LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 09/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.april09.18.htm
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Bible
Quotations
Listen To What They
Say, But Do Not do What They Do
Matthew 23/01-12./: "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever
they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not
practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay
them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a
finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they
make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the
place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be
greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them
rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you
are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one
Father the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have
one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant.
All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will
be exalted."
Extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of
generosity on their part.
Second Letter to the Corinthians 08/01-09/: "We want you to know, brothers
and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of
Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and
their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their
part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means,
and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of
sharing in this ministry to the saints and this, not merely as we expected;
they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so
that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he
should also complete this generous undertaking among you. Now as you excel
in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in
our love for you so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your
love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on April 08-09/18
Political Shameful Subservience in Iran Occupied Lebanon/Elias Bejjani/April
07/18
Terrorism and the ‘Freedom of Speech’ Argument/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al
Awsat/April 08/18
Beware Persians bearing gifts! How Iran’s banks funded terror/Baria
Alamuddin/Arab News/April 08/18
Terrorism Turkish Style/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/April 08/18
On teaching philosophy in Saudi Arabia/Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Al Arabiya/April
08/18
Iran is on the brink of a new popular uprising/Huda al-Husseini/Al Arabiya/April
08/18
A Yemen political solution is needed, but which one/Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al
Arabiya/April 08/18
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on April 08-09/18
Political Shameful Subservience in
Iran Occupied Lebanon
Trump Says U.S. Firms 'Look Forward' to Investing in Lebanon
Assad sole political representative of Syria: Aoun
Aoun: CEDRE Conference outcome will help in economic progress
Rahi: Article 49 a prelude to settlementNasrallah calls for high turnout in
upcoming elections: We wish to be in the position of hope and loyalty, a
list that bears all signs of victory
Hariri: Elections decisive, requiring participation to raise electoral score
Sarraf says Lebanon will not allow any aggression against it
Khalil: Any enemy breach will be faced with a deterrent Lebanese position
Bassil: Lebanon requires will to survive, decision to build
Berri: World Embraced Lebanon at CEDRE Conference
UAE Pledges $200 Million to Support Lebanon Armed Forces
Sami Gemayel Casts Doubt over Link Between Budget Clause and CEDRE Funds
Sami Gemayel Attends Mass on Second Day of Keserwan Tour
Lebanon: Hezbollah Shows Reservation Towards Cedar Conference $11 Bln
Pledges
Senior Iranian Clerk: Hezbollah Will Destroy Haifa & Tel Aviv
Titles For Latest
LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 08-09/18
Pope Francis
Condemns Reported Chemical Attack in Syria
Syrian government reaches agreement with faction of Jaish Al-Islam to begin
Douma evacuation
Trump Says 'Big Price to Pay' after 'Mindless Chemical Attack in Syria'
Assad's government accused of killing 40 Syrians in gas attacks on Douma
World condemns Assad’s regime chemical attacks on Douma, Moscow deny
allegations
Trump called Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad an 'animal'
Turkey said there was a 'strong suspicion' the Syrian regime was responsible
Saudi Arabia condemns Douma chemical attack
Saudi Detainees May Face Terrorism-Focused Courts
New air strikes hit rebel-held areas of Syria’s Ghouta amid ceasefire talks
Israel defense minister says ‘no innocent people’ in Gaza
France Hosts Saudi Crown Prince on Global Tour
German Police Rule Out 'Political Motive' in Van Attack
Four Killed in Suicide Attack on Iraq Party Headquarters
Brazil's ex-President Lula da Silva Surrenders to Federal Police
Latest
Lebanese Related News published
on April 08-09/18
Political Shameful
Subservience in Iran Occupied Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/April 07/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63719
It is so frustrating and disappointing that
currently the majority of the Lebanese politicians and parties and with only
few exceptions are practically and each in his own way have shamefully
succumbed and happily enjoy the role of the subservient to the
Iran-Hezbollah occupation.
In reality, they are merchants while their prime priorities are not the
people or the country, but an evil strive to serve only and only their own
selfish power agendas, riches and individual interests.
The worst among all these narcissistic politicians, and the most derailed
are the Maronite politicians as well the so called Christian political
parties.
In this context of deviation and derailment from all that is Lebanese
patriotism, ethical codes, Faith, Hope, respect of historical roots, and
appreciation of martyrdom, emerges the bizarre kind of parliamentary
elections’ competition in Kesrouan – Jbeil …
A Judas like competition that presents the evil mentality and education of
wide gates that leads to hell.
(Matthew 07/13 &14/”Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and
the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are
many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And
those who find it are few.”)
In conclusion all that one can seen at the present time in the
Keseroun-Jbeil is an ugly and dirty election campaign based on money, power
and personal agendas.
Trump Says U.S. Firms 'Look Forward' to Investing in Lebanon
Naharnet/April 08/18/The White House has released a statement by U.S.
President Donald Trump that acknowledges Lebanon's challenges and
achievements in the wake of the CEDRE economic conference.
“I send my greetings to those who participated in the April 3 CEDRE
Investment Conference on Lebanon and the Lebanese people. Lebanon is a
country facing countless challenges, including an unprecedented influx of
refugees and the corrosive influence of Iran and Hizbullah,” said Trump in a
statement released by the Office of the Press Secretary of the White House.
“But as we can see from the success of this conference, Lebanon is also a
country with many friends and enormous potential,” Trump added.
“I commend the government of Lebanon’s progress, under the leadership of
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, to address these pressing challenges. Lebanon
has now passed a budget in two consecutive years, increased Lebanese Armed
Forces deployments in the south, and defeated ISIS in Lebanon. And, it will
soon hold historic parliamentary elections. These are all steps toward
improved governance and a more secure Lebanon,” the U.S. leader went on to
say.
Trump also welcomed Lebanon’s plans to strengthen its economy through
“commitment to implement necessary reforms, including combating corruption,
increasing transparency, and improving accountability and fiscal
management.”
“Undoubtedly, Lebanon’s ambitious set of infrastructure projects presents
great opportunities to strengthen Lebanon’s economy and enhance economic
prospects for the whole country. American companies will look forward to the
new opportunities that the Capital Investment Plan will offer in Lebanon,”
the U.S. president added.
He also noted that the United States is proud of its “close ties with the
Lebanese people” and stands in support of Lebanon’s efforts to “strengthen
its legitimate state institutions and develop an open, free economy that
serves all Lebanese.”
Assad sole political representative of Syria: Aoun
The Daily Star/April 08/18ظBEIRUT: President Michel Aoun said Sunday that
Lebanon should “engage with” the Syrian regime as the sole authority in
Syria, as the civil war in the country continues into its eighth year.
“Bashar Assad is currently the president of his country,” Aoun said in an
interview with members of French news media at Baabda Palace, according to a
statement released by his press office. “We must engage with the existing
government - we have no other choice,” he said, responding to a question
about Assad’s political future. The interview with Aoun was published a day
after Assad’s forces reportedly carried out a chemical attack in the eastern
suburbs of Damascus that killed at least 80 people in one of the last
remaining opposition-held districts of the Syrian capital. Aoun made no
mention of the chemical attack in Sunday’s statement. Aoun added that
“Lebanese-Syrian relations are limited, but as long as President Assad
remains in power, we recognize him.” “There is no other representative of
Syria,” Aoun said. Aoun also fielded questions on a number of other issues,
including the $11 billion in funds gathered at Friday’s CEDRE conference in
Paris - funds that Aoun stressed would help Lebanon with a number of
economic woes, including hosting more than 1 million Syrian refugees. “The
Syrian refugees can return [home],” he added, “as the military
confrontations are confined to small, specific areas.”
Aoun: Hizbullah Committed to Peace, Not a 'Heavy Ally'
Naharnet/April 08/18/President Michel Aoun has stressed that Hizbullah is
not a “heavy ally,” as he noted that the Iran-backed party is “committed to
peace and stability in Lebanon.”“Hizbullah is not a heavy ally and its
members are Lebanese citizens who live in their towns on the border with
Israel,” Aoun said in an interview with the French TV5Monde channel. “They
have defended their towns and Lebanon and they have never attacked Israel
but have rather liberated south Lebanon from Israeli occupation. This is the
reason behind the rise of the Hizbullah resistance against Israel,” the
president added. “No one in Lebanon is attacking Israel, it is rather Israel
that is aggressing against Lebanon all the time. It launched several wars
against our country in 1993, 1996 and 2006,” Aoun clarified.
He noted that the Lebanese government is “fully practicing its sovereignty
across Lebanese territory, without any interference from
Hizbullah.”“Hizbullah has not initiated an attack against Israel and
therefore it is committed to stability and peace in Lebanon,” Aoun went on
to say. Asked about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his political
future, Aoun noted that Assad “is currently the president of his country.”
“We have to deal with the incumbent government and we don't have another
choice,” Aoun added, noting that the Lebanese-Syrian ties “are currently
limited.”“As long as President Assad stays in power, we will recognize him,
seeing as there is no other representative for Syria,” the president added.
Aoun: CEDRE Conference
outcome will help in economic progress
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, stressed
Sunday that the value of the loans and donations resulting from the CEDRE
Conference would undoubtedly help the economic advancement of Lebanon.
Aoun, whose fresh words came during an interview to the French "TV5 Monde"
Television, pointed to "the difficulty of fighting corruption because it
involves all sectors, especially that there are those who protect the
corrupt and the influentials; hence, the perpetrators of corruption must
first be detected and held accountable." Speaking about the Lebanese-Saudi
relations, Aoun deemed that Saudi Arabia's contribution to the Cedar
Conference was a sign of the rapprochement between the two countries,
pointing out that the "Kingdom is a friendly country to Lebanon."
Referring to Saudi Arabia's request to join the Francophone Organization, he
said "Lebanon supports Saudi Arabia's demand to join the Francophonie."
Commenting on the reform process in Lebanon, the President stressed the
importance of "pumping new blood in public administrations" as a fresh start
towards reform.
Speaking to the French Television about the existing conflict between
Lebanon and Israel at the backdrop of building the separation wall and the
disputed maritime areas, Aoun said, "There is a legitimate and legal
solution to the dispute over maritime laws and those relating to rights in
natural resources, which must be respected. This conflict should not lead to
war, especially since we accept arbitration if the UN fails to reach a
solution."
Asked also about the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Aoun said,
"Renewing the Parliament will take place because the new electoral law will
allow the minority and the majority to be represented within the Parliament
Council."
Touching on his alliance with Hezbollah, the Head of State pointed out that
"Hezbollah was not a heavy ally," adding that its partisans live in their
villages along the Israeli borders to defend Lebanon and their properties.
He indicated that the Party's involvement in the Syrian war came after it
turned into a regional war, involving 84 countries.
"Naturally, the Party will return to Lebanon shortly after the war's end,"
said Aoun.
On the Syrian level, the President explained that the reason why Lebanon
demanded the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland was due to the
limited military confrontations in certain small areas in Syria, noting that
the international aids to the displaced Syrians became inadequate.
Commenting on the status of Syrian President Bashar Assad from the Lebanese
perspective, Aoun said, "As long as President Assad remains in power, we
acknowledge him as there is no other representative of Syria."
President Aoun concluded by saying, "The decision of the US President to
relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem is the beginning of the American
abandonment of this city."
Rahi: Article 49 a prelude to settlement
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rahi
criticized on Sunday the Lebanese officials for approving Article 49 in the
2018 Budget, deeming it as an "introduction to settlement." "We don't know
what is the reason behind approving Article 49 in the 2018 budget that
grants Arabs and foreigners, who buy an apartment in Lebanon, a temporary
residence for the husband, wife and their minor children...," Rahi said
during a Mass service in Bkirki today, adding that "such process is a
preface to settlement and grants them the right to citizenship." Speaking to
believers, Rahi also expressed his gratitude to "the 50 States and
international organizations that participated in the Paris Conference,
particularly French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted and organized said
conference." The Prelate called on the Lebanese officials "to fulfill their
promises in carrying out necessary political, structural, administrative,
financial, electrical and water reforms, or else the public debt will be
exacerbated and the deficit will double." Rahi, who did not lose hope in
making serious reforms in Lebanon, renewed his confidence in "the new power
coming after the parliamentary elections." Finally, the Patriarch said, "The
Lebanese State is facing challenges that are reflected in demonstrations and
strikes in each sector, as a result of accumulated negligence and the
preoccupation of political officials with their personal, partisan,
sectarian and private interests at the expense of the State and public
benefits."
Nasrallah calls for high turnout in upcoming elections:
We wish to be in the position of hope and loyalty, a list that bears all
signs of victory
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah,
addressed the Lebanese on Sunday at an electoral rally to announce the joint
Hezbollah-Amal Movement list for the district of Nabatieh in South Lebanon.
Appearing in a televised speech to a huge crowd of supporters who gathered
at the Imam Al-Hussein Square in the Southern city of Nabatieh this evening,
Nasrallah indicated that the goal of the rally is to declare support to the
"Hope and Loyalty" electoral list in South Lebanon's third district.
"We wish to unanimously be in the position of hope and loyalty, and to
continue in this list that brings together all political forces, bearing all
signs of victory," said the Secretary-General.
"Hope springs from faith in God, and in you, in such lively people who
proved in all experiences to be above despair...resembling the high
mountains of Lebanon...and deeply rooted in the ground," said Nasrallah.
"We say this based on all the experiences which you have patiently
endured...for desperation is a deadly factor of the individual, the
community and the nation...Our culture is one of hope in the Lord, and in
the return of Christ to this world to expel all thieves from all
structures...and hope in the emergence of the descendant of Prophet Mohammed
to establish justice in this land," he went on.
Nasrallah stressed the need to widely participate in the forthcoming
parliamentary elections, and to choose wisely whom to elect, highlighting
"the importance of the Parliament Council in drawing the policy and future
of the country...being the mother of institutions."
"Hence, each person has to monitor the challenges ahead," he said.
The Secretary-General outlined in his speech two main issues of concern, the
first being the ongoing Israeli threats and conflict. "We are faced with an
enemy who has greedy desires in our region, our water and our land," said
Nasrallah.
He summarized the long-sufferings of the people of the South and West Bekaa
in confronting the Israeli aggression, and the endless sacrifices of the
resistance in liberating the land from Israeli occupation, despite all
attempts to undermine its capabilities and existence.
Nasrallah deemed that "the unity of the people is the guarantee of the
resistance, and this needs political protection so as not to drag the
country towards sedition." He stressed herein "the importance of the
electoral process, and the election of those who protect the resistance."
The Secretary-General then tackled the financial and economic dossier as a
second main issue of concern. "I join the voices of officials who say that
the country is not bankrupt, but if we continue in the same pattern as
before, we are certainly heading towards bankruptcy and difficult
conditions," he warned.
"Every year, the public debt service increases, which renders us before a
new situation that requires us to act in a new manner," explained Nasrallah.
"We need deputies who are familiar with the people's situation," he went on,
calling for the rejection of new taxes, especially that alternative options
were submitted to government but were not approved.
"We are in need of deputies who would confront any new tax hikes that would
burden the people," he reiterated, referring to the possibility of taking to
the streets in the event of any tax increase "for the people can no longer
bear any additional taxes."
Nasrallah declared his rejection of any boycotting or withdrawal from
government since the country is subject to open risks at both the financial
and resistance levels.
Addressing his supportive crowd, Hezbollah Secretary-General urged them to
vote massively in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, saying, "The
importance of the upcoming elections depends on your participation and your
choice...They will do anything that comes to mind to prevent you from that,
so your presence on the election day of May 6 should be strong."
"Our goal is to ensure the success of all members of the 'Hope and Loyalty'
list, and to work to provide preferential votes to our allies as if they
were candidates of Hezbollah," added Nasrallah, stressing that his Party
will not compete over preferential votes.
In his concluding word to supporters, Nasrallah said, "To those who created
hope and proved to be up to the level of loyalty and responsibility...it is
your duty, on May 6, to be widely present and to vote sincerely for all
those who shoulder your causes and preserve your trust and confidence."
Hariri: Elections decisive, requiring participation to
raise electoral score
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed Sunday that "the
upcoming parliamentary elections are crucial, so every citizen ought to
partake in the electoral process in order to raise the electoral score, so
that we do not allow anyone to seize Beirut's decision from its people."
Addressing a crowd of supporters in a popular gathering held at noon at the
"Grand Cafe" in Beirut, Hariri said, "Beirut is the jewel of Lebanon and the
Arab world, and we will restore its glory, God willing." "This march was
started and completed in Paris, and there will be a large share of the
projects of the Cedar Conference for Beirut and its people," vowed the Prime
Minister.
Sarraf says Lebanon will not allow any aggression
against it
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - Minister of Defense Yacoub Al-Sarraf asserted Sunday
that Lebanon will not allow any act of aggression towards it, while strongly
condemning the daily violations committed by the Israeli enemy against
Lebanon's sovereignty. "Lebanon will not allow any aggression against its
land or economy," reiterated Sarraf, referring to the "Israeli enemy's
ambitions in terms of the Lebanese oil wealth, which will contribute to the
recovery of the Lebanese economy, and is desperately needed under the
current circumstances." Speaking to his interlocutors who came to express
their well-wishes on the Easter occasion, Sarraf said, "Today, on this holy
occasion, we hope for the resurrection of a strong Lebanon, a country free
from corruption, and for the progress of the economic and social situation
and the consolidation of security and political stability." Sarraf stressed
the role of President Michel Aoun "as the Head of State and the father of
the whole nation, who carries the concerns of the country and its citizens
in his mind, heart and conscience."Sarraf praised "the achievements made
during the current mandate, especially in strengthening the capabilities of
the army, whose sacrifices will never be forgotten, and the projects that
the Ministry of Defense is seeking to implement in order to develop the
military institution."The Defense Minister also emphasized "the important
outcome of the recent Rome Conference II in supporting the army and security
forces," noting that "forty-one countries have confirmed that the stability
of Lebanon is an important factor in the stability of the Middle
East."Minister Sarraf concluded by denouncing "Israel's dangerous acts
pursued in the Palestinian territories," calling on the international
community and the Arabs "to put an immediate end to these crimes."
Khalil: Any enemy breach will be faced with a deterrent
Lebanese position
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil asserted via
Twitter on Sunday that "any violation by the Israeli enemy would be
confronted by an exceptional and significant curbing Lebanese position." "We
are in an open challenge with the Israeli enemy today, and what is happening
confirms Israel's inability to confront Lebanon with the points of
reservation that we consider our legitimate borders," said Khalil, noting
that the Israeli enemy is further isolating itself through its actions.
Khalil had earlier visited the Kfarkila-Adaysseh border axis, where he
observed the Israeli concrete wall construction works currently underway
along the borders.
Bassil: Lebanon requires will to survive, decision to
build
Sun 08 Apr 2018/NNA - Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Gibran Bassil
highlighted the need for Lebanon "to have the will to survive and the
decision to build." Bassil's words came in his delivered speech during the
dinner banquet hosted by Lebanon's Ambassador to France, Rami Adwan, at the
Westin Paris - Vendome Hotel at the end of the Lebanese Diaspora Energy
Conference held in the French capital. "Despite the difficult conditions
that accompanied the conference, culture turns out to be the real source of
power in Lebanon," said Bassil. In this context, the minister indicated
that, "The Lebanese people pin great importance on culture and have the
determination to constantly fight to preserve their homeland; thus,
defeating terrorism and unilateralism which are now found in many nearby
countries." "Today's meeting is in the name of Lebanon and in the name of
diversity, which is the biggest victory for Lebanon, thanks to your
participation in the upcoming elections that will increase the level of
political culture in Lebanon and will lead to the improvement of the
democratic life," Bassil went on. "I hope that our new meeting on May 10th,
11th and 12th will pave the way for more deliberations and discussions in
order to strengthen our solidarity," he added. "Your participation in the
forthcoming elections will be an expression of your desire to return to
Lebanon and practice your citizenship right, which will allow you to be more
engaged in everything related to Lebanon," Bassil concluded.
Berri: World Embraced Lebanon at CEDRE Conference
Naharnet/April 08/18/The world “embraced Lebanon” at the CEDRE economic
meeting, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said. “Through France's hosting
of the CEDRE conference and the presence of the participating countries, the
world embraced Lebanon,” Berri told al-Hayat newspaper in remarks published
Sunday.“Implementation is now the responsibility of the Lebanese,” the Speaker
added.
“Prime Minister Saad Hariri's remarks on Friday on the importance of our
cooperation and the role of political accord in reaching the plan that was
presented to the conference indicate that we can reach the required
results,” Berri went on to say, adding that he endorses Hariri's statement.
International donors pledged $11 billion in low-interest loans and aid for
Lebanon at the CEDRE conference to try to avert an economic crisis in a
country hard hit by the fallout from the Syrian war.
Lebanon's growth has plummeted due to political instability, with the effect
compounded by the Syrian conflict which has sent a million refugees across
the border -- equivalent to a quarter of the Lebanese population before the
conflict.
Some 40 countries sent representatives to the conference in Paris along with
officials from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund where an
aid package, made up 90 percent of low-interest loans, was agreed.
Praising the "exceptional generosity of the Lebanese people" with regard to
Syrian refugees French President Emmanuel Macron said the world needed to
show "full solidarity" with Lebanon.
UAE Pledges $200 Million to Support Lebanon Armed Forces
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 08/18/The United Arab Emirates has said
that it will give Lebanon's armed forces $200 million in aid to help
"stabilize" the country. The foreign ministry said that $100 million would
go to the army and $100 million to other state security services in Lebanon,
which borders war-torn Syria.
The oil-rich Gulf country said its support was a "continuation of efforts
made for the stability and prosperity of (Lebanon's) people."The "resilience
and strength" of Lebanon's military and security institutions was a priority
given the region's "delicate circumstances," the statement said. At a
mid-March meeting in Rome, the international community pledged to help
strengthen the Lebanese Army. France, in particular, said it would release a
credit line of 400 million euros.
On Friday, the international community announced it would provide more than
$11 billion to modernize Lebanon's economy and strengthen its stability,
threatened by regional crises, particularly the war in neighbouring Syria.
The loans and donations, announced at a conference in Paris aimed at
supporting the Lebanese economy, are intended to help finance investment
projects over the next five years. Fears of an economic crisis have hovered
over Lebanon since the crisis in Syria began more than seven years ago,
pushing more than one million refugees to flee across the border into the
neighboring country.
Sami Gemayel Casts Doubt over Link Between Budget Clause and CEDRE Funds
Kataeb.org/Sunday 08th April 2018/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Sunday
reiterated that the party is offering the Lebanese a new option to choose in
the upcoming parliamentary elections, saying that the proposed alternative
would give rise to a new reality that is much better than the one the
country is witnessing nowadays. In a lunch banquet held in his honor at the
residence of the Kataeb candidate in Keserwan Chaker Salameh, Gemayel deemed
the Article 50 of the 2018 budget as unconstitutional, saying that it
encloses an implicit consent to the naturalization of refugees in Lebanon.
The Article 50 grants any foreign national who invests in a real estate
starting at around $500,000 inside Beirut and $330,000 elsewhere a permanent
Lebanese residency. "They are motivating the refugees to buy apartments
while the Institute of Public Housing has stopped giving loans to the
Lebanese youths who are now unable to acquire apartments in their country,"
Gemayel said."The petty interests of some are being very costly for the country."
Gemayel questioned the link between the funds granted at the CEDRE
conference and the Article 50 of the budget, casting doubt over the
possibility that the approval of said clause was a precondition set ahead of
the Paris conference.
The Kataeb chief slammed the ruling authority's reckless economic policy,
noting that the funds garnered at the CEDRE conference will make the country
plunge into more debts that the next generations will incur.
"They think that they can pay these debts thanks to the revenues from the
oil and gas exploration, whereas there is still no tangible proof that this
project will succeed.""If we really want to fight corruption, then we should
start by eradicating the corruption of the ruling political class. The top
priority now goes to stop indebtedness, reduce squandering and launch
transparent tenders," he stressed.
Sami Gemayel Attends Mass on Second Day of Keserwan Tour
Kataeb.org/Sunday 08th April 2018/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Sunday
kicked off the second day of his tour in Keserwan by attending a mass at Our
Lady of the Rosary Church in Zouk Mosbeh. The service was attended by the
candidates for the Maronite seats in the district, Farid Haykal Al-Khazen,
Yollande Khoury and Chaker Salameh, as well as scores of the Kataeb's
officials and partisans in the area.
Lebanon: Hezbollah Shows Reservation Towards Cedar
Conference $11 Bln Pledges
Beirut- Asharq Al Awsat/Sunday, 8 April, 2018/Lebanon’s
Hezbollah party expressed reservation concerning the terms and conditions of
pledges the international community announced for Lebanon at the Cedar
Conference in Paris on Saturday. The soft loans exceeded $ 11.5 billion.
Member of Parliament Nawaf al-Moussawi, a member of Hezbollah’s
parliamentary bloc, said that “any loan can only be passed after discussions
in relevant parliamentary committees and after its adoption in the House of
Representatives." “We, along with our allies, will be keen on preventing the
aggravation of public debt, worsening debt service and budget deficit.”On
the other hand, Future bloc Head Fouad Siniora said that the great success
achieved at the Cedar conference will help Lebanon through local, regional
and international difficulties, as well as improve its economy and address
its growth problems. Held in Paris, the Cedar Conference brought together
representatives of 51 countries, the World Bank, the International Monetary
Fund, and Arab and international financial organizations and bodies to
support Lebanon. France pledged to offer 550 million euros ($673 million) to
Lebanon to give a boost to the country's development, French Foreign
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Friday. The pledges include $10.2
billion in loans and $860 million in grants. Lebanese officials said the aid
included $4 billion in World Bank loans, $1.35 billion in loans from the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the renewal of a
previously pledged $1 billion credit line from Saudi Arabia. In the
meantime, Shiite anti-Hezbollah politician Ali al-Amin announced on Saturday
an electoral list in which he is allied with the Lebanese Forces Party in
the third circle of the south in a faceoff with the Shiite duo, the Amal
Movement and Hezbollah. “We want real competition, they want preset
elections,” said Amin. “We will not repeat promises made by political
parties that monopolized representation, and terrorized against any
counter-candidate,” said Amin, who is the candidate for the Shiite seat in
Bint Jbeil.
Senior Iranian Clerk:
Hezbollah Will Destroy Haifa & Tel Aviv
Jerusalem Post/April 08/18/Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a senior member of
Iran's Assembly of Experts, threatened that Hezbollah "will turn Haifa and
Tel Aviv into ghost-towns" with the group's 70-kilometer range missiles in a
sermon Friday. "You've tried your chances twice," and failed, Khatami said,
according to an Iranian Student News Agency report. "Despite the fact that
Hezbollah is stronger today than ever, if you want Tel Aviv and Haifa razed
to the ground, try your chances again." The report states that Khatami was
responding to a statement by Israel that conflict with Hezbollah is possible
in the coming year. "This year has the potential for escalation, and not
necessarily because either side wants to initiate it, but because of a
gradual deterioration. This has led us to raise the level of preparedness,”
the head of IDF operations, Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon, told Army Radio.
Commenting on the IDF's killings of Palestinians in the ongoing "Great March
of Return" protests in the Gaza Strip, Khatami said: "The Zionists can only
be answered with the language of resistance and force." Adding to Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's threat that Israel will not survive another
25 years, Khatami added: "Perhaps it is God's will that, with all the
madness they are causing, [Israel] will be destroyed even before." Hezbollah
currently possesses an arsenal of approximately 150,000 missiles. Israel
last fought the Lebanese Shi'ite militia group in the 2006 Second Lebanon
War. Khatami also denounced Saudi Arabia for its increasingly close ties
with Israel in the wake of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman's
statement that "Israelis have the right to have their own land."
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on April 08-09/18
Pope Francis Condemns
Reported Chemical Attack in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 08/18/Pope Francis on Sunday condemned
the use of chemical weapons in Syria after a suspected attack in an
opposition holdout in Eastern Ghouta killed 70 people. "Terrible news comes
to us from Syria with dozens of victims, many of them women and children ...
so many people are struck by the effects of the chemical substances in the
bombs," the pope told thousands of people gathered in St Peter's Square.
Syrian government reaches agreement with faction of
Jaish Al-Islam to begin Douma evacuation
Reuters/April 08, 2018/BEIRUT: The Syrian government has reached an
agreement with the rebel group Jaish al-Islam to begin evacuating Douma
after the group requested talks, state television reported, citing an
official source. "Jaish Al-Islam terrorists requested negotiations with the
Syrian state, which will start the talks within two hours from now (local
time)," the source said. Syrian state TV says an agreement was reached to
release all prisoners from Douma in return for Jaish Al-Islam departing to
northern Syria. There was no immediate comment from Jaish al-Islam, which
controls the last rebel-held enclave in eastern Ghouta, the town of Douma.
New strikes pound Syria's Ghouta after alleged gas attack . Fresh air
strikes hit rebel-held areas of Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, a monitor
said, after more than 80 people were killed in weekend raids including an
alleged chemical attack denounced by the United States.
Sunday's strikes came despite reports of a ceasefire and the potential
resumption of talks between Syria's regime and Jaish al-Islam, the last
rebel faction in Ghouta. Allegations of a chlorine gas attack on Saturday
were causing widespread international concern, but Syrian state media and
regime ally Russia denounced the claims as "fabrications". Assad's forces
renewed their assault on Douma, the last rebel-controlled town in Eastern
Ghouta, on Friday after talks over an evacuation of Jaish al-Islam fighters
broke down. The regime has used a fierce military onslaught and two
negotiated withdrawals to retake control of 95 percent of Eastern Ghouta,
once the main rebel stronghold close to Damascus. It appeared last week that
Douma would follow suit, with the evacuation of hundreds of rebels and their
families, but there were reports of divisions among the rebels with
hardliners refusing to go. At least 80 civilians have been killed since
Friday after the regime launched fresh air raids, according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor. (With AFP)
Trump Says 'Big Price to Pay' after 'Mindless Chemical
Attack in Syria'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 08/18/U.S. President Donald Trump on
Sunday said there will be a "big price to pay" after what he called a
"mindless CHEMICAL attack" in Syria, allegedly involving chlorine gas. Trump
also called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad an "animal." "President Putin,
Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay,"
Trump said in a pair of tweets which began with a discussion of the attack
in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, where rescue workers alleged that regime
loyalists had used chlorine gas. "Many dead, including women and children,
in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and
encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside
world," the president said. At least 80 civilians have been killed since
Friday after the regime launched fresh air raids on rebel-held areas of
Eastern Ghouta, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
Britain-based monitor. Syrian state media and the regime's ally Russia
denounced claims of chemical use as "fabrications." "Open area immediately
for medical help and verification," Trump said. "Another humanitarian
disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!"
The latest alleged attack came a year after the rebel-held town of Khan
Sheikun in northwestern Syria was hit by an air strike. A U.N.-commissioned
report said many residents of the town suffered the symptoms of an attack
from an illegal nerve agent and more than 80 or them died, convulsed in
agony.
Trump responded to that attack three days later, when U.S. warships in the
Mediterranean fired 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase. Assad
denied ordering that attack and Russia has continued to give him diplomatic
cover at the United Nations. Trump on Sunday criticized his predecessor
Barack Obama for not striking after warning that the use of chemical weapons
in Syria was a "red line." "If President Obama had crossed his stated Red
Line in The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal
Assad would have been history!" Trump said.
Assad's government accused of killing 40 Syrians in gas
attacks on Douma
AP/April 08/18/BEIRUT: Syrian opposition activists and rescuers said Sunday
that a poison gas attack on a rebel-held town near the capital has killed at
least 40 people, allegations denied by the Syrian government. The alleged
attack in the town of Douma occurred late Saturday amid a resumed offensive
by Syrian government forces after the collapse of a truce. The reports could
not be independently verified. Opposition-linked first responders, known as
the White Helmets, reported the attack, saying entire families were found
suffocated in their homes and shelters. It reported a death toll from
suffocation of more than 40, saying the victims showed signs of gas
poisoning including pupil dilation and foaming at the mouth. In a statement,
however, it reported a smell resembling chlorine, which would not explain
the described symptoms, usually associated with sarin gas. It said around
500 people were treated for suffocation and other symptoms, adding that most
medical facilities and ambulances were put out of service because of the
shelling. The Syrian American Medical Society, a relief organization, said
41 people were killed and hundreds wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said at least 80 people were killed in Douma on Saturday, including
around 40 who died from suffocation. But it said the suffocations were the
result of shelters collapsing on people inside. Videos posted online by the
White Helmets purportedly showed victims, including toddlers in diapers,
breathing through oxygen masks at makeshift hospitals. The Syrian
government, in a statement posted on the state-run news agency SANA,
strongly denied the allegations. It said the claims were "fabrications" by
the Army of Islam rebel group, calling it a "failed attempt" to impede
government advances. "The army, which is advancing rapidly and with
determination, does not need to use any kind of chemical agents," the
statement said. Syrian government forces resumed their offensive on
rebel-held Douma on Friday afternoon after a 10-day truce collapsed over
disagreement regarding the evacuation of Army of Islam fighters. Violence
resumed days after hundreds of opposition fighters and their relatives left
Douma toward rebel-held areas in northern Syria. Douma is the last rebel
stronghold in eastern Ghouta. The alleged gas attack in Douma comes almost
exactly a year after a chemical attack in the northern Syrian town of Khan
Sheikhoun killed dozens of people. That attack prompted the US to launch
several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base. President
Donald Trump said the attack was meant to deter further Syrian use of
illegal weapons. The Syrian government and its ally, Russia, denied any
involvement in the alleged gas attack. Douma is in the suburbs of Damascus
known as eastern Ghouta. A chemical attack in eastern Ghouta in 2013 that
was widely blamed on government forces killed hundreds of people, prompting
the US to threaten military action before later backing down. Syria denies
ever using chemical weapons during the seven-year civil war, and says it
eliminated its chemical arsenal under a 2013 agreement brokered by the US
and Russia after the attack in eastern Ghouta.
World condemns Assad’s regime chemical attacks on Douma,
Moscow deny allegations
Trump called Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad an
'animal'
Turkey said there was a 'strong suspicion' the Syrian regime was responsible
Arab News/April 08/18/LONDON: The US, UK,
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pope Francis condemned Saturday's chemical gas
attack on Syria’s Douma, while Russia and the Syrian regime denied claims of
chemical weapons use. Rescue workers said dozens of civilians had been
killed in the attack and at least 80 civilians have been killed since Friday
after the regime launched fresh air raids on rebel-held areas of Eastern
Ghouta, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
Britain-based monitor. United States US President Donald Trump on Sunday
said there will be a “big price to pay” after what he called a “mindless
CHEMICAL attack” in Syria, allegedly involving chlorine gas. Trump also
called Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad an “animal.”“President Putin, Russia
and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay,” Trump
said in a pair of tweets which began with a discussion of the attack in
Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, where rescue workers alleged that regime loyalists
had used chlorine gas. “Many dead, including women and children, in mindless
CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by
Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world,” the
president said. “Open area immediately for medical help and verification,”
Trump said. “Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever.
SICK!"Trump also criticized his predecessor Barack Obama for not striking
after warning that the use of chemical weapons in Syria was a “red line.”
“If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line in The Sand, the Syrian
disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!”
Trump said. Meanwhile, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said
in a statement, “these reports, if confirmed, are horrifying and demand an
immediate response by the international community.” “The Assad regime and
its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented
immediately,” she added, noting that “Russia, with its unwavering support
for the regime, ultimately bears responsibility for these brutal attacks.”
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom called on the need to open an urgent international
investigation into the chemical attack reports. In a press statement issued
by the UK Foreign Ministry, a spokesperson said that the Assad regime and
his supporters must end the violence against innocent civilians. “The
reports that showed a large number of victims in the chemical attack in the
city of Douma are disturbing and, if proved correct, will be further
evidence of the brutality of the Assad regime and the disregard of its
supporters of international laws,” the statement read.
Pope Francis
At the end of a Mass in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope said that, “there is no
such thing as a good war and a bad war. Nothing, but nothing, can justify
the use of such instruments of extermination on defenseless people and
populations.”He urged that “military and political leaders choose another
path, that of negotiations, which is the only one that can bring about peace
and not death and destruction.”
Turkey
Turke strongly condemned what it said was a chemical weapons attack in Douma,
saying there was a “strong suspicion” the regime of President Bashar Assad
was responsible. “We strongly condemn the attack and we have the strong
suspicion it was carried out by the regime, whose record on the use of
chemical weapons is known by the international community,” the Turkish
foreign ministry said in a statement. Turkey said that the incident showed
that past UN Security Council resolutions on the use of chemical weapons in
Syria were “once again” being ignored. The foreign ministry called for an
investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
and said it expected condemnation from the international community. The
foreign ministry statement did not explicitly refer to Russia and Iran,
maintaining Turkey’s caution in not lashing out at its partners.But it
called on “the parties who have influence over the Syrian regime” to ensure
that such attacks are halted and punished.It noted that “in the past no
measures have been taken against these attacks.”
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has expressed deep concern and condemned the purported chemical
attack on Douma in the eastern region of Syria, according to an official
source at the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Moscow, Damascus deny
claims Russia’s military is rejecting claims that Syrian government forces
used chemical weapons in an attack on the rebel-held town of Douma. Maj.
Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko was quoted by Russian news agencies on Sunday as
saying Russia was prepared to “promptly send Russian specialists in
radiation, chemical and biological protection to Douma after its liberation
from fighters to gather data that will confirm the fabricated nature of
these statements.”Yevtushenko said “a number of Western countries” are
trying to prevent the resumption of an operation to remove Army of Islam
fighters from Douma and “to this end they are using the West’s pet theme of
the use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces.”
Saudi Arabia condemns Douma chemical attack
Arab News/April 08, 2018/DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has expressed deep concern and
condemned the purported chemical attack on Douma in the eastern region of
Syria, according to an official source at the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
The attack killed dozens of civilians, among them women and children. The
source stressed the need to stop these tragedies and to pursue a peaceful
solution based on the principles of the Geneva Declaration and UN Security
Council resolutions. The source pointed out the importance of the
international community’s responsibilities toward civilians in Syria.
Saudi Detainees May Face Terrorism-Focused Courts
SourceAgence France Presse/Naharnet/April 08/18/Dozens of Saudi detainees
caught up in a government anti-graft crackdown could be referred to courts
specialized in cases of national security and terrorism, Asharq al-Awsat
newspaper reported Sunday. They include individuals who refused to agree to
confidential settlements with the government, and others believed to be
guilty of "a greater offense," the pan-Arab daily quoted Saudi Arabia's
deputy attorney-general Saud al-Hamad as saying. "Each of these cases will
be dealt with separately. Some will be examined by departments specialized
in money laundering, while others will be referred to courts specialized in
issues of national security and terrorism," Hamad said. In November, 381
Saudi royals, ministers and tycoons were detained in an anti-corruption
crackdown led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in January that the majority had
been released after agreeing to financial settlements totaling over 400
billion riyals ($107 bn) in various forms of assets and cash.
To date, 56 people are known to remain in custody, their whereabouts unknown
since the initial holding place -- the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton -- was re-opened
on February 11.Saudi Arabia's prosecutor general has launched fresh
investigations and judicial proceedings against those detainees, Asharq al-Awsat
said, quoting the deputy attorney-general. "Depending on the result, the
investigation will be referred to the relevant court," Hamad said. Saudi
King Salman in March ordered the creation of specialized anti-corruption
units to investigate and prosecute graft cases. Officials have not made
public the charges against suspects detained at the Ritz-Carlton. Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old son of the king, is behind the
unprecedented crackdown on corruption, as he consolidates his grip on power.
Some critics have labeled Prince Mohammed's campaign a shakedown and power
grab, but authorities insist the purge targeted endemic corruption as the
country prepares for a post-oil era.
New air strikes hit rebel-held areas of Syria’s Ghouta
amid ceasefire talks
AFP, Beirut/Sunday, 8 April 2018/New regime air strikes hit
the last rebel pocket Syria’s Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, a monitor said,
despite reports the fighters had struck a ceasefire deal with regime ally
Russia. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said raids had
resumed a day after more than 40 people were killed in other strikes on
Douma, where dozens also suffered from breathing difficulties. Negotiators
in Douma and the Syrian state news agency SANA said a deal had been reached
for negotiations with the Jaish al-Islam rebel group, who hold Douma, the
last pocket of resistance in Ghouta. On Sunday morning, a civilian committee
taking part in the talks between the rebels and Russia announced “a
ceasefire and the resumption of talks today” hoping it will lead to a “final
accord”. SANA, citing an official source, said the “Jaish al-Islam
terrorists are requesting negotiations with the Syrian government and the
government will begin these negotiations within two hours”. The
Britain-based Observatory said “regime aircraft have resumed bombardment of
Douma” after a brief lull overnight, adding that the strikes were aimed at
piling pressure on Jaish al-Islam.
It added, however, that “despite the renewed strikes, negotiations are
underway”.
Civilian casualties
According to the Observatory, air raids killed 42 people in Douma on
Saturday and 30 of Friday. It also reported that 70 civilians suffered from
breathing difficulties on Saturday, and that 11 of them, including four
children, had died. The White Helmets rescue organisation, Jaish al-Islam
and Syria’s main opposition forces however claimed that Douma had been hit
by a chemical attack. Syrian state media denounced the allegations as
“fabrications”.The Observatory’s Abdel Rahman said he could not “confirm or
deny” the claims of a chemical attack. But he said the civilians had
difficulty breathing probably because of the amount of smoke that rose over
Douma “after the air strikes”.A regime offensive against Ghouta since
February 18 has killed more than 1,600 civilians and sliced the area into
three isolated pockets, each held by different rebel factions. The first two
were evacuated under Russian-brokered deals last month that saw more than
46,000 rebels and civilians bussed to opposition-held Idlib province in the
northwest. But talks with Jaish al-Islam which controls Douma -- the third
and last pocket -- have faltered despite a preliminary accord last week that
saw nearly 3,000 fighters and civilians bussed to northern Syria.
Israel defense minister says ‘no innocent people’ in
Gaza
AFP/April 08, 2018/JERUSALEM: Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman
said Sunday there were “no innocent people” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip
after 10 days of protests and clashes left 30 Palestinians dead. “There are
no innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” Lieberman told Israel’s public radio.
“Everyone’s connected to Hamas, everyone gets a salary from Hamas, and all
the activists trying to challenge us and breach the border are Hamas
military wing activists.”Israel has faced mounting questions over its use of
live fire after 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza Strip border
in which its forces have killed 30 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health
ministry. Violence spiked again on Friday, when clashes erupted as thousands
protested along the border, and nine Palestinians, including a journalist,
were killed. On March 30, Israeli forces killed 19 Palestinians as a protest
by tens of thousands led to clashes. There have been no reported Israeli
casualties. Israel says it has only opened fire when necessary to stop
damage to the border fence, infiltrations and attempted attacks. It alleges
Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip and with whom it has
fought three wars since 2008, is seeking to use the protests as cover to
carry out violence. But rights groups have harshly criticized Israeli
soldiers’ actions, and Palestinians say protesters are being shot while
posing no threat to troops. The European Union and UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres have called for an independent investigation, which Israel
has rejected. On Saturday, the European Union raised questions over whether
Israeli troops engaged in “proportionate use of force.”
France Hosts Saudi Crown Prince on Global Tour
Saudi Arabia's crown prince arrived in France on Sunday for the next leg of
a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image as he pursues
his drive to reform the conservative petrostate. Prince Mohammed bin Salman
will hold meetings with President Emmanuel Macron during his two-day
official visit starting Monday -- his first trip to France as the heir to
the Saudi throne. Macron will walk a diplomatic tightrope with the young
prince in talks set to focus on cultural ties and investments but also the
war in Yemen, dubbed the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the
kingdom's arch-nemesis Iran. The 32-year-old prince, widely known as MBS,
was received at the Bourget airport near Paris on Sunday morning by French
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The trip follows a coast-to-coast tour
of the United States as well as visits to Britain and Egypt, where the
prince courted a host of business tycoons and struck multimillion-dollar
deals from defense to entertainment. Around 18 memorandums of understanding
in energy, agriculture, tourism and culture are set to be signed at an
official Saudi-France CEO Forum on Tuesday, a source close to the crown
prince's delegation told AFP. A Franco-Saudi cooperation deal to develop Al
Ula, a Saudi city richly endowed with archeological remnants, is also
expected to be a central highlight of the visit, the source added. Aside
from meetings with the French president, prime minister and trade officials,
the prince is also considering a visit to the Paris-based tech start-up
campus Station F, the Arab World Institute and a concert in the southern
city of Aix-en-Provence, the source said. "This is not a traditional state
visit," another source close to the Saudi delegation told AFP, without
revealing the time of his arrival on Sunday. "It is about forging a new
partnership with France, not just shopping for deals."Macron's office said
the trip would also focus on investment in the digital economy as well as
renewable energy, as the world's top crude exporter pumps billions of
dollars in the sector in a bid to diversify its economy.
Young, visionary, ambitious'
Prince Mohammed's tour is meant to project "Saudi Arabia is open for
business," Bernard Haykel, a professor at Princeton University, told AFP.
"He is marketing Saudi Arabia as a strategic and business partner to the
West and a force of stability in the region, as compared to rival Iran which
he presents as a destabilizing force," he said. The tour comes after a
tumultuous period at home that saw a major military shake-up and a royal
purge as the prince consolidates power to a degree well beyond that wielded
by previous rulers. The prince has used his global tour to project his
reforms -- including the historic lifting of a ban on women driving, cinemas
and mixed-gender concerts -- as part of his pledge to return the kingdom to
moderate Islam. Backed by high-power lobbying and public relations firms,
the prince is seeking to rebrand Saudi Arabia as a modernist oasis instead
of an austere kingdom known for exporting jihadist ideology and subjugating
women. Saudi officials project strong relations between Prince Mohammed and
Macron, both young leaders undertaking challenging reforms to transform
their countries. "Saudi Arabia is not resetting diplomatic ties with
France," a source close to the Saudi government told AFP. "The leadership of
both countries share much in common. They are both young, visionary and
ambitious."
Underlying tensions
But the trip follows a period of underlying tensions, with Macron seeking to
bolster ties with the Arab world's biggest economy while also managing other
relationships with Middle Eastern nations. Macron waded into a regional
crisis last November when Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri tendered his
resignation on live television from Riyadh, apparently under pressure from
the crown prince. Macron invited Hariri to Paris for talks and he has since
rescinded his resignation, a development that analysts say exposed the
limits of the prince's authority. As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens
to tear up the 2015 nuclear cooperation deal with Iran, Macron also faces
the challenge of convincing the crown prince that some agreement to curb
Tehran's atomic ambitions is better than no deal at all, experts say. The
crown prince, however, has emphasized closer ties with Washington just as
Macron has sought to improve relations with Iran. Macron also faces seething
criticism over French weapon exports to Saudi Arabia, including Caesar
artillery guns, sniper rifles and armored vehicles, despite the kingdom's
role in the Yemen crisis. Three out of four French people believe it is
"unacceptable" to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, according to a poll last
month by independent research group YouGov. Last week, 10 international
rights groups implored Macron to pressure Prince Mohammed over the Saudi-led
bombing campaign in Yemen, claiming it is exacerbating a humanitarian crisis
for thousands of civilians.
German Police Rule Out 'Political Motive' in Van Attack
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 08/18/German police said Sunday they did
not see an extremist motive behind a ramming attack with a van that claimed
two lives and placed the driver's mental health issues in the foreground.
There are "no indications of a political motive," said Hajo Kuhlisch, chief
of police in western city Muenster where the attack took place. Rather, "the
motive and origins (of the crime) lie within the perpetrator himself," he
added. Far-right opponents of Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy
suggested in the immediate aftermath of the attack it might be an Islamist
act of terror, while some media reported the killer had links to right-wing
extremist organizations. So far the 48-year-old German who killed two and
injured 20 -- some seriously -- with a van before shooting himself has been
identified only as Jens R. Prosecutors said he had faced allegations of
threats, property damage and fraud in 2015 and 2016, all of which were
dropped. A source close to the investigation told AFP that incidents related
to the perpetrator's mental health had affected his family since 2015, and
that he said in late March he wanted to commit suicide. Broadcaster NTV
reported he had threatened family members with an ax in 2014 and 2015.
Despite investigators' increased certainty about the perpetrator's mental
health, "it will take a few more hours and days" before the case is fully
cleared up, North Rhine-Westphalia state interior minister Herbert Reul said
Sunday.
Four Killed in Suicide Attack on Iraq Party
Headquarters
SourceAgence France Presse/Naharnet/April 08/18/A suicide attack targeting a
political party headquarters in western Iraq has killed four people and
injured seven others, including a candidate in polls set for May, officials
said Sunday. On Saturday evening "two suicide bombers disguised as soldiers
entered the Al-Hal Party headquarters", one of most prominent parties in the
Sunni-majority province of Al-Anbar, a local security official told AFP on
the condition of anonymity. One of the attackers "detonated his explosive
belt while political leaders held a meeting" at the campaign headquarters in
the city of Hit, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Baghdad, General
Qassam al-Mohammadi, head of army operations in the area, told AFP. "Three
members of the security forces were killed and seven people, including
candidate Zineb Abdel Hamid al-Hiti, were wounded," he said. A
municipal employee on Sunday also succumbed to injuries sustained in the
attack, the anonymous official said. He said the second attacker detonated
his belt shortly after the first, but did not cause any casualties. Medical
sources confirmed the death toll of four and said Hiti had been hospitalized
with light injuries. There has been no claim of responsibility for the
attack, which took place in the tribal desert province of Al-Anbar,
primarily home to Sunni Muslims. Sunnis are a minority in Iraq, where more
than two-thirds of the population is Shiite Muslim. For three years, the
Sunni Islamic State jihadist group ruled over the province, which stretches
from the western periphery of the capital to the border with war-torn Syria.
In December, Baghdad declared "victory" against IS after retaking the
group's last urban stronghold in Al-Anbar. But according to experts,
jihadists are still hiding along the porous border with Syria and in parts
of the Iraqi desert. Elections held in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in
2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime have all been marred by deadly
violence. But in the runup to the May 12 polls, the country has enjoyed a
respite from violence which has significantly decreased in recent months.
Brazil's ex-President Lula da Silva Surrenders to
Federal Police
CNN International/Sunday 08th April 2018/Former Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva turned himself over to federal authorities Saturday to
begin serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. Before Lula da Silva
surrendered to police, his supporters prevented him from turning himself in
by blocking his car.Lula da Silva had been holed up since Friday in the
steelworker's union headquarters surrounded by many hundreds of supporters.
As he tried to leave the compound Saturday through a gate, dozens of
supporters surrounded the vehicle shouting "don't surrender" and "no turning
back," which forced his vehicle to back away from the gate. Thursday, a
federal judge ordered Lula da Silva's arrest after the Supreme Court ruled
he must start serving the 12-year prison sentence. Lula da Silva, a former
steelworker's union leader, remained at the union headquarters Friday,
defying an order to turn himself in to police by 5 p.m. in the southern city
of Curitiba. Lula da Silva, who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2011, was
considered a front-runner in this October's elections. But the court's
decision not to grant his request to remain free while appealing the
conviction has cast doubt on his bid to regain power.
After the incident with his supporters, Lula walked himself outside the
gates of the headquarters, got into another car and joined a police envoy.
The convoy headed to to Sao Paolo airport where the former President was
expected to board a flight to Curitiba. "I believe in justice and know I am
not above the law," Lula da Silva, 72, said from a stage outside the
steelworkers' union headquarters earlier Saturday. "I will prove my
innocence."The union building is in the city of Sao Bernardo do Campo in Sao
Paulo state, more 260 miles to the north.
Speaking to supporters from a memorial for his late wife, Marisa Leticia
Lula da Silva, he said his arrest is politically motivated and that "history
will prove" that he is not guilty. "I will turn myself into the authorities
willingly," Lula da Silva said. "If the crime I'm guilty of is bringing food
and education to the poor, then I hope I'll continue to be the biggest
criminal in this country."
Shortly before Friday's deadline, Brazil's Superior Court of Justice, the
nation's highest appellate court, rejected a habeas corpus request to delay
the prison time. "Their dream is for me not to run, their other dream is to
see my picture in prison," Lula da Silva said Saturday. "The more days I
spend in jail, the more 'Lulas' will emerge in this country." In January, an
appeals court unanimously upheld the corruption and money laundering charges
against him, and he was handed the prison sentence. Lula da Silva was
initially found guilty of the charges in July. Lula da Silva has strongly
denied any wrongdoing. His defense said he was a victim of political
persecution. His conviction stemmed from a wide-ranging corruption
investigation into the state-run oil company Petrobras, dubbed "Operation
Car Wash." The accusations against him emerged after he left office in 2011.
Lula da Silva was accused of benefiting from the renovation of a triplex in
a beach town near Sao Paulo by the construction company OAS. The charges
were connected to 3.7 million reais' worth of bribes ($1.1 million) received
from OAS through the beachfront apartment. In return, Lula da Silva helped
the builder acquire contracts from the oil company, prosecutors charged.
Universally known as Lula, Lula da Silva is a founding member of Brazil's
only socialist political party, Partido dos Trabalhadores, the Workers'
Party. He won two terms as President. He was friends with the late Cuban
leader Fidel Castro, who supported his political career, and attended
Castro's funeral. Lula da Silva left office with a 90% approval rating but
was questioned by police about the corruption allegations in March 2016.
Lula da Silva's wife and six others also were charged. Marisa Leticia Lula
da Silva, who died in February 2017, would have turned 68 on Saturday.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published
on April 08-09/18
Terrorism and the
‘Freedom of Speech’ Argument
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/April 08/18
“We’ve asked that Osama bin Laden, should get arrested. He was outside Saudi
Arabia. He should have been arrested. And The Independent answered us in ’93
that Osama bin Laden was a freedom fighter practicing free speech,” Crown
Prince Mohammad told the Times magazine.
This phrase, described by the Saudi crown prince in his interview with the
US-based magazine is enough to clear up any misguided ideas still resonating
in Western circles on how to deal with extremism. Especially the dull
repetition and an illogical connection made between al-Qaeda leader Osama
bin Laden and his Saudi nationality.
“You can go back to this article in The Independent in ’93, Osama bin Laden!
That was before 9/11, 10 years before 9/11. We were saying that he was a
dangerous guy. He was a terrorist. That he had to be arrested immediately.
We had terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia. We had terrorist attacks in Egypt
in the ’90s but we were accused of repressing freedom of speech until 9/11
happened,” Times cited the Crown Prince as saying.
In contrast, no one asked this question: What if Western countries were
convinced with the Saudi position on bin Laden from the start?
What if bin Laden was actually arrested as Riyadh demanded a decade before
the catastrophic events of September 11?! It goes without saying that the
worst 21st-century terror attacks, such as the 1993 World Trade Center
bombing in New York and the bombing of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es
Salaam in 1998 could have possibly been avoided.
Who could have ever pictured that those suspected by Saudi Arabia but
defended by the West as "freedom fighters" would become the dagger which
stabbed the West in the back!
Was this the first time that Riyadh warns of the danger of terrorism before
it happens and spreads? Of course not, it also did so at the beginning of
the Syrian war. The West overlooked Syria’s tragedy and the failure to
resolve the ongoing crisis, which led to the proliferation of terrorist
groups and their growth.
Tragedy reoccurred as the West turned a blind eye to these warnings once
again. The world is surprised that a very small group, such as ISIS, would
grow to become a mass “terrorist monger” not only in Egypt, Libya and
Morocco, but also reaching the US and several European capitals.
Once again, the Kingdom warns against an anomaly and the West considers that
this is nothing more than an exaggeration or the “stifling of freedom of
expression!”
Unfortunately, the cycle of disregard hasn’t come to an end; once more the
conflict in Yemen between the legitimate government and Houthi coup militias
is being misinterpreted.
The support of the Saudi-led Arab coalition coming to the aid of the
internationally-recognized government is also being misunderstood, and
accusations are mounting against the kingdom for the dire situation in
Yemen.
No one denies the presence of a humanitarian disaster in Yemen, but the West
continues to overlook the main reason behind all the turmoil, the Houthi-led
coup.
Most critics have completely forgotten what the outlook for Yemen would have
been, had the Saudi-led Arab Coalition not answered the call for support by
the internationally recognized government.
“What if the coalition and the Security Council didn’t answer the call of
the Yemeni president and the Yemeni legitimate government? You would see
Yemen divided between two terrorist groups: the Houthis, the new Hezbollah
in the north, and Al Qaeda in the south, they are trying to take advantage
of what’s happening there and they are trying to grow in 2015. So you will
see Yemen split between those two terrorist groups,” Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman told the Times.
Matters would have aggravated to a point worse than what was taking place in
Iraq in 2013 when ISIS dominated half of the country. The fight to drive
ISIS out of Iraq took five years and was only made possible by the efforts
of an international coalition led by the United States.
What would it take to expel Qaeda from Yemen alone without an alliance?!
Crown Prince Mohammed predicts that it will take about 20 years, require a
coalition of over 60 countries and inhibit up to 13% of world trade going
through Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
The global economy will be paralyzed by two terrorist organizations, Houthis
and Qaeda.
The question of the day is should regional countries, which face the threat
of terror head on, repeat the same mistake of inaction for the third
time--only later proving their inability to anticipate and curb terrorism
before the West?! Absolutely not. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Egypt, and the rest of the region will not make the same mistake
again.
Everyone agrees on the universal principles of freedom of expression and
human rights, but the basic dilemma is that Western societies themselves
have not found consensus or fully implemented these rights. For example, of
the 50 states in the United States, 31 have the death penalty, with the
remaining states labeling it as “brutal punishment.”
It is certainly not a condition that all societies identically match each
other, given the lack of an ideal society that can impose laws and customs.
And above all, it is unreasonable for a state pushing back against
extremists by detaining rabble-rousers and strife inciters to be labeled as
a “repressive” state.
Beware Persians bearing gifts! How Iran’s banks funded terror
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/April 08/18
During the years of Mohammad Khatami’s presidency, many Arab states sought
to mend their relationships with Tehran. The Islamic regime’s past efforts
to overthrow Arab governments were glossed over. Even proxies such as
Hezbollah were cautiously embraced as a bulwark against Israel — protectors
of Arab territory — rather than conduits for the expansionist ambitions of a
hostile regime.
When King Hamad Al-Khalifa came to power in Bahrain in 1999, his amnesty for
exiles who had colluded with Iran to overthrow the established order during
the 1980s and 1990s was conducted in a similar reconciliatory spirit. The
fact that Tehran’s theocratic leaders claimed Bahrain and other Arab
territories as their own was downplayed. Iran was a powerful neighbor.
Perhaps constructive engagement was safer than open hostility.
Today it is possible to perceive the consequences of well-intentioned
efforts at détente. We now know that Tehran spent the decade before 2011
putting measures in place that would be used to fundamentally destabilize
the Arab world. The Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force established spy rings
and sleeper cells within GCC states — lying low, yet inexorably expanding
their capacity and awaiting potent opportunities. Funding for militant GCC
oppositionists expanded.
During the 1990s, Saudi Shiite terrorists were used to attack Western and
GCC interests; a massive 1996 blast in Khobar left 20 dead, mostly US
servicemen. While parts of the Bahrain opposition engaged in the political
process, radical elements received Iranian support to engage in rioting and
other destabilizing actions. Documents show how Bahraini radicals in London
benefited from Iranian largesse. In 2011, the Quds Force even sponsored an
attempt to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
From 2004 onward, Iraqi Shiite militants benefited from vast quantities of
Iranian support with the aim of dragging a weakened and divided Iraqi state
firmly into Tehran’s orbit. When Hezbollah was pushed into an increasingly
confrontational posture, the result was the devastating 2006 war with
Israel, in which Israel’s air force slaughtered over a thousand Lebanese
citizens. A crippled Lebanon — where leading politicians had been murdered
in Iran-sponsored assassinations — drifted inexorably into Tehran’s orbit.
We are now learning about an additional chapter of this pre-2011 Iranian
meddling: The Washington Post published an exclusive report showing how
Future Bank, a 2004 joint Iranian venture on Bahraini soil, laundered
billions of dollars — avoiding the sanctions on Iran’s banking system and
masking illicit transactions for purposes of organized crime, arms
proliferation and terrorism. Auditors discovered “hundreds of bank accounts
tied to individuals convicted of crimes including money laundering and
terrorism financing, as well as phantom loans provided to companies that
operate as fronts for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC].” The
two primary Iranian shareholders, Bank Melli and Bank Saderat, had been
internationally designated for channeling funds to Iran’s nuclear program
and terrorism networks.
Iran has spent the decade before 2011 putting measures in place that would
be used to fundamentally destabilize the Arab world.
The Bahraini authorities discovered how this “Trojan horse” bank (which was
closed in 2015) “routinely altered financial documents to mask illicit trade
between Iran and dozens of foreign partners.” Evidence of at least $7
billion in illicit transactions is understood to be the tip of the iceberg.
As early as 2005 senior Bahraini officials briefed me about how entities
such as Future Bank were funneling investment through GCC commercial
properties which could then be laundered for illicit purposes. At that time,
however, it was impossible to see the complete picture and the potential
consequences.
Commercial networks throughout the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait were
exploited as front companies for similar sanctions-busting criminality.
Instead of constraining the regime, sanctions allowed the IRGC to enrich
itself and bankroll regional terrorism through control of this lucrative
black market. Funding was channeled to terrorist groups that in Bahrain were
responsible for killing over 20 police, and countless bombings. The
“godfather” of Bahrain’s militants, Ayatollah Isa Qassim, used Future Bank
to hold millions of dollars in questionable funds. He now faces charges of
money laundering. Leaders of Bahraini terrorist groups based themselves in
Iran, engaging in campaigns of recruitment, training militants, arms
smuggling and planning attacks.
Just as during the early 1980s Tehran staged coup attempts and terrorist
attacks, and funded insurgent groups in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon,
Kuwait, Yemen and Iraq, this continued pattern of activities throughout the
1990s and 2000s illustrates how the strategy of exporting revolution across
the Arab world was never abandoned; although the pragmatic requirements of
recovery from the devastating 1980s war with Iraq forced the ayatollahs to
temporarily dial down their meddling and bide their time.
Many years ago, I had occasion to visit the Saudi royal household and see
the magnificent Persian carpet given by President Khatami to King Abdullah
after his 1999 visit to Riyadh. With Iran exploiting that charm offensive to
shower gifts and investment upon the Arab world, I was reminded of the
legend of how the people of Troy welcomed the gift of a giant wooden horse
within their city walls, only to be slaughtered by the soldiers hiding
within. Beware Persians bearing gifts!
Like a parasitic organism lying in wait to infect a new host and devour it
from the inside, the Islamic Republic of Iran will remain an existential
threat as long as it continues to exist. Even supposedly dovish figures such
as Khatami and Hassan Rouhani have a merely cosmetic impact on aggressive
overseas policies controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.
While the Trump administration hedges its bets over whether to maintain a
presence in Syria to constrain Iranian expansionism, or whether its
aspirations to get tough on Iran are merely hot air and rhetoric — for the
Arab world the neutralization of Iran as an active threat is increasingly a
matter of life and death.
*Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle
East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has
interviewed numerous heads of state.
Terrorism Turkish Style/الإرهاب بنموذجه التركي
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/April 08/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63754
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12124/terrorism-turkish-style
"Erdoğan has cynically referred to these students as 'terrorists,' vowed to
expel them from Boğaziçi University, and to deny them the right to study at
any other university. We have heard this kind of verbal attack from Erdoğan
before and it was followed by the detention of thousands of academics,
journalists, artists, and human rights advocates." — Open Letter signed by
over 1,800 renowned academics from around the world, including Nobel and
Pulitzer Prize laureates.
Ankara does nothing to prevent ISIS from selling Yazidi women and children
in Turkey; allows unspecified numbers of people to use Turkish territory as
a point of entrance into Syria and Iraq to join ISIS or other jihadist
groups; hosts and aids Hamas, a terrorist organization that proudly targets
civilians and vows to obliterate Israel; and enables jihadi terrorism
through the oil trade.
Turkey, a NATO ally that considers itself a worthy candidate for EU
membership, warmly welcomes and assists terrorists who commit genocidal
crimes against humanity, yet persecutes non-violent academics and
journalists whose opinions differ from those propagated by the regime.
On March 19, a group of students at Istanbul's Boğaziçi University, Turkey's
leading institute of higher education, demonstrated against an event on
campus. The event against which they were demonstrating, organized by the
Society for Islamic Research, was to champion the Turkish soldiers who had
participated in the Afrin invasion. While the pro-government students
distributed Turkish delight sweets, the counter-demonstrators unfolded a
banner reading: "Invasions and massacres are not [to be celebrated] with
delights."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by having the anti-war
students arrested for spreading "terrorist" propaganda. On April 3, a
Turkish court jailed nine of them and freed the other six, pending their
trial.
To protest what they called a "disturbing trend of criminalizing political
speech and dissent in Turkey," over 1,800 renowned academics from around the
world, among them Nobel and Pulitzer Prize laureates, signed an "Open Letter
of Support for Students Arrested at Boğaziçi University". The letter reads,
in part:
"The arrests on campus, as well as subsequent police raids of student homes
and dormitories, continue a disturbing trend of criminalizing political
speech and dissent in Turkey.
"Erdoğan has cynically referred to these students as 'terrorists,' vowed to
expel them from Boğaziçi University, and to deny them the right to study at
any other university. We have heard this kind of verbal attack from Erdoğan
before and it was followed by the detention of thousands of academics,
journalists, artists, and human rights advocates.
"We call upon the Turkish government to immediately cease all investigations
and arrests of students exercising political speech."
The curtailing of free speech is nothing new in Erdogan's Turkey. Anyone who
dares to challenge the government's accepted narrative runs the very real
risk of being targeted and punished. Non-Turkish residents of the country
are no exception.
Take the case of the American academic Norma Jeanne Cox, for example. After
receiving a postgraduate degree from Boğaziçi University in 1983, Cox worked
as a lecturer at Istanbul University, and subsequently at the Middle East
Technical University in southern Turkey, where she engaged in discussions
with her students and colleagues about the 1915 Armenian genocide, the
forced assimilation of Kurds, and protested against the film The Last
Temptation of Christ. For these "crimes," she was arrested, fired from her
job and ultimately deported. The Ministry of the Interior claimed that Cox
had been expelled and banned from re-entering Turkey due to "her separatist
activities, which were incompatible with national security." In a suit she
filed with the European Court of Human Rights -- which in 2010 convicted
Turkey of violating her freedom of expression -- Cox argued that her rights
had been violated by Turkey because of her Christian faith and dissenting
opinions.
Since then, little has changed. On January 11, 2016, members of "Academics
for Peace" -- who signed a declaration calling for non-violence between the
Turkish government and the Kurds -- were detained by police, banned from
going abroad, exposed to administrative investigations and dismissed from
their jobs for "making propaganda for a terrorist organization," among other
perceived offenses.
On January 13, 2017, an Armenian MP, Garo Paylan of the opposition party HDP,
was suspended from three sessions of parliament for delivering a speech in
which he warned against repeating the mistakes of the past. "Between 1913
and 1923, Armenians, Greeks, Syriacs, and Jews... were either exiled with
genocides and major massacres or subjected to population exchanges," he
said. All mentions he made of the Armenian genocide were removed from the
parliamentary minutes.
On January 5, 2018, during a joint press conference with French President
Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, Erdogan accused members of
the media of nurturing terrorism, in response to Macron's concern over the
Turkish government's crackdown on students, teachers and journalists:
"Terror doesn't form by itself. Terror and terrorists have gardeners. These
gardeners are those people viewed as thinkers. They water ... from their
columns on newspapers, and one day, you find, these people show up as a
terrorist in front of you."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently accused members of the media
of nurturing terrorism, and had anti-war students arrested for spreading
"terrorist" propaganda. (Photo by Defne Karadeniz/Getty Images)
Erdogan's definition of terrorism is as skewed as Turkey's anti-terrorism
laws, frequently used and abused by the government to arrest and imprison
peaceful demonstrators -- a practice criticized in a 2010 Human Rights Watch
(HRW) report entitled: "Protesting as a Terrorist Offense."
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities turn a blind eye to actual terrorist
activities in, and on behalf of, the country. Ankara does nothing to prevent
ISIS from selling Yazidi women and children in Turkey; allows unspecified
numbers of people to use Turkish territory as a point of entrance into Syria
and Iraq to join ISIS or other jihadist groups; hosts and aids Hamas, a
terrorist organization that proudly targets civilians and vows to obliterate
Israel; and enables jihadi terrorism through the oil trade.
Turkey, a NATO ally that considers itself a worthy candidate for EU
membership, warmly welcomes and assists terrorists who commit genocidal
crimes against humanity, yet persecutes non-violent academics and
journalists whose opinions differ from those propagated by the regime. The
inversion is not only surreal; it is deadly.
*Uzay Bulut is a Turkish journalist born and raised in Turkey. She is
presently based in Washington D.C.
© 2018 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here
do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone
Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be
reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of
Gatestone Institute.
On teaching philosophy in Saudi Arabia
Fahad Suleiman Shoqiran/Al Arabiya/April 08/18
Philosophy’s relation with societies has not always been cordial as
philosophy has been resisted by society from the very beginning as a process
that seeks to create wisdom, a spark of continuous amazement and a
never-ending flame over gloomy questions. Some have confronted philosophy
because they believed it led towards misguidance. It’s said that Imam al-Shafi
ruled in favor of striking philosophers with leafless palm branches and with
shoes. However, if it hadn’t been for Aristotle’s logic, al-Shafi would not
have been able to write ‘Al-Risala’ which is the most important book in the
history of establishing the principles of jurisprudence.It’s been 70 years
since philosophy has been taught in the Arab world. Results have not been
satisfactory mainly because teaching it relies on memorization techniques or
sanctifying information. Philosophy sessions did not allow students to think
freely and ask whatever questions came to their minds
Teaching philosophy in the kingdom
These days, amid the current social transformations in the kingdom, there
have been calls in the media for the education ministry to devise a plan to
begin teaching philosophy in high schools and universities. This is an
important call as teaching philosophy is essential at the level of
education. Several Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa, and
even some Gulf countries, teach philosophy. Teaching philosophy is a
necessity in education. However, there are few points in this regard that
pertain to obstacles and problems in the teaching of philosophy.
Philosophers have propounded theories since the days of minor Greek
academics, until universities and teaching halls were established. Teaching
halls transformed philosophy’s trajectory over three centuries for Hegel,
Schopenhauer, Schelling, Fichte, Feuerbach, Habermas, Deleuze, Foucault,
Derrida, Rawlsand and others. However, philosophy does not take the word
“teach” well, and this is where confusion rises from observing philosophy’s
effects and from teaching it.
The philosophical field consists of a series of questions, dialogue and
discussions. During philosophical deliberations, everyone is equal and
‘truth’ is absent. Education’s structure requires a minimum level of facts
for repetition and promotion. This does not apply to philosophy — whose
history consists of 2,500 years of conflict over varied issues like the
fire, the universe, the sun, astronomy, existence, language, time and death.
Philosophy is not about any one subject to be taught, as each theory is a
philosophy on its own. Philosophy is a subject of possibilities, mistakes,
experiments, confrontations and failures. When some philosophical waves were
populistically tamed, they became famous but this fame soon decreased, as
seen with existentialism, logical positivism and analytic philosophy and
other waves that intersect with philosophy like structuralism.
Freedom of thought
It’s been 70 years since philosophy has been taught in the Arab world.
Results have not been satisfactory mainly because teaching it relies on
memorization techniques or sanctifying information. Philosophy sessions did
not allow students to think freely and ask whatever questions came to their
minds. I think Arab and Islamic societies reject this and it’s sometimes
even strictly punished. Philosophy sessions at schools need an atmosphere
where students can freely ask any question and respond to theories or reject
them. This environment is what makes philosophy a developed field. Only then
we can notice reasonable results from teaching philosophy.
Gilles Deleuze, an influential French philosopher who passed away in 1996,
first taught at high schools then became a lecturer at Sorbonne. He has
videos on YouTube which show how he conducted a philosophy class. Students
gathered around his table and did not stay in their allocated seats.
Sometimes, he sat with his legs crossed on the table and students did not
sit at all.
His book ‘What is Philosophy?’ is regarded a classic reference in renewing
philosophical definition, which he wrote with Félix Guattariis. In addition
to its famous definition of philosophy, as a creation or production of
concepts, the book also tackles the distinction between philosophy and
science. In the book, Guattari and Deleuze say: “The object of science is
not concepts but rather functions that are presented as propositions in
discursive systems.
The elements of functions are called (functives). A scientific notion is
defined not by concepts but by functions or propositions. This is a very
complex idea with many aspects, as can be seen already from the use to which
it is put by mathematics and biology respectively… Science does not need
philosophy for these tasks.” Martin Heidegger says: “Science does not
think.” This is not a condemnation of science, and it does not aim to
derogate the scientific field. However, the aim is to note differences of
the overlapping between these two fields that have two different structures
and tasks. Philosophy as Deleuze puts it has “a permanent genealogical
task.”
This is why philosophy sometimes resists classifications and categories
which suffocate it via scientific definitions or confinement to classes.
Philosophy is an ally of rebellion. It’s with the wind, waves and fire and
not with stillness, stagnation and ashes. Teaching is rigid when you examine
its roots. What actually enhanced the inclusion of philosophy at schools and
universities in America and Europe was some philosophers’ amazing success at
discussing the philosophical concept and meaning and developing their
lectures based on their discussions with their students in class.
This is what German philosophers did as they mastered the technique of
transforming a teaching hall into an arena to create, examine and overlap
theories even in the public domain. This is what Gadamer, Heidegger’s
student, who has been acquainted with prominent German philosophers, noted
in his book ‘Philosophical Apprenticeships.’
The journey of philosophy
In brief, teaching philosophy requires a free atmosphere - colleges in
Islamabad, Kabul and Tehran teach philosophy, but it’s important to liberate
the atmosphere from oppressing knowledge. To do so, one must begin with
teaching eastern philosophies of India, China and the ancient east.
Then they must transition to the Socratic stage, Plato and Aristotle,
Stoicism and Epicureanism and up until the Middle Ages and teach about
Augustinus, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham and Nicholas of Cusa. Then comes
the Renaissance, the beginning of establishing the theory of knowledge
beginning with the Baconian method developed by Francis Bacon and all the
way to Descartes, Leibniz, Hobbes,Locke, Berkeley, David Hume, Smith,
Pascal, Voltaire, Montesquieu and Rousseau. Then there’s Kant and German
philosophers who followed up until Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Dilthey.
The 20th century witnessed the rise of philosophies that are important to be
discussed in academies and high schools, like phenomenology developed by
Husserl, analytic philosophy developed by Russel and the philosophy of
language developed by Wittgenstein. This is in addition to the philosophies
of difference which was known as the postmodern wave. As such, the process
will take a possible and preliminary educational path which, despite its
scarcity, one can base work on towards establishing and deepening questions.
And as Deleuze puts it: “Concepts are flat surfaces without levels,
orderings without hierarchy; hence the importance in philosophy of
questions.”
Iran is on the brink of a new popular uprising
Huda al-Husseini/Al Arabiya/April 08/18
New sanctions against Iran can be viewed as a warning to Tehran to halt the
activities of Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds
Force. Trump has set a deadline that ends in the first two weeks of May to
amend the nuclear deal with Iran. The political arena is troubled as France,
Britain and Germany began to move backward in the last few weeks to please
Trump in an attempt to convince him not to withdraw from the agreement.
Meanwhile, these countries proposed new sanctions to restrain Iran’s
activity in terms of its ballistic missiles and its regional activity in
Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Iran seems to be “working as usual” as it’s using the
Houthis in Yemen to launch missiles that target Riyadh upon Soleimani’s
orders. However, Iran cannot continue to pursue this policy of “working as
usual” for a long time because the political campaign launched by some
European countries is tantamount to issuing a warning to Tehran to decrease
Soleimani’s military activity which may reignite the problems that Iran
suffered from before the nuclear deal was sealed – or perhaps cause even
worse problems.
Prospect of US withdrawal from nuke deal
Regardless of what Washington decides to do, Iran has to show relative
self-control and at least act responsibly. However, internally, it is
probably difficult to maintain a unified front, as all old contentions will
resurface. Even if the recent wave of protests seemed to have apparently
ebbed, there is an ongoing low-level public unrest against the situation in
Iran. Although the regime thinks the containment of the recent protests as
being a success, it’s only a matter of time before fresh wave of strong
protests erupt again. The US’ withdrawal from the deal or imposing
additional sanctions may motivate a new popular uprising.
Ever since the nuclear deal was signed, Iran succeeded in attracting more
than $15 billion in foreign investment. However this is not enough for the
people who are in dire need of economic relief, especially when a large part
of these investments need to be activated. While President Hassan Rouhani is
aware of the need to translate economic growth into improving the quality of
the Iranian people’s lives, Soleimani has completely different plans as he
does not intend to allow Iran’s citizens to enjoy the fruits of the nuclear
deal. On the contrary, Soleimani is investing massive funds which Iran
secured after signing the deal for his adventures in other countries
resulting in domestic and foreign criticism.
Loss of Iranian lives, capital
According to Iranian reports, the country has spent around $20 billion on
fighting in Syria since 2011. It sent a large number of Revolutionary Guard
members to Syria, funded Shiite militias from Afghanistan and Pakistan,
supplied huge quantities of ballistic missiles, military equipment and arms
to the Syrian army and Hezbollah, continued to invest in civil
infrastructure in Syria and provided financial aid to the Assad regime.
Soleimani did all this to save the Syrian regime and Iran has got nothing in
return. Therefore, Iran intends to attain return on its investment and
resume the series of civil agreements with the Syrian government. Since the
regime in Syria has relatively stabilized, it preferred to rehabilitate
itself without relying on Iran and has headed more towards Europe. Given the
competition between Russia and Iran on civil and economic resources there,
Syria sees itself more committed to Russian President Vladimir Putin as
Iranian presence has become more of a burden than an advantage. It’s been
recently noticed that the Syrian government is creating obstacles and
obstructing financial cooperation with Iran to prevent it from attaining
financial gains. However, this has not prevented Soleimani from expanding
Iran’s investment in Syria, which are expected to grow when the fighting is
over. This is in addition to millions that are given to Syria at the expense
of restoring the Iranian economy.
The story of Iran with Yemen will not be tragic if the end is not known in
advance like Syria. Iran has been deeply involved in the Yemeni swamp for
years. A UN report in 2015 said Iran has been transferring weapons shipments
to the Houthis since 2009. Ever since 2011, Iran has increased its aid to
the Houthis, including transferring millions of dollars to them. The tragedy
is that after all these years of fighting in Yemen, no solution has been
reached to justify Iran’s large investments there.
In addition to the financial cost, Iran has also suffered human losses. So
far Soleimani has sacrificed many of “his proxy fighters” and thousands of
Houthis have been killed in Yemen. Many Hezbollah and Shiite militia
fighters have also been killed in Syria. Last year, the number of the Quds
brigade fatalities increased dramatically. Some Iranian political leaders
have voiced their worry that in the light of the unrest in several related
fields, Iranian human losses will increase. Therefore, Iran may soon find
itself confronting direct escalation on its territories.
Soleimani’s misadventures
As for Tehran, the protests which have been ongoing for months have not
succeeded in changing the concept of the security command which has not yet
comprehended the hefty price the country is paying for regional
reinforcements. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars are being
transferred from the national treasury to build military forces, cover the
activities of the Quds brigade and develop surface-to-surface missiles which
are expected to be the reason for imposing more sanctions on Iran.
This Iranian activity is viewed as leading towards a collision. The millions
spent will turn the engineer and executor of Iran’s foreign policy, i.e.
Soleimani, into the man whose behavior will lead to approving the framework
of a new agreement that imposes additional sanctions on Tehran. The momentum
of international investment which began last year has in fact decreased, and
it’s expected to be undermined due to concerns over the global financial
system and worries of international companies regarding the consequences of
additional sanctions.
Iran will continue to suffer from banking problems that will increase the
international isolation it has suffered from in the past. Anyway, Iran will
need Europe to go back to negotiations either in terms of the nuclear
agreement or in terms of an agreement with a different framework. Following
months of disputes between the two hawks, France and Britain and European
countries that are more moderate, like Germany, a unified European front has
now emerged in terms of a policy towards Iran. Europe agrees to keep the
nuclear deal despite American pressure; however it is fully aware that
Iranian military activity which is led by Soleimani cannot be ignored. This
harmonizes with the general atmosphere in Washington which is demanding
imposing new sanctions on Iran due to its ballistic missiles and regional
destructive activities.
An American politician involved in the matter told me that the comprehensive
agreement between all these parties is an important wake-up call and a
chance for the Iranian people to take to the street and also a chance for
reformist powers and Rouhani to halt Soleimani’s activities and save Iran
from falling back into complete isolation and the consequences which this
shall entail.
A Yemen political solution is needed, but which one?
Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al Arabiya/April 08/18
Iran depends on three militias to expand and “export the revolution.” The
first and most important militia and probably the most successful one is
Hezbollah in Lebanon. The second one is the Islamized Hamas militia in Gaza
while the third, and which is so far considered the weakest, is the Houthi
militia in Yemen.
Iran’s three militias
Among these militias, Hezbollah is the strongest and it’s due to former
prime minister Rafiq Hariri who approved to disarm all the factions fighting
in the Lebanese civil war except for Hezbollah; thus allowing it almost
complete control over Lebanese territory. Thanks to Iran’s financial
support, the priorities of Hamas, the terrorist militia in Gaza, focused on
paving way for the Persian expansion after which they will liberate
Palestine from the river to the sea as they claim. Hamas greatly contributed
in turning the Palestinian cause into the “shirt of Uthman” which the
Iranians use to extend their expansive influence in Arab countries. The
third militia is the Houthi Militia which belongs to the Zaidi sect but it’s
oriented towards Jarudiyah branch which is a very small percentage of the
Zaidi sect in North Yemen. Their percentage ranges between 5 to 10% of the
Yemeni people, and they almost have no influence over people in South Yemen.
Avoiding the Lebanese scenario
Due to objective reasons, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cannot allow repeating
Lebanon’s mistake, i.e. replicate Hezbollah’s model in Yemen. The war in
Yemen may last for 10 years or more and so be it as the Houthis’ victory
there means that Iran would be at our south. The Saudi people and government
totally and irrevocably reject this regardless of any pressure or arguments
under the pretext that the Yemeni war destroyed everything like human rights
organizations, which are generously funded by the Qatari regime, claim.
The Saudis do not reject a political solution, but they strictly reject that
the political solution in Yemen resembles the solution reached during the
Lebanese civil war. Hezbollah was allowed to keep its weapons thus becoming
the strongest party with no competitor after the civil war ended in Lebanon.
The political solution in Yemen should thus begin with the Houthi militias’
handover of their weapons to the national army which represents all the
Yemeni people and not only one category. Iran of course rejects this - and
the Houthis consequently do as well – because the Houthis’ coup mainly aimed
to let it have the final word when directing decisions. This goal helps the
Houthis achieve what they are fighting for. This is also what mainly
obstructs any political solution to the ongoing war.
That’s why I believe that the political solution suggested by the Houthis is
impossible and it will not be accepted by the Yemeni legitimacy or the
coalition members, especially Saudi Arabia, even if the entire world takes
their side. Saudi Arabia and the coalition states do not mind forming a
consensus government in which the Houthis are represented as a political
movement and not as a military militia. The unpoliticized national Yemeni
army will be the one to protect this consensus while everyone, including the
Houthis, contributes to it like all other parties. Here lies the complex
that will eventually require the coalition countries to impose their
perspective of a political solution with the force of arms. This is the only
option.