LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 24/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.march24.18.htm
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Bible
Quotations
Do Not
be a hypocrite whenever you give alms
Matthew 06/01-04: "‘Beware of practising your piety
before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from
your Father in heaven. ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet
before you, as the hypocrites do in
the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be
praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But
when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you."
Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand
Letter to the Romans 15,14-21./"I myself feel confident about you, my
brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with
all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. Nevertheless, on some
points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of
the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles
in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the
Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus,
then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. For I will not venture to
speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win
obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and
wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as
far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ.
Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has
already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, but
as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him shall see, and
those who have never heard of him shall understand.’"
Titles
For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on March 23-24/18
The Real Cost of Afrin/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March
23/18
Palestinians Tortured; Media Silent/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/March
23/18
Saudi Crown Prince talks Vision 2030 at KSA – USA partnership dinner
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/
Will Pompeo beat the drums of war against Iran/Sawsan Al Shaer//Al Arabiya/March
23/18
Sharjah goes to Paris, strengthens UAE ties with France through
culture/Mohammed Al-Hammadi/Al Arabiya/March 23/18
The new Gaddafi, the past makes a comeback/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/March
23/18
Tough on Iran, Critical of 'Palestine': Meet John Bolton, Trump's New
National Security Adviser/Haaretz/March 23/18
Leading Salafi-Jihadis In Ein Al-Hilweh Palestinian Refugee Camp, Lebanon:
The Struggle Against Israel Takes Priority Over The Struggles In Iraq And
Syria/N. Mozes/MEMRI/March 23/18
Titles For Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News
published on March 23-24/18
Electoral Lists Announced in Chouf-Aley, Zahle and Sidon-Jezzine
Hariri Says Boycott and Votes for Rival Beirut Lists are 'Votes for
Hizbullah'
Anti-Hizbullah Cleric Candidate Released from Detention
Report: Bassil Offers Jad Sawaya 'Senior Post' to Withdraw from Elections
Journalist Dergham Tells Hariri She's Withdrawing from Electoral Race
Four Electoral Lists Compete in Hizbullah Stronghold of Baalbek-Hermel
Geagea Says Jawhari Arrest 'Blatant Meddling' in Elections
Rifi Calls for International Election Observation
Nasrallah Says Party Waging Battle Against Corruption, Blames 'Authority'
for Public Debt
Electoral Registration Deadline Looms, Mashnouq Says Beirut 'Mother of
Electoral Battles'
Lebanese-Saudi relations back to normal: Aoun
Hariri announces "Future is for Beirut" list: Any vote that remains at home
on May 6 or goes to another list is for benefit of Hezbollah
EU, UN and Lebanese authorities join forces to improve criminal justice
system in Lebanon
Hariri condemns terrorist attack in Trèbes
Abbas al Jawhari released, expresses trust in judiciary
Hamadeh, Shorter discuss Brussels' conference preparations
Turkish Embassy: Turkish Air Forces did not conduct any aerial strike or
bombardment or shelling of holy sites in Syria
Kataeb Party, Prominent Figures Join Forces in Keserwan-Jbeil District
Kataeb's Media Council Refutes Unfounded Media Reports
Together for Baabda' List Announces Line-Up for Elections
Bou Khaled: 'Together for Baabda’ List Is Compatible with Kataeb's Political
Alignment
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And
News published on March 23-24/18
Three Dead in France in Jihadist Shooting Spree
Russia Denies Incendiary Weapons Bombing in Syria
Syria State Media Announces Second Ghouta Evacuation Deal
Russia Denies Incendiary Weapons Bombing in Syria'
Syria State Media Announces Second Ghouta Evacuation Deal
Nearly 170,000 Flee Violence in Syria's Afrin
Russia Says UK Forcing 'Allies to Take Confrontational Steps' over Spy
Poisoning
Trump's Choice of Bolton and Pompeo Stirs War Fears
US approves $1 bln arms sale to Saudi Arabia, 6,600 missiles
Jubeir: We cooperate with the United States in containing Iran
Damascus Controls Over 90% of Ghouta as Harasta 'Emptied' of Rebels
Saudi Crown Prince offers condolences to French president for terror victims
Saudi FM: We hope Qatar will return to right path, correct its mistakes
Saudi Crown Prince offers condolences to French president for terror victims
US Vice President holds banquet in honor of Saudi Crown Prince
Saudi FM: We hope Qatar will return to right path, correct its mistakes
Trump Appoints Bolton as National Security Adviser to Replace McMaster
Eastern Ghouta Evacuees Arrive in Idlib, More Civilians Killed in Air
Strikes
Casualties as Gunman Takes Hostages in France Supermarket
British Ambassador to Yemen: The West Has Forgotten the Reason of War
Saudi Cyber Security and Programming Federation Establishes Specialized AI
College
ISIS-Linked Woman Stands Trial in Saudi Arabia for Playing Part in Mosque
Bombing
UK Diplomats Leave Moscow as EU Nations Mull Measures against Russia
Latest Lebanese Related News published
on March 23-24/18
Electoral Lists
Announced in Chouf-Aley, Zahle and Sidon-Jezzine
Naharnet/March 23/18/The Free Patriotic Movement and Minister
of the Displaced Talal Arslan finalized an electoral agreement for the
Chouf-Aley district on Friday evening, the National News Agency said. Under
the agreement the alliance will comprise Arslan (Druze, Aley), Energy
Minister Cesar Abi Khalil of the FPM (Maronite, Aley), Imad al-Hajj (Maronite,
Aley) and Elie Hanna (Greek Orthodox, Aley). As for Chouf, Environment
Minister Tarek al-Khatib of the FPM and Ali al-Hajj will run for the Sunni
seats, Mario Aoun, Farid al-Bustani and Samir Aoun will run for the Maronite
seats, Ghassan Atallah for the Greek Catholic seat while Marwan Halawi and
Mazen Abu Dargham will contest the Druze seats. Earlier in the day, the
engineer Michel Skaff had announced the Zahle for Everyone list. The list
comprises the FPM, al-Mustaqbal Movement and independent candidates. Skaff
and Michel Daher will run for the Greek Catholic seats, Salim Aoun for the
Maronite seat, MP Assem Araji for the Sunni seat, Asaad Nakad for the Greek
Orthodox seat, Nizar Dalloul for the Shiite seat and Marie-Jean Bilezikjian
for the Armenian seat. “Our project is principled, nondebatable and
nonnegotiable: preserving Lebanon's sovereignty, freedom and independence
and backing the state and its constitutional institutions,” Skaff said. An
electoral alliance was meanwhile announced in the Sidon-Jezzine district
bringing together the FPM, the Jamaa Islamiya and Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Bizri.
The list comprises al-Bizri and Bassam Hammoud for Sidon's Sunni seats, the
MPs Ziad al-Aswad and Amal Abu Zeid for Jezzine's Maronite seats and Salim
Khoury for Jezzine's Greek Catholic seat. The tripartite alliance is the
product of several weeks of negotiations. MTV meanwhile reported that the
Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party have decided to form an alliance list
in the Sidon-Jezzine district. The list, which will be officially announced
within hours, comprises Samir al-Bizri for Sidon and Ajjaj Haddad (LF) and
Joseph Nohra (Kataeb) for Jezzine, MTV said.
Hariri Says Boycott and Votes for Rival Beirut Lists
are 'Votes for Hizbullah'
Naharnet/March 23/18/Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the leader of al-Mustaqbal
Movement, warned Friday that any vote that goes to one of the many rival
lists in Beirut's second district would be a “vote for Hizbullah.” “With all
due respect to all candidates and lists, this election is actually a
confrontation between two camps, two approaches and two wills. It is between
a camp that wants to protect Beirut's political, national, Arab and Beiruti
identity, and another that wants to put its hand on Beirut's decision and on
Beirut's identity,” said Hariri at a ceremony to announce Mustaqbal's
electoral list for Beirut's second district. “The confrontation in this
election is between your list – 'The Future for Beirut' -- and the list of
Hizbullah. Any voter who stays home on May 6 would be voting for Hizbullah...
Any voter who votes for a list other than The Future for Beirut list would
be eventually serving Hizbullah's interest,” Hariri added. “These are
fateful elections par excellence,” the premier warned. Referring to
Hizbullah's military takeover of Beirut on May 7, 2008, Hariri said “The May
7 we are awaiting this year will witness a response to the May 7 (operation)
that had failed 10 years ago.”“It failed to usurp Beirut's dignity through
the force of arms, and you, Beirut's people from all sects, will not allow
it to usurp Beirut through ballot boxes,” the premier emphasized. At least
six electoral lists will compete in Beirut's second district in the May 6
elections.
Anti-Hizbullah Cleric Candidate Released from Detention
Naharnet/March 23/18/Anti-Hizbullah cleric Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari, who is
running for a Shiite parliamentary seat in the Baalbek-Hermel district, was
released Friday from detention after around 24 hours in custody. The
National News Agency said Jawhari was ordered released by Judge Monzer
Zebian. Al-Jadeed television said the cleric was freed in an “extraordinary”
fashion. “The court was closed, but Judge Monzer Zebian headed to it at the
request of the Higher Judicial Council. He then held an extraordinary
session in which a bail was set and Sheikh Jawhari was released,” al-Jadeed
said. Speaking after his release, the cleric said he “had not been aware” of
the outstanding arrest warrant on which he was detained by General Security
on Thursday. “The relevant authorities intervened quickly to know the reason
and the examining magistrate listened to my testimony and ordered my
release,” Jawhari said.
“A country without a judiciary becomes a jungle and a country without decent
security agencies become defenseless, that's why I have full confidence in
our security agencies and in the judiciary that has quickly done me
justice,” the cleric added. In a statement issued Thursday, General Security
had said Jawhari was apprehended after arriving at its headquarters to carry
out a transaction related to a domestic worker. “It turned out that there is
an outstanding arrest warrant against him carrying the number 86/869 and
issued on February 12, 2018 by Mount Lebanon's examining magistrate over a
drug-related offense. After consulting with Mount Lebanon's public
prosecution, it ordered the arrest of SheikhJawhari and demanded that he be
referred to it,” General Security said. “Accordingly, the cleric was
referred to the aforementioned public prosecutor's office on the same date,”
the security agency added. Jawhari's press office also issued a statement on
Thursday about the arrest. “Around five years ago, a brother of incumbent MP
Hussein al-Moussawi rented an apartment in Baalbek for eighth months...
Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari had rented the same apartment before Mr. Moussawi,”
the press office said. “After Mr. Moussawi's departure from the rental
apartment, a quantity of Captagon was seized in it and both Mr. Moussawi and
Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari were subjected to an investigation. It turned out
later that it was a malicious ploy by Hizbullah to frame Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari
and target him over his opposition to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria,” the
office added. “Sheikh al-Jawhari issued later a statement confirming his
innocence and the fabricated ploy,” the office said. It added that the
cleric was arrested Thursday “under the alibi of the same file.”“Hizbullah
exerted pressure to oust Sheikh al-Jawhari from the race for the 2018
parliament because the cleric is the only Shiite who has the ability to
clinch a seat from Hizbullah's list,” the press office alleged.
Report: Bassil Offers Jad Sawaya 'Senior Post' to
Withdraw from Elections
Naharnet/March 23/18/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran
Bassil has offered the candidate for the Greek Catholic seat in Jezzine Jad
Sawaya a “senior post” in return for withdrawing from the electoral race, a
media report said. “Bassil made his offer to Sawaya in a meeting that
gathered them with the MPs Amal Abu Zeid and Ziad Aswad, the head of the
union of Jezzine's municipalities Khalil Harfoush and FPM's Jezzine
coordinator Antoine Farhat,” MTV reported. “Under the proposal, Sawaya would
get a senior post in return for withdrawing his nomination, after he proved
that his electoral strength poses a threat to one of the Maronite candidates
on FPM's list. Sawaya has asked for 24 hours to give an answer,” the TV
network added.
Journalist Dergham Tells Hariri She's Withdrawing from Electoral Race
Naharnet/March 23/18/Prominent Lebanese-American journalist Raghida Dergham
on Friday announced during a meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri that
she has decided to withdraw from the race for the Druze seat in Beirut's
second electoral district -- though she was running on a rival list. “I had
decided to engage in the electoral battle for corrective goals, not for
political strolls or childish ambitions or to be on vengeance lists based on
political and personal malice,” Dergham said after the meeting at the Center
House. “I'm sorry and sad over the disarray of the political activists who
label themselves civil society,” Dergham added, noting that “some of them
consider the elections a plan to reach power or a personal prestige
project.”Addressing Hariri, the journalist said: “I'm declaring my
withdrawal from the Center House to put a burden on you. You are the icon of
moderation and justice. I'm standing by you to rectify the performance,
especially towards women and youths.”Dergham was running on a list led by
the journalist Salah Salam, the editor-in-chief of al-Liwaa newspaper.
Four Electoral Lists Compete in Hizbullah Stronghold of
Baalbek-Hermel
Naharnet/March 23/18/In Hizbullah's stronghold of Baalbek-Hermel district, a
new electoral list called the National Cedar list was officially registered
at the Interior Ministry on Friday to compete against Hizbullah-AMAL
alliance in the upcoming elections. The National News Agency said the list
of ten candidates was submitted to the ministry Friday to win ten seats
distributed as follows: 6 Shiite seats, 2 Sunni seats, 1 Catholic, 1
Maronite. The National Cedar list is comprised of Khaldoun Sherif, Abbas
Assaf, Mohammed Ghassan al-Shall, Mohammed Khalil Raad, Fouad al-Mawla,
Hamad Dib, Adel Bayan, Waed Sukkarieh, Leila Tannouri and Saadallah Arud.
Last week, Hizbullah and Amal Movement have formed a list they called Hope
and Loyalty. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly called
for a massive participation in Baalbek-Hermel, saying “I will personally
roam its villages, cities and neighborhoods to make sure the list succeeds,
even if that puts me at risk.”He described lists of competitors as “allies
of extremist groups of al-Nusra and the Islamic State group.”The Lebanese
Forces and al-Mustaqbal Movement have formed their own list called “Dignity
and Loyalty” to confront the Shiite duo of Hizbullah and AMAL. The LF-Mustaqbal
list is comprised of: Yehya Shams, Khodr Tleis, Refaat al-Masri, Mohammed
Suleiman, Ghaleb Yaghi, Mohammed Hamieh for the Shiite seats, Salim Kallas
for the Catholic seat, Bakr al-Hujeiri (Mustaqbal) and Hussien Solh (Mustaqbal)
for the Sunni seats, Antoine Habshi (LF) for the Maronite Seat. Lebanese
Forces leader Samir Geagea announced Thursday that the Baalbek-Hermel
electoral district will witness a “historic coup” in the upcoming
parliamentary elections. Two other electoral lists were formed. One led by
ex-Speaker Hussein al-Huseini called the Civil Resistance, and another one
led by ex-minister Fayez Shokr. The deadline for registering lists expires
on March 26.
The parliamentary elections will be held under a complex proportional
representation system on May 6.
Geagea Says Jawhari Arrest 'Blatant Meddling' in
Elections
Naharnet/March 23/18/The arrest of anti-Hizbullah Shiite cleric Sheikh Abbas
al-Jawhari at this timing is “a blatant meddling in the electoral process”
in the Baalbek-Hermel district, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on
Friday. The cleric was “playing an active role in the preparations for one
of the lists in the region,” Geagea noted in a statement. “Sheikh Abbas'
arrest is aimed at preventing him from running on any electoral list and
accordingly stripping him of his right to nominate himself,” the LF leader
added. “Sheikh Abbas' arrest in this fashion and without any real
justification or charge cannot but be considered a blatant meddling in the
current electoral process in the Baalbek-Hermel district,” Geagea went on to
say. Accordingly, the LF leader called on the competent judicial authorities
to “convene as soon as possible to look into the file and release Sheikh
Abbas,” warning that the cleric's continued arrest would “smear the
electoral process in the Baalbek-Hermel district.”Jawhari was arrested
Thursday by General Security on an “outstanding arrest warrant.”In a
statement, General Security said Jawhari was apprehended after arriving at
its headquarters to carry out a transaction related to a domestic worker.
“It turned out that there is an outstanding arrest warrant against him
carrying the number 86/869 and issued on February 12, 2018 by Mount
Lebanon's examining magistrate over a drug-related offense. After consulting
with Mount Lebanon's public prosecution, it ordered the arrest of Sheikh al-Jawhari
and demanded that he be referred to it,” General Security said.
“Accordingly, the cleric was referred to the aforementioned public
prosecutor's office on the same date,” the security agency added. Al-Jawhari's
press office meanwhile issued a statement explaining its account of events.
“Around five years ago, a brother of incumbent MP Hussein al-Moussawi rented
an apartment in Baalbek for eighth months... Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari had
rented the same apartment before Mr. Moussawi,” the press office said.
“After Mr. Moussawi's departure from the rental apartment, a quantity of
Captagon was seized in it and both Mr. Moussawi and Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari
were subjected to an investigation. It turned out later that it was a
malicious ploy by Hizbullah to frame Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari and target him
over his opposition to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria,” the office added.
“Sheikh al-Jawhari issued later a statement confirming his innocence and the
fabricated ploy,” the office said. It added that the cleric was arrested
Thursday “under the alibi of the same file.” “Hizbullah exerted pressure to
oust Sheikh al-Jawhari from the race for the 2018 parliament because the
cleric is the only Shiite who has the ability to clinch a seat from
Hizbullah's list,” the press office alleged.
Rifi Calls for International Election Observation
Naharnet/March 23/18/Former justice minister Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi accused
the “State authorities of meddling” in the parliamentary elections in order
to “secure victory,” as he called for international observers to monitor the
May 6 elections, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Friday. “We have already
warned against the authority's interference and influence in the elections.
Today we have become certain that they are using legal and illegal means to
ensure their victory,” the daily quoted Rifi as saying. Rifi accused the
authority of exerting pressure on candidates to prevent them from forming
electoral lists. He said: “They are using the ministries, administrations,
governors and some security apparatuses to pressure us and to pressure other
candidates to forestall us from forming lists.” He called for “international
election monitoring, because the authority is biased and not qualified to
conduct the electoral process.”The parliamentary elections will be held
under a complex proportional representation system on May 6. The new
electoral law, approved last year after years of political wrangling, is
based on a proportional representation system and 15 electoral districts. It
replaces the winner-takes-all system that had governed Lebanon's elections
since 1943. The deadline for registering lists expires on March 26.
Nasrallah Says Party Waging Battle Against Corruption,
Blames 'Authority' for Public Debt
Naharnet/March 23/18/Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasarllah
said his party is going to fight a true battle against “corruption” in the
upcoming legislative elections, as he blamed Lebanon's public debt on “the
side that assumed the premiership since 1992,” al-Joumhouria daily reported
on Friday. “We are going to wage a real battle against corruption. It is
going to be a new stage in the life of Hizbullah,” Nasrallah was quoted as
telling Hizbullah elements during a closed-door meeting in the Bekaa region,
ahead of looming parliamentary elections. Lebanon will stage parliamentary
elections under a complex proportional representation system on May 6. The
new electoral law, approved last year after years of political wrangling, is
based on a proportional representation system and 15 electoral districts. It
replaces the winner-takes-all system that had governed Lebanon's elections
since 1943. Nasrallah added saying “the main responsibility for the economic
and public debt, which reached $80 billion, was the party that assumed the
presidency of the government, in addition to the Ministry of Finance and the
Council for Development and Reconstruction, in most of the years since
1992.”Earlier, Nasrallah said in a televised appearance that Lebanon is
faced with disaster if the country's public debt continues to increase.
Electoral Registration Deadline Looms, Mashnouq Says
Beirut 'Mother of Electoral Battles'
Naharnet/March 23/18/Three days separate Lebanon from the final deadline to
register the electoral lists to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections,
as political parties continue deliberations to finalize their alliances in
various districts. Only thirteen lists have been registered at the ministry
so far, media reports said on Friday. Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq
said the “election campaign will intensify starting early April.”He said
Lebanese regions will all witness “fierce electoral battles, but the biggest
one will be in the capital Beirut, although reports claim the major action
will be in the northern city of Tripoli.”In Beirut's second electoral
district (Mazraa, Ras Beirut, Bashura, Ain Mreiseh, Zkak al-Blat and Mina
al-Hosn), five lists so far will be competing to win eleven parliament seats
distributed as follows: 6 Sunni, 2 Shiite, 1 Druze, 1 Orthodox, 1
Evangelical. Al-Mustaqbal Movement’s list comprises: PM Saad Hariri,
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, Rabih Hassounah, Roula Tabsh and Zaher
Eido for the Sunni seats, and Nazih Najem for the Orthodox seat, Bassem al-Shabb
for the Evangelical seat, Ghazi Youssef and Ali al-Shaer for the Shiite
seats and Faysal al-Sayegh for the Druze.
Amal Movement and Hizbullah have also announced an “unfinalized” list in
Beirut second district and comprises of: Amin Sherry, Mohammed Khawaja for
the Shiite seats, Adnan Trabulsi (al-Ahbash), Omar Ghandour and Zuheir al-Khatib
for the Sunni seats (the rest of the Sunni seats will be decided later),
Edgar Trabulsi for the Evangelical seat. The third list was announced by the
People's Movement, it comprises: Ibrahim Halabi, Yousef Tabsh, Faten Zein,
Firas Mneimneh, Roula Houri for the Sunni seats, Naamat Badreddine for the
Shiite seat, Hani Fayyad for the Druze seat, Omar Wakim for the Orthodox
seat and Nabil Sabaali for the Evangelical seat. Civil society activists
have also formed a list called “All for Beirut” led by Ibrahim Mneimneh to
challenge traditional parties. Fouad Makhzumi leads a list called “Lebanon
is Worth It”. It is comprised of Isam Barghot, Sadeddine Khaled, Rana
Shmaitelli, Maarouf Itani, Mahmoud Kreidieh for the Sunni seats, Yousef
Mohamed Baydoun for the Shiite seat, Khalil Brummana for the Orthodox seat,
Zeina Monzer for the Druze seat, and Nadim Kosta for the Evangelical seat.
According to reports, Hariri's list is going to compete with more lists in
Beirut, but those are still underway. The deadline for registering lists
expires on March 26. The parliamentary elections will be held under a
complex proportional representation system on May 6.
Lebanese-Saudi
relations back to normal: Aoun
The Daily Star/March
23/18/BEIRUT: The relationship between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia is back to
normal and "nothing will disturb this," President Michel Aoun said Friday.
The comments came during a meeting with a delegation from the Lebanese-Saudi
Business Council at Baabda Palace. "It's true that an incident took place,
but we [are both over it]," Aoun said, in an apparent reference to Prime
Minister Saad Hariri's resignation announcement made from Riyadh in
November, which was later rescinded. Aoun said that bilateral relations are
now "very, very natural ... and this applies to the Gulf brothers in
general." The president spoke of Lebanon's openness to all forms of
cooperation in terms of the economy, development and other sectors. "We are
ready to provide the best conditions for such cooperation," he said,
recalling that his first visit as president to Saudi Arabia was one of
"appreciation and love to the kingdom."
Separately, Hariri met with the head of Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic mission in
Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari at the premier’s Downtown Beirut residence. The
two, along with Saudi military attache Brig. Gen. Salameh al-Masloukhi,
discussed the latest developments and bilateral relations between Beirut and
Riyadh, a statement from Hariri's office reported. Earlier this week,
Bukhari said that the relationship between the two countries would return to
its "golden age.
Lebanon: Dispute Rages
Between Judges, Justice Minister
Beirut - Youssef Diab/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 23/18/A dispute between
Lebanon’s judiciary and Justice Minister Selim Jreissati reached
unprecedented levels after a number of judges began a walkout this week to
protest a possible reduction in salaries and benefits.
The differences between the judges and Jreissati worsened when the minister
sent a memo asking the Judicial Council to warn judges from the
repercussions of their decision. “The decision of some judges to interrupt
their works holds several meanings, mainly the disruption of relations
between the Lebanese Judiciary and the Higher Judicial Council,” Jreissati
wrote in his letter. His position drove a quick response from the Council,
which announced that a Justice Minister does not have the right to send
memos to Judges. A copy of the Council’s statement received by Asharq Al-Awsat
said: “Based on the sovereignty of the judicial authority, the higher
Judicial Council is not considered an executive body of the Justice
Minister’s decisions.”The statement added that currently, judges feel
threatened, not only at the financial level, but also at the level of their
personal pride. Judicial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that the
minister did not have the authority to dominate the judiciary in Lebanon.
“The minister’s last memo to the Higher Judicial Council enraged judges,”
the sources said, adding that the problem is not between the Council and
judges, but between the Judiciary and the political authority. “We
absolutely reject that a Justice Minister addresses the judicial authority
by giving orders and recommendations,” the sources said. Last Monday,
Lebanon's judges held a two-day strike in protest of a decision to decrease
the budget of the Justice Ministry and therefore, limit their benefits and
dry out sources of the solidarity fund, which provides judges a benefit of
less than one month’s salary every three months, in addition to family
medical and education benefits.
Hariri announces "Future is for Beirut" list: Any vote
that remains at home on May 6 or goes to another list is for benefit of
Hezbollah
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - In his delivered word at the Center House during a
ceremony held by Future movement to announce the electoral list for Beirut-2
district, called "the Future is for Beirut" list, Prime Minister Saad Hariri
said: "When we announced the candidates of the Future movement in all of
Lebanon, we explained our national orientation and our political strategy
based on three points: ensure security and stability, enhance the economy to
create jobs for the youth and to confront the repercussions of the Syrian
displacement. We started to apply this strategy, and discussed it at the
Rome conference last week, and the international community has committed to
strengthen the army, the Internal Security Forces and all the security
services. We are heading to Paris in ten days, for a conference with the
international community, to present the economic reforms that we are working
on and guarantee the contribution of States and the private sector to a
giant project for infrastructure in our country, over 10 years that will
provide hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities for the youth.
Today, however, we are announcing the "Future is for Beirut" list. I would
like to talk about Beirut and about you, my family in Beirut. The share of
Beirut in this project is large. Its share of stability and economy. Our
goal is to see once again the vitality witnessed by Beirut in the nineties,
when Prime Minister Rafic Hariri launched his project for stability and
economy in Lebanon. The list we are announcing today, called the "Future is
for Beirut", is a commitment to you, and faith in God and you, that the
future is really for Beirut, and the days will show you that. By the way, I
would like to tell you that when we were choosing the name of the list, we
considered calling it "the Future is for Beirut -2", from the name of the
electoral district. But I asked: Beirut-2? Second after what? Beirut in my
opinion is simply Beirut, and will only be the first! The first in our
hearts, the first in our minds, the first in our concerns, the first in
Lebanon because it is its capital, and the first in the Arab world because
it is its jewel, its university and its hub of creativity and innovation.
This was Rafic Hariri's project for Beirut, and this our is our project for
Beirut!
But let me tell you again: if you want this project to continue, for
Lebanon, for Beirut, you have to vote on election day for this project. I
know that during elections, a lot of promises are made to the Lebanese.
Social, economic and service promises, but "the sky is blue", and it
fulfills its promises. The record of the Future movement is full of work,
achievements, services, projects and growth in every corner of the capital,
and in every region of Lebanon.
In the outbidding market, there is a lot of talk and a lot of lies and you
know that well Let them name one man who built something or opened a road or
dug a tunnel or established a school or opened a hospital other than Rafic
Hariri and the men of Rafic Hariri in Beirut. Our history tells what we did,
in Beirut and in all of Lebanon, despite obstacles and wars of disruption
and cancellation against the Future movement, Beirut and the Beiruti people.
We have been in the field since 2005. We have been subjected to campaigns of
distortion and treachery and remained standing in the front line, to protect
the country, and protect Beirut. Beirut is a blue bead from the eyes of
enviers. And Beirut remains the jewel of Arab capitals. This is how it was
and will remain forever. Everything we do to protect the country benefits
Beirut and everything done for touristic, economic, social, and real estate
investment benefits Beirut.
We took it upon ourselves to have electricity in Beirut because we want the
light to reach the whole country. We decided that the return of waste to the
streets of Beirut is forbidden, because we want the facade of the country to
remain the cleanest in the Middle East.
The dignity of Beirut comes from the dignity of its people and we are
concerned with this dignity, wherever they live. The people living in
Aramoun, Bchemoun, the Iqlim and the suburbs, have the same rights as anyone
living in Tarik Jdide, Mazraa, Ras el-Nabeh, Musaitbe, Ras Beirut, Mina el-Hosn,
the port, Zkak el Blat, Bashoura, Ain Elmreisse ... and all the
neighborhoods of Beirut. Beirut is beautiful, and strong in its people,
wherever they are. In this regard we are hearing a lot of talk about the
rent law, I do not want to outbid on the subject. But any law, to be fair,
must remove the injustice from real estate owners, without kicking the poor
from their homes. The poor has the right to housing, and it is our
responsibility to find solutions in this regard.And let us talk some
politics: This election, with all due respect to all candidates, and all
lists, is actually a confrontation between two lines, two approaches and two
wills. Between a line that wants to protects Beirut's political, national,
Arab and Beiruti identity, and a line that wants to put its hand on Beirut's
decision and identity.... The confrontation in the elections is between you
list "the Future is for Beirut", the blue list, and between the list of
Hezbollah. Any vote that remains at home on May 6 is a vote for Hezbollah
and no one else. Any vote against your list is for the benefit of Hezbollah.
The election is crucial in every sense of the word, because it places Beirut
at a national political crossroads: Either we go on May 6 to protect
Beirut's decision, or stay home, and vote in favor of the takeover of
Beirut's decision. Each Beiruti who will remain at home on May 6, 2018 would
have decided to hand Beirut over. May 7 this year is the reply to the May 7
that failed 10 years ago: Failed to undermine the dignity of Beirut, with
the force of weapons, and you the people of Beirut, from all sects, will not
allow it to put its hands on Beirut, through the ballot box. This is the
blue list, standing by the lookout against any party trying to erase the
memory of Beirut, and wipe out from it Rafic Hariri, his achievements and
sacrifices. This is your list, the list of Beirut, its people, its decision,
its dignity and Arabism, the list of: "The Future is for Beirut". Before I
announce the name of the candidates, allow me on your behalf to thank all
Beirut MPs, who accompanied us for many years. They were role models of
loyalty and commitment, and I promise them before you and on your behalf,
that we will remain one hand, for Beirut, and for Lebanon. In particular, I
thank Minister Jean Ogassapian, MPs Nabil de Freige, Mohamed Kabbani, Atef
Majdalani and Ammar Houri, the loyal friends of the Future movement and
Rafic Hariri's path!" The names of "the Future is for Beirut" were then
announced. They are: Tammam Salam, Nohad Machnouk, Nazih Najem, Ali Chaer,
Rola Tabash Jaroudi, Faisal Sayegh, Rabih Hassoune, Zaher Eido, Bassem Chab,
Ghazi Youssef and Saad Hariri.
EU, UN and Lebanese authorities join forces to improve
criminal justice system in Lebanon
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - In a press release by the European Union Delegation to
Lebanon, it said: "The European Union, the United Nations and the Lebanese
authorities jointly launched today a new and promising EU-funded programme
to advance juvenile and criminal justice in Lebanon. The ceremony, held
under the patronage of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, took
place in the old Internal Security Forces (ISF) academy in Warwar, which
will soon become a juvenile centre for the social reintegration of children
and juveniles in conflict with the law. The centre will be rehabilitated as
part of the programme, to fully adhere to international standards and
provide a more suitable environment for juveniles than the central prison of
Roumieh. Speaking at the launch ceremony, EU Ambassador Christina Lassen
thanked the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Social Affairs and State for
Human Rights Affairs, the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Internal Security
Forces and the Beirut Bar Association for their support and cooperation over
the past year in designing this programme in close cooperation with the EU
and implementing partners: the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). With this programme,
UNICEF aims to provide for children in conflict with the law access to fair,
transparent and child-sensitive justice systems in the best interest of the
child. UNICEF will support guarantees for fair treatment of arrested
juveniles, including improving access to legal and social assistance,
reducing the number of children arrested, and enhancing the capacity of the
state and civil society to provide protective measures and alternatives to
detention. On the other hand, UNODC will support the rehabilitation and
social reinsertion of detained persons on charges related to violent
extremism and terrorism, in compliance with international legal instruments
and human rights norms, and to enhance detention conditions through the
relocation of children to the new premise at Warwar. EU Ambassador Christina
Lassen said: 'The European Union is a strong supporter of Lebanon's security
institutions. We showed this again at the Rome Conference, where HRVP
Mogherini pledged another EUR 50 million in support to the LAF and ISF.
Strong judicial institution and a state based on rule of law is the
foundation for this.' 'And that is why reform of the Lebanese justice system
has for years been a priority of the European Union,' she added. Interior
Minister Nouhad al Machnouq also expressed his support for the programme. He
said: 'I would like to thank the EU and EU Ambassador for their ongoing
support.' 'This programme is more than an achievement, it is a blessing. It
will ensure that young detainees go on with their lives after
rehabilitation, without this affecting their future', he added. 'Advancing
juvenile and criminal justice in Lebanon' is funded by the EU and
implemented by the UNODC and UNICEF. It aims at strengthening juvenile
justice and providing a protective environment for children, in addition to
enhancing the capacity of law enforcement services and prison staff to
address terrorist-related cases with a rights-based approach.
EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy
visits Lebanon
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - In a press release by the European Union Delegation to
Lebanon, it said: "European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy
and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, will be in Lebanon on Monday 26
and Tuesday 27 March. Discussions with the Lebanese officials will focus on
how to further expand the strong EU-Lebanon partnership following the Rome
Ministerial Meeting to support the Lebanese security institutions, and ahead
of the Cedre Conference to bolster the Lebanese economy and the Brussels
Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region. Commissioner
Hahn will discuss the situation in Lebanon ahead of the parliamentary
elections, and ways of addressing the economic crisis the country is
currently undergoing. He will also discuss ways to help the Lebanese
carrying the burden of the refugee crisis, now in its 8th year, and how to
further support host communities. Before heading to Lebanon, Commissioner
Hahn said: "The European Union is continuously seeking to strengthen its
cooperation with Lebanon. I will be in Lebanon to see how we can further
boost our support to the country's institutions during this important period
for Lebanon's democracy." "The Cedre Conference will be an opportunity for
significant investments in Lebanon, and the Brussels Conference will be a
major step towards a more sustainable effort to mitigate the impact of the
Syrian crisis on the country," he added. On Monday 26 March, Commissioner
Hahn will meet President of the Republic Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad
Hariri, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Ghassan Hasbani,
and Minister of Social Affairs Pierre Bou Assi. He will also meet economic
and civil society actors. The Commissioner will deliver a speech at the
conference "Bridging the gap - Higher education and beyond" organised at the
American University of Beirut by the EU-funded SPARK Higher Education
project. Tuesday 27 March will be dedicated to site visits in relation to
potential for economic development and job creation in the country.
Commissioner Hahn will address the press on Monday 26 March at the Grand
Serail following his meeting with PM Hariri at 12.30 pm."
Hariri condemns terrorist attack in Trèbes
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - The President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri
condemned the terrorist attack on a supermarket in the city of Trèbes, in
France, which killed three innocent citizens. Hariri offered his condolences
to the French President Emmanuel Macron and the French people and expressed
his solidarity with them, adding that "cowardly and blind terrorism proves
once again that it has no religion, no values, no morality". He called for
greater international solidarity to eradicate terrorism in all its forms.
Abbas al Jawhari released, expresses trust in judiciary
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - "Arab Center for Dialogue" Director, Candidate for the
shiite seat in Baalebk-Hermel district, Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari, was
released from custody, NNA correspondent said on Friday. Shortly upon his
release, al-Jawhari expressed full trust in the Lebanese security services
and judiciary, stressing that all his efforts shall center on lifting the
injustice, deprivation, negligence and domination off the Beqa region and
people.
Hamadeh, Shorter discuss Brussels' conference
preparations
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - National Education Minister, Marwan Hamadeh, on Friday
met with British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, in the presence of
Education General Director Fadi Yarak. Talks reportedly touched on the
preparations for Lebanon's participation in the upcoming Brussels Conference
and efforts sought with the international community to obtain additional
support for the Lebanese government's plan for the education of the
displaced.
Turkish Embassy: Turkish Air Forces did not conduct any
aerial strike or bombardment or shelling of holy sites in Syria
Fri 23 Mar 2018/NNA - In a statement issued by the Turkish Embassy in Beirut
concerning media news on the allegation that Some Holy sites in Syria were
destructed by Turkish Air Forces, it said: "The Embassy of the Republic of
Turkey in Beirut regrets that there have been fabricated news stories
released by some media outlets in Lebanon claiming that Turkish Air Forces
have targeted an archaeological site located in Brad, on the northwest of
Aleppo, destroying many buildings including the sacred tomb of St.Maron and
the Church of Julianus. According to the information provided to the
Embassy, Turkish Air Forces did not conduct any aerial strike or bombardment
or shelling in the area, where those holy sites are located. It should also
be noted that an armed extremist group had desecrated the Church of Saint
Maron in February 2013, causing severe damage to its holy artifacts and
premises. As stated by the Turkish Armed Forces earlier on 30 January 2018
and 19 March 2018, the "Olive Branch Operation" is being conducted with
utmost caution and care not only to prevent civilian causalities, but also
to preserve and respect the religious and/or cultural structures, historical
artifacts and archaeological sites or public facilities. In view of the
above, the Turkish Embassy rejects these unfolded news and reiterates once
again that the "Olive Branch Operation" aims solely to clear terrorists off
Turkey's borders and free the people of Afrin from the oppression of
terrorist groups and their supporters."
Kataeb Party, Prominent Figures Join Forces in
Keserwan-Jbeil District
Kataeb.org/Friday 23rd March 2018/An electoral list including the Kataeb
candidate as well as prominent figures in the Keserwan-Jbeil district was
unveiled on Friday. The "Decision Is Ours" list comprises Kataeb candidate
Chaker Salameh, former Minister Farid Haykal Al-Khazen, MPs Gilberte Zouein
and Youssef Khalil as well as veteran TV presenter Yollande Khoury who will
all be running for the Maronite seats in Keserwan. Former MP Fares Souaid
and Jean Hawwat will be running for the two Maronite seats in Jbeil.
Mustapha Al-Husseini will be the list's candidate for the Shiite seat in
Jbeil.
Kataeb's Media Council Refutes Unfounded Media Reports
Kataeb.org/Friday 23rd March 2018/The Kataeb's Media Council on Friday
denied media reports including false information about the party's electoral
alliances in certain districts, stressing that the party is the only source
that can be trusted when it comes to announcing agreements. "The Kataeb
party is keen to announce any sealed alliance clearly and openly," read the
statement issued by the council which called on media outlets to seek
clarifications from the party itself in order to avert any unfounded and
false information.
Together for Baabda' List Announces Line-Up for
Elections
Kataeb.org/Friday 23rd March 2018/The ‘Together for Baabda’ list on Friday
announced its line-up for the parliamentary elections slated for May 6. The
list, which will be labeled in the color green, includes civil society and
environmental activists, human rights activists and independent figures. It
is supported by the National Liberal Party. The slate also includes the
Kataeb party's candidate for the Maronite seat in the Baabda district, Ramzi
Bou Khaled. The list includes also the following candidates: Dr. Elie
Gharios, Said Alameh, Olfat Sabeh, Paul Abi Rached and Dr. Ajwad Ayyash.
Bou Khaled: 'Together for Baabda’ List Is Compatible
with Kataeb's Political Alignment
Kataeb.org/Friday 23rd March 2018/Kataeb candidate for the Maronite seat in
Baabda, Ramzi Bou Khaled, on Friday stressed that the ‘Together for Baabda’
list, which includes independent figures and other members of the civil
society, is compatible with the party’s political alignment, saying that the
main goal is to provide the people with a new option. “The relation of trust
that we have built with people didn’t come from nowhere; it is the Kataeb's
stances that made people bond with the party which kept fighting corruption
and partitioning,” he said in an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio
station.
Bou Khaled refuted allegations that all the Shiite seats in Baabda are
guaranteed for Hezbollah, stressing that the ‘Together for Baabda’ list
includes respectable figures that have done a lot for people. The Kataeb
candidate pinpointed the problems facing Lebanon, starting with Hezbollah
arms and the hard economic situation, urging accountability in the upcoming
polls for it is the only way to reach practical solutions. “You know me and
know how much I have faith in what I am doing; give me your trust so we
would take Baabda to a higher level, ” Abu Khaled concluded in an address to
voters.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 23-24/18
Three Dead in France
in Jihadist Shooting Spree
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/At least three
people were killed Friday in a shooting spree and hostage siege in southwest
France by a man claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group. The gunman
-- a 26-year-old drug dealer monitored as a possible Islamic extremist --
carried out three separate shootings in the medieval town of Carcassonne and
nearby Trebes where he ended his rampage by taking hostages at a
supermarket. "We had monitored him and did not think he had been
radicalized. He was already under surveillance when he suddenly decided to
act," Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters after flying to scene.
Named as Redouane Lakdim and said by security sources to have Moroccan
nationality, the gunman first hijacked a car in Carcassonne, killing a
passenger and injuring the driver, before shooting and injuring a policeman
who was out jogging. After driving around 15 minutes to a Super U
supermarket in the sleepy town of Trebes, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is
greatest), a witness reported. He killed another two people and took
hostages for more than three hours, armed with a knife and a gun, according
to survivors. Another witness said he had grenades. During the stand-off
with police, he asked for unidentified prisoners to be released and was
finally shot by anti-terror officers when they raided the premises. "People
were in complete peace here," Collomb said in Trebes, a picturesque town of
5,000 people located along the famed Canal du Midi. "No one could have
imagined that there could be an attack."Collomb also hailed the "act of
heroism" of a local policeman who agreed to exchange himself for Lakdim's
last hostage, a woman, in the final stages of the drama. The officer was
injured in the assault by France's elite anti-terror police who have been
called into action on multiple occasions over the last few years during a
series of jihadist atrocities. The Islamic State group claimed the attack
was in response to its call to target its Western enemies -- as is customary
when the assailant has pledged allegiance to the jihadists. A total of three
people were killed and three people were injured by the gunman. An
anti-terror policeman was also injured during the raid to end the siege.
Supermarket terror
Friday's violence took place in a part of France still scarred by a killing
spree in 2012 in the city of Toulouse and nearby Montauban where another
Islamist, Mohamed Merah, shot dead seven people including three Jewish
schoolchildren.
That assault marked the first of several big Islamist attacks in France,
including the January 2015 assault on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that
left 12 people dead. France also suffered major attacks in Paris in November
2015 when IS jihadists killed 130 people in bombings and shootings at bars,
restaurants, the Bataclan concert venue and the national stadium. In July
2016, in another attack claimed by IS, a man drove a truck through revelers
celebrating Bastille Day in the Riviera resort of Nice, killing 84 people.
Christian Guibert, a survivor of Friday's attack, said he saw "a man on the
ground and then another very animated person who had a gun in one hand and a
knife in the other and who was shouting 'Allah Akbar'."Guibert told BFM
television he hid his wife and sister-in-law in a refrigerated meat room in
the supermarket and then went to alert the police. "At that moment, he saw
me and ran after me," said Guibert, a retired policeman. "I started running
and lost him." Three helicopters could be seen circling over Trebes
throughout the day, while heavily armed police closed down roads surrounding
the supermarket.
'Terrorist act'
The identity of the attacker, if it is confirmed he is a suspected Islamist
from Morocco, could reignite France's immigration debate. In October, a
Tunisian man with a history of drug problems and petty crime stabbed to
death two women on the steps of Marseille's railway station in southern
France while shouting "Allahu Akbar". The killer, Ahmed Hanachi, did not
have papers to be in France and had been arrested for shoplifting just days
before but had walked free. "From Morocco, already imprisoned, a known
Islamist already. But still in our country. How far will our laxism go?" the
vice-president of France's far-right National Front, Nicolas Bay, wrote on
Twitter after Friday's attack. A state of emergency put in place just after
the 2015 Paris attacks was lifted in October last year when the government
of centrist President Emmanuel Macron passed a new law boosting the powers
of security forces.
Soldiers continue to patrol major tourist sites around France and transport
hubs under an anti-terror mission. "We are in a small and calm town, but
sadly the threat is everywhere," Collomb said. Macron paid tribute to the
quick reactions of the emergency services and said he would be returning to
Paris from Brussels at the end of an EU summit to coordinate the national
response.
Russia Denies Incendiary Weapons Bombing in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/Moscow denied Friday it was
bombing Syria's Eastern Ghouta with incendiary weapons after war monitors
said Russian air strikes killed 37 civilians in the Arbin area of the rebel
enclave. "Russian aviation is not striking residential areas of Eastern
Ghouta and especially it is not using incendiary weapons, unlike the
U.S.-led international coalition," the Russian defense ministry said in a
statement. "The statements that swindlers speculating on human grief -- the
White Helmets as well as Britain's so-called the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights -- are spreading are glaring lies," the statement said, quoted
by TASS state news agency. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
earlier Friday that Russian air strikes killed 37 civilians in the Arbin
area of the shrinking rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus
overnight. "Russian air strikes and incendiary weapons killed the civilians
in a basement from burning or suffocation" late on Thursday before a
ceasefire came into effect in the area, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman
said. The Britain-based Observatory says it relies on flight patterns,
aircraft involved and ammunition used to determine who carries them out. The
White Helmets, a civil defense organization operating in rebel-held areas,
said most of the dead were women and children. More than 1,600 civilians
have died in Eastern Ghouta since the regime launched a blistering assault
on the last rebel bastion near Damascus on February 18, the Observatory
says.
Syria State Media Announces Second Ghouta Evacuation
Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/Syrian state media announced
Friday that an agreement has been reached for the evacuation of a second
rebel-held pocket in Eastern Ghouta after a month than month-long regime
offensive. The deal provides for "the transfer of nearly 7,000 people,
fighters and their families" from an area in the south of the enclave near
Damascus held by the Islamist group Faylaq al-Rahman, state television said.
The deal will empty a southern area of Eastern Ghouta that includes the
towns of Zamalka, Arbin and Ain Tarma, it said, adding that evacuations were
due to begin on Saturday at 9:00 am (0700 GMT). An offensive which the
Syrian regime, with backing from Russia, began on February 18 has splintered
the once sprawling rebel enclave into three shrinking pockets each
controlled by a separate armed group. A deal had already been reached with
another group for the smaller pocket of Harasta and its implementation began
on Thursday. Tens of thousands of civilians have already fled the area once
controlled by Faylaq al-Rahman, including the towns of Hammuriyeh and Kafr
Batna, which regime and allied forces have now retaken. The Harasta deal was
brokered by Russia and paved the way for similar agreements in the other
pockets. Syria and Russia have relentlessly bombarded the last pockets to
escape their control, pummeling rebel groups into accepting their "leave or
die" terms. Talks are also under way for the other pocket, includes Eastern
Ghouta's main town of Douma. There was no immediate confirmation of the
agreement from the Faylaq al-Rahman group, which had agreed to a ceasefire
late Thursday following another wave of deadly air strikes.
Nearly 170,000 Flee Violence in Syria's Afrin
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/Nearly 170,000 people have fled
after a Turkish-led assault on the Kurdish-majority Syrian city of Afrin,
the U.N. said Friday, pointing to the harrowing conditions faced by those
displaced. "The estimate now is 167,000 people have been displaced by
hostilities in Afrin district," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N.
humanitarian agency, told reporters in Geneva. He said most of those who had
left had gone to nearby Tal Rifaat. The World Health Organization (WHO)
meanwhile said it had deployed mobile medical clinics and health supplies to
areas hosting those displaced from Afrin, warning that health services
inside the city were also lacking. "Children, women, and men have undertaken
harrowing journeys to flee Afrin and need urgent health assistance. Our
staff have met civilians who reported walking for 36 hours to reach safer
areas," WHO's representative in Syria Elizabeth Hoff said in a statement.
Marixie Mercado, a spokeswoman for the U.N. children's agency, also said
displaced people arriving at collective shelters in Nubul had described
"running in the face of shelling, sleeping in the open, being separated from
their families."Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels seized control of
Afrin city from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia on
Sunday. Ankara began its offensive in January against the YPG, which it says
is allied with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) waging an
insurgency against Turkey since 1984. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights has put the number who have fled Afrin at 250,000, and says
dozens of civilians have been killed in the fighting, in addition to around
1,500 Kurdish fighters. According to Laerke, between 50,000 and 70,000
civilians are estimated to remain inside the city. The health situation
there is also difficult, the WHO said, pointing out that only one of four
hospitals was currently functioning. More than 350,000 people have been
killed since Syria's war started in 2011 with the brutal repression of
anti-government protests.
Russia Says UK Forcing 'Allies to Take Confrontational
Steps' over Spy Poisoning
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/Russia on Friday slammed Britain
for encouraging European Union member states to support London over a spy
poisoning row after they agreed to recall the bloc's envoy from Moscow for
consultations. In London they "are feverishly trying to force allies to take
confrontational steps," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told
reporters on a visit to Hanoi, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. He
said London's focus was now on making "the crisis with Russia as deep as
possible" following the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei
Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Britain. At a summit in Brussels on
Thursday, EU leaders united behind British Prime Minister Theresa May in
blaming Russia for the nerve agent attack in England, and agreed to recall
their ambassador to Moscow for consultations. Some EU states are now
considering following Britain's lead in expelling Russian diplomats, with
Lithuania and France among those indicating a willingness to take action.
Russia's top diplomat insisted that Britain has so far failed to provide any
firm evidence that would link Moscow to the March 4 attack. "We still do not
see any facts," Lavrov was quoted as saying. "The absence of which makes one
think that all of this is a provocation, the investigation has not even been
finished yet." At the same time Lavrov praised US President Donald Trump for
seeking to mend fences with Russia. "In spite of everything, President
Trump's policies are aimed at normalising ties with Russia and establishing
cooperation in the interests of all," Lavrov said. Earlier this week Trump
appeared to have ignored the poisoning row when he called to congratulate
Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election on Sunday and proposed a
summit in the "not-too-distant future". But Trump has also agreed with his
French counterpart Emmanuel Macron "on the need to take action to hold
Russia accountable" for the attack.
Trump's Choice of Bolton and Pompeo Stirs War Fears
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/By tapping conservative firebrand
John Bolton as his national security chief and hardliner Mike Pompeo as his
top diplomat, U.S. President Donald Trump has dramatically raised the stakes
in world affairs. Now, if Trump decides to abandon the Iran nuclear deal he
has an adviser who thinks Iran can be disarmed by force -- and was one of
the principal players who pushed for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.If Trump's
planned summit with Kim Jong Un does not lead quickly to North Korea's
nuclear disarmament he has a team that is more ready than his last to
contemplate pre-emptive war. And, as his ambassador to the United Nations
Nikki Haley pushes ahead with efforts to cuts to U.S. funding for the world
body, he will have a die-hard unilateralist by his side, cheering him on.
Bolton's appointment as White House national security adviser was not a
surprise but it was still felt as a rude shock by many foreign policy
professionals and commentators. "John Bolton is a national security threat,"
declared Colin Kahl and Jon Wolfsthal, who were senior advisers to former
president Barack Obama, in a stark commentary for Foreign Policy magazine.
"Yes, John Bolton really is that dangerous," wrote an alarmed New York Times
editorial board. "The good thing about John Bolton, President Trump's new
national security adviser, is that he says what he thinks. The bad thing is
what he thinks," the board warned. David Wright, of the Union of Concerned
Scientists, called said that Bolton's "extreme views are particularly
dangerous now given his opposition to diplomacy with Iran and North Korea."
Fulminating pundit
Pressure group Human Rights Watch has denounced Pompeo as a defender of
torture and discrimination against Muslims and homosexuals and wrote to urge
the Senate to reject his appointment. Trump won't care what former Obama
advisers and New York editorial writers say about Bolton and Pompeo, but at
first glance their policy views appear to contradict many of his own. Before
running for president the New York property developer had no foreign policy
experience beyond promoting his international hotels and resorts -- and it
showed. Several of his first generation of advisers picked up on the
campaign trail are under investigation over their alleged involvement in
Russian election meddling. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael
Flynn, was sacked for lying about contacts with the Russian embassy and has
since pleaded guilty for making false statements to the FBI. Under the
influence of his nationalist former strategy guru Steve Bannon, Trump's
foreign policy positions took an isolationist bent, and he condemned the
Iraq war that Bolton worked so hard to promote. But in his first year in
office, Trump chafed under the moderating influence of his second national
security adviser HR McMaster and his now sacked secretary of state Rex
Tillerson. He preferred his near daily briefings with his CIA director Mike
Pompeo, whose gung ho attitude towards Iran rhymed with his own, and enjoyed
watching Bolton fulminating on Fox News. And this despite Bolton's critique
of administration policy. Trump is proud of the diplomatic pressure campaign
he thinks forced Kim to invite him to a nuclear summit. Bolton thinks it's a
failure. "It is past time for Washington to bury this ineffective 'carrots
and sticks' approach," Bolton wrote in August in a Wall Street Journal op-ed
calling for pre-emptive military strikes. Many in Washington fear that
Trump's all-or-nothing bid to resolve the North Korean stand-off in early
one-on-one talks with Kim will fail and leave all diplomatic options
exhausted. If this comes to pass, then with Bolton at his side Trump is more
likely to resort to military action that might spiral into a war that could
kill millions and harm U.S. allies Japan and South Korea. And, as for Iran,
many saw the sacking of Tillerson as the death knell for a deal still
fiercely defended by Washington's European allies as the best way to prevent
Tehran from getting the bomb. But with Pompeo set to replace him and Bolton
on his way to the White House, the accord's coffin may well have been nailed
shut.
US approves $1 bln
arms sale to Saudi Arabia, 6,600 missiles
Staff writer, Al
Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/ The United States has agreed to sell
nearly 6,600 missiles to Saudi Arabia in a deal worth up to $1 bln, the
Trump administration confirmed on Thursday. The sale will include
Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles. The sale comes
as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with US Secretary of
Defense James Mattis earlier in the day. The State Department confirmed it
had green-lighted a $670 million deal for anti-tank missiles, a $106 million
contract for helicopter maintenance and $300 million for ground vehicle
parts. “The proposed sale of TOW 2B missiles and technical support will
advance Saudi Arabia’s efforts to develop an integrated ground defense
capability,” the department said. An official said the deals had been in the
pipeline since President Donald Trump agreed more than $100 billion in
contracts on a visit to Riyadh last year, but were now formalized. (With AFP)
Jubeir: We cooperate with the United States in
containing Iran
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/Speaking from the
Brookings Institute Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said military
cooperation between his country and the United States goes back decades and
that both countries are working on containing Iran’s militia activities in
the region. In his remarks, the foreign minister provided perspectives on
Saudi Arabia’s role as a regional leader for stability and reconstruction
and also discussed the importance of maintaining key bilateral relationships
to promote the restoration of security and stability in the Middle East. His
talk at the Brookings Institute comes as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman visited Washington DC on Tuesday and met with US
President Donald Turmp.
Damascus Controls Over 90% of Ghouta as Harasta
'Emptied' of Rebels
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 23/18/Syrian state television said a
bombed-out town in the one-time rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta outside
Damascus had been "emptied" of opposition fighters on Friday. Syrian state
television announced "the end of the evacuation of fighters and their
families from Harasta... Harasta has been emptied of terrorists," it said,
referring to the rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a
Britain-based monitor, said after the evacuations that the regime had
retaken control of more than 90 percent of Eastern Ghouta. A blistering
regime assault since February 18 on the last opposition bastion outside
Damascus has splintered remaining rebel territory into three shrinking
pockets, each held by different factions. Damascus and its ally Moscow have
implemented a "leave or die" strategy with deadly air strikes on the
enclave. Retaking Eastern Ghouta, a sprawling semi-rural area which had
escaped government control since 2012 and lies within mortar range of
central Damascus, was made a priority by the regime this year. Harasta's
evacuation came as part of a deal negotiated by Russia, which has played a
key role in the deadly offensive launched against the enclave on February
18. Each one of the three pockets has come under intense bombardment,
essentially forcing the rebels that control them to sue for an evacuation.
The offensive on Eastern Ghouta has caused widespread outrage and marked one
of the darkest episodes of a war that entered its eighth year this month.
The Observatory says that more than 1,600 civilians have been killed in just
over a month.
Saudi Crown Prince offers condolences to French
president for terror victims
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Saturday, 24 March 2018/Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable to French President Emmanuel Macron stating
his condolences to him and to the people of France for the victims of the
terrorist attack that took place on Friday in southern France. "I have been
informed of the terrorist attack in southern France, the fatalities and the
injuries. I express my sincerest condolences to you, the families of the
victims and to the brotherly people of France and the Kingdom’s condemnation
of this terrorist act," the Crown Prince said.
French police killed the gunman holed up in supermarket in southern France
where he had taken hostages earlier on Friday. Three people were killed by a
man authorities say had claimed allegiance to ISIS group. France is still on
high alert following a string of terror assaults since 2015 that have
claimed more than a total of 240 lives.
Saudi FM: We hope Qatar will return to right path,
correct its mistakes
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/Saudi
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir addressing a press conference in the US said
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s talks with the US administration focused
on regional issues. Jubair said that “We have signed agreements in various
fields to increase Saudi-US cooperation.”On the political impasse with Doha
on its terror links and interference in the region, he said: “We hope that
Qatar will return to the right path and correct its mistakes.” On Iran About
the Trump Administration’s new National Security Adviser John Bolton, al-Jubeir
said that “Bolton is a firm man and his position on Iran is
reasonable.”Jubeir said that “Iran recruited militias in Yemen and fired
missiles into Saudi Arabia. Iran must leave Yemen and respect international
rules.”“If Iran wants to have a role in the region, it must respect its
neighbors,” he added. Jubeir maintained that “the Iran nuclear deal is
flawed and needs to be reviewed.” He said that, “We had advanced discussions
with the US side on peaceful use of nuclear energy.” The Saudi Foreign
Minister also said that as part of the Saudi -American talks, developments
in Syria were also discussed. Jubeir said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman will be heading to Boston tomorrow.
Saudi Crown Prince offers condolences to French
president for terror victims
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Saturday, 24 March 2018/Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman sent a cable to French President Emmanuel Macron stating
his condolences to him and to the people of France for the victims of the
terrorist attack that took place on Friday in southern France. "I have been
informed of the terrorist attack in southern France, the fatalities and the
injuries. I express my sincerest condolences to you, the families of the
victims and to the brotherly people of France and the Kingdom’s condemnation
of this terrorist act," the Crown Prince said. French police killed the
gunman holed up in supermarket in southern France where he had taken
hostages earlier on Friday. Three people were killed by a man authorities
say had claimed allegiance to ISIS group. France is still on high alert
following a string of terror assaults since 2015 that have claimed more than
a total of 240 lives.
US Vice President holds banquet in honor of Saudi Crown
Prince
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/US Vice President
Mike Pence hosted a banquet in Washington, DC, in honor of Saudi Crown
Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman on
the occasion of his current visit to the United States, reported Saudi Press
Agency. Among the guests, Prince Khalid Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, Ambassador
of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America, The Minister of State and
Member of the Saudi Council of Ministers, Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban,
and senior officials of the US Administration. Washington DC witnessed the
celebration of the profound partnership between Saudi Arabia and America on
Thursday. The inaugural of the KSA – USA Partnership Event dinner was held
in the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, hosted by the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia in Washington. The Saudi Crown Prince arrived in the United
States on Tuesday for a three-week official visit. He met with US President
Donald Trump and US congressmen on Thursday, as well as the Defense
Secretary James Mattis. The United States has agreed to sell Saudi Arabia
nearly 6,600 missiles in a deal worth up to $1 bln,
Saudi FM: We hope Qatar will return to right path,
correct its mistakes
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/Saudi Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir addressing a press conference in the US said Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s talks with the US administration focused on
regional issues.Jubair said that “We have signed agreements in various
fields to increase Saudi-US cooperation.”On the political impasse with Doha
on its terror links and interference in the region, he said: “We hope that
Qatar will return to the right path and correct its mistakes.”
On Iran
About the Trump Administration’s new National Security Adviser John Bolton,
al-Jubeir said that “Bolton is a firm man and his position on Iran is
reasonable.”Jubeir said that “Iran recruited militias in Yemen and fired
missiles into Saudi Arabia. Iran must leave Yemen and respect international
rules.” “If Iran wants to have a role in the region, it must respect its
neighbors,” he added. Jubeir maintained that “the Iran nuclear deal is
flawed and needs to be reviewed.”
He said that, “We had advanced discussions with the US side on peaceful use
of nuclear energy.” The Saudi Foreign Minister also said that as part of the
Saudi -American talks, developments in Syria were also discussed.
Jubeir said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be heading to Boston
tomorrow.
Trump Appoints Bolton
as National Security Adviser to Replace McMaster
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 23/18
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he was appointing John
Bolton, a hawk who has advocated using military force against North Korea
and Iran, as his national security adviser, replacing H.R. McMaster. The
move, announced in a tweet and a White House statement, came little more
than a week after Trump fired Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and
nominated Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.
The White House said Trump and McMaster had “mutually agreed” that he would
leave. “I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has
done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend,” Trump’s tweet said.
“The two have been discussing this for some time. The timeline was expedited
as they both felt it was important to have the new team in place, instead of
constant speculation. This was not related to any one moment or incident,
rather it was the result of ongoing conversations between the two,” a senior
White House official said.
McMaster, 55, is to stay on until mid-April. He said in a statement he was
also requesting retirement from the US Army, in which he holds the rank of
three-star general. Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis had been pushing Trump to get rid of McMaster and had been escalating
their campaign in recent weeks. It had appeared McMaster's departure was
imminent last week — but White House officials insisted the speculation was
false. McMaster never developed a personal rapport with Trump, who chafed at
his long-winded briefing style, according to a White House official and a
person close to the president. His influence in high-level decision-making
had waned in recent months, as Trump has increasingly relied on the direct
counsel of Kelly and Mattis.
The news of Bolton’s appointment followed a meeting he had with Trump in the
Oval Office. Even Bolton was caught by surprise. “I didn’t really expect an
announcement this afternoon, but it’s obviously a great honor,” he told Fox
News after the announcement. “I’m still getting used to it.”
Bolton, 69, is a Fox News analyst who contemplated a run for the Republican
presidential nomination in 2016. He is a familiar figure in Washington, with
a walrus-like moustache and hard-charging views on many global challenges.
Bolton, probably the most divisive foreign policy expert ever to serve as UN
ambassador, has been a force in Republican foreign policy circles for
decades. He has served in the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan,
George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and served as a Bush lawyer during the
2000 Florida recount.
The shake-up shows Trump, in office for 14 months, surrounding himself with
advisers more likely to agree with his views and taking his foreign policy
in a more hawkish direction. What it means for a prospective summit meeting
between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is unclear. The meeting is
supposed to happen by the end of May, but an exact time and place have yet
to be settled on. Bolton’s appointment could doom the already endangered
Iran nuclear deal. It could also lead to friction with Trump on how tough to
be on Russia, with the president still holding out hope for improved ties
with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some members of Congress immediately
questioned his selection for the critical position in the White House. “This
is not a wise choice. Mr. Bolton does not have the temperament or judgment
to be an effective national security adviser,” Democratic Senator Jack Reed
said in a statement.
Bolton tweeted on January 11 that time was running out on stopping North
Korea’s nuclear weapons program. He said: “We’ve got to look at the very
unattractive choice of using military force to deny them that capability.”
At a time when Trump has threatened to withdraw the United States from the
2015 Iran nuclear deal, unless Europe agrees to change it, Bolton has
tweeted that the deal “needs to be abrogated.”He has also called for
“effective countermeasures to the cyber war that Russia is engaging.”
Eastern Ghouta Evacuees Arrive in Idlib, More Civilians
Killed in Air Strikes
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 23/18/Hundreds of fighters evacuated by the Syrian
regime from their Eastern Ghouta bastion arrived in rebel-held Idlib
province on Friday as Russia continued its deadly assault on the enclave
near Damascus. Buses carrying the fighters from Ahrar al-Sham group and
their families entered the northwestern province of Idlib after their
evacuation from the rebel-held town of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta on
Thursday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The
evacuation from Harasta comes as part of a Russian-sponsored agreement after
the Syrian regime’s air and ground offensive on Eastern Ghouta, which was
launched on February 18, retook 80 percent of the last rebel bastion near
Damascus. The Observatory says the assault divided what remains of Eastern
Ghouta’s rebel-controlled territory into three shrinking pockets, each
falling under a different rebel group. As the evacuees were on their way to
Idlib, Russian air strikes killed 37 civilians in the Arbin area of Eastern
Ghouta overnight, the Observatory said on Friday. "Russian air strikes and
incendiary weapons killed the civilians in a basement from burning or
suffocation" late on Thursday before a ceasefire came into effect in the
area, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The White Helmets said most
of the dead were women and children. In an image they shared on social
media, rescue workers wrapped a blackened body in a blanket. Late on
Thursday, the Faylaq al-Rahman group which controls the southern pocket that
includes Arbin, said a ceasefire had been agreed from midnight to allow
negotiations with Russia for an evacuation deal. The rebel fighters and
their family members were evacuated from the town of Harasta earlier on
Thursday under a similar agreement reached by the Ahrar al-Sham group. The
ceasefire announcement came after air strikes killed 38 people in Arbin and
Zamalka, another town controlled by Faylaq al-Rahman, earlier on Thursday,
the Observatory said.
Casualties as Gunman Takes Hostages in France
Supermarket
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 March, 2018/the release of the main suspect in
the Paris 2015 terrorist attack took hostage on Friday a number of people at
a supermarket in the southwestern town of Trebes. Police said two people
were killed in the incident, while Mayor Eric Menassi put the death toll at
just one. He said that another person was wounded. LCI TV said that 12
people were injured. The hostage-taker was demanding the release of Salah
Abdeslam, prime surviving suspect in the ISIS attacks in Paris that killed
130 people in November 2015, BFM TV said, citing an anonymous source. The
station reported that the hostage-taker has claimed allegiance to the ISIS
terrorist group. "All the information we have as I speak lead us to think
that this would be a terrorist act," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.
The hostage-taker was now alone with one police officer in the supermarket
and all other hostages had been freed, he added. More than 240 people have
been killed in France in attacks since 2015 by assailants who pledged
allegiance to, or were inspired by, ISIS. A police source had said earlier
that eight people were being held hostage and that the hostage-taker had
shot at a police officer. Reuters pictures showed police in helmets and body
armor in positions around the Super-U supermarket. The Paris prosecutor's
office said counter-terrorism prosecutors were investigating the incident
but did not comment on the possible ISIS allegiance. Earlier, the Interior
Ministry had said security forces were carrying out an operation at a
supermarket in southern France. Interior Minister Gerard Collomb was on his
way. "There is an ongoing situation ... in the town of Trebes, where shots
have been heard and a man entrenched himself in a supermarket," Philippe
said. "It's a serious situation."Friday’s incident first developed when the
suspect first fired six shots at police officers who were on their way back
from jogging near the city of Carcassonne on Friday morning, said Yves
Lefebvre, secretary general of SGP Police-FO police union. One police
officer had a shoulder injury but it was not serious, Lefebvre said. The
suspect then went to a Super U supermarket in Trebes.
British Ambassador to Yemen: The West Has Forgotten the
Reason of War
Riyadh- Abdul Hadi Habtoor/Friday, 23 March, 2018/The newly-appointed
British Ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, said that the public opinion in
the West has forgotten the reason that had started the war because of the
worsening humanitarian crisis. Stressing the deployment of strenuous efforts
to alleviate the sufferings of the Yemeni population, Aron noted that the
war started with a coup perpetrated by a small group of Yemenis, in
reference to Houthi militias, adding that there was no need for an Iranian
role in Yemen. The ambassador said he believed that efforts initiated by the
new UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths, would yield “real results to resolve
the Yemeni crisis this year,” adding that the envoy would travel to Sanaa
and Aden this week to listen to the opinion of the different sides before
returning to New York to attend a Security Council session on April 17 and
meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. On the Saudi role, Aron
said: “I think it was clear in the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman to Britain that the Saudis want a solution to the problem and, in
my opinion, the Saudi role is very important in this regard as Saudi Arabia
supports the solution and the political process but cannot accept to live
under the threat of ballistic missiles from a neighboring country.” “They
also want security along their borders, and they reject any role for Iran in
Yemen and we support them in all these concerns, and it is very important to
agree on these matters,” he added. Asked about the guarantees that would
make the militias accept a new peace initiative, especially with the outcome
of the Kuwait negotiations, where the legitimate government signed the
international peace agreement and offered many compromises, while the
Houthis rejected the agreement, the British ambassador stressed that Yemenis
living in areas controlled by Houthis would not accept the continuation of
war.
“So I believe that with the efforts of the Special Envoy and the help of the
international community, the problem can be solved this year,” Aron stated.
He emphasized that the Yemeni file was a priority for the British
government, which he said was helping the UN efforts and the special envoy.
He noted that Griffiths, of British nationality, was an independent employee
who has been appointed to assume this post due to his technical expertise.
“We support his efforts… I am optimistic and I think the opportunities in
the coming months are real and not just words,” Aron said. The British
ambassador presented an overview of his country’s humanitarian support to
Yemen. He said that during the 2017-2018 fiscal year, Britain has offered
205 Million GBP in aid, which makes the country the second largest donor of
financial aid. He also underlined British support to the efforts of the
United Nations, expressing satisfaction with the appointment of Lise Grande
as the new UN humanitarian coordinator in Sanaa. “We are working with the
Coalition and neighboring countries to bring aid through the port of
Hodeidah. I believe that easing sanctions on the Houthis could be a
confidence-building step and would allow the distribution of aid to all
Yemenis without any sanctions from both sides,” Aron noted.
The British ambassador highly valued the humanitarian plan launched by Saudi
Arabia to support the Yemeni people and the central bank. He also praised
efforts deployed by the Yemeni legitimate forces, backed by the Coalition,
to fight terrorism on Yemeni territories. Asked about Iran’s negative role
in Yemen, Aron said: “I do not think there is a need for an Iranian role in
Yemen. I spoke to the Yemenis and they do not want any role for Iran in
their country. The relationship between the Houthis and Iran is new, and is
not welcome by Yemenis.” “So if the Iranians say they want peace in the
region and Yemen and they are sincere in that, they should withdraw and stop
their military assistance to the Houthis, which is an important part of
solving the problem,” he stated.
Saudi Cyber Security and Programming Federation
Establishes Specialized AI College
Washington - Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 23 March, 2018/Chairman of the Board of
Directors of the Saudi Cyber Security and Programming Federation Saud al-Gahtani
has issued a decision to establish a college specialized in cyber security,
programming and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Gahtani assigned Dr. Abdullah
bin Abdulaziz Al-Dahlawy as dean of the faculty. The college seeks to
improve the capabilities of Saudi youth through the latest technological
means that would contribute to achieving the objectives of the Kingdom's
vision 2030. Dahlawy disclosed that among the college’s priorities is to
design a specialized program in the field of cyber operations, the first of
its kind locally and in the region, in addition to other distinguished
programs that would be announced at a later date. Meanwhile, the Federation
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Raytheon Company, a
specialist in the field of defense, security and civil technologies and
innovation. The MoU, which was signed on the sidelines of the visit of Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the US, aims at organizing competitions among
universities in cyber defense as well as launching live mathematics programs
for programmers and creating industrial partnership opportunities with Saudi
specialists. Following the ceremony, Gahtani said that this agreement would
effectively contribute to promoting the skills of trainers in order to build
a strong base for spreading the cyber security culture and raise awareness
on its importance.
ISIS-Linked Woman Stands Trial in Saudi Arabia for
Playing Part in Mosque Bombing
Riyadh- Asharq Al Awsat/Friday, 23 March, 2018/Riyadh’s Specialized Criminal
Court referred the case against a Saudi woman standing trial for
transporting an explosive belt to a joint judicial committee made up of
three judges, each of which is considering proper punitive measures,
including capital punishment. The Saudi woman is linked to ISIS and is
charged with delivering explosives for a suicide bomb attack meant to target
a mosque facility in security forces Asir region headquarters, eastern Saudi
Arabia. At the hearing, the prosecution said it was considering the extent
to which her actions played a role in the bombing of the mosque in the city
of Abha, an attack which killed 11 security men and four employees, and
injured 33 others. The judge rejected the claim on the defendant only
concealing the actions of the perpetrator, her husband, and fitted the
official role of accomplice as she aided the perpetrator in carrying
explosives, concealing a terror ring, and playing an active role in plotting
for terror crimes. In the preliminary session, the judge stated that “the
defendant’s actions are too excessive to fit mere concealment of the crime,
and it should not be so that the defendant’s actions are downplayed as they
actively contributed to the implementation of these crimes, which amount to
crimes of Hirabah”In Islamic law, Hirabah is a legal category which
comprises highway robbery (traditionally understood as robbery with violence
or grand larceny, unlike theft which has a different punishment), rape, and
terrorism. The woman was accused of supporting terror group ISIS, in
addition to accompanying her husband when he was carrying the explosive
belt. Her husband is reported to have informed her of willfully joining the
ranks of ISIS and plotting to carry out terror attacks. The defendant, at
her full will, met with other ISIS members and did not inform the security
services.
The charges also included covering up for her husband while sheltering other
ISIS members in their residence, and funding terrorism.
UK Diplomats Leave Moscow as EU Nations Mull Measures
against Russia
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 23/18/A convoy of vehicles left the British Embassy in
Moscow on Friday ahead of a Russian deadline for 23 diplomats to leave the
country, as several European Union countries said they plan to take measures
against Russia over the poisoning of a former spy.
Russia expelled 23 British diplomats last Saturday in a carefully calibrated
retaliatory move against London, which has accused the Kremlin of
orchestrating the nerve toxin attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter
Yulia in the southern English city of Salisbury earlier this month. At a
summit in Brussels, the 28 EU leaders agreed with Britain that it is "highly
likely Russia is responsible" for the attack. The bloc recalled its
ambassador from Moscow for consultations over an incident it called "a grave
challenge to our shared security." Its decision prompted the Kremlin to say
it ‘regrets’ the move. The president of Lithuania said Friday that
individual EU countries plan to take their own actions against Russia within
days. Dalia Grybauskaite said that "from the beginning of next week, a lot
of countries, we will go for our national measures." Grybauskaite has said
Lithuania may expel Russian diplomats over the attack on the former double
agent and his daughter. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said his country
would conduct a security assessment of Russian diplomats with a view to
possibly expelling those who are not legitimate. "We will make that
decision, I would say, in the early part of next week," he said. Danish
Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said his country would also consider
"whether we should take unilateral steps." Both German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, the EU's power brokers, raised
the prospect of further measures against Russia. The EU leaders' statements
came after a summit dinner where British Prime Minister Theresa May shared
information about why the UK is convinced Moscow was behind the attack on
the former spy, including the type of poison used — a Soviet-developed nerve
agent known as Novichok — and intelligence that Russia has produced it
within the past decade.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on March 23-24/18
The Real Cost of Afrin
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 23/18
With the Turkish flag hoisted on top of the municipal building in Afrin the
other day President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters are in triumphal
mood.
In a sense they have the right to be as this is the first time in almost 100
years that Turkey has scored a military victory against an adversary ready
to fight. (Turkey’s occupation of part of Cyprus in 1974 was achieved
without major fighting.)
However, the euphoria inspired by what Erdogan terms “an historic victory”
would have to be tempered by reality. That NATO’s largest army in Europe
should win a war against a rag band of lightly armed Kurds is no surprise.
This is neither Alp Arsalan, after Malazegrd, nor Sultan Muhammad Fatih
after capturing Byzantium.
The capture of Afrin represents a 19th century solution for a 21st century
problem that Turkey faces.
ing but official statements from Ankara, Erdogan is trying to create what
19Th century strategists termed a cordon sanitaire or a glacis supposedly to
protect Turkey against incursions by Kurdish “terrorists”.
However, military history, at least since the debacle of the Maginot Line
enterprise in 1939; shows that such concepts as cordon sanitaire and glacis
are no longer relevant to modern warfare, especially of the asymmetric kind
to which Turkey remains vulnerable.
The classical concepts of glacis and cordon sanitaire triggered a process
which would lead either to further expansion and empire building or ultimate
irrelevance. To protect a glacis you have to create another glacis next to
it, and so on, ad infinitum.
Thus, Erdogan’s glacis in Syrian-Kurdish territory would need protection
from neighboring areas in the rest of Syria as well as Kurdish provinces in
Iraq, no to mention Iran which could, as it has done for decades, offer the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) safe haven or even operational bases against
Turkey. On a more mundane level, the Kurdish “terrorists” that pose a threat
to Turkey could always cross the border with little difficulty, a practice
that terrorists of all ilk excel in across the globe.
Paradoxically, sole reliance on force and a determined attempt at
humiliating the adversary could help rekindle the PKK’s narrative of
victimhood as a justification for violence and terror. That is especially
regrettable because Turkey’s Kurdish minority has done rather well under
Erdogan.
Those familiar with the situation on the ground in Turkey know that during
Erdogan’s stewardship of the state the country’s Kurdish-majority areas have
come out of abject poverty and enjoy a measure of prosperity they had never
known before.
Empirical and anecdotal evidence indicate that the PKK’s Marxist-Leninist
ideology and its chimera of a proletarian state replacing the Turkish
Republic have limited appeal among Turkey’s Kurds.
What sympathy the PKK attracts is rooted in the cluster of so-called
“identity issues”, the “them against us” that feeds secessionism even in
Scotland or Catalonia.
By removing many of those “identity issues”, Erdogan in the first phases of
his leadership succeeded in depriving the PKK of much of its ideological
fodder. That great achievement was dramatically illustrated by the public
change of tone and course by a significant segment of the PKK leadership,
notably its founding father the imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan.
The capture of Afrin, even supposing it will be permanent, will not solve
Turkey’s Kurdish problem. But, with the law of unintended consequences being
triggered, it could lead Turkey into a whole new maze of problems. Already a
good part of Turk’s elite troops are bogged down in Cyprus with no end in
sight. The glacis that Erdogan wants to build in Syria could end up pining
down even more of Turkey’s elite troops, provoking a strategic imbalance in
the nation’s overall defense doctrine and the means needed to sustain it.
And that is without mentioning economic cost of such involvements.
The Syrian glacis would also implicate Turkey in any project for recreating
a new Syria out of the bits and pieces of a broken state. Other nations
currently involved in the Syrian quagmire, including Russia, Iran and the
United States, could easily walk away as their presence does not have a
territorial expression. Even if it decided to hang on to a base in Syria,
Russia would be able to defend the enclave on the Mediterranean without
seeing is own territory threatened by enemy infiltration. Iran could also
withdraw its Lebanese and other mercenaries without exposing its own
territory to perennial terrorist threats.
Turkey, however, could get locked in the Syrian fate as Rwanda is in
Congo-Kinshasa’s interminable turmoil.
Getting entangled in Syria’s Kurdish areas could also wreck the tight
relationship, built over decades, which exists between Turkey and the
autonomous Kurdistan in Iraq. And that, in turn, could undermine Turkey’s
grand man for playing a leading role in Iraq’s ambitious reconstruction
plans.
Over the past decade Turkish businesses have lost major markets in Tunisia,
Libya, Egypt and Syria.
The prospect of Iraq emerging as a new market is one of the few good news
item Turkish businesses now cling onto, a fact illustrated by the signing of
contacts worth more than $20 billion.
However, Erdogan’s new image as an enemy of the Kurds could deprive Turkey
of its surest allies in Iraqi Kurdistan while Iran will play the Shi’ite
card to curb Turkish influence. Erdogan’s Kurdish adventure could also exert
some pressure on Ankara’s relations with its NATO allies.
Having turned a blind eye to Turkey’s campaign against Syrian Kurds, the US
is unlikely to totally abandon its Kurdish allies who helped defeat ISIS.
Thus, Erdogan may soon find out that his victory in Afrin isn’t as
uncontested as he wants us to believe. To be sure, no one could dislodge him
by force at least not in the near future. But the US and others could easily
help raise the cost of his “great victory”.
Almost two decades ago, Erdogan told us that the Kurdish problem was a
political problem with no military solution. In his first term as prime
minister he showed that he can apply that vision with patience and
forbearance. Now, however, that patience and forbearance seem to have
evaporated. What he is offering now is a banal fast-food of ultimately
hollow military victory.
The mise-en-scene of hoisting the Turkish flag in Afrin was copied from that
of US Marines raising the Star-Spangled Banner in Iwo-Jima. However, as
every Hollywood buff knows remakes are never as good as the original and
often end up bankrupting the studio.
Palestinians Tortured;
Media Silent
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/March 23/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12064/palestinians-torture-human-rights
The real story now is no longer about what the foreign correspondents are
reporting related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather, it is about
what they are not reporting.
In its report -- which so far appears to have been of less than no interest
to both the foreign media and international human rights groups -- the
Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights states that it has
received complaints of torture and mistreatment from 46 Palestinians
detained by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas during the month of February
2018 alone.
Both Palestinian dictatorships, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas,
therefore have nothing to worry about; they can go about their business of
torturing and illegally detaining their own people. No one is watching.
What happens when Palestinians make allegations of torture and assaults on
their public freedoms? If the finger is being pointed at Israel, the
international media falls over itself to bring the story to the broadest
possible audience.
The story would not even end there. Human rights organizations and United
Nations agencies would blast Israel for "abusing" Palestinian human rights
and the Security Council would hold an emergency session to condemn Israel.
The response, however, when Palestinians fall victim to the practices of
their own governments -- the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and
Hamas in the Gaza Strip -- is a completely different one. That is when
silence descends upon the international media community hides behind a blue
wall of silence
How can one account for this sinkhole in communications? Simple: when the
story is not about alleged atrocities committed by Israel, from the point of
view of the Western media outlets it is presumably not a tale worthy of
being told.
For most Western reporters, the only wrongdoing they see is that which takes
place by Israelis. For them, a Jewish soldier who shouts at a Palestinian at
a checkpoint is more worthy of a story than, say, Palestinian detainees who
are tortured by the Palestinian Authority or Hamas.
Those who are familiar with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the way the
international media operates in the Middle East are not surprised by this
one-sided, unprofessional and biased coverage.
Middle East correspondents regularly turn a blind eye to human rights abuses
committed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
Some journalists are possibly afraid that if they report a story that may
reflect negatively on the Palestinians, they will be accused of being "on
the payroll of the Jewish lobby" or, even worse, of being "Zionist agents
serving the Israeli propaganda machine."
Or perhaps they fear that they will be denied still further access to the
Palestinian propaganda machine.
It is also important to note that most of the foreign correspondents rely on
Palestinian assistants or "fixers" who often dictate to them the tone that
their reporting on the Palestinians must take.
Local Palestinian "fixers" do not want foreign correspondents to report
about the rampant abuses taking place on the Palestinian side. These
"fixers" see themselves as loyal soldiers serving their people and their
cause. They consider themselves to be mouthpieces for Palestinian leaders
and institutions and would be horrified avoid at the idea of hanging dirty
laundry out in the open.
Why is this relevant now? Because there is always a need to remind readers
how the foreign media "misses" many significant stories related to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The real story now is no longer about what the
foreign correspondents are reporting. Rather, it is about what they are not
reporting.
Take, for example, the latest report published by the Palestinian
Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), whose duties and
responsibilities are "to follow-up and ensure that different Palestinian
laws, by-laws and regulations, and the work of various departments, agencies
and institutions of the Palestinians meet the requirements for safeguarding
human rights."
In its report -- which so far appears to have been of less than no interest
to both the foreign media and international human rights groups -- the ICHR
states that it has received complaints of torture and mistreatment from 46
Palestinians detained by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas during the
month of February 2018 alone.
More than half of the complaints, 27 in number, come from Palestinians who
were arrested by the Palestinian Authority, while 19 come from Palestinians
living under Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Had such a report of torture been published by the Israeli left-wing group
B'Tselem, it would have won the attention of the international community.
Why? Because the group appears fixated only on Israeli violations, while
rigorously ignoring what is happening in Palestinian-controlled detention
centers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The report notes that during February, the ICHR also received complaints
from 31 Palestinians about arbitrary and unlawful detentions, both at the
hands of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
Again, most of the arrests took place in areas controlled by the
Western-funded and trained Palestinian Authority security forces. Some of
the detainees were taken into custody on the basis of an arrest warrant
signed by a senior Palestinian official, usually the governor of a city.
The report also found that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas were
continuing to harass Palestinian journalists and political activists because
of their views and their postings on social media.
One journalist, who was not identified by name, was arrested in the Gaza
Strip for posting remarks critical of Hamas. Another journalist was arrested
by Hamas for reporting about human rights violations committed by the
terrorist group.
In the West Bank, during February, Palestinian Authority security forces
arrested two Palestinian university students from Hebron for their
activities on campus, according to the report.
During the same month, the ICHR also received complaints from Palestinians
that their homes had been raided by Palestinian Authority security officers,
who illegally seized computers, mobile phones, cash and other personal
belongings.
The report also details other forms of human rights violation committed by
the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, such as travel bans and failure to
implement court orders.
On several occasions, for instance, the Palestinian Authority security
forces chose to ignore court verdicts ordering the release of detainees.
This mockery of the judicial system is common under both the Palestinian
Authority and Hamas.
The ICHR report is not confidential. On the contrary, it has been released
for public consumption and is available for review on the organization's
website. Everyone has access to it.
One would assume that Middle East correspondents might be interested in such
reports — no, far from it.
In the eyes of foreign correspondents, this ICHR report is "problematic"
because it deals with a topic that is not in line with their agenda, which
considers Israel solely responsible for all human rights violations in the
Arab-Israeli conflict.
Some foreign correspondents may argue, in their defense, that they cannot
report such stories because to do so they would need to go to the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip, and this could endanger their lives. In other words, the
correspondents admit that the Palestinians implicitly threaten them into
avoiding such stories.
One can only wonder about the professionalism of journalists who consciously
and consistently fail to report abuse on the part of the Palestinians.
One also wonders how they think they are doing a service to the Palestinians
by turning a blind eye to the human rights abuses committed by the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Are the journalists familiar with term
"free pass"?
The Palestinians are, first and foremost, victims of their dictatorial and
abusive leaders.
Sadly, they are done no service by a biased and unprofessional media that
acts as sort of collective "yes-men" to widespread human rights violations
under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.
Both Palestinian dictatorships, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas,
therefore have nothing to worry about; they can go about their business of
torturing and illegally detaining their own people. No one is watching.
**Bassam Tawil is a Muslim based in the Middle East.
© 2018 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here
do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone
Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be
reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of
Gatestone Institute.
Saudi Crown Prince talks Vision 2030 at KSA – USA
partnership dinner
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Friday, 23 March 2018/
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
delivered his first address in the United States at the inaugural KSA – USA
Partnership Event dinner held in the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, hosted by the
Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington, on Thursday.
This dinner was a celebration of the global importance of the strong
Saudi-US bilateral security relationship over the past 70 years. The program
included compelling video testimonials and keynote remarks from leading
voices that personally played crucial roles in guiding the Saudi-US
alliance. Each emphasized the enduring defense and counter-terrorism
cooperation between both nations, and honored the heroes of the past,
simultaneously underlining the need to keep our eyes fixed on the horizons
of progress and reforms taking place today that will propel this pivotal
bilateral relationship to new heights in the future. Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman stated, “tonight we are celebrating over 70 years of
military and security cooperation with the United States. Saudis and
Americans have trained together and fought together to confront shared
threats and to defend common interests. Our relationship with the United
States is fundamental to security in the Middle East, and we are grateful
for your support in building a better future together.”
“My own brother and our Ambassador to the United States experienced this
firsthand as a pilot training with the US Air Force. He often reminds me
that policy may be made in Riyadh and Washington, but it is in training and
then in battle where trust is built, where friendships are formed, and where
unbreakable ties are forged.”
During his remarks, the Crown Prince expressed a vision of a brilliant
future full of possibility by providing an update on the progress toward
achieving Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s ambitious blueprint charting Saudi
Arabia’s long-term goals to transform and diversify into a leading economy
of the 21st century.
The Crown Prince detailed examples of the ways in which Vision 2030 is
modernizing Saudi Arabia as we speak, and providing future opportunities for
continued strategic collaboration between our two nations beyond defense
cooperation. Saudi Arabia is strengthening its economy and introducing
progressive social transformation simultaneously -- unlocking the potential
of the Saudi people and leading to a prosperous future for the country and
the wider region.
High profile US speakers
High-level speakers, including Jeb Bush, Dick Cheney, Lindsey Graham, James
Baker, William Cohen, Cindy Schwarzkopf, daughter of the late General Norman
Schwarzkopf, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and Ambassador Khalid bin Salman,
delivered stirring remarks commemorating the historic American and Saudi
Arabian leaders of the past who further reinforced the foundations of the
unshakable alliance between our two nations. Speaking on the essential role
of cooperation and trust to achieving the decisive victory of the Gulf War
Coalition, former Secretary of State, Mr. James Baker, reminded those
gathered that the Gulf War was a wonderful example of the enduring
relationship between both nations, which had begun after World War II. Baker
noted that it is a great opportunity and fitting time to celebrate the Saudi
US relationship. Today we have daunting challenges, including facing Iran
and the threat of terrorism. Our historic and successful efforts to liberate
kuwait marks one of the important highs of the US/Saudi relationship.
Additionally, President George H. W. Bush and General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.
were honored with a KSA-USA Partnership Award for Outstanding Leadership, a
recognition of their roles in building strategic partnerships during and
after the Gulf War. Senator John McCain was also honored for his leadership
and service.
Strong security partners
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains a strong security partner for the United
States in the Middle East and beyond, leveraging its stability to lead on
issues of counterterrorism, counter-extremism, and stemming terror
financing. The Kingdom is working hard to defend the legitimate government
of Yemen, alleviate the humanitarian situation, and secure its own borders
against dangerous, Iran-backed Houthi militias that threaten to destabilize
the entire Gulf region. The United States is a trusted partner in the
Kingdom’s most vital national security interests. The essential role of our
ongoing security cooperation to foster stability in the region was further
underscored during the remarks of Senator Lindsay Graham, who spoke while
accepting Senator John McCain, where he stated that the value of the
relationship between our nations is foundational to our security. Former
Secretary William Cohen, in his speech, said about why this is happening
right now, it is that "he has heard the footprints of history, he reached up
and grabbed the coattails, and he is now on that horse as it thunders into
the future."
Will Pompeo beat the drums of war against Iran?
Sawsan Al Shaer//Al Arabiya/March 23/18
We are currently in a race between the escalation of US warnings on one
hand, and Iran’s increasing control over territories in Syria on the other,
as Trump’s deadline regarding the nuclear deal with Tehran approaches. Trump
has appointed Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State to succeed Rex Tillerson.
Meanwhile, Trump had given the US Congress and his European allies until May
to amend the Iranian nuclear agreement. The deadline ends in mid-May. On
October 13 last year, Trump announced his strategy towards Iran and demanded
amending the nuclear deal which he described as the worst deal ever.
He also called for ending the Iranian missile program and Tehran’s
interference and expansion in Arab countries and threats to regional
security.
Iran’s corridor to Mediterranean
Ever since Trump announced his strategy, Iran has been racing against time
to expand its influence in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon so that it could
gain more clout in negotiations following the deadline and acquire all the
territory it needs in the new Middle East. Iran has increased its subversive
activities which it relies on its close relations with the Assad regime and
its allies in the Iraqi government to carry out. It has asked Qassem
Soleimani to open a third land corridor through Iraqi territory to link Iran
to the Mediterranean Sea. This corridor would go through Al-Anbar
governorate and aims to help its allies in Syria and Lebanon. Soleimani has
coordinated with Hezbollah and Popular Mobilization commanders to coordinate
opening of this new passage. Iran is now forcing mass displacement of
population in Syrian and Iraqi cities which are part of its new route. These
cities include Eastern Ghouta. Iran is now cooperating with the Assad regime
under a Russian cover to evacuate the city of its people and replace them
with mercenary Shiite militias. Meanwhile, Iran is also strengthening five
of its military units with as much as 75,000 Lebanese, Iraqi and Afghan
fighters along with 10,000 soldiers and officers from the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards. Iran is not only expanding in the northern sector but
is also spreading its presence along the Israeli-Syrian borders, thus
defying Israeli threats which warned against Iranian-backed troops’
possession of ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft weapons. It seems that
the confrontation that took place a month ago would not be the last, as
Israel said it would not stand by idly as Iran approaches its borders.
(Source: Strategy Watch). The French foreign minister’s visit to Iran
conveyed a message to the theocratic regime stating that Europe has ran out
of patience and it’s now embarrassed before the US and its allies in the
region so it may stand by the US over the issue of Iran’s missiles program
and expansion. So what’s the secret behind US’ tardiness in responding to
Iran? What would its response be? Would it settle with imposing sanctions?
Has the US been slow in its response because it has worked in rehabilitating
the region before the clash, which most speculations indicate will be an
Israeli-Iranian one on Syrian territory?
For his part, Khamenei instructed the Friday prayer leader in Tehran to read
out a statement on his behalf that said: “French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian, who visited Tehran on March 5, received the appropriate response
regarding the missiles program. It’s wrong for Le Drian to say said that
(we) should take their permission on regional issues. The leader of the
revolution asserted that our region has nothing to do with them. We have not
allowed anyone to interfere till now, and from now on we would not allow
anyone to cause sedition. The US presence in the region aims to incite
sedition.” This statement was published in Iran’s Tasnim news agency, a
media wing of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
US pressure mounts
On the other hand, US activity, whether in Syria or Yemen, does not seem to
commensurate with Iran’s movements. There has also been an increase in the
number of statements by US officials on the subject — the latest coming from
US National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster, who described Assad’s
activities in cahoots with Iran as “war crimes”. McMaster also noted that
Iran spent up to $16 billion on its proxies. So what’s the secret behind US’
tardiness in responding to Iran? What would its response be? Would it settle
with imposing sanctions? Has the US been slow in its response because it has
worked in rehabilitating the region before the clash, which most
speculations indicate will be an Israeli-Iranian one on Syrian territory?
Has the French foreign minister issued the final warning to Iran? Was the
dismissal of Tillerson, who believed the nuclear agreement was “reasonable,”
an indication of change? Does the appointment of Pompeo, who along with the
Secretary of Defense James Mattis believes that international security is
threatened by Iran’s activities, serve as a new sign? All these questions
are going to be answered in the next two months.
Sharjah goes to Paris, strengthens UAE ties with France
through culture
Mohammed Al-Hammadi/Al Arabiya/March 23/18
The distinction bestowed to the UAE by Paris is a matter of great pride for
us. In the City of Light, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi,
member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, led over 40 writers,
intellectuals, poets and artists whom he invited to visit the Paris Book
Fair to participate in the signing of their books which have been translated
from Arabic to French by the Sharjah Book Authority, as per His Highness’
instructions. Sharjah is participating as a ‘special guest’ at the Paris
Book Fair. This is the first time in the history of the fair that a city and
not a state has been chosen to be a ‘special guest’ at the fair. Without
doubt this is a great show of appreciation and clear recognition of
Sharjah’s role in spreading culture and in supporting writers and the
publication and translation of books. The relationship between the UAE and
France is a strong and historical one and it has taken major strides ahead
after being founded on firm foundations. For decades, the UAE has succeeded
in building relations on different levels with countries around the world
Well-deserved testimony
French President Macron’s visit to the Sharjah pavilion at this book fair
and his meeting with Sheikh Sultan underscores strong relations between the
UAE and France, and validates that we have invested in what benefits our
country. What the French president said about His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan
bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, is a well-deserved testimony for a man who has
devoted his life to promoting culture, science, research, literature and
knowledge. In the UAE, we are proud of a ruler, who in spite of all his
responsibilities, is considered around the world as a great cultural figure.
The relationship between the UAE and France is a strong and historical one
and it has taken major strides ahead after being founded on firm
foundations. For decades, the UAE has succeeded in building relations on
different levels with countries around the world — in various political,
diplomatic, economic, trade and military fields.
Building bridges
At the same time, the UAE did not overlook culture as part of building
relations. The presence of the UAE, through the representation of Sharjah in
this fair, proves that it has succeeded in communicating with others and
building bridges with them. Based on what we saw in Paris, we can state that
although it is important to continue with our cultural pursuits in the UAE,
it’s also important to give them more attention. Culture means accepting
others and co-existing with them. It means respecting others even if we
disagree with them. Culture is a language of humanism that is not affected
by change in political positions or economic interests. The UAE today
reserves a distinguished place for itself among the nations of the world.
The new Gaddafi, the past makes a comeback
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/March 23/18
Some Arab news may sound strange. For example, there are those who wish to
see the return of old rulers, or their heirs, or any of their close
relatives or active members from the elite of past regimes now that the
winds of the Arab Spring have blown away. There are those in Tunisia who
passionately long for the era of Bourguiba and even that of Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali. In Yemen, there are those who want to see the rise of Ali Abdullah
Saleh’s close relative, irrespective of the role Saleh had played in Yemen
in pushing the country to war with Iranian-backed gangs. What is gone is
finished, the past is done and the future is inevitable. Crying over spilt
milk and resurrecting idols of the past is downright condemnable for us and
for such leaders who brought us to this point
Gaddafi’s possible heir
In Libya, Muammar Gaddafi was a clear example of the ruler who brings
misfortune upon himself, his people, his neighbors and all those who were
destined to interact with him. In this Libya, because of the ineptitude of
its present crop of politicians to build a national consensus and to
establish a new Libyan sociopolitical contract, we get to read the news that
the son of the dead despot, Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, has decided to
enter the presidential race, with an electoral program that “seeks to
restore the Libyan state and make it inclusive of everyone”. The
announcement was made by Ayman Boras, Gaddafi’s spokesperson, on Monday
during a press conference in Tunisia. Boras said: “The Libyan crisis will
not be resolved without the vision of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi who has the
support of the majority of the Libyan people.”
Praising Saddam Hussein’s era
Even in Iraq we find those who praise the era of Saddam Hussein and the
state, education, security, national unity and public services back then.
Imagine that such statements come from the people of Basra and Nasiriyah and
not from Ramadi or Diyala! It is well known that the more people move away
from the past, the less they remember the pain it caused. The illusion of
distance obscures the difference between what happened then and what is
happening now. The daunting troubles of our time blur the vision and
misinform the mind. There is no consideration beyond the desire to get rid
of the present painful reality.
What is gone is finished, the past is done and the future is inevitable.
Crying over spilt milk and resurrecting idols of the past is downright
condemnable for us and for such leaders who brought us to this point.
Tough on Iran, Critical of 'Palestine': Meet John
Bolton, Trump's New National Security Adviser
جون بولتن مستشار الرئيس ترامب للأمن القومي
Haaretz/March 23/18
'The two-state solution is dead,' Bolton, a fierce critic of the Obama
administration once wrote, claiming that Gaza should be given to Egypt and
the West Bank to Jordan
'The two-state solution is dead,' Bolton, a fierce critic of the Obama
administration once wrote, claiming that Gaza should be given to Egypt and
the West Bank to Jordan
John Bolton, who served as UN ambassador under President George W. Bush and
was tapped Thursday to become Donald Trump's national security adviser, has
a long history of tough rhetoric against Iran and the Palestinians.
A vocal critic of the Obama administration, Bolton is strongly opposed to
the Iran nuclear deal and is a known opponent of a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Like Trump, he supported the invasion of Iraq
in 2003. He has also sounded a tough line on negotiations with North Korea.
"The Middle East peace process has long needed clarity and an injection of
reality, and Trump has provided it by making the decision to move the US
embassy in Israel to Jerusalem," Bolton tweeted after Trump announced the
landmark decision to recognize Jerusalem.
The statement was only one of many on Israel and other international issues
that indicate the policies he may advance in his new role as Trump's key
adviser.
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"Just as a matter of empirical reality, the two-state solution is dead,”
Bolton told Breitbart during the Obama administration's attempt to revive
peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Bolton even called for a
"three-state solution" in which Gaza would be handed over to Egypt and the
West Bank returned to Jordan.
“As long as Washington’s diplomatic objective is the ‘two-state solution’ —
Israel and ‘Palestine’ — the fundamental contradiction between this
aspiration and the reality on the ground will ensure it never comes into
being," he wrote, claiming that “the only logic underlying the demand for a
Palestinian state is the political imperative of Israel’s opponents to
weaken and encircle the Jewish state.”
He is also critical of claims Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential
election in Trump's favor, even suggesting it was a "false flag operation."
But he has also been critical of Russia, writing that "Washington and its
allies do not need more Russian adventurism in Middle East, especially given
the Moscow-Tehran-Damascus-Hezbollah axis."
Tough on Iran
“Our goal should be regime change in Iran,” Bolton told Fox at the beginning
of this year as anti-government protests swept Iran.
"If the Iranian opposition is prepared to take outside support, the U.S.
should provide it to them," he tweeted at the time.
He has also been a strong critic of the nuclear accord with Tehran, writing
on Twitter that "the Iran nuclear deal was a strategic mistake in 2015. This
deal needs to be abrogated and America must craft a new reality that
reflects the actions of the Iranian regime."
Bolton also advocated for Israel to attack Iran to rein in its nuclear
ambitions: “Time is terribly short, but a strike can still succeed,” he
wrote in The New York Times in 2015.
With such a reputation as a hawk, Bolton's appointment increases the
possibility that Trump will pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.
Bolton's appointment will not require Senate confirmation because the
national security adviser is a White House position. In 2005 he failed to
win confirmation for his nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations, and Bush had to appoint him as a recess appointment.
Bolton has visited the White House in recent months a number of times,
reportedly to offer Trump advice that contradicted that of his official
advisers at the time, including the outgoing national security adviser, H.R.
McMaster, and the outgoing secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Trump,
however, denied press reports he planned to replace McMaster. White House
press secretary Sarah Sanders strongly denied such a report last week.
With the departures of both McMaster and Tillerson, the only senior official
in the Trump cabinet supportive of the Iran nuclear deal is Defense
Secretary James Mattis, who has said that remaining in the deal, despite its
flaws, serves American national security interests.
Leading Salafi-Jihadis In Ein Al-Hilweh Palestinian
Refugee Camp, Lebanon: The Struggle Against Israel Takes Priority Over The
Struggles In Iraq And Syria
By: N. Mozes/MEMRI/March 23/18
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and
Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click
here.
In early March 2018, senior leaders of the Salafi-jihadi stream in the Ein
Al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon called a meeting with Lebanese
journalists to liberate Jerusalem and Palestine rather than to operate in
Iraq and Syria, which had for nearly two decades been the global jihad's
main arenas of activity. They said that as Palestinians, they had a
responsibility to fight for and defend their own land.
The leaders of the initiative, Osama Al-Shihabi and Jamal Hamed, leader and
senior member, respectively, of the Fath Al-Islam organization, and Tawfiq
Taha, senior official of the Abdallah Azzam Brigades, clarified that the
move had followed a months-long comprehensive reexamination of the stream's
strategies and priorities, in light of developments in the international
arena, primarily U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as
the capital of Israel and the Israeli government's striving for recognition
as a Jewish state in the past year. The three also stressed that the shift
in priorities would be a long-term plan, to including winning hearts and
minds, drawing up strategies, and preparing militarily.
With this initiative, the three were turning their backs on the global jihad
movement led by Al-Qaeda, which has to date prioritized the struggle against
the U.S. and against the regimes in some Arab and Muslim countries. In
statements about their move, they criticized the global jihad movement for,
they said, its neglect of Palestine in order to focus on fighting in other
arenas such as Syria and Iraq, and its involvement of the Palestinians in
matters to which they "have no connection." They made it clear that they and
their followers have no ties to Al-Qaeda, and that their decision to shift
focus was arrived at independently by Salafi-jihadi activists in the refugee
camps in Lebanon.
It may be that by focusing on resistance against Israel – perceived as a
legitimate stance by broad sectors in Lebanon, primarily among Hizbullah
supporters – and by turning their back on Al-Qaeda, the leaders are aiming
to ease the pressure on the Salafi-jihadi activists operating in Ein Al-Hilweh
who are wanted by Lebanese security forces. This is reflected in the
assurances they gave the journalists that they would stay away from all
conflicts and struggles within the camp and in the Lebanese arena in
general.[1] Likewise, the officials chose to make their announcement to
Lebanese media – including the Al-Akhbar daily, affiliated with Hizbullah
which is waging an all-out war against Salafi-jihadism – and not in the
Salafi-jihadi media. Al-Shihabi himself even wrote an article for Al-Akhbar
explaining the reasons for the shift in focus, and reiterating that they
would be staying out of conflicts within the camps.
The possibility that the move is aimed at easing pressure on Salafi-jihadi
operatives in the camp is strengthened by reports in the Lebanese press that
these activists have for months been attempting to coordinate with the
Lebanese government to leave the camp. In July 2017, it was reported that
when a deal was signed that month between Hizbullah and the Islamic State
(ISIS) on the departure of ISIS activists and their families from Arsal,
Lebanon to Syria,[2] elements in Ein Al-Hilweh who were close to Jabhat Al-Nusra
and ISIS proposed to the Lebanese government that they be included in the
deal and be able to leave Ein Al-Hilweh. According to one report, they asked
to go to Syria;[3] according to another, they asked to go to the Syrian
Golan Heights to establish a force there, to be called the Ghuraba Falesteen
Brigade, to fight Israel.[4]
Another possibility is that the initiative is directed by the Syrian regime
and its ally Hizbullah, who now seek to revive the resistance front against
Israel after eliminating most of the strongholds of the rebels fighting the
regime. Supporting this theory is the fact that the leaders of the
initiative are top members of Fath Al-Islam – an organization that had been
accused by top Lebanese officials in the security and political systems of
being operated by Syrian security and intelligence forces.[5]
A further indication of this are statements about the shift in direction by
Al-Shihabi that can be interpreted as a message to the Syrian regime. He
said that although the revolutions in the Arab world in recent years were
indeed sparked by oppression, it is the U.S. that is directing them, in
order to divert the struggle from Jerusalem and Palestine. This echoes the
narrative of the Syrian regime and its allies, who claim that the revolution
in Syria is not authentic and homegrown, but is an American plot against
them.
This report will review statements by these three Salafi-jihadi leaders in
the Ein Al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon regarding the shift in the focus
of their activity.
From Now On, The Focus Of Activity Will Be Palestine And Al-Aqsa
In early March, senior leaders of the Salafi-jihadi stream in the Ein Al-Hilweh
refugee camp in Lebanon invited Lebanese journalists to the camp and spoke
to them about their decision to distance themselves from the bloody
struggles within the camp and from every conflict with the Lebanese security
apparatuses.[6] Al-Akhbar correspondent Radwan Murdata reported on March 3
that Al-Shihabi had asked to meet with him urgently in order to discuss "a
most important issue." He wrote that the meeting, held the following night
at Shihabi's home in the refugee camp, was attended also by Jamal Hamed and
a man referred to as Abu Ubayda. At the meeting, the two leaders said that
they represented a large group of supporters of the Salafi-jihadi stream in
the camp that had conducted a months-long "reexamination [that was] not a
retreat." At the end of that examination, they said, they reached the
conclusion that "the rifle" should be "re-aimed" towards Jerusalem, because
the obligation to defend Palestine and Jerusalem lies first and foremost
with them, as Palestinians and residents of the land.
In an article published by Al-Akhbar, Al-Shihabi wrote: "We have not backed
down, and we will not back down, but we have conducted a reexamination, in
order to re-aim the rifle. We are a group among the young Muslims who long
to fight the criminal Jews who have occupied and expelled us from our land
and sentenced us to death, expulsion, oppression, and prison. Therefore,
after scrutiny, examination, study, consultation, and requests for aid from
Allah, we have decided on the following: to prepare, to the best of our
ability, to confront the criminal Zionist Jews. This preparation is demanded
by the shari'a and by reality, because negotiations with the Jews and making
concessions to them will not help. A bullet demands a[nother] bullet [in
response]. With regard to religious law, preparation is an obligation,
because the issue of Palestine and Al-Aqsa belongs to all Muslims...
Preparation is a necessity of reality for us, since we are residents of
Palestine. Our duty is double. The effort that we are obligated to make is
much greater, since it is upon the residents of the occupied land to do as
much as they can, and if they cannot, then the matter moves to the
neighboring states."
Explaining that this will be a long-term program requiring ideological,
cultural, and military preparation – that is, not necessarily an intent to
launch military activity against Israel immediately – Al-Shihabi continued:
"We will study their [i.e. Israel's] past, present, and future – what they
are planning, what their aims are, how they draw up their policy, and who
helps them and supports their oppressing decisions. [We will study] how they
fight us ideologically, and why they have succeeded and we have failed. We
will begin with ourselves and our men. Since this will be a long-term
battle, we will prepare ways and means to fight the Jews for the next
generation, so that they will go [forward] with clear perception and
goals."[7]
Prior to that, on March 1, Osama Al-Shihabi and Jamal Hamed gave an
interview to Al-Jadeed TV, in which they explained their initiative.
Addressing The Lebanese People And Syria
Many of the statements by these Salafi-jihadi leaders were addressed to the
Lebanese people. Since most of the top members of this stream are wanted by
Lebanese security forces for involvement in the bloody struggles in the
camps, and for their attacks on Lebanese and foreign targets across the
country,[8] one motive for this change in position might be pressure by
Lebanese security forces and by their Palestinian rivals in the camps. Thus,
Al-Shihabi also wrote in his article: "We will distance ourselves from the
struggle within the Ein Al-Hilweh refugee camp, and we will not be party to
any conflict. If we have the ability to stop any problem that emerges, we
will do anything to preserve the security of the people in the camp. The
people are tired of the clashes in which innocent people are killed and
wounded... These clashes have only increased the fear and alarm among the
people, prompted them to leave [the camp], destroyed their homes, and wasted
resources that should have been put towards fighting the Jews – [and if they
had been,] our situation today would be better. For 30 years, we have waged
battles in the camp that have aroused [desire] for revenge, handed down from
generation to generation. The only ones benefiting from this are the Jews
and their helpers. We will not be involved in the [internal] Lebanese
struggle."[9]
On its website, the Lebanese MTV channel reported, citing activists in the
Salafi-jihadi stream, that the motivation for the decision on the conflict
with Israel is the leaders' understanding that "difficult battles are
expected between Israel and the resistance in Gaza and Lebanon."[10] These
statements can be interpreted as indicating an intention to help Hizbullah –
which is at this time waging an all-out war against them in Syria and
Lebanon – in a future war against Israel. Jamal Hamed even said that the
Salafi-jihadis were determined "to fight the Jews alongside anyone who bears
arms to liberate Al-Aqsa."[11]
The leaders also directed a reassuring message to the Syrian regime, the
toppling of which they had until recently supported. Thus, Al-Shihabi, by
saying "There is one direction and it is Jerusalem and Palestine," was
espousing the Syrian regime's narrative about the revolution against it.
With regard to the rest of the fronts, such as Syria and Iraq, he said:
"Even if the motive that led them to break out was oppression – and it is
this that we believe, and for this that we and our young people have come
out – we are certain that America's hand is guiding the revolutions [in the
region] in order to divert the struggle from its real direction."
Al-Akhbar reported, citing a Lebanese source, that several wanted men in Ein
Al-Hilweh had in July 2017 asked that the Lebanese government allow them to
be included in the Hizbullah-ISIS deal regarding Arsal and that they be
"permitted [to leave to leave the refugee camp and] go to the [Syrian] Golan
Heights, to establish there a Ghuraba Falesteen Brigade." The source added:
"They promised that they do not want to be involved in the Syrian quagmire
but want to plan for jihad for the sake of Palestine, which they think is
nigh." The source also stressed that the Lebanese government had rejected
this proposal.[12] Al-Akhbar had published a report on this matter in July
2017, in which it stated that wanted men from Ein Al-Hilweh, among them
Osama Al-Shihabi, had asked to be included in the deal and to be allowed to
leave the camp for Syria, and that the Lebanese government had rejected
their request.[13]
Criticism Of Al-Qaeda
Apparently, as part of their efforts to reconcile Lebanese public opinion,
which is apprehensive about the establishment of pro-Al-Qaeda elements on
their soil, Al-Shihabi and Hamed stressed in their statements that their
move was independent, and that they had no ties to Al-Qaeda. Al-Shihabi told
Al-Akhbar: "Our contacts with the leadership of the organization [i.e.
Al-Qaeda] have been severed, and [this initiative] is independently
motivated."
Criticizing Al-Qaeda and the global jihad movement, which they said had
diverted the struggle from Jerusalem to other arenas, Al-Shihabi stressed
that there is "one direction, and that is Jerusalem and Palestine," before
Syria and Iraq. He noted: "According to our perception, jihad is a means and
not an end. We will not be deterred even if thousands of martyrs fall among
us – but we want it to be for a goal. We want to eat the fruit, not burn the
tree...
"Palestine is ours. This was the direction [before], and there must be a
return to it... The situation that existed until today will not return...
The idea of the fighting the Jews is very ancient. We had dreamed of
fighting the Jews in the framework of a great plan, but all these plans have
failed... [To date] there has been no courage to relinquish several previous
perceptions."
Likewise, Jamal Hamed said: "Throughout history, they have thwarted us
[Palestinians], and involved us in issues to which we are unconnected. The
rifle that we will carry from today onwards will be in order to fight the
Zionist-Crusader program."[14]
* N. Mozes is a Research Fellow at MEMRI.
[1] For years, Ein Al-Hilweh, situated near Sidon and the largest
Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, was known as a center of tension due to
the rivalry and struggles for areas of control among the various Palestinian
factions, and gun battles between groups frequently made headlines. Over
time, the camp became a refuge for men wanted by the Lebanese security
forces. Additionally, Salafi-jihadi activists in the camp participated in
the 2013 clashes alongside followers of Lebanese Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir
against Lebanese Army forces (see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 988,
Lebanese Salafi Sheikh Al-Asir Launches Armed Struggle Against 'Shi'ite'
Lebanese Army, June 26, 2013). Some Salafi-jihadi activists, such as Al-Shihabi,
were also wanted by Lebanese security forces for their involvement in
attacks within Lebanon against Lebanese and foreign interests.
[2] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 7077, Iraqi PM Protests Hizbullah-ISIS
Deal, Ignites Controversy Within Resistance Camp, September 3, 2017.
[3] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), July 31, 2017.
[4] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 3, 2018.
[5] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1880, Lebanon Publishes New Evidence of
Ties Between Syria and Fath Al-Islam, April 9, 2008; MEMRI Inquiry and
Analysis No. 365, Syrian Efforts to Deny Fath Al-Islam Affiliation With
Syrian Intelligence, June 22, 2007; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 1747, In
Letter to U.N. Secretary-General, Lebanese Prime Minister Accuses Syria of
Being Behind Fath Al-Islam, October 31, 2017.
[6] See Endnote 1.
[7] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 3, 2018.
[8] MTV.com.lb, March 3, 2018.
[9] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 3, 2018.
[10] MTV.com.lb, March 3, 2018.
[11] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 3, 2018.
[12] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 3, 2018.
[13] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), July 31, 2018.
[14] Al-Akhbar (Lebanon), March 3, 2018.
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