Thousands of Egyptians bid farewell to Coptic pope

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Thousands of mourners on Tuesday bid farewell to Pope Shenouda III, who had led Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church for 40 years, as he was buried in a monastery in northern Cairo.

   Shenouda died Saturday at the age of 88, following a long illness. His remains were transported by a military plane to the northern area of Wadi al-Natroun where the St Bishoy Monastery is located.

   The casket carrying the body was then transferred by an ambulance to the monastery, where thousands of people had been waiting since the morning.

   People jostled to reach the ambulance and the coffin, until military police and bishops managed to get the casket inside the monastery.

   Earlier, a funeral was held at Cairo's St Mark's Cathedral which was attended by thousands who were chanting, "Our pope, we love you."

   Crowds of mourners had gathered outside the cathedral, many of them crying and saying, "Never say the pope died, he is in heaven," as they threw flowers on the coffin.

   "I ask you to preserve peace," Bishop Pefnotios said, as he read a letter written by Shenouda before his death. "I ask Jesus to send you a good patron, to settle your needs and watch over the salvation of your souls."

   Coptic clergy from around the world were joined by a delegation from the Vatican, diplomats, political figures and Egyptian Christians at St Mark's.

   Parliamentary speaker Saad al-Katatni, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, and Coptic businessman Naguib Sawiris were among the attendees.

   "He had completed all what he had been called for. He lived a good, true life, now he is resting," said Abune Paulos, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, after reciting prayers and hymns.

   Dressed in his ceremonial robe and crown, Shenouda's body had been placed in a casket inside the cathedral, after it was displayed in his papal chair for two days.

   Egypt's military rulers have declared Tuesday a national day of mourning. Tight security is in place around the cathedral, to which tens of thousands of people have streamed since Shenouda's death.

   Bishop Pachomious has taken over the papal duties for two months.  A new pope will be chosen by a council made up of senior Coptic clergymen in a process that could take months.

   Shenouda was enthroned as the 117th patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church in November 1971, leading most of Egypt's Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of the population of 80 million.

   His death comes amid increasing fears among the Christian minority that an Islamist state will replace the regime of president Hosny Mubarak.

   Islamists now dominate more than two-thirds of parliament, and are expected to play a key role in drafting the new constitution.

   Shenouda was seen as a distinguished religious leader, who advocated Christian unity, peace and forgiveness.

   However, he was also criticized for being close to Mubarak's government. In 2011, his call to anti-Mubarak protesters to end their rallies was condemned by Christian activists. Shenouda later praised the youth who took part in the revolution, which eventually toppled Mubarak.

Iraq bombings kill 56 on anniversary of US-led invasion

Author: Nehal El-Sherif

   Baghdad (dpa) - At least 56 people died in bombings in seven Iraqi cities on Tuesday, on the ninth anniversary of the United States-led invasion. Nearly 150 people were wounded.

   The coordinated bombings came ahead of an Arab League summit scheduled for March 29 - the first to be held in Iraq in more than 20 years.

   In May, the Arab League postponed a Baghdad conference because of turmoil in several Arab countries.

   In an apparent bid to encourage Arab leaders to attend this year's meeting, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government has spent about 450 million dollars on preparations, including security and infrastructure, according to media reports.

   At least 18 people were killed in three car bomb blasts in the northern city of Kirkuk, 250 kilometres north of the capital Baghdad. Security sources told dpa that 33 people were wounded in the attack near a police headquarters.

   In Mosul city, 400 kilometres north of Baghdad, nine people - including police and army personnel - died.

   Two explosives targeted security patrols in Mosul, where 32 people were arrested. Some of them were allegedly planting a roadside bomb in the southern part of the city.

   In the western city of Ramadi, Qassim al-Fahdawi, the governor of Anbar province, escaped a car bomb explosion near his convoy. But the blast killed three people and wounded 27.

   Five people died in the central city of Tikrit in car bombings, security sources said.

   In central Baghdad, a car bomb in a commercial area killed at least five people and wounded eight, according to media reports.

   In Karbala city, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad, 13 people were killed in two car bombings, and security sources said 45 people were wounded.

   Three people died in the southern cities of Hilla and Kut, while 33 were wounded.

NEWS FEATURE: Egypt's Copts mourn pope with a worried eye on future

By Nehal El-Sherif, dpa

   Cairo (dpa) - Standing outside St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, Nermeen Milad was crying as she watched the funeral of Pope Shenouda III, who led Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church for more than 40 years.

   "He was a father to all of us," said the 45-year-old Christian, who came all the way from Assiut, a province located some 375 kilometres south of Cairo, to pay her respects to Shenouda, whose body was laid in his ceremonial robe and crown inside a coffin.

   Inside the cathedral, grieving Christians began shouting "Our Pope, we love you" at the beginning of the service, before being interrupted by one of the bishops who asked them to be "as quiet as they should be in a church."

   The last time the cathedral was packed with mourners was in October, after some 27 Copts were killed in Cairo when government troops tried to disperse a rally protesting an attack on a church, an act Copts had blamed on radical Islamists.

   The death of Pope Shenouda III comes amid increasing fears among the Christian minority that an Islamist state will replace the regime of former president Hosny Mubarak, after Islamists dominated more than two thirds of parliament, and are expected to play a key role in drafting the Egypt's new constitution.

   "Shenouda's religious and spiritual status had been reassuring to Copts, even if they disagreed with a church decision," said Coptic activist Rami Kamel, standing outside the Cathedral. "naturally, our fears are increasing."

   Kamel says that now the country's minority are also waiting to see how the church will deal with the different political groups arising.

   "His leadership made his sons believe in national unity. This great crowd gathered here that includes Muslims and Christians is because of the powerful leadership of Pope Shenouda," one bishop said at the funeral.

   Throughout the past year, many Christian Egyptians have applied for immigration out of fear that Islamists will not give them room to practice their beliefs. For years, they have been calling for a unified law on the legalization of places of worship to make it easier for them to build churches.

   Although, the exact numbers of Copts applying for visas remains unknown, local rights groups have estimated that around 100,000 Christians have left since January last year. The US Citizenship and Immigration Service stated that the number of Egyptians seeking asylum in the US has reached a record height with 835 asylum claims in 2011.

   According to Howard Eissenstat, a professor of Middle Eastern History at St. Lawrence University, the rise of Islamists in Egypt adds to the sense of vulnerability in the Coptic community.

   "I do not think the Muslim Brotherhood is disingenuous per se, but I do see that with the prominence of the radical Salafists in post-Mubarak Egypt, Copts have reasons to be worried," he said.

   On Monday, a lawmaker said on his Twitter account that some Salafist members of parliament refused to stand in a moment of silence to mourn the pope.

   Yet, the Muslim Brotherhood have been trying to reassure Christians that they will deal with all Egyptians as citizens, regardless of their religion. For the first time in history, senior Brotherhood members have attended the Coptic Christmas ceremony in January, along with government officials and members of the ruling military council.

   Some people have criticized Shenouda for being close to Mubarak's government, despite calls by Christians for him to address concerns of government discrimination against them.

   Christian activists also slammed his call on anti-Mubarak protesters last year to end their rallies. Shenouda later praised the youths who took part in the revolution and the military.

   "All the candidates for the papal post are expected to follow Shenouda's path," said Samuel al-Ashai, one of the mourners. "But now, there might be a change among Christians regarding the divine status Shenouda enjoyed. With a new pope, they (Christians) might be able to challenge the church more, opening the way for more political changes for the Copts in the country."

Annan in Damascus amid Arab, Western efforts to end bloodshed

Authors: Weedah Hamzah and Nehal El-Sherif

   Cairo/Beirut (dpa) - UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan met with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Saturday, amid Arab and Western diplomatic efforts to end the year-long violence in Syria.

   State television said the talks were held in a positive atmosphere, without giving details.

   Annan was later due to meet Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, the United Nations spokesman in Damascus, Khaled al-Masri, told dpa. He is also expected to meet representatives from civil society groups.

   Annan's visit, the first since he was named special envoy for the Syrian conflict, came as government forces shelled areas in the northern province of Idlib, a bastion of the opposition Free Syrian Army. Activists said 12 were killed.

   They said government forces were also conducting an operation in the southern province of Daraa to prevent rebels and dissidents from fleeing across the border into Jordan.

   In Cairo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for an immediate halt to the violence, saying Russia would work with all parties demanding reform in the country.

   Lavrov called on armed opposition groups to withdraw from the cities and on the Syrian government to agree to a mechanism to allow humanitarian assistance.

   Russia, a key Syria ally, was not trying to protect al-Assad's regime but to "promote a peaceful resolution," he said, warning against outside interference in Syria's domestic affairs.

   Last month, Russia and China vetoed a UN draft resolution based on an Arab League plan calling for al-Assad to step down.

   In response to Lavrov's remarks, Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim said: "We will not accept a mere halt to the violence. People have been killed. This is not enough."

   "There are no armed gangs in Syria, these groups are defending themselves," Jassim said.

   Sheikh Hamad, the head of the Arab committee on Syria, demanded that those responsible for killing civilians be held accountable, political prisoners be released, and media and humanitarian assistance be allowed into the country.

   He called for the opposition Syrian National Council to be recognized as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

   "It is time to send Arab and international troops to Syria," Hamad said. "The time of silence over what is happening in Syria is over, the Arab League decisions must be implemented."

   News coming out of Syria cannot be independently verified as the government bars foreign media from the restive areas. The UN has put the death toll at more than 7,500 since the crackdown on pro-democracy protests began.

Oil-rich eastern Libya declares itself semi-autonomous

Author: Nehal El-Sherif
March 6, 2012

   Cairo (dpa) - Tribal leaders in eastern Libya on Tuesday declared the Cyrenaica region to be semi-autonomous, in a move that could revive old tensions in Libya.

   Thousands of major tribal leaders and militiamen attended the ceremony in the city of Benghazi, the birthplace of last year's uprising against former leader Moamer Gaddafi.

   "The Libyan people should not accept after today that one person should have all powers alone," one of the pro-federalist leaders told the conference, which was broadcast live on television.

   The bid to revive the country's federal system puts regional leaders at odds with the Libya's interim leaders, who back decentralization of the government, but not a federalist system.

   The declaration comes despite rejection from the interim ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) and government promises to introduce decentralization in the country.

   Senior tribesmen attending the conference denied that the federal system would lead to a break up of Libya, saying that countries like the United States, Germany and Switzerland, are not divided.

   "On the contrary, the federal system makes people feel secure against negative phenomena like military coups, which many developing countries witnessed in recent years," one of the tribesmen told the gathering.

   Starting in the early 20th century, Libya was divided into three federations: Tripolitania in the north-western part of the country; Fezzan in the south-west; and the eastern Cyrenaica, which is known in Arabic as Barqa. The system was abolished after the 1967 coup led Gaddafi.

   Cyrenaica is the first region to investigate reviving the federal system. But there have also been street protests to rally against the move.

   Hundreds demonstrated Tuesday in Benghazi and the capital Tripoli in support for the central government, chanting slogans including: "No to tribalism, no to centralization, yes to civilized Libya."

   The pro-federalists chose Ahmed al-Senussi, a former founding member of the NTC, to be the head of Cyrenaica's local council. Al-Senussi was a prominent opponent to Gaddafi and was a long-time political prisoner.

   Libya's interim Prime Minister, Abdul-Rahim al-Kieb, urged Monday for solidarity between the government and the people, and that the nation's “silent majority” should protect the state against what he called “pseudo-revolutionaries.”

   "We do not need federalism, because we are heading towards decentralization and we do not want to go back 50 years," he said on state television.

   Gaddafi, who ruled the North African country for 42 years, was captured and killed in his hometown Sirte in October.

   Since then, the interim government has been facing demands to speed up implementation of economic, social and security reforms.