LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 02/2012

Bible Quotation for today/Our Victory over the World
01 John 05 /01-05/Whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is a child of God; and whoever loves a father loves his child also. This is how we know that we love God's children: it is by loving God and obeying his commands. For our love for God means that we obey his commands. And his commands are not too hard for us, because every child of God is able to defeat the world. And we win the victory over the world by means of our faith. Who can defeat the world? Only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
LF leader Samir Geagea's Speech of March 31, 2012/Now Lebanon
Egypt: A political blaze/By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat/March 01/12
A Friends of Syria conference without lies/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 01/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 01/12
Hundreds of Christian pilgrims mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem
Syria conference: Gulf countries to fund rebels
Report: Iranian cell planning attacks 'very soon'
Israel, Greece conduct joint naval drill amid ongoing tension with Turkey
Turkey to cooperate with West's sanctions on Iran by cutting oil imports
Turkey's Erdogan: Israeli strike on Iran would devastate Mideast
Do Israelis support a war on Iran?
Clinton doubts that Assad is interested in peace
Clinton: Time running out for diplomacy with Iran
Clinton pushes for holding Syrian leaders to account
In Istanbul summit, Erdogan calls for 'moral intervention' in Syria crisis
Canada Renews Commitment to Syrian People
Juppe Calls for Setting Deadline for Damascus
'Friends of Syria' Recognize SNC as 'Legitimate Representative of All Syrians'
By securing Assad and its alliance, Iran gains upper hand for nuclear talks
IDF warns of more planned attacks near Gaza since escalation
Will Iran be forced to choose between Syria and its nuclear program?
Report: Israel's Mossad scales back covert operations in Iran
As U.S.-sponsored 'Friends of Syria' conference is set to begin in Istanbul, Assad has little to fear
Dissent among 'Friends of Syria' dims hopes for talks
Syria agrees to visit to weigh observer mission
Syria's "friends" try to twist screw on Assad
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood name presidential candidate for May vote
Turkey to cooperate with West's sanctions on Iran by cutting oil imports
Syria says revolt over, but army still shooting
Assad regime won't back down before opposition, says Syrian Foreign Ministry
Rai says Turkey model for Arab Spring governments
Erdogan Hails al-Rahi’s Efforts to Preserve Stability in Lebanon
Geagea slams Aoun's bloc, dismisses fears of Christian Arab marginalization
Gang arrested, members confess to robbing churches, homes
Baabda Palace to mark Earth Hour, Sleiman asks Lebanese to follow suit
Hezbollah slams supporters of 1960 election law
Speculation Arises on whether GE Made Proposal to Construct Power Plant in Lebanon
Lebanon's Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn: Arms smuggling into Syria persists, increasing
Army arrests gunmen suspected of wounding 3 soldiers
Lebanon's Arabic Press Digest - April 1, 2012/The Daily Star
Judge Sir David Baragwanath, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, in Beirut for Talks with Lebanese Officials
Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour: Lebanon’s position on Syria ‘protects’ diplomatic relations
Egypt Brotherhood Says to Field Presidential Candidate

'Friends of Syria' Recognize SNC as 'Legitimate Representative of All Syrians'
Naharnet 01 April 2012, 13:12/"Friends of Syria" member countries recognized the opposition Syrian National Council Sunday as the "legitimate representative" of all Syrians, the Anatolia news agency said.
In the final statement of the second "Friends of Syria" conference, "the Syrian National Council has been recognized as the legitimate representative of all Syrians," said Anatolia.It follows the SNC's pleas for recognition at the conference in Istanbul. "We want the recognition of the SNC as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," SNC head Burhan Ghalioun told the meeting. The second "Friends of Syria" meeting opened with more than 70 representatives discussing ways to pressure President Bashar al-Assad to end violence and to support the Syrian opposition. SourceAgence France Presse

Clinton doubts that Assad is interested in peace
01/04/2012/ISTANBUL (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed doubt Sunday about whether President Bashar Assad would ever adhere to a U.N.-sponsored peace plan to end Syria's year of bloodshed, and urged world solidarity against a regime that she said was waging war on its own people. Clinton told the 60 nations attending the "Friends of the Syrian People" conference in Turkey that no one could "sit back and wait any longer," even as the United States refuses to entertain military options to intervene in the crisis. Instead, she urged unity behind a plan that includes more sanctions, humanitarian aid, support for the opposition and the promise of justice one day for the Assad regime's willing accomplices in human rights atrocities.
"We meet at an urgent moment for Syria and the region," Clinton said. International pressure forced Assad to agree to U.N. mediator Kofi Annan's proposal, which includes an immediate a cease-fire, she noted, adding that "nearly a week has gone by, and we have to conclude that the regime is adding to its long list of broken promises."
The meeting aims to further isolate Assad's government and bolster a divided Syrian opposition. The United States and its European and Arab allies have papered over some of their own disagreements on how best to advance the cause of the opposition and help bring about the regime's collapse, with countries agreeing for now to hold off on military options from directly arming the anti-Assad rebels to creating buffer or safe zones within Syria for them to operate. Clinton lamented that Assad promised to pull his regime's forces back, silence its heavy weapons, allow peaceful demonstration and access for humanitarian aid and journalists. He also should begin a political transition, she said.
But, "rather than pull back, Assad's troops have launched new assaults on Syrian cities and towns," she said. "Rather than allowing access for humanitarian aid, security forces have tightened their siege of residential neighborhoods in Homs and elsewhere. And rather than beginning a political transition, the regime has crushed dozens of peaceful protests."
Annan has urged the Syrian government to lay down its arms first, a challenge Assad's loyalists are rejecting. On Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdessi said the government will not pull tanks and troops from towns and cities engulfed by unrest before life returns to normal there, describing the military's actions as those to reinforce "stability."
Activists reported fresh violence Saturday that killed more than two dozen people. The U.N. estimates more than 9,000 people have been killed since the uprising to oust Assad began in March 2011.
Clinton said Syrians will continue to defend themselves until Assad halts the violence. She said they should simultaneously build momentum "toward a new Syria: free, unified and at peace."
The U.S. and other countries are trying to help a splintered opposition coalesce. As part of that effort, they are helping the leading Syrian National Council restructure itself to be more transparent and inclusive so that minority and other groups still supportive of the Assad regime will break ranks. For those groups wishing to remain outside the SNC, Washington hopes they'll at least unite around a "common vision for a free, democratic and pluralist Syria that protects the rights of all citizens and all communities."
As part of U.S. efforts to know more about the opposition, Clinton met with five people including SNC chief Burhan Ghalioun and Christian and Islamist representatives. Asked directly by one woman for more assistance, Clinton said it had been difficult to gauge how best to aid the opposition, but that the world was now coming with more help.
The top U.S. diplomat also announced $12 million in additional aid for Syria's people — doubling the total American assistance so far. And she said the U.S. was providing communications equipment to help opposition members in Syria organize, remain in contact with the outside world and evade regime attacks. The Obama administration is also championing a new program to ensure accountability for individuals who commit atrocities in Syria, should the regime fall. The program works as a kind of database that allows Syrians to document abuses, identify perpetrators and store evidence for future investigations and prosecutions. "Our message must be clear to those who give the orders and those who carry them out," Clinton said. "Stop killing your fellow citizens or you will face serious consequences. Your countrymen will not forget, and neither will the international community."

Clinton pushes for holding Syrian leaders to account
April 1, 2012 /US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed for tighter sanctions on Syria and to hold its leaders to account Sunday as she attended key talks in Turkey aimed at ending Syria's bloodshed.
Clinton joined delegates from dozens of European, Arab and other countries to look at ways of supporting opposition representatives in Istanbul and to apply further pressure on President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The chief US diplomat told delegates that Assad, who has launched new assaults on Syrian towns and cities, was reneging on his commitment to a six-point peace plan he gave to UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. "Nearly a week has gone by, and we have to conclude that the regime is adding to its long list of broken promises," Clinton said, according to prepared remarks distributed by the State Department. Clinton also called for tighter regime sanctions, backed opposition efforts to forge a democratic and pluralistic vision for a future Syria, and announced an additional $12 million (nine million euros) in humanitarian aid, bring to $25 million the country's total contribution so far. Clinton also said Washington is sending other aid, including communications equipment to help "activists organize, evade attacks by the regime and connect to the outside world." But opposition Syrian National Council President Burhan Ghalioun, whom Clinton was to meet later, has asked the conference to back arming the rebels, a stand endorsed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Washington apparently fears putting weapons in Islamist militant hands and fuelling a civil war in a country that includes Arabs and Kurds, Sunni Muslims, Christians, Alawites and Druze. The US said it would work with international partners to gather evidence that can be used to hold perpetrators of abuses to account.
The US will "train Syrian citizens working to document atrocities, identify perpetrators, and safeguard evidence for future investigations and prosecutions," Clinton said. "Stop killing your fellow citizens, or you will face serious consequences," she added. UN officials estimate more than 9,000 people have died since Assad began crushing pro-democracy protests in March 2011.
Clinton also called for intensifying pressure from an array of US, European, Canadian, Arab and Turkish sanctions on Syria. She said she was pleased the conference has "agreed to form a sanctions working group to coordinate and expand our national sanctions and strengthen reinforcement." "Together we must further isolate the regime, cut off its funds and squeeze its ability to wage war on its own people," she said. To make the sanctions more effective, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity said, Clinton wants to establish a "clearing house of information on who is shipping arms, money to Assad to assist him in his killing" or evading sanctions. She told delegates that she and her Gulf Arab counterparts who met in Riyadh on Saturday are urging Annan to produce a "timeline for next steps" if Assad fails to stop the bloodshed in line with the peace plan. Annan's plan calls for a commitment to stop all armed violence, a daily two-hour humanitarian ceasefire, media access to all areas affected by the fighting, an inclusive Syrian-led political process, a right to demonstrate, and release of arbitrarily detained people. Annan was due to brief the UN Security Council on Monday on the status of his plan.
-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Report: Iranian cell planning attacks 'very soon'
Ynetnews/Sky News quotes intelligence sources as saying hunt for Iran terror cell planning to hit Israeli, Jewish targets continues. Intelligence sources told Britain's Sky News that intelligence agencies are still trying to locate members of an Iranian cell secretly operating in Turkey under orders to attack Jewish, Israeli and Western targets in the country. According to the report, the cell is part of Unit 400 – an al-Quds Brigade force answerable to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The sources estimated that preparations have reached an advanced stage and that the plot will be carried out very soon. A source told Sky News that evidence shows that the Revolutionary Guard's Unit 400 is under orders to carry out frequent and high profile terrorist attacks around the world. The sources named a senior official as a key operative who is working on plans for possible attacks in Europe. Sky News received a document which suggests that Unit 400 is behind the New Delhi, Tbilisi and Thailand attacks and attempted attacks. The information also indicates that the unit members trained in Iran ahead of an attempt on an Israeli consul's life last year. Last month, Israel Counter Terrorism Bureau issued a travel advisory to Turkey which advised Israelis to avoid visiting the country.

Judge Sir David Baragwanath, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, in Beirut for Talks with Lebanese Officials
Naharnet/ 01 April 2012/Judge Sir David Baragwanath, President of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, arrived Sunday in Beirut from Frankfurt for talks with several officials, state-run National News Agency reported. In March, sources told Al-Akhbar newspaper the STL president will ink a “memorandum of understanding” with the heads of the Bar Associations in Beirut and Tripoli.
The daily reported that Baragwanath is seeking to allow the families of the victims of the assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri, who are included in the first indictment issued by the STL and the expected one, to appoint the attorneys that they want during the proceedings of the trial. “Baragwanath will also hold meetings with senior Lebanese officials, academics, diplomats, and reporters,” the sources added.
They revealed that Baragwanath and the Lebanese vice president of the STL, Judge Ralph Riachi, held a meeting with a high-ranking Lebanese diplomat at the Lebanese embassy in The Netherlands in February. The meeting was aimed at setting the agenda of the STL president’s expected visit to Lebanon in April, the daily said.“Baragwanath described the meeting as productive and useful, in order to launch the tribunal’s campaign against Hizbullah and its allies, who are questioning its credibility,” the sources told the daily. Baragwanath was elected STL President after Judge Antonio Cassese stepped down in October 2011 on health grounds. “Baragwanath brings nearly fifty years of legal experience to the Presidency. He has practiced both as a defense and as a prosecution counsel. He has extensive experience in New Zealand as a High Court and Court of Appeal judge. He was also President of the New Zealand Law Commission,” the STL has said in a statement.
The tribunal, set up by the U.N. Security Council at the request of a past Lebanese government to try those responsible for the assassination of Hariri in 2005, announced in February that it will put four Hizbullah members on trial even though they have not yet been detained. Arrest warrants have been issued for four Hizbullah members -- Salim Ayyash, Mustafa Badreddine, Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra -- but they remain at large. Hizbullah has described the court as a “U.S.-Israeli” tool aimed at targeting the resistance and sowing sectarian strife in the region.

Erdogan Hails al-Rahi’s Efforts to Preserve Stability in Lebanon
Naharnet /31 March 2012, 17:39
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the efforts exerted by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to Turkey to maintain stability in Lebanon, stressing that Turkey hasn’t witnessed a visit like this since the Ottoman empire. Erdogan stressed on the importance of the visit of al-Rahi, saying “it comes at a time everyone needs to go back to dialogue and reconciliation.”“This historical visit helps in reactivating the dialogue and communication between the religions and the people,” the Turkish PM said.For his part, al-Rahi thanked the Turkish government for the official invitation to visit Turkey.
He noted that Turkey “participated in raising the slogan of dialogue between religions.”Al-Rahi said that he is looking forward for more cooperation concerning the convergence of civilizations and religions.
"We welcome calls for the separation of religion from the state," he said.Al-Rahi later said during a press conference at the end of his visit that the Turkish authorities are keen to safeguard the Christians in the region.“We bless the peoples’ will in choosing any authority they want… We want authorities to be able to spread democracy, public freedom and maintain the human dignity,” he noted.
Asked about “Friends of Syria” conference that will be held in Istanbul on Sunday, he said: “We bless all efforts seeking to end violence, war and reaching a peaceful solution that achieves the people’s expectations.”“We want the Syrian authorities to establish a regime that respects democracy, diversity, and the needs of the people,” al-Rahi stated. The patriarch headed to Turkey on an official visit.
He held meetings with high-ranking Turkish officials, among them FM Ahmet Davutoglu.

Syria conference: Gulf countries to fund rebels
Associated Press/Ynetnews
Participants at 'Friends of the Syrian People' conference in Istanbul say Saudis, other Gulf states setting up multimillion-dollar fund to pay opposition fighters. Clinton: We cannot sit back and wait any longer. An international coalition said Sunday that it will provide funding and communications equipment to Syrian rebels and opposition activists, reflecting a shift toward military options that might oust Syrian President Bashar Assad after a year of failed diplomacy aimed at stopping his crackdown on dissent.
Participants at a meeting on Syria, held in Istanbul, said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are creating a multimillion-dollar fund to pay members of the rebel Free Syrian Army and soldiers who defect from the regime and join opposition ranks. One delegate described the fund as a "pot of gold" to undermine Assad's army. In addition, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States is providing communications equipment to help opposition members in Syria organize, remain in contact with the outside world and evade regime attacks.
"We are discussing with our international partners how best to expand this support," Clinton said.
The large-scale plan by Gulf countries to help Syria's badly overmatched rebels offers a solution to the international divide over whether to arm the rebels or support them through only non-lethal or humanitarian means. It also reflects frustration with appeals to Assad to stop his crackdown on dissent, as well as hopes of forcing his ouster by shifting the military balance on the ground.
Conference participants confirmed the Gulf plan on condition of anonymity because details were still being worked out. It was unclear how the fund would be set up and monitored, or how the money, allegedly earmarked for salaries, would be guaranteed. A participant said the fund would involve millions of dollars every month.
The Saudis and other Arab Gulf states have proposed giving weapons to the rebels, while the US and other allies, including Turkey, have balked out of fear of fueling an all-out civil war. Washington hasn't taken any public position on the fund, but it appears that it has given tacit support to its Arab allies.
The salaries would aim to entice reluctant servicemen in Assad's military to break ranks and join the insurgency. With Syria's economy in a spiral, the Syrian opposition and US and Arab officials hope soldiers will desert in large numbers and accelerate the downfall of the Assad regime.
At the meeting in Istanbul, delegates from dozens of countries also sought to increase pressure on Assad by pushing for tighter sanctions and increased diplomatic pressure, while urging the opposition to offer a democratic alternative to his regime.
Yet the show of solidarity at the "Friends of the Syrian People" conference was marred by the absence of China, Russia and Iran - key supporters of Assad who disagree with Western and Arab allies over how to stop the bloodshed. A peace plan by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has so far failed to take hold amid fresh reports of deadly violence.
"The Syrian regime should not be allowed at any cost to manipulate this plan to gain time," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an opening address.
Erdogan also indicated military options might have to be considered, if Syria does not cooperate with Annan's plan and the UN Security Council fails to unite in opposition to Assad. He referred to the vetoes of UN censure of Assad by Russia and China, which fear the measures could lead to foreign military intervention. If the UN Security Council fails once again to bring about its historic responsibility, there will be no other choice than to support the Syrian people's right to self-defense," Erdogan said.
Clinton also expressed skepticism that the Syrian government would observe Annan's plans, which call for an immediate cease-fire and a Syrian-led negotiation process.
"Nearly a week has gone by, and we have to conclude that the regime is adding to its long list of broken promises," Clinton said. "The world must judge Assad by what he does, not by what he says. And we cannot sit back and wait any longer."
Clinton urged unity behind a plan that includes more sanctions, humanitarian aid, support for the opposition and the promise of justice one day for regime figures involved in atrocities.
Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the opposition Syrian National Council, called for the strengthening of Syrian rebel forces as well as "security corridors" inside Syria, a reference to internationally protected zones on Syrian territory that would allow the delivery of aid to civilians. However, the nations meeting in Istanbul have so far failed to agree on such an intervention, which could involve the risky deployment of foreign security forces.
"No one should allow this regime to feel at ease or to feel stronger by giving them a longer maneuvering area," he said, reflecting fears that Assad would try to use the Annan plan to prolong his tenure. "It's enough that the international community has flirted with the regime in Syria. Something has to change."
In a statement, the Syrian National Council said weapons supplies to the opposition were not "our preferred option" because of the risk they could escalate the killing of civilians, but it appealed for technical equipment to help rebels coordinate.
"For these supplies to be sent, neighboring countries need to allow for the transfer via their sea ports and across borders," the council said.
The one-day meeting followed an inaugural forum in Tunisia in February. Since then, Syrian opposition figures have tried to convince international sponsors that they can overcome their differences and shape the future of a country whose autocratic regime has long denied the free exchange of ideas.
Syria blasted the conference, calling it part of an international conspiracy to kill Syrians and weaken the country.
A front-page editorial in the official Al-Baath newspaper called it a "regional and international scramble to search for ways to kill more Syrians, sabotage their society and state, and move toward the broad objective of weakening Syria."
In Istanbul, police used tear gas and batons to disperse a group of about 40 Assad supporters who tried to approach the conference building. Many held portraits of the Syrian leader. One man waved Chinese and Russian flags.
The delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria's beleaguered civilians is a key provision of Annan's plan. Clinton announced $12 million in additional aid for Syria's people - doubling the total American assistance so far. Germany, whose foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, attended the Istanbul meeting, said it was nearly doubling its humanitarian contributions to (EURO)5.7 million ($7.6 million).
But a comprehensive solution did not appear imminent without the cooperation of the Syrian government, whose military assaults on towns and cities have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Syrian rebels, including army defectors, are fighting regime forces, but have been unable to consolidate their hold on territory because they are heavily outgunned.
Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and Turkey has floated the idea of establishing a buffer zone inside Syria, if the flow of displaced people onto its territory becomes overwhelming. There are concerns that foreign intervention, even if it has a humanitarian goal, could widen the conflict by dragging in other countries and triggering a surge in sectarian tensions.
The United Nations estimates more than 9,000 people have been killed since the uprising to oust Assad began a year ago.

Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour: Lebanon’s position on Syria ‘protects’ diplomatic relations
Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour said on Sunday that the policy of dissociating Lebanon from Syrian events “protected diplomatic relations” between Lebanon and Syria.
“The ministry’s policy was [dependent] on cabinet [decisions.] There are no two opinions in the cabinet regarding the position on the Syrian crisis,” Mansour told the Voice of Lebanon (93.3) radio station. He added that helping Syria can be achieved by supporting implementation of reform. “Dialogue remains the only exit to the crisis,” Mansour added. Syria has witnessed anti-regime protests since mid-March 2011. The United Nations estimated that more than 9,000 people have been killed in the regime’s crackdown on dissent. The Syrian regime has repeatedly blamed “armed terrorist groups” for the unrest. Lebanon's political scene is split between supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, led by the March 8 group, and a pro-Western camp represented by March 14.
-NOW Lebanon

Canada Renews Commitment to Syrian People
April 1, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today emerged from the second “Friends of Syria” meeting and issued the following statement:
“Canada remains at the forefront of international efforts to bring an immediate end to Assad’s violent campaign of terror.
“The plight of the Syrian people remains our primary concern. Assad has the obligation to allow immediate, unhindered humanitarian access.
“In response to the continued violence, Canada imposed additional sanctions to further isolate Assad and those closest to him. We will continue to shine a light on those who support this reckless regime.
“We continue to support peaceful efforts by the Syrian opposition to achieve freedom for the Syrian people. Canada will support these opposition groups by providing $1 million for pro-democracy programs. This will allow the opposition to gain the skills and resources needed to promote the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“Canada is also providing support of up to $7.5 million to help meet the most pressing humanitarian needs arising from the crisis.
“The Syrian people will have their day, and Canada stands with them as they push for a better and brighter future.”

Rai says Turkey model for Arab Spring governments
April 01, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai praised Turkey's secularism Sunday, describing it as an example worthy of emulation by governments emerging out of the Arab Spring.
During his sermon on the occasion of Palm Sunday, Rai said: “Turkey can present a model for the desired Arab Spring.”“The Turkish Muslim ... state, with a population of 79 million, separates religion and state completely, respects all religions, practices religious freedom and follows a democratic system,” he said. Rai, who arrived in Beirut Sunday following a three-day official visit to Istanbul, added that Turkey is concerned with dialogue between cultures and religions and appreciates the Christian presence in its country and in the Middle East as an element of peace and stability. 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. He has also said that Christians feared the turmoil was helping extremist Muslim groups. During his visit, Rai said he met with several officials including President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and and discussed with them various issues related to the presence of Christians in the region. “We discussed Muslim-Christian dialogue on societal and cultural levels in Middle Eastern countries for the sake of unity, justice and peace,” he said. They also discussed the presence of Maronites in Turkey and their property, the situation of Maronites in Cyprus who migrated from their four villages in the Northern Turkish sector during the 1974 Turkish invasion and the guarantee of their return to invest in their lands. The patriarch delved even further back in history in discussing with Turkish officials the fate of Armenians in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. “We discussed the massacres carried out against Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans in 1914 and 1915 during the First World War,” Rai said. Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their ancestors were killed in 1915 and 1916 by the forces of Turkey's former Ottoman Empire. Turkey disputes the figure, saying that 500,000 died in a bloody war, and denies this was genocide.

Hezbollah slams supporters of 1960 election law
April 01, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Musawi criticized proponents of the 1960 election law Sunday and voiced support for proportional representation, saying that pluralism should govern Lebanon.
“There are those who have started gearing up for elections based on the 1960 law, serving a blow to all the talk about the necessity of developing the political system and the necessity of reproducing a new political class,” Musawi said during a political gathering in the southern town of Marwahine, near Tyre.
“[They] also served a blow to talk about the necessity of proportional representation in resolving political crises in Lebanon,” he added.
The law of 1960 adopts the qada as an electoral district and was used in the 2009 elections. There have been reports that Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite Church, is leaning toward the 1960 law.
In late 2011, the Cabinet began discussing a draft electoral law based on a system of proportional representation drafted by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel but it received several objections primairly from MP Walid Jumblatt. Others, including the Orthodox Gathering, support a law that would allow each sect to elect its own candidates within a structure of proportional representation.
On Saturday, Charbel along with President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati met at Baabda Palace to further study Charbel's draft law in a bid to present a revised version to Cabinet for discussion. During the gathering Sunday, Musawi also said that supporters of the 1960 election law seek to impose their will on Lebanon and maintained that “pluralism should govern Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s current electoral law is a winner-takes-all system. Under Charbel’s draft law, Lebanon would be divided into 10 to 14 medium-sized districts. A district would be larger than a qada, the electoral regions adopted in the last parliamentary polls in 2009, but smaller than a governorate.

Lebanon's Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn: Arms smuggling into Syria persists, increasing
April 01, 2012 10:28 AM The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said in remarks published Sunday that arms smuggling along the Lebanon-Syria border persists and is on the rise but that the army's ability to combat the phenomenon is limited. “Smuggling persists and is in fact increasing; the army is fighting it as much as it can but the smuggling operations are on the rise because they bring lots of profit and money,” Ghosn told An-Nahar newspaper. He added that the poorly demarcated borders, which extend 330 kilometers, include several illegal crossings making it difficult to monitor and control them from both sides.
“The army is ready but sometimes there are gaps and problems,” he said, adding that the army is continues to combat smuggling even with its limited resources.
Since the uprising in neighboring Syria began in mid-March of last year, the Syrian government which claims that the year-long violence in its country is being carried out by armed gangs, has repeatedly asked Lebanon to better control the border in a bid to thwart arms smuggling. Lebanon’s judiciary has charged several people with smuggling arms into Syria including to the rebel Free Syrian Army. The country has vowed to curb such operations by strengthening the army’s presence along the border and heavily deploying army personnel in areas known to include preferred smuggling routes, but the issue has been complicated by the arrival of refugees in Lebanon who are fleeing the violence in Syria. The U.N. has estimated that around 9,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising began, and that some 12,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon. Ghosn also said that the army has information regarding last year’s three roadside bombs targeting UNIFIL convoys and that it is following up on the case. He said some people have been arrested and transferred to the judiciary while the army remains in pursuit of others. The minister ignited a controversy last year when he said that members of Al-Qaeda have infiltrated north Lebanon, particularly the Bekaa town of Arsal. He said that some of these Al-Qaeda members are in Lebanon under the guise of Syrian refugees. During his interview with the paper, Ghosn commented on that controversy and said: “I mentioned that to warn Lebanese ... as the worst is yet to come and it is the wave of terrorism which can reach anyone.” He added that the army is fully carrying out its duty in arresting terrorists and gangs. As for the presence of arms outside Palestinian camps, Ghosn said that the army was arresting anyone in possession of arms outside of the country’s 12 refugee camps, adding that Palestinians know the restrictions regarding this matter and the army is well aware of its duties.
Ghosn also touched on military aid from foreign countries, saying that none of the countries has fulfilled its promises of funding Lebanon’s army or selling it equipment at lower prices.
“With the missions [the army] has in the south, the north and on the border and with its deployment in various areas and its granting the Lebanese confidence and security, it is in need of equipment,” Ghosn said. He also said that he proposed $1.6 billion for his ministry’s budget but that because of the delay in approving the 2012 state budget, he might resort to preparing a draft law for the amount given the immediacy of the security issue.

Lebanese Army arrests gunmen suspected of wounding 3 soldiers
April 01, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The Lebanese army arrested three people Sunday who are suspected of having shot and wounded three soldiers in Tripoli Saturday night. “At 11:45 last night, four armed men opened fire with a pump-action rifle and other light weapons in the direction of an army checkpoint in Tabbaneh-Talaat Omari and in the direction of the base in Khan Bateekh-Tripoli, lightly wounding three soldiers,” the army said in a statement. “The army launched wide-ranging raids and arrested three of the four men suspected of carrying out the attack in question,” it added. The army also said that it considers such an attack to be directed against the stability of the city and the safety of its residents. It added that it will arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and whoever is behind them.

Lebanon's Arabic Press Digest - April 1, 2012
The Daily Star /Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Sunday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.
An-Nahar
Rai distinguishes between a regime that does not respect democracy and the Syrian state
The Maronite patriarch traveled back to Lebanon Saturday night after a visit to Turkey that was of great importance as per the words of Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said upon receiving Rai: "Turkey has not witnessed such a visit since Ottoman days."
He also said that the visit was important given that it came at a time when everyone was in need of dialogue and reconciliation.
The patriarch said: "Lebanon's stability is of great importance and we commend your role in [protecting] it." Rai also praised Turkey’s contribution to the dialogue between religions, adding that he looked forward to further cooperation to bring cultures and religions closer together.
During a news conference, Rai voiced his support for the aspirations of Arab people and their desires, adding: “We bless and welcome an authority that the people want and that reaches governance in a legitimate way in any country.”
In response to a question regarding his comments to Reuters earlier this month, Rai said he maintains a distinction between the Syrian regime that does not respect human rights and democracy and the Syrian secular state that does not discriminate between religions and that would be the closest thing to a democracy.
Al-Mustaqbal
France calls on Lebanon to respect international resolutions related to refugees
The French Ambassador to Lebanon Denise Pietton affirmed that Lebanon should implement U.N. resolutions including those related to human rights, adding that "Lebanon must not return refugees to Syria because they might be tortured."
Pietton also said that the Syrian regime will collapse eventually, urging everyone to think seriously about the future of their country and create a mechanism for dialogue and consultations to administer the next stage, which must re-establish a political framwork of great importance to Lebanon.
Ad-Diyar
Signs of confrontation between "Free Patriotic Movement and the Socialists"
The embers are burning when it comes to the government in the coming weeks, which is expected to witness sharp debates between the Cabinet's components, particularly between centrist ministers and the majority over the electricity issue given signs that the National Struggle Front bloc will become part of the dispute starting Monday.
Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi will speak about the bloc's response to the Change and Reform bloc ministers regarding recent developments related to electricity, leasing electricity-generating barges, telecoms and the state of the Cabinet.
Moreover, the new electoral law based on proportional representation is back on the scene again after MP Walid Jumblatt rejected Interior Minister Marwan Charbel's proposal.
Al-Hayat
Jumblatt responds to Nasrallah’s statement: Injustice in Palestine and more in Syria
Geagea criticizes linking the fate of Christians to the Syrian regime
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea told Christians to get involved in the Arab Spring and what is going on around them and adopt causes related to humanitarianism and justice, and to consider who really cares about the fate of Christians in the Middle East. He also urged Christians not to show despair or fear, or throw themselves at the hands of repressive regimes which pretend to protect them.
President of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt indirectly responded to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who said the day before yesterday that dropping the Syrian regime was no longer an option. He said that freedom was indivisible, declaring that “There is injustice in Palestine, but there is much more injustice in Syria.”

LF leader Samir Geagea
March 31, 2012
On March 31, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea made speech during a ceremony commemorating 18th anniversary of LF’s dissolution.
“Sheikh Bachir [Gemayel], our righteous martyrs, our living martyrs…I call on you today, on the behalf of myself and the Lebanese Forces [supporters] with joy filling our hearts because the talents you left behind [doubled] despite oppression and suppression. [The party’s] bill overflows with freedom, democracy and diversity and [the party’s] internal system is flexible and modern [as it harmonizes] with the era’s language. This is the LF’s spring.
Dewy flowers blossom in Lebanon’s cities, towns, plains and mountains. The fragrance of basil spreads a pure Lebanese smell in every country of the diaspora. This is the LF’s spring in its bill, internal system, policies and Arab and international relations.
Sheikh Bachir, you walked with our comrades to the squares of dignity and honor without an internal system. [You] walked [the path inspired] by the call of duty and conscious. Here we are today walking the squares of freedom and democracy and embodying your wishes with a modern party [that has] an internal system and that controls its path.
Glory and immortality to you our righteous martyrs because with your blood you wrote our bill and [established] the LF’s future. Congratulations to a party…whose principles are not ink on paper.
[Dear] Lebanese people, this is the 18th anniversary for dissolving the Lebanese Forces. Despite [some parties’] plans, lies, hatred, cunning, suppression and criminality, [at the end] what happened was what was rightfully supposed to happen. Despite their military and security [power] and militarizing the capabilities of two countries, [at the end] what happened was what was rightfully supposed to happen.
[Dear] LF [supporters], black moments may occur in history, but this does not mean that the path history is taking is black. As long as there is one person thinking [right] and working to achieve what is just, history will not be [black]. As long as we are many and as long as we think [to achieve] freedom, history will not be [black].
Some think we are simply, naive and romantic. Some of this is true, but add to it that we are faithful. We are faithful that God is effective in humans’ lives. Therefore, history will only [go] on the right path. We know exactly what is waiting for us on the path of the Arab Spring. There are difficulties, obstructions and extremist spirits ahead of us. But these difficulties will not deter us. What is important is that the path of the Arab Spring, despite its difficulties, is the path of freedom and life.
He who caused the Arab Spring was the dictatorial regimes that sucked up the blood of their people and that suppressed…everyone who longed for freedom. Blessed are those who believed in freedom and life. Greetings from Beirut’s spring to Damascus’ spring and from Lebanon’s mountains to Jabal al-Arab.
Some talk about Syria’s Christians as if they landed in parachutes when the [Syrian] regime was established and as if the [Christians there] have to get ready to leave to where they came from if the [Syrian regime] falls. They [pretend to] forget that the Christians [there] are native citizens of Syria.
The presence of a moderate Muslim majority [calling for] rightful citizenship, freedom and democracy is a tangible reality we cannot overlook. The Azhar declaration, the Syrian National Council letters to the Lebanese people and the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood’s statement are proof to that. We cannot ignore all these statements and announced intents. We cannot but consider them a good starting point.
Our duty is to encourage moderation instead of drowning in spreading the spirit of racist divisions and suggesting hypotheses that do not justify the current suppressive criminal reality. He who cares about the fate of the Christians in the [Middle] East does not [plant] ideas of fear and desperation and throw them in the hands of regimes that suppress them.
I hereby call on the Christians in [the Middle] East to hold on to their lands, to confront the events bravely, to organize themselves in parties in order to defend what they be believe in. I call on the Christians to interact with their environment and adopt the just humanitarian causes. We have no life in [the Middle] East if we lose the value of the reason of our presence.
Dear Lebanese people, he who thinks that he can stop that cycle of life is wrong and is far away from the truth of history. People have the right to determine their fates. He who thinks that military campaigns destroying towns and cities can end the popular revolution in Syria is wrong. He who think he can buy time with diplomatic maneuvers is delusional.
Continuing to use violence in Syria will not lead to weakening the revolution but will strengthen the extremists. Every additional day in the regime’s age is another [pillar] in building extremism in Syria.
All that is happening does not benefit the regime. The real solution in Syria…is to call for a real popular referendum sponsored by the Arab League and the [UN] Security Council on whether the regime should stay or not. [Any other solution] would lead to more bloodshed, death and destruction. The real solution in Syria is democracy. Let [those] who democratically attain the power in Syria rule.
Dear Lebanese people, at a time when the people in the region are struggling to achieve a green spring, some in our country are doing the opposite. Frankly, the practices of the Change and Reform [bloc] in Lebanon threaten the quality of political work.
The statements of [the Change and Reform bloc] no longer carry meaning, and only aim to [ruin] the reputation of others.
They have been in charge of the energy, labor and telecommunication ministries that address citizens’ affairs for almost a year. What did we see of their reform? Where did we see their change? In the budget? In the electricity? In the telecommunications? In the water? In the wages decree? In maintaining heritage? In justice by keeping the post of the head of the Higher Judicial Council vacant?
The only change we saw was changing [former Labor Minister] Charbel Nahhas, who was the only minister among them with ideas of reform and change, even though we do not agree with most of them. They wage daily wars against corruption, [but] the mask has fallen and the truth has been shown: Black corruption smelling of scandals and deals [pertaining to] diesel, electricity and telecommunications.
I will stop here in order not to ruin your evening or maybe your weekend.
As for the Christians’ rights? We have heard a lot from them - about restoring the Christians’ rights in the state. Tell me, how did that happen? Did it happen in [verbally] attacking the presidency, the general security…or state institutions?
It seems we misunderstood you in the first place. It seems that when you spoke of restoring the Christians’ rights in the state, you meant replacing every non-reformist Christian employee with a Christian employee who is full of change and reform.
On the strategic level, it turned out that Change and Reform meant:
First: Establishing a real Lebanese state [full] of change and reform calls for requesting Hezbollah to be [fully] armed, placing all strategic decisions in [Hezbollah’s] hands, granting [Hezbollah] the right to supervise the state.
Second: The Palestinians in Lebanon must be kept armed no matter whether they reside in refugee camps or not, or else they will be naturalized.
Third: Popular movements in Syria must be violently suppressed because the fall of [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad’s regime means the fall of freedom in the Middle East and the fall of the dreams of change and reform.
And finally, to achieve this change and reform, they brought an electrified cabinet whose meat is rotten, blood is diesel and breath is pollution.
Youth of the Free Patriotic Movement, excuse me for my frankness but sometimes the person who keeps silent about the truth is a mute devil. No one but you can carry out change and reform to [your party] but you. Let us meet on the principles we never disagreed upon. Let us restore the days of common struggle against any tutelage, suppression, backwardness, exile and detention for the sake of a free and sovereign Lebanon and for the sake of a real strong state that is really dominated by change and reform.
Dear Lebanese people, in 1994 they dissolved the Lebanese Forces and in 2005 they left our land. I am full of hope that soon they will let the Syrian people be.
Glory and immortality to our righteous martyrs. Long live the Lebanese Forces. Long live the Cedar Revolution. Long live the Arab Spring. Long live Lebanon.”

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.

By securing Assad and its alliance, Iran gains upper hand for nuclear talks
DEBKAfile Special Report March 31, 2012/Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan’s talks with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Thursday, March 29 were closed to the press, but a statement published on Khamenei's official website said he told Erdoğan that Iran strongly opposes any foreign intervention in Syria's conflict and will defend Damascus so that it can continue to be a center of “resistance” against Israel.
Twelve hours later, Iran’s Lebanese stooge, Hizballah’s Hassan Nasrallah, interrupted his Friday night sermon to declare triumphantly: “The die in Syria is cast. Talk of military intervention is over. There is no more talk about arming the opposition or about toppling the regime!”
Saturday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdisi announced, “The battle to topple the state is over, and the battle to solidify stability and move towards a renewed Syria has begun.”
Bashar Assad’s victory over the 12-month uprising to unseat him is unquestioned. With massive Iranian and Russian intelligence and military support, the Syrian army was able to push the rebels out of the cities – barring isolated pockets in Homs and Idlib – and drive them to the rural periphery, where they can’t hold up for long.
One observer, describing their situation as “undergunned and overwhelmed,” reported that Syria's rebels have to negotiate for hours for every box of bullets they haul across the border for their war against Assad. “And their frustration is starting to show.”
Tehran, Damascus and Hizballah are crowing over their success in derailing the Obama administration’s two-pronged policy for halting a nuclear Iran. It hinged on Tehran’s isolation by unraveling its alliance with Damascus and Hizballah and economic pressure through tough financial sanctions and an oil embargo.
Iran has come out of the woods firmly in position at the head of its bloc, now cemented by Assad’s defeat of his foes. Tehran’s hand is much strengthened for the coming nuclear talks between Iran and the Six Powers due to start in two weeks. Washington will have to pay for any Iranian concessions by starting the process of unwinding sanctions.
Responding to this situation during his visit to Tehran, March 28-29, Erdogan played both ends against the middle: He made the gesture to Obama whom he had just met in Seoul of cutting down Turkey’s purchases of Iranian oil by one fifth. At the same time, he signed lucrative deals with Iran for expanding the volume of their trade to $35 billion over the coming years.
Certain that sooner or later, Washington would slot Turkey onto the list of nations exempted from implementing the oil embargo against Iran, the Turkish prime minister could afford to defy US financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
And Tehran could afford to ignore as harmless the White House announcement Friday that the US would “go forward with sanctions on foreign banks continue to buy oil from Iran and further isolate Iran’s central bank.”
Khamenei listened carefully to the message Erdogan presented him from the US president. But he did not send back an answer. He evidently meant to leave Obama on tenterhooks until the nuclear talks begin next month.
The failure of Obama’s linked strategies for Iran and Syria resounded in the background of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Persian Gulf mission Friday and Saturday, described officially as aiming to bring Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states aboard a US-led front against Iran and Syria.
In Riyadh, Friday, she heard King Abdullah place responsibility for the Syrian debacle squarely at the door of the Obama administration for spurning the Saudi intervention plan to establis opposition sanctuaries in Syria under air force and ground forces' protection.
On Saturday, more recriminations echoed between the lines of the announcement of Clinton’s meeting with the foreign ministers of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). G
GCC Secretary Ahmed Al-Kaabi said: The meeting at the GCC secretariat will focus on the Gulf’s position on Syria and the role of the US and other allies. He added, “In fact, Saudi Arabia, along with fellow Gulf nation Qatar, has called for a timely approach, including arming the rebels and carving out a safe haven inside Syria from where the opposition can operate.”
Iran’s supreme leader gave the United States, Saudi Arabia and the GCC them his answer Thursday, when he pledged on his website strong opposition to any foreign intervention in Syria's conflict and the defense of Damascus, so that it can continue to be the center of “resistance” against Israel.
It is clearly too late to reverse the tide in Damascus: Should the US have a sudden change of heart and accept the Saudi plan to intervene in Syria and arm the anti-Assad rebellion, that route would be cut off by Tehran calling off the nuclear talks and so robbing Obama’s Iran policy of its ultimate goal.
The second Friends of Syria Clinton will be leading in Istanbul Sunday, April 1 has likewise been overtaken by events. Iran, Damascus and Hizballah have left the Syrian opposition and their adversaries’ tactics behind them in the dust.
This ought to be a resounding lesson for the Israeli circles who argue that it is up to America to deal with a nuclear Iran, a much-quoted minority chorus led by the ex-Mossad chief Meir Dagan, the moderate ministers Benny Begin and Dan Meridor and the newly-elected head of the opposition Kadima party, Shaul Mofaz. They would all like to shrug off Israel’s responsibility for preempting a nuclear Iran and pass the buck to the United States.
Washington’s management of the Syrian crisis and its non-military approach to a nuclear Iran has left Assad in the saddle and enhanced Iran’s prospects of hanging onto its nuclear weapons capacity, while escalating anti-Israel “resistance” from Damascus.
Assad and Khamenei felt no urgency to go through with the large-scale pro-Palestinian spectacle they had planned for the Israeli-Arab Earth Day Friday. They now have bigger fish to fry.
The convoy of buses standing by in Damascus to carry an international legion of pro-Palestinian sympathizers flown in from Tehran to the Golan border with Israel was therefore sent away, and the HIzballah-led rally scheduled to storm the Israeli border was relocated to central Lebanon.

A Friends of Syria conference without lies
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat,
The importance of today’s Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul is that this is taking place at a stage when almost all the lies and delusions that have been promoted about the Syrian revolution have been exposed; whether we are talking about those lies defending the tyrannical al-Assad in order to allow him to buy more time [to crush the revolution], the lie that the Syrian revolution is not real, or the lies based on an ignorance of Syria.
The lie that the Syrian opposition is fragmented has been exposed. In reality, if the opposition were united from the beginning then this would have been cause for suspicion, for how could the [Syrian] opposition be unified when it is the product of the worst and most oppressive Arab regime in the region. Anybody who knows or has visited Syria is well aware what the al-Assad regime – both that of the father and that of the son – has done to the Syrian people over the past decades. The same applies to the lie that Al Qaeda has infiltrated Syria, as well as the lies regarding the presence of terrorists, Salafists and others. The “reform” lie, which was being promoted by the tyrannical regime, has also been exposed, as has the civil war lie, which has been repeated since the outbreak of the Syrian revolution more than one year ago. The same applies to the lie about the sectarian nature of the Syrian revolution, as it has become clear that it was the al-Assad regime that sought to sanctify this lie in order to justify its crimes and intimidate Syria’s minorities. In contrast to what was said, Damascus and Aleppo were suppressed by the tyrant’s arms. The lie about a security solution, promoted by the pro-regime Shabiha militia – including Hassan Nasrallah – has also been exposed.

The lies did not stop here, the lie of doubting the Free Syrian Army [FSA] has been exposed, as have the lies about the extent of the defections from al-Assad regime forces, for we are now seeing large numbers of defections, including senior officers, taking place on a daily basis. Indeed US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dempsey said that the Syrian opposition has begun to unite and take steps to push the international community to support them, even with arms, which is contrary to what was previously being said. In addition to this, the Arab solution lie has also failed, for despite every effort being exerted, and Arab decisions being taken, nothing significant was achieved in Syria. Whilst the western lie that Arab cover was a necessity [for any intervention in Syria], has also failed, for despite everything that the Arabs have done, the West, and particularly the US, continue to make flimsy excuses, including a series of lies that have been exposed and some of which we have revealed here. Certainly the lie of al-Assad accepting Kofi Annan’s proposal – which enjoys Arab and international support – has been exposed, even in the eyes of one of the biggest promoters of al-Assad’s lies, namely Russia. This means that there is no hope for a diplomatic solutions – along the lines of what happened in Yemen – to the Syrian crisis.
From here it becomes clear that the Istanbul summit is taking place after the al-Assad regime has exhausted all its lies and tricks to buy time, and which have now become exposed to everybody. Therefore the advantage – and dilemma – of the Istanbul conference is that it has no room to grant the tyrant of Damascus more time and opportunities, particularly as the death toll in Syria is approaching the 10,000 mark, whilst one million Syrian require urgent humanitarian assistance, and nearly 17,000 Syrians have fled the country and sought refuge in Turkey, not to mention the weakening of Syria’s position in Lebanon and Jordan. Therefore, now is the time for buffer zones to be imposed in Syria and for the FSA to be provided with arms, for doing otherwise would mean granting the tyrant of Damascus a new opportunity to kill more innocent Syrians. This is what the Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul today must be aware of!

Egypt: A political blaze
31/03/2012
By Emad El Din Adeeb/Asharq Alawsat
What seems to be apparent in Egypt today is that there is a state of confrontation and division, or shall we say a fierce political tug-of-war, between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Muslim Brotherhood. This state of affairs occurs just a few weeks before the start of the presidential election battle, a few days before deliberations on the drafting of a new constitution, and 93 days before power is scheduled to be handed over [to a civilian authority].
It became apparent that time and tide will wait for no man. One authority is leaving, merely waiting for the scheduled handover of power, whilst others authorities are on the rise anticipating this handover of power; however the crisis lies in the fact that there is no harmony between the force that is handing over power, and the one that is assuming it.
Such a critical and a delicate situation arises at a time when the Muslim Brotherhood’s "maestro" is holding the baton and preparing to conduct the political orchestra in Egypt, where he sometimes points his baton at SCAF, and then at other times at Dr. al-Awa or Dr. Abul-Futouh and finally at the Brotherhood's Deputy Chairman Khairat al-Shater.
No one in Egypt knows who the Muslim Brotherhood's Shura Council will choose as their presidential nominee. The Council will have to consider the following possibilities:
The first possibility is that the Brotherhood maintains its declared principle of not choosing any Brotherhood member as a presidential candidate, or supporting the candidacy of anybody with a military background. The most important thing would be for the candidate in question to have an Islamic background.
The second possibility would see the Brotherhood abandoning such conditions and formulating new rules.
The third possibility would see the Brotherhood deciding to nominate one of its active members and then fully backing his presidential candidacy.
Regardless of what the Brotherhood chooses and announces within the next week, its real problem is that it is now failing to satisfy anyone.
The divisions within the Brotherhood are increasing, especially on the part of the youths who are standing up for [former Brotherhood figure] Dr. Abdul-Monem Abul-Futouh who violated the Brotherhood's orders and took the decision to run for president as an independent candidate.
In addition to this, resignations continue to flow from the Constitution drafting committee in protest against the majority's dictatorship with regard to naming its members, a situation that has deeply embarrassed the Brotherhood.
Finally, there have been overt verbal confrontations between the Brotherhood and SCAF in the form of an exchange of inflammatory statements after the Brotherhood announced its intention to bring a vote of no-confidence against the Kamal Ganzouri government.
There has also been a torrent of jokes and mockery circulated via SMS text messages amongst members of Egyptian society about the political conduct of the Brotherhood as well as some candidates affiliated to this political trend. This demonstrates the Egyptian public’s negative reaction to Islamist presidential candidates, when this same group enjoys more than 72 percent of the parliament's seats.
The battle continues unabated