Blah blah blah ... and good wine!

"...Blah blah blah blah.
Or so one might have thought.
But as this week's dinner meeting at the State Department stretched on well past two hours, something extraordinary happened. Or rather, didn't happen. The so-called Middle East Quartet— Clinton, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton—who gathered around the table with Quartet Envoy former British prime minister Tony Blair, could not even agree amongst themselves what to say in a statement. And so they didn't issue one, blaming the "significant gaps" that still exist between the parties. That would be the parties to the conflict, the Israelis and the Palestinians, who weren't even in the room.
So what happened?
Lavrov, speaking at the Russian embassy Tuesday, did little to dispel the perception the meeting was a flop, signaling growing international divisions over how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Adding urgency to the long-vexing issue: Palestinian plans to seek statehood recognition at the UN in September, bypassing negotiations with the Israelis altogether if new talks can't be resumed.
The Quartet meeting wasn't a total loss, Lavrov demurred, when asked about it, adding: "For one, the wine was very good." ..."

US Embassy-Beirut: 'No, we are not siding with Lebanon against Israel!"

"BEIRUT: The U.S. has denied Wednesday that it backed Lebanon’s version of maritime border demarcation with Israel submitted to the U.N. last August. 
Earlier this week Haaretz newspaper reported that the U.S. “conducted a review and endorsed the document” Lebanon sent to the U.N. demarcating the borders.
Speaking to The Daily Star, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said the reports were untrue.
“We understand that both Israel and Lebanon have submitted different renderings of the maritime borders. The U.S. has not endorsed any version of this line,” the spokesperson said...."

"Nobody can be messing with our embassy!"

"...U.S. President Barack Obama says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is “losing legitimacy in the eyes of his people,” and has missed “opportunity after opportunity” to present genuine reforms... In his CBS interview, Mr. Obama said the U.S. has sent “a clear message” that “nobody can be messing with our embassy.” He said Syria has been warned that Washington will take “whatever actions necessary” to protect its overseas missions. ..."

Fmr. Chairman of Senate Committee on Intel: "Do the Saudis have the will & capability to aid future attacks against the United States?"

"...That is some of what we do know, and we got a sufficient glimpse to know what we didn’t know. Still unanswered after nearly 10 years are the questions of the full extent of the Saudi pre-9/11 involvement: Did any or all of the other 17 receive support from Saudi interests? Why would Saudi Arabia do this? Do the Saudis have the will and capability to aid future attacks against the United States? And most important: Why the cover-up by our government? ..."

Terrorists target Syrian gas pipeline

"A human rights activist says a bomb has damaged a natural gas pipeline in eastern Syria. It's the first attack on the country's oil industry amid a monthslong uprising against the regime.
Rami Abdul-Rahman from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says residents in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour told him the explosion occurred late Tuesday night on the pipeline in the area of Tayanah, near the border with Iraq.
He condemned the attack on Wednesday and said the nationwide protests in Syria are peaceful..."

Defection or hacked email at the Syrian embassy?

"... in an email he just blasted out, Ahmed Salkini, the Syrian embassy spokesman says he's leaving for the U.S. "private sector" and notes his recent "conspicuous" silence:

Dear All:

The time has come for me to step down from my current position and move on.  I have recently accepted an exciting job offer in the private sector and will be moving to Maryland. I will leave you all in the capable hands of my colleague, Ms. Roua Sharbaji, the Embassy’s Press Attaché.  You can reach her at xxxxxxxxxxx or at her office, xxxxxxxx.
As many of you have pointed out, I have been conspicuously silent since the beginning of the events in Syria, and at times, even unresponsive.  For the latter, I apologize.
I leave my position during the most difficult, yet promising of times in Syria’s modern history.  I have been pained by every drop of Syrian blood lost.  Still, I am certain of, and comforted by, the fact that Syria will emerge from this crisis more democratic, unified, freer, and stronger than ever.
Please do keep in touch.  You can always reach me at my personal e-mail xxxxxxxx, or find me on Facebook.  Thank you for an indelible experience; it has truly been an honor to work in this capacity with you all.

Sincerely,
Ahmed Salkini 

The email came from his embassy address -- I'm making calls to see if it was hacked...."

"...The removal of the Arab regimes that stood in the way of the Palestinians is neutralising Israel’s machine..."

"... ‘If you want to beat Mike Tyson, you don’t invite him into the ring, you invite him to the chessboard,’ Husam Zomlot, the brash young deputy of Fatah’s Department of Foreign Relations, explained to me. ‘On Nakba Day a thousand people marched to Qalandia. Once we manage to get 100,000 people marching there, let’s see what Tyson will do. Will they use a nuclear bomb? Will they use their F-16s?’ ... The ‘time of negotiations’, he claimed with obvious (though perhaps premature) relief, is over: even Abbas, he said, has realised that negotiations can go nowhere so long as Israel refuses to reach a deal based on the 1967 borders...
American disapproval would once have counted against these strategies, but America is no longer seen by the leadership to hold the keys to liberation. ‘Obama, the poor man, he got into the ring with Netanyahu and he got a bloody nose while the whole world was watching,’ Zomlot said. ‘Should we wait for America to come around? We’ve been waiting for 20 years. The depressing fact is that America is impotent.’ But the Arabs, at last, are not. ‘The region has changed irreversibly,’ Zomlot said, ‘but Israel still has the manual of 1948. The removal of the Arab regimes that stood in the way of the Palestinians is neutralising Israel’s machine. If the Israelis don’t change, they will end up as a tiny minority in a sea of Arab democracies. I hope they will come back to their senses before it’s too late.’ But it may already be too late for partition. ‘I’m afraid we’re beyond the two states..."

NATO "exhausted" in Libya?

"... With rifts apparent within NATO, the United States said some allies in the campaign against Gaddafi could see their forces "exhausted" within three months. Rebel fighters are seemingly unable to make much progress in their fight to end Gaddafi's 41-year rule and calls for a diplomatic resolution have mounted...
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini's call for a political way out came after his Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi exposed rifts within NATO by saying he had not supported the war on Libya, and France bridled at the slow pace of efforts to end the crisis. "We are convinced that the Libyan crisis requires a political solution characterized by an end to fighting, Gaddafi, who lacks all legitimacy, leaving the stage, and the launching of an inclusive democratic process involving all parts of Libyan society," Frattini told Algeria's El Khabar newspaper in an interview to be published on Tuesday...."

4th time & counting!

This is better than ... Sushi!

"... Masked gunmen ordered the guards at the terminal to leave before blowing it up, security sources told AP news agency. It was the fourth such attack this year on pipelines in Sinai exporting gas to Jordan and Israel...."

Panetta: We cannot "walk away from" Iran arming Iraqi militants!

"... "We're very concerned about Iran and the weapons they're providing to extremists in Iraq," Panetta said, on a visit to U.S. troops in Baghdad Monday, the AP's Robert Burns reports."We cannot simply stand back and allow this to continue to happen," he said. "This is not something we're going to walk away from. It's something we're going to take on head-on."
The United States will act unilaterally "to go after those threats," Panetta, the former CIA chief and lawmaker, said. Iran has become increasingly brazen in leaving its fingerprints on weapons provided to Shiite extremist groups in Iraq, the top U.S. civilian and military envoys in Iraq have recently charged...."

Hillary Clinton: Bashar Assad is Dispensable!

"...“If anyone, including President Assad, thinks that the United States is secretly hoping the regime will emerge from this turmoil to continue its brutality and repression, they are wrong," said Clinton. "President Assad is not indispensable, and we have absolutely nothing invested in him remaining in power.” ..."

"A Turkish invasion of Syria would rejuvenate Turkish-U.S. ties ..."

"...A Turkish invasion would rejuvenate Turkish-U.S. ties, which have yet to recover fully from the Iraq War. Since 2003, many Turks have come to believe that the U.S. does not care for Turkey and that the two countries have conflicting interests in the Middle East. But now, Turkey and the U.S. are on the same page. Both countries resent crackdown and fear a likely refugee crisis. The crisis in Syria is leading the U.S. and Turkey to coordinate their Middle East policies to an extent not seen for nearly a decade. A Turkish intervention in Syria and backed by the U.S. to uphold the nascent doctrine of “responsibility to protect,” would indeed warm up U.S.-Turkish ties beyond imagination ."

Wikileaks: Saad Hariri: 'Iran & Al Qaeda are 'deeply involved'

Jeffrey Feltman denies An Nahar's report of a visit to Beirut

View from my Window

'Damascus, Syria'

Wikilleaks: Disarming Hezbollah through the Hariri tribunal

... French diplomat, Herve Besanceau, in meetings of officials from the U.S. Embassy in Paris, with representatives from the French Foreign Ministry & the Elysee (Cable number 05PARIS6580 September 26, 2005) stressed the need for linking the UNSC Res. 1559 (2004), which focused on disarming Hezbollah, with resolution 1595 (2005), which established the STL. Besanseau told  the Americans: «We have to move in stages, and stress the priority of  resolution 1595  ahead of  1559; The implementation of the first help should prepare the ground for that of the second, as Hezbollah will lose all justifications for maintaining its military capabilities»....  (Original english copy will be posted as soon as available)

Wikileaks: Riszk to Feltman: 'To use "legal tricks" to delay release because it could affect March14 negatively'

07BEIRUT1005

Date: July 6, 2007 13:20

Lebanon: Rizk, speaking of «homework» of the Tribunal, voices his concern over  Judge Eid

Minister of Justice Charles Rizk & Ambassador Feltman met on July 5th, he and PM Siniora agreed to send the latest early next week to the United Nations a list of candidates for judges and deputy public prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon... Rizk feared that Eid, who was "appointed during the Syrian occupation", was ordering the release of the four officers imprisoned without charge since the summer of 2005. Given the negative impact the release of the 4 officers on the political fortunes of the March 14 movement & morale, Rizk will try to use some of the "legal tricks" to delay the release. But he urged the United Nations to appoint a Prosecutor of the Court as soon as possible, so that their fate will rest with the court and its authority... (English copy to be posted as soon as available)

Lebanon (you heard right) encroaches upon Israel

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-maritime-borders-proposed-by-lebanon-encroach-upon-israel-territory-1.372467

Winning the 'long game' in Iraq

"Iraq’s fragile coalition government failed again Saturday to reach agreement on the formation of a cabinet or on whether to ask some U.S. forces to remain beyond December — leaving the Obama administration with an ever-shorter timetable to complete the withdrawal or manage the political fallout from staying.
President Jalal Talabani, who had called political blocs together for the second time in recent weeks, said he gave all parties another two weeks to discuss the issues before reconvening.
Although the administration has informally suggested some numbers, indicating that leaving 10,000 U.S. troops behind — out of the 46,000 still there — might be reasonable, such estimates remain “guesswork,” a senior U.S. military official said...
Administration officials said that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been telling some of his own officials that President Obama wants to leave as many as 30,000 troops in Iraq, a figure the White House dismisses as wildly high.“Any post-2011 troop presence is going to be significantly smaller than what we have there now,” an administration official said..."

No 'breakthroughs' in US foreign policy

"The latest disappointing employment figures and the continuing series of White House meetings on the debt ceiling have for the for the moment set the tone for policy making in Washington. This is inward looking and marked by rising doubts about the strength of the economic recovery. The main focus of US international exchanges has been via the Treasury and Federal Reserve with their European counterparts in connection with the Greek crisis. At similar moments of domestic frustration, earlier presidents have turned to foreign policy for the greater scope it allows the president for autonomous action. We understand that White House officials have been looking for opportunities of this sort for President Obama. The search is not an easy one. Even the most optimistic State Department officials concede that the problems confronting US foreign policy are much greater than the openings for an American-led breakthrough. A case in point is Pakistan where relations continue to deteriorate in the face of accusations from top US officials of Pakistani government complicity in the killing of a leading journalist. With moves in Congress to strip US aid from Pakistan, the downward trajectory is set to continue. Another slow-moving area is Libya. Next week Secretary of State Clinton will travel to Turkey for a meeting of the contact group, but at home the war remains politically divisive. While Obama will have no trouble surviving Congressional attempts to constrain his freedom of maneuver, the war is not attracting any of the traditional ‘rally to the flag’ boost to his sagging popularity. Similarly, much of the initial enthusiasm deriving from the ‘Arab Spring’ that this would open new options for US policy in the Middle East is dissolving. US officials are especially concerned about backsliding in Egypt..."

Obama squadering Syria! (Seek the help of the Saudi 'democratic' royals)

Neocon cheap-copy:

"... This wouldn’t be easy, but it is doable. The Saudis and Egyptians could be persuaded to lead Arab action if they are convinced that Assad’s exit would weaken Iran. At the United Nations, the Obama administration would have a hard time with the Russians and Chinese. But as the regime in Syria loses ground, the likelihood that the confrontation there will take on an overtly sectarian coloring can only increase. Such a development would be a disaster for Syria; it could also be one for its neighbors with mixed sectarian societies. Regional peace would suffer, justifying Security Council intervention.    
If the Arabs, the Security Council, and Europe (where France and the United Kingdom have been far ahead of the US on Syrian matters) can reach a consensus on a transition in Damascus,..."

"Obama squandered Libya!"

Genuine neocon:

"... The lesson for the U.S. is that it shouldn’t always ask permission from foreigners when pursuing its interests, but can ask forgiveness later if necessary. That, of course, is the conclusion Obama is least likely to derive. The absence of clear U.S. leadership on Libya has produced the current impasse, both diplomatically and militarily..."

"Thank You Mr. Ford!" (We want some of that 'Iraq-TLC!)

"... "Thank u Mr. Ford, US Ambassador, in Hama among the protesters, and welcomed with flowers," Syrian activist Malath Aumran, who describes himself as "tweeting the police state in revolt," posted to Twitter. He added, "Arabic Tweets saying we need US Ambassadors for every city in #Syria."...senior White House hands were gratified to see the hero's welcome that anti-government protesters granted to U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert S. Ford in the Syrian city of Hama ...

"You should know that Ambassador Ford is in Hama today," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told journalists at the State Department press conference Thursday. "He has spent the day expressing our deep support for the right of the Syrian people ... We've talked for a number of weeks here about the role that an ambassador can play in a country like this at a time like this," Nuland continued. Given Hama's role "in the history of free expression in Syria,"...
"It's impressive, though not surprising," said David Schenker with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (AIPAC's sidekick) referring to the video of Ford's reception in Hama. "It's the regime that's anti-American, not the Syrian people..."One wonders whether this important and well-received gesture will be accompanied by an unambiguous [White House] policy statement laying out the Administration's vision for the future of the Asad regime," Schenker continued.
For his part, Syrian blogger Aumran dismissed concerns that some activists have aired that the Syrian regime might try to claim, as leaders in other recent uprisings in the Arab world have, that anti-government protesters are conspiring with the United States. "Guys It's not smartness to consider any solidarity with our cause is a conspiracy," Aumran wrote."

US charges that Imad Mustapha is "photographing protestors"

Tit for tat...

"... Separately Friday, the State Department said it summoned Syria's ambassador to the U.S. earlier this week after receiving alarming reports of Syrian diplomats conducting video and photographic surveillance of people participating in protests in the United States...."

'Hariri-Tribunal' soon in Wikileaks (Al Akhbar)

Did you know that Washington STILL "insists" Omar Suleiman be in charge of 'Intelligence'?

Omar Suleiman denies Egypt's presidential hopes - Egypt - Ahram Online

"What did he have to lose?"

"... Andrew Exum, a Levant expert at the Center for a New American Security tweeted, "Re: Ford's visit to Hama, what did he have to lose? Does it in any way affect the protests if they are branded in league with the #USA? ... I mean, look, gang: it's not as if Bashar al-Asad and his stooges would go any easier on the protesters if the #USA did not side with them."..."

"The Powerful Ambassador Ford knocked the regime off balance!"

'PJ Crowley Tweet: "The Powerful visit of Ambassador Ford #Hama shows the value of his ongoing presence in Syria & knocked the regime off balance!"

(Ford driving through Hama, greeted by crowds chanting "Down with the Regime!")

Jeffrey Feltman: Bahraini & Saudi monarchs are praiseworthy!

"You should get the transcript of the interview with Jeffrey Feltman by `Adbur-Rahim Fuqara' of Aljazeera.  It is a classic example of duplicity, deception, and dishonesty.   Feltman in fact invoked human rights and democracy while showering praise on the Bahraini royal family and expressing admiration for the vision of the Bahraini King.   He talked about democracy while talking about "partnership" with the House of Saud..."

US ambassador enters 'barricaded' neighborhoods of Hama

Do we have something similar on record? The representative of a sovereign nation stands with the demonstrators (calling for regime change)in the nation where he is accredited? The hubris!

"... Robert Ford, the ambassador, arrived in Hama on Thursday, and toured the city on Friday morning, ahead of further mass demonstrations against the regime of Bashar al-Assad expected after midday prayers.
Victoria Nuland, State Department spokeswoman, said the purpose of Mr Ford’s visit was “to make absolutely clear with his physical presence that we stand with those Syrians who are expressing their right to speak for change”...Activists claim to be retaining almost complete control of Hama. Dozens of barricades are reported to be in place along many streets and at the entrances to neighbourhoods, with residents taking shifts to stand guard and alert others should security forces approach.“There is no security here at all,” said a Hama protester, who gave his name as Saleh al-Hamwi, on Thursday. “Today, we are making plans for tomorrow. We will be going to the streets like we have done for weeks.”..."

"What could we do militarily to knock out Assad? just missile strikes?..."

... So What Can and Should Be Done?

This week I put the question to Andrew Tabler, a Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy...
His solution involves beefing up sanctions, in particular on Syria's energy sector, and working with the opposition inside Syria and abroad in order to ratchet up the pressure on Assad. A military option, he says is unlikely to garner much support internationally or to succeed in changing Assad's behavior. Tabler says the recent experience in Libya has soured global opinion on the use of military intervention to defend civilians against a regime's violence. The NATO operation in Libya is in its fourth month and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi maintains a grip on power despite daily bombing runs on his defenses.... a military operation in Syria could face the same problems.
"It is unclear exactly what could we do militarily that would actually knock out the regime. Would it require just missile strikes? I think it would require more than that. So what would it be? Would it be an invasion? Are we prepared to invade Syria?" ...
Yet despite the failure to move any condemnation through the U.N. Security Council, where perennial roadblocks Russia and China have scuttled efforts to pressure Syria, Tabler says global condemnation has historically affected the regime's actions and suggests international opposition may disappear if the crackdown continues.
"As the massacres go on and the Syrian regime doesn't come up with a good plan to deal with them, Russian, Chinese, and Indian opposition to pressuring Syria could melt away," he says.

Is There Anything Washington Could Do on Its Own to Budge Assad?

Tabler says the regime is only concerned with its survival. "As long as you threaten his survival, if you make it as hard as him as possible, and you have to be ruthless at that, as is he is with us, then I think you'll start seeing him move," he says.
And what does "ruthless" mean?
"Ruthless would be not just saying, for example, we're supporting the Syrian opposition conference, we said it was a good first step. That's fine, that doesn't mean we let up on the pressure on the energy sector for example or diplomatically. We play both at the same time. You have to pressure and engage fruitfully at the same time," Tabler says.
To that end he advocates expanding sanctions on Syria to include measures against the lucrative petroleum industry which he says is the source of up to a third of the government's revenue. "There's more they can be doing on energy and they need to accelerate that. We just need to follow through on it. We shouldn't hesitate,"..."

Mullen renews accusations Iran arming anti-U.S. forces in Iraq

"... Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the accusation in a roundtable with members of the Pentagon Press Association on the same day that two American service members were killed in Baghdad, apparently the victims of a bomb known as an explosively formed penetrator, a type of weapon that U.S. officials say comes from Iran."Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shiite groups, which are killing our troops," Mullen said.
Mullen said the United States and Iraq were discussing whether some American troops should stay in Iraq after a Dec. 31 deadline ...
American officials last charged Iran with providing weapons to Shiite militias in 2005 and 2006, ... in recent months, American officials have renewed their accusations. Mullen said Thursday that in addition to explosively formed penetrators, Iran was providing Iraqis with "improvised rocket-assisted mortars," essentially improvised bombs attached to rockets. Mullen suggested that the weapons were being provided to gain favor with the militias, which operate primarily in Iraq's south. "There's no question they want influence, particularly in the south," Mullen said...."

Israel to South Sudan: 'Congratulations' ...

israel to PALESTINE: 'NO WAY!'

'An Examination of the Ideological, Political & Strategic Causes of Iran’s Commitment to the Palestinian Cause'

Our friend Amal Saad Ghorayeb wrote this excellent paper for CF:

"... Not only does Iran’s dedication to the Palestinian cause   pose a threat to its political stability, but it also compromises its strategic interests. Despite the US’ fixation with Iran’s nuclear program and its futile attempts to pummel it into submission with sanctions, it is more than likely that Washington would turn a blind eye to an Iranian nuclear weapons’ program or even contribute to one as it has with its allies... were it not for Tehran’s support for resistance movementsin Palestine and Lebanon. This inference is laid bare by the Bush administration’s almost constant association between Iran’s alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction program and its alliance with“terrorist groups”. This was illustrated by Bush’s January 29, 2002 State of the Union Address in which he branded Iran as part of "an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world,” with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons which it allegedly sought to provide to its "terrorist allies". Likewise,  then National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, asserted: "Iran's direct support of regional and global terrorism and its aggressive efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, belie any good intentions it displayed in the days after the world's worst terrorist attacks in history."38 Washington’s problem, then, isn’t Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons per se, but rather, that a state allied to Palestinian resistance groups is pursuing them.But although Iran’s commitment to the liberation of historical Palestine exposes it to external security threats (as well as externally instigated domestic threats) in the medium- term and undermines some of its strategic interests in the short- term, the fulfilment of the Islamic Republic’s ideological principles has reaped it longer-term dividends in both realms. In the first place, Israel’s history of intervention in Iranian affairs which preceded the launch of the Islamic Revolution renders it a perpetual threat to Iran’s independence and by extension, its political stability. ..." (Continue, here)

Sami Gemayel in parliement: "Why look in Israel when the investigation lead us to Hezbollah?..."

And he continued, "...and what is wrong with the STL hiring CIA officers?..."

"SOS Syrie": Once "democracy" comes to Syria, "Hezbollah, 'Iranian agents,' & Palestinians" will be made to "pay the price."

"... One the French side, SOS Syrie featured such participants as Bernard Kouchner, André Glucksman, Axel Poniatowski (a member of the Union for a Popular Movement and the president of the foreign affairs commission of the French National Assembly), and Frédéric Encel, "who cut his teeth in the Betar youth organization of Likud."  As if that is not enough, former Knesset member Alex Goldfarb was also included.

What Syrians would want to join hands with the who's who of French Zionism and imperialism?  Most of the prominent Syrian invitees named in the conference advertisements are the leaders of the aforementioned organizations that backed BHL's call.  According to As-Safir's Paris correspondent Mohammad Ballout, among the invitees were many of the Executive Council of "Change in Syria": Amr Al-Azm, Ahed al-Hendi, Abdel Ilah Milhem (a leader of the Anza tribe), Ammar al-Qurabi (chairman of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria), Sondos Sulaiman (of Al Hadatha Party).  Lama Atassi, the president of France-Syrie Démocratie as well as a participant in the Antalya conference, took credit for linking up the Antalya opposition with BHL in an interview with Le Nouvel Observateur.
What happened at the conference itself, where "the obscure faces of the Antalya opposition and of the Muslim Brotherhood" were seen among about 200 like-minded friends of BHL who filled the very much bobo Saint-Germain-des-Prés cinema?
According to La Règle du Jeu itself, Goldfarb, of all people, acted as "spokesman, in Paris, of Change in Syria for Democracy."
There was also Ashraf al-Moqdad, a member of the "National Salvation Front in Syria" led by Abdul Halim Khaddam.  Moqdad, says As-Safir, bragged that, once "democracy" comes to Syria, "Hezbollah, 'Iranian agents,' and Palestinians" will be made to "pay the price."  The As-Safir reporter says Moqdad went on to threaten him as well..."

Despite it all ... Germany to Deliver Weapons to Saudi Arabia

MIDEAST: Germany to Deliver Weapons to Saudi Arabia - IPS ipsnews.net

US Official: Sorry our mistake ... "The U.S. does not & never has considered Israel to have links to terrorism"

 Israel was included erroneously on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security terrorist watch list, a U.S. official said.
Gillian Christiansen, a spokeswoman for then U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the department, said Israel's recent appearance on a list compiled by the department's office of the inspector general was a mistake.
"The addition of Israel in the OIG’s list of ICE's 'Third-Agency Checks' (TAC) was based on inaccurate information provided to the OIG during the course of its audit, ... The U.S. does not and never has considered Israel to have links to terrorism, but rather they are a partner in our efforts to combat global terrorism. The United States maintains close intelligence-sharing relationships with Israel in order to address security issues within its own borders and in our mutual pursuit of safety and security around the globe."
The list does not fault government policies and instead recognizes the likelihood that a suspect traveler from that country might have terrorist ties.
If a traveler from one of the countries is detained, the country's inclusion on the list triggers a special check by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The list, attached to a May 10 document from the DHS Inspector General's office, was reported last week by CNS News, a conservative news service.
The list of 36 nations includes a number of other close U.S. allies such as Turkey, Bahrain, Morocco and Philippines, as well as nations beset by internal fighting like Sudan and Somalia.

Palestinian Authority guy: Obama's "misguided in giving impression that Assad should survive the rebellion ..."

"... Without question the most troublesome policy of all has been the Obama administration’s risk-averse approach to the Syrian uprising. The administration has been misguided in giving the impression that it believes that Bashar al-Assad’s regime either will, or possibly even should, survive the rebellion. In the long run, this is both unlikely and, for American interests, undesirable.

It’s true that there isn’t much the United States can do on its own beyond rhetoric to influence events in Syria, and that there is much to fear from chaos or civil war in that country. But a policy that continues to toss out lifelines and implicit reaffirmation to a regime that should and probably will eventually collapse under the weight of its own dysfunctionality and brutality (remember, he works for Mahmoud Abbas)—and which is historically and currently unfriendly to American policy goals—makes little sense.

But even the so-far misguided approach to Syria that seems to irrationally favor some form of regime continuity to the potential for internal chaos does not bespeak a “new isolationism” in American foreign policy. It is overly cautious to be sure, and excessively risk-averse. But it is not a return to fortress America by any means..."

"That doesn't necessarily mean we would do it ..."

BAGHDAD (AP) — The White House is offering to keep up to 10,000 troops in Iraq next year, U.S. officials say, despite opposition from many Iraqis and key Democratic Party allies who demand that President Barack Obama bring home the American military as promised. Any extension of the military's presence, however, depends on a formal request from Baghdad — which must weigh questions about the readiness of Iraqi security forces against fears of renewed militant attacks and unrest if U.S. soldiers stay beyond the December pullout deadline. Iraq is not expected to decide until September at the earliest when the 46,000 U.S. forces left in the country had hoped to start heading home. Already, though, the White House has worked out options to keep between 8,500 and 10,000 active-duty troops to continue training Iraqi security forces during 2012, according to senior Obama administration and U.S. military officials in interviews with The Associated Press. The figures also were noted by foreign diplomats in Baghdad briefed on the issue. All spoke on condition of anonymity to frankly discuss the sensitive matter during interviews over the past two weeks.White House spokesman Jay Carney on Tuesday said the Pentagon is still planning for all U.S. troops to withdraw by year's end, noting that time is running out for Iraq's government to ask them to stay."We have said for a long time now if the Iraqi government asks us to maintain some level of troops beyond that end of the year deadline, we would consider it," Carney told reporters in Washington.He appeared to back off that possibility, however, adding: "That doesn't necessarily mean we would do it. We would just consider it. ..."

"'Obstacles to Iranian influence in Iraq"

"...Whereas Saudi Arabia and Iran may continue to vie for hegemony in hot-spots such as Bahrain, Ankara may be replacing Riyadh as Iran's primary local contender for influence in Iraq. The added dimension of Turkish influence in Iraq poses an interesting prospect that may be palatable to major foreign actors in a post-US presence Iraq. As the American administration devises its exit strategy – irrespective of whether that takes place beyond the scheduled end of 2011 deadline – it may regard Turkey's rising role in Iraq as an attractive alternative to Iranian influence and breathe easier upon its withdrawal.
When push comes to shove the Saudis, whose influence has waned in Iraq since the height of sectarian violence in 2006-2007, may also be more amenable to Turkey's role as opposed to Iran's. As for Iran, Iraq is a central component in its foreign policy and regional ambitions. Therefore while Tehran will be relieved to see the US out of its backyard, it may not be thrilled with Turkey's new assertive position in Iraq. Furthermore, their clashing hegemonic aspirations in the region may set the two regional powers on a collision course further down the line. Still, Tehran may be more comfortable with Turkey as opposed to Saudi Arabia, which has been its major ideological and political rival since the Islamic Revolution."

More U.S. troop deaths raise questions about strategy

More U.S. troop deaths raise questions about strategy | McClatchy

Hitchens: "Gaza flotilla = Syrian Ba'ath = Hezbollah = al Qaeda!

Hitchens forgot to weave into the SWASTIKA bearing Syrian Social Nationalists...

"...  I would like to know a little more about the political ambitions and implications of the enterprise.It seems safe and fair to say that the flotilla and its leadership work in reasonably close harmony with Hamas, which constitutes the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. The political leadership of this organization is headquartered mainly in Gaza itself. But its military coordination is run out of Damascus, where the regime of Bashar Assad is currently at war with increasingly large sections of the long-oppressed Syrian population. Refugee camps, some with urgent humanitarian requirements, are making their appearance on the border between Syria and Turkey (the government of the latter being somewhat sympathetic to the purposes of the flotilla). In these circumstances, isn't it legitimate to strike up a conversation with the "activists" and ask them where they come out on the uprising against hereditary Baathism in Syria?Then again, Syria's other proxy party in the region is Hezbollah, ...  Again, the Hamas leadership seems compromised at best by its association with this local Tehran-Damascus axis.... Only a few weeks ago, the Hamas regime in Gaza became the only governing authority in the world—by my count—to express outrage and sympathy at the death of Osama Bin Laden.... 

The little boats cannot make much difference to the welfare of Gaza either way, since the materials being shipped are in such negligible quantity. The chief significance of the enterprise is therefore symbolic. And the symbolism, when examined even cursorily, doesn't seem too adorable. The intended beneficiary of the stunt is a ruling group with close ties to two of the most retrograde dictatorships in the Middle East, each of which has recently been up to its elbows in the blood of its own civilians. The same group also manages to maintain warm relations with, or at the very least to make cordial remarks about, both Hezbollah and al-Qaida. ..."

Egypt's gas to Israel

'What a sweet sound it is!'

OIL AND THE IRANIAN-SAUDI “COLD WAR”

OIL AND THE IRANIAN-SAUDI “COLD WAR”

Open letter to Gov. Rick Perry on the Gaza flotilla from a survivor of the USS Liberty attack

Governor Perry, 

I am one of the Americans waiting in Athens for the Freedom Flotilla to get underway in our effort to deliver humanitarian supplies to thepeople of Gaza. I was also on the Flotilla last year and was aboard the USS Liberty when the ship was attacked by Israel on June 8, 1967.A few years ago at my request you issued a proclamation honoring thecrew of the USS Libertycrew of the USS Liberty.When I submitted the request I ensured you were aware of the atrocities that were committed against us. I made sure you were aware that we were attacked by unmarked aircraft; that our radios were jammed on both US Navy tactical and international maritime distress frequencies; that our life rafts were deliberately machine gunned in the water by the attacking Israeli torpedo boats; that when they ceased their attack the Israeli torpedo boats departed the scene for over an hour leaving the crew of a torpedoed and sinking ship with no chance of survival had our ship gone down.I also ensured you were aware that two flights of rescue aircraft tha thad been launched from nearby Sixth Fleet aircraft carriers were recalled while we were still under attack and calling for help which allowed the Israelis to continue their attack unhampered by the threat of Sixth Fleet intervention.I understand that you have urged U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to take legal steps to stop the Americans from taking part in the Freedom Flotilla  or to prosecute us if we make the attempt.When you issued the USS Liberty proclamation you expressed absolutely no concern that we were attacked by unmarked aircraft; that our radios were jammed on both US Navy tactical and international maritimedistress frequencies; that our life rafts were deliberately machinegunned in the water; and, that we were ordered to be abandoned by theUS Sixth Fleet while we were still under attack and calling for help.When you issued the USS Liberty proclamation you didn't follow it with any press release condemning the barbaric acts that were committed against us. Governor Perry, why are you recommending prosecution of the Americans trying to deliver humanitarian supplies but not of those who machinegunned our life rafts in the water or ordered us to be abandoned whilewe were under fire?Governor Perry, why does the attempted delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza elicit your condemnation but the deliberate machine gunning of American life rafts in the water doesn't elicit even a modicum of concern?

Iran mourns the 290 civilians of a 1988 airliner downed by US warship

(AP) — "... The USS Vincennes shot down the Dubai-bound airliner shortly after it took off from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Washington said the Vincennes mistook the airliner for a hostile Iranian fighter jet. Iran maintains it was an ordered attack — a month before the end of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war."The crime by the United States is never forgivable. The stain will remain on the U.S. forever," said Hesameddin Ansari, 34, who lost his father in the crash... The anniversary has become an annual outpouring of anger at America and has drawn wider coverage in state media in recent years as the standoff deepens over Iran's nuclear program.... Tehran has called for the commander of USS Vincennes at the time, William C. Rogers III, to be brought to trial. In 1990, then-President George H. W. Bush awarded Rogers the Legion of Merit for his service as a commanding officer, without mentioning the Airbus downing..."

"View from my Window!"

'New York, NY'

Happy 4th of July

Haaretz: "Oslo accords are dead!"

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-olso-accords-are-all-but-dead-1.371234

March14 to the US, Europe & Gulf: Help us regain power even by force!

"... Reaffirming adherence to all U.N. resolutions, particularly Resolution 1757, the statement said March 14 parties will begin efforts “to topple the government, ... The March 14 parties will launch an Arab and international political campaign to bring the republic out of the captivity of [Hezbollah’s] arms and call on Arab governments and the international community not to cooperate with this government..."

'Unknown attackers' blow up Sinai pipeline that supplies gas to Jordan & Israel.

Blast hits Egyptian gas pipeline - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

"Celui qui se fait l'ennemi des droits d'un peuple ne peut prétendre soutenir une révolution fondée sur les mêmes droits..."

BHLevy: "L'armee Israelienne la plus humaine de l'histoire moderne!"

"... Alertés par leurs amis en France, plusieurs invités syriens venant des Etats-Unis, d'Egypte ou d'ailleurs ont renoncé à participer au meeting.
Parmi eux :
Ammar Qorabi, qui dirige l'Organisation nationale des droits de l'homme, exilé au Caire ;
Omar Al-Azm, anthropologue, professeur à l'université de l'Ohio ;
Adib Shishakli, petit fils d'un ancien président de la République syrienne, également installé aux Etats-Unis,
Georgette Alam.
Conviés à Paris pour rencontrer des responsables français, ces personnalités se sont aperçues qu'il n'y avait d'autre rendez-vous sur leur agenda que cette soirée aux côtés de BHL.
Ils considèrent avoir été piégés par les partenaires syriens de La Règle du jeu, des militants séduits par la force de frappe politico-médiatique de BHL qui ont semé la discorde au sein de l'opposition.
Plusieurs groupes d'opposants syriens en France, dont Souria Houria (Syrie-Liberté) ou le Collectif Urgence solidarité Syrie ont en effet clairement signifié leur hostilité à cette réunion...."

FLC: "Gerhard Lehman was flipping groceries coupons, not checks or bank notes!"

MTV: 'Gerhard Lehman was flipping checks not bank notes!'

Thanks Anonymous reader.

You got to love this FUTURE bloc MP!

Hadi Hobeish. The most 'thick blooded' (Lebanese for totally humorless) member of parliement, a man who owes his (and his uncles) political fortunes to lick-shining the boots of most Syrian officials in the Lebanese theater had this to say when asked by a NEWtv reporter about Gerhard Lehman's (Detlev Mehlis's second in command and later on a Hariri family consultant taped bribery: "Yes, bribery, ... But we did not see who is bribing him!"

US animosity & Palestine

"While President Obama’s news conference of June 29^th addressed the two main foreign policy issues of the moment – Libya and Afghanistan – a political consensus on these matters remains elusive. Legal questions about the constitutionality of the Libyan expedition – raised by Democrats and Republicans alike – persist; the pace of Obama’s announced drawdown in Afghanistan continues to be hotly debated. The rising intensity of conservative critique ensures that Afghanistan will feature as the most prominent of the foreign policy issues in the 2012 campaign cycle. Obama’s two new national security appointments –Leon Panetta as secretary of Defense and David Petraeus as Director of the CIA – will be the key voices in the coming months. Petraeus has the more difficult task as he takes charge of an agency that has always been more skeptical about the military’s attachment to counter-insurgency strategy than the Pentagon. While defending Obama’s approach at his Senate nomination testimony, the new US commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, also left open the possibility that he would recommend a slower withdrawal should he judge that to be advisable. As these changes and the July 4th holiday take place and the August 2^nd deadline for extending the federal debt limit nears, something of a pause in foreign policy priority is taking place. Two matters are, however, unavoidable. The soon to take place flotilla protest against the Israeli maritime blockade of Gaza has drawn strong State Department criticism, but will pose awkward questions for the Administration should the Israelis take action against the participants, who include a number of prominent Americans. In the same Middle East context, the likely vote at the UN General Assembly in September on Palestinian statehood is also opening a gap between the US and some of its closest allies in Europe and the Middle East. Neither matter is welcome to the White House as it seeks to guard itself against Republican attacks for foreign policy weakness..."

"Pffft!"

'97 STL computers shipped to Israel first'

"... When the Tribunal's mandate comes up for renewal in March 2012, it will likely be extended at Washington's insistence. But will the international community, having already spent over $100 million on the Tribunal, continue to foot the bill for the ongoing legal proceedings and investigations, when other priorities beckon and the STL has become highly contentious in the country that counts most, Lebanon?
"Pffft" may not be the best way to describe the reaction to the STL's indictments, but it is the sound reverberating everywhere in this Levantine nation today - the sound of a deflated Tribunal that will need to deliver something compelling to become relevant again as Lebanon focuses elsewhere."

'Are these EUROS Mr. Lehman?'

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon!

Ever wondered where was David Schenker? Look no further!

"...Now, for an organization that has long described itself as “the Resistance” to Israel, the revelation that it also specializes in killing Sunni Muslims will, at a minimum, be problematic. Although Nasrallah has spent the better part of the past two years trying to discredit the tribunal, few in the largely Sunni Muslim Middle East will question the court’s accusation that the militia played a central role in the murder of Hariri, the leader of Lebanon’s Sunni community. Indeed, the Arab Spring has contributed to a spike in Sunni-Shiite tensions.... 

Moreover, the accusations are bound to foment discontent within Nasrallah’s organization, and potentially result in some diminished support for the militia in Lebanon. (Still suffering from Schenkeritis David?) While they will not come as a shock to anyone, of course, they will reopen old wounds, enraging Lebanon’s Sunni Muslims and, perhaps, disillusioning a few of Hezbollah’s Christian allies. At the same time, some Shiites—Hezbollahis and the organization’s constituents—will likely view the indictments as a liability and may seek to provoke another conflict with Israel, a la 2006, to distract attention from the tribunal. But regardless of Nasrallah’s bravado, Shiites in south Lebanon do not crave another costly war with Israel or a return to civil war at home.To be sure, notwithstanding the indictment of four of its lieutenants, Hezbollah will remain firmly in control of Lebanon, both politically and militarily. But the organization’s stature in the wider Muslim world will be irrevocably diminished and the change in status of this once seemingly holy Shiite organization will likewise further undermine the position of Iran and Syria in the region. It could also undermine Hezbollah in the eyes of Europe, where the militia has long benefitted from the Continent’s inexplicably tolerant view of the group’s “political” wing. Indeed, given the European Union’s expressed disgust with the ongoing atrocities perpetrated by the Assad regime and its growing frustration with the clerical regime in Tehran, the EU might be inclined to shift its views and finally lump Hezbollah in with these irredeemable regimes.   Until then, despite United Nations Resolutions calling for Lebanon to render the indicted individuals, it is all but certain Hezbollah won’t cooperate with the Special Tribunal. But while the trigger men themselves may slip the noose and be tried by the STL in absentia, the Shiite militia and its sponsors that ordered the Hariri hit will pay a steep price. Indeed, there may or may not ultimately be a conviction in The Hague, but in the Middle East court of public opinion, the verdict on Hezbollah will be guilty."

Assad's 'New Syria': Clean break with the past EXCEPT its support of the 'Resistance'!

Al Akhbar, here

"Initially the UN blamed Lebanese officials, then Syrian officials & and finally decided that Israel's principal enemy in Lebanon, the Hezbollah, was to blame!"

"... The new premier, Najib Mikati, a billionaire (many are, although this one was a wealthy man before he took over the government), immediately appeared on television to tell the Lebanese that these were merely indictments, not proofs of guilt. It was important, he said, "to be patient and rational".This, of course, is a tall order. The largest religious community in Lebanon are the Shia (to whom the Hezbollah are loyal), the second largest the Sunni (to whom the Hariris belong).

So the one thing the country did not need right now were these indictments from the UN."

'Rango!'

The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب: Lebanese police: "This is funny. Lebanese Minister of Interior said today that he could not arrest the four accused Hizbullah members because the leaks remov..."

WSJ: Protests & Lawlessness grow (hand in hand) in Syria

'the biggest protest here yet'

"... "The longer the protesters continue to defy the regime and its security forces, the more scope there will be for general lawlessness," said a senior Western diplomat in Damascus. "This could undermine the regime which has consistently trumpeted its ability to provide stability."

Daily antigovernment protests increased this week and Friday's demonstrations on the day of prayer drew crowds that some activists estimated to number a half-million (see photo above: it clearly shows close to a Quarter million demonstrator!) Such numbers aren't possible to verify... Videos posted on a central activist Facebook page showed protesters in Homs holding up red cards calling for Mr. Assad to go and shouting, "the people want to topple the regime." (heard for the first time!) Gunfire and tear gas was widely used in the city ...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned again Friday that the Syrian regime has limited time left to usher in reforms... A significant constituency in Damascus and Aleppo, however, have remained loyal to Mr. Assad—primarily for the social, economic and political stability his regime has brought...

"I've been adding a wall around my house although the bricks have tripled in price and builders are demanding a higher wage," says one old-city trader in Damascus. "It's so much faster when you don't need to get permission." Syrians blame the protesters for the deteriorating obedience to the law, although activists claim the government's actions are to blame....

While the majority of protests are peaceful, in towns including Tel Kalakh close to the Lebanese border, residents admit to fighting government forces with weapons smuggled in from Lebanon. Both guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used against tanks after the army moved in in May, according to residents and diplomats in Damascus. Reports have emerged from other cities, too, of frustrated protesters killing security forces...

Growing lawlessness would open space for increased chaos in the country, playing into a government narrative that has blamed armed gangs and saboteurs for the violence and leading to the potential forming of militias or organized local revolts, analysts say..."

Stewing in their own venom

Traffic in Beirut was horrible today. Tonight, it looked like one of those 'I Love Life' evenings. Sudden Gulfy throngs and fully booked eating venues & drinking holes? What gave? Less than 72 hours ago, folks were anxious. Hotel industry & hospitality captains were bracing for a summer of despair. March14 sedition and instigation seemed bent on bankrupting the country, tenderizing it enough for Saad to rebuild it in due time ... Were people "not Banking on Lebanon"?

Then came the political indictment of Hezbollah, and March14 tally men were counting their blessings: Lebanon will cower. Hezbollah will be besieged. Assad will fall, and Tehran will tremble! Something tells me that the calculations of the West's Birkenstocks-in-the-Levant (March14) were not on the money (again).

It looks likes 'Fitnah' will be a cool drink for the buzz seekers, and 'civil strife' will remain an XBox game for the inclined.

Looks like after stewing in the own venom, Imam Samir Geagea' (the Protector of the Sunnah) and 'Exile' (en francais) Saad Hariri will shed more skin and end up looking like Michele Bachmann & Jaba the Hut? I shudder just imagining this!

'Save the Date!'

Save the Date 

2011 Global Citizen Awards Dinner 

Thursday, September 22, 2011

New York, NY

H.E. Rafik Hariri

Prime Minister of Lebanon (1992-1998)

Posthumous Award Accepted by Bahaa Hariri

H.E. Christine Lagarde

Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

Introduction by Professor Klaus Schwab 

Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum 

6:00pm Reception | 7:00pm Dinner | Black Tie

For reservation and sponsorship details, please contact

Ania Voloshin at gala@acus.org or 202-778-4950 

www.acus.org

More on the 'Der Spiegel-Indictments' from, you guessed it, Der Spiegel!

"... Daniel Fransen, a judge at the special tribunal, said in a statement that the details of charges and the names of the alleged killers should remain secret for now, in order not to make the arrests more difficult. The four suspects are believed to all be members of the militant Shiite movement Hezbollah. Lebanese media and the Associated Press reported that the men charged are Mustafa Badreddine, the former Hezbollah deputy military commander who is believed to have supervised the Hariri assassination, another senior official, Salim Ayyash, who holds US citizenship, and two lower-ranking Hezbollah members, Assad Sabra and Hassan Anise.
According to unconfirmed information from legal sources in Beirut, the indictments accuse the four men of being responsible for the bomb attack.... There were also unconfirmed reports that the special tribunal had identified other possible suspects in addition to the four men named, including individuals of Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian nationality. An unidentified Lebanese security official told the German news agency DPA that most of the suspects were no longer in Lebanon and "may have fled to Iran after the murder."..."

STL: 'Confirming' Hezbollah's guilt allows for the next step: Syria & Qassem Suleimani (IRGC)?

Not named in the indictments are two assassinated officials: Imad Mughniyeh & Gen. Mohamad Suleiman (Syrian), both & Suleimani (IRGC) were of incredible importance in Resistance activities against Israel.