{"id":3328,"date":"2009-06-17T07:22:30","date_gmt":"2009-06-17T07:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=3328"},"modified":"2009-06-17T07:22:30","modified_gmt":"2009-06-17T07:22:30","slug":"news-round-up-june-17-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/news-round-up-june-17-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"News Round Up (June 17, 2009)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Iraq

Iraq says Syria has been more co-operative recently but that insurgents continue to cross the border<\/p><\/div>\n

In reading the following story about Syria and Iraq it is worth noting that Syrian officials here have been saying that Syria can help the US depart Iraq “honorably.” The implication is that the US would be embarrassed by an outbreak of violence in Iraq following US departure, something Syria can help to stop.<\/p>\n

US troops ask Syria to thwart al-Qa’ida offensive<\/a><\/p>\n

Iraqi authorities say militants will launch attacks in order to claim credit for American military withdrawal
\nBy Patrick Cockburn in Baghdad, Wednesday, 17 June 2009<\/p>\n

Iraq says Syria has been more co-operative recently but that insurgents continue to cross the border<\/p>\n

The Iraqi government expects al-Qa’ida and Baathist insurgent groups to launch a wave of attacks so they can take credit for compelling the US military to leave Iraqi cities by 30 June, according to a senior Iraqi minister.<\/p>\n

An American military team was dispatched from Baghdad to Damascus at the weekend to demand that Syria help choke off a guerrilla offensive by imposing greater control over its border with Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari revealed in an interview with The Independent.<\/p>\n

“I think the American rapprochement with the Syrians will be judged more by their co-operation, not in Lebanon, but in Iraq,” said Mr Zebari. “This is a good moment for them to come clean.” Although Syria has been more co-operative with Iraq than in the past, guerrilla fighters are still crossing over the border, he added….<\/p>\n

“The purpose of the US military team going to Damascus is to urge Syria to do more to prevent foreign fighters from coming here,” said Mr Zebari. “According to our intelligence analysis al-Qa’ida, the Baathists and all armed groups will escalate the violence just to prove that they have won a victory.<\/p>\n

“They want to say it was the sons of the resistance, not Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki or the Iraqi government’s agreement with the Americans, that forced them out of the cities.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Ahmadinejad won. Get over it”<\/a>
\nFlynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
\nPolitico<\/p>\n

“Without any evidence, many U.S. politicians and \u201cIran experts\u201d have dismissed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad\u2019s reelection Friday, with 62.6 percent of the vote, as fraud.<\/p>\n

They ignore the fact that Ahmadinejad\u2019s 62.6 percent of the vote in this year\u2019s election is essentially the same as the 61.69 percent he received in the final count of the 2005 presidential election, when he trounced former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The shock of the \u201cIran experts\u201d over Friday\u2019s results is entirely self-generated, based on their preferred assumptions and wishful thinking….<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Only Arabs Can Restore Arab Rights<\/a> (CBS) By Bouthaina Shaaban<\/p>\n

EU ministers <\/a>said in a statement they “welcomed the initial step” of Netanyahu’s speech, but added it was not enough and that Israel had to unequivocally state its support for the two-state solution. The EU “remains deeply concerned by settlement activities” and urged the Israeli government to “immediately end settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem and including natural growth,” the statement said, reiterating the position that settlements are illegal according to international law and are an obstacle to peace.<\/p>\n

???? ??????? <\/a>?? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??? 360 ????? ???? ????? ????? 6?301 ????? ???? ????? ??? 2007 ????? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ????? ?????. ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???? ????? 60 ?????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? 70 ?????? ?? ??? ????????? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ????? ????????? ???????? ?? ???? ?????? ?????? ???????.<\/p>\n

Tabler at WINEP<\/a><\/p>\n

….Syria’s problematic finances and its potential confrontations with the IAEA and the Hariri tribunal provide Washington with leverage that it can incorporate into its diplomacy with Syria to break the status quo. Exploiting pressure from the IAEA and the Hariri tribunal should be easy for Washington, since the pressure is coming from international institutions with established mandates. Utilizing U.S. economic leverage will be trickier, however. The United States has substantial “negative pressures” it can employ from the recently renewed Syrian Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act (SALSA) and a series of executive and Treasury Department orders targeting Syrian individuals and banks. In terms of positive inducements or “rewards” in the event of peace, however, it is doubtful the United States can entice substantial foreign investment in Syria without addressing the country’s worsening corruption problems. On a political level, should Syria conclude a peace treaty with Israel and implement reforms that would facilitate large flows of FDI, the minority networks in the security services and the bureaucracy stand to lose the most. Given Iran and Hizballah’s close relationship with Syria’s security establishment, the discontent of these networks could be exploited by Tehran to derail implementation of a future peace.<\/p>\n

Damascus has thus far refused to address its support for terrorist organizations or domestic issues — most notably human rights — in its early dialogue with the Obama administration. No doubt terrorism will be on the agenda if the United States mediates Israeli-Syrian peace talks. But rather than dumping domestic issues — a common practice in the past — Washington should add rule of law to its list of priority issues for dialogue with Syria.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Firas Azmeh<\/strong>, a Syrian from Damascus and now a Silicon Valley exec, has begun a smart blog on things Syrian and current affairs with a focus on the broader Middle East.\u00a0 http:\/\/currenteventually.blogspot.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

AKIVA Eldar in Haaretz<\/a><\/p>\n

“Egypt and Syria have upped their pressure on Hamas in recent days, in support of a reconciliation agreement with Fatah. The deal would include a multinational Arab force in the Gaza Strip that would operate in parallel to joint Fatah-Hamas security forces.<\/p>\n

An Egyptian source told Haaretz that the American administration is aware of the plan’s details and apparently special envoy George Mitchell has asked the Damascus government to use its influence over Hamas to push the plan and the Quartet conditions. The Americans promised the Syrians that if they take on a positive role in the Palestinian channel, the U.S. would act to resume negotiations in the Syrian track.<\/p>\n

The Hamas-Fatah reconciliation plan includes the creation of a joint dozen-member committee, to be under Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ indirect authority. The committee, only authorized to act in Gaza, would be in charge of post-Operation Cast Lead reconstruction, government reforms, and preparations for the January 2010 presidential and legislative council elections. All factions would undertake to honor the election results and allow the elected government to rule in both Gaza and the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Military forces from Egypt, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and other Arab countries would assist local forces in maintaining order until and throughout those elections. ….<\/p>\n

As part of the feverish activity to reach an agreement, Meshal met last week in Cairo with Egyptian intelligence head Gen. Omar Suleiman. A senior Fatah delegation also visited Cairo a few days ago. ..”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Iraq’s Unspeakable Crime: Mothers Pimping Daughters<\/a>
\nRania Abouzeid, Baghdad
\nDennis Ross. AP<\/a><\/p>\n

“The Obama administration’s pointman on Iran is moving from the State Department to the White House to better coordinate inter-agency policy on the Persian Gulf region, U.S. officials said Monday.<\/p>\n

Dennis Ross, who is in charge of formulating President Barack Obama’s outreach to Iran as special adviser for the Gulf and Southwest Asia, will take a similar position at the National Security Council, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the switch have not yet been finalized.<\/p>\n

The White House and State Department declined to comment on the matter but denied an Israeli newspaper report that Ross was being removed from his job. Ross worked on the Middle East peace process for the administrations of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Economy: Jihad Yazigi <\/strong>gives us financial headlines in his Syria Report that include:<\/p>\n

Central Bank Allows Foreign Banks to Open Representative Offices in Syria
\nThe Credit and Monetary Council has allowed foreign banks to open representative offices in Syria<\/p>\n

Economy: Hong-Kong Firm to establish 7m sqm Industrial Zone in Syria
\nGatoson Ltd, a Chinese Holding firm, is establishing an economic zone dedicated to Chinese investments in the region of Hama.<\/p>\n

Finance: Insurance Premiums Rise as Government Opens New Markets
\nInsurance premiums reached SYP 3.1 billion in the first quarter of this year according to data from the Syrian Insurance Federation.<\/p>\n

Finance: Listed Companies Rise to Ten as Trading Remains Limited
\nAl-Ahliah Vegetables Oil Company saw its shares listed in the Damascus Securities exchange on June 15 after it received a formal approval from the board of the Syrian bourse.<\/p>\n

Tourism: European Tourists up 25 Percent at end-May
\nThe number of tourists visiting Syria, in particular from Europe, has continued to increase in the first five months of this year, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Syria: These Teenagers Mean Business<\/a>
\nBy Nitin Jugran Bahuguna, Womens Feature Service<\/p>\n

A math whiz since childhood, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Rasha Al Dabbas, 15, would take up a career in engineering or medicine. So when she informed her parents of her dream to open branches of her own bank in different provinces of Syria after graduation, they were taken aback.<\/p>\n

Dalal Al Imadi, 15, has come up with a novel idea of creating a website on the internet to design advertisements for companies. “This is a very rare idea, giving companies an opportunity to promote their products on my website. There is no such website in Syria, yet,” she claims proudly.<\/p>\n

Turning away from the traditional and accepted career options of doctor, teacher or engineer, young women in Syria are setting out to storm the hitherto male bastion of the business world, be it in the banking sector, web-designing or as a private enterprise.<\/p>\n

Under the auspices of SHABAB, a Syrian NGO, young girls are being given a unique opportunity to achieve their potential in diverse fields……<\/p>\n

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), female participation in total labour force has increased from 12.4 per cent to 16.3 per cent between 1994 and 2006.<\/p>\n

To encourage young women entrepreneurs, the government has started a two-fold micro credit scheme that gives women both access to finance as well as training in marketing, sales and advertising at special training centres, Assad reveals. Observes the First Lady, “We are the first country in the Middle-East to develop a micro credit legislation to support small entrepreneurs to register their companies in the formal sector so that they have more benefits like tax benefits.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From Stratfor via FLC<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps the greatest factor in Ahmadinejad\u2019s favor is that Mousavi spoke for the better districts of Tehran \u2014 something akin to running a U.S. presidential election as a spokesman for Georgetown and the Lower East Side. Such a base will get you hammered, and Mousavi got hammered. Fraud or not, Ahmadinejad won and he won significantly. That he won is not the mystery; the mystery is why others thought he wouldn\u2019t win.<\/p>\n

For a time on Friday, it seemed that Mousavi might be able to call for an uprising in Tehran. But the moment passed when Ahmadinejad\u2019s security forces on motorcycles intervened. And that leaves the West with its worst-case scenario: a democratically elected anti-liberal….<\/p>\n

The question now is what will happen next. Internally, we can expect Ahmadinejad to consolidate his position under the cover of anti-corruption. He wants to clean up the ayatollahs, many of whom are his enemies. He will need the support of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This election has made Ahmadinejad a powerful president, perhaps the most powerful in Iran since the revolution. Ahmadinejad does not want to challenge Khamenei, and we suspect that Khamenei will not want to challenge Ahmadinejad. A forced marriage is emerging, one which may place many other religious leaders in a difficult position.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Certainly, hopes that a new political leadership would cut back on Iran\u2019s nuclear program have been dashed. The champion of that program has won, in part because he championed the program. We still see Iran as far from developing a deliverable nuclear weapon, but certainly the Obama administration\u2019s hopes that Ahmadinejad would either be replaced \u2014 or at least weakened and forced to be more conciliatory \u2014 have been crushed. Interestingly, Ahmadinejad sent congratulations to U.S. President Barack Obama on his inauguration. We would expect Obama to reciprocate under his opening policy,…<\/p>\n

What we have now are two presidents in a politically secure position, something that normally forms a basis for negotiations. … For the moment, the election appears to have frozen the status quo in place…”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Der Spiegel: Landmark Court Decision: Will Germany Loosen Trade
\n2009-06-16 By Holger Stark<\/a><\/p>\n

German businesses have long complained about tough restrictions on trade with Iran, claiming that bans on certain exports only benefit their foreign competitors. Now a far-reaching court decision is posing a challenge to the government’s rigid policies.<\/p>\n

The tone of the letter to the German Foreign Ministry may have been polite, but the content was pointed. Over five pages, Martin J\u00e4ger, the chief lobbyist for carmaker Daimler, explained why Berlin’s export restrictions on trade with Iran place German industry at a serious disadvantage.<\/p>\n

A truck carries a Ghadr-1 missile during a military parade in Tehran: Berlin is worried that German vehicles could be used to launch Iranian rockets.
\nZoom
\nREUTERS<\/p>\n

A truck carries a Ghadr-1 missile during a military parade in Tehran: Berlin is worried that German vehicles could be used to launch Iranian rockets.
\nAccording to J\u00e4ger, the German government’s rigid position achieves only one thing, namely that goods being exported to Iran are no longer coming from Germany, but from countries like France and Sweden. Instead of Daimler, the companies that benefit from trade with Iran include Renault, Volvo and Iveco, which are able to sell their goods largely unencumbered by restrictive regulations. J\u00e4ger asked if that was really what the German government wanted. …<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fact of the day provided by Ehsani<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

US CONSUMERS ARE 4.5% OF WORLD POPULATION. THEY SPEND $10 TRILLION A YEAR….. CHINESE AND INDIAN CONSUMERS MAKE UP 40% OF THE WORL POPULATION THEY SPEND A COMBINED $2 TRILLION A YEAR IN OTHER WORDS, US CONSUMERS ARE 10% OF CHINA AND INDIA IN TERMS OF POPULATION BUT THEY SPEND 5 TIMES MORE GLOBAL RECESSION IS BASICALLY INEVITABLE IF THE US CONSUMERS ARE ON STRIKE.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In reading the following story about Syria and Iraq it is worth noting that Syrian officials here have been saying that Syria can help the US depart Iraq “honorably.” The implication is that the US would be embarrassed by an outbreak of violence in Iraq following US departure, something Syria can help to stop. 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