A thriving American legacy in Iraq

SUN, 16 JUN 2013 09:02 | The Wall Street Journal http://www.krg.org/a/d.aspx?l=12&a=47818 By Fouad Ajami The weather has cooperated and the commencement ceremony, held outdoors, proceeds as planned—jubilant students, speakers straining for humor and advice, the awarding of diplomas. The campus, a modern structure of tan stone sitting handsomely atop a hill, framed by nearby mountains, could be anywhere in the American Southwest. But this isn't America, it is the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani, in Iraqi Kurdistan's second-largest city. Nearly all of Kurdistan's elite are on hand—former peshmerga military commanders, technocrats, businessmen, and two of the region's most influential younger politicians, Barham Salih, former prime minister of the regional government, and Nechirvan Barzani, the current occupant of that position. The American University of Iraq-Sulaimani had been, as late as 2006, an impossible idea held by Mr. Salih, a devoted and driven modernizer with a doctorate of his own from the United Kingdom. Its first students attended classes in portable cabins. Today, in late May, a beautiful campus surrounds us, and degrees are being conferred in information technology, international studies and business administration. The pride is palpable. Success and tranquillity have not been the lot of the Kurds, but now they are making, and safeguarding, their history. The Kurds are not waiting on Baghdad. In May alone, 1,045 people were killed in Iraq, 2,377 wounded, and there were more than 560 episodes of violence. Several years back, a stranger venturing into Kurdistan was treated to tales of hurt and grief, the cruelty meted out by Saddam Hussein's Baath regime. The memory lives on, but there is in the air a sense of vindication—and practicality. On the ruins of that old, cruel world the Kurds are busy building a decent public order. Geographically, Baghdad is just 200 miles southwest, but it could be worlds away. Stran Abdullah, at 44 one of Kurdistan's most informed and talented journalists, tells me hasn't been to Baghdad in more than five years. For him, he says, it is now an alien city. Still, his Arabic is fluid and rich—a contrast to so many young Kurds who have lost touch with that language. He didn't quibble when I dubbed him Kurdistan's last Iraqi. Everywhere, the pretense of "one Iraq" grows weaker by the day. Yet it is still observed if only because a hard partition is destined to be a bloody affair. The line where Kurdistan ends and the rest of Iraq begins runs through an explosive mix of ethnic claims and economic ambitions. Kirkuk alone should suffice to sober up those who rush into the breach—it is a city as rich in oil as it is in political troubles. One doesn't have to be terribly imaginative to foresee catastrophe in that tinderbox: ethnic cleansing, a Kurdish victory in Kirkuk matched by the eviction of Kurds from the Sunni Arab side of the dividing line. A people schooled in tragedy are not eager to call it up again. There is an economic boom in Kurdistan, and those here who have known privation for so long now savor their newfound prosperity. The traffic jams bear witness to that. There are more than a million cars on Kurdistan's roads, in a place with fewer than five million people. The consumer goods of the world are here and plentiful. The region's capital, Erbil, is a surprise after the stark mountains: a boomtown with swanky hotels, shopping malls and construction cranes everywhere. It has the feel of Houston and shades of Dubai. Entrepreneurship seems to be the people's creed. The region produces 200,000 barrels of oil a day, expected to reach a million a day by 2015, and there is an estimated 45 billion barrels in the ground. No wonder the optimism. The fantasy of Iraqi Kurdistan serving as a magnet for the Kurds of neighboring Syria, Iran and perhaps southeast Turkey, in a bid for Greater Kurdistan, has no takers here. A substantial refugee population from Syrian Kurdistan has made its way here. But the advice given the Syrian Kurds has been stick to your land, create facts on the ground, be wary of the Assad dictatorship and of the rebellion alike. This is a small landlocked regional government and it knows better than to trifle with the two giants that overhang it—Iran and Turkey. Turkish companies are the largest foreign presence here, and a recent deal struck between the regional government, a Turkish state-run oil firm and Exxon Mobil to develop projects in the region confirms that Turkey is now Kurdistan's preferred outlet to the world. Ankara's historic distrust of the Kurds is rapidly receding, and Iraqi Kurdistan has played no small part in the recent truce between the Turkish government and the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The Kurds remain the most pro-American population in this swath of broad Middle Eastern geography. Yet Washington spurns the Kurds as it courts a strongman in Baghdad who has cast his lot with the Iranian theocracy and the Syrian dictatorship. In December 2011, as President Obama boasted of his strategic retreat in the region and of U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, he held up Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as "the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant and democratic Iraq." Never mind that Mr. Maliki was hard at work intimidating the opposition, consolidating power and warning the Kurds that all oil proceeds must run through Baghdad. A member of the Kurdish political class lamented to me: "This world we have was bequeathed us by the United States, by the protection that Anglo-American air power gave us after the disastrous events of the first Gulf War of 1990-91. And now the troubles we have holding our own against Baghdad are the product of American policies as well." What American influence remained after military withdrawal was the U.S. pressure brought to bear on the Kurds—and on the Turks—against the oil deals pursued by Turkey in Kurdistan. But these oil and gas fields had their own power. The Kurds, the Turks and the big oil companies defied the protestations of the White House. The supreme irony: At a time when Iraqis of all stripes were breaking with the idea of a dominion from Baghdad, the U.S. was arguing that Kurdistan ought not to run afoul of Baghdad's dictates on oil exploration. The friends we spurn, the antagonists and strongmen we court: This is a recurrent theme in American diplomacy. Of late, America's wars in Iraq have lacked for vindication. But look north to the Kurds for a redemption. Before the Obama retreat, a long-suffering people were sheltered by American power, and made the best of their chance. Mr. Ajami is a senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution and the author most recently of "The Syrian Rebellion" (Hoover Press, 2012). =============== Hawrami sounds very independent of the ICG No KRG oil exports via Iraq pipeline until permanent resolution Reuters Middle East – 41 mins ago Email ShareTweet Print LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - A resumption of Kurdish oil exports through Iraq's federal pipeline system will depend on a "permanent" resolution between the Kurdish regional government and Baghdad, KRG energy minister Ashti Hawrami told a conference in London. The prime ministers of Iraq and the KRG met last week in the Kurdish capital Arbil and agreed to set up committees to focus on Iraq's oil and gas law and revenue sharing legislation. "There was no discussion about oil payments... Our dispute is constitutional, we are looking at the big picture," Hawrami said. (Reporting by Julia Payne and Peg Mackey; editing by James Jukwey) ==========================

طالبان بمقابلہ طالبات

طالبان بمقابلہ طالبات ایک طرف نعرہ تکبیر بلند کرتا بارودی جیکٹ پہنا وحشی دوسری طرف کتابیں پکڑی بس میں بیٹھی معصوم بچی بروری اور علمدار روڈ یکساں طور پر خطرات کی زد میں ھے ، عوام سے درخواست کیجاتی ھے کہ اپنی حفاظت کے پیش نظر تمام داخلی راستوں پر کڑی نظر رکھے اور ان ایام میں بے جا رش یا اجتماعات سے گریز کیجاے آمدہ اطلاعات اور حاصل بزنجو کے بیان کے مطابق یونیورسٹی میں حملے کا شکار ھونے والی بدقسمت بس صرف دو دن قبل تک علمدار روڈ کی طالبات کے زیر استعمال رھی ییں جس سے حملہ آوروں کے اصل ھدف کا ادراک کیا جاسکتا ییں ، اس حادثے کے بعد ہسپتال میں ھونے والا خودکش حملہ بھی منصوبہ سازوں کی منصوبہ بندی کی نشاندھی کررھا ییں ایسے میں عوام کا فرض بنتا ھے کہ اپنے حفاظت پر زیادہ سے زیادہ توجہ دے اور سیکورٹی پر مامور ذمہ داروں سے بھی التماس ھے کہ حفاظتی تدابیر کو سنجیدگی سے لیتے ھوے مستعدی کا مظایرے کرے تاکہ حادثات سے ممکنہ حد تک بچا جاسکے

This happens only when Security Forces work and alliied for Taliban Agenda, a greater regional agenda, what happened and happening in Baghdad (Oil Capital) is happening in Quetta (Mineral Capital). Common enemy and sponsors of gun , ammo, Zalils Brothers of Saudi Refugee Status and a wahabi Chief Justice is ruling over ISLAMabad. Do you think they care cries or bloodbath. This is what they like, ...as Quetta sits on Mines Region. Internation Corporate Mines Companies funding Nawabs and Sardars to oust Shias from Mines and Nuclear Capital so that they can buy loyalties of friendly Nawabs and start signing contracts. The best time to sign contracts is when blood is flowing as Media and Public eyes will be focused on bodies. This is how US and Turk Comapnies signed Oil Contracts in Kurdistan while Baghdad, Basra, Baquba was under constant Bloodbath and rain of blasts. This is right time Hezbollah openly came to protect our lives. Sooner or later all this will lead to a day where there will be two armies fighting to control Balochsitan, 1 will be pro-Taliban and other one Anti-Taliban. There will be Palestine and Mini Beiruts everywhere in Pak.

Facebook, Microsoft disclose information on user data requestsBy Faith Karimi, CNN

June 15, 2013 -- Updated 0825 GMT (1625 HKT) STORY HIGHLIGHTS The disclosure comes amid a firestorm against companies for releasing user data to the U.S. Facebook has been in talks with U.S. officials to seek greater transparency Obama administration officials have pushed back against criticism (CNN) -- Facebook and Microsoft disclosed that they received thousands of requests for user data from government agencies in the United States in the last half of 2012. Facebook said it got between 9,000 and 10,000 requests targeting between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts during that period. "These requests run the gamut -- from things like a local sheriff trying to find a missing child, to a federal marshal tracking a fugitive, to a police department investigating an assault, to a national security official investigating a terrorist threat," Ted Ullyot, Facebook's general counsel, said in a post Friday night Could the NSA leaker defect to China? Hayden on NSA surveillance program Outsourcing American Secrets "With more than 1.1 billion monthly active users worldwide, this means that a tiny fraction of 1% of our user accounts were the subject of any kind of U.S. state, local, or federal U.S. government requests." The disclosure comes amid a firestorm over revelations that both were among companies that turned over user data to the National Security Agency's web surveillance program. The U.S. government has a sweeping system for monitoring emails, photos, search histories and other data from major American Internet companies, including Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Skype. More transparency Both companies got government permission to publish the reports as long as they were grouped with all others requests, including from state and local agencies. The grouping of the data made it hard to single out those made for national security reasons. Google publishes a transparency report using requests from governments worldwide. However, it does not separate requests made for foreign surveillance purposes. Facebook has been in talks with U.S. officials to seek greater transparency on national security-related orders, Ullyot said. In an effort to combat criticism, Microsoft also disclosed information on its data requests Friday night. "For the six months ended December 31, 2012, Microsoft received between 6,000 and 7,000 criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas and orders affecting between 31,000 and 32,000 consumer accounts from U.S. governmental entities (including local, state and federal)," said John Frank, Microsoft's vice president. The Snowden index: Opinions about the NSA leaker Both companies said the information they were allowed to publish falls short of what users need to better understand the issues. "We are permitted to publish data on national security orders received, but only if aggregated with law enforcement requests from all other U.S. local, state and federal law enforcement agencies," Frank said. Obama administration officials have pushed back against criticism on the domestic surveillance in the aftermath of the classified leaks last week that disclosed details of covert surveillance programs. Edward Snowden, 29, has admitted leaking the classified documents about the covert programs. Top-secret program FBI Dir.: Snooping might have stopped 9/11 The top-secret program is legal, conducted properly and could have helped detect a 9/11 hijacker had it been in place before the 2001 terrorist attacks, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Thursday. Holder: Leaks 'extremely damaging' Civil liberties groups and legislators are among critics condemning the program as government overreach beyond the intention and limits of the Patriot Act originally passed in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks. Vetting federal contractors "It's my fear that we are on the verge of becoming a surveillance state, collecting billions of electronic records on law-abiding Americans every single day," said Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the judiciary panel. Conyers said he is co-sponsoring legislation that would address "the overbreadth and impenetrability of the surveillance programs." Wrong public perception? But legislators of both parties joined Mueller in defending the programs. "This program does not target innocent Americans in any way, shape or form," said House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican. "These programs have helped keep America safe. They have enhanced our ability to go after terrorists who want to bring harm to the American people." Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said public perception of the government data mining was wrong. One of the programs, under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, collects billions of phone records to create a database for use in tracking suspected terrorists. Another under Section 702 of the Patriot Act deals with computer activity and other information of foreigners. =================================== Facebook admits year-long data breach exposed 6 million users Fri, Jun 21 19:08 PM EDT By Gerry Shih SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc has inadvertently exposed 6 million users' phone numbers and email addresses to unauthorized viewers over the past year, the world's largest social networking company disclosed late Friday. Facebook blamed the data leaks, which began in 2012, on a technical glitch in its massive archive of contact information collected from its 1.1 billion users worldwide. As a result of the glitch, Facebook users who downloaded contact data for their list of friends obtained additional information that they were not supposed to have. Facebook's security team was alerted to the bug last week and fixed it within 24 hours. But Facebook did not publicly acknowledge the bug until Friday afternoon, when it published an "important message" on its blog explaining the issue. A Facebook spokesman said the delay was due to company procedure stipulating that regulators and affected users be notified before making a public announcement. "We currently have no evidence that this bug has been exploited maliciously and we have not received complaints from users or seen anomalous behavior on the tool or site to suggest wrongdoing," Facebook said on its blog. While the privacy breach was limited, "it's still something we're upset and embarrassed by, and we'll work doubly hard to make sure nothing like this happens again," it added. The breach follows recent disclosures that several consumer Internet companies turned over troves of user data to a large-scale electronic surveillance program run by U.S. intelligence. The companies include Facebook, Google Inc, Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Yahoo Inc. The companies, led by Facebook, successfully negotiated with the U.S. government last week to reveal the approximate number of user information requests that each company had received, including secret national security orders. (Reporting by Gerry Shih; Editing by Richard Chang) =========================

Used car auction on Salwa Road a big draw

A large number of locals, expatriates and GCC citizens yesterday participated in a used vehicles auction organised by the Central Tenders Committee, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior. Many of the bidders tried to reach the spot - on Salwa Road opposite the Search and Follow-up Department - early in the morning, even before the process started at 8am. Hundreds of used police vehicles of different sizes and makes, including saloons, SUVs and pick-ups, are on offer. The auction will be held every day in the morning and afternoon until all the vehicles are sold out. The auction started with saloons - mostly different models of Nissan, Mitsubishi and Toyota. Some of the vehicles were sold at relatively cheap rates. For example, a 2001 Nissan Sunny was sold for around QR4,000, a 2002 Toyota Avalon for about QR14,000 and a 2007 Mitsubishi Galant for QR21,000. The vehicles have to be taken as they are and bidders are allowed to check them only externally. For the bidders, the base price of some of the cars was a tad high. As a result, the auctioneer had to skip these vehicles. Interested bidders can increase the price by a minimum of QR500. When a car is sold, the winner has to pay a minimum of QR3,000 in cash, or 20% of the overall price as non-refundable advance. The vehicle is then marked as sold. The auction is open to all with no pre-qualification conditions for participants. Some of the bidders were seen buying more than one car. A good number of Saudi citizens were also present at the event, looking to buy certain types of cars. Many preferred to wait until the auction gained momentum and big SUVs like GMCs, Nissan Pathfinder and Patrol and Toyota Land Cruisers are put up for sale. While the majority of those present at the auction saw it as an opportunity to buy a good used car at an affordable price, some were reluctant to bid as they feared that some of the cars might require serious repairs later, for which they would end up paying a hefty sum. ========= Purchasing your dream car Pre-approved auto finance Offered before confirmation of employment Get up to 15,000 complimentary Barwa Bank Loyalty Points (please refer to Bonus Points Eligibility Criteria for more details on loyalty points) Our pre-approved* finance offer entitles you for a auto finance facility even before your employment is confirmed! With public transport systems still under way in Qatar, and good roads, private cars (left hand drive) are the main mode of transport. Traffic can be heavy during peak hours, usually early morning and early evening. The maximum speed limit is 120 km/h out of town and between 80 km/h and 100 km/h in town, depending on the area. If you’ve just arrived in Qatar, you must exchange your driving licence for a Qatari licence within a week. Some nationalities can do this without taking a driving test. Only residents can buy a car in Qatar. But once your residence visa is issued, buying a brand-new car is easy. If you want a car that’s almost new, you can find very good deals on used cars. Salwa Road has many used car dealers and is the most popular destination. Negotiating a price will almost certainly land you a good deal, but remember to always check for the manufacturers guarantee. To transfer ownership, you and the current owner simply go to the traffic department and complete the necessary paperwork. If you need a taxi, call Karwa Taxi, the state-owned Taxi Company run by Mowasalat, Qatar’s public transport company. To book a taxi, call 4458 8888. Unlike other banks, at Barwa Bank we offer a dedicated Car Finance product to take the worry out of buying a new car for the family. Shari’ah compliant, flexible, quick and easy, this is the fastest route to getting your new dream car. Our pre-approved* car finance offer entitles you to an auto finance facility even before your employment has been confirmed! Not only that, you also get up to 15,000 complimentary Barwa Bank Loyalty Points convertible to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Qmiles! (please refer to Bonus Points Eligibility Criteria for more details on loyalty points) Some of the features and benefits include: 100% Shari'ah compliant Preferential profit rates Up to 4 years of financing Easy application processing, with swift approval No administration or processing fees. Click here to get in touch with us and learn more about this program! Dealerships in and around Doha include: www.toyotaqatar.com www.nissanqatar.com www.mercedes-benz.com.qa www.bmw-qatar.com Used car dealerships include: qatar.dubizzle.com www.carsemsar.com www.qatarsale.com Used car rental dealers include: Avis Qatar Europcar Qatar Budget Qatar =====================

Eight work challenges facing women in Qatar

Though women in Qatar have made huge strides in the workplace, they still contend with several obstacles on the job. According to Wamda, a Jordan-based organization for entrepreneurs that recently held a workshop in Qatar, those challenges vary for expats and Qataris. For the former category, they include: Unfair sponsorship laws. Oftentimes, married women are expected to be under their husband’s sponsorship, even if they are working. This means she could be denied equal pay as well as benefits like tuition, housing and other allowances. Not being taken seriously. Whether married or single, women said they found negotiating salaries to be difficult because what they make was perceived to be a side income. The underlying assumption appears to be that they are being taken care of by their families. Being stereotyped as “moody.” Many women said it works against them to be assertive or stand up for themselves at work, because they are judged negatively for it. This culture pervades both local and multinational companies in Qatar, they said. Family not on same page. Some females who chose to start businesses said it was hard getting their spouses to understand and support the time and financial commitments that their start-ups demanded. For Qatari women, work/life balance was the biggest issue, with challenges including: Lacking flexibility. Many of the women interviewed said they wanted more opportunities for part-time work and more control over their schedules. Not having a children’s space. Most companies in Qatar do not offer onsite daycare services, which has long been a sticking point for career women here, who say productivity would increase with the peace of mind that comes with having their child nearby. Social obligations. Some women found balancing work commitments with family, friends and home life to be impossible. Lack of financial independence. Like the expats who discussed challenges, local women also stressed that contributing to their own finances was important to them, regardless of their families’ wealth. Have you faced challenges as a woman in the workplace here? Thoughts? Credit: Photo by UNCTAD Source: Read more: http://dohanews.co/post/52935276097/eight-work-challenges-facing-women-in-qatar#ixzz2WBaG1fDY

U.S. to increase military support to Syria rebels

حزب اللہ کے سیکریٹری جنرل نے کہا کہ شام میں تکفیری گروہ قتل، ذبح اور چھری پھیرنے کی باتیں کر رہے ہیں اور ایسے اقدامات بھی کررہے ہیں، ان کی کوشش ہے کہ اب مذہبی منافرت اور فرقہ واریت کا کارڈ استعمال کریں، جن کے پاس منطق اور عقل نہ ہو وہ ایسا ہی کرتا ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ کچھ معروف عربی ٹی وی چینلز اسی طرح انٹرنیٹ اخبارات سب میں یہی صورت حال ہے البتہ ہمارے حوالے سے یہ کوئی نئی بات نہیں لیکن مذہبی منافرت اور فرقہ واریت کی یہ کوششیں بزدلانہ عمل ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ شام کے مسئلے میں ہم دو سال سے کہتے آئے ہیں اور کوشش کی ہے کہ مذاکرات سے حل ہو اور ہم اب بھی یہی چاہتے ہیں۔ انہوں نے شام میں اسلامی تحریک مزاحمت کی موجودگی کے بارے میں کہا کہ اس بحران میں ہم آخری تھے جو عملی طور پر اور انتہائی محدود پیمانے پر وارد ہوئے ہیں کیونکہ ہم دیکھ رہے ہیں کہ شام میں امریکہ اور اسرائیل ایک ایسے وسیع ایجنڈے کو نافذ کرنا چاہتے ہیں جس سے نہ صرف وہ شام بلکہ خطے میں فلسطین قبل اول سمیت متعدد اہم مسائل کو اپنے حق میں کرنا چاہتے ہیں، ہمیں اس ایجنڈے کا مکمل ادراک ہے اور یہ ایجنڈا پورے خطے کو تباہ و برباد کرے گا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ آپ مجھے بتائیں کہ جسے یہ شامی اپوزیشن کہہ رہے ہیں وہ کون ہے؟ کیا شام کی عوام ہے؟ شامی اپوزیشن کی چھتری تلے دسیوں ہزار غیر ملکی مسلح افراد جو پوری دنیا سے اکھٹے ہوئے ہیں کو جمع کیا گیا اور عرب ممالک ان کی پشت پر بیٹھے ہیں اور جمہوریت اور تبدیلی کی بات کر رہے ہیں جن کے اپنے ملک میں انتخابات تک نہیں ہوتے۔ United States to meet Taliban to seek Afghan peace عراقی معروف شیعہ انقلابی رہنما سید مقتدیٰ الصدر نے شام میں دہشت گردوں کی ہرزہ سرائیوں پر شدید تشویش کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے القاعدہ کے ناصبی تکفیری دہشت گردوں کے سرغنہ کو خبر دار کرتے ہوئے نتیجہ خیز وارننگ دی ہے اور کہا ہے کہ القاعدہ دہشت گرد شا م میں دہشت گردانہ کاروائیوں کا سلسلہ فی الفور بند کر دے۔ Sayyed Nasrallah said that since the start of the crisis in Syria Hezbollah had a clear view that there was a scheme that has repercussions on Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, the region, the Muslims, the Christians, the Sunnites and the Shiites. His eminence pointed out that the resistance through its decisions is defending Lebanon, its land and its state. The resistance leader stressed that what’s coming on in Syria is not between a regime and people, saying: “This issue is over. There are sides who don’t care for the people killed, they just want for the regime to fall. They imagine that the alternative for this regime is another one. However the alternative is the chaos.” His eminence noted that the Syrian people are parted, some is with the regime and the other is against it, adding: “And we are with the regime. We are also with reforms.” “We are with people who call for reforms, whether they are with the regime or against it. However we are against those who are destroying Syria,” Sayyed Nasrallah told crowds. Sayyed Nasrallah: Mistaken Who Thinks That Takfiris Can Change Our Position inShare.0diggSaturday, 15 June 2013 08:46Written by Shiitenews Reporter Hits: 34 Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed that the resistance will be where it should, assuring that the struggle in Syria is between two projects and not between two sects. During a ceremony held by Hezbollah for the occasion of the Injured Fighter Day, Sayyed Nasrallah said that post-Qusayr stage is the same of pre-Qusayr since no change in developments taking place in Syria. In this context, he stressed that the accusations of unbelief launched by Takfiris will not change the position of the resistance, and “who thinks that he can force us to change our stance through killing and terrifying is mistaken.” As he said that the resistance is not interested in the battle taking place in Syria, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hezbollah should be engaged in this battle since it is aimed at destroying the whole region, not only Syria. His eminence pointed out that Hezbollah is the last side to take part in the Syrian fight, since there are many Lebanese parties, including al-Mustaqbal party, who were engaged in the struggle before. Clear View for the Crisis in Syria Sayyed Nasrallah said that since the start of the crisis in Syria Hezbollah had a clear view that there was a scheme that has repercussions on Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, the region, the Muslims, the Christians, the Sunnites and the Shiites. His eminence pointed out that the resistance through its decisions is defending Lebanon, its land and its state. The resistance leader stressed that what’s coming on in Syria is not between a regime and people, saying: “This issue is over. There are sides who don’t care for the people killed, they just want for the regime to fall. They imagine that the alternative for this regime is another one. However the alternative is the chaos.” His eminence noted that the Syrian people are parted, some is with the regime and the other is against it, adding: “And we are with the regime. We are also with reforms.” “We are with people who call for reforms, whether they are with the regime or against it. However we are against those who are destroying Syria,” Sayyed Nasrallah told crowds. On the other hand, he said that talks about starting to arm the Syrian opposition is false since providing arms to the foreign-backed militants who are fighting the Syrian government is taking place since long ago. Hezbollah The Latest Side to Take Part in Syria Fight Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah said that Hezbollah was the latest Lebanese side to take part in the Syrian fight, noting that many other parties have been engaged in the Syrian crisis even before Hezbollah was. “We didn’t keep our participation in the Syrian fight a secret. We didn’t say that we are offering milk and blankets,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, referring to al-Mustaqbal party MP Oqab Saqr who denied that his party is engaged in the Syrian crisis. “… And if our fighters are killed in the battle in Syria we don’t burry them there and silence their families in Lebanon,” Sayyed Nasrallah added. Sayyed Nasrallah also assured that the struggle in Syria is not sectarian, noting that those who are presenting it as a sectarian struggle are weak. He called for exerting efforts in a bid to face some Arab channels which are inciting for sedition and giving the struggle sectarian explanations through fabrications. “We won’t change our position through fabrications, killing and terrifying,” his eminence said, noting that post-Qusayr is the same stage as pre-Qusayr. He said that the other side of the struggle is determined to go ahead with it, stressing that the resistance is to be where it should be as it will hold the responsibility it had held from the beginning of the crisis. Sayyed Nasrallah also pointed out that Hezbollah is ready to debate over Syria, noting in this context that some sides are offering initiatives that need to be discussed. Call for Self Restraint Talking about the Local issues, the resistance leader said that there nothing new concerning the issue of the elections, noting that the Lebanese are awaiting the decision of the constitutional council to know if the elections are to take place or not. His eminence urged the utmost degrees of self restraint and the avoidance of any form of fight and tension. “We urge the Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians who are in the Lebanese territories to practice the utmost degrees of self restraint, especially the crowds of the resistance.” He also slammed what some Lebanese people are doing of shooting bullets in the air, saying that this action is being a noticeably increasing in Lebanon. His eminence called for the halt of this phenomenon, saying it’s rejected since it harm and bother others. “The phenomenon of shooting in the air has noticeably increased nowadays and during every occasion,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, adding: “we asked clerics across Iran and Iraq about the issue of shooting in the air. The only answer was that it is forbidden to do so.” Concerning the rockets fired on some Bekaa towns, Sayyed Nasrallah said that some media outlets are circulating rumors that these rockets are fired from the town of Ersal, in a bid to explain the issue by sectarian means. Hi eminence stressed that rockets fired on Sareen, Baalbeck and Hernel were not from Ersal, saying that armed groups in Syria are who are firing them and promising that this issue will be over soon. He warned in this context that media outlets along with intelligence services are working hard to incite sedition between Sunnites and Shiites. Resistance Saved Lebanon Talking about the occasion, Sayyed Nasrallah saluted the injured fighters along with their families who sacrificed for the sake of their country, stressing that Lebanon was liberated thanks to resistance and its fighters. “The resistance, with this sacrifice, liberated Lebanon from the Israeli occupation. It saved Lebanon and its history should not be forgotten.” In this context his eminence warned that “there is a huge media campaign which is working to defame the image and the history of the resistance.” The resistance leader dismissed talks about uprooting Hezbollah of the Lebanese structure as saying: “We were born here, we were grown up here, we lived here and we will be buried here… No one can root us up.” “One of the most powerful armies in the world was crushed by our fighters in Bint Jbeil, Maroun Ras… Who are these stupid people who are talking about rooting us up?” Iranian Elections: Festival of Democracy Meanwhile, Sayyed Nasrallah congratulated the Iranian leadership and the nation for the high public turnout in the Islamic Republic 11th presidential elections. "I want to congratulate Imam Khamenei and the Iranian nation for this festival of democracy, because this democracy strengthens the right positions in the region," he said. "Through this democracy, the Leader with all his powers has only one vote and the other Iranian citizens of different ethnicities are also at the same level. They participate in the election for the future of their country." His eminence hoped that some Arab countries witness similar democracy فَإِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّـهِ هُمُ الْغَالِبُونَ ۔۔ (اللہ کی ہی جماعت غالب آنے والی ہے۔) سورة المائدة۔ قائد حزب اللہ سید حسن نصر اللہ کا لبنان سے کیا جانے والا شام اور مشرق وسطی میں مجاہدین اسلام کی القصیر میں ناصبی سعودیوں کو شکست دینے کے بعد پیدا ہونے والی صورتحال پر خطاب پاکستان میں امریکی اور اسرائیلی سازش کا شکار ہو گیا۔ تقریر جو کہ المنار ٹی وی کی ویب سائٹ سے براہ راست نشر ہونے والی تھی،،، المنار کی ویب ساٹ اور آی پی کو بلاک کر دیا گیا۔ لیکن جیسے ہی سید حسن نصر اللہ کا خطاب ختم ہوا امریکی ایما پر بلاک کی گئی ویب سائٹ کو کھول دیا گیا۔ یہ اس بات کا ثبوٹ ہے کہ دشمن ہماری طاقت سے خوف زدہ ہے۔ اور ڈرتا ہے کہ اُسکی خقیقت کا پول دنیا کے سامنے نہ کھل جائے اور وہ طرح طرح کی مکروہ چالیں چلتا ہے۔۔ ... مگر خدا کا وعدہ ہے ۔۔۔۔ وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّـهُ ۖ وَاللَّـهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ ۔۔ سورة آل عمران اور یہودیوں نے عیسٰی علیھ السّلام سے مکاری کی تو اللہ نے بھی جوابی تدبیر کی اور خدا بہترین تدبیر کرنے والا ہے۔ ____________________________________________________See More سید المقاومہ قائد حزب اللہ سید حسن نصر اللہ شام اور مشرق وسطی میں مجاہدین اسلام کی القصیر میں ناصبی سعودیوں کو شکست دینے کے بعد پیدا ہونے والی صورتحال پر آج شام پاکستانی وقت کے مطابق شام 7 اہم خطاب کریں گے جو شیعت نیوز کے قارئین شیعت نیوز پر براہ راست ملاحظہ کر سکتے ہیں شامي فوج نےشمالي شہر حلب ميں اپني پيشقدمي جاري رکھتے ہوئے نبتل اور الزہرا کے علاقوں ميں دہشتگردوں کے محاصر کو توڑنے کي کوشش کي ہے تاکہ ان علاقوں کے باشندوں کو مدد پہنچائي جاسکے – شامي فوج نے اسي طرح کفر حمرا اور کفرداعل علاقوں ميں بھي پيشقدمي کي ہے - حلب کے مضافتي علاقوں ميں شامي فوج کي پيشقدمي ميں سيکڑوں دہشتگرد مارے گئے ہيں اور ان کے قبضے سے بھاري مقدار ميں اسلحہ و گولہ بارود بھي برآمد ہوا ہے - تکفیریوں نے اس علاقے کے رہنے والے ایک شیعہ عالم دین حجۃ الاسلام و المسلمین سید ابراہیم السید کے کمسن بیٹے کو اس کی ماں کے سمیت تمام اہل خانہ کے سامنے ذبح کردیا۔ نضال الشعب السوری ضد بشار الأسد جائز ومشروع وتاریخی، لکن امریکا، ایران، حزب اللہ، السعودیة، قطر اختطفوا ھذا النضال وحولوہ صراعا طائفیا U.S. to increase military support to Syria rebels Fri, Jun 14 06:10 AM EDT 1 of 7 By Matt Spetalnick and Erika Solomon WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has authorized sending U.S. weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, a U.S. official said on Thursday after the White House said it has proof the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against opposition forces fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. decision came as Assad's surging forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies turned their guns on the north, fighting near the northern city of Aleppo and bombarding the central city of Homs after having seized the initiative by winning the open backing of Hezbollah last month and capturing the strategic town of Qusair last week. The White House said Washington would provide "direct military support" to the opposition but did not specify whether it would include lethal aid, which would mark a reversal of Obama's resistance to arming the rebels. But the U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the package would include weapons. Syrian rebel and political opposition leaders immediately called for anti-aircraft and other sophisticated weaponry. The arrival of thousands of seasoned, Iran-backed Hezbollah Shi'ite fighters to help Assad combat the mainly Sunni rebellion has shifted momentum in the two-year-old war, which the United Nations said on Thursday had killed at least 93,000 people. U.S. and European officials anxious about the rapid change are meeting the commander of the main rebel fighting force, the Free Syrian Army, on Friday in Turkey. FSA chief Salim Idriss is expected to plead urgently for more help. Obama has been more cautious than Britain and France, which forced the European Union this month to lift an embargo that had blocked weapons for the rebels. After months of investigation, the White House on Thursday laid out its conclusions that chemical weapons were used by Assad's forces, but it stopped short of threatening specific actions in response to what Obama said would be a "game changer" for Washington's handling of the conflict. "The president ... has made it clear that the use of chemical weapons or transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist groups is a red line," said Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser. "He has said that the use of chemical weapons would change his calculus, and it has." 'CHEMICAL WEAPONS ... ON A SMALL SCALE' "Our intelligence community assesses that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, on a small scale against the opposition multiple times in the last year," Rhodes told reporters. He said the U.S. intelligence community had high confidence in the assessment and estimated that 100 to 150 people had died from detected chemical weapons attacks in Syria to date. The U.S. announcement followed deliberations between Obama and his national security aides as pressure mounted at home and abroad for more forceful action on the Syria conflict, including a sharp critique from former President Bill Clinton. Rhodes said the U.S. military assistance to the rebels would be different in "both scope and scale" from what had been authorized before, which included non-lethal equipment such as night-vision goggles and body armor. "We want anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons," George Sabra, acting leader of the National Coalition political opposition bloc, told Al-Arabiya television. "We expect to see positive results and genuine military support." U.S. Senator John McCain, who said he had been told by a reliable source that Washington would provide arms to the rebels, called for the establishment of a no-fly zone and said the United States needed to neutralize Assad's air power. "They (rebels) have enough light weapons. They've got enough AK-47s. AK-47s don't do very well against tanks," McCain told CNN. "They need anti-tank weapons and they need anti-air weapons." The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported that the administration's proposal included a no-fly zone stretching up to 25 miles inside Syria. Western governments that predicted months ago that Assad would soon fall now believe that support from Tehran and Hezbollah are giving him the upper hand. But they also worry that sending arms to rebel fighters could empower Sunni Islamist insurgents who have pledged their loyalty to al Qaeda. While Britain and France have yet to announce their own decisions to start arming the rebels, their diplomats have been making the case that the best way to counter both threats is to beef up support for Idriss' mainstream rebel force. Strengthening the FSA with money, weapons and ammunition, they argue, would help combat Assad and also provide a counterweight among the rebels to al Qaeda-linked groups. France in particular has developed good relations with Idriss while providing funds and non-lethal support, and seems eager to send him military aid. FIGHT FOR ALEPPO Assad's government says its next move will be to recapture Aleppo in the north, Syria's biggest city and commercial hub, which has been divided since last year when advancing rebels seized most of the countryside around it. Syrian state media have been touting plans for "Northern Storm," a looming campaign to recapture the rebel-held north. The United Nations, which raised its death toll for the war to 93,000 on Thursday, said it was concerned about the fate of residents if a new offensive is launched. "All of the reports I'm receiving are of augmentation of resources and forces (for an Aleppo offensive) on the part of the government," U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay told Reuters Television. Assad's army appears to be massing some troops in its footholds in Aleppo province, particularly in Shi'ite areas such as the enclaves of Nubel and Zahra, although some opposition activists say the government may be exaggerating the extent of its offensive to intimidate rebel supporters. Activists reported fighting in the area around Aleppo on Thursday, especially near an airport that rebels have been trying to capture. The government has also launched an offensive in Homs, the closest big city to its last victory in Qusair and one of the last major rebel strongholds in the country's centre. "There was a fourth day of escalations today on the besieged neighborhoods of Homs' old city. Early in the morning, there were two air strikes ... followed by artillery and mortar shelling," said Jad, an activist from Homs speaking via Skype. Ahmed al-Ahmed, an activist in Aleppo, said the government's reinforcements in the north were just a distraction from Homs. "They've turned the world's attention to watching northern Aleppo and fearing an attack and massacres as happened to our people in Qusair, to get us to forget Homs, which is the decisive battle." Hezbollah's participation has deepened the sectarian character of the war, with Assad, a member of the Alawite offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, backed by Shi'ite Iran and Hezbollah, while Sunni-ruled Arab states and Turkey back the rebels. The 7th century rift between Sunni and Shi'ite Islam has fueled violence across the Middle East in recent decades, including the sectarian bloodletting unleashed in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion and the Lebanese civil war of 1975 to 1990. Leading Sunni Muslim clerics met in Cairo on Thursday and issued a call to jihad against Assad and his allies on Thursday, condemning the conflict as a "war on Islam. (Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny in Beirut; Stephanie Nebehay and Tom Miles in Geneva; John Irish in Paris; Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman; Omar Fahmy and Asma Alsharif in Egypt; Roberta Rampton, Mark Felsenthal, Jeff Mason and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Peter Graff and Jim Loney; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Peter Cooney)

Iran begins vote to choose Ahmadinejad's successor

Iran's Khamenei says big election turnout will frustrate foes Wed, Jun 12 12:01 PM EDT 1 of 6 By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader urged voters to turn out in big numbers for a presidential election on Friday, saying such a show of strength would frustrate Tehran's enemies. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was speaking on the last day of a subdued campaign that has not produced a leading candidate from three main hardliners and one moderate. The winner will replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but inherit an economy struggling with high unemployment and inflation, and buckling under the weight of international sanctions imposed over Iran's disputed nuclear program. The new president will also have little leeway to change major policies such as Iran's enrichment of uranium for nuclear fuel or its support for President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war. Both are decided by Khamenei.

"My insistence on the presence of the majority of people in the elections is because the strong presence of the Iranian nation will disappoint the enemy, make it reduce pressures and follow another path," Khamenei said in a speech on Wednesday, reported on his web site. "It is possible that some people, for whatever reason, do not want to support the Islamic Republic establishment but they do want to support their country. They should also come to the polls. Everyone should come to the polls," Khamenei said

. With 678 people who registered as candidates barred from standing in the election, the United States and the Israel - top of Iran's list of enemies - have both criticized the ballot as neither free nor fair. Voters now have six candidates remaining to choose from - a slate dominated by conservatives who tout their loyalty to Khamenei and offer little in the way of real policy differences. As there are no independent, reliable opinion polls on voting intentions in Iran, it is hard to gauge who will win. Reformist leaders said the last presidential election in 2009 was rigged to return Ahmadinejad to office and many mainly middle-class, more liberal voters may fail to turn out this time in the belief the same thing could happen. Iranian authorities say all polls are open and democratic. Moderates and reformists united on Tuesday behind centrist cleric Hassan Rohani, hoping to attract the vote of Iranians hoping for more freedoms and better relations with the West. IDEOLOGY OR PRAGMATISM? A high turnout could favor Rohani, but the more liberal Iranians he is most likely to appeal to may be the ones most likely not to vote. However Iranians, analysts say, recognize the difference between bad and worse and may turn out anyway. "People are not eager to go and vote themselves, but they are worried about who will get elected," said Zoha, a 28-year-old dental student in Tehran. "I will vote for Rohani. I will only vote because it might help prevent someone like Jalili getting elected," she said. "He is a hardliner who will only take away our freedom even more." Following some reports of youths wearing Rohani's purple colors gathering in the streets, his campaign appealed to his followers to respect the law. Riot police cracked down hard on reformist supporters celebrating in the streets believing their candidate had won the 2009 vote. Rohani's conservative opponents meanwhile appeared no closer on Wednesday to deciding on a unified candidate. Saeed Jalili, Iran's nuclear negotiator has run a strong campaign, but has been heavily criticized, even by fellow hardliners, for his intransigence in talks with world powers and failing to stop the imposition of tough international sanctions. Jalili is alone among the candidates in defending Iran's current robust, ideologically driven foreign policy. "The smallest flexibility in defending our country's rights will lead to more pressure," state television quoted Jalili as telling supporters. Other conservative candidates, while not necessarily disagreeing with the substance of Iran's present policies, have emphasized what they say will be their more inclusive approach domestically and their more pragmatic style abroad. Former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati said on Wednesday his government would consult widely before taking decisions "Our problem is that we have gone to extremes and one of my government's plans is to take a moderate approach," ISNA quoted him as saying. The other major hardline hopeful, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has brought in experts to help him run Tehran as the capital's mayor and largely avoided ideologically motivated unpopular interference in people's private lives. But the lack of unity among the conservative "Principlists" could badly split their vote. "Isn't the presence of one Principlist candidate with many votes better than the scattering of votes among Principlists?" wrote Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of influential hardline Kayhan newspaper. (For an Interactive timeline of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of Iran please click on http://link.reuters.com/cas68t )) (Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian; Editing by Jon Hemming and Angus MacSwan) ================= Iran begins vote to choose Ahmadinejad's successor Fri, Jun 14 00:17 AM EDT 1 of 4 By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranians began voting on Friday in a presidential election unlikely to result in seismic shifts in its troubled relations with the West and Gulf Arab neighbors, but which could bring a softening of the confrontational style personified by outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. World powers embroiled in talks with Iran over its nuclear program are looking for signs of a recalibration of its negotiating position after eight years of intransigence under fiery populist Ahmadinejad. Iran's Gulf Arab neighbors are also wary of Iran's influence in Iraq next door and its backing for President Bashar al-Assad and his Lebanese allies Hezbollah in the Syrian civil war. The Sunni Arab kingdoms are backing the rebels in Syria. Of five hardline candidates professing unwavering obedience to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, three are thought to stand any chance of winning the vote, or making it through to a second round run-off in a week's time. Of those three main conservative hopefuls only one, current chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, advocates maintaining Iran's robust, ideologically-driven foreign policy. The other two, Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, have pledged never to back away from pursuing Iran's nuclear program but have strongly criticized Jalili's inflexible negotiating stance. They face a single moderate candidate, the only cleric in the race, Hassan Rohani. Though very much an establishment figure, suspicious of the West, Rohani is more likely to pursue a conciliatory foreign policy. 2009 CRACKDOWN With no independent, reliable opinion polls in Iran, it is hard to gauge the public mood, let alone the extent to which Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards will exert their powerful influence over the ballot. State media reported that polling began on schedule at 0330 GMT. Voting lasts for 10 hours, though this can be extended if need be. There are more than 50 million Iranians eligible to vote, 1.6 million of them first-time voters. But security has been tight and campaigns subdued compared to the euphoric rallies that preceded the last presidential election in 2009, when reformist supporters thought they scented victory and the prospect of change in Iran. Those hopes were dashed when Ahmadinejad was returned to office by results the reformists said were rigged. The large street protests that broke out were met with a tough crackdown in which several people were killed and hundreds arrested. The reformist candidates who lost in 2009 are now under house arrest and have little contact with the outside world. Human rights groups have criticized Iran for further arrests and curbs on activists and journalists ahead of Friday's poll and the disqualification of 678 people registered as candidates, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the founders of the Islamic Republic. Iranian officials dispute accusations of human rights abuses and call the charges politically motivated. They also say elections in Iran are free, fair and democratic. (Writing by Jon Hemming, Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian, Editing by Andrew Roche and William Maclean ======================================== Iranians count on president-elect Rohani to bring change Sun, Jun 16 11:05 AM EDT 1 of 10 By Zahra Hosseinian DUBAI (Reuters) - Thousands of Iranians celebrated on the streets into Sunday's early hours, counting on moderate president-elect Hassan Rohani to follow through on promises of better relations abroad and more freedom at home after routing hardliners at the polls. A mid-ranking Shi'ite cleric, Rohani is an Islamic Republic insider who has held senior political and military posts since the 1979 revolution and maintained a good rapport throughout with theocratic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's most powerful man who has the last word on all the big issues. While no reformer himself, Rohani gained the backing of politically sidelined but still popular reformist leaders. His call for an end to the "era of extremism" won over many voters disgruntled over economic crises and crackdowns on free speech and dissidents that marked Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. Rohani's surprise win however is not expected to quickly resolve the stand-off with the West over Iran's disputed nuclear ambitions or break its commitment to backing President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war. But the new president will run the economy of the sprawling OPEC member state of 75 million people and exert influence when Khamenei decides on national security matters. His victory goes some way to repairing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, punctured four years ago when dozens were killed in protests after an election reformists said was rigged, and may help pragmatic voices muzzled since then to re-emerge. Thousands of young Iranians took to the streets of the capital Tehran and other big cities as soon as the poll results were announced on Saturday, making sure their voices and expectations of the new president were clearly heard. The president-elect, known in the West as Iran's main nuclear negotiator in 2003-05, immediately sought to build bridges on Sunday, expressing approval of the street parties but also having talks with the conservative speaker of parliament. "With their celebrations last night, the Iranian people showed they are hopeful about the future and God willing, morals and moderation will govern the country," Rohani told state TV. Hardliners whose power comes from their unquestioning loyalty to Khamenei both badly miscalculated the public mood and failed to set aside their own factional differences and field a single candidate, analysts said. Both Khamenei and the powerful hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that controls large swathes of the oil-dependent economy said the election was a victory for all. Whether Rohani succeeds in ushering in change to Iran, or whether the next four years yield the same stalemate that marked the 1997-2005 presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami, will hinge on his ability to balance the demands and expectations of the people with the interests and constraints of those who hold the pivotal instruments of power in the Islamic Republic. ROHANI MAY HAVE ADVANTAGES OVER KHATAMI Rohani's reputation as a mediator and someone who has worked within the corridors of power should be an advantage that Khatami, who was director of the national library before he became president, never enjoyed. "Rohani is the ultimate regime insider. In contrast to Khatami, who held no governmental position when he was catapulted into the presidency, Rohani has never been out of power or Khamenei's good graces," said Ali Vaez, Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. "Also, Rohani is a centrist politician, with a unique bridge-building ability. He is unlikely to alienate competing power centers, who can stymie his reforms," he said. A big test will be whether Rohani pushes for the release from house arrest of Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, two reformist leaders held under house arrest since 2011. That demand was a constant chant of Rohani supporters at his campaign rallies and on the streets of Tehran and elsewhere overnight. "This will in my view be the first real test of how sincere this election has been. Then we will know the caliber of Mr Rohani," said Ali Ansari, professor at St Andrew's University in Scotland. "Much depends on the political will of the fractured elite and the willingness of Khamenei to pull back. There is some anxiety that the powers that be, having got their 'popular election', will now settle back into their comfort zones." Despite similarities between Khatami and Rohani's upset election victories, political realities "are fundamentally different", said Yasmin Alem, a U.S.-based Iran expert. "The supreme leader is more powerful, the Revolutionary Guards are more influential, and the conservatives are more in control. However, Rohani is a crafty statesman and stands a better chance ... of navigating Iran's political minefield." Rohani has a tough task ahead of him dealing with Iran's myriad domestic and foreign policy problems, she said. "Iranian voters should demonstrate the same maturity and patience they did at the polls, if they want to avoid the disillusionment that followed Khatami's presidency." Rohani himself called for patience soon after his win was announced on Saturday. "The country's problems won't be solved overnight and this needs to happen gradually and with consultation with experts," he told the state news agency IRNA. But Rohani, whose conciliatory style contrasts with the confrontational populism of Ahmadinejad, said there was a new chance "in the international arena for ... those who truly respect democracy and cooperation and free negotiation". Post-election revelers were optimistic. "I am hopeful about the future, hopeful that we will have more social freedoms, more stability in Iran, better relations with other countries and hopefully a much better economy," said Hoda, 26, from Tehran. As well as chanting "Long live Rohani!" and wishing good riddance to the current president with "Ahmadi, bye bye!", jubilant crowds did not shy from feting Mousavi, the reformist leader defeated in the election four years ago. "Mousavi, Mousavi, congratulations on your victory!" the crowds shouted. Pictures and videos of the celebrations showed more people wearing the green colors of Mousavi's 2009 campaign than Rohani's purple. Police stood by and even shared jokes with some people in the throng. Others had an ironic take on the "death to dictator" chants of the huge 2009 protests at which security forces opened fire, shouting "thank you dictator" for allowing a fair vote now. ==================== سینیٹر فیصل رضآ عابدی کا خطاب سیمینار امامِ خمینی اور اسلام کی بیداری سے ، عوام کا بھرپور استقبال میں ماضی سے ایک مثال دیتا ہوں ، جب نہ سوشل میڈیا تھا نہ آذاد ٹی وی ، جب ملعون ضیاء کا دور تھا ، اس دور میں ہم کچھ پاکستانی جب امام خمینی کے افکار سننا چاہتے تھے تو یہ ملعون بین لگا دیتا تھا ، امام خمینی کے ان فرامین نے ہی مجھے اس قابل بنایا کہ میں بر ملا امریکہ مردہ باد کا نعرہ لگاتاہوں۔ میں نے آج ایک صحافی کو جواب دیا جس نے کہا کہ خمینی کو فوت ہوئے عرصہ گزر گیا ، میں نے کہا کہ اگر آج بھی ایران پر پابندیاں موجود ہیں تو خمینی زندہ ہے۔ تمام یذید اس کے خلاف ہیں تو خمینی زندہ ہے ۔ ایرانی قوم کو اس قابل امام خمینی نے ہی بنایا کہ وہ دنیا کا مقابلہ کر رہی ہے ، احمدی نژاد جیسے صدر کے لئے ایرانی قوم جیسی قوم چاہئے ۔۔۔۔۔ اتحاد بین المسلمین کی سوچ خمینی نے دی ، آجب بھی بشارالاسد کی صورت میں ، حسن نصراللہ کی صورت میں ، رہبر کی صورت میں ، پاکستان میں آپ علماء کی صورت میں قائم ہے ، لبیک یا رسول اللہ لبیک یا حُسین کے فلک شگاف نعرے ، کل کوئٹہ میں خواتین کو شہید کیا گیا ، سلام ہے ان ماؤں پر جنہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان پر اپنی بچیاں قربان کر دی ، اب حکمرانوں کا کام ہے کہ ہمیں بتائیں کہ انہوں نے کیا کیا؟؟ فرقہ واریت کا بانی امریکہ ہے ، جو اتحاد کا دشمن ہے ، یہ تکفیری اس کے ایجنٹ ہیں ، امریکہ نے شام میں باغیوں کی امداد کا اعلان کیا ، مصر نے مدد کا اعلان کیا باغیوں کی ، لعنت ہو ان ملعونوں پر اصل میں یہ گریٹر اسرائیل کی سازش ہے ، مسلمان کو مسلمان سے لڑایا جا رہا ہے ،یہ اسلام کی برھتی ہوئی تبلیغ سے پریشان ہیں ، ان کی سازش ہے کہ مزارات کی توہین کرو، ان کے راستے بند کرو ، تاکہ اسلام کی تبلیغ محدود ہو جائے