LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 28/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For Today

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13/24-30/:"Jesus put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?" He answered, "An enemy has done this." The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?" But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."

The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided.
First Letter to the Corinthians 07/25-35/:"Concerning virgins, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. I think that, in view of the impending crisis, it is well for you to remain as you are. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a virgin marries, she does not sin. Yet those who marry will experience distress in this life, and I would spare you that. I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman and the virgin are anxious about the affairs of the Lord, so that they may be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 27-28/16

The Hostile, Deluded and Vindictive Aoun/Elias bejjani/October 27/16/
MP. Sami Gemayel says still opposed to Aoun, Frangieh/Hasan Darwish/The Daily Star/ October 27/16 /
Hariri ‘betrayed father with presidency deal’ — US official/Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/October 27/16
Will President Aoun respect press freedom/Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/October 27/16
Election session quorum secure, Jumblatt bloc to back Aoun/Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/October 27/16
How Lebanon’s presidential problem turned into opportunity/Ali Hashem/Al Monitor/October 27/16
EU Parliament Votes To Protect Christians In Iraq After ISIS Is Defeated/Carey Lodge/Christian Today/October 27/16
Palestinians: Jihadi-Style Child Abuse,Where are the "Human Rights" Groups/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
Are Canada's Islamists Calling the Shots? Government Petitioned to Silence Critics/Thomas Quiggin//Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
The Mayor of London's "My Side"/Janet Tavakoli/Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
Iran Takes More Hostages: What Did the US Expect/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/October 27/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 27-28/16

The Hostile, Deluded and Vindictive Aoun
MP. Sami Gemayel says still opposed to Aoun, Frangieh
Rifi Hails Gemayel for Rejecting 'New Hegemony'
Saudi Minister in Beirut for Talks ahead of Presidential Vote
Al-Rahi: President Draws Strength from His People, Our Support
Franjieh Urges Supporters Not to 'Take to Streets' on Monday
Bassil Meets Geagea, Vows 'Real National Unity' if Aoun Elected President
FPM Delegation Meets Helou, Says His Stance 'Opened Door for Agreements'
Report: FPM Prepares Celebrations after Aoun's Election
Report: Salam Preparing for Caretaker Government Situation
Cabinet Holds 'Successful' Last Session, Approves Jal el-Dib Bridge Project
Moussawi: National Agreement Paves Way for Speedy Government Formation
Public Transport Drivers Protest against Privatization of Automotive Inspection Authority
Hariri ‘betrayed father with presidency deal’ — US official
Will President Aoun respect press freedom
Election session quorum secure, Jumblatt bloc to back Aoun
How Lebanon’s presidential problem turned into opportunity
Lebanon Readies for Monday’s Presidential Election
Sleiman, Al Sabhan discuss political developments
Amin Gemayel meets Al Sabhan
Rifi via Twitter: Kataeb's position confirms constants
Bassil from Maarab vows new era for Lebanon

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 27-28/16
Iran FM to Meet Russian, Syrian Counterparts on Friday
22 Children Killed in Air Raid on Syria School, Says UNICEF
Rebel Fire Kills 3 Aleppo School Children
Russia Denies Role in Bloody Strike on Syria School
Erdogan Says Turkish Military Operation will Target Raqa
EU Approves New Syria Sanctions, Targets 10 Top Officials
Italy in 'Miraculous' Escape as Thousands Flee New Quake
Two Yazidi Survivors of IS Group win Sakharov Prize
US General Says 800-900 IS Fighters Killed in Mosul Offensive
EU Training Libyan Coast Guard to Curb Migrant Flows
US Drone Targets Top al-Qaida Leaders in Afghanistan
Israel Eases Gaza Restrictions with Expanded Fishing Zone
US Treasury Chief Warns on 9/11 Law during Saudi Visit

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 27-28/16
Germany: Christian refugees flee migrant camp as Muslims threaten to behead “unbelievers”
AFDI sues London taxis for Sharia censorship
HuffPo Germany: “Of course everything in Europe should be in Arabic for refugees”
Hugh Fitzgerald: “Meet Your Muslim Neighbors”
Muslim Ex-National Guard member pleads guilty to trying to join the Islamic State
Muslim brothers from Michigan released after being arrested for jihad terror plot in Tunisia
Germany: Non-Muslim primary school students forced to chant “Allahu akbar” and “There is no god but Allah”
In libelous new “report,” SPLC equates foes of jihad terror with those who commit jihad massacres
Kenya: Muslims murder 12 non-Muslims sleeping in hotel, as “part of a campaign to kill ‘unbelievers'”
Robert Spencer in FrontPage: Realism About the Jihad Threat in Oklahoma
Islamic State jihadis “WILL unleash attacks on Europe as payback for Mosul”
John Brennan is completely unqualified to be Director of Central Intelligence

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 27-28/16
EU Parliament Votes To Protect Christians In Iraq After ISIS Is Defeated
Persecution 'All Too Familiar' As World Marks International Religious Freedom Day
Anglican Church In Egypt 'Under Heavy Attack' - By Other Christians
4 Countries Where Christians Are Persecuted For Their Faith
Cathedral Lit Red In Solidarity With Persecuted Christians
C of E's First Woman Bishop Questions Appointment Of 'Wonder Woman' As UN Ambassador
Religious Freedom 'Is A Litmus Test Of Overall Freedom' Says EU Special Envoy
New Poll: Are Churches Welcoming Towards LGBT People?
Vatican To Host Concert For The Poor And Homeless

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 27-28/16

The Hostile, Deluded and Vindictive Aoun
Elias bejjani/October 27/16/As a president Trojan Aoun will be much worse as far as the media and journalists are concerned because of the legal power that he will enjoy. This man is totally crazy and does not tolerate any kind of opposition. His grandiose delusions makes him wrongly believe that he is real God and all people must worship him. In this context of worshipping all the Lebanese politicians are replicate copy of Aoun. Lebanon's politicians are rotten and corrupted. Sadly there are two many sheep from our naive people who love being sheep no more no less. In conclusion Aoun is a real human disaster and when it comes to his dealings with the media and the journalists the matter is going to be worse and worse.

MP. Sami Gemayel says still opposed to Aoun, Frangieh
Hasan Darwish/The Daily Star/ October 27/16 /BEIRUT: Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel announced Thursday that he will not be supporting either of two main presidential candidates in next week's election, reiterating a position he declared months ago. Gemayel, the head of his party's bloc in Parliament, said in a televised news conference from the Kataeb headquarters in Beirut that Kataeb will vote neither for Michel Aoun, founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, nor Sleiman Frangieh, who heads the Marada Movement. “We will rather vote in accordance with our firm beliefs,” Gemayel said. He also stated the party will not participate in the “current presidential deal,” prompting a response from FPM chief Gebran Bassil.Following a meeting with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, Bassil said that any party choosing not to take part in the current agreements is free to do so, but that everyone will be represented in the deal. "If others see themselves in a different position than us, it is their choice," he said. Gemayel, expecting the dysfunction in public affairs to continue, said that these elections are not truly made in Lebanon and that the will of the Lebanese people is not being respected. He added that Aoun will not win because he is the strongest Christian, but because he has a moral obligation from Hezbollah, who has acquired the “exclusive right” to decide public issues, including the presidency. However, regardless of who wins, Gemayel said that Kataeb will monitor the performance of the new president. “We will hold him liable for mistakes or support any step that contributes to the success of a Lebanese agenda,” Gemayel continued. He also noted that the new president should guarantee the exclusivity of carrying arms by government forces only. He praised the step of the FPM to reach a political agreement with Kataeb. But he noted a contradiction in having Hezbollah, Future Movement and the Lebanese Forces supporting Aoun, saying one of them made a "mistake" in the decision to endorse the FPM founder. Gemayel hoped that the new president would eradicate any fears his party has. Concluding his speech, he addressed the Lebanese people, asking them not to fall prey to intimidation. Aoun is still seeking to ensure wide support from the parliamentary blocs to secure his election. Earlier on Thursday, Elias Bou Saab, an FPM minister, had met with the third candidate for presidency, MP Henry Helou, who is backed by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt. He is widely expected to withdraw his candidacy once Aoun and Jumblatt hold an anticipated meetings. It was unclear when that meeting would take place. In a joint news conference with Bou Saab, Helou said that he hoped all parties would participate in the process of rebuilding establishments. He noted that the final decision on continuing or withdrawing his candidacy would come following a meeting of Jumblatt's parliamentary bloc.

Rifi Hails Gemayel for Rejecting 'New Hegemony'
Naharnet/October 27/16/Resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi on Thursday lauded Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel for announcing that his party “will not take part in the current presidential deal.”“Kataeb Party's stance reiterates commitment to the principles and rejection of surrendering to the new hegemony and I salute the party and its leader MP Sami Gemayel over this historic stance,” Rifi tweeted. The minister has repeatedly warned that the election of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun as president would be equivalent to “surrendering the country to the Iranian project.” Gemayel has also voiced rejection of the nominations of both Aoun and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, stressing that Kataeb would not vote for a candidate endorsing the political vision of the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp. Gemayel's stance on Thursday indicates that Kataeb's five MPs will cast blank votes. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday. 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 had 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. The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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.

Saudi Minister in Beirut for Talks ahead of Presidential Vote
Naharnet/October 27/16/Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan arrived in Beirut Thursday for talks with Lebanese officials, a few days before a presidential vote that is expected to see the election of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun as the country's new president. Delegated by Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq welcomed the Saudi minister at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport. Sabhan is scheduled to meet with Salam at 7:15 pm, LBCI television said. Later in the evening he will meet with former presidents Michel Suleiman and Amin Gemayel, according to state-run National News Agency. The Saudi envoy will also meet with the country's political leaders in the coming hours. Quoting Saudi Embassy sources, LBCI said Sabhan might voice a stance on the developments at the end of his visit. His visit will involve meetings with Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, ex-PMs Fouad Saniora and Najib Miqati, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh. He will also meet with a number of spiritual leaders and might hold talks with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji. Al-Akhbar newspaper had reported Wednesday that Sabhan will express the kingdom's support for Hariri's presidential initiative. “The Saudi envoy will carry suggestions aimed at resolving the obstacles and lowering the level of opposition that the speaker (Berri) has showed against the agreement between Hariri and General Michel Aoun,” the sources added. Media reports have said that the “real battle” will only begin after Aoun's election as president in the October 31 session and that some parties will not facilitate the formation of a government led by Hariri. Aoun was tipped to become president after Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday. Berri has voiced concerns over the Aoun-Hariri agreements that preceded the endorsement while openly declaring that his bloc will “vote against Aoun” and that it might “join the ranks of the opposition.” 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, had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and 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. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued 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.

Al-Rahi: President Draws Strength from His People, Our Support
Naharnet/October 27/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi announced Thursday that a strong president is a president who draws strength from “his people and our support for him.”“We congratulate the Lebanese that we will have a president on Monday, after two and a half years” of presidential vacuum, al-Rahi said during a dinner banquet for Lebanon's Catholic Media Center. Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday. 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 had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah ally and 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. The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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.

Franjieh Urges Supporters Not to 'Take to Streets' on Monday
Naharnet/October 27/16/Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh called Thursday on his supporters not to “take to the streets” on Monday, stressing that he is only seeking a “democratic” presidential vote session. “Our dear people, although I appreciate your sentiment, enthusiasm and loyalty, I strongly call on you not to rally or take to the streets or public squares on Monday, the date of the electoral session, and we are only seeking a democratic session. This is what we are and these are our ethics,” Franjieh said in a statement. “Your admiration has always been and will always be the main thing and I thank you for your commitment,” he added. Franjieh has stressed that he will not withdraw from the presidential race although he has admitted that the presidential chances of his electoral rival, Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, are “stronger.” Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday. 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 had 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. The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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 Meets Geagea, Vows 'Real National Unity' if Aoun Elected President
Naharnet/October 27/16/Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Thursday that the looming presidential tenure of FPM founder MP Michel Aoun will be characterized by “real national unity.”“We discussed what has been achieved until now and we concluded that we are before a historic moment during which the Lebanese people will once again be in charge of forming their constitutional institutions,” said Bassil after talks with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab. “We are before the election of a 'made in Lebanon' president through a Lebanese will,” Bassil added.
“We have sought consensus and we will always exert efforts in this regard but most of the times democracy requires that other people endorse other choices, although we would have liked to see our society uniting over the elements of its strength during the new era,” the FPM chief said. He also promised that the new presidential tenure would be characterized by “real national unity and the beginning of efforts to build the State,” noting that “those who have chosen to stay outside this national plan are free in their choices but they will not be outside our homeland.”Asked whether he was referring to the Kataeb Party, which has announced that it “will not take part in the presidential deal,” Bassil said his remarks were not aimed at responding to Kataeb. “When we started this agreement with the LF, we said that it does not exclude anyone and we invited everyone to join it, but when another party rejects our proposals then this is its choice,” he added. Earlier in the day, Gemayel pointed out that Aoun will not reach the presidency because he is “the strongest Christian candidate” but rather because of “Hizbullah's ethical commitment to his nomination.” “This election will give Hizbullah the exclusive and sole right to impose presidents on the Lebanese,” Gemayel cautioned. Referring to the rapprochement between Aoun and Geagea, which contributed to boosting the FPM founder's presidential chances, the Kataeb chief described it as “an electoral alliance based on conflicting foundations.” Gemayel had repeatedly reiterated that Kataeb would not vote for a candidate endorsing the political vision of the Hizbulllah-led March 8 camp, in reference to both Aoun and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh. Gemayel's stance on Thursday indicates that Kataeb's five MPs will cast blank votes. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday. 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 had 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. The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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.

FPM Delegation Meets Helou, Says His Stance 'Opened Door for Agreements'
Naharnet/October 27/16/A delegation from MP Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement held talks Thursday with Democratic Gathering bloc MP and presidential candidate Henri Helou. “The stance that was voiced in MP Helou's statement was responsible and it reflects a great patriotic sense and it opened the door for agreements,” Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the FPM said after the meeting. Helou had on Wednesday announced that his presidential nomination will continue “as long as it is beneficial for the country's interest,” adding that the final decision “will be announced at the appropriate time.”“We respect MP Helou's choice and decisions,” Bou Saab added. “The final stance will be taken after a meeting between (Democratic Gathering chief) MP Walid Jumblat and General Michel Aoun,” he said. In response to a reporter's question, the minister underlined that “the new presidential tenure must be built on partnership,” noting that “dialogue is ongoing with everyone to achieve consensus in the coming period.”He also described Speaker Nabih Berri as “a real partner in this country,” emphasizing that the FPM is “keen on maintaining communication with him.”Helou for his part said the final decision on his nomination would be announced after a meeting for the Democratic Gathering bloc. After initially endorsing Helou's nomination, Jumblat shifted his support for Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh after the latter was endorsed by ex-PM Saad Hariri in late 2015. But after Hariri formally endorsed Aoun's nomination last Thursday, Jumblat has voiced support for what he described as a “settlement” and several members of his bloc are expected to vote for 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 had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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.

Report: FPM Prepares Celebrations after Aoun's Election
Naharnet/October 27/16/In line with the preparations at the presidential palace to receive a new president, and in parallel with the logistical preparations for the parliamentary session set to elect a new head of state, the Free Patriotic Movement is also putting the final touches on the festivities it plans to hold after the election session scheduled on Monday that is foreseen to elect founder of the FPM MP Michel Aoun.
FPM sources told al-Joumhouria daily on Thursday that it was considering the organization of a celebration at 9:00 pm Monday either in Martyrs Square in Down Town Beirut or in the Marina in Dbayeh so that people can express their joy for the election. Change and Reform bloc chief Aoun is tipped to become president during a parliamentary session scheduled on Monday. “Celebrations will be held in different regions for the same purpose, and a unified picture of Aoun will be distributed,” they said. The sources remarked that a massive march is organized to take place on October 6 to the Baabda Presidential Palace and that only Lebanese flags will be carried. 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 had 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.
The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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.

Report: Salam Preparing for Caretaker Government Situation
Naharnet/October 27/16/The cabinet today will hold its last meeting as a government carrying out the duties of a president in the absence of a head of state, as Prime Minister Tammam Salam starts preparations to leave his office at the Grand Serail with the expected election of a new president next Monday, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. The government which has been carrying out the tasks of the president because of the vaccum at the post, will become a caretaker cabinet Monday afternoon, as soon as the parliament elects a new head of state and the newly elected president reads his oaths, added the daily. According to the constitutional provisions, the cabinet shall be considered resigned immediately after the election of a new president and after the closing minutes of the parliament's electoral session. As usual, it will announced in a statement issued by President of the Republic after moving to the presidential palace. Based on the constitutional articles, he will ask the government to conduct the business before embarking on the arrangements necessary for the binding parliamentary consultations with the blocs and resigned MPS which will take place at the presidential palace to decide who will form the government, added the newspaper. Head of the change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun is tipped to become president during a parliamentary session scheduled on Monday after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him. 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 had 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. The supporters of Aoun's nomination have argued 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

Cabinet Holds 'Successful' Last Session, Approves Jal el-Dib Bridge Project
Naharnet/October 27/16/The cabinet on Thursday held a “successful” session that could be the last of its meetings should the parliament elect a new president on Monday as expected. “It was a successful session during which a large number of stalled decrees were approved,” acting information minister Sejaan Qazzi announced after the session. “Some agenda and non-agenda items were approved while the issue of administrative appointments was postponed,” he said. Among the approved items was the resumption of the construction of the Jal el-Dib bridge, Qazzi added. Telecom Minister Butros Harb meanwhile lamented that “the agenda item related to mobile firms was not approved,” warning that “this seems to be the policy we should expect during the new presidential tenure.”After the election of a president, the government is automatically considered resigned and would start acting in caretaker capacity without holding regular meetings. Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil attended the session despite his boycott of several previous meetings over a dispute related to the decision-taking mechanism in the absence of a president and perceived marginalization of the main Christian parties. The government discussed 85 items that were on its agenda in addition to several other urgent issues. Ahead of the meeting, Minister of Social Affairs Rachid Derbas said: “Today the meeting is normal and to say farewell.” Minister Nabil de Freij said: “I hope this will be the last meeting and that we finalize the agenda.”Culture Minister Rony Raiji said: “The possibilities are open during the election session. I hope that all items on the agenda wil be approved in today's meeting.” FPM founder MP Michel Aoun was tipped to become president after his nomination was formally endorsed by al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri last Thursday. 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 had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and 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. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued 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.

Moussawi: National Agreement Paves Way for Speedy Government Formation
Naharnet/October 27/16/Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Nawwaf al-Moussawi stressed the need to encourage dialogue to pave way for a speedy formation of the government, the National News Agency reported on Thursday. “Today we should work together to encourage dialogue so as to ensure a broad national understanding that allows a rapid formation of the government, so that this covenant could be able with the government to carry the responsibilities entrusted, taking into account the upcoming parliamentary elections,” said Moussawi. He stressed the need to stipulate a new election law that provides the right representation of all Lebanese components, he said: “A new electoral law that provides the right representation of all Lebanese factions must be stipulated so as to allow the parties and political forces to have a voice consistent with the magnitude of their representation at the parliament,” said Moussawi. “This way the parliament will became the first vital arena for politics in Lebanon, and the crises will not be reflected on the streets, but will find a way to a solution through parliamentary dialogue,” he added.

Public Transport Drivers Protest against Privatization of Automotive Inspection Authority
Naharnet/October 27/16/Public Tranport drivers staged nationwide protests as they started gathering early on Thursday in several points across Lebanon to kick off a rally that will head to Riyad al-Solh square in Down Town Beirut, and to the Grand Serails in other districts, the National News Agency reported. The campaigners headed to the gathering points at 6:00 am as they demand that the automotive inspection authority is restored to the public sector after a deal that could see its privatization. Security sources deployed heavily across Lebanon. Several roads and highways were blocked triggering heavy traffic. Head of the Union of Public Drivers Bassam Tleis stressed that the protests will continue if the the automotive inspection was not reclaimed by the Lebanese state. “The protest came in line with the cabinet session. We meant to hold this protest in a bid to push officials to resolve the ordeals of the transportation sector," Tleis said, confirming that mechanique services centers will remain closed until the union's demands are fulfilled. "We will not stop for as long as there are institutions breaching the law," he added. Due to the protests and road blockages, some schools in Beirut closed their doors for the day.

Hariri ‘betrayed father with presidency deal’ — US official
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/October 27/16
Washington, DC: Speaking at the 25th Annual Arab-US Policy Makers Conference on Wednesday, former secretary of defence Chuck Hagel touched upon the many contributions that the late Rafiq Hariri made for Lebanon and the entire Arab world. He regretted that more recent developments increased challenges though he hoped that Lebanon’s elites would not betray the assassinated prime minister’s legacy.
While Hagel’s intervention at the National Council on US-Arab Relations’ well-attended gathering was the only one that mentioned Lebanon in such clear terms, a current State Department official was livid that the Obama Administration “handed Lebanon to Iran on a silver plate”, and was disappointed that “we got nothing in exchange”.
Speaking off the record given the sensitivity of the subject, he wondered why Saad Hariri was willing to make a deal with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), presumably on the recommendations of its president, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jibran Bassil, and wondered whether Hariri’s financial difficulties with Saudi Oger were the motivations that prompted him to back General Michel Aoun to become the head of state.
“Hariri seems to have cut a deal with the FPM over the country’s oil resources,” he ventured, “which betrayed his father’s legacy”. It was unclear whether either Bassil or Hariri had any influence or ability to divide Lebanon’s oil resources, though rumours circulated across oceans, further muddying the waters.
Similarly indistinguishable was what US Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richards told Bassil during their meeting on Tuesday, especially the assumption that Washington is “relieved” that Lebanon’s lengthy presidential void is nearing an end, as reported by LBCI television.
The US State Department announced last Saturday that it hoped to see the presidential election process “moving forward” in Lebanon, noting that the election of a president is a Lebanese affair and that Washington would support the winner in the democratic contest.
What preoccupied the US, nevertheless, was the fate of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as the last functioning institution in the country. A Defence Department source confirmed that the US was anxious to continue its backing of the LAF, which is the fifth largest recipient of US foreign military financing in the world. US military aid was worth hundreds of millions of dollars during the past decade with more sophisticated items expected in coming months.
The high-ranking defence official wondered what Michel Aoun, if he becomes president, intended to do with the LAF, and asked whether military cooperation with Hezbollah would increase. Although Washington tolerated coordination between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah over the years, it nevertheless did not approve of tacit accords between the two sides and objected to see some of its weapons handed over to the “Party of God”, which in turn used them in the Syrian civil war. “We are aware of past ties and we will watch carefully,” the Defence source confirmed, implying that Beirut might lose some of this assistance if Baabda Palace further relaxed contacts.
State-run National News Agency in Lebanon reported that Bassil and Ambassador Richards tackled “future bilateral ties between Lebanon and the US and means to improve them” without specifying whether the army’s fate was discussed.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Sulaiman ended on May 24, 2014 and Hezbollah, along with all its March 8 allies boycotted the parliament’s 45 electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. When Hariri launched his late 2015 initiative to nominate another of Hezbollah’s allies, Marada Movement chief Sulaiman Franjieh for the presidency, Washington backed that candidacy, although that proposal was met with reservations. The concern in Washington now hovers around Lebanon’s fate as a potential failed state, especially if Iran’s influence is to increase, and if the Syrian civil war spills over to it.
http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/lebanon/hariri-betrayed-father-with-presidency-deal-us-official-1.1919631

Will President Aoun respect press freedom?هل عون المعادي لحرية الرأي سيحترم الصحافة
Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/October 27/16

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/27/alex-rowellnow-lebanon-will-president-aoun-respect-press-freedom%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81/
The General, known for bust-ups with the press, will soon enjoy new legal powers to prosecute all who “violate [his] dignity”.An exaggeration, perhaps, although given the track record of Gen. Michel Aoun during his three decades in and out of power, it may be unsurprising that concerns are being raised by Lebanese reporters and media freedom activists that, if he is indeed elected president on Monday, October 31st (as is now all but certain), his six year term could be a rocky one for the liberty of the press.
“Aoun [ruled] his tiny, dangerous fiefdom with growing dictatorial powers, prohibiting Lebanese newspapers which disagreed with his policies, [and] banning journalists who did not write what he wanted to read,” wrote the British journalist Robert Fisk in his renowned civil war account, Pity the Nation, of Aoun’s term as interim prime minister between 1988 and 1990. “Life in east Beirut was becoming more like life in Baghdad than a ‘free’ Lebanon.”
Videos from that period now available on YouTube show Aoun angrily refusing to answer questions at press conferences, snapping at journalists with outbursts such as “I object to the form of your question,” “You’re asking questions as if you’re intelligence agencies” and “Nobody ask me about this subject anymore!” That was a long time ago, it’s true, yet the General’s demeanor has shown few signs of relenting since his return to Lebanon from exile in 2005. A sample of his more recent encounters includes cutting off MTV correspondent Joyce Akiki mid-question at a press conference last year at his home in Rabieh, then banning her from returning; forbidding LBC correspondent Bassam Abou Zeid from entering a press conference in 2007 and blacklisting him from Rabieh for nine years; haranguing several journalists at length during one-on-one interviews, telling one she “repeatedly violated the fundamentals of interviewing” and needed “a media course;” telling Radio Free Lebanon correspondent Abdo Mata, “Get off my back, you’re not a journalist, you’re a troublemaker;” and joking that if his party wanted to “respond” to one of its rivals, “we’d have burned their television station down a long time ago.”
Perhaps more significantly, he’s also been an energetic pursuer of legal action against journalists, reportedly winning nine defamation prosecutions in one six-month period alone in 2014 (and netting over $100,000 in compensation).
Unfortunately for reporters, as president Aoun would have even more legal ammunition to go after them, if he chose to. Articles 384, 386 and 388 of the Lebanese Penal Code criminalize, respectively, the “disparagement,” “defamation,” and “libeling” of the head of state, mandating jail sentences ranging from one month to two years. Article 23 of the Publications Law, moreover, criminalizes “the violation of presidents’ dignity” (including foreign presidents), allowing for jail sentences of up to three years. In February 2014, a web developer named Jean Assy was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment over messages posted via Twitter about the previous president, Michel Suleiman, for what the judge called “the libel and defamation of the president […] and the disparaging of his person and molestation of his dignity.” Though no journalist has been sentenced under these charges in recent years, it’s the prospect that Aoun and the courts could start interpreting the concepts of personal disparagement and dignity molestation in creative ways that has press freedom watchdogs most worried.
“Our real concern is if Aoun resorts to some of the very antiquated articles of the penal code and publications code in Lebanon, and judges decide to implement these articles with a very strict mindset that is not open to freedom of expression,” said Ayman Mhanna, director of the Beirut-based Samir Kassir Eyes (SKEyes) Center for Media and Cultural Freedom, which monitors violations of free expression and campaigns for legal reform. “The real issue is what will judges do if the prosecutor general decides to enforce these articles?”
Ideally, Mhanna told NOW, these Draconian lèse-majesté laws would be removed from the penal code altogether, and become a matter for civil courts.
“As long as any article related to libel, slander and defamation is in the penal code, we have a problem […] the whole text needs to be revised.”
With little chance of that occurring between now and Monday, however, journalists have few options but to hope a newly presidential Aoun will choose to adopt the thick skin and magnanimity of a statesman. In remarks to NOW, a spokesperson for Aoun’s political movement, Habib Younes, was able to offer partial assurances. “The General believes more than anyone in respecting differences of opinion,” said Younes. “You have the right to say that some law the president enacted isn’t good, or you don’t like this project or idea, 100%, and he’ll congratulate you.”
When it comes to “insults,” however, a line had to be drawn, Younes told NOW, citing the example of Paul Chaoul, sued by Aoun in 2008 for an article in which he played on Aoun’s surname to suggest the Arabic word for a dog barking.
“When someone says he’s barking, what should he tell him, should he pray for him?” said Younes. “Or send someone to beat him like the days of the militias? Of course not. The judiciary is the best and most peaceful way for one to obtain one’s rights.”
Asked by NOW about the “violation of the presidents’ dignity” law, Younes replied, “This is the law […] if this republic wants to straighten up and stand on its two feet, we have to adopt the constitution and the law […] and it’s incumbent on the public prosecutor to act in the event of any violation of the president’s dignity.”As for whether Aoun might potentially use such a law to silence legitimate political criticism, Younes said “Inshallah (God willing) that won’t happen.”
“But, in principle, there’s a chair, which is a symbol for all of Lebanon, and it must be respected.”*Amin Nasr contributed reporting.

Election session quorum secure, Jumblatt bloc to back Aoun
Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/October 27/16
BEIRUT: A quorum of a two-thirds majority – 86 MPs – has been secured to convene a Parliament session for electing a new president, Speaker Nabih Berri said Wednesday, adding that a second round of voting would be held if a candidate did not win in the first round.
In the meantime, MP Walid Jumblatt’s 11-member parliamentary bloc appears to be heading toward backing MP Michel Aoun’s nomination for the presidency, dropping its declared support for his rival, Marada Movement leader MP Sleiman Frangieh.
With backing from Jumblatt’s bloc, Aoun has been assured of a big parliamentary majority for his election as president at the Parliament session scheduled for next Monday, after having gained the support of the Future Movement, the Lebanese Forces, Hezbollah and some of its March 8 allies.
“The quorum for the session to elect a president is known and secured. We will have a [Parliament] session with two rounds [of voting] if a candidate does not win in the first round. There is no need for excitement and confusion,” Berri told Lebanese reporters in Geneva, where he is attending meetings of an international union of parliaments.
A candidate needs a two-thirds majority, or 86 MPs, to be elected president in the first round of voting. But in the second round, an absolute majority, or 65 MPs, is sufficient to declare a candidate a winner.
Berri, who has declared that he will not vote for Aoun, said he would attend the Parliament session along with his 13-member parliamentary bloc. He reiterated that the main challenge facing Lebanon following the election of a president was an agreement between the rival factions on a new voting system to replace the contested 1960 electoral law.
“The ‘greater jihad’ following the election of a president and the main element in it is a new electoral law,” Berri said.
In a statement issued by his media office Wednesday, Berri called for a Parliament session to be held at 12 noon next Monday to elect a president. This session will be the 46th since the six-year term of former President Michel Sleiman ended in May 2014, and Parliament has since been unable to convene due to a lack of quorum to pick a successor.
Frangieh, a key figure in the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, reiterated that he would not pull out of the presidential race despite former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s support for Aoun.
Speaking to reporters after a 45-minute meeting with Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai at the latter’s summer residence in Diman in the north, Frangieh said: “The atmosphere is excellent and the meeting with the patriarch is normal ahead of the next election session.”Frangieh’s visit to Rai raised speculation that the Maronite patriarch might ask the presidential aspirant to withdraw from the race in favor of Aoun. But Frangieh dismissed this speculation, saying that Rai did not ask him to quit the presidential race. “I will go on with my candidacy,” he said.
Frangieh was nominated last year by Hariri for the presidency as part of an internationally backed initiative to end the power vacuum, now in its third year.
Another presidential candidate, MP Henry Helou, said he would not withdraw from the race as long as his nomination served Lebanon’s best interest. “I pledge to safeguard freedom and democracy ... and confront corruption with all the available means,” Helou said in a statement. Helou was nominated by Jumblatt’s parliamentary Democratic Gathering bloc in April 2014 for the presidency.
However, a member of Jumblatt’s bloc said Helou would withdraw from the race and the bloc would support Aoun’s presidential bid.
“MP Henry Helou will announce the withdrawal of his nomination for the presidency before next Monday because the general tendency is for Jumblatt to endorse Gen. Aoun’s candidacy,” MP Antoine Saad told Al-Fajer radio station. “The final and unified stance will be taken after the bloc’s final meeting.”
Saad said that Jumblatt, the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, would make an announcement on the bloc’s final stand on the presidential election following Aoun’s expected visit to Jumblatt at the latter’s residence in Mukhtara.
He added that all signs indicated Aoun would be elected as president either in the first or second round of voting Monday.
For his part, LF chief Samir Geagea applauded the country’s ability to overcome efforts to further delay the election of a new head of state, expressing hope that the next presidency would be a uniquely Lebanese decision free of foreign interference.
He also predicted the formation of a new government by Hariri within a few weeks following the election of Aoun as president.
“We are living historic times. We will not have a president made in Lebanon 99.99 percent, but one that is made in Lebanon 200 percent,” Geagea said during a conference on boosting transparency in Lebanon’s oil and gas sectors held at his residence in Maarab, north of Lebanon.
“Today at this moment, I consider we have cleared our conscience, and we will do something big for the people,” he said.
The conference was attended by Energy Minister Arthur Nazarian, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab and a number of lawmakers.
“I think that following the presidential election, the new regime will not be the same as previous regimes. [Former] Prime Minister Saad Hariri will be named prime minister and a new government will be formed within a few weeks,” Geagea said.
He noted that many of the country’s stagnant sectors were gradually rebounding ahead of the presidential election session.
Commenting on the country’s offshore oil and gas reserves, Geagea warned that rampant corruption could hinder efforts to revitalize the country’s ailing economy.
“Corruption is chipping at the Lebanese state from the diesel to the electricity to the trash and internet ... We have grave concerns in this respect,” he said.
Geagea added that according to preliminary findings, oil and gas reserves would generate around $60 to 70 billion for the Lebanese Treasury even after the country’s debt is paid.
Seismic studies over the last few years have shown that Lebanon has trillions of cubic feet of oil and natural gas in its sea floor, a discovery which boosted international confidence in Lebanon’s economic future.

How Lebanon’s presidential problem turned into opportunity
Ali Hashem/Al Monitor/October 27/16
The journey from Lebanon’s parliament to its empty presidential palace shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes under normal circumstances. But when one considers that politicians have failed to reach consensus on who will assume the vacant post, it could be said the trip has taken two years and five months — so far. Since May 24, 2014, Lebanon has been without a president, which has affected all aspects of political life in the country.
Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his support for former chief of the army and Hezbollah ally Gen. Michel Aoun as president, which may have been Hariri's last resort as his relationship with Saudi Arabia has been tense.
The prime minister and the Cabinet became a caretaking authority, while the parliament — due to lack of consensus — had to self-extend its term twice. Over the last couple of years, the country had to survive with minimum politics and maximum political tension. Yet it was clear that political factions were cautious enough not to let things get out of control.
On Oct. 31, an end is expected to this long journey, one that could see former Chief of Staff Gen. Michel Aoun elected as the 13th president of Lebanon for a six-year term.
Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah and Iran and the leader of the largest Christian bloc in the parliament, secured the support of Saad Hariri, a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the leader of the Future Movement. This came after long meetings brought together advisers of both men who agreed that in return, Hariri would be Lebanon’s prime minister for the next six years.
Hariri’s move stirred controversy among his political movement and within his popular base, prompting several members of parliament from his parliamentary bloc to declare openly that they oppose their leader’s decision, and will not be voting for Aoun.
In fact, Hariri’s decision raised several questions in the Lebanese political arena, namely why an ally of Saudi Arabia would want to give an ally of Iran such a victory, while both nations are fighting all over the region a bitter war that is being paid for with oil and blood. The rebel parliamentarians refused to comment when approached by Al-Monitor.
Parliamentarian Ammar Houri of the Future Movement told Al-Monitor, “My position is clear, yet I am not interested in commenting any further on this issue.”
Mohammad Kabbani, also a member of parliament with the Future Movement, declined to comment, and other parliamentarians' mobile phones were either switched off or not answered.
“Mr. Hariri’s latest decision can be described as a sort of political adventurism,” former Saudi diplomat Abdullah al-Shammari told Al-Monitor.
“This is an implication of the change in relations with Saudi Arabia, mainly with the new leadership that deals with Lebanon reasonably and not passionately,” he said. “Maybe this is good for Hariri. It is time for him to take his decisions by himself after all these years of addiction to Saudi money and staying at his palace in Riyadh; it is time for him to gain strength and return to his popular base.”
The former Saudi diplomat was referring to the financial crisis Hariri is facing, and the attempts to convince the Saudi royal family to save him from this crisis. Hariri’s main company, Saudi Oger, had failed for months to pay the salaries of its employees due to serious financial setbacks influenced by the economic situation in Saudi Arabia and the shaken personal relationship between Hariri and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.
Shammari suggested that Hariri could be under pressure for the coming weeks or months, saying, “But if it was up to him and he showed resilience, relations with Riyadh are possibly to return gradually according to new rules, measures and interests — knowing that Saudi Arabia will always stand beside Lebanon whatever the circumstances.”
Indeed, Hariri’s decision was a political adventure given the circumstances surrounding it. He deliberately endorsed the candidate of Hezbollah, thus handing his rivals a clear public victory, not to mention boosting their popularity among Christians. Yet the main question is whether Hariri had any other options.
The former prime minister found himself at a crossroads — either he goes for an all-in political gamble, or he preserves the status quo until the situation changes in the region. Hariri felt the heat after several serious developments, one of which was the municipal elections in May.
The election results, mainly in Tripoli, showed Hariri losing popularity to new competitors from within his political movement. Ashraf Rifi, the resigned justice minister — and a hawk who links himself to "Harirism," but not to Saad Hariri — was the man whose list defeated all political movements allied together in Tripoli.
Amid the endorsement of Aoun, Rifi took to the street Oct. 23 with hundreds of supporters vowing to start a peaceful opposition in order not to elect Aoun. Rifi expressed total rejection of Aoun or any other candidates supported by Iran. If Hariri does not return to the government as prime minister and re-establish ties with the grassroots community, his political future might be in tatters — therefore there was a need for a shock. It did not really matter whether the shock was positive or negative; the most important thing was to shake the status quo and head toward a new chapter. This is a chapter that Hariri’s opponents within his movement see as gloomy; still, this may not be the case, putting aside the political impact of Aoun’s election. Hariri’s Cabinet would enjoy the support of his bitter rival, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who said Oct. 23 that by accepting the appointment of Hariri as Lebanon’s prime minister for the next six years, Nasrallah will be making "a big sacrifice.”In Lebanon, the most effective and potent position in the state is that of prime minister. This has been the case since the 1989 Taif Agreement that ended the 15-year civil war. A president in Lebanon has limited power; he is more of a father for the nation than its leader. Given this situation, Hariri might be able to transform his many problems into a rare opportunity. Being left without a regional caretaker (Saudi Arabia), the young politician is going to do business alone with his rivals without any burdens. It is true that he will sometimes weigh decisions with regional scales, but he will have enough flexibility to build a record as an experienced self-made statesman. Not only Hariri will have this flexibility, his allies in Saudi Arabia will have it, too. Shammari said that one of the failures of the Saudi policy in Lebanon was putting all the eggs in Hariri’s basket. He elaborated, “Limiting relations with the Future Movement and marginalizing all the other currents was wrong. Riyadh has to work now on reviving relations with other Sunni, Christian and even Shiite movements. This serves all of us, in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.”

Lebanon Readies for Monday’s Presidential Election
Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/October 27/16
Beirut-Preparations are underway to welcome at Baabda Palace Lebanon’s new president who will certainly be Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun after a more than two-year vacuum at the country’s top post. Aoun will most likely be elected during a parliament session scheduled for Monday.
Speaker Nabih Berri, who has rejected the lawmaker’s candidacy, said a quorum of a two-thirds majority, or 86 MPs, has been secured to convene the session for electing a new president. “The quorum for the session to elect a president is known and secured. We will have a [parliament] session with two rounds [of voting] if a candidate does not win in the first round. There is no need for excitement and confusion,” he said. A candidate needs a two-thirds majority to be elected president in the first round of voting. But in the second round, an absolute majority of 65 lawmakers is sufficient to declare a candidate a winner. Despite his rejection to vote for Aoun as head of state, Berri said he would attend the parliament session along with his bloc. He stressed that the main challenge facing Lebanon following the election was an agreement on a new electoral law. The office of the presidency issued a statement on Wednesday – the first since the term of former President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 – giving instructions to journalists and media outlets on how to cover the event. The logistics preparations of the Free Patriotic Movement, which is led by Aoun, have been almost complete. Aoun is putting the final touches on the speech he will give while taking his oath. An FPM official told Asharq Al-Awsat that efforts are underway to guarantee the greatest possible participation in Monday’s electoral session after some parties, including Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, stressed that they would not vote for Aoun.
 

Sleiman, Al Sabhan discuss political developments
Thu 27 Oct 2016/NNA - Former President Michel Sleiman met on Thursday evening with Saudi State Minister for Arabian Gulf Affairs, Thamer Al-Sabhan, with talks touching on the latest developments at the political scene.

Amin Gemayel meets Al Sabhan
Thu 27 Oct 2016/NNA - Former President Amin Gemayel is currently meeting with the Saudi State Minister for Arabian Gulf Affairs, Thamer Al-Sabhan, accompanied by the Saudi Charge d'Affaires, Walid Al-Bukhari.

Rifi via Twitter: Kataeb's position confirms constants
Thu 27 Oct 2016/NNA - Outgoing Minister of Justice Ashraf Rifi said via Twitter: "The position announced by the Kataeb party is a confirmation of the constants and a rejection of any type of surrendering to the new mandate. Salute to the party and to its president Sami Gemayel on this historic position."

Bassil from Maarab vows new era for Lebanon
Thu 27 Oct 2016/NNA - Head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Foreign Minister, Gebran Bassil, promised on Thursday, "a new era for Lebanon," saying that the next step would be characterized by a real national unity and the revival of the institutional work, and this, in favor of building the State. Bassil who spoke after his meeting with the leader of the Lebanese Forces party Samir Geagea in Maarab said "Lebanon now faces a historic moment.""The next president will be made in Lebanon and subject to the Lebanese will which we wanted to be unified," the Minister concluded.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 27-28/16

Iran FM to Meet Russian, Syrian Counterparts on Friday
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will travel to Moscow on Friday for three-way talks with his Syrian and Russian counterparts on the situation in Syria, his ministry said. Zarif will also hold a one-to-one meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said late Wednesday. Iran and Russia are key financial and military supporters of President Bashar al-Assad's regime. More than 300,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad's ouster. Moscow faces growing diplomatic pressure over a Russian-backed Syrian offensive against rebel-held areas of the battleground city of Aleppo that the UN says has left hundreds dead since September 22.

22 Children Killed in Air Raid on Syria School, Says UNICEF
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/Air strikes that hit a school in rebel-held Idlib province in northwest Syria killed 22 children and six teachers, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said Wednesday. "This is a tragedy. It is an outrage. And if deliberate, it is a war crime," said UNICEF director Anthony Lake. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "warplanes -- either Russia or Syrian -- carried out six strikes" in the village of Hass, including on a school complex, killing at least 35 civilians including 11 schoolchildren.Lake said the school compound was "repeatedly attacked," adding that it may be the deadliest attack on a school since the war began more than five years ago. "When will the world's revulsion at such barbarity be matched by insistence that this must stop?" added the UNICEF director. Asked about the attack, Russia's U.N. ambassador Vitaly Churkin responded: "It's horrible, horrible. I hope we were not involved." Syrian government forces and their Russian ally have been accused by rights groups of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure. The White Helmets civil defense group released pictures of four rescue workers clambering over a mound of rubble in search of survivors after what it said was a "double-tap" strike on the school. The raids hit Hass around 11:30 am (0830 GMT), an activist with the opposition Idlib Media Center told AFP. "One rocket hit the entrance of the school as students were leaving to go home, after the school administration decided to end classes for the day because of the raids," the activist said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Other activists from the province circulated a photograph on social media of a child's arm, seared off above the elbow, still clutching the strap of a dusty black rucksack. Shaky video footage depicted rescue workers sprinting towards the site of the raids and pulling a frail, elderly man out of a collapsed building. The authenticity of the pictures and footage could not be independently verified. The latest attacks took to 89 the number of civilians killed in air strikes on Idlib province in the past seven days, said the Observatory.
'Intentional' attack
A leading opposition group condemned the raids. The Istanbul-based National Coalition said Russian and regime warplanes "targeted children in their schools, deliberately and intentionally hitting civilians with high-explosive material."Idlib province is controlled by the Army of Conquest, an alliance of rebel groups and jihadists including the Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from al-Nusra Front after breaking off ties with al-Qaida earlier this year. Syrian and Russian warplanes regularly bomb Idlib, but air strikes have intensified in recent weeks, according to the Observatory. Russia is facing pressure at the United Nations to rein in its Syrian ally and halt air raids in rebel-held east Aleppo, where 250,000 civilians have been living under siege since July. U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien said he was "incandescent with rage" over the Security Council's failure to take action, deploring that "nothing is actually happening to stop the war, stop the suffering." With food growing scarce, "civilians are being bombed by Syrian and Russian forces, and if they survive that, they will starve tomorrow," said O'Brien. "Aleppo has essentially become a kill zone." Russian ambassador Churkin shot back, accusing O'Brien of making "arrogant remarks" and failing to recognize that Russia had declared a humanitarian pause that he maintained had been holding for eight days. "If we needed to be preached to, we would go to a church," Churkin quipped. The ambassador blamed opposition rebels and al-Qaida-linked jihadists for the failure at the weekend of a U.N. plan to evacuate the wounded from Aleppo and charged that the UN official was not objectively presenting the facts. U.S. ambassador Samantha Power criticized Russia, saying it had never worked cooperatively with the United Nations during the pauses to ensure humanitarian relief. "You don't get congratulations and credit for not committing war crimes for a day or a week," said Power. The bitter exchange came as the latest attempt to revive a ceasefire fell flat. Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his British counterpart Michael Fallon said an offensive to drive IS out of its Syrian stronghold of Raqa, 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Aleppo, would begin in the next few weeks. The U.S.-led coalition is currently supporting a 10-day-old assault by Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the jihadists' main Iraqi bastion of Mosul. Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for the ouster of President Bashar Assad. But it has since evolved into a multi-front war, pitting jihadists, rebels, government forces and Kurdish militia against each other.
More than 300,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes.

Rebel Fire Kills 3 Aleppo School Children
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/At least three children were killed and 14 injured in a rebel rocket attack on a school in the government-held west of Aleppo city on Thursday, Syrian state media said. A monitoring group said a child was also among at least eight people killed in government shelling on the rebel-held town of Douma outside Damascus. "Three children were killed and 14 students were injured in a terrorist rocket attack on the national school in the Shahba neighbourhood of Aleppo," state news agency SANA reported. The neighbourhood is in the western outskirts of the city, which has been roughly divided since mid-2012, when rebels seized its eastern half. Rebels regularly fire crude homemade rockets into the west of the city, often killing civilians. Government forces backed by ally Russia have waged an aerial and ground assault since late September to recapture eastern Aleppo, killing hundreds of civilians and destroying infrastructure including hospitals. The deaths came a day after the UN children's agency UNICEF said 22 children had been killed along with six teachers in air strikes on a school in rebel-held Idlib province. The strikes, carried out by either Russian or Syrian warplanes according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, hit the village of Hass, prompting outrage from UNICEF director Anthony Lake. "This is a tragedy. It is an outrage. And if deliberate, it is a war crime," he said, adding that the school complex had been hit repeatedly. Outside Damascus meanwhile, at least eight people were killed on Thursday in government shelling on Douma in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region, the British-based Observatory said. Douma is regularly targeted by government fire, and in recent months regime forces have waged an offensive in the area, which has also been under siege since 2013. More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Russia Denies Role in Bloody Strike on Syria School
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/Moscow on Thursday denied any involvement in bloody air strikes on a Syrian school as its relations with the West took another hit and the EU slapped more sanctions on its ally Damascus. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded an immediate probe into Wednesday's attack on the school in rebel-held Idlib province that he said "may amount to a war crime." The tensions mounted a day after the United States and Britain said they expected an assault in the next few weeks to drive the Islamic State jihadist group out of Raqa, its de facto capital in Syria. Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011 with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government but has evolved into a complex war involving regional and international powers. One complication has been the involvement of Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his country's military operation supporting Syrian rebels will also target Raqa. Russia, whose military intervened in Syria in September 2015, denied having any role in air strikes on the school that the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said killed 22 students and six teachers. "The Russian Federation has nothing to do with this terrible tragedy, with this attack," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, adding that Moscow demanded an immediate investigation. Zakharova said claims Russian and Syrian warplanes had conducted the strikes were "a lie."According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, "warplanes -- either Russian or Syrian -- had carried out six strikes" in the Idlib provincial village of Hass, including on the school complex.
Children in crossfire
Russia's defense ministry also denied any involvement. "On Wednesday, October 26, not one Russian warplane entered that area," spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. On a nearby front, the ministry said Syrian and Russian warplanes had not bombed the northern city of Aleppo in the past nine days. A ceasefire meant to allow evacuations of the besieged rebel-held east of Aleppo ended at the weekend, with Moscow ruling out an extension of the unilateral measure for the time being. Idlib province is controlled by the Army of Conquest, an alliance of rebel groups and jihadists including the Fateh al-Sham Front, which changed its name from al-Nusra Front after breaking off ties with al-Qaida earlier this year.Syrian and Russian warplanes regularly bomb Idlib, but air strikes have intensified in recent weeks, according to the Observatory. Children were reportedly caught in the crossfire again Thursday, with state media saying at least six were killed and 15 wounded in rebel rocket attacks on the government-held west of Aleppo city. The rocket fire hit two west Aleppo neighborhoods, with one of the attacks striking a school, said the official SANA news agency. Outside Damascus, meanwhile, a child was among eight people killed Thursday in government shelling on the rebel-held town of Douma, the Observatory said.
Fresh EU sanctions
Douma is regularly targeted by government fire, and in recent months regime forces have waged an offensive in the area, which has also been under siege since 2013. At a makeshift hospital in the town, an AFP photographer saw medics using a defibrillator on one man, his face speckled with blood. On a stretcher nearby, a wounded man lay with his artificial leg detached and lying on top of him, smeared with his blood. More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began. With nothing seemingly able to stop the bloodshed, the European Union on Thursday added 10 top Syrian officials to its sanctions blacklist for the role in the "violent repression" of civilians. "The persons... include high-ranking military officials and senior figures linked to the regime," it said. EU leaders agreed last week to increase sanctions against Assad's regime, citing devastating attacks on Aleppo, Syria's second city and pre-war commercial hub. Suggestions they might also sanction Russia, which has flown many of the missions against rebel-held east Aleppo, were dropped after sharp differences emerged. The names of the 10 officials targeted Thursday are to be released at a later date.The European Commission on Thursday said separately that attacks on schools in Syria were "totally unacceptable," adding "those responsible should be brought to justice."

Erdogan Says Turkish Military Operation will Target Raqa
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the military operation supporting Syrian opposition fighters in northern Syria will target the IS-held city of Raqa. Erdogan said the rebels were now advancing on the important city of Al Bab to clear Islamic State group elements. After retaking the city, they will target Manbij, captured by Syrian Kurdish militia in August, and "then we will go towards Raqa".

EU Approves New Syria Sanctions, Targets 10 Top Officials
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/The European Union on Thursday added 10 top Syrian officials to its sanctions blacklist for their role in the "violent repression" of the civilian population. "The persons... include high-ranking military officials and senior figures linked to the regime," it said in a statement. EU leaders agreed last week to increase sanctions against President Bashar Assad's regime, citing devastating attacks on Syria's second city of Aleppo. Suggestions they might also sanction Russia, which has backed long-time ally Assad's offensives against rebel forces and flown many of the missions against Aleppo, were dropped after sharp differences emerged. The European Council of member states said the new Syrian sanctions would hit those "responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and/or being associated with such persons."The decision brings to 217 the number of individuals hit with travel bans or asset freezes, it said. Another 69 entities are affected by asset freezes while the EU also has in place other sanctions against Syria as a whole, including arms and oil embargoes plus investment restrictions.
These broader measures were extended in May and run through to June 1 next year.
The name of the 10 officials targeted Thursday will be released in due course.

Italy in 'Miraculous' Escape as Thousands Flee New Quake
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/Italy was counting the cost Thursday after another major earthquake forced thousands to flee their homes in terror but "miraculously" did not cause any fatalities. Two months after a quake left nearly 300 dead in the country's tremor-prone central spine, two powerful shocks ripped through the mountainous, sparsely-populated region on Wednesday evening. Despite numerous building collapses, no deaths had been reported by midday, more than 17 hours after the first of the 5.5 and 6.1 magnitude tremors. "Given the strength of the shocks the absence of any deaths or serious injuries, which we hope will be confirmed, is miraculous," Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said. The national civil protection agency described the damage as "very significant" but said they were not aware of anyone trapped under rubble. Rescue workers began a major clean-up operation and hundreds of families were unsure where they would be living for the forseeable future. More than 100 aftershocks rattled the area through the night after the initial two were felt in Rome, some 175km (110 miles) away from the epicentres. Marco Rinaldi, mayor of the village of Ussita, described "apocalyptic" scenes. "People were in the streets screaming. Many houses have collapsed. Our town is finished," he said. "I've felt a lot of earthquakes but that was the strongest I've ever felt. Fortunately everyone had already left their homes after the first quake so I don't think anyone was hurt."- Freezing temperatures -One 70-year-old man was reported to have died of a heart attack in nearby Tolentino but that may have been coincidental. Even in Rome, some people took to the streets as a precautionary measure, underlining lingering jitters after the summer disaster. Wednesday's tremors struck an area just to the north of Amatrice, the mountain town which was partially razed by the August quake and suffered the bulk of the fatalities. The epicentres were near the village of Visso, located on the edge of the region of Marche close to the border with Umbria. Across the region, hospitals, a university residence, a retirement home and even a prison had to be evacuated. A top flight football match between Pescara and Atalanta was suspended after the first shock and schools were closed Thursday across the region to allow structural safety checks to be carried out. The civil protection agency is planning to reopen tent camps set up after the August earthquake but they will only provide a temporary solution as winter approaches. Many mountain villages in the area are located at over 600 m (2,000 feet) altitude and overnight temperatures will soon be falling below freezing. Italy's national geophysics institute said the latest quakes were linked to the August one, which was followed by thousands of aftershocks, some of them very strong. "Aftershocks can last for a long time, sometimes for months," geologist Mario Tozzi said. - 'Thank God we're alive' -Visso's mayor Giuliano Pazzaglini said two thirds of the buildings in his village had been left unusable. It's historic centre was taped off on Thursday morning, barring pensioner Massimo Testa from going back to what remains of the 15th Century house he and his wife had lovingly renovated. "We only just had enough time to get out after the second shock before the house collapsed," he told AFP with tears in his eyes. "My wife was petrified, she could see masonry falling around her. Thank God we are still alive, that is the most important thing." Bulldozers were working to clear one of the village's main access roads, which was blocked by the collapsed facade of a building. The village church was partially destroyed, its belltower still standing but bearing large fissures. A civil protection drone buzzed overhead taking pictures of the devastation. August's disaster caused an estimated four billion euros ($4.5 billion) of damage and some 1,400 people made homeless are still living in temporary accommodation. The impact of that quake was magnified because it took place at the height of the summer holiday season, when many normally barely occupied villages were packed with tourists and families returning to ancestral homes.

Two Yazidi Survivors of IS Group win Sakharov Prize
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/Two Yazidi women activists who escaped the Islamic State group in Iraq won the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov human rights prize on Thursday, European sources told AFP. The prize will be awarded to Nadia Murad and Lamia Haji Bashar during a session of the assembly in Strasbourg, France, the sources said shortly before the official announcement. The women have become figureheads for the effort to protect the Yazidi community after having survived a nightmare in captivity at the hands of the jihadists. Their award is named after the dissident Soviet scientist Andrei Sakharov, who died in 1989, and is awarded every year to honour individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression, often falling foul of their governments as a result. The prize, worth 50,000 euros ($55,000), will be presented at a ceremony on December 14 in Strasbourg. Murad, a slight, softly spoken young woman, was taken by IS from her home village of Kocho near Iraq's northern town of Sinjar in August 2014 and brought to the city of Mosul. As a captive of the reviled extremist group, Murad, who today is 23, said she was tortured and raped. Bashar, who was just 16 when she was taken and is also from Kocho, witnessed family and friends being slaughtered by IS jihadists before being enslaved and sold. After 20 months in captivity she escaped but then fell into the hands of an Iraqi hospital director who also abused and raped her and several other victims. - Lived through a nightmare -In a final tragedy, Bashar suffered horrific burns to her face and lost her right eye when one of her friends stepped on a landmine following their flight from the hospital director. The 2014 massacre perpetrated against the Yazidis by IS fighters in Sinjar forced tens of thousands to flee and left an already vulnerable community under perilous threat.  UN investigators have said the IS assault on the Yazidis was a premeditated effort to exterminate an entire community -- crimes that amount to genocide. In speeches and interviews, Murad has voiced deep frustration with the international community for abandoning her people in the hands of grotesquely violent criminals. Last year, the European Parliament awarded the prize to Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi, jailed for "insulting" Islam. Past winners include Pakistani education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, late South African rights icon Nelson Mandela and Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi. Exiled Turkish journalist Can Dundar and Crimean Tatar activist Mustafa Dzhemilev were also shortlisted for prestigious award.

US General Says 800-900 IS Fighters Killed in Mosul Offensive
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/A US general told AFP on Thursday that between 800 and 900 Islamic State group fighters have been killed since the Iraqi-led operation to recapture Mosul from the jihadists began. "Just in the operations over the last week and a half associated with Mosul, we estimate they've probably killed about 800-900 Islamic State fighters," General Joseph Votel, who heads the US military's Central Command, said in an interview with AFP, speaking from an undisclosed location. Iraqi security forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters are pushing toward Mosul along several axes and have made relatively quick progress as they approach Mosul, Iraq's second city. The offensive, which began 10 days ago, has so far been concentrated in towns and villages around Mosul, and resistance may get heavier as Iraqi forces break through IS defences and enter the city itself. Earlier US estimates had put the population of IS fighters in Mosul itself at between 3,500 and 5,000. Up to another 2,000 were thought to be in the broader Mosul region. Votel cautioned it was hard to provide precise numbers as IS fighters move around the city and blend in with the local population. IS has lost the ability to move in large convoys, making it more difficult to replace fighters if it loses them in significant numbers. But the US-led coalition against IS has said that the jihadists can still travel in smaller groups. The coalition has previously said that it "does not use a casualty count as a measure of effectiveness in the campaign to ultimately defeat (IS) in Iraq and Syria."Despite this assertion, such figures are periodically announced.

EU Training Libyan Coast Guard to Curb Migrant Flows
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/The European Union has begun training the Libyan coast guard as part of efforts to curb the growing influx of irregular migrants from North Africa, EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said Thursday. "Today we are starting the training of the Libyan coast guard in Operation Sophia which is a very important step," Mogherini said as she arrived for a meeting with NATO defence ministers in Brussels. "I think cooperation also in that respect with NATO would be important and we welcome that very much," she said. The EU and NATO have been discussing increased overall cooperation in the face of new security challenges, such as in Ukraine and Syria. "We are together here because a stronger Europe means a stronger NATO," alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said in opening remarks. Stoltenberg said NATO had just launched its own Operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean to help support Operation Sophia. "Today we will discuss how to deepen NATO-EU cooperation and partnership further ... including in areas of countering hybrid threats, cyber defence, exercises," he added. The EU launched Operation Sophia last year after hundreds of migrants died when their rickety boats sank off southern Italy, sparking popular outrage at their plight. The central Mediterranean route has seen more migrants risk their lives in recent months after the EU reached an accord with Turkey in March to halt an influx of more than a million refugees who crossed the Aegean Sea to reach Europe last year. A separate NATO mission in the Aegean will meanwhile continue, at least until the end of the year, German Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen said. Diplomatic sources said the future of this operation was uncertain given that key ally Turkey was unhappy at seeing NATO in waters so close to home and which are in some cases disputed with traditional rival Greece. Operation Sophia is restricted to international waters in the Mediterranean so the engagement with the UN-backed administration in Libya represents an important step. Sophia currently comprises five vessels and three helicopters charged with intercepting smugglers' boats and destroying them.

US Drone Targets Top al-Qaida Leaders in Afghanistan
Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/US drone strikes targeted two top al-Qaida leaders in Afghanistan, American officials said, calling it the most significant attack against the militant group in the country in several years. The strikes on Sunday in Kunar province targeted Farouq al-Qahtani, al-Qaida's emir for northeastern Afghanistan, and his deputy Bilal al-Utabi. Multiple Hellfire missiles "levelled" two different compounds in Kunar where the men were believed to be hiding, the military said, voicing confidence that they were killed. "We are still assessing the results of the strikes, but their demise would represent a significant blow to the terrorist group's presence in Afghanistan, which remains committed to facilitating attacks against the United States, our allies, and partners," said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook. Another US official said the attack represented the "most significant strike" against the al-Qaida leadership in Afghanistan in years. The Pentagon has been actively hunting for Qahtani for four years. He had longstanding ties with Osama Bin Laden before his death in the 2011 US raid on his Pakistan compound. Qahtani has operated in Afghanistan since at least 2009 and led a Qaida battalion since at least mid-2010, officials said. "He was seeking to reestablish (al-Qaida's) control in Afghanistan," the US official said. "He was charged with the requirement to establish AQ safe-havens throughout Kunar and Nuristan provinces." His deputy Utabi, was seen as the second- or third-most senior al Qaida leader in Afghanistan, the official said. - 'Deadly attacks' -In October 2001, in response to the 9/11 attacks, the US launched military operations to dislodge the Taliban from Afghanistan and capture or kill al-Qaida militants they were harboring.Their numbers have since been decimated, but the United States continues to target the remnants of the group. In June, the White House restored the Pentagon's authority to strike at insurgents. The new authority has given the US-led NATO troops greater latitude to order air strikes against a web of militant groups in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, Islamic State jihadists and al-Qaida.
Qahtani and his deputy men were in Hilgal village in Kunar's Ghazi Abad district when they were attacked, US officials said. They were in two separate buildings a few hundred meters (yards) apart and were targeted almost simultaneously by multiple missiles. Provincial spokesman Abdul Ghani Mosamem told AFP at least 15 insurgents were killed, including two Arabs. A number of Pakistani Taliban fighters were also among the fatalities, he said. An Afghan intelligence official in the province also confirmed two Arabs were killed in the strikes. Qahtani and Utabi are well-known senior al-Qaida commanders in Kunar, and had been actively involved in recruiting local young people for the group. Qahtani was born some time between 1979 and 1981 in Saudi Arabia and is a Qatari national. In February this year, the US Department of the Treasury labelled Qahtani a specially designated global terrorist. Qahtani "has a long history of directing deadly attacks against US forces and our coalition allies in Afghanistan, along with plotting al-Qaida terrorist operations in the United States and around the world," Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam Szubin said at the time.

Israel Eases Gaza Restrictions with Expanded Fishing Zone
Associated Press/Naharnet/October 27/16/Israel has expanded the fishing zone off the Gaza coast to allow Palestinian fishermen to sail out further. COGAT, the Israeli defense body that handles civilian issues with the Palestinians, announced the new limits Thursday saying they would stay in effect for the coming two months to coincide with the fishing season. The new maritime perimeter expands the fishing zone off parts of Gaza by three more nautical miles to nine.Israel set a limit in 2007 after Hamas seized Gaza from forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in bloody street battles. It has since extended the zone several times to ease the lives of Gaza fishermen. Israel noted the measure is contingent on the fisherman respecting the agreement and not abusing it with smuggling or infiltration attempts.

US Treasury Chief Warns on 9/11 Law during Saudi Visit

Naharnet/October 27/16/Agence France Presse/A United States law allowing victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia could have "serious implications" for shared US-Gulf interests, a top Obama administration official said Thursday. US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew made the comments at the opening of a meeting with finance ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, whose most powerful member is Saudi Arabia. The US Congress voted overwhelmingly in September to override President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).
Fifteen of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people were Saudi, but Riyadh denies any ties to the plotters. JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court and to demand compensation if those governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil. Lew said JASTA "would enact broad changes in long-standing international law regarding sovereign immunity that, if applied globally, could have serious implications for our shared interests."
He said the Obama administration has proven its determination to hold people responsible when they commit "horrendous acts", but "there are ways to do that without undermining important international legal principles."In opposing the law, Obama said it would harm US interests by opening up the US to private lawsuits over its military missions abroad. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have also expressed concern about erosion of sovereign immunity, a principle sacrosanct in international relations. But the potential implications go far beyond the Gulf. Some British, French and Dutch lawmakers have threatened retaliatory legislation to allow their courts to pursue US officials, threatening a global legal domino effect. Riyadh and Washington have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil.
Later Thursday, Lew was to meet King Salman, Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed bin Nayef, and Saudi economic officials.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 27-28/16

EU Parliament Votes To Protect Christians In Iraq After ISIS Is Defeated
Carey Lodge/Christian Today/October 27/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/27/carey-lodgechristian-today-eu-parliament-votes-to-protect-christians-in-iraq-after-isis-is-defeated/
A resolution to protect religious minorities including Christians and Yazidis in Iraq following the expected defeat of ISIS has been passed in the European Parliament.
The European People's Party Group, the largest political group in the European Parliament, tabled this week a joint motion for a resolution in Iraq once the offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State is completed.
The resolution passed on Thursday morning by an overwhelming majority, with 488 votes in favour, 11 against, and around 100 abstentions. Charlie Weimers of the Swedish Christian Democrats told Christian Today it was "now or never" for religious minorities in Iraq.
The motion highlighted ISIS' "draconian regime in Mosul", the jihadist group's last stronghold in Iraq. It noted that those who have managed to escape the city "report that people are starving and desperate to be liberated" and "strongly condemned" mass executions perpetrated by militants.
The motion also said the Nineveh Plain, Tal Afar and Sinjar regions have been "the ancestral homeland of Christians (Chaldeans/Syriacs/Assyrians), Yazidis, Sunni and Shia Arabs, Kurds, Shabak, Turkmen, Kaka'i, Sabaean-Mandeans, and others where they lived for centuries in a spirit of general pluralism, stability and communal cooperation despite periods of external violence and persecution, until the beginning of this century".
Before the Iraq invasion of 2003 there were more than 1.5 million Christians living in Iraq. There are now believed to be only around 200,000.
"The extinction of these minorities in the region will have a further destabilising effect," the resolution said.
The European Parliament in February recognised the atrocities committed by ISIS against religious minorities including Christians, Yazidis and Turkmen as genocide. Member states must ensure "the necessary security conditions should be ensured for all those who have been forced to leave their homeland or have been forcibly displaced, to make effective their right to return to their homelands as soon as possible", the motion continued.
Article 125 of the Iraqi constitution gives religious minorities the right to have their own province, and this was guaranteed by the Council of Ministers in January 2014. The motion urged member states to "give their practical and diplomatic support to a sustainable and inclusive post-conflict structure for the region, with particular reference to the possibility of an autonomous province including the Nineveh Plain, Sinjar and Tal Afar, to be politically presented by the indigenous peoples of the region".
Groups acting on behalf of religious minorities in Iraq have long called for a self-governed province to be created in the Nineveh Plain post-ISIS.
"The coming liberation of Mosul is... the defining moment when it comes to the future of Iraq's indigenous peoples," said Lars Adaktusson, who initiated the resolution.
"Now that Islamic State is on its way to being driven out of Mosul, it is indispensable that the EU, together with other countries, shows solidarity with minorities and, within the framework of Iraq's federal structure, formulates an action plan on the future of Christians, Yazidis and Turkmen.
"That means the creation of maximum regional autonomy in Northern Iraq for Christians – Chaldeans, Syriacs, Assyrians – Yazidis and Turkmen indigenous populations, and providing the necessary training support and security guarantees, including support for local security forces, in order for such an administration to be politically, socially and economically viable."
Though the motion is non-binding, there is precedent for the European Parliament to take action following the passing of such resolutions and the European Commission is obliged to respond at a later stage.
When the resolution branding ISIS' actions a genocide was passed earlier this year, an amendment to the motion called for the appointment of an EU special representative for the freedom of religion and belief. Although this, too, was non-binding, the Commissioner appointed someone to the position in May.
After today's vote, Adaktusson told Christian today he was "very happy" with the support showed in Parliament.
"The important issues the resolution is dealing with have been highlighted," he said. "We need on the European side to take responsibility and do what we can in order to stabilise the situation [in Iraq] and make it possible for refugees and IDPs to return to their homelands."
Though the resolution is non-binding, it will "mean a lot" to religious minorities in the Middle East, Adaktusson added.
"The Christian groups, Assyrians, Syriacs and Chaldeans, as well as Yazidis and Turkmen have been fighting for autonomy within the framework of the Iraqi Constitution for a long time. Nineveh was upgraded to a province just prior to the invasion of Islamic State in 2014, so this has been an issue for a long time for these groups," he said.
The passing of the resolution shows both political and moral support for persecuted minorities, he said.
"I also think it's necessary to underline that if we want to preserve the Christian heritage, if we want to keep the Christian tradition within this region, it's essential that these groups will be able to return, and that's not possible without international support."
 

Palestinians: Jihadi-Style Child Abuse,Where are the "Human Rights" Groups?
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9188/palestinian-jihadi-child-abuse

Children in this world do not dream about becoming doctors, pilots or engineers; an entire generation of Palestinians, particularly those in the Gaza Strip, has been raised on the glorification of suicide bombers and anyone who kills a Jew.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other radical groups see children as future "soldiers" in the war to eliminate Israel. They raise children to regard to suicide bombers and jihadis as role models.
This form of child abuse does not seem to bother human rights organizations or UNICEF, whose declared goal is to "work for a world in which every child has a fair chance in life and a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential..." UNICEF apparently does not believe its mandate extends to Palestinian children, who are exploited to serve the interests of Islamist groups.
In the view of human rights organizations, recruiting Palestinian children to the ranks of Islamist terror groups does not constitute child abuse.
What is the world prepared to do in order to combat this child abuse? UNICEF and other international bodies may not have time to deal with such issues at present, because they are too busy thinking about the next resolution to condemn Israel.
Children have long become an integral part of "military" parades held in the Gaza Strip by various Palestinian groups. But this form of child abuse does not seem to bother human rights organizations or the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), whose declared goal is to "work for a world in which every child has a fair chance in life and a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential -- to the benefit of a better world." It seems that UNICEF does not believe that its mandate extends to Palestinian children, who are exploited to serve the interests of Islamist groups.
In the Gaza Strip, children are taught not only to hate Israel, but also to prepare themselves for jihad (holy war) against the "Zionist enemy." Hamas, the Islamic Jihad Movement, and other radical groups see children as future "soldiers" in the war to eliminate Israel. They raise children to regard suicide bombers and jihadis as role models.
Children in this world do not dream about becoming doctors, pilots or engineers. Rather, they dream of destroying Israel and "liberating Palestine." In fact, an entire generation of Palestinians, particularly those in the Gaza Strip, has been raised on the glorification of suicide bombers and anyone who kills a Jew. With enough sacrifices, they are taught, the destruction of Israel is not a far-fetched dream. They alone embody the future hope of the Palestinians to see Israel removed from the face of the earth. Forget becoming a physician: their job is to continue what their fathers failed to achieve.
All the while, both local and international human rights organizations look the other way. In their view, recruiting Palestinian children to the ranks of Islamist terror groups does not constitute child abuse.
Yet not only human rights groups turn a blind eye to this child abuse. The Palestinian Authority (PA), which relies heavily on Western donors for its survival, has also chosen to bury its head in the sand regarding this disturbing practice, which has become widespread in the Gaza Strip in recent years.
While the PA has no control over the Gaza Strip, its leaders, especially President Mahmoud Abbas, might be expected to condemn the exploitation and brainwashing of children. What Abbas and other PA leaders fail to understand is that these children also pose a real threat to them. The radicalized children grow up not only to hate Jews, but also any Palestinian leader who claims to seek peace with Israel. The very poison that is being injected into the minds and hearts of these children will come back to haunt those Palestinian leaders who sit idly by as the indoctrination occurs.
It is precisely these jihad-abused children who in a few short years will turn against the same leaders who poison their hearts and minds because they regard the leaders as too "moderate." Moreover, it is this incitement that drives Palestinians into the open arms of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two groups that are considered political foes of the PA leadership and that strongly oppose any peaceful settlement with Israel.
Strikingly, the children are not being brainwashed in secret, behind closed doors. On the contrary; it is taking place in broad daylight, with those responsible boasting of it and inviting the world to see how they prepare the next generation of jihadis.
Summer camps where children undergo military training are not new to the Gaza Strip. They operated there long before Hamas's violent takeover of the Strip. But now, one no longer has to wait until the children are off from school and attend one of the summer camps there to see such scenes. Children clad in military uniforms and brandishing automatic rifles can be seen throughout the Gaza Strip almost every other week. The parents, by and large, seem "proud" that their sons and daughters are being taught that jihad is the only way to "liberate Palestine."
Take, for example, the recent rally organized by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine on the occasion of its 29th anniversary. The group's declared objective is to destroy Israel and establish a sovereign, Islamic state. The rally was also to commemorate the anniversary of the assassination of the group's leader, Fathi Shikaki, who was gunned down on October 26, 1995 in front of the Diplomat Hotel in Sliema, Malta, presumably by Israeli agents.
The "stars" at the rally were dozens of boys and girls who came -- or more accurately were brought -- to the rally to express their support for the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, and its goals.
Most of the children appeared in camouflage military outfits, some carrying real or fake automatic rifles, and wearing headbands carrying the name of the group's armed wing, Al-Quds Brigades. And here is a quick reminder: the Brigades are responsible for a series of suicide bombings and other terror attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. They are also behind many of the rockets that have been fired into Israel in recent years. The children are celebrated and lionized as "cubs and flowers."
The rally, which drew thousands of Palestinians, was held under the banner of "Jihad is our Renewed Birth." Translated, this means that the group is repeating its commitment to pursue holy war against Israel and Jews in order to achieve its goal of establishing an ISIS-style Islamic state. Later, the group proudly announced that a month-old infant named Sham Al-Zaq was the youngest Palestinian to attend the rally. The group even posted a photo of the baby girl dressed in a military outfit.
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza recently held a rally in which children appeared in camouflage military outfits, some carrying real and fake automatic rifles. They proudly announced that a month-old baby girl named Sham Al-Zaq was the youngest Palestinian to attend the rally.
Addressing the crowd through satellite, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shallah once again reminded his supporters of the need to abide by the "armed struggle" as the only means to destroy Israel. "The Palestinians and their future generations will not compromise or give up their right to Palestine, which is our homeland," Shallah emphasized. "Jihad is the path to victory and liberation."
What is worrying about this Islamic Jihad rally is not only the number of children who appeared at the forefront and in military uniforms and weapons, but also the large number of participants.
According to sources in the Gaza Strip, tens of thousands of Palestinians attended the Islamic Jihad rally. They noted that some of the families arrived from various parts of the Gaza Strip two or three days earlier at the location of the rally, to make sure they found space close to the podium.
The large turnout is evidence of the widespread support for Islamic Jihad, which has become the second-largest militia in the Gaza Strip, after Hamas. The large turnout is also a sign of the increased radicalization of Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip, and the "mass return to Islam." Ironically, many of the group's supporters are former disgruntled members of Hamas, who felt that Hamas was not Islamic enough, and was too "soft" on Israel.
Thus, we are dealing with the exploitation of children, but also the growing radicalization that is taking place among Palestinians. In a society where drinking coffee with Jews is considered a crime, it is easy to see in which direction Palestinians are headed. It is only a matter of time before many of these children who appear at the "military" rallies of Islamic Jihad and Hamas, and absorb the poison of their leaders, set out on a mission to kill Jews with the hope of replacing Israel with an Islamic state. The children are being taught that the conflict with Israel is not about a settlement or an illegal outpost or borders or checkpoints, but about the very existence of Israel. What is the world prepared to do in order to combat this child abuse? UNICEF and other international bodies may not have time to deal with such issues at present, because they are too busy thinking about the next resolution to condemn Israel.
**Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist, is based in Jerusalem.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Are Canada's Islamists Calling the Shots? Government Petitioned to Silence Critics
Thomas Quiggin//Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9184/canada-islamists-silence
The discourse of "Islamophobia," and this petition, are nothing more than a continuation of the efforts of Islamists to silence their critics as they advance their own political agenda.
The Liberal Party of Canada appears to have been infiltrated by a variety of individuals who are supporters of Islamist extremism. This is beginning to look like a classic case of political entryism.
In 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau chose not to observe any official 9/11 memorial ceremony to honour the Canadians who died that day. However, the very next day, he attended the Ottawa Main Mosque which has multiple links to extremism. This despite recent stories in Canada about extremism in mosques and schools in Canada.
It was the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan Banna, who stated that "It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated; to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet."
Samer Majzoub from Quebec has initiated an official Government of Canada petition to the House of Commons. The sponsor of the petition is Liberal Member of Parliament Frank Baylis. The petition calls upon the government to condemn all forms of Islamophobia.
Samer Majzoub self identifies as being part of multiple Islamist (extremist) organization in Quebec, including the (in)famous Al-Rawdaw Mosque[1] and the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC). MAC itself states that they follow the teachings of Hassan Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood. ­­ If there was any doubt, a senior member of MAC, Dr. El-Tantawi Attia, made it clear when he stated: "Here we follow the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood."
The Muslim Brotherhood is listed as a terrorist group in many countries in the Middle East, while a recent UK government report states that the Muslim Brotherhood
"have a highly ambiguous relationship with violent extremism. Both as an ideology and as a network it has been a rite of passage for some individuals and groups who have gone on to engage in violence and terrorism."
The Muslim Association of Canada itself has been identified in Canadian Senate testimony as being a Muslim Brotherhood front group.
Accusations of racism and "Islamophobia" are the sword and shield of extremist Islam in the West. It makes excellent use of the concept of perpetual victimhood. The motto of the Muslim Brotherhood is:
"Allah is our objective; the Prophet is our leader; the Quran is our law; Jihad is our way; dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope."
The term "Islamophobia" was popularized by the mullahs in Iran after the 1979 Revolution. Women who would not willingly wear the veil were attacked by the government and accused of being "Islamophobic" for not submitting to the will of the (male) mullahs. Richard Stone was one of the authors of a letter to The Guardian in 1994 that used the term; he was also on the Runnymede Trust, which put the term into broad circulation in 1996. Trevor Phillips, of Britain's Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), who commissioned the Runmymede Report, has now admitted, in a damning new report on integration, segregation, and how the followers of Islam are creating "nations within nations" in the West, that he "got almost everything wrong" on Muslim immigration.
It is not unusual for a Liberal Member of Parliament to support efforts by extremists. Canada's Parliamentary Secretary for Global Affairs (Junior Foreign Minister) is an open supporter of Islamic sharia law. Several other Liberal Party members have close links to extremism as well. Additionally, in 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau chose not to observe any official 9/11 memorial ceremony to honour the Canadians who died that day. However, the very next day, he attended the Ottawa Main Mosque, which has multiple links to extremism. This despite recent stories in Canada about extremism in mosques and schools in Canada. In 2016 Prime Minister Trudeau chose not to observe any official 9/11 memorial ceremony to honour the Canadians who died that day. However, the very next day, he attended the Ottawa Main Mosque which has multiple links to extremism. (Image source: Rebel.media screenshot)
Canada's Minister of Democratic Reform, Maryam Monsef, is another Liberal Party member creating waves around her place of birth and Islamist belief system. She campaigned on a narrative of how she, as an Afghan refugee, could do great things in Canada -- until it became clear she was born in Iran. She was reported to have tried to return to Afghanistan to take a job there in 2014, but now it seems she spent the time in Iran instead. More notably, she claims to find sharia law "fascinating."
It was the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan Banna, who stated that "It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated; to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet." The discourse of "Islamophobia," and this petition, are nothing more than a continuation of the efforts of Islamist to silence their critics as they advance their own political agenda.
[1] The mosque is also a part of the Muslim Association of Canada. Among many other problems, the mosque held a lecture in which the very concept of martial rape was mocked.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

The Mayor of London's "My Side"
Janet Tavakoli/Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9137/london-mayor-integration

The number one reason British "Leave" voters backed Brexit was for self-determination. — Mega-poll by Lord Ashcroft.
Every time a social problem arises, one can randomly assign blame to a host country for not providing enough social support to newcomers. That benchmark, however, creates a shifting goalpost: how much is "enough"?
Mayor Sadiq Khan focused only on what Britain should provide to newcomers not on what newcomers should initiate on their own to fit into a country they entered willingly.
Mayor Khan's presentation seemed designed to pacify Westerners and enable the spread of the rule of Islam.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, addressed the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) on September 15. Although his topic was "The Breakdown of Social Integration – The Challenge of Our Age," some crucial components of that challenge were notably absent from his presentation.
Even though Mayor Khan said he believes that, "London is the powerhouse" for his country and is "proud that London was the only region in England to vote to remain in the European Union" (some boroughs voted 80% "Remain"), when it came to the United Kingdom as a whole, he said that "my side" lost the referendum.
That strikes one as an odd way for the mayor of any city to talk. Isn't he the Mayor of all of London? Aren't the Londoners who voted for Brexit included on his "side"?
Brexit Voters Want Self-Determination
Mayor Khan claimed that for "Leave" voters, "immigration was the number one issue." However, Lord Ashcroft's mega-poll says otherwise. According to it, the number one issue for "Leave" (pro-Brexit) voters across Britain was "the principle that decisions about the UK should be taken in the UK."
In other words, the number one reason they backed Brexit was self-determination. "Leave" voters did not like European Union officials --people they did not elect -- making laws that could overrule laws passed by British Parliament. Immigration and trade concerns were apparently less important.
Mayor Khan Appears to Prefer "Social Integration" to "Assimilation"
Mayor Khan also observed that Britain's "levels of social integration are not keeping pace with our changing population and growing diversity." That is hardly surprising: according to Khan, "One of three Londoners were born outside the UK," and "the number of immigrants arriving in Britain every year has doubled between 1997 and 2015."
Mayor Khan also said that he advocates "building bridges rather than walls" -- a remark that was heard by many as a gratuitous sideswipe at the U.S. presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who is against illegal immigration and for vigorous vetting of legal immigrants. Mayor Khan later added: "Nobody mentioned Donald Trump here, which is very good." But of course he just had.
Mayor Khan added that he would like more "asylum seekers" and "refugees," and advocated "social integration." "I don't mean assimilation," he stressed; "I mean social integration." He loosely defines social integration as "a level playing field" with a clear set of values and laws, but he left the difference between social integration and assimilation -- perhaps intentionally -- unclear. Doesn't Britain already have clear values and laws?
What Mayor Khan seemed to be saying by advocating "social integration" rather than "assimilation" is that he not eager for Muslims to become more like the British ("assimilation") but that he would be comfortable with the British adapting to the Muslim way of life. The presence of more Muslims might accelerate this process of the British having to adapt to the way of life of a Muslim majority ("social integration"). What that would be followed by is anyone's guess. The historical pattern has been to invite the non-Muslims to convert, and those who do not are relegated to the status of second-class citizens or dhimmis, who willingly live under different laws for those of a lower status, who pay a yearly tax (jizya) to subsidize Muslims, and who accept being dominated rather than face up the threats of violence that would come from not accepting it.
The Mayor never explained why assimilation -- along the lines of the common culture melting pot of the United States -- would not provide a level playing field and an even more harmonious society.
Every time a social problem arises, one can randomly assign blame to a host country for not providing enough social support to newcomers. That benchmark, however, creates a shifting goalpost: how much is "enough"? This lack of clarity leaves the door open for perpetual unrest. No matter how much support a welcoming society provides for newcomers, it can always be accused of not doing "enough." Khan focused only on what Britain should provide to newcomers, not on what newcomers should initiate on their own to fit into a country they entered willingly.
In a recent speech, London Mayor Sadiq Khan focused only on what Britain should provide to newcomers not on what newcomers should initiate on their own to fit into a country they entered willingly.
Mayor Says Muslim, Mufti Says Apostate
In the same speech, Mayor Khan claimed that being a Muslim is compatible with Western culture. That would only be true if "Muslim" meant one who ordered Islam à la carte. Islam means submission, and Muslims seem to disagree on how much submission is "enough." Also, at present, for non-Muslims in the West, zero submission to Islam is their right. Fundamentalist Muslim leaders such as Mufti Muhammed Aslam Naqshbandi Bandhalevi disagree with Mayor Khan's views that Muslims can accept laws in the West and still be called Muslim. Islam has never gone through a reinterpretation of its laws, or Reformation.
What many people may not realize is that the "Caliph" of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has a PhD in Islam from the University of Baghdad, and that every single thing he does, even those that horrify us in the West, has a totally legitimate precedent in the official Islam of the Koran and the Hadith, the two texts, considered of equal importance, on which Islam is based.
Contrary to what our leaders in the West have been telling us -- that the murders and other atrocities we have been witnessing have "nothing to do with Islam" -- they are, unfortunately, not only permitted in Islam but commended. This is what we have been seeing in Israel the past century, long before there was a dispute over territory. The fundamental dispute is over a people who have since the rise of Mohammad in the seventh century, refused to submit to Islam and who are therefore regarded as infidels.
Mayor Khan himself has encountered this problem. He mentioned that there was a fatwa against him, but he did not mention who issued it; one wonders why.
What occurred was that Mufti Muhammed Aslam Naqshbandi Bandhalevi, head imam of a mosque in Bradford, issued the fatwa declaring Khan an "apostate," one who has renounced Islam, because Khan supported same-sex marriage.
Quite simply, traditional Islam seems incompatible with Western values.
"What," asked the biologist Richard Dawkins "is the penalty for apostasy?"
Mohamad Mukadam, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Schools, replied: "If it is an Islamic country, the sharia is very clear. Apostasy is dealt with the death penalty."
When a mufti in Britain issues a fatwa, it is from the same Islam as that practiced in Muslim countries. In 2004, film director Theo van Gogh and Dutch Member of Parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali made a movie critical of Islam. Mr. van Gogh was later murdered, shot and stabbed in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is in the Netherlands, not a Muslim country. Somali-born former-Muslim Hirsi Ali, now a naturalized U.S. citizen in the United States, still lives in the shadow of a death fatwa.
How many "asylum seekers" and "refugees" practice fundamentalist Islam and believe that sharia law should supersede laws passed by British Parliament?
Mayor Khan touts a fatwa as if it validates his liberal credentials, but he is far too coy about enumerating the dangers of flinging open one's borders to people who issue fatwas, much less to their followers who may fulfill them. Mayor Khan says being a Muslim is compatible with Western culture, but either he does not know Islam, a probability that is questionable, or he is misleading the British.
Khan also never once mentioned the social crisis of the rape of children in British cities, widely publicized in the British press. It is so shocking, with so many disturbing implications, that the Mayor's omission again seems to mislead Westerners about what immigration problems can occur.
Political Correctness Has Been Enabling Child Sex Abuse Gangs in Britain
The title of Khan's presentation was "The Breakdown of Social Integration – The Challenge of Our Age." However, isn't the epidemic rape of thousands of white children in Rotherham and other communities in England, and the official policy of ignoring the crisis for over a decade, the very definition of "breakdown of social integration"?
Officials were so unwilling to "rock the multicultural boat," that children were exploited, raped, and brutalized for more than a decade.
For several years, Sue Reid, a reporter for the Daily Mail, tried to expose these crimes. She was falsely accused of being a "liar and a racist."
In 2014, Home Secretary Theresa May blamed "institutionalized political correctness" for police and council agencies' failure in their duty to protect at least 1,400 chiefly white Rotherham children from chiefly Muslim Pakistani-heritage rape gangs from 1997-2013.
Similar crimes have occurred in other parts of the United Kingdom: Rochdale, Derby, Oxford, Bristol, Peterborough, and Keighley. In August, a fresh crisis was exposed in Telford, now dubbed the "child sex abuse capital."
Taken as a whole, Mayor Khan's presentation seemed to ignore unpleasant facts which suggest that there is more incompatibility of values than he is willing to admit -- in the interest of pushing an immigration agenda favored by his "side."
Mayor Khan's presentation seemed designed to pacify Westerners and enable the spread of the rule of Islam.
Janet Tavakoli is the president of Tavakoli Structured Finance.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Iran Takes More Hostages: What Did the US Expect?
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/October 27/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9207/iran-takes-more-hostages

Another question raised is that while the State Department has long warned American citizens against traveling to Iran, why do some dual nationals, primarily Iranian-Americans, continue to travel to Iran for business or other reasons?
The Iranian government has learned that arresting dual nationals and Iranian-Americans not only can lead to the flow of billions of dollars to Iran, but also can ratchet up Iran's political leverage against the US and Western allies.
President Obama is dangerously encouraging the Iranian leaders' detaining and arresting dual nationals to extort money and play hardball.
Iran is not only detaining and arresting more Iranian-Americans, but also boasting about it and publicly asking for more money to release them.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pointed out recently: "We should wait and see, the U.S. will offer ... many billions of dollars to release" two particular Iranian-American businessman, Siamak Namazi and his father Baquer Namazi.
According to Alex Shirazi's nuanced profile, Siamak Namazi was one of the intellectual architects of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), which has been accused of lobbying for the Iranian regime and pursuing policies that benefit themselves and the Iranian regime. Accordingly, the organization was founded "as a way to continuously lobby for the removal of sanctions against Iran and to promote Iran's foreign policy, while combating the pro-Israel sentiment in America, according to documents from a Cyprus convention that featured the two men."
Mr. Namazi worked for Iran's Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning from 1994 to 1996. He also joined a company in Tehran called Atieh Bahar Consulting (AB), which was founded by Pari Namazi and her husband, Bijan Khajehpour.
The Tehran-based Atieh Bahar Consulting "offered a range of legal and industrial services to foreign enterprises, most importantly the access it provided to the [Iranian] regime, and the advice it dispensed on how best to navigate the vagaries of the regime's entrenched factions and competitive interests."
In addition, Siamak Namazi seemed to advocate doing business with the Iranian regime, as he pointed out to Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper: "If oil companies want to operate in the Iranian market they need to link up with a local partner, and this is where we step in and help them to find the right partner." This apparently occurred at a time that there were US economic sanctions imposed on Iran, including sanctions on firms dealing with the Iranian government. Baquer Namazi was governor of Iran's Khuzestan province one of the most oil-rich areas in the nation.
Earlier this year, the Obama administration paid nearly $1.7 billion in cash to make sure that Iran would release four Iranian-Americans who were taken as hostages. According to one report, "Future payments to Iran could reach as much as $2 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter."
One of the hostages was Jason Rezaian, who according to his family, has been trying to improve the Islamic Republic's image to the world through his work. Improving Iran's image would undoubtedly benefit the Islamic Republic's political establishment and the ruling politicians of Iran in many ways such as re-entering the international community, enhancing its global legitimacy, re-engaging in the world financial system, improving business opportunities, and bringing more revenues which would empower the IRGC, the hardliners, and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
One of the American hostages that Iran this year released in exchange for $1.7 billion in cash was Jason Rezaian, who according to his family, has been working to improve the Islamic Republic's image to the world. Rezaian is pictured above with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on January 28, 2016. (Image source: U.S. State Department)
One major question that many would then ask is: why the Iranian government would arrest Iranian-Americans who seem to be benefiting the Iranian government's interests, enhancing Iran's legitimacy, doing business, making money for themselves, making money for the Iranian government, or supporting an Iranian lobby group? Is this all part of a tactical game to extort more money from the US, as some might argue?
Other questions raised are that while the State Department has long warned American citizens against traveling to Iran, why do some dual nationals, primarily Iranian-Americans, continue to travel to Iran for business or other reasons? Does not this place the US in a grave situation where it has to plead with Iranian leaders and pay money, while the Iranian government gains the upper hand and enjoys more leverage against Washington?
There are several other issues at stakes as well. First of all, from the IRGC and Khamenei's perspective, while some dual nationals, Iranian-Americans, might appear to be advocating for the Iranian government and advancing Iran and their own interests, the IRGC still can play the tactical game that these individuals are siding with specific Iranian leaders such as Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Iran's foreign minister Javad Zarif, rather than siding with other Iranian leaders.
Secondly, and more fundamentally, the Iranian government has learned that arresting dual nationals and Iranian-Americans not only can lead to the flow of billions of dollars to Iran, but also can ratchet up Iran's political leverage against the US and Western allies.
Finally, U.S. President Barack Obama appears to have forgotten the basic rule of foreign policy and international law, that a state should not engage in negotiation or paying ransom to other state or non-state actors listed as top sponsors of terrorism or as terrorist organizations.
Paying ransom only reinforces their behavior. The State Department's own report in 2016 found Iran to be still the "top state sponsor of terrorism." Iranian-Americans who travel to Iran despite the warnings put the US in a difficult situation. President Obama is dangerously encouraging the Iranian leaders' detaining and arresting dual nationals to extort money and play hardball.
**Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, political scientists and Harvard University scholar is president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He can be reached at Dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.