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Ahmadinejad to Visit Cairo
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Against mounting criticism that his government is tilted toward its Islamist backers to the exclusion of all others, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi will host Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad next week when the controversial leader becomes the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since the Iranian revolution in 1979. The occasion is a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It was Morsi who took the first step toward restoring severed relations between the two nations when he visited Tehran in August of 2012. Diplomatic relations ended in 1980 after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel. Relations worsened when under Hosni Mubarak, Egypt allowed ousted Shah Reza Pahlavi to live in Egypt in exile and provided a state funeral upon his death. Meanwhile, anti-Morsi demonstrators hurling gas bombs and rocks clashed with Egyptian security forces outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Saturday night. The protest was a continuation of unrest that heightened on Friday following the appearance on the Internet of a video depicting Egyptian troops beating a naked man. One demonstrator was killed in Friday’s unrest.
NYT: Obama Nixed Clinton- Petraeus Plan to Arm Syrian Opposition Forces
A plan drawn up by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and then-CIA Director David Petraeus to arm Syrian opposition forces was overruled by President Obama according to the New York Times. The newspaper claims the White House was concerned that providing weapons would be the tip of the slippery slope leading to involvement in another Mideast war and that the weapons could fall into the wrong hands. The report was attributed to Obama administration sources that were not named; while officials reported to have been in favor of the idea – Clinton, Petraeus and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta – refused to comment. If the report is accurate, Syria’s neighbors – presumably led by Turkey – would have participated in the American scheme. On Sunday, Israel’s outgoing defense minister told a security conference in Germany that the fall of Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad will “happen imminently.” Ehud Barak said the demise of Assad will “be a major blow to the Iranians and [its Lebanon-based terrorist proxy] Hizbullah.” On the sidelines of the Munich conference, Syrian opposition leader Moaz Al-Khatib (Syrian National Coalition) met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, prompting speculation that a breakthrough is possible. Russia has been Assad’s primary supporter and defender within the international community since the unrest began two years ago.
Coalition Negotiations Begin after Netanyahu Given Mandate by President Peres
The second phase of building a new Israeli government gets its official start after President Shimon Peres gave Prime Minister Netanyahu the mandate to spend the next 28-days forming a ruling coalition. Netanyahu, who has said he wants to form the “widest possible national unity government”, will oversee the first official meetings between representatives of his Likud party and representatives of the parties exploring the possibility of joining the government. Six parties, representing 82 out of 120 incoming parliamentary seats, recommended to the president that Netanyahu and Likud be tasked with forming the government – an obligation given to the party that in the judgment of the president has the best chance of succeeding in forming the coalition. If successful, Netanyahu will become the nation’s first 3-term prime minister, having served from 1996-1999 before being elected in 2009.
Israel Removes Protest Tent in Nablus (West Bank); Injuries Reported
An anti-Israel protest tent set up in the West Bank town of Nablus demonstrating in support of claims that Palestinian land located in the village of Burin is being confiscated for the benefit of Israeli post-1967 communities was forcibly removed by Israeli troops on Saturday. At least 20 injuries were reported in scuffles with Israeli troops who used tear gas to subdue demonstrators. Burin lies between the two Jewish communities of Bracha and Yitzhar, whose residents have been involved in an increasing number of altercations with Arab residents in the area. An official of the Palestinian Authority charged that residents of those two Jewish communities attacked Burin while the demonstration was under way.
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