LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 05/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.october05.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today
Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 06/20-26/:"Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. ‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. ‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. ‘Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. ‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. Then they said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings
Book of Revelation 10/01-11/:"I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.’ Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: ‘There will be no more delay, but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets.’Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’ So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, ‘Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.’ So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. Then they said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."’

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 04-05/16
Will Obama eliminate Assad by the end of his term/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
Saudi-Turkish ties amount to a major strategic realignment in the Middle East/Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
Following Russia standoff, US needs a Plan B in Syria/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
Just not surprised at Congress’ act/Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
Why Iran Is More Dangerous Than the Islamic State/Moshe Yaalon/Los Angeles Times/October 04/16
UN Secretary General’s latest report on human rights abuses in Iran/NCRI/ October 20/16
Turkey's Night of Long Knives/Burak Bekdil/The Gatestone Institute/October 04/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 04-05/16
Alloush: Majority of Mustaqbal MPs Consider Aoun's Nomination as Greatest Evil
Aoun Hails 'Very Positive' Talks with Hariri, Urges Separating Presidency from 'Package Deal'
In Moscow, Hariri Tells Lavrov Hizbullah Blocking Solutions
Geagea: We Do not Agree with Berri over Package Deal
Berri: Everyone has Reservations about Aoun's Election
Bassil Rebuffs 'Conditional' Election of a President
PSP-Led Protesters Urge End to Aleppo 'Genocide' in Beirut Rally
Casualties on Both Sides as Rival Jihadists Clash in Arsal Outskirts
Lebanon among 10 Countries that Host Half World's Refugees
Syria regime displacing Christians from central Damascus: activists
Salam calls for cabinet session on Thursday
Ahmad Karami contacts Berri: Berri's national stances guarantee Lebanon's unity
Hezbollah denounces terror act in Hasaka
Geagea receives head of Moustakeloun Movement
Two Syrians injured in personal brawl in Zahle's Qeb Elias

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 04-05/16
Christian Leaders Urge 'Safe Zones' for Aleppo
More than 5,600 migrants rescued in Mediterranean: Italy coastguard
Syria Army Advances in Aleppo after U.S. Drops Russia Talks
Russia Deploys S-300 Air Defense System to Syria
Kremlin Hopes 'Political Wisdom' Prevails in Syria Cooperation with U.S.
US still ‘pursuing peace’ as Russian jets hit Aleppo
Russia says it has sent S-300 air defense system to Syria
US suspends Syria ceasefire talks with Russia
Renowned lawyer calls for Saudi bill similar to JASTA
Saudi Cabinet warns over JASTA
Sudan joins world in decrying JASTA, warns of ‘global chaos’
Former CIA director: US has the ‘most to lose’ from JASTA
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leader killed
Houthi senior militia leader killed near Najran
Franco-Tunisian woman hostage in Yemen freed and taken to Oman
US hits ISIS Libya positions as air war rages on
Defiant to Last, Turkey Channel Shut Down Live on Air
Canada denounces Russian support for ongoing attacks of medical facilities in Syria
Iran: Public Flogging in Southern Province
The NCRI Women's Committee demands withdrawal of 2017 Women's World Chess Championship awarded to the Iranian regime
 

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 04-05/16
Obama admits 12,587 Syrian refugees: 12,486 Muslims, 68 Christians, 24 Yazidis
Iran: IRGC deputy commander says “We have a whole ‘jungle’ of missiles…We are able to threaten vital interests of any enemy”
UK: Muslims who leave Islam live in fear of “violent revenge” from devout Muslims
Imam beaten with shoe live on Egyptian TV show for saying Muslim women don’t have to wear veil
UK: Five Islamic schools still open despite teaching jihad, 18 Islamic schools defy inspectors branding them unsafe
Australia: Charges laid against Muslim men in multi-million dollar children’s day-care fraud
Iranians claim Islamic State caliph seriously ill from “severe poisoning”
Malaysian pol: “Islam has to be the leader and ruler”
Turkey: 5 jihadists who tortured and murdered Christians finally sentenced to jail — but walk out of court free men
Jamaica: Muslim cleric says every unbeliever is “a liar and a hypocrite,” and unbelievers infect Muslims with cancer
Maryland Muslim charged with plotting to murder U.S. military member for the Islamic State
UK admits Muslim cleric who called for murder of gays for series of lectures in London
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Flying While Counter-Jihad
 

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 04-05/16
Iraq Could Lose Its Syriac Christian Population If It Doesn't Amend Its Constitution
Muslim Man Who Killed Sister Because She Married A Christian Says He Had 'No Choice'
Billy Graham's Grandson Will: 'This Is The Start Of The End Times.'
Pray That God Keeps Us Safe': Hurricane Matthew Slams Into Haiti With Deadly Waves
Nigerian Bishop Who Had Vision Of Jesus Says Boko Haram Will 'Fizzle Out'
Britain To Suspend European Convention On Human Rights In Wartime
Jerusalem Archbishop Says He Wants To 'Weep As Jesus Did' Over Gay Marriage
My Cross Campaign: Swedish Priests Are Crowdfunding Book For Persecuted Christians
Pope Francis To Make London Nun A Saint

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 04-05/16

Alloush: Majority of Mustaqbal MPs Consider Aoun's Nomination as Greatest Evil
Naharnet/October 04/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement Politburo member Mustafa Alloush said on Tuesday, the majority of the movement’s deputies reject the nomination of MP Michel Aoun for the post of presidency and consider it as the “greatest evil.”“%80 of the Mustaqbal deputies are not in favor of the nomination of Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun,” Alloush told LBCI in an interview. However he assured: “Mustaqbal will attend the parliament meeting in order to achieve quorum for the election of a president.”Alloush added: “The reactions of the Mustaqbal politicians, leaders and cadres is that there is no evil greater than the nomination of Aoun. “Some of the deputies have left the choice to the head of the movement on the subject of the nomination, but the other part totally refused Aoun because of insults he addressed to the martyrs of the Mustaqbal and named the Sunni community as Daesh.” Hariri's return to Lebanon last week has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Aoun Hails 'Very Positive' Talks with Hariri, Urges Separating Presidency from 'Package Deal'
Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday hailed his latest meeting with al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri as “very positive,” while noting that the presidential vote must not hinge on a prior agreement on so-called “package deal.”
“There have been attempts since 2005 to reach an understanding between us and Hariri and the latest attempt was the closest to reaching an understanding,” Aoun said in an interview on OTV.
“My meeting with Hariri was very positive regarding the presidency,” he stated.
Asked whether his presidential chances have surged in the wake of the latest developments, Aoun said: “I cannot say that I have become president or that I inched closer to the presidency before taking the oath of office, but what's important is the vision of the president and his ability to resolve problems.”
“There is no conflict between me and Hariri regarding the implementation of the Taef Accord,” he added. “We agree with Hariri on the National Pact, especially that the martyr Rafik Hariri respected the National Pact when he was in power,” Aoun went on to say.
“The outcome of my meeting with Hariri was positive and he has some things to arrange and I hope the situation will end positively,” the FPM founder added.
And noting that the “negative responses” of some political parties “confirm that the issue of our agreement with Hariri is serious,” Aoun added admitted that “al-Mustaqbal Movement has concerns and we understand them.”
Separately, the FPM founder lamented that “there is a lot of media disinformation” regarding his relation with the Sunni community.
“The memorandum of understanding with Hizbullah is not targeted against Sunnis and the proof is that we agreed in national dialogue on everything that the document mentions,” he noted.
“Who can imagine Lebanon without Sunnis? No one can eliminate the other,” Aoun added.
“National unity is the strongest weapon to defend Lebanon,” he stressed.
Asked about his relation with Speaker Nabih Berri, Aoun said “the relation with Berri is good in principle and there is no disagreement with him in politics.”
“I told Speaker Berri that I did not mean him with the 'illegitimate' label but rather the entire parliament seeing as it was not elected by the people,” he added.
As for the so-called “package deal” that Berri has called for, Aoun said that “there shouldn't be preconditions regarding the election of the president and the Constitution must be respected in this regard.”
“Agreements are part of political action but they must conform with the law,” he said.
“The election of the president is an independent process that is not linked to any package deal and (Maronite) Patriarch (Beshara) al-Rahi's stance was aimed at warning against violations,” Aoun added.
Turning to Hizbullah's stance regarding the latest developments, Aoun underlined that “Hizbullah is still seeking to continue its role regarding the presidency.”
“I'm satisfied with its stance towards me,” he added.
Aoun also noted that he “trusts” Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in his support for his presidential bid and that the patriarch “is not obliged” to back his nomination.
Hariri's return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

In Moscow, Hariri Tells Lavrov Hizbullah Blocking Solutions
Naharnet/October 04/16/Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his media office said on Tuesday. Hariri had arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian officials on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, and the bilateral relations between the two countries, added his media office. During the meeting, Lavrov expressed “support” for Hariri's efforts to end the presidential void, stressing that the ex-PM is “playing an important role” regarding the domestic situations in Lebanon, Hariri's office said. The former premier for his part noted that he has made “several initiatives to end the presidential vacuum in Lebanon” but lamented that “Hizbullah is the main party that is blocking the solutions.”Hariri was accompanied by former MPs Ghattas Khoury and Bassem al-Sabaa, and his adviser Nader Hariri. Media reports had said that the Moscow meetings will focus on Lebanon's thorny file of the presidency. Hariri's return to Lebanon last week has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Geagea: We Do not Agree with Berri over Package Deal
Naharnet/October 04/16/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Tuesday that the package deal suggested by Speaker Nabih Berri, was flatly inadmissible, stressing that MP Michel Aoun will not negotiate any settlement to help him reach the presidential post. “There cannot be a new national contract at every due date,” said Geagea from Bkirki after a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. “What will the (new) president do if we are imposing conditions on the government from today? The election of a president must happen when lawmakers head to the parliament, and then comes the designation of a prime minister,” he added. “Aoun has not and will not negotiate over the package deal, and we will not as well,” he said, as he remarked “recently we have noticed that there is no agreement between Aoun, Hizbullah and the AMAL movement.”The Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Mnemosyne have voiced rejection to Berri's deal that calls for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one. He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government.

Berri: Everyone has Reservations about Aoun's Election
Naharnet/October 04/16/Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Tuesday that everyone has reservations about, or reject the nomination of MP Michel Aoun for the post of presidency, As Safir daily reported on Tuesday. “The political figures that (al-Mustaqbal Movement chief) ex-PM Saad Hariri has met during his consultations have either rejected or expressed reservations about the election of the General (Aoun),” Berri told the daily. “I know what I am saying and I am certain about each word when I say 'all of them,'” he went on to say. After he returned to Lebanon last week, Hariri held a series of meetings with political figures in a bid to give momentum to the file of the presidency. His mobility triggered a flurry of rumors about a possible presidential settlement that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock. Hariri had held talks with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel, Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat, Speaker Nabih Berri and Aoun. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Bassil Rebuffs 'Conditional' Election of a President
Naharnet/October 04/16/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil stressed on Tuesday that it is “unacceptable to set conditions in return for the election of a president. “Setting conditions for the election of a president is what made Bkirki raise its voice, and we understand that,” Bassil said after a visit to Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi. “We support a national accord which brings together Christian and Muslim nationals, be it their agreement over an electoral law or the election of a president. The president is the sole guarantor of the constitution and the Lebanese as a whole,” Bassil added. The Minister also stressed the importance of national understanding and acknowledgment of one another. “We can never reach agreement at the expense of marginalizing others. We currently experience a phase which aims to gather the Lebanese rather than take them apart,” he concluded. Bassil's visit to Bkirki came in a show of support to Rahi and his comments over the weekend that criticized the “package deal” suggested by Nabih Berri. Rahi on Sunday blasted calls for the “package deal” that precedes the election of a president, noting that any candidate who accepts it has no “dignity.”His comments triggered a response on Berri's end who said that his suggestion is “more constitutional than any other suggestion.”

PSP-Led Protesters Urge End to Aleppo 'Genocide' in Beirut Rally
Naharnet/October 04/16/Dozens of citizens, activists and members of political parties staged a sit-in at the Samir Qassir garden in downtown Beirut on Tuesday to condemn the bloodshed in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The sit-in was organized by the Progressive Youth Organization, the youth arm of MP Walid Jumblat's Progressive Socialist Party. Describing the fierce bombardment of Aleppo's rebel-held neighborhoods by Syrian and Russian warplanes as a "genocide," participants carried banners asking “Who Will Save Aleppo's Children from Vampires?” and “Is The International Community Seeing What's Happening in Aleppo?”The protesters also condemned the Arab and global “silence” over the carnage in Syria. “Over 30,000 people have been martyred due to (Syrian President) Bashar (Assad's) barrel bombs and more than 300 journalists have been killed by indiscriminate and barbaric shelling,” PYO member Lama Aridi said in a speech at the sit-in. “More than 550,000 people have fled and only 40,000 residents remain in the city... Only 30 doctors are treating thousands of wounded people,” she added. The organization held the world's governments responsible for “what is happening in Aleppo and for this genocide that is being committed by the biggest butcher of this century.”Earlier on Tuesday, the U.N. rights chief called for action to halt the "ghastly avalanche of violence" unfolding in Aleppo, which is reeling from some of the most brutal fighting in the five-year conflict. The Syrian army announced a major Russian-backed military push nearly two weeks ago to capture the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo, once the country's commercial hub. On Monday, the largest hospital in the rebel-held side of Aleppo was completely destroyed in an aerial attack, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, which supports the facility. Only five hospitals remain operational for the estimated 250,000 people living under a crippling government siege in east Aleppo.More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted in March 2011, and the latest attempt at securing a diplomatic solution to the war has fallen apart.

Casualties on Both Sides as Rival Jihadists Clash in Arsal Outskirts
Naharnet/October 04/16/Heavy clashes erupted Tuesday in the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal between jihadists from the rival Islamic State and Fateh al-Sham groups, state-run National News Agency reported. Several militants from both sides were killed and wounded in the fighting, NNA said. It later reported that the clashes had spread across the outskirts to reach the Sahlat al-Ajram area as Fateh al-Sham fighters seized control of an IS checkpoint in the al-Shir region. The Lebanese army meanwhile fired heavy artillery from its posts in north Bekaa at movements by the militants in the Khirbet Younin, Sahlat al-Ajram and Wadi al-Khayl areas. Militants from IS and Fateh al-Sham -- formerly al-Qaida's Syria affiliate al-Nusra Front -- are entrenched in rugged areas along the undemarcated Lebanese-Syrian border and the army regularly shells their posts while Hizbullah and the Syrian army have engaged in clashes with them on the Syrian side of the border. The two groups briefly overran the town of Arsal in August 2014 before being ousted by the army after days of deadly battles. The retreating militants abducted more than 30 troops and policemen of whom four have been executed and nine remain in the captivity of the IS group.

Lebanon among 10 Countries that Host Half World's Refugees
Naharnet/October 04/16/Ten countries accounting for 2.5 percent of world GDP are hosting more than half the world's refugees, Amnesty International said Tuesday as it slammed what it called the selfishness of wealthy nations. In a report on the plight faced by the world's 21 million refugees, the London-based human rights body lamented that countries immediately neighbouring crisis zones bear the brunt of the global refugee problem. Fifty-six percent of refugees are being sheltered in 10 countries, according to the report, in which Amnesty proposed a solution whereby the world's countries find a home for 10 percent of the planet's refugees every year. "A small number of countries have been left to do far too much just because they are neighbours to a crisis," said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty, presenting the report entitled "Tackling the global refugee crisis: from shirking to sharing responsibility". "That situation is inherently unsustainable, exposing the millions fleeing war and persecution in countries like Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq to intolerable misery and suffering. "It is time for leaders to enter into a serious, constructive debate about how our societies are going to help people forced to leave their homes by war and persecution."Amnesty said the top refugee hosting country was Jordan, which has taken in more than 2.7 million people, followed by Turkey (more than 2.5 million); Pakistan (1.6 million) and Lebanon (more than 1.5 million). The remaining six nations listed in the top 10 each hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees: Iran (979,400); Ethiopia (736,100); Kenya (553,900); Uganda (477,200); Democratic Republic of Congo (383,100), and Chad (369,500). The statistics are based on figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Amnesty said many of the world's wealthiest nations "host the fewest and do the least". "It is not simply a matter of sending aid money. Rich countries cannot pay to keep people 'over there'," it said. The "self-interest" of such countries meant the international refugee crisis was set to get worse, not better, Amnesty claimed. "If every one of the wealthiest countries in the world were to take in refugees in proportion to their size, wealth and unemployment rate, finding a home for more of the world's refugees would be an eminently solvable challenge," said Shetty.

Syria regime displacing Christians from central Damascus: activists
Now Lebanon/October 04/16/BEIRUT – A Syrian Christian opposition group has voiced fears that the Bashar al-Assad regime is seeking to displace Christians from the historic center of Damascus, known popularly as the Old City. In a statement issued Sunday, the Syrian Christians for Peace warned of the “deliberate and systemic [efforts] to displace the remaining Christians from the Old City of Damascus.”The humanitarian organization—which seeks to challenge the narrative of Christian support for the regime—said that the government was purposely ruining the “security and moral” situation of Christian quarters in the Old City in a bid to “prompt [Christians] to sell their homes.”“The Syrian Christians for Peace condemns the deliberate disregard for the values and ethics of the Christian-majority areas of Damascus, especially in Bab Touma,” the statement also said. The Syrian Christians for Peace claimed that Christian residents have been complaining that their neighborhoods have transformed into “hotbeds of immorality,” in reference to the large number of bars and nightclubs opened in the past months in the residential areas, which the group said was “violating the sanctity and security” of the historic neighborhoods in central Damascus. The Syrian Christians for Peace called on “all Christian clergymen to take a firm stand against these practices and to stop favoring an authoritarian regime that killed more than half-a-million [people], displaced ten million and destroyed half the country.”Top Christian clerical officials in Syria have all stood on the side of the Bashar al-Assad, who counts on the public support of a majority of the country’s Christians, approximately 10% of the total population. Asharq Alawsat followed up on the Syrian Christians for Peace’s statement, interviewing residents of Bab al-Touma who complained about changes in the neighborhood, including the prevalence of nightclubs and Shiite militiamen. One man, identified as Abu Nidal, said that he moved out of the neighborhood “out of fear” for his children, especially his daughters, because of the “moral corruption in the area.”Abu Nidal complained in his comments to the Saudi-owned daily that “Bab Touma is no longer a Christian neighborhood, but a place for the National Defense Force militias guarded by Iranian, Iraqi and Lebanese Shiite militiamen.”He added that Hezbollah posters and yellow flags commonly used by the Shiite militia groups were plastered across the walls of Bab Touma alongside images of Christian saints. Another resident, identified as Tereza, told Asharq Alawsat that Christians in the neighborhood were being “provoked” and that walls were being spray painted with popular Shiite sectarian statements. Meanwhile, an unidentified music teacher who recently moved into Bab Touma said he was shocked by the number of bars and clubs in the area, saying it had been turned into an “open-air brothel.”

Salam calls for cabinet session on Thursday
Tue 04 Oct 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Tammam Salam called on Tuesday for a cabinet session to be held on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. to continue discussing the items which have been already listed on the previous agenda.
 

Ahmad Karami contacts Berri: Berri's national stances guarantee Lebanon's unity
Tue 04 Oct 2016/NNA - Deputy Ahmad Karami has contacted Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri in which he expressed support to the latter's national positions, which are the guarantee of Lebanon's unity and stability. "Berri has always been and will always be keen to fill the presidential void and activate the constitutional institutions," Karami added in a statement on Tuesday.

Hezbollah denounces terror act in Hasaka
Tue 04 Oct 2016/NNA - Hezbollah condemned on Tuesday in a statement the new terrorist attack which has been carried out by Daesh in Hasaka in eastern Syria and resulted in the death of dozens and the injury of others. "The fight against these acts won't be through statements, but rather by eradicating terrorists," the statement added. Hezbollah offered condolences to the families of the victims, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.

Geagea receives head of Moustakeloun Movement
Tue 04 Oct 2016/NNA - Head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, on Tuesday received in Maarab head of Moustakeloun Movement, Wadih Razi Hajj, who hoped that a president for the country would be elected as soon as possible. Hajj voiced support to Patriarch Bechara Rahi's stance that came in his sermon last Sunday.

Two Syrians injured in personal brawl in Zahle's Qeb Elias
Tue 04 Oct 2016/NNA - Two Syrians Mohammed Abdel Karim al-Amine (born in 2000) and Mohammed Abdo al-Dweikh (born in 1999) got injured in a personal brawl with two other persons Khaled and Hassan al-Aqla in Zahle's Qeb Elias, NNA field reporter said on Tuesday. In details, Khaled and Hassan opened fire during the fight against al-Amine and al-Doweikh thus injuring them. The injured persons were transported to local hospitals for treatment, whereas fire shooters fled to an unknown destination

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 04-05/16

Christian Leaders Urge 'Safe Zones' for Aleppo
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 04/16/The custodian of Catholic sites in the Holy Land and the head of the Franciscan Order called Tuesday for a "safe zone" to be created in Syria's Aleppo as fighting there raged. Francesco Patton, whose custody of Catholic sites in the Holy Land covers shrines in Syria, and Michael Perry, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor, made the appeal in a joint statement. "We ask that the entire international community take concrete steps to designate Aleppo a safe zone," they said. "A safe zone surrounding Aleppo would allow the whole population, worn down by the terrible effects of the conflict, to receive essential humanitarian aid without discrimination, to find safety and security, and to recover some trust and hope in a speedy solution, which would be motivated by peace alone," they added. Their plea came as Syrian regime forces advanced against rebels in the northern city during intense street battles on Tuesday, after the United States abandoned talks with Russia aimed at securing a truce. Patton and Perry said safe zones should be placed under the control of U.N. peacekeepers and operate "under a (U.N.) Security Council mandate with the full cooperation of the various parties involved in the war." They also urged nations across the world "to be as generous as possible in accepting Syrian refugees."The custody of the Holy Land is made up of 285 members of the Franciscan Order from 39 countries. Its territory covers Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, the Greek island of Rhodes and the monastery of Mosky in Cairo.

More than 5,600 migrants rescued in Mediterranean: Italy coastguard
AFP, Rome Tuesday, 4 October 2016/More than 5,600 migrants were rescued from distress boats off Libya Monday in one of the largest tallies for a single day since the current migration crisis erupted, Italy's coast guard said. The rescues came on the third anniversary of a migrant ship fire and sinking near the island of Lampedusa which left 366 people dead and alerted the world to the unfolding drama in the Mediterranean.

Ten countries host half world’s refugees: Amnesty
AFP, London Tuesday, 4 October 2016/Ten countries accounting for 2.5% of world GDP are hosting more than half the world’s refugees, Amnesty International said on Tuesday as it slammed what it called the selfishness of wealthy nations. In a report on the plight faced by the world’s 21 million refugees, the London-based human rights body lamented that countries immediately neighboring crisis zones bear the brunt of the global refugee problem. 56% of refugees are being sheltered in 10 countries, according to the report, in which Amnesty proposed a solution whereby the world’s countries find a home for 10% of the planet’s refugees every year.
Unstable situation
“A small number of countries have been left to do far too much just because they are neighbors to a crisis,” said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty, presenting the report entitled “Tackling the global refugee crisis: from shirking to sharing responsibility”. “That situation is inherently unsustainable, exposing the millions fleeing war and persecution in countries like Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq to intolerable misery and suffering. “It is time for leaders to enter into a serious, constructive debate about how our societies are going to help people forced to leave their homes by war and persecution.”Amnesty said the top refugee hosting country was Jordan, which has taken in more than 2.7 million people, followed by Turkey (more than 2.5 million); Pakistan (1.6 million) and Lebanon (more than 1.5 million). The remaining six nations listed in the top 10 each hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees: Iran (979 400); Ethiopia (736 100); Kenya (553 900); Uganda (477 200); Democratic Republic of Congo (383 100), and Chad (369 500). The statistics are based on figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Amnesty said many of the world’s wealthiest nations “host the fewest and do the least”.“It is not simply a matter of sending aid money. Rich countries cannot pay to keep people ‘over there’,” it said. The “self-interest” of such countries meant the international refugee crisis was set to get worse, not better, Amnesty claimed. “If every one of the wealthiest countries in the world were to take in refugees in proportion to their size, wealth and unemployment rate, finding a home for more of the world’s refugees would be an eminently solvable challenge,” said Shetty.

Syria Army Advances in Aleppo after U.S. Drops Russia Talks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 04/16/Syrian regime forces advanced against rebels during intense street battles in the heart of Aleppo on Tuesday, after the United States abandoned talks with Russia aimed at reviving a ceasefire deal. Washington said its decision did not mean it was "abandoning the pursuit of peace", as Moscow called for "political wisdom" while announcing the deployment of its S-300 missile system to the port of Tartus. And the U.N. rights chief called for action to halt the "ghastly avalanche of violence" unfolding in Syria's second city, which is reeling from some of the most brutal fighting in the five-year conflict. The Syrian army announced a major Russian-backed military push nearly two weeks ago to capture the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo, once the country's commercial hub. On Tuesday, loyalists seized high-rise buildings from rebels in the city center, pushing north towards other opposition districts. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime forces were "gradually advancing" after street battles on the front line dividing the rebel-held east from the government-controlled west. "They are focusing on the tall buildings, which were once government administration buildings, because they can monitor entire streets and neighborhoods from there," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. State news agency SANA reported rebel shelling on the government-held west, including on the Aleppo University campus, killed six people.
Patience run out'
More than 300,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in March 2011, and the latest attempt at securing a diplomatic solution to the war has fallen apart. Washington announced late Monday that it would suspend joint efforts to reinstate a nationwide truce, accusing Moscow of abetting strongman Bashar Assad's assault on Aleppo. "Everybody's patience with Russia has run out," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. A U.S. official said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is "laser-focused" on finding a diplomatic solution, but his talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the crisis were over. Kerry said Tuesday the decision was one "we did not come to lightly.""We are not abandoning the pursuit of peace, we are not going to leave the multilateral field, we are going to continue to try to find a way forward in order to end this war," he added, offering fierce criticism of Moscow. "People who are serious about making peace behave differently from the way Russia has chosen to behave," he said. The Kremlin meanwhile said it "would like to hope for the presence of political wisdom and the continuation of exchanges on particularly sensitive issues that are necessary for maintaining peace and security." And Lavrov said Moscow was "not shirking our responsibility but consider that the crisis can only be resolved collectively."Russia's defense ministry said later it had sent an S-300 missile system to its naval facility in the Syrian city of Tartus, a measure it says is meant to bolster its security. The U.S.-Russia truce plan for Syria had envisioned an end to hostilities, increased aid deliveries to besieged populations, and eventual coordination between rivals Moscow and Washington against jihadists. But the truce collapsed after a week, with Russia blaming Washington for failing to convince rebels to distance themselves from jihadist fighters. Russia and the U.S. will keep a communications channel open solely to ensure their separate anti-jihadist bombing campaigns do not get in each other's way.
U.N. call for action
U.N. rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein decried the "ghastly avalanche of violence and destruction" in east Aleppo, saying 100 children had been killed there in the past 10 days. He urged the Security Council to introduce a limit on its members' veto power, to prevent countries like Russia blocking the referral of Syria's conflict to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. On Monday, the largest hospital in the rebel-held side of Aleppo was completely destroyed in an aerial attack, according to the Syrian American Medical Society, which supports the facility. Only five hospitals remain operational for the estimated 250,000 people living under a crippling government siege in east Aleppo. Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit told an emergency meeting that the situation in Aleppo was "carnage," calling for an "urgent ceasefire." In northeast Syria, the toll in a suicide attack at a wedding rose to 34 people, the region's Kurdish government said. The Islamic State group claimed the attack, saying one of its members had fired on a gathering near Hasakeh city before blowing himself up, though it did not mention a wedding. The bombing left rows of seats covered in blood at the wedding hall in Hasakeh province. "I was taking pictures of the party, and all of a sudden I felt a huge explosion," said wedding photographer Walid Mohammad. "I saw so many people die -- small kids, old people."

Russia Deploys S-300 Air Defense System to Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 04/16/Russia's defense ministry said Tuesday that it had sent an S-300 missile system to its naval facility in the Syrian city of Tartus, a measure it says is meant to bolster its security. "The S-300 anti-aircraft missile system has indeed been sent to the Syrian Arab Republic," defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. "I remind you that the S-300 is a purely defensive system and poses no threat to anyone.""It's not clear why the placement of S-300 in Syria has caused such a stir among our western colleagues," he said. The announcement comes as talks on reviving a failed ceasefire were suspended by Washington over Moscow's support of the regime in Damascus. Moscow has been accused of indiscriminately bombing Aleppo's opposition-controlled east as it helps an offensive currently being conducted by Syrian regime forces to capture all of the country's second city. Russia has also denied that its strikes have hit hospitals and other civilian facilities in spite of reports to the contrary. In addition to operating a naval facility in Tartus, Russia runs an air base outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, which currently houses war planes used in Moscow's bombing campaign in support of long-time ally Bashar Assad. A senior Russian official said in August that Russia was planning to expand its Hmeimim air base in Syria into a permanent military facility. The Hmeimim air base already has an S-400 air defense system, the most modern in Russia's arsenal.

Kremlin Hopes 'Political Wisdom' Prevails in Syria Cooperation with U.S.
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 04/16/Moscow said Tuesday it hopes "political wisdom" will prevail in Washington regarding cooperation in Syria after the United States dropped ceasefire talks with Russia over its support of the regime in Damascus. "We would like to hope for the presence of political wisdom and the continuation of exchanges on particularly sensitive issues that are necessary for maintaining peace and security," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "As far as we understand, exchanges between our militaries are ongoing and will continue."The United States said Monday it was suspending negotiations with Russia to revive a failed ceasefire and set up a joint centre to coordinate the fight against jihadists, saying Moscow had "failed to live up to its own commitments" and stepped up its military operations instead. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the Russian and U.S. militaries will continue to use a communications channel set up to ensure their forces do not get in each others' way during "counterterrorism operations in Syria."Peskov said Tuesday that the Washington's suspension of the talks did not mean "Russia will renounce its plans to assist Syria's armed forces in the fight against terrorism". U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Washington is still seeking peace in Syria despite having suspended negotiations with Moscow. He accused Russia of turning a "blind eye" to the use of weapons by President Bashar Assad's forces including chlorine gas against rebels and civilians in Syria. Russia's foreign ministry said Monday that it regretted Washington's decision to suspend the talks, accusing the United States of shifting responsibility for its failure onto Moscow. Russia has been conducting a bombing campaign in Syria for the past year and is currently backing up a fierce regime assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo, sparking international condemnation.

US still ‘pursuing peace’ as Russian jets hit Aleppo
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 4 October 2016/The United States on Tuesday has defended its stance in Syria when it said it has not given up “pursuit of peace in Syria” as Russian and Syrian warplanes continued to pound residential areas in besieged parts of Aleppo.
“I want to be very, very clear to everybody, we are not giving up on the Syrian people, we are not abandoning the pursuit of peace, we are not going to leave the multilateral field, we are going to continue to try to find a way forward in order to end this war,” Kerry said in a speech in Brussels after the White House abandoned talks with Russia on reviving a ceasefire deal. In reaction, Moscow said Tuesday it hopes “political wisdom” will prevail in Washington regarding cooperation in Syria. “We would like to hope for the presence of political wisdom and the continuation of exchanges on particularly sensitive issues that are necessary to maintaining peace and security,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Raids target Aleppo
Syrians Rebels said on Tuesday they repelled a Syrian army offensive in southern Aleppo following Russian and Syrian war jets continued to pound residential areas in besieged parts of the city where thousands of civilians are trapped. They said they inflicted losses on pro-government fighters after several hours of clashes on the fringe of Sheikh Saed district, at the southern edge of the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo city. “We repelled their attempt to advance in Sheikh Saed and killed 10 regime fighters and destroyed several vehicles,” said a fighter from the Failaq al-Sham rebel group who gave his name as Abdullah al-Halabi. Pro-government media said the army was pressing ahead in a major campaign supported by Iranian-backed militias and Russian air power to take full control of the divided city after a ceasefire collapsed last month. State television said insurgent shelling killed five people in government-held areas of the city on Tuesday. The army offensive is backed by an air campaign by President Bashar al-Assad's government and its allies that has hit hospitals, destroyed infrastructure and caused hundreds of civilian casualties. Another rebel commander from the Nour al-Din al-Zinki group said the army opened several fronts simultaneously to stretch the rebel forces, and dropped leaflets from helicopters calling on them to surrender. After securing the strategic Handarat camp in the northern edge of the city last Thursday following what rebels described as carpet bombing, the army pressed on south of the camp. It took the ruins of the former Kindi hospital, from where soldiers could control the Jandoul traffic circle, a major road intersection. “They levelled the ground and our people had no choice but to retreat under the bombing of the Russians,” the Zinki commander said. Rebels say Kurdish YPG militia controlling the strategic Sheikh Maqsoud district in north Aleppo city have also taken advantage of the army gains to move towards the Shuqayyif industrial area that lies between Handarat and their enclave. That would allow the army and its allied militias to move deeper into rebel-held northern districts of the city, although rebels expect the army thrust will slow in residential areas that offer them more cover from air raids. “The battles inside the city’s districts as the regime applies more pressure will be difficult as these areas are better defended and will allow the rebels to hold out,” said Halabi. In the heart of the city, war planes believed to be Russian and flying at high altitude hit Bustan al Qasr, Hay al Huluk and Fardous neighborhoods with reports of casualties, several rebel contacts said. In the Aleppo countryside, Russian and Syrian war planes dropped incendiary bombs on the towns of Darat Izza and al-Zirba. Separately, rebels fighting ISIS militants said they killed at least 30 militants after a failed attempt to gain ground in Eastern Qalamoun area, north of Damascus, where fighting has escalated in recent weeks. (With AFP, Reuters)

Russia says it has sent S-300 air defense system to Syria
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 4 October 2016/Russia’s defiance ministry said Tuesday that it had sent an S-300 missile system to its naval facility in the Syrian city of Tartus, a measure it says is meant to bolster its security. “The S-300 anti-aircraft missile system has indeed been sent to the Syrian Arab Republic,” defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. Konashenkov made the statement after US news station Fox News said Russia has deployed an advanced anti-missile system in Syria for the first time, citing three US officials. The officials said the new weapon system could potentially counter any US cruise missile attack in Syria, in a latest show for Russian military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This makes it the first time Russia has deployed the SA-23 system outside its borders, Fox News said, according to one Western official citing a recent intelligence assessment. On Tuesday, the United States has defended its stance in Syria when it said it has not given up “pursuit of peace in Syria” as Russian and Syrian warplanes continued to pound residential areas in besieged parts of Aleppo.(With AFP)
 

US suspends Syria ceasefire talks with Russia
By AFP Monday, 3 October 2016/The UN Syria envoy voiced deep disappointment Monday at the collapse of US-Russian talks to revive a Syria ceasefire, but vowed to keep working for a political solution. “The UN will continue to push energetically for a political solution of the Syrian conflict regardless of the very disappointing outcome of intense and long discussions among two crucial international stakeholders,” the office of Staffan de Mistura said in a statement. The statement came after the United States on Monday suspended negotiations with Russia on efforts to revive a failed ceasefire in Syria and set up a joint military cell to target extremists.

Hasakeh wedding death toll goes up
A suicide bomber killed at least 22 people Monday in an attack targeting a party in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakeh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and medics said. “A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a hall in Tall Tawil village during the wedding of a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces, killing at least 22 civilians,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. The SDF is an Arab-Kurdish coalition battling militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group in northern Syria.

Renowned lawyer calls for Saudi bill similar to JASTA
Saudi Gazette, Jeddah Tuesday, 4 October 2016/Renowned international lawyer Dr. Khaled Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Nuwaisser has urged Saudi authorities to enact a bill similar to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) passed by the US Congress recently, saying the Saudi JASTA would give citizens the right to sue foreign countries and organizations that support terror against the Kingdom at local courts.Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette following the passage of the controversial legislation by the US Congress, overriding President Barack Obama’s veto, the Saudi lawyer described JASTA as a dangerous precedent, adding that it would give the US Congress greater powers than the international law that protects sovereignty and immunity of countries. “This bill (JASTA) is unfortunate and a dangerous precedent,” Al-Nuwaisser said. The US has opened the door for all countries to pass similar laws and this is what President Obama and senior American officials had warned the Congress before passing the law.“It’s now imperative to pass a similar law or Saudi JASTA that would allow every Saudi to take legal action against any government that sponsors terrorism against the Kingdom, including Iran and Hezbollah, by filing lawsuits at Saudi courts,” he explained. Al-Nuwaisser called upon the 150-member Shoura (Consultative) Council to initiate the passing of an anti-terror sponsor law during the coming session and give it top priority. The draft law would then be presented to higher authorities for endorsement. “Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest victims of terrorism and terrorists,” the lawyer said, adding that the proposed law would reflect the will of Saudi people to protect their nation from foreign attack and safeguard its security and stability. He said the Saudi JASTA would not be aimed at escalation of tension with the US as it would not be wise to have a confrontation with that country. “At the same time, the Saudi JASTA should not exclude any country including the US from attending trial at Saudi courts,” he said.
JASTA a ‘violation of the international law’
Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) voiced deep concern over the adoption of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) by the United States Congress. “This law is a violation of the principle of immunity of sovereign states, which is a basic and established legal principle in international relations and international law,” the pan Islamic body said in a press statement. The OIC stated that the reaction of the international community to this law underscores the need to adhere to the centuries-old position held by states that no sovereign state, relying on arbitrary standards as means of applying political and economic pressure, may impose its jurisdiction on another sovereign state. Otherwise, this would be a breach of the independence of states and a flagrant violation of established principles in international law and interstate relations. “Regrettably, this unilateral law is an invitation to serious chaos in international relations,” the statement said, adding that the Congress move upsets a firm and established international legal order and diminishes the integrity of the entire international legal system as it opens the door to states to pass similar laws, which is expected in reaction to protect their rights.

Saudi Cabinet warns over JASTA
By Staff writer Al Arabiya English Monday, 3 October 2016/The enactment of US legislation on 9/11 weakening sovereign immunity will affect all countries, including the United States, the Saudi Cabinet said Monday. It said the law contributes to the weakening of the principle of sovereign immunity, which has governed international relations for hundreds of years, in a statement carried by the state news agency SPA. This it said, will have a “negative impact” on all nations, including the United States. The cabinet also said Saudi Arabia hoped the US Congress would take necessary steps to avoid the ‘dangerous fallouts’ from the law, The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) law allows the families of 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom for damages. The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the law’s passage on Thursday, saying the “erosion” of the principle of sovereign immunity would have a negative impact on all nations.

Sudan joins world in decrying JASTA, warns of ‘global chaos’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English, Tuesday, 4 October 2016/Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir warned on Monday the legal risks the Justice against the sponsors of terrorism act (JASTA) poses for the sovereignty of nations if it were to be implemented. In a statement issued by the Sudanese president on JASTA – that was approved by the US Congress recently – al-Bashir cautioned US legislators against proceeding with the law which will allow victims of terrorist acts to sue countries that are allegedly linked to these attacks. “The law violates state sovereignty and immunity and could lead to a global legislative chaos,” Bashir said. The statement also added that Sudan declines to accept the overriding of President Barack Obama’s veto on JASTA by Congress, saying that as a sovereign country, the US should respect the laws and immunity of sovereign states. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his stance on JASTA after he condemned the US Congress vote earlier this week, saying he expected the move to be reversed as soon as possible. Relations between Ankara and Riyadh have tightened considerably in the past months as they pursue joint interests in Syria. Erdogan had just the day earlier hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef for talks at his palace. “The allowing by the US Congress of lawsuits to be opened against Saudi Arabia over the 9/11 attacks is unfortunate,” Erdogan said in a speech for the opening of parliament. “It’s against the principle of individual criminal responsibility for crimes. We expect this false step to be reversed as soon as possible,” he added.

Former CIA director: US has the ‘most to lose’ from JASTA
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 4 October 2016/United States has the most to lose due to the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) as it compromises with its principle of sovereignty, former CIA director Michael Hayden has said. Speaking on CNN’s GPS show with Fareed Zakaria, alongside Legal Analyst Jeff Toobin, Hayden said: “You’ve put the world on the path in which the traditional protection, sovereign immunity for those kinds of actions has begun to be eroded”. This segment of the program discussed the JASTA law that will allow families of the victims of the 9/11 attack in New York to sue Saudi Arabia for alleged involvement in the attack. Currently countries enjoy sovereign immunity – the legal principal that protects them and their diplomats from lawsuits in the American legal system. But the decision, reached on Wednesday by US lawmakers, to remove the presidential veto on the new act will ultimately open countries to facing legal action. “It is a breach in the wall that has traditionally forbidden individuals in one country from suing governments of other countries, the concept known as sovereign immunity, which is an important principle of international law,” Toobin said.
With current strains on relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, over issues such as the nuclear deal, this new law is likely to complicate the relations further, the New York Times stated in an article.
 

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leader killed
Reuters, Cairo Tuesday, 4 October 2016/Egypt’s Interior Ministry said early on Tuesday that it killed a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader it said was responsible for the group’s “armed wing” and another member of the group in a shootout on Monday. Mohamed Kamal, 61, a member of the group’s top leadership, and Yasser Shehata, another leader, were killed. The ministry said it raided an apartment in Cairo’s Bassateen neighborhood after learning it was used by the leaders as a headquarters. Kamal disappeared on Monday afternoon, the Muslim Brotherhood said on its social media accounts but gave no further updates. The Brotherhood says it is a peaceful organization. Reuters could not immediately reach the group for comment. Shehata was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for “assaulting a citizen and forcibly detaining the person in the headquarters of the freedom and Justice party,” the political wing of the origination, the ministry said in its statement. Kamal had been sentenced to life in prison on two counts in absentia, added the statement. Kamal is one of the most prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and a member of the Guidance Bureau. He was in charge of the supreme Administrative Committee, known as the youth committee. He resigned from the committee in May 2016, because the committee was opposed by other top leaders in the organization. The Brotherhood, the Middle East’s oldest Islamist movement and long Egypt’s main political opposition, said it is committed to peaceful activism designed to reverse what it calls a military coup in 2013. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched the toughest crackdown on Islamists in Egypt’s modern history after toppling President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood in 2013.

Houthi senior militia leader killed near Najran
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 4 October 2016/Security sources have confirmed that a senior Houthi militia leader was killed in the frontlines near Najran but on Yemeni grounds.
Abdullah Qayed al-Fadeea was killed early Tuesday morning after Saudi-led Arab coalition forces targeted him and his convoy in a strike. He was considered among the high ranks of the Houthi militias and was a battle leader for a number of military groups, as well as a deputy general supervisor on the frontline battle with Najran.
Yemen rocket attack kills six civilians in Taez
Six civilians were killed and eight wounded on Monday when two rockets fired by Houthi rebels hit a popular market in Taez, military and medical sources said. Three children were among those killed in the explosions outside a post office in the Bir Bacha district of the southwestern city, they said. Taez, the country's third city, is almost completely surrounded by the Iran-backed Shiite rebels and their allies, backers of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Franco-Tunisian woman hostage in Yemen freed and taken to Oman
AFP, Muscat Tuesday, 4 October 2016/A Franco-Tunisian Red Cross woman staffer kidnapped in Yemen almost a year ago was freed on Monday and taken to Muscat, the Omani foreign ministry said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Yemen confirmed in a tweet that their colleague had been freed. Nourane Houas, a staffer with the ICRC’s humanitarian protection program in Yemen, was abducted in the Houthi militia-held capital Sanaa in December 2015. The Omani foreign ministry said her release was secured “at the request of the French authorities, the instructions of Sultan Qaboos and in coordination with Yemeni parties” which it did not identify.
 

US hits ISIS Libya positions as air war rages on
AFP, Washington Tuesday, 4 October 2016/US military aircraft pounded ISIS positions in the extremists’ former Libyan stronghold of Sirte over the weekend, as the US air campaign entered its third month, the Pentagon said Monday. According to the US military’s Africa Command, US pilots conducted 20 air strikes on Sunday alone, most of them against “enemy fighting positions.”When the Pentagon announced its latest front in the war against the ISIS on August 1, officials said the campaign to help local forces push the extremists from the coastal city of Sirte would likely be quick, taking “weeks, not months.”The military action followed a request by the UN-supported Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), and President Barack Obama’s administration has stressed that ongoing US involvement would be framed by the interim Libyan government’s needs. Navy Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the timeline for the US air campaign continues to be dictated by the GNA. “Every one of the strikes we do is based on a request from them, and we are down now into the last, densest part of the city,” Davis said. “As they get to the dense areas, it’s very hard to take out these sniper positions with anything other than air strikes.” The Tripoli-based GNA launched an operation in May to retake Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Muammar Qaddafi that the extremists have controlled since June 2015. Since the US air operation began August 1, US warplanes, drones and choppers have conducted more than 200 strikes. Many of the strikes are being conducted from the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean. The vessel can launch Marine Corps AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters and Harrier jets. The fighting has left more than 450 GNA fighters dead and 2,500 wounded. The ISIS death toll is not known. The fall of Sirte, 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of Tripoli, would represent a significant blow to ISIS, which has also faced a series of setbacks in Syria and Iraq.

Defiant to Last, Turkey Channel Shut Down Live on Air
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 04/16/When the police finally came, the staff of IMC TV in Istanbul were ready. Dozens of employees crowded behind the anchor's news desk, applauding their management and shouting "free media won't be silenced." Then as technical experts sent by the authorities fiddled with wires in the backroom, broadcasts were cut and screens went blank. The channel -- which had a pro-Kurdish stance but also engaged with women's and environmental issues -- was the latest casualty of what activists see as a growing crackdown against the media in Turkey in the wake of the July 15 failed coup. The government insists media remains free and diverse in Turkey, accusing outlets like IMC TV of promoting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), claims the channel denies. "Why are you covering your face? Long live hell for the cruel!" the channel's general manager, Eyup Burc told the police live on air as they raided the channel. "We are against all coups and we are against those who stage their own coup out of a coup!" he said. The channel was one of a dozen TV outlets ordered closed last week under Turkey's controversial state of emergency imposed in the wake of the coup and extended by another three months from October 19. Rather than being accused of supporting the July 15 coup, they are charged with broadcasting "terror propaganda" for the outlawed PKK which has fought a bloody 32-year insurgency against the Turkish state. This appears to have confirmed fears of activists, who have repeatedly warned that the state of emergency could be used for crackdowns beyond the coup suspects.
'Could come any time'
"There are no channels left to broadcast this speech!" the leader of the opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas told a meeting of his party in the parliament. "They believe that the people will support the government when they are not informed of the news. They are deceived again," he added. Despite the closure order, IMC TV had defiantly remained on air until Tuesday through the Hotbird satellite and internet broadcasts, with staff expecting the police to arrive at any moment. "Police may come to our door any time and put a complete halt to our broadcasts," Banu Guven, presenter at IMC, told AFP a day before the police raid. The television channel has attracted a number of journalists from the mainstream media like Guven, who worked for 14 years at the widely-followed NTV.
"We do not threaten anyone's security. On the contrary we are a channel that defends people's right to receive news," Guven said. Several other broadcasters, including pro-Kurdish Ozgur Radyo and the strongly leftist Hayatin Sesi TV, were also raided and shut down on Monday.
Dilek Gul, another IMC journalist, said her television station did not do anything wrong.
"Dramatic shutdowns of media outlets have become a familiar drama in Turkey," she told AFP.
Earlier this year, Turkish police used water cannon to take over the headquarters of the Zaman newspaper linked to the cleric Fethullah Gulen who was later blamed for the coup. However there has been no suggestion IMC is linked to Gulen.
'Opposition pressured'
The closure has come at a time of growing concerns for press freedom in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with several prominent journalists under arrest following the coup. "All form of opposition in Turkey is now deprived of its voice," Erol Onderoglu, Turkey representative of press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP. Onderoglu was himself detained for 10 days in June for "terror propaganda" after he guest-edited a pro-Kurdish newspaper, Ozgur Gundem. The government insists that Turkey has vibrant opposition media. Anti-Erdogan columnists still write in some mainstream media like the Hurriyet daily. Officials argue no other Turkish government has done more for Kurdish media, pointing to the setting up of the country's first state-run Kurdish TV, TRT Kurdi.
But Turkey is ranked 151st out of 180 countries in RSF's World Press Freedom Index. Ugur Guc, head of the Turkish Journalists' Union, said the government was using the coup as a pretext to "pressure all the opposition and socialist quarters."He said: "The coup failed but a counter coup is in place."

Canada denounces Russian support for ongoing attacks of medical facilities in Syria
October 3, 2016 – Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Canada denounces the atrocious and ongoing attacks targeting medical facilities in Syria, including this past weekend’s attacks on Dr. Hasan Al-Araj Hospital. These attacks perpetuate suffering and death by denying desperate Syrians access to medical care and do not help bring a solution to a crisis that has lasted far too long.
“We support the United States and the other members of the International Syria Support Group in their tireless efforts to reduce the violence in Syria.
“Russia’s actions on the ground over the past months call into question its commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria and its ability to rein in the appalling actions of the Syrian regime. Russia and the Syrian regime are failing to discriminate between terrorist targets and the civilian population. Russia’s actions come at the expense of a political, peaceful solution and at a devastating cost to human life that does little to target Daesh.
“Canada recently called in Russia’s representative to express our grave concern for the ‎Syrian regime and the role that Russian operations are playing in escalating the violence and suffering of civilians, particularly in Aleppo.
“We call on Russia to cease this course of action and to recognize the essential and constructive role it can play in the region. Canada will continue to work closely with our partners and bilaterally to hold Russia and the Syrian regime to account. The path of dangerous belligerence will not succeed.”
 

Iran: Public Flogging in Southern Province
Tuesday, 04 October 2016/NCRI - On Monday October 3, Iranian clerical regime savagely punished a man in public by 93 lashes of flogging. This inhumane action which took place in Ganaveh city (Southern Iran) Imam was called, was the hatred among the people.
The Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said: "In another case, 17 mine workers were reportedly flogged in Western Azerbaijan province in Iran this for protesting the dismissal of 350 workers from the Agh Dara gold mine." "Last month, a woman was publicly flogged for having sexual relations outside marriage," the statement pointed out. "While we do not have a reliable estimate on the use of flogging in the country, reports suggest that it is used regularly for a wide range of perceived offences.""We urge the Iranian authorities to cease the use of this cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment," the UN human rights body added/.

The NCRI Women's Committee demands withdrawal of 2017 Women's World Chess Championship awarded to the Iranian regime
Tuesday, 04 October 2016 /The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran strongly condemns awarding the Women's World Chess Championship to Iran under the rule of the mullahs' religious dictatorship. The NCRI Women's Committee urges FIDE to cancel its decision.
The misogynist fundamentalists ruling Iran must never enjoy any opportunity to legitimize themselves since they take advantage of gender apartheid to suppress the crisis-riddled society in Iran and have a shameful, bloody record in clamping down on women. Instead, the regime must be asked to pledge to observe the most basic rights of the people of Iran, and particularly women, as a first step and the first condition for any engagement with other countries. This is a regime that does not even allow entrance of women and girls to sports stadiums.
Suppression of women in Iran has taken on broader dimensions since the so-called "moderate" Rouhani has taken office. The number of women executed during Rouhani's tenure, alone, amounts to 71. In its latest measure, the Rouhani government has instructed universities to set regulations for women's size of hi-heels, nails, and the color and pattern of clothes, and girl students have to pledge to observe these rules before registration. Awarding Women's World (Chess) Championship to the clerical regime of Iran is tantamount to endorsing and accepting the suppression of Iranian women, particularly that in addition to the Iranian chess players, the fundamentalist rulers of Iran force female players from other countries to wear the hijab, as well. The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran calls on all female chess players to protest the FIDE decision in step with other top champions who have boycotted the games and declared their refusal to take part in the event in Tehran in protest to the mandatory veil and suppression of women in Iran.
The Women's Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
 

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 04-05/16

Will Obama eliminate Assad by the end of his term?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
It didn’t cross my mind to ask this question as I realize that the Obama administration has never desired to do anything. This is its policy which it believes is less harmful and less costly - although events during the past eight years have been more harmful and came at a higher price. What pushed me to think about dealing with the Syrian crisis outside the box are the several statements made by Moscow warning Washington not to defy it in Syria. Oh Obama’s administration, beware of targeting the Assad regime in Damascus or Russia will shake the region! So there is a possibility, even if it is small, that the US will defy the Damascus alliance during what little time is left of Obama’s presidential term. There are many motives, including putting an end to Iranian and Russian expansion in opposition areas and stopping massacres and the horrific destruction inflicted by these forces which will threaten the region’s security, Europe’s and perhaps the world’s. It’s certain that some in the Obama administration will warn the president and advise him not to act against the Assad regime and Damascus. They will warn against the threat posed by the regime’s fall and say that it will trigger the collapse of the state and will lead to chaos across the country. Truth be told, these are no longer convincing excuses as the regime has already been dismantled and is in a collapsed state. It lives in a medically-assisted state, supported by Iranian forces and extremist Shiite militias brought from Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan. The majority of these forces do not even speak Arabic, Syria’s language. Fears of the spread of chaos worked as an excuse two years ago but today, there is no safe corner in Syria.
Chaos
Chaos reigns and hampers security and many areas are subjected to the protection and governance of local and foreign gangs which collect money from residents by force. Therefore, targeting the regime’s headquarters in Damascus will send multiple messages. The first one confirms the necessity of respecting the map which divided the country between “our opposition” and “your forces” which the Iranians and Russians violated by attacking Aleppo and other areas controlled by the moderate opposition. It’s certain that Damascus’ allies will respect the status quo that existed before the last shelling. The second one will be an important message to the regime stipulating that if it rejects seriously negotiating with the opposition and rejects the concept of a political solution based on partnership, then it will also be subjected to becoming non-existent. It currently refuses all solutions and is stalling because it thinks the Russians and Iranians will eliminate the opposition by destroying their strongholds and therefore it does not have to accept any political solution where it makes concessions.It’s historically proven that the Syrian regime responds to serious threats and not to verbal threats of the kind we have become used to hearing from the US secretary of state

How will Damascus’ allies react if the regime is targeted? Damascus’ allies have committed every single prohibited act in the past. They did not respect any international or bilateral agreements or regional interests or security considerations. They subjugated the Turks, the Jordanians and the Gulf and humiliated the Americans. All this happened under the Obama administration’s nose. If Obama’s administration carries out one big operation, it may restore its reputation and legacy and it will allow the new administration to enter the White House in a stronger negotiating position with the Assad regime and its allies.
It’s historically proven that the Syrian regime responds to serious threats and not to verbal threats of the kind we have become used to hearing from the US secretary of state. When the regime of late President Hafez al-Assad went too far in its support of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party led by Abdullah Ocalan, the Turks moved their tanks toward the border crossing of Bab al-Hawa, threatening to invade Syria. Within two days, Assad handed over Ocalan to the Turks through an African country and closed the Kurdish party’s camps. When current President Bashar al-Assad ignored Israeli warnings about arming Hezbollah in South Lebanon, Israel broke the sound barrier with a jet right above his secret vacation residence and this repaired the relationship between the two parties. If the regime in Damascus thinks - for even a second - that it’s threatened by an American attack, it will alter its behavior as well as the behavior of its Iranian ally. The Russians do not want to confront the Americans to protect a worn-out system at a time when they are cautiously dealing with Ukraine’s crisis, which is the more important issue to them.
**This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on Oct. 4, 2016.

Saudi-Turkish ties amount to a major strategic realignment in the Middle East
Dr. John C. Hulsman/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
If you are dealing with rational actors (which is surely not always the case) global geopolitics is a bit like high math; there are routinized equations – strategic moves on the map – that just make logical, irrefutable sense. The recent visit of the Saudi Crown Prince to Ankara heralds a possibly decisive strategic counter-stroke to rising Iranian adventurism in the Middle East. Enduring, closer Saudi-Turkish ties provide political balance to Iran’s growing ambitions, amounting to nothing less than the nascent formation of a competing strategic bloc in the region. Closer Saudi-Turkish ties have been a long time coming. Since President Erdogan became Prime Minister in 2003, relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia have gone from being coolly correct to far warmer, a deepening link that extends beyond the provision of Saudi oil for Turkey’s economy into the vital realm of strategic affairs. Indeed, since the failure of the Arab Spring, this relationship has become far more of a security relationship as both Saudi Arabia and Turkey found themselves on the same side of this basic strategic fault line. The most important example of this burgeoning relationship and confluence of primary interests is that both Saudi Arabia and Turkey champion groups who are in rebellion against the Syrian government. Saudi Arabia has also given strong diplomatic support to Turkish government's recent decisions . The endless wartime crisis in Syria has thrown Turkey and Saudi Arabia more and more onto the same side of the regional strategic equation.
As the administrations of King Salman and President Erdogan are rational actors on the geopolitical chessboard, they have followed the logical course of together balancing against growing Iranian power in the region
Likewise, both Riyadh and Ankara have been deeply disappointed with their long-time strategic partner, the United States. Under the Obama administration, both increasingly view the US as a force that, rather than being a mutual ally and source of help, is getting in the way of their hopes and designs by virtue of its ostensible timidity and its diverging foreign policy practices, ranging from its perceived timidity in Syria to its landmark nuclear deal with Iran. For both the Saudi and Turkish governments, this newfound America tilt toward Tehran, bringing Iran in from the diplomatic cold, is both unacceptable and dangerous.
Fight against terror
Over the issue of terrorism, both Turkey and Saudi Arabia have increasingly been victims, and have found further common cause. Both have publicly increased bilateral cooperation to fight terrorism, as Riyadh and Ankara now increasingly emphasize the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) as a multilateral organization around which Muslim majority countries can come together and pool their resources to fight terrorism. Increasingly, military cooperation between the two countries has taken place under the OIC umbrella. In personal terms, the new relationship’s strength can be seen in that in the last visit by King Salman to Ankara in April 2016 President Erdogan himself met him at the airport, even though protocol and precedent required only a senior minister. In symbolic terms, Erdogan wanted there to be no doubt as to the personal value he places on the Saudi-Turkish relationship.
Crucially, at the moment of maximum danger, Saudi Arabia gave strong diplomatic support to Erdogan’s government during and after the failed July 2016 failed coup. This also suggests that Saudi Arabia sees its new friendly relationship with Turkey as something that is primarily due to Erdogan on the Turkish side; he is the indispensable man knitting Turkish interests to those of Riyadh. This all being so, a strong caveat must be mentioned. Turkish officials – playing both sides of the strategic triangle – have recently made several high-level visits to Iran and have begun negotiations with Iranian officials, now that sanctions have been lifted, to begin doing business with Tehran again. Despite strong strategic disagreements with Iran over its foreign policy in Iraq and Syria, Ankara has moved forward with partially re-engaging with Tehran, sensing there is a real chance for enhanced commercial opportunities.
This Iranian counter-example proves the adage that alliances in the Middle East are rarely set in stone; it is more useful to think of the major players drifting toward or away from one another. While there is no doubt whatsoever that Ankara and Riyadh have (perhaps definitively) drifted closer together their links – as is true for all states in the fluid Middle East – are not absolute. But for all the strategic hedging, something important is going on here. As both the administrations of King Salman and President Erdogan are rational actors on the geopolitical chessboard, they have followed the predictably logical course of together balancing against growing Iranian power in the region. Don’t look now but an enduring (for all its very real fluctuations) new balance of power is coming about in the Middle East.

Following Russia standoff, US needs a Plan B in Syria
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
The US suspension of bilateral contacts with Russia yesterday over the ceasefire talks in Syria should not come as a surprise to anyone and is rather an admission of failure that the September 10 agreement has all but collapsed against the carnage and the war crimes taking place in Aleppo. However, the move will only make a difference if Washington exercises leverage and has an actual plan B in Syria. As Russia escalates militarily and deploys an anti-missile system to boost the Assad regime, the White House should seriously revisit its plans to arm the Syrian rebels and coordinate pressure with regional allies.
Washington underestimated Russia
With the suspension announcement coming from John Kerry himself, the last US senior official giving Moscow the benefit of the doubt on Syria, Washington’s message was an acknowledgement that the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) is in a shambles, and it is time to stop pretending that there was or will be anytime soon another ceasefire. Just two weeks ago, even as the ceasefire was collapsing, Kerry reportedly told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef that “Russia has lost control over Assad” in an attempt to absolve Moscow (and himself) from the responsibility of failure, and continue to wishfully think that Assad and Russia’s Vladimir Putin might be on different pages in Syria. This is a delusional strategy heard often in Washington ever since Russia intervened militarily in Syria one year ago. Washington has continuously underestimated Russia’s determination to help Assad win even if it means turning Aleppo or Idlib or Douma to another Grozny
On the ground, Russia and the Assad regime seem to be together in dropping bunker busters at hospitals, schools and bakeries in Aleppo, and seeking an outright military victory for Moscow’s oldest ally in the Middle East. While implementing the Kerry-Lavrov deal was a long shot for lacking an enforcement mechanism, Washington has continuously underestimated Russia’s determination to help Assad win even if it means turning Aleppo or Idlib or Douma to another Grozny. Such endgame that preserves Russia’s security interests and the regime structure in Syria, has always been Putin’s priority, not a joint counterterrorism center with the US military or a UN brokered settlement.
A US plan B?
Without a plan B that would seek leverage against Russia and make it rethink its calculus in Syria, the suspension of the CoH talks will remain meaningless.  Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a renewed debate on whether the White House should “authorize the Central Intelligence Agency and its partners in the region to deliver weapons systems that would enable CIA-vetted rebel units to strike Syrian and Russian artillery positions from longer distances.”The newspaper said the administration is still ruling out “delivering so-called man-portable air-defense systems, known as Manpads, to the rebels” but “is considering arming them with antiaircraft systems that are less mobile and would pose less of a proliferation risk.”CBS has also reported that the White House will consider sanctions against Russia & other options in ‘days ahead’ following the suspension. In that same context, both Obama and US Vice President Joe Biden have made calls last week to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and to the Qatari, and Kuwaiti leadership to discuss Syria. The Saudi Crown Prince also held extensive meetings in Turkey that addressed the situation in Aleppo. While the Obama administration has been extremely reluctant in pursuing any kind of escalation in Syria, the situation in Aleppo with the use of barrel bombs, cluster munitions in residential areas and against a besieged population accounts to war crimes. Standing by as neighborhoods are razed, and children are dug out of the rubble is not only a slap in the face of humanity but also a recipe that will feed extremism. The children of East Aleppo are waiting in line for their death sentence, a generation that for five years has lived through airstrikes, sieges and expects capital punishment. The suspension of US-Russia talks is a step in the right direction but shall remain hollow unless it attaches a heavy price tag on the bombardment of hospitals and raining phosphorous munitions over Syria.

Just not surprised at Congress’ act
Khaled Almaeena/Al Arabiya/October 04/16
September was a very eventful month for Saudi Arabia. The main news was the Justice Against Sponsor of Terrorism Act (JASTA) bill approved overwhelmingly by both the US Senate and the Congress, following the override of President Barack Obama’s veto. This caused alarm and consternation here in the Kingdom. The questions were many, but the primary one the made the rounds was why has there been such a setback? Why did the lawmakers whose pictures appear on the front page of Saudi newspapers on their visits here and who are greeted by the naïve among us “our friends” suddenly abandon us! All kinds of “why” were used. All kinds of possible responses were bandied about. Experts, both within and without, were united in their opinion that the US had just shot itself in the foot with JASTA. And the elected representatives suddenly had second thoughts of their overkill with the override of Obama’s veto.
However, we all forgot that this is an election year in America and we have no say. The voting pattern was fashioned to acquire votes. In addition, it was instigated by greed more by self-appointed lawyers for the victims of Sept. 11! In fact, some lawyers lobbied more than the families!Experts, both within and without, were united in their opinion that the US had just shot itself in the foot with the Justice Against Sponsor of Terrorism Act
The vote also revealed the utter failure of our diplomacy in Washington. Capitol Hill does not care for us. And like most Arabs we believe in personal relations with those in power and are oblivious to the importance of the “power brokers”. And that was the flaw. Hiring public relation firms and individuals that even by American standards are shady has been the policy. I have time and time again cautioned against it. What we needed to do was to go to the constituents of these lawmakers and explained our side ourselves.
Building bridges
We needed to build bridges. Saudi Arabia has nothing to hide. And we also have good stories to tell. But who was there to relay all the positivity. People now are raising possible bogies that the JASTA law brings along with it. It could open a virtual Pandora’s box.Especially when other nations claim reciprocity for America’s action during their days as a global policeman. Vietnam vets and the forces that committed atrocities in Iraq will have cause to fear. Yes, we have many problems and they could fill pages. But these are related to us and we all are taking care of them. This then makes me less surprised than many at the Congress action. Greed by lawyers, naiveté on the part of the Americans, inaction, apathy and ineffectiveness on our part all contributed to this. This should be an experience for us to be prepared with a counter measure for any eventuality in order to safeguard our interests while projecting a positive image globally.
**This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on Oct. 04, 2016.

Why Iran Is More Dangerous Than the Islamic State
Moshe Yaalon/Los Angeles Times/October 04/16
First published on September 29, 2016
Arabs and Israelis are in the same boat, facing Iranian-backed threats all around them and yearning for Western leadership on how best to roll back the regime's destabilizing policies.
U.S. political leaders of both parties argue that destroying the Islamic State is America's top priority in the Middle East. In reality, that's not nearly as important as confronting the challenge posed by Iran. The nuclear deal that went into effect a year ago may have postponed the danger of an Iranian nuclear bomb, but the multifaceted threat of a militaristic, messianic Iran -- 80-million strong -- is much more menacing to Western interests than the Sunni thugs and murderers of Raqqah and Mosul.
In negotiating the nuclear agreement, the P5+1 group of countries -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- registered several benefits. These include delaying the Iranian military nuclear project for 10 to 15 years, defusing political tensions with Iran, opening new markets there, and gaining Iranian cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State. Only one of these -- the delay in Iran's nuclear program -- comes at Iran's expense, since both sides shared a desire to achieve the other objectives.
From Tehran's perspective, it gained much more than it gave up. In exchange for postponing its military nuclear project, it achieved the lifting of many economic sanctions, an end to its political isolation and the loosening of restrictions on its ballistic missile program.
And out of the P5+1's exaggerated fear of taking any steps that might give the Iranians an excuse to scuttle the deal, Tehran won a lot more too. This includes wide latitude to advance its influence throughout the region as it no longer fears a U.S.-led "military option."
The evidence of Iran's rogue behavior is overwhelming. It is the prime backer of the genocidal Syrian regime, providing President Bashar Assad with funds, weapons and the support of Shiite militias. It supplies weapons, money and training to Hezbollah, using it as a strategic tool to undermine the legitimate role of the Lebanese government. In Yemen, Iran fans conflict by sending arms to the Houthi rebels. Elsewhere in the Arabian peninsula, it uses proxies to undermine Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. In Israel's neighborhood, Iran finances Palestinian Islamic Jihad and certain Hamas elements and provides them with the know-how to produce rockets, drones and other weapons. None of this has abated with the Iran nuclear deal; to the contrary, Iran has grown more aggressive on all fronts.
For an agreement that was supposed to be narrowly limited to finding a peaceful solution to Iran's military nuclear program, the Iranian negotiators were brilliant. They played a weak hand superbly. And in 14 years, when critical restrictions will be lifted, the world may be in a worse position to prevent Iran's nuclear project than ever before.
In history and international politics, 14 years is the blink of an eye. And there are many factors -- such as the possibility of global events that distract international attention from Iranian violations -- that could shrink that time frame significantly.
Concerned nations need to work together now to prevent Iran from exploiting the nuclear deal to redraw the political map of the Middle East in its favor and from capitalizing on the region's instability to prepare for an eventual nuclear breakout, either before or after the deal's expiration.
Such steps would include ensuring strict inspection of Iran's nuclear facilities -- and not just by the International Atomic Energy Agency. After all, the vast majority of Iran's nuclear violations were exposed by western intelligence agencies, not the IAEA. In addition, concerned nations need to pressure Iran on its ballistic missile program and support for terrorism. They must also work to enforce UN Security Council resolutions that prohibit Iran's proliferation of weapons throughout the region. None of these steps, by the way, violates the terms of the nuclear deal.
It is not too late to repair the impression that the West -- led by the United States -- views Iran as part of the solution to the problems of the Middle East, rather than the chief source of the region's instability and radicalism. Of course, Iran fights the Islamic State; the fact that the world's leading radical Shiite government fights radical Sunnis should come as no surprise.
Those who believed that the nuclear agreement would lead to a more moderate, open, reformist Iran, at home and abroad, regrettably suffer from wishful thinking. So long as the ayatollah's regime governs Iran, there is no chance we will see a McDonald's in Tehran. Instead, we will see more executions, more repression, more tyranny.
This view of Iran is shared across the Middle East by countries that used to be antagonists. While the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians persists, any reference to the conflict between Israel and Sunni Arab states is, for now, obsolete. Today, Arabs and Israelis are in the same boat, facing Iranian-backed threats all around us; in terms of how to address these threats, we are also generally on the same page.
What we lack is leadership from our traditional allies in the West, especially our good friends in America. Should President Obama or his successor shift priorities and lead a campaign to pressure Iran to end its destabilizing policies -- applying the same type of pressure that forced Iran to negotiate on its nuclear program -- they will find willing partners among both Arabs and Israelis.
**Moshe Yaalon, the Rosenblatt Distinguished Visiting Fellow at The Washington Institute, served until May 2016 as Israel's minister of defense.

Moshe Yaalon: Why Iran Is More Dangerous Than the Islamic State
موشي يعالون: لماذا إيران أكثر خطورة من تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/04/moshe-yaalon-why-iran-is-more-dangerous-than-the-islamic-state%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A3/

 UN Secretary General’s latest report on human rights abuses in Iran
NCRI/ October 20/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/04/un-secretary-generals-latest-report-on-human-rights-abuses-in-iran/
NCRI - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in September 2016 presented his latest report on the “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran” to the UN General Assembly highlighting the abuses carried out by the regime.
Since the issuance of the most recent report of the Secretary-General to the Human Rights Council on the subject (A/HRC/31/26), human rights violations have continued at an alarming rate. In particular, a significant number of executions took place, including of individuals who were juveniles at the time of the alleged offence; corporal punishment, including flogging, persisted; the treatment of journalists and human rights defenders remained of concern, as raised by several United Nations human rights mechanisms; and religious and ethnic minorities continued to face persecution and prosecution.
On 19 October 2015, the Secretary-General expressed serious concerns about the alarming rate of executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran, He reiterated his call upon the Government to establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty. That call was echoed on several occasions by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and special procedures of the Human Rights Council. The Secretary-General regrets that the Government has not taken any measures to halt executions or instituted a moratorium on the death penalty.
Reports of execution by hanging of women and foreign nationals continued to be received. Between January 2015 and June 2016, at least 15 women were reportedly executed, mostly for drug-related offences and murder, and at least 20 foreign nationals (mainly from Afghanistan) were executed while more than 1,200 remained on death row (see A/70/304).
Over 50 executions were carried out in public in 2015 and at least 10 during the first half of 2016.
The report also referred to the execution of minors in Iran, stating:
In his report to the thirty-first session of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran referred to the execution of at least 73 juvenile offenders between 2005 and 2015 (A/HRC/31/69). He noted that, as of March 2016, at least 160 juvenile offenders were reportedly on death row.
Highlighting the regime’s use of draconian tortures against political prisoners, the UN Secretary General added:
The Secretary-General is concerned about the ongoing trend of using threats of torture, or actual torture, to extract forced confessions or other self-incriminatory evidence from prisoners or individuals detained by the police, especially those incarcerated for political ends. Such confessions are often used as admissible evidence in court proceedings.
The state of prisons in the Islamic Republic of Iran remains a major concern, owing to extensive overcrowding and high incarceration rates. … Extremely limited living space, poor quality food, an insufficient number of toilets and showers and inadequate heating are all common features in many detention facilities.
The report further highlighted the lack of access to adequate health care for Iranian political prisoners:
People deprived of their liberty, particularly political prisoners, continue to receive inadequate access to health care. In many cases, medical treatment is reportedly withheld as a form of punishment to a degree so severe as to constitute torture. On 27 April 2016, a group of Special Rapporteurs publicly expressed concern at the situation of over a dozen political prisoners at risk of death owing to their worsening health conditions and the continued refusal by the authorities to provide them with medical treatment.
The recurrence of flogging remains a cause for serious concern. The Islamic Penal Code, which came into force in 2013, provides for the punishment of flogging for insulting the prophets, sodomy, rape, adultery and alcohol consumption. There are reports that that punishment has also been meted-out for not fasting, not respecting the Islamic dress code, participating in protests, holding mixed-gender parties and shaking hands with an unrelated person of the opposite sex.
The Committee against Torture, the Human Rights Committee and special procedures mandate holders have repeatedly voiced concerns about the use of flogging, highlighting in particular its use against women, and called for its abolition.
The report pointed out that the Iranian regime continues to hand down stoning sentences:
On 20 January 2016, in a joint communication, a group of special procedure mandate holders expressed concerns at the imminent risk of execution by stoning of Fariba Khalegi, who was arrested in November 2013 on suspicion of involvement in the murder of her husband.
The United Nations human rights mechanisms hold the view that execution by stoning constitutes a form of torture or other cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment or punishment. The Human Rights Committee has also concluded that stoning to death for adultery is a punishment that is grossly disproportionate to the nature of the crime.
Referring to the lack of freedom of expression in Iran, the report said:
The Secretary-General is particularly concerned about the persistent pattern of arbitrary arrests and convictions of journalists and online activists. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Islamic Republic of Iran has imprisoned the third greatest number of journalists of any country in the world.
The Secretary-General deplores the increasing persecution of social media activists. In May 2016, the authorities arrested at least eight Instagram users, most of whom were leading models in the Iranian fashion industry, for “un-Islamic acts” and “promoting Western promiscuity”.
An Iranian cybercrime surveillance programme entitled “Operation Spider 2”, which tracks and cracks down on social media users, has so far resulted in the arrest and imprisonment of several Internet users on charges such as “insulting Islam”, “publishing immoral and corrupt material” and “encouraging individuals to commit immoral acts”.
The most recent directive issued by the country’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace, in May 2016, requires social messaging applications to store user data on Iranian servers. That directive allows the authorities to have access to the 20 million Iranian accounts associated with the Telegram messaging application, strengthening the already stringent censorship regime with respect to Internet traffic. Telegram, the use of which comprises more than 50 per cent of weekly Internet traffic in the country, has faced restrictions, with over 50 channels containing messages to the public being blocked after authorities complained about the presence of pornographic content. Furthermore, the judiciary retains the power to block applications in the future.
Facebook and Twitter continued to be entirely blocked for domestic users, and the authorities arbitrarily ban content under the justification of protecting families and Islamic culture.
However, refugees continue to face inequality, discrimination and mistreatment. Only refugees with work permits issued through the Amayesh system are able to work. Many barriers to marriage between Iranians and undocumented refugees remain, with women being unable to transmit citizenship to their children and their non-citizen spouses. Children born out of wedlock cannot obtain birth certificates or travel documents and are automatically barred from accessing public services.
The majority of provinces have imposed residency restrictions on refugees. In July 2016, authorities in Yazd Province warned citizens not to rent houses to non‑native Iranians, in particular Afghan refugees, and ordered them to evict any such residents from their houses within 15 days.
The forced deportation of refugees remains of concern. Between March 2014 and March 2015, 216,923 individuals, including 1,772 children, were reportedly forcibly deported from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Fifty-five per cent of those children were unaccompanied. In most cases, deportees have not been given an eviction notice and have been forcefully evicted from the country, leaving behind belongings and properties. Afghan deportees often face severe conditions in overcrowded detention centres that lack drinking water and are often subjected to mistreatment, physical abuse, exploitation and harassment.
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders expressed serious concerns about the continuing pattern of arbitrary arrest, detention and prosecution of human rights defenders as an attempt to prevent them from engaging in legitimate and peaceful human rights activities … . Human rights activists and lawyers are routinely subjected to ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement, degrading conditions in detention, psychological and physical torture and denial of urgent medical treatment. They are often convicted on questionable charges and given excessive prison sentences after trials that do not meet the basic requirement of the right to due process under international human rights law.
The sentencing of human rights activists illustrates the continuing shrinking space for human rights defenders and other civil society actors. The Secretary-General urges the authorities to stop targeting human rights defenders and other civil society actors who are peacefully exercising fundamental freedoms and to open up space for those individuals to conduct their essential work freely and safely.
The UN Secretary General further referred to the appalling situation of women in Iran under the mullahs’ regime:
Violations of the rights to freedom of movement and expression and the rights to health and work seriously affect women, as do the practices of underage marriage, killings in the name of honour and female genital mutilation. According to reports, 60 per cent of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran experience domestic violence (see A/HRC/31/69). According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2015, 21 per cent of Iranian women 19 years of age and under were married.
The Civil Code also requires women to be submissive to men and specifies that they may lose their rights, including to maintenance, if they fail to respond to the sexual needs of their husbands.
Senior government leaders have consistently made remarks that reinforce the traditional cultural roles for women. On several occasions, the Supreme Leader commented on the role of women in society and stressed that women’s greatest responsibility is to bear children and that women’s employment is not a primary concern of the country. That widespread attitude reflects the fact that only around 17 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 64 are active in the labour market.
The report also highlighted the regime’s mistreatment of individuals belonging to religious and ethnic minorities:
The special procedures mandate holders and treaty bodies have referred to the Baha’i as the most severely persecuted religious minority in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with its members subjected to multiple forms of discrimination that affect their enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, access to education at technical and vocational universities and non-governmental educational institutions is restricted according to one’s religion.
Discrimination and persecution of other minority groups also remain prevalent. Ethnic minority groups, including Arabs, Azeris, Baluch and Kurds, face discrimination in gaining access to university studies, employment, business licences and economic aid, getting permission to publish books and exercising their civil and political rights. … The Government also discriminates against Azeris by prohibiting the use of the Azeri language in schools and through harassment of Azeris.
Given the serious human rights situation in the country, the Secretary-General is disappointed that the current United Nations Development Assistance Framework for the period 2017-2021 lacks reference to human rights and gender equality.
In his recommendations, Secretary Ban said:
The Secretary-General remains deeply troubled by reports of executions, floggings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, unfair trials, denial of access to medical care and possible torture and ill-treatment. He is also concerned about continued restrictions of public freedoms and the related persecution of civil society actors, the persistence of discrimination against women and minorities and conditions of detention.
The Secretary-General reiterates his call upon the Government to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty and to prohibit executions of juvenile offenders and those who were below 18 years of age at the time the offence was committed.
The Secretary-General urges the Government to create space for civil society actors to exercise their legitimate right to peacefully carry out their activities in safety and freedom, without fear of arrest, detention or prosecution.
The Secretary-General urges the Government to remove all discriminatory provisions in legislation that affect women, in accordance with international standards.
The Secretary-General urges the Government to take prompt steps to protect the rights of all persons belonging to religious and ethnic minorities and to remove and address all forms of discrimination against them.

Turkey's Night of Long Knives
Burak Bekdil/The Gatestone Institute/October 04/16
http://www.meforum.org/6312/turkey-night-of-long-knives
Slightly edited version of an article originally published on September 18 under the title "The 'Great Turkish Purge': Guilty Without Trial."
In the twelve days ending on July 2, 1934 the Nazi regime carried out a series of executions against its remaining political opponents, claiming they were involved in plots by Sturmabteilung (SA) commander Ernst Röhm and others to overthrow the government. Hundreds were killed.
The regime did not limit itself to a purge of the SA. Having already imprisoned social democrats and communists, Hitler used the so-called "Röhm Putsch" as an excuse to move against conservatives. More killings followed, including Kurt von Schleicher, Hitler's predecessor as Chancellor, and von Schleicher's wife. The Gestapo also murdered several leaders of the disbanded Catholic Center Party.
Just a few years later, the Soviets' own purge would be called Yezhovshchina ("Times of Yezhov"), after Nikolai Yezhov, head of the Soviet secret police. From 1936 until 1953, Yezhovshchina not only meant being expelled from the party; it came to mean almost certain arrest, imprisonment, and often execution.
The Great Turkish Purge of 2016 brings tragedy to millions suspected of supporting Fethullah Gulen. The purge, in general, was Stalin's effort to eliminate past and potential opposition groups. Hundreds of thousands of victims faced charges of political crimes such as espionage, sabotage, anti-Soviet agitation, and conspiracies to prepare uprisings and coups. Most victims were quickly executed by gunfire or sent to the Gulag labor camps, where many died of starvation, disease, exposure and overwork.
Several decades later, the Turks are luckier: no Gestapo, no executions, no summary killings and no labor camps. But the "Great Turkish Purge" brings tragic misfortunes to millions of Turks who are suspected of having allied with Fethullah Gulen, once President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's best political ally, now his worst enemy and the prime suspect behind the failed coup of July 15. Gulen, in self-exile in the United States since 1999, is an Islamic preacher believed to have millions of loyalists in Turkey and more than 150 other countries, where he runs schools and charity work. Since Turkey's failed July 15 coup attempt, tens of thousands of people have been jailed and over 100,000 civil servants have been fired from their jobs.
During the month and a half after July 15, the Turkish government aggressively purged more than 100,000 civil servants and military personnel, and arrested tens of thousands, including nearly half of Turkey's active-duty admirals and generals. Anyone can be the target: journalists, academics, teachers, pilots, doctors, businessmen -- even the owner of the small grocery store on the corner, if its owner kept his savings at a bank that the government claims financed Gulen's illegal activities.
Some of Turkey's biggest companies are also under the spotlight. In August, a court appointed trustees to Boydak Holding, on charges of the multibillion-dollar group's alleged ties with Gulen. The family-based group's 42 companies have interests in furniture, textiles, chemicals, marketing, logistics and energy. The group employs a staff of more than 14,000.
In September, 18 companies operating under Koza-Ipek Holding, worth $10 billion, were brought under the control of a state fund. According to a cabinet minister, the Turkish state has so far seized more than $4 billion worth of assets belonging to suspected Gulenists.
A Turkish prosecutor claims that journalist Ahmet Altan (left) and his brother, professor Mehmet Altan, sent out seditious "subliminal messages" during a TV debate.
On a single day, September 8, Turkey arrested 27 businessmen and 50 military officers. Two days later, prominent journalist Ahmet Altan and his brother, academic and columnist Professor Mehmet Altan, were detained for questioning. A prosecutor claims that during a recent TV debate, the suspects had given "subliminal messages suggesting a military coup."
During the purge, even the simplest universal legal norms are being systematically ignored. In one instance, the wife of the former editor-in-chief of the daily Cumhuriyet was banned from flying to Germany, and her passport was seized. Dilek Dundar's husband, Can Dundar, is on trial on charges of "revealing state secrets," after he ran front-page stories showing arms shipments from the Turkish government to radical fighters in Syria. In another case, a file photo shows 64-year-old Hatice Yildirim in a wheelchair, with police officers around her. The elderly woman was detained because she is the mother-in-law of one of the coup suspects, Adil Oksuz.
As in Germany and the Soviet Union in the 1930s Turkey's purge is spreading to another group of usual suspects: Kurds. On September 8, Turkey suspended more than 11,000 schoolteachers for suspected links with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group that is on the list of terror organizations of Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. The mass suspension came without a court ruling to determine that all of these people were tried on charges of terror and all were found guilty, with their appeals rejected. No, the schoolteachers were not even on trial when they were informed that they had been suspended. Guilty without trial.
On September 11, Turkey's Interior Ministry appointed trustees to 28 local municipalities across the country's predominantly Kurdish southeast, on the grounds that they allegedly provided support to the PKK and Gulen's network. Elected mayors, too, were suspended without a court ruling that proves they have links with terror groups.
There are warnings, mostly going unnoticed by the ruling party, that the Turkish purge violates basic civil liberties. "If you try to run the country with the feelings of revenge and hatred, then you will cause suffering for many innocent people. This is the point we have reached now. A total witch hunt has been launched in many fields," said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Social Democrat party.
According to Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe (which enforces human rights in the European Court of Human Rights), Turkey must produce clear evidence in pursuing participants in a failed coup, and avoid targeting teachers and journalists simply because they worked for firms run by the Muslim cleric Ankara portrays as its mastermind. Otherwise, Jagland said, Turkey may be challenged in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Times after attempted coups are always turbulent. With the excesses of a witch-hunt, Erdogan is now adding millions to an already long list of Turks who deeply dislike him. Meanwhile, Turkey is getting more and more distant from the utopia of becoming a country of peace and order.
**Burak Bekdil is an Ankara-based columnist for the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet Daily News and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.