LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 15/14

Bible Quotation for today/
John 6,1-15/ :After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.
Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’
Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Lebanese Parliament Adjourns Thorny Debate over Wage Scale to May 27 as SCC Protesters Vow to 'Stay on the Street'
Naharnet/The parliament on Wednesday adjourned debate over the new wage scale to May 27 after having approved a number of clauses during a morning session, amid a deadlock over several controversial articles. The points of contention are especially revolving around the Value Added Tax, seaside properties and the so-called six degrees of public school contract teachers. As the evening session kicked off at 6:00 pm, lawmakers approved Article 14 of a draft that was prepared by a parliamentary panel formed around two weeks ago, which is related to National Lottery fees. The parliament also adopted Article 15 on the income tax after amending the panel's suggestion and raising the tax from 8% to 15%. During the session, Berri asked a committee he had formed in the morning to devise a new formula for the fines that should be slapped on illegal seaside properties. The committee comprises ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zoaiter and MPs Ali Fayyad, Jamal al-Jarrah, Alain Aoun and George Adwan. But after a debate that lasted for more than an hour, the committee failed to reach any agreement, according to several media outlets. However, intensive consultations were held between the committee members and head of al-Mustaqbal bloc Fouad Saniora amid talks on the sidelines of the session between MPs belonging to the Free Patriotic Movement, the Kataeb Party, the Lebanese Forces, Berri and MP Adwan, who explained to the speaker the points related to the aforementioned article. MPs Sami Gemayel, Alain Aoun and Marwan Hamadeh then joined the Berri-Adwan talks ahead of the resumption of the evening session. The speaker then asked parliament to start discussing the draft law on raising the minimum wage and granting cost of living compensations to public employees and contract workers and members of the armed forces, as amended by the subcommittee. Following a long debate, Hamadeh demanded a suspension of discussions, rejecting to create any “regrettable conflict between military personnel and administrative employees.”“We will not be able to approve the wage scale if we continue in this manner and we should not engage in an endless debate,” the lawmaker said.
The session was then suspended for 15 minutes and the break involved consultations between Berri and the representatives of parliamentary blocs, before it was resumed at 9:20 pm. During the pause, an agreement was reached to "postpone debate over the new wage scale's controversial points and to continue discussions on the consensual articles," MTV reported, saying "this means the wage scale won't be approved tonight." Meanwhile, LBCI TV said an agreement was reached between Berri and the parliamentary blocs to "continue discussions over the consensus points before putting the controversial ones to a vote."But around 11:20 pm, Berri adjourned the session to May 27 due to lack of quorum. LBCI noted that at midnight the parliament would enter the 10-day period during which the constitution forbids it from holding legislative sessions and limits its role to the election of a new president, given that the deadline for electing a successor to President Michel Suleiman ends on May 25.
For its part, OTV said "there are efforts to return the new wage scale draft to the government or to the joint parliamentary committees."Earlier in the day, public sector employees and teachers from across Lebanon held their biggest demonstration yet in a “day of rage” against lawmakers studying the controversial wage scale, vowing to stay on the streets until their demands are met. The demonstrators at Beirut's Riad al-Solh square held placards with slogans urging MPs to stop procrastinating. One placard read “Resolve it (the scale) or Go Away.” They first gathered near the Beirut headquarters of the Association of Banks in Lebanon and then marched towards the square, the closest point to parliament.
Security forces have blocked the roads that lead to Nejmeh Square where parliament is located. Speakers at the demonstration, which was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, vowed to “remain on the streets” until lawmakers approved the wage hike in accordance to its demands. Head of the private school teachers association Nehme Mahfoud lashed out at corruption in state institutions. He urged protesters to “remain on the streets until the new wage scale is approved.”The head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association, Hanna Gharib, made a similar request. "We will continue our actions without wavering until our rights are achieved," he told cheering crowds.
Turning to lawmakers, he remarked: “We are relying on your honesty towards the SCC for the wage hike to be approved.” "The injustice committed against us goes beyond the approval of the wage scale, but it is being led by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to deny us our rights,” declared Gharib. He stressed that his remarks on money-hungry people on Tuesday was not directed against lawmakers.
Gharib's clarification came after Berri said at the start of the legislative session on Wednesday that “the parliament does not legislate under pressure.” He tasked the Education Minister with informing Gharib that he would file a personal lawsuit against him if he didn't apologize for calling MPs “thieves.”The state-run National News Agency said Wednesday's protest was the biggest since the SCC was formed three years ago. Many private schools, which had not closed during the one-week work stoppage of the SCC, joined the strike on Wednesday. But several parliamentary blocs criticized the wage scale. MPs from the centrist National Struggle Front bloc of lawmaker Walid Jumblat and the Democratic Gathering warned during a press conference ahead of the parliamentary session that despite all the amendments, the scale fell short of real reform. “Some of the fictitious funding clauses would (negatively) affect” the SCC, they warned. The lawmakers said their vote on the draft-law would come in accordance to the discussions that take place in parliament. Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad also said during a press conference that the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc rejected many of the draft-law's clauses. A ministerial-parliamentary committee, which studied the draft-law, has proposed to reduce the total funding of the pay hike from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion).It has also suggested to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 10 percent to 11 percent and increasing customs by 1 percent, in addition to raising other taxes. But SCC officials, including Gharib, reiterated on Wednesday that the public sector employees will only accept a 121 percent wage hike as initially approved by the government of ex-PM Premier Najib Miqati in 2012.

Officials: U.S. Welcomes Extension of Suleiman's Mandate
Naharnet/U.S. Ambassador David Hale welcomed a proposal for a constitutional amendment to keep President Michel Suleiman in his post after the expiry of his six-year term on May 25, March 14 alliance officials said. Hale made his stance during a luncheon thrown by March 14 General-Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid, the officials told al-Mustaqbal newspaper published on Wednesday. The officials, who attended the lunch, said discussions focused on the presidential deadlock and a proposal to keep Suleiman in power to avoid a vacuum at Baabda Palace pending the election of a new head of state. “The U.S. Ambassador did not show objection to this idea,” the officials told the daily. But the conferees concluded that Hizbullah's absolute rejection to the proposal was a major obstacle.
Any attempt to keep the president in power requires a constitutional amendment by the two-thirds majority of the 128-member parliament. The differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances have prevented the elections from taking place. The Hizbullah-led camp has boycotted the polls to protest the candidacy of its foe Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea. Another parliamentary session is scheduled to be held on Thursday.

Delicate Situation Compels Hizbullah to Remain Mum on al-Rahi's Visit to Holy Land
Naharnet/Hizbullah will remain silent regarding Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's expected visit to the Holy Land to avert any war of words with Bkirki at the critical political stage that the country is passing through. Al-Liwaa newspaper quoted Hizbullah sources as saying on Wednesday that the party “decided to remain mum at this stage and refused to comment negatively or positively” on the matter. “The party is holding onto its confidential stance and will discuss the matter with Bkirki via the official channels and away from media spotlight,” the sources said. Al-Rahi is expected to travel to Jerusalem to welcome Pope Francis during his brief visit to the occupied Palestinian territories on May 24-26. The Patriarch's visit is diplomatically noteworthy because Lebanon remains technically at war with Israel and bans its citizens from entering the Hebrew state. Sources close to the committee tasked with following up on the dialogue between Bkirki and Hizbullah told the newspaper that the “silence policy” of the party is to express its conviction that any verbal spat with al-Rahi would be “useless.”However, the sources expressed fear over the “negative impact that al-Rahi's visit to Jerusalem would have on the relations between Bkirki and Hizbullah.” “Hizbullah insists on dealing with the delicate matter calmly and reasonably,” sources told al-Liwaa, adding that the party's stance will be based on the developments.The expected visit was met with huge controversy in the country, with some considering it a “historical mistake that opens the door for normalization with Israel” and Church authorities repeatedly assuring that it has a strictly religious character. Maronite clergy may to travel to the Holy Land to minister to the estimated 10,000 faithful there. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said last week that al-Rahi was not part of the official delegation heading to the Holy Land and was going on his own initiative. Al-Rahi would be the first patriarch to travel to Israel since the Jewish state was created in 1948.

Security Guarantees Prompt Saudi Arabia to Lift Travel Ban to Lebanon
Naharnet/Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri and Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon announced on Wednesday that the kingdom lifted a travel ban to Lebanon after the security situation improved in the country. Asiri in remarks to OTV said that the kingdom lifted the travel advisory issued against Lebanon. Pharaon also confirmed the Saudi diplomat's statement. “Saudi Arabia gave the green light for its nationals to travel to Lebanon as the security situation permits foreign and Arab tourists to visit the country,” Pharaon said in comments to LBCI. The announcements come in light of a meeting between Asiri, Pharaon and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq at his ministry's headquarters in Hamra. A press release issued by the Saudi embassy in Lebanon stressed that “King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz is keen to safeguard the safety of Saudi nationals.” The three officials discussed, according to the statement, the local developments and the security plans implemented recently in the northern city of Tripoli and the Bekaa valley. The gatherers also tackled the problems that confronted Saudi citizens during their stay in Lebanon. Pharaon and al-Mashnouq stressed that the government will continue to implement the security plan, vowing to safeguard Saudi nationals in Lebanon. Asiri voiced hope that Lebanon would overcome the delicate situation it's passing through and meet all constitutional deadlines to be able to launch a “prosperous tourist season that would allow travelers to return to it.” On Tuesday, media reports said that Saudi Arabia is likely to lift its travel ban at the end of May.
The report came in light of the return of Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri to the country with his family on May 2 to resume his diplomatic duties. Asiri had left Lebanon in September 2014 because “of the deteriorating security conditions,” as he stated at the time. The Saudi diplomat stated upon his arrival in Beirut that there is no ban on visits by Saudi nationals to Lebanon. Several Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have repeatedly issued travel advisories, warning their citizens against visiting Lebanon due to the security chaos.

Bassil Receives Letter from Kerry as Officials Race Against Time to Resolve Presidential Crisis
Naharnet/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has discussed with his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud al-Faisal the presidential deadlock as al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri intensified his meetings to avoid a vacuum, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper said that Bassil held long discussions with al-Faisal on Tuesday, which required him to stay another day in Riyadh. Bassil, who is a Free Patriotic Movement official, returned to Beirut on Wednesday. In the afternoon, Bassil met with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the latter handed the FM a letter from his American counterpart John Kerry. But the content of the letter was not revealed, the state-run National News Agency noted. The meeting between Bassil and Hale lasted for 40 minutes, after which the United States' diplomat left without making any statement, the NNA added. The FPM official also met with French Ambassador to Lebanon Patrice Paoli earlier in the morning. Meanwhile, Hariri is expected to intensify his meetings in Paris with officials involved in the presidential process in a race against time to avoid vacuum at the country's top Christian post. President Michel Suleiman's six-year term expires on May 25. But lawmakers have failed in three rounds to elect a new head of state over differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances. The Hizbullah-led March 8 camp has also reacted negatively to a proposal to make a constitutional amendment to keep Suleiman in power pending the election of a new president. Speaker Nabih Berri told his visitors on Tuesday that there was “nothing tangible” with regards to the efforts to resolve the presidential deadlock despite the “continuous contact” between FPM chief Michel Aoun and Hariri. He accused certain parties without naming them of seeking to encourage foreign meddling in the polls. Some sides are “trying to kill time with the aim of inviting foreign interference,” he was quoted as saying. “But Saudi Arabia, Iran, the U.S. and European countries want the presidential elections to be held on time,” the speaker said, adding “they don't back any candidate.”The fourth round of the elections that is set to take place on Thursday is expected to meet the same fate of its predecessors unless a last-minute deal between the rivals changes the course of the polls. The March 8 alliance, except for Berri's bloc, has been boycotting the parliamentary sessions, resulting in a lack of quorum.

Al-Rahi's Jerusalem Visit to 'Assure Christian Presence' in ME, Says Holy Land Archbishop
Naharnet/The Maronite patriarch's historic first visit to Jerusalem to welcome Pope Francis is aimed at strengthening the "Christian presence" in the Middle East, a church official said Wednesday. Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's visit was announced earlier this month, prompting condemnation from media close to Hizbullah, which said travelling to the group's arch-enemy Israel would be a "sin." "This visit is to assure and confirm the Christian presence and identity in the face of all the attempts to weaken the Eastern Christian historical presence in the Middle East," the Maronite archbishop in the Holy Land, Mussa al-Hajj, told reporters in the Israeli city of Haifa. "Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi aims to surpass borders," Hajj said. Al-Rahi said on May 3 he would travel to the Holy Land to welcome the Roman Catholic pontiff during his May 24-26 visit. He is set to be the first patriarch to do so since the 1948 creation of Israel, which Lebanon is technically still at war with. In response, As Safir daily ran a critical piece headlined "Historic sin: al-Rahi goes to Israel".The newspaper argued the trip was a "dangerous precedent" that would "not serve the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese, nor those of Palestine and the Palestinians nor Christians and Christianity". It speculated on whether the patriarch, who is also a Roman Catholic cardinal, "would shake hands with Israeli leaders who will be in the front row to welcome Pope Francis to Jerusalem". Even if he does not, he would still have to coordinate his trip with Israeli officials, the paper added, claiming the visit "is part of the normalization between the head of the Catholic church and the occupier (Israel)".Al-Akhbar daily, which is also close to Hizbullah, said a group of politicians will try to dissuade al-Rahi "from visiting Jerusalem as long as it is under Israeli occupation, which would signify a normalization with the occupier".Lebanese citizens are banned from entering Israel, but Maronite clergy may to travel to the Holy Land to minister to the estimated 10,000 faithful there. Al-Rahi insisted that the trip has no political significance. Source/Agence France Presse

SCC Protesters Vow to 'Stay on the Street' as MPs Seek to Settle Pay Hike
Naharnet/Public sector employees and teachers from across Lebanon held on Wednesday their biggest demonstration yet in a “day of rage” against lawmakers studying the controversial wage scale, vowing to stay on the streets until their demands are met.
The demonstrators at Beirut's Riad al-Solh square held placards with slogans urging MPs to stop procrastinating. One placard read “Resolve it (the scale) or Go Away.”They first gathered near the Beirut headquarters of the Association of Banks in Lebanon and then marched towards the square, the closest point to parliament. Security forces have blocked the roads that lead to Nejmeh Square where parliament is located. Speakers at the demonstration, which was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, vowed to “remain on the streets” until lawmakers approved the wage hike in accordance to its demands. Head of the private school teachers association Nehme Mahfoud lashed out at corruption in state institutions. He urged protesters to “remain on the streets until the new wage scale is approved.”The head of Public Secondary School Education Teachers Association, Hanna Gharib, made a similar request. "We will continue our actions without wavering until our rights are achieved," he told cheering crowds. Turning to lawmakers, he remarked: “We are relying on your honesty towards the SCC for the wage hike to be approved.” "The injustice committed against us goes beyond the approval of the wage scale, but it is being led by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to deny us our rights,” declared Gharib. He stressed that his remarks on money-hungry people on Tuesday was not directed against lawmakers. Gharib's clarification came after Speaker Nabih Berri said at the start of the legislative session on Wednesday that “the parliament does not legislate under pressure.” He tasked the Education Minister with informing Gharib that he would file a personal lawsuit against him if he didn't apologize for calling MPs “thieves.”The state-run National News Agency said Wednesday's protest was the biggest since the SCC was formed three years ago. Many private schools, which had not closed during the one-week work stoppage of the SCC, joined the strike on Wednesday. But several parliamentary blocs criticized the wage scale. MPs from the centrist National Struggle Front bloc of lawmaker Walid Jumblat and the Democratic Gathering warned during a press conference ahead of the parliamentary session that despite all the amendments, the scale fell short of real reform.
“Some of the fictitious funding clauses would (negatively) affect” the SCC, they warned. The lawmakers said their vote on the draft-law would come in accordance to the discussions that take place in parliament. Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad also said during a press conference that the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc rejected many of the draft-law's clauses. Berri proposed during the session the formation of a committee to come up with a study on seaside properties and the disputes related to this issue, reported the National News Agency. The committee will be formed of Transportation and Public Works Minister Ghazi Zoaiter, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, MPs Georges Adwan, Fayyad, Alain Aoun, and Jamal al-Jarrah. The parliamentary legislative session has since been adjourned to 6:00 pm. Imposing fines on illegal seaside properties was among the proposals made to fund the wage scale. A ministerial-parliamentary committee, which studied the draft-law, has proposed to reduce the total funding of the pay hike from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion). It has also suggested to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 10 percent to 11 percent and increasing customs by 1 percent, in addition to raising other taxes. But SCC officials, including Gharib, reiterated on Wednesday that the public sector employees will only accept a 121 percent wage hike as initially approved by the government of ex-PM Premier Najib Miqati in 2012.

Hariri Offers to Help Renovate Tripoli's Syria Street
Naharnet /Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri on Wednesday expressed willingness to offer financial aid aimed at conducting repair works in Tripoli's Syria Street, the scene of fierce clashes over the past years that left scores of casualties. According to the Hariri-owned Future TV, the former premier sent a letter to Prime Minister Tammam Salam, offering a “grant to renovate Syria Street in Tripoli.” The message was conveyed by Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, who hails from the northern city, MTV said. On April 13, the minister had announced that Hariri was “seriously thinking of turning Syria Street into a … piece of art, similar to what martyr premier Rafik Hariri did in Beirut” after the civil war. “Military conflict, fighting, wars and shelling will be things that belong to the past,” Rifi said at the time. The aptly named Syria Street separates the impoverished neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, which fought around 20 rounds of deadly sectarian battles between 2008 and 2014. Badly damaged buildings, some abandoned, straddle the street, creating an atmosphere of fear and neglect, despite the presence of several army vehicles and checkpoints along the thoroughfare. Once filled with military barricades, the street flanks the al-Bazar and Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhoods and the city's vegetable market. The war in Syria had aggravated decades-old sectarian and political tensions between the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods. But since April 1, a strict and unprecedented security plan in the city has managed to restore calm and put an end to fighting, amid the fleeing and arrest of many of the two districts' top gunmen. Jabal Mohsen, where most of the population belongs to Syrian President Bashar Assad's Alawite sect, has long backed the Damascus regime. Majority-Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh, however, supports the rebels who have been fighting to overthrow Assad for the past three years. The war-scarred neighborhoods saw their first clashes in 1976, when Alawites and supporters of then Syrian president Hafez Assad fought against the Palestinian Liberation Organization then headquartered in Lebanon. In the 1980s, the front changed to pit pro-Assad fighters against the Islamist Tawhid movement, which was strong in Bab al-Tabbaneh. Then in 1986, when Syrian troops entered Bab al-Tabbaneh, they and their Lebanese backers killed hundreds of people in a massacre remembered to this day.

Israeli Army Erects Electronic Fence Near Mount Hermon
Naharnet/The Israeli army erected on Wednesday an electronic fence near Mount Hermon's observation post near the occupied Shebaa Farms. The National News Agency reported that heavy deployment by Israeli soldiers and armored vehicles in al-Alam Hill accompanied the movement along the border. Simultaneously, Israeli drones flew over the Shebaa Farms. An Israeli army infantry force crossed on Sunday the Blue Line in the al-Labbouneh border area and uprooted trees thus exposing a Lebanese army checkpoint. The unit also lifted a cement block that belongs to the Lebanese army.

Mashnouq to Kick Off Gulf Tour ahead of Decision to Lift Travel Ban to Lebanon
Naharnet /Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq is set to embark on a Gulf tour ahead of an expected decision by the Gulf Cooperation Council to lift a travel ban to Lebanon. According to An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday, Mashnouq will travel to the Gulf in ten days, without revealing the purpose behind the visit. The newspaper said that the trip comes ahead of an expected decision by the Gulf monarchies to lift a travel ban imposed on Lebanon after the security situation deteriorated in the country over the uprising in Syria.
The daily reported that the Gulf countries are expected to lift the travel ban in June. Several Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have repeatedly issued travel advisories, warning their citizens against visiting Lebanon due to the security chaos. On Tuesday, media reports said that Saudi Arabia is likely to lift its travel ban at the end of May. The report came in light of the return of Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri to the country with his family on May 2 to resume his diplomatic duties. Asiri had left Lebanon in September 2014 because “of the deteriorating security conditions,” as he stated at the time. The Saudi diplomat stated upon his arrival in Beirut that there is no ban on visits by Saudi nationals to Lebanon.

Berri Says Parliamentary Session after May 25 if MPs Fail to Resolve Salary Scale
Naharnet/Speaker Nabih Berri has said that a parliamentary session on the public sector wage scale would be held after May 25 if MPs failed on Wednesday to approve the hike. Berri told several local dailies that lawmakers will discuss each clause of the pay raise draft-law, which was amended by a ministerial-parliamentary committee, on Wednesday morning and in the afternoon session. “If it was not approved for a certain reason, then I would invite for another session after May 25,” he said. Berri said he could call for a session before that date, but he preferred to avoid a dispute in the last 10 days before the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's six-year term. Lawmakers have failed in three rounds of polls to elect a new head of state. The committee has proposed to reduce the total funding of the pay hike from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion). It has also called for raising the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 10 percent to 11 percent and increasing customs by 1 percent, in addition to raising other taxes. Berri rejected the VAT hike proposal, saying “it is unacceptable to fund the scale from the pockets of the poor and those with limited income.”He said the committee could have relied on other funding sources “if there was a brave political decision.”The Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, which has gone on a week-long strike since last Wednesday, has also rejected the committee's proposals. Its officials have said the SCC will only accept a 121 percent wage hike as initially approved by the government of ex-PM Premier Najib Miqati in 2012. The coalition is organizing its biggest protest yet on Wednesday. It has urged all public sector employees, teachers and their parents to participate en masse in the “day of rage” demonstration in Beirut.

Fugitives Turn Themselves in as ISF Seizes Arms Cache from Depot in Tripoli
Naharnet/An Internal Security Forces unit raided on Wednesday a depot in Abi Samra neighborhood in the northern city of Tripoli and seized a large arms cache, the National News Agency reported. ISF commander in Tripoli General Bassam al-Ayoubi announced that the depot contained rocket-propelled grenades, Energa-type rockets, various types of grenades. The depot, located in an apartment on al-Hawouth Street in Abi Samra, also contained two Kalashnikov rifles and their ammunition, added an ISF statement later on Wednesday.
The apartment is owned by A.N., also known as Marwan, who was arrested by the ISF Intelligence Bureau on May 12, it said. Later on Wednesday, the army announced that a number of suspects, who were wanted for their involvement in the recent fighting the city, turned themselves in to the Intelligence Directorate. They were identified as Mohammed Jamal al-Nahili, Zakaria Mohammed Jomaa, and Ahmed Taha al-Hajjar. And in another statement, the military institution announced that Bilal Nasser al-Akkari, Ibrahim Ahmed al-Obeid, Hassan Qassem Seif, Omar Abdul Karim Daher, Khaled Ali Shaaban, and Sayed Mohsen al-Doueihy have turned themselves in The statement said that all these fugitives have arrest warrants against them for their involvement in the Tripoli clashes.
On Monday, the ISF Intelligence Bureau raided a warehouse belonging to A.N., in the al-Soweiqa al-Mahatra neighborhood and confiscated a number of weapons. Last month, the army deployed heavily in Tripoli and started implementing a major security plan devised by the government to end violence in the city. Tripoli witnessed around 20 rounds of deadly gunbattles in recent years between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. The security plan has resulted in the arrest of dozens of gunmen and fugitives in Tripoli and the Bekaa but a lot of wanted men have managed to escape, while others remain at large. Last week, a number of leaders of armed fighters in Tripoli turned themselves over to the military intelligence.

March 14: Social Reform Takes Place when State Regains its Full Authority over Lebanon
Naharnet/The March 14 General Secretariat highlighted on Wednesday the need for the state to regain its complete authority throughout its territories as a means to achieve social reform. It said in statement after its weekly meeting: “Resolving social and daily demands cannot strictly be solved through numbers, but through a political solution that sees the state regain its authority.” It made its comments in reference to the demands of public sector employees and teachers from across the country for the approval of a new wage scale. “The state alone should be tasked with devising security, military, economic, and financial policies,” added General Secretariat. “It will consequently restore its full rights through collecting taxes and all revenues from the port, airport, and border crossings, as well as the energy sector and other fields,” it stressed. Public sector employees and teachers from across Lebanon held on Wednesday their biggest demonstration yet in a “day of rage” against lawmakers studying the controversial wage scale. Speakers at the demonstration, which was organized by the Syndicate Coordination Committee, a coalition of private and public school teachers and public sector employees, vowed to “remain on the streets” until lawmakers approved the wage hike in accordance to its demands. A ministerial-parliamentary committee, which studied the hike draft-law, has proposed to reduce the total funding of the pay hike from LL2.8 trillion ($1.9 billion) to LL1.8 trillion ($1.2 billion). It has also suggested to increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 10 percent to 11 percent and increasing customs by 1 percent, in addition to raising other taxes. But SCC officials reiterated on Wednesday that the public sector employees will only accept a 121 percent wage hike as initially approved by the government of ex-PM Premier Najib Miqati in 2012.

Health Ministry Contract Axed after Hospital Refuses to Admit Cancer-Hit Kid
Naharnet/Health Minister Wael Abou Faour on Wednesday scrapped the contract signed between the ministry and Tripoli's al-Nini Hospital, which has allegedly refused to admit a child suffering from Leukemia, or blood cancer. “Following investigations by the Ministry of Health into the case of the minor girl (Tala Jomaa) who was denied entry by the al-Nini Hospital in Tripoli, and after hearing the testimonies of the hospital's administration, the toddler's parents and several witnesses, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour decided to cancel the contract signed between the ministry and al-Nini Hospital,” the minister's press office said. According to the office's statement, Abou Faour sent a memo to the hospital's administration, warning that any such incident will be referred to the public prosecution in the future. The minister also called on all hospitals in the country to “fully abide by the stipulations of the contracts signed between them and the Ministry of Health” and to “totally refrain from denying entry to patients.”He urged them to end any discrimination among patients “according to their financial status or their medical insurers.”Moreover, Abou Faour warned hospitals against charging patients illegal fees “under pain of administrative and legal punitive measures,” stressing that he will not be lenient in “protecting the natural right of all citizens to medical care and hospitalization and in preserving their dignity, safety and health.” After several media outlets drew attention to her case on Tuesday, 5-year-old Tala was admitted to the al-Nini Hospital following the minister's intervention. A statement issued by the hospital on Tuesday said Tala had recently spent 16 days at the hospital and that she was granted full medical care at the expense of the Ministry of Health. “Following the doctor's approval, she was discharged from hospital on May 10, 2014,” the hospital said. “Tala was brought on Tuesday to take a kidrolase (intramuscular) injection and this treatment does not require hospital admission according to the attending physician. The hospital's administration did not refuse to let her in and she received treatment for 'half a day',” the statement added. But the child's father hit back at the statement, describing the hospital's explanation as “inaccurate.”“The administration said it would not let the child in … except after the payment of $2,000,” the father said.

Army Arrests Various Suspects in Morning Raids in Beirut
Naharnet /The army announced on Wednesday the arrest of three suspects in Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahieh over shooting offenses. It said that it arrested Mustafa Zou al-Fiqar Ismail, Hussein Hassan Tohmaz, and Mohammed Hassan Tohmaz for firing from their weapons on various dates. It also arrested Ali Shakib Moussa in the Hay al-Sellom area for the illegal possession of a weapon during the raids it carried out in the morning. Meanwhile, Ali Zou al-Fiqar Ismail turned himself over to the army after he was wanted on shooting charges. Earlier on Wednesday, the army carried out raids in the Western Neighborhood behind the Cite Sportive area in Beirut in search for wanted suspects, reported al-Jadeed television. It detained two suspects, said LBCI, while MTV reported that nine of Arab Movement Party leader Shaker al-Berjawi's supporters were arrested during raids in al-Rehab area in Beirut. Berjawi is a veteran militant whose career has spanned multiple decades and causes. In recent years, his supporters have gotten involved in clashes with anti-Syria groups. The latest clashes took place on March 23 between Salafists and supporters of Berjawi near the Cite Sportive area. One person was killed in the fighting.

Syria Welcomes U.N. Envoy Exit as Peace Hopes Dim
Naharnet/Syria welcomed Wednesday the resignation of U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, as hopes for a resumption of peace talks dimmed ahead of a controversial election expected to return President Bashar Assad to office. Damascus accused Brahimi, who announced on Tuesday that he will step down on May 31, of bias and interference in its internal affairs after he criticized the planned election as a blow to peace efforts. The opposition however thanked Brahimi for his efforts, which yielded two rounds of peace talks but no concrete results, and said they shared his "frustration" over the stalemate in the conflict. Brahimi's departure comes as Assad campaigns for a new seven-year term in the June 3 election which the opposition and much of the international community have dismissed as a "farce."
The veteran diplomat coaxed the government and the opposition to attend peace talks in Geneva this year, but they broke down after two rounds, and the war has slipped into a fourth year. Brahimi said Tuesday he was "very sad that I leave this position and leave Syria behind in such a bad state." To Syrians, he offered "apologies, once more, that we have not been able to help them as much as they deserve; and, tell them the tragedy in their country shall be solved." U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon blamed the failure to find peace on "a Syrian nation, Middle Eastern region and wider international community that have been hopelessly divided in their approaches to ending the conflict."But Al-Watan, a newspaper close to the Assad regime, put the blame on Brahimi Wednesday.
"Brahimi is Saudi Arabia's man," it said, in reference to the Sunni kingdom's backing for the Sunni-dominated uprising against Assad. "He demonstrated his partiality for the opposition, particularly during the Geneva meeting, by expressing his support for the National Coalition and its chief, Ahmad Jarba." State news agency SANA said there were numerous reasons for Brahimi's failure, highlighting what it said was his interference in Syria's internal affairs. "A mediator cannot interfere in the sovereign affairs of states," it said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who headed to London on Wednesday to attend a Thursday meeting of the pro-opposition Friends of Syria group, insisted that Brahimi "did not fail." Kerry blamed Assad for the stalemate, calling him a man "who will not negotiate" and was "clinging to power." The Syrian opposition too blamed Assad, saying they shared Brahimi's "frustration with the Assad regime for not engaging constructively in the political process." The Friends of Syria meeting is expected to discuss the humanitarian situation in the country, as well as ways to "raise the prospects that the regime will participate in meaningful political dialogue," a U.N. official said. But with the Assad regime insisting on going ahead with the June 3 election, prospects for a resumption of peace talks seem dim. Torbjorn Soltvedt, analyst at British risk analyst Maplecroft, said Assad's bid for another term "has removed any pretense that the Syrian regime is engaging in meaningful talks with opposition over a potential transitional government. "Assad's focus remains firmly fixed on the battlefield, and on forcing a situation in which the Syrian government can dictate the terms of any settlement."Assad faces two challengers in the country's first multi-candidate presidential election but is expected to win comfortably. His rivals are little known, and have so far toed the government line, deeming the conflict a war against "terrorism". Speaking to Al-Manar, the television station of Assad ally Hezbollah, candidate Hassan al-Nuri praised the army and Assad's father and predecessor Hafez Assad.
"I've always admired his personality," he said of the former president. The other challenger, Maher al-Hajjar, told state television he was standing "because of the terrorism that is targeting Syria," saying "external Arab, regional and international forces were targeting the Syrian people." More than 150,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted in March 2011, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday that nearly 850 people had died in government jails this year alone.
The conflict has also displaced nearly half the population, with one family fleeing every minute, according to a study by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. Source/Agence France Presse

Nine US-backed Syrian rebel militias advance on Quneitra, key to controlling Golan
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report May 13, 2014/Nine Syrian rebel militias were advancing on the main Syrian Golan town Quneitra (pop: 20,000) Tuesday, May 13, to wrest it from the Syrian army, thereby removing one of its last points of access to the Israeli border. They have dubbed their offensive “Levant of the Prophet. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and senior commanders visited the Golan Tuesday, May 13, to survey the rebel offensive. For the third day running, Israel has kept the Quneitra crossing into the Syrian sector closed as a military zone. The off-limits area includes parts of the enclave’s Rtes 98 and 91 and Kibbutz Ei Zivan. “Syrian rebels have pushed the Assad’s military into a corner,” the defense minister commented. “To the east, we are seeing destruction and death, and sometimes, the injured come to us for medical treatment. To the West, we see the Golan Heights flourishing.”DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the nine militias, spearheaded by the Syrian Revolutionaries’ Front, have been moving north from the Jordanian-Israeli-Syrian border junction. Their first target is the capture of the Quneitra-Ein Zivan crossing as a direct bridge to Israel; its second force, to take Quneitra the town. The rebel militiamen are taking care to hug the Israeli border fence on their way north, reckoning that the Syrian tanks and light artillery units scattered in the sector would not attack them for fear of shells or rockets straying across into Israel. This would prompt instant reprisals
And indeed, ranged opposite the Syrian forces, are IDF positions of the newly-created 210th territorial Bashan Division. They are armed with Tamuz (Spike) anti-tank missiles of two types: The Spike-SR which has a range of 1.5 km and Spike-MRs which can hit targets at a distance of 2.5 km. Both carry tandem warheads designed to destroy Syrian tanks or artillery by piercing their reactive armor with a hollow charge guided by electro-optical means. The Israeli positions are under orders not to obstruct rebel movements, but rather take care of their wounded. While Israeli has formally adopted a position of non-intervention in the more than three-year Syrian war, things are rather different in practice. Israel allows the SFR to operate on its Golan threshold, because this rebel militia is unofficially backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, according to DEBKAfile’s sources. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources reveal that the commander of the Syrian rebel “Levant of the Prophet” operation is Col. Ziyad Hariri, who defected from the Syrian army after serving as an infantry brigade chief. The field commander is Capt. Abu Khaidar. The operation’s overall commander is the SFR chief, Jamal Maarouf, who operates out of a command center in the Idlib province of northern Syria. But when there is danger, he withdraws across the border to South Turkey. Maarouf is a pious Muslim who has three wives. He has gone to great lengths to enlist only native Syrians and no foreigners to the SRF and is flatly opposed to al Qaeda’s participation in the war on the Assad regime. Our military and intelligence sources add that nothing is ever clear-cut in any aspect of the Syrian conflict – whether the state of combat, the identity of commanders or the makeup of the various fighting forces. Although it is presumed that there are no members of Jabhat a-Nusra, the Syrian affiliate of al Qaeda, in Maarouf’s militia, a certain number of radical Jordanian Salafis with apparent ties to al Qaeda seem to have infiltrated the militia. The IDF is letting this go without response. Neither is it entirely clear up to what point this force is backed by American, Saudi and Jordanian intelligence agencies. All that can be said with certainty is that if this rebel force, whatever its composition, succeeds in wresting Quneitra from the Syria army, Syrian and Hizballah loyalist forces will have lost their presence on the Syrian Golan and southern Syria up to the town of Deraa. Should Bashar Assad or Hassan Nasrallah wish to attack Israel, they will have to go round to the north and strike from the Hermon range or the Shebaa farms in southern Lebanon. Tuesday night, Syria filed a complaint with the UN accusing Israel of aiding the rebel war on the Syrian army in the Golan. After overrunning the small Golan town of al-Kahtaniyya Monday, the rebels dropped flyers over Quneitra to advise inhabitants to leave their homes by Tuesday morning to escape the coming general offensive. Thousands of people were seen fleeing the town Tuesday, just ahead of the fighting.

Kiss of death? Saudi camel fans don’t think so
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News /Wednesday, 14 May 2014
After Saudi Arabia officially warned its citizens to steer clear of camels amid the spread of the deadly MERS virus, many are taking to social media to defy the warning - in the most peculiar of ways. People are snapping photos and videos of themselves kissing camels, just days after the kingdom’s authorities warned of staying away from raw camel meat and camel milk, while also keeping any sick animals at bay. The virus, which causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS, has been reported in more than 500 patients in Saudi Arabia alone and spread throughout the region in sporadic cases and into Europe, Asia and the United States. Its death rate is around 30 percent of those infected. In a video posted to YouTube and Twitter, one man says: "Look at me! Sneeze, sneeze! They say there's Corona in this," while kissing and hugging two camels. A man hugs and kisses a camel on video. He then shakes one of the camels' heads and says, "She says no. Is there Corona in you? She says no."
In another picture, a man is seen kissing a she-camel on the mouth to prove that the animals, could not be the source of infection. On Twitter, one user tweeted to acting Saudi Health Minister Adel M Fakeih, saying: "@adelmfakeih #the_campaign_against_camels_exposed And we call for it to stop or for evidence to be produced because camels are fine and all the ill people are in cities." Also, an info-graphic circulating on social media suggests camels are more valuable than petrol.

Syrian peace envoy quits; Russia pushes for talks
Brahimi steps down after failed negotiation attempts, Russia insists, 'there should be no artificial pause in the political process'.
ReutersPublished: 05.14.14, 14:35 / Israel News
MOSCOW - The resignation of international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi must not disrupt diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict, Russia's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday. Brahimi will step down at the end of this month after two rounds of negotiations between the Assad government and the opposition which failed to break a deadlock. "Russia assumes that the future successor to Brahimi... will safeguard continuity after his departure," Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying. "We believe there should be no artificial pause in the political process, the positive dynamics accumulated during previous rounds (of talks) must be safeguarded."Russia helped ensure the Syrian government's participation at the peace talks in Geneva but has also blocked Western efforts at the UN Security Council to put pressure on Assad to end violence, including with the threat of sanctions. "The most important thing is that the Syrian government is ready to continue the dialogue. We encourage and support Damascus in that," Gatilov said.

US assures Gulf allies that Iran talks won't undermine security
Hagel addresses Middle East states ahead of new nuclear negotiations with Iran; promises that regional security most important issue.
Associated Press/Ynetnews
Published: 05.14.14, 18:04 / Israel News
JEDDAH - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday promised US allies in the Persian Gulf that negotiations to contain Iran's nuclear program will not weaken their security. In remarks opening a conference with his Gulf counterparts, Hagel said Washington is hopeful of progress this week in the Iran deal-drafting talks in Vienna. "As negotiations progress, I want to assure you of two things," Hagel told the Gulf Cooperation Council. "First, these negotiations will under no circumstances trade away regional security for concessions on Iran's nuclear program."The Pentagon chief continued, "Second, while our strong preference is for a diplomatic solution, the United States will remain postured and prepared to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon - and that Iran abides by the terms of any potential agreement."Even if Tehran backs out of the nuclear negotiations, Hagel said, "The United States remains committed to our Gulf partners' security." He said there are about 35,000 U.S. troops in the Gulf region. After his meeting with the Gulf ministers, Hagel said they all agreed on the need to ensure that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. "While we noted that Iran's diplomatic engagement has been a positive development, we continue to share deep concerns about Iran's destabilizing activities throughout the region, including its sponsorship of terrorism, its support for the Assad regime in Syria and its efforts to undermine the stability in GCC member nations," Hagel said. Hagel also addressed the ongoing civil war in Syria, describing it as a confluence of "violent extremism, fragile states and humanitarian emergencies.""The United States remains committed to working with your governments toward a negotiated, political solution that ends the violence and leads to a representative and responsive government," he said. After the meeting, Hagel said: "We pledged to deepen our cooperation in providing aid to the Syrian opposition. We agreed that our assistance must be complementary - and that it must be carefully directed to the moderate opposition."

Hillary Clinton touts Iran achievements as her own in speech to American Jews
By MICHAEL WILNER/J.Post/05/14/2014/WASHINGTON -- Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton chronicled her efforts to bring Iran to the negotiating table on Wednesday, personally taking credit for the sanctions that harshly punished the Islamic Republic for its continued nuclear work. Addressing the American Jewish Committee in Washington, Clinton attempted to brandish her accomplishments as chief diplomat in the world's hotbed of conflict, just as the former secretary, first lady and New York senator considers a run for the presidency. Clinton began with a chronology of events that brought Iran to the negotiating table in earnest. Those talks are currently under way in Vienna, aimed at ending international concerns with Iran's expansive nuclear program dating back over a decade.Depicting a bleak "inheritance" that she and US President Barack Obama faced in 2009 upon assuming office, Hillary spoke of a once wealthy Iran, emboldened after its nemesis, Saddam Hussein, had been toppled by George W. Bush. The Obama administration chose to reach out to the Iranians believing that such overtures would prove to the world that Iran, not the US, was intransigent, Clinton said. And once Iran rejected those overtures, she personally muscled the international community into a unified sanctions regime. "I worked for months to round up the votes" at the United Nations, Clinton said, adding that her "personal mission" was to force Iran's oil customers to diversify their imports. "In the end, we were successful.""After years of division, the international community came together and sent a very strong, unified message to Iran," she added. "That was no easy sell."While touting her role in wrestling Iran's leaders to a point of weakness— Iran's presidential election of Hassan Rouhani in 2013 reflected this success, she asserted— Clinton nevertheless expressed caution that a comprehensive deal could be clinched in Vienna that would end the crisis. "I personally am skeptical that the Iranians will follow through and deliver," Clinton said. "The progress of Iran's nuclear program may be halted, but it is not dismantled.""If they choose to walk through an open door to a different future, we must be prepared to respond in kind," she continued, "just as we must be prepared with firm resolve to refuse. The next months will be telling."

Saudi king names Prince Khalid bin Bandar as deputy defense minister
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya News/Wednesday, 14 May 2014/Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud on Wednesday appointed former Emir of Riyadh Prince Khalid bin Bandar as the new deputy minister of defense replacing Prince Salman bin Sultan.
The Saudi news agency said Prince Salman was “relieved” from his post upon his request. Prince Salman has held the position since August 2013.King Abdullah also named Prince Turki bin Abdullah as new emir of Riyadh.

Iran welcomes Saudi Arabia’s visit plan
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News /Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Stressing the need to boost relations after years of strained ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran on Wednesday welcomed a plan for its foreign minister to visit the kingdom. The two countries have been at odds over Syria's civil war and the fallout from unrest in Bahrain.
See also: OPINION - Saudi Arabia’s desire to negotiate with Iran Iran’s statement came after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Tuesday said he had invited his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, to visit the kingdom. Iran's deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told the official IRNA news agency that Tehran had yet to receive Riyadh's formal invite, but a meeting was expected. "We have not received the written invitation yet, but visits of the countries' foreign ministers are on the agenda of Iran," Amir Abdollahian said. "We welcome negotiation and visits (aimed at) helping to resolve the regional problems, to clear up misunderstandings as well as expanding bilateral ties," he added. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel – who is currently visiting Saudi Arabia - promised U.S. allies in the Gulf that negotiations to contain Iran's nuclear program will not weaken their security. He said Washington is hopeful of progress this week in the Iran deal-drafting talks in Vienna, adding that the negotiations "under no circumstances" will trade away Gulf security for concessions on Iran's nuclear program. Hagel said that regardless of the outcome of the Iran negotiations, the U.S. will remain "postured and prepared" to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. He said there are about 35,000 U.S. troops in the Gulf region. (With AP and AFP)

Saudi Arabia’s desire to negotiate with Iran
Wednesday, 14 May 2014/By: Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal made an important announcement yesterday when he said that he invited his Iranian counterpart and that he is ready to negotiate with him. This announcement signaled a change in Saudi Arabia’s policy toward Iran and came during a visit to Riyadh by U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel who is scheduled to meet six Gulf ministers in the Saudi capital. The foreign ministry insists that al-Faisal’s announcement was “merely” an answer to a question and that his invitation to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif is not something new. Reuters asked the prince if he plans to invite Iran’s foreign affairs minister or any other Iranian official to visit the kingdom in order to discuss the regional situation. Faisal said: “There have been talks about the desire to revive communication between the two countries, which was expressed by Iranian officials - the Iranian president and his foreign minister. We sent an invitation to the foreign minister to visit the kingdom, but the intention to visit has not become real yet as he hasn't visited the kingdom so far. Any time that (Zarif) sees fit to come, we are willing to receive him. Iran is a neighbor, we have relations with them and we will negotiate with them, we will talk with them." Unless Iranian behavior or the balance of power on the ground changes, negotiating with Iran could make things worse
The text is clear. It is friendly language and an open invitation. We’ve known Prince Saud al-Faisal as a precise diplomat even when it comes to the tiniest of details. We don’t know whether the statement is truly a mere answer to a question or a new Saudi policy.
My colleague Tarad al-Omari once wrote an interesting column in the Al-Hayat newspaper calling for Saudi-Iranian consensus. So, do we really need this understanding with Iran now? It’s not easy to judge international relations based solely on publicized statements. However, we don’t need to prove that Saudi-Iranian relations are bad as they are now the worst they have been in 30 years with both countries indirectly struggling in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Bahrain and Lebanon. I think Iran is not yet ready for any reconciliation. It’s also certain that any pledges it makes cannot be trusted. Part of the problem lies in not settling the domestic struggle in Iran itself. This is reflected in the contradictory statements made by Iran’s leaders. Another part of the problem, and one that is more dangerous, is the Iranian military command’s belief that they are winning on the ground amidst the U.S. absence, its regression of economic sanctions and its reliance on negotiating over the Iranian nuclear program. Saudi Arabia will be the weaker party at any potential negotiation table. Negotiating itself will bolster the status of the hawks inside Iran and will send the wrong message to a number of Arab countries fighting Iranian proxies. What’s worse is that any relations with Iranian hawks will strengthen some American officials’ conviction regarding the importance of cooperating with Iran! I think it is very unlikely that Riyadh will alter its policy just because prominent Iranian politician Hashemi Rafsanjani called for it - even though he is respected by Saudis - or because the Iranian command gave positive signals that it is willing to meet Saudi Arabia halfway. Unless Iranian behavior or the balance of power on the ground changes, negotiating with Iran could make things worse.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on May 14, 2014.

Pakistan, Iran narrowly salvage friendship
Wednesday, 14 May 2014/By: Mansoor Jafar/Al Arabiya
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Iran has produced positive results for both the countries during the disturbing regional situation. The visit not only proved beneficial for regional security but also for the improvement of country’s worsening economy.
One of Nawaz Sharif’s main achievements was to convince the Iranian government to waive a condition in the Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline agreement that binds Islamabad to pay a $200 million per month penalty in case of delaying the gas pipeline construction before the deadline of Dec. 31, 2014.According to reports, Tehran has agreed on not imposing penalties on Islamabad for not meeting the deadline, but linked it with the earnestness shown by Pakistan towards completing the project which requires laying 781 kilometers in pipelines and infrastructure from Iranian border to Nawabshah, a city in the southern province of Sindh. Iran has already completed the laying down of 900 kilometers of pipelines of the IP Gas project but Pakistan has not initiated any work due to some international pressure.
Change the deadline

Tehran has also agreed to change the deadline of the project to help Islamabad. Iran asked Pakistan to start constructing the infrastructure for laying the pipeline so that Tehran could judge the earnestness on its part. According to reports, Tehran has also offered to bail out Islamabad in the shape of providing funds for the laying of the pipeline. Pakistan and Iran have always been friends. Iran stood by Pakistan in the wars of 1965 and 1971 against India. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto once said Iranian aid to Pakistan was more than that provided by all the Gulf countries combined. Similarly, Pakistan helped out Iran during its war against Iraq. But the bilateral friendship suffered following the dethroning of Reza Pahlavi Pahlavi and in the post-Iranian revolution era. Though the bilateral friendship remained, it lost its warmth due to some misunderstandings developed during the last two decades.
The misunderstandings reached to the extent in the last few months that Iran accused Pakistan of abducting its border guards and threatened to take direct action inside Pakistani territories. However, Islamabad kept its cool and avoided a tit-for-tat reply to keep the temperature from rising further. The issue was resolved after Iranian border guards were recovered from Iranian territories. During his meeting with Nawaz Sharif, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mentioned that border unrest between the two countries was an “enemy conspiracy” aimed at further damaging the bilateral friendship. Khamenei told Nawaz Sharif that certain countries, including the U.S., were conspiring against the Pakistan-Iran friendship and bilateral relations, and urged that both the countries should remain on guard against those conspiracies. The most prominent of the outcomes of the visit was that during the discussion between Nawaz Sharif and Iranian leadership, both sides pledged to work jointly for regional peace and security, besides the bilateral harmony with a new impetus. Both the countries also signed eight agreements and MoUs aimed at promoting bilateral trade, extradition of criminals and establishing of joint border commission. The joint border commission is aimed at thwarting the enemy conspiracies in the garb of petty criminal activities on the borders.
Expanding bilateral trade
Both the countries also agreed upon expanding bilateral trade to mark of $5 billion, which is a good sign for both the economies. It is ironic that Pakistani textile and agricultural products reach Iran via other countries. If Islamabad could be able to export those directly to Tehran it would earn more profits for local traders and producers.
At present, the promotion of bilateral ties, trade and commerce, and the implementation of bilateral agreements and MoUs depend chiefly upon the completion and commissioning of the Iran-Pakistan Gas pipeline project. Besides, both countries are concerned for the imminent insecurity in the region attached with the proposed withdrawal of U.S. and NATO invading armies from Afghanistan following a twelve-year war that brought devastation to the entire South Asian region.
Concerned with its depleting natural gas resources, Pakistan urged the oil and gas rich Iran to provide her with natural gas from its gas reserves in Bunder Abbas, after a MoU was signed in mid-1990s. Later, India also joined in the gas pipeline project, making it an Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. But under western pressure, India withdrew from the project after sometime on the pretext of security concerns. Delhi insisted that she would continue with the agreement if the gas pipeline was routed through sea instead of land.
While the project was lingering, Washington made direct interventions to prevent Pakistan from continuing with the gas purchase agreement with Iran, pushing the project into further delay. However, energy starved Pakistan shrugged off U.S. opposition and signed the much-delayed agreement last year when the then president Asif Zardari visited Iran to sign the treaty during his last weeks in office.
Apart from the political controversies between rival PPP and PML-N surrounding the hasty signing of IP gas pipeline agreement by Zardari, the PML-N government of Nawaz Sharif could not attend to the construction of the pipeline infrastructure during the initial months after coming to power. Sensing a possible dragging the feet off the project by Islamabad, Tehran also withdrew the proposed financial aid to the infrastructure inside Pakistan, citing the economic hardships back home.
When the imposition of penalties looking imminent on Pakistan with the fast approaching deadline, Nawaz Sharif visited Iran to win over the lost support from Tehran and also bailed out Islamabad from the heavy penalties of violating the construction deadline.
It is a good sign that Islamabad realized it could not afford to lose Iranian friendship in view of arch-enemy India and a new Kabul administration that is opposed to Islamabad’s policies in the region.

National pride, the key to getting the GCC back on track
Wednesday, 14 May 2014/By: Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi/Al Arabiya
People in this region have great expectations that the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will get back on track by implementing the Riyadh Accord. It is no understatement to say that GCC unity has been derailed by disagreements with Qatar and the subsequent decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to withdraw their ambassadors from Doha.More so than ever, Gulf leaders need to have the political maturity to understand that this region faces unprecedented internal and external threats, including global power shifts that are likely to bring about far-reaching changes for everyone. Energy-based wealth has been a blessing for the Gulf, making this region punch above its weight internationally, but it has also gone to the heads of some leaders, who have become uncooperative in their lust for more power. Many, including intellectuals and journalists, have recognized the current dangers and urged GCC leaders to move quickly from a council to a union. Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah, the former Kuwaiti deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, rightly advocates a union. “It’s time for GCC countries to move toward becoming a confederal body. This requires a shift from diplomacy to a phase of real politics, taking into consideration the dangers and existential threats to the countries of the region and their internal security.” Al-Sabah argues that these existential threats include the current demographics in the region. This view is borne out by current data: When the GCC was established three decades ago, the member states had a total population of 13 million people. Now GCC countries have 47 million people, half of whom are non-citizens, including other Arabs. It is clear then that this imbalance has to be considered a major threat, particularly when formulating security tactics and strategies. Many would be dissatisfied with the political and social consequences if this issue remains unresolved. What’s needed under these circumstances are strong, internally stable countries, which have undertaken major structural reforms. This would then form the basis for the development of a union under one overarching constitution.
Long-term security
It is also not enough to believe that a Gulf-wide security force can provide long-term security, as cogently argued by Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former director general of the Saudi National Intelligence Agency and chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, in his speech at a conference in Bahrain recently focusing on national and regional security issues. “The first condition to maintain the security of Gulf states and its communities is further fortifying these states from the inside by formulating policies that ensure smooth relations between the leaders and the people,” Prince Turki said. History will judge whether Gulf leaders have taken the right decisions to achieve political stability and security
The world is changing, with the U.S. seemingly indifferent to the region’s problems, Russia appearing to want a more dominant role, and the Europeans seeking to further spread their influence. At the same time, various groups want to impose their sectarian religious ideologies, which are a real and present danger, especially if traveling procedures are eased. These groups can be like a fast-spreading cancer, infecting every country in quick succession. Gulf unity is the only solution.
An asset in this region is the love people have for their countries and their almost total disregard for those who seek to cause divisions. In any case, these divisive elements have no real representation on the streets. This desire for unity must be developed to promote national cohesion, equality, transparency and political participation; while countering the real risk of granting citizenship to others. History will judge whether Gulf leaders have taken the right decisions to achieve political stability and security. The continuing political disputes between GCC members endanger the dreams of our parents. The GCC has played a significant role in resolving various crises over the decades including helping to liberate Kuwait after the Iraq invasion. It is a political fact that the world respects strong countries. The conditions are in place for the Gulf countries to make history because they have used their enormous oil to invest in educating their people. This is one of the region’s greatest advantages and can help it determine its own destiny.
**This article was first published in Arab News on May 14, 2014.

Crunch talks on Iran's nuclear program resume
By Reuters | Vienna/Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Six world powers and Iran launched a decisive phase of diplomacy on Wednesday to begin drafting a lasting accord that would curb Tehran's contested nuclear activity in exchange for a phased end to sanctions that have hobbled the Iranian economy. After three months of floating expectations rather than negotiating possible compromises, the sides now aim to devise a package meant to end years of antagonism and curtail the risk of a wider Middle East war with global repercussions. Washington's decades-long estrangement from Iran could ease, improving international stability, if a deal were done but U.S. officials warned against unwarranted optimism given persisting, critical differences between the sides. In the next two months, the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany will want Iran to agree to dramatically cut back its uranium enrichment program, which they fear could lead to the making of atomic bombs, while Iran wants them to eliminate sanctions against its oil-based economy. Diplomats from both sides have said they want to resolve all sticking points about issues such as Iran's capacity to enrich uranium and the future of its nuclear facilities, as well as the timeline of sanctions relief, by a July 20 deadline. After that, an interim deal they struck last November expires and its extension would probably complicate talks. An accord in two months is far from assured, with Western diplomats warning that divisions could prove insurmountable. "Quite frankly, this is very, very difficult," a senior U.S. official told reporters on the eve of the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I would caution people that just because we will be drafting it certainly does not mean an agreement is imminent or that we are certain to eventually get to a resolution." A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who coordinates diplomacy with Iran on behalf of the six, said negotiators held a "useful initial discussion" on Wednesday morning and would hold coordination meetings later in the day. "We are now hoping to move to a new phase of negotiations in which we will start pulling together what the outline of an agreement could be. All sides are highly committed."
Israeli threat to hit Iran
Looming in the background of the talks have been threats by Israel, widely believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear weaponry but which sees Iran as a existential threat, to attack Iranian nuclear installations if it deems diplomacy ultimately futile in containing Tehran's atomic abilities and potential. U.S. President Barack Obama has not ruled the last-ditch option of military action either. Broadly, the six powers want to ensure the Iranian programme is curtailed enough so that it would take Iran a long time to assemble nuclear bomb components if it chose to do so. The Islamic Republic says it wants only peaceful nuclear energy. Central to this issue will be the number of centrifuge machines, which potentially can enrich uranium to bomb-fuel quality, that Iran would be permitted to operate.
Tehran has about 10,000 centrifuges running but the West will likely want that number trimmed to the low thousands, a demand that could be unacceptable to the Islamic Republic. Iran's research and development of new nuclear technologies and the amount of stockpiled enriched uranium it may keep will also be crucial and likely difficult to negotiate. Refined uranium can be used as fuel in nuclear power plants or in weapons if purified to a high enough level. "Halting research and development of uranium enrichment has never been up for negotiation, and we would not have accepted it either," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency. "But a wide variety of issues have been discussed ... and on uranium enrichment too we have tried to reach consensus." Iran entered talks with the big powers after moderate President Hassan Rouhani was elected last June.
‘Out of control’
Diplomats have signaled some progress may have been made during three rounds of expert-level talks since February on one of the thorniest issues - the future of Iran's planned Arak heavy-water reactor, which Western states worry could prove a source of plutonium for nuclear bomb fuel once operational. But the U.S. official cautioned that some media reports about progress reached up until now were going too far. "I've read a lot of the optimism you've written," the official told reporters. "It's gotten way out of control."
Other diplomats from the powers warned that progress, if any, in the coming talks will be slow. And any agreement may come only at the 11th hour. "It's very difficult to say how it will all work in practice now. We have no agenda but that's not different from any other meeting," said one. "The figures will come at the end. They will be part of the big bargaining," he said, referring to decisions about issues such as the number of centrifuges to remain in Iran. Much of the complexity of the final agreement stems from the fact that its various elements are intertwined. A higher number of centrifuges left in Iran would mean the powers wanting Tehran to more substantially slow down the pace of enrichment to low levels, for example. "All the parameters are interdependent," one diplomat said. Politically, any deal could still be torpedoed by conservative hawks in the United States or Iran, and another interfering factor could be the approaching U.S. midterm congressional elections. Divisions in Washington are closely linked to concerns in Israel that any deal might not go far enough. "We are not against diplomatic solutions. But on the one condition, that it is a serious and comprehensive solution. A solution that can be trusted," Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister in charge of nuclear affairs, told reporters in Brussels last week in Brussels.

Saudi Arabia urges U.S. commitment to Gulf security
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya News/Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz urged the United States on Wednesday to remain committed to Gulf security and take into account the “growing security threats” facing the region. The prince made the remarks during a meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah between visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council. “We meet today amid persistent threats to the region’s security and stability,” which “necessitate coordination in politics and defense strategies of our countries,” Prince Salman said. Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz called Wednesday for stronger military cooperation between the United States and Gulf monarchies whose security he said is threatened. “We hope that it [the United States] will take into security and political accounts the growing threats to Gulf security and countries, including the quest of some countries to changes the regional power balance in their favor and at the expense of other countries, prince Salman said. Salman said among the issues of concern were “political crises” in some Arab states, as well as “attempts to acquire weapons of mass destruction and meddling of certain states” in the internal affairs of others, in an apparent reference to Iran. He voiced hope that “cooperation continues” with the United States, stressing “historic and strategic relations” between Washington and GCC countries have “contributed to cementing security and stability in the region.”U.S. officials have struggled to reassure Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, over an interim nuclear deal with Iran that the Saudis worry will embolden Tehran. The energy-rich GCC has also been dissatisfied with Washington's cautious approach to arming rebel forces in Syria. The U.S.-GCC meeting was expected to offer Hagel a chance “to underscore U.S. security commitments in the Middle East and to reinforce the United States' unstinting policy of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and further destabilizing the region,” Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said last week. The gathering would also focus on coordinating “air and missile defense, maritime security and cyber defense,” he said. After his stop in Saudi Arabia, Hagel is to head to Jordan for talks on the raging civil war in its neighbor Syria.[With AFP]

Protest erupts in Turkish city where miners died
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya News/Tuesday, 13 May 2014
A violent protest erupted in the Turkish town where 238 miners died on Tuesday night with many people angry at Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During a visit to the coal mine in Soma, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Istanbul, Erdogan put the death toll at 232 on Wednesday. Anger echoed across a country that has seen a decade of rapid economic growth but still suffers from one of the world's worst workplace safety records. Opponents blamed Erdogan's government for ignoring repeated warnings about the safety of the country's mines.
Infographic: Turkey coal mine collapse
“We as a nation of 77 million are experiencing a very great pain,” Erdogan told a news conference after visiting the site, at which he gave the figures for those confirmed dead and still thought missing. But he appeared to turn defensive when asked whether sufficient precautions had been in place at the mine. “Explosions like this in these mines happen all the time. It's not like these don't happen elsewhere in the world,” he said, reeling off a list of global mining accidents since 1862. Fire knocked out power and shut down ventilation shafts and elevators shortly after 3 pm (1200 GMT) on Tuesday. After an all-night rescue effort, emergency workers pumped oxygen into the mine to try to keep those trapped alive, Reuters reported. Thousands of family members and co-workers gathered outside the town's hospital searching for information on their loved ones. “We haven't heard anything from any of them, not among the injured, not among the list of dead,” said one elderly woman, Sengul, whose two nephews worked in the mine along with the sons of two of her neighbours. “It's what people do here, risking their lives for two cents ... They say one gallery in the mine has not been reached, but it's almost been a day,” she said. The fire broke out during a shift change, leading to uncertainty over the exact number of miners trapped. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said late on Tuesday 787 workers were in the mine at the time. Initial reports suggested an electrical fault caused the blaze but Mehmet Torun, a board member and former head of the Chamber of Mining Engineers who was at the scene, said a disused coal seam had heated up, expelling carbon monoxide through the mine's tunnels and galleries. “They are ventilating the shafts but carbon monoxide kills in 3 or 5 minutes,” he told Reuters by telephone. “Unless we have a major miracle, we shouldn't expect anyone to emerge alive at this point,” he said, pointing to an outside chance that workers may have found air pockets to survive.
Deadliest ever
The disaster highlighted Turkey's poor record on worker safety and drew renewed opposition calls for an inquiry into a drop in safety standards at previously state-run mines. The International Labour Organization ranked the EU candidate nation third worst in the world for worker deaths in 2012. Erdogan earlier declared three days of national mourning and cancelled an official visit to Albania. President Abdullah Gul also cancelled a trip to China scheduled for Thursday in order to travel to Soma. “We are heading towards this accident likely being the deadliest ever in Turkey,” Yildiz told reporters, adding that “hopes were dimming” of finding many more survivors. A pall of smoke hung above the area and Yildiz said the fire was still burning underground, hampering the rescue operation.
Some 93 people were rescued, including several rescuers who had themselves become trapped or overcome by fumes, and 85 were being treated for their injuries, Turkey's disaster management agency AFAD said in an email.
Protests Freezer trucks and a cold storage warehouse usually used for food served as makeshift morgues as hospital facilities overflowed. Medical staff intermittently emerged from the hospital to read the names of survivors being treated inside, with families and fellow workers clamoring for information. “This isn't a huge city. Everyone has neighbors, relatives or friends injured, dead or still trapped. I am trying to prepare my family for the worst,” said Hasan Dogan, 27, watching TV news reports from a canteen set up outside the hospital.
Some 16,000 people from a population of 105,000 in the district of Soma work in the mining industry, according to Erkan Akcay, a local opposition politician. The district is no stranger to tragedies, but never before on this scale.
The words “For those who give a life for a handful of coal” are engraved on the entrance wall to the emergency clinic. Teams of psychiatrists were being pulled together to help counsel the families of victims. Paramilitary police guarded the entrance to the mine to keep distressed relatives at a safe distance, as residents offered soup, water and bread. “They haven't brought any ambulances in such a long time that we've started to lose hope,” said Hatice Ersoy, 43, a woman in a headscarf sitting on a pavement outside the hospital.
Several hundred people chanted “Government: resign!” at Soma's local government building as Erdogan visited the town. Around 200 people briefly protested in front of the Istanbul headquarters of Soma Komur Isletmeleri, the operator of the mine. The company said in a brief statement late on Tuesday that there had been “a grave accident” caused by an explosion in a substation but gave few other details. Police fired tear gas and water cannon on student protesters at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara who wanted to march on the energy ministry. At Istanbul's Taksim Square, two left-wing opposition newspaper vendors read out headlines to silent morning commuters. “Turkey is a graveyard for workers”, and “This wasn't an accident, this was negligence.”
Poor record
Turkey's rapid growth over the past decade has seen a construction boom and a scramble to meet soaring energy demand, with worker safety standards often failing to keep pace. It is a net importer of coal. Its safety record in coal mining has been poor for decades, with its deadliest accident to date in 1992, when a gas blast killed 263 workers in the Black Sea province of Zonguldak. The Labor Ministry said late on Tuesday its officials had carried out regular inspections at the Soma mine, most recently in March, and that no irregularities had been detected. But Hursit Gunes, a deputy from the main opposition Republican People's Party, said a previous request for a parliamentary inquiry into safety and working conditions at mines around Soma had been rejected by the ruling AK Party. “I'm going to renew that parliamentary investigation demand today. If (the government) has been warned about this and they did nothing, then people will be angry, naturally. The opposition warned them. But there's unbelievable lethargy on this issue,” Gunes told Reuters.
The ILO in 2012 said Turkey had the highest rate of worker deaths in Europe and the world's third-highest. In the mining sector, 61 people died in 2012, according to the ILO's latest statistics. Between 2002 and 2012, the death toll at Turkish mines totaled more than 1,000.[With Reuters]

Qatar considers changes to migrant labor policies
The Associated Press, Doha/Wednesday, 14 May 2014
The government of Qatar, the Gulf nation that will host the 2022 World Cup, said Wednesday it is introducing a draft law that could eventually end a controversial employee sponsorship system that ties expatriate workers to a single employer. The move comes amid increased scrutiny over labor rights in the OPEC nation. Human rights advocates have urged Qatar to scrap the sponsorship system, saying it leaves workers open to exploitation and abuse. Qatari officials announced the proposed change at a press conference in the capital, Doha, called to outline plans for a wider labor reform plan. Expatriates make up the bulk of the workforce in Qatar. Their employment and legal residency in the country is typically dependent on sponsorship by a particular employer, who must also consent to employees' desire to leave the country or to change jobs. Similar sponsorship systems are in place across the oil-rich Gulf Arab states, which rely heavily on Asian and other migrant workers. Not all require expatriates to get exit clearance before leaving as Qatar does, but allegations of employers illegally withholding low-wage workers' passports are common throughout the region. Under the new proposal, workers in Qatar would automatically receive exit permission from the Interior Ministry 72 hours before their scheduled departure. The current system requiring workers to get their company's consent before changing employers would be replaced by employment contracts, though there would still be limits on how soon they could leave, according to a document outlining the proposed changes.
The new measures, which have the backing of the Cabinet, must still be approved by the Shura council, a consultative body, and other entities. Amnesty International called some of the proposed reforms positive but said they fall short of "fundamental changes needed to address systemic abuses" of migrant workers. "The proposals appear to be a missed opportunity. The government claims it is abolishing the sponsorship system, but this sounds like a change of name rather than substantive reform," said James Lynch, the group's researcher on migrant rights in the Gulf. He noted that proposed changes to the exit permit system remain unclear and leave open the possibility that employers will still be able to object to workers leaving the country. "Rather than re-jigging and renaming the sponsorship system, the government should commit now to genuine deep-rooted reform," he said in a statement. Officials gave no timeframe for when the new policies might be implemented. Brig. Mohammed Ahmed al-Atiq, the assistant director of the Interior Ministry's directorate of border, passport and expatriate affairs, said all foreign workers would be covered by the new measures, including domestic servants and government employees.

Kiss of death? Saudi camel fans don’t think so

By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News /Wednesday, 14 May 2014/After Saudi Arabia officially warned its citizens to steer clear of camels amid the spread of the deadly MERS virus, many are taking to social media to defy the warning - in the most peculiar of ways.
People are snapping photos and videos of themselves kissing camels, just days after the kingdom’s authorities warned of staying away from raw camel meat and camel milk, while also keeping any sick animals at bay. The virus, which causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS, has been reported in more than 500 patients in Saudi Arabia alone and spread throughout the region in sporadic cases and into Europe, Asia and the United States. Its death rate is around 30 percent of those infected. In a video posted to YouTube and Twitter, one man says: "Look at me! Sneeze, sneeze! They say there's Corona in this," while kissing and hugging two camels. A man hugs and kisses a camel on video. (Photo courtesy: YouTube) He then shakes one of the camels' heads and says, "She says no. Is there Corona in you? She says no."In another picture, a man is seen kissing a she-camel on the mouth to prove that the animals, could not be the source of infection. On Twitter, one user tweeted to acting Saudi Health Minister Adel M Fakeih, saying: "@adelmfakeih #the_campaign_against_camels_exposed And we call for it to stop or for evidence to be produced because camels are fine and all the ill people are in cities." Also, an info-graphic circulating on social media suggests camels are more valuable than petrol.