llLCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
May 22/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.may22.16.htm
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Bible Quotations For Today
Peace I leave with you; my
peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/27-31:"Peace I leave with
you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let
your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you,
"I am going away, and I am coming to you." If you loved me, you would rejoice
that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I
have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may
believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is
coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so
that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.
God said to Abraham, "And in
your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Acts of the Apostles 03/22-26//04/01-04:"Moses said, "The Lord your God will
raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to
whatever he tells you. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that
prophet will be utterly rooted out from the people." And all the prophets, as
many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days.
You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to
your ancestors, saying to Abraham, "And in your descendants all the families of
the earth shall be blessed." When God raised up his servant, he sent him first
to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.’While Peter
and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple,
and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the
people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So
they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was
already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they
numbered about five thousand.."
Question: "How do God’s mercy
and justice work together in salvation?"
GotQuestions.org/Answer: God’s justice and mercy are seemingly incompatible.
After all, justice involves the dispensing of deserved punishment for
wrongdoing, and mercy is all about pardon and compassion for an offender.
However, these two attributes of God do in fact form a unity within His
character.
The Bible contains many references to God’s mercy. Over 290 verses in the Old
Testament and 70 in the New Testament contain direct statements of the mercy of
God toward His people.
God was merciful to the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of Jonah, who
described God as “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding
in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). David said God is
“gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. The LORD is
good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (Psalm 145:8–9, NASB). But
the Bible also speaks of God’s justice and His wrath over sin. In fact, God’s
perfect justice is a defining characteristic: “There is no other God besides me,
a just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:21). “He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is
he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). In the New Testament, Paul details why God’s judgment is
coming: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5–6).
So the Bible showcases the fact that God is merciful, but it also reveals that
He is just and will one day dispense justice on the sin of the world.
In every other religion in the world that holds to the idea of a supreme deity,
that deity’s mercy is always exercised at the expense of justice. For example,
in Islam, Allah may grant mercy to an individual, but it’s done by dismissing
the penalties of whatever law has been broken. In other words, the offender’s
punishment that was properly due him is brushed aside so that mercy can be
extended. Islam’s Allah and every other deity in the non-Christian religions set
aside the requirements of moral law in order to be merciful. Mercy is seen as at
odds with justice. In a sense, in these religions, crime can indeed pay.
If any human judge acted in such a fashion, most people would lodge a major
complaint. It is a judge’s responsibility to see that the law is followed and
that justice is provided. A judge who ignores the law is betraying his office.
Christianity is unique in that God’s mercy is shown through His justice. There
is no setting aside of justice to make room for mercy. The Christian doctrine of
penal substitution states that sin and injustice were punished at the cross of
Christ, and that only because the penalty of sin was satisfied through Christ’s
sacrifice does God extend His mercy to undeserving sinners who look to Him for
salvation.
And while Christ did indeed die for sinners, He also died as a demonstration of
God’s righteousness, to showcase His justice. This is exactly what the apostle
Paul says: “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through
the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate
his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed
beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present
time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus
(Romans 3:24–26, emphasis added). In other words, God didn’t immediately punish
sin before the time of Christ; rather, extended mercy. But He did not pass over
justice. His righteousness (i.e., His justice) was demonstrated by Christ’s
death on the cross. At the cross, God’s justice was meted out in full (upon
Christ), and God’s mercy was extended in full (to all who believe). So God’s
perfect mercy was and is exercised through His perfect justice. The end result
is that, by the sacrificial death of Jesus, everyone who trusts in Him is saved
from God’s wrath and instead experiences His grace and mercy (Romans 8:1). As
Paul says, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall
we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:9).
Pope Francis's Tweet For
Today
Each one of us can be a bridge of encounter between diverse cultures and
religions, a way to rediscover our common humanity.
Chacun peut être un pont entre cultures et religions diverses, une voie pour
redécouvrir notre humanité commune.
يمكن لكل واحد أن يكون جسرًا بين ثقافات وديانات مختلفة ودربًا لاكتشاف إنسانيّتنا
المشتركة
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials
from miscellaneous sources published on May 21- 22/16
Can the Druze community’s rural past secure its future/Ehtesham Shahid/Al
Arabiya/May 21/16
Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood: The best of enemies/Nicolas Dot-Pouillard/Middle
East Eye/May 21/16
Sykes-Picot – The centennial of an imperial curse/Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/May
21/16
The myth about refugees and the economy/Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Sovereign immunity – A Pandora’s Box that must remain unopened/Baria Alamuddin/Al
Arabiya/May 21/16
Iraqis divided over Soleimani's role in their country/Mustafa Saadoun/Al-Monitor/May
21/16
Group that helped sell Iran nuke deal also funded media/By Bradley Klapper/May
21/16
Titles Latest Lebanese Related News published on May
21- 22/16
Report:
U.S. Financial Intelligence Official in Lebanon next Week to Tackle Hizbullah
Sanctions
Salam to Underscore Syrian Refugee Plight in Lebanon during Istanbul
Humanitarian Summit
Asiri Gathers Lebanese Leaders over Dinner, Hopes for President Election 'before
Eid al-Fitr'
Three Major Candidates Vying for Parliamentary Seat in Jezzine Polls
Three-Way Battle Expected in Sidon Municipal Polls
Report: Battles within AMAL, Hizbullah Expected in Municipal Elections
Explosive Safely Removed in Ain el-Hilweh
Lebanese General Security Arrests Syrian on Suspicion of Terror Links
Geagea: For voting massively on Sunday, particularly in Jezzine
Clash in Abi Samra over municipal elections, Army intervenes, blocks road to
Zgharta
People of Qobayat' Municipal List declared, backed by LF FPM
Salam confers with UN UnderSecretary General
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 21-22/16
At least 60,000
dead in Syria regime prisons: monitor
Al-Azhar Sheikh: Terrorist Groups are Tarnishing Islam
Foreign Aid Reaches Flooded Sri Lankan Capital, 71 Dead
'Smoke on Board' EgyptAir Plane before Crash
France: No crash theory ruled out on MS804
Iran: Two dozen of regime’s forces from small city killed in Syria/Signs emerge
of large-scale Iranian casualties in Syria
Two young Baluchis murdered by Iran regime’s intelligence agents
IRAN: Nearly 100,000 school students deprived of education in impoverished
province
Iran regime may be planning to mass execute child offenders
Iranian Regime launches clampdown on satellite dishes in Iran capital
Iran political prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh on Day 23 of hunger strike
Obama to host India’s Modi at White House
US moves to unseal ISIS defector’s case
Links From Jihad Watch Site for May 21- 22/16
Media darling Muslim selfie girl loves Hitler, hates Jews
Bangladesh: Islamic State murders doctor who “called to Christianity”
Muslim prof Joseph Lumbard denied tenure, blames “Islamophobia”
Jihadis recruiting staff at airports in France
Pennsylvania: Muslim posted names of U.S. military, exhorted Muslims to kill
them
Hard-Left group paid journalists for favorable coverage of Iran nuke deal
Band in Paris jihad attacks gets gigs canceled for noting Muslims celebrated
attacks
German government wants to monitor mosques
40,000 Christians persecuted by Muslims…in Germany
Robert Spencer Moment: Could a Ham Sandwich Stop ISIS?
Latest Lebanese Related News published on May 21- 22/16
Report: U.S. Financial Intelligence
Official in Lebanon next Week to Tackle Hizbullah Sanctions
Naharnet/May 21/16/U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence David Cohen is set to visit Lebanon next week in wake of the
adoption of an American law on imposing sanctions on Hizbullah, reported al-Joumhouria
newspaper on Saturday. His visit reflects Washington's keenness on the
implementation of the law in Lebanon and the world, informed diplomatic and
financial sources told the daily. He will inquire on his trip on the “Lebanese
measures aimed at confronting illegal funding and combating funding for
Hizbullah, the Islamic State group, and other terrorist organizations.”Cohen
could be accompanied by his aide Daniel Glaser, the assistant secretary for the
Department of the Treasury. In April, Lebanese banks began taking measures
against persons or institutions in accordance to a U.S. law that imposes
sanctions on banks that knowingly do business with Hizbullah. Last week, two
Lebanese banks suspended three Hizbullah-linked accounts in conformity with the
U.S. sanctions law.
Salam to Underscore Syrian Refugee Plight in Lebanon during Istanbul
Humanitarian Summit
Naharnet/May 21/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam is scheduled to travel to the
Turkish city of Istanbul to attend the Global Humanitarian Summit on Sunday,
reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Saturday. It said that he will address the
case of Syrian refugees, demanding international support to allow the displaced
to return to their homeland and safe regions to ease the burden they pose on
Lebanon. He will be accompanied on his trip by Social Affairs Minister Rashid
Derbas, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, and a number of economic consultants.
Lebanon is home to more than one million registered Syrian refugees, or nearly a
quarter of the country's 4.5 million people. Lebanese officials say that another
half a million Syrians live in the country as well. Earlier this week, United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon caused a stir in Lebanon in wake of a
report in which he allegedly suggested naturalizing the Syrian refugees in
Lebanon.The cabinet declared Thursday that it unanimously rejects any attempt to
naturalize the refugees. U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag held
talks on Friday with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil to clarify Ban's statements.
She said: “The report makes no mention of any specific country and seeks
primarily to promote more collective action and better responsibility sharing by
member states to address large movements of refugees and migrants.”“The report
addresses the challenges of countries hosting refugees for lengthy periods and
calls for measures to better support host communities, to promote social
inclusion and to combat discrimination.”“The report does not advocate in any
specific case for naturalization or granting of citizenship for refugees.”Bassil
has repeatedly warned against international attempts to naturalize refugees in
Lebanon, demanding that the country take “unilateral action” against such plans.
Asiri Gathers Lebanese Leaders over Dinner, Hopes for President Election 'before
Eid al-Fitr'
Naharnet/May 21/16/Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri threw a dinner
banquet Friday in honor of Lebanon's political, security and religious leaders
and hoped a new president will be elected “before Eid al-Fitr,” which will be
observed in early July. “The presidential vacuum is about to enter its third
year and the more it protracts the more the State and its institutions are
nearing the edge of the abyss,” Asiri said in a speech at the dinner. “I urge
you to find the political will and consensual solutions to resolve this issue,
so that Eid al-Fitr can be celebrated in the presence of a new president,” he
added.The dinner was attended by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, a representative
of Speaker Nabih Berri, al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, Free
Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea,
MP Suleiman Franjieh's son Tony, ex-presidents Amin Gemayel and Michel Suleiman,
ex-PMs Najib Miqati and Fouad Saniora, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, a
representative of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Greek Orthodox
Archbishop Elias Aude. It was also attended by Army chief General Jean Qahwaji,
Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous, General Security chief
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, a number of Arab and foreign ambassadors, several
current and former ministers and MPs, and a number of political, military,
spiritual, social and economic figures. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all its
leaders will remain the main supporter of national accord and political and
security stability in Lebanon and the supporter of the Muslim-Christian
coexistence, and it is not true that it has abandoned Lebanon,” Asiri added.
“But, in return, Lebanon is required to stay loyal to its history and harmonious
with itself and with its neighborhood,” he went on to say. “Yes to Lebanese
unity, yes to Lebanese coexistence, yes to Lebanese reconciliation and yes to a
new president in Lebanon. Yes to a better tomorrow and yes to peace, stability
and prosperity,” Asiri said.“I hope that the ongoing municipal polls -- which
are taking place in a civilized and democratic way -- will be a step towards
holding the presidential and parliamentary elections,” he added.
Three Major Candidates Vying for Parliamentary Seat in Jezzine Polls
Naharnet/May 21/16/The Jezzine by-election scheduled for Sunday are predicted to
witness a battle between three candidates, some of whom enjoy the support of the
main Christian parties of the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, and
Kataeb, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday. The main candidates are Amal
Abou Zeid, backed by the FPM, LF, and Kataeb, Ibrahim Azar, the son of former MP
Samir Azar, and Patrick Rizkallah, a former FPM activist. FPM founder MP Michel
Aoun urged on Friday “Jezzine to assert the political course it adopted in
2009,” when the parliamentary elections were last held. “It is required to
repeat this experience to remain firm and to evolve,” he added. “We hope that
after 48 hours, we will have the only legitimate MP at parliament,” said Aoun in
reference to parliament's extension of its term twice. The term of parliament
was extended in 2013 and another time in 2014 after political powers failed to
agree on a new electoral law. The by-election is aimed at filling the seat left
vacant by the death of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Helou, who passed away
in 2014. The by-election will be held simultaneously with municipal polls in the
South and Nabatieh on Sunday.
Three-Way Battle Expected in
Sidon Municipal Polls
Naharnet/May 21/16/A heated battle between three political forces is expected
during Sunday's municipal polls in the southern city of Sidon, reported the
daily An Nahar on Saturday. The battle will be waged between a list headed by
Mohammed al-Saudi, who is backed by the Mustaqbal Movement, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya,
and Abdul Rahman al-Bizri, a second headed by Bilal Shaaban, who is backed by
the Popular Nasserite Organization, and a third headed by Ali al-Sheikh Ammar,
The most heated competition is predicted to be between the Mustaqbal Movement
and Popular Nasserite Organization. Observers expect a heavy voter turnout.
Sunday's municipal elections will take place in the South and Nabatieh. The
elections kicked off in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 8. They were followed by
polls in Mount Lebanon on May 15. The final round of the elections will be held
in the North on May 29.
Report: Battles within AMAL,
Hizbullah Expected in Municipal Elections
Naharnet/May 21/16/The Shiite powerhouses of Hizbullah and AMAL are expected to
witness electoral battles during Sunday's municipal polls in the South and
Nabatieh, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday. The battles are set to take place
between candidates among each party as opposed to the two parties themselves,
political sources told the daily. The Lebanese Communist Party will act as a
third competitor in the polls as it has candidates running in several towns and
villages. On the eve of the elections, Speaker and AMAL chief Nabih Berri
addressed southerners, saying: “These elections are aimed at development and
showing loyalty.” He urged them to vote for the lists that are included in an
understanding that was reached between AMAL and Hizbullah, hoping for a heavy
turnout that would demonstrate Lebanon's democracy. He hoped that the municipal
polls will serve as a precursor to the presidential and parliamentary ones. The
municipal elections kicked off in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 8. They were
followed by polls in Mount Lebanon on May 15. The third round will take place in
the South and Nabatieh on Sunday and the final round in the North on May 29.
Explosive Safely Removed in
Ain el-Hilweh
Naharnet/May 21/16/An explosive device was discovered in the Palestinian refugee
camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon, reported Voice of Lebanon radio
(100.5) on Saturday. It said that the explosive, which was ready to be
detonated, was located in al-Tahtani street in the camp. It has since been
removed by members of the Fatah group.
Lebanese General Security
Arrests Syrian on Suspicion of Terror Links
Naharnet/May 21/16/General Security announced on Saturday the arrest of a Syrian
national on suspicion of his affiliation to a terrorist group.It said that A.M.
contacted a terrorist group and its leader, identified as Syrian M.M., for the
purpose of providing it with logistic support. He also helped smuggle people and
facilitate their entry to Syria to join this group.Lebanese national H.H. was
among those sent to Syria.The suspect has since been referred to the concerned
judiciary and investigations are underway to uncover his accomplices.
Geagea:
For voting massively on Sunday, particularly in Jezzine
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces Party Head, Samir Geagea, urged supporters
to vote excessively in Sunday's municipal elections, especially in Jezzine
municipality, citing "development" as a priority to his Party.
Clash in Abi Samra over municipal
elections, Army intervenes, blocks road to Zgharta
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - A dispute occurred between members of Hassoun family in
the town of Abi Samra over municipal elections, involving tearing-up of
candidates posters, whereby Army units intervened immediately, cutting-off the
road leading to Zgharta and arresting a number of suspects, NNA correspondent
reported on Saturday.
People of Qobayat' Municipal
List declared, backed by LF FPM
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - The "People of Qobayat" Municipal List, supported by the
Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement, was announced on Saturday in a
ceremony held at "Our Lady of Peace" School premises in Qobayat, amidst a crowd
of townsmen and dignitaries.The coalition list includes 18 members, dedicated to
catering to the town's developmental needs and fostering an atmosphere of change
for a better future for Qobayat.
Salam confers with UN
UnderSecretary General
Sat 21 May 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Tammam Salam met on Saturday with United
Nations Under-Secretary General, UN Women's Commission Executive Director Van
Zyl Blambo Ngcuka, with talks centering on latest developments.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 21-22/16
At least 60,000 dead in Syria regime prisons: monitor
Agence France Presse/ May.
21, 2016 /BEIRUT: At least 60,000 people have died in Syrian government prisons over the
past five years from torture or due to dire humanitarian conditions, including a
lack of food, a monitor said Saturday. The head of the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights monitoring group, Rami Abdel Rahman, said he compiled the toll from
regime sources. "Since March 2011, at least 60,000 people lost their lives to
torture or to horrible conditions, notably the lack of medication or food, in
regime detention centres," Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said the highest number of
deaths had been recorded in the infamous Saydnaya prison as well as detention
centres run by Syria's notorious air force intelligence and state security
forces. Thousands of prisoners are held in the military-run Saydnaya prison, one
of the country's largest detention centre located 30 kilometres (18 miles) north
of Damascus. Rights groups have accused Syria's government of systematically
using torture and inhumane practices in its detention centres. A UN probe in
February accused the Syrian government of a policy of "extermination" in its
jails. The Britain-based Observatory says it has compiled a list of 14,456 names
-- including 110 children -- who have died in regime prisons.According to Abdel
Rahman, government forces have arrested a total of 500,000 people since Syria's
conflict erupted in 2011. While some have been released and others died, the
whereabouts of thousands of detainees remain unknown. Abdel Rahman also said
that "several thousand people" have died while being held by rebel groups and
jihadist factions like the Islamic State group. In early 2014, a regime defector
calling himself "Caesar" smuggled out of Syria some 55,000 photographs depicting
the tortured and abused bodies of around 11,000 people who had reportedly died
in Syrian jails during the first two years of the conflict. Earlier this month,
the UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura named Eva Svoboda to oversee
progress on the issue of detainees.
Al-Azhar Sheikh: Terrorist Groups
are Tarnishing Islam
Waleed Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al Awsat/May 21/16/President Muhammadu Buhari
received in audience H.E. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam Sheikh Al-Azhar from the
Arab Republic of Egypt in Statehouse on 18th May 2016. President Muhammadu
Buhari received in audience H.E. Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam Sheikh Al-Azhar
from the Arab Republic of Egypt in Statehouse on 18th May 2016. Cairo – For the
first time ever, Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb visited Nigeria
accompanied by a delegation. El-Tayeb called the terrorist group Boko Haram to
repent. El-Tayeb asked the international community to help the displaced
civilians and refugees. Analysts believe that Africa is undergoing a new
struggle now with terrorist groups especially ISIS and the so-called ISIS of
Nigeria, Boko Haram. According to sources, al-Azhar has expressed fears of ISIS
expanding in Africa to compensate its losses in Syria and Iraq especially after
the attacks from the U.S.-led coalition. El-Tayeb met with the Nigerian
President Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential palace in Abuja. Both parties
discussed means to fight extremism. In his speech directed to African people,
el-Tayeb said that some of those who affiliate themselves with Islam are
tarnishing its image with blood and carnage. He added that the portray of such
image and constant display on TV has only one goal and that is to present Islam
as a violent and blood-thirsty religion. El-Tayeb stressed that Islam is not
violent and it is wrong to judge religions based on the act of some of its
followers who have been misled and are misleading others. He emphasized that one
can’t impose Islam by force and by waging wars on others. Regarding ISIS, el-Tayeb
said that it is a diabolic entity that is becoming successful in spreading hate
among religions. He then called Boko Haram to repent and redeem themselves
before it is too late. El-Tayeb then visited a refugee camp in the Nigerian
capital, Abuja and called international community to help the refugees. In 2014,
Boko Haram was responsible for killing over 6,644 in an estimated 317% increase
than 2013. Boko Haram’s first attack outside of Nigeria was on the borders of
Chad and Cameron where 520 were killed in Cameroon and six in Chad. According to
sources, al-Qaeda in Morocco sent Boko Haram weapons that were transferred from
Libya through the Chad – Niger borders. Boko Haram recently pledged allegiance
to ISIS, increasing its military powers.
Foreign Aid Reaches Flooded Sri
Lankan Capital, 71 Dead
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/16/Foreign aid began arriving in Sri Lanka
Saturday, bringing help to half a million people forced out of their homes by
heavy rains and landslides that have killed at least 71 in a week of extreme
weather wreaking havoc in South Asia. As the heaviest rains in a quarter of a
century battered Sri Lanka, Cyclone Roanu barreled into the Bangladesh coastline
leaving six people dead and forcing the evacuation of 500,000 as it unleashed
winds as strong as 88 kilometers (54 miles) per hour and heavy downpours.
Torrential rains have deluged Sri Lanka since last weekend, triggering huge
landslides that have buried victims in up to 50 feet (15 meters) of mud and left
127 people missing. As aid began to arrive Saturday on a military plane from
India and a commercial flight from Japan, Sri Lankan authorities said their
priority was now preventing diseases such as diarrhoea, with many areas still
under water."We have sent a large number of doctors and nursing staff to ensure
there is no outbreak of waterborne diseases," Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne
told AFP. In Colombo, residents clung to ropes as they battled to cross torrents
of water pulsing through the streets of the flooded capital, with some forced to
take shelter in rickshaws. The Indian government has provided inflatable boats,
outboard motors, diving equipment, medical supplies, electricity generators and
sleeping bags, officials said. The first of two Indian naval ships arrived
Saturday at the port in Colombo, while Australia and the United States have made
cash donations to help victims. Floodwaters in parts of the capital subsided
slightly overnight, officials said, but heavy downpours on Saturday prevented
many from moving back to their homes on the banks of the Kelani river. "Colombo
did not receive any significant rain last night and the water levels of the
Kelani went down slightly," Disaster Management Centre spokesman Pradeep
Kodippili told AFP. "But there were showers upstream and we are worried that the
water levels can rise again in a day."
Buddhist holiday
Nearly 300,000 people were staying in about 500 state-run relief centres
Saturday, which also marks the Buddhist holiday of Vesak, while a further
200,000 people were staying with friends or family. Officials said there was a
fresh landslide in the worst-hit central district of Kegalle, but that no
casualties were reported because the area had been evacuated. The country's
influential Buddhist clergy urged the faithful to divert at least half of the
money spent on holiday celebrations to help flood victims. "There are lots of
people who have lost their homes, some have only the clothes they are wearing,"
top Buddhist monk Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana said. "Consider this your
meritorious deed to celebrate Vesak." Vesak celebrations were muted Saturday in
Colombo compared with previous years when the entire city was decorated with
lanterns and coloured lights. President Maithripala Sirisena called on Sri
Lankans to provide shelter and donate cash or food to flood victims as offers of
assistance came in from overseas. The accommodation booking website airbnb.com
listed at least 29 places offering free lodging for anyone affected by the
floods in Sri Lanka. Disaster management officials said there had been a huge
outpouring of sympathy for victims with donations of food, clothing and dry
rations. The meteorological department says the rains were caused by a
depression in the Bay of Bengal, ahead of the arrival of the southwest monsoon.
Around 22 of Sri Lanka's 25 districts have been affected by the rains, according
to disaster officials. Almost a third of residents have been moved from the
low-lying capital, which has a population of about 650,000.
'Smoke on Board' EgyptAir
Plane before Crash
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/May 21/16/Smoke was detected inside an EgyptAir
plane shortly before it plunged into the Mediterranean with 66 people on board,
investigators said Saturday, offering clues but no answers about why it crashed.
The Airbus A320 had been flying from Paris to Cairo early Thursday when it
plummeted and turned full circle before vanishing from radar screens, without
its crew sending a distress signal. Egypt's military released pictures of
wreckage recovered so far, including a pink bag decorated with butterflies, a
life vest, shredded seat covers and mangled debris showing the EgyptAir name.
France's aviation safety agency said Flight MS804 had transmitted automated
messages indicating smoke in the cabin as the disaster unfolded. While the
information may help investigators, more wreckage including the black boxes will
need to be found before they can piece together what happened. "There were ACAR
messages emitted by the plane indicating that there was smoke in the cabin
shortly before data transmission broke off," a spokesman for France's Bureau of
Investigations and Analysis told AFP. ACAR, which stands for Aircraft
Communications Addressing and Reporting System, is a digital system that
transmits short messages between aircraft and ground stations. It was "far too
soon to interpret and understand the cause of the accident as long as we have
not found the wreckage or the flight data recorders," the spokesman said. Search
teams were scouring the eastern Mediterranean on Saturday for more parts of the
plane and the black boxes for clues on why it came down. While Egypt's aviation
minister has pointed to terrorism as more likely than technical failure, French
Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Saturday that nothing was being ruled
out. "At this time... all theories are being examined and none is favored," he
told a news conference in Paris after meeting with relatives of passengers.The
disaster comes just seven months after the bombing of a Russian passenger jet
over Egypt's Sinai peninsula in October that killed all 224 people on board. The
Islamic State group was quick to claim responsibility for the attack, but there
has been no such claim linked to the EgyptAir crash.
Families want the bodies'
Relatives of the passengers on the EgyptAir flight gathered at a hotel near
Cairo airport after meeting airline officials as they struggled to come to terms
with the catastrophe. "They haven't died yet. No one knows. We're asking for
God's mercy," said a woman in her 50s whose daughter had been on board. EgyptAir
Holding Company chairman Safwat Moslem told AFP that the priority was finding
the passengers' remains and the flight recorders, which will stop emitting a
signal in a month when the batteries run out. "The families want the bodies.
That is what concerns us. The army is working on this. This is what we are
focusing on," he said. A French patrol boat carrying equipment capable of
tracing the plane's black boxes was expected on Sunday or Monday. The plane
disappeared between the Greek island of Karpathos and the Egyptian coast in the
early hours of Thursday. It had turned sharply twice before plunging 22,000 feet
(6,700 meters) and vanishing from radar screens, said Greek Defense Minister
Panos Kammenos.
Boy, babies on board
Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security International Magazine, told the
BBC that technical failure could not be ruled out. "There was smoke reported in
the aircraft lavatory, then smoke in the avionics bay, and over a period of
three minutes the aircraft's systems shut down," he said. "That's starting to
indicate that it probably wasn't a hijack, it probably wasn't a struggle in the
cockpit, it's more likely a fire on board. Now whether that was a technical
fire, a short circuit, or whether it was because a bomb went off on board, we
don't know."Personal belongings and parts of the Airbus A320 were spotted by
teams searching the sea off Egypt's northern coast about 290 kilometers (180
miles) from the city of Alexandria, the military said. Kammenos said the teams,
which include multinational aircraft and ships, had found "a body part, two
seats and one or more items of luggage". The passengers included 30 Egyptians,
15 French citizens, two Iraqis, two Canadians, and citizens from Algeria,
Belgium, Britain, Chad, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. They included a boy
and two babies.Seven crew members and three security personnel were also on
board. The European Space Agency said one of its satellites had on Thursday
spotted an oil slick about 40 kilometers southeast of the plane's last known
location. In October, foreign governments issued travel warnings for Egypt and
demanded a review of security at its airports after the Islamic State group said
it downed the Russian airliner over Sinai with a bomb concealed in a soda can
that had been smuggled on the plane. IS has been waging a deadly insurgency
against Egyptian security forces and has claimed attacks in both France and
Egypt.
France: No crash theory ruled out on
MS804
Agencies Saturday, 21 May 2016/French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he
and other officials - including representatives of Paris Aeroport, the French
prosecutor, EgyptAir, and the Egyptian ambassador to Paris - had met with about
100 family members to express "our profound compassion" over the crash. In a
statement delivered to reporters following the meeting, he said: "All the
hypotheses are being examined - none are being favored."French air accident
investigators are already in Cairo, he said.Meanwhile, Egyptian armed forces on
Saturday released images of debris of the crashed EgyptAir jet. The pictures
showed passenger belongings and parts of the plane which crashed into the
Mediterranean on Thursday. The jet had sent a burst of error messages indicating
that smoke had been detected on board before crashing, France's BEA air accident
investigation agency said on Saturday, although this is yet to be confirmed by
Egypt. "These messages do not allow in any way to say what may have caused smoke
or fire on board the aircraft," a spokesman for the agency said, adding that the
messages indicated that smoke been detected towards the front of the cabin. He
said the priority now was to find the aircraft and its two flight recorders
containing cockpit voice recordings and data readings. The Airbus A320 vanished
from radar on its way to Cairo from Paris with 66 people on board. The flight
data was sent through an automatic system called the Aircraft Communications
Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which routinely downloads maintenance
and fault data to the airline operating the aircraft. Aviation website Aviation
Herald published a burst of seven messages broadcast over the space of three
minutes. These included alarms about smoke in the lavatory as well as the
aircraft's avionics area, which sits under the cockpit. While suggesting a
possible fire, the relatively short sequence of data gives no insight into pilot
efforts to control the aircraft, nor does it show whether it fell in one piece
or disintegrated in mid-air, two aviation safety experts said.The BEA is
assisting an official investigation into the crash, which has been launched by
Egypt's air crash investigation authority.
Media reports
The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said automated
warning messages indicated smoke in the nose of the aircraft and an apparent
problem with the flight control system. The warnings, which were automatically
sent by the Airbus A320's computer systems, came about 2:26 a.m. Thursday local
time, just before air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane carrying
66 people, the Journal said. The messages indicated intense smoke in the front
portion of the plane, specifically the lavatory and the equipment compartment
beneath the cockpit. The error warnings also indicated that the flight control
computer malfunctioned, the report said. CNN also reported smoke alerts on the
flight minutes before it crashed, citing information it obtained from an
Egyptian source that was filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing
and Reporting System, which sends messages between planes and ground facilities.
A relative of the victims of the EgyptAir flight 804 reacts as she makes a phone
call at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside of Paris, Egypt's aviation
minister has said a terrorist attack was a more likely cause than technical
failure for the crash. On Friday, search teams found wreckage including seats
and luggage about 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Egypt's coastal city of
Alexandria, Egypt's military said.The plane disappeared without any distress
signal between the Greek island of Karpathos and the Egyptian coast.It had
turned sharply twice in Egyptian airspace before plunging 22,000 feet (6,700
meters) and vanishing from radar screens, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos
has said. (Reuters and AFP)
Iran: Two dozen of regime’s forces
from small city killed in Syria/Signs emerge of large-scale Iranian casualties
in Syria
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - Twenty three members of the Iranian regime's forces
from the small city of Varamin, south-east of Tehran, have been killed in
Syria's civil war, an official of the mullahs' regime has said. On Friday, May
20, the Mehr news agency, affiliated to the regime's Intelligence Ministry,
quoted Amir Pour-Javadi, head of the regime's Foundation for Martyrs of Varamin
City, as saying that the city had thus far offered "23 martyrs who defended the
sacred shrine." In the 2011 census, Varamin's population was recorded at
220,000. The overall population of Iran was recorded at a little more than 75
million at the time. If the city’s casualty rate were to be taken as a sample of
the Iranian regime’s overall losses in Syria, it would mean that the casualty
tally at a national level would range in the thousands. The Iranian regime has
deployed tens of thousands of its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and affiliated
foreign militias to Syria to fight in support of dictator Bashar al-Assad who is
massacring the Syrian people. It describes this action as an attempt to “defend
the sacred shrines.” This is while most of the Iranian regime's casualties are
in the Aleppo region which is almost 300 kilometers away from the holy Shiite
shrines near Damascus.The Iranian regime has made a concerted effort over recent
years to keep secret the official tally of its casualties in Syria’s civil war
which has been raging for the past five years. In recent weeks, however, there
have been numerous signs which point to a high casualty rate. In one example,
the Iranian regime's forces around the strategic town of Khan Tuman suffered
heavy blows from Syrian opposition fighters on May 6 in the battles in southern
Aleppo. Shahin Gobadi of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council
of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) on Saturday said: "The mullahs' regime is afraid of
announcing its true casualty rate in Syria out of fear of a public backlash
resulting in its further isolation at home. But all the news and signs point to
the regime's casualty rate in Syria being far higher than previous estimates.
One can confidently say that the mullahs have lost thousands of their forces in
Syria." "Syria has transformed into a strategic deadlock and quagmire for Ali
Khamenei, supreme leader of the mullahs' regime. Despite deploying more than
70,000 IRGC forces, foreign militias and more recently its Regular Army and
pouring in the Iranian nation's wealth into supporting Syria's dictator, the
mullahs have failed to score a strategic victory and guarantee the survival of
Assad's regime. Khamenei believes the only solution is to become ever more
embroiled in the conflict in Syria but in this crisis they have no way back and
no way forward. As the Iranian regime's officials have repeatedly acknowledged,
Assad's fall from power is a 'red line' for the mullahs who see their grip on
Syria as a strategic lifeline. The regime's casualty rate in Syria is however
increasing with each passing day," he added.
Two young Baluchis murdered by Iran regime’s intelligence agents
Friday, 20 May 2016/NCRI - The Iranian regime’s notorious Ministry of
Intelligence and Security (MOIS) last week murdered in cold blood two young
Iranian Baluchis one of whom was still a minor, according to information
received from Iran’s south-eastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan. The two
victims, identified as Allah-Noor Salarzehi, 17, and Saeed Salarzehi, 21, were
walking in Rajai Street of Zahedan when agents of the MOIS driving down the
street opened fire on them last Friday, May 13. Both victims died of their
wounds. Local reports say that the Intelligence Ministry agents fled the scene
as soon as the local people started to protest. Last July, two young Balouchi
workers -Molabakhsh Abbas Zehi, 25, and Naim Abbas Zehi, 23 - were killed under
torture on hours after they were arrested by the MOIS in the town of Chabahar.
These two laborers were from deprived families and had gone to work in Shiraz to
earn a living. On their return to Chabahar they were arrested by regime’s
intelligence agents while fasting.The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
has previously stated that such atrocities that are committed to frighten the
deprived people of Sistan and Balouchistan Province and to prevent large social
uprisings have increased public anger and abhorrence toward the religious
dictatorship ruling Iran.
IRAN: Nearly 100,000 school
students deprived of education in impoverished province
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - The head of the Iranian regime’s Department of
Education in Iran’s impoverished Sistan and Baluchistan Province has admitted
that 96,000 school students in the province are deprived of education. In a May
19 interview with the state-run daily Shahrvand, Zahra Borhan-Zehi said: "About
13 thousands of these people - children and teenagers - do not have an identity
card and they are just immigrants. Among those who do not have identity cards,
there are an increasing number of Iranian children whose fathers are
foreigners.”She added: “The state of education in this province is significantly
different from the national average. There is no difference between the Sistani
students and the children of immigrants.”
Iran regime may be planning to mass
execute child offenders
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - Iran’s fundamentalist regime has transferred at
least seven young death-row prisoners to solitary confinement in Gohardasht (Rajai-Shahr)
Prison in preparation for their imminent execution, according to reports from
the prison. The young inmates were transferred earlier on Saturday from the
prison's Ward 5, known as the adolescents' ward, to solitary confinement in
Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, north-west of Tehran. Reports say the regime plans
to execute them at the latest by next Wednesday. All seven inmates are believed
to be between the ages of 22 and 25 and some are suspected to have been minors
at the time of their alleged crime. The names of six of the prisoners are
believed to be Mohsen Agha-Mohammadi, Farhad Bakhshayesh, Iman Fatemi-Pour,
Javad Khorsandi, Hossein Mohammadi and Masoud Raghadi. The mullahs' regime on
Friday hanged a man in a prison in Qazvin, north-west of Tehran. Ismaeil Sadeqi
Niaraki, a notorious mullah who is the regime's Prosecutor in Qazvin, confirmed
the execution had taken place in the city's central prison. He identified the
victim only by his first name Sepahdar. Iran’s fundamentalist regime has sharply
increased its rate of executions, carrying out at least 21 hangings in a 48-hour
period earlier this week. Ms. Farideh Karimi, a member of the National Council
of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and a human rights activist, on Tuesday criticized
the lack of response by the international community and human rights groups to
the appalling state of human rights in Iran. The latest hanging brings to at
least 98 the number of people executed in Iran since April 10. Three of those
executed were women and one is believed to have been a juvenile offender. Iran's
fundamentalist regime last week amputated the fingers of a man in his thirties
in Mashhad, the latest in a line of draconian punishments handed down and
carried out in recent weeks. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
said in a statement on April 13 that the increasing trend of executions “aimed
at intensifying the climate of terror to rein in expanding protests by various
strata of the society, especially at a time of visits by high-ranking European
officials, demonstrates that the claim of moderation is nothing but an illusion
for this medieval regime.”Amnesty International in its April 6 annual Death
Penalty report covering the 2015 period wrote: "Iran put at least 977 people to
death in 2015, compared to at least 743 the year before.""Iran alone accounted
for 82% of all executions recorded" in the Middle East and North Africa, the
human rights group said. There have been more than 2,300 executions during
Hassan Rouhani’s tenure as President. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on
the human rights situation in Iran in March announced that the number of
executions in Iran in 2015 was greater than any year in the last 25 years.
Rouhani has explicitly endorsed the executions as examples of “God’s
commandments” and “laws of the parliament that belong to the people.”
Iranian Regime launches
clampdown on satellite dishes in Iran capital
Saturday, 21 May 2016 /NCRI – The mullahs’ regime has launched a new clampdown
on Iranians in the capital watching satellite television, banned by the
fundamentalist authorities.The regime’s suppressive state security forces
(police) on Friday carried out a swoop of districts in eastern Tehran, taking
down satellite dishes from rooftops. The regime has been working hard to block
Iranians’ access to satellite television stations by jamming signals. It aims to
prevent the Iranian people from becoming privy to its egregious and nefarious
conduct inside and outside of Iran or to be informed of anti-government protest,
strikes and other activities by the Iranian Resistance. Last July, an Iranian
cleric Mullah Mir Ahmadi told Iranian state television: “Satellite television is
more dangerous than an atomic bomb.” He claimed that that satellite channels are
destroying the way people think, and he urged the regime’s officials to launch
new satellite channels propagating the regime’s stances to combat the influence
of anti-regime satellite channels. Despite regular crackdowns on satellite
viewers, producers and distributors, regime officials have admitted that
increasing numbers of Iranians are watching satellite television channels in
Iran.
The head of cultural affairs in the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
(IRGC) said on January 29, 2015 that over 60 percent of Iranians watch satellite
television channels. Senior officials of the regime have admitted that 40
percent of Iranian families have access to major opposition satellite channel
Simaye Azadi. Operating from Europe, prominent non-profit 24/7 Iranian
opposition channel Simaye Azadi, or ‘Iran National Television’ (INTV),
broadcasts news and information to Iranians around the world via satellite and
the internet.
The regime has stepped up internet censorship, blocking around five million
websites dedicated to arts, social issues and news and filtering the contents of
blogs and social media. It also tracks down and arrests many online activists
inside Iran. Many have therefore turned to INTV as a means of obtaining real
information without being traced. INTV has played a unique role in breaking the
mullahs’ censorship and providing the Iranian people with uncensored news and
flow of information. It is banned in Iran for reports that expose the violation
of human rights perpetuated by the mullahs and for raising awareness among
millions of Iranians of the regime’s fundamentalism, suppression of ethnic
minorities, meddling in the affairs of other countries, and particularly about
their support for terrorism in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the region. INTV
provides constant news, breaking news, talk shows, live question and answer
sessions, art and cultural programs, special programs for the youth and women,
and political satire to millions of Iranians all across Iran who tune in to
watch with their satellite dishes. The Iranian regime’s officials on scores of
occasions have warned against the growing popularity of this channel. Culture
Minister Ali Jannati has said that in Tehran, over 70 percent of citizens watch
satellite channels. INTV relies heavily on volunteer work of Iranians all over
the world and provides for its expenses solely through donations of Iranians
inside and outside of Iran as well as citizens of other countries who support
the cause of human rights and freedom in Iran. Gholamreza Khosravi, an activist
of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, PMOI (Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK),
was executed in Iran on June 1, 2014, on the charge of ‘enmity against God’ for
collecting information and giving monetary assistance to the Sima-ye Azadi
station.
Iran political prisoner Jafar
Azimzadeh on Day 23 of hunger strike
Saturday, 21 May 2016/NCRI - Iranian workers’ rights activist and political
prisoner Jafar Azimzadeh is on Day 23 of an indefinite hunger strike in Tehran’s
notorious Evin Prison against the regime's clampdown on union activities in
Iran. Azimzadeh's heath is reported to have deteriorated significantly and he is
under pressure by the mullahs' regime to end his protest. He has reportedly
become weak, with his vision deteriorating, and he has developed kidney
problems. The Tehran prosecutor's office on Tuesday demanded that he end his
hunger strike. On Tuesday he had to be transferred by car to the visitor's hall
to see his wife as he was unable to walk after becoming frail due to his hunger
strike. According to reports, officials from the Tehran prosecutor's office have
suggested to Azimzadeh that he would be given an opportunity to take long-term
leave from prison if he breaks his fast. Reports say that Azimzadeh replied to
the representative of the Tehran prosecutor's office: "I did not go on hunger
strike in order to be permitted to have prison leave. In the letter that I had
written prior to beginning my hunger strike, I set out my demands clearly, and I
expect them to be fulfilled. The first step to fulfilling these demands is to
halt the implementation of the [current] verdicts and reevaluate our file
rejecting the accusation of acting against national security. I will therefore
continue with my indefinite hunger strike." Azimzadeh, who was arrested last
November, is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for engaging in
peaceful and legitimate trade union activities. Azimzadeh this week protested
his detention in Evin Prison while the mullahs' kangaroo court in Saveh,
south-west of Tehran, considers his case. He has demanded that he be allowed to
properly defend himself in the court. Azimzadeh sent a statement out of Evin
Prison following the release on bail of fellow political prisoner Ismail Abdi,
Secretary General of Iran’s Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA).
The following is the text of the statement by Jafar Azimzadeh: My dear friend
and resistant cellmate Ismail Abdi was released on three 3 billion Rials bail
(U.S. $100,000). He had spent 11 months in prison without a judicial verdict and
solely based on the will of the security apparatus. Abdi’s release, while
exciting and gratifying, does not mean that even a small step was being taken to
realize our demands and the demands of millions of teachers and workers. In our
joint statement that was strongly and passionately supported by the country’s
teachers and workers unions as well as labor and teachers’ organizations across
the world, we demanded an end to treating social and civil protests as security
issues and removing the charge of “associating and colluding with intent to act
against national security" from the open files of protesting workers and
teachers and imprisoned union activists, including ourselves. We protested wages
below the poverty line, the ban on holding independent and free celebrations to
mark International Workers’ Day and Teachers’ Day, the ban on forming
independent trade unions, and lack of transparency and effective action by the
International Labor Organization (ILO) against flagrant violation of the
essential rights of Iranian workers and teachers, and we did go on hunger
strike. Accordingly, as far as it concerns Ismail Abdi’s release through a heavy
bail and an open case with heavy security charges, such an act from the legal
authority dealing with his case even within the framework of existing
law-breaking actions, was routine and, in Ismail’s case, predictable. For that
reason, his release can’t be used as a claim of addressing our demands and that
of millions of workers and teachers, and it appears that it was intended to
overshadow and limit the scope of the ever increasing (labor and teachers)
movement that has centered around ending the treatment of protests by teachers
and workers as security issues and protesting heavy security charges against
trade activists around the country and around the globe.Therefore, with great
appreciation for the support of Iran’s teachers and workers and labor and
workers’ unions and organizations around the world for our demands in the joint
statement with Ismail Abdi, and emphasizing on realization of all of them, I
will continue my indefinite hunger strike that I began on April 30.Copy to:
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)/Jafar Azimzadeh - Ward 8 of Evin
Prison
Obama to host India’s Modi at White
House
AFP, Washington Saturday, 21 May 2016/President Barack Obama will host Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on June 7, as the pair try to
flesh out nascent trade and security ties. White House press secretary Josh
Earnest said Modi’s visit would “highlight the deepening of the US-India
relationship in key areas since the president’s visit to New Delhi in January
2015.”“The President looks forward to discussing progress made on our climate
change and clean energy partnership, security and defense cooperation, and
economic growth priorities.” This will be Modi’s second White House visit since
his Hindu nationalist party won a sweeping victory in 2014 polls. Obama has
assiduously courted the Indian premier, cultivating a strategic relationship
seen as a counterweight to an increasingly assertive China. It has been a
dramatic transformation for a man who in 2005 was denied a visa to the United
States on human rights grounds. He had served as chief minister in his home
state of Gujarat, when anti-Muslim riots killed hundreds.But turning Obama and
Modi’s warm words into concrete agreement has proven difficult. A proposed
bilateral investment treaty has languished for years, as New Delhi has taken a
tough negotiating line. Talks have been stalled over several issues, including
the lack of protection for foreign firms in disputes with the Indian government.
“I think there is a reasonable chance we will see the leaders re-commit to
engaging in BIT negotiations,” said Rick Rossow of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, predicting limited progress. India’s economy is rapidly
growing, but poverty remains pervasive and foreign investment has lagged behind
China, Brazil and even advanced economies like Ireland. Modi, who faces
reelection in 2019, has pegged his political future on a reform agenda and
boosting the economy. Observers say there could be more progress on security and
energy cooperation. A series of technical steps could allow the men to announce
US nuclear companies entering the potentially lucrative Indian market. In 2005,
then-president George W. Bush lifted a three decade long moratorium on nuclear
cooperation with India, introduced after the country developed a nuclear bomb.
The issue had been a major hurdle to relations between two of the world's
largest democracies. Modi has made nuclear energy a priority, to offset
horrendous levels of air pollution that is worsened by the dominance of
coal-fired power plants and reduce dependence on foreign gas and oil. A series
of military agreements linked to support and logistics could also be signed by
the two leaders and could pave the way for deeper military cooperation. Many of
the agreements have been stalled for years by India’s concerns about weakening
the ability to act alone militarily. Modi will also address a joint session of
Congress on June 8. Modi was invited to address the US Congress by Republican
speaker Paul Ryan, who called the US-Indian relationship “a pillar of stability
in a very, very important region.”
US moves to unseal ISIS defector’s case
Reuters Saturday, 21 May 2016/US prosecutors on Friday sought to unseal the
to-date secret criminal case of an ISIS defector after NBC News broadcast an
interview with the New York man in which he spoke out against the militant
group. Unsealing the case could allow the US Justice Department to make public
details of why the man turned against ISIS at a time when the government is
trying to combat the group’s online propaganda. The 27-year-old man had been
cooperating in investigations and had explored speaking publicly against the
militant group “for some time” before agreeing to the NBC interview broadcast
Thursday, prosecutors said in a letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New
York. The man, identified only as “Mo,” pleaded guilty under seal in November
2014 to charges including that he provided material support to ISIS, the letter
said.US authorities arranged the NBC interview after learning the network was
preparing a story on Mo, who NBC said attended Columbia University, prosecutors
said in the letter. “ISIS is not bringing Islam to the world,” Mo said during
the interview. “And people need to know that.”A spokeswoman for Brooklyn US
Attorney Robert Capers declined comment. Mo’s lawyer did not respond to requests
for comment. NBC had no immediate comment. Mo is one of more than 85 people
since 2014 to face US charges over crimes related to ISIS, which controls
territory in Syria and Iraq and has claimed responsibility for attacks in Paris
in November that killed 130 people. Prosecutors said in June 2014, Mo traveled
from Brooklyn to Syria, where he enlisted with ISIS. Once there, they said, he
received military training and served as a sentry at one of its headquarters and
in various administrative positions. But Mo became “disillusioned,” prosecutors
said. During the NBC interview, Mo said “towards the end as things were getting
more and more serious, I did see severed heads placed on spiked poles.”In
November 2014, Mo escaped across the border into Turkey and found his way to a
US State Department outpost, prosecutors said. Once back in the United States,
he was arrested and began cooperating.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on May 21-22/16
Can the Druze community’s rural past
secure its future?
Ehtesham Shahid/Al Arabiya/May
21/16
Veteran journalist and writer Eyad Abu Shakra delivered a lesson in history at
an Al Arabiya roundtable session recently. The London-based thinker’s
geo-political analysis of the Druze community gave us a glimpse of the past and
the present of this rather miniscule minority, which has been an integral part
of the Middle East for ages.This Arabic-speaking esoteric ethno-religious group – estimated to be around 1.2
million all over the world – has faced numerous existential challenges. It has
been at the forefront of old tribal and clan factionalism of the Levant,
evolving for centuries. If the community wasn’t divided by loyalties it would be
torn apart by conflicts, as is happening in Syria today.
The community’s size in northern Syria, for instance, has dwindled from 20,000
just before 2011 to 5,000 now. Half of the 4 percent population in Lebanon does
not reside in the country any more. Yet, despite all the challenges, the Druze
community has managed to survive in this very turbulent region for 1,000 years.
In the lecture, Eyad described the Druze as a “Muslim heterodox minority”, which
has lacked the strategic depth needed to exercise political space. To tide over
its shortcomings, it banked on its survival instinct during testing times.
According to Eyad, apart from a strong sense of communal identity, the Druze
also mastered the art of “dissimulation” when faced with overwhelming force.
As enterprising members of the Druze community migrate to different parts of the
world they continue to be distinguished by their roots in the villages of Syria,
Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Turkey.
In other words, the community did not keep all the eggs in the same basket but
rather “subdivided” itself while awaiting the outcome of struggles between
competing regional powers. In the words of Eyad: “when a victor emerged, its
Druze allies would still co-opt their brethren who were allied with the
vanquished”. Call it clever or conniving, the community has figured out a way to
survive, which is what matters at the end.
The mountain dwellers
Eyad’s one passing reference during the lecture was indeed telling – the Druze
were predominantly (around 90 percent) rural and mountain dwelling communities.
The community took the advantage of living in naturally defended mountainous
regions. However, like most other minority groups in the region – Christian
Maronites and Alawis (Nussairis) etc. – urbanization played its part in luring
these people away from their roots.
With economic transformation, social and political changes becoming the order of
the day, cities grew at the expense of the countryside. Prior to this, land
always meant livelihood for the community as there were no marketplaces or
industries to earn them a living.
This began to change in the mid-20th century when the community’s reliance on
agriculture and husbandry started declining. To offset this detachment, the
community reinforced its sense of identity, communal solidarity and esprit de
corps. However, the movement away from roots had become an irreversible process
as has been the case around the world.
Now, when the community is compelled to ponder over its future, it can barely
take solace from the embattled Middle East, which has been their land for
centuries. As enterprising members of the Druze community migrate to different
parts of the world they continue to be distinguished by their roots in the
villages of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Turkey.
It will be an absolute tragedy if a deeply-rooted community such as the Druze
gets obliterated in today’s orgy of violence. In an ideal world, they should all
return to their roots and live side-by-side the various original inhabitants of
this land. But, as they say, it is easier said than done.
A wistful Eyad cites a recent example that gives him hope. “Five members of a
family belonging to Shouf district of Mt Lebanon traveled all the way from the
US to their village solely to vote in the municipal elections”. They voted with
their feet indeed. More such families need to demonstrate courage for nothing
more is expected of warmongers.
Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood: The best of enemies?
Nicolas Dot-Pouillard/Middle East Eye/May 21/16
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-and-muslim-brotherhood-best-enemies-2061107490
When the Arab Spring revolutions broke out in 2011, the Islamic Republic of Iran
hailed them as an “Islamic awakening” and considered them as a continuation of
its own revolution in 1979. The affinity that Iran saw in the Muslim Brotherhood
was real. Even today Iran recognises the Brotherhood and Tehran have much in
common, particularly the notion of “Islamic democracy”. Mustapha Zahrani, the
head of the Institute for Political and International Studies which is the
research centre of the Iranian Foreign Affairs Department, said: “The Muslim
Brotherhood’s ideas do really matter for the founders of the Iranian Islamic
Republic. We believe in the Islamic democracy and in a moderate Islam: as do
organisations close to the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey and in Egypt."Then there
is the history: the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei translated into Farsi the works of
Sayid Qutb, an intellectual and one of the founding thinkers of the Brotherhood,
who was killed in prison in Egypt in 1966. They also share the same politics:
both support Palestine and are opposed to Western powers. During the 1980s, the
Iranian Islamic Republic had been a role model for many leaders of the
Brotherhood, such as Fathi Yakan in Lebanon or Rached Ghannouchi in Tunisia,
founder of the Movement of Islamic Tendency, now known as Ennahda. In June 2012,
Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party, close to the Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt, became the country's first democratically elected
president of the Republic. Iran applauded.
Two months later, Morsi went to Iran, during the Non-Aligned Movement Summit.
That was a real event for, since 1979, Iran had not forgiven Egypt for signing a
peace treaty alone with Israel. Nevertheless, after a 33-year diplomatic freeze,
an Egyptian president was invited in Tehran as a Muslim brother.
When Morsi was overthrown by the army in July 2013, Hossein Amir-Abdulahian,
Iran's deputy minister of Arabs affairs, claimed that Iran had condemned the
coup. "We did assure the Egyptian authorities that we do not consider the Muslim
Brotherhood like a terrorist organisation. However, we did attend the
investiture ceremony of President Sisi," he said.Amir-Abdulahian said Iran had
called on the Egyptian army to exercise restraint, condemning the brutalities
that occurred in Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood. In January 2014, the
Egyptian authorities, offended by the Iranian support to the Brotherhood, called
in the Iranian ambassador in Egypt, Mojtaba Amani."This coup d’etat did more bad
than good for Egypt. Indeed, there are now two forces: the Brotherhood and the
partisans of Marshal Sisi. Egyptian society is split in two," said Amir-Abdulahian.
Relations aggravated by Syrian crisis
But a bigger split occurred over Syria. Tehran has not forgiven the former
Egyptian president for attending in Cairo, in June 2013, an Islamic conference
"for the victory of Syrian people". Morsi had announced then that Egypt would
cease all diplomatic relations with Syria, and criticised the military
intervention carried out by the Lebanese Hezbollah - the key Arab partner for
Tehran - while supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Patrick Haenni, a
former researcher at the Centre for Economic, Judicial, and Social Study and
Documentation in Cairo and an expert on Egypt, called the conference a turning
point.
“Important Salafi leaders attended, like a Sunni front to support the Syrian
revolution. The Brotherhood felt threatened. Some of their leaders, such as
Khayrat al-Shater, were close to the Salafists, who at that time, represented 25
percent of the Egyptian voters," he said.
The Syrian crisis confused Iran and all organisations who claim some sort of
affiliation with Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. In
February 2012, Ennahda was leading Tunisia, where an international conference of
Syria’s friends was taking place. That conference was supporting the Syrian
National Council, bringing together all the major opposition parties - among
them the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood who represented the majority. Around the same
time, the Palestinian Hamas, who had been funded in part by Tehran, moved closer
to Qatar and Turkey. In June 2013, its leader, Khaled Meshaal, attended in Qatar
a conference in support of the Syrian opposition, where the Egyptian preacher
Youssef al-Qaradawi, a leading contemporary theorist of the Muslim Brotherhood,
harshly attacked Hezbollah - in English the Party of God - and called it the
‘Hezb al-Shaitan’ - the party of the Devil.
In February 2016, Fahmi Howeidy, an Egyptian writer and intellectual close to
the Muslim Brotherhood, was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs in
Tehran. He criticised Iranian regional politics but his criticisms were still
published on the Iranian Foreign Affairs thinktank's website.
He said: "Iran overthrew the Shah. And now they are supporting Bashar al-Assad.
Syria's government had been turning a blind eye to the welfare of its population
which led to foreign interventions as we know them. I had been supporting the
Islamic revolution for the past 37 years. But when I started to criticise
Iranian positions, I got attacked." Iran does not view the Syrian uprising
as a popular revolution. It worries more about how Gulf states are supporting
the Syrian opposition, how Sunni militant movements are rapidly expanding in the
region, and how since 2011 western countries have been silent about how the Shia
population is being crushed by the authorities in Bahrain. ‘How can we call it a
‘Syrian’ uprising since during the first weeks, western diplomats were
participating?” Mustapha Zahrani said. This was a reference to a visit to Hama,
in July 2011 by Robert Ford and Eric Chevallier, the former American and French
ambassadors in Syria.Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the Islamic
Research Institute for Culture and Thought (IRICT), a centre close to the
Iranian sheikh Ali Akbar Rachad, is realistic: "Iran knows that it has partially
lost the support of Sunni Arabs, among them the Muslim Brotherhood. Syria is a
dictatorship. However for Iran, the war in Syria remains a defensive war. Our
current main issue is our conflict with Saudi Arabia and the terrorist threat.”
The isolated case of Turkey and Palestine
Despite disagreements about Syria - and Yemen - some of the Muslim Brotherhood's
representatives in the Arab world are still considered by Iran as
representatives of a ‘moderate Islam’. For instance, Tunisia's Ghannouchi, still
has some sort of intellectual credibility with the Iranian religious
authorities.
He has maintained friendly relations with the Iranian diplomatic representation
in Tunisia, even though he supports the Syrian opposition. In September 2015, he
met with Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister. In February 2016, he
attended the ceremonies of the 37th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
However, Iranian leaders fear that the Muslim Brotherhood might turn into a
Salafist movement. In January 2016, Ayatollah Nasser Makaram Shirazi’s office -
one of the main religious authorities in the country - published a series of
brochures about "extremist and takfiri movements" that included a history of the
Muslim Brotherhood. The relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran has
gone from mutual respect to mutual distrust, potentially fuelling the further
polarisation between Sunni and Shia in the region. There are however two notable
exceptions to this decline in relations. The first, surprisingly, is Turkey. Its
president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a member of the the AKP (Justice and
Development Party), has become the guardian of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt,
Syria and Tunisia. In Syria, his animosity against towards Assad is uncontested.
And yet, since 2011, Iran and Turkey have maintained diplomatic relations that
go beyond mere cordial niceties. In March 2016, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed
Davutoglu went to Iran with five ministers and several Turkish businessmen.
Economic partnerships and a common viewpoint on the Kurdish issue explain the
good relations between Ankara and Tehran. The second exception is Hamas. It is
true that in November 2014, Salah Raqab, a member of its political office,
accused Iran of trying to establish "a Persian empire" in the region, claiming
that more Palestinians were becoming Shia Muslims. And yet Hamas and Iran have
made one step towards a reconciliation.In February 2016, Osama Hamdan, in charge
of the Palestinian Foreign Affairs for Hamas, went to Tehran. Immediately after
meeting with the Iranian authorities, Hamas issued a straightforward press
release: "We want a clean slate with Tehran."
The question of Palestine is deeply rooted in the Iranian ideology. And even
though they share a different point of view about the Syrian crisis, Hamas has
never stopped receiving Iranian support. Historical links between Iran and
organisations claiming affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood are not binary
relationships. They are a mix of confessional suspicions, disagreement about the
Syrian crisis and difficulties to discuss through Ankara or Gaza. Iran and the
Brotherhood have not yet disappeared from the regional political scene: they
need now to remain the best of enemies.
**Translation from French (original) by Ali Saad.
The interviews mentioned in the article were carried out when a delegation from
the When Authoritarianism fails in the Arab World-European Research Council (WAFAW)
went to Iran. Although responsibility for its contents rests with the author
alone. All rights reserved to the Middle East Eye.
Sykes-Picot – The centennial
of an imperial curse
Hisham Melhem/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
For my generation of Arabs, the “Asia Minor Agreement”, better known as the
Sykes-Picot Agreement, came to symbolize imperial betrayal and treachery, a
secret scheme signed in May 1916 by Mark Sykes, a British diplomat, and François
Georges-Picot his French counterpart representing the two victorious European
Empires in WWI to divide the imperial inheritance of the dying Ottoman Empire.
In the collective mind of the peoples living in what used to be called Asia
Minor and the Fertile Crescent, Sykes and Picot became names that shall live in
infamy, for they imposed an imperial construct by etching arbitrary lines and
coloring zones of influence on a map, and establishing artificial entities over
these regions that have been inhabited by a rich mosaic of peoples, ethnicities,
cultures, and religions over millennia of successive civilizations.
The Sykes-Picot scheme, like the subsequent agreements, deals, declarations,
conferences born out of the crucible of the First World War to create a new
order in the land then known as the Near East, were predicated on denying the
agency of the human beings who called these regions home. In the decades
following the agreement, “Sykes-Picot” became a convenient excuse, and an
attractive shorthand used by successive Arab autocrats, despots and ruling
elites to justify their disastrous failures at providing good governance, and to
explain all the political and economic ills of the region for a full century. To
paraphrase Shakespeare, the fault is not in the borders, arbitrary as they may
have been, but in what the Arabs have done and not done within the borders.
Imperial schemes
Huge amount of ink has been shed on the centennial of the map that was born out
of the ashes of the First World War and seems to be unraveling now in a
crescendo of similar violent upheavals, calamities and disastrous dislocations.
But does “Sykes-Picot” deserve this pride of place in the hierarchy of modern
Middle Eastern disasters? To begin with, the Sykes-Picot borders and zones of
influence have very little in common with the current borders in the Middle
East.
But what makes the Sykes-Picot scheme to slice the carcass of the Ottoman Empire
stand out is the fact that it was the first of subsequent attempts by Western
powers in the decade that followed the war to divide the region. The British
issued deceptive and contradictory promises and declarations (the
McMahon–Hussein Correspondence and the Balfour Declaration) for the Arabs and
the Zionist movement, and in a series of post-war conferences held in locals
with strange names for the peoples of the region; The Versailles Peace
Conference, The Treaty of Sèvres, the San Remo Conference and the Treaty of
Lausanne, most of the current borders of the Middle East were finalized. Again
with no regard whatsoever, to the wishes of the peoples whose futures were being
shaped by imperial writ.
Sykes and Picot became names that shall live in infamy, for they imposed an
imperial construct by etching arbitrary lines and coloring zones of influence on
a map
But the imposition of these maps did not go unchallenged and in fact inspired
Arab and Turkish nationalisms. The Turks under the capable leadership of a
former Ottoman officer, Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) undermined both the Sykes-Picot
agreement and the Treaty of Sèvres which sought to dismember Anatolia. However,
the Arabs led by Faisal Bin Hussein who established the independent Arab Kingdom
in March1920 encompassing modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and parts
of Turkey, could not defend their new brittle realm against the onslaught of
France’s Army of the Levant at the battle of Maysalun near Damascus four months
later. The French sought to weaken the nationalist impulses in Syria, by the
creation of sectarian statelets for the Alawites on the Mediterranean coast, and
for the Druze in the South as well as around the historic cities of Damascus and
Aleppo. But these cynical plans for divide and rule were resisted by most
Syrians.
The shifting, arbitrary and resilient borders
During the last century the legacy of the “artificial” borders spawned by
Sikes-Picot was repeatedly assaulted politically and in some places were changed
by military force, as was the case following the Arab-Israeli wars, and recently
with the rise of the self-declared Islamic State (ISIS) which following its
control of large swaths of land in both Iraq and Syrian, bulldozed the earthen
berms marking the border and declaring “the end of Sykes-Picot”. But decades of
grievances against Sykes-Picot elevated it into a mythical status in the minds
of many Arabs, a malignant milestone in their modern history, a scapegoat
explaining the perennial question asked by generations of Arabs in the last
hundred years: what went wrong?
True, the current borders of the Middle East are “artificial”, but most borders
in the world are artificial, they are drawn by agreement or as a result of
conflicts and don’t necessarily follow natural boundaries like river basins or
mountain ranges; and most midsize and large states are heterogeneous with
diverse ethnicities, religions and languages. And while the borders of the
modern Middle East were arbitrarily drawn, they were not totally without basis,
and in fact some borders were somewhat based on the Ottoman vilāyet (from the
Arabic Wilaya) administrative system.
Arab and Syrian Nationalists in Syria and Iraq would always complain that they
were living in truncated states; but if mandated Syria had included Northeastern
Lebanon, Northern Palestine and Alexandretta (in present day Turkey), areas
Syrian Nationalists craved because they were at times ruled by Damascus, does
that mean that Syria would have developed a just, modern, viable and better
representative polity? If the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq had included the old
Trans-Jordan and Kuwait, would it follow that Iraq would have followed a
radically different political trajectory? We cannot say for sure. But it is very
likely, that a larger Iraq and a larger Syria would have ended up where their
truncated versions are today. If the Arab Kingdom was not dismantled by the
French, in one fell swoop, chances are that it would have gradually unraveled by
Turkish Nationalist opposition, and its rejection by the non-Muslim and non-Arab
communities within its “artificial “borders. Creating countries with diverse
communities, particularly in the aftermath of upheavals and wars, is always
arbitrary, violent and messy, particularly if the new entities are led by
oppressive or non-representative regimes and if the basic political and cultural
rights of the various communities are not recognized. This is the modern tale of
Syria and Iraq. The Ottoman Empire ruled the region for four centuries, before
the return of the European armies to the Middle East for the first time since
the Medieval Mamluk dynasty that ruled Egypt and Syria drove the Crusaders from
their last coastal outpost in Acre, in 1291, thus ending their long occupation
of parts of Anatolia, Syria and Palestine.
Empire and chaos
The defeated Ottoman Empire left behind a devastated Levant and Mesopotamia as a
result of war, and famine where whole communities were uprooted and turned into
refugees, while others were subjected to mass killings. During the Ottoman
centuries the region was controlled by the Sublime Porte in Istanbul through the
vilāyet system centered on the historic cities of Damascus, Mosul, Baghdad, and
others. Local communities were left to their own devices as long as they paid
taxes and did not undermine order. Some communities like the Druse and Maronites
of Mount Lebanon enjoyed considerable local autonomy and sometimes decades would
pass without these communities encounter a single Ottoman soldier. The various
peoples of the region; Arabs, Kurds, Muslims, Christians, Jews and others did
mostly co-exist, although there were occasional spasms of religious and ethnic
violence and mass killings particularly during the long decline of the Empire in
the 19th century. Local leaders representing powerful, domineering feudal
families working on behalf of the Sublime Porte, maintained order with an iron
fist, and they showed no mercy when confronting social and political protests.
The demise of Ottoman rule exposed a region bereft of political traditions,
modern governing institutions and skilled and experienced political elites
capable of immediately taking charge of large and diverse societies still
reeling from the horrific ravages of a world war. Although the war ravaged and
partitioned Anatolia, but the emerging Turkish Republic was able to drive the
foreign armies from its territories and establish a modern nation-state in part
because it was able to rebuild its state institutions and economy and fostered a
strong sense of nationhood and quickly established a strong centralized
authority. Most of these attributes were lacking in the fragmented lands of the
Levant and Mesopotamia. One cannot but ask an intriguing question in this
context. What would have happened, if the British/French mandate system was not
imposed on the region following the end of the Ottoman centuries? Would it be a
stretch to answer: chaos and violence? We will never know for sure, but given
the history of the region, the lack of viable institutions, its breathtaking
diversity and its tragic conditions after the war, chaos and violence were
likely to ensue in the absence of a dominant power exercising control.
Governance not borders
In the last five years, with Syria and Iraq unraveling and spewing epic
catastrophes, and Sunni-Shia sectarian bloodletting is covering an arc
stretching from Beirut on the Mediterranean to Basra at the mouth of the Gulf
(not to mention Yemen), predicting the demise of Sykes-Picot has become the
default position of many analysts of the region. And one could easily see why.
There are powerful forces on the ground trying to demolish the old borders or
establish new ones by fire and iron. In the past Arab and Syrian Nationalists
considered the imposed borders as the original sin committed by the Europeans
against the Arabs, and in the process called into question the legitimacy of the
new fragile nation- states that were trying to forge distinct national
identities. But now disparate forces, some with legitimate grievances like the
Kurds who constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without a
state, and who were denied independence after WWI, and terrorist groups like
ISIS, are chipping away at the old borders. One could say with considerable
certainty that Iraqi Kurdistan has begun its long journey towards independence
in 1991 and it is a question of time when the journey will reach statehood. Vice
president Joseph Biden, who proposed a decade ago to divide Iraq into three
autonomous regions: Kurdish, Shia and Sunnis, told American diplomats and
military personnel in Baghdad recently and without a hint of irony, that the
U.S. is trying to keep the peace in “places where, because of history, we’ve
drawn artificial lines, creating artificial states made up of totally distinct
ethnic, religious, cultural groups, and said: ‘have at it. Live together.’”
Scholars and historians will be writing and speculating about the causes of the
current convulsions and the absence of good governance in many Arab lands, not
only in the Levant and Iraq, but also in Libya, Yemen and beyond for years to
come. What is clear is that borders in themselves, are not the causes of Arab
dysfunction, or the reasons why Arab civil societies were stunted and never
allowed to develop into vibrancy, even in those countries that had nascent civil
societies, a modicum of state institutions and relatively modern educational
systems, such as Egypt, Iraq, Syria during the period between the two World
Wars. In fact there was in these countries from the 1920’s until the late 1940’s
and early 1950’s before the onslaught of the Arab militaries against state and
society, a semblance of political life, the beginning of admittedly wobbly
parliamentary traditions, vibrant cultural debates, considerable artistic
creation, a growing space for free expression with noticeable participation of
women and minorities in all of these spheres.
But these fragile societies were not allowed to strengthen their state
institutions, allow political parties to fully function as legitimate political
forces, and the Judiciary was never allowed by the ruling elites to become truly
independent.
Then winter descended on the Arabs in the form of military coups masquerading as
revolutions claiming to redress the loss of Palestine, to undo the vestiges of
colonialism and imperialism, to revive the glory days of the Arabs of medieval
times, to build powerful militarized states, and strong economies. These Arab
praetorian forces failed in all endeavors. The leaders of these societies where
transformed from autocrats, some of them benign, who would not countenance
widespread terror or mass killings, into ruthless and vengeful tyrants more than
willing to engage in wanton and gratuitous terror against their own peoples and
commit crimes against humanity as we have seen in Iraq, Libya and Syria.
These are the men who waged war on the minorities, some of them with deep roots
in the region that predate Arabs and Muslims. In recent decades and long before
the season of Arab uprisings, we have witnessed the diminishing of what was left
of public spaces, the suffocation of what was left of the basic civil rights of
the peoples and even the withering of culture. Those who argue that a different
set of borders would have given us different outcomes and good governance should
tell us how.
One century after Sykes-Picot we are facing a long nightmare: maintaining the
old borders, without a radical rearrangement of the political and social
contract in these societies and sawing the seeds of good governance, means
perpetual conflict. The paradox is if political solutions are predicated on the
reconfigurations of the current borders of Iraq and Syria (the same goes for
Libya and Yemen), such change could conceivably spark ethnic and sectarian
cleansings, claims and counterclaims and new cycles of violence. The breakup of
Sudan is very close to home. Breaking up countries with diverse groups is as
messy, violent and uncertain as creating them.
The myth about refugees and
the economy
Yara al-Wazir/Al Arabiya/May
21/16
This week, the United Nations announced the “Nobody left outside” campaign,
which aims to reach out to individuals and companies to raise $500 million for
shelters, tents and transitional housing for the millions of people displaced
due to conflicts in Syria, Africa and Central America.
The launch of the campaign coincided with the publication of a study examining
the impact of refugees on host countries’ economies over the next 15 years. The
study showed that for every EUR1 ($1.12) invested in refugees, they would pay
almost EUR2 ($2.24) back into the economy over the next five years alone.
Extension
While it is undoubtedly important to provide housing and shelter for refugees,
the campaign can also be used to highlight the need for the private sector to
help them, and what refugees can in turn do to company profits. The private
sector can offer a lot more than just shelters, and the public - including the
United Nations - should not limit their request to ‘physical’ shelters.
Giving refugees jobs does not withhold employment opportunities from the local
population
The world must call on the sector to provide adequate ‘life’ shelters for
refugees, including everything from learning the language to a long-term job in
which they can utilize their skills. For refugees, life shelters and economic
blankets are just as important as physical shelters and thermal blankets, if not
more so.
Stealing jobs?
Giving refugees jobs does not withhold employment opportunities from the local
population. A 17-year study on the impact of refugees on the Danish labor market
showed that refugees entering the unskilled labor market pushed locals from
unskilled to medium-complex skilled jobs, thereby increasing their income. This
also makes locals more economically mobile, as more complex jobs provide a wider
skillset that can be used in various sectors.
Coordination
Without the legal right to work, the true impact of refugees cannot be tracked.
This is when inter-governmental coordination becomes important. Governments must
work toward automatically granting refugees the right to work as soon as they
are granted refugee status. Only four countries currently do this: Sweden,
Australia, Spain, and Canada.
In order to maximize refugees’ economic potential, the private and public
sectors must coordinate. Guaranteed employment of refugees must be at the
forefront of the agenda, and their skills should be noted during the
refugee-registration process. This has the potential to be the strongest link
between the public and private sectors. The skills that a refugee can bring are
as important as their names, origins and ages.
Sovereign immunity – A
Pandora’s Box that must remain unopened
Baria Alamuddin/Al Arabiya/May 21/16
Last month, the US Supreme Court unilaterally ordered that around $2 billion in
frozen Iranian assets be handed over to Americans affected by attacks which Iran
stands accused of organizing over past decades, particularly the 1983 bombing of
the US barracks in Beirut that killed 241 people.
Within a short space of time the Iranian Parliament predictably retaliated with
a list of compensation demands for “63 years of spiritual and material damage,”
including the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup and support for Iraq against Iran in the
1980s, culminating in attacks against Iranian oil platforms and shipping.
The US and Iran have not traded with each other for a long time and neither has
invested significant assets in the other’s economy. So although such claims may
thwart Obama’s desire for improved relations, the impact of such reciprocal
compensation demands is mostly symbolic.
However, what happens when two countries with very tightly enmeshed economies
start making compensation claims against each other? In many cases this would
not be possible because most developed nations with sophisticated legal systems
have laws in place preventing trials being pursued against other states; in
particular the principle of sovereign immunity.
This may be about to change.
On May 17, the US Senate unanimously passed a bill stating that foreign states
could be put on trial if they were found culpable for terrorist attacks that
killed American citizens. Those Republican senators who forced this bill through
make no secret of the fact that they are targeting Saudi Arabia, using flimsy
circumstantial evidence to claim that Saudi officials aided and abetted the
al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for 9/11.
The 9/11 Commission stated clearly that there was “no evidence that the Saudi
government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded” the
terrorists. Leading figures from the Commission, speaking to CNN and other media
outlets in recent days, rubbished such rumours and stressed that no evidence
exists for any kind of Saudi complicity. However, certain powerful US figures
detest Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world and are willing to believe any number
of bizarre conspiracy theories.
Often laws are in place for very good reasons. This is certainly the case
regarding sovereign immunity
Obama’s Administration has made it clear that they plan to veto this bill.
Furthermore, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir warned that if the
legislation passes the Kingdom could withdraw up to $750 billion in Treasury
securities and other assets to avoid any risk of them being frozen. You don’t
have to be an economic expert to realize what effect the sudden withdrawal of
this volume of assets would have on the US economy!
While it appears unlikely that such an attack on the principle of sovereign
immunity could succeed, with certain US presidential candidates taking
opportunistically anti-Saudi stances in their campaigning, who knows what may
happen?
A major problem with individuals pursuing partisan compensation claims is that
they ignore the national interest. Although Obama is often slow to recognize it,
the US-Saudi relationship is paramount if the US seeks to have an effective
relationship with the Arab world and an influence on events. It would be
dangerous to allow litigation battles to poison this already somewhat fraught
relationship.
Misinformed attacks
We recognize how traumatic 9/11 was for America, but misinformed attacks against
the Kingdom make America less safe, by jeopardizing its relationship with the
powerbroker in the region with the strongest record in combatting militancy,
while countering Iran’s aggressive support for terrorist proxies in the region.
Obama has said it himself – The close intelligence-sharing relationship has
thwarted attacks and saved American lives.
Those pursuing this attack on sovereign immunity have been so focused on their
own partisan interests that they have spared no thought to the danger of such a
precedent if their efforts were successful.
The removal of sovereign immunity would allow someone to walk into a US court
and - with the assistance of a good lawyer - claim that Venezuela, Azerbaijan or
Bosnia-Herzegovina had engaged in state-sponsored terrorism against them.
Mechanisms could then be set in motion, freezing all financial asset belonging
to those countries within the US sphere of influence.
As we have seen when America unilaterally seized $2bn in Iranian assets – no
country will fail to react to such a provocation. Their first reaction would be
to withdraw all vulnerable assets and their second move would be to take
retaliatory measures against US assets – changing their own domestic laws if
necessary.
The White House Press Secretary raised this exact concern, saying: "This
legislation would change long-standing international law regarding sovereign
immunity and the President of the United States and continues to harbor serious
concerns that this legislation would make the United States vulnerable in other
court systems around the world."
Glass houses
The expression that “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” has
never applied so strongly. As was pointed out in an LA Times editorial: “The
potential exposure such a measure would bring to the US is inestimable. Expect
to see civil claims by victims of collateral damage in military attacks,
lawsuits by people caught up in the nation's post-9/11 detention policies,
including Guantanamo Bay, and challenges over atrocities committed by US-backed
Syrian rebels. Pretty much anywhere that US policies have led to damages, those
who suffered could potentially seek redress in their own courts, jeopardizing
American assets overseas, where the rule of law sometimes is solid, but in other
cases is a tool wielded for political purposes.”
Qatar, Russia and other oil-rich states have invested hundreds of millions of
British pounds in UK property. We are all too familiar with spurious media
claims that funding for Syrian entities indirectly allows arms to reach
extremist groups responsible for attacks on Westerners. It is not an issue of
whether these claims are credible. It is simply a question of whether someone
with a good enough legal team is willing to force this issue in court. Even a
slight prospect of such actions would make major investors reluctant to invest
abroad in long-term assets. We don’t have to follow the logic of this thought
experiment too far to see the makings of a global financial cold war.
Just as trade wars can have disastrous and escalatory consequences for the
economies of rival nations – resulting in trade barriers, retaliatory tariffs,
price wars and economic blockades – such a war of litigation between states
would spiral out of control. Particularly given the ease with which entities
with a grudge could embark on marathon court battles and enforce indefinite
freezing of assets amounting to a substantial proportion of a national economy
or state budget – as is the case with the Saudi assets invested in US Treasury
bonds.
It is right that individual Syrian, Iranian or Russian officials are targeted
for asset freezes in the case of war crimes and breaches of international law.
Freezing or confiscating the assets of an entire state is a very different
situation with grave consequences for millions of citizens in all countries
concerned and the global economy as a whole.
Often laws are in place for very good reasons. This is certainly the case
regarding sovereign immunity. Members of the US Senate and the Congress as a
whole would do well to think very carefully before going any further in opening
up Pandora’s Box.
Iraqis divided over
Soleimani's role in their country
Mustafa Saadoun/Al-Monitor/May 21/16
BAGHDAD — Iran's Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani has stirred a great deal
of controversy in Iraq, where people have started arguing over whether his role
is a positive or a negative one. Some Iraqi youths have created social media
campaigns in support of Soleimani using the hashtags #WeAreAllSoleimani and #SoleimaniIsOneOfUsIraqis,
while others denounce him with #SoleimaniUnderMyFeet.
These campaigns emerged after April 30, when followers of the Sadrist movement
shouted slogans against Soleimani and his country in Grand Festivities Square,
located in the heavily fortified Green Zone. On the same day, Iraqi activists
shared via YouTube an Al Jazeera broadcast about the raising of Iranian flags in
Baghdad's predominantly Sunni area of Adhamiya. "Armed Shiite groups known as
the Hezbollah Brigades raised the Iranian flag in Adhamiya," Al Jazeera
reported.
Iraqis are divided over Soleimani's role in the battles between Iraqi government
forces and the Islamic State (IS). Some believe he is defending Iraq, while
others suspect he has an Iranian agenda that could harm their country.
On May 6, groups of civilians drove around the province of Basra waving the
Iranian flag from their cars.
It should be noted that prior to the events of June 10, 2014, when IS fighters
took control of Mosul, many Iraqis did not know Soleimani. He started attracting
attention when Iran announced its support for Iraq's fight against IS in
mid-2014. The move raised the ire of Vice President Ayad Allawi, who said in
March, "Iraqis do not need Soleimani's presence on the battlefield under the
pretext of supervising the battles against IS."
In reaction to the raising of the Iranian flag in the predominantly Shiite
province of Basra and Sunni-dominated Adhamiya, a number of activists in the
province of Basra organized a protest against the raising of the Iranian flag in
their province, fighting back by hoisting the Iraqi flag.
Asked to comment on the appearance of the Iranian flag in Iraqi cities, Majid
al-Gharawi, an Iraqi parliamentarian for the Sadrist movement, whose followers
chanted slogans against Soleimani in Baghdad during the demonstrations against
the Iraqi government, told Al-Monitor, "In Iraq, only the Iraqi flag that
represents the Iraqi state should be raised. Iraq is a sovereign country, and no
other flag should be raised."
He added, "There are people who want to underestimate Iraqi sovereignty, and we
will not accept this. We are a sovereign country that everyone should respect so
long as we respect everyone. We will face any act aimed at weakening and
undermining our sovereignty."
Iraqi TV presenter Ghazwan Jassem told Al-Monitor, "We all agree that Soleimani
played a pivotal role in fighting IS, including those who believe he is an icon
and those who see him as an enemy. But the recent division emanated from
factions that had long worked under his banner on both the political and the
military levels, albeit indirectly. Those factions believe that Soleimani now
represents a threat to them, especially considering that he is closer than many
Iraqi faction leaders to the Shiite fighters in the battlefronts."
Jassem added, "Trying to involve the community in the dispute over Soleimani is
a mere political maneuver and an attempt to promote nationalism against Iran on
the part of a faction that finds itself unwelcomed by Tehran these days [an
oblique reference to the Sadrist movement]. However, as soon as financial and
political support returns, the relations will heal."
Blogger Saadallah al-Majid, an opponent of Soleimani's presence in Iraq, told
Al-Monitor, "Iraq has turned into an Iranian province, as Iran is dominating the
political and security scene in Iraq. The raising of the Iranian flag in
Adhamiya and Basra confirms the tragic and bitter reality that is currently
plaguing Iraq."
He added, "The raising of the Iranian flag in Iraq as well as Soleimani's
presence in the country are intended to convey the message to the world that
Iraq is under the control of Iran. Iran and Soleimani's influence should be
terminated in Iraq."
Unlike Majid, media figure Mohammed al-Shabaki, who supports Soleimani's
presence in Iraq, told Al-Monitor, "Soleimani played a major role in the fight
against terrorism. On Aug. 8, 2014, he rescued the city of Erbil from the IS
threat, and he is the first military adviser to have arrived in Iraq from a
neighboring country. He brought weapons and ammunition to stop IS' expansion
toward Baghdad and to protect the city of Samarra."
Shabaki noted, "The recent division over Soleimani has a political aspect. For
the Sadrist movement, this division stems from the conviction that some factions
of the Popular Mobilization Units that are close to Soleimani did not support
the movement in its protests against corruption and are thus against the
movements project."
Regardless of the debate over Soleimani and his role in Iraq, his influence has
become quite significant, not only on the battlefield against IS but on the
Iraqi street as well. At the end of the day, Soleimani has links to armed
factions such as the Badr Organization and the League of the Righteous, among
others. He enjoys the support of influential political blocs, such as the State
of Law Coalition led by Vice President Nouri al-Maliki, though some prominent
figures such as Iraqi parliament Speaker Salim al-Jubouri do reject Soleimani's
presence in the country.
Group that helped sell Iran
nuke deal also funded media
By Bradley Klapper/May 21/16
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7044e805a95a4b7da5533b1b9ab75cd2/group-helped-sell-iran-nuke-deal-also-funded-media
WASHINGTON (AP) — A
group the White House recently identified as a key surrogate in selling the Iran
nuclear deal gave National Public Radio $100,000 last year to help it report on
the pact and related issues, according to the group's annual report. It also
funded reporters and partnerships with other news outlets. The Ploughshares
Fund's mission is to "build a safe, secure world by developing and investing in
initiatives to reduce and ultimately eliminate the world's nuclear stockpiles,"
one that dovetails with President Barack Obama's arms control efforts. But its
behind-the-scenes role advocating for the Iran agreement got more attention this
month after a candid profile of Ben Rhodes, one of the president's top foreign
policy aides. In The New York Times Magazine article, Rhodes explained how the
administration worked with nongovernmental organizations, proliferation experts
and even friendly reporters to build support for the seven-nation accord that
curtailed Iran's nuclear activity and softened international financial penalties
on Tehran.
"We created an echo chamber," said Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser,
adding that "outside groups like Ploughshares" helped carry out the
administration's message effectively. The magazine piece revived Republican
criticism of the Iran agreement as they suggested it was evidence of a White
House spin machine misleading the American people. The administration accused
opponents of trying to re-litigate the deal after failing to defeat it in
congressional votes last year. Outside groups of all stripes are increasingly
giving money to news organizations for special projects or general news
coverage. Most news organizations, including The Associated Press, have strict
rules governing whom they can accept money from and how to protect journalistic
independence.Ploughshares' backing is more unusual, given its prominent role in
the rancorous, partisan debate over the Iran deal.
The Ploughshares grant to NPR supported "national security reporting that
emphasizes the themes of U.S. nuclear weapons policy and budgets, Iran's nuclear
program, international nuclear security topics and U.S. policy toward nuclear
security," according to Ploughshares' 2015 annual report, recently published
online. "It is common practice for foundations to fund media coverage of
underreported stories," Ploughshares spokeswoman Jennifer Abrahamson said.
Funding "does not influence the editorial content of their coverage in any way,
nor would we want it to."
Ploughshares has funded NPR's coverage of national security since 2005, the
radio network said. Ploughshares reports show at least $700,000 in funding over
that time. All grant descriptions since 2010 specifically mention Iran.
"It's a valued partnership, without any conditions from Ploughshares on our
specific reporting, beyond the broad issues of national and nuclear security,
nuclear policy, and nonproliferation," NPR said in an emailed statement. "As
with all support received, we have a rigorous editorial firewall process in
place to ensure our coverage is independent and is not influenced by funders or
special interests."Republican lawmakers will have concerns nonetheless,
especially as Congress supplies NPR with a small portion of its funding. Just
this week, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee tried to summon Rhodes
to a hearing entitled "White House Narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal," but he
refused. Ploughshares' links to media are "tremendously troubling," said Rep.
Mike Pompeo of Kansas, an Iran-deal critic.
Pompeo told the AP he repeatedly asked NPR to be interviewed last year as a
counterweight to a Democratic supporter of the agreement, Rep. Adam Schiff of
California, who he said regularly appeared on the station. But NPR refused to
put Pompeo on the air, he said. The station said it had no record of Pompeo's
requests, and listed several prominent Republicans who were featured speaking
about the deal or economic sanctions on Iran. Another who appeared on NPR is
Joseph Cirincione, Ploughshares' president. He spoke about the negotiations on
air at least twice last year. The station identified Ploughshares as an NPR
funder one of those times; the other time, it didn't. Ploughshares boasts of
helping to secure the deal. While success was "driven by the fearless leadership
of the Obama administration and supporters in Congress," board chairwoman Mary
Lloyd Estrin wrote in the annual report, "less known is the absolutely critical
role that civil society played in tipping the scales towards this extraordinary
policy victory."The 33-page document lists the groups that Ploughshares funded
last year to advance its nonproliferation agenda.
The Arms Control Association got $282,500; the Brookings Institution, $225,000;
and the Atlantic Council, $182,500. They received money for Iran-related
analysis, briefings and media outreach, and non-Iran nuclear work.Other groups,
less directly defined by their independent nuclear expertise, also secured
grants.J-Street, the liberal Jewish political action group, received $576,500 to
advocate for the deal. More than $281,000 went to the National Iranian American
Council. Princeton University got $70,000 to support former Iranian ambassador
and nuclear spokesman Seyed Hossein Mousavian's "analysis, publications and
policymaker engagement on the range of elements involved with the negotiated
settlement of Iran's nuclear program."
Ploughshares has set its sights on other media organizations, too.
In a "Cultural Strategy Report" on its website, the group outlined a broader
objective of "ensuring regular and accurate coverage of nuclear issues in
reputable and strategic media outlets" such as The Guardian, Salon, the
Huffington Post or Pro Publica.Previous efforts failed to generate enough
coverage, it noted. These included "funding of reporters at The Nation and
Mother Jones and a partnership with The Center for Public Integrity to create a
national security desk." It suggested using "web videos, podcasts, photo-based
stories" and other "attention-grabbing formats" for "creatively reframing the
issue."
The Center for Public Integrity's CEO, Peter Bale, confirmed the grant. "None of
the funding received by Ploughshares was for coverage of the Iran deal," said
Bale, whose company received $70,000. "In general, we avoided that subject
because the topic did not lend itself to the type of investigative reporting the
Center does."Caitlin Graf, a spokeswoman at The Nation, said her outlet had no
partnership with Ploughshares. She referred queries to The Nation Institute, a
nonprofit associated with the magazine that seeks to strengthen the independent
press and advance social justice. Taya Kitman, the institute's director, said
Ploughshares' one-year grant supported reporting on U.S.-Iran policy, but strict
editorial control was maintained. Mother Jones' media department didn't respond
to several messages seeking comment.
The AP has taken grants from nonpolitical groups and journalism foundations such
as the Knight Foundation. As with all grants, "AP retains complete editorial
control of the final news product, which must fully meet AP standards for
independence and integrity," Standards Editor Thomas Kent said.