Posts from — May 2012

The Undeclared War Between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Aref Alobeid, Ph.D. – 29 May, 2012 – Geostrategic Forecasting

Historically, Iran has blamed the Arabs for the demise of the Persian Empire in 636 A.D. The predominance of the ideas of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the current Tehran’s nuclear program and the Iranian interventions against the internal affairs of the Arabic neighboring Gulf countries, constitute grounds of concern for the regime of the family Saud in Saudi Arabia, which is the old rival of Iran.

The factors that give to Saudi Arabia the power to compete with the other member of the Middle East at the regional level are firstly, the leader of the Sunni Islamic Wahhabism as official doctrine[1]. Secondly, the occupation of the first position in production of oil in the world, thirdly, the developing military power compared with all the Arab countries of the Gulf including Iraq and Yemen. In addition, the Saudi dominant role in the Arab League, the Islamic Conference and the Cooperation Council of Arab States of Gulf (GCC) [2].

In 1998, a positive climate developed between Saudi Arabia and Iran for their cooperation in policy-making of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to significantly increase their national incomes. However, recent revelations of Wikileaks reveal the concern of the King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia about the Islamic Republic of Iran in general and its nuclear program in particular. According to them the King Abdullah urges Americans to destroy the Iranian program and “cut the head of the snake”[3], as mentioned characteristics in the diplomatic documents leaked to the public.

The new era of uprisings in the Arab world concerns particularly the Gulf countries. The fear of revolt of the Arabs Shiite against the monarchies is real. Iran, exploiting the Shiite element, considers that the wave of uprisings in the Arab world, with the exception of Syria, is a great opportunity to regain its regional hegemony which has been lost since the Arabs limited his empire. Therefore, the Saudis, who know the Iranian intentions, made the decision to send forces to the neighboring monarchy of Bahrain as the first line of defense, resulting in a deterioration of relations between Tehran and Riyadh.

Bahrain is the apple of discord for the Saudi-Iranian conflict, where Iran, because of sympathy and solidarity, stands on the Shiite opposition of Bahrain on one hand; however Saudi Arabia supports the Sunni dynasty on the other hand. Moreover, the intervention of forces of Saudi Arabia in Bahrain prevented Tehran to exploit the uprising to overthrow Bahrain’s regime. Also, it caused disruption among Shiite communities in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran and Al Kteif in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia, next to the oil producing facilities. …more

Free Hassan Mushaima: Prisoner of Conscience
29 May, 2012

Mr. Hassan Mushaima, a 64 year old is a political prisoner of conscience who has been in detention since March 2011.

He is a prominent leader of the Bahraini opposition movement, the bulk of Mushaima’s life was spent in a prison cell (over 6 years in the 1990’s, then in 2006, 2008 and, more recently, 2011), his only crime being devotion for justice, equality and democracy for Bahraini citizens.

Prior to the popular uprising that took place in February 2011 within the small Middle-Eastern island of Bahrain, Mushaima was in London receiving ongoing medical treatment having been diagnosed with stage IV follicular lymphoma, a malignant cancer, in June 2010, for which he received 6 cycles of chemotherapy under the care of Professor Cunningham, consultant oncologist at the Royal Marsden hospital.

After having responded to the initial chemo-therapeutic drug regime, the plan was to have regular 2 monthly injections of Rituximab (a drug used to prevent relapse of disease, progression and death) for 2 years until January 2013 (appendix- add prof Cunningham letter scan0015).

Mushaima returned to Bahrain in March for a short visit, and was arrested shortly thereafter when the Saudi troops and their tanks occupied Bahrain and took control of the streets, demolishing the iconic Pearl roundabout, previously a hot spot for the peaceful protestors.

During his detention, despite his age and medical condition, Mushaima was subjected extreme physical and psychological torture. Such torture included: direct blows to the body; sleep deprivation; drenching in cold water then placed under a cold air conditioning unit; verbal abuse; and threats regarding his family.

After informing the authorities of his medical condition, Mushaima was blindfolded and taken to a clinic on two occasions, given unknown injections, unaware of the hospital he was taken to, nor the doctor that was treating him. Sometime following the administration of the unknown drugs the doctor in the unknown Bahraini clinic stated that the cancer was still present, although the consultant responsible for Mushaima’s care in London informed him that the cancer had responded to treatment.

His family requested clarification on the treatment he was receiving via their lawyer on 25/08/2011 (appendix, lawyerletter25-08-2011.pdf) and a copy of the medical report, but got a refusal from the military courts.

In addition, Professor Cunningham wrote a letter in October 2011 stating his concern regarding the CT scan, and the need to release him to continue appropriate treatment in the UK (appendix, letter HMoshaima.pdf), yet no action has been taken and Mushaima has not received any treatment in the past 6 months.

The information we have on Hassan Mushaima and his current medical state has caused much concern. His family request that he is released immediately as his condition is rapidly deteriorating, requiring urgent and appropriate medical rehabilitation from Professor Cunningham. If this does not happen soon, his long-term medical prognosis and quality of life is extremely poor, and his family fears that this may eventually lead to his death.

We are asking for your help and support in putting pressure on the Bahraini government for Hassan Mushaima’s immediate release and his transfer to the UK for urgent medical care. …source

Report about the Salihiya detainees
تقرير حقوقي عن شباب الصالحية المعتقلين باللغتين العربية والانجليزية
30 May, 2012

Mahmoud Karoof. Since the start the revolution of Bahrain The Bahraini regime is still acting brutally with people of Bahrain.
Night attacks on homes didn’t stop!

In 27/5/2012 riot police carried out a brutal attack on the town Al-Salheya which is located west of Manama at 4:00am with 5 jeeps and 3 coasters. At this time of course there isn’t any march! But the Bahraini regime is conducting a policy of intimidation for the revenge of the protesters.

Some houses were broken into by Riot police (Mercenaries) Including Mahmoud Karoof’s house and they arrested him.
Mahmoud is 19 years old, he’s a student in Bahrain Institute and he’s preparing to study abroad. His health isn’t good! He’s suffering from burns in his foot.

Rio police surrounded his house. His father went out to them, They told him: We want an arrest of Mahmoud!! They entered into the house garden. They broke into the ground floor on the pretext of inspection. They portrayed Mahmoud when he came down the stairs.

Before they left they said: don’t ask about him before 10:00a.m.

Then they began to search for him after 10 o’clock In all police stations! But without result!
They said: don’t ask about him before two days.

Today 29 may Mahmud is continues with his family. He said to them: Is now in prison (Alhawdh aljaf) Will be arrested for 60 days pending investigation.

Mahmoud and his friends are not criminals, they are prisoners of opinion. The regime of Bahrain is still ignoring to implement BICI recommendations and Criticism of international organizations.

We call you to save them and interest in their cases.

منذ بدء الثورة البحرينية ومازال النظام البحريني يتعامل بوحشيه ناحية الشعب البحريني.
والإعتقالات والقمع والقتل ما زال مستمراً حتى هذه اللحظة. ولأن النظام البحريني إعتاد على هتك حرمات العباد فإن الهجمات الليله على المنازل لم تتوقف حتى الآن.
في 27/5/2012م إقتحمت قوات سلب الأمن ( المرتزقة) قرية الصالحية الواقعه غرب العاصمة المنامة الساعة الرابعة فجراً بـ 5 أجياب و 3 كوسترات لتستيقظ القرية على صراخ الأهالي والإقتحامات، في هذا التوقيت لاتوجد مظاهرات ولا فعاليات لكن النظام البحريني يمارس سياسة الترهيب على شعبه في كل الأوقات للإنتقام منهم وثنيهم عن مطالبهم .
هاجم المرتزقة عدة منازل من ضمنها منزل محمود كروف وقاموا بإعتقاله. والواضح أن النظام قام بإستهداف العائله حيث أعتقل مع محمود عدد من أقاربه.
محمود كروف البالغ من العمر 19 عام ، حالته الصحيه ليست جيدة و مصاب بحروق في جسمه ، يدرس محمود في معهد البحرين و يستعد للدراسه بالخارج وربما بطش النظام البحريني يضيع على محمود أخذ حقه الطبيعي في التعليم.
حاصر المرتزقة منزل محمود كروف و خرج لهم والده ، طلبوا منه تسليم محمود . دخل المرتزقة إلى حديقة المنزل. إقتحموا الطابق الأرضي بحجة التفتيش. وأثناء ما كان محمود ينزل من سلم المنزل كان المرتزقة يقومون بتصويره حتى اقتادوه بعض المرتزقة الملثمين معهم.
قبل خروجهم أخبروا أهله لا تسألوا عن إبنكم حتى العاشرة صباحاً. بعد العاشره بدت عائلة محمد بالبحث عنه بين مراكز الشرطة بلا جدوى. حتى أخبروهم بأن لايسألوا عنه إلا بعد يومين.
اليوم 29 مايو تلقت عائلة محمود إتصال منه أخبرهم أنه في ( الحوض الجاف ) وسيتم إحتجازه 60 يوم على ذمة التحقيق .
محمود والكثيرين غيره يعتقلهم النظام بلا جريمة ولا ذنب سوى للترهيب الذي يمارسه على أبناء الشعب ، يستمر النظام البحريني في تجاهل لتنفيذ توصيات لجنة تقصي الحقائق و إنتقادات المنظمات الدولية .
محمود و رفاقه يستحقون الحرية ، فهم ليسوا مجرمين بل طلاب حق ناضلوا من أجل كرامة الإنسان.
نطالب بتسليط الضوء على قضايا هؤلاء الشباب والمساهمه في تحريرهم من أيدي هذا النظام .
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Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.

Bahrain to Question Human Rights Defenders Participating in UPR Process
27 May, 2012 – Human Rights First

Washington, DC — Bahrain human rights defenders who were in Geneva earlier this week for the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process are to be questioned by Bahrain’s Ministry of the Interior on their return to Bahrain, Jalila al Salman told Human Rights First.

“We hear we are to be summoned for interrogation by the Ministry of Interior for speaking out about the crackdown when we were in Geneva earlier this week,” she told Human Rights First’s Brian Dooley.

Jalila Al Salman, vice president of the Bahrain Teachers Association, is one of a dozen human rights defenders and activists who were at the UPR to report on the Bahrain regime’s crackdown on human rights. She was detained, tortured and sentenced to three years in prison after an unfair military trial last year and is presently out of detention while her appeal is heard.

The President of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, expressed her concern that there would be repercussions for the Bahraini human rights defenders on their return home.

“… I wish to remind you that we are all duty bound to ensure that nobody is persecuted on his return to his country for having participated in meetings of the human rights council or other bodies,” she told the Bahrain government.

“Harassing human rights defenders is a hallmark of repressive regimes. Representatives of Bahraini civil society must not be targeted for speaking at the UPR,” said Dooley. …source

Militarization of Bahrain’s public health system
May, 2012 – Report Physicians for Human Rights

[Excerpt] – Two PHR investigators, Holly Atkinson, MD, and Richard Sollom, MPH, returned to Bahrain in April 2012 to assess the current human rights situation and to investigate potential ongoing violations of medical neutrality in Bahrain since April 2011. The team conducted 102 in-depth qualitative interviews, examined medical records and radio-graphic images, conducted two site visits to Salmaniya Hospital and an “underground clinic,” and interviewed patients, doctors, and government officials.

Under the Under the principle of medical neutrality, State authorities must ensure safe access to medical facilities and transport, and ensure the safety of medical workers and their patients. At the same time, medical workers must provide impartial care to all who seek their help. Over the past 14 months, however, the Government of Bahrain has denied a largely Shia segment of its population these rights, resulting in widespread fear among many who seek medical treatment.

According to over a dozen sick and wounded civilians whom PHR investigators interviewed in April 2012, this fear is due to:

• the ongoing presence of State security forces inside Salmaniya Hospital

• the systematic interrogation of incoming patients and visitors, and

• the subsequent beating, detention, and prosecution of many Shia who are suspected of having participated in street protests.

In addition to conducting 102 interviews, PHR investigators visited Salmaniya Hospital twice in April 2012 and confirmed eyewitness accounts that two to four Bahraini national guards man each of the nine exterior gates into Salmaniya Medical Complex.
…more – full report PDF

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Report: Obama seeking Russia aid in orderly Syria regime change
28 May, 2012 – Haaretz

U.S. President Barack Obama is working to convince Russia to join an effort to implement a Yemen-style transfer of power in war-torn Syria, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

According to Obama’s reported plan, Syrian President Bashar Assad would step down from power, while several members of his regime would remain in office, as was the case with ousted Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh earlier this year.

To accomplish this, the U.S. president is reportedly seeking the aid of staunch Assad ally Russia, hoping to sway Moscow away from its total objection to the idea of regime change in Syria.

U.S. administration officials, speaking to the New York Times on condition of anonymity, said that Obama had already brought up the plan during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the Group of 8 meeting at Camp David last week, adding that Medvedev appeared receptive.

A senior official told the New York Times that during the meeting “Medvedev raised the example of Mubarak in a cage,” as a negative form of power transfer, to which Obama “countered with Yemen, and the indication was, yes, this was something we could talk about.”

However, while Medvedev did not outright reject the notion of a Yemen-style power transfer, the final say would have to be that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with which Obama will discuss the issue in a meeting planned for next month.

According to the New York Times Obama’s National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, raised the plan with Mr. Putin in Moscow three weeks ago.

In addition, American officials told the Times that Russia would be allowed to retain its influence in post-Assad Syria, saying: “Look, we recognize that Russia wants to have a continued influence in Syria,” adding that the U.S. “interest is in stabilizing the situation, not eliminating Russian influence.”

Earlier Saturday, the international community forcibly criticized Assad’s regime after the United Nations said that more than 92 people were killed in what activists described as an artillery barrage by government forces on the central Syrian town of Houla.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement, “Those who perpetrated this atrocity must be identified and held to account. The United States will work with the international community to intensify our pressure on Assad and his cronies, whose rule by murder and fear must come to an end.”

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius condemned the violence as a “massacre”, and said he wanted to arrange a meeting in Paris of the Friends of Syria, a group that brings together Western and Arab countries keen to remove Assad.

U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was coordinating a “strong response” to the killings and would call for the Security Council to meet in the coming days.

In a statement, Arab League head Nabil Elaraby called the killing in Houla a “horrific crime”, urging the UN Security Council – where Russia and China have protected Syria – to “stop the escalation of killing and violence by armed gangs and government military forces.”
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Opposition delegates at Universal Periodic Review in Geneva subjected to intimidation as international rights groups criticise Bahrain’s

Bahraini Activists Abused for Role in UN Human Rights Review
By Anissa Haddadi -29 May 29, 2012 – IB Times

Bahrain’s opposition delegates who attended the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations office in Geneva faced a huge backlash after criticising the country’s “deplorable human rights record”.

The UN holds the UPR every four years to review the human rights records of all 192 member states.

Following the session in Geneva this year, Bahraini representatives of civil society have spoken of a continuing campaign of abuse that has been waged against them for speaking out about the situation in Bahrain, even though international rights groups had also criticised the country’s record on human rights.

They said a series of threatening articles have appeared in the Bahraini press and hostile messages have been left on social networking sites, which have caused them serious distress and left them fearing for their safety.

Dr Nada Dhaif was among a group of Bahraini medics who were arrested and sentenced to jail for treating protesters during last year’s pro-democracy demonstrations in Bahrain. She told IBTimes UK: “There is a clear media campaign against us [the opposition delegates who attended the UPR].

“We have been called traitors, corrupt, Iranian agents and other even more defamatory names. Some people have even suggested that the government should revoke our nationality and confiscate our passports.”

Dhaif’s comments were echoed by other representatives who attended the review, including Dr Alaa Shehabi, an economics lecturer and founding member of the advocacy group Bahrain Watch, and Jalila al-Salman, a Bahraini teacher and vice president of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association, who was arrested and detained for 149 days last year, during which time she was allegedly tortured by members of the security forces.

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Iran to West: drop sanctions threat
29 May, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday warned Western countries that pressuring Iran with sanctions while continuing nuclear talks would jeopardize chances of reaching an agreement, Iranian media reported.

“This approach of pressure (from sanctions) concurrent with negotiations…will never work. These (Western) countries should not enter negotiations with such illusions and misinterpretations,” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said during a news conference broadcast by state network Press TV.

“They have their own wrong conceptions and this will stop them from coming to a speedy and constructive agreement,” he added.

Mehmanparast also said the West should withdraw its “illogical” demand that Iran halt production of uranium enriched to 20 percent, stating that Iran had the right to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

The West is concerned that uranium enriched to 20 percent, used for fuel in Iran’s medical reactor, could quickly be turned into more highly enriched weapons-grade material.

However, the Iranian official welcomed negotiations between Tehran and the West, expressing hope the next round of talks in Moscow will bring two sides closer.

Israel dismisses talks

Breaking Israel’s official silence on the second round of talks, held in Baghdad last week, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said they had only produced “more Iranian time-buying.”

“(There was) no significant achievement except for the Iranians having been given another three weeks or so to pursue the nuclear project until the next meeting in Moscow,” he told Israel’s Army Radio in an interview.

“To my regret, I don’t see any sense of urgency, and perhaps it is even in the interest of some players in the West to stretch out the time, which would certainly square with the Iranian interest.”

Israel – the region’s sole nuclear power – has repeatedly threatened to go to war to prevent Iran from going nuclear, fearing an atomic Islamic Republic would undermine its regional military supremacy.

Israel and its Western allies accuse Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies.

The Jewish state has been fretting on the sidelines of the talks, while intensively lobbying Washington to take a tougher stance on Iran.
…more

Bahrain’s Zainab al-Khawaja released on bail
29 May, 2012 – PressTV

Bahraini activist Zainab al-Khawaja has been released on bail one month after she was arrested for trying to organize an anti-regime protest.

“We paid the bail today and she has already spent the month in jail, so she was freed,” her lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi told Reuters on Tuesday.

On April 21, Zainab was arrested for trying to stage a protest in the capital city of Manama during the country’s Formula One Grand Prix.

She was sentenced last week to one month in jail and was fined 200 dinars (USD 530) on a separate charge related to insulting a government employee.

Jishi said Zainab is facing other charges related to trying to organize demonstrations in Manama and the next court hearing is set for June 24.

Zainab is the daughter of prominent Bahraini opposition activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

The kingdom has been the scene of anti-regime demonstrations since February 2011.
…source

Bahrain: Following release of Rajab, ANHRI calls on the release of all prisoners of conscience
Cairo – 28 May, 2012

ANHRI welcomes the Bahraini Lower Criminal Court’s ruling releasing Nabeel Rajab, prominent human rights activist and head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. Rajab, banned from travelling on court’s ruling, was released on bail of 300 dinars (approx. $796), awaiting his trial June 17.

The Bahraini authorities have accused Rajab of “gathering” and “calling for an unlicensed march in Manama”. The Court postponed the trial to June 17, as it is deliberating another case against Rajab in which he is accused of “declining to leave the gathering location following a dispersal order” and “calling for unlawful marches”.

The same court had decided earlier this month to release him on bail of 300 dinars and banned him from traveling on a third case in which he is accused of “insulting statutory body in public on Twitter”.
The Bahraini authorities have arrested Rajab upon arrival at the Manama airport from Beirut in early May, and accused him of all the charges listed above on the grounds of his human rights contribution home and abroad, and his constant criticism of the ongoing repression in Bahrain.

Rajab and the Bahrain Center for Human Rights have been subject to harassment because of their human rights work and use of the Internet to express opinions and expose the human rights violations of the Bahraini. He had been harassed several times before for the same reason.

As ANHRI welcomes Rajab’s release, it reiterates its call on the Bahraini authorities to immediately release all political detainees, if they are serious and sincere abot their reformist vows. Political prisoners in Bahrain are estimated to be 700 thus far, including the senior Bahraini activist Abdul-Hadi al-Khawaja, who is still in detention amid serious concerns for his life. Al-Khawaja went on a hunger strike in prison since February 8, protesting against the life imprisonment sentence handed to him because of his peaceful exercise of freedom of expression. His life is endangered that the authorities have refused the calls of civil society and human rights organizations to release him. …source

Hezbollah will never fight in Syria, job is to protect Lebanon
27 May, 2012 – Shia Post

Qaouk’s comments came during a festival in the Nabatiyeh town of Nmeirieh, south Lebanon, honoring the resistance.

The Hezbollah official said: “The forces of evil insist on dragging Lebanon into the fire raging in Syria…”

He added that his party backs the majority of Syrians, who want reform in their country and also support the resistance in Lebanon.

Qaouk emphasized that his party has never fielded fighters in Syria and has no intention to do so now, given that “Hezbollah is here to protect Lebanon from descending into the Syrian quagmire.”

He also noted the importance of Hezbollah’s weapons, saying they have played an important role in protecting Lebanese sovereignty.

”What Israel fears most in the region is the confrontation with the resistance in Lebanon,” he said. “The weapons of the resistance have proved an effective weapon … in protecting sovereignty and [setting the stage for] liberating the remaining [occupied] land.”

He also praised Michel Sleiman’s call for a national dialogue among the Lebanese, saying it would aid efforts to achieve national unity and ensure the country’s stability. …more

Unholy Alliance Forming Against Syria
Washington, Tel Aviv, Ankara, Brussels, Arab puppet regimes, Extremist Wahhabis, Al-Qaeda
by Ismail Salami – Global Research, 29 May, 2012

Syria is bracing for more political chaos as all antagonistic forces appear to have entered into an unholy alliance to bring the government to its knees by ingeniously choreographing massacres and attributing them to Syrian government, thereby turning the country into fertile soil for US-led invasion.

Deadly clashes broke out on Friday between Syrian forces and armed groups in the township of Houla in Homs and claimed the lives of 108 people including at least 32 children according to the head of the UN observer mission in Syria. However, Syrian authorities on Sunday denied having a hand in the carnage.

“Women, children and old men were shot dead. This is not the hallmark of the heroic Syrian army,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdesi told reporters in Damascus.

Makdesi said the massacre was carried out by “terrorists” after fighting between rebels and forces loyal to al-Assad.

“They (rebels) were equipped with mortars and anti-tank missiles, which is a quantitative leap,” he said.

Violence is spiraling drastically despite the presence of 260 UN observers who are currently monitoring the ceasefire as part of a six-point peace plan proposed by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan in March.

Earlier this month, 55 people were killed and about 400 others injured in two strings of terrorist bombings near a military intelligence building in Damascus.

What deserves due attention in the carnage that happened in Houla is that many were shot dead at close range, many were Shia Muslims and many were women and children. In other words, these atrocities are conjectured to have been carried out at the hands of the extremist Wahhabis and al-Qaeda elements who are notorious for targeting women and children in their terrorist operations.

Another element which reinforces this speculation is that many among those who were killed were Shia Muslims for whom the Wahhabis nurse inveterate loathing. Despite the prevailing trend in western media to rule out the possible presence of the al-Qaeda in the country, the presence of al-Qaeda terrorists is gradually gaining strength in Syria. They are believed to have penetrated the country from Iraq, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon.

Washington is funding the rebel groups in Syria. A report reveals that the rebels in Syria “have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States” (The Washington post, ).

“We are increasing our nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we continue to coordinate our efforts with friends and allies in the region and beyond in order to have the biggest impact on what we are collectively doing,” said a senior State Department official, one of several US and foreign government officials on the condition of anonymity.

Besides, Washington is pressing Qatar and Saudi Arabia to fund and provide the rebels with heavy weaponries.

This behavior on the part of Washington runs counter to the fact that many rebels are linked with al-Qaeda and that the US claims to be fighting terror group. Along with Washington, the British government acknowledged early in March that it has provided an extra 2 million to the Western-backed rebels fighting the Syrian government. Prime Minister David Cameron told a hearing at the House of Commons Liaison Committee that his government had provided cash and equipment to western-backed rebels in Syria in the name of emergency medical supplies and food.

The government of al-Assad is losing ground thanks to the influx of the extremist Wahhabis and al-Qaeda members and on account of the financial and military support the rebels receive from the West and the Persian Gulf regimes. …more

Bahrain bails human rights activist Nabeel Rajab
28 May, 2012 – BBC

Prominent Bahraini human rights activist Nabeel Rajab has been released on bail, a government spokesman says.

Mr Rajab was arrested on 5 May at Manama airport on his return from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

He is charged with inciting illegal rallies using social networking sites and defaming Bahrain’s security forces.

Since Febrary 2011, Bahrain’s government and Sunni ruling royal family have faced fierce opposition from mainly Shia activists.

Bahraini security forces have clashed with protesters, and rights groups have condemned the arrest of other activists such as Abdul al-Khawajah, who has been on hunger strike in jail for the past three months.

With 140,000 Twitter followers, Mr Rajab is a high-profile user of the micro-blogging website and a vocal critic of Bahrain’s ruler, King Hamad al-Khalifa.

His lawyer Mohammed al-Jishi told the AFP news agency that he was ordered to pay 300 Bahraini dinars ($796) and still faces a travel ban.

A Shia Muslim and head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, Mr Rajab last appeared in court on 16 May.
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Syrian opposition will secure regime’s chemical weapons: report
29 May, 2012 – The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Syria’s opposition plans to secure the regime’s chemical weapons stock as soon as President Bashar Assad falls, according to an Israeli newspaper.

“We know the locations of the chemical weapon stores,” Haaretz reported a former senior officer in the Syrian army as telling the newspaper.

The officer, whom Haaretz said spoke on condition of anonymity, added: “We will be ready to move and secure them quickly. I can’t promise that nothing will be removed but we have our information and it is not so simple to move around chemical weapons.”

Syria’s alleged chemical weapons stock is reportedly controlled by air force intelligence. The Israeli government has expressed concern that these chemical weapons could get into the hands of Hezbollah or other groups it labels “terrorists.”

Haaretz’s source said that he had fought in Syria’s wars against Israel and is still intimately connected to members of the army, many of whom have defected to the rebel Free Syrian Army.

“In addition to fighting the regime,” he said, “there are a group of us preparing for the chaos that we know will ensue on the day the regime is toppled. We have committees dealing with a new constitution and elections, justice and the restoration of security.”

The officer said that the Syrian opposition had prepared a four-stage plan for the aftermath of Assad’s rule, and that immediately following Assad’s fall “one of the priorities during those hours is taking control of the chemical weapons so they won’t fall into the hands of terrorists.”

The officer estimated that around a third of the Syrian armed forces have defected so far, with 60,000 having returned home and 30,000 actively fighting in the ranks of the opposition, mainly the Free Syrian Army.

He expressed his belief that this is insufficient to topple the Assad government, as the soldiers lack proper organization and sophisticated weapons, including equipment from Russia, and remain outnumbered by the state army by at least two to one.
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US prepares multi-front proxy war against Syria
By Chris Marsden – 25 May, 2012 – WSWS

Since the Washington Post’s May 16 report on an influx of arms to Syrian opposition forces, the Obama administration’s plans for a proxy war against Syria have become clearer still.

The Post wrote of “significantly more and better weapons” reaching oppositionists, “paid for by Persian Gulf nations [Saudi Arabia and Qatar] and coordinated in part by the United States,” based upon a perspective that “an expanding military confrontation is inevitable.”

Saudi Arabia and Qatar were sending weapons with approval from Washington, which has “expanded contacts with opposition forces to provide the gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.”

An additional source of weaponry is the Muslim Brotherhood, which has “its own supply channel to the rebels, using resources from wealthy private individuals and money from Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, said Mulham al-Drobi, a member of the Brotherhood’s executive committee.”

The Post concluded by noting, “The Pentagon has prepared options for Syria extending all the way to air assaults to destroy the nation’s air defenses.”

In the Daily Telegraph of May 22, Michael Weiss, Communications Director of the Henry Jackson Society, writes that “Rebel sources in Hatay told me last night that not only is Turkey supplying light arms to select battalion commanders, it is also training Syrians in Istanbul.”

He continues, “Men from the unit I was embedded with were vetted and called up by Turkish intelligence in the last few days and large consignments of AK-47s are being delivered by the Turkish military to the Syrian-Turkish border… Material is being stockpiled in Damascus, in Idlib near the Turkish border and in Zabadani on the Lebanese border.”

Weiss notes the response to the Washington Post’s article by White House spokesman Jay Carney, which hardly amounted to a denial. “We continue to provide non-lethal support to the opposition,” he said. “And while I can only speak for the United States, we know that others are pursuing different types of support, and I’d refer you to them to characterise the nature of their actions.”

Weiss concludes, “Turkey wouldn’t take such a course of action without express American consent or encouragement. Nor do I think that US Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has called for surgical airstrikes and the creation of buffer zones in Syria, would indicate that the administration was inching toward a military response to the humanitarian crisis that Kofi Annan’s farcical ‘cease-fire’ has done nothing to quell unless he was fairly sure it was indeed doing so.”

A May 22 DEBKAfile exclusive report states, “The Syrian rebels have received their first ‘third generation’ anti-tank weapons, 9K115-2 Metis-M and Kornet E. They are supplied by Saudi and Qatari intelligence agencies following a secret message from President Barack Obama advising them to up the military stake in the effort to oust Assad.”

DEBKAfile, which is close to US neo-conservative sources, describes these shipments as “only one facet of the unfolding US plan for the Syrian crisis… Turkish intelligence has been given the green light to arm Syria rebels with IED roadside bombs tailored for the Syrian theater and intensively train the dissidents in their use at Turkish military facilities.” This is tantamount to Ankara’s first direct military intervention in Syria.

Turkey has for some time acted as an organising front for imperialist intervention into Syria, aimed at deposing the pro-Iranian regime of Bashar al-Assad. It is host to the SNC and its military arm, the Free Syrian Army—which mounts its offensives by passing through Turkey’s 910 kilometre border with Syria. …more

Syria Conflict May Spark Mideast Hostilities
29 May, 2012 – Marc Bennetts – RIA Novosti

MOSCOW – Russia’s top diplomat predicted on Tuesday that the spiraling violence in Syria could ignite tensions across the Middle East.

“It is vital to look at the situation in Syria, as events taking place there have already had an effect in Lebanon and are likely to have a negative influence on other parts of the region,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists.

At least two people were killed earlier this month in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli during clashes between Sunni Muslims and members of the Alawite minority faith, an offshoot of Shia Islam. Sunni Muslims in the city support the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is an Alawite.

“We all need to demonstrate the maximum vigilance and not pour oil on the fire – we need to try to extinguish it and sit the sides down at the negotiation table,” Lavrov added.

His comments came a day after Russia called for an investigation into this weekend’s massacre in the western Syrian town of Houla, where over 100 people were killed in what the United Nations says was an “outrageous use of force” by government troops.

Lavrov said on Monday that there was “no doubt” the Syrian authorities had used tanks and artillery to attack the town, near the former rebel stronghold of Homs, but that the Kremlin did not rule out that rebels were also involved.

Russian deputy UN ambassador Alexander Pankin told journalists after the massacre that Moscow the killings may have been a “provocation” carried out by rebel forces ahead of the visit by UN peace envoy Kofi Annan to Syria.

And on Tuesday, Lavrov said that “certain countries” were attempting to use the deaths in Houla as a “pretext” for the start of a military operation against Assad’s forces, which have been armed in part by Russia. …more