LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 06/14

Bible Quotation for today/They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
John 6,28-34/Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’

Latest analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases from miscellaneous sources For May 06/14

Dialogue concludes, emphasizes need for defense strategy
May 05, 2014/By Wassim Mroueh, Hassan Lakkis /The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman's final National Dialogue session concluded Monday with participants emphasizing the need to continue studying the national defense strategy put forward by the president.
They also called for implementing past Dialogue resolutions in order to shore up security and stability in the country in a statement issued after the meeting, which lasted one and a half hours.
The statement cited the importance of the Baabda Declaration in shielding Lebanon from regional crises, and called for the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on time.
The majority of the March 8 and some March 14 parties boycotted the talks. Speaking from Baabda, MP Walid Jumblatt hailed the president for his service.
“With steady nerves and patriotism, Sleiman succeeded in ushering the country through a critical phase, shielding it from tensions and affirming that there is not way out [of crisis] except through the Dialogue."
During the session, Sleiman criticized recent reports quoting Iranian officials saying that Lebanon is Iran’s first line of defense, and said such statements “contradict Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
“I will contact Iranian authorities to get a clarification over such reports,” the president said. The meeting was devoted to evaluating the outcome of previous Dialogue sessions over recent years, with participants lauding the Dialogue for distancing Lebanon from the repercussions of the 2008 Israeli war on Gaza. Sleiman said that the time was not convenient to discuss the country's national defense strategy. Apart from Speaker Nabih Berri, no March 8 representatives attended the session. Hezbollah boycotted the talks for the second time in the row after differences with the president surfaced over the resistance’s role in Syria. Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun also pulled out at the last minute, the National News Agency reported. Political sources told The Daily Star that Aoun decided to cancel after he learned that Sleiman had criticized him in front of foreign diplomats.Conversely, Baabda sources said that Sleiman informed participants that Aoun called him and told him he was not attending Dialogue for "personal" and not "political" reasons. Also absent were Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geaga, Marada Movement Chief Suleiman Frangieh, Syrian Social Nationalist Party MP Asaad Hardan and Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan. The session was deemed a 'farewell' session for Sleiman, whose mandate ends on May 25. Separately, Hezbollah official Ibrahim Amin Sayyed defended Monday Hezbollah’s role in Syria and said the party is defending Palestine. “ Syria is our first line of defense for Palestine, the nation, the people and our dignity. I told that to the brothers in Hamas,” he said.
“Our presence in Syria aims at protecting Palestine. Whoever wants to free Palestine should go fight in Syria against conspirators.”

Sleiman meets Saudi Ambassador
May 05, 2014/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman met Monday in Baabda with the Saudi envoy to Lebanon, Ali Awad Asiri, a statement from Sleiman’s office said.
The two discussed bilateral ties as well as the general situation in the Arab world.

Al-Rahi Advises Lebanese not to Create New Problems over Holy Land Trip
Naharnet/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi expressed regret at the “shameful” criticism of his planned visit to the Holy Land to accompany the pope, urging the Lebanese to resolve their problems rather than create new ones. In remarks to An Nahar daily published on Monday, al-Rahi said it was his duty to greet Pope Francis in his trip to Jerusalem later this month, in addition to church laws that a patriarch should make pastoral visits every five years. “I know very well that Israel is an enemy state and occupies Lebanese territories too. I respect Lebanese laws,” he said, adding that he would not meet with Israeli officials. Al-Rahi regretted that “some Lebanese wanted to create problems out of nothing.”“Let us resolve our problems rather than create new ones,” he told An Nahar. The patriarch, who is also a cardinal, urged the people “to stop talking about this subject.”“It is a shame that the world would have to hear (such a thing) from us,” he said. His remarks came as church officials appeased fears that al-Rahi would be making a historic mistake in the first visit of a Maronite patriarch to Israel since the state was founded in 1948. They said the patriarch would avoid political meetings and would not seek to normalize ties with Israel. But despite efforts to appease critics, As Safir daily said Monday that a delegation of Christian parliamentary and political personalities, who oppose the Jerusalem trip, would visit al-Rahi upon his return from Europe to urge him to back off from his decision. The delegation could also visit the papal ambassador to Lebanon to “explain to him the sensitivity of the issue and warn him that al-Rahi's trip to the occupied territories would have repercussions on Lebanon.” As Safir said that several church officials have also criticized the planned trip after al-Rahi took a quick decision to accompany the pope without thoroughly discussing the matter with them. But Bishop Boulos Sayyah denied to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) that any of the bishops had objections to the trip. He also said that Bkirki's doors were open to visitors. The Maronite patriarch's visit was not also clear of problems from the Israeli side. Diplomatic sources said Israel informed the Vatican that it had conditions on al-Rahi's trip, including not shaking hands with any Israeli official. The sources told An Nahar that Israel could inform al-Rahi about a decision to send a delegation to visit him in an effort to embarrass him, a move that would prompt the patriarch to reassess his decision to go there.

Harb: Gemayel, Geagea Have Nomination Right, Candidacy without March 14 Consensus Harms Victory Chances
by Naharnet /MP Boutros Harb stated on Monday that no political figure should run for office without the consensus of the March 14 coalition, explaining that this would hinder the alliance's chances of victory in the presidential race. "Any Lebanese Maronite who thinks that they are competent can run for office," Harb said after meeting with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab.
Kataeb Party chief Amin "Gemayel is one of (the March 14) alliance's main leaders and he, as well as Geagea, both have the right to nominate themselves," he added.
But the Minister of Telecommunications stressed that no candidacy should be submitted without March 14's agreement.
"Or else, we will lose in the presidential race," he noted. Harb, however, assured that the coalition's parties are "fully cooperating to go through the elections successfully."
He elaborated: "I met with Gemayel last week and we will also hold talks next week. We are waiting for him to meet with March 14 leaders and with all Lebanese politicians to study the circumstances leading to the polls."Harb declared that "postponement is the fate" of Wednesday's parliamentary session, during which lawmakers are supposed to elect a new president.
"The possibility of reaching vacuum in the presidency is worrisome and it is a negative mark in the political life in Lebanon. The state cannot be built unless there is a head of state or else it would be subjected to dangers and this would threaten the harmony between its institutions.""We will strive to avoid vacuum," he assured. The Batroun MP explained that the solution to avoiding vacuum would be in all parties abiding by constitutional guidelines, heading to the parliament to provide quorum, and electing a president with a simple majority. "This is a healthy democratic practice," he pointed out. Meanwhile, in case of vacuum presidential powers would become in the hands of the council of ministers, Harb said. "But this does not mean that there would be no crisis in the country...the cabinet does not fill this vacuum and it will act quickly to assure the election of a president," he told reporters. "The absence of a president harms sectarian balance in the country and Christians would feel that vacuum in the presidency marginalizes their participation in the nation-building process," Harb expressed. During the first round of the presidential polls, 52 MPs from the March 8 alliance cast blank ballots, Geagea received the votes of only 48 MPs while 16 lawmakers voted for Aley lawmaker Henri Helou and one for Gemayel. The March 8 MPs later pulled out of the session, causing a lack of quorum. The same lawmakers, except for Speaker Nabih Berri's bloc, boycotted the second round of the elections. The same scenario is expected to take place next Wednesday during the third round.
President Michel Suleiman's tenure ends on May 25.

Abra residents demand Syrian workers leave town
May 05, 2014/By Mohammed Zaatari/The Daily Star /SIDON, Lebanon: Residents of the Sidon suburb of Abra protested Sunday against the presence of Syrian workers after police released a Syrian who was accused of attempting to kill a resident. The residents of the predominantly Christian town gathered outside the church at noon and called for Syrian workers to be kept away, a move that could prefigure similar protests against Syrians in other Christian towns in east Sidon. The police released Hasan Qasous, a 24-year-old Syrian worker, against whom Emad Saif had filed a complaint, accusing him of attempted murder. Safi said that Qasous had attacked him after a verbal quarrel broke out between the two men. “He cursed me, and I cursed him back, and a half hour later, he attacked me by surprise and wrapped a track railing around my neck.” Safi said Qasous confessed to investigators in the Haret Saida police station to the charges against him. “Justice was not achieved for me, and the attacker is now outside Lebanese lands – he is in Syria,” he said, adding: “I do not believe in Lebanese justice, only God’s justice will do me right.” Mayor Walid Mshantaf explained that the town’s residents wanted Syrian workers out of Abra itself and were not protesting against the presence of Syrian refugees on the outskirts of the town. “There is a camp for Syrian refugees outside Abra and we offer them help and services, but we do not accept having young Syrian men inside our houses attacking us,” he said. “We cannot keep silent over such a thing.” Abra’s former Mayor Elias Mshantaf said the number of Syrian workers in the town had grown from 20 to nearly 100 since the Syrian crisis began three years ago. “The presence of over 100 workers in Abra poses an economic threat to our town,” he said. He added that the town was facing another “ethical danger,” explaining that girls were now afraid to go out of their houses alone. “This is a message for everyone – Hezbollah, Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya, the Future Movement, former MP Osama Saad and mayors in the region: we cannot tolerate these guys. We do not accept having young men acting this way.” Abra was the hub for now-fugitive Islamist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir last summer and witnessed intensive battles between the sheikh’s supporters and the Army in June. It has also seen previous tensions between residents and Syrian workers. Lebanon is host to over a million Syrian refugees, with those fleeing the neighboring conflict now equal to more than quarter of the Lebanese population.

MP hands over review of controversial wage hike bill
May 05, 2014/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan handed over Monday the parliamentary committee's review of the public sector salary scale bill to Parliament's general secretariat. The committee amended the controversial draft law by reducing the total funding from $1.9 billion to $1.2 billion. The lawmakers also agreed to raise the value added tax from 10 to 11 percent and customs by one percent in a bid to generate funds to finance the wage hike. Speaker Nabih Berri is expected to convene Parliament to pass the draft law within the next 48 hours. The Union Coordination Committee, which has spearheaded protests for the past three years to pressure the government to approve the bill, has opposed attempts to increase taxes to finance the salary increase. The UCC represents public sector employees and teachers.

Amin Gemayel to Begin Talks with Political Leaders Tuesday to Ensure Presidential Polls are Held
Naharnet/Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel slammed on Monday attempts to thwart the presidential elections, noting that some foreign powers are keener on the elections than Lebanese officials. He said during a press conference: “We will begin meeting with political leaderships starting on Tuesday in order to avert vacuum.” He warned that all of Lebanon's achievements over the years would go to waste should powers fail to stage the elections. Moreover, he said that the accomplishments on the government and security levels should be crowned by holding the polls. “We must overcome all divisions. These disputes should not obstruct the elections,” demanded Gemayel. The initiative must therefore be taken to ensure that they are held, he explained. “We are in agreement with all of our allies on the need to elect a president who is popular among Christians,” said the Kataeb Party leader. The first round of the presidential elections was held on April 23 with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou the only two officials so far running in the polls. A candidate needed the vote of 86 lawmakers in order to emerge victorious in the first round. The second round of the elections was scheduled for April 30, but it was not held over a lack of quorum at parliament after the March 8 alliance, except Speaker Nabih Berri's Development and Liberation bloc, boycotted the session. Berri scheduled a third session for Wednesday, but observers are expecting it to fail once again over a lack of quorum. The ongoing divisions between the March 8 and 14 camps over the elections are raising fears of vacuum in the presidency. President Michel Suleiman's term ends on May 25.

Death penalty sought for 10 suspects over Tripoli bombings
May 05, 2014/By Youssef Diab/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Lebanon's military investigative judge Monday is seeking the death penalty for 10 suspects tied to last year's bombings in the northern city of Tripoli, including a Syrian intelligence officer. In his indictment regarding the Aug. 23 double car bombing, Judge Riad Abu Ghayda requested the death penalty for eight Lebanese nationals as well as Syrian Intelligence officer Cpt. Mohammad Ali and Khodr al-Ayrouni, also a Syrian national. The Lebanese were identified as Sheikh Ahmad Gharib, Mustafa Houri, Hayyan Ramadan, Youssef Diab, Khodr Shdoud, Ahmad Merhi, Salman Asaad and Nasser Joban. The judge also recommended a three-year sentence for the head of the Arab Democratic Party and former MP Ali Eid, a prominent pro-Assad figure in Tripoli, along with his driver Ahmad Ali, Samir Hammoud, and Shehada Shdoud. Eid was accused of aiding Merhi in the bombings after he helped him flee to Syria with the help of his driver. The Alawite figure is also accused of asking Shdoud to help Sukaynah Ismail flee.Ismail accompanied the two people who drove the explosive-rigged vehicles from Syria into Lebanon along with two children.
The indictment cites the confessions of Gharib and Houri that Syrian intelligence planned the bombings and recruited Ali, the Syrian officer, as well as Gharib and Hayyan to carry out the attacks.
The judge said that the detained suspects also confessed that the motive behind the two car bombings was to assassinate political and religious figures, namely Salafist Sheikh Salem al-Rafie, Justice Minister and former chief of police Ashraf Rifi, Future MP Khaled Daher, former Future MP Mustafa Alloush and retired Brig. Gen. Amid Hammoud. The plan also stipulated that additional car bombings should target any protests in response to the original attack, which Abu Ghayda said killed 51 people and wounded over 300. Gharib planned the attacks by meeting with the Syrian officer and carefully studying the location of Al-Taqwa Mosque and its interior, including the spot where the preacher usually stands. The two also discussed the transportation of the explosives-rigged vehicle from Syria’s Tartous to Tripoli.
Gharib also recruited Houri and tasked him with monitoring political and religious figures, given his profession as a journalist. He allegedly asked Houri to recruit someone to assassinate the former brigadier general in return for $10,000 and another person to park the vehicle outside al-Taqwa mosque. The indictment noted that the Syrian intelligence also recruited Hayyan from the Alawite Tripoli neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen. Hayyan, in turn, recruited Diab, Merhi, Asaad and Shdoud to carry out the attacks. Diab and Shdoud parked an explosives-rigged vehicle outside Al-Salam Mosque and detonated it before fleeing on a motorcycle while Merhi and Asaad carried out the attack against Al-Taqwa mosue. Abu Ghayda exonerated Hashem Minqara, Anas Hamze and Hasan Jaafar citing lack of evidence. Minqara, the head of a pro-Assad Islamist group in Lebanon, was briefly detained last year and charged with withholding information about the Tripoli cell’s terrorist activities. Abu Ghayda referred the case to the Military Tribunal.

Kabbara urges Lebanon to file complaint against Iran
May 05, 2014/The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Tripoli MP Mohammad Kabbara urged Monday Lebanon’s Cabinet to file a complaint with Iran over recent statements by Iranian officials suggesting that Lebanon is Iran’s "first line of defense."Kabbara said the government should summon Iranian Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi and inform him of Lebanon's objection to the statement by Yahya Safavi, a senior military aide to the Iranian Supreme Leader. Savafi described south Lebanon over the weekend as Iran’s first line of defense, an Iranian News Agency reported over the weekend. "Our frontmost line of defense is no more in Shalamcheh [in Southern Iran]; rather this line is now on Southern Lebanon['s border] with Israel, as our strategic depth has now stretched to the Mediterranean coasts and just to the North of Israel," he was quoted as saying by Fars news agency. Kabbara also warned against the gravity of the “Persian plot in Lebanon” and said Iran seeks “to occupy the Lebanese shore.”President Michel Sleiman also criticized the statement during the Dialogue session, saying such comments “contradict Lebanon’s sovereignty.” “I will contact Iranian authorities to get a clarification over such reports,” the president said.

Jumblat Renews Commitment to Syrian Revolt, Rejects 'Israeli Meddling in Uprising'
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat renewed on Monday his support for the Syrian revolt, rejecting however recent reports that some rebels have resorted to Israeli aid in their mission. He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa news website: “We reject and condemn any Israeli intervention amid reports of security and intelligence cooperation between Israel and Syrian rebels.”“This is a very dangerous issue that goes against Syria's Arab and national history,” he noted. “The alleged cooperation with Israel obstructs the possibility of the rise of a diverse and Arab Syria,” remarked the lawmaker. “The cooperation may also lead Syria towards fragmentation, similar to what happened in Lebanon during its civil war and years of Israeli occupation” of the South, warned Jumblat. The PSP leader therefore called on the Syrian National Coalition and all other parties of the opposition to take a decisive stand over this “dangerous development that will alter the course of the revolution and eliminate the major sacrifices that have been made in its name.” “It will also grant the Syrian regime additional excuses to once again return to accusing the opposition of treason” and cooperating with Israel, he said.

Majdalani: Obstructing election a 'sin' against Christians
May 05, 2014 /The Daily Star /BEIRUT: Future MP Atef Majdalani lashed out at the Free Patriotic Movement Monday, accusing the party of obstructing the presidential election, which he described as a "sin" against Christians in Lebanon. “We cannot lose hope of electing a new president before the term of President Michel Sleiman ends on May 25,” Majdalani told Radio Orient. “It is clear we are heading towards a vacuum in the presidency, for some unknown reason, and I believe that this pending phase would be at the expense of the Lebanese, particularly the Maronites,” he continued. “Obstructing the quorum today is a sin against Christians, not just in the political life [of the country], but also in its administration,” he added. Majdalani blamed the Free Patriotic Movement, headed by MP Michel Aoun, for obstructing the presidential election. Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc and Hezbollah boycotted last week’s session to elect a new head of state, which failed to achieve quorum as a result. Majdalani also warned against “such individualistic and non-Christian policies.”Lebanon has until May 25, the end of President Michel Sleiman’s six-year-term, to elect a new head of state.

Washington Recognizes Syrian Opposition Offices as 'Foreign Mission'
NaharnetظIn a boost to the Syrian opposition, Washington has recognized its offices in the United States as diplomatic missions, U.S. officials said Monday, as the movement's chief prepares for high-level talks here. Ahead of the first official visit by the head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmad Jarba, the move aims "to empower the Syrian moderate opposition," a senior U.S. administration figure told reporters. Washington, which is already the largest single donor of humanitarian aid to Syrian people caught in the three-year conflict, is boosting its non-lethal support and speeding up military deliveries to what it sees as moderate rebels, those fighting both regime forces and the militant groups flooding onto the battlefield.
"This is an important step in the path toward a new Syria, its recognition on the international stage, and its relations with Syrian nationals in the U.S.," Jarba said, as his delegation began arriving in Washington.
He welcomed the move as "a diplomatic blow against" the legitimacy of President Bashar Assad "and demonstrates how far the opposition has progressed."
Jarba will be accompanied on his eight-day trip to the United States by the new chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Brigadier General Abdelilah al-Bashir, his office said last week.
"He will meet U.S. officials to discuss the supply of sophisticated weapons to the FSA to enable it to change the balance on the ground," his office said. U.S. officials on a conference call with reporters refused to be drawn on the type of non-lethal aid or weapons being supplied by Washington. But the senior official acknowledged that there was "an asymmetry militarily" between the opposition rebels and the regime of President Bashar Assad they are fighting to overthrow. The move to recognize the Syrian Opposition Coalition offices, which will not give the staff diplomatic immunity, comes after a peace process known as Geneva II collapsed in February amid bitter recriminations. The U.S. along with many EU allies recognized the Syrian coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people in late 2012. Washington in March shuttered the Syrian embassy in the U.S. capital, prompting an angry response from Damascus. Monday's move will "facilitate" the work of the Syrian opposition in "reaching out to the American people" and is something that the coalition had been calling for, the U.S. official said. A further $27 million in new non-lethal support is being unveiled taking the total in such aid to $287 million, which in the past has included such things as communications equipment, night-goggles, medical supplies and ready-to-eat meals. Rebels recently disclosed the existence of a pilot program under which a "Western source" supplied them with 20 U.S.-made TOW anti-tank missiles, with the promise of more if they were used effectively. "The asymmetry that exists on the ground militarily unfortunately between the regime and the moderate opposition is problematic for the emergence of the kinds of political conditions necessary for a serious political process," the U.S. administration official said.
But "whoever thinks there will a sustainable and decisive military solution to this is deluding themselves."He admitted though that "the current asymmetry does not provide the calculus to get that kind of serious, negotiated political process underway." The U.S. and its allies were trying to find "various ways to strengthen the opposition and to try to bring increased pressure of various types on the Assad regime," he insisted. "Of course we recognize that they need to have what they need to change the situation on the ground." He also denounced as "a parody of democracy" presidential elections being held next month amid a brutal civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people since March 2011 and made millions homeless. The move "rings particularly hollow given that the regime is continuing to attack and massacre the very electorate that is purporting to represent," he said.SourceAgence France Presse

Netanyahu: The Jews would be massacred like our neighbors in Syria without the IDF
By JPOST.COM STAFF/LAST UPDATED: 05/05/2014/Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu paid his respects to Israel's fallen soldiers at the official Remembrance Day ceremony at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl on Monday. "There is no pain in the world that surpasses the pain of parents who learn that their children have been killed," Netanyahu stated. Having lost his brother Yoni during military service, Netanyahu said that he had seen his own parents hit with this loss. "In the generations before the state was founded our blood was spilled, but that was purposeless, whereas here in Israel the medicine for the pain is the understanding of our purpose," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu cited the deaths of tens of thousands in Syria, as a possible fate of the Jews, without the existence of the state of Israel and the IDF.
"A few kilometers north of Jerusalem a massacre is occurring that has killed tens of thousands that do not have the power to defend themselves. Who would doubt that that would be our fate without the IDF. The IDF is the only thing that separates us from the massacres that our people knew in the past," he said. "Israel can defend itself against any threat, but this security is gained by the loss of our sons and daughters," he said. He said the sacrifices of the fallen make life possible in Israel. In military cemeteries all over the country today, parents, siblings, spouses, children, and comrades in arms will gather to mourn loved ones and friends who died in service to the nation. At 1 p.m there will be separate services also at Mount Herzl for victims of terrorism. This evening, Mount Herzl, named for Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl, will again be a focal point, as people from all over the country together with visitors from abroad come together with IDF personnel and the Knesset guard to usher in Israel’s 66th Independence Day.

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni stresses Israel's commitment to equality at Druse Remembrance Day ceremony
By JPOST.COM STAFF/05/05/2014

"The equality that death created between the fallen Druse and Jewish soldiers is the equality we are committed to also in life," minister says. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni Photo: Marc Israel Sellem/The Jerusalem Post Justice Minister Tzipi Livni spoke on Remembrance Day on Monday at the state ceremony for fallen Druse soldiers in the town of Usfiya where she stressed Israel's obligation to treat its citizens equally. "All of the fallen were brothers, our brothers. They were members of all religions and ethnicities, from all over the country, and they fought shoulder to shoulder. "Just as our enemies did not distinguish between the soldiers and only looked for the IDF uniform or the Israeli identity card, so we must refuse to distinguish between Israeli citizens," Livni said. "The equality that death created between the fallen Druse and Jewish soldiers is the equality we are committed to also in life because equality is one of Israel's basic values," the justice minister said. Presidential candidate and Likud MK Reuven Rivlin spoke at the Remembrance Day ceremony in another Druse village, Beit Jann. "On this day, we are all one body suffering from the same wounds. We find strength in our deep bond that is anchored in the IDF and its Jewish, Druse, Beduin, new immigrant, and veteran-Israeli soldiers," he added.

Clooney fiancée sparks stir over Qaddafi-era case
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News/Monday, 5 May 2014
She hit the headlines last week for winning the heart of the world’s most eligible bachelor, but now Lebanese-born lawyer Amal Alamuddin is in the spotlight not just for her engagement to George Clooney.
Alamuddin’s legal work is now increasingly becoming scrutinized in the public eye following her engagement announcement. Among other high profile cases, Alamuddin is currently defending a suspected Libyan war criminal, former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi. The news was widely reported on Sunday, as the high-flying barrister is helping the 64-year-old appeal against the decision to allow his trial to take place in Libya, where he could face the death penalty. Senussi is the late Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s former right-hand man, who is accused of numerous atrocities against his people and was charged along with Qaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam. The former spy chief has also been convicted in absentia by a French court for the 1989 bombing of a French airliner.
He was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court as he was accused of overseeing a prison massacre of 1,200 inmates as well as torture and hangings.
High-flying career

Alamuddin has previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange during his fight against extradition to Sweden on sex assault charges.
She is also known for advising United Nations former secretary-general Kofi Annan on Syria, and for challenging the detention of Ukraine’s ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko before the European Court of Human Rights.Last week, Alamuddin and Clooney announced their engagement. They came out as a couple in October in London, according to People magazine, and since have been seen together in New York and on trips to places like Tanzania and the Seychelles Islands.

U.N. nuclear inspectors arrive in Iran
By Agence France Presse | Tehran/Monday, 5 May 2014
A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in Iran to visit two nuclear sites ahead of the next round of political talks with world powers next week. After meeting officials from the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran on Monday the IAEA team will travel to Saghand uranium mine and the Ardakan yellow-cake production site, the official IRNA news agency said.The facilities are located close together, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) from Tehran. The trip is in line with a seven-step plan agreed between Iran and the IAEA in February to increase transparency over Tehran's nuclear activities. Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's atomic agency spokesman, told IRNA that "most of the seven-step procedural agreement between Iran and the IAEA has been implemented."
IAEA deputy director general Massimo Aparo is leading the delegation. The meeting on Monday is to discuss the Arak heavy water reactor, an Iranian official told IRNA. February's seven-step agreement is due to be completed by May 15, two days after the start of political talks in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany -- aimed at reaching a lasting accord. As part of an IAEA probe, Iran agreed with the UN atomic agency in February to clarify its need "for the development of Exploding Bridge Wire (EBW) detonators".
Such fast, high-precision detonators could be used in civilian applications but are mostly known for triggering a nuclear chain reaction. The IAEA believes they form "an integral part of a programme to develop an implosion type nuclear device." According to the IAEA, Iran told the agency in 2008 that it had developed EBWs for "civilian and conventional military applications" but has yet to explain its "need or application for such detonators". IAEA officials previously visited the Lashkar Ab'ad Laser Centre, which is said to have been used for uranium enrichment. Aparo's delegation is due to leave Iran on Tuesday night, IRNA reported.

Malaysia probes ‘Syria links’ of 11 terror suspects
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News/Monday, 5 May 2014
Eleven suspected terrorists being held in Malaysia are being investigated over their alleged links to Syria, and not over the probe into missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, the Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday. A top government official reportedly said they were being interrogated for planning to send guerrillas to fight in Syria's civil war, among other things. “If this is not nipped from the beginning, we are worried that it will involve the political stability of Malaysia," Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told reporters on Friday. "We are taking this action because we do not want Malaysia to be a training nest for terrorists. We do not want Malaysia to be considered as the launchpad for terrorists in Southeast Asia, or even the entire world." The suspects, aged between 25 and 55 years of age, are being held under a new Malaysian security law which allows police to hold suspects for up to 28 days without charge. 'Nothing to do with the plane' It was reported on Sunday morning that the 11 suspected terrorists with links to al-Qaeda were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the disappearance of Flight MH370, which vanished from radar screens in the early hours of March 8, about an hour into its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board. But Malaysian police swiftly rejected the report linking the missing flight with al-Qaeda, describing it as “rubbish.”“That’s rubbish! This has nothing to do with the plane,” Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told The Star on Sunday.

Libyan speaker confirms Ahmed Maiteeq as new PM
Monday, 5 May 2014/The president of Libya's parliament Nouri Abu Sahmain has confirmed businessman Ahmed Maiteeq as the country's new prime minister, a decree signed by him said on Monday.
Maiteeq had been sworn in on Sunday but one of Sahmain's deputies had declared his election in parliament as invalid.
Sahmain now said Maiteeq was the new premier, asking him to form a new government within two weeks, according to the decree posted on the parliament's website.

Abbas, Meshaal hold first talks since unity deal
Agence France Presse, Ramallah/Monday, 5 May 2014/Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas began talks with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal in Doha Monday in the first meeting since their rival movements signed a surprise unity deal, an official said. "The meeting has started," a source in Abbas's Ramallah office told AFP shortly after 0900 GMT. The Palestinian leader flew to the Qatari capital on Sunday to meet emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani early Monday before attending a family wedding, the senior Palestinian official told AFP. He then met the exiled Hamas leader, who has been based in Doha for more than two years after leaving his previous base in Damascus because of the bloodshed gripping Syria. The last time the two leaders met face-to-face was in Cairo in January 2013. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said at the weekend that the two leaders were expected to meet in Qatar to "discuss the reconciliation agreement and how to implement it". Abbas's Fatah movement, which dominates the Palestine Liberation Organisation and rules the West Bank, has been locked in years of bitter rivalry with Meshaal's Hamas since the Islamist movement forcibly took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, ousting forces loyal to the president. Earlier efforts to broker a political reconciliation have failed, but on April 23, the PLO and Hamas announced they had reached a deal under which they would work together to form a new government of political independents. Hamas said it might incorporate some 3,000 members of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority's security forces to help policing in Gaza on a temporary basis. "There is a clause addressing the security situation, including... administrative arrangements for 3,000 members of Ramallah's security apparatus to work as part of Gaza security," Hamas government secretary Abdel Salam Siyyam said in a statement on Sunday. He said the move would be for an "interim period", without saying how long it would be.
News of the April deal provoked an angry response from Israel, which said it would not negotiate with any Palestinian government backed by Hamas, putting the final nail in the coffin of the latest round of US-brokered peace talks.

Iraq experiences an unusual election season
Monday, 5 May 2014/By: Abdulrahman al-Rashed
It's true that results of the previous Iraqi elections were stolen from Ayad Allawi and his bloc, which received the most votes, while his rival Nouri al-Maliki was given the right to form a coalition government. It's also true that many areas were deprived of their right to participate in last Wednesday's elections due to violence and marginalization. And it's also likely that this year's results could be ignored by granting the "most politically suitable" party the right to form a government under dirty sectarianism and Iranian orders. Despite all current divisions and upcoming violations, Iraqi elections remain unusual given the standard of regional elections from Iran in the east to Algeria in the west. Political pluralism and the real diversity of the top figures and parties mark the Iraqi elections with a value that is worth appreciating. The rise of a politically active society During last Wednesday's elections, 9,000 candidates, including 2,600 women, competed for over 328 parliamentary seats. It's an amazing number that does not only represent the extent of competition but that also represents the growing interest in parliamentary representation. This responsiveness to parliamentary engagement will finally impose itself with the rise of a politically active society which will be difficult for local and foreign parties to control as they please. Political pluralism and the real diversity of the top figures and parties mark the Iraqi elections with a value that is worth appreciating. We see this enthusiasm on the level of candidates and within the field of parliamentary work. It is however early to judge voters, who are the core of any future Iraqi governing institution. The number of eligible Iraqi voters is more than 20.5 million. The electoral process would be complete and would indicate better future for Iraq if only one third of them participate while being aware of the importance of their votes. Preliminary official statistics indicate that the voter turnout was 60 percent. This is an amazing number yet some doubt it, while others consider it an exceptional case resulting from the campaign mobilization. In all cases, whether the percentage of voters is 30 percent or 60 percent, the turnout shows that people want to decide their and their children's future by voting for parliamentary representatives. Whether results will be ignored like last time or whether the people's chosen representatives end up forming the coalition they want, what we witnessed grants hope of a better future in Iraq. We hope politicians won't spoil this as they battle over governance. *This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on May 5, 2014.