LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 09/12

Bible Quotation for today/ ‘The harvest is plentiful,
Saint Luke 10/01-07/"After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!" And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house"

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources
Is Tlass’s defection not important/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/July 08/12
Egypt's Sex-Slave Marriage/by Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/July 08/12

Fingerprints Obtained in Harb Murder Bid as Wait Continues for Complete Telecom Data
Naharnet Newsdesk 08 July 2012/ Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji expressed hope on Saturday that the perpetrators behind the assassination attempt against opposition MP Butros Harb may be found, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Sunday. Informed sources revealed that fingerprints at the scene of the failed assassination attempt have been lifted, saying that they belong to the individual who sought to place an explosive device in elevator shaft of the building where the lawmaker’s office is located. The fingerprints have been lifted off the toolkit that the criminal left behind when he was discovered by residents in the building while he was still setting the device. The daily added that not all of the telecom data in the incident have been handed over to the security forces.
Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui had informed Harb on Saturday that he will hand over the complete data to the security forces in line with the rules set by the judicial authority.He informed the MP that he will propose the matter at cabinet during its session at the Baabda Palace on Monday. Security forces said the information was incomplete over the failure of delivering the security agencies what is known as the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. A high-ranking security authority stressed to the daily in remarks published on Sunday the need for the Telecommunications Ministry to hand over the complete data. “This step should be complete before Monday otherwise the cabinet would be forced to take measures that would help rectify the situation,” it said. Harb stressed on Saturday that he will delay briefing the public about the details on the assassination attempt against him. He made his remarks after holding talks with Qahwaji on the investigations in the murder attempt on Saturday. “The information obtained by the security agencies gives us hope that we’re on the right track to reveal the identities of the offenders,” the lawmaker said.
The March 14 opposition coalition has held the government responsible for the assassination bid on Harb for withholding the telecom data to uncover similar plots.
Harb escaped an assassination bid on Thursday after residents of a building in which his office is located in the Beirut district of Badaro discovered individuals trying to booby-trap the elevator.
A string of high-level assassinations struck Lebanon between 2004 and 2008, targeting political, media and security figures who vocally opposed the Syrian government, including former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in a powerful car bomb blast in February 2005.

Egypt's Morsi annuls dissolution of parliament: MENA
By Mona Salem | AFP/Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi annulled the Supreme Court's dissolution of the Islamist-dominated parliament on Sunday, the official media said, setting the stage for a possible confrontation with the military. "President Morsi has issued a presidential decree annulling the decision taken on June 15, 2012 to dissolve the people's assembly, and invites the chamber to convene again and to exercise its prerogatives," the MENA news agency said.
His move risks heightening tensions with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which took over after the ouster last year of long-time strongman Hosni Mubarak, after a popular revolt.
The news agency said the SCAF convened an "urgent meeting under the chairmanship of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to discuss the presidential measures."
MENA said Sunday's decree stipulates "the organisation of elections for the chamber, 60 days after the approval by referendum of the country's new constitution and the adoption of a new law regulating parliament." No date has yet been set for the drafting of the post-Mubarak constitution. The 100-member commission tasked with drawing it up met for the first time on June 18 and appointed a respected judge, Hossam al-Ghariani, as its head. The military dissolved parliament last month after Egypt's top court made its controversial ruling, a day before the second round of the presidential poll that saw the Islamist Morsi become Egypt's first democratically elected head of state. The powerful Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi stood down after his election, at the time described the move as a "soft coup," accusing the military of seeking to monopolise power and demanding a referendum. The Supreme Constitutional Court had said certain articles in the law governing parliamentary elections were invalid, annulling the Islamist-led house.
It also ruled as unconstitutional the political isolation law, which sought to bar senior members of Mubarak's regime and top members of his now-dissolved party from running for public office for 10 years.
Morsi beat Ahmed Shafiq -- Mubarak's last prime minister -- in the presidential election. In the absence of a parliament -- in which nearly half of the seats had been won by the Muslim Brotherhood and another quarter by hardline Salafists -- the SCAF assumed legislative power.Instead of being sworn in before parliament, the 60-year-old Morsi took the oath on June 30 before the constitutional court.
US President Barack Obama will meet Egypt's new president at the UN General Assembly in New York in September, an official in Washington told AFP on Sunday.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is to visit Cairo on July 14, has congratulated Morsi on his election but cautioned that his victory was just a first step towards true democracy.
"We have heard some very positive statements so far," Clinton said.
But the historic vote was "just the beginning of hard work, and hard work requires pluralism, respecting the rights of minorities, an independent judiciary and independent media," she said.
"We expect President Morsi to demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity that is manifested by representatives of the women of Egypt, of the Coptic Christian community, of the secular, non-religious community and young people," she added. Clinton's deputy, Bill Burns, was in Cairo on Sunday on the last day of a three-day visit for a wide range of meetings.
The State Department said Burns would "affirm the US commitment to supporting Egypt's democratic transition, central to which is forming a government that respects the rights of all Egyptian citizens, including women and religious minorities."Despite Morsi's Islamist background, the confirmation of his election brought relief to Obama's administration, which feared that the military would not accept his victory and provoke new chaos in Egypt.Morsi put Washington further at ease shortly after his victory announcement when he pledged to be a leader for all Egypt, where around 10 percent of the population is Christian, and to honour the country's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

Hariri: Lebanese Not Surprised that Govt. Doesn’t Care if Citizens Killed by Syrian Regime
Naharnet /08 July 2012/Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slammed on Sunday the government for its “total disrespect of the lives of our citizens and our sovereignty” given the recent unrest in northern Lebanon.He said via Twitter: “The Lebanese are not surprised their government doesn't care if our citizens are killed and sovereignty violated by Syrian regime.” “The killing of two Lebanese citizens and injuring of ten others by Syrian regime forces in North Lebanon yesterday is unacceptable,” he stressed. “The silence of the Lebanese government is even more unacceptable,” he said. “The least any government should do is lodge a protest with the regime's ambassador in Lebanon, if not the Arab League and United Nations,” stated the former premier. “In fact all Lebanese know this government was appointed to facilitate such crimes to begin with,” Hariri noted. Three people were killed and another seven injured on Saturday as shells and Rocket Propelled Grenades landed on the northern area of Wadi Khaled from the Syrian side of the border. The National News Agency said gunfire erupted near the northern and northeastern border with Lebanon between Syrian troops and gunmen at dawn and was followed by intense shelling. Two Syrians were killed and two others injured when an RPG hit a center for refugees in the town of al-Hishe before noon. More than 20 shells had reached Lebanese villages in Wadi Khaled between 1:15 am and 3:00 am which left 19-year-old Nadia al-Oaishi dead in al-Mhatta neighborhood and two children Ahmed and Mustafa al-Makhal injured, NNA said.

MP Khaled al-Daher Tells Govt. to 'Perform its Duties' in Abdul Wahed Case or Face 'Civil Disobedience'
Naharnet /08 July 2012/Akkar MP Khaled al-Daher on Sunday called on the government to “perform its duties” concerning the case of Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Wahed and his companion or else face “civil disobedience.” “The Lebanese must be ready to defend their country. The government must perform its duties or else it will witness something it did not experience before and we might declare civil disobedience,” Daher said during a meeting in the Akkar town of al-Bireh, Abdul Wahed’s hometown. The meeting discussed the recent release of army officers linked to the shooting deaths of Abul Wahed and his companion Sheikh Mohammed Merheb at an army checkpoint in the Akkar town of al-Kweikhat. “We will stage a sit-in outside (Prime Minister Najib) Miqati's residence and outside the Grand Serail until we obtain our right,” Daher warned. “They want to undermine Lebanon for the sake of the Syrian regime and that's what some March 8 leaders have threatened us with,” the lawmaker charged.
“From the very beginning, we called for an impartial judiciary and said that the Military Court is not eligible to issue a ruling in the case of Sheikh Abdul Wahed,” he added.
Daher, however, promised that the possible escalatory steps would be peaceful. “We promise the Lebanese that we will not harm anyone's security and will not block roads or burn tires and that we will defend our right peacefully yet sternly and we are under the law and with the constitution,” Daher pledged. He accused the government of being “an accomplice in the killing of the Lebanese and in the assassination crimes and the withholding of telecom data from security agencies to distort the truth,” in reference to the recent attempt on MP Boutros Harb’s life. The security situation will likely impose itself as the main issue of discussion during cabinet’s session on Monday given the recent unrest on the border with Syria and the protests over the release of officers linked to the deaths of the two sheikhs, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday. It said that the severity of the situation may force the government to take decisive action in the affairs in order to avoid its further deterioration. Protests broke out on Friday in light of a decision to release three officers and eight soldiers who were held for their connection to the deaths of Abdul Wahed and Merheb at an army checkpoint in May.Angry residents in Akkar condemned the decision and blocked roads in protest. A meeting of Akkar officials late on Thursday demanded that Abdul Wahed and Merheb's case be referred to the Judicial Council.

Hariri: Lebanese Not Surprised that Govt. Doesn’t Care if Citizens Killed by Syrian Regime
Naharnet/08 July 2012/Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri slammed on Sunday the government for its “total disrespect of the lives of our citizens and our sovereignty” given the recent unrest in northern Lebanon. He said via Twitter: “The Lebanese are not surprised their government doesn't care if our citizens are killed and sovereignty violated by Syrian regime.”
“The killing of two Lebanese citizens and injuring of ten others by Syrian regime forces in North Lebanon yesterday is unacceptable,” he stressed. “The silence of the Lebanese government is even more unacceptable,” he said. “The least any government should do is lodge a protest with the regime's ambassador in Lebanon, if not the Arab League and United Nations,” stated the former premier. “In fact all Lebanese know this government was appointed to facilitate such crimes to begin with,” Hariri noted. Three people were killed and another seven injured on Saturday as shells and Rocket Propelled Grenades landed on the northern area of Wadi Khaled from the Syrian side of the border. The National News Agency said gunfire erupted near the northern and northeastern border with Lebanon between Syrian troops and gunmen at dawn and was followed by intense shelling. Two Syrians were killed and two others injured when an RPG hit a center for refugees in the town of al-Hishe before noon.
More than 20 shells had reached Lebanese villages in Wadi Khaled between 1:15 am and 3:00 am which left 19-year-old Nadia al-Oaishi dead in al-Mhatta neighborhood and two children Ahmed and Mustafa al-Makhal injured, NNA said.

Al-Rahi: Mistrust Has Grown among Lebanese due to Some Sides’ Allegiance to Regional Axes
إNaharnet/ 08 July 2012/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi urged on Sunday the government to exert “all efforts” to protect the Lebanese along the border with Syria, especially in the regions of Wadi Khaled and Akkar.He noted during his Sunday sermon: “Mistrust has grown among the political factions because of their allegiances to regional and international axes that have never served Lebanon’s interests.”“The government must impose its authority along the border by deploying the army and preventing any arms smuggling,” he said. “Some Lebanese powers’ have been eager to impose their authority and monopolize the country’s political decisions and public funds,” he added. “These reasons have led to the spread of arms in Lebanon and the establishment of closed security zones outside the authority of the state,” continued the patriarch. “Unrest and assassinations have increased as a result of the situation. We pray to God to inspire the officials to end the current flawed situation in order to restore coexistence among the Lebanese,” declared al-Rahi.Three people were killed and another seven injured on Saturday as shells and Rocket Propelled Grenades landed on the northern area of Wadi Khaled from the Syrian side of the border. The National News Agency said gunfire erupted near the northern and northeastern border with Lebanon between Syrian troops and gunmen at dawn and was followed by intense shelling. Two Syrians were killed and two others injured when an RPG hit a center for refugees in the town of al-Hishe before noon.
More than 20 shells had reached Lebanese villages in Wadi Khaled between 1:15 am and 3:00 am which left 19-year-old Nadia al-Oaishi dead in al-Mhatta neighborhood and two children Ahmed and Mustafa al-Makhal injured, NNA said.

Bassil Says FPM Not Boycotting Govt. or Seeking its Collapse
Naharnet/08 July 2012/Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil on Sunday denied that the Free Patriotic Movement was boycotting government, describing the FPM’s shunning of two cabinet sessions last week as an “act of protest.”“We’re not seeking the collapse of the government but we don’t want meaningless sessions,” Bassil told LBC television.Asked about contacts with the FPM’s ally Hizbullah, Bassil said: “What’s important is implementing the things we agree on with Hizbullah.”The minister also stressed that his bloc is keen on preserving the country, adding that it will confront anyone seeking to harm it.According to information obtained by LBC, the ministers of the Change and Reform bloc will hold consultations with FPM leader MP Michel Aoun ahead of the cabinet session on Monday before taking the appropriate decision.LBC said there is an inclination to avoid escalation, noting that Hizbullah will also try to bridge differences between its main allies, the FPM and AMAL Movement.

Young Lebanese Ready to Fight alongside Syrian 'Brothers'
Naharnet /08 July 2012/About 20 armed men enter a dilapidated barn in northeastern Lebanon, preparing to sneak across the border and fight alongside their Syrian "brothers" against the regime in Damascus. The young men decide to rest briefly at the farm near Al-Qaa in the Bekaa Valley, their arms and baggage placed against a wall. The volunteers aim is to join the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA), which is made up mostly of Syrian army deserters. Reclining on mattresses on the ground, they dip bread into tins of sardines or tuna, their evening meal. "We will cross the border to go to Idlib (in northwest Syria). The FSA is trying to retake the city and needs all the help it can get. Let's go for it," says Abdel Hakim. Like his comrades, the young man from the Baalbek region has dropped everything to go fight in Syria. For security reasons, they choose not to reveal their full identities. "I worked in a mobile phone shop and with my savings I bought an old Kalashnikov on the black market and 10 magazines," Bilal says with a grin. "This is the first time I leave Lebanon and it's to fight in Syria. I'm afraid when I see the images on TV but I'm prepared to die if God wills. For my family, it would be an honor if I became a martyr of the Syrian revolution," Bilal says. "They are our brothers. We must rush to their help," he says.
"I live in a village controlled by Hizbullah. There, everyone supports President (Bashar) Assad and if you say otherwise you can get into a lot of trouble," Bilal says. He says the authorities in Lebanon have sided with Assad's regime. "Lebanon plays an important role in what is happening in Syria. It closes its border and pursues those who support the FSA, while Shiite militiamen cross freely to fight alongside the regime. It's time to balance things out."The most outwardly religious of the group, Osama Salem, spells out his goal. "We are going to Syria to carry out jihad (holy war) with our Syrian brothers and overthrow the tyrant Assad ... Since the international community has chosen to do nothing ... it must be Muslims themselves who solve the problem." He fingers his prayer beads while listening to the Koran on his mobile. "You tell me that it's Al-Qaida or Islamic fundamentalist groups fighting in Syria ... If they are, it's only your (the West's) fault for allowing Bashar Assad to stay in power by killing people," he says, stroking his beard.
Some young Syrians are also in the group. They live in the border area of Arsal, where they have fled in past months.
"Every Syrian family living in the region of Arsal has one or two members fighting for the FSA," says Zaid, explaining that families finance the purchase of weapons on the black market.
"We buy weapons from the soldiers of Bashar Assad. We buy assault rifles, grenades, RPGs, but now we need heavy weapons and missiles to destroy tanks and helicopters," he says.
"A Kalashnikov is good for killing people, but it is useless against an armored vehicle," he says coldly.
"Here, nobody helps us. Neither Qatar nor Saudi Arabia gives us money to buy weapons or ammunition. They help us by giving food," he says, referring to Assad's most outspoken Arab opponents.
International envoy Kofi Annan acknowledged the failure so far of his mission to bring peace to Syria, as more than 60 people were killed in violence on Saturday that also spilled over into Lebanon.
*Agence France Presse.

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel: Current government ‘worst’ in Lebanon history
July 8, 2012 /Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel said Sunday that the current government was the “worst in the history of Lebanon.” “The solution [for the country’s problems] starts with [the government’s] resignation [and with attempts to] reconcile with the international community and to resolve the [issue of] non-state arms,” the National News Agency quoted Gemayel as saying. Gemayel who said he did not fear political vacuum, added that the present government “is a void within itself.” He also called on the opposition, led by the Western-backed March 14 alliance, to embrace “solidarity and play the role of a political resistance.” The present government is led by Premier Najib Mikati and is comprised of ministers affiliated with the pro-Syrian regime March 8 coalition. The Kataeb Party is a main pillar in the March 14 alliance which is at odds with the March 8 camp. -NOW Lebanon

Labor Minister Salim Jreissati surprised by calls to send Abdel Wahed case to Justice Council
July 8, 2012 /Labor Minister Salim Jreissati voiced his surprise Sunday over calls for transferring a case related to the killing of a Sunni cleric from the Military Court to the Justice Council.
“A sensible person does not transfer the military institution to the Justice Council,” Jreissati told Al-Manar television station. Army troops shot dead Sunni Shiekh Ahmad Abdel Wahed and his bodyguard in May when his convoy allegedly failed to stop at a checkpoint in North Lebanon, the scene of deadly clashes linked to the uprising in Syria. Earlier in the day, the committee of Muslim scholars in Lebanon called in a statement for sending the murder case of Abdel Wahed and his bodyguard to the Justice Council. Regarding Monday’s scheduled cabinet session Jreissati told Al-Manar that the Change and Reform bloc “has not yet discussed [boycotting] the meeting. This means that we will participate [tomorrow].” In turn, Change and Reform bloc MP Simon Abi Ramia told Future News television station that “talks on the possibility of [Change and Reform bloc] ministers attending tomorrow’s cabinet session will continue until [Monday] to announce [the final decision].” Change and Reform bloc lawmakers and ministers boycotted a parliament and cabinet sessions on July 3. The boycott came after the parliament approved on July 2 a draft law to conduct an assessment for EDL hourly-wage employees in an attempt to select those competent for hiring. -NOW Lebanon

Senator John McCain slams “shameful” US inaction on Syria
July 8, 2012 /Senator John McCain accused President Barack Obama and his administration on Sunday of leading a "shameful and disgraceful" US response to the carnage in Syria.
"The fact is, the United States has played no leadership role," the influential senator and former Republican presidential candidate told CBS television, referring to efforts to halt the brutal 16-month crackdown. "Now 14,000 people have been massacred by [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad. The United States of America, its performance so far has been shameful and disgraceful."
McCain, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and a leading voice in Congress on military and security matters, has argued for months that Washington should deliver weapons to aid rebel forces in Syria seeking to oust Assad. Obama has demanded that Assad stand down and offered logistical support to the opposition, but his administration – which is seeking to wind down a decade of war in Afghanistan after ending the controversial Iraq mission – has ruled out using force in Syria. International efforts to squeeze by isolating Assad and seeking sanctions against his regime have been frustrated by Russian and Chinese opposition at the UN Security Council. "It is shameful, the total lack of leadership that the United States has displayed for the last 14 months," McCain said. "The president of the United States should be speaking out for the people of Syria." McCain renewed his call for military aid as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, an international envoy on the Syria crisis, conceded Sunday that his efforts so far have failed to end nearly 16 months of bloodshed. "We should get arms to them so that we can balance the forces," he said. "It is not a fair fight. Russian arms are pouring in, Iranians are on the ground, and people are being massacred, tortured, raped, and murdered as a matter of policy by Assad."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that time was running out for Assad and his regime and it needed to start a political transition to save the country from a "catastrophic assault."
"It should be abundantly clear to those who support the Assad regime their days are numbered," Clinton told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on Afghanistan in Tokyo.Clinton was speaking after attending talks in Paris on Friday in which countries pledged to increase pressure on Assad to step down by seeking a tough UN resolution backed by a threat of sanctions.
But McCain urged faster more concrete action. "We need to establish a sanctuary so that they can organize, they can resist, and the can prevail," he said.
"I believe that someday he, Assad will go, my question is to the secretary of state and the president of the United States is, how many more have to die before we take action to help these people with other nations?"Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League envoy on the Syrian crisis, arrived in Damascus Sunday for talks with Assad but, by his own admission, his peace plan is failing to stop the bloodshed.
More than 17,000 people have now died since the uprising began in March last year, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

EU condemns violence along Syria-Lebanon border
July 8, 2012 /The European Union's top diplomat lashed out at Syria on Sunday over its deadly rocket fire along the border that left two girls dead and 10 other people wounded in northern Lebanon.
EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton's office released a statement saying she “strongly condemns the recent shelling of the Lebanese border area by Syrian artillery, causing several deaths and injuries.”
“The repeated incursions must stop immediately,” the statement added, while calling on the Syrian regime to “respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its neighbors.”Ashton's office said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime has “had tragic effects” in Syria and elsewhere and commended Lebanon for helping Syrian refugees.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Iran warns against “catastrophic” attack on Syria
July 8, 2012
Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Sunday that forcing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and go into exile would be a "joke," warning an attack on his country would be "stupid" and "catastrophic.""Iran supports Assad's reform plans and the talk about forcing him to go into exile is a joke," Hossein Amir Abdollahian told reporters in Amman, where he invited King Abdullah II to attend an August summit of Non-Aligned Movement. "Military action Syria is unlikely and if this happens it would be stupid. Syria can defend itself without Iran's help. Any non-political solution would bring catastrophe to the entire region," he said. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday his country, Russia and the United States are not ready to host Assad in exile, while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday warned time was running out to save Syria from a "catastrophic assault." "Iran could be part of a solution to the Syrian issue. It has provided suggestions to [UN-Arab League special envoy] Kofi Annan," said Abdollahian of the UN and Arab League envoy. Annan arrived in Damascus on Sunday after admitting that his peace plan has so far failed to end nearly 16 months of carnage. "I think that meetings on Syria that are held in some countries seek to make sure the crisis in Syria continues. The Syrians must determine their own fate," Abdollahian added.
"Iran backs all efforts to address the crisis and help Assad's reform plans, but unfortunately we sense bad intention." Iran is Assad's chief regional ally, supplying him with humanitarian and financial aid. Some Iranian and US reports have said Iranian military personnel were in Syria and helping in the crackdown against opposition groups, although Tehran officially denies that. More than 17,000 people, including 11,815 civilians, have been killed in Syria since the outbreak of the revolt in March 2011, according to monitors.-AFP/NOW Lebanon

Annan arrives in Damascus, Syria tests missiles
By Oliver Holme/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Kofi Annan arrived in Damascus on Sunday evening for talks with President Bashar al-Assad, his spokesman said, a day after the international peace envoy admitted that his peace plan had so far failed to end 16 months of bloodshed. Syria's navy fired live missiles from ships and helicopters over the weekend, in an exercise aiming at demonstrating its ability to "defend Syria's shores against any possible aggression", state media said. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrian opposition forces were growing more effective and the sooner the violence ended, the better were the chances of sparing Syria's government from a "catastrophic assault" by rebel fighters. Assad said U.S. political support for "terrorists" was hindering Annan's peace plan and accused several Middle Eastern countries of supplying the rebels with arms and other support.
Syrian television aired video of a variety of missiles being fired from launchers on land and from ships, with Defence Minister Dawud Abdallah Rahijia in attendance.
"Naval Forces conducted an operational live fire exercise on Saturday, using missiles launched from the sea and coast, helicopters and missile boats, simulating a scenario of repelling a sudden attack from the sea," Syrian news agency SANA said, adding that maneuvers would continue for several days. Opposition figures have called for a no-fly zone and NATO strikes against Syrian forces, similar to those carried out in Libya last year which enabled rebel ground forces to end the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. But while Assad has faced sanctions and international condemnation over his crackdown on dissent which has left thousands dead, major Western and Arab powers have shied away from direct military action. Turkey has reinforced its border and scrambled fighter aircraft several times since Syria shot down a Turkish reconnaissance jet on June 22 over what Damascus said were Syrian territorial waters in the Mediterranean. Ankara said the incident occurred in international air space.
"SAND IS RUNNING OUT"
"The sooner there can be an end to the violence and a beginning of a political transition process, not only will fewer people die, but there is a chance to save the Syrian state from a catastrophic assault that would be very dangerous not only to Syria but to the region," Clinton told a Tokyo news conference.
She appeared to be referring to the possibility of Syrian rebels launching such an assault on state institutions rather than to any outside intervention.
"There is no doubt that the opposition is getting more effective in their defence of themselves and in going on the offence against the Syrian military and the Syrian government's militias. So, the future ... should be abundantly clear to those who support the Assad regime," Clinton added.
"The sand is running out of the hour glass."
In an interview due to be broadcast on German television later on Sunday, Assad said countries providing material and political support to the rebels were hindering Annan's peace plan.
"We know that (Annan) is coming up against countless obstacles but his plan should not be allowed to fail, it is a very good plan," Assad told German television channel Das Erste.
Assad accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of providing weapons to the rebels and Turkey of giving logistical help to smuggle in supplies.
"The biggest obstacle is that many countries do not even want this plan to succeed so they offer political support and continue to provide the terrorists in Syria with arms and money," Assad said, according to a transcript in German of the interview conducted in English on July 5.
More than 30 people were killed on Sunday during a government bombardment and clashes between Syrian forces and Free Syrian Army rebels fighting to oust Assad, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Activists reported heavy shelling in residential areas of Deir al-Zor city and in Deraa province, the birthplace of the revolt near the Jordanian border.
Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Observatory, said residents of al-Sharifa in the wider Deir al-Zor province were reporting that rebels had for the first time taken over a tank and were using it to attack army positions.
The rebels have gained confidence in recent weeks, staging bolder attacks, holding pockets of territory across the country and clashing with troops only a few miles from the presidential palace in Damascus.
NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS
Annan arrived with deputy Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad at the Dama Rose hotel in the capital, where U.N. observers have been staying since suspending their patrols because of a steep increase in the level of violence.
U.N. and government sources said Annan and Assad would not meet on Sunday.
"Clearly, we have not succeeded. And maybe there is no guarantee that we will succeed," Annan told the French daily le Monde in an interview published on Saturday.
He said that Western criticism of Russia was diverting attention from the role of other countries in backing Assad and arming his soldiers, notably Iran. Assad has been Shi'ite Iran's main ally in the Arab world. "Russia has influence, but I don't think that events will be determined by Russia alone. What strikes me is that there is so much talk about Russia and much less about Iran, and little is said about other countries that are sending money and weapons," Annan said.
Sunni Gulf states Saudi Arabia and Qatar have called for the arming and funding of the rebel forces.
"All these countries say they want a peaceful solution, but they undertake individual and collective actions that undermine the very meaning of (U.N.) Security Council resolutions," he added.
(Additional reporting by Marwan Makdessi in Damascus and Arshad Mohammed in Tokyo; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Leader Calls for Jihad on Israel
by Raymond Ibrahim • Jul 7, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Cross-posted from Jihad Watch
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/2012/07/muslim-brotherhood-supreme-leader-calls-for-jihad
This would be the same "leader" of Egypt's new president, the Muslim Brotherhood's Muhammad Morsi—and the man whom some have even portrayed as the true power behind Egypt's presidency, with Morsi acting as his puppet.
According to last Thursday's edition of Al Wafd, during his weekly sermon, "Muhammad Badi, the Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide, confirmed the necessity for every Muslim to strive to save al-Quds [Jerusalem] from the hands of the rapists [Israelis] and to cleanse Palestine from the clutches of the occupation, deeming this an individual duty for all Muslims."
More specifically, he "called on all Muslims to wage jihad with their money and their selves to free al-Quds"—the same exact language one finds in al-Qaeda's tracts.
If this is the position of the Supreme Leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, what can one expect from the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt?

Egypt's Sex-Slave Marriage
by Raymond IbrahimظGatestone Institute
http://www.meforum.org/3280/egypt-sex-slave-marriage
What is being dubbed as Egypt's "first sex-slave marriage" took place mere days after the Muslim Brotherhood's Muhammad Morsi was made president.
Last Monday, on the Egyptian TV show Al Haqiqa ("the Truth"), journalist Wael al-Ibrashi began the program by airing a video-clip of a man, Abd al-Rauf Awn, "marrying" his "slave." Before making the woman, who had a non-Egyptian accent, repeat the Koran's Surat al-Ikhlas after him, instead of saying the customary "I marry myself to you," the woman said "I enslave myself to you," and kissed him in front of an applauding audience.
Sheikh Awn telling his concubine-bride what to say during their "nuptial vows," which included her "enslavement" to the self-proclaimed Sharia expert.
Then, even though she was wearing a hijab, her owner-husband declared her forbidden from such trappings, commanding her to be stripped of them, so as "not to break Allah's laws." She took her veil and abaya off, revealing, certainly by Muslim standards, a promiscuous red dress (all the other women present were veiled). The man claps for her as the video-clip (which can be viewed here) ends.
The owner-husband, Abd al-Rauf Awn, then appeared on the show, identifying himself as an Islamic scholar and expert at Islamic jurisprudence who studied at Al Azhar. He gave several Islamic explanations to justify his "marriage," from Islamic prophet Muhammad's "sunna" or practice of "marrying" enslaved captive women, to Koran 4:3, which commands Muslim men to "Marry such women as seem good to you, two and three and four… or what your right hands possess."
For all practical purposes, and to avoid euphemisms, "what your right hands possess"—also known in Arabic as a melk al-yamin—is, according to Islamic doctrine and history, simply a sex-slave. Linguistic evidence further suggests that she is seen more as a possession than a human.
Even stripping the sex-slave of her hijab, the way Awn commanded his concubine-wife, has precedent. According to Islamic jurisprudence, whereas the free (Muslim) woman is mandated to be veiled behind a hijab, sex-slaves are mandated only to be covered from the navel to the knees—with everything else exposed. During the program Awn even explained how Caliph Omar, one of the first "righteous caliphs," used to strip sex-slaves of their garments, whenever he saw them overly dressed in the marketplace.
Awn further explained that sex-slave marriage is ideal for today's Egyptian society. He based his position on ijtihad, a recognized form of jurisprudence, whereby a Muslim scholar comes up with a new idea—one that is still rooted in the Koran and example of Muhammad—yet one that better fits the circumstances of contemporary society.
He argued that, when it comes to marriage, "we Muslims have overly complicated things," so that men are often forced to be single throughout their prime, finally getting married between the ages of 30-40 (when they might be expected to have a sufficient income to open a household). Similarly, many Egyptian women do not want to wear the hijab in public.
The solution, according to Awn, is to reinstitute sex-slavery—allowing men to marry and copulate much earlier in life, and women who want to dress freely to do so, as technically they are sex-slaves and mandated to go about loosely attired, anyway.
The other guest on the show, Dr. Abdullah al-Naggar, a professor of Islamic jurisprudence at Al Azhar, fiercely attacked Awn for reviving this practice, calling on him and his slave-wife to "repent" and stop dishonoring Islam, arguing that "there is no longer sex-slavery"—to which Awn responded by sarcastically asking, "Who said sex-slavery is over? What—because the UN said so?"
In many ways, this exchange between Awn, who advocates sex-slave marriage, and the Al Azhar professor symbolizes the clash between today's "Islamists" and "moderate Muslims." For long, Al Azhar has been primarily engaged in the delicate balancing act of affirming Islam while still advocating modernity according to Western standards, whereas the Islamists—from the Muslim Brotherhood to the Salafis—bred with contempt and disrespect for the West, are only too eager to revive distinctly Islamic practices that defy Western sensibilities.
While this may be the first sex-slave marriage to take place in Egypt's recent history, it is certainly not the first call to revive the practice. Earlier, Egyptian Sheikh Huwaini, lamenting that the "good old days" of Islam are over, declared that, in an ideal Muslim society, "when I want a sex-slave [I should be able to go] to the market and pick whichever female I desire and buy her." Likewise, a Kuwaiti female politician advocated for reviving the institute of sex-slavery, suggesting that Muslims should bring female captives of war—specifically Russian women from the Chechnya war—and sell them to Muslim men in the markets of Kuwait.
And so the "Arab Spring" continues to blossom.
*Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Is Tlass’s defection not important?
By Tariq Alhomayed
Asharq Al-Awsat
One of the officials associated with the tyrant of Damascus rushed to say that the defection of Brigadier General Manaf Tlass “means nothing” adding “if Syrian intelligence had wanted to arrest him it would have”. So can we believe this statement? Is it possible that Tlass’s defection is not important to the al-Assad regime, which is arresting and killing all those who oppose it, even children? This is not to mention the fact that Manaf Tlass was a childhood friend of al-Assad. The simple answer to this is: nonsense!
The defection of Manaf Tlass is like an earthquake; this represents a blow to the heart of the regime! Repressive regimes, such as the al-Assad regime, do not accept its prestige being compromised, which is something that it engineers out of iron and fire. So how can the defection of al-Assad’s childhood friend be meaningless? More than this, the defected brigadier general is the son of the former Syrian Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Mustafa Tlass, who himself was a personal friend and companion of Hafez al-Assad. Whilst Tlass senior did not defect from the regime of al-Assad senior following the Hama massacre, despite the fact that he was a Sunni military commander, as is his son today. Mustafa Tlass also knew Hafez al-Assad from before the coup that brought the al-Assad family to power in Syria. Therefore, the defection of Manaf Tlass is important, and represents a painful blow to the tyrant of Damascus. Tlass defected today, taking the opposite course of action pursued by his father – who remained loyal to the regime – which means that he is aware that there is no hope of al-Assad’s survival, and that the ship will inevitably sink.
The defection of Manaf Tlass, the childhood friend of al-Assad, means that an important repository of secrets about Bashar al-Assad is now open to the West. Tlass will have information regarding those close to Bashar al-Assad, the composition of his current regime, and what is truly going on in the corridors of Damascus today. This is not to mention that Tlass will have insider information regarding the regime’s thinking and management of its crimes and suppression of the peaceful Syrian revolution over the past 17 months. This is something that has persisted to the point that the Syrian people have been forced to take up arms to defend their lives and honor. He will also be aware of other information regarding the previous history of the al-Assad rule, whether in Syria, Lebanon or Iraq, and much more besides. In addition to this, Tlass’s defection means the death of the Sunni alliance with al-Assad, for this defection is an important indication that the Sunnis who benefit from allying with al-Assad are no longer able to justify the regime’s crimes against the Syrian people.The story does not stop here, for the defection of Tlass – a commander of the Republican Guards, under Maher al-Assad – means that the scope of disunity and fragmentation in Syria has increased, even reaching the forces most trusted by the al-Assad family. This represents a crack in the unity of the regime, whilst it also means that al-Assad is no longer in control of Syria. This is something that has been stated by numerous sources, and something that I previously mentioned in this column. Therefore the defection of Manaf Tlass, which is accompanied by other defections from the Damascus regime, means that al-Assad is no longer in full control of all of Syrian territory. More importantly than this, al-Assad is no longer even in control of his own military leadership, and this automatically means that the al-Assad police state is incapable of differentiating between who is with it and who is against it, even in the circles closest to al-Assad personally!
Therefore, the claim that Manaf Tlass’s defection from the al-Assad regime is not important – as is being repeated by the regime itself – is nonsense. This is nothing more than an attempt to absorb this shocking earthquake, which will no doubt be followed by other fatal after-shocks.