'Mass Grave Found in North Darfur' Following Tribal Violence

27 June 2013

Al Sareif Beni Hussein — Reports from Al Sareif Beni Hussein in North Darfur say that the town is still besieged by Abbala tribesmen. Local sources claimed finding a mass grave in Al Sareif Beni Hussein city on Thursday containing "62 bodies of members of the Beni Hussein tribe".

The sources said the Beni Hussein were killed "in an ambush by Abbala in an area four kilometers north of Al Sareif city." They added the Abbala stole "between 3,000 and 4,000 head of cattle" On the same occasion.

Representatives of Unamid, who according to sources have documented the recent incidents in the area, said that 24 wounded arrived at the hospital of Al Sareif, while more than 20 people from the Beni Hussein tribe are still missing.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga from Al Sareif, a source said "all the roads leading to the town are completely closed while an atmosphere of sadness, wariness and anticipation of renewed clashes hangs over the region," according to witnesses who spoke to Radio Dabanga.

"Chadian Arabs"

Beni Hussein leader Al Nour Sayer Mohamed told Radio Dabanga from Al Sareif that "the Abbala invited groups of Chadian Arabs on more than 75 vehicles and horses to attack the Beni Hussein north of Al Sareif, killing a large number, and looting of thousands of livestock".

Sayer said that bodies of the dead are still on the battlefield and there are others who are wounded or missing following the clashes that broke out on Wednesday, but said that the estimate of the actual number of casualties is still ongoing.

The omda of Al Sareif, Omar Abdullah Al Nour, appealed to the government via Radio Dabanga to "immediately intervene, impose its authority and resolve the situation. The security of citizens is the responsibility of the state," he said.

"The government is conspicuously absent at a time when Abbala soldiers affiliated to the government are using government weapons and vehicles in their attacks."

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, the omda described the situation in Al Sareif Beni Hussein locality as tense. "Abbala are approaching from all directions to attack the city of Al Sareif," he said. "It is the duty of the state to impost its presence before it's too late."

The omda appealed to all the people of Darfur who are fighting among themselves "to fear God and ask themselves who the beneficiary is and who is behind it? What is happening now in Darfur is very serious and requires all the sons of Darfur to act and use their brains".

He suggested that villages and the country-side of Darfur are being torched and destroyed, and "maybe soon everyone will have moved to cities because there are no more villages."

Afflicted citizens of Al Sareif appealed to the government to intervene and protect Sudanese civilians. The Beni Hussein leader told Radio Dabanga: "if the government consider us to be people of Sudan then we Sudanese are supposed to receive protection and security."

He appealed to the United Nations and the Security Council to immediately intervene. "Al Sareif is in urgent and immediate need of aid," he said.

Saraf Omra:

In the nearby town of Saraf Omra, the market was closed on Thursday after the arrival of "a large number of four-wheel-drive vehicles belonging to the Abbala," witnesses said.

Due to "fear and tension that currently prevails in the region" because of the Abbala-Beni Hussein conflicts, citizens and traders are said to have "rushed to shut down the market the moment the Abbala entered the city."

Witnesses said that the "Abbala militias did not want anything to do with the market and its shops", saying that their "many vehicles were just parked around the market."

The Abbala and Beni Hussein tribes fought violently earlier this year over control of the Jebel 'Amer gold mine in Al Sareif Beni Hussein locality, leaving at least 500 people killed. The UN estimates that more than 100,000 people were displaced.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201306280230.html?viewall=1.

Tickets go on sale for UAE's FIFA U-17 World Cup

By Salma Awwad
Thursday, 27 June 2013

Tickets for the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013, which will be the biggest football event ever staged in the Middle East when it begins on October 17, went on sale on Thursday, officials said.

The fifteenth FIFA U-17 World Cup, which takes place from October 17 to November 8, is the largest football event ever held in the emirates and one of the world’s biggest international tournaments.

This is first year the UAE has won the bid to host the event, after the United States failed to qualify, despite appearing in all fourteen previous tournaments.

This biennial FIFA tournament has catapulted many of today’s football stars to fame, such as Ronaldinho from Brazil, Luis Figo from Portugal and Italy’s Del Piero.

“I am looking forward to seeing huge support for the tournament across the UAE. Fans around the world should secure their match tickets and get behind their team! This tournament has been the birthplace for many of the legends we see in the game today, so we can definitely expect to see some spectacular football,” said Emirati footballer Omar Abdulrahman, who was named ‘Player of the Year’ at the recent end of season awards and has been appointed the official tournament ambassador.

“This is a region that is crazy about football and with the best 24 U-17 teams in the world finally coming together to compete for the trophy, I am confident that tickets will sell fast,” said the 21-year old player.

Less than four months are left until the first day of 52 matches begins.

The tournament will be played across five of the Emirates of the UAE, over a three week period in six of the UAE’s top stadiums – Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah Stadium in Fujairah, Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah, Rashid Stadium in Dubai and Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain.

FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 Qualified Nations are: Japan, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan, UAE, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, Russia, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, Canada, Honduras, Panama, Mexico, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Uruguay.

Dubai has committed to hosting various youth events in the future including the fourth International Swimming Federation (FINA) world junior swimming competition in August this year and the 2014 men’s Under-17 Basketball World Championship (FIBA).

Tickets can be bought on FIFA’s official website and start from AED35 ($9.52). The FIFA U-17 world Cup UAE 2013 Official Draw will take place on August 26, when single match tickets will also go on sale.

Source: Arabian Business.
Link: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/tickets-go-on-sale-for-uae-s-fifa-u-17-world-cup-506646.html.

Iraq stunner at U-20 World Cup

27 June 2013-PA Sport

Iraq accounted for Egypt to go top of Group E at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey as England and Chile drew.

Iraq's 2-1 win over Egypt left the Pharaohs on the brink of an early exit after successive defeats.

Mohanad Abdulraheem scored a 79th winner as Hakeem Shaker’s side came from behind at Antalya’s Akdeniz University Stadium to move ahead of Chile on goals scored.

Hassan Ahmed gave Egypt a 27th minute lead before Amar Abdulhussein equalised on 33 minutes.

England's hopes are hanging by a thread after a second-half effort from Harry Kane salvaged a 1-1 draw against Chile.

Peter Taylor's men appeared to be heading for a defeat that would have been fatal after Nicolas Castillo put the South American side ahead from the penalty spot.

But Kane replied midway through the second half to secure another draw after the 2-2 weekend result against Iraq.

It means England, which have not won in 17 Finals matches in this competition, will now almost certainly need to break that horrendous sequence in its final match against Egypt in Bursa to reach the last 16.

In Group F, Uzbekistan and Croatia shared the spoils in Bursa to move to four points.

Sardor Rakhmanov opened the scoring for Akhmadjan Musaev's team, in what was the first ever meeting between these teams, but Marko Livaja found a second-half equalizer.

Uruguay got its campaign up and running with a 2-0 victory over New Zealand.

Giorgian De Arrascaeta (fourth) and Nicolas Lopez (75th) got Uruguay's goals to secure its first points for the tournament after a first up loss to Croatia.

The defeat sees New Zealand goalless and pointless after two games.

Source: The World Game.
Link: http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/FIFA-U-20-World-Cup/news/1157462/Iraq-stunner-at-U-20-World-Cup.

Egypt prepares for worst ahead of Sunday protest

June 29, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — As the streets once again fill with protesters eager to oust the president and Islamists determined to keep him in power, Egyptians are preparing for the worst: days or weeks of urban chaos that could turn their neighborhoods into battlegrounds.

Households already beset by power cuts, fuel shortages and rising prices are stocking up on goods in case the demonstrations drag on. Businesses near protest sites are closing until crowds subside. Fences, barricades and walls are going up near homes and key buildings. And local communities are organizing citizen patrols in case security breaks down.

For yet another time since President Mohammed Morsi took office last year, his palace in Cairo's upscale Heliopolis neighborhood is set to become the focus for popular frustration with his rule. Some protests outside the capital have already turned deadly, and weapons — including firearms — have been circulating more openly than in the past.

"We're worried like all Egyptians that a huge crowd will come, and it will get bloody," said Magdy Ezz, owner of a menswear shop across from the walled complex, a blend of Middle Eastern and neoclassical architecture. Besides ordinary roll-down storm shutters, storefronts on the street are sealed off with steel panels.

"We just hope it will be peaceful. But it could be a second revolution," he said. "If it lasts, we'll have to keep the store closed. But it's not like business has been booming here anyway, especially since the problems last year."

Last winter, the area saw some of Cairo's deadliest street violence since the 2011 uprising, with Islamists attacking a sit-in, anarchists throwing gasoline bombs, and police savagely beating protesters.

Morsi's opponents aim to bring out massive crowds starting Sunday, saying the country is fed up with Islamist misrule that has left the economy floundering and security in shambles. They say they have collected 15 million signatures — around 2 million more than the number of voters who elected Morsi — calling for him to step down, and they hope the turnout will push him to do just that.

Morsi's Islamist allies say they will defend the mandate of the country's first freely elected president, some with their "souls and blood" if necessary, while hard-liners have vowed to "smash" the protests.

On Friday, thousands of Morsi supporters launched a counterdemonstration, which some plan to continue as an open-ended sit-in at a mosque near the presidential palace — the endpoint of the main protest march two days later.

Both camps say they intend to be peaceful, but demonstrations could rapidly descend into violence — especially if the two sides meet. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group has said five of its members were killed in clashes with protesters in Nile Delta provinces over the past days. On Friday, two people were killed in clashes in the port city of Alexandria and at least five Brotherhood offices were torched, while the nation's highest religious authority, Al-Azhar, warned against "civil war."

At the Brotherhood's national headquarters in Cairo's Muqattam district, workers added a final layer of mortar to a brick wall topped with grating to reinforce the main gate. A bank on the corner was completely boarded up. Some fear protesters could descend on the neighborhood to attack the headquarters, as happened last spring when supporters and opponents of the president fought street battles that left 200 wounded.

"The police have to get this place secured. It's their job and I'm sure they will," said Hadi Saad, a designer who lives around the corner from the headquarters. "The demonstrations will be very big across the country, no matter if (Morsi) stays or goes, so we should be prepared here as well."

Other neighbors said they don't expect a repeat of violence in the area, a hill overlooking the rest of the city. Only a handful of police patrolled the neighborhood ahead of the weekend protests, corralling a 100-car queue to the main avenue's gas station.

Engineer Hasan Farag, also a neighbor, said residents were "hoping for the best." Some have begun to resent the Brotherhood's presence, however, and a petition to force the offices out has been circulating.

"The neighborhood is divided — some don't mind the headquarters being here, others do," Saad said. Security has been redoubled at the presidential palace in Heliopolis. Walls set up last year still block some traffic access, and curved concrete slabs designed to prevent climbing now protect the main gates. Shipping containers also line much of the perimeter, and nearby apartment buildings have blocked off their parking lots and side streets with barbed wire. On Friday, authorities built a new wall of concrete blocks to surround the complex.

Peter Soliman, a communications student who lives in the neighborhood, said most residents don't know what to expect. "Of course, parents are worried about their children going out to demonstrate by the palace, especially if the Brotherhood shows up," he said. "People fear things will turn bloody and divide the country."

Other Heliopolis residents and protest organizers say neighborhood watch groups are already being formed. In the city center, concrete walls continue to block off the Interior Ministry and southern access routes to Tahrir Square, epicenter of the uprising that overthrew longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Protesters began gathering at the square ahead of the weekend, saying they plan to dig in for a protracted conflict.

The nearby Semiramis Hotel is taking no chances, even though Tahrir is expected to be a sideshow compared to Sunday's march to the palace. The site of repeated clashes between stone-throwing youths and riot police this past year, the luxury hotel has just finished fortifying itself with a spiked metal fence topped with razor-sharp blades.

To the south, in the leafy Garden City neighborhood — an area that has sometimes seen spillover violence from Tahrir — some residents were securing their homes. Metalworker Sameh Haddad used an arc welder to put the final touches on an apartment building's new wrought iron gate before hurrying to other appointments. "For once, business has been great," he said.

Egypt Gears Up for Mass Protests

by Andre Colling
27 June 2013

Both pro- and anti-Morsi groups have organized countywide protests in Egypt over the next few days to coincide with the first anniversary of President's Morsi's rule.

Opposition political parties, activists and labor unions have called for countrywide anti-government demonstrations and protests against President Mohammed Morsi on 30 June, the one-year anniversary of Morsi assuming the presidency.

The planned protests are being organized under the collective banner of the Tamarod (rebellion) campaign. The opposition is demanding that Morsi resign and a new presidential election be held. The protest will focus on the Presidential Palace in the Heliopolis area of the capital, Cairo.

Political rallies in support of and against the 30 June opposition gatherings will also be held on 27 and 28 June. The opposition has stated that it will hold a rally in Cairo's Sayeda Zeinab area on 27 June. On 28 June, another opposition rally will start in al-Azhar district and end at Tahrir Square.

A pro-government and pro-Morsi sit-in will also start in Cairo on 28 June, when supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya will gather in the vicinity of the Rabaa al-Adaweya Mosque in the Nasr City area of Cairo. Security will be increased ahead of and on 30 June.

Meanwhile, the military has reportedly placed its forces on alert near major cities while ferry and road crossings from the Sinai Peninsula will be closed. In addition, police will increase their presence in the vicinity of planned protest areas and airports will be placed on alert from 28 June to 1 July. Finally, the US and UK embassies in Cairo have announced that they will close on 30 June in anticipation of violence coinciding with the planned protests.

The upcoming protests are expected to gather tens of thousands of participants. Likely gathering points include public squares, city/town centers,  Muslim Brotherhood and FJP offices, mosques, universities and government facilities. There is a high threat of violence at all gatherings.

Clashes between rival political party supporters and between police or military personnel and protesters are possible. There are also likely to be road travel disruptions in the vicinity of all protest sites while closures of other foreign diplomatic representations are also anticipated in the coming days as a precaution. The largest demonstrations are anticipated in the country's primary cities. Red Sea and southern Sinai coastal resort towns are likely to be less affected.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201306280329.html.

Hundreds of Islamists Rally At Rab'aa Square to Support Mursi

28 June 2013

Hundreds of demonstrators from Islamist parties and groups rallied in Cairo's Rab'aa al-Adaweya Square on Friday morning to participate in a million-man demonstration entitled "Legitimacy is a Red Line".

The demonstrators demand guarding constitutional legitimacy which is one of the most important revolution's gains, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.

They called for standing up to "the attempts of the former regime remnants to ignite strife in the country".

The demonstrators also set up a large platform in front of Rab'aa al-Adaweya Mosque's main gate, the MENA said.

Cairo's traffic department deployed dozens of metal barriers around the area to redirect vehicles away from the square.

The Ministry of Health also deployed a number of ambulances in the area in case of emergencies.

Participants in today's demonstration include the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party, the Building and Development Party, the al-Azala Party, the al-Watan Party and al-Gamaa al-Islamiya.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201306281295.html.

Violence flares in Egypt before weekend protests

June 29, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi rallied Friday in Cairo, and both sides fought each other in the second-largest city of Alexandria, where two people were killed — including an American — and 85 were injured while at least five offices of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood were torched, officials said.

The competing camps were trying to show their strength before even bigger nationwide protests planned by the opposition Sunday — the first anniversary of Morsi's inauguration — aimed at forcing his removal.

The opposition says it will bring millions into the streets across Egypt, and more violence is feared. Already, six people have been killed in clashes this week, including Friday's deaths. The Cairo International Airport was flooded with departing passengers, an exodus that officials said was unprecedented. All flights departing Friday to Europe, the U.S. and the Gulf were fully booked, they said.

Many of those leaving were families of Egyptian officials and businessmen and those of foreign and Arab League diplomats — as well as many Egyptian Christians, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.

The U.S. State Department warned Americans against all but essential travel to Egypt, citing the uncertain security situation. It also said it would allow some nonessential staff and the families of personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to leave until conditions improve.

Opposition protesters in Alexandria broke into the local headquarters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and set fires, throwing papers and furniture out the windows. For several days, Brotherhood members and opponents of Morsi have battled in cities in the Nile Delta. With Friday's deaths, at least six have been killed this week.

"We must be alert lest we slide into a civil war that does not differentiate between supporters and opponents," warned Sheik Hassan al-Shafie, a senior cleric at Al-Azhar, the country's most eminent Muslim religious institution.

Morsi opponents massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests in 2011 that ousted longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The crowd shouted, "Leave, leave" — this time addressing Morsi. Tents were put up on the grass in the middle of the historic square.

Dozens of protesters also gathered at the gates of the presidential palace in the Heliopolis neighborhood of Cairo, urging him to resign, Egypt's state news agency reported. At the same time, tens of thousands of Morsi supporters, mainly Islamists, filled a public square outside the Rabia el-Adawiya Mosque, not far from the palace. Islamist parties have decided to hold a sit-in.

"They say the revolution is in Tahrir," said young activist Abdel Rahman Ezz, a Morsi supporter who addressed the crowd. "It is true the revolution started in Tahrir. But shamefully, today the remnants of the old regime are in Tahrir. The revolutionary youth are here."

The palace is one of the sites where the opposition plans to gather Sunday and has been surrounded by concrete walls. In Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast, fighting began when thousands of anti-Morsi demonstrators marched toward the Brotherhood's headquarters, where up to 1,000 supporters of the president were deployed, protecting the building.

When an unidentified person on Islamist side opened fire with birdshot on the marchers, and the melee erupted, according to an Associated Press cameraman. Security forces fired tear gas at the Brotherhood supporters, but when the two sides continued battling, they withdrew. Protesters later broke into the building and began to trash it. Online video posted by witnesses showed a protester carrying a gun who appeared to be shooting at the Brotherhood building.

Alexandria security chief Gen. Amin Ezz Eddin told Al-Jazeera TV that an American was killed in Sidi Gabr Square while photographing the battle. The U.S. State Department later confirmed the death, in a statement from Patrick Ventrell, a press office director.

"We are providing appropriate consular assistance from our Embassy in Cairo and our Bureau of Consular Affairs at the State Department," he said. A medical official said the American died of gunshot wounds at a hospital. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

The Alexandria health department reported an Egyptian also died from a gunshot wound to the head. It was not immediately known if that victim was a Morsi opponent or supporter. The country witnessed a wave of attacks against Muslim Brotherhood offices across the country. The Brotherhood's media spokesman, Gehad el-Haddad, said on his Twitter account that eight of his group's headquarters were attacked and looted, and two were burned down.

He accused thugs, remnants of the old regime, including members of Mubarak's disbanded National Democratic Party of being behind the attacks. Much of the violence was in the provinces of the Nile Delta, north of Cairo.

Protesters stormed an office of the Brotherhood, attacked members inside, injuring 10, and set the office on fire in the city of Shubrakheit, the state news agency said. Others stormed a Brotherhood office in the coastal city of Baltim, destroying electronic equipment, and another of the group's branches was torched in the city of Aga.

Hundreds of protesters in the city of Bassioun threw stones at Freedom and Justice Party offices, tearing down the party sign. The Brotherhood says at least five of those killed this week were its members. Some people "think they can topple a democratically elected President by killing his support groups," el-Haddad said earlier on his Twitter account.

There were reports of violence from the Islamist side in the Delta as well. At least six people were injured when an anti-Morsi march was attacked by the president's supporters in the city of Samanod, according to a security official. Attackers fired gunshots and threw acid at the protesters as they passed the house of a local Brotherhood leader, the official said.

In the city of Tanta, four men believed to be Morsi supporters tried to attack a mosque preacher during his sermon, in which he called on worshipers to stand with Al-Azhar's calls to avoid bloodshed.

In Qalioubia, north of Cairo, "popular committees" charged with managing traffic stopped a caravan of more than 90 Islamists heading to Cairo, according to a security official. The group, traveling in a bus and three minibuses, carried Molotov cocktails, clubs and gas cans, the official said.

One small bus escaped, but the others were turned over to police, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk with the press. In the Suez Canal city of Port Said, an explosion left one dead and several others wounded at an opposition rally, a security official said. But the official and a witness said the blast was caused by a butane canister hit by fireworks.

In the southern city of Minya, a stronghold of hardline Islamic groups, a security official said that men affiliated to the Gamaa Islamiya group, a Brotherhood ally, fired in the air while an opposition rally was marching in the street, causing panic.

Each side has insisted it is peaceful and will remain so Sunday, blaming the other for violence. Tamarod, the activist group whose anti-Morsi petition campaign evolved into Sunday's protest, said in a statement it opposed "to any attack against anybody, whatever the disagreement with this person was," and accused the Brotherhood of sparking violence to scare people from participating Sunday.

Tamarod says it has collected nearly 20 million signatures in the country of 90 million demanding Morsi step down. "We are against Morsi because he does not govern in the name of the Egyptian people, but in the name of the Brotherhood group," said Ayed Shawqi, a teacher at an anti-Morsi rally in Alexandria.

Outside the Rabia el-Adawiya Mosque, the pro-Morsi crowd waved Egyptian flags while speakers addressed them from a stage. A banner proclaimed, "Support legitimacy," the slogan Morsi's supporters have adopted, arguing that protests must not be allowed to overturn an elected president.

They also waved the Brotherhood's flag — a green banner with two swords — and carried Morsi posters and portraits. "This is a revolution, and there is no other one!" they chanted. Speakers onstage praised the military and the crowd responded with, "The army and the people are one hand," seeking to keep the military on the side of the president.

"Those who burn and those who kill are the traitors of this nation," Brotherhood preacher Safwat Hegazi told the crowd. "Mr. President, use a heavier hand, your kind heart won't be any use. ... We want to complete our revolution and purify our country."

Assem Abdel-Maged, leader of the formerly militant Gamaa Islamiya group, threatened to "sever heads" of opposition supporters if they attacked the military. Rafai Taha, one of the leading figures of Gamaa Islamiya, was also onstage, next to Brotherhood leaders.

In his Friday sermon, the cleric of Rabia el-Adawiya warned that if Morsi is ousted, "there will be no president for the country," and Egypt will descend into "opposition hell." Pro-Morsi marchers — many wearing green headbands with the slogans of the Muslim Brotherhood — chanted religious slogans. "It is for God, not for position or power!" they shouted. "Raise your voice high, Egyptian: Islamic Shariah!"

The anti-Morsi demonstrators in Tahrir Square also waved Egyptian flags. They cheered, clapped, whistled and chanted, "Egypt, Egypt, Egypt. Long live Egypt!" and "The people want the fall of the regime," a phrase heard repeatedly in 2011.

One banner depicted President Barack Obama and said, "Obama supports terrorism."

Associated Press writer Steve Negus and Mohammed Khalil of Associated Press Television News contributed to this report from Alexandria.

Egypt president defends 1st year in speech

June 27, 2013

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Islamist president told his opponents to use elections not protests to try to change the government and said the military should focus on its role as the nation's defenders in a nationally televised address on Wednesday, days before the opposition plans massive street rallies aimed at removing him from office.

Mohammed Morsi's words to the military came amid opposition hopes that the powerful generals will protect their protests Sunday in an implicit show of support. Morsi's supporters accuse the opposition of fomenting a coup. Speaking at a giant conference hall packed with people, Morsi reminded his audience that "all agree" that the president is the supreme commander of the armed forces.

"There are some who don't want the armed forces and the presidency to have a healthy relationship," Morsi said. "All state institutions work in harmony and with discipline under the leadership of the head of state."

The audience, packed with Cabinet members, officials from Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and other supporters, cheered his remarks on the military, which at times sounded like a rebuke to Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

Sitting on the front row, el-Sissi, sat silently. Days earlier he issued a sharp demand that both sides in the crisis reconcile and a warning that the military will not sit by if the nation is endangered by the political divisions.

Earlier on Wednesday, military officials said they were bringing reinforcements closer to Egypt's main cities, apparently aimed at keeping security if violence erupts on Sunday. In his 2 ½-hour address, Morsi defended his performance in his first year in office, admitting to making mistakes but also claiming achievements. At one point he apologized for fuel shortages which have caused long lines at gas stations and have increased frustration and anger at the government. "I am saddened by the lines, and I wish I could join in and wait in line, too," he said. At another, he apologized to the nation's youth for not doing enough to involve them in the new political system and ordered Cabinet ministers and provincial governors to appoint assistants under the age of 40.

But he offered no compromises in the confrontation with his opponents. Those organizing the protests for Sunday — the anniversary of Morsi's inauguration — say he must go because he has mismanaged the country, given a monopoly on decision-making to the Brotherhood and his Islamist allies and has encroached on the judiciary.

Protesters are hoping to bring out massive crowds Sunday, saying they have tapped into widespread discontent over economic woes, rising prices and unemployment, power cuts and lack of security. As Morsi spoke, several thousand of his opponents gathered in Tahrir square, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak, chanted "erhal!" or leave. Some chanted "the people want to overthrow the regime." Several took off their shoes and held them up in a sign of contempt.

Morsi took aim at his opponents and critics. He demanded "some in the media stop spreading rumors." He told the judiciary, with which he has clashed repeated over the past year, to stay out of politics, though he added he "respects very, very much" their status.

He told his political opponents to "enter elections if you want to change the government" and scolded them for brushing off his past appeals to hold a dialogue on the nation's problems. "I have been surprised" by their refusals, he said repeatedly.

Morsi said protests were a legitimate way "to raise your opinion" but they cannot be "used to impose your opinion." Morsi's supporters say the protest organizers are trying to overturn democracy by reversing the election victories of Morsi and his Islamist allies. They have accused Mubarak loyalists of trying to foment a coup.

In the long speech, Morsi was often animated, at times angry, raising his voice. He frequently departed from his prepared remarks, switching for formal Arabic to Egyptian dialect to make jokes and present a common-man image. He was rewarded with rounds of applause from his supporters who, after the address, chanted "Oh president, we love you!"

On the whole, the address was a bid by Morsi to present himself as the nation's safest pair of hands at a very difficult time, something that he sought to convey with talk about outside plots to destabilize Egypt and Mubarak loyalists trying to undermine his government.

He pledged "radical and quick" reforms in state institutions to address public complaints. He demanded the Cabinet and provincial governors remove all officials "who have caused crises for the people."

He also announced steps against gas stations suspected in selling subsidized fuel on the black market — a sign of what a major political issue the gas lines have become. He blamed the security woes on "thugs," some of whom he contended were paid to foment chaos.

He also promised to form a panel to draft amendments to the Islamist-backed constitution passed in a December referendum, an offer that is similar to one he made about six months ago but never bore fruition.

Morsi's opponents calculate they can force him out through the sheer number of people they bring into the streets starting Sunday. But they are looking to the military to protect their crowds against possible attacks by hard-line Islamists.

Security officials, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to reporters, said army commanders have carried out reconnaissance missions in areas and facilities they intend to protect.

The commander of the central military region on Tuesday inspected a media complex on the western outskirts of Cairo that houses several TV networks, some critical of Morsi. The complex was besieged at least twice in recent months by Islamists loyal to Morsi attempting to intimidate the networks and hosts of talk shows critical of the president.

Besides that complex, the military plans to protect the massive Nile-side building housing state TV, the Suez Canal, the Cabinet offices and parliament. Morsi's supporters have accused organizers of the weekend rally of planning to use violence, but the protesters have repeatedly vowed to keep their demonstrations peaceful.

Morsi backers plan a rally of their own in Cairo on Friday for the second successive week. In last Friday's rally, hard-line Islamists addressing the crowd vowed to "smash" the demonstrating opponents, whom they denounced as Mubarak loyalists.

Indonesia sorry for haze, sends thousands to fight fires

Jakarta (AFP)
June 25, 2013

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has apologized to Singapore and Malaysia over fires that have cloaked the countries in thick haze, as thousands of emergency workers were deployed Tuesday to tackle the blazes.

Southeast Asia's worst smog crisis for years pushed haze levels in Singapore to a record high last week, with residential buildings and skyscrapers shrouded and daily life for millions in the city-state dramatically affected.

The smog has drifted north and is now badly affecting Malaysia, while in a badly-hit province on Indonesia's Sumatra island -- where the fires are raging in peatland -- hundreds gathered to pray for rain.

The crisis has triggered a war of words between Jakarta and its neighbors, with an Indonesian minister accusing Singapore of acting "like a child". But Yudhoyono sought to ease tensions by issuing a public apology late Monday.

"As the president of Indonesia, I apologize for what has happened and ask for the understanding of the people of Malaysia and Singapore," he said. "We accept it is our responsibility to tackle the problem."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore accepted Yudhoyono's "gracious" apology, adding: "We need a permanent solution to prevent this problem from recurring annually."

Indonesia had previously sought to deflect blame for the crisis, saying Singaporean and Malaysian companies who own plantations on Sumatra were also responsible.

But Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said late Monday the question of who owns the plantations "is not the issue here" and called on Jakarta to take action against those responsible, national news agency Bernama reported.

Police in Riau province, where the fires are centered, said they had arrested nine people so far on suspicion of starting the blazes, all small palm oil farmers.

Smog from Sumatra is a recurring problem during the June-September dry season, when big companies and smallholders alike light fires to clear land, in a cheap but illegal method of clearing space for planting.

Several big palm oil companies have been accused of lighting fires on their concessions in Sumatra, and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) said Tuesday it would investigate five of its members over the allegations.

The RSPO, which produces a sought-after certification for producers deemed sustainable, bans its members from using burning to clear land.

Southeast Asia suffered its worst smog outbreak in 1997-98, which cost the region an estimated $9 billion, and was hit with a serious recurrence in 2006.

Indonesia's national disaster agency said Tuesday that more than 3,000 personnel -- including members of the army, air force and police -- would be sent over the next two days to Riau to join some 2,300 already tackling the blazes.

Firefighters are backed by helicopters and planes dropping water and attempting to chemically induce rain through cloud-seeding.

After efforts in previous days proved ineffective, cloud-seeding managed to successfully induce rains in several parts of Riau on Tuesday, officials said.

While the smog has lifted from Singapore, which was enjoying its third straight sunny day on Tuesday after the air pollution index eased from the all-time highs of last week, Malaysia is now bearing the brunt of the crisis.

Air quality was "hazardous" in two Malaysian districts, including the country's busiest port, Port Klang on the Strait of Malacca facing Sumatra, where the readings stood at 484 mid-morning Tuesday.

Readings above 300 indicate "hazardous" conditions. Three other areas, mostly in central Malaysia near the capital Kuala Lumpur, logged "very unhealthy" air quality.

In one Riau district almost 300 people were evacuated over the past two days as fires raged close to their houses, and in the province's badly-hit Dumai city hundreds gathered to pray for rain.

"This morning, we prayed to God for rain and for the efforts to fight the haze to be successful," said local environment official Basri, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Source: Terra Daily.
Link: http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Indonesia_sorry_for_haze_sends_thousands_to_fight_fires_999.html.

Somali Cabinet Appoints Five Ambassadors

21 JUNE 2013

The Somali cabinet has appointed five new ambassadors Thursday (June 20th) as part of ongoing efforts to boost the country's profile abroad, Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon's office announced.

"We are determined to improve the work of our foreign ministry and to boost the relationships we enjoy with these countries," Shirdon said. "The new ambassadors are people who have given our country distinguished service and will represent the Somali interest with honor."

Former Speaker of Parliament Muse Hassan Abdullahi was appointed ambassador to Italy, replacing Nur Hassan Hussein. Former cabinet minister Ahmed Abdisalam Adan was appointed ambassador to Ethiopia, replacing Saeed Nur Yusuf, who was transferred to Tanzania. Ali Saeed Fiqi was appointed ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, and Nur Farah Hirsi was appointed ambassador to Malaysia.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201306240201.html.

Unrest leaves 27 dead in China's troubled Xinjiang: Xinhua

BEIJING | Wed Jun 26, 2013

(Reuters) - Gangs armed with knives attacked a police station and a local government building on Wednesday in China's restive far western Xinjiang region, leaving 27 dead in clashes with police, the government news agency Xinhua said.

The unrest in the region, home to a large Muslim Uighur minority, was the deadliest since July 2009, when nearly 200 people were killed in riots pitting Uighurs against ethnic Chinese in the region's capital Urumqi.

Xinhua said Wednesday's unrest erupted at about 6 a.m. in the remote township of Lukqun, about 200 km (120 miles) southeast of Urumqi.

Gangs attacked Lukqun's police stations, the local government building and a construction site, stabbing people and setting fire to police vehicles, Xinhua quoted regional Communist Party officials as saying.

Nine policemen and security guards and eight civilians were killed before police shot dead 10 of the attackers, Xinhua quoted the officials as saying.

The reasons for the attacks were not immediately clear.

Many Uighurs, Muslims who speak a Turkic language, chafe at what they call Chinese government restrictions on their culture, language and religion.

China says it grants Uighurs wide-ranging freedoms and accuses extremists of separatism.

(Reporting by Terril Yue Jones; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/26/us-china-xinjiang-unrest-idUSBRE95P08C20130626.

Jordan seeks energy security with shale oil plant

Amman, Jordan (UPI)
Jun 27, 2013

Jordan is pushing ahead with plans to build the Middle East's first shale oil-fired power plant, a major step toward achieving energy security by the resource-poor Hashemite kingdom.

Its fragile economy had long been shackled by dependence on imported energy, a problem sharply accentuated by high oil prices during the past three years and the turmoil in the Arab world since early 2011.

The kingdom, whose economy has largely survived on hefty handouts from the United States and the petro-monarchies of the Persian Gulf, sits on top of an estimated 100 billion barrels of shale oil -- the fourth-largest shale oil reserves in the world after the United States, China and Russia.

Moves to develop the deposits began in 2006, but the high price of extraction was a major drawback.

The steep rise in oil prices in 2008 and the political convulsions of the Arab Spring in 2011 hit Jordan hard.

The loss of low-cost Egyptian natural gas via a pipeline across the Sinai Peninsula, totaling about 80 percent of Jordan's electricity generating fuel needs, meant Amman had to rely on expensive oil imports for power generation.

That cost the equivalent of about 25 percent of the kingdom's gross domestic product.

"Energy is the Achilles heel of the Jordanian economy, it's a huge vulnerability for Jordan," Nemat Shafik, deputy head of the International Monetary Fund observed during a recent visit to Amman.

The energy issue has assumed even greater political importance in recent months as unrest within Jordan has grown.

About 400,000 refugees from the civil war in neighboring Syria have flooded into the country, overwhelming its already stretched resources, and engendering domestic discontent and demands for democratic reform that are increasingly posing a challenge to the Hashemite monarchy.

There are increasing signs Jordan may be dragged into the Syrian conflict on the side of rebels seeking to topple the Damascus regime of President Bashar Assad.

The United States has sent a Patriot missile battery and a squadron of F-16 combat jets to Jordan, and U.S. forces are training Syrian rebels in the kingdom.

Abdullah II, whose great-grandfather founded the Hashemite kingdom set up by the British after World War I, has a lot riding on the shale oil operation, in which Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum are helping out.

The Middle East Economic Digest reports the Amman government has set a target of meeting 14 percent of the kingdom's energy needs from shale deposits by 2020.

The proposed shale-fired power plant is scheduled to be operational by 2017, with a planned capacity of 500 megawatts, cutting the cost of Jordan's electricity generation by nearly $500 million a year.

The power scheme will be operated by Estonia's Enefit and Jordan's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. More power plants are likely.

Amman has increasingly focused on the shale oil exploration. Along with the go-ahead on the power plant, several exploration contracts were signed in 2012.

"The success of the exploration program is not guaranteed," said Gulf-based analyst Andrew Roscoe. "The cost of extracting shale oil means that it is only feasible when oil prices are high. However, the vulnerability of Jordan's economy to external events has made the decision to tap its natural resources an easy one to take.

"With the kingdom's overall fiscal deficit reaching 8.8 percent of gross domestic product in 212, Amman must ensure proposed schemes to reduce its energy bills come to fruition," said Roscoe.

The Energy Ministry signed an agreement with Canadian Global Oil Shale Holdings in September 2012 to assess oil shale resources across 86 square miles of the Attarat Um Ghudran and Isphere al-Mahatain regions of southern Jordan.

Another possible source of energy may be opening up through neighboring Israel, with which Abdullah's late father King Hussein, signed a peace treaty in 1996.

The first of Israel's offshore gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean began production in March and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's cabinet approved exporting 40 percent of all gas produced.

The Israelis have a strategic interest in maintaining the Hashemite monarchy, even though the peace treaty is not popular with most Jordanians, so supplying Jordan via a relatively short pipeline would seem to be in the cards.

Source: Energy-Daily.
Link: http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Jordan_seeks_energy_security_with_shale_oil_plant_999.html.

Amid protests in Turkey, an opportunity for Erdogan

25 June 2013
by S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana

Washington, DC – What started as a small environmental protest at Gezi Park in Istanbul quickly escalated into nationwide anti-government demonstrations that pulled together artists, feminists, soccer clubs, Kemalist-secularists and Kurds after riot police cracked down on the protesters. Undeterred by the harsh response of the government, demonstrators resorted to non-violent civil disobedience using humor, music and art to protest the government.

Turkey, a secular and democratic state currently led by an Islamist party, has been applauded as a model for Muslim-majority countries especially since the Arab Spring uprisings. If the Turkish government passes this critical test, Turkey will emerge a stronger democracy and continue to be an inspiration in the region. The Turkish government therefore has an opportunity to set a critical example.

As events in Turkey affirm, repression tactics such as threats, arrests, the deployment of riot police, use of gas bombs, rubber bullets and water cannons are combative tactics that escalate conflict rather than subdue protesters. This escalation is marked by an increase in the number of groups and individuals pulled into the conflict and the formation of new alliances among them.

These alliances include groups and individuals with different interests, goals and motivations that might even appear contradictory. Nationalists, for example, are critical of government’s engagement with Kurdish groups while they are united with Kurds against police brutality.

For their part, many young people fear growing government intervention in their lives, while Kemalist-secularists worry about religion’s role in state affairs. In response, supporters of Prime Minister Erdogan organized demonstrations to show solidarity with the government, criticizing the protesters for undermining economic stability and security in the process.

Fears, grievances and perceptions of injustice are linked to motivations and ultimately become integral to a group’s identity. Compromise is perceived as a threat to identity and becomes unacceptable. For example, Kemalist-secular groups see alcohol regulations as an indicator that the government wants to impose religious conduct on the country and thus as a threat to its secular identity. Parties become increasingly polarized into camps such as pro-government and anti-government ones, sharply delineating differences. Such dynamics increase the risk of further conflict.

Decreasing tensions and moving toward reconciliation after such events involve a process that takes time, patience and careful planning. In this process, a state’s response to protesters plays a particularly important role because of the asymmetric power dynamics. An important aspect of this process is rebuilding trust between the parties and transforming hostile relations into cooperative ones.

The first step in this process involves avoiding the disproportionate use of force. A close second requires separating nonviolent protesters from violent groups and providing immunity to the former.

Equally important for rebuilding trust and stabilizing the situation is the transformation of negative perceptions and attitudes, such as ones that regard the government as despotic or protesters as vandals. It is necessary to control rumors and false information, like when protesters who took shelter in a mosque were said to have consumed alcoholic beverages while there, or that the deputy minister had resigned. This can be achieved by creating rumor control mechanisms like setting up independent sources to verify or debunk rumors.

Avoiding hostile or provocative statements and adopting language that reflects respect and understanding, while emphasizing common identities like the national identity, or shared goals and concerns such as economic stability, regional security and respect for personal freedoms, can help transform negative attitudes.

Establishing direct communication and dialogue mechanisms, such as forming a dialogue committee, is another important strategy to defuse the tension. However this can be challenging, especially in mass protests where various groups with different interests, motivations and goals commingle. Some groups may disagree or refuse to participate in the dialogue process. Thus it is important for the state to reach out to different groups separately and listen to their needs and concerns respectfully and empathetically. During these discussions, recognizing the legitimacy of grievances, understanding the underlying interests and needs as well as developing mutually acceptable solutions are important.

Recognizing mistakes, demonstrating a willingness to work with the protesters to correct such mistakes and jointly developing a road map for implementation within a given timetable can also defuse tensions and help restore trust.

The Gezi Park events will continue to test Turkish democracy in the coming weeks. Restoring peace and trust will take time and patience. Critical in the process will be the Turkish government’s willingness to listen to the protesters’ concerns and needs, its readiness to work with them to find mutually acceptable solutions to their concerns and its commitment to uphold democratic values and human rights such as the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression and assembly.

Source: Common Ground.
Link: http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=33024&lan=en&sp=0.

Turkish PM lashes out at protesters

June 25, 2013

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 20 people allegedly involved in violent protests, as the country's prime minister continued to lash out at protesters — and a BBC journalist — he claimed were part of a conspiracy to harm Turkey.

Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters marched to Istanbul's central Taksim square, this time to denounce a court decision that — pending trial — freed police officer accused of killing a demonstrator during the anti-government protests that have swept the country since May 31. Police surrounded the square, blocking their access.

At least three demonstrators and a police officer were killed in the protests that began in Istanbul following a heavy-handed police clampdown on peaceful activists. They quickly turned into widespread expression of discontent with what critics have said is Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian way of governing.

Erdogan, who came to power a decade ago denies the accusation, and frequently points at elections in 2011 that returned his party to power for a third successive term with 50 percent of the vote. One of the protesters was killed by a bullet fired by police during a demonstration in Ankara on June 1. A court on Monday released the officer from custody pending trial, on the grounds that the shooting may have been accidental. But some see the release as proof that Turkish authorities are too lenient toward police.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said police searched some 30 addresses in the capital, Ankara, and rounded up 20 people with alleged links to "terror" groups and suspected of "attacking police and the environment" during the protests.

Erdogan holds unspecified foreign forces, bankers and media outlets responsible for the protests that had largely subsided until the court freed the police officer. In an address to members of his Islamic-rooted party in Parliament, Erdogan reiterated that the protests were orchestrated by forces wanting to prevent Turkey's rise.

He repeated his claim that the same conspiracy was at work in Brazil, saying both countries had paid off debts to the International Monetary Fund. Mass rallies in Brazil were set off this month by a 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere. The protests soon moved beyond that issue to tap into widespread frustration in the South American nation over a range of issues, including high taxes and woeful public services.

"From the start, some people, internally and externally, have tried to portray the protests as totally innocent and just, and the police of having systematically used force," Erdogan said. "Certain media in Turkey were lead provocateurs. The foreign media took part in these operations."

He targeted a Turkish BBC reporter who tweeted about a forum held by protesters, where participants reportedly suggested a six-month boycott of goods that they said would help slow down the economy. Without mentioning her by name, Erdogan accused Selin Girit of being "part of a conspiracy against her own country."

"Their aim is to prevent democracy, to harm Turkey's economy, to hit tourism," Erdogan said. Two days earlier, Ankara's mayor had accused Girit of being a British government agent and started a campaign on Twitter to apparently try to discredit her, prompting the BBC to issue a statement on Monday that said "it is unacceptable for our journalists to be directly targeted this way."

The BBC's global news director Peter Horrocks said "a large number of threatening messages" were sent to the reporter and he was concerned by the Turkish authorities' campaign to "discredit the BBC and intimidate its journalists."

On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Erdogan for the first time since the protests began. According to the White House, the two leaders discussed "the importance of nonviolence and of the rights to free expression" as well as the right of assembly and a free press.

Thorbjorn Jagland, the secretary-general of the 47-member Council of Europe, the continent's human rights watchdog which is based in Strasbourg, France, met with Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. Jagland told The Associated Press that he had brought up a number of human rights issues concerning the protests, including the firing of tear gas by police inside an Istanbul hotel where some protesters had taken refuge.

"The Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has a number of judgments related with this," Jagland said. "For instance, the court has said that the use of tear gas inside a room is not acceptable and this happened at one hotel at least."

"It is important to convey that the authorities have responsibility to react in a way that doesn't trigger further and more violence," he said. In his speech Tuesday, Erdogan accused the hotel, Divan, and the Koc family that owns it — Turkey's richest family — of aiding criminals.

"Those who clashed with police went there. Its owners provided them with hospitality," Erdogan said. "You know it is against the law to harbor criminals."

AP writer Ezgi Akin in Ankara, and Umut Colak in Istanbul contributed.

Lebanese troops disperse Sunni protesters

June 28, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese troops fired in the air Friday to disperse dozens of Sunni Muslims demonstrating in support of a hardline cleric who has been on the run since the military crushed his fighters earlier this week.

Lebanon is grappling with rising tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims linked to the more than 2-year-old conflict in neighboring Syria, which has sparked deadly street fighting on several occasions in Lebanese cities between the rival sects.

The Lebanese military moved Friday to break up the demonstration in the southern port city of Sidon after protesters tried to reach the mosque complex where the Sunni cleric Ahmad al-Assir used to give his sermons. There were similar protests by Sunnis in the capital Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon's third largest.

Protesters briefly closed the highway linking Beirut with Tripoli Friday afternoon and damaged a Lebanese army statue near the northern city, the state-run National News Agency said. Al-Assir's compound has been under army control since Monday following two days of fighting between troops and al-Assir's followers that left dozens of people dead.

The cleric's rapid rise in popularity among Sunnis underscored the deep frustration of many Lebanese who resent the influence Shiites have gained in government via the powerful Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Al-Assir has been one of Hezbollah's harshest critics in Lebanon and had called on fellow Sunnis to go fight in Syria against President Bashar Assad's forces. His calls intensified earlier this year after Hezbollah fighters joined Assad's forces against the Syrian opposition, which is dominated by Sunnis.

Syria's conflict has increasingly taken on sectarian overtones. The rebels fighting to remove Assad are primarily Sunnis, and have been joined by Sunni fighters from other Muslim countries. Assad's regime, in contrast, is led by the president's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and his forces have been bolstered by fighters from Hezbollah, a factor that has helped fan the sectarian nature of the conflict.

Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries that are easily enflamed. Lebanon, a country plagued by decades of strife, has been on edge since the uprising in Syria against Assad erupted in March 2011.

Sidon, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut, had largely been spared from violence plaguing Lebanon's border areas where Syria's civil war has been spilling over with increasing frequency.

On Friday, troops fired into the air with heavy machine guns mounted on armored personnel carriers to disperse the protesters. People ran in fear in the streets as cars sped away from the area. Fighting in the Mediterranean city began Sunday after troops arrested an al-Assir follower. The army says the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.

Official reports said at least 18 soldiers were killed and 50 wounded in the fighting, while more than 20 of al-Assir's supporters died in the battle. Some Sunni activists said the army was joined by Hezbollah fighters in the battle against al-Assir, a claim that the army denied.

Sidon's demonstration started after thousands attended Friday prayers in a mosque in the city center. The prayer was attended by a prominent ultraconservative Sunni Salafi cleric from northern Lebanon, Daia Al-Islam Al-Shahal, and the Sunni mufti of Sidon, Sheik Salim Soussan.

Soussan urged the army to open a "fair, objective and legal investigation" into the fighting in Sidon. "We totally reject that some illegitimate armed groups take part in the raids, provocations and interrogation of people," Soussan said in an apparent reference to Hezbollah. "We put the state responsible for that."

Earlier in the day, a roadside bomb went off on a highway near the eastern city of Zahleh, in the Bekaa Valley, without causing casualties. Local TV stations said the morning bomb hit three SUVs carrying Hezbollah members.

There have been two other similar incidents in the eastern Bekaa Valley over the past weeks.

Lebanese troops secure hardline cleric's complex

June 25, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese troops detonated booby traps at a complex captured from followers of a hardline Sunni cleric on Tuesday, securing the area after two days of fighting that left dozens dead in the port city of Sidon.

Soldiers who blocked off several office and residential buildings around the mosque where Ahmad al-Assir once preached told reporters they were clearing the complex of explosives. An Associated Press photographer on the scene heard several explosions and saw black smoke billowing during the operation.

The fate of Al-Assir, a maverick Sunni sheik who controlled the complex for about two years, is unknown. His rapid rise in popularity among Sunnis underscored the deep frustration of many Lebanese who resent the influence Shiites have gained in government via the militant group Hezbollah.

Official reports said at least 17 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in the fighting while more than 20 of al-Assir's supporters died in the battle, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters.

The fighting, some of the worst involving Lebanese troops in years, was seen as a test of the weak government's ability to contain the furies unleashed by the civil war in neighboring Syria. Despite the heavy death toll, the military appeared to have successfully put down the threat from al-Assir and his armed supporters by late Monday.

The officials said troops raided several apartments around Sidon on Tuesday in search of al-Assir's followers. Security was tight in hospitals where wounded militants were being treated, they added, with even relatives prevented from visiting them.

"I was surprised. This was not a mosque. It was a security center," outgoing Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told reporters after touring the Bilal bin Rabbah complex in Sidon where al-Assir's supporters had been holed up. He said among the detainees who were fighting with al-Assir were foreigners.

"They brought in foreigners to kill Lebanese," Charbel said, without giving nationalities other than a Sudanese who was detained Tuesday. President Michel Suleiman said in a statement that army command has been given the "political support" to retaliate against groups that threaten national security.

By noon, streets around al-Assir's complex were packed with people who came to inspect their homes and shops, many of which were damaged during the fighting. Lebanese commandos patrolled streets littered with cars that were burnt-out and riddled with bullets.

Inside the complex, a seven-story building was pockmarked with shells and bullet holes and the top two floors appeared totally burnt. The small mosque where al-Assir preached appeared intact. Troops had avoided hitting it directly.

A woman who came to the area weeping asked to be allowed to enter the complex to see if her son was there. "I saw his picture on TV and he was dead," she screamed, before soldiers directed her search to the hospital morgue.

Earlier Tuesday, the bodies of six fighters were found in the complex and on roofs of nearby buildings. They were later taken away in Lebanese Red Cross ambulances. The state-run National News Agency reported Tuesday that military prosecutor Saqr Saqr has asked military intelligence to open an investigation into the Sidon clashes and begin interrogating some 40 detainees. On Monday, Saqr issued arrest warrants for al-Assir and 123 of his supporters.

The U.S. embassy in Beirut urged Americans to avoid all travel to Lebanon because of safety and security concerns. "U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks," it said.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the attacks by militants against the Lebanese Armed Forces, which have resulted in the deaths of a number of soldiers and civilians," said U.S. State Department Acting Deputy Spokesperson Patrick Ventrell. He added that the U.S. is fully committed to Lebanon's stability, sovereignty, and independence and said Washington will continue to assist and train security forces.

Sidon, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut, had largely been spared from violence plaguing Lebanon's border areas where Syria's civil war has been spilling over. Fighting in the Mediterranean city began Sunday after troops arrested an al-Assir follower. The army says the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.

The fighting in Sidon is the bloodiest involving the army since the military fought a three-month battle in 2007 against the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam group inside the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon. The Lebanese army crushed the group, but the clashes killed more than 170 soldiers.

Syria's civil war has been bleeding into Lebanon for the past year, following similar sectarian lines of Sunni and Shiite camps. Overstretched and outgunned by militias, the military has struggled on multiple fronts in the eastern Bekaa valley and the northern city of Tripoli, where armed factions have fought street battles that often last several days.

Al-Assir, a 45-year-old cleric, supports the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad. Also Tuesday, a roadside bomb exploded on the key highway linking Beirut to the Syrian capital without causing casualties, security officials said. They said the small bomb went off early in the morning near the town of Barr Elias, a few kilometers (miles) from the border crossing point of Masnaa.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. It was the second such attack on the highway within weeks.

Clashes present test for Lebanon's weak military

June 24, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's third-largest city of Sidon was turned into a battle zone Monday as the military fought heavily armed followers of an extremist Sunni Muslim cleric holed up in a mosque.

Residents of the southern port fled machine-gun fire and grenade explosions that shook the coastal area in one of the deadliest rounds of violence, seen as a test of the weak government's ability to contain the furies unleashed by the civil war in neighboring Syria.

Official reports said at least 16 soldiers were killed and 50 were wounded in two days of clashes with armed followers of Ahmad al-Assir, a maverick Sunni sheik whose rapid rise is a sign of the deep frustration among many Lebanese who resent the ascendancy of Shiites to power, led by the militant group Hezbollah. More than 20 of al-Assir's supporters were killed, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters.

The fierce battle that al-Assir's fighters were putting up showed how aggressive Sunni extremists have grown in Lebanon, building on anger not only at Syria's regime but also its allies in Hezbollah. "Sidon is a war zone," said Nabil Azzam, a resident who returned briefly Monday to check on his home after having fled with his family a day earlier. "This is the result of all the sectarian rhetoric that has been building because of the war in Syria. It was bound to happen," he said by telephone, a conversation interrupted by a burst of gunfire.

Machine-gun fire and explosions from rocket-propelled grenade caused panic among residents, who also reported power and water outages. Snipers allied with al-Assir took over rooftops, terrorizing civilians, and many were asking to be evacuated from the heavily populated neighborhood around the Bilal bin Rabbah Mosque, where al-Assir preaches and where the fighting has been concentrated.

The military appealed to the gunmen to turn themselves in, vowing to continue its operations "until security is totally restored." By evening, the army had stormed the mosque complex, though not the mosque itself.

In addition to the more than 20 followers of the cleric who were killed, dozens of them were arrested, the security official said. There was no sign of al-Assir and it was unclear if he was in the mosque or had managed to escape.

The fighting in Sidon is the bloodiest involving the army since the military fought a three-month battle in 2007 against the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam group inside the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in northern Lebanon. The Lebanese army crushed the group, but the clashes killed more than 170 soldiers.

The scenes of soldiers aiming at gunmen holed up in residential buildings and armored personnel vehicles deployed in the streets evoked memories of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. The challenges facing the Lebanese military resemble those that prevailed in that conflict, which eventually splintered the army along sectarian lines.

"It's the memory of this destructive war that remains as a restraining force — for now," said Fawaz A. Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. Syria's civil war has been bleeding into Lebanon for the past year, following similar sectarian lines of Sunni and Shiite camps. Overstretched and outgunned by militias, the military has struggled on multiple fronts in the eastern Bekaa valley and the northern city of Tripoli as armed factions fought street battles that often lasted several days.

In many cases, soldiers stood by helplessly and watched the violence. On Monday, however, the army moved against al-Assir after his followers opened fire on an army checkpoint unprovoked. Al-Assir, a 45-year-old bearded cleric who supports the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad, is an unlikely figure to challenge the Lebanese army.

Few had heard of him until last year, when he began agitating for Hezbollah to disarm, taking advantage of the deep frustration among Lebanon's Sunnis and a political void on the Sunni street following the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a powerful Sunni leader.

Last year, al-Assir set up a protest tent city that closed a main road in Sidon for a month in a sit-in meant to pressure Hezbollah to disarm. He kept local and international media entertained by pulling stunts such as riding his bicycle and getting his hair cut in public while he openly challenged and taunted Hezbollah like few had dared before. He even publicly criticized Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah — something few would do in Lebanon.

In February, al-Assir caused a stir when he and hundreds of his bearded supporters arrived in buses at a ski resort in the Christian heartland, where residents set up roadblocks to try to keep him out.

He teamed up with Fadel Shaker, a once-prominent Lebanese singer-turned Salafist, who took to reciting verses of the Quran at al-Assir's protests. Shaker's brother, a close aide to al-Assir, was killed in confrontations with the army Monday, the National News Agency said.

Despite his attention-seeking tactics, al-Assir's rants against Hezbollah resonated with many Sunnis who are bitter about Hezbollah's increasingly dominant role in Lebanese politics. Many in the Western-backed coalition known as March 14, headed by Hariri's son, Saad, quietly backed al-Assir as he launched his anti-Hezbollah tirades, and several Sunni politicians attacked the army, accusing it of bias in favor of Hezbollah.

Last month, after Hezbollah openly joined Assad's forces in the border town of Qusair, al-Assir called on Sunnis in Lebanon to enter the fight in in Syria, and posted pictures of himself allegedly in Qusair before its fall into government hands. He accused the army of inaction in the face of Hezbollah's growing involvement in Syria.

But al-Assir appears to have overplayed his cards by attacking the army, the only trusted institution in the country, triggering a backlash. "The bravery of the army facing al-Assir's well-armed supporters has shamed Lebanese politicians," said Hisham Jaber, a retired army general who heads a Beirut-based think tank. He said the army appeared determined to remain neutral despite attempts by politicians to splinter it.

Sidon, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Beirut, has largely been spared the violence plaguing border areas. The clashes began Sunday in the Mediterranean city after troops arrested an al-Assir follower. The army says the cleric's supporters opened fire without provocation on an army checkpoint.

Many people living on upper floors moved downstairs for cover or fled to safer areas. Some were seen carrying children. Others stayed locked in their homes or shops, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. Gray smoke billowed over parts of the city.

Hezbollah appeared to be staying largely out of the clashes, although a few of its supporters in Sidon were briefly drawn into the fight Sunday, firing on al-Assir's supporters. At least one was killed, according to his relatives in the city who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety.

Last week, al-Assir supporters fought with pro-Hezbollah gunmen, leaving two dead. Fighting also broke out in parts of Ein el-Hilweh, a teeming Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, where al-Assir has supporters. Islamist factions in the camp lobbed mortar rounds at military checkpoints around the camp.

Tension also spread to the north in Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city. Masked gunmen roamed the city center, firing in the air and forcing shops and businesses to shut down in solidarity with al-Assir. Dozens of gunmen also set fire to tires, blocking roads. The city's main streets emptied out, but there was no unusual military or security deployment.

"The Syrian fire is beginning to devour Lebanon, and the longer the conflict goes on, the more danger there is for Lebanon to implode," Gerges said. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem blamed the violence in Lebanon on the international decision to arm the rebels, saying that it will only serve to prolong the fighting in Syria and will affect Lebanon.

"What is going in Sidon is very dangerous, very dangerous," he told reporters in Damascus. "We warned since the start that the impact of what happens in Syria on neighboring countries will be grave."

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report.

Key points in the leadership switch in Qatar

June 25, 2013

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Background on Tuesday's leadership transition in Qatar from the 61-year-old emir to his 33-year-old son, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

WHY IS QATAR IMPORTANT?

The Gulf state of Qatar is small — only about a third the size of Belgium — but has a carved out a significant global profile in the past decade.

Qatar has huge oil and gas riches that feed one of the world's largest and most acquisition-hungry sovereign wealth funds, estimated at more than $100 billion. Holdings by the fund and other Qatar-controlled groups include stakes in London's Harrods department store, the French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton and football club Paris Saint-Germain. Qatar also has pledged billions of dollars to help businesses in debt-crippled Greece and Italy.

Qatar's political aims are equally ambitious. It has served as mediator for peace efforts in Sudan's Darfur region and among rival Palestinian political factions. It is currently hosting envoys from Afghanistan's Taliban movement for possible U.S.-led talks seeking to stabilize the country before the American troop withdrawal next year. Qatar has played a central role in the Arab Spring by providing critical aid for Libyan rebels last year and is now a leading backer of Syria's opposition.

Qatar's government founded the television network Al-Jazeera in 1996, which transformed news broadcasting in the Arab-speaking world. The state-run Qatar Airways is among the world's fastest-growing carriers.

IS SUCH A TRANSITION UNUSUAL?

It is exceedingly rare among the ruling Gulf Arab dynasties. Most leaders remain for life or have been pushed out in palace coups. Qatar's outgoing emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, took control in a bloodless coup against his father in 1995.

The change in Qatar was believed to be prompted by Sheik Hamad's health problems, but Qatar officials have not publicly disclosed any details.

Yet it reinforces Qatar's bold political style. The transition to the crown prince appears a direct response to the Arab Spring demands for reforms and its emphasis on giving a stronger political voice to the region's youth.

It also upends the ruling hierarchy among neighboring Gulf allies dominated by old guard leaders such as the 90-year-old King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait's 84-year-old emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

WHAT CHANGES CAN BE EXPECTED?

Not many in the short term. The outgoing emir is expected to maintain a guiding hand over Qatar's affairs for years to come. His son also has been involved in most key decisions in recent years as part of the grooming process.

The most noticeable changes will likely be among the top government posts. It's expected that Qatar's long-serving prime minister and others could be replaced as Sheik Tamim puts together his own inner circle.

Another possible new element could be more social media interaction. The British-educated Sheik Tamim was still a teenager when the Internet age began and is well attuned to its influence.

Sheik Tamim also headed up Doha's unsuccessful attempt for the 2020 Olympics. He could give a boost to a possible return bid for the 2024 Games.

Qatar ruler hands power to son to mark 'new era'

June 25, 2013

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With a few words in a short speech, Qatar's huge energy riches and its expanding political influence passed into the hands of a 33-year-old ruler Tuesday in a seamless transition from a region where old guard leaders have been toppled or besieged by the Arab Spring.

The transfer of power — made official in a brief statement by Qatar's outgoing emir — was stunning for both its simplicity and far-reaching repercussions. It quietly brought a new generation to the forefront of Middle East affairs in an apparent Gulf-style riposte to the pressures for a new style of leadership inspired by the region's upheavals: More youthful and possibly more attuned to demands for a greater public voice in political decision-making.

The rise of the new emir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, also reorders the ruling fraternity among the Western-backed Gulf Arab leaders — most decades older than Sheik Tamim — and further boosts Qatar's image for bold-stroke policies that have produced crown jewels such as the Al-Jazeera TV network and serious challenges including its unwavering backing for Syrian rebels.

At its heart, however, the move is certain to be perceived as a direct swipe at traditions among the Gulf's other ruling dynasties that power can only be surrendered through death or palace coup — which is how Qatar's now-former emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, took control in 1995 from his father.

Sheik Hamad, 61, used a televised address to note repeatedly the importance of shifting leadership to more youthful hands — an indirect acknowledgment of the demands for reforms opened by the Arab Spring, which began in 2011 with successful revolutions ousting leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and spread across the Arab world.

But shortly before handing over power, Sheik Hamad showed caution about moving too fast. He extended the term of the country's advisory panel, known as the Shura Council, the official Qatar News agency reported. It didn't say how long the term would last, but the move is likely to delay elections for a more powerful legislative body proposed for later this year.

"The future lies ahead of you, the children of this homeland, as you usher into a new era where young leadership hoists the banner," the outgoing emir said as he announced his abdication and the carefully crafted transition to the British-educated crown prince that has been rumored for weeks.

Qatar has given no official explanation on the transition, but Sheik Hamad is believed to be suffering from chronic health problems. It closed a stunning period of transformation for Qatar, which juts like upraised thumb into the Persian Gulf.

Sheik Hamad and his inner circle pulled the spotlight toward a country that was long content to rake in petrodollars and let other Gulf centers such as Bahrain and Dubai take the lead in regional affairs.

In little more than a decade, Qatar was transformed into a political broker and a center for global investment with a sovereign fund estimated to be worth more than $100 billion. Its portfolio includes landmark real estate, luxury brands and a powerful presence in the sporting world, including ownership of the football club Paris Saint-Germain by Sheik Tamim's Qatar Sports Investments.

Sheik Tamim, a member of the International Olympic Committee, also helped Qatar defeat rivals including the U.S. to win the rights to host the 2022 football World Cup. But Qatar lost its bid for the 2020 Olympics — an effort that could be revived by the new emir for the 2024 Games.

Qatar's riches have been spent, too, on trying to reshape the region with critical aid to Libyan rebels who brought down Moammar Gadhafi and now in Syria with fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad. Qatar this week hosted a Syrian opposition conference attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and is the venue for possible U.S.-led peace talks with Afghanistan's Taliban.

In a further sign of Qatar's risk-taking policies, it even allowed an Israeli trade office — effectively a diplomatic outpost — for years before ordering its closure following Israel's incursion into Gaza in late 2008.

"While Qatar is not alone in being befuddled as to how to solve the Syrian crisis, this is an ongoing issue that Qatar's new elite will have to cope with immediately," wrote David Roberts, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.

But Sheik Tamim is not expected to make any immediate policy shifts. In an important sign of continuity and shared goals, the outgoing emir and Sheik Tamim stood shoulder to shoulder and greeted members of the ruling family and others following the address.

Sheik Tamim has been closely involved in key decisions since 2003, when Tamim became the next in line to rule after his older brother stepped aside. The outgoing emir is expected to remain a guiding force from the wings.

"Sheik Tamim will be driving his father's car, which is already programmed on where to go," said Mustafa Alani, a political analyst at the Gulf Research Center in Geneva. The most closely watched decisions coming up will be the choices made for key cabinet posts, including whether he could bring in women members in another break from tradition. But one of the linchpins under the former emir, Sheik Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, served in the dual roles of prime minister and is likely to exert his influence over the Sheik Tamim's choices.

"Such a daring transfer of power is unheard of in the Gulf and in Arab history," Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at Emirates University, wrote in a commentary in the Dubai-based Gulf News.

No major changes in direction also are expected on Qatar's investment strategies, although Sheik Tamim may redirect more resources to domestic projects as vital gas exports level off, said Rachel Ziemba, a London-based analyst at Roubini Global Economics.

Qatar has the world's third-largest gas reserves, but has mounting bills to cover development plans such as a new seaport and projects to prepare for the World Cup. "There is more need to spend money at home — big budget projects, infrastructure," Ziemba said.

Meanwhile, Qatar has faced criticism from rights groups for joining the Gulf-wide crackdowns on perceived dissent since the Arab Spring. In one of the most high-profile cases, Qatari authorities jailed a poet whose verses included admiration for the uprisings. In February, the sentence against the poet, Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, was reduced from life to 15 years.

Christopher Davidson, an expert in Gulf affairs at Britain's Durham University, believes some of the tough measures by Qatari officials reflect internal squabbles with hard-liners trying to exert their influence. Such groups could be among the first housecleaning targets by the new emir, he predicted.

"Tamim is seen as focused on domestic issues first," said Davidson. "One of the main tasks will be to establish a new social contract with the population ... What kind of opposition is allowed and what is not will be part of that."

In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araghchi told reporters that Iran supports any moves by Qatar that bring "peace and tranquility" for the region. Relations between the two nations have deteriorated over Syria, where Tehran remains strongly on the side of key ally Bashar Assad.

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, and Adam Schreck in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Socialists heading for victory in Albania election

June 25, 2013

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's Socialist party appeared headed for a landslide election victory Tuesday, in what it says will act as a springboard for the country's future membership of the European Union.

Socialist supporters on foot and in cars braved a heat wave to celebrate in the city center, waving purple party flags as the country's election commission gave the party led by Edi Rama 52 percent of vote, with 80 percent of ballots counted.

"We continue to calmly wait for our opponent to accept defeat," Rama told supporters who chanted, "victory, victory." Conservative Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who had been seeking a third term, had yet to concede defeat in Sunday's general election. Berisha's Democrats had 36 percent of the vote counted — 12 percentage points less than four years ago.

Both Rama, 48, and Berisha, 68, had campaigned on the pledge of gaining EU candidate status for Albania, which was once one of the world's most reclusive countries during its Communist years. Albania has already taken strides in joining international institutions — in 2009, it became a member of NATO.

"Let's continue together as a country and as a nation our effort toward the place we deserve — the family of the united Europe," said Rama in his victory speech late in the evening in front of hundreds of supporters at party headquarters.

But that would require swift and sweeping reforms in areas highlighted by the EU as the country's enduring weak points, including the judiciary, organized crime, and widespread corruption. The Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International ranks Albania 113 of 176 countries on its Corruption Perceptions Index, while the country's annual economic output is only $12 billion.

Wedged between crisis-hit Greece and Italy, Albania is heavily reliant on remittances from its migrant workers and has suffered since recession swept across southern Europe. With growth muted, the new government will be tasked to slash budget deficits, modernize production and agriculture and breathe life into the emerging tourism industry.

Rama warned his supporters that the joy of the moment will not create "jobs, better education and health systems, or new roads." "This victory is not the arrival but only the start. That change will not come overnight and easily. All together we should work and sacrifice to make it happen," he said.

Sunday's election was marred by a deadly shooting outside a polling station in northern Albania. International observers cited significant improvements from previous polls, but said the election process had suffered from intense party rivalry.

However, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule praised the "overall orderly manner" of the Albanian elections. But they added that once the results are certified, that a new government is formed quickly in order "to address the immediate challenges ahead to ensure that the country's reform agenda is vigorously pursued."

In an unusual gesture in the ever-squabbling Albanian politics, Rama also thanked his predecessor, Berisha, "for every good thing, which history tomorrow may evaluate with a higher objectivity than mine today."

"I wish him all the best in his private life," he said, though Berisha has not hinted he will withdraw from politics. A pre-election dispute over the country's Central Election Commission could also complicate the final stages of the vote count.

The CEC is dominated by Berisha allies despite a damaging split in the conservative coalition in April. Because of Albania's voting system, the popular vote does not directly translate into the number of seats each party will get in the 140-member Parliament.

Albanians hand Socialists a landslide, wait on PM to concede

By Matt Robinson
TIRANA | Tue Jun 25, 2013

(Reuters) - With almost all votes counted, Albania's Socialist opposition was on course for a landslide victory on Tuesday in a parliamentary election, but there was still no word from defeated Prime Minister Sali Berisha.

Berisha, the country's dominant political figure since the end of Stalinist rule in 1991, has not been seen or heard in public since Sunday, when Albanians voted to deny him a third consecutive term as premier.

With votes counted from 86 percent of polling stations in the impoverished NATO country, a Socialist-led alliance headed by former Tirana mayor Edi Rama was on track to take 84 of parliament's 140 seats. Berisha's Democrats were on 56.

The West is anxious to see a smooth handover of power in a country that is deeply polarized between the Socialists and Democrats and no stranger to political violence.

A peaceful transition would help revive Albania's stalled bid to join the European Union, which has yet to accept Tirana's application to join due to misgivings over its democratic maturity and deep-rooted corruption.

At 68, defeat for Berisha could mean the end of his career.

"We continue to wait quietly, respecting our democratic and European ethics, for our opponent to accept his loss and accept and join Albania's great victory," said Rama, a 48-year-old artist who, as mayor, won international acclaim for revitalizing Albania's drab capital with splashes of paint and avenues of trees.

EU ENCOURAGEMENT

The EU, which will make Croatia its 28th member on July 1, commended the "overall orderly" conduct of the election.

"Now it is important that the remaining stages of the election process are conducted in line with EU and international standards," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said in a joint statement.

"We call on all political parties to act in a constructive spirit for the good of the Albanian people," they said.

The Socialists disputed Berisha's last election win in 2009, and called supporters into the streets. Four were eventually shot dead by security forces.

Berisha was credited with taking Albania into NATO in 2009 and onto the first rung of EU membership, but his opponents accuse him of undermining democracy and allowing graft and organized crime to flourish.

Rama says he will reboot Albania's EU bid and transplant his success in overhauling Tirana to the rest of the rundown country of 2.8 million people that hugs the Adriatic coast between Montenegro in the north and Greece to the south.

He will inherit an economy feeling the effects of the crisis in the euro zone, particularly in Greece and Italy where some 1 million Albanian migrants work and send money home.

Unlike its Balkan peers, Albania has avoided recession, but remittances are down and there is concern over rising public debt and the government's budget deficit.

(Additional reporting by Benet Koleka; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/25/us-albania-election-idUSBRE95O10E20130625.