Qatar gives $100mn in aid to Syrians - Qatar Tribune

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12 Thursday, February 21, 2013 Gulf / Middle East Russia, Arab League see chances to start Syria talks REUTERS MOSCOW RUSSIA and the Arab League see signs of hope that the rival sides in the Syrian civil war are willing to start talks to end nearly two years of conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and visiting Arab League head Nabil el Araby said on Wednesday they were encouraged that both the Syrian government and the opposition had voiced readiness for dialogue. “There have been signs of a positive tendency to start dialogue and both the government representatives and the opposition have begun speaking about this,” Lavrov told a joint news conference with Araby. “For now both sides still come up with preconditions but, according to our common view, once there is the key common readiness to start dialogue, then agreeing parameters for this process is just a matter of diplomatic art,” he said. Russia, a long-standing ally of President Bashar al Assad and Syria’s main arms supplier, has vetoed three UN Security Council resolutions that would out pressure on the Syrian government to cease violence in which some 70,000 people have been killed. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Moualem is due in Moscow next Monday and Lavrov said the head of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right), Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr (centre) and Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil el Araby, in Moscow, on Wednesday. (REUTERS) Moaz al Khatib, would likely visit in March. Khatib has said he is willing to negotiate with a deputy of Assad but the aim of such talks would be to find a way to allow the president safe passage into exile and set up a transitional government. “We welcome the initiative by Khatib who proposed to start a dialogue with the government and I think we will be able to reach this goal,” Araby said after talks that also included foreign ministers from Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt. The Cairo-based Arab League in November welcomed the creation of the Syrian National Coalition, but stopped short of giving it full recognition as the representative of the Syrian people. “Russia has very good relations with the government in Damascus and we hope it will use that to convince them that this conflict can only be solved in a peaceful way,” Araby added. Russia, accused by the West and some Arab states of shielding Assad in the conflict, says calls for his departure should not be a precondition for peace talks and that Syrians should decide their own fate without foreign interference. “It is very important that opposition leaders’ readiness for dialogue is met with confirmation by the government that they are ready for dialogue too,” Lavrov said. “Now it’s time for words to be confirmed by deeds.” In the course of the conflict, which started as a clampdown on street protests against the rule of Assad in March, 2011, before descending into civil war, the Arab League has also called on Moscow to halt arms sales to Damascus. But Russia’s export agency said earlier in February it would continue delivering weapons to the government army. Lebanese judge for death penalty to ex-minister, security chief AFP BEIRUT A LEBANESE judge on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for ex-minister Michel Samaha and Syrian security chief Ali Mamlouk, who face charges of plotting attacks on political and religious figures in Lebanon. Lebanese former information minister Michel Samaha Samaha and Mamlouk were first accused in August of planning the attacks along with a Syrian army colonel identified only by his first name, Adnan. Military magistrate Riad Abu Ghida said Samaha and Mamlouk should be given the ultimate punishment “for transporting explosives from Syria to Lebanon in an attempt to assassinate Lebanese political and religious leaders,” according to a copy of the indictment received by AFP. They were also accused of targeting “Syrian gunmen” and “smugglers” in the Akkar region along Lebanon’s northern border with Syria. Samaha and Mamlouk were first accused in August of planning the attacks along with a Syrian army colonel identified only by his first name, Adnan. Investigators have said that explosives were found in Samaha’s car when he was arrested at his home on August 9. A former information minister, the Christian politician is known for having close ties to the Damascus regime. An arrest warrant for Mamlouk was issued on February 4. According to the indictment: “The explosives were delivered by Colonel Adnan to Samaha in Syria with the approval of Mamlouk.” “Defendants Mamlouk and Adnan agreed with Michel Samaha to carry out bombings aimed at killing Syrian gunmen and smugglers... and to recruit people to carry out the bombings against insurgents and smugglers in the Akkar region.” Samaha is also accused of “inciting sectarian strife”. An inquiry will be made to learn the full identity of Colonel Adnan. The military court, meanwhile, decided not to prosecute in the same case Buthaina Shaaban, a senior advisor to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, citing “lack of evidence”. Syria occupied Lebanon militarily and politically for nearly three decades until 2005, when its troops were forced to pull out of the country under international pressure. Seven years after Syria withdrew from Lebanon, the country’s political forces remain sharply divided over their powerful neighbour. People look at a hole made on the ground after mortars were fired near the Tishrin Stadium, in Al Baramekah neighbourhood, Damascus, on Wednesday. (EPA) Syrian footballer killed, three hurt as mortars hit stadium AP DAMASCUS TWO mortars exploded next to a soccer stadium in central Damascus on Wednesday, killing one player and injuring several, Syria’s state-run news agency said. The mortar attack was the second in as many days in the capital. On Tuesday, two mortars exploded near one of President Bashar al Assad’s palaces, causing material damage only. But it was the first confirmed strike close to a presidential palace and another sign that the civil war is moving closer to the heart of Assad’s seat of power and into areas of the capital once considered safe. SANA news agency said the mortars landed on Wednesday in a complex housing the Tishrin Stadium and a hotel next to it in the central Baramkeh district. Some players were practicing in the stadium at the time. It said the player killed was from the Homs-based al- Wathbah club. He was wounded inside the hotel as some players were getting ready to go out and join the practice and died later at the hospital. The Britain-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported one player was killed. Players from al-Wathbah team who witnessed the It said the player killed was from the Homs-based al-Wathbah club. He was wounded inside the hotel as some players were getting ready to go out and join the practice and died later at the hospital. attack identified the dead teammate as 19-year-old Youssef Suleiman, the team’s striker. They said he was the father of a 6-month-old baby. They said the mortars landed in front of Tishrin hotel next to the stadium where players normally stayed, and shattered some of the building’s windows. The attack hit a few hours before the team was to play against the Hama-based al- Mawaair club as part of the domestic league. “We were collecting our things about to head to the stadium when we heard the first explosion and the windows were blown off,” said Ali Ghosn, a 20-year-old player. “Youssef was hit in the neck. We ran out to the corridor when the second explosion struck and I saw Youssef fall down bleeding from his neck,” he said in Damascus as some of his colleagues wept. Ali said Suleiman died shortly after he arrived at the hospital. Three other players were wounded, one of them in critical condition. Assad has tried to maintain an image as the head of a functioning state even as rebels edge closer to the heart of Damascus. The capital had largely been spared the violence that has left other cities in ruins. For weeks, however, rebels who have established footholds in the suburbs have been pushing closer to the centre of Damascus from the eastern and southern outskirts, clashing with government forces. Egyptian court allows policemen to grow beards REUTERS CAIRO AN EGYPTIAN court ruled on Wednesday that policemen may grow beards, ending a decades-old convention barring them from making what is often seen here as a display of Islamic piety. Dozens of police officers were suspended from work in February for breaking the de facto ban on beards introduced under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. They had protested outside the Interior Ministry, calling on Islamist President Mohamed Morsi – who is bearded himself – to secure their reinstatement. Cairo’s High Administrative Court rejected a request by the Interior Ministry to let it suspend officers who defied the unwritten rule. “The court ruled ... that police officers have the right to grow beards,” judge Maher Abu el Enin said. Mubarak used the police to crush Islamist groups he saw as enemies of the state. During his rule, sporting any kind of beard precluded Egyptians from holding senior government posts. Wednesday’s decision backed a similar ruling by a lower court and the decision makes the verdict final. The Interior Ministry’s spokesman was not immediately available to comment. Men across Egyptian society wear beards, including many leftists, but the pressure for ending the police ban came from religious officers who wish to emulate the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, the state’s most organised Islamist movement, has come to power through elections since the popular uprising that toppled Mubarak in February 2011. The ruling is expected to raise worries among minority Christians, liberal-minded Muslims and others who fear that emboldened Islamists will try to force their beliefs and customs on society. Morsi said during his campaign for the presidency that he had no objection to members of the security forces growing beards. Egyptian policemen outside the Shura Council, in Cairo, recently. (AFP)
Gulf / Middle East Thursday, February 21, 2013 13 Tunisian political impasse continues AFP TUNIS TUNISIA was in political limbo on Wednesday as President Moncef Marzouki suffered setbacks in his bid to replace Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, who quit after failing in his plan to form a non-partisan cabinet. Talks between Marzouki and Rached Ghannouchi, head of Islamist Ennahda party, ended inconclusively, dashing hopes of a soon end to Tunisia’s deepest political crisis since the revolt that ousted Zine El Abidine Ben Ali two years ago. “For the moment we have no name,” said Ghannouchi, whose party holds the majority in the National Constituent Assembly, after his meeting with Marzouki. He added that he was in “talks with Jebali” to continue in his post. Jebali announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he had failed in his efforts for a solution to the long-running crisis. He stressed when he resigned he would not sign on again as prime minister under “any initiative that does not fix a date for new elections. What about the constitution? What about elections?” As well as the row over the new government, there is deadlock over the drafting of a constitution, with parliament divided over the nature of Tunisia’s future political system 15 months after it was elected. Ghannouchi after Wednesday’s talks with Marzouki said “numerous parties have expressed their desire to be part of” a new government. “I hope that forming of the government will not go beyond this week,” he added. Adnene Mancer, spokesman for the presidency, said it was hoped that a candidate for the premiership would be known by Thursday. “The issue is in the hands of the party that has the majority in the National Constituent Assembly. Ennahda has not yet decided on its candidate,” he said. Tunisia was plunged into the crisis when leftist politician Chokri Belaid was shot dead outside his home in Tunis on February 6. Though no one claimed responsibility, Belaid’s family accused Ennahda of being behind the killing, which the party vehemently denied. The assassination did little to ease the misgivings of liberals and secularists who believe Ennahda is failing to rein in religious extremists threatening the stability of Tunisia. Belaid’s murder also sparked deadly street protests as well as strikes, which Jebali attempted to defuse by announcing plans for a nonpartisan cabinet of technocrats Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (right) with PDP General-Secretary Maya Jeridi at the Carthage palace, in Tunis, on Wednesday. (AFP) to lead Tunisia into early elections. The proposal quickly foundered and Jebali received a final rebuff by his own Ennahda party on Monday, prompting him to carry out his threat the next day to resign if he failed to win sufficient support. Names being mentioned for the prime minister’s post are Health Minister Abdelatif Mekki and Justice Minister Noureddine Bhiri, both from Ennahda. Marzouki was pursuing his efforts, with a meeting scheduled on Wednesday with Maya Jribi from the opposition Republican party, which has in recent days made it clear it is ready to support a cabinet comprising a mix of politicians and technocrats. Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, a prominent figure in the Republican party, expressed support for Jebali on Wednesday. “We support him because he has gained credibility,” he said. Samir Bettaieb, leader of Al- Massar party, said he had “confidence in Hamadi Jebali due to the role he played after Chokri Belaid’s assassination.” A section of the Tunisia media also showered praise on Jebali. Police arrest 2 south Yemeni separatist leaders AFP ADEN POLICE arrested two separatist leaders in south Yemen, ahead of planned rival rallies to mark the first anniversary of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster, a security official and activists said on Wednesday. Qassem Askar, a leader of the hardline faction of the separatist Southern Movement, was arrested early in the morning in the southern port city Aden, activist Yasser al Yafie said. “He was taken to an unknown location.” Southern cleric Hussein bin Shouaib was arrested late on Tuesday after he chaired a meeting urging protests in Aden, the excapital of the formerly independent south, a security official said. The arrests come on the eve of the first anniversary on Thursday of the uncontested election of President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi which ended Saleh’s 33- year autocratic rule, following a year-long deadly uprising to topple the former president. Supporters and opponents of Hadi, himself a southerner, have said they will hold rival rallies on Thursday, prompting fears of possible clashes in Aden — a stronghold of southern separatists. The Islamist Al-Islah (reform) Party has called for a pro-Hadi rally in Aden’s Khor Maksar district. “We believe that the wise ones among the Southern Movement will not use violence against a peaceful and civilised gathering,” said Abdullah al Alimi, a youth activist linked to Al-Islah. The powerful separatist Southern Movement has warned of unrest if Al-Islah goes ahead with demonstrations while the head of the group, Hassan Baoum, called on supporters to hold anti-Hadi rallies in Aden. Baoum said called for massive rallies in Aden “to reject the election” that brought Hadi to power and pursue the “struggle until liberation” of the south. “We have already warned Al-Islah from holding any gatherings in Aden,” said Naser al Khabji, a leader of the Southern Movement who also warned that “clashes could break out” pro-Hadi supporters demonstrate in Aden. South Yemen was a separate state before unification with the north in 1990. It broke away four years later, sparking a civil war, before it was overrun by northern troops. Some factions of the Southern Movement want autonomy for the area, but more hardline members are pressing for a return to complete independence for the south where residents complain of discrimination by the Sanaa government. Police troopers inspect cars at a checkpoint, in Aden, on Wednesday. (REUTERS) Riyadh recalls ambassador to Lanka AFP RIYADH SAUDI Arabia has recalled its ambassador from Colombo in a tit-for-tat move amid tensions after a Sri Lankan nanny convicted of murder was beheaded in the kingdom, the official SPA news agency reported. “Based on the decision by the Sri Lankan government to withdraw its ambassador from the kingdom, the (Saudi) foreign ministry has recalled its ambassador in Sri Lanka for consultations,” SPA reported late on Tuesday quoting a ministry spokesman. Tensions between both countries have been strained since the January 9 execution at a prison in Riyadh of Sri Lankan maid Rizana Nafik, who was only 17 when she was charged with smothering a four-month-old baby in Saudi Arabia in 2005. Nafik was found guilty of smothering the infant in her care after an argument with the child’s mother, the Saudi interior ministry said. Last month, Sri Lanka’s Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella announced that women under 25 were now banned from going to Saudi Arabia to work as maids, adding that it was the first step towards a worldwide travel ban for low-paying jobs. Gaza decision in murder case raises protests AFP GAZA CITY PALESTINIAN human rights groups and NGOs on Wednesday demanded that a Gaza court explain why it had cut the life sentences handed to two men for the murder of an Italian national. The statement was issued a day after a military court accepted an appeal by two Salafist militants who were convicted last year of the kidnap and murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni in April 2011. Shura member voices concern over 30 jailed Omani activists AFP MUSCAT A MEMBER of Oman’s consultative council voiced concern on Wednesday for the health of 30 jailed activists who have been on hunger strike for the past 12 days, as activists said some of them were in hospital. “We are concerned, as are their families, about the deterioration of the health conditions of the detainees after 12 days on hunger strike,” said Malek al Abri, a member of Oman’s elected Majlis al Shura (consultative council). The council “is in contact, at all levels” with the government to allow a delegation to visit Samayl central prison, 60 kilometres south of Muscat, to “inquire about the situation of the hunger strikers,” Abri said. The hunger strike was first launched by 17 cyber activists in protest at delays in their appeals after they were jailed for between six to 18 months for “unlawful assembly and violating the Cyber Law.” They were later joined by 13 other prisoners protesting their conditions of detentions, according to activists. Their appeals will be considered by the Supreme Court on February 25 and a Omani Leader Sultan Qaboos bin Said (centre) during a session of the Council of Oman, in Muscat, recently. (AFP) final decision will be made on March 4, according to Abri. An activist, who requested anonymity, said that “some of the hunger strikers were hospitalised after they lost consciousness”. Two of them — Saeed al Hashmi and Abdullah al Arimi — were still in hospital, the activist said. In their appeal, the two militants had asked the court drop the murder conviction, leaving only kidnapping on their file, but it was not immediately clear whether that part of the appeal was accepted. Both were sentenced to life behind bars but escaped the death penalty following a request from Arrigoni’s family. “In its latest decision on 19 February 2013, the court granted the convicts’ appeal by reducing the first and the second defendants’ sentence from life imprisonment with hard labour to 15 years imprisonment,” said a statement by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al- Mezan, Addameer and the Palestinian NGO network. In response, they demanded that the court “publish the reasoning of its decision to reduce the sentence as soon as possible, in order to clarify its Several groups of activists are on trial on charges of defaming or using Internet social media networks to insult Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled the Gulf sultanate for 42 years. The appeals court has upheld the jail terms of many already sentenced. Others have been tried after taking part in protests demanding political reforms that shook usually calm Oman in 2011. Riot police used force to disperse the demonstrations, but Sultan Qaboos responded to the unrest by reshuffling the cabinet and increasing the powers of the consultative assembly. motive.” Although the family had expressed a wish that the court refrain from applying the death penalty, it was not a licence for “tolerance or waiving the private or public right when dealing with perpetrators of dangerous and serious crimes like in this case,” it said. A third man who was also convicted in connection with the Arrigoni murder will also appeal on February 24 to reduce the 10-year sentence he was handed. In their appeal, the two militants had asked the court drop the murder conviction, leaving only kidnapping on their file, but it was not immediately clear whether that part of the appeal was accepted. Arrigoni, 36, a member of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, was kidnapped on April 14, 2011 by a group of Salafists and found hanged in an abandoned house in northern Gaza. It was the first time a foreign national had been murdered in Gaza since Hamas took over.
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Qatar gives $100mn in aid to Syrians - Qatar Tribune

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