LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 03/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.may03.16.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
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Bible Quotations For Today
Let us also go, that we may die with
Lazarus
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11/01-16.:"Now a certain man
was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was
the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her
brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom
you love is ill.’But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead
to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified
through it.’Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,
after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place
where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea
again.’The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone
you, and are you going there again?’Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours
of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the
light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is
not in them.’After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if
he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’Jesus, however, had been speaking
about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then
Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not
there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called
the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with
him."’
Beware of the dogs, beware of
the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh
Letter to the Philippians
03/01-12:"Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write the
same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the
flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God
and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh even though I,
too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be
confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of
the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to
the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness
under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard
as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because
of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I
may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that
comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the
righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of
his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his
death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have
already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."
Pope Francis's Tweet
For Today
There is the grave problem of labour, because of the high rate of young adults
unemployed, but also for the issue of the dignity of work.
إن مشكلة العمل خطيرة بسبب ارتفاع مُعدَّل البطالة بين الشباب ولأنها تتعلّق أيضًا
بكرامة العمل
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on May 03/16
Shi’ite Lebanese Journalist, Hannan Al-Sabbar: I Renounce The Shi’ite Sect; Hizbullah Is ‘Immoral, Murderous/MEMRI/May 02/16
Syria – What is Russia up to Now/Eyad
Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/May 02/16
Iran’s army chief takes command in Syria/DEBKAfile Exclusive Report May 02/16
Egyptian Dhimmitude: Christian Official Lures Child Back to Muslim Grandfather
and Orders Her to “Remove the Cross”/Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/May
02/16
Europe's Migration Crisis: No End in Sight/Judith Bergman/Gatestone
Institute/May 02/16
Reza Moridi: The Changing Faces of an Iranian-Canadian MPP/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone
Institute/May 02/16
Sisi moves into damage control following island transfer uproar/Albaraa
Abdullah/Al-Monitor/May 02/16
Aleppo on verge of decisive battle/Al-Monitor/Al-Monitor/May 02/16
What Iran’s first non-oil trade surplus means for its economy/Maysam Bizær/Al-Monitor/May
02/16
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 03/16
Shi’ite Lebanese Journalist, Hannan
Al-Sabbar: I Renounce The Shi’ite Sect; Hizbullah Is ‘Immoral, Murderous’
Former MP Nouhad Soaid Passes Away
Hariri-Geagea Meeting Emphasizes Alliance in Municipal Elections
Shehayyeb Affirms: Waste Plan on Right Track
Qaouq: Saudi Chiefly Responsible for Ongoing Aleppo Massacres
Hariri Meets Matar, Audeh, Stresses Fair Representation at Beirut Municipal
Polls
Arsal Municipal Chief Asks for Postponement of Town Elections
Zasypkin Meets Hariri: Russia Continues Endeavors to Help Lebanon Elect
President
Rifi: Quotas are inacceptable
Hariri visits Bishop Matar, confirms importance of parity in Beirut elections
Hussein Moussawi: To remain alert against strife attempts
Lebanese Army shells gunmen at Arsal slopes
'Zahle Deserves' List announced
Ministry of the Interior instructed public workers to toe official ministry line
during municipal elections
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 03/16
Walid Phares, : foreign policy
adviser: Trump willing to strengthen alliances
Jubeir: Syrian govt committing war crimes in Aleppo
Iran to grant citizenship to families of foreign ‘martyrs’
Drones, Turkish artillery hit ISIS in Syria, 34 dead
Mall arrest after suicide vest mistake
PKK splinter group claims suicide attack in Turkey’s Bursa
Due to territorial losses, ISIS ‘boosting attacks’
Iraqis end Green Zone protests after issuing demands
Attack on Aleppo hospital is a “war crime”
7000 industrial units in Iran have been closed down
IRAN: Khamenei appoints new personal representative in Syria
U.S. in Desperate Bid to Save Syria Truce as Aleppo Bombed
First U.S. Cruise Ship in Half-Century Docks in Cuba
Saudi minister confirms warning on proposed US law on 9/11
Links From
Jihad Watch Site for
May 03/16
Islamic State attacks in Iraq and Syria at highest level since
2014
Russia: Explosives found in illegal mosque, detonated by authorities
Islamic Jihad delegation visits Iran to discuss ways to strengthen intifada
U.S. Muslims recruiting for Islamic State in Syria killed in airstrike
Australia: Barriers installed to shield synagogues against jihad terror attacks
UK columnist: Labour’s Jew-hatred is cynical bid for Muslim votes
UK: Muslim Labour Party pol says Israelis “drink Gaza’s blood”
UK: Pro-jihad terror cleric defends anti-Semitic Labour Party leaders
UK: Muslim appears in court over Syria violent jihad plans
Florida: Muslim plotted to bomb synagogue during Passover
Just wait till I win my Golden Globe and I yell, ‘Allahu akbar!
France refused Israeli tech that could have foiled Paris jihad massacre
Montreal: Muslim teen arrested for jihad terror offenses — again
Muslim leader: Negative perceptions of Islam cause distress to
Muslims living in France
Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 03/16
Shi’ite Lebanese Journalist, Hannan
Al-Sabbar: I Renounce The Shi’ite Sect; Hizbullah Is ‘Immoral, Murderous’
MEMRI/May 2, 2016 Special
Dispatch No.6408
In response to the massive attack of the
Syrian regime and its allies on the city of Aleppo in the last few days, in
which over 200 people have already been killed, Shi’ite Lebanese journalist
Hannan Al-Sabbar penned a scathing article in which she renounced Hizbullah as
well as the Shi’ite sect that follows it blindly. Al-Sabbar, who is known for
her criticism of Hizbullah, especially since it joined the war in Syria, wrote
on the news website newlebanon.info that Hizbullah was an “immoral and
murderous” organization that was deviating from God’s path and from the path of
the fathers of the Shi’a. She compared the events in Aleppo to the battle of
Karbala in 680 CE, between the supporters of the Prophet’s grandson, Hussein bin
‘Ali, and the supporters of the first Umayyad caliph, Yazid I, which is a
seminal event in the history of Shi’ite Islam.
The following are excerpts from her article:
Aftermath of airstrike in Aleppo (image: al-Arabiya.net, April 26, 2016)
“I am a Shi’ite from South [Lebanon, the stronghold] of the resistance [i.e.,
Hizbullah], and I used to be proud of this. [In the past] I never thought that
the resistance was wrong or would ever be wrong, and I staunchly defended the
beliefs of my society and my surroundings. I did not know that a day [would
come] when I would renounce [my] society, my blind sect and the party [Hizbullah,]
which I have condemned since it became involved in the Syrian crisis.
“Today I asked myself: where is the conscience of the ‘resistance’ when it comes
to the children [of Aleppo]? How can we be the party of God [Hizbullah] when we
do not obey God’s directives? Every morning, I went over the reports [from
Aleppo], trying to find even one piece of proof that Assad has the right to do
what he is doing – but I found only words filled with sadness and grief over
loved ones killed in the airstrikes. I found only the tears of an old man
calling on Muhammad’s nation to help him, and a young man who insists on his
honor and declares, ‘we stay here. This is our land, not the Russians’ or the
Americans.’
“This loyalty to the land, despite the crisis these residents of Aleppo are
experiencing, filled me with embarrassment and caused me to wonder what was the
source of this loyalty to a city that is nearly in ruins… [At that point] I
finally decided to revolt and take off the false mantle of Shi’ism, for my
Zainab[1] would not allow the women of Aleppo to become the Zainabs of this age,
and my Imams, ‘Ali and Hussein,[2] would not want the children of Aleppo to
become the ‘Abdallah al-Radhi’ of this age.[3]
“If [the battle of] Karbala is being waged all over again by those who hide
behind a mantle of piety, then [Hizbullah] is immoral and murderous and I cannot
but say: Aleppo, I feel shame towards you and I hereby renounce the Shi’a and
the party [Hizbullah] that supports the one who is destroying you.’”
Endnotes:
[1] The granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad and daughter of ‘Ali, who was
taken hostage in the battle of Karbala.
[2] ‘Ali bin abi Talib, the fourth caliph, and his son Hussein, who was killed
in the battle of Karbala.
[3] ‘Abdallah, the son of Hussein and the grandson of ‘Ali, was killed in the
battle of Karbala when he was only six months old.
Former MP Nouhad Soaid Passes Away
Naharnet/May 02/16/Former lawmaker Nouhad Soaid passed away on Monday.
The mother of former MP and March 14 General Secretariat coordinator, Fares
Soaid, was elected to parliament in 1996.Born in Qartaba in the Jbeil district
in 1932, she studied law at Saint Joseph University.LBCI television said she
died at Hotel Dieu de France Hospital.
Hariri-Geagea Meeting
Emphasizes Alliance in Municipal Elections
Naharnet/May 02/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri met with Lebanese
Forces leader Samir Geaega where talks highlighted the necessity to elect a
president and the need to unite efforts between the two parties in the upcoming
municipal elections, Hariri's media office said on Monday. The meeting took
place late on Sunday in the Center House in the presence of Lebanese Forces
media officer Melhem Riach and Hariri's adviser Ghattas Khoury. The meeting was
an occasion to reaffirm the alliance between Mustaqbal and the Lebanese Forces
in the Beirut municipal elections, and to coordinate their efforts in other
regions, the statement said. The four-stage municipal elections will start in
Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermel districts on May 8, while the elections in Mount
Lebanon will be held on May 15. Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh are set
for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29. Discussions also highlighted
the repercussions of the vacuum at the top state post on Lebanon's economic,
political, and social levels. They emphasized that it affects Lebanon's immunity
and capability to confront crises. Ways to reactivate the March 14 alliance were
also tackled. Later during the day, LBCI quoted Hariri as saying: “Although
there are some differences with Geagea, the strong relations between the LF and
Mustaqbal will continue.” At the regional level, Hariri and Geagea denounced the
“war of extermination waged by the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad on
civilians in Aleppo and they considered it an epitome of terrorism,” concluded
the statement.
Shehayyeb Affirms: Waste Plan
on Right Track
Naharnet/May 02/16/Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb assured on Monday that
the trash management plan is going smoothly and slammed reports claiming that it
is going in circles and is doomed to fail. “The waste management plan is going
the right way contrary to what some people think. The plan was initially put in
order to prevent the crisis from reverting,” he told the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily
in an interview. Shehayyeb stated that the “Naameh landfill will be closed
permanently on the due date and will not receive trash from the villages of
Shouf or Aley or any other region.” “A large part of the crisis in Beirut,
Keserwan and Metn has been resolved, including parts of Shouf and Aley. We still
have sections of upper Aley, Shouf and Iqlim al-Kharroub where we are setting up
two large spaces where we can package the waste before it is transported.” On
the landfills of Bourj Hammoud and that of Costa Brava, the Agriculture Minister
said that the efforts are ongoing to prepare these two landfills to receive the
waste after the closure of the Naameh landfill. He concluded: “Beirut, which
produces around 500 tons of garbage on a daily basis, will be free of old and
new garbage this week.” Lebanon's unprecedented trash management crisis erupted
in July 2015 after the closure of the Naameh landfill, which was receiving the
waste of Beirut and Mount Lebanon. The crisis, which sparked unprecedented
protests against the entire political class, has seen streets, forests and
riverbanks overflowing with waste and the air filled with the smell of rotting
and burning garbage. On March 12, the cabinet decided to establish two landfills
in Costa Brava and Bourj Hammoud and to reactivate the Naameh landfill for two
months as part of a four-year plan to resolve the country’s waste problem
despite the rejection of many residents and civil society activists.
Qaouq: Saudi Chiefly
Responsible for Ongoing Aleppo Massacres
Naharnet/May 02/16/Deputy head of Hizbullah Sheikh Nabil Qaouq held on Monday
Saudi Arabia responsible for the ongoing conflict in Syria, accusing it of being
the main backer of takfiri and al-Qaida-linked groups, reported the National
News Agency. He said: “The Saudi regime is chiefly responsible for the ongoing
bloody massacres taking place in Aleppo.”It has funded and armed all branches of
al-Qaida and the takfiri groups, he explained. Saudi Arabia does not want to
achieve peace in Syria, but it wants to keep on fueling strife, he added. “It is
no secret that Syria's al-Qaida affiliate is armed with Saudi weapons that did
not make their way to the Lebanese army, but landed in the hands of the takfiris,”
stressed the Hizbullah official. He reiterated the party's accusations that
Riyadh is stoking conflicts in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria, “while Israel is sitting
comfortably.”“Israel fears Hizbullah, but it does not fear the al-Nusra Front or
Islamic State groups that are at its border in the Golan Heights.”“Saudi Arabia
is not concerned with Israel's weapons or its occupation or aggression, but it
fears the defeat of takfiris in Syria.”“The day in which Lebanon will become
bound to Saudi Arabia's intentions will never arrive and neither will Syria fall
in the hands of takfiri gangs.” “We will keep on pursuing these gangs, because
this is how we will serve our nation.” “Syria's fall in the hands of takfiris
will present a danger to Lebanon's national security and Saudi Arabia's regional
policies are a danger to the Arab, Islamic, and Lebanese security,” warned
Qaouq.Riyadh earlier this year halted a grant worth billions of dollars to
provide weapons to the Lebanese army due to Hizbullah's virulent stances against
the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's abstention from voting for Arab
resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran.
Saudi Arabia also urged its citizens against traveling to Lebanon. The countries
of the Arab gulf later issued similar warnings and also labeled Hizbullah as a
“terrorist group over its meddling in the affairs of Arab states.”
Hariri Meets Matar, Audeh,
Stresses Fair Representation at Beirut Municipal Polls
Naharnet/May 02/16/Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri warned on
Monday against violating the rules of fair representation at the upcoming
municipal polls in Beirut. He said: “Fair representation is a red line for us.”
“We urge all sides to vote in favor of just representation that was adopted by
former Premier Rafik Hariri,” stated the lawmaker after meeting Beirut Maronite
Bishop Boulos Matar on the occasion of Easter. The two officials also addressed
efforts to resolve the presidential vacuum in the country, reported Voice of
Lebanon radio (100.5). For his part, Matar echoed the MP's call to respect fair
representation at the elections, which are scheduled for Sunday. “Beirut is part
of this moderation and we support former PM Rafik Hariri's stances,” he
stressed. Earlier, Hariri had held talks with Greek Orthodox Archbishop of
Beirut Elias Audeh. Audeh on Sunday had hoped that the municipal elections would
pave the way “to restoring democracy in Lebanon,” which would in turn result in
electing a new head of state.
Arsal Municipal Chief Asks for Postponement of Town Elections
Naharnet/May 02/16/The municipal chief of the northeastern town of Arsal Ali al-Hujeiri,
voiced calls on Monday for the postponement of the municipal elections in the
town, citing the unstable security situation and polling stations that have been
situated in remote areas, the Kuwaiti al-Anba daily reported. “The security
situation in Arsal does not allow the election process, particularly since the
Interior Ministry has set, in collaboration with the Lebanese army, six polling
stations two of which are four kilometers away from the residence of voters,
which will affect their enthusiasm,” he told the newspaper in an interview.
“Each moment Arsal is subject to a bloody setback,” he added. “Elections in
Arsal are not as easy as believed. Although the Lebanese army is deterring armed
groups and terrorists from advancing into the outskirts, but fears linger over
vehicles and motorcycles that roam the town with strangers on board. The latest
bloody incident that led to the death of several armed intruders is
evidence.”Arsal lies 12 kilometers from the border with Syria and has been used
as a conduit for weapons and rebels to enter the neighboring country, while also
serving as a refuge for people fleeing the conflict. Militants from the
al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State groups are entrenched
in mountainous regions along the porous Lebanese-Syrian border. The Lebanese
army regularly shells their positions and Hizbullah fighters have engaged in
clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border. In August 2014, the IS and
al-Nusra waged a major attack and overran Arsal in the wake of the arrest of a
senior militant. The two groups withdrew after deadly battles with the army, but
took with them around 30 hostages from the Lebanese army and police of whom four
were eventually executed. Sixteen were released in December 2015, while nine
soldiers are still held captive by the IS.
Zasypkin Meets Hariri: Russia
Continues Endeavors to Help Lebanon Elect President
Naharnet/May 02/16/Russian
Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin stated on Monday that Moscow will
continue to exert efforts and hold contacts to help Lebanon conclude its stalled
presidential elections. Zaspykin's comments came after a meeting he held with
al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri at the Center House. “Our meeting
today is to maintain continuous communication between Hariri and the Russian
leadership. We have discussed issues of joint interest,” said Zaspykin after the
meeting. “I have confirmed on behalf of President Vladimir Putin and Minister
Sergei Lavrov their constant quest to develop the dialogue with Hariri to
bolster the Lebanese-Russian ties,” he added. Late in March, Hariri kicked off a
visit to Russia where he met with the President and Foreign Minister. Reports
had said that the Russian leader had expressed readiness to support Lebanon on
the military and security levels given the confrontation with terrorists. May
2016 will mark two years of vacuum at Lebanon's top state post when the term of
President Michel Suleiman ended in 2014. Conflicts among the rival camps of the
March 8 and March 14 thwarted all attempts to elect a successor.
Rifi: Quotas are inacceptable
Mon 02 May 2016/NNA - Quotas are inacceptable to us and, we'd rather go straight
to civil society, outgoing minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi, stated upon his
fielding of his Tripoli and mina seaport's municipal electoral machinery in
place today. Running against traditional political opponents in the "Accord
List, Rifi lashed out at them accusing them of compromising Tripoli development
for more than 6 years. Rifi added that his contenders would run under co
existential rubrics between Sunnis Alawis, Christians and civil community
activities willing to join his list. Vowing to address what he termed as a
revitalized Tripoli's belt of misery, he proposed general guidelines for urban
development and promised a thoroughly democratic municipal contest.
Hariri visits Bishop Matar,
confirms importance of parity in Beirut elections
Mon 02 May 2016/NNA - Former PM Saad Hariri met on Monday with Maronite bishop
of Beirut, Boulos Matar, and insisted on the importance of parity in the
municipality of Beirut on the eve of the elections. He dubbed equal sharing
among Muslims and Christians a "red-line set by martyr Rafik Hariri." He urged
people of Beirut to vote for the Beiruti List which he supported, stating that
the capital needed development and a watchful eye over it.Hariri also told Matar
of his meeting with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, which took place on
Sunday evening. "Dialogue with [Geagea] will continue, and I have a special
relationship with him." The Bishop, in turn, lauded Hariri's moderate and
genuine character to the press, saying he was the epitome of coexistence. Matar
addressed the people of Beirut, prompting them to be united.
Hussein Moussawi: To remain
alert against strife attempts
Mon 02 May 2016/NNA - Baalbek-Hermel Parliamentary Bloc Head, MP Hussein
Moussawi, called on Monday for "closing of ranks in the face of dangers ahead
and maintaining alertness and caution against any possible strife attempts."
Lebanese Army shells gunmen
at Arsal slopes
Mon 02 May 2016/NNA - Lebanese Army heavy long -range artillery, has been
pending gunmen at Arsal mountain slopes, NNA field reporters said today.
'Zahle Deserves' List
announced
Mon 02 May 2016/NNA - "Zahle Deserves" list of candidates for the municipal
elections, headed by Moussa Fattoush, was declared on Monday from the Fattoush
family residence premises in Zahle, amidst a crowd of supporters.Following its
announcement, MP Ncoula Fattoush said that "the list requires the confidence of
Zahle citizens during the elections day upcoming Sunday, in order to ensure the
city's development and preservation of its independent decision."
Ministry of the Interior
instructed public workers to toe official ministry line during municipal
elections
Mon 02 May 2016/NNA - Ministry of the Interior has issued a circular on Monday
instructing public workers and municipal officials to toe the ministry's
official guideline based on article 71 stipulating non abuse of their official
position during the forthcoming municipal elections by leaning for instance
toward a certain candidate or list. The ministry duly instructed officials and
personnel to observe strict neutrality in dealing with voters or any political
faction involved in the elections, the circular concluded.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports
And News published on May 03/16
Walid Phares, : foreign policy adviser: Trump
willing to strengthen alliances
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2016/05/02/0200000000AEN20160502000200315.html
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Republican presidential front-runner Donald
Trump is willing to strengthen relations with allies, even though he will seek
to have them pay more for American defense support, a foreign policy adviser was
quoted as saying .Walid Phares, an expert on terrorism and Middle Eastern
affairs who served as a foreign affairs adviser for former Republican
presidential candidate Mitt Romney, made the remark in an interview with the
Jiji Press, according to the Japan Times. Trump "would like to strengthen" the
alliance, Phares was quoted as saying. In a major foreign policy speech last
week, Trump said that allies are not paying their fair share for U.S. defense
support, and the U.S. must be prepared to "let these countries defend
themselves" unless they foot more of the bill for defense. Though the
real-estate tycoon made no mention of South Korea, the remark spurred concern
that if elected, he could seek to pull the 28,500 American troops from the Asian
ally unless Seoul agrees to pay more. Trump made the case again on Sunday,
"Look, we're defending Germany, we're defending Japan, South Korea, we're
defending Saudi Arabia with all of that money, and we're not getting properly
reimbursed," he said on "Fox News Sunday." "We're like the policeman to the
world. What's going on is crazy." He also said that foreign countries are
concerned about him because they feel he's very strong, and that he will have
much more respect than Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton from
foreign Phares said that strengthening alliances is one thing and renegotiating
cost-sharing is another. "When it comes to the defense matters and spending,
spending is one track and the alliance is another track," he said in the
interview. "Our commitment to allies ... is going to be permanent," Phares was
quoted as saying. "This is part of our policy. If there are intentions by
hostile forces against our allies, we will actually be standing with our
allies." Phares said Trump's apparent threat to pull American troops from allies
could be "a theoretical scenario," but that does not in any way mean he is going
to abandon the alliances. Trump's remarks mean that he's serious about
negotiating cost-sharing. Phares described Trump's controversial suggestion that
South Korea and Japan could be allowed to develop nuclear weapons for
self-defense as "extreme scenarios," adding that Trump prefers to have all
options on the table.
Jubeir: Syrian govt committing war
crimes in Aleppo
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 2 May 2016/Saudi Arabia’s Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said on Sunday that the Syrian regime was committing
"war crimes" in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, which has been exposed to
heavy shelling over the past nine days despite a “cessation of hostilities”
agreement in place. Jubeir said in a press statement that “what is happening in
Aleppo with the Syrian regime and its allies’ air strikes is tantamount to
crimes against humanity and war crimes.” According to sources close to Jubair,
the Saudi top diplomat had left for Geneva on Sunday night to hold talks on the
Syrian file with his US counterpart John Kerry. It had been relatively quiet in
the city of Aleppo on Sunday after earlier bombings killed since the 253
civilians dead, including 49 children since April 22, according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights.
Syrian opposition spokesman: Syrian regime deliberately striking Aleppo
Speaking to Al Arabiya News Channel, Spokesman of the Supreme Commission for
Syrian negotiations Dr. Riad Nasan Agha said that the Syrian regime was
deliberately striking Aleppo to displace the people and therefore make it easier
to recapture.
"The world knows that Aleppo, which is the oldest inhabited city in the world,
is equal to Damascus and perhaps exceeds it. Six million people used to live in
it. Those were a flame in the Middle East. When you remember Aleppo, you know
that you are present in front of a historic city, which the world is proud of,"
Agha told Al Arabiya. "This city is recorded on the UNESCO World Heritage, it is
the city of landmarks and the humanity's treasure, it is the treasure of
humanity today. Aleppo really contributed to the building of the whole region.
Wherever you go, you find the people of Aleppo, the people of industry, trade,
culture and civilization." Fresh raids in Syria’s Aleppo despite bids to halt
fighting
Fresh air strikes pounded Syria’s Aleppo city early Monday, an AFP correspondent
said, as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva in a bid to halt the
mounting carnage. More than a week of fighting in and around Syria’s second city
has killed hundreds of civilians. Air strikes on rebel-held east Aleppo hit in
the early hours of Monday, AFP’s correspondent there said, with no immediate
reports of casualties. Several neighborhoods, including the heavily populated
Bustan al-Qasr district, were hit. It was not clear if Monday’s raids on the
rebel area were conducted by Syrian or Russian jets. Rebel shelling onto
government-controlled western areas of Aleppo city late Sunday killed three
civilians including a child, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Growing violence in and around Aleppo has left more than 250 civilians dead and
threatened both a UN-backed peace process and a fragile ceasefire deal. Kerry
landed in Geneva on Sunday for talks with Arab ministers and UN peace envoy
Staffan de Mistura in an urgent push to end the bloodshed. “We are talking
directly to the Russians, even now,” Kerry said, after a week in which Moscow
refused US calls to rein in its ally, Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad. Aleppo
was initially left out of a deal to “reinforce” a February 27 truce between the
government and non-extremist rebels. The freeze in fighting, announced on
Friday, applied to battlefronts in the coastal province of Latakia and Eastern
Ghouta, near Damascus. The head of Moscow’s coordination center in Syria said on
Sunday that talks to include Aleppo had begun. “Currently active negotiations
are underway to establish a ‘regime of silence’ in Aleppo province,” Lieutenant
General Sergei Kuralenko told Russian news agencies. More than 270,000 people
have been killed since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests
demanding Assad’s ouster.(With AFP)
Iran to grant citizenship to
families of foreign ‘martyrs’
AFP, Tehran Monday, 2 May 2016/Iran has passed a law allowing the government to
grant citizenship to the families of foreigners killed while fighting for the
Islamic republic, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday. “Members of the
parliament authorized the government to grant Iranian citizenship to the wife,
children and parents of foreign martyrs who died on a mission... during the
Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) and afterwards,” it said. Citizenship must be awarded
“within a maximum period of one year after the request”, IRNA added. Iran’s
outgoing conservative-dominated parliament will serve until late May.
No figures are available on the number of foreign fighters killed during the
Iran-Iraq war, but Afghans, and even a group of Iraqis, fought alongside Iranian
forces against the regime of Saddam Hussein. The law could apply to “volunteers”
from Afghanistan and Pakistan who are fighting in Syria and Iraq against
jihadists including the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front. Shiite Iran is a
staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and provides financial and
military support to his regime. Tehran says its Fatemiyoun Brigade, comprised of
Afghan recruits, are volunteers defending sacred Shiite sites in Syria and Iraq
against Sunni extremists like those of IS. The Islamic republic denies having
any boots on the ground and insists its commanders and generals act as “military
advisers” in Syria and Iraq. Iranian media regularly report on the death of
Afghan and Pakistani volunteers in Syria and Iraq, whose bodies are buried in
Iran. More than three million Afghans live in Iran, one million as legal
migrants.
Drones, Turkish artillery hit
ISIS in Syria, 34 dead
Reuters Monday, 2 May 2016/Shelling by Turkish artillery and drones which took
off from southern Turkey struck ISIS targets in Syria on Sunday, killing 34
militants, the Turkish military said. It said the strikes, in response to ISIS
rocket attacks which hit the southern Turkish province of Kilis, destroyed six
vehicles and five ISIS gun positions. The border town of Kilis and surrounding
area has been hit frequently by rocket fire from ISIS-controlled Syrian
territory in recent months, killing civilians. In Sunday’s strikes, Turkish
howitzers and multiple rocket launchers first hit ISIS targets about 12 km south
of the border, then four drones that took off from the Incirlik base in southern
Turkey destroyed further targets, the military said. Turkey has repeatedly fired
back at Islamic State positions under its rules of engagement, but has said it
needs greater support from Western allies, citing the difficulty of hitting
moving targets with howitzers. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as
saying last week that the United States would deploy a rocket launcher system
near the stretch of border that has come under attack. A senior US military
official confirmed the matter was under discussion but declined to comment
further. Watch also: Turkey blames ISIS for the worst attack in its history
Mall arrest after suicide
vest mistake
By Staff Writer Al Arabiya English Monday, 2 May 2016/Kuwaiti police arrested a
man in a shopping mall suspected of wearing a suicide vest, local media
reported. The only thing was the vest was an exercise jacket packed with weights
rather than explosives. Concerned shoppers at the mall in the Kuwaiti
governorate of Hawalli, tipped off police after spotting the man’s chunky attire
and assumed he was a terrorist about to blow himself up. When police approached
the man, they arrested him and strapped his hands together behind his back. They
carefully removed the vest, expecting to find explosives and a detonator.
Instead all they found were exercise weights designed to add resistance when
walking and running to help boost fitness and burn calories. Witnesses told
local press the police dealt with the man “in a professional manner” and they
said there was no panic. Kuwaitis remain on high alert after last year’s deadly
suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Kuwait city in June, 2015, which left 27
worshippers dead. Saudi interior ministry reveals more details on Al-Ahsa attack
PKK splinter group claims
suicide attack in Turkey’s Bursa
AFP, Istanbul Monday, 2 May 2016/A radical Kurdish militant group on Sunday
claimed a suicide bombing in Turkey’s former Ottoman capital of Bursa last week,
saying the female assailant had failed to reach her intended target. The attack
on Wednesday evening near Bursa’s famed 14th century Grand Mosque wounded 13
people but caused no fatalities other than the female suicide bomber herself.
The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) - a radical splinter group of the
better-known Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - said in a statement on its website
that one of its members had carried out the attack.
It said the bomber was a 23-year-old woman named Eser Cali and said the attack
was aimed at avenging the Turkish government’s current military operation in the
Kurdish-dominated southeast. But the statement added that the bomber had
detonated her charge and been killed “due an accident before she had reached the
target that was to be brought to account for the massacres against our people.”
It did not give details on the nature of the intended target but denied she was
planning to attack the Grand Mosque. The TAK has already claimed two attacks
that killed dozens of people in the capital Ankara in February and March. Its
founders are believed to the have broken away several years ago from the PKK,
which has waged an over three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.
Commentators suggested at the time that the bomber had detonated her charge
prematurely, sparing Bursa an attack which could have caused considerable loss
of life. The Turkish authorities have yet to say which group was behind the
attack, although press reports have suggested a link to the PKK.
Due to territorial losses,
ISIS ‘boosting attacks’
Reuters Monday, 2 May 2016/ISIS attacks have increased this year, particularly
in Iraq and Syria as the group responds to substantial territorial losses, a
US-based analysis firm IHS said on Sunday. There were 891 attacks during the
first quarter of 2016 in neighbors Iraq and Syria, more than in any three-month
period since the militants’ sweeping advance in mid-2014, IHS said in a new
report. Those attacks killed 2,150 people, a 44 percent rise over the previous
three months and the highest quarterly toll in nearly a year.
“The group is resorting more and more to mass-casualty violence as it comes
under heavy pressure from multiple angles,” said Matthew Henman, head of IHS
Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Center. The US military estimates ISIS territory
in Iraq has shrunk by about 40 percent from its 2014 peak and 20 percent in
Syria. Iraq’s military routed the militants from the western city of Ramadi four
months ago and then pushed further west towards the Syrian border. The northern
offensive has been slower, with army and Sunni Arab tribal forces taking only
four villages over the past month south of Mosul. In Syria, government-aligned
forces backed by Russian air power have recaptured territory from ISIS,
including the ancient city of Palmyra. The group is also under pressure from a
separate US-led air campaign in the north and northeast, where Kurdish fighters
have advanced. The IHS report also noted a rise in ISIS attacks in Libya, where
the militants have grown in strength, taking over the central city of Sirte and
attacking oilfields. Analysis showed almost as many attacks in the first three
months of this year as in the preceding six months. IHS said ISIS activity has
also spiked around the northwestern town of Sabratha it described as a key
staging ground for attacks in neighboring Tunisia. “High profile, mass casualty
attacks are a tried and tested method of changing the narrative and deflecting
attention away from the problems it is facing,” said Henman. “This is done for
internal consumption just as much as external.”
Iraqis end Green Zone
protests after issuing demands
Staff Writer, Al Arabiya English Monday, 2 May 2016/Anti-government protesters
temporarily ended their mass demonstration in Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday and
began an orderly withdrawal a day after tearing down walls around the government
district and invading parliament. Loudspeakers manned by followers of Shiite
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has led the protest movement, announced the
disbanding of the protests, which had marked the culmination of months of
sit-ins and demonstrations demanding the overhaul of a political system widely
seen as corrupt and ineffectual. "We decided to end it now because of the
anniversary of Imam (Moussa) al-Kadhim," said Sadiq al-Hashemi, a representative
of al-Sadr's office in Baghdad who was present at the protests. Al-Hashemi said
al-Sadr made the decision in order to allow Iraqi security forces to protect the
thousands of pilgrims who are expected to walk from across Iraq to the shrine of
the 8th-century Imam in Baghdad. Speaking to Al Arabiya News Channel from Iraq,
Awad Al-Awadi, a deputy in the Iraqi parliament representing the Al-Ahrar bloc
of the Sadrist Movement, said that a pending solution "depends on the political
blocs first." "A solution depends on the political blocs, first, and depends on
the courage of the head of the government, and parliament speaker. The
parliament speaker today said he would dot the i's and cross the t's towards
reform. To achieve reform, the political blocs should abandon their gains, and
quotas, and their ministers," he told Al Arabiya. Earlier on Sunday, Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered authorities to arrest and prosecute those among
the protesters who had attacked security forces, lawmakers and damaged state
property after breaking into the Green Zone. Muqtada al-Sadr loyalists leave
Baghdad's Green Zone
Videos on social media had showed a group of young men surrounding and slapping
two Iraqi lawmakers as they attempted to flee the crowd, while other protesters
mobbed lawmakers' motorcades. Jubilant protesters were also seen jumping and
dancing on the parliament's meeting hall tables and chairs and waving Iraqi
flags. No one was seriously wounded. The protesters left parliament late
Saturday and had been rallying in a nearby square. "We are fed up, we are living
a humiliated life," Rasool Hassan, a 37-year old father of three told The
Associated Press from inside the Green Zone before the protest was disbanded.
(With AP)
Attack on Aleppo hospital is a “war
crime”
Sunday, 01 May 2016/NCRI - Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian
Resistance, has described the bombing of a hospital in Aleppo by Syrian dictator
Bashar al-Assad's forces last week as a "war crime."Mrs. Rajavi "strongly
condemned" the deadly strike last Wednesday which led to the deaths of dozens of
people including children and doctors, adding that Assad's forces are being
backed by the Iranian regime on the orders of the mullahs' Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei. At least 27 staff and patients were killed when Assad's air force
attacked the Al Quds Hospital in Aleppo, even though its location was well known
and the hospital was assisted by the international charity Doctors Without
Borders. An online campaign to halt the carnage in Aleppo has picked up speed,
with Twitter users posting pictures of destroyed buildings in flames with the
hashtag #AleppoIsBurning.
7000 industrial units in Iran
have been closed down
Monday, 02 May 2016/NCRI – Some 7000 of Iran’s industrial units are currently
inoperative, the Iranian regime's Deputy Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade
has acknowledged. Ali Yazdani, who is also managing director of the state body
Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO), said on
Saturday, April 30 that out of 37,120 industrial units situated in industrial
townships and areas in Iran, 7,000 have been completely closed down. Currently,
19 percent of Iran’s small-scale industries, 18 percent of the medium-size ones,
and 11 percent of its large industrial units are completely shut down, Yazdani
said. His remarks were carried by the state-run Mehr News Agency on Saturday.
The Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, speaking in Mashhad on March
20, said: “There are reports indicating that 60 percent of domestic production
resources have either ceased to operate or are functioning below capacity.” The
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, reported
that on April 9, Arman Khaleqi, a member of the board of directors of the
regime’s House of Industry and Mines, said: “Today, in the most optimistic
assessment, around 10,000 production units are not working. If we consider that
we have 67,000 production units in the country, then we are currently facing 30
percent stagnation.”Pointing to the fact that 50 percent of the units situated
in the industrial townships are working at 25 percent capacity, Khaleqi said:
“This shows a severe stagnation in the production units.”
IRAN: Khamenei appoints new
personal representative in Syria
Monday, 02 May 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has
appointed a mullah as his new personal representative in Syria. Abolfalz
Tabatabai-Ashkezari was appointed to the role by Khamenei on Wednesday, April
27, the Tasnim news agency, run by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Forces,
reported. Khamenei has personal representatives in all 31 of Iran's provinces.
The appointment of a personal representative in Syria signifies the importance
Khamenei attaches to the fate of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Mehdi Ta’eb, a
close protégé of Khamenei, had previously reiterated that Tehran's fate is
intertwined with Assad's future. Mullah Ta’eb also described Syria as a
"province of Iran."Commenting on the appointment of mullah Abolfalz
Tabatabai-Ashkezari as Khamenei's personal representative in Syria, Shahin
Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of
Iran (NCRI) on Monday said: "Following the deployment of 60,000 IRGC forces,
foreign mercenary militias from Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and
more recently units of Iran's regular army, Khamenei has appointed a new mullah
as his personal representative in Syria in order encourage his forces that have
taken heavy casualties and are now demoralized in Syria." "Khamenei and his
regime are at an impasse in Syria. As one of Khamenei's close associates said in
February 2012, saving Assad in Damascus is of more importance to the mullahs
than saving the oil-rich Iranian province of Khuzestan. Khamenei sees no avenue
of retreat from Syria and his regime is becoming more embroiled in the conflict
by the day. However, the mullahs' regime has no prospect of winning its war of
aggression against the people of Syria. The Iranian regime and its Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei are in a strategic quagmire from which they have no way back
and no way forward."The Brussels-based European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA)
last month urged the international community to act urgently to stop the Iranian
regime's military presence in Syria. "Iran's army entering the war in Syria is a
blatant violation of international law and must be met with an overwhelming
response and action by the international community," said EIFA President Struan
Stevenson. "With the Syrian revolution against the dictatorship of Bashar
al-Assad entering its sixth year, Tehran has escalated the presence in Syria of
its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), together with regular Iranian
military units, who are waging a brutal campaign against the Syrian people and
the moderate opposition.""In recent weeks, a significant number of special
commandos of Iran's regular army have been killed in Syria, pointing to their
extensive presence in that conflict. The failure of the IRGC, especially in the
Aleppo's zone and their massive casualties in recent months in Syria, has
reportedly caused Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei to dispatch his regular army to
bolster pro Assad forces in this criminal war," the statement added.
U.S. in Desperate Bid to Save Syria
Truce as Aleppo Bombed
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 02/16/ Fresh air strikes pummeled the Syrian
city of Aleppo on Monday as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a desperate
bid to salvage a two-month ceasefire in the war-torn country. The top U.S.
diplomat gave some of his most downbeat comments yet after meeting the U.N.
peace envoy on Syria, saying the conflict was "in many ways out of control and
deeply disturbing to everybody in the world, I hope." "The attack on this
hospital is unconscionable," he said, accusing President Bashar Assad's regime
of deliberately targeting three clinics and a major hospital last week. "And it
has to stop." Kerry met U.N. peace envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Saudi
foreign minister in Geneva, but the absence of Russia cast a pall over the
proceedings. Washington and Moscow are the joint sponsors of the Syrian peace
process, and de Mistura has made it clear that he sees little hope of progress
without their agreement. Kerry said he would call Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov later Monday to press for the ceasefire to be restored. De Mistura
was due to fly to Moscow for talks with Lavrov on Tuesday. While agreeing in
theory to support a ceasefire, Russia has done little to rein in Assad's forces
around Aleppo, which were in action again early Monday. More than a week of
fighting in and around Syria's second city has killed hundreds of civilians, and
fresh air strikes hit rebel-held eastern Aleppo in the early hours. Several
neighborhoods, including the heavily-populated Bustan al-Qasr district, were
hit, according to AFP's correspondent in the northern Syrian city. "What is
happening in Aleppo is an outrage. It's a violation of all humanitarian laws.
It's a crime," said Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir as he met Kerry. "It's
a violation of all the understandings that were reached," he added, accusing
Assad and the Russians of violating international agreements to back peace.
Despite the early-morning raids, there was a relative lull in the fighting later
Monday, allowing some residents to venture out into the streets, AFP's
correspondents there said, with some even opening up shops. Kerry said
Washington would press moderate rebels to separate themselves from the Al-Nusra
Front's jihadists in Aleppo. Russia and Assad's regime have used the presence of
Al-Nusra, which was not party to a February 27 ceasefire deal, as an excuse to
press their offensive. There is growing concern that the fighting will lead to a
complete collapse of the landmark ceasefire agreed between Assad's regime and
non-jihadist rebels. Following his meeting with Kerry, the Saudi minister
expressed skepticism that Assad's regime was in any way serious about the truce,
and said Riyadh would continue giving weapons to the rebels. Aleppo was
initially left out of a deal to "reinforce" the February truce agreement. The
freeze in fighting, announced on Friday, applied to battlefronts in the coastal
province of Latakia and Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus. State television reported
a Syrian army announcement on Monday that the freeze has been extended for
another 48 hours in Eastern Ghouta, until 1:00 am Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday).
The same "freeze" is set to hold until 1:00 am Tuesday in Latakia, a regime
stronghold. But in divided Aleppo, the bloodshed continued unchecked. At least
253 civilians -- including 49 children -- have been killed on both sides of the
city since April 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor says. The
escalating violence in Aleppo has also hit medical centers, with the
International Committee of the Red Cross saying four were struck on Friday
alone. Two days earlier, 30 people were killed when an air strike hit a hospital
supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Red Cross, sparking an
international outcry. The bloodshed has dampened hopes that the ceasefire could
finally lay the groundwork for an end to Syria's five-year conflict. Last
month's peace talks in Geneva failed to make any headway, although de Mistura
has said he hopes they can resume "during the course of May". Syria's conflict
erupted in 2011 after the brutal repression of anti-government protests and has
since escalated into a complex, multi-faceted war, which has killed more than
270,000 people. France called Monday for a ministerial meeting of the
international group supporting Syria to "restore the ceasefire."Foreign Minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault said Paris was "totally mobilized" in pushing for the peace
process to resume as quickly as possible. "For that the strikes on Aleppo must
stop," he said.
First U.S. Cruise Ship in
Half-Century Docks in Cuba
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 02/16/The first U.S. cruise ship to travel to
Cuba in half a century docked in Havana on Monday, marking a new milestone in
the rapprochement between the old Cold War foes. A crowd of onlookers waved
Cuban flags and filmed with their cell phones as the Adonia, a Carnival
cruiseliner, sailed into port in Havana after setting off Sunday from Miami, the
heart of the Cuban diaspora in the United States.
Saudi minister confirms warning on
proposed US law on 9/11
Jerusalem Post/May 02/16/GENEVA - Saudi Arabia has warned the United States that
a proposed US law that could hold the kingdom responsible for any role in the
Sept 11, 2001, attacks would erode global investor confidence in America, its
foreign minister said on Monday. The minister, Adel al-Jubeir, speaking to
reporters in Geneva after talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, which
mainly focused on Syria, denied that Saudi Arabia had "threatened" to withdraw
investment from its close ally. The New York Times reported last month that the
Riyadh government had threatened to sell up to $750 billion worth of American
assets should the US Congress pass a bill that would take away immunity from
foreign governments in cases arising from a "terrorist attack that kills an
American on American soil.""We say a law like this would cause an erosion of
investor confidence. But then to kind of say, 'My God the Saudis are threatening
us' - ridiculous," Jubeir said. "We don't use monetary policy and we don't use
energy policy and we don't use economic policy for political purposes. When we
invest, we invest as investors. When we sell oil, we sell oil as traders."
Jubeir, pressed on whether the Saudia Arabia had suggested the law could affect
its investment policies, said: "I say you can warn. What has happened is that
people are saying we threatened. We said that a law like this is going to cause
investor confidence to shrink. And so not just for Saudi Arabia, but for
everybody."The New York Times, citing administration officials and congressional
aides, said that the Obama administration had lobbied Congress to block passage
of the bill, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this year. "In
fact what they are doing is stripping the principle of sovereign immunities
which would turn the world for international law into the law of the jungle,"
Jubeir said. "That's why the administration is opposed to it, and that's why
every country in the world is opposed to it. "And then people say 'Saudi Arabia
is threatening the US by pulling our investments'. Nonsense."
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on May 03/16
Opinion: Syria – What is Russia up
to Now?
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al
Awsat/May 02/16
Those following the ‘Syrian Uprising’ and its repercussions during the last five
years have been torn between two positions: the first, giving international
stances – especially, Russia’s – the benefit of the doubt based on the
assumption that regardless of the strength of its alliance with a certain
regime, no government would ever keep quiet about genocide. The second, and much
more realistic, expected that at least Russia would stick with the Assad regime
come what may.
In the beginning, Russia’s and China’s use of the ‘Veto’ at the UN Security
Council in order to prevent any decisive action against the Assad regime – after
it decided to deal with its people by mass murder and uprooting – alerted many
to the notion that Moscow’s interests in Syria were plentiful and complex.
However, the overall picture remained ‘hazy’ for those who preferred to view
Moscow’s position merely as a ‘We Are Here’ message to the USA and Europe;
aiming to warn them against disregarding its interests as they did in Libya.
This was how some read the situation after the first ‘double Russo-Chinese
Vetoes’; but an increasing number of those began to change their minds after the
third ‘double Vetoes’, and began to notice a seriousness and stubbornness in the
Kremlin expressed in the ugliest way by Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov and the
media ‘security – linked’ mouthpieces commentating on the crisis in the Arab and
world media. By then it became crystal clear to many that reality was much more
that ‘reminding’ and warning, and was becoming much more sinister; more so as
Washington’s true position was unfolding parallel with its political and nuclear
‘normalization’ with Tehran, and the collapse of its false Syrian ‘red lines’.
In fact, it did not take long for the USA to prove it was not a ‘friend of the
Syrian people’ – if it ever was – but rather became a neutral actor at best.
Subsequently, meetings between the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s
counterpart Lavrov, became more like cordial social occasions than serious
discussions aimed at solving serious problems against the background of
massacres and suppression throughout Syria, not forgetting those perishing in
the sea and suffering in refugee camps.
During the last few years, as President Barack Obama abandoned the plight of the
Syrian people, by claiming that his top priority was fighting ISIS, Moscow did
not stop at supporting the Assad regime militarily and diplomatically, but
started working diligently to destroy the genuine Syrian opposition, and
‘fabricate’ a fake opposition composed mostly of the regime’s intelligence
‘puppets’.
Unfortunately, as Moscow embarked on this plan, it succeeded in exploiting
certain political sensitivities of some Arab governments, which has helped the
Kremlin in creating this ‘puppet’ fake opposition and forcing it on the
negotiating table. This would mean that any serious political dialogue becomes a
‘chat’ between the regimes and its creations, reproducing the same gang that
would continue what it has been doing, but using new ‘fresh’ faces.
Still, on its own such Russian endeavours would not have been enough, given the
failure of Iran’s ‘multi-national’ militias to win its battles on the ground,
and the ability of the opposition forces to maintain their momentum and sense of
purpose despite all attempts to undermine them, politically through ‘fake’
opposition, and militarily through ISIS which has been fighting the opposition
with full collusion from the regime. Furthermore, there have been fears within
Syria’s religious and sectarian minorities of the outcome of Iran’s hegemony,
whether through its IRGC or its expropriation of lands through forced uprooting,
evictions and dubious ‘purchases’ from absentee landowners (i.e. refugees).
The above-mentioned factors, namely the ‘steadfastness of the popular Uprising’
and the ‘fears of minorities’ – especially, the Christian communities – seem to
have convinced Moscow of the necessity of direct military intervention. This,
evidently, was made easier in September 2015 thanks to the ‘Obama Doctrine’
based on siding with ‘Political Shi’ism’ throughout the Middle East against the
extremist face of ‘Political Sunnism’ as represented by ISIS and ‘Jabhat An-Nusra’
(Al-Qa’eda’s branch in Syria).
Today, while Russia and Iran are fighting alongside the regime, Washington has
been severing all its past commitments to the Syrian Opposition, cementing its
links with the Iraqi premier Haider Abadi – a prominent face of regional
‘moderate Political Shi’ism’ –, and launching a ‘strategic movement’ with the
Kurds of Iraq and Syria that threatens to speedily break up the two countries,
and perhaps Turkey too. At the moment, Washington is dealing politically,
militarily and financially with the leadership of the ‘Kurdistan Autonomous
Region’ in Iraq as a fully-fledged independent state. With regards to Syria,
Washington has turned a blind eye to Iran’s direct military involvement, fully
adopted Moscow’s ‘interpretations’ of almost all agreements reached in Geneva,
and kept quiet towards Moscow’s attempts to create a ‘puppet’ opposition through
which it plans to undermine any genuine negotiations leading to a political
settlement.
This American position, as previously mentioned, could be explained by the
‘Obama Doctrine’, but no less important is the need to comprehend the Russian
‘scenario’ given that Washington is fully behind it.
The serious nature of how Russia is acting in the Near East is underlined not
only by the visit of Qassin Suleiman, the commander of ‘Al-Quds Brigade’ in
Iran’s IRCG to Moscow against Washington’s ‘deafening silence’, or Moscow’s
insistence that a separate pro-Moscow Kurdish delegation takes part in any
future Syria talks, but also underlined by the continuous Russian dialogue with
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Israel is definitely a crucial player in every game played in the Near East, and
any thought that it may ‘distance itself’ from its politics, problems and future
maps is absolute nonsense.
Yes, Israel is a major and effective player whose interests are taken seriously
in Washington, Moscow and even Tehran; and thus, no future maps are going to be
drawn in the region without its knowledge, approval and regard to its interests
and desire
Iran’s army chief takes command in
Syria
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
May 02/16
The chief of staff of the Iranian military, Maj. Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi,
arrived in Damascus on April 30 to assume direct command of the Iranian, Syrian
and Hizballah forces fighting in Syria, debkafile’s military and intelligence
sources report. His arrival showed Iran has significantly stepped up its
military involvement in Syria.
Sources close to Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said May 1 in
Tehran that the general arrived in Damascus “to personally supervise the battles
and the borders that were determined.” The sources did not specify which battles
he would command or who had set the borders. They also did not say whether the
borders referred to those of the war raging in Syria, or the country’s sovereign
borders.
According to debkafile’s sources in Moscow and Tehran, just as Russian President
Vladimir Putin and his country’s military command see the current offensive by
Russian, Iranian, Syrian and Hizballah forces around Aleppo as the climax of the
Russian military intervention, the Iranians see the battle for Aleppo as pivotal
for the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, as well as Tehran’s
standing in Damascus.
Tehran also believes that the battle around Syria’s largest city will play a
major role in determining all of the country’s borders, not just its northern
one.
Our sources report that there are sharp differences between Moscow and Tehran on
this point. It seems that the main role of Maj. Gen. Firouzabadi will be to
ensure that immediately after the capture of Aleppo, his country’s forces will
focus their operations on other areas of Syria where Iran, not Russia, has
strategic interests.
One example of such an area is southern Syria, which borders both Israel and
Jordan.
In other words, Israel must be prepared for the possibility that the Iranian
chief of staff will personally take charge of the deployment of Iranian, Syrian
and Hizballah forces along Syria’s border with the Golan Heights.
Until now, Israel’s government and military command had believed that it was
possible to secure the northern border though understandings with Putin. But
now, that assessment has been proven to be mistaken with the arrival of the
Iranian general in Damascus, and Tehran’s announcement that Firouzabadi will
deal with the issue of borders, among others.
debkafile’s military sources point out that another main reason for the dispatch
of the chief of staff is the fact that Iran has sent large forces from elite
units of its standing army to Syria during the last month. It is the first time
in Iran’s modern history that its standing army forces have been sent to fight
beyond the country’s borders.
Over the past few weeks, the arrival of Iran’s 65th Airborne Brigade of the
Special Forces-NOHED brigade drew particular attention.
Our sources report that this brigade will serve as the spearhead of the Iranian,
Syrian and Hizballah assault on rebel positions in Aleppo.
According to the understandings reached by the Russian and Iranian general
staffs, there is a clear division of responsibility between the forces of the
two sides in the campaign. The Russian air force and heavy artillery will strike
the rebel bases and positions in and around the city, while the Iranians,
Syrians and Hizballah advance on the ground. After those forces surround the
rebels in Aleppo, they will launch an all-out attack.
Egyptian Dhimmitude: Christian
Official Lures Child Back to Muslim Grandfather and Orders Her to “Remove the
Cross”
Raymond Ibrahim/FrontPage Magazine/May 02/16
Nabila Makram—the only Coptic Christian currently serving as a minister in the
Egyptian government—may have unwittingly exposed how she reached that position
during a televised interview.
In the interview, she told the story of a young Egyptian girl named Kariman.
Apparently her Muslim mother divorced her father and fled to Italy with an
Italian man, taking the girl with her when she was 5-years-old. The man later
left the mother, who took Kariman to a convent in Rome and left her in the care
of the nuns before reportedly committing suicide. Four years later, when Kariman
was nine, her Muslim grandfather began demanding that the girl be returned to
him in Egypt. So Nabila Makram, the Coptic minister, played an “important role,”
as she boasted in the interview.
After explaining how difficult it was to extradite the girl from Italy, as
Kariman did not want to leave the convent where she was happily living with the
sisters, Makram went on to say that “Kariman was flown [to Egypt] wearing a
cross, because of course she had grown in a convent—actually, she was raised at
the hands of nuns, even though she was a Muslim.”As a result, Makram—the
Christian—“explained to the girl that, sure, faith is in the heart, but you need
to take off the cross for you’re returning to your grandfather, to a new life,
or rather, your old life.”
The young girl reluctantly complied even though, as Makram admitted, she was
immensely upset—so much so that Makram feared she’d take her life in the
airplane on the way to Cairo and arranged for an Egypt Air airline attendant to
accompany her and keep watch over her during the flight.
Thus Nabila Makram sheds light as to how she, a Coptic Christian, sees her role
as a minister in the Egyptian government: to happily behave as one of the
dhimmis, third class non-Muslim citizens who know their place. Instead of
letting this young girl remain in safety with the Italian sisters who cared for
her, she extradited the girl back to her grandfather—who only seemed to show
interest in the girl when she reached the age of nine, when girls can marry
based on Muhammad’s precedent with Aisha—all while forcing the girl to cast
aside the crucifix.
Such is the Islamic Hate for the Christian Cross.Nabila Makram appears to be the
sort of Copt welcome to positions of authority in Egypt: a sort of “Christian”
that lures if not forces a child from a safe and positive environment in order
to satisfy a fanatic Muslim grandfather who is more interested in preserving the
girl’s Islamic religion than her happiness or wellbeing—certainly not her
Christianity.
Europe's Migration Crisis: No End in Sight
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/May 02/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7916/europe-migration-crisis
According to France's Defense Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, 800,000 migrants are
currently in Libyan territory waiting to cross the Mediterranean.
The multitude of very costly social problems that Muslim migration into Europe
has caused thus far, do not exist in this whitewashed European Union report,
where the "research" indicates that migrants are always a boon. Similarly, any
mention of the very real security costs necessitated by the Islamization
occurring in Europe, and the need for monitoring of potential jihadists, simply
goes unmentioned.
Several European states have a less optimistic picture of the prospect of
another three million migrants arriving on Europe's borders than either the Pope
or the European Commission do.
Pope Francis, on his recent visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, said that
Europe must respond to the migrant crisis with solutions that are "worthy of
humanity." He also decried "that dense pall of indifference that clouds hearts
and minds." The Pope then proceeded to demonstrate what he believes is a
response "worthy of humanity" by bringing 12 Syrian Muslims with him on his
plane to Italy. "It's a drop of water in the sea. But after this drop, the sea
will never be the same," the Pope mused.
The Pope's speech did not contain a single reference to the harsh consequences
of Muslim migration into the European continent for Europeans. Instead, the
speech was laced with reflections such as "...barriers create divisions instead
of promoting the true progress of peoples, and divisions sooner or later lead to
confrontations" and "...our willingness to continue to cooperate so that the
challenges we face today will not lead to conflict, but rather to the growth of
the civilization of love."
The Pope went back to his practically migrant-free Vatican City -- those 12
Syrian Muslims will be hosted by Italy, not the Vatican, although the Holy See
will be supporting them -- leaving it to ordinary Europeans to cope with the
consequences of "the growth of the civilization of love."
There is nothing quite as free in this world as not practicing what you preach,
and what the Pope is preaching is the acceptance of more migration into Europe,
and more migration -- much more -- is indeed what is in the cards for Europe.
At the UN's Geneva conference on Syrian refugees on March 30, Italy's Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, put the total number of asylum seekers into
Italy in the first three months of 2016 at 18,234. This is already 80% higher
than in the same period in 2015.
According to Paolo Serra, military adviser to Martin Kobler, the UN's Libya
envoy, migrants currently in Libya will head for Italy in large numbers if the
country is not stabilized. "If we do not intervene, there could be 250,000
arrivals [in Italy] by the end of 2016," he said. According to France's Defense
Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the number is much higher: 800,000 migrants are
currently in Libyan territory waiting to cross the Mediterranean.
Already in November 2015, the European Union estimated -- in its Autumn 2015
European Economic Forecast, authored by the European Commission -- that by the
end of 2016, another three million migrants will have made it into the European
Union.
Nevertheless, the European Commission optimistically noted that, "while unevenly
distributed among countries, the estimated additional public expenditure related
to the arrival of asylum seekers is limited for most EU member states." It even
concluded that the migrant crisis could have a small, positive impact on
European economies within a few years citing that "Research indicates that
non-EU migrants typically receive less in individual benefits than they
contribute in taxes and social contribution."
This is the classic, politically correct denial of facts on the ground. The
multitude of very costly social problems that Muslim migration into Europe has
caused thus far do not exist in this whitewashed report, where the "research"
indicates that migrants are always a boon. Similarly, any mention of the very
real security costs necessitated by the Islamization that is occurring in Europe
and the consequent need for monitoring of potential jihadists, simply goes
unmentioned. One wonders whether the EU bureaucrats, who authored this report,
ever descend from their ivory towers and move about in the real Europe.
Several European states have a less optimistic picture of the prospect of
another three million migrants arriving on Europe's borders than either the Pope
or the European Commission do. In February, Austria announced that it would
introduce border controls at border crossings along frontiers with Italy,
Slovenia and Hungary. On April 12, Austria began preparations for introducing
border controls on its side of the Brenner Pass, the main Alpine crossing into
Italy, by starting work on a wall between the two countries.
The Austrian decision to close the Brenner pass has received harsh criticism
from the EU. European Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud criticized the
measure as unwarranted, claiming that "there is indeed no evidence that flows of
irregular migrants are shifting from Greece to Italy". Is Bertaud deliberately
misrepresenting the issue? The issue is not whether the migrants are shifting
from Greece to Italy after the EU's unsavory deal with Turkey (they probably
will) but the up to 800,000 migrants are already waiting to cross into Italy
from Libya.
EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos joined in the criticism of
Austria, saying, "What is happening at the border between Italy and Austria is
not the right solution." He had criticized Austria already in February, when
Vienna announced that it would cap asylum claims at 80 per day. At the time,
Avramopoulos said,
"It is true that Austria is under huge pressure... It is true they are
overwhelmed. But, on the other hand, there are some principles and laws that all
countries must respect and apply... The Austrians are obliged to accept asylum
applications without putting a cap."
In response, Austria's Chancellor Werner Faymann told the EU that Austria could
not just let the influx of migrants continue unchecked -- nearly 100,000 have
applied for asylum in Austria -- and he called for the EU to act. The EU has not
yet acted.
The EU should hardly be surprised that a sovereign state decides to take matters
into its own hands in the face of the EU's failure to heed that call, and as it
anticipates a repeat of last year's migration chaos -- which, given the
predicted estimates, is bound to occur this year with even greater force.
Predictably, Italy has also criticized the decision, with Italian Interior
Minister Angelino Alfano saying that Austria's decision to erect the barrier is
"unexplainable and unjustifiable." Italy, however, only has itself to blame for
Austria's restrictions at the Brenner Pass. In 2014 and the first half of 2015,
around 300,000 migrants arrived in Italy, mainly from Libya. Despite EU rules
that require Italy to register those migrants, Italy simply let most of them
pass through the country and continue into Austria. From there, most went
further into Germany and Northern Europe. Clearly, Austria does not expect the
Italians to change their practices.
Austrian police prepare to hold the line at the Brenner Pass border crossing
with Italy, as a crowd tries to break through during a violent protest on April
3, 2016, against Austria's introduction of border controls to stem the flow of
migrants. (Image source: RT video screenshot)
While the bureaucrats of the EU bicker with their member states over those
states' unwillingness to follow EU regulations -- evidently not made to cope
with a migration crisis of these huge proportions -- Turkey's President, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan is threatening to drop his obligations under a recent EU-Turkey
migration deal. Those obligations include taking back all new "irregular
migrants" crossing from Turkey into Greek islands, as well as taking any
necessary measures to prevent the opening of new sea or land routes for
migration from Turkey to the EU. "There are precise conditions. If the European
Union does not take the necessary steps, then Turkey will not implement the
agreement," Erdogan warned recently in a speech in Ankara.
Erdogan knows that in the current European reality, his words have the effect he
intends: When he threatens to flood Europe with migrants unless it does what he
wants -- in other words, blackmail -- EU leaders will do what he says. German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of the driving forces behind the EU-Turkey deal,
also recently bowed to Erdogan's demands that Germany prosecute the satirist Jan
Böhmermann, after he mocked and insulted the Turkish president in a poem. The
German criminal code prohibits insults against foreign leaders, but leaves it to
the government to decide whether to authorize prosecutors to pursue such cases.
Angela Merkel gave her authorization, a decision widely criticized. Her own
ministers -- Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Justice Minister
Heiko Maas -- said they did not believe that the authorization should have been
granted.
Another indication that Erdogan has no reason to fear any misbehavior on the
part of the European Union regarding the EU-Turkey deal is that the European
Parliament just voted in favor of making Turkish an official European Union
language. Ostensibly, the vote came about in order to back an initiative by the
president of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, who asked the Dutch EU Presidency to
add Turkish to the bloc's 24 official languages in order to boost attempts to
reach a reunification agreement for Cyprus.
In his letter to the EU presidency, Anastasiades noted that Cyprus had already
filed a similar request during its EU entry talks in 2002, but, at that time, it
"was advised by the [EU] institutions not to insist, taking into account the
limited practical purpose of such a development ... as well as the considerable
cost". Turkey's occupation of northern Cyprus, which Turkey invaded in 1974, is
one of the issues blocking Turkey's accession negotiations with the EU.
Making Turkish an official language is seen by Turkey, according to a senior
Turkish official, as "a very important, very positive gesture" for the Cyprus
peace talks and for EU-Turkish ties more broadly. "If the blockage is lifted
because of Cyprus being solved, then we can proceed very quickly," the Turkish
official said.
All of the other official and working languages of the European Union are tied
to states which are full members of the EU. Although the vote has to be approved
by the European Commission before the decision can come into effect, it speaks
volumes about the EU's deference to Erdogan.
In light of these developments, the granting of visa-free travel to European
Union states for 80 million Turks looks as if it is a done deal, despite the 72
conditions, which Turkey, at least on paper, is expected to live up to. These
include increasing the use of biometric passports and other technical
requirements. So far, Turkey has only met half of these conditions. Perhaps that
is why European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker recently felt the need
to mention that, "Turkey must fulfill all remaining conditions so that the
Commission can adopt its proposal in the coming months. The criteria will not be
watered down." The question is whether Juncker himself even believes his own
words.
With the provisions on visa-free travel for 80 million Turks, the EU may just
have gone from the frying pan into the fire. The visa-free admission of Turks
into Europe would give Erdogan completely free rein to control the influx of
migrants into Europe. Moreover, anyone believing that Erdogan would not take
great advantage of this opportunity would have to be dangerously naïve. The
European Union may yet conclude that the migrant crisis, in all its enormity, is
the far lesser evil.
Judith Bergman is a writer, columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone
website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without
the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Reza Moridi: The Changing Faces of an Iranian-Canadian MPP
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/May 02/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7952/reza-moridi
The real question is: does Moridi represent the Canadian-Iranian community in
Canada, or was he just collecting their votes to represent the Iranian and the
Azerbaijani governments to Canada?
Although Moridi has ridden to his present position on the Iranian votes in
Canada, he has changed faces and seems to be representing the interests of
several other governments and institutions -- including the Iranian regime; the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards business empire and its links in Iran and Canada,
and the Azerbaijani government; he is not representing the cultural and
political interests of Canada or the Iranian-Canadians who gave him a seat in
the Ontario government.
In Iran's political establishment, as in others, there are often opportunistic
figures who change their colors and views, apparently based on what they might
gain politically and economically.
A current example is Reza Moridi, a Canadian citizen originally from Iran, who
is currently a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario and the
provincial government's Minister of Research and Innovation.
Originally, to benefit from the votes of Iranian-Canadian constituents, Moridi
strongly opposed human rights abuses committed by the Iranian regime and
rejected the idea of rapprochement with Iran, currently the world leader per
capita in executing people.
Previously, he had written a letter to Canada's then prime minister, Stephen
Harper, urging "the Government of Canada to continue speaking out against the
restrictions on free speech and democracy in Iran" and arguing that "The Iranian
people must have the opportunity to voice their opinions freely and without fear
of harm."
But his position soon changed dramatically. Suddenly, the Iranian regime's human
rights violations, oppression, and interventions in other countries became less
of an issue. He recently met with Canada's External Affairs Minister, Stephane
Dion, to discuss further rapprochement with Iran's regime, and is currently
calling on the Canadian government to re-open its embassy in Tehran.
Canada severed diplomatic ties with the Iranian regime in September 2012 to
protest the support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for the
Syrian regime, as well as to protest Iran's financial, intelligence and military
assistance to Syria's President Bashar Assad. Iran's support has made it a
partner in the Syrian regime's bombing and killing of hundreds of thousands of
civilians, and thereby complicit in Syria's crimes against humanity. Other
crucial reasons included threats by Iran's leaders against Israel, as well as
fears for the safety of Canadian diplomats when Iran breached international laws
and began attacking foreign embassies in Tehran.
Through his policy shifts, Mr. Moridi has been totally disregarding Iran's and
the Syrian regime's brutality, dehumanization, and subjugation of people. He has
also been disregarding Iran's expansionist, imperialistic policies, Iran's
threats to Israel, and Iran's violations of international and diplomatic norms.
One would wonder whether Mr. Moridi is trying to pave the way to become the
Canadian ambassador to Iran and serve Iran's interests?
Moridi has also been pressing the Canadian government to allow the Islamic
Republic to reopen its embassy in Canada. Such a move would invite the Iranian
regime to set foot in Canada, and further spread the anti-Western, anti-American
and anti-Semitic propaganda of Iran's current Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Reopening the Iranian Embassy in Canada would also help the powerful IRGC to
penetrate Canada's society and exert its extremist Islamist influence there.
In an event in Ontario marking the third anniversary of Iran's rigged elections,
and where the keynote speaker was someone who used to work with Iranian
officials, Moridi stated that it was not a problem if someone worked for the
Iranian regime for many years and then distanced himself from it. That means if
someone helped Iran's regime in killing thousands of people for many years and
stealing their property, and suddenly decided to leave the powers that be in
Iran, he should not be held accountable?
In a recent meeting with Stephan Dion, Canada's foreign minister, Moridi also
expressed the opinion that Canadian businesses are falling behind in doing
business with Iran. As Iran's economy is controlled by the IRGC and the Supreme
Leader, any business conducted on a state level only empowers and emboldens
Khamenei, increases the stranglehold of IRGC and its Quds Force branch, which
operates in foreign countries. Increased business with Iran would further help
these organizations support Syria's dictator, Hezbollah and Shiite militia
groups, and extend its ideological influence in the Middle East and beyond. This
begs the question of whether Mr. Moridi has established connections with the
Iranian business owners in Iran and Canada who are linked to IRGC.
Changing colors appears to be a normal condition for Moridi, and occurs in other
contexts as well. To gain the votes of Iranian-Canadians, Mr. Moridi projects
himself as the representative of the Iranians in Canada. But the real question
is: is he representing the Canadian-Iranian community in Canada, or was he just
collecting their votes to represent the Iranian and the Azerbaijani governments
to Canada?
In an interview with the state media outlet of the Azerbaijani government,
Moridi has been declaring his support for the authoritarian government of
Azerbaijan -- where a majority of the population are Shiite Muslim and a few
politicians on top seem to have accumulated most of the nation's wealth
It is often hard to tell if is Moridi representing the Iranian-Canadians or
Azerbaijan. Is he an advocate of Azerbaijani separatism from Iran? In this video
and statement to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Toronto, he seems to be
lobbying for the Azerbaijani government and representing them, rather than the
Iranian-Canadians. He calls Azerbaijan a democracy. He ignores reports by Human
Rights Watch that this is a country known for its human rights violations,
torture and corruption. This issue also begs the question whether he is
obtaining financial gains from politicians in Azerbaijan. He also reportedly
argued that Azerbaijanis should be more organized and coordinated in denying the
Armenian genocide, and that Azerbaijanis in Canada should also put more efforts
in denying the Armenian genocide.
But when Moridi faces Iranians in Canada or appears on Iranian media outlets, he
shows his other face, arguing that he is their representative and that he
advances their cultural and political interests.
Although Moridi has ridden to his present position on the votes of Iranians in
Canada, he has changed faces and seems to be representing the interests of
several other governments and institutions -- including the Iranian regime, the
IRGC business empire and its links in Iran and Canada, and the Azerbaijani
government -- and not the cultural and political interests of Canada or the
Iranian-Canadians who gave him a seat in the Ontario government.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an Iranian-American political scientist, Harvard
scholar, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East.
He can be reached at Dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu and followed on Twitter at @Dr_Rafizadeh
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone
website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without
the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Picture attached/Reza Moridi is pictured above in a 2012 campaign video for
Ontario Liberal Party leader Kathleen Wynne.
Sisi moves into damage
control following island transfer uproar
Albaraa Abdullah/Al-Monitor/May 02/16
On April 4, Egypt signed a maritime border agreement with Saudi Arabia in the
presence of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi King Salman bin
Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. Six days later, the Egyptian Council of Ministers announced
that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, both located in the Red Sea, were Saudi
territory based on surveys by the National Committee for Egyptian Maritime
Border Demarcation and on 11 rounds of meetings held between the two sides over
several months. The committee had worked for six years; a number of Egyptian
politicians criticized the agreement. Former presidential candidate Hamdeen
Sabahi called on Sisi and Salman to withdraw the agreement and consider it null
and void. He denounced Saudi Arabia for putting itself in a suspicious position
for exploiting Egypt's need, saying, "It is not worthy for Egypt to appear as
complying because of need.”
Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali announced April 10 that he filed a lawsuit
against what he described as "conceding" the islands of Tiran and Sanafir. He
called for turning the popular anger into a demand for putting up the agreement
to a referendum according to the Egyptian Constitution.
In the same vein, the head of the Strong Egypt Party and former presidential
candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh wrote in an April 9 tweet that the agreement
threatens Egyptian national security and that the “Zionists” are the only
beneficiaries.
The Egyptian government's decision to consider the two islands Saudi territory
caused a stir on social media. Satirist Bassem Youssef, who led the criticism on
social media, called the decision a "sale" and the Egyptian president “cheap.”
He likened Sisi to Awad, a proverbial Egyptian farmer who sold his land to eat.
He also said that the president’s legitimacy has been lost.
In the media, there was a lot of confusion and tumult between the agreement’s
supporters and opponents. Then a former Egyptian armed forces commander poured
oil on the fire. In a televised interview April 9, Maj. Gen. Abdel Moneim Said,
the former operations chief of the armed forces and former governor of South
Sinai, said that the islands were Egyptian.
Said pointed out that he worked on the island of Tiran in 1955 and that Egypt
has two border demarcation points there, stressing that Tiran is only 8
kilometers (5 miles) away from Egyptian territory. But within 24 hours, Said
withdrew his comments in a phone call with another Egyptian channel and stated
that the two islands were Saudi.
This prompted the presenter of the “10 p.m.” show, on which Said first appeared,
to claim that Said was pressured to change his position. The presenter condemned
the pressure exerted on national and military figures to change their positions
with regard to who owns the islands, stressing that figures with the state
apparatus have pressured some “national and military figures” to change their
positions on the Tiran and Sanafir issue.
On the other hand, official newspaper Al-Ahram refrained from publishing an
article by the head of its board of directors Ahmed El-Naggar, who opposed the
agreement on the two islands. So instead, Naggar published his article on
Facebook April 17.
On April 13, Sisi met with a number of groups in a meeting attended by the
intelligence chief, the defense minister, heads of parliamentary bodies and
heads of professional associations. Sisi said that Egypt did not concede any
territory but simply gave Saudi Arabia what rightfully belonged to it and asked
the people to stop talking about this issue.
Sisi said he was happy to see the Egyptians care so much about their land, but
that this caring must be pointed in the right direction and that the mass
distrust, including against the state apparatus, must stop.
The president revealed that, before the agreement was made, he wanted the matter
to remain under wraps in order to prevent stirring public opinion in Egypt and
Saudi Arabia.
In a related development, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported April 11 that Cairo
had informed Tel Aviv in advance of its intention to waive its rights to the two
islands, which are in the Gulf of Aqaba, to Saudi Arabia. The newspaper reported
that during recent Egyptian-Israeli talks, Tel Aviv informed Cairo that it would
not oppose handing over the islands to Saudi Arabia as long as Israeli ships can
continue to navigate in the region.
On April 15, the criticism on social media moved to the streets. Cairo and
several Egyptian provinces witnessed demonstrations by thousands of Egyptians
from various political parties protesting the decision. The demonstrators called
on overthrowing the regime and chanted slogans against Sisi, such as "The people
want to overthrow the regime," "Just go" and "Awad sold his land." The
demonstrations were called for by political figures and opposition forces,
including the Muslim Brotherhood, and were held under the slogan "Land is
Honor.”
In a statement obtained by Al-Monitor, the Egyptian Interior Ministry warned
against what it called attempts to lawlessness, in reference to the protests.
The security forces arrested a large number of demonstrators. At first, the
general prosecutor decided to release them, but then he changed position and
ordered them jailed until National Security completes its investigation. The
defendants are being charged with demonstrating without notice, disrupting
public transportation, blocking roads and threatening security and public order.
In a related event, the US-based global intelligence company Stratfor published
a report in which the Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces warned about
conceding the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia. According to
Stratfor’s sources, the council advised Sisi to refrain from transferring
sovereignty over the two islands to Saudi Arabia because it would hurt national
pride and upset Egyptian public opinion given that the agreement’s timing and
its coinciding with the announcement of Saudi investments would make the
sovereignty transfer to look like a sale.
Some had called for mass demonstrations on April 25 — the anniversary of the
Sinai Peninsula’s liberation — in an attempt to block the sovereignty transfer,
yet a large-scale security crackdown led to a limited turnout. In the same
regard, during a speech commemorating the 34th anniversary of Sinai’s
liberation, Egyptian Defense Minister Sidqi Subhi called on the Egyptian people
to unite their voices in order to uphold the nation’s interests, stressing that
the armed forces will not tolerate those who try to spread chaos in the streets
and will not be blackmailed or pressured.
Aleppo on verge of decisive
battle
Al-Monitor/Al-Monitor/May 02/16
Aleppo may be last stand for Salafi groups
UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura has called for an “urgent initiative” by the
United States and Russia, including a ministerial meeting of the International
Syria Support Group, to re-establish a cessation of hostilities in Syria. While
the UN envoy noted “some progress” in the second round of proximity talks
between the Syrian government and opposition groups, he said that the next round
would be meaningful only if accompanied by a renewed cessation of violence.
The latest round of UN talks, which concluded last week in Geneva, was
overshadowed by the escalation of fighting and casualties in Aleppo, including
the bombing of the al-Quds hospital, which killed at least 20, including a
pediatrician and three children.
The Russian Federation on April 26 formally requested that the UN
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) add Ahrar al-Sham and
Jaish al-Islam to its list of sanctioned organizations because they “are closely
linked to terrorist organizations, first of all Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL)
and Al-Qaeda, and provide and receive from them financial, material, technical
and military support.” Russia has long argued for the two groups’ designation as
terrorist entities, which would allow Syria and its allies to make the case for
offensive military operations against them, even during a cessation of
hostilities, under UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The United Arab
Emirates, for its part, has designated Ahrar al-Sham a terrorist organization.
This column has warned since 2013 about the mainstreaming of these foreign
backed “rebel” Salafi groups, including by advocates in the West, and would
prefer they be excluded from negotiations about Syria’s future, given their
radical sectarian ideology. It should, for example, be alarming that the head of
the Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee, Mohammad Alloush, is also
the leader of Jaish al-Islam. This, while perhaps alarming, is not surprising as
the committee was formed in Riyadh. Alloush’s father, Zahran Alloush, was
memorably described by one former US official as simply an “ambitious Islamist
commander” in an article about a resurgent “moderate” opposition in 2014. For
the record, Zahran Alloush was an apocalyptic sectarian hater of the highest
order, memorably warning Shiites that “the Umayyad had previously broken your
heads, the Levantines will break them again, you impure rejectionists,” among
other bile. We would refer to you an article by Ali Mamouri about the
mischaracterization of Alloush as a “moderate.”
The United States is well aware of Ahrar al-Sham’s and Jaish al-Islam’s
on-again, off-again collaboration with Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in
Syria, and both groups’ radical Islamic ideology, which barely differs from that
of Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS) and has little foundation or
appeal among the vast majority of Syrians. Washington has been boxed in,
however, because these groups are backed tooth and nail by Saudi Arabia, Turkey
and Qatar, so Washington has, until now, held the line, and its nose, in
resisting Russia’s entreaties in deference to its regional partners and as a
means of “pressure” on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The battle for Aleppo could clarify the next phase in the Syria conflict,
especially by putting to the test the alleged popular support of these Salafi
groups. We cannot envision the population of this great city rallying to defend
the Sharia rule of Ahrar al-Sham or other armed groups. The citizens of Aleppo
have endured enough suffering. Our hunch is that they will instead welcome a
united city and an end to the fighting, as well as the retreat of the Salafi and
jihadi “rebels.” We wrote in January, “A Syrian government victory in Aleppo
could be the beginning of the end of the sectarian mindset that would have been
alien to the city prior to 2011. There is no more appropriate city to begin
Syria’s healing. A Syrian government victory in Aleppo will make it harder to
rationalize Western backing for jihadi groups that want to keep up the fight
against long odds in the rest of the country. IS and al-Qaeda may prefer, over
time, to begin to relocate to Libya and other countries where they can avoid the
pounding from the US-led anti-IS coalition and Russian- and Iranian-backed
Syrian forces. This may already be happening, and if so, it is to be cheered by
those who seek a unified, secular and nonsectarian Syria, as outlined in the
Vienna Communique, and as is Aleppo’s tradition.”
Aramco’s 5% may be less than meets the eye
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also serves as defense
minister and head of the Council of Economic and Developmental Affairs, last
week outlined “Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision,” an expansive program of economic
reform and change.
At the core of the 2030 vision is the public offering of 5% of Aramco’s shares,
worth an estimated $2 trillion, which would be the largest such offering ever.
Rami Khrais explains that “by listing Aramco, the largest oil company in the
world, Saudi Arabia hopes to establish the foundation for turning the PIF
[Public Investment Fund] into a sovereign fund that lends itself to diversifying
sources of national income away from oil revenues, which account for more than
80% of Saudi exports.”
But here’s the catch: Why would investors put their stake in an industry that
the kingdom is seeking to downsize? The decision to wean Saudi Arabia off oil
dependence and reduce subsidies — good economic medicine for sure — comes at a
time of economic crisis and could be accompanied by social and political
volatility, especially if the goal is actually to end oil dependence by 2020, as
the deputy crown prince said in the interview.
In an interview on Al-Arabiya television, the deputy crown prince said, “People
in the past were displeased with the fact that Aramco's file and data are
undeclared, unclear, and nontransparent. Today, it will become transparent.”
Transparency is all to the good, but it has not been the hallmark of Saudi
decision-making. The kingdom’s regional policies, especially in Yemen, have
seemed at times impulsive and emotional and contribute to a climate of regional
instability. The Economist noted this week that the “shadow” of the “Wahhabi
religious establishment … hangs over all reform in Saudi Arabia.”
Khrais concludes, “Although the Saudis' move to establish a new sovereign fund
appears to bode well, that alone is insufficient. It also requires a
comprehensive blueprint that establishes the functions and powers of the fund
and its governance. In addition, the fund’s objectives must complement the
objectives of creating a local economic base for sustainable development.
Serious public finance reforms will also need to be implemented to ensure
optimum outcomes in the long term.”
What Iran’s first non-oil
trade surplus means for its economy
Maysam Bizær/Al-Monitor/May 02/16
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s non-oil balance of trade turned positive in the past
Iranian year, which ended March 19. The $916 million trade surplus is the
country’s first since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. On April 4, President Hassan
Rouhani hailed it as an achievement that the country secured despite
international sanctions as well as low oil prices.
“Last year, non-oil exports exceeded non-oil imports for the first time since
the Islamic Revolution. Progress has been achieved through the support and
participation of the people as well as their unity,” Rouhani said.
Figures published by Iran’s Customs Administration for the past Iranian calendar
year put non-oil exports at $42.4 billion and imports at $41.5 billion. The
non-oil trade balance turned positive as exports witnessed declines of 16.1% and
imports declined by 22.5%, compared with the same period in the previous Iranian
year.
The Iranian year 1395 began in March; thus, 1394 represents 2015-2016; 1393
represents 2014-2015; 1392 represents 2013-2014; 1391 represents 2012-2013; 1390
represents 2011-2012, and so on, with 1380 representing 2001-2002. "Mn $"
represents millions of dollars.
Ali Mohammad Goodarzi, adviser to the minister and head of public relations and
the communications center at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, believes
that the government’s policies played a direct role in achieving a positive
trade balance.
“The government’s success in the talks with the P5+1 countries (the five
permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) over Iran’s nuclear program,
improvement of the business environment, incremental return of Iran to the
global economy and the creation of mutual trust between Iran and the European
Union are among the factors that led to a positive trade balance,” Goodarzi told
Al-Monitor.
As for the domestic policies, the Iranian official believes that “controlling
the country’s inflation as well as export-oriented strategies and monetary
discipline of the government” have also played a role.
Rouhani and other administration officials’ hailing of the positive trade
balance has not been welcomed by everyone. Some figures active in the economic
arena do not regard it as an achievement, arguing that it was only the result of
sharp drops in both imports and exports, as well as what they call “unusual
economic conditions.”
Mohammad Reza Sabzalipur, head of the World Trade Center Tehran, told
al-Monitor, “It is not a positive balance of trade. Rather it shows austerity
and economic contraction. The overall foreign trade of the country was around
$40 billion last year, of which imports shrank by nearly 25% and exports by 18%
compared to the same period the previous year.”May 02/16
Critics also argue that the non-oil trade surplus does not reflect an economic
improvement, given that Iran’s economy is hit by a recession while falling
imports have reduced domestic production.
Asadollah Asgaroladi, a prominent businessman who is also a member of Iran’s
Chamber of Commerce, told the local Eghtesad News, “It is not a good matter that
Iran’s balance of trade has become positive. If imports are reduced, domestic
demands cannot be met. It is good to reduce imports of consumer goods, but
imports of production machinery and raw materials should be increased, otherwise
smugglers will import them.”
Although official figures indicate a positive trade balance, it is no secret
that smuggling, which is not included in official data, has long been a major
issue for the Islamic Republic.
The value of smuggled imports is estimated at an average of between $15 billion
to $25 billion a year. Mehdi Pourqazi, head of the Industry Commission at
Tehran’s Chamber of Commerce, told the online outlet Omid-e-Iranian that if this
estimate is added to the bill for legal imports, “the balance of trade would not
be positive.”
Meanwhile, some economic experts see distorted foreign exchange rates and the
government ban on imports of luxury cars as other factors behind the slide in
imports. They argue that foreign exchange rates must be determined based on
economic realities rather than petrodollars to boost domestic production and
exports while reducing smuggling.
As Rouhani administration officials — and their critics — continue to see the
country’s trade balance as black or white, there are experts who believe it all
could be both an opportunity and a threat. Daniel Khazeni-Rad, an editor at
English-language economic daily Financial Tribune, told Al-Monitor, “The
positive trade balance can be seen in two ways. First, it shows that Iran
finally has moved from an oil-based economy to a mixed economy. It also denotes
a worrying trend on the other hand as local manufacturers have tougher external
competition. This is likely to be compounded when Iran's application to the
World Trade Organization is accepted and tariffs and protectionist policies must
make way for fairer treatment of foreign businesses."
Iranian officials stress that the government has tried to lower imports of basic
goods such as wheat and replace them with domestically made products — all part
of its policy to implement the so-called resistance economy promoted by Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Following the Jan. 16 removal of nuclear-related sanctions as part of the
implementation of the nuclear deal, international institutions such as the World
Bank have predicted that Iran’s economy will grow 3-5% in 2016. Economic experts
say that an increase in exports in the non-oil sectors will largely depend on
how the government uses its foreign exchange reserves. With the expected gradual
return of Iranian business to the global market, it now remains to be seen how
the government can materialize its promise to revive the country's economy and
expand its share of global trade.