LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
April 12/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.april12.19.htm
News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006
Bible Quotations For today
You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its
flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast
out and trodden under the feet of men
Metthew 5/11-20: “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and
say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be
exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they
persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth, but
if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good
for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. You are the
light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you
light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines
to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. “Don’t think
that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to
fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from
the law, until all things are accomplished. Whoever, therefore, shall break one
of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in
the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great
in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds
that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven".
’
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on
April 11-12/19
Lebanon is an occupied, failed and rogue state
Lebanon According to the USA is a Risky Country To Travel to
U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Lebanese 'Money Laundering' Group
US slaps new sanctions on alleged Hezbollah financier
Lebanese Man Facing Deportation for 2004 Crime Gets Pardon Hearing
Aoun Tells Pavlopoulos Lebanon Won't Join Gas Forum Comprising Israel
Greek President lays wreath on martyrs' monument
Jarrah after cabinet session: Budget to be presented soon to Cabinet
Govt. Postpones Debate on Annulling Free Minutes for Postpaid Cellphone
Subscribers
Loyalty to Resistance welcomes endorsement of electricity plan, urges government
to finalize budget discussion
Kanaan Holds 'Good' Congress Meetings, Downplays Sanctions Talk
Trilateral Meeting between Foreign Ministers of Lebanon, Greece, Cyprus
Bassil Says Lebanon to Strengthen Oil and Gas Cooperation with Cyprus
Hariri Receives Cypriot Foreign Minister
Hariri Says 'Unlike Other Countries', Lebanon Taking Measures 'before Crisis'
Samy Gemayel Says Power Plan Violates Principle of Public Accountability
Hankache Calls on Government Not to Approve Telecom Tariff Hikes
Trump's Golan Move Causes Concern in Lebanon for Land Owners
Hassan Says Germanos' Lawsuit against ISF ‘Big Mistake’
Khalil: Three Budget Priorities to Achieve Goal
Senate Confirms John Abizaid as US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy Applauds Designation of IRGC as
Terror Organization
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 11-12/19
Sudan Army Topples Veteran Leader Bashir, Protesters Vow More Demos
Sudan’s military removes, arrests President al-Bashir
Netanyahu Looks to Form Right-Wing Govt. after Vote Win
Lieberman Demands ‘Liquidation of Hamas’ to Support Netanyahu in Government
Formation
Libya: Army Controls Militias’ Camps Near Tripol
Cairo Denies Syrian Accusations on Banning Iranian Oil Tanker Passage
Iraqi Troops Destroy ISIS Media Center in Hamreen
UK Sanctions 349 Syrian Entities, Individuals
Egyptian Security Forces Kill 11 Militants in Sinai
Assange Arrested in London on U.S. Extradition Request
World's Biggest Election Tests Modi's Grip on Power in India
Modi swept to power in 2014 with the biggest landslide in 30 years.
Italy Warns of Libya Humanitarian, Migration Emergency
Canada alarmed by Russia’s objection to banning Novichoks under Chemical Weapons
Convention
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on April 11-12/19
Lebanon is an occupied, failed and rogue state/Elias Bejjani.April 10/19
Lebanon According to the USA is a Risky Country To Travel to/U.S. Department of
State Announces Updates to Safety and Security Messaging for U.S. Travelers/US
Department/April 11/19
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy Applauds Designation of IRGC as
Terror Organization//EINPresswire.com/April 11/2019
NY Cleric Muhammad Ibn Muneer: Muslims Should Hate Non-Muslims, Can Only
Maintain Relations With Them To Call Them To Islam/MEMRI/April 11/19
Reactions In Iran To U.S. Designation Of IRGC As Terror Organization/MEMRI/April
11/19
Is Iran Winning in Yemen?/Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/April 11/19
Why Do Qatar, Turkey Defend the Revolutionary Guards/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al
Awsat/April 11/19
How Populists Can Ruin a Global Recovery/Ferdinando Giugliano/Bloomberg
View/April 11/19
Trump Offers Clarity on Iran’s Terrorist Aims/Eli Lake/Bloomberg View/April
11/19
The Awful Country That Everyone Wants to Move To/Justin Fox/Asharq Al Awsat/April
11/19
Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya: Iran and
Turkey Will Leave Syria, Russia’s UN Ambassador Tells Asharq Al-Awsat/Ali Barada/
Asharq Al-Awsat/April/11/19
What next for Sudan/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/April 12/19
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published on April 11-12/19
Lebanon is an occupied, failed and rogue state
Elias Bejjani.April 10/19
The option of pursuing the declaration of the United Nations Lebanon as an
occupied failed, and rogue state that is unable to govern itself should be on
the table by the free and sovereign Lebanese in case the status quo
remains unchanged or deteriorates more.
Lebanon According to the USA is a Risky Country To Travel
to
لبنان على اللائحة الأميركية المحدثة للدول التي يواجه الاميركيون فيها خطر الخطف!
وهذا الصيف السياحة ستكون مزدهرة
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2019/04/291021.htm
U.S. Department of State Announces Updates to Safety and Security Messaging
for U.S. Travelers
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 9, 2019
On April 9, 2019, the Department of State introduced a new risk indicator to our
public Travel Advisories in order to communicate more clearly to U.S. citizens
the risks of kidnapping and hostage taking by criminal and terrorist actors
around the world. The new “K” indicator is part of our ongoing commitment to
provide clear and comprehensive travel safety information to U.S. citizens so
they can make informed travel decisions.
The Department issues Travel Advisories for every country around the world,
offering standardized levels of advice based on established risk indicators such
as crime, terrorism, civil unrest, natural disasters, health, and other
potential risks. The Travel Advisories for 35 countries have been updated to
include a “K” indicator for the risk of kidnapping and/or hostage taking:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central
African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti,
Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russian Federation, Somalia, South
Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine (in
Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine), Venezuela, and Yemen. See the full Travel
Advisories for more details:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html.
The U.S. Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and
welfare of Americans overseas. The Bureau of Consular Affairs works closely with
the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and the entire
U.S. interagency to serve and protect Americans overseas and to prevent and
resolve cases of kidnapping and hostage taking. We will continue to update our
public information as part of our ongoing commitment to serve U.S. citizens as
they travel abroad.
For press inquiries, please contact
CAPRESSREQUESTS@state.gov.
U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Lebanese 'Money Laundering' Group
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/19/U.S. officials on Thursday announced
that Washington has sanctioned a Lebanese network accused of laundering millions
of dollars for "drug kingpins" and helping finance Hizbullah, the Iran-backed
Shiite movement that Washington labels a "terrorist organization."The U.S.
Treasury Department said it has added Lebanese national Kassem Chams to its
blacklist, along with two related entities: the "Chams Money Laundering
Organization" and Chams Exchange, a money service business in Lebanon. "Kassem
Chams and his international money laundering network move tens of millions of
dollars a month in illicit narcotics proceeds on behalf of drug kingpins and
facilitate money movements for Hizbullah," Treasury said in a statement. The
Chams network moves money to and from multiple countries including Australia,
Brazil, Colombia, France, Italy, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Spain, the United
States and Venezuela, according to the department. The sanctions are part of the
administration's "unprecedented campaign to prevent Hizbullah and its global
terror affiliates from profiting off violence, corruption, and the drug trade,"
Treasury under secretary Sigal Mandelker said. The department's Office of
Foreign Assets Control said Chams Exchange operates under license and
supervision of the Central Bank of Lebanon (BdL) "despite U.S. authorities long
suspecting it" of significant money laundering. Treasury said it remains
committed to working with BdL "to eliminate access to the Lebanese financial
system by narcotics traffickers, money launderers, and terrorist groups such as
Hizbullah."President Donald Trump's administration has accused Iran of taking
provocative measures to destabilize the Middle East. It has increased sanctions
on the Islamic republic in order to undercut its revenues and to financially
squeeze regional allies like the Lebanese Hizbullah. Earlier this week
Washington designated Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a
terrorist organization.
US slaps new sanctions on alleged Hezbollah financier
Georgi Azar/Annahar Staff/April 11/19 /It accused Chams and his organizations as
an affiliate network of Hezbollah
BEIRUT: The US Treasury Department has slapped sanctions against a Lebanese
currency exchange and its owner, Kassem Chams, for laundering money for drug
cartels and financing the militant group Hezbollah. The US designated Chams and
his organizations as an affiliate network of Hezbollah pursuant to the Hezbollah
International Financing Prevention Amendments Act, according to a statement
released Thursday by the Treasury Department. “Kassem Chams and his
international money laundering network move tens of millions of dollars a month
in illicit narcotics proceeds on behalf of drug kingpins and facilitate money
movements for Hezbollah,” the statement quoted Under Secretary for Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker as saying.
Lebanese Man Facing Deportation for 2004 Crime Gets
Pardon Hearing
Associated Press/Naharnet/April 11/19/An auto shop owner facing deportation to
Lebanon for crimes committed 14 years ago asked state officials for a pardon
Wednesday, saying he doesn't want to again be torn away from everything he
loves. Alain Ata, 34, came to the U.S. with his family at age 10. He spent
several years in prison for a pair of burglaries in December 2004, and is
seeking a pardon to remain in the country. While Ata's request comes at a time
when the Trump administration has been cracking down on illegal immigration,
federal immigration officials started deportation proceedings in his case years
ago. Ata's lawyer said he essentially has remained on "immigration probation"
because Lebanon officials haven't submitted the necessary paperwork yet. Ata
told Gov. Chris Sununu and Executive Council on Wednesday that he is an honest
man with a good heart who made mistakes in his youth. He owns an auto repair
shop in Manchester, takes care of his elderly parents and is engaged to a woman
he met in middle school. "I want to start the next chapter in our life but find
myself struggling to do so because of the uncertainty which lies ahead. I want
to get married and have family of my own, but most of all I don't want to live
in fear of having everything taken away from me which I've worked so hard," he
told the governor and council. "I hope you see that I am not the teenager who
made those foolish mistakes and I hope you give me a second chance." In a letter
supporting his request, Ata said he was 18 at the time of the crimes, but
prosecutors and his lawyer confirmed that he actually had just turned 20. In one
burglary, Ata ransacked a home and stole jewelry, a TV and other valuables, said
Rockingham County Patricia Conway. In the other, he directed friends to break
into the home of his ex-girlfriend's stepfather. There, they again ransacked the
home and smashed photos of Ata's ex-girlfriend, she said. In objecting to the
pardon, Conway said he was convicted of assaulting a police officer, disorderly
conduct and other crimes before the burglaries, and with causing serious injury
in a drunken driving crash after. He also was convicted of threatening the
ex-girlfriend and violating a protective order by contacting his daughter, she
said. "By petitioning for a pardon, the defendant is essentially asking this
council and the governor to ignore all the careful and thoughtful decision
making by law enforcement officials and our judiciary, including the police, the
county attorney's office, a superior court justice and the New Hampshire Supreme
Court," she said. "Moreover, it's the state's position that the victims in
criminal cases deserve finality and closure." The council, which did not debate
the request or make a decision, also heard from Ata's sister, who broke down in
tears as she described her fears that he would be sent back to a "war-torn,
poverty-stricken country." "My brother will have zero chance at survival," she
said. "Granting my brother a pardon today is like saving him from a death
sentence."
Aoun Tells Pavlopoulos Lebanon Won't Join Gas Forum
Comprising Israel
Naharnet/April 11/19/President Michel Aoun on Thursday said he told visiting
Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos that Lebanon will not accept to join any
Mediterranean gas consortium comprising Israel. “I thanked the president for his
country's stance on Jerusalem and its stance on the Syrian Golan. I also
stressed that the U.S. president's decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty
over the Golan Heights and his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
represented a blatant violation of the foundations of international legitimacy
and the U.N. Charter,” Aoun said at a joint press conference. He also warned
that Trump's decisions “threaten the sovereignty of Lebanon, which possesses
territory occupied by Israel.” As for the thorny issue of Syrian refugees, Aoun
said he briefed the Greek leader on the burdens that Lebanon is shouldering as a
result of the presence of “more than 1.8 million displaced person in addition to
the chronic Palestinian refugee file.”“This requires common responsibility based
on quick action aimed at facilitating their return to safe regions in Syria,”
the president added. Turning to the issue of maritime gas resources, Aoun said
he emphasized “Lebanon's right to extract oil and gas within its Exclusive
Economic Zone.”“I underscored our rejection to join any forum or cooperation
mechanism comprising Israel, especially the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum,”
the president went on to say. Separately, Aoun said Lebanon is looking forward
to the Lebanese-Greek-Cypriot summit that Nicosia will host in order to
“strengthen the various aspects of cooperation.”Pavlopoulos for his part
acknowledged that Lebanon “shouldered a huge responsibility during the Syrian
war” as to hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people. “We are very
grateful over what you are doing,” the Greek president added, noting that
“Europe has not been present as needed since the beginning of the crisis in
Syria.”Pavlopoulos also held separate talks Thursday with Speaker Nabih Berri
and Prime Minister Saad Hariri. He later laid a wreath of flowers at the
Martyrs' Monument in downtown Beirut. NNA said that talks will highlight the
bilateral relations between Lebanon and Greece and the means to promote them at
various levels. The Greek President’s visit comes one day after the Foreign
Ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon agreed to sign agreements on multiple
cooperation pacts on tourism, economy, trade and culture. The Presidents of the
three countries are to meet at a summit to sign them.
Greek President lays wreath on martyrs' monument
Thu 11 Apr 2019/NNA - Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos, on Thursday laid a
wreath on the monument of martyrs in Martyrs Square, Downtown Beirut, A ceremony
took place on the occasion attended by the Minister of National Defense Elias
Bou Saab, the Minister of Justice Minister of Justice, Albert Aziz Serhan,
Beirut Governor, Judge Ziad Chbib, and Beirut Municipality Head Jamal Itani.
President Pavlopoulos is due to visit Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut and
its Suburbs, Archbishop Elias Audi, at 4:45 pm today.
Jarrah after cabinet session: Budget to be presented soon
to Cabinet
Thu 11 Apr 2019/NNA - The President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri
chaired this afternoon at the Grand Serail the meeting of the Council of
Ministers. At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Information Jamal Jarrah
said: The Council of Ministers reviewed its agenda and approved most of its
items. One or two items were postponed to next week for further study, while the
rest of the items were fully approved. All the items are important, but there is
nothing exceptional in the financial meaning, except for the transfer of some
funds from the reserves to carry on the work of some ministries. The budget will
be presented very soon to the Council of Ministers, and we will regularize the
financial situation.
Question: When will the budget be discussed?
Jarrah: As soon as possible. Prime Minister Hariri and the minister of finance
are putting the final touches on it. There will be meetings soon to discuss it.
Question: What about the item regarding telecommunications?
Jarrah: The item related to 60 minutes of communication was postponed for
further study, as well as the item related to the numbers distributed to
ministries and administration, so they become at the expense of the ministries
and administrations and not the ministry of telecommunications.
Question: While we talk about an austerity policy of the government, there is an
item raising the minimum monthly compensation and raising the salary of the
conservatory employees?
Jarrah: This matter was discussed with utmost responsibility and financial
accuracy, but this category of employees did not benefit from any laws that were
issued in the past. Therefore, the Council of Ministers took a decision to
modify the contract format so there is a minimum level of justice for these
employees.
Question: How was the atmosphere?
Jarrah: As usual very good.
Question: Minister May Chidiac said while leaving that the atmosphere was good
in appearance, but actually there were tensions?
Jarrah: This is her own feeling. I did not have this feeling.
Govt. Postpones Debate on Annulling Free Minutes for Postpaid Cellphone
Subscribers
Naharnet/April 11/19/The Council of Ministers on Thursday failed to reach an
agreement over a recommendation by the telecom minister to annul a 2014 decision
granting postpaid cellphone subscribers 60 minutes free of charge. Information
Minister Jamal al-Jarrah told reporters that the issue was postponed for further
assessment. Asked when the government will discuss the 2019 state budget, Jarrah
said Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil are
putting the “final touches” on it and that it would be discussed as soon as
possible.
Loyalty to Resistance welcomes endorsement of electricity
plan, urges government to finalize budget discussion
Thu 11 Apr 2019/NNA - The "Loyalty to the Resistance" parliamentary bloc on
Thursday welcomed the fresh endorsement of the electricity plan, calling all
sides to cooperate to assure its success. "The ratification of the electricity
plan is a major achievement and there must be follow-up on its implementation to
reach the sought goal," the bloc said in a statement following its weekly
meeting, read out to reporters by MP Ihab Hamade. Moreover, the bloc urged the
government to speed up the discussion of the state budget draft, and to forward
it to the Parliament for endorsement, once finalized. The bloc also highlighted
the obligation to pay the due sums to municipalities. On a different note, the
bloc accused the US administration of tyranny after naming Iran's Revolutionary
Guard a terrorist organization.
Kanaan Holds 'Good' Congress Meetings, Downplays Sanctions
Talk
Naharnet/April 11/19/MP Ibrahim Kanaan, the head of the Lebanese finance
parliamentary committee, announced Wednesday that he held “good and
constructive” talks with U.S. officials. “Building the state and its
institutions is what leads to political stability and not sanctions,” Kanaan
told MTV after meeting U.S. lawmaker Eliot Engel at the U.S. Congress. “The
Lebanese delegation’s approach is strong,” he added. “We sensed in Washington
that the talk about sanctions against certain Lebanese officials is mere
analysis and aimed at bickering,” the Lebanese lawmaker went on to say. He added
that the Lebanese delegation’s meetings offered “an opportunity to explain the
Lebanese stance and the importance of stability as an international interest.”
Trilateral Meeting between Foreign Ministers of Lebanon,
Greece, Cyprus
Naharnet/April 10/19/A trilateral meeting was held on Wednesday at Lebanon’s
foreign ministry between Foreign Ministers of Lebanon, Greece and Cyprus.
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil met with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos
Christodoulides and Greek minister Giorgos Katrougalos where discussions focused
on “laying the foundation for improving cooperation in the sectors of tourism,
education, economy, trade and energy.” A joint press conference was held after
the meeting during which Bassil said an agreement was reached between the three
in said sectors. Bassil said that the “international community must shoulder its
responsibilities regarding the displaced people crisis. Lebanon cannot afford
the solution alone. We have heard a very advanced stance from Cyprus and Greece
on the subject of the displaced,” he said. He said both Ministers, of Cyprus and
Greece, have “vowed to work at the European level to resolve this matter.
Efforts must be exerted for their safe a definite return to their country. “For
his part, Cypriot Minister said: “Joint cooperation is necessary in order to lay
the fundamentals that enhance ties between Cyprus, Greece and Lebanon. Our main
concern is to enhance communication and dialogue in the Mediterranean
region.”The Greek Minister said: “Today is a historic visit where discussions
focused actively working for development. Our main concern is to strengthen the
process of communication and dialogue in the region.”
Bassil Says Lebanon to Strengthen Oil and Gas Cooperation with Cyprus
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/19/The top diplomats of Lebanon and
neighboring island nation Cyprus said Thursday they were working together
towards a deal over adjacent oil and gas exploration zones in the Mediterranean.
Both countries hope to exploit resources on either side of their shared maritime
border, and Lebanon this month opened tenders for three of its four blocks along
that frontier. Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said "an oil and gas deal" was in
the works. "We agreed to... set a first date on May 7 to compare points of
agreement and any points of contention," he said at a press conference in Beirut
with his visiting Cypriot counterpart. "The second stage will be in June with a
summit for a finer evaluation," Bassil added. "We will try in September to have
finished a sharing agreement over the issue of oil so that it can be the start
of talks for a deal between both governments," he said. That deal would be "on
borders... and all installations that can be shared to transport and export all
that is related to oil and gas," he said. An exploratory well is expected to
start work on the Cypriot side of the border next year, making the bilateral
deal pressing, he said. Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said the
deal would reassure companies wishing to invest in the region. "We agreed to
initiate discussions on a bilateral framework agreement concerning the
development (of) hydrocarbons resources which cross the median line between our
exclusive economic zones," said the minister of Greek Cyprus. Such an agreement
would provide "the much-needed legal certainty for international companies
wishing to invest in the region's huge hydrocarbons potential," he said. Cyprus
has discovered two natural gas reserves in its waters, and hopes to begin
exporting gas -- and maybe oil -- by 2022. Turkey, which backs a breakaway
proto-state in the northern third of the island, has claimed it also has rights
to energy exploration off the coast of the divided island. Last year, Lebanon
signed its first contract to drill for oil and gas off its coast. A consortium
comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek took the first two of its ten
blocks, including one disputed by neighboring Israel, with which Lebanon has
fought several wars. On April 5, Lebanon invited international consortia of at
least three companies to bid for five more blocks by the end of January 2020.
Two more of the blocks now up for tender are also adjacent to Israel's waters.
Hariri Receives Cypriot Foreign Minister
Prime Minister Saad Hariri received on Thursday at the Grand Serail the Cypriot
Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, in the presence of former Minister
Ghattas Khoury, the Premier’s office said . After the meeting, Minister
Christodoulides said: “Let me start by saying that it is always a great pleasure
to visit Lebanon. I think we are very close, not only at the level of our
governments but also of our peoples.”“I had an excellent exchange of views with
the Prime Minister and we discussed energy development in our region and how the
two countries can work together in order to promote our common interests, for
the benefit of our peoples,” added the Minister. “We also exchanged views on how
to enhance even more our bilateral relations and I conveyed to the Prime
Minister an invitation from the President of Cyprus to visit Cyprus as soon as
possible,” he concluded.
Hariri Says 'Unlike Other Countries', Lebanon Taking Measures 'before Crisis'
Naharnet/April 11/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced Thursday that “the
best decision we have taken in Lebanon is carrying out steps to address the
deficit and austerity measures before the eruption of the crisis.”
“Other countries were obliged to take tougher, severer and more painful measures
because they waited for the crisis to happen before beginning reforms,” Hariri
said at the beginning of an ordinary Cabinet session at the Grand Serail. “We
should be able to manage the steps in a manner that protects the economy and
citizens,” he added. “Our situation in Lebanon remains reassuring and confidence
in our economy, financial and monetary stability and the future of growth
remains in place as long as we take the necessary measures,” Hariri pointed out.
Addressing the components of his government, the premier added: “This is a
responsibility that falls on us all in Cabinet and parliament, and its basis is
consensus among all political forces represented in the government over the
measures that will be included in the state budget and on their proper
implementation.”Hariri also highlighted the “positivity” that the electricity
plan's approval has created in financial and monetary markets and on “the
confidence of investors in the future of the Lebanese economy.” “It was the
first sign of the government's seriousness about lowering budget deficit,
fighting the waste of public money and implementing what we committed to at the
CEDRE conference,” the PM went on to say.
Samy Gemayel Says Power Plan Violates Principle of Public
Accountability
Kataeb.org/Thursday 11th April 2019/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Thursday
criticized the power plan that was approved by the government earlier this week,
saying that it encloses a blatant violation of the concept of accountability and
the basic tendering rules. "The way the Tenders Department was included in the
plan is nothing but a major illusion," Gemayel said following a meeting with a
delegation from the Progressive Socialist Party at the Kataeb's headquarter in
Saifi. "The Energy Ministry will be the one setting out the tender conditions
and reviewing the bids. The Tenders Department's role would be only to host this
process," he noted. "We must remain watchful and pay close attention to
everything that happens with regard to this file, because we will stay unsure of
this plan's transparency as long as no EDL administration board and a regulatory
body are appointed, and the laws on accountability as well as the partnership
between the private and public sectors are not respected." "We fear what is
going to happen and hope that things would be straightened out during the
upcoming Parliament session scheduled on Wednesday," he said. Gemayel warned of
the price that the country will have to pay for the many failures being
witnessed and the illusory victories that are being proclaimed. "Ensuring a
24-hour power supply is the easiest thing that any country in the world can
achieve. In Lebanon, we speak about this issue as if we are discussing the
launch of a rocket into space," he said. "The question that needs to be answered
today is the following: How are we going to get a non-stop power supply? What
will be the price for that?" Gemayel was speaking following a meeting with a PSP
delegation that included former Minister Marwan Hamadeh, MPs Hadi Abu Al-Hassan
and Faysal Sayegh, PSP's Secretary-General Zafer Nasser, MP Taymour Jumblat's
advisor Hussam Harb and economic expert Mohamad Basbous. Talks focused on the
economic plans put forth by the Kataeb party and PSP, with both sides agreeing
to maintain contacts in order to foster coordination on common viewpoints. The
meeting was also attended by MP Elias Hankache, former MP Fady Al-Haber,
Kataeb's Secretary Nazar Najarian, head of the Economic and Social Council Jean
Tawile and the Kataeb leader's adviser Lara Saade.
Hankache Calls on Government Not to Approve Telecom Tariff
Hikes
Kataeb.org/Thursday 11th April 2019/Kataeb MP Elias Hankache on Thursday urged
the government not to approve the telecommunications minister's proposal to
increase the tariffs of mobile services. “Austere policies consist of a strict
budget for ministries’ spending, travels of delegations, and other expenditures.
Revenues are boosted by controlling squandering, and ending customs and tax
evasion," Hankache wrote on Twitter. "Let's not put our hands in people’s
pockets which can no longer tolerate any hikes!"
Trump's Golan Move Causes Concern in Lebanon for Land
Owners
Associated Press/Naharnet/April 11/19/Akram Kanaan looked toward an Israeli
military position on a snow-capped mountain that overlooks the village of Shebaa
in southern Lebanon, pointing toward the scenic area captured by Israel more
than five decades ago. No matter how long it takes, he says, it will eventually
return to Lebanon's sovereignty. Like many others in this area where the borders
of Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet, Kanaan — a member of Shebaa's municipal
council — is angry about President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's
sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967 and
annexed in 1981. The American president has no right to give Israel lands that
belong to Syria and Lebanon, he says. "These are Arab territories that will be
liberated sooner or later the way the south was liberated," said Kanaan standing
near Shebaa's main school as its buses left the compound at the end of a school
day. Trump's move last month has caused concern among Lebanese officials that it
would mean also recognizing the occupied Shebaa Farms and nearby Kfar Chouba
hills, captured along with the Golan, as Israeli territory. Lebanese President
Michel Aoun said the U.S. recognition undermines Lebanon's claim to the
territory. The origin of the dispute over ownership of the Shebaa farms dates
back to the French colonial period, when France drew maps of the area without
officially demarcating the border. Following an 18-year occupation, Israel
withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, but held on to the farms. Hezbollah claimed
the withdrawal to be incomplete and demanded, along with the Lebanese
government, that Israel withdraws. Israel rejected the demands, saying the land
was Syrian when it was captured in 1967. Syria has held an ambiguous position
and generally refuses to demarcate the border before Israel withdraws from the
Golan. The U.N., which doesn't recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan,
has said Lebanon's claim is to be settled along with the Golan's fate. The
territory is controversial, even among Lebanese themselves. Although most
Lebanese agree that the Chebaa Farms and Kfar Chouba hills are part of their
country, anti-Syrian politicians have suggested it serves as a pretext for
Hezbollah to hang on to its weapons and have called for the demarcation of the
Lebanon-Syria border, a demand repeated by Prime Minister Saad Hariri on
Wednesday even as he said the territory is Lebanese. Politicians allied with the
Syrian government say there is no need for such demarcation. The area this week
looked more like a tourist attraction, albeit deserted, rather than a front
line, with rivers and springs flowing, birds chirping and shepherds leading
their herds in the mostly green area amid clear weather. According to Kanaan,
the total size of the Lebanese area still occupied by Israel since June 1967 is
about 250 square kilometers (96 square miles) or about 2.5% of Lebanon's total
territories.
Kanaan says the occupied area is owned by Lebanese citizens and that many of
them have documents proving their ownership registered in the Lebanese coastal
city of Sidon, the provincial capital of south Lebanon.
Arab countries have unanimously rejected the U.S. recognition of Israeli control
over the Golan, calling the Trump administration's policies unfairly biased
toward Israel. On the edge of Chebaa, shepherds were seen taking their herds of
sheep and goats near a fence built by Israel. About every 100 meters (109 yards)
white and blue barrels marked the so-called blue line, or the border that the
U.N. drew after Israel's withdrawal in 2000. The area has been calm since August
2006 after a U.N. Security Council resolution ended a 34-day war between Israel
and Lebanon's Hezbollah group.
Soldiers at Lebanese army checkpoints on roads leading to Chebaa and Kfar Chouba
checked the identity cards of people visiting the area to make sure no strangers
enter. White U.N. vehicles with light blue flags could be seen along the fence
that marks the border.
Near al-Naqar lake, three U.N. peacekeepers stood outside their armored
personnel carrier keeping an eye on any suspicious move. Next to them stood a
giant poster with a picture of late Egyptian President Gamal Abdul-Nasser and
one of his famous quotes that reads: "What was taken by force can only be
regained by force." Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the U.N. force in southern
Lebanon known as UNIFIL, said the issue of Chebaa is one that is "discussed in
New York at U.N. headquarters and not part of our mandate. Nevertheless, the
position of member states is not necessarily the position of the United
Nations," Tenenti said when asked about Trump's decision. "Nothing has changed,
and we are continuing with our work in the south of Lebanon, to monitor the
cessation of hostilities and to work closely with the Lebanese army," he said.
In nearby Kfar Chouba, shops were open in its main square where a group of
people gathered at the main bakery, while others bought freshly picked
vegetables and fruits. "With deep regret, this guy who is called Trump who is
the president of the United States of America, the most important country in the
world, is acting like a thug," said grocer Riad Khalifeh who was 23 when Israeli
forces captured the hills overlooking his hometown of Kfar Chouba in 1967. "Who
gave you the right to give a land that belongs to me or to Palestine or to Syria
to an enemy that is occupying it?" Khalifeh asked.
Hassan Says Germanos' Lawsuit against ISF ‘Big Mistake’
Naharnet/April 11/19/Interior Minister Raya al-Hasan criticized the lawsuit
filed by Military Prosecutor Peter Germanos against the Information Branch of
the Internal Security Forces, describing it as a “big mistake,” al-Joumhouria
daily reported on Thursday. “From his position as son of the state, how could he
file a lawsuit against the Information Branch of the ISF?” Hassan wondered,
adding “It is one big mistake.”Hassan assured that she backs the Information
Branch, “let everyone know, I will stand behind the Information Branch until the
end. I will not accept any offensive manner against it,” she said, adding that
she has no knowledge of the factors underlying Germanos’ decision. Germanos
filed a lawsuit accusing the Information Branch of "disobeying his orders,
distorting investigations, and holding suspects beyond the legal detention
period.”
Khalil: Three Budget Priorities to Achieve Goal
Naharnet/April 11/19/Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil affirms “perseverance to
follow an approach that develops a balanced and reformative budget that includes
reduced figures for the deficit we suffer,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on
Thursday. The state budget includes 11 reformative items that met the approval
of Lebanon’s various political parties and therefore is unlikely to draw
controversy, said the daily. A debate on the budget, based on reducing the
deficit, took place between ministers of the Strong Lebanon bloc and the
Minister of Finance on the one hand, and between President Michel Aoun, Khalil
and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on the other, said the daily. Khalil stressed
that all efforts focus on approving the budget, pointing out to “three
priorities” that must be addressed in order to achieve the desired purpose:
“First, the electricity deficit ( $ 2 billion a year, a gradual reduction from
now until 2020). Second, random hiring in state institutions. Third, the public
debt service,” he said. Lebanon’s 2019 state budget has still not been passed
although the government was formed at the end of January. The government is
expected to discuss the budget and approve it before passing it to Parliament
for endorsement. The government is scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoon at
the Grand Serail to discuss several items listed on its agenda after an earlier
session on Monday that saw the approval of a long awaited electricity plan.
Senate Confirms John Abizaid as US Ambassador to Saudi
Arabia
Washington - Muath al-Amri/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/ The US
Senate voted on Wednesday overwhelmingly after a month of deliberations to
confirm retired General John Abizaid as the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia,
filling a vital position vacant since President Donald Trump took office more
than two years ago. Abizaid was nominated for the position in November 2018. But
the Senate began deliberations on the nomination in February when he succeeded
in diplomatically maneuvering against the questions of Congressmen at his
confirmation hearing. He said it would be a “great honor” to work on
strengthening the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia. He added that
Saudi Arabia's contribution to tackling extremism had effectively cut off
funding networks for ISIS. At the hearing, Abizaid was able to safely overcome
all obstacles, leading to his nomination on Wednesday. Abizaid is a fluent
Arabic speaker of Lebanese descent. He was the longest-serving commander of US
Central Command, holding that post from 2003 until he retired in 2007.
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy Applauds
Designation of IRGC as Terror Organization
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, April 9, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The American Mideast
Coalition for Democracy applauds US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for taking
the courageous step of designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
as a terrorist organization – a move AMCD had lobbied for over the past two
years.
"It is well known the IRGC arms and funds other terrorist organizations, such as
Hamas and Hezbollah," said AMCD Co-Chair, Tom Harb. "They are also involved in
assassinations, cyber-attacks, drug running, helping terrorists develop missile
technology as well as providing missiles directly to Hezbollah. There is no
doubt the IRGC is deeply involved in terrorism."
"They're also directly implicated in killing US soldiers inside Iraq," added
AMCD President John Hajjar. "The IRGC supplied thousands of IEDs used to kill
and maim Americans for years. It's about time we took action against them."
"The IRGC is intimately involved in the internal oppression of the Iranian
people," said AMCD Vice-Chair and Iranian-American, Hossein Khorram. "Over 7,000
people were arrested last year. At least 26 protestors were killed outright and
another nine have died in custody. The IRGC monitors and threatens the
population to keep the mullahs in power.
"President Trump's designation is correct because unlike all other nations'
armed forces, the IRGC was not created to defend the sovereignty of the Iranian
nation, but to force the failed Islamic ideology onto the Iranian nation and the
surrounding countries," continued Khorram."The fact that the IRGC is being
targeted in Syria by Israeli armed forces is yet another testimony to the fact
that the IRGC can only operate with terror against civilian populations. Merriam
Webster Dictionary defines 'terrorist' as 'a person who uses unlawful violence
and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political
aims.' and this definition is a 100% match for the IRGC and what it has done
since its inception in 1979. Thanks to President Trump for having the courage
and vision to add this long overdue designation to IRGC."
"The internal Islamic police, the Basij, is also an arm of the IRGC," stated
AMCD Secretary, Rebecca Bynum. "It is they who round up women for the 'crime' of
taking off the hijab. These women are tortured and raped on the orders of the
IRGC. Anything we can do to mitigate this horror is welcome news."
Rebecca Bynum
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy
Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published
on April 11-12/19
Sudan Army Topples Veteran Leader Bashir, Protesters Vow
More Demos
Naharnet/April 11/19/Sudan's army ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir
Thursday, but protestors against his iron-fisted rule swiftly rejected a "coup"
by the military and vowed to keep up their demonstrations.
In a sombre televised address, Defense Minister Awad Ibnouf announced "the
toppling of the regime" and said Bashir had been detained in "a secure place",
bringing an end to his three-decade rule. A transitional military council will
replace the president for two years, he said, adding that the country's borders
and airspace would be shut until further notice.But in a warning to protestors,
he also imposed a night-time curfew from 10:00pm (2000 GMT) to 4:00 am (0200
GMT). Bashir, who swept to power in a 1989 coup, was one of Africa's
longest-serving presidents. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on
charges of genocide and war crimes. But organizers of the protests, which first
erupted in December, rejected the army's move and vowed to keep up their
campaign until the whole regime was swept aside. "The people do not want a
transitional military council," said Alaa Salah, who became an icon of the
protest movement after a video of her leading demonstrators' chants outside army
headquarters went viral. "Change will not happen with Bashir's entire regime
hoodwinking Sudanese civilians through a military coup," she tweeted. "We want a
civilian council to head the transition."The protestors' Alliance for Freedom
and Change said the regime had "conducted a military coup by bringing back the
same faces and the same institutions which our people rose against."It urged
people "to continue their sit-in in front of army headquarters and across all
regions and in the streets."
'We're not leaving'
Since early Thursday morning, huge crowds of jubilant Sudanese had filled
squares across the center of Khartoum as the army promised an "important
announcement."Chanting "the regime has fallen," they poured into the open ground
outside army headquarters, where defiant protesters had braved tear gas and
gunfire to keep up an unprecedented sit-in, now in its sixth day. But the
festive mood later soured, as protestors chanted: "We don't want Ibnouf!" "We
are not leaving, we are not leaving. Just fall and that's all," they shouted.
The opposition Sudanese Congress Party called on the military council to
dissolve itself and form "a joint military and civilian council to run the
government for a four-year transition term."It also urged the army to give
executive powers to civilians. Adel, a protestor outside army headquarters, said
Thursday's announcement meant "we have not achieved anything.""We will not stop
our revolution. We are calling for the regime to step down, not only Bashir," he
said. Army vehicles carrying troops were seen deploying across the center of
Khartoum from early Thursday. Troops raided the offices of the Islamic Movement,
the ideological wing of Bashir's ruling National Congress Party, witnesses told
AFP. Martial music was played on state television as soldiers ordered the TV to
halt its normal programming ahead of Ibnouf's announcement. Outside army
headquarters, dozens of joyful protesters early Thursday climbed on top of
landcruisers and armored vehicles that had been posted to protect them from
intervention by other branches of the security forces.Braving the searing 42
degree Celsius (108 degree Fahrenheit) heat, they hugged and kissed soldiers in
the crowd.
Prisoner release
The military council said it was declaring a ceasefire across the country,
including in war-torn Darfur. Meanwhile, Sudan's feared intelligence service
said it was freeing all the country's political prisoners, state media reported.
"The National Intelligence and Security Service has announced it is releasing
all political detainees across the country," the official SUNA news agency said.
But in the eastern cities of Kasala and Port Sudan, the releases failed to
materialize, prompting protesters to storm NISS buildings, witnesses said. That
came despite protest organizers urging demonstrators to refrain from attacking
government figures or buildings. Demonstrators have spent five nights defiantly
camped outside the sprawling army headquarters complex in Khartoum, which also
houses Bashir's official residence and the defence ministry. "We had enough of
this regime -- 30 years of repression, corruption, rights abuses, it's enough,"
said one protester at the sit-in. The demonstrators have braved repeated volleys
of tear gas from NISS members since they began camping outside the complex on
Saturday, protest organizers say. Officials say 49 people have died in
protest-related violence since the demonstrations first erupted in December.
Neighbouring Egypt, where President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in
similar circumstances, said Thursday it supported the Sudanese people and the
army in their political transition.
Sudan’s military removes, arrests President al-Bashir
Associated Press/Naharnet/April 11/19/The protests that erupted in December have
been the biggest challenge to his rule.
CAIRO: Sudan’s military arrested President Omar al-Bashir, ousting him from
power in the wake of escalating protests against his 30-year rule, the defense
minister announced Thursday. He said the military will rule the country for the
next two years with an emergency clampdown.
The military control risks enflaming protesters. Tens of thousands of Sudanese
converged throughout the day at the protest movement’s main sit-in outside the
military’s General Command Headquarters, cheering, singing and dancing after
word emerged in the morning that al-Bashir would be removed.
But the announcement that finally came appeared to confirm the fears of many
protesters that the military would shrug off demands for a civilian
transition.Defense Minister Awad Mohammed Ibn Ouf appeared on state TV in
military fatigues and announced that the military has removed and arrested al-Bashir.
He said a military council decided on by the army, intelligence agencies and
security apparatus will rule for two years, after which “free and fair
elections” will take place.
Sudanese officials say army forced president to step down
He also announced that the military also suspended the constitution, dissolved
the government, declared a state of emergency for three months, closed the
country’s borders and airspace and imposed a night curfew for one month. Earlier
in the day, protests leaders had said they were in talks with the military over
a transition and said they would not accept a military coup, vowing to continue
their sit-in and rallies unless a civilian body controlled the transition. Al-Bashir
came to power in a 1989 coup, leading an alliance of the military and Islamist
hard-liners. Over the course of his rule, he was forced to allow the separation
of South Sudan and became a pariah in many countries, wanted by the
international war crimes tribunal for atrocities in Darfur. The protests that
erupted in December have been the biggest challenge to his rule. Security forces
responded from the start with a fierce crackdown that killed dozens. Al-Bashir
banned unauthorized public gatherings and granted sweeping powers to the police
since imposing a state of emergency in February. Security forces have used tear
gas, rubber bullets, live ammunition and batons against demonstrators.
Netanyahu Looks to Form Right-Wing Govt. after Vote Win
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/19/Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
sought to form a right-wing governing coalition on Thursday after securing
victory in a high-stakes Israeli election despite a strong challenge from a
centrist alliance. The results from Tuesday's vote came despite corruption
allegations against the 69-year-old premier and kept him on course to become
Israel's longest-serving prime minister later this year. The allegations are
likely to play an important role in coalition negotiations as many analysts
expect Netanyahu to demand pledges from potential partners to agree to remain in
his government if he is indicted.Netanyahu will rely in part on politicians of
the nationalist right opposed to a Palestinian state to put together his
government. His current government is already seen as the most right-wing in
Israel's history, and his next is expected to be similar if not even further to
the right.
Netanyahu himself, in a campaign pledge just three days before polling day,
vowed to begin annexing settlements in the occupied West Bank.Applying
sovereignty in the West Bank on a large scale could effectively end remaining
hopes for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu's pledge was widely seen as an appeal to the far right, and it appears
to have worked. He boosted the number of parliamentary seats for his Likud,
while smaller, far-right parties struggled. The Likud said late on Wednesday
that Netanyahu "will form a right-wing government and he is already in advanced
negotiations with the national camp partners."Netanyahu had no public events
scheduled for Thursday apart from one that will likely give him another boost:
Israel is expected to land its first spacecraft on the moon late Thursday, and
Netanyahu was planning to watch from the control room.
'Advanced negotiations' Throughout the campaign, Netanyahu highlighted his bond
with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has swung U.S. policy sharply in Israel's
favor and openly backed the prime minister. On Wednesday, Trump said the
incumbent's election to a fifth term gives the White House's long-awaited peace
plan, expected to be released in the coming weeks, a "better chance." It was not
clear what he meant. He also tweeted a picture of a Netanyahu supporter waving a
Trump flag and telephoned the premier to offer congratulations. The election was
seen as a referendum on the veteran prime minister, who has built a reputation
as guarantor of Israel's security and economic growth, but whose divisive
right-wing populism and alleged corruption led to calls for change. The results
reflected his deft political skills, Israel's shift to the right and wide
satisfaction with Netanyahu's achievements, but also the fact that many voters
are fed up with him. The centrist Blue and White alliance put together by
ex-military chief Benny Gantz will finish with a similar number of seats to the
Likud even though it came together less than two months before the polls.
Gantz's alliance, which conceded defeat on Wednesday night, however could not
peel away enough right-wing votes to unseat Netanyahu. The results showed that
the Likud together with other right-wing parties allied to the prime minister
would hold around 65 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Final official results
are expected to be announced by Friday. They leave President Reuven Rivlin, who
must ask one of the candidates to form a government, with little choice but to
pick Netanyahu following consultations with party heads next week.Intensive
coalition negotiations could drag on for days or even weeks.
'Make life bitter'
Gantz, a 59-year-old former paratrooper, mounted a strong challenge by
brandishing his security credentials while pledging to undo damage he says
Netanyahu has inflicted on the country with divisive politics. "We respect the
decision of the people," Gantz said Wednesday night.
Former finance minister Yair Lapid, who co-led Blue and White, vowed to "make
life bitter for the Netanyahu government." The vote had been expected to be
close as Netanyahu faced potential corruption charges. Fighting for his
political life, he spent the weeks ahead of the election campaigning furiously
to energize his right-wing base. Netanyahu has been premier for a total of more
than 13 years. But "King Bibi," as some have called him, now faces the prospect
of becoming the first sitting prime minister to be indicted. The attorney
general has announced he intends to charge Netanyahu with bribery, fraud and
breach of trust pending an upcoming hearing.
Lieberman Demands ‘Liquidation of Hamas’ to Support
Netanyahu in Government Formation
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/Head of the Yisrael Beiteinu
party Avigdor Lieberman has taken advantage of the similar number of seats won
by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party in parliament and his main rival,
ex-military chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance, by demanding
political compromises. Lieberman announced he would advise President Reuven
Rivlin to pick Netanyahu to form a government but not before the PM pledges to
approve a plan to liquidate Hamas movement. Following this announcement,
Lieberman left the country for a long private trip to an east European country.
He warned that if Netanyahu does not agree to his demand, then he will face a
serious crisis. After counting 98 percent of the votes, each of Netanyahu and
Gantz’s parties won 35 seats in the Knesset. The two ultra-Orthodox (Haredi)
parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, have gained 16 seats up 33 percent from
13 seats in the last elections, giving them greater negotiating power. They were
followed by Arab MPs, whose number of seats declined to 10 from 13 in 2015 when
they ran under one alliance.The centrist-left Labor Party received only six
seats in this election down from 24 seats in the last polls. The party is
chaired by Avi Gabbay, who is considered the first and historic leader of the
Zionist movement and founder of the Jewish state. The rest of the seats were
distributed as follows: Meretz and the Union of Right-Wing Parties won five
seats each, United Torah Judaism won seven seats and Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu won
four seats. According to these results, a bloc led by the Likud would secure 65
seats in the 120-strong Knesset. A center-left bloc led by the Blue and White
party, supported by the Arab parties, would only muster 55 seats. However, these
results are not considered final or official as the ballots of 320,000 votes
have not yet been counted from Tuesday's vote. Final results will be published
in the Official Gazette on Wednesday after which Rivlin will begin his talks and
consultations with heads of Israel’s blocs to listen to their choice and then
appoint a prime minister.
Since Gantz and Netanyahu won the same number of seats, Rivlin will likely
assign the incumbent to form the government.
Libya: Army Controls Militias’ Camps Near Tripoli
Cairo - Khaled Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/The head of the
Libyan National Army (LNA), Gen. Khalifa Haftar, is in a race against time to
liberate the capital, Tripoli, while the Prime Minister of the Government of
National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarrai accuses him of recruiting children in
battles. International parties are calling on Haftar to end the battles amidst a
European division, while the UN Security Council declined to discuss the
military situation in Tripoli during its session on Tuesday. A number of Libya’s
members of the House of Representatives preceded the session by issuing a
statement affirming their support for the army's operation to "liberate
Tripoli." Speaker of House of Representatives Aguila Saleh said in a letter
addressed to the Security Council President, Christoph Heusgen, that the army is
fulfilling its national duty to liberate the capital from “the grip of
terrorism.”Haftar met at his headquarters in al-Rajma outside Benghazi, east of
the country, a number of members of the House of Representatives who supported
the operations of the Libyan army, his office announced in a brief statement. He
reinforced his forces in the western region and appointed Major General Al-Mabrouk
al-Ghazawi as assistant to the commander of the western operations, Major
General Abdul Salam al-Hassi. Head of the interim government loyal to the army
and parliament, in eastern Libya, Abdullah al-Thani said the army's advancement
towards Tripoli was aimed at purging the country of groups that “have been
creating corruption in the past years since 2014.” He called on the
international community to honestly and realistically consider that these forces
are fighting armed militias and extremist groups, which threaten the Libyan
people and the international community as a whole. The foreign ministry of the
interim government called on the Libyan diplomatic missions to notify their
countries that the interim government headed by Abdullah al-Thani is the only
legitimate recognized government. Meanwhile, deputy prime minister of GNA Ahmed
Maiteeq asserted that the government is working to thwart the attack of the
army. Minister of State Mark Field indicated he was worried by the military
escalation in Libya which led to an increase in the number of casualties and
postponement of the national conference. “All Libyan parties need urgently to
pursue de-escalation to avoid further miscalculation and to recommit unashamedly
to the UN-led initiative and political process. There is still time to prevent
further violence and to find a political solution.” However, the European
Parliament President Antonio Tajani acknowledged that France and Italy are
divided over policy towards Libya despite the official position of EU unity
stated by the bloc’s foreign policy chief. Meanwhile, army’s media division
urged residents of Tripoli to stay away from windows in the areas of clashes and
exercise utmost caution and safety. The warning came after Saiqa Special Forces,
led by Major General Wanis Bukhamada, participated for the first time in
battles, and the army announced that it began carrying out its tasks, without
giving further details. The National Army forces took control of the
headquarters of the Fourth Brigade after fierce battles and violent clashes in
the area surrounding the camp near Tripoli, as described by the media division.
In other news, spokesman for the Central Security Agency of Sarraj announced
that his forces, along with the “Protection of Tripoli” force, continue to
control Tripoli International Airport and its surrounding area. Commander of the
Central Operations Room, Brigadier General Ahmed Abu Shamma, announced that his
forces maintained all their positions, including the airport. The German agency
quoted a GNA spokesman in Tripoli as saying that they repelled an offensive
launched by the opposing forces and compelling them to retreat in many locations
south of Tripoli.
Cairo Denies Syrian Accusations on Banning Iranian Oil Tanker Passage
Cairo - Damascus - London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/ Egypt’s
government denied Wednesday banning the passage of oil tankers to Syria through
the Suez Canal. Navigation in the canal is going according to international
conventions and treaties that guarantee the right of safe navigation to all
tankers without discrimination. The Egyptian response followed rumors
circulating in the media about authorities in Egypt banning an Iranian tanker
from passing to Syria. The government's media center revealed that the Suez
Canal Authority has absolutely denied the report. In its statement on Wednesday,
the center affirmed that the rumors aim to influence navigation in the canal.
According to the Authority, the government is keen to manage the facility
efficiently and impartially in a way that meets the interests of Egyptians and
other people in transporting essential goods without any slowdown. The Authority
urged the media to check the accuracy of the news before publishing it, and not
to heed anonymous sources that seek to influence navigation, which has been
lately witnessing a remarkable progress. Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority
Mohab Mamish affirmed in previous statements that no ship carrying legal goods
can be banned from passing. He added that the ban can take place in two cases
only: if there is a warning from the UN, or if the ship has committed
violations. Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis has held the US and Egypt
responsible for the crisis in providing energy derivatives. He said the crisis
started six months ago after the flow of two million barrels per months to Syria
were stopped, and all quests to persuade the Egyptian government to let the
Iranian tankers pass have failed. Khamis added that things worsened when US
forces announced that every oil carrier heading to Syria would be targeted. They
have also imposed a tight surveillance on ships, individuals and crew as well as
a restriction on transactions. Syrian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral
Resources Ali Ghanem said that the oil sector has suffered USD74.2 billion in
losses. The country’s oil needs are estimated at 100,000-136,000 bpd and this is
why it relies on imports, he added.
Iraqi Troops Destroy ISIS Media Center in Hamreen
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/Iraq's elite counter-terrorism force
targeted ISIS holdouts Thursday in the northern region of Hamreen, including a
media center, more than a year after the country declared ISIS vanquished,
Agence France Presse reported. Although they no longer hold territory, ISIS
sleeper cells were believed to be hiding out in vast deserts and scraggy
mountains like Hamreen, from where they have conducted deadly hit-and-run
attacks against government posts. AFP quoted Iraqi military spokesman General
Yahya Rasool as saying that Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi had ordered the
Counter-Terrorism Service "to conduct operations targeting ISIS remnants and
their caves in the Hamreen Mountains." The operation was supported by both Iraqi
aircraft and US-led coalition warplanes, he said in an online statement. CTS
spokesman Sabah al-Naaman said the operation had lasted four days, with troops
parachuting in and setting fire to 15 ISIS shelters. Among them was a center
used to produce ISIS's weekly propaganda magazine Al-Naba. "A special team is
currently analyzing the seized computers and documents -- and we'll see if
there's a new issue, as they are usually published on Thursdays," Naaman said.
The force is planning similar operations in other parts of Iraq. "The important
part of this operation is that this difficult area, which posed a threat to
northern Diyala and southern Kirkuk, has been cleared out," Naaman added. ISIS
swept across swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. But it lost its territorial hold
on Iraq in late 2017, and US-backed forces wrested the last piece of land in
neighboring Syria from the militants last month. Still, escapee militants have
kept up guerilla attacks, especially in rural areas in the provinces of
Salaheddin, Kirkuk, Anbar, Diyala and Nineveh. In Kirkuk, militants have killed
a dozen village leaders just in the past six months, according to local
officials.
UK Sanctions 349 Syrian Entities, Individuals
London - Ibrahim Hamidi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/ British
diplomats and experts have been looking into the fate of European sanctions on
Syrian public institutions or “war profiteers” in a manner that suits possible
scenarios of BREXIT.
Meanwhile, German, French and British officials are working to add new members
to the European blacklist. The European sanctions currently include 349
individuals and institutions of the Syrian regime or businessmen close to it.
The recent list issued last month included seven ministers of the government of
Imad Khamis, weeks after 11 individuals and private sector institutions that
contributed to the reconstruction projects near Damascus were added to the list.
British Prime Minister Theresa May asked the EU for an additional period until
the end of June, hoping to pass its exit plan, while European Union President
Donald Tusk offered a year. A British official told Asharq Al-Awsat that this
could end in one of two scenarios: first, if Britain left the EU with an
agreement and a transitional phase, European sanctions would immediately be
transferred to Britain during the interim period. The second scenario would be
leaving the EU without an agreement, which means London will have to adopt
European sanctions with an independent British package.On the other hand, a
European official told Asharq Al-Awsat that Germany and France had proposed
adding an additional list of Syrian businessmen to the blacklist. “Sanctions are
an important political tool in our Syrian policy. Our goal is not to target the
Syrian people, but to send a political message to the Syrian regime and its
supporters about the cost of what they are doing,” he said. He pointed out that
there are two priorities for the two current European sanctions: chemical
weapons and targeting those who collect money benefiting from the misery and
suffering of the Syrian people.The last package of sanctions against the war
profiteers came as a shock to the Syrian regime and its effects were surprising
to some Europeans, the official noted. In addition, regional countries that
wanted to normalize relations with the regime were surprised by the European
position and the imposition of sanctions. The sanctions left a political and
diplomatic impact, clearly indicating that the EU will not tolerate those who
make their fortune by stealing the resources of the country, he explained,
pending a credible political solution. By the end of 2018, Sudanese President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir visited Damascus, UAE and Bahrain opened embassies in the
country, and Syrian officials exchanged visits with Oman. In addition, Director
of the National Security Office Major General Ali Mamlouk visited Cairo and
recently there have been talks about the Syrian government rejoining the Arab
League and Arab contribution to the reconstruction of Syria, add to that, the
decision of US President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from eastern Syria and
the Kurds' rush to negotiate with Damascus. However, the mood quickly shifted at
the beginning of this year for several reasons, when bilateral and collective
Arab normalization with Damascus were ceased, in addition to the several EU
countries, including Britain, declaring they do not intend to open embassies in
the Syrian capital. The EU official also indicated that talks are underway with
Washington to approve the same sanctions recently adopted by the European Union.
However, Trump later announced that he won’t completely withdraw the troops and
has agreed to keep 400 members and work with European countries to send
additional troops to “fill the vacuum resulting from the US withdrawal."
Washington also suspended dialogue between the Kurds and Damascus. US and
European countries believe that sanctions, legitimacy, and reconstruction are
the issues that they have to negotiate with Russia about Syria, according to a
European diplomat who agrees with his colleagues. The diplomat added that by
resorting to “strategic patience” with Moscow until it disagrees with Tehran in
Syria, it will be more inclined to accept the political solution,
reconstruction, and the return of refugees.
Egyptian Security Forces Kill 11 Militants in Sinai
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 11 April, 2019/Egyptian police forces have killed 11
militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula, after several attacks in the last two
days have left eight policemen and three civilians dead in the restive area. An
Interior Ministry statement Thursday said security forces exchanged fire with
the militants, but no casualties were reported among the police as they stormed
the insurgent hideout in the Mediterranean coastal city of el-Arish.
The ministry said it found weapons, two explosive devices and two explosive
belts.On Wednesday, Egyptian security officials said two separate explosive
attacks overnight killed four policemen, a day after an ISIS suicide bomber
killed four policemen and three civilians.
Egypt has for years battled militants in Sinai.
Assange Arrested in London on U.S. Extradition Request
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/19/WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's
seven-year hideout in Ecuador's London embassy ended spectacularly Thursday when
British police arrested him on an extradition request from the United States to
face hacking charges.
Footage shot by the Russian video news agency Ruptly showed a frantic-looking
Assange -- his worn face framed by a bushy white beard and shock of silver hair
-- being hustled out of the building by burly men in suits and pulled into one
of two waiting police vans. A Ruptly reporter who shot the scene and requested
anonymity told AFP that Assange shouted "UK must resist" as he was hauled away
by at least seven men dressed in dark suits and ties. The scene took place on a
plush side street in the heart of London that has been Assange's refuge from
prosecution since 2012.
"No one is above the law," British Prime Minister Theresa May said to a round of
cheers in parliament. The moment of high drama came after Ecuador, which has
grown increasingly frustrated with Assange's stay under pro-U.S. President Lenin
Moreno, withdrew its asylum. UK police said Assange had been initially arrested
for breaching his bail conditions in 2012 and then "further arrested on behalf
of the United States authorities."
Assange court appearance
Within hours, pony-tailed Assange appeared in court for a brief hearing where he
gave a thumbs-up sign to the press gallery and sat reading a copy of Gore
Vidal's book "History of the National Security State" about the U.S.
military-industrial complex, before the hearing began. Judge Michael Snow
pronounced Assange guilty of the bail charge, which carries a sentence of up to
a year in prison, and remanded him in custody to face sentencing at an
unspecified later date. He also faces a separate hearing on the U.S. extradition
request on May 2. Assange had long suspected that he was secretly wanted by
Washington for his decision to publish a trove of classified Pentagon documents
detailing alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. authorities had
steadfastly refused to confirm reports that they had issued a sealed indictment
against Assange -- until Thursday. The U.S. Justice Department said Assange was
being charged with a computer hacking conspiracy relating to his work with
former U.S. intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in March 2010. "Assange is
charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and is presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," a U.S. Justice
Department statement said. "If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five
years in prison."
Guarantee against death penalty
Assange will now be at the heart of a legal and diplomatic tug of war pitting
him and his legions of supporters -- including Russian authorities -- against
the U.S. justice system. His U.S.-based attorney Barry Pollack condemned "an
unprecedented effort by the United States seeking to extradite a foreign
journalist to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information."
WikiLeaks accused Ecuador of breaching international law by withdrawing his
asylum. Ecuador's Moreno insisted that he had "asked Great Britain for the
guarantee that Mr Assange will not be extradited to any country in which he
could suffer torture or face the death penalty."
'Dark moment for freedom'
Assange's case has opened up a broader debate about security and free speech.
His supporters view him as a fearless exposer of injustices such as torture and
alleged war crimes committed by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Assange's critics accuse him of cosying up to authoritarian leaders such as
Russian President Vladimir Putin and putting Americans' lives at risk. Fugitive
former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden -- himself wanted for leaking
details of secret U.S. surveillance programs -- called Assange's arrest a "dark
moment for press freedom."Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
accused Britain of "strangling freedom." But UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt
said Assange "has hidden from the truth for years" and was trying to "escape
facing justice.""He is no hero," Hunt said.
'Truman Show'
WikiLeaks on Wednesday had claimed that it was being blackmailed by "dubious
characters" who had obtained security camera footage of Assange inside the
embassy. WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson accused Ecuador authorities of
gathering the images as well as copies of private documents prepared for Assange
by his lawyers. Hrafnsson said these had then found their way into the hands of
a group in Spain that was demanding $3 million (2.7 million euros) not to
publish them. "Since Moreno took power in Ecuador (in 2017), Julian Assange has
been living in a Truman Show type (surveillance) situation," Hrafnsson said.
World's Biggest Election Tests Modi's Grip on Power in
India
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/19/Tens of millions of Indians joined
nationwide queues Thursday to give their verdict on nationalist prime minister
Narendra Modi as the world's biggest election started amid deadly clashes.
Election officials reported a heavy turnout across the 20 states taking part in
the first day of the massive exercise which involves 900 million eligible voters
and will take nearly six weeks to complete. While the 68-year-old Modi remains
popular because of his tough stance on national security, he is under pressure
over unemployment and controversial economic reforms. Insults and fake news have
surged on social media in the run-up to the poll as Modi's right wing Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress party stake rival claims. On the
ground, security forces were on high alert and three members of rival regional
parties were killed in clashes outside polling stations in the southern state of
Andhra Pradesh. After five people including a local lawmaker were killed by a
roadside bomb planted by suspected Maoist rebels on Tuesday, insurgents were
blamed for two voting day blasts in Maharashtra state, where two police were
injured, and one in Chhattisgarh state. In Kashmir, which is in the grip of an
insurrection that took India to the verge of war with neighboring Pakistan less
than two months ago, one teenager was killed in clashes with security forces.
Police said the 13-year-old boy was killed and six people wounded in protests
after polling ended, with demonstrators throwing stones and government forces
firing live ammunition. Tens of thousands of police, paramilitaries and troops
were on voting duty in the volatile state. Thousands of candidates from more
than 2,000 parties are running for office in the seven separate days of voting
in 543 constituencies up to May 19. Final results will be released on May 23.
Some 1.1 million electronic voting machines are being taken around the country,
with some transported through jungles and carried up mountains, including to a
hamlet near the Chinese border with just one voter. About 142 million people
were eligible for the first day of voting. In the northeastern state of Assam,
queues started forming well before voting opened, including many of the 84
million first-time voters who could play a decisive role in the outcome. "It's a
great feeling to cast the vote, which makes me a part of the democratic system
and makes me responsible for electing a good leader," Anurag Baruah, 23, told
AFP.
Modi swept to power in 2014 with the biggest landslide in
30 years.
The BJP has put Modi left, right and center of its campaign to secure a second
five year term. "Each (BJP) candidate contesting across India represents a
miniature version of Modi. We are fighting not with our name. We are fighting
with the name of our Supreme Leader, Narendra Modi," national party spokesman
Sambit Patra said ahead of voting. Critics, however, accuse Modi of imposing a
Hindu agenda through re-writing school textbooks and re-naming cities and
emboldening attacks on Muslims and low-caste Dalits. Modi has simplified the tax
code and made doing business easier, but some promises have fallen short.
Thousands of indebted farmers have committed suicide in recent years. Growth in
Asia's third-biggest economy has been too slow to provide jobs for the roughly
one million Indians entering the labor market each month. "I want a government
that thinks about women and brings down the high prices of rice and lentils,"
said Suman Sharma, 50, a housewife in Ghaziabad near Delhi. Rahul Gandhi, leader
of the opposition Congress party and latest member of his family dynasty hoping
to become prime minister, accused Modi of causing a "national disaster." "No
JOBS. DEMONETISATION. Farmers in Pain... Lies. Lies. Lies. Distrust. Violence.
HATE. Fear," Gandhi tweeted on Thursday. "You vote today for the soul of India.
For her future. Vote wisely." His party won three key state elections in
December but India's showdown with Pakistan in February gave Modi's standing a
new boost.
'Empty suit'
Gandhi, great-grandson, grandson and son of three past premiers, has grown in
stature since being derided in leaked U.S. diplomatic cables in 2007 as an
"empty suit". But Modi and the BJP's campaign juggernaut -- he has been
addressing three rallies a day in the run-up to voting -- will be no pushover,
promising a $1.4-trillion infrastructure blitz if he wins. Playing to its Hindu
base, the BJP has committed to building a grand temple in place of a Muslim
mosque demolished by Hindu mobs in the northern city of Ayodhya in 1992. India's
latest military altercation with arch-rival Pakistan in February has allowed
Modi to portray himself as the nation's "chowkidar" ("watchman"). The few
opinion polls have given him the advantage but they are notoriously unreliable
in India and much will depend on the BJP's performance in key states such as
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state, where it won most of the 80 seats in
2014.
Italy Warns of Libya Humanitarian, Migration Emergency
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 11/19/Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte
warned Thursday that the deteriorating situation in Libya could create a
humanitarian crisis and increase the number of migrants crossing the
Mediterranean."Ongoing fighting and a rising number of dead, now estimated at
several hundred, as well as the wounded and displaced, signals the real risk of
a humanitarian crisis that must be quickly resolved," Conte told parliament.
"The humanitarian emergency, with its consequences on the flow of migrants...
requires determination and rapid action," Conte said.
Dozens of people are confirmed dead in Libya since military strongman Khalifa
Haftar's forces launched an offensive last week to capture the capital Tripoli,
which is controlled by a U.N.-backed government and an array of militias. U.N.
chief Antonio Guterres has warned that Libya is on the brink of "a very
dangerous situation" as the rival forces battle for control of Tripoli.
Thousands of people have fled heavy fighting on the outskirts of the capital.
Former colonial power Italy's far-right deputy prime minister and Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini has taken a hard line against immigrants, particularly
those making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean from Libya.
Canada alarmed by Russia’s objection to banning Novichoks
under Chemical Weapons Convention
April 11, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
This week, Russia broke international consensus and rejected the addition of
Novichoks, a class of chemical weapons, to the list of chemicals banned by the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This follows a
meeting on January 14, 2019 where the international community was of a clear,
united view that these weapons must be banned. Canada is very alarmed by this
Russian obstruction.
Novichoks were used in the attack against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury,
United Kingdom, in March 2018, and responsible for the death of Dawn Sturgess in
Amesbury, United Kingdom, in July 2018.
In 1997, the world came together and agreed that chemical weapons must not only
be banned but eliminated. That is what the OPCW seeks to accomplish. Its work is
essential, and that is why Canada, the top donor after the US, announced last
week $2 million in additional funding to the organization.
We, and our partners, will continue to support the work of the OPCW and hold
Russia accountable for its reprehensible use of illegal chemical weapons.
Quick facts
In October 2018, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States submitted a joint
technical change proposal to list two families of toxic chemicals, including the
Novichoks, in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), subjecting these substances
to declaration and verification.
The OPCW is an independent, treaty-based body established in 1997 to implement
the CWC. With over 190 states parties, the CWC is one of the world’s most widely
subscribed treaties.
The OPCW is the only multilateral institution charged with eradicating an entire
class of weapons of mass destruction. To date, it has verified the elimination
of 96% of the world’s declared chemical weapons.
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on April 11-12/19
NY Cleric Muhammad Ibn Muneer: Muslims
Should Hate Non-Muslims, Can Only Maintain Relations With Them To Call Them To
Islam
الشيخ محمد بن منير من نيويورك: على المسلمين أن يكرهوا غير المسلمين وعلاقته بهم
يجب أن تكون فقط لدعودتهم للإسلام
MEMRI/April 11/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73740/%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%83-%D8%B9%D9%84/
In a Q&A session uploaded to the Hadith Disciple YouTube channel on January 31,
2018, New York cleric Mufti Muhammad Ibn Muneer said that there are different
ways of dealing with different types of Jews. He cited the Islamic principle of
Al-Bara Wal-Wala (disavowal and loyalty), which he says is, as "explained by Ibn
Al-Qayyim and many others... simply summed up as loving the Muslims and hating
the non-Muslims... Buddhist, Hindu, this, that, so on and so forth." He
underlined that if his Jewish neighbor is "trying to do me physical harm... I
have the right to defend myself." He continued: "Look at history" when Jews and
Muslims lived together and "the Muslims ran the country [and] the Jews were the
minority.... The moment there is oppression" – that's "a whole different story."
In a Q&A session uploaded a year later, on January 31, 2019, he expanded on the
subject, saying that a Muslim cannot maintain a close relationship with infidels
with whom he had been friends prior to accepting Islam and that Muslims cannot
treat non-Muslim as friends. They may be treated with respect and friendliness
in order to invite them to Islam, he said, but only a pious Muslim is worthy of
a close, trusting friendship. He added that it may be Islamically impermissible
to wear soccer jerseys that have the names of non-Muslims or that contain
symbols of something other than Islam, and that buying designer clothing might
be supporting homosexuals or people who are bombing Muslims in Palestine.
Both Q&A sessions were held at Majlis Ahlis-Sunnah Wal-Jama'ah in Queens, New
York.
In earlier MEMRI TV clips, Ibn Muneer discussed a wide range of issues: NY
Muslim Cleric Ibn Muneer: Muslims Should Not Apologize For Prophet Muhammad
Marrying A Minor, The Jews And Christians Will Never Be Pleased With You Anyway
(September 5, 2018); NY Cleric Ibn Muneer: Islam Without Jihad Is Like Honey
Without The Sweetness; Don't Apologize For Speaking The Truth About Jihad, Jews,
And Christians (December 5, 2018); and Polygamy Lectures By NY Cleric Ibn Muneer:
It Is Healthy Competition For Women, "Major Jihad" To Fight Jealousy; Problem
With Her Faith If She Says "No" To Having Co-Wife; Man Is Weak If He Asks Her
Permission To Marry Another (January 24, 2015-February 1, 2019).
To view the MEMRI TV clip of Muhammad Ibn Muneer's January 31, 2018 and January
31, 2019 Q&A sessions, click here
The following is the transcript of the MEMRI TV clip of the Q&A sessions:
Q&A Session – January 31, 2018
"Jews Are Of Different Types"; "The General Principle In Islam Of Al-Bara
Wal-Wala [Disavowal And Loyalty]... Is Simply Summed Up As Loving The Muslims
And Hating The Non-Muslims... Buddhist, Hindu, This, That, So On And So Forth"
Muhammad Ibn Muneer: "The question says, from Ft. Worth, TX: 'What should our
relationship with the Jews be in this day and age?' That's a very long and
detailed discussion. Before we can shed any light on the issue, we have to know
that Jews are of different types.
"So, obviously, if there are different types – both religious and ethnically,
and so on and so forth – then, obviously, dealing with them is going to vary as
well.
"The general principle in Islam of Al-Bara Wal-Wala [disavowal and loyalty] as
explained by Ibn Al-Qayyim and many others is to love and to hate for the sake
of Allah, which is simply summed up as loving the Muslims and hating the
non-Muslims. Being loyal to the Muslims, and not being loyal to the non-Muslims.
Supporting the Muslims and not supporting polytheism and disbelief, et cetera,
regardless of the different types of polytheism and disbelief – Buddhist, Hindu,
this, that, so on and so forth."
If My Jewish Neighbor Is "Trying To Do Me Physical Harm... I Have The Right To
Defend Myself"; "Look At History" – When Jews And Muslims Lived Together And
"The Muslims Ran The Country [And] The Jews Were The Minority"; "The Moment
There Is Oppression" – That's "A Whole Different Story"
"It is going to vary from time to time, from person to person, from place to
place. If I have a neighbor who is a Jew... That's my neighbor; I have to look
after him and his property. I can't lust after his wife, disrespect his
property, allow someone to do something bad to his... He's my neighbor even if
he's a Jew. [But if] he's trying to do me physical harm and cause me harm, I
have the right to defend myself.
"The same applies to overseas. Look at history. When the Jews and the Muslims,
they lived... The Muslims ran this country, the Jews were the minority, whatever
the case is... The moment there is oppression – the moment there is plunder, and
rape, and murder... The moment [he] is swindling [Muslims] out of [their]
rights, [their] land, [their] honor, killing [them], blowing [them] up – that's
a whole different story.
Q&A Session – January 31, 2019
On Maintaining Non-Muslim Friendships: Maintain "Relations With Them To Call
Them To Islam And To Invite Them To Your Way Of Life"
Muhammad Ibn Muneer: "With regards to taking the disbelievers as friends and
intimate companions – can a person keep a close relationship with his previous
friends and colleagues before he accepted Islam, from school, et cetera? No and
yes. No, they are not your friends, and they are not allowed to be treated as
your friends. The yes part – you keeping relations with them to call them to
Islam and to invite them to your way of life. You keeping relations with them
because you may owe them something, they did a lot of things for you back in the
day and took care of you, and looked after you – you pay back the basic good
treatment. But them being your buddies and your friends, and they feel that this
person is their close, close, close buddy – that's problematic.
"They can't be your close friends. You [can] see them and talk to them, and say:
'Hey, what's up, what's going on, alright...' You bust it up.
"But someone being your close friend – entering your home, eating your food, you
tell them secrets, they tell you secrets, you trust them, you rely upon them,
things like this – that's only befitting of a pious Muslim. That's only
befitting of a pious Muslim. So oftentimes it's a word game, we say 'friends' or
'close friends' but it's nothing more than an associate.
"But that doesn't mean that you see a non-Muslim from the days before you were
Muslim and you have to spit in their face and curse them and doom them to the
fire of Hell. You speak to them [and say]: 'Hey, how are you doing?' You never
know when a person may become a Muslim. You never know."
"If It Doesn't Have A Symbol Of Disbelief... Then Perhaps It Is Permissible To
Wear It, Whereas If You Buy Other Clothes [Such As] Designer Clothes, You May Be
Supporting Homosexuals"
"Question comes from the U.K. on supporting football matches, soccer matches,
things like this – buying their jerseys, going to games, et cetera. As far as
buying the jersey, some of the people of knowledge have given rulings that you
are not allowed to wear the jerseys upon which are the names of infidels and/or
upon which are the names of sinful Muslims.
"So many scholars, some scholars, have passed rulings regarding this as
impermissible, and as a means of showing loyalty to them, loving them, imitating
them, and being soft towards them. Let alone [the fact that] some of the jerseys
may include symbols and icons, regardless of whether it's a symbol of religion
or not, but it's a symbol or icon of other than Islam.
"I was going to visit a sheikh one day, and as I was crossing the street a bunch
of kids were laughing at me and making fun of me from across the street. Some
Saudi kids.
"So I greeted them and said: 'What are you guys laughing at, what's so funny?'
They said: 'Look at your thawb! Where's the rest of your thawb? Why is your
thawb so short?' So I pointed to one of them who had on a soccer jersey. I said:
'You've got a cross on your shirt. You have a crucifix – are you a Christian?'
[They responded:] 'Allah forbid, forgiveness from Allah...' [I said:] 'So you're
laughing at me for implementing the Sunnah, and you're wearing a symbol of
Christians who hate Muslims and who hate everything about you, your life, your
culture, your background, your lineage, and your country.'
"If it doesn't have a symbol of disbelief and doesn't have the names of a
non-Muslim, then perhaps it is permissible to wear it, whereas if you buy other
clothes [such as] designer clothes, you may be supporting homosexuals, as we've
said, or you may be supporting people that bomb our brothers in Palestine."
To read the report on the MEMRI site Click here
https://outlook.live.com/mail/inbox/id/AQMkADAwATE0YzAwAC1jZmEzLTMwODktMDACLTAwCgBGAAAD%2FUDy2DSUJEy%2BeuWAUsaRSQcAQD3AMaXtfEW1haoJocBU4gAAAgEMAAAAQD3AMaXtfEW1haoJocBU4gAClXjOEwAAAA%3D%3D
Reactions In Iran To U.S. Designation Of IRGC As Terror
Organization
ميمري: ردود الفعل الإيرانية على ادراج أميركا الحرس الثوري على قوائم الإرهاب
MEMRI/April 11/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73744/reactions-in-iran-to-u-s-designation-of-irgc-as-terror-organization-%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B9%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89/
The Trump administration’s April 8, 2019 designation of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terror Organization (FTO) evoked
harsh responses from the Iranian regime. On April 9, the Iranian Majlis
retaliated by designating the U.S. military as “terrorist.” Iranian spokesmen
stressed that the U.S. move would not affect Iran or the IRGC, and that the
latter would continue to gain strength, and some stated that, from now on, the
IRGC would indeed regard the U.S. forces as terrorists and as legitimate
targets. However, past experience indicates that the Iranian regime will not
hurry to risk its forces in a direct attack on U.S. troops or interests, but
will prefer to employ the Shi’ite militias it controls outside Iran.
As stated by the regime mouthpiece Kayhan in an April 10, 2019 article, the U.S.
move is intended to undermine Iran’s economy and weaken the economic power of
the IRGC, even outside Iran, i.e., to diminish Iran’s influence in the Middle
East (for more on the goals and impact of the U.S. designation of the IRGC as an
FTO, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1449). It added that this “psychological
warfare” by the U.S. must be met with the harshest possible response, namely
with military exercises simulating the sinking of U.S. vessels in the Persian
Gulf.
This report presents the main Iranian reactions to the designation of the IRGC
as an FTO.
Khamenei: “The Republic’s Enemies Are Headed Towards An Abyss”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: “The U.S. and the ignorant enemies
have been exerting all their powers [against Iran] for 40 years, but to no
avail. Today the arms of the [Iranian] revolution and regime have reached the
region and the world. The deluded Americans are plotting against the IRGC, and
actually against the [Islamic] revolution and Iran. This evil will obviously get
them nowhere… The enemies of the Islamic Republic, such as Trump and the idiots
that surround the U.S. administration, are headed for the abyss.”[1]
Following the U.S. announcement, Iranian Majlis members don IRGC uniforms as
show of support (image: Tehran Times, Iran, April 9, 2019)
IRGC Commander Jafari: The IRGC’s Defense And Invasion Capabilities Will Only
Grow
IRGC Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari warned on April 7, 2019 that designating the
IRGC as a terror organization would “harm Iran’s national security” and bring in
its wake “disquiet for American forces in the region.”[2] In an April 9 meeting
with Iranian Army Chief-of-Staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, he said: “The IRGC’s honor
does not originate in the U.S. and therefore will not be harmed by these
decisions. This move definitely harms [the Americans] and increases support for
the IRGC… The stupid American officials who consented to this move may rest
assured that, in the course of this year, the IRGC’s defense and invasion
capabilities will grow greater than they are today, and the growth of the IRGC
will prove to the world that the American sanctions have no effect
whatsoever.”[3]
Army Chief-of-Staff Mousavi: “We Have No Choice But To Humiliate Our Enemies”
Mousavi said at the meeting: “We have no choice but to humiliate our enemies.
[The Americans] must look at the humiliating pictures of their troops[4] and
avoid placing themselves in [another] situation that will end in humiliation
[for them].”[5]
Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaee tweeted: “Mr. Trump, don’t let your
aircraft carriers come near IRGC vessels.”[6]
Majlis National Security Committee Member Hosseini: “America Has A Presence In
This Region, And It Understands What We Mean [To Imply By That]”
Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign
Policy Committee, stated in a televised interview that “the U.S. decision
violates the international law… We will regard the American forces as terror
organizations. We will treat them the same way we treat Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and
this will have dangerous consequences for the U.S…
“In 2019 the Americans intend to maximize their pressure on Iran and to bring
Iran’s oil sales down to zero. They want to block all the Islamic Republic’s
advantages by means of sanctions. They want to curb all our immense
capabilities, and the IRGC is one of Iran’s capabilities. Designating it as a
terror organization is part of the puzzle of the U.S. [strategy] aimed at
increasing the pressure on Iran, for the Americans believe that the IRGC has
economic, cultural and political clout…
“Iran is present everywhere in the region and has abilities, forces and tools.
America has a presence in this region [as well], and it understands what we mean
[to imply by that].”[7]
National Security Committee Member Boroujerdi: “Washington’s Troops Will Not Be
Secure In The Region”
Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee member Alaa Al-Din
Boroujerdi said, immediately following the U.S. announcement, that “the Islamic
Republic will respond firmly to America’s foolish decision to place the IRGC on
the terror list, and this response will be carried out as soon as possible… This
political [move] is America’s retaliation against the IRGC for its strategic
role in defeating ISIS… Washington is the one who will be harmed the most by
this decision, and its forces will not be secure in the region.”[8]
Deputy Foreign Minister Araghchi: As Far As We Are Concerned, The U.S. Troops
Are Terrorists And Their Bases Are Terror Bases
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on the Channel Two news:
“American troops patrol the Persian Gulf [although] the task of guarding it
belongs to the IRGC, and therefore new incidents are likely to occur. America
has crossed one of Iran’s major red lines. Its latest decision [to designate the
IRGC] could have many consequences. From now on, the American troops and their
bases in the region are no longer considered ‘American troops.’ As far as we are
concerned, they are terrorists and terror bases, and from now on we will treat
them accordingly, [so] we are headed for new circumstances. Earlier, we conveyed
a direct message to America via Switzerland, that if the IRGC is designated as a
terror organization, we would retaliate in kind, [and] America will be the one
responsible for this action of ours. This latest American move is a political
and strategic mistake.”[9]
Kayhan: Trump’s Decision Is A Death Warrant For U.S. Troops
Kayhan’s April 9, 2019 front-page article, headlined “The U.S. President Has
Issued a Death Warrant for U.S. Troops,” stated that “the stupidity of the new
U.S. president is limitless. His latest unforgettable act of foolishness has
been to designate the IRGC as a terror organization. With this move he has
[virtually] issued a death warrant for U.S. troops [in the region]. This means
that Trump will never forget the bitterness of this stupidity.”
Kayhan’s April 9 editorial, titled “Mr. Trump! Picture a Coffin,” stated that
“this [American] decision will have particular and grave consequences for the
American forces. With this action Trump is in essence toying with the lives of
his thousands of troops in the region. Before signing this order Trump should
have taken another look at the photo of his navy troops who entered Iran’s
territorial waters [in January 2016] and surrendered [to IRGC forces]… If
Congress was party to this stupidity of the White House and approved this
decision, Trump had better think of ordering diapers and coffins [for his
troops] in the Middle East.
Kayhan Article: “The IRGC Will [Turn] The Persian Gulf Into A Graveyard For Your
Army”
Kayhan‘s front-page article on April 10 stated, “Mr. Trump, take another look at
these photos [of U.S. troops surrendering to IRGC troops]! The IRGC will [turn]
the Persian Gulf into a graveyard for your army… Trump, who in 2016 described
the capture of the desperate U.S. troops by the IRGC, and their kneeling on the
deck of the ship, as a ‘horrifying spectacle,’ apparently fails to realize that
he is toying with the lives of [his] country’s armed forces. If the events of
that day recur… [this time] the U.S. troops will not be treated mercifully by
the IRGC.”[10]
Kayhan Article: This Step Is Not Military But Has Economic Goals; Exercises
Should Be Held In The Strait of Hormuz, Including Simulations Of The Sinking Of
American Ships
Kayhan’s April 10 editorial stated, “This step by the enemy reflects the growing
influence of Iran in the region… In essence, after using various methods which
did not succeed, the enemy reached the conclusion that it should use economic
leverage to fight the Iranian people and thereby reduce [Iran’s] influence.
Therefore, we consider this decision, which appears to be a military [decision],
as nothing more than a psychological action with economic objectives…
“Iran’s response until now has been commendable… The canceling [of Iran’s
intention to join the] Financial Action Task Force and the designation of the
American troops as terrorists are the best, immediate [measures] Iran could have
taken in response to Trump’s decision… We must make sure to respond to the
enemy’s psychological actions as severely as possible…
“Holding [military] exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and practicing burying
American ships are actions the IRGC may take to demonstrate its seriousness to
the enemy and as a response to the American [moves].”[11]
IRGC Statement: “We Will Teach The Enemy Unforgettable And Painful Lessons”
A statement issued by the IRGC in response to the U.S. decision stated: “[This]
illegal and unprecedented step by America illustrates the depth of its hatred
toward this revolutionary institution [the IRGC]. The black decision by Trump
and the idiots that surround the American regime, and the ongoing series of
defeats of the White House in the region, have naturally increased the IRGC’s
resolve to expedite the strengthening of the system and of its defense and
attack capabilities, to increase its power in the region, and to maintain the
national support [it enjoys]…
“We believe that the support extended to the IRGC by the people, the government
institutions [and] the armed forces, [as well as by] clerics, academics,
political parties and currents and all of Iran’s friends in the world
maintaining the achievements of the Islamic Revolution and protecting national
security. We promise the Iranian people and the supporters of the revolution
that we will protect and defend the revolution and its aspirations, in
accordance with Khamenei’s instructions, that we will utilize a strategy of
meeting aggression with aggression against the enemy and teach it unforgettable
and painful lessons.”[12]
[1] Website of the Supreme Leader (Iran), April 9, 2019.
[2] ISNA (Iran), April 7, 2019.
[3] ISNA (Iran), April 9, 2019.
[4] A reference to the 2016 U.S.-Iran naval incident, in which the IRGC seized
two U.S. Navy riverine command boats after they entered Iranian territorial
waters and held the sailors captive for several hours.
[5] ISNA (Iran), April 9, 2019.
[6] Twitter.com/@ir_rezaee, April 8, 2019.
[7] ISNA (Iran), April 8, 2019.
[8] Icana.ir, April 8, 2019.
[9] Irna (Iran), April 8, 2019.
[10] Kayhan (Iran), April 10, 2019.
[11] Kayhan (Iran), April 10, 2019.
[12] Tasnim (Iran), April 10, 2019.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REPORT ON MEMRI WEBSITE
https://www.memri.org/reports/reactions-iran-us-designation-irgc-terror-organization
Is Iran Winning in Yemen?
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/April 11/2019
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14053/iran-winning-yemen
"The Yemeni revolution will not be confined to Yemen alone. It will extend,
following its success, into Saudi territories." — Iranian Lawmaker Ali Reza
Zakani, trusted adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"If the Shia rebels gain control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Iran can attain a
foothold in this sensitive region giving access to the Red Sea and the Suez
Canal, a cause of concern not only for its sworn rivals Saudi Arabia, Egypt and
the Gulf states, but also for Israel and European countries along the
Mediterranean." — IDF Lt.-Col. (Ret.) Michael Segall.
"Hard-line elements [in Iran] appear to see the continuation of the conflict [in
Yemen] as a relatively low-cost and low-risk means of sustaining political,
economic, and military pressure on the Saudis. Saudi Arabia's intervention has
reportedly cost between $5 billion and $6 billion a month, while Iran's
expenditures in Yemen probably total only millions a year." — Gerald M.
Feierstein, Middle East Institute.
"The Houthis' intransigence confirms their loyalty to Iran's negotiating
tactics. These usually begin with implicit approval of negotiating solutions,
followed by complete retraction in order to force the international community to
make more concessions and impose a fait accompli on the Yemeni government...." —
Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yemany.
Militiamen aligned with Yemen's government (supported by the US and Saudi
Arabia) look for snipers from Iranian-backed Houthi rebel forces, south of
Hodeidah, Yemen on September 21, 2018. According to the United Nations, Iran has
been supplying Houthi rebels with weapons for more than a decade. (Photo by
Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images)
A ceasefire deal aimed at ending Yemen's civil war is collapsing amid disputes
between the warring parties over how to implement the agreement. A resumption of
hostilities would, according to aid groups, accelerate Yemen's descent into
famine and threaten as many as 15 million people — more than half the population
— with starvation.
Yemen's four-year conflict is generally viewed as a proxy war between Saudi
Arabia, which backs the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, and Iran,
which backs tribal-based Shiite rebels, known as Houthis.
Iran has long denied accusations that it provides financial and military support
to the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of Allah). According
to the United Nations, however, Tehran has been supplying the rebels with
weapons for more than a decade.
Yemen's civil war has deep roots based on religious, economic and political
grievances that go back to September 1962, when a revolution replaced a
1,000-year-old absolute hereditary Shiite monarchy — the Zaidi imamate — with a
secular regime, the Republic of Yemen.
The Houthi movement, formed in 1992 as a Zaidi-Shia armed opposition group to
fight the pro-American government of then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, has
demanded regional autonomy and a greater share of power in the central
government.
The Houthi insurgency began in June 2004, when the group's leader, Hussein
Badreddin al-Houthi, launched an armed rebellion aimed at bringing down the
Saleh government. Sectarian violence was inflamed when al-Houthi was killed by
Yemeni forces in September 2004.
In November 2011, after more than three decades in power, Saleh signed a deal to
transfer power to Yemeni Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The move,
welcomed by many as a turning point in Yemen's history, failed to quell Houthi
protests.
The conflict escalated into a full-blown civil war in September 2014, when the
rebels, representing between a quarter and a third of the Yemeni population,
staged a coup d'état and seized control of the capital, Sanaa. Hadi, Yemen's
internationally-recognized president, subsequently fled to Saudi Arabia.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and a Western-backed coalition of ten Sunni Arab
states — alarmed by what they viewed as an attempt by Iran to establish a
militarized Shiite state in northern Yemen — began a military intervention
against Houthi targets to restore the legitimate government. The Saudi-led
coalition, despite having superior air power, quickly got bogged down due to the
Houthis' adeptness at asymmetric warfare. The conflict soon reached a military
stalemate that continues to this day.
At least 7,000 Yemeni civilians have died and more than 10,000 have been injured
during the last four years of conflict, according to data from the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). At least three
million people have been displaced and around 400,000 children suffer from
severe malnutrition. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described Yemen
as the "world's worst humanitarian crisis."
Sometimes called the "forgotten war," the conflict in Yemen received new
scrutiny after the October 2018 killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi at
the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Outrage over the murder increased pressure
on Saudi Arabia to seek a truce in Yemen.
In November 2018, the United States announced that it was halting the aerial
refueling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen. A month
later, in December 2018, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution
calling for the removal of American troops from Yemen.
In March 2019, the U.S. Senate voted to remove U.S. troops from Yemen within 30
days. In April 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to
end American military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The White House
has vowed to veto the resolution. It has stated that the resolution raises
"serious constitutional concerns" and is based on an "erroneous premise" —
presumably meaning that it would not be in the U.S. interest to abandon Yemen to
Iran.
In December 2018, the warring parties signed a series of UN-sponsored agreements
— known collectively as the Stockholm Agreement — primarily aimed at
facilitating the movement of international aid through Yemen's main Red Sea port
of Hodeidah, through which the country receives about 70% of its food imports.
The Houthis pledged to withdraw from Hodeidah and Saudi-led coalition forces
promised to retreat from the outskirts of the city.
The troop withdrawals in Hodeidah were intended to clear the way for wider
negotiations to end the four-year war. The agreement, however, has been
criticized for being ambiguous; it does not, for instance, stipulate who should
control the port in Hodeidah after the Houthis withdraw.
The Houthis now say that they will not withdraw from the port without guarantees
that Saudi-led coalition forces will not seize control. Each side has accused
the other of violating the pact. The Yemeni government believes that the Houthis
are using the strategic port to smuggle in weapons from Iran to sustain their
military efforts.
Iran-Saudi Rivalry
Saudi Arabia views the Houthis — who adhere to Zaidi Islam, an offshoot of
Shiism — as an Iranian proxy that Tehran is using to its project political and
military power in the Arabian Peninsula in an apparent quest to become the
dominant force in the Middle East.
Saudi leaders have sounded the alarm about the threat posed by the so-called
Shia Crescent, an ever-expanding arc of Iranian influence across the Arab world.
In Iraq, for example, the government is now dominated by Shiites. In Syria, Iran
(and Russia) have prevented Sunni rebels from overthrowing President Bashar
al-Assad, whose Alawite sect derives from Shiism. In Lebanon, the Iran-sponsored
Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah effectively runs the government.
Now in Yemen, Riyadh seems justifiably to fear that Tehran is seeking to
establish a permanent presence on Saudi Arabia's southern border to encircle the
Kingdom — possibly as part of a broader strategy to take control of Saudi oil
fields and holy sites, Mecca and Medina — to upend the balance of power in the
Middle East.
Iran's rhetoric has only fueled those concerns. After the Houthi takeover of
Saana in September 2014, for example, Iranian Lawmaker Ali Reza Zakani, a
trusted adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, boasted that
Sanaa had become the fourth Arab capital under Iranian control. Sanaa, he said,
now joins "three Arab capitals [Beirut, Baghdad and Damascus] which have ended
up in the hands of Iran and belong to the Iranian Islamic revolution" and "the
greater jihad." He added:
"The Yemeni revolution will not be confined to Yemen alone. It will extend,
following its success, into Saudi territories. The Yemeni-Saudi vast borders
will help accelerate its reach into the depths of Saudi land."
In November 2016, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, General
Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, speaking at a gathering of naval commanders, said that
Iran would like to set up naval bases in Yemen:
"We need distant bases, and it may become possible one day to have bases on the
shores of Yemen or Syria, or bases on islands or floating bases. Is having
distant bases less than nuclear technology? I say it is worth dozens of times
more."
Some analysts have argued that while the West's attention has been focused on
Iran's nuclear program to the exclusion of everything else, it has ignored
Tehran's efforts to solidify its control over the Middle East. Analyst David
Daoud observed:
"The West sees nuclear weapons as Iran's ultimate goal. But the Islamic Republic
is not so simple-minded. Nuclear weapons are only one aspect of a multi-faceted
strategy aimed at achieving regional hegemony. Particularly since the overthrow
of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, Iran's expansionist policies have gone into
overdrive. By supplying arms and training to various proxies helpful to its
interests and using them to carry out terrorist campaigns around the Middle East
and beyond, Iran has exponentially increased the region's instability and then
taken advantage of the chaos."
The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force, Qasem
Soleimani, has hinted that Tehran's long-term objective is to become a world
power by gaining control over the global oil supply. In a February 2014
interview with Fars News, he said:
"The Shia crescent is not political. The Shia crescent is an economic crescent —
and the most important economic issue in the world is oil. We know that 70% of
global oil reserves are located in Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, where 80% of the
oil is located in Shiite areas of the country such as Dammam and Qatif."
Middle East analyst Raman Ghavami wrote:
"Yemen is not an isolated war but intrinsically linked to Iran's wider regional
strategy. Unless this aspect begins to be highlighted more insistently, it is
difficult to see any lasting peace in Yemen — a treaty could be signed, but as
Iran faces other problems it could return to destabilizing Yemen because it is a
crucial part of Iran's Shia Crescent into Saudi Arabia."
The importance of Yemen's geostrategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea
and across from the Horn of Africa was noted by retired IDF Lt.-Col. Michael
(Mickey) Segall:
"Iran views Yemen, in general, and the northern Shia sector in particular, as a
convenient staging ground for subversive activity against Saudi Arabia, its main
religious-political rival in the Middle East, via the Saudis' 'backyard.'
"Iran also sees Yemen as an important factor in its policy of establishing a
physical Iranian presence, both ground and naval, in the countries and ports of
the Red Sea littoral, which control the shipping lanes that lead from the
Persian Gulf to the heart of the Middle East and onward to Europe.
"If the Shia rebels gain control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Iran can attain a
foothold in this sensitive region giving access to the Red Sea and the Suez
Canal, a cause of concern not only for its sworn rivals Saudi Arabia, Egypt and
the Gulf states, but also for Israel and European countries along the
Mediterranean."
Iran and the Houthis
Analysts are divided on the question of how much influence Iran wields over the
Houthis. Some say that the Houthis are fiercely independent and are more an ally
to Iran than an actual proxy in the mold of Hezbollah. Iran's ideological and
religious influence on the Houthis, nevertheless, has been documented:
Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, the founder and chief ideologue of the Houthi
movement, lived for a time in Qom, the main city in Iran for Shia religious
studies, where he is said to have focused on the works of Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution, who in 1979 transformed Iran
into an Islamic theocracy.
Al-Houthi reportedly believed that Yemen should be modeled on the Islamic
Republic of Iran. One of his books is called "Iran in the Philosophy of Hussein
Houthi."
The Houthi movement's anti-American and anti-Semitic slogan — "Allahu Akbar!
Death to America! Death to Israel! Curse the Jews! Victory to Islam!" — appears
to have been inspired by Khomeini, who had popularized the call for "Death to
America" during the Iranian revolution.
Iran has been shipping weapons to the Houthis since at least 2009, according to
a 2015 report by a UN Panel of Experts. "Current military Iranian support to
Houthis in Yemen is consistent with patterns of arms transfers going back to
more than five years to date," the UN report said.
The UN document, presented to the Security Council's Iran Sanctions Committee in
June 2015, reported that in April 2009, an unnamed Iranian vessel unloaded
crates of weapons onto Yemeni boats. The crates were then delivered in batches
to the Saada Governate, where the Houthi movement is based.
In October 2009, Yemeni authorities seized an Iranian ship, the Mahan 1, which
was believed to be carrying weapons for the Houthis.
In February 2011, Yemen authorities intercepted an Iranian fishing vessel in
Yemeni territorial waters. The vessel was carrying "900 Iranian-made anti-tank
and anti-helicopter rockets," apparently intended for Houthi rebels.
In June 2012, an Iranian ship, the Imdad 1, sailed from an Iranian military port
in Bandar Abbas to Yemen. The vessel was carrying weapons, which were unloaded
into small boats and taken to Ash Shirh, a small port in southern Yemen, and
then delivered to Houthis in the Saada Governate.
In January 2013, a joint US-Yemen patrol intercepted an Iranian ship, the Jihan
1, which was carrying 40 tons of weapons, including surface-to-air missiles,
destined for Houthi insurgents. A UN Monitoring Report later indicated that some
of the cargo may have been bound for al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.
In December 2014, the Reuters news agency confirmed — from Yemeni, Western and
Iranian sources — that Iran had been supplying weapons, money and training to
the Houthis before and after their takeover of Sanaa. The report said that
Houthis were receiving military training in Iran and Lebanon. "We think there is
cash, some of which is channeled via Hezbollah and sacks of cash arriving at the
airport," a Western source said. "The numbers of those going for training are
enough for us to worry about."
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the Quds Force — the external arm of
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — had a "few hundred" military
personnel in Yemen in 2014 to train Houthi fighters. He added:
"Everything is about the balance of power in the region. Iran wants a powerful
Shiite presence in the region that is why it has got involved in Yemen as well."
A Yemeni official had then shown Reuters a breakdown of the cargo of the Jihan
1. It included Katyusha rockets, heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles,
Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers, Iranian-made night vision
goggles and artillery systems that can track land and navy targets 40 kilometers
(25 miles) away. There were also silencers, nearly three tons of RDX explosives,
C-4 explosives, ammunition, bullets and electrical transistors. Reuters
concluded:
"The assertions are likely to reinforce Saudi, and Western, fears that Iran is
exploiting turmoil between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon,
Bahrain and now Yemen."
In March 2015, Tehran announced the beginning of an "air bridge" between Iran
and Sanaa with a twice-daily shuttle service operated by Mahan Air, an Iranian
government-controlled airline used by the IRGC Quds Force to ferry trainers and
equipment to warzones. Hundreds of Hezbollah operatives, as well as members of
the Iranian military, were said to have been transported from Yemen to Iran and
back.
In September 2015, the Australian Navy intercepted a dhow containing anti-tank
guided munitions, tripods, launch tubes, launcher assembly units and missile
guidance sets. The weapons were reportedly destined for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In February 2016, Saudi Arabia stopped a ship that was carrying military
communications equipment under the guise of carrying medical supplies. The
vessel, which was on its way to Houthi rebels in Yemen, began its journey in the
southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Also that month, the Australian Navy
intercepted a dhow that was carrying 2,000 AK-47s, 100 RPG launchers, and other
weapons.
In March 2016, U.S. Navy ships in the Arabian Sea seized an arms shipment from
Iran likely bound for Houthi fighters. The weapons seized were hidden on a small
dhow and included 1,500 AK-47 rifles, 200 rocket-propelled grenade launchers,
and 21 machine guns. Also that month, a French destroyer seized almost 2,000
AK-47s, dozens of Dragunov sniper rifles, nine antitank missiles, and other
equipment.
In November 2016, the UK-based think tank Conflict Armament Research (CAR)
reported the existence of an arms "pipeline" originating in Iran and extending
to Yemen and Somalia:
"CAR's analysis of the seized materiel, and its investigations into the dhow
trade around the Horn of Africa, suggests the existence of a weapon pipeline
extending from Iran to Somalia and Yemen, which involves the transfer, by dhow,
of significant quantities of Iranian-manufactured weapons and weapons that
plausibly derive from Iranian stockpiles."
In October 2016, Reuters reported that Iran had increased weapons transfers to
the Houthis through Oman, which neighbors Yemen.
In March 2017, Reuters noted that Iran had stepped up its support for the
Houthis by sending advanced weapons and military advisers to Yemen. A senior
Iranian official said that Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds
Force, met top IRGC officials in Tehran in February 2017 to look at ways to
"empower" the Houthis. "At this meeting, they agreed to increase the amount of
help, through training, arms and financial support," the official said. "Yemen
is where the real proxy war is going on and winning the battle in Yemen will
help define the balance of power in the Middle East."
Also that month, CAR reported that Iran was supplying the Houthis with
"kamikaze" drones to attack Saudi-led coalition missile defense systems:
"The use of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) illustrates the Houthi and
Saleh-aligned forces' ability to employ low-cost technology against the
Coalition's sophisticated military assets. Their acquisition of Iranian-designed
Qasef-1 UAVs supports allegations that Iran continues to bolster the capacity of
Houthi and Saleh-aligned forces through the transfer of new technology and
advanced weaponry."
In August 2017, Reuters disclosed that Iran had begun smuggling weapons into
Yemen via Kuwait in an effort to evade an international arms embargo on the
Houthis. Using this new route, Iranian ships were said to be transferring
equipment to smaller vessels in the northern Persian Gulf, where they would face
less scrutiny. The transshipments were reportedly taking place in Kuwaiti waters
and nearby international shipping lanes. "Parts of missiles, launchers and drugs
are smuggled into Yemen via Kuwaiti waters," a senior Iranian official told
Reuters. "The route sometimes is used for transferring cash as well." The
official added that "what is especially smuggled recently, or to be precise in
the past six months, are parts of missiles that cannot be produced in Yemen."
In November 2017, Houthi rebels launched a missile strike at the Saudi capital
Riyadh, targeting King Khalid International Airport. The missile used was a
Burkan-2, which is based on the Iranian Qiam ballistic missile. The attack
demonstrated that the Houthis were capable of reaching deep into Saudi
territory.
In March 2018, CAR reported that Iran was supplying the Houthis with
sophisticated radio-controlled improvised explosive devices (RCIEDs):
"The specific components of the RCIEDs employed by Houthi forces in Yemen are
identical to components in an RCIED seized by Bahraini security forces from
Iranian-backed militants and documented by CAR in Bahrain. These components are
also identical to those interdicted by Yemeni security forces on board the Jihan
1 cargo vessel, while en route from Iran, in 2013."
In January 2018, a UN Panel of Experts report on Yemen noted:
"The Panel has identified missile remnants, related military equipment and
military unmanned aerial vehicles that are of Iranian origin and were brought
into Yemen after the imposition of the targeted arms embargo. As a result, the
Panel finds that the Islamic Republic of Iran is in non-compliance with
paragraph 14 of resolution 2216 (2015) in that it failed to take the necessary
measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of Borkan-2H
short-range ballistic missiles, field storage tanks for liquid bipropellant
oxidizer for missiles and Ababil-T (Qasef-1) unmanned aerial vehicles to the
then Houthi-Saleh alliance."
On March 25, 2018, Saudi air defenses intercepted seven ballistic missiles fired
by Houthi rebels at Riyadh, where one man was killed from debris, as well as at
the southern cities of Najran, Jizan and Khamis Mushait. Two weeks later, on
April 11, 2018, Saudi air defense forces intercepted a ballistic missile over
Riyadh. Houthi media outlets said that the missile was targeted at the Saudi
defense ministry.
In May 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on five Iranian individuals who "provided
ballistic missile-related technical expertise to Yemen's Houthis, and who
transferred weapons not seen in Yemen prior to the current conflict, on behalf
of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)."
In July 2018, Houthi leaders reportedly ordered their followers and loyalists in
rebel-controlled government institutions, including schools and universities, to
organize seminars and events to commemorate the Iranian Revolution. The streets
of Sanaa were decorated with posters encouraging the people to repeat Khomeini
chants. The rebels also dispatched convoys mounted with loudspeakers to
broadcast recordings by Houthi founder, Hussein al-Houthi, and his brother and
their current leader, Abdul Malek.
In November 2018, the US special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, provided
evidence of Iranian missile proliferation to Yemen. He showed the remains of
Sayyad-2C surface-to-air missile intercepted in Yemen by Saudi Arabia. The
missile, emblazoned with the words "The Hunter Missile" in Farsi, was evidently
intended for the Houthis. Hook said that Iran also is exporting antitank guided
missiles: Toophan missiles were seized aboard a dhow ship in the Persian Gulf,
and Towsan missiles were found by Saudi Arabia during a raid in Yemen.
In January 2019, Houthi rebels used an Iranian-supplied drone to attack a
pro-government military parade at the Al-Anad military base. Yemen's chief of
military intelligence, Major General Mohammad Saleh Tamah, and the Yemeni army's
deputy chief of staff, Major General Saleh Al-Zindani, died of wounds sustained
in the attack. The attack proved Iran's role in arming the rebels with drone and
ballistic missile technology.
On January 25, a UN Panel of Experts report on Yemen revealed that fuel was
being shipped illegally from Iran to Houthi rebels to finance their war against
the Yemeni government. The report also said that the panel "has traced the
supply to the Houthis of unmanned aerial vehicles and a mixing machine for
rocket fuel and found that individuals and entities of Iranian origin have
funded the purchase."
In February 2019, U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller accused Iran of
"throwing gasoline on the fire" of conflicts across the Middle East:
"We see Iran as one of the major forces that is trying to foster instability.
Step back for a moment and look at what we have in Yemen. We have a non-state
actor, a militia, that has overthrown the government, and yet it is receiving
arms, equipment and a support from a state, Iran."
In March 2019, Saudi-led coalition forces reported that during the month they
had shot down four Iranian-supplied drones.
Hezbollah and the Houthis
In addition to direct support from Iran, Houthi rebels are also receiving help
from the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah.
In 2014, for instance, several Hezbollah operatives were arrested in Yemen and
held on charges of training Houthi rebels. The men were members of Hezbollah's
Unit 3800, an expeditionary militia modelled on the Iranian Quds Force and aimed
at spreading Iran's revolution to other countries.
Earlier, in August 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury had sanctioned a
former Hezbollah commander, Khalil Harb, for his command of Hezbollah activities
in Yemen from 2012 onward. Harb had been found responsible for the movement of
"large amounts of currency" to Yemen. Hezbollah also helped the Houthis
establish their first satellite television channel, Al Masirah TV, which is
based in Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs.
In May 2015, the Financial Times reported that ties between Hezbollah and the
Houthis stretch back over a decade and that hundreds of Lebanese and Iranian
advisors have provided training to Houthi fighters in Yemen. "This is not a
relationship with one side in control and the other mindlessly following," a
Houthi operative interviewed in Beirut said. "We exchange experience and
ideology. We have our own character, our own way of doing things. The goal is
not to build a Hezbollah model in Yemen."
In February 2016, Yemeni President Hadi claimed that he had received a letter
from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah that read, "Our fighters
arrived in Yemen to teach the Yemeni people the essence of governing."
Also that month, the Saudi Arabia-owned Al Arabiya news network posted a video
of what it claimed was a meeting between Hezbollah commander Abu Saleh and
Houthi forces in Yemen. The video shows a man in military fatigues addressing a
group in Lebanese-accented Arabic about training for "martyrdom" operations
inside Saudi Arabia.
In March 2016, an unnamed Hezbollah commander interviewed by the magazine
Foreign Affairs about his group's support for the Houthis remarked: "After we
are done with Syria, we will start with Yemen, Hezbollah is already there....
Who do you think fires Tochka missiles into Saudi Arabia? It's not the Houthis
in their sandals, it's us."
In June 2018, Saudi-led coalition forces said that they had killed eight
Hezbollah fighters in the mountainous Saada region in north-western Yemen.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said the Hezbollah fighters were
part of a group heading to the Saudi border when they were spotted:
"Terrorist members from Hezbollah and from the Iranian regime are coming to help
the rebels launch ballistic missiles and train them in combat. Both Iran and
Hezbollah must stop sending military experts to Yemen."
In August 2018, Hezbollah revealed that its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had met
with a delegation headed by Houthi spokesman Mohamad Abdelsalam to discuss the
war in Yemen.
Conclusion
Although questions remain about the degree to which Iran can control or
influence Houthi behavior, the ongoing war in Yemen has increased the Houthis
dependence on weapons and financial support from Iran, whose position in Yemen
is stronger than ever.
Since the October 2018 murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul,
the tide of world opinion has turned against Saudi Arabia — a turn of events
Iran will be sure to exploit. Even if the warring sides eventually reach a peace
agreement, Iran's presence in Yemen is unlikely to diminish anytime soon.
Current affairs analyst Gerald M. Feierstein noted:
"Hard-line elements [in Iran] appear to see the continuation of the conflict [in
Yemen] as a relatively low-cost and low-risk means of sustaining political,
economic, and military pressure on the Saudis. Saudi Arabia's intervention has
reportedly cost between $5 billion and $6 billion a month, while Iran's
expenditures in Yemen probably total only millions a year."
Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yemany has accused Iran of ordering the
Houthis not to implement the Stockholm Agreement, aimed at winding down the
conflict, after first directing the Houthis to accept the agreement:
"The Houthis' intransigence confirms their loyalty to Iran's negotiating
tactics. These usually begin with implicit approval of negotiating solutions,
followed by complete retraction in order to force the international community to
make more concessions and impose a fait accompli on the Yemeni government and
Arab coalition."
Even without Iranian pressure, as the UN panel of experts has observed, the
Houthis have little incentive to cooperate:
"The Houthis believe that they only have to survive and outlast the Saudi
Arabia-led coalition in order to 'win' the war, which limits their willingness
to negotiate. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition, on the other hand, is faced with
four broad choices: (a) unilaterally cease hostilities and leave the Houthis in
control; (b) mount a massive ground invasion with no guarantee of success and
certain casualties; (c) continue to carry out airstrikes and hope for different
results [after four years of fighting] .... or (d) attempt to resurrect ... an
anti-Houthi coalition.... The Panel does not believe that any side is in a
position to secure an outright military victory."
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has said that he will not allow Iran to
establish a "Persian" state in Yemen. The UN panel of experts, however, has
concluded that Yemen's ability to remove the Houthis (much less the Iranians)
from northern Yemen is limited: "The authority of the legitimate Government of
Yemen has now eroded to the point that it is doubtful whether it will ever be
able to reunite Yemen as a single country."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Why Do Qatar, Turkey Defend the Revolutionary Guards?
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/April 11/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73752/%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%B9/
Our region is going through a historic phase. Important decisions are made to
reorganize chaos. History will not overlook those who stood with terrorism and
those who fought it; those who claimed to be combating extremism while being in
the same trench.
One of the most revealing stances of regional countries’ orientation is the
attack by Qatar and Turkey on the US decision to include the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards on its terrorism list. Yes, Qatar and Turkey defend the
terrorist group that has carried out hostile activities in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon,
Afghanistan, Argentina, Germany, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kenya, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Qatar and Turkey defend the terrorist group that planned in 2011 a terrorist
attack targeting the Saudi ambassador in Washington on US soil. Qatar and Turkey
defend the terrorist group that a US federal court in 2011 charged with the
bombing of Khobar Towers in 1996, which killed 19 Americans.
Finally, Qatar and Turkey defend the terrorist group, which continues to provide
financial and material support, training and advanced-technology and
conventional weapons to a wide range of terrorist organizations, including
Hezbollah, Hezbollah’s Brigades in Iraq and Al-Ashtar Brigades in Bahrain, and
other terrorist groups in Syria and across the Gulf.
No one disagrees with the famous saying: There is no specific definition for
terrorism. It is somewhat correct and logical. However, certain countries went
as far as covering a well-established terrorist group against which legal
charges were made, and proven killings were established. This is a new situation
in the world that brings us back to four decades ago, when countries such as
Gaddafi’s Libya, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and some south American countries,
publicly supported groups that hijack aircraft, terrorize civilians and
assassinate opponents.
If there are countries that demand that the Revolutionary Guards be given the
legitimacy of not being held accountable for their crimes, it would be possible
to do the same with Al-Nusra Front, for example.
All of them are terrorists and all of them are supported by states. We will not
be surprised to see that those, who defend the Revolutionary Guards today, will
also back Al-Nusra Front, even though they are currently doing so through their
multimedia tools and platforms in Qatar and Turkey in particular.
But why do Qatar and Turkey take the risk to stand up against the majority of
the world’s countries and express their support for the Guards? In my opinion,
this revolutionary position is due to three reasons. The first is that the
Turkish-Iranian-Qatari alliance does not allow for public criticism by any of
these three countries against the other.
Second, Iran will not accept its allies to abandon it in such circumstances and
in response, can take measures against their interests. The third reason is that
both Qatar and Turkey are gradually raising the ceiling against US interests,
considering that the current confrontation against Iran was provoked by Trump’s
administration, and thus, they are betting on the possibility to face the storm
until Trump leaves the White House in around two years. Such bet is very similar
to that of a person, who dumps his savings in Las Vegas casinos and then awaits
great profits.
Imagine that the Turkish foreign minister says: “Such decisions (classifying the
Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group) would lead to instability in our
region.” His Qatari counterpart goes as far as to consider the decision as
“unilateral” and says: “Iran has a regional and geographical position, which
requires us to look at them differently.”
The joint Turkish-Qatari position is nothing but an explicit expression of the
efforts of the Turkish-Qatari-Iranian coalition to establish the “safe havens”
project for terrorist groups. This means that the governments turn a blind eye
because they have common objectives with terrorists, as in Iraq, Lebanon or
Syria. These countries make implicit deals with terrorists as long as their
actions are not directed against these governments and are consistent with their
interests.
Without a strong international campaign against “safe havens” for terrorists,
efforts will be scattered and useless. What is the benefit of an international
coalition against terrorism while countries such as Turkey, Qatar and Iran give
it legitimacy and a legal cover?!
How Populists Can Ruin a Global Recovery
Ferdinando Giugliano/Bloomberg View/April 11/19
There is a strange sound of relief coming out of the International Monetary
Fund.
The IMF has slashed its global growth forecasts to the lowest level since the
financial crisis, but it also believes policy makers may have stepped in just in
time to avoid a turn for the worse.
Central bankers deserve credit for pausing on their long road back to a more
normal monetary policy. This has helped to bring some calm to financial markets
and may help to lift growth in the second half of this year. But it’s illusory
to think that the monetary authorities can save the global economy as they did
in the wake of the Great Recession. From Europe to the US, if politicians decide
to mess things up, there is little to stop them.
The IMF cut its global growth estimates for 2019 to 3.3 percent from 3.5 percent
in January, the lowest level since 2009. The twice-yearly World Economic Outlook
notes the sharp slowdown at the end of last year, but forecasts a pick up in the
second half of 2019. World output is forecast to expand by 3.6 percent in 2020,
in line with expectations from three months ago.
The IMF says the return of central bank accommodation has helped to ease
financial conditions. The US Federal Reserve has stopped raising interest rates
since December, as there is no sign inflation is overheating in spite of a
robust labor market. The European Central Bank in March pushed back its first
interest rate rise until at least next year, as it launched a new program of
cheap loans to banks.
These decisions – however wise – are a sideshow to the real risks facing the
world economy. Gone are the days when central bankers were the masters of the
universe, with the power to lift the global outlook if only they deployed the
right instrument. The election of populist administrations, from the US to
Italy, has put politicians back at the center of the economic scene and,
unfortunately, not for good reasons.
The IMF identifies three main areas where politicians have the potential to do
serious harm to the global economy. The first is global commerce: President
Donald Trump has already caused havoc in the financial markets with his trade
confrontation with China. He is now threatening to do the same with the EU.
Trade wars do not just put a brake on the growth of exports, as foreign demand
collapses. They also undermine confidence generally, leading to lower business
investment. While central banks can ease monetary policy to encourage companies
to borrow, this is insufficient so long as uncertainty persists. As the economy
slows, the labor market also cools, putting a further brake on internal demand.
The second risk relates to a possible no-deal Brexit, which the IMF estimates
could plunge the UK into a recession. Here politicians are only partly to blame:
After all, Britons chose to leave the EU in a referendum. But the nation’s
political class has spent the period since the vote dithering and postponing
crucial choices, which have pushed Britain beyond the original departing line
without a clear plan on what to do. Until a final agreement is found, a “no
deal” Brexit is still possible. This has the potential to cause severe harm to
the British economy. For example, a sharp increase in trade barriers to trade
with the European Union would be devastating, and the Bank of England would have
no powers to stop this.
Finally, there is Italy. The IMF believes its uncertain fiscal outlook and the
existing “doom loop” between the banks and the sovereign still have the
potential to cause havoc in the financial markets. Last autumn, the Italian
government averted a full-blown confrontation with the European Commission,
which helped to push down its bond yields. But Italy’s politicians, particularly
Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, are back discussing plans for new fiscal
giveaways. These include a cut in income taxes, which they like to refer to as a
“flat tax.”
The government needs to come up with a credible plan to keep the budget deficit
and public debt under control. For now, it continues to rely on a raft of VAT
increases for the coming years – but officials also vow this will not happen.
The European Central Bank has strict limits on assistance it can provide, and
would only be able to offer support if politicians signed up to a program of
fiscal restraint and reforms. Once again, central bankers would be able to do
little if politicians chose not to play along.
The future of the global economy now depends on a new crop of anti-establishment
politicians. Given their recent track record, that’s not an encouraging
prospect.
Trump Offers Clarity on Iran’s Terrorist Aims
Eli Lake/Bloomberg View/April 11/19
For more than 30 years, successive US administrations have called Iran what it
is: a state sponsor of terrorism. Leaders of its military and intelligence
agencies have been sanctioned, while the terror groups Iran supports have faced
military action as well as sanctions.
Until now, however, the main organization responsible for founding, funding and
training many of these groups has not been placed in the same category as its
clients like Hezbollah. On Monday, President Donald Trump upended that precedent
and designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as the IRGC, as a
foreign terrorist organization.
This is a dramatic escalation with real consequences. There is a difference
between saying a state is a sponsor of terrorism and calling an arm of a state
an actual terrorist organization. The designation will make the IRGC even more
financially toxic than it already is, says Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of
the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The threshold is now lower for proving that someone is providing material
support to the IRGC. The designation also makes any non-Iranians who wittingly
or unwittingly do business with the IRGC vulnerable to having their US visas
revoked. This is an even more powerful disincentive for Europeans to invest in
Iran, says Dubowitz, because the IRGC’s tentacles reach into most aspects of
Iran’s economy.
Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, the IRGC, and particularly its elite Quds
Force, have been devoted to spreading that revolution abroad. Despite the
efforts of past US administrations, Iran has never ended its support for
terrorist organizations. Indeed, following the completion of negotiations over
Iran’s nuclear program in 2015, the IRGC became even more aggressive in
supporting terrorist proxies in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
All that said, there are two basic objections to this move. The first is that
this designation may provoke Iran to target US forces. Dan Coats, the director
of national intelligence, obliquely made this point in testimony to Congress in
January. “We assess that unprofessional interactions conducted by the Iranian
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy against US ships in the Persian
Gulf, which have been less frequent during the past year, could resume should
Iran seek to project an image of strength in response to US pressure,” he said.
The New York Times reports similar worries among other top military and
intelligence officials.
Make no mistake: These threats are real. Already, Iranian government officials
have promised a response to the designation. The mistake is thinking that
pressure alone is provocative to Tehran. So are entreaties. In the days leading
up to the final implementation of the nuclear deal in 2016, for example, the
IRGC briefly took US sailors hostage and released a humiliating video of the
incident after they were released.
The second objection is the designation further undermines the 2015 Iran nuclear
deal. A progressive group chaired by alumni of the Obama administration made
this point in a Twitter thread Monday. They say it’s an effort to deter
investment in Iran and possibly provoke the Iranians into breaking the deal’s
limits on uranium enrichment, with which they have largely abided since Trump
vacated the deal nearly a year ago.
Some see this objection as a point in Trump’s favor. “It makes it much more
difficult for a Democratic president to go back into the Iran deal in 2021,”
says Dubowitz, who favors the designation. Any future administration would have
to make a determination that the IRGC was out of the terrorism business.
Determining that the IRGC is no longer engaged in terrorism is about as likely
as determining that the IRS is no longer engaged in collecting taxes. It’s in
the organization’s nature. This is why Trump’s statement said the designation
“underscores the fact that Iran’s actions are fundamentally different from those
of other governments.”
This is a point that the narrow nuclear agreement, by dealing only with Iran’s
nuclear program and not its support for terrorism, tried to evade. Now the US
government has formally recognized that a key part of Iran’s military is legally
indistinguishable from the terrorist groups it has been sponsoring for decades.
Trump’s strategy, unlike his predecessor’s, begins with the premise that Iran is
an outlaw state — and treats it as such until it changes its behavior.
The Awful Country That Everyone Wants to Move To?
Justin Fox/Asharq Al Awsat/April 11/19
Mercer, the global human resources consulting firm, this week released its 21st
annual Quality of Living list, which ranks cities around the world based on
economic conditions, housing, health care, public services, safety, natural
environment and other metrics. For the 10th year in a row, Vienna came out on
top, with Zurich, Vancouver, Munich, Auckland, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt,
Copenhagen, Geneva and Basel rounding out the top 10. The top US city on the
list was San Francisco, all the way down in 34th place. London, the top UK city,
was at 41st — tied with Milan, the top Italian city. Paris was 39th, New York
44th, Tokyo 49th, Beijing 120th, Baghdad 231st and last.
When I posted some of these results on Twitter, it occasioned lots of fun
discussion and debate from people appalled that Ottawa ranked so high(19th) or
Seoul so low (77th) or that so many of the cities near the top of the list are
so ... boring. I also got a bunch of responses, starting with one from Hoover
Institution economist (and super-podcaster) Russell Roberts, that effectively
asked, “If the quality of living is so low in US cities, why do so many people
from around the world keep trying to move here?”
It’s a good question! Part of the explanation is simply that Mercer’s Quality of
Living rankings exist to help corporate clients make decisions ranging from
“where to establish offices to determining how to distribute, house and
remunerate their global workforces,” as Ilya Bonic, president of the firm’s
careers business, put it in the news release that accompanied this year’s
ranking. That is, the list measures where skilled managers and professionals
with families, good salaries and ample benefits packages who are assigned or
recruited to a new city by a multinational firm might find the transition
easiest and most pleasant. Most immigrants to the US (or to anywhere) aren’t in
that boat!
But the notion that people all over the world are itching to move to the US and
not to any other rich countries is mistaken. All but three of the countries with
cities that outranked San Francisco on the Mercer list have higher percentages
of foreign-born residents than the US.
Luxembourg is so tiny (population 602,005) that it seems a little silly to
include here, and most of these other countries are much smaller than the US,
which has far and away the largest number of foreign-born residents of any
country 1 and remains the top destination country for new immigrants. But
Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK, which combined have about two-thirds the
population of the US, together took in 23 percent more immigrants from 2010 to
2016 than the US did.
Those immigrants did not, it must be said, include droves of Americans looking
to score some of that higher quality of life in Europe, Canada or the Antipodes.
As economist-turned-supersonic-jet-booster Eli Dourado wrote a few months ago:
Not only are there relatively few US-born residents of Sweden, but there are
also more than twice as many Swedish-born residents of the US. Something similar
is true of almost all the other countries from the above chart.
There are a bunch of reasons why these disparities don’t necessarily mean that
the quality-of-life rankings are wrong or that Nordic social democracy is a
sham. One is that the Americans who would benefit most from Nordic social
democracy — poor people — generally can’t afford to go to Europe, and they would
have a hard time getting permission to stay there. By contrast, the Europeans
who could benefit most from the lower taxes and higher top incomes of the US
tend to be well-educated, entrepreneurial sorts who can afford to come here and
often are allowed to stay. Also, most Europe-born residents of the US have been
here for quite a while: 65 percent arrived before 2000, and 36.7 percent of
those from northern and western Europe were 65 and older in 2017, compared with
14.9 percent of the overall US population. Finally, Swedes can speak English.
Few Americans speak Swedish.
That language disparity gets at something crucial. Since World War II, the US
has been the planet’s central cultural, economic, military, political,
scientific and technological power. For many of those born to affluence in other
countries who now live in the US, that’s why they came here: It’s where the
action was. Unless they wanted to be, say, soccer stars, ambitious US citizens
had far less reason to emigrate — and US citizens also had less interest in and
knowledge of the outside world than the outside world had in and of them.
The world is getting less US-centric, though. If you adjust for purchasing
power, China now has a bigger economy. Universities elsewhere have been chipping
away at US research dominance. The current US president has been actively
downgrading this country’s global political role. So it stands to reason that
the US might exert less automatic attractive power going forward, and that
factors like quality of life might play a bigger role in determining whether
people come here or not.
For those hoping to stay, the US also has a good (if far from spotless) track
record of integrating immigrants into its labor force and society, which can’t
be said of some continental European nations. Lots of people are still going to
want to come to the US. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore experts bearing
tidings that we’re second-rate.
Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya: Iran and
Turkey Will Leave Syria, Russia’s UN Ambassador Tells Asharq Al-Awsat
New York - Ali Barada/ Asharq Al-Awsat/April, 11/2019
In his first ever interview with an Arab media outlet, Russian Permanent
Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said that the world order
"has been the same" since its inception following the Second World War despite
the emergence of "new centers of power." However, he acknowledged "new
challenges and threats" such as terrorism, drug trafficking and uncontrolled
migration.
While defending the "legitimacy" of the Russian presence in Syria, he stressed
that everyone, including the Iranians, Turks and others, should eventually leave
that country. He asserted that the current situation in Idlib "cannot be held
frozen forever," adding that the Astana process is "the only effective mechanism
to achieve stability" in Syria, and expecting that the UN Special Envoy Geir
Pedersen will "soon" announce the composition of the Constitutional Committee.
He said that Moscow had called for a "platform" to discuss regional problems in
the Middle East and North Africa, and that will happen "sooner or later". He
noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been advocating an idea
similar to the "Helsinki process."
He revealed that intensive political contacts between the Russian and Saudi
leaderships show that both Moscow and Riyadh consider that "the potential of
conflict... has a very negative impact, not only on regional security, but also
on global security and stability." He asserted the Russian Federation's
appreciation to the role played by Saudi Arabia "as one of the most influential
countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region" in many issues, particularly
in Yemen, Syria and other countries in the region, pointing out that the Kingdom
has a "very constructive role" in the Yemeni crisis.
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat about the return of Russia in the last ten
years as a superpower, the Russian diplomat, whose country has veto power, has
spoken about other issues such as Libya, Venezuela and other crises in the
world.
* Russia has reemerged in the past 10 years as a global superpower, including in
the Middle East. We hear people talking about going back to the Cold War. Others
may say: we’re heading towards a new world order. What are your insights?
- The central element of the system of global relations that emerged in the
aftermath of the Second World War is the UN and its Charter.
A new world order was born every time after devastating wars. That was the case
with the Peace of Westphalia, the Vienna Congress and the Concert of Nations or
the United Nations. I would hate even to contemplate another similar reason for
a new world order. As Albert Einstein once said: I don’t know what the weapons
of a Third World War will be, but in the Fourth they will fight with sticks and
stones.
We had tectonic events in the past, like crumbling down of a colonial system,
the end of the Cold War and associated ideological divide. Yet nobody was saying
that we entered a new world order then. And history didn’t end as Francis
Fukuyama claimed.
Of course, things change. Balances of power shift. New centers of power emerge.
This is reflected in the debate on the reform of the UN Security Council where
we advocate its manageable expansion with the developing countries of Africa,
Asia and Latin America, which are clearly underrepresented. However, there is
another troubling trend. The art of compromise has been severely compromised in
recent years. The unwillingness and inability to recognize that the world is not
unipolar anymore, that it is not one-bloc dominated lead to attempts to create
various “coalitions of the willing”, alliances of like-minded that pay lip
service to international law while acting with total disregard to it. A new
concept has been invented – “a rules-based order” which provides for the
establishment of some “rules” cherished in a like-minded group, but unaccepted
by a large part of the international community, let alone adopted anywhere.
Besides, new challenges and threats emerge, like terrorism, drug trafficking,
uncontrolled migration. New political technologies are employed, like naming and
shaming states whereby the accusation itself becomes the verdict. We live in
what many call a “post-truth” world.
Still, regardless of this, the world order remains the same as it was created
after World War II.
* Syria probably has been the clearer manifestation on Russia’s rise in today’s
world. Have you accomplished your mission in Syria’s war? Do you expect Iran,
Turkey, the US and others to leave Syria?
- Russia’s presence in Syria is legal. It is there on the request of the
legitimate government to assist it in countering the terrorist threat. Iran, by
the way, is present there legally too. No one else was invited, as we all know.
All those who are present in Syria without invitation, should eventually leave
the country.
Despite severe damage caused to ISIS in Syria, the terrorist threat is not
completely eradicated and remains significant. Another terrorist group, Hay'at
Tahrir al-Sham (aka Nusra), has strengthened its positions in the North of
Syria. It is now enclaved in Idlib, where Nusra militants established their
rules and basically assumed the functions of local authorities. The situation
cannot be held frozen forever. It should be addressed. That is why recently we
have intensified contacts with our Turkish partners on the Idlib de-escalation
zone. We fully realize that Idlib is home to a large civilian population,
including IDPs from other parts of Syria. We know that they suffer under the
rule of terrorists and dream to be spared of their “authority”. But of course,
civilians should not become “collateral damage” of the legitimate fight against
terrorists.
Our partners are urging the Syrian authorities and Astana guarantors to honor
their agreements and spare civilians, alarming of a humanitarian disaster in
case of large-scale hostilities. At the same time, they are not as consistent
when they conduct military operations against terrorists in the Northeast of
Syria where, as you know, a large number of civilians fell victim to aerial
bombing of the Coalition.
* What do you expect specifically from the new UN special Envoy Geir Pedersen?
- We maintain dialogue with Special Envoy Geir Pedersen on the political
settlement in Syria both bilaterally and through the Astana process. Astana
format turned out to be the only effective mechanism to achieve stabilization
“on the ground” in Syria. We stand ready to further assist the Special Envoy in
making the political settlement sustainable. We expect that soon he will be able
to announce the conclusion of the composition of the Constitutional Committee
and to start its work. We count on the Special Envoy and hope he will establish
trust with all the stakeholders while remaining impartial. This is the key to
success for any mediator.
* You said that the Astana Process turned out to be the only effective mechanism
on the ground. Do you want the Special Envoy to embrace the Astana Process?
- The Astana Process is part of a larger settlement, starting with UNSC
resolution 2254 and through the Congress of National Dialogue, which gave birth
to the Constitutional Committee. Special Envoy Pedersen is willing to
participate in Astana, because this process discusses important issues, which he
in particular is interested in, like prisoners exchange for example. As far as I
know, he is planning to participate in the upcoming meeting in Astana, Nur
Sultan now, on the 25-26 of this month.
* Mentioning the name of Kazakhstan capital, is the name of the process going to
be changed?
- No, they are keeping the name as the Astana Process.
* You also mentioned that the Constitutional Committee will be formed soon, when
should we expect that?
- There is no exact timeline, but the Special Envoy himself said there are a few
little brush strokes that have to be applied before he can announce that the
issue is closed, and start the work of the Committee.
* What would you say about what happened recently regarding the US recognition
of Golan as part of Israel? Are you in Russia trying not to touch anything in
relation with Israel, including when they hit targets deep in Syria? The Russian
army is there but not protecting Syria’s sovereignty when it comes to Israel.
You are asking all the uninvited to leave Syria except the Russians, the
Iranians and the Israelis.
- I think we will eventually go too when time is right and when the conditions
are ripe, and we will do this in consultation with the Syrian government.
Iranians are there legitimately too because they were invited. They will go when
the Syrian government decides their assistance is no longer necessary.
* They will leave?
- I think eventually all should leave when Syria is stabilized. But there are
parties in Syria who were never invited there, like the US, the French and some
others. Israel’s presence in the Golan began before the Syrian conflict. It is a
long story. We never recognized Golan as part of Israel. It is part of Syria. We
supported all the resolutions that say so. And indeed we condemned the US
decision. But we are having good relations with Israel. Israel is our partner in
the Middle East, as much as all the Arab states. We are lucky and proud that we
are one of the major powers that enjoys good relations with anyone and everybody
in the region without exception.
* What about Turkey?
- Yes, Turkey also was not invited. That’s true. But Turkey is an important
partner in the Astana Process, in the process of the Syrian settlement. Turkey
has its own concerns regarding its security. But, of course, we believe that
eventually they will have to leave Syria as any other foreign presence in the
country.
* What can you tell us about the remains of the Israeli soldier who what killed
in Lebanon in 1982? What happened?
I don’t know the details but as President (Vladimir) Putin said openly; that was
a Russian Special forces operation that made it possible to locate and excavate
the remains…
* From Lebanon?
- Frankly, I don’t know where from. That was a great humanitarian gesture which
was really much appreciated by the Israelis.
* How do you describe the situation of the Arab countries with Russia? How would
Russia address the concerns regarding Iran’s meddling in the internal affairs of
Arab countries?
- As I said Russia is in a privileged position among major powers to maintain
close friendly relations with all Arab countries without exception. We interact
both bilaterally and within such formats as “Russia-LAS” and “Russia- GCC”. We
have established an effective political dialogue and exchange of views regarding
the settlement of regional crises. Our commercial and economic ties are
developing fast.
We are interested in the unity of the Arab world, which we advocate
relentlessly. Power grows from unity. Regional problems can be effectively
solved only on the basis of common approaches.
* There are a lot of questions about Iran’s role in the region. The US
administration is raising its voice about Iran’s threats to other countries
including Israel. Are you worried about any serious confrontations?
- Iran is a part of the region, not an alien entity. Iran has legitimate
interests that go beyond its national borders and are aimed, among other things,
at ensuring their national security. Arab States, Israel or Turkey – they all
have such interests. The reason is in the transnational nature of global threats
today.
You talk about threats that Iran poses. But don’t forget about the threats that
Iran faces. Today they are clear and imminent. They are announced and proclaimed
openly. Do you think Iran should not take them seriously? Unfortunately, recent
steps and rhetoric from Washington, including withdrawal from the JCPOA and the
initiation of large-scale sanction pressure only increase risks of escalating
tensions and making further developments of the situation totally unpredictable.
As for the concerns about interference of Iran in the internal affairs of States
in the Middle East, there are diverging views on this, even among the Arabs
themselves.
Our approach can be described as very simple, even standard. All the countries
of the region have their own interests. They should be taken into consideration.
The only requirement is that those interests should be legitimate. If there are
any concerns, they should be resolved by political and diplomatic means. For
this, we need a convenient platform to discuss the whole range of existing
problems.
Several years ago Russia proposed a security concept for the ... Gulf that
envisages a dialogue platform for all the countries of the region, which would
be eventually joined by other States of the Middle East and North Africa. This
could be the first step towards establishing a regional security architecture
that would help maintain peace and security in this part of the globe.
We are discussing this idea with our Arab friends. It has not been put into life
yet, but it is going to happen sooner or later.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been advocating a similar idea of a
“Helsinki-type process” for the Middle East.
* Would you kindly describe the relations between Russia and Gulf countries,
especially Saudi Arabia? How can the two countries cooperate to solve the
current crises and strengthen the relationship politically and economically?
- Russia maintains friendly relations with all Arab States, including in the
Gulf. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated our commitment to step
up interaction with these countries during his recent trip to KSA, Kuwait, Qatar
and UAE.
Over recent years, we considerably increased our economic and political
cooperation with Saudi Arabia. We coordinate our position on the situation on
the world oil market through the “OPEC plus” process. Foreign Minister Lavrov
discussed prospects of fostering cooperation during his visit to Saudi Arabia on
March 4-5, where he was received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, met with Saudi colleagues (Ibrahim) Al-Assaf and
(Adel) Al-Jubeir.
Intense political contacts between the Russian and Saudi leaderships show that
both Moscow and Riyadh proceed from the assumption that the remaining conflict
potential in the Middle East and North Africa has an extremely negative impact
not only on regional, but also on global security and stability. Both of us are
firmly committed to combat terrorism in all of its manifestations and to
eradicate terrorist ideology.
Russian and Saudi views on the Middle East settlement coincide, which lays the
groundwork for further interaction. We support the two-State solution of the
Palestinian issue that would rest on the international legal basis and the Arab
peace initiative.
We coordinate activities on regional crisis settlement. We appreciate efforts of
Riyadh to facilitate political settlement in Syria, specifically with regard to
unifying the Syrian opposition. We share the understanding that the Syrian
political process should be based on UN Security Council resolution 2254. We
respect the views of Saudi Arabia and keep our friends updated about the work of
the guarantors to the Astana process, including activities to establish the
Constitutional Committee.
From the very beginning of the crisis in Yemen, we have maintained constructive
dialogue with KSA and other members of the Arab coalition. We have unleashed and
continuously use the potential of working contacts that the Russian side
established with the stakeholders of the conflict, including “Ansar Allah”, in
order to bring peace back to the country. Both Moscow and Riyadh support efforts
of Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Martin Griffiths. We hope he will
manage to achieve progress soon.
We will be enhancing our cooperation on all tracks. Saudi Arabia is one of the
most influential States of the Middle East and the Gulf region.
* Are you avoiding a condemnation to sending arms to the Houthis in Yemen, or
even mentioning resolution 2216, or targeting Saudi Arabia with ballistic
missiles by the Houthis?
- We condemn targeting Saudi Arabia with missiles. We say it every time it
happens, as it is inadmissible. On 2216, if you remember, we abstained because
we were not in total agreement with some parts of the resolution but the
resolution was adopted. We did not block it. On the arms procurement, Yemen is a
country which was full of arms since before the conflict started and nobody yet
gave a hundred percent proof that they still continue to obtain weapons directly
from Iran. They have other means to equip themselves. They are armed beyond
their needs. Yemen is a country which was a market for arms even in the old
times. Everybody was competing to procure arms to Yemen, including the Soviet
Union. So they are not in dire need of arms.
* Are you hopeful the situation will be solved?
- It is all very difficult there, of course. But what plays favorably is the
unity of the UN Security Council on it, the strong push from the Security
Council to resolve the conflict politically. The way the coalition approached
it, especially recently. We know that the coalition, Saudi Arabia in particular,
plays a very constructive role. We support what Martin Griffiths is doing. It is
a job next to impossible, mission impossible, but he is trying to navigate in
those very difficult circumstances aggravated by complete and total mistrust by
the parties, which is one of the reasons why the Stockholm agreements were not
realized till the present day on Hodeidah and the other ports. Of course, it is
very important to continue steps towards the political settlement. These steps
should not be hostage to reach the implementation of the agreement on Hodeidah.
But implementing Hodeidah is very important. We are working to make it happen.
* We saw media reports that Russia is supporting General (Khalifa) Haftar in
Libya. Is that the case?
- Don’t believe the media (laughter). Russia supports Libya’s reconciliation and
the national unity. Haftar is a very important player, but there are other
parties in that country that play an important role. We are not siding with any
particular party in Libya. We hope that recent developments will not lead to
violence and be resolved peacefully through political dialogue.
* Russia has bitter memories in Libya because of how the Gaddafi regime was
deposed by the west in 2011. There is this rift…
- There is not much rift between us and the West on Libya. There is a lot of
uncertainty and lack of understanding on how to put the country back together.
It was broken like a piece of glass, and now we have to put back together all
those small pieces which were scattered. We do not have major contradictions on
Libya with our colleagues in the Security Council today. But we have been saying
continuously and consistently that what happens in Libya is a result of the
policies that they implemented in 2011 when they basically cheated on us in the
Security Council and bombed the country and let it be destroyed. Not only Libya
suffered in the aftermath but the whole region south of it. What happened in
Sahel and many countries in western and central Africa is a product of the
intervention in Libya. Those jihadists went down south from Libya. That is
openly recognized by the African leaders themselves.
* What are the Russian military advisers and experts doing in Venezuela?
- We have an agreement on military cooperation. They went to serve what we
procured for them before. They are military specialists that came for the
service of equipment that we earlier provided to the Venezuelans.
* The international multilateral system is being seriously challenged. Are the
United Nations and the Security Council still relevant today? Why?
- There is no alternative to the UN and its Security Council that is the main
body responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is
relevant today as before. We cannot always find solutions in the Council
(although on majority of issues we can). But that is not because the Security
Council is ineffective or irrelevant, but because this inability reflects the
divides that the world is facing. However, there is no alternative to this
mechanism. We should learn again the art of compromise and account of mutual
interests, somewhat forgotten today.
We should base our work on the UN Charter and international law. All should
realize and accept that the world is not unipolar anymore. It is multipolar with
new centers of power willing to be recognized, heard and respected. This
understanding will help bring multilateralism back to the center of
international cooperation.
* What is your expectation from the new US ambassador to the UN?
- I never met her. But we are ready to work with any US ambassador who will be
appointed to the UN. I am sure we will be able to work together to solve issues
of common concern.
* You had tough moments with Nikki Haley…
- Tough moments with Nikki Haley in the Security Council. But we had our sweet
moments outside the Security Council (Laughter).
What next for Sudan?
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/April 12/19
Omar Al-Bashir has ruled Sudan for almost as long as I have been alive; yet
throughout my 37 years I have heard nothing but criticism of the doom he has
brought upon his country.
Almost every Sudanese expat I have met was the complete opposite of what Sudan
has become under Al-Bashir. I met brilliant Sudanese doctors in North America,
award-winning authors and journalists in London, and outstanding PR
professionals in New Zealand.
Aside from the fact that they are all hard-working, extremely well educated and
successful, the other thing they have in common is that they — or their families
— all fled Sudan as a result of the 1985 overthrow of the Numairi regime, which
was inspired by Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi, who for long was Al-Bashir’s
religious backer. Al-Bashir eventually became president of Sudan in 1989, while
the late Al-Turabi served as the “power behind the throne” until 2001 before the
relationship between the two men broke down.
Sudanese expats living abroad would tell stories of how everything changed after
Al-Turabi began injecting his extremist views into society and Al-Bashir
endorsed them with an iron fist.
Civil rights were stripped away; Christians were prosecuted, criticism and free
thinking were punished; and the country headed toward the inevitable: A
long-lasting, brutal dictatorship.
This all meant that the Al-Bashir regime did not mind watching institution after
institution fail. It oversaw Sudan’s becoming one of the poorest in the region,
despite its abundant resources. Typically, Khartoum blamed this on the West, for
imposing import sanctions, and failed to admit its own mistakes.
It is now up to the Sudanese people — both at home and abroad — to counter the
influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The political misadventures of Al-Bashir regime are too many to list here,
Darfour is an obvious example, playing host to Osama bin Laden was another (Al-Turabi
and Al-Bashir provided that prior to the late Al-Qaeda chief’s move to
Afghanistan.)
In a nutshell, the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Al-Bashir thrived on rifts and
conflict, both regional and internal, so much so that what was one Sudan
eventually became divided into two.
Furthermore, the country — which once proudly boasted that its people would
rather buy books than eat if forced to choose — suffered from a massive and
crippling brain drain.
Like those people I was lucky enough to meet abroad, the vast majority of
educated, talented, entrepreneurial and free-thinking Sudanese people left their
country and never went back.
As for those who stayed, they have been protesting since Dec. 19, 2018 against
the unbearable economic conditions, corruption and political decisions that have
left Sudan with very few friends around the world.
So what happens next? How do we prevent what happened in 1985 from happening
again? To start with, one has to welcome the fact that the transition so far has
been bloodless — as we hope it will remain.
The fact that the Sudanese army has such a strong hold on the situation is
possibly both good and bad: Good because it is likely to ensure stability, but
bad because unless it responds to the will of the people we might see another
president remain in power for 30 years.
As for the devastating Muslim Brotherhood influence in the country, it is now up
to the Sudanese people — both at home and abroad — to counter it.
• Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News