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Bible Quotations For Today
The Miracle Of Curing the Two Blind Men: According to your faith let it be done to you.’And their eyes were opened.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 09/27-35: "As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you. ’And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, ‘See that no one knows of this. ’But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district. After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons. ’Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness."

Jesus is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you
Second Letter to the Corinthians 12/21.13,01-05/:"I fear that when I come again, my God may humble me before you, and that I may have to mourn over many who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practised. This is the third time I am coming to you. ‘Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ’I warned those who sinned previously and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not be lenient. since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? unless, indeed, you fail to pass the test!"

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 04/16
Saudi Arabia Cuts Billions in Aid to Lebanon, Opening Door for Iran/Anne Barnard/The New York Times/March 02/16
Does Aoun have a plan B with Hezbollah/Michael Young| The Daily Star/March 02/16
Iran elections to have no effect on Lebanon, Syria/Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/March 03/16
Iran’s Costly Fake ‘Democracy’/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/March 02/16
Iran election bodes ill for Russia/Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
Syria truce breaches amid mounting refugee crisis/Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
Patience has its limits/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
Riyadh and Paris — ideal relationship/Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi/Al Arabiya/March 03/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on March 04/16
Report: Prisoner exchange deal takes place between ISIS and Hezbollah in Syria
Iran: Hezbollah is the vanguard of resistance against the Zionist regime
Rifi calls for "decisive political storm" against Hezbollah
Nasrallah: Not sacred but sacred!
Saudi Arabia Cuts Billions in Aid to Lebanon, Opening Door for Iran
Does Aoun have a plan B with Hezbollah?
As Saudi-Iran Tensions Grow, Lebanon Pays the Price
Russia intel chief died in Beirut: diplomat tells Al-Akhbar
Mashnouq Says Coordinated Stance with Salam: It is Different from Bassil's
Syria Slams GCC Anti-Hizbullah Resolution as Sign of 'Saudi Confusion'
Iran: GCC Made a 'Mistake' Labeling Hizbullah as Terrorist
Salam Issues Stiff Warning on Waste Crisis
Franjieh: Hizbullah is a Resistance that Makes Lebanon, Arabs Proud
Paris Dispatches Envoys to Riyadh after Aid Halt
Report: U.S. 'Provoked' by Aid Halt to Lebanon, Vows to Pressure Riyadh
Financial Prosecutor Sues Sukleen on Charges of 'Squandering Public Funds'
Iran elections to have no effect on Lebanon, Syria
Hariri: Iran Had Elections a Few Days ago, so Why Can’t we?
U.S. Ambassador Tours Blue Line with UNIFIL Commander
Tunisia Nobel Winners Condemn Blacklisting of Hizbullah.

Report: Prisoner exchange deal takes place between ISIS and Hezbollah in Syria
Jerusalem Post/March 03/16 / A Hezbollah-ISIS prisoner exchange took place last week following an ISIS ambush on a group of Hezbollah fighters in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, during which a senior Hezbollah commander, Ali Fayyad, was captured by Islamic State fighters. According to a Thursday report on the Lebanese news site Janubia, after he was injured in the ambush, Hezbollah released an official statement announcing Fayyad's death. Shortly after, however, the organization informed his family that their son was not killed, but captured by ISIS forces. Therefore, while the Lebanese terror organization told its supporters that it launched a military operation to return the bodies of its supposedly killed fighters, it actually held communications with ISIS to carry out a prisoners exchange deal. Thus, Hezbollah's statement from February 29 declaring that it had recovered the body of the "martyr Fayyad" was fabricated. Janubia reported that Hezbollah and ISIS rapidly reached agreement on the deal, which may signal that both terror organizations that compete over dominance in Syria actually have well established working relations. According to the report, Lebanese army soldiers held hostage by ISIS since August 2014 were excluded from the swap, because the only one who is authorized to order their release is the ISIS emir in Damascus.

Iran: Hezbollah is the vanguard of resistance against the Zionist regime
Reuters/Jerusalum Post/March 03/16/ANKARA - Iran accused Gulf Arab neighbors on Thursday of jeopardizing Lebanon's stability by blacklisting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, state television said, a move likely to stoke tensions in the regional power rivalry between Tehran and Riyadh. The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Wednesday, opening up the possibility of further sanctions against the group that wields influence in Lebanon and fights in Syria. Leading Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Muslim Iran compete for influence across the region and back different factions in sectarian-riven Lebanon and in Syria's civil war. "Lebanon's Hezbollah is the vanguard of resistance against the Zionist regime (Israel) and Iran is proud of the group, which is also the champion of the fight against terrorism in the Middle East," Iranian state TV quoted deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying. "Calling Hezbollah a terrorist group ... will harm the unity and security of Lebanon."Hezbollah's leader said on Tuesday Lebanon had been pushed into a new phase of political conflict by Saudi Arabia but was not on the brink of civil war and its government of national unity, of which Hezbollah is a part, should survive. In 2013, the Sunni-dominated GCC - representing Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar - imposed sanctions on Shi'ite Hezbollah after it entered Syria's war in support of President Bashar Assad. The GCC did not specify on Wednesday what action might be taken against Hezbollah. But last week Saudi Arabia, the biggest power in the GCC, said it had blacklisted four companies and three Lebanese men for having links to the group. Relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have been plunged into crisis since Riyadh halted $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese army - a response to the Beirut government's failure to condemn attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran. In January, Riyadh led several Arab countries in cutting diplomatic ties with Tehran after demonstrators burned its embassy and a consulate in protest against the execution of a prominent, dissident Shi'ite cleric by Riyadh.

Rifi calls for "decisive political storm" against Hezbollah
Now Lebanon/March 03/16/“We are at the gates of a new period that demands we reformulate matters on the national level,” Rifi said.
BEIRUT – Lebanon’s recently resigned justice minister has called for a political “decisive storm” in the country against his arch-foe Hezbollah, while criticizing Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk for objecting to a statement classifying Hezbollah as a terror group. “The Arab anger has begun, and the Lebanese anger will begin,” Ashraf Rifi cryptically warned during a Wednesday night interview on Al-Jazeera television. The prominent Sunni politician called "for a political 'Decisive Storm’ in Lebanon, for we cannot accept this statelet,” a commonly used pejorative for Hezbollah. Rifi’s comment served as a reference to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen against the Iranian-backed Houthi forces, which was originally named “Operation Decisive Storm.” “We are at the gates of a new period that demands we reformulate matters on the national level,” Rifi said.
The Tripoli politician stressed he was an independent “Hariri-ist” politician “who takes the example of the martyred Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.”
Rifi’s comments come amid a growing political crisis in Lebanon as Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf states continue to take punitive measures against Lebanon in anger over what they see as Hezbollah’s undue influence over the country. Riyadh has publicly expressed its anger over what it termed “regrettable and unjustified” positions taken by Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil against Saudi Arabia in two recent diplomatic summits. Knowledgeable sources told NOW last week that the Saudi measures also aim to send a message to the Kingdom’s allies in March 14, who have “failed to meet the expectations of the new Saudi leadership that took over following the death of King Abdullah in January 2015.” Specifically, NOW was told the new King Salman, along with his highly influential son, Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Muhammad bin Salman, are deeply disappointed with what they see as a lack of meaningful opposition to Hezbollah from Saudi partners in Lebanon.
Rifi criticizes Machnouk
Rifi criticized Lebanon’s interior minister Nohad Machnouk, another leading Sunni figure in Lebanon, over his refusal to assent to a pan-Arab statement classifying Hezbollah as a terror group. “I regret to say that the interior minister has deviated from Arab consensus. He has no right to this with the presence of all the evidence of Hezbollah’s embroilment,” he said. Earlier that evening, Nohad Machnouk—who, along with Rifi, was appointed to the cabinet by the Future Movement—had objected to a joint statement agreed upon by Arab interior ministers meeting in Tunisia to blacklist Hezbollah as a terror organization, hours after the GCC had added the militant group to its terror list. Lebanon’s interior minister defended his decision, insisting he did not reject “Arab consensus” because Iraq and Algeria expressed reservations on the statement. Machnouk also said that he was seeking to preserve the work of the Lebanese government. Rifi, however, rejected the defense offered by his fellow Sunni politician, saying, “there is no justification for the good minister Nohad al-Machnouk.”“The accusation by the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council [against Hezbollah] is supported by irrefutable evidence,” he said.
**NOW’s English news desk editor Albin Szakola (@AlbinSzakola) wrote this report. Ullin Hope (@UllinHope) translated the Arabic-language source material.

Nasrallah: Not sacred but sacred!
Turki Al-Dakhil//Al Arabiya/March 03/16/Many Lebanese politicians have said they enjoy comedy sketches imitating them. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has hosted those who have impersonated him at his residence. Lebanese are used to this form of satire, but not Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. When he was impersonated a decade ago, the team behind the sketch had to be protected from his supporters. When Nasrallah was asked during an interview why the sketch angered him, he evasively said it was his supporters who got angry, then clarified that he does not accept derogatory impersonations.
Contradictions
In a TV sketch on Saturday, Saudi actor Khaled al-Farraj impersonated Nasrallah and poked fun at his contradictory statements. The sketch was immediately followed by angry protests in southern Beirut. Future Movement leader Saad Hariri urged restraint among his supporters. What is strange is that Hezbollah lectures people about morals, ethics, not harming people and respecting shrines, while Nasrallah’s speeches are full of defamatory insults and offensive language that children must not be allowed to hear. A poll held by a TV station in a number of Beirut neighborhoods asked: “Do you accept that Nasrallah be impersonated?”When a man answered no, the presenter asked him: “Is he sacred?” He answered: “No he’s not sacred.. but it’s impossible to imagine that he’s being impersonated.” The herd’s formula: Nasrallah is not sacred but sacred!

Saudi Arabia Cuts Billions in Aid to Lebanon, Opening Door for Iran
Anne Barnard/The New York Times/March 02/16
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Even as Iran and Saudi Arabia supported opposite sides in a bitter and bloody proxy war in Syria, the two adversaries managed to preserve a tense calm just over the border in Lebanon, where they have long competed for influence.Now, suddenly, it looks as if Saudi Arabia is walking away — leaving Lebanon perhaps more firmly than ever in the grip of Hezbollah and its patron, Iran. Instead of vying behind the scenes to counter Iran, as it has for decades, the kingdom has taken to punishing Lebanon for Hezbollah’s siding with Iran in Syria. It has slashed billions of dollars in aid, ordered Saudi tourists to avoid the Mediterranean nation, and, on Wednesday, declared Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful political, social and armed organization, a terrorist group. Suddenly, this sliver of a nation, long beloved by Saudis for its night life, beaches and mountains, is once again thrust into the middle of the battle for regional dominance between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. The consequences could be enormous for a nation that barely survived its own civil war, borders Israel, hosts well over a million Syrian refugees and relies on a shaky power-sharing arrangement between sects for its own stability.
Iran has not shifted tactics in Lebanon. But Saudi Arabia has in what is seen as the latest of a series of newly assertive — critics say impulsive — foreign policy moves pressed by a new king and his son, the deputy crown prince.
In each case, Saudi Arabia has asserted what it calls its right, even duty, to counter Iranian influence. In Yemen, it is fighting an Iranian-backed rebel group. In Syria, it has supported rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, whom Iran supports. So it was surprising that in Lebanon, rather than once again taking the fight to Iran, the kingdom has taken a step back — a move that risks increasing Iran’s influence and fragmenting its Sunni rivals. It is a tactic that virtually no one here thinks has any chance of actually coercing Lebanon to constrain Hezbollah, a Shiite group.Ali Rizk, a Lebanese political analyst close to Hezbollah, echoed many analysts across the Middle East in saying that Saudi Arabia had been prone to hair-trigger reactions since its leaders became incensed over the nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.
“They just went crazy,” he said.
The move by Riyadh threatens not only to reshape the politics of the region, but to undermine this tiny nation’s fitful economy and delicate political balance. Already, the tensions have boiled over in small ways: After a television station broadcast a spoof ridiculing Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, the group’s supporters blocked roads and burned tires on Saturday night, setting off brief confrontations in the streets with rival groups. In a speech on Tuesday night, Mr. Nasrallah struck back, accusing Saudi Arabia of crimes and massacres in its air war in Yemen and calling on it to “settle scores with Hezbollah and not with the Lebanese people.”Diplomats and analysts have spent several weeks trying to understand why the Saudis would precipitously start penalizing Lebanon — and perhaps their own Lebanese allies — over the powerful influence of Hezbollah, which is nothing new. Even politicians in the Saudi camp say that the kingdom’s moves have put Lebanon in an impossible position. The Shiite group’s forces are more powerful than the Lebanese military and act autonomously, most notably carrying out a major ground operation in Syria that has helped keep Mr. Assad in power.
Political figures on all sides point out that what Saudi Arabia has demanded from Lebanon — condemning Iran and Hezbollah, for example — is unrealistic.“If some think that Hezbollah will pull out from Syria due to some Arab stances,” Walid Jumblatt, the Druse leader who lately has been allied with the pro-Saudi Future Movement, told Orient TV, a Syrian opposition news outlet, “well, they won’t withdraw.” Not even the Future Movement, the Lebanese party closest to Saudi Arabia, could bring itself to call Hezbollah a terrorist group — rather declaring on Wednesday that Hezbollah was involved in “terrorist activities.”Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and their allies in Lebanon and throughout the region, have been increasing since the start of the conflict in Syria, which is in its fifth year. Those tensions have risen further since King Salman rose to the Saudi throne last year and pursued a more assertive foreign policy, including the war in Yemen. The Saudis have carried out an airstrike campaign that has killed civilians and destroyed hospitals and historic areas, and it has been roundly criticized by Hezbollah — even as Hezbollah was backing an indiscriminate Syrian government campaign to put down the rebellion there.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia in January in Riyadh. Credit Fayez Nureldine/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The newest round of recriminations began when Saudi Arabia executed a pro-Iranian dissident Shiite cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iranian demonstrators attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran. In January, at meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Arabia sought formal condemnations not only of the embassy attacks but also of Iran’s and Hezbollah’s roles in the region. Lebanon did not sign on. The country’s foreign minister, Gebran Bassil — who leads the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party aligned with Hezbollah — declared that Lebanon stood “in solidarity” with Saudi Arabia over the embassy attacks. But signing on to the statement, he said, would violate Lebanon’s policy of disassociation, or official neutrality, on the Syrian conflict. Saudi Arabia’s main Sunni ally in Lebanon, the Future Movement led by Saad Hariri, criticized Mr. Bassil, saying that his stance did not represent Lebanon. Finger-pointing ensued among Lebanon’s political factions, whose stalemate over Syria and conflicts on other issues has kept the country without a president for more than a year.
Next, Riyadh declared it was canceling $4 billion in aid pledged to Lebanon, $3 billion of which was earmarked for the Lebanese Army. The aid had been offered in a bid to bolster the army and make it more able to hold its own and operate independently from Hezbollah. The kingdom and its allies suggested that the decision was based on what it saw as undue influence from Hezbollah in foreign policy, as well as security concerns after several Arab governments in the Persian Gulf said they had uncovered Hezbollah cells in their countries. Ghattas Khoury, a Lebanese former Parliament member speaking for Mr. Hariri’s camp, said the kingdom’s Lebanese allies understood its position but would lobby the Saudis to change their minds.“The Lebanese Army is essential for us,” he said. Last week, Saudi Arabia — and four of its five allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council — declared Lebanon unsafe for their citizens, although there has been no discernible shift in the security situation.
Those moves may have little concrete effect: The $3 billion in arms had yet to be delivered and Saudi and other tourists have already largely abandoned Lebanon during the Syrian war. But Saudi Arabia and its gulf allies have other leverage: They could also throw out the half-million Lebanese who work in the gulf, a major economic lifeline for the country. And Saudi Arabia already seems to have cut its support to Mr. Hariri, whose father, Rafik, a former prime minister close to the kingdom, was assassinated in 2005; the Saudis blame Hezbollah. Employees of his party’s news media say their pay has become irregular. And the party is short of cash ahead of municipal elections this spring, when they could lose ground to Hezbollah and other rivals without funds to mobilize voters. Asked to explain the decline in Saudi support, several diplomats and analysts said that Lebanon was taking a back seat to Yemen, Syria and other conflicts.
“It’s just not a priority anymore,” one diplomat said.
Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-cuts-billions-in-aid-to-lebanon-opening-door-for-iran.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

Does Aoun have a plan B with Hezbollah?
Michael Young| The Daily Star/March 02/16
It has been over a month since Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah copped out on the election of Michel Aoun as president. We are with Aoun, Hezbollah’s secretary-general said in a speech in January, but will not force our allies to vote for him.What was remarkable in the statement is that Hezbollah has not hesitated to force its allies, above all the speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, to boycott election sessions for almost two years. So effective has been the party’s power of persuasion that even Sleiman Frangieh, a presidential candidate himself, refused to go to Parliament Wednesday to elect a president because he did not want to oppose the party. In other words, had Nasrallah stated that Aoun’s election was a key party objective – and time and again he has hinted precisely that – he wouldn’t have dithered in pushing his allies toward such an outcome. It is surprising how quiet Aoun has been since he was endorsed by Samir Geagea. For a man who deployed his supporters in the streets at every occasion last year, who repeatedly blocked government action in order to blackmail the political class into electing him, the current situation must be disconcerting. Aoun is no fool and must have guessed that Hezbollah, deep down, had no real intention of bringing him to office. But if that’s the case, did he not have a backup plan to address the situation?
Evidently, the general does not want, or does not yet want, to put his relationship with Hezbollah on the line. Perhaps he feels that it would be a bad idea at a time when the party is resurgent, amid military gains in Syria and the rise of Iranian influence throughout the region. But if so, the entire premise of Aoun’s strategy in the past decade – that of siding with Hezbollah against the parliamentary majority in order to secure his election – has effectively collapsed. Hezbollah could now easily swing a majority behind Aoun if it persuaded Berri and its lesser allies to support the general, but it simply refuses to do so.
This reality brings on another one. If March 14 has as its priority the filling of the presidential vacuum, then it could just as easily elect Aoun itself, regardless of Hezbollah. If the party is perpetuating the political vacuum, as it seems to be doing, then there is an easy way for March 14 to circumvent this and strike a blow against Hezbollah’s agenda: by voting for Aoun.
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states have suggested that their overriding aim is to isolate Hezbollah in Lebanon. If so, one might argue that opting for Aoun could push him to take his distance from the party. Far from being an Iranian peon, some argue, the general is an opportunist who would jump at the first occasion of being elected. Therefore why not guarantee Aoun’s election, fill a vacuum that benefits only Hezbollah, and push the party and its allies into a corner where they would be alone? Aoun does not seem to have even considered exploiting this potential opening. It may now have dawned on him that his followers’ relentless provocations directed against Lebanon’s Sunnis ensured that he would alienate not only the community itself, but also its regional backers. Nothing Aoun does will ever persuade the Saudis that he is anything but an Iranian agent – certainly not given the mood in the kingdom today.
But what is revealing is the extent to which many Aounists have failed to realize that Nasrallah abandoned their leader. They will still blame March 14 for the absence of a president. This only underlines how much the Aounist mindset is built on resentment, not political calculation. The party’s rank and file cannot even discern that they have been shafted.
As purported defenders of Christian interests, the Aounists should ask why Hezbollah insists on leaving the presidency vacant. Some have argued that the party’s real intention is to impose constitutional amendments that will give the Shiite community more political power by increasing its representation. The most-often-heard prediction is that Hezbollah seeks to redraw shares in the country so that Sunnis, Shiites and Maronites each get roughly a third of representation in parliament, the government and the civil service, with smaller shares for the other sects. In that way Hezbollah could better protect itself and its weapons in the future. Perhaps, but another view seems more realistic today. Since Hezbollah does not have a parliamentary two-thirds majority to amend the constitution, all it can do is push for legislation that enhances its own sway while reducing that of its rivals. That would mean a favorable election law, a friendly president, a friendly Army commander, and so on. In this scenario Aoun and Frangieh remain presidential candidates, but Hezbollah wants to bring one of them in at the right moment, on its own terms, not as a consequence of maneuvers by March 14. It’s likely that Aoun is aware of this. However, at 82 years of age he doesn’t really have the luxury of delaying. Frangieh senses that too, which is why he is keen not to break with Hezbollah. Sooner or later, he doubtless feels, his chances of becoming president will increase, especially if he becomes the Lebanese embodiment of the enduring Bashar Assad-Hezbollah alliance.
Faced with such a situation, can Aoun afford not to react? He is caught in a dilemma, but has left himself no room for escape. Even Geagea, the one person who has sided with him lately, is looking beyond Aoun to position himself as the great Maronite unifier. No wonder the general and his supporters always appear to be so resentful.
**Michael Young is opinion editor of THE DAILY STAR. He tweets @BeirutCalling.

As Saudi-Iran Tensions Grow, Lebanon Pays the Price
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 03/16/Caught in the middle of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Lebanon is paying the price for the growing rivalry between the Middle East's main Sunni and Shiite powers. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran are important players in Lebanon, where foreign powers have long backed a range of Sunni, Shiite and Christian groups on the country's complex political scene. Saudi Arabia has for years supported pro-Western Sunni politicians while Iran has nurtured the Shiite Hizbullah movement, with various Christian factions backing the two sides. And as rivalry between the two countries has intensified in recent weeks, Lebanon is suffering the fallout. "Saudi Arabia is at an impasse and feels very lost. It sees the United States abandoned it in favor of Iran and of Russia in Syria, while Iran expands its influence in the region," said Hilal Khashan, head of the American University of Beirut's political science department. "The Saudis believe they have to react to the Iranians in one way or another. So they've chosen to respond in Lebanon by putting pressure on Hezbollah." The two countries' rivalry plays out in a range of Middle East conflicts, from Syria where Iran and Hizbullah back President Bashar Assad while Saudi Arabia supports the opposition, to Yemen where Riyadh has launched a military intervention against Tehran-backed Shiite rebels.The implementation of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers earlier this year has raised deep concerns in Riyadh, a longtime U.S. ally, and tensions boiled over in January.
'Brandishing a sword'
Riyadh and a number of its Gulf allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after an angry mob ransacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. The hostility has now spread to Lebanon, with Riyadh last month halting a $4-billion aid package to Lebanese security forces and calling on Saudi citizens to leave the country. Saudi officials have said the moves are due to "hostile positions" taken by Hizbullah, which they have accused of exerting a "stranglehold" on the Lebanese state. They have pointed specifically to Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in condemning the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.The Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council upped the stakes on Tuesday, officially designating Hezbollah a "terrorist organization". The GCC's decision was the equivalent of "brandishing a sword," said Lebanese researcher Waddah Sharara, author of the book "The Hizbullah State". "It's a weapon they reserve the right to use, but not one they have used directly yet," he said. Iran hit back on Thursday, with Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian calling Hizbullah "the champion of the fight against terrorism in the region" and saying the blacklisting was jeopardizing Lebanon's stability. Hizbullah has escalated its own vitriol against Saudi Arabia, calling it a "criminal, terrorist" state. For now, Saudi Arabia's actions are having a limited effect. The withdrawal of aid to Lebanon's security forces is "more a formality" than a real economic sanction, Sharara said. But there are fears that Saudi Arabia, which has about $2 billion deposited in the Lebanese central bank, could step up its efforts to squeeze Hizbullah. Remittances at risk? "No one can predict if Saudi Arabia will go so far as to withdraw its deposits," said Nassib Ghobril, an economic analyst at Byblos Bank in Lebanon. For now, he said, there was also no sign of private Saudi investors taking action against Lebanon, but what could hurt the country is a move against Lebanese citizens working in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Some 300,000 Lebanese work in Saudi Arabia and another 200,000 in the rest of the Gulf and their remittances home are crucial to Lebanon's economy. In 2015 alone, the remittances added up to $7.5 billion, Ghobril said. Some Lebanese working in the Gulf fear measures will be taken against them. "I have to renew my residency here soon and I'm really worried that it won't be approved," one man working in the United Arab Emirates said on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals.Exporters are also worried that Saudi Arabia will close its borders to Lebanese goods, said Mohammad Choukeir, who heads the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon. "About 75 percent of Lebanon's agricultural exports and 53 percent of industrial exports go to Gulf states," Choukeir said. Lebanon's former ambassador to Washington, Abdallah Bouhabib, said it was important for the Lebanese -- still recovering from the country's devastating 1975-1990 civil war -- to stand together against outside interference."There is a discord between Sunnis and Shiites in the region, but our country needs balance and the Lebanese are aware of this," said Bouhabib, now a political analyst. "National unity remains more valuable than solidarity with a friendly nation."

Russia intel chief died in Beirut: diplomat tells Al-Akhbar
Now Lebanon/March 03/16/Rumors have swirled over the circumstances of Igor Sergun's death.
Igor Sergun. (AFP/Mikhail Klimentyev/Ria-Novosti)
BEIRUT – A Lebanese daily has further fueled the rumors swirling around the January death of Russia’s military intelligence chief, publishing an article alleging that Colonel-General Igor Sergun died in Lebanon. In a report published on Thursday, Al-Akhbar’s Jean Aziz spoke to an unnamed diplomat based in London, who speculated on the circumstances of the intelligence chief’s mysterious death. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that Sergun had died suddenly at age 58 on January 3, 2016, but did not specify the location or cause of his death. The terse nature of the statement sparked rumors over what had happened to him, while reports in Russian media said that an acute heart attack brought on by stress had killed the high-ranking officer. For his part, the diplomatic source told Al-Akhbar that “information in London suggests that the top Russian military and intelligence official died in Beirut.” The source also said that he could not “rule out that his death could have been the result of a complicated intelligence security operation in which several Arab and Middle Eastern intelligence actors may have participated.”“Moscow must have discovered some clues [related] to this matter,” added Al-Akhbar’s report, which claimed that Turkey and Russia had been on the brink of war before the recently agreed cessation of hostilities in Syria. “It is this that made Russia’s decision for confrontation with Turkey decisive and final.”It should be noted that the diplomatic source struck a very conspiratorial tone in the article, providing a number of unsubstantiated theories on regional developments and accusing Turkey of aiming to “push matters beyond the brink of the military abyss.”The source, however, did not go into further details on Sergun’s death or what he was doing in Lebanon. British newspaper Financial Times reported on January 22 that Russian President Vladimir Putin had dispatched his military intelligence chief to Damascus shortly before his death “on a delicate mission.”“The general, who is believed to have cut his teeth as a Soviet operative in Syria, bore a message from Vladimir Putin for President Bashar al-Assad: the Kremlin, the Syrian dictator’s most powerful international protector, believed it was time for him to step aside,” the daily said, citing two Western intelligence sources. The Financial Times added that Russia had sought a “choreographed transition of power that would maintain the Alawite regime but open the door to realistic negotiations with moderate rebels.” The British daily did not say that Sergun died on the trip, although rumors started swirling days after his death that the Russian intelligence official had passed away in Beirut. Private US-based intelligence company Stratfor started the ball rolling on these unconfirmed reports on January 6 with remarks from a source who said he had heard “a report that [Sergun] died on New Year’s Day in Lebanon.”“If the report that he died in Lebanon is true, it raises questions about what Sergun was doing in a country that is a hotbed for the world’s intelligence services and why the Kremlin would cover up his death abroad,” Stratfor’s report read.

Mashnouq Says Coordinated Stance with Salam: It is Different from Bassil's
Naharnet/March 03/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stressed that his stance regarding Hizbullah at the Arab Interior Ministers Conference was coordinated with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and that it was different from the controversial stance of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Thursday. “There is absolutely no resemblance between the two stances. I have not stood in the face of the Arab consensus and Lebanon's position was not the only one, but it followed the reservations expressed by Iraq and Algeria,” Mashnouq told the daily. On Wednesday, the Interior Minister objected against labeling Hizbullah as a terrorist organization in the closing statement of the 33rd Arab Interior Ministers Conference held in Tunisia. Emphasizing that the position was coordinated with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, he said: “Outside Lebanon, I cannot but defend all the Lebanese.” The statement came hours after the Gulf Cooperation Council had blacklisted the party. The gatherers at the conference had condemned the practices of Iran and Hizbullah, citing the party's "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq," which were threatening Arab security. For his part, former Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi expressed surprise at the stance of Mashnouq and said: “The accusation of the GCC against Hizbullah as terrorist organization came after irrefutable evidence,” he told al-Jazeera. “Mashnouq's stances are unjustifiable and I urge the government to resign.”In January and during an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, Bassil expressed Lebanon's rejection of an Arab League statement that condemned Hizbullah over alleged interference in the Arab States. That position drew a lot of controversy and triggered a series of GCC reactions that started with Saudi Arabia halting a $4 billion in aid to the Lebanese army and military institutions. It was followed by travel warnings to Lebanon. Other Gulf states followed suit urging their nationals not to travel to the country and those residing to leave.

Syria Slams GCC Anti-Hizbullah Resolution as Sign of 'Saudi Confusion'
Naharnet/March 03/16/Damascus strongly condemned Wednesday a Gulf Cooperation Council resolution that labeled Hizbullah a “terrorist” organization, noting that it reflects “Saudi confusion.”“In a move that is harmonious with the Israeli policy, the GCC has issued a resolution considering Hizbullah a terrorist organization due to its continuous fight against the Zionist scheme in the region and its confrontation of the Israeli enemy,” a Syrian foreign ministry official said in remarks to the official SANA news agency. “Hizbullah's contributions to the historic confrontation in Syria against the terrorism represented in Daesh (Islamic State group), al-Nusra Front and the other terrorist groups have annoyed some of the Gulf capitals,” the official added. “The victories that are being achieved against this terrorism and its supporters have especially distressed the Saudi leadership,” the Syrian official said. Earlier in the day, the GCC declared Hizbullah a "terrorist" group, escalating tensions with the Shiite Lebanese organization that has dispatched thousands of militants to bolster the Syrian regime against rebels and jihadists seeking to topple it. The designation is the latest step taken by Gulf states against Hizbullah as ties between its main backer Iran and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia deteriorate. The GCC cited "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq." Saudi Arabia last month halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah's policies. Announcing the funding cut, a Saudi official said the kingdom noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the state."Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran earlier this year after demonstrators burned its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite dissident cleric.

Iran: GCC Made a 'Mistake' Labeling Hizbullah as Terrorist
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 03/16/Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Thursday that a decision by the Saudi-led bloc of Gulf states to label Hizbullah a terrorist organization is a "mistake."Iranian state TV quoted Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying the Gulf Cooperation Council's move was a "new mistake" that would undermine peace in the region and the unity of Lebanon. He said Iran was "proud" of Hizbullah "as the vanguard of resistance against the Zionist regime and the champion of the fight against terrorism in the region." "Those who call Hizbullah terrorists, have intentionally or unintentionally harmed the unity and security of Lebanon."On Wednesday, a statement from GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani said the bloc decided to implement the terrorist designation because of hostile acts by Iran-backed Hizbullah within its member states. The decision reflects rising tensions between Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite powerhouse Iran, Hizbullah's patron. The GCC ruling brings Gulf states in line with the U.S., which also considers Hizbullah a terrorist group.

Salam Issues Stiff Warning on Waste Crisis
Naharnet/March 03/16/Prime Minister Tammam Salam warned cabinet ministers on Thursday that he would not call for a cabinet session next week if the country’s seven-month-long waste problem is not resolved soon. Salam denied that he would suspend cabinet sessions, telling ministers the situation is “much worse than that,” Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said in his press briefing. The PM spoke at the start of the session that he chaired at the Grand Serail. A ministerial committee has been holding meetings since the cabinet decided last month to end an export plan and instead focus on decentralization. The export scheme to Russia was dropped after a scandal that the company tasked with dealing with the issue had forged the documents.The committee is now mulling where to dump the waste of Beirut and heavily-populated Mount Lebanon. The garbage crisis erupted when the country's largest landfill, which used to receive the waste of Beirut and Mount Lebanon, was closed in July last year.

Franjieh: Hizbullah is a Resistance that Makes Lebanon, Arabs Proud
Naharnet/March 03/16/Head of the Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh lamented on Thursday the labeling of Hizbullah as a terrorist organization by Arab countries. He said via Twitter: “Hizbullah as a resistance movement makes Lebanon and the Arabs proud.” It is unfortunate that the party is however being targeted by Arabs, “which only appeases our only enemy, Israel,” he remarked. The Gulf Cooperation Council on Wednesday blacklisted Hizbullah as a “terrorist organization,” a day after Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Lebanon to silence his party. The GCC cited the party's "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq," which were threatening Arab security. Tensions rose in Lebanon last week when Saudi Arabia announced that it was halting $4 billion in aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. Its decision was followed by a travel warning and a decision to blacklist several individuals and firms over their alleged ties with Hizbullah.Several Gulf states also issued travel advisories to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia has linked its move to Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, and alleged Hizbullah "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."

Paris Dispatches Envoys to Riyadh after Aid Halt
Naharnet/March 03/16/France has dispatched two envoys to Riyadh over their future technical cooperation following a halt of Saudi aid to the Lebanese army and security forces, pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Thursday. Under one of the programs, worth $3 billion, Saudi Arabia was financing military equipment provided by France. The newspaper said the envoys delivered a message to the Saudi officials that Paris and Riyadh should discuss ways to transfer the equipment and arms from France to Saudi Arabia. The other message delivered to Riyadh is that it should be keen on preserving the interests of their friends in Lebanon and to keep the door open to a possible reassessment of the aid halt. Al-Hayat identified the two French officials who visited Riyadh as Jerome Bonnafont, the director of North Africa and Middle East Directorate at the Foreign Ministry, and the adviser of Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Saudi Arabia announced last week that it was cutting $4 billion in aid to the Lebanese army security forces. The kingdom and other Gulf states followed up that move by urging their citizens to leave Lebanon.The Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations formally branded Hizbullah a terrorist organization on Wednesday, ramping up the pressure on the party fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria. Saudi Arabia took such a decision because it considers that Lebanon and its army have fallen under the control of Hizbullah, al-Hayat quoted a Lebanese source as saying.

Report: U.S. 'Provoked' by Aid Halt to Lebanon, Vows to Pressure Riyadh
Naharnet/March 03/16/A top Pentagon official has promised a Lebanese parliamentary delegation, which recently visited the U.S., that Washington will try to persuade Saudi Arabia not to stop its military aid to Lebanon. “We told the Saudis that their move angered us and mostly provoked us,” As Safir daily on Thursday quoted the official as saying. “Things haven't stopped. We will seek to convince the Saudis to restore the support for Lebanon,” he said. Riyadh announced last month that it was cutting $4 billion in aid to the Lebanese army and security forces after accusing Lebanon of siding with Iran as a result of pressure exerted by Hizbullah. Saudi Arabia has also claimed that it fears weapons and equipment intended for the Lebanese army would reach the hands of Hizbullah. But according to As Safir, the U.S. official told the Lebanese MPs that the army does not misuse the weapons and is keen on keeping them within the military establishment.“Despite its modest capabilities, the Lebanese military is one of the most important armies fighting terrorism. That's why our support for it will continue and will increase,” the official said. He stressed that Washington will not let go of Lebanon. “The Islamic State is our number one enemy. We will defeat it and finish it off,” he said. The Saudi military aid that has been halted was intended to boost Lebanon's defensive capabilities to combat terror threats. Lebanon's allies are seeking to bolster the country's defenses against the IS and other jihadists pressing along its Syrian border.

Financial Prosecutor Sues Sukleen on Charges of 'Squandering Public Funds'
Naharnet/March 03/16/Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim has filed a lawsuit against the Sukleen and Sukomi firms on charges of “squandering public funds” in their handling of waste management in the country in the past two decades, media reports said on Wednesday. Ibrahim's move is based on the lawsuit that has been filed by Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel, the reports said.Gemayel filed a lawsuit against the Council for Development and Reconstruction last week for its long running failure to follow up on the trash management file since Sukleen and its subsidiary Sukomi were tasked with collecting, sorting and land-filling garbage in Beirut and Mount Lebanon in 1994. After talks he held with Prosecutor Samir Hammoud at the Justice Palace, Gemayel said: “The CDR is the body eligible to follow up on the work of the companies that are tasked with handling Lebanon's waste but it failed to do so and no one held it responsible for that.” Stressing that Sukleen should have been inquired about its procedures of handling and sorting the waste, Gemayel lashed out saying: “For many years, Sukleen has been responsible for removing the trash and has failed in its work. Instead of land-filling 20% of the garbage, it was land-filling 80% in Naameh, which brought us to this disaster today.” Reports have emerged that Sukleen has failed to abide by the conditions that were set in the contract with regard to the amounts of trash that should have been sorted, recycled and land-filled. Earlier on Wednesday, Sukleen issued a statement clarifying that it had been “campaigning, without success, since 1997 to have the Government provide (it) with more land, as per the contracts, to build additional composting and sorting plants.” “For this purpose, and during our years of operation, 323 letters have been sent to the concerned authorities. These letters are documented in our registers and in the registers of the authorities who have received them,” the firm added. Lebanon's most recent trash management crisis erupted in July 2015 after the closure of the Naameh landfill that receives the trash of the capital and Mount Lebanon. Several efforts to contain the situation including suggestions to establish landfills in different Lebanese regions have failed. The crisis, which sparked unprecedented protests against the entire political class, has seen streets, forests and riverbanks overflowing with waste and the air filled with the smell of rotting and burning garbage. Health experts have warned against the prolongation of the crisis and environmentalists have urged the government to devise a comprehensive waste management solution that would include more recycling and composting to reduce the amount of trash going into landfills. In December, the government decided to send the trash abroad amid failure to find sites for landfills but the export plan hit a dead end last month after reports revealed that Britain’s Chinook Urban Mining company had fabricated permits aimed at exporting the garbage to Russia.

Iran elections to have no effect on Lebanon, Syria
Alex Rowell/Now Lebanon/March 03/16
Gains made by President Rouhani’s allies will have limited impact even inside Iran, let alone the wider Middle East
Iranian Hassan Khomeini (C), grandson of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Parliamentary elections held Friday in Iran resulted in a seemingly significant setback for ultra-conservatives at the hands of a comparatively moderate camp led by President Hassan Rouhani, whose ‘List of Hope’ collected 95 out of 290 seats (33%), bringing the conservatives’ share of parliament down from 195 (67%) to just 103 (36%). The results have been hailed by much of the international press as a resounding victory for reformists, bringing hope for coming democratic change and a softening of Tehran’s hardline regime overall. Some commentators have even argued a now-emboldened Rouhani may seek to rein in Iran’s interventionist foreign policy in such countries as Syria, where militias under the command of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have battled rebels since 2012. This optimistic reading of the elections is a misguided one, analysts told NOW, for two key reasons. First, though President Rouhani is often referred to in the West as a ‘reformer,’ in the Iranian context he is in fact deemed a ‘centrist;’ a distinction with important differences. Actual reformists formed only a minority of the candidates who ended up winning seats on the ‘List of Hope’ – indeed, a number of them were outright conservatives. Second, the structure of the regime is such that parliament holds little real power; its prerogatives being limited to select domestic issues, and even then susceptible to the veto of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his self-appointed 12-member Guardian Council. While it’s true that centrists also scored victories against conservatives in the simultaneous elections for the 88-member Assembly of Experts – the body that would constitutionally be tasked with appointing a successor to the 76-year-old Supreme Leader should he die during its eight-year term – here too analysts said the influence of hardline conservatives was set to remain dominant overall.
‘Reformists’ against reform
The ‘List of Hope’ coalition endorsed by President Rouhani, widely but erroneously described as a ‘reformist’ bloc, is in fact a tactical alliance between centrists, reformists, and even certain conservatives, all of whom differ significantly on a wide range of political issues. This should come as little surprise, for bona fide reformists are an endangered species in today’s Iran. The three leaders of the reformist ‘Green Movement’ whose supporters were killed by the dozens by regime militias during protests against what they alleged were fraudulent elections in 2009 remain under house arrest, their names and photos forbidden from appearing in the media. In the run-up to Friday’s elections, more than 6,000 reformist candidates were banned from running by the Guardian Council, while some 640 were similarly disqualified from the Assembly of Experts, including the grandson of the regime’s founder, Ruhollah Khomeini.
Partly to make up for numbers thus lost, and partly because Rouhani is a centrist by conviction, the ‘List of Hope’ also fielded a number of conservative candidates for both parliament and the Assembly of Experts. Indeed, by some reports as many as half of the 16 Rouhani-backed candidates for the Assembly in Tehran were also running at the same time on the hardliners’ list. These included some distinctly anti-reform characters, such as Kazem Jalali, who has called for the execution of the Green Movement’s leaders, and former intelligence figures Mohammad Mohammadi Reyshahri and Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, both believed to have had roles in the murder of dissidents. Paul Bucala, Iran analyst at the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, was putting it politely when on Sunday he wrote, “the Reformist-moderate alliance that won many seats is not unified behind Rouhani’s approach to governing.”
Foreign policy out of parliament’s hands
While the centrist-reformist gains in parliament undoubtedly have symbolic value, their tangible translation into real-life policy is destined to be minimal, given the limited power afforded parliament in the makeup of the overall regime. In the few areas it’s able to wield influence – chiefly economic and social matters – its decisions are still subject to the veto of the Guardian Council. During the presidency of the comparatively moderate Mohammed Khatami (1997-2005), the Council routinely blocked legislation passed by parliament in this manner. Practically every core element of the so-called ‘deep state’ lies beyond parliament’s influence. While it ostensibly sets and apportions the state budget, it has no control at all over the substantial finances of the Supreme Leader or the Revolutionary Guard (whence the funding for transnational groups such as Hezbollah derives). Nor does it hold sway over the various internal security forces, or the powerful judiciary, notes Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, Founding Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The same holds for foreign policy. Members of parliament “hardly ever even speak about critical foreign policy issues such as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Hezbollah, or relations with the US, except (esp. in the case of the US) to endorse the official line,” Esfandiari told NOW in an email. “None of that is going to change.”Instead, as Esfandiari wrote Monday, “When it comes to internal security, human rights, political freedoms, and major foreign-policy issues, the course will not be set by parliament or the president but by the supreme leader and the security agencies and Revolutionary Guard commanders on whom he relies.”
Change still far off
Iranians under 30 years of age today comprise 60% of the population of nearly 80 million. There’s little doubt that these younger citizens, who made up the bulk of the Green Movement’s demonstrators seven years ago, are increasingly at odds with the largely geriatric ruling elite. In the long term, this may well bode unfavorably not just for Iranian conservatives, but for the very foundations of the theocratic dictatorship itself. In the short and medium terms, however, the ruling clerics’ position looks secure, analysts say. In the event that Supreme Leader Khamenei – who underwent prostate surgery in 2014, and is said to remain in poor health – should die, his replacement by a likeminded reactionary is guaranteed not just by Friday’s reelection of a predominantly conservative Assembly of Experts, but by the de facto influence of a tight-knit ruling cabal that, more than ever before, includes the IRGC. “When Khomeini died in 1989, a small inner circle basically made the decision on the succession, claimed they had Khomeini's imprimatur for the selection of Khamenei, and the Assembly simply rubber-stamped the decision,” Esfandiari told NOW. “My own expectation is that the Rev. Guards commanders will this time play a role in choosing the next Leader.” Lebanese analyst Hassan Fahs, son of the late Shiite cleric and activist, Sayyid Hani Fahs, concurred, telling NOW, “Of course [the next Supreme Leader] will be another conservative, and the [IRGC] will play the key role in determining him.” Likely candidates according to Fahs include Sadeq Larijani, the current head of the judiciary, and his predecessor, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. Given this expanding clout of the IRGC – whose external Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is nowadays seen almost every week directing sophisticated Islamist paramilitaries on frontlines across Iraq and Syria – it is very difficult to see the hardliners’ grip on the vital levers of power being supplanted any time soon. Iranian moderates will undoubtedly celebrate the symbolic message sent by their votes on Friday, as well as the economic benefits that will accrue from the lifting of sanctions and the liberalization of the economy. But for Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi, and other Middle Eastern opponents of Iran and its allies, it will be business as usual.
**Amin Nasr contributed reporting.

Hariri: Iran Had Elections a Few Days ago, so Why Can’t we?
Naharnet/March 03/16/Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri condemned on Thursday the ongoing vacuum in the presidency, indirectly accusing Iran of using Hizbullah to prevent the polls. He said in an interview with CNN television: “Iran had elections a few days ago, so why can’t we have elections, like normal people?” “Why can’t we go to the parliament? Why are they stopping Hizbullah from letting members of parliament elect a president?” he asked. “We are trying to keep Lebanon safe among all the problems that are happening in the region. We do not want to turn Lebanon into Syria. We want to save Lebanon.” He however expressed fears that the Syrian war could spread to Lebanon. The Islamic State group “would love to come to Lebanon. We are fighting it. We will keep on fighting it, we will keep fighting al-Nusra Front,” he added. “In the end however if you do not have a president, a new government and all that, Lebanon cannot function as it is to faces all these challenges,” warned the MP. Addressing Saudi Arabia’s decision to halt its aid to the Lebanese army over the stances of Hizbullah and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Hariri told CNN: “I think the foreign minister took a decision that is not supposed to be taken.” “I think Lebanon should have stood by Saudi Arabia because it is something that is not acceptable by all means. Even Iraq, which is very close to Iran, took that position and approved the decision in the Arab League, but unfortunately we did not take the right decision,” he said of Bassil’s abstention from voting on League resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali “Khamenei himself came out and condemned these actions and I do not see why Hizbullah in Lebanon and the foreign minister here took such a position.”
“It reveals that Hizbullah is being played as a proxy of Iran and this is unfortunate because Lebanon cannot sustain a policy against any Arab nation let alone Saudi Arabia.” “We believe Saudi Arabia has done so much for Lebanon throughout the history of the relationship between the two countries. If you think of how many billions of dollars Saudi Arabia spent in Lebanon especially after the war in 2006.”“Saudi Arabia has been playing positive. It has never built a militia whereas Iran has built a militia called ‘Hizbullah’,” added Hariri. He also rejected claims that any weapons granted to the Lebanese army would end up with Hizbullah.

U.S. Ambassador Tours Blue Line with UNIFIL Commander
Naharnet/March 03/16/U.S. Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Ambassador Richard Jones toured on Thursday the Blue Line area that marks the border between Lebanon and Syria, announced the U.S. embassy in a statement. He met with United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon Commander Major General Luciano Portolano for a briefing at the U.N. Headquarters in Naqoura in the South. Jones toured the Blue Line border separating Lebanon and Israel and discussed with Portolano the current situation in the UNIFIL zone and the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701. The U.S. official reiterated his country's strong support for UNIFIL’s efforts to fulfill its important mandate and maintain peace and security along the Blue Line.

Tunisia Nobel Winners Condemn Blacklisting of Hizbullah
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 03/16/Two members of Tunisia's Nobel Peace Prize winning quartet on Thursday condemned the decision of Arab states in the Gulf to blacklist of Hizbullah as a "terrorist" organization. The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), in a statement, said the Iranian-backed group Hizbullah was a "symbol of the (Lebanese) national struggle" against Israel. Wednesday's move against Hizbullah by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by Saudi Arabia, formed part of "an offensive by foreign and other regional forces to divide the Arab world and destroy its forces", UGTT said.The head of the Tunisian Order of Lawyers, also a member of the Nobel quartet, called on all "forces in Tunisia and in the Arab world to exert pressure on governments to reconsider their decision". Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui in a televised interview said Tunisia did not support the decision to blacklist Hizbullah, despite Tunisia's Interior Minister Hedi Majdoub signing it. Tunisia's official stances are announced by the president or the foreign ministry, he said. The Sunni monarchies of the Gulf, at a time of deteriorating ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, "decided to consider the militias (of Hizbullah) a terrorist organization", GCC chief Abdullatif al-Zayani said. Hizbullah was targeted because of "hostile actions of the militia who recruit the young people" of the Gulf, he said. Zayani cited "their terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq", which he said were threatening Arab security.

U.S. reviews Syria ceasefire hotline after language problems
AFP, Washington Thursday, 3 March 2016/The United States is to review staffing on a hotline to report ceasefire violations in Syria after some volunteers had trouble understanding Arabic speakers. State Department personnel in Washington are manning a line to allow witnesses in Syria to report breaches in a tentative truce between rebels and regime forces. But in recent days reports have surfaced that callers from the Middle East have found it hard to explain the details of alleged air and artillery strikes. According to non-profit news organization “Syria Direct” one U.S. official mistook “Harbnifsah” -- a frontline village -- for “Harb Bebsi” or “Pepsi War.”The report said some reporters and activists have given up on the U.S. line and are instead reporting breaches to the United Nations or to the opposition. On Wednesday, spokesman Mark Toner admitted that U.S. staff -- volunteers from other departments “some of whom speak Arabic” -- had had some difficulties. “These are State Department employees who are doing this in addition to their usual jobs,” he said. “We are aware that there were some language issues, and we’re working to correct those, because it’s important that we have Arabic speakers that are able to field incoming calls.” A ceasefire was declared in Syria’s almost five-year civil war on Saturday, but there have already been many reports of violations. The United States, Russia and countries in the International Syria Support Group have set up a network of monitoring centers to probe the reports.
The White House said Wednesday it was “concerned” about claims that Bashar al-Assad’s regime is again bombarding civilians with tank and artillery fire.

Huge drop’ in civilian deaths after Syria truce
AFP, Beirut Thursday, 3 March 2016/Twenty-four civilians have been killed in the first five days of a landmark truce in parts of Syria, a sharp drop for a war where dozens die daily, a monitor said Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP that the number, gathered from areas where the ceasefire had come into effect, included five women and six children. “Compare that number to Friday, the day before the truce came into effect: 63 civilians, including 11 children, died that day alone,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. He called it a “huge drop”, adding that the daily average during the month of February was 38 civilians killed. More than 270,000 people -- among them more than 79,000 civilians -- have died in Syria since its conflict erupted in March 2011. On Saturday, a ceasefire deal brokered by the United States and Russia came into effect in areas of Syria where ISIS and al-Qaeda’s affiliate al-Nusra Front are not deployed. The Observatory has recorded a marked drop in fighting across those territories, and AFP correspondents have reported a sharp decline in shelling, rocket attacks and air strikes, despite mutual accusations by the government and rebel sides of intermittent violations. According to Abdel Rahman, 42 rebel fighters have been killed since the deal came into effect, mostly in the coastal province of Latakia, Hama province in central Syria and the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus. Twenty-five government fighters were killed in fighting around Damascus, Latakia and in the northern province of Aleppo, including some who died in clashes with militants. A total of five combattants from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have died since Saturday in clashes with al-Nusra and allied militants in Aleppo city. Twenty-two militants from al-Nusra and smaller jihadist groups were also killed, half of them in Latakia province and the others in Aleppo. Fighting is ongoing between ISISand, separately, the YPG and pro-regime forces, but they also fall outside the ceasefire deal. The Observatory did not have an immediate toll for those clashes.

Amnesty: Russian, Syrian Government Forces Target Hospitals
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 03/16/A rights advocacy group said Thursday that Russian and Syrian government forces have been targeting hospitals as a war strategy in Syria's conflict, a practice it says amounts war crimes. In a report Amnesty International said it has "compelling evidence" of at least six deliberate attacks on medical facilities in the Aleppo governorate over the past twelve weeks.The attacks killed at least three civilians, including a medical worker, and injured 44 more. In the buildup to the partial cease-fire that came into effect Friday, Aleppo witnessed some of the country's fiercest fighting when government forces backed by Russian airstrikes cut off a rebel supply route from Turkey. Amnesty said the attacks on medical facilities aimed to pave the way for pro-government ground forces to advance on northern Aleppo.

Syrian opposition casts doubt on U.N. peace talks
Reuters, Beirut Thursday, 3 March 2016/Syrian rebels said on Wednesday they were under fierce government attack near the Turkish border despite a cessation of hostilities agreement and a representative cast doubt on whether U.N.-backed peace talks would go ahead on March 9 as planned. The agreement drawn up by the United States and Russia came into effect on Saturday and has slowed but not entirely stopped a conflict that has been going on for almost five years. Both the government and rebels have accused each other of violations. The agreement does not include ISIS or al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, which is widely deployed in opposition areas. The United Nations said on Tuesday a new attempt at peace talks would begin on March 9 in Geneva, urging warring sides to ensure the cessation agreement take hold to allow them to come to the table. But opposition official George Sabra said the date for a resumption of talks remained “hypothetical” as long as the truce did not fulfil humanitarian demands including a release of detainees held by the government. “What is the value of a truce if its overseers - meaning America and Russia - do not push all sides to abide by it?” Sabra told Arabic news channel Arabiya al-Hadath on Wednesday. The White House said it had seen a reduction in air strikes against the opposition and civilians in Syria in recent days but was concerned by some reported tank and artillery attacks. Washington was also aware of reports of possible chemical weapons use by the Syrian government, the State Department said, adding that it could not confirm them but that they were being investigated. Israel said on Tuesday Syrian forces had been dropping chlorine barrels on civilians over the past few days. There was no immediate comment from Damascus, which has denied breaching the terms of the truce. The opposition is pressing for full humanitarian access to rebel-held areas and for detainees to be released - terms set out in a U.N. Security Council resolution passed in December. Opposition officials say an increase in aid access has fallen short of what is required.

Russia’s Putin plans to hold international phone talks on Syria
Reuters, Moscow Thursday, 3 March 2016/Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold phone talks with European leaders on Syria on Friday, Interfax quoted the Kremlin as saying on Thursday. It said the talks would involve British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Italy says two hostages likely killed in Libya clashes
AFP, Rome Thursday, 3 March 2016/Italy said on Thursday that two of its nationals had likely been killed in clashes between ISIS and local militia fighters near the Libyan city of Sabratha. A statement from the foreign ministry in Rome said photographs of the aftermath of the clashes included images of bodies that “in the absence of the bodies, could be” those of Italian citizens Fausto Piano and Salvatore Failla. The two men were among four employees of Italian construction company Bonatti who were kidnapped in July 2015. The foreign ministry said the families had been informed and further efforts were underway to try and positively identify the victims. There was no comment from the ministry on media reports that the Italian hostages had been used as human shields by ISIS. Sabratha has been the scene of intense skirmishes between local militias and Islamic State fighters since last month’s US attack on an IS training camp on the outskirts of the city, which left 50 people dead. ISIS subsequently seized control of the centre of the city only to be pushed back to the outskirts last week. The two Italians were kidnapped in July 2015 in the Mellitah region west of Tripoli.

Thirteen killed as Turkish forces clash with Kurdish militants
Reuters, Diyarbakir Thursday, 3 March 2016/Three Turkish soldiers and 10 Kurdish militants have been killed in two clashes in southeast Turkey, the army said on Thursday, the latest casualties in a revived conflict that has killed hundreds since the collapse of a ceasefire last summer. In the Dargecit district of Mardin province, near the Syrian border, three soldiers and eight Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters were killed on Wednesday during security forces’ operations, the army statement said. Another two PKK militants were killed in the Sur district of Diyarbakir, the largest city in the southeast, where police on Wednesday fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds protesting against the security operations. The mainly Kurdish southeast has suffered the worst violence in two decades since the ceasefire fell apart last July, leaving a three-year peace process between Ankara and the PKK in tatters. Hundreds of militants, security force members and civilians have been killed in the conflict since then. Diyarbakir’s Sur district has been under lockdown since Dec. 2 as police and soldiers try to root out PKK militants who erected barricades and dug trenches in the neighborhood. A curfew in the town of Cizre was partially lifted on Wednesday. The PKK, considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, launched a separatist armed rebellion against the Turkish state more than three decades ago and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Two women attack Istanbul riot police station
Reuters, Istanbul Thursday, 3 March 2016/Two women opened fire and threw a grenade at a Turkish police bus as it arrived at a station in an Istanbul suburb on Thursday, footage from the Dogan news agency showed. Television stations said there were no casualties. One of the women threw a grenade and the other opened fire with what appeared to be a machine gun as the riot police bus drove towards the station entrance in the Bayrampasa district of Turkey’s biggest city, the footage showed. Police returned fire, killing both women, NTV news channel said. Special forces units were sent to the area and residents were evacuated as security forces prepared to carry out an operation, it said. Footage on Turkish television stations showed the street cordoned off as armed plainclothes police in bullet-proof vests emerged from the police station. Attacks on the security forces have increased as violence flares in the country’s predominantly Kurdish southeast, where a ceasefire between Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants and the state collapsed last July. The PKK, considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, launched a separatist armed rebellion against Turkey more than three decades ago. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have since been killed. Turkey has also become a target for Islamic State militants, who are blamed for three suicide bombings - one last year in the town of Suruc near the Syrian border and another in the capital, Ankara, and one in Istanbul in January. Those attacks killed more than 140 people. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Thursday’s attack. The radical leftist group DHKP-C has repeatedly staged similar attacks on police stations, largely in Istanbul suburbs. A suicide car bombing targeted military buses in Ankara killed 29 people last month. The government said that attack was carried out by a member of YPG, the Syrian Kurdish militia, with help from PKK militants.

Palestinian girl stabs, lightly wounds Israel policeman
AFP, Jerusalem Thursday, 3 March 2016/A teenage Palestinian girl stabbed and lightly wounded an Israeli policeman in the occupied West Bank on Thursday before being arrested, Israeli authorities said. The policeman was directing traffic after a tree fell and blocked a road in the town of Auja, in the Jordan Valley north of Jericho, when he was stabbed in the shoulder, police said. The girl ran off but was caught and arrested by her victim. Israeli police gave her age as 14. Palestinian security sources said she was 16. A wave of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories since October has killed 180 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, according to an AFP toll. Most of the Palestinians who died in the violence were killed by Israeli forces while carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes or demonstrations. Many of the attackers have been young Palestinians, including teenagers. Israeli forces have been accused of using excessive force in some cases, which they strongly deny. No shots were fired in Thursday’s incident.

Saudi Crown Prince says Arab world faces dangerous challenges
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 3 March 2016/Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef reiterated on Wednesday that the Arab world is faced with challenges and “emphasized the importance of synergizing efforts and coordinating stances to bolster joint Gulf security, in implementation of directives of the GCC member states leaders to maintain their nations’ stability.”Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef’s comments came following the meeting of 33 Arab ministers of interiors in Tunis, which condemned Hezbollah’s practices and behavior in the region.The challenges and threats are led by several ambitious people with the aim of destabilizing the Arab world and fragmentating our unity. Some of these people invest in sectarian differences to foment discord and rivalry to achieve its political and economic objectives,” he said. France has announced that it will be hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in Paris on Friday on an official visit.

Greece prepares to help up to 150,000 stranded migrants
The Associated Press, Thessaloniki, Greece Thursday, 3 March 2016/Greece conceded Wednesday it is making long-term preparations to help as many as 150,000 stranded migrants as international pressure on Balkan countries saw Macedonia open its border briefly for just a few hundred refugees. “In my opinion, we have to consider the border closed,” Greek Migration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas said. “And for as long as the border crossing is closed, and until the European relocation and resettlement system is up and running, these people will stay in our country for some time.” At the moment, some 30,000 refugees and other migrants are stranded in Greece, with 10,000 at the Idomeni border crossing to Macedonia. On Wednesday, hundreds of more people, including many families with small children, continued to arrive at two official camps by the border that are so full that thousands have set up tents in surrounding fields. Syrian Ramasan Al Hassan said he was stopped from crossing the border after Greek police took down his details wrong, which meant the date of birth on his official papers and passport didn’t match. “I showed Greek authorities my papers - I was born on July 24, 1963 - and they recorded my date of birth as Jan. 1, 1963. As a result, I was unable to cross the border ... It’s happened to others too,” he said, adding that the error was eventually corrected. Mouzalas, the migration minister, met for several hours with mayors from across Greece, examining ways to ramp up shelter capacity. The ministers of health and education also held emergency talks to provide health care and basic schooling for children, who make up about a third of arrivals in Greece. Nikos Kotzias, the foreign minister, said the country could handle a capacity of up to 150,000. “No one in Europe predicted this problem would reach such a giant scale,” Kotzias told private Skai television. “But this is not a cause for panic. The problems must be addressed soberly.”

N. Korea Fires Missiles after U.N. Imposes Tough Sanctions
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/March 03/16/North Korea fired six short-range projectiles into the sea Thursday in a show of defiance just hours after the United Nations adopted the toughest sanctions to date on Pyongyang over its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch. Limited displays of military firepower have become a routine response by North Korea to international pressure over anything from its nuclear weapons program to its human rights record. South Korea's defense ministry said the six projectiles -- either rockets or guided missiles -- fell into the sea around 100-150 kilometers (60-90 miles) off the North's eastern coast. China's foreign ministry responded by urging all parties to refrain from any actions that might see tensions escalate still further. The launches came after the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution late Wednesday imposing new sanctions after seven weeks of arduous negotiations between the United States and China, Pyongyang's sole major ally. All eyes are now on China and Russia to see if they fully enact the sweeping measures. North Korea offered no immediate statement on the sanctions, which break new ground, requiring all countries to inspect cargo destined for and coming from the North, in all airports and sea ports.
They also ban or restrict exports of coal, iron and iron ore and other minerals from North Korea, and prohibit the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel. But analysts have pointed to several possible loopholes, including interpretations of what constitutes a proper cargo "inspection" and a provision that excludes mineral exports if their revenues are not deemed to be destined for military use. North Korea earns about $1 billion per year in coal exports -- a third of all export revenues -- and about $200 million annually from iron ore sales, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told the Security Council. U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the measures as "a firm, united, and appropriate response" to the January 6 nuclear test and February 7 rocket launch. "The international community, speaking with one voice, has sent Pyongyang a simple message: North Korea must abandon these dangerous programs and choose a better path for its people," Obama said. Banking restrictions will be tightened and governments will be required to ban flights of any plane suspected of carrying contraband destined for North Korea. "These are among the toughest measures we have agreed against any country in the world, certainly the toughest ever against the DPRK," said British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, referring to North Korea by its official acronym.
A total of 16 individuals and 12 entities were added to a U.N. sanctions blacklist, including North Korea's NADA space agency and its spy agency. South Korean President Park Geun-Hye said she hoped the "unprecedentedly tough" sanctions would push Pyongyang into finally abandoning its nuclear weapons program. The resolution sends "a strong message from the international community seeking peace on the Korean peninsula," Park said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Pyongyang to refrain from any fresh provocations, while Tokyo's ambassador to the U.N., Motohide Yoshikawa, stressed that "the heart of the matter now is implementation" of the sanctions by China, North Korea's largest trading partner, and other countries. Power also called for a "robust and unyielding" follow-up to ensure the sanctions bite and singled out Russia and China as key players. Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi said the resolution should "be a new starting point and a stepping stone" for renewed talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program. Russia echoed that view, with Ambassador Vitaly Churkin saying the resolution is designed to "shut down as much as possible the financing" of North Korea's weapons program to push Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. During the weeks of negotiations, China had been reluctant to endorse harsh sanctions out of concern that too much pressure would trigger the collapse of the pariah regime, creating chaos on its border. Andrea Berger, a Korea specialist at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, said China's enforcement of the new sanctions was likely to be piecemeal at best. "It is difficult to foresee broad and consistent implementation of the new resolution, especially from players such as China, to create barriers that North Korea cannot find its way around," Berger said. The latest resolution ushered in the fifth set of U.N. sanctions to hit North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.

Iran’s Costly Fake ‘Democracy’
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/March 02/16
Iranians are, of course, free to accept the Vali- e- Faqih brand of ‘democracy’ or reject it. But such exceptional ‘democracy’ is proving extremely costly to the Arab world. What the ruling authorities in Tehran regard as ‘democracy’ or “shura” is beyond the scope of this argument, it is enough to say that the current Iranian regime is underpinned on a solid theocratic – security base that monopolizes the right to choose who runs for the ‘Majlis’ (The Lower House of Parliament) and the ‘Assembly of Experts’, and who are branded as traitors. Such ‘democracy’ in practice takes place against a background of hallows reserved to unacceptable political opponents and is distrusted by a large section of Iranian society; including once prominent symbols and figures in Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution before they ending up marginalized, exiled or placed under house arrest.
Be it as it may, this is the Iranians’ problem and nobody else’s. The people of Iran alone must decide whether the Mullah’s regime, supported by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and its security and intelligence apparatus, reflects its aspirations or not. The real regional problem is that the current US administration trusts the Tehran regime more than the Iranians do. Such a situation has cost the Arab world dearly. Indeed, the Arabs have paid a heavy price in terms of politics, security, and future development, for Barack Obama’s gamble on Hassan Rouhani’s presidential elections’ ‘victory’ through Ali Khamenei’s (The Supreme Guide) democratic process in 2013, and Khamenei’s ‘fatwas’ against the development of nuclear weapons! Given the above I venture to say that it would be too naïve to separate Washington’s negative position towards the Syrian Uprising from the nuclear negotiations conducted by the US and Iran in Oman behind the backs of the former’s Arab allies; and later, separate the said negotiations from Washington’s decision to concentrate all its efforts in the Middle East on fighting ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and even ‘moderate’ political Sunni Islam as well.
If Washington’s ‘unsympathetic’ attitude towards Turkey – a fellow NATO member – in its first confrontation with an aggressive Putin’s Russia in the Middle East arena, then in the Kurdish ‘independence’ file, it was truly shameful that Secretary of State John Kerry would volunteer to tell the Congress that Iran “has withdrawn its fighters in Syria” only for this to be denied by Tehran! This worrying episode points clearly to Washington’s huge bet on the ‘friendship’ of Iran under the pretext that it is embarking on an unflinching ‘democratic’ march, and is committed to moderation, reform and openness. Meanwhile, Iran’s ‘state’ media machine which has been quite successful in penetrating the Arab world has smartly highlighted during the last few weeks the ‘significance’ of the elections. Later, despite being ‘doctored’ through partisan selectivity and exclusion, the same machine was underlining the elections’ ‘high turnout’, meaning a big popular endorsement, which was exactly what both Washington and Moscow desired to justify giving Iran a greater regional role at the expense of the Arabs. Alas, the Arabs thus far have failed to confront such an imminent threat – backed by international collusion – with the required awareness and solidarity. Worse still, some Arab countries refuse to see the existential danger posed by this Iranian onslaught on the internal order and sectarian co-existence, although what is taking place in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen are clear for all to see.
The four above-mentioned countries, which Tehran proudly boasts of controlling, is practically in various stages of Iranian ‘control’; from de facto occupation like Iraq and Lebanon to open civil war such as Syria and Yemen. For its part, Iran has only provided these countries with means of sedition, division and destruction of state institutions, from money and arms shipments sent exclusively to certain subservient religious sects, political assassinations, car bombs, creation of ‘puppet’ leaderships, and sectarian media agitation and incitement through pulpits and financed and hired media outlets. This is exactly what has happened in Al-Maliki’s Iraq, Al-Assad’s Syria, Hezbollah’s Lebanon and the Houthis’ Yemen. Tehran’s plans go on and on, without any sign of change soon, especially, because some in the West, namely in Washington, insist on believing the lies of ‘democracy’ and ‘moderation’. Ironically, with this said, the only encouraging sign a few days ago has been the arrest in Tehran of Baquer Namazi, an 80 year old American citizen with links to the pro-Tehran lobby group the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). NIAC has a very loud voice in promoting the fake ‘democracy’ and ‘moderation’ of the Mullahs’ regime in the corridors of powers in the US capital during the last few years, and has been infrequently alleged to be linked to the plans of the present Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to found an effective lobby in Washington.
The sad story of Mr Namazi proves that a leopard can’t change its spots. And that a fascist regime like Tehran’s may be dangerous even to those helping it. It may also tell us that the security-intelligence apparatus in Tehran, embodied by the IRGC, is growing intolerant even with those promoting Iran’s interests in a way they feel is more persuasive in the West where freedoms are understood, and democracy properly practiced. Since 1948, major Western powers have resisted the recognition of Palestinians’ right of self-determination because they’ve always claimed that Israel was the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’. The result as we see now, is a progressively more ‘militant’ Israeli society that has been led away by settlers and the religious right-wingers from peace to extremism, and frustrated Palestinian reaction engendered counter religious extremism at the expense of ‘a secular state’ or ‘two states solution’.
Today the West, at the helm of the international community, is committing the same mistake again. In concentrating exclusively on fighting ISIS, it is ignoring the extremism of Tehran’s Mullahs and their IRGC, and forgetting the ‘incubator’ of the ISIS discourse, and the simple fact that ‘extremism begets extremism’. O Democracy! What crimes are committed in thy name!”

Iran election bodes ill for Russia
Maria Dubovikova/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
Iranians voted to elect new members of parliament and the Assembly of Experts. The results show people favoring reform, integration into the global economic and political systems, and restoring ties with the West. This is good news for Iran but not so for Russia, which has long had close ties with Iranian hardliners, who proclaim the United States the “Great Satan” and oppose rapprochement with the West. The nuclear deal, and the subsequent lifting of sanctions, herald a new era for Iran, which is interested in Western investments and advanced technologies. It needs foreign investment in its outdated refinery infrastructure, as well as its oil and gas production infrastructure. President Hassan Rowhani’s recent visit to Europe shows Iran’s readiness to spend money, boost its economy, and raise its regional and global profile, to the extreme anxiety of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Sunni Muslim world. Russia, now under sanctions itself, is suffering from the oil-price drop and is incapable of investing in Iran. Moscow’s proposals are limited. Iran is looking to the West with much more curiosity and hope than to Russia.
Competition, cooperation
The country will become Moscow’s competitor in terms of energy exports. Iran can substitute Russia in the European natural gas market, which is in the interest of European consumers. If Russia does not manage to make its economy less oil-dependent - and most likely it will not - this will cause an economic catastrophe for the country. Iran is looking to the West with much more curiosity and hope than to Russia. Moscow and Tehran will continue cooperating militarily, as Russian weaponry is less expensive than its Western counterparts. They will continue nuclear and space cooperation, and maintain a common position on the Syrian conflict. Tehran wants to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, or replace him with anyone loyal to it. It needs Moscow and Russian influence in the negotiation process to make this aspiration come true. Anti-Western rhetoric will remain in Iranian political discourse, at least in the medium term. However, this will most likely not affect the pragmatic approach of Iranian foreign policy, and the intensity of such rhetoric will diminish. A stronger Iran will lead to heightened regional tensions, and any Iranian provocation may bring about a return to its containment by the international community. At that point, however, Tehran will be still stronger and less manageable. Furthermore, there are risks of domestic instability amid tensions between reformists and conservatives. Moscow is following developments closely. Tehran’s promises to keep cooperating with Russia are not convincing enough, as Moscow understands that the current sense of pragmatism in Iran is not on its side. Moscow needs long-term strategies to prevent undesirable risks and losses, and to decide whether it is choosing the right strategy and friends. Given that Tehran’s behavior is unpredictable, relying on it could cause serious losses for Moscow in the future.

Syria truce breaches amid mounting refugee crisis
Brooklyn Middleton/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
The two-week cessation of hostilities that began on Feb. 27 has reportedly been marred by a number of breaches by the Syrian regime and its backers, including Russia. Nonetheless, the bloodshed has been significantly reduced, and the period of relative calm could lay a more solid foundation for the next round of talks on March 7 in Geneva. Meanwhile, Balkan states have begun enforcing daily limits on the number of refugees allowed to enter, and France has moved to clear a major camp in Calais. With a lack of comprehensive coordination among states and no certain end in sight to the Syrian conflict, the refugee crisis in Europe appears likely to worsen. The High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition said Russian jets on Sunday bombed at least 26 positions held by rebel factions that had agreed to the truce. A day later, suspected Russian airstrikes hit civilian areas of Jisr al-Shughour, killing a pregnant woman and injuring a dozen others, the Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, Moscow has said a number of parties have violated the ceasefire, including Turkey. Despite the breaches, the truce continues to be mostly upheld, but could collapse if Russia continues to carry out operations while failing to make a distinction between rebel fighters and terrorist groups. During this period of relative calm, parties should commit to addressing the root causes of the conflict while pressuring Balkan states to not eschew their humanitarian responsibilities. Capitalizing on the truce, the United Nations has said it plans to facilitate the transfer of aid to at least 150,000 people over the coming days. After the disastrous aid drop last week - which saw 21 tons of humanitarian aid destroyed or lost - the need for humanitarian workers to be guaranteed safe access on the ground was again underscored. It remains highly unlikely that the ceasefire will bring forth any major shifts in the conflict or promote long-term calm. Involved parties should prioritize securing the transfer of humanitarian aid to all besieged areas, and allowing such successful operations to serve as a model for all future aid missions. The transfer of humanitarian aid to all areas of Syria should be non-negotiable.
Balkans
Days before the ceasefire went into effect, Macedonia and other Balkan states announced plans to significantly restrict entry to refugees, triggering a massive build-up of trapped people - mostly women and children - in Idomeni, Greece. In utter desperation, a number of refugees staged a protest by throwing themselves and their children onto railway tracks. With reports confirming that Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia will only allow approximately 580 refugees to enter per day, the situation is likely to significantly worsen in the near term. Greek Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas said 50,000-70,000 refugees would likely be trapped in his country by next month. If the ceasefire fails, all parties are likely to intensify their operations, which could spark another wave of migration to European states. During this period of relative calm, parties should commit to addressing the root causes of the conflict while pressuring Balkan states to not eschew their humanitarian responsibilities.

Patience has its limits
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan spoke the truth when he placed Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization) militias (along with Badr Corps, Hezbollah and the Abbas Brigade fighting in Syria) in the same terrorist camp as the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.
They are all driven by sectarian interests and each is as ruthless and bloodthirsty as the other. They are all different types of cancer that must be eliminated. The difference is that Shiite militias working with Iraq’s feeble military, advised by Iranian Revolutionary Guard, are legitimised by the government of an Arab country – or rather what used to be an Arab country before it fell under the ayatollahs’ domination through the agency of pro-Iranian quisling prime ministers. The so-called Popular Mobilisation militias and the Badr Corps have slaughtered untold numbers of Iraqi citizens and destroyed their homes after freeing Daesh (An Arabic acronym for ISIS)-held areas purely because they were Sunnis. Hezbollah and the Abu Fadl Abbas Brigade have done the same in Syria. Mosques have been turned to rubble. People forced with their children into tent cities or to take the dangerous route to Europe seeking asylum. They are, along with ISIS, two sides of the same vicious coin.Instead of extending our hands to militias, we should be fighting them. Iraq, a true Arab heartland, needs our support to free itself from Persian occupation. Only then, will the soil be fertile to enable this stricken land to get back on its feet. As long as it is under Iranian influence it will never be peaceful and prosperous.
First thing’s first
The first step is to close our diplomatic missions in Iraq as long as it behaves like an enemy state. At the same time Iraqis working in GCC countries should not be made to suffer for the sins of their rogue government and its armed bands. Most left their homeland on the dream to rebuild their lives that were lost to them. Those days when Iraqis of all faiths and ethnicities lived together in harmony are unlikely to return because the loyalties of successive Shiite governments rest primarily with a foreign power. We have known this sorry state of affairs for a very long time but because of the struggles of the Iraqi people to recapture their country’s equilibrium after 10 years of merciless sanctions, foreign occupation, sectarian conflicts and terrorism, we have given Iraqi governments the opportunity to lift Iraq out of its complex quagmire – and, as it has turned out, all for nothing.Iraq’s leadership has run out of chances to prove its on the side of the people, regardless of their ethnicity or sectarian affiliations, and has done little to consolidate its place within the Arab World. The time for coddling and diplomatic-speak is over. Kudos to Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed for saying it like it is. Enough pretence in a turbulent region threatened by Iran’s power struggle. Iraq must understand that its pretend fence-sitting will no longer be tolerated. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi must be challenged. Is he setting his country on a road to becoming a de facto Iranian province or will he respect its Arab roots and identity? It is probable he has already chosen.
Al-Abadi wasted no time in defending his ragtag armies on Iraq’s Samaria channel while accusing the UAE of launching “a flagrant intervention into the Iraqi affairs”. Ironically, he is also asking GCC States to stand with Baghdad’s anti-terrorist positions. The day that our finest young men risk their lives to fuel Iranian ambitions will be a cold day in Hell!
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry put out a statement reiterating, “The Popular Mobilisation has come from the Iraqi components and was formed as an official body works within the umbrella of the government and under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi armed forces.” I would like to ask him how many Sunnis, Christians, Kurds and Yezidis are members of those government-sanctioned militias? And what kind of government relies on gunmen for its defence!
War of narratives
Al-Abadi’s message to the UAE has been pounced upon by Iraqi TV networks that have evidently been given the green light to spew insults and threats in our direction. However, such vindictiveness on the part of the government and media is not the people’s; it is one that has been spawned by the Prime Minister’s puppet master, Tehran. Those of Iraq’s limbs plagued by Persian sickness must be amputated at their roots. Our hearts have been open for the Iraqis. I was deeply upset knowing that 500,000 Iraqi children died since the end of the Gulf War as a result of economic sanctions imposed on Iraq. I was distraught watching flames rise from the Baghdad skyline during George W. Bush’s ‘Shock and Awe’ and when coalition troops finally withdrew, I prayed that a brave new Iraq would soon emerge from the ashes. Instead, what has arisen is a virtual Persian enclave. We can no more blind our eyes to reality. Iraq must understand that the patience we have shown was not weakness but rather tolerance for the actions of a sibling trying to get out of a maze strewn with boulders. And all we receive in return is insults! Saddam Hussein was an Arab nationalist, fiercely proud of his country’s heritage as ‘the Cradle of Civilisation’, and of its contributions to Islam’s Golden Age. Most importantly, he preserved his country’s Arab identity, chipped away since the US-led invasion and occupation. The al-Maliki government’s sectarian bias and oppressive tactics against Sunnis is responsible for the rise of terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and Daesh, where there were once none. His cleansing of experienced Sunni officers from the army to be replaced by Shiites loyal to his regime resulted in a force that shamefully took to its heels leaving its weapons behind when confronted by a small group of Daesh fighters in Mosul.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi succeeded Nouri al-Maliki pledging to work for the benefit of all, but until now there has been little sign he is any different from his predecessor. His ‘Made in Iran’ stamp is merely less visible. Those days when Iraqis of all faiths and ethnicities lived together in harmony are unlikely to return because the loyalties of successive Shiite governments rest primarily with a foreign power. That is the bottom line in black and white. The hundreds of thousands of Iraqis martyred during the eight-year-long Iran-Iraq War must be turning in their graves.

Riyadh and Paris — ideal relationship
Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi/Al Arabiya/March 03/16
Saudi-French relations could easily rank as one of the most solid in the world, with an increasingly aligned view on tackling political and security issues, which have been buttressed recently by high-level meetings between leaders of the two countries in Paris and Riyadh. The upcoming visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and interior minister, is part of this qualitative shift in bilateral relations, particularly since it follows the second meeting of the Saudi-French Standing Coordinating Committee that brought together more than 1,500 businesspeople from the two countries in Riyadh.This shared view on regional issues has seen the Kingdom and France seeking a new government in Syria without the involvement of Bashar Assad. Paris has always supported the revolution, and called for an end to the massacre of the Syrian people. However, new realities are emerging with the involvement of Russia and Iran in the conflict, coupled with America’s diminishing role, which require new regional and international alliances that can ensure a positive outcome to the crisis. The feeling among many is that the only solution is a cease-fire and negotiated settlement. The alternative is a long and ugly civil war in Syria.
Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps to ensure the stability and security of the region as a whole, which includes the launch of Operation Decisive Storm
Saudi Arabia, the foremost leader in the region, is seeking with the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states to fill the leadership void in the Arab world. France is considered a strategic partner because of its prominent status in Europe. This partnership will go a long way in bringing much-needed security and stability to the region.The presence of French President François Hollande at the recent Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh was a clear indication that Gulf nations consider France not only as an economic partner, but also a crucial ally on political and security matters.
No chop and change
Saudi Arabia has always emphasized that it is open to developing relations with all nations, and is not in the business of chopping and changing allies. Some analysts have incorrectly suggested that Saudi-French rapprochement was an action to compensate for Riyadh’s disappointment at America’s increasing reluctant stance in the region. On the contrary, Riyadh is clearly signaling that its relationship with Washington remains strong and strategic, but does not prevent the building of ties with important countries in Europe or the East. This is why Saudi diplomats are active in the world’s capitals, and Riyadh has become a significant hub for world leaders and officials. France, a victim of terrorist groups, sees Saudi Arabia as a cooperative partner in facing up to extremists. There is clearly a recognition of how much nations can learn from the Kingdom’s success in tackling terrorists, and that terrorism is a global phenomenon that is everyone’s responsibility. Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps to ensure the stability and security of the region as a whole, which includes the launch of Operation Decisive Storm. France, much like other members of the United Nations Security Council, supported resolution 2216 aimed at restoring the legitimate government in Yemen and driving out the Houthis who have been attempting to take over the country. On the Lebanese front, Riyadh and Paris have agreed that Hezbollah’s activities have resulted in escalating conflict in the country. Paris has supported the Saudi decision to cut funding to the Lebanese army and security forces because of this untenable situation. It has also backed the Kingdom’s position to support the Lebanese people and not those trying to implement foreign agendas. It is therefore abundantly clear that France and Saudi Arabia will continue to work on all fronts to ensure mutual prosperity and security for their citizens. The visits of the crown prince and his deputy have opened the doors to an unprecedented commitment to these goals.

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