LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
September 10 /12

Bible Quotation for today
Luke 18/09-14: "He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income." But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Al-Assad ruling Syria like Lebanon/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/September 09/12
Arabs must not repeat Iran’s errors/By Ahmad Ahrar/Asharq Alawsat/September 09/12

Pope's trip to Lebanon 'act of courage, hope': spokesman
September 09, 2012/Daily Star /VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Lebanon next week is "considered an act of great courage and hope worldwide" as a civil war rages in neighboring Syria, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Saturday. Lebanon, which has a significant Catholic community, was selected for the September 14-16 trip "before the situation in Syria escalated into an overt and bloody conflict," Lombardi wrote in an editorial for the Vatican weekly Octava Dies. He said the Arab Spring and the Syrian situation make the church's engagement with the region's Christian communities even "more urgent". He added that problems identified at a special synod of bishops two years ago on the Middle East were now more acute, issues such as dialogue between Islam and Judaism, religious freedom and democracy. Lebanon has been battling to contain an eruption of violence triggered by the events in Syria, including a spate of mass kidnappings that recalled the dark days of the country's own civil war. Benedict is expected to bring a message of peace for the Middle East on his three-day trip. The 85-year-old German pontiff is set to meet with various religious leaders in multi-faith Lebanon and emphasis in particular the need for peaceful coexistence between Christian and Muslim communities in the region.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi Hopes Pope's Apostolic Exhortation Would lead to a 'True Arab Spring'
Naharnet / 09 September 2012/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Sunday that the apostolic exhortation that Pope Benedict XVI would deliver during his visit to Lebanon would lead to a Christian Spring that in turn would generate a “true Arab Spring.” “The apostolic exhortation should lead to a Christian and Lebanese Spring so that it incorporates modernized values and diversity to the Arab world through a true Arab Spring,” al-Rahi said in his sermon at St. Anthony's church in the Shouf town of al-Fuwwara. Several officials attended the mass on the second day of the patriarch's visit to the Shouf. “We urge everyone to welcome the pope and participate in the celebrations” during his three-day visit on Friday, he said. “The Christians can't forget their identity and that they have a message to spread in Lebanon and the Middle East,” al-Rahi reiterated. He also called for changing the social status-quo into the better. Benedict's visit to Lebanon next week is "considered an act of great courage and hope worldwide" as a civil war rages in neighboring Syria, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Saturday. Lebanon was selected for the Sept. 14-16 trip "before the situation in Syria escalated into an overt and bloody conflict," Lombardi wrote in an editorial for the Vatican weekly Octava Dies.

Lebanon's bishop says regional situation worsening for Christians
September 09, 2012/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly dangerous and threatens the presence of Christians, Maronite Bishop Michel Aoun said Sunday during a talk with reporters about the pope’s upcoming visit to Lebanon. “The pope’s synod is a road map for Christians in Lebanon and the Middle East; we all know that Christians are experiencing difficulties due to the political and regional situation and that they are exposed to immigration,” Aoun said. “The Vatican and the pope are not indifferent to this situation, which is worsening daily and endangering the presence of Christians in the Middle East,” he added. The bishop, who spoke from his Jbeil diocese, was referring to the 2010 special Synod of Bishops document dedicated to Christians in the Middle East, which Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to hand to Lebanon’s Maronite Church during his three-day visit to the country. The pope is scheduled to arrive on Sept. 14 and is expected to meet with political and religious figures in the country and hold an open-air mass at Beirut’s waterfront. Aoun added that the pope’s visit is a message of hope, urging Lebanon’s Christians and Muslims alike to open their hearts and minds and receive the prelate. “[The pope’s] concern is to preserve the coexistence that we are all urged to practice, not only in Lebanon but in all Middle Eastern countries, especially those that are suffering from fundamental problems threatening the presence of Christians,” he added. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Saturday that next week’s visit is "considered an act of great courage and hope worldwide" as a civil war rages in neighboring Syria. Lebanon, which has a significant Catholic community, was selected for the Sept. 14-16 trip "before the situation in Syria escalated into an overt and bloody conflict," Lombardi wrote in an editorial for the Vatican weekly Octava Dies. He said the Arab Spring and the Syrian situation make the Church's engagement with the region's Christian communities even "more urgent." Lombardi added that problems identified at a special synod of bishops two years ago on the Middle East were now more acute, including issues such as dialogue between Islam and Judaism, religious freedom and democracy. –With AFP

'Israel could send Iran back to Stone Age'
Ynet Published: 09.09.12, 08:27 / Israel News
Sunday Times quotes defense experts as saying that Jewish state could cripple Islamic Republic's power grid with electromagnetic pulses British newspaper Sunday Times has exposed one of the "surprises" the Israel Defense Forces has in store in case of a military strike in Iran. According to the Sunday morning report, the Jewish state could cripple the Islamic Republic's power grid with electromagnetic pulses as part of a concerted attack to halt Iran's military nuclear program, which could "send Iran back to the Stone.The report, by Uzi Mahnaimi, claims that the possible use of such a weapon has been raised in several quarters as a debate rages among Israel’s politicians about whether a swift strike should be launched against Iran's nuclear facilities. Bill Gertz, a veteran American defense specialist, is quoted as saying that US intelligence agencies have reported “growing concerns that Israel will conduct a strike on Iran using a high-altitude nuclear burst aimed at disrupting all electronics in the country."
The technology behind EMP, which is regarded as non-lethal, has been known for decades, the Sunday Times reports. An electromagnetic pulse is an intense burst of gamma energy that reacts with the Earth’s magnetic field to produce a powerful current. This sets off a shockwave with the potential to “fry” electronic devices and circuits. Although the potential of EMP was first noted as a side effect of high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, the report says, a pulse can also be produced by non-nuclear means such as a microwave generator.Such a pulse could knock out the power grid and

German FM: Nuclear Iran would pose threat to entire region
By JPOST.COM STAFF 09/09/2012 /Following meeting with Barak, Westerwelle emphasizes shared concerns over Iranian threat, says "a nuclear-armed Iran is not an option"; defense minister lauds security cooperation between the two countries.German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle emphasized the concerns his country shared with Israel over Iran's nuclear program, following a meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday. "A nuclear-armed Iran would not only pose a threat to Israel but to the stability of the entire region. A nuclear-armed Iran is not an option," he said."We share the concern in Israel about the nuclear program in Iran," Westerwelle told reporters before his meeting with Barak. He added that Germany would maintain sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Iran, adding that there was still room for diplomacy. "We urgently call on Iran to enter into substantial negotiations," he said. "Nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran is not an option," he added. At a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Cyprus on Friday, Germany, Britain and France called for new EU sanctions against Iran. "We greatly appreciate the German government's views on Iran," Barak said during the meeting, calling Germany a "leading partner" in the international effort to use diplomacy and sanctions to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.Barak also lauded the close security cooperation between the two countries, specifically mentioning the signed contract for a sixth submarine. He further thanked Germany for for its contribution in strengthening the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and Gaza and in promoting peace and normalization. "Israel's relationship with Germany is long-standing and based on a basic belief in democracy, value and memory, and we greatly appreciate your friendship," Barak told Westerwelle.

Peres thanks Canada for cutting ties with Iran
Noam (Dabul) Dvir Published: 09.08.12, 18:33 / Israel News
In special statement, Peres says Ottawa has proven once again 'that morals come before pragmatism' President Shimon Peres issued a special statement on Saturday thanking the Canadian people and its leader for cutting diplomatic ties with Iran. He expressed hope that other nations will "see Canada as a moral role model" and follow in its footsteps. "Canada has proven once again that morals come before pragmatism," the statement said. "Canada has demonstrated that policy must reflect principles and values… Iran is a source of global terror, a blatant violator of human rights and Iran aims to dominate the entire Middle East. "The combination of hegemonic ambition, political madness and a nuclear weapon is an unacceptable and unbearable combination which endangers the entire world and against which the entire world must act with all its power." Currently in Italy for an economic conference, Peres said that it was "inconceivable that a UN member state will threaten to destroy another member state, it completely contradicts the UN charter. Other member states must stand against it."It has also been reported that Iran's parliamentary speaker has canceled a visit to Canada.
The Saturday report by Fars says Ali Larijani decided not to attend a meeting of parliamentarians from different countries scheduled for late October to protest to Canada's decision to close its embassy in Tehran.Canada said on Friday that it was closing its embassy in Tehran and gave Iranian diplomats five days to leave the country, branding the Islamic Republic as the "most significant threat to global peace and security". Ottawa cited Iran's disputed nuclear work, which Western states see as a disguised effort to develop atomic bombs, its hostility toward Israel and alleged military aid to Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is battling a popular uprising.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in response that the Canadian move was a "continuation of anti-Iranian policies" by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government, which has long had poor relations with Tehran.AP contributed to this report
President Shimon Peres issued a special statement on Saturday thanking the Canadian people and its leader for cutting diplomatic ties with Iran. He expressed hope that other nations will "see Canada as a moral role model" and follow in its footsteps. "Canada has proven once again that morals come before pragmatism," the statement said. "Canada has demonstrated that policy must reflect principles and values… Iran is a source of global terror, a blatant violator of human rights and Iran aims to dominate the entire Middle East.

Arabs must not repeat Iran’s errors
By Ahmad Ahrar/Asharq Alawsat
In the space of a single century, Iran experienced two revolutions. The first revolution, in the first decade of the 20th century, took Iran forward. The second , in the 1970s, put the clock back.
I witnessed the second revolution as a journalist while I have studied the first revolution as historian and, over the years, met and conversed with some of its actors.
As the waves triggered by the Arab Spring continue to affect so many countries, I wish to share with our Arab neighbors some observations regarding Iran’s experience.
The first Iranian upheaval, known as the Constitutional Revolution, took place in 1906 at a time that Iran was an economically underdeveloped and poverty-stricken nation. Iran was also suffering from centuries of social and cultural decline to the point that a majority knew nothing of the nation’s brilliant history and civilization.
Many of those who helped foment the Constitutional Revolution were intellectuals and/or politicians who had studied in the West or spent years there on trade or diplomatic missions. During their stay they had witnessed Europe’s historic ascendancy and wondered about circumstances that had made it possible.
They had reached a consensus that it was thanks to pluralist government and the rule of law that Europe had succeeded in emerging from the Dark Ages to build a modern civilization. Their aim was to sow the seeds of new ideas in Iran, hoping that, given time and opportunity, this would produce similar results.
Without support from religious leaders at the time, Iran’s small intelligentsia might not have been able to tackle the task of changing the course of history.
Our intellectuals succeeded in winning the support of a substantial chunk of the clergy, and persuaded the Shah, Muzaffar ad-Din, to issue edicts establishing a parliament and a modern judiciary.
However, once Muzaffar had passed away, his son and successor, Muhammad-Ali Shah, tried to cancel the new constitution and ordered the bombardment of the parliament building.
To justify his anti-constitutional stance, Muhammad-Ali persuaded and bribed some clerics into launching a new ideology of rule-by-shari’ah (mashrouyah) against rule by consent (mashruteh).
Their argument was that an Islamic society did not need a constitution, especially one inspired by Western models. The clergy were fully capable of meeting the needs of society and guaranteeing equity and justice.Very quickly, however, the attempt to restore despotic rule in the name of religion failed. A good part of a divided clergy sided with the people in demanding the restoration of constitutional government. Muhammad-Ali was forced into exile. Thus, Iran was able to start a new journey towards modernization and the rule of law. Within six decades, Iran was transformed from a lethargic society stuck in historic hiatus to a dynamic one with a buoyant economy and a creative culture. The second revolution, in 1979, was to change all that. This time, we witnessed the reverse of the alliance that had ended Muhammad-Ali Shah’s brief despotism. A substantial section of our Westernized intelligentsia put itself under the leadership of reactionary mullahs who wished to destroy he very concept of constitutional rule in the name of mashrouyah. Unlike the 1900s, this time Iran was a powerful state with a developing economy and an impressive record of cultural, financial and industrial progress. Also, our intelligentsia was wider and more deeply rooted in society. Thus, it would have been able to assume the leadership of the second revolution, as had been the case in the first one. In assuming leadership, the intelligentsia could have attracted support from large segments of society.
Sadly, our intelligentsia missed the historic opportunity and, beset by divisions, failed to offer a clear alternative to rule by the clergy. Like nature, society abhors a void. Someone had to fill the void created by the fall of the Shah. A small group of reactionary but firmly united clerics were able to impose their rule by filling the void. Once they had consolidated their hold on power, they left no space for the intelligentsia, establishing a new despotism, in the name of religion. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Over three decades, the so-called Islamic Revolution has arrested Iran’s historic progress by creating a despotic regime with a religious façade. It has led our nation into costly adventures that have harmed both Iran and the region.
As change sweeps through the region, the Arab intelligentsia should ponder Iran’s experience which, I believe, is more of a warning than a model to emulate.

US dispatching more drones to Yemen - Source
By Hamdan al-Rahbi
Sanaa, Asharq Al-Awsat – Informed Yemeni sources, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the al-Anad Air Base in southern Yemen’s Lajih province had received a new fleet of US drones, accompanied by American soldiers. The source said that “an American military plane entered Yemen over the past few days carrying unmanned drones, accompanied by US soldiers,.” He said that this fleet of US drones represented reinforcements for the US forces in Yemen as part of the international efforts to combat terrorism.
For its part, a local Yemeni newspaper claimed that two US drones had crashed during a reconnaissance mission. Yemen’s Al-Shara’a newspaper claimed that two US drones, in the process of returning to the al-Anad Air Base, crashed after the American soldiers piloting the drones failed to land them correctly.
Following the defeat of the Al Qaeda affiliated Ansar al-Sharia group in Abyan and Shabwa last May, Yemeni fighter planes – as well as presumed US drones – have carried out an intense bombardment campaign targeting Al Qaeda sites and elements, resulting in dozens of deaths, particularly in the Hadramout and al-Bayda provinces. However the popular outcry against the use of US unmanned drones in Yemen escalated last week after a US drone strike targeting Al Qaeda suspects in al-Bayda province killed 13 civilians, including two women and a child.
A US drone reportedly fired two missiles at known Al Qaeda affiliate Abdelrauf al-Dahab, who was traveling in a car near the town of Rada in al-Bayda province. However the first missile missed the target, whilst the second missile hit a minibus behind him, killing all those inside. Local officials reported that Abdelrauf al-Dahab escaped unharmed. He is the brother of Tareq al-Dahab, a senior Al Qaeda figure who led fighters in a January raid which ultimately saw the militants take control of the town of Rada. They later abandoned the town, bowing to tribal pressure. Tareq al-Dahab was killed in February.
Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has launched an investigation into the deaths of the civilians. For his part, a senior Yemeni Defense Ministry official told CNN “This was one of the very few times when our target was completely missed. It was a mistake, but we hope it will not hurt our anti-terror efforts in the region.”
Hundreds of angry Yemeni gunmen joined the families of the victims in closing major roads and demanding the Yemeni government explain the killings. They also tried to carry the corpses of the victims to Sanaa to lay them in front of the residence of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi but were prevented from doing so by local security forces.
The United States government typically does not comment on reports that it is utilizing unmanned drones to target and kill terror suspects, but reports indicate that 29 people were killed by drone attack in Yemen last year, with nearly 200 being killed since the beginning of the year. Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki was killed by a drone strike in September 2011; he remains the highest-profile target to be killed by an American drone attack in Yemen. Al-Awlaki had been linked to several terror plots, including the 2009 Ford Hood shooting.

Al-Assad ruling Syria like Lebanon
By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
Anybody who is monitoring the manner in which Bashar al-Assad is managing the Syrian crisis will no doubt recognize that the tyrant of Damascus is handling the battle to remain in power – in precisely the same manner that the al-Assad regime – both that of the father and the son – managed the situation in Lebanon over the past 3 decades. What is striking is that the al-Assad regime is now not only doing this throughout Syria, but within Damascus itself!
Yesterday, Reuters published a frightening news report [Minority militias stir fears of sectarian war in Damascus] about the spread of armed militias in Damascus. These militias represent all sects and this includes the Christian, Druze and Alawite communities. This report talked about the spread of check-points and so-called “lijan shaabiya” [popular committees] throughout Damascus suburbs that are loyal to the al-Assad regime, which for its part is providing these militias with arms. The al-Assad regime is doing this in order to incite division between Damascus’s sectarian communities, attempting to convince them to accept the delusion that the Syrian opposition and revolutionaries are nothing more than Sunni terrorists supported by foreign parties. The Reuters report even revealed that some of these youth in the lijan shaabiya have become aware that the people they are killing are political activists and opposition figures, not armed fighters! All of this is taking place within the Syrian capital today at the hands of the al-Assad regime which is inciting division and sectarian schism within Damascus itself simply in order to survive and remain in power. The regime began to pursue this policy after the revolutionaries began their final battle with al-Assad in the two most important Syrian cities, namely the economic capital, Aleppo, and the political capital, Damascus.
So after Bashar al-Assad has destroyed all of Syria, he is today fighting a battle to tear apart the social fabric of Damascus. This is precisely what al-Assad – the father and the son – did in Lebanon over the past three decades. In Lebanon, al-Assad managed the conflict by utilizing deception, intimidation and liquidation; by inciting each side to fight the other, arming one side against the other and entrenching sectarian division from the standpoint of “divide and conquer”. He managed Lebanon in collusion with groups that were created to implement these objectives, most prominently Hezbollah, which is pursuing this politically. The al-Assad regime also utilized some Palestinians for the same reasons, whether we are talking about groups in the refugee camps or the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Hamas movement. It also utilized the media, and money, in Lebanon in the worst possible manner. The reality is that the al-Assad regime corrupted everything in Lebanon; the organizations, the leadership and the political parties. Whilst today, we are seeing al-Assad do precisely the same thing in the Syrian capital, Damascus. This means that Bashar al-Assad himself is aware that the end is fast approaching and that he is facing the inevitable. However what he is doing in the capital today also means that the longer al-Assad’s ouster is delayed, the more difficult it will be to heal the tattered social fabric of Damascus and indeed Syria itself. Therefore, what al-Assad is doing today is no less dangerous than dispersing chemical weapons, which is an issue of grave concern to the West, to the point that they have declared this a red line; threatening al-Assad with military intervention in Syria should he transgress this.
The tearing apart of the social fabric of Syria – and that of Damascus today – in the manner revealed by the Reuters report, means that there will be great damage at a future stage, which may be prolonged, whether for Syria or Lebanon or Iraq or the region as a whole, whilst Turkey will also not be isolated from this. This all requires international action, involving the West and the Arab world, in order to accelerate the ouster of al-Assad, whose fall is inevitable. If the Arabs, and the international community, do not want Syria to follow the Lebanese or Iraqi model then they must take action now, along the lines of the effective and passionate French diplomacy.

Asharq Al-Awsat/We guarantee safety of Gaddafi spy chief - Libyan Interior Minister
By Khaled Mahmoud/Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat – In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdel A’al spoke about the security situation in his country, arms smuggling and the forthcoming trials of a number of senior Gaddafi regime figures.
Asharq Al-Awsat caught up with the Libyan Interior Ministry just days after Tripoli had secured the return of former Libyan Intelligence Chief Abdullah al-Senussi from Mauritania. He guaranteed al-Senussi’s safety in Libyan custody and promised that the former spy chief would be given a fair trial.
Libyan Interior Minister Fawzi Abdel A’al previously resigned late last month in the wake of controversy surrounding the security forces performance during a surge of violence that has rocked Libya, including attacks on a number of shrines across the country. However Abdel A’al later retracted this resignation just two days later announcing that he was ready to continue his mission.
The following is the full text of the interview:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There has been criticism of some of Libya’s rebels and their leadership, particularly regarding the recent attacks on Sufi shrines. As a former Libyan rebel yourself, do you accept this criticism?
[Abdel A’al] This is completely rejected, when others were licking Gaddafi’s boots and accepting everything that he was doing, these rebels came out with voices raised and told Gaddafi and his government: no. I believe that they have won the respect and appreciation of the Libyan people for this.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] With the return of Gaddafi’s former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, is Libya capable of securing him and guaranteeing his safety prior to trial?
[Abdel A’al] Of course, we have a large number of members of the former regime and we have guaranteed their security. They are being tried for their crimes, and are safe from harm, whilst we have also ensured that they cannot escape.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] When will al-Senussi’s trial begin?
[Abdel A’al] Al-Senussi is a criminal and his presence in Libya today is a victory for the Libyan people, Arabs and world. As for his trial, this issue is subject to legal procedures as the Public Prosecution investigation is still ongoing. Following this, the case will be transferred from the Public Prosecution to the Criminal Court. These are nothing more than routine procedures.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi? When will his trial get underway?
[Abdel A’al] I believe that this trial will begin soon because the Attorney General’s office is very close to completing its case against him.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are we talking a matter of days or weeks?
[Abdel A’al] Let us say weeks.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Is it true that the Zintan rebels that are holding Saif al-Islam Gaddafi are refusing to surrender him to the government’s security apparatus?
[Abdel A’al] I do not think this is an issue of the rebels rejecting this now, rather I believe that in the past a group harbored certain concerns, however I also believe that this period is better. I do not believe that any Libyans reject this trial, and I hope that the trial will be fair and in accordance with Libyan and international standards, and that these criminals are punished justly.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There are fears that Saif al-Islam could be killed before the trial, how do you respond to this?
[Abdel A’al] I do not give such fears credence, otherwise how did he remain alive until now? He could have been killed in the desert when he was arrested by the rebels and there was nobody to witness this except God Almighty.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Who is behind the recent string of attacks and bombings in Tripoli and Benghazi?
[Abdel A’al] Members of the former regime are behind this, and we have confessions in this regard. Incidentally, the first suspect was arrested just 3 hours after the bombing. Investigations are ongoing, and we have confessions and evidence which we will release to the media next week.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You say members of the former regime, but who precisely do you mean? Are you talking about Gaddafi’s children who are present in Algeria and Niger, or some of his former followers who are now present in Egypt?
[Abdel A’al] This series of attacks is tied to leadership groups present in Egypt and Algeria, and they have an operations room in Tunisia, whilst they are utilizing some cells on the ground in Libya.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Are you cooperating with these states to pursue those responsible for the attacks?
[Abdel A’al] There is high-level coordination between Libya and Tunisia in this regard, and weak coordination with Egypt, although I believe that this will improve in the coming days.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Why is the coordination with the Egyptian authorities not at the required levels?
[Abdel A’al] I believe that many changes have taken place in Egypt, for Egypt only recently formed its government. This is a transitional stage, and this has had an impact on coordination. I believe that the situation in Egypt now is excellent, and the government has taken over its tasks and things are good so this situation will improve.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] We have heard numerous reports about arms being smuggled from Libya into Egypt. Do you have any information on this? Who is behind this arms smuggling?
[Abdel A’al] There can be no doubt that there are operations to smuggle arms and drugs between neighboring countries, and this is not new or unexpected. It is well known that the Libyan national arsenal was not in anybody’s control and being distributed throughout the Sahara desert following the collapse of the regime. There are many remote places [where the regime stored arms]. The former regime also purchased huge and countless quantities of arms from the Soviet Union and socialist countries over the years. All of this has granted arms dealers the opportunity to make gains and smuggle arms between Libya and other countries.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do you have any statistics regarding the number of arms that have been smuggled out of Libya?
[Abdel A’al] Unfortunately, we do not have any accurate information regarding precisely what arms, and how many, were present in the country in the first place. These were all parts of secret deals that were carried out in various ways. We still do not possess all the means to uncover the amount of weapons that were on the ground in Libya in the first place, so that we can discover what is missing.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] These weapons are also appearing within Libya itself. What efforts is the Libyan government taking to seize these arms or persuade the Libyan rebels to put down their weapons and integrate into state security?
[Abdel A’al] There are a number of plans, including attempts to integrate the Libyan rebel fighters as armed brigades within the Libyan Shield, which is a reserve army force. I believe that this is part of the solution, whilst the Interior Ministry has also integrated armed rebel fighters into the security apparatus. We are also, in one way or another, trying to neutralize the largest possible number of weapons, whilst also attempting to control arms, ammunition and arms stores located in places near and fear. I believe that we are in need of a pan-national plan, involving countries that have previous relations or experience, and I believe that the United Nations [UN] will also play a role, as will Libya’s neighboring countries.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There have been reports that some security elements are involved in the demolition of Sufi shrines in Libya, or that they are turning a blind eye to this. Are there measures in place to punish security officers involved in this?
[Abdel A’al] We tasked the General Administration of Criminal Investigations to investigate this, and anybody who is implicated in crimes or dereliction of duty will be brought to trial
[Asharq Al-Awsat] You previously stated, during a press conference, that you were not going to engage in a battle with those responsible for demolishing shrines. If the security apparatus is unwilling to do this, then who will?
[Abdel A’al] The issue is not about bloodshed or war, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that it would be better to destroy the Kaaba than shed the blood of Muslims. The issue is ideological, and we must begin by conducting dialogue with these people and dealing with them. The decision must be at the national level in order to address this strongly. This is something that happened in the past, and some people tried to destroy these shrines and they were prevented and dialogue was conducted with them. Arrangements were made with them; however they went back on this agreement and did what they did. Let me tell you frankly, the issue of the demolition or blessing of shrines is not the most important one; rather the most important thing here is how to deal with this situation.

Iran currency dives to record low
September 09, 2012/Daily Star
TEHRAN: Iran's currency on Sunday slid to a new record low against the dollar, with the central bank saying it was trying to manage the plunge amid an "economic war with the world."
Street traders were exchanging one dollar for more than 24,000 Iranian rials, according to specialised websites giving real-time rates.
That was a plunge of some five percent over Saturday's rate and around 10 percent since last Wednesday, when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad admitted on state television that Western sanctions were causing "problems" in exporting oil and international financial transactions.
The latest street rate was nearly double the fixed, official rate of 12,260 rials that the government reserved for its agencies and a few privileged businesses.
Iran's rial has lost around half its value this year. It plummeted in January after the European Union and United States announced draconian sanctions that came into effect in July.
Although authorities have in recent months intervened to stop the slide -- even briefly at one point trying to impose a cap on the rate -- the rial has returned to shedding value.
The depreciation has added to inflation, which the central bank puts at 23.5 percent but which outside observers say is much higher. Food and imported goods have become much more costly.
Market uncertainty has been exacerbated by bellicose rhetoric from Israel, the Middle East's sole though undeclared nuclear weapons state, which has threatened air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. "The central bank cannot systematically lower the exchange rate, but we have attempted to control it," Central Bank chief Mahmoud Bahmani told reporters, the ISNA news agency reported.
"Our situation is one of war. We are fighting an economic war with the world," he said.
Iran's authorities have vowed not to cede to the sanctions pressure, saying they will maintain their nuclear activities they insist are purely civilian in nature. EU foreign ministers meeting in Cyprus on the weekend said they were considering imposing further sanctions on Iran, voicing frustration at negotiations with the Islamic republic that have all but stalled. The so-called P5+1 group comprising the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany suspect that Iran may be trying to develop a nuclear weapons breakout capability.
The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions of its own to press Iran to curb its nuclear activities.

Syria rebukes France for supporting rebels
September 09/Jamal Halaby/Daily Star
AMMAN: Syria lashed out at France on Sunday for backing the rebels seeking to overthrow President Bashar Assad, saying Paris' growing support for the opposition does nothing but undermine the mission of the new U.N. envoy tasked with brokering a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
France, Syria's one-time colonial ruler, has been one of the most outspoken Western critics of the Assad regime, and announced earlier this month that it has begun sending direct aid and money to five rebel-held Syrian cities as part of its intensified efforts to weaken Assad. It was the first such move by a Western power amid mounting calls for the international community to do more to prevent bloodshed.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdessi accused France on Sunday of suffering from "schizophrenia" in its approach to the country's conflict.
"On the one hand, it supports Brahimi's mission, while at the same time it makes statements demonstrating that it supports the militarization of the crisis in Syria," Makdessi told The Associated Press.
French officials have acknowledged providing communications and other non-lethal equipment to Syrian rebel forces, but say they won't provide weapons without international agreement. France played a leading role in the international campaign against Libya's dictator Moammar Gadhafi last year.
The Syrian conflict has its roots in mostly peaceful street protests that started in March last year. It has since morphed into a civil war, with at least 20,000 people killed so far, according to rights activists.
Diplomatic efforts to solve the seemingly intractable conflict have failed so far. A peace plan by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan never got off the ground and Annan quit his post as special U.N. envoy. He was replaced on Sept. 1 by Lakhdar Brahimi, a 78-year-old former Algerian foreign minister.
Makdessi said Sunday that Syria is "fully committed to cooperating with Brahimi," adding that "the only way to make Brahimi's mission a success is the cooperation of all parties to enable him to bring about calmness and then the political process."
The Assad regime made similar public statements of cooperation when it signed on to Annan's peace plan, only to frequently ignore or outright violate its commitments by refusing to pull its troops out of cities and cease its shelling of opposition areas.
Makdessi was implicitly referring to France and Arab countries, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which Damascus accuses of supporting the rebel Free Syrian Army fighting Assad's military onslaught.
Makdessi said the only way to end the Syrian conflict is a "ceasefire by all parties." He said Assad's army will pull out from the streets "once there is a political process as it is now in a state of self-defense and to protect the civilians."Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a Britain-based monitoring group - said fighting raged across Syria on Sunday.
It said clashes between government forces and rebels took place in a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of the capital, Damascus, in the central city of Homs, the commercial capital of Aleppo in the North and in the eastern city of Deir Deir el-Zour, where two people were killed.
It said the worst fighting was reported was reported in Homs, where two bombs exploded in a bus, killing and wounding several military officers and civilians. It did not elaborate.

Advisor to Egyptian President: Girls Not Circumcised "Lacking in Faith"
by Raymond Ibrahim • Sep 8, 2012 at 3:47 pm
Cross-posted from Jihad Watch
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/2012/09/female-advisor-to-egyptian-president-girls-not
Earlier this week, Egypt's Tahrir News conducted an interview with Dr. Amima Kamal, advisor to President Morsi on Women's Affairs, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, and a member of the Constituent Assembly. Women's Affairs Advisor to President Morsi: Uncircumcised woman "lacking in faith." The discussion about female circumcision, or female genital mutilation, is causing some controversy. When asked what advice she would give to President Morsi concerning this practice, she said she would tell him that it should only be performed when the girl reaches puberty, and that it is wrong to perform it, as sometimes happens, when the girl is only seven or eight years old. Despite coming off somewhat neutral at times, saying for instance that the practice is not strictly Islamic, although it is permissible, at one point she asserted that those girls who do not have the operation performed are "lacking in faith [iman]."Criticism naturally followed—including from Egypt's National Council for Women, which condemned Kamal's remarks as "against the dignity of Egyptian women"—and Kamal now denies making the comment. In fact, Egyptian female politicians talking about how women are "lacking" is becoming commonplace. Earlier, for example, another female political candidate associated with the Salafi party said that women are lacking in "intelligence."