LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 12/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.april12.18.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since
2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible
Quotations
In the last days distressing times will come
Second Letter to Timothy 03/01-09/: "You must understand this, that in the
last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to
their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers,
profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with
conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the
outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! For among them
are those who make their way into households and captivate silly women,
overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires, who are always
being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. As Jannes
and Jambres opposed Moses, so these people, of corrupt mind and counterfeit
faith, also oppose the truth. But they will not make much progress, because,
as in the case of those two men, their folly will become plain to everyone."
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on April 11-12/18
Dr. Walid Phares: Assad protector of Christians/Reminder/The US need to do
several things/Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
"Assad protector of Christians?"/Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
Reminder/Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
Phares to Fox News: "The US need to do several things/Dr. Walid Phares/Face
Book/April 10/18
Dr.Walid Phares: World War 3 alert: 'There WILL be a response' Russia to
strike back if US hit Syria/Holly Pyne/Express/April 11/18
After Israeli Attack, Iran Mulls Options in Syria/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al
Awsat/April 11/18
"Firewalls" and "Taint Teams" Do Not Protect Fourth and Sixth Amendment
Rights/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/April 11/18
Senior Israeli Officials: If Iran Acts Against Israel We Will Topple
Assad/Jerusalem Post/April 11/18
Is the world inhaling Sarin, too? The international stance on Douma/Ali Al-Amin/Al
Arabiya/April 11/18
Middle East’s problems more complex than ever/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/April
11/18
Saudi soft power on the Seine: What should the French learn?/Najah Alotaibi/Al
Arabiya/April 11/18
How did Mohammed bin Salman change Saudi Arabia’s image?/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al
Arabiya/April 11/18
El-Sisi faces a litany of challenges during second term/Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab
News/April 11/2018
Angry voices will never bring peace to the Middle East/Ray Hanania/Arab
News/April 11/2018
White House: no final decision has been made on Syria/Russia warns that US
intervention would be met with 'grave repercussions'/Joyce Karam/The
National/April 11, 2018
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on April 11-12/18
Lebanon welcomes EU election observers to monitor parliamentary race
Aoun welcomes EU election observer deployment
Aoun to head Lebanese Arab League delegation
Geagea Urges Respect for Dissociation Policy amid Syria Standoff
Berri to Hariri: Dissociation Policy Doesn't Entail Accepting Syria Strike
MEA Modifies Flight Plans after Syria Missile Strike Warning
Spoiled Chicken from Syria Seized in Naccache
Berri Says any Military Attack at Syria Will Be 'Devastating for Arab
Leaders'
Mashnouq Chairs Sub-Security Committee Meeting before Elections
Rifi Calls for 'Expelling' Syrian Ambassador, 'Withdrawing' Lebanon's from
Syria
Report: General Amnesty Law 'Suspended'
Sami Gemayel Meets Candidates in Western Bekaa-Rachaya District
Sami Gemayel Criticizes Fair Promoting Residency and Citizenship by
Investment
MEA to Reroute Flights over Possible Syria Airstrikes
Mashnouq rules out security concerns ahead of elections
Titles For Latest
LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 11-12/18
Putin Hopes 'Common Sense Will Prevail' in International Relations
Pentagon 'Still Assessing' Suspected Syria Chemical Attack, 'Ready' to
Provide Military Options
Trump warns: missiles ‘will be coming’, Assad forces vacate military
airports
Russia's ambassador to Lebanon: We will return Fire For Any USA Launch On
Syria
Saudi air defense forces intercept missile over Riyadh
Saudi forces intercept Houthi scout drone over Abha airport
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Spain
Saudi Arabia, France issue joint statement after crown prince visit
concludes
More than 250 killed in Algerian military plane crash
19 killed in clashes between UN and militia in C.African capital
Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque courtyard under police protection
again
Latest
Lebanese Related News published
on April 11-12/18
Dr.
Walid Phares: Assad protector of Christians/Reminder/The US need to do
several things
Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63796
"Assad protector of
Christians?"
Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
There is no need to preach to Lebanese Christians if the Assad regime is
their protector. 15 years of savage bombardments of East Beirut and the
Christian areas of Lebanon, and 15 years of occupation, detention and
torture. Archives are an Ocean. The dead are gone but one evidence can clear
the matter. Let Assad free the hundreds of Lebanese, Christians and Muslim,
who were detained in Saydnaya, Tadmur and Mazza, over decades.
Iranian-Hezbollah propaganda about their "protection" has no effect
whatsoever on victims and survivors. Their car bombs shattering Christian
neighborhoods of Beirut aren't forgotten. They are protecting their own
bases from losing power, that is for sure, but they aren't protecting the
people they decimated, tortured, exiled and humiliated for almost half a
century
Reminder
Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
Iranian backed media claiming Syrian Christians are opposed to striking
Assad for use of Chemical "because he protects them." Reminder that the
Assad regime killed more than 130,000 Christians in Lebanon, assassinated
their leaders and occupied the country for decades. Many are still in his
jails. In a sense, the Iran axis is also "Jihadist" as we hear from
Hezbollah
In Lebanon, many Christians have allied themselves with Hezbollah and Assad.
This won't change history, even if they changed camps.
Phares to Fox News: "The US need to do several things:
Dr. Walid Phares/Face Book/April 10/18
1) US Intelligence detailed certification that chemical weapons were used
2) Show the results at the UN Security Council and ask for a resolution
3) Once the Russian veto is used, call for a Coalition of the Willing to
confront this threat
4) Coordinate with NATO and Arab Coalition partners
5) Take action if needed against the chemical weapons
6) Take action in Syria -where needed- to deter the axis from further
breaches
7) Develop a comprehensive strategy towards Syria
Lebanon welcomes EU election observers to monitor
parliamentary race
2018-04-11 /BEIRUT, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's President Michel Aoun
said Wednesday that he welcomed the deployment of European Union election
observers to monitor the upcoming parliamentary race, a statement from the
presidential media office said.During a meeting with EU officials in Baabda
Palace, Aoun said Lebanon was "looking forward to the election as an
accurate expression of democracy," and the newly introduced proportional
vote law would "serve popular representation."Elena Valenciano, the EU's
head of mission for electoral monitoring, stressed that they would be
watching the election unfold at polling stations across the country until
the end. The EU also plans to send observers to Lebanese embassies and
diplomatic missions in Europe to monitor expatriate voting.
Aoun welcomes EU
election observer deployment
The Daily Star/April 11/18/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun said Wednesday that
he welcomed the deployment of European Union election observers to monitor
the upcoming parliamentary race, during a meeting with EU officials in
Baabda Palace. Lebanon is “looking forward to the elections as an accurate
expression of the Lebanese desire to practice democracy,” Aoun said,
according to a statement released by his press office, adding that the newly
introduced proportional vote law would “serve popular representation.”He
also vowed that Lebanese authorities would work to fight corruption that
might occur in the lead up to and during the May 6 polling. The new
electoral law, implemented for the first time this election, operates on a
proportional vote, rather than a majority, winner-takes-all system that was
utilized in previous elections. The latter is widely seen as a system that
has kept longstanding parties in power. The European Union election
observers will watch the elections unfold at polling stations across the
country, head of the EU's Election Observation Mission Elena Valenciano said
during the meeting with Aoun. Also present at the meeting was EU Ambassador
to Lebanon Christina Lassen. The election monitoring mission would “remain
until the end of the elections to report on the progress of the electoral
process and submit a final report,” Valenciano said. Observation will take
place, she said, “in coordination” with the Interior Ministry, with EU
representatives in place to receive any complaints. The EU also plans to
send observers to Lebanese embassies and diplomatic missions in Europe to
monitor expatriate voting. Valenciano and Lassen also met later Wednesday
with Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in Beirut to discuss the upcoming
elections, according to a statement released by Bassil’s press office.
Bassil reportedly requested an extension of the EU election observation
mission to non-EU countries that have significant numbers of registered
expatriate voters, including in the Americas and the Arab world. The Bassil
and Aoun meetings came a day after the EU deployed 24 long-term observers to
12 different locations across Lebanon. Each pair will “observe all aspects
of the electoral process” and meet with electoral officials to ensure
transparency, EU Electoral Observation Mission Deputy Chief Observer Jose
Antonio de Gabriel said in a statement Tuesday. Additional observers are set
to arrive in time for election day, May 6.
Aoun to head Lebanese
Arab League delegation
Georgi Azar/Annahar/April 11/18 /The summit, in its 29th
edition, will bring together 21 members seeking to promote and strengthen
their ties while calling on Arab states to coordinate their policies and
advance shared interests.
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun will travel
to Saudi Arabia Saturday, where he will head the Lebanese delegation
attending the Arab League summit in Riyadh. The summit, in its 29th edition,
will seek to promote and strengthen ties between member countries and
presents an opportunity for Arab states to coordinate their policies and
advance shared interests. The Arab League bring together 22 members from the
region to "draw closer the relations between member States and coordinate
collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty,
and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab
countries." Syria's membership was suspended in November 2011 as a
consequence of its bloody civil war. Aoun will be accompanied by Prime
Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, before traveling
back to Lebanon on Sunday. According to media reports, Aoun is then expected
to travel to Qatar the next day, where he will attend the grand opening of
Qatar's national library in Doha.
Geagea Urges Respect for Dissociation Policy amid Syria
Standoff
Naharnet/April 11/18/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday urged
respect for Lebanon's so-called dissociation policy amid the current
standoff over the suspected Syria chemical attack. “I call on the president
to convene the Higher Defense Council to discuss the latest developments,
because the situation does not bear arbitrary policies... We must abide by
the dissociation policy and this is our duty,” Geagea said in an interview
with MTV. “Today, the Lebanese Army should be in charge and it is not
allowed for any party to act to the contrary. No party has the right to
subject an entire people to danger,” the LF leader added.“The Lebanese
government which represents all parties must take the decision and everyone
must abide by its decisions,” Geagea went on to say.
Berri to Hariri: Dissociation Policy Doesn't Entail Accepting Syria Strike
Naharnet/April 11/18/Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that Lebanon's
so-called dissociation policy does not involve “accepting” a military strike
on Syria. “Lebanon rejects the aggression against Syria that is being
planned by some Western countries with funding from some Arab countries,”
Berri said in an interview published by the website of al-Akhbar newspaper.
He warned that “any use of the Lebanese airspace” in the potential strikes
would be a “blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty.” “Lebanon cannot
accept the use of its airspace for an attack on Syria or any other brotherly
Arab country,” Berri stressed. He noted that “those who call for
dissociation in this case would be contributing to the aggression against
Syria.”Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Saad Hariri had announced that
“Lebanon abides by the dissociation policy in light of the possible U.S.
strike on Syria.”“Our stance is clear: dissociating ourselves and protecting
the country from the repercussions of what's happening in the region,”
Hariri added.
MEA Modifies Flight Plans after Syria Missile Strike
Warning
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/18/Lebanon's Middle East Airlines
will modify its flight routes over the Eastern Mediterranean region in light
of the European air safety warning over potential military strikes on Syria
in the coming days, a statement said. “The conferees discussed the warning
issued to airlines by the European Aviation Safety Agency on the need to
observe caution in the Eastern Mediterranean region over the possibility of
airstrikes on Syria over the coming 72 hours, seeing as there is a risk of
intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment" for commercial
flights, the statement said.
The statement was issued after a meeting that gathered Transport and Public
Works Minister Youssef Fenianos, MEA chairman Mohammed al-Hout, a technical
MEA team, Civil Aviation Director General Mohammed Shehabeddine and a
delegation from the Civil Aviation Directorate.
“After deliberations, a precautionary measure was taken by modifying flight
routes until midnight Friday,” the statement said. An official at Beirut's
airport told AFP "the decision includes all arriving and departing flights
starting from tomorrow morning (Thursday)." Flights from the Gulf will be
affected more than others, with expected delays of 30 to 40 minutes, because
instead of flying over northern Syria they will travel over Egypt's Sinai
Peninsula and then on to the Gulf. Air France was among airlines modifying
their flight plans on Wednesday after Europe's air safety watchdog warned of
the potential strikes.
A spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency said airlines were
alerted Tuesday of the possible launch of "air-to-ground and/or cruise
missiles with the next 72 hours," urging them to take precautionary
measures. "Air France has taken the EASA information into account and
modified its flight plans for affected destinations, mainly Beirut and Tel
Aviv," the airline said, adding that it was monitoring the situation. Most
international airlines no longer fly to Damascus since the outbreak of the
Syrian civil war more than seven years ago. The heightened tensions follow
reports of a new chemical attack in the rebel-held city of Douma, not far
from Damascus, which has prompted a global outcry against the heavy civilian
casualties from the Syrian regime's bombing campaign in the area.U.S.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that "missiles will be coming" in
response to the alleged chemical attack.
Spoiled Chicken from Syria Seized in Naccache
Naharnet/April 11/18/A quantity of spoiled chicken was seized Wednesday in
the Northern Metn area of Naccache, the Finance Ministry said. “After close
surveillance, a Lebanese Customs patrol seized in the Naccache area north of
Beirut a truck coming from Syria via the northern border and carrying a
quantity of 2.7 tons of spoiled chicken meat,” the ministry said in a
statement. It said the quantity was destined for the Lebanese market. “The
Customs administration has confiscated the shipment and legal measures are
underway under the supervision of Customs director general Badri Daher and
the relevant authorities,” the Finance Ministry added.
Berri Says any Military Attack at Syria Will Be 'Devastating for Arab
Leaders'
Naharnet/April 11/18/Speaker Nabih Berri has warned of the consequences
resulting from any possible military attack at Syria, saying the results
will be “devastating for Arab leaders,” the National News Agency reported on
Wednesday. Berri voiced warnings to his visitors “of the serious
repercussions that may result from an attack against Syria," expressing fear
that "the first victims would be stability and unity of the region, in
addition to bloodshed, destruction and more displacement of Syrians.”He said
shall this war “God forbid happen, it will be funded from the pockets of
Arab leaders. The results will definitely be devastating and destructive for
their future and for the stability of their nations.”
Mashnouq Chairs Sub-Security Committee Meeting before Elections
Naharnet/April 11/18/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq on Wednesday said
Lebanon's security forces are fully prepared for the upcoming parliamentary
elections, assuring commitment to the government's decisions in maintaining
an “impartial” role towards all political forces. The minister's remarks to
reporters came after a sub-security council meeting he held at Sidon Serail.
The meeting was held in the presence of South Lebanon Governor, Mansour Daou,
as well as security, judicial, and military leaders. Mashnouq said the
security situation is under control, dismissing fears of security breaches
preventing having the elections staged. To a question on monitoring the
election process in polling stations outside Lebanon, Mashnouq said: "The
ministry does not have the capacity to send 130 or 140 heads of polling
stations to monitor the process in different countries around the world,”
noting that “necessary measures have been taken to supervise the process
abroad.”Despite the complexity of the new electoral system, “we are fully
ready for the elections. Security and administrative preparedness are
successful and all political parties are committed to the government's
decisions," he said.
Rifi Calls for 'Expelling' Syrian Ambassador,
'Withdrawing' Lebanon's from Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/18/Ex-minister and Tripoli
parliamentary candidate Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi called on Wednesday for
“expelling” the Syrian ambassador from Lebanon, and “withdrawing” Lebanon's
ambassador from the neighboring country. Rifi has urged President Michel
Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri to “withdraw Lebanon's newly appointed
ambassador to Damascus, and to expel the Syrian diplomat against the
backdrop of the Syrian regime's chemical weapons attack at Douma,” he said
in a tweet. The ex-minister added saying: “Hariri should not have agreed on
the appointment of a Lebanese ambassador in the first place. He is demanded
today to withdraw Lebanon's ambassador after the crimes of the (Syrian)
regime." On Saturday more than 40 people died in the rebel-held Damascus
suburb of Douma in an alleged chemical attack, which left victims struggling
to breathe, foaming at the mouth and with discolored skin. The United
States, Britain and France have argued the incident bears all the hallmarks
of a strike ordered by the regime of Russia's ally Assad, which has been
blamed for previous attacks by the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW). In the face of intense world outrage, the United
Nations Security Council failed to agree a global response to the incident
on Tuesday, after Washington and Moscow opposed each other's rival motions
to set up an international investigation into chemical weapons use in the
seven-year-old conflict.
Report: General Amnesty Law 'Suspended'
Naharnet/April 11/18/A “complicated” general amnesty law has reportedly been
“put on the back burner” until after the May 6 legislative elections, al-Joumhouria
daily reported on Wednesday. “The draft law has been shelved at the time
being because of some complications which need to be addressed. Some
political parties prefer its suspension due to the pressing time factor and
looming parliamentary elections,” said the daily. “The file needs a legal
mechanism and full political consensus to be addressed by the new elected
parliament and government,” it added. The government has been weighing
potentials for approving said law which was expected to come ahead of the
country's first parliamentary elections in nine years. Families of Islamist
prisoners have repeatedly rallied demanding the approval of the law. Lebanon
had one general amnesty after the end of the civil war in 1990.
Sami Gemayel Meets Candidates in Western Bekaa-Rachaya District
Kataeb.org/Wednesday 11th April 2018/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Wednesday
met with the members of the "Now Is Time" list which is running for the
parliamentary seats in the Western Bekaa-Rachaya district. The list
comprises the following civil society candidates: Alaeddine Chemaly, Faysal
Rahhal, Maguy Aoun, Joseph Ayoub and Ali Soboh. Gemayel praised the list
members as competent, saying that the Kataeb party is proud of backing them
as they are all seeking change. "The 'Now Is Time' list reflects our
aspirations for having competent people shoring up the opposition in all the
battles that it will be fighting inside the Parliament; competent people who
would speak up loudly in favor of freedom, sovereignty, independence and
real reform," he said following the meeting held at the Kataeb's headquarter
in Saifi. "The candidates in this list are competent and have the desire to
change as well as to defend the Lebanese people’s interest inside the
Parliament." "I call on the voters who trust us and are seeking change to
vote for the civil society list in Western Bekaa and Rachaya," Gemayel
concluded.
Sami Gemayel Criticizes Fair Promoting Residency and Citizenship by
Investment
Kataeb.org/Wednesday 11th April 2018/
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel
criticized a fair to be held in Beirut under the patronage of the Economy
Minister to promote residency and citizenship by investment.
"In any
country that respects itself, there is no minister who encourages his
compatriots to seek the residency or the citizenship of another country,
while at the same time calling on foreigners to come and get a permanent
residency in his country," Gemayel tweeted.
MEA to Reroute Flights over Possible Syria Airstrikes
Kataeb.org/Wednesday 11th April 2018/
Middle East Airlines chairman
Mohammad Al-Hout said that the company will be rerouting flights to the Gulf
and Europe amid escalating tensions in the region. The new routes will be
adopted starting Wednesday at 20:00 (Beirut time) and until Friday night,
Al-Hout told the Kataeb website. Later, MEA issued a statement saying that
it will be modifying the routing of some of its flights which will affect
their departure times. "This rescheduling of flights is valid until Friday
evening April 13th 2018 after which a reassessment will be in place and the
proper decision will be taken accordingly." Here's the MEA updated flights
schedule: https://goo.gl/9CF4wZ
Public Works and Transport Minister Youssef Fenianos stressed that there is
no need to panic, saying that the rerouting decision was taken as a
precautionary measure following the alert issued by Eurocontrol.
"Due to the possible launch of air strikes into Syria with air-to-ground and
/ or cruise missiles within the next 72 hours, and the possibility of
intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment, due consideration
needs to be taken when planning flight operations in the Eastern
Mediterranean / Nicosia FIR area,” the alert said. Aviation regulators in
countries including the United States, Britain, France and Germany have
previously issued warnings against airlines entering Syrian airspace,
leading most carriers to avoid the area. The only commercial flights above
Syria as of 0115 GMT on Wednesday were being flown by Syrian Air and
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines, according to flight tracking website
FlightRadar24. At other periods later in the day, there were no flights
using the airspace. Several airlines had changed some flights paths
following the warning, including for Beirut and Tel Aviv flights, while
budget airline easyJet said it would also re-route flights from Tel Aviv. A
spokesman for Germany’s Lufthansa said on Wednesday its airlines were aware
of the Eurocontrol warning and were in close contact with authorities.
“As a proactive precaution, Lufthansa Group airlines have already avoided
the airspace in the eastern Mediterranean for some time now,” he said.
Ryanair, British Airways, Etihad Airways, and Royal Jordanian
representatives said flights were operating normally at their respective
airlines, but the situation was being monitored closely. Emirates also said
it was closely monitoring the situation and that it would “make adjustments
as needed”. EgyptAir is not currently planning changes to flight paths
following the warning, a source close to the matter said.
Mashnouq rules out
security concerns ahead of elections
Georgi Azar/Annahar April 11/18/Lebanese voters will hit the polls on May 6
to elect their representatives for the first since 2009, under a newly
ratified electoral law which is based on proportional representation in 15
districts.
BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk maintained Wednesday that Lebanon's
upcoming parliamentary elections will be held on time as President Michel
Aoun welcomed the deployment of European Union election observers to monitor
the parliamentary race. Lebanese voters will hit the polls on May 6 to elect
their representatives for the first time since 2009, under a newly ratified
electoral law which is based on proportional representation in 15 districts.
"There are no security fears that will hinder the upcoming elections," said
Machnouk, adding that he has "the utmost confidence in Lebanon's security
agencies." Touching on Lebanese abroad who will cast their ballots on April
21, Machnouk said that "the necessary measures have been implemented to
oversee this process." According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Emigrants, over 90,000 people across five continents registered to vote in
the upcoming parliamentary elections, "exceeding all expectations."
Meanwhile, Aoun met with EU officials at the Baabda Presidential Palace,
including the head of the European Union’s electoral monitoring mission Ms.
Elena Valenciano, saying that Lebanon is "looking forward to the elections
as an accurate expression of the Lebanese desire to practice democracy." On
Tuesday, the EU's Election Observation Mission deployed 24 long-term
observers to 12 different locations in Lebanon, with the aim of instilling
the necessary groundwork for a transparent and credible election. On May 6,
two observers will be stationed at each location to provide support and
observe all aspects of the elections. According to Valenciano, the observers
would remain in Lebanon until after the elections to report on the progress
of the electoral process and submit a final report with the assistance of
nine EU analysts. The Observation Mission will work in coordination
with Lebanon's different institutions, including the Interior Ministry.
Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on April 11-12/18
Putin Hopes 'Common Sense Will
Prevail' in International Relations
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/18/Russian
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he hoped that common sense would
prevail in global affairs as the U.S. has threatened to send missiles into
Syria. "The state of the world cannot but provoke concern. The situation in
the world is becoming more and more chaotic but all the same we hope that
common sense will finally prevail and international relations will take a
constructive path," Putin said as new ambassadors presented him with their
credentials at the Kremlin.
Pentagon 'Still Assessing' Suspected Syria Chemical Attack, 'Ready' to
Provide Military Options
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/18/Defense
Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday the Pentagon is ready to provide options
for a Syria strike in response to a suspected chemical attack, but noted the
U.S. and its allies are still gathering information. "We are still assessing
the intelligence, ourselves and our allies, we are still working on this,"
Mattis told reporters when asked if he had seen enough evidence to blame
President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the alleged chemical attack in Douma.
"We stand ready to provide military options, if they're appropriate, as the
president determined."President Donald Trump vowed on Twitter that missiles
would be launched at Syria following Saturday's alleged chemical attack, all
but guaranteeing a military strike against the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad. The Russian army has accused the White Helmets civil defense
organization in Syria of staging a chemical weapons attack in Douma that has
led to calls for further Western intervention. Trump and other Western
leaders have vowed a quick and forceful response to Saturday's alleged gas
attack, which rescue workers say killed more than 40 people. The United
States, Britain and France have argued the attack bears all the hallmarks of
a strike ordered by the regime, which the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been blamed for previous attacks.
Last year, Trump launched a cruise missile strike against a Syrian air base
in retaliation for a sarin attack the United Nations later pinned on Assad.
Trump warns: missiles
‘will be coming’, Assad forces vacate military airports
AFP/April 11, 2018/WASHINGTON: The Syrian Monitor for Human right said that
witnesses in Syria have reported activities close to Assad regime forces
airfields and key installation. The Monitor added that troops were seen
withdrawing and redeploying for fear of imminent US stike on Syria in
retaliation for the use of chemical weapons against civilians in Douma near
Damascus. Earlier, President Donald Trump warned Russia about supporting
Bashar al Assad in Syria, and said US missiles "will be coming" in
relatiation for a chemical weapons attack on civilians. "Russia vows to
shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because
they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!' You shouldn’t be partners
with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!" Trump wrote
on Twitter. In UK, Prime Minister Theresa May said that London will join any
punitive strike against the Syrian regime. May added that she will not be
seeking a vote in parliament to authorise British participation in any
forthcoming strike agianst Syria. British media later reported that a
British submarime has been ordered to sail towards Syria.
Russia's ambassador to
Lebanon: We will return Fire For Any USA Launch On Syria
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/April 11/18
Senior diplomat ups the stakes after Washington and Moscow clash at the UN.
EIRUT - Russia's ambassador to Lebanon said any US missiles fired at Syria
would be shot down and the launch sites targeted, a step that could trigger
a major escalation in the Syrian war. Russian Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin,
in comments broadcast on Tuesday evening, said he was referring to a
statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian armed forces
chief of staff. The Russian military said on March 13 that it would respond
to any US strike on Syria, targeting any missiles and launchers involved in
such an attack. Russia is Syrian President Bashar Assad's most powerful
ally. The United States and its allies are considering whether to hit Syria
over a suspected poison gas attack that medical relief organizations say
killed dozens of people in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus on
Saturday. "If there is a strike by the Americans, then... the missiles will
be downed and even the sources from which the missiles were fired," Zasypkin
told Hezbollah's al-Manar TV, speaking in Arabic. He also said a clash
"should be ruled out and therefore we are ready to hold negotiations."Russia
and the United States blocked attempts by each other in the UN Security
Council on Tuesday to set up international investigations into chemical
weapons attacks in Syria. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday canceled a
planned trip to Latin America later this week to focus instead on responding
to the Syria incident, the White House said. Trump had on Monday warned of a
quick, forceful response once responsibility for the Syria attack was
established
Saudi air defense
forces intercept missile over Riyadh
Staff writer/Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 11 April 2018/Saudi Arabia’s air
defense forces said that they intercepted a ballistic missile over Riyadh on
Wednesday while another scout drone that targeted the border city of Jazan
was also stopped. Spokesman for the Arab Coalition forces fighting in Yemen,
Col. Turki al-Maliki, said that at 7:40 am local time, air defense systems
were able to detect an unidentified object in the direction of Abha
International Airport and was dealt with accordingly. Maliki said that after
examining the debris of the object, specialists of the joint coalition
forces said it was found to be a hostile Houthi aircraft with Iranian
characteristics and specifications that were trying to target the airport
protected under international humanitarian law.
Saudi forces intercept Houthi scout drone over Abha
airport
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 11 April 2018/Saudi Arabia’s air
defense forces said that they intercepted Houthi scout drone over Abha
airport on the same day that militias fired a ballistic missile targeting
the capital Riyadh. Spokesman for the Arab Coalition forces fighting in
Yemen, Col. Turki al-Maliki, said that at 7:40 am local time, air defense
systems were able to detect an unidentified object in the direction of Abha
International Airport and was dealt with accordingly. Maliki said that after
examining the debris of the objet, specialists of the joint coalition forces
said it was found to be a hostile Houthi aircraft with Iranian
characteristics and specifications that were trying to target the airport
protected under international humanitarian law.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives in Spain
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 11 April 2018/After concluding
his visit to France on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman has made his way to Spain on an official state visit. “The Royal
Court said in a statement that upon directives of Saudi King Salman and in
response to an invitation of the Government of the Spanish Kingdom, Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman left France for the Kingdom of Spain,” a
statement on Saudi Press Agency read. They also reported that during the
upcoming state visit to Madrid, the crown prince will meet with Spanish King
Felipe VI, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and a number of officials to enhance
bilateral relations between the two countries and discuss issues of common
interests.
Saudi Arabia, France issue joint statement after crown
prince visit concludes
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 11 April 2018/Saudi Arabia and
France have issued a joint statement to mark the state visit of Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman to France, which concluded on Wednesday.
According to the statment issued on Saudi Press Agency, the Saudi crown
prince met with French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Edouard
Philippe, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian,
Minister of Defense Florence Parly and Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno
Le Maire. At the Elysée Palace, the crown prince co-chaired the first
meeting of the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership Council, which was
attended by a number of ministers and senior officials of the two
governments. "President Macron held an official dinner banquet in honor of
HRH the Crown Prince who conveyed greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to His Excellency and conveyed to
President Macron an invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to
visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the joint statement read. Macron
welcomed the invitation and "sent a message of friendship and great respect
to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques," the statement added. The
statement also said that the two countries' commitments will open a new and
promising chapter in their relationship within framework of developing a new
strategic partnership covering the political, defense, security, economic,
cultural, scientific and educational areas of their relationship into new
horizons. The communiqué published by Saudi Press Agency highlighted areas
of agreement between the two states:
International and regional politics
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France share a common objective to realize
peace and stability, in the Middle East. The ministers of foreign affairs,
in the two countries will work towards deepening consultations and
coordination to back up political solutions. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and
France will work towards tackling world challenges facing international
community, including climate change and human development and the joint
action of the two countries will decisively contribute to these domains.
Defense and security
The wide-scale and multi-faceted security cooperation, has made
counterterrorism a priority to both Saudi Arabia and France, with especial
interest in combating terrorism and terrorism funding, and that their close
cooperation, in this regard, will expand regional efforts as well as
multi-partite endeavors and making them more effective and they will work
towards making Paris Conference to combat terrorism funding, set to take
place on 25-26 April, a success. France, also, will contribute to back up
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's efforts to upgrade its ministry of defense.
Economy, commerce and investment
Deepening commerce and investment is beneficial to the two countries'
economies, as the Kingdom Vision 2030 is an opportunity to explore new
domains, in business and cooperation in the main sectors for cooperation
such as water and environment, connected sustainable cities, transport,
energy, health, agriculture and water supply. The French know-how in the
domain of technology is of a great importance for all domains, as its impact
would be tangible, in all fields and the financial investments between big
and upstart companies, will be encouraged. During the visit, a forum for
Saudi and France chief executive officers has been held and attended by
executives from the two countries. The forum facilitated presenting offers
and making in-depth discussions related to the Kingdom Vision 2030 projects
and instituted significant communication between the two parties,
culminating in co-signing of a host of contracts and MoUs reflecting the new
dynamics of economic as well as technological bonds between the two
countries.
Academic, cultural and scientific cooperation
The renewal of the partnership framework between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
and the Republic of France will redefine cooperation priorities between the
two countries. The two countries will establish programs in the fields of
education, training, research, innovation, culture, heritage, tourism, sport
and youth. The Republic of France will share its tourism and heritage skills
in the interest of the Kingdom Vision 2030. The new partnership, which
embodies the efforts exerted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in developing a
sustainable tourism and heritage sector in Al-Ula province with the
participation of international partners, aims to enhance the cooperation in
all these fields through tangible procedures and structural projects in
addition to existing projects in this regard. In the field of cultural
heritage, an agreement on the development of Al-Ula province was co-signed
by Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Governor of the Royal
Commission for Al-Ula and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign
Affairs of France. This cooperation highlights the joint vision between the
two countries to maintain and promote the cultural heritage, enhance
scientific knowledge, and inaugurate new ways of sustainable tourism for
this unique archaeological site.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Royal Commission for Al-Ula
and Campus France was signed in the field of training students from Al-Ula
province and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Royal
Commission for Al-Ula and the Arab World Institute to establish a movable
exhibition.
Middle East issues
In the field of regional and international issues, the two sides held deep
discussions where they highlighted their commitment to the peace and
security in the Middle East. They also discussed the current situation in
the Eastern Ghouta, including the recent reports on using chemical weapons.
The two sides called upon the international community to hold the involved
in these attacks accountable. The two countries reiterated their stance that
the solution of the Syrian crisis must be based on a political solution
based on Geneva 1 Declaration and UN Security Council resolution no. 2254 -
2015.
The two countries reiterated their firm commitment to confront extremism and
terrorism, and combat their financing, including Sahel region. The Republic
of France praised the Kingdom's great support for the joint military force
in five Sahel countries.
Situation in Yemen
With regard to Yemen, both sides affirmed the need for a political solution,
as it was called by Security Council Resolution 2216-2015, to end the
suffering of the Yemeni people. The two sides condemned ballistic missile
attacks by the Houthi militias on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed
the importance of compliance of the countries providing the Houthi militias
with weapons and ballistic missiles, with relevant UN resolutions
prohibiting such acts.
The two sides reiterated the importance of supporting efforts of the Special
Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Yemen to reach a political solution
for the Yemeni crisis. In a parallel context, the Republic of France
affirmed its readiness to support the Coalition Supporting the Legitimacy,
in Yemen, and UN agencies to accelerate delivery of humanitarian aid to all
Yemenis, including $1 billion humanitarian response plan committed by the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Kingdom and the Republic of France agreed to organize an international
conference in Paris on humanitarian aid in Yemen. The two countries also
reaffirmed their readiness to enhance cooperation with other friendly
countries on the security and development of the Red Sea.
They also affirmed their commitment to the stability, unity and sovereignty
of Lebanon as reflected in their pledges and stances, at the Cedar
Conference held on 6 April 2018, in Paris, stressing the need for all
Lebanese parties to abide by the principle of keeping away from the regional
conflicts.
Regional conflicts
With regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the two countries
reiterated their call for a two-state solution based on the relevant UN
resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. The two sides agreed on the need
to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. They discussed the steps
that will be taken to curb Iran's ballistic program and stop destabilizing
aspects of its regional policy. They pointed out that supplying militias, as
well as armed groups, including the groups classified as terrorist
organizations by UN, with arms and support is unacceptable. They also
pointed out that Iran must abide by international laws and principles
regarding good neighborliness and non-interference in the internal affairs
of other countries. The two sides reaffirmed that the relationship between
the two countries has been moved to new horizons because of the state
historic visit paid by HRH the Crown Prince to the Republic of France. Both
sides expressed looking forward to the visit of President Macron to the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to further move the relationship between them to
wider horizons.
More than 250 killed
in Algerian military plane crash
Agencies/April 11, 2018/ALGIERS: An Algerian military plane crashed and
caught fire on Wednesday killing 257 people, mostly army personnel and
members of their families, officials said. An AFP photographer at the scene
saw the charred wreckage of the plane in a field near the Boufarik airbase
from where the plane had taken off. Hundreds of ambulances and dozens of
fire trucks with their sirens wailing rushed to the scene of the crash about
25 kilometres (15 miles) southwest of Algiers. The defence ministry said in
a statement that 247 passengers and 10 crew were killed without mentioning
any survivors. Deputy Defence Minister General Ahmed Gaid Salah visited the
site and ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the crash, the
defence ministry said. The Ilyushin II-76 transport plane was bound for
Tindouf in southwest Algeria. Algeria has suffered a string of military and
civilian aviation disasters. Two military planes collided mid-flight in
December 2012 during a training exercise in Tlemcen, in the far west of the
country, killing the pilots of both planes. In February 2014, 77 people died
when a military plane carrying army personnel and family members crashed
between Tamanrasset in southern Algeria and the eastern city of Constantine.
Only one person survived after the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft came
down in the mountainous Oum El Bouaghi region. The defence ministry blamed
that crash on bad weather. An Air Algerie passenger plane flying from
Burkina Faso to Algiers crashed in northern Mali in July 2014, killing all
116 people on board including 54 French nationals. In October the same year,
a military plane crashed in the south of the country during a training
exercise, killing the two men on board. That came more than a decade after
all but one of the 103 people on an Air Algerie Boeing 737-200 died in March
2003 when it crashed on takeoff in the country's south after an engine
caught fire.
19 killed in clashes between UN and militia in
C.African capital
AFP/April 12, 2018/Bangui, Central African Republic: The Central African
Republic, one of the world’s poorest and most unstable countries, was rocked
on Wednesday after 19 people, including a UN soldier, were killed and more
than 100 wounded in clashes between peacekeepers and militias in a
flashpoint Muslim enclave of the capital. Bangui’s bloodiest flareup in two
years brought hundreds of angry residents of the PK5 district to the base of
the United Nations mission, MINUSCA. There they laid out the corpses of 17
men who they said had been killed by UN troops on Tuesday — violence that
according to MINUSCA had begun with an ambush of peacekeepers after they had
launched a security sweep. Several bodies bore bullet wounds, an AFP
reporter saw. “Yesterday they killed lots of people. Here are the dead,
which we have brought here,” one man told AFP, as the bodies, draped in
white, were laid before the closed door of the mission. Reacting to the
clashes, President Faustin-Archange Touadera said later Wednesday that
criminal groups were holding people in the troubled district to ransom.
“Bandits have taken the population hostage,” Touadera said as he left a
meeting of UN and African Union representatives, according to a video
released by the UN. “This operation has as its sole objective the
apprehension of the leaders (of the armed militias). It is not against one
community or against the population” of the area, he added. A security
source late Tuesday said a UN soldier was killed and eight were wounded in
the violence, which came when their patrol was ambushed on the outskirts of
the neighborhood. Fifty-six wounded people were brought to the Bangui public
hospital, one of whom subsequently died, according to staff there.
Separately, the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it treated 44
wounded. “A Rwandan patrol supported by Central African forces was shot at
and then pursued the attackers into PK5,” the security source told AFP. The
clashes marked the bloodiest incident in Bangui since President
Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected in 2016 — an event showcased as a
turning-point in one of the world’s most chronically unstable countries.
“When President Touadera was on the campaign trail, he promised us that he
would not touch a hair on a Muslim’s head if we voted for him, which we did.
Now you can see the results,” said one of the demonstrators, who gave his
name as Riyad. The former French colony of 4.5 million people spiralled into
bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by
the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance. France intervened militarily to
push out the Seleka alliance, but the country — one of the poorest in the
world — remains plagued by violence between ex-rebels and vigilante
militias. Many armed groups are nominally organized along Christian or
Muslim affiliations. They both typically gain their revenue from extortion,
roadblocks or mineral resources. The PK5 district was once a Muslim rebel
bastion, but it is now home to several criminal groups who have taken
advantage of the weakness of the state.
Touadera’s government can claim to control just a fifth of the country, with
the rest in the hands of militias. The UN recently threatened to dismantle
all the armed groups’ bases in PK5 unless they hand over their weapons,
according to sources. A series of clashes began on April 1, when UN
peacekeepers on patrol in PK5 came under attack and returned fire. A
security sweep that began in the area on Sunday led to the deaths of two
people, with 60 others injured, and was followed by Tuesday’s bloodshed. The
UN’s under-secretary general for peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre
Lacroix, and the African Union’s commissioner for peace and security, Smail
Chergui, issued a joint statement on Wednesday appealing for calm. The two
arrived in Bangui on Tuesday on a visit aimed at promoting peace in the
troubled country. The AU last July agreed to launch an “African peace
initiative” for CAR, consisting of a round table gathering armed groups and
the government. It had finished off a round of exploratory talks with
militia groups on April 1. In Paris, the French foreign ministry said it
condemned “with the greatest firmness the attacks and violence” against
MINUSCA and CAR forces.
Their joint operation consisted of “disarming and arresting criminal groups”
in PK5, it said.
Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque courtyard under
police protection again
Agencies/April 11, 2018/Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque courtyard
under police protection again London: Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the
courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the city of Jerusalem on Wednesday. Local
sources said that Israeli troops protected the settlers in their endeavor to
roam the yards outside the mosque, seen as one of Islam’s holiest sites.
Israeli troops have also been accused of increasing their security measures
against Palestinian worshippers trying to access the mosque to pray.
Latest LCCC Bulletin
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 11-12/18
Dr.Walid Phares: World
War 3 alert: 'There WILL be a response' Russia to strike back if US hit
Syria
وليد فارس يتوقع رد روسي على أي عمل عسكري أميركي يستهدف نظام الأسد
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63816
Holly Pyne/Express/April 11/18
RUSSIA will fight back if the United States attacks Syria but Donald Trump
should not attack the Russians directly, Fox News' Senior National Security
Analyst has warned.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/944214/World-war-3-Russia-USA-Syria-donald-trump-assad-chemical-attack
Russia will respond if the US hits back at
Syria, but Washington should not get to a “point of direct confrontation”,
warned Walid Phares, after the recent chemical attack in Douma, Syria.
Mr Phares told Fox News: “Well look, the Russians are today stronger in
Syria than they were a year ago and certainly six years ago.
"So they are trying to say to us and our partners that there will be a
response maybe directly by the Russians or as they do usually, task the
Iranians to do it.”
His comments come after US President Donald Trump threatened imminent
military action against Syria and Russia over the “atrocious” suspected
poison gas attack that killed at least 60 civilians.
If you attack their allies, the Syrian regime or the Iranians or Hezbollah,
what they may do is ask their allies to attack our allies
Mr Phares said: “For us, for the United States, it is very important that we
begin with the right thing to do and ask the intelligence community to have
a detailed report of these chemical attacks so that we can take it to the UN
Security Council and then confront the world and tell them ‘it did happen.’
“I expect that the Russians are going to have a veto. Once you have that
veto from the Russians then you have the legitimacy to form this
international coalition and start having US-led strategies.
“We don’t want to engage the Russians directly because by the rules of
engagement of any nation that have military, if you attack their military
they are going to respond.
“If you attack their allies, the Syrian regime or the Iranians or Hezbollah,
what they may do is ask their allies to attack our allies.”
This time last year, Mr Trump fired 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian air base
used to launch a sarin attack on a rebel area that killed 89 people,
including 33 children.
Mr Phares said: “There are a lot of scenarios, I’m sure our National
Security Council and our allies are focusing on what can be done without
getting to a point of direct confrontation between the US and Russia which
should not happen.
“These are two superpowers with nuclear weapons so the fact that they speak
to each other for the security of the world that will continue.
“But, friendly relations as it was projected a few years ago, they are in
jeopardy.”
Mr Trump issued a stark warning to Russia on Twitter and wrote: “Russia vows
to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because
they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!”
“You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people
and enjoys it!”
After Israeli Attack,
Iran Mulls Options in Syria
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/April 11/18
Seven years after getting involved in the Syrian war and helping to prolong
it, Iran may be trying to re-think a strategy that has had many unintended,
and undesired, consequences.
Calls for a review of Iran’s Syria policy are not yet either emphatic or
loud. But they are coming from many different quarters inside and outside
the ruling establishment.
Islamic Majlis member Mahmoud Sadeqi has called for “assessing the impact of
our Syrian involvement” on Iran’s relations with other nations, most notably
within the Middle East. The question is whether or not by siding with Syrian
regime head Bashar al-Assad, Iran has antagonized other Arab and Islamic
states. Worse still, Iran’s involvement in Syria may have enabled the United
States, always singled out as “The Great Satan”, to rally its regional
allies and form a solid bloc to challenge Iran.
Writing in “Iran Diplomat”, a periodical published by a relative of “Supreme
Guide” Ali Khamenei, the retired Iranian diplomat, Mussawi Khalkhali, argues
in favor of “looking again at our policies in the region, most notably in
Syria.” Without suggesting that Assad should be thrown to the lions, he
urges a profit-and-loss approach to a policy that has already claimed over
2,000 Iranian lives and in excess of $20 billion in expenditure.
One issue Iranian analysts focus on is the emergence of Russia as the setter
of agenda in Syria, pushing Iran into the sidelines. This is because,
besides the Assad regime and dependents, Iran didn’t have a genuine
constituency inside Syria.
“Our sole constituency was Assad,” says analyst Ali Nobari. “Now that
constituency is under Russian control.”
Besides the Assad clan, Russia has some genuine support among the Christian
and Druze minorities in Syria that see Vladimir Putin as their protector
against a Sunni Muslim majority rule. Iran, however, for obvious reason, has
made no headway among Syrian Christians, while the Druze minority suspects
Iran of harboring the ambition of spreading its brand of Shi’ism across the
Middle East, regarding the Druze as a theologically “wayward” community.
Grand Ayatollah Alawi Borujerdi, one of the highest ranking clerics in Iran,
has suggested that the Druze, the Nusairis (Alawis) and other communities
known as “ghulat” (exaggerators) join a broad “Fatimid Front” led by Iran as
a first step to “joining the mainstream of Shi’ism”. The seminaries in Qom
and Mash’had would be prepared to dispatch missionaries to help the Syrian
“ghulat” re-join the tradition of theological research and development.
In fact, Iran started to promote those ideas before the Syrian conflict
began. Tehran set up 14 “cultural centers” across Syria to train Syrian
clerics and publicized the late Ayatollah Ruhallah Khomeini’s version of
Islam. However, by 2013, all those centers had been shut down for fear of
“terrorist attacks”, and their personnel repatriated to Iran.
Last December, the Office for Islamic Convergence, part of Khamenei’s
network of control announced a new scheme to re-open one of those centers in
Damascus. The Office’s head Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, a British-educated
mullah, was to lead a delegation of 40 clerics on that mission. However, the
move was never made, ostensibly because of “security concerns” but, in
reality, because both Alawite and Druze religious leaders conveyed their
“serious reservations” to Assad.
It is not only the scheme for mass conversion of Syrians to Iran’s brand of
Islam that has been put on the backburner.
With Russia assuming leadership in Syria and Turkey building a huge military
presence there, Iran has had to trim its other ambitions in the war-torn
country.
Last year, Tehran unveiled a plan to build a 1,800 kilometers highway
between Qom and Beirut, passing through Iraq and Syria, within two years to
give Iran a direct presence on the Mediterranean.
Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the man who commands the Quds (Jerusalem Corps) in
charge of “exporting” revolution, was hailed by the official media as “the
great leader who made Iran a Mediterranean power for the first time since
the 7th century AD.”
Last week, however, Fars News, controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
(IRGC) exposed the project as a pie in the sky. It said no one knew who
would build the highway and that no budget had been assigned even to
preliminary studies.
In 2013, Soleimani boasted that his force, also using Lebanese “Hezbollah”
and other mercenaries from Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, controlled an
archipelago of territory in the center of Syria from east to west and thus
could build a contiguous “presence on the ground”.
However, almost all chunks of that archipelago were abandoned under pressure
from various Syrian forces opposed to Assad and pursuing different agendas.
“Lacking air power, Iran needs a strong presence on the ground,” says Hamid
Zomorrodi, who studies Iranian military matters. “The initial idea was that
Iran and Assad would provide the boots on the ground, while Russia acted as
their air force.”
However, that idea led nowhere as Putin refused the role that Tehran wanted
to assign to Russia.
“Putin thinks he has won the Syrian war with his air force,” says Zomorrodi.
“He thinks that gives him the right to decide how the spoils of war are
distributed.”
With Iran’s dream of a contiguous land route to Lebanon and the Israel
border gone, Putin is trying to persuade Khamenei to abandon the two chunks
of land Iranian forces and their Lebanese mercenaries still control near the
borders with Israel and Lebanon. Israel already launched three air strikes
against those two locations in the past year or so, reinforcing Putin’s
message that Iran should transfer its presence to a “de-escalation zone”
earmarked for it in Deir al-Zour close to the border with Iraq, far from the
sizzling Syria-Lebanon-Israel triangle.
It may be premature to conclude that Iran is mulling its options in Syria.
But one thing is clear, a growing segment of the political and military
leadership in Tehran seems persuaded that Iran has got a bad deal in Syria
and must rethink its options. However, while entering a war is easy, getting
out of it is always difficult, especially when religious myths and
revolutionary romanticism blur the political vision.
"Firewalls" and "Taint Teams" Do Not Protect Fourth and
Sixth Amendment Rights
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/April 11/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12154/donald-trump-michael-cohen
The Fourth and Sixth Amendments prohibit government officials from in any way
intruding on the privacy of lawyer/client confidential rights of citizens.
The very fact that this material is seen or read by a government official
constitutes a core violation. It would be the same if the government
surreptitiously recorded a confession of a penitent to a priest, or a
description of symptoms by a patient to a doctor, or a discussion of their sex
life between a husband and wife.
The recourses for intrusions on the Fourth and Sixth Amendments are multifold:
the victim of the intrusion can sue for damages; he or she can exclude it from
use by the government in criminal or civil cases; or the victim can demand the
material back. But none of these remedies undo the harm to privacy and
confidentiality done to the citizen by the government's intrusion into his
private and confidential affairs.
Many TV pundits are telling viewers not to worry about the government's
intrusion into possible lawyer/client privileged communications between
President Trump and his lawyer, since prosecutors will not get to see or use any
privileged material. This is because prosecutors and FBI agents create firewalls
and taint teams to preclude privileged information from being used against the
client in a criminal case. But that analysis completely misses the point and
ignores the distinction between the Fifth Amendment on the one hand, and the
Fourth and Sixth Amendments on the other.
The Fifth Amendment is an exclusionary rule. By its terms, it prevents material
obtained in violation of the privilege of self-incrimination from being used to
incriminate a defendant – that is to convict him of a crime. But the Fourth and
Sixth Amendments provide far broader protections: they prohibit government
officials from in any way intruding on the privacy of lawyer/client confidential
rights of citizens. In other words, if the government improperly seizes private
or privileged material, the violation has already occurred, even if the
government never uses the material from the person from whom it was seized.
Not surprisingly, therefore, firewalls and taint teams were developed in the
context of the Fifth Amendment, not the Fourth or Sixth Amendments. Remember who
comprises the firewall and taint teams: other FBI agents, prosecutors and
government officials who have no right under the Fourth and Sixth Amendments,
even to see private or confidential materials, regardless of whether it is ever
used against a defendant. The very fact that this material is seen or read by a
government official constitutes a core violation. It would be the same if the
government surreptitiously recorded a confession of a penitent to a priest, or a
description of symptoms by a patient to a doctor, or a discussion of their sex
life between a husband and wife. The government simply has no right to this
material, whether it ever uses it against the penitent or the patient or the
spouse in a criminal case.
So, let's not dismiss the potential violation of the rights of Michael Cohen and
his client, if it were to turn out that included among the materials seized by
the government in the raid were private or confidential information or
documents.
The recourses for intrusions on the Fourth and Sixth Amendments are multifold:
the victim of the intrusion can sue for damages; he or she can exclude it from
use by the government in criminal or civil cases; or the victim can demand the
material back. But none of these remedies undo the harm to privacy and
confidentiality done to the citizen by the government's intrusion into his
private and confidential affairs.
An equally important harm is to important relationships that are protected by
the law: between lawyer and client, priest and penitent, doctor and patient,
husband and wife, etc. If an ordinary citizen, seeing that even the president's
confidential communications with his lawyer can be seized and perused, he or she
will be far less willing to engage in such communications. As a society, we
value such communications; that is why our laws protect them and that is why it
should be extremely difficult for the government to intrude upon them, except as
a last recourse in extremely important cases.
From what we know, this case does not meet those stringent standards. Much of
the material sought by the warrant could probably be obtained through other
sources, such as bank, tax and other records that are subject to subpoena.
Moreover, the alleged crimes at issue – highly technical violations of banking
and election laws – would not seem to warrant the extreme measure of a highly
publicized search and seizure of records that may well include some that are
subject to the lawyer/client privilege.
Someday soon, the government is going to have to justify its decision to conduct
this raid. I challenge any reader who is not concerned about this raid to
honestly answer the following question: If the raid had been conducted on
Hillary Clinton's lawyer's office and home, would you be as unconcerned? The
truth now!
**Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law Emeritus at
Harvard Law School and author of "Trumped Up, How Criminalization of Political
Differences Endangers Democracy."
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Senior Israeli Officials: If Iran Acts Against
Israel We Will Topple Assad
رسميون في إسرئيل يؤكدون أن بلادهم سوق تسقط نظام الأسد في حال قامت إيران بأي عمل
انتقامي ضد تل ابيب
Jerusalem Post/April 11/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63824
"Assad's regime and Assad himself will disappear from the map and the world if
the Iranians do try to harm Israel or its interests from Syrian territory."
Around 80% of the 32 Palestinians killed so far by the IDF during the Gaza
border protests were terrorist operatives or identified with terrorist
organizations, a new report asserts.
The report by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center said
that 26 of the 32 Palestinians fit into those categories.
According to the report, nine of the dead Palestinians were part of military
terror cells and four were part of Gazan security services.
The report said that the other 17 identified as connected with terrorist groups
were identified as such based on public statements made by various terror groups
taking credit for the loyalties or activities of those individuals.
The last six killed Palestinians were not mentioned by any terror groups and are
presumed to be civilians. The Meir Amit center is viewed by many as unusually
credible because it has ongoing connections to current military intelligence and
is filled with top former Israeli intelligence officials.
According to the report, five of the dead were part of Hamas' Izzadin Kassam
military unit, while four were part of security services controlled by Hamas.
Hamas took credit for the loyalties and actions of another seven of the dead and
their bodies were wrapped in Hamas flags. One individual from that group was
identified as an activist in Hamas' student support group.
One of the dead was identified as being connected to Islamic Jihad's military
wing. Two of the dead were identified as operatives of the Democratic Front for
the Liberation of Palestine - one as a military operative and one as a leader of
the group in the al-Nazirat refugee camp. One of the dead was identified with
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Six of the dead were both members of Fatah and involved in violent or
provocative activities as part of the border standoff, according to the report
and Meir Amit center Director Reuven Ehrlich. Two were identified as operatives
of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military wing. Four more were
identified as members of Fatah when Fatah took credit for the connection and
wrapped their bodies in the Fatah flag.
The report said that the high percentage of persons identified with terrorist
groups at the front showed that the protests and clashes are being orchestrated
mostly by those groups and not by civilian leaders.
According to the center, many of the dead were not merely celebrated by terror
groups, but the terror groups published photos of them armed and in military
clothing.
Some of those killed were identified as being shot while trying to breach the
border wall, during IDF attacks on Hamas lookout positions and one, who was
armed with a Kalashnikov and explosives, was shot by an IDF aerial vehicle.
All 32 of the dead, except for two, were men between the ages of 19 and 45 and
none of them were the original civilian organizers who were pushed aside by
Hamas, Ehrlich told the Jerusalem Post. Ehrlich emphasized that this disproved
accusations that Israel is targeting women and children and civilians generally.
Two of the dead were minors with estimated ages between 14 and 16. While one of
them was said to be part of Hamas’ student group, it was unclear under what
circumstances they were killed and what justifications might be put forth.
The report did admit that regarding one of the dead, that the family has
disputed the IDF’s characterization of him as being connected to a terror group.
Regarding a few of the dead, the report had more uncertain language saying “it
appears” that the individual was connected to a particular terror group. Some of
these more borderline cases may account for the report identifying 80% of the
dead as being connected with Hamas when an earlier report by the center said the
percentage was at least as high as 60% (though that report said more research
needed to be done).
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Report-80-percent-of-Palestinians-killed-in-Gaza-border-crisis-were-terrorists-549511#spark_wn=1
موقف دولي يتنشق “السارين” في دوما
علي الأمين/العرب/10 نيسان/18
Is the world inhaling Sarin, too? The international stance on Douma
Ali Al-Amin/Al Arabiya/April 11/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63779
Is the world inhaling Sarin, too? The international stance
on Douma
Ali Al-Amin/Al Arabiya/April 11/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63779
The missiles which targeted the Syrian military T4 air base in Homs on Monday at
dawn are Israeli and not American, and they did not come in response to the
Syrian regime’s chemical attack on Douma in Ghouta. The Syrian regime, which has
used Sarin gas before according to local and international reports, seems
reassured that American and international objections to using these weapons will
not go as far as adopting deterrent military measures. This is what developments
since 2012 have shown as, in the best case scenario, reactions have been
restricted to limited military strikes against some Syrian posts and to
condemnations.
The word “animal” which US President Donald Trump used to describe Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad is the best thing the Syrian regime can expect from
the American stance. There are American hints that Washington may take military
measures in response to the recent use of chemical weapons; however, amid the US
orientations to withdraw from Syria, as Trump announced, no observers expect the
US to take any measures to deter the Syrian regime and its allies in Syria.
The Israeli airstrike on the T4 airbase is a development that falls within
another context that has nothing to do with what’s happening in Douma. The
Syrian army has posts in this airport and many reports confirm that Iran uses it
as a base to launch missiles and drones. Meanwhile, Syrian activists confirmed
that Israeli jets were seen launching a number of missiles from Lebanese
airspace and Syrian official reports said a number of Syrian army personnel were
killed and injured in the strike.
The American stance sets withdrawing from Syria as a strategy while leaving
countries that are militarily present in Syria with the task of finding
solutions - especially that Trump has asserted that America’s task ends with
eliminating ISIS from Syria. Although some US administration officials have
questioned this withdrawal, it seems what’s constant here is the lack of a US
strategy that exerts pressure to impose solutions or curb Russia’s and Iran’s
military roles in Syria. Battles in eastern Ghouta and the destruction there
show that the US stance does not seem concerned in confronting this bloody and
military role and does not believe its interests are threatened if the Syrian
regime restores whatever is left of opposition-held areas in Damascus’
surroundings.
Based on this American stance, it seems developments in Syria will further
escalate towards allowing the regime and its international ally to crush the
Syrian opposition. It does not seem there is anything to prevent this especially
in areas within the control of the regime and its Russian and Iranian allies.
All that Washington may do is adopt a formal military response to the regime’s
use of chemical weapons. The ongoing battles in eastern Ghouta and the crimes
committed against civilians did not bring about any change in American and
international behavior. All which upset the American administration is the use
of the internationally prohibited weapons. The reaction will thus be nothing
more than a limited military objection that falls within the context of taking a
stance that is mainly based on international and not Syrian calculations.
Russia’s veto at the UN Security Council has so far prevented issuing any
international resolution that can curb the Syrian regime from committing crimes.
This, to a large extent, confirms that Russia and Iran are directly concerned in
the measures which the Assad regime carries out while, at the same time, they
are well-aware of the limits of US interests which they avoid coming near. This
was evident when few months ago they approached areas east of the Euphrates. The
US’ reaction was violent as in one night it killed hundreds of Russian soldiers.
Few weeks before this, it killed dozens of Iranian and Iraqi militiamen when
they tried to approach areas of American influence in this area.
State of surrender
What’s tragic in this Syrian scene is Arab absence as while using chemical
weapons has stirred international controversy, there’s an Arab silence that
reflects a state of surrender or helplessness, if not complicity, especially as
Syria witnesses systematic destruction of economic and urban structure and, more
importantly, demographic change that’s no longer a secret. Meanwhile, the
features of Iranian and Israeli influence are being accurately drawn under
Russian supervision. Perhaps the recent Israeli strikes against the airport in
Homs’ countryside shows, to a large extent, the concerns which go beyond
humanitarian and political considerations related to the Syrian people.
In brief, the American and international stance indicate that Syrian political,
military and humanitarian developments in Damascus’ surroundings will not
provoke Washington no matter how loud Trump is against the crimes of Assad and
his allies, and the UN Security Council will be incapable of adopting any stance
which Russia does not accept – knowing that any military development that
results from America’s intervention is not in Washington’s calculations and
European countries do not desire this either. This is in addition to the fact
that Israel which seems reassured to Russia, in terms of stability of
Syrian-Israeli borders and to stability along the borders with Lebanon, does not
want to risk this stability. It’s worth noting that Syrian developments allowed
it to carry out military strikes against what it views as threats to its
security in Syria without provoking Russia or Syria or triggering either to
react.
Although an Israeli jet was downed by Syria few months ago, it seems Israel is
not restrained when responding to what it believes is a threat to its security
in Syria. Meanwhile, other parties seem largely committed to the conditions of
Israeli security. This is all according to the facts on the ground as they’ve
clearly shown that the international community will remain helpless or a mere
spectator as Assad and his allies massacre civilians but will be decisive and
strong when things are related to Israel’s security or Washington’s zones of
influence in North or South Syria.
Middle East’s problems more complex than ever
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/April 11/18
لبنان: وعود باريس… وشيطان التفاصيل
إياد أبو شقرا/الشرق الأوسط/08 نيسان/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63749
Middle East’s problems more complex than ever
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/April 11/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63749
The blood that was shed in the occupied Palestinian territories on the
anniversary of ‘Land Day’ will be followed by more of the same if the ‘March of
Return’ continues until Nakba Day on May 15.
The Palestinian wound has been bleeding for 70 years and, with the current
Israeli and global leaders in place, the prospect of any meaningful compromise
is virtually non-existent. Rather, it may be said that the conflict has never
been so far from settlement as it is today, and there are a number of reasons
for this.
The first reason is Palestinian division. This division serves the tactical
interests of many regional and international players, as well as serving
opportunistic groups within the Palestinian territories that benefit from the
division. Therefore, despite the desire of every sincere Palestinian for unity,
the beneficiaries are not willing to give up their gains.
Second, Israel’s continued evasion of peace. Any real peace must be based on a
sincere desire for a coexistence that rejects oppression, domination, captivity
or ‘transfer’. But, when we look at the political programs of the partisan
Israeli forces, we can only conclude that the Israeli evasion of peace is fixed
and that any other talk or goodwill is a variable.
A third reason is the regional reality. Despite the centrality of the ‘Question
of Palestine’, it is no longer the only issue in the Middle East. As well as the
occupied lands in Palestine, there are occupied lands in the ‘Palestines’ of
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen; and in addition to Israeli occupation, we now
complain of Iranian, Turkish, Russian and American occupations in the region.
A deep understanding of the Middle East is vital, not only for the forces
concerned with their own destinies but also the powers that deal with the region
as a mere chessboard
The state of Israel
Fourth is the international situation. The state of Israel was originally
established by a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council, which became the
representative of global legitimacy after the end of the Second World War.
Yet, over the past 70 years, Israel has been one of the leading violators of UN
resolutions, either through total disregard or thanks to the protection provided
by the American veto. In fact, a major part of the region’s dilemma — and indeed
the world’s dilemma — is the reliance of rogue governments on absolute power, or
the protection of the American veto in the case of Israel, and Russian and
Chinese vetoes in the case of Syria.
With regard to Syria, US President Donald Trump — in the midst of the
tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions with Russia, and the accelerating sectarian
cleansing by Moscow and Iran in Syria — announced his intention to withdraw US
troops after “knocking the hell” out of ISIS.
Up to this point, the statement was clear. However, the second part of his
speech was a bit strange, as he went on to say: “We’ll be coming out of Syria,
like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it now.”
In Syria, the “other people” he referred to are Russian and Iranian forces,
which are supposed to be Washington’s most serious opponents, both globally and
regionally. Therefore, there is a need to clarify the background of what the
American president meant; and here the issue of different priorities within the
administration arises.
Apart from the recent changes that affected prominent figures — including
replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo and the appointment
of John Bolton as National Security Advisor instead of H.R. McMaster — the power
struggle within some US institutions is familiar, particularly, during
Republican administrations. It is no secret that the biggest role in the
preparation for the 2003 invasion of Iraq was played by the Pentagon and the
‘hawks’ in then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s team.
The ’big stick’ approach
Over the past two weeks, Washington observers have seen the removal of Tillerson
and McMaster and the choice of Pompeo and Bolton as a double victory for the
‘big stick’ approach to foreign affairs at the expense of those who cherish
compromise and soft diplomacy. A number of European allies have even expressed
fears that the White House would adopt radical positions, but Trump’s words gave
a completely different indication.
Undoubtedly, US foreign policy is not limited to one region of the world and is
generally based on priorities, strategic and tactical balances, and compromises.
Besides, many statements and initiatives are meant to be testers for the
intentions of friends and foes.
However, as far as the Middle East is concerned, it is wise to deal with crises
with two different approaches. First, the specifics of each case should be taken
separately due to the different ‘composition’ of Arab entities and their
geographic locations and demographics. Second, there is a need to recognize
there are more pervasive dangers, beyond the current existential limits, that
seek to change the broader regional reality.
A deep understanding of the Middle East is vital, not only for the forces
concerned with their own destinies but also the powers that deal with the region
as a mere chessboard. Consequently, if the policy used to deal with the
phenomenon of Daesh — i.e. to treat the symptoms and neglect the causes — is
repeated, the world will have to wait much more than 70 years before it is
relieved of its Middle East concerns.
Saudi soft power on the Seine: What should the French
learn?
Najah Alotaibi/Al Arabiya/April 11/18
And so the world tour continues...the new reforming Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman’s munificent caravan hoovering up expensive arms contracts from grateful
western allies, and reassuring skeptics that Saudi Arabia has changed
fundamentally for the better. But the Riyadh gold making its way into the
coffers of the UK and US governments will not be on display in France now; the
relationship between these two countries is more nuanced than with others.
True, Paris is keen to strengthen its ties – especially in the wake of Brexit –
when the UK’s role as most reliable EU ally for Saudi Arabia becomes vacant.
But the relationship between the two countries has not been easy ever since King
Abdul Aziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, found France’s colonial history
troublesome. Far easier to deal with the US which had none of the colonial hang
overs of Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world. Even today France takes
a very different stance on Qatar, Yemen and Iran than Riyadh would like.
The lesson will have been learned by Paris that to be on board with the
modernizing Prince, and benefit from it, means to inhabit his worldview
In fact – in language rarely used in diplomatic circles – President Macron’s
last trip to the Kingdom was described as “tense” after he refused to have the
Elysee Palace’s policy towards Iran dictated by Riyadh. Yet he has softened a
little since then – noting publicly that Iran’s missile program should be under
surveillance, along with Tehran’s involvement in Syria.
But his public statements haven’t gone as far as far as Saudi Arabia would like.
And Franco-Saudi shared views on Lebanon were tarnished last year by the
sequence of events surrounding Lebanese Prime Minister.
So, with this background in mind what will France get at the end of Mohammed bin
Salman’s visit? Forget lucrative arms contracts for the moment. Riyadh has
decided that an exercise in soft power will get Paris to toe the line in future.
Cue some touchy feely deals in tourism, culture and entertainment.
Entertainment industry
Which is good news if you like classical music. Saudi Arabia announced recently
that it would invest $64 billion in developing its entertainment industry over
the next years. And as part of this the Crown Prince has signed an agreement
with Paris to help set up a national orchestra and opera in Jeddah city.
There’s also an initiative to support the development of Saudi film and cinema
industry. Saudi short films will this year – for the first time – be entered in
the Cannes Film Festival.
There’s some neat timing in this as well, as it comes as the first cinema for
decades is due to open in Riyadh on the 18th of this this month. The start, it’s
hoped, of a thriving home-grown film industry.
But the biggest cultural deal being signed in France is an agreement for the
French to help transform a huge chunk of almost uninhabited Saudi land into a
multi-billion dollar open air museum. France will also develop the al-Ula – a
5,000-year ancient valley in northwest – into a cultural tourism destination
But, is this what France was looking for in its relationship with the new
powerful leader? Probably not. But the lesson will have been learned by Paris
that to be on board with the modernizing Prince – and to profit from it – means
to inhabit his world view. And once Paris shows it can do that there will be
much more to come.
How did Mohammed bin Salman change Saudi Arabia’s image?
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/April 11/18
For years, Saudi Arabia witnessed fierce and intensified campaigns by three
different parties. All of them aimed to present a bad image about the kingdom to
the world. The first party consisted of extremist figures inside Saudi Arabia
and whose popularity increased in recent years due to social media platforms.
The second is Qatar’s media outlets while the third is western and American
dailies and networks with leftist leanings. Observers will notice that all these
parties have been confused in the past phase and their influence has declined –
not because they suddenly fell in love with Riyadh but because the recent
decisions against extremism, the social and religious reforms as well as Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s US tour and candid interviews with the most
famous media outlets confused them and shook their stances.
Before this phase, a huge part of these parties’ success was because of the
Saudis themselves as they generously supplied them with the cards they needed
for the game and with ready-made justifications due to laws and customs that
restrain women’s activities and to strange measures which prohibited arts and to
preachers who prohibited Valentine’s Day and commissions that confiscated red
flowers. All this provided them with ready-to-use live ammunition and helped
their rhetoric gain more credibility and supporters from different inclinations,
human rights activists, liberals, leftist and right-wing, and eventually they
developed a deeply negative image about the kingdom.
The first party, represented by Saudi extremists in Saudi Arabia, used to
negatively promote the kingdom via the extremist ideas which they marketed, the
pubic takfiri fatwas (religious edicts) they issued and their continuous and
organized social media presence. Everyone who wears the shemagh (the traditional
scarf which men in the Gulf wear on the head) and echoes the most hideous
statements against Jews and Christians left a bad reputation behind. These
people had such a loud voice to the point that people outside the kingdom
thought all the Saudis were like that; intolerant, hostile to women and
outdated.
Saudi Arabia overcame a difficult obstacle and became a power capable of
changing history by solidifying the culture of tolerance and moderation in the
entire region and getting rid of the disease of extremism which obstructed
Muslims for centuries.
These extremists sought to strengthen this wrong image during the past few
decades to create a huge gap between Saudi Arabia and the civilized world – a
gap which is difficult to narrow. They sought to drag the country to the spheres
of backward and dark forces. This is why bin Laden chose 15 Saudis to hijack
airplanes and carry out suicide attacks on September 11, 2001, in order to burn
bridges between Saudi Arabia and the West and create bitter and mutual enmity.
There was an evil plan well-schemed by extremists for years. Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman destroyed it within few months by restraining these
extremists until their voices disappeared from the general sphere which they
controlled, until recently, by criminalizing the hate speech which they fed on
and by pursuing major social reforms such as allowing women to drive, opening
cinemas and restoring the Saudis’ life back to normal prior to Sahwa and with
the spirit of 2018.
The disappearance of these instigators’ voice mitigated pressure, and a new
tolerant rhetoric replaced that dark image thanks to the crown prince’s
statements that called for restoring moderate Islam that’s open to all religions
and cultures and to his historical visits like those to Saint Mark's Coptic
Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria and the Anglican church in London. He
associated his words with action. Saudi Arabia’s image thus surprisingly changed
during a short time from a country that’s accused of exporting extremism into a
country whom there is international hope it will eliminate extremism. It
overcame a difficult obstacle and became a power capable of changing history by
solidifying the culture of tolerance and moderation in the entire region and
getting rid of the disease of extremism which obstructed Muslims for centuries.
The second party is the Qatari media outlets which adopted two different
contradictory rhetoric; a national Brotherhood rhetoric to appeal to its Arab
audience and a leftist rhetoric to appeal to its western audience. Both aim to
tarnish Saudi Arabia’s image to serve Hamad bin Jassem’s and Hamad bin Khalifa’s
project in Doha. The Brotherhood’s media has for years been occupied with
strengthening extremist rhetoric by supporting local figures allied with it.
These figures made television appearances via the Brotherhood’s media outlets
and always visited Doha. However, they lost this card when they were prohibited
from promoting their dangerous ideas.
Inciting against Saudi reforms
Most recently, these media outlets began to incite against all Saudi reforms and
positive measures, thus adopting a propaganda that professionally dragged them
down. Boycotting Qatar exposed the truth about the Brotherhood’s media and how
it’s a guided media that claims defending rights when in fact it’s an arena for
instigators and advocates of hate. Meanwhile, the leftist western media which is
supported by Qatar focused on religious and social affairs like women’s rights,
arts and tolerance; however, they’re no longer attractive or convincing after
the recent wave of consecutive reforms. How can a country be accused of
exporting terrorism when it has an orchestra, Opera House with France’s
participation, and Al-Ula, the largest open air museum in the world? Plans A and
B failed so they resorted to fabricated hashtags for their unconvincing and
uninfluential press coverages.
The third party is the leftist American media outlets that are skeptic of Saudi
Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s enemies, whether Iranians or Brotherhood affiliates,
played a big role in launching fierce campaigns without strong defenses. During
his US tour, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was candid while discussing some
of the most sensitive matters like Wahhabism, corruption, the royal family,
Sahwa, Iran and others. In the past some topics were prohibited and not
discussed or publicly brought up. This created mysteriousness which was
exploited to guide raging campaigns against the “backward” kingdom which is not
“open” as they described it. Prince Mohammed did much more than turning the
tables and provided strong, persuasive and smart answers to sensitive matters
and turned them into ordinary and simple issues which are no longer used as a
platform to attack and target Saudi Arabia.
During my first few days in the US as a student, a man became upset after he
learned of my nationality and took me by surprise when he made angry critical
statements about Saudi Arabia then left before I could say a single word. I did
not blame him for what he said because I knew that he based his remarks on ideas
which he heard from Saudi extremists and rival media outlets which focused on
what serves their ideologies and agendas. What will happen if I meet him now?
What will he object on in such an angry manner? Women have been allowed to
drive, cinemas will open soon, the orchestra played its music, tolerant ideas
prospered and extremists were silenced. He will be just like media outlets that
are hostile to Saudi Arabia – confused now that they have ran out of cards to
play and which until a few months ago they had successfully used to win the game
from the first round.
El-Sisi faces a litany of challenges during second term
Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/April 11/2018
Egypt’s presidential elections concluded with the predicted outcome — President
Abdel Fattah El-Sisi sweeping to a second four-year term in office. Official
results show that more than 24 million Egyptians went to the polls and 97
percent of them voted for El-Sisi. A great deal of controversy surrounded the
elections and the absence of genuine competitors, but the elections are now over
and the most pressing question is: What is on the president’s agenda for the
next four years?
The challenges facing him seem difficult and intertwined — whether relating to
internal or external affairs.
The war on terror might be the most obvious challenge. During El-Sisi’s first
term as president, Egypt managed to corner extremism in Sinai and, according to
observers and analysts, achieved a lot in terms of combatting terrorism.
However, Egypt continues to experience attacks, so tackling terror is among the
most important and urgent files on El-Sisi’s agenda. The people of Egypt believe
that defeating extremists is the key step on the path to stability — not only in
terms of security, but also economically and politically.
There is a need to develop new security models, employ the latest equipment, and
increase citizens’ awareness of the matter. Without an alliance between citizens
and the state in the war on terror, the challenge will be more difficult.
The completion of large national projects is also a concern. El-Sisi
successfully launched several national projects, some of which raised
controversy, during his first term. Perhaps the most important of these
ambitious projects is the Suez Canal Area Development Project, which, if it
succeeds, will change the face of Egypt’s economy.
Other important projects, including housing, roads, transport and
infrastructure, as well as building a new administrative capital, continue to
attract significant investment.
El-Sisi must explain what his priorities are and, most importantly, what the
outcomes of the state’s projects will be. This will help the people understand
how he will affect their lives and therefore be convinced to support the state
in overcoming tough situations. The public must be able to understand and accept
the difficult measures they may undergo while the economic situation is
addressed.
There is no doubt that the Egyptian economy has improved in the past four years.
The trade deficit dropped by 25 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year,
commodities exports rose by 11 percent to reach $5.8 billion, and remittances
from Egyptians working abroad reached roughly $6 billion in July last year.
Nevertheless, these rates are far from the target that will drive the economy
forward and improve people’s lives. In fact, these rates are considered a
decline when compared to those before the events of Jan. 25, 2011.
The president is tackling a number of significant challenges that previous
leaders and governments failed to approach. But if El-Sisi and his team managed
to turn their economic objectives into reality, this would be a great
achievement that would reflect positively on Egypt and make it once again very
attractive for international investments, after having been neglected in recent
years.
Challenges facing El-Sisi during his second term as Egypt's president are
difficult and intertwined.
Foreign policy matters that El-Sisi will have to handle are also important, as
success would reflect positively on the country’s internal situation in terms of
stability and its economy. In the past four years, El-Sisi managed to diversify
his political and economic partners, making several visits to countries whose
relations with Egypt have been cold since 2011, including the US and France.
Remarkable progress has been seen in the cooperation between Egyptian and US
forces, and this has been noted by US President Donald Trump. Moreover, Egypt’s
arms deals with France and Russia are among El-Sisi’s biggest achievements, in
addition to the country’s current strong relations with the UAE and Saudi
Arabia.
El-Sisi’s continuation in office will motivate international financial
institutions that have largely cooperated with his economic program — especially
the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the African Bank, and the
European Bank — to continue to do so during his second term. This will ensure
continuous foreign inflows and direct investment in the Egyptian market.
Egypt’s relationship with international human rights organizations continues to
be somewhat tense, and this is a matter El-Sisi must address by creating more
communication channels, or by clarifying what those organizations refer to as
“violations of human rights.” If he fails to deal with this challenge in a
positive manner, it will remain a major obstacle to improving Egypt’s foreign
relations.
Meanwhile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Egypt’s relationship with
Ethiopia continue to be a pressing foreign affairs challenge for El-Sisi. This
issue may enter a more complex phase during his second term, so it must be
tackled in a more assertive manner, especially when Sudan has encouraged
Ethiopia to procrastinate.
Some believe El-Sisi has tackled the Renaissance Dam challenge with wisdom and
reason, taking into account the strong relations between Egypt and its neighbors.
This was evident in his keenness to highlight the strength of the historic and
economic partnerships between the countries of Africa. However, the result so
far is that the Renaissance Dam and Egyptian-Ethiopian relations continue to be
thorny issues, and the challenge here lies in how to improve this relationship
without undermining the rights of the Egyptian people. This requires a direction
different to the one adopted during El-Sisi’s first term.
*Abdellatif El-Menawy is a critically acclaimed multimedia journalist, writer
and columnist who has covered war zones and conflicts worldwide. Twitter: @ALMenawy
Angry voices will never bring peace to the Middle East
Ray Hanania/Arab News/April 11/2018
The Arab world listened intently to Barack Obama six months after he was sworn
in as US president, when he outlined his “new beginning” in relations with the
“Muslim world” in his famous Cairo speech.
Obama did not address the “Arab world,” he addressed the “Muslim World” for a
reason that many Arabs would not fully understand until years later. He was not
trying to lift the Arab world up and bring peace to the Middle East — he was
instead seeking to elevate Iran’s influence in the region.
By the time Arabs realized what was happening, it was too late. Obama had
abandoned them by turning his back on promises of freedom for Palestinians, and
he backed an unprecedented policy to bolster Iran by allowing it to pursue
nuclear technology.
The fact is more Palestinians were killed during one conflict with Israel in
2014 under Obama’s watch than under any previous American president. Worse still
was that more Palestinians were injured during Obama’s eight years in office
than under Bill Clinton or George W. Bush. Clearly, Obama’s perceived compassion
for Palestinian rights was undermined by the reality. And that was because Obama
was more concerned about the interests of Iran. Instead of curtailing Iran’s
regional hegemony, Obama was fueling it at the expense of the Arab world.
One of the president’s most influential advisers was Valerie Jarrett, his
longest-serving aide. Jarrett was born and raised in Shiraz, Iran, and enjoyed a
particular love of the Iranian culture that had vanished under the oppressive
rule of the ayatollahs and the conflict with the West.
When Trump was elected, he slammed the door on Iran and encouraged moderate Arab
leaders who faced two major but distinct challenges. The first was the drive to
stop Iran’s meddling in Arab affairs; the second the endless Palestine conflict
with Israel.
There is an achievable though elusive goal in seeking compromise with Israel,
but the fanaticism of Iran presents the Arab world only with destruction. That
is what has defined Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy as crafted by its new voice,
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and it has put extremists on notice.
Someone with Palestinians’ best interests in mind must shake them out of their
suicidal nosedive and force them to see reason. Palestinians can’t keep
“rejecting” the inevitable. It is one thing to dream of the past, but it’s
another to live in the present. You can’t take 70 years of injustice and
oppression and expect it to miraculously blossom into paradise.
You can’t take 70 years of injustice and oppression and expect it to
miraculously blossom into paradise.
On his recent visit to the US, the crown prince was straightforward in speaking
about Palestine. Rather than sit down for a sugar-coated interview with
pro-Palestinian media, he walked into the lion’s den of pro-Israel bias, giving
an interview to The Atlantic magazine’s Jeffrey Goldberg, who has a history of
anti-Palestinian writing. Despite Goldberg’s prodding, MBS stood his ground on
Palestine and on Israel. He spoke about a reality many Palestinian activists
don’t want to hear, but his words appeal to Palestinians who aspire to a freedom
from Israeli oppression.
MBS clearly defined a path to Palestinian statehood in his reasoned responses to
Goldberg’s queries, which were given before the recent violence on the
Gaza-Israel border. Asked about the right of Jews to have their own
“nation-state,” he said all people have “a right to live in their peaceful
nation. I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their
own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for
everyone and to have normal relations.”
Goldberg pressed MBS if he had a religious-based objection to Israel. He
responded: “We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in
Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people… We don’t have any
objection against any other people.”
MBS said Arabs do not have “a problem with Jews.” He said Christians, Muslims
and Jews face the same problems all over the world.
The question that made headlines, though, came in the context of who is worse,
Israel or Iran. “Israel is a big economy compared to their size and it’s a
growing economy, and of course there are a lot of interests we share with Israel
and, if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the
Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countries like Egypt and Jordan,” MBS
responded.
Goldberg is not popularly read in the Arab world and the exaggerated criticism
received much mileage. However, few of the crown prince’s critics will
acknowledge that Gaza is under the heel of Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood
extremists, who reject peace with Israel while believing that continued
conflict, despite the ever-rising death toll, is a better option that might one
day result in Israel’s destruction.
But Israel’s destruction won’t happen. While many Palestinians can’t see the
reality of today through the violent vision of their extremist activists, MBS
sees the future clearly.
Peace is possible if we recognize that Israelis and Palestinians are diverse
peoples. You can see a future both for Israel and Palestine, and an end to the
suffering — but only through pragmatic reasoning and confidence that moderation
and dialogue achieve far more than hate-driven anger and extremist rhetoric.
*Ray Hanania is a Palestinian American columnist and author of several books.
Twitter: @rayhanania
White House: no final decision has been made on
Syria/Russia warns that US intervention would be met with 'grave repercussions'
Joyce Karam/The National/April 11, 2018
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders appeared to step back from Mr Trump’s
tweet earlier on Wednesday that missile strikes “will be coming” on Syria,
saying no timetable has been set for US action, and no final decision has been
made about whether an attack will even take place.
Asked about Mr Trump’s warning to Russia on Wednesday morning that “nice, new
and 'smart'” missiles will be targeting Syria, Ms Sanders said “that is
certainly one option but it is not the only option or the only thing that the
president may or may not do.”
She continued to say that “[Mr Trump] has not laid out a timetable and is still
leaving a number of other options on the table, and we're still considering a
number of those." The president holds both the Syrian regime and Russia
responsible for the chemical weapons attack, she added.
Ms Sanders stressed that “no final decision” has been made, and “all options
remain on the table.” The White House spokeswoman expected the Syria debate to
continue, with Mr Trump and his defense secretary James Mattis having both
cancelled travel plans to focus on the issue at hand.
The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday that the head of the central command
General Joseph Votel has also cancelled a speaking engagement in New York
planned for Thursday.
The delay in Mr Trump’s decision could be due to consultations both militarily
and diplomatically with allies, especially France and the United Kingdom, in
order to coordinate possible joint action, movement of military assets and
targeting plans in Syria.
Carl Bildt, co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a former
Swedish prime minister, saw the apparent de-escalation as a sign that the White
House was thinking more strategically about its aims in attacking Syria.
Mr Mattis and the national security team had met on Wednesday at the White
House, and vice president Mike Pence chaired the meeting, Ms Sanders said.
Earlier, Mr Mattis presented the White House with a set of military options
ahead of a possible strike in Syria in response to a chemical attack.
He told reporters at the Pentagon that these options are available, even as the
US and allies are still in the process of gathering information.
"We are still assessing the intelligence, ourselves and our allies, we are still
working on this," Mr Mattis said when asked if he had seen enough evidence to
blame president Bashar Al Assad for a chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta that
killed at least 60 people and injured hundreds.
“We are ready to provide military options if they are appropriate” he added.
Shortly after the announcement Mr Mattis discussed the Syria options with
president Donald Trump at a White House meeting.
Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal quoting US officials said an
extended air campaign lasting more than one day is possible. “Options included
salvos aimed at crippling Mr Assad’s chemical-weapons capabilities, while not
seeking to push him from power,” the Wall Street Journal said.
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday was also briefed by Mr Mattis on military
options, said Le Figaro.
On the ground, the US navy reportedly moved warships carrying cruise missiles in
the direction of the Mediterranean, towards a firing distance from Syria. French
Rafale fighter jets at Saint Robinson Dizier air base have been put on alert
ahead of a possible strike, said Le Figaro.
The Pentagon, however, refrained from confirming any military movement saying it
did not comment on “potential military actions.”
Mr Trump however took to Twitter early on Wednesday to suggest what US military
action might look like.
The tweet came in response to Russian warnings that US intervention in Syria
would be met with "grave repercussions."
"Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!'" Mr
Trump tweeted in reference to US missiles.
But US strikes will only be effective so long as they can debilitate Mr Al
Assad's war machine, said Nicholas Heras, a defence fellow at the Center for a
New American Security.
“That means the United States and its allies will need to hit a range of targets
that are both military and which are non-military targets that are significant
to the regime” Mr Heras told The National. “These targets could include forward
operating bases, military airbases, intelligence buildings, and possibly the
Assad family business assets.”Meanwhile, the UAE on Wednesday expressed concern
over developments in Syria and the UN's failure to take action.
"The United Arab Emirates calls upon the international community to take all the
necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of civilians, and ensure
the cessation of violence that unfolded in the Syrian crisis," said the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. "The UAE also calls for the
establishment of a commission of inquiry and accountability on this heinous
act."
At least 60 people were killed and hundreds injured in Saturday's chemical
weapons attack in the town of Douma, in Eastern Ghouta, Syrian relief workers
said. An estimated 500 people were being treated for "symptoms consistent with
exposure to toxic chemicals," the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
The Syrian government and Russia, however, say the reports are bogus.
Moscow on Wednesday suggested US plans to strike Syria could be a pretext to
destroy evidence of an alleged chemical weapons attack, which Russia has said
was a staged "provocation" to justify Western intervention.
The escalation followed Russia's rejection of a US draft resolution at the UN
that sought to create a new expert group that would determine responsibility for
the attacks. The Security Council voted 12-2 as Russia used its veto for the
12th time to protect its ally president Mr Al Assad. China abstained while
Bolivia voted against the resolution.
Expectations in Washington suggested that the impending airstrikes could be
larger than those carried out by the US last year which fired 60 missiles at the
Shayrat airbase. The number of US military assets and possible participation of
other countries, as well as reports indicating this could be a multi-day
operation, suggest a greater scope than in 2017.
Syria's army reportedly has evacuated key defence buildings in Damascus
following intelligence they might be targeted.
"The buildings of the ministry of defence and the army headquarters have been
empty for two days," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group
said. Regime forces have also evacuated military airports as well as the bases
of the elite Fourth Division and Republican Guard outside the capital, the
Observatory said. "The Russians told the Syrian army's leadership they had
intelligence on possible US and French targets in Syria," Observatory head Abdel
Rahman said.
Activists on the ground according to Sky News Arabia reported that Hezbollah was
vacating some of its positions near Homs and Qusair on the border with Lebanon.
But there was no indication in Washington on Wednesday of plans to hit pro-Iran
fighters or members of Hezbollah directly.
The Foreign Ministry in Damascus denounced Mr Trump's threat to attack the
country as "reckless" and a danger to international peace and security.
Meanwhile civilians in government-held areas in Syria expressed a mix of fear
and defiance, commenting on social media pages, with some lamenting Syria's
perpetual conflict while others taunted Mr Trump to go through with his threats.