English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 20/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
The Parable Of The Lost son
Luke15/11-32: He (Jesus) said, “A certain man had two sons.
The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your
property.’ He divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the
younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There
he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there
arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and
joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his
fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs
ate, but no one gave him any. 15:17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How
many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying
with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I
have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called
your son. Make me as one of your hired servants .”’ “He arose, and came to his
father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy
to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the
best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.
Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my
son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to
celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he
heard music and dancing. He called one of the servants to him, and asked what
was going on. He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed
the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.’ But he
was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.
But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I
never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I
might celebrate with my friends. But w
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on March 19-20/2022
Aoun, Al-Rahi discuss the President’s expected visit to the Vatican
tomorrow
Al-Rahi: Egypt and Lebanon are called today, by virtue of their position, to
pursue their role of civilizational, cultural,...
Berri meets Derbaz, Kanaan
Lebanon: Mikati Says Wants to Protect Small Depositors Not Banks
Mikati following today’s cabinet session: Our goal is to maintain balances & we
are keen on the judiciary's independence
Lebanese PM sees judicial ‘shortcomings,’ denies interference
Justice Minister briefs President Aoun on cabinet’s deliberations, developments
in judicial situation
Lebanese Cabinet Meets on Judiciary-Banks Clash amid Absence of Top Judicial
Officials
Judge Aoun: An honest judge who believes in his message has no enemies, but only
performs his duty out of respect for his oath to enforce the law
Nasrallah Denies Presence of Any Hizbullah Member in Ukraine
Jumblatt during Kamal Jumblatt’s martyrdom commemoration: We will stand in the
face of missionaries of hell and build this...
Public Works Minister from Cameroon: Preparatory support for Lebanon’s ports is
a necessity for the full investment of our...
Lebanon Asks US to Continue Border Demarcation Mediation
Energy Minister bound for Doha to partake in works of Arab Ministerial Council
for Electricity
FPM holds government responsible for financial chaos, expresses concern at Sunni
figures’ reluctance towards parliamentary...
Lebanon's PM says wants to protect small depositors not banks
Lebanese Ambassador partakes in a meeting between Lavrov, Arab ambassadors in
Moscow
Geagea supports banks' position: What is happening is a kind of farce,
misinformation and ignorance of the real actors
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 19-20/2022
Zelensky Calls for Fresh Talks, Russia Says Entered Mariupol Center
Biden Warns Xi against China Backing Russia's War in Ukraine
Congress Warns Biden Against Concluding Nuclear Deal with Iran
US Notes Iran's Commitment to Furlough UK-US National
Zelenskyy Warns War Will Cost Russia for Generations
Russia Says it Used Hypersonic Missiles in Ukraine
Israeli Police Kill Palestinian After Stabbing Man in Jerusalem
Titles For The Latest LCCC English
analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on March 19-20/2022
Will Russians Choose Truth or Lies?/Andreas Kluth/Bloomberg/March,
19/2022
A Losing and Desperate Putin Could Be Terrifying/Hal Brands/Bloomberg/March,
19/2022
The Biden Administration’s Campaign to “Make Anti-American Dictatorships Great
Again”/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/March 19/2022
on March 19-20/2022
Values That We Can We Learn From "The Lost
Son" Parable
Elias Bejjani/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73276/elias-bejjani-values-that-we-can-we-learn-from-the-lost-son-parable/
In our Maronite Catholic Church’s rite, on the Fourth Lent Sunday we recall and
cite the biblical Lost Son’s parable that is known also as The Prodigal Son.
(Lost Son) This impulsive, selfish and thoughtless son, as the parable tells us,
fell prey to evil’s temptation and decided to take his share of his father’s
inheritance and leave the parental dwelling.
He travelled to a far-away city where he indulged badly in all evil conducts of
pleasure and corruption until he lost all his money and became penniless. He
experienced severe poverty, starvation, humiliation and loneliness.
In the midst of his dire hardships he felt nostalgic, came back to his senses
and decided with great self confidence to return back to his father’s house,
kneel on his feet and ask him for forgiveness.
On his return his loving and kind father received him with rejoice, open arms,
accepted his repentance, and happily forgave him all his misdeeds. Because of
his sincere repentance his Father gave him back all his privileges as a son.
This parable is a road map for repentance and forgiveness. It shows us how much
Almighty God our Father loves us, we His children and how He is always ready
with open arms and willing to forgive our sins and trespasses when we come back
to our senses, recognize right from wrong, admit our weaknesses and wrongdoings,
eagerly and freely return to Him and with faith and repentance ask for His
forgiveness.
Asking Almighty God for what ever we need is exactly what the Holy Bible
instructs us to do when encountering all kinds of doubt, weaknesses, stumbling,
hard times, sickness, loneliness, persecution, injustice etc.
Matthew 07/07&08: “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who
seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened”
All what we have to do is to pray and to ask Him with faith, self confidence and
humility and He will respond.
Matthew 21/22: “All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will
receive.”
We are not left alone at any time, especially when in trouble, no matter how far
we distance ourselves from God and disobey His Holy bible. He is a Father, a
loving, caring and forgiving Father.
What is definite is that in spite of our foolishness, stupidity, ignorance,
defiance and ingratitude He never ever abandons us or gives up on our salvation.
He loves us because we His are children.
He happily sent His only begotten son to be tortured, humiliated and crucified
in a bid to absolve our original sin.'
God carries our burdens and helps us to fight all kinds of Evil temptations.
Matthew11/28-30: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.”
God is waiting for our repentance, let us run to Him and ask for forgiveness
before it is too late
The Parable Of The Lost son
Luke15/11-32: He (Jesus) said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger of them
said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He divided his
livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of
this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with
riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that
country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the
citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He
wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him
any. 15:17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my
father’s have bread enough to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! I will get up
and go to my father, and will tell him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of
your hired servants .”’ “He arose, and came to his father. But while he was
still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and
fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on
him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring the fattened calf,
kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead, and is alive
again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to celebrate. “Now his elder son
was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. He
called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on. He said to him,
‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he
has received him back safe and healthy.’ But he was angry, and would not go in.
Therefore his father came out, and begged him. But he answered his father,
‘Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment
of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.
But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes,
you killed the fattened calf for him.’ “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always
with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and
be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and
is found.
St. Joseph's Dayعيد ما يوسف البتول
Elias Bejjani/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/63277/%d8%a8%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b5%d9%88%d8%aa-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%b3-%d8%a8%d8%ac%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d8%aa%d8%a3%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a5%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%88%d9%88%d8%ac/
The feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated annually on March 19/Our Bejjani
family has proudly carried this name generation after generation for centuries
and still we do. May God and His angles safeguard our caring and loving son
Youssef, and our grandson Joseph, who both carry this blessed name.
It is worth mentioning that St. Joseph's Day is a Maronite - Roman Catholic
feast day that commemorates the life of St. Joseph, the step-father of Jesus and
husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
People with very strong religious convictions among which are the Lebanese
Maronites celebrate St. Joseph's Day on March 19 and believe that this day is
St. Joseph's birthday too.Back home, in Lebanon St. Joseph is considered the
Family Saint and looked upon as a family and hardworking father role model
because of the great role that Almighty God had assigned him to carry. His duty
was to raise Jesus Christ and take care of Virgin Mary. God has chose him to
look after His begotten son and Virgin Marry. He fulfilled his Godly assignment
with love, passion and devotion.
May Al Mighty God bless all those that carry this name.
Corona - Health Ministry: 448 new Corona cases, 6 deaths
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
In its daily report on the COVID-19 developments, the Ministry of Public Health
announced on Saturday the registration of 448 new Coronavirus infections, which
raised the cumulative number of confirmed cases to-date to 1,087,835. The report
added that 6 deaths were recorded during the past 24 hours.
Aoun, Al-Rahi discuss the President’s expected visit to the
Vatican tomorrow
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, contacted today Maronite
Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, who is currently present in the
Egyptian capital, Cairo, with talks touching on a number of hour issues,
particularly President Aoun’s expected visit to the Vatican and Rome tomorrow
and the matters to be raised during said visit. The President will meet with His
Holiness Pope Francis on Monday, as well as the Secretary of the Papal State,
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Foreign Minister Monsignor Jean Paul Gallagher,
during which Aoun will be renewing Lebanon’s invitation to His Holiness the Pope
to visit Beirut. The President will also meet with Italian President Sergio
Mattarella on Tuesday to congratulate him on his re-election as President of the
Italian Republic, and to discuss the Lebanese-Italian bilateral relations and
ways to develop them in all fields. In this context, Patriarch al-Rahi wished
President Aoun all success in his visit, especially in meeting with His Holiness
the Pope who continues to hold Lebanon in his heart and prayers. Aoun will be
accompanied on his Rome visit by Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Minister,
Abdallah Bou Habib.
Al-Rahi: Egypt and Lebanon are called today, by virtue of
their position, to pursue their role of civilizational, cultural,...
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, presided today over a Mass
service marking the occasion of St. Joseph's Day, held at Saint Joseph's
Cathedral in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, in the presence of a crowd of
believers. In his religious homily, the Patriarch said: “We open with this
divine liturgy with a pastoral visit that will last until next Wednesday,
according to a program established by the Sovereignty of the Diocese Pastor, and
I was pleased this afternoon with the visit of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II at
the Papal Headquarters in Abbasiya, and it was a great start...”He added: “On
this feast, we sit in the school of Saint Joseph, whom the Church calls: Joseph
the educator; Joseph, who has a pivotal role in the history of salvation, and
collector of the Old and New Testaments; Joseph, the patron of workers; Joseph,
the protector of the destitute, the miserable, the suffering and the poor;
Joseph, the guardian of the redeemer; Joseph, the patron saint of the universal
Church….for he teaches us a great deal with his silent personality and his
speaking actions.”Al-Rahi continued to indicate that his pastoral visit includes
an educational, ecclesiastical, cultural and official aspect. "We Maronites,
along with other Lebanese who settled in the Egyptian lands, are proud of the
cultural, economic and developmental role that we have played in the development
of a radiant Egypt…We are also proud of our role in the literary, linguistic and
media renaissance in this ancient country. This role is built on a solid
foundation upon which our relations with the noble Egyptian people have been
based since ancient times, as they were prominent on the technical, engineering,
commercial and economic levels…”“Today, because of their location on the eastern
basin of the Mediterranean, Egypt and Lebanon are called upon to continue their
role of being a civilizational, cultural, economic and political bridge between
East and West, in a time of tensions and wars. They have a special role in
establishing stability, promoting peace, dialogue and coexistence, and defending
human and peoples' rights in the heart of the Arab family,” the Patriarch
underscored. “On the feast of Saint Joseph, the patron saint of this cathedral
and of the Maronite schools of Zahir, we ask for his intercession in order to
raise the new generations on this civilized role, in the school, social and
national family, in glorification of the Heavenly Father, the Only-Begotten Son,
and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen,” al-Rahi concluded.
Berri meets Derbaz, Kanaan
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received at the headquarters of the Second
Presidency in Ain al-Tineh, President of Qom University, member of the Assembly
of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Askar Derbaz, in the
presence of the representative of Qom University in Lebanon, Sheikh Zia al-Najafi.
Berri also received the head of the Jaafari Sharia Courts, Sheikh Judge Muhammad
Kanaan.
Lebanon: Mikati Says Wants to Protect Small Depositors
Not Banks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Lebanon's prime minister said on Saturday after a cabinet meeting convened to
address judicial actions against seven banks that the goal was to protect small
depositors not lenders. "We are protecting institutions, not individuals," Najib
Mikati told a news conference, Reuters reported. Lebanese banks plan a two-day
strike next week in protest at judicial moves against seven major lenders, a
standoff that could bring more instability for a country mired in a financial
crisis since 2019. The banking association said the strike was a warning against
what it called "the arbitrariness of some judicial decisions" - a reference to
orders that have frozen the assets of seven banks since March 14 and banned six
of their executives from travel. Lebanon's banks have been paralyzed since the
financial system collapsed in 2019 under the weight of huge public debts caused
by decades of state corruption and waste, locking depositors out of their
savings. It is Lebanon's most destabilizing crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.
Mikati following today’s cabinet session: Our goal is to
maintain balances & we are keen on the judiciary's independence
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
The Council of Ministers convened in session this morning at the Grand Serail,
headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikat, during which talks centered on the
prevailing judicial situation. Absent from the three-hour meeting were Public
Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh, Social Affairs Minister Hector Hajjar
and Energy and Water Minister Walid Fayyad. Following the session, PM Mikati
told the attending press that the cabinet’s extraordinary meeting was devoted to
tackling the current situation in the country, assuring that none of the cabinet
members meet to protect any sector in itself. “Rather, our goal is to preserve
the balances that prevent us from reaching a stage where all sectors become
losing sectors,” he said. “I reiterate my keenness and the keenness of the
Council of Ministers on the independence of the judiciary and non-interference
in judicial affairs, out of respect for the principle of separation of powers,”
Mikati asserted. “In parallel, and on the basis of the government’s
responsibility in drawing up the general policy in the country, and based on the
principle of cooperation between the authorities, their balance, integration and
cooperation, and our concern for the stability of the situation in all respects,
the Council requested that the law take its course without any discrimination or
discretion, and that the initiative be taken to address the judicial status in
accordance with the principles and according to the authority stipulated by the
laws in force, by the pillars of the judicial authority…in a manner that
preserves the rights of all, at the forefront of which are the rights of
depositors,” the Prime Minister underlined. “In this context, we confirmed the
decision taken in the previous session in terms of commissioning the Minister of
Justice to develop a vision to address the judicial situation and any defects
that might occur and present it to the Council of Ministers soon,” Mikati
explained, adding that “in a related context, the Minister of Finance was asked
to request the Central Bank to take the necessary and immediate measures not to
limit the withdrawal ceilings for salaries and pensions domiciled in banks.”
The Prime Minister also disclosed that the cabinet members were informed by the
Deputy Prime Minister of the speed of work on the completion of the draft
recovery plan and its related draft laws in preparation for its presentation and
approval by the Council of Ministers.
“We also urged the honorable Parliament to accelerate the adoption of the
Capital Control Law,” Miikati added, stressing that “the Council of Ministers
works as a group and discusses all matters in detail, with clear affirmation of
the priority that the rights of depositors, especially small depositors, be
safeguarded and well-preserved.”
Lebanese PM sees judicial ‘shortcomings,’ denies
interference
Reuters, Beirut/19 March ,2022
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday denied interfering in the
judiciary but said there were “shortcomings” in its work, after a series of
rulings against banks that have led them to declare a strike next week. Mikati
spoke after an exceptional cabinet session convened to discuss the rulings
against banks, seven of which have had their assets frozen by judicial orders
since March 14. Banks plan a two-day strike from Monday in response. Mikati, who
said on Friday actions taken by some judges were heightening tensions in
Lebanon, said he had proposed senior members of the judiciary attend the session
to discuss “the shortcomings of the judicial body.” However, the justice
minister requested the meeting be limited to ministers, he said. In one case, a
judge ruled in favor of a depositor demanding that Fransabank reopen his account
and pay out his deposit - some $34,000 according to the bank - in cash. As a
result of the order, which froze its assets and sealed its vaults, Fransabank
said it could not execute cash transactions. Ahead of the cabinet session, a
union representing depositors said in a Tweet the government was meeting “to
prevent the Lebanese judiciary from ruling on cases of depositors against the
banks and their owners.” During the session, Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram,
named to cabinet by Hezbollah, said “there is a suspicion in public opinion that
the government moved to protect the banks and did not move to depositors and
people’s rights,” minutes seen by Reuters showed, prompting a denial from Mikati.
Another judge has frozen the assets of six banks as she probes transactions
between them and the central bank. More than $100 billion is trapped in a
banking system that has been paralyzed since 2019, when Lebanon descended into a
devastating financial crisis. Mikati said the government was committed to
judicial independence and not interfering in its work. Lebanon’s failure to pass
a capital control law has left banks to impose informal controls that have
treated depositors unequally. Banks say they have been calling for such a law.
Justice Minister briefs President Aoun on cabinet’s
deliberations, developments in judicial situation
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, received this afternoon at
Baabda Palace, Minister of Justice, Judge Henry Khoury, who briefed him on the
deliberations of the Council of Ministers in its session this morning at the
Grand Serail, devoted to discussing the developments in the judicial situation.
President Aoun expressed his satisfaction with the position issued by the
Council of Ministers regarding “the keen concern for the independence of the
judiciary and non-interference in judicial affairs, out of respect for the
principle of separation of powers, provided that the law takes its course
without any discrimination or discretion, and preserves the rights of all,
foremost of which being the rights of depositors.”Aoun also welcomed the
cabinet’s commissioning of the Justice Minister to develop a vision to address
the judicial situation and the causes of any defect that might occur, in
addition to placing no limits on withdrawal ceilings for salaries and pensions
domiciled in banks. The President considered that "accelerating the completion
of the draft recovery plan and its related bills, in addition to the
parliament's approval of the ‘Capital Control’ Law, are among the pressing
issues that entail completion as soon as possible for the interest of citizens,
especially since there is no longer any justification for any delays, in
addition to passing the ‘Funds Transferred Abroad’ Law and the implementation of
the forensic audit contract.”
Lebanese Cabinet Meets on Judiciary-Banks Clash amid
Absence of Top Judicial Officials
Naharnet/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Cabinet held an emergency session Saturday to discuss the growing standoff
between the banking sector and some judges, after unprecedented measures were
taken against some banks in recent days and weeks. Prime Minister Najib Miqati
had called for the session on Friday and invited the country's top judicial
officials to it. The officials, however, did not attend the session. "Based on
the contacts that were made by the Justice Minister and his phone talks with me,
I have decided to endorse the Justice Minister's viewpoint that Higher Judicial
Council head Suheil Abboud, State Prosecutor Judge Ghassan Oueidat and Central
Inspection chief Burkan Saad should not attend the session," Miqati told Cabinet
on Saturday. "The Justice Minister will follow up on the file," he added. Miqati
also warned that "the manner in which some investigations are being conducted
harms the judiciary," as he called on the judicial authority to "rectify
things.""Some measures are taking dangerous directions and are affecting
judicial and banking work," the premier cautioned. Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram
of Hizbullah meanwhile said that "the public opinion has suspicions that the
government has moved to protect banks after having failed to move to protect
depositors and people's rights," drawing a response from Miqati, who denied that
and stressed that he is keen on both the law and depositors' rights. "We were
the first to call for abiding by the separation of powers... and we paid blood
for that. Had it not been for our historic patience, the country would have been
plunged into the unknown," Bayram added, apparently referring to Hizbullah and
Amal's call for the accused officials in the port blast case to be tried before
a special court and the subsequent deadly clashes in Tayyouneh. Speaking to
reporters after the session, Miqati stressed that he will not resign in the
period separating us from the May 15 elections, as he noted that the Cabinet
session was not aimed at protecting banks but rather institutions, the country
and depositors.
Judge Aoun: An honest judge who believes in his message has
no enemies, but only performs his duty out of respect for his oath to enforce
the law
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
"An honest judge who believes in his message has no enemies...He only performs
his duty out of respect for his oath to enforce the law and prosecute the
perpetrator, in order to protect society. Therefore, every cheap investment in a
tragic death incident merely denotes moral decadence," Public Prosecutor in
Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, tweeted on Saturday. "Finally, a great salute
to the honorable judges, Abboud, Oweidat and Saad, for their stance in refusing
any tampering with the independence of the judiciary," she added.
Nasrallah Denies Presence of Any Hizbullah Member in
Ukraine
Naharnet/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has dismissed the reports about the
presence of Hizbullah fighters in Ukraine as "mere rumors and lies." "Some Arab
satellite TV stations have broadcast reports and attributed them to the General
Staff of Ukraine's army. These Arab satellite TV stations claimed that Hizbullah
fighters and military experts have become present in Ukraine and are taking part
in combat alongside the Russian forces, seeing as they have urban warfare
experience," Nasrallah said during the annual meeting with the Hizbullah-affiliated
Imam al-Mahdi Scouts. "I categorically deny anything of this sort. These are
baseless lies. No one from Hizbullah, neither a fighter nor an expert, has gone
to this war zone," Nasrallah stressed. He added that, in the coming days, Arab
satellite televisions, social media networks and media outlets will keep
repeating the chorus of "Hizbullah's intervention in the war in Ukraine" and
that his group "will keep issuing statements to deny that.""I emphasize that
these are unfounded claims. These are mere rumors and mere lies," he added. In
an English-language Facebook post overnight Thursday-Friday, the General Staff
of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had alleged that the Russian army had chosen
around 1,000 volunteers from what it dubbed “the so-called army of Bashar
al-Assad and Hizbullah.”“The Command of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation continues to take measures to make up for the loss of personnel at
the expense of foreigners. According to available information, the Russian
occupiers have already picked up close to 1,000 volunteers from the so-called
army of Bashar al-Assad and Hizbullah,” the General Staff said. “The main
requirement for foreign fighters is the experience of fighting in the city. At
the same time, according to available information, the above-mentioned militants
do not intend to take part in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, but to
use ‘business trips’ as opportunities to get to European countries,” the General
Staff added.
Jumblatt during Kamal Jumblatt’s martyrdom commemoration:
We will stand in the face of missionaries of hell and build this...
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Marking the 45th commemoration of the martyrdom of Druze Leader and Mentor Kamal
Jumblatt, Al-Mukhtara Palace courtyards were filled today with tens of thousands
of supporters, all the way to the roads leading to the martyr’s shrine, amidst
banners and posters that carried stances and visions of the late Jumblatt. In a
word of remembrance, Democratic Gathering Head, MP Taymour Jumblatt, said: “We
meet again in Al-Mukhtara, and once again the great martyr Kamal Jumblatt brings
us together on this glorious and national occasion…We salute the spirit and
thought of Kamal Jumblatt, and the souls of all the martyrs who fell on this
day…Today is the anniversary of martyrdom for the sake of truth. We remember
Kamal Jumblatt, the great man present with his notions and philosophy, present
in all fields of political action, and with his courageous and sane leadership
in the darkest crises, and with his Arab and global orientations that
transcended the borders of Lebanon...”“Today, the largest part of the Lebanese
people is fighting a battle for survival, as the Lebanese pound faces its worst
days, and the electricity party has rendered Lebanon in total darkness, and as
food security is threatened, and water no longer reaches people’s homes... Let
us return to Kamal Jumblatt, to his humanity, to his struggle for an independent
national decision, to social justice, to resisting corruption and his struggle
against monopolists,” Jumblatt underscored. "Despite all his titles, the mentor,
the ‘beik’, the comrade, Kamal Jumblatt was first a humanist," the MP went on,
paying respect to the memory of his martyr grandfather. “I stand among you today
and pledge, far from all electoral and political slogans, that Al-Mukhtara will
remain the headline for the word of truth, for freedom of openness, and for the
honorable struggle...We will stand in the face of the missionaries of hell, and
we will stand up to those who seek to destroy what remains of our institutions,
and we will build with the honorable this country anew," Jumblatt promised his
supporters and all the Lebanese. He concluded his word by reciting a quote from
the writings of the late Kamal Jumblatt, which says, “Is there anything more
honorable than crossing the bridge of death to life, aiming to revive others and
to give their cause the power of victory over time?”Following his tribute
address, MP Jumblatt, accompanied by the Druze Sheikh Al-Akl, Sami Abil-Mouna,
and a crowd of prominent figures, religious clerics, politicians and
participating activists, marched from Al-Mukhtara Palace towards the late martyr
Jumblatt’s shrine, where they laid floral wreaths and said prayers for his soul
and the souls of all fallen martyrs to rest in peace.
Public Works Minister from Cameroon: Preparatory support
for Lebanon’s ports is a necessity for the full investment of our...
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh visited today the “Advanced
Maritime Transports Company” (AMT) in Cameroon, which is specialized in
providing ports with technical and logistical support. In a statement following
his tour, Hamieh explained that this visit comes “pursuant to the strategic
vision we have put into practice, which is concerned with activating the public
utilities of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, specifically in the
Lebanese port sector, which is a vital artery for Lebanon…and in emphasizing its
distinguished strategic role through an optimal sovereign investment base for
Lebanon’s geographical location on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean…and
out of concern for our sacred oil and gas wealth…and in order to ensure maximum
proactive preparations through creating a vital functional role for all of
Lebanon’s ports, from the port of Beirut in the capital, to all the ports on the
northern and southern coasts as well…”Hamieh added that his visit to “Advanced
Maritime Transports” in Cameroon, which specializes in technically and
logistically equipping ports, “aims at rendering our ports well-equipped with
preparatory services, starting with the stage of oil exploration, and during the
development period, up to the stage of extraction, whereby these facilitations
will include securing a logistical service on the offshore land, securing all
pipes, connections, locomotives, lifting tools, and the presence of berths to
receive ships and so on….”“Preparing the legal, technical and logistical grounds
for some of the ports adjacent to our oil and gas fields in all of our exclusive
economic waters, is a basic task to keep pace with the stage of exploration for
these riches, as this step is vital at the level of the entire country, and
serves to fortify Lebanon as a state and as a creative people possessing
intellectual energies, material capabilities, and natural resources qualifying
them to preserve the country’s economy and strengthen its sovereignly at all
required levels,” Hamieh concluded.
Lebanon Asks US to Continue Border Demarcation Mediation
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Lebanon called on the United States to continue its mediation efforts to
complete the maritime border demarcation negotiations with Israel in the light
of observations made by the Lebanese Technical Committee on the proposal of US
mediator Amos Hochstein. The Lebanese Technical Committee has met to discuss a
proposal submitted by Hochstein, to divide the disputed area in a way that does
not allow Lebanon to obtain the entire area that it considers its legitimate
right, which amounts to 860 nautical kilometers on its southern border. Lebanon
did not provide a definitive answer to the US offer, leaving the matter to the
ongoing negotiations and asking the US to maintain its mediation. President
Michel Aoun met on Friday with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib
Mikati at the Baabda Palace, where they discussed the recent US proposal and the
outcome of a study conducted by the relevant technical committee, which includes
representatives from the Presidency, the Government, the Army Command (the
Hydrography Department) and the Petroleum Administration Authority. A statement
issued by the presidential office said that the Lebanese officials decided to
ask the United States to “continue its efforts to complete the negotiations, in
accordance with the framework agreement and in a manner that preserves Lebanon’s
supreme interest and stability in the region.”Ministerial sources told Asharq
Al-Awsat that Hochstein’s proposal required some “clarifications and
amendments.”“There are points that need to be studied in depth, and other
details that must be clarified,” the sources emphasized. In early October 2020,
Berri announced a non-final framework agreement, which represents a basis for
paving the way for the demarcation of the land and sea borders with Israel. The
US-led negotiations were assumed on the Lebanese side by the Army Command, under
the auspices of the president and the prime minister. The meetings began on Oct.
14, and four rounds were held before negotiations stopped when Lebanon sent a
letter to the UN, demanding an additional area of 1,430 square km that includes
part of the Israeli Karish gas field. The letter explicitly stated that the area
between lines 1 and 23 to the area between lines 23 and 29, with an increase of
1,430 square km in addition to the previous 860 square km, is the disputed area,
including the Karish gas field. The indirect negotiations were stopped as
Lebanon’s request was opposed by Israel. They later resumed in May under a new
mechanism.
Energy Minister bound for Doha to partake in works of Arab
Ministerial Council for Electricity
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Minister of Energy and Water, Walid Fayyad, is expected to head this evening to
Qatar, where he will partake in the works of the fourteenth session of the Arab
Ministerial Council for Electricity, accompanied by the Chairman of the Board of
Directors of "Electricité du Liban", Kamal Hayek, and Media Adviser Rita
Shaheen.The conference is being held at the invitation of the General
Secretariat of the League of Arab States, in cooperation with the Qatar General
Electricity and Water Corporation, between March 20 and 22, at the Sheraton
Hotel in Doha. Tomorrow's opening session will be under the headline, "A common
vision to achieve a promising future for electricity in the Arab world."A number
of Arab ministers and international specialists will participate in the
conference, which aims at achieving cooperation, exchanging experiences and
sharing knowledge between specialists and workers in Arab and international
electrical systems. It also aims to strengthen partnerships with international
and global organizations with expertise and bring together visions and goals to
ensure the continuity of development in the electricity sectors in the Arab
world.
FPM holds government responsible for financial chaos,
expresses concern at Sunni figures’ reluctance towards parliamentary...
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
The Free Patriotic Movement’s political council held its periodic meeting
electronically on Saturday, headed by its Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, following
which it issued a statement cautioning against "the serious repercussions of the
war in Ukraine on the situation of the countries of the Middle East and Lebanon,
which began to be affected by a shortage of some types of foodstuffs, as well as
the global rise in fuel prices.”Meanwhile, the Movement thanked "the efforts
made by Russia and the concerned countries to evacuate the Lebanese from
Ukraine," stressing "the need for the Lebanese state to abide by neutralization
and avoid entering as a party into the dangerous conflict whose solution can
only be through dialogue and peaceful methods, on the basis of preserving the
territorial integrity of countries and respecting their sovereignty and
strategic and national security."At the Lebanese scene, the statement continued
to emphasize that the Movement “holds the government responsible for the
financial chaos, due to the slowdown in approving the financial recovery plan
and taking decisions that block the path of all political exploitation aimed at
pushing the country towards further deterioration.”The FPM polit-bureau also
denounced “every attempt to pressure the judiciary to desist from the financial
and banking files it is investigating and to interfere in its affairs through
arbitrary action,” while at the same time “affirming its keenness on the safety,
reform and restructuring of the banking sector in order to restore the
confidence of the Lebanese and the world in it, and help it play its role in
financing the economy which requires finalizing the forensic and financial
audit, taking decisions and approving the necessary laws.”Referring to the
upcoming parliamentary elections, the FPM political council statement asserted
that “the Movement is anxiously awaiting the date of the parliamentary elections
to renew and confirm its popular legitimacy and to drop all the lies that accuse
it of wanting to postpone the elections every time it raises reformist demands,
such as the Diaspora MPs and Megacenters…”The Movement also expressed concern
towards the reluctance of a number of political figures in the honorable Sunni
sect to run in the elections, hoping that this will not be a reason for their
boycott by members of the Sunni sect, and that the latter would be
well-represented.
Lebanon's PM says wants to protect small depositors not
banks
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Lebanon's prime minister said on Saturday after a cabinet meeting convened to
address judicial actions against seven banks that the goal was to protect small
depositors not lenders."We are protecting institutions, not individuals," Najib
Mikati told a news conference. Lebanese banks plan a two-day strike next week in
protest at judicial moves against seven major lenders, a standoff that could
bring more instability for a country mired in a financial crisis since 2019. ---
Reuters
Lebanese Ambassador partakes in a meeting between Lavrov,
Arab ambassadors in Moscow
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Lebanese Ambassador to Russia, Shawki Bou Nassar, participated Saturday in a
meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Arab ambassadors,
during a luncheon held at the Russian Foreign Ministry's guesthouse in Moscow,
where Lavrov briefed them on the developments of the crisis in Ukraine.
Geagea supports banks' position: What is happening is a
kind of farce, misinformation and ignorance of the real actors
NNA/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Head of the "Lebanese Forces" Party, Samir Geagea, commented in a statement on
the issue of banks, saying: "There is no doubt that some bank owners and their
administrators bear part of the responsibility for the proceeds of depositors'
funds, and therefore they must be prosecuted, but what is happening now with
regard to the issue of banks requires a comprehensive, objective and
non-judgmental approach to holding all actual and real officials accountable,
each according to his responsibility and role."He added: "What is happening now
is a kind of farce on the one hand, and a kind of misleading public opinion on
the other hand, and ignoring the real players."Geagea pointed out that "the
major responsibility for the outcome of the situation lies first with the
political authority, successive governments and the parliamentary majority,
especially after 2016, followed by the Banque du Liban and some bank owners and
those responsible for them," considering that chasing down some bank owners and
regulators is something and destroying the entire banking sector in Lebanon is
something else! He warned that "...these authoritarian measures will lead to the
destruction of the banking sector instead of reforming it, and thus deepening
the crisis of the citizen and depositors, and not taking any step towards a
solution, by causing a liquidity crisis that will be triggered by the measures,
especially if they are accompanied by a bank strike, and the impact of this on
small employees and people with limited incomes, as well as the impact of
judicial procedures on the confidence of correspondent banks in the Lebanese
banking system."Geagea held the President of the Republic, the current
government and the parliamentary majority responsible for the harm that befalls
the citizen as a result of everything they do, noting that the goal is clear and
obvious and it is not to fix the situation, but rather lies in personal
maliciousness or continuous blackmail attempts. Finally, the LF Chief feared
that the aim of these measures would be to push the banks to close, which would
prevent the elections from being held on time because it would not be possible
for the ballot lists to open accounts and move them during the campaign, in a
political and judicial play that appears to be victory for the right and the
law.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
March 19-20/2022
Zelensky Calls for Fresh Talks,
Russia Says Entered Mariupol Center
Agence France Presse/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky made a fresh appeal for talks with Moscow
Saturday, while Russia said its soldiers had entered the centre of besieged port
city Mariupol. As bitter fighting between local forces and Russian troops rages
across the country more than three weeks into the invasion, the two sides are
already holding negotiations remotely. But so far, as in previous rounds, the
talks have yielded little progress, with both sides blaming the other, and none
have been at the presidential level. "This is the time to meet, to talk, time
for renewing territorial integrity and fairness for Ukraine," Zelensky said in a
video posted to Facebook. "Otherwise, Russia's losses will be such, that several
generations will not recover."Russia's offensive remains largely stalled, a U.S.
defense official said, with troops about 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of the
capital Kyiv and facing heavy resistance. The official added that Russian forces
had made no further progress into the northeastern city of Kharkiv, which they
have encircled, and that Ukrainians were also defending the northern city of
Chernihiv. Britain's defence ministry said Russia was struggling to provide its
forward troops "with even basic essentials such as food and fuel" because of
Ukrainian attacks on their supply lines.
Russians in Mariupol
But Russia's defense ministry said Friday that the army and its separatist
allies had made a breakthrough in Mariupol, which has been under Russian
shelling for days, and were now inside the city. "In Mariupol, units of the
Donetsk People's Republic, with the support of the Russian armed forces, are
squeezing the encirclement and fighting against nationalists in the city
center," the ministry said. The mayor of the city confirmed to the BBC that gun
battles had reached the heart of Mariupol. On Friday rescuers were still
searching for hundreds of people trapped under the wreckage of a bombed theater
there. At the time of the attack, Mariupol's city council said that over 1,000
people were sheltering in the theater's basement when it was hit on Wednesday.
On Friday, the council said one person had been badly wounded, but there were no
dead, the only casualty tally given so far. There was still no information about
potential fatalities, Zelensky said, but 130 people had been saved so far --
some "heavily injured."9,000 people had been evacuated from Mariupol, he added.
As Putin's ground offensive has met with fierce Ukrainian resistance, Moscow has
increasingly turned to indiscriminate air and long-range strikes.
'Difficult day'
In the south of Ukraine, the mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Senkevich said on
Facebook that several villages in the region had been occupied and the city had
been under heavy fire, calling it a "difficult day."
Ukrainian media reported that Russian forces had carried out a large-scale air
strike on Mykolaiv, killing at least 40 Ukrainian soldiers at their brigade
headquarters. Earlier Russian missiles had struck an aircraft repair site close
to Lviv's airport in Ukraine's far west, extending the war to a relatively
unscathed region near the border with NATO member Poland. The Russian defens3
ministry said the strike was a "high-precision" attack on Ukrainian military
infrastructure. In Kyiv, authorities said one person was killed when a Russian
rocket struck residential tower blocks in the northwestern suburbs. They said a
school and playground were also hit. More than 3.25 million refugees have fled
Ukraine. Zelensky accused Russian forces of blocking aid around hotspot areas,
saying "they have a strict order to do everything, so the humanitarian
catastrophe in Ukrainian cities turned into reason for Ukrainians to work
together with the occupiers" -- adding "this is a war crime". But Russian
President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of war crimes too in a call with French
President Emmanuel Macron, and said Moscow was doing "everything possible" to
avoid civilian deaths.
Russia further isolated
With world powers maneuvering to respond to the bloody three-week invasion,
Washington said that President Joe Biden had warned Chinese counterpart Xi
Jinping of the "consequences" of any support for Russia.
The United States fears that China could deliver financial and military aid to
Moscow, transforming an already explosive transatlantic standoff into a global
confrontation. In the nearly two-hour phone call, Xi said that war is "in no
one's interest", but showed no sign of giving in to U.S. pressure to join
Western condemnation of Russia. However, Moscow's diplomatic isolation deepened
as Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania announced the expulsion of 10
Russian diplomats, following in the steps of Bulgaria. The International
Monetary Fund, World Bank and other top global lenders warned on Friday that the
"devastating human catastrophe" unfolding in Ukraine risks "extensive" economic
fallout around the globe.
Historically, Ukraine has been a grain-exporting breadbasket for the world. "The
entire global economy will feel the effects of the crisis through slower growth,
trade disruptions, and steeper inflation," the lenders said.
Italy announced Friday it would tax the extra profits made by energy firms off
the back of spiking prices and Belgium delayed by a decade a plan to scrap
nuclear energy in 2025, also spooked by the huge spike.
Undeterred by reports of military setbacks or international condemnation, Putin
held a large triumphalist rally in a Moscow football stadium on Friday featuring
a sea of Russian flags, pro-Kremlin pop stars and chants of "Russia! Russia!
Russia!"Marking eight years since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine,
tens of thousands of people took part, many wearing ribbons with the letter "Z"
that features on Russian tanks invading Ukraine. Putin said the Russian military
was in Ukraine "to rid these people from their suffering and genocide".
Negotiations stalled
For many Ukrainians, Russia's actions on the ground and from the air make a
mockery of that justification, and of the stop-start peace talks that have been
proceeding this week. But in a call to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin
accused Ukrainian authorities of stalling talks by "putting forward more and
more unrealistic proposals". "Nevertheless, the Russian side is ready to
continue to search for solutions in line with its well-known principled
approaches," the Kremlin said. Russia wants Ukraine to disarm and disavow all
Western alliances -- steps that Kyiv says would turn it into a vassal state of
Moscow. Russia's top negotiator said Friday that Moscow and Kyiv had brought
their positions "as close as possible" on a proposal for Ukraine to become a
neutral state. But Mikhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Zelensky taking part in the
negotiations, said his country's position had not budged. "All statements are
intended, inter alia, to provoke tension in the media," he wrote on Twitter.
Biden Warns Xi against China Backing
Russia's War in Ukraine
Agence France Presse/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden has laid out to Chinese leader Xi Jinping the
"consequences" of any backing for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the White
House said, as Beijing showed no sign of joining Western condemnation of the
invasion. The comments came during a nearly two-hour phone call between the
leaders of the world's two largest economies, focusing on Ukraine, where China's
close ally Russia is in the fourth week of a bloody assault. The White House
said that Biden described to Xi "the implications and consequences if China
provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against
Ukrainian cities and civilians." The White House refused to characterize Xi's
response to the warning or say how hard Biden pushed him. "It wasn't about
making asks, it wasn't about making assessments. It was about having an ongoing
dialogue," Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. But she said that "is something we'll
be watching and the world will be watching."Beijing was ambiguous about Xi's
position after the call. Chinese state television CCTV reported that Xi said the
war was "in no one's interest" and that "state-to-state relations cannot go to
the stage of military hostilities."However, there was no mention of direct
criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a readout from the Chinese
foreign ministry laid some responsibility for Russia's invasion of its neighbor
to the West. "The U.S. and NATO should also have dialogue with Russia to address
the crux of the Ukraine crisis and ease security concerns of both Russia and
Ukraine," the foreign ministry noted. With the Chinese leader refusing to
condemn Putin, Washington fears Beijing could go further, delivering financial
and military support to Russia and transforming an already explosive
transatlantic standoff into a global dispute. If that were to happen, not only
could China help Russia to weather sanctions and continue the war, but Western
governments would face the painful decision of how to strike back at the world's
second-biggest economy, likely prompting turmoil on international markets.
Washington is racing to ward off that crisis, both by warning of fallout for
China and appealing to Xi's ambitions to be a world player. China should
"understand that their future is with the United States, with Europe, with other
developed and developing countries around the world. Their future is not to
stand with Vladimir Putin," Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told
CNN.Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier urged China to use its "leverage"
on Moscow.
China 'balancing competing priorities' -
The Biden-Xi call -- the first since November -- came after U.S. National
Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party's
chief diplomat, held what the White House called a "substantial" seven-hour
meeting in Rome this week. Against a backdrop of already intense U.S.-Chinese
tensions over Taiwan and trade disputes, the ability or failure of Biden and Xi
to come to an understanding on the unfolding mayhem in Europe will reverberate
widely. Xi and Putin symbolically sealed their close partnership when they met
last month at the Winter Olympics in Beijing -- just before Putin launched his
onslaught on Ukraine. Since then, Beijing has stood out by refusing to join the
international outcry over the invasion, while taking the Russian line in blaming
the United States and NATO. Chinese authorities even refuse to refer to the
invasion as a "war," again in keeping with Kremlin talking points. But China has
also tried to remain somewhat ambiguous, declaring support for Ukraine's
sovereignty. Brookings Institution fellow Ryan Hass, a former advisor on China
to president Barack Obama, said Beijing has to sort through its clashing
priorities. Despite the coziness with Moscow, China -- the world's biggest
exporter -- is tightly bound to the United States and other Western economies.
It also wants to play a leadership role in the world. "China's and Russia's
interests are not in alignment. Putin is an arsonist of the international system
and President Xi sees himself as an architect for remaking and improving the
international system," Hass said. "President Xi is trying to balance competing
priorities. He really places a lot of value in China's partnership with Russia
but at the same time he does not want to undermine China's relations in the
West."
Congress Warns Biden Against Concluding Nuclear Deal with Iran
Washington - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Several Congressmen warned US President Joe Biden against concluding a nuclear
deal with Tehran.Republican Senator Ted Cruz accused US President Joe Biden of
becoming the world's top funder of terrorism. "Biden is committed to a new deal
with Iran that will pour hundreds of billions of dollars into the terrorist
regime. Let's be clear about what that means. Biden is about to become,
literally, the number 1 funder of terrorism in the world," Cruz tweeted. Cruz's
statement reflects the anger among the Republicans and some Democrats, over the
possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran, despite their repeated warnings.
The opposition against a deal with Iran escalated dramatically with the Russian
invasion of Ukraine, in light of the US administration's reliance on Russia in
the Vienna negotiations and the possibility of Moscow obtaining exemptions from
sanctions as a result of reaching an agreement with Tehran. Cruz and other
Republican lawmakers had previously described this step as a "complete surrender
to Putin," considering that the Russian president is the winner of returning to
the nuclear agreement with Iran. Also, the Biden administration is considering
removing the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) from the list of
terrorism in return for Iran's return to the nuclear agreement. The move sparked
a wave of criticism from bipartisan representatives.
Jim Risch, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he
strongly opposes delisting the IRGC. "The IRGC is responsible for numerous
attacks on US forces and interests and openly sponsors dangerous terrorist
proxies that threaten the region. Any argument to the contrary is false," he
said.
Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the White House
warning against delisting the Corps, saying Iran's nuclear program and
activities are not limited to the Middle East through Hezbollah, Hamas, and
Islamic Jihad, but extend to the rest of the world.
A recent statement by the commander of Central Command, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie,
supported those requests. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee members on
Tuesday that the IRGC is a terrorist organization. The Republicans put forward
several draft bills in Congress, the latest of which prevents the US
administration from lifting any sanctions imposed on countries and entities that
cooperate with Iran in its nuclear program. Cruz said the "Biden administration
is dismantling sanctions and is aching to secure a new agreement with the
Iranian regime that is even weaker than the original catastrophic Obama-Iran
nuclear deal."The Biden administration notified the Congress that it was giving
Iran and its international partners, including Russia, a waiver for seven civil
nuclear activities, which Tehran uses to build its nuclear program.
Cruz fought to rescind those waivers, and the Trump administration did so in
2019 and 2020. "The Biden administration is so committed to their deal that they
are willing to make Iran a nuclear client for Putin, including work that amounts
to a $10 billion subsidy for his war machine."
"That's why I've introduced legislation to stop the Biden administration from
issuing civil-nuclear waivers allowing Russia to build up Iran's nuclear
program," said the Senator. He warned that the Iranian regime uses these civil
nuclear waivers to build up the nuclear program with the "express intention of
eventually developing nuclear weapons to inflict destruction on America and our
allies." Furthermore, 49 of the 50 Republicans at the Senate told Biden,
democrats, and the international community that an Iran agreement without broad
congressional support would not survive. "Republicans have made it clear: We
would be willing and eager to support an Iran policy that completely blocks
Iran's path to a nuclear weapons capability, constrains Iran's ballistic missile
program, and confronts Iran's support for terrorism."They warned that if the
administration agrees to a deal that fails to achieve these objectives or makes
achieving them more complex, Republicans will do everything to reverse it.
"Unless Iran ceases its support for terrorism, we will oppose removing and seek
to reimpose any terrorism-related sanctions. And we will force the Senate to
vote on any Administration effort to do so."
US Notes Iran's Commitment to Furlough UK-US National
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
The US State Department on Friday said anything short of an immediate furlough
of Iranian-American environmentalist Morad Tahbaz, who had been taken back to an
Iranian prison earlier, would be considered a violation of Tehran's commitments
to the United Kingdom.
Tahbaz's sister, Taraneh Tahbaz, in an interview with Reuters said her brother,
who also holds British citizenship, had been taken back to prison on Friday
after being released on furlough on Wednesday. Shortly afterwards, a spokesman
for Britain's foreign ministry said it had been told by Iran that Tahbaz, 66,
had been taken back to Evin prison in order to fit an ankle bracelet and that
the British government hoped he would be allowed out in coming hours. A State
Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that Iran
made a commitment to the United Kingdom to furlough Tahbaz. "We are not a party
to this arrangement, but would join the UK in considering anything short of
Morad’s immediate furlough a violation of Iran’s commitment. We are urgently
consulting with the UK on appropriate responses," the spokesperson said. "We
continue to work night and day to secure the release of our wrongfully detained
citizens, including US-UK citizen Morad Tahbaz," the spokesperson said. Tahbaz
was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for "assembly and
collusion against Iran's national security" and working for the United States as
a spy. In February, as months of talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal inched
closer to an agreement, Iran, which holds a dozen Western dual nationals, said
it was ready for a prisoner swap in return for the unblocking of frozen assets
and release of Iranians held in Western jails. The nuclear talks were close to
an agreement 11 days ago until last-minute Russian demands for sweeping
guarantees that would have hollowed out sanctions imposed following its invasion
of Ukraine threw the negotiations off track. Russia now appears to have narrowed
its demands to cover only work linked to the nuclear deal, leaving a small
number of issues to be resolved between Washington and Tehran, diplomats say.
Zelenskyy Warns War Will Cost Russia for Generations
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Ukraine’s president said Russia is trying to starve his country’s cities into
submission but warned Saturday that continuing the invasion would exact a toll
on Russia for “generations.” The remarks came after Moscow held a mass rally in
support of its bogged-down forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Kremlin in an overnight
video address of deliberately creating “a humanitarian catastrophe ” and
appealed again for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him to prevent
more bloodshed.
Noting that the 200,000 people reported to have attended the rally was similar
to the number of Russian forces deployed to Ukraine, The Associated Press cited
Zelenskyy as saying that Friday’s event in Moscow illustrated the stakes of the
largest ground conflict in Europe since World War II.
“Picture for yourself that in that stadium in Moscow there are 14,000 dead
bodies and tens of thousands more injured and maimed,” the Ukrainian leader
said, standing outside the presidential office in the capital, Kyiv. “Those are
the Russian costs throughout the invasion.”
Putin lavished praised on his country’s military forces during Friday’s
flag-waving rally, which took place on the anniversary of Russia’s 2014
annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The event included patriotic songs such as
“Made in the U.S.S.R.,” with the opening lines “Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and
Moldova, it’s all my country.”“We have not had unity like this for a long time,”
Putin told the cheering crowd. Taking to the stage where a sign read “For a
world without Nazism,” he railed against his foes in Ukraine with a baseless
claim that they are “neo-Nazis” and insisted his actions were necessary to
prevent “genocide” — an idea flatly rejected by leaders around the globe.
The rally took place as Russia has faced heavier-than-expected losses on the
battlefield and increasingly authoritarian rule at home. Russian police have
detained thousands of antiwar protesters. Fighting raged on multiple fronts in
Ukraine more than three weeks after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.
The northwest Kyiv suburbs of Bucha, Hostomel, Irpin and Moshchun were under
fire on Saturday, the Kyiv regional administration reported. The city of
Slavutich, located 165 kilometers (103 miles) north of the capital was
“completely isolated,” the administration said.
In the besieged port city of Mariupol, the site of some of the war’s greatest
suffering, Ukrainian and Russian forces battled over the Azovstal steel plant,
one of the biggest in Europe, Vadym Denysenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior
minister, said Saturday. “One of the largest metallurgical plants in Europe is
actually being destroyed,” Denysenko said in televised remarks. Ukrainian and
Russian officials agreed to establish 10 humanitarian corridors for bringing aid
in and residents out — one from Mariupol and several around Kyiv and in the
eastern Luhansk region, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said
Saturday. She also announced plans to deliver humanitarian aid to the southern
city of Kherson, which was seized by Russian forces.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said Russian forces were blockading the
largest cities with the goal of creating such miserable conditions that
Ukrainians will surrender. But he warned that Russia would pay the ultimate
price. “The time has come to restore territorial integrity and justice for
Ukraine. Otherwise, Russia’s costs will be so high that you will not be able to
rise again for several generations,” he said. In the wake of the invasion, the
Kremlin has clamped down harder on dissent and the flow of information, banning
sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and instituting tough prison sentences for
what is deemed to be false reporting on the war, which Moscow refers to as a
“special military operation.”Vladimir Medinsky, who has led Russian negotiators
in several rounds of talks with Ukraine, said Friday that the two sides have
moved closer to agreement on the issue of Ukraine dropping its bid to join NATO
and adopting a neutral status. In remarks carried by Russian media, he said the
sides are now “halfway” on issues regarding the demilitarization of Ukraine.
However, Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, alleged that Moscow’s
characterization was intended “to provoke tension in the media.” He tweeted:
“Our positions are unchanged. Ceasefire, withdrawal of troops & strong security
guarantees with concrete formulas.”Britain’s foreign minister accused Putin of
using the talks as a “smokescreen” while his forces regroup. “We don’t see any
serious withdrawal of Russian troops or any serious proposals on the table,”
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the Times of London newspaper.
The British Department of Defense said in its latest intelligence assessment
that the Kremlin “has been surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian
resistance” and “is now pursuing a strategy of attrition” that is likely to
involve indiscriminate attacks. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during a
Saturday visit to NATO ally Bulgaria, said the Russian invasion had “stalled on
a number of fronts” but the US had not yet seen signs that Putin was deploying
additional forces. Around Ukraine, hospitals, schools and buildings where people
sought safety have been attacked. Ludmyla Denisova, the Ukrainian Parliament’s
human rights commissioner, reported Friday that at least 130 people survived the
Wednesday bombing of a Mariupol theater that was being used a shelter, but
another 1,300 were believed to be still inside. “We pray that they will all be
alive, but so far there is no information about them,” Denisova told Ukrainian
television. Satellite images on Friday from Maxar Technologies showed a long
line of cars leaving Mariupol as people tried to evacuate. Zelenskyy said more
than 9,000 people were able to leave the city in the past day along a route that
leads 227 kilometers (141 miles) northwest to the city of Zaporizhzhia. The
governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Oleksandr Starukh, announced a 38-hour
curfew in the southeastern city after two missile strikes on its suburbs killed
nine people Friday. The Russian forces fired at eight cities and villages in the
eastern Donetsk region in the past 24 hours: Mariupol, Avdiivka, Kramatorsk,
Pokrovsk, Novoselydivka, Verkhnotoretske, Krymka, and Stepne, Ukraine’s National
Police said in a statement Saturday. The attacks with rockets and heavy
artillery killed and injured dozens of civilians, and damaged at least 37
residential buildings and infrastructure facilities, the statement posted on
Telegram said. “Among the civilian objects that Russia destroyed are multistory
and private houses, a school, a kindergarten, a museum, a shopping center and
administrative buildings,” the statement said.
Russia Says it Used Hypersonic Missiles in Ukraine
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
Russia's defense ministry said on Saturday it had destroyed a large underground
depot for missiles and aircraft ammunition in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region
using hypersonic missiles, the Interfax news agency reported. The ministry said
it had also destroyed Ukrainian military radio and reconnaissance centers near
the port city of Odessa using a coastal missile system, Interfax reported.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the ministry's statements.
Meanwhile, Ukraine hopes to evacuate civilians on Saturday via ten humanitarian
corridors from cities and towns on the front line of fighting with Russian
forces. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said a corridor had been agreed
for the besieged city of Mariupol, although the authorities' previous efforts to
evacuate civilians there under a temporary ceasefire have mostly failed, with
both sides trading blame. Also Saturday, the Ukrainian military imposed a
38-hour curfew in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, starting at 1400 GMT,
deputy mayor Anatoliy Kurtiev said. "Do not go outside at this time!" he said in
an online post. The regional capital has become an important point of transit
for some of the 35,000 people estimated to have Mariupol city in the southeast.
Israeli Police Kill Palestinian After Stabbing Man in
Jerusalem
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 19 March, 2022
A Palestinian assailant allegedly stabbed an Israeli passer-by in Jerusalem on
Saturday before being shot and wounded by Israeli police, the police claimed.
The attack took place in west Jerusalem, near the boundary with the city's
eastern sector. "Jerusalem police officers... opened fire to neutralize the
suspect," the police said in a statement. The Magen David Adom emergency
services said the Israeli, in his mid-30s, was lightly injured, AFP reported.
Its spokesman Zaki Heller said the assailant was a Palestinian man who was about
20 years old and was evacuated "in serious condition". Police were seen
collecting bloodied clothing from the assailant. Clashes erupt frequently in
Jerusalem, a city at the heart of the conflict between Israelis and
Palestinians. Earlier this month, Israeli police shot dead two Palestinian
assailants who stabbed officers in two separate incidents in Jerusalem's Old
City.
Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, in
a move not recognized by the most of the international community. Palestinians
claim the area as the capital of their future state.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published on
March 19-20/2022
Will Russians Choose Truth or Lies?
Andreas Kluth/Bloomberg/March, 19/2022
Russians are facing a psychological conundrum all human beings confront every
day, but at a far more consequential level. It is this: How much will they
choose to know, or deliberately not know? Their answer may decide the course of
history.
If the war of aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine is
the world’s most urgent problem, the question about how ordinary Russians sift
and interpret information about it is the meta-problem. It’ll determine whether
Putin stays in power, and whether he gets away with escalating this conflict
into an even bigger catastrophe.
In this war, two mutually exclusive perceptions of reality are clashing. In the
one prevailing outside of Russia, Ukrainians are the victims, while Putin is the
aggressor and the perpetrator of war crimes, as he bombs millions of innocent
women, children and men.
Inside Russia, Putin’s propaganda tries to flip this reality. Here, the
Ukrainians are pawns of a menacing West, as well as fascists who must be
“de-Nazified and de-militarized,” before they can commit a genocide against
ethnic Russians. There is no war, only a “special military operation.”
Creating and weaponizing such a universe of lies is what Putin, with his KGB
training, specializes in. What remains to be seen is whether his fiction will be
accepted as truth in Russia. Many Russians still get some information from
independent sources, however dangerous and difficult that has become. That’s
motivated thousands to protest against the war, knowing they’d get arrested. But
most others appear to be buying into Putin’s alternative narrative.
The psychology that makes this pliancy possible is complex but all too human.
Social scientists have long studied the phenomenon of “motivated ignorance.”
Often, not knowing things — about your kids, spouse, political donors or
whatever — is the easier way.
For example, a lot of Romanians under the Ceausescu regime during the Cold War
could and should have known that disabled children and orphans were in effect
being kept in concentration camps. But most chose not to know. A lot of Catholic
bishops and priests could have noticed the sexual abuse perpetrated for decades
by other men of the cloth. They chose not to. There are countless examples.
Sometimes such decisions to turn a blind eye are deliberate. Most of the time,
however, they are subconscious and involve cognitively sophisticated
self-deception. In groups, this can take the form of so-called “spirals of
silence.” People are afraid of social isolation, and therefore send and receive
cues about which facts are safe or unsafe to acknowledge publicly.
The closest analog to the situation Russians find themselves in today is that of
Germans in World War II. In 1939, most of them publicly accepted Adolf Hitler’s
propaganda that Germany was “encircled” by aggressors, that ethnic Germans in
eastern Europe were threatened by genocide, and that the Third Reich had to
fight back.
But as Nicholas Stargardt documents hauntingly in “The German War,” Germans not
only could have known, but actually did know, a lot more than they admitted
publicly.
Stargardt perused the diaries of soldiers on the front and their wives at home,
as well as letters between them and other private correspondence. Well hidden
among the banalities of daily life — how are the kids, are they doing their
homework, and so forth — a coded language wafted from between the lines. At
home, apartments became available because Jewish owners had moved away. How much
effort did it take for people not to ask where and why? At the front lines,
husbands, brothers, fathers and sons witnessed atrocities but didn’t know what
to label them.
The word “Holocaust” would not be applied to the mass murder until years later.
But a knowledge of it, vague or concrete, was the invisible subtext in these
writings, often because the writers presumed their audience would understand.
This explains why Germans increasingly “mixed anxieties about their culpability
with a sense of their own victimhood,” as Stargardt puts it. The war must never
come home, the diarists implied, because they will do unto us as we did to them.
You can’t have such thoughts unless you’re clear about who “they” are, and what
you did to them. Unsurprisingly, when the Allies incinerated Hamburg, Dresden
and other cities, Germans called these air raids “Jewish terror bombing.”
In this way, to Germans then as to Russians today, ignorance is not actually
bliss, as the cliche has it. Instead, ignorance is alibi. For years after the
war, many Germans insisted they knew nothing.
Refusing to see certain things, even obvious ones, is apparently part of our
nature. But so is having a conscience. The duel between these impulses takes
place daily in every human mind. For the sake of Ukrainians — and indeed the
world — let us hope that enough Russians will find the courage to know.
A Losing and Desperate Putin Could Be Terrifying
Hal Brands/Bloomberg/March, 19/2022
The war in Ukraine is getting more dangerous, in part because it is going better
than Ukraine’s supporters could have imagined. President Joe Biden has sought to
reconcile two conflicting objectives: avoiding US military intervention while
also helping Ukraine and making Moscow pay a high price for aggression.
Yet as Russian President Vladimir Putin grows more desperate, that balance will
become harder to strike. Potentially, the worse Russia does, the greater risks
the US and its European allies may face.
Putin — and most observers — expected that Russian forces would quickly break
Ukrainian resistance. Yet a combination of Russian incompetence and inspired
Ukrainian defense has produced a rough stalemate. Moscow holds swaths of
Ukrainian territory; its early gains in the south were impressive. There is a
danger that it could cut off Ukrainian forces in the east, encircle and besiege
Kyiv, or seize Mariupol and Odesa on the southern coast. Russia still has
preponderant combat power.
But Western money and arms are enhancing Ukrainian endurance, while Ukrainian
forces ambush Russian units and attack their vulnerable supply lines. Moscow’s
losses are mounting and Putin now confronts the possibility that the war may
destroy his army before it destroys Ukraine.
That would be a remarkable outcome — and one that could, ironically, create
sharper dilemmas for the US
Biden’s approach to Ukraine has been straightforward: He has punished Russia
while scrupulously refusing to get involved in the fighting. Washington and its
allies have hit Moscow with far-reaching, hard-biting sanctions; they have given
Ukraine antitank rockets, ammunition and other means of bleeding the invaders.
On Wednesday, Biden said the US will send an additional $800 million in military
aid, including cutting-edge explosive drones, and will help the Ukrainians
acquire more lethal air-defense systems.
Yet Biden has ruled out a no-fly zone over Ukraine (a step most defense experts
believe would be ineffectual, because it would not affect the Russian ground
forces and artillery doing most of the damage), let alone more significant forms
of direct US military intervention. He halted the transfer of Polish jets to
Kyiv for fear of provoking Moscow.
“We will defend every inch of NATO territory,” he tweeted, but “we will not
fight a war against Russia in Ukraine,” because that would be “World War III.”
Biden’s instincts are reasonable, but there are major perils ahead that could
force a rethink of US policy.
As Putin worries what stalemate or defeat might mean for his political survival,
he could resort to dramatic, brutal tactics in hopes of breaking Ukraine’s will.
Russian doctrine emphasizes an “escalate to de-escalate” strategy of limited
nuclear strikes to avoid conventional military defeat. Yet even short of that,
Putin has some scary options.
Russia could employ chemical weapons in Ukraine, or it could escalate the
conventional bombardment of major cities with appalling humanitarian
consequences. The latter is already happening in cities such as Mariupol and
Kharkiv, while chemical attacks are reportedly under consideration in Moscow.
Russia could also intensify attacks near the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization’s borders with western Ukraine or threaten nearby NATO countries
militarily to sever the lifeline keeping Ukraine alive. Putin previewed this
tactic when he used cruise missiles to pummel a base near the Polish border
formerly used by US troops — and now used by foreign fighters flocking to aid
Ukraine.
Any of these options could appeal to a dictator looking to win a fight that, as
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has said, he “cannot afford to
lose.” And any of them could provoke louder calls for intervention in the West.
The US could conceivably have to reconsider its position even short of
deliberate Russian escalation. Suppose a stalemated war drags on for months or
years, producing terrible bloodshed within Ukraine and instability and
insecurity beyond it. Suppose scared, frustrated Russian forces respond to
dogged resistance by murdering civilians.
In the 1990s, Western democracies ultimately intervened in the former Yugoslavia
to end a conflict that was having similar consequences. Today, writes recently
retired Australian general Mick Ryan, “there may be a requirement for a military
intervention” in Ukraine, “if the west doesn’t want a forever war on the
doorstep of Europe.”
To be perfectly clear: No sane person wants a US war with Russia. Any clash
between the world’s two greatest nuclear powers would carry unprecedented risks.
Yet the danger that the Ukraine war may not follow America’s desired script has
two implications for US policy.
First, the Biden administration must consider whether there are forms of Russian
escalation within Ukraine that might trigger a Western military response. This
isn’t a crazy question: If Putin successfully used tactical nuclear escalation
in Ukraine to escape conventional defeat, he would send a truly terrible message
to would-be aggressors and would-be proliferators around the world. So the US
government should be considering whether, and how, it might respond if Putin
takes the conflict to an extreme.
Second, Biden should stop signaling that there are no circumstances in which
Washington would intervene militarily. If the US makes Putin think that he can
act with impunity inside Ukraine, it may encourage the Russian dictator to run
just the risks that would push America into a more agonizing debate about
whether to get involved.
Biden is correct that a conflict with Moscow would be horrible. But not the
least of the paradoxes of this war is that taking US intervention off the table
entirely may tempt just the sort of Russian escalation that the president is,
quite rightly, hoping to avoid.
د. ماجد رفي زاده/معهد جيتستون: حملة لإدارة بايدن هدفها
جعل الديكتاتوريات المعادية لأمريكا من مثل إيران وفنزويلا عظيمة مرة أخرى
The Biden Administration’s Campaign to “Make Anti-American Dictatorships Great
Again”
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/March 19/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/107158/majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-the-biden-administrations-campaign-to-make-anti-american-dictatorships-great-again-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87/
Buying oil from the mullahs of Iran means funding a regime that sponsors global
terrorism and that is determined, as an oblation, to wipe out Israel and attack
the US.
One day after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of lifting the
arms embargo on Iran in October 2020, the ruling mullahs unveiled a ballistic
missile that reportedly can reach the United States. The headline of an August
15, 2020 report by Iran’s state-controlled Afkar News read in Farsi, “American
Soil Is Now Within the Range of Iranian Bombs”.
The report boasted about the damage that the Iranian regime could inflict on the
US: “By sending a military satellite into space, Iran now has shown that it can
target all American territory; the Iranian parliament had previously warned [the
US] that an electromagnetic nuclear attack on the United States would likely
kill 90 percent of Americans.” — Afkar News, August 15, 2020.
The report also threatened the EU, which voted for lifting an arms embargo
against Iran: “The same type of ballistic missile technology used to launch the
satellite could carry nuclear, chemical or even biological weapons to wipe
Israel off the map, hit US bases and allies in the region and US facilities, and
target NATO even in the far west of Europe.”
The Biden administration, meanwhile, reportedly views Russia, China and Iran as
“partners,” “competitors, or deal-makers.” Russia, China and Iran are not
“partners”. They are not “competitors.” They are aggressors. You bet they would
like to “help” the United States with “climate change” and “going green”: it
would give them a vast new market for their oil and gas and as well as increased
leverage over the West. European and the US reports already allege that Russian
“dark money” (anonymous funding) has been going to Western non-governmental
environmental groups to advance that agenda.
An America dependent for its oil and gas on anti-democratic dictatorships would
be a windfall, economically and politically, beyond their dreams. Imagine an
America reliant on the warmhearted goodwill of Russia and China.
Now, in the new “Iran deal,” it seems that not only has Russia been serving as
the negotiator for the United States, and that the US has agreed to waive $10
billion in sanctions it just finished placing on Russia for having invaded
Ukraine so that Russia will be able to build a nuclear plant in Iran, but also,
according to Rep. Michael Waltz*, that all enriched uranium from Iran will now
be sent to Russia. To top it off, according to Waltz, the new arbiter of whether
or not Iran is in compliance with the deal, will be – Russia. What could
possibly go wrong?
The West is in for yet another shock as the Biden administration seems to be
turning to the Iranian regime — and even approached the Venezuelan regime — to
purchase their oil instead of increasing US domestic oil production. Buying oil
from the mullahs of Iran means funding a regime that sponsors global terrorism
and that is determined, as an oblation, to wipe out Israel and attack the US.
(Image source: iStock)
The West is in for yet another shock as the Biden administration seems to be
turning to the Iranian regime — and approached the illegitimate government of
Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela — to purchase their oil instead of increasing US
domestic oil production.
Instead of providing thousands of Americans with high-paying jobs by exporting
American oil and gas to Europe and other American allies, the US appears
committed to enriching and empowering some of the world’s most brutal and
implacable dictatorships, starting with Russia and Iran, who appear to have no
plans to stop or even mitigate their unneighborly behavior.
During an interview on March 2 about spiking oil prices, MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle
asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg if the Biden administration is
considering activating the Keystone XL Pipeline or “working something out with
Iran”. Instead of responding that the US will not buy oil from top state sponsor
of terrorism, Buttigieg said:
“Look, the president has said that all options are on the table. But we also
need to make sure we’re not galloping after permanent solutions to immediate
short term problems where more strategic and tactical actions in the short term
could make a difference”.
The reply resulted in outrage. “Team Biden,” Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, “would
rather fund the Ayatollah’s Death to America regime than allow Americans to
produce energy for our own domestic consumption.”
“Using North American oil to decouple economic dependency on the resources of
hostile nations is a long term solution,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, (R-SC)
“Biden announced he’s banning Russian oil, that’s great,” Sen. Steve Daines
(R-MT) told Fox Business. “But we must increase American energy production to go
with it, not looking to Iran or Venezuela. It’s ironic that the president’s
reaching out to the administration in Venezuela, a dictator, to the Iranians,
when he could be reaching out to U.S. oil and natural gas producers.” He added,
“Why doesn’t he bring them all [US oil producers] back to Washington and have an
emergency summit meeting here in Washington and ask them, ‘how do we increase
U.S. oil and natural gas production.'”
Buying oil from the mullahs of Iran means funding a regime that sponsors global
terrorism and that is determined, as an oblation, to wipe out Israel and attack
the US. Just one day after the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of
lifting the arms embargo on Iran in October 2020, the ruling mullahs unveiled a
ballistic missile that reportedly can reach the United States. The headline of
an August 15, 2020 report by Iran’s state-controlled Afkar News read, in Farsi,
“American Soil Is Now Within the Range of Iranian Bombs.” The report boasted
about the damage that the Iranian regime could inflict on the US:
“By sending a military satellite into space, Iran now has shown that it can
target all American territory; the Iranian parliament had previously warned [the
US] that an electromagnetic nuclear attack on the United States would likely
kill 90 percent of Americans.”
The report also threatened the EU, which voted for lifting an arms embargo
against Iran:
“The same type of ballistic missile technology used to launch the satellite
could carry nuclear, chemical or even biological weapons to wipe Israel off the
map, hit US bases and allies in the region and US facilities, and target NATO
even in the far west of Europe.”
Did the Biden administration forget that appeasing the Iranian regime will only
embolden it? During the eight years of the Obama-Biden administration, five
members of the UN Security Council lifted all rounds of crippling sanctions that
had taken decades to place on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“Since 1984,” according to Iran expert Michael Rubin, “the U.S. State Department
has classified Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran not only funds
proxy militias aimed at destabilizing regional states, but also sponsors many
terror groups that engage in bombings, assassinations, and hijackings.”
President Barack Obama, during his term, revoked four previous executive orders
against Iran – thereby removing unilateral US sanctions and freeing up Iran’s
assets, estimated to be worth up to $150 billion. The US Department of Treasury
removed nearly 400 Iranian citizens from a blocked list, freed up their assets
and permitted them to do business with the US. The Obama-Biden administration
gave the Iranian regime the ability to re-enter the global financial system and
to export and import many commodities that were previously banned. The rest of
the Western world followed suit: the EU removed all nuclear-related economic and
financial sanctions against Tehran and began doing business with the theocratic
establishment.
What the international community soon saw, however, was a greater frequency of
Houthi rockets launched from Yemen at civilian targets; the deployment of
Hezbollah foot-soldiers in Syria, and increasing attacks by the Iranian-funded
Hamas against Israel. With billions of dollars in revenue pouring into the
pockets of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tehran did not change its behavior for the
better. Instead, it became more empowered and emboldened to pursue its
revolutionary ideals of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. The US
government-funded Voice of America openly called Iran “the world’s worst state
sponsor of terrorism.”
During the Obama administration, at the peak of its appeasement policies towards
the mullahs, Iran was emboldened to publicly harass the US Navy, detain US
sailors and imprison American citizens. Khamenei repeatedly threatened “Death to
America” and “Death to Israel” and made incendiary remarks about wiping Israel
from the face of earth “in less than eight minutes.”
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, loyal allies of the US, have — after
being attacked and threatened by Iran for years and now finding themselves
abandoned by the United States — have begun turning toward China.
The Biden administration, meanwhile, reportedly views Russia, China and Iran
variously as “partners,” “competitors,” or “deal-makers.” Russia, China and Iran
are not “partners”. They are not “competitors.” They are aggressors. You bet
they would like to “help” the United States with “climate change” and “going
green”: it would give them a vast new market for their oil and gas and as well
as increased leverage over the West. European and the US reports already allege
that Russian “dark money” (anonymous funding) has been going to Western
non-governmental environmental groups to advance that agenda.
An America dependent for its oil and gas on anti-democratic dictatorships would
be a windfall, economically and politically, beyond their dreams. Imagine an
America reliant on the warmhearted goodwill of Russia and China.
Now, in the new “Iran deal,” it seems that not only has Russia been serving as
the negotiator for the United States, and that the US has agreed to waive $10
billion in sanctions it just finished placing on Russia for having invaded
Ukraine so that Russia will be able to build a nuclear plant in Iran, but also,
according to Rep. Michael Waltz*, that all enriched uranium from Iran will now
be sent to Russia. To top it off, according to Waltz, the new arbiter of whether
or not Iran is in compliance with the deal, will be – Russia. What could
possibly go wrong?
*”Mornings with Maria,” Fox Business Channel, March 18, 2022
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated
scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and
president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has
authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at
Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
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