14 may 2012 osint levant tracker

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This OSINT publication contains foreign media derived entirely from open sources in and around the CENTCOM AOR.

14 May 2012

EGYPT Egypt Brokers Deal to End 1,600 Palestinian Hunger Strikers: Al Masry Al Youm Egypt has brokered a deal aimed at ending a hunger strike of some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a Palestinian source close to the negotiations said on Monday. Abul-Fotouh Dips, Moussa Holds Steady in Ahram Presidential Poll: Ahram Online A weekly opinion poll conducted by Egypt's Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies puts Mubarak-era foreign minister Amr Moussa at the head of Egypt's presidential race with 40.8 per cent of the popular vote. Islamist Candidate says ‘Racist’ Israel Threatens Egypt, Slams Bin Laden’s Killing: Al Arabiya A leading Islamist candidate in Egypt‘s presidential election has branded Israel a ―racist state‖ and said a shared 1979 peace treaty was ―a national security threat‖ that should be revised, Egyptian media reported. Egypt Police Raid Cairo Office of Iranian Al-Alam News Channel: Ahram Online Police reportedly raid, shut down Iranian Al-Alam channel's Cairo office for broadcasting without license; Office manager reportedly arrested, equipment confiscated. Egypt: Zawahiri's Brother Denies Al-Qaeda Active in Country: Al Arabiya Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's younger brother has denied recent claims by a prominent Islamist that the terror network has hundreds of Al-Qaeda activists in Egypt, concentrated in the Sinai Peninsula. Hamdeen Sabahi to Bikyamasr.Com: First Decision Rise in Salaries, Aid to Poor: Bikya Masr His presidential campaign slogan is ―One of Us,‖ and Hamdeen Sabahi is optimistic that his campaign will yield results in the upcoming presidential election in Egypt. In an interview with Bikyamasr.com, Sabahi said his campaign is for all Egyptians, and hopes his message of inclusion resonates with the people. ISRAEL / GAZA Netanyahu Tells Abbas Israel’s Coalition is New Chance for Mideast Peace: Al Arabiya Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to establish a Palestinian state in line with the two-state solution and told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he wants to restart negotiations as soon as possible, an Israeli daily reported on Monday. Palestinian Hunger Strike Deal 'Within Reach': Al Jazeera An agreement that would end the hunger strike of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has been reached in Cairo, pending approval by a strikers' committee, a senior Palestinian official told Al Jazeera. Iran Sentences 13 "Israeli Agents": Al Bawaba An Iranian court on Sunday sentenced 13 people after finding them guilty of involvement in espionage activities for the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Egyptian Candidate Threatens Israel with Iranian Axis: Arutz Shiva Israel may face a new Iranian-Egyptian threat if presidential candidate Hisham El-Bastawisi winds his bid to succeed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose ouster he encouraged. JORDAN Industrialists Warn of ‘Disaster’ Amid Growing Opposition to Planned Electricity Price Hike: Jordan Times

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14 May 2012

A planned electricity price hike will have ―disastrous‖ effects on the country‘s economy, traders and industrialists claim, warning that the new rates will have far-reaching impacts well beyond citizens‘ monthly bills. Jordan Plans Power, Fuel Price Rises to Cut Deficit: Trade Arabia Jordan's Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh said on Sunday his government planned price rises soon for some essentials to prevent a spiraling budget deficit from passing $4 billion this year and further damaging the kingdom's sluggish economy. LEBANON Lebanese Army Imposes Tenuous Calm in Tripoli: The Daily Star Three Lebanese Army units deployed in the northern port city of Tripoli Sunday evening in an attempt to end two days of clashes that killed three people, including a soldier, as the crisis in neighboring Syria threatened to spill over into other parts of Lebanon. Several Dead in Clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli: Al Jazeera At least four people have been killed, and another 24 injured, after fighting erupted overnight in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between residents loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those supportive of the Syrian opposition, witnesses and security officials have said. Arab Democratic Party says Future Movement Arming Groups in Tripoli: Now Lebanon Arab Democratic Party Secretary General Rifaat Eid said on Monday that the Future Movement funded armed groups in Tripoli. Al-Mawlawi Charged with Belonging to Terrorist Organization: Naharnet State commissioner to the military court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Monday Shadi al-Mawlawi, whose arrest sparked deadly clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, with belonging to an ―armed terrorist group.‖ An-Nahar: Damascus Requested Lebanese General Security Arrest ‘Wanted’ People: Now Lebanon An-Nahar newspaper reported on Monday that Tripoli figures informed Prime Minister Najib Mikati that the Syrian regime requested the Lebanese General Security arrest people that support the Syrian revolution. Qassem Responds to Hariri Over Statement on Parliamentary Elections: Now Lebanon Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem commented on Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri‘s response to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah‘s speech. ―We are waiting for Hariri‘s approval of an electoral law based on proportionality and a single district. This way elections and competition will be fair,‖ Qassem added. SYRIA Live blog on developments in Syria: Now Lebanon Live Syria blog EU Agrees New Syria Sanctions; Clashes Kill 23 Troops amid Fresh Scuffles in Lebanon: Al Arabiya European Union foreign ministers agreed fresh sanctions against Syria on Monday, the 15th round so far against the regime of President al-Assad, as 23 Syrian troops were killed in heavy clashes in the Syrian town of Rastan. Syrian Troops 'Killed' in Rastan Clashes: Al Jazeera Fierce clashes between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters have left at least 23 soldiers killed in the central Syrian city of Rastan, activists say.

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14 May 2012

Iran Company to Renovate Syrian Hydropower Plants: Press TV Safa Nicu Sepahan Co., a privately owned Iranian company, reached an agreement with Syria‘s government to renovate two hydroelectric power stations in northern Syria, the state-run Press TV reported. Turmoil within the Syrian National Council: The National Since its inception nine months ago, the Syrian National Council (SNC) has been beset by internal divisions, lack of transparency and doubts about the quality of its leaders. Today, as the main umbrella group opposed to Bashar Al Assad meets in Rome, more controversy looms. At Least 23 Syrian Soldiers Killed in Clashes, Watchdog Says: Now Lebanon Fierce clashes between Syrian regime forces and armed rebels in the central city of Rastan on Monday left at least 23 soldiers dead and dozens wounded, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Zionist Entity Steals Oil from Occupied Syrian Golan: SANA The Zionist entity has decided to resume oil exploration operations in the occupied Syrian Golan. This act is a violation of the international law and conventions as the UN Security Council has repeatedly stressed through dozens of resolutions that all measures taken by Israel in the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void. Syria Troops Seize Sunni Village, Kill Seven: Activists: Al Sharaq Al Awsat Syrian troops backed by armored vehicles on Sunday shot dead seven civilians when they overran a rebellious Sunni Muslim village west of the city of Hama, burning houses and arresting dozens of people, an activists' organization said. EDITORIALS Finding a Way to Get Al Assad to Quit: Gulf News One big step in the right direction would be for Russia to shift its position and stop protecting the Syrian leader The Future of the Revolution under Incumbent Powers: Ahram Online We are worried that political Islamist forces believe democracy which they boast about practicing to be a battle of numbers whereby greater numbers trump courage, wisdom, the principles of democracy themselves, and even protecting public interests. Everything is always resolved through larger numbers. ‘Arab Spring Prompting Greater Turkish Role in Region’: Jordan Times Turkey is reworking its foreign policy to play a much more active role in the region following the unrest prompted by the Arab Spring, academicians said on Sunday. Syrian Opposition: Thousands of Political Detainees Held in Military Centers: Asharq Al-Awsat According to opposition forces, the Syrian regime, after signing its agreement with UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, has transferred most of its political detainees from prisons to military centers, which the international observers currently deployed in the country are not permitted to visit, within the framework of what the regime claims to be respect for Syrian sovereignty and national security. Supporting Documentation:

EGYPT (Top)

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14 May 2012

14 May 2012 Al Masry al Youm Egypt Brokers Deal to End 1,600 Palestinian Hunger Strikers

Unclassified Egypt has brokered a deal aimed at ending a hunger strike of some 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, a Palestinian source close to the negotiations said on Monday. "Egypt has concluded a deal to resolve the prisoner crisis that included Israel's acceptance of prisoners' demands in exchange for ending the hunger strike," said the source, who is close to the talks in Cairo. One in three of the 4,800 Palestinians serving time in Israeli jails began refusing food on 17 April in a protest against detention without trial and to demand improved conditions such as an increase in family visits and ending solitary confinement. Egyptian mediators have been meeting Palestinian officials negotiating on behalf of the hunger strikers, and the source said an official announcement of the deal would be made after prisoners and Israeli authorities work out details on putting the accord into motion. While Israel had signaled it was prepared to offer concessions on prison conditions, it has showed no willingness to end so-called administrative detention, where prisoners can be held indefinitely without charge or trial. Israeli officials had no immediate comment. 13 May 2012 Ahram Online Abul-Fotouh Dips, Moussa Holds Steady in Ahram Presidential Poll A weekly opinion poll conducted by Egypt's Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies puts Mubarak-era foreign minister Amr Moussa at the head of Egypt's presidential race with 40.8 per cent of the popular vote. This indicates a slight increase on the previous poll, in which he received 39 per cent. Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister, jumped to second place in this week's poll with almost 20 per cent, registering a 2-per cent increase on the last poll. Shafiq pushed former Muslim Brotherhood figure Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh into third place with 17.8 per cent – a decline from the 24 per cent the latter received in the previous poll.

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14 May 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood‘s Mohamed Mursi, meanwhile, maintained his fourth-place position – which he also secured in the previous poll conducted between 28 April and 1 May – with 9.4 per cent. Independent Nasserist candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi came in fifth place, with 7 per cent. The poll also found that the percentage of undecided voters had increased from 10.7 per cent in the last poll to 15.3 per cent currently, indicating an increased level of confusion among sample voters. This week's poll, conducted between 3 and 8 May, also contained questions about possible runoff scenarios, with Moussa scoring considerably higher than Abul-Fotouh in a runoff vote, with 63.8 per cent for the former and 36.2 per cent for the latter. Moussa scored even higher in a runoff scenario against the Brotherhood's Mursi, garnering 77.6 of the vote against 22.4 for the Islamist candidate. Moussa also secured 68 per cent of the runoff vote against Shafiq, who received 32 per cent. In a runoff scenario between Abul-Fotouh and Shafiq, the former picked up 52.9 per cent of the vote against 47.1 per cent for the latter. And in a runoff between Abul-Fotouh and the Brotherhood's Mursi, the former received 74.7 against only 25.3 per cent for the latter. The latest poll is the seventh to be conducted by the Al-Ahram centre. Polls are conducted using a sample of 1,200 voters who are personally interviewed. The geographically representative sample includes central Egyptian governorates and excludes coastal ones, such as North and South Sinai, Marsa Matrouh, Al-Wadi Al-Gadid and Red Sea governorates (as the latter governorates represent less than two per cent of Egypt's overall population). Egypt's first post-Mubarak presidential poll will be held on 23/24 May, with a runoff round on 16/17 June if no single candidate wins an outright majority. Egypt's next president will be formally named on 21 June. 14 May 2012 Al Arabiya Islamist Candidate says ‘Racist’ Israel Threatens Egypt, Slams Bin Laden’s Killing A leading Islamist candidate in Egypt‘s presidential election has branded Israel a ―racist state‖ and said a shared 1979 peace treaty was ―a national security threat‖ that should be revised, Egyptian media reported. Abdul Moniem Abul Fotouh, a front runner in the May 23-24 election according to polls, had earlier described Israel as an ―enemy‖ in a televised debate with his main contender, former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who also served as foreign minister under the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. In an interview with the private Egyptian TV channel CBC, Abul Fotouh said he had opposed the Camp David peace treaty since its implementation. ―I still view the peace treaty as a national security threat to Egypt, and it must be revised,‖ he said. ―It is a treaty that forbids Egypt from exercising full sovereignty in Sinai and allows Israelis to enter Sinai without visas, while they need visas for Cairo,‖ Abul Fotouh said. The treaty, by virtue of which Israel withdrew from Sinai after capturing it in a 1967 war, does not allow Egypt to have military presence in parts of the Peninsula.

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14 May 2012

Abul Fotouh said Israel was ―a racist state with 200 nuclear warheads‖ that continued to pose a threat to Egypt, a report carried out by Egypt‘s Independent said. His main rival Moussa has also argued for the revision of the treaty with Israel and described its policies towards Palestinians as an Egyptian ―national security issue.‖ Following the comments on Israel by both presidential hopefuls during the debate, the U.S. urged the Egyptian candidates to respect the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. ―We‘re not going to get into the back and forth of what‘s happening in a campaign,‖ State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters when asked to react to their criticism on Israel. ―People say things in a campaign and then when they get elected they actually have to govern,‖ Nuland said. ―As we have said to all of the candidates that we‘ve spoken with, we believe that it is in the best interest of Egypt to maintain its existing arrangements and regional responsibilities with neighbors,‖ she added, alluding to the peace treaty. During the TV interview, Abul Fotouh also criticized linking Islam with terrorism, adding that the way al-Qaeda leader Osama bin laden was killed by the United States should be considered a form of state terrorism, the online edition of Egypt‘s state-run al-Ahram reported. The moderate Islamist candidate, who got the support of both hard-line fundamentalists and liberals, also refused to describe Bin Laden as a terrorist, saying the term was used by the United States to ―hit Muslim interests.‖ But he said the killing of the Saudi militant by the U.S. Special Forces was an ―act of state terrorism,‖ and Bin Laden had deserved a fair trial, although he disagreed with Bin Laden‘s use of violence. ―If a just court sentenced him, then the sentence should be applied,‖ he said. He said that ―all forms of terrorism are unacceptable.‖ Abul Fotouh, a former leading member Muslim Brotherhood Group, who was expelled in 2011 for violating a then-ban on members to run for president, expressed his view that while the Brotherhood was forced to work unregistered during the past decades, it should now seek to legalize its status and function in a way that is more transparent, according to al-Ahram report. He expressed his worries that certain people were warning Copts not to vote for him because of his Islamist background insisting that he believed ―Egypt is for all Egyptians.‖ Voting for Egyptian expatriates started on Friday and will last until Thursday. Presidential elections will take place in the country on May 23 and 24, and the president will be named on June 21 after a runoff voting round on June 16 and 17. The election should end a military-led transitional period since an uprising toppled Mubarak in February 2011. Mubarak is now standing trial on charges of ordering the shooting of protesters, corruption and selling gas to Israel at cheap price. The former president was seen as a close regional ally of Israel.

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14 May 2012

After his overthrow, an attack by protesters forced Israel to close its embassy and Cairo annulled the controversial gas treaty, alleging lack of payment from Israel. The Sinai pipeline that exported gas to Israel was bombed more than 15 times by Bedouin militants. 13 May 2012 Ahram Online Egypt Police Raid Cairo Office of Iranian Al-Alam News Channel Police reportedly raid, shut down Iranian Al-Alam channel's Cairo office for broadcasting without license; Office manager reportedly arrested, equipment confiscated. Egyptian police raided and shut down the Cairo office of Iranian satellite news channel Al-Alam on Sunday for reportedly operating without a license, according to channel officials. A reporter for the network said that police had also arrested the network's office manager and confiscated most of the office's broadcasting equipment. The channel, which has operated in Cairo since February of last year, has stated on its website that, despite operating with the full knowledge of Egyptian authorities, formal requests for an official license have been repeatedly ignored. Al-Alam first launched in 2003, targeting Arab audiences with its Arabic-language broadcasts. Last September, Egyptian security forces raided the Cairo offices of Al Jazeera Mubasher an affiliate of Qatar-based satellite news channel Al Jazeera located in Cairo‘s Agouza district. 14 May 2012 Al Arabiya Egypt: Zawahiri's Brother Denies Al-Qaeda Active in Country Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's younger brother has denied recent claims by a prominent Islamist that the terror network has hundreds of Al-Qaeda activists in Egypt, concentrated in the Sinai Peninsula. "Al-Qaeda has no real presence in Egypt," Mohammed al-Zawahiri told Arabic satellite TV network al-Arabiya on Monday, disavowing claims last week by Islamic Jihad leader Nabil Naim that Al-Qaeda has "no more than 500 members" in the country, most in the Sinai. Zawahiri was speaking to reporters outside a Cairo court ahead of questioning by prosecutors after Egyptian TV networks aired footage of him taking part in a Salafist sit-in in the al-Abbasiya quarter of the capital earlier this month. At least 11 anti-government protesters were killed and dozens killed in clashes in al-Abbasiya on 2 May, where the defence ministry is housed. The protest was organized by supporters of Salafist politician Salah Abu Ismail, who was excluded from a list of presidential candidates in polls slated for 23 and 24 May, according to the al-Wafd Egyptian newspaper. Zawahiri, a member of Islamic Jihad, spent 10 years in prison in Egypt on militancy charges and was cleared of terrorism charges and released after a re-trial in an Egyptian military court in March 2012.

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Zawahiri was extradited from the United Arab Emirates in the late 1990s. He is one of a group of Islamists put on trial on suspicion of involvement in attacks on an array of Egyptian targets. 14 May 2012 Bikya Masr Hamdeen Sabahi to Bikyamasr.Com: First Decision Rise in Salaries, Aid to Poor Elsayed Solyman

(U) Hamdeen Sabahi in full campaign mode.

His presidential campaign slogan is ―One of Us,‖ and Hamdeen Sabahi is optimistic that his campaign will yield results in the upcoming presidential election in Egypt. In an interview with Bikyamasr.com, Sabahi said his campaign is for all Egyptians, and hopes his message of inclusion resonates with the people. ―As a new president for a new Egypt, my first decision will be a quick rise in salaries for most of the working citizens either in public or private sectors, and also a aid for poor people the very first moment I am in the [presidential] palace,‖ Sabahi told Bikyamasr.com when he was asked about his first decisions he would take if elected president of Egypt. ―Egypt‘s economy is a priority, and lots of steps will be taken to boost it. I will spare no efforts to bring all business experts to see what‘s possible procedures to quickly support our economy‖ can be made, Sabahi added, when he was asked about the economy‘s priority‘s in his agenda. ―Regarding the economy and social justice, I hope to establish a state-capitalist Egypt, in which the public and private sectors cooperate with one another, the Egyptian should be entitled to eight things: housing, health care, food, free education, work, insurance and a fair wage, and a clean environment,‖ Sabahi continued in a relation between economy and social justice. When asked about what would a Sabahi presidency would look like, he said it ―will be reachable by all Egyptians and I will not change my telephone numbers, I will add some telephones to receive all call from every Egyptian, who are in need to a help, mothers of martyrs of the Egyptian revolution will be in my hand, while I am stepping forward on my very first steps to the presidency palace, and it will be human.‖

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He added that ―poorer areas have a certain plan in my agenda. I will give them a priority in my first months in office. Slums area are so important to us, there will be a huge concentration on these areas, they will feel a difference,‖ was his answer about how he would intend to support the poorer segments of Egypt. ―Peasants and agriculture have a special place in my agenda, Egypt mainly is an agricultural country and I will call off all debts, which weighs on every Egyptian peasants,‖ he said when asked about his policy in the agriculture sector. ―I will cut off natural gas supplies to Israel, which is not part of the [Camp David] treaty. We have no obligation to export gas to Israel, but we will still adhere to the Camp David treaty. Peace is so important to us, we have no time for war, and it is high time to build, not to destruct,‖ Sabahi said, commenting about gas and the peace treaty with Israel. When asked about how he would fund his financial programs, considering Egypt‘s treasury is nearing empty, he said, ―I will cancel all subsides for gasoline 92 and 95, which will at least provide the Egyptian treasury with 70 million dollars and I will also rethink energy subsides to big companies, which pay very little, and gain too much.‖ Sabahi, who was born in July 1954, and obtained his master‘s in journalism. Shortly thereafter, he and some colleagues founded The Rising, a center for Arabic journalism, where many young, Arab journalists were trained in the field. Sabahi became an active member of the Journalists Syndicate and was appointed as head of its media committee. In 2000, Sabahi was elected as an independent member of parliament. In 2003, Sabahi was arrested for the fourth time for opposing Egypt‘s support for the US‘s decision to invade Iraq – even though members of the parliament are supposed to have immunity. A year later, he helped establish the grassroots coalition against such action. ―Egypt must remain at the core of the Arab world. This is its identity and destiny, the revival of Egypt is not a matter of ideology alone. We have to have a vision for revival. And my vision leans heavily on the experience of Abdel-Nasser,‖ he said, which has been met with much criticism during his campaign. Sabahi seems to be the candidate ―of the people, for the people,‖ but the question for many is will that populist tone give him the votes to ascend to Egypt‘s top job.

ISRAEL / GAZA (Top) 14 May 2014 Al Arabiya Netanyahu Tells Abbas Israel’s Coalition is New Chance for Mideast Peace

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14 May 2012

(U) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he wants to restart negotiations as soon as possible. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to establish a Palestinian state in line with the two-state solution and told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he wants to restart negotiations as soon as possible, an Israeli daily reported on Monday. Israel‘s national unity government has created a new opportunity to move the peace process ahead, Netanyahu wrote in a letter he sent to Abbas on Saturday night, the Israeli Haaretz daily reported. A source who saw the letter that Netanyahu sent to Abbas was quoted by Haaretz as saying that it included an official pledge by Netanyahu, for the first time in an official state document, to establish a demilitarized Palestinian state in keeping with the principle of a two-state solution. Netanyahu‘s letter to Abbas was delivered to the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah by his special envoy Isaac Molho, who met with Abbas for 90 minutes. Following the meeting the two issued a joint statement saying that Israel and the Palestinian Authority were obligated to achieve peace, and that the parties hope the exchange of letters between Netanyahu and Abbas will contribute to this end. According to Haaretz, Molho‘s meeting with Abbas was in fact a reciprocal visit; three weeks ago Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and the head of the Palestinian intelligence Majed Faraj met with Netanyahu and delivered a letter from Abbas, in which he accused Netanyahu of weakening the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu has told U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that he could not advance the peace process because of the composition of his coalition. Clinton, who spoke with Netanyahu last week told him that with Kadima now part of the coalition government, she was waiting to see how he would move the diplomatic process forward. Netanyahu declared his support for the two-state solution in a speech in 2009, as well as when he addressed the U.S. Congress in May 2011. However, he has never brought the matter to a cabinet vote nor had he set it down in an official document, until now.

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14 May 2012

The United States is pressing Abbas to use the letters as a means of moving toward direct talks with Israel. The Americans reportedly would like to see a resumption of the talks between Molho and Erekat, which took place in January in Amman, under the patronage of King Abdullah of Jordan. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee said in a statement on Sunday night that Netanyahu‘s letter contained no clear answers to essential issues: first and foremost a halt to construction in the settlements and East Jerusalem, recognition of the 1967 borders and the release of prisoners. The statement was issued following a meeting between Abbas and the Fatah central committee. Mohammed Shtayeh, a member of the Fatah central committee, said Netanyahu's letter contained no new proposals or ideas, however the Palestinians did not reject the letter outright. ―The Palestinian leadership will decide its next moves after consulting with the Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority‘s friends worldwide,‖ Abbas said on Sunday at the central committee meeting. 14 May 2012 Al Jazeera Palestinian Hunger Strike Deal 'Within Reach' An agreement that would end the hunger strike of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails has been reached in Cairo, pending approval by a strikers' committee, a senior Palestinian official told Al Jazeera. "An agreement was reached in Cairo today [Sunday] on a proposal to end the hunger strike of the Palestinian prisoners," Issa Karaka, head of the Palestinian prison authority, told Al Jazeera. "We are now waiting for the hunger strikers‘ committee to determine their position". Palestinian officials on Saturday said Egyptian officials were trying to mediate between the strikers and Israel. Karaka told Al Jazeera the main points of the agreement were ensuring an end to solitary confinement of prisoners; allowing families of prisoners from Gaza to visit; and halting the renewal of "administrative detention", under which some prisoners deemed a security risk can be held indefinitely without charge. Taher al-Nono, spokesman of the Hamas government in Gaza, earlier told the Reuters news agency: "We hope the intensive efforts by Egypt [mediators] to meet the prisoners' demands will reach a positive conclusion in the coming hours." Draft plan A Palestinian official who is close to the talks told Reuters the deal may be brought before the prisoners as early as Monday. The deal "should be presented to prisoners in the Israeli jails, possibly Monday morning, for endorsement before an official announcement," said the official, who was speaking under condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Most of the prisoners that are on hunger strike have refused food for a month, but three have refused food for more than 70 days. The inmates launched the strike to press their demands for better conditions and an end to detention without trial.

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Under the draft agreement, administrative detention would be changed and prisoners would be either charged or released after they were detained. A Palestinian lawyer representing the prisoners confirmed the details of the proposal, and said Egyptian officials had presented it to the Israelis. Health concerns Israel's prisons service says that 1,550 Palestinian prisoners are currently refusing food. Palestinian activists however say that as many as 2,500 of the 4,600 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are currently on hunger strike. The inmates launched their hunger strike on April 17 to demand improved conditions in Israeli custody. They have also challenged Israel's policy of administrative detention. International bodies, including the World Health Organisation, have expressed concern for the health of the hunger strikers and urged Israel to give them quick and suitable care and medical treatment. Israel says all prisoners receive adequate medical attention, including in civilian hospitals if required. The hunger strikes have widespread support among Palestinians who have staged regular demonstrations in solidarity with the prisoners. 14 May 2012 Al Bawaba Iran Sentences 13 "Israeli Agents" An Iranian court on Sunday sentenced 13 people after finding them guilty of involvement in espionage activities for the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. An Iranian court on Sunday sentenced 13 people after finding them guilty of involvement in espionage activities for the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Branch 15 of Tehran's Revolution Court ruled that they had been lured into spying for the Mossad by overseas-based satellite television networks and sophisticated advertisement campaigns. The defendants reportedly accepted large sums of money from Mossad and CIA agents. According to Press TV, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry announced on April 17 that it had arrested over a dozen Israeli-linked spies and terrorists. The ministry said the detainees were of Iranian and non-Iranian nationalities. At the time, the ministry said that one of the missions of these "terrorists" was to identify and assassinate one of the country's experts. The Iranian Intelligence Ministry has recently announced uncovering an Israeli spy base in a neighboring country, which was run by Mossad. 14 May 2012 Arutz Shiva Egyptian Candidate Threatens Israel with Iranian Axis Israel may face a new Iranian-Egyptian threat if presidential candidate Hisham El-Bastawisi winds his bid to succeed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose ouster he encouraged.

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Backed by the left-wing Tagammu party, El-Bastawisi said on Saturday that building good relations with Iran would be one of his highest priorities. Israel already faces a northern ―axis of evil‖ by the alliance between Iran, Syria and Lebanon. El-Bastawisi also promised to revise the Camp David Accords to allow the army to increase an armed presence in the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian website Ahram reported. El-Bastawisi is a prominent reformist judge who helped lead opposition for judiciary independence under the regime of Mubarak, who now is on trial for mass murder of demonstrators in last year‘s popular uprising. Regardless of the outcome of the Egyptian prudential elections later this month, the new Cairo regime is bound to be more anti-Israel than it was under Mubarak. Muslim Brotherhood candidate Abdel Moneim Abul-Fotouh said in a televised debate that Israel is an ―enemy country.‖ The other top candidate, former foreign minister and Arab League Chief Amr Moussa, said earlier this month, ―The Camp David agreements do not exist anymore….The purpose of the agreement with Israel was to establish an independent Palestinian government, whereas today we are talking about an independent Palestinian state.‖

JORDAN (Top)

13 May 2012 The Jordan Times Industrialists Warn of ‘Disaster’ Amid Growing Opposition to Planned Electricity Price Hike A planned electricity price hike will have ―disastrous‖ effects on the country‘s economy, traders and industrialists claim, warning that the new rates will have far-reaching impacts well beyond citizens‘ monthly bills. Although the hike is yet to be endorsed or unveiled by authorities, the private sector is already raising concerns over a proposed tariff that raises electricity rates across all sectors ranging from 8 to 40 per cent and marks the second attempt in less than three months to cover a rising national energy bill expected to surpass JD4 billion by the end of the year. The industrial sector is leading the campaign against the anticipated rise in electricity rates, which comes two months after a previous proposed rise in rates that was later suspended under popular pressure. Industrialists warn that the proposed tariff, which calls for a 40 per cent increase for large-scale industrial consumers, will be a ―death blow‖ to thousands of manufacturers and the some 165,000 Jordanians they employ. ―If the government approves the tariff as is, we will see mass closures and the loss of thousands of jobs,‖ claimed Fathi Jaghbir, chairman of the Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Association. With energy accounting for 30 per cent of production costs for manufacturers, the raise will directly affect manufacturers still reeling from a price hike introduced in 2011. ―We are only now beginning to see the effects of last year‘s electricity price rise. We will see tough readjustments across the sector over the next year,‖ Jaghbir added. Industrialists claim their concerns over the price hike go far beyond overhead costs.

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The price hike places Jordanian industry‘s regional competitiveness in jeopardy, said the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI), claiming that the new tariffs saddle manufacturers with an additional energy cost their competitors in neighboring countries do not face. ―At the end of the day industry is about competitiveness,‖ said Musa Saket, a JCI board member. ―If we have to carry these extra energy costs, there is simply no way Jordan can compete with the Gulf or other countries in the region?‖ Industrialists challenge officials‘ claims that the new tariff will only impact large-scale heavy industry consumers; a bracket the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) claims comprises some 8 per cent of the sector. ―Under the government‘s definition of large industry, a majority of medium-scale industries will be included,‖ Saket said, underlining that the sector contributes 24 per cent of the Kingdom‘s gross domestic product. ―We support and accept that everyone has to carry part of the financial burden of rising energy costs, but we should make sure that consumers who can afford it are the ones to shoulder this burden,‖ he said. ‗Left in the dark‘ Although it has not yet been unveiled by the government, the new tariff is already facing stiff resistance from traders, who were the driving force behind the suspension of the previous proposed price hike in March and claim that authorities have failed to live up to their promises to include the private sector in the decision-making process. ―This entire time, all we have asked is to be included in a clear and transparent process to set new, reasonable electricity prices,‖ said Nael Kabariti, president of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce. ―The lack of cooperation led to the failure of the last electricity tariff, and we don‘t want to head down the same road again,‖ he stressed. Representatives of the commercial sector warned that a previously planned 100 per cent increase in outlets‘ electricity bills would lead to a 15 per cent raise in the prices of basic food commodities, a number that could reach 20 per cent should the new tariff be enforced. In face of the growing criticism, the ERC insists that the planned rise in monthly rates will exempt 88 per cent of consumers across all sectors and comes as a last resort to narrow the National Electric Power Company‘s (NEPCO) growing budget deficit, expected to reach JD1.7 billion by the end of the year. ―The proposed tariff is a just formula that ensures those who consume the most carry more of the burden,‖ said ERC Chief Commissioner Ahmad Hiyasat. The decision to raise electricity rates comes amidst an ongoing series of disruptions in Jordan‘s Egyptian gas supplies, which have forced the Kingdom‘s power stations onto heavy fuel oil and diesel reserves at a cost of some $5 million per day. According to Hiyasat, the proposed tariff will only shave some 10 per cent of NEPCO‘s deficit amidst growing costs of electricity generation, which stands at 184 fils per kilowatt-hour (kWh), more than twice the 73 fils/kWh rate the company sells to consumers.

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If the government fails to raise rates ―soon‖, the ERC warns that decision makers will have to face ―difficult alternatives‖ such as pre-scheduled blackouts in various regions across the country. Acknowledging the growing energy crisis facing the country, traders and industrialists called on authorities to consider ―out-of-the-box‖ alternatives, such as eliminating ministers‘ and lawmakers‘ lifetime pensions and restructuring NEPCO‘s management, before placing an additional burden on what they claim as ―Jordan‘s lifeline‖. ―Even though industrialists and traders will receive the bills, all citizens will have to pay the price,‖ Saket said. 13 May 2012 Trade Arabia Jordan Plans Power, Fuel Price Rises to Cut Deficit Jordan's Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh said on Sunday his government planned price rises soon for some essentials to prevent a spiraling budget deficit from passing $4 billion this year and further damaging the kingdom's sluggish economy. Tarawneh said the austerity moves expected before the end of the month would include rises in electricity and premium gasoline prices, but would not affect subsidies on bread for the poor. He said they were crucial as a signal to the country's Western donors that the aid dependent kingdom was serious about fiscal consolidation. 'There is a need for speedy measures to assure regional institutions and international donors that we are doing our part to put our house in order financially and economically,' Tarawneh was quoted by the state news agency as saying. Although Jordan liberalized energy prices several years ago, it retained last year a freeze on further gasoline hikes and some basic commodities to head off the potential for unrest. Finance Minister Suleiman al-Hafez was also quoted as saying the planned price hikes that would include higher taxes on luxury goods were crucial to avoid the budget deficit soaring to 2.03 billion dinars ($2.8 billion) after foreign aid that traditionally covers budget shortfalls. Hafez said the budget deficit could reach a record 2.93 billion dinars if foreign aid levels fall dramatically this year and the measures were not taken. Last year the kingdom's economy was kept afloat after a $1.4 billion cash injection from Saudi Arabia. Officials say this year there was no pledge of support from Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about the state of the budget. The 2012 budget has set a much lower budget deficit estimate of 1.027 billion dinars or 4.6 per cent of gross domestic product that had made allowance for extra foreign aid and a streamlining of a subsidies package. Successive governments have adopted an expansionist fiscal policy characterized by sizeable state subsidies and salary increases after months of protest since early last year inspired by the civil uprisings that swept the Arab world.

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To head of greater unrest, the authorities created new state jobs in an already bloated public sector, froze gasoline prices and maintained subsidies for bread. Economists said Jordan's ability to continue to maintain a costly subsidy system and the upkeep of a vast state bureaucracy, whose salaries consume the bulk of the $9.6 billion state expenditure, was increasingly untenable in the absence of large foreign capital inflows or infusions of foreign aid.

LEBANON (Top)

14 May 2012 The Daily Star Lebanese Army Imposes Tenuous Calm in Tripoli

(U) A gunman fires his weapon in Tripoli. Three Lebanese Army units deployed in the northern port city of Tripoli Sunday evening in an attempt to end two days of clashes that killed three people, including a soldier, as the crisis in neighboring Syria threatened to spill over into other parts of Lebanon. After subsiding somewhat at midday, heavy armed clashes resumed Sunday evening between the supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. An Army source told The Daily Star Sunday evening that the military had deployed in the two neighborhoods. ―The Army is still responding to gunfire which is heard every now and then. The Army is not being heavy-handed because we do not want to inflict casualties among civilians,‖ he said. ―If they [fighting groups] do not care for civilians, we do.‖ Earlier Sunday, a statement by the Army said two soldiers were wounded when they came under gunfire while reopening the main road separating Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh. A senior political source told The Daily Star that events in Tripoli did not denote ―anything highly dramatic,‖ adding that there was still no decision that would allow the security situation to run out of hand in Lebanon. But the source said the scenes of heavy armament in north Lebanon have given rise to new evidence that will impact the political landscape.

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Armed clashes erupted at 2 a.m. between the two neighborhoods. Mahmoud al-Duhaibi and Faisal Abdullah al-Hussein, a soldier, were killed. Several civilians were wounded, including Hamadeh al-Hasan and Mahmoud Darwish. Two soldiers were also wounded. Earlier in the night, Issa al-Ali was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade landed near him in Qobbeh, near Bab al-Tabbaneh. The fighting largely subsided by Sunday morning with the heavy deployment of the Lebanese Army responding to the gunfire. The Army erected checkpoints to keep cars off the highway linking Tripoli to Akkar where they could become targets of sniper fire. It pledged in a statement to ―act decisively and with force against those tampering with the security and stability of the city, regardless of what side they belong to.‖ The situation has been tense in the predominantly Alawite Jabal Mohsen and the mainly Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh since the outbreak of the uprising against Assad in March last year. Four people were killed in similar clashes between the two districts in February, and eight were killed last June. Fresh violence broke out after tension spiked Saturday following the arrest Shadi Mawlawi, an Islamist, on charges of maintaining ties to a ―terrorist group.‖ Mawlawi was reportedly lured by the General Security – under the pretext that he would receive health care – to an office of Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi‘s welfare association in Tripoli. Safadi condemned the move while the General Security said Saturday that Mawlawi, whom it accuses of having links with a ―terrorist group,‖ was detained in a proper and lawful manner. Shortly after news of Mawlawi‘s arrest spread across the city, Islamists blocked streets and staged a sit-in at Nour Square in the city. Mawlawi‘s supporters deny that he is affiliated with violent groups and maintain that his activities consist of aiding Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In light of the clashes, the Higher Defense Council convened an emergency session under President Michel Sleiman, highlighting its keeness to protect civil peace. ―The council discussed the security situation in the country in general and in the city of Tripoli in particular,‖ the council said after its meeting in Baabda Palace. ―The council praised the role played by security bodies to restore security, arrest [members of] terrorist networks ... [and] prevent arms smuggling from all Lebanese areas,‖ added the statement. The council gave instructions to the Army and security bodies and distributed tasks to relevant ministries and bodies. It kept its decisions confidential, as allowed under the law. Safadi, who attended the council‘s session, said he would file a lawsuit against the General Security over the way Mawlawi was detained. Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi, senior security officials and ministers attended the meeting. After the session, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told reporters that all those involved in the armed clashes would be arrested.

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―All those sabotaging security in Tripoli will be arrested, along with everyone who opened gunfire or carried arms. We have a list of their names,‖ he said. Prior to the council‘s session, Mikati vowed there would be no protection for any violator, adding that all politica l groups supported the efforts of the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces to restore order in Tripoli. ―This is what we agreed on with all political groups. Important measures will be taken in the coming hours and I will convey this opinion to the Higher Defense Council in its meeting,‖ Mikati told reporters after chairing a meeting at his house in Tripoli. Minister of State Ahmad Karami, Sports and Youth Minister Faisal Karami, Sheikh Malek Shaar, the mufti of Tripoli and the north, along with other local figures and security officials attended the meeting. ―I will also meet Justice Minister [Shakib Qortbawi], because we have lots of issues to discuss with the judiciary,‖ he said. Mikati condemned the way Mawlawi was arrested, calling it ―unacceptable.‖ ―I am personally against arresting him in this way,‖ he said, adding that the judiciary should decide whether to bring charges against him. Mikati said he telephoned Tripoli MPs Mohammad Kabbara and Samir Jisr and held a series of meetings with security, religious and Army officials from the city. ―We agreed that Tripoli‘s security is a red line, and we asked security officials to fully undertake their duties,‖ he said. Al-Jadeed TV reported Sunday night that Islamists demanded the swift release of Mawlawi, setting Monday afternoon as a final deadline. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri called for calm and self-restraint on the part of residents of Tripoli, but also criticized the security services‘ behavior. ―I demand that everyone exercises self-restraint and thwart the attempts of some to turn Tripoli into a city of chaos. Everyone should adhere to the law,‖ he said. In a statement released by Hariri‘s press office, the Future Movement leader said that ―a mistake is not corrected by a greater mistake.‖ ―The closure of roads, random sit-ins and drawing weapons on the people of Tripoli is unacceptable, just as the way Shadi Mawlawi was arrested is unacceptable,‖ he said. Hariri said that the security body which arrested Mawlawi should be held accountable but only via legal procedures. 14 May 2012 Al Jazeera Several Dead in Clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli At least four people have been killed, and another 24 injured, after fighting erupted overnight in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between residents loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those supportive of the Syrian opposition, witnesses and security officials have said.

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Rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles were used in the fighting on Sunday in an Alawite enclave and surrounding Sunni neighbourhoods in the port city, 70km north of Beirut, the capital. "The clashes peaked at dawn," a Lebanese security official said. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said that there was uneasy calm in the city and that the fighting was "definitely related to the ongoing crisis in Syria". Army 'targeted' Lebanon's National News Agency reported that a sniper shot dead a Lebanese soldier while he was inside a car in Tripoli early on Sunday morning. Khodr said it was "dangerous" that the Lebanese army had been caught in the latest crisis. "For the Lebanese army to be targeted is quite dangerous because it is seen as the only neutral institution in this country, holding [Lebanon] together..." Clashes broke out on Saturday night between the army and a group of young Islamists, who were demonstrating in Tripoli for the release of an arrested "terrorism" suspect, another security source said. Gunfire first erupted between the Islamists and the army as the youths, sympathizers with the ongoing uprising in Syria, tried to approach the offices of the pro-Assad Syrian Social Nationalist Party. About 100 young men, mostly Islamists, blocked the northern and southern roads into Tripoli, setting up camp at the southern entrance of Lebanon's second city. Black flags bearing the words "God is Great" were planted alongside the Syrian flag of independence, a symbol of revolt in the neighboring country. "We will not leave until my brother is released," said Nizar al-Mawlawi, whose 27-year-old brother Shadi was arrested by Lebanese security forces. According to a statement from the security services, Shadi al-Mawlawi was arrested as part of an "investigation into his ties to a terrorist organization". Clashes in Tripoli left two people dead in February. Border spill-over The fighting underlines how tensions in Syria could spill over to neighboring Lebanon. Clashes are common between the Alawites, the same sect that Assad belongs to, and Sunni sects in Tripoli. Syrian authorities have charged that arms and fighters are being smuggled in from Lebanon to help those fighting to overthrow Assad. Our correspondent said Tripoli has become a hotbed for the Syrian opposition over the past few months. Reports have indicated that they have set up base there and that smuggled weapons pass through the city. Khodr said that there were concerns that if Syria descended into civil war, this would spill into Tripoli.

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"There is concern. [Lebanon] has a history of conflict, political divisions, sectarian divisions, and those divisions have been exacerbated as a result of the Syrian conflict across the border," she said. Lebanon is divided between the March 14 camp, backed by the US and Saudi Arabia, and which is hostile to the Syrian regime, and the March 8 camp, which dominates the government and is supported by Syria and Iran. 14 May 2012 Now Lebanon Arab Democratic Party says Future Movement Arming Groups in Tripoli Arab Democratic Party Secretary General Rifaat Eid said on Monday that the Future Movement funded armed groups in Tripoli. ―The Future Movement and a group [affiliated with Internal Security Forces Director General] Achraf Rifi are the [parties] which funded and armed [certain groups] in Tripoli,‖ Eid told OTV. He also said that security was ―not under control‖ in Tripoli, adding that no one ―can do anything.‖ ―They dragged us into the battle, and we do not want that. This is due to the security forces‘ dereliction. The army has the capabilities to put an end to the [current situation] but there is no clear political decision.‖ Meanwhile, Future Movement official Mustafa Allouch denied Eid‘s accusation and told OTV that statements that the movement owned arms and was arming groups in Tripoli were ―lies aiming to target the movement which neither makes alliances with armed groups nor does it protect them.‖ Deadly clashes first broke out on Saturday between the Islamists and the army as young demonstrators, sympathizers of the revolt in Syria, tried to approach the offices of the pro-President Bashar al-Assad Syrian Social Nationalist Party. About 100 young men blocked the northern and southern roads into Tripoli, demanding the release of Mawlawi, who – according to a statement from the security services – was arrested as part of an "investigation into his ties to a terrorist organization.‖ Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that arms and fighters are being smuggled in from Lebanon to help the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. 14 May 2012 Naharnet Al-Mawlawi Charged with Belonging to Terrorist Organization State commissioner to the military court Judge Saqr Saqr charged on Monday Shadi al-Mawlawi, whose arrest sparked deadly clashes in the northern city of Tripoli, with belonging to an ―armed terrorist group.‖ The National News Agency said five other people faced a similar charge. Saqr referred the six suspects to the first military examining magistrate Riyad Abu Ghida, NNA said. Al-Mawlawi‘s arrest by the General Security Department on Saturday for allegedly contacting a terrorist organization sparked gun battles between the rival Tripoli neighborhoods of mainly Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, whose residents are Alawites and backers of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

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The fighting with machineguns and Rocket Propelled Grenades left at least four people dead. His seizure drew widespread condemnation after the agency lured him to an office of Finance Minister Mohammed Safadi‘s welfare association under the pretext that he would receive health care. But the General Security remained mum on the case. Media reports have said that al-Mawlawi, an Islamist and an avid supporter of the Syrian revolution against Assad, has lately visited Syria. 14 May 2012 Now Lebanon An-Nahar: Damascus Requested Lebanese General Security Arrest ‘Wanted’ People An-Nahar newspaper reported on Monday that Tripoli figures informed Prime Minister Najib Mikati that the Syrian regime requested the Lebanese General Security arrest people that support the Syrian revolution. ―Tripoli figures told Mikati that the Syrian regime has a list of people who support the Syrian uprising and facilitate the work of [rebels, hence it] requested from the Lebanese General Security to arrest them. The Syrian regime also called on Lebanese authorities to hand over Syrian opposition supporters and fighters who have fled to Lebanon,‖ the daily said. According to An-Nahar, the premier voiced surprise during his Sunday meetings in Tripoli that the General Security arrested Lebanese citizen Shadi al-Mawlawi. ―General Security usually arrests people in the airport or at the borders,‖ the PM said, according to the daily. An-Nahar added that Internal Security Forces Director General Achraf Rifi and Head of Intelligence in Tripoli Amer al-Hassan said during their meeting with Mikati on Sunday that Mawlawi was arrested two years ago on charges that he belonged to a fundamentalist group. ―Investigations, however, did not prove Mawlawi‘s [affiliation with a fundamentalist organization] so he was freed,‖ the report said. The daily also reported on Monday that the Syrian government asked Mikati to refrain from dissociating the Lebanese government from events in Syria. It added that the Syrian regime also requested Mikati to respond to Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun‘s demands, extradite ―wanted Syrian refugees‖ that are currently located in Lebanon, and support proportionality for the 2013 parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, the Free Lebanon radio station reported that sources close to the premier denied Syria‘s request about transferring ―wanted Syrian refugees‖ back to Syria. Deadly clashes first broke out on Saturday between the Islamists and the army as the young demonstrators, sympathizers of the revolt in Syria, tried to approach the offices of the pro-Assad Syrian Social Nationalist Party. About 100 young men blocked the northern and southern roads into Tripoli, demanding the release of Shadi al-Mawlawi, who – according to a statement from the security services – was arrested as part of an "investigation into his ties to a terrorist organization.‖

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Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that arms and fighters are being smuggled in from Lebanon to help the rebels fighting to overthrow Assad. 14 May 2012 Now Lebanon Qassem Responds to Hariri Over Statement on Parliamentary Elections Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem commented on Monday on Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri‘s response to Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah‘s speech. ―[It seems] Hariri is confident that he will win people‘s votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The best electoral law that expresses real representation… is one based on proportionality,‖ Qassem said according to a statement issued by Hezbollah‘s press office. ―We are waiting for Hariri‘s approval of an electoral law based on proportionality and a single district. This way elections and competition will be fair,‖ Qassem added. On Friday, Nasrallah said that the Future Movement was opposed to proportionality ―for the sole reason that it wants to dominate the [Sunni] sect.‖ Hariri fired back on Saturday saying ―the only response to Nasrallah will be during the upcoming parliamentary elections.‖ In April, the Future Movement leader said he was against an electoral law based on proportional representation ―in the shadow of Hezbollah‘s arms.‖

SYRIA (Top) 14 May 2012 Now Lebanon Live Blog on Developments In Syria 13:36 The Syrian Arab News Agency said on Monday that an ―armed terrorist group‖ killed Colonel Ahmad Salman Moalla in Jawbar, Damascus. 13:05 Syrian security forces raided the Daraa neighborhood of Sheikh Maskin, Al-Jazeera reported on Monday. 10:50 European Union foreign ministers agreed fresh sanctions against Syria on Monday, the 15th round so far to protest the relentless repression of dissidents by President Bashar al-Assad's regime. 10:23 fierce clashes between regime forces and armed rebels in central Syria Monday killed 23 Syrian soldiers and wounded dozens, a watchdog said. 8:34 several people were killed and others injured when Syrian security forces shelled Daraa al-Balad, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying on Monday. 8:08 The Syrian conflict has bred the emergence of obscure jihadists carrying out bloody attacks, either acting independently or manipulated by the regime seeking to tarnish the image of its opposition, analysts say

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14 May 2012 Al Arabiya EU Agrees New Syria Sanctions; Clashes Kill 23 Troops amid Fresh Scuffles in Lebanon

(U) Syrian soldiers who defected to join the Free Syrian Army in front of their armoured military vehicle at Khalidieh in Homs. (Reuters) European Union foreign ministers agreed fresh sanctions against Syria on Monday, the 15th round so far against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, as 23 Syrian troops were killed in heavy clashes in the Syrian town of Rastan. An EU statement issued shortly after ministers from the 27-nation bloc began talks in Brussels said they had adopted ―sanctions against the Syrian regime‖ but gave no further details, AFP reported. Meanwhile, twenty-three Syrian soldiers were killed in the town of Rastan on Monday in heavy clashes with rebels who destroyed three armored personnel carriers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Earlier, opposition sources said a local rebel commander was among scores killed in heavy army shelling of Rastan, Reuters reported. ―Shells and rockets have been hitting the town since three a.m. (midnight GMT) at a rate of one a minute. Rastan has been destroyed,‖ a Free Syrian Army (FSA) member in the town who declined to be named told Reuters by satellite phone. The town, 25 km (15 miles) north of the city of Homs, is a major recruiting ground for Sunni conscripts who provide most of manpower in the military, which is dominated by officers from Assad‘s minority Alawite sect. The area was scene of the first serious armed confrontations between army defectors and loyalist forces last year. Assad‘s forces regained control of the city several times but it has kept slipping back into rebel hands. The town lies about 180 km (110 miles) north of Damascus, among farmland and wheat fields on the Orontes River and on the northern highway leading to Aleppo. Its strategic location and the terrain has helped deserters from disparate units mount raids against army buses and roadblocks manned by Military Intelligence and pro-Assad militia, opposition activists said. Tension in Lebanon

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In Lebanon, two people were killed and 20 others were wounded in the northern city of Tripoli in fresh sectarian clashes linked to the unrest in neighboring Syria, a security official told AFP. He said the victim died in the neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen, populated mainly by members of Assad‘s Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Battles first erupted on Saturday between residents of Jabal Mohsen and the nearby neighborhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh populated mainly by Sunni Muslims opposed to Assad‘s regime after security forces arrested a Sunni Islamist on suspicion he was linked to a terrorist organization. The fighting in Tripoli, 70 km (43 miles) from Beirut, highlights how sectarian tensions in Syria can ignite conflict in Lebanon. Buildings in the area are still riddled with bullet holes from similar clashes earlier in the year. Among the deaths at the weekend was a soldier hit by sniper fire. Sporadic fighting also took place between armed Sunnis and the Lebanese army near a main Sunni district, and many of Tripoli's main intersections were blocked by burning tires. Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a Sunni Muslim from Tripoli, met religious leaders in the city on Sunday in an attempt to defuse the situation, and local leaders were due to meet later on Monday for more talks to calm the tension. Tension in Tripoli had been on the rise since last week when Sunni Islamists held a sit-in to protest the arrest of a man who Lebanese authorities said had been in contact with an unnamed ―terrorist organization.‖ Islamists say Shadi al-Moulawi was arrested because he was working with Syrian refugees. A statement by al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, an Islamist group in Tripoli, criticized the arrest as lacking due process. Police said he was arrested after thorough surveillance. 14 May 2012 Al Jazeera Syrian Troops 'Killed' in Rastan Clashes

(U) Rastan, in the restive Homs province, has become a stronghold of the armed opposition [AFP]

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Fierce clashes between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters have left at least 23 soldiers killed in the central Syrian city of Rastan, activists say. Dozens more were wounded in Monday's violence, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Opposition sources also said the army had shelled the town, which they say has been under rebel control since January. Nine people were reportedly killed in the bombardment. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from Beirut in neighboring Lebanon, said three armoured vehicles carrying government troops had been attacked as they were heading to Rastan, in Homs province. "Rastan is a strategic town and a stronghold of the [opposition] Free Syrian Army," she said. "Many defectors from the army come from Rastan. Syrian authorities say more than 2,500 members of the security forces have been killed since the uprising began in March last year. Opposition activists say more than 9,000 people have been killed. EU sanctions Monday's violence further undermines a UN-backed peace plan that is supposed to bring an end to Syria's deadly crisis. A ceasefire that was supposed to begin on April 12 has had only a limited effect, throwing into doubt the rest of the plan that calls for talks between President Bashar al-Assad's government and those seeking to end his rule. Part of the plan includes the deployment in flashpoint areas of around 300 UN military observers. By Sunday,189 observers were on the ground, and several more arrived on Monday. In the latest effort to isolate Syria internationally, European Union foreign ministers agreed fresh sanctions against the country on Monday, the 15th round so far to protest the repression of dissidents. An EU statement issued at a meeting of ministers said they adopted "sanctions against the Syrian regime" but gave no details. An EU diplomat confirmed however that the ministers agreed to slap an assets freeze and visa ban on two firms and three people believed to provide funding for the regime. Syria-linked violence has spilled across the border into Lebanon, with four people killed since Saturday during clashes in the northern port city of Tripoli, according to officials. Gun battles erupted on Saturday between residents loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those supportive of the Syrian opposition. Fighting flared in Tripoli again on Monday, leaving one person dead and nine wounded, a security official told the AFP news agency. 14 May 2012 Press TV Iran Company to Renovate Syrian Hydropower Plants

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Safa Nicu Sepahan Co., a privately owned Iranian company, reached an agreement with Syria‘s government to renovate two hydroelectric power stations in northern Syria, the state-run Press TV reported. The company will refurbish the al-Furat dam at an estimated cost of 14.8 million euros ($19 million) and the al-Baath plant for 767,000 euros, according to a report published on the news channel‘s website. The al-Furat power station on the Euphrates River has the potential to generate 800 megawatts of electricity and the al-Baath 75 megawatts. Iran will begin exporting 50 megawatts of electricity to Lebanon and Syria next week as part of an agreement reached in February, Abdolhamid Farzam, an official with the Iranian Energy Ministry, said yesterday, Press TV said. Iran will initially transfer 50 megawatts of electricity to the two countries and will reach 200 megawatts at a further stage, Farzam said, without giving a more detailed timeline. 14 May 2012 The National Turmoil within the Syrian National Council

Unclassified Since its inception nine months ago, the Syrian National Council (SNC) has been beset by internal divisions, lack of transparency and doubts about the quality of its leaders. Today, as the main umbrella group opposed to Bashar Al Assad meets in Rome, more controversy looms. The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the SNC's most powerful group, holding the largest number of seats on the council and controlling its relief committee, which distributes money and aid to those fighting to unseat the minority Alawite-dominated government in Damascus. That, in turn, is certain to arouse fears in some neighboring countries that the electoral success of Islamists in Egypt and Tunisia could be matched by the triumph in Syria of yet another branch of the Brotherhood. Whether Islamists and non-Islamists can govern a post-Assad Syria together is not the immediate problem facing the opponents of Mr Al Assad gathered in the Italian capital for a three-day meeting. Far more pressing is the problem of how to close ranks now in their fight to end the Al Assad dynasty.

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"We have to change the way decisions are made between people, between the establishments of the SNC, between the components of the SNC," George Sabra, a Christian Syrian, said in Rome, where the group will hold elections tomorrow to decide whether to replace its leader, Burhan Ghalioun. Critics say the gulf between the opposition abroad and those fighting the regime inside Syria are too wide. They say the SNC's top leaders should spend less time on far-flung diplomacy and more time channeling support to embattled communities back home. A Skype conversation in February between the SNC's 10-member executive committee and activists inside the besieged areas of Homs and Hama disintegrated into bickering over finances: the executive committee members were speaking from the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, the Qatari capital. Also raising questions about the SNC's priorities was the decision to dispatch representatives to Miami to sign an agreement last week with opponents of Cuba's communist government. That deal coincided with a four-day visit to Tokyo by Mr Ghalioun, a Paris-based academic. Such globetrotting strikes Haitham Al Maleh as frivolous. "They have to be in one place, working 24 hours if they want to succeed," said Mr Maleh, a veteran opposition figure who was jailed by both Mr Al Assad and his late father Hafez. He resigned from the group this year in frustration. "We are in a revolution. People are getting killed daily." Others are more scathing, and fear the group may not only have lost relevance to people inside Syria but may actually be hindering the uprising. "Until now, they have handicapped the revolution," said Kamal Al Labwani, a prominent dissident who distanced himself from his activities in the group until "they make reforms". "We need one council and real leaders for our revolution." Nevertheless, some SNC members insist change is coming. Wael Merza, a senior council member, said restructuring efforts would "enable the SNC to regain the trust of the international community and the people, which at the moment is weak". Once those changes are made, he asserted, then the group could "lead the process of unifying" opposition groups and "move forward to serve the revolution," because "that's what the SNC was founded for". Tomorrow's leadership vote could set the stage for an overhaul. Disillusionment with Mr Ghalioun has grown steadily since the SNC was founded in October. "We are in heated discussions over the presidency. We are against an extension or a renewal of Burhan Ghalioun's term," said Samir Nashar, an executive committee member and a leader in the Damascus Declaration, one of several factions within the SNC. 14 May 2012 Now Lebanon At Least 23 Syrian Soldiers Killed in Clashes, Watchdog Says Fierce clashes between Syrian regime forces and armed rebels in the central city of Rastan on Monday left at least 23 soldiers dead and dozens wounded, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

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The Britain-based monitoring group said initial reports indicated that three troop carriers were destroyed in the clashes that began at dawn on the outskirts of the rebel-held city, located in Homs province. A lieutenant who had defected was also killed in the clashes. Regime forces launched an offensive on Rastan at the weekend but met with sharp resistance from rebels seeking the ouster of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The Observatory said dozens had been wounded in shelling of the city by Syrian troops. The bombardment by regime forces resumed following the deadly clashes, it added. In Quraya in the eastern province of Deir az-Zour, a 15-year-old boy was killed by machinegun fire as regime forces raided the town, the Observatory said, bringing the total number of people killed on Monday to 25. The watchdog added that 15 residents of the city were arrested. And in the capital Damascus, regime forces raided the neighborhood of Qaboon, while snipers were stationed on the roofs of some buildings. More than 12,000 people, the majority of them civilians, have died since the Syrian uprising began in March 2011, according to the watchdog, including more than 900 killed since the April 12 truce. 13 May 2012 SANA Zionist Entity Steals Oil from Occupied Syrian Golan The Zionist entity has decided to resume oil exploration operations in the occupied Syrian Golan. This act is a violation of the international law and conventions as the UN Security Council has repeatedly stressed through dozens of resolutions that all measures taken by Israel in the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void. The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth revealed a decision taken by the Israeli Energy Minister, Uzi Landau, and secretly approved by the Zionist Cabinet to resume oil exploration in the occupied Syrian Golan after about 20 years from halting it. The decision highlights the Zionist entity's disregard for the international law and the international consensus that it must abide by the international legitimacy, particularly the Security Council No. 497 which considers Israel's decision to impose its laws and jurisdiction on the Syrian Golan as null and void. The Newspaper said that Landau's extremist right-wing ideas have contributed to taking such decision which aims at increasing oil production, while several Arab regimes are providing Israel with large amounts of oil and gas. 13 May 2012 Al Sharaq al Awsat Syria Troops Seize Sunni Village, Kill Seven: Activists Syrian troops backed by armored vehicles on Sunday shot dead seven civilians when they overran a rebellious Sunni Muslim village west of the city of Hama, burning houses and arresting dozens of people, an activists' organization said.

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Four women were among those killed in the village of Tamanaa in al-Ghab, a lush plain in the rural epicenter of the 14-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, said the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an opposition activists' group monitoring the crackdown. "The village was subjected to collective punishment. Over half of its houses were burnt. Several people were executed when they were arrested. The rest were killed from bombardment," a statement from the organization said. Opposition activists said the Sunni Muslim village, one of dozens that have been torched since Assad's forces seized control of the cities of Homs and Hama had been a flashpoint for regular demonstrations against Assad. Its defiance had angered the inhabitants of a nearby Alawite village called al- Aziziyeh, a recruiting ground for a militia loyal to Assad known as shabbiha, which participated in a separate assault on Tamanaa on Friday, the activists said. Tensions between the two villages had risen after militia men from al-Aziziyeh killed two youths in Tamanaa on Friday after opening fire on an anti-Assad demonstration there, local activists said. Towns and villages in the region, which is mostly Sunni but has some Alawite areas, have also been giving shelter to Syrian Free Army rebels, who have been stepping up their guerilla attacks on the Alawite-led military. Syria's Sunni majority is at the forefront of the uprising against Assad, whose sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam,.

REGIONAL EDITORIALS (Top) 14 May 2012 Gulf News Finding a Way to Get Al Assad to Quit By Stephen M. Walt One big step in the right direction would be for Russia to shift its position and stop protecting the Syrian leader.

(U) Image Credit: Illustration: Dana A.Shams/©Gulf News What to do, what to do about Syria? Hardly anyone is confident that the Annan mission will resolve the struggle between the Bashar Al Assad regime and the Syrian opposition. Today I want to offer a more-or-less realpolitik

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approach to the problem, though I am not at all certain it would work or even that it would make sense to try. Consider it an effort to think outside the box. As I've noted before, the central problem here is that there doesn't seem to be a genuine ‗compromise' option available that would leave Al Assad & co. in place yet guarantee the safety of the opposition and their ability to organise politically. Neither side trusts the other at all, and neither can credibly commit not to try to eliminate their rivals if they get the chance. This creates the growing risk of a long and grinding confrontation and/or civil war. In this scenario I think outside powers would eventually get involved and Al Assad would eventually lose, but Syria would be in very bad shape when it was all over. This latter outcome is not in anyone's interest, and certainly not America's. Its interests are best served if Al Assad leaves sooner rather than later, before all-out war occurs and before the entire Syrian state collapses. So the question is: Is there any way to convince Al Assad and his closest associates to leave? I don't have a surefire way to do it, but one big step in the right direction would be for Russia to shift its position and stop protecting him. In other words, what if Moscow made it clear that they were willing to grant Al Assad et al asylum if they left, but were not willing to help keep them in power any longer? Recall that it was the withdrawal of Russian support that eventually convinced Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic to capitulate in the 2000 war in Kosovo. The circumstances in Syria are quite different, but the logic is the same: If Al Assad knew he'd lost Moscow's backing, and his associates figured this out too, they might start looking for any reasonably safe exit. Then the question becomes: How could the US and others convince newly ‗re-elected' Russian President Vladimir Putin to follow this path? I'm not sure America could, but one option would be by telling Putin that the US would let him take full credit for resolving this confrontation. Putin and other Russian leaders have consistently opposed the emergence of a world order where Washington gets to determine which regimes survive and which regimes fall. Russian deal For this reason, an overt attempt at Libya-style ‗regime change' is bound to upset them and encourage them to dig in their heels. But what if America made it clear that it was willing to let them take the lead (for example, by hosting an international conference to address the issue) and eager to let them have all the credit if they were able to ease Al Assad out. As Harry Truman once noted, "It's amazing what you can achieve if you don't care who gets the credit." Now comes the tricky part. I doubt Putin would buy this sort of deal unless he got some sweeteners, and unless he thought that Russian interests would suffer if they continued their present course. In other words, the carrot of diplomatic credit might have to be accompanied by some additional carrots, as well as the subtle hint of a stick. As for additional carrots, I'd happily toss in concessions on European missile defence, which is a costly boondoggle we ought to be ditching anyway. As for sticks, I think America will have to try to convince Russia that outside intervention is going to happen sooner or later, and that once it does, Al Assad is going to be toast no matter what Moscow does. So they can either watch a regime they've backed for 40 plus years go down the tubes — thereby reminding the world of their growing geopolitical impotence — or they can get with America and get the credit for resolving a thorny problem, thereby allowing Putin to reaffirm Russia's importance on the world stage. There's bound to be a certain element of Kabuki theatre in all this, but that's hardly unheard of in modern diplomacy. The risk, however, is that America has to threaten to intervene itself, and Moscow might call its bluff in the hopes of luring it back into a nice Iraq-style quagmire.

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13 May 2012 Ahram online The Future of the Revolution Under Incumbent Powers Nader Fergany We are worried that political Islamist forces believe democracy which they boast about practicing to be a battle of numbers whereby greater numbers trump courage, wisdom, the principles of democracy themselves, and even protecting public interests. Everything is always resolved through larger numbers. The least that can be said about this reasoning is that it is deficient and superficial, if not deliberately flawed for calculated reasons. But this is not an unusual misnomer because there is no such concept as democracy, let alone the practice of it, in entities based on blind obedience and loyalty, especially military and restricted religious groups. Therefore, religious and military organizations are both the enemies of democracy and the antithesis of a democratic civil state. It is thus not unusual that political Islamist forces tried to monopolize all positions of power parliament, cabinet, Constituent Assembly and even the presidency. It seems that political Islam imagined the mandate the people gave it by electing its members to parliament itself a temporary mandate and contingent on how well they perform and shoulder the responsibility as an absolute and eternal mandate. In fact, political Islam eliminated the people from the political scene, which is the farthest from the reality, and an extreme violation of, the spirit of their mandate. On economics, political Islam that is currently dominating Egypt has yet to seriously assess the model of political economy of the ousted authoritarian regime, which created outrageous injustices and paved the way for the great revolution of the people against them. Neither did they propose a better alternative. We are worried that the rule of political Islam in Egypt will replicate the same pattern of non-productive trade that is dependent and based on monopoly, and thus the same injustice with different faces will continue while monopoly and its corrupt byproducts remain in place and recreate the same injustices. Espousing social justice one of the demands of the revolution requires a revision of public ownership, not continuing private capital infrastructure projects. We should not forget that the majority of projects by ―the gang‖ and business community in this sector were based on importing and selling for profit, not production that creates decent jobs. In foreign policy, political Islam has not made any real changes in the ousted regime‘s policies. In fact, in order to maintain their grip on power, they declared their willingness to surrender to foreign hegemony by repeatedly reassuring Israel through the US administration. During their last visit to Washington, the Muslim Brotherhood delegation pledged not to put the Camp David Treaty to a public referendum. This preemptively blocks the right of the people to express their opinion on the issue, and is a reversal of what the Brotherhood leadership declared earlier, when it was necessary to pander to the revolution and protests by criticizing the tyrannical ousted regime. Egypt was mismanaged after the first wave of the great people‘s revolution overthrew the ousted despot. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) indirectly partnered with political Islamist forces that were empowered by the former vice president and then SCAF. During the interim period, SCAF and its partners used the same mechanisms and devices as the authoritarian rule which triggered the great revolution. The revolution has so far only succeeded in removing the head of authoritarian rule while the mechanisms of oppression and injustice remain intact. During the interim phase, there was a frightful state of confusion and turmoil as the mistakes accumulated. Some of them were no doubt deliberate with the aim of allowing political Islamist forces to reach power as soon as possible while protecting the interests of SCAF, irrespective of the damage. This chaotic state continued to spiral as time

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went by and hindered the transition to proper democratic rule. The crisis intensified in the form of the crisis over the Constituent Assembly and problems of the presidential race, which could block transitioning to proper democratic rule and wreak havoc and destruction in the country. One central stumbling block is that the people‘s attempt to end the reign of a despotic deceitful political party could result in ushering in another authoritarian party, one inclined to repeat the model of the hateful ousted party but this time clothed in the good banner of Islam, although Islam is innocent of authoritarianism and deceitfulness. It is obvious that political Islamist forces deal with religion as a platform for worldly gains and not a means to worship the One Almighty and be rewarded with the blessings of the Hereafter. In all honesty, many have contributed to this tragic conclusion of the first wave of the great revolution of the people of Egypt, the Jasmine Revolution. These include SCAF, which took charge of a very unstable and troubled interim phase with great obstinacy, arrogance and overconfidence despite a series of serious mistakes. Its partners in crime are also the prime ministers of consecutive governments, the constitutional amendments committee it handpicked, its advisers, counselors, basic aides, and factions of political Islam especially those who claim to be revolutionary and hypocritical media personalities. So, is Egypt eternally doomed to domination by unjust and deceitful parties? Of course not. Their deceitful guile will be their undoing and the revolution of the people of Egypt will be victorious in the end, even if this great people pay a high price. The revolution must continue until it achieves its goal; and it will no doubt continue. The proof is that the tangible reasons that triggered the first wave of the people‘s revolution in January 2011 —namely oppression, poverty, corruption and social injustice that led to defiling human dignity —are worse today than in the final days of the ousted ruling party. This has resulted in escalating popular protests in many forms today, which reminds us of the final months of the ousted tyrant. They could be quickened by the mayhem surrounding the presidential race and its non-stop surprises, especially if it results in havoc that prevents the transition to proper democratic rule. If they have succeeded in thwarting the people‘s revolution by aborting its first wave, they have also succeeded in inciting people to launch subsequent waves of popular revolt that will not allow the hoodlums of authoritarian rule to launch a counter-revolution. Perhaps the day will come when we will thank those who helped abort the first phase of the great people‘s revolution, for triggering the continuation of the people‘s revolution and causing consecutive waves of revolt, because of their mismanagement of the interim phase and attempts to abort the first wave. 13 May 2012 Jordan Times ‘Arab Spring Prompting Greater Turkish Role in Region’ Areej Abuqudairi Turkey is reworking its foreign policy to play a much more active role in the region following the unrest prompted by the Arab Spring, academicians said on Sunday. Speaking at the Third Arab and Turkish Dialogue Forum, Hassan Barari, a faculty member at the University of Jordan (UJ), said that the Arab Spring had forced Turkey to rethink its policy and look for alternatives in order to protect its national security.

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―Turkey has recently changed its ‗zero problems‘ policy towards the region and is aiming for stability in Syria. Stability in Syria, for Turkey, is a matter of national security due to the situation of the Kurds. Also, Turkey fears civil war in Syria due to the ethnic dimension of the conflict, which could invite intervention by others in the region such Iran or Saudi Arabia,‖ he said. At the forum, Jordanian and Turkish academicians presented working papers shedding light on Turkey‘s response to recent political developments in the region, especially the conflict in Syria. Mehmet Akif Okur, a faculty member at Gazi University, said that Turkey should look at developments in the region through a regional lens rather than adopting a ―national perspective‖. ―Turkey should have a regional perspective on things. It should also be objective to some degree. Turkey should work on achieving regional dialogue between neighboring countries in the region and encourage unity rather than listening to foreign powers,‖ he said at the forum. ―Turkey should encourage unity in the region so everyone has a voice. For example, we should ring Amman, Baghdad, et cetera everyone in the region instead of ringing Moscow and Washington first,‖ he added. The annual forum, co-organized by the UJ‘s faculty of international studies and Gazi University in Turkey, is aimed at encouraging cultural and academic exchanges between both countries. This year, the seminars were dedicated to examining Arab and Turkish relations in light of the Arab Spring. At the opening of the forum, UJ President Ekhleif Tarawneh highlighted the historic ties between the Arab and Turkish people and emphasised the significant role academic institutions play in encouraging cultural dialogue and creating peace. ―The Arabs and the Turks have been connected for generations with their religious and cultural ties. Nowadays, especially in the era of the Arab Spring, they also have shared interests in achieving peace and stability in the region,‖ he said. The two-day event features seminars covering Arab-Turkish economic relations, ethnic dimensions of the Arab Spring, and relations between Jordan and Turkey in light of political developments in the region. 14 May 2012 Asharq Al-Awsat Syrian Opposition: Thousands of Political Detainees Held in Military Centers By Paula Astatih According to opposition forces, the Syrian regime, after signing its agreement with UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, has transferred most of its political detainees from prisons to military centers, which the international observers currently deployed in the country are not permitted to visit, within the framework of what the regime claims to be respect for Syrian sovereignty and national security. In this regard, forces in the Syrian opposition are organizing media campaigns to pressure and urge the UN observers to enquire about the fate of these detainees, who are now classified as ―forcibly disappeared persons‖ because their families and relatives know nothing of their whereabouts or whether they are dead or alive. Radwan Ziadeh, a spokesman for the Syrian National Council (SNC) and executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies, has taken up this cause. His brother, Yasin Ziadeh, was arrested on the 30th August

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2011 by Syrian Air Force intelligence personnel and was detained in the air force intelligence center at the Mazzah Airfield for nearly three months. Based on the experience of his brother, Radwan Ziadeh asserts: "Thousands of political detainees are currently being held in this and other centers that belong to the 4th Division, which is led by Maher al-Assad, brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in order to prevent international observers from inspecting their situation." Ziadeh told Asharq Al-Awsat: "As soon as we lose trace of detainees and their families are unable to contact them to learn if they are alive or have been killed, they are considered forcibly disappeared persons. On this basis, we believe that the regime is currently practicing the crime of forced disappearances and we believe that the number of disappeared people has exceeded 30,000." Ziadeh recalled that the Syrian regime carried out forced disappearance crimes in the 1980s, and noted that now it is doing so on a larger scale. He said: "The regime forces youths to join the military service and then places them in volatile hotspots where they are prevented from communicating with their families, who no longer know whether their children are alive or not. This practice also falls under the category of forced disappearance." Commenting on the role that the opposition, particularly the SNC, plays in efforts to discover what has happened to these detainees, Ziadeh spoke of its "critical media role, and coordination with international organizations and observers." He added: "Furthermore, human rights organizations work to document cases of forced disappearance in order to present their files to international tribunals or the International Criminal Court at a later date, or even to a future transitional government in Syria." Yasin Ziadeh was arrested on the 30th August 2011 and released in November the same year. After his arrest, his family told Amnesty International that he did not take part in the current pro-reform protests. It is believed that he was arrested for his family ties with his exiled brother, Radwan, who resides in the United States and who is a spokesman for the SNC and head of the Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies. Yasin Ziadeh was released without further charge. The reasons for his arrest and release continue to be unclear to his family. The Syrian Interior Ministry issued a statement on the 5th November last year in which it announced the release of 553 detainees, who had ―participated in the events but whose hands were not stained with blood." It is believed that Yasin Ziadeh was among them. A few days ago, the SNC called on the UN Security Council to pass a binding resolution forcing the Syrian regime to stop "escalating its policy of the arrest, killing and systematic torture of detainees." The SNC also called on international observers to "frequently pay unannounced visits to prisons and detention centers." The SNC‘s statement said: "According to the most reliable and conservative statistics, there are more than 20,000 detainees and missing people, including hundreds of women and children."

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