Excerpts: U.S. Sec.. State Kerry re Iran. Bahraini F.M. urges blacklisting
of Hizbullah. Israel honors Egyptian Holocaust rescuer.Revolutionary Guard
chief criticizes Rouhani.Lebanese army re: Hizbollah. Morsi turmoil spreads
to campuses September 30, 2013
+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya 30 Sept.’13:”Kerry says nuclear deal with Iran could
be reached in months”
SUBJECT: U.S. Sec. State Kerry re Iran
QUOTE:”a deal with Iran could be reached within months if Tehran proves that
its nuclear program was not being used to build atomic weapons”
FULL TEXT:U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday[29 Sept.] a deal
with Iran could be reached within months if Tehran proves that its nuclear
program was not being used to build atomic weapons.
In an interview with CBS's “60 Minutes” program, Kerry said the stated
desire by Iranian President Hassan Rowhani for an agreement within three to
six months could be met sooner if Iran satisfied certain conditions.
“It's possible to have a deal sooner than that -- depending on how
forthcoming -- and clear Iran is prepared to be,” Kerry said.
“We need to have a good deal here. And a good deal means that it is
absolutely accountable, failsafe in its measures to make certain this is a
peaceful program.
“If it is a peaceful program, and we can all see that -- the whole world
sees that -- the relationship with Iran can change dramatically for the
better and it can change fast,” Kerry added.
The Secretary of State also said the U.S. would not consider lifting
sanctions against Iran until it was clear that a “verifiable, accountable,
transparent process” was in place.
He also said that providing that Iran takes concrete steps, the U.S. could
consider lifting sanctions “by setting up a process that shows them how they
can have this peaceful program without disturbing our efforts to make sure
that no country is now going to build nuclear weapons.”
“Iran needs to take rapid, clear and convincing steps to live up to the
international community’s requirements regarding peaceful nuclear programs,”
Kerry told CBS anchor Scott Pelley .
He also added that President Obama clearly welcomes Rowhani’s overtures but
that words are not going to replace actions.
“We need actions that prove that we and our allies in the region can never
be threatened by this program.”
Kerry said that Iran would demonstrate that it had no ambitions for nuclear
weapons if it opened up for international inspection an underground nuclear
enrichment facility in the mountains near the city of Qom.
“They could immediately open up the inspection of the Fordow facility, a
secret facility underground in the mountains,” Kerry said.
“They could immediately sign the protocols, the additional protocols of the
international community regarding inspections,” he added.
“They could offer to cease voluntarily to take enrichment about a certain
level, because there's no need to have it at a higher level for a peaceful
program.”
Kerry's comments signaled marked improvement in relations between the U.S.
and Iran, as he met with Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif.
Rowhani had a 15-minute telephone conversation with Obama on Friday[27], the
first contact between leaders of the two countries in more than three
decades.
The rapprochement has raised the prospect of an agreement being reached
about Iran's nuclear program, which Western countries suspect that it is
designed to build a nuclear weapon.
Iran denies the charge and in his U.N. address, Rowhani said that “nuclear
weapons... have no place in Iran's security and defense doctrine.”
+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 30 Sept.’13:”Bahrain Urges Blacklisting of
Hizbullah due to its Role in ‘Spreading Chaos’ “
SUBJECT: Bahraini F.M. urges blacklisting of Hizbullah
QUOTE:”He said before the U.N.General Assembly:’Hizbullah should be
blacklisted as a terrorist group by the international community due to its
role in spreading chaos’ “
FULL TEXT:Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa
demanded on Monday[30 Sept.] that Hizbullah be blacklisted as a terrorist
group due to its “terrorist actions” and its “fueling of instability.”
He said before the United Nations General Assembly: “Hizbullah should be
blacklisted as a terrorist group by the international community due to its
role in spreading chaos.”
Bahrain had already blacklisted Hizbullah “due to its meddling in the
country's internal affairs.”
Ties between the party and Bahrain had witnessed tensions due to the party's
strong support of a popular uprising in the country that began in 2011.
The Gulf Cooperation Council monarchies decided on June 10 to impose
sanctions on Hizbullah, targeting residency permits and its financial and
business activities in reprisal for the group's armed intervention in Syria.
The council comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates.
+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 30 Sept.’13:”In first, Israel HonorEgyptian
Holocaust Rescuer”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Israel honors Egyptian Holocaust rescuer
QUOTE:”Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial authority in
Jerusalem,(posthumously) awardedDr. Mohammed Helmy the honor of ‘Righteous
Among the Nations,’ which is given to non-Jews who stood up to the Nazi
genocide during the war”
FULL TEXT:Israel has posthumously honored an Egyptian doctor for his role
rescuing Jews during World War II, the first time a citizen of the Arab
country has received the award.
Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial authority in Jerusalem, awarded Dr
Mohammed Helmy the honor of "Righteous Among The Nations," which is given to
non-Jews who stood up to the Nazi genocide during the war.
Helmy, who was living in Berlin, hid a young Jewish woman in a property he
owned during the war and also provided medical treatment for three of her
relatives, Yad Vashem said Monday.
"Despite being targeted by the regime, Helmy spoke out against Nazi
policies, and notwithstanding the great danger, risked his life by helping
his Jewish friends," Yad Vashem said.
"When the deportations of the Jews from Berlin began, 21-year-old Anna
Boros, a family friend, was in need of a hiding place," it said in a
statement.
"Helmy brought her to a cabin he owned in the Berlin neighborhood of Buch
which became her safe haven until the end of the war," it said, adding that
Boros later became Anna Gutman.
"Helmy also helped Gutman's mother Julie, stepfather Georg Wehr, and her
grandmother Cecilie Rudnik... he arranged for Rudnik to be hidden in the
home of Frieda Szturmann," who was also recognized as Righteous Among The
Nations, it said.
Helmy died in 1982, and Szturmann in 1962.
The Righteous Among The Nations title has been awarded to some 24,000 people
in 44 countries since it was set up in 1963.
Honorees receive medals, and their names are inscribed on a dedicated wall
near the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
Last week, a Tour de France-winning Italian cyclist who helped rescue Jews
by smuggling documents on his bicycle while pretending to train,
posthumously received the honor.
+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 30 Sept.’13:”Iran Guards Chief Criticizes
Rouhani-Obama Call”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Revolutionary Guards chief criticizes Rouhani
QUOTE: Revolutionary Guards chief said Monday (30 Sept.) President Hassan
Rouhani should have refused a telephone call from his U.S. counterpart
(Obama)”
FULL TEXT:Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief said Monday[30 Sept.] President
Hassan Rouhani should have refused a telephone call from his U.S.
counterpart, in the first public criticism of the move by a senior official.
Rouhani's landmark conversation with Barack Obama last week was the first
contact between leaders of the two countries since the rupture of diplomatic
relations in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The president took a firm and appropriate position during his stay" in New
York for the United Nations General Assembly, General Mohammad Ali Jafari
said in an interview with the Tasnimnews.com website.
"But just as he refused to meet Obama, he should also have refused to speak
with him on the telephone and should have waited for concrete action by the
United States."
Jafari said the Iranian government could make "tactical errors" but added
that these could be "repaired".
"If we see errors being made by officials, the revolutionary forces will
issue the necessary warnings," added the commander of the elite Guards who
consider themselves as defenders of the values of the revolution.
The criticism came despite appeals earlier this month by both Rouhani and
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for the Guards, to steer clear of
politics.
Jafari said Washington should respond to the good will shown by Rouhani in
New York by "lifting all sanctions against the Iranian nation, releasing
Iranian assets frozen in the United States, ending its hostility towards
Iran and accepting Iran's nuclear program."
The commander of the Guards air wing General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh told the
corps' own sepahnews.com website that "U.S. hostility can't be forgotten
with a phone call and a smile".
But Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan backed Rouhani's decision, arguing that
Obama's call was the sign of Iran's "the power and greatness".
Before and during his stay in New York, Rouhani indicated he had "full
authority" on the nuclear negotiations with the West, and the support of
Khamenei.
The supreme leader has yet to comment on the telephone conversation, but on
September 17 he said it was "unnecessary" for the Guards to get involved in
politics.
The previous day, Rouhani called on the Guards to "stand above political
tendencies".
Rouhani, elected in June on a platform of easing confrontation with the West
and lifting sanctions that pummeled the Iranian economy, accepted a phone
call from Obama on Friday[27 Sept.], and the pair spoke for 15 minutes.
The impetus for the call came from Iranian officials.
The momentous conversation was broadly welcomed in the Iranian press as well
as abroad, but a small group of hardline Islamists protested outside
Tehran's Mehrabad airport on his return.
A shoe was thrown, as the protesters chanted: "Death to America," a slogan
that was long a ritual refrain at official rallies.
In addition to the telephone call, Iran held talks Thursday[26 Sept.] with
foreign ministers of the major powers on the framework for negotiations on
its nuclear program which are due to be held in Geneva on October 15-16.
The West wants major concessions from Tehran including the suspension of all
enrichment of uranium beyond the level required to fuel nuclear power
plants, and the closure of Iran's underground enrichment facility near the
central city of Qom.
The United States and Israel have refused to rule out military action to
halt Iran's nuclear drive, which they say is aimed at developing atomic
weapons.
The West wants major concessions from Tehran including the suspension of all
enrichment of uranium beyond the level required to fuel nuclear power
plants, and the closure of Iran's underground enrichment facility near the
central city of Qom.
Iran insists its nuclear drive is entirely peaceful in nature and that it is
enriching uranium to five and 20 percent only to generate electricity and
for medical purposes.
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 30 Sept.’13:”Lebanon troops in Hizbollah stronghold
after clashes”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Lebanon’s army re:Hizbollah
QUOTE: “Lebanon’s army on Sunday (29 Sept.) took over security checkpoints
manned by Hizbollah”
FULL TEXT:BAALBEK — Lebanon’s army on Sunday(29 Sept.) took over security
checkpoints manned by Hizbollah in the party’s eastern stronghold Baalbek, a
day after a Shiite-Sunni shootout killed four people, a Hizbollah source
said.
It was the second time this week that Hizbollah handed over control of its
checkpoints to the army, after the military deployed in the southern suburbs
of Beirut.
“We have handed over to the Lebanese army our checkpoints at the entrances
and in the centre of the city,” a Hizbollah source told AFP on condition of
anonymity.
“We are now working on handing over other checkpoints, until the military
takes control of them all and it becomes responsible for security.”
Hizbollah set up its own security checkpoints in areas under its control
after bombings that wounded more than 50 people on July 9 and killed 27 on
August 15.
Militants were deployed for weeks to search vehicles and check people’s
identity cards.
Sunday’ [29 Sept.] handover comes a day after four people, including two
Hizbollah fighters, were killed in a clash with Sunni gunmen in Baalbek.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the fighting at a
Hizbollah-manned checkpoint.
“We were preparing to hand over the checkpoints to the army before yesterday’s
incident, but the incident delayed the handover by a day,” said the
Hizbollah source.
An AFP correspondent in Baalbek said Hizbollah militants have withdrawn from
the checkpoints, and that the city was calm despite Saturday’s[28 Sept.]
violence.
Hizbollah is a powerful force, particularly in the southern suburbs of
Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon, where it has been accused of
running a “state-within-a-state”.
Hizbollah, whose military wing was blacklisted by the European Union in
July, did not disarm at the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, arguing that it
needed to protect Lebanon from Israel.
It is backed by Iran and is a staunch supporter of the embattled regime of
Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Hizbollah has found itself targeted in Lebanon over its involvement in
Syria, where it has dispatched fighters to battle alongside Assad’s forces
against rebels determined to topple him.
This involvement has divided opinion in Lebanon, where many Shiites back the
regime and many Sunnis support the Sunni-dominated uprising.
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 30 Sept.’13:”Egyptian students clash as Morsi
turmoil spreads to campuses”, Reuters
SUBJECT: Morsi turmoil spreads to campuses
QUOTE:”The army has promised that a political roadmap that will lead to
elections (in Egypt)”
FULL TEXT:CAIRO — Rival groups of students, some armed with guns and Molotov
cocktails, clashed in Egypt on Sunday, state media and security sources
said, as violence triggered by the overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi
spread to universities.
At least 29 people were wounded in fighting between groups for and against
the ousted Islamist leader at least three campuses, said the reports.
Egypt has been gripped by turmoil since the army ousted Morsi on July 3
after mass protests against his rule, prompting his Muslim Brotherhood to
take to the streets.
A security crackdown has severely restricted the Brotherhood’s activities
and pro-Morsi students have started rallying in campuses, traditional
hotbeds of Islamist and political activity.
They met their first significant opposition on Sunday[29 Sept.] when groups
supporting and opposing Morsi clashed at Cairo’s Ain Shams University,
leaving at least 12 wounded, security sources said.
Fifteen people were wounded when rival students at Zagazig University, some
armed with guns and Molotov cocktails, fought, the state news agency said.
State-owned newspaper Al Ahram said unidentified gunmen shot at students
marching and shouting anti-army slogans in the city northeast of Cairo where
Morsi taught engineering. It did not say whether anyone was hit.
Two people were wounded in clashes at a university in the Nile Delta city of
Tanta, sources said.
The Brotherhood is facing one of the toughest crackdowns in its 85-year
history.
Many of its top leaders were arrested and hundreds of members were killed
when security forces crushed protest sit-in camps in Cairo in August.
The latest blow to the Middle East’s oldest Islamist movement came last
week, when a court banned the Brotherhood and ordered its funds seized.
The army has promised that a political roadmap will lead to elections in the
Arab world’s most populous country.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said at the United Nations on
Saturday[28 Sept.] the transitional phase of government in Egypt should end
“by next spring”, when leaders appointed after the army ousted Morsi would
be replaced.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was expected to visit
Egypt this week, said an EU official.
Ashton, who on a previous visit after the army takeover tried but failed to
defuse tensions, will meet leaders of the interim government, including army
chief and Defence Minister Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the state news agency said.
=========
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA
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