Jarba: Empty Syria seat strengthens Assad

Kuwait City – The head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmad al-Jarba, has criticised an Arab League decision barring the opposition from filling his country's seat at the bloc's summit. Speaking at the Arab League summit on Tuesday, he said the decision undermines the rebels' position in the three-year Syrian conflict. The SNC, which was initially approved to replace the government of President Bashar al-Assad as the representative of Syria in the 22-member bloc, was denied that right after reservations from Lebanon, Iraq and Algeria. "Let me say, quite frankly, that keeping Syria's seat empty in your midst sends a clear message to Assad that he can kill, and that the seat will wait for him to resolve his war," Jarba said as he addressed Arab leaders and officials. Syria has been embroiled in a civil war that has killed at least 130,000 people and left millions displaced. Violence erupted in March 2011 when peaceful protests demanding the end of Assad's rule were met by a brutal crackdown. "I do not ask you for a declaration of war, but I ask you that you support our cause and find a solution guaranteeing the interests of our people and our country," Jarba said. He renewed his call for Arab leaders to exert pressure on the international community "to commit to its pledges to provide sophisticated weapons to our revolutionaries" and increase humanitarian support. Low expectations However, the possibility of a concrete outcome at this summit is slim as pressing topics on the agenda, including Syria, Palestine and others are being overshadowed by unprecedented rifts among the Arab League members. Referring to these disagreements, Jarba said: "[The battle against Assad] is our common battle, and I know that disagreements between brothers fade when homes are violated; your homes, dignity and lives in Syria are violated." Syrian opposition spokesman Louay Safi told Al Jazeera that there were some "reassuring " talks of a possible emergency meeting to take place between Arab foreign ministers to discuss Syria's vacant chair. He called for arming the rebels since he said a political solution was impossible to reach, citing the lack of seriousness on the part of the Assad regime. "The least that can be done is to arm Syrian villages with anti-aircraft missiles to deter barrel bombs used by the regime," he said. Asked whether this could happen as an outcome of the summit, Safi said it was an international decision but Arab countries could help by exerting necessary pressure.

Source: Al Jazeera

Arab League summit under way amid divisions

Heads of Arab states are holding their annual summit amid an unprecedented diplomatic fallout among the Gulf countries and tension over the crisis in Egypt and the conflict in Syria.

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, in the opening session of the two-day Arab League summit on Tuesday, called on Arab states to end rifts he said were obstructing joint Arab action.

"The dangers around us are enormous and we will not move towards joint Arab action without our unity and without casting aside our difference," Sheikh Sabah said.

He named no specific country, but was apparently referring to the rift in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.

Arab officials said some nations will likely use the summit to try to pressure Qatar to stop its perceived support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition movements throughout the region.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have labelled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, and two senior officials told the Associated Press news agency that those two countries would take the lead in attempting to isolate Doha by calling for a collective Arab approach to terror.

The summit follows weeks of escalated tensions over the issue. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have joined Egypt and Saudi Arabia in withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar.

Qatar has reacted with dismay at the diplomatic gestures but insisted it will push ahead with its own policies.

In the summit, Qatar warned fellow states against branding groups as terrorists for political purposes.

"Terrorism has only one conception, the targeting and killing of civilians, the hating of civil institutions for political goals and aims," Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the country's emir, said.

"We cannot accuse a lot of sects of being terrorists because this will generalise terrorism instead of isolating terrorism... It's not good enough for those who fail to achieve unity to accuse others of supporting terrorism in the country."

Publicly airing differences among members of the GCC is unusual for the bloc, created in 1981 as a loose political and economic alliance. The members are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.

'Changing the balance'

Syria's seat in the 22-nation Arab League will remain vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. Syria's membership was suspended in November 2011 over the government's bloody crackdown on dissent. 

Syria's seat in the Arab League will remain vacant [Reuters]

The leader of Syria's opposition National Coalition, Ahmad al-Jarba, was invited to address the Arab summit, but countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria expressed reservations to granting the seat to the opponents of the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Saudi Arabia wondered why Syria's main opposition bloc was not granted the seat and called for "changing the balance of forces" on the ground in the conflict.

"Exiting from the Syrian crisis requires changing the balance of forces on the ground," Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz told the opening session, stressing the need for more support for the rebels.

Fadhel Jawad, the Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs, has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said: "Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes."

Arab League summit under way amid divisions

Heads of Arab states are holding their annual summit amid an unprecedented diplomatic fallout among the Gulf countries and tension over the crisis in Egypt and the conflict in Syria.

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, in the opening session of the two-day Arab League summit on Tuesday, called on Arab states to end rifts he said were obstructing joint Arab action.

"The dangers around us are enormous and we will not move towards joint Arab action without our unity and without casting aside our difference," Sheikh Sabah said.

He named no specific country, but was apparently referring to the rift in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.

Arab officials said some nations will likely use the summit to try to pressure Qatar to stop its perceived support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition movements throughout the region.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have labelled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, and two senior officials told the Associated Press news agency that those two countries would take the lead in attempting to isolate Doha by calling for a collective Arab approach to terror.

The summit follows weeks of escalated tensions over the issue. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have joined Egypt and Saudi Arabia in withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar.

Qatar has reacted with dismay at the diplomatic gestures but insisted it will push ahead with its own policies.

In the summit, Qatar warned fellow states against branding groups as terrorists for political purposes.

"Terrorism has only one conception, the targeting and killing of civilians, the hating of civil institutions for political goals and aims," Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the country's emir, said.

"We cannot accuse a lot of sects of being terrorists because this will generalise terrorism instead of isolating terrorism... It's not good enough for those who fail to achieve unity to accuse others of supporting terrorism in the country."

Publicly airing differences among members of the GCC is unusual for the bloc, created in 1981 as a loose political and economic alliance. The members are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.

'Changing the balance'

Syria's seat in the 22-nation Arab League will remain vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. Syria's membership was suspended in November 2011 over the government's bloody crackdown on dissent. 

Syria's seat in the Arab League will remain vacant [Reuters]

The leader of Syria's opposition National Coalition, Ahmad al-Jarba, was invited to address the Arab summit, but countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria expressed reservations to granting the seat to the opponents of the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Saudi Arabia wondered why Syria's main opposition bloc was not granted the seat and called for "changing the balance of forces" on the ground in the conflict.

"Exiting from the Syrian crisis requires changing the balance of forces on the ground," Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz told the opening session, stressing the need for more support for the rebels.

Fadhel Jawad, the Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs, has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said: "Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes."

Arab League summit under way amid divisions

Heads of Arab states are holding their annual summit amid an unprecedented diplomatic fallout among the Gulf countries and tension over the crisis in Egypt and the conflict in Syria.

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, in the opening session of the two-day Arab League summit on Tuesday, called on Arab states to end rifts he said were obstructing joint Arab action.

"The dangers around us are enormous and we will not move towards joint Arab action without our unity and without casting aside our difference," Sheikh Sabah said.

He named no specific country, but was apparently referring to the rift in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.

Arab officials said some nations will likely use the summit to try to pressure Qatar to stop its perceived support of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition movements throughout the region.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have labelled the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, and two senior officials told the Associated Press news agency that those two countries would take the lead in attempting to isolate Doha by calling for a collective Arab approach to terror.

The summit follows weeks of escalated tensions over the issue. Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have joined Egypt and Saudi Arabia in withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar.

Qatar has reacted with dismay at the diplomatic gestures but insisted it will push ahead with its own policies.

In the summit, Qatar warned fellow states against branding groups as terrorists for political purposes.

"Terrorism has only one conception, the targeting and killing of civilians, the hating of civil institutions for political goals and aims," Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the country's emir, said.

"We cannot accuse a lot of sects of being terrorists because this will generalise terrorism instead of isolating terrorism... It's not good enough for those who fail to achieve unity to accuse others of supporting terrorism in the country."

Publicly airing differences among members of the GCC is unusual for the bloc, created in 1981 as a loose political and economic alliance. The members are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.

'Changing the balance'

Syria's seat in the 22-nation Arab League will remain vacant although the last annual summit, held in Doha, granted the seat to the opposition. Syria's membership was suspended in November 2011 over the government's bloody crackdown on dissent. 

Syria's seat in the Arab League will remain vacant [Reuters]

The leader of Syria's opposition National Coalition, Ahmad al-Jarba, was invited to address the Arab summit, but countries such as Iraq, Lebanon and Algeria expressed reservations to granting the seat to the opponents of the embattled Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad.

Saudi Arabia wondered why Syria's main opposition bloc was not granted the seat and called for "changing the balance of forces" on the ground in the conflict.

"Exiting from the Syrian crisis requires changing the balance of forces on the ground," Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz told the opening session, stressing the need for more support for the rebels.

Fadhel Jawad, the Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs, has said the Arab leaders will hold a special session during the summit in a bid to sort out their differences.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said: "Not all issues are discussed in the meeting hall. Some issues are debated on the sidelines behind the scenes."

Egypt adjourns second mass Brotherhood trial

An Egyptian court has opened and adjourned a second mass trial of 683 alleged supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi, including the Muslim Brotherhood's top leader, on charges of murder, incitement of violence and sabotage. The proceedings in Minya, south of Cairo, on Tuesday, which have been adjourned until April 28, came a day after the same court handed down death sentences to 529 suspected backers of Morsi over a deadly attack on a police station. A lawyer at the trial said sentencing would take place at the April 28 hearing, the AFP news agency reported. Monday's verdict, in which defence lawyers were not allowed to present their case, drew wide public and international criticism. Rights groups, the United States and the European Union expressed concern and questioned the fairness of proceedings against so many defendants lasting just two days. Amnesty International, the UK-based rights group, said it was the biggest mass sentence given in modern Egyptian history. The charges in Tuesday's proceedings also stemmed from rioting last August sparked by the security forces' storming of two Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo that killed over 600 people. The dispersal of the protest camps came weeks after the military overthrew Morsi following days of massive protests in which millions demanded he step down for abusing power. Only 68 of the 683 defendants were in the dock on Tuesday. The rest were being tried in absentia. A handful of other defendants held in the case,including the Brotherhood's spiritual leader Mohammed Badie and other senior figures who are jailed in Cairo, were not present at the trial in Minya. 'Catastrophe' Meanwhile, defence teams for Monday's trial said they would demand that the judge step down after reaching a verdict after only two sessions. The sentences were referred to Egypt's Grand Mufti for approval but legal expert, Gamal Eid, said that they would likely be overturned on appeal. He added that the case was " a catastrophe and a travesty and a scandal that will affect Egypt for many years". Egypt's army-installed interim government defended the court's handling of the case, insisting that the sentences had been handed down only "after careful study" and were subject to appeal. The Muslim Brotherhood said the death sentences were yet "another indication that the corrupt judiciary is being used by the coup commanders to suppress the Egyptian revolution and install a brutal regime". At least 1,400 people have been killed in the crackdown on Morsi's supporters and thousands more arrested, according to Amnesty International. Morsi is himself currently on trial in three different cases. He was toppled by the army after a single year in power following mass protests demanding his resignation.

Source: Agencies

Trial of Al Jazeera staff adjourned in Egypt

The trial of three Al Jazeera English staff jailed in Egypt on charges of spreading false news and belonging to a "terrorist group" has been adjourned until March 31. Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy, and Baher Mohamed, held in a Cairo for 86 days, appeared in court for the third time on Monday. The three men are charged with spreading false news and aiding the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, who was overthrown by the army in July. Al Jazeera rejects the charges against its staff and continues to call for their release. The government has declared the Brotherhood a "terrorist" group. An Egyptian court on Monday sentenced 529 members of the Brotherhood to death on charges including murder, in a sharp escalation of a crackdown on the movement. CNN correspondent Ian Lee, reporting from outside the court in the Egyptian capital, said the families of the jailed journalists were calling on authorities to expedite the trial and to allow the detainees longer time with their lawyers than the current 45-minute session alloted ahead of the trial. Lee has been reporting on behalf of Al Jazeera as the network’s journalists are banned from reporting from Egypt. The Al Jazeera staff's latest court appearance comes days after Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour pledged to help resolve the trial of Greste, an Australian award-winning journalist. In the letter directed at Greste's parents, Mansour, appointed after Morsi's ouster, said: "Notwithstanding the independence of the judiciary authorities and the fullness of all the rights guaranteed by the law, I would like to assure you in my capacity as president of Egypt that I will spare no effort to work towards the speedy resolution of the case, in a fashion consistent with the law, and that guarantees the resumption of the family in the near future." 'Expedite trial' As well as signing the letter as "president", he also used the title "chief justice", indicating his position as the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, the highest judicial authority in the land. Al Jazeera called the move an "encouraging sign". The high-profile case, in which 17 others are also charged, has sparked a global outcry and fuelled fears of a crackdown on the press by the military-installed authorities. Abdullah al-Shami, from Al Jazeera's Arabic channel, has been detained for more than six months without charge and has been on hunger strike since January 23. Al Jazeera’s correspondents Sue Turton and Dominic Kane, who covered events in Egypt and are now abroad, are being tried in absentia. Institutions including the White House, the European Union and the United Nations have called for the release of the men, and for press freedoms to be upheld. Freedom of speech in Egypt has been the focus of mounting global concern since the government adopted a hardline approach towards journalists. The country has been ranked the third deadliest destination for journalists in 2013 by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Source: Al Jazeera

Harassment against Females after the Coup

Human rights organizations,NGOs,and media in Egypt kept talking about the sexual harassment incident that took place inside Cairo university,as a group of students surrounded a 20 years old girl who is studying in Faculty of law and followed her everywhere in the university.
The organizations and media condemned the incident and a lot of statements were issued .On the other hand we have been watching sexual harassment violations against the girls in the universities who protest against the coup in Egypt and sometimes they are badly beaten by security and thugs,and no one condemn all these actions as if these girls living in another planet .We have watched 7 am movement girls who were sentenced to eleven years imprisonment on the charge of protesting against the coup and they were kept inside the prisons with the criminals who badly treated them.As well,a lot of females who are arrested because of protesting against the coup faced virginity tests,rape and torture and no organization  reacted with them ,even the National Council for Women (NCW).
Everyday there are protests where girls are killed,beaten and tortured not only in the universities ,but also in the streets.
I am wandering about this kind of deal with the situation.The regime trying to hide any attack against the females in the universities or the streets who protest against the coup,on the other hand the regime and its followers consider the protesters as terrorists.Where's the justice that should prevail among all the people everywhere and help them enjoy their security and rights? I think coup regime should answer this question?

Egypt ex-PM: presidential poll will be fixed

One of Egypt's top politicians, the former prime minister Ahmed Shafik, has pulled out of the country's upcoming presidential election saying it will be fixed in favour of the army chief. In a leaked recording broadcast by Al Jazeera on Thursday, Shafik described the forthcoming poll as "a comedy show" that no candidate other than Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has a chance of winning. Shafik had previously said he would back Sisi if he ran for the presidency. In the recording, however, he says: "I know very well they will fix all the ballot boxes. I have taken myself out of this loop because the election is going to be a farce." "Of course whether other candidates withdraw will depend on the nomination of Sisi. I said if he’s going to run in the presidential election I will not run but I will get my papers ready (and) if he is going to run I will not submit them. "They will fix everything for him… this is going to be a comedy show," he said. No firm date Sisi, who led the army's removal last year of Mohamed Morsi from the presidency, has yet to announce his candidacy and the interim president, Adly Mansour, has yet to set a date for the election. Shafik narrowly lost his last presidential bid, against Morsi, who was elected in 2012. He was also prime minister in Hosni Mubarak's cabinet in January 2011, but resigned a month later as protests intensified Mubarak's rule. Another politician, Sami Anan, announced his withdrawal from the presidential race on Thursday. It means Sisi would face only one significant rival in the poll should he enter - the left-wing politician Hamdeen Sabahi. Anan, the former chief of staff of Egypt's military, said his decision was "rooted in the nation's highest interests" and "out of the realisation of the dangers facing it". Anan had earlier this week claimed to have survived an assassination attempt by unknown assailants, an allegation dismissed by the Ministry of Interior as "mere election publicity".

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Egypt summons Europe envoys over concerns

Egypt has summoned the ambassadors of several European countries after they signed a joint declaration of concern over Cairo's sweeping crackdown on dissent.

On Thursday, Egypt's foreign ministry delivered a strongly worded message of protest to ambassadors of several European nations, said Hazem Seif el-Nasr, who heads the ministry's European affairs, AFP news agency reported.

It was not known how many ambassadors were summoned. The envoys were also informed of "Egypt's categorical refusal of any attempts at interference in its internal affairs," Seif el-Nasr said.

He said last week's declaration had "omitted the steps taken by the state towards democratic transition".

Last week, 28 countries - including UK, France, Germany and Denmark,  and the US - denounced what they said was a "disproportionate use of lethal force by security forces against demonstrators which resulted in large numbers of deaths and injuries".

The military-installed authorities launched a deadly crackdown on supporters of the deposed president, Mohamed Morsi, since the army toppled him in July.

Rights group Amnesty International says that since Morsi's removal, the crackdown on his supporters has killed more than 1,400 people, while thousands more have been jailed.

In January, Egypt adopted a new constitution, and it is due to hold presidential and parliamentary elections as part of a transition to democracy.

The joint declaration, which was read at the UN Human Rights Council, also expressed "concern about the restrictions on the rights to peaceful assembly, expression and association" in Egypt.

It urged Egyptian authorities to "ensure an environment conducive to inclusive, transparent and credible elections, open to international observation and monitoring."

Cairo extends detention of Al Jazeera staff

Al-Shami has been on a hunger strike since January [Al Jazeera]

A Cairo criminal court has extended the detention of a journalist working for Al Jazeera Arabic, while postponing the trial of three others from its English-language sister channel. This week, the court extended Abdullah al-Shami's detention for a further 45 days. Al-Shami has already been held for more than six months and has been on a hunger strike since January 23. Meanwhile, the trial of three Al Jazeera English journalists in Egypt has been adjourned until March 24. The defendants remain in jail on charges of spreading false news and belonging to a "terrorist group". Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, who have been held for more than two months, appeared in court for the second time last week when witnesses for the prosecution were heard. Al Jazeera rejects the charges against its staff and continues to call for their release.