LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
July 01/15
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.july01.15.htm
Bible Quotation For Today/Curing
Miracle of the Canaanite Daughter
Matthew 15/21-28: "Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre
and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started
shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a
demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him,
saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’He answered, ‘I was
sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’But she came and knelt
before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the
children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the
dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’Then Jesus answered
her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her
daughter was healed instantly."
Bible Quotation For Today/You
son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and
villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
Acts of the Apostles 12/25.13,1-12: "Then after completing their
mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John,
whose other name was Mark. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and
teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a
member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshipping
the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul
for the work to which I have called them.’Then after fasting and praying they
laid their hands on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the Holy
Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When
they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of
the Jews. And they had John also to assist them. When they had gone through the
whole island as far as Paphos, they met a certain magician, a Jewish false
prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an
intelligent man, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of
God. But the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed
them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, also known
as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘You son
of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy,
will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now listen
the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind for a while, unable
to see the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he went about
groping for someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had
happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June
30. July 01/15
Dr. Walid Phares: For change in Iran, back the Resistance, not the regime/NCRI/June
30/15
Khamenei's 'Red
Lines' Speech/MEMRI/June
30/15
Turkey and
Jordan said preparing buffer zones inside Syria. Israeli air support mooted.
Putin issues warning/DEBKAfile/June
30/15
What do Israel's Druze want/Reda Mansour
/Ynetnews/June
30/15
Lebanese Related News published on June 30. July 01/15
Cabinet meet to offer space for discussion: Salam
Salam Calls for Keeping Army 'Away from Politics', Urges Govt. Parties to 'Put
Aside Thorny Issues'
Change and Reform Ministers to Attend Cabinet Meeting to 'Tackle Absence of
Appointments Issue'
FPM won't sit quietly at Cabinet meet: Kanaan
Personal Disputes Leave 3 People Dead in Beirut and Bint Jbeil
Mustaqbal Dismisses 'Christian Poll' Idea as Attempt to 'Invent New Norms
Qahwaji Inspects Troops Around Arsal as Army Arrests 8 Suspected Syrian
Terrorists
'We are not ashamed:' Saudi envoy on leaks
Hostage families to block roads during Cabinet meet
2
Syrians reportedly kidnapped in e.Lebanon released
Hakim targets HRC to secure farmers aid
Hezbollah prepares attack on Syria’s Zabadani
Tunisia has become a terrorism exception
Miscellaneous Reports And
News published on June 30. July 01/15
Obama warns Iran in eleventh hour nuclear negotiations
Obama: I will walk away from Iran talks if its a bad deal
Iran nuclear talks deadline extended to July 7: US
Iranians arrive in Vienna to seal the deal; interim agreement extended 7 days
Iran admits to 400 funerals for Syria fighters
Shin Bet chief says Palestinian terror attacks up 50% since 2012
Obama warns Iran in eleventh hour nuclear negotiations
Three US churches consider BDS measures against Israel in upcoming vote
Israeli man wounded in West Bank terror shooting dies in Jerusalem hospital
Audacious U.S. deceit
Israel: Assad may be left with rump state
Putin urges all to fight ISIS, backs Assad
Year after Gaza war, Hamas remains entrenched
IS Re-Enters Syria's Tal Abyad, Takes District
ISIS makes gains in Tal Abayad, losses in Hassakeh
Around 1,200 escape from Yemen prison
Tunisia says resort gunman was trained in Libya
Tunisia has become a terrorism exception
Turkey seeks to calm speculation over Syria invasion
Greece has offered to suspend referendum: report
ISIS beheads two Syria women for 'sorcery': activists
Jehad Watch Latest Reports And News
Islamic State beheads two women for “sorcery”
France: Muslim who placed severed head between Islamic flags denies jihad motive
Robert Spencer in PJM: Is free speech about Islam still possible in the US?
UAE: Muslima sentenced to death for jihad murder of American teacher
Indonesia: Muslim cleric gets 4 years for funding jihad terror training camp
Tunisia: Beach jihad murderer trained in Libya with museum jihad murderer
Egypt: Islamic jihadists murder top public prosecutor with car bomb
Islamic State storms Syrian town on Turkish border
US having trouble finding moderate Syrians willing to fight the Islamic State
New Jersey: Another Muslim arrested for trying to aid the Islamic State
Netanyahu to Gaza flotilla:
Surely you got lost, meant to help butchered Syrians
2 Syrians reportedly kidnapped in e.Lebanon released
The Daily Star/June. 30, 2015/BEIRUT: Two Syrian men purportedly kidnapped by
unidentified gunmen in east Lebanon were released several hours later, the
National News Agency said Tuesday. The report said Mohammad Zakaria Yehya, 28,
and Ismail Fahed Noureddine, 31, were released shortly before midnight. NNA had
said the two men were kidnapped Monday morning by gunmen in a Jeep Cherokee on
Al-Masnaa road near Tuffaha Bakeries. The Daily Star could not confirm the
authenticity of the report.
Despite the security plan launched in east Lebanon last year, authorities have
been unable to prevent kidnappings in the Bekaa Valley, an area known for
hosting a large number of mafias and gangs.
Hostage families to block roads during Cabinet meet
The Daily Star/June. 30, 2015/BEIRUT: The families of Lebanon's Islamist-held
hostages vowed Tuesday to block roads across Lebanon during Thursday's Cabinet
meeting to pressure the government to take action to secure their release.
Seif Zebian, the brother of one of nine servicemen being held hostage by ISIS,
said Tuesday that the families are set to block “most” of the country’s “vital
roads” during the Cabinet session. The move, Zebian said, served to capture the
attention of ministers on the need to resolve the 10-month-long ordeal. The
announcement comes two weeks after Nizam Mgheit, the brother of another ISIS
captive, led a protest of hostage families who blocked a north Lebanon highway
for four hours. The protest was sparked after rumors emerged that ISIS killed
its hostages. Other rumors said the hostages had been moved outside of Arsal's
outskirts into Syria. ISIS is believed to be holding nine of the 25 hostages,
while the rest are with the Nusra Front. The hostages have been held on the
outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal since August, when the Army clashed
with militants from both groups in the town. The original number of captives was
37, but the Nusra Front has since released eight and shot dead two, while ISIS
beheaded two.
Salam
Calls for Keeping Army 'Away from Politics', Urges Govt. Parties to 'Put Aside
Thorny Issues'
Naharnet/June 30/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Tuesday called on the
political parties to keep the military institution “away from politics,” amid a
row over the appointment of a new army chief, as he urged the members of the
coalition government to “put aside the thorny issues.”“We reassure the Lebanese
that security is fine inside the country and on the borders. It is in the safe
hands of the army command and soldiers and the national duty requires continued
support for the military force through funds and equipment,” said Salam during a
Ramadan iftar banquet organized by Dar al-Aytam al-Islamiya. The military
institution “must be kept away from politics and its achievement must not be
insulted,” the PM stressed. The controversial issue of security and military
appointments had prompted Salam to suspend cabinet sessions for more than three
weeks. However, the premier has called on the cabinet to convene Thursday,
saying he could no longer wait for the rival political parties to resolve their
disputes. In his speech on Tuesday, Salam insisted that his call for a cabinet
session is in line with the powers vested in him by the Constitution. “I call on
everyone to return to their consciences and to act responsibly by putting aside
the thorny issues and embarking on addressing people's affairs, away from
obstruction and paralysis,” Salam said. He noted that “a lot of vital and
extremely important issues are pending.” The prime minister also called for the
resumption of the parliament's legislative sessions and for the speedy election
of a new president. The Free Patriotic Movement had threatened to boycott
cabinet sessions if the agenda is not topped with the appointment of
high-ranking security and military officials. However, it announced Tuesday that
it will attend Thursday's session in order to address the absence of this topic
from its agenda. FPM leader MP Michel Aoun has been lobbying for political
consensus on the appointment of Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz,
his son-in-law, as army chief as part of a package for the appointment of other
top security officers. Roukoz's tenure ends in October while the term of army
commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji expires at the end of September.
Salam Says he Called Cabinet Meet for Being Unable to Wait
Naharnet/June 30/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam has said that he called for a
cabinet session next Thursday because he could no longer wait for the rival
political parties to resolve their disputes. Salam was quoted as saying by his
visitors “I could no longer wait.” The PM invited the cabinet to convene, saying
the agenda would be carried over from the last time the government met on June
4. The controversial issue of security and military appointments is not on the
agenda of the session, Salam, whose remarks were published in al-Mustaqbal
newspaper on Tuesday, said. The premier suspended sessions earlier this month
when Free Patriotic Movement ministers warned that they would boycott any
session whose agenda is not topped with the appointments of the high-ranking
officials.
Al-Akhbar daily quoted the PM as saying that “the interests of people need to be
addressed.”He also revealed that he is “aware FPM ministers could boycott
Thursday's session, which could be the last before the (Eid al-Fitr) holidays,
but things can no longer be left the way they are.”Education Minister Elias Bou
Saab, who is an FPM member, reiterated, however, that the party's
representatives will attend any session that Salam calls for. “But because we
are not able to impose on any side the military and security appointments, the
other party cannot impose on us any other clause,” he told al-Joumhouria daily.
“The solution should come through understanding and consensus among the
different factions that make up the cabinet,” said Bou Saab. A ministerial
source told al-Akhbar that Salam had the blessing of Speaker Nabih Berri when he
called for the session. His invitation is aimed at pressuring all sides to reach
a solution by the end of the holy month of Ramadan and to revive the work of the
government, said the source. The two leaders met over the weekend.
Qahwaji Inspects Troops Around Arsal as Army Arrests 8
Suspected Syrian Terrorists
Naharnet/30 June/15/Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji inspected on Tuesday Lebanese
soldiers who are deployed around the northeastern border town of Arsal to stop
the infiltration of militants.
Qahwaji was accompanied by Defense Minister Samir Moqbel. They arrived by
helicopter to Labweh from where they headed to Arsal. Their visit came as the
Lebanese army announced the arrest of eight Syrians on suspicion of belonging to
terrorist organizations. Syrian Walid Ahmed Youssef was apprehended on Monday
night in an area between Labweh and Arsal for belonging to a terrorist group,
the military said in a communique It also said that “seven Syrians were arrested
on suspicion of belonging to terrorist organizations spread on the outskirts of
Arsal.”The military has beefed up its measures in and around Arsal and other
eastern border villages to stop the infiltration of fighters from Syria.
Soldiers have frequently clashed with jihadists from al-Nusra Front and the
Islamic State group, whose threat rose in August last year when they overran
Arsal and took with them troops and policemen as captives.
Mustaqbal Dismisses 'Christian Poll' Idea as Attempt to
'Invent New Norms'
Naharnet/June 30/15/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday reiterated its
call for the speedy election of a new president, warning against any attempt to
“invent new legal norms” in this regard. “The priority remains the speedy
election of a president, which must be the top priority in this critical period
that Lebanon and the region are going through,” said the bloc in a statement
issued after its weekly meeting. “It is necessary to abide by the Constitution
and refrain from inventing new legal norms that would obstruct the election of a
new president,” it added. As a suggestion to resolve the presidential crisis,
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun has recently proposed organizing a
survey to determine which Christian party or parties are the most influential in
the country. His idea has garnered the support of Lebanese Forces leader Samir
Geagea and Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh amid reservations by the
Kataeb Party.But Mustaqbal stressed Tuesday that efforts must be exerted to
elect a president through a parliamentary vote, describing it as “the only
constitutional mechanism.”The bloc also urged adherence to “Article 27 of the
Constitution,” saying it “makes every MP a representative of the entire nation”
and “stipulates that Lebanese lawmakers should not be confined by any
restrictions or conditions as they perform their duties.” Aoun's Change and
Reform bloc had noted earlier in the day that the suggested survey would “mark a
positive precedent in Lebanon and serve as a reminder that the people
exist.”“The disregard of the people has led us to the situation that we are in
now,” Change and Reform said. Commenting on Prime Minister Tammam Salam's call
for a Thursday cabinet session, Mustaqbal voiced support for his move, pointing
out that it comes after “premeditated obstruction that was practiced by several
political parties.” It accused those parties of “harming the interests of
Lebanese citizens and subjecting them to futile adventures over personal and
family interests.”
Personal Disputes Leave 3 People Dead in Beirut and Bint
Jbeil
Naharnet/June 30/15/A man was killed overnight in a dispute between drug dealers
in Farhat neighborhood that lies behind Beirut Camille Chamoun Sports City, the
state-run National News Agency said on Tuesday. According to reports, the
dispute erupted between Lebanese and Palestinian drug-dealer gangs. No further
information has been released so far. In another report, a young man was shot to
death by his neighbor in the southern town of Bint Jbeil against the backdrop of
a personal dispute. Twenty-year-old Mokhtar Mohammed Wizani from the town of
Shaqra in Bint Jbeil district was shot in the chest at dawn when a personal
dispute erupted with Hussain Mahmoud Zeeb who did not think twice about shooting
him. Witnesses said that the father of the deceased was shocked when he saw his
son lying dead in a pool of blood and at once died of a heart attack. Bodies of
the two men were transferred to a hospital and security forces arrested Zeeb and
opened investigation in the case.
Change and Reform Ministers to Attend Cabinet Meeting to 'Tackle Absence of
Appointments Issue'
Naharnet/ June 30/15/The Change and Reform bloc deemed on Tuesday the omission
of the security appointments file from cabinet's session on Thursday as a “legal
and constitutional violation.”MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the bloc's weekly
meeting: “Our ministers will attend the meeting to address the absence of this
matter from its agenda.”He declared that the absence of the controversial file
disregards the principle of rotation of power in Lebanon, “which is needed given
the situation the country is passing through.”Furthermore, the bloc tackled the
recently proposed survey to determine which Christian party or parties are the
most influential in the country. Kanaan explained that the majority of the
Christian parties he had recently toured, except for the Kataeb, had supported
the suggestion.“We have taken its objection into consideration, but we believe
that it does not violate the constitution and it should be held,” he emphasized.
“We must hold the survey because it will mark a positive precedent in Lebanon
and serve as a reminder that the people exist and that we should turn to them,”
explained the MP. “The disregard of the people has led us to the situation that
we are in now,” he added. “We should no longer ignore the people or let them
down,” he stressed. Kanaan had held talks on Monday with Lebanese Forces leader
Samir Geagea, Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, and Kataeb chief MP
Sami Gameyel to garner support for the survey. “It is a democratic necessity to
explore the choices of Christians whenever the need arises and there is no need
to give this issue other dimensions or to claim that it violates the legal
norms,” Kanaan added. “It is unacceptable to keep Christians outside the
equation at every juncture. We are supposed to be in a country that respects
(sectarian) balance, partnership and the National Pact,” he underlined. “The
survey is aimed at setting the choices of Christians to consolidate them and
tell everyone that we have candidates for the presidency,” Kanaan added. He did
not rule out the possibility of covering non-Christian parties in future
surveys. Baabda Palace has been vacant since the term of President Michel
Suleiman ended in May last year. The rivalry between Free Patriotic Movement
chief MP Michel Aoun and Geagea is partly to be blamed for the presidential
deadlock. The two leaders had announced earlier this month a declaration of
intent, which as a first step, will likely be put into effect through the
implementation of Aoun's proposal to carry out the poll.
Saudi ambassador to Lebanon responds to WikiLeaks: 'We are
not ashamed of anything'
Nizar Hassan/The Daily Star/June. 30, 2015/BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia is not ashamed
of any of the information revealed in the secret documents published by
WikiLeaks earlier this month, which included revelations of financial support to
Lebanese politicians and media who promised to promote Riyadh's interests, the
Saudi ambassador to Lebanon said Tuesday. On June 19, Wikileaks published more
than 60,000 secret cables from Saudi embassies around the world, including its
mission in Beirut, in which Saudi officials speak bluntly about their goals and
interests in Lebanon. “Saudi Arabia’s policy is known to everyone, and when it
supports any political side or party, it is serving Lebanon’s interests,” Saudi
Ambassador Ali Awad Asiri told reporters after a meeting with former President
Michel Sleiman Tuesday. “[We] did not support building any militias in Lebanon,
nor did we conspire against the Lebanese or trick them,” he added.
The leaked documents, which the kingdom had urged media and individuals against
publishing, revealed that prominent Lebanese politicians and media had sought
millions of dollars from Riyadh, with many promising to push Saudi policies in
return. “Saudi’s Arabia’s policy is about doing good for Lebanon, be it in
secret or in public. This is why we are not ashamed of anything,” Asiri said.
Asiri voiced pride in Riyadh's economic support to Lebanon after the country's
civil war, and the humanitarian aid it is currently channeling to the more than
1 million Syrian refugees it hosts today. Saudi officials never explicitly
challenged the authenticity of the documents, and Asiri's comments Tuesday
indicated that they are in fact genuine. WikiLeaks says the batch of documents
released earlier this month was only the first of about half a million it had
obtained. Among the documents leaked so far was a 2012 letter that said Lebanese
Forces chief Samir Geagea was ready "to do what the kingdom asks him to do” in
exchange for money. Geagea, who has not commented on the leaks since they
emerged, had pleaded for financial assistance from Saudi Arabia when his party
was going bankrupt. In the letter, then-Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal
recommended to the late-King Abdullah that Geagea receive the money requested
since he pledged to “work under the kingdom’s instructions.”
A separate document dated Jan. 2, 2013 said Lebanese MP Boutros Harb was
planning to split from the March 14 political camp to launch his own group after
the parliamentary elections, which were eventually cancelled that year. In a
meeting with Faisal, Harb “hoped that the kingdom would support this [new
political] gathering morally, politically and financially,” but on the condition
that the aid would not be channeled through Future Movement chief Saad Hariri.
Another document revealed that Michel Mouawad, the son of former minister Nayla
Mouawad and late-President Rene Mouawad, requested a meeting with the Saudi
king. However, their request was turned down and they were only given an
appointment six months later with the deputy foreign minister. During the
meeting, Mouawad asked Saudi Arabia for “urgent assistance” ahead of the
elections that were supposed to be held in 2013 to win back seats lost during
the previous election.
Another document revealed that then-Kataeb Party chief Amine Gemayel was seeking
Saudi Arabia’s permission to visit Syria and accept the Syrian government’s
efforts to restore relations with his party. The document - a letter from Asiri
to Faisal - mentioned that Gemayel would abide by the “king’s personal
instructions” and would not take any action except "under King Abdullah’s
command.” It said that his party’s relations with Syria would follow the
“standard” set by the kingdom. Other cables were focused on the money dynamics
between Saudi Arabia and Lebanese media. One document showed that the kingdom
accepted to fund Lebanese TV channel MTV with $2 million in four installments of
$500,000. The funding would be accompanied by an action plan to ensure the
station would “serve the kingdom’s causes” against “opposing media in Lebanon
and elsewhere,” according to the document.
LBC, another prominent Lebanese channel, was also the subject of two leaked
document. In one of them, the Saudi Foreign Ministry requested information about
Iran’s willingess to fund Pierre Daher, the company’s chairman. Another letter
from Faisal to royal authorities included a warning about a report aired on LBC
that claimed former President Michel Sleiman had asked Faisal to mediate an end
to Israel’s occupation of the Shebaa Farms. The letter, quoting Asiri, said that
LBC could “go to the extreme” in its stances against the kingdom. To prevent
that would require them to exert "pressure [on] the channel," Asiri said. Such
pressure should be applied through the Choueiri Group, “which is a Lebanese
advertising company that has wide interests in the kingdom, and controls a large
part of the Lebanese advertising market," Asiri recommended.
The document also revealed the possibility of blocking LBC’s satellite
broadcasting through legal procedures to punish it for the Shebaa Farms report.
In other leaked documents, Asiri discusses ways to “deal with” Nasri al-Sayegh,
a journalist who wrote an opinion piece criticizing Saudi foreign policy for As-Safir
newspaper. Among the methods discussed to punish him was increasing support to
pro-saudi newspapers in Lebanon, including An-Nahar, Al-Joumhouria and Al-Mustaqbal.
Sayegh was described as a “left-leaning Christian who belongs to the Syrian
Social Nationalist Party,” noting that his daughter was married to a Shiite
Muslim. Another document also showed how Lebanese media personality May Chidiac
requested Saudi funding for her Media Academy. Aouni al-Kaaki, the
editor-in-chief of Al-Sharq newspaper, also asked for financial assistance,
according to another cable, saying he was $3 million in debt and had refused
offers of assistance from Qatar, Syria and Iran. Kaaki, who was elected to head
the Lebanese Press Federation earlier this year, said that “Iran supports
Hezbollah with $1 billion per year and possesses a dangerous agenda targeting
Lebanon and the whole region including Israel.”
Next Cabinet meet to offer 'space for discussion': Salam
The Daily Star/June 30/15/BEIRUT: The next Cabinet session would be a “space for
discussion between rival political parties," Prime Minister Tammam Salam said
Tuesday, calling for ministers to act responsibly. “Because I am convinced that
the Cabinet should not stop steering the state’s wheel ..., and acting on [my]
prerogatives stated by the Constitution... I called yesterday for a Cabinet
session this Thursday, after the sessions had been halted for three weeks.”“I
wanted it to be a space for discussion.”Free Patriotic Movement ministers
announced one month ago they would prevent the Cabinet from making any decision
before discussing successors to the country’s security chiefs, prompting Salam
to cancel three consecutive sessions. FPM leader Michel Aoun supports his
son-in-law, Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Shamel Roukoz, to succeed Army
Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi, who is set to retire in September. Speaking at an
Iftar dinner held by an Islamic charity group, Salam called on “everyone to
return to their consciences and act responsibly by transcending partisan
interests and sidelining controversial maters.”“I believe in the highly
patriotic sense of all components of the Cabinet... and their ability to provide
the best environment for productive work, away from disruption and paralysis,”
the premier said.
In a response to Salam's decision, FPM's top MP Ibrahim Kanaan said his party
would continue insisting that security appointments should top the Cabinet's
agenda for this week’s session despite the risk of paralysis.
FPM ministers won't be silent over appointments at Cabinet meet: Kanaan
The Daily Star/The Daily Star/June 30/15/BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement
ministers will continue to insist that security appointments should top the
Cabinet's agenda for this week’s session despite the risk of paralysis, a top
party MP said Tuesday. “We announce our commitment to our position,” Ibrahim
Kanaan said after a weekly meeting for the party’s parliamentary bloc. The FPM
lawmaker lamented the exclusion of the issue of security appointments from the
agenda for Thursday’s meeting, describing the move as a “legal and
constitutional violation.” Neglecting the issue of appointments, according to
the MP, is a “dangerous” move that reinforces the choice of extending mandates
for all important posts. The FPM’s position, however, will not lead ministers to
withdraw from government, he said, noting that the party’s representatives in
Cabinet will continue to exercise their rights in determining what topics should
be discussed. Kanaan’s comments come one day after Prime Minister Tammam Salam
set a Cabinet session for Thursday, ending three weeks of paralysis over the
issue of security appointments. But Salam’s decision did not herald an agreement
on the thorny issue, as FPM ministers continue to insist that appointments
should top the session’s agenda. The Cabinet has not convened since June 4 due
to the disagreement. FPM leader Michel Aoun supports his son-in-law, Brig. Gen.
Shamel Roukoz, chief of the Army’s Commando Regiment, to succeed Army commander
Gen. Jean Kawhagi, set to retire in September. He is backed by his allies in
Hezbollah, the Tashnag Party and the Marada Movement. The four groups have six
ministers in the 24-member national unity government. The FPM MP also reiterated
his party's call on the government to take action to liberate the volatile
border town of Arsal from the threat of Syrian extremist groups entrenched along
Lebanon's border with Syria. He urged the government to reveal the practical
steps and measures that have been taken since ministers last month tasked the
military with taking measures to distance the threat from the northeastern town.
Iranians arrive
in Vienna to seal the deal; interim agreement extended 7 days
J.Post/30 June/15/VIENNA -- Iran's full delegation arrived in Vienna on Tuesday
to complete a final, comprehensive agreement with world powers that will govern
its nuclear program going forward. Tuesday was originally the self-imposed
deadline for that deal, however the P5+1 group of world powers and Iran agreed
to formally extend the terms of the interim agreement by seven days to buy time
for a comprehensive deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was
accompanied by Ali Akbar Salehi, the country's chief technical expert at the
talks, as well as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's brother and several of
their aides. Zarif told Iranian press that he had been in Tehran for
consultations on Monday. But arriving at the Coburg Palace here in the Austrian
capital, he rejected that he had traveled back to Iran for 24 hours to receive a
mandate to close the deal from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "I didn't
go to get a mandate," he said. "I already had a mandate to negotiate. And I'm
here to get a final deal, and I think we can."
During Zarif's bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry— which
lasted an hour— Khamenei sent out a message on Twitter blessing his negotiating
team. "I recognize our negotiators as trustworthy, committed, brave and
faithful," he said, along with a photo of the team in white lab coats and the
hashtag, "#IranTalks."On Monday, a senior Obama administration official said
that negotiations could go on for days, but that this was the final round— and
that it might prove to be a rollercoaster. "There wasn't paper out of Lausanne.
You didn't have a text. You had parameters," the official said, on the condition
of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. The official was referring to
a framework for a nuclear deal agreed upon in Lausanne, Switzerland, back on
April 2. Agreements in principle from Lausanne are now being put to paper, and
the official said that, in doing so, the devil has proven to be in the details.
"You are going to have a text," the official added, noting the "staggeringly
consequential" nature of the deal they are about to broker. "It will be evident
to everyone what has been agreed." A rally was held on Tuesday in Tehran,
attended by supporters of the supreme leader's conditions for a nuclear deal.
Those include a rejection of all access to its military sites sought by
international inspectors, and immediate sanctions relief upon the signing of a
deal. But US negotiators say there will be no "signing." Instead, a deal will
involve a phase of adoption, a phase of implementation, and then a phase when
all provisions of the deal go live.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as
well as Germany Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, also arrived in Vienna
on Tuesday. They both plan on meeting with Kerry and Zarif.
Dr. Walid Phares: For change in Iran,
back the Resistance, not the regime -
NCRI/Tuesday, 30 June 2015 15:01
http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran-resistance/18621-for-change-in-iran-back-the-resistance-not-the-regime-expert
Dr. Walid Phares advises members of the US Congress on the Middle East and
teaches international relations at universities in Washington D.C.
Many United States luminaries are advocating for the U.S. government to open up
"direct, collaborative talks" with the Iranian Resistance, according to top
Middle East expert Dr Walid Phares.
"It represents the very thing that U.S. policy in the Middle East should be
focused on—but isn’t, namely the empowerment of moderate and progressive Muslim
groups for the sake of delegitimizing and marginalizing the all-too-common
extremist element," Dr Phares wrote in Forbes on Monday.
A number of former US officials and foreign policy experts recently issued a
statement to the US government calling for four specific policy initiatives, he
said:
1) the application of stricter demands in the nuclear negotiations with Iran; 2)
confrontation of Iran’s destructive and destabilizing role in the Middle East;
3) increased attention to the abysmal Iranian record on human rights; and 4) to
help facilitate action on the first three points by engaging in “respectful
dialogue with the Iranian opposition, consistent with our country’s policy of
dialogue with all political groups.”
"A copy of the statement was presented to Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the
National Council of Resistance of Iran and its main constituent organization the
People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, at a gathering of Iranians in Paris
with more than 100,000 participants," he added.
This statement, Dr Phares argued, is significant for a number of reasons:
"First, witness the combination of the signatories which included senior former
US officials and military leaders with knowledge on national security and
foreign policy. And at a time of unprecedented partisan politics in Washington
(particularly regarding Iran), the Policy Initiative includes both senior
Democrats and Republicans."
"Second, it has identified lack of communication and dialogue with the Iranian
democratic opposition by both Democratic and Republican leadership as the
missing part of U.S. policy on Iran."
"Third, it offers a practical approach on nuclear negotiations with Iran as well
as the crisis in the region by recognizing that Tehran’s leadership has shown no
desire for abandoning its nuclear program. The regime is part of the problem—not
the solution."
"Fourth, the core of the new Policy Initiative is the recommendation to 'break
the stalemate' and to 'side with 80 million Iranian people and their desire,
along with people everywhere, for freedom and popular sovereignty based on
democratic principles' and 'engaging with the Iranian opposition.' In this
respect the bipartisan collation also recognizes the role of 'Mrs. Maryam Rajavi,
as a Muslim woman advocating a tolerant and democratic interpretation of
Islam.'"
"The message delivered at this rally is one of broad-based change in Iran—away
from the religious fascism of the current regime and towards true democracy,
rule of law, respect for the rights of women and minorities, and other similar
principles outlined in Mrs. Rajavi’s 10-point plan for the future of the
country."
Current US policies, Dr Phares said, seem to embrace an "inaccurate and limiting
narrative about the Middle East which views radicalism as a necessary element of
regional culture and politics. We can see this, for instance, in the Obama
administration’s efforts to encourage Iranian influence in Iraq in hopes of
playing off the Shiite theocracy against the Sunni militants of the Islamic
State."
"But there are few real distinctions between those two groups, and any outcome
of a conflict between them is a net loss for Western interests in the Middle
East. The recent policy statement makes it clear that its American signatories
understand this. The document points out that the Islamic Republic of Iran is
effectively the prototype for Middle East, state-sponsored Islamist extremism.
It says, 'If ISIS succeeds, what the world will get is a Sunni version of
Khomeini’s Iran.'"
"Conversely, even if Iran succeeds—an outcome explicitly endorsed by the Obama
administration—what we will be left with in Iraq and Syria is a series of
proxies under the control of the Shiite version of ISIS. While ISIS beheads its
enemies and seeks to establish a region-wide caliphate, Tehran hangs political
dissenters for the sake of an Islamist political system whose founder mandated
the expansion of Iranian power to unify and dominate the Muslim world."
"We should not be satisfied with these alternatives. In either case we are left
with a Middle East that is less stable than it might be, owing to the constant
presence of sectarian discord. This has been Iran’s legacy in the region, and it
will be the legacy of the continuation of a policy that embraces Iran’s
extremism in opposition to another brand of extremism. The signers of the
statement know this and point out that they have been warning of Iran’s
sectarian influence for some time."
"So too has the Iranian resistance. This fact alone should encourage Western
policymakers to recognize the resistance as a non-sectarian, moderate
alternative to our current short list of prospective partners in the Middle East
and the Muslim world. What’s more, its Western-friendly ideologies also provide
it with popular support from among the educated, progressive population of Iran,
giving the group great power."
"The significance of that power should be clear in the issues and threats to
Western security behind the other three policy recommendations offered. Still,
the U.S. government has evidently been loath to seriously confront Iran on its
nuclear program, its actions in Yemen. Bahrain and Syria, and its constant
hangings and political imprisonments. Why? Because the current administration
fears the consequences of poor relations with both sides of the sectarian
divide."
"But this is nothing to fear as long as we recognize that there is an
alternative—and there is. The Iranian resistance stands ready to help us in
putting pressure on our enemies instead of engaging them in conciliatory
negotiations. It stands ready to promote Western democratic ideals in places
where some policymakers seem to think they cannot soon take hold."
"The recommendations in that document do not just represent a better way forward
for U.S. policy in the Middle East; they urge the fundamental realignment of a
policy in favor of freedom and democracy, instead of half-measures and
unprincipled pragmatism."
**Dr. Phares advises members of the US Congress on the Middle East and teaches
international relations at universities in Washington D.C.
ISIS scores up gains and losses in
Syrian fighting
Sylvia WestallSuleiman al-Khalidi| Reuters/The Daily Star/June 30/15/AMMAN: ISIS
fighters stormed the Syrian town of Tal Abyad on the Turkish border Tuesday and
captured a neighborhood from the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, but suffered
setbacks in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, activists and the army said. ISIS
has launched simultaneous attacks against Syrian government and Kurdish militia
this past week in the multi-sided Syrian civil war after losing ground to
Kurdish-led forces near the capital of its "caliphate."
Backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, the YPG militia has advanced deep into the
militants' stronghold province, Raqqa, capturing key positions from the jihadis,
including Tal Abyad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group that monitors
the war said there were heavy clashes Tuesday around Tal Abyad, which serves as
a border crossing, and that militants had taken control of an area in the
eastern part of the town. YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said clashes were ongoing
with the militants who had infiltrated a village on the outskirts of the town.
"They are encircled ... this will be mass suicide for them," he told Reuters.
The British-based Observatory, which tracks violence across Syria through
sources on the ground, said ISIS had deployed scores of fighters across several
villages. The ultra-radical group, which holds large tracts of Syria's thinly
populated east, launched a lighting assault on the strategic northeastern city
of Hassakeh last Thursday in a bid to capture government-held districts. But in
the last two days, the Syrian army has been able to regain most of the areas of
the city the militants had seized. The Syrian army's ability to hold on to
Hassakeh and also separately repel a major rebel assault on the provincial
capital of the southern province of Deraa on the border with Jordan, stands in
stark contrast to a string of recent setbacks.
Hassakeh is important for all sides, because it sits between ISIS-held territory
in Syria and in nearby Iraq.
Syrian state television said in a newsflash the army had retaken most of Ghwyran
district, the largest populated area in the city, and one of several districts
that were recently overrun by insurgents. In the Aziziya neighborhood, further
east of Hassakeh, the army had gained the upper hand with help from Kurdish-led
forces, residents said. On Monday, the army said it took back most of Nashwa
district. The Islamist insurgents have deployed scores of suicide bombers
against army checkpoints in Hassakeh, enabling them to move into positions
deeper inside the city. Hassakeh has been divided into areas run separately by
Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and regional Kurdish authorities, and
has an ethnically and religiously mixed population of Arabs and Kurds. Although
the militants had been mainly driven out, fighting continued in some streets
where they had taken up sniper positions, locals said. "Islamic State (ISIS) had
withdrawn from most of the districts but did not leave it completely and their
snipers in some areas are preventing the full advance of the army," said Ali
Hreith, a Hassakeh resident on the Turkish-Syrian border. State television said
the army had destroyed a fire engine laden with explosives that the militants
had sought to ram into an army post inside the city's Nashwa district.
Around 1,200 escape from Yemen prison, including Al-Qaeda
suspects
Reuters/The Daily Star/June 30/15/SANAA: Around 1,200 prisoners, including
Al-Qaeda suspects, escaped during clashes at a jail in central Yemen on Tuesday,
officials said. The incident is the biggest in a series of prison breaks that
have freed Yemeni militants in recent years and signals the further erosion of
the state amid a raging civil war. "Groups of Al-Qaeda supporters ... today
attacked the central prison in the city of Taiz and more than 1,200 of the
dangerous prisoners escaped," state news agency Saba quoted a security official
as saying. Another local official told Reuters some of the escapees were
"suspected of belonging to Al-Qaeda" but said they left amid heavy clashes
between warring militias in the city. Shiite Muslim Houthi fighters entered Taiz
in March, in a southward push from their base in the capital Sanaa that drew
military intervention from a Saudi Arabian-led coalition. But three months of
airstrikes have yet to push back the group and units in Yemen's army that are
loyal to Houthi ally Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country's ex-president. The
security official said army forces linked to Saleh allowed the prisoners to
escape as the militiamen, dubbed "popular committees" by their supporters,
advanced. "Heavy fighting took place near the central prison and the popular
committees approached and seized control of the area, but Saleh's forces opened
the prison doors," the official said. Another group of Al-Qaeda militants
escaped from a prison in the eastern city of Mukalla in April after army forces
suddenly quit the city. Al-Qaeda and other hardline Sunni groups condemn the
Houthis as apostates worthy of death, and the two groups are fighting each other
in several areas in central Yemen.
Tunisia says resort gunman was trained in Libya
Ines Bel Aiba| Agence France Presse/The Daily Star/June 30/15
TUNIS: The gunman who killed 38 tourists in Tunisia received weapons training
from jihadis in Libya, a top official said Tuesday, as the president admitted
security services were unprepared for the attack. On Friday, a student
identified as 23-year-old Seifeddine Rezgui pulled a Kalashnikov assault rifle
from inside a beach umbrella and went on a bloody rampage at the five-star Riu
Imperial Marhaba hotel in Port El Kantaoui near Sousse. Secretary of state for
security Rafik Chelli told AFP Rezgui had been in Libya at the same time as the
two authors of a March attack at the National Bardo Museum in Tunis that killed
21 tourists and a policeman. Both attacks were claimed by ISIS, which controls
large swathes of Iraq and Syria. "It is confirmed that he (Rezgui) went to Libya
illegally. He was trained in Sabratha (west of Tripoli)," Chelli said. "They
were away at the same time ... In Sabratha, there is only one camp that trains
young Tunisians," he said, although he could not confirm whether they had
trained together. The camp was run by the jihadi Ansar al-Shariah group, Chelly
added. His statement came after French radio broadcast an interview with
President Beji Caid Essebsi, who said security had been boosted after the museum
attack in other areas for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But authorities had
not expected Tunisia's beaches to be targeted, he said. "It is true that we were
surprised by this incident. Arrangements were made for the month of Ramadan, but
they never thought (measures) had to be taken on the beaches," Essebsi told
Europe 1.After the Bardo attack, jihadis threatened further violence, with ISIS
sympathisers tweeting under the hashtag #IWillComeToTunisiaThisSummer. "It's not
a perfect system," Essebsi said, vowing disciplinary action "if there were
failings." Tunisia is expected to deploy 1,000 armed officers Wednesday to
reinforce tourism police - who will also be armed - at beaches and attractions.
There were no signs yet of increased security at the scene of Friday's
shootings, with no police visible at the hotel or in the surrounding area, an
AFP journalist said. Police and vehicles deployed Monday during a visit by the
interior ministers of Britain, France and Germany were gone by Tuesday morning.
Several witnesses said the attack lasted more than 30 minutes before the gunman
was shot dead, but officials say they were on the scene within minutes.
Thousands of frightened tourists have fled the country since Friday, including
at least 4,000 who flew home to Britain, the country hardest hit. Tunisian
health authorities have now identified 33 of the victims, 25 of them Britons,
with British officials warning the number is expected to rise to at least 30.
British Prime Minister David Cameron's spokeswoman told reporters that the first
bodies of British victims were expected to be repatriated Wednesday. It was
Britain's worst loss of life in a jihadi attack since the July 2005 London
bombings. Tunisia's crucial tourism industry was already suffering from the
upheaval that followed the 2011 overthrow of ex-dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
and other jihadi attacks. But officials said Friday's massacre may do the most
damage yet. "We can count, at least, with regards to the impact on gross
domestic product (GDP), on a loss of earnings of a billion dinars ($515
million/460 million euros)," Tourism Minister Selma Elloumi Rekik told reporters
late Monday."I think that's just the minimum, but it's still an
estimate."Tourism accounts for seven percent of Tunisia's GDP and employs around
400,000 people. "If tourism collapses ... the economy falls apart," the minister
warned, announcing government plans to provide exceptional loans to help tourism
businesses. France's travel agency union said Monday that 80 percent of package
holidays booked for July had been canceled, with customers rushing to other
destinations. Some, however, have not changed their plans. "I think we need to
help our Tunisian friends," said Christiane, a French tourist arriving at
Monastir airport near Port El Kantaoui. In a separate development, the trial of
24 people accused of links to the February 2013 assassination of prominent
Tunisian opposition figure Chokri Belaid began and was adjourned to October 30.
Belaid, gunned down outside his home, was a staunch leftwing critic of the
then-ruling Ennahda party, a moderate Islamist movement. Jihadis claimed the
killing and the authorities announced in February 2014 that Belaid's assassin
had been killed in a police raid on "terrorist" suspects. But Belaid's family
has repeatedly demanded to know the full truth behind the murder.
Iran nuclear talks deadline extended to July 7: US
Agence France Presse/The Daily Star/June 30/15/VIENNA: Iran and major powers
Tuesday effectively gave themselves until July 7 to reach a nuclear deal, the
U.S. said as a midnight deadline approached in talks in Vienna with no agreement
in sight. "The P5+1 and Iran have decided to extend the measures under (a 2013
interim deal) ... until July 7 to allow more time for negotiations to reach a
long-term solution," State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said. A senior
State Department official added that this meant that the talks were effectively
extended until that date. The official added however that this did "not
necessarily mean they will go until the 7th or end on the 7th."Under the
November 2013 interim deal between major powers and Iran, Tehran froze parts of
its nuclear program in exchange for minor relief from painful sanctions. Iran
and the P5+1 - the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -
have been trying since then to turn this interim deal into a more ambitious and
lasting agreement. After missing two deadlines in July and November 2014, in
April 2015 they agreed in Lausanne, Switzerland the main outlines of the final
deal and gave themselves until June 30 to finalize it. Tuesday's announcement
came as talks continued in the Austrian capital involving U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, their Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov and others.
Turkey seeks to calm speculation over Syria invasion
Agence France Presse/The Daily Star/June 30/15/ANKARA: Turkey sought to calm
speculation Tuesday it was planning to invade Syria, saying it would not act
unilaterally but has a right to protect its borders. "To interpret our border
security measures as 'Turkey is going to war'... is not very rational,"
presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told a press conference in Ankara. "A
country has a natural right to protect its borders," he said. Kalin added that
Turkey would not take any "unilateral steps" and would continue to act in line
with the international community in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis.
Pro-government media outlets had claimed that the government was planning a
cross-border operation in Syria, which would involve 18,000 ground troops and
include the creation of a 110-kilometer (68-mile) long buffer zone within Syria.
Turkey's top security body, chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
held a meeting Monday and released a statement that voiced concerns over recent
developments in Syria. However, it made no mention of immediate military action.
On Saturday, two days after an attack by ISIS that left more than 200 civilians
dead in the Syrian city of Kobani, Kurdish forces drove the militants out of the
highly symbolic border town which Kurds had wrested from ISIS in January. The
ISIS attack was widely seen as vengeance for a series of defeats at the hands of
Kurdish militias, particularly the jihadis' loss of Tal Abyad, another Syrian
border town further east, on June 16. The Kurds' advance has alarmed Turkish
officials, who accuse the Kurdish militiamen of seeking to unite the
Kurdish-majority areas of Syria. Authorities fear the growing power of Kurdish
forces will embolden Turkey's 15-million strong Kurdish minority. Kalin again
denied persistent claims by Kurds of Turkish collusion with the jihadis, saying
that Turkey "has never had and will never have any relations" with the jihadis.
Turkey is one of the fiercest opponents of Bashar Assad's regime in Damascus and
has taken in more than 1.8 million refugees since the war in Syria began. Turkey
has repeatedly called for the creation of a security zone inside Syria to
protect its borders. But the idea has received lukewarm support from its Western
allies. Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal
Kilicdaroglu warned the government not to "drag Turkey into trouble" by taking
military action in Syria, saying it would have a "high cost." But Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu Tuesday responded to Kilicdaroglu by saying: "If some people
attempt to change the map (our borders), we will react." "We won't let Turkey be
exposed to a fait accompli, or be dragged into trouble," Davutoglu said Tuesday.
Khamenei's 'Red Lines' Speech
June 30, 2015 Special Dispatch No.6088/MEMRI
At a meeting of regime officials marking Ramadan, and a week before the June 30,
2015 deadline for a nuclear deal, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei explained
in detail the red lines and conditions that Iran would demand in order for an
agreement to be reached. Khamenei reiterated yet again that there would be no
inspection of Iran's military installations or questioning of scientists, that
nuclear research and development would continue throughout the duration of the
agreement, that the sanctions on Iran would be lifted simultaneously with the
signing of the agreement and not after the IAEA confirms that Iran has met its
obligations under the agreement, and that the agreement duration proposed by the
Americans is unacceptable to Iran (for a detailed list of Iran's red lines as
tweeted on June 24, 2015 by Khamenei's office, see Appendix).[1]
Also at the meeting, Khamenei laid out the sequence of events that had led to
the negotiations with the Americans, saying that it began with President Obama's
2009 proposal to him during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and not after
President Hassan Rohani took office in 2013, as the U.S. administration claims.
He said that President Obama had promised to lift the sanctions within six
months and to recognize Iran as a nuclear power.
Negotiating with the Americans, Khamenei said, had further solidified his
understanding that they never keep their word, and that their entire aim is to
destroy Iran's nuclear industry. He added that his position on Iran's red lines
has been expressed to the Iranian nation publicly and also to the Iranian
negotiating team in private conversations; this explanation was likely in
response to American officials' claims that Khamenei's anti-U.S. and
anti-nuclear deal statements were purely for domestic purposes. Khamenei also
clearly expressed his support for the Iranian negotiators, and called the U.S.
the common enemy of all Iranian factions from both the ideological and pragmatic
camps.
Khamenei began his speech with an explanation of his political and economic
worldview and his vision for Iran's status in the world. Again presenting his
model of a "resistance economy," which he said is a culture, as the only one
that could promote Iran politically, culturally, and economically vis-à-vis the
West. The main thrust of this model, he said, was that the national
infrastructure must be properly utilized by the internal forces of Iranian
society – that is, educated young people and scientists – and that this must be
attained through religious piety and faith, determination, and strict adherence
to the principles of the regime of the Islamic Revolution. This contrasts with
the economic model promoting foreign investment, privatization, and the boosting
of the private sector, which is championed by pragmatic camp leaders Hashemi
Rafsanjani and President Hassan Rohani. Rejecting the cultural and economic
orientation towards Europe and the West – which he termed "the easier path" –
Khamenei urged regime heads and apparatuses to convey regime values to the
public, especially the younger generation; this, he said, was the difficult but
correct path to achievement.
The following is Khamenei's June 23, 2015 speech; the Appendix includes the
official list of Iran's red lines for a comprehensive nuclear agreement as
tweeted on June 24, 2015 by Khamenei's office:
"Resistance Economy" – A Model To Move Iran Towards Significant Economic
Achievements
"Society's religious piety in economic issues is the same 'resistance economy'
that protects the country from upheavals stemming from international events or
from the poisoned arrows of the international policy that opposes [the Iranian
regime]. In recent years, I have reiterated the need to strengthen the country
in light of the [Western] forces' economic takeoff. During these years, [regime]
officials have exerted commendable efforts, in accordance with their
capabilities; however, all capabilities and potential in the country must be
utilized in order to promote and actualize the resistance economy.
"The resistance economy model has been implemented in other countries, and has
impacted them positively. At the center of the resistance economy is
introspection. This internal focus does not mean aspiring to insularity, but
reliance on domestic capabilities and potential by means of looking outward. The
creation of the resistance economy was a product of collective wisdom and
lengthy consultation. Many economists supported it after it was declared, and at
this point the resistance economy has already become part of the country's
ongoing rhetoric and economic culture.
"This model of resistance economy is pitted against the old model, which was
dictated by the superpowers to third world countries... Some might say that the
resistance economy model is desirable but not viable. But I say clearly that
implementing this model in the country's current situation, taking into account
the potential that exists, is absolutely possible.
"One of the blessings of the Revolution is the existence of young educated
forces in the country – as long as a mistaken policy [i.e. population control]
does not bring [in its wake] an aging society and a decline in these young
forces.
"Today there are 10 million university graduates, and over four million students
– 25 times more than at the start of the Revolution. This number of young,
educated, expert forces is the pride of the Islamic regime [and it embodies] a
very great opportunity.
"According to international statistics, the Islamic Republic of Iran's economy
ranks 20th worldwide. If we utilize our unrealized potential, we can climb to
12th. Iran is first in the field of oil and gas reserves. Its unique geographic
location connects North with South and East with West. Its 15 neighbors, with a
total population of 370 million, constitute an open-air market that is very
close by, in addition to the large-scale domestic market of over 70 million in
Iran. This is additional potential, and if we pay attention to this domestic
market, the manufacturing situation will change.
"There is further potential in the country's basic infrastructure of energy,
transportation, communications, reactors, and dams, and also in the cumulative
administrative experience in the country. We must use this potential properly
and correctly, because Iran's problem is not a lack of the right plans or the
right declarations and expertise. The main problem, which is widespread even
among the elites, is the improper use of the right plans and declarations.
"Some problems stem from domestic challenges. Iran's greatest challenge is
negligence in implementation and a shallow, superficial view of the problems.
Philosophical discussions are not going to move this matter forward; there is a
need for movement and for long-term measures to solve the problems.
"It may be that large-scale projects will take a generation to succeed. When
there was talk of a scientific movement at Iranian universities, maybe [at that
time] no one believed that 10 or 15 years later the country's scientific
movement would reach its current situation, by virtue of the efforts of the
talented professors and young people. Today, in contrast to those years, we are
witness to significant progress, and even, in several fields, astounding
progress.
"Sometimes it is possible to provide some goods and services via two paths: The
first, easier one is through Europe; and the second, more difficult one is not
through Europe [but is through relying on ourselves]. The first path would
distress anyone, enfeebling his friends and strengthening his enemies.
"Another domestic challenge stems from the gravest and most fundamental mistake
of all: There are those who think that all roads will open [to Iran] after we
distance ourselves from the foundations of our faith and the principles of the
Islamic regime. It is the government officials who believe in the foundations
and principles of the Revolution – I have no complaints to address to them. But
in the group of those involved [in the issue], there are some who believe that
abandoning principles will open gates. However, in recent years, we have already
seen the results of this grave mistake, in several countries. The only way
forward is to stand fast and to insist on the foundations and principles.
"Yet another domestic challenge is the belief of some that the people cannot
tolerate the problems [any longer]. If the truth is explained to the people,
with the necessary sincerity and in the proper way, the people will stand fast
and show resistance. Another challenge is having doubts about the country's
domestic capabilities. We must have confidence in our young scientists and in
the people in economic matters, and must utilize their capabilities.
"Determination, refraining from sloppiness and from seeking convenience, and
reliance on jihad-oriented management are the main conditions for actualizing
the resistance economy. Jihad-oriented management is achieved through reliance
on God and on using wisdom and logic, while firmly promoting matters without
fear of foreigners.
"All media, officials, and Friday preachers, and those whose statements
influence the people, are duty-bound to spread the culture of the resistance
economy. In order to implement the policy of the resistance economy, it is
essential to be frugal, to prefer local products, particularly in the government
apparatuses, to determinedly fight against unreasonable importation and
smuggling, to pay special attention to [nurturing] small and medium
manufacturing plants, and to reexamine monetary policy and banking arrangements.
Empathy, consensus, and internal unity are the main conditions for implementing
all this. Everyone must assist the government and the officials. Engaging in
marginal matters, on the part of any faction, is unacceptable, and must be
avoided. We can carry out great work on the economic front and we can get past
this sensitive phase."
Obama Offered To Resolve The Nuclear Issue By Recognizing Iran As A Nuclear
Power
"Whatever I say at public meetings is exactly what I say in private sessions
with the [Iranian] president and with other relevant officials. That is why it
is a lie to say that in private meetings [I] disregard several official red
lines.
"The negotiating team puts forth efforts in a large number of issues and data
[provided by] the opposite side, while showing national pride, absolute
accuracy, and the intent to solve the problems and promote the country, and
expresses its opinions fairly and courageously. Anyone who is up to date on the
details of the negotiations will acknowledge everything that is said about the
negotiating team. Obviously, it is possible for them [the team] to make a
mistake in identifying [problems] and in its actions, but they are pious and
zealous people.
"I do not object to criticism. I see it as necessary and helpful. The truth is
that it is easier to criticize than to act... My words should not prevent the
continuing criticism [by the ideological circles of the negotiating team], but
we must note that the negotiating team is aware of several issues that are
subject to criticism. However, for some [of these issues], necessity is pushing
it [i.e. the negotiating team to go] several steps [farther].
"The issue of negotiating with the Americans is linked to the era of the
previous government [i.e. president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad], and to the dispatching
to Tehran of a broker to ask for negotiations. At that time, I received a visit
from a distinguished individual from the region acting as mediator [i.e. Sultan
Qaboos of Oman] who said specifically that the U.S. president [Obama] had asked
him to come to Tehran and present the American request for talks. The Americans
told this mediator: 'We want to resolve the nuclear issue and lift sanctions
within six months, while recognizing Iran as a nuclear power.' I told this
mediator that I did not trust the Americans and their words, but I agreed, on
his insistence, to reexamine this issue, and the negotiations began.
"In any diplomatic match, there are two arenas worth noting. The main arena is
that of reality, action, and creating assets. The diplomatic and policy arena is
the [second] arena where the assets are transformed into advantages and into
what secures national interests. Being empty-handed in this first arena will
make any country less flexible in the second arena According to this logic, Iran
entered into the talks with strong and important achievements, one of which was
the ability to produce nuclear fuel [enriched to] 20%. All the nuclear powers
refused to sell Iran fuel enriched to this level for nuclear medicine at the
Tehran reactor, and even prevented other countries from doing so. But Iran's
young scientists, in whom we take pride, manufactured it and formed it into fuel
rods, and the opposing side was checkmated.
"In addition to nuclear fuel [enriched to] 20%, Iran had other significant
achievements. In essence, Iran's strategy of steadfastness under pressure bore
fruit, and the Americans realized that the sanctions were not achieving their
desired result and that they must find another way.
"Iran has a skeptical view of the Americans. Nevertheless, I agreed that if the
Americans stood behind their words and their obligations [as conveyed] by this
broker from the region, then we would also pay a price, because in negotiations,
one can backtrack on the basis of wisdom and calculations. However, shortly
after the negotiations [began], they [the Americans] began showing their greed
and violating their obligations.
"A good agreement for Iran is one that is just and fair. During the
negotiations, the Americans changed their promise [on when they would] lift the
sanctions, from six months to one year, and later, due to their recurring greed,
they stretched out the negotiations, and even threatened to intensify the
sanctions, and spoke of militarization and [implementing the options both] on
the table and under the table.
"A look at the Americans' demands shows that their goal is to uproot Iran's
nuclear industry, destroy Iran's nuclear essence, and turn Iran into a
caricature, a [mere] symbol with no substance. Iran has a genuine, proven need
for 20,000 megawatts of nuclear power. They [the Americans] intend to keep
pressuring Iran in some way and to maintain the sanctions, while attempting to
destroy [Iran's] nuclear industry and deny Iranians the many benefits of this
industry. If they succeed in attaining their goals in the negotiations, it will
be a major victory for them, because they will have vanquished the
independence-loving Iranian nation, and defeated a country that can be a role
model for other countries. All their violations of their obligations and their
haggling are aimed at attaining these goals.
"From the beginning of the negotiations until today, Iran has made reasonable
demands. We said that we wanted the sanctions lifted and that in return we were
willing to give some things, as long as our nuclear industry does not stop and
does not suffer a blow."
Iran's Red Lines
"In contrast to what the Americans are insisting on, we do not accept long-term
restrictions for 10 to 12 years. We have told them how many years we are willing
to accept restrictions for.
"[Iran's] research, development, and construction will continue, even during the
restrictions. They say 'don't do anything for 12 years,' but these are
particularly violent words, and a gross mistake.
"The economic, financial and banking sanctions – whether related to the [UN]
Security Council or to the American Congress and administration – must be lifted
immediately with the signing of the agreement. The remainder of the sanctions
will also be lifted within a reasonable timeframe. The Americans are presenting
a complex, convoluted, bizarre, and stupefying formula for [removing the]
sanctions, and it is unclear what will emerge from it, but we are clearly
stating our demands.
"The lifting of the sanctions must not depend on Iran carrying out its
obligations. Don't say, 'You carry out your obligations and then the IAEA will
approve the lifting of the sanctions.' We vehemently reject this. The lifting of
the sanctions must take place simultaneously with Iran's meeting of its
obligations. We oppose the delay of the implementation of the opposite side's
obligations until the [release of] the IAEA report [verifying that Iran has met
its obligations], because the IAEA has proven repeatedly that it is neither
independent nor fair, and therefore we are pessimistic regarding it.
"They say, 'The IAEA should receive guarantees [on the nature of Iran's nuclear
program].' What an unreasonable statement[!] They will be secure only if they
inspect every inch of Iran. We vehemently reject special inspections [that are
not customary for any country except Iran], questioning of Iranian personnel,
and inspection of military facilities.
"Everyone in Iran – including myself, the government, the Majlis, the judiciary,
the security apparatuses, and the military, and all [regime] institutions – want
a good nuclear agreement, an agreement that is dignified and fair, and that is
in accordance with Iran's interests.
"Although we wish the sanctions lifted, we see them as [having brought us] a
particular kind of opportunity, because they made us pay more attention to
domestic forces and domestic potential."[2]
Appendix: List Of Iran's Red Lines As Tweeted By Khamenei's Office
On June 24, 2015, Khamenei's office tweeted a list of Iran's red lines for a
comprehensive nuclear agreement:[3]
Endnotes:
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis Series Report No. 1167, Nuclear Negotiations At
An Impasse: Leader Khamenei Rejects Agreement Reached On Token Inspection Of
Military Sites And Questioning Of Scientists; U.S. Willing To Close IAEA Dossier
On Iranian PMD, To Settle For Inspecting Declared Nuclear Sites Only, And To
Rely On Intelligence; EU Objects, June 11, 2015; and Inquiry & Analysis Series
Report No. 1171, U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry: 'We Have Absolute Knowledge'
About 'Certain Military Activities' The Iranians 'Were Engaged In'; Iran Rejects
Outright U.S. Terms For Future Inspection – For Example, Inspection Of Military
Sites, June 24, 2015.
[2] Leader.ir, June 23, 2015.
[3] Twitter.com/Khamenei_ir, June 24, 2015.
What do Israel's Druze want?
Reda Mansour /Ynetnews
Published: 06.30.15, 21:06 / Israel Opinion
Op-ed: We don’t want a single Israeli soldier to set foot in Syria in order to
save the Druze, but we do expect Israel to stop providing medical care to Syrian
rebels who have murdered Druze in cold blood.
Some of the Jewish Israelis don’t understand what the Druze in Israel want. Do
they really want Israel to intervene in the civil war in Syria in order to save
the country's Druze? Do they want Israel to open up its borders and let hundreds
of thousands of Druze refugees in?
The Jewish reader asks himself, and rightfully so: Don't we have enough trouble?
Hamas is on the fences in the south, Hezbollah is on the fences in the north,
and the spirit of the Iranian nuclear program hovers above it all.
The Druze never had external backing like the Christians or Sunnis and Shiites.
They always knew how to defend themselves even at the cost of tens of thousands
of casualties. That is one of the reasons why we remain only a million and a
half Druze after 1,000 years.
The Druze don't want Israel to open up the fence and take in hundreds of
thousands of Syrian Druze either. You can rest assured that there won't be
hundreds of thousands of Druze refugees. Just like we didn't flee Israel in 1948
in view of Palestinian gunmen's daily attacks on our villages, and just like the
Druze in Lebanon didn't flee in the 1967 civil war after being stormed by
militias and foreign armies, the Druze will not flee Suwayda. If they leave, it
will be after tens of thousands are killed in battle, and they will return with
a counterattack, and the majority of survivors will not move from their homes.
So what do we really want from the State of Israel and from our Jewish friends
in it? First of all, we expect empathy. Showing understanding means, for
example, halting the medical care being given in Israel to members of Jabhat al-Nusra
(an organization affiliated with al-Qaeda), especially after they massacred 20
Druze people in cold blood.
We don’t have to explain to the Jews what it means to be a minority which is
connected with all its heart on one side of the world to the members of its
religion and people on the other side of the world. This feeling should be clear
to the Israelis, who supported their people behind the iron curtain in the
Soviet Union or sent planes to bring Jews from villages in Ethiopia.
We have reached a situation of complete emotional solidarity with you. Not just
through 400 fallen IDF soldiers or tens of thousands of Druze who have already
served in the IDF, but solidarity in its deepest sense, which includes Druze
officers and students who participate in the March of the Living in Auschwitz
every year at their own request, and Druze diplomats who work diligently to
maintain the Jewish continuity in the Diaspora and strengthen the connection of
Jews abroad to Israel. I believe I have visited more synagogues and taken part
in more Kabalat Shabbat ceremonies than any secular Jew in Israel.
We would like you to show some consideration towards our distress. Regardless of
what you decide to do, don't choose to stain the Druze on the other side of the
border as an excuse. Despising all the Druze in Lebanon because of the actions
of a despicable murderer like Samir Kuntar is like staining all the Jews in
Israel because of Baruch Goldstein.
Instead of inciting, you should remember that during the first Lebanon War and
thanks to the intervention of the Druze in Israel, the IDF managed to cross the
entire Chouf Mountains without a single gunshot being fired at it.
To those who respond to articles here I would like to say: Don't write that you
don't care about the Druze in the Golan Heights and in Syria and that they can
all be slaughtered because they have declared their support for Syrian President
Bashar Assad. These Druze are trying to survive, and their other choices are the
Islamic State and al-Qaeda's Jabhat al-Nusra. They are no different from the
leaders of Iran's Jewish community, who declare their "animosity towards the
Zionist enemy" every week at the parliament in Tehran, and who did it even
during the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad era.
We would also like you to know that the Druze were never ungrateful. We
understand very well that free protests of tens of thousands of Druze on the
streets of our villages in Israel should not be taken for granted. This happened
only in the Israeli democracy, while the Druze in Lebanon and Jordan remained in
their homes. Moreover, we understand that it is only thanks to the standard of
living in Israel that we were able to collect $3 million within one week and
transfer it to the Druze in Syria.
Finally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi
Eisenkot's declarations of support for us moved us and are engraved in our
memory. As you know, minorities have a good memory. The State of Israel and the
IDF are a warm home and family and we won't do anything which could get them
entangled in adventures beyond the border.
How many of you can say, like I can, that they come from a family which already
has four or five generations of fighters in the IDF? My grandfather was a combat
officer in the War of Independence and my son is serving in a combat unit these
days.
But beyond this restriction, we will remain loyal to our tradition and help our
Druze brothers in any way and anywhere as we have been doing for 1,000 years now
and as you have been doing for 2,000 years now. This isn't something you are not
familiar with.
**Dr. Reda Mansour is the Israeli ambassador to Brazil. His doctoral thesis
focused on Syria's modern history.