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Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Excerpts:US,Russia blamed each other re Syria failing ceasefire. US cousins jailed conspiring for ISIS. Saudi Crown Prince describes Saudi terror experience and actions. Iran parades arms,tells US no meddling in Gulf. Obama says no re bill re Iran's leaders. Israel detains 13 more in Arab Party. Russia aircraft carrier to Syria coast September 21, 2016

Excerpts:US,Russia blamed each other re Syria failing ceasefire. US cousins
jailed conspiring for ISIS. Saudi Crown Prince describes Saudi terror
experience and actions. Iran parades arms,tells US no meddling in Gulf.
Obama says no re bill re Iran's leaders. Israel detains 13 more in Arab
Party. Russia aircraft carrier to Syria coast September 21, 2016

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 21 Sept.’16:”Russia,US ‘in a parallel universe’
over Syria”,by Associated Press
SUBJECT: The US and Russia blamed each other re Syria failing ceasefire

FULL TEXT:The United States and Russia blamed each other for Syria’s failing
ceasefire Wednesday [21 Sept.], illustrating why a fractured UN Security
Council has been unable for more than five years to do anything to stop the
Arab country’s civil war.

In a public session originally envisioned to enshrine Syria’s Sept. 9 truce,
world powers were left to rue the possibility of the conflict entering an
even darker phase after a series of attacks on humanitarian workers.

Washington, Moscow and the council’s other nations all sought to revive the
US-Russian ceasefire deal, but seemed stuck on fundamental differences old
and new: Who bears ultimate responsibility for the war and whose actions
over the last days scuttled perhaps the best opportunity for peace?

“Supposedly we all want the same goal. I’ve heard that again and again,” a
clearly angry US Secretary of State John Kerry told the council, referencing
oft-repeated international objectives of a united, secular and democratic
Syria. “But we are proving woefully inadequate in ... making that happen.”

Kerry outlined a litany of US complaints against Syrian President Bashar
Assad’s government and its chief backer, Russia. He recited Moscow’s
changing narrative over a deadly attack this week on an aid convoy that has
included everything from claims of a justifiable counterterror strike to
vehicles spontaneously combusting.

I felt a little bit like we’re in a parallel universe here

Kerry after listing to Lavrov speak:“This is not a joke,” Kerry said,
sharply criticizing those who engage in “word games” to dodge responsibility
over questions of “war and peace, life and death.”

Kerry offered one concrete suggestion to revive diplomatic hopes. Focused on
protecting key aid routes in northern Syria, it was unclear if Russia and
Syria would agree.

“To restore credibility, we must immediately ground all aircraft flying in
those key areas in order to de-escalate the situation and give a chance for
humanitarian assistance to flow unimpeded,” he said.

The top American diplomat spoke just after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov delivered his own set of barbs, underscoring the breakdown in trust
in the 12 days since he and Kerry clinched a ceasefire agreement and a
potential US-Russian military partnership against ISIS and al-Qaeda. The
former Cold War foes and much of the international community hailed the
outcome, only to watch it unravel amid an upsurge in violence that even
included an accidental US strike that killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers.

Unlike Kerry, who stressed the importance of Assad’s government ending
military operations against rebels and allowing in unfettered aid, Lavrov
said the US had the biggest responsibility.

“The key priority is to separate the opposition forces from the terrorists,”
Lavrov said.

Responding to the wide criticism of the convoy airstrike, which American
officials are blaming on Russia, Lavrov cited various possible explanations.

Twenty civilians were killed when the Syrian Red Crescent convoy was struck.

Lavrov was more direct in laying out what he presented as a series off truce
violations by US-backed rebels groups near the northern city of Aleppo. And
he declared Syria’s conflict, as well as that of Iraq, Libya and other
instable nations, the “direct consequence” of foreign military interventions
in the region. It was a not-so-subtle finger pointed at Washington.

Larvov and Kerry’s speeches laid bare their widely divergent views of a war
that has killed up to a half-million people, contributed to Europe's worst
refugee crisis since World War II and allowed ISIS to emerge as a global
terror threat. At one point, Kerry said listening to his Russian counterpart
was like hearing about a “parallel universe.”

“I felt a little bit like we’re in a parallel universe here,” said Kerry
after listing to Lavrov speak.

On Tuesday[20 Sept], the two diplomats met with more than a dozen Arab and
European foreign ministers, hoping to hold onto what might be salvageable
from a week of relative calm in Syria. No one spoke of any progress, beyond
a decision to hold follow-up discussions later this week.

Lavrov on Wednesday[21 Sept] mentioned the possibility of a three-day period
of “silence” being announced.

“We are at a make or break moment,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said,
opening the session.

His peace envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, described his long-delayed
plans for a multi-step Syrian peace process and transition that appeared,
even by his own admission, untethered to reality on the ground. Wednesday’s
[21 Sept]latest violence included an airstrike in the north that killed five
medical staff, according to a relief organization.

“I know, it looks like a dream,” de Mistura said.

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 21 Sept.’16:”US cousins draw long prison terms
over conspiring to help ISIS, by Agence France Prsse
SUBJECT:US cousins jailed conspiring forISIS

FULL TEXT:An American soldier and his cousin were sentenced to jail terms of
up to 30 years over a plot to attack a suburban Chicago military base and
cause mass fatalities.

The men pleaded guilty in December 2015 to conspiring to provide material
support to the ISIS group.

Hasan Edmonds, 24, was a soldier in the US Army National Guard when he began
communicating online in January with an FBI agent pretending to be an ISIS
fighter in Libya.

Ready to attack
Edmonds admitted to giving the purported militant advice on "how to fight
and defeat the US military," the plea agreement said. He said he and his
cousin Jonas were ready to conduct an attack in the United States.

Edmonds and his cousin began meeting with another undercover agent in March
who pretended to help Edmonds plan a trip to Mosul, Iraq, to join the ISIS
group.

They also discussed a plan for Jonas Edmonds, 31, to use his cousin’s
military uniforms to attack the base in Joliet, Illinois where Hasan Edmonds
was assigned.

Jonas said he wanted the undercover agent to help him achieve a "body count"
of 100 to 150 people.

In Tuesday's sentencing by US District Judge John Lee, the younger Edmonds
drew a prison term of 30 years while the elder got 21 years.

+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 21 Sept.’16:”Saudi ‘suffered’ from terrorism
before Sept,11”,by Staff Writer
SUBJECT Saudi Crown Prince describes Saudi terror experience and actions

QUOTE:”Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef of Saudi Arabia speaks during a
high-level meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants at
the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September
19, 2016. (Reuters)”

FULL TEXT:Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said on Wednesday[21 Sept]
that the kingdom was “one of the first” countries that suffered from
terrorism, way before the deadly Sept. 11 attack in New York in 2001.

“Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries that suffered from terrorism,”
Crown Prince Mohammed told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New
York.

The crown prince said in 1992, Saudi Arabia had confronted 100 terrorism
operations, including 18 terrorist attacks “implemented by elements linked
to regional countries,” without giving any names.

He said “before Sep. 11, Saudi Arabia had signed agreements with other Arab
states to fight terrorism,” and until now it is still “waging an unrelenting
war terrorist groups.”

He added: “[Saudi] is now part of 12 international agreements to fight
terrorism,” and it heads in “partnership” with the United States and Italy a
group combating ISIS funding.

To combat radicalism, Saudi Arabia “has launched Mohammed bin Nayef
Counseling and Care Center and its top clerics have been issuing religious
edicts prohibiting terrorism or joining terror groups.”

Saudi Arabia “was one of the first countries that denounced September 11,”
attacks which killed almost 3,000 people.

“The security apparatus in Saudi Arabia has foiled 268 terrorist operations,
including operations against friendly states such as United States,” he
said.

He said Saudi was “puzzled”, alongside the international community, over the
Congress passing a bill that will allow Sept. 11 families to sue Riyadh
since the majority of the 18 hijackers behind the 2001 tragic attack were
Saudis.

As the White House is trying to press on Congress not to approve the bill,
US President Barack Obama has till Sept. 23 to veto the law if passed.

The crown prince reiterated the Saudi stance that if the law is passed it
will violate international law.

He said combating terrorism should be a “joint international
responsibility…we call for cooperation as per the international law and
principles on which the UN was built, which equates the sovereignty of all
nations.”

Islamic military alliance
The crown prince also called on the international community to cooperate
with the 40-member Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT),
which was formed in late 2015.

He also urged the UN to include IMAFT under its “umbrella” after Saudi
Arabia funneled $110 million into the alliance to beef it up.

On Iran
The crown prince also urged Iran to exercise a ‘Good Neighbor policy’ and
not interfere in the internal affairs of regional countries.

He also accused Iran of not offering “enough protection as per international
agreements” after protesters stormed both the Saudi embassy in Tehran and
its consulate in Mashhad in January this year.

The storming of the Saudi embassy and consulate has led Riyadh to sever ties
with Tehran soon after the incidents.

Meanwhile, the crown prince also stressed that the Middle East should be
free of nuclear arms and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), and urged for
launching an international conference to make this objective a reality in a
clear message to Israel, which observers speculate has a 200-warhead
stockpile.

He also denounced the Israeli aggression on Palestinians and urged for a
two-state solution with Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine.

He urged a political solution for Syria and the implementation of Geneva I
accord, which stipulates a transitional government.

In Yemen, he reiterated the Saudi position over UN resolution 2216 requiring
the Iran-backed Houthis militias and their allies to withdraw from areas
they occupied in 2014.

He also said the Houthis continue to attack Saudi borders, using ballistic
missiles.

In a separate remark, the crown prince rejected the misuse of freedom of
expression against religions.


+++SOURCE:Al Arabiya News 21 Sept.’16:”Iran parades new arms,tells US not to
meddle in Gulf”,by Reuters
SUBJECT:Iran parades arms,tells US no meddling in Gulf

FULL TEXT:Iran marked the anniversary of its 1980 invasion by Iraq by
showing off its latest ships and missiles and telling the United States not
to meddle in the Gulf.

At a parade in Tehran on Wednesday, shown on state TV, the military
displayed long-range missiles, tanks, and the Russian-supplied S-300
surface-to-air missile defense system.

At the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, the navy showed off 500 vessels, as
well as submarines and helicopters, at a time of high tension with the
United States in the strategic waterway.

US officials say there have been more than 30 close encounters between US
and Iranian vessels in the Gulf so far this year, over twice as many as in
the same period of 2015.

On Sept. 4, a US Navy coastal patrol ship changed course after an Iranian
Revolutionary Guard fast-attack craft came within 100 yards (90 meters) of
it in the central Gulf, at least the fourth such incident in less than a
month, US Defense Department officials said.

“We tell the Americans that it’s better that the capital and wealth of the
American people should not be wasted on their inappropriate and detrimental
presence in the Persian Gulf,” said Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari,
commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Tasnim news site quoted him as saying: “If they want to extend their
reach and engage in adventurism they should go to the Bay of Pigs” - a
reference to the location of a botched US attempt to overthrow Cuban leader
Fidel Castro in 1961.

In Tehran, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, declared that Iran wanted peace.

‘Brothers in faith’
But he said Iran’s lessons in the 1980-88 war against Iraq now served as a
guide for “our brothers in faith” in Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq,
Afghanistan, Yemen and Bahrain, countries where Iran has political,
religious or military allies.

Among the weapons displayed was the new long-range “Zolfaqar” ballistic
missile, named after a legendary sword said to have given by the Prophet
Mohammad to Imam Ali. It has “a cluster warhead capable of hitting targets
spread over the ground,” according to Tasnim.

A banner on the side of a truck carrying the new missile bore a threat to
Iran’s arch-foe Israel: “If the leaders of the Zionist regime make a mistake
then the Islamic Republic will turn Tel Aviv and Haifa to dust.”

The Russian-supplied missile defense system on show in Tehran was deployed
last month around Iran’s underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordow.

Enrichment at the site, around 100 km (60 miles) south of Tehran, has
stopped since the implementation in January of Iran’s agreement with world
powers to curb its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions.

Also on display was the Qadr H missile, which has a range of 2,000 km,
according to state TV. Iran’s ballistic missile program has been criticized
by the West, and the US Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies
in March because of their alleged ties to it.

+++SOURCE: Naharnet(Lebanon)21Sept.’16:”Obama Threatens to Veto Bill
Targeting Iran’s Leaders”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Obama says no to bill re Iran’s leaders

FULL TEXT:The White House on Wednesday[21 Sept] said President Barack Obama
would veto congressional measures to reveal the assets of Iran's leaders,
including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, if a bill came to his desk.

Warning that the proposed legislation would force suspect dealings further
into the shadows, the White House said Obama's top advisors would recommend
he veto.

"Producing this information could also compromise intelligence sources and
methods," the White House said in a statement.

The measures would target the Iran's supreme leader, its president and a
raft of individuals linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the
Quds force and the powerful Basij paramilitary group.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Bruce Poliquin, has argued that the
measures would help show the world how Iran "facilitates human rights abuse
through funding pilfered from the Iranian people."


+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)21 Sept.’16:”Israeli Police Detain 13 More in
Arab Party Probe”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Israel detains 13 more in Arab party probe

FULL TEXT:Israeli police said Wednesday [21 Sept]they had detained 13 more
people as part of an investigation into a prominent Arab political party's
financing.

A total of 36 people have now been arrested in connection with the
investigation into the financing of the Balad party.

Those arrested have included party officials and activists.

Balad has denounced the probe as an attempt to silence Israel's Arab
minority, which accounts for 17.5 percent of the country's eight million
population and is largely supportive of the Palestinian cause.

"The arrests aim to intimidate and scare, nothing else," it said in a
statement.

Balad is especially critical of Israeli policies and one of its members of
parliament, Haneen Zoabi, has frequently angered Israeli officials.

Police said they were investigating suspicions of fraud, money laundering,
and illegal use of party funds.

They have said that Balad members were accused of creating a mechanism that
for years misrepresented "the origin of millions of shekels" obtained from
within Israel and abroad.

Authorities did not provide further information on the alleged sources of
the financing.

Balad, an acronym for National Democratic Assembly, is part of the Joint
List, a coalition of Arab Israeli parties in parliament.

The Joint List holds 13 of the 120 seats in parliament, of which three are
held by Balad, and is the third largest bloc in the legislature.

Balad's three MPs triggered outrage among Jewish Israelis earlier this year
when they met relatives of Palestinians who authorities say were killed
while carrying out attacks.

In response, parliament passed a controversial law in July allowing the
expulsion of MPs deemed guilty of racial incitement or supporting armed
struggle against Israel.

Analysts have said the law will be extremely difficult to put into practice
as any expulsion would require the support of 90 of the 120 MPs.

Balad founder and then MP Azmi Bishara fled Israel in 2007 amid allegations
he advised Lebanon's Hizbullah and directed its rocket fire against Israel
during a month-long war the previous year.

+++SOURCE:Naharnet(Lebanon)21 Sept.’16:”Russia to Send Flagship Aircraft
Carrier to Syria Coast”,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Russia aircraft carrier to Syria coast

FULL TEXT:Russia's defense minister said Wednesday[21 Sept] that Moscow was
dispatching its flagship aircraft carrier to bolster its forces in the
eastern Mediterranean off Syria.

The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier would be sent to join Russia's
current naval deployment there, minister Sergei Shoigu said during a
televised meeting.

"Currently the Russian naval deployment to the east Mediterranean consists
of no less than six battleships and three or four support vessels," he said.

"In order to bolster the military capabilities of the group we plan to add
the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier to the group," Shoigu said, without
specifying a timeframe.

Russia has been flying a bombing campaign in Syria for the past year in
support of Bashar Assad and has deployed a naval contingent to back up its
operation.

This is the first time that the Soviet-era Kuznetsov -- Russia's only
aircraft carrier that is part of its Northern fleet based in Murmansk --
will join the Russian deployment after undergoing a refurbishment.

Russia has a base in government-controlled Syrian territory from which it
has flown most of its bombing raids in the country.

It has flown long-range bombing raids from bases in Russia and fired cruise
missiles from ships in the Caspian Sea and a submarine in the Mediterranean.
=============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA

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