Siniora to STL: Hariri revealed Hezbollah plots to kill him

BEIRUT: Late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was aware that Hezbollah had plotted to kill him “many” times, his friend and political ally MP Fouad Siniora told the Special Tribunal for Lebanon Tuesday.

Hariri and Siniora were in a car alone together sometime at the end of 2003 or the beginning of 2004 when the Future Movement founder made the startling revelation, the former prime minister said.

“‘Suddenly he turned ... toward me and said, ‘You know Fouad, we have by now discovered many assassination attempts by Hezbollah targeting me.’ This was extremely sudden and astonishing for me, and that was followed by a heavy silence,” Siniora told the court.

While five Hezbollah members have been charged in absentia with plotting Hariri’s assassination and the ensuing cover-up, no other witnesses have claimed that Hariri felt threatened by the party.

Siniora said he did not press Hariri on the issue and never discussed the matter with him again.

When asked by Peter Haynes, who represents the victims of the attack that killed Hariri and 21 others, about when exactly the conversation occurred, Siniora grew agitated.

“I mentioned everything that I know, that I remember with regard to this question. I have absolutely nothing to add ... I related it to you exactly as I heard it,” he said.

When contacted by The Daily Star, a senior March 8 source refused to comment on Siniora’s claims.

After the prosecution completed questioning Siniora, the defense began what is expected to be a lengthy cross-examination.

Philippe Larochelle, who represents the interests of Hezbollah member Hussein Hassan Oneissi, questioned Siniora on a wide array of topics ranging from opposition to Hariri’s development projects in Beirut to the former prime minister’s adversarial relationship with then President Emile Lahoud.Despite well documented disputes, Lahoud did not figure among Hariri’s enemies, Siniora said. Previously, members of the defense suggested that Lahoud and his “clique” in the Lebanese-Syrian security apparatus may have felt threatened by Hariri’s anticipated success in the forthcoming elections.

“Do you think Mr. Lahoud may have wanted to kill Mr. Hariri?” Larochelle asked Siniora flatly.

“I cannot answer this question,” Siniora retorted. “Neither can I know nor do I want to know.”

Larochelle questioned Siniora extensively about the creation of the tribunal itself. The principle of trying those responsible for Hariri’s assassination in an international court was agreed upon while Siniora was premier in 2006.

Siniora told the court that he fought for the creation of a neutral, independent tribunal. A number of politicians, he said, had begun discussing the possibility of seeking justice in an international arena within hours after Hariri’s killing. Their call was echoed, according to Siniora, by the 1 million citizens who protested the Syrian presence in Lebanon on March 14, 2005.

Larochelle, however, suggested that the creation of the tribunal served Siniora’s own “political purposes,” and that he had worked closely with foreign allies, including the Americans, to ensure that it was established.

Siniora vehemently rejected these allegations.

“We wanted to establish this tribunal in order to strengthen and foster the democratic system and freedoms in Lebanon,” he said.

He also denied that the U.N. probe into Hariri’s killing which resulted in the imprisonment of four Lebanese generals had been legally compromised or tainted by politics. The generals were arrested amid a fierce campaign by March 14 coalition officials who accused them of involvement in the killing. After four years in prison the generals were released for lack of evidence.

The decision to arrest the generals, Siniora testified, was not made by him but rather “by the qualified legal entity.”

Siniora did, however, admit that he gave U.N. investigators access to Lebanese telecommunications records without judicial authorization. No judicial authorization was required by law, he said.

The former prime minister rebuffed Larochelle’s claims that “thousands of people” were displaced from Downtown Beirut by a redevelopment project spearheaded by Hariri. “The majority of people who were present in that area were squatters ... outlaws,” Siniora said. “It was not an illegal expropriation.”

The massive construction project, he testified, was greenlighted by the Syrian government.

Future-Hezbollah talks to endure murder plot charge

BEIRUT: The 3-month-old dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah will endure despite a new charge that the Shiite party had plotted to kill former premier Rafik Hariri, according to Speaker Nabih Berri and a senior March 8 source.

In his second day of testimony before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the Netherlands Tuesday, former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Hariri had confided to him sometime at the end of 2003 or early in 2004 that he had uncovered multiple assassination attempts against him orchestrated by Hezbollah.

“Suddenly, he turned toward me and said, ‘You know Fouad, we have by now discovered many assassination attempts by Hezbollah targeting me.’ This was extremely sudden and astonishing for me, and that was followed by a heavy silence,” said Siniora, Hariri’s longtime confidante.

Regarding Siniora’s remarks, Berri told a local website: “There will be no impact on the dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement. The dialogue will endure.”

A senior March 8 source refused to comment on Siniora’s remarks, saying Hezbollah upheld the dialogue with the Future Movement.

“In the last dialogue session between Hezbollah and the Future Movement, the two parties agreed that their strategic decision was to engage in dialogue and that it would not be affected by provocative speeches made in the media,” the source told The Daily Star.

“What we heard today [from Siniora] has no impact on dialogue at all, but it actually harms the Future Movement. They are showing two faces,” the source said, referring to fiery speeches made by some Future officials against Hezbollah despite the ongoing talks, “whereas Hezbollah is abiding by the requirements and morals of dialogue.”

Siniora’s anti-Hezbollah claim came after the dialogue with the Future Movement was jolted earlier this month by renewed tensions between the two rival influential parties, whose strained ties had in the past put the country on edge.

During their eighth round of talks last week, the two sides agreed to defuse tensions and restore the momentum which characterized their earlier meetings, stressing that their dialogue was “a main pillar” for the country’s stability. The tension began after Siniora, the head of the parliamentary Future bloc, accused Hezbollah of destabilizing Lebanon with its military intervention in Syria. Hezbollah MPs hit back at Siniora, questioning the benefits of the dialogue while Future officials kept up their anti-Hezbollah rhetoric.

The Future bloc defended Siniora’s testimony, saying the March 8 smear campaign against him was designed to dissuade him from revealing information to the STL.

Siniora’s testimony “explains the motives and dimensions of the political and media campaign launched by March 8 parties against [former] Premier Siniora in the days preceding the testimony with the aim of blocking the road to information he might disclose,” the bloc said in a statement after its weekly meeting. In his testimony, Siniora highlighted the strained relations between Hariri and Syria.

The Future bloc renewed its call on the rival political factions to reach an agreement on the election of a new president “because the continued [presidential] vacancy will aggravate problems and disasters from which Lebanon is suffering.”

Meanwhile, Parliament’s Secretariat failed during a meeting chaired by Berri to agree on an agenda for a legislative session on urgent draft laws.

MP Marwan Hamade, a member of Parliament’s Secretariat, said Berri distributed a draft agenda for the legislative session during the meeting held at the speaker’s residence in Ain al-Tineh.

The Secretariat’s members will check on the proposed agenda with their respective blocs and other blocs not represented in the Secretariat after which the speaker will call for another session to take a final decision, Hamadeh told reporters after the meeting.

Tuesday’s meeting comes amid opposition expressed by some Christian parties to legislative activity during the 10-month-old presidential vacuum. It also comes as March 8 and March 14 MPs are split over the interpretation of what has been known among lawmakers as “necessary legislation” in the absence of a president.

Separately, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil met with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea late Monday, amid attempts to arrange a meeting between MP Michel Aoun and Geagea seen as crucial to ending the presidential impasse. Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law, discussed many issues with the LF chief, including granting Lebanese expatriates dual citizenship, a statement from Geagea’s office said.

As snow melts, questions remain over border battles

RAS BAALBEK/ARSAL, Lebanon: Snow has melted, weather conditions have improved and clear skies announce the advent of spring. In short, terrain conditions are ripe for the anticipated “spring battle” between the Lebanese Army and Islamist militants from ISIS and Nusra Front who are clustered in the rugged mountains along Lebanon’s northeastern border with Syria. While Syria-based terrorist groups have reportedly been gearing up and preparing for the projected battle, which has so far been hampered by bad weather, the Army conducted a pre-emptive operation last month, seizing strategic hills from ISIS militants in the outskirts of the Christian town of Ras Baalbek.

When the battle will erupt, who will pull the trigger first and whether it happen at all remain to be seen.

Fears of terrorist attacks have tapered off in Ras Baalbek, which, along with adjacent Arsal, is regarded as a main front of the anticipated battle.

Mayor Hisham al-Arja appeared confident that there is no imminent battle in Ras Baalbek, in light of reports that ISIS militants have pulled out from the town’s outskirts.

“Things have changed a lot recently. For the past two weeks we have been receiving reliable information that hundreds of ISIS terrorists have retreated from the hills,” Arja said.

He argued that the militants have apparently been moved to the Syrian interior and to northern Iraq, where ISIS is engaged in major battles to keep control of large swaths of territory that it captured last year.

“Our brethren in Arsal have confirmed to us that Daesh [an Arabic acronym for ISIS] people have left their positions in the outskirts,” Arja said. “But anyway the Army and Hezbollah are prepared and ready to counter any possible offensive.”

The Army has massively reinforced its positions on the outskirts of Arsal and Ras Baalbek recently.

Troops seized the strategic hills of Tallet al-Jarash and Tallet al-Hamra last month, tightening the noose on the extremists and largely impeding their movements.

In Arsal, some 5,000 soldiers have secured their grip on the town’s entrances and exits, largely cutting it off from its hills and reducing supplies that reached the fighters holed up in the rugged mountains.

ISIS’ pullout from the border area with Lebanon was also reported by a leading figure in Arsal who asked to be identified as H. Zeidan. “Big changes have occurred in the past few weeks in [Syria’s] Qalamoun region, the most important of which was the withdrawal of some 3,350 ISIS militants who were entrenched in the hills east of Ras Baalbek and Arsal,” Zeidan said.

“The operation was carried out over 11 days, and was completed on Sunday [March 15],” he said.

Only 8 percent of ISIS fighters, who are originally from the border areas of Homs and Qusair remained in Qalamoun, a few kilometers across from Arsal and Ras Baalbek. Control over ISIS positions was passed on to Nusra Front militants and to rebels from the Free Syrian Army, Zeidan added.

A member of Arsal’s prominent Hujeiri family, who asked not to be identified, said ISIS’ withdrawal from Qalamoun took place as part of an alleged regional deal to entrust the Free Syrian Army and Nusra Front with maintaining security of the border from Al-Qaa, north of Ras Baalbek, to Nahleh, south of Arsal.

Hujeiri played down the possibility of an imminent “spring battle” in the border area as mere speculation and media propaganda. “Spring is already here, and what we have witnessed is pullout operations, not the opposite, which proves that the battle is in the media only. There will be no battle in the field, because the basic elements for it have faded away,” Hujeiri said.

Meanwhile, the Army is buttressing its positions in hot spots along 70 kilometers of the mountain range between Al-Qaa and Brital, south of Baalbek.

Army posts are mainly concentrated in Ras Baalbek and Arsal, while Hezbollah, whose fighters are engaged in the Syrian civil war on the side of the regime, has been maintaining fortified outposts in several other spots.

A military source refused to confirm or deny reports about the alleged withdrawal of ISIS militants from the border area. “The Lebanese Army is always prepared to confront any attack,” the source said. “We cannot say that the danger is imminent or not, but we act on the basis that danger is always there, even in peaceful times.”

Last week, Army Commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi said the military was ready for any attacks by Islamist militants when the snow melts in spring.

Lebanon’s Army of some 70,000 troops has received increased military aid from the U.S. and U.K. since ISIS appeared on the border and is waiting on the delivery of $3 billion in French arms purchased with money from Saudi Arabia. International support aimed at buttressing the military’s capacities in combating terrorism came in the wake of Arsal’s battle in August, when the Sunni-populated town, largely sympathetic to the Syrian rebellion against the regime of President Bashar Assad, was overrun by militants from ISIS and Nusra Front. The gunmen pulled out after four days of clashes, taking over 30 troops and policemen hostage. Four have since been executed and eight released, while 25 remain in captivity.

Residents of the border area, however, remain puzzled about the sudden arrival of ISIS militants in the vicinity of their villages, and are even more perplexed about their alleged withdrawal. “How was it possible for hundreds of militants to arrive from Raqqa through regime-controlled areas and deploy in Ras Baalbek’s outskirts in the first place?” Samir Shaaban, a resident of Ras Baalbek asked. The reported withdrawal is even more bewildering, he said.

Shaaban also questioned the imminence of the so-called snow-melting battle. “It is largely speculative. Just a possibility, which could be true or not,” he said.

If one is to believe Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, militants could be set to attack Lebanon any day now. The very near future should bring some straight answers.

Iranian minister: Cooperation needed to fight terrorism

Iranian minister: Cooperation needed to fight terrorism

Lebanon’s stability is of paramount importance to Iran, a visiting minister from the Islamic Republic said Tuesday,...

Mountain urges aid for host communities

BEIRUT: Donor states should realize the necessity of balancing support for Syrian refugees with assistance for the host country population living alongside them, Lebanon’s U.N. resident coordinator said Tuesday ahead of a high-level international donor conference.

“We are not just dealing with a human emergency,” UNDP resident representative Ross Mountain told The Daily Star in an interview. “It is important that donors realize that it is worth investing in Lebanon to try and maintain stability.”

On March 31, the Kuwait III conference in Kuwait City will bring together international donors and host country representatives to ask for funding to meet the needs of the displaced, as well as those still in Syria. The high-level pledging conference is now in its third year, and funding needs have risen from years past as additional resources are needed to address impacts on host country communities and infrastructure.

The emir of Kuwait will host the conference, which will be chaired by U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.

Mountain will be attending the conference, asking, along with Lebanese attendees, for $2.1 billion to fund this year’s Lebanese Crisis Response Plan, which was introduced in December 2014.

He explained that the funding would cover approximately 2.9 million individuals, half of whom are Lebanese. Two-thirds of the funding will go to humanitarian aid, while one-third will address stabilization needs in the country.

The $2.1 billion funding amount is up from the call last year for $1.9 billion at the Kuwait II conference, which primarily focused on humanitarian relief for refugees.

Over four years have passed since the start of the Syrian uprising. Since that time, more than 3.5 million Syrians have been displaced from their homeland. Neighboring Arab countries continue to shoulder the burden of the refugee influx, which has relief agencies pressing international donors for more funding at this year’s conference.

“Lebanon has been acutely impacted, proportionally more than any other country in region,” Mountain said.

The UNHCR estimates the number of registered refugees in Lebanon to be at 1.5 million. The government believes the number of unregistered refugees to be approximately 500,000.

Due to overwhelming need and weak Lebanese government resources, aid organizations and the Lebanese government have struggled to keep up with the needs of refugees.

Mountain said that Lebanon “defied gravity” as an example of resilience. “But even the most resilient country has limits.”

Conference attendees from Lebanon will include Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas.

The plan emphasizes community-based, local support for social services, including development initiatives and health services for both vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees.

Syrians are concentrated in 250 communities where the poorest Lebanese live. They are competing for access to health care, education and employment.

“We are particularly targeting those communities, the objective here is to minimize social tension,” Mountain said, adding that he was “impressed” at lower-than-expected tensions in host communities, a success he attributed to the locals themselves and Lebanese leadership, from the local to the national level.

Funding in support of the Lebanese Crisis Response Plan aims to “stimulate employment among Lebanese,” Mountain said, “and deal with environmental issues” as a result of the refugee influx.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon are not housed in official refugee camps, as government officials are wary of a permanent refugee presence. Many live in informal settlements across the country which has made it a challenge for relief organizations to distribute aid.

Further, donor enthusiasm has waned since the start of the influx.

“At the beginning there is greater donor interest than when a conflict becomes protracted,” Mountain said. He explained that there is a competition for resources to meet relief needs on an international scale.

The vast majority of Syrian refugees are still waiting for resettlement to a third country, and have spent multiple years living under difficult conditions in neighboring states. Long-term funding for host countries remains a challenge.

“One of the problems is that the World Bank classifies Lebanon as a higher middle-income country, so a number of countries do not give development assistance, they give humanitarian assistance,” Mountain said.

He emphasized the need for host country support, explaining that the Lebanese have experienced a lowered average per-capita income as a result of the refugee influx.

Mountain estimated that 28 percent of Lebanese were living in poverty before the Syrian refugees began arriving in Lebanon. He said that has risen to 30 percent since then.

He emphasized the importance of the locally based approach tailored to each community’s needs, typically focused on education, health care and safe water supply.

While stressing the importance of meeting Lebanese needs, Mountain said that “it is vital [Syrian refugees] not become desperate; they need to be able to feed themselves and families. This is part of stabilization.”

Syrian youngsters have faced difficulty accessing education in Lebanon. The UNHCR’ s 2014 Syria Regional Response Plan found that as of May 2014, only 22 percent “of Syrian refugee children (5-17 years) were enrolled in formal education.”

The same report found that registered refugees are responsible for paying 25 percent of secondary health care needs.

Amid funding shortages, the UNHCR is not able to cover 100 percent of health care costs.

Mountain explained that holding off threats to Lebanon’s stability involves not just spending for military aid but also investment in services where communities are at risk.

“Isn’t it better to try to control stability with investment now, rather than later on, if things go bad, to try to help get Lebanon back together again?”

“I think that the donor community based here in Lebanon understands this approach, and its logic,” Mountain said.

Joint elite force deployed to Mieh Mieh

SIDON, Lebanon: A joint Palestinian elite force was deployed to Sidon’s Mieh Mieh refugee camp Tuesday in an attempt to maintain stability in the volatile area following successes in the nearby Ain al-Hilweh camp. The force was launched in Mieh Mieh by the Higher Palestinian Security Committee, which supervises security forces in Palestinian camps across the country, after members held a meeting in the camp.

The 45-member force will be headed by Fatah Movement Col. Khaled Saqr, with Hamas official Ahmad al-Khatib acting as the deputy.

As in Ain al-Hilweh, Mieh Mieh’s elite force will be made up of the camp’s various factions including the Fatah Movement, Hamas, Ansar Allah and the Palestinian Liberation Front.

A 150-member joint elite force was launched last summer in Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, following tensions and a fragile security situation. However, since its deployment the security situation within the camp has markedly improved.

The force’s deployment comes at a crucial time when the camp’s leadership fears spillover from the Syrian civil war would find its way into the camp with extremists reportedly taking refuge there.

“You [elite force] should unite in order to preserve the security and stability of this [Mieh Mieh] camp,” said Maj. Gen Sobhi Abu Arab, head of the Palestinian National Security. “We hope that all our people in this camp will contribute to the work of this elite force.”

Speaking during the launch, Abu Arab also recognized the role played by the Lebanese Army Intelligence and the security forces to facilitate the deployment of the force.

Maj. Gen. Munir al-Maqdah, head of the joint Palestinian security forces in Lebanon, emphasized that the Palestinian camps would work together to preserve Lebanon’s stability.

“Our camps will stand by the principle of non-interference in Lebanon’s [internal] affairs and be a positive factor in this dear country,” Maqdah said, adding that they would continue to protect the camps and neighboring areas.

The joint elite force will also be deployed in the other Palestinian refugee camps, Maqdah added.

Earlier this month, it was announced that camps in Beirut would soon see their own elite forces once deployment in Mieh Mieh was complete. Beirut’s refugee camps of Burj al-Barajneh and Shatila are next in line for of the security measure.

Meanwhile, the elite force in Ain al-Hilweh is expected to see more recruits and training. The force will also widen its area of operations by expanding to other areas in the camp, including the neighborhood of Hittn, where a number of prominent Islamists are believed to reside.

The Higher Palestinian Security Committee was also able to reach a preliminary deal with the Lebanese Army allowing construction material to enter the camp.

Derian: Displacement of Christians must stop

BEIRUT: The displacement of Christians from the Middle East must not be allowed to continue, Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian said Tuesday during an official visit to the United Kingdom. “Islam is a unified religion, there’s no Sunni or Shiite,” Derian said during a reception at the al-Khoei Foundation in the U.K., adding that the religion calls for unity and rejects strife.

“Christians are our partners ... and those mistreating them [are] mistreating all Muslims,” he continued. “We will not allow their displacement from Arab countries.”

Moderate Muslims have been outspoken in denouncing the rise of Islamist extremist groups, particularly ISIS, and have worked to strengthen their own relationships with other religions.

Christians and other minority groups have suffered persecution and displacement at the hands of extremists in Iraq and Syria.

During a visit to the St. Philip’s Center in Leicester, Derian reiterated the importance of promoting unity between Muslims and Christians and rejecting extremism.

The center engages in efforts to strengthen the local community and foster communication between its various religious constituents. Derian, who arrived in the U.K. Monday, encouraged youth at the center to continue their work.

At a reception held by Lebanese Ambassador Inaam Osseiran, Derian said: “We are facing a fierce campaign against Islam from terrorist groups.” He added that such groups were distorting the image of Islam in order to create strife.

“They will not succeed, as wise Muslims and Christians are aware of what’s being plotted against them by these mercenaries, who want to destabilize their coexistence across the world ... We can’t imagine the Middle East without Christians.”

Derian also used his visit to urge Lebanon to elect a president to end its nearly yearlong interregnum.

“Do not link Lebanon’s presidential election to other developments,” he warned.

“The Lebanese are fed up with these attempts ... it’s as if the call for elections has become a routine formality. Delays aren’t in anyone’s interest; rather, they [hurt] everybody,” he said.

Kuwait III: aid for millions of displaced Syrians

Even if the conflict were to end tomorrow Syrians will need assistance for years to come. The conflict has left millions of people hungry, ailing or displaced. The world figures estimate the conflict has reversed development gains in Syria by 35 years, with half its people now living in poverty. Children, women and men are trapped, hungry, ill and losing hope. Even under the best circumstances, the fighting has set Syria back years, even decades.

As the war in Syria has entered its fifth year, Kuwait will host the third International Humanitarian Donors’ conference for Syria on March 31, 2015. We are less than one week from this international gathering and the conflict continues in Syria. The conference, which will work on raising money to help the Syrian people and raise awareness of their suffering, will present a “new hope” for millions of displaced Syrians.

The international community will ask for more support to help people affected by what is currently the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis. As many as 78 nations and 40 international organizations will attend the conference in Kuwait, known as Kuwait III, which aims to raise billions of dollars for U.N. humanitarian operations in Syria.

Kuwait hosted the first and second aid-pledging conferences for Syria in 2013 and 2014. The two gatherings proved successful, with the first raising $1.5 billion in aid pledges and the second $2.4 billion. However, U.N. humanitarian agencies have complained that many donors have not followed through on pledges, forcing them to cut aid to millions of Syrians.

The humanitarian situation in Syria and the conditions for refugees in neighboring countries continue to deteriorate. More than 12.2 million Syrians now need humanitarian assistance including 7.6 million internally displaced people who are struggling to survive and cope with the crisis. More than 3.8 million people have fled Syria, seeking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. As per the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Syrian refugees reached 1.6 million in Turkey and 622,000 in Jordan. At least 1.2 million Syrian refugees have registered with the U.N. in Lebanon, but officials believe the actual number is much higher.

The remarkable increase of Syrian refugees causes a substantial economic burden on those countries, and calls for support and assistance to relieve the burden of hosting refugees.

The countries hosting Syrian refugees are struggling with the massive impact on their economies, societies and infrastructure which threatens not only their stability but the stability of the entire region. The international community must come through now with support – including for neighboring states hosting refugees – and look ahead to plan for long-term recovery. Those nations must receive a large share of the donations because their task is neither easy nor limited since the Syrians will be there until the conflict ends.

Lebanese communities which are hosting Syrian refugees suffer from poverty and high unemployment rates that would undermine security. Therefore it is very important to highlight the plan launched by the U.N. and the Lebanese government which aims at addressing the influx of refugees in order to guarantee proper assistance for those in dire need. Lebanon will ask the Kuwait III conference for $2.1 billion to address the refugees’ needs over the course of two years.

A traditional humanitarian response is no longer enough. The task ahead requires a comprehensive response to the crisis that builds the resilience of these communities and government institutions. “We need a new aid architecture that links support to the refugees with what is being done to stabilize the communities who host them,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ant?nio Guterres said.

On the Dec. 18, 2014, the United Nations and partners launched a major new humanitarian and development appeal, requesting more than $8.4 billion to help nearly 18 million people in Syria and across the region in 2015. The 2015 Syrian response plan and the regional refugee and resilience plan was launched in Berlin.

The appeal includes two main elements: supporting the more than 12 million displaced and conflict-affected people inside Syria, and addressing the needs of the millions of Syrian refugees in the region along with the countries and communities hosting them. The 2015 appeal incorporates, for the first time, significant development aspects in addition to the life-saving humanitarian needs of the largest number of displaced people in the world.

The resilience component is about helping more than a million vulnerable people in communities who will benefit from assistance program and focus on the creation of economic opportunities.

Syria’s war is still escalating and the humanitarian situation is growing protracted. Refugees and internally displaced people have exhausted their savings and resources, and host countries are at a breaking point.

We all hope that this new approach embodies a strategic shift in the method of delivering aid for the region, a strategy that brings together emergency humanitarian operations and host community support with a longer-term program aimed at boosting resilience.

Rubina Abu Zeinab-Chahine is the executive director of the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development.

U.S. Reconsiders Troop Withdrawal Plan In Afghanistan

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Two-Way

U.S. Will Slow Down Withdrawal Of Troops From Afghanistan

The Obama administration said Tuesday that it will maintain about 9,800 troops in Afghanistan until the end of 2015. The U.S. originally planed to reduce the number to 5,500 by the end of the year.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

President Obama Holds First Meeting With Afghan President

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

President Obama held his first face-to-face meeting Tuesday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. White House officials say this marks the beginning of a new, more cooperative U.S.-Afghan relationship.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Lessons In Moving Forward On Race From A 40-Year Mayor

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"It's an intense job, you give it all, everyday, and I just don't want to get into another term where I say 'gee, it would be nice to take it a little bit easier,'" Mayor Joe Riley said. Richard Ellis/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Richard Ellis/Getty Images

"It's an intense job, you give it all, everyday, and I just don't want to get into another term where I say 'gee, it would be nice to take it a little bit easier,'" Mayor Joe Riley said.

Richard Ellis/Getty Images

It might not sound newsworthy that Charleston, S.C. is getting a new mayor next year. But the last time the city elected a new mayor was 40 years ago, in December 1975.

That mayor is Joe Riley; He's been re-elected nine times since, and now, at 72, has decided to retire. During his tenure, he has palpably changed the look and feel of Charleston and has been praised for taking a stand on racial issues. In 2000, he led a five-day march of hundreds from to Columbia, S.C. to demand that the Confederate flag stop being flown above the state Capitol. Riley spoke recently to NPR's Robert Siegel about that march, urban design and and how he feels about having the city's new baseball park named after him.

Interview Highlights

On changing the look of Charleston

What I saw [in Europe] was that the average person loved and was grateful for a quality public realm in their city. And that is the essence of a city — the buildings, the streets, the squares, the parks, the institutions. It is the duty of the mayor of being the urban designer for his city. The mayor has the power to affect people generations away.

And if you think about it, a society is more healthy when the things we love the most are the things we share ownership with. When the public has a park that the richest and the poorest own alike. Or a main street that's lively and safe and healthy and everyone owns, then we're all better off.

On marching to urge removal of the Confederate flag over the state Capitol

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In 2000, Mayor Joe Riley, right, led hundreds of marchers 120 miles to the Columbia, S.C. demanding that the Confederate flag to be removed from the top of the state Capitol. Mary Ann Chastain/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Mary Ann Chastain/AP

In 2000, Mayor Joe Riley, right, led hundreds of marchers 120 miles to the Columbia, S.C. demanding that the Confederate flag to be removed from the top of the state Capitol.

Mary Ann Chastain/AP

I sought this job ... mainly to help build a bridge between the African-American and the white community. Charleston's a deep Southern city, the Civil War was started here, the 60s and 70s time of change, and that was what brought me to this job.

So having the Confederate battle flying atop the state Capitol, it made no sense and it was an affront to many people in our state. And so I led the march, and it came down. And that was a very important experience for me, and I think it helped our state move forward.

On having the city's new ballpark named after him

I never wanted that. I worked hard to get a baseball park built ... and there was a lot of controversy, and why not put it in the outskirts of town where the land is cheap and all of that. So the city council demanded, against my vote that they name it after me.

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Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, home of the RiverDogs. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park in Charleston, home of the RiverDogs.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

[When the season starts] I will throw out my last opening day pitch, and work very hard to get it over the plate.

On deciding to retire

It's an intense job, you give it all, everyday, and I just don't want to get into another term where I say 'gee, it would be nice to take it a little bit easier.' So my goal is to finish the last day in office, mentally, like running through the finish line of a road race with a good kick. I've got about 50 active projects I'm working on right now and probably never worked harder in my life.

2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit Off to a Roaring Start

Ed. note: This was first posted on the U.S. Department of Commerce's blog yesterday. See the original post here.

With more than 2,600 people from more than 70 markets, and economic development organizations from all corners of the United States, the 2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit has record attendance. In fact, it is more than twice as large as the inaugural 2013 event and reflects growing global interest in the United States as a place to launch and expand operations, invest in research and development, and create jobs.

Day one of the 2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit just concluded, and what an exciting day it was. We were honored to have President Obama speak and announce some new initiatives to make investing and expanding within the United States even easier.

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Syrian man killed in attack on Baalbek café

BAALBEK: A Syrian man was killed during a militant attack on a cafe in Baalbek Tuesday, security sources said.

Unidentified gunmen driving a navy blue BMW opened fire at a narguile cafe in the city of Baalbek, wounding Syrian national Ammar Haytham al-Dalati,22.

The Red Cross transported the victim, who sustained gun shots to his arms and chest, to a nearby hospital however, al-Dalati succumbed to his wounds before he could be admitted for treatment.

Security forces in Baalbek cordoned off the area and launched an investigation in to the attack.

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March 8 tried to prevent Siniora STL testimony: Future

BEIRUT: The March 8 coalition has launched a smear campaign against former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to try to dissuade him from testifying before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Future bloc said Tuesday.

In its weekly statement, the bloc, which is headed by Siniora, said the ex-premier’s testimony “explains the background and political dimensions of the media campaign launched by March 8 forces against Siniora in the days preceding the testimony.”

Siniora began offering testimony to the The Hague-based court Monday, detailing a strained relationship between former premier Rafik Hariri and Syria.

In his second day of testimony before the STL Tuesday, Siniora told the court that Hariri had confided to him that he had uncovered multiple assassination attempts against him orchestrated by Hezbollah.

The Future bloc statement did not provide examples of the smear campaign it said was being waged against Siniora, but the MP has come under tremendous criticism after delivering a blistering attack on Hezbollah earlier this month.

During a ceremony to mark the March 14 Movement’s 10th anniversary, Siniora railed against Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria and accused the party of destabilizing Lebanon.

Hezbollah and other March 8 officials denounced the attack, with Tawhid party chief Wiam Wahhab going as far as accusing Siniora of being an Israeli agent.

In its Tuesday statement, the bloc said the campaign was carried out to prevent Siniora from revealing information to the STL.

The statement also expressed dismay at the recent “Persian empire” remarks made by an Iranian presidential adviser, and denounced what it said was Iranian interference in Lebanon’s affairs.

“The bloc confirms that Lebanon is an independent and sovereign state that strictly rejects any interventions in its internal affairs,” the statement read.

Machnouk seeks US aid for security forces

BEIRUT: Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk discussed Lebanon’s security problems with the director of the FBI and other American officials Monday in a bid to secure U.S. support for Lebanese security forces during a visit to Washington.

In a statement released Tuesday, Machnouk said he met with James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who praised Lebanon’s January crackdown on the Islamist block of Roumieh Prison.

The U.S. is willing to offer Lebanon "technical assistance needed by the security forces in the fight against terrorism,” Comey reportedly told Machnouk, according to the statement.

Comey’s comments followed a tour of the FBI’s training center.

Machnouk later met with Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican from California of Lebanese origin.

Machnouk spoke to Issa, and an accompanying delegation of congressmen, about the political situation in Lebanon and the Syrian refugee crisis.

He also met with a group of lobbyists of Lebanese origin who say they push for pro-Lebanese policies in Congress, according to the statement.

That meeting, which was attended by Antoine Chedid, Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, focused on the Interior Ministry’s counterterrorism efforts and plans to address the presence of Syrian refugees.

The delegation responded by vowing to coordinate with American officials over the delivery of aid and technical assistance to Lebanon’s security forces.

During an evening event, Machnouk said Lebanon’s fight against extremists should be left to official security forces, and militias.

“This is the main reason behind my visit to Washington - to provide technical assistance and training for security forces in order to strengthen them and enable them to counter terrorism in a more effective manner,” he said.

Machnouk also offered support to the idea of a joint Arab force to combat extremist movements in the Middle East, saying that a reliance on Iran to combat ISIS is a “recipe for sectarian strife.”

Iran’s role in fighting ISIS may even lead to a Sunni-Shiite war that could last for years, he added.

Calif. Lawyer Proposes Ballot Initiative To Kill Gays And Lesbians

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Rainbow flags fly in front of San Francisco City Hall in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California. Noah Berger/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Noah Berger/AP

Rainbow flags fly in front of San Francisco City Hall in 2013 after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California.

Noah Berger/AP

California's system of direct democracy — the voter initiative process — has produced landmarks laws reducing property taxes, banning affirmative action and legalizing medical marijuana.

Now there's a bid to declare that "the people of California wisely command" that gays and lesbians can be killed.

You read that right.

The "Sodomite Suppression Act," as proposed, calls sodomy "a monstrous evil" that should be punishable "by bullets to the head or any other convenient method."

The act would punish anyone who distributes "sodomistic propaganda" to minors with a $1 million fine, and/or up to 10 years in prison, and/or face a lifetime expulsion from California.

The proposal comes from a Huntington Beach-based attorney, Matt McLaughlin. He did not return calls for comment, and his voice mailbox is full.

Now maybe you're thinking there's no way such a blatantly illegal measure would ever be approved by California voters.

But here's the rub: We might get a chance to find out, because it appears that there's no legal way for state officials to stop the author of this proposal from collecting enough voter signatures to put it on the ballot.

Legal experts are left shaking their heads.

Vikram Amar, a constitutional law professor at the University of California, Davis, said he is almost reluctant to even get drawn into the discussion "to give this guy the attention he wants."

Still, Amar noted there are at least two big issues at stake.

One, given that it costs only $200 to submit an initiative and start the signature-gathering process in California, perhaps the fee should be higher to discourage people from abusing the process. (On the other hand, that could make it prohibitive for legitimate grass-roots petitions to gain traction without well-off backers.)

Two, some advocate that the state attorney general, the official whose job duties include writing a title and summary for any proposed initiative, should have the authority to kill a proposal that would conflict with superseding law — like murder. (Of course, then elected partisan officials with their own political agendas would be the filters.)

But both of those ideas raise their own problems, Amar said.

"Anyone who has 200 bucks for an initiative, probably can raise 2,000 bucks," he said. "But raise it to something meaningful like [10,000] or 20,000 bucks, then you're sending a message about the accessibility of direct democracy."

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California Attorney General Kamala Harris Richard Vogel/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Richard Vogel/AP

California Attorney General Kamala Harris

Richard Vogel/AP

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, favors raising the fee, even though she said, "It won't stop people from submitting crazy ideas."

Like Amar, Alexander does not favor the idea of allowing an elected official, in this case Attorney General Kamala Harris, to block the measure outright by calling it illegal.

The initiative process "needs to be kept at arm's length from the Legislature and the politicians who frequently want to usurp its power," Alexander said.

The initiative's author has provoked discussion and controversy. In fact, there have been calls for McLaughlin to be disbarred for advocating murder.

But, in the end, Amar doubts his idea will ever get enough voter signatures to qualify for the ballot. It's estimated that a ballot-initiative campaign in California costs about $1 million to collect the 365,888 signatures to qualify.

It will take several million dollars more to get enough signatures for such a controversial idea, Amar contends.

"But if I get approached by someone asking me to sign this thing," Amar said, "that will spoil my day having to think about this guy."

Abu Faour orders nursery shut after infant death

BEIRUT: Health Minister Wael Abu Faour ordered Tuesday the closure of a Mount Lebanon nursery in following the death of an infant at the facility one day before.

Clarinette et Zoe Nursery in Ajaltoun was ordered shut after four-month-old Elie Salloum died in an accident, according to a statement released by Abu Faour’s media office.

The decision to shut down the daycare was also based on the fact that the nursery is unlicensed, does not meet health standards and lacks a sufficient number of qualified staff for the purpose of childcare.

The health minister has referred the minsitry’s evaluations in addition to medical assesments to the judiciary.

Abu Faour also called on Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk to assist the Health Ministry in shutting down the nursery.

The cause of the infant's death has yet to be revealed.

A Health Ministry statement Monday said the infant was already dead when he had arrived to the St. George Hospital in Ajaltoun.

The report did not describe the nature of the accident that caused the death.

Monday’s incident marked the second time in two weeks that a baby dies in a daycare in Lebanon.

Last week, the Health Ministry said that an infant died in a nursery in the Beirut suburb of Hay al-Sollom. The statement did not disclose the identity of the child or the name of the daycare.

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No agreement on Lebanon legislative session agenda

Berri expects agreement on legislative session agenda

Speaker Nabih Berri will chair a meeting of Parliament’s Secretariat Tuesday to discuss the agenda for a legislative...

North Lebanon police arrest man over Syrian boy killing

BEIRUT: Police in north Lebanon have arrested a young man accused of killing a 14-year-old Syrian boy Monday.

A security source told The Daily Star that police arrested Ahmad Walid al-Basha, 25, late Monday, hours after finding the body of Ali Halloum in a grassy area on a riverbed in the town of Kwaikhat, in the district of Akkar.

The source said Basha, who is also Syrian, confessed to strangling Halloum with a wire.

Halloum’s body was found with strangle wounds around his neck and with a battered right eye.

A relative told The Daily Star the boy went missing near their home in Kwaikhat around 6:00 p.m. Sunday after walking to a nearby cell phone shop to recharge a line.

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Palestinian security force deploys in Sidon camp

MIEH MIEH, Lebanon: A Palestinian joint security force deployed to the southern refugee camp of Mieh Mieh Tuesday in a bid to clamp down on violence, less than a year after a similar security plan was implemented in nearby Ain al-Hilweh.

The Higher Palestinian Security Committee, which supervises the status of Palestinian camps in Lebanon, deployed 45 members of the security force to the camp, located near Sidon.

The force is comprised of members from the camp’s main factions: the Fatah Movement, Hamas, Ansar Allah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Fatah Movement Col. Khaled Saqr and his deputy Hamas member Ahmad al-Khatib are commanding the security force.

The refugee camps of Burj al-Barajneh and Shatila, which are located in Beirut’s southern suburbs, will be the next targets for the deployment of the security force.

“Today we will deploy in the [Mieh Mieh] camp and we will continue our deployment in Ain al-Hilweh evenly, as well as in Beirut’s Burj al-Barajneh and Shatila camps,” Maj. Gen. Sobhi Abu Arab, head of Palestinian National Security, said in a meeting with the heads of the Palestinian security committee.

“We hope that all our brothers in the joint security force will be in the service our people in this camp and maintain its security and stability,” he added.

Maj. Gen. Munir al-Maqdah, head of the joint Palestinian security forces in Lebanon, said Monday that the security plan serves to ensure that camps don’t intervene in Lebanese affairs.

Maqdah also said the elite force in Ain al-Hilweh will receive a boost in terms of its numbers, effectiveness and training.

Sources from Ain al-Hilweh said the size of the force would be increased to 300, and could eventually rise to 500. The force will undergo intensive training and erect new checkpoints in areas previously not under its control, including the neighborhood of Hatten, where a number of prominent Islamists are believed to reside.

The security plan for the Palestinian refugee camps began with the largest, Ain al-Hilweh, in the summer of last year. The initiative has seen mixed results.

The 150-member joint elite force has so far been unable – or has not yet been allowed – to prosecute the perpetrators of numerous murders committed over the past year.

The force has, nevertheless, managed to contain security incidents when they occur, and ease tensions. The group’s composition of secular and Islamist factions is believed to have played a part in its progress.

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