LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 07/2012

Bible Quotation for today/Duties to Parents
Sirach 03/01-16: "Children, listen to me; I am your father. Do what I tell you and you will be safe, for the Lord has given fathers authority over their children and given children the obligation to obey their mothers. If you respect your father, you can make up for your sins, and if you honor your mother, you are earning great wealth. If you respect your father, one day your own children will make you happy; the Lord will hear your prayers. If you obey the Lord by honoring your father and making your mother happy, you will live a long life. Obey your parents as if you were their slave. Honor your father in everything you do and say, so that you may receive his blessing. When parents give their blessing, they give strength to their children's homes, but when they curse their children, they destroy the very foundations. Never seek honor for yourself at your father's expense; it is not to your credit if he is dishonored. Your own honor comes from the respect that you show to your father. If children do not honor their mothers, it is their own disgrace. My child, take care of your father when he grows old; give him no cause for worry as long as he lives. Be sympathetic even if his mind fails him; don't look down on him just because you are strong and healthy.The Lord will not forget the kindness you show to your father; it will help you make up for your sins. When you are in trouble, the Lord will remember your kindness and will help you; your sins will melt away like frost in warm sunshine. Those who abandon their parents or give them cause for anger may as well be cursing the Lord; they are already under the Lord's curse".

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Who can support this regime/Now Lebanon/March 6/12
Energizing the Future Movement/By: Hazem Saghiyeh/March 06/12

Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for March 06/12
Netanyahu at AIPAC: A nuclear Iran must be stopped
Netanyahu tells Obama: I have yet to decide whether to attack Iran
On Iran, Netanyahu tells Obama: Israel must remain its own master
After meeting Obama, Netanyahu says world united over Iran
Live on Haaretz: Netanyahu: Israel cannot afford to wait much longer on Iran
US welcomes report Iran to retry American “spy”
Canada Welcomes Visit of United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Minister
Canada Suspends Embassy Operations in Syria
Canada bans all dealings with Syrian central bank, closes Syria embassy
Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria's Assad Regime  
Syrian refugees in Lebanon 'feared being slaughtered in own homes'
McCain: US should lead air strikes on Syria
Chinese diplomacy may not bring an end to Syrian crisis
West Urges Putin to Review Russia's Syrian Policy
Egyptian militants blow up pipeline carrying gas to Israel
US hits Syrian state media with sanctions
Syrian Ambassador Says Lebanon Must Do More to Control Border
Syrian refugees tell of fleeing home without basic provisions
Jumblatt launches blistering counterattack on antagonists
Jumblatt rejects criticism, brands Assad as pro-Zionist
Parliament session postponed after MP boycott
Carlos Slim richest person on newly launched daily index of billionaires
No new House meeting unless compromise found
Family steps up campaign for Aisamy’s release
Geagea: Those Fearful of Extremists Coming to Power in Syria Must Quickly End Crisis
Hezbollah criticizes Obama’s statements on Israel
Suleiman Urges Rival Parties to Resolve Spending Dispute
Phalange Warns of Naturalization of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
Report: Hariri to Urge Lebanese Not to Link Fate of Any Party to Syria
Carlos Slim richest person on newly launched daily index of billionaires

Netanyahu at AIPAC: A nuclear Iran must be stopped
Yitzhak Benhorin /Haaretz
PM addresses AIPAC's DC conference, thanks Obama, US for steadfast support of Israel, warns against perils of nuclear Iran and vows: When it comes to Israel's survival we must always remain masters of our fate
WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC conference in Washington Tuesday (GMT), following a meeting with US President Barack Obama.
"Jerusalem is the eternal united capital of Israel," he began his speech, to roaring applause. "Israel must always reserve the right to defense itself."
"I want to ask the supporters of Israel to stand up and applaud the Congress for standing up and supporting Israel. Democrats and Republicans alike, I salute your commitment to the State of Israel."
Netanyahu was quick to focus on the nuclear threat posed by Iran: "Every, day I open a newspaper and read about deadlines and red lines, about what Israel might do and will do – but I won't talk about that.I will never talk aboou that. As the prime minister of Israel, I will not gamble with its security." "I want to explain about the dangers of Iran and why Iran should never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons," Netanyahu continued. 'If it walks like a duck…'"President Obama stated clearly that the US wants to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons and that… all options are on the table. Israel has the same policy – we're determined to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons and we leave all options on the table.
"Iran says that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but I say – if it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck – it's a duck. But this is a nuclear duck! And It is impossible to believe that the world's most dangerous regime won't use the world most dangerous weapon. "A nuclear-armed Iran," he warned, "Will embolden its proxies – Hezbollah and Hamas – to attack Israel and US targets. And they will. They'll be doing so backed by a nuclear regime. A nuclear-armed Iran could choke the world's oil supplies. It could blackmail the world on oil."
A nuclear-armed Iran is likely to spark an arms race in the Middle East, he said, "And the worst nightmare – a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten all of us with nuclear terrorism."
"The Jewish state will not allow those who seek our destruction to develop such weapons. A nuclear Iran must be stopped," Netanyahu stated. When it comes to Israel's survival we must always remain masters of our fate." During his meeting with the American president earlier Monday, Netanyahu reportedly stressed that Israel has yet to reach a decision regarding a possible strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Speaking with reports after the meeting, Netanyahu said that "the Israeli position was met with understanding." Obama addressed the AIPAC conference on Sunday and reiterated the United States' commitment to Israel's defense and security, as well as its resolve to stop Iran from achieving nuclear weapons. "Iran's leaders should know that I do not have a policy of containment; I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And as I’ve made clear time and again during the course of my presidency, I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests," Obama declared.

On Iran, Netanyahu tells Obama: Israel must remain its own master
By Barak Ravid/Haaretz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House ahead of his talk at the AIPAC conference.
WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Obama Barack on Monday that it is his responsibility as Prime Minister to make sure that Israel remains its own master.
Netanyahu met Obama at the White House for a one-on-one talk regarding the differences between Israel and the United States over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program. "My responsibility is to make sure Israel will stay the master of it's own," Netanyahu told Obama, adding that "the purpose of the Jewish state is to give the Jewish people the ability to determine it's own destiny." Obama assured Netanyahu that "the U.S. will always have Israel's back," and that the "bond between Israel and U.S. is unbreakable." "My commitment to Israel's security is rock solid," the President said, describing Israel as "our ally" and "an island of democracy in the region." Regarding the Iranian nuclear threat, Obama said that "it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons." The U.S. president maintained that "it is in the U.S. best interests to prevent a nuclear Iran," while Netanyahu stated that the "U.S. and Israel must stand together on Iran issue." He also reminded Obama that, according to Iran, the "U.S. is 'Great Satan,' and Israel is "Little Satan.'" Netanyahu ended by saying that Israel must be able to defend itself, "by itself," against any possible threat.

After meeting Obama, Netanyahu says world united over Iran
By Barak Ravid/Haaretz
Following a three-hour meeting at the White House, Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu says Israel has managed to place Iran at top of global priority list. WASHINGTON – Speaking at the end of his three-hour meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that the internatinonal community is united against the Iranian nuclear threat. U.S. President Barack Obama and Netanyahu met one-on-one in Washington to discuss the differences between Israel and the United States over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program. The talk between them dealt almost entirely with how to deal with Iran's nuclear program, Netanyahu told reporters. "We managed to convince the international community that we are talking about a real threat and danger," Netanyahu said. He added that Israel had also managed to "put the Iranian issue on the international order of priorities." The position that Netanyahu presented to Obama at the White House were accepted with understanding, the Prime Minister said. "What the President said outside, in front of the cameras, that is what he said in the meeting," Netanyahu added. The meeting between Netanyahu and Obama came in the wake of a media storm over the possibility of a war against Iran. On Monday morning, a full-page ad in the Washington Post featured 10 former U.S. generals, each of whom calls on Obama to avoid a “war of choice with Iran.” The generals called on Obama to act toward stopping Iran’s nuclear plan by use of economic sanctions and political pressure in order to isolate the regime in Tehran. Netanyahu is also set to speak in front of the AIPAC conference on Monday. The final wording of the speech will be determined only after the meeting with Obama, and will deal primarily with Iran’s nuclear plan.

Netanyahu tells Obama: I have yet to decide whether to attack Iran
By Barak Ravid/Haaretz
U.S. president and Israeli premier agree to increase their coordination on Iran, in two hour White House meeting.
WASHINGTON, D.C. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear to U.S. President Barak Obama during their meeting at the White House on Monday that Israel has not made any decision on attacking Iran to stop its nuclear program. Sources who were briefed on the meeting afterward said Obama and Netanyahu agreed to increase their coordination on Iran. Israel's Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz is to visit Washington in two weeks to discuss the issue with U.S. officials
The meeting in the Oval Office went on for two hours; the only other people in the room besides the president and the prime minister were the U.S. and the Israeli national security advisers, Tom Donilon and Yaakov Amidror, respectively. The meeting was followed by lunch, in a larger group that also included Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and others. The Iran issue was the focus of the talks. It permeated everything from the agenda of the one-on-one meeting to Netanyahu's gift to Obama: a decorated copy of the Book of Esther, which will be read tomorrow night and Thursday morning at Purim services around the world. It recounts the story of the evil Persian King Ahasuerus and his viceroy, Haman, who tried but failed to annihilate the Jewish people."Then, too, they wanted to wipe us out," Netanyahu told the president. During their meeting, Obama told Netanyahu that Israel and the United States have an identical goal with regard to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. "I have no intention of trying to contain the Iranian issue," Obama reportedly told Netanyahu.
"I think that there's time for diplomacy and in any case I am not taking any options off the table, including a military option."
Netanyahu told Obama that he had not yet made any decision about whether to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, though he made it clear he did not rule out such a move in the future. In statements to the press both before and after the meeting Netanyahu said Israel has the sovereign right to defend itself against Iran. "When it comes to Israel's security, Israel has the right, the sovereign right, to makes its own decisions," Netanyahu said before the meeting. "My supreme responsibility as prime minister of Israel is to ensure that Israel remains the master of its fate." Obama agreed that Israel had the right to defend itself, adding, "I want to assure both the American people and the Israeli people that we are in constant and close consultation ... and I intend to make sure that that continues during what will be a series of difficult months, I suspect, in 2012." Netanyahu told Obama he believed Iran's leaders were determined to wipe out Israel. "They mean it," Netanyahu was quoted as saying to Obama. "If this will be resolved by diplomacy, great. But we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. The pressure on Iran has indeed increased, but time is getting short."
Afterward Netanyahu expressed satisfaction with the meeting. In a briefing to reporters he said he attributed great importance to the fact that the Iran issue has been made a top priority of Israel's dialogue with the United States and is firmly on the international agenda as well.
"We've succeeded in persuading the international community that this is a real threat to the whole world," Netanyahu told journalists. "The positions I presented on the Iranian issue were accepted with understanding in the White House. What [Obama] said outside to the cameras is what he said to me during the closed meeting." Netanyahu and Obama also discussed ways to create a dialogue between the six powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - and Iran. The prime minister did not make demands, whether over a timetable or "red lines," in regard to this dialogue. He did say, however, that the uranium enrichment facility in Fordo, near Qom, must be closed; that Iran must halt it uranium enrichment program, and that all uranium enriched beyond 3.5 percent must be removed from the country. Netanyahu raised the issue of freeing convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. federal prison. A couple of months ago Netanyahu sent a letter to Obama asking him to grant Pollard clemency. To date, Obama has not responded, and it isn't clear whether the prime minister got any kind of answer from Obama Monday. President Shimon Peres, who met Obama on Sunday, also raised the issue of freeing Pollard. At a separate meeting later on Monday Netanyahu and Panetta discussed heightening U.S.-Israeli security and intelligence cooperation. Netanyahu made a number of requests regarding the purchase of advanced weapons that Israel believes it needs in order to maintain the qualitative military advantage of the Israel Defense Forces in the region

McCain: U.S. should lead air strikes on Syria
CBS) WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain today called for the United States to lead an "international effort" involving air strikes on Syria's military forces
"After a year of bloodshed, the crisis in Syria has reached a decisive moment," McCain, R-Ariz., said in a speech to the Senate Monday afternoon.
"The kinds of mass atrocities that NATO intervened in Libya to prevent in Benghazi are now a reality in Homs. Indeed, Syria today is the scene of some of the worst state-sponsored violence since Milosevic's war crimes in the Balkans, or Russia's annihilation of the Chechen city of Grozny."He said the U.S. has a clear national security interest defeating Syrian president Bashar Assad.
McCain said that other foreign powers will step up militarily against Assad. "Some kind of intervention will happen, with us or without us," he said. "The real question for U.S. policy is whether we will participate in this next phase of the conflict in Syria, and thereby increase our ability to shape an outcome that is beneficial to the Syrian people, and to us."
McCain said President Obama has made it the objective of the United States to end the killing in Syria. "He has committed the prestige and credibility of our nation to that goal, and it is the right goal.
"However, it is not clear that the present policy can succeed. If Assad manages to cling to power - or even if he manages to sustain his slaughter for months to come, with all of the human and geopolitical costs that entails - it would be a strategic and moral defeat for the United States. We cannot, we must not, allow this to happen."
"For this reason, the time has come for a new policy."McCain charged the Obama administration with "hedging its bets" on Assad - assuming that he will fall without having to commit military support to his downfall. "As we continue to isolate Assad diplomatically and economically, we should work with our closest friends and allies to support opposition groups inside Syria, both political and military, to help them organize themselves into a more cohesive and effective force that can put an end to the bloodshed and force Assad and his loyalists to leave power. Rather than closing off the prospects for some kind of a negotiated transition that is acceptable to the Syrian opposition, foreign military intervention is now the necessary factor to reinforce this option. Assad needs to know that he will not win.
"Providing military assistance to the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups is necessary, but at this late hour, that alone will not be sufficient to stop the slaughter and save innocent lives," McCain said. "The only realistic way to do so is with foreign air power . . .
"Therefore, at the request of the Syrian National Council, the Free Syrian Army, and Local Coordinating Committees inside the country, the United States should lead an international effort to protect key population centers in Syria, especially in the north, through airstrikes on Assad's forces. To be clear: This will require the United States to suppress enemy air defenses in at least part of the country."
McCain said the ultimate goal of airstrikes should be to establish and defend safe havens in the country where opposition forces can organize and plan their anti-Assad activities, and where humanitarian and military assistance could be delivered.
When talking about the potential drawbacks of engaging militarily in the conflict, McCain said the risks of sectarian conflict in Syria would exist whether the U.S. gets involved or not, and that it is to America's benefit that we do so, particularly with establishing trust with anti-Assad forces.
"We should not overstate the potential influence we could gain with opposition groups inside Syria, but it will only diminish the longer we wait to offer them meaningful support," he said. "And what we can say for certain is that we will have no influence whatsoever with these people if they feel we abandoned them."
He also responded to fears that the U.S. should contribute to the militarization of the conflict. "If only Russia and Iran shared that sentiment," McCain said. "Instead, they are shamelessly fueling Assad's killing machine. We need to deal with reality as it is, not as we wish it to be - and the reality in Syria today is largely a one-sided fight where the aggressors are not lacking for military means and zeal. Indeed, Assad appears to be fully committed to crushing the opposition at all costs. Iran and Russia appear to be fully committed to helping him do it."
"Who do we want to win in Syria - our friends, or our enemies?"
The senator urged action to end the bloodshed as soon as possible. "Time favors the hardliners in a conflict like this," he said.
© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

Syrians fleeing to Lebanon feared slaughter in Assad backlash
Associated Press in Lebanon
Syrian refugees fleeing to neighbouring Lebanon on Monday said they feared they would be slaughtered in their own homes as government forces hunted down opponents in a brutal offensive against the opposition stronghold of Homs.
Activists accused the regime of trying to hide its crimes from the world as the military cracks down on an anti-government uprising that has raged for nearly a year.
With world pressure at a peak, the Syrian regime agreed to allow in two prominent international emissaries it had previously rebuffed – former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, the new special envoy to Syria, and UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos. Annan will go to Damascus on Saturday and Amos said she will arrive in the capital on Wednesday and leave on Friday.
Amos said the aim of the visit was "to urge all sides to allow unhindered access for humanitarian relief workers so they can evacuate the wounded and deliver essential supplies".
The Obama administration added Syrian state television and radio to a US sanctions list – part of an effort to block Syrian government assets within the US. The treasury department's sanctions chief, Adam Szubin, said the Syrian General Organisation of Radio and TV has "served as an arm of the Syrian regime as it mounts increasingly barbaric attacks on its own population and seeks both to mask and legitimise its violence".
He said any institutions supporting President Bashar al-Assad government's "abhorrent behaviour will be targeted and cut off from the international financial system".
The UN refugee agency said on Monday that as many as 2,000 Syrians had crossed into Lebanon over the last two days. In the Lebanese border village of Qaa, families with women with small children came carrying only plastic bags filled with a few belongings.
"We fled the shelling and the strikes," said Hassana Abu Firas. She came with two families who had fled government shelling of their town al-Qusair, about 14 miles (22km) away, on the other side of the Syrian border.
The town is in Homs province, where the government has been waging a brutal offensive for the past month.
"What are we supposed to do? People are sitting in their homes and they are hitting us with tanks," Firas said. "Those who can flee, do. Those who can't will die sitting down."
Although the government promised to let the Red Cross enter the hardest-hit district of Homs, Baba Amr, last week, regime forces refused to let the humanitarian teams inside, citing security concerns. On Monday the Red Cross said it had received new permission to enter, but the lockout continued.
Activists say hundreds have been killed in the month-long Homs offensive, and the UN recently put the death toll for a year of violence in Syria at 7,500. Activists say the toll has already surpassed 8,000.

Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria's Assad Regime
March 5, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“The continuing, appalling violence perpetrated by the Assad regime on the people of Syria compels us to again tighten the vice on those responsible.
“These additional measures include a complete ban on the provision or acquisition of financial or other related services, as well as sanctions on the Syrian central bank and seven high-ranking Syrian officials implicated in the violence.
“We must put concerted and intense international pressure on the regime to stop the violence and to allow a peaceful, Syrian-led transition. Those responsible for the violence across Syria must be held accountable for their actions.
“This is the sixth round of sanctions imposed upon the Assad regime. Our message remains clear: Assad must go.”
Minister Baird announced on February 24, 2012, at the Friends of Syria meeting in Tunis that Canada would provide a further $1.5 million to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people.
For more information, please visit Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Syria) Regulations.
- 30 –
A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
Backgrounder - Additional Sanctions on Syria
Effective immediately, the additional individuals and entities announced today, and named below, will be subject to an assets freeze and a prohibition on economic dealings. With these new measures, the total number of designations rises to 115 individuals and 39 entities.
Additional individuals
Dr. Wael Nader Al Halqi, Minister of Health
Mansour Fadlallah Azzam, Minister of Presidential Affairs
Dr. Emad Abdul-Ghani Sabouni, Minister of Communications and Technology
Sufian Allaw, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources
Dr. Adnan Slakho, Minister of Industry
Dr. Saleh Al-Rashed, Minister of Education
Dr. Fayssal Abbas, Minister of Transport
Additional entity
Central Bank of Syria
For more information on Canada’s sanctions against Syria, please see Syria.
Context
On May 24, 2011, Canada announced targeted sanctions against the Syrian regime in response to the ongoing violent crackdown by Syrian military and security forces against Syrians peacefully protesting for democracy and human rights. These measures, which remain in place, were a blend of administrative measures and actions taken under the authority of the Special Economic Measures Act and were consistent with initiatives taken by like-minded partners, including the United States and the European Union. They included:
1.Travel restrictions: Canada ensured that persons associated with the Syrian government who are believed to be inadmissible to Canada are prevented from travelling to Canada.
2.Asset freeze: Canada imposed an asset freeze against 25 people associated with the current Syrian regime and seven entities involved in security and military operations against the Syrian people. This included a prohibition on dealing in the property of listed individuals and entities, including the provision of financial services and making property available to individuals and entities.
3.A ban on specific exports and imports: Canada placed a ban under the Export and Import Permits Act on the export from Canada to Syria of goods and technologies that are subject to export controls. These items include arms, munitions, and military, nuclear and strategic items that are intended for use by the Syrian armed forces, police or other governmental agencies.
4.A suspension of all bilateral cooperation agreements and initiatives with Syria.
A news release announcing the May 24 sanctions can be found at PM announces sanctions on Syria.
On August 13, 2011, Canada expanded sanctions by imposing the asset freeze and travel restrictions on four additional individuals and two additional entities associated with the Syrian regime.
For more information on the August 13 announcement, please visit Statement by Minister Baird on Situation in Syria.
On October 4, 2011, Canada imposed the following additional measures:
•An asset freeze and travel restrictions on 27 additional individuals and 12 additional entities associated with the Assad regime
•A prohibition on the importation, purchase or transportation of petroleum or petroleum products from Syria
•A prohibition on new investment in the Syrian oil sector
•A prohibition on the provision or acquisition of financial services for the purpose of facilitating the importation, purchase or transportation of Syrian petroleum or petroleum products
•A prohibition on the provision or acquisition of financial services for the purpose of investing in the Syrian oil sector
For information on the October 4 announcement, please visit Canada Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On December 23, 2011, Canada further expanded its sanctions against the Syrian regime. Those measures prohibit all imports, with the exception of food, from Syria; all new investment in Syria; and the export to Syria of equipment, including software, for the monitoring of telephone and Internet communications. Canada also imposed an assets freeze and prohibited economic dealings with 33 additional individuals and 10 additional entities associated with the Assad regime.
For information on the December 23 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On January 25, 2012, Canada expanded its sanctions by adding the names of 22 individuals and seven entities associated with the Assad regime to its list of designated persons.
For information on the January 25 announcement, please visit Canada Further Expands Sanctions Against Syria.
On March 5, 2012, Canada further expanded its sanctions by adding the names of seven individuals, all senior members of the Assad regime, and the Central Bank of Syria to the list of those subject to a dealings prohibition and asset freeze. The amendments also introduce a complete ban on the provision or acquisition of financial or other related services to, from, or for the benefit of, or on the direction or order of, Syria or any person in Syria.
The measures announced are consistent with Canada’s foreign policy priority to promote freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law around the world. Canada stands with the Syrian people in their calls for a brighter future for Syria.

Canada Suspends Embassy Operations in Syria
March 5, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement:
“The deteriorating security situation in Syria has led us to suspend our services at both our embassy and consulate in Syria, effective immediately. Canadian diplomats have now safely left the country.
“Canada has maintained its diplomatic presence in Syria—despite the risks—to monitor developments on the ground and to deliver tough and frank messages to the Syrian authorities. These messages will continue to be delivered directly through the Syrian embassy here in Ottawa and through our other international forums. “We continue to reiterate: Assad must go. Change will happen. Syrians will have their day—and Canada stands with the Syrian people in their push for a better, brighter future.”From December 15, 2011, to January 14, 2012, Canada implemented a voluntary evacuation of its citizens in Syria and offered fast-track services to help them leave the country quickly. Canadians who have remained in Syria despite repeated calls to leave can now use the Canadian embassy in Beirut for consular assistance. Canadians remaining in Syria place themselves at considerable personal risk. All Canadians in Syria are again urged to leave now, while commercial options are available. In the event that emergency consular assistance is required on the ground, Canada has an agreement in place with the Hungarian embassy in Damascus. Anyone in Syria wishing to submit an application for temporary resident status in Canada should apply through the Canadian visa office in Beirut or Amman. Syrian nationals outside of Syria can submit their applications to any other Canadian visa office. More information on visa services previously offered at the embassy in Damascus is available in a news release issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Updates, when available, will be posted on the CIC website.

Canada Welcomes Visit of United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Minister
March 5, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today met His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and issued the following statement:
“This visit builds on the excellent discussions we had during my visit to the U.A.E. last fall and reinforces the warming relations between our two countries.
“Today, we discussed a wide range of issues, including our shared concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria and regional peace and security.
“We also discussed the launch of negotiations on a nuclear cooperation agreement between our two countries. The economy is the Canadian government’s top priority and such an agreement would create business opportunities for Canada’s nuclear industry and create jobs in both our countries.
“In addition, we discussed how we can expand person-to-person ties between our two countries. These are vital to expanding business and trade ties.
“To that end, I am pleased to announce we are pursuing the creation of a Canada-U.A.E. business council. This is a welcome step forward in boosting exchanges of all types and a sure-fire sign that our bilateral relations are getting even stronger.”

IED's in Syria
Farid Ghadry Blog/Reform Party of Syria
In an earlier Blog entitled "al-Qaeda in Syria", I described how western apathy is stoking the fires of extremism in Syria. The very same reason that are inducing a sectarian war used by western diplomats to justify not arming the Free Syrian Army is exactly what is happening BECAUSE of that policy.
A story published by USA Today cites US military commanders claiming a noticeable increase of the use of IED's in Syria. Between December and January, the increase was recorded at 134%. The exact number is classified."If they can sustain this trend, that indicates some external support," Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, commander of the Pentagon's lead organization to combat improvised explosives told USA Today.Consider what this means: Because the west still refuses to equip the Free Syrian Army (Using Gulf money) to combat the Assad terror, the vacuum is being filled by either al-Qaeda or one of their deformities. It also could be Syria or Iran detonating their own IED's to confuse further Intelligence Director Clapper (He is the one who said the Muslim Brotherhood is a secular organiazation). US diplomats will surely be busy negotiating with so many parties on so many different fronts. Who said the end of turmoil serves all interests? The Pentagon has the experience of monitoring and detonating IED's and the Damascus/Tehran + al-Qaeda axis has the experience of planting them.
If al-Qaeda is behind these IED's, the learning curve on this reversal of roles will be rather steep for the Assad regime, which means the IED's (i.e. the extremists) will win this battle. I doubt if the Pentagon will help stop these IED's for fear it is delivering intelligence to the very same organizations who plant them in Afghanistan (i.e. Quds Forces or the Syrian Air Intelligence).
But if Assad and Iran are behind these IED's, then my hope is Clapper does not fall for the same ruse again.
The longer we wait to help the Free Syrian Army with real weapons and materials, the more damaging the results will be for all concerned.

Jumblatt rejects criticism, brands Assad as pro-Zionist
March 06, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt dismissed Sunday’s pro-President Bashar Assad rally in Downtown Beirut that took aim at the Druze leader, firing back at his detractors by accusing Syria of adopting Zionist policies.Separately, Jumblatt met with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London, where the two held discussions on Syria which the U.K. official described as having been “useful.”“We will not be dragged into responding to some of the shabbiha [pro-regime thugs] who hold up pictures and posters that reflect nothing but their bankruptcy while events have demonstrated their backing of Israeli policies, in contrast to slogans of rejectionism they have chanted for decades,” Jumblatt said in his weekly interview with Al-Anbaa newspaper to be published Tuesday.
“We will respond in our own way by turning to modern history and the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the continuous attempts by the Baath regime to [hijack] Palestinian decision-making,” he added.
Hundreds of demonstrators, some in support of Assad and others in opposition to him, faced off in Downtown Beirut Sunday. At the pro-regime rally, Jumblatt was compared to late Israeli military leader and politician Moshe Dayan in a picture. Fayez Shukr, the head of the Baath in Lebanon, also verbally compared him to Dayan during the rally.
“Have some forgotten that [late President] Hafez Assad did not recognize the existence of Palestine to the south of Syria and that he was the one who introduced this idea into Syrian history textbooks, which were used in schools for years and years, and that this dovetails with Zionism’s refusal to recognize Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people?” Jumblatt asked.
“And can we forget that Hafez Assad, while he was defense minister before he turned against his colleagues to seize power, arrested the national Palestinian figure Yasser Arafat in 1966?” he added.
The PSP leader said more examples would be given on a weekly basis showing the fallacies of the Syrian regime’s claims that it maintains a rejectionist policy, and would reveal “the truth of their political assassinations and their taking advantage of [political] positions to achieve Israeli aims.”
Jumblatt contrasted the pro-Assad rallies with those in support of Syrians calling for reforms.
“Through the continuation of the Syrian revolution with commitment and persistence by the Syrian people struggling for their freedom and dignity, it can be seen that the civilized demonstrations that we participated in were calm and responsible, and in support of the Syrian people in the face of the daily killings.”
Jumblatt reiterated his earlier description of events on the ground in Syria, saying “genocide” was occurring in some parts of the country.
“It is within the rights of Lebanese to express their solidarity with the Syrian towns and villages that are being bombarded every day ... and where the people are facing a genocide,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Britain’s foreign secretary was pleased with the outcome of a meeting with the PSP leader about the events on the ground in Syria.“I had a useful meeting today with Walid Jumblatt, Lebanese Druze leader, to discuss the situation in Syria,” Hague posted on his Twitter account.A PSP statement said Jumblatt had met Hague in the presence of Lord David Howell, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, and that “they discussed developments in the Arab and Middle East region.”

US hits Syrian state media with sanctions
March 5, 2012 /Washington slapped economic sanctions Monday on Syrian state broadcast media, saying they aide the Damascus regime in its campaign to put down a popular uprising."The Syrian regime's use of state entities to repress and attack civilians has imposed a devastating toll on the people of Syria," the US Treasury said in a statement. "The United States has consistently stood against this abuse and has taken strong steps to target the regimes ability to act against the Syrian people." The sanctions target the Syrian General Organization of Radio and TV, which "has served as an arm of the Syrian regime as it mounts increasingly barbaric attacks on its own population and seeks both to mask and legitimize its violence," said Adam Szubin of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. The announcement amplifies general sanctions Washington has already placed on the entire Syrian government and its agencies, freezing any US assets they might have and forbidding US entities and citizens from any transactions with them.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

US welcomes report Iran to retry American “spy”
March 5, 2012 /The United States said Monday it would be a "welcome development" if Iran's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for spying handed down to former US Marine Amir Mirzai Hekmati."We have seen some credible reporting that the Iranian Supreme Court has now ordered a retrial in Mr. Hekmati's case," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters.
"We were very concerned" about the death sentence, Nuland said. Iranian prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei told a press conference that the sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court and the case sent back to the court for retrial, Iran's ISNA news agency reported. "If it is true that there will now be a retrial, this is a welcome development and we hope that he will be reunited with his family soon," Nuland said. Hekmati, an ex-Marine born in the United States to an Iranian immigrant family, was sentenced to death on January 9 by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
Hekmati, who also holds Iranian nationality, was "sentenced to death for cooperating with a hostile nation, membership of the CIA and trying to implicate Iran in terrorism," according to Iranian media.Nuland said Swiss diplomats in Tehran, who serve US interests in the absence of US-Iranian diplomatic relations, had been unable to make contact with him because the Iranians only recognize him as Iranian and not American. Asked if she expected Iran to notify the Swiss about any retrial, Nuland replied: "If the Iranians want to send a message to us about Mr. Hekmati, they know that the best channel for that from our perspective is the Swiss protecting power "That said we have never had them recognize the authority of the Swiss protecting power in this case because they don't recognize his American citizenship," she said.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Hezbollah criticizes Obama’s statements on Israel
March 5, 2012 /Hezbollah on Monday commented on US President Barack Obama’s speech before the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, saying that “it revealed Obama’s true identity.”“Obama has always fulfilled his commitments to Israel, and there must be no doubt that he supports it,” the statement issued by Hezbollah’s office said. “Through his rude statements, Obama put himself and his administration in the position of Israel’s accomplice in the crimes committed in our region and the world.”Obama said earlier in the day, "our commitment to the security of Israel is rock solid," adding that "the United States will always have Israel's back." -NOW Lebanon

Geagea returns from Qatar
March 5, 2012
Lebanese forces leader Samir Geagea returned on Monday night from Qatar to Beirut, the National News Agency reported. Geagea was also accompanied by his wife, Bcharre MP Strida Geagea.
-NOW Lebanon

Energizing the Future Movement?!
By: Hazem Saghiyeh, Now Lebanon
March 5, 2012
The rise of Islamism in the region being one of the high prices to be paid in return for freedom and progress, Lebanon requires special interest in this respect due to its sensitive sectarian structure and to its being one of the cradles of Arab “renaissance” as a result of early contact with the West. Nevertheless, a preliminary observation is necessary in order to clarify one aspect of the issue: The majority of those brandishing the threat of the “Islamic rise” exempt Hezbollah of it, knowing that the party as such does not exempt itself as it is proud of its religious nature, its sectarian characteristic and the fact that it is led by clerics. This goes without mentioning that it once voiced the clearest and most obvious demand for establishing an “Islamic republic” in Lebanon. Even if it has withdrawn this demand from public realms, Hezbollah does remain its legitimate founder. In any case, the Sunni Islamic rise is not yet in possession of its full organizational tools, nor has it expressed a stand-alone comprehensive platform, but it may soon turn into a key player in Lebanese politics and society.
This implies that political Islam is the sole genuinely active speaker and player in the Sunni environment, as expressed by the activity of Sheikh Ahmad al-Asir in Saida and some Tripoli sheikhs.
Much more than this, political Islam is exploiting the repression of the freedom of expressing support to the Syrian uprising and the protests against the Lebanese authorities’ bias towards the Damascus regime, both domestically and abroad. This is added to the observation of Arab transformations, especially the transformation of Islamists into the strongest political parties by all measures in Egypt and Tunisia, and perhaps even in Libya and other Arab countries.
Truth be told, the strength of the Future Movement in Lebanon explains the limited influence of Salafists and al-Qaeda militants so far compared to other countries. This is tantamount to acknowledging the useful role of the Future Movement’s moderate urban wing, one which assimilated the expressions of Sunni fanaticism and prevented their exploitation by Salafists and al-Qaeda militants. However, it does not fail to acknowledge the negative roles played by other Future Movement factions, which can hardly be distinguished from more extremist religious environments.
This would have been acceptable before, as the Hariri family leadership used to make decisions on the share “granted” to the Jamaa Islamiya in terms of political representation. Yet it is no longer tolerated nowadays in the light of Arab transformations, which level the balance of power between the Future Movement and Islamists in general.
What is worse still, given the blatant and passive absence of Saad Hariri and the Future Movement, is for one option – or even two – to prevail on a narrow scale: The Sadate option, which allows Islamists to grow and expand, and the Syrian Baath option, which concentrates on the city and overlooks the countryside, knowing that the sources of this choice lie in the very foundation of the Hariri doctrine.
Still, according to an option worse than these two, Future Movement supporters may not find a voice [to herald their opinion] as a counterpart to this free fundamentalist speech. This holds true, knowing that if efforts are made to develop and promote them, Lebanese nationalism and parliamentary democracy are capable of constituting [able] material for this lost voice. This opinion is consolidated by the spread of the Sunni community all over Lebanon and the fact that it is traditionally most aware of the surrounding Arab world.
Accordingly, can the Future Movement be energized or will things be left up to God’s unbending will?
**This article is a translation of the original, which appeared on the NOW Arabic site on Monday March 5, 2012

Who can support this regime?
March 5, 2012
Now Lebanon
The doctor in the besieged Syrian city of Homs stands at the grave of Marie Colvin, the Sunday Times correspondent who was killed on February 22, and asks the camera, “How can the United States, with all its might, fail to stop the shelling of my city and unseat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?” He can only conclude that the US must in fact be “in alliance with Bashar al-Assad.” For how else can the young man who has dealt with so much death rationalize the daily mayhem and murder that has made Homs, and the neighborhood of Baba Amr in particular, the Sarajevo of our time?
Similar disbelief was expressed by Colvin’s colleague, the photographer Paul Conroy, as he lay recovering in a UK hospital after his daring escape from Syria into Lebanon, during which 13 of those guiding him to safety were allegedly killed. “There are actually no military targets within Baba Amr,” said Conroy, who has witnessed some of the most appalling conflicts in recent memory. “All of the intense shelling is in fact directed at the civilian population. It would be wrong to call this a war. This is a medieval siege and slaughter.”
The “siege and slaughter” of a “civilian population.” It is as unambiguous an assessment you could ask for, and yet many Lebanese and Syrians – people who would no doubt call themselves decent and humane – still argue the case for the Assad regime. They make the case that it is better to side with the devil they know rather than live under the Islamist regime that they are certain will surely follow should the Assads fall.
But there is no evidence that, should the insurrection prevail, Syria will suddenly become a medieval caliphate, a Wahhabi state run by sinister men with square beards. The Arab mindset has a history of being programmed by certainties that are far from being certain: “If Hezbollah disarms, Israeli armor will be in Beirut within hours” is the mantra we preach to avoid taking a hard decision. And yet there is no evidence that this will happen. (Indeed, it is Hezbollah’s belligerent posture and apocalyptic rhetoric that makes war a very real scenario.)
But let’s humor the Basharniks for a second. So where are the Islamists in the battle for modern Syria? From what we can tell, the vast majority of the opposition to the regime is made up of ordinary civilians, not just men, but women and children. Those who have weapons are, by and large, army defectors, or those men who have taken up arms in outrage against the regime’s brutality.
What many forget is that Syria has a young population, one of the youngest in the Arab world, and it is part of the wider awakening that cannot understand why generations of their compatriots put up with an authoritarianism that appeared to gain its legitimacy by the mere presence of the state of Israel and the apparent threat that it posed. This new generation has looked beyond the narrow confines of the so-called Arab-Israeli conflict, and they have courageously decided that they don’t want it.
But we digress. Because to even suggest that any Islamist involvement the Syrian revolt can justify the level of slaughter is as disgusting as those who are perpetrating the cull. Those Syrians who have reconciled their support for the regime with their conscience are as guilty as the regime itself. For let us assume that what will follow the downfall of the Assads is not to the palate of the merchant classes and others who have thrived under the Assad family’s patronage. Does this justify the slaughter of innocent civilians? The bloodletting has nothing to do with protecting the Syrian economy, nor with the interests of the private sector. It cannot be condoned because of a fear of the unknown. This is not about regional stability. This is about maintaining power at any cost. It is about giving a master class in dealing with national impertinence. And yet there are those who still back the regime, who want things to return to normal so they can live in what they see as stability.
But events have become so monstrous, there is nowhere left to hide, and surely, if only because it falls within the compass that is human compassion, those Syrians who have remained on the fence will now break off from the mother lode of Baathist kryptonite that has sustained the regime for so long. The crumbling must begin.