Excerpts: Qatar asks Egypt to release Morsi. Main elements nuclear deal
unsettled. King Salman's Ramadan greetings to Muslims worldwide. Saudi to
Lebanon: freeze weapons deliveries. Suspected arson attack on revered church
in Israel June 18, 2015

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 18 June ’15:”Qatar calls on Egypt to release Morsi”,by
Agence France Presse

SUBJECT:Qatar asks Egypt to release Morsi

QUOTE:”Qatar still shelters many members of Morsi’s Muslim Broherhood”



FULL TEXT:DOHA — Qatar expressed "deep concern" on Wednesday[17 June] over a
death sentence handed down by an Egyptian court against ousted Islamist
president Mohamed Morsi and called for his release.

The United States has branded the sentencing of Egypt's first democratically
elected president as politically motivated.

"Doha adds its voice to the countries calling for the verdict to be quashed
and Morsi released," said the statement on the official Qatar News Agency.

An Egyptian court on Tuesday[16 June] upheld a death sentence handed down
against Morsi on charges of plotting jailbreaks and attacks on police during
the country's 2011 uprising. It also sentenced him to life in prison on
charges of spying for Iran and militant groups including the Palestinian
Islamist movement Hamas, several of whose leaders are based in Qatar.

The Egyptian court also upheld death sentences against around 100 other
defendants, including the Qatar-based cleric Yusuf Qaradawi, who was tried
in absentia.

"The death sentences against political dissidents in Egypt harm security and
stability, and close the door to reconciliation and harmony," the Qatari
statement said.

Ties between Doha and Cairo had been strained over Qatar's backing for
Morsi, ousted by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in
2013.

The dispute triggered a crisis last year pitting Qatar against its Gulf
neighbors — all backers of Sisi.

It ended in a compromise in December, when Qatar pledged its support to
Sisi, even though it still shelters many leaders of Morsi's Muslim
Brotherhood which is now blacklisted as a terrorist group in Egypt. — AFP



+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 18 June ’15:”Several disagreements impede Iran
nuclear talks”,by Associated Press

SUBJECT:Main elements nuclear deal unsettled

QUOTE:”Iran and 6 powers are still apart on all main elements of a nuclear
deal”

VIENNA — Iran and six powers are still apart on all main elements of a
nuclear deal with less than two weeks to go to their June 30 target date and
will likely have to extend their negotiations, two diplomats tell The
Associated Press.

Their comments enforce concerns that obstacles to a pact remain beyond the
public debate on how far Iran must open its nuclear program to outside
purview under any deal.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has for weeks rebuffed US
demands that UN nuclear monitors have access to military sites and nuclear
scientists as they monitor Tehran's commitments under a deal and probe
allegations of past work on atomic arms.

Negotiators are concerned about a lack of headway on all issues. Russian
chief delegate Sergey Ryabkov said Friday the "the rate of progress ... is
progressively slowing down."

Negotiators have been meeting five days a week in Vienna over the past few
weeks. The two diplomats are familiar with the progress of the talks and
spoke shortly before a planned five-day round reconvened Wednesday. They
demanded anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the
confidential negotiations.

Ways of implementing specific parts of the deal are supposed to be contained
in four or five annexes to the main text of an agreement.

The diplomats described said the draft of a main document as a patchwork of
text and dozens of blank spaces because of stubborn disagreement on up to 10
elements crucial to any deal. Those details are to be included in four or
five annexes, which remain incomplete.

Both sides remain publicly committed to June 30. Still, the diplomats said
all nations at the table recognize that a delay up to July 8 is not a
deal-breaker.

If US Congress receives a deal by July 8, it has 30 days to review it before
President Barack Obama could suspend congressional sanctions. Postponement
beyond that would double the congressional review period to 60 days, giving
both Iranian and US opponents more time to work on undermining an agreement.

Any deal would cap nearly a decade of international efforts to restrict
Iranian nuclear programs that could be turned toward making weapons.

Tehran denies any interest in — or work on — atomic arms, but wants
negotiations with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and
Germany to conclude with an end to sanctions imposed over its nuclear
program.

The talks focus on ways to implement commitments by both sides reached in a
preliminary deal in April. Iran agreed then to slashing the size of its
uranium enrichment program for at least 10 years, as well as re-engineering
a nearly built reactor to minimize its output or plutonium — like enriched
uranium a potential pathway to nuclear weapons.

It also has agreed to give experts of the UN's International Atomic Energy
Agency unprecedented monitoring authority to ensure that Tehran is hewing to
its commitments, as well as more leverage in following up on the allegations
of past nuclear weapons work. — AP




+++SOURCE:Saudi Gazette 18 June ’15:”King Salman vows to safeguard nation
from sedition, sectarianism”by Saudi Report

SUBJECT:King Salman’s Ramadan greetings to Muslims worldwide

EXCERPTS:JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Wednesday
[17 June] greeted Muslims in Saudi Arabia and all over the world on the eve
of the holy month of Ramadan.

In an address to the people of Saudi Arabia and Muslims around the world,
King Salman reiterated his determination to safeguard the country and
citizens from sedition, unrest and sectarian tensions.

“We emphasize our total rejection of sectarian divisions as we are aware of
its dangers to national cohesion. We will not tolerate those who are
negligent and we will hold accountable whoever compromises our security and
our religious and national values,” the King said in the address, read out
by Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi, the Saudi Press
Agency reported.
………………………………………

Our religion unifies rather than separates, and it renounces violence and
terrorism,” the King said, adding that "this holy month with its noble
meanings does give us the commitment to abide by these noble ideals, values
and objectives.”

King Salman noted that Saudi Arabia, whom Almighty Allah has honored to
serve the two holy mosques and their visitors, is always aware of its role,
duties and responsibilities to protect this religion and serve the interests
of Muslims everywhere.

“From this perspective, the Kingdom has been, since it was founded by the
late King Abdulaziz, responsible for following moderation in religion,
supporting the oppressed and bringing relief to the distressed in all parts
of the world. This commitment emanates from our belief in the bonds of
brotherhood and humanity,” the King said.



+++SOURCE:”Naharnet (Lebanon) 18 June’15:”Report: Riyadh Makes Offcial
Request to Freeze French Arms Delivery”, by Naharnet Newsdesk
SUBJECT: Saudi to Lebanon: freeze French weapons delivery
FULL TEXT:Saudi Arabia has asked French authorities to freeze the delivery
of weapons to the Lebanese army under a Saudi grant, As Safir daily reported
on Thursday.[18 June]

The newspaper quoted informed French sources as saying that Paris received
an official message from Riyadh in May asking it to freeze the delivery of
the rest of the arms.

The letter also requested France not to inform Lebanese authorities about
the decision to freeze the delivery, they said.

The Lebanese army received the first batch of weapons, including Milan
anti-tank missiles, under the $3 billion Saudi grant in April.

Thursday's[18 June] report came a day after the same newspaper said that the
are dysfunctional.

But the military was quick to deny the report.

It said in a communicate on Wednesday[17 June] that the missiles “have no
technical or production malfunction.”

The army also urged the media to be accurate in dealing with any information
relating to the military.

+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Lebanon)18 June ’15:”Suspected Arson Attack at Revered
Christian Site in Israel”,Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Suspected arson attack on revered church in Israel
QUOTE:”damage limited to external atrium…’We’re very happy that nothing
happened to the church’ “
FULL TEXT:The Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha on the shores on the
Sea of Galilee is where many Christians believe Jesus fed the 5,000 in the
miracle of the five loaves and two fish.

"During the night a fire broke out at the Tabgha church," a police statement
said."Fire service investigators and police are examining the scene.
Graffiti in Hebrew was found on the wall of the church." Father Matthias, of
the Roman Catholic Benedictine order, which administers the site, said the
damage was limited to an external atrium, which was "totally destroyed."

"The church, thank God is in good condition," he told AFP. "We're very happy
that nothing happened to the church."

The police statement did not elaborate on the content of the graffiti, but
Israeli media said it called for the expulsion of "heathens" from Israel.

An adviser to the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land said the apparent
arson attack would reverberate throughout the Christian world.

"Israel's global image will be harmed," Wadie Abu Nassar told Israeli public
radio.

It was the latest in a long line of attacks on Christian and Muslim holy
places, in which the perpetrators are believed to have been Jewish
extremists.

"When you put one and one together, between the graffiti and the arson, you
can reach a conclusion regarding the potential suspects," Abu Nassar said.

In April, vandals smashed gravestones at a Maronite Christian cemetery in a
village near Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

That incident prompted Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to meet church
leaders and pledge to crack down on religiously inspired hate crime.
====================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA