No US embassy in Iran for now, says Obama
US President Barack Obama said Washington was not ready to open an embassy in Iran due to differences over nuclear...
Monday, 29 December 2014
Geagea, Aoun meeting possibly in early January: report
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Incoming House Majority Whip In Hot Water Over Speech Allegations
Steve Scalise of La., right, with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Scalise is set to become House Majority Whip in the new year. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Steve Scalise of La., right, with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Scalise is set to become House Majority Whip in the new year.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Newly-elected House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana is facing criticism over a speech he reportedly made to a gathering of white supremacists in 2002. According to the Washington Post, the remarks were given at a conference of the European American Unity and Rights Organization, a group founded by David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan leader and Louisiana State Legislator.
The news was first reported at cenlamar.com by Lamar White, who writes about politics in Louisiana. Lamar writes that there's no way Scalise didn't know what type of crowd he was talking to:
"...why was Scalise even there in the first place? He can't pretend like he was confused and just stumbled into the wrong conference due to a scheduling error or a drug-induced hallucination, and he can't feign ignorance about the organization; their acronym may have been vague, but their agenda was crystal clear. Unless Steve Scalise is totally incompetent, he knew exactly where he was headed when he parked his car in the lot in front of the Landmark Best Western."
But The Washington Post reports Scalise spokesperson, Moira Bagley Smith, says that back in 2002 her boss didn't know the group's "ideology and its association with racists and new-Nazi activists." The Post also reports that some allies of Scalise say he was "poorly staffed during the period, when he was busy touring the state promoting his efforts to curb state spending."
While Smith did not deny the allegation, she did send NPR the following statement:
Throughout his career in public service, Mr. Scalise has spoken to hundreds of different groups with a broad range of viewpoints. In every case, he was building support for his policies, not the other way around. In 2002, he made himself available to anyone who wanted to hear his proposal to eliminate slush funds that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars as well as his opposition to a proposed tax increase on middle-class families. He has never been affiliated with the abhorrent group in question. The hate-fueled ignorance and intolerance that group projects is in stark contradiction to what Mr. Scalise believes and practices as a father, a husband, and a devoted Catholic."
The Atlantic reports Scalise is set to become a power player in the Republican-controlled Congress once the new session begins next year:
"Scalise, 49, won his seat in the House in 2008 and has advanced quickly. After leading the Republican Study Committee, an influential conservative bloc, he won the post of majority whip that opened up following Eric Cantor's surprise primary defeat in June. That puts him behind only Boehner and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in the House leadership hierarchy. Inside the Capitol, he's known as a friendly conservative who is relentlessly on message, a trait that endeared him to party leaders who supported him over more freewheeling, gaffe-prone colleagues."
Roll Call is reporting that Scalise has spoken about David Duke before. The site says Scalise embraced "many of the same 'conservative' views as Duke," but he also acknowledged, "The novelty of David Duke has worn off."
Army defends Arsal measures after fallout
BEIRUT: Many of Arsal’s residents already have permits to cross to the town’s outskirts and those protesting new restrictions are a minority, an Army source told The Daily Star Monday, hours after a confrontation between soldiers and protesters left three people injured.
“A large number of people have already obtained permits and those harmed by these measures are actually those who want terrorism,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
According to eye witness accounts and the Army source, a brief altercation occurred between soldiers and a few Arsal residents between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Monday morning at the Wadi Hmayyed checkpoint.
New measures to regulate those entering the town’s outskirts provoked anger among the residents, who cross regularly for work.
The Army announced Sunday that a permit would now be required to cross into Arsal’s outskirts. The move aims to better control movement in and out of the barren range where Syrian jihadi militants holding 25 Lebanese servicemen are holed up.
A permit can be retrieved by residents, many of whom own shops, sawmills, stone quarries and fruit orchards in the outskirts, at the Army Intelligence headquarters in Ablah or other offices nearby in Labweh or Ras Baalbek, according to the source.
Wadi Hmayyed remains the only official crossing between the town and its outskirts.
“These measures aim at protecting Arsal and its people from terrorism,” the source said. “In some cases residents can use the same permit to go back and forth more than once.”
He said most of the protesters Monday were actually Syrians.
“Those in Arsal who are protesting the measures are a minority, they don’t even constitute 10 percent of Arsal’s residents,” the source said.
Residents were already angry over the closure in September of one access road leading to the town’s outskirts. They say the move has hampered the movement of workers and owners of stone quarries in the area and significantly increased traffic jams on the outskirts’ entrance.
Stone quarries are a major source of income for the town, guaranteeing the livelihood of more than half of Arsal’s residents, local sources estimate.
Eye witnesses said soldiers at the checkpoint Monday were diligently checking the IDs of every individual seeking to enter the outskirts, causing a backup of 60-70 cars.
Previously, Arsalis were able to drive past the checkpoint with minimal scrutiny, Ahmad Fliti, a sawmill owner in Wadi Hmayyed, told The Daily Star.
“The Army was being responsible, but there were a lot of people,” he said.
“It’s been like that for the past three days, but today things got worse because some guys became more angry than usual,” he said. “They started throwing rocks at the soldiers.”
The Army source said soldiers responded by firing shots into the air and using tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Witnesses said the rocks were thrown at soldiers soon after the arrival of Arsal Mayor Ali Hujeiri, who told The Daily Star he was responding to complaints made by residents.
A Lebanese man and a 17-year-old boy were treated for bullet wounds at the Al-Rahme Hospital, according to Dr. Bassem al-Faris.
The 17-year-old, Mohammad Saadedine al-Hujeiri, a cousin of the mayor, was rushed into emergency surgery, where doctors repaired three severed arteries. He was later taken by ambulance to a hospital in Zahle.
The Army source said Hujeiri must have been hit by a stray bullet. He insisted that the protesters were not targeted, saying soldiers had fired in the air. “We opened fire in the air to disperse them,” he said.
The source added that the vast majority of Arsal residents supported the new measures. Those who protested Monday “want to protect terrorism and keep arms smuggling,” he said.
A representative from Khoury Hospital in Zahle confirmed that Hujeiri had undergone an additional surgery and said the patient remained under anesthetic but was in “stable condition.”
Many other protesters were arrested for physically assaulting Army troops and failing to cooperate with the military’s commands.
The Future Movement’s office in Arsal held an “urgent” meeting after the dispute with workers and residents, according to a statement.
“We consider any provocation, road blocking or anything of this sort a suspicious act that aims to sow strife between Arsal and the Army,” it said. “We consider the Army the only side responsible for security and border control.”
To ease morning traffic, the statement added, two passageways will be opened between 6 a.m and 8 a.m. in Wadi Hmayyed and Masyadeh “in order to facilitate the passing of workers in a normal and smooth manner.”
The Future Movement in Beirut also lauded the Army’s measures, after a delegation met with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian. “The people need to look and reflect on why these measures have been implemented, because they are only in the best interest of the residents of Arsal,” said MP Atef Majdalani, part of the delegation.
Separately, the Army conducted raids in the Tripoli neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and arrested Youssef Ghamrawi, who is suspected of carrying out attacks against the military during the Army’s crackdown against jihadis in the northern city in October.
The Army confiscated weapons from Ghamrawi’s residence. – Additional reporting by Wassim Mroueh and Edy Semaan
Captives’ families pledge discretion, calm
BEIRUT: The families of the captive soldiers and policemen announced Monday that they had promised Prime Minister Tammam Salam to commit to discretion and calm concerning the negotiations for their sons’ release.
“We promised him to not discuss any [information] in public,” a spokesperson for the families said in reference to Salam. “We are not heading toward any escalation [of protests], and we have entrusted the Cabinet with resolving the matter.”
The comments came after a delegation from the families met with the Marada Movement chief MP Sleiman Frangieh, who was quoted as expressing full solidarity with the families and their cause.
The spokesperson said Frangieh supported any solution to the crisis, including a swap deal with Islamist prisoners and detainees.
At least 25 Army soldiers and policemen have been held hostage on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal since last August, when the Army clashed with militants from ISIS and the Nusra Front in the town.
The number of captives was initially at least 37, but the Nusra Front has released eight and executed two, while ISIS killed two hostages.
Arsal’s Deputy Mayor Ahmad Fliti is acting as an unofficial mediator in a bid to secure a swap deal between Lebanon’s government and the militants.
According to Arsal’s Mayor Ali al-Hujeiri, Fliti met with General Security head Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim in Beirut Monday. Ibrahim is tasked by the Lebanese government to oversee negotiations to free the 25 servicemen.
There is a communication channel open with the Nusra Front, but through informal mediators, according to Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi.
Salam said Monday that Lebanon’s real New Year celebration would come only when the captives return home safely and a president is elected. The prime minister was speaking during an end of year reception for Grand Serail employees.
After expressing his appreciation for the performance of Serail employees, Salam said: “On the New Year, we will not celebrate and we will not feel happy until the servicemen are freed and returned to their families proud and heads high.”
“We hope to achieve happy results that would relieve their families and all the Lebanese people, making it a real feast,” Salam said.
Lebanon should not license new pharmacy schools: Union leader
BEIRUT: The head of the Order of Pharmacists reiterated Monday his call for the Cabinet to reject licensing requests by six new Pharmacy schools in the country, citing market-related reasons.
“We do not understand some people’s insistence on licensing new pharmacy faculties in Lebanon, especially that all the experts in Lebanon’s health domain have expressed their clear opposition to this project, which will harm the citizens health,” Rabih Hassouna said in a news conference held at 1 p.m. Monday at the syndicate’s office.
He said the Health Ministry, the League of Self-Employed Unions, Arab Pharmacists League and International Pharmacists League have all opposed issuing new licenses.
Hassouna dedicated his press talks to dismiss what he said were “myths” about the benefits of allowing new pharmacy schools to be erected.
The first argument that Hassouna refuted was that building new schools would create new learning opportunities for youth and prevent them from traveling to universities abroad.
“Only 5-10 percent of the pharmacists get taught outside Lebanon, which proves that the existing pharmacy faculties that are already licensed ensure Lebanon’s self-sufficiency [in the field of pharmacy],” he said.
The Cabinet has not yet been able to make a decision due to heated rows between different parties’ ministers.
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab is the main advocate of licensing new schools, maintaining that the state does not have the right to forbid eligible universities from opening new faculties.
Bou Saab recently told The Daily Star that even if Lebanon has an excess of pharmacists, they can seek employment abroad.
However, Hassouna responded to Bou Saab’s argument, underlining that just 200 Lebanese pharmacists work abroad, while 2,000 of the 7,500 pharmacists in Lebanon remain unemployed.
“Let them create job opportunities for those before thinking of opening new pharmacy faculties,” Hassouna said.
Hassouna also said that 90 percent of Lebanon’s medical centers do not hire pharmacists due to the inability to pay their wages, and many distribute counterfeit or smuggled medications.
“This is not a political or sectarian matter, it is purely professional and accepting [the new licenses] could actually threaten the health of patients and citizens,” he said.
“We warn that licensing new faculties will increase competition and turn the pharmacy profession into a commercial one,” he said. “Licensing these faculties will allow the selling of counterfeit and smuggled medicines, and thus the commercialization of the citizen’s health.
Hassouna had explained in a news conference last summer that Lebanon’s pharmacies to citizen ratio is very high compared to other countries. In Europe, he said, there are six pharmacies for every 10,000 citizens, and in the Arab world there are four. In Lebanon, that figure climbs to a massive 19 pharmacies for every 10,000 citizens.
He also believes that the further increase in the number of pharmacy graduates will lead to a decline in the average income of pharmacists in the county.
Salam lauds Future-Hezbollah talks, warns vacuum poses risk
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam Monday described the launch of dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah as “a major political development,” voicing hope that talks between the two rival parties would lead to ending the 7-month-old presidential vacuum.
He warned that the continued vacancy in the top Christian post weakened the country and posed “a big danger” to all the Lebanese.
Speaking to employees and security officers at the Grand Serail during an end-of-the-year reception, Salam reiterated his call to elect a new president, pinning hope on the Future-Hezbollah dialogue to make a breakthrough in the presidential impasse.
Referring to the talks that kicked off last week between senior officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah sponsored by Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence in Ain al-Tineh, Salam said: “It is a major political development. The ongoing dialogue between two major political forces in this country might be a gateway to eliminating obstacles in the way of holding the presidential vote.”
He lamented Parliament’s failure over the past eight months to elect a president, saying that the work of state institutions in the country’s democratic system was marred by “a major flaw” as a result of the presidential vacuum.
Parliament has repeatedly failed since April due to a lack of quorum to choose a successor to former President Michel Sleiman, whose six-year mandate ended on May 25.
Berri called Monday for a new Parliament session to elect a president on Jan. 7 amid signs that the session was destined to fail like the previous 17 abortive attempts as the rival March 8 and March 14 parties remain split over a consensus candidate to break the deadlock that has paralyzed Parliament legislation and is threatening to cripple the government’s work.
The presidential crisis and regional developments were discussed during a meeting between Salam and the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.
The U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly also welcomed the Future-Hezbollah dialogue, voicing hope that it would help resolve outstanding problems and end the presidential void.
“I welcomed the initiatives underway with respect to dialogue between political parties in Lebanon, including the dialogue meeting held last week between the Future Movement and Hezbollah under the auspices of the Parliament speaker,” Plumbly told reporters after meeting Salam at the Grand Serail. “Clearly dialogue is important for unity and stability in these difficult times. We very much hope that these steps will contribute to resolving outstanding issues, and in the first place fill the vacancy in the presidency.”
Plumbly said he discussed with Salam the security situation, including the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701 and the crucial role played by the Lebanese Army in the south and elsewhere in the country.
He praised Lebanon’s security forces, particularly the Army, for all the efforts and sacrifices they have made to safeguard the country in the face of “grave challenges” this year.
Future MP Ammar Houri voiced hope that the dialogue with Hezbollah would lead to a breakthrough in the presidential election deadlock and defuse sectarian tensions. He said there was no specific agenda for each session.
The next dialogue session will be held on Jan. 5.
“There are two main headlines [for the dialogue]: making a breakthrough in the presidency file and reducing street tensions by expanding the security plan and lowering media rhetoric,” Houri told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Future MP Atef Majdalani said what mattered in the talks with Hezbollah was for the two parties to agree on the two points put by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on the agenda of this dialogue: reducing Sunni-Shiite tensions and finding a mechanism to allow the election of a president.
“Today, amid the vacancy in the presidency post, Lebanon’s existence and the security situation are in jeopardy. Parliament is paralyzed and the government is in a state of confusion, paralyzed and cannot make any decisions” Majdalani told reporters after a delegation of Beirut MPs met with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Darian at Dar al-Fatwa in Beirut.
“Therefore, these two points are essential to draw up a road map for peace in Lebanon,” he said.
He added that he hoped the Future-Hezbollah dialogue would lead to talks between other feuding parties, in a clear reference to attempts to arrange a meeting between Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and his political opponent, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
A similar view was echoed by Ahmad Hariri, the secretary-general of the Future Movement who expressed hopes that discussions between his party and Hezbollah would be replicated by the rival Christian parties.
“We hope that dialogue sessions would start between all political parties, especially Christian parties,” Hariri said during a ceremony held in the northern district Akkar.
Dialogue between all Lebanese factions, he said, could secure a “national compromise” that would lead to the election of a president.
Hariri noted that the Future Movement was “positive” in its approach to holding talks with Hezbollah, given that dialogue serves national interests.
Officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah have said the dialogue was primarily aimed at defusing Sunni-Shiite tensions fueled by the war in Syria, facilitating the presidential vote, boosting efforts to combat terrorism, promoting a new electoral law and energizing stagnant state institutions.
Divisive issues such as Hezbollah’s military intervention in Syria, the party’s arsenal and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, are not on the dialogue agenda.
Salam lauds Future-Hezbollah talks, warns vacuum poses risk
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam Monday described the launch of dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah as “a major political development,” voicing hope that talks between the two rival parties would lead to ending the 7-month-old presidential vacuum.
He warned that the continued vacancy in the top Christian post weakened the country and posed “a big danger” to all the Lebanese.
Speaking to employees and security officers at the Grand Serail during an end-of-the-year reception, Salam reiterated his call to elect a new president, pinning hope on the Future-Hezbollah dialogue to make a breakthrough in the presidential impasse.
Referring to the talks that kicked off last week between senior officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah sponsored by Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence in Ain al-Tineh, Salam said: “It is a major political development. The ongoing dialogue between two major political forces in this country might be a gateway to eliminating obstacles in the way of holding the presidential vote.”
He lamented Parliament’s failure over the past eight months to elect a president, saying that the work of state institutions in the country’s democratic system was marred by “a major flaw” as a result of the presidential vacuum.
Parliament has repeatedly failed since April due to a lack of quorum to choose a successor to former President Michel Sleiman, whose six-year mandate ended on May 25.
Berri called Monday for a new Parliament session to elect a president on Jan. 7 amid signs that the session was destined to fail like the previous 17 abortive attempts as the rival March 8 and March 14 parties remain split over a consensus candidate to break the deadlock that has paralyzed Parliament legislation and is threatening to cripple the government’s work.
The presidential crisis and regional developments were discussed during a meeting between Salam and the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale.
The U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly also welcomed the Future-Hezbollah dialogue, voicing hope that it would help resolve outstanding problems and end the presidential void.
“I welcomed the initiatives underway with respect to dialogue between political parties in Lebanon, including the dialogue meeting held last week between the Future Movement and Hezbollah under the auspices of the Parliament speaker,” Plumbly told reporters after meeting Salam at the Grand Serail. “Clearly dialogue is important for unity and stability in these difficult times. We very much hope that these steps will contribute to resolving outstanding issues, and in the first place fill the vacancy in the presidency.”
Plumbly said he discussed with Salam the security situation, including the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701 and the crucial role played by the Lebanese Army in the south and elsewhere in the country.
He praised Lebanon’s security forces, particularly the Army, for all the efforts and sacrifices they have made to safeguard the country in the face of “grave challenges” this year.
Future MP Ammar Houri voiced hope that the dialogue with Hezbollah would lead to a breakthrough in the presidential election deadlock and defuse sectarian tensions. He said there was no specific agenda for each session.
The next dialogue session will be held on Jan. 5.
“There are two main headlines [for the dialogue]: making a breakthrough in the presidency file and reducing street tensions by expanding the security plan and lowering media rhetoric,” Houri told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Future MP Atef Majdalani said what mattered in the talks with Hezbollah was for the two parties to agree on the two points put by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on the agenda of this dialogue: reducing Sunni-Shiite tensions and finding a mechanism to allow the election of a president.
“Today, amid the vacancy in the presidency post, Lebanon’s existence and the security situation are in jeopardy. Parliament is paralyzed and the government is in a state of confusion, paralyzed and cannot make any decisions” Majdalani told reporters after a delegation of Beirut MPs met with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Darian at Dar al-Fatwa in Beirut.
“Therefore, these two points are essential to draw up a road map for peace in Lebanon,” he said.
He added that he hoped the Future-Hezbollah dialogue would lead to talks between other feuding parties, in a clear reference to attempts to arrange a meeting between Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and his political opponent, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
A similar view was echoed by Ahmad Hariri, the secretary-general of the Future Movement who expressed hopes that discussions between his party and Hezbollah would be replicated by the rival Christian parties.
“We hope that dialogue sessions would start between all political parties, especially Christian parties,” Hariri said during a ceremony held in the northern district Akkar.
Dialogue between all Lebanese factions, he said, could secure a “national compromise” that would lead to the election of a president.
Hariri noted that the Future Movement was “positive” in its approach to holding talks with Hezbollah, given that dialogue serves national interests.
Officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah have said the dialogue was primarily aimed at defusing Sunni-Shiite tensions fueled by the war in Syria, facilitating the presidential vote, boosting efforts to combat terrorism, promoting a new electoral law and energizing stagnant state institutions.
Divisive issues such as Hezbollah’s military intervention in Syria, the party’s arsenal and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, are not on the dialogue agenda.
French envoy takes wait-and-see stance on Saudi, Iran trips
French presidential envoy Jean-Francois Girault, who held talks with rival Lebanese leaders in Beirut earlier this month on the seven-month-old presidential crisis, is taking a wait-and-see attitude before visiting Saudi Arabia and Iran early next year for similar talks, according to Western diplomatic sources.
The reason for the delay in Girault’s expected trips is that some issues still need to be addressed in order to eliminate obstacles standing in the way of electing a new president, while the French envoy waits for Iran to be ready to discuss the presidential deadlock, the sources told The Daily Star.
Signals issued by the Iranian side and its key ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah, do not indicate that circumstances are conducive to holding the presidential vote.
The most important of these signals came from Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who, when asked during his visit to Beirut earlier this month about Iran’s stance on the election, said it was up to the major Lebanese parties to decide on a president.
After meeting Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki last Friday, Sayyed Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed, the head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, told reporters that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun remained the party’s sole candidate for president.
His statement ruled out a possible agreement by the rival factions on a consensus president.
This was followed by a statement Sunday by Hezbollah’s deputy head Sheikh Naim Qassem, who said there was no political solution for Lebanon as long as crises in the region dragged on.
Therefore, Girault, chief of the French Foreign Ministry’s Middle East and North Africa Department, will not risk visiting Iran and Saudi Arabia without more positive indications in hand.
In Lebanon, people hold two conflicting views on the presidential vote.
Some say that the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Gulf states are working on a solution to the presidential crisis that should be ready by mid-March.
Others say that the Russians and Iranians are not yet ready to “sell” the presidential issue to the United States without a price in return.
A Western diplomatic source said that in the absence of a Saudi-Iranian agreement, there was no chance for the election of a consensus president.
Iran can ask Hezbollah to persuade Aoun to withdraw from the presidency race, but it will not do that because the presidential vacuum will not affect its interests, the source said.
On the contrary, the absence of a head of state is a relief to Hezbollah, as an elected president would pledge in his swearing-in speech commitment to state sovereignty and laws and U.N. resolutions, the source said.
He added that an elected president would also call on Hezbollah to withdraw from fighting in Syria and engage in an internal dialogue process.
Although a Saudi-Iranian dialogue is moving slowly, some sources close to the Iranian political circles in Lebanon said that relations between the two regional heavyweights are beset by several differences, but they do not want the explosive conditions in the region to deteriorate further because this would affect their national interests.
According to the sources, the Saudi rulers seem to be in disagreement over the extent of their country’s openness toward Iran.
While Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz’s wing supports a rapprochement with Iran, the wing of Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Prince Bandar bin Sultan is being cautious toward this step, the sources said.
On Girault’s initiative to break the presidential impasse, the sources said they did not see any hope for it for the time being.
Therefore, Iran is not in a rush for any compromise over the presidential election in Lebanon.
Tensions soar in Ain al-Hilweh over Fatah founding celebrations
SIDON, Lebanon: As the anniversary of the founding of the Fatah Movement approaches, tensions are soaring in the southern refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh between old allies who’ve become rivals. The relationship between Fatah and former leader of the Palestinian Armed Struggle (PAS) Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Abdel Hamid Issa, better known by his nom de guerre “Lino,” has been deteriorating since the latter was dismissed over remarks made about the movement. The PAS acted as Fatah’s police force in the camp before it was dissolved.
Tensions were renewed recently when the disgraced Lino said that in an effort to demonstrate he was still a “son of the movement” he was going to hold his own military show in Ain al-Hilweh Wednesday to mark the group’s founding, at the same time as the Fatah Movement.
The movement had called on supporters to participate in the celebration to be held in several refugee camps, including Ain al-Hilweh, Wednesday afternoon.
Lino is said to be loyal to former top Fatah official in Gaza Mohammad Dahlan, who was also expelled from the party over graft charges.
Dahlan was referred to trial by Fatah, and the first session was held last week in Ramallah’s corruption court. It is believed that Dahlan will be convicted after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stripped him of immunity.
Dahlan is a longtime rival of Abbas, whose supporters accused him of orchestrating Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s murder. Sources also said Abbas was planning to expel a number of Fatah members including those present in Lebanon’s refugee camps.
Last year the Fatah Movement arrested Lino, after a group affiliated with him made claims of corruption within the Palestinian party. Fatah sources said a number of Palestinian officials remain in contact with him.
The accusations were denied by Lino, who insisted he was a son of Fatah Movement.
The Fatah Movement, considered the largest faction within the Palestinian Liberation Organization, was established on Jan. 1, 1965.
The Daily Star was informed that in the past 24 hours calls were made between Lino and the Fatah Movement aimed at finding a solution. A meeting followed which was attended by Fatah’s head of national security Maj. Gen. Sobhi Abu Arab and Financial Officer Mounther Hamza and held in a coffee shop.
In the meeting the Fatah delegation expressed hope that Lino would not work to bring Dahlan’s fight into the Palestinian camps of Lebanon.
Those following up on the meeting told The Daily Star that although Lino didn’t back down from his position to hold his own celebration, he agreed to hold it an hour after Fatah’s official event Wednesday.
For vegetable seller Ahmad Mustafa, Lino’s decision to hold his own event despite his fall from Fatah’s graces was a confusing and potentially destabilizing move. Indeed, it has caused much distress among Ain al-Hilweh’s residents.
“What does Lino want?” Mustafa asked. “Does he want blood? Let him leave the camp, enough killing, enough displacement.”
He added that if Lino wanted to fight Israel then he had his support, but not otherwise.
The security situation in Ain al-Hilweh is fragile, but things improved incrementally over the summer after a 150-member strong elite force was created to maintain security in the camp. The force is comprised of members from the camp’s various factions.
The force has managed to maintain security after a number of incidents threatened to undermine stability in Lebanon’s largest refugee camp, which is home to some extremist elements.
Despite some setbacks, the camp managed to remain neutral in August when the Lebanese Army clashed with Islamist militants in Arsal, and again in October, when another round of fighting erupted in Tripoli.
Lebanese authorities have been communicating with the camp’s various factions and have informed them that security breaches in the camp would not be tolerated.
The authorities explained to the factions that the situation in Lebanon could no longer bear any security incidents, as military efforts were focused in Arsal and Tripolito suppress Islamist extremists.
Lebanon’s security forces will not allow any clashes to occur inside the camp, fearing that this would give Islamist extremists based in the camp an opportunity to gain momentum and seek revenge against Lino, who fought against them.
While at the helm of PAS some thee years ago, Lino engaged in clashes and assassination attempts against the Islamist group Jund al-Sham, which has a support base in Ain al-Hilweh.
Lebanese authorities say Lino has money and weapons, secured with the help of Dahlan’s wife. However, sources in the camp denied that Dahlan’s wife was backing Lino financially, saying she only provided funds for social projects in the camp.
Currently residing in the camp’s Sfouri neighborhood, Lino said that he had been the target of a number of assassination attempts.
However, Fatah sources said his claims were false.
Lino, who has met with fighters previously under his command, has been quoted as saying, “I am the child of Fatah and they issued a decision to fire me, but this doesn’t concern me and of course it doesn’t concern you.”
“I will hold the torch and celebrate this anniversary when Yasser Arafat was the first to fire a bullet against the Israeli occupier,” one source quoted the former Fatah figure as saying.
But official sources within the Fatah Movement said that they refused to acknowledge Lino’s persistent claim to leadership.
One source added that in addition to removing Lino from his position, the armed men working under him had been withdrawn.
Yet, the source claimed, the former official still insisted on creating strife, as commanded by Dahlan.
The source was adamant that Fatah members would not be dragged into confrontations with Lino because they “don’t want to waste the efforts put into maintaining stability in the camp.”
Activists Call 2014 'A Super Banner Year' For Same-Sex Marriage
Kimmy Denny and her partner, Barb Lawrence of Palm Harbor, Fla., wait outside a court hearing on gay marriage in Miami in July. On Jan. 6, same-sex marriages will be allowed in the Sunshine State. J Pat Carter/AP hide caption
itoggle caption J Pat Carter/AP
Kimmy Denny and her partner, Barb Lawrence of Palm Harbor, Fla., wait outside a court hearing on gay marriage in Miami in July. On Jan. 6, same-sex marriages will be allowed in the Sunshine State.
J Pat Carter/AP
A year ago, same-sex marriage was legal in 18 states and Washington, D.C. Now that number is up to 35 states, and there's a strong possibility that the issue will go before the Supreme Court in the year ahead.
While activists in the legal and political battle over same-sex marriage called 2013 a banner year for their cause, they're calling 2014 a "super banner year."
"This moment that we are in is nothing any of us could have predicted," says Kate Kendall, the executive director of the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights. "Just barely 10 years ago, there was not a jurisdiction in this country where a same-sex couple could legally marry and now just a little over 10 years, 35 states!"
Kendall and other supporters of same-sex marriage are optimistic their side will ultimately prevail because state laws banning same-sex marriage were struck down this year by federal judges across the country. At the appeals court level, four circuit courts ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. In October, the Supreme Court rejected without comment petitions to review those lower court rulings.
"It was the first time that the Supreme Court had the opportunity to say, 'We're going to let a whole set of marriage rulings in lower courts stay just the way they are,' " says Ned Flaherty, a Boston-based marriage equality activist who tracks court decisions. "That had not happened before, so it was a new type of progress that had not been seen."
But barely a month later, judges in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals went the other way. They upheld laws banning same-sex marriage in four states: Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.
That created a new conflict among the circuit courts — some in favor of same-sex marriage, one against. It was a game changer, says Chapman University law professor John Eastman, who opposes same-sex marriage.
"I think the proponents of re-defining marriage are overly optimistic in their anticipation of an ultimate ruling in their favor," Eastman says.
Ultimately, both supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage agree that the 6th Circuit's decision increases the likelihood that that the Supreme Court will have to step in.
Still, there's no way of knowing which, if any, cases the Supreme Court might consider.
Among the couples waiting to hear are Thomas Kostura and Ijpe DeKoe of Memphis, Tenn. They were married in New York two years ago, just before DeKoe, an Army sergeant, was deployed to Afghanistan. Upon his return, DeKoe was stationed at Naval Support Activity Mid-South Naval base in Tennessee, and Kostura says he wasn't sure how he would be accepted as a military spouse.
"What surprised me was how welcoming everyone I met in Tennessee was and how they themselves respected our marriage," Kostura says. "Really at this point it's only been the state who hasn't recognized our marriage."
Kostura and DeKoe filed suit along with two other same-sex couples to have their marriages recognized by the state of Tennessee. DeKoe says no couple should have to base a job choice on how a state is going to treat their marriage.
"In my case it's military, but any couple that marries anywhere should be able to move to Tennessee without a problem," he says.
Amid the speculation over whether the Supreme Court might take a same-sex marriage case, another potential front in the cultural war over marriage is slowly emerging.
In South Carolina, for example, there's a bill that would allow judges and other public officials to refuse to issue marriage licenses if it violates their religious beliefs.
Eastman, the law professor, says he expects similar moves in other states to preserve the traditional definition of marriage as between only a man and a woman.
"As long as there's a fight to re-define the institution of marriage that runs contrary to your human nature, human nature's going to have a way of fighting back," he says.
Eastman says the Supreme Court could ultimately allow different states to have different laws on marriage.
The justices are expected to decide in January whether they will hear a case and they may issue a decision by summer.
2014: The Year in Firsts
On day one, President Obama committed to making his Administration the most open and participatory in history. And six years later, we’re still at it. At the White House, we're constantly looking for new ways to connect with citizens around the country on the issues that they care the most about.
This year, a "We the People" petition became law. We hosted a virtual Big Block of Cheese Day. President Obama answered your questions during a Tumblr Q&A and took a virtual road trip on Google+. The First Lady asked "turnip for what?" in a Vine Q&A, and a Maker Faire came to the White House.
From joining new social media platforms to bringing in innovators, 2014 was a big year for "first-ever" moments that invited Americans to engage with their government. Take a look at highlights from the year, and be sure to stay tuned for a lot more ways to engage in 2015.
We hosted the first-ever virtual "Big Block of Cheese Day."
January 29, 2014
Blogger names 2014’s most influential Lebanese
BEIRUT: A Beirut blogger posted Monday a list of 13 Lebanese who made it big in 2014, naming; a child genius, a celebrity barrister, a scandal on skis, internationally renowned innovators, up-and-coming musical breakthroughs, a graffiti maestro, an assaulted civil servant and a minister doing his job.
Elie Fares, The Lebanese blogger behind the renowned “A Separate State of Mind” website told The Daily Star that he had not arranged the list in any particular order, noting that the most influential figure of 2014 is subjective.
“If we were to see it according to a ubiquitous perspective, then Amal Alamuddin would top the list because she is extremely famous,” Fares said. “But unfortunately she is known for her nuptials.”
If the list was ordered by who would have the greatest impact on future generations, he said, three young Lebanese who made their way onto the “35 innovators under 35” list issued by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this year would surely be at the top.
Fadel Adib, a 25-year-old from Tripoli, made MIT’s list for designing technology that could detect the movements of people through walls using WIFI signals.
Lebanese-Canadian Ayah Bdeir, who grew up in Beirut and also made MIT’s list for her company called “LittleBits” which promotes educational toys that have been compared to magnetic Legos. The product is already being sold in 70 countries.
Rand Hindi joins the other two Lebanese as one of the top 35 innovators for his work in a company he founded called Snips, which analyzes data in hopes of making city living more efficient.
Fares noted that his top 13 Lebanese list includes a delicate balance of Lebanese actors who were influential on both a local and international scale.
“Originally, I had a different set of names. It was going to be cliché list of influential Lebanese expats but I didn't want that. I didn't want it to say you need to immigrate to get somewhere,” Fares said.
According to the blogger, the most influential Lebanese on an international scale would be the three Lebanese named by MIT.
Locally, controversial skier Jackie Chamoun would make it to the top of the list because she “was a symbol for sexual liberation.”
Earlier this year, Chamoun sparked a scandal for a nude calendar photo-shoot that surfaced online. As the professional skier came under fire by several officials for her racy photos, Lebanese citizens rose to her defense with liberal social media campaigns like “I’m Not Naked,” or “#StripForJackie.”
“She single handedly sparked essential debates about women, feminism, body image and sex,” Fares said.
Fares’s list did not side-line Lebanon’s brilliant women, as he included Beirut-based engineer and entrepreneur Hind Hobeika, London-based composer Bushra El-Turk and art historian Bahia Sheha who were featured as part of the BBC’s 100 Women of 2014, a list of inspiring figures from around the world.
Lebanon’s very own boy genius, Mohammad El Mir, 11, made Fares’s list for winning a competition in Germany earlier this year, beating participants from 40 other countries for the title of Junior Genius.
Of course, Fares did not neglect Lebanon’s latest A-list celebrity Amal Alamuddin who was named the most fascinating person of 2014 by prominent American TV host Barbara Walters.
Though mostly known for her high profile marriage to Hollywood heartthrob George Clooney, the barrister was a member of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's prosecution and legal adviser to the head of the U.N. commission investigating former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri’s assassination. She was also appointed as an adviser for Kofi Annan while he was the Joint Special Envoy of the U.N. and the Arab League on Syria.
Singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan also made it in to the ranks of the year’s most prominent Lebanese, with her love song “Hal,” named as one of 79 tracks competing for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards.
Not all of Fares’s selections were featured on internationally renowned lists. His choices also included names that may not be well-known abroad, but have made quiet the impact back home.
Though Fares said that he was not personally a fan of the reform-minded Health Minister Wael Abu Faour, whose sweeping food safety campaign “shook” some of the country’s establishments, the health minister was also placed on the list because “unlike his predecessors he was doing his job,” Fares said.
Fares also gave credit to the team behind Sakker El Dekkene, a Lebanese NGO whose aim is to fight corruption, primarily by collecting reports of acts of bribery across public institutions in Lebanon. “They were the country’s first NGO to truly break into the mainstream with the issue of corruption,” the blogger said.
Manal Daou, an administrative officer who was assaulted by Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush, may be one of the most unexpected additions to the list.
“She didn’t do much, she almost got hit, but she didn't remain idle. She stood up for herself and put Fattoush in the spotlight,” the blogger said, noting that the civil servant was one of the most influential actors who contributed to the MP’s “political demise.”
The Best Part About Jim Harbaugh Going to Michigan
After “mutually” parting ways with the San Francisco 49ers after four seasons, several sources are now reporting that Jim Harbaugh will become the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, his alma mater. On a day when the dearth of quality head coaching in the NFL is more apparent than ever—so far Rex Ryan (Jets), Mark Trestman (Bears), and Mike Smith (Falcons) have all been fired—many wonder how the Niners could push out the door a coach who went 44-19-1 and led the team to a Super Bowl appearance (and near win) in his second season. Harbaugh is a prickly guy and there was some contention with the 49ers brass, but still... he went 44-19-1! For Niners fans, this could mean settling into mediocrity and getting pummeled by the Seahawks for years to come; for the rest of us who couldn’t care less about the Niners, it's great news, because now the nation’s greatest college football rivalry is not only going to be rekindled, it's going to be soaked in kerosene and torched with a flamethrower.
Now, just to be clear, Michigan/Ohio State is the greatest college football rivalry. The only other real candidates are Alabama/Auburn and (maybe) Texas/Oklahoma. It's possible Alabama and Auburn hate each other as much if not more than Michigan and Ohio State, and the SEC powers have produced some memorable games since Bama’s Saban-fueled resurgence, most notably their 2013 matchup, which ended with a 108-yard field goal return and might have been the greatest game in college football history. But until recent years, the Iron Bowl has mostly only been of regional concern. Auburn isn't a traditional powerhouse, and Bama’s dominance is most commonly associated with legendary head coach Bear Bryant's reign throughout the '60s and '70s, back when a coach could get away with wearing a houndstooth fedora. As far as the national stage is concerned, Michigan/Ohio State stands above the rest, and the rivalry has been pretty much back-and-forth for nearly 100 years. The school's have winning percentages of .730 and .720, respectively. They've won a combined 75 Big 10 titles, they've gone to a combined 34 Rose Bowls, they've produced a combined 18 Heisman Trophy winners, and the splits are about as even as you can get over the course of a century. Sorry Alabama.
Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes
The teams have been great, the players have been great, and the schools ooze prestige, but the main reason Michigan/Ohio State rivalry is so fierce has just as much to do with its coaches. And when you're talking about the coaches at the center of the Michigan/Ohio State rivalry, you're talking about Bo Schebechler and Woody Hayes, whose feud throughout the '70s was so intense it has its own name: "The Ten-Year War." It was practically a Greek drama, and the lore that emerged from this era of the rivalry is precisely the type of thing that makes sports transcendent. Ohio State's Hayes hated Michigan so much that, as legend has it, he once refused to pull over and get gas in Michigan, saying that he'd rather "coast and push this goddam car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!" He also coined the term "the state up north," to refer to Michigan, because the very idea of the state offended him to such a degree that he wouldn't even utter its name, much like present-day NFL fans may try to find ways around mentioning the mascot of the team that plays in Washington D.C.
The hate was real, but the teams were also good. From 1972-1977, both Michigan and OSU were ranked in the top 10 when they squared off to end the season, and they won the Big 10 every year the two coaches were pitted against one another. The rivalry ended when Hayes was fired after hepunched an opposing player during the 1978 Gator Bowl. It's probably not a coincidence that he'd lost to Michigan a few weeks earlier. Schembechler would go on to coach Michigan until 1989, but it wasn't the same without Hayes roaming the opposing sideline. The rivalry plateaued once again in the '00s, culminating in 2006 when the top-ranked, 11-0 Buckeyes outlasted the second-ranked, 11-0 Wolverines 42-39 in the "Game of the Century," but in recent years Michigan has fallen out of national relevancy, and Ohio State is just now returning to prominence after suffering a one-year bowl ban in 2012. The reason for the rejuvenation is head coach Urban Meyer, now in his third season with Ohio State, who led the University of Florida to two national titles in 2006 and 2008. Meyer is a Hall of Fame-caliber coach, and with Harbaugh returning to Michigan, he now has his foil.
The intensity of the Hayes/Schembechler feud will likely never be matched—hatred like that just doesn't exist in sports anymore—but with Meyer and Harbaugh we could get close, especially considering Meyer is from Toledo, Ohio, and Harbaugh went to Michigan. They both grew up with this rivalry, and there's no one it means more to than them. Combine with that Meyer's history of rubbing people the wrong way and Harbaugh's inherent bratty-ness—he ruffled more feathers than just those of 49ers executives during his short tenure in the NFL—and this forthcoming era of the country's greatest college football rivalry could make for some more of that transcendent lore that Midwesterners will be telling their grandkids about. We could very well be in for another Ten-Year War. Let's just hope no punches are thrown and that the buses are gassed-up before they cross into enemy territory.
Oh, and if you still doubt how awesome this is going to be, here's a clip of Harbaugh talking about how much Michigan football means to him. Get ready. It's on.
The Faces of Health Care: Tricia T.
"My new health insurance will allow me to get the medical help that I need to get stronger."
Tricia T. wrote the President to share the impact that the Affordable Care Act has made on her life.
Hariri calls for expanded dialogue
BEIRUT: Future Movement Secretary General Ahmad Hariri expressed hopes Monday that talks between his party and Hezbollah would be replicated by Lebanon’s Christian parties.
“We hope that dialogue sessions would start between all political forces, especially Christian forces,” Hariri said during a ceremony held in Akkar.
Dialogue between all Lebanese factions, he said, could secure a “national settlement” that would lead to the election of a new President.
Hariri noted that The Future Movement was “positive” in its approach to talks with Hezbollah, given that dialogue serves national interests.
The necessity of talks stems from a consideration of the Lebanese citizen’s priorities, he added, citing the lack of foreign investment, high cost of education, and water and electricity shortages as examples of every-day issues which the dialogue could adress.
Still, Hariri said talks would not seek to resolve essential differences between The Future Movement and Hezbollah, especially with regards to the movement’s rejection of Hezbollah’s arms and the party’s intervention in Syria as well as the Hezbollah's opposition to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon which is investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri.
Hariri’s comments were made during a Future Movement ceremony in Akkar which was attended by several political and social figures.
During the address, Hariri lauded Akkar for being an example of Lebanese coexistence between Muslims and Christians.
The secretary general also expressed hopes that the New Year would see the return of 25 Lebanese servicemen who are held hostage by ISIS and The Nusra Front.
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Watch Lamar Miller's Lightning-Fast 97-Yard Touchdown
Miami Dolphins running back Lamar Miller made history on Sunday with a 97-yard touchdown run. As Sporting News notes, it was the longest run of the regular season, the longest in the history of the Dolphins franchise, and the third-longest in NFL history. The Dolphins fell to the jets 37-24, but the run, presented in all its glory in the video below, helped Miller finish the season with more than 1,000 yards.
ISF bans New Year‘s Eve fireworks
BEIRUT: The Internal Security Forces called on Lebanese citizens Monday to abstain from bursting fireworks during New Year’s Eve.
In a statement, the ISF said fireworks displays during the holiday season has had lethal consequences, causing death, physical injury, fire and damage to public and private property.
In an effort to prevent any fireworks-related incidents this year, the ISF urged citizens to “express joy in a civilized manner.”
The ISF warned that it would vigorously pursue perpetrators and would take strict legal action in the event of a breach.
Fireworks are at the heart of every significant and insignificant Lebanese event, popularly used to mark religious and sporting events, good exam results and weddings.
An excessive amount of celebratory fireworks are commonly on display for New Year’s Eve.
The Interior Ministry, in collaboration with local municipalities, released a memo in 2012 that stressed on the need to ban the use of cracker fireworks and set up a framework regulating its use.
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Lebanon should not license new pharmacy schools: Union leader
BEIRUT: The head of the Order of Pharmacists reiterated his call for the cabinet to reject licensing requests by six new Pharmacy schools in the country on Monday, citing market-related reasons.
“We do not understand some people’s insistence on licensing new pharmacy faculties in Lebanon, especially that all the experts in Lebanon’s health domain have expressed their clear opposition to this project which will harm the citizens health,” Rabih Hassouna said in a news conference he held at 1p.m. Monday at the syndicate’s office.
He said the Health ministry, the Lebanese Health Committee, the League of Self-Employed Unions, Arab Pharmacists League and International Pharmacists League have all opposed issuing new licenses.
Hassouneh dedicated his press talks to dismiss what he said were “myths” about the benefit of allowing new pharmacy schools to be erected.
The first argument that Hassouna refuted was that building new schools would create new learning opportunities for youth and prevent them from travelling for universities abroad.
“Only 5-10% of the pharmacists get taught outside Lebanon, which proves that the existing pharmacy faculties that are already licensed ensure Lebanon's self sufficiency [in the field of pharmacy],” he said.
The Cabinet has not yet been able to make a decision due to heated disputes between different parties’ ministers.
Education Minister Elias Bou Saab is the main advocate of licensing the new schools, holding that the state does not have the right to forbid eligible universities from opening new faculties.
Saab recently told the Daily Star that even if Lebanon has an excess of pharmacists, they can seek employment abroad.
However, Hassouna responded to Bou Saab’s argument, underlining that just 200 Lebanese pharmacists work abroad, while 2000 of the 7500 pharmacists in Lebanon remain unemployed.
“Let them create job opportunities for those before thinking of opening new pharmacy faculties,” Hassouna said.
Hassouna also said that 90 percent of Lebanon’s medical centers do not hire pharmacists due to the inability to pay their wages, and many distribute counterfeit or smuggled medications.
“This is not a political or sectarian matter, it is purely professional and accepting [the new licenses] could actually threaten the health of patients and citizens,” he said.
“We warn that licensing new faculties will increase competition and turn pharmacy a commercial profession,” he said. “Licensing these faculties will allow the selling of counterfeit and smuggled medicines, and thus the commercialization of the citizen’s health.
Hassouna had explained in a press conference last summer that Lebanon’s pharmacy to citizen ratio is very high compared to other countries.
In Europe, he said, there are six pharmacies for every 10,000 citizens, and in the Arab region there are four. In Lebanon, that figure climbs to a massive 19 pharmacy for every 10,000 citizens.
He also believes that the further increase in the number of pharmacy graduates will lead to a decline in the average income of pharmacists in the county.
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