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LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 30/15

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletins05/english.june30.15.htm

Bible Quotation For Today/Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
Matthew 16/13-20: "When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah."

Bible Quotation For Today/If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness
Second Letter to the Corinthians 11/21-30: "To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone dares to boast of I am speaking as a fool I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman I am a better one: with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches.Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not indignant?If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."

Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 29-30/15
In the name of religion, they kill/Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya/June 29/15
On eve of Iran deal, US retreats on inspections of nuclear past, speeds up sanctions relief/DEBKAfile/June 29/15
Commemorating the 15 Saudi terrorists/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June 29/15
Sectarianism is bad… until it is your side that is inciting it/H.A. Hellyer/Al Arabiya/June 29/15

Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 29-30/15
Canada's FM, Mr. Nicholson Saddened by Death of Egyptian Prosecutor General
Iran talks to miss June 30 deadline
U.S. Says Deal Reached to Give U.N. Access to Suspect Iran Sites
Houthis call for “national partnership” government
Rival Libyan factions meet for first time in UN-sponsored talks
Kuwait mosque suicide bomber not known to Saudi authorities: Interior Ministry
Car bomb attack kills Egypt's top public prosecutor
Israel, Palestinians to investigate Gaza warcrime accusations
Iraq PM 'retires' army chief of staff: spokesman
Tunisia arrests suspects associated with beach hotel attacker
Syrian army retakes parts of Hassakeh from ISIS
Israel bars foreign activist flotilla from reaching Gaza
Kuwait bomber raised no red flags, transited Bahrain
U.S. says no evidence Jordan, Turkey considering Syria buffer zones
Afghanistan and U.N. agency agree on police funding plan
UK minister vows ‘terrorists will not win’ in Tunisia tribute
Yemen’s Houthis shell Aden refinery for second time: official
Israel claims asked Syrian rebels not to harm Druze
Turkey to take ‘necessary measures’ on border security: PM Davutoglu
Putin pledges support for Syria's Assad

Jehad Watch Latest Reports And News
Netanyahu to Gaza flotilla: Surely you got lost, meant to help butchered Syrians
Tunisia: Islamic State jihadi knelt to pray to Allah after massacring tourists
Author: State Department guilty of ignoring Muslim persecution of Christians
UK’s Cameron: “I wish the BBC would stop calling it ‘Islamic State’ because it is not an Islamic state”
London mayor: “Islamic State? This death cult is not a state and it’s certainly not Islamic”
Bookmark Ibn Warraq’s new website
Islamic State releases video of Kuwait jihadi, consisting largely of Qur’an verses
Strategies of Denial Revisited, Part III
Where are the Protests to Ban Islam’s Black Flag?
Sister Hatune Dogan on Persecuted Christian Girls Under Islam — on The Glazov Gang

Canada's FM, Mr. Nicholson Saddened by Death of Egyptian Prosecutor General
June 29, 2015 - Ottawa, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Canada condemns today’s terrorist attack in Cairo, Egypt, and the apparent targeting of Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat, who died from injuries sustained in the attack. On behalf of Canada, I extend my sympathies to the family and friends of the Prosecutor General and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.
“Canada is committed to supporting long-term stability and the rule of law in Egypt. We will continue to support the Egyptian government’s efforts to combat terrorism and ensure security for all Egyptians.”

Geagea Downplays Survey Criticism, Says it Aims at Revealing Most Influential Christian Parties
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea downplayed the criticism of a survey that his party and the Free Patriotic Movement plan to carry out as part of efforts to resolve the presidential deadlock.“I don't understand why the issue has stirred such reactions although all parties carry out surveys on the elections and other issues,” Geagea said in remarks published on Monday. He told An Nahar newspaper that since Aoun proposed holding the poll earlier this year, the LF did not show any objection to it because it is not unconstitutional. “We are not imposing anything on anyone,” Geagea stressed. The survey is aimed at showing “which are the main Christian parties (in the country) because that would push others to relatively respect this fact,” he told the daily. According to An Nahar, Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel has criticized the plans to carry out the survey. The Kataeb is one of the four main Christian parties in the country. The daily said that the firm which will carry out the survey was chosen and a plan is being implemented to guarantee transparency in the results. It quoted an informed source as saying that it will not be a referendum and will not violate the constitution. Asked about the implementation of a declaration of intent that Geagea and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun announced earlier this month, the LF chief said: “Let's be realistic, no one is waiting after 30 years of differences to have a 90-degree change.”“Things are progressing gradually and we are taking steps towards the implementation of the declaration of intent,” he said. “We are seeking at the same time to resolve the issue of the presidency,” Geagea told An Nahar. “Some people have puzzled us. If we keep our differences, they criticize us and if we agree, we also receive criticism,” he added. In their declaration of intent, the two Christian leaders called for “the election of a strong president who is embraced by his community and capable of reassuring the other components of the country.” The presidential candidates agreed to strengthen state institutions, not to resort to arms or violence and to support the army. The two parties also stressed commitment to dialogue and underlined “their faith in Lebanon, the coexistence formula and the constitution.”

Salam Invites Cabinet to Convene Thursday despite Lack of Progress on Deadlock
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam called on the cabinet to convene on Thursday after a three-week suspension of sessions over the dispute on security appointments. Salam made the announcement in a terse statement he issued on Monday after local dailies quoted him as saying that he will continue his consultations with the representatives of political parties this week. He stressed, however, that he will not give up the authorities granted to him by the constitution in the absence of a president. “This week will not pass without a decision,” Salam told his visitors. “The country can no longer tolerate paralysis.”The PM suspended cabinet sessions three weeks ago after Free Patriotic Movement ministers said they would boycott any session that does not have the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials on its agenda. The reports said Salam informed Speaker Nabih Berri during a meeting they held on Saturday that he would invite for a session before Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan next month. Berri was also quoted by the newspapers as saying that he discussed with Salam several issues, mainly the cabinet paralysis. “Whether you invite for a session tomorrow, after a week, at the end of Ramadan or after a month or two, then the ministers representing me will attend,” the speaker reportedly told the PM. About calls for holding three sessions to discuss the state budget, the agenda and the appointments, Berri said: “Some are dealing with the constitution as a Ramadan meal that starts with soup and ends with dessert.”The speaker also said there is a possibility of holding an extraordinary parliamentary session if 13 ministers sign a special decree.

U.S. Energy Envoy to Visit Beirut after Joint Stance on Maritime Dispute with Israel
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/A top U.S. official is expected to visit Beirut to discuss with top Lebanese officials the demarcation of the maritime border with Israel, an issue which was thoroughly discussed by Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri over the weekend. Amos Hochstein, who serves as the Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs leading the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S. Department of State, will travel to Beirut this week.His visit would come against the backdrop of talks that Berri has held with Salam, al-Mustaqbal bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. The officials have agreed to form a committee of experts which informed Washington and the United Nations that Lebanon holds onto the demarcation of its maritime border under the supervision of the U.N. They also rejected any Israeli aggression on Lebanon's maritime and oil rights. Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a maritime zone that consists of about 854 square kilometers and suspected energy reserves there could generate billions of dollars. Lebanese officials have continuously warned that Israel's exploration of new offshore gas fields near Lebanese territorial waters means the Jewish state is siphoning some of Lebanon's crude oil. The U.S. had offered to mediate between the sides in an attempt to reach a solution. Beirut argues that a maritime map it submitted to the U.N. is in line with an armistice accord drawn up in 1949, an agreement which is not contested by Israel.

Cyprus Sentences Lebanese to Six Years on Bomb Charges
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/Cyprus on Monday sentenced to six years in jail a Lebanese man who pleaded guilty to terror charges linked to 8.2 tons of potential bomb-making material found in his home.Judicial authorities said that Hussein Bassam Abdallah, who also has a Canadian passport, was a member of the military wing of Hizbullah. The 26-year-old was sentenced to jail by a criminal court in the southern town of Larnaca after he pleaded guilty to terror charges. In passing sentence judge Nicolaos Santis took into consideration the accused's remorse for what he did and what he said was his full cooperation with the authorities. But he stressed that Abdallah "played the role assigned to him within the broader design of things, so that eventually Hizbullah would be able to harm, through terrorist attacks, Israeli interests in Cyprus."The charges against Abdallah covered the period 2012 until May 27, 2015, during which time the material was stockpiled in Cyprus. Abdallah was arrested in a Larnaca suburb in May following a surveillance operation.
Authorities seized some 8.5 tons of ammonium nitrate in the basement of his temporary home.Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer that when mixed with other substances can be used to make explosives. The prosecution said this was a method used by Hizbullah.Prosecution lawyer Polina Efthivoulou said Abdallah had admitted to being a member of Hizbullah's military wing and sent to Cyprus to ensure the ammonium nitrate was safely kept. She said the bomb-making material was intended for attacks against Israeli interests in Cyprus.
Foreign Minister Ioanis Kasoulides said during a visit to Israel earlier this month that the authorities believe they have thwarted a possible attack on Israeli targets. The island attracts thousands of tourists from nearby Israel every year. There is also an Israeli embassy in the capital Nicosia. Defense lawyer Savvas Angelides said his client's role was only to check on the nitrate and to move it to another location -- not to carry out attacks. He also urged the court to show leniency, saying that his client cooperated with authorities and had decided to quit Hizbullah.Investigative sources have said the amount of ammonium nitrate seized by authorities is the biggest anywhere in the world. Abdallah also had nearly 10,000 euros in his possession when caught. Cyprus is not known for its militant activity despite its proximity to the Middle East. But in 2013, a Cypriot court sentenced a Lebanon-born Swedish man who admitted he was a Hizbullah member to four years in jail after he was found guilty of targeting Israelis on the island.
A botched bomb attack on the Israeli embassy in 1988 claimed the lives of three people.Agence France Presse

Al-Rahi Rejects Terrorist 'Intruders'
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Monday described extremist groups as intruders, vowing to spread the culture of tolerance along with Muslims. “We lived with Muslims for 1,400 years in the Orient and all the terrorist organizations that threaten and kill are aliens,” al-Rahi told a delegation of youth from several bishoprics across the world.He said the organizations are “intruders from outside the Middle East.”“But we are here to stay and remain committed with our Muslim brethren to our message to spread the culture of moderation,” al-Rahi told the youth who visited him in Bkirki. He warned that terrorism knows no boundaries and insisted that Maronites in the world who are suffering from crises should stay put. “We are with you,” al-Rahi said, adding the “Maronites are not a minority in the Orient.”

Grandmother: Australia Police Will not Help Lebanese IS Fighter's Kids
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/The mother-in-law of a notorious Lebanese-Australian Islamic State group fighter said Monday she was "devastated" that police had refused to help bring her five grandchildren home from Syria. Karen Nettleton's daughter Tara is married to Khaled Sharrouf, who gained global infamy last year when he posted pictures of himself and his seven-year-old son on Twitter holding up the severed heads of soldiers. News emerged last week that Sydney-born Sharrouf, who was also a Lebanese national, may have died in the same drone attack believed to have killed fellow jihadist Mohamed Elomar, raising concerns about what would happen to his children who were taken to Syria last year. "My advice to the family is to engage with the proper legal authorities and not to conduct this discussion through the media," Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said on Wednesday. "I think that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the natural touch point for the family. I think they need to engage with the AFP and talk about what options there might be."But Sydney grandmother Karen Nettleton said she had been in contact with the police over a period of months beginning last year about bringing home the children, now aged between four and 14. "They were saying they would look into helping us get Tara and the children out of Syria," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. But she added that they suddenly changed their attitude, and concluded they were unable to help her. "I was talking to one of the agencies and I was told that they wouldn't be able to help us," Nettleton said. "I was devastated, because, who else do you go to get help to get your children out of a place like that? I certainly can't go there and get them." The Australian Federal Police said they could not comment on individual cases, but noted that Canberra did not have a consular presence in Syria. "As such, the AFP is not in a position to provide assistance to Australians who choose to enter this area and seek assistance with their travel from Syria to a safer location," a police spokeswoman said. "The AFP recognizes that family members are concerned for the safety of their loved ones. However, the security and political situations in Iraq and Syria dramatically limit the ability of the authorities to assist in these situations." Police said they were able, in conjunction with other Australian agencies, to assist Australians who had left Syria and wish to return home. Tara Nettleton, who converted to Islam and married Sharrouf 10 years ago, took her five children to Syria in Agence France Presse

Aoun Slams Attempt to 'Deprive Christians of Appointing Their Representatives'
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Monday warned that there is an attempt to “usurp the rights of Christians,” amid controversy over the presidency and the appointment of senior security and military officials. “Today we're witnessing an attempt to usurp the rights of Christians through depriving them of appointing their representatives in state institutions,” said Aoun during a ceremony organized by the FPM's finance committee. “This elimination of the strong Christian posts that can consolidate the status of Christians is aimed at eliminating the Christian leaders,” Aoun added. Himself a presidential candidate, the FPM leader is insisting on the election of a so-called “strong” president. The FPM has also threatened to boycott cabinet sessions if the agenda is not topped with the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. 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. Baabda Palace has been vacant since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May last year.
The MPs of Aoun's Change and Reform bloc in addition to Hizbullah and other lawmakers from the March 8 alliance have been boycotting the presidential polls over their call for a prior agreement on a consensual candidate.

Franjieh Backs FPM-LF Survey as Gemayel Voices Remarks
Naharnet/ 29 June/15/Change and Reform bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan held talks Monday with the main Christian parties in a bid to clinch their support for Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun's proposal on carrying out a survey to determine which Christian party or parties are influential in the country. Following a meeting with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab, Kanaan said the LF chief reiterated to him “his support for organizing 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 lawmaker noted that he emphasized during his tour the need to “reach common ground among the Christian parties regarding the issues of the presidency, the survey and what should come next.”Asked whether he sensed a welcoming response from the Christian leaders he met, Kanaan said he was optimistic “although there are several viewpoints.”
“We will mull the responses we received in a bid to reach common ground. We launched an effort and an initiative under the slogans of democracy and the Christian choice,” the MP added. Asked whether his bloc might carry out a similar tour to explore the stances of non-Christian parties, Kanaan said “the survey would be limited to Christians in the first stage in order to determine the Christian choices.” “That's why this tour was confined to the Christian parties, but we totally acknowledge that our partners in the country must have a say in this and that the president must enjoy their support and approval,” the MP went on to say. Kanaan also met Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel as part of his tour. “I briefed MP Gemayel on the details of our initiative and I carefully listened to his remarks on it. Communication will definitely continue to reach common denominators,” the MP added. Earlier in the day, Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh announced his backing for the survey that the FPM and the LF are planning to carry out. “We don't reject any survey but we want it to be transparent and for several firms to carry it out,” Franjieh said following talks with Kanaan. “All the Christian political parties should first give their approval to the questions that will be asked in the survey,” said the lawmaker. “Aoun is our sole presidential candidate,” Franjieh said, even if the survey showed that the Marada leader is an influential Christian leader. Geagea, who like Aoun is a presidential candidate, announced in remarks to An Nahar daily on Monday that the LF supports the proposal.
“The survey is aimed at setting the choices of Christians to consolidate them and tell everyone that we have candidates for the presidency,” Kanaan told reporters after meeting Franjieh. “It is not binding,” he stressed. “The Christian parties should make serious efforts to elect a president rather than exchange accusations,” Kanaan added. Baabda Palace has been vacant since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May last year. The rivalry between Aoun and Geagea is partly to be blamed for the presidential deadlock. But the two leaders 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.

Kanaan lobbies Christian leaders to push for presidential poll
The Daily Star/June 29, 2015/BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan met with Christian leaders Monday to garner support for a presidential poll among Christians to reveal which candidate had the most support for the presidency.
The presidential initiative received the conditional backing of Marada Movement chief Sleiman Frangieh. “We are not against a Christian poll, but we want a transparent [vote], one that is approved by all the Christian [powers] who will agree on the poll questions and on the terms,” Frangieh told reporters following a meeting with Kanaan. Frangieh, however, was doubtful that an exclusively Christian poll would be a good indicator of which candidate would be most representative of the country's populace. “We want a national and a Christian poll because the presidency is [both] a Christian and a national issue,” he said at his mansion in Bneshi, north Lebanon. "A candidate can't be the most representative among Christians and yet have zero representation among other groups, and vice versa."The Marada Movement chief also outlined another condition for supporting the FPM's presidential initiative, such as the need to employ more than one company to carry out the poll. Frangieh said that the outcome of the poll would not alter his choice for the presidency, arguing that mere “numbers” wouldn’t convince him to vote against his views. Frangieh also expressed his confidence that if the March 8 camp won the referendum Aoun would certainly become Lebanon’s next president. If March 14 won, however, the coalition would not choose a strong presidential candidate but a rather a second-tier consensual Christian. “If March 14 won, I doubt that [Lebanese Forces leader Samir] Geagea would be elected president,” he said. The Marada chief reiterated support for Aoun as his presidential candidate. “Priority is for the general (Aoun),” he said when asked if he would run for the presidency if public opinion poll results showed he came on top. Aoun had proposed four options to solve the presidential crisis: In the first a president could be elected directly by the people in two rounds of voting, first by Christians, and then by all Lebanese. The second would see a popular referendum being held to know who among the presidential candidates enjoys the most support. The winner would then be elected president by Parliament. Kanaan said the poll aimed to “identify the Christians’ options” with regard to the presidential election. “We want the president... to be able to govern and to exercise his duties,” he said at the joint news conference with Frangieh. Lebanon has been without a head of state since President Michel Sleiman's term ended on May 25, 2014. Kanaan also met with Geagea, who reiterated his support for efforts to carry out a poll, according to a statement released after the meeting. “There is no reason for the failure of the polls we are demanding,” Kanaan said. “We are attempting to garner as much support and approval as possible because we are not alone. Our hands are open to everybody.”When asked whether his tour would also include non-Christian leaders, Kanaan said that the initiative is restricted to Christians since it seeks to identify strictly Christian options for the presidency. Kanaan also met with the newly-elected Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel over the FPM’s presidential initiative. Gemayel gave his feedback on the presidential bid and communication will continue in order to gain common ground between the two parties, Kanaan said in a statement after the meeting.

Lebanon releases 2 accused of plotting Beirut car bomb over lack of evidence
The Daily Star/June 29, 2015/BEIRUT: Two men who were suspected of working with ISIS to set off a car bomb in Beirut were released Monday over lack evidence, a judicial source said. Military Prosecutor Saqr Saqr ordered the release of the two Lebanese men, identified only as T.K. and M.H., who were arrested by General Security about a month ago over suspicion of plotting an attack in the capital.They were accused of being ISIS agents working with a commander in the Syrian Qalamoun region, on the outskirts of Lebanon's eastern border. The source said Saqr had referred the suspects to Army Intelligence who found no evidence that they had any “criminal intent” or links to ISIS. ISIS militants are concentrated on the outskirt of Lebanon's northeastern border towns of Arsal, Ras Baalbek and al-Qaa. Lebanon was rocked by a series of bombings over 2013 and 2014 carried out by Syria-based extremists, including ISIS and the Nusra Front.Most of the bombs targeted Shiite areas in Beirut's southern suburbs and in east Lebanon where Hezbollah maintains wide support.

900 tons of produce wasted each day due to Lebanon export crisis: minister
The Daily Star/June 29, 2015 /BEIRUT: Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb met with several Lebanese officials Monday to gain support for a proposal to export agricultural goods ahead of Thursday's Cabinet meeting. “After confirming that Cabinet will meet for a session Thursday, I hope that this issue will be placed as the first agenda item,” the agricultural minister said after meeting Speaker Nabih Berri in his Ain al-Tineh residence. Chehayeb said that roughly 900 tons of agricultural produce are being thrown out daily as a result of the paralysis in Cabinet. Lebanese exporters were hit hard in April when the Nusra Front and other Islamist groups took over the Nasib crossing between Syria and Jordan. It was the last major crossing controlled by the Syrian government.
Chehayeb had called on Cabinet to help farmers export their goods by sea after land routes were closed in Syria. This proposal would give every truck owner $2,000 per trip to help them take the marine route instead of the traditionally used land roads, and then also provide help in their return to Lebanon. But industrialists and farmers received a large setback after some ministers refused to discuss and approve the plan to finance the maritime export of locally produced goods during the last Cabinet session. During a meeting with Prime Minister Tammam Salam Monday, Chehayeb called for the issue of agricultural exports to be “one of the first topics discussed in Cabinet’s next session.”“I hope that Thursday’s session will provide the additional finances to export goods by sea rather than by land,” he said. Hitting at Free Patriotic Movement ministers who said that they would refuse any discussions in Cabinet before the issue of security appointments is resolved, Chehayeb said that “security appointments might be a priority for some but the agricultural issue is a priority for me.”

Lebanese officials welcome end to month-long Cabinet paralysis
The Daily Star/ June 29, 2015/BEIRUT: Lebanese officials Monday welcomed Prime Minister Tammam Salam's call for a Cabinet session for Thursday after a month-long paralysis caused by a dispute over the appointment of security officials. The Cabinet's last three meetings were cancelled after Free Patriotic Movement ministers vowed to prevent the body from making any decisions before successors to top security officials were appointed. FPM leader Michel Aoun supports his son in law, chief of the Army's Commando Regiment Brig. Gen. Shamel Roukoz, as a successor to Gen. Jean Kawhagi who is set to retire in September.
Speaking after a meeting with Salam, Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas welcomed the decision to call for a Cabinet meeting and said he “wouldn’t mind” if some ministers wanted to propose an issue for discussion as long as the prime minister finds that there is enough time to raise the debate. “The prime minister has given an ample opportunity for all sides to do everything possible to bridge their differences,” he said. He also acknowledged that the premier has the authority to prioritize certain agenda items over others.“The 23 ministers in Cabinet do not have this authority,” he said, alluding to FPM ministers. “No one can change the rules of the democratic game by disrupting quorum whereby the minority decides and the majority succumbs.”Amal Movement MP Qassem Hashem, who also met the prime minister, lauded the decision to call for a Cabinet session, saying it revealed a push toward reviving state institutions. “The paralysis of these institutions has become harmful to the interests of the state and the Lebanese people,” he said in a statement after the meeting. “The Lebanese people are tired of this policy of paralysis.”Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, one of two FPM ministers in Cabinet, acknowledged that the prime minister had the authority to schedule next week’s session and announced that he would attend the meeting. After a meeting with Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk on Monday, the FPM minister said that the agenda items that ministers will discuss include the situation in the volatile border town of Arsal. As for the issue of security appointments, Bou Saab said that there appears to be “no solution on the horizon.” “We will continue discussions in an open manner in order to broker a solution,” he said.

Lebanon tourism rising despite political unrest: Pharaon
The Daily Star/June 29, 2015/BEIRUT: Lebanon is experiencing growth in tourism despite the myriad of political problems, Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon said Monday. “Despite all the problems facing the country, tourism witnessed a growth of 25 percent over the past nine months,” Pharaon said during a ceremony at the Sports and Culture Club in the Jbeil District town of Qartaba.He said the growth was owed to civil society, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, as well as the Lebanese Army’s role in fighting terrorism along the border with Syria.Pharaon warned that recent attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait and France should put more responsibilities on “our shoulders.”ISIS claimed responsibility for the massacre on a Tunisian resort Friday that killed 38 people and wounded at least 36 others, most of them Western tourists. At least two other attacks took place the same day in France and Kuwait. A suspected Islamist beheaded his boss and left the head hanging on the gates of a U.S.-owned gas factory in France. ISIS also claimed responsibility for the Kuwait mosque attack that left at least 27 people dead and more than 220 wounded.Pharaon also warned of the “grave danger” Lebanon would face if the fighting escalates in Syria's Homs province and near Damascus “which could lead to a new wave of refugees.”

Car bomb attack kills Egypt's top public prosecutor
Omar Fahmy/Reuters/ June 29, 2015 | 09:07 PM)
CAIRO: Egypt's top public prosecutor was killed by a car bomb attack on his convoy Monday, the most senior state official to die at the hands of militants since the toppling of President Mohammad Morsi two years ago.
There was no confirmed claim of responsibility. Security sources said a bomb in a parked car was remotely detonated as Hisham Barakat's motorcade left his home, after saying earlier a car bomber had rammed into the convoy.
Judges and other senior officials have increasingly been targeted by radical Islamists opposed to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and angered by hefty prison sentences imposed on members of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Last month, ISIS militant group's Egyptian affiliate urged followers to attack judges, opening a new front in an Islamist insurgency in Egypt.
Chief prosecutor Barakat was the highest-ranking state official to die in a militant attack since Sisi, a former army chief, ousted Morsi in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule.
Morsi, a Brotherhood leader who was freely elected as Egypt's president in 2012, was sentenced this month to death over a mass jailbreak in 2011.
Monday's attack stirred fears of yet more turmoil in Egypt, which has been struggling since the 2011 popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak to regain full-fledged stability and revive the economy of the Arab world's most populous country.
The bombing also showed the risk of militant Islam threatening the Egyptian state leadership, as it did in the 1980s and 1990s.
State media confirmed the death of Barakat, 64, at a hospital in the residential district of Heliopolis where he had undergone surgery hours earlier, and said he would receive a military funeral.
The Brotherhood denies any link to violence and says it is committed to peaceful activism. Its spokesman said on the group's Facebook page it rejected killing, but that responsibility for the attack on the public prosecutor lay with the authorities.
Health Minister Adel Adawi told reporters outside Al-Nozha hospital where Barakat was admitted that the cause of death was "ruptures in the lung and stomach, and internal bleeding."
State news agency MENA said the bomb blast wounded at least nine other people including police and civilians.
Hours after the explosion, which sent a large plume of black smoke aloft in front of a row of apartment buildings near the military academy, six burnt cars clogged up a street strewn with broken glass and fragments of metal. Windows were shattered in surrounding buildings up to nine stories high.
"It felt like the apartment was lifted up and dropped right back on the ground. When I felt it I said to my family, this is it, death has come for us," said 17-year-old Khaled Youssef.
Sisi's office mourned Barakat's death and cancelled celebrations prepared for Tuesday to mark the anniversary of mass unrest that led to Morsi's fall, and said the perpetrators would draw "the most severe punishment."
The government, however, declared June 30 a national holiday in commemoration of the 2013 protests, state media said.
"These kinds of vicious attacks will not deter the state from continuing its path of development, the adoption of rights, and realising the hopes and aspirations of the Egyptian people," the presidency's office said in a statement according to MENA.
The Egyptian judiciary says it is independent of the government and military. But some of Egypt's judges have drawn accusations of blatant bias by handing down lengthy jail terms and mass death sentences against Islamists.
"Terrorism killed the top man of our prosecution but despite this we will not be scared and we will continue our work," said Judge Ashraf Abdelhady as he left the hospital.
A presidential spokesman told MENA that the interior ministry would increase security measures ahead of the June 30 anniversary, including heightening the alert level and reinforcing security at vital installations.
Barakat's place of work was also targeted earlier this year when a bomb exploded near the High Court in central Cairo, killing two people.
Egypt is grappling with a Sinai-based insurgency that has killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since Morsi's fall. The most active group is Sinai Province, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS, the ultra-hardline jihadi that has seized control of significant areas of Iraq and Syria.
At least two people were killed and 12 wounded in a blast later Monday likely caused by a roadside bomb near Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, security sources said.
Last month, suspected Islamist gunmen killed three judges in the Sinai city of Al-Arish.

Tunisia says arrests suspects associated with beach hotel attacker
Reuters/June 29, 2015 /SOUSSE, Tunisia: Tunisian authorities have arrested a group of suspects associated with the gunman who killed 39 people, mainly British tourists, in an attack on a beach hotel, the interior minister said Monday. ISIS has claimed responsibility for last Friday's assault on the Imperial Marhaba hotel in the resort town of Sousse. The gunman, Saif Rezgui, was shot dead by police. Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli did not give further details of the arrests. He said officials also were still verifying whether the attacker had been trained in neighboring Libya in jihadi camps. "We will find all those involved, whether it was just logistical support or not," the minister said, flanked by ministers from Britain, France and Germany. The number of Britons confirmed killed by the Islamist gunman in Friday's attack has risen to 18 from 15 and the final death toll of Britons is likely to increase to around 30 people, a British spokeswoman said. Thousands of tourists have left Tunisia since Friday's attack, which has shocked a country that relies heavily on tourism for jobs and foreign currency revenues.

On eve of Iran deal, US retreats on inspections of nuclear past, speeds up sanctions relief
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report June 29, 2015
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Sunday, June 28: “We are seeing a clear retreat from the red lines that the world powers set recently and publicly." Addressing the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem and later the Knesset, he added: “There is no reason to rush to sign this bad agreement which is getting worse every day.” Netanyahu was referring to three major concessions approved by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry in the final stage of negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear accord with Iran.
They are outlined here by debkafile:
1. After barring International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of suspect sites for years, Tehran will now be allowed to submit a paper with answers to queries about its past clandestine activities at those military sites, such as suspected tests of nuclear bomb detonators and explosives. That document would effectively draw a line on Iran’s suspect past
debkafile: Iran has submitted countless documents to the IAEA, none of which gave specific replies to specific questions. The UN Security Council accordingly passed a number of resolutions requiring Tehran to come clean on the military aspects of its nuclear program. Tehran ignored them. Now Obama and Kerry are letting Tehran off the hook on its past secrets.
2. Obama and Kerry have withdrawn the “any time, anywhere” stipulation for snap inspections of suspect nuclear facilities, as mandated by the Additional Protocol signed by Iran. They now agree that international monitors must first submit a request to an “Iranian Committee” (not even a joint US-Iranian committee) for advance permission to inspect nuclear facilities.
This would leave Tehran free to approve, deny, or delay permission for inspections.
3. Washington has backed down on its insistence on predicating sanctions relief on Iran’s compliance with its obligations under the final accord. After Tehran countered with a demand for the sanctions to be lifted immediately upon the signing of the accord, the Obama administration agreed to remove them in three stages:
a) Straight after the deal is signed.
b) After ratification of the accord by the US Congress and Iranian Majlis.
This process is expected to take place by the end of 2015, and so Iran will win two multibillion windfalls this year without being required to meet any obligations beyond its signature
Obama counts on the support of 34 US senators. In any case, Congress is not empowered to reject or delay the deal
c) All remaining sanctions will be lifted when implementation of the accord begins.
Nothing is therefore left of the original US pledges to link sanctions relief to Iran’s compliance with its commitments or President Obama’s solemn vow to “snap back” sanctions any time for any Iranian violations. The IAEA is virtually left without teeth.

In the name of religion, they kill
Monday, 29 June 2015
Mohamed Chebarro/Al Arabiya
In the name of God they kill.
In the name of prophets they kill.
In the name of the holy month they kill.
In the name of their leader they kill.
In the name of a vane idea they kill.
They kill too because they disagree with someone else’s god.
They kill too because they deem other prophets impostures.
They kill too because they reject other people’s beliefs.
They kill too to disrupt other faith’s festivities.
They kill too because the other is different.
In protest to oppression they claim to kill.
In protest to their dispossession they insure that they kill.
In protest to social norms they disagree with they kill.
In protest to their alleged alienation and lack of social skills they kill.
In protest to their lack of fortune they kill.
In protest to their lack of social adaptability they kill.
In protest to their failure they kill.
In thuggery and petty crimes they believed and now they killed innocents.
In lunacy and in the hearing of voices, some of them believed and killed innocents in response to those voices that no one else has heard.
In freedom they never believed.
In freedom of expression they never believed.
In tolerance they never believed.
In multiculturalism they never believed.
In peace on earth they never believed.
In earth and the life on it they never believed, and in their killing innocents they believed that they will win the afterlife.
Against the Satan they claim to stand.
Against imperialism they claim to fight.
Against the American way of life they pretend to have gathered to fight.
Against the oppressive Israelis they said, they scream, that they have rallied.
Against their brothers and sisters mosques and neighborhoods they fight.
What of it?
And the results? The Palestinians have not been liberated and some sadly recall the days they lived peacefully under occupation.
They claimed to be helping Syrians break the clamp of dictatorship but their attacks seem more engineered to break the revolution of the Syrians’ back, and increase the suffering of civilians of all faith, sects and ethnicity in that country.
The perpetrators and their heinous crimes were against God, religion, culture and mankind!
The struggle in Iraq is to redress balance between an oppressed Sunni population in post Saddam Iraq and the oppressing Shiites who were installed in power due to Western intervention and later Iranian clout and influence. But it is the Sunni Iraqis that are displaced and Sunni Iraqi cities and heritage that they continue to destroy after looting them.
In Libyan town, Kuwaiti and Saudi mosques the victims are innocent civilians, in Somalia, Egypt and Yemen too.
ISIS, the Brigades of God, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, al-Shabaab, Hezbollah, all of these groups are tools to divide and destroy.
The lone gunmen in Tunisia that killed unarmed holiday makers is simply a criminal. These acts hurt Tunisia and its ten million hardworking citizens who care not for afterlife but for the immediate life of their kid’s fortune and education. Is this not what all Holy books called for, to live and strive to win in the afterlife?
In Kuwait, a mosque was targeted, just as mosques in Saudi Arabia were, and ISIS or others claimed responsibility for attacks that killed and maimed civilians. Attacking a mosque clearly disregards the sanctity of prayer, regardless of whether it is a Shiite or Sunni who is praying. They have claimed they are hitting at Iran and its growing influence and intervention in the region. It is bizarre how a group of villains believe that killing Kuwaitis in Kuwait, or Saudis in Saudi Arabia is likely to hurt Iran or its allies.
The three attacks on three continents is yet another ISIS effort to drive a wedge between states in the Middle East, and a wedge between Sunni and Shiites to divide those states and societies, as well as to further divide communities that have made up those countries for many years and to alienate Muslims living amidst non-Muslims.
Whether the attacks were planned to take place simultaneously or not, one thing is crystal clear - the perpetrators and their heinous crimes were against God, religion, culture and mankind!

Commemorating the 15 Saudi terrorists
Monday, 29 June 2015
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya
It came as no surprise that the suicide bomber of the Shiite mosque in Kuwait was a Saudi citizen, yet it pained everyone. In May, the suicide bombers of the two mosques in eastern Saudi Arabia were also Saudi. A video showed that a terrorist arrested in Iraq was also Saudi, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has announced that one of its Saudi fighters has been killed.
Meanwhile, last month Al-Nusra Front said one of its field commanders, also Saudi, was killed. In April, an American drone in Yemen killed a Saudi citizen from among Al-Qaeda leaders. The list goes on.
Saudi terrorists threaten Saudi Arabia before any other country
The picture I just drew reveals a wave of extremists. Most of those killed or who are still fighting across the world are youths, most under the age of 30. Most Saudi extremists today were children when the Sept. 11 attacks happened. Those attacks shocked Saudi society then, as 15 of those who carried out the crime were Saudi nationals, accompanied by two Emiratis, a Lebanese and an Egyptian.
Back then, the question was why Al-Qaeda chose such a big number from one nationality when it has hundreds of fighters from other nationalities? At the time, we said the organization targeted Saudi Arabia when it attacked the United States in order to pit the two countries against one another. There were fierce calls to punish Riyadh, as many considered the kingdom a source of evil. These calls only dissipated when then-U.S. President George W. Bush chose Iraq as a target for revenge.
The question now is why do the Saudis not fix their society and prevent intellectual deviance? It is clear that those deviants, who are in their thousands, are a product of extremism, otherwise that Saudi national would not have gone to Kuwait based on a mere phone call he received from ISIS. The killer carried out his attack like he was under hypnosis. He blew himself up - killing 27 and injuring 300 - just a few hours after arriving in Kuwait.
Carrying out the attack required no more than issuing an order to head to a place he may have never visited before. The ISIS representative received him at the airport, provided him with an explosive belt, and transported him to the mosque to commit his crime. How many deviants in Saudi Arabia await such phone calls to blow themselves up without question?
Evading responsibility
Extremism is not just Saudi Arabia’s problem, as Tunisia has a large share of fighters among extremist organizations, and does Morocco and dozens of other countries. However, the situation will not improve by evading the truth and making excuses. Extremism has been a problem since politics found its way into mosques in the 1980s, and since clerics began to issue fatwas (religious edicts) regarding political affairs.
Without acknowledging the spread of extremist ideologies, it will not be possible to fight and eliminate terrorism, because whenever extremists are arrested, others will take their place. It is wrong to view this as just a security problem, as it is snowballing into a political crisis. Extremists are a huge threat to their countries’ security as well as to the world’s, and they jeopardize interests and relations.
Some are evading responsibility under the excuse that it is a general problem, and say proof of that is Iran having tens of thousands of extremists fighting in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. The difference between us and Iran is that Saudi terrorists threaten Saudi Arabia before any other country. Iranian terrorists are engaged in systems affiliated with their government, such as the army.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, Riyadh sought to repair the relations that the 15 Saudi hijackers almost destroyed. It succeeded, but with great difficulty. However, a new round of terrorism and blame has now begun.

Sectarianism is bad… until it is your side that is inciting it
Monday, 29 June 2015
H.A. Hellyer/Al Arabiya
It’s Ramadan. Against the backdrop of Muslims observing the obligatory performance of the fast, sheikhs and religious authorities will remind the faithful of the saying of the Prophet: “There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month which God has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up.” Sages in the past would comment – and warn believers that if there were sins they persisted in the month, they had to take them seriously. For in this month, the whispers and murmurs, beckoning souls to wretchedness – well, that’s all on them. Because the devils, as the adage goes, are locked up.
One would hope, then, that in this month, there would be an absence of truly horrendous actions – if from no one else, than from Muslims themselves, particularly those that claim to raise high the banner of Islam. Alas, the last few days show that while some human beings don’t require the murmurs and whispers of baser beings at all – they can do rather evil things all on their own.
Where do we not look?
Where do we begin to consider the nature of the malevolence, the maliciousness, the malignity, the malice, of these cruel and capricious acts that have occurred in recent days and weeks? Do we look at Kobane? Do we look at Kuwait? Do we look at Tunisia? Where do we look? Where do we not look?
It is intriguing how sectarianism is bad – until, of course, it is your side that is inciting it
But in truth, it’s not really about where we do look – it is about where we do not look. For when acts like these occur, we often ignore, far more than we pay attention.
When we decry the violence in one place, do we remember the violence that takes place elsewhere – in the region, and elsewhere? Are there really that many among us who see blood as blood – civilian as civilian – or do we pay more attention to certain shades of blood, or certain nationalities or types of civilians? Or worse yet – how many have become utterly desensitized to the extreme violence in their countries – whether that violence is perpetrated by domestic forces, or foreign? When we think on Kobane and ISIS, do we think on Assad? When we think on Kuwait, do we think on Yemen? Or do we think that the effect of violence is felt only when perpetrated by non-state actors? Are we that mistaken in our compasses about humanity? This entire generation of Arabs is progressing in a region where the shedding of blood in such gruesome fashions has become so commonplace; it’s no longer… odd. It’s no longer strange. It’s just another day. The effect of that should not – must not – be underestimated.
As the dust settles, the dead are prayed over, and those who have passed away are placed into the earth, we will continue to hear a litany of condemnations – of censures and of critiques – and they will all miss the point. Because the truth is, the violence does not come out of nowhere.
An idea is enough
All too often, we privilege context and sociological circumstance to explain why people believe what they believe and do what they do. But ideas matter to people. Indeed, the ideas are believed in certain ways – or may be prioritized in certain ways – in ways that are highly dependent on the milieu in which they are spread and developed. That’s entirely true, and very real. Focusing solely on ideas and ideology, to the exclusion of understanding how they are instrumentalized, or may just be excuses, is a mistake of substantial proportions. But it is no less of an error when we deny that ideas, indeed, matter to human beings. Indeed, sometimes, just sometimes, an idea is enough.
There are good ideas and there are bad ideas. Good ideas cause people to rise above themselves, and lead others away from their more base instincts, pointing the way to a better future. Bad ideas, and there are aplenty, do the opposite. When we look at the Arab world today, we see both - most assuredly. I remember all too well the better days, with the better ideas – particularly, while not exclusively, in those heady, but real days in the early times of 2011.
But the bad ideas? The bad ideas are clear – and this is where, unfortunately, far too many are slow to act.
Certainly, most Gulf state leaders have come out publicly against the attacks against Shiites in Kuwait and Saudi. But how many public figures, preachers and otherwise, have been censured from actual supporting the radical sectarianism they promote or control, in the context of conflicts in the region? Have all governments really taken the necessary steps to curb the sectarianism that many in different parts of officialdom do support, often materially, particularly via religious establishments? Many Islamists condemned, by the same token, attacks on Christians – but did that mean that those promoting anti-Christian sectarianism on channels they control – or preachers they support – were censured? How many public figures in the Arabian Gulf are quick to denounce sectarianism against Sunni Muslims, which we have seen time and again being promoted in Syria and Iraq – but who seemingly have little or no such abhorrence with regards to sectarianism against Shiite Muslims? There will be some – but far too few.
Is the principle really ‘sectarianism is bad’ – or is the principle ‘sectarianism is bad… until it is my side doing it?’
Is there anyone who will take seriously within the region that be it Sunni on Shiite sectarianism; or Shiite on Sunni sectarianism; or Sunni on Sunni sectarianism; or Muslim on Christian sectarianism; that these are all just bad ideas? That differences of views can, and should, be expressed – but that the incitement that finds itself in words will, far too often, be eventually conveyed in acts of violence and terrible consequences? Or have too few not reached the point of realizing that rotten discourse does not have rotten consequences?
Are there leaders in these communities who know they must rise, in order to be clear once and for all, not simply in rhetoric but in action, to avert further catastrophe by declaring – if you will seek to promote hate and incitement, you will not be tolerated? Are there leaders who will pursue that path, not as a way to crackdown on legitimate dissent and varying opinions that do not win favor with the palace – but as a way to ensure and develop the health of their communities and societies?
Or are there only figureheads, among both state and non-state actors, who will simply talk the talk… but walking the walk is put off, indefinitely? Or worse yet – is avoided altogether, while promoting hatred in other directions.
Indeed - it is intriguing how sectarianism is bad – until, of course, it is your side that is inciting it.