Posted on July 1, 2013 by Administrator
Orient Tendencies
Monday July 1, 2013, no138
Weekly information and analysis bulletin specialized in Arab Middle Eastern affairs prepared by neworientnews.com
Editor in chief Wassim Raad
wassimraad73@gmail.com
New Orient Center for Strategic policies
The “Harirism” and the terrorist plot
By Ghaleb Kandil
Recent developments in Lebanon show, without a doubt, the importance of political, financial and material support provided by the Future Movement to takfirist and terrorist groups consisting of a Lebanese-Syrian Palestinian mixture. These extremist groups, created by Saad Hariri, have evolved over the past two years, proxy forces to countries that conspire against Syria and as an abscess threatening the security and stability of Lebanon.
Officials of the Future lie shamelessly when expressing their support to the Lebanese army. For the campaign against the army is promoted and sustained by figures of this movement, who spread hatred and suspicion against the military, such as members of the Futur bloc, MP’s Khaled Daher, Mouïn Merhebi, Mohammad Kabbara and Nouhad Machnouk. And after the events of Abra, the leaders of the Future Movement has been leading the campaign to undermine confidence in the military in order to weaken it after its decision to dismantle extremist groups that constitute a danger for the Lebanese stability.
The chants in Sidon and Tripoli against the “harirism” reflect disappointment of the extremists vis-à-vis those who funded them and who have abandoned them as soon as the balance of power has changed to the detriment of one of the main groups, the one of Ahmad al-Asir. It is clear that the Future Movement seeks to strengthen its presence and influence in the street, on the bodies of those he pushed into the arms of extremists. These young people were encouraged to take up arms and attack the army from political speeches and positions of the leaders of Mustaqbal as Ahmad Hariri, Ashraf Rifi, and above MP’s.
Recent events have shown that the military enjoys strong popular support. Attempts to mobilize the street in Tripoli and Akkar, after Friday prayers, were a fiasco. Only a few hundred armed men roamed the streets, while the majority of people stayed home.
The real problem of the Future is its lack of credibility. It claims that it rejects violence, but in reality, it supports at all levels extremist groups and has its own militia, as the “Tripoli brigade” led by the retired officer Amid Hammoud. The problem is getting worse because of the political groups are emerging in the traditionally favorable Moustaqbal environments in an attempt to attract some. These groups, such as Jamaa Islamiya and the Islamic Liberation Party and other extremist movements, began to sponsor armed militias.
It is clear that the “harirism” through his hypocrisy, pulled out of the Pandora’s box a monster it will be difficult to control. Also, the battle against extremism in all its forms passes through the struggle against the Future Movement.
The national plan to be adopted to protect Lebanon from fitna and terrorism-takfirist must be based on the strengthening of Arab nationalist movements and resistant on the Sunni scene. They must be supported politically and popularly. Similarly, we must support the military to clean Lebanon from terrorist groups created by the “harirism” to face resistance. Especially since most of extremist gangs are linked to al-qaïdistes al-Nosra Front and so-called Free Syrian Army, now present in the North, in the Bekaa and in some Palestinian refugee camps and neighborhoods of Beirut and Saida.
Million protest in Egypt against Morsi
![]()
Millions of Egyptians took to the streets on Sunday for nationwide protests against President Mohammed Morsi, presenting a massive popular opposition that rivaled the size of demonstrations that toppled President Hosni Moubarak more than two years ago.
By early evening in the country’s capital, protesters marched through streets that were almost empty of cars. Shops and restaurants throughout Cairo remained closed as many Egyptians hunkered down amid expectations of violence.
Cairo’s streets were filled with the sounds of honking horns and chants against Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood organization that had brought him to power. The Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo was set ablaze by antigovernment protesters, privately owned Egyptian satellite channel Al Hayat reported.
The size of the demonstrations exceeded any of the hundreds of protests that have taken place since Mubarak stepped down amid an upwelling of popular anger in February 2011.
The massive show of force marked a major victory for Egypt’s secular-leaning opposition and offered a strong rebuke to Mr. Morsi’s repeated claims that most Egyptians stood behind the country’s first-ever elected president.
Buoyed by the massive crowds, the National Salvation Front, an umbrella group of politicians and activists that leads the opposition to Mr. Morsi, released a statement calling on Egyptians to remain in city squares until Mr. Morsi agrees to step aside.
“The masses have agreed on toppling Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood,” the statement read. “The NSF calls on all revolutionary forces and citizens to remain peaceful in the fields and streets, villages and countryside until the fall of the last bastions of this despotic organization.”
Secularist protesters accuse the president and the Muslim Brotherhood organization that he used to lead of attempting to dominate the government. A rash of rolling blackouts, gas shortages and rising prices that many Egyptians blame on Mr. Morsi has added to Egypt’s volatile atmosphere and raised expectations of violence.
Mr. Morsi and his supporters argue that the president is leading the country with the blessing of the ballot box. Brotherhood spokespeople remind their opponents that the Egyptian public has voted in favor of Brotherhood’s candidates and the initiatives they have supported each time voters have gone to the polls in the past 28 months.
By nightfall, Mr. Morsi showed no sign of yielding. In a televised address to the nation, the president repeated his offer to talk to opposition leaders, but denied rumors in the local media that he would fire his unpopular prime minister, Hisham Qandil.
At Ittihadiya Palace, the president’s primary residence, pro-democracy activists were joined by families and small children. Vendors sold popcorn and juice, adding to a carnivallike atmosphere that defied predictions of a violent confrontation between Mr. Morsi’s supporters and the growing ranks of his critics.
Many of the protesters hoisted red cards against Mr. Morsi—a reference to when soccer referees raise a red card to announce that a player has been disqualified from a match.
“Morsi hasn’t given us our future,” said one man who was standing outside Ittihadiya Palace early Sunday evening. “He thinks his people, the Brotherhood, can make Egypt proud. But so far, he’s no different from Mubarak.”
Protesters carried signs emblazoned with the word “Irhal!” or “Leave!” reprised slogans from the revolution that ousted Mr. Mubarak.
Demonstrations of comparable size were reported throughout the country, with streams of Egyptians flooding streets in the coastal city of Alexandria, southern Egypt and the heavily populated Nile Delta region.
By noon, several thousand people had trickled into downtown Cairo’s Tahrir Square to chant slogans against Mr. Morsi and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood organization that brought him to power one year ago.
Protests against the president began in earnest at around four o’clock in the afternoon, when demonstrators gathered in marches from across the city and began walking toward Tahrir Square and Ittihadiya Palace.
A few miles away in the Cairo suburb of Nasser City, thousands of pro-Morsi protesters continued a dayslong sit-in Raba’a el Adaweya Square.
Mr. Morsi’s supporters, who numbered in the thousands, came prepared for violence. Many sported construction helmets, carried large sticks and at times jogged through the square in military-style rows.
“What’s happening in Tahrir Square is undemocratic,” said Mohammed Abu Eila, 37, a day laborer who said he had traveled from the Upper Egyptian city of Minya on Thursday to join the pro-Morsi sit-in. “We want to demonstrate that Islamists are peaceful and we respect the rules of democracy.”
There was little visible security presence in Cairo, but security forces have been making preparations throughout the country.
Soldiers set up checkpoints at the entrances to the capital on Sunday morning to check cars for weapons, the Pan-Arabic television network Al Jazeera reported. By noon, security personnel had confiscated 232 weapons and arrested 47 people, Egypt’s official state news agency reported.
Sunday’s protests were planned nearly two months ago by a signature-gathering campaign called “Tamarod” or “Rebel.” At a boisterous news conference on Saturday, the group said it had gathered 22 million signatures—a large number considering Egypt’s estimated population of 93 million people.
“It’s time for a revolution against a regime that sold the revolution to the guidance bureau,” Mohammed Abdel Aziz, a prominent activist, told a cheering crowd at Saturday’s Tamarod news conference. “Mohammed Morsi is no longer the legitimate president of Egypt!”
By way of a rebuttal, Mr. Morsi’s Islamist backers have organized their own petition in support of the president they called “Tagarod” or “Impartiality.” That group on Saturday said it had gathered 26 million signatures and was aiming to collect 30 million in coming days.
There is nothing in Egypt’s constitution that obliges Mr. Morsi to respond to either of the signature-gathering campaigns, but anti-Morsi activists hope the petition, alongside street-level protests, will force Mr. Morsi to step down and call for early presidential elections.
By Matt Bradley (The Wall Street Journal)
______________________________________________________________
Statements
Jean Kahwaji, Commander in chief of the Lebanese army
«The army responded to an armed group that attacked her with premeditation and after it warned it will respond to fire with fire. The Army is a national army, it does not make the difference between a community and another. It belongs to all Lebanese and wants to maintain good relations with all religious communities and all political parties, provided they comply with the laws and institutions. All Lebanese to support the army and do not turn the country into pockets of insecurity. All political forces should support and cooperate with the military institution.»
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister
«Russia is committed to arranging a peace conference on the Syria conflict but other countries and groups are complicating matters by trying to set preconditions. Shipments of weapons to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad contradict the concept of the conference. The opposition, which is supported by the West, and other countries in the region announced they are not going to the conference as long as the regime doesn’t agree to capitulate.»
Michel Aoun , Free Patriotic Movement’s leader
«It wasn’t me who started the fight around an extension to army chief Jean Kahwaji’s term. It was Saad Hariri who wanted to take advantage of people’s feelings in order to pass the illegal extension. I am against extensions when it comes to such public service positions. There are laws that we must respect, otherwise, why have rules and regulations only to make exceptions? There are plans to hold a parliamentary session in which they will propose an extension, and I wanted to present our point of view on the matter. The question is: Who is proposing the draft law and why is it being treated as urgent? We have three months left, why the hurry? The draft law proposes a three-year extension for the top officers, which will result in a bunch of old people in the army. Can a field commander operate like a lawyer or an ambassador from behind a desk? I will appeal and I have already prepared for such a course. I cannot possibly sit by and watch state institutions be destroyed one after the other — laws are violated along with the constitution, without regard for the system of regulations. How do we govern without laws, or a constitution, or any kind fixed principles? The constitution and the law will merely become points of view, nothing more (…) The dispute is not with Hezbollah. It is with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, unless Hezbollah decides to support the extension. We disagreed on the parliamentary extension, but I think that is something that can be repaired. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, let’s just see what happens. We are not copies of one another. We disagreed on three occasions: Nahr al-Bared, the electricity workers’ labor dispute, and the election law. Disagreement becomes bothersome to an alliance when they increase, and a reassessment may be in order. Everyone has a limit as to how much they can take, and when they reach that point, then a reassessment may be in order. It could keep you where you are, or prompt you to change your position, which is the more likely outcome.»
Hassan Fadlallah, Hezbollah MP
«The army led military operations alone, but Ahmad al-Asir attacked our positions and regions where we operate. We were not absolutely a stakeholder in what happened. This is pure slander to undermine the morale of the army. We defended ourselves in cases of extreme necessity, and we did not take part in the operations. The project concocted by Ahmad al-Asir and the Future Movement, which has provided him with a political umbrella, led the country in the end to fitna, to target the resistance and made the game of American-Israeli project.»
Marwan Charbel, Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister
«What is happening in Syria will soon reach Lebanon and it will begin with the high number of Syrians present in the country especially since they will not return to Syria. If things remain the same, this will be the last government and the last president in Lebanon. The army does not accept anyone’s help. This is an insult to the army… and in case Hezbollah participated in the clashes in Sidon, the investigation will reveal it. I fear assassinations and car bombs and explosives. Standing united we will put an end to such things. Lebanon has entered a dark tunnel. This will lead to the use of assassinations and explosive methods which will create Sunni-Shiite strife, something that has been simmering for a long time.»
Saoud al-Faisal, Saudi’s Foreign Minister
«We can only consider Syria as an occupied land, which requires fast and strong international reaction. Hezbollah, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the unlimited support of the Russian weapons, all contribute to slay the Syrians. The regime exterminates the Syrian people.»
Omrane al-Zohbi, Syria’s Information Minister
«The violence in Syria comes from Saudi arms of Saudi money and terrorists linked to Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, has Syrian blood stained hands. Saudi diplomacy is faltering and it has no place in a political solution in Syria. The words of Saud are only dreams and illusions.»
Wael Abu Faour, Lebanon’s caretaker Social Affairs Minister
«The issue of the the Syrian refugee has gone beyond providing material needs and material support for the refugees. It has also surpassed the capacity of Lebanese society and the Lebanese state. One of these possibilities is to establish several centers for distributing aid along the Lebanese-Syrian border where Syrians can receive aid and then return to their homes if they are residing in places that are still secure. But such a project would require reaching international understandings which surpass the influence of the Lebanese state. A second possibility is to establish a reception zone along the Syrian-Lebanese border, run by the Lebanese state and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, where the identity of the refugees is double checked. Those who are refugees according to international standards will be welcomed into Lebanon… other cases which don’t meet the conditions can be studied on a case-by-case basis.»
___________________________________________________________
Events
- The top US military officer said on Wednesday he has recommended bolstering Lebanese forces grappling with the fallout from Syria’s civil war by sending in military trainers and accelerating arms sales. General Martin Dempsey also said he had recommended helping Iraq better deal with the re-emergence of al Qaeda. “We’ve made a recommendation that as we look at the challenges faced by the Lebanese armed forces, the Iraqi security forces with a re-emerging al Qaeda in Iraq, and the Jordanians, that we would work with them to help them build additional capability,” Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon. A spokesman said Dempsey’s recommendations were made “in recent weeks” during internal discussions with the US military’s Central Command, as it deliberates how to respond to the growing, regional unrest.
- The Gulf Cooperation Council will hold a meeting in Riyadh next week to agree the mechanisms for imposing sanctions on members of Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, its head Abdullatif al-Zayani said. The monarchies of the GCC decided on June 10 to impose sanctions on members of Hezbollah targeting their residency permits and their financial and business activities in reprisal for the Shiite group’s armed intervention in Syria. The sanctions would be implemented “in coordination… with ministers of commerce and the central banks of the GCC”, he added, without giving further details about the precise nature of the mechanisms. Qatari authorities expelled 18 Lebanese citizens from the gas-rich Gulf state on June 20, a government source in Beirut told AFP.
______________________________________________________________
Press review
As Safir (Lebanese daily, Arab nationalist, June 28, 2013)
No sign indicates that the formation of the new government could overcome the conditions on both sides. The emissary of Walid Jumblatt, Minister Wael Abu Faour, met in Saudi Arabia earlier this week the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the presence of Ghattas Khoury and Saudi officials for exchanges focused on the process of setting up the Cabinet. Back in Beirut, Abu Faour visited, according to informed sources, the President Michel Sleiman, Najib Mikati as well as Tammam Salam, to inform them about his discussions in Riyadh. He also had a telephone conversation with the Minister of Amal Ali Hassan Khalil and met Nabih Berry with Minister Ghazi Aridi. However, these sources told that the report presented by Wael Abu Faour to Lebanese officials not foreshadowed possible breakthrough. In particular, they reported a position as negative as vehemently expressed by Saud al-Faisal, in connection with the battle in Sidon. These sources conclude that so far, the obstacles remain the same, not to say they are even more complicated. No government taking away the Hezbollah will be formed. Nabih Berry insisted on this point in the presence of Jumblatt’s envoys.
As Safir (June 28, 2013)
Imad Marmal
The relationship between General Michel Aoun and Hezbollah passes through a particularly critical phase. Hezbollah understands the concerns of its ally, but he is not willing to join. The party believes that the extension of the mandate of the Lebanese army commander, General Jean Kahwaji, is a necessity at the moment. Hezbollah would have preferred that the issue is not raised at this stage, but it will vote in favor of the project. In fact, the party had made its decision in this regard before the battle of Abra, although this battle has strengthened his confidence vis-à-vis the Armed Forces Commander. Sources close to Hezbollah were surprised by the escalation conducted by general Aoun. In fact, the party had notified him month ago about his decision to support the extension of the mandate of the commander in chief.
As Safir (June 26, 2013)
Instead of building on the the Lebanese army achievement in Sidon, to open new perspectives on the political and security front, Lebanon continues to face an acute cleavage, which could sweep this feat. The attempt by some to exploit what happened in Abra to turn a hostile front against Hezbollah, using the pretext of the policy of the two weights, two measures when it comes to enforcing the law, is deplorable. Ahmad al-Asir vanished but his ideas remained intact through the leaders of the Future Movement, which adopted the same rhetoric concerning security perimeters, amid accusations that Hezbollah would have taken part in the events in Abra. However, Nabih Berri has categorically denied any involvement of members of Hezbollah and Amal Movement in this battle. While emphasizing the right and duty of the army in maintaining security and stability, Berry assured that no region was prohibited to the army. “We support it in its efforts to suppress any security breach, everywhere, even in Dahieh,” he stressed.
An Nahar (Lebanese daily close to March-14 coalition
(June 28 2013)
The Minister of Social Affairs Wael Abu Faour, who held talks in Saudi Arabia at the request of the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Jumblatt. returned to Beirut with the impression that Saudi officials consider the formation of the government as a Lebanese internal affair and that the Prime Minister-designate, Tammam Salam, takes the positions he wants.
Mr. Abou Faour sent his impressions to Salam. Observers believed that the Saudi position is a positive factor for Mr. Salam, helping its efforts to engage in free efforts. Prime Minister-designate still waiting for the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who promised him an answer at the end of their meeting last Monday, after consultations with his allies in 8-March coalition. But a ministerial source said that there is nothing new about the government’s case and that the conditions of the various protagonists remain the same.
Al Hayat (Lebanese daily financed by Saudi Arabia, June 26 2013)
Diplomatic sources of the United Nations in New York reported their deep concern over the developments in Lebanon and the broader scope of sectarian violence in Syria, which could undermine stability in neighboring countries. The sources added that the situation is being closely monitored, particularly given the roaming security incidents in the north east (near the Syrian border) and south (Sidon), which would be likely to cause tension in a safe the UNIFIL area of operation.
Al Akhbar (Lebanese Daily close to the Lebanese Resistance, June 28, 2013)
Fresh clashes broke out in Lebanon’s southern city of Sidon Friday afternoon when armed supporters of fugitive Salafi Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir provoked a confrontation with Lebanese soldiers. Dozens of armed Islamists, following prayers at a local mosque, marched towards the suburb of Abra to Assir’s compound – which is under control of the army – and opened fire at soldiers, according to the National News Agency. No casualties have been reported.
The army launched a manhunt for the extremist cleric after he fled a two-day battle earlier this week which killed 18 soldiers.
Meanwhile in the Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli, which has been home to frequent clashes involving Islamists, gunmen shut down a major road and forced shop owners lock up. They also fired into the air as they tore down a banner showing Future leader Saad Hariri and replaced it with one of Ahmad al-Assir, according to TV reports.
Lebanon’s Salafis were until very recently close to Hariri, who is widely acknowledged to have been one of their main backers, but many now consider him a traitor after distancing himself from the radicals following their attack on the Lebanese army in Sidon.
Salafi fundamentalists have been simmering with anger since they lost a couple dozen of their brethren Sunday and Monday during a fierce battle with Lebanon’s army in Abra.
The battle was sparked after a group of gunmen ambushed an army checkpoint in Abra on Sunday and killed a number of soldiers. The gunmen then retreated to a nearby safe-house under control of Assir’s militants where the battle ensued.
Al Akhbar (June 21, 2013)
Mayasa al-Muhammadi
In a speech announcing his acceptance of his father’s transfer of power, the new emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, tried to hint that he would take a different approach than his father, despite showering the latter with praise as the man behind “Qatar’s modern renaissance.” However, it was not clear whether these hints will have a practical interpretation, or if it was just a way for the new emir to get across his plans to stake out an independent path. “We as Muslims…respect the diversity of all creeds and religions, in our countries and beyond,” he said. But perhaps the key sentence in the speech was: “We as Arabs refuse to divide Arab societies on a sectarian basis because this would damage their social and economic fabric, and prevent their modernization and development on the basis of citizenship, regardless of religion or sect.”
The emir, sponsor of the takfiri clerics in the region led by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, also said that sectarian divisions “allow foreign powers to interfere in the affairs of Arab countries.”
This, mind you, came from none other than the ruler of the state that has made strife in Syria the top item on its agenda. Yet the new emir did not name Syria in his 15-minute speech, instead summoning Palestine, which he said Qatar would continue to support.
“We are a state, a people, a cohesive society – not a political party. We therefore seek to maintain relations with all governments and nations. We respect all dedicated and influential political movements in the region, and side with no party against another.”
Some construed the above as a friendly nod toward Iran. Regardless, the new emir only addressed his country’s stance on Arab and international issues in passing, even when the Qataris have their fingers in many pies these days. According to observers, this could mean that the Tamim will focus on domestic affairs and averting internal problems arising from the sudden change at the helm.
Interestingly, Tamim said, “There would be greater scrutiny into the massive investments by the state at home and abroad.” In truth, this particular issue has been a point of major contention between the new emir and the outgoing Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber who controls the Qatar Investment Fund.
Under bin Jassim, the fund made huge international investments, often drawing the ire of the Western press over the Qatari wholesale purchase of flagship brands and prized acquisitions, from real estate to sports clubs, in London, Paris, Madrid, and New York.
Shortly after the speech broadcast on Qatari state television, Tamim, who took over a few days after a meeting brought together his father and US Secretary of State John Kerry, signed a decree forming a new government headed by Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani.
Abdullah was also appointed interior minister, while Khalid al-Attiyah was appointed foreign minister. Mohammed al-Sada retained his post as minister of industry and energy.
The decree also abolished some ministries, created new ones, and merged others. The cabinet lineup includes three members of the ruling Thani family and one woman. The new technocratic government, as some have described it, has the self-declared task of “propelling the state forward,” and seems to have gone some steps beyond representing powerful Qatari clans and families, as had been the habit.
The new prime minister is known to have a quiet personality, and belongs to the conservative wing of the ruling family, with close links to Islamist groups. In June 2013, he travelled to the US and met Senators John McCain and Dianne Feinstein, and Congressman Michael McCaul.
In the past two years, Tamim has forged an extensive network of relationships in the Gulf, and often represented Qatar in meetings related to terrorism and security affairs.
It appears from the cabinet lineup that Tamim fears retribution from Hamad bin Jassim, which explains why he sought to “purge” the state from his supporters. One particular challenge he faces involves certain business people with strong ties to bin Jassim. For this reason, Tamim appointed the former premier’s foes, Khaled and Hamad al-Attiyah, in the ministries of foreign affairs and defense.
To congratulate the new emir, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa visited Doha, in addition to Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud.
On Wednesday, John Kerry telephoned the new emir, and said he hoped for further cooperation between the two countries. Kerry also spoke by telephone with the outgoing Emir Hamad.
Al Akhbar (June 26, 2013)
Ibrahim Al-Amine
Shortly after beating back Salafi Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir’s attempt to ignite a sectarian war in the southern Lebanese city of Saida, a chorus of his backers from the West, the Gulf, and March 14, rose up to call on the armed forces to turn their attention to Hezbollah, a group they consider armed and dangerous.
But do these forces really want to know what led to the bloody explosion in Saida? The army investigation will likely show that Assir’s attacks on the military’s checkpoints were planned in advance, the goal of which was to take their positions that overlook the adjacent Shia neighborhood of Haret Saida.
Although Assir miscalculated the army’s response, the overall plan sought to put his militia face-to-face with Hezbollah, after which his Future Party and al-Jamaa al-Islamiya (Lebanon’s Muslim Brotherhood) allies would step in and reap what they believed would be a major political victory over the Resistance.
As for some of the other forces behind Assir, like the Saudis and Qataris, they had high hopes that he would succeed in implementing his plan, despite the fact that the radical sheikh has his own way of doing things, which may explain why he would commit what appeared to many as a suicidal act by attacking and killing Lebanese army officers and soldiers in such large numbers.
Take, for example, some of the statements issued by the Saudi government regarding the events in Saida, which expressed “grave concern” and called on “all sides to end the fighting and prevent further escalation.”
At first glance, one would think that such a statement was written by the Future Movement. It responded to Assir’s attacks by calling for a ceasefire, as if the conflict were between two armed groups. The Saudis did not even bother to include a single sentence denouncing the murder of Lebanese military personnel.
In fact, Assir was part of a more comprehensive plan that had gone through several dress rehearsals over the past year. However, the stream of bad news from Syria – where the regime was making headway on several fronts – prompted them to act prematurely.
The blood of Lebanon’s fallen soldiers is on the hands of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in addition to those who knew what Assir was planning and remained quiet. It is for this reason that they and their Lebanese allies are doing all they can to place the blame for the whole calamity at Hezbollah’s doorstep.
Asharq al-Awsat (Saudi daily, June 26, 2013)
Jordan’s King Abdullah said Syria’s war could ignite a regional sectarian conflict unless global powers helped to convene peace talks soon, a pan-Arab newspaper reported on Wednesday. King Abdullah also said Palestinians could launch an Arab Spring-style revolt if they felt prospects for a peaceful settlement of their conflict with Israel had reached a dead end, the London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said.
“It has become clear to all that the Syrian crisis may extend from being a civil war to a regional and sectarian conflict… the extent of which is unknown,” King Abdullah said. “It is time for a more serious Arab and international coordination to stop the deterioration of the Syrian crisis. The situation cannot wait any longer,” he added.
King Abdullah said that efforts to convene a peace conference bringing together the Syrian government and the opposition remained “the logical and ideal way” to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
King Abdullah also welcomed efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, but warned of a narrowing window for peace due to Israeli settlement building. “Fading prospects of peace will explode relations between Palestinians and Israelis in a manner emulating the Arab Spring protests, either through a new intifada (uprising) or a new cycle of violence and counter violence,” he said.
The Daily Star (Lebanese Daily, June 29, 2013)
Bernd Debusmann (Washington)
The war in Syria and the hunt for Edward Snowden, the fugitive leaker of American secrets, have highlighted the limits of U.S. influence around the world – particularly in Russia and China, the two countries that aspire to superpower status. Together, they have blocked three U.N. Security Council resolutions on sanctions against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russia has continued to ship heavy weapons to Assad’s military, giving it an edge in a civil war whose death toll just passed 100,000. Washington and Moscow are so at odds over Syria that they failed to agree this week on when to hold and whom to invite to a peace conference they themselves had announced only last month.
President Barack Obama’s foreign policy goals of “resetting” relations with Russia and making China a global partner appear to be based more on wishful thinking than a clear-eyed assessment of their willingness for across-the-board cooperation. Snowden is a case in point.
The 30-year-old security contractor who leaked details of a vast worldwide U.S. surveillance program to the Washington Post and Britain’s Guardian first revealed his identity in Hong Kong, triggering a U.S. request for extradition on espionage charges. After the Hong Kong government dismissed the request on a technicality, apparently on advice from Beijing, Snowden flew to Moscow.
What followed is more reminiscent of U.S.-Soviet hostility than a “reset” relationship between America and Russia. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened unspecified “consequences” for Russia if it failed to extradite Snowden or allow him to seek refuge elsewhere.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response: there is no extradition treaty with the U.S. and besides, the fugitive leaker never entered Russian territory proper from the airport transit zone. Putin had blunt words for U.S. charges that Russia was aiding a man wanted on criminal charges: “ravings and rubbish.”
What added insult to American injury as the Snowden saga dragged on was evidence that at least one country in the U.S. sphere of influence – the famous “U.S. backyard” of Latin America – was just as disinclined to respond to U.S. wishes as China and Russia. The day the U.S. State Department revoked Snowden’s U.S. passport, he was issued a travel document by the London consulate of Ecuador, whose leftist president takes delight in playing the role of thorn in the American side.
After U.S. legislators warned that by granting Snowden’s asylum request, Ecuador would risk losing a preferential trade agreement, the government of President Rafael Correa said it was renouncing the accord because “Ecuador does not accept pressure or threats from anyone.” The government is still considering the request.
Inevitably in a capital as polarized as Washington, Obama critics went on another offensive against a president they have portrayed as weak, indecisive and lacking in leadership qualities. A headline on the opinion page of the Wall Street Journal conveyed the flavor of the arguments: The Age of American Impotence.
However the Snowden episode ends, said the article’s author, Bret Stephens, “what it mainly illustrates is that we are living in an age of American impotence,” with the U.S. running out of foreign influence.
Eliot Cohen, a neoconservative former adviser to President George W. Bush went a step further, saying that “nobody is afraid of this guy [Obama]. Nobody’s saying there are any real consequences that would come from crossing him – and that’s an awful position for the president of the United States to be in.”
Republican charges that Obama is not tough enough in getting world leaders fall in line with Washington have followed him from the day he took office. The view that there is a wide gap between Obama rhetoric and Obama action has been reinforced periodically on major issues, including his stand on Syria where he drew a “red line” on the use of chemical weapons and followed up months later with a decision on weapons supplies to anti-Assad rebels widely seen as little and late.
Much of the criticism, most loudly voiced by neoconservatives, is based on the assumption that it is in a president’s power to pick up the phone and tell other leaders what to do. Judging from history, that has been possible in some cases, with leaders of client states, but not in others. Cuba’s Fidel Castro and the late Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are prime examples.
Catholic News service (News Agency close to Vatican)
Cindy Wooden
A 49-year-old Syrian priest and hermit was killed June 23, apparently when a group of rebels attacked the Franciscan Convent of St. Anthony in Ghassanieh, a village in the north near the Turkish border. Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, told Vatican Radio June 24 that Father Francois Murad was not a Franciscan, but had taken refuge in the convent when it became clear he was not safe at the Syriac Catholic hermitage he was building nearby.
Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hassake-Nisibi told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, that Father Murad “sent me several messages which showed he was aware of living in a dangerous situation and was willing to offer his life for peace in Syria and the world.”
Father Pizzaballa told Vatican Radio that Ghassanieh — “like other Christian villages — has been almost completely destroyed and is almost totally abandoned.” He said he believes the only people left in Ghassanieh “are the rebels with their families, rebels who are not from Syria and who are extremists.”
“The only thing we can do, other than pray for Father Francois and all the victims, is pray that this folly ends soon and that no more weapons are sent to Syria because that would only prolong this absurd civil war,” Father Pizzaballa said.
The Franciscan leader said Syria is a “battleground, and not just between Syrian forces, but also for other Arab countries and the international community. The ones paying the price are the poor, the small and the least, including the Christians.” “The international community must put the brakes on this,” he said.
Ria Novosti (Russian News Agency, June 28, 2013)
Russia’s embassy in Damascus, as well as its naval base in the port of Tartus, are continuing to perform regular operations, though “in very stressful and unsafe conditions,” Russia’s foreign minister said Friday.
He dispelled rumors that that the facilities were to be shuttered due to the ongoing Syrian civil war, denouncing such reports as “speculation and provocation.”
Regarding the naval base, which is for Russia is a last-remaining military foothold beyond the former Soviet Union, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “there are no plans to evacuate this facility, as well as its staff.”
In February, the minister said the base, used for the maintenance and resupplying of Russian warships in the Mediterranean, had a staff of “several dozen.” Only civilians currently work at the facility, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.