LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 15/2012

Bible Quotation for today/God and His People
Romans 09/01-18: "I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, also assures me that I am not lying. when I say how great is my sorrow, how endless the pain in my heart for my people, my own flesh and blood! For their sake I could wish that I myself were under God's curse and separated from Christ. They are God's people; he made them his children and revealed his glory to them; he made his covenants with them and gave them the Law; they have the true worship; they have received God's promises; they are descended from the famous Hebrew ancestors; and Christ, as a human being, belongs to their race. May God, who rules over all, be praised forever Amen. I am not saying that the promise of God has failed; for not all the people of Israel are the people of God. Nor are all of Abraham's descendants the children of God. God said to Abraham, It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised you. This means that the children born in the usual way are not the children of God; instead, the children born as a result of God's promise are regarded as the true descendants. For God's promise was made in these words: At the right time will come back, and Sarah will have a son. And this is not all. For Rebecca's two sons had the same father, our ancestor Isaac. But in order that the choice of one son might be completely the result of God's own purpose, God said to her, The older will serve the younger. He said this before they were born, before they had done anything either good or bad; so God's choice was based on his call, and not on anything they had done. As the scripture says, I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau. Shall we say, then, that God is unjust? Not at all. For he said to Moses, I will have mercy on anyone I wish; I will take pity on anyone I wish. So then, everything depends, not on what we humans want or do, but only on God's mercy. For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, I made you king in order to use you to show my power and to spread my fame over the whole world. So then, God has mercy on anyone he wishes, and he makes stubborn anyone he wishes.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Asharq Al-Awsat talks to Muslim Brotherhood presidential hopeful Khairat El-Shater/By Abdul Sattar Hatita and Ahmed Imbabi/April 14/12
Geagea's assassination: The message wasn't received/By Mshari al-Zaydi/Asharq Alawsat/April 14/12
Mr. President, return to the Syrian issue/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 14/12
Post-Annan plan planning/Michael Weiss, /Now Lebanon/April 14/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for April 14/12
UN Security Council unanimously agrees to deploy Syria cease-fire monitors
At Istanbul talks, US puts better ties with Iran ahead of nuclear issues
World powers, Iran convene for nuclear talks
EU: Talks on Iran's nuclear program are proceeding 'constructively'
Diplomat: Iran nuke talks show progress
Report: German ship carrying Iranian weapons to Syria stopped at sea
US to Iran: We want to see actions, not words
King Abdullah - Erdogan discuss regional developments
Syrian forces shell Homs on day three of truce
Gulf states to meet over UAE-Iran island row: source
'Mubarak's son tried to assassinate Suleiman'
Unbrotherly relations between Egypt's Suleiman and the Muslim Brotherhood
Egypt Islamists rally in Cairo against Mubarak-era old guard
Geagea: Arms Have Never Advanced One Sect over Another in Lebanon
Sleiman visits Australia to tackle diaspora concerns, bilateral ties
Hezbollah dismisses Israeli warnings, says ready for confrontation
Sleiman stresses need for budget consensus, departs for Australia
Mikati reproaches Ahmadinejad for comments on Iran's historical, regional sway
Batroun village remembers its own Titanic victims
Lebanese Civil War memories die hard
Libya tests DNA in search for missing imam
Lebanese-Canadian to Appeal Extradition over 1980 French Bombing
Judicial Police Seize 3 Bullets Fired at Geagea’s Residence
Strida Geagea discusses women's rights with Italian delegation
Charbel: Formulation ‘all data’ caused ambiguity
Mikati criticizes Ahmadinejad’s statements during visit to disputed island

UN Security Council unanimously agrees to deploy Syria cease-fire monitors
By Reuters, DPA and Haaretz/Russia, China join other UNSC members to approve deployment of up to 30 unarmed observers who will monitor ceasfire in effect since Thursday; seventeen reportedly killed in Syria on Saturday. The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously authorized the deployment of up to 30 unarmed observers to Syria to monitor the country's fragile ceasefire, which came into effect Thursday. Russia and China joined the other 13 council members and voted in favor of the Western-Arab draft resolution. Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, however, made clear that there were limits to the kind of UN action Moscow could support. "Out of respect for the sovereignty of Syria we have cautioned against destructive attempts at external interference or imposing any kind of illusory fixes," he said. Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said on Saturday that Moscow was satisfied with the latest Western-Arab draft resolution authorizing the deployment of the first batch of unarmed UN observers to Syria to monitor its fragile truce. "Having reported to our capital we are now satisfied we can vote on the resolution," Churkin told reporters." Syrian forces shelled two central districts in the battered city of Homs throughout the night and into Saturday morning, a resident activist as well as a human rights group said, the first bombings since a ceasefire took hold on Thursday. "There was shelling last night in the old part of the city, in Jouret al-Shiyah and al-Qaradis. And I have heard eight shells fall in the past hour," Karm Abu Rabea, a resident activist who lives in an adjacent neighborhood, said on Saturday morning. Seventeen people were reportedly killed on Saturday. An estimated 3,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan since the ceasefire went into effect in Syria, according to Jordanian authorities and relief agencies. On Saturday alone some 1,000 Syrians crossed over into Jordan, said charitable associations, adding that they have witnessed a sudden rise in the number of refugees over the last three days.

Report: German ship carrying Iranian weapons to Syria stopped at sea
By Ofer Aderet and The Associated Press
According to Der Spiegel, cruiser was carrying ammunition to Syrian port city of Tartus; German government says looking into report.A German ship carrying Iranian weapons was stopped in the Mediterranean on Saturday, according to a report by Der Spiegel. The ship, weighing 6,200 tons, was carrying weapons and ammunition to Tartus, Syria with the aim of arming President Bashar Assad's forces, the report said. It docked a few days ago in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, where it was loaded with weapons supplied by an Iranian cargo ship.
The ship was identified by Syrian defectors, who contacted the German shipping company. The company then ordered the ship to change course, and although it started heading toward Turkey is was eventually halted 80 kilometers southwest of Tartus. The German government says it's looking into the report. Der Spiegel quoted shipping agent Torsten Lueddeke of Hamburg-based C.E.G.
Bulk Chartering as saying: "We stopped the ship after we received information on the weapons cargo." He said the ship was chartered to Ukraine-based White Whale Shipping, and they said the ship was carrying pumps and similar equipment. Neither C.E.G. nor the ship's owner were immediately reachable. The German Economy Ministry said it looks into all suspected embargo breaches but didn't yet have details of the case. Germany has been a strong advocate of sanctions against Syria amid a violent crackdown by President Assad's government on the country's uprising. The 27-nation European Union has imposed an arms embargo among other measures. Earlier on Saturday, human rights group said Syrian forces shelled two central districts in the battered city of Homs, the first bombings since a ceasefire took hold on Thursday. "There was shelling last night in the old part of the city, in Jouret al-Shiyah and al-Qaradis. And I have heard eight shells fall in the past hour," Karm Abu Rabea, a resident activist who lives in an adjacent neighborhood, said on Saturday morning. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that shelling had wounded several people overnight.
On Friday, Syrian forces used live fire, tear gas and clubs to beat back tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets across the country in powerful and often jubilant displays of defiance. But at that time the UN-brokered truce largely held up without the widespread, bloody offensives that have pushed the nation toward civil war. Activists said security forces killed at least six people, a lower-than-usual toll. The rallies, described as some of the largest in months, stretched from the suburbs of Damascus to the central province of Hama, Idlib in the north and the southern province of Daraa, where the uprising began in March 2011.

Geagea: Arms Have Never Advanced One Sect over Another in Lebanon
Naharnet/14 April 2012/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted on Friday that weapons will not advance the position of Shiites in Lebanon. He said: “Arms have never advanced one sect over another in Lebanon.” He made his statements during a Maarab dinner in honor of Jbeil municipality heads. Geagea added: “Shiites are a main component of Lebanon and they will remain so through the will of God, not Hizbullah.”“Shiites enjoy a special role in Lebanon through their hard political work and not the weapons,” he stressed. He therefore accused Hizbullah of seeking to control the Shiite sect. “A resistance in Lebanon is useless without the support of the entire Lebanese people,” he continued. “We all know that the people’s unity is the most important factor in a country’s confrontation with a foreign assault,” noted the LF chief. “If we want a real resistance, then we should place it under the control of the state,” he stressed. The March 14-led opposition has long been critical of Hizbullah’s weapons, which it has deemed as illegitimate. It has repeatedly demanded that the party’s arms should be the only topic of discussion at the national dialogue. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has meanwhile voiced his party’s readiness to resume the dialogue as long as no preconditions are placed.

Hezbollah dismisses Israeli warnings, says ready for confrontation
April 14, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The head of Hezbollah's foreign relations department Ali Daamoush said during the Friday sermon at the Sayyida Zainab complex in Hart Hreik that Hezbollah is ready for any confrontation with Israel, and that recent belligerent statements by Israeli officials conform to an aggressive Israeli mentality. Daamoush's comments came in response to recent media reports quoting high-ranking Israeli military officials as reiterating warnings that in any future conflict, Israel would not hesitate to strike Lebanon's infrastructure in addition to Hezbollah targets. In a thinly veiled reference to the March 14 coalition, Daamoush said that "the resistance is ready for any confrontation Israel may impose, despite the presence of domestic forces that ignore the Israeli threats and target the resistance and do not cease attacking it and its weapons." Daamoush urged the Lebanese to rally around the "tripartie formula of the army, the people and the resistance" as the most effective means of confronting the Israeli threat.

Mikati reproaches Ahmadinejad for comments on Iran's historical, regional sway
The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Prime Minister Najib Mikati held talks on bilateral relations with Iranian Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi at the Grand Serail Saturday and took issue with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial comments on Iranian clout during his recent visit to the disputed island of Abu Musa. Mikati told Iran's ambassador to Lebanon that Ahmadinejad's statements "inflame the ongoing conflict in the region, at a time when we require awareness in order to strengthen the calm and security that reflect positively on all the countries of the region and contribute to their development," according to a press release Mikati's office issued Saturday.
Mikati also expressed surprise at Ahmadinejad's comments about the predominance of Iranian civilization and culture throughout the ages, saying that "Arab civilization has long spread its culture in the countries of the region." During his visit Wednesday to Abu Musa island, claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates but administered by the former, Ahmadinejad said that the name "Persian Gulf" derives from the "culture, civilization and the dominant opinion" of the area, sparking critical reaction in the Arab media. Ahmadinejad also insisted that historical documents prove that "the Persian Gulf is Persian," referring to a simmering dispute over the proper name for the body of water. Arabs generally refer to the sea as the Arabian Gulf. The press release from Mikati's office also said that the prime minister and Roknabadi discussed the Lebanese-Iranian Economic Committee, the forthcoming convening of which is slated to coincide with a visit to Lebanon by Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi at the end of this month. The statement also said that Mikati received Information Minister Walid Daouk and head of the Higher Lebanese-Syrian Council Nasri Khoury separately at the Grand Serail, and that he sent a message of condolence to Algerian President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika over the death of Ahmed Ben Bella, hero of Algeria's anti-colonial struggle against the French and the country's first post-independence president.

Post-Annan plan planning
Michael Weiss, /Now Lebanon/April 14, 2012
As expected, Kofi Annan’s six-point plan for ending the violence in Syria has failed. Bashar al-Assad’s regime took the opportunity of an internationally certified timetable to escalate attacks against civilian areas in Syria, bringing the death toll for the last ten days to as high as 1,000, according to local activists. The northern town of Taftanaz in the north-Syrian province of Idlib was heavily damaged last week with artillery and helicopter gunships, which also fired on the suburbs of Syria’s main industrial city, Aleppo. Fleeing residents in the north have spoken of mass graves. Human Rights Watch released a report documenting 85 cases of the regime engaging in extrajudicial killings of unarmed civilians, many of whom were killed in March just as the ink was drying on Annan’s six points. True, after the 6 a.m. deadline for a cease-fire passed on April 12, the regime stopped its artillery shelling of most restive areas. However, talk of the cease-fire “holding” seems highly misleading, as 26 people were still killed by regime forces Thursday, according to the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights. These include two infants who were shot by snipers.
Further embarrassing the Annan protocol is how the regime has sought to rewrite or improvise the terms. On April 8, it announced that it would comply with the deadline contingent on written guarantees that “armed terrorist groups...stop violence in all its forms.” Troops have yet to be withdrawn from population centers, and the US Embassy in Damascus posted satellite photos on Facebook showing that tanks and other military assets are still deployed throughout Syrian cities. Finally, as if to prove that Assad’s recklessness far outweighs his survival instinct, on April 9, Syrian security forces waged lethal cross-border raids into Lebanon and Turkey, violating both countries’ sovereignty.
Funny, that. Respect for Syria’s “sovereignty” has been cited by Assad’s main allies, Russia and China, as the paramount reason for opposing any UN Security Council resolution demanding Assad’s renunciation of power. Appeasing these Syrian allies was why Annan’s plan, which made no such demand for regime change, was put into effect in the first place.
The United States now finds itself an awkward predicament of having backtracked on President Obama’s earlier statement, made last August, that Assad squandered his role to lead a transitional government and therefore “must step aside.” It is beyond time for the president to seriously advance this goal without further relying on Moscow or Beijing—or indeed, Damascus—to accommodate him.
At the last Friends of the Syrian People conference in Istanbul, Washington announced that it would send more “non-lethal” aid to the Syrian rebels in the form of satellite phones and advanced communications because it doesn’t want to further “militarize” the conflict. Yet the conflict has already been sufficiently militarized by the regime, and satellite phones are only good for giving the rebels something to call Washington on to ask for weapons. Members of the Free Syrian Army I’ve interviewed say that they need anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions, neither of which have been forthcoming from Qatar or Saudi Arabia, making the US promise not to block such shipments moot. Contrast this to the steady flow of Iranian and Russian weapons to Assad. If we support the Syrian opposition, we have to support it all the way by arming it.
The US also offered, along with Gulf nations, to pay the salaries of Syrian military defectors in the hopes of encouraging more of them, though to do what exactly remains unclear. The majority of the Free Syrian Army is composed of armed civilians. In fact, many defectors have fled Syria and are now in neighboring countries. They would make an excellent crop of candidates for training as a professional gendarmerie to help establish law and order in a post-Assad state, which will almost certainly be plagued with reprisal campaigns and lawlessness. The Jordan International Police Training Center, built in 2003 with US funds to train the Iraqi and later Palestinian authorities, should now house willing Syrian cadets. Not only would this be responsible forward-planning, it would also send a signal to Assad’s power base that its replacement is being groomed next door. That might encourage more defections, all right.
Finally, and whether we like it or not, plans for some form of direct military intervention ought to be made now, in accordance with the suggestions of Senators John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsay Graham. This contingency grows more inevitable by the day as Turkey is beginning to view the Syrian crisis not just as a humanitarian catastrophe in itself but as a threat to Turkey’s own national security.
Leave aside the violent cross-border raid by Syrian security forces into a Turkish refugee camp on Sunday, which left several people—including one Turkish policeman—seriously wounded.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week threatened that “the actions of the Syrian regime could force Turkey” to impose a buffer zone in northern Syria. True, his government has been threatening to impose such a zone since last June when it first absorbed 10,000 Syrian refugees. However, the recent rise in the refugees’ number—a third of the total 24,300 arrived only in the last few weeks, according to the Turkish foreign minister—is inherently destabilizing to Turkey’s own sectarian balance. Most refugees are Sunnis, and they’re being housed in the Hatay province, a former Syrian territory that is home to a large number of Turkish Alawites—or “Arab Alevis,” as they’re called—who tend to be pro-Assad. On March 1, several Alevi homes in Hatay were marked with the same red cross symbol that preceded the 1978 Maraş Massacre of Alevis by Sunni ultra-nationalists. The Turkish Red Crescent anticipates as many as half a million refugees: that’s the same number of Iraqi Kurds seeking safe haven in Turkey at the close of the First Gulf War, which ultimately led to the creation of the buffer and no-fly zones in northern Iraq. In that instance, Turkey had the help of US, British, French, Dutch and Australian air power.
The Assad regime is quickly eroding the middle ground for diplomatic maneuvering, leaving the United States with the prospect that not only will thousands more Syrian have to die, but that their sacrifice will to be to ensure that Iran’s last ally in the Middle East remains standing.
*Michael Weiss is Director of Communications and Public Relations at the Henry Jackson Society.

At Istanbul talks, US puts better ties with Iran ahead of nuclear issues
DEBKAfile Special Report April 14, 2012/European diplomats close to the nuclear negotiations which Iran and six world powers launched in Istanbul Saturday, April 14 praised the first session as “constructive” because all the participants agreed that it laid the ground for a follow-up meeting in a month or six weeks. debkafile: For this modest "concession," Tehran won its first advantage, time for advancing its nuclear weapons program and a substantial delay for any US or Israel military action to preempt this advance – up until mid-summer.
At around the same time, in July, President Barack Obama is committed to declare the next round of sanctions against Iran - a tight clampdown on its banks and oil exports.
It is doubtful if then Tehran will consent to go back to the “everything is on the table” policy it pursued surprisingly for the first time in Turkey. Until now, the Iranians refused to allow its nuclear activities, especially in the military field, to be aired at international forums. Yet at the Saturday session, Saeed Jalili, Iran’s senior nuclear negotiator avoided mention of sanctions and, as debkafile predicted on April 11, did not demand the lifting of penalties as a precondition for negotiations.
His statement to the meeting was not released. European diplomatic sources only quoted him as saying generally that he was ready “to seriously engage on the Iranian nuclear issue.”
US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman is quoted as saying that “relations between Washington and Tehran need not be so bad.”
During the break for lunch, when informal meetings traditionally take place among the delegates, Sherman is reported by Western sources to have asked to talk to Jalili, but whether or not they met was not stated. Shortly after, sources in Tehran denied that the US and Iranian delegation leaders had met separately but later said Jalili had accepted her invitation.
Diplomatic circles in the West including Israel were surprised at the choice of Wendy Sherman as US delegation leader. She is reputed to be Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s closest and most influential adviser. This is taken as a signal from Washington to Tehran that the Obama administration is more interested in improving the climate of relations with Iran at the diplomatic level than reaching understandings on the nuclear issue.
On April 7, debkafile’s Washington sources disclosed that this goal was underscored in the message from President Obama to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan delivered on March 29.
The president expressed the hope that Iranian leaders would abandon their hostile rhetoric and stop referring to the United States as their enemy. Erdogan was directed to inform the supreme leader that statements from Tehran crediting Obama’s policy for this improvement in tone would be welcomed, for example, Khamenei’s remark on March 8 in which he welcomed comments by US President Barack for “for pushing forward diplomacy and not war as a solution to Tehran’s nuclear ambition.”
This initial US approach and the absence from the American delegation of any important expert on Iran’s nuclear program have raised concern among some of America’s Western allies as well as Israel about the prospects of the Istanbul talks getting anywhere in their avowed objective of reining in Iran’s nuclear aspirations.

King Abdullah - Erdogan discuss regional developments
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accompanying members of his delegation at the Rawdat Khuraim oasis near Riyadh yesterday. Upon his arrival at Rawdat Khuraim, the Turkish Prime Minister was received by Chief of General Intelligence Prince Meqren Bin Abdulaziz and President of Royal Protocol Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Tibaishi. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks regarding the recent developments in regional and international arenas, as well as the position of the two brotherly countries towards these developments. The meeting also addressed means of enhancing bilateral cooperation in all fields in a manner that serves the interests of Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Chief of General Intelligence Prince Meqren Bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Education Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Abdulaziz Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.

Geagea's assassination: The message wasn't received!
By Mshari al-Zaydi/Asharq Alawsat
The assassination attempt on the famous Lebanese Christian political figure Samir Geagea is an outrageous expression of the eruption of political-sectarian confrontations in the region.
Geagea is the loudest dissident Christian voice opposed to the idea of a minority alliance, promoted by the al-Assad regime, as a justification for instinctively aligning with the outwardly "Baathist" Alawite al-Assad, in the face of the "Sunni" revolution. This is the starting point for how best to understand the ongoing conflict.
To clarify the picture, we must compare certain individuals with their opposites. We can appreciate the value of the Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea when we compare his position to that of another Lebanese Christian figure, namely General Michel Aoun, who is completely immersed in a sectarian alliance with the Shiite party of Hezbollah and the Alawite regime of al-Assad. This alliance is designed to target the Sunni majority across the Fertile Crescent countries from Iraq to Lebanon. But there are also other figures breaking away from the intense onslaught against the Sunni majority. We have seen the stance adopted by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt in his courageous and admirable alignment with the Syrian revolution. He even placed the revolution’s flag on the tomb of his father Kamal Jumblatt, during his latest memorial visit. Walid Jumblatt has clearly stated over and over again that he is against the theory of a minority alliance. Geagea plainly reiterated the same thing in response to Aoun and his political trend, and in an implicit reply to the new Patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Church, Boutros al-Rahi, who has moved closer to the language spoken by al-Assad and Aoun in contrast with his predecessor Nasrallah Sfeir.
When we talk about the sectarian factor in political analysis, we are not condoning the sectarian approach or its ethics. However, this sectarian factor denotes the reality and we must understand such realities as they are, not the way we want them to be.
How else can we interpret the positions taken by son of the Shiite Dawa party and Prime Minister of Iraq's current sectarian government Nuri al-Maliki, who has been pursuing the Sunni Vice-President of Iraq Tariq al-Hashimi, providing Bashar al-Assad with moral and material aid, and differentiating between an evil Baathist party, i.e. the Sunni party of Saddam Hussein, and a good Baathist party, i.e. the "Alawite" sect of al-Assad?
This is a picture that screams of sectarianism and deep historical alignment.
As strange as it seems, the entire world, as expressed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, has bought into the fear of Sunni alternative rule in Syria. Yet by doing this, the world is unintentionally reinforcing Sunni sectarianism, as a reaction to its current state of besiegement. Syria's people will soon say: “If you can see nothing in my revolution against oppression and injustice except that I am a Sunni and not an aggrieved citizen, then I will be a Sunni with a vengeance. Since my all-encompassing nationalistic messages and practices – embodied in the revolution's slogan: "One, one, one…the Syrian people are one" – have not reached you, along with the fact that one of the Free Syrian Army [FSA] battalions is named "Sultan al-Atrash", and the Syrian National Council [SNC] is headed by leaders like George Sabra; since all these messages have not reached their intended recipients, then I will be a much fiercer and more severe Sunni than you ever imagined”.
If Syria's revolution turns into a sectarian conflict, which is not yet the case, it will be the international community that is responsible for pushing it in that direction.
Sectarian diversity is a reality in the region, particularly in the Levant, Iraq and Egypt. We should take advantage of this reality instead of converting it into a crisis.
Stances like those adopted by Samir Geagea and Walid Jumblatt have been very beneficial in consolidating national discourse and the humanitarian dimension of the crisis, as well as casting away the sectarian discrimination and denominational rhetoric blatantly assumed by figures like Aoun and al-Maliki, as well as entities like Hezbollah.
In his latest article, Lebanese editor and journalist Hazem Saghieh touched upon a dimension of this complicated story, regarding Arab Christians within the Sunni milieu.
He said that "In the chemistry between sects, there is a lot of bad air. Indeed, relations between Sunnis and Christians and vise-versa might be the most toxic."
Saghieh recalled the milestones of Christian incorporation into an all-encompassing cultural discourse with the Sunni population, through the idea of Arab pan-nationalism, even through the idea of Syrian nationalism along the lines of Antun Saadeh; the famous Lebanese-Syrian nationalist philosopher, writer and politician, and also through flagrant Christan involvement in right-wing activities or left-wing policies. Saghieh remarked on how a unified religious and sectarian dimension was created by the deliberate exaggeration and magnification of the Palestinian Cause, stressing a common ground to bring together Christians and Muslims, i.e. the city of Jerusalem. Saghieh said that "The city of Jerusalem was the most heavily traded commodity in the entire deal. Regarding anti-Semitism, which was not an Islamic phenomenon, it was a poisoned gift [from the Christians]. Muslims were indoctrinated to hate Israel, not because it occupied Arab territories, but because its ancestors crucified Jesus Christ."
In truth, despite the more or less constant presence of sectarianism in the Arab political scene, we have never noticed it to be as pressing or present as it has been over more than the past decade. You could say that the Khomeinist revolution awakened the sleeping Sunni demons.
Following the fall of the Saddam regime, Iraq was restructured in a crude sectarian fashion, just like in Lebanon, and just like the enemies of the revolution in Syria are now speaking about sectarian determinants. However, there are times in our contemporary history that are distanced from this sectarian hostility.
Names like the Syrian Prime Minister during independence era, Faris al-Khoury, as well as striving patriotic figures like the Druze Sultan al-Atrash and the Alawite Saleh al-Ali, to say nothing of symbols which earnestly served Arab culture like the Christian academic households of Al-Bustani and al-Yazji in Lebanon, and patriots like Makram Ebeid Pasha in Egypt. All the aforementioned names show that sectarianism is not the inevitable fate of this region.
Walid Jumblatt, who is now receiving threats just like Geagea, inherited his father's anti-sectarian position. Furthermore, he has taken over the stance of his grandfather, Shakib Arslan, who was the staunchest Arab advocate of pan-Islamic policies and identity. He was also a personal friend of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi State. All this confirms that there is more that unites the people of this region, than divides them.
For those who don't know, many Syrian independence revolutionaries from the Druze sect, who were fighting against French colonialists, sought refuge in Saudi territories at certain times during the reign of King Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
There is no danger of the Syrian revolution turning sectarian. Actually, the revolution has proved its nationalistic agenda, its diversity and its unity. The one party that insists on emphasizing the sectarian dimension overtly and covertly is the regime itself.
The danger is the exact opposite. In other words, the persistence of the al-Assad regime in carrying out killings and bloody carnage could feed Sunni religious fanatical discourse. Hence, the existence of a Christian, Druze, Alawite and Shiite presence in the revolution, along with all components of the Syrian social fabric, challenges all claims of the emergence of a fanatical Sunni discourse; claims made by the regime to rekindle an abominable sectarian clash. The regime has not yet lost hope of promoting its own account of the revolution.
The assassination attempt on the Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea is an attempt to kill off the idea of a national humanitarian alliance, and an attempt to strike at the symbols who refute the theory of a minority alliance.
Geagea is like Jumblatt and al-Hariri, they are all symbols helping to combat sectarianism, which is the sole source of sedition and incitement. They have never sought to stir this up~ Such symbols ought to join forces at this historic moment, which might represent a rare opportunity to emerge from the dark tunnel.

Mr. President, return to the Syrian issue!
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
I could not stop laughing when media outlets published the news of North Korea’s long-range rocket launch failure; the rocket flew for 120 km before breaking up into four pieces. This was less a rocket launch and more a fireworks display, or as Adel Imam said in his famous film “Al Safara Fil Emara” [The Embassy in the Building], “don’t exaggerate the issue so much!”
The reason for this laughter was that the US administration wanted to turn the North Korea rocket launch into a political issue that Washington could utilize to draw attention away from what is happening in Syria, with regards to the crimes being carried out by the forces of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad. Washington sought to call a UN Security Council meeting, and the Obama administration preoccupied the world with the issue of North Korea’s rocket launch. This reached the point that the White House issued a statement saying that despite the failure of North Korea’s rocket launch, this nevertheless represented a “provocative action” that “threatens regional security [and] violates international law”.
The Obama administration considers the failed rocket launch, in which the rocket itself broke up into four different pieces in the sky, to be a provocation that threatens regional security as well as a violation of international law, whilst the death of more than 11,000 Syrians at the hands of al-Assad regime forces, not to mention the one million Syrians who are in need of immediate humanitarian aid, does not represent a violation of international law or a threat to regional security, and this is not mentioning al-Assad forces violating Turkish and Lebanese territory! This is truly puzzling, and even abhorrent! Saudi monarch King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz was right when – commenting on Russia and China’s double veto – he said that the international community’s confidence in the UN Security Council has been shaken, and this, of course, represents a very dangerous state of affairs!
Al-Assad has failed to abide by Annan’s ceasefire, he did not abide by the article that called on him to withdraw his troops from Syria’s cities, allow demonstrations to take place, and permit the entry of international press [to Syria]; this is not to mention releasing detainees and other requirements of the Annan initiative. Indeed al-Assad has failed to abide by any previous initiative, however despite all this, the Obama administration wants to preoccupy the world with the issue of North Korea’s “toy” rockets, under the pretext of protecting international law and regional security! Therefore one can only inform Mr. Obama that the North Korean experiment failed, and it was ultimately revealed that this [long-range rocket] experiment was as lacking as North’s Korea’s infrastructure – particularly as the country is in dire need of food aid today – therefore there is no longer any excuse to draw the attention of the world away from the need to confront the unprecedented crimes being committed by the tyrant of Damascus in our region. So Mr. Obama, please return to the Syrian issue today, particularly as it is more than enough that the international community has, over the past year, provided al-Assad with one opportunity after another– or shall we say a license – to kill more Syrian people, and we are now hearing talk about new observers being sent to Syria! However the reality of the situation is that what is happening in Syria today represents the true violation of all laws, and the real threat to regional – and Mediterranean – security.
Mr. President, return to the Syrian issue, for all excuses have been exhausted, even the North Korean rocket was revealed to be a “toy”, whereas what is happening in Syria is the real crime!

Minister Baird Announces Reappointment of the Chair of the National Capital Commission Board of Directors
April 13, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced the reappointment of Russell Andrew Mills as chair of the National Capital Commission (NCC) board of directors.
“Mr. Mills is a respected member of the NCC board of directors,” said Minister Baird. “His exemplary record in serving his community and Canada is a testament to the value he brings to the NCC. I congratulate him on his reappointment.”
The Chair of the NCC board of directors is appointed by the Governor-in-Council at the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to whom the NCC reports. The NCC is responsible for planning and taking part in the development, conservation and improvement of Canada’s capital region. It is also responsible for organizing, sponsoring and promoting public activities and events that reflect the country’s heritage and official languages.
For more information on the NCC, consult Discover Ottawa & Gatineau.
A biographical note follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
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Biographical Note
Russell Andrew Mills (BA, 1967, University of Western Ontario [UWO]; MA [Sociology] 1968, UWO) was born July 14, 1944, in St. Thomas, Ontario. While at university, Mr. Mills worked as a part-time reporter at the London Free Press from 1964 to 1967. He joined the Oshawa Times as a reporter in 1970 and became city editor later that year. In 1971, Mr. Mills joined the Ottawa Citizen as a copy editor and was subsequently promoted to assistant city editor, night news editor and assistant managing editor. In 1977, Mr. Mills became the Ottawa Citizen’s editor, then was appointed general manager in 1984 and publisher in 1986. Mr. Mills became president of the Southam Newspaper Group in 1989, responsible for all of Southam’s daily and weekly newspapers, and returned to the Ottawa Citizen as publisher in 1992. A Nieman Fellow at Harvard University from August 2002 to May 2003, Mr. Mills then joined Algonquin College in August 2003 and is now Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Media and Design. Mr. Mills is the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Carleton University (June 2002) for services to the community and the newspaper industry, and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) for services to Canada. In addition to being chair of the National Capital Commission, Mr. Mills is president of the Michener Awards Foundation for public service journalism, a director of the Canadian Film Institute and of the Canadian Battlefields Foundation and an adjudicator on the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.

Question: "How did Jesus fulfill the meanings of the Jewish feasts?"
Answer: The way in which Jesus fulfilled the Jewish feasts is a fascinating study. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish prophet Amos records that God declared He would do nothing without first revealing it to His servants, the Prophets (Amos 3:7). From the Old Covenant to the New, Genesis to Revelation, God provides picture after picture of His entire plan for mankind and one of the most startling prophetic pictures is outlined for us in the Jewish Feasts of Leviticus 23.
The Hebrew word for feasts (moadim) literally means "appointed times." God has carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal to us a special story. The seven annual feasts of Israel were spread over seven months of the Jewish calendar, at set times appointed by God. They are still celebrated by observant Jews today. But for both Jews and non-Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, these special days demonstrate the work of redemption through God’s Son.
The first four of the seven feasts occur during the springtime (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks) and they all have already been fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. The final three holidays (Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) occur during the fall, all within a short fifteen-day period.
Many Bible scholars and commentators believe that these fall feasts have not yet been fulfilled by Jesus. However, the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) for all believers in Jesus Christ is that they most assuredly will. As the four spring feasts were fulfilled literally and right on the actual feast day in connection with Christ's first coming, these three fall feasts, it is believed by many, will likewise be fulfilled literally in connection to the Lord's second coming.
In a nutshell, here is the prophetic significance of each of the seven Levitical feasts of Israel:
1) Passover (Leviticus 23:5) – Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover at the same hour that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening.
2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) – Pointed to the Messiah's sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus' body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.
3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10) – Pointed to the Messiah's resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in I Corinthians 15:20 as the "first fruits from the dead."
4) Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16) – Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter's great sermon and his first proclamation of the Gospel.
5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) – The first of the fall feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:52).
6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) – Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they "look upon Him whom they have pierced," repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).
7) Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:34) – Many scholars believe that this feast day points to the Lord's promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1-7).
Should Christians celebrate these Levitical feast days of Israel today? Whether or not a Christian celebrates the Jewish feast days would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Christians are not bound to observe the Jewish feasts the way an Old Testament Jew was, but we should not criticize another believer who does or does not observe these special days and feasts (Romans 14:5).
While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Jewish feast days, it is beneficial to study them. Certainly it could be beneficial to celebrate these days if it leads one to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection and the future promise of His coming. As Christians, if we choose to celebrate these special days, we should put Christ in the center of the celebration, as the One who came to fulfill the prophetic significance of each of them.
Recommended Resource: Faith of Israel, 2d ed.: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament by William Dumbrell.

Asharq Al-Awsat talks to Muslim Brotherhood presidential hopeful Khairat El-Shater
By Abdul Sattar Hatita and Ahmed Imbabi
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – Khairat El-Shater is one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s top strategists and a chief financier who has now taken up the mantle as the Freedom and Justice party’s presidential candidate. Educated as an engineer, El-Shater is a multi-millionaire, reportedly owning a network of businesses in Egypt, including investment companies, manufacturers and a furniture chain. He spent 12 of the past 20 years in prison under former president Mubarak’s crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. He was released from prison following the 25 January Revolution, being granted a full pardon by the ruling military. El-Shater is touting his “Renaissance Project”, aimed at modernizing corrupt and incompetent institutions, including education, agriculture, transportation and health care. In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, El-Shater discussed his presidential nomination, the current situation in Egypt and his hopes for the future of the country.
The interview is as follows:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You have announced your candidacy for the Egyptian presidency. Why do you think the Egyptian electorate should vote for you?
[El-Shater] Firstly, I did not nominate myself; rather the Freedom and Justice party and the Muslim Brotherhood have taken the decision to nominate me for the presidency. This is very different than any other figure thinking of standing for the presidency [as an independent], because as the candidate of the [Freedom and Justice] party, I have embraced the management of the programs and views that the party has put forward to create a new renaissance for modern Egypt. The [Freedom and Justice] party and the [Muslim Brotherhood] organization are behind me, as well as all the political forces that have adopted the [renaissance] project…therefore this is something that distinguishes me from any other candidate at the presidential elections.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You mean to say that voters will be voting for the Muslim Brotherhood as much as for you personally?
[El-Shater] It is not about electing the Muslim Brotherhood or Khairat El-Shater, rather electing the Renaissance project…to build a modern Egypt, politically, economically, socially, culturally and indeed in all other areas of life. We are talking about two points…firstly, there is the [renaissance] project, and secondly there is the conviction that this candidate – and the party behind him – can truly implement this project.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The constitutional requirements call on the President of Egypt to avoid political or partisan affiliation. In this case, isn’t it true that the electorate should be more concerned about the presidential candidates themselves, rather than the parties supporting them?
[El-Shater] Our program is based on transforming the presidency into a general framework institution; this will harmonize the operations between the government, parliament and the presidency…and which in the end will form a political regime whose ultimate goal is to develop Egypt.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Have you revealed this project, and your intentions, to the concerned parties in Egypt?
[El-Shater] Yes…we have a social renaissance project and we have spoken about this on a number of occasions with various political forces in Egypt. This [project] is something that we put forward every now and then, and we are putting this forward now, and are opening the door to amending and developing this [project]. Following the presidential elections, we will continue in this regard, until this [project] represents the vision of the entire Egyptian people, not the vision of a single party or organization. This is because this [project] will be implemented by the people themselves, not by any single party…therefore we must promote this idea and convince the greatest number of citizens of this, and this can only be achieved by receiving feedback and developing this vision as best we can.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you keen to be the new president of Egypt or was your candidacy mandated by the Muslim Brotherhood?
[El-Shater] I am passionate with regards to any mandate.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about those who say that your candidacy is nothing more than a suicide mission?
[El-Shater] I am aware that this is a suicide mission…however I am approaching this from a religious approach; we – as Muslims – are working to serve our country, because our understanding of religion requires this. Our religion requires us to work to reconstruct and develop the land and meet the needs of the people and solve their problems. For us, that is the entire issue. When a person becomes a decision-maker he must be passionate, otherwise this will [also] reflect on his view of religion.
Personally, I had imposed a limit on myself, namely that I would retire from any administrative work by the age of 60, this is because I began working in public affairs since I was 16 years old, and I am well aware of the importance of providing opportunities to allow a new generation to emerge. I am also aware of the extent of the work that is required in managing or governing Egypt in general. I said that I would retire at 60, however I was in prison when I reached this age, so I could not announce my retirement whilst I was in prison, so that nobody would think that I had retreated or weakened or surrendered as a result of imprisonment. Therefore I took the decision to postpone this [announcement] until after I was released from prison, and then the revolution took place and the country required everybody with experience in administration or work or the economy or politics…therefore we must all cooperate until we rescue Egypt’s sinking ship. We must also work together to implement our new renaissance, and ensure that Egypt is ranked amongst the developed nations, providing an important cultural model; therefore there is no room for retreat or surrender!
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What are the reasons that led the Muslim Brotherhood to withdraw from its initial pledge not to field any presidential candidates?
[El-Shater] The initial decision that was taken was based on particular reasons; a key issue was that the political scene in post-revolutionary Egypt represents a new historic turning point, and we – prior to the revolution – were objective regarding the issue of opposition. This is because there were a number of restrictions imposed upon us whilst they also attempted to distort our public reputation; however this did not convince the people who continued to support us, whether in parliament or employment or student unions etc. This was despite the media campaign against us which was present in most Egyptian and Arab media outlets. This was not just with regards to the general public, but also the elites and people of influence, domestically or abroad, as many institutions would say “the Muslim Brotherhood are dangerous” and “the Muslim Brotherhood are the enemy”, and when someone is told this again and again over 30 years – whether we are talking about the army or security apparatus – then you will require a period of time to win trust and build bridges with the general public. These are all active features [in society], and they must be present in the governing regime.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some people are calling for a parliamentary system to be implemented in Egypt, which is different from the system of rule outlined in the 1971 constitution. What is your view?
[El-Shater] Our preference, regarding the constitution, would be for a parliamentary system, however it is difficult to transition to such a system in one go…so there must be a mixed system. Simply speaking, as Egyptian, we have had enough of the harsh authorities of the president of the republic…and we reached an unprecedented state of tyranny, which led to corruption and backwardness; therefore we want to minimize the powers of the president. Our view is that it is better to have a place in government than to hold the presidency. We took a strategic decision not to compete on all fronts, but to possess some legislative power to allow us to express our views, as well as to help in drafting laws and regulations that serve the Renaissance project. At the same time, we wanted to have an effective role in a broad-based coalition government so that we would have the capability to implement our programs, because without this the process would remain within parliament. Legislation is very important, however without executive authority one’s popularity would be eroded over time, because this means we would not be able to actively engage with and resolve people’s problems, nor would we be able to begin our special Renaissance project. Therefore we focused on these two vital pats; namely a presence in the legislative body and a presence in government. However we were ultimately prevented from forming a government – even a coalition government – and we were not given any logical or strong justifications for this. We announced that if we were allowed to form a broad-based coalition government, we would refrain from nominating a presidential candidate…however we did not receive any response to this, therefore we took the decision to change our position and put forward a presidential candidate due to the necessity of our having a presence – even a partial one – in the executive branch. This means that if the [Ganzouri] government problem had been solved, we would not have changed our position not to nominate a presidential candidate.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Since you have brought this issue up, isn’t it true that the idea of a broad-based coalition government was also rejected by the revolutionary youth and other political forces?
[El-Shater] There have been some changes. In the beginning, we stressed that there must undoubtedly be relative security and economic stability during the transitional stage, but there was more security deterioration than expected. The other issue is that we saw that the economic situation was deteriorating further and further, along with the country’s cash reserves. More dangerous than this was the fact that following the first round of parliamentary elections, and the Freedom and Justice Party’s landslide victory, winning 40 percent of seats, many people in different ministries and government organs sought to contact us. However we are not talking about ministers, but rather those working underneath them, and we received information that indicated that everything was heading in one direction, namely the destruction of our chances – as the majority- to form a new government. At the same time, Egypt’s cash reserves were decreasing, and the investors who came to establish projects [in Egypt] were failing to find anybody to help them in any regard; no decisions were being taken, and nobody was taken any action to resolve the problems. Therefore we were facing a very dangerous state. We also uncovered attempts to harm Egypt’s relations with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the US, via strange incidents. The court case regarding the foreign NGO’s took place, which saw us potentially destroying our position with the US. Did Egypt calculate the situation correctly with regards to this case? Were we ready for prosecution, imprisonment, and escalating the situation or not? When asked, Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri said that Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Faiza Abu El Naga was not aware of this case, and nor was the prime minister. Then we saw the prime minister attacking Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Gulf States for not helping Egypt, despite the fact that information that we are in possession of says the opposite. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged $4 billion to support the Egyptian economy, and $500 million will be sent immediately, and the rest via programs that the [Egyptian] government will implement…although the government has, as of yet, failed to do so.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Can you give us any specific examples about the Egyptian government’s failures in this regard?
[El-Shater] For example Saudi Arabia allocated $750 million to support Saudi exports to Egypt, this means that there is financial support for goods that are imported from Saudi Arabia. Therefore the Egyptian government must provide a clear and precise program to allow businessmen to benefit from this subsidization and the support provided by the Saudi government. The Qatari government also said that it was ready to pump investment into the Egyptian private sector, pledging between $10 - $15 billion; the Egyptian government has said that there are preliminary studies on this, but nothing concrete has happened…and then after all this the government said that the Gulf State governments are not helping Egypt! It’s enough that the Saudi and Qatari governments pledged specific figures! The third issue is the issue of foreign loans to cover the budget deficit. How can we accept or reject this without more information? Is it logical for an interim government to take out loans and spend this within two months, and then to be replaced by a permanent government that will be responsible for paying off these loans? We propose two solutions, either postponing the loans until a new government is formed on 31 July, or accelerating the formation of a new government so that this decision can be taken now.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists are always confidently stating that they should hold executive power at this time, whilst also speaking about the executive powers of the presidency. What is your view of this?
[El-Shater] For us, this is not an issue of confidence, and we do not seek to be in charge of the government or the presidency, we know that the country is in a very difficult situation, and it is difficult for anybody to carry the burdens of this alone. This is an extreme situation, for the administration of Egypt today is closer to suicide and failure than it is to success. The issue is not simple, and therefore we are not doing all this because we find power attractive but rather out of duty.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] So you disagree with me there is a sense of confidence regarding the Freedom and Justice party coming to power?
[El-Shater] It is not a question of confidence or rushing [to take power] rather it is a desire, driven by our Islamic background, to save what can be saved. The people chose us, so how can we let them drown…this is our responsibility. On the contrary, we in the Muslim Brotherhood would have preferred to be in the opposition, but how can be the largest political bloc – enjoying 47 percent of all parliamentary seats – and be in the opposition? If we did this, we would be running away from our responsibility, so this is not confidence or rushing to take power…rather we have no choice!
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some people have raised questions about your ties to Qatar. Is there anything suspicious about your relations with the Gulf State? To what extent did this relationship persuade you to stand for the Egyptian presidency?
[El-Shater] I can honestly state that I do not have a “special” relationship with anybody, rather I deal with all present parties – domestically and abroad – in the same manner, particularly as we were preparing to participate in the Egyptian government even before the announcement of my presidential candidacy. Since the first moment after I announced my candidacy, I have not travelled abroad or dealt with anybody other than Egyptians, whilst prior to this we were busy participating in establishing the government, and dealing with operational programs. During this period, I would focus on two vial things in every meeting…the first thing was to obtain as much expertise as possible on the issue of establishing a state, because we do not have high levels of experience in certain areas. Therefore we discovered that the Turks succeeded in doubling production 4 times over a period of 10 years, so we must study this experience, and research whether some aspects of this can be implemented in Egypt. We also found that Singapore had achieved unusual success in managing its education and health sectors, and so we sat down with them to see what administrative or technical aspects of this we could appropriate and implement in Egypt. In addition to this, we saw that in post-Apartheid South Africa the people were subject to much suffering, particularly with regards to corruption and an uncertain future. In South Africa we found a model entitled “transitional justice” and this is a comprehensive approach on how to recover rights and push for social peace; they said this was a transitional phase that would last for a number of years. As for the second issue, this is our budget deficit, and so we have talked about urging our private sector to participate in a number of projects, we also spoke to a number of Arab and foreign investors, including Turkish and Syrian investors. I also spoke with officials in Qatar, Kuwait, Libya, Turkey, as well as other officials in Europe and the Gulf…and my primary goal was to promote the idea of investing in Egypt. I have not spoken about any particular projects with anybody, because there are no comprehensive studies, but we are working to carry out preliminary studies. Our relations with all states are taking place in this context.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about the rumours that the Qataris played a role in convincing you to stand for the presidency?
[El-Shater] This did not happen….when the Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice party took the decision to nominate me, this was the first time that this subject was put forward to me.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about the reports that you met with Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces [SCAF], before you officially announced your presidential candidacy?
[El-Shater] There were no meeting or discussions with anybody from SCAF or any government apparatus regarding the issue of my nomination for the presidency, although I have met with a number of officials – domestically and abroad – as part of my studying of the current scene [in Egypt], and as part of our party’s preparation to participate in government. I also took part in a number of meetings, at home and abroad. Some people have claimed that I have met with the Americans and the Turks and others, and I have no sensitivity or problem with this, because we are talking about contribution to the management of a state via participating in government or nomination for the presidency…so it is natural for us to communicate with everybody and look for solutions to Egypt’s problems. How can you manage a country when you are shy about meeting this figure or that?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Let us return to the issue of the presidency. Former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser gambled on social justice and an end to feudalism, whilst his successor Anwar Sadat gambled on military rule, and toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak gambled on stability and good foreign relations…what will Khairat El-Shater gamble on?
[El-Shater] I will gamble on the optimum use of resources and fixed assets in Egypt, as well as relying on saving the Egyptians via development programs. Over the past 3 months, the economic situation in the country has deteriorated significantly and we have discovered that a large part of the current economic problems that we are facing can be traced back to the fact that during the Mubarak era we saw the largest organized looting of our national resources and assets, specifically in late 2002. When Gamal Mubarak began the “bequethment [of power] project”, he began to implement his philosophy which was based on creating a class of businessmen affiliated to him who would serve as an essential component of his project, and he chose some of them and gave them the right to own and manage Egypt’s vital assets and resources, and they sold this at very cheap price. The other issue with regards to the Arab and foreign investors is that these were split into two camps. The first camp, and they are few, was affiliated to the ruling family…whereas the second camp faced many problems and obstacles. Today we are studying the entire file and we understand that we must provide a suitable atmosphere for investment, and I have personally seen many cases – particularly with regards to Arab investors – who have good feelings and love for Egypt, because of our cultural and historic and Islamic ties with the people of the Gulf, Libya, Algeria and others. Therefore we have resources that need good management, and other resource that require good use. In that case, we are relying on the optimum use of our resources and assets. In addition to this, the Egyptian people have been brought up on the songs of Umm Kalthoum and Abdul Halilm Hafez, and so this is cultural value that exists in the hearts of the Egyptian people, even if they do not talk about this!
[Asharq Al-Awsat] How will your business operations be affected should you become the next president of Egypt?
[El-Shater] I do not have many business operations, and the picture that is drawn up about me in the media is not true, indeed not even 1 percent is true. I issued my financial disclosure to the Higher Elections Commission, and if the Egyptian people choose me as president then I will publish this disclosure. At the same time, over the past 19 years I was imprisoned for a total of 12 years during 4 separate occasions, so I could not run my businesses, and every time that I launched a company the authorities would imprison me, and then when I was released I would launch another company. Most of my business was with others, because it is difficult to launch a business that relied on myself, for this would fail when I was imprisoned. Therefore I have shares in several companies. However in the event that I am elected, I will liquidate all of these businesses and give each of my children their share from the resulting funds, because this would be problematic were I president, indeed it would even provide problems that we do not need if my son, for example, were to run a business whilst I was in the presidency.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Let us look at the international Muslim Brotherhood movement; there are studies that claim that the mother organization may fracture with the establishment of local political parties. What is your view of this?
[El-Shater] With regards to my presence abroad, and I have lived in Yemen, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Britain…the term the “international” Muslim Brotherhood organization is the most maligned term with regards to the Muslim Brotherhood ideology, because there is no “international” organization in this regard…rather there are ties between different Muslim Brotherhood associations in different regions, which is akin to the ties of the international Socialist movement. Therefore there are joint-relations and mutual coordination to utilize experience and support…but as for an international organization, in the sense of a leadership that gives instructions and takes action, I swear to God that there is no such thing, for each country has his own circumstances and special nature.