LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

October 26/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.october26.16.htm

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Bible Quotations For Today

For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13/10-17/:"Then the disciples came and asked Jesus, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand." With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: "You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing,and they have shut their eyes;so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them." But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear "

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never
First Letter to the Corinthians 06/12-20/:"‘All things are lawful for me’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be dominated by anything. ‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’, and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on October 25-26/16

American Mideast Coalition Endorses Donald J. Trump for President/[PR Newswire]/October 25/16
Hezbollah seeks to boost allies in next Lebanese government/Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/October 25/16
Finally a President for Lebanon? Behind the Hariri-Aoun bargain/Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/October 25/16
Saudi Writer: Blaming Israel For Inter-Arab Wars Is Shallow/MEMRI/October 25, 2016
Is Britain Destroying its Military to Appease Enemies/Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute/October 25/16
The Funeral of the Oslo Accords/by Guy Millière/ Gatestone Institute/October 25/16
Has JASTA pushed Saudi Arabia and Israel closer/Ibrahim al-Hatlani /Al Monitor/October 25/16
Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation/Mahmut Bozarslan/Al Monitor/October 25/16
Will warming ties with Iran impact Morocco’s relationship with Saudi Arabia/Imad Stitou /Al Monitor/October 25/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 25-26/16

Report: Hizbullah Wants Considerable Share for Berri in Next Government
Report: Richard Tells Bassil U.S. Relieved that Lebanon Will Get President
Aoun's Bloc: No Bilateral Approach and We're Seeking National Consensus on President
PSP Leadership Voices Support for 'Settlement' in Meeting over Presidency
Kaag Holds Lebanon Talks with Russian Deputy FM in Moscow
Mustaqbal: Abiding by the Constitution a Great Sacrifice for 'Unacquainted' Hizbullah
Report: Political Figures Up Safety Measures as Presidential Elections Loom
Al-Rahi Says Election of New President a 'New Dawn for Lebanon'
Alain Aoun: Michel Aoun's Election Confirmed
Shots Fired at Cafe Owned by Mustaqbal Supporter in Saadiyat
Truck Laden with Captagon Busted in Tripoli
Tripoli youth detained for tearing down Hariri, Aoun banners
Faris Souaid denies news about March 14 Secretariat meeting tomorrow
Romanian Ambassador marks his countries National Day: Lebanon will have president who enjoys political, public support
Geagea meeting Zasypkin
Geagea, Richard meet at Meerab
Hajj Hasan discusses with Lassen agreement of partnership
American Mideast Coalition Endorses Donald J. Trump for President
Hezbollah seeks to boost allies in next Lebanese government
Finally a President for Lebanon? Behind the Hariri-Aoun bargain

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 25-26/16
NATO Flies First AWACS Surveillance Mission Backing Anti-IS Coalition
Russia Says No Air Strikes on Aleppo in 7 Days
Caliphate' Survivors Recount Fleeing Clutches of IS
U.N. Says Wave of IS Atrocities Reported near Mosul
Iraq Fully Retakes Town Attacked by IS
Powers Discuss Mosul as Iraq Forces Inch towards Outskirts
Russian FM Equates Mosul Offensive to Moscow's Aleppo Bombing
Syrian Kurds Say Ankara Attacking to Block Raqa Recapture
Venezuela Lawmakers Vote for Political Trial of President
Israeli Shot Dead while Working on Egyptian Border
Report: Israeli Forces Could Have Avoided Killings
6 Dead, 37 Hurt in Jordan Bus Crash
Hundreds Protest against U.N. Envoy in Yemen Capital
Hollande Urges Vigilance over Jihadists Returning from Iraq
HRW Says Turkey Torturing Detainees under Post-Coup Emergency
France Begins Demolition of 'Jungle' Migrant Camp

Links From Jihad Watch Site for on October 25-26/16
Obama team kept list of Muslims for top jobs, excluded non-Muslims
Canadian politician propels the niqab debate back into the public forum
Here’s what the Guardian calls “a 16-year-old from Ethiopia”
Wisconsin Muslim admits wanting to join the Islamic State: “I am a Muslim and I wanted to be a part of the caliphate”
Virginia: Hamas-linked CAIR enraged that sheriff’s office hosting seminar on jihad threat
Video: Robert Spencer on Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and why jihadis are fighting us
Austria: No jail for Muslim migrant who dumped baby in road
Germany: Muslim migrant with four wives and 23 children claims $389,000 a year in benefits
Austria: 15-year-old Muslim child migrant rapes, bites prostitute
Australia’s Daily Telegraph: “Death toll of Aussies fighting with Islamic State rises to 68”
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia: “I admire the integrity” of Muslim women who wear hijab and burqa
Video: Trevor Loudon on “The Enemies Within” – on The Glazov Gang
Virginia: Muslim pleads guilty to helping friend who wanted to join the Islamic State

Links From Christian Today Site for on October 25-26/16
Twelve Christians Reportedly Killed In Al-Shabaab Kenya Attack
Catholic Priest Shot Dead As Christian Killings Continue In Congo
Christians Still At Risk Of Extinction In Iraq Even After Defeat Of ISIS
It Was A Miracle': The Christian Students Who Narrowly Escaped Death By Islamic State
Pope Urges Venezuelan Leader To Negotiate With Opposition Amid Crisis
Behead The Unbelievers': The Threats Faced By Christian Refugees In Germany
Bishop Angaelos: Never Forget Your Responsibility To Preach The Good News
Britain's First Ever Christmas Coin Features Jesus In Nativity Scene
Child Refugees From Calais Head For Britain As France Prepares To Demolish Jungle

Latest Lebanese Related News published on on October 25-2616

Report: Hizbullah Wants Considerable Share for Berri in Next Government
Naharnet/October 25/16/Dialogue channels between Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri are ongoing and are focusing on the formation of the new government which will see the light after the election of a president at the end of October, An Nahar daily reported on Tuesday. Sources following up closely on the file, said that Hizbullah is keen to have considerable participation for Berri in the next government, added the daily. A parliament session to elect a president is scheduled on October 31. After his election, a president consults with the members of parliament before appointing a prime minister who is tasked with forming a government. Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun is tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. Berri has recently announced that he would join the ranks of the opposition should Aoun be elected president, stressing that his bloc will not vote for the FPM founder. According sources close to Hariri, the ex-prime minister struck a deal with Aoun to endorse him in exchange for his return as premier. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Report: Richard Tells Bassil U.S. Relieved that Lebanon Will Get President
Naharnet/October 25/16/U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard told Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil during their meeting on Tuesday that Washington is “relieved” that Lebanon's lengthy presidential void is nearing an end, a media report said. “The U.S. ambassador told Bassil that her country is relieved that a president will be elected in Lebanon, noting that Washington's support for Lebanon and the Lebanese army will continue,” LBCI television reported. State-run National News Agency reported earlier that the talks tackled “the future of the bilateral ties between Lebanon and the U.S. and means to improve them.”Richard and Bassil also discussed means to “strengthen democracy in the face of challenges,” underlining the need to “bolster stability,” NNA said. The U.S. State Department had announced Saturday that it hopes to see the presidential election process “moving forward” in Lebanon, noting that the election of a president is a Lebanese affair. “Who ultimately becomes president of Lebanon is up to the Lebanese people, and we’re going to respect that process,” U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Aoun's Bloc: No Bilateral Approach and We're Seeking National Consensus on President
Naharnet/October 25/1MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc reassured Tuesday that there will not be a “bilateral or tripartite approach” should Aoun be elected president, noting that it is still seeking to reach “national consensus.”“The current presidential course that has emanated from national agreements based on Muslim-Christian partnership is an implementation of the National Pact in a manner that that shuns the approach of bilateral or tripartite agreements,” said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “This is how we view the course of the agreements which we are seeking to complete in order to reach national consensus on the president,” it added. And noting that the country will for the first time ever have a “made in Lebanon” president, Change and Reform said “the current initiatives have blurred the line between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions.”“In light of the current national agreements, the bloc will take part in the Oct. 31 (presidential election) session to put the broad national agreements into effect and any talk of a possible delay of the session has become behind us seeing as most parties have confirmed that they would attend the meeting,” the bloc added. “We want this vote to be a democratic election for entire Lebanon and our struggle will begin rather than end after the vote,” the bloc vowed. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. Speaker Nabih Berri has voiced concerns over the Aoun-Hariri agreements that preceded the endorsement while openly declaring that his bloc will “vote against Aoun” and that it might “join the ranks of the opposition.”Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

PSP Leadership Voices Support for 'Settlement' in Meeting over Presidency
Naharnet/October 25/16/The leadership of the Progressive Socialist Party held a meeting on Tuesday to decide how to distribute the votes during the parliamentary election session schedule for October 31 to elect a president. According to LBCI television, the meeting "mulled the presidential choices and reiterated its stance that supports holding the election in a manner that strengthens the atmosphere of internal agreements and boosts the settlement's chances." The Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc led by PSP chief MP Walid Jumblat had met on Saturday in Mukhtara where Jumblat said that a decision would be taken and announced this week. Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun is tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. A parliament session to elect a president is scheduled for the end of October, following several previous ones that failed to achieve quorum. After his endorsement, Aoun visited Speaker Nabih Berri, who has openly announced that his bloc will not vote for the FPM founder and that it might join the ranks of the opposition. Until this moment, Jumblat has not met with Aoun. A meeting was expected between the two men but it was postponed over health reasons related to Jumblat. Reports have said that Jumblat is still hesitant on whether to vote for Aoun or not. He reportedly wants to maintain his good ties with Berri but at the same time he has fears over the electoral game in the Chouf district in the coming parliamentary elections. Should he choose to stand against Aoun and Hariri, he would face the threat of a coalition between the FPM and the Mustaqbal bloc in Chouf, which would certainly lead to an inevitable loss for him, the reports said.
In this sense, Jumblat is trying to survive in a middle area until the final moments, according to the reports.

Kaag Holds Lebanon Talks with Russian Deputy FM in Moscow
Naharnet/October 25/16/United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag met Tuesday in Moscow with Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov and other senior officials, her press office said. “Discussions focused on the situation in Lebanon and regional developments,” Kaag's press office said in a statement. “Special attention was given to key elements of the Presidential Statement of the Security Council (PRST) of 22 July in particular the Security Council's call for a compromise agreement to end the political and institutional crisis in the country,” the statement added. This includes the need to “ensure the functioning of State institutions in accordance with the constitution and the democratic process so that Lebanon can effectively address the challenges it faces,” according to the statement. The Special Coordinator underlined the need for “continued international support for Lebanon to help the country address the impact of the Syria crisis.”Security conditions in Lebanon were also discussed, alongside the importance of “predictable and timely support” for the Lebanese Armed Forces. Gatilov and Kaag also discussed U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 between Israel and Hizbullah. Kaag is scheduled to brief the Security Council on November 10.

Mustaqbal: Abiding by the Constitution a Great Sacrifice for 'Unacquainted' Hizbullah
Naharnet/October 25/16/Commenting on Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's remarks that the party would be making a sacrifice when it names Mustaqbal Movement chief Saad Hariri for the premiership, al-Mustaqbal sources replied and said that Hizbullah would be making a sacrifice when it abides by the Constitution because it is unfamiliar with that, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday. “Hizbullah would be making a sacrifice when it succumbs to the Constitution because it is not used to that,” the sources told the daily on condition of anonymity. During a speech on Sunday, Nasrallah said: “Some parties are saying that they are offering sacrifices and I would also like to announce that we are offering a very big sacrifice when we say that we are not opposed to the appointment of ex-PM Saad Hariri as premier.”The Mustaqbal sources added: “The party's sacrifice lies in accepting the Constitution. According to that constitution ex-PM Hariri will get the majority of votes in the binding parliamentary consultations, based on which he will be tasked to form a governess. The party (Hizbullah) is not used to abiding by the Constitution and that is considered a big sacrifice.”On the possibility that the formation of the government could be hampered, the sources said: “The possibility always stands in spite of all the talks circulating today. But this way they would be hampering Aoun (election).”

Report: Political Figures Up Safety Measures as Presidential Elections Loom
Naharnet/October 25/16/Several political figures were asked to take tight safety measures to curb attempts aiming to shake Lebanon's stability, now that the presidential elections is onto the front burner and Lebanon could enjoy again having a head of state, Kuwait's As-Siyasah newspaper reported on Tuesday. Now that things are heading towards the election of Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun in the parliamentary session on October 31, and due to fears that some uncalculated security developments might emerge, several politicians were asked to be cautious, added the Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Head of al-Mustaqbal Movement Saad Hariri, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, Democratic Gathering bloc head MP Walid Jumblat and several other political, military and religious figures were asked to take safety measures at this stage, amid fears of threats to stability. The daily added that some sides who prefer that Lebanon stays in turmoil will seek by all means to prevent the presidential elections by striking the internal stability. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. A parliament session to elect a president is scheduled at the end of October, following several previous ones that failed to achieve quorum. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Al-Rahi Says Election of New President a 'New Dawn for Lebanon'
Naharnet/October 25/16/Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi announced Tuesday that the looming election of a new president can be considered as a “new dawn for Lebanon,” six days before a parliamentary vote that is expected to put Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun in the Baabda Palace. “We hope things will proceed positively so that democracy can be restored on Monday,” al-Rahi told a delegation from the Press Syndicate. The patriarch also called for “respecting principles and electing a strong president supported by the popular political blocs.”He also underlined “the need to implement the Taef Accord and respect democracy.”Following talks with Aoun on Monday, al-Rahi had expressed “relief” that the country's lengthy presidential vacuum is expected to see an end during the October 31 voting session. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Alain Aoun: Michel Aoun's Election Confirmed
Naharnet/October 25/16/Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Alain Aoun said that the election of bloc leader, MP Michel Aoun, as the new Lebanese president “is definite."“The preparations for Monday's electoral session are finished,” he told VDL (100.5) in an interview and stressed that the “channels between Rabieh and Bnachii (Marada Movement) were currently closed.”A parliament session to elect a president is scheduled on October 31. As for Speaker Nabih Berri's position who declared rejection with regard to the election of Michel Aoun as president, the lawmaker told VDL that the results of Hizbullah's efforts in this regard will show during Monday's electoral session. “Berri's place is well-reserved in the national unity formula, and no one can take it away from him,” he added. “Postponing the presidential election session is not possible, and any step that might alleviate standing issues before the electoral session is highly welcome,” Alain Aoun said in response to a question about the possibility of holding a dialogue session prior to the electoral one. Aoun was tipped to become president after al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri formally endorsed him on Thursday. A parliament session to elect a president is scheduled at the end of October, following several previous similar meetings that failed to achieve quorum. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. Hariri had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Shots Fired at Cafe Owned by Mustaqbal Supporter in Saadiyat
Naharnet/October 25/16/A cafe owned by a Mustaqbal Movement supported came under gunfire at dawn Tuesday in the coastal area of Saadiyat, 25 kilometers south of Beirut, state-run National News Agency reported. “Unknown assailants opened fire from a car at a cafe owned by Mohammed al-Asaad, a supporter of al-Mustaqbal Movement, in Saadiyat, causing material damage,” NNA said. Heavy clashes had erupted in the town in February between the Hizbullah-affiliated Resistance Brigades and members of the al-Asaad family in which machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades were used. Such incidents have become frequent in recent years in the Saadiyat area. On January 12, a prayer hall came under gunfire during the presence of a local Hizbullah official in it. The area had witnessed heavy clashes between supporters of al-Mustaqbal and members of the Resistance Brigades in July 2015 in which scores of people were injured.

Truck Laden with Captagon Busted in Tripoli
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Police in the north, thwarted an operation to smuggle massive amounts of Captagon narcotic pills to Saudi Arabia, the National News Agency reported on Tuesday. A truck coming from Syria that contained ample amounts of Captagon pills bound to be shipped to Saudi Arabia was seized in the northern port of Tripoli, added NNA. A string of major drug busts in Syria and Lebanon has drawn attention to the trade in Captagon, an illegal substance that has flourished in the chaos of Syria's war. Security forces in both countries have clamped down in recent months on exports of the psychostimulant, produced in swathes of Syrian and Lebanese territory where government oversight is lax or non-existent. Captagon is classified by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime as an "amphetamine-type stimulant" and usually blends amphetamines, caffeine and other substances. On December 30, Lebanese authorities said they, in coordination with Saudi Arabia, had seized 12 million Captagon capsules and arrested the "mastermind" of a cell exporting them to the Gulf. In October 2015, Lebanon arrested a Saudi prince and four other Saudi nationals for attempting to smuggle out nearly two tons of Captagon via Rafik Hariri International Airport, in one of the country's largest busts.
 

Tripoli youth detained for tearing down Hariri, Aoun banners
The Daily Star/October 25/16/BEIRUT: Youth from north Lebanon's Tripoli Tuesday tore down posters of Future Movement chief Saad Hariri and his new pick for the presidency Free Patriotic Movement founder Michel Aoun, local media reported. LBCI said that a group of young men from the city shredded banners bearing the pictures of the two on the Maarad road before army soldiers detained them. Gunshots were heard during the arrest. Hariri grudgingly endorsed Aoun's presidential candidacy last week despite the former army general's low popularity among Hariri's Sunni support base. The election is set to be held at the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut on Oct. 31. Local media had reported that supporters of the resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi was behind anti-Hariri banners popping up around Tripoli. North Lebanon Governor Ramzi Nohra on Monday had ordered the removal of all banners which were demeaning and threatening to national political figures. He warned of jeopardizing civil peace and called for decisive steps against anyone raising banners or pictures on the main roads across the country. Rifi, a fierce critic of Hezbollah, was a member of the Future Movement until splitting with Hariri earlier this year, in large part because Hariri had backed Hezbollah-ally Sleiman Frangieh for the presidency. Aoun is also a Hezbollah ally.

Faris Souaid denies news about March 14 Secretariat meeting tomorrow
Tue 25 Oct 2016 /NNA - Former MP Fares Souaid categorically refuted in a statement what has been reported in some media outlets about an impending meeting by March 14 Secretariat General tomorrow [Wednesday], stressing that such news is completely groundless.

Romanian Ambassador marks his countries National Day: Lebanon will have president who enjoys political, public support
Tue 25 Oct 2016/NNA - The Romanian Ambassador to Lebanon, Victor Mircea, held on Tuesday night a reception on the occasion of the Romanian National Day at the Club Officers in Yarze, in the presence of officials and dignitaries. "I am confident that the far too long presidential vacancy will soon end and Lebanon will have a president that will have gained the widest political endorsement and the widest support of the Lebanese people," the Ambassador stressed. Mircea praised the cooperation between Romanian and Lebanon's armed forces. "We are close to finalizing the military agreement between our governments which will deepen this cooperation. We support the remarkable efforts Lebanon makes in order to preserve its unity, its independence and its stability. It is important for us all that Lebanon will shun the regional turmoil," he added. Mircea welcomed the guests "It is a great joy for me to welcome you on the occasion of the Romanian Army Day which we now celebrate for the first time in Lebanon. Today is the day where we honor those who have fought through the years for the independence, liberty, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of our country, those who have lost their lives, who have protected and continue to protect us".He reminded that on 25th of October 1944 the Romanian army liberated the last piece of Romanian land under occupation. "During World War II Romania lost more than 92,000 people and other 800,000 were injured," he concluded.

Geagea meeting Zasypkin
Tue 25 Oct 2016/NNA - Head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, is currently meeting with Russian Ambassador, Alexander Zasypkin, in Maarab.

Geagea, Richard meet at Meerab
Tue 25 Oct 2016/NNA - Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, is currently meeting at his Meerab residence with the US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, NNA reporter said on Tuesday. The meeting takes place in The presence of Party Head's Advisor for Foreign Relations Elie Khoury, and Chairman of Foreign Relations' Apparatus Pierre Bou Assi.

Hajj Hasan discusses with Lassen agreement of partnership
Tue 25 Oct 2016/NNA - Industry Minister, Hussein Hajj Hasan, on Tuesday received at his office EU Ambassador, Christina Lassen, and a delegation of the European Commission and discussed with them the agreement of partnership between Lebanon and EU. Minister Hajj Hasan hoped that EU would help Lebanon boost the Lebanese exportation to EU countries. "We consider that one of the most important solutions to our economic and social crises is increasing the exportation of Lebanese products, especially to Europe, and facilitating and quickening the accomplishment of the procedures taken in this regard," said the minister. Ambassador Lassen, for her part, said, "We are here to study means for strengthening the trade course and finding job opportunities...We want to help Lebanon in this concern, the delegation will hold this week a series of meetings with the public and private sectors."

American Mideast Coalition Endorses Donald J. Trump for President
[PR Newswire]/October 24, 2016
WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On October 17th, 2016, over 250 leaders of numerous, diverse Middle Eastern communities in the United States gathered in Washington DC to endorse Donald J. Trump for President of the United States.
Warmly received were Donald Trump's foreign policy and national security advisors General Bert Mizusawa, Professor Walid Phares and Attorney Joseph Schmitz, who explained the nuances of Trump's foreign policy toward the Middle East and Africa.
Also present were a number of foreign dignitaries including, Serbia's Ambassador Djerdj Matkovic, Filip Jasinski (First Counselor of the Polish Embassy), Yasser Elshimy (Policy officer at the Egyptian Embassy), Mohamed Bahzad (Kingdom of Bahrain Embassy), Khaled Darief (Libyan Embassy), Karl Lagatie (Belgian Embassy), Gregor Csorsz (Austrian Embassy) Mamad Talibov (Azerbaijan Embassy) as well as Caroline Hurmdal, Chima Pavan and Ben Norman (UK Embassy). They were introduced by Mideast Hispanic Women for Trump Astrid Mattar-Hajjar.
Numerous community leaders recounted the foreign policy failures of the Obama/Clinton years and expressed their support for the direction Donald Trump will take as President. Where Obama has shunned moderate, secular voices in the region and has partnered with radicals (such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamist regime of Iran), Donald Trump promises to do exactly the opposite: to support the moderates and oppose the radicals. This change in direction was endorsed vociferously and cheerfully by the participants – Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, Assyrian, Chaldean, Coptic and Maronite Christians, Yazidis, Kurds, Jews and Africans.
The Co-chairs and officers of the American Mideast Coalition for Trump, John Hajjar, Tom Harb, Eblan Farris and Hossein Khorram introduced the large coalition of several Middle East and East African pro-Trump groups coming from across the United States to the capital to express their rejection of the Obama-Clinton policies both at home and overseas, and to support an alternative program advanced by the next President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Among the community leaders who addressed the audience were Assyrian American Ms. Nahren Anweya from Michigan, Iranian-American leader Dr. Mohammed Hamzepour from Virginia, Lebanese Shia Imam, Sheikh Mohammed el Hajj Hassan and Chaldean-American leader Sam Yono, both from Detroit, Ethiopian American Laban Seyoum and American Sudanese Ibrahim Ahmed Beja, both from Virginia, Turkish American Sal Simsek of Connecticut and Egyptian American Dr. Ashley Ansara from Florida. In addition, Mauritanian American Ahmad Sidi Moila and Yazidi American Khalid Haidar from West Virginia spoke to the press.
At the close of the event, the names of the very important Donald J. Trump for President Inc.'s "Middle Eastern Americans Advisory Committee" members were announced.
It should be noted that this event was heavily covered by Middle East media including al Arabiya, al Jazeera, Skynews Arabia, al Hurra TV, Radio SAWA, Voice of America Persian, Radio Farda as well as major social media broadcasts.
The Advisory Board and AMCT are now heavily campaigning for Mr. Trump across the country and particularly in all battlegrounds states.
Contact: Rebecca Bynum
rebecca.bynum@amctrump.org
(615) 775-6801
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Hezbollah seeks to boost allies in next Lebanese government
Joseph A. Kechichian/Gulf News/October 25/16
Party hints at intention to control Hariri cabinet after Aoun is elected president
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/25/joseph-a-kechichiangulf-newshezbollah-seeks-to-boost-allies-in-next-lebanese-government
Washington, DC: Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun met with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah a few days ago not only to thank him for the latter’s backing but also to ease Speaker Nabih Berri out of his doldrums.
According to Al Nahar daily, ongoing dialogue channels between Hezbollah and the Speaker focused on the formation of the next government under the presumed command of Sa’ad Hariri. It was unclear whether a Berri “blank vote” would guarantee any role for the Amal Party in a putative Hariri cabinet, though Nasrallah is apparently anxious to have considerable participation for both Shiite parties.
Parliament is set to convene on October 31 to select Aoun as the next head-of-state and, with his election nearly ensured, the new president is expected to choose Hariri as the next premier.
Because Berri announced that he would join the ranks of the opposition should Aoun be elected, observers concluded that it might be difficult for the Amal Party to play a role in a future government, although this is what Nasrallah is apparently working to resolve. Moreover, while it was difficult to see how the Speaker could distance himself from the Marada Movement leader Sulaiman Franjieh, who maintains his candidacy even if he recognises that an election would be difficult especially since key swing voters — the Progressive Socialist Party led by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt — have yet to openly declare their choice, Berri is the ultimate pragmatist who has never turned down a deal. Both he and Jumblatt remained open to offers they could not possibly turn down.
After two-and-a-half long years during which Lebanese elite manoeuvred against each other, neglecting their minimum responsibilities ranging the gamut from collecting garbage and providing electricity, wily politicians empowered themselves in deals to secure various shares of the goodies that went along their political pledges.
On October 31, the March 8 bloc, which is dominated by Hezbollah and is aligned with Iran and Syria’s Al Assad regime, is likely to post a major victory, even if a triumphant Aoun return to Baabda Palace — from where the Syrians expelled him three decades ago — will appear to be an affront to Damascus. For now, the Aoun-Hariri accord will mean that the March 14 coalition is nearly exhausted, with a potential hit against Saudi interests in the Levant.
Notwithstanding their selection, however, Hezbollah and its March 8 allies remain wary because the election of the 13th President of Lebanon, Aoun, will rekindle past concerns. Aoun has a mixed track record and, even if his age (82) somewhat tamed him, he is a mercurial and divisive figure and was a Hezbollah foe in the past. Likewise, his opposition to the Syrian regime in the 1980s and 1990s, which he reluctantly chose to overlook after his 2005 return from exile, stood as concrete examples of his true identity. The coming weeks will illustrate whether past events can be safely forgotten or whether Lebanon will embark on yet another period of instability.

Finally a President for Lebanon? Behind the Hariri-Aoun bargain
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/October 25/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/25/joyce-karamal-arabiya-finally-a-president-for-lebanon-behind-the-hariri-aoun-bargain/
Almost two years and a half into its longest Presidential void, Lebanon might finally opt to a political bargain that brings about Christian leader and former General Michel Aoun as the Republic’s 17th President next Monday.
The deal or so called “basket” as the term is quipped in Beirut, is a result of intense negotiations between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Aoun, with the blessing of their respective allies the Lebanese forces and Hezbollah.
This support could generate the needed two thirds majority (86 votes) to get a quorum in the Parliament on Monday, and elect Aoun by a simple majority (65) thereafter. If not, a second session would be assigned until the math formula is reached.
The deal, why Hariri blinked
While each party in Lebanon is offering their spin on the Presidential bargain, there is no question that it is Hariri who pivoted 180 degrees and blinked by nominating Michel Aoun. This pivot is the outcome of complete political and economic paralysis in Lebanon, as well as Hariri’s changed calculus and weakened position within his own party.
The Hariri shift from insisting on a President from the anti-Hezbollah coalition March 14, two years ago, to embracing the candidate that Hezbollah favored on day one, sums up the distance that the former prime minister has traveled to nominate Aoun.
This pivot is a result of the stagnation inside Lebanon and the fact that 45 Parliamentary sessions over the last two and a half years have failed to elect a President. It is also the outcome of Hariri’s recent political and financial misfortunes. While Hezbollah plays the long game unaffected by the local paralysis, Hariri’s support within the Sunni community has shrunk as evident in both Beirut’s and Tripoli’s municipal elections.
The Aoun-Hariri deal is a pact for power and survival by both leaders and a statement of the shifting realpolitik alliances in Lebanon
The minister of justice Ashraf Rifi has delivered a significant blow to Hariri in Tripoli and is emerging as a potential rival in garnering both local and regional support. Coming on the heels of a Saudi shift away from Lebanon toward Yemen, Syria, and in some cases Africa, the former prime minister was left with few options. Accepting Aoun was the most immediate vehicle to ease Hariri’s woes and secure even temporarily his political future.
The deal that Hariri struck with Aoun entails his return as prime minister, presiding over a cabinet that would oversee Parliamentary elections next June. Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah signaled approval of the deal and to accepting Hariri as prime minister, coining such move as a “big sacrifice”. Such comeback for Hariri, however, was always on the table in any Presidential negotiation.
Regional, local implications
The deal, if materialized in the Parliament’s session on Monday, would be first and foremost a symbolic victory for Aoun (81), who has eyed a return to the Baabda Presidential Palace since he forcibly left it as interim prime minister in October of 1990.
It will also be viewed as a boost for the Christian political leadership in Lebanon who has long complained of not electing a “strong leader” to the highest office for the community since the end of the civil war.
Beyond that, the Aoun Presidency could bring a reshuffle in alliances within Lebanon, strengthening the grand coalitions in the Parliament (Aoun’s and Hariri’s) at the expense of smaller players (Nabih Berri and Walid Jumblatt).
This could also transpire in the style of governance and the allocation of key ministries, namely the gas and oil ministry and how these contracts would be distributed if exploration were to be approved in Lebanon.
Regionally, the Hariri-Aoun deal will likely spur the Gulf cooperation council (GCC) to continue to keep distance from Lebanese politics. For Iran, the deal is a welcome development that would shield Hezbollah’s gains and prerogatives in Lebanon. While Hezbollah’s ally Syrian President Bashar Assad will not spare the opportunity to portray a Aoun Presidency as a victory, it is hard to see how it will tip the balance in Syria.
Hezbollah is already unshackled in its funding, support and operation in Syria, the Aoun Presidency will unlikely move the needle in either direction. Both Aoun and Hariri have acknowledged the need to insulate Lebanon from the Syrian inferno.
The Aoun-Hariri deal is a pact for power and survival by both leaders and a statement of the shifting realpolitik alliances in Lebanon. Its success and duration will be determined by internal and external conditions, some of which neither man has control over.

Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on on October 25-2616

NATO Flies First AWACS Surveillance Mission Backing Anti-IS Coalition
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Sophisticated NATO surveillance planes have flown their first mission in support of the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State group, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday. NATO leaders agreed in July to commit the AWACS planes after Washington had pressed hard for the alliance to make a concrete gesture to help the fight against IS. "NATO itself is now offering direct support with our AWACS surveillance aircraft," Stoltenberg told a press briefing in Brussels, announcing that the first flight took place on October 20. NATO was "committed to sustaining the coalition's momentum so that IS can be defeated once and for all," he said at alliance headquarters ahead of a two-day defense ministers meeting in Brussels. All 28 NATO members also belong to the anti-IS alliance but some were reluctant to see the coalition directly involved in the Syrian conflict, so the aircraft were limited to flying in international airspace or over NATO member Turkey, from where they can look deep into Syria and Iraq. Stoltenberg said that while he could not comment on their exact role, the aircraft "will not be part of combat operations."The planes are one of the few concrete assets that NATO has, with most of its military hardware belonging to individual member states. AWACS have powerful radars that allow them to monitor airspace for hundreds of kilometers (miles) around and they can also serve as command posts to coordinate bombing raids and other operations.

Russia Says No Air Strikes on Aleppo in 7 Days
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Moscow said Tuesday that Russian and Syrian planes have not conducted any air strikes on Aleppo for the last seven days despite a three-day truce ending at the weekend. "Over the last seven days all flights by Russian and Syrian air forces have been completely halted. The planes are not going near the city and not carrying out strikes," military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement Tuesday. After the humanitarian pause ran out at 1600 GMT on Saturday, air strikes hit the opposition-controlled district of Sheikh Saeed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, however. Russia's defence spokesman said that six passages for civilians to leave rebel-held east Aleppo are still functioning and that 48 women and children left late Monday. Russia on Monday ruled out early moves to renew its ceasefire in Aleppo after the brief halt ended, admitting that few had used humanitarian passages to leave the city and blaming failures by the US-led coalition. Ahead of the ceasefire, Russian and Syrian planes had stopped bombing on Tuesday last week. Russia is a key ally of Syria's government and began a military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad last September.Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is set to hold talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Friday.

'Caliphate' Survivors Recount Fleeing Clutches of IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Their escape from jihadist rule was grueling and their new living conditions hardly better, but the Iraqis fleeing south of Mosul are only the first of a feared massive exodus. Qayyarah is not only the main staging base for the huge offensive Iraqi forces launched to retake Mosul on October 17 -- it is also where displaced families in the area are converging. "We walked all night to escape the jihadists and just before arriving here, our neighbors were killed in a bomb blast," said Umm Mahmud, a woman from Hawijah. Her town lies in an area near Kirkuk on the other bank of the Tigris river and is one of the last bastions of the Islamic State group that took over swathes of Iraq in 2014 and declared an Islamic "caliphate." She and her family fled to Qayyarah, an area recaptured from the jihadists a few weeks ago and which is now the main hub behind the southern lines of the Mosul battlefield. There she joined the growing number of people who are fleeing the fighting and two years of brutal jihadist rule, traveling in the opposite direction to thousands of forces battling their way northward to Mosul. "An IS member helped us flee. He asked for $100 per person to take us to a nearby village," said the woman. They were then left alone to trek through a minefield planted by the jihadists, she said. Only slightly more than 5,000 people are believed to have fled their homes since the start of the offensive a week ago, but the United Nations believes that more than a million people are still trapped inside Mosul. When Iraqi forces get closer to the boundaries of the city, aid groups expect a huge outflow of civilians which they fear existing infrastructure simply will not be able to handle.The Jedaah camp in Qayyarah is run by the authorities of Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital.
Food shortages
It opened on October 19 and is supported by aid groups and the U.N.'s Children Fund.
A few kilometers (miles) north, the fleeing families are screened at a checkpoint manned by the Iraqi security forces who were herding the newly displaced residents towards Qayyarah. They left their homes for various reasons, some of them to avoid being caught in clashes between advancing federal forces and die-hard IS fighters. Others left because of dwindling food supplies. "If you're with IS you get everything you need. But the others have nothing to eat because of the blockade," one of the recently arrived told AFP. Dozens of civilians huddled together near the camp which was littered with trash, as wind blew in clouds of smoke from burning oil wells and a fire at a nearby sulfur plant. Most of them escaped the "caliphate" with just one or two bags containing some clothes and other essentials."The jihadists fled our village south of Mosul four days ago, slipping out from the Iraqi forces' siege under the cover of night," said Abu Jowaher, 27. "We were left there alone, with no water or food," he said. "Some of us decided to leave too and others stayed back to look after the sheep," he said, as an ambulance returned from the front line to the north. A small pick-up truck followed behind full of displaced people, including one man still waving his white flag.

U.N. Says Wave of IS Atrocities Reported near Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/The U.N. said Tuesday it had received reports of dozens of execution-type killings by the Islamic State group (IS), including the slaying of 50 former police officers, as Iraqi troops close in on Mosul. The allegations -- which remain "preliminary" -- have come from a range of civilian and government sources, who cannot be named for security reasons, said United Nations rights office spokesman Rupert Colville. The reported atrocities were perpetrated by the jihadists between Wednesday and Sunday, while Iraqi forces advanced towards Mosul, the last IS bastion in the country, Colville said. In a village called Safina, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) south of Mosul, IS was blamed for executing 15 civilians before throwing their bodies in a river, possibly to strike terror among other residents. On October 19 also in Safina, extremist fighters "reportedly tied six civilians to a vehicle by their hands and dragged them around the village, apparently simply because they were related to a particular tribal leader fighting against ISIL," Colville said, using another acronym for IS, also called Daesh or ISIS. Iraqi security forces found another 70 bodies riddled with bullet wounds on October 20 in the nearby Tuloul Naser village. Colville said it was not immediately clear who was responsible for their deaths. And on Saturday, IS gunmen allegedly shot dead three women and three girls during a forced march in Rufeila village south of Mosul. The group was killed because they were struggling to keep up, likely because one of the girls who was ultimately shot dead had a physical disability, the rights office said. The 50 police officers who had been held hostage by IS were reportedly executed in a building outside Mosul on Sunday, Colville told reporters in Geneva. "We very much fear that these will not be the last such reports we receive of such barbaric acts by ISIL," he said. He added that all the allegations "need a bit more (investigative) work" before the U.N. can conclusively say they took place. The rights office also restated its fears that IS will use civilians in Mosul as human shields as Iraqi forces fight to retake the city in an operation backed by a U.S.-led coalition.

Iraq Fully Retakes Town Attacked by IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Iraqi security forces on Tuesday regained full control of a western town that was attacked by Islamic State group militants two days earlier, officials said. Seeking to draw attention away from an offensive to retake the city of Mosul, IS struck the town of Rutba in the country's west and Kirkuk in the north in recent days."Our forces completely cleared the town of Rutba," Staff Major General Ibrahim al-Mahalawi said. An AFP journalist who visited the town confirmed that it was fully back in government hands, as did the local official responsible for the area. The jihadists attacked Rutba on Sunday, briefly seizing the mayor's office before being pinned back by the security forces but still maintaining control of two neighborhoods. The jihadists executed five Iraqis, including members of the security forces, in the town on Monday, army officers said. On Friday, dozens of jihadist fighters launched a spectacular attack on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, killing at least 46 people, mostly members of the security forces. Iraqi forces are advancing on Mosul, IS's last major stronghold in the country, from three sides after announcing the start of the operation on October 17. IS overran swathes of Iraq in 2014 and 2015, but has since lost much of the territory it seized.

Powers Discuss Mosul as Iraq Forces Inch towards Outskirts
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Iraqi forces were inching to within striking distance of eastern Mosul Tuesday as defense chiefs from the U.S.-led coalition met in Paris to review the offensive on the jihadist bastion. Paramilitary forces were also massing near the battlefield to open a western front they say will aim to retake the town of Tal Afar and cut off routes to neighboring Syria for Islamic State fighters escaping Mosul. Forces from the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) retook areas close to the eastern outskirts of Mosul, IS' last major urban stronghold in Iraq. "On our front, we have advanced to within five or six kilometers (three to four miles) of Mosul," their commander, General Abdelghani al-Assadi, told AFP. "We must now coordinate with forces on other fronts to launch a coordinated" attack on Mosul, he said, speaking from the Christian town of Bartalla. Kurdish peshmerga forces are making gains on the northeastern front but federal forces advancing from the south have some way to go before reaching the outskirts of Mosul. Meanwhile, thousands of men from the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary umbrella group dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite militias, were preparing for a push to the west. The Hashed leadership has ordered "us to assume the mission of liberating the Tal Afar district," Jawwad al-Tulaibawi, spokesman for the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, said. The Hashed's mission will be to "cut off and prevent the escape of (IS) towards Syria and fully isolate Mosul from Syria," Tulaibawi told AFP.
"We expect that it will be a difficult and fierce battle."
Turkey threat
Involvement of the Hashed in the Mosul operation has been a source of contention, especially in eventual fighting inside the mainly Sunni city. Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Arab politicians have opposed its participation, as has Turkey, which has a military presence east of Mosul despite repeated demands by Baghdad for the forces to be withdrawn. Tensions have been rising between Baghdad and Ankara, whose foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, warned Tuesday that his country would not hesitate to launch a ground operation. "If there is a threat posed to Turkey, we are ready to use all our resources including a ground operation," he told Turkish channel Kanal 24. Relations between the Hashed and the U.S.-led coalition fighting IS are also tense, but the paramilitaries enjoy widespread support among members of Iraq's Shiite majority. Senior Iraqi and U.S. military officials have reported that IS leaders are already attempting to leave Mosul to reach the Syrian side of their "caliphate." But a senior official close to French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that a few hundred IS fighters recently moved in the opposite direction, reinforcing the estimated 3,000 to 5,000 jihadists defending Mosul.
"At this stage, we're noticing fighter movement from Syria to Iraq, not the other way around," the official said. "There is therefore a possible scenario in which Daesh (IS) resists to the end."IS had shown increasing pragmatism in recent battles with a tendency to fall back in the face of superior firepower. But with its claim to run a "caliphate" losing credibility with every new loss of territory, the group has mounted a fierce and well-organized resistance in the fight for Mosul, now in its second week.
Raqa more complicated
Mosul is where IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the cross-border "caliphate" in June 2014 and its loss could spell the end of the group's days as a land-holding force in the Iraqi part. Le Drian was meeting with coalition counterparts, including Pentagon chief Ashton Carter, to review the war on IS after more than two years of coalition air strikes, training and on-the-ground military advice. Besides coordinating their support for the forces closing in on Mosul, ministers will also attempt to iron out differences over priorities in the campaign. France is keen to tackle the jihadists' Syria bastion Raqa, where a large number of French foreign fighters in IS ranks are stationed. While the jihadists hunkering down in Mosul are outnumbered about one to 10, there are insufficient forces currently available to take on the estimated 3,000-4,000 IS fighters in Raqa. "The Syrian side is much more complicated. The forces available are limited," an adviser to the French defense minister said. If and when Mosul is recaptured by Iraqi forces, Raqa would be the only major city still in IS hands.

Russian FM Equates Mosul Offensive to Moscow's Aleppo Bombing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday that U.S. support of Iraqi efforts to recapture Mosul from jihadists was equivalent to Moscow's backing of a Syrian government offensive to seize rebel-held eastern Aleppo. "They are preparing an operation to liberate Mosul from terrorists," Russian news agencies quoted Sergei Lavrov as saying. "And in Aleppo, the city needs to be freed from terrorists. With the exact same plea as we made in Aleppo, the American coalition is appealing to residents in Mosul, calling on them to leave. Just like in Aleppo, humanitarian corridors have been set up." Lavrov said that his American counterpart John Kerry had assured him that the situation in Mosul was "completely different" from that in Aleppo. "In Mosul we planned in advance, while in Aleppo, you didn't plan and civilians are suffering," Kerry said, according to Lavrov. The West has accused Moscow of perpetrating potential war crimes in Aleppo through indiscriminate bombing in support of a Syrian government offensive to retake total control over the city. Nearly 500 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded since the Syrian army, backed by Russian airpower, launched an operation to recapture eastern Aleppo on September 22. A ceasefire meant to allow civilians and armed combatants to leave rebel-held eastern Aleppo ended at the weekend, with Moscow on Monday ruling out an extension of the truce for the time being. Russian officials have repeatedly criticized the U.S.-led coalition's support of the Iraqi offensive on Mosul. On Tuesday, Iraqi forces were inching to within striking distance of the city's east. Russia's defense ministry last week urged the coalition not to "drive terrorists" from Iraq to Syria during the offensive, warning it against the risk of "freely roaming" gangs of jihadists from the Islamic State group in the Middle East. President Vladimir Putin earlier this month called on the U.S.-led coalition to avoid civilian casualties in the Mosul offensive, as Moscow faced growing criticism over its bombing of Aleppo.

Syrian Kurds Say Ankara Attacking to Block Raqa Recapture
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/A Syrian Kurd leader in France on Tuesday accused Turkey of waging attacks on Kurdish forces trying to recapture Raqa, the Islamic State group stronghold in Syria. "With its artillery and aircraft, the Turkish army is taking advantage of the media and international community's focus on Mosul to massively attack Syrian Kurds to stop them taking Raqa," Khaled Issa told a news conference in Paris. Iraqi forces have been advancing towards the northern city of Mosul in a major operation to retake it from the IS jihadists. Issa, the representative of Syrian Kurds in France, said that in their preparations to retake Raqa, the U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had "liberated" several villages occupied by the jihadists to the northeast of the devastated Syrian city of Aleppo. "If Turkish artillery and aircraft are heavily bombing SDF positions in this zone... it is partly to stop them (SDF) cutting Daesh supply lines to Raqa and partly to allow Turkey to keep control of 70 kilometers (40 miles) of its border with Syria," he said, using another name for the Islamic State. "We cannot go and fight in Raqa when the Turkish army is bombing us," he said. Accusing the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of "rushing to Daesh's rescue," Issa called on France and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council "to put an end to Erdogan's irresponsible actions which hamper the fight against Daesh."The Turkish military has carried out a number of raids against Kurdish militia targets in northern Syria in recent days. Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) as terror groups linked to Turkey's banned insurgent Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). It is vehemently opposed to the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region on its border in northern Syria. Ankara has clashed with Washington over the Syrian Kurd fighters, with the U.S. support for the groups causing friction between the two NATO allies.

Venezuela Lawmakers Vote for Political Trial of President
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Venezuela's opposition-majority legislature voted on Tuesday to open a political trial against President Nicolas Maduro, who is resisting efforts to remove him from power in a volatile political crisis. A majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly voted in favor of a motion to launch a "political and criminal trial" against Maduro after he blocked their drive for a referendum on removing him. They voted to summon Maduro to appear before the assembly on November 1 to answer charges of "criminal and political responsibility and of abandoning his post." It is unclear what impact the vote will have. The Supreme Court -- which the opposition claims Maduro controls -- has ruled the National Assembly's decisions invalid. The center right-dominated opposition blames Maduro for a dire economic crisis in the oil-rich nation. Hit by the fall of global oil prices, Venezuela's economy has crashed, sparking protests and looting driven by shortages of food, medicine and basic goods. Maduro calls the economic crisis a capitalist conspiracy. The opposition called for the political trial after courts and electoral authorities last week annulled their bid to hold a recall referendum against him. Maduro met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Monday and said afterward that he had the pope's blessing to launch a "dialogue" with the opposition. Leaders of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) dismissed that as a ploy, insisting they had not agreed on terms for talks with the government. The MUD has called for nationwide street protests from Wednesday to raise pressure on Maduro. The president landed back in Venezuela on Tuesday after a tour to the Middle East, the Vatican and Portugal, television pictures showed. He was expected to join his supporters in a rally in Caracas on Tuesday. Analysts have warned there is a risk of violent unrest in the South American country of 30 million people. Clashes at anti-government protests in 2014 left 43 people dead.

Israeli Shot Dead while Working on Egyptian Border
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/An Israeli working along the border with Egypt was shot and killed on Tuesday, the Israeli army said, while also noting the incident did not appear related to "terror activities." The defence ministry said earlier an employee for a contractor carrying out work on a border fence was wounded by gunfire. A military spokeswoman confirmed the man had died while being airlifted and said the gunfire came from the Egyptian side of the border, but could provide no further details. "Initial indications suggest the shooting does not appear to be connected to terror activities," a military statement said. "The incident will be reviewed. The (Israeli military) is coordinating with the Egyptian Armed Forces." The shooting occurred in the Har Harif area midway along the 240-kilometer (150-mile) border between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Israel. Jihadists loyal to the Islamic State group are waging a deadly insurgency in Egypt's Sinai. In the same area in 2012, an Israeli soldier and three militants who infiltrated from Sinai were killed in a clash along the border. Banditry and drug trafficking also occur in the area. In 2014, two Israeli soldiers were wounded when suspected drug smugglers fired shots and an anti-tank missile from the Sinai at their vehicle patrolling the frontier. Egypt and Jordan are the only two Arab countries to have peace treaties with Israel. In 2013, Israel erected an electronic fence along its southern border with Egypt.

Report: Israeli Forces Could Have Avoided Killings
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Reviews of shootings in which Israeli security forces killed a knife-wielding Palestinian and another throwing stones found the use of deadly violence could have been avoided, public radio reported Tuesday. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the cases had been looked into as part of routine procedure, but was unable to comment on the reported findings. It was unclear if the officers involved would face further action. Citing an internal army document, the radio said border police under the command of the military fired a hail of bullets when they killed a knife-wielding Palestinian woman on October 19. They initially followed regulations, firing warning shots into the air followed by a single round at the 19-year-old's legs when she failed to stop at the Tapuah junction in the northern West Bank. Four officers then fired more than 30 rounds at her, said the report. Video footage that emerged of the shooting appeared to show four officers firing after she was already on the ground. Another case reviewed was that of the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Palestinian stone thrower Khaled Bahar the following day near the southern West Bank city of Hebron. Public radio said the army review reported that the shooting occurred after a patrol pursued young Palestinians who had stoned a passing Israeli bus. "One of the youths tried to throw a stone at short range at the force commander who shot and killed him," the report said. "According to the inquiry there was no danger to life (to the commander). He should not have fired at the central body mass in order to kill." An army spokesman confirmed that those and other recent cases not resulting in fatalities had been looked at as part of routine procedure. "It was an operational review to inspect and improve our performance on the ground," spokesman Arye Shalicar told AFP. He would not confirm the review's reported findings but said military police automatically investigate fatalities and it was for them to decide if there had been improper behavior. Israeli security forces have been accused of using disproportionate force in a number of cases over the past year. An Israeli soldier is on trial for manslaughter after video emerged showing him shoot a wounded Palestinian attacker in the head in March as he lay on the ground without seeming to pose any further threat. Police were also criticized for the shooting of a Palestinian teenage girl involved in a stabbing attack with scissors in November 2015. Footage appeared to show an officer shoot the girl again as she was already on the ground. Violence since October 2015 has killed 235 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese national, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

6 Dead, 37 Hurt in Jordan Bus Crash
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Six people were killed and 37 injured on Tuesday in a bus crash in northern Jordan near the border with Syria, the authorities said. Two Egyptians and two Syrians were among those hurt when the bus overturned while traveling between the cities of Irbid and Mafraq, civil defense spokesman General Farid al-Sharaa said. Traffic accidents, largely due to the poor state of roads and vehicles as well as disregard for driving rules, killed 688 people and injured more than 14,000 last year in Jordan, according to the authorities.

Hundreds Protest against U.N. Envoy in Yemen Capital
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Hundreds of people demonstrated in Yemen's rebel-held capital on Tuesday against what they described as the United Nations' "complicity" in the country's deadly 19-month-old war, witnesses said. The protesters gathered outside a Sanaa hotel where U.N. envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was staying as he tried to convince the warring parties to accept a ceasefire and resume peace talks. "Leave, leave Yemen," the demonstrators chanted, addressing the U.N. envoy whom they accused of "sympathizing with Al-Saud," the Saudi ruling family. Riyadh is leading a military coalition that has been battling the pro-Iran Huthi rebels since March 2015 in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government. "The U.N. and the Security Council are complicit in the killing of Yemenis," read one of the banners at the Sanaa demonstration. Some of the protesters wore shirts showing pictures of the victims of an October 8 coalition air raid on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa that killed 140 people and wounded 525. The strike prompted severe criticism of the coalition, which has logistical support from the United States. "Yemenis are massacred and we hold the U.N. responsible for the actions of Saudi Arabia, America, and Israel," shouted the protesters, who were protected by armed men blocking access to the area. The rally, which was held in response to calls by the rebels, ended as the U.N. envoy was to leave the hotel for Sanaa airport, witnesses said. A statement published by rebel-controlled media said the protesters "condemn the U.N. envoy's intentional obstruction of the talks" and his "silence on the crimes and massacres committed by the Saudi aggressors" against Yemenis. A 72-hour ceasefire to allow aid deliveries officially ended at midnight Saturday as the two sides traded accusations of violations. A call by Ould Cheikh Ahmed to renew the truce for three days was ignored by the warring parties as the coalition stepped up its air strikes and clashes raged on the ground. Peace talks held in Kuwait ended in deadlock in August. Nearly 6,900 people have been killed in the conflict, more than half of them civilians, while an additional three million are displaced and millions more need food aid.

Hollande Urges Vigilance over Jihadists Returning from Iraq
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday urged the U.S.-led coalition backing the offensive against Islamic State jihadists in Mosul to prepare for the aftermath of the city's fall, including returning fighters. "The recapture is not an end in itself. We must already anticipate the consequences of the fall of Mosul," he told a meeting of coalition defense chiefs in Paris. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and ministers from 12 other countries attended the talks, which come a week after Iraqi forces backed by Kurdish fighters launched a major operation to retake Iraq's second-biggest city. "What is at stake is the political future of the city, the region and Iraq," Hollande said, calling for "all ethnic and religious groups" to have a say in the future running of the predominantly Sunni city. He also appealed for measures to shield civilians trapped in Mosul by the fighting and for "vigilance" faced with the prospect of return foreign jihadists returning home from the Iraqi battlefield. Of the estimated 4,000-5,000 jihadists fighting in Mosul, around 300 are French, according to French officials. Hollande reiterated French warnings about IS fighters in Mosul fleeing across the border to Raqa, the group's stronghold in Syria. "We must clearly identify them," he said. The French leader also called on the ministers to set out "the stages of the next operations" against IS, namely retaking Raqa. "If Mosul falls, Raqa will be Daesh's last bastion," he said, using another name for IS, which is also known by the acronyms of ISIS or ISIL. "We must see to it that Daesh is destroyed and eradicated everywhere."

HRW Says Turkey Torturing Detainees under Post-Coup Emergency
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/October 25/16/Human Rights Watch on Tuesday said Turkey's state of emergency amounted to giving "a blank check" for police to torture, abuse or threaten people detained after the failed coup. The U.S.-based watchdog cited 13 cases of alleged abuse, including torture, sleep deprivation, severe beatings, sexual abuse and rape threats among people arrested after the July 15 attempted putsch. "By removing safeguards against torture, the Turkish government effectively wrote a blank cheque to law enforcement agencies to torture and mistreat detainees as they like," Hugh Williamson, HRW's Europe and Central Asia director, said in a statement. Its report detailed several examples of detainees with bruises and marks on their body and said some lawyers were too scared to record evidence that their clients had been tortured. A forensic specialist told HRW: "There was not a part of (a detainee's) body that was not covered in bruises."In one alleged incident, an Istanbul-based lawyer told HRW her client said officers "threatened to rape them and their wives." The report is based on interviews with 40 people between August and September including lawyers, human rights activists and those who had been detained, HRW said. The emergency was first imposed a few days after the coup bid then extended for another 12 weeks earlier this month. It extended detention without judicial review from four to 30 days, and authorized a detainee to be denied access to a lawyer for up to five days, HRW said. The group also said the authorities restricted access to attorneys, and often only allowed legal aid lawyers to those arrested. The Turkish government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Turkish official said the justice ministry would react later in the day. When Amnesty International made similar accusations in late July, a senior Turkish official said it was "absurd" to suggest Turkey would flout the law and categorically denied the allegations. More than 35,000 people have been placed under arrest since a rogue military faction tried to remove President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power. The Turkish government argues it is dealing with an extraordinary threat to the country, but its allies in the West have expressed concern and urged it to act in line with the rule of law.

France Begins Demolition of 'Jungle' Migrant Camp
Workers escorted by scores of French police officers moved into the "Jungle" in Calais on Tuesday, demolishing shacks and tents emptied of migrants who were being bussed to shelters around France. The demolition work began on the second day of a massive operation to clear the squalid settlement in northern France, where an estimated 6,000-8,000 migrants, mostly Afghans, Sudanese and Eritreans, have been living. "The start of the clean-up operations sends a sign that La Lande camp is really over," said Fabienne Buccio, head of security in the region, using the official name for the camp known as the Jungle.The finality of the operation was driven home by the demolition operation, as mattresses, blankets, clothes, pots and suitcases left behind by the migrants were piled on top of the wood and plastic sheeting used in their shacks.Wearing hard hats and orange overalls the workers used electric saws to take down wooden shelters and earth-moving equipment to clear debris from the site that has for years been a launchpad for attempts to reach Britain. Riot police carrying shields sealed off the area. Beforehand, aid workers and officials had gone tent-to-tent to ensure the area had been vacated. Since Monday, around 2,700 people have been transferred to shelters around France while around 600 unaccompanied minors have been moved to a container park in the Jungle where families had been staying, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. Others, including a number of Afghans, are waiting until Wednesday, billed as the last day for bus transfers. Ali Othman, a Sudanese 18-year-old vowed he would not leave voluntarily. "They can detain me, jail me, throw me out on the street. I still want to go to Britain." he said, smoking a cigarette outside his tent. But the sprawling shantytown, one of Europe's biggest slums, was rapidly becoming a ghost town. "It makes me sad to see the camp in this state," said Marie Paule, a charity worker who started volunteering at the Jungle last year. "I have a heavy heart... but it's the best solution for them." The migrants face a choice between requesting asylum in France or being possibly deported.
British commitments
Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of anxious minors queued to be interviewed by French and British officials who will decide their fate. The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity accused officials picking those who will be accepted into Britain of excluding a number of children by selecting on the basis of appearance. Cazeneuve said all unaccompanied minors "with proven family links in Britain" would eventually be transferred and that London had also committed to reviewing all other cases where it was "in the child's interest" to settle across the Channel. Britain has taken in nearly 200 teenagers over the past week. Hundreds more are waiting for a decision. British Interior Minister Amber Rudd pledged to bring eligible children from France to Britain "as quickly and as safely as possible" in the coming days and weeks, without specifying numbers. Located on wasteland next to the port of Calais, the four-square-kilometer (1.5-square-mile) Jungle has become a symbol of Europe's failure to resolve its worst migration crisis since World War II.More than one million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa poured into Europe last year, sowing divisions across the 28-nation bloc and fueling the rise of far-right parties.
'Great relief'
Calais has long exerted a pull on migrants who try to board lorries or jump onto trains heading across the Channel to England, where they believe their job and integration prospects to be better than in France. Over the past year, police have battled near-nightly attempts by migrants to climb onto trucks bound for Calais port -- a perilous pursuit that has cost dozens of migrants their lives. Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart said seeing people queue to leave the camp was "a great relief." But many locals fear more camps will sprout up in the area once the Jungle is razed. Around France, the resettlement of asylum-seekers has met with a mix of hostility and solidarity. Villagers in the wine-making hamlet of Chardonnay gave two dozen Sudanese youths a chilly reception on Monday while Paris and Nantes saw small pro-migrant rallies.
Back in the Juno togle, Arbat, a 25-year-old Sudanese migrant, said he was ready to move on. "I know my future is no longer here," he said in good French, adding that he wants to marry a French woman. "They tell me they are all beautiful. Is it true?" he joked.

Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on on October 25-2616
Saudi Writer: Blaming Israel For Inter-Arab Wars Is Shallow
MEMRI/October 25, 2016 Special Dispatch No.6651
Dr. 'Ali Sa'd Al-Moussa, a columnist for the Saudi daily Al-Watan, wrote on August 22, 2016 that the blood-soaked conflicts and struggles raging across the Arab world have nothing to do with Israel, and that blaming Israel for them is shallow. Al-Moussa wrote with nostalgia about the flowering of culture that took place in some Arab countries in the 1950s, contrasting it with the ignorance and extremism that are rampant there now. He argued that this decline, rather than Israel, is to blame for the devastation and ruin in today's Arab world.
The following are excerpts from his article:[1]
"[The world outside] the blood-soaked region between Mosul, [Syria] and Sirt, [Libya], and between Idlib, [Syria] and 'Aden, [Yemen], does not see even a tenth of the strife [that goes on in that region]... not even between the two Koreas or between the Hutu and the Tutsi in Africa. This proves that the world could have been a safer and quieter place had the Middle East not been in its midst. And I ask that none of you place the blame for this on Israel, for that is [just] a shallow excuse. Israel has nothing to do with the struggle between ISIS and [Jabhat] Al-Nusra, or with what is happening between 'Afash [a nickname for former Yemeni president 'Ali Abdullah Saleh], ['Abd Al-Malik] Al-Houthi [head of the Houthi Ansar Allah group in Yemen] and the Yemeni government, and has nothing to do with the ideological war that is raging in the distant deserts of Libya.
"We in this blood-red region on the world map are born [carrying] the gene of an unknown virus in our body, which soon awakens and multiplies, [triggering] destruction and war, hatred, exclusion and the despicable categorizing [of people]. In the last five years of internecine [fighting], we have killed tens of times more people from our own ranks than were killed in 50 years of historical wars with Israel.
"So who is to blame for this? The culprit is the awakening of ignorance[2] ... Before [Israel] was even born, when it was just an idea and promises on paper, the situation of us [Arabs] was as follows: Egypt had the first printing press outside Europe, even before Japan and China had one. It was also the world's third-largest producer of films. In the mid-1950s Beirut had 50 private libraries, more than in any French city except Paris. In the same period, Tunisia could boast that every single boy there attended a modern public school, whereas today, paradoxically, Tunisia is the country that provides the largest number of young men for ISIS. This is the awakening of ignorance. The Gordon Medical College in Sudan[3] was ranked seventh among the advanced medical colleges in the world, above Yale, Princeton and the Sorbonne. It's a shame that, with this [kind of] historical heritage, Gordon [College] – now [called] the University of Khartoum – suffices with taking visitors to see a museum where [it] exhibits the faded document [recording] its high place in the global ranking of universities.
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Kuwait was a shining beacon [of culture] that published outstanding cultural magazines. The famous Al-'Arabi magazine circulated 500,000 copies and there wasn't a single Arabic village it didn't reach. Today if you ask the young person nearest to you, 'What do you know about Kuwait?', his only answer will be that it produces oil.
"In sum, not [only] are we born [carrying] the gene of the unknown virus of war, which comes to life the minute an Arab youth is able to carry a dagger or a sword, we are also born with the fly of sleeping [sickness], from which the Arab awakes [only] as part of the awakening of ignorance."
Endnotes:
[1] Al-Watan (Saudi Arabia), August 22, 2016.
[2] The author is hinting at Al-Sahwa Al-Islamiyya (Islamic Awakening), a movement formed in the 1980s by a group of Saudi clerics including Salman Al-'Oudah, 'Aid Al-Qarni, Safar Al-Hawali, Nasser Al-'Omar and Sa'd Al-Barik. Its ideology combined Salafi-Wahhabi religious principles with socio-political perceptions of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. The movement gained influence in Saudi society and even in the Saudi education system as long as it did not oppose the Saudi regime. However, in the early 1990s it rocked the political system by instigating protests and demonstrations in demand of reform, in particular the establishment of a Shura Council. The movement's activity ceased in 1995

Is Britain Destroying its Military to Appease Enemies?
Richard Kemp/Gatestone Institute/October 25/16
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/10/25/richard-kempgatestone-institute-is-britain-destroying-its-military-to-appease-enemies/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9181/british-military
Elements of the British establishment in Whitehall think their own soldiers are "bad," and terrorists are "freedom fighters," according to General Lord Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff and the UK's most senior military officer.
Over several years these ministers, permanent secretaries, generals, admirals and air marshals have been swept aside in pursuit of a corrosive drive to discredit our troops. It is the first time in history that any government has turned on its own armed forces in such a way.
The overwhelming majority are motivated by a combination of greed and anti-British vindictiveness by the Iraqi and Afghan accusers and by their British lawyers, using taxpayers' money.
This can only further undermine our national will to engage in future conflict in defence of our people or to support our allies, including the US, thus weakening the Western world. That of course is the main objective of the politically driven lawyers and others involved in hounding our troops.
We can be sure that their motive for favouring enemy "freedom fighters" over our own forces is a desire to appease radical Muslims both at home and abroad, which infects so much of Europe's political elite and mainstream media.
It is vital for our country and the world that the Prime Minister ends this cowardly and dangerous cult of appeasement, stands up for our Western Judeo-Christian values above all others, and defends our soldiers with as much courage as they show in defending us. To achieve this, it is vital that the conspirators General Richards has named are identified and purged from power and influence.
Last week General Lord Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff and the UK's most senior military officer, made an extraordinary allegation. Speaking on the BBC, he said that elements of the British establishment in Whitehall think their own soldiers are "bad," and terrorists are "freedom fighters."
Lord Richards's assertions have far-reaching significance both within the UK and more widely, affecting the US, the prosecution by the West of the war on terror, and British relations with the State of Israel. Yet they have gone largely unnoticed.
Lord Richards was talking about the ongoing legal campaign against British troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan -- the first time in history that any government has turned on its own armed forces in such a way.
1,492 cases of alleged abuse in Iraq are under investigation, and over 600 in Afghanistan. Most of these cases involve allegations against multiple servicemen, so the number of troops under scrutiny can be counted in the thousands. We are not talking here about minor misdemeanours but the most serious forms of abuse including rape, torture and, in Iraq alone, 235 accusations of unlawful killing.
Some soldiers have been under constant investigation for more than 10 years. Some have been acquitted during preliminary investigations or at court martial, only to be dragged back to face repeated legal inquiries and judicial hearings. In some cases, there have been as many as five investigations into a single incident.
Thousands of men who have volunteered to put their lives on the line for their country, and who have been involved in the most traumatic events imaginable, including seeing their close comrades torn apart beside them, have been forced to re-live their experiences over and over again under intense legal scrutiny. Families have broken up, jobs have been lost, lives have been ruined. In some cases, soldiers have attempted or contemplated suicide.
The British government does not seem to have grasped that if there were any foundation to accusations of abuse on this scale, it would amount to a wholesale breakdown of military order and control. This in an army with an unbroken record of fortitude, courage and iron discipline under even the most formidable and perilous circumstances. Of all the great armies on both sides that fought throughout the First World War, the British Army was the only one that did not suffer major mutiny on the front line. Yet we are expected to believe that, in the far less harsh circumstances of Iraq and Afghanistan, their great grandsons went to pieces.
I served for 30 years in the British Army. I know for certain that this could not have happened. There will no doubt be some truth in a few of the allegations, as is inevitable when human beings go to war. But the overwhelming majority are motivated by a combination of greed and anti-British vindictiveness by the Iraqi and Afghan accusers and by their British lawyers. At the end of one five-year public inquiry into the alleged torture and murder of detainees, the British soldiers involved were exonerated and the chairman, a former high court judge, concluded that the claims amounted to "deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility."
This sustained vendetta has only been possible because successive governments have paid Iraqis and Afghans to bring charges against our soldiers, using British taxpayers' money. Unscrupulous, politically motivated lawyers have scoured Iraq and Afghanistan to find people willing to make complaints. Or more accurately, lacking the courage themselves to set foot in such dangerous places, they have paid local agents on the ground to do it for them. Two law firms are themselves now under investigation for abusive practices, including unlawful soliciting and withholding evidence.
And now we have General Richards's allegations. He is not some embittered maverick with a grudge against the government. He is one of the most respected, thoughtful and measured chiefs of staff since the Second World War, with unrivalled high command experience in combat. He has been at the heart of the British establishment for decades. If anyone understands the behind-the-scenes realities of the Whitehall corridors of power, he does.
What he is saying is that those in the establishment with the attitudes he has expressed are so powerful that they have for years overridden the entire top-level British military hierarchy who are responsible not only for advising the government and directing the armed forces but also for looking after the interests of their men. He is saying that they have suborned successive government ministers and senior civil servants who have constitutional responsibility for preventing abuse of the armed forces.
Over several years these ministers, permanent secretaries, generals, admirals and air marshals have been swept aside in pursuit of a corrosive drive to discredit our troops. General Richards's can be the only explanation for the government continuing to inflict such needless misery on these brave men.
A Royal Marine talks with local children during a foot patrol in Sangin, Afghanistan, on June 5, 2010. British soldiers often distributed sweets to Afghan children. (Image source: UK Ministry of Defence)
The direct effect on the armed forces is obvious. Throughout history British people have been ready and willing to volunteer to fight for their country whenever the need has arisen. But how can we count on them to do so in future if, in addition to the horrors and dangers they face in battle, they can expect to be stabbed in the back when they return home?
There are other, wider effects too. These allegations have led many people in Britain and elsewhere to doubt the integrity and honour of our troops, especially those who are already sceptical. This is a serious danger, as no nation's armed forces can operate effectively without the support of the home population. And it has added a new dimension to the prevalent distrust of those responsible for the political direction of war since the Afghan and Iraq campaigns.
This can only further undermine our national will to engage in future conflict in defence of our people or to support our allies, including the United States, thus weakening the Western world. That of course is the main objective of the politically driven lawyers and others involved in hounding our troops.
Equally serious, false allegations of this sort incite violence and act as a catalyst for terrorism. The public airing that these accusations receives has not been missed by radical preachers in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia, who will have exploited them to recruit and motivate in their violent cause. For their purposes, such allegations are enough; the substance or otherwise is irrelevant.
Where does Israel come in? If powerful members of the British government establishment can turn on their own servicemen and undermine their national defences, then it is hardly surprising that they would also be prepared to turn on a friendly country and its armed forces in furtherance of their mendacious objectives.
A pro-Arab and anti-Israel lobby has dominated the British Foreign Office since even before the birth of the Jewish State. But General Richards's explanation sheds further light on the unjust attacks against Israel's defensive campaigns in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as false accusations over settlements and so-called occupation policies emanating from parts of the British government.
This is also highly dangerous. As well as directly inciting terrorists to further violence against Israel, it encourages the Palestinian leadership in its demands for statehood without negotiation, which in turn also inflames violence and helps perpetuate the conflict.
Although many of the actions of the Obama administration have had a deleterious effect on America's armed forces, we have not yet seen a legal campaign on a comparable scale in the United States. Hopefully any such attempt would be blocked in a nation that seems to support and value its armed forces far more than does any European country. But Americans must watch out for it. What occurs on one side of the Atlantic sooner or later creeps across to the other.
Neither have we seen legal action on this scale elsewhere in Europe. That is most likely because the opportunity is lacking, as no European country has been prepared to deploy its forces in combat missions to the extent that Britain and America have.
Although government leaders refuse to admit it, Britain and the West have been involved in a global war against Islamic jihad for more than 15 years. It will continue for generations to come. How can we hope to fight it effectively when we allow ourselves to be attacked from within on so many fronts?
We knew already about the animosity among radical Muslims within our own countries and their readiness to strike at home. We have been reminded of that in murderous attacks across Europe in the last year, as well as many more plots that have been foiled, including an attempt in London only a few days ago.
Now we learn from General Richards that we also have an enemy at the heart of government: nothing less than a conspiracy controlling policy and undermining our national defences.
We can be sure that their motive for favouring enemy "freedom fighters" over our own forces is a desire to appease radical Muslims both at home and abroad, which infects so much of Europe's political elite and mainstream media.
They have shown themselves only too willing to throw the men who defend our country to the wolves in a futile attempt to please those who wish to substitute their Islamic culture for our own.
The Prime Minister cannot ignore General Richards's allegations. It is vital for our country and the world that she ends this cowardly and dangerous cult of appeasement, stands up for our Western Judeo-Christian values above all others, and defends our soldiers with as much courage as they show in defending us. To achieve this, it is vital that the conspirators General Richards has named are identified and purged from power and influence.
**Colonel Richard Kemp was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan. He served in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Balkans and Northern Ireland and was head of the international terrorism team for the UK Joint Intelligence Committee.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute

The Funeral of the Oslo Accords
by Guy Millière/ Gatestone Institute/October 25/16
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9162/oslo-accords
Despite the unceasing waves of murdering innocent Israeli civilians, Western politicians speak as if Israel were not under attack. The politicians are not interested in hearing what Palestinian leaders say when they call for the ethnic cleansing of Jews.
These Western leaders can well imagine what those consequences would be if the Arabs had their way: genocide. One can only assume they are pleased with that.
In private, some people say that the burial of Shimon Peres was also the burial of the Oslo Accords and of a never-ending "peace process" that brought only war.
Understanding that the economic relations between Israel and Europe could deteriorate, Netanyahu set about negotiating free trade agreements with China, India, South Korea and Japan, and he signed economic and military cooperation agreements with seven African countries also threatened by Islamic terrorism.
Against all odds, Israel is now in a much stronger position than it was even a few years ago.
The death of former Israeli President Shimon Peres led to a wave of almost unanimous tributes. Representatives from 75 countries came to Jerusalem to attend the funeral. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas even left Ramallah for a few hours to show up.
Such a consensus could seem to be a sign of support for Israel, but it was something else entirely.
Those who honored the memory of Shimon Peres put aside the years he dedicated to creating Israel's defense industry and to negotiating key arms deals with France, Germany and the United States. Those who honored the memory of Peres spoke only of the man who signed the Oslo Accords and who embodied the "peace process." They then used the occasion to accuse Israel.
Barack Obama delivered a speech that could have resembled a mark of heartwarming friendship, until he evoked the "the unfinished business of peace talks." A harsh and negative sentence followed, saying that "the Jewish people weren't born to rule another people." The next sentence implied that Israel is behaving like a slave-owner: "From the very first day we are against slaves and masters;" but it is clear to anyone in Israel that there is no such relationship even resembling that. His conclusion followed: "The Zionist idea will be best protected when Palestinians will have a state of their own."
British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President François Hollande issued press releases in the same direction.
At the funeral of Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, standing before representatives from 75 countries, Barack Obama delivered a speech that could have resembled a mark of heartwarming friendship, until he evoked the "the unfinished business of peace talks," followed by a harsh and negative portrayal of Israel.
Despite the unceasing waves of murdering innocent Israeli civilians, Western politicians speak as if Israel were not under attack. They are not interested in seeing the spilled blood, the threats, the hatred constantly spread by Palestinian newspapers, and the incessant and ugly consequences of that hatred. European and American politicians are not interested in hearing what Palestinian leaders say when they call for the ethnic cleansing of Jews. These leaders seem happy to forget the chaos in the Middle East, the ruthless global violence of Islamic extremists, and the outspoken, genocidal intentions of the rulers of Iran. Instead, they speak abstractly of "peace" as if it is something that can be dropped down from sky on people who every day are threatening to kill the Jews.
These politicians practice willful blindness and seem obsessed by a desire illegally to impose the creation of a Palestinian state -- whatever the consequences for Israel. These Western leaders can well imagine what those consequences would be if the Arabs had their way: genocide. One can only assume they are pleased with that.
Israelis, however -- Muslims, Christians and Jews -- cannot practice willful blindness. The spilled blood is not an abstract headline; it is their red blood. The threats, the hatred and the consequences of that hatred are real. Israelis hear clearly what the Palestinian leaders say. They cannot forget what is happening in the Middle East: Jerusalem is 150 miles from Damascus and 1000 miles from Tehran; Hezbollah has more 120,000 missiles aimed at Israel from Lebanon.
Hamas, a designated terrorist group openly dedicated to destroying Israel, rules Gaza just a few miles away. Israelis note the genocidal threats from Iran: Iran can obtain nuclear weapons at any time, along with long-range missiles to deliver them.
Even though many Israeli citizens were proud to see that so many Western leaders came to honor Shimon Peres, they were not fooled. A recent survey showed that only 28% of the Israeli population believe that a peace agreement is even conceivable; 64% think no agreement will ever be signed. Another survey from July 2016 showed that a clear majority of Israelis are opposed to any withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, and resolutely hostile to any foreign interference in Israeli affairs.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu politely received Western leaders when they came to Jerusalem. He paid tribute to Shimon Peres -- without omitting the first decades of Peres' life. He also answered those who speak of "peace" as if no other factors mattered, and firmly stated his position: security comes first; there is no way that peace can exist without security.
Netanyahu listened to Obama's speech. He doubtless read the press releases of Theresa May and François Hollande. He could easily decipher the innuendos in those speeches and press releases: the same innuendos have been used by Western politicians for a quarter of a century.
Netanyahu has acted to make Israel immune to attacks and Western pressure. Despite tensions and disagreements with the Obama administration, he managed to maintain robust ties of friendship between Israel and the United States, and negotiated a US military-aid agreement of $38 billion over ten years.
Seeing that Russian President Vladimir Putin has come to occupy one of the places in the Middle East left invitingly vacant by the Obama administration, Netanyahu established working relations with Putin and used the relationship to contain Syria's chaos and ensure that it would not overflow into Israel. Netanyahu also used those relations to curb Hezbollah's and Iran's activities on the Golan Heights and in South Lebanon, and to try to reconcile with Turkey.
Understanding that economic relations between Israel and Europe could deteriorate, he set about negotiating free trade agreements with China, India, South Korea and Japan, and he signed economic and military cooperation agreements with seven African countries also threatened by Islamic terrorism (Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia).
Realizing that Sunni Arab countries were concerned about the rising regional power of Iran, he strengthened strategic ties with Jordan and Egypt. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Israel in July, and a few weeks ago, the deputy chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Yair Golan, said that military cooperation between Israel, Egypt and Jordan had never been closer.
Netanyahu began a rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia; in April 2016, Saudi prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia became the first honorary ambassador to Israel. A few months earlier, the opening of an Israeli diplomatic office in the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, was announced.
Against all odds, Israel is now in a much stronger position than it was even a few years ago.
Netanyahu also probably realized that even if Western politicians want to impose the creation of a Palestinian state, Sunni Arab leaders, Russia, and even Iran, despite the inflammatory mullahs, consider that the issue can presently be placed on the back burner until the multiple fires that plague the region calm down; it seems evident they will not calm down any time soon.
Netanyahu also doubtless sees that Abbas came to Jerusalem because Western leaders are now his main protectors, and that Abbas's usual accusatory speech before the UN General Assembly in New York this year was received by the press and diplomats as a side show.
Netanyahu assuredly also sees that Sunni Arab leaders have had enough of Abbas; that they want normalization between the Arab world and Israel, and that they have a plan that basically envisions relieving Abbas of his position.
Netanyahu also cannot help seeing that France and other Western powers are preparing anti-Israeli maneuvers and are ready to support questionable resolutions at the UN. A recent article in the Weekly Standard said that the Obama administration is "manufacturing a crisis with Israel in anticipation of a post-election diplomatic push targeting the Jewish state."
Netanyahu emphasized, when it was his turn to speak before the United Nations, a few hours after Mahmoud Abbas, that Israel is not isolated, and that it will not accept having unacceptable conditions dictated to it.
Both Netanyahu and the Israeli government apparently consider that a page of history has been turned, and that the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Middle East peace essentially belongs to the past.
In private, some people say that the burial of Shimon Peres was also the burial of the Oslo Accords and of a never-ending "peace process" that brought only war.
In 2009, Daniel Pipes wrote that "Israelis eventually must return to their pre-1993 policy of establishing that Israel is strong, tough, and permanent." Israel is going in this direction.
Another eminent scholar, Walter Russell Mead, noted recently that Netanyahu's successes "will not and cannot make Israel's problems and challenges go away," but that they put Israel in a much "stronger global position." Mead added that if and when American liberals understand the causes of Netanyahu's successes, "a new and smarter era of foreign policy debate" might begin.
**Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, is the author of 27 books on France and Europe.
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Has JASTA pushed Saudi Arabia and Israel closer?
Ibrahim al-Hatlani /Al Monitor/October 25/16
In an Oct. 3 meeting, the Saudi Cabinet said that the United States passing the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) — which allows families of the 9/11 victims to sue countries of the perpetrators of the attacks — is of great concern to the international community, as international relations are based on the principle of equality and sovereign immunity. It added that a weakened sovereign immunity would negatively affect all countries, including the United States.
Riyadh has become convinced more than ever that the closer it gets to Tel Aviv, which it believes has influence in US decision-making circles, the stronger and safer it will become in the face of JASTA.
On Oct. 20, US Secretary of State John Kerry said after his meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, in Washington, “We discussed ways to try to fix this in a way that respects and honors the needs and rights of victims of 9/11, but at the same time does not expose American troops and American partners and American individuals who may be involved in another country to the potential of a lawsuit for those activities.”
The Saudi government’s statement against JASTA, which was passed on Sept. 28, coincided with Riyadh’s economic measures, which include negotiations with Western financial institutions to sell US Treasury bonds estimated in March to be worth up to $116 billion. Although Riyadh is yet to determine the size of the US treasury bonds expected to be sold, there is talk within economic circles inside and outside Saudi Arabia that a maximum of nearly $20 billion in Treasury bonds will be sold. This would mean that Riyadh will not go too far in its reaction to JASTA, at least at this stage, and will content itself with the sale of a part of its portfolio in US Treasury bonds. This would be a warning message delivered to Washington, on the one hand, and an attempt to reduce the Saudi public debt, which reached $73 billion in August, on the other.
Furthermore, Riyadh signed an agreement with Beijing that came into force Sept. 26, under which commercial transactions between Saudi Arabia and China, which amount to $49 billion annually, shall be made according to a direct exchange system between the Chinese yuan and the Saudi Arabia riyal, without having to use the US dollar as intermediary currency. The agreement includes 1.1 million barrels of oil per day to be imported from Riyadh to Beijing.
JASTA was used for the first time by Stephanie Ross DeSimone, the widow of US naval Cmdr. Patrick Dunn, and his daughter Alexandra, on Sept. 30. They filed a lawsuit in Washington accusing the Saudi government of supporting al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and of knowing in advance that al-Qaeda was planning to attack the United States.
Thousands of lawsuits are expected to be filed in the future by the families of the 9/11 victims. This could affect the future of US-Saudi political ties and the US properties of Saudi princes who had diplomatic and security positions during the period of the 9/11 attacks.
The US-Saudi military, economic and security ties have evolved since the historic meeting between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia, on the USS Quincy in February 1945. Also, both countries have continued to justify their relations, especially in the fight against terrorism. Yet Republican and Democratic congressmen voted overwhelmingly against President Barack Obama's veto on JASTA, and the White House failed to prevent its passing. This shows that Saudi importance and influence in decision-making centers in Washington have declined.
The Saudi concern about a shift in US policy since the July 14, 2015, nuclear deal was concluded between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers is growing. Add to this, The Atlantic’s April 2016 article “The Obama Doctrine,” where Obama openly accused Saudi Arabia of feeding sectarian conflict and taking advantage of the United States. He called on Saudi Arabia to reach an understanding and share the region with Iran. Riyadh started to realize that Washington was on its way to lift its absolute protection and that Saudi Arabia’s hereditary monarchy — which suffers from economic crises and does not belong to the international democratic system — is in real danger.
Riyadh is also aware that any economic measures against Washington will not have much impact on the US economy, although Washington will try to prevent Riyadh from making any huge withdrawal or sale of its assets out of fear that it would be intangibly reflected on the US market indices, without having an actual impact on the US economy. This is because all Saudi government investments in the US economy are currently less than $750 billion, which is the total amount of money that Riyadh had already threatened in April to withdraw from Washington, including the remaining $96 billion in US Treasury bonds until July, out of the $6 trillion foreign-held US Treasury bonds.
In an attempt to avoid the thousands of lawsuits that US families are expected to file, Riyadh has resorted to public relations companies and international organizations. In this vein, on Oct. 3, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued a statement saying that JASTA will disturb international relations and demanding that Washington reconsider it. Saudi Arabia also resorted to regional organizations, such as the Gulf Cooperation Council, which issued a statement during a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of UN meetings in New York on Sept. 18 demanding that Washington not pass JASTA and warned that it will cause global economic damages.
Riyadh embarked on unofficial bold steps to communicate with Israel, who Riyadh hopes will have influence within US decision-making centers and can be used to amend or freeze JASTA. This started with direct communications between Saudis and Israelis, most prominently Saudi retired Gen. Anwar Eshki, who visited Jerusalem and met with Israeli figures on July 22.
Meetings were also held May 6 between former head of Saudi intelligence Turki bin Faisal Al Saud and Israeli figures in the United States such as former Israeli national security adviser Yaakov Amidror at the Washington Institute. Saudi national Salman Ansari, the founder of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee, who is a close associate of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, called for a cooperative alliance with Israel.
Whether JASTA was enacted to provide justice and hold the sponsors of terrorism accountable, as declared, or whether there is another undeclared political objective to pressure Riyadh to promote its ties with Tel Aviv, Riyadh has become convinced more than ever that the closer it gets to Tel Aviv, the stronger and safer it will become in the face of JASTA and Iran alike.

Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation
Mahmut Bozarslan/Al Monitor/October 25/16
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Dozens of Russian aircraft land daily at Khmeimim air base near Latakia, Syria. One such aircraft from Moscow that landed Sept. 17 didn’t attract attention, but its passengers, eight officials of Russia's Foreign and Defense Ministries, were carrying documents that one day could alter the political scene of the region.
Russia's attempt to broker a Kurdish solution is warmly received by Kurds but gets the cold shoulder from Damascus.
But not that day.
The documents, obtained by Al-Monitor, included a memorandum of intent regarding the possibility of the Syrian government's granting Syrian Kurdistan "special status within the framework of Syria." The delegation was tasked with finding a solution to the Kurdish issue in Syria by having the parties agree to the memorandum.
Salih Gedo, secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Syrian Kurds, attended the meeting. "The Russians had a document ready. It was in our favor. They wanted federalism in Syria while reinstating the rights of Kurds. We accepted all of the [stipulations] and suggested some additions.”
According to Gedo, the Syrian government's delegation did not accept the agreement, saying it would split the country, and Damascus would not agree to start a dialogue about an autonomous administration.
The memorandum contains five basic proposals. The text follows below:
The Syrian Kurdish Party has suggested, and the Syrian Arab Party has agreed, to discuss the following issues:
1. Constitutional recognition of the nationalistic and political rights of the Kurdish people in Syria, and at the same time recognition of the rights of other national minorities.
2. Recognition of the democratic self-rule system in the cantons [of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin, which are currently controlled by Kurds] and acknowledgement that members of the self-rule [system] represent the interests of all national and religious groups in these areas, and acceptance of all decisions issued by the legislative council of these cantons.
3. Recognition of the self-protection units and the Asayish [Kurdish police] forces as the legitimate national military forces.
4. The formation of delegations from both parties [the self-rule system and the Syrian government] to coordinate relations between the cantons and the central government in Damascus.
5. Change the name "the Syrian Arab Republic" to "the Syrian Democratic Republic," and form therein a government with varied democratic views on the basis of a federalism system.
Gedo said the Kurdish side suggested adding: Stop Arabs from settling in the Kurdish villages of Jazeera province, restore the Kurds' property and compensate the Kurds for damages they have suffered.
Any disputes during implementation of the terms would be resolved through talks between the two parties. "These disputes may not be resolved in international courts,” the memorandum said.
Gedo emphasized that the issue is not dead and that the Russian side will continue contacts with the Damascus government. He said the proposed agreement allows for flexibility by stipulating that "each of the parties has the right to abrogate the agreement at any time provided it informs the other of such in writing.”
Syria, one of four Middle East countries where Kurds live in large numbers, has about 3 million Kurdish residents, most of them without legal status. With the advent of the civil war in 2011, Kurds began to demand rights and recognition. Main Kurdish towns in Syria on the border with Turkey, such as Qamishli, Kobani and Afrin, came under the control of the Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party (PYD).
From the beginning, Turkey opposed this development. Some in Turkey felt the Syrian regime had abandoned the border region to the Kurds, both to avoid opening a new front in the civil war and also as a challenge to Turkey. But when the PYD unilaterally declared autonomous cantons at Qamishli, Kobani and Afrin, nobody, certainly not the Damascus regime, recognized these new entities. Then when the PYD's military arm, the People's Protection Units (YPG), began seizing land between the disconnected cantons, Turkey reacted strongly and declared it wouldn't allow a Kurdish entity to form a corridor on Turkey’s border.
In recent months, Western countries have been supplying arms to the YPG and giving political support to the PYD. These uncoordinated, conflicting interests of outside powers and lack of political cohesion among the Kurds assured that the Kurdish issue in Syria would remain unresolved. Kurds at times built close relations with the United States and at other times with Russia.
So some political figures in the region have wondered why Turkey has kept silent about Russia's blatant support for the Kurds. Another Kurdish official who was involved in the Khmeimim meeting said, “Of course the Turks know exactly what transpired in the meeting. They also know the Syrian regime is not going to accept the Russian plan for an autonomous Kurdish entity. So why should Ankara react and upset Moscow for an illusion that's not likely to work?"

Will warming ties with Iran impact Morocco’s relationship with Saudi Arabia?
Imad Stitou /Al Monitor/October 25/16
Morocco appointed a new ambassador to Iran for the first time on Oct. 14 following a seven-year halt in diplomatic representation in Tehran. The relations between the two countries had been interrupted in 2009 upon a unilateral Moroccan decision that followed Iran’s use of “inappropriate terms” (which were not specified) — according to the Moroccan Foreign Ministry — after the kingdom showed solidarity with Bahrain when an Iranian official described Bahrain as an Iranian province.
Morocco announced the appointment of an ambassador to Tehran, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic ties. But concerns are emerging about the reaction of Saudi Arabia, an ally to the kingdom and enemy of Iran.
A statement by the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said at the time that Morocco asked for Iranian clarification regarding the statements about Bahrain. Morocco — just like many countries such as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries — had expressed solidarity with the Kingdom of Bahrain and rejected any act aimed at encroaching upon the sovereignty of Bahrain. The Moroccan Foreign Ministry also accused in its statement then the Iranian diplomats in Morocco of seeking to change “the kingdom’s core religious components,” clearly accusing Iran of spreading Shiism.
The appointment of Hassan Hami as Moroccan ambassador to Iran is a formal declaration of the resumption of direct diplomatic action, after Iran had appointed Mohammad Taqi Moayed as its ambassador to Rabat in late 2014, in the wake of an understanding between the two countries on a gradual resumption of relations and an end to the rivalry. The understanding was reached after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif contacted his Moroccan counterpart, Salaheddine Mezouar, in February of the same year and expressed regret for what happened. Zarif expressed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s appreciation of King Mohammed VI and respect for the Moroccan fundamentals.
Iranians have reportedly been more adamant than the Moroccans on putting an end to the rivalry and starting reconciliation. This can be explained by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s foreign policy, which has been characterized by a more flexible rhetoric and a larger ability to negotiate in comparison with the previous hard-line rhetoric of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Despite attempts during Ahmadinejad’s era (2005-2013) to revive relations with Morocco, these attempts have remained very modest when compared with the steps taken by Rouhani’s administration.
Marcus Michaelsen, a German researcher who lived in Iran for many years and specializes in Iranian politics, is convinced that reconciliation with Morocco is part of the approach adopted by the Zarif-led Rouhani team despite the fact that the conservative wing, led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, retains considerable power.
“Contrary to Ahmadinejad's hard-line approach, Rouhani and his team believe in constructive dialogue, in cooperation and in commitment to strengthen Iran’s political position in the region and at the international level. The current president’s administration — namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — is now in the hands of realistic and veteran politicians according to whom international isolation, sanctions, economic problems and the current regional struggles are major challenges that threaten Iran’s stability and security,” Michaelsen told Al-Monitor.
By normalizing relations with Iran, the Moroccan diplomacy faces the complex task of striking a balance with its traditional ally Saudi Arabia and its Iranian foe.
Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian researcher at Harvard University, said that by establishing strong relations with a Sunni state, Iran is trying to place pressure on Saudi Arabia. “The supreme leader [of Iran] — who considers himself the imam of all Muslims — believes that weaving good relations with all Islamic countries is a top priority. This is useful for them [Iranians] in order to create a balance of power in the region to face Saudi Arabia,” he told Al-Monitor.
However, many observers do not expect the Saudi-Iranian tension to affect Moroccan-Iranian relations. Iranians are weaving relations with Morocco in a way that does not affect the Moroccan-Saudi links, and this Iranian understanding of the sensitivity of the relationship between the Moroccans and the Gulf has been repeatedly translated — most notably through Morocco's participation in the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen since March 2015 against the Ansar Allah group, Iran's ally in Yemen.
According to strategic expert Faisal Jalloul, the Iranians do not consider the Moroccans directly responsible for this war. He told Al-Monitor that the Iranians are aware of Morocco’s sensitive relationship with Saudi Arabia, saying, “We know that Rabat is greatly affected by Saudi Arabia in this aspect, but I do not expect this to be the case for long. I expect the relations to become more solid through the Iranian integration in the Moroccan environment. Therefore, it is understandable for Rabat to tend to normalize its relations with the Iranians until the future of Iranian-Saudi relations is crystallized. However, I do not think that Morocco dreads the wrath of the Gulf as it is acting based on calculations related to its [Morocco’s] points of strength and weakness, to [its] interests, and to the balance of regional and international powers. I believe that the Moroccan diplomats have significant experience in this field.”
Morocco’s resumption of relations with Tehran puts an end to two years of Moroccan hesitation. Such hesitation resulted from fear that its Gulf allies would not understand such a step, especially Saudi Arabia, which Morocco feared would not like any rapprochement between its allies and the Iranians. This prompted Morocco to quickly send a reassuring message to its Gulf friends stressing that the decision to officially restore relations “did not” and “will not” be at the expense of Morocco’s relationship with any Arab country or partner, or at the expense of its regional and international positions.
As far as Shiism in Morocco is concerned, Noureddine al-Dougheir — a researcher who specializes in Iranian affairs — feels that the concerns expressed by Morocco in relation to the Iranian attempts to change the religious sectarian nature are groundless, and that this is mere propaganda promoted by lobbies hostile to Iran.
He told Al-Monitor, “Iran is an Islamic republic, not a Shiite republic. I think that those who say ​​Iran is trying to spread Shiism are trying to portray Iran’s political ambitions as ideological in order to spark fears."
He added, “The doctrinal breach is the beginning of a security breach, but this cannot apply in Morocco, where there is no Shiite community or minority and where there is no fertile environment for the spread of Shiism. Also, there is no institutional framework to embrace Shiites in Morocco. All these factors make the Shiite presence an exception that no party — not even Iran — can bet on, given its helplessness in this regard.”
Although Morocco is affiliated with the Sunni Gulf axis led by Saudi Arabia, Rabat is seeking to find a balance in its relationship with Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Moroccan monarch visited Russia in March 2016 and China in 2014, in an apparent attempt to diversify Morocco’s allies by strengthening its relations with Iran’s allies, Russia and China. This can be an indication that when considering its relationship with Iran, Rabat would most likely go beyond the struggle for power in the Middle East between the two forces.