LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 01/2012

Bible Quotation for today/God Is Love
01 John/04/07-19: "Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.  Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us.  We are sure that we live in union with God and that he lives in union with us, because he has given us his Spirit. And we have seen and tell others that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If we declare that Jesus is the Son of God, we live in union with God and God lives in union with us. And we ourselves know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them. Love is made perfect in us in order that we may have courage on the Judgment Day; and we will have it because our life in this world is the same as Christ's. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment.  We love because God first loved us. If we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen. The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Lebanon’s Security Concerns over Syria/By Nicholas Blanford/The Washington Institute for Near East Policy/March 31/12
Iran and the Lebanization of Syria/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 31/12
Can my enemy's enemy be my friend?/by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi and Phillip Smyth/Ha'aretz/March 31/12
An issue of sovereignty/Now Lebanon/March 31/12
Are these “killer identities”?/By Mshari al-Zaydi/Asharq Alawsat/March 31/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 31/12
Geagea slams Aoun's bloc, dismisses fears of Christian Arab marginalization
United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: Israel strike in Iran will engage US
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Speech of March 30/12
One Palestinian protester killed, dozens arrested and wounded in IDF clashes on Land Day
Palestinian protesters marking Land Day clash with IDF soldiers in Jerusalem and West Bank
Report: Israel's Mossad scales back covert operations in Iran
Obama: Global oil supply sufficient for sanctions on Iran
Australia joins list of countries warning against Israeli strike on Iran
IDF and Hamas battle Jihad Islami snipers trying to provoke Gaza warfare
Mideast officials: Obama in secret talks with Iran
Canada Expands Sanctions Against Assad Regime
Canada Slaps Sanctions on Assad Family
Ahmet Davutoğlu meets with Maronite Patriarch in historic visit
Iranian official meets Nasrallah, reiterates support for Hezbollah
Israel praises Argentina for reinvestigating Jewish community center bombing
Attacking Iran: Did US just torpedo Israeli deal for a base in Azerbaijan?
George Galloway tweets ‘long live Palestine’ to supporters after landslide U.K. by-election victory
Demonstrators peacefully mark Land Day at Beaufort Castle
Syria clashes overshadow Annan plan
Clinton seeks tighter U.S.-Gulf cooperation on Iran
Ex-Argentina president to stand trial for obstructing investigation into Jewish center attack
Assad regime won't back down before opposition, says Syrian Foreign Ministry
UN seeks coordinated Gulf strategy on Iran, Syria
Army thwarts arms smuggling out of Ain al-Hilweh
Exclusive: Iran helps Syria ship oil to China
Syria fighting rages as Annan urges ceasefire
U.S. Hits Syrian Defense Minister with Sanctions
Nasrallah: Assad will survive attempts to bring regime down
LAU polls see March 8 win in Beirut, March 14 triumph in Jbeil
Iranian official meets Nasrallah, reiterates support for Hezbollah
Top Iranian official tours border areas in south
March 8 rejects accusations of Cabinet corruption, inaction
Deal on tariffs paid by NSSF ends private hospitals strike
Geagea to urge Christians in region to cling to lands
Sleiman affirms support for Annan’s Syria plan
Mashnouq sets conditions for dialogue with Hezbollah
Qabbani says Cabinet electricity decision illegal
World Bank: Capital inflows skipping productive sectors
Nun Found Dead in Family's House in Mansouriyeh
Ahmadinejad Stresses Continued Support for Lebanon
Hamadeh Says MPs to Question Cabinet over Electricity Decision
Report: Mansour, Khaireddine Searching for New Foreign Ministry Location
NLP calls for cabinet’s resignation
Merhebi: Hezbollah 'only party' selling, buying arms

Geagea slams Aoun's bloc, dismisses fears of Christian Arab marginalization
 March 31, 2012/By Dana Khraiche The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea slammed Saturday the behavior of his party's rivals in the Change and Reform bloc, saying that their policy is based on safeguarding Hezbollah’s arsenal, and dismissed fears that Christians in the Arab world would be marginalized as a result of the Arab Spring.
His remarks came during an event at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure center in Downtown Beirut marking the 18th anniversary of the disbanding of the LF party as well as the series of revolts across the Arab world that have widely been termed the "Arab Spring."
In 1994, when Lebanon was under Syrian tutelage, the LF was banned, Geagea was imprisoned and the activities of the party's members were repressed. The party was revived as a political force after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005. The LF event Saturday took place under the slogan “The Spring of the People, the Autumn of Eras.”
Geagea also reassured his audience that the future existence of Christians in the Middle East was guaranteed given what he described as the presence of a moderate Muslim majority.
“Amid the struggle of people to emerge into a spring, the practices of the Change and Reform bloc in Lebanon have become a threat to the quality of political work, public affairs and the exercise of power,” he said.
He also said that the bloc, headed by MP Michel Aoun, has failed to regain the rights of Christians in Lebanon, particularly in state institutions.
“We have always heard them talking about regaining the rights of Christians in the state [apparatus]. Tell me, did this happen by attacking the presidents and via attempts to diminish his authority?” he asked.
His broadside against Aoun also included an attack on Hezbollah’s possession of arms and the alliance between the two.
"Change and Reform means first building a Lebanese state on the idea that Hezbollah remains armed and placing all strategic decisions in its hands and giving them rights of tutelage over this state,” he said.
“Secondly, it means keeping Palestinians in Lebanon -- inside and outside the camps, wherever they are -- armed or nationalizing them ... and thirdly, it means oppressing popular movements in Syria,” the LF leader added.
He addressed the youth of the Change and Reform bloc specifically, asking them to join hands with his party and revive the days when they both “struggled against tutelage” for the sake of a strong state.
During his speech, Geagea also heavily criticized the notion that the presence of Christians is threatened in the Middle East particularly in Syria where many believe that President Bashar Assad’s government protects minorities.
“If the phenomenon of the Takfiris is an undeniable fact to a limited extent, then the presence of a majority of moderate Muslims calling for freedom, democracy and true citizenship is a reality that we can't turn a blind eye to,” Geagea said.
Takfiris are Muslim extremists who arrogate to themselves the right to declare fellow Muslims apostates.
He highlighted statements by the Syrian National Council and the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria that vowed to safeguard coexistence in the country.
"We cannot neglect all these facts, statements and intentions, we must consider them a good starting point and deal with them based on that principle," he added.
He also said that the duty of figures such as himself is to encourage moderation instead of inciting racism and extremism. Geagea has been a critic of Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai who has repeatedly expressed fears for the Christians in Syria should Assad's government fall. Rai has said that violence and bloodshed were turning the “Arab Spring” into an Arab “winter,” threatening Christians and Muslims alike across the Middle East. Rai has also said that Christians feared the turmoil was helping extremist Muslim groups. In his speech, Geagea said the only solution to the the year-long violence in Syria was through a national referendum sponsored by the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council. The LF leader added that such a referendum would be based on people’s desire to keep the government intact or end Assad’s rule.
The LF, along with its allies in the March 14 coalition, have voiced support for what they describe as the “Syrian revolution” and called on Assad to step down. They have also criticized Syria’s allies in Lebanon including Aoun and Hezbollah for supporting the Syrian government.
ACTIVISTS
At the start of the ceremony, several Arab activists who have struggled against what they described as oppressive regimes spoke separately, either in person or via video on a televised screen.
The Tunisian activist Abdel-Raouf Ayyadi praised Lebanon’s uprising in 2005, which was followed by an end to Syria’s tutelage over the country, and said that citizenship and freedom should be the main pillars of any state.
“Citizenship, rights and freedom constitute the principal barometer by which to measure the state,” Ayyadi said via a televised speech.
He added that the Tunisian revolution which began last year sparked the revolutions in other Arab countries.
The second speaker was Egyptian Member of Parliament Mohammed Bou Hamed who began by saluting Geagea, his struggle, the Lebanese Forces and Lebanon.
“Lebanon overcame the barrier of fear and the Arab Spring was launched ... on a day when everyone [else] cowered in fear,” Bou Hamed said, adding that both the Egyptian and Lebanese people revolted for similar reasons.
The reason for the Arab Spring, according to the Egyptian official, was a thirst for freedom, dignity, coexistence and the preservation of national identity.
He also saluted the March 14 martyrs especially former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri as well as the Egyptians who died following the start of Egypt's revolution on Jan. 25, 2010.
“Samir Geagea is the Muslim-Christian man, the symbol of coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon,” he added. “Egypt is fine and will remain so,” Bou Hamed said, affirming coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Egypt.
“Christians in Egypt are fine and will remain so, God willing, and the blood of the Muslim martyrs will be a sacrifice for them,” he said. A member of the Syrian opposition, Hadil Kawki, spoke via video, slamming President Bashar Assad’s treatment of Christians and stressing that the Syrian government is not the protector of minorities.
She began her speech by talking about the time she was arrested prior to the uprising, which began in mid-March, and was allegedly tortured in prison.
“My friends and I were arrested for a long period of time and we were tortured in prison. We say people in Daraa and Homs are dying,” she said.
She also slammed Christians in Lebanon who support the government in Syria, saying that such Lebanese and Syrian Christian leaders neglected Christians’ suffering in Syria.
“Since the beginning of the revolution, the regime has been using Christians as a card before the West,” she said, adding that opposition members were against sectarianism, which only benefits the government.
Kawki thanked the Lebanese Forces and Geagea for giving activists such as herself the chance to speak about their experiences as Christians.
Kawki was followed by Libyan civil rights activist Fathiyya Hajjaji who saluted the Lebanese and the Syrians for their struggle against oppression.
“This Arab Spring is a phase to reformulate the political reality in the Arab world in which the president was the sole decision-maker ... but now the people are the decision-makers and the executers as well,” she said.
She added that Lebanon’s spring in 2005 was the seed which spread to Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria.
Hajjaji detailed the decades of oppressive and bloody rule under late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
She also responded to what she described as pseudo-advocates of human rights who want to prosecute those who killed Gadhafi, saying: “The tyrant was killed in battle [because] he surprised the revolutionaries and pulled his gun at them; he was not killed according to a premeditated plan.”
Gadhafi was killed in October of 2010 by fighters in Sirte, his hometown. His bloodied body was stripped and displayed around the world by cell phone video.
Mona Ebeid, an Egyptian civil rights activist, also spoke at the ceremony, noting the role of the LF in defeating oppression and praising MP Strida Geagea’s efforts to amend laws that discriminate against women.
She also said that Egypt stands today at a crossroads and is passing through a “critical” phase.
“This is the most critical phase since the start of the revolution; [what is needed is] formulating a new Constitution to strengthen the idea of citizenship at the expense of religion and sectarianism by having laws, regulations and an independent judiciary,” she added

United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta: Israel strike in Iran will engage US
News Agencies /US defense secretary says Washington can find itself involved in Iran sooner than desired if Israel decides to launch military strike  United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told US Marines and sailors on Friday that Afghanistan is making progress against the Taliban but Iran remains a potential threat to the US. "If Israel decides to go after Iran and we have to defend ourselves, we could be engaged sooner than any of us want," he said.It was not clear whether Panetta was saying the United States would automatically be engaged if Israel would attack. It also is not clear if the Obama administration has plans to be engaged with Iran. "Our focus is on diplomacy and international pressure on Iran. I'm not going to speculate on what would happen in various scenarios other than to say that we will be ready," Carl Woog, Panetta's spokesman, said later. "The secretary said we have plans for any contingency and we're not going to speculate about timelines or future actions," he added.
US role in Afghanistan winding down. Answering questions from service members and journalists, Panetta also said last year was a turning point for the war in Afghanistan, where the US is winding down its combat role.Afghan forces are doing their job in the country and more than 50% of the Afghan population is now living in areas secured by the Afghan government – showing the US strategy of handing over the security to them is working – but ultimately it will be up to Afghans, the secretary said. "We can't let anything, anything undermine that strategy," he said. He said the level of violence in Afghanistan dropped last year for the first time in five years and the Taliban was weakened. Panetta also addressed North Korea's threat to fire a missile."They've done this before. We thought we were in a period of accommodation with them. Now it looks like we're in a period of provocation," Panetta said, adding later: "Our hope is that you know it is just provocation for the moment."

Report: Israel's Mossad scales back covert operations in Iran
Haaretz?According to Time Magazine report, operations have been reduced in areas such as high-profile missions, including assassinations and detonations at Iranian missile bases, as well as in recruiting spies inside the Iranian nuclear program. A Time Magazine report revealed on Friday that Israeli intelligence services have scaled back their covert operations inside Iran, senior security officials told the magazine. According to the report, operations have been reduced in areas such as high-profile missions, including assassinations and detonations at Iranian missile bases, as well as in recruiting spies inside the Iranian nuclear program and efforts to gather on-the-ground intelligence. The report further states that according to one official, the reductions have caused “increasing dissatisfaction” inside the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. Another official credits the reduced activities to the reluctance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who the official says is worried about the outcome of the operations being discovered. According to Time Magazine, Iranian intelligence already cracked a cell trained and equipped by the Mossad. Western intelligence confirmed that the detailed confession of Majid Jamali Fashid over the January 2010 assassination by motorcycle bomb of nuclear scientist Massoud Ali Mohmmadi was genuine, and blamed a third country for exposing the cell.
The magazine also states that a newfound U.S. reluctance to turn a blind eye to said assassinations may be a thing of the past. After the killing of nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan in January, the United States “categorically” denied involvement in the death and issued a condemnation.
According to Time Magazine, scaling back covert operations against Iran carries costs, especially as Iran hurries to disperse its centrifuges into facilities deep underground. In one intelligence finding, an Israeli official says Iran itself estimates that sabotage to date has set back its centrifuge program by two full years. The computer virus known as Stuxnet is only the best known of a series of efforts to slow the Iranian program. That effort involves a variety of governments besides Israel, involving equipment made to purposely malfunction after being tampered with before it physically entered Iran, says the report. The setbacks have prompted Iran to announce it would manufacture all components of its nuclear program itself – something outside experts are highly skeptical Tehran has the ability to actually do.

Clinton seeks tighter U.S.-Gulf cooperation on Iran
March 31, 2012/By Bradley Klapper/Daily Star
RIYADH: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States seeks improved strategies with Arab Gulf states on maritime security and missile defense to counter the threat of Iran.
Clinton says the U.S. and Gulf governments share concerns about Iran's nuclear activity and interference in the affairs of Arab countries. She is telling them that partnership with the U.S. has "enormous potential" to advance common interests. Clinton spoke Saturday at a security conference in Saudi Arabia. She said U.S. commitment to the Gulf is "rock-solid and unwavering."Clinton met Friday for almost two hours with Saudi King Abdullah to discuss issues from oil market stability to pressuring President Bashar Assad to halt his regime's violence in Syria.Clinton attends a 60-nation conference on Syria in Istanbul on Sunday.

Army thwarts arms smuggling out of Ain al-Hilweh
March 31, 2012/By Mohammed Zaatari The Daily Star
SIDON, Lebanon: The Lebanese army thwarted an attempt Saturday to smuggle hand grenades and ammunition out of Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.
The army's sensory equipment detected ammunition inside a car whose driver, Mahmoud Terro, had been under surveillance. Terro was arrested and the army confiscated the ammunition and grenades, which turned out to be hidden near the car's engine. High-ranking security sources, who provided this information to The Daily Star, also said that Terro is from Iqlim al-Kharoub, has a history of trading in arms and was arrested on several occasion for such crimes.The army had recently eased tight security around the refugee camp, the largest in the country, following protests by inhabitants but resumed stringent measures Saturday following the security incident. The army tightened security measures earlier this month after it intercepted a taxi just as it left Ain al-Hilweh that turned out to have a 12.7 heavy DShK machine gun hidden in the trunk. The weapon was concealed inside a water heater that had been reconstructed to conceal the gun.
The measures were also introduced by the Lebanese Army due to its pursuit of Tawfiq Taha, who is accused of heading a terror cell that penetrated army ranks. Taha is reportedly holed up in Ain al-Hilweh.
The army has demanded that Palestinian factions and Islamist forces inside the camp hand over Taha to the authorities

Lebanon’s Security Concerns over Syria
By Nicholas Blanford
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
March 30, 2012
Given Lebanon’s deep political divisions and traditional subservience to Damascus, the West should not expect too much help from Beirut in resolving the Syria crisis.
Since the uprising against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad began a year ago, Lebanon has lived in fear that the worsening violence will spill across the border. In recent days, that fear has come close to being realized with reports that Syrian troops fired into Lebanon during clashes with rebels. The reports were mixed, with some stating that Syria staged an incursion across the frontier to destroy a house that allegedly harbored members of the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA), while others claimed that a few machine gun rounds strayed across the border during fighting on the Syrian side. The Lebanese government, which is backed by Damascus, denied that any incursions occurred, but opposition supporters accused Syrian troops of burning homes belonging to Lebanese who sympathize with the rebels next door.
The rival views neatly reflect a deep political division in Lebanon. The poles are represented by the Future Movement, which is headed by Saad Hariri and openly champions the Syrian revolutionaries and the Iranian-backed Shiite militia, Hizballah, which continues to support its ally in Damascus. Prime Minister Najib Mikati has adopted a policy of noninterference on Syria, placing it at odds with the consensus view of the twenty-two-member Arab League. Lebanon was one of only two countries to voice reservations over the league's February decision to formally recognize the Syrian opposition and ask the UN Security Council to deploy a peacekeeping force.
Signs of Spillover
Beirut's evident discomfort in facing the crisis is hardly surprising given Lebanon's long history of living in Syria's shadow, not to mention the rift between pro- and anti-Assad camps. With its fractious politics and complex sectarian demographics, Lebanon is the neighbor most susceptible to destabilizing influences emanating from the confrontation in Syria. On February 10, for example, clashes broke out between Sunni and Alawite gunmen in the northern city of Tripoli, leaving three people dead and another twenty wounded. Indeed, Lebanon's second-largest city is probably the most volatile sectarian flashpoint in the country, and clashes routinely flare there during times of political tension.
The increasingly sectarian nature of the Syrian struggle -- which pits a mainly Sunni opposition against an entrenched, mainly Alawite elite -- poses dangers for Lebanon, where Sunni-Shiite sentiment is already raw and risks becoming further enflamed. Odds are high that Tripoli and other flashpoints where Sunnis and Shiites live in close proximity will see trouble in the weeks and months ahead.
Other ominous portents include renewed tensions between the Palestinian Fatah movement and Salafi jihadist groups in the perennially unstable Ain al-Hilwa Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, arising from the exposure of a militant cell that planned to bomb Lebanese army targets. Further south, sporadic bomb attacks against the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have resumed after a hiatus of more than three years. Since May of last year, three roadside bombs have been detonated in separate attacks against vehicles carrying French and Italian troops, wounding sixteen peacekeepers. And in November-December, unidentified militants launched Katyusha rockets into Israel, the first such fire from Lebanon in more than two years. No hard evidence has emerged linking these incidents unequivocally to the Assad regime, but few Lebanese are surprised at the spate of security breaches just as Syria passes through its gravest crisis in four decades.
Battle Lines in the North and East
More direct examples of spillover can be found along Lebanon's northern and eastern borders. Syrian troops have planted landmines along much of the northern frontier and staged several brief incursions into Lebanese territory, notably near the town of Arsal in the eastern Beqa Valley and in the Wadi Khaled district in the north. Both areas are populated mainly by Sunnis who support the uprising against Assad and have harbored Syrian refugees and FSA members.
Given Beirut's sympathies with Damascus, the FSA cannot use Lebanon as a logistical and operational base for cross-border military actions inside Syria. Moreover, Wadi Khaled and Arsal are geographically small areas and therefore relatively controllable by the state. As it is, the FSA presence in Lebanon appears to be minimal and ad hoc -- a mix of fighters recovering from wounds or temporarily sheltering from Syrian army offensives on the other side of the border.
Implications for Hizballah and Iran
Lebanon's security situation in the months ahead will depend greatly on unfolding developments in Syria, largely because Hizballah and Iran face the potential breakup of their "axis of resistance" -- the pan-regional alliance of countries and actors opposed to Israel and Western interests in the Middle East. Hamas, the alliance's leading Sunni component, already appears to have abandoned its erstwhile hosts in Damascus.
For Hizballah (and Iran), the least favorable outcome would likely be a smooth transition from the Assad regime to a moderate, Western-friendly successor that better reflects Syria's Sunni majority and realigns itself away from Iran and toward Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Such a development could turn Iraq into the new regional battlefield, with Iran and its Iraqi allies facing off against Sunni Arab states led by Saudi Arabia. That scenario would leave Hizballah far from the front lines, geostrategically isolated on the shores of the Mediterranean.
If a Sunni-dominated government does emerge in Damascus, it could embolden Lebanon's Future Movement and the opposition March 14 coalition in general to take a firmer stance on Hizballah, particularly regarding the divisive issue of the Shiite group's weapons. Such assertiveness would not be without risks, however. Hizballah's priority will remain the defense of its formidable arsenal and military infrastructure, and it can be expected to act swiftly and preemptively if it feels threatened or cornered by a newly emboldened March 14.
Alternatively, the arrival of a moderate Sunni government in Damascus could strengthen the ruling, pro-Syria March 8 coalition in Lebanon. Should the Assad regime fall, Hizballah may fill the vacuum and become a leading source of patronage to politicians and groups that traditionally looked to Damascus for support. Although Hizballah's key coalition partner -- Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement -- would still depend on support from his Christian constituency, his anti-Sunni inclinations could compel him to deepen his alliance with Hizballah. This would in turn consolidate March 8 into a Christian-Shiite front, helping the coalition face off against a Turkish- and Saudi-backed Sunni renaissance in Syria and a more confident Future Movement in Lebanon.
Still, given the emerging insurgency and fears of civil war in Syria, a smooth transition to stable, moderate rule is perhaps the least likely scenario at the moment. Instead, the country appears to be sliding into protracted conflict, with neither the regime nor the opposition able to decisively overcome the other. International diplomacy has been hesitant to address the crisis. Russia and China's continued backing of Assad has prevented strong censure by the Security Council, leaving the West and its Arab allies to pin their hopes on successful mediation by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. Different intervention options are being considered, such as arming the FSA or establishing humanitarian corridors, but none of them is particularly palatable to nervous Western governments fearful of becoming embroiled in another Middle Eastern conflict.
Conclusion
If the West and its regional allies decide to intervene in Syria, Beirut's ability to skirt the fallout will become even more difficult, especially if Hizballah feels compelled to provide direct support to its beleaguered ally in Damascus and preserve the "axis of resistance." Given Lebanon's vulnerability to developments next door, the government will continue to distance itself as much as possible from the crisis. Accordingly, the West should not expect too much help from Beirut in resolving Syria's problems. Lebanon's deep political divisions and traditional subservience to Damascus leave it with no leverage over Syria, instead making it particularly prone to feeling the backlash.
**Nicholas Blanford is the Beirut correspondent of The Times (London) and The Christian Science Monitor and a consultant with IHS/Jane's. He has lived in Lebanon since 1994.

Carlos Menem to stand trial over Jewish center bombing
AFP Published: 03.31.12 /Yetnews
Former Argentinian president to face trial for obstruction of justice in a probe of the 1994 attack in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, injured 300
Former Argentine president Carlos Menem was ordered Friday to stand trial for obstruction of justice in a probe of the 1994 bombing of a building housing a Jewish center that killed 85 people.
Justice officials said Judge Ariel Lijo ordered the trial for Menem, president 1989-1999, and former judge Juan Jose Galeano, who was in charge of the investigation for 10 years but was dismissed from the case in 2004.Some 300 people were wounded in the attack that leveled the seven-floor Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires. No one has ever been convicted in the bombing.
Menem, 81, was initially charged in 2009 with concealing and tampering with evidence and abusing authority to cover up what was then called a "Syrian connection."Argentine prosecutors allege that Tehran planned and financed the car bombing, which was carried out by a cell from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Prosecutors now say there is evidence that Argentine state intelligence services and security forces covered up and erased tracks for local accomplices of the attackers during the Menem administration.
Officials previously said Menem, who was born in Argentina to Syrian immigrants, and his former staff stole evidence to hide the involvement of Syrian-Argentine businessman Alberto Kanoore Edul in the bombing, and destroyed evidence that would have incriminated him.
Kanoore Edul, whose family was friendly with Menem, died in 2010.
'Reenergizing investigation'
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor on Friday praised Argentina for reinvigorating its investigation of the terrorist attack in Buenos Aires, saying "I think they're reenergizing" their work on the case.
"In the past there was not a real motivation to check (the facts)," he said. "I see it differently today. One should give them credit for it. I see it differently today on the Argentinean side."
The bombing was the worst attack of its kind in Argentina, which has the largest Jewish community in the Americas outside the United States, and the second large-scale anti-Jewish strike in Buenos Aires that decade.
In 1992, the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was leveled in a bombing that killed 22 people and wounded 200.
Menem, a two-term president from the ruling Peronist party, was once wildly popular, and his fondness for fast cars and women half his age and almost twice his height amused rather than angered Argentines.
But his popularity faded as corruption scandals emerged, his tough free-market policies alienated his electorate, and the economy deteriorated.
Last year, he was cleared of charges that he allegedly orchestrated the smuggling of arms to Croatia and Ecuador in the 1990s.
Menem is currently serving in Argentina's senate. This does not give him immunity from testifying in court, but if he is found guilty, his fellow senators would have to impeach him first to serve any sentence.
Other people called to stand trial include the former head of state intelligence, Hugo Anzorreguy; his deputy Juan Carlos Anchezar; former police chief Jorge Palacios; and a former federal police agent.
For years Argentina has been seeking the extradition of eight Iranian officials – including Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, former Prime Minister Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati – accused of being the "intellectual authors" of the bombing.
Iran has denied any role in the attacks.


Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Speech of March 30/12
March 30, 2012 /Now Lebanon
March 30, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech on the occasion of the inauguration of As-Sayyeda Zaynab Hall in the Beirut area of Haret Hreik.
“I would like to speak about the inauguration of As-Sayyeda Zaynab Hall. I would also like to address the political developments. The hall is built in the area of Beirut’s southern suburb, Al-Dahiyeh al-Janoubiya, which used to be a Hezbollah security fortress, but now it is no longer the case. It is now an area open to all people. The hall of As-Sayyeda Zaynab was [erected as a sign of gratitude] to God for the victory in the 2006 war [with Israel].
We would like to address the Palestinian Land Day, a day for Palestine and Jerusalem. This occasion is an expression of attachment to the cause and to the land. The occupants want Palestine to be forgotten and considered history; [they] do not want [Palestine] to remain an [international] priority; [they] want its people to forget it and their right of return. They want its people to surrender and become hopeless. The blood of the martyrs has kept the cause alive until today and all attempts to prevent this have failed. The Palestinians voice their determination to regain their land. The Arab Nation is capable of liberating Palestine and can do it very simply. We do not need to buy weapons, we do not need nuclear weapons, we can simply triumph over Israel. The Arab Nation is not doing anything to help Palestine, Arab leaders are searching for other priorities and other causes.
Regarding the developments in Syria, [the country] is enjoying international and regional attention. Three international summits have taken place to address the events in Syria. Foreign military intervention, which is a great danger for the whole region, is no longer possible. The option to send Arab defense forces to Syria is also not viable. Furthermore, the option to arm the Syrian opposition is also not likely, except for some Arab countries that insist on sending arms to the opposition. An armed opposition in Syria cannot topple the regime. It can take over a town and kill an officer, but it cannot topple the regime. Betting on military acts to topple the regime is a losing bet. What is required in Syria is a political solution. Some people have previously suggested a political solution based on the fall of President [Bashar al-Assad], but all the international and Arab countries have abandoned this choice. The political solution is based on two things: dialogue between the regime and the opposition, and reforms. If we really wanted peace and stability in the region, if we really care for the Syrian people, the only solution is political, through dialogue and reform. Helping Syria requires stopping media incitement and trying to convince parties to engage in dialogue.
It is not normal that the issue of Bahrain does not draw the attention of Arab countries, especially that the misery in the country is real. The people of Bahrain are being killed by security forces and mercenaries’ lethal gases. Every day there are people being killed in Bahrain with lethal gases that are not only being thrown at protesters but also at houses to kill families. [Even though such a] catastrophe [is happening] in Bahrain, the issue was not tackled during the Arab summit. It is forbidden to even admit that there is a crisis in Bahrain, although the protesters are not holding weapons and do not want to destroy their country or sell it. The [Arabs’] negligence will not affect the Bahraini people’s determination. God will give them triumph.
Those in Lebanon betting on changes in Syria should know that the crisis is being [resolved]. We do not want to damage our country, [Lebanon], if we disagree on developments in Syria. Some people have gone too far [when expressing] their opinion on Syria. The bets on the developments in Syria must be reconsidered.
Regarding the cabinet. We consider that the cabinet is essential to the country. National interest requires the cabinet to remain. The cabinet is responsible for addressing issues related to people’s [means of support]. If the cabinet had one opinion and point of view they would say that it is a one-sided cabinet, and if the cabinet has different and various points of view they would say it is divided. We think that difference in points of view in the cabinet is excellent. Some people said that the agreement to rent power-generating ships [was approved because] of the pressure of the [non-state] weapons, which is not correct. Anyway, if [non-state] weapons can provide electricity then we shall welcome the weapons.
In Lebanon, the government can be toppled by political [issues] not [livelihood] ones. We are not saying that the cabinet must make accomplishments to remain [in place], but because it is its responsibility to make accomplishments. Vexation is a problem in the cabinet that is hindering the execution of some projects. We call on all parties to agree on livelihood issues [in order to preserve the] best interest of the country and its people.”

An issue of sovereignty
March 30, 2012 /Now Lebanon/
The president said he will not tolerate any incursions of the Syrian army into Lebanon, but we know that political talk is cheap. (NOW Lebanon)
Many Lebanese will no doubt have been concerned by reports of continued violence along their country’s frontier with Syria, especially in light of reports that on Thursday at least five families from the Bekaa village of Joura were getting ready to leave in the face of increasing violence from the Syrian side of the fence.
The state should also tell us where it stands on the issues of territorial integrity. President Michel Sleiman has said that he “will not tolerate any incursions.” This is encouraging, but talk has always been cheap. And as the conflict in Syria morphs from civil disobedience into repression into civil war, more than ever it is incumbent upon the Lebanese state to ensure that our normally porous border with our neighbor be shored up to make sure that Lebanon’s sovereignty and security not be compromised.
But sovereignty and security are moveable feasts in Lebanon. Hezbollah, for example, will boast of its proud tradition of shedding blood to protect its land from foreign aggression. Indeed, as far as the Party of God is concerned, the battle to free Lebanon from Israeli occupation will not end until the Shebaa Farms is liberated. The disputed area is deemed so important to Lebanon’s dignity that Lebanon is apparently ready to endure international approbation for its stubbornness. But that’s how principled we Lebanese are when it comes to protecting our territorial integrity.
Then again, it is strange that the same principled government can adopt such a chilled-out reaction to violence in a border region where Syrian troops can apparently come and go as they wish in their pursuit of rebels and brigands.
There are the issues of security. The Lebanese people, as part of a basic quid pro quo stretching back to the days of Plato, expect a minimum degree of protection. But it appears just how much security we can expect depends on where we live. The South, for example, resembles the Maginot Line. And if so much as one Israeli boot sets foot on Lebanese soil, the residents of the region can be assured of the most vigorous response. In fact, so dedicated is the Party of God to ensuring that the southern border region remains inviolate that it has even shot at (and killed, in the case of Lieutenant Samer Hanna) Lebanese soldiers who have strayed into the area without permission. But better to be safe than sorry, right?
No such stringency exists on the borders with Syria, where gun-running activity, the ebb and flow of refugees and the ongoing conflict carries on unabated and threatens to spill over into Lebanon. Surely, the security forces should ensure that border control is a two-way process.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday it was reported by Al-Jumhuriya that the Lebanese army arrested ten men – six Syrians and four Lebanese – on possession of two trucks loaded with heavy weapons, also in Joura. The authorities are to be applauded for their hard work. Lebanon should not be a conduit for arms trafficking, while it goes without saying that armed men running around the country willy-nilly are a threat to national security and the safety of the general population.
We just hope that the government embraces this new and encouraging trend and clamps down on all those who carry weapons outside the law, be they Lebanese, Syrian, Iranian, Palestinian or anyone else for that matter. Heaven forbid that the state stand accused of exercising double standards.
But as we have heard, President Sleiman has promised to not let us down. So let’s just wait and see.


IDF and Hamas battle Jihad Islami snipers trying to provoke Gaza warfare
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report March 30, 2012/ The most violent event of Palestinian-backed Earth Day Friday, March 30, was a battle around the Gaza-Israeli Erez crossing between Israeli forces and marksmen of the Iran-backed Palestinian Jihad Islami, debkafile’s military sources report. The shooters were laying down fire to cover a mass Palestinian rush on the Israeli border and the crossing so as to force Israeli soldiers to shoot into the crowd. Multiple Palestinian casualties would have given Jihad the pretext for reviving its missile offensive against Israeli towns and villages.
Our sources report that IDF fire was not aimed at the demonstrators but the marksmen. All the same, in the subsequent melee, one Palestinian man was killed – Mahmoud Zachout, member of a prominent Gazan family, and 14 were injured. At an early stage, members of the Hamas internal security battalion intervened. They split up - one section to stop the Jihad fire, the other, to block the procession’s march on the Israeli border. Zachout may have been killed by bullets from either side. Their source is under investigation.
debkafile has not established whether the rare collaboration between Israeli forces and Hamas was planned or that both sides happened at same point to appreciate their shared goal, which was to stop Jihad Islami violence and de-escalate the tension. The result was to save a demonstration from descending into a bloodbath.
Israeli commanders commented at the end of the day that, although all the country’s borders remained intact and Palestinian mobs were prevented from breaking through to Israeli areas, as they had planned in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the turmoil may not be over. Only thousands turned up for pro-Palestinian street demonstrators in Israel and its Arab neighbors, a mere fraction of the March of a Million that was planned jointly by Iran, Hizballah, Syria and Jihad Islami, Tehran’s tool in Gaza.
The beefed up IDF military concentrations will therefore remain in place on guard against fresh outbreaks around Israel’s borders with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Palestinian areas up to and during the eight-day Passover festival beginning Friday, April 6. The Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz has cancelled Passover leaves for key combat units and ordered them to stay on operational readiness.

Iran and the Lebanization of Syria
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
We are now witnessing Iran openly getting involved in the Syrian revolution, after it was previously taking action in secret to support al-Assad with equipment and arms and more. Tehran has today taken the decision to politically involve itself [in the Syrian crisis], warning the international community and regional states against any unilateral intervention in Syria, and even offering the possibility of helping out [in Syria]. Why is Iran doing this now?
The reasons for this are clear; Tehran wants to send a public message to the Turks, prior to the “Friends of Syria” meeting, warning them against taking any practical steps. Iran also wants to send a threatening message to the Gulf States, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, not to physically support the Syrian revolutionaries. The other issue is that Tehran wants to say that it is capable of convincing al-Assad to take action, although this is unclear, for will Iran, for example, convince al-Assad to depart? This is something that is not believable, alternatively have the Iranians truly been convinced that the al-Assad card has been burnt, and they must therefore take action to reduce their losses following his ouster, which means that Tehran must play some role at this present time? Some might say that this is madness, and here the question that arises is: how could Iran dare to say what it said?
The answer to this is also clear, for as much as the Iranians are aware of the intransigence of the Syrian revolution, they do not see any seriousness on the part of US President Obama to intervene in Syria. Tehran believes that the Americans are hiding behind Annan’s mission, which has allowed the Iranians to believe that this is also an opportunity to intervene [in Syria]. The reality is that al-Assad himself spared everybody the pain of saying that his acceptance of Annan’s plan was not genuine, for he himself came out – after he said that he had accepted this – to say that there must be more discussion of Annan’s plan. This led the US State Department to express its disappointment, however the real disappointment is in anybody – regardless of whomever it is – believing in al-Assad’s promises in the first place. Iran’s belief in the lack of seriousness on the part of Obama has caused Tehran to venture to transform Syria into a new Lebanon, in other words that regional powers must sit down at the same table to negotiate the future of Syria, as occurs with the formation of any Lebanese government. However this would be a critical mistake, and responding to this overture would be a crime, for Iran must not be allowed to do this, in the same manner that it was allowed to control Iraq.
What the American must pay attention to can be summarized in the important view put forward by a Syrian army officer defector, who said “as soon as Washington announces the departure of AWACS [Airborne early warning and control system] planes or unmanned drones to fly over Damascus and the rest of Syria, with the objective of monitoring military position that they believe issue orders to target civilians…at this time the world will be shocked by the number of defections from the [Syrian] army” and this may even increase the likelihood of a coup being carried out [against al-Assad]. Therefore Obama, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey must publicly announce that al-Assad will not escape in the same manner that he did following the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, and that his departure is guaranteed, whatever happens. At this time, the situation in Syria will begin to accelerate, particularly if we move forward with regards to arming the [Syrian] revolutionaries on the ground; doing otherwise means that we have begun to surrender our Arab states – one after another – to Iran, and this would be a crime against our future and security
 

Attacking Iran: Did US just torpedo Israeli deal for a base in Azerbaijan?
By Brad Knickerbocker | Christian Science Monitor Thu, 29 Mar, 2012.
Israel is developing a 'secret staging ground' in Azerbaijan for a possible attack on Iran, reports Foreign Policy magazine. US officials aren't happy with that, and may have leaked the story.
The three-way tension between the United States, Israel, and Iran became tenser this week with a widely cited report that Israel is developing a “secret staging ground” in Iran’s neighbor to the north – Azerbaijan – for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Quoting unnamed senior US diplomats and military intelligence officials, a lengthy article in Foreign Policy magazine asserts that “Israel has recently been granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border.”
"The Israelis have bought an airfield," a senior administration official is quoted as saying, "and the airfield is called Azerbaijan."
RECOMMENDED: What sanctions? Top five countries buying oil from Iran.
Why would US officials be talking about this? Likely to slow down any rush to war in an already volatile region, some speculate.
"I think this leak today is part of the administration's campaign against an Israeli attack," former US diplomat John Bolton said Thursday on Fox News. "Clearly, this is an administration-orchestrated leak," Mr. Bolton said, adding, "It's just unprecedented to reveal this kind of information about one of your own allies.”
The challenge for Israel in planning such a strike is the long distance to potential targets – some 2,000 miles round-trip – for its F-15 and F-16 fighters. Planning for such strikes always involves tradeoffs between fuel and bombs.
Bases in nearby Azerbaijan (including abandoned former Soviet airfields) could be used for landing and refueling after any strike, allowing Israeli jets to carry more ordnance. Such airfields also could be a staging point for search-and-rescue helicopters that might be necessary to recover downed Israeli pilots. They also could be used to launch drone aircraft for bomb damage assessment once any strike is concluded.
Israel and Azerbaijan have developed an economic military relationship over the years.
Israel buys oil from Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan recently agreed to buy $1.6 billion in military hardware from Israel, including drones, antiaircraft, and missile-defense systems.
This week’s report of a possible basing agreement with Israel does nothing to improve the relationship between neighbors Azerbaijan and Iran.
Tehran has accused Azerbaijan of working with Israel's spy services suspected of assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists, and individuals accused of plotting terrorist attacks with Iran have been arrested in Azerbaijan. For their part, officials in Azerbaijan deny granting aircraft landing rights to Israel combat aircraft.
"This information is absurd and groundless," defense ministry spokesman Teymur Abdullayev told Agence France Presse (AFP).
"We have stated on numerous occasions and we reiterate that there will be no actions against Iran … from the territory of Azerbaijan," presidential official Ali Hasanov told journalists in Baku, AFP reported.
So far, there’s been no official comment on the Foreign Policy article by Israeli officials, who may be just as happy to increase the psychological pressure on Iran.
Early this month, President Obama made clear his position on Iran’s nuclear potential, both in meetings with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in his speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the prominent pro-Israel lobbying organization.
“Iran’s leaders should understand that I do not have a policy of containment,” Obama told AIPAC. “I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
“I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say," Obama said, adding for dramatic effect, “There should not be a shred of doubt by now: when the chips are down, I have Israel’s back."
Still, the US continues to act as a diplomatic brake of sorts on any rush by Israel to attack Iran. Which may be why John Bolton – a noted hawk who served as UN ambassador in the most recent Bush administration – could be right when he says that administration officials leaked their concerns about any basing agreement between Israel and Azerbaijan.
"We're watching what Iran does closely," one of the US intelligence sources was quoted as saying in the Foreign Policy article. "But we're now watching what Israel is doing in Azerbaijan. And we're not happy about it."
RECOMMENDED: What would happen if Iran had the bomb?
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Exclusive: Iran helps Syria ship oil to China
LONDON (Reuters) - Iran is helping its ally Syria defy Western sanctions by providing a vessel to ship Syrian oil to a state-run company in China, potentially giving the government of President Bashar al-Assad a financial boost worth an estimated $80 million. Iran, itself a target of Western sanctions, is among Syria's closest allies and has promised to do all it can to support Assad, recently praising his handling of the year-long uprising against Assad in which thousands have been killed. China has also shielded Assad from foreign intervention, vetoing two Western-backed resolutions at the United Nations over the bloodshed, and is not bound by Western sanctions against Syria, its oil sector and state oil firm Sytrol. "The Syrians planned to sell the oil directly to the Chinese but they could not find a vessel," said an industry source who added that he had been asked to help Sytrol execute the deal but did not take part. The source named the Chinese buyer as Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, a state-run company hit by U.S. sanctions in January. A Zhuhai Zhenrong spokeswoman said: "I've never heard about this." She declined further comment. The U.S. State Department said in January that Zhuhai Zhenrong was the largest supplier of refined petroleum products to Iran, on which the West has imposed sanctions because it suspects Tehran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. China's willingness to start importing Syrian oil offers a rare break in the country's growing isolation. Syria, a relatively modest oil exporter, has been unable to sell its crude into Europe, its traditional destination until September last year when European Union and U.S. sanctions halted exports. The crude oil cargo, worth around $84 million assuming a discounted price of about $100 a barrel, could provide Assad with much-needed funds after another round of sanctions designed to further isolate the country's ailing economy were imposed by the European Union last week. Syria's Sytrol, which has been on the EU and U.S. sanctions list since last year, referred calls to the country's oil ministry. No one answered repeated calls by Reuters at the oil ministry. Iranian authorities were not available to comment.
The source added Sytrol had enlisted contacts in Venezuela to help find a vessel that could pick up the cargo. The problem was ultimately resolved by the Iranian authorities, who sent the tanker M.T. Tour to take on the cargo. The Maltese-flagged tanker is owned by shipping firm ISIM Tour Limited, which has been identified by the U.S. Department of Treasury as a front company set up by Iran to evade sanctions. The M.T. Tour reached the Syrian port of Tartus at the weekend, where it loaded the 120,000 metric tonne (132,277 tons) cargo of light crude oil, according to the industry source and shiptracking data. Satellite tracking showed the vessel was last spotted near Port Said in Egypt, where is was due to arrive on Wednesday. Its final destination was not available but the industry source said the vessel was likely to head to China or Singapore."I was asked to provide an option to ship to southern China or Singapore," the source said.
(Reporting by Jessica Donati; Additional reporting by Chen Aizhu; Editing by Anthony Barker and Giles Elgood)

Canada Expands Sanctions Against Assad Regime
March 30, 2012 - Canada is imposing its seventh round of sanctions against the brutal Assad regime in Syria by placing tough new restrictions on 12 individuals and two entities.
In imposing these latest sanctions, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird also issued the following statement:
“These latest sanctions target in particular those who profit from their association with the regime and those closest to Assad, including his wife Asma. Assad’s family may be kept shielded from the misery of the average Syrian, but they will not be immune from international will.
“Assad and his backers have failed to deliver on multiple promises for peace and restraint. Instead, they continue to choose repression and force.
“Canada’s position is clear: Assad must go.
“We will continue to work with our international partners to pave the way for a brighter day for the Syrian people—a Syria that respects the fundamental rights of all its people.”
Minister Baird is travelling to Istanbul, Turkey, for the April 1, 2012, Friends of Syria meeting.
For more information, please visit Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations.
- 30 -
A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
Backgrounder - Additional Sanctions on Syria
Effective immediately, the additional individuals and entities announced today, and named below, will be subject to an assets freeze and a prohibition on economic dealings. With these new measures, the total number of designations rises from 115 to 127 individuals and from 39 to 41 entities.
Additional individuals:
•Anisa Al-Assad (also known as Anisah Al Assad)
•Bushra Al-Assad (also known as Bushra Shawkat)
•Asma Al-Assad (also known as Asma Fawaz Al Akhras)
•Manal Al-Assad (also known as Manal Al Ahmad)
•Imad Mohammad Deeb Khamis
•Omar Ibrahim Ghalawanji
•Joseph Suwaid
•Ghiath Jeraatli
•Hussein Mahmoud Farzat
•Yousef Suleiman Al-Ahmad
•Hassan Al-Sari
•Mazen Al-Tabba
Additional entities:
•Syrian Petroleum Company
•Mahrukat Company (also known as the Syrian Company for the Storage and Distribution of Petroleum Products)
For more information on Canada’s sanctions against Syria, please see Syria.
Context
On May 24, 2011, Canada announced targeted sanctions against the Syrian regime in response to the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian military and security forces against Syrians peacefully protesting for democracy and human rights. These measures, which remain in place, were a blend of administrative measures and actions taken under the authority of the Special Economic Measures Act and were consistent with initiatives taken by like-minded partners, including the United States and the European Union. They included:
1.Travel restrictions: Canada ensured that persons associated with the Syrian government who are believed to be inadmissible to Canada are prevented from travelling to Canada.
2.Asset freeze: Canada imposed an asset freeze against 25 people associated with the current Syrian regime and seven entities involved in security and military operations against the Syrian people. This included a prohibition on dealing in the property of listed individuals and entities, including the provision of financial services and making property available to individuals and entities.
3.A ban on specific exports and imports: Canada placed a ban under the Export and Import Permits Act on the export from Canada to Syria of goods and technologies that are subject to export controls. These items include arms, munitions and military, nuclear and strategic items that are intended for use by the Syrian armed forces, police or other governmental agencies.
4.A suspension of all bilateral cooperation agreements and initiatives with Syria.
A news release announcing the May 24 sanctions can be found at PM announces sanctions on Syria.
On August 13, 2011, Canada expanded sanctions by imposing the asset freeze and travel restrictions on four additional individuals and two additional entities associated with the Syrian regime.
For more information on the August 13 announcement, please visit Statement by Minister Baird on Situation in Syria.
On October 4, 2011, Canada imposed the following additional measures:
1.An asset freeze and travel restrictions on 27 additional individuals and 12 additional entities associated with the Assad regime;
2.A prohibition on the importation, purchase or transportation of petroleum or petroleum products from Syria;
3.A prohibition on new investment in the Syrian oil sector;
4.A prohibition on the provision or acquisition of financial services for the purpose of facilitating the importation, purchase or transportation of Syrian petroleum or petroleum products; and
5.A prohibition on the provision or acquisition of financial services for the purpose of investing in the Syrian oil sector.
For more information on the October 4 announcement, please visit Canada Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On December 23, 2011, Canada further expanded its sanctions against the Syrian regime. Those measures prohibit all imports, with the exception of food, from Syria; all new investment in Syria; and the export to Syria of equipment, including software, for the monitoring of telephone and Internet communications. Canada also imposed an assets freeze and prohibited economic dealings with 33 additional individuals and 10 additional entities associated with the Assad regime.
For information on the December 23 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On January 25, 2012, Canada expanded its sanctions by adding the names of 22 individuals and seven entities associated with the Assad regime to its list of designated persons.
For information on the January 25 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On March 5, 2012, Canada further expanded its sanctions by introducing a complete ban on the provision or acquisition of financial or other related services to, from, or for the benefit of, or on the direction or order of, Syria or any person in Syria. Canada also added the names of seven individuals—all senior members of the Assad regime—and the Central Bank of Syria to the list of those subject to a dealings prohibition and asset freeze.
For information on the March 5 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
The measures announced are consistent with Canada’s foreign policy priority to promote freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law around the world. Canada stands with the Syrian people in their calls for a brighter future for Syria.
On March 30, 2012, Canada further expanded its sanctions by adding additional names.
On February 24, 2012, Minister Baird announced at the Friends of Syria meeting in Tunis that Canada would provide a further $1.5 million to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people.
On March 12, 2012, the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, announced Canada is supporting emergency humanitarian assistance in Syria.
CIDA’s support of up to $7.5 million, which includes previously announced Government of Canada funding, will help meet the most pressing needs arising from the crisis. Access to medical services, safe water and food are critical for communities caught in the crossfire of the conflict. Support to the thousands of internally displaced people and refugees who have fled the fighting also remains a priority.

Mideast officials: Obama in secret talks with Iran
Asking Tehran to guarantee it won't hit U.S. if Israelis strike
Published: 17 hours ago
by Aaron KleinEmail | Archive
Aaron Klein is WND's senior staff reporter and Jerusalem bureau chief. He also hosts "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio" on New York's WABC Radio. His latest book is the N.Y. Times best-selling, "The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists."More ↓Less ↑
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JERUSALEM – President Obama has been engaged in secret, back-channel talks with Iran in which he informed Tehran’s leaders he is completely opposed to any Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to informed Middle Eastern officials.
The officials told WND the behind-the-scenes talks aim to secure a guarantee from Iran that it will not retaliate against the U.S. in the event of any Israeli military strike, the officials said.
It was unclear what, if anything, Obama offered Iran in exchange for a pledge against targeting U.S. installations, including in the Gulf.
The State Department did not immediately return a WND request seeking comment on the alleged back-door talks.
In a wide-ranging interview March 9 with Al-Monitor, an Arab website founded in the wake of the Middle East revolutions, former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel hinted that private approaches to Iran were already occurring.
Hagel is co-chairman of Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board. While he was in the Senate he served on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Al-Monitor’s Washington correspondent, Barbara Slavin, interviewed Hagel at Georgetown University, where he teaches a weekly class.
Slavin asked Hagel: “Do you know if there any private approaches going on, or is it all through the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany?
Read about more complications for Washington, as China, Iran forming “strategic” ties.
Hagel replied, “I know more than I can tell you; there may be. I hope. I don’t see any other way around this. Because you can’t deal with something … as explosive as this is out in the public.”
According to the Middle East officials speaking to WND, political officials at the Pentagon, coordinating with the White House, have repeatedly asked Israel not to strike Iran.
According to the officials, who are familiar with the talks, the Pentagon has made the following arguments to Israel about why a strike at this time is unnecessary:
•An Israeli strike will not be able to totally destroy Iran’s nuclear project, which is spread out to multiple sites, thus making a successful attack more difficult.
•Iran can rebuild its nuclear infrastructure in a matter of a few years.
•Iran’s nuclear project is currently based on uranium and not the more weaponizable plutonium, giving Israel more time to allow sanctions to work.
•Intelligence agencies allegedly operating inside Iran working to slow Iran’s nuclear progress have had enough success to buy more time.

Iranian official meets Nasrallah, reiterates support for Hezbollah
March 30, 2012 04:35 PM The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah met Friday with Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdel-Lahian accompanied by Tehran’s envoy to Lebanon Gazanfar Runkabadi.
The three discussed various developments in Lebanon and the Arab region.
According to Al-Manar Television, Abdel-Lahian visited the Israel-Lebanon border, particularly the Fatima gate in Kfar Kila along with a Hezbollah delegation and municipal officials.
During his visit, he reiterated Iran’s support to Lebanon, its people and resistance and praised what Hezbollah had provided Lebanon.
He also stressed that Iran would keep to its promise to support the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine until the land is liberated, Al-Manar reported Friday.
“Iran is ready to help Lebanon in a number of vital sectors, particularly energy and electricity, and it [Iran] has proven experience in this sector in Iraq,” the local television station quoted him as saying.
The Iranian official is also expected to visit the grave of Imad Mughniyeh, one of Hezbollah’s top security chiefs who was assassinated in a car bomb in 2008 in Syria.
Abdel-Lahian’s visit to the south coincides with beefed up security measures by both the Lebanese and Israeli armies on the occasion of Land Day, which commemorates the violent crackdown in 1976 by Israeli forces against Palestinians who were protesting land confiscations.
Earlier Friday, Abdel-Lahian met with President Michel Sleiman and delivered a letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad where the latter affirmed Tehran’s support for Lebanon in various fields.
He also met with Grand Mufti Mohammad Rashid Qabbani at Dar al-Fatwa where he told reporters that Iran is committed to the unity of Islam amid regional crises.
“In this critical stage that we are going through and when the enemies are trying to spark sectarian and religious strife, we are committed more than ever in the unity of Islam between all Muslims and those who adhere to divine religions as well,” he said following his meeting with Qabbani.

Question: "What does the Bible say about racism, prejudice, and discrimination?"
Answer: The first thing to understand in this discussion is that there is only one race—the human race. Caucasians, Africans, Asians, Indians, Arabs, and Jews are not different races. Rather, they are different ethnicities of the human race. All human beings have the same physical characteristics (with minor variations, of course). More importantly, all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to lay down His life for us (John 3:16). The “world” obviously includes all ethnic groups.
God does not show partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9), and neither should we. James 2:4 describes those who discriminate as “judges with evil thoughts.” Instead, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8). In the Old Testament, God divided humanity into two “racial” groups: Jews and Gentiles. God’s intent was for the Jews to be a kingdom of priests, ministering to the Gentile nations. Instead, for the most part, the Jews became proud of their status and despised the Gentiles. Jesus Christ put an end to this, destroying the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14). All forms of racism, prejudice, and discrimination are affronts to the work of Christ on the cross.
Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34). If God is impartial and loves us with impartiality, then we need to love others with that same high standard. Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 that whatever we do to the least of His brothers, we do to Him. If we treat a person with contempt, we are mistreating a person created in God’s image; we are hurting somebody whom God loves and for whom Jesus died.
Racism, in varying forms and to various degrees, has been a plague on humanity for thousands of years. Brothers and sisters of all ethnicities, this should not be. Victims of racism, prejudice, and discrimination need to forgive. Ephesians 4:32 declares, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Racists may not deserve your forgiveness, but we deserved God’s forgiveness far less. Those who practice racism, prejudice, and discrimination need to repent. “Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13). May Galatians 3:28 be completely realized, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Recommended Resource: Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper.

Ahmet Davutoğlu meets with Maronite Patriarch in historic visit
30 March, 2012 | 17:48 Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai on Wednesday, Ankara’s first audience with a leader from the Lebanese Christian sect in the history of the Turkish state. Rai, spiritual leader to Lebanon’s 930,000 strong Maronite community and an active player in Lebanon’s political scene, met with Davutoğlu over breakfast on Wednesday and is expected to visit Prime Minister Recep Tayyıp Erdoğan on Saturday.
Davutoğlu noted to the press on Wednesday that it was the first time a Maronite Christian leader has visited the Turkish republic and the most recent visit of a patriarch since 1876, when Maronite Christians lived within the Ottoman Empire. “We need to meet more frequently in the 21st century,” Davutoğlu told Rai.
According to diplomatic sources who spoke to the Anatolia news agency on Friday, Davutoğlu stressed the centuries-long history of religious tolerance in the days of the Ottoman state, and stressed his hope that Muslim and Christian groups can live side by side in the Middle East. In nations where the coming of the Arab Spring has brought increased sectarian tensions, the minister said Turkey is committed to protecting Christian groups and promoting rights for all minorities.
Davutoğlu pointed to Turkey’s improving record on non-Muslim minorities, and discussed recent laws which are designed to return illegally seized property to Turkey’s Christian and Jewish communities. Rai and Davutoğlu also spoke about the possibility of returning to the Maronite church property in Turkey’s southern province of Hatay, once the site of a large Maronite community.
Rai met with Turkish President Abdullah Gül and Directorate of Religious Affairs (DİB) head Mehmet Görmez earlier this week. He is slated to return to Lebanon on Sunday.
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Can my enemy's enemy be my friend?
by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi and Phillip Smyth
Ha'aretz/March 30, 2012
http://www.meforum.org/3201/israel-friend-enemy
A recurring question of the past year has been whether Israel can come out of the unrest of the "Arab Spring" with any new allies. The point is hardly immaterial: The future of Israel's peace treaty with Egypt hangs in the balance, as Egyptian political parties call for a referendum on the Camp David Accords. Observers also point to the possibility of a revolt against Hashemite rule in Amman instigated by Bedouin tribes and/or Palestinians in Jordan. This too could derail that country's peace treaty with Israel.
Conventional wisdom has generally said that Israel can attain regional support by way of an alliance or coalition of minorities. From the 1950s through the 1980s, Israel engaged in the so-called "strategy of the periphery," forging ties with minority groups in enemy states ‏(such as the Maronites in Lebanon and Kurds in Iraq‏). Additionally, Israel entered into a military alliance with Turkey, and a number of sub-Saharan African countries were engaged by Israel to counter the threat of pan-Arabism.
The concept of an alliance among regional minorities sounds like an attractive proposition. But is it realistic?
The evidence appears to suggest otherwise.
Start with the case of Syria. Recently, such commentators as Michael Young, of Lebanon's Daily Star, have suggested that the Alawites, who have under the Assad dynasty dominated the upper ranks of that country's security forces and government, could try to salvage some form of self-rule in the form of a mini-state in the northwest of Syria, should the regime lose control over Damascus.
As far back as 2002, Middle East scholar Mordechai Nisan wrote: "It is not impossible, aside from the rhetoric of animosity gushing from Damascus against Israel, that the compelling reality of a common condition can awaken the possibility of Jewish-Alawite cooperation in the future. Perhaps this will surface when the Alawites fall from power and return to their classic minority vulnerability."
In this context, on the basis of the principle that "my enemy's enemy is my friend," many Israelis are hoping for such an alliance. For example, in January, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz stated that Israel was prepared to take in Alawite refugees from Syria in the event of outright sectarian civil war.
Undoubtedly, he was aiming to lay the foundations for cordial relations between Israel and the Alawite community at large.
However, the reasoning for courting the Alawites can only be described as bordering on the realm of fantasy. As they share a land border with Hezbollah-controlled territory, there is no reason to think that the Alawites would not continue to rely on their long-standing allies − namely, Iran and Hezbollah, who perceive them to be fellow Shia − to prop up this rump state.
When many Israelis think of a loyal minority ally, the country's Druze often come to mind. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, some Israelis envisioned a Druze state that would encompass the Golan Heights and Syria's Jabal Druze. Policy makers imagined that state serving as a buffer against Syria.
However, there was significant factionalism and differing interests within the Israeli and Syrian Druze communities. When some Golan Druze leaders were approached, they leaked the plans to Syrian intelligence, effectively killing the prospective Druze entity.
Another group touted as potential allies of Israel in the region are the Christians. It is apparent that the Arab Spring has brought few signs of a bright future for them. Last year, around 200,000 Copts fled Egypt in the wake of rising mob attacks on churches and Coptic villages. In the wake of countless bombings and kidnappings, most of Iraq's Christians too have left the country. Many Syrian Christians fled the heavy fighting in Homs.
The chances of a Christian state, let alone a pro-Israel polity, in the Middle East are virtually zero. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to a state is the fact that Christians suffer from intra-sectarian conflicts. Frequently, regional Christian sects have adopted their own particular nationalist identities that clash with the ethnic beliefs of their coreligionists.
During Israel's 1982 intervention in Lebanon, a state of minorities, it engaged in creating political and military alliances with the Christians, Druze and even Shi'ite Muslims. Part of the reason Israel invaded Lebanon was to install a pro-Israel minority Christian leadership. After the assassination of pro-Israel Maronite leader Bashir Gemeyal, though, Israel's alliance with the Christians crumbled. Instead of ushering in a new era of minority cooperation, Israel was caught in an anarchic meat grinder, in which minority was pitted against minority.
Minority alliances per se shouldn't be shunned, but Israel should pursue regional alliances based more on realism than on the perception of shared oppression, with its need to create a united and mutually beneficial minority front against an almost monolithic Arab-Islamic foe ‏(essentially a utopian dream‏). With Iran's increased belligerence and nuclear ambitions, Israel's Sunni Arab enemies of old, for example, are seeing their interests dovetail with Israel's.
Predicating partnerships simply on the basis of minority status doesn't reflect the complex and often conflicting minority societal, ideological and political positions. When Bashir Gemeyal was questioned about his cooperation with Jerusalem he answered, "In politics there is nothing permanent, you don't have permanent allies and permanent enemies, we are taking the maximum advantage." Perhaps it's time for Jerusalem to adopt the same view.
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is a student at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and an adjunct fellow at the Middle East Forum. Phillip Smyth is a journalist and researcher specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. He travels regularly to the region.
Related Topics: Israel & Zionism, Strategic alliances | Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi | Phillip Smyth
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Syria's suffocating economic reality
Value of its currency continues to drop, entire establishments are closing down and businessmen are moving out
By Sami Moubayed, Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:00 March 27, 2012.
A few days back, it was officially announced that unemployment in Syria had reached 35.8 per cent. The real number, of course, is probably much higher. The official announcement was noteworthy, given that until recently, Syrian officialdom insisted that the unemployment rate stood at no more than 11 per cent. The new figure is alarming, especially given that Syria has to provide jobs for 300,000 fresh university graduates in 2012.
That of course has become close to impossible as all state-run projects have come to a grinding halt and major businesses in the private sector, like hotels, restaurants, and service-related companies have closed down, hit hard by the Syrian uprising. Those that remain operational have cut their costs to bare minimum or slashed their employees’ wages by up to 50 per cent. It is no surprise that Syrian youth, who are the crux of the anti-regime demonstrations, are living through their biggest nightmare: jobless, penniless and angry.
Young Syrians who managed to keep their jobs despite the massive layoffs are now complaining that their income has lost 50 per cent of its value, thanks to the devaluation of the Syrian pound, which hit 100 pounds to the dollar this month —its lowest point ever. A government employee who used to make 20,000 pounds (Dh 1,259 equivalent to $400 just one year ago) now suddenly finds himself making $200 a month. Thanks to gross inflation, the purchasing power of 20,000 pounds has dropped to comically low levels. Fearing for their lifetime savings, ordinary Syrians are frantically trying to convert their money into dollars on the black market. This will undoubtedly further devalue the currency.
So will political developments if Russia further distances itself from the Syrian government, for example, or if Kofi Annan announces the failure in his Syria mission. Trying to combat the slump, the Central Bank of Syria recently intervened, injecting the market with plenty of US dollars in order to bring down their value and raise that of the Syrian pound. Last summer the Central Bank forced private and public banks to raise the interest rate on Syrian deposits up to 11 per cent in order to maintain Syrian money at banks. That legislation only scared clients even further, who did the exact opposite and quickly rushed to convert their money into dollars. There are limits, however, to how often the Central Bank can do that in the weeks ahead, given that its coffers are also suffering from lack of revenue.
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Despite rosy promises of an impressive reserve of $18 billion the Syrian government is clearly going through one of its most gripping economic depressions ever. Revenue from the oil sector, for example, which used to be in US dollars and was once the backbone of the state’s income, is now suffocating thanks to EU sanctions on Syrian oil exports to Europe. Until 2011 the EU used to import up to 95 per cent of Syrian oil. The second source, surplus from state-run public sectors, is also suffering. Those that did generate surpluses, like telecommunications, tobacco and banking, were few to start with even before the uprising began in March 2011. Many agencies can simply no longer provide a surplus because surplus comes from revenue, and all of them are losing money because of inefficiency and corruption. In different circumstances, the government would have raised new taxes to bridge the gap, but that is clearly off the table because that would further infuriate the already furious Syrian Street.
The government committed itself to an unplanned 30 per cent salary increase in March 2011, thinking that this would help curb public anger. It didn’t, and meanwhile state revenue dropped rather dramatically. Now authorities are stuck with a commitment to salaries that they are finding a hard time providing. Salaries paid by the state to the public sector, after all, amount to over 235 billion pounds, according to the Ministry of Finance, with around 30 billion pounds in pensions. If it delays making those payments, it automatically converts these state-employees and pensioners into opponents of the government. Rumour has it that in places like Homs and Idlib there is already a big delay in paying public sector salaries.
Additionally, the socialist state was once the main subsidiser of basic commodities like heating fuel and gasoline, for example. Two years ago it lifted the fuel subsidy, increasing its price by a dramatic 300 per cent, whereas today, it no longer has sources to purchase gasoline — also thanks to sanctions. That explains why last January, in a pre-emptive move to ration its gasoline reserve, the government raised the price of gasoline by 25 per cent. Fuel (mazout) which sold at 16 pounds a litre, disappeared from the Syrian market during the harsh 2011-12 winter because much of it was being used for the tanks spread on all four corners of the country. As a result, it began to sell on the black market for 25-30 pounds a litre, causing entire households to spend the winter in darkness and shivers.
The value of the Syrian pound continues to drop, entire establishments are closing down, heavyweight businessmen are packing their belongings and moving out, and Syria’s finest and brightest young talents are leaving the country, seeking employment in Europe and the Arabian Gulf. For all practical purposes, not a single one of these gripping economic problems seems on its way to being solved in the second half of 2012. On the contrary, they are increasing by the day with the state apparently incapable of bringing any of them to a halt, spelling out economic disaster for Syria. This harsh economic reality, more so than the demonstrators, the Annan mission or the Arab League initiative, is the biggest threat yet to the Syrian regime.
*Sami Moubayed is a university professor, historian, and editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine in Syria.

Reform Party of Syria
New Developments in the Free Syrian Army
Farid Ghadry Blog
There have been new developments yesterday, within the ranks of the Free Syrian Army operating inside the country, intended to relieve the FSA from the pressure PM Erdogan of Turkey, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, are exerting against its leadership.
Because the SNC, dubbed the main Syrian opposition, was formed by Erdogan and the MB, its aims mirror Erdogan's wishes, which have been on the side of a political solution in Syria rather than regime change. The Islamists are hoping to gain power through political accommodation rather than through balloting. Kofi Annan's plan of peace, ratified by the US and Europe, plants the seed for merging the regime with the SNC. This kind of heavy-handed interference sheds a bad light on Erdogan and his government.
The pressure Erdogan and the SNC are exerting are two-fold. They want the FSA to follow their lead and seek a political solution when the Syrian street is fighting for survival against a ruthless ruler and they want the FSA leadership, represented by Col. Riad al-Asa'ad and Col. Ahmad Hijazi, to be dissolved in favor of a more willing and subservient leadership in the form of Gen. Mustapha al-Sheikh. The problem is the FSA leadership enjoys too much popularity inside Syria, which may derail Erdogan's long term plans of planting his Islamists to rule.
The FSA does not have any Islamist elements amongst its ranks because it would have never reached this leadership position under any Assad army.
How did the FSA respond to this pressure? In a very astute way.
First, a new three-star General named Adnan al-Ahmad defected few days ago to join the FSA (Video); but unlike the one-star General Mustapha al-Sheikh, al-Ahmad is asking for military intervention. This move by the FSA turns the tables on Erdogan because this is the highest ranking officer yet to oppose the Erdogan plans and because it keeps the FSA's popularity intact inside Syria.
The other astute move the Free Syrian Army achieved was to create Military Councils inside Syria in every major city or town that has been hit hard by the Assad army (Video). These councils were announced just two days ago and their intended purpose is to free the FSA from any outside pressures or other councils the SNC may have planned.
The FSA is the legitimate defender of Syria's interests. It has developed organically as a result of difficult circumstances rather than being manufactured by outside foreign governments. Although it is a paramilitary organization fighting a guerilla warfare, a new civilian leadership is forming inside Syria to be supported by the FSA as the legitimate new government. These civilians happen also to be doctors, lawyers, smugglers, and bureaucrats who have supported the Revolution by providing the FSA with services and intelligence information to better fight the Assad regime.
Erdogan may think he is the kingmaker but the real king is the Syrian street fighting Assad, protecting civilians, arming rebels, feeding families, operating on the injured, and consoling mothers.
Copyrights © Reform Party of Syria (Project Syria, Inc.) 2003-2011


Reform Party of Syria
Global March to Jerusalem? How About One to the Ruins of Homs Ayatollah Khameini?
Farid Ghadry Blog
It never ceases to amaze me how the will of so few who are wrong can harm the will of so many who are right. We have seen it throughout history and this Middle East basks in that glorious past we all want to forget.
Today marks the date for yet another one of those events that walks, sails, or flies towards Israel. This obsession with this little country bordering Syria is the reason why tyranny flourishes in our corner of the world or had flourished in Germany starting 1933.
According to "Stop The Bomb" NGO based in Austria, this latest circus has been organized by some of the most undesirables the world can imagine. The Mullahs of Iran, the Islamists of the region, and the extreme left looking more like Nazis than Nazis themselves.
Considering that Iran has snipers on rooftops killing innocent Syrians and Iran is helping Assad in the Genocide against our people, what right do the Mullahs have or any other group to march towards Jerusalem when Homs, or Idlib, or Hama are in dire need of saving?
Do the Israelis kill 100 people everyday? Assad does.
Do the Israelis direct their Merkavas 105mm canons against the Palestinian civilian population? Assad directs his T-72's against women and children.
Do the Israelis use helicopters to spray Palestinians marching in funerals? Assad does.
Do the Israelis kill Palestinian doctors treating injuries? Assad does.
Do the Israelis torture children and send their mutilated bodies to their mothers? Assad does.
The worst part is how the world turns a blind eye to those stark differences of behavior by not comparing the situation in both neighboring countries. I guess because it would highlight Israeli democracy more than highlight Assad atrocities.
I would also imagine if Israel did not exist, the Mullahs would be attacking every church and every monastery in the region. The same way when Hitler had Arabs in mind after he exterminated the Jews, which is sad because the Jews, once again, pay the highest price to protect others.
Enough crudity in behavior, density in the brains, or philistinism in deeds. These dark ages of watching the regimes in Iran and in Syria survive because of lack of will and vision and countries like Israel pay a price for mere existence are not footnotes in the annals of history. They will be viewed as another form of Medievalism living off the largesse of men content to think unilaterally, even selfishly.
Copyrights © Reform Party of Syria (Project Syria, Inc.) 2003-2011

George Galloway tweets ‘long live Palestine’ to supporters after landslide U.K. by-election victory
By Anshel Pfeffer?Haaretz
The ex-U.K. Labour Party member, who was banished from the party after he called on Iraqi resistance to kill British soldiers, sent message after the shock parliamentary seat win.
By Anshel Pfeffer Far-left candidate, George Galloway, won a landslide victory in the by-election for the Bradford West parliamentary seat in the U.K. on Thursday night. Galloway, a former Labour MP who was banished from the party after he called the Iraqi resistance to kill British soldiers in the country, celebrated his victory, tweeting to supporters, "Long live Iraq. Long live Palestine, free, Arab, dignified. George Galloway MP."
The Bradford West constituency has been held by the Labour party for 37 years and was regarded a "safe seat" for Labour (party leader Ed Miliband, who had scheduled a victory visit to Bradford Friday morning, hastily cancelled) until Galloway's Respect Party targeted it in the by-election called last month following the previous MP's serious illness. Galloway exploited tensions within the local Labor party branch and targeted Bradford's large Asian-Muslim community (estimated at around 38 percent of the voters) using campaign literature specifically aimed at Muslim concerns. One of his campaign leaflets said "“God KNOWS who is a Muslim. And he KNOWS who is not. Instinctively, so do you. Let me point out to all the Muslim brothers and sisters what I stand for: I, George Galloway, do not drink alcohol and never have. Ask yourself if you believe the other candidate in this election can say that truthfully.”
On Galloway's main rival Labour candidate the leaflet said – "Thirsty Imran Hussain (hic) likes his refreshments; and campaigning in this unseasonably good weather is thirsty work indeed."
This crude electioneering seems to have worked as Galloway won Thursday night with an astonishing 56 percent of the vote (in the 2010 general election the Respect candidate in Bradford West came fifth) and Labour's Hussain received only 25 percent. The ruling Conservative party's candidate gained only a dismal eight percent.
Galloway's political career has seemed over and done with at least twice before. The Scottish MP was always on the left-wing of the party, urging for Labor to cooperate with Communist and Marxist groups and maintaining close contacts with Arab dictators including the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to whom he said following the first Gulf War "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability."
His isolation within the party increased following Britain's participation in the last decade's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq when he announced his support of the Muslim forces fighting against the western armies. He repeatedly accused his party's leader, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, of lying and was finally expelled from the party in October 2003. Following his banishment, he was one of the founders of the Respect Party, which combined a radical left platform with revolutionary Islamic elements. In the 2005 General Election he returned to Parliament as Respect's only MP, beating the Labour incumbent, Oona King, in a campaign in which his supporters were accused of using anti-Semitism against King, who is Jewish.
Galloway was little seen in Parliament, with one of the lowest voting and attendance records. He spent much of his time touring the world, mainly Arab countries, including trying to get into Gaza with aid convoys organized by his Viva Palestina. In the 2010 general election, he failed to get re-elected and has since been waiting for a new parliamentary seat to turn up. Bradford West was the perfect opportunity for a come-back.
Aside from the town's large Muslim community, he built his support on the growing disaffection with the Conservative-Liberal coalition and its austerity measures, and the widespread feeling that the main opposition Labor under Ed Miliband has yet to present a viable alternative.
Labor's candidate Hussain is a member of a local Pakistani family who has long been active in Bradford politics and Galloway capitalized on the feelings within the Muslim community that Hussain's clan had monopolized issues in town for too long.
Is Galloway's victory a warning sign for British politics?
By-elections are not always reliable indicators of political trends. They often reflect only local frustrations and momentary moods. Labor which fully expected to win these by-elections is certainly trying to spin it that way. Deputy party leader Harriet Harman said there was "a particular problem" with Bradford and that the result was "a last-minute phenomenon" and not representative of a more widespread problem.
While that may be the case and the Respect Party do not have any other famous and charismatic candidates who can recreate Galloway's achievement in other parts of Britain, the fact that such a radical and nakedly sectarian campaign can be so successful should raise major question marks regarding the disaffection of immigrant communities in the United Kingdom and the failure of its mainstream parties to address that.

Nun Found Dead in Family's House in Mansouriyeh
Naharnet /30 March 2012, 18:23
Nun Ramza Barakeh was found dead inside her family’s house in the town of Mansouriyeh, state-run National News Agency reported.
After examining the body of the 69-year-old victim, a forensic said the death happened on Monday and that the corpse was hidden in the bathroom.
According to NNA, Ramza was killed when her mentally ill, 55-year-old sisters, Amal, hit her in the head with a piece of furniture.

The Importance of Bism Alah Al Rahman Al Raheem in Today's Syria
Farid Ghadry Blog
Many of us who have seen these videos of Syrians fighting against Assad use Allah Wa Akbar often on every occasion dealing with death or life, with joy or sadness, with triumph or defeat. This vocalization is planting a new Syrian culture leading us to the unknown.
Allah Wa Akbar is an expressing in Islam to glorify G*d. It is one of duty and service but also one of inspiration and strength. It tells the world that Syrians are fighting a greater evil and without G*d's support, they will not defeat that evil.
Another assertion of ten used when expressing a written word is Bism Alah Al Rahman Al Raheem (In the name of G*d, The Merciful). It refers to one's beliefs in Islam as a priority in his/her life and is part and parcel of our culture in Syria even if used less often than in countries like Saudi Arabia for example.
Given the particularity of the one-sided civil war in Syria today, those two expressions have taken a life of their own and are being used more often by more writers or YouTubers than I have ever seen in the past years.
Part of the reason is directly related to the utter abandonment by the international community of the Free Syrian Army to defend the civilian population in Syria. If the US does not want to help, reliance on God is the only option left to strengthen the morale.
But it also has another negative aspect in that it denotes the writer who is a Muslim from one who is not. Of course, the message behind its usage by those who in the past have used it little is to tell the world "I am a Muslim and not an Alawite".
This form of religiosity to distinguish one's identity from another in an environment of violence is unique to our region and to the the last century. During the US civil war, as an example, the reference was for a Unionist vs. a Confederate and not a Quaker vs. a Baptist. During the 1917 Soviet Revolution, it was either the Red Army against the Whites or the Bolsheviks against the Tsarists. Same patterns are observed across many of the revolutions in Europe.
The danger in this new identity revealing of one's religion lies in where this will lead in the future. Will it lead to simple piety and observance of Islam or will it lead to hardened Islam that will morph into extremism? There is one undeniable aspect Syrians are observing: The longer this Revolution lasts, the higher the chances for hardened Muslims to flip to the extremist side, which is self-serving for Assad if one wants to defend his position through a diplomatic solution or disserving of the US position if one is to criticize Obama's polices of timidity and retreat.
In either case, the Syrian identity is changing and our culture is experiencing an important metamorphosis. We are in the midst of change but the final form, shape, and societal inclinations are not clear yet. Either way, the US position of abandoning Syrians through meaningless meetings it calls "Friends of Syria" is directly affecting this paradigm shift and the rising of a new Syrian Phoenix we all hope will not become a danger for Syria.
Copyrights © Reform Party of Syria (Project Syria, Inc.) 2003-2011

Are these “killer identities”?
By Mshari al-Zaydi
Asharq Alawsat
Will the prediction by the famous Lebanese-French Novelist Amin Maalouf - that we are embarking upon an era of wars between "killer identities" - turn out to be true?
"Killer Identities" is the title of a well-known book by Maalouf, a writer and intellectual who focusses on the religious, historical and social intricacies of the East.
Maalouf’s life itself embodies such intricacies. In a recent interview conducted by "Middle East online" with him in Dubai, on the sidelines of the Silver Jubilee of Al Owais Cultural Foundation, Maalouf explained how the multi-layered and complex climate he lived in has had a huge impact on him. Maalouf was born in Beirut; his mother was born in the Egyptian city of Tanta while his maternal grandmother was born in Adana, Turkey. Maalouf was mainly raised in Beirut but spent some of his childhood in Egypt. His mother's family moved from Tanta to Cairo to live in the Heliopolis district, and up until the age of three, Maalouf spend most of his time residing in Heliopolis. Then he moved to Lebanon where he lived until 1975. He studied in Lebanon and upon graduating he worked in the field of journalism, contributing to the Lebanese daily newspaper "Al-Nahar". At the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, he moved to France and continued his journalistic pursuits, working for "Economia” magazine and serving as editor-in-chief of "Jeune Afrique".
During his university days, he adopted a left-wing ideology. However his father, Ruchdi Maalouf, often held right-wing inclinations. His family has always been actively interested in the culture, diversity and languages of Lebanon.
Maalouf wrote "Leo the African", "Ports of Call" and "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes", among a host of research and narrative works revolving around manifestations of identity. Indeed, I still remember the details of his delectable and charming novel "Ports of Call".
He is also a member of the French Academy (L'Académie française), an illustrious francophone institution.
In the aforementioned interview, Maalouf outlined his vision for the Arab Spring and the future of coming conflicts in the region. In his writing, we can detect a strong inclination towards promoting our shared humanistic aspects, as regular readers of his work will have observed.
In response to a question about the purpose of his book, Maalouf said: "What happened in Lebanon is an example of the message inherent in the book "Killer Identities". Identities become a "killer" element when your affiliation turns into a weapon that you brandish towards others. As I told you, I once lived in a period where people had various identities. Nevertheless, those identities did not prevent them from living together and coexisting within the same districts, cities and universities. Such identities did not keep them from being friends and from discussing matters with honesty and affection. Of course, this is not always the case with identities; there are affiliations that can lead to killings. We saw that in the Lebanese Civil War, in former Yugoslavia, and in Rwanda among many other places around the world. I believe we are live in the age of ‘killer identities’; an age where allegiances transform into weapons brandished by some towards others. Unfortunately, this might the prevailing characteristic over the coming decades."
The most frightening part of Maalouf recent statement is his prediction that we could be witnessing decades of these “killer identities”, even as the Arab Spring thrives, or maybe this is the reason that it thrives!
In order not to do an injustice to the Arab Spring, we must admit that the identity issue erupted well before 2011. In reality, it was more severe and insidious back then. Yet before the Arab Spring, some could ascribe tensions over identity to the absence of political participation and the lack of power transfers. But what can we ascribe this to now, as "identity expert" Amin Maalouf says, especially if this identity issue stays with us for decades to come?
As a reminder, in 2010 we went through several "killer" incidents relating to identity:
We all remember the crisis that arose following the statements made by Anba Bishoy against the Holy Quran. However, the Coptic clergyman soon retracted his comments and denied what had been interpreted as an insult to Islam and Muslims, especially after the former head of the Coptic Church, the late Pope Shenouda III, personally appeared on Egyptian television and spoke with kind words towards Egyptian Muslims and Muslims in general. The Pope conveyed his "regret" for hurting the feelings of Muslims on account of Anba Bishoy's statements. In an interview with state-owned Egyptian television, the Pope said: “I am sorry if our Muslim brother's feelings were hurt." He also expressed his readiness to "console them by any means" and added that "religious dialogue must be conducted in accordance with common points and on common grounds." Pope Shenouda also underlined that “debating religious beliefs are a red line, a deep red line."
Meanwhile, the statements issued by the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, in which he rejected the comments attributed to Anba Bishoy, carried a high degree of responsibility away from any sense of provocation, representing a firm and strict response from the primary Islamic religious establishment in Egypt.
Shortly before these events, American Pastor Terry Jones created an international crisis with his threats to burn the Holy Koran.
During the same time period, the Gulf media was ablaze over statements issued by a young Shiite man, wearing a turban, who attacked Sunni beliefs. This prompted the Kuwaiti government to issue an order banning public rallies [fearing sectarian incitement], along with its decision to revoke Kuwaiti nationality from the deranged, turbaned young Shiite known as Yasser Al-Habeeb.
Prior to this, sedition had already flared up because a satellite television station, keen to screen Sunni-Shiite disputes under the title of "dialogue”, had quoted the highest-ranking Twelver Shiite Marja in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, as denouncing Sunnis as unbelievers. This prompted the office of the renowned Marja to make an explicit statement denying such a claim, stressing that the Sunnis were part of the body of Islam.
Before this we saw statements released by a prominent Saudi orator and preacher, who religiously criticized al-Sistani. That caused political turmoil in Iraq as well as in other countries, especially as this attack coincided with a sectarian-dominated electoral season. The Saudi preacher received criticism from a number of wise Sunni clerics, and support from a small group of followers. This was merely another event in the long chain of sectarian accusations within the framework of Islam.
We all remember the major religious crisis sparked off by Pope Benedict XVI during a lecture at a German university in September 2006. The Pope quoted an insulting remark about Islam dating back to the Middle Ages, which provoked Muslims for its attack on the history of their religion. The Pope then rushed to try and explain and ultimately withdraw his statements, saying that he did not quote the excerpt out of his own belief. Pope Benedict XVI was criticized by key religious and political symbols across the Muslim World. The then Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi, leveled bitter criticism towards the Pope. Reuters reported that Tantawi, in a meeting with a representative of the Catholic Church in Cairo, had protested that the Pope had remained silent for ages, only to eventually utter offence. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, also did not pass up the opportunity to criticize the Catholic Pope over his lecture.
Over the past three years, we have been living in a climate of congested religious animosity.
Has the prediction made by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair turned out to be true? In mid-2008, he observed that the past century was a century of politics and that the present one would be a century of religions. This is why Blair decided to devote the rest of his life to serving the cause of religion and religious dialogue. He sought to utilize the power of religion to spread peace, encourage economic development and combat poverty. Blair declared his intention to achieve such a goal whilst inaugurating his charitable foundation in New York.
During the past century, conflicts were categorized under the labels of politics, patriotism and class struggle. Shortly before and just after the September 11th attacks, we witnessed a clash among different identities and between different camps of faith. For a while after that, albeit temporarily, the slogans of freedom and human rights re-emerged. Then came the tide of religious zeal and the clash of identities became even more intense, following explicit religious manifestations in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and later on in Yemen, and prior to all this in Iraq, the sister of Syria and Lebanon in terms of sectarian complexity.
Are we dealing with killer identities, or are they in fact conducive to life? This question will remain unanswered for some time to come. Let us hope we shall live long enough to witness the answer.

Wars are endless .
Michel Saade
This article ignores the fact that the christians in the arab world are seen by a large part of muslims as being part of the aggressive “christian “occident , while christians see themselves as being the “ authentic” arabs, from pre-Islam days. Their arabity is secular.
Islam is largely influenced by the puritan wahhabite Saudi Arabia ( the Coran + the Hadith) , with oil money attached to it. Saudi Arabia do not tolerate a “cross” or a “Bible” on its soil.The Wahhabites think that all christians shall go to hell. They deserve hell.
Any military adventure from the west raises hostility from large part of muslims against the native christians , who are persecuted as “ innocent by-standers” and as “infidels”.
The christians in the arab world desire being treated as citizens, and not as dimmi people.
But they are being pushed out of the arab world (and out of Israel).
What can reverse this trend ?
Only a democratization of Saudi Arabia , with a modern reading of the Coran , as already ushered by a few saudi intellectuals.
What was needed in Arabia in the seventh century is obsolete today. Saying this sounds a blasphemy for the wahhabites and for too many muslims. Saying this is a reason for a death sentence.
Meanwhile the saudi ruthless regime is backed by the US government.
So far, christians and liberal muslims shall continue suffering.
Christians shall continue escaping persecution.
Muslims shall continue escaping modernity.
A vicious cycle.
Wars are endless .
Michel Saade