased the regime’s revenues remarkably.
Another area that has been impacted is the military cooperation between the two nations thanks to the recent designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group by the US. Arms trade with Damascus is critical for Khamenei and the senior cadre of the IRGC to strengthen Syria’s defense systems because the survival of the Assad regime is considered a matter of national security for Iran.
In a nutshell, US sanctions are putting significant pressure on Iran domestically and regionally. Tehran has invested billions of dollars in Syria, but its investments are currently at risk as the regime cannot afford to spend such amounts assisting Assad. To the Syrian president’s dismay, Iran cannot act as Syria’s economic lifeline any longer.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point-of-view

Crowded field as Democrats seek challenger to take on Trump
Ellen R. Wald/Arab News/April 26/19
More than 18 months before the next US presidential election, there are 21 Democratic Party candidates vying for the opportunity to challenge Donald Trump. Former Vice President Joe Biden became the latest to declare when he threw his hat into the ring on Thursday. There are so many candidates in the race, but we know that most of them have no shot of winning. And they know it too. Many candidates have already appeared in town hall specials on cable news, answering questions from TV anchors and audiences. Some of them, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former congressman Beto O’Rourke, have taken to social media with staged, awkward videos. They are all traveling, particularly to the states that hold the earliest and most important votes. The first debates will be held in Miami on June 26 and 27, split into two days because of the unwieldy number of candidates. The top candidates have also been competing for donations, raising millions of dollars each month. Those candidates who fail at the early debates or run out of money will drop out of the race early — even before any votes are cast.
There are only a few legitimate contenders, and some of those are already struggling. Both Warren and O’Rourke were once considered favorites but have seen their popularity lag once the public became more familiar with their backgrounds and personalities. Warren is a far-left former law school professor who controversially claimed Native American heritage. O’Rourke, who often celebrates his youthful visage, is of Irish descent, but he uses the Hispanic nickname “Beto” to appeal to a different constituency. Other candidates are so weak that they probably never expected to win. They likely see the race as a step toward other opportunities. John Hickenlooper, the former governor of Colorado, and Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington, are two candidates who grab little attention and don’t seem to have a shot at winning. They can promote their brands in the hope of a better job in the future — an elected or appointed position in national government or a lucrative private sector opportunity. Others, like self-help author Marianne Williamson and tech executive Andrew Yang, have achieved a small amount of celebrity by running. Then there is Mike Gravel, an 88-year-old former senator from Alaska who says he may run but only to try to influence the policy debates. Some candidates have been largely ignored and were long shots from the start. These include Wayne Messam, a mayor in Florida and a former collegiate football champion; Tim Ryan, a congressman from Ohio; and John Delaney, a former congressman from Maryland. These men would need a miracle to grab national attention.
The top candidates have also been competing for donations, raising millions of dollars each month.
Other declared candidates entered the race with at least some legitimate hopes of winning but have struggled to gain much recognition or support so far. They still hold some hope because, in past presidential elections, some of these types of candidates received boosts after debates, a particular news cycle or a memorable advertisement. They include Julian Castro, an ex-mayor in Texas and the former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Tulsi Gabbard, a congresswoman from Hawaii and army major who is known for independent stances; and a couple of powerful yet indistinct senators in Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York.
The next category of likely also-rans consists of three young men. Pete Buttigieg is the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, which is known mostly as the home of the University of Notre Dame. He is a navy veteran and a former McKinsey consultant. Though he looks even younger than 37 and has no national political experience, he has recently received significant attention. Rep. Eric Swalwell from California is only 38, but he has gained some fame with his unceasing accusations against Trump in recent years. Rep. Seth Moulton is a 40-year old from Massachusetts who has three degrees from Harvard and served four tours in Iraq as a Marine officer on the front lines — an impressive sacrifice that is sure to win the admiration of some voters. Finally, there is the crowd of real contenders who are right now devoted to raising donations and avoiding any big mistakes. This includes Sen. Bernie Sanders, a socialist from Vermont; Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey; Sen. Kamala Harris from California; and Biden. Sanders and Biden are already quite recognizable and popular, while Booker and Harris seem eager and trained to take on the political fight. These four are the most formidable right now, but the situation can change, since the Democrats will not settle on a choice for at least a year.
*Ellen R. Wald, Ph.D. is a historian and author of “Saudi, Inc.” She is the president of Transversal Consulting and also teaches Middle East history and policy at Jacksonville University. Twitter: @EnergzdEconomy

Deadly attacks are an echo from country’s violent past
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/April 26/19
The horrific attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, which killed hundreds of innocents, are a demonstration of how tactics and techniques employed in this island nation decades ago returned to haunt a shocked and broken government thanks to a complete collapse of counterterrorism capability or capacity.
Hate preacher Zahran Hashim, head of the National Thowheed Jamath group that is being blamed for the attacks, developed a reputation as a preacher who “copied” Daesh propaganda videos to enhance his posts via the pro-Daesh Al-Ghuraba media channel, which used Facebook and YouTube as its primary platforms. In the videos, he often advocated the notion that only Muslims are acceptable rulers and routinely attacked Christians, Buddhists and Hindus with hateful diatribes. Hashim’s plan for simultaneous suicide bombings was the devastating result in a country that has a long history of suicide attacks.
Hashim’s hate is wrapped up in a key local factor. In the past 30 years, the South Asia, Caucasus and Middle East regions have seen an increase in the number of theaters of terrorism and insurgency. Attacks have become bloodier, and terrorist campaigns more effective in achieving their aims. Trends show that even though certain groups are unrelated and no formal links are shared, terror outfits have learned from each other’s past terrorist acts and experiences.
Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers or LTTE) employed tactics and techniques, including the use of suicide bombings, that set it apart from other terrorist groups. Up to 200 suicide attacks between 1987 and the end of the civil war in 2009 were reported to have been the work of the LTTE. Their most high-profile victims were former Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993. Hashim’s ability to link his group to terrorist tactics of the past signals that Daesh’s techniques are still evolving and being perfected, with other groups watching carefully. The LTTE often ambushed and harassed Sri Lankan troops, using small arms and heavier weapons, artillery and even aerial bombings. Mortar attacks and sniper fire also helped to pin down the Sri Lankan armed forces. The LTTE often attacked government troops in waves, a tactic that proved to be hugely successful. Once the enemy was swarmed, suicide bombers would engage the target, causing panic.
The LTTE attacked targets of national significance to Sri Lanka and were often indiscriminate in who was attacked at these sites. National symbols such as the president, the central bank and Colombo’s World Trade Center were targeted, with most of the casualties being Sinhalese.
The conflict between the LTTE and Sri Lanka’s forces dragged the country into a long-lasting civil war, which involved more than 20 years of intermittent conflict. Government troops were the group’s main target, but it also struck at civilians in urban areas. It seems that the Easter attacks echo this type of tactic.
The evolution of terrorist tactics and techniques could be seen in the multi-faceted attack on Mumbai in 2008. The approach adopted by the Mumbai attackers showed clear similarities to that of other related groups. Thus, the Mumbai attacks can easily be compared to the massacres performed by the LTTE.
Public spaces and national landmarks are easy targets that terrorists increasingly are looking to attack. Mumbai was not the first time a transport hub was attacked; in fact, it is becoming common for attacks to target sites such as train stations. This tactical trend obviously jumped to Europe and continental Asia as time passed, as demonstrated by the dozens of bloody attacks on each continent. Hashim’s ability to link his group to terrorist tactics of the past signals that Daesh’s techniques are still evolving and being perfected, with other groups watching carefully. The likelihood that Hashim picked up tactics from Sri Lanka’s violent past is quite high. In a sense, the Easter attacks were a homecoming for terrorist tactics.
• Dr. Theodore Karasik is a non-resident senior fellow at the Lexington Institute and a national security expert, specializing in Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East. He worked for the RAND Corporation and publishes widely in the US and international media.