Headlines:

 

• Egypt's New Pope Opposes Religious Constitution
• Turkey Seeks NATO Deployment of Patriot Missiles on Syria Border
• UAE to become Militarily Dependent on the UK
• Assad's Henchmen Stealing Medical Aid and Leaving Patients to Die

 

 

Details:

Egypt's New Pope Opposes Religious Constitution:

Egypt's new Coptic Pope said on Monday the constitution now being drafted will not be acceptable if it is overtly religious, a sign he would campaign with his Christian minority and secular groups against increasing Islam's role in the new charter. In an interview aired Monday, a day after he was selected Patriarch of Egypt's Coptic Church; Pope Tawadros II said the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak last year has opened the way for a larger Coptic public role. He said as pope, he will encourage the Christian community to participate more in political and public life, as well as elections. He charged that the country's Christian minority has been "intentionally" marginalized for years. "After tens of years of marginalization and fake democracy, this has made some Copts isolated," he said in the interview aired on the private TV station ONTV. "This is changing bit by bit, and it will take time. It needs encouraging, and so long as society is fair, and democracy is built fairly, you will see participation." Tawadros said Egypt's richness lies in its cultural mix between Muslims and Christians. Tawadros appeared to addressing his wary community about the rising political power of Islamists. A series of violent attacks on churches and a crackdown on freedom of worship and expression have caused them to worry about their future.

Turkey Seeks NATO Deployment of Patriot Missiles on Syria Border:

Turkey will make an official request to its NATO partners to deploy Patriot missiles along its border with Syria. The surface-to-air missiles will be able to shoot down aircraft up to 160 kilometers away. The request will be made "imminently," a senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the media. Patriot is a long-range, all-weather; all-altitude system designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. The possibility of enforcing a no-fly zone in Syria, where rebel fighters would be protected from attacks by the government's air force, has been on the table for some time despite NATO's reluctance to intervene in the Syrian conflict without a mandate from the UN Security Council. The Patriot missile deployment is one of several scenarios currently being considered, the official said. Plans for the deployment were put on hold pending the results of the US election, the source explained, speaking on condition of anonymity because of ministry prohibitions on speaking with the media. The official said that any missile deployment might happen under a "NATO umbrella," although NATO maintains it will not intervene without a clear UN mandate. Tensions between Turkey and Syria escalated in October, when shells coming from Syria landed in the Turkish border town of Akcakale, killing five civilians. Turkey retaliated for several days. At least ten Syrian troops were reportedly killed by Turkish fire. Turkey previously requested the deployment of the Patriot system during the first and second Iraq wars. In both cases, deployments were carried out by the Netherlands - one of the few NATO members equipped with the system.

UAE to become Militarily Dependent on the UK:

The PM has been in the Gulf to strengthen the UK's defence, security and commercial ties in the region. No 10 said the two countries had agreed "a defence industrial partnership" involving "close collaboration" on the Typhoon jet. A Downing Street spokesman said it was a "step in the right direction" and collaboration would also take place around "a number of new technologies." Britain is looking to sell Typhoon jets to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, despite allegations of human rights abuses. Speaking ahead of the announcement, Mr Cameron told the BBC he would make "absolutely no apologies" for talking to the UAE and Saudi Arabia about "defence partnerships." "Their security is important for our security and this is vital for British jobs," he said. Since arriving in the UAE, Mr Cameron has attended trade shows and held behind-the-scenes discussions with rulers and business leaders, in what is one of the richest countries in the world. Mr Cameron told the BBC: "There's nothing off limits in any of these relationships and we discuss human rights and we discuss all of these concerns. "But I do think we should recognise the difference between different countries, we shouldn't lump all countries together and say it's exactly the same situation in Libya, Syria and Bahrain. That is not the case." He said it was important to respect the "different pathways" of different countries and show understanding. It is Mr Cameron's second visit to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia as prime minister. No 10 says the UK is looking to sell about 100 Typhoon jets to the UAE and Saudi Arabia as well as building closer defence and security ties.

Assad's Henchmen Stealing Medical Aid and Leaving Patients to Die:

A medical aid group said on Wednesday, Syrian troops are seizing foreign aid and reselling it or channeling it towards government loyalists, putting millions of lives at risk. "When the regime attacks one of our medical facilities, whether it's a hospital or something else, they load up everything they can carry, and they burn the rest," said Tawfik Chamaa, a Geneva-based doctor and spokesman for the Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations (UOSSM). "They take as much as they can, and that just depends on how many soldiers they have, but most of the time they resell it on the black market," he told a news briefing in Geneva. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), global aid agencies with a presence in Syria, said two specific allegations that Chamaa made about other foreign aid being diverted were unsubstantiated. But the ICRC said it was treating them "very seriously" and following them up with the UOSSM and Syrian authorities. The UOSSM, a volunteer grouping of about 15 medical and relief organisations and hundreds of doctors of Syrian origin, has existed on a budget of about 3 million euros ($3.9 million) since being founded in Paris in January. Chamaa said that amount was "derisory" compared to Syria's estimated annual health needs of $3 billion. The UOSSM was not calling for a halt to aid via official channels but wanted it to be given on condition that it went directly to the people who need it, he said. The UOSSM also wanted secure zones for health care set up across the country to allow aid to be distributed safely. "The Syrian diaspora is sending billions out of their own pockets to support the population within Syria. But then it stops being tracked and so inside the country we don't know where the international aid is going," he said. "We have people dying in their homes from all these conditions, through a lack of health care, simply because they can't get out and get help, even if they can afford it. And this is not included in the statistics that you hear on a daily basis, of 150-200 dead. They are dying in silence." As an example of aid going missing, he said 90-95 supply sets sent to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) centre in Damascus were used to benefit Syrian authorities and soldiers.

 

 

Abu Hashim