LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 03 31/12

Bible Quotation for today/Responsible Use of Wealth
Sirach 14 /01-19: "14 If a person never says anything carelessly, he is to be congratulated; he doesn't need to feel guilty. If a person has a clear conscience and never gives up hope, he is certainly to be congratulated! It isn't right for someone who is selfish to be rich. What use is money to a stingy person? If you deny yourself in order to accumulate wealth, you are only accumulating it for someone else. Others will use your riches to live in luxury. 5 How can you be generous with others if you are stingy with yourself, if you are not willing to enjoy your own wealth? No one is worse off than someone who is stingy with himself; it is a sin that brings its own punishment. When such a person does something good, it is only by accident; his selfishness will sooner or later be evident. A selfish person is evil; he turns his back on people's needs 9 and is never satisfied with what he has. Greed will shrivel up a person's soul. Some people are too stingy to put bread on their own table. My child, treat yourself as well as you can, and bring worthy offerings to the Lord. Remember that death is coming for you some day, and you haven't been told when that will be. Before that day comes, be kind to your friends; be as generous as you can. Don't deny yourself a single day's happiness. If there is something you want to do and it is lawful, go ahead! Some day all that you have worked for will be divided up and given to others. So be generous; but also be willing to receive from others. Enjoy yourself, for you will not find any pleasures in the world of the dead. The human body wears out like a piece of clothing. The ancient law decrees that we must die. Human beings are like leaves on a spreading tree. New growth takes the place of the fallen leaves; while some of us die, others are being born. Everything made by human hands will decay and perish, along with the person who made it.

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
What about the US arming Iran/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 02 /12
Is there really such a thing as a sane terrorist/By Osman Mirghani/Asharq Alawsat/September 02 /12
Bashar’s cult of personality/Tony Badran/Now Lebanon/September 02 /12

Israeli Security Officials: Obama will make Bibi pay after elections
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4275749,00.html
Attila Somfalvi Published: 09.02.12/ynetnews
Israeli security officials say Pentagon's decision to reduce number of US troops it will send to joint drill with Israel not related to growing tensions with Israel; others claim Washington saying 'you will not drag us into Iran war' Israeli security officials on Saturday tried to downplay the Pentagon's decision to significantly scale back its participation in a joint military exercise with Israel next month, but some government officials said the decision came as a response to the growing tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the Obama administration.
"This is the Obama administration's response to the dinner party Netanyahu held in (Mitt) Romney's honor," a senior member of the political-security cabinet told Ynet, while another official said the Pentagon's decision "isn’t boosting deterrence and is not making the Iranians sweat. Regardless of the exercise, the relations between Israel and the US have soured," another minister said, while another added cynically that "our relationship has never been better.
"The US elections are in two months, and there is no doubt that President Barack Obama, if he is reelected, will make Netanyahu pay for his behavior," said the security cabinet member. "It will not pass quietly." Other officials in Jerusalem said Washington is trying to send a message that Israel will not drag it into war, certainly not before the elections. The Americans were enraged by Israel's repeated threats to launch a solo military attack on Iran's nuclear sites, and top US General Martin Dempsey's recent statement that he does not "want to be complicit" if Israel chooses to attack was carefully worded.
Officials said that while Jerusalem has received the message, the Americans' conduct is leading Iran to believe that it is safe at least until the US elections.
"This is why the Iranians are issuing threatening statements against the US," one official argued. "Washington's hesitant policy is making the Iranians feel freer to move ahead with the nuclear program. This is not how you create deterrence to avoid a military operation."
The joint military drill is scheduled to begin in September and conclude in mid-November. "Israel has no idea why the Americans decided to reduce the number of troops it will send to the drill," a security official said. "The ties between the US and Israeli armies are strong, and we would have known if the reduction had something to do with any tensions between Jerusalem and Washington."
Another security official also rejected the notion that the Pentagon's decision to scale back its participation in the military exercise was meant as a message to Israel: "There are various reasons for decision, but they have nothing to do with the mounting tensions between Jerusalem and Washington. The drill will still be the largest these armies have ever conducted."
According to Time Magazine, the US slashed the number of American troops who were slated to take part in the drill by more than 60%. Instead of the approximately 5,000 troops originally assigned to "Austere Challenge 12," as the exercise is dubbed, the Pentagon will send only 1,500 servicemen and perhaps as few as 1,200.
The number and the potency of missile interception systems that were to be used in the maneuvers were also reduced. Patriot anti-missile systems will arrive in Israel as planned, the crews that can operate them will not. Instead of two Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense warships, only one will be deployed – and even that is uncertain, Time said, citing officials in both the US and Israeli militaries.

Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi calls for committee to probe Lebanon’s missing in Syria
September 02, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi called Sunday for the swift formation of an independent committee to investigate the cases of Lebanese who went missing in Syria. Qortbawi, who spoke to Radio Liban, said Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s call for the establishment of a cell made up of ministers to follow up on the case of the missing Lebanese did not negate the need for the “presence of an independent, national committee to take practical steps and even though it may be just one drop of the ocean because the groups and relatives are tired of talk.”
Ghazi Aad – founder and head of Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile – told The Daily Star this week that his foundation has the names of 600 Lebanese who are still missing in Syria. He believes, however, that there could be many more.

U.S. general, Kahwaji discuss military cooperation
September 02, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: An American general with the United States’ Central Command (USCENTCOM) praised over the weekend strong and sustained military cooperation between Lebanon and the U.S. during a meeting with Gen. Jean Kahwaji. “The generals discussed Lebanon and regional issues, with [USCENTCOM commander] General Mattis noting appreciation for the strong and sustained military cooperation between the two countries and emphasizing U.S. support for Lebanon’s initiatives to implement its obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701,” A U.S. Embassy statement said Sunday. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1710 helped broker an end of hostilities in south Lebanon following a 33-day conflict between Lebanon and Israel.
The two, according to the statement, discussed Lebanon and regional issues.Mattis also stressed USCENTCOM’s continuing effort to strengthen the capacity of the Lebanese Army, “recognizing its importance, as Lebanon’s sole legitimate defense force, in securing Lebanon’s borders and defending the sovereignty and independence of the state.” The U.S. general also renewed the United States’ commitment to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Army’s website, Kahwaji met Mattis as head of U.S. delegation and the two discussed bilateral ties between the two countries and means of developing the U.S. assistance program to the Lebanese Army, “as well as other subjects of joint interest.”

What about the US arming Iran?
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=30904
It is difficult to understand the US policy in our region. The Obama administration refuses to arm the Syrian rebels, despite all the crimes being committed by al-Assad, for fear of these weapons falling into the “wrong hands”, yet Washington does not seem to be concerned about arming the Iraqi regime, an ally of Iran, nor does it fear the possibility of these weapons or related military intelligence reaching Tehran!
Washington rejects arming the Syrian rebels on the grounds that it fears such weapons falling into the hands of jihadists or potential terrorists, under the pretext that this would put the security of the entire region at risk, at least according to what the Americans say. However, at the same time, Washington has announced a huge project to arm the current Iraqi regime, which the US is well aware is under the full control of Iran. So why doesn’t America fear these weapons, or related intelligence, falling into the hands of Iran, a state that threatens US interests as a whole in the region, especially with regards to the nuclear weapons issue? The current US administration is aware, or at least we assume so, that Baghdad today is an important arena for the Iranians. Tehran exploits Iraq as one of the most important ports and facades to circumvent the international economic sanctions that have been imposed against it, and there are many US reports to indicate this. Iran also exploits Iraq to support the al-Assad regime in Syria, with money and arms, and even by sending officers and more. So how can America arm the current Iraqi regime, with the most powerful types of advanced weaponry, when it is well known that these weapons can be obtained by the Iranians whenever they want them? Meanwhile, the US is refusing to provide limited amounts of quality weaponry to the Syrian rebels, who are confronting a repressive and brutal regime that has not hesitated to use its air force and heavy weaponry against them. The duplicity is even more pertinent given that the Syrian rebels remained committed to a peaceful revolution for a considerable amount of time, only taking up arms when forced to by the sheer volume of the al-Assad regime’s violence, fueled by Russian and Iranian support!
The perplexities inherent in the US stance do not stop here; Washington is also protesting the French proposal to recognize a provisional government in Syria, under the pretext that such a proposal is hasty and we must wait until the Syrian opposition unites in order to ensure that all Syrian components are represented and that no groups, such as the Alawites or the Syrian Baathists, are excluded. This is a realistic and credible demand, and it would help to guarantee the future of the Syrian state and society, but observers will wonder why Washington is stipulating this demand in Syria, whilst it continues to support the current regime in Iraq? Nouri al-Maliki has persisted with the de-Baathification of Iraq - to the point that this policy extends even to the deceased - and also continues to pursue Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, while at the same time the Iraqi Prime Minister is defending the Baathist regime in Syria! Why does America demand that no party or group should be excluded in Syria, whilst it remains silent about the case of al-Maliki in Iraq? Why is the US refusing to arm the Syrian rebels for fear of these weapons falling into the wrong hands, whilst it is not concerned about American weapons sold to Iraq reaching the Iranian regime?
There are many worthy questions, but will Washington answer us with regards to these contradictions, or does the US administration not care about the extent of its double standards in the region, and what is happening in Syria specifically?

Is there really such a thing as a sane terrorist?
By Osman Mirghani/Asharq Alawsat
Is there really a distinction between rational terrorism and insane terrorism? How can it be that the prosecution of a Muslim terrorist rapidly transforms into a trial of his religion, as well as his ethnic and cultural roots, but if he is a Christian, Jew or follower of any other doctrine, then he is seen as an anomaly who committed an awful crime, and there is a rush to undertake a profound analysis of his motives and mental state?
These questions came to mind as I watched the trial of Anders Breivik, a Norwegian man who killed 77 mostly young people in cold blood. He conducted a two-fold operation whereby he first detonated a car bomb outside a government complex in central Oslo, using a huge cargo of explosives, with the aim of diverting the authorities’ attention away from his main target, a youth summer camp held by the Norwegian Labor Party, where he committed a horrific massacre, shooting dead the majority of his victims. Breivik’s trial came to an end on Friday, 13 months after his crime that horrified Norway, provoked a major debate and attracted widespread interest across the world, especially in Europe which is currently witnessing vibrant discussions on Islam, extremism, terrorism and racism. Islam here has served as the scapegoat once again, whether through the usual premature speculations that arise whenever a terrorist act is committed, with fingers instantly pointed at so-called "Islamic terrorism", or through Breivik’s self-confessed motives that he put forward during his prosecution. Breivik launched a fierce tirade against Islam and Muslims, considering them to be the real danger to Europe and a threat against Western civilization. He claimed to have been influenced by the ideology of the radical or racist Christian right that extends from America and through Europe, as well as by the abundance of anti-Islam literature that criticizes Muslim immigrants in Europe. Breivik considered Muslim immigrants to be people seeking to adopt "a parallel culture", refusing to integrate into their new societies and trying to impose their own ideas and customs.
Breivik was given a 21-year prison sentence, the maximum punishment in Norway. Yet the door has been left open for the authorities to demand an extension to his jail term if he is still deemed a threat to society when he is due to be released. This sentence, which seems light considering the horrific nature of the crime and the number of victims, would not even have been possible had the controversy surrounding Breivik's mental competence – to determine whether he was sane or mentally ill – not been resolved. If the court had considered him insane, he would have been sent to a mental hospital instead of prison to serve out his sentence. The final decision entailed considering whether Breivik was a terrorist and a killer whose crime was premeditated, or a criminal who was not liable for his actions because he suffers from insanity or schizophrenia.
Controversy erupted after two psychiatrists, who the court had assigned in November 2012 to determine Breivik’s condition, came to the conclusion that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and lives in his own world of illusions, which paved the way for his crime. As anticipated, the decision was met with a wave of objections and outrage in many circles in Norway, because it would mean that the terrorist killer would be “acquitted” on account of his mental state that did not render him fully liable for his actions or able to make responsible decisions. It was noteworthy that the decision infuriated Breivik himself who objected to it, claiming that it labeled him as a madman whilst he saw himself as a rational individual who did what he did to awaken Norway and Europe, and draw attention to "the creeping Islamic danger."
In light of this fierce controversy that dominated discussions, rather than looking into the dangerous thoughts and atmosphere that produced Breivik and which could also produce others on account of the rising right-wing extremist and racist trend, and the climates of hostility towards immigrants and Islam, the court ordered another report on his mental condition. This time the result was different, and the report came to the conclusion that Breivik was not insane, neither at the time he committed the crime nor at present, hence paving the way for his trial and subsequent sentence. The decision was a source of comfort not only to those who had sought to prosecute and punish the man who committed the most awful crime in the history of Norway, but it was also a source of relief for Breivik himself, who had refused to be labeled a madman or as someone not capable of making sound decisions. He wanted his trial to be a purely political spectacle with emphasis laid only on his motives and ideas on how to rescue Norway, Europe and Western civilization on the whole from the "creeping Islamic danger", and also from the “cancer” of Muslim immigrants that he said is tearing apart European values.
The problem amidst all this debate lies in the fact that the prosecution required a great deal of time, and sometimes discussions neglected to focus on the motives or the danger of these thoughts that have been produced by a climate of extremism. Rather, discussions centered upon whether or not the terrorist was liable or responsible for his actions; portraying him as a madman whose crime was the product of his own fantasy world, rather than a product of rising hostility towards immigrants and Islam. An observer, especially from the Islamic world, can clearly see that any terrorist act committed by a Muslim anywhere in the world is immediately followed by a prosecution of Islam, with calls for Muslims to uproot and address all inherent causes of terrorism and climates of extremism. However, if the terrorist is an extremist Christian, as was the case in Norway or in the Oklahoma City bombing in the 1990s, then he is looked upon as an abnormal individual who does not represent a wider phenomenon. Here there is no need for an ideological remedy or a sweeping prosecution of the beliefs of his religion, even if it seems as though the terrorist was influenced by the thoughts of the extreme right or by radical Christian slogans. Here I am not calling for the trials of non-Muslim terrorists to transform into trials of their religions as well. Rather my aim is to warn against transforming each terrorist act committed by a Muslim into a wider condemnation of Islam and Muslims. This anti-Islamic atmosphere has helped to foster Breivik and others like him, and sometimes politicians, writers and media figures escalate these sentiments, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and this is madness in itself. However, this is a separate issue to be discussed at a later date.

Samir Geagea 's Speech of Saturday 01 September
September 1, 2012
Now Lebanon
If the weapons of resistance are the values of men, then the bullets of [backstabbers] are the values of cowards. We are not afraid of your weapons.
My comrades, we meet this year after four decades of lies and misguiding… until [the Baath Party’s] reality was revealed in Syria. They destroyed villages and killed men and children, the same way they did in Lebanon. This is the regime of darkness and death, its spearhead is in Syria and [its branches] are in Lebanon.
Their mask, all the masks, have fallen and the truth has been revealed.
Those who are promoting for the alliance between minorities are the same who targeted minorities and Christians in Lebanon. The slogan of our opponents is “the Syrian regime [comes] first.”
The incidents in Tripoli serves only aim to further the aim to create security islands to serve the Syrian regime. We, as Lebanese, have to work hard to purify the atmosphere from wrong philosophies and ideas invented by the alliance of Resistance.
The Syrian regime has caused a lot of harm to Lebanon but we should not confuse it with the Syrian people.
It is important to work on removing the effects of the [Bashar al-] Assad [regime’s] assaults against Lebanon. We should consider the Higher Lebanon-Syrian Council and all the bilateral agreements as void because they were concluded during the presence of the Syrian troops in Lebanon.
It is important that we show the Syrian people that we share their pain with them; their suffering in Homs, Hama and all cities. It saddens us to see the [ancient] archeological [sites in] Syrian cities being targeted by shells and gunfire.
Our cabinet [must] commit to the [UN] Human Rights Charter and help the Syrian refugees.
Since the first moment in the Arab Spring many people questioned what the fate of Christians will be, as if the Christian presence started with the emergence of the dictatorships in the Middle East. Those who belong to other religions are our brothers in humanity and we should not regard them on the basis of their religion. Our positions should not be based on theories that are not concrete, but on concrete facts.
Christ never was hesitant, he never supported the despot. He stood by the oppressed. We should not [forget] this.
The situation we are passing through saddens me. Our borders are being violated amid the silence of the cabinet. Explosives entered [the country] via [former Information Minister] Michel Samaha and the cabinet did not bother inspect how he managed to cross the border with them. Electricity, telecommunications, public services are in their worst state. The economic situation is in a very bad state, and the citizens have completely lost hope in their state.
What we are living through today is caused by the dominance of this majority on the country. The majority, and those standing behind it, are the reason for the situation in Lebanon. Since 2005, they have worked to suffocate the Beirut Spring and turned it into an autumn when they took over the state.
We have a few months separating us from the elections. Let us head to the ballots with [decisive stances]. Let us vote for those who will govern [differently than the current cabinet] and [save] Lebanon. This is our golden opportunity, the country is calling us, [we should respond].
It is true that some events are relatively insignificant, but they are very meaningful, such as the liberation of Yaacoub Chamoun [from Syrian jails]. This shows that the Syrian regime, which has long pretended that there were no Lebanese political detainees in its jails, is lying.
What would Hezbollah say if the relatives of the Lebanese detainees in the Syrian [regime] jails created military wings to bring back their detained relatives to Lebanon.
I address a question to the Christian parties in Lebanon allied with Syria, what can they say now [after] it turned out that the Syrian regime lied about the detainees.
On this month, a dear guest will visit Lebanon, Pope Benedict XVI. On this occasion, I call on all the Lebanese, Christians and Muslims to receive His Holiness in an unprecedented gathering of charity and peace. Our dear martyrs, we will always follow your path and the path of our fathers. The glorious and immortal are our righteous martyrs.
Long live the Lebanese Forces. Long live Lebanon.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea: Syria's March 8 In Lebanon are endangering Lebanon’s security for Assad
September 01, 2012/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused over the weekend the March 8 alliance of being behind the deteriorating security situation in the country in a bid to ease pressure on its ally President Bashar Assad. “What we witnessed in Tripoli was but one episode in the resistance and rejectionist [axis] series. The kidnappings that took and are taking place too … are part of this series,” Geagea said, referring to recent clashes between supporters and opponents of Assad in the northern Lebanese city which left at least 17 dead as well as last month’s spree of retaliatory abductions of Syrian and Turkish nationals. “All [of this serves] one goal: to create as many spots of tension as possible along with incidents to decrease pressure on the Syrian regime,” Geagea added, in a speech Saturday for the annual commemoration of the “Martyrs of the Lebanese resistance” in Meerab, north Lebanon.
Hezbollah, Syria and Iran avow belonging to what they describe as the “rejectionist axis.”
Geagea said what had been presented on the surface as a resistance and rejectionist axis against Israel was turning daily into one against “human rights, freedoms, the opening and advancement of society and everything to do with security, stability and the formation of a true state in Lebanon.”
“The slogan of the other side should be ‘The Syrian regime first,’” he added.
Geagea, a staunch critic of Assad, accused Damascus of committing crimes against its people in the same manner it had done in Lebanon.
“Four decades of lies, slander, deception to the point where we almost believed we were the infidels, agents, executioners and they were the patriots, the pious, the students of peace and security until they were exposed. Their true selves were exposed in Syria in terms of their killing of innocent men, elderly, women and children and their destruction of cities and villages as they did in Lebanon,” he said.
“They were caught red-handed in Lebanon, sending explosives and bombs of death with demonic and deadly designs,” he added.
Former Information Minister Michel Samaha was charged in early August by Lebanon’s chief military prosecutor with planning attacks in Lebanon and transporting explosives into the country.
“Various means of killing and terrorism but the source is one: it is the regime of prisons and graves, the axis of pure evil – its head in Damascus: its lackeys in Lebanon,” Geagea said.
Geagea said the March 8 coalition’s backing of the Syrian regime could no longer hold.
“Where does the eternal theory of the Syrian regime's followers in Lebanon stand now? The theory that they forced upon us that says the Syrian regime is a necessity for Lebanon to preserve its civil peace and unity? Where does this theory stand after all that has been revealed? The mask has fallen and our martyrs have won,” he said.
He reiterated the March 14 coalition's demand to scrap all bilateral agreements between Lebanon and Syria and dismantle the Lebanese Syrian Higher Council as first steps to "cleanse the remains of the Assad aggression on Lebanese-Syrian relations."
He also voiced confidence in the future of Christians in the Middle East, fending off theories that the dictatorships in the region have protected minorities from extremists.
Geagea said Christians should instead be "revolutionaries" and pioneers of democracy and human rights, as well as callers for justice, equality and openness toward progress and development.
The LF leader also took aim at the Lebanese government, listing a series of security incidents that have shaken confidence in the country as well as the state’s poor performance concerning the economy.
Geagea also listed Hezbollah’s role as detrimental to the government’s work.
“There are enormous strategic dangers that stem from the presence of a statelet within the state. The state has no authority over it because the owners of this statelet and their allies are paralyzing it,” he said.
Turning to the upcoming elections, Geagea appealed to the Lebanese to vote in change in the 2013 parliamentary polls.
“The future is ours and it is in our hands. If we want a future that resembles that of the present, so be it. If we want a future similar to our great dream of Lebanon and of a free, dignified people, that is how it will be,” Geagea said. “Only a couple of months separate us from the Parliamentary elections … We should all bear our responsibility in the ballot boxes,” he added.

Lebanese Army commander inspects troops in Tripoli
September 01, 2012/) The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Head of the Army Gen. Jean Kahwagi toured the northern city of Tripoli Saturday and inspected military units that deployed there earlier this month to end fierce clashes that left at least 17 dead.
Kahwagi stressed the need to preserve security and adopt strict measures in prosecuting violators. The Army commander inspected Army units in the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, where gunmen have fought deadly battles this year. He also visited wounded soldiers in Tripoli hospitals, lauding their bravery and wishing them a speedy recovery.
During his visit, Kahwagi praised the soldiers' efforts to restore order in the city, saying that achieving stability in Tripoli is the Army’s priority at this stage, given the matter’s importance for the country in its entirety. Earlier this month, weeklong clashes in Lebanon's second largest city erupted between gunmen in two rival districts: Sunni dominated Bab al-Tabbaneh, where residents largely back the Syrian uprising, and Alawite majority Jabal Mohsen, where support for Syrian President Bashar Assad runs high. In response to the clashes, the city's political and security figures met, agreed to a cease-fire and called for the redeployment of the Army, which in turn implemented a security plan to restore order in Tripoli. On Sunday, troops detained 18 gunmen (11 of whom were later released) and seized quantities of arms, ammunition and military hardware in Al-Zahiriyeh neighborhood, which is adjacent to Bab al-Tabbaneh.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati Meets al-Rahi: We Enjoy Excellent Ties with Berri, Aoun is Our Partner in Govt.
Naharnet/01 September 2012/Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Saturday that any dispute with Speaker Nabih Berri would be short-lived, warning opponents against banking on any disputes emerging between them. He said: “I enjoy excellent ties with Berri and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is our partner in government.” He made his remarks after holding talks in al-Diman with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during his annual visit to the patriarch’s summer residence. The premier was accompanied on his visit by 14 ministers who included ministers Ahmed Karami, Salim Jreissati, Shakib Qortbawi, Walid al-Daouq, Jebran Bassil, Vrej Sabounjian, Gaby Layyoun, and Fayez Ghosn. Miqati kicked off his visit by holding a closed-door meeting with al-Rahi, before holding expanded talks with the ministers. He told reporters after the second meeting that the talks focused on local and regional developments. “We were in agreement over the need to maintain the Lebanese people’s unity,” he stressed. “We take any reservations on the government’s actions into consideration,” he added. Media reports said that Miqati had thanked al-Rahi for his “understanding” of the government’s performance during this “critical time.”On his ties with Aoun, he said: “Relations with the MP are good and mistrust has not emerged between us.”The prime minister and patriarch also addressed Pope Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to Lebanon. “All the Lebanese without exception welcome this visit,” declared Miqati before reporters. Al-Rahi is later expected to throw a luncheon banquet in the premier’s honor. The pope is scheduled to visit Lebanon from September 14 to 16.

President Michel Suleiman Inks Electoral Draft Law, Refers it to Parliament
Naharnet/01 September 2012/President Michel Suleiman signed on Saturday the new electoral draft law and referred it to the parliament, the National News Agency. The new electoral draft-law, which was approved by the cabinet in August, is based on proportional representation and divides Lebanon to 13 districts in the 2013 parliamentary elections although it is not likely to be approved once referred to the parliament as it was criticized by al-Mustaqbal movement and the Progressive Socialist Party. Suleiman held talks earlier with Prime Minister Najib Miqati in Beiteddine palace.
The two discussed the latest developments and the Non-Aligned Movement summit, which was held in Tehran. The President and the PM also discussed the measures that the army and the Foreign Ministry should take in order to deal with the continuous Syrian violations along Lebanese border. Since the start of anti-regime protests in Syria in March 2011, Syrian troops have repeatedly infiltrated Lebanon’s eastern and northern regions in pursuit of armed terrorist gangs. Several Lebanese people and Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been killed or wounded in the incidents. Suleiman also contacted Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji. The two discussed the recent shelling of the northern region of Akkar that wounded a soldier. Qahwaji informed the president that the Syrian officials pledged to hold those responsible for the incident accountable, vowing that it will not happen again. Suleiman congratulated the army commander on the measures undertaken by the army along the Lebanese border and across the country to preserve stability and civil peace, in particular in the northern city of Tripoli that witnessed gunbattles between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen last week.

Barefoot but free, Syrian prisoners released
September 1, 2012 /AFP
As they emerged from police headquarters in the Syrian capital on Saturday, several of the prisoners being set free had nothing on but their underwear, many were barefoot, and others had their heads shaven. The backs of some still bore the tell-tale marks of beatings, while others had swollen limbs. Many had been missing for weeks or even months. Civil servant Basil, 31, told AFP he had been on his way home with his wife and son to Zamalka, a rebel-held town northeast of Damascus, when the security forces arrested him because his ID card was broken. A broken ID card should not land its holder in jail. But Adnan al-Arour, a Syrian firebrand sheikh based in Saudi Arabia best known for his anti-regime speeches portraying members of the ruling minority Alawite sect as heretics, once urged his supporters to break their ID cards. "I had no idea that speech even existed. It was my interrogators in prison who told me about it," said Basil.
"I spent 32 days in solitary confinement at an air force intelligence services cell. They brought me here today, and I found out I was to be freed thanks to a decree from President Bashar al-Assad."
Others told of suffering a similar fate. Imad, 25, said he was detained while he was on a bus.
"They told me to follow them, that they just wanted to ask a few questions and it would only take 10 minutes," he said.
"Instead they held me for 10 days. They beat me and forced me to confess that I was following the sheikh's instructions, which I didn't know existed." Before they were freed from a stench-filled room in the police headquarters—the detainees had been unable to wash ever since they were thrown into jail—the men being released were made to fill out and sign a form. "I declare that I was set free from police headquarters in Damascus on September 1, that I regret my action, and that I pledge not to take part in any more unauthorized demonstrations," the declaration stated. Across the country, a total of 267 were released on Saturday, the authorities said. Of that number, 158 were set free from the Damascus police HQ. Muwafaq al-Basha, an official with Assad's ruling Baath party, said the president "wants to implement reforms, but Syria's enemies are bent on destroying the country by spreading violence. Right now, we need to defend the country."
Those being released in Damascus on Saturday began to clap in unison. "With our blood and with our souls, we will defend you, O Bashar!" they chanted.
Wearing nothing but pajamas, a 37-year-old businessman from the rebel-held town of Harasta near Damascus had badly swollen legs. "They hit me to force me to confess that I took part in demonstrations I wasn't involved in," said the man, who spent 32 days in a dark cell. "My mother was in tears when she heard my voice, she didn't know whether my brother and I were still alive," said 26-year-old Amer. He and his brothers were detained from their home in the upscale Damascus district of Mazzeh on August 8. The youngest brother was set free four days later, but Amer and his 25-year-old sibling Imad had remained captive until Saturday. "We didn't do anything, and they didn't find anything in our house," said Imad, who owns a plumbing company. "The first thing I'll do when I get home is kiss my parents, have a bath and eat some sweets. Then I will move out, I'll move as far as I can." "There were 60 of us in a cell measuring six meters by four, and 20 of us had to stand," he said. "We were given just 30 seconds to relieve ourselves. We had to sleep with our legs bent, heads on our knees." Leaving the police compound, Basil crossed the road and straight into a shop that sells second-hand clothing, to buy a shirt and trousers. "I can't go home wearing this," he said. "It stinks." But barefoot Ahmad, 36, had no money even to get home to Qalamun, in the province of Damascus.
An agricultural worker, he was first kidnapped by the rebel Free Syrian Army for giving away information about some of its members. The FSA shot him in the legs as punishment before setting him free.
"The army found me and drove me to a hospital for treatment," he said. "Then the intelligence services imprisoned me for two months. Now I don't even have enough money to get home."
Hundreds of prisoners have been set free under presidential decrees since the anti-Assad revolt broke out 17 months ago, but according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, tens of thousands of people are still behind bars.-AFP

Iran: Bushehr reactor reaches full capacity
September 01, 2012/TEHRAN: Iran's sole operational nuclear power reactor has reached full capacity, a senior official said Saturday.
Iran's deputy nuclear chief, Mohammad Ahmadian, said the reactor at the Bushehr power plant was brought to its "full capacity of 1,000 megawatts" Friday evening. The reactor went into operation for the first time last year at minimum capacity. The Islamic Republic built the nuclear power plant in the southern Iranian port city with Russian help. The facility is a cornerstone of Iran's drive to become a technological leader among Muslim nations, with efforts such as an ambitious space program and long-range missile development. Iran also runs smaller research reactors and is building another power reactor. The United States and some of its allies believe the Bushehr plant is part of an Iranian attempt to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusation, saying its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. The Bushehr project dates back to 1974, when Iran's U.S.-backed Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi contracted with the German company Siemens to build the reactor. The company withdrew from the project after the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought hard-line clerics to power. In 1992, Iran signed a $1 billion deal with Russia to complete the project and work began in 1995. Since then, the project has been beset by problems linked to construction and supply glitches. Under the contract, Bushehr was originally scheduled to come on stream in July 1999 but it was repeatedly postponed over technical glitches and financial disputes. The reactor finally went into operation last summer operating with minimum capacity to undergo tests before full operation.

Iran would take action if U.S. attacked Syria: official
September 01, 2012 10:24 PM
DUBAI: Iran would take action if the United States were to carry out an act of "stupidity" and attack Syria, an Iranian military official was quoted as saying on Saturday, but the comments later disappeared from the state-linked agency website. Iran has steadfastly supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his bid to suppress an uprising which both Tehran and Damascus see as a proxy war by Israel and Western states to extend their influence in the Middle East. "If America were to attack Syria, Iran along with Syria's allies will take action, which would amount to a fiasco for America," Mohammad Ali Assoudi, the deputy for culture and propaganda of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was quoted as saying. Assoudi's comments were first carried by the government-linked news agency Young Journalists' Club but were later apparently taken down from the group's website. The comments were picked up by Iranian news sites including Iran's Jam-e Jam newspaper and the BBC's Persian-language site. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. Assoudi did not specify exactly what steps Iran would take, but said Syria's allies would implement their joint military pact in the case of a U.S. attack. "In the case of American stupidity and a military attack by this country on Syria, the joint military pact of Syria's allies would be implemented," Assoudi said.
Iran and Syria signed a mutual defence pact in 2006, but little is known of its details, or whether there are any other signatories.
The Islamic Republic considers Assad's government, along with Lebanese Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah, part of an "axis of resistance" against the influence of the United States and Israel in the Middle East.
But while Turkey, Gulf Arab countries and Western states admit to giving non-weapons aid to the Syrian rebels, there is little or no appetite in Washington, especially in an election year, for direct military intervention in Syria. Without U.S. leadership, its allies also appear unwilling to go it alone.
Iran accuses Western powers and regional states of supporting and arming the rebels, while the rebels accuse Iran of sending IRGC fighters to help Assad crush the uprising.
"With cooperation from Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, America has the goal of striking a blow against Syria and making preparations for the fall of the Syrian government," Assoudi said.

Israel under international pressure not to attack Iran alone
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel is facing growing international pressure not to attack Iran unilaterally, with the United States in particular making clear its firm opposition to any such strike.
Recent rhetoric by Israeli leaders that time is running out to halt Iran's contested nuclear programme has raised concern that military action might be imminent, despite repeated calls from abroad to give sanctions and diplomacy more time to work.
The U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, has always cautioned against a go-it-alone approach, but he appeared to up the ante this week by saying Washington did not want to be blamed for any Israeli initiative."I don't want to be complicit if they (Israel) choose to do it," Dempsey was quoted as saying by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Friday, suggesting that he would view an Israeli attack as reprehensible or illegal. He went on to repeat that although Israel could delay Iran's nuclear project, it would not destroy it. He said that unilateral action might unravel a strong international coalition that has applied progressively stiff sanctions on Iran. "(This) could be undone if (Iran) was attacked prematurely," he was quoted as saying.
While Tehran says its nuclear programme is peaceful, Western powers believe it is trying to produce an atomic bomb. Israel, believed to have the only nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence.
Adding to the sense of urgency, the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency said on Thursday Iran had doubled the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges in an underground bunker, showing its desire to expand its nuclear work.
CRACKS IN THE ALLIANCE
Israel's vice prime minister Moshe Yaalon said on Friday he feared Iran did not believe it faced a real military threat from the outside world because of mixed messages from foreign powers.
"We have an exchange of views, including with our friends in the United States, who in our opinion, are in part responsible for this feeling in Iran," he told Israel's 100FM radio station.
"There are many cracks in the ring closing tighter on Iran. We criticize this," he said, also singling out U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for travelling to Tehran this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will speak out about the dangers of Iran in an address next month to the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
He is also expected to hold talks with U.S. President Barack Obama during his visit. A senior Israeli official told Reuters this month that Netanyahu would be looking for a firm pledge of U.S. military action if Iran does not back down.
However, the meeting might well be icy.
Israel's top-selling daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that there had been an "unprecedented" and "angry" exchange between Netanyahu and the U.S. ambassador in Tel Aviv earlier this month over Iran. Quoting a source who was present at the meeting, Netanyahu had criticized Obama for not doing enough to tackle Iran. The U.S. ambassador Daniel Shapiro took exception and accused the prime minister of distorting Obama's position. The prime minister's office declined to comment on the report and there was no initial response from the U.S. embassy.
Adding to the growing chorus of concern facing Netanyahu, Haaretz newspaper reported on Friday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had delivered a "harsh message" to Netanyahu 10 days ago, telling him to hold off on any attack plans. The German embassy in Tel Aviv declined comment. Israeli officials have repeatedly said that a growing array of sanctions against Iran are not having any impact on the Tehran leadership and believe they will only back down in the face of a credible threat of military action. However, Netanyahu faces an uphill task persuading his own military and inner circle of the wisdom of a unilateral strike. Political sources told Reuters on Tuesday an ultra-orthodox party in his coalition was opposed to war.
(Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Syrian rebels hit back at Assad's air power
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebels seized an air defense facility and attacked a military airport in eastern Syria on Saturday, a monitoring group said, hitting back at an air force which President Bashar al-Assad is increasingly relying on to crush his opponents. The attacks in eastern oil-producing Deir al-Zor province follow rebel strikes against military airports in the Aleppo and Idlib areas, close to the border with Turkey. Assad, battling a 17-month-old uprising in which 20,000 people have been killed, has lost control of rural areas in northern, eastern and southern regions and has resorted to helicopter gunships and fighter jets to subdue his foes. The aerial bombardment has driven fresh waves of refugees into neighboring countries, reviving Turkish calls for "safe zones" to be set up on Syrian territory - appeals ignored by a divided U.N. Security Council and by Western powers reluctant to commit the military forces needed to secure such zones.
Rebels in Deir al-Zor overran an air defense building, taking at least 16 captives and seizing an unknown number of anti-aircraft rockets, said Rami Abdulrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Activist video posted on the internet showed the officers and soldiers captured by rebel fighters as well as an arsenal of rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition seized in the raid.
Abdulrahman said rebels also attacked the Hamdan military airbase at Albu Kamal, close to Syria's eastern border with Iraq, but did not succeed in breaking into it. The attacks come three days after rebels said they had damaged several helicopters at the Taftanaz air base in Idlib province. The insurgents also said they have shot down a fighter jet and a helicopter last week.
AIR STRIKES
Assad's forces have carried out numerous air strikes on civilians in rebel-held areas. Helicopters have strafed towns with heavy machineguns, and jets have unleashed rockets and bombs against opposition strongholds. Bombardments of northern towns such as Azaz and Anadan, of which Assad lost control weeks ago, have led to thousands of residents fleeing to safety in Turkey. Ankara made its call for safe havens inside Syria after the U.N. refugee agency said the flow of Syrians into Turkey and Jordan - which already host more than 150,000 registered refugees - was rising sharply.
But a ministerial meeting of the Security Council produced nothing beyond a French plan to channel more aid to rebel areas, an initiative which will do nothing to stem the flow of civilians fleeing the fighting.
Turkish government sources said Ankara would again push for agreement on safe zones inside Syria at the General Assembly later this month and would try to put pressure on Russia and Iran, which strongly oppose any such action. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a former ally of Assad, showed his frustration at the lack of international action.
"We cannot take such a measure unless the United Nations Security Council decides in favor of it ... First a decision for the no-fly zone must be taken, then we would be able to take a step towards a buffer zone," Erdogan said in an interview broadcast on Turkish television late on Friday.
"Bashar al-Assad has come to the end of his political life. At the moment, Assad is acting in Syria not as a politician, but as an element, an actor, of war," he said.
The foreign minister of Germany which holds the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council for September, said his country would "not stop working on Moscow and Beijing", two capitals which have blocked concerted action on Syria.
"We will not give up, not in this month either, not give up in pushing for a united stance at the Security Council," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told a news conference in Kuwait. "If we were to give up then we would be giving up on the people and that we will not do." Jordan said on Saturday it was "stretched to the limit" by the influx of refugees from southern Syria. The resource-poor kingdom of 7 million has accepted 70,000 registered refugees but says it is hosting 140,000 in local communities.
Planning Minister Jafaar Hassan said the influx was "reaching limits that the government cannot continue to shoulder", estimating the cost of sheltering the refugees at $230 million this year, rising to $285 million in 2013.
RECORD DEATH TOLL
A United Nations official said 1,600 people were killed in Syria in the last week, the highest weekly figure in nearly a year and a half of conflict, and aid agencies say living conditions are worsening dramatically. An estimated 1.2 million people are uprooted within Syria, including 150,000 in and around Damascus, the U.N. said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he had pressed the Syrian government to allow in international aid workers, and received a positive reply during talks in Tehran this week.
Ban told Reuters he had "long and in-depth discussions with the Syrian officials" on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Movement meeting. "While I criticized all the parties that have been depending on military means to resolve this issue, the primary responsibility rests with the Syrian government," he said.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would be wrong to press Damascus alone to end the violence. "It is absolutely unrealistic to say that the unilateral capitulation of one of the parties in conflict is the only way out, in a situation when there's ongoing urban fighting," he told students of the Moscow Institute of Foreign Relations.
(Additional reporting by Nick Tattersall in Istanbul, Andrew Torchia and Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Alexei Anishchuk in Moscow; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Diana Abdallah and Jon Hemming)

Bashar’s cult of personality
Tony Badran, August 30, 2012/Now Lebanon
Bashar al-Assad is a lot more involved in the security apparatus than many analysts would like to think. (AFP photo)
Last week, the daily Al-Joumhouria published the transcripts of the surveillance tapes in the case of former minister Michel Samaha, who was recently arrested and charged for plotting a campaign of terrorist bombings in northern Lebanon. Samaha was caught red-handed, and his conversations with the head of the cell that was to execute these bombings were taped, as this operative himself had been recruited by the Internal Security Forces.
These transcripts offer a unique window into the Syrian regime’s decision-making process and chain of command when commissioning terror operations in Lebanon. But more importantly, they provide us with an interesting insight into the current structure of the regime. What they reveal is that, over the course of the uprising, Bashar al-Assad has further consolidated the security services. In effect, the regime is little more than Bashar himself.
Misunderstanding the nature and structure of the Assad regime has been a chronic problem that has long affected Western analysis and policymaking. Misinterpretation became even more acute after Bashar inherited power after his father died in 2000. The most infamous example was the “old guard” thesis: that is, the notion that a “reform-minded” Bashar was constrained by entrenched remnants from his father’s time. Similarly, several analysts posited the existence of a “hardline” faction within the regime, and spoke of autonomous security chiefs who were able to pursue certain policies without Bashar’s knowledge, and, presumably, against his wishes. Bashar, in other words, was presented as merely a “figurehead”—the president who, in the words of Paul Salem, “does not command.”
Thus, it was hardly surprising when, following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, many Arab and Western pundits often claimed that it probably wasn’t Bashar personally who gave that order. Even though Bashar reportedly threatened to “break Lebanon over [Hariri’s] head,” these pundits nevertheless maintained that such a decision was either made without his knowledge, or, at best, was forced on him by the powerful elements of the regime who “really” make major security decisions, if not general policy.
Likewise, following the uprising against the regime, some analysts played along with the conceit that Bashar himself was not responsible for the security services’ brutal response. It was his brother Maher, or the supposedly autonomous security agencies, or the “rogue” shabiha paramilitaries. “We may never know who made the decision … to unleash these inhumane gangs … though I doubt Bashar al-Assad did,” writes Stephen Starr in his new book on the Syrian revolution.
Such analysis was not only the result of wishful thinking or advocacy. It was also the product of faulty speculation based on questionable assumptions about Bashar. The Samaha transcripts now offer a corrective.
In their first meeting, the ISF informant asks Samaha about the status of the Syrian command, especially following the late July explosion that killed Assad’s brother in law and three other top officials.
Samaha dismissed the informant’s concern, explaining to him that the fuss was the result of “ignorance of those who don’t know the nature of the edifice.” People “don’t know who is essential” in the regime. Those killed, Samaha added, were “the front” and “didn’t have command on the ground.” Not even Asef Shawkat— Assad’s brother in law, who died in the blast—was in the inner circle.
More important was Samaha’s comment on Bashar, whom he presents as a leader totally in command of his security chiefs. “Bashar has been working full days for 17 months. He knows who orders whom, who’s out, and he has constructed his own edifice.” In other words, Samaha is making clear that the Syrian president is fully in control of the entire security apparatus, even as Assad designates certain key figures to implement his policies.
Throughout, Samaha emphasized the role of General Ali Mamlouk, the former head of the General Security Directorate who was appointed director of the National Security Bureau (NSB) following the July bombing. Samaha noted that Bashar had changed the role of the NSB director. Whereas this position used to not have any actual authority, “now all the [security] agencies report to him.” When it comes to the issue of security, Samaha clarified, Mamlouk has a direct relationship with the president.
In this security hierarchy, Samaha explained that Bashar was at the top with Mamlouk right under him. Here we see an important transformation in the dynamics of Syria’s intelligence apparatus. Before the uprising, Assad’s role was to balance and manipulate redundant security organs; after the uprising, he has consolidated them under his command, through Mamlouk’s office. Assad’s direct control over the security services becomes apparent when Samaha describes the directive to execute the operation in Lebanon. Samaha reassures the informant that only two people in Syria know about this matter, and about the informant’s role in it: Mamlouk and his overlord Bashar.
While the limited number of people in the know reassures the informant, he was nervous as to why he, in particular, was chosen for this task. “Trust, trust, trust,” Samaha replies. Mamlouk, Samaha explains, had talked with him about these operations, and the informant’s name was brought up. Mamlouk knew who he was and agreed that this was the trusted figure to carry out the operation.
Samaha’s description shows how even on the level of operational minutiae, the chain of command leads to the top of the Syrian pyramid, namely Bashar himself, who ultimately gives the go ahead. Mamlouk organizes it with the Lebanese middleman, Samaha, who liaises with the commander of the cell.
This diagram is of consequence today. Analysts like Salem have maintained “Bashar is not the top killer.” But Michel Samaha, his trusted Lebanese friend, says different. In reality, Samaha has described how Bashar has absorbed the entire security apparatus of the Syrian state, consolidating all the regime’s most significant security institutions through a surrogate, Ali Mamlouk.
The Obama administration continues to insist that Syria’s “state institutions” must be preserved. However, what the Samaha case makes clear—by drawing a direct line from Assad’s assets in Lebanon to his deputies in Syria—is that Assad has arrogated to himself all of the Syrian institutions that really matter: the security establishment. In other words, the effect of the White House’s policy is not just to preserve Alawite hegemony in Syria, but to preserve the cult of personality that Bashar has institutionalized—even after Bashar himself is gone.
**Tony Badran is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He tweets @AcrossTheBay.