LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 08/2012



Bible Quotation for today/
Happiness and Sorrow
Luke 06/20-26: "Jesus looked at his disciples and said, Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours! Happy are you who are hungry now; you will be filled! Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh! Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and say that you are evil, all because of the Son of Man! Be glad when that happens and dance for joy, because a great reward is kept for you in heaven. For their ancestors did the very same things to the prophets. But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life! How terrible for you who are full now; you will go hungry! How terrible for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep! How terrible when all people speak well of you; their ancestors said the very same things about the false prophets.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Nice try, Bashar/By: Angie Nassar/January 07/12
Disabling a community/Hazem al-Amin/January 07/12
Iran elections: duel at the top/By Amir Taheri/January 07/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for January 07/12
Egypt's Christians celebrate Christmas amid fears
Nigerian Radical Muslims Kill 29 Christians in Two Days
Russia: Egypt's Mubarak should not face death penalty
Thousands of US troops land in Israel. Aircraft carrier coming soon
US rescue of Iranians from pirates 'welcome': Iran
Iran condemns deadly suicide attack in Syria  
Iranian cleric calls Facebook 'un-Islamic', membership a 'sin'
U.S.: Iran is desperate for friends, due to rising pressure

Iran Welcomes U.S. Rescue of Iranians from Pirates
Report: Britain dispatches advanced warship to Persian Gulf
Assad voices “depth of relations” between Syrian, Turkish people
France says Arab mission in Syria “unable to do job”
Syrian National Council President Burhan Ghalioun slams rulers denying Syrian people’s rights
US condemns deadly suicide attack in Syria
The Syrian National Council: Syrian regime ‘bears full responsibility’ for Damascus blast
Syria vows 'iron fist' response to Damascus blast
Syria says Jumblatt should focus on Lebanon's issues first
Minister of Transportation and Public Works Ghazi Aridi: Communication between Syria, Jumblatt ‘frozen’
Canada Condemns Recent Attacks in Nigeria
Kenyan jets kill '60 or more' Somali Islamist insurgents
Lebanon:
Police seeking information on body of young man
Hariri condemns Damascus attack
Mikati looks into comprehensive economic plan

Egypt's Christians celebrate Christmas amid fears
January 07, 2012/By Sarah El Deeb
CAIRO: Egypt's Christians celebrated Saturday their first Christmas after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, amid tight security and a display of national unity to allay fears of the growing power of Islamists. The Coptic Orthodox celebration follows an escalation in violence against the minority, an estimated 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, over the past year.
Many Christians blamed a series of street clashes, assaults on churches, and other attacks on radical Islamists who have become increasingly bold after Mubarak's downfall.
Celebrations of Orthodox Christmas began with a late night Friday Mass at Cairo's main cathedral, which was attended by prominent figures from across Egypt's political spectrum. They included leaders of Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group whose associated political party has won nearly half the seats in parliament.
Members of the ruling military council that took power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 ouster also attended, including chief of staff Lt. Gen. Sami Anan, as well as the visiting top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman. Coptic Pope Shenouda III commended their presence and appealed for national unity for "the sake of Egypt."
"For the first time in the history of the cathedral, it is packed with all types of Islamist leaders in Egypt," the 88-year old pope said. "They all agree ... on the stability of this country and in loving it, and working for it and to work with the Copts as one hand for the sake of Egypt."
A series of attacks on churches earlier this year sent thousands of Coptic protesters into the streets, complaining that no culprits were brought to justice. In a dramatic turn, the latest of these protests in October was violently quelled by the country's military rulers, leaving 27 people dead and sparking further outrage.
The political gains of Islamist groups who have dominated the first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections have also made many nervous.
Some Christians are also taking advantage of the more open political atmosphere to assertively push demands for equal status with Muslims.
Copts have long complained of discrimination by the state and prejudice from the Muslim majority. Christians are rarely appointed to top security and government posts, and their beliefs are often savaged by radical Muslim clerics.
Absent from the Christmas celebrations were leaders of the more radical Salafi Al-Nour party, the second largest bloc in parliament. Many fear it will seek to push its ultraconservative interpretation of Islam.
Party spokesman Youssri Hamad said Islamic teachings contradict the Christian celebration of Jesus' birth, and that while his party respects Christian beliefs, its members cannot attend Christmas ceremonies or send Christmas greetings.
"This is not a party matter. This is an order from God," he said. He said his party did offer volunteers to protect the churches during the celebrations.
The Brotherhood leaders had left the cathedral before Mass began.
Heavy security had ringed churches around Egypt, with police and army troops manning streets leading to the churches. Volunteers from youth groups had also offered to provide security.
An attack on a church in Alexandria on New Year's Eve 2011 left 21 people dead and shook the community. The culprits for the attack are still not known, further fueling the outrage of Copts.
The show of national unity at the mass follows efforts since the October deaths by both Egyptian political parties and the church leadership to calm religious tensions.
But many Christians are left cold by military officers and opposition politicians who may be eager to be photographed next to a cleric, but unwilling to address Coptic grievances.
Some have expressed dismay that the church should welcome military leaders, even though justice has yet to be meted against those responsible for the killing of Coptic protesters.
During the mass at the cathedral, the presence of top military officers angered some in the congregation, who briefly chanted "Down with military rule" before being silenced by others.

Report: Britain dispatches advanced warship to Persian Gulf
Daily Telegraph reports that deployment of the HMS Daring is intended to send a message to Iran following its recent 10-day exercise in the Gulf and threats to close the Strait of Hormuz.
By Haaretz and Reuters
The Royal Navy is sending its most advanced warship to the Persian Gulf, in a deployment intended to send a message to Iran following its threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, the Daily Telegraph reported.
According to the report, the HMS Daring, a Type 45 destroyer, will depart Portsmouth next Wednesday and has been equipped with new technology that will enable it to intercept any Iranian missile. It also reportedly possesses the world's most sophisticated naval radar. Earlier this week, British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond warned Iran against blocking the strait.
On Friday, Iran announced it will carry out more military exercises in the strait. Iran recently completed a 10-day drill in the strategic waterway.
Western countries have readied plans to use strategic oil stocks to replace almost all Gulf oil lost if Iran blocks the waterway, Reuters reported, citing industry sources and diplomats.
16 million barrels a day of crude pass through the strait daily. Iranian officials have threatened in recent weeks to block the strait if new sanctions imposed by the United States and planned by the European Union, with the aim of discouraging Iran's nuclear program, harm Iran's oil exports. Earlier this week, Iran said it would take action if the United States sailed an aircraft carrier through the strait.
The United States, whose Fifth Fleet based in the area is far more powerful than Iran's naval forces, says it will ensure the international waters of the strait stay open.

Thousands of US troops land in Israel. Aircraft carrier coming soon
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 6, 2012, Thousands of US troops began descending on Israel this week. Senior US military sources told debkafile Friday, Jan. 6 that many would be staying up to the end of the year as part of the US-IDF deployment in readiness for a military engagement with Iran and its possible escalation into a regional conflict. They will be joined by a US aircraft carrier. The warplanes on its decks will fly missions with Israeli Air Force jets. The 9,000 US servicemen gathering in Israel in the coming weeks are mostly airmen, missile interceptor teams, marines, seamen, technicians and intelligence officers.
The incoming American soldiers are officially categorized as participants in Austere Challenge 12, the biggest joint US-Israeli war game ever held.
The maneuver was originally designated Juniper Stallion 2012. However, the altered name plus the comment heard from the exercise's commander, US Third Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank Gorenc, during his visit two weeks ago, that the coming event is more a "deployment" than an "exercise," confirmed that Washington has expanded its mission. The joint force will now be in place ready for a decision to attack Iran's nuclear installations or any war emergency.
Our sources disclose that it was decided at the last minute in Washington and Jerusalem to announce the forthcoming Austere Challenge 12 on Thursday night, Jan. 5, ahead of the bulletin released by Tehran about another Iranian naval exercise at the Strait of Hormuz to take place in February, although its 10-day drill in the same arena only ended Monday, Jan. 2.
The early release was decided in consultations among US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the two army chiefs, US Gen. Martin Dempsey and Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.
British Defense Minister Phillip Hammond, on a visit to Washington, was brought into the discussion.
The handout circulated to US correspondents from Hammond's talks in the US capital affirmed that Britain stands ready to strike Iran if the Strait of Hormuz is closed.
However, that phrase was omitted from the British minister's remarks at a news conference, following a last-minute request from Panetta, signifying the Obama administration's interest of keeping a low profile on plans for attacking Iran.
Tehran too is walking a taut tightrope. It is staging military's maneuvers every few days to assuring the Iranian people that its leaders are fully prepared to defend the country against an American or Israeli strike on its national nuclear program. By this stratagem, Iran's ground, sea and air forces are maintained constantly at top war readiness to thwart any surprise attack.
The joint US-Israeli drill will test multiple Israeli and US air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets, according to the official communiqué.
debkafile's military sources add that they will also practice intercepting missiles and rockets coming in from Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
It will not be the first time a US aircraft carrier docks in Israel for joint operations with the Israeli Air Force. On June 9, 2010, the USS Truman dropped anchor opposite Israel to test a joint deployment against Iran and its allies. The carrier and its air and naval strike force then staged joint firing practices with the Israeli Air Force over the Negev in the South.
Washington and Jerusalem are doing their utmost to present a perfectly synchronized military front against Iran: American officers are stationed at IDF command centers and Israeli officers posted at the US European Command-EUCOM. At the same time, debkafile's military sources disclose that full consensus has not been reached on every last particular of shared operation against Iran, should one go forward

Iran Welcomes U.S. Rescue of Iranians from Pirates
by Naharnet /The U.S. navy's rescue of 13 Iranians from pirates who had hijacked their fishing vessel was a "welcome" humanitarian act, foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said on Saturday.
"We consider the actions of the U.S. forces in saving the lives of the Iranian seamen to be a humanitarian and positive act and we welcome such behavior," Mehmanparast told Iran's Arabic-language broadcaster Al-Alam. "We think all nations should display such behavior," he added.
The US military said one of its warships, the USS Kidd, rescued the Iranian fishermen from around 45 days of captivity at the hands of pirates thought to be Somalis.
The pirates were taken into custody and the Iranian fishermen were released to return home on their dhow, which was refueled and restocked with provisions supplied by the U.S. navy vessels.
The USS Kidd was one of several vessels in a group accompanying the USS John C. Stennis, an aircraft carrier Iranian military officials days ago warned to stay out of the Gulf.
Source/Agence France Presse.

France says Arab mission in Syria “unable to do job”
January 6, 2012 /The Arab League mission sent to monitor unrest in Syria is unable to do its job properly, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Friday. "We support the Arab League which has sent observers to Syria but this mission is not at present able to do its job properly," Juppe said on the second day of a visit to Tunisia. He condemned the "savage and brutal repression" by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime against demonstrations which has left more than 5,000 people dead. He also expressed regret that Russian opposition had prevented further action against Damascus by the United Nations. A team of Arab League observers has been in Syria since December 26 trying to assess whether Assad's regime is complying with a peace accord aimed at ending its deadly crackdown on dissent.
But critics say it has been completely outmaneuvered by the government and failed to make any progress towards stemming nearly 10 months of bloodshed. -AFP/NOW Lebanon

Syrian National Council President Burhan Ghalioun slams rulers denying Syrian people’s rights

January 6, 2012 /Syrian National Council President Burhan Ghalioun said on Friday that the opposition’s problem is not with Tehran but with rulers in Tehran who deny the Syrian people’s rights. Ghalioun told Al-Arabiya television that Syria will be a democratic, sovereign state. Asked about Syrian-Lebanese relations after the revolution ends, he said: “When Syria transforms from a dictatorship to a democracy, we will [develop] relations of cooperation… and not interfere in [Lebanese] affairs.”On his statement that relations will be cut with Hezbollah after the Syrian regime falls, Ghalioun denies having said so. “I said we will have relations of mutual respect, and I added that I do not think Hezbollah will be the same after the [Syrian] regime falls.” Ghalioun also commented on the Syrian crisis and said there are attempts toward making “a serious international decision to stop murder in Syria.” He added that it is important that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad steps down before considering a solution that involves negotiations. Syria has witnessed anti-regime protests since mid-March. The Syrian regime has repeatedly blamed “armed terrorist groups” for the unrest while the United Nations estimated that more than 5,000 people have been killed in the Syrian government's crackdown on dissent.-NOW Lebanon

US condemns deadly suicide attack in Syria

January 6, 2012 /The United States condemned Friday's deadly suicide bombing which left at least 26 people dead and dozens wounded in the capital of violence-wracked Syria. "We categorically condemn this attack," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters. "At the present time, we can't say one way or the other how this happened," she added. "We do not think violence of any kind at anybody's hands is the right answer to the problems in Syria." "The right answer is for a democratic transition of power, for Assad to step aside and for a national dialogue to begin." The Arab state has been gripped by a months-long uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, and Friday's bombing - like a similar pair of attacks in Damascus on December 23 - sparked claims and counter-claims over who was responsible. On Friday the ruling Baath party called the attacks "a terrorist act that is a part of the plot hatched against Syria," in a statement published on public television. The Muslim Brotherhood, which accused the Assad regime of orchestrating the December twin suicide attacks in Damascus that killed 44, leveled a similar charge over Friday's bombing, and swiftly called for an international and Arab probe, claiming the attack benefited the regime. Syrian state media have circulated gruesome images of rescuers gathering body parts and placing them in plastic bags, in an area where damaged cars and buses were splattered with blood.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

The Syrian National Council: Syrian regime ‘bears full responsibility’ for Damascus blast
January 6, 2012 /The Syrian National Council on Friday commented on the explosion in Damascus’ neighborhood of Al-Midan and said that the Syrian regime “bears the full responsibility for both the explosion and its perpetrators.”“The regime’s objectives, now exposed, include intimidating the Syrian people and denying them their right to demonstrate and express their desire to oust the regime, misleading the Arab League observers and the public, and accusing external elements to distort the facts about our peaceful revolution,” the SNC said in a statement. It also said that today’s blast “clearly bears the regime’s fingerprints,” adding that such actions show “once again” that the Arab League’s observer mission requires “political and legal support by the international community to be adequately implemented.”“The SNC believes that an agreement on a joint effort between the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council represents a first step toward urgent and necessary measures to assure the protection of civilians and to ensure that the regime does not commit additional bombings and killings.”A suicide bombing hit Damascus today, killing 25 and wounding dozens of mostly civilians, state media said, blaming "terrorists" for the second such attack on the Syrian capital in two weeks. -NOW Lebanon

Assad voices “depth of relations” between Syrian, Turkish people

January 7, 2012 /Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday met with a delegation from the Turkish Saadet Partisi, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported, adding that Assad voiced the “depth of relations” between the Syrian and Turkish people.“No one can influence these popular relations due to [existing] historical and geographical ties,” Assad told the delegation headed by Mustafa Kamalak.
SANA also said that Assad and the delegation discussed Syrian events, adding that the delegation voiced its condolences following the blast in Damascus’ Al-Midan neighborhood.
The report quoted Kamalak as saying that the Turkish people stand by the Syrian people in confronting what they are being subjected to, adding that he “totally rejects” any foreign interferences in Syrian domestic affairs.A suicide bombing hit Damascus on Friday, killing 25 and wounding dozens of civilians, state media said, blaming "terrorists" for the second such attack on the Syrian capital in two weeks.
-NOW Lebanon

Minister of Transportation and Public Works Ghazi Aridi: Communication between Syria, Jumblatt ‘frozen’

January 7, 2012 /Minister of Transportation and Public Works Ghazi Aridi told Al-Sharq radio station on Saturday that communication between leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) MP Walid Jumblatt and Syria is currently “frozen.” However, Aridi, who is affiliated with the PSP, said that communication between Syria’s strongest ally in Lebanon, the Shia group Hezbollah, and the PSP “is ongoing”. Regarding the controversial statements on the alleged presence of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network in northern Lebanon, Aridi told the radio station that Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn “received information from security institutions” upon which he based his statements on Al-Qaeda in the town of Aarsal. “I have said that [Lebanese security institutions] need to coordinate with each other and then present [their security reports] to the cabinet in order to take the suitable decision.” In December 2011, Ghosn warned of the presence of Al-Qaeda cells in Aarsal, near the Syrian border.Ghosn’s statements have generated domestic criticism, mostly from March 14 figures. However, reports that Al-Qaeda members are present in Lebanon have not been confirmed.-NOW Lebanon

Nice try, Bashar
Angie Nassar, January 7, 2012 /Now Lebanon
An unidentified Arab League observer (orange vest) and Syrian officials view the victims of a bombing in the heart of Damascus on January 6. (AFP/SANA)
Al-Qaeda: that's what the late Libyan leader, Muammar Qaddafi, cried too, in sad desperation, toward the end of his dictatorial rule.
When the eccentric strongman claimed the international terrorist network was behind the revolution to overthrow his regime, “exploiting” teens by serving them “hallucinogenic pills in their coffee with milk, like Nescafe,” the world sneered. Its response to the Syrian regime’s claim that Al-Qaeda is responsible for the recent bombings in Damascus should be no different. What word other than “laughable” could best describe Syrian state television’s prompt announcement that the terrorists who blew themselves up in twin suicide bombings on December 23 had been arrested? “Terrorists who carried out the suicide bombings today have been arrested.” (Photo via worldaffairsjournal.org)
The affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades denied Al-Qaeda’s involvement in the attacks, but no matter, the radical Islamic organization - considered by many to be the single most serious threat to US security - has nevertheless been deemed the star of Syria’s political theatre in yet another spastic attempt to keep President Bashar al-Assad’s regime afloat.
“We said it from the beginning: this is terrorism,” Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad proudly proclaimed to the Associated Press. The world cannot agree on a definition of terrorism, but the politics of fear can - and will - be used by corrupt people in positions of power to justify their words and actions.
How else could one explain Lebanese Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn’s bogus assertion that Al-Qaeda has set up a base for operations in the northern town of Aarsal and consequently infiltrated Syria, while the prime minister of the country, Najib Mikati, insists there is “no firm evidence of an Al-Qaeda presence” in the border area? President Michel Sleiman and Interior Minister Marwan Charbel have also denied Ghosn’s claim, leaving Marada Movement leader Sleiman Franjieh - a puppet of the Assad regime - to pick up the slack and join the near-comical charade.
It is unacceptable for the men who lead this country to present such contradictory views on what could be a potentially serious threat. But then again, there is no danger. Not from Al-Qaeda. The threat of terrorism on Syrian soil is, for the most part, a bogeyman; a guise to demonize and discredit regime opponents while attempting to keep the population in check. This is not leadership. It’s a matter of grasping at straws.
Fictional enemies come with many political advantages. And in an age of deception, lies and disinformation, “terrorism” has become an all-purpose term of convenience, wielded as a weapon to maneuver politics, justify the slaughter of innocent people, abuse power, erode stability and manipulate law and order.
The greatest lie of America’s “war on terror” is that Islamic militants have an irrational hatred and envy of its freedom, derived from religious antagonism and cultural hostility. So what do we make of the same Islamic militants - belonging to an organization touted by the US government as virtually inoperable - now striking at one of the most ruthless leaders from the very region from which they first spawned? The Assad regime is not the victim of terrorism, but the heavy-handed perpetrator of violence itself.
“Assad has previously tried to blame the Syrian revolution on ‘Salafists,’ ‘armed gangs’, the CIA and ‘Zionists’. International human rights monitors, Syrian army defectors, Western investigative journalists and on-the-ground activists have proven this to be propaganda. So now it's al-Qaeda's turn,” Michael Weiss writes for The Telegraph.
At the heart of the Syrian revolution is an outstanding propaganda war. When the man with the militant moustache and his media circus can no longer pacify the majority of people, the regime will crumble into a pile of absurdity and rubble.
Nice try, Bashar.
Angie Nassar is a reporter and blogger at NOW Lebanon. You can find her on Twitter @angienassar.

Syria says Jumblatt should focus on Lebanon's issues first
January 07, 2012/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Syrian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdisi dismissed Friday recent comments by Lebanese MP Walid Jumblatt that regime change was needed in Syria to end the country’s crisis, in a growing sign of estrangement between Damascus and the Progressive Socialist Party chief. “His comments are much appreciated and are his personal [views]. We wish him all the best in resolving all the Lebanese issues and once these have been sorted out, he can then move to the Syria situation,” Makdisi, speaking to the Lebanon’s NBN television station, said Friday. Jumblatt, who voiced increasing concern throughout 2011 over the crisis in Lebanon’s neighbor, took a further step Tuesday in breaking ranks with embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad by calling on Russia and Iran to convince ally Syria that a fundamental change in the regime was the only solution to the current unrest there, now in its 10th month. However, Jumblatt’s call fell short of publicly urging Assad to step down as the president faces the gravest ever challenge to his 11-year rule from pro-democracy protesters demanding a regime change. Jumblatt also urged fellow Druze in Syria not to join the Syrian army and police in the brutal crackdown on protesters. The United Nations estimates that over 5,000 Syrians, mostly civilians, have been killed in a crackdown by Damascus to end months of anti-government protests. Syrian authorities deny targeting civilians, blaming their deaths on “armed gangs.”


Hariri condemns Damascus attack
January 07, 2012/ The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned Friday’s suicide bomb attack in Damascus and raised questions about what the timing and place of the attack indicated.
“We condemn all acts of terrorism. The Syrian revolution has pointed out the true objectives and the determined the culprit,” Hariri said during a question and answer session on Twitter Friday.
Syria’s state television said Friday a suicide bomber in Maidan district in Damascus killed 25 people and wounded 46 others. The interior minister Saturday revised the death toll to 26 and 63 wounded and vowed to the respond to the attack with an “iron fist.”Some in the opposition have claimed that Damascus staged the attack, the third of its kind in two weeks, to show observers it is fighting blind violence rather that a pro-democracy movement. Hariri also raised questions about the timing and place of the attack. “What is noticeable about the explosion in Damascus is its timing – 24 hours before the Arab [League] committee meeting – as well as its location – Midan Square, which is a central spot of the popular movements in Damascus,” Hariri said, responding to a question as to whether he had seen footage of the scenes following the blast. The Arab League is due to meet Sunday in Cairo to discuss an initial report by Arab observers who are monitoring whether Syria is complying with an initiative to end the nearly 10 months unrest in the tightly controlled state. Hezbollah, Syria’s ally in Lebanon, condemned the attack Friday, describing the suicide bombing in Damascus as part of a larger U.S. plan to destabilize the country while Lebanon’s foreign minister said the explosion was the beginning of further “terrorist operations” beyond Syria’s borders. Asked his opinion on why Beirut had not sent officials to take part in the observer mission to Syria, Hariri, said: “The government of [Syrian President] Bashar Assad in Lebanon cannot take the decision to send observers to monitor the acts of the regime that appointed it in Damascus.” Hariri, the leader of the March 14 movement, who left Lebanon months after his Cabinet collapsed following the resignation of Hezbollah-backed March 8 ministers from his national unity government in January 2011, said he was in Riyadh with his family and repeated that he would be returning to Lebanon soon.

Syria vows 'iron fist' response to Damascus blast
07/01/2012
DAMASCUS, (AFP) — A suicide bomber killed 26 people and wounded dozens in the Syrian capital with the government vowing an "iron fist" response.
The bomber blew himself up near a school in in the historic Midan quarter, Interior Minister Lieutenant General Mohammad al-Shaar was quoted as saying by the SANA news agency. Another 17 civilians were shot dead in the now daily unrest, activists said.Iran, Syria's main ally, on Saturday condemned the bombing.
Iran "strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Friday in Damascus and sympathises with the victims' families," foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by the media.
"Without doubt, the unity and vigilance of the Syrian government and people are disappointing the enemies of Syria who think only of internal war, breaking up the country and making it submit to the demands of the axis of America and Zionism," he added, referring to Israel.
Authorities found the complete and body parts from 26 people while 63 others were wounded in the second blast in two weeks in the heart of Damascus, the minister added.
The interior ministry branded the bombing "a new terrorist escalation" and said more than 10 kilos (22 pounds) of explosives was used.
"We will strike with an iron fist all those who undermine the security of the nation," the ministry said in a statement.
Syrian opposition factions blamed President Bashar al-Assad's government for the bombing and called on Arab and Western forces to end the bloodshed.
"We hold the regime, its agents and its gangs, fully responsible for this crime," said the Muslim Brotherhood, which had also accused the government of orchestrating twin suicide attacks in Damascus on December 23.
The Syrian National Council said Friday's bombing "clearly bears the regime's fingerprints." The SNC is an umbrella group which includes the Muslim Brotherhood.
The United States and United Nations condemned the bombing.
"We categorically condemn this attack," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding that the solution to the Syrian crisis is "for Assad to step aside and for a national dialogue to begin."
"I remain gravely concerned at the deteriorating situation in Syria, where thousands have lost their lives since March last year and people continue to be killed each day," said UN leader Ban Ki-moon.
"I say again that all violence is unacceptable and must stop immediately," he added.
Syrian state media showed gruesome images of rescuers gathering body parts in plastic bags.
The December 23 bombs killed 44 people. The authorities blamed Al-Qaeda while the opposition accused the government.
Friday saw similar counter-accusations.
The ruling Baath party called the attacks "a terrorist act that is a part of the plot hatched against Syria," state media reported.
The plot, it said, "coincides with the statements made by opposition groups and by French and American officials."
The Muslim Brotherhood called for an international probe, claiming the attack benefited the regime.
"The killings in Syria will continue and the Syrian regime will keep hiding behind Al-Qaeda and the terrorists... unless someone confronts the regime and takes it to account for its crimes," said the Brotherhood.
The SNC said the UN Security Council had to take up the bloodshed, which UN estimates in December said had killed more than 5,000 people since pro-democracy protests erupted in March.
"The SNC believes that an agreement on a joint effort between the Arab League and the United Nations Security Council represents a first step toward the urgent and necessary measures to assure the protection of civilians, and to ensure that the regime does not commit additional bombings and killings," it said.
Activists have called for an Arab League observer mission to admit its failure to stem nearly 10 months of bloodshed and hand over to the United Nations.
UN leader Ban reaffirmed an offer to train the Arab League observers.
The Arab mission has been in Syria since December 26 trying to assess whether the government is complying with a peace accord aimed at ending its deadly crackdown.
But there has been no let-up in the violence and new criticism of the observers.
Seventeen civilians were shot dead on Friday, including eight around Damascus and six in the central city of Hama, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP. Three army deserters also died, it said.
Protests were reported in Aleppo and Homs, the port of Latakia, and Douma on Damascus's northern outskirts.
Two explosions shook the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor, wounding five security personnel, SANA said.
The Arab League is to meet on Sunday in Cairo to discuss the observer mission, whose credibility continues to be questioned.
"We support the Arab League which has sent observers to Syria but this mission is not at present able to do its job properly," France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said.
The head of the rebel Free Syrian Army has called on the Arab League to admit failure, and urged the bloc to seek UN help.
"We call on the Arab League to step aside and let the United Nations take over responsibility as it is more apt to find solutions," Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad told AFP in Beirut.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, who heads an Arab League task force on Syria, has admitted "mistakes" in the monitoring mission

Reform Party of Syria /RPS Statement in Regard to the Latest Suicide Attack in Damascus
The Assad Regime is no Longer in Control of Syria's Security or Its People
Washington DC (January 7, 2012) - A suicide attack in al-Midan district in Damascus on a bus carrying government security police has resulted in 25 deaths and many injuries. No one yet has taken responsibility for the attack.
This is the second such large attack in two weeks. The first double suicide mission took place on Dec. 23 and resulted in the death of 44 of Assad's security men.
Both incidents happened on a Friday, a day the Syrian people have adopted to exercise their right to free speech and a day the Assad regime has favored to respond with deadly force killing thousands. Either side could have chosen a Friday to either settle a score or to fake "terrorism" in order to respond with even deadlier force.
It is obvious to the outside world that in the last 10 months, Assad has steadily lost control over the affairs of the country as well as control over the majority of our people; but with these multiple and unstoppable suicide attacks, it also seems the regime has lost control of Syria's security.
With more and more military and civilian personnel defecting, it is a matter of time before the regime implodes under the weight of its vacuous sub-existence. This bubble will burst sooner than later and waiting in the wings are people like Faruk al-Shara'a, the Vice-President of Syria, ready to take over a country he was instrumental in its ruinous tragedy.

Harper decries threat of Iran to world peace, says sanctions working

By Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press Thu, 5 Jan, 2012....
OTTAWA - Stephen Harper has called the escalating standoff between Iran and the West the greatest threat to world peace. The prime minister offered that assessment of the growing tensions in the Persian Gulf during an interview Thursday on an Alberta radio program. "Your listeners should be under no illusion, Iran is a very serious threat to international peace and security. In my judgment, it is the world's most serious threat to international peace and security," Harper said during an appearance on the Rutherford Show, an Alberta-wide radio call-in program. Harper also said he has no doubt Iran wants a nuclear weapon and would be prepared to use one. "This is a regime that wants to acquire nuclear weapons ... and has indicated some desire to actually use nuclear weapons," he said.
Harper's remark about Iran expressing a desire to use a nuclear weapon appears to fly in the face of the facts, said one expert.
"I think it would be an overstatement. To all intents and purposes, it looks like they're trying to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. But they have yet to cross the threshold," said Fen Hampson, director of the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa. Iran maintains its nuclear program is meant solely for peaceful purposes, and has not admitted to pursing a weapon. Still, the international community, Canada included, believes the main goal is to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil passage, in possible retaliation for new economic sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions.
Harper said the posturing over the Strait or Hormuz only underlines the degree to which Iran is "a serious threat." Hampson agreed that is a serious issue. "They (Iran) have been firing test missiles, and the United States is redeploying its Fifth Fleet to send a strong message to Iran," he said. "The real danger in this kind of a situation is military activities — test firing of missiles and so forth — escalate. There's a miscalculation on one side, and it could well be the Iranians that take you into a real crisis." Harper said Canada continues to work with its allies in imposing sanctions, and he said he believes they are having an impact. "That's why the regime is lashing out from time to time."
Harper said Russia and China, which have opposed the censure or Iran for its nuclear program, have joined the international community and "appreciate that this is a serious threat."
"I think the problem is there's not a consensus about what to do about it precisely," Harper said. On the Middle East's other flash point, Syria, Harper reiterated his government's desire to see President Bashar Assad step down. The United Nations estimates 5,000 people have been killed in the anti-Assad uprising that began last winter.
"The violent repression is disgraceful, it's unacceptable and I don't think it's going to be successful over time." Harper ruled out any international military intervention similar to the UN-sanctioned, NATO-led mission that supported the overthrow of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi last year. He said the Libya mission had the backing of the UN Security Council.
"That has not been forthcoming in this case," Harper noted, "and my own read of the situation is that Canada's principal allies would not be prepared to go to a military option in this case without such a resolution."

Canada Condemns Recent Attacks in Nigeria
January 6, 2012 - 8 p.m. ET - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the latest violent attacks in Nigeria:
“Canada unequivocally condemns the cowardly attacks in Mubi today and the separate attack in Gombe on Thursday.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those killed and wish a speedy recovery to those injured by this senseless violence.
“These people were targeted because of their religious beliefs. Boko Haram’s actions are rooted in intolerance and are completely unacceptable. Canada sees religious freedom as a fundamental human right and terrorism as the great struggle of our generation.
“We stand with the people and government of Nigeria in their efforts to bring about stability and maintain unity in the face of this pressing challenge.”
Reform Party of Syria
Arab League Monitors are only bringing more deaths to the Syrian people by diverting attention from Assad's killing machine in the streets of Syria
Another 150 have died while farcical monitors give Assad a free pass by taking up what little bandwidth existed for Syria
Save Syria
PHOENIX (January 6, 2012) - Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim and the co-founder of the Save Syria Now! issued the following statement regarding the Arab League monitors in Syria:
"Another week has gone by with the west abdicating its leadership role in Syria to a group of hapless monitors from the Arab League. While the media has regaled us almost daily with stories of attacks on these monitors, the real story of the struggle for the freedom of the Syrian people continues with another 150 dead in the streets.
Bashar Al-Assad is playing the free world as fools by standing in front of our media and agreeing to terms with the cabal of tyrants to end the violence, while in reality he continues to crush opposition beneath his boot. The protesters in the street know that settlement is not an option. Stepping out of the streets with Assad in power may as well be a death warrant for them.
The Arab League's mission is beyond a farce. It is an inhumane travesty of global proportions run by a Sudanese agent of a genocidal regime whose President is wanted for war crimes committed in his own nation. The monitors have been told where to go by Assad's drivers and used primitive means of documentation if any at all. They are autocrats trying to save face for themselves while their fellow autocrat Bashar Assad is finding himself closer and closer to the end of his tyrannical rule. The so called monitors have only afforded the Assad regime more time and sucked the bandwidth away from legitimate coverage of the atrocities that Bashar Assad has committed on his own people.
Instead of appeasing conferences with the OIC in Washington where America apologizes for OIC hyperbole over so called western islamophobia and tries to restrict free speech, the West must put an end to this farce, by demanding that Assad let UN observers and international media into the country to document his crimes. The United States must push harder on every front for the removal of Assad and step forward as a champion of freedom for the brutalized people of Syria and the free world."
About Save Syria Now!
Save Syria Now! is a group of Americans of Syrian descent organizing to put pressure on the United States to call for immediate action to be taken against the regime of Bashar Assad of Syria and to bring true liberty to the people of Syria. We stand with the Syrians protesting in the streets to end the tyranny of the Assad family. For more information please visit our website at http://www.savesyrianow.org/.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Gregg Edgar
Gordon C. James Public Relations
gedgar@gcjpr.com
602-690-7977

International Christian Concern:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jonathan Racho, Regional Manager for Africa
jonathan@persecution.org
Washington, D.C. (January 6, 2012) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that members of a radical Islamic group, Boko Haram, have killed 29 Christians in the past two days. The Islamists killed twenty Christians today in Mubi after killing nine Christians yesterday in attacks against a church in Gombe.
The twenty martyred Christians were gunned down while holding a meeting to discuss ways to transport a body of a fellow Christian who was killed in an attack a day earlier. The martyrs in the Gombe attack were attending a worship service at Deeper Life Church in Gombe when the attack took place. The wife of the church’s pastor was among the martyrs.
The killings followed a threat issued on Sunday by Boko Haram telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria within three days. The group fights for the implementation of a strict form of Sharia law all over Nigeria, including in the southern region of Nigeria where Christians are the majority.
The Islamists also killed more than 40 Christians on Christmas day. The Nigerian government declared a state of emergency to contain anti-Christian violence.
“This is rather unfortunate that despite the call by religious leaders for people to exercise restraint, still mischievous Muslim terrorists and their supporters will go to places where innocent Christians worship and kill them,” said Rev. James Wuye, a northern Nigerian church leader.
Rev. Wuye urged the Nigerian Christians not to resort to revenge in the face of increasing attacks. He said, “I ask Christians in Nigeria that we should exercise restraint and pray that the God of Elijah will surely fight for us. And Christians should show love for their neighbors because that is what Jesus Christ teaches.”
Jonathan Racho, ICC Regional Manager for Africa, said, “We are extremely saddened by the continuous killing of Christians in northern Nigeria. The Islamists are engaged in Jihad war in order to eradicate Christianity from northern Nigeria. The world is doing nothing as religious cleansing unfolds right before our eyes. It’s high time to end these senseless killings and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Please call the Nigerian embassy in your country and politely ask Nigerian officials to fully protect Christians from the on-going attacks and bring the perpetrators of the attacks to justice.
Nigerian Embassies:
USA: (202) 986-8400
UK: (020) 7839-1244
Canada: (613) 236-0521
Germany: +49-30-212300

Iran elections: duel at the top

By Amir Taheri/Asharq Alawsat
With the deadline for candidate registration, this week Iran entered campaign mood for next March’s parliamentary elections.
According to the Interior Ministry over 5000 people have filled application forms to become candidates, a 32 per cent fall compared to elections four years ago. The fall may be due to several factors, including boycott calls by opposition groups and a spreading realisation that the next Islamic Consultative Assembly, Iran’s ersatz parliament, may have even less power than its predecessors in the past three decades.
An analysis of those seeking the candidacy reveals the narrowing appeal of the exercise.
Four years ago, applicants came from broad sections of society. This time, the overwhelming majority come from the security services, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the network of mullahs appointed by “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei as “Friday Prayer Leaders”. Technocrats working for companies controlled by the IRGC are also present in significant numbers.
In previous elections, the regime’s different factions were present with dozens of candidates.
This time, fewer than 20 people could be identified as members of the faction led by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, once regarded as “strongman”. Rafsanjani has lost all but one of his official positions. The remaining one, as head of the Expediency Council, is due for renewal next April, and many expect he would be fired.
Despite its call for boycott, the faction led by former Prime Minister Mir-Hussein Mussavi, still under house arrest, is present with a dozen applicants. A dozen other applicants could be identified as Mussavi sympathisers.
Other applicants known for their reluctance to bow to Khamenei may number around 20.
To become candidates, applicants must be approved by the Council of the Guardians, a mullah-dominated organ. Thus, there is no guarantee that anyone identified as critical of the “Supreme Guide” would be allowed to stand.
Contrary to expectations, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims to have decided to adopt a neutral profile, refusing to endorse any candidates.
“The President has no candidates,” Ahmadinejad’s office says. At first glance, therefore, this looks like a masquerade to confirm Khamenei’s domination of the political scene.
However, the first glance may be deceptive.
A closer examination of the applicants reveals a more interesting picture. Despite similar backgrounds, applicants may not all be Khamenei worshippers. In the absence of free elections, it is virtually impossible to measure the actual support that Khamenei actually has. However, there is abundant evidence that, in free elections, he might not win a majority.
Ahmadinejad knows that. This is why, despite claims of neutrality, he is the unofficial leader of a faction that has hundreds of applicants and hopes to be present in all constituencies in March.
Ahmadinejad has been building his support-base for years and clearly hopes to secure control of the future Majlis as a springboard for presidential elections in 2013. Under present rules, Ahmadinejad cannot seek a third mandate. However, he has learned from his “brother”, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, that rules could be changed and a determined man could hang on to presidency for life.
The addictive pull of power is such that no one would simply head for the exit.
Of the four previous presidents, one, Abol-Hassan Banisadr, was forced into exile, and another, Muhammad-Ali Raja’i, was assassinated. Khamenei became “Supreme Guide”. Rafsanjani was kept in orbit for two decades and mollified. Muhammad Khatami, tried to become the godfather of “reformists”.
Thus, the idea that, in 2013, Ahmadinejad would simply go fishing is daft. He is also unlikely to go into exile, if only because no one, apart from Chavez, would let him in. To be sure, assassination remains an option. But that, too, may not be as easy as it sounds. Even if not allowed to stand himself, Ahmadinejad is sure to promote one of his friends, perhaps Esfandiar Masha’i.
In 2005, Ahmadinejad claimed that he had been preparing “ to serve the nation” since the 1980s. Masha’i claimed that the two started preparing for the presidency in the 1990s.
Ahmadinejad’s supporters are using “taqiyeh”, religious dissimulation, for political purposes.
Hiding links with the president, they try to appear as Khamenei’s fanatical followers. The idea is to give the “Council of Guardians” no excuse to veto their candidacy. Once that barrier is passed, their support network, built- over years, would fabricate majorities for them.
The Ahmadinejad faction has another advantage. It controls the Interior Ministry, which runs the elections from start to finish, and could produce the necessary number of properly filled ballot boxes. Yet another advantage is that almost all provincial governors and mayors of major cities belong to the same faction.
Ahamdinejad and his friends believe that, as an ideology, Khomeinism as symbolised by Khamenei, is dead. They hope to prolong the life of the regime with a new ideology that, although using Khomeinist rhetoric, moves on a different trajectory.
What that ideology is could be discussed in a future article. For the time being, we must not dismiss the coming elections as totally without interest. Next March we may witness a duel at the top of the Khomeinist state at a time of acute economic and political crisis.

Disabling a community
Hazem al-Amin, January 6, 2012
Someone disabled the Sunni community in Lebanon politically. Everyone knows the culprit of course, but the disabling has started to yield other effects. The sectarian landscape nowadays is not in the best of shape as a result. It is clearly dysfunctional, but there is no indication that the system is as faulty as to make it possible to go beyond sectarianism. Such a crack actually rocks the regime and overhauls it from the bottom up in a violent and troubled process.
The prime minister is a substitute; the leader of the parliamentary bloc representing the community is living abroad and the religious chief of that same community staggers between the subtlety of the substitute and the injustice suffered by the exile. Yet this is by no means similar to what happened to Lebanon’s Christian community in the early 1990s when Christians were excluded by the Syrian influence, which was shepherded at the time by international equations following the participation of the Syrian army in the Kuwait liberation war in support of the United States, thus triggering the “Christian frustration.”
The Sunni community in Lebanon was disabled by the Syrian regime of course as though under the impulse of an electrical action rather than a political one. The Black Shirts took to the streets on the dawn of that day and Walid Jumblatt came back from Damascus to announce his split from the March 14 coalition. Taha Mikati called Speaker Nabih Berri; Omar Karami was ruled out from the premiership race and Najib Mikati was nominated for the premiership. A few weeks later, Saad Hariri left Lebanon.
Today, the largest parliamentary bloc of Sunni MPs in Lebanon has no value whatsoever. The objections of this bloc and its allies cannot be taken from the rhetorical and media level to the political one for many reasons. Parliament is not a living institution, and political life has no room for a large minority. This goes without mentioning the inefficiency and dispersion plaguing this bloc.
The weirdest thing in this disastrous landscape is that the domestic and foreign political and social circumstances are absolutely not in sync with the situation in Lebanon. The Christians were excluded at the same time as an international option giving precedence to major foreign interests over the interest of a local group, not to mention the burden caused by the Lebanese war on that community. Nowadays, a community on the rise regionally has been politically disabled. It did not suffer a military defeat, but rather security blows that did not undermine the essence of its domestic presence. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was a blow, but it was also a revival and a transformation. The Black Shirts were no more than incidental and a message.
Accordingly, we are confronted to a disabled community, albeit not a defeated one!
This lays the foundations of a bleak future regarding relations between Lebanese communities, especially since sectarian Lebanese tools have long since been tasked with implementing this plan. It is no use at all to claim that exclusion targeted a political group rather than a given community. Indeed, a quick inspection of communities shows the results of this exclusion. Feelings have crossed the boundaries of the targeted political party and are now seeking to achieve their purpose elsewhere in faraway places.
Hezbollah did not manage to exploit the exclusion of the Future Movement. The financing of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon did not stop, and Hezbollah failed to promote Sunni alternatives to its foes even though it did weaken them. It merely exacerbated sectarian feelings and unleashed the possibilities inherent to it.
**This article is a translation of the original, which was posted on the NOW Arabic site on Friday January 6, 2012

Reform Party of Syria
This Is Not the Syria We Are Fighting For
Farid Ghadry Blog
While many Syrians are enthusiastic about the notion that a more coherent Syrian opposition exists today (Thanks mainly to the Qatari money pouring into its coffers and an unlimited Arab League support, a luxury no other opposition ever enjoyed in the past), the vision of its leadership should be of concern to the US State Department and to US Congress.
The picture below was taken last month (December of 2011) when a meeting was arranged between Birhan Ghalioun, who heads the SNC, and Sheikh Yussef al-Qardawi of Egypt.
The very same month, Yussef al-Qardawi caused furor amongst the Copts of Egypt when he declared that Christmas should be banned in Egypt and so should Christmas trees.
Guessing whether Sheikh al-Qardawi will start a "Christmas tree suicide bomb squad" to please his followers is like anticipating the wondrous next Apple product in the US.
For the SNC, controlled by Islamists, to set-up Professor Ghalioun, a known liberal, for this picture has but one meaning: We own Ghalioun. The hand-holding in the picture is meant to say: Ghalioun is going nowhere.
It just shows how weak Ghalioun is in the face of those planning their brand of Islam upon us all. Al-Qardawi is not even Syrian to have so much influence.
For those amongst us shocked to see the head of the main Syrian opposition cozy-up to a hater of Christianity, please don't let your mind wander back towards Assad or tilt to the nostalgia of a secure but horribly wrong Syria. Assad ain't the answer to Syria's deep-rooted problems either.
If you really want change, work for the third reasonable solution of helping real liberals and moderate Muslims by lobbying the US administration to come to its senses. You would be amazed how much influence your voice has in an election year.
Write, respectfully, the White House asking the President of the United States why he has outsourced Syrian fate to PM Recep Erdogan of Turkey. Do ask the question whether our President agrees with the notion that Christians in the Middle East should be deprived of their rights to freedom of religion.
This is why we fight for Syria.
As a Muslim, I deeply believe that the Syrian minorities are the treasure that will save us from ignorance to a more ingratiating fate. The Muslim Brotherhood interior design vision for Syria is one of submissive souls who are asked to trust their ideas and thoughts to men born in the last Millennia and who see women as walking wombs they can raid at will.
I believe Syria's present real policy, emanating from the White House, is too harsh for any reasonable person to accept and Syria's future looks like a convoluted brainteaser imagined by Policy Makers we really should call them Oddity Makers.