llLCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 05/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.june05.16.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
I have said
this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face
persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16/29-33:"His disciples
said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we
know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by
this we believe that you came from God.’
Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has
come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me
alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to
you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But
take courage; I have conquered the world!’"
This is the Moses who said to
the Israelites, "God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he
raised me up
Acts of the Apostles 07/30-38:"‘Now when forty years had passed, an angel
appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning
bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to
look, there came the voice of the Lord:
"I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses
began to tremble and did not dare to look. Then the Lord said to him, "Take off
the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard
their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you
to Egypt." ‘It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, "Who made you a
ruler and a judge?" and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through
the angel who appeared to him in the bush. He led them out, having performed
wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty
years. This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, "God will raise up a
prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up." He is the one who was
in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount
Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us."
Pope Francis's Tweet For
Today
Let us hear the cry
of the victims and those suffering, no family without a home, no child without a
childhood.
Écoutons le cri des victimes et de ceux qui souffrent, aucune famille sans
maison, aucun enfant sans enfance.
لنصغِ إلى صرخة الضحايا والمتألّمين، لكي لا تبقى عائلة بدون بيت وطفل بدون طفولة
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 04-05/16
Lebanon:
After Municipal Setback, Future Movement in Limbo/Asharq Al-Awsat/Paula Astih and Youssef Diab/June 04/16
International Community Recognizes Difficulties in Relaunching Peace Initiative
during Paris Summit//Michel Abu Najm/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/16
Could the defeat of ISIS turn to Pyrrhic victory/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/Jube
04/16
After imposing his will on Syria, Putin is moving onto Libya/Dr. Azeem
Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/Jube 04/16
Will the Syrian regime ever ease the suffering of its people/Brooklyn
Middleton/Al Arabiya/Jube 04/16
Will the Syrian regime ever ease the suffering of its people/Brooklyn
Middleton/Al Arabiya/June 04/16
Saudi calls on Israel to accept 2002 Arab peace initiative/Elior Levy, Itamar
Eichner, Reuters/Ynetnews/June 04/16
Russian Views on the Middle East: A Trip Report/James F. Jeffrey and Anna
Borshchevskaya/The Washington Institute/June04/16
Raqqa Will Not Fall Until Arab Tribes Fight the Islamic State/Fabrice Balanche/
The Washington Institute/June 04/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
June 04-05/16
Lebanon:
After Municipal Setback, Future Movement in Limbo
Relations between Hariri and Geagea Deteriorate
Qahwaji Appeases Fears of Terror Threats in Ramadan
Report: Security Concerns Rise, UNIFIL Issues Warnings
Brush Fire Erupts in Several Towns in Akkar and Zahle
Bag of Grenades, Detonators Found in Area between Mdayrij-Hammana
Mustaqbal Urges Clearing Militants, Hizbullah from Arsal Outskirts after
Resident Killed by Shelling
Ibrahim, Hamas delegation discuss latest developments
Abi Nasr: We might accept the mixed law to ward off 60s law
French PM Valls says Seine river stable after floods kill four
Mashnouq: It is time to state facts without equivocation
Mashnouq Bureau refutes giving statement to NTV
Lebanese Army carries out raids in Arsal, refugee camps in Wadi Hmayyid
Union of Lebanese Basket Ball meeting kicks off
Scorching temperatures cause fires in Bekaa valley
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
June 04-05/16
International Community Recognizes
Difficulties in Relaunching Peace Initiative during Paris Summit
Military Officials: Lebanese and Iranian Missiles Discovered in Yemen
Asiri to Asharq Al-Awsat: UN Report is Negative and Contradictory
At Least 33 Killed in Algeria Bus Crash
Algeria Accuses Two Countries of Conspiring to Undermine its Stability
Saudi Ambassador to Iraq: Iranians Heave Sectarian Strife in Fallujah
Syrian troops reach edge of province where ISIS is based
Iraq forces gain ground from ISIS west of Fallujah
Iraq Forces Gain Ground from IS West of Fallujah
Syria Army Thrusts into IS Bastion as Kurds Advance from North
Paris Floods Stabilise as Seine Starts to Recede
U.S. Vows 'Action' if China Builds New S. China Sea Structures
US Now Hitting Islamic State Targets from Mediterranean Sea
U.N. Seeks Assurances from Libya over Arms Purchases
Bahrain Jailbreak Sparks Manhunt
Iran: Seventh anniversary of the martyrdom of Kianoush Asa
Two arrested for publishing caricatures of Iranian regime officials
Another 70 people arrested in Iran for attending mixed-gender party in
restaurant
German genocide resolution ‘has no value’: Erdogan
Pope approves measures to oust bishops who botch abuse cases
Boko Haram attack in southeastern Niger kills 32 soldiers
Greatest of all time’ Muhammad Ali dies aged 74
Canada/Statement by ministers Dion and Bibeau on President Obama’s Leaders’
Summit on Refugees
Links From Jihad Watch Site for June 04-05/16
Germany: “Fear and panic” among Christian refugees as Muslims
persecute them
Hillary Clinton blames San Bernardino jihad
attack on “gun lobby”
Islamic State threatens jihad murders in US, Europe this month
Germany: Refugee background checks “unaffordable”
San Jose: Muslim chases, tackles Trump supporter after rally, then brags on
Twitter
Sweden took in 162,000 refugees in 2015 — 494 got jobs
Terror scare on UK-bound flight after Muslim passenger screams “Allahu akbar”
and “Boom”
Minnesota: Three Muslims convicted of conspiring to join the Islamic State
Germany: Church holds Muslim funeral for slain Islamic State jihadi
Muslim captured coming over southern U.S. border
had ties to Taliban
June 04-05/16
Lebanon:
After Municipal Setback, Future Movement in Limbo
Asharq Al-Awsat/Paula Astih and Youssef Diab/June 04/16
Beirut-Future Movement is still confounded by the severe loss it suffered in the
municipal elections in Tripoli, the capital of the North and Lebanon’s second
largest city. Resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, who fought the elections
alone against a coalition of political parties and Tripoli personalities,
achieved an unexpected victory last month. The shock that Future suffered from
compelled its leaders to launch a campaign of self-criticism to review the
mistakes which it had committed and which had led to a drop in popular support
for the movement – not just in northern Lebanon but also in the capital Beirut
where the results of the municipal polls were disappointing. Unlike many other
political parties, Future, which is led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri,
has admitted to making mistakes. Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, who is a
party member, has called on the movement to learn from those blunders ahead of
next year’s parliamentary elections. The changes in people’s temperament have
not only affected the Future Movement but also the rest of the political parties
from the March 8 and 14 rival camps. While Hariri hasn’t directly commented on
the results of the municipal elections, the ongoing activity at this residence
in Beirut suggests that he has launched a mission to rectify the
miscalculations. Hariri began to work on unifying members of his party, which is
facing the threat of disintegration after Rifi withdrew his membership and
hinted that he would form his own movement. Rifi told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
that the result of the Tripoli polls put more responsibilities on him to move
from the current stage to another level. “I can’t deny that they (the polls) put
me in front of a challenge. I will deal with it according to the circumstances
that arise in order to meet the people’s expectations,” he said.
Rifi said several factors have led to a change in the public atmosphere. Among
them is Future’s “bad choice of nominating MP Suleiman Franjieh for the
presidency and ways in resolving the file of Michel Samaha,” a former minister
who is serving time in jail on terrorism charges. Rifi regretted that Future
officials preferred to form a coalition with former Prime Minister Najib Miqati
in the Tripoli municipal elections rather than cooperating with him to form a
joint list of candidates. Rifi denied he has personal problems with Hariri
despite rising differences between him and Future. He said Hariri “should admit
that I became independent after resigning from the government.”A member of
Future’s politburo, former MP Mustafa Alloush, admitted that certain mistakes
committed by the movement led to the defeat of the Future-backed coalition in
the Tripoli polls. “We hadn’t well analyzed the temperament of the Tripoli
electorates,” he said. Asked if he thought that the change in the public
atmosphere should be seen by the Future leadership as an alarm bell, Alloush
said: “There is a partial and not complete change in people’s temperament.”
“Some factors have accumulated in the past 11 years, meaning since the
assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri, and there is an absence of stances
that mobilize the people,” he said. “Future is not a revolutionary party. It has
a lot of pragmatism and is liberal,” he said, adding that the movement does not
force people to support it. Sectarian mottos might lead to popular support, he
said. But he warned that “such slogans could lead to a disaster.”“When a person
is handed a responsibility, he cannot resort to sectarian mobilization,” Alloush
told Asharq Al-Awsat, alluding to Rifi. “The stage in the aftermath of the
elections imposes a new status quo … which requires more understanding of the
people’s choices but without being dragged into instincts,” he said.
Relations between Hariri and Geagea
Deteriorate
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/16/Reuters Beirut-Relations between Lebanese Forces
chief Samir Geagea and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri are witnessing
unprecedented tension after their differences became public.Geagea has accused
Hariri of rejecting the understanding reached between the LF and MP Michel Aoun,
the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement. Hariri, in his turn, has accused his
ally Geagea of obstructing his initiative to resolve the presidential crisis
that calls for the election of Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as
head of state. Geagea tried to limit the tension on Thursday by issuing an
internal memo that urges all LF MPs, officials and media outlets affiliated to
it “not to target the Future Movement in any form even if they were countered
with certain remarks and stances.”He stressed in the memo that ties with Hariri
are “deeper than tactical issues.”Yet some sources believe that the “ongoing
misunderstanding” between the two sides has been on the rise, particularly that
Future’s resentment of the understanding between the LF and FPM – the two
Christian parties- has grown. Future lawmaker Ammar Houri said relations with
the LF are “imperfect” since Geagea decided to back last year the so-called
Orthodox Gathering draft-law, which calls for each sect to elect its own MPs.
Houri told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the presidential crisis complicated
the issue more. In addition to that, the municipal elections that were held last
month put more strain on the ties between the two parties when the LF did not
support the “Beirutis’ List” that was backed by the Future. Late last year,
Hariri nominated Franjieh, a close ally of the Syrian regime for the country’s
presidency. His move angered Geagea, who then nominated Aoun. “The first person
that put you up for candidacy was [me] Saad Hariri, just a reminder … And it was
you and Hezbollah who hindered my initiative to end the presidential vacuum,”
Hariri said lately. But Geagea’s advisor Wehbe Qatisha told Asharq Al-Awsat that
the LF chief should not be addressed that way. “As if they are telling us: We
decide (on your behalf) and you execute,” said Qatisha about Future. “We are not
followers and we don’t accept things to be imposed on us.”Qatisha tried to
downplay the LF-Future differences by saying “We have a single strategy.”
Qahwaji Appeases Fears of Terror Threats in Ramadan
Naharnet /June 04/16/Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji appeased the fears of
possible terror attacks during the month of Ramadan and assured that the
security forces are vigilant, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Saturday.“We have
no fears during the month of Ramadan. During this month, we work around the
clock just like we do during the other months of the year to protect the
internal arena,” said Qahwaji. He assured that “in addition to the traditional
military procedures, the Lebanese army has taken extreme precautionary measures
to deter any security breach in the country.”Qahwaji's comments come as fears
spike that the Islamic State group could carry out attacks in Lebanon during the
holy month of Ramadan. The security forces were able to clamp down lately on
several terror cells in various Lebanese regions. Last month, the Interior
Ministry said that the security apparatuses thwarted schemes by the IS group to
carry out terror acts, mainly in crowded areas in Beirut. It said that security
forces are waging the “fiercest battle” against attempts to shake the security
situation.
Report: Security Concerns
Rise, UNIFIL Issues Warnings
Naharnet /June 04/16/Security sources in south Lebanon said on Saturday that the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon issued memos warnings their staff to be
vigilant citing security concerns, al-Joumhouria daily reported. The memos
warned of possible terrorist attacks in south Lebanon, the sources said on
condition of anonymity. International organizations have issued similar
warnings, they said. Fears that the Islamic State group and extremists have
plans to carry out attacks in Lebanon arose lately following the arrest of
several cells in different regions. On Thursday, the Lebanese army clamped down
on an IS terror cell and killed a militant in Khirbet Daoud in Akkar. Reports
said that the detainees are responsible for the killing of three soldiers who
where on duty in the towns of al-Bireh and al-Rayhaniyeh, and wounding an
Information Branch first adjutant. The General Security arrested on the same day
a Syrian national who confessed during interrogations that he had contacts with
an IS leader N.A., also known as Abou Iskandar, for the purpose of providing
logistical support and supplying weapons and ammo for militants.
Brush Fire Erupts in Several
Towns in Akkar and Zahle
Naharnet /June 04/16/from Akkar are trying to extinguish a brush fire on
Saturday that burnt about several acres of vegetation in several towns of Akkar,
the National News Agency reported. The high weather temperature has sparked the
fire which erupted in the towns of al-Arqaf, Masha, Hayzouq and Beit Haddara,
NNA added. Firefighters kicked off efforts to extinguish the flames. No injuries
were reported. Another fire erupted in Hay al-Maydan in Zahle early Saturday and
it was doused by the Civil Defense firefighters team.
Bag of Grenades, Detonators
Found in Area between Mdayrij-Hammana
Naharnet /June 04/16/The Lebanese army found on Saturday a bag in an area
between Mdayrij and Hammana in the Upper Metn region that contained detonators,
hand grenades and bullets, the state-run National News Agency reported. The army
found, after midnight, a large “suspicious” bag thrown on the side of the road
between Mdayrij and Hammana, NNA said. The Engineering Regiment inspected the
bag which contained 60 detonators, 15 hand grenades and around 40 bullets of
12.7 caliber. The findings were not prepared for detonation added NNA.
Investigation kicked off into the incident.
Mustaqbal Urges Clearing
Militants, Hizbullah from Arsal Outskirts after Resident Killed by Shelling
Naharnet /June 04/16/A Lebanese man who hails from Arsal was killed Friday in
the outskirts of the restive northeastern border town as clashes erupted between
Hizbullah and the Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in the area, media reports said.
“Lebanese citizen Hassan Mohammed al-Fliti, 64, was killed and his son Mohammed,
39, was seriously wounded as they were heading to a cherry grove they own in the
Jwar al-Sheikh area in Arsal's outskirts,” state-run National News Agency
reported. It quoted the son as saying that “a rocket or a grenade” had exploded
near them. The agency did not say where the shelling came from but noted that
the region in which the two were hit lies in the middle of areas controlled by
al-Nusra and Hizbullah. Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) had earlier reported
Hizbullah-Nusra clashes in Arsal's outskirts, adding that the Lebanese army
intelligence directorate was "making contacts for a ceasefire."Future TV for its
part said “al-Fliti died of his wounds after Hizbullah members opened fire at
him in Arsal's outskirts.”Earlier in the day, media reports said Hizbullah
attacked a group of Nusra militants in the al-Rahweh area southeast of Arsal.
The developments prompted al-Mustaqbal Movement's Arsal-Hermel Department to
hold an emergency meeting in which it called on “the government, the interior
minister and all influential political forces to clear Arsal's outskirts from
all militants, specifically Hizbullah's gunmen who murder and terrorize
civilians.”It also called on the Army Command to “preserve security and the
safety of Arsal's sons” and to “secure their access to their land and
groves.”Militants from al-Nusra and the Islamic State group are entrenched in
rugged mountains along the Lebanese-Syrian border and the Lebanese army
regularly shells their positions while Hizbullah has engaged in clashes with
them on the Syrian side of the border.
The two groups overran the town of Arsal in 2014 and engaged in deadly battles
with the Lebanese army for several days. The retreating militants abducted
around 35 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain
in captivity.
Ibrahim, Hamas delegation
discuss latest developments
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - General Security Chief ,General Abbas Ibrahim, welcomed
Saturday before noon at his office a delegation from Hamas Movement headed by
Moussa Abou Marzouk with discussions reportedly featuring high on the
Palestinian general situation, especially the security one inside the camps.
Talks also tackled the latest developments as for cutting- down on the services
of the UNRWA for Palestinian refugees.
Abi Nasr: We might accept the
mixed law to ward off 60s law
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - "We
might accept the mixed law in a bid to ward off the 60's law which has
marginalized Christians for so long; however it is time to hold parliamentary
elections as soon as possible," Change and Reform bloc Deputy Naamtallah Abi
Nasr said on Saturday during an interview on Free Lebanon radio station. Deputy
Abi Nasr highlighted the importance of Meerab-FPM agreement despite the
difficulties that it has faced on different levels; this understanding should be
developed into a comprehensive and national understanding according to the MP.
The Deputy praised Deputy Robert Fadel's resignation considering that Christians
were paying the price for their openness and expansion in all regions, unlike
the Sunnis, Shiites and Druze. Corruption dominates in all State Institutions,
except relatively in Security Apparatuses, he went on. "The entry of a million
and a half Syrian refugees into the Lebanese society aims at manipulating the
demographic composition of the country under the slogan of humanity," Deputy Abi
Nasr added. He noted that the Lebanese state should put a plan to repatriate
Syrian refugees to safe zones in Syria with the agreement of the Syrian
government.
Commenting on Janneh Dam, Abi Nasr concluded that the dam was an essential
developmental need and should be implemented for everyone's interest.
French PM Valls says Seine river stable after floods kill four
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - Floods that inundated parts of France this week, killing
four and forcing thousands from their homes, could start easing as the Seine
river stabilised after reaching a peak on Saturday, French Prime Minister Manuel
Valls said. The floods, the worst the French capital has seen since 1982, forced
its famous Louvre and Orsay museums to move scores of artworks and precious
artefacts to safety. It also disrupted traffic in several areas. The Seine river
rose to about 6.10 metres (20.0 ft) on Saturday morning and was now stable,
authorities said. In 1982, the river rose to 6.18 metres. "It looks like things
are getting calmer," Valls said, adding that a return to normal would take
several days. Valls said four people died in the floods and 24 others were
wounded and about 20,000 people were evacuated from their homes. "It will take
at least a week for the Seine to return to its normal level," said Bruno Jamet,
a hydrologist at Vigicrues, a state body that monitors flood levels. He added
that the Seine will stay above 6 meters for several hours on Saturday before
receding slightly over the weekend. The worst affected areas lay just to the
south of the capital. In Villeneuve-Saint-Georges near Orly airport, soldiers
and Red Cross volunteers helped stranded residents as flood waters rose above
knee level. In nearby Corbeil-Essonnes, locals kayaked along streets littered
with abandoned cars. In Paris, the rapid transit metro line RERC that runs close
to the river was shut down as well as several metro stations and roads near the
banks of the river. Paris landmarks including the Louvre and Orsay museums, the
Grand Palace, Discovery Palace and the National Library were closed due to the
floods. However, for several tourists visiting the French capital, the Seine
bursting its banks was an attraction as many lined Paris bridges to take
pictures."I find this rather spectacular," Asma, who is visiting from Lyon in
the east of France, told Reuters television. "I'm enjoying looking at the level
of Seine river... it is an event to witness. It doesn't prevent us from visiting
Paris, and in any case, it gives Paris a special flavour," she said. According
to the French Insurance Association (AFA), damages due to floods could cost
insurers at least 600 million euros.--REUTERS
Mashnouq: It is time to state
facts without equivocation
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA -
Interior and Municipalities Minister, Nuhad Mashnouq, said in a tweet on
Saturday that though he does not represent the Future Movement in his recent
statement, yet his utterances reflected the Movement's inner thinking."It is
time to state facts as they are without any equivocation," Minister Mashnouq
said.
Mashnouq Bureau refutes
giving statement to NTV
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - Interior and Municipalities Minister Nuhad Mashnouq's
Media Bureau categorically refuted in a statement on Saturday that he has given
any televised interview to NTV Station. Minister Mashnouq's Bureau also rebutted
information which has been attributed to the Minister in NTV news bulletin this
evening.
Lebanese Army carries out
raids in Arsal, refugee camps in Wadi Hmayyid
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - The army is carrying out wide raids in Arsal and Syrian
refugee camps located in Wadi Hmayyid, and arrested a number of suspects, NNA
reporter said on Saturday.
Union of Lebanese Basket Ball
meeting kicks off
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - The
Union of Lebanese Basket Ball, has just kicked off at its Jal ed-deeb
headquarter in order to decide on what's best following last night's squabble at
the third round between Riyadi (Sporting) and La Sagesse teams. Presiding over a
meeting of eight referees out of a total of fifteen has been Walid Nassar;
rightly deciding over the squabble provoked by Hikmeh and Riyadi could be
undertaken by the available eight ferries, NNA field reporters said.
Scorching temperatures cause
fires in Bekaa valley
Sat 04 Jun 2016/NNA - Rising temperatures coupled with fast gusting winds led to
the spread of fires across Bekaa valley on Saturday. The areas inflicted by the
fire were Taanayel, Barr Elias, Khraybeh and Bidnayel. Wheat fields in Terbel
and Ali Nahri sustained a lot of losses. Civil Defence units were able to
control the fire and stop it from spreading further.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 04-05/16
International Community Recognizes
Difficulties in Relaunching Peace Initiative during Paris Summit
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/16/Michel Abu Najm/
Paris-As expected, the international meeting on the Middle East held in Paris
did not come up with clear resolutions as it only showed international awareness
of the dangers of tension in the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations. French
Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was the most optimistic as he was hopeful for
a second summit in Paris during the fall. The importance of a second summit lies
in including both the Palestinians and Israelis who weren’t invited to the
summit on Friday. The second reason for Ayrault’s optimism is that he hopes the
direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations will resume in the suitable time with
the support of France.This optimism was not supported despite everyone realizing
the gravity of the situation in the Middle East. Yet, in his opening speech,
Ayrault didn’t speak of the second summit or resumption of direct negotiations.
Arab diplomatic source said that the 29 attendees stressed on the difficulties
of relaunching the peace Initiative without any definite date. Sources told
Asharq Al-Awsat that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry doesn’t really rely on
the meeting, to which he told the press: “We’ll see..We’ll have that meeting but
we should know where it’s heading and what will happen.”
Sources reported that Kerry also held many side-meetings. A French diplomatic
source told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Kerry should let us work and we know his opinion
on the matter: What’s not American, cannot happen.”EU Foreign Policy Chief
Federica Mogherini said that international parties should find a solution as the
Palestinians and Israelis are unable to do that themselves. Mogherini told
reporters: “The policy of settlement expansion and demolitions, violence, and
incitement tells us very clearly that the perspective that Oslo opened up is
seriously at risk of fading away.” Speaking to the press, Saudi Foreign Minister
Adel al-Jubeir said that the initiative has all the elements needed for a final
resolution as he hoped Israel would be wise to seize such an opportunity. When
asked by Asharq Al-Awsat whether there were any adjustments done to the Arab
Peace Initiative, al-Jubeir said that the initiative doesn’t need any adjusting
for being clear the way it is. It is worth mentioning, that for years now Israel
has been ignoring the Arab Peace Initiative adopted in 2002 during the Arab
Summit in Beirut. Due to political pressure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu recently declared there are positive elements but demanded some
alterations without specifying them exactly. During an interview with “Yediot
Ahronot”, French Prime Minister Manuel Valles urged Arab states to recognize
Israel in order to strengthen the peace process in the region.
The closing statement of the initiative referred to the Arab Peace Initiative
and stressed on the importance of activating it. The closing statement also
spoke of the settlements expansion that can threaten both states. In addition,
the statement asked both parties to show willingness to rebuild trust between
them. Minister Ayrault stressed that it is important to set an agenda for the
negotiations as he promised talks will proceed for the end of year international
summit. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed that the international
community should commit to its promises in making the Palestinian state a
reality. Shoukry stressed the importance of cooperation between Washington,
Moscow, and European States with the countries in the region to activate the
peace initiative in order to reach a solution. He also said that Egypt is
willing to exert every effort to reach a solution, adding that Arabs can vividly
remember France’s support for Palestinian rights in a Palestinian state.The Arab
League condemned Netanyahu’s statement in the Israeli Knesset that there will be
no return to the era before June 1967 in Jerusalem. Netanyahu also asked Kerry
to interfere to alleviate the intensity of the statements issued on the margin
of Paris’ summit. Netanyahu also called for “Political-Media” talks with the
participation of foreign ministers, National Security Council, and National
Media Committee.Whereas Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Dore Gold said that the only way to achieve peace is through direct
negotiations and with the support of Arab states and not through conventions.
Military Officials: Lebanese and Iranian Missiles Discovered in Yemen
Asharq Al-Awsat/June
04/16/Jeddah-High-ranking Yemeni military officials announced that the National
Army discovered a large number of Lebanese and Iranian made missiles in Haif bin
Saba’an. After examining the missiles, Commander Staff Maj. Gen. Nasser al-Tahiri
revealed that these missiles are not like the European or U.S. missiles, but
share some specs. Maj. Gen. al-Tahiri stressed that the National Army has been
defending the liberated areas since Houthis started breaking the declared
ceasefire. Al-Tahiri also said that the discovered missiles are fired from
launchpads and are used by the Lebanese so-called Hezbollah party. Al-Tahiri
told Asharq Al-Awsat that the army is advancing on several key axes despite
militias’ reinforcements. He explained that these missiles won’t help the
militias advance for many reasons, including the weakness of their militants and
their low morale. Concerning the situation in the battlefield, al-Tahiri said
that it is in the favor of the National Army, which is advancing on al-Farda and
Bayhan fronts. He added that all military forces are in their positions blocking
any attack. Military sources revealed that the militias lost a large number of
their members in Shabwa as they failed to break the siege imposed by the
National Army on Houthis. Observers expect the Houthis to raise the oil prices
as activist Abdul Hamid al-Khotami said. Al-Khotami added that the lack of oil
derivatives in the capital is due to the fact that the Houthis haven’t paid the
price of the oil shipment coming to al-Mekla refinery.
Asiri to Asharq Al-Awsat: UN Report is Negative and Contradictory
Asharq Al-Awsat/June
04/16/Brigadier General Ahmad Asiri at a press conference in Riyadh (SPA)Arab
coalition forces that support legitimacy in Yemen emphasised that the United
Nations report’s inclusion of the coalition on its human rights violation
blacklist is negative and will weaken the efforts of the UN envoy for Yemen
Ismail Ould Cheikh. Brigadier General Ahmed bin Hasan Asiri, a consultant at the
Minister of Defence’s Office and spokesman for the coalition forces, explained
that the United Nations report which was issued yesterday does not help the
consultations that are currently taking place in Kuwait. He added that it
contains general statistics that are contrary to the legitimate government’s
information. Asiri told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the coalition forces have evidence
that the United Nations recognises the legitimacy of the Yemeni government at
the same time that it is communicating with the rebels in Sanaa and considers
them an official government. This is a big contradiction and therefore the
report issued by it is biased. It was written to talk about the violation of
children’s rights but it ignores the fact that the rebels employ children to
fight on battlefields, plant mines and transport ammunition and food supplies.”
Asiri confirmed that Saudi Arabia has apprehended 52 Yemeni children aged
between 8 and 15 years old who were involved in fighting on the battlefield, and
he refuted the allegations cited by the report. On his part, the Permanent
Representative of the kingdom to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah Al-Mouallimi
told Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN blacklist report is a preliminary report and
will go through several stages including submission to the Security Council
before the final version is published.
At Least 33 Killed in Algeria Bus
Crash
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/least 33 people were killed and 22
others injured when a truck collided with a bus which burst into flames in
Algeria early on Saturday, authorities said. The accident took place at 2:50 am
(0150 GMT) near the city of Aflou, 400 kilometres (248 miles) south of the
capital Algiers, the APS news agency said quoting the civil defence. The bus
slammed into a rocky embankment after the collision and caught fire, with most
of the passengers who were asleep at the time burning to death, it said. Road
accidents kill at least 4,000 people each year in Algeria.
Algeria Accuses Two Countries of
Conspiring to Undermine its Stability
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/16/The Director of the Republic’s Presidential Cabinet
Ahmed Ouyahia criticises secessionist strife in Al-Qabael and Al-Mizab. A senior
Algerian official yesterday accused two countries which he refused to name of
conspiring “to destabilise” Algeria because of “its fixed stance on the Sahara
issue and its defence of its sovereignty”. During a meeting for members of the
National Rally for Democracy (RND) that was held in the capital yesterday, the
Minister of State and Director of the Republic’s Presidential Cabinet Ahmed
Ouyahia who leads the party said that “Two countries are conspiring against
Algeria – one of those countries does not accept the idea of an independent
Algeria (free from colonialism) and the other is malicious to Algeria because of
its position on the fate of the Saharawi people”. He also pointed out that the
two countries “are dependent on political mercenaries within Algeria who are
demanding the secession of Al-Qabael (east of the capital) and Al-Mizab
(southern Algeria), and we have to address this scheme”. Ouyahia refused to
respond to reporters’ questions regarding the two countries which he alluded to
in his speech. On the other hand, Ouyahia said that “the greatest challenge
currently faced by Algeria is the rapid decline in oil prices, but fortunately,
the measures taken by the President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika during
the past 10 years averted it collapse”. Ouyahia was referring to the president’s
decision to pay off foreign debt early in 2005. He also said that the country
should not resort to external borrowing again.
Saudi Ambassador to Iraq:
Iranians Heave Sectarian Strife in Fallujah
Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/16/London- Saudi ambassador to Iraq Thamer Sabhan
explained that the Iranian presence near Fallujah is only to heave further
strife among the already tense animosity between Iraqi people. Sectarian divide
in Iraq had been feeding into the country’s public strain. Sabhan, in a phone
interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, said that the Iraqi army and local
police hold the capacity sufficient enough fulfill the missioned ISIS determent
in Fallujah. All political figureheads in Iraq confirmed that Iraqi forces are
able to terminate all threats of terrorism in Iraq, he added. As for the
Kingdom’s dispositions, Sabhan said that Saudi Arabia wishes to aid and unite
all Iraqis against the threat of sectarian divide, which if rendered worse would
reflect against the whole region. He said that Saudi Arabia has full trust that
the voice of reason and wisdom found in its leadership would be welcomed among
all brothers in Iraq. “Iraq was and still is an Arab country, it will not be
acceptable for it to be taken away from its environment and people – the same
thing is reiterated by the people in Iraq discounting their background,” said
Sabhan. “Iraq, since 2003, had been the subject of Iranian direct and indirect
interference,” “The goal is to avenge against Iraq and Arabs,” Sabhan added
referring to Iranian aims. The Saudi ambassador added that Tehran had impelled
its forces to find and spur sectarian conflict, employing all means to further
ignite bigoted strife.
“It is regrettable to see that the people of Iraq are the ones to pay the price
of such lethal policies; if Iraqi blood was spilt it would be for no reason or
possible end, because no one could eliminate or demote the other. Iraq is
everybody’s land, and we cannot overlook the present Iranian spite and quest for
revenge on Iraq for the previous war it waged against Iran,” Sabhan added.
Sabhan also warned the aftermath of undertone accusations being cast recklessly,
he said that ISIS and al-Qaeda do not belong to a sect or religion; they are
considered Khawarij, outsiders. He said that official Saudi fatwas concerning
the subject are present to prove that terrorist organizations are redeemed
outsiders by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and are not considered a part of Islam
entirely. “They go against humanitarian rights and are antilife organizations,
which are being fought by everyone, especially Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Moreover, the Saudi Ambassador tweeted on Friday that Iranian terrorists located
near Fallujah serves as evidence to Iran’s plans for flaming Iraqi society
through sparking sectarian spite, which also confirms their demographic
inclinations.
Syrian troops reach edge of
province where ISIS is based
The Associated Press, Beirut Saturday, 4 June 2016/Syrian troops have reached
the edge of the northern province of Raqqa, home to the de facto capital of the
ISIS group’s self-styled caliphate. The government has had no presence in Raqqa
since August 2014, when ISIS captured the Tabqa air base and killed scores of
captured government .The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says
Syrian troops reached the “administrative border” of Raqqa province under the
cover of Russian airstrikes. The media arm of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which
is fighting alongside government forces, says Syrian troops reached the border
of Raqqa province Saturday after advancing about six kilometers (4 miles) in the
past hours.Syrian troops launched an offensive toward the province on Wednesday.
ISIS is based in the provincial capital, also called Raqqa.
Iraq forces gain ground from
ISIS west of Fallujah
By AFP Near Fallujah, Iraq Saturday, 4 June 2016/Iraqi forces gained new ground
from ISIS Saturday in a key area west of the militant bastion of Fallujah,
security sources said. Fighters from the army, the police and from the Hashed
al-Shaabi - a paramilitary organization dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite
militias - entered the center of Saqlawiya. The town lies around 10 kilometers
(six miles) northwest of Fallujah and control of the rural area around it is key
to cutting off the city which Iraqi forces are trying to retake. “The Iraqi
army’s 14th division and Hashed al-Shaabi stormed the center of Saqlawiya town
from the highway and raised the Iraqi flag,” a statement from the Joint
Operations Command said. Federal police moving from a different direction were
also involved in the operation to retake Saqlawiya. As elite forces are trying
to push into the center of Fallujah, other forces have continued to clear areas
around the city to ensure it is completely isolated. The operation in Saqlawiya
is aimed at cutting off Fallujah from Jazirat al-Khaldiyah, an area to the west
which ISIS has been passing through to reach its positions elsewhere.The Joint
Operations Command said a US-led coalition air strike had hit a boatload of ISIS
fighters attempting to flee Fallujah along the Euphrates river, killing all on
board. Fallujah lies just 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad and is one of
ISIS’s most emblematic bastions. Iraqi forces launched a major offensive to
retake the city on May 22-23.
Iraq Forces Gain Ground from IS West
of Fallujah
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/Iraqi forces gained new ground from
the Islamic State group Saturday in a key area west of the jihadist bastion of
Fallujah, security sources said. Fighters from the army, the police and from the
Hashed al-Shaabi -- a paramilitary organisation dominated by Tehran-backed
Shiite militias -- entered the center of Saqlawiya. The town lies around 10
kilometers (six miles) northwest of Fallujah and control of the rural area
around it is key to cutting off the city which Iraqi forces are trying to
retake. "The Iraqi army's 14th division and Hashed al-Shaabi stormed the center
of Saqlawiya town from the highway and raised the Iraqi flag," a statement from
the Joint Operations Command said. Federal police moving from a different
direction were also involved in the operation to retake Saqlawiya. As elite
forces are trying to push into the center of Fallujah, other forces have
continued to clear areas around the city to ensure it is completely isolated.
The operation in Saqlawiya is aimed at cutting off Fallujah from Jazirat al-Khaldiyah,
an area to the west which IS has been passing through to reach its positions
elsewhere. The Joint Operations Command said a US-led coalition air strike had
hit a boatload of IS fighters attempting to flee Fallujah along the Euphrates
river, killing all on board. Fallujah lies just 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of
Baghdad and is one of IS's most emblematic bastions. Iraqi forces launched a
major offensive to retake the city on May 22-23.
Syria Army Thrusts into IS Bastion
as Kurds Advance from North
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/Russian-backed Syrian troops pushed
into the Islamic State group's bastion province Raqa Saturday, threatening to
catch the jihadists in a pincer movement as US-backed Kurdish-led fighters
advance from the north. The lightning advance from the southwest with Russian
air support brought the army to within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the Euphrates
Valley town of Tabqa, site of the country's biggest dam, the Syrian Observatory
of Human Rights said. The dam, 40 kilometers (25 miles) upstream from the
jihadists' de facto Syrian capital Raqa city, is also the target of the
Washington-backed offensive which Kurdish-led fighters launched late last
month.It was the first time that government troops had entered Raqa province
since they were ousted by IS fighters in August 2014. Regular army troops were
backed by militia newly trained by the regime's ally Russia, Observatory
director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France Presse. He said that the twin
offensives which threaten to cut off IS-held Raqa from jihadist-held territory
along the Turkish border raised suspicions that Moscow and Washington were
covertly coordinating operations by their respective Syrian allies.
"It seems there has been an undeclared coordination between Washington and
Moscow," he said.At least 26 jihadists and nine government troops and militia
were killed in the army's advance, according to the Britain-based Observatory,
which relies on reports from medics and activists on the ground. Tabqa dam has a
huge reservoir named Lake Assad after President Bashar Assad's late father and
predecessor Hafez. When IS overran the area with its garrison and airbase in
2014, it summarily executed 160 captured regime troops. - IS under multiple
attack -The jihadists are facing counter-attacks on multiple fronts.
Arab and Kurdish fighters backed by Washington have launched an assault on the
strategic Manbij pocket further up the Euphrates on the Turkish border, regarded
as a key entry point for foreign jihadists. Hundreds of kilometers (miles)
downstream in neighboring Iraq, elite Iraq troops have launched an assault on
the emblematic IS bastion of Washington has deployed more than 200 special
forces troops in support of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which it
regards as the most effective fighting force on the ground against IS in Syria.
The SDF controls a large swathe of northeastern Syria along the Turkish border
and another border enclave in the northwest. The SDF's offensive against the
Manbij pocket is aimed at seizing the last stretch of border still under IS
control and denying the jihadists any opportunity to smuggle in recruits and
funds. The US military said the assault had captured more than 100 square
kilometers (40 square miles) of territory from IS this week.
IS has hit back with an offensive against two towns held by non-jihadist rebels
further west in a bid to enlarge the territory it holds on the border.
Washington has dropped ammunition to the rebels defending the town of Marea in a
bid to stop jihadists overrunning it, a US official confirmed. The supply lines
from neighboring Turkey have made the northern border region one of the most
contested battlegrounds of Syria's five-year-civil war. The region is now
controlled by a myriad of rival armed groups, although IS and the SDF have put
other rebel groups on the back foot. Washington's support for the SDF has
strained relations with NATO ally Ankara as its largest component is the Kurdish
People's Protection Units (YPG). Ankara regards the YPG as an arm of the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has fought a three-decade insurgency against
the Turkish state. To allay Turkish concerns, Washington has sought to boost the
Arab element in the SDF particularly as it advances into non-Kurdish areas. The
increasingly complex front lines have left hundreds of thousands of civilians
trapped by fighting or living under siege. Damascus said on Friday that it was
ready to allow desperately needed relief convoys into 12 besieged areas but the
United Nations said it was preparing to seek the government's permission to
organize air
Paris Floods Stabilise as Seine
Starts to Recede
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/The rain-swollen River Seine in Paris
receded Saturday for the first time in a week after nearing its highest level in
three decades, triggering a scramble to save artworks in riverside museums. The
Seine stood at 6.06 meters (just under 20 feet) above normal levels at 8:00am
(0400 GMT), down from a high of 6.10 meters overnight, the environment
ministry's Vigicrues flood watch website said. The level was the same as that
recorded on Friday afternoon, when the river rose to levels last seen in 1982,
prompting emergency measures. The famed Louvre and Orsay museums shut their
doors in a race to move art treasures from their basements, some metro stations
were closed and Parisians were advised to stay away from the Seine. But by
Saturday, as authorities were counting the cost of over a week of flooding in
central and northern France, the specter of devastating floods in the city had
begun to ebb. "We're now in the stabilization phase, even if we could still get
one or two centimeters more," said Bruno Janet, head of modelling at Vigicrues.
The environment ministry on Friday forecast that the Seine would remain high
throughout the weekend -- but still far off a 1910 record of 8.62 meters --
before starting to subside. Across Europe, at least 17 people have been killed
in floods that have trapped people in their homes and forced rescuers to row
lifeboats down streets turned into rivers. - Metro stations sandbagged -The City
of Paris said it had opened two gyms to provide shelter for the homeless. On
Saturday, pieces of driftwood, plastic bags and other flotsam swirled in the
muddy waters which had inundated the city's famous tree-lined riverside
walkways, a popular haunt of strolling couples.
Firefighters warned people to keep away from dangerous parts of the river, but
crowds gathered undeterred on Pont Neuf and other iconic bridges to snap
pictures of the fast-flowing waters. "It is a reminder that nature is more
powerful than man and we cannot do anything, only wait," said Gabriel Riboulet,
a 26-year-old entrepreneur, as he took in the scene. A small number of basement
flats in the capital were flooded on Friday and a campsite in the Bois de
Boulogne forest in the west of the capital was cleared but there was no order
yet for any Parisians to evacuate. Several metro stations were closed and
workers piled sandbags on platforms to hold back the water. Boat traffic has
been suspended in the capital, as has a regional train line that runs along the
Seine. - 'Catastrophic' damage -French President Francois Hollande said a state
of "natural catastrophe" would be declared when the cabinet meets next
Wednesday, a necessary step to trigger compensation payments. Losses across
France could reach more than 600 million euros ($680 million), said Bernard
Spitz of France's association of insurers. The head of national railways
operator SNCF said the rail network had suffered "catastrophic" damage which
would run to tens of millions of euros. Persistently heavy rainfall across
western and central Europe has swollen rivers and claimed victims from at least
four countries.
Eleven people have been killed in the German states of Bavaria and
Baden-Wuerttemberg, and two in Romania, while a beekeeper died in Belgium while
trying to save his hives. In France, a man on horseback drowned on Thursday
after being swept away by a swollen river in Evry-Gregy-sur-Yerres, southeast of
Paris. At Montargis in the north-central Loiret region, police also said they
had found the body of a woman in her sixties who had apparently drowned.
Environment Minister Segolene Royal said she feared more bodies would be found
as waters receded in villages in central France, some of which have suffered
their worst floods in a century. More than 20,000 people have been evacuated
since the weekend and around 18,000 homes are without power. - 38,000 artworks
at risk -On opposite banks of the river, the Louvre and Orsay museums, which
receive a combined total of 12.5 million visitors a year, closed their doors
Friday so that artworks could be moved to higher floors. Hollande paid a visit
Friday to the Louvre, where dozens of volunteers were working to move some of
the 38,000 artworks thought to be at risk to higher floors. The museum said it
would remain closed until Wednesday, while the Orsay, which houses a
world-renowned collection of 19th and early 20th century art, said it would
reopen Tuesday. The Grand Palais exhibition center also shut Friday, as did two
of the National Library's sites. Eva Palomares, a holidaymaker from the Italian
city of Milan, said she was disappointed to be unable to visit the Louvre but
added: "The star today is the Seine. You have to feel its angry rumble."The
downpours have added to the gloom in France, where public morale has been hit by
months of protests and strikes over a labor reform bill which were still
gripping the country less than a week before it begins hosting the Euro 2016
football championships.
U.S. Vows 'Action' if China Builds New S. China Sea Structures
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/Chinese construction on a South China
Sea islet claimed by the Philippines would prompt "actions being taken" by the
United States and other nations, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned
Saturday. Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, Carter said Beijing risks
building a "Great Wall of self-isolation" with its military expansion in the
contested waters, but he also proposed stronger bilateral security cooperation
to reduce the risks of a mishap. "I hope that this development doesn't occur
because it will result in actions being taken both by the United States, and
actions being taken by others in the region that will have the effect of not
only increasing tensions but isolating China," Carter said when asked about
Scarborough Shoal in a forum also attended by senior Chinese military officials.
Rear Admiral Guan Youfei, who heads the Chinese office of international military
cooperation, quickly attacked the Pentagon chief's remarks, telling journalists
they reflected a "Cold War mentality".Hong Kong's South China Morning Post has
reported that China plans to establish an outpost on the shoal, located 230
kilometres (140 miles) off the Philippines, which considers it part of its
exclusive economic zone. Beijing claims nearly all of the strategically vital
sea and has developed contested reefs into artificial islands, some topped with
airstrips. Manila says China took effective control of Scarborough Shoal in
2012, stationing patrol vessels and shooing away Filipino fishermen, after a
two-month stand-off with the Philippine Navy. Carter declined to elaborate when
later pressed on what "actions" Washington might take. The US warning came ahead
of a ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague on a case
brought by the Philippines against China, which has shunned the proceedings and
says it will not recognise any ruling. In a prepared speech, Carter said the
United States views the upcoming finding "as an opportunity for China and the
rest of the region to recommit to a principled future, to renewed diplomacy, and
to lowering tensions, rather than raising them". - 'Great Wall of
self-isolation' -The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing
claims in the sea, which encompasses vital global shipping routes and is
believed to have significant oil and gas deposits. Beijing's territorial claims,
based on controversial historical records, have also pitted it against the
United States, which has conducted patrols near Chinese-held islands to press
for freedom of navigation. "Unfortunately, if these actions continue, China
could end up erecting a Great Wall of self-isolation," Carter said in his
speech. He suggested the United States and China would benefit from better
military ties -- both to build understanding and to avoid the risk of mishaps.
Pentagon officials say two Chinese fighters last month conducted an "unsafe"
intercept of a US spy plane in international air space over the South China Sea.
Admiral Harry Harris, the commander of the US Pacific Command, said in Singapore
that such incidents were rare, and noted that US and Chinese naval vessels
generally have "positive interactions."Carter's attendance at the summit is part
of a broader US diplomatic push, known as the "rebalance", to boost alliances in
the Asia-Pacific region. In a report last month, the Pentagon said China put its
land reclamation efforts on hold in the Spratly Islands chain at the end of
2015. Instead, it focused on adding military infrastructure to its reclaimed
features.Another regional security concern at the Singapore forum is North
Korea's nuclear program and its so-far unsuccessful missile tests. Seoul and
Washington want to deploy the United States' sophisticated Terminal High
Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD), that would protect against North Korean
missiles, though Beijing worries about the system being deployed on its
doorstep. "It's not about China," Carter said. "It's about the North Korean
missile threat, which is a clear threat to South Korea, to our forces there and
to our allies in Japan."
US Now Hitting Islamic State Targets
from Mediterranean Sea
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/The U.S. Navy's top admiral says the
aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman has begun launching airstrikes against the
Islamic State group from the Mediterranean Sea. That opens a new direction of
attack against the militants in Iraq and Syria. Adm. John Richardson said in an
Associated Press interview Saturday that this unusual arrangement is a
demonstration of the flexibility of naval power. The Navy for years positioned
its carriers in the Persian Gulf to conduct airstrikes against targets in the
Middle East. The Truman had been in the Gulf but in recent days moved into the
eastern Mediterranean and resumed air operations. The Truman eventually will
return to its home port at Norfolk, Virginia, and be replaced in the Gulf by the
aircraft carrier USS Dwight D.
U.N. Seeks Assurances from Libya
over Arms Purchases
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/The UN Security Council is seeking
assurances from Libya's unity government that new weapons will not fall into the
wrong hands before it can authorize the purchases, diplomats said Friday.
Britain, Egypt, Italy, the United States and Russia were among 25 countries that
agreed at a meeting last month to help the government of Prime Minister Fayez
al-Sarraj arm itself to confront the Islamic State group. The countries agreed
to support a request to a UN sanctions committee for an exemption to the arms
embargo on Libya to allow Sarraj's government to make the purchases.
The UN-backed government however has yet to present its request to the
committee, a senior Security Council diplomat said. "The Libyan Government of
National Accord will need to provide reassurance when making requests to the UN
sanctions committee that there is no risk of arms exports being diverted to
terrorist groups," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to
the sensitive nature of the issue. "It will take time for the GNA to put in
place the necessary measures, such as secure storage facilities. The request may
therefore still take some time to issue."Another diplomat cited concerns about
the command structure of the various militias now supporting the Sarraj
government and said there was a need to clarify who will be receiving the
weapons. The Tripoli-based unity government, formed under a December
power-sharing deal agreed to by some lawmakers from both sides, has announced
the formation of a new military command to take charge of the battle against IS.
Libya was left with two rival administrations after a militia alliance took over
Tripoli in mid-2014, setting up its own authority and forcing the elected
parliament to flee to Tobruk in the country's far east. A UN arms embargo
imposed in 2011 during the uprising against Moamer Kadhafi remains in force.
Bahrain Jailbreak Sparks Manhunt
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /June 04/16/Bahraini security forces launched a
manhunt on Saturday after a reported 20 prisoners broke out of a jail on the
island of Muharraq, site of the Gulf state's main airport. There was no
immediate word on whether the prisoners were common criminals or political
activists jailed in a sweeping five-year-old crackdown on dissent among the
kingdom's Shiite majority. The interior ministry said police had recaptured some
of the fugitives but gave no details on how many remained at large. It said the
breakout happened at the Al-Hadd detention centre near the Muharraq dry dock on
Saturday evening. Bahrain's Akhbar Al-Khaleej newspaper said around 20 prisoners
had escaped. "They managed to seize a bus and get away after assaulting warders
and police and wounding several of them," the paper said. Police set up
roadblocks on the causeways linking Muharraq to Bahrain's main island, where the
capital Manama is located, the paper added. The tiny but strategic Gulf state
has been shaken by unrest since its Sunni minority rulers crushed a month-long,
Shiite-led uprising demanding reforms in 2011. Despite the crackdown, protesters
still frequently clash with police in Shiite villages outside the capital
Manama. The kingdom, which is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway, lies
across the Gulf from Shiite Iran and is home to the US Fifth Fleet.
Iran: Seventh anniversary of the
martyrdom of Kianoush Asa
Saturday, 04 June 2016/NCRI - Students at the Iran University of Science and
Technology in Tehran this week held a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of
the martyrdom of Kianoush Asa, a student who was killed by the mullahs’ regime
in the course of the 2009 uprising.
According to reports from Iran, on the seventh anniversary of the martyrdom of
Kianoush Asa, a graduate at the University of Science and Technology, his family
and the students of this university on May 30 gathered in Asa Park, which is
named in memory of Kianoush, and revived his memory by lighting candles and
distributing flowers and brochures. They reiterated that they would continue his
path. Born in March 20, 1985, Kianoush Asa was shot and wounded after the
regime’s paramilitary Basij forces opened fire on people during the uprising and
demonstration in Azadi Square in Tehran on June 15, 2009. He was transferred to
a hospital in Tehran but criminal agents of the mullahs’ regime kidnapped him
and several others who were wounded in the uprising and transferred them to an
unknown location. On June 24, 2009, the authorities informed Kianoush’s family
that their son had died. Following the regime’s sham election in 2009, Iranian
people staged a nationwide uprising against the mullahs' regime, lasting more
than eight months, during which several people including youths like Kianoush
Asa and Neda Agha Soltan were killed either on the streets or in prison.
Thousands of others were arrested. Some protesters including Amir Javadi Far and
Mohammad Kamrani were killed under torture by the regime’s henchmen in the
prisons and some others including Mohammad Ali Haj Aghaii and Jafar Kazemi, both
activists of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK), were
executed by the mullahs’ regime.
Two arrested for publishing
caricatures of Iranian regime officials
Saturday, 04 June 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s Cyber Police (FATA) in Fars
province, southern Iran, have arrested two young Iranians for publishing
cartoons of the regime officials, state media reported. The state-run Jam News
website on June 1 reported that the repressive Cyber Police in the city of Fasa
in recent days arrested two people, aged 30 and 31, for publishing cartoons of
the regime officials in the cyberspace. This site quoted Ali Sheybanian, Fasa’s
police chief, as saying, “These two individuals intended to disturb public
opinion and sow discord among the population by publishing caricatures of the
authorities and offensive texts in cyberspace.”Last week a police commander of
the regime in Isfahan, central Iran, announced that the Cyber Police (FATA) had
arrested a 15-year-old boy who had aimed to launch a channel in virtual social
networks. Jahangir Karimi announced: "After the final investigation, the
15-year-old teenager from Isfahan was identified quickly and summoned to the
police."Karimi’s remarks were reported on May 26 by the website of the official
state broadcaster IRIB. The Iranian regime’s Cyber Police (FATA) are responsible
for monitoring cyber activities. Their most notorious case was that of blogger
Sattar Beheshti who was killed under torture while in the regime's custody in
November 2012. Last month, the regime’s repressive Cyber Police announced that
they had arrested two young webloggers in Rasht and Roudbar, northern Iran,
charging them with “computer crimes.”The head of the FATA police in Gilan
Province, Colonel Iraj Mohammadkhani, announced the arrests on May 3, adding
that "[illegal] production, distribution and access to any data, software or any
type of electronic devices are regarded as computer crimes and anyone committing
such acts will be sentenced from 91 days to one year of imprisonment, or will
have to pay a fine of five million to 20 million Rials (U.S. $166 to $662), or
both."As recently as March 2016, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Iran is
still one of the world’s five biggest prisons for media personnel and is ranked
173rd out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom
index. Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of
Resistance of Iran (NCRI) last month said: "Freedom of the press and freedom of
expression are non-existent in Iran under the mullahs' regime. Not only does the
regime severely clamp down on journalists for reporting on subjects considered
sensitive by the mullahs, it even goes so far as arresting and torturing to
death dissident bloggers such as Sattar Beheshti.”“The regime's draconian
measures against news organizations have become more aggressive since Hassan
Rouhani took office as President in 2013. Several international human rights
organizations have attested to this reality," Mr. Gobadi added. Iran's
fundamentalist regime this week announced that it had set a one-year deadline
for international social media, in particular Telegram, to hand over data on
their Iranian users. The official state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday that
the decision was taken on Saturday, May 28, at a session of the Supreme Council
of Cyberspace, a committee on the use of cyberspace headed by the mullahs'
President Hassan Rouhani that serves as the regime's IT regulator.
Another 70 people arrested in Iran
for attending mixed-gender party in restaurant
Saturday, 04 June 2016/National Council of Resistance of Iran
NCRI - The mullahs' regime on Thursday arrested more than 70 young men and women
for taking part in a mixed-gender party at a restaurant in Tehran, the Iranian
regime's state media reported on Friday. The youths were arrested by the
regime's police during a raid on a restaurant in the Iranian capital’s northern
Farahzad district, the state-run ILNA news agency reported. Earlier this week,
the Iranian regime's suppressive state security forces (police) in Bandar Abbas,
southern Iran, raided a mixed-gender party, arresting 62 people and transferring
them to prison, according to state media. The state-run Shahrvand daily wrote on
June 2 that 23 men and 39 women, who were caught dancing and partying, were
arrested in the raid which was carried out on Sunday, May 29. Similar raids have
been carried out in Iran in recent days.More than two dozen young Iranian men
and women were arrested last weekend by the mullahs' regime for participating in
a mixed-gender party in Mashhad, north-east Iran. The 29 youngsters were rounded
up by the regime's police at a party on the evening of May 28 at a villa near
the Danesh Junction in Mashhad. The state-run Rokna news agency reported that
altogether 15 young men and 14 young women were arrested at the party and were
taken to the regime's court in District 6 of Mashhad on Sunday to face
prosecution. Some 35 young men and women were flogged last week for taking part
in a mixed-gender party after their graduation ceremony near Qazvin, some 140
kilometers northwest of the Iranian capital Tehran, the regime's Prosecutor in
the city said on May 26.Ismaeil Sadeqi Niaraki, a notorious mullah, said a
special court session was held after all the young men and women at the party
were rounded up, the Mizan news agency, affiliated to the fundamentalist
regime's judiciary, reported on May 26. "After we received information that a
large number of men and women were mingling in a villa in the suburbs of Qazvin
... all the participants at the party were arrested," he said. Niaraki added
that the following morning every one of those detained received 99 lashes as
punishment by the so-called 'Morality Police.'According to Niaraki, given the
social significance of mixed-gender partying, "this once again required a firm
response by the judiciary in quickly reviewing and implementing the law."
"Thanks God that the police questioning, investigation, court hearing, verdict
and implementation of the punishment all took place in less than 24 hours,"
Niaraki added. The regime’s prosecutor claimed that the judiciary would not
tolerate the actions of “law-breakers who use excuses such as freedom and having
fun in birthday parties and graduation ceremonies.”He warned the youths that
they should be careful about their conduct “since being arrested in mixed-gender
parties and receiving sentences is a crime and would create problems for their
future education and employment.”Last month, the Iranian regime’s paramilitary
Basij in north-eastern Iran broke up two mixed-gender parties within 72 hours,
detaining 70 people. The head of the fundamentalist Basij in Nishapur precinct,
Ali-Akbar Hosseini, announced that his forces were alerted to a so-called
“obscene party” in the city. During the raid, 14 boys and 14 girls were arrested
and transferred to a local police station. A second party was raided on May 20,
leading to the arrest of over 40 participants, Hosseini told the state-run Fars
news agency on May 21.
German genocide resolution ‘has no
value’: Erdogan
By AFP Istanbul Saturday, 4 June 2016/The German parliament resolution
recognizing as genocide the massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire has
“no value” and won’t change Turkey’s position on the matter, President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday. Erdogan said he wondered how German officials
could look Turkey’s leaders in the face after Thursday’s vote in the Bundestag,
which prompted Ankara to withdraw its ambassador and warn of further
consequences. But he said it was “too early” to talk of economic measures
against Germany. And he said the dispute with Berlin should not be a factor in
Turkey’s wider relationship with the European Union, acknowledging it would also
do Turkey no good “to act with hate”. “The decision taken by the German
parliament has no value whatsoever,” Erdogan said in comments to Turkish
newspapers including the Hurriyet daily while on a trip to Africa. “Our position
on 1915 is well known... and this kind of decision is not going to change what
we think about our history. But they also overlook the fact they face the risk
of losing a friend like Turkey.” Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people
were killed in a genocidal campaign by Ottoman forces to wipe them from
Anatolia, but Turkey has long refused to recognize the killings as genocide.He
expressed disappointment over conduct of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who stayed
away from the debate, saying he wished she had taken part “and cast her
vote”.“Now I wonder how, after such a decision, German officials will at look me
personally and our Prime Minister (Binali Yildirim) in the face,” Erdogan said.
Pope approves measures to oust bishops who botch abuse cases
The Associated Press, Vatican City Saturday, 4 June 2016/Pope Francis on
Saturday scrapped his proposed tribunal to prosecute bishops who failed to
protect their flocks from pedophile priests and instead established new legal
procedures to remove them if the Vatican finds they were negligent. With the new
law, Francis sought to answer long-running demands by survivors of abuse and
their advocates to hold bishops accountable when they botched handling abuse
cases. Victims have long accused bishops of covering up for abuse, moving
rapists from parish to parish rather than reporting them to police. In the law,
Francis acknowledged that the church’s canonical code already allowed for a
bishop to be removed for “grave reasons.” But he said he wanted to precisely
state that negligence, especially negligence in handling abuse cases, counts as
one of those reasons that can cost a bishop his job. Bishops “must undertake a
particular diligence in protecting those who are the weakest among their flock,”
Francis wrote in the law, called a motu proprio. The statute effectively does
away with a proposal approved by Francis last year to establish an
accountability tribunal inside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to
hear negligence cases. Francis’ sex abuse advisory board had recommended that
the Congregation prosecute negligent bishops because it is already responsible
for overseeing actual sex abuse cases against clergy. But that proposal posed a
host of legal and bureaucratic issues that put into question the existing
command and control structure of the Catholic Church hierarchy. In the end,
Francis decided to streamline the procedure and task the four Vatican offices
that are already in charge of handling bishop issues to investigate and punish
negligence cases. As a result, the new procedures don’t amount to any revolution
in bishop accountability since those four offices already had the authority and
duty to sanction bishops for wrongdoing. The law, though, specifically states
that negligence in handling abuse cases is cause for dismissal. Victims groups
expressed doubt that the new procedures would result in any wave of firing
bishops. The main U.S. victims’ group, SNAP, said it was “extraordinarily
skeptical” about the new procedures since popes have always had the power to
oust complicit bishops but haven’t wielded it. “A ‘process’ is helpful only if
it’s used often enough to deter wrongdoing. We doubt this one will be,” SNAP’s
David Clohessy said. In the law, Francis said a bishop can be removed if his
actions or omissions cause “grave harm,” either physical, moral, spiritual or
financial, to individuals or communities. The bishop himself doesn’t need to be
morally guilty: It’s enough if he is purely lacking in the diligence required of
his office. When the cases concern abuse, it’s enough that the negligence is
“serious,” the law says. The procedures call for the Vatican to start an
investigation when “serious evidence” is provided that a bishop was negligent.
The bishop will be informed and allowed to defend himself. At the end of the
investigation, the Vatican can prepare a decree removing the bishop or ask him
to resign within 15 days. If he doesn’t, the Vatican can go ahead with issuing a
resignation decree. Any decision to remove the bishop must first be approved by
the pope, who will be assisted by a group of legal advisers, the law says.The
four offices that are now tasked with handling negligence investigations are the
congregations that oversee diocesan bishops, bishops in mission territories,
bishops who belong to Eastern rite churches and bishops who are members of
religious orders. Even before the new procedures were announced, two U.S.
bishops who bungled abuse cases resigned on their own: Bishop Robert Finn in
Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, and Archbishop John Nienstedt in St. Paul and
Minneapolis. They were presumably pressured by the Vatican to step down after
civil authorities got involved. Canon lawyers, though, have said such
arm-twisting resignations do little to “repair scandal and restore justice,”
which the Church’s penal law system is supposed to accomplish.
Boko Haram attack in southeastern
Niger kills 32 soldiers
Reuters, Niamey Saturday, 4 June 2016/Thirty soldiers from Niger and two from
Nigeria were killed in a Boko Haram attack by “hundreds of assailants” on Friday
on the southeastern town of Bosso close to the border with Nigeria, the Niger
defence ministry said on Saturday. “The counter-offensive conducted early this
morning helped to retake control of all the positions in the city of Bosso. The
situation is under control”, the ministry added. “A sweep is ongoing in the area
with the mobilisation of all land and air means”. Seven others from Niger and
eight from Nigeria were injured in the attack, according to the ministry, which
reported “several deaths” among the assailants. Bosso is part of the Diffa
region, which is home to many refugees and internally displaced people who have
sought to avoid Boko Haram violence elsewhere. The region has been targeted
numerous times in attacks blamed on the militants. Six people were killed last
month in the village of Yebi, 4 km (2.5 miles) from Bosso, in an attack thought
to have been carried out by Boko Haram. The group, headquartered across the
border in northeastern Nigeria, wants to create an emirate and impose a strict
interpretation of Islamic law.
Greatest of all time’ Muhammad Ali
dies aged 74
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Saturday, 4 June 2016/World renowned
heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali has passed away on Friday at the age of
74, leaving behind a legacy filled with trophies, knock-outs and controversial
stands, making him out of the most well-known athletes of the 20th century. Ali,
who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome, was rushed to the hospital after a
respiratory ailment earlier this week. A family spokesman confirmed his death at
a Phoenix-area hospital. “After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease,
Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74,” spokesman Bob Gunnell said. His
Parkinson’s, thought to be linked to the thousands of punches he took during a
career studded by bruising battles inside the ropes, had limited his public
speaking. Many athletes, celebrities and fans rushed to social media to praise
the record-breaking boxer, and share their condolences. “My heart is deeply
saddened yet both appreciative and relieved that the greatest is now resting in
the greatest place,” boxer Roy Jones Jr. said on Twitter. Longtime boxing
promoter Bob Arum said, “Muhammad Ali transformed this country and impacted the
world with his spirit…his legacy will be part of our history for all time.”“He
is, without a question in my mind, the most transformative person of our time,”
Arum said. Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr in Louisville, Kentucky, in
1942, and then changed his name after he converted to Islam. The self-proclaimed
“greatest” hit his peak during the 1960s, using his quick feet and jabs to win
56 out of 61 boxing matches. The famous Ali quote “float like a butterfly, sting
like a bee” has long been used in pop culture around the world, in reference to
the boxer.Ali has nine children with his wife, Lonnie Williams, whom he had
known since he was a child in Louisville.
(With Reuters and AFP)
Canada/Statement by ministers Dion
and Bibeau on President Obama’s Leaders’ Summit on Refugees
June 4, 2016 - Ottawa,
Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie,
today issued the following statement regarding Canada’s co-hosting of U.S.
President Barack Obama’s Leaders’ Summit on Refugees on September 20, 2016:
“We are pleased to announce that Canada will co-host this summit with the United
States, along with Ethiopia, Germany, Jordan, Mexico, Sweden and UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
“Canada is deeply concerned by the global refugee crisis, and we are committed
to promoting shared responsibility and to encouraging greater international
solidarity in the face of this crisis. This summit is an opportunity for Canada
to continue to lead by example. We will make concrete commitments to strengthen
the protection and assistance given to refugees, and we will emphasize our
shared humanity in order to shift the global narrative on displaced peoples.
“We are fully prepared to work with the UN Secretary-General and the governments
of the United States and other co-hosting countries to advance these goals.”
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 04-05/16
Could the defeat of
ISIS turn to Pyrrhic victory?
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/Jube 04/16
The recent military setbacks suffered by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and the
beginning of attacks by local forces to retake Fallujah, Iraq and Manbij City,
Syria, backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, coupled with the steep decline
in the number of foreign fighters flowing to Join ISIS, portends the eventual
defeat of the Caliphate as a significant military threat maybe as early as 2017.
But given the trajectory of the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts in recent years, the
corrosive role of most outside powers, and the frightening human toll of
identity politics, the defeat of the monstrous Caliphate could turn to a
resounding pyrrhic victory.
Since the Second World War, the United States has had a poor record in
translating its military victories into political successes. It is very likely
that the two longest wars in American history will end with political forces
that are either hostile or unfriendly to the United States controlling both
Afghanistan and Iraq. The real challenge for the U.S. in Afghanistan, Iraq and
in Syria was never military in nature, but rather political. After the eventual
military defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria the perennial question of “what’s next
politically?” will be asked just as it was asked after the liberation of
Afghanistan from Soviet occupation in 1989, the defeat of Iraqi forces in Kuwait
in 1991, and after the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq in 2011.
The victory of identity politics
Ironically, the defeat of ISIS, a positive development in and of itself, in the
absence of acceptable political scaffoldings to begin healing these societies,
could presage the victory of foreign powers like Iran and Russia, a genocidal
regime in Damascus and a sectarian corrupt regime in Baghdad both of which are
beholding to Tehran. More importantly in the long run, the defeat of ISIS if it
is not accompanied or followed by the eventual demise of the Assad regime in the
context of an overall political resolution that guarantees the civil and
political rights of all Syrian communities, and in checking Iran’s destructive
influence in Iraq, will result in the overwhelming victory of “identity
politics”.
The fights for Fallujah and Manbij City are raising serious fears not only of
massive civilian casualties, but of deepening sectarian and ethnic cleavages
leading to more death by identity and the creation of more refugees. The United
States is currently providing air power to support the Iraqi government forces
attacking ISIS forces in Fallujah, but these conventional forces are augmented
by Shiite militias backed and trained by Iran and led by Iraqis who are very
loyal to Iran. These largely Shiite militias make up the so-called Popular
Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Sha’bi),were created in response to ISIS’
occupation of Mosul in June 2014. These militias engaged in widespread abuse in
Sunni cities liberated from ISIS in recent months. The fights for Fallujah and
Manbij City are raising serious fears not only of massive civilian casualties,
but of deepening sectarian and ethnic cleavages leading to more death by
identity and the creation of more refugees . Following the eviction of ISIS from
Tikrit last year Human Rights Watch documented the “Ruinous Aftermath” in the
city thus: “in the aftermath of the fighting, militia forces looted, torched,
and blew up hundreds of civilian houses and buildings in Tikrit and the
neighboring towns..” While it is true that the U.S. in the past criticized the
sectarian practices of these militias and asked the Iraqi government not to
allow them to participate in liberating Sunni cities from ISIS, a request that
was ignored by Baghdad, there are ample signs now that Washington has lessened
its opposition to some of these militias. In fact last spring US Consul General
Steve Walker expressed sympathy with some of the wounded members of the Popular
Mobilization Forces during a visit to a hospital in Basra.
Deepening sectarian and ethnic divides
Just as the city of Ramadi was essentially destroyed in order to be “saved” from
ISIS, a similar fate could befall Fallujah. There are credible concerns that the
decision to attack Fallujah which came after a short notice to the U.S. is in
part a political maneuver by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to deflect attention
from his domestic travails following a series of deadly bombings in Baghdad, and
growing social unrest against corruption and calls for reforms that almost
paralyzed his government. Iran, the hidden hand behind major Iraqi decisions,
was on display recently when the ubiquitous Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds
Force commander General Qassem Suleimani showed up in photos taken at an
operations room outside Fallujah, discussing maps of military operations with
senior militia commanders. The absence of a unified countervailing moderate Arab
Sunni force to ISIS in Iraq and Syria will guarantee that the defeat of ISIS,
will likely lead to the birth of a new form of Sunni radicalism in years to
come. The fight for Manbij City, which is a prelude for a major attack on ISIS
controlled Raqqa is raising concerns about potential ethnic conflicts between
Kurds and Arabs. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of
armed groups led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), has been with
U.S. logistical support mobilizing thousands of fighters in the countryside
north of Raqqa to isolate the city. American Special Forces in Syria have been
training and advising and possibly fighting along with YPG fighters. In fact
U.S. military personnel have been “embedded” with YPG fighters, as seen in
recent photos showing U.S. soldiers wearing emblems of the YPG on their
shoulders.
But while the Kurds of Syria have legitimate political and cultural grievances
and demands that should be fairly addressed in a post-Assad Syria, nonetheless
the YPG which represent the most powerful Syrian Kurdish group has been accused
by human rights organizations of engaging in ethnic cleansings and forcing Arabs
and Turkmens from their areas and demolishing their homes in areas under YPG
control. It is ironic that the YPG, which came into existence with the help of
the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of Turkey a group designated by the U.S. as a
terrorist group, is also receiving help from the Russians in Syria. If the YPG
leads the fight to retake Raqqa and its environ, a region inhabited by mostly
Syrian Arabs, the outcome will likely result in new tensions and possibly
violence between Arabs and Kurds.
The disintegration of states
In recent years we have witnessed the destructive triumph of identity politics
during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and the Sudan or between the Hutu and the
Tutsi. Since the beginning of the Arab uprisings five years ago, we have
witnessed the collapse of the state system in a number of Arab countries. Many a
historian and analyst have had their chance in recent weeks to ponder the legacy
or legacies of the Sykes-Picot agreement and the other treaties and arrangements
that led to the birth of the modern State system in the Middle East after the
First World War. One clear conclusion is that many of those societies failed to
develop modern state institutions, good and efficient governance based on fair
representations of the components of those societies, a failure that led to the
calamitous present in Syria, and Iraq ( the same can be said about Yemen and
Libya)..When the uprisings failed to create alternative political structures,
the brittle regimes in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen collapsed into chaos or
civil wars. (a similar situation occurred in Iraq, with the failure of the
invading power to create a functioning and fair governance). With the fears and
uncertainties spawned by the collapse of order, particularly in heterogeneous
societies, people fell back on their bedrock certainties and identities. When
people are threatened as members of a community (a religious sect or an ethnic
group) they tend to develop a strong sense of solidarity with other members of
the group as a form of self-defense. The identity of the group is almost always
exaggerated, and the threat is invariably described as existential. That is one
reason why civil wars are the most passionate of wars. It is so because the
combatants know each other, and because they have irreconcilable views and
visions about their way of life, their future and their very own identity.
Extreme identity politics reduce us to mere members of a large tribe.
The region is going through a historic convulsion that will last for years,
maybe decades. But the raging sectarian wars and mounting ethnic tensions are
recent and the product of power struggles, political decisions and events and
not the result of “ancient hatreds”. The Sunni-Shiite wars are unprecedented
because they are the product of the last few decades. The 1979 revolution in
Iran was a milestone in modern Shi’a assertiveness. Sunni political Islam after
suffering crushing blows by the Arab Nationalists in the 1950’s and 60’s began
to reassert itself after the Arab defeat in the war with Israel in 1967 by
claiming that the return to true Islam is the solution. The disastrous Iraqi
decision to invade Iran was a huge blow to Sunni-Shiite coexistence, and it
revived Arab-Persian enmity. In Syria, the ascendency of the Alawite minority
(an offshoot of Shi’ism) to power and their control of the army and the security
agencies deepened the rift with the Sunni majority. This situation led to a low
intensity civil war beginning in 1978 and culminating in the massacre of Sunni
rebels in the city of Hama in 1982. Finally the American invasion of Iraq, which
empowered the Shiites who have been marginalized in the modern state of Iraq and
oppressed as a community by the regime of Saddam Hussein, led to the most
sectarian bloodletting between the two sects in modern times. The U.S. cannot
mediate the Sunni-Shiite divide, but at least it should not pursue policies in
Syria and Iraq that will make it irretrievably worse.
In the last fifty years, many groups in the region engaged in crass expressions
of identity politics, and outright discourse of exclusion; this is true of Arabs
and Jews, Arabs and Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites and Christians and Muslims.
Identity politics and practices have become the norms, even in cities like
Alexandria, Beirut, Damascus and Baghdad that were once cosmopolitan. Dissent
against the prevailing orthodoxy of the tribe became prohibitive, particularly
under autocratic regime, where the state is unable or unwilling in most cases to
help those who dare to challenge the discourse of identity politics. There are
few dissenting Shiite and Sunni voices in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and other
states were these two sects live, who would oppose publicly the course of the
tribe.
Ironically, the digital age which allows the peoples of the region, particularly
the youth tremendous opportunities to look beyond the confines of the tribe, to
be informed instantly of events and trends, to be exposed to practical and
theoretical knowledge, is in fact contributing to the atomization of the region
and deepening the attachment to identity politics. Death by identity need not be
the future of the region, but until the various tribes are exhausted, and until
new uprisings emerge against the sins of both the in-group and the out-group,
the scourge of extreme identity politics will continue to devour the region.
After imposing his will on
Syria, Putin is moving onto Libya
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Al Arabiya/Jube 04/16
After imposing Moscow’s will on the situation in Syria, Putin is moving on to
Libya. And this new proxy conflict he is waging with the West has many of the
same hallmarks of the last one: the West backs a pitiful attempt at a
‘democratic’ government with unfortunate Islamist leanings, Putin backs an
authoritarian, militaristic autocrat, and ISIS sits squarely in the middle, a
target of everyone’s rhetoric but too rarely of their weapons. And once again,
the West is being outmaneuvered. The Western-backed government of National
Accord ruling from Tripoli is anything but democratic, and is barely held
together with the ‘protection’ of Islamist ‘Libya Dawn’, a coalition which
includes former Al-Qaeda jihadists, amongst other interesting characters. And
the ‘protection’ also comes at the cost of Dawn steadily usurping the
institutions of this government recognized by the West and the UN. A very thin
veil of civility is masking a very chaotic and merciless struggle for power
between groups that have very little in common and very little shared notion of
what Libya should look like in the future. Meanwhile, in the eastern city of
Tobruk, the elected parliament of Libya, the House of Representatives,
increasingly alienated from the government by the intrusion of Dawn into the
political process in Tripoli, is being attracted into the sphere of influence of
the rebel General Haftar who controls the East of the country, most of the oil
fields, and who is backed by Russia. If this ploy works, Putin is establishing a
template for how to take Middle Eastern countries into his sphere of influence.
Now the Russians have just reportedly helped the East to print 4bn dinars,
backed by that oil, and to consolidate a rival central bank to the one in
Tripoli. In effect, Putin is helping Haftar build parallel state institutions to
those in the West of the country. And, with their superior wealth and military
power, the East can expect that in the medium-to-long term they will steadily
usurp the legitimate institutions of the state, and eventually take over the
whole of Libya. And just like in Syria, there is no need for a public
confrontation between the Western-backed government in Tripoli and the
Russian-backed East. Both can pretend to arm their clients and even send troops
on the ground under the pretext of fighting ISIS, who are holed up in Sirte,
right in-between the two main factions.
Sphere of influence politics
What Putin is doing is good, old sphere of influence politics, just like in the
Cold War. But the West is failing to respond in kind. They either refuse to
acknowledge this reality, or are impotent to do anything about Putin’s grab for
the Middle East. The Obama administration, now in “legacy mode”, will not allow
itself to be dragged into open involvement into Libya, while the Europeans who
contributed most to the toppling of Qaddafi in 2011, Britain and France, are
caught up in other serious business at home – the UK with its referendum on
exiting the European Union, and France with some of the most serious industrial
disputes in years. The most worrying aspect of this for us should be the fact
that, if this ploy works, Putin is establishing a template for how to take
Middle Eastern countries into his sphere of influence that could extend to our
traditional allies in the region. The militaristic, autocratic, and often
secular dictators which we have traditionally backed, have now seen, in the wake
of the Arab Spring, just how squeamish and unreliable the West can be about
their administrations. Public opinion and Western leaders have repeatedly backed
the democratic uprisings, Islamist warts and all. But Putin and the Russians
have shown no such squeamishness. They have stood by their ally Assad in Syria,
and now are backing a similar kind of administration in Libya. President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt must be watching closely.
Will the Syrian regime ever
ease the suffering of its people?
Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/Jube 04/16
The United Nations has reportedly confirmed it is highly unlikely to support or
facilitate air drops of humanitarian aid to areas besieged by Bashar al-Assad’s
criminal regime without the regime’s approval. In what marks the latest utter
failure of Syrian civilians, the UN is capitulating to Assad’s continued
practice of denying humanitarian aid in areas opposed to him. Using starvation
as a weapon and humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip in negotiations has been a
key part of Assad’s strategy for years. Assessing now that there is any
likelihood he will give the UN or any other actor approval for airdrops of aid
is ludicrous; moreover, allowing the Syrian regime to dictate how, when and
where humanitarian aid can be distributed is a betrayal of Syrian civilians and
reinforces the notion that humanitarian law is merely a suggestion. Begging the
murderous regime to allow the international community to help alleviate
suffering in Syria marks a new and despicable low in this bloody conflict;
involved parties must plan to act unilaterally to ensure aid is delivered to
every area that is in dire need. No reasonable party can justify looking to a
regime guilty of exterminating its own people for support of humanitarian
missions.
No reasonable party can justify looking to a regime guilty of exterminating its
own people for support of humanitarian missions. According to the Guardian, the
International Syria Support Group (ISSG) reportedly agreed in April that the UN
World Food Program would conduct airdrops of humanitarian aid beginning on June
1 if the Syrian government continued to block the transfer of aid via land. The
deadline has come and gone and, predictably, the regime has continued to block
aid deliveries on the ground, prompting British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond
to issue a statement indicating that the regime “has cynically allowed limited
amounts of aid… but it has failed to deliver the widespread humanitarian access
called for by the international community.”
Military response
Despite the meeting in April and the progress that was ostensibly made, the AP
reported the UN is now reneging on its air drop plans; it is a staggering new
development in the conflict. After years of the regime blocking access to aid
workers on the ground, there is every reason to assess Assad will act to block
the same in the air. That said, aid deliveries without the regime’s approval are
unlikely to be met with a military response; Assad and Russia are not likely to
seek an escalation with the West over humanitarian aid deliveries. Notably, even
if the regime begins to allow a trickle of aid into besieged areas, awarding
itself a small PR victory, it will eventually block such humanitarian
operations. The latest UN reports estimate that almost half a million people
remain in besieged areas, the vast majority of who – approximately 452,700 - are
trapped by the Syrian regime. The UN and international community cannot sit by
as spectators while aid is successfully dropped to areas under siege by the
opposition or the barbaric ISIS but not the regime. The UN cannot only aid the
civilians that the Syrian regime chooses. From the most embryonic stages of the
conflict to the birth of the worst refugee crisis since World War II, the world
has repeatedly failed to protect Syrians. Air drops of humanitarian aid must be
planned and executed without delay and without chasing approval from the Assad
regime.
Will the Syrian regime ever ease the suffering of its people?
Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/June 04/16
The United Nations has reportedly confirmed it is highly unlikely to support or
facilitate air drops of humanitarian aid to areas besieged by Bashar al-Assad’s
criminal regime without the regime’s approval. In what marks the latest utter
failure of Syrian civilians, the UN is capitulating to Assad’s continued
practice of denying humanitarian aid in areas opposed to him. Using starvation
as a weapon and humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip in negotiations has been a
key part of Assad’s strategy for years. Assessing now that there is any
likelihood he will give the UN or any other actor approval for airdrops of aid
is ludicrous; moreover, allowing the Syrian regime to dictate how, when and
where humanitarian aid can be distributed is a betrayal of Syrian civilians and
reinforces the notion that humanitarian law is merely a suggestion. Begging the
murderous regime to allow the international community to help alleviate
suffering in Syria marks a new and despicable low in this bloody conflict;
involved parties must plan to act unilaterally to ensure aid is delivered to
every area that is in dire need. No reasonable party can justify looking to a
regime guilty of exterminating its own people for support of humanitarian
missions. No reasonable party can justify looking to a regime guilty of
exterminating its own people for support of humanitarian missions. According to
the Guardian, the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) reportedly agreed in
April that the UN World Food Program would conduct airdrops of humanitarian aid
beginning on June 1 if the Syrian government continued to block the transfer of
aid via land. The deadline has come and gone and, predictably, the regime has
continued to block aid deliveries on the ground, prompting British Foreign
Secretary Philip Hammond to issue a statement indicating that the regime “has
cynically allowed limited amounts of aid… but it has failed to deliver the
widespread humanitarian access called for by the international community.”
Military response
Despite the meeting in April and the progress that was ostensibly made, the AP
reported the UN is now reneging on its air drop plans; it is a staggering new
development in the conflict. After years of the regime blocking access to aid
workers on the ground, there is every reason to assess Assad will act to block
the same in the air. That said, aid deliveries without the regime’s approval are
unlikely to be met with a military response; Assad and Russia are not likely to
seek an escalation with the West over humanitarian aid deliveries. Notably, even
if the regime begins to allow a trickle of aid into besieged areas, awarding
itself a small PR victory, it will eventually block such humanitarian
operations. The latest UN reports estimate that almost half a million people
remain in besieged areas, the vast majority of who – approximately 452,700 - are
trapped by the Syrian regime. The UN and international community cannot sit by
as spectators while aid is successfully dropped to areas under siege by the
opposition or the barbaric ISIS but not the regime. The UN cannot only aid the
civilians that the Syrian regime chooses. From the most embryonic stages of the
conflict to the birth of the worst refugee crisis since World War II, the world
has repeatedly failed to protect Syrians. Air drops of humanitarian aid must be
planned and executed without delay and without chasing approval from the Assad
regime.
Saudi calls on Israel to accept 2002
Arab peace initiative
Elior Levy, Itamar Eichner, Reuters/Ynetnews/Published: 06.04.16/
Netanyahu said earlier this week Israel was willing to consider initiative that
would lead to normalization of ties between Jerusalem and Arab states if changes
are made to it, as it calls for Israeli withdrawal from territories, including
the Golan Heights.The international conference held in Paris on Friday seeking
to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has concluded with a call from
Saudi Arabia to adopt the 2002 Arab peace initiative, which would lead to
normalization of ties between Israel and Arab states. "The Arab initiative from
2002 is the best proposal for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict," said Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, which is
considered one of the more pragmatic Arab nations. The Arab peace initiative,
also known as the "Saudi initiative," called on Israel in 2002 to withdraw from
the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It also
called for an independent Palestinian state to be established with East
Jerusalem as its capital and for a "just solution for the refugee issue." In
return, all Arab states will normalize their relations with Israel and declare
the end of their conflict with it.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Arab initiative
was an option Israel was willing to consider, but only if changes are made to
it. "We're willing to negotiate with Arab states on the updating of the
initiative so it reflects the dramatic changes that happened in our region since
2002, while still maintaining the agreed goal of two states for two peoples,"
Netanyahu said. Al-Jubeir said that changes could be made to the initiative and
called on Israel to declare it accepts the initiative, adding that "I hope
wisdom prevails in Israel.""The Arab peace initiative has all the elements for a
final settlement. It is on the table and a solid basis for resolving this
long-standing dispute. It provides Israel with a lot of incentives and it's
incumbent on the Israelis to accept that," he added.The Paris conference was
attended by diplomats from all over the world, include foreign ministers from
the European Union, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, and representatives from Arab nations.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the objective was to bring the
two sides back to the negotiating table by the end of 2016. "The two-state
solution is in serious danger. We are reaching a point of no return where this
solution will not be possible," Ayrault told reporters following the conference.
Ayrault said the powers wanted work to begin by the end of June on a set of
economic incentives and security guarantees to encourage the two sides to
resurrect peace talks. A final communiqué released after the conference said all
countries present had reaffirmed the need for a negotiated two-state solution
and that direct negotiations between the two sides should be based on existing
UN Security Council resolutions. It warned that the status quo - a lack of
headway toward a Palestinian state - was not sustainable.
The French foreign minister called Abbas on Friday evening to give him an update
on the conference. Ayrault, according to the official Palestinian news agency
Wafa, told Abbas that the French envoy to the peace process will arrive in the
region soon to promote the French initiative. According to the Wafa report,
Abbas told Ayrault that the Palestinian leadership is committed to the two-state
solution and was willing to cooperate with the international community on the
issue. Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki claimed that
"some countries interfered to ensure the Paris conference's final communiqué
will not include clear positions on the peace process, not even a timetable."
He also criticized the fact the final communiqué did not include any mention of
Israeli construction in the settlements, which he said threatened the two-state
solution. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the parties had discussed the
possibility of convening an international conference by the end of this year,
but that direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians would be the only
way to achieve a solution. "What today emphasized is we need to find some
immediate kinds of steps on the ground that will make a difference," Kerry told
reporters. "We need to work with the parties. Everybody agreed today that you
can't impose a solution from outside."The European Union's foreign policy chief,
Federica Mogherini, said it was the duty of international and regional players
to find a breakthrough since the two sides appeared incapable of doing so alone.
"The policy of settlement expansion and demolitions, violence, and incitement
tells us very clearly that the perspective that (the 1993 Oslo Accords) opened
up is seriously at risk of fading away," Mogherini told reporters. She said the
Middle East Quartet of the EU, Russia, United States and United Nations was
finalizing recommendations on what should be done for the two sides to negotiate
in good faith. Israel, which opposed the French initiative from its conception,
called the conference a "missed opportunity," arguing that instead of urging
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to immediately start direct negotiations
with no preconditions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the international
community has "given into Abbas's demands and is enabling him to avoid bilateral
direct negotiations."
"The pages of history will mark this Paris conference as a conference which
enables the Palestinians to toughen their position and push peace further away,"
Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erekat, meanwhile, said that "the Paris Meeting is a very significant step and
its message is clear: If Israel is allowed to continue its colonization and
Apartheid policies in Occupied Palestine, the future will be for more extremism
and bloodshed rather than for coexistence and peace."
"What is required," he went on to say, "is a genuine mechanism to fully end the
Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and to solve all final status issues based
on international law; including a clear and limited timeframe for its
implementation." "We negotiated bilaterally with Israel, the occupying power,
for over two decades, but they continue to violate all the agreements that we
had signed. In fact the number of illegal Israeli settlers in Occupied Palestine
has grown from nearly 200,000 to over 600,000 during the past 20 years of
bilateral talks," Erekat added.
French president Francois Hollande, who opened the conference, said regional
changes should be taken into the account when discussing the conditions for an
Israeli-Palestinian resolution. "The threats and priorities have changed. The
changes make it even more urgent to find a solution to the conflict, and this
regional upheaval creates new obligations for peace. We must prove it to the
international community," he said.
Russian Views on the Middle East: A
Trip Report
James F. Jeffrey and Anna Borshchevskaya/The Washington Institute/June04/16
Two Washington Institute experts share their findings from recent visits to
Russia, where they discussed a wide range of regional issues with current and
former officials, leading analysts, and other citizens. In May, the authors
conducted separate trips to Russia -- Ms. Borshchevskaya on an orientation visit
and Ambassador Jeffrey as part of the Dartmouth-Kettering Track II Exchange
Program. Held in Moscow and Zavidovo, the latest Dartmouth-Kettering dialogue
focused on wide-ranging U.S.-Russian issues such as Ukraine, arms control, and
cooperation in nondiplomatic fields. Russian interlocutors included various
experts on the Middle East and bilateral relations; some were current government
officials (e.g., the deputy foreign minister gave a briefing), while others were
academics, former diplomats, or retired military officials. Below are the
authors' impressions from various contacts. Despite the perceived gridlock and
conflicting worldviews on matters such as the Ukraine conflict, the main
impression from the trip is that Russian officials and experts are generally
optimistic about U.S.-Russian collaboration on Middle East issues. This attitude
has been shaped by the nuclear agreement with Iran and, more recently, the focus
on joint endeavors in Syria.
COMING TOGETHER ON SYRIA?
The optimism about the Syria situation was clearly influenced by the extensive
discussions that Secretary of State John Kerry and Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov have held on the subject. For example, one of the chairs at the Kettering
dialogue, Vitaly Naumkin, was recently selected as an advisor to the UN's Syria
negotiation effort led by Staffan de Mistura.
Other players in the war were spoken of less favorably, however. Turkey and
Saudi Arabia were often dismissed in disparaging terms, giving the explicit
impression that Ankara will still be held accountable in some way for shooting
down a Russian military jet last November (one Russian openly sympathized with
Syria's claim to Turkey's Hatay province, where the aircraft was shot down). For
its part, Riyadh was characterized as being too Islamic, with an oil-fueled
economy that is heading for trouble.Interestingly, official Russian discussion
of Syria as presented in state-controlled media largely ignores the Sunni/Shiite
dimension. According to this warped, simplistic view, the war is between the
legitimate government of Bashar al-Assad and the terrorist opposition.
COUNTERTERRORISM AND STABILIZATION
Most interlocutors indicated that the United States and Russia share two common
goals in the region: combating terrorism and fostering stability. The Russians
are undoubtedly sincere on the former, despite the lackluster results of their
efforts against the Islamic State, which stand in curious contrast to their
devastating success against other forces fighting the Assad regime. Yet
counterterrorism is hardly their top priority, and their definition of
"stability" reveals significant divergence from most U.S. views of the region.
For one thing, Russian participants in the Kettering dialogue argued that
Washington's supposed strategy of pursuing stability through democracy promotion
was counterproductive. American participants made zero effort to advocate this
alleged democracy-centered approach during hours of meetings, and they
repeatedly pointed out that such promotion has not been U.S. policy for years.
Yet these facts did little to dissuade the Russians from their theory. Of more
interest was the general Russian view that the right way to achieve stability is
to promote secularism. Given Bashar al-Assad's record in Syria, they did not
explicitly link him with either concept, but one can infer much from their
repeated advocacy of this theme. They were less shy about branding the Islamic
Republic of Iran as somehow secular at heart, with one participant describing a
touching "secular" scene of a girl on the back of a motorbike embracing her male
driver. They clearly saw President Hassan Rouhani's wing of the Iranian body
politic as ascendant and had little to say about the Supreme Leader and his
Revolutionary Guard.
What they seemingly failed to see was that they were advocating the imposition
of a Western value -- secularism -- on the Middle East's complex social,
religious, and cultural tapestry. This is arguably just as false a solution to
the stability dilemma as the purported American obsession with democracy. The
emphasis on secularism is especially interesting in light of Russia's growing
radicalization problem at home. Authorities are trying to resolve that problem
through the suppression of religion, among other things, but Russian experts on
the North Caucasus note that Islamic education has actually deterred individuals
in that region from joining the Islamic State. In other words, ignorance about
Islam is what opens the door for radicalization.
RUSSIAN VIEWS ON U.S. POLICY
Russian participants in the Kettering dialogue -- some of whom had held senior
positions in the energy sector -- also emphasized that America's new energy
production is a Middle East game-changer. One even congratulated his American
colleagues for becoming the "New Saudi Arabia." This optimism was not tempered
by efforts to explain the limited and temporary benefits of American tight oil
and gas, or the reality of the Middle East's role in the global hydrocarbons
market, which remains central today and will likely become even more crucial by
the 2030s. One problem with this Russian attitude is that it opens the door to a
convenient "alternative universe" view of American motives. While the United
States still seems to act as a traditional container of regional expansion in
Moscow's backyard (e.g., by strengthening NATO and issuing Ukraine sanctions),
Russians were somewhat puzzled by the Obama administration's reluctance to do
the same in the Middle East, a region that has been part of America's extended
backyard for four decades. Their apparent explanation for this disparity is that
America has supposedly decreased its dependence on Middle East oil, refocused
most of its regional attention onto terrorism, and accepted that stability is
the main goal there, even if the alleged approach to that goal -- democracy
promotion -- has failed. The danger is that this may suggest a greater
commonality of interests with Russia than might be the case, especially in the
next U.S. administration.
THE DOMESTIC SCENE
Outside official Moscow circles, many Russians complain about economic struggles
and other issues that affect them personally, such as their inability to travel
to Turkey and Egypt. The government suspended visa-free travel to Turkey
following the November military shootdown incident; that same month, it
suspended all flights to Egypt after an Islamic State affiliate took down a
Russian passenger jet leaving the Sinai. To be sure, they have other travel
opportunities in the region -- for example, one can now see ads for trips to
Morocco on Moscow's streets, perhaps because King Mohammed visited the capital
recently for the first time in years to improve bilateral relations. Yet this
appears to provide little consolation given the growing restrictions elsewhere.
Regarding Syria, authorities talk as little as possible about casualties in an
apparent effort to convince the public that Russia is not losing anything by
intervening there. In fact, discussion of Syria, Ukraine, and similar foreign
issues is now on the periphery. This is why an official can speak of Russia's
Syria-related losses without mentioning the 224 citizens who died in the Sinai
jet incident in October, shortly after Vladimir Putin launched the intervention
to defend Assad. Authorities have even begun to deemphasize the recent death of
Spetsnaz officer Alexander Prokhorenko; in March, he called airstrikes on his
position in Palmyra after being surrounded by Islamic State forces, and
state-controlled media trumpeted his heroism. Yet the Russian people would
prefer not to have that kind of heroism, as sociologist Denis Volkov of the
independent polling agency Levada-Center explained during the trip. Previously,
in an October article for the Carnegie Endowment, he wrote: "With Syria, as with
other domestic and foreign issues, the Russian government is taking public
opinion into account not for the sake of the opinion itself, but in order to
minimize the costs of implementing its policy."
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
To the extent that the next U.S. administration looks at the Middle East in more
traditional terms -- that is, like the current administration treats Ukraine,
the Caucasus, the Black Sea, and the Baltics -- Russians could be surprised by
the significant pushback against their agenda. As mentioned above, by
identifying regional stability with the promotion of secularism, they are trying
to sell an outside concept to a largely religious region. Worse, they are
identifying themselves with two allegedly secular forces -- Assad and the
Iranians -- that are profoundly destabilizing the region. This is a recipe for a
clash potentially even more dangerous than in the Ukraine, where Russian
military capabilities and political interests are predominant. Again, the danger
of Russian miscalculation in the Middle East is high because Moscow seems to
believe that most of America's geostrategic interests there are fading in
parallel with its decreasing reliance on regional oil, and that the
counterterrorism agenda is all that matters to Washington. Meanwhile, the
situation at home is growing worse. The Russian economy continues to decline.
State-controlled television tries to distract the public with shows such as
Goodbye America, which prophesies the fall of "the star-striped empire," but
many Russians have stopped watching. Some are simply burying their head in the
sand, focusing on other aspects of their lives. Putin will likely survive
another election, but his government is less stable than it appears. Ironically,
he seeks dialogue with the West because he has defined his rule in relation to
the West, and therefore needs it. In response, the West should push back on the
Kremlin's Middle East agenda, but within the framework of extensive
consultations at the official, think tank, academic, and Track II levels. In a
volatile period and a volatile region, misunderstandings and failure to
communicate will only heighten the inevitable dangers.
**James Jeffrey is the Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington
Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Albania, Iraq, and Turkey. Anna
Borshchevskaya is the Institute's Ira Weiner Fellow.
Raqqa
Will Not Fall Until Arab Tribes Fight the Islamic State
Fabrice Balanche/ The Washington Institute/June 04, 2016
The tribes in eastern Syria have been driven in different directions by the
Assad regime, outside actors, and their own self-interest, leaving the coalition
with a complex web to untangle before it can fully uproot IS.
This week, Kurdish and Arab fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces pushed
west into Islamic State-controlled territory in a bid to seize the town of
Manbij. Only days earlier, however, the beginnings of a longer southward
campaign — to retake the IS “capital” of Raqqa — were set in motion when the SDF
began attacking IS positions in Balikh Valley, about fifty kilometers north of
the city.
The latter offensive is far from a blitzkrieg that will bring the SDF to the
outskirts of Raqqa promptly; for one thing, the Kurds may be distracted by their
oft-stated goal of continuing westward toward Afrin in order to link up their
two border enclaves (see PolicyWatch 2542, “The Die Is Cast: The Kurds Cross the
Euphrates”). Yet the SDF’s main military patron, the United States, has another
reason to be cautious about the Raqqa timeline — before the coalition even
thinks about launching a final push on the city, it must rally the Arab tribes
in the area, some of whom have pledged allegiance to IS. Any such effort will
require a thorough understanding of the evolving role that tribes have played
there, first under the Assad regime and now under IS rule.
TRIBAL STRUCTURE IN SYRIA
In Syria as in other countries, a tribe (ashira) is an ancestral network
comprising anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of members,
subdivided into clans (shabba). Although clans generally compete for control of
their tribe, they show solidarity in the face of outside danger.
During the Ottoman period, some tribal federations (e.g., the Shammar) were
powerful enough to avoid paying imperial taxes, earning them the moniker “noble”
tribes. Those who did pay are regarded as “common” tribes in the Bedouin
hierarchy. Many common tribesmen still harbor animosity against their “noble”
counterparts after being dominated by them for centuries.
While the noble tribes have retained their transnational nature and patronage
ties with Saudi Arabia, the common tribes are more rooted in the Syrian state
and have largely abandoned their nomadic lifestyle. These differences shaped
their response to the 2011 uprising. When anti-regime protests first emerged,
tribes with Saudi links took part early on, which explains why Deir al-Zour
province rapidly shifted toward the opposition. Yet Raqqa province remained
loyal for longer because common tribes are more numerous there, and they had
benefited from decades of agrarian reform and development projects launched by
the Baath regime.
THE REGIME’S APPROACH TO TRIBES
In the 1960s, the Baath regime was very hostile toward representatives of major
tribal confederations, actively dispossessing them of their land. In response,
some leading sheikhs left the country, while those who remained in Syria were
eventually coopted.
The construction of Thawra Dam and the launch of the Euphrates Valley Irrigation
Program in the 1970s greatly facilitated this process. The regime integrated
tribal elites by giving them positions in the state apparatus, and some were
quick to appropriate the best irrigated fields. As expert Myriam Ababsa pointed
out in a 2010 paper, this led to the emergence of a Baathist tribal generation
that used its newfound political weight to gain power within the tribal
hierarchy, which in turn fostered deeper tribal allegiance to the regime.
Ultimately, however, this new framework did not work in the national interest
because many of the coopted tribesmen were simply using state resources to
further their own local interests. As a result, the regime’s irrigation program
became an economic fiasco, with tribal politics taking precedence over
development. By the time Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father Hafiz in 2000, the
project was collapsing — the government could not afford to extend the
irrigation system any further, and efforts to reform agricultural and water
policies were blocked by bureaucracy and political patronage (see PolicyWatch
2622, “Water Issues Are Crucial to Stability in Syria’s Euphrates Valley”).
Tensions were further exacerbated by the area’s high fertility rate, which was
essentially doubling the population every twenty years.
In short, the Euphrates project allowed the regime to rent — not buy — the local
tribes. Although the Raqqa region was loyal to Assad until as late as 2013,
years of agrarian policy failures and the influx of money from Gulf countries
ultimately pushed most tribal leaders toward the opposition. Even so, some
sheikhs remain loyal today and have fled to Damascus, where they enjoy
protection because the regime hopes they will be useful once it retakes the
Euphrates Valley.
The regime has also employed military means to coopt tribes. The army began
recruiting heavily in the Euphrates area during the 1980s, and many residents of
this underdeveloped region came to view military service as a social elevator.
That same decade, Hafiz al-Assad used the Haddadin tribe to fight the Muslim
Brotherhood in Hama, eventually destroying the rebellious city. Today, the
Haddadin are helping his son fight rebel forces and protect the Aleppo supply
road east of Hama, while prominent sheikh Fahd Jassem al-Freij serves as
Bashar’s defense minister. Similarly, the younger Assad did not hesitate to
distribute weapons to Arab tribes in Jazira when facing a Kurdish revolt in
2004. These tribes — the Jabbour, Adwan, Tay, and Ougaidat — are still fighting
with him today because they fear their enemies will take revenge if he loses
power. This explains why the army is able to control a pocket in the middle of
Kurdish territory south of Qamishli.
THE ISLAMIC STATE’S TRIBAL POLICY
After establishing itself in eastern Syria during the war, IS quickly integrated
the tribes into its own system. Once local sheikhs pledged allegiance to the
supposed IS “caliph,” they were asked to marry their daughters to high-ranking
IS members and send their sons to fight with the group. IS gave oil wells, land,
and other benefits to those who voluntarily joined it, but attacked those who
resisted its hegemony (e.g., massacring 700 members of the Sheitat tribe in
August 2014).
Like the Baath regime before it, IS has sought to create an independent social
base out of the traditional tribal hierarchy. If an elder sheikh is hesitant to
cooperate, the group promotes a younger son or a secondary clan within his
tribe. But it focuses its most intense efforts on adolescents, who are drawn
into camps for ideological indoctrination and military training. Over the past
three years, thousands of young men have been radicalized and detribalized,
which will raise a serious rehabilitation problem once IS has been defeated.
The group also uses conflicts between tribes to impose its power. In Jarabulus,
IS supported Tay tribesmen against the Jais tribe, forcing the latter to leave
the city and seek refuge in Turkey (it is unclear what relationship the
attackers had with the main Tay tribal stronghold on Syria’s far northeastern
border, though the war has at times spurred groups of tribesmen to leave their
traditional territory). And in August 2013, IS helped the Arab tribes of Tal
Abyad defeat Kurdish fighters from the People’s Defense Units (YPG), expel all
Kurds from the district, destroy their villages, and redistribute their land to
Arabs. Interviews with local observers confirm the Islamic State’s objective in
such cases: to play on Sunni Arab fears of Kurdish irredentism.
LOSING POPULAR SUPPORT
Even if the different actors in the war make the Islamic State their main
target, they will still need the local population to reject the group if they
hope to fully defeat it. Existing factors will help in this regard, such as
local economic deterioration, the group’s heavy repression, and its gradual loss
of legitimacy. But rallying the sheikhs will also require giving them money,
political positions, and judicial immunity.
In the beginning, IS generously distributed food by emptying state grain silos.
The price of bread was cheaper in Raqqa than in the rest of Syria, and fuel cost
less because it was produced and refined locally. Yet the group’s strict price
controls are no longer curbing inflation, especially as agricultural production
decreases — a function of scarce fertilizers and pesticides, heavier taxation on
farmers to compensate for declining oil revenue, and an irrigation system beset
by infrastructure damage and mismanagement. Farmers in irrigated areas are
subject to the same unpopular constraints they faced under Assad, but with
decreased income.
Meanwhile, the myth of an Islamic order that provides justice to all of the
faithful has faded. Recent interviews with refugees from Deir al-Zour and Raqqa
provinces indicate that IS courts are just as corrupt as Assad’s, with the
group’s members and their families receiving preferential treatment despite the
occasional token execution of corrupt IS fighters. Conscription and enlistment
of adolescents has provoked protests (e.g., in Manbij in November 2015),
spurring IS to increase repression to keep the population in check.
Given their growing desire for revenge (intiqaam) and their traditional tendency
to preserve tribal interests above all else, many individuals and entire clans
are ready to help those fighting IS, whether the SDF or the Syrian army. For
example, 200 members of the Sheitat tribe joined the army in Deir al-Zour after
the 2014 massacre, and tribal collaboration helped the regime retake Palmyra
this March. As the army and SDF approach Raqqa, tribal defections around Deir
al-Zour and Manbij are multiplying.
PREVENTING TRIBAL WAR AFTER THE ISLAMIC STATE
The United States has been backing the SDF via the YPG and its Kurdish parent
organization, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and such support — namely, the
promise of air support and better weapons — is essential for encouraging tribes
to join the anti-IS coalition. Arab tribes from the Fadan federation have
already joined the YPG in Raqqa province, while several Shammar tribes in Hasaka
province helped YPG units capture al-Hawl and al-Shadadi from IS last winter.
These tribes have always had good relations with the Kurds; for example, they
refused to help Assad repress the Kurdish uprising of 2004. Yet they are relying
on Washington to moderate the PYD’s hegemonic tendencies and ensure their own
share of power once IS has left.
The same process is taking place in the northern part of Raqqa province, but
with many more obstacles. Some tribes remain fiercely on the Islamic State’s
side (e.g., the Afadla and Sabkha), and those who have been expelled from their
lands by IS-backed tribes are not ready for quick reconciliation (e.g., the Jais
and Sheitat). As a result, the SDF is reaching the limit of how many more tribes
it can integrate, and spurring a general uprising against IS would be very
difficult without neutral foreign troops on the ground. The level of violence
has been so high since 2011 that the traditional tribal measures of regulating
it are no longer adequate — several clans and tribes will be forced to flee to
avoid collective vengeance, such as the Tay in Jarabulus and the Sbaa in Sukhna
(who originally helped IS capture Palmyra).
To stem intertribal violence and chaos after IS, the coalition will need to fill
the political vacuum immediately. But conducting free elections is not feasible
in the near term, so the new authorities will have to coopt local notables to
manage cities and districts during the transition, as Gen. David Petraeus did in
Mosul, Iraq, in 2003. The question is whether this is possible without a neutral
military force present. The PYD cannot simply transplant its administrative
experience from Hasaka and Kobane to non-Kurdish cities such as Raqqa and Deir
al-Zour; in fact, the group has been accused of ethnic cleansing in the
predominantly Arab town of Tal Abyad.
The alternatives present problems as well. If Arab tribes in the Euphrates
Valley are left to organize themselves, they could easily devolve into fighting
over cities, land, and water — especially around Thawra Dam, the key to local
irrigation and power generation. The Kurds would likely stay out of such
conflicts because they have no territorial ambitions in that area, but IS could
return, perhaps under a different name. The Syrian army is also close to both
the dam and Deir al-Zour, so Assad has not lost hope of exploiting tribal
loyalties and fears to regain control there. In short, stabilizing the Euphrates
Valley post-IS will be a major financial and political challenge.
*Fabrice Balanche, an associate professor and research director at the
University of Lyon 2, is a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute.