Friday 30 November 2012

Who drafted the meaningless UN bid?

 
Abbas Submits Weak UN Status Bid

by Stephen Lendman

Palestine deserves full UN membership. It’s entitled to all rights and privileges afforded other Member States. Getting them is simple. It should have happened years ago.

Palestine satisfies all essential criteria. On November 15, 1988, it achieved statehood.

Previous articles explained. Security Council vetoes can’t prevent UN admission. General Assembly Member States have sole authority.

A two-thirds majority admits full de jure members. A simple majority admits observer ones. Palestine has more than enough support for either.

Why Arafat didn’t seek UN admission he can’t explain. In 2004, Israel murdered him. It’s indisputable. Clear evidence proves it.

Abbas has lots of explaining to do. He’s a longtime Israeli collaborator. He’s a traitor. Israel made him president for that reason.

Palestinians have good reason to expect a watered-down, meaningless UN bid. That’s all they’ll get. The fix is in. It shouldn’t be that way.

Abbas seeks nonmember observer status. With it come significant rights. Getting them requires not requesting they be excluded or omitting them from draft text language.

Full rights permit joining specialized UN agencies. They include the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Law of the Sea Treaty (LST), NPT, International Court of Justice (ICJ), and International Criminal Court (ICC).

Membership gives Palestine control of its territorial waters and air space. Other rights are afforded.
Suing Israel (at the ICJ) and Israeli officials (at the ICC) for genocide, as well as crimes of war and against humanity is permitted. By or after 2017, Israel can also be sued for criminal aggression.
November 29 is D-Day (decision day). UN Member States will vote. Palestine will easily gain upgraded nonmember observer status. At issue is what comes with it. It depends on what’s excluded.
Abbas submitted a 316-word draft. It calls for resuming peace talks with Israel. Doing so is meaningless and insulting. Abbas knows it. Going through the motions is a charade.

Peace isn’t possible without a legitimate partner. Palestine never had one. It doesn’t now.
Talks were stillborn from inception. One observer called them “the most spectacular deception in modern diplomatic history.”

Israel doesn’t negotiate. It demands. Nothing short of unconditional surrender is acceptable. Decades of on and off talks were futile. Dealing with Netanyahu assures no resolution.

Israel spurns peace. Netanyahu calls pursuing it “a waste of time.” The so-called “peace process” is more slogan than reality. It’s a duplicitous charade.

Abbas’ draft language said nothing about halting settlement construction. It doesn’t request membership in UN agencies and treaties. That’s key.

Without it, upgraded status is meaningless. Vital rights are denied. Abbas seems headed in that direction. It shouldn’t surprise.

He sold out Palestinians at Oslo. He became Israel’s enforcer. He supports occupation harshness.

Israel made him president. He lives a privileged lifestyle. His own people suffer. He’s near retirement. He doesn’t want to spoil things now.

On November 26, the London Guardian headlined “Britain ready to back Palestinian statehood at UN.”

Statehood is not at issue. Britain’s “generosity” comes with strings. It wants Palestine denied all rights.
  • It wants no anti-Israeli recriminations.
  • It wants Palestinians to behave like good little boys and girls and do whatever Israel wishes.
  • It wants occupation harshness continued. It wants no change in Gaza’s siege.
  • It wants Israel allowed to steal all parts of Judea and Sumaria it wishes.
  • It wants settlement construction to continue unimpeded.
  • It wants peace process hypocrisy to resume without preconditions.
  • It wants Palestine’s observer status to be impotent and meaningless.
Expect Abbas to accede to all demands. He cares only about his own status and welfare. He’s a duplicitous traitor. He’s also a pathetic spent force. Hamas emerged from Pillar of Cloud resolute and resilient.

Throughout eight days of terror bombing and shelling, Abbas was largely sidelined and silent. His support was rhetorical, not real. He wants Hamas destroyed.

He said so before Cast Lead began. He knew about it in advance. He endorsed it. He likely had advance Pillar of Cloud knowledge. He did nothing to help his own people. He spurns them. He’s their enemy, not ally.

Expect pathetically little from his UN bid. Why else would Israel, Washington, and other Western states permit it.

On November 27, Haaretz headlined “Israel, US hold secret talks on softening Palestinian Authority’s UN bid,” saying:

Israel and Washington conspire like they always do. At issue is neutralizing Palestine’s bid. “Softening” means neutering or castrating.

On Sunday, Netanyahu’s representative, Isaac Molho, left for Washington. He’s meeting with senior administration and State Department officials.

Earlier, Israel and Washington went all-out to subvert Palestine’s bid. It’s proceeding as planned. Tactics changed. Focus now is on making it meaningless.

Obama officials say they “will try to soften the wording, in an attempt at damage limitation.” It’s more than that. They want full Israeli authority unimpeded.

They want no ICJ or ICC lawsuits. They want everything Britain demands and then some. They want Palestinians denied all rights. Obama and Netanyahu agree.

Language is being drafted. Washington and Israel want it inserted in Abbas’ draft before Thursday’s vote.

Earlier, Congress threatened to suspend, cut, or cease UN funding if Palestine gets nonmember observer status. Freezing or cutting off US funding supplied Palestine was also mentioned.
Israel promised tough retaliatory measures. Threats included revoking privileges afforded PA officials, canceling work permits for Palestinians in Israel, halting tax transfers, and greatly expanding settlement construction.

Avigdor Lieberman wants the PA destroyed. Softer language changes things. Haaretz said after the UN vote, “Israel will introduce sanctions against the Palestinians” but they won’t be as harsh as originally planned.

“Only if the Palestinians use the UN decision to advance moves at the (ICC) will Israel consider more drastic steps.”

An unnamed senior Israeli official said:
“We have to be clever, not just right. There will be measures in reaction, but they will be relatively moderate.”
He has temporarily freezing tax revenues in mind. Doing so is easily “reversible.” Israel wants Palestinian enforcers paid. They’re needed. They’re complicit in assuring occupation harshness.
Settlement construction will continue unimpeded. So will land theft and dispossessions. Palestinians will be forced off their own property. Their homes will be demolished. Jewish development will replace them.

Hundreds of new housing units will be announced. Illegal outposts will be authorized. Palestine will be shrunk in size to near extinction. UN status Palestine gets will be impotent to stop it.

Washington and Israel plan it that way. Expect Abbas to acquiesce. He always does. The fix is in. Palestinians always end up on the short end. Some day things will change. When, who knows.

A Final Comment


On November 27, at around 2PM regional time, Haaretz headlined “Israel-US efforts to soften wording of Palestinian UN bid has failed, official says.”

Abbas submitted his draft days earlier. PA negotiator Saeb Erekat said language won’t change. Perhaps it doesn’t matter. What’s proposed is weak. The text left much to be desired.

Haaretz said Palestinians refused new language to “prevent them from filing (ICC) criminal charges….”

Having authority is toothless without using it. Abbas and other key PA officials spurned Palestinian rights for years. Expect no change now.

Haaretz said “Palestinians made clear to the US and several prominent European Union that they (will only) provide an oral guarantee” not to file ICC charges for about six months.

Before submitting his draft last week, Abbas inserted language some EU countries requested. It included:
  • peace talks would resume with no preconditions; and
  • a statement to the effect that Member States affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, peace, and a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders.
Haven’t we heard all that before? It’s repeated ad nauseam. It’s gone on for decades. Policy doesn’t follow rhetoric. Occupation harshness continues.

Peace talks are meaningless without a legitimate partner. Palestine never had one. It doesn’t now.
For over 45 years, UN pledges and resolutions afforded Palestinians no rights. Nothing changed now. Measures without teeth are worthless.

Rhetoric falls woefully short. Nations able to help, don’t. UN nonmember observer status changes nothing.

Palestinians remain isolated on their own. Occupation harshness won’t change. Palestinian suffering continues. What matters is ending it. Nothing else.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

What do they want from Syria?

A general view of the scene of a car bomb explosion in Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus, on November 28, 2012
A general view of the scene of a car bomb explosion in Jaramana, a mainly Christian and Druze suburb of Damascus, on November 28, 2012
Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:25AM
The terrorist war on Syria, which the Western media trumpet as a 'pro-democracy uprising,' is aimed at precisely the opposite of pluralist coexistence. What the terrorists want is to tear the tolerant soul out of the country and plunge its people into an internecine, hate-filled sectarian bloodbath."
"What do they want from Jaramana? The town brings together people from all over Syria and welcomes everybody.” These were the anguished words of one distraught resident in the Syrian town of Jaramana that was devastated by multiple deadly explosions this week.

The death toll has yet to be confirmed. Early reports on the blasts said 34 were killed. Later, the toll was put at more than 50, with over 120 injured, many critical. All of the victims were civilian.

Over the past 20 months, Syria has witnessed dozens of massacres and horrific car bombings in its capital Damascus and in other cities and countless villages across the country. But the latest atrocity in Jaramana, located close to the capital, is distinguishable perhaps because it most clearly shows the vile Machiavellian mentality of the perpetrators in their broader strategy towards the Middle Eastern country.

As the words of the shell-shocked resident above indicate, Jaramana can be seen as an exemplar of the pluralist nature of the Syrian society, “welcoming everybody”. The town is particularly known for its Christian and Druze Muslim communities, who by all accounts have coexisted peacefully for centuries. The populace is also largely supportive of the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.

This Wednesday morning, as workers, mothers and school children were going about their usual daily routine, two massive no-warning explosions ripped through the heart of Jaramana. The second blast was detonated minutes after the first one when bystanders were rushing to the scene to aid the wounded. The heinous calculation of the perpetrators was to maximise the killing and suffering.

“What do they want from Jaramana?” The answer is revealed in the resident’s subsequent words: “The town brings together people from all over Syria and welcomes everybody.”

The terrorist war on Syria, which the Western media trumpet as a “pro-democracy uprising”, is aimed at precisely the opposite of pluralist coexistence. What the terrorists want is to tear the tolerant soul out of the country and plunge its people into an internecine, hate-filled sectarian bloodbath.

The targeting of Jaramana is a deliberate, brutal calculation to precipitate such a bloodbath. The town has been inflicted with several similar, although less deadly, bombings in recent months. On 29 October, a car bomb killed 11 people.

There are no military or state security installations in Jaramana. As noted, it is a urban district known for its tolerance towards mixed religions and cultural heritage. But, for the terrorists and their fiendish mentality, that civic virtue made Jaramana a prime target.

The armed militants in Syria are driven by Sunni extremists of Wahhabist or Salafist tendencies, who see pluralist coexistence of Sunni, Shia, Alawite, Druze, Christian, Jews and non-believers as anathema to their demented puritanical ideology.

Other elements within the Syrian armed militant groups would appear to be simply “soldiers of fortune” - mercenaries and criminal opportunists who have no particular religious affiliation.

However, taken together, these various militant factions are united by one criminal goal: to smash Syria, ruthlessly and recklessly.

The Syrian society, as it currently exists with its emphasis on secular pluralism, must be destroyed at all costs by these extremists and criminal opportunists. The most effective way to sabotage Syria is to unleash a sectarian bloodbath and to pit communities at each other’s throats. That will ensure the collapse of the central government and the splintering of society into sects. In this intended milieu of violence, chaos and fear, Syria will then be at the mercy of those who want to dominate this proud, historic country.
The enemies are well known. Western governments have had their knives out for Syria over many years, seeing it as a strategic obstacle of popular resistance to Western imperialism and Zionism in the Middle East. The Sunni regimes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and latterly Egypt under Mohammed Morsi want to see Syria roped into their camp, with the added appeal of undermining Iran’s regional influence.
Saudi Arabia’s autocrats are particularly obsessed with defeating what they perceive jealously as the Shia Crescent represented by Iran, Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Both of these agenda converge on the objective of isolating Iran and setting up the Islamic Republic for an all-out military assault.

Syria is therefore a crucial geopolitical prize for the West and its regional allies. The supposed advocacy of democratic reforms by Western governments and their corporate media mouthpieces is of course a cynical cover for their criminal imperialist agenda. That particular ridiculous lie is exposed by the West’s collusion with the most repressive dictatorial regimes on the planet - the Persian Gulf monarchies - in “liberating” Syria.

Also, if Saudi Arabia and Qatar are so concerned about the welfare of their Arab Muslim brothers in Syria, why aren’t these supposedly chivalrous monarchs sending weapons and fighters to help the besieged Palestinian people of Gaza?

A measure of the Syrian prize is the criminal lengths to which the enemies of Syria are willing to go in order to vanquish the country and install their self-styled regime.
The massacres of families and children in villages like Houla and Qubair; the cold-blooded execution of civilians forced to kneel before their killers; and the callous bombing of civilians as seen this week in Jaramana are techniques of terror that the Western governments and their allies have perfected elsewhere over several decades. The Americans used such demonic scientific terrorism in Central America; the French in North Africa; and the British in East Africa and more recently in Northern Ireland.
Syria is witnessing the worst of all possible criminal assaults - the evolution and amalgamation of Western state terrorism fuelled with the petrodollars of mindless Arab despots.

Adding to the abomination, many of the crimes in Syria have been filmed by the perpetrators and subsequently released claiming that they were the action of government forces. One incident was the explosive demolition of a mosque by the mercenaries in Aleppo, who were filmed laughing at their war crime. Western media claimed it was the Syrian national army, only for it to emerge that it was actually the members of the so-called Free Syrian Army.

Recent claims that the Syrian armed forces are using cluster bombs to kill children have been given the usual Western media prominence. But given the track record of the Western-backed mercenaries and the Western propaganda machine, the weight of suspicion surely lies on them.

Within hours of the mass murder of the innocents in Jaramana, the United Nations General Assembly in New York adopted a draft resolution condemning the Syrian government for what it called “widespread human rights abuses”.

The condemnation was co-sponsored by the United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey - the very sponsors of Western state terrorism plunging the Syrian people into a bloodbath. The UN stands as an institution that is not just a debased propaganda tool, it is a propaganda tool splattered with the blood of innocents.

FC/HJL
 
River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

UN Recognizes Palestine as Non-Member Observer State



Local Editor
 
The UN General Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly voted to make Palestine a non-member observer state, inflicting a major diplomatic defeat on the United States and the Zionist entity.Abbas at UNGA
Palestinian Authority Chief Abbas considered the move at the UN a "birth certificate" for a Palestinian state and got the backing of 138 countries in the 193-member assembly. Nine voted against and 41 abstained, while five did not participate.

A Palestinian flag was unfurled in the General Assembly as the victory was pronounced.

The vote lifts the Palestinian Authority from an observer entity to a non-member observer state"on a par with the Vatican.
Palestine has no vote in the General Assembly but can now join UN agencies and potentially the International Criminal Court (ICC), where it could ask for a probe of Israeli actions, including during the recent offensive against Gaza.
Abbas said he hoped to use the status upgrade as a launch pad for renewed direct talks with the Zionist entity -- frozen for more than two years -- calling the resolution "the last chance to save the two-state solution."

In a 22-minute speech Abbas said time for an accord is running out. "The rope of patience is shortening and hope is withering."

Afterwards, he said the vote had been "historic."

"Tomorrow we begin the real war," Abbas said at a celebration reception. "We have a long road and difficult road ahead of us. I don't want to spoil our victory tonight, but the road ahead is still difficult."

WASHINGTON, TEL AVIV CONDEMNS

 The United States and the Zionist entity immediately condemned the vote, which US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called "counterproductive."

US Ambassador Susan Rice sternly told the General Assembly that the resolution would be "an obstacle to peace" because it would not lead to a return to direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

"Today's grand pronouncements will soon fade. And the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed, save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded," she said.

The United States blocked a Palestinian application for full UN membership -- made by Abbas in September 2011 -- at the Security Council.

For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Abbas's address. "The world watched a defamatory and venomous speech that was full of mendacious propaganda," his office said.
Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor said recognizing Palestine "will place further obstacles and preconditions to negotiations and peace," and could even lead to further violence.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
 

American Holocaust of Native American Indians (FULL Documentary)



River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian  
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!

PUMPED: Palestinian Flag and New Palestinian Map as approved by "Arab Spring"

Palestinian flag hoisted at UNESCO, and Map of Palestine:
"The image of the great conspiracy led by Qatar"
Hamas hopes it'sjust a technical mistake - Not reported at PIC
Reserved for Palestine
In a significant diplomatic victory for the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian flag was hoisted on Tuesday at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, a first at a UN agency.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas proclaimed the flag raising as the first step towards full recognition of Palestine.

"This admission is a first recognition of Palestine," Abbas said at the ceremony in Paris.
"It is moving to see our flag raised today at a UN agency. I hope that this will be a good omen for Palestine's admission to other international organizations."

Palestine won admission into the UN's cultural agency in October, with an overwhelming majority of nations in favor of the Palestinian bid, 107-14.

The bid is part of a campaign by Abbas to gain full recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
Abbas is seeking full UN membership for Palestine, but his plans may be thwarted as any application would need to pass through the UN Security Council, where the US holds a veto.
Flag of Palestine Flies at UNESCO
The United States, Canada, Germany and Holland
voted against Palestinian membership.
The campaign has angered the US, Israel's primary backer, which is likely to veto a Palestinian bid for full UN membership at the Security Council.

The US withdrew funding for UNESCO after Palestine was successfully admitted, forcing UNESCO's director general, Irina Bokova, to announce drastic savings.

Washington is the largest sole contributor to UNESCO, making up 22 percent of the agency's budget.
Israel also reacted angrily to Palestine's admission, slapping a freeze on tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority before the Israeli cabinet lifted the ban earlier this month.

Israel is also accelerating the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank, announcing this week the building of 40 new settler homes in Bethlehem.

But US and Israeli pressure has not deterred Abbas, who remains adamant in achieving full recognition of Palestine from the international community.

"We are currently holding talks with the parties," he said when asked about the Security Council at a press conference.

"We have not yet asked for a vote but this could happen at any moment. If we don't have a majority, we will repeat our request again and again."

"We intend to address all international organizations," he said, adding: "But we will choose the right time to do this." *

UNESCO's Bokova welcomed Palestine at the ceremony in Paris, expressing hope for a peaceful solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

"A solution with two states living in peace and security has been long-awaited," she said.
"I'd like to believe that this admission to UNESCO is a chance to show that peace is also built through education and culture."
* It is is not the moment to open a front against Israel, therfore, PA gave-up its 6 months presidency term in Arab league.

According to Khalid Amayereh, its the moment to "reform" Syria once for all,

"The PA ought to press the new rulers of Egypt to make the Egyptian commitment to honor and uphold the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty subject to Israeli treatment of the Palestinian people. The same thing applies to all new governments and regimes in the Arab world. This is what everyone would call smart politics." he said
His brother Ibrahim Hamami, based in LONDON wrote in Libya Today:
 
"One of the most important direct results of Arab revolutions it dropped masks on many self-anointed culture and thought and even organizations and movements, (hinting to Hezbollah) which stood at the beginning with Egypt and Tunisia revolutions, then quickly changed the course when the train of change regulations reached the so-called revolutionary regimes) trading in everything, especially when the Syrian regime start shaking the verge of collapse to follow previous systems of oppression and domination.
Shocked, defeated psychologically and on the ground, they dislike what is happening, They find difficult to accept that the world has changed, that the slogans of the past century and its cries and silly media no longer have a place among the people revolted, with space media (Al-Jazeerah) conveying what's happening moment by moment by the sound and image.

In a desperate attempt, perhaps in a miserable awakening before final doom, they are trying to grab the news here or there, even if the sites have not been heard of before, or from blogs or unknown sources, everything important to distort the image of the revolutions...."
Piling up higher, he ended his piece of...
We promised them with every revolution to rejoice their defeat and our next gloat will be soon from free Damascus, God willing, that's a promise! (without losing a single nato life)

In case you missed it:

By exilem


Abbas' PA will soon pay compulsory contributions to UNESCO, thereby Palestinians will unknowingly participate in the financing of Judeo-centric propaganda tools imposed on poor kids in starving Somalia and elsewhere.
Indeed, UNESCO has programs to conduct "Holocaust Education" in poor countries ...More here


 River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

FACTS: WMS (Weapons of Mass Salvation)





When truth is obfuscated

When crimes are ignored

When imprisoned if you believe"

When imprisoned if you "deny" 
 
When truth-seekers are attacked

When truth-speakers are kicked out

When poison is offered with honey

When gatekeepers run the show

When wolves put on sheep-clothing

When Injustice becomes the Law

When criminals are defended

When robbers are absolved

When obscenity is glorified

When babies-slaughter becomes the "norm"

When their blood is "nothing new"

When their screams . . . "we've heard that before"

When genocide is downplayed . . . "so what... everyone did it"










Then

RAGE friends RAGE 


RAGE is a virtue

Righteous anger... absolutely justified

RAGE my friends RAGE

Let your rage ignite the den of demons

Let your rage break the chains

Let your rage bring truth to life

Let your rage nail sleaze with FACTS

FACTS friends FACTS 
 


.

Exclusive: Inside Future Movement's Syria Arms Trade



It was soon revealed that the source had been working with Sakr for more than a year as part of an operations room established to support the Syrian uprising. (Photo: Haytham al-Moussawi)
 
Published Thursday, November 29, 2012
 
Al-Akhbar has obtained recordings of Future Movement MP Okab Sakr organizing weapons transfers to the armed Syrian opposition at the behest of Future leader Saad Hariri.
The phone call is the first hard evidence of the role Sakr and his backers in Future were playing in providing arms and logistical support to the Syrian rebels.

In a three-part series built on documents, audio recordings, and interviews with sources close to Sakr, Al-Akhbar will shed light on Sakr’s attempts to hijack the Syrian uprising for his own means while running the armed opposition into the ground.

A few weeks ago, Al-Akhbar’s offices in Beirut received an anonymous phone call. The caller claimed he was in possession of “audio recordings which will expose MP Okab Sakr and his role is destroying the [Syrian] revolution.”

The news did not come as a surprise. Sakr’s connection to the Syrian opposition was well-known, and his role as an arms dealer to the rebels had been documented in the press.
 
Neither was it the first time that information about the existence of audio recordings of Sakr’s conversations had circulated.

Al-Akhbar initially doubted the caller and his motivations, but he promptly sent the first recording. It sounded a lot like Sakr’s voice, which was later confirmed by audio experts.

A few days later, the anonymous caller made another phone call to Al-Akhbar and gave his email address. Further communications were carried out over email and phone to identify the extent of the recorded material and its importance.

The source did not reveal the number of recordings in his possession, saying only that there were dozens. For further confirmation, he sent an excerpt from a second recording.

It was Sakr’s voice again and the voice experts were also inclined to believe so. Yet the recordings raised more questions about the identity of the source, including how the recordings came into his possession and what he hoped to gain by leaking them to the press.

It was soon revealed that the source had been working with Sakr for more than a year as part of an operations room established to support the Syrian uprising.

According to the source, there are several operations centers: one in Antakya, one in Adana, and one in Istanbul. He mentioned that Sakr had his own building in the Floriya neighborhood in Istanbul where meetings are held from time to time.
He also said that around 20 young men from various Syrian regions are charged with running military operations from the rooms. They coordinate with commanders of armed opposition groups to provide needed funding and hardware, and then they direct fighters toward areas under attack or siege, all under the supervision of Turkish and Qatari intelligence officers.

According to the source, all of this was coordinated through satellite communications devices, especially Thuraya and Iridium satellite phones. He added that the men regularly visit Syria to distribute money to opposition leaders.

The source also said that Sakr is very close to the abductor of the nine Lebanese pilgrims, known as Abu-Ibrahim. He claimed the latter received a monthly salary of $50,000, hand-delivered by young men from Sakr’s office.

As for his motivation to provide the recordings, the source said that “Sakr ruined the revolution with his crazy dealings.”

“During the meetings, we would object, for example, to his decision to send weapons to a particular area that we wanted to remain a safe haven for those fleeing the fighting,” the source told Al-Akhbar. “But [Sakr] would hysterically insist on his decision, indifferent to the lives of people.”

He went on to accuse the Lebanese MP of “dealing out money to the commanders of armed groups without discriminating between mercenary killers and patriotic opposition.”

“By God, if the money and weapons were dispersed by Okab in the correct manner, [Syrian president] Bashar al-Assad could have been toppled four times over,” he complained.

The source also mentioned some incidents that “showed Sakr’s real nature,” explaining that Sakr “provided armed support to topple the regime because he hated the regime, not because he loved the Syrian people.”

On several occasions, the Lebanese MP refused to give out financial support to the wounded or civilian refugees, saying “there are humanitarian organizations they can go to,” according to the source.

Despite the source’s boldness and the amount of information he carried, he mentioned that he was fearful of Sakr and wanted to move out of Turkey to a safe place in Syria. Following his move, he became less agitated, although he was “certain” that the Lebanese MP would try to find him.
He did not regret betraying his former patron, however, insisting that he acted out of pity for “the innocent tearful eyes.”

He spoke of several incidents where “Sakr sent my friends out to die, knowing they will definitely be killed, because he doubted them or had a disagreement.”

He mentioned the “limitless influence” of the Lebanese MP within the Turkish intelligence services and the “blind trust” accorded him by the Saudis, whom he felt they trusted more than Saad Hariri himself.

According to the source, Saudi Arabia is not the only Gulf state with whom Sakr maintained warm relations. “His relationship with the Qataris is also exemplary, despite the fierce competition with the Saudis,” the source said.

He also confirmed that Sakr had been spending most of his time in Turkey “to follow up the Syrian revolution minute by minute” for the past several months. He left to Belgium for a short period of time, following disagreements between the Turks and the Saudis. He remained for two months and returned, but has been slightly less active since.

The source revealed that Sakr held regular meetings with field commanders in the presence of Turkish, Qatari, and Saudi intelligence officers. The MP designated his personal friend Louai al-Mokdad, spokesperson for the Higher Council of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), to follow up on some of his duties and refused to delegate to anyone else.

As for the picture published recently showing Sakr and Mokdad together, the source confirmed that the latter leaked it at Sakr’s directions, after receiving information that their relationship had become known.

He said that the MP was put on alert several times after receiving information about incriminating audio recordings from several media and security sources who wanted to warn him.
 
As for Sakr’s recent appearance from France on Future Television, the source said that the episode had been planned prior to the assassination of Lebanese security chief Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan. He said that Sakr left Turkey the same day of the interview, to give the impression that he was away from Turkey and deflect suspicion.

The recordings obtained by Al-Akhbar reveal the role of the Lebanese MP – nicknamed “Abu-Sakr” by some in the Syrian opposition – in distributing weapons shipments and supervising military operations in Syria.

In today’s installment, Al-Akhbar publishes a recording showing Sakr receiving a list of needed supplies from a field commander.

The recording will also be broadcast tonight on OTV News at 8 pm and will become available on Al-Akhbar’s website at the same time.

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.



First Recording: Okab Sakr Arming Syrian Rebels

Abu al-Numan (a leader of an armed group): Assalamu alaikum.

Okab Sakr: Wa alaikum assalam. Go ahead.

AN: Mr. Okab, our group is stuck and surrounded. One or two days and the region will fall. Here we are being bombed by airplanes and artillery. They are attacking from all fronts. Please help; we need weapons.

OS: Please tell me, the weapons you want, what are the quantities.

AN: We need around 300 rocket-propelled grenades and twenty launchers. And if it is possible to provide 250,000 Russian rounds [for AK47s], 300 machineguns, and some special pieces of arms.

OS: All of this, for which region do you need it exactly.

AN: Azaz, Tal Refaat, Andan, and the whole of Rif Halab [Aleppo’s countryside]. You know what is happening here. Since yesterday, they managed to enter from around three fronts from Idlib...and inside Aleppo, we have the Shabiha [government thugs].

OS: So who will receive and where will the deliv

ery happen. How will the operation take place?

AN: Delivery, as usual, will be divided up...Abu al-Baraa will be there with the guys and the cars will take them and bring them to Aleppo. But we need to do it as fast as possible, because there’s a big need and the shelling continues. People are scattered and there’s no ammunition. The men, each one barely has one or two magazines and there’s a lot consumption. Try to get them in any way possible, God bless you. I don’t know what to say, after God, there is only you.

OS: Will you be there at the delivery?


AN: No brother, Abu al-Nour will be there with the guys and the cars. They will take them from you as usual.

Tomorrow on Al-Akhbar – Under Sakr’s Command: Military Operations Rooms Between Lebanon and Turkey









 

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
 

Thursday 29 November 2012

New Egypt draft constitution upholds Sharia


Flanked by bodyguards, Egypt's Islamist then president-elect Mohammed Mursi salutes tens of thousands of Egyptians he addressed in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on June 29, 2012. Mursi paid tribute to Egypt's Muslims and Christians alike and symbolically swore himself in as the country's first elected civilian president. (Photo: AFP - Mohammed Hossam)
 
Published Thursday, November 29, 2012
 
An assembly drafting Egypt's new constitution voted on Thursday to keep the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation, unchanged from the previous constitution in force under former President Hosni Mubarak.

The issue was the subject of a long dispute between hardline Salafi Islamists and liberals in the assembly which will vote on each of 234 articles in the draft constitution before it is sent to President Mohamed Mursi for approval.

After that, Mursi must put it to a popular referendum.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that nominated Mursi for the presidency, hopes that quick approval of the constitution will help end a crisis ignited by a decree that expanded his powers.
While Article Two of the constitution - describing the source of legislation - stays the same, the constitution includes new provisions explaining what is meant by "the principles" of Islamic law, known as sharia.

The assembly also approved a new article that states that Al-Azhar, a seat of Sunni Muslim learning, must be consulted on "matters related to the Islamic sharia".

The final draft makes historic changes to Egypt's system of government. For example, it sets a limit on the number of terms a president may serve to two. Mubarak stayed in power for three decades.
It also introduces a degree of civilian oversight over the powerful military establishment, although not enough for some critics of the document.

The process has been plagued by disputes between the Islamists who dominate the body writing the constitution and secular-minded parties who say the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies have marginalized them in the process.

Prominent assembly members including former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa have withdrawn from the assembly, as have representatives of Egypt's Coptic Church.

Egypt's new draft constitution can be found on the Al-Ahram website, along with those of several other local media.
 
The constitution draft should technically lead to Mursi eliminating a polarizing decree passed last week which gives him legal immunity from the country's judiciary.

The Islamist-dominated drafting panel was accused by secularists and Coptic Christians of railroading the charter. Protests have mounted over President Mohamed Mursi's assumption of sweeping powers, which has plunged the country into its worse crisis since he took office in June.
A court had disbanded a previous constituent assembly and was due to rule on the validity of its replacement on December 2. Liberals and representatives of Christian churches had already withdrawn from the panel.

Mursi last week stripped courts of the power to disband the panel in a decree that gave him broad powers which cannot be challenged by courts, sparking a judicial strike and largest opposition rallies since his June election.

The official Al-Ahram newspaper reported that Morsi would give an address at 1700 GMT Thursday, in which he is expected to defend his decree.
More to follow...

(Reuters, Al-Akhbar, AFP)

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Behind the Scenes: US Proposes Meeting with Iranian Officials

Local Editor

Pope in LebanonHezbollah delegation to the Vatican received a warm welcome from the Vatican circles and the Pope assistants.

The delegation's visit scored high success which caused uneasiness and bitterness among the March 14 coalition, who is trying to tarnish Hezbollah’s image inside and outside Lebanon.

March 14 coalition's visit to Gaza has yielded counter results to what its organizers have aspired.

The presence of Lebanese Forces party MP Antoine Zahraa among the visitors made the Gazans very upset, some of them wanted to boycott the occasion and others leveled heavy criticism for receiving who they dubbed them 'the disbelievers in Lebanese resistance.' Other Palestinian sources dismissed the visit as “opportunistic” and “hypocritical.”

In Gaza!!!

According to well-informed sources, the Americans have recently renewed their proposal to meet with the Iranian officials to discuss a bunch of different strategic regional issues. The Iranian side, insists to include all important and sensitive issues as full package, a thing which according to the same sources had received a positive answer from the Americans this time.

US, Iran flags

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The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!