Southern California Muslims gathered in silence at a street corner in Orange County to mourn the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other American diplomats killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. The silent vigil in Tustin was organized by a young Syrian American, who, along with her friends, wanted to send a message to the perpetrators who stormed the compound in Libya during a protest over a controversial film that insulted Islam’s Prophet Muhammad

"As a Muslim American, me and a couple of friends decided to show that what happened in Libya does not represent us as Muslims," said organizer Lilah Khoja, 21. "Even more important, we should stand by and honor the great Christopher Stevens, who did a lot for the Libyan people." The Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), along with the Libyan American Assn. of Southern California, cosponsored the vigil. Khoja's initiative has led to other planned vigils for Stevens and the three other American diplomats throughout the nation, including in New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago."We are very sorry," said Ayoub Misherghi, 63, a Libyan American who drove from Upland with his wife and daughter. "We wanted to express our sorrow and solidarity with the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Libya."" 'via Blog this'  Area Muslims call for peace, honor ambassador slain in Libya attack - latimes.com: "

Pope Benedict is calling on Lebanon to be a model of peace and religious freedom in the tumultuous Middle East. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church met with Lebanese officials and religious leaders Saturday at the presidential palace in Beirut, where he was met by cheering crowds. The pope said Christians and Muslims in Lebanon have shared the same space for centuries and that families often have members of both religions. He asked, “If this is possible in one single family, why would it be impossible at the level of the society as a whole?”

 "One of the Lebanese leaders at the meeting, Sheikh Mohammad Rachid Qabbani, gave Pope Benedict a letter saying he considers any attack on a Christian an attack on all Muslims. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman also spoke and referred to Syria, which has been gripped by 18 months of fighting between government forces and rebels. Mr. Suleiman said Lebanon would continue to care for Syrian refugees and wished the Syrian people would attain freedom and democracy through dialogue and other peaceful means. Upon arrival in Lebanon Friday, the pope said he has come to the region as a “pilgrim of peace.” The trip comes days after deadly Muslim protests in the region, triggered by a film produced in the United States mocking Islam's leader, the Prophet Muhammad. Pope Benedict says he never considered canceling his trip to Lebanon because of security concerns brought on by violence in the region." 'via Blog this' Pope, Lebanese Leaders Call for Religious Peace « VOA Breaking News:

Afghanistan, Pakistan to resume talks on Afghan peace - Chicago Tribune

Afghanistan, Pakistan to resume talks on Afghan peace - Chicago Tribune: "KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Thursday to resume regular talks on Afghanistan's peace process, with the new Pakistani prime minister promising to help arrange meetings between Afghan and Taliban representatives.

Following day-long talks in Kabul, also involving Britain's visiting Prime Minister David Cameron, Pakistani premier Raja Pervez Ashraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said they had agreed to resume meetings of the two-track Peace Commission."

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GENEVA CONVENTION

GENEVA CONVENTION:

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Moderate Taliban want peace, says outgoing US ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker. He said that there are elements within the Taliban that support the peace process, despite a rash of this summer's suicide bombings. He also said that he did not think the departure of foreign troops in 2014 will plunge another civil war. - NY Daily News

Moderate Taliban want peace, says outgoing US ambassador to Afghanistan - NY Daily News: "Afghanistan has a history of conflict between warring ethnic factions. Pashtuns, who predominantly make up the Taliban, are the majority ethnic group in the country and have strongholds in the south. Minority factions, including the Hazaras, Uzbeks and Tajiks, are more firmly rooted in the north. Members of all the groups are part of the Afghan security forces, but some fear without the presence of international troops, the nation and its police force and army could split along ethnic lines, prompting another civil war.

The ambassador acknowledged that northern Afghanistan has a lot of militias, but said he didn't think they threatened national unity. "I think their primary interest has been criminal activity, rather than preparing for the next civil war, which I really don't see coming," he said.

Crocker is retiring from the foreign service after a storied tenure in some of the world's most dangerous hotspots. Without giving specifics, the U.S. State Department said health reasons have forced the 62-year-old envoy to leave Kabul."

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Israel-Egypt: Newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy’s call to “update” the Israel-Egypt peace agreement has stirred apprehension in Jerusalem. True, Morsy and other Brotherhood leaders have declared repeatedly that they will respect past agreements and that their focus is the treaty’s military annex. It’s also true that this position was embraced by nearly all other presidential candidates; with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict such a visceral issue, the treaty isn’t likely to disappear from public debate. But long standing Israeli fears about the Brotherhood and its fraternal relationship with Hamas have provoked skepticism among Israelis about Morsy’s intentions in general and altering the annex in particular.- By Ofer Zalzberg, Special to CNN

Time to update the Israel-Egypt peace agreement? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs: "The choice that confronts Israel today is retaining the hard power of strategic depth and an effectively demilitarized Sinai versus pursuing the subtler gain of the Brotherhood’s political representatives endorsing the acceptability of a peace agreement with Israel. This would entail no small adjustment for the group and require a break with its past positions. But given Egypt’s huge socioeconomic problems, Egypt’s new president will be under pressure to deliver a success, and a foreign policy victory could prove enticing. The rising Islamist influence in the Arab world by and large has led Israel to pursue a wait-and-see strategy, but the Brotherhood’s newfound prominence has also generated opportunities that Jerusalem should not ignore. - By Ofer Zalzberg, Special to CNN
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Syria at odds over control of aid distribution -envoys - chicagotribune.com

UPDATE 1-UN, Syria at odds over control of aid distribution -envoys - chicagotribune.com: "* U.N.-backed peace plan calls for unhindered aid delivery. * UN office wants to jointly manage aid to ensure neutrality  By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (Reuters) - Damascus wants to manage the delivery of all humanitarian aid to a million people in need of assistance as a result of the 14-month-old conflict in Syria, but the United Nations insists on having some control, envoys say. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Syria have been negotiating for weeks on a plan for the distribution of aid throughout the country, but U.N. envoys familiar with the talks said the government and the U.N. agency are deadlocked on the issue of who will be in charge.

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