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Kofi Anan Wants Iranian Involvement in Syria, Opposing US
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Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Anan set himself in firm opposition to American objections to bringing Iran into the effort to end the Syrian carnage. Washington’s position is supported by NATO countries and the Arab Gulf States, but on Tuesday, Anan visited Tehran and declared that, “Iran has a role to play and my presence here explains that I believe in that.” Anan’s position places him alongside Russia and China. The US says if Iran is serious about being part of the solution rather than the problem, it first needs to stop sending weapons to Syrian President Al-Assad to use against his people. The death toll has climbed above 17,200. On Wednesday, Anan will brief the UN Security Council in New York, including his post-Iran stopover in Baghdad. Over the weekend, Anan told the French newspaper Le Monde that his initiative to bring peace to Syria had not showed any signs of success. Also on Wednesday, the Syrian National Council, the umbrella organization of anti-regime groups, will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Serge Lavrov.
Egyptian Court Rules against New President’s Recall of Parliament
Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, the judicial body that ordered the dissolution of the newly elected parliament, on Tuesday ruled against newly-elected President Mohamed Morsi’s recall of the legislature shortly after the body met in session. Morsi’s action placed him squarely at odds with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), the body of generals who have been ruling Egypt since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak; and the body that carried out the parliament’s dissolution. After the parliament was invalidated, SCAF gave itself the legislative powers stripped from the legislature. Following the parliamentary session on Tuesday, thousands flocked to Cairo’s Tahrir Square to rally in support of Morsi in his confrontation with SCAF. Tension continues to grow while the new president and the ruling generals thrust and parry. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighed-in with an admonition to Morsi and the council to settle their differences before they “derail the transition.”
Palestinian Authority Sets Election Date without Hamas Participation
The cabinet of the Palestinian Authority moved to unilaterally break the deadlock over the stalled election process by setting October 20 as the date for local elections to be held in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. By terms of the reconciliation agreement signed a year ago, elections for a national unity government should have already taken place, but Hamas has prevented the voter registration process from proceeding in the Gaza Strip, where it rules. By setting the date for local elections without Hamas’ participation, the PA is sending a message, the answer to which was delivered by a spokesman for the Gaza government who blasted West Bank (Fatah) government had violated the reconciliation agreement. Public officials in both the West Bank and Gaza are technically serving after their terms of office have expired because of the stalemate over elections.
Suha Arafat Plans to Utilize French Courts in Yassir Death Probe
Having received all necessary green-lights from Palestinian hierarchy to exhume her husband’s body for further investigation, Suha Arafat’s lawyer said in Paris on Tuesday that Yassir’s widow will bring an action in a French court aimed at determining whether he was murdered and if so, by whom. Arafat died in 2004 in a French military hospital that never released the full medical report under orders from Arafat’s widow even though speculation was rife that Arafat’s demise was not from natural causes. Israel and even the US were blamed by some, while others believed it might have been tied to internecine warfare among the Palestinian factions. The issue returned to the front pages recently when Al-Jazeera, in the course of preparing a documentary, obtained personal items belonging to Yassir Arafat including a toothbrush and soiled underwear that the network had analyzed. The report indicated traces of polonium-210 – a lethal radioactive isotope -- were present and triggering new speculation. The Palestinian Authority has signed-off on the exhumation of the body and a leading Muslim cleric said it would be permissible under the circumstances. Suha’s lawyer did not specify the nature of the court action he said would be the catalyst for a French investigation.
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