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Bible Quotations For Today
The Parable of the Sower who planted seeds in several places, but only produced in the good soil
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 08/04-15: "When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.’ As he said this, he called out, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that "looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand." ‘Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance."

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God
Letter to the Philippians 04/04-10: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it."

Pope Francis's Tweet For today
Jesus would never ask us to be assassins; he calls us to be disciples. He would never send us to die. He invites us to life.
Pape François
Jésus ne nous demanderait jamais d’être des assassins, il nous appelle disciples. Il ne nous enverrait jamais mourir, Lui qui est la vie.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on February 18/16
What Hezbollah stands to gain from Iran's nuclear deal/Ali Rizk/Al-Monitor/February 17/16
The Lebanese, not the Sunni, Saad Hariri/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
What has happened since Hariri’s assassination/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
When will Jordan get the boost it needs for refugees/Raed Omari/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
Can a ground offensive end the Syria conundrum/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
The consequences of Obama being right about the world/Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
Turkey ups the ante in Syria/Semih Idiz/Al-Monitor/February 17/16
Will regime keep the upper hand in Syrian conflict/Mustafa al-Haj/Al-Monitor/February 17/16
Saudi Daily Criticizes U.S. 'Soft-Power' Policy: Sometimes Use Military Force Is Necessary; Arab States Feel U.S. Has Turned Its Back On Them/MRMI/February 17/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on February 18/16
What Hezbollah stands to gain from Iran's nuclear deal
The Lebanese, not the Sunni, Saad Hariri
What has happened since Hariri’s assassination?
Dialogue Focuses on Trash Crisis as Next Round Set for March 9
Hariri: Franjieh is Our Candidate and I Have Not Nominated Myself for PM Post
Sami Gemayel: State Failed in Running Trash File, CDR not Qualified
Berri Says he Backs Hariri, Jumblat on Call for Electoral Session with 3 Candidates
Report: Rifi to Attend Cabinet Session after Samaha File Placed on Agenda
LF Stages Sit-in in Ashrafieh to Protest Young Man's Stabbing Death
Blast Hits Bourj al-Barajneh Apartment, Conflicting Reports on Cause
Shehayyeb Says CDR to Clarify Claim on ‘Fake’ Waste Export Document
Israeli Mayor 'Happy for Help' from Nasrallah Threats
Franjieh Meets Hariri: I Will Remain a Nominee as Long as some Blocs Support me
Bassil Meets al-Rahi, Warns against 'Breaking Christian Will' in Presidential Issue
Saudi Bank Closes Lebanon Branches

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 18/16
Canada looking to send military helicopters to Iraq
Obama: Syria ‘not a contest between me and Putin’
King Salman and Erdogan express Syria concern
Syria’s U.N. envoy blasts MSF over hospital attack
28 Dead, 61 Hurt in Blast Targeting Ankara Military Convoy
U.N. says 50,000 homeless after south Syria flare-up
Syria aid trucks to set off from Damascus: Red Crescent
Turkey says wants secure strip on Syrian side of border, including Azaz
Palestinians take part in a demonstration calling for the release of Mohammed al-Qiq,
5 Dead, 10 Wounded in Ankara Car Bombing
Russia, Iran to reinforce military cooperation
Gunmen kill Egyptian policeman in checkpoint attack
U.S. vows to stop ISIS from building base in Libya
Hadi reveals evidence of Hezbollah’s involvement in Yemen
Suicide bomber kills at least 10 recruits at Yemeni army camp

What Hezbollah stands to gain from Iran's nuclear deal
Ali Rizk/Al-Monitor/February 17/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/02/17/ali-rizk-what-hezbollah-stands-to-gain-from-irans-nuclear-deal/
A frequently asked question in Lebanon has been how the Iranian nuclear agreement might affect Iran's ties with Hezbollah. But party officials and independent Lebanese observers paint a picture of an unbreakable bond between the two. They believe the geopolitical dynamics taking shape in the region and beyond, now that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is being implemented, further strengthen Hezbollah. Anyone who thinks Iran's return to the national stage will decrease its support for Hezbollah "doesn’t know how Iran thinks,” a Hezbollah official told Al-Monitor, noting that the group is widely considered to be Tehran’s staunchest ally. Speaking from his office in Dahiyeh in southern Beirut, an area commonly referred to as Hezbollah’s stronghold, the official, who asked not to be named, underscored that “Hezbollah is more than just an ally for Iran.” The relationship is similar to “that between father and son,” he said, going on to emphasize the ideological factor by saying that any success for Iran means success for Hezbollah and for the velayat e-faqih.
The official added that Hezbollah had credible information that Iran did not agree to discuss any issues other than the nuclear dossier during its talks with six world powers, citing this as evidence that Tehran will not budge regarding its support for the Lebanese movement. A similar view is echoed by experts in the field. "In Iran, it is the state that serves the revolution, and Hezbollah lies at the heart of this revolution,” Hussam Matar, an independent Lebanese scholar on international affairs who is close to Hezbollah, told Al-Monitor. What also makes the ideological relationship between the two sides unique, according to Matar, is that it brings together the “anti-Israeli resistance ideology with the religious Shiite ideology,” as opposed to Iranian-Syrian ties, in which “anti-Israeli resistance ideology” plays the dominant role.
The Hezbollah official said Tehran has looked to enhance ties with Europe and China rather than Washington, which maintains a hostile stance toward the movement. This orientation, he believes, constitutes further evidence that Hezbollah has nothing to fear from Iran’s return to the global arena. “Iran wanted to reach the nuclear agreement to open up and enhance ties with international players other than Washington,” he said confidently, citing the Chinese president's visit to Iran on Jan. 23 and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's European tour, which included Italy and France, that directly followed. Unlike Washington, Beijing has not designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization and hence is not restricted in communicating with the movement. The European Union designates Hezbollah’s “military wing” a terrorist organization while maintaining communication with what it calls the group’s “political wing.”
As the JCPOA is being implemented, China is entering the region through the energy and infrastructure markets as part of its “One Belt, One Road” initiative — which is a very positive development for the likes of Hezbollah, according to Matar. “Any role for any power other than the United States in the region, especially those that don’t have colonialist projects, achieves a kind of balance in the region at the expense of the Americans,” he said, adding that this balance benefits Hezbollah. Perhaps the biggest factor lending credibility to that argument is that Beijing is viewed as a much more even-handed player in the region whose policy differs from Washington’s outright support for Israel, Hezbollah’s archrival. At the same time, Beijing sees in Hezbollah an ally against the terrorism threat, according to a well-informed Iranian source. The source, who asked not to be named, quoted a member of the visiting Chinese presidential delegation to Iran as saying that “Hezbollah is fighting Chinese terrorists in Syria,” in reference to indigenous ethnic Uighurs — Muslims who China says have joined the ranks of terrorist groups operating in Syria.
On a separate note, Hezbollah’s importance as an ally for Iran in the region has also become quite clear in the turmoil that has engulfed the Middle East. The group has played a pivotal role in preserving the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Iran’s No. 1 regional ally. Hezbollah has sent military personnel to Iraq to join the fight against Islamic State terrorists, helping to prevent an extremist takeover that would pose a dangerous national security threat for neighboring Iran. “Given that those countries in the axis of resistance [Iraq and Syria] are suffering and are hence incapable of taking initiatives in the region, Hezbollah is filling part of that vacuum,” Matar said. Meanwhile, the regional bloc that might be forming between Saudi Arabia and Israel against Iran could further boost Hezbollah’s status. With Iran’s Arab state allies, such as Iraq and Syria, worn out by ongoing conflict, the movement could be poised to take up an even greater role to counter a Saudi/Israeli-led anti-Iranian bloc. According to Matar, Hezbollah’s role in preventing the emergence of such a bloc or in stopping it from becoming an Arab-Israeli one could prove vital.
“Hezbollah has an Arab component and a history of resisting Israel,” he said, “which enables it to penetrate places where Iranians cannot penetrate."

The Lebanese, not the Sunni, Saad Hariri
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
After being forced to stay out of Lebanon for a long time, Future Movement leader Saad Hariri returned to Beirut on Sunday to participate in a ceremony to commemorate the 11th anniversary of his father Rafiq’s assassination. Saad’s speech soothed the wounds of people who remain without a president, and suffer from economic problems and the deterioration of services such as electricity-provision and trash-collection. His speech reminded us of Rafiq, Lebanon’s most prominent martyr who built a modern country and wanted it to be independent rather than under Syrian tutelage. Saad’s return to Lebanon will reassure his supporters, and serve the values of which he spoke during his speech, the most significant of which is the concept of a civil state. He spoke out against militant behavior, intervening in other countries’ domestic affairs - unlike what Hezbollah is doing in Syria, Iraq and Yemen - and practises that obstruct the holding of parliamentary sessions and elections.
Challenges
The current challenges in Lebanon are not easy. Al-Nusra Front controls some Lebanese areas, and Hezbollah is engaged in a fierce and bloody battle in Syria. Meanwhile, sleeper cells of Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Abdullah al-Azzam brigades will be a nightmare for security forces and the Lebanese people. Uncontrolled borders and political divisions have helped attract several terrorist groups to Lebanon. Meanwhile, some Lebanese ministers seem to represent Iran rather than their own country. This makes them ministers of Hezbollah, not of the government of Lebanon, which includes more than 25 religious sects. Saad’s return to Lebanon will reassure his supporters and serve the concept of a civil state. Saad’s speech represented moderation, as he did not make sectarian statements and addressed the entire Lebanese people rather than just his Sunni supporters or certain categories of society. This is why totalitarian parties were angry the next day. For example, As-Safir newspaper accused Saad of worsening the presidential crisis. Rival parties seem to forget all his efforts to resolve the crisis. He first nominated Samir Geagea for the post, then talked about nominating Michel Aoun, and finally nominated Suleiman Franjieh. All these attempts yielded no results because Hezbollah wants to subjugate and silence other parties. There is a huge difference between supporters of a state that unites people and respects democracy, the constitution and civil values, and militants whose hands are stained with the blood of innocent people in several Arab countries.

What has happened since Hariri’s assassination?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri 11 years ago robbed the country of one its most important leaders, and thwarted his national development plans. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies killed him because they failed to sabotage his plans via incitement.
Hariri’s ambition was to attract investors to Lebanon, build international institutions’ confidence in the country, and make all Lebanese feel that they are partners in construction rather than competitors over government and parliament posts. He even offered to help Hezbollah develop its areas of influence, thinking that his opponents would realize that they could also benefit from his plans. He convinced prominent Lebanese expats and high-ranking officials in the Gulf, Egypt, Europe, the United States and Russia of his plans, and he even went to Iran more than once to reassure it. He was welcomed by most of these figures, governments and international institutions. Aspects of his project’s success could be seen on the ground, but then Assad decided to kill him even though Hariri had agreed to leave the premiership post and extend the term of then-President Emile Lahoud.
Motives, consequences
Hariri’s killers wanted to keep Lebanon as an open front with Israel in order to exploit the Lebanese people, and so Assad would not have to open the Golan front. Construction in Lebanon stopped since Hariri and other moderate Lebanese figures were killed. Hopes and dreams have died - this was the assassins’ goal. Construction in Lebanon stopped since Hariri and other moderate Lebanese figures were killed. Hopes and dreams have died - this was the assassins’ goal. There is no longer a need to argue about the role of Assad and his allies in that crime, because six years later they committed a much bigger crime by murdering around half a million Syrians. Although assassinating Hariri resulted in disastrous consequences for Assad, the latter still has not learnt the lessons of history. Proof of this is that he committed crimes in Syria when his victims’ blood in Lebanon had not dried yet. Instead of trying to please his citizens when protests against him erupted in 2011, Assad threatened and killed them en masse. Although the Lebanese people bitterly recall Hariri’s assassination at this time of year, they have still not comprehended the importance of commemorating him by reviving his project, and uniting for positive change and against sectarianism.

Dialogue Focuses on Trash Crisis as Next Round Set for March 9
Naharnet/February 17/16/The 15th national dialogue session was held at Speaker Nabih Berri's Ain el-Tineh residence on Wednesday as gatherers focused the ongoing failure to tackle Lebanon's trash disposal crisis.Berri stressed before officials the need to revitalize the role of cabinet and parliament “so that they can stay abreast of the pressing needs of the people.”“We can no longer remain silent over these issues,” he added. Prime Minister Tammam Salam meanwhile informed the gatherers of the details of his talks in Munich, where he attended an international meeting on Syria and the refugee crisis. Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun were the most notable absentees from Wednesday's talks. The next round of dialogue will be held on March 9. At the end of the session, Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel condemned the government for its failure to resolve the months-long waste management crisis, saying: “The Council for Development and Reconstruction is not qualified to handle it.” Lebanon has been suffering with a waste management crisis since the Naameh landfill closed in July 2015. The government's failure to find alternatives led to the piling up of garbage on the streets and in random locations, which raised health and environmental concerns and sparked unprecedented street protests against the entire political class. Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb said that the Council for Development and Reconstruction will clarify the ambiguity on the export of Lebanon’s waste after a Russian official claimed Moscow received from Lebanese authorities a “fake document.”His remarks came after Nikolai Gudkov, press officer at the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, denied that Russia gave the green light to send Lebanon's waste to a Russian province, describing a document received by the authorities in Moscow as fake.

Hariri: Franjieh is Our Candidate and I Have Not Nominated Myself for PM Post
Naharnet/February 17/16/Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri openly declared Wednesday that Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh is his presidential candidate while denying that he has demanded the prime minister post for himself. “We stressed to Speaker Nabih Berri that we must stage the presidential election in a democratic manner,” said Hariri after talks with the speaker in Ain al-Tineh. “Today there are three candidates and we must all head to parliament to practice this democratic right and reach the election of a president,” he added, referring to Franjieh, Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun and Democratic Gathering MP Henri Helou. Asked why doesn't he “respect the will of the Christian majority” in light of the latest presidential agreement between the FPM and the Lebanese Forces, Hariri stressed that Franjieh is “one of the four” Christian leaders who met in Bkirki and agreed that “anyone of them enjoys the Christian cover” to become president. “Each one of us is free to choose whomever they want and this is a political issue and a national issue that has to do with the entire political structure in Lebanon,” he added. Hariri also stressed that the Lebanese have the ability to elect a president without any foreign interference, noting that the boycott of electoral sessions is not a “constitutional right.”Denying that he is insisting on heading the next government, the ex-PM emphasized that it is up to parliament to choose the country's new prime minister.“Let no one accuse me” of delaying the presidential polls and “I'm exerting all efforts possible for the election of a new president,” Hariri added. “I have made an initiative to put the issue of the presidency on the right track,” he said, referring to his nomination of Franjieh. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended on May 25, 2014 and the FPM, Hizbullah and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions. Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his suggestion was rejected by the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The Hizbullah-led March 8 camp, as well as March 14's Lebanese Forces, have argued that Aoun is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the size of his parliamentary bloc and his influence in the Christian community.

Sami Gemayel: State Failed in Running Trash File, CDR not Qualified
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/16/Kataeb party chief Sami Gemayel stated on Wednesday that the Lebanese state has “immensely” failed in handling the trash management file and that the Council for Development and Reconstruction is not qualified to handle it. “The state has failed in handling the garbage management file which had turned into a Mexican soap opera and a national and health disaster burdening the Lebanese,” Gemayel said after leaving the dialogue session held at Ain el-Tineh. The lawmaker who left the dialogue session before it ended said angrily: “The Council for Development and Reconstruction is not qualified to handle the file. It has proven incapability in that field.”“From the beginning we rejected the idea of exporting the trash because neither the destination nor the expenses entailed were known. Today things have proven that we were right,” added the lawmaker. “The CDR is not qualified to run the file and Prime Minister Tammam Salam must hold accountable the parties responsible.” Lebanon has been suffering with a waste management crisis since the Naameh landfill closed in July 2015. The government's failure to find alternatives led to the piling up of garbage on the streets and in random locations, which raised health and environmental concerns and sparked unprecedented street protests against the entire political class. In December, the cabinet approved the export plan with representatives of Britain’s Chinook and Holland’s Howa BV, which withdrew afterward.

Berri Says he Backs Hariri, Jumblat on Call for Electoral Session with 3 Candidates
Naharnet/February 17/16/Speaker Nabih Berri has said that he agrees with al-Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on their call for lawmakers to head to parliament and elect one of three candidates. Berri, whose remarks were published in al-Joumhouria daily on Wednesday, told his visitors that he has been repeating the same idea lately.The speaker said Hariri’s return to Beirut will help resolve several problems. Hariri has been holding talks with officials since his return to Beirut on Sunday to participate in the ceremony that was held in BIEL on the 11th anniversary of the assassination of his father ex-PM Rafik Hariri. In his meetings, the Mustaqbal chief is urging the officials to play the democratic game. He is pressuring all blocs to attend the next session on the election of a president on March 2 so that lawmakers choose one of the three candidates – Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh and lawmaker Henri Helou, who is a member of Jumblat’s bloc. But parliamentary sources ruled out the election of a president next month as a result of lack of quorum. The sources told al-Joumhouria that Lebanon has gotten used to electing a head of state based on internal and external consensus.Baabda Palace has been vacant since the six-year term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

Report: Rifi to Attend Cabinet Session after Samaha File Placed on Agenda
Naharnet/February 17/16/Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi will attend a cabinet session set to be held on Thursday after the case of former Minister Michel Samaha was put on its agenda, al-Joumhouria daily reported. Last week, Rifi stormed out of the session to express resentment of the government’s failure to discuss a bill proposed by him. But the daily said on Wednesday that Rifi will attend Thursday’s session after his bill on the transfer of Samaha’s case to the Judicial Council was placed on the cabinet agenda. Samaha, who was information minister from 1992 to 1995, was released last month in exchange for a bail payment of 150 million Lebanese pounds. The ex-minister was arrested in August 2012 and charged with attempting to carry out "terrorist acts." He was sentenced in May 2015 to four-and-half years in prison, but in June, the Cassation Court nullified the verdict and ordered a retrial. The decision to release Samaha on bail angered Rifi, prompting him to propose the transfer of the case to the Judicial Council.

LF Stages Sit-in in Ashrafieh to Protest Young Man's Stabbing Death
Naharnet/February 17/16/The Lebanese Forces on Wednesday organized a sit-in at Ashrafieh's Sassine Square to protest the stabbing death a day earlier of the young man Marcelino Zamata in the same area. “We gather today to cry over a new martyr and some have asked us why we have resorted to prayer and the lighting of candles. We are doing this because we are Christians and we believe in martyrdom,” LF's Beirut official Imad Wakim said at the sit-in. “We are praying for the soul of Marcelino, the martyr of security chaos and the Lebanese state's weakness, the martyr of security ghettos in this Lebanese state,” he added. Demanding a bigger role for the municipal guard in order to “secure Beirut's streets,” Wakim warned that “the situation is not acceptable anymore and the sons of Ashrafieh and this country will not tolerate it.”“Some residents have started demanding a return to khaki fatigues and autonomous security,” he added, referring to the security grip that the LF and other militias had over the Lebanese regions during the civil war. “It is unacceptable to allow some thugs to sow terror and fear among citizens,” Wakim emphasized. “Don't test our patience,” he added, addressing criminals and thugs. Wakim also called on authorities to preserve security in the country, noting that, “if the state is incapable, we have the ability to protect ourselves.”LF student official Jad Demian for his part called on the interior and defense ministries and all security agencies to shoulder their responsibilities in protecting citizens. The two men who stabbed Zamata on Tuesday were captured by LF supporters in the region before being handed over to security forces. “Marcelino Zamata was sitting in his car with his fiancee on the side of the road in Sassine Square when a verbal dispute erupted between him and two young men who were passing in the area on a motorcycle,” LBCI television said on Tuesday. “The verbal dispute soon escalated into a fistfight during which the two young men stabbed him several times,” it added. The two assailants have been identified as 19-year-old Palestinian national Ahmed Saad and 31-year-old Lebanese citizen Hassan Faqih. The victim was rushed to the nearby Rizk Hospital where he soon succumbed to his injuries, LBCI said. Other media reports have said that the brawl erupted after the two men addressed sexual harassment words to Marcelino's fiancee.

Blast Hits Bourj al-Barajneh Apartment, Conflicting Reports on Cause
Naharnet/February 17/16/An explosion rocked an apartment in the southern Beirut suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh on Wednesday evening. Conflicting reports have emerged on the cause of the blast, which according to al-Manar television resulted in the wounding of two Syrians. Citing “preliminary” reports, state-run National News Agency said “a bomb detonator exploded inside an apartment rented by a Palestinian man on Baajour Street in Bourj al-Barajneh.”“A security cordon was imposed in the area and investigations got underway to unveil the circumstances,” NNA added. Meanwhile, al-Manar TV and Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said the explosion was caused by a “gas cylinder,” noting that “reports of a terrorist act or preparations for such an act are baseless.”MTV meanwhile said Hizbullah “arrested members of the family that resides in a building adjacent to the al-Khalil Restaurant in order to probe the Bourj al-Barajneh incident.”A twin suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 44 people and wounded around 240 others in Bourj al-Barajneh in November. All the members of the network that plotted the attack were arrested in the wake of the bombing, according to the interior minister.

Shehayyeb Says CDR to Clarify Claim on ‘Fake’ Waste Export Document
Naharnet/February 17/16/Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb has said that the Council for Development and Reconstruction will clarify the ambiguity on the export of Lebanon’s waste after a Russian official claimed Moscow received from Lebanese authorities a “fake document.”“The entire country is a scandal and some news outlets are happy about it,” Shehayyeb, who is in charge of the garbage file, told An Nahar daily published on Wednesday. “The CDR will clarify the issue at the appropriate time. Its legal department is the official party tasked with studying all the documents on the export of the garbage,” he said. Shehayyeb later told LBCI that he spoke with Prime Minister Tammam Salam about the issue. “We are waiting for the official approval to sign the waste export contract,” he said, “or else let everyone assume the responsibility of his waste.” He did not give further details. His remarks came after Nikolai Gudkov, press officer at the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, denied that Russia gave the green light to send Lebanon's waste to a Russian province, describing a document received by the authorities in Moscow as fake. “The document that we received from the embassy of the Lebanese Republic with regards to our agreement to receive the waste is fake and forged,” the Tass Russian news agency quoted Gudkov as saying on Monday. The document has “a fake and unregistered signature,” he said. “After we discovered the forgery, we urged law enforcement agencies to pursue all participants in these illegal businesses,” Gudkov added. But an informed source told al-Joumhouria newspaper that Lebanon’s embassy has not received a document on the waste export. “The Lebanese Foreign Ministry is not involved in the case. So, who shoved the embassy in Moscow in this file?” the source asked. “A mystery is surrounding the news report from its source,” he added. Lebanon's trash management crisis erupted in July 2015 when the Naameh landfill that received the waste of Beirut and Mount Lebanon was closed. The government's failure to find alternatives led to the piling up of garbage on the streets and in random locations, which raised health and environmental concerns and sparked unprecedented street protests against the entire political class. In December, the cabinet approved the export plan with representatives of Britain’s Chinook and Holland’s Howa BV, which withdrew afterward. MP Marwan Hamadeh stressed on the sidelines of the parliamentary environment committee meeting on Wednesday that the problem on the export of garbage rose as a result of differences between Russian officials. “If there are mafias in Lebanon, so is the case in Russia,” he said. The committee recommended a settlement to the waste export file within 24 hours.

Israeli Mayor 'Happy for Help' from Nasrallah Threats
Associated Press/Naharnet/February 17/16/The mayor of Haifa in northern Israel said on Wednesday that he is grateful for threats made by Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to attack the city's ammonia facility. In 2006, Israel fought a war with Hizbullah in Lebanon, but when Nasrallah said Tuesday that "several of our rockets combined with the ammonia storage facility in Haifa will create the effect of a nuclear weapon," the local mayor seized the opportunity to highlight his city's environmental problems. Yona Yahav said "we are happy for help" in putting the environmental issue on the agenda, "even if it arrives from a frightened man hiding in his bunker."He said Haifa faces environmental threats from the ammonia facility and an oil refinery. Israel's environment ministry claimed, however, that it plans to move the facility to southern Israel. Nasrallah also warned Tuesday that "the resistance has the ability to cover the entirety of occupied Palestine with missiles." "When Israel knows that there is a force in Lebanon that can prevent it from achieving a quick victory, it will not engage in war," he said. Israel's top general said, however, that the military has "effective deterrence" against Hizbullah. Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot spoke after Nasrallah threatened to attack the ammonia storage facility. Eisenkot said Hizbullah is Israel's most formidable adversary, but that for ten years Israel's border with Lebanon has been its quietest frontier.

Franjieh Meets Hariri: I Will Remain a Nominee as Long as some Blocs Support me
Naharnet/February 17/16/Head of the Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh paid a visit on Wednesday to the Center House where he held talks with MP Saad Hariri to thank him for his ongoing support for his run for the presidency and to condole him on the eleventh anniversary of his father and former Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination. He told reporters after the meeting: “I will remain a presidential candidate as long as some blocs support me.”“I will not withdraw from the presidential race and let down Hariri, who nominated me,” he said. Franjieh is a candidate along with Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, a fellow member in the March 8 alliance. The Marada leader's run for the presidency has created tensions with Aoun. “The FPM and Aoun are my allies. Our ties with the movement are not perfect, but we are still allies,” stressed Franjieh. “Aoun may see our nomination as a competition, but we do not see it that way,” he continued. “I have no problem with anyone nominating Aoun for the presidency,” he added. “I have chances to reach the presidency as much as anyone else,” Franjieh declared. He stressed however: “I never take any step without coordinating with my allies.” Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls. Efforts to resolve the vacuum saw Hariri nominate Franjieh and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea nominate his long-time rival Aoun for the presidency. About two weeks ago however, Hizbullah announced that it would not head to the presidential polls without guarantees that its ally Aoun would be elected.

Bassil Meets al-Rahi, Warns against 'Breaking Christian Will' in Presidential Issue
Naharnet/February 17/16/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil warned Wednesday against what he called “breaking the will of Christians” in the issue of the presidential election, cautioning that such a step would affect Christian representation in all other state institutions and administrations. “When there is a flaw in the presidency, it would affect all other state institutions, administrations and posts,” said Bassil after meeting Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki. “We must harmonize between respect for the Constitution and respect for the National Pact,” he added. The 1943 National Pact is an unwritten agreement that set the basis for the political system in the country, which is based on sectarian distribution of power. “We cannot live without national equality in Lebanon, which is necessary to resolve our problems in the administration and in terms of balanced development and politics in the country,” Bassil said. “The fastest way to achieve that is Christian unity, which is the path towards national unity,” he added. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended on May 25, 2014 and the FPM, Hizbullah and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions. Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri launched late in 2015 a proposal to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his suggestion was rejected by the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The Hizbullah-led March 8 camp, as well as March 14's Lebanese Forces, have argued that FPM founder MP Michel Aoun is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the size of his parliamentary bloc and his influence in the Christian community.

Saudi Bank Closes Lebanon Branches
Naharnet/February 17/16/The National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia has reportedly decided to end its operations in Lebanon, a decision seen as a blow to Saudi-Lebanese relations. Informed banking sources expressed fear that the decision to close the bank’s two branches in Lebanon was the result of Hizbullah’s verbal attacks on Saudi Arabia. The sources told al-Liwaa newspaper published on Wednesday that the end of the bank’s operations is a negative indicator not just at the banking and economic level but also at the level of Saudi-Lebanese ties.NCB, Saudi Arabia’s largest lender, has branches or offices in Bahrain, Beirut, Singapore, Seoul, and Shanghai. Its Lebanon branches are located in downtown Beirut and Hazmieh.

Canada looking to send military helicopters to Iraq
AFP, Ottawa Wednesday, 17 February 2016/A week after announcing the withdrawal of fighter jets from Iraq, Canada’s defense minister on Tuesday said it is swapping in four armored tactical Griffon helicopters to ferry special forces.
“The Griffon helicopters are being deployed for the safety of our troops in northern Iraq,” Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan told parliament. “They will be used for the transportation of our personnel because they provide increased force protection for our brave men and women in uniform,” he said. In place of the six F-18 fighter jets, Ottawa last week said it would triple the number of special forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210. Canadian CC-150T Polaris refueling and CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft would also continue to play roles in the US-led coalition fighting ISIS.

Obama: Syria ‘not a contest between me and Putin’
AFP, Rancho Mirage Wednesday, 17 February 2016/U.S. President Barack Obama insisted Tuesday that Russia had made a strategic error in propping up Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, but said the conflict was not about him and Vladimir Putin. Predicting a "quagmire" that drains Russia's assets, Obama said "this is not a contest between me and Putin.""The real question we should be asking is what is it that Russia thinks it gains if it gets a country that's been completely destroyed as an ally, that it now has to perpetually spend billions of dollars to prop up?" Obama said. "Putin may think that he's prepared to invest in a permanent occupation of Syria with Russian military. That's going to be pretty costly.""About three-quarters of the country is still under control of folks other than Assad. That's not stopping anytime soon."Obama said an internationally backed ceasefire due to take effect within a week, would be difficult to achieve, laying some of the blame at Putin's door. "It's hard to do, because there's been a lot of bloodshed," said Obama. "If Russia continues indiscriminate bombing of the sort that we've been seeing, I think it's fair to say that you're not gonna see any take-up by the opposition." Russian bombers have been supporting a Syrian government offensive on Aleppo, and Moscow is Assad's closest ally.

King Salman and Erdogan express Syria concern
Reuters, Istanbul Wednesday, 17 February 2016/Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's King Salman spoke by phone late on Tuesday and said attacks by Russia and Syrian government forces north of Aleppo were worrisome, sources at Erdogan's office said. Saying there could be no solution to the Syrian conflict with President Bashar al-Assad remaining in power, the two leaders called for an end to strikes on civilians and the lifting of sieges. They said the attacks were making the humanitarian situation in the region worse. Erdogan and King Salman also discussed attacks by Kurdish militia PYD on the northern Syrian town of Azaz, close to the Turkish border, and the shelling by the Turkish army in response.

Syria’s U.N. envoy blasts MSF over hospital attack
AFP, United Nations Wednesday, 17 February 2016/Syria’s U.N. envoy on Tuesday accused the medical aid charity MSF of being a front for French intelligence in Syria and dismissed allegations that Russian air strikes had destroyed one of its hospitals. “The so-called hospital was installed without any prior consultation with the Syrian government by the so-called French network called MSF which is a branch of the French intelligence operating in Syria,” said Ambassador Bashar Jaafari. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said at least 11 people were killed after the hospital in Idlib province was destroyed on Monday morning, but it did not assign blame for the attack. “They assume the full consequences of the act because they did not consult with the Syrian government,” Jaafari told reporters. “They did not operate with the Syrian government permission.”He repeated Syrian claims that the U.S.-led coalition had carried out the air strikes that hit the MSF-backed hospital. French Ambassador Francois Delattre slammed the Syrian ambassador for his “revolting remarks” which he said “showed once again his true face.” The Syrian ambassador spoke following a U.N. Security Council meeting called by Russia to discuss Turkey’s military action against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

28 Dead, 61 Hurt in Blast Targeting Ankara Military Convoy
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/16/At least 28 people were killed and 61 wounded Wednesday by a car bomb targeting the Turkish military in the heart of the capital Ankara, the latest in a string of attacks to shake the country. The blast struck a convoy of military service vehicles but it was still not clear who carried it out, said Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, confirming the latest toll. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed retaliation against the perpetrators of the attack, which came on the heels of a spate of deadly strikes in Turkey blamed on jihadists but also on Kurdish rebels. The car bomb detonated when a convoy of military buses carrying dozens of soldiers stopped at traffic lights in central Ankara, creating scenes of panic and chaos. "This attack has very clearly targeted our esteemed nation as a whole and was carried out in a vile, dishonorable, treacherous and insidious way," said Kurtulmus. Plumes of smoke could be seen from all over the city rising from the scene, close to the headquarters of the Turkish military and the parliament. The powerful blast was heard throughout Ankara, sending alarmed residents rushing to their balconies, an AFP correspondent said.The army said the attack took place at 1631 GMT and had targeted "service vehicles carrying army personnel."
'Right to self defense
Without specifying what the retaliation could entail, Erdogan warned that "Turkey will not shy away from using its right to self-defense at any time, any place or any occasion.""Our determination to respond in kind to attacks taking place inside and outside our borders is getting stronger," he said. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu canceled a planned visit to Brussels on Thursday, his office said. Erdogan also shelved a trip to Azerbaijan. A mini-summit on Europe's refugee crisis gathering 11 EU countries and Turkey scheduled for Thursday was canceled due to Davutoglu's absence, diplomats said. In Ankara, ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene and wounded victims were seen being taken away on stretchers. Images showed fire-fighters trying to overcome a fierce blaze engulfing wrecked service buses that were gutted by the blast. Turkish police threw a security cordon around the area. A second blast later rocked the area, the AFP correspondent said, but officials said this was police detonating a suspicious package. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance strongly condemned the bombing. "NATO Allies stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism," he said. French President Francois Hollande denounced the attack as "odious.""We are with Turkey and its people in these difficult times," added EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
'Perpetrators will be revealed'
Kurtulmus acknowledged that "we don't have any information yet about who carried out this attack" but vowed the perpetrators "will be revealed as soon as possible."
The Islamic State group has been blamed for a slew of bombings in the country since the middle of last year but the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has also killed dozens of soldiers in attacks mainly in the southeast of the country. The capital was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on January 16 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Istanbul. Those attacks were blamed on IS jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed PKK which has repeatedly attacked members of the security forces with roadside bombings on their convoys in the southeast. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July. Meanwhile, Turkish artillery in southern Turkey shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in the row on Wednesday in an escalating standoff, reports said. Turkey says the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) are merely the Syrian branch of the PKK and themselves terror groups.The banned ultra-left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party–Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months.

U.N. says 50,000 homeless after south Syria flare-up
AFP, Amman Wednesday, 17 February 2016/An intensification of fighting between pro-government forces and rebels in southern Syria has left nearly 50,000 civilians homeless in the heart of winter, the United Nations said on Wednesday. The displacement comes with international attention largely focused on the north of Syria, where a government offensive backed by Russian air strikes has triggered an exodus of refugees towards the Turkish border. The UN humanitarian coordinator in Jordan, Edward Kallon, said the world body had organized additional cross-border aid convoys over the past fortnight that had provided winter clothing and basic shelter to more than 30,000 civilians, over 7,000 of them children. In southern Syria, near the frontier with Jordan, the city of Daraa remains in government hands but there has been heavy fighting in much of the surrounding province. Neighbouring Sweida, the heartland of Syria's Druze minority, has come under attack by jihadists of the Islamic State group but has seen less fighting than other parts of the country. Jordan hosts more than 630,000 of the roughly 4.6 million Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.The Jordanian government gives a much higher estimate of 1.4 million refugees, because many of them are unregistered.

Syria aid trucks to set off from Damascus: Red Crescent
Reuters, Beirut Wednesday, 17 February 2016/At least 100 trucks of humanitarian aid were preparing to set off for besieged areas of Syria from Damascus on Wednesday, the Syrian Red Crescent said, in the latest delivery of supplies to trapped residents. The Syrian government has approved access to seven besieged areas, the United Nations said after crisis talks in Damascus on Tuesday, a week ahead of a planned resumption of peace talks between Syria's warring parties. The aid convoys would on Wednesday head for Madaya, Zabadani and Mouadamiya al-Sham near Damascus, and to the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province in the northwest, five of the locations named by the United Nations, a spokesman for the Red Crescent said. Supplies included wheat and high-energy foods. A medical team would enter Kefraya and al-Foua, the spokesman said. The Syrian Red Crescent was coordinating with the U.N. on the aid deliveries. The United Nations has demanded unhindered access to all besieged areas of the country, where it says hundreds of thousands of people are trapped by fighting and deliberate blockades by Syria's various warring sides. Dozens in Madaya have starved to death after months of siege by government forces and their allies. Insurgents in control of Idlib have in turn surrounded al-Foua and Kefraya, where there have been increasing shortages of food and medical supplies. In the city of Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria, parts of which are under siege by Islamic State, unverified reports have said up to 20 people have died of starvation.Deir al-Zor was one of the seven areas to which the aid convoys were expected to head within the next few days, the United Nations said. The Red Crescent did not mention Deir al-Zor on Wednesday. Aid was delivered to Madaya, al-Foua and Kefraya last month as part of an agreement between warring sides. Syria's opposition says it will not negotiate with Damascus until sieges imposed by government forces and their allies have been lifted - one of many issues that led to a suspension of
peace talks in Geneva earlier this month. Talks are scheduled to resume on Feb. 25, but fighting continues unabated throughout the country, where 250,000 people have been killed in five years of war.

Turkey says wants secure strip on Syrian side of border, including Azaz
Reuters, Ankara Wednesday, 17 February 2016/Turkey wants a secure strip of territory 10 km (6.2 miles) deep on the Syrian side of its border, including the town of Azaz, to prevent attempts to "change the demographic structure" of the area, Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said on Wednesday. Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes have advanced towards the Turkish border in a major offensive in recent weeks. Kurdish militia fighters, regarded by Ankara as hostile insurgents, have taken advantage of the violence to seize territory from Syrian rebels. Turkey has accused the Kurdish militia of pursuing "demographic change" in northern Syria by forcibly displacing Turkmen and Arab communities. Ankara ultimately fears the creation of an independent Kurdish state occupying contiguous territories currently belonging to Iraq, Syria and Turkey. "There is a game being played with the aim of changing the demographic structure. Turkey should not be part of this game," Akdogan said in an interview on the AHaber television station.
Rebel stronghold
"What we want is to create a secure strip, including Azaz, 10 km deep inside Syria and this zone should be free from clashes," he said. Azaz is the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey north of the Syrian city of Aleppo, part of what was, before the Syrian government offensive, a supply route from Turkey to the rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad. It has come under heavy assault in recent days, but Turkey has said it will not let the town fall into the hands of the Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey, home to more than 2.6 million Syrian refugees, has long pushed for the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria to protect displaced civilians, avoiding the need to bring them into Turkey. But the proposal has so far gained little traction with Washington or NATO allies who fear it would require an internationally patrolled no-fly zone which could put them in direct confrontation with Assad and his allies. Akdogan said another 600,000 people could flee to the Turkish border if Aleppo falls to the Syrian army.

Palestinians take part in a demonstration calling for the release of Mohammed al-Qiq,
AFP, Jerusalem Wednesday, 17 February 2016/Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday said a Palestinian hunger striker must stay in the northern Israeli hospital where he is being held, after a failed attempt to break a stalemate."The court refused the request of Mohammed al-Qiq and will leave him in the hospital in Afula," his lawyer Jawad Boulos said in a statement. The 33-year-old journalist is reported to be close to death 84 days after starting a hunger strike in protest against his internment detention without trial under Israel's administrative detention laws. He has occasionally taken minerals and vitamins but mainly ingests only tap water, doctors who have visited him say. The court officially suspended the internment order against Qiq on February 4, but refused his demand for transfer to a hospital in the West Bank city of Ramallah, under Palestinian Authority jurisdiction. On Monday it offered a compromise whereby he would be moved to the Palestinian-run Makassed hospital in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Afou Agbaria, an Arab Israeli former parliamentarian and physician who visited Qiq in Afula, said he turned down the proposal. "He refuses to be cared for in Makassed because it is located under Israeli sovereignty and he says he will not be retained in custody," he told AFP. "He said, 'It's death or freedom, and if Israeli security has something against me, it must bring me to justice, rather than to hold me under administrative detention without trial or charge'." Qiq, a father of two and a correspondent for Saudi Arabia's Almajd TV network, was arrested at his home in Ramallah on November 21. He has been refusing food since November 25 in protest against the "torture and ill treatment that he was subjected to during interrogation", according to Addameer, a Palestinian rights organisation. The United Nations has expressed concern about his fate, with the International Committee of the Red Cross describing his condition as critical. Israel's Shin Bet domestic security service says Qiq was detained for "terror activity" on behalf of the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Israel's controversial administrative detention law allows the state to hold suspects without trial for periods of six months renewable indefinitely.

5 Dead, 10 Wounded in Ankara Car Bombing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 17/16/At least five people were killed and 10 wounded in a car bomb targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, the city's governor said. The attack was aimed at a convoy of military service vehicles, Ankara governor Mehmet Kiliclar said, quoted by the CNN-Turk and NTV channels.Plumes of smoke were seen rising over an area and the powerful blast was heard all over the city, sending residents to their balconies in panic, an AFP correspondent said. Ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene, which is near the Turkish military headquarters and the parliament. NTV television said the explosion happened near a residential block for top-level military staff. The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said he strongly condemned the attack, Turkish media reported. Turkish police have thrown a security cordon around the area. There was no immediate indication about who carried out the attack, but the Islamic State group has been blamed for a string of bombings in the country since the middle of last year.
Capital on alert
The capital was already on alert after 103 people were killed on October 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history. Eleven people, all German tourists, were also killed on January 16 when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Istanbul. Those attacks were blamed on IS jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year. Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected IS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul and Ankara. But Turkey is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast. The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority. The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July. Ankara has also been carrying out air strikes against Syrian Kurdish fighters across the border with war-torn Syria since the weekend. A Kurdish splinter group, the Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan (TAK), claimed a mortar attack on Istanbul's second international airport on December 23 which killed a female cleaner and damaged several planes. Meanwhile the banned ultra-left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party–Front (DHKP-C) has also staged a string of usually small-scale attacks in Istanbul over the last few months.

Russia, Iran to reinforce military cooperation
AFP, Moscow Wednesday, 17 February 2016/Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow and Tehran were ready to step up their military cooperation after meeting with his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday. “I am convinced that our meeting is going to contribute toward reinforcing friendly relations between Russian and Iranian armed forces,” said Shoigu in a statement. Iran’s Hossein Dehghan and Shoigu spoke about “the necessary measures for the progressive development” of their military cooperation, based on the accord signed in January between Tehran and Moscow, the statement said. The two countries are also “ready to coordinate their approaches on a large number of global and regional issues”, Shoigu added, speaking in the “context of the growing crisis in the Middle East. The Russian defense chief did not speak specifically about Syria, where Russia on September 30 sent in its warplanes to lauch air strikes at the request of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad, who is also supported by Iran. “Our countries face the same challenges and threats in the Middle East region and it is only together that we will be able to fight them,” Shoigu said. Iran and Russia, long-time allies of Syria, have also reinforced their military and nuclear cooperation since the signing in July of an historic accord between Tehran and the world powers on the Iranian nuclear programme. Russia has authorized the delivery of S-300 anti-aircraft batteries to Iran, despite the strong opposition of the Western powers. And November 23, Moscow lifted a ban on the sale and delivery of technological materiel tied to the nuclear industry after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s leader Hassan Rouhani. Iran’s defense chief who arrived on Monday in Moscow also met with Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin.

Gunmen kill Egyptian policeman in checkpoint attack
AFP, Cairo Wednesday, 17 February 2016/Gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a checkpoint in Egypt late Tuesday, killing a policeman and seriously wounding two others, security officials said.The attack took place in an area called El-Badrasheen in southern Cairo where policemen have previously been targeted in similar attacks. There were no immediate details about the assailants, who fled the scene. Militants have regularly attacked security forces since the country's then army chief and now president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, overthrew Islamist leader Mohammad Mursi in 2013. Militants say the attacks are in retaliation for a crackdown targeting Mursi's supporters that has left hundreds dead and thousands imprisoned.

U.S. vows to stop ISIS from building base in Libya
AFP, Washington Wednesday, 17 February 2016/President Barack Obama has vowed not to let ISIS build a base in Libya, saying the United States would take action where there was a "clear target.""We are working with our other coalition partners to make sure that, as we see opportunities to prevent ISIS from digging in in Libya, we take them," Obama said. "We will continue to take actions where we got a clear operation and a clear target in mind." The militant group has established a base with thousands of fighters in the coastal city of Sirte. The hometown of late dictator Muammar Qaddafi, the city is a strategic port near oilfields that could provide a lucrative source of income. "The tragedy of Libya over the last several years is Libya has a relatively small population and a lot of oil wealth, and could be really successful," said Obama. Since rebels and Western airpower toppled Qaddafi’s regime in 2011, the country has effectively lacked a government.

Hadi reveals evidence of Hezbollah’s involvement in Yemen
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi has revealed that the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, sent him a letter explaining Hezbollah’s role in the fighting in Yemen. Speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Tuesday, following a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hadi said Nasrallah wrote to him stating “Our fighters arrived in Yemen to teach the Yemeni people the essence of governing.”

Suicide bomber kills at least 10 recruits at Yemeni army camp
Reuters, Aden Wednesday, 17 February 2016/A suicide bomber killed at least 10 recruits at a Yemeni army camp run by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government in the southern port city of Aden on Wednesday, medical sources and an official said. They said several other recruits were also wounded in the explosion at the gate of Abbas camp in Buraiqa, a district of the city of Aden, which had been recently set up to absorb new conscripts to an a new army being set up by Hadi's government. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a series of bombings that had rattled the city since Saudi-backed forces captured Yemen's second largest city from the Iran-allied Houthis in July last year. Hundreds of new recruits were at the gate trying to register their names to join the Yemeni army, they said. Residents said ambulances were seen transporting casualties out to hospitals as troops surrounded the area to keep onlookers away. Palestinian hunger striker to stay in Israeli hospital .

When will Jordan get the boost it needs for refugees?
Raed Omari/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
Jordanian officials’ weariness and dismay over what they always describe as the world’s “forsakenness” of their resource-poor country in the face of the Syrian refugee crisis have been unmistakably replaced by expressions of relief and easiness following the recently concluded Syria Donors Conference in London.Syria’s donors have pledged millions of dollars in addition to soft loans to help Jordan deal with the Syrian refugee crisis, which is expected to persist for years to come. However, the Syrian refugee crisis is not merely about economic burden and budget deficit for Jordan but also about demographic and security concerns. It cannot be resolved only with money but indeed by bringing the conflict to an end. Before the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, held in London last week, there was a campaign of complaint and, so to speak, impeded threat in Jordan seeking to tell the world that the resource-limited kingdom has reached its maximum capacity for accepting refugees. There were also calls for reconsidering its long-held open-door policy towards the Syrian refugees if not adequately and sustainably aided by the world. In an unmistakable expression of complaint, interspersed with criticism and warning, Jordan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ansour, in one way or another, linked his country’s support to Syrian refugees to more assistance from the international community.
During a field visit to a refugee facility in east Jordan, days before the London conference, Ensour said: “it is true that supporting the Syrian refugees is our duty but we are doing this on behalf of the world, especially Europe … If the world supports us, then we can keep our borders open and, if not, then how can Jordan, in light of its troubled budget, be able to serve them [refugees]?”Rising public concern following the London conference has to do with the fear that the Syrians’ problems in Jordan are to be solved at the expense of Jordanians. What may have added legitimacy to Ensour’s complaints is probably the official results of the national census, which was probably meant to be announced in the capital the same day the premier was in the refugee camp. The results showed that nearly one third of the Kingdom’s 9.5 million residents are non-Jordanians. Of the total non-Jordanian population, 1.265 million are Syrians, followed by Egyptians, totaling 636,270 representing 6.68 percent of the population and Palestinians who do not have national ID numbers with 634,182 representing 6.65 percent of the population. But now Jordan’s rhetoric on the Syrian refugee crisis is a lot better following the London conference. Donors have pledged $700 million a year to Jordan for 2016, 2017 and 2018 to develop services and infrastructure in the fields of health, education, water and municipal services in host communities. Donors also pledged to offer soft loans worth $1.9 billion a year until 2018, in addition to grants worth $900 million over three years.
“Post-London campaign”
However, the government of Jordan is now on another “post-London campaign” seeking to alleviate the rising public concern over the demographic impact of the Syrian refugee crisis. In Parliament, Ensour had to face criticism from angry MPs who accused the government of receiving money to “settle the Syrians”, citing the premier’s use of the “Syrian component” in a speech. Another rising public concern following the London conference has to do with the fear that the Syrians’ problems in Jordan are to be solved at the expense of Jordanians. The government unintentionally played a part by igniting such fear in its talk about creating job opportunities for Syrians which it termed as the “sustainable solution” for the Syrian refugee crisis.
A great deal of the Jordanian government’s campaign nowadays is seeking to assure the dismayed public that allowing Syrians to join the labor market would not affect job opportunities for Jordanians. I see myself obliged here to defend the Jordanian government as the Syrian refugee crisis has proved to be a tarns-border problem facing almost the entire world and each country – naturally in the Middle East and in nearby Europe – has to share the tremendous burden. In other words, conspiracy theory has no place in this context although, even in Europe, the refugee influx has had “bizarre” interpretations.
Syrians go to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey in large numbers merely because these are close to their war-torn country and nothing else. Geography is sometimes a curse. However, angry Jordanians, who sometimes level strange charges against their government, have to look at the map and see that their country has a border line with Syria extending to nearly 400 kilometers. However, the overwhelming economic pressure might be least of Jordan’s concerns related to the Syrian refugee crisis if compared to other accompanying challenges, including security, sleeper cells, terrorist activities and illicit drug trafficking.
On the economic level, Jordan has so far kept a patient and clam temper although with dismay. However, when it comes to security issues, the kingdom has been acting unilaterally and decisively even in the face of lack of understanding sometimes from the international community.
For example, Jordan refused to accept around 16,000 Syrian refugees stranded on the border with Syria because of their “suspicious” identities as coming from areas under the control of ISIS. Jordanian army has killed a number of infiltrators recently foiling attempts to cross from Syria into the kingdom.
To cut a long story short, in London Jordan had a message for the international community, especially Europe: “Help us be resilient enough so that we can keep the Syrian refugees before they start thinking of migrating to you.” I reckon, Jordan came back from London with assurances that its warning message was well-received.

Can a ground offensive end the Syria conundrum?
Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
The moment it seems that the crisis in Syria cannot get worse the greatest optimist among us becomes pessimistic. The country has been embroiled in an extremely complicated conflict the intensity and dimensions of which continue to escalate. It is no longer just about the domestic strife in Syria or even the rise of ISIS; it has also triggered the Turkish-Kurdish confrontation, which appears to be escalating as Kurdish militias strengthen their positions. In other words, Syrian crisis has regional and global implications and has already got all major powers involved. This involvement is no longer merely political or diplomatic. The initial diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict sounded good in theory but in practice it has all led to an impasse. Russia’s involvement in Syria marked a turning point in the conflict. It complicated the situation as the targets in Syria seemed far beyond ISIS. This gave an opportunity for Russia’s counterparts to discredit Kremlin in the eyes of the international community and accuse it of being an oppressor, invader, supporter of a brutal dictator and a country responsible for bombing and killing of innocent people.
Russia was also blamed for strikes that hit two hospitals in northern Syria even though it is still not clear who carried out those attacks. It seems that Russia was just the most convenient player to be blamed for it. Russia has also been at the receiving end of global media warfare and sophisticated geopolitical games.
Going by Putin’s saying “if fight is inevitable, throw the first punch”, it seems very likely that Russia and Iran have discussed strategies in advance. The conflict between Russia and Turkey escalated due to the downing of the Russian Su-24, which was followed by Russian accusations of elements within Turkey supporting ISIS. These developments had their impact on Ankara’s ambitions and perceptions. Since then Turkey has started to behave in a much more aggressive manner. Turkey aspires to get back areas of Syria and Iraq that once belonged to it. For the country, the Kurds are a much greater evil than ISIS and they even seem ready to strike a bargain to exterminate the Kurds. Meanwhile, Kurdish militias remain one of the key forces in the fight against ISIS. As a result, Turkish maneuvers seem largely predetermined not by the will to settle the mess in Syria but to solve its problems and address its ambitions. These ambitions do not seem to be in sync with the resolution of conflict within the current borders and with the preservation of Syria as a state. These motives have been extremely counterproductive and have complicated the matter.
Ground operation
Concerns have also been raised about the ground offensive to fight ISIS. There are those who believe that such an operation will target ISIS in the same way Russia has already done with the difference being that the targets will not be rebels but forces loyal to the regime in Damascus. The collapse of Geneva talks and the reactions of mediators of the peace process suggest that diplomacy has been a total failure in Syria and the conflict can only be settled through military means. Remarks made recently by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir that Assad could be overthrown through military means makes the prospects of ground operation clear. On the other hand, Russia continuing to maintain that Assad is the legitimate leader of Syria and his stepping down will lead to chaos, as noted recently by its Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, also sounds exaggerated. Nothing will be legitimate in Syria as long as there is chaos in the country. It is also too early to expect the international coalition members to settle the issue through a ground operation. Such a move may also increase the number of people fleeing the country, increase death toll dramatically and could also mean significant losses for all stakeholders. Instead of resolving an already complex conflict, this could also lead to a full-scale war.
Russia has made it clear that if the forces loyal to Damascus are attacked it will respond. Such a response would most likely not leave space for talks. We should also not forget about Iran, which is backing the Assad regime in Damascus, and will respond if the international coalition puts boots on the Syrian ground. In recent days, there have been a buzz around Iranian Defense Minister meeting his Russian counterpart in Moscow, including Kremlin’s strong man Putin himself. The talks were held behind closed doors. The two sides have been discussing arm sales and military cooperation. Most likely Syria was also discussed in the light of Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s military drills and the intention to put boots on the ground. Going by Putin’s saying “if fight is inevitable, throw the first punch”, it seems very likely that Russia and Iran have discussed strategies in advance. The Syrian conflict, maneuvered by hot-headed leaders, is becoming even more dangerous. World powers, including Turkey, the U.S., Russia, Gulf states and Iran were supposed to be the cornerstones of the peace process, but their roles have become mangled.
Meanwhile, cool-headed experts stay mostly unheard, along with voices of the reason from all the sides of this mess. The hawks continue to shout louder than the doves.

The consequences of Obama being right about the world
Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/February 17/16
Despite all the clown-car name-calling currently masquerading as the Republican presidential contest, I believe that history will judge Barack Obama’s overall foreign policy surprisingly kindly. For the president – unlike the vast majority of his peers in the foreign policy elite – has gotten many big things right.
The world is evolving into one of many powers rather than having the U.S. dominate the planet as it has since 1945. While America remains by a long way the most important and powerful country in the world, from a very low base, others – such as India and China – are gaining on it year-on-year.
This is a state of affairs almost no one in Washington thinks about; and the few that do simply lack the courage as of yet to talk about. But the president, in his quiet, analytical way, has constructed a coherent American foreign policy built on this fundamental structural shift. This means the U.S. must pivot to Asia, the region most likely to produce new economic growth in the future, but also one with a great deal of political risk, primarily revolving around the rise of China.
However, the U.S. finds itself in an enviable strategic position, as Chinese bullying in the South China and East China Seas means that India, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the ASEAN countries, the Philippines, and even Vietnam are all eager to grow closer to Washington.
Commensurate with the Asia pivot, however, there is an unspoken codicil to the White House’s new and enitirely reasonable strategy. As America does more in Asia, it will correspondingly do less in Europe and the Middle East, in both cases letting regional partners pick up the slack, whether they are ready to or not. Once a balance of power can be reached on the Syrian battlefield then, and only then, is the conflict ripe for the political solution the world is waiting for
This shift is already well advanced in Europe, as Chancellor Merkel of Germany has become the key figure in the euro crisis, the refugee crisis, and even in dealing with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. While in each case, Washington has been less than thrilled with the policies Berlin has put in place, it has so far managed to maintain a secondary role in each of these existential crises for Europe. For years, overly-confident European leaders proclaimed to the U.S. that “the hour of Europe has arrived,” a premature wish-filled analysis that did not bear up to the realities of the day. The irony now is that quietly, and without any real discussion, the U.S. has passed the baton over Europe’s regional future back to its member states, who are proving woefully unable to live up to their overly-inflated slogans. No matter, says the White House, America wil proceed on with its grand strategy, whether Europe can master its future or not.
Mideast turmoil
The same largely holds true for the Middle East, which has amounted to such a trail of tears for Washington over the past generation. It is easy to see why the U.S. views the region as a series of almost insoluable policy problems: In Iraq, America went all in, in Libya the U.S. led from behind, and in Syria Washington has not done much at all. In all three cases, absolute policy disaster was the reuslt. Given this, and coupled with the American shale revolution, the Middle East is a region where, while wanting to maintain a key strategic rolel as an off-shore balancer, the U.S. wants to limit its involvement, as the risks are so high, and the rewards are so low. However, as is true with Europe, that means following the lead of allies and partners in the Middle East – such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey – who might have very different ideas of what needs doing to bring about regional stability.
American nervousness over Turkish animosity toward the Kuridsh Syrian fighters, the YPG, is a case in point. While Washington rightly views the YPG as up to now the single force in Syria most successfully taking the fight to ISIS, Turkey views it as a terrorist organization, in line with the PKK. Embarrassed, America has tried to ignore this contradiction, as it wants the support of both mutally antagonistic groups at the same time.
The same holds true for the possible Saudi-Emirati-Turkish plans to send speical forces to directly fight in Syria. On the one hand, the Obama adminsitration is against pouring gasoline on the fire in Syria – as after direct Russian and Iranian incursions Syria has morphed a horrible proxy war for the great powers in the region. On the other hand, the president is well aware that Russian air strikes seem to be having a decisive effect around Aleppo, and that the Russian incursion has allowed the formerly crippled Assad regime to regain the strategic momentum.
The logic from all this is bleak but clear. If regional powers are to hold more sway, Washington must gulp hard, but support Saudi-Turkish efforts to overturn Assad’s advantage. Once a balance of power can be reached on the Syrian battlefield then, and only then, is the conflict ripe for the poliitcal solution the whole world is waiting for. Obama has been right about most of this; this is a Middle Eastern problem that must be primarily solved by the powers within the region, and not outside forces such as Russia and the United States. However, the logic behind this strategic view impels America to support the new, possible Saudi-Turkish military initiative, as the least harmful way for the very regional powers the U.S. hopes to empower to reach a lasting balance within this tragic country.

Turkey ups the ante in Syria
Semih Idiz/Al-Monitor/February 17/16
Turkey has raised the stakes in Syria by unleashing a campaign of heavy cross-border shelling against Russian-supported fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) that Ankara insists will continue despite international calls to desist. Ankara wants to prevent the Kurdish group, which it considers a terrorist organization allied with the Kurdistan Workers Party, from gaining more territory along Turkey’s border with Syria. In a separate development bound to further increase tensions, Turkey also shelled Syrian military positions across the border from Hatay province around the same time it unleashed its campaign against the YPG.Turkish military sources told the daily Hurriyet that the shelling of Syrian army and YPG positions was in response to mortar attacks against Turkish territory. While this might be true with regard to the Syrian army, remarks by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu indicate that Turkey has broader goals when it comes to the YPG.
A complication for Ankara, however, is that both the United States and Russia are supporting the YPG, albeit for different reasons. YPG fighters have advanced against the Islamic State (IS) east of the Euphrates River with US air support, while Russia has been using them against anti-Assad forces west of the Euphrates.
Meanwhile, animosity between Ankara and Moscow has been deepening since Turkey downed a Russian jet fighter Nov. 24. In addition, Washington is unhappy with the YPG’s Russian-supported advances, but nonetheless greeted Turkey’s military response against the group with disapproval.
Davutoglu told reporters Feb. 14 that he had laid Turkey’s demands on the line during a phone conversation with US Vice President Joe Biden earlier that day. To wit, the YPG is to stay clear of the town of Azaz, a stone’s throw from Turkey, and evacuate adjoining areas. It must also abandon attempts to sever the corridor between Aleppo and Turkey, which Ankara says it needs to provide support to refugees. Ankara also insists that the YPG evacuate the Menagh air base near Azaz, recently captured with Russian support, and has threatened to make the base inoperable by shelling it if the YPG does not abandon it.
Davutoglu said he also told Biden that the YPG does not represent Syrian Kurds. “Those who define this as a Turkish-Kurdish conflict only aim to lay the groundwork for a conflict among brothers in the Middle East,” he claimed.
The White House readout of Biden’s conversation with Davutoglu stated, “The Vice President noted US efforts to discourage Syrian Kurdish forces from exploiting current circumstances to seize additional territory near the Turkish border, and urged Turkey to show reciprocal restraint by ceasing artillery strikes in the area.” The reference to the “Syrian Kurds” and the attempt to address Turkey and the YPG equally have angered Ankara.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said Feb. 15 that Ankara was “astonished” by US State Department spokesman John Kirby’s written response to Turkey’s shelling of YPG positions “in which Turkey and a terrorist group were placed on the same footing.” Bilgic said Ankara “strongly condemned this.” Adding to Ankara’s annoyance is that Europe's response to the shelling is echoing the US position.
Russia, on the other hand, is taking what appears to be a relatively low-key position for now, given the circumstances. “Moscow expresses its most serious concern about aggressive actions by Turkish authorities against a neighboring state,” read a Feb. 15 statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. “Russia will support discussion of this issue in the UN Security Council for a clear assessment of the provocative line pursued by Ankara, which is creating a threat to peace and security in the Middle East and beyond.”
Moscow claims that Ankara is trying to help jihadis, who have been using the Aleppo corridor to enter Syria from Turkey. Davutoglu’s response was quick in coming. During a Feb. 15 visit to Ukraine, he shot back by remarking that Russian jets had struck a hospital in the Azaz region and accused Moscow of committing crimes against humanity.
“If Russia continues to act as a terrorist organization and forces civilians to leave their homes, then our response will be very resolute,” Davutoglu said. That he spoke while Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk visibly approved of his remarks is bound to have made blood boil in Moscow.
Retired Ambassador Ali Tuygan, who served as Turkish Foreign Ministry undersecretary during 2006-09, believes that Ankara's latest move is a continuation of mistakes made in Syria from the start. “It will be difficult to secure results in this way,” Tuygan told Al-Monitor. “It was also wrong to let relations with Russia deteriorate in this way,” noting that a major risk for Turkey is a confrontation with Russia over Syria.
“Ankara should work to de-escalate the tension with Russia, but we see Davutoglu doing the opposite in Kiev, of all places,” said Tuygan. He also commented that Turkey had worked hard for 25 years to bring ties with Russia to a positive and mutually beneficial level.
While in Kiev, Davutoglu also denied claims that Turkish troops had entered Syria. Most analysts agree that such a direct intervention is highly improbable given that Turkey would have to fight not just the YPG, but also Russian-backed regime forces, without support from NATO. This has not, however, stopped the pro-government Turkish media from trying to drum up support for direct intervention in Syria with scant consideration of the potential consequences.
The opposition, however, is warning that the government is steering Turkey toward disaster. Ozturk Yilmaz, deputy head of the main opposition Republican People's Party, underlined this position in a written statement after the shelling of YPG positions began. Yilmaz, an expert on the region, was Turkey’s consul general in Mosul when the city fell to IS in 2014. He was held hostage by the group for more than 100 days.
Yilmaz said that the ruling Justice and Development Party was still chasing its dream of leadership in the Middle East. He charged that the government’s lack of foresight “is doing irreparable harm to Turkey’s security interests and dragging Turkey step by st

Will regime keep the upper hand in Syrian conflict?
Mustafa al-Haj/Al-Monitor/February 17/16
DAMASCUS, Syria — The Syrian regime and its allies have taken control over the entire area between the cities of Moadamiyet al-Sham and Daraya in Rif Dimashq governorate, following an extensive military campaign and heavy aerial bombardment that began in December 2015. The campaign aims to isolate the city of Daraya, which has already been besieged for three years, cutting off the only humanitarian supply line and weakening the opposition and civilians in preparation to storm the city.
However, on Feb. 9, the regime’s first attempt to breach the city failed. The effort was renewed on Feb. 12 from the northwest, near Moadamiyet al-Sham, accompanied by clashes between the regime forces and opposition fighters involving ground-to-ground missiles and 56 barrel bombs.
The city of Daraya is located just southwest of Damascus and borders the Mezze neighborhood, where the presidential palace is located, to the north. It overlooks the Mezze military airport to the northwest and the Damascus-Daraa highway to the east. Daraya is one of the largest cities in eastern Ghouta and was among the first cities to witness peaceful demonstrations demanding the toppling of the Syrian regime in 2011.
The city has suffered from power, water, heating and communications outages since it has been besieged by the regime forces in 2012. The citizens have been burning furniture to keep warm and plastic to extract fuel to run power generators and water pumps so they can grow and cultivate crops for food.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on Dec. 27, the regime forces advanced in the surroundings of Daraya, controlling the border separating Daraya from Moadamiyet al-Sham. The move caused massive displacement to Moadamiyet al-Sham following heavy aerial and artillery shelling, extensive bombardment with mortars and what are believed to be surface-to-surface missiles. The regime forces gained full control of the area on Feb. 6.
The official Syrian news Agency SANA quoted a military source Feb. 10 as saying, “The army and armed forces units have carried out intensive operations on the headquarters and fortifications of terrorist organizations in Daraya, killing 37 members and destroying many of their weapons and military equipment.”
A media source accompanying the Syrian army in its military operations told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The goal behind the Syrian army's military operation is to fully secure and control the Mezze military airport near Daraya to serve as a Russian base to launch military offensives to the south,” adding, “The siege of the city is the first step toward storming it in order to fully secure the area around Damascus to the southwest.”
On Feb. 8, Daraya’s local council published a report documenting what it called the regime’s violations in the city during January. It read that the regime had targeted the city with 765 barrel bombs, 1,400 mortar and tank shells, nine airstrikes and 124 surface-to-surface missiles. The siege had lasted 1,166 days.
For its part, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces warned in a Feb. 8 statement against an imminent massacre by the regime forces backed by Russian forces and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps against Daraya in Rif Dimashq. The coalition blamed the UN Security Council in particular and held it responsible for crimes against 12,000 besieged citizens, including children and women, according to the coalition’s statistics.
Al-Monitor spoke to Shadi Matar, the media official of Daraya’s local council, who said, “By besieging Daraya, the regime seeks to starve out civilians by cutting off their only supply line from the city of Moadamiyet al-Sham, which agreed to a truce with the regime in January 2013. Moadamiyet al-Sham was also considered shelter for the people of Daraya when the shelling on the latter intensified.”
He added, “The regime forces were able to control the area connecting the two cities, mainly because of the military build-up and the intensified heavy shelling that had been going on for three months, not to mention the regime’s scorched-earth policy. One ought to mention as well that the region is an open area and empty of any forms of construction, except a few buildings, which makes it difficult for the opposition forces to seek shelter.”
Matar added that the Syrian regime controlled the only crossing between the two cities, creating more difficulties for citizens and fighters alike in both areas. He said that the regime has several options now. It might seek to drive rebels and civilians out of the city in an attempt to change its demographic composition, as happened in Homs in May 2014 and Zabadani in August 2015.
Al-Monitor also met with Capt. Saeed Jamal from Daraya, of the Martyrs of Islam Brigade, the largest brigade fighting in the city. It was established in 2013 to counter the regime’s advance in eastern Ghouta. Asked about whether the regime would strike a deal with the militants in these regions to drive them out, Jamal told Al-Monitor, “We have no idea what the regime forces will do, especially after the Russian intervention and the great support Russia is offering to [President] Bashar al-Assad’s regime. We have already witnessed the great scale of destruction of Syrian towns in the north by Russian weaponry under the pretext of fighting terrorism.”
He added, “We will not accept any deal under these circumstances. We remain steadfast and strong on our fronts. During the last battle and despite the regime’s heavy shelling aided by Iranian militias, it could not separate Daraya and Moadamiyet al-Sham for three months” although the area is very small.
Jamal does not believe that five years after the outbreak of the revolution, the regime is making the kind of progress in different Syrian towns that could affect its fate. He believes that what is happening is temporary progress owing to Russian support, but things will soon return to how they were, and probably better. Jamal said that Russia ought to learn from the lessons and the previous experiences of Iran, which had provided support for the Syrian regime but did not put an end to the Syrian revolution. It has only prolonged the regime’s life and led to the destruction of more towns, more displacement and a higher death toll among the Syrian people. It is noteworthy that in 2010, Daraya was home to 250,000 citizens, and today that number has dropped to 12,000, including both civilians and military forces. As the road to Moadamiyet al-Sham has been cut off, these people will face worsening conditions as the regime continues the heavy bombardment that prompted people to seek refuge underground.

Saudi Daily Criticizes U.S. 'Soft-Power' Policy: Sometimes Use Military Force Is Necessary; Arab States Feel U.S. Has Turned Its Back On Them
Special Dispatch | 6312 | February 17, 2016 The Middle East Media Research Institute
In view of the escalated Russian military activity in Syria, and declarations by senior Saudi officials on the option of an imminent Saudi ground intervention in Syria, the editorialist for the official Saudi daily Al-Riyadh, Ayman Al-Hammad, published a caustic article attacking the Obama administration's Middle East policy. Al-Hammad claims that the Obama administration is adopting a soft-power policy in the Middle East, and particularly vis-a-vis the Syrian crisis, while forgoing the military dimension – thereby awarding Russia and her allies senior status in the region. Condemning America's "surrender of Syria", its neglect of the Palestine issue, and its rapprochement with Iran, the author claims that the U.S. has lost the trust of the Arab states, which feel that it has turned its back on them. Al-Hammad advises the Obama administration so stop eschewing military force, because this means is occasionally required "to put things back on track".
Below is a translation of the article:[1]
"[American political scientist] Dr. Joseph Nye coined the term 'soft power,' which denotes a state's use of non-military means and tools to create for itself a capability to influence, act and persuade. Such means, focusing on emphasizing the state's cultural legacy, help to improve its image in the world...
"This term was quite prevalent in the literature on public diplomacy and international politics during the previous decade, particularly after September 11 and following the military campaigns and the tough security measures adopted after [this event], which appreciably affected the U.S.' image as a pluralist and free country. Following these [events, the U.S.] had no choice but to stress and emphasize some [other] part of [its] exemplary legacy in order to improve its image and to shine the spotlight once again on the positive side of the American presence.
"During the previous decade, Barack Obama's presidency was characterized by an abstention from adopting military solutions and from dispatching American soldiers to combat zones, and [a preference for] political initiatives instead. The Syrian crisis is a conspicuous example of this. America's military absence from the region, be it in Iraq or in Afghanistan, and its surrender of Syria, helped tarnish its image in the eyes of the countries in the region. From these countries' perspective, the U.S. has turned its back on them, while Russia and its allies have assumed this role. This had a significant impact on the image of the U.S. and President Obama, whose arrival at the White House can be seen as [heralding] the pinnacle of America's soft power [policy]. He [Obama] disappointed the Arab states, which expected him to take a more sympathetic approach to their problems than his predecessor George Bush Jr.
"Is the scant [use] of hard power necessary to reinforce soft power? The events in the region, at least, prove that U.S. abstention from military intervention in Syria, the neglect of the Palestinian issue and the rapprochement with Iran have damaged the U.S.' image and Obama's popularity, both amongst the ]American] people and amongst the elites. Tracing America's rise to power and global hegemony, we discover that this hegemony derived solely from its military force and from its cowboy and Star Wars films. [Only] after dropping the two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki did the U.S. become the number one world power. Obviously, [my worlds] should not be misconstrued as support for the U.S.'s military adventures – and they are numerous. War actually is the worst [possible] tool, but occasionally its use is inescapable. Sometimes, a little firmness is needed to put things back on track."
[1] Al-Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), February 14, 2016.

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