LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

March 11/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.march11.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today
‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 04/31-44:"He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, ‘What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!’ And a report about him began to reach every place in the region. After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them. As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them. Demons also came out of many, shouting, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah. At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’
So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea."

But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.
Letter to the Philippians 02/12-19: "Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you."
 

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 11/16

Hariri urges Hezbollah to return to Lebanon from regional conflicts/The Daily Star/March. 10/16
Divided we stand/Michael Young/Now Lebanon/March 10/16
Are Turkey and Iran warming up to each other/Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/March 10/16
If Operation Decisive Storm hadn't been/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 10/16
Open letter to our American friends/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor//Al Arabiya/March 10/16
Iran's Cash for Murder: Why is the UK Silent/Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/March 10/16
IRGC commander: We are not pulling troops from Syria/Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
Has IS established foothold in Jordan/Jordanians on edge/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
After inviting Israeli ambassador for dinner, Egyptian MP finds himself without a job/Khalid Hassan/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
What's behind IAEA's change in reporting/Barbara Slavin/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
Is Iran's Ahmadinejad ready for a comeback/Saeid Jafari/Al-Monitor/March 10/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 11/16

Hariri urges Hezbollah to return to Lebanon from regional conflicts
Divided we stand
Lebanese army clash with militants, 9 dead
Army Destroys IS Post in Ras Baalbek, Inflicts Casualties as Qahwaji Vows to Hit Terrorists 'Wherever They May Be'
Court Refuses to Summon Kfoury as Samaha Says 'Jordanian Agents' Took Part in His Arrest
Jumblat to Meet Hollande in Paris Friday
Two Kuwaitis Found Killed at Their Kahale Restaurant
Bassil Attends Arab Meeting in Cairo after Controversy on 'Pro-Iran' Stances
Once More Lebanon's Trash Scandal Addressed in Foreign Media
Three Suspected IS Members Indicted
Report: U.S. Interest in Lebanon's Presidential Deadlock Drops
Report: Iran Sets up News Operations Center in Beirut

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 11/16

Biden and Abbas meet to discuss ongoing violence
Biden holds talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah
Saudi Arabia concludes North Thunder exercises
22-member Arab League to elect new chief at critical time
Iran: missile tests do not violate nuclear deal
Houthis violate truce on Saudi border
US: Mosul dam collapse would be catastrophic
ISIS leader Shishani alive, but ‘badly wounded’
Explosion in Egypt's Cairo injures three people
Turkey won't take back migrants already on Greek islands: minister
Palestinians trapped in collapsed Gaza tunnel
Militants attack checkpoint near Libya’s Misrata, air strikes hit Sirte
Austria says closure of Balkan route is ‘permanent’
 

Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 11/16
Obama compares the Islamic State to the Joker from Batman.
Muslim US Air Force veteran convicted of attempting to join Islamic State.
Obama: I’m more worried about climate change than the Islamic State.
Trump: “I think Islam hates us”.
Uruguay: Muslim screaming “Allahu akbar” stabs Jew to death.
Ali Gharib: Apologist for evil.
Egypt drafts bill to ban face veil for women, says it’s Jewish tradition.
Austria: Muslim taxi driver beats up gay couple, says “people like you should be shot”.
Iran fires missiles with “Israel must be wiped out” written on them in Hebrew.
Italy: Migrant imam tells Muslim migrants, “Allah ordered you to kill”.
Muslim cleric: London “more Islamic” than Muslim world.
Robert Spencer Video: Why a Muslim Woman Beheaded a Child in Moscow.
William Kilpatrick: Was Muhammad a False Prophet?.
Palestinian” Muslims murder US tourist, wound 12 Israelis in jihad stabbings.
Iran threatens to walk away from nuke deal after new missile test.
Tunisia: 50 dead in Islamic State bid to “establish a new emirate”.

Hariri urges Hezbollah to return to Lebanon from regional conflicts
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/03/10/daily-star-hariri-urges-hezbollah-to-return-to-lebanon-from-regional-conflicts/
The Daily Star/March. 10/16
BEIRUT: Future Movement leader Saad Hariri Thursday defended the Gulf Cooperation Council's March 3 decision to classify Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization," saying that Hezbollah's actions in the Gulf had led to this decision.
"Hezbollah goes to Yemen, and threatens the security of the Gulf, what do you expect from these countries? Who gave Hezbollah permission to go and fight abroad? This goes against Lebanon's agenda," Hariri said during LBCI talk show Kalam El-Nas.
He pointed to accusations made by the Saudi-backed government in Yemen that Hezbollah was physically involved in their conflict, as well as what he said was Hezbollah military uniform found in a security bust in Kuwait of an alleged "terror cell."
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has publicly announced his party's involvement in the Syrian, Yemeni and Iraqi conflicts, saying it is a "humanitarian and religious duty" to protect the people of these countries against Saudi-backed terrorist groups.
The unanimous GCC decision to brand Hezbollah a "terror group" was followed by an Arab ministerial meeting held in Tunisia on the same day to make the same decision.
Hariri pointed out that Hezbollah had not shown solidarity with him when Syrian President Bashar Assad listed him (Hariri) as a "terrorist" for supporting the uprising against the Syrian government.
He also denied claims made by Hezbollah that the Future Movement sent or supported fighters in Syria, asking where was the Lebanese state's right to veto Hezbollah's actions within and outside of Lebanon.
"We will only support Hezbollah in its war against Israel, not when it fights outside of Lebanon's borders ... Hezbollah should stop talking about national unity if it wants to stay involved in regional conflicts – this talk about national unity is all a lie," Hariri said heatedly.
"I returned to Lebanon, I hope you return too," he said, directing his attention to Nasrallah, in reference to Hezbollah's participation in the region's wars.
Hariri returned to Lebanon last month after living in self-imposed exile.
He also criticized Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil's refusal to vote in favor of a statement condemning Iranian influence in Arab affairs during the pan-Islamic Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah in January. He said he understood Bassil's stance at the previous Cairo Arab League summit, but not the position he took at Jeddah.
"The summit at Jeddah did not mention Hezbollah. Bassil committed a big mistake by voting against Arab consensus and condemning the attack against the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran," Hariri said.
While the OIC statement focused its condemnation on Iran, the Arab League summit in Cairo slammed Hezbollah as being an "Iranian-backed militia" sowing chaos in the region.
Bassil condemned the attacks on the Saudi missions separately, but argued that he could not endorse a statement which referenced Lebanese parties.
The Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran's Tehran and Mashhad were torched by angry protesters after the Saudi execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January.
Bassil and Hezbollah were largely blamed after Saudi Arabia announced last month that it was halting $4 billion in aid to Lebanon's military and police. He was chastised for not coordinating his stance with Salam before announcing his position at the Cairo and Jeddah meetings.
Hariri clarified that $450 million of the aid was given to the Lebanese Army, General Security and Internal Security Forces, while the rest was frozen by Riyadh.
Asked by the host on whether he thought Hezbollah controlled Lebanon, Hariri said Bassil's stances indicated that the party did, but quickly added that in reality it didn't.
Nevertheless, he defended his party's ongoing dialogue with Hezbollah, saying it was essential to keep the country stable.
"We participated in the government with Hezbollah and are continuing dialogue with it as it is an essential component of the country. [Parliament Speaker Nabih] Berri is doing the impossible to keep this dialogue ongoing and the country stable," Hariri said in his remarks.
The dialogue, sponsored by Berri since December 2014, is aimed at defusing Sunni-Shiite tensions stoked by the 5-year-old war in Syria.
Hariri went as far as to say that he would continue to cooperate with Hezbollah as a Lebanese partner even if the party was convicted of his father's assassination, late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
"For the first time in Lebanon's history, there is an international tribunal looking into the assassinations which took place in the country, and it is showing us who was behind Rafik Hariri's killing," he said.
The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon, set up in 2007 to investigate the killing of Hariri, accused Hezbollah members of being behind the assassination, something the party completely denies and dubs as "Zionist propaganda." No one has yet been jailed for the crime.
Regarding the presidency crisis, Hariri reiterated his full support for Marada Movement head Sleiman Frangieh for the position, stating that he would not vote for Aoun in case the latter was able to garner enough votes.
“I will go to Parliament to attend the presidential election session, however no one must expect me to vote for [Change and Reform bloc leader Michel] Aoun,” he said, adding that he would congratulate Aoun in the case he won the election, however.
Hariri refused to consider his nomination of Frangieh as provocative, defending his endorsement of the Marada Movement head by arguing that it had brought the issue of Lebanon's presidential void to the political foreground.
“Nobody cared about the presidency (issue),” he said, adding the initiative was solely intended to end the political deadlock gripping the country.
“I understand Frangieh’s position if he boycotts the parliament sessions (to elect a president), and I am not forcing him, but I hope he does attend ... My backing of a (rival) March 8 official) was for the benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” he reiterated.
Hariri voiced optimism however that a head of state would be elected in the upcoming parliamentary session, set for March 23. The last session on March 3 saw the highest turnout of MPs since April 2014.
MPs have failed for 36 times to elect a president due to a lack of quorum, as Frangieh's party and its allies Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement have observed a boycott of sessions.
Hariri secretly endorsed Frangieh for the presidency in November after the two met in Paris at the former's residency. After returning to Lebanon, Hariri publicly announced Frangieh's nomination, reiterating his support for the latter numerous times during televised interviews.
The endorsement shook relations between Hariri and his long-time ally in the March 14 camp Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces, who had been the camp's official candidate.
Relations also became tense between long-time March 8 allies Aoun and Frangieh, as Aoun was considered his camp's official candidate. Despite this, Frangieh vowed to continue with his candidacy.
Geagea then in January officially nominated Aoun for the presidency, during a land-mark reconciliation ceremony which ended over 25 years of bitter ties between the Civil War-time foes.
The endorsement further deepened the rift between Geagea and Hariri.
"We and Geagea have only disagreed over the presidency crisis, and what brings us together is greater than what separates us," the Future Movement said, claiming the March 14 alliance was still strong and united.
Hariri repeatedly blamed rival party Hezbollah for the presidential crisis, criticizing it for its continued boycott of sessions to elect a head of state.
“It is their constitutional right not to attend one or two sessions, not to completely obstruct the election. If they want to respect the Constitution, they must respect it all ... I am not asking anything from them, I am just asking that they go to Parliament,” Hariri said in reference to Hezbollah.
He called for pressure to be exerted on all MPs to attend Parliament, warning of greater consequences if the presidency vacuum continues.
“Anything is better than this vacuum; even if me and Frangieh disagree, in the case he was elected president and I became prime minister, it would be a million times better than living in this paralysis. At least there would be functioning institutions,” he said.
He added that his party would not resign from the Cabinet despite the many differences between rival factions.
Voicing worry over the country's deteriorating economic situation, Hariri said the election of a president would cause a positive shock, ultimately improving the economy and the country's overall situation.
Central Bank of Lebanon Governor Riad Salameh has put the economic growth rate for Lebanon at nearly zero percent for 2016, due to the ongoing political crisis.
Hariri also said the ongoing trash crisis which has plagued Greater Beirut and Mount Lebanon for nearly eight months is close to being solved.
A ministerial committee looking into ways to end the crisis has voiced optimism in recent days over the issue, with the possibility of at least three or four landfills being established in different areas of the country to accommodate the waste.

Divided we stand
Michael Young/Now Lebanon/March 10/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/03/10/michael-youngnow-lebanon-divided-we-stand/
It’s revealing that a common notion in Lebanese politics during the past two decades has been frequently ignored. The notion is that the most popular politician in each community is entitled to take over the highest post reserved for the community. Yet when did that really apply? Presidents Elias Hrawi and Emile Lahoud could hardly claim to be popular in their communities—they didn’t even manage to win majorities in the municipal elections in their hometowns. Even Michel Sleiman, hardly a divisive figure, was never embraced by Maronites, so antipathetic was he to the supporters of Michel Aoun. In the Muslim communities, things were different. Rafik Hariri was the preeminent Sunni figure when he was prime minister, and even when he wasn’t. After elections in 2005, the Shiite community made it clear in no uncertain terms that Nabih Berri was the communal choice for the speakership of parliament, and, therefore, that he was the man to elect. Most Lebanese may not have heard of the principle of “Cuius regio, eius religio,” from the Peace of Augsburg, which put an end to a long period of conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire. What it means, literally, is, “Whose realm, his religion.” In other words it was up to the prince to decide the religion of his principality. In Lebanon, we have this in reverse: If main posts in the state are principalities, it is for the communities to decide whom the prince should be.
But just as the Peace of Augsburg recognized the sovereignty of principalities, in Lebanon the belief that posts must be decided by communities for which they are reserved has reinforced communal sovereignty, at the expense of a unified Lebanese state. Increasingly, Lebanon is looking like a federalism of communities, generating the divisive reflexes that go with it. Nowhere has that been more visible than in the continued disagreement over a presidential candidate. One of the major arguments against Sleiman Franjieh is that he does not enjoy the same communal backing as Michel Aoun, therefore he is not as legitimate a candidate. Indeed, that was the subject of disagreement in the dialogue session this week, when Franjieh and Gebran Bassil got into an altercation over representation.
Who was right? Franjieh insisted that he had communal representation, and could point to the fact that if an open election were held today, he would win a majority. In other words he had legitimacy within his own community, but also could appeal across confessional lines to non-Christians. Given that the president’s role, according to the constitution, is to be a “symbol of the nation’s unity,” Franjieh’s argument was strong. However, Bassil could point to the fact that if a president symbolizes national unity, then a prerequisite of this is that he be able to speak for his own community, not simply satisfy the representatives of non-Christian communities. He could also recall that when Saad Hariri was ousted in 2011 by Hezbollah and Aoun, the Sunnis felt that this undermined a pillar of Lebanon’s consensual power-sharing system. That would not explain why the Aounists helped remove Hariri, but it would sustain their argument that Aoun merits to be president.
However, the record since the end of the war in 1990 is one of rank hypocrisy. Representation has invariably been a function of political power plays. When the Syrians turned against Rafik Hariri in 1998, he was removed from office. When they, the Aounists and Hezbollah did so against Saad Hariri in 2011, he too had to walk. For 26 years Christian preferences have been largely dismissed, because the community did not have the means, let alone the unity, to impose its choices. Only Berri has time and again embodied the idea that the communal choice for a top post must be endorsed by other communities, and only because he was supported by Hezbollah. There is no easy solution to this dilemma, because the three top posts in the state, by definition, must represent the whole nation, not merely their communities. And yet when some communities have backed candidates for reserved posts, they have usually justified their decision by insisting that their favorite enjoyed, above all, communal legitimacy. Perhaps the dilemma comes from the fact that Lebanese have lost all sense of their nation’s meaning. When the National Pact was devised in 1943, it was understood that the sectarian system, at least in theory, would gradually be eased out as national unity became more predominant. This was often repeated by a noted ideologue of the Lebanese system, Michel Chiha. He wrote, “the Lebanese must govern in such a way as to alleviate the paradox of their situation; they must ‘last’ long enough to reach a state of ‘permanent’ equilibrium.” This was a circular way of saying that the divided Lebanese system needed time for the factors pushing toward unification to anchor themselves. Yet the reality is that throughout the past decades, especially after the war began in 1975, the centrifugal forces in society have become stronger, so that today the state is more a loose alliance of communities, whose realities are defined by who has power, than a budding united system. Until the Lebanese better define the state they want, problems such as the disconnect between communal popularity and national legitimacy will continue. Chiha could just as easily have spoken of Lebanon’s schizophrenia in place of its paradoxes—that of a country that cannot decide to be one or many. **Michael Young is a writer and editor in Beirut. He tweets @BeirutCalling.
 

Lebanese army clash with militants, 9 dead
AFP, Beirut Thursday, 10 March 2016/Lebanese army troops clashed with militants in the country’s northeast near the Syrian border Thursday, leaving one soldier and eight gunmen dead, a security official said. Lebanon has been the scene of frequent violence, including deadly bombings and fighting between extremists and the army, since war erupted in neighboring Syria in 2011. Clashes broke out “between terrorists and the Lebanese army” at around 3:00 am (0100 GMT) Thursday near the flashpoint town of Ras Baalbek, the official, who did not want to be named, told AFP. It was unclear which group the militants were fighting for. The area was now “calm” and eight wounded soldiers were receiving treatment in nearby hospitals, the official said. The army has regularly fought extremists near Ras Baalbek. Last year, at least five troops were killed in clashes with gunmen there. In August 2014, the army clashed with ISIS and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, in the border town of Arsal, near Ras Baalbek. ISIS and Al-Nusra kidnapped 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen as they withdrew. After long negotiations, 16 of the kidnapped men were released at the start of December in exchange for Islamist prisoners jailed in Lebanon.

Army Destroys IS Post in Ras Baalbek, Inflicts Casualties as Qahwaji Vows to Hit Terrorists 'Wherever They May Be'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 10/16/One soldier and five extremists were killed on Thursday as the Lebanese army launched a preemptive strike against jihadists from the Islamic State group on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. An army statement identified the slain soldier as Mohammed Hussam al-Sayyed al-Sabsabi, saying the 23-year-old hailed from the Akkar town of Bebnin. Four soldiers were also lightly injured in the operation, according to Army chief General Jean Qahwaji. Five extremists were killed and dozens others were wounded in the army raid, Qahwaji said. “What the soldiers did today was a message to everyone that the army has the will and decision to defeat this enemy,” the army chief added. “We will defeat it and prevent it from achieving its goals of destroying our country or establishing its emirate and schemes of chaos and sedition,” vowed Qahwaji. “We are vigilant more than ever. We said it once and we will repeat it: our army is stronger than ever, and it has proved to be one of the most firm and most competent armies in the fight against terrorists,” the army chief added. Reiterating that the army “will not allow terror to threaten Lebanon's unity, security and stability,” Qahwaji pledged to crack down on terrorists “forcefully” and at the army's “timing.”“We will not let them advance towards us. We will rather pursue them and strike them wherever they may be. This is the irreversible decision that we have taken,” the army commander added. According to Qahwaji, the army's lightning operation was carried out at 3:30 am in an area that is three kilometers away from the army's posts. Troops destroyed the IS post's installations and vehicles as army aircraft and artillery repelled reinforcements that were brought in by the extremists, inflicting further casualties, Qahwaji added. The area was "calm" around noon and the wounded soldiers were receiving treatment in nearby hospitals, a security official had told Agence France Presse. The army frequently shells militant positions in the border area. The threat of the IS and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front rose in 2014 when they overran the northeastern border town of Arsal and engaged in bloody clashes with the military. The jihadists kidnapped 30 Lebanese soldiers and policemen as they withdrew. After long negotiations, 16 of the kidnapped men were released at the start of December in exchange for Islamist prisoners jailed in Lebanon.

Court Refuses to Summon Kfoury as Samaha Says 'Jordanian Agents' Took Part in His Arrest
Naharnet/March 10/16/The military court of appeals on Thursday refused the Defense's request to summon the informer Milad Kfoury in ex-minister Michel Samaha's trial, as the latter claimed that “Jordanian security agents” had taken part in his 2012 arrest operation. “The court dismissed all of the Defense's requests on summoning Milad Kfoury, the bomb technician who inspected the seized explosives, and the investigators who conducted Samaha's first interrogation,” state-run National News Agency reported, saying Samaha's lawyers wanted to summon the aforementioned individuals as witnesses. Thursday's session was dedicated to hearing the testimonies of two witnesses -- Samaha's driver Fares Barakat and his secretary Gladys Iskandar – as well as questions from the Defense. According to LBCI television, Samaha claimed during the trial session that “Jordanian security agents” took part in his arrest operation, “after having arrived from Jordan only one day before the arrest.”The Internal Security Forces “Intelligence Bureau threatened to harm my daughters and stormed my house in a barbaric manner,” LBCI quoted Samaha as saying. The court then adjourned the trial to April 7 to hear the intervention of the prosecution and the rest of the Defense's pleadings. The ex-minister was arrested in August 2012 and charged with attempting to carry out "terrorist acts" over allegations that he and Syrian security services chief Ali Mamluk transported explosives and planned attacks and assassinations of political and religious figures in Lebanon. Samaha was sentenced in May 2015 to four-and-half years in prison, but in June Lebanon's Cassation Court nullified the verdict and ordered a retrial. Samaha, a former adviser to Syrian President Bashar Assad, admitted during his trial that he had transported the explosives from Syria for use in attacks in Lebanon. But he argued he should be acquitted because he was a victim of entrapment by Lebanese security services informer Milad Kfoury.

Jumblat to Meet Hollande in Paris Friday
Naharnet/March 10/16/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat traveled to France earlier this week where he is expected to hold talks with French President Francois Hollande on Friday, reported LBCI television. Foreign Minister Jean-March Ayrault is also expected to be present at the meeting. On Thursday, the MP met with former Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. Discussions are focusing on the situation in Lebanon, the stalled presidential elections, and Saudi Arabia's freeze of an aid grant to the Lebanese army. In February, Riyadh halted a grant to the army in protest against Hizbullah's virulent criticism of the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's abstention from voting in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy in Iran in January. The kingdom urged its citizens against traveling to Lebanon. Gulf countries also issued similar advisories.

Two Kuwaitis Found Killed at Their Kahale Restaurant
Naharnet/March 10/16/The dead bodies of two Kuwaiti citizens were found Thursday in a room attached to a restaurant they own in the area of Kahale, just outside Beirut, state-run National News Agency reported. “The two were found killed in the workers' room of the Laredo Restaurant that they own in the Kahale area,” NNA said. Some media reports said the two were shot dead as other reports said they were hit on the head with sharp objects. NNA identified the two men as Hussein Nassar, 58, and Nabil Yaaqoub al-Gharib, 56. According to MTV, the two men had intended to travel to their country today, Thursday. Quoting witnesses, MTV said two women were spotted with the two victims prior to the incident. The incident comes amid high tensions between Lebanon and the Gulf countries and Kuwait is one of the Gulf Cooperation Council states that have advised their citizens to leave Lebanon.

Bassil Attends Arab Meeting in Cairo after Controversy on 'Pro-Iran' Stances
Naharnet/March 10/16/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil attended a meeting for Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Thursday, as regional proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran are on full display and as ties between Lebanon and Gulf nations are deteriorating. The talks will continue on Friday in a closed-door session aimed at discussing the situations in the region and the agenda items, which include one on "solidarity with the Lebanese republic," state-run National News Agency reported. On the sidelines of the FMs' meeting, Bassil also took part in consultative meetings over Egypt's nomination of its ex-FM Ahmed Aboul Gheit for the post of Arab League chief. Bassil said earlier this week that he has coordinated with Prime Minister Tammam Salam Lebanon's stance at the meeting. The foreign minister drew controversy in January and was accused by his rivals of promoting the policies of Tehran after he declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers. Bassil is the head of the Free Patriotic Movement that is allied with Hizbullah. His stance prompted Riyadh to announce a halt to $4 billion in aid grants to the Lebanese army and security forces. Saudi Arabia later called on its citizens not to travel to Lebanon for safety reasons and ordered those staying there to leave. Its Gulf allies followed suit. Riyadh also upped measures against Hizbullah, freezing assets and prohibiting dealings with three Lebanese nationals and four companies. Last week, the Saudi-led six-member Gulf Cooperation Council declared Hizbullah a "terrorist" group and on Tuesday, its information ministers decided to take all legal measures to prevent cooperation with TV channels affiliated to the party or its leaders.

Once More Lebanon's Trash Scandal Addressed in Foreign Media
Naharnet/March 10/16/Days following a scandalous report published on CNN showing Lebanon's river of trash flowing through the streets of the nation, the issue has once again made it to the pages of foreign magazines including French the Courrier International and Canadian Journal De Montreal touching on the government's inability to handle this file. The Journal de Montréal, a daily tabloid newspaper, published a long article on the trash management crisis accompanied with a mock video Rise Above Lebanon's Political garbage commissioned by the You Stink Lebanese protest movement showing mountains of rubbish across the country. For its part, Courrier International, a Paris-based French weekly, also addressed the eight-month-long trash crisis on its pages showing the piles of garbage on beaches, mountains, forests and river beds. Last week, CNN mocked what it called Beirut's river of trash in a Mount Lebanon town of Fanar after activists published a footage of it piling up. In one of the shots filmed by a drone, plastic bags containing rubbish can be seen stretching for miles like overflowing rivers. Denouncing the "scandal", You Stink said its video is "a parody of the tourism ministry's campaign entitled Rise Above Lebanon”, a reference to the footage commissioned by ministry. In that video, Lebanon, once nicknamed the Switzerland of the Middle East, is seen from a totally different angle. Spectacular aerial views show pristine beaches, lush mountains, rivers, archaeological sites -- all rubbish-free. In its video footage, You Stink also called on the Lebanese people to join a protest on Saturday in Beirut -- the first demonstration to be organized by the group in months.

Three Suspected IS Members Indicted
Naharnet/March 10/16/Military Examining Magistrate Judge Fadi Sawan issued an indictment on Thursday against three Syrians, who are charged with belonging to the Islamic State group, and referred them to trial. In his indictment, Sawan said the three suspects, one of them a detainee, had carried out terrorist activities and killed soldiers on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal. The charges include attempted murder and the theft of weapons and military gear. The judge issued an arrest warrant against them and referred them to the permanent Military Court for trial.

Report: U.S. Interest in Lebanon's Presidential Deadlock Drops
Naharnet/March 10/16/Washington's interest in Lebanon's stalled presidential elections is declining with time as a result of the turmoil in the Middle East and the heated presidential race in the U.S., As Safir daily reported on Thursday. Finding a solution to the region's wars has become a priority for the U.S. and the international community, it said. A parliamentary delegation that recently returned to Beirut from a visit to Washington said U.S. officials have stressed during several meetings that the presidential vacuum at Baabda Palace is no longer a priority in U.S. foreign policy.As Safir quoted the visitors to Washington as saying that what concerns the U.S. is to preserve Lebanon's security stability. The Obama administration is ready to provide all the support that the Lebanese military needs to confront the rising threat of terrorism, they said. The U.S. officials are also concerned about Lebanon's economic stability. Security and fiscal stability preserve the Republic, they said. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014.
Differences between the rival parties have caused a lack of quorum at the parliament, leaving Baabda Palace vacant.

Report: Iran Sets up News Operations Center in Beirut
Naharnet/March 10/16/Iran has established an operations bureau in Beirut to manage the content of news in dozens of media outlets, a well-informed Lebanese source said in remarks published on Thursday. The source told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that the news center aims to organize the work and campaigns of the media outlets closely linked to Hizbullah. It includes analysts who appear on Lebanese and Arab TV screens to defend the party's stances without revealing their affiliation to Hizbullah or Iran, the source said. According to Asharq al-Awsat, a decision made by the information ministers of the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council this week to take legal measures against Hizbullah-affiliated channels, production companies and producers created a shock in the Lebanese media. The newspaper quoted well-informed Arab sources as saying that the GCC decision will not just apply to Hizbullah's al-Manar TV but also to other channels, newspapers and websites that are fully or partly funded by Iran and the party. The move by the Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf nations on Tuesday came less than a week after the GCC blacklisted Hizbullah. Last month, Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to the Lebanese army and security forces after accusing Beirut authorities of falling under Hizbullah's influence.

Biden and Abbas meet to discuss ongoing violence
Reuters, Washington Thursday, 10 March 2016/US Vice President Joe Biden and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met on Wednesday night in Ramallah and discussed the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the White House said. During the visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, Biden strongly condemned an attack on Tuesday in Jaffa, in which US tourist Taylor Force was killed, the White House statement said. Biden also reiterated continuing US support for “a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and urged all parties to take steps to de-escalate tensions, uphold obligations, and prevent inflammatory rhetoric,” the statement said.

Biden holds talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah
AP, Amman Thursday, 10 March 2016/Vice President Joe Biden is holding talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, a key U.S. military ally in the region, including in the battle against ISIS extremists. Jordan is Biden’s last stop on a Mideast swing that also included the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the Palestinian territories. The vice president and the Jordan monarch met Thursday at the Husseiniya Palace in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Later, the two are to attend a troop drill at a training center for Jordanian troops. Jordan is a key member of a U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq. Both countries neighbor Jordan.

Saudi Arabia concludes North Thunder exercises
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 10 March 2016/Saudi Arabia concluded on Thursday a 20-country joint military exercises that aimed at unifying armed tactics for the region’s stability. Saudi King Salman was present along with regional leadership like Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, Yemen's President Abdrabbu Hadi and Egypt’s President AbdelFattah el-Sisi. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also present to witness the conclusion of exercises in Hafr Al-Batin where the event took place. Speaking at an earlier this week, Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri explained that 20 Arab and Islamic countries took part in a number of tasks, including exercises aimed at encouraging cooperation between the various forces. He added that the training also included exercises on how to combat guerrilla warfare, noting that the tactic is used by armed militias intervening in Arab states, such as Syria and Yemen. He said the military exercise would end on Thursday. Asiri said the alliance brought together Arab and Islamic forces to gain experience and they would be prepared to protect the region’s stability if needed.

22-member Arab League to elect new chief at critical time
AP, Cairo Thursday, 10 March 2016/The Arab League’s 22 members are voting on Thursday to elect the organization’s new chief, with a veteran Egyptian diplomat the only contender for the post. The vote comes at a critical time for the Mideast. Syria is marking the fifth anniversary of the start of its devastating civil war, regional proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran are on full display, and the battle against the Islamic State is raging in several Arab countries. Egypt’s Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, a former ambassador to the United Nations and veteran diplomat under autocrat Hosni Mubarak, is the only nominee for the post and is widely expected to win approval from the league members. It is a long held protocol that Egypt as host of the Arab League traditionally nominates the league chief. The league has been almost exclusively headed by Egyptians. Divisions have weakened the Arab League since the 2011 uprisings that toppled three longtime autocratic rulers but also sparked three civil wars. But despite its waning influence, a strong leadership might help shore up Saudi-led Sunni front against Iran at a time of ongoing military involvement by the Saudis and other Gulf Arab countries in Yemen and Syria.
Past league chairmen have included pan-Arab nationalists such as Amr Moussa and the outgoing head, Nabil Elaraby. Aboul-Gheit appears to mark a shift as he is known to be a pragmatic diplomat with strong enmity for political Islam factions like the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. Aboul-Gheit was the last foreign minister under longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak, toppled in Egypt’s 2011 uprising. He was replaced after Mubarak’s ouster and kept a low profile while many of Mubarak loyalists were sent to courts for trials in corruption-linked cases.

Iran: missile tests do not violate nuclear deal
AP, Tehran Thursday, 10 March 2016/Iran’s foreign ministry insisted on Thursday that the missile tests carried out by the country’s Revolutionary Guard this week do not violate Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers or a U.N. Security Council resolution. According to ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the missiles were “conventional defensive instruments and they were merely for legitimate defense,” the official IRNA news agency reported. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard test-launched two ballistic missiles on Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase “Israel must be wiped out” in Hebrew - a show of power by the Shiite nation, long an opponent of Israel. It was the latest in a series of recent tests, aimed at demonstrating Iran’s intentions to push ahead with its ballistic program after scaling backing its nuclear program under the deal reached last year with the U.S. and other world powers. Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the launch, saying it did violate the U.N. resolution and that it shows that Iran “continues to dismiss the international community’s demands and to develop its aggressive capabilities.” In a statement Thursday, the ministry called on the world to “react firmly and decisively” against further Iranian missile launches. However, Ansari said the test-firing “did not defy the Security Council resolution” and added that Iran will continue its missile program. He also said Iran will remain committed to its international obligations.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will not compromise over its security and defensive power,” said Ansari. “It will continue it’s completely defensive and legitimate missile program while observing its international commitments and without entering into the fields of either nuclear warheads or designing missiles capable of carrying such warheads,” he added. The landmark nuclear deal, under which Iran accepted to substantially cap its nuclear program, does not include provisions against missile launches. When it came into effect on Jan. 16, the Security Council lifted most U.N. sanctions against Tehran - including a ban it had imposed in 2010 on Iran testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. That ban likely would have covered some of the missile fired this week. To deal with the restrictions in the nuclear agreement, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution last July which among other measures “calls on” Iran not to carry out such tests. Late Wednesday, the head of the airspace division of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Amir Ali Hejazi, told state TV that the Hebrew markings on the missiles tested earlier in the day were “a choice by colleagues” who worked on the missiles, indicating it was not an official, high-level decision.

Houthis violate truce on Saudi border
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 10 March 2016/Iran-backed Houthi militias group has violated a truce on the Saudi border after rockets fired from Yemen fell into the kingdom’s southern province of al-Tawal province, Al Arabiya News Channel reported on Thursday. The rockets, which were fired Wednesday, killed a Saudi civilian and wounded three others including a woman, Al Arabiya News Channel correspondent reported, adding that they were transferred to a hospital. The news comes after Arab coalition forces said earlier on Wednesday that tribal figures in Yemen have sought to create a “state of calm” on the border with Saudi Arabia to allow medical and aid materials to be sent to in Yemeni villages. Meanwhile, the Arab Coalition forces has renewed its strikes on Houthi targets in the capital Sanaa after it halted its raids for more than one week. Blasts also rocked south of Sanaa after strikes targeted Al-Haffa military camp of the Houthis. The coalition launched strikes against Houthi militia in Yemen to restore the internationally-recognized government of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi a year ago.

US: Mosul dam collapse would be catastrophic
Reuters, United Nations Thursday, 10 March 2016/The United States and Iraq on Wednesday hosted a meeting of senior diplomats and UN officials to discuss the possible collapse of the Mosul hydro-electric dam, which US Ambassador Samantha Power said would create a catastrophe of “epic proportions.”
Mosul dam has sustained structural flaws since its construction in the 1980s. If it collapsed, a wall of water would flood the heavily populated Tigris River valley. Wednesday’s meeting at the United Nations included Power and her Iraqi counterpart, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, officials from the U.N. Development Program and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and other senior diplomats. “The briefings on the Mosul dam today were chilling,” Power said in a statement issued by the U.S. mission to the United Nations. “While important steps have been taken to address a potential breach, the dam could still fail.” “In the event of a breach, there is the potential in some places for a flood wave up to 14 meters (15 yards) high that could sweep up everything in its path, including people, cars, unexploded ordnance, waste and other hazardous material, further endangering massive population centers,” she said. Power said all UN member states should be prepared to help prevent what would be “a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.”Approximately 500,000 to 1.47 million Iraqis live in the flood path, the US statement said. Iraq has signed a contract with Italy’s Trevi Group worth 273 million euros (US$296 million) to reinforce and maintain the Mosul dam for 18 months. Italy has said it planned to send 450 troops to protect the site of the dam, which is 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long and close to territory held by ISIS. ISIS seized the dam in August 2014, raising fears they might blow it up. It was taken two weeks later by Iraqi government forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes. The Iraqi government has said it is taking precautions against the dam’s collapse, while seeking to play down the risk.

ISIS leader Shishani alive, but ‘badly wounded’
Reuters, Beirut Thursday, 10 March 2016/The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that Islamic State’s military commander was badly wounded but still alive, appearing to contradict US officials who said he was likely killed in a US air strike. The US officials said on Tuesday that Abu Omar al-Shishani, also known as Omar the Chechen and described by the Pentagon as the group’s “minister of war”, was targeted near the town of al-Shadadi in Syria. Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said he had been badly wounded but not killed and had been moved to Islamic State’s base of operations in Raqqa for treatment. “He did not die,” Abdulrahman said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it gathers its information from all sides in the conflict. Reuters had no way to independently verify the report. Born in 1986 in Georgia, which was then still part of the Soviet Union, the red-bearded Shishani had a reputation as a close military adviser to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was said by followers to have relied heavily on Shishani. The strike itself involved multiple waves of manned and unmanned aircraft, targeting Shishani near al Shadadi in Syria, a U.S. official said. The Pentagon believes Shishani was sent there to bolster Islamic State troops after they suffered a series of setbacks at the hands of U.S.-allied Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground. An official in the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which has been fighting Islamic State in the al-Shadadi area, said on Tuesday it had received information that Shishani was killed but had no details and had been unable to confirm the death. The official declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Explosion in Egypt's Cairo injures three people
The Associated Press, Cairo Thursday, 10 March 2016/Egypt's state-run news agency says three civilians were injured in an explosion in a populated neighborhood in Cairo, the capital. The Mena news agency says the explosive device, which was placed in a street in the Feisal neighborhood, was detonated late Wednesday while a police convoy was passing through. The news agency says the authorities have arrested one suspect after in the explosion which has also damaged two two police vehicles. Egyptian authorities have been battling an Islamic Insurgency in northern Sinai which has also spilled over into mainland Egypt, with a series of high-profile assassinations and bombings taking place in Cairo.

Turkey won't take back migrants already on Greek islands: minister
AFP | Ankara Thursday, 10 March 2016/Turkey will not take back migrants already on Greek islands under a deal proposed to European Union leaders at a crunch summit this week, Ankara’s EU affairs minister said Thursday. Volkan Bozkir was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying Turkey would take back “tens of thousands” of migrants, “not hundreds of thousands or millions”, and they would “not include the existing refugees on the Greek islands”. At talks in Brussels this week, Turkey surprised EU leaders by presenting a set of proposals to help solve the migrant crisis -- the continent’s worst since World War II. Under Monday’s tentative deal, Ankara offered to take back all illegal migrants landing in Greece and to set up an arrangement to exchange Syrians in Greece for Syrian refugees in Turkey. But the deal still has to be confirmed by another summit next week and has already come under fire from the UN refugee chief and rights groups, who questioned whether it was legal, and even some EU members. Bozkir said the offer did not include migrants already on the Greek islands and sounded a note of caution about how many people Turkey, which already hosts 2.7 million Syrian refugees, would take back. “It would be more accurate to say the number of migrants to be returned to Turkey in the event of a readmission agreement with the EU will be thousands or tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands or millions,” he told Anatolia.

Palestinians trapped in collapsed Gaza tunnel
AFP | Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) Thursday, 10 March 2016/Six Palestinians were trapped and another was missing Thursday after a Gaza smuggling tunnel collapsed, a local civil defence official said. He described the underground passage from the southern Gaza town of Rafah into neighbouring Egypt as a “trade tunnel”. The cave-in, the sixth since January, was caused by Egyptian flooding of the border zone in its campaign to stop smuggling, the official told AFP. Authorities have spoken to one of the trapped men by mobile telephone and rescue efforts are under way, he added. Since January 26, 12 Gazans have been killed in five separate tunnel collapses with both Israel and Egypt operating against the diggers. An Israeli blockade severely restricts the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory, and Egypt’s sole border with Gaza has also remained largely closed since 2013. The passages to Egypt are used for transit of commercial goods, cash, people and, allegedly, weapons. In late 2014, as part of an attempt to restore peace in its restive northern Sinai region, Egypt began setting up a buffer zone on its border with Gaza and destroyed hundreds of tunnels. At the other end of the coastal Palestinian territory, near the border with Israel, Gaza’s militant Islamic Hamas rulers have built tunnels to avoid or launch attacks, store weapons and at times to stage raids into Israel.

Militants attack checkpoint near Libya’s Misrata, air strikes hit Sirte
Reuters, Tripoli Thursday, 10 March 2016/ISIS militants attacked a checkpoint south of the Libyan city of Misrata on Wednesday, killing three security personnel, a military source said, after an air strike in Sirte killed three children and wounded their mother. Checkpoints south of Misrata are manned by brigades from the city. The Abu Grain checkpoint, about 140 km (85 miles) west of Sirte, was attacked in the late afternoon, hours after the air strikes, raising the possibility that it was a retaliatory move. There was no immediate confirmation from officials in Misrata, but forces from the city regularly carry out air strikes on Sirte. Abu Grain is on the road between Misrata and Sirte, where militants loyal to ISIS took control last year. The militants withdrew after the attack and the situation was under control, the military source said. War planes, believed to be from Misrata, carried out air strikes at three different sites in Sirte, including near a water plant - where the children were killed - and close to a hotel complex in the city center, the resident said. Also on Wednesday, a source from Zintan said forces from the town clashed with suspected ISIS militants who had briefly taken control of a major road about 320 km west of Sirte and 200 km south of the capital, Tripoli. One member of the Zintan forces was injured before the militants retreated, the source said. ISIS has taken advantage of political and a security vacuum in Libya to establish a foothold in the North African country, carrying out attacks on cities and against oil installations.

Austria says closure of Balkan route is ‘permanent’
Reuters, Berlin Thursday, 10 March 2016/South-eastern Europe’s “Balkan route”, the main passage for migrants to reach more affluent countries to the north, will remain closed permanently, Austria’s Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner told German newspaper “Die Welt” on Thursday. On Wednesday, Macedonia sealed its border with Greece to illegal migrants after Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, which are on the way to Austria, announced tight new restrictions on migrant entry. “My position is clear: the Balkan route remains closed and that permanently,” Mikl-Leitner told the newspaper. She said only such a “consistent signal” will deter migrants, many of them fleeing war and conflict in the Middle East and beyond, from crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey to reach European shores. As a result of the route’s closure, thousands of migrants have built up on the Greek side of the Macedonian border and around 1,000 more are stranded in a refugee camp on the Macedonian side of the Serbian border. “This alliance of reason has so far provided the decisive contribution to preserve stability and order for the people in Europe,” Mikl-Leitner said in reference to the Balkan countries along the route.
In late February, Austria set off what it called a “domino effect” of national restrictions by imposing daily caps on the number of migrants to limit the flow of people towards it. Last year, over 1.5 million migrants arrived in Europe, unleashing fierce political debates across the continent over how to handle the crisis.

Are Turkey and Iran warming up to each other?
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard/Al Arabiya/March 10/16
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told American lawmakers last month that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “has actually pulled its troops back from Syria,” and that supreme leader Ali Khamenei “pulled a significant number of troops out.” Tehran did not comment on this claim, but it was nonetheless welcomed by neighboring Turkey, which has been unhappy about Iranian-Russian cooperation in the Syrian conflict. When Ankara shot down a Russian warplane over Turkish airspace, Tehran sided with Moscow, and President Hassan Rowhani accused Ankara of ties with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Common interests
However, Turkey and Iran rely on each other for vital resources. Ankara supported Tehran during the 10 years of nuclear talks, and was one of a few allies that defied the international embargo. Nonetheless, the Syrian conflict and Russia’s intervention have soured bilateral relations. Few years ago, Iranian oil made up a significant component of Turkey’s energy imports. Because of sanctions that number has fallen since, but Ankara still sees Iran as an important trade partner. Iranian involvement in Syria has been costly, so Russian intervention came at an opportune time for both Tehran and Damascus. Today, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has the upper hand against his opponents due to Moscow. However, neither Tehran nor Ankara want a long-term, heavy Russian presence in Syria, providing grounds for bilateral cooperation during the next round of talks on the conflict. Neither Tehran nor Ankara want a long-term, heavy Russian presence in Syria, providing grounds for bilateral cooperation during the next round of talks on the conflict. The recent visit by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davotuglu to Tehran shows an improvement in ties. Davutoglu acknowledged on Saturday that Iran and Turkey differ on Syria, but said cooperation was necessary to end the bloodshed there. He said Turkey and Iran hope to expand their trade to $30 billion, triple the current amount. The issue of transferring the S-300 missile system to Iran is a prime example of Russian uncertainty. Tehran and Moscow signed an $800 million contract for the S-300s in Dec. 2007, and another contract last year. The office of Russian President Vladimir Putin published a decree lifting the ban on the missile transfer when he visited Tehran in November. The transfer was supposed to have taken place at the end of 2015 or in early 2016, but this has not yet happened. The disappointed Iranians are perhaps waiting for the results of the next round of Syria talks before confronting Moscow.
The nuclear deal may have placed greater importance on the economy than on air-defense capability. As such, boosting trade and economic ties with Turkey suits the pragmatic government of Iranian President Hassan Rowhani more than military cooperation with Russia. Tehran and Ankara are moving closer.

If Operation Decisive Storm hadn't been
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/March 10/16
In few days, it will be exactly one year since Saudi Arabia declared Operation Decisive Storm. Saudi King Salman has led the battles against the evil lurking in the region. The Iranians and those affiliated with them thought they could besiege Saudi Arabia from the north and south, and they rest reassured as they counted on the Saudis' wisdom; however, they've misread their patience. The strong Saudi army and the Saudi-led alliance prevented countless evil plots. Speeches against this Saudi-led alliance have not stopped ever since it launched its operation in Yemen. Hezbollah militia leader Hassan Nasrallah rarely delivered speeches; however, he's been making more speeches ever since. He even delivers boring and long speeches like three times a week in an attempt to conceal the ill practices he stained his hands with. Ten years ago, Hezbollah was cheerful by the deceitful thought of the "resistance" when it triggered a confrontation with Israel and thousands of innocent Lebanese people fell victims as a result of its adventure. Decisiveness thus came to put an end to rogue states and threatening militias. Decisiveness strengthened legitimacy in Yemen and it's on the path of solidifying it. It restored hope to the Yemenis and organized Gulf work to confront Iranian aggression. Imagine how Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani would have moved in Yemen and planned to target our country if King Salman had not decided to launch the Decisive Storm Operation? So if we hadn't been safe from the Hezbollah members training illegitimate Yemeni armed forces on targeting our country, how would it have been without King Salman's decisiveness?

Open letter to our American friends
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor//Al Arabiya/March 10/16
I have always been a great admirer of the United States. America’s achievements in the fields of science, technology, aviation, exploration, economy and medicine have been second to none. A world without your country’s pioneering can-do spirit and innovation would be one minus life-changing electric light bulbs, skyscrapers, airplanes, photographic film and smart phones. Our children have been enriched by the education they have received in your finest colleges and universities and, most importantly, you have generously given more than any nation to the world’s poor and dispossessed.
I salute America’s status as the leader of the free world and a champion of civil liberties and acknowledge that many of its presidents, such as Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, have been exemplary statesmen in terms of their contributions to peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, George W. Bush made unforgivable foreign policy blunders impacting the Middle East, while President Barack Obama broke promises and proved not to be up to the task. He is widely criticized for watering down America’s global influence by leading from behind. The community of nations needs America to remain “a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere,” as Reagan always emphasized.
However, my fear is that out of disillusionment with the political establishment, a section of the US voting public is falling under the sway of inappropriate candidates with extreme positions and vulgar turns of phrase. If the unimaginable happens, America will lose its credibility along with many of its traditional allies. I have always naively believed that presidential candidates were thoroughly screened in terms of background, family ties, colleagues and friends. It appears they are not. Sad to say, among the current front runners, there is no one with impressive, impeccable credentials representing the concerns and ambitions of all. Worse, the Republican camp, in particular, is sorely lacking. GOP debates are devolved into entertaining slanging matches with rivals launching personal attacks on one another to grab the media spotlight.
I salute America’s status as the leader of the free world and a champion of civil liberties and acknowledge that many of its presidents have been exemplary statesmen in terms of their contributions to peace and prosperity
There is not one candidate with sufficient dignity or gravitas required to become America’s Commander-in-Chief, certainly not those attempting to capitalize on the politics of fear, which is why Republican elites are in panic mode fearing their party will be stained for decades to come. As the New York Post recently reported, “Exasperated Republicans” are “vowing to quit the party, vote for Hillary Clinton, or cast a protest vote”. Party seniors such as former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney, Senator John McCain and Senator Lindsey Graham are shocked and angry. McCain wants voters to “think long and hard”. I would second that appeal. This is not a game or a television series. You, the good people of America, hold not only your future but the future of the world in your hands. You, and you alone, have the power to make America great again which cannot happen as long as it is walled-in in more ways than one.
Clinton’s baggage
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton does carry certain baggage on her shoulders due to her private email server, but she has apologized for that mistake. At least she comes with diplomatic experience and a record of holding high office as Secretary of State. She has an incisive understanding of international affairs and is respected by heads of state. Her competitor Bernie Sanders is scandal free and is a fiery advocate of America’s values. They have been battling each other respectfully and the latest news is that Ms Clinton sees him as “an ally” to take on the Republicans. “I hope to win the nomination,” she said. “If I am so fortunate I hope to work with [Bernie Sanders] because of the issues he’s raised, the passion he has demonstrated, the people he has attracted…” Playing to each other’s strengths, together they would make a fine team.
Hillary Clinton, a successful lawyer was an excellent First Lady and a hands-on Secretary of State. She has dedicated her career to serving her country and possesses the wisdom, knowledge and stature to be at the helm steering a safe course through any troubled waters without resorting to bigotry, racism or fear mongering. Do not be influenced by the allegations against her. Let those be sorted out through legal channels. In any event, when one compares her mistakes to the threats posed by Republicans, they pale into insignificance. If her achievements were set against her errors on credit and debit columns, her credit would vastly overshadow her debit. She is not perfect. No one is. But she has a record that is tried and true and for that reason I consider her to be the best person for the Oval Office. As they say, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t!
You might ask What is this to you, an Arab citizen of the United Arab Emirates? What business is it of yours to advise us on our pick? I have no legal right. I cannot turn up at the ballot box on 8 November to cast my vote. But I have every right to express my opinion because choices made by past presidents and the current incumbent have rearranged the geopolitical deckchairs in my part of the world. Iraq was invaded and promised democracy before it fell into Iran’s sphere of influence. The Syrian people have been abandoned to regime barrel bombs, Hezbollah’s firepower and so many terrorist groups it is hard to remember their names. And now Tehran is over $100bn richer thanks to President Obama’s terrible deal and is being courted by the US and Europe in spite of the threat it poses to the region. All I can do is appeal to you, the voters, to sit quietly, take a deep breath and ponder on all the pros and cons of each candidate. Do not get caught up in hysteria or in the cult of personality. Your country is worth more. Forget such labels as Democrat and Republican. You are privileged to belong to one of the greatest countries on earth; the United States of America. Put aside partisanship. You are all Americans and if you listen carefully to your hearts and minds, the world will be celebrating with you on Friday, 20 January 2017 when the next president is scheduled be inaugurated.

Iran's Cash for Murder: Why is the UK Silent?
Douglas Murray/Gatestone Institute/March 10/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7566/iran-murder-bounty

The Iranian distribution of cash to families of terrorists is an open incitement to an ongoing campaign of murder. It should by now have not only been condemned by the whole world, but have caused a colossal rethink among the P5+1 nations that signed the ill-judged accord with Iran.
It is worth considering another recent Iranian development: the decision -- allegedly by a conglomeration of media outlets, but hardly able to be separated from the government in a country whose press is more "government" than "free" -- to increase the cash-bounty on the head of the British novelist Salman Rushdie.
The British government has been strangely mute on the matter. The "normalised" relations with Iran were meant to lead to business opportunities for Britain and an increase in decent behavior from Tehran. Instead, the first major test of Iranian-British relations in several decades turns out to be precisely the same test that the late Ayatollah Khomeini drew up in 1989.
Last year, when America, Britain and four other countries (the P5+1) signed their joint plan of action with Iran there was no shortage of people who warned of the consequences. They warned that the deal would merely delay rather than prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear-armed power. They warned of the increased grip the mullahs would have on the country they purport to govern. And in particular, those not caught up in the P5+1 jubilation warned of what Iran would do with the tens of billions of dollars' cash bonanza it would receive once the deal was done. Would Iran use this windfall solely to improve the lives of its people? Or might it spend at least a portion of this cash doing what it has been doing for nearly four decades: that is, spreading terror?
There have already been some signs that the ill-judged deal is embedding Iran's worst behaviour rather than elevating the regime to any higher behavioral level.
In recent days we have learned that Iran is already planning to use its windfall to encourage Palestinian terror against the State of Israel. Speaking at the end of last month, the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon used a press conference with a number of Palestinian factions to announce a new bounty-scheme to be sponsored by Iran. This scheme promises to reward financially those who carry out terror against Israel. The reward includes -- according to the Iranian ambassador -- a payment of $7,000 to the families of suicide bombers and other terrorists who die in the process of attacking any Israeli. And it also includes a promised payment of $30,000 to any terrorists' families whose homes are destroyed by the Israel Defense Forces. The demolition of the home of a terrorist's family house is one of the only disincentives that Israel or any other country could think of to dissuade people intent on suicide attacks. Now the Iranian government is trying to re-incentivise anyone who might wish to commit such an attack.
Speaking in Beirut, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Mathali, said, "Continuing Iran's support for the oppressed Palestinian people, Iran announces the provision of financial aid to families of Palestinian martyrs who were killed in the 'Jerusalem Intifada.'" He is apparently referring to the lone-wolf knife-attack type of terrorism that has killed and wounded dozens of Israelis in recent months. As such, the Iranian distribution of cash is an open incitement to an ongoing campaign of murder. It should by now have not only been condemned by the whole world, but have caused a colossal rethink among the P5+1 nations that signed the ill-judged accord with Iran. But of course, Israel is always put in a different league in the stakes of international terror. Target Israelis and the "justifications" fly, and explanations deceitfully fill the air of why terrorism against Israelis is not quite the same as other terrorism.
So it is worth considering another Iranian development of recent days. Which is the decision -- allegedly by a conglomeration of media outlets, but hardly able to be separated from the government in a country whose press is more "government" than "free" -- to increase the cash bounty on the head of British novelist Salman Rushdie. The announcement was that an additional $600,000 had been added to the existing cash reward for whoever kills the author of a novel, The Satanic Verses. It is a cash-incentive to murder that was first issued twenty-seven years ago by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Iran's then Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini put a cash bounty on the head of British novelist Salman Rushdie 27 years ago. Last month, a group of Iranian media outlets added $600,000 to the cash reward.
The additional bounty has been condemned by human rights activists and free speech defenders in the West such as Richard Dawkins and PEN.
But the British government has been strangely mute on the matter. It is strange because last summer when, against absolutely no public or political push-back in the UK, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond signed Britain up to the P5+1 agreement, there was only official rejoicing over what our signature would do. Such "normalised" relations with Iran were meant to lead to business opportunities for Britain and an increase in decent behavior from Tehran. Instead, the first major test of Iranian-British relations in several decades turns out to be precisely the same test that the late Ayatollah Khomeini drew up in 1989. Certainly there are politicians of the right and left, including those who have themselves been "incentivised" by Iran, who have predicted a new dawn in relations between the two countries. But does it really it look as though, on the matter of whether or not a British novelist can be sentenced to death by a cleric in Iran, we are going to have to pretend to agree to disagree?
Britain's silence on this matter is a shameful position for the government of any civilised country to find itself in, just as the silence on the terror being spread against Israel is a shameful position for the civilised world to find itself in. But in these twin events we can already see the Iran deal's early results. The deal has done nothing to civilise a barbarian regime. All it has done is to spread that regime's barbarism around what used to be the civilised world.
*Douglas Murray, a leading British news analyst and commentator, is based in London.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved

IRGC commander: We are not pulling troops from Syria
Arash Karami/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
Russia’s entrance into the Syrian civil war in September began a large-scale offensive coordinated among Russia, the Syrian army, Hezbollah and Iranian forces against armed organizations opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The number of Iranian casualties has since dramatically increased, and Western media have speculated about how long Tehran would continue to send what it calls “advisers” to the frontlines. At a March 9 press conference, Amir Ali Haji-Zadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, rejected all notions about troop withdrawals. Haji-Zadeh said, “We are with the people of Syria, but the rate of our help to the government and people of Syria is based on the request of the government of Bashar al-Assad.” He added that there has been no suspension in deploying troops to Syria. Haji-Zadeh called the press conference to discuss the IRGC’s highly publicized testing of ballistic missiles that day. According to Haji-Zadeh, the missiles were launched from the Alborz Mountains, in the north, and traveled approximately 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) to the southeast of the country. Haji-Zadeh, IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jaffari and deputy IRGC commander Hossein Salami were present at the launches, the second such tests in two days.
US officials have said they plan to respond to the missile tests. It is possible they will apply sanctions against individuals or companies working on Iran's ballistic missiles. UN Security Council Resolution 1929 (2010) prohibits Iran from activities involving ballistic missile technology.
Based on Haji-Zadeh’s comments at the press conference, the IRGC is already expecting a US reaction. “However much the enemy increases pressure and sanctions, the response of the IRGC will be increased,” he said. “After the nuclear deal, the enemy has targeted Iran’s national security, and the sanctions are meant to weaken Iran.” The launches were Iran’s first ballistic missile tests since the Jan. 16 “implementation day” for the nuclear deal. The Fars News Agency wrote that the tests “were a clear answer” to actions taken to counter Iran’s defensive capabilities. One day after implementation day, the United States sanctioned 11 people and companies affiliated with Iran’s ballistic missile program. When asked if ballistic missiles were being developed with Israel in mind, Haji-Zadeh said, “The Zionist regime is at the end of the line, and its life will not be long.” He added, however, “I believe that to get rid of the Zionist regime, missiles are not necessary, and over time, they will collapse and fall.” The notation “Israel will be wiped from the pages of time” was written in Hebrew on the missiles.
Haji-Zadeh stressed that Iran would not start a war, but that its leaders take its enemies seriously. He said, “[The] evils of the Zionist regime are clear for everyone, [and] the reason for designs of missiles with a 2,000-kilometer range is because of [Israel].” He also asserted, however, “Our primary enemy is America.”  The press conference was not without some of the partisan mockery that perhaps exemplifies the two competing political directions in the country. Before the launch, reporters and commanders posed in front of a missile. One IRGC commander reportedly said, “Some take pictures with a French Airbus, but we take pictures with Iranian domestic products that are a source of Iranian pride and dignity.” The comment was in reference to a photo that went viral showing a group of Iranians posing in front of an Airbus at the Mehrabad airport. With the lifting of sanctions as a result of the efforts of President Hassan Rouhani's administration, Iran is scheduled to buy more than 100 Airbus passenger planes. Some have criticized the individuals for taking part in the picture, accusing them of acting as if it were the first automobile to arrive in the country.

Has IS established foothold in Jordan?
Jordanians on edge/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
Jordanians are still reeling from the shock of a dramatic security operation undertaken March 2 in the northern city of Irbid. The predawn, hourslong raid on a cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) resulted in special forces killing seven extremists wearing explosive belts. The government's action followed the arrest of 13 suspects earlier in the day. One Jordanian security officer was killed and five others were injured in the operation. Jordanians are still reeling from the shock of a dramatic security operation undertaken March 2 in the northern city of Irbid. The predawn, hourslong raid on a cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) resulted in special forces killing seven extremists wearing explosive belts. The government's action followed the arrest of 13 suspects earlier in the day. One Jordanian security officer was killed and five others were injured in the operation. This was the first confrontation in the kingdom with an armed group associated with IS since Jordan joined the international coalition fighting the Salafist jihadist organization in September 2014. In a March 2 statement, the General Intelligence Department said that the seven men killed in Irbid were planning to carry out attacks on military and civil targets in the kingdom.
The government has released very little information on the incident, leaving many questions unanswered. On March 3, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani told the official Jordan Radio and Television Corporation, “Initial information indicates that all the slain cell members were Jordanian nationals.” Those arrested were being interrogated and will be tried before the State Security Court, official sources said.
The incident has shifted the public's attention to the threat that IS and other such extremist groups pose on the domestic front. Since IS emerged in 2013 in Iraq and Syria, two countries with long borders with Jordan, fears have focused on the possibility of militants crossing into the kingdom to carry out attacks.
According to political commentator Fahd al-Khitan, at least one of the dead militants had recently returned from Syria. In his March 5 column for the daily Al-Ghad, Khitan pondered whether the Irbid operation indicates that IS has established a Jordanian branch or whether the cell members were unaffiliated people sympathetic to the group’s ideology. According to experts on Islamist movements, local jihadist leaders view Jordan as a route into Syria, not a final destination for fighters and operatives. Commentator Hussein al-Rawashdeh told Al-Monitor that given the details involving the Irbid raid, “We are facing a dangerous development that goes beyond dealing with sleeper cells. We don’t know if this cell was independent from the group in Raqqa [IS’ proclaimed capital in Syria] or if IS has infiltrated our society and has organized sympathizers to carry out orders.” According to Rawashdeh, there are some 7,000 Salafist jihadis in Jordan, of which 2,000 are sympathetic to IS and at least 1,300 are fighting with Jabhat al-Nusra or IS. He added, “The dogma is more dangerous than the actual [IS] organization, and that is why I ask again: What have we done to confront this menace?” In conclusion, Rawashdeh said that there is a need to form a “national coalition” to defeat IS' ideology and prevent it from spreading. An investigative report published March 2 by the Jordanian website 7iber.com found that jihadis backing IS have been active for years in the Palestinian refugee camp in Irbid. According to the report, one of IS' staunchest supporters, Abu Mohammed al-Tahawi, an Irbid resident, is in administrative custody. He had been arrested in 2015 after pledging allegiance to IS' leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In October 2014, one of Tahawi's lieutenants, Omar Mahdi Zaidan, crossed the border from Irbid into Syria, where he is now a cleric, in Raqqa, the report said.
The thought of IS sleeper cells is troubling to Jordanians. Over the past five years, authorities have stepped up border security as hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees crossed into Jordan. Recently, Amman has been preventing an estimated 27,000 refugees from northern Syria from entering the kingdom on security grounds. Today, there are about 1.5 million Syrians in Jordan, 600,000, of whom are registered as refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Amid the local debate on the danger of the Salafist jihadis' dogma, Mohammad Abu Rumman, an expert on Islamist organizations, told Al-Monitor that he had previously warned of the growing influence of pro-IS jihadis, especially in Irbid and the refugee camps close to it. “Divisions among leaders of Salafist jihadist groups in Jordan mean nothing,” said Abu Rumman. “Those who are against IS, like Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada, have less influence today than Tahawi and Zaidan. The latter was able to recruit young Jordanians into the militant group, and what is dangerous is that many of these recruits are university graduates while others belong to the middle class.” Abu Rumman added, “In the past, recruits traveled to IS-controlled areas [in Syria], but what we are seeing now [following the Irbid incident] is that they are becoming active locally.” Indeed, Salafist jihadist groups have been active in Jordan for years, and some experts believe they were tolerated by the government. Rawashdeh said that previous governments “looked the other way and even supported these groups to stem the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the political arena.” He believes that as a result, IS' ideology has spread within society to point that it is too late to confront it.
There is now consensus among commentators and government officials that in addition to dealing with Salafist jihadis with an iron fist, a new strategy is needed to combat their dogma in schools, universities, mosques and other parts of society. Commenting on the need for new strategies, columnist Musa Keilani wrote March 5 in the Jordan Times that the government has neglected the “cyber warfare that is used to recruit through what is called online indoctrination, [whereby] more Jordanians are converted into jihadist Salafists, capitalizing on their unemployment, frustration and despair.” Talking to editors of local newspapers on March 3, King Abdullah highlighted the importance of the media's help in countering radical ideology “to safeguard present and future generations.”Following the Irbid operation, one expert on Islamist groups, Marwan Shihadah, believes that IS has set its sights on destabilizing Jordan. “They have changed their strategy and made use of the fact that the government was focusing on weakening the Muslim Brotherhood,” Shihadah told Al-Monitor. “They also benefitted from the fact that young Jordanians are battling unemployment and bad economic conditions, which allowed them to infiltrate our society.”The Irbid raid has raised anxiety over the danger that Salafist jihadis present to national security, but the success of the security forces in exposing the cell and preventing it from carrying out terrorist activities has also reassured the public that when it comes to safeguarding Jordan, the intelligence apparatus is vigilant and capable of acting. The big question now is what strategy the government will adopt to confront the Salafist jihadist dogma in the long run.
A correspondent in Jordan
At times, Al-Monitor withholds the bylines of our correspondents for the protection of our authors. Different authors may have written the individual stories identified on this page.

After inviting Israeli ambassador for dinner, Egyptian MP finds himself without a job
Khalid Hassan/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
Some experts are questioning the reasons for, and constitutionality of, the Egyptian parliament's decision to unceremoniously sack a sharp-tongued and controversial member. On March 2, the parliament voted to expel Tawfiq Okasha with the approval of 465 members out of the total 490 members who attended the session. Speaker Ali Abdel Aal announced the vacancy of Okasha’s seat and said elections will be held in the latter’s electoral district. Some described the decision as surprising, especially as Okasha — who was not supported by any coalition or political party in the recent elections — had obtained 94,354 votes in the electoral districts of Talkha and Nabarouh in Dakahlia governorate. On the face of it, Okasha’s membership was revoked for having invited the Israeli ambassador in Cairo, Haim Koren, to dinner at his home Feb. 24. Some parliament members believed the gathering was an act of normalization with Israel for which Okasha had to be sanctioned, ousted from parliament and even brought before courts. Parliamentarian Samir Ghattas spoke to Al-Monitor about the reasons for revoking Okasha’s membership. He said, “This has nothing to do with his meeting with the Israeli ambassador. Several coalitions and parties wanted to get rid of Okasha for having insulted their icons and financiers. For example, members of parliament affiliated with the Nasserite movement, who have adopted the philosophy of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser in terms of state administration, voted to revoke the membership of Okasha, who is a fierce detractor of Abdel Nasser and believes [Nasser] dragged the country into trouble and often criticized him and described him as an opportunist.”
He added, “The members of the Free Egyptians Party also voted on ousting Okasha, who had insulted the party's founder, Naguib Sawiris, and accused him of corruption. The 52 parliament members of Egypt's Nation's Future Party were also among the voters. This party is funded and sponsored by businessman Ahmed Abu Hashima, whom Okasha had insulted live on the air. Okasha was ousted because he has many opponents, and not because he met Israel's ambassador as some claimed.”That statement was backed up by Mustafa al-Faqi, a political analyst and the information affairs secretary of former President Hosni Mubarak. Faqi said Okasha would have gotten high-level permission before inviting the ambassador to dinner. In a March 3 MBC channel talk show called "Yahdoth Fe Masr" ("Happening in Egypt"), Faqi said Okasha would not have dared meet with the Israeli ambassador “without the prior consent of the intelligence service and national security.”
Okasha is infamous for many recent enemy-making incidents. On March 1, Okasha used his Fareen TV show to launch a raucous attack on businessman Ahmad Abu Hashima, the financier of Nation's Future, and described him as a pimp. On March 2, a number of Nasserist activists and some residents of Bani Morr, Nasser's hometown, staged a sit-in at the home of the Nasser's cousin Haj Taha Hussein Khalil to protest Okasha's media attack on Nasser. In various statements, Okasha impugned the late president’s standing and belittled his achievements for Egypt and the Arab world. Okasha also described businessman Naguib Sawiris — the founder of the Free Egyptians Party and winner of the largest number of parliament seats in the last election — as the “leader of the destruction of Egypt” and one of the corrupt figures who stood against the January 25 Revolution, since he was close to former President Hosni Mubarak and one of his sons. Ghattas told Al-Monitor, “This feud [with Okasha] united the parliament members, who agreed on ousting him. But the parliament committed here a constitutional and legal error, since it violated Article 110 of the Egyptian Constitution on the revocation of parliamentary membership, especially as the former member did not violate any of the conditions or obligations set forth on this article.”
Article 110 states that membership may only be revoked if a member has lost the confidence and esteem of his peers, ceases to satisfy any membership condition upon which he was elected or has violated membership duties. Ghattas said this incident was the beginning of the end for the parliament. “I opposed revoking Okasha’s membership so that the parliament does not turn into an arena for settling accounts, because no one is entitled to expel a member without referring him to investigation,” he said. Ghattas explained that such a vote must be based on the recommendation of the investigating committee. A committee was set up to investigate Okasha for insulting the House speaker, but it decided Feb. 29 to merely ban Okasha from attending 10 sessions. “The parliament speaker, however, then called on members to vote on ousting Okasha, which is an unprecedented decision,” he said.
Nour Farahat, a constitutional expert, shares the same opinion. In a Facebook post March 3 (since deleted), he said parliament did not observe the law and the constitution and had violated Article 381 of the legislature’s internal regulations. He added that, in cases of expelling a member, that article requires referring the matter to the Ethics Committee or the Committee on Legislative Affairs for investigation before a vote, and that did not happen. Ghattas told Al-Monitor, “The relationship between Egypt and Israel is based on peace, and this parliament is a peace parliament. The objection raised by some members, who criticized the meeting with the Israeli ambassador, is a mere expression of opinion. The state is at full peace with Israel, and there is cooperation between the two countries in many fields. This is evidenced by the fact that Egypt has deployed troops in Zone C in Sinai in agreement with Israel, which confirms that the relationship between them is based on peace and mutual cooperation." That sentiment was also stressed by the parliament speaker when the parliament expelled Okasha. Aal said, "Parliament respects all international treaties and conventions, including the peace treaty with Israel. The facts that were the subject of investigation have absolutely nothing to do with the ousted parliament member's meeting with the ambassador of Israel, but rather they are related to specific positions that harm Egyptian national security, go beyond the scope of membership in parliament and violate the obligations of a member.”

What's behind IAEA's change in reporting?
Barbara Slavin/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
Since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its first report on Iranian compliance with the landmark nuclear deal, some US nuclear experts, including a former IAEA deputy director, have chafed at the minimal level of detail provided about Iran’s nuclear program. Where in the past IAEA quarterly communications to its Board of Governors often contained a litany of questions about Iran’s activities, including statistics on every gram of enriched uranium and centrifuge rotor in Iran’s possession, the new report offers much less information and is a largely upbeat assessment of Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which went into full implementation on Jan. 16. The minimal level of detail contained in the document, which was leaked on the day it was issued by Washington-based think tank the Institute for Science and International Security, does not mean that the signatories to the JCPOA are kept in the dark about any potential violation. Indeed, members of a joint commission set up to ensure proper implementation of the deal have timely access to information about any potential violations on either side. Asked by Al-Monitor whether the US government gets all the information it needs, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, replied, “Do we get what we need is a very emphatic yes.” Under the agreement, the IAEA monitors all declared Iranian nuclear sites 24/7 through onsite cameras and/or inspectors. The IAEA has estimated that it will spend an additional $10 million a year to implement the JCPOA and Iranian compliance with the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The US government has asked Congress to appropriate more than $190 million in the 2017 fiscal year for the IAEA, which has safeguards agreements with scores of other countries beyond its Iran work.
In addition to the IAEA quarterly reports on Iran, interested governments also have access to their own intelligence agency reports. Outside analysts, however, must largely make do with what the IAEA tells its 35-member Board of Governors. Under an IAEA resolution adopted on Dec. 15, 2015, Director General Yukiya Amano is obliged to provide “written reports before each regular quarterly board meeting on Iran’s implementation of its commitments under the JCPOA and on matters relating to the verification and monitoring in Iran” under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which codified the JCPOA “for the full duration of those commitments, unless the Board decides otherwise.”In the latest report, the IAEA notes that, in one instance, Iran went above an agreed stockpile for so-called heavy water, an essential component for a type of reactor that can produce plutonium. Iran has removed the core of its heavy water reactor, however, and the excess heavy water was shipped out of Iran to the United States, according to the nuclear watchdog agency. Otherwise, the IAEA said, Iran kept to its pledge to have on hand no more than 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to 3.67% and no more than 5,060 centrifuges producing that uranium at a facility at Natanz. Iran has 1044 rudimentary centrifuges at an underground site called Fordow but they are not enriching uranium, the IAEA said.
Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director of the IAEA who has been critical of the agency for closing an investigation into past nuclear weapons work by Iran, criticized the new report for failing to provide figures for the amount of excess enriched uranium Iran sent to Russia. The IAEA report, Heinonen added, also did not give numbers for centrifuge parts in Iran’s inventory. “These components are essential in assessing breakout times, and reinstallation of previously removed advanced centrifuges or installation of new ones can directly affect the one-year breakout time that proponents of the JCPOA maintain it enforces,” Heinonen wrote. “An accounting of this inventory is also important as a baseline for further monitoring.”David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, which publicizes the quarterly IAEA reports, said that by “failing to provide more information about the status of key technical aspects of Iran’s nuclear program and the implementation of its JCPOA commitments to date, the IAEA is withholding vital data about the status of Iran’s nuclear program. It risks undermining public transparency and confidence in the agreement.”
“As an analyst, I always want more detail and information, but I think the IAEA provides enough to demonstrate Iran’s compliance,” Kelsey Davenport, director of nonproliferation programs for the Arms Control Association, told Al-Monitor. “Given the skepticism about past noncompliance, more detail would be helpful.”Amano, queried about the low level of detail in the report at a press conference in Vienna on March 7, said, “Our role is to provide factual, objective reports including the details the agency considers necessary.”Experts acknowledge that the tone as well as the length of the reports has changed as the IAEA has moved from a position of questioning what amounted to a suspected criminal — the agency’s attitude toward Iran since undeclared nuclear facilities were discovered in 2002 — to monitoring what amounts to that country’s nuclear probation. “Amano is correct that the standards for reporting are different under the new UNSC resolution, but I believe he has more discretion about what they decide to put in the quarterly reports,” Daryl Kimball, who directs the Arms Control Association, told Al-Monitor. Kimball said, “In general, the more detail there is, the less likely it is that questions arise about the IAEA's thoroughness. … There is nothing in the deal or in the UNSCR that limits public reporting on possible violations, but rather the current form of reporting may simply make it more difficult than before for outsiders to develop their own assessments.”

Is Iran's Ahmadinejad ready for a comeback?
Saeid Jafari/Al-Monitor/March 10/16
TEHRAN, Iran — When Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stepped aside in 2013 — after eight years in office — it was clear that he had serious plans for his future. In fact, he had indicated this in a TV interview one year before leaving office, by pointing to his possible presence in Iran’s next government. The disqualification of his Vice President, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, from the 2013 presidential race, however, prevented this dream from becoming reality. But despite the disqualification of Mashaei, Ahmadinejad had no intention to leave the stage. Soon, he came up with a special plan for the recently held parliamentary elections. In an interview last year, one of his advisers, Abdolreza Davari, revealed that a 5,000-strong cadre had been trained for parliament during Ahmadinejad's time in office. It also came to light that the former president was holding weekly meetings with his previous ministers and advisers in a building in Velenjak, a district in northern Tehran. One of his foreign policy advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor, “I take part in meetings every Sunday. These sessions are often held on foreign policy issues, but they are not the only meetings. Other individuals in Ahmadinejad’s inner circle hold similar gatherings on different days. Of course, Ahmadinejad had no serious plans for the parliamentary elections from the start, and his mind is on the 2017 presidential poll instead.”The source added, “Once I asked him if he had any plans for directly entering the parliamentary stage. His response was ‘no.’ He said, ‘In government, I was the only person and they created so many problems for us. In parliament, it will be me with 289 other members of parliament. Naturally this will be more difficult.’” Prior to Iran’s Feb. 26 parliamentary elections, Ahmadinejad had predicted that the Principlists would suffer a heavy loss, and that even the Reformists’ third-rate cadres would be able to defeat the Principlists’ weak list of nominees — a prediction that proved to be true.
Meanwhile, a look at the performance of the groups close to Ahmadinejad in the recent parliamentary elections shows they were not lacking a plan either. These groups have managed to get their own candidates elected into parliament through small towns. In fact, 11 of Ahmadinejad's former ministers, advisers, deputies and high-ranking managers have found their way into parliament’s next term through these towns. Indeed, soon after the election results for Tehran were announced, an intense wave of joy and happiness was witnessed among the groups linked to Ahmadinejad. Posters began circulating online, bearing the slogan “The Principlists are nothing without Ahmadinejad.” In addition, numerous articles written by Ahmadinejad’s friends and allies started popping up on different websites, arguing that the main reason for the Principlists’ heavy loss — especially in Tehran — was caused by the fact that they had distanced themselves from the former president — a point that was also stressed by Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad’s former adviser for press affairs. With all the parliamentary leaders of the Principlist movement eradicated in Tehran, analysts began to talk about a Principlist return to Ahmadinejad. Sadegh Zibakalam, an Iranian university professor and analyst said, “The Principlists do not have the power to return to power without Ahmadinejad.”
This idea has, however, not been met warmly within the Principlist movement. In an editorial published on the Khabar Online news website, Mohammad Mohajeri, former editor-in-chief of hard-line newpaper Kayhan, wrote that the main reason that the Principlists lost in the recent parliamentary elections was Ahmadinejad’s first election as president in 2005. Saeed Ajorloo, the editor of the Principlist magazine Mosalas, also referred to the idea of the Principlists turning back to Ahmadinejad as the worst possible thing. Moreover, in another editorial, Hossein Kanani Moghadam, the founder of the Green Party, described the main reason for the Principlist loss in the elections as the cost inflicted on their reputation by Ahmadinejad. Yet despite all this, one should not forget that Ahmadinejad is good at playing the political game — especially when it comes to the public. By relying on this strength alone, he has managed to get his people into the next parliament, while the Principlists have failed to even predict the defeat that was awaiting them. It is possible that Ahmadinejad is now preparing to enter the 2017 presidential race himself, which could pit him against incumbent President Hassan Rouhani. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the foreign policy adviser to Ahmadinejad told Al-Monitor, “I once told Ahmadinejad that it was unlikely that he would get votes and that it is best that he forget about the presidency. He got upset and told me that I only saw Tehran and other big cities, while he enjoyed high popularity in smaller towns.” Except for Abolhassan Bani Sadr, the first president after the 1979 Islamic Revolution who was impeached by parliament less than two years into his term, all other presidents in the history of the Islamic Republic have served two terms in office. Based on this and the high voter turnout in the recent parliamentary elections — an indication of public satisfaction with Rouhani’s performance — it will be somewhat risky for Ahmadinejad to enter the 2017 presidential race, in which he would likely have to run against Rouhani, who has the success of the nuclear negotiations behind him.
Thus, maybe it is best for Ahmadinejad that he wait another four years and instead run in the 2021 presidential vote. However, some analysts believe that Ahmadinejad’s actions show that he does not intend to wait. Others believe that his tendency to go against the norm — such as his 11-day sulk in 2011 when he refused to show up for work after failing to dismiss his minister of intelligence, or his insistence on supporting Mashaei despite strong criticism from the Principlists as well as clerics — will prompt the establishment to prevent his return. Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian journalist and economist, told Al-Monitor, “Whether the establishment allows Ahmadinejad to return or not is not important. We have to prevent this ourselves by closing the holes through which he could return, such as manipulating the weaker [social] class and the economically vulnerable and pulling them toward him, something that Mr. Rouhani has until now managed to do well.”