LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 03/2012
Bible Quotation for today/Praising
The God
Psalm 107/23-32: "Some sailed over the ocean in ships, earning their living on
the seas. They saw what the Lord can do, his wonderful acts on the seas. He
commanded, and a mighty wind began to blow and stirred up the waves. The ships
were lifted high in the air and plunged down into the depths. In such danger the
sailors lost their courage; they stumbled and staggered like drunks— all
their skill was useless. Then in their trouble they called to the Lord, and he
saved them from their distress. He calmed the raging storm, and the waves
became quiet. They were glad because of the calm, and he brought them safe
to the port they wanted. They must thank the Lord for his constant love, for the
wonderful things he did for them. They must proclaim his greatness in the
assembly of the people and praise him before the council of the leaders."
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous
sources
We do not and will not understand/By Tariq Alhomayed/January 03/12
Iran and the Saudi Shiites/By
Abdullah Al-Otaibi/January 03/12
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for
January 03/12
Barak Says Assad Has Only 'Few Weeks' Left in Control
Assad will fight from new mountain fortress if civil war
engulfs Syria
Syria bloodshed defies Arab monitor mission
Syria activists heap criticism on Arab monitors
Activists: Syrian forces fire on protesters
Switzerland Refuses Visa Request by Assad's Cousin
Arab League chief: There is no doubt Syrian forces are
killing civilians
Arab League: Syrian
tanks withdraw, killings go on
Barak: Iran worried about unrest in Arab world
Israel Says Iran War Games Sign of 'Distress'
Iran tests long-range missiles as part of major naval
exercise
Iran's navy tests cruise missile as part of drill
Mubarak trial resumes amid acquittal speculation
Egypt defends storming of civil society groups
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood plans to put treaty with Israel to a referendum
Saudi Arabia, Libya restoring full diplomatic ties
Hamas calls on Palestinian Authority to boycott peace
talks with Israel
Gaza's Hamas PM to meet Islamic aid group in Turkey
U.S. Officials: Iran Trying to Enhance Latin American
Activities with Hizbullah Support
Suleiman Visits Dubai Ruler, Lauds UAE for ‘Embracing’ the
Lebanese
Hezbollah delegation
meets Rai, warns Syria unrest could spill into Lebanon
Hariri: Credibility of
observers in Syria at stake
Slieman Franjieh: Campaign against Ghosn aimed at Lebanese
Army
Baath Party MP Assem Qanso: Al-Qaeda infiltrated extremist
groups in Lebanon
Aoun Denies Report Claiming He's Unconvinced with Nahhas
Plan
Lebanese Businessman Dies in Plane Crash in Ivory Coast
Suleiman Visits Dubai Ruler, Lauds UAE for ‘Embracing’ the Lebanese
by Naharnet /President Michel Suleiman praised the United Arab Emirates for
embracing the Lebanese community there, the Emirates News Agency reported on
Monday. WAM quoted Suleiman as hailing the country for “embracing the largest
Lebanese community that lives in a tolerant and diverse community and
contributes through the expertise of its citizens and their capabilities to the
development process of the UAE.”The president made his remarks during talks with
Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Suleiman
invited Sheikh Mohammed to visit Lebanon, WAM said. The agency added that the
Dubai ruler discussed with Suleiman bilateral relations. It quoted Sheikh
Mohammed as saying that ties between the two countries are strong and will
remain so due to the efforts exerted by the two countries’ leaderships
Lebanese Businessman Dies in Plane Crash in Ivory Coast
by Naharnet /Lebanese businessman Nadi Rayyes died in the Ivory Coast on Monday
after a private jet he was on board crashed due to poor weather conditions as it
was flying from a coastal region to the capital Abidjan. Lebanon’s Ambassador to
the Ivory Coast Ali Ajami stated that the Rayyes owns two publications in
Abidjan. He is also a member of Abidjan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. On
March 13, 2011, Lebanese businessman Ali Fawwaz was a victim of a murder in
Abidjan where his body was found dumped in a river. Hundreds of Lebanese fled
the Ivory Coast capital in April to escape battles between former President
Laurent Gbagbo and current president Alassane Ouattara.
Barak Says Assad Has Only 'Few Weeks' Left in Control
by Naharnet /The family of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has only "a few
weeks" left in control of the strife-torn country, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud
Barak told MPs on Monday.
"The Assad family has no more than a few weeks to remain in control in Syria,"
Barak told the parliament's prestigious foreign affairs and defense committee in
remarks quoted by the committee spokesman. "There is no possibility in the
current situation of evaluating what will happen the day after Bashar's fall,"
he said. Syria has been pressing a bloody and brutal crackdown against
pro-democracy activists which the United Nations says killed more than 5,000
people in 2011. Barak also warned that the fall of the Assad family could have
implications for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"In the north, there may be possible implications from Syria on the Golan
Heights and a broader area as the result of the loss of control," he said on
Monday in a separate statement released by his office. According to Barak, the
Assad regime was deteriorating as a result of the combination of internal and
external pressures. "Even if it is hard to clearly see the exact date when the
regime will fall, the trend is clear, and with every day that passes, the regime
is getting closer to the end of its rule, and its grip is loosening," he said.
But the defense minister did not foresee significant international intervention
in Syria for the time being, since the world "understands that there is no
alternative to the current regime yet." The collapse of Assad's regime would
constitute a "severe blow to the radical axis," he said, putting an emphasis on
the impact it would have on Tehran. A U.N. estimate in early December put the
death toll in Syria since the start of the crackdown in mid-March at more than
5,000.
An estimate by the Local Coordination Committees network of activists put the
number at 5,862 including 395 children and 146 women. SourceAgence France Presse.
Hezbollah delegation meets Rai, warns Syria unrest could spill into Lebanon
January 02, 2012/The Daily Star
BKIRKI, Lebanon: A Hezbollah delegation expressed fear after meeting Maronite
Patriarch Beshara Rai Monday that unrest in Syria could spill into Lebanon and
warned that Beirut could not afford any jolts to its security. “The regional
situation, to which we are part of, is very harsh and complicated,” said Sheikh
Mohammad Amr, head of the Hezbollah delegation, after the meeting in Bkirki, the
seat of the influential Catholic Maronite Church. “We fear the conflict will
spread to Lebanon. But with your wisdom and the wisdom of the leaders of Lebanon
... we hope that they [political leaders] will stay away from interfering in
others’ affairs because Lebanon cannot afford any political, military or
security shake-ups,” Amr added. He described Lebanon’s situation as “delicate.”
“Lebanon carries a message. This message must be expressed through dialogue and
logic and not by any other means,” the Hezbollah sheikh said. Hezbollah
said it hoped Rai would continue to reach out to all Lebanese.“We are part of
this loving nation with its diversity because this is the message of Lebanon and
we are a key component of this beloved and blessed nation,” Amr added. Rai, for
his part, criticized the West for separating God from the state, stressing that
Lebanon, a country of coexistence, detaches the state from religion, but not the
state from God. "The West is a civil state that not only separates the state
from religion, but the state from God. For that reason we see it [West] plunging
into crises as if God does not exist,” Rai said. “We are able to live in
diversity and build a civil state and this is our message to the East and West,”
he added. Rai also called on Lebanese officials to sit at the dialogue table
where they could express their concerns.
Hariri: Credibility of observers in Syria at stake
January 02, 2012/Thomas El-Basha/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri cautioned Monday that the credibility
of the Arab League observer mission to Syria was at stake and slammed once more
President Bashar Assad over the way he was dealing with the crisis in his
country. “The AL [Arab League] observers don't have much time, credibility is of
essence and so far Bashar regime has been killing more and more,” Hariri said
during a live session on his Twitter page Monday. “Its time for AL observers to
say the truth, the full story and not like Bashar regime wants it,” Hariri
added. In December, Damascus signed an amended agreement allowing in Arab League
observers to oversee the implementation of a peace bid in the crisis-torn
country. The Arab League initiative calls on the Syrian government to withdraw
the military from the streets, release political prisoners, allow journalists
into the country and launch dialogue with the opposition. However, the observer
mission, which began its work late December, has been criticized from several
sides, including from rights activists, the Syrian opposition and most recently
by the head of the Arab Parliament, Ali al-Salem al-Dekbas.
Dekbas urged Sunday for the withdrawal of observers from Syria, saying the
mission was allowing Damascus to cover up unabated violence and graft.Echoing
calls by the Syrian opposition, Hariri told his followers on Twitter that the
observers needed to provide feedback about what they were seeing on the ground.
Responding to a question as to whether he thought the signing of the protocol by
Damascus would put an end to the killing in Lebanon’s neighbour, Hariri said:
“No I didn't [expect a change] and I said it [before], remember , but now if
this week the AL observers continue without saying anything whats the point
then?” Hariri, a staunch critic of Assad, slammed once more the Syrian leader,
saying he appeared to be using the observer mission to carry on with a crackdown
the U.N. estimates has claimed the lives of over 5,000 people, mostly civilians.
“I feel the regime thinks that signing the protocol gives him [Assad] a license
to kill,” Hariri tweeted in one post, adding: “Its unbelievable, Syrian regime
says we want reform [and] the conclusion is more killing." At the local level
and in apparent criticism of Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, Hariri dismissed
reports that members of Al-Qaeda were operating in Lebanon. "It's been 7 years
talking about Al-Qaeda in Lebanon," Hariri said. "It's all a big lie," he added.
Last month Ghosn said Al-Qaeda militants were sneaking into Lebanon under the
guise that they were Syrian dissidents.Ghosn’s statement have thrown Prime
Minister Najib Mikati’s government, already torn apart by sharp differences over
many key issues, into disarray after several top officials, including President
Michel Sleiman, Mikati and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel either rejecting or
voicing doubts on the claims that the Islamist group was operating on Lebanese
soil.
Franjieh: Campaign against Ghosn aimed at Lebanese Army
January 02, 2012 /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh defended Monday Defense
Minister Fayez Ghosn’s claims that Al-Qaeda was present in Lebanon, saying there
was a campaign against Ghosn and its ultimate target the Lebanese Army. “It is
true that Al-Qaeda is present in Lebanon and it is true that there is terrorism
in Lebanon,” Franjieh said at a news conference in Bneshaai, Zghorta, north
Lebanon.
Last month, Ghosn made repeated claims that members of Al-Qaeda were entering
Lebanon under the guise that they were Syrian dissidents. Members from the
opposition and Lebanese ministers, including Prime Minister Najib Mikati and
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, have rejected or cast doubts on the claims.
Franjieh said Ghosn, a member of the Marada movement, was facing a violent
campaign. “When I was interior minister I came under the most violent campaigns.
I was being accused of [former Prime Minister Rafik] Hariri's killing,” Franjieh
said, adding: “Today, the Lebanese defense minister is coming under the same
campaign.” The Marada movement leader said the attacks on Ghosn were in fact
aimed at the Lebanese Army. “The atmosphere based on reports and information is
not meant to target the defense minister [per se] but it is a campaign against
the Lebanese Army through the defense minister,” Franjieh said. The March 8
coalition politician also questioned the manner the government was responding to
Ghosn’s allegations. “He [Ghosn] is sworn to confidentiality but I am not. There
is slackness by the Lebanese state on this matter,” Franjieh said. Franjieh said
that both President Michel Sleiman and Mikati had reports of Al-Qaeda activity
in Lebanon. “Sleiman is working for the country’s best interest and I hope he
will solve the problem behind the scenes and not through the media,” Franjieh
said. During the news conference, Franjieh said Al-Qaeda was made up of several
terrorist groups, repeating Ghosn’s claims that “terrorists” were entering
Lebanon from across the Syrian border under the cover of Syrian refugees.
“Sleiman and Mikati realize that Lebanon is exposed to all terrorist sides,”
Franjieh stated. “It is not my duty to deal with the Al-Qaeda problem. The
government is responsible for that,” he said, adding that the reason for
defending Ghosn was because he was a Marada member. Franjieh, a staunch
supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, slammed the head of the March 14
coalition, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, for considering setting up a
buffer zone on the border with Lebanon’s neighbor, saying such a move was aimed
as a “strike” against Syria.
“We also have information that the Americans want a buffer zone in Lebanon
against Syria. This is not in Lebanon’s best interest,” he added. Franjieh said
70 percent of the Syrian people supported Assad. "We are with this Syrian regime
[but] we will not do anything at the expense of Lebanon," Franjieh said.
Baath Party MP Assem Qanso: Al-Qaeda infiltrated extremist groups in Lebanon
January 02, 2012 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Challenging Prime Minister Najib
Mikati’s remarks that Lebanon is Al-Qaeda-free, Baath Party MP Assem Qanso has
said the Islamist organization has infiltrated a number of extremist groups in
Lebanon. “Al-Qaeda has infiltrated more than 20 fundamentalist organizations
that [share similar ideologies to Al-Qaeda],” Qanso said in remarks published
Monday by pan-Arab Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat. Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said last
month that Al-Qaeda militants were sneaking into Lebanon under the guise of
Syrian dissidents.
Ghosn’s statement has thrown Mikati’s government, already torn apart by sharp
differences over many key issues, into disarray after both the prime minister
and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel rejected the claims of the presence of
Al-Qaeda militants in Lebanon. Qanso said Salafi movements in north Lebanon and
several areas in the eastern Bekaa Valley have provided “fertile ground” for the
spread of Al-Qaeda in Lebanon. He said the Salafis also helped Al-Qaeda members
infiltrate into Homs, Al-Qusair and Tal Kalakh in Syria “to fight in order to
weaken Syria in an attempt to topple it.”
The Baath Party lawmaker, a close ally of Damascus in Lebanon, said Al-Qaeda
began to build its strength in Lebanon under the name of Fatah al-Islam from the
time of the incidents at the northern Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in
2007. It then moved under the name of Jund al-Sham and Abdullah Qassam Brigades
in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon, he added.
Qanso said “some” residents in the border Bekaa town of Arsal had set up a small
town in the Christian area known as Mashareeh. A mosque and a mobile clinic set
up by Arsal residents were designed to provide Al-Qaeda easy access to Syria, he
added. Qanso also accused Future Movement MP Khaled Daher, a fervent critic of
Damascus over its crackdown on reform-seeking protesters, of being involved in
the unrest in Syria, “given that one of his bodyguards was killed in Homs a few
days ago.”
He expressed concerns that once the “Syrian revolution” is over, Al-Qadea
militants would flourish in Lebanon. “If Syria falls, the last resistance
bastion will turn into a state similar to that of Egypt or Libya and will become
a breeding ground for Salafis and [Muslim Brotherhood],” Qanso said. “In that
case Hezbollah would be affected and Hamas and the Palestinian cause would be
dissolved.”
Meanwhile, a high-ranking security source insisted Al-Qaeda was not operating in
Lebanon. “There is no Al-Qaeda presence in Lebanon at all,” the source told Ash-Sharq
Al-Awsat. “Lebanon is no longer an open arena and its security is no longer
slack,” he said, adding that Lebanese territory is also “no longer a base or
corridor for any terrorist group.” Tripoli-based Salafist sheikh Bilal Diqmaq
hit back at Qanso, describing as “inaccurate” accusations that the Salafi
movement was harboring Al-Qaeda militants. “It is true that we share some
beliefs and doctrines with Al-Qaeda ... but we disagree with [Al-Qaeda] in
applying the political Jihadist policy in the Arab countries,” Diqmaq told Ash-Sharq
Al-Awsat.
Assad will fight from new mountain fortress if civil war
engulfs Syria
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report/January 2, 2012/As Arab League monitors fail in their
mission to curb brutal regime violence in Syria and the ten-month popular
defiance continues to rage, President Bashar Assad is digging in for a
full-scale civil war: debkafile reports exclusively that a fortress is under
construction for the Syrian ruler, family, his loyal generals and ruling elite
in the northwestern Alawite (Al-Ansariyyah) Mountains – should Damascus become
too hot for them. From there, the Assads will continue to fight for their
survival. These mountains have the only dense forests in the vicinity of Syria's
Mediterranean coast. The Al-Ansariyyah range averages 32 kilometers (20 miles)
in breadth and a peak elevation of just over 1,200 meters. The tallest mountain,
Nabi Yunis east of Latakia, is 1,562 meters (5,125 feet) high. The range slopes
down from its northern tip to an average altitude of 900 meters (3,000 feet) and
600 meters in the south.Our military and intelligence sources report Syrian
engineering corps crews working at speed to build a fortified encampment, partly
inside caves and tunnels, on the wooded slopes. Its perimeter is enclosed with
anti-tank defenses armed with anti-air batteries.
When finished, the camp will be one of the most heavily fortified strongholds in
the Middle East.
In support of the Syrian dictator, large groups of Alawite families began moving
in the last week of November from the mixed towns of Latakia, Hama and Homs to
new homes in the encampment - apparently on a signal from Assad's intelligence
and security services. Fortified facilities stocked with supplies are being
provided for Alawite families unable to leave their towns and villages. This
mass relocation encompasses around a million Alawites, or a third of the 3.5
million members of this deviant offspring of this ruling Shiite Muslim faith,
which numbers just over one-tenth of Syria's total population.
By reestablishing his headquarters in a mountain fortress, Bashar Assad hopes to
achieve two goals:
1. To keep his Alawite following out of harm's way in a full-scale civil war.
They face bitter Sunni revenge for the brutal persecution its adherents have
suffered from Assad father and son for 37 years.
2. Clustering Alawite families in protected cantons will guarantee their loyalty
to Bashar Assad and his clan.
Our Middle East sources report that not all Alawite clan leaders are willing to
following the ruler into his mountain bastion. Some communities have gone over
to the other side, for the first time in the ten-month popular uprising against
his regime.
In the flashpoint Homs and Hama regions, a dozen Alawite village chiefs have
struck deals with local rebel militia chiefs including the Free Syrian Army for
guaranteed immunity from attack provided their sons refuse to join Assad's
state-backed private paramilitary Shabiha.
The inability of Assad and his henchmen to prevent these desertions from his own
clan betokens the president's declining authority beneath the bloody surface of
the contest in the strife-torn country.
Syria bloodshed defies Arab monitor mission
02/01/2012/AMMAN,(Reuters) - Syrian security forces killed eight more protesters
and an Arab League organisation urged Arab monitors to leave Syria, saying
unrelenting bloodshed made a mockery of their mission.President Bashar al-Assad's
forces, keen to prevent huge protest rallies under the monitors' eyes, have
killed at least 286 people since Dec. 23, the day before the mission's leader
arrived in Syria, according to activists who tally casualties. Some of Sunday's
eight deaths occurred when security forces fired on protesters in the Damascus
suburb of Daria, they said.
The Arab Parliament, an 88-strong advisory committee of delegates from the Arab
League's member states, said the violence was continuing to claim many victims.
"For this to happen in the presence of Arab monitors has roused the anger of
Arab people and negates the purpose of sending a fact-finding mission," its
chairman, Ali al-Salem al-Dekbas, said in Cairo."This is giving the Syrian
regime an Arab cover for continuing its inhumane actions under the eyes and ears
of the Arab League," he said.
Assad's opponents, while welcoming the Arab mission as a rare chance for
outsiders to witness events in Syria, had few illusions that the observers could
halt a crackdown on dissent that U.N. officials say has cost over 5,000 lives
since March.
The monitors are checking Syria's compliance with an Arab peace plan that calls
for Assad to withdraw troops and tanks from the streets, release detainees and
talk to his opponents.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby had said it should take only a week
to see if Assad was keeping his word.
MONITORS VISIT DERAA
"The presence of monitors has not affected the behaviour of the regime with
hundreds killed and no let-up," said Rima Fleihan, from the opposition Syrian
National Council (SNC).
The Arab Parliament was the first body to recommend freezing Syria's League
membership in protest at the bloodshed.
Arab monitors visiting Deraa, a southern town viewed as the cradle of the
nine-month-old revolt, went to the home of Sheikh Ahmad Hayasneh, the elderly
imam of the Omari mosque where the first big protests against Assad's 11 years
in power erupted in March.
It was unclear if the monitors met Hayasneh, who residents say has been under
house arrest for at least five months.
The Arab mission is still short of its planned strength of 150 observers and it
relies on the government for transport and security to monitor events across a
country of 23 million.
"The team has been escorted with the governor and there is no way for anyone
other than security personnel to get anywhere near them," said Ibrahim Aba Zaid,
an activist from Deraa.
Some statements by Sudanese General Mohammed al-Dabi, the mission's leader, have
suggested a soft approach to the Syrian authorities, although some monitors have
not minced their words.
"We saw snipers in the town, we saw them with our own eyes," one observer filmed
in Deraa said in Arabic, visibly concerned. "We're going to ask the government
to remove them immediately. We'll be in touch with the Arab League back in
Cairo."
Dabi later told the BBC the observer's remarks, shown on a YouTube clip posted
on Saturday, had been misreported.
In another incident, shown on Al Arabiya television, a monitor in the embattled
neighbourhood of Bab Amro in Homs appealed to the authorities by telephone to
stop firing there.
Tens of thousands of Syrians have taken to the streets in the past week in an
apparent effort to show the Arab monitors the depth of their rejection of
Assad's government.
"The Syrians want a modern regime in the New Year," read a placard carried by
protesters in a suburb of Damascus.
Assad blames the unrest on foreign-backed armed Islamists who officials say have
killed 2,000 security personnel.
He retains the support of much of his minority Alawite community and, despite
some defections, of the armed forces. While anti-Assad sentiment runs high in
the provinces, there have been few protests in central parts of Damascus or
Aleppo.
Iran and the Saudi Shiites
By Abdullah Al-Otaibi/Asharq Alawsat
The political reality of the region blatantly reveals intensive Iranian
maneuvers, both internally and externally. These are either to protect itself
globally, from the world’s concerns regarding its nuclear program, regionally
from the Arab protests or revolutions, internally, ever since the Green
Revolution, or indeed to protect its ally, Syria. Iran also seeks to ensure that
it continues to reap benefits from its previous allies, the Shiites in Iraq and
Lebanon, and the Sunnis of Hamas in Gaza and al-Qaeda remnants.
In this clear context, by referring to ancient and modern history, and by
referring to the hostile Iranian and Syrian statements towards the region and
the Arab Gulf, with Saudi Arabia at the forefront, statements and stances that
have been intensifying at a rapid pace in recent times, no observer can rule out
Iranian or Syrian interference in what has been happening in Bahrain, or in the
east of Saudi Arabia in Awamiyya and Qatif.
Away from the complex security incidents which are now being settled in the
courts, a general reading of the scene and its development can help us throw
light on history, so we can benefit from what is happening today, and what might
happen tomorrow.
The Shiite opposition in modern-day Saudi Arabia once expressed itself through
the nationalist and Baathist currents and the labor movements in the 1950s and
1960s, but it became tainted with sectarianism in the 1980s through its support
for the Islamic revolutionary forces in Iran. Some members of the Saudi Shiite
political opposition adopted London as the headquarters of their activities,
after extensive travels.
In 1993, a Saudi political decision was issued to bring the majority of Shiite
opponents in exile in Iran, London and America, back to their homeland and
families. A number of realistic demands Shiite were also achieved, and the
Shiites became active in their communities, either through their media presence,
social influence or public criticism (Abraham Alhtalana: The Saudi Shiites).
However, other parties within this community opted to stick with Iran, and
further distanced themselves from their homeland. By now they had adopted
another path, namely the path of violence.
In 1987, bloody events took place during the Hajj, with Iranian organization and
support, and the participation of some Gulf and Saudi residents affiliated to
the Shia sect. In 1988, the “SADAF” oil company facilities were bombed in the
eastern province. In 1989, another group blew up the Almaasam tunnel during the
Hajj, which killed thousands of pilgrims. This violent trend increased and
developed in the mid-nineties, when a Shiite group linked to Iran carried out
the Khobar Towers’ bombing in 1996.
In the first decade of the new millennium, after the September 11th bombings in
2001, Iran retreated from its foreign policies and maneuvers, until America
undertook campaigns against Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003. Overtly, it did not
move a finger to detect the American threat which had become closer in both the
East and the West, but Iran’s underground movements –as usual- had never ceased.
Even during the era of the Arab Spring, Iran has harvested the new democratic
Iraq and its leader, a member of the Shiite Islamic Dawa Party (the Shiite
version of the Muslim Brotherhood) and head of the State of Law Coalition, Prime
Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
We are recalling this history in order to confirm some facts on the ground, and
assess the Shiite opposition in Saudi Arabia at a time when from a political and
national standpoint, they have achieved many gains. Here, Alhtalana can offer us
a developmental comparison when he says: “Those coming to Qatif can see a
difference between the living conditions of its residents in the 1980s and their
prospects in 2008, in its districts and regions that are now far cleaner and
more organized than many of the neighborhoods in the city of Jeddah, which
suffers from chronic problems” (p.14). However, Qatif has instead witnessed
violence, fuelled by Iranian passion and support, bringing the scourge of
Iranian saboteurs and undermining national security.
Today, with the so-called “Arab Spring”, some are trying to elevate the slogans
of “rights” and “rights activism” above all rational knowledge, opinions and
freedom of thought, and beyond all sincere forms of accountability. Some are
attempting to make these slogans dominant over all other interpretations, whilst
hiding in the shadow of Shiite and Sunni currents and symbols.
Our assessment of Shiite violence in Saudi Arabia proves two things. Firstly, it
proves that Iran is behind the violence directed against Saudi Arabia, under a
Shia shadow. Secondly, similar events, past and present, have taken place in the
Gulf, because it falls within the same framework. Such events include the
attempt to assassinate Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Kuwait, the hijacking
of a plane to Jabriya, as well as the recent attempts to interfere in Kuwait and
spread violence in Bahrain.
Here I do not need to distinguish the noble, respected Shiite community, with
its many factions in Qatif, Medina and Najran, from any other sect of the
national composition. They are one thing, and saboteurs and terrorists are
something else. Likewise, terrorist elements of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia are one
thing, whereas the normal Saudi citizen is something else. Terrorists are not
affiliated to any community.
Iran is still mobilizing its agents whenever it senses an opportunity, and
whenever it wants, whether in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria or Yemen, or in Saudi Arabia
and the Gulf. These agents must be aware of what is happening today, in light of
mounting international pressure against Iran and the economic sanctions imposed
upon it, with Iranian oil now becoming an issue faster than anticipated. We
could soon see the Iranian raincloud of escalation erupting, with the threat of
closing the Strait of Hormuz. Habibollah Sayyari, an Iranian Navy commander,
said a few days ago that closing the Strait would be “easier than drinking a
glass of water”.
In reality, it is not likely that Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz. It is
too weak to prevent the supply of oil from the Gulf to the wider world, but
through its military exercises, which are always being described as bigger and
more expansive; it is trying to send a message to everyone concerned.
The best thing now for certain Saudi Shiites, whether opponents or supporters,
politicians or developers, is to remain affiliated to their homeland and stay
away from Iran. Iran only seeks to exploit them and employ them for its
interests, but it is indifferent to their eventual fate.
The purpose of this article is to remind ourselves that Iranian subversion
directed against Saudi Arabia and the Gulf is a genuine threat, as evidenced by
past events, and confirmed by history. It is not in the interests of anyone to
disregard the facts of history, under any slogan.
Riyadh Says 23 Wanted in Shiite Unrest
by Naharnet /Saudi authorities announced Monday the names of 23 men wanted for
involvement in trouble during the past few months in Shiite areas of the
kingdom's Eastern Province.
The group is accused mainly of "possessing illegal firearms and opening fire on
the public and police, in addition to using innocent people as shields," the
interior ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.
They were suspected of taking part in "mobs, blocking traffic (and) damaging
public and private property" during sporadic confrontations between police and
Shiite protesters.
Security forces in the Sunni-dominated kingdom shot and wounded three Shiites
last week when they raided three homes in the Shiite village of al-Awamiya, in
Qatif, activists and witnesses said.
"Those outlaws are a minority who do not represent the honorable people of the
region, who had enough of their acts, as some of them have a criminal record,"
the ministry said.
Protests shook Eastern Province in March as Shiites took to the street
denouncing Saudi troops' intervention in neighboring Bahrain to back a crackdown
on a Shiite pro-democracy movement.
A total of 385 people were arrested, of whom around 60 remain in custody,
according to activists.
Saudi Arabia's estimated two million Shiites mostly live in Eastern Province and
complain of being marginalized in the oil-rich kingdom.
Four Shiites were shot dead in November. The interior ministry said security
forces had come under fire from gunmen operating on "foreign orders," hinting at
involvement by Saudi Arabia's arch rival Iran.
The ministry said two policemen were wounded in the November clashes.
SourceAgence France Presse.
We do not and will not understand!
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
In general, what a year it has been. There are still open wounds, and there is
still smoke rising from the impact of the Arab earthquake which has shaken
regimes, and challenged concepts once deemed unchallengeable. Arab regimes lost
prestige and began to teeter on the brink; some of them fell, others were
destroyed. One ruler fled, another killed, a third imprisoned, a fourth signed
an agreement to relinquish power, and a fifth remains fighting his inevitable
fate.
It was a stunning year, and for those in our profession it was the year of all
years. Yet it was also puzzling and depressing that many of us from the media,
including some journalists, young and old, and even some intellectuals,
including academics, did not ask the following, fundamental question: what went
wrong? this question has never been raised, not even when some Arab countries
first gained independence, or after the era of military coups. The question has
not been raised in spite of all the wars that have plagued our region; it was
not even raised the day the peace process failed. The question was never posed
after the Islamic groups infiltrated our societies, and revolted against
everything in a quest for power, until al-Qaeda emerged among us, with devotees
and sympathizers. Today, an earthquake is taking place that has rocked five
regimes to their core, and still no one has posed the question in earnest,
whether on television, through books, or even in a reputable, insightful
article. Although a few seem to have understood, they are rare!
The reason why this question has not been asked in earnest is down to several
important factors, and perhaps there are others we do not know. Yet primarily,
those leading the Arab public opinion seem to have gone mad, ignoring their
knowledge and expertise, even the experiences of the people, and acting contrary
to the masses, deliberately or otherwise. There are many examples of this from
Saudi Arabia to Egypt, Yemen to Syria, Morocco, and the entire Arab world. The
year 2011 was, for many of those who are supposed to be leading Arab public
opinion, a ceremony of madness in every respect. The simplest example of this
could in fact be the increasing influence of “Twitter”. How can a serious
researcher, for example, raise important questions such as “What happened?” on
Twitter, when limited to 140 characters? We cannot take this seriously at all.
The other reason why the “What went wrong?” question has not been asked is that
our culture, our education and our media have not engrained public opinion with
the concept of cultural and academic accountability. How else can we explain the
ceremony of madness that has inflicted a large part of our intellectuals and
journalists? Most of the discussions about the Arab Spring, or the Arab
earthquake, are superficial, sterile, and dwell upon the same old methods of
debate in the Arab world, ever since the 1950s, using outdated concepts that
have tarnished our culture.
So, as long as the Arabs, and specifically our intellectuals, do not pose the
serious question “What went wrong in the Arab world?”, then 2011 ends telling us
that no one knows, or has even considered, what happened. This is what many
previous years have already ended up telling us in our region, for nearly five
decades. Thus, the summary of 2011 is that we did not understand, and
unfortunately I do not think we will understand!