September 23/13
John 12:24: "Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit." 
We, Strongly condemn the hatred and violence behind a twin horrible and savage suicide bombing at a church in northwest Pakistan that left on Sunday over 80 people dead and many others injured mostly children and women in what is believed to be the country's deadliest attack on Christians. 
This oppressive and terrorist path is not the right one because it leads nowhere, and clearly shows that the Pakistani Government has failed to safeguard its own Christian citizens that make 3% of its population.
We call on the Pakistani authorities to bring those who are responsible for this horrible crime to justice and to protect those who seek to worship in peace, free from fear and intimidation.
It is worth mentioning that all minorities in Pakistan including the Christians are unjustly treated as second class citizens and deprived from most of their basic human rights.
Meanwhile we also condemn the terrorist and cowardice assault that hit yesterday a mall in Nairobi/Kenya killing and injuring many innocent individuals including two Canadian citizens. We believe that this senseless act of violence is a mere terrorism act that needs to be dealt with accordingly.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of all the victims in both attacks.
On behalf of all those in our Canadian-Lebanese community who share our LCCC (Lebanese Canadian Coordination Council) peace mission, aims and goals, we send our thoughts and prayers to those affected by yesterday's heinous violence in Pakistan and Kenya and wish the injured quick recovery.
Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/
 

Hezbollah hails security plan
Kissinger saw benefits of Syria entering Lebanon
Miscellaneous Reports And News
Analysis: Nairobi attack may trigger tighter security at malls worldwide
Suicide bombers attack church in northwest Pakistan, kill 78 people
Kenyan forces rescue ‘most’ hostages
Pope Francis Condemns Deadly Pakistan Church Attack
Kenya minister says 59 killed in mall attack
Kenyan president says 39 dead in mall attack, will beat terrorists
Canada Mourns Loss of Canadian Public Servant in Kenya
Attack on Pakistani church kills over 60 people
Canada Condemns Attack in Pakistan
Somali Islamist attack on Kenyan mall kills 59: minister
Top Lawmaker Urges Watch on U.S. Somalis after Kenya Attack
Pope Francis attacks global economics for worshipping 'god of money'
Despite thaw, resolving Iranian nuclear dispute a huge challenge
Israeli Forces Join Kenya Battle to End Deadly Mall Siege
Israeli commando force joins Kenyan military storming Nairobi mall seized by Islamist gunmen
Syrian opposition says willing to attend Geneva talks
US 'blackmailing' Russia over Syria resolution: Lavrov
Syrian general: Assad ordered me to gas people
Syrian Opposition Delegation at U.N. for General Assembly
Qaida-Affiliated Groups Clash in Syria as Suicide Bomb Hits Police Post
Syria meets deadline for chemical weapons disclosure
Syrian opposition dismisses Iran's offer to be mediator in civil war
Mortar shell lands in compound of Russian embassy in Syria
Iran's Revolutionary Guard warns of dangers of dealing with US
Iran's president says Tehran seeks revived talks
Iran parades 30 2,000 km range missiles
Rouhani says Iran must retain right to enrich uranium in any deal with West
Foreign minister to lead Iran's new nuclear talks team: agency
Germany begins voting with Merkel set for third term
Saudi women call new day of defiance against driving ban

Pope Francis attacks global economics for worshipping 'god of money'
By Philip Pullella | Reuters By Philip Pullella
CAGLIARI, Sardinia (Reuters) - Pope Francis made one of his strongest attacks on the global economic system on Sunday, saying it could no longer be based on a "god called money" and urged the unemployed to fight for work. Francis, at the start of a day-long trip to the island's capital, put aside his prepared text at a meeting with unemployed workers, including miners in hard hats who told him of their situation, and improvised for nearly 20 minutes. "I find suffering here ... It weakens you and robs you of hope," he said, "Excuse me if I use strong words, but where there is no work there is no dignity."The crowd of tens of thousands of people in a square near the city port chanted "work, work, work" at the gathering, which took on the feel of a union rally. Cagliari has a youth unemployment rate of about 51 percent and much of the island's mining and industrial sectors are in crisis, with many unemployed. But the pope made clear that his assessment was not limited to the local. "It is not a problem of Italy and Europe ... It is the consequence of a world choice, of an economic system that brings about this tragedy, an economic system that has at its center an idol which is called money," he said to the cheers of the crowd. "We don't want this globalised economic system which does us so much harm. Men and women have to be at the center (of an economic system) as God wants, not money," he said. While Francis's predecessor Benedict also called for changes to economic systems, he was more likely to use dense intellectual language.
Francis, who as bishop of Buenos Aires sided with unemployed workers in their conflict with government austerity plans, ended his improvised speech with a prayer asking God to "give us work and teach us to fight for work".
Francis said he did not want the crowd to see him as a "cordial manager of the Church who comes here and says to you 'have courage'".He added: "I don't want this. I want this courage to come from inside me and push me to do everything I can as a pastor and a man."(Editing by Will Waterman)

Pope Francis Condemns Deadly Pakistan Church Attack
Naharnet/Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the hatred and violence behind a twin suicide bombing at a church in northwest Pakistan that left over 70 people dead, in what is believed to be the country's deadliest attack on Christians. "Today, in Pakistan, because of a bad choice of hatred and war, more than 70 people are dead. This path is not the right one, it leads nowhere," the pontiff told thousands of young faithful during a visit to the Italian island of Sardinia.Source/Agence France Presse.

Kenyan forces rescue ‘most’ hostages

 September 23, 2013/Agencies
NAIROBI: Kenya’s military said late Sunday it had rescued “most” of the remaining hostages held by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in an upscale Nairobi mall after launching a major operation to end a two-day standoff that had already killed 68 people.
The assault, which began shortly before sundown, came as two helicopters circled the mall, with one skimming very close to the roof. A loud explosion rang out, far larger than any previous grenade blast or gunfire volley.
Kenyan police said on Twitter that a “MAJOR” assault by security forces was ongoing to end the two-day siege.
“This will end tonight. Our forces will prevail. Kenyans are standing firm against aggression, and we will win,” Kenya’s Disaster Operations Center said on Twitter.Kenya Defense Forces later said it had rescued most hostages and had taken control of most of the mall. Officials did not immediately release the number of hostages rescued or the number that remained. Four Kenyan military personnel were wounded in the operation, the military said.The assault came about 30 hours after 10 to 15 Al-Shabab extremists stormed the mall Saturday from two sides, throwing grenades and firing on civilians.
Loud exchanges of gunfire emanated from inside the four-story upscale mall throughout Sunday. Kenyan troops were seen carrying in at least two rocket propelled grenades.
Al-Shabab militants reacted angrily to the helicopters on Twitter and warned that the Kenyan military action was endangering hostages.
Kenyan officials said they would do their utmost to save hostages’ lives, but no officials could say how many hostages were inside. Kenya’s Red Cross said in a statement citing police that 49 people had been reported missing.
Kenya’s Red Cross said the death toll Sunday rose to 68 after nine bodies were recovered in a joint rescue mission.
A United States State Department spokeswoman condemned the “despicable massacre of innocent men, women and children.” U.S. law enforcement, military and civilian personnel in Nairobi were providing assistance as requested by Kenya, spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked rebel group, Al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack that specifically targeted non-Muslims. The attackers included some women. The Islamist extremist rebels said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces’ 2011 push into neighboring Somalia.
Al-Shabab said on its new Twitter feed – after its previous one was shut down Saturday – that Kenyan officials were asking the hostage-takers to negotiate and offering incentives.
“We’ll not negotiate with the Kenyan govt as long as its forces are invading our country, so reap the bitter fruits of your harvest,” Al-Shabab said in a tweet.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta reiterated his government’s determination to continue fighting Al-Shabab.
“We went as a nation into Somalia to help stabilize the country and most importantly to fight terror that had been unleashed on Kenya and the world,” Kenyatta said. “We shall not relent on the war on terror.”
He said although this violent attack had succeeded, the Kenyan security forces had “neutralized” many others. Earlier in the day Kenyatta said he his nephew and his nephew’s fiancee were killed in the attack.
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told reporters at the mall that “quite a number” of people were being held hostage in two locations of the mall, which includes stores for Nike, Adidas and Bose. Many hostages were believed to be in a grocery and general department store called Nakumatt. Kenyan security officials sought to reassure the families of hostages but implied that hostages could be killed. The security operation is “delicate” because Kenyan forces hoped to ensure the hostages are evacuated safely, said Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku.
“The priority is to save as many lives as possible,” Lenku said, adding that more than 1,000 people escaped the attack inside the mall on Saturday.
“We have received a lot of messages from friendly countries, but for now it remains our operation,” Lenku said.
More than 175 people were injured in the attack, Lenku said, including many children. Kenyan forces were by Sunday in control of the mall’s security cameras, he said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, confirming three Britons were dead, said: “We should prepare ourselves for further bad news.”
U.S. President Barack Obama called Kenyatta to offer condolences and support.
Westgate Mall is at least partially owned by Israelis, and reports circulated that Israeli commandos were on the ground to assist in the response. Four restaurants inside the mall are Israeli-run or owned.
In Israel, a senior defense official said there were no Israeli forces participating in an assault. But an Israeli security source told Reuters Israeli advisers were at the scene helping Kenya to work out how to end the siege.
Kenya’s presidential office said that one of the attackers was arrested Saturday and died after suffering from bullet wounds.

Top Lawmaker Urges Watch on U.S. Somalis after Kenya Attack
Naharnet/A senior U.S. lawmaker on Sunday called for careful surveillance of the American Somali community in the wake of a deadly militant attack on a Kenyan shopping mall. Peter King, chairman of the House of Representatives committee on counterterrorism and intelligence, said up to 20 Americans are currently members of Somalia's Shebab militia. The Shebab claimed responsibility for Saturday's carnage in Nairobi, which left at least 59 people dead, and Kenyan forces are still besieging militants holed up in the mall. "It's an extremely deadly organization, very well trained. And it's one of the only al-Qaida affiliates which actually has actively recruited here in the United States," King told ABC television. "There are at least 40 to 50 Somali-Americans who have gone from the United States to Somalia to be trained. A number of them have been killed, but there's others still alive." King estimated that between 15 and 20 Americans are still active members of Shebab, and warned they might try to mount attacks on U.S. soil. "The concern would be if any of those have come back to the United States and would use those abilities here in the United States," he said. "I would assume that the FBI and local law enforcement are looking into those Somali-American communities today and if there are any leads or indicators using all their sources and resources to make sure there's no follow-up attempt here in the United States."Several U.S. citizens are known to have fought for the Shebab in recent years, although there have been tensions within the Islamist movement about whether to focus on seizing control in Somalia or on "global jihad."Earlier this month Alabama-born Omar Hammami -- better known as al-Amriki or "the American" -- was reported killed in Somalia in a gun battle with his former Shebab comrades.Source/Agence France Presse.

Canada Condemns Attack in Pakistan
September 22, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Andrew Bennett, Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, today issued the following statement:
“Canada strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack on worshippers at the historic All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, which left at least 72 people dead and wounded more than 120. This was one of the deadliest attacks on the Christian minority in Pakistan in years.
“We are deeply concerned by the violent disregard of extremists in Pakistan for the right of all religious communities to practise their faith in peace and security. This was an act of cowardly violence that brutally targeted innocent worshippers.
“Canada calls on Pakistani authorities to bring these perpetrators to justice and to protect those who seek to worship in peace, free from fear and intimidation.
“On behalf of all Canadians, we send our thoughts and prayers to those affected by today’s heinous violence.”
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
613-995-1874
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @DFATDCanada

Hezbollah is obstructing the Lebanese government
By: Mustafa Alloush/Asharq Alawsat
http://www.aawsat.net/2013/09/article55317278
It goes without saying that the Lebanese state cannot be judged on the basis that it is a state in the full sense of the word. Having a theoretical, administrative presence and international recognition of borders is not enough to have a state, because the most important attribute of a state is the authority which monopolizes the use of force in all of its sovereign territory.
Therefore, the world and the Arab states—and even the Lebanese themselves—have accepted the reality of living in the presence of armed militias, including Hezbollah. They can only hope it is a temporary situation.
A number of historic, religious, and ideological issues made Shi’ites in Lebanon look for a leadership which stemmed from the social and religious spirit of their sect. This is due to the fact that the left-wing, secular, and nationalist systems failed to save the Shi’ites from social and political marginalization and neglect, and also due to the constant attacks by Israel in the south.
Imam Musa Al-Sadr’s [Amal] movement came to be seen as a logical alternative for the Shi’ites in Lebanon because it stemmed from the traditions of Shi’a Islam. It was also a substitute for the philosophical complexities of secular politics. The movement was able to effect significant changes in the lives of Shi’ites, one of the most important of which—the founding of a social religious authority—was independent from the Sunni authorities.
The establishment of the Amal Movement in the early 1970s by Imam Sadr came as an introduction to test the ability of military power to redress the great imbalance in power that favored other sects.
There is no doubt that the victory of the Khomeinist revolution in 1979 and the overlapping of its ideological, theological, political, and social references with the Shi’ites in Lebanon and Iraq both caused and filled a huge power vacuum. This is especially true when you consider the amount of Iranian money and effort directed at the promotion of velayat-e faqih (governance by a supreme Islamic jurist).
This led the institution of velayat-e faqih to enter into a bitter and bloody conflict on the Shi’ite arena in Lebanon against the left-wing forces that were there before. However, the most important struggle was the one with the Amal Movement led by Nabih Berri. This struggle was one between the velayat-e faqih scheme against former Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad’s scheme to swallow up Lebanon.
This means that great sacrifices and financial cost took Hezbollah to a reality where it began to harbor ambitions to make Lebanon a province that was a military and political affiliate of Iran.
This long introduction came to answer a specific question: Will Hezbollah allow the Lebanese state to exercise its sovereignty following the explosions in the southern suburbs [of Beirut]? The reality is that the Lebanese state is only allowed [to do] what benefits Hezbollah’s project. Hezbollah does not even recognize the current Lebanese state or its sovereignty, even though it still benefits from its resources.
Therefore, Hezbollah’s confidence is limited to its own organs and sectarian base and, more importantly, its ideological base, which represents its only reliable protection mechanism. As for the state, Hezbollah considers it to be infiltrated by other sects and political forces.
There is no doubt that the breach of security in Beirut’s southern suburbs is seen by Hezbollah as a clear setback which will raise questions among its supporters. However, this setback can be considered one of the calculated jihadi losses, which they can compensate for. Their public has accepted greater losses previously, as was the case in the July 2006 war or in the number of deaths in Syria so far, because the public sees Hezbollah as defender of the sect’s existence. Hezbollah may allow a nominal security presence in its areas, but control over the security situation will remain in Hezbollah’s hands until the balance of power changes. Hezbollah is not afraid to expand its security presence under the pretext of protecting its areas, as seen in recent weeks.
The idea of Hezbollah submitting to the logic of a state is a fantasy, because that will end its existence. Hezbollah was formed on the basis of extending the rule of velayat-e faqih over the largest possible territory, to achieve legendary aims linked to the Shi’ite belief of the return of the Mahdi. This belief has become entrenched in the belief that drives the movement’s leaders and members. The maneuvers to join the security, executive, and legislative institutions of the state are nothing but part of the pretense they must keep up in order to infiltrate the decision-making apparatus, and to benefit from Lebanese society’s resources and taxes.
Today, this movement is facing a dangerous challenge to its existence, because any change to the situation in Syria will result in the Shi’ite movement losing an essential link to its sustainability. This will also deprive Hezbollah of the logistical reach it has enjoyed for three decades, protecting its back and guaranteeing its links to Iran.
The movement is able to bear a few explosions, thousands of casualties, and an untold amount of destruction. Hezbollah will not retreat from defending what is left of Bashar Al-Assad until the political and military matters are resolved in a clear and decisive manner.
***Mustafa Alloush
Mustafa Alloush is a former Lebanese member of parliament and leading member of the Future Movement.

Suleiman Heads to New York to Attend U.N. General Assembly, Meet Obama and Rowhani
Naharnet/President Michel Suleiman traveled to New York on Sunday to attend the United Nations General Assembly that is set for September 24, reported the Kuwaiti daily al-Anba on Sunday. He is “almost definitely” expected to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama, it added, while not ruling out the possibility of a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rowhani. Suleiman is also scheduled to chair a meeting of an international support group for Lebanon aimed at helping it cope with the flow of Syrian refugees into the country. The president is set to make a speech during the General Assembly session on Tuesday that will focus on the role of Lebanon's constitutional institutions, especially the army, an official source told al-Anba. He will also stressed the need for the international community's protection of Lebanon, while emphasizing the importance of the country's stability and security. The UNHCR has registered more than 746,000 Syrians in Lebanon, though many others remain unregistered. The Lebanese government puts the number of Syrians in the country at 1.3 million, though that figure includes Syrians who were already in the country when the conflict began 30 months ago. The crisis in Syria has placed enormous strain on Lebanon, politically and economically.

Syrian general: Assad ordered me to gas people
Former chemical weapons chief in Assad's army tells The Telegraph orders to use WMDs against civilians came from the top; claims Syrian dictator transferring some chemical weapon stocks to Hezbollah, Iran
Ynet Published: 09.22.13/Ynetnews.Brigadier-General Zaher al-Sakat, a former chemical weapons chief in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army, says he was ordered three times to use chemical weapons against his own people, but could not go through with it and replaced chemical canisters with ones containing harmless bleach. The general insisted that all such orders had to come from the top – President Assad himself – despite insistent denials by the regime that it has never used chemical weapons.In an interview with The Telegraph last week, Sakat claimed to have his own intelligence that the Syrian president is evading the terms of a Russian-brokered deal to destroy his chemical weapons by transferring some of his stocks to his allies – Hezbollah, in Lebanon, and Iran. According to the British newspaper, Gen Sakat's personal history gives new insight into the extent to which, it is said, the Assad regime gradually turned to the use of chemical weapons, despite angry public denials, after rebels encroached on Damascus and Aleppo, the country's two biggest cities, in the summer of last year.
As chief scientific officer in the army's fifth division, he ran chemical weapons operations in the country's southern Deraa province, where the uprising began in March 2011. He told The Telegraph he witnessed the first uses of violence against peaceful protesters – and the first use of "dirty tricks," placing weapons in the mosque where Gen Sakat said the regime wanted to "annihilate" the opposition using any means, and said he received his first orders to use chemical weapons in October last year. On three occasions, he said he was told to use a mixture of phosgene and two other chlorine-based agents against civilian targets in Sheikh Masqeen, Herak, and Busra, all rebel-held districts. However, under cover of darkness, he said he had replaced the canisters containing the chemicals with ones containing water mixed with dilute bleach which would give off a similar chlorine smell.
At first, his trick worked. "They were completely convinced that this was the same poisonous material," he told the Sunday Telegraph in an interview. "In this way I saved hundreds of lives of children and others."
But after the third occasion, in January, his bosses became suspicious at the lack of deaths in his "attacks" and he began to plot his escape to Jordan, where he has been based since the spring.
Gen Sakat believes chemical weapons have now been used 34 times, rather than the 14 occasions cited by international intelligence agencies. But he agrees with a variety of assessments that differing substances and concentrations are used, which would account for the differing death rates, with some attacks killing very few or none.
Although phosgene has been banned internationally since the 1920s, it is much less potent than sarin, the chemical now known to have been deployed in Ghouta. The army was concerned not to use the most dangerous chemicals in the far south because of its proximity to Israel, Gen Sakat told The Telegraph.
General Sakat said that even before the deal to disarm Syria of its chemical weapons was finalized, "they (Assad regime) were already mobilizing them to move to Lebanon and even Iraq. There have already been weapons handed over to Hezbollah." Gen Sakat told The Telegraph a team of his activists had observed a column of more than 20 vehicles, some identifiable as belonging to the program, heading towards the Lebanese border. He also alleged that other stocks were being transferred through Iraq to Iran. "They saw these shipments start before (Russian Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov appeared and mentioned the deal," he said. The Telegraph quoted a retired Israeli Major-General and former attaché to Washington, Gadi Shamni, as saying: "I am positive they're already trying to move things from one location to another to hide it.
"It will be very hard to cheat in one week. But November is a very long time away – in winter, the sky is cloudy, and visibility is low. US satellites cannot be very effective – it's a very problematic issue and the Syrians understand it very well."

Leaders at large
September 21, 2013/The Daily Star /In addition to encouraging the Catholic Church not to obsess over the issues of homosexuality and abortion rights, Pope Francis lashed out Thursday on “airport bishops,” and urged his peers to maintain closer links to their home communities. “Be welcoming pastors,” he said, “journeying with your people.” Despite occupying the highest position within the church, the pope seems to be one of its most grounded members. He appears humble, insisting on maintaining modest dwellings within the Vatican, and drives himself around in a 20-year-old Renault. This appears at odds with many bishops in the church, including the Levant’s patriarchs, who, it seems, spend more time outside of the region than at home. The role of the clergy is always important in stressing the need for co-existence and tolerance, mutual understanding and forgiving. And at a time like this, with tensions in Lebanon and the region at their highest in years, this support is needed more than ever. But some of our religious leaders, and mostly those from the church, seem more concerned with raising their profile internationally, or addressing the concerns of other countries, when the myriad problems facing them at home should be more than enough to keep them busy. This same charge can be leveled at our politicians. The host of social, economic and political problems is almost too long to mention, but they are apparently content to spend much of their time outside of the country, whether it be addressing their personal business concerns in the Gulf, Europe or the Americas, or taking unexplained trips to all corners of the globe. All the while they maintain expensive retinues at home, with convoys and bodyguards, high salaries and education all paid for, through taxes paid for by the Lebanese. Parliament not having been held since May, they can claim they have no real reason to be on the ground. And coupled with the new defense of “security concerns,” many seem to comfortably decide to leave Lebanon for long stretches at a time.This case – the mystery of the missing MPs – is thus doubly insulting to the people of Lebanon. On one hand, they are forced to foot the bill, while at the same time losing any hope of political representation. So while MPs are supposed to voice the wishes and problems of their constituents, they have actually, largely, become a punishment.This scenario is indicative of the lack of accountability which plagues Lebanon’s systems from top to bottom. But the people themselves are also to blame. For election after election they vote the same people in, even when they are known to be corrupt or incompetent. The entire political body needs to be shaken up. The pope, who appears keen to lead by example, should be a measure by which our clergy and our politicians measure themselves. Or at least those ones more keen to collect air miles than to listen to their constituents and congregations.

Plumbly urged Hezbollah to get out of Syria
September 22, 2013/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly urged Hezbollah to stop its intervention in the Syrian conflict and commit to Lebanon’s disassociation policy, according to remarks published Sunday. Plumbly told the pan-Arab Al-Hayat daily that he highlighted the importance of commitment to the Baabda Declaration during meetings with Hezbollah officials and warned them against rejecting the agreement. The Baabda Declaration, agreed upon by rival March 8 and March 14 leaders during a National Dialogue session in June 2012, calls for distancing Lebanon from regional conflicts, particularly the war in Syria. Plumbly said that the U.N. has urged all countries to back up the declaration because it is the wisest policy Lebanon can adopt given the current regional circumstances. Hezbollah has been publically involved in fighting alongside pro-regime forces in Syrian battles, prompting local, regional and international calls for the group to withdraw from the war-torn country.

Charbel says Hezbollah checkpoints should end
September 22, 2013/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s new checkpoints and self-security procedures in Beirut’s southern suburbs should end after the deployment of the state security forces in the area, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said in remarks published Sunday. “The deployment of the Lebanese security forces should end the presence of any checkpoints manned by civilians,” Charbel told Asharq Al-Awsat daily.
“Once the security forces start their mission, all other party members will withdraw,” the minister added in reference to checkpoints recently established in Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. The checkpoints that have snarled traffic south of the city were erected after a string of attacks targeting Beirut’s pro-Hezbollah areas. Lebanese authorities said Friday they would dispatch government forces to Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs next week to carry out security checks, replacing the party’s new checkpoints that have drawn criticism from some parties. The checkpoints manned by Hezbollah members have detained people for questioning and raised tensions with some parties in the country. Hezbollah began implementing new security measures in its Beirut strongholds after two car bombs in the past two months ripped through the southern suburbs, killing and wounding dozens. Chabel said there should no longer be self-security in the country, and explained that Hezbollah members had resorted to their own security measures “when the state was unable to provide such security.”“But now that this decision has been taken, the security forces will play their role,” he said. The minister also warned that “self-security measures could lead to strife if it goes on in Beirut’s southern suburbs or any other Lebanese region.”

Neutral Cabinet aims to push out Hezbollah, FPM: Qortbawi
September 22, 2013/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: The March 14 coalition demand for a non-political Cabinet aims at pushing Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement out of power, caretaker Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi said Sunday. “Talks about a neutral or technocrat Cabinet aim only at getting rid of Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement,” Qortbawi, an affiliate with MP Michel Aoun’s FPM, told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
The country lacks a sitting government and the new Cabinet formation process has been stalled for almost six months due to conditions and counter conditions set by Lebanon’s political rivals. The Future-led March 14 alliance has called for forming a neutral Cabinet that excludes political partisans and runs the affairs of the country. Hezbollah and its allies have called for a national unity Cabinet in which political parties are represented based on their presence in Parliament. Qortbawi reiterated the call for an “all-inclusive political Cabinet in which each political party is represented in respect to its popular base.” He also said that National Dialogue between political rivals is the only exit from the country’s political stalemate. “Dialogue is the only solution to local problems, this country is enough for all of us and the party rejecting dialogue should offer an alternative,” the minister said.
For his part, Hezbollah's Shura Council member Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek echoed Qortbawi’s call for a new government. “The Lebanese should get over the obstacles impeding the government formation and form an all-inclusive Cabinet in which each political party is represented in respect to its popularity,” he said during a graduation ceremony Sunday. Yazbek said that a Cabinet is needed to face the “ongoing Israeli threats and violations.”
He also said that the situation in the neighboring Syria requires such a government. “After the war drums in Syria have been shut, the threats of using force still exist, we do not know what the coming days are holding for Syria and the region and Lebanon will not be away from such developments,” he said. “We should be the eye watching our security alongside the security forces and we should extend out hand to achieve peace and co-existence.”
Meanwhile, Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad reiterated his party’s rejection to both a proposal for a 24-member Cabinet equally divided among the March 8, March 14 and centrists and a government without total political agreement.
“The three eights formula is an illusion and inapplicable and a fait accompli Cabinet is not a wise idea,’ he said. The 24-member Cabinet lineup was first made by Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam shortly after he was named on April 6 to form a new government. Fayyad warned against a government made by just a few parties saying that it can only complicate further Lebanon crisis and will not be able to address the problems the country is facing.

Israeli commando force joins Kenyan military storming Nairobi mall seized by Islamist gunmen
DEBKAfile Special Report September 22, 2013/AFP reports from a security source in Nairobi that Israeli special forces joined the Kenyan military in storming the Westgate shopping mall, Sunday, Sept. 22, to break the standoff with some dozen Al Qaeda-linked Somali Al Shabaab gunmen barricaded there with hostages for the second day. The death toll from the Saturday shooting-grenade attack has risen to 59 with 205 people injured.
debkafile, the only world publication to reveal the Israeli involvement from the start of the Nairobi mall attack Saturday, now discloses that the Israeli commandos were airlifted to Kenya when the Westgate mall was first attacked. Nairobi invoked a secret security pact between the two governments under which Jerusalem guarantees military assistance should the Kenyan government be threatened by a foreign force.
This was the first time Israeli special counter-terror forces have fought Al Qaeda terrorists face to face on foreign soil. The Israeli foreign ministery refused to confirm or deny any inovlvement in Kenya.
debkafile reported exclusively Saturday that the AQAP-backed Somali terrorists singled the target out to hit two targets – Kenya and Israel
After releasing Muslims, the raiders held onto an unknown number of hostages, some on the ground floor where Israeli shops are located; more in other parts of the seven-floor building. Unknown too is the number of injured and possibly dead victims, including foreigners, who are still trapped in the building. American, British, Canadian and French citizens were reported killed or injured in the initial attack Saturday.
The Kenyan and Israeli authorities have blanketed with secrecy the scene inside the mall, from which a barrage of gunfire and explosions were heard during the morning. Local police and special forces are trying to force the Islamist gunmen to surrender and give up the hostages.
Israeli security experts are known to be assisting in the operation.
The US sent a commando unit to Nairobi from bases in Italy and the UK, an advance counter-terror forward team. The Cobra cabinet is holding continuous sessions in London as the situation unfolds.
In Israel, no one in authority is willing to comment on the incident, despite Israel’s involvement. Three Israelis were reported rescued from the mall Saturday, but there is no word on any who may still be trapped there.
Since its creation in 2006, the Somali Al-Shabaab has maintained strong operational ties with the Yemen-based AQAP command for its long and bloody insurgency against the Mogadishu government. Our counter-terror sources report that the Somali wing receives training, munitions and medical care at al Qaeda’s Yemeni camps. They interact frequently by means of speedboats plying regularly between the Yemen and Somalia.
The scale of the Westgate mall attack, which was carried out by up to a score of well-trained fighting men armed with large quantities of ammunition, pointed to heavy AQAP involvement from the word go.
In the past, Al Qaeda has notoriously singled out American and Israeli targets in East Africa – the 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the 2002 assault on Israeli tourists in Mombasa.
However, the Nairobi attack was related to the present. Al Qaeda’s eyes and ears in Kenya didn’t miss the military and intelligence assistance Israel renders Kenya for its operations against Islamist terror in two areas: The Israeli army and security bodies send combat equipment and provide tactical advice to the Kenyan units fighting alongside Somali government forces against Al Shabaab; and Israel’s intelligence agencies and police are helping the Kenyan government build a strong shield or barrier against the Somali war’s spillover, to guard against Al Shabaab opening up a second front to the rear of the Kenyan forces fighting across the border.
This protective barrier clearly sprang a large leak Saturday.

Suicide bombers attack church in northwest Pakistan, kill 78 people
By Riaz Khan And Sebastian Abbot, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up amid hundreds of worshippers at a historic church in northwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 78 people in the deadliest-ever attack against the country's Christian minority.
A wing of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, raising new questions about the government's push to strike a peace deal with the militants to end a decade-long insurgency that has killed thousands of people. The Jundullah arm of the Taliban said they would continue to target non-Muslims until the United States stopped drone attacks in Pakistan's remote tribal region. The latest drone strike came Sunday, when missiles hit a pair of compounds in the North Waziristan tribal area, killing six suspected militants.
The attack on the All Saints Church, which wounded 141 people, occurred as worshippers were leaving after services to get a free meal of rice offered on the front lawn, said a top government administrator, Sahibzada Anees.
"There were blasts and there was hell for all of us," said Nazir John, who was at the church in the city's Kohati Gate district along with at least 400 other worshippers. "When I got my senses back, I found nothing but smoke, dust, blood and screaming people. I saw severed body parts and blood all around."
Survivors wailed and hugged one another in the wake of the blasts. The white walls of the church, which first opened in the late 1800s, were pockmarked with holes caused by ball bearings contained in the bombs to cause maximum damage. Blood stained the floor and the walls. Plates filled with rice were scattered across the ground.
The attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who detonated their explosives almost simultaneously, said police officer Shafqat Malik.
The 78 dead included 34 women and seven children, said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Another 37 children were among the 141 wounded, he said.
The number of casualties from the blasts was so high that the hospital ran short of caskets for the dead and beds for the wounded, said Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a former information minister of surrounding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province who was on the scene.
"This is the deadliest attack against Christians in our country," said Irfan Jamil, the bishop of the eastern city of Lahore.
Pope Francis led several thousand people in a prayer for the victims while on a visit to Sardinia. Those who carried out the attack, he said, "took the wrong choice, one of hatred and war."
One of the wounded, John Tariq, who lost his father in the attack, demanded of those behind the bombing: "What have we done wrong to these people? Why are we being killed?"
Ahmad Marwat, who identified himself as the spokesman for the Jundullah wing of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack.
"All non-Muslims in Pakistan are our target, and they will remain our target as long as America fails to stop drone strikes in our country," Marwat told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Jundullah has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on minority Shiite Muslims in southwestern Baluchistan province. Hard-line Sunni extremists like the Taliban consider Shiites to be heretics.
The bishop in Peshawar, Sarfarz Hemphray, announced a three-day mourning period and blamed the government and security agencies for failing to protect the country's Christians.
"If the government shows will, it can control this terrorism," said Hemphray. "We have been asking authorities to enhance security, but they haven't paid any heed."
Hundreds of Christians burned tires in the street in the southern city of Karachi to protest the bombing.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack in a statement sent to reporters, saying, "The terrorists have no religion and targeting innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and all religions."
"Such cruel acts of terrorism reflect the brutality and inhumane mindset of the terrorists," he said.
Islamic militants have carried out dozens of attacks across the country since Sharif took office in June, even though he has made clear that he believes a peace deal with the Pakistani Taliban is the best way to tamp down violence in the country.
Pakistan's major political parties endorsed Sharif's call for negotiations earlier this month. But the Taliban have said the government must release militant prisoners and begin pulling troops out of the northwest tribal region that serves as their sanctuary before they will begin talks.
There are many critics of peace talks who point out that past deals with the Taliban have fallen apart and simply given the militants time to regroup.
"I don't think appeasement will work," said Farhatullah Babar, a senior leader of the main opposition group, the Pakistan People's Party. "This is a message from them that they don't believe in negotiations. If they don't, we should also stand up and fight them."
Supporters of negotiations say they are the only way forward since military operations against the Taliban in the tribal region have failed to subdue them.
Sharif defended the government's decision to push for peace talks but acknowledged the effort didn't seem to be working.
"It was not a bad thing, I think, to do a good job with a good intention," Sharif told reporters outside the Pakistan High Commission in London. "But the regret is that the thinking, the desire the government had, is not capable to make progress."The U.S. has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan take stronger action against Islamic militants, especially members of the Afghan Taliban who use the country as a base for cross-border attacks on American troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. has carried out several hundred drone attacks against Taliban militants and their allies in Pakistan's tribal region. The strike on Sunday took place in the Shawal area of North Waziristan, the main sanctuary for militants in the country, said Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Pakistani officials regularly decry drone attacks as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but the government is known to have secretly supported some of the strikes in the past, especially ones that have targeted Pakistani Taliban militants at war with the state.
The Pakistani and Afghan Taliban are allies, but have focused their fight on opposite sides of the border.
Abbot reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Zarar Khan and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Rasool Dawar in Peshawar and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan contributed to this report.

Suicide Attack at Christian Church in Pakistan Kills Dozens
By ISMAIL KHAN and SALMAN MASOOD
Published: September 22, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/world/asia/pakistan-church-bombing.html?_r=0
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A suicide attack on a historic Christian church in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 75 people on Sunday, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Christian minority in Pakistan for years. The attack occurred as worshipers left the All Saints Church in the old quarter of the regional capital, Peshawar, following a service on Sunday morning. Up to 600 worshipers had attended the service, and were leaving for a distribution of free food on the lawn outside, when two explosions ripped through the crowd.  Dozens of people were killed and more than 100 wounded, said Akhtar Ali Shah, the home secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The death toll continued to rise as rescue workers sifted through the damaged church property, said Hamid Ullah, a rescue worker with Al Khidmat Foundation, a rescue service operated by the Jamaat-e-Islami political party, said his team has recovered 75 bodies and put them in the coffins. The dead included women, children and two Muslim police officers who had been posted outside the church. Witness reported scenes of mayhem as rescue workers ferried victims from the church, which witnesses said was scattered with body parts, shrapnel and bloodied clothing. Enraged Christians reacted emotionally as police and rescue workers reached the scene, forcing some to leave. “As soon as the service finished and the food was being distributed, all of a sudden we heard one explosion, followed by another,” said Azim Ghori, a witness. Police said it was not clear whether the attack was the work of a lone attacker or two suicide bombers. Muhammad Ilyas, a senior officer in Peshawar, said it was “more likely” that a lone suicide bomber had first thrown a hand grenade before detonating his vest. It was the worst attack in years on the Christian minority in Pakistan, and coincides with a broader wave of attacks on religious minorities including Shiite Muslims this year. A Muslim mob swarmed through a Christian neighborhood in the eastern city of Lahore in March, torching two churches and more than 100 houses. Christians also frequently find themselves accused of blasphemy under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws. The attacks are mostly orchestrated by Sunni extremist militant groups, although some have also been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban. The All Saints Church is one of the oldest in Peshawar and was built during the British colonial era. It is at Kohati Gate in the city’s old quarter, where numerous militant attacks have occurred in recent years, mostly targeting Muslims. The attack coincides with efforts by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to initiate peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, aimed at ending a decade of violence. An all-parties political conference held earlier this month gave the government approval to start negotiations with the insurgents. But that offer was publicly rejected by the Taliban, which later claimed responsibility for the killing of a senior army general in Upper Dir, near the Afghan border, last week. Immediately after Sunday’s bombing, questions were again raised about the government’s plans to hold peace talks. Mr. Sharif condemned the attack. “The terrorists have no religion and targeting innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and all religions,” he said in a statement. The Pakistan Ulema Council, the largest clerical body, also condemned the blast, saying that it was “standing with our Christian brothers in this tragedy.” After the bombing, as people searched for their relatives on the church premises, opposition politicians criticized the provincial government, led by Imran Khan, for failing to send a senior minister to the scene. “People are dying every day. The government seems to be absent. Chief Minister and other ministers should visit the church,” Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a former provincial minister, said as he visited the church and condoled with grieving protesters.
 

Despite thaw, resolving Iranian nuclear dispute a huge challenge
By Myra MacDonald | Reuters –LONDON (Reuters) - The diplomatic thaw between the West and Iran could quickly chill again if the two sides are unable to master the many moving parts of Tehran's disputed nuclear program under the weight of more than three decades of distrust. The dispute is not only about the West stopping Iran building a bomb, but also about preventing it expanding its capabilities to the point where it could make a dash for nuclear weapons - known as "breakout" - if it chose to. Many different conditions need to be met even for an interim agreement to slow Iran's nuclear program and stop it reaching a point - expected by some nuclear experts by the middle of next year - when the United States and Israel could be drawn into military action to prevent it advancing further. "The debate is more about breakout," said Shashank Joshi at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. Unlike India and Pakistan, which developed nuclear weapons in secret before publicly testing in 1998, Iran is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), subjecting it to international inspections. As a result, the outside world would know fairly quickly if it made a break for a nuclear bomb.
But Iran is advancing its nuclear capabilities - including the ability to enrich uranium - at such a rate that it has narrowed the time it would need for breakout, meaning it could build a bomb before the West had time to detect and stop it. "In as much as they have the ability to indigenously develop a nuclear bomb, they already have a nuclear-weapons capability," said Joshi. "Now the issue that is looming is enrichment capacity. By the middle of next year, capacity will be so high that some fear that it would be at that dangerous level of undetectable breakout." Iran has insisted it is not seeking nuclear weapons - an assertion reiterated last week by President Hassan Rouhani, whose diplomatic overtures to the West have raised hopes of progress in the long-running nuclear dispute. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate authority over the nuclear program, has issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, against nuclear weapons, saying these are against Islam. Western nuclear experts believe that holds, for now. But Khamenei's fatwa could change, said Mehdi Khalaji, a trained Shi'ite theologian and Iran scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, for example if Iranian rulers faced what they believed to be an existential threat. "In Shia jurisprudence we believe that we don't have access to the truth, so it is in a way very relativistic." Decision-making in Iran, he said, is also driven by "the principle of expediency of the regime ... Therefore, the logic of the decision-making is more pragmatism and survivalism rather than the Islamic legal system."
Moreover, the fatwa covers only nuclear bombs. "He never said that nuclear capability is against Islamic law; he never said that militarizing the nuclear program is against Islamic law. Everything he says is about the actual bomb."
PARALLEL TRACKS
With Iran insisting on its sovereign right to enrichment for peaceful purposes, any resolution of the dispute would have to find some kind of balance between Tehran's desire to maintain its capabilities and the West's determination to restrict them. Any agreement could be an interim deal in return for a partial lifting of sanctions, a longer-term nuclear settlement, or a "grand bargain" between Washington and Tehran resolving differences dating back to the 1979 Iranian revolution. Some analysts have suggested a combination of processes, whereby U.S.-Iran talks on non-nuclear security issues, including Syria, would build trust, underpinning progress in nuclear negotiations between the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany (the P5 +1) and Iran. But if managing the moving parts of parallel negotiating tracks would be hard, agreeing even basic conditions for an interim deal could be even harder. That is partly because the speed of breakout depends on multiple factors, including the size of Iran's stocks of enriched uranium, its technological progress, the extent of international inspections and whether it has any previously undisclosed enrichment sites. Over the last year, much attention focused on Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20 percent, a level that can quickly be enriched to 90 percent weapons-grade, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not allow Tehran to acquire enough enriched uranium to produce one nuclear bomb. Israel, the only country in the Middle East with a presumed nuclear arsenal, sees Iran as an existential threat. Experts estimate that enough uranium for one bomb would correspond to 25 kg of weapons-grade uranium, or roughly 250 kg enriched to 20 percent.
Netanyahu's "red line" appears to have partially worked. Iran has kept below the threshold by converting some of its stockpiles of 20 percent enriched uranium into reactor fuel. According to an August report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its stockpile had increased since May by just 3.8 kg to 185.8 kg, largely due to fuel conversions. Yet at the same time it has developed advanced centrifuges used to enrich uranium, thereby improving the efficiency and speed of enrichment and narrowing the potential breakout time. So while suspension of enrichment to 20 percent is seen as essential for any interim deal, probably followed by its eventual cessation in any lasting settlement, that alone is not sufficient to allay Western fears. In a paper published in July by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), authors David Albright and Christina Walrond argued that centrifuge development meant Iran would reach a "critical capability" - the ability to produce enough weapons-grade uranium from its stocks for a nuclear explosive without being detected - in mid 2014.
"Preventing Iran from reaching critical capability will require a broad set of responses, but the most important is limiting the number and type of centrifuges Iran builds," it said. Along with curbs on stocks of enriched uranium and limits on centrifuges, western countries are worried about Iran's Fordow enrichment facility. Because its enrichment halls are buried 91 meters underground they are harder to bomb, should the West or Israel ever decide they needed to take military action.Among the conditions for an interim deal would therefore likely be continuous monitoring at Fordow, including using remotely controlled cameras.
WIDER INTERNATIONAL INSPECTIONS
With the primary concern for now being the speed of breakout, the West has also been pushing for greater access by IAEA inspectors so they could detect any shift to a weapons program before it was too late to stop it.
That would include at a minimum Iran signing the IAEA's Additional Protocol, which gives IAEA inspectors greater access and information and enhances its ability to detect undeclared nuclear activities, including at any so far undiscovered sites. Even then, concerns remain about other parts of Iran's nuclear program, including its Arak nuclear reactor, expected to come onstream by mid- to late next year. While there is nothing in the NPT to prevent Iran building the reactor for electricity, it could theoretically yield plutonium for nuclear bombs. As a result, both the United States and Israel are watching it warily, largely because once it does become operational it would be impossible to bomb it without causing huge environmental damage. Any interim deal could try to convince Iran to postpone operations at Arak until the nuclear dispute is resolved. Finally, even if an interim agreement were reached to slow or suspend Iran's nuclear program, the process would have a long way to go before a final settlement, including clearing up lingering Western anxieties about Iranian weapons research. Although a 2007 U.S. intelligence assessment said Iran had likely suspended what it said was its weapons program in 2003, an IAEA report in late 2011 suggested that some weapons-related research activities may have continued after 2003 up until 2009. Among other details sought by the West is information on past nuclear weapons research, including access to scientists. (Additional reporting by Fredrik Dahl in Geneva and Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai; Editing by Will Waterman)

Somali Islamist attack on Kenyan mall kills 59: minister
Reuters – NAIROBI (Reuters) - The death toll in an attack on a upmarket mall in Kenya has risen to 59 people and security forces are trying to ensure hostages come out safely, the interior minister said on Sunday, a day after the assault by Somali Islamist gunmen. Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku told reporters that the government believed there were 10 to 15 attackers, saying they were investigating their identity but would not give details.
Al Shabaab, a militant Somali group that has declared allegiance to al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack on Westgate mall.
"We are doing everything reasonably possible to make sure that the hostages who are still in the building come out safely," he said. He had said earlier that he had no "precise details" on whether there were hostages.
"We have indicated that we have information that a good number of attackers are still in the building," he said, saying the government believed there were 10 to 15 gunmen in the mall.
The security forces had been able to "isolate" the attackers, but, the minister said, no communication had yet been established with them.
He said 175 people had been taken to hospital and that more than 1,000 people had been evacuated from the shopping mall.
(Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Syrian opposition says willing to attend Geneva talks
Reuters – AMMAN (Reuters) - The president of the opposition Syrian Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, said the group was ready to attend a proposed Geneva conference to end two and a half years of conflict in Syria if it aims to establish a transitional government with full powers. It was the first clear commitment by the Western- and Arab-backed coalition to attend the proposed conference, sponsored by the United States and Russia. The coalition has been dithering on whether to attend, especially after a chemical weapons attack on August 21 that killed hundreds of people in Damascus. In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, obtained by Reuters and dated September 19, Jarba said the coalition "reaffirms its willingness to engage in a future Geneva Conference". But "all parties must ... agree that the purpose of the conference will be the establishment of a transitional government with full executive powers", as stipulated at the first round of international talks on Syria in Geneva last year. Rebels and political opponents of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad have also insisted that he play no role in a transitional authority. But the president has played down prospects that he might transfer any powers. In the letter, Jarba called on the security council to make any resolution on a U.S.-Russian deal to destroy Assad's chemical weapons subject to "Chapter 7" of the U.N. charter, which could authorize the use of force in case of non-compliance. Jarba also called on the council to take the "necessary measures" to impose a ceasefire in the country and release thousands of peaceful activists.The opposition and its Western and Arab allies say Assad is behind the chemical weapons attack which struck rebel areas of Damascus. Assad says the rebels themselves carried out the attack.
(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Canada Mourns Loss of Canadian Public Servant in Kenya
September 21, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney today issued the following statement:
“It is with heartfelt sadness that we learned of the death in the service of our country, one of our own, Annemarie Desloges, a distinguished public servant with Citizenship and Immigration Canada who served at Canada’s High Commission in Kenya. “We send our thoughts and prayers and those of all Canadians to Ms. Desloges’ family, friends and colleagues during this most difficult time. “Canada condemns this senseless act of violence in the strongest of terms, and we call on Kenyan authorities to bring the perpetrators of this terrorist attack to justice. “Canadian public servants around the world selflessly serve our country proudly. Like Annemarie, they do so because they believe in the cause of humanity. They believe that their work will better the lives of many at home and around the world. They believe in the values that Canada represents.
“We have no doubt that Annemarie touched the lives of many, and it is for that, that she will always be remembered.”
A biographical note on Annemarie Desloges follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
613-995-1874
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @DFATDCanada
Backgrounder - Annemarie Desloges
Annemarie Desloges worked as a public servant for the Canadian government since 2008. Previously posted in Delhi, Annemarie was serving both Citizenship and Immigration Canada as well as the Canada Border Services Agency in Nairobi for the past two years.
Annemarie is survived by her husband Robert Munk. She was 29 years old.
The thoughts and prayers of the Government of Canada are with Annemarie’s family, friends and colleagues.

The Russian Opportunity For Iranian Flexibility
Walid Choucair/Al Hayat
American and Russian diplomats are differing over how to translate their agreement to remove Syria’s chemical weapons into a United Nations Security Council resolution. This dispute indicates that they remain unable to agree on the "day after" for the regime, immediately after the agreement goes into effect. In other words, they are unable to agree on the agenda of a Geneva 2 peace conference to launch a political solution to the Syria crisis, the nature of this solution, and the role of Syrian President Bashar Assad in this solution.
Most likely, the two superpowers will be able to arrive at an agreement over the language of a Security Council resolution (whether or not it mentions Chapter 7 of the UN Charter), which will complete the agreement on removing Syria’s chemical weapons. Removing the possibility of a military strike against the regime was a fundamental reason for this agreement and it is a sufficient reason for not moving away from such a step. Moreover, when leading countries forge an agreement, it is difficult for either side to negate it. It will be difficult for Moscow to continue its efforts to absolve Assad of responsibility for using chemical weapons, after Russia and Iran believed that they had achieved something by getting the agreement on removing these weapons. This will keep the head of the regime in power and turn him into a negotiator in a long process that is required by the implementation of the agreement with the United Nations and international experts. This will cement Assad and his legitimacy as the head of state during a period of searching for a political solution in the coming months.
Accusing the regime of responsibility for the chemical attack on 21 August makes it difficult to see Assad remain as a prime negotiator for the next phase and the political process that is supposed to unfold, after the removal of chemical weapons takes it course. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama believes that “it's very hard to imagine … (the Syrian) civil war dying down if in fact Assad is still in power.”
The maneuverings over ways to implement an agreement on chemical weapons can be summed up by the dispute over what will follow. Moscow and Washington had arrived at an agreement on beginning with negotiations on a political solution with Assad, as part of a process that would end without him. Each side said it accepted this; for Washington, beginning the political process was not conditional on Assad’s departure, while for Moscow, the end of the process would not necessarily see him stay on.
But there is another factor, which goes beyond what is acceptable to Moscow, and that is Iran. If the US and Russian agreement on removing Syria’s chemical weapons involves a convergence on the determination to safeguard Israel’s security, the Russians are aware that guaranteeing this security involves Hezbollah, and Iran. Moscow has relayed this to the Americans, who early on signaled an openness to Tehran, based on what was said by both Obama and Iranian President Hasan Rohani. The pending issues between the two countries have prompted Tehran’s determination to see Assad remain in power, and Hezbollah play a role in Syria (along with the party’s role in Lebanon, naturally), using them as bargaining chips that will not be abandoned, unless it is in the context of dealing with these pending issues with Washington.
It is not in Iran’s power to object to Moscow’s decision that Assad turn over his chemical weapons, but likewise, Russia cannot object to Iran’s role in the political process, especially if it continues to support Assad’s staying in power, because it is protecting him on the ground. Washington is aware of this, and thus launched negotiations with Iran through several channels, such as using the UN deputy secretary general Jeffrey Feltman to visit Iran twice. Feltman did so wearing the “hat” of the UN, but later donned an American “hat” to announce on 25 August that he thanked the Iranians for cooperating on the Syrian crisis. On the 12th of this month, he told CNN “It's hard for us to imagine any solution in Syria that doesn't somehow have an Iranian role… we don't believe that simply by talking to the Syrians themselves we're going to be able to solve the Syria crisis at this point.” The Iranians, Feltman said, were important in this regard. The evolution on this front lies in the fact that Washington accepted negotiations with Tehran over its regional role, after in the past limiting things to negotiations over its nuclear program, because Gulf countries feared this policy would be at cross-purposes to their own pending issues with Tehran. Most likely, it is no coincidence that the King of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, invited Rohani to the Hajj while Rohani has demonstrated openness, opening channels of communications with the Americans. The invitation opens up a new window for Iran to involve itself in issues connected to the Gulf, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, talks about employing the “flexibility of heroes” in reaching an agreement with the west, which is clear cover for the policy of Rohani, who said this week that he had “full power to negotiate” over the nuclear issue, hinting at a desire to speed up the talks. This course of action will put all of Tehran’s bargaining chips, including Hezbollah, on the table; moreover, Russia’s “slowness” in implementing the agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons will give Iran the opportunity to embark on a new path that it has decided on. The issue of the post-Assad era in Syria will depend on progress on this front.

The Policy Of “It's a Goat, Even If It Flies”
Husam Itani/Al Hayat
The rejectionists and resistance fighters have known since day one who was behind the chemical massacre committed in the two Ghoutas. They are fully aware of the fact that the regime forces are the ones that launched the lethal rockets on the sleeping population in the village, without this altering their loyalties and bias in any way. And the latter know, with the same level of certainty, who is responsible for the explosions in the Southern Suburb of Beirut and Tripoli last month, but they are disregarding this as well. Why? The international inspectors’ report clearly points to the direction the chemical rockets came from (north and northeast of the devastated villages). As for Annex 5 of the report, it features pictures of the remains of the rockets, which the experts say were Iranian-made Falaq-2 and Russian-made M14 rockets. And no one in Syria has such types of weapons except for Bashar al-Assad’s troops. Naturally, the report did not announce that the rockets were launched from sites that have become known, as known as the names of the officers leading them. Instead, the inspectors settled for saying that the facts speak for themselves. And they do.
One can assert that countless crimes committed by the regime and its followers in Syria have been tolerated and justified by the rejectionists, who will also rush to acquit the killer of all crimes that will be committed in the future. Hence, the pretext system being used – despite its shallowness – is still seen in the rejectionist media outlets, saying that the resistance against Israel is the utmost priority, in parallel to the protection of minorities and the deterrence of the Takfiris and Al-Qaeda organization. And the Syrian president is topping it all by assuring that Syria was not witnessing war, but rather an attack by Al-Qaeda.
The mistakes, flaws, and actions of some forces associating themselves with the Syrian opposition cannot be defended and should be condemned. In addition, all those attacking the Syrian citizens in the name of the revolution should be deterred. But this is one thing, and punishing the entire Syrian population and its revolution for the mistakes of dubious elements is another. Nonetheless, the prevalence of the margins over the core has been a stable policy in the logic and among the writers of rejectionism. This behavior brings back to mind the story of a man and his wife who saw a foreign body on a small hill. The man insisted it was a goat, while the wife said it was a swan. When the animal spread its wings and flew, the man had nothing to say but: “It’s a goat, even if it flies.”
The rejectionists are practicing outsmarting by relying on the Russian positions that are skeptical about the international report. They are thus asking the ultimate question: Could a major state lie about such a serious matter? And the answer is yes. Just like the American administration lied about Iraq ten years ago, Putin’s administration is lying about Syria today.
But all of this falls in the context of futile bickering and wrangling. The core issue resides in the social and sectarian composition of the largest portion of rejectionists, and their fear of seeing the nature of the regime in Syria altered, which would result in changes at the level of the of the power map in Lebanon. The issue thus appears to be much deeper than moral integrity and political correctness. It is related to the sectarian sensitivities which the ruling sects in this part of the world insisted on installing in the face of national identity. Hence, sectarian belonging and its ideological discourse, related for example to the underdogs, the resistance fighters, the hard workers, etc. have become the basis for the definition of reality and identity. Some like to cram the question of identity in the corner of fate, unaware of the fact that the changing of fates is part of history’s course and law.

The Necessity for an Arab Strategy to Counter Obama’s Backtracking
Raghida Dergham/Al Hayat
It is time for the Syrian opposition and the Gulf Arab states backing it, and which aim to change the regime in Damascus, to return to the strategy-drawing board, in light of recent radical developments.
Wagering on the failure to implement the American-Russian agreement to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons is inadequate and does not represent a policy. Discussing the Geneva 2 international conference to launch the process of political transition, in the language of placing the condition that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down at the start of the process – rather than at its end – is only tantamount to burying one’s head in the sand, and does not represent a policy either. Refraining from participating in an international conference on Syria in which the Islamic Republic of Iran is taking part because it is directly party to supporting the regime in Damascus, meanwhile, is almost the equivalent of “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face,” particularly during times when bargains, great and small, are being struck under Russia’s sponsorship and in partnership with Iran.
As for the belief that the attempt to repair what the situation has come to is exactly what has ruined it, i.e. by convincing the United States to renounce its isolationism in the Middle East, it too represents a tactic devoid of strategy. It truly is time for a dose of that poison mentioned by the Iranian Revolution’s first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, when agreeing to implement the ceasefire with his enemy at the time, Iraq. Indeed, circumstances have changed, now that it has become perfectly clear that President Barack Obama does not mind placing Syria’s fate in the hands of the Axis of Defiance led by Russia, even if temporarily, or even if America’s leniency on this issue hides many a pitfall and obstacle for those party to this axis. There is a dire need for a comprehensive and coherent strategy that would map the way forward in case the necessity were to arise for military escalation, as well as the way forward in case the “Grand Bargain” truly begins to be struck on all different fronts.
To begin with, it must be made clear that all those who say that Bashar al-Assad has triumphed over Barack Obama are either unaware of or ignoring the significance of Assad submitting to placing his chemical arsenal under international control, so that it may later be destroyed. This is submission, not victory. It means admitting to having concealed a massive arsenal, which the regime in Damascus had claimed to be a main element of strategic balance with Israel and to be aimed at resistance. Now Assad has been forced to willingly get rid of his “weapons of resistance,” while receiving support from Iran and Hezbollah in the name of resistance.
Furthermore, for Russian President Vladimir Putin to force Bashar al-Assad to allow in UN inspectors will be binding for both leaders, because the Security Council resolution to adopt a procedure for securing the weapons and destroying them will be a binding one, and will pave the way for further inspection to reveal all the facts, including whether such weapons have been smuggled or hidden.
Tomorrow, Saturday, is the date that has been set for the Syrian government to submit its disclosure on the size of its chemical arsenal. The burden of proof will fall on Assad’s government, as it did in the past on Saddam Hussein’s government to prove what had happened to the biological and chemical weapons Baghdad had insisted that it had destroyed. By mid-November, according to the framework of the American-Russian agreement, UN inspectors should have completed their investigation to confirm the truth of Syria’s official disclosure about its chemical arsenal. This will pave the way for a back-and-forth process if reports of chemical weapons having been smuggled to Iraq or to Hezbollah in Lebanon prove to be true.
Indeed, the Syrian opposition has asked for a broader investigation to confirm what Damascus will be disclosing about the chemical weapons it possesses, one that would include locations held by Hezbollah in Lebanon, claiming to have information that indicates that chemical weapons had indeed been smuggled to Hezbollah. Although the response to this request is not yet clear, and although destroying the weapons will be easier than ascertaining whether they have been smuggled or hidden, the fact is that Syria finds itself today under the international microscope, with inspectors from different parts of the world entering it to verify the truth of what its government is saying and ask for more.
It is thus a temporary quasi victory for the Syrian President, interwoven with submission and subjection to Security Council resolutions and international monitoring. Such a “victory” has for its basis the fact that the Assad regime is today a partner in implementing the Russian-American agreement to destroy its own chemical weapons, within the framework of a timetable that purposely coincides with the scheduled Syrian presidential elections. Assad will therefore remain in power – exactly as Russia and Iran had been insisting since the beginning – until the next elections. Yet he will remain shackled with the burden of monitoring, proof, and submission.
The “Small Bargain” over his chemical arsenal makes of Assad a partner, as a government, while he had until recently only represented a regime that must be removed, according to the American stances on the issue. But the “Grand Bargain” will exclude Assad at the right time, and most likely the maturation of such a bargain will coincide with the Syrian elections. That is, if it matures at all.
And just as the “Grand Bargain” would not be possible without the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a direct regional player in Syria as well as through its ally Hezbollah, which is openly fighting alongside the Assad regime, such a bargain would not be possible without the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and in particular Saudi Arabia.
The Russian player is taking on the mantle of leadership and is fully coordinating with its Iranian ally in Syria. And Russia is taking the utmost care to prove the firmness and cohesiveness of its partnerships and alliances, so as to represent a model and an example opposite to the partnerships and alliances of the United States with Arab countries, characterized by its abandoning allies without warning and evading its pledges. This is why Russian President Vladimir Putin is guarding a place for Iran in any grand bargain that might be forthcoming (he has even discussed the Small Bargain with Iran, so as not to seem to be neglecting it).
President Barack Obama does not do the same with his allies in the Middle East, with the exception of Israel. He surprises and does not discuss. He backs down without warning. This is why he will take no care to guard a place for the GCC in the Grand Bargain, because this will simply not occur to him at the strategic level. Indeed, he has in the past displayed striking behavior regarding his Arab Gulf allies when he completely ignored the pivotal role played by Saudi Arabia in the map of the region. Barack Obama does not think in terms of axes, especially as he has resolved to turn eastwards, far from the Middle East. Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, is building a strategy to restore his country’s international influence by adopting a policy of axes, from the BRICS axis, which includes Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, to the Axis of Defiance, which includes Russia, China, and Iran, alongside the regime in Damascus and Hezbollah.
Such a reality requires the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to carve out a place for itself in the “Grand Bargain” through an essentially Arab axis, not through the gateway of the United States. The situation today does not allow for continuing to abstain from attending conferences if Iran is present, and for refraining to engage in forging the Grand Bargain as long as the regime in Damascus still stands. Indeed, neither will it find in Russia an ally in such efforts, nor can it depend on the support of the United States. It is time to carve out a position independent from the United States, and this will require reconsidering the relationship between the Arab Gulf states and Iran.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, did well to make sure to warmly greet the new Iranian President, Dr. Hassan Rohani, who is in turn waging a campaign to attract sympathy and admiration worldwide, notably during his visit to New York next week to attend the United Nations General Assembly. The difference between the methods of Saudi Arabia and Iran is that Tehran is openly waging a “charm offensive,” building on the revitalizing effect the American-Russian agreement has had on it, while Saudi Arabia’s methods remain traditional, secretive, and far from openness.
Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, or between the Arab Gulf states and Iran, are not so terrible, and could in fact be described as far from tension and direct confrontation. Alright, this is a good thing, and yet it is not acceptable for relations with Iran to be normal at the bilateral level and at the level of the Arab Gulf states, while the two sides continue to wage proxy wars against one another in Syria today, in Iraq previously, and perhaps later in Lebanon. Those are Arab countries being destroyed, and the time has come for a new strategy that would prevent destruction instead of persisting in proxy wars. Indeed, these wars are not being waged in Persia or in Israel. They are being waged at the expense of Arab lives.
It is thus no wonder for Western public opinion to be opposed to intervening in Syria, because it views the matter from the perspective of “Arabs killing Arabs,” without a care for whether Iran or Russia are responsible for supporting one Arab side against the other. Israel of course does not mind. And Israel has of course returned to its policy-drawing board, following President Obama’s series of backtrackings. There are also reports that indicate that it too does not trust the new American policy, and that it now views the Syrian President not as a guarantee of its stability through the Golan, but rather as having become an element of instability because he has lost control and has become a driving force for the rise of extremism, whether such extremism sides with him or against him.
President Obama’s compliance with the de facto dictates of the strategy of the Axis of Defiance has made him seem like a wall that is easy to climb, as in the Lebanese expression about someone having a “low wall.” The President of Brazil cancelled her visit to the White House under the pretext of protesting against inappropriate intelligence wiretapping and surveillance among friends. Yet this would not have happened had not Obama been, in the eyes of Brazil, of the BRICS countries and of other countries around the world, the American President whose “low wall” can easily be leapt over.
President Obama may well be convinced that his methods are the wisest, as he will now be rid of Syria’s chemical weapons – weapons that will not used, from now and until they are destroyed. Yet this is not sufficient, because he will have thereby truly reduced the tragedy of the war in Syria to merely an issue of chemical weapons. Indeed, the Syrian people did not come out in peaceful demonstrations two years and a half ago demanding that Damascus join the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Rather, they came out demanding reform and freedom – principles which Obama said deserve support because they are universal. And when they were met with repression and bombings, they found only American and British isolationism, steering clear of confronting violations of the values and principles of human rights and crimes against humanity.
Surprise at so much ambivalence does not represent a policy. Relying on the American President changing his mind or his methods does not represent a policy either. Neither does insisting on the fact that Iran’s new approach is only new in terms of its promotional campaign. Rather, it requires building a strategy that would truly test it and would reside at the core of decision-making. This will require engagement of a different kind, one that would not suffice itself with bilateral understandings in the Gulf, but would rather initiate a qualitatively new conversation, based not on proxy wars but rather on core understandings. Indeed, refraining from engagement does not represent a policy, and proxy wars may well turn against their own patrons.
 

Analysis: Nairobi attack may trigger tighter security at malls worldwide
By Ilaina Jonas and Mark Hosenball | Reuters – By Ilaina Jonas and Mark Hosenball
(Reuters) - The deadly attack on a high-end Nairobi shopping mall on Saturday put the safety of malls around the world into the spotlight and could trigger moves to improve security and make it more visible.
"They're obviously going to ramp up security," said Malachy Kavanagh, a spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a U.S.-based trade group of mall and shopping center owners, adding that he expected the U.S. government's Department of Homeland Security to reach out to the heads of corporate security for all American malls following the events in Kenya.
Some of the changes that may be made include bringing in off-duty police officers into the mall, putting more non-uniformed security officers into uniform, and more closely coordinating with local police departments.
Islamist militants were holding hostages on Sunday at a shopping mall in Nairobi, where at least 68 people were killed and 175 wounded in an attack by Somalia's al Shabaab group. Those killed included Kenyans, Dutch, British and Chinese citizens and diplomats from Canada and Ghana. Some U.S. citizens were wounded, though the final toll is still far from clear.
The Westgate mall has several Israeli-owned outlets and is frequented by prosperous Kenyans and foreigners.
"Shopping centers and retailers will have to spend more money on security," Irwin Barkan, CEO of African mall developer BGI LLC, said in a phone interview from Ghana where he is based. BGI, based in the U.S., is developing properties in West Africa.
"I hope it doesn't get to the point where it is like getting into an airport," Barkan said ahead of a trip to Nairobi for the African Hotel Investment Forum this week.
Kavanagh said that U.S. shoppers have indicated they do not want to go through this type of security line with metal detectors and other security machines.
Following the attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2001, the trade group surveyed mall shoppers about their views on such ideas. "Unless there was an immediate threat, by and large they said 'no'," he said.
FEAR OF IMITATORS
U.S. counter-terrorism officials and experts have privately expressed worries for years - since even before the September 11, 2001 attacks - that U.S. shopping malls and other public spaces, including public transport systems, were vulnerable to attacks.
Juan Zarate, a former White House counter-terrorism advisor and author of "Treasury's War", a new book on the subject, told Reuters that one of the major concerns for counter-terrorism officials is that there could be imitators of this type of "soft target" attack.
"Like the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, terrorist cells are learning that they can have strategic impact with dramatic terror focused on soft targets having significant psychological and economic effects," Zarate said.
In November 2008, 10 gunmen went on a three-day killing spree in Mumbai, attacking two luxury hotels, a train station and a Jewish center, among other places in the Indian city.
In the United States, a source at one of the biggest mall owners said that the company is constantly focused on safety and security, not just after events such as the one in Kenya. The source said that shoppers can see some elements of security, while others are not visible.
Dan Jasper, a spokesman for Mall of America, a large private mall in Bloomington, Minnesota, said in a statement that "We constantly monitor events and adjust plans accordingly. The safety and security of our guests remains a top priority."
Westfield America declined comment, saying that it does not comment on security. Australia's Westfield Group owns nearly 100 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States. Simon Property Group, the largest owner of U.S. mall and outlet centers and owner of outlets in Canada, Malaysia, Japan, Korea and Mexico, also declined to comment.
(Writing and additional reporting by Caroline Humer Editing by Martin Howell and James Dalgleish)