LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 24/19
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
I am the bread that came down from heaven
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 06/40-44: “This is indeed
the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have
eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’Then the Jews began to
complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from
heaven.’They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’Jesus
answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves.No one can come to me unless
drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last
day.”Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by
nature are not gods
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on
January 23-24/19
U.N. Envoy: No Access for U.N. Peacekeepers to Lebanon Tunnels
Votel Visits Lebanon, Affirms Support for Lebanon Army
Lebanon Must Speed up Govt. Formation or Face Painful Economic Repercussions
Solemani's visit to Syria triggered Israeli strikes - report
Israeli President, Rivlin In Paris: If We Face Threats From Lebanon, We Will Not
Stand By
Hariri Meets Jumblat in Clemenceau over Govt. Portfolios
Druze Leaders Trade Jabs on Choueifat, Jahliyeh Deadly Incidents
Mount Lebanon 'Top Drug Dealer' Arrested at Hotel
Bassil Says Qataris 'Good' Investors, Invites Saudi Arabia to Follow Suit
Kataeb Party Deplores 'Worrisome' Beirut Summit Messages
Ghosn Agrees to Resign as Renault Chairman and CEO, Reports Say
At Last, Lebanon Exits the Liberal World Order
Litles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 23-24/19
Islam, Judaism leaders to discuss interfaith ties with Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi
House approves bill warning against U.S. NATO pullout
Netanyahu warns of ‘lethal’ reaction to any Gaza escalation
Russia Assures Arab Capitals of Curbing Iran Influence in Syria Before
Normalization
Kurd-Led Forces Overrun Last IS-Held Village in Syria
Fire kills seven siblings in Syrian capital Damascus
Russia Likely to Operate 'S-300' in Syria by March
US Forces in Iraq Confuse Pro-Iran Factions
Iraqi ‘Chemical’ Scientist Admits to Assisting ISIS
Husband of jailed Iranian human rights lawyer gets six years
Iranian Ministers Send ‘Warning Letter’ to Khamenei on FATF
Erdogan in Moscow for Talks with Putin on Syria Safe Zone
Car bomb kills soldier near Iraq’s Kirkuk
10 Days Will Decide Fate of Yemen Prisoner Exchange
Militias Agree to New Ceasefire in Libya Capital as LNA Kills Terrorists in
Derna
Griffiths’ Mission Faces New Houthi Obstacles, Sources
U.S. Confirms Taliban Talks in Qatar
Qatar Emir Backs Sudan's 'Unity' in Meeting with al-Bashir
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on January 23-24/19
Solemani's visit to Syria triggered Israeli strikes - report/Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem
Post/January 23/19
Ghosn Agrees to Resign as Renault Chairman and CEO, Reports Say/Bloomberg and
Reuters/January 23/19
At Last, Lebanon Exits the Liberal World Order/Basem Shabb/The Brief/January
23/19
Syria bill to sanction regime backers passes US House of Representatives/Joyce
Karam/The Natiional/January 23/19
Turkey: The Price of Dissent/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/January 23/19
Palestinians: The 'Political Detainees' No One Talks About/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone
Institute/January 23/19
As Taliban talks gather pace, Afghan women fear turning back clock/Reuters,
Kabul/January 23/19
Ex-Iranian prisoner Hassan Karimi reveals secrets of regime’s jails/Lenah
Hassaballah/ Al Arabiya English/January 23/19
Iran conference a crucial test for Poland/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/January
23/19
Latest LCCC English Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
published
on January 23-24/19
U.N. Envoy: No Access for U.N. Peacekeepers to Lebanon Tunnels
Associated Press/Naharnet/January
23/19/The United Nations' envoy to the Mideast said Tuesday that peacekeepers in
Lebanon have not been given access to tunnels stretching into Israel, which U.N.
officials say violate a case-fire resolution that ended a devastating war
between Israel and Hizbullah in 2006. Nikolay Mladenov told the Security Council
that the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL has confirmed that two
tunnels crossed the U.N.-drawn Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, but "has
not been granted access to the confirmed entry points of a tunnel near Kfar Kila
on the Lebanese side."He did not say whether Lebanon's government or the
Hizbullah group was blocking access for UNIFIL, but U.S. deputy ambassador
Jonathan Cohen blamed the government. Cohen accused Hizbullah, an Iranian ally,
of threatening international peace and security with the extensive tunneling
exposed by Israel, which has reported uncovering six tunnels into its territory.
"We commend UNIFIL's work to keep the Blue Line under control, but it is
unacceptable that the Lebanese government has not yet given UNIFIL access to the
tunnel entrance on their side of the Blue Line," Cohen told the council. Israeli
Ambassador Danny Danon complained to the council that "the Lebanese army has
taken no action in response, allowing Hizbullah to continue building these
tunnels undisturbed."
Danon alleged that Iran funnels $7 billion to militant groups across the region,
including $1 billion to Hizbullah, which he said has "grand plans to take over
the Israeli Galilee" and invests millions in every tunnel. He provided no
information on how Israel calculated its estimate of Iranian spending, which
also included $4 billion to the Syrian government, "hundreds of millions" to
Iran's proxies in Iraq, tens of millions to Houthi Shiite rebels in Yemen, $70
million to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and $50 million to Hamas, which controls
Gaza. Mladenov noted that Lebanon has been without a government for over eight
months and called on all parties to resolve their differences so the country
"can address the man pressing challenges it faces, including that of a
struggling economy."On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mladenov said that "we
should have no illusions about the dangerous dynamics ... which continue to
unfold before our eyes" and have eroded "the possibility of establishing a
viable, contiguous Palestinian state."He pointed to Israel's latest new
settlement plans and approvals, nearly half to be built deep in the West Bank,
which the Palestinians say must be part of their state. He also cited
"additional attempts to pass legislation that would directly apply Israeli law
to the territory of the occupied West Bank, raising fears of future annexation."
Mladenov said the chance for peace opened more than 25 years ago with the Oslo
accords, which were enshrined in U.N. resolutions and bilateral agreements, but
has "eroded as the prospect for credible negotiations has dimmed, only to be
replaced by the lack of hope and the growing risk of a one-state reality of
perpetual occupation."He urged both sides to recommit to the principles in those
agreements — that key issues can be resolved only through direct
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador,
told the council that last year "Israel's illegal occupation became more
entrenched, more brutal and extreme" with the political process
"deadlocked.""Day by day, the occupation is destroying the two-state solution
and sowing deep despair among our people," he said. But despite "the dismal
situation," Mansour said, Palestinians "remain committed to non-violence,
dialogue and the objectives of peace" and negotiations on a two-state solution.
He urged regional and international efforts "to help overcome the impasse and
contribute to the realization of a just solution as a matter of urgency."
Votel Visits Lebanon, Affirms Support for Lebanon Army
Naharnet/January 23/19/The Commander of United States Central Command General
Joseph Votel met early this week with senior Lebanese officials during his visit
to Lebanon, where he affirmed full support for the Lebanese army, the US embassy
said in a statement released on Wednesday. The statement said that Votel has met
on Monday with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri, and Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces
General Joseph Aoun, as well as UNIFIL Force Commander Major General Stefano Del
Col, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth H. Richard. In his meetings,
General Votel reaffirmed the U.S. government’s commitment to strengthening the
Lebanese-American partnership and its support to the Lebanese Armed Forces in
their capacity as the sole, legitimate defender of Lebanon.
Lebanon Must Speed up Govt. Formation or Face Painful
Economic Repercussions
Beirut - Ali Zeineddine/Asharq
Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January, 2019/Moody’s decision to downgrade Lebanon’s
credit rating to Caa1 from B3 was enough Tuesday to spur political forces to
double their efforts to overcome the obstacles hindering the birth of a new
government. It is most likely that Moody’s report could be quickly followed by
similar ratings from other financial institutions and international agencies,
accelerating risks and therefore, inflating the cost of interests and insurance
on equity and on Lebanese bond issues for the private and public sectors. A
leading banking official told Asharq Al-Awsat he expected the occurrence of
rapid and painful rebounds in the financial markets, particularly at the Beirut
Stock Exchange and in eurobonds trading. Caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hassan
Khalil was quick to respond, saying that the financial and monetary situation in
Lebanon was stable and that the Treasury needs were available, despite Moody’s
report. Khalil also highlighted the need to form the government in the nearest
time possible in order to launch necessary reforms, a demand echoed in the
rating agency’s report. Moody’s said the formation of a government is essential
to draft plans to reduce spiraling debt and narrow the widening fiscal deficit.
Lebanon’s dollar-denominated sovereign bonds came under pressure Tuesday after
Moody’s report on worries about a possible debt default, Reuters said, citing
Tradeweb data. A banking official said that Lebanon’s markets were more
sensitive to any new signals, including reports and comments. Other bankers said
that controlling markets was not absolute. They said interbank rates for the
Lebanese pound reached 75 percent a few days ago, the highest rate since a
political crisis late last year, forcing commercial banks to contain the
reactions of savers and dealers with expensive and undesirable measures.
Solemani's visit to Syria triggered Israeli strikes - report
Anna Ahronheim/Jerusalem
Post/January 23/19
Report by al-Jarida said Soleimani returned to Tehran the day after the Israeli
strikes and that Russia had informed him of the targets Israel planned to hit.
ran’s commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, Maj.-Gen.
Qassem Soleimani, was less than an hour’s drive away from Israel’s border on
Friday, according to a report by Kuwaiti paper Al-Jarida. This visit, the report
claimed, is what triggered Israel’s rare daytime strikes on Iranian targets in
the vicinity of Damascus International Airport on Sunday. This, in turn, led to
Iranian forces launching a surface-to-surface missile toward northern Israel an
hour later. “Soleimani’s visit to a location less than 40 km. from the ceasefire
line in the Golan Heights violated a previous US-Russian-Israeli agreement”
regarding the Iranian presence in the war-torn country, the report said. Israel
has worked closely with the United States and Russia to try to get Iranian and
Hezbollah forces to leave Syria, where they have been fighting alongside forces
loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, since the civil war began there in March
2011.
While there has been a reduction of Iranian and Hezbollah fighters in Syria’s
Golan Heights, “the possibility of opening the Golan front against Israel in the
event of an attack on its territory” remains an option for Soleimani. He has
told the Russians that Iran would not comply with any redlines set by the Jewish
state, according to the report. The report also claimed that the Russians had
notified the Iranians 30 minutes in advance of which targets Israel would
attack, adding: “The Iranians managed to evacuate the areas and minimize the
damage.”Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict in September 2015 on behalf of
Assad. Israel and Russia have been using a deconfliction mechanism in place over
Syria in order to avoid any unwanted conflict.
The relationship between Jerusalem and Moscow has been strained, since a Russian
military plane was downed by Syrian air defenses following an Israeli airstrike
on nearby Iranian targets. Nevertheless, the IAF has largely had free rein to
carry out strikes on targets that are deemed a threat to the Jewish state.
On Sunday, the IDF said that the surface-to-surface missile launched by the
Iranians toward Mount Hermon had been fired from an area in the vicinity of
Damascus, which the “relevant parties” had assured would be free from Iranian
forces. According to the report, a senior Iranian official said Solemani
returned to Tehran on Monday, following the confrontation between the two
countries, and debriefed the Iranian Supreme National Security Council on his
visit to Syria and the Israeli attacks. According to Soleimani, the only way to
stop Israeli attacks is to respond with three missiles for every one Israel
fires, and to attempt to shoot down Israeli fighter jets, even those flying over
Lebanon. He stressed the need to respond to strikes, as they would lead to the
fall of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.
“If any strike is directed at Iranian forces, they will respond in the way it
deems appropriate,” the report said.
On Tuesday, Syria’s Ambassador the United Nations Bashar Jaafari threatened that
Damascus would target Ben-Gurion Airport if the UN Security Council does not put
an end to the Israeli strikes. “Does drawing the attention of the war-makers in
this council require us to exercise our legitimate right to self-defense and
respond to Israeli aggression on Damascus International Airport by responding in
the same way to Tel Aviv airport?” he was quoted as saying, by Syria’s SANA news
agency. “Isn’t it time now for the UN Security council to stop the Israeli
repeated aggressions on the Syrian Arab Republic territories?”
Israeli President, Rivlin In Paris: If We Face Threats From Lebanon, We Will Not
Stand By
Jerusalem
Post//January 23/19 /Pointing to the strong relationship between Lebanon and
France Rivlin said that "France is a great power and enjoys a decisive influence
in our part of the world."President Reuven Rivlin met with French President
Emanuel Macron on Wednesday during his state visit to France and spoke about the
growing Iranian forces building up in Lebanon and Syria. "For us, the Iranian
regime is an enemy which does not hid its intent to destroy Israel," Rivlin
said, "if we are faced with a threat from Lebanon we will not stand idly
by."Pointing to the strong relationship between Lebanon, which used to be a part
of the French colonial empire, and modern France Rivlin said that "France is a
great power and enjoys a decisive influence in our part of the world." He then
said France must realize that Hezbollah is a part of the Lebanese system.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri flew to France from Saudi Arabia in 2017
after he resigned, his family reportedly owns property in France. Rivlin thanked
Macron for confronting antisemitism, Macron said that antisemitism is a "denial
of our values and all that our [French] democracy represents." Rivlin said
that his arrival in France marks 70 years to the establishment of Israeli-French
diplomatic relations and that the two nations share mutual democratic values.
Hariri Meets Jumblat in Clemenceau over Govt. Portfolios
Naharnet/January
23/19/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Wednesday visited Progressive
Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat to discuss the issue of ministerial
portfolios amid a renewed government formation drive. The Free Patriotic
Movement-affiliated OTV had earlier reported that the Hariri-Jumblat talks would
“tackle the possibility of redistributing some portfolios, most notably the
industry portfolio.”Hariri had held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday.
Al-Jadeed television said Hariri visited Berri to “discuss the issue of pending
portfolios – environment, information and industry – in order to prevent the
emergence of a new obstacle when an agreement is reached on the candidate who
will represent the Consultative Gathering.”Berri had quoted Hariri as saying
earlier on Tuesday that the new government could be formed “within a week or
less.”
Druze Leaders Trade Jabs on Choueifat, Jahliyeh Deadly Incidents
Naharnet/January
23/19/Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat, Lebanese
Democratic Party chief MP Talal Arslan and Arab Tawhid Party head ex-minister
Wiam Wahhab on Wednesday traded jabs over the Choueifat and Jahliyeh deadly
incidents.
“It seems that the Great Satan is interfering in the investigations in the case
of the martyr Mohammed Abu Diab, seeing as all evidence has disappeared as if by
magic, the same as the Smaller Satan interfered in the case of the martyr Alaa
Abu Faraj and the suspect Amin al-Souqi is now in the protection of (senior
Syrian general) Maher al-Assad,” Jumblat tweeted.“One must interpret the message
through its title, but we are very patient and we've been through harder days
but we remained resilient,” Jumblat added. Wahhab's bodyguard Abu Diab was
killed during an Internal Security Forces raid in Jahliyeh that escalated into
an armed confrontation with the ex-minister's supporters. Wahhab and the ISF
have traded blame over the source of the gunfire that killed the bodyguard. Abu
Faraj, a Jumblat supporter, was meanwhile killed in armed clashes with Arslan's
supporters in the wake of the May 2018 parliamentary elections.
“Walid Beik, I urge you not to interfere in the probe into the assassination of
Mohammed Abu Diab. The evidence exhibits that are in the possession of the
Military Court's judge are clear, so we call on you to stop the disinformation.
This issue will reach its end and we will try the killer and this is what I said
today to a top leader,” Wahhab tweeted. Arslan had earlier in the day testified
before a Mount Lebanon judge in the case of the Choueifat incident after which
he announced that he would file a lawsuit against those who tried to “kill” him
in “the attack on the Arslan mansion in Choueifat.”Asked whether he will hand
over al-Souqi to the judiciary, Arslan said: “Amin al-Souqi and others are
innocent until proven guilty... The PSP and its members attacked my house and
office in the Arslan mansion in Choueifat in an attempt to kill me, but I
consider them all innocent until proven guilty, so it is shameful to launch
political accusations against Amin al-Souqi and the young men without evidence,
witnesses or videos.”He added: “If Walid Jumblat wants the judiciary, this is
excellent, and Talal Arslan also wants the judiciary, on the condition that we
both abide by the judiciary in a non-selective way. You can't call for the
judiciary to intervene against Amin al-Souqi but not against (MP) Akram
Shehayyeb. This will not happen. I openly say it: we will not allow anyone to
hide behind their parliamentary immunity, seeing as to me, Amin al-Souqi is
equivalent to ten MPs.”
Hariri Chairs Meeting to Discuss Airport's Needs Ahead of
Audit
Kataeb.org/Wednesday
23rd January 2019/Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday chaired a
meeting with the relevant top officials to discuss the Beirut airport's needs
ahead of the audit inspection set to be carried out next month by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Speaking following the
meeting, caretaker Public Works and Transportation Youssef Finianos said that
the Lebanese will be "surprised" by the enhancements undertaken at the airport,
assuring that the facility's ranking will improve.
Finianos stated that security officials had made it clear that the airport is
not being used by anyone for military purposes, except for the Lebanese Army.
Saudi Arabia Pledges 'Full Support' for Lebanon Economy
Naharnet/January
23/19/Saudi Arabian Finance Minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said his country is
prepared to do everything in its power to support Lebanon’s struggling economy,
CNBC news reported on Wednesday. In remarks he made at the World Economic Forum
in Davos on Tuesday, he said: “We are interested to see stability in Lebanon,
and we will support it all the way.”“We are also determined to making sure that
we play the role of a catalyst of stability in the region,” he added. Jadaan’s
comments came one day after Qatar announced that it will invest $500 million in
Lebanese government bonds to support the Mediterranean country's struggling
economy. Lebanon's economy has been struggling from massive debt, little growth
and high unemployment. Earlier this month, Lebanon's Finance Minister Ali Hassan
Khalil was quoted by a local newspaper as saying that the country may
restructure its debt, leading to sell-off in Lebanese bonds. He later clarified
that Lebanon is committed to paying back all maturing debt.
Mount Lebanon 'Top Drug Dealer' Arrested at Hotel
Naharnet/January 23/19/One of
the most notorious drug dealers has been arrested at a hotel in the Mount
Lebanon region, the army announced on Wednesday. “As part of the crackdown on
drug dealers in the various Lebanese regions, and following follow-up, the
Intelligence Directorate managed in a special operation to arrest one of the
most notorious drug dealers in Mount Lebanon, M.B., at one of the region's
hotels,” the army said in a statement. It said the man is “the main partner of
the fugitive Ali Monzer Zoaiter, aka Abu Salleh.”“He was arrested along with a
female accomplice, L.H., after being detected by the aforementioned directorate
as they were selling drugs in the Dbaye area,” the army added. “A quantity of
various narcotics in addition to various weapons and ammunition were seized in
their possession as investigations got underway under the supervision of the
relevant judicial authorities,” the military said in its statement.
Bassil Says Qataris 'Good' Investors, Invites Saudi Arabia to Follow Suit
Naharnet/January 23/19/Caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said on
Wednesday that Qataris are “good investors,” as he invited “Saudi arabia and
other states” to follow Qatar’s steps and invest in Lebanese government bonds.
In an interview he made to CNN on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in
Davos, Bassil said: “The Qataris are good investors. They are in the process of
buying Lebanese bonds and I invite Saudi Arabia and other states to do the same
because it is safe with good return.”On Moody’s downgrading of Lebanon, he said:
“Lebanon got through worse,” adding “Riyadh and other countries are welcome to
invest and help Lebanon stay sable.”To a question that Saudi, EU and world
leaders were ready to offer ten times what Qatar is offering to inject into the
economy on condition that Lebanon form a government. Bassil replied: “We should
teach Washington and London maybe on how to run a country without a budget.
Lebanon gets adapted to every difficult situation. I think we will be able to
form a government to get out of this situation.”“Our economy is not so bad. The
Lebanese have great initiative and we can revive it. We are resourceful. We have
skills and ability to do it,” said Bassil. On the Israel-Lebanon border which
leading experts have described as the “most dangerous frontier in 2019,” and
whether the Israeli threats keep Bassil awake. He said: “The silence
accompanying the daily Israeli breaches of our independence and sovereignty is
what keeps awake. More than 150 air and land breaches of the UN resolution 1701,
in addition to violations against our maritime border.”“I want to see peace and
stability on our border. Resolution 1701 was made for that purpose. Israel does
not care about resolutions like Lebanon does,” he concluded.
Kataeb Party Deplores 'Worrisome' Beirut Summit Messages
Kataeb.org/Wednesday 23rd January 2019/The Lebanese Kataeb party said that the
Arab economic summit, held in Beirut last week, enclosed worrisome messages from
Arab countries, adding that Lebanon is paying the price for its implication in
regional conflicts.
"The Kataeb party calls for adhering to the neutrality policy so that Lebanon
would serve as a platform for openness and inter-Arab dialogue," read a
statement issued following the weekly meeting of the party's
politburo."Lebanon's higher interest lies in safeguarding its historic ties with
Arab and international countries."The party hailed the consultative gathering
hosted by the Maronite patriarch in Bkirki last week, stressing that it's time
for political forces to take action and rescue the nation before it's too
late."The Kataeb party outlines the importance of the 'state-sovereignty'
formula which was abandoned by the presidential settlement. There will be no
complete and full sovereignty unless the Lebanese Army becomes the only armed
force that protects the Lebanese and ensures their safety," the politburo
affirmed.
"There will be no sovereign, free, independent, civilized and developed state,
with a strong economy and an independent judicial system, as long as the ruling
authority is only busy taking control of power."The Kataeb party deemed Moody's
recent report on Lebanon as "extremely dangerous", saying that it sounds the
alarm over the protracted government formation stalemate.Earlier this week,
Moody’s Investors Service downgraded its credit rating for Lebanon deeper into
junk territory, the first time in more than two decades, citing concerns over
the government’s ability to pay or restructure its debt amid a liquidity crunch
that raises the risk of default. "Eight months into the government deadlock, the
Kataeb Party renews its proposal to form a neutral government of specialists who
would be able to implement urgent reforms and boost economic growth. Meanwhile,
a national dialogue must be held to thoroughly discuss all contentious issues
facing Lebanon," the politburo stressed.
Ghosn Agrees to Resign as Renault Chairman and CEO, Reports
Say
Bloomberg and Reuters/January 23/19
Renault Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn has agreed to resign his posts, reports
said, ahead of a meeting of the board Thursday to discuss how to replace the
embattled executive. Renault board is preparing to name new leadership as it
negotiates with Ghosn over the terms of his departure, people familiar with the
discussions told Bloomberg. Ghosn agreed to resign from Renault, three sources
told Reuters, after the French government, the automaker's biggest shareholder,
called for leadership change and his bail requests were rejected by the Japanese
courts. French newspaper Les Echos also said Ghosn will resign. Renault board
members and Ghosn’s legal team are reviewing issues including his
non-competition agreement and pension benefits, Bloomberg reported. Ghosn is
ready to resign under the right conditions, a source said. A spokeswoman for the
Ghosn family declined to comment.
Renault confirmed that an emergency board meeting was planned for Thursday, but
a spokesman did not respond to questions about its agenda or Ghosn's
replacement. The board will meet at 10:00 CET on Thursday. It will consider the
proposed appointment of outgoing Michelin CEO Jean-Dominique Senard, 65, as
chairman and the promotion of Ghosn's deputy Thierry Bollore, 55, to CEO, three
sources said. Ghosn's resignation, after his Nov. 19 arrest and swift dismissal
as Nissan chairman, turns a page on his two decades at the helm of the
partnership he transformed into a global carmaking giant, following Renault's
acquisition of a near-bankrupt Nissan in 1999.
Soothing relations
Senard will face the immediate task of soothing relations with Nissan, which is
43.4 percent-owned by Renault. Since Ghosn's arrest, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa
has sought to weaken Renault's control and resisted its attempts to nominate new
directors to the Japanese automaker's board.
Nissan currently owns a 15 percent non-voting stake in its French parent and 34
percent in Mitsubishi Motors, a third major partner in their manufacturing
alliance. Once its new management is settled, French officials want work to
resume on a new ownership structure cementing the partnership - which Ghosn had
been mandated to explore when his Renault contract was renewed last year with
government backing. Nissan is wary of any such move. In an interview last week,
Saikawa acknowledged shareholders' concerns that the current structure
undervalues their investment, but added that changing it was "really not the
current priority."French finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Sunday denied
Japanese press reports that France was actively pushing for a Renault-Nissan
merger. The rejection of Ghosn's latest bail application raises the likelihood
that the 64-year-old executive will remain in custody for months until his trial
in Japan. Ghosn has been in detention since Nov. 19, accused of financial crimes
that could put him behind bars for decades. He has been indicted for
understating his income at Nissan by tens of millions of dollars and
transferring personal trading losses to the automaker. Nissan also claims that
Ghosn misused company funds, including for homes from Brazil to Lebanon, and
hired his sister on an advisory contract. Ghosn has denied wrongdoing.
At Last, Lebanon Exits the Liberal World Order
Basem
Shabb/The Brief/January 23/19
The success of Hezbollah and
its allies at the parliamentary elections last May and the effective collapse of
the March 14 parliamentary coalition are the latest indicators that Lebanon has
drifted away from its traditional adherence to the Western liberal democratic
order to side with theocratic and totalitarian regional regimes, argues Basem
Shabb.
Last year, 2018, was the year liberal democracy died in Lebanon. Liberal
democracy in Lebanon was always tainted with regional and religious overtones.
But Lebanon has now succumbed to a toxic dose of religious fundamentalism allied
with totalitarian left-wing Arab nationalism. As a consequence, Lebanon is no
longer affiliated with the Western liberal world order and, instead, will be
linked, rather subjugated, to an illiberal regional order. The borders of Le
Grand Liban may still hold, but the Western liberal spirit has long departed.
The creation of modern Lebanon post-World War I was intertwined with a Christian
and Maronite presence. In effect, the Maronites were the guardians of this new
order, modeled after French institutions, and oversaw a modern and secular
constitution.
Freedom of faith and expression were integral to this order so much so that
Lebanon became a sanctuary for the intelligentsia of neighboring illiberal
countries. It is telling that Lebanon was a main contributor to the Human Rights
Charter and the founding of the United Nations. Lebanon was a beacon of liberal
education and enlightenment, much to the dismay of its neighbors who viewed
Lebanon as a source of instability. Post-World War II Lebanon was part of the
new liberal world order lead by the US. Economic prosperity and relative
political stability were by-products of this affiliation. While most Christians
subscribed to affiliation with the West, other constituents, mainly Muslim,
resented Western influence and preferred Arab nationalism and other doctrines.
Western support for Israel as well as the Cold War exacerbated these
differences. Evolving demographics in Lebanon spurred the Muslim community to
seek a more balanced representation.
“The mini civil war of 1958 was but a rehearsal of the horrors to come”
Lebanon was to be tested more than once throughout its modern history, with each
tribulation pushing the country further away from the Western liberal world
order. The Maronite and Christian communities, with cultural and religious
affinity, were opposed by Arab nationalist and leftist forces allied with some
regional regimes and the Soviet Union. Those opposing Maronite-dominated Lebanon
had little interest in a Western-style democracy or any liberal order.
The mini civil war of 1958 was but a rehearsal of the horrors to come.
In the late 1960s, the confrontation degenerated into armed conflict with
Palestinians, culminating in Lebanon conceding sovereignty over parts of south
Lebanon to the Palestine Liberation Organization with the blessing of a large
segment of the populace. Decades later, sovereignty would be conceded to a
Lebanese faction in the same vein.
The civil war ended in 1989 with the Taif accords just before the demise of the
Soviet Union. It addressed issues relating to equal representation and
redistribution of power between religious factions. In reality, it was a victory
for the anti-Western factions. The outcome may have been more favorable had the
deal been struck after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The Christians resisted the Palestinian armed presence before and during the
civil war and continued to resist Syrian hegemony in the post-Taef era.
Democracy under Syrian influence became an orchestrated fanfare. The bomb attack
on College Hall in 1991 at the American University of Beirut was an assault on
Western cultural influence and culminated a decade of hostage-taking and suicide
attacks on Western targets in Lebanon.
Image removed by sender.Lebanese rebels, who opposed the then government of
Camille Chamoun, stand guard in front of a public building in Beirut on June 15,
1958 (Intercontinentale/AFP)
As Iran’s influence rose through Hezbollah after Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon
in 2005, the anti-Western momentum gathered pace. Only lip service was paid to
the Lebanese liberal tradition as Hezbollah consolidated its influence within
the Shia community and expanded it in the Sunni community by promoting Islamic
extremist factions.The liberal democracy model, though weakened, survived external pressures as
well as Palestinian and Syrian hegemony because a large faction of Christians
still subscribed to it. The March 14 parliamentary coalition was the last hurrah
for liberal democracy. While many of its constituents advocated a Western-style
democracy, the opposing forces were committed to either theocratic or
authoritarian anti-Western dictatorships. In turn, the rise of Islamic extremism
and Islamic conservative movements took Lebanon further away from liberal
democracy as well as the liberal world order; the core values of Le Grand Liban.
Nevertheless, the demise of the 100-year order of Le Grand Liban was triggered
when a large faction of the Christians concluded a Faustian deal with Hezbollah
in February 2006. A more apt description may be a Kevorkian-style assisted
suicide.
“The pact Louis IX concluded with the Maronites of Lebanon in Acre 1250 expired
in 2018”
The traditional guardians of cultural and religious affinity with the West
traded a time-honored promise for an alliance with an anti-Western theocracy.
The pact Louis IX concluded with the Maronites of Lebanon in Acre 1250 expired
in 2018. In effect, the Christians of Lebanon mortgaged their affairs to the
kindness of regional powers. One hopes the Christians of Lebanon will fare
better than their brethren in the Levant in this brave new illiberal theocratic
order.
The recent history of Lebanon can be seen in different lights. One
interpretation of the modern history of Lebanon is a protracted struggle between
pro-Western advocates of liberal democracy and anti-Western fundamentalist and
Arab nationalist forces. The pro-Western advocates now constitute a slim
minority in public life and in parliament. The majority of the many
denominations have given up on liberal democracy at home and are vehemently
opposed to any association with the Western liberal world order. Ironically,
when it comes to personal interests, the Lebanese as well as others seek refuge,
education, and employment in the liberal world order they oppose.
As political ties with the west erode it will not be long before economic and
cultural ties follow suit. It is questionable whether Lebanon can thrive
culturally or economically as its cements its alliance with illiberal
anti-Western regional powers. Microeconomics will be no remedy for a
macroeconomic dissociation. Le Grand Liban could have been another Cyprus.
La Belle Époque may have been over decades ago but it officially died in 2018.
*Basem Shabb is a former member of the Lebanese parliament
https://the-brief.co/at-last-lebanon-exits-the-liberal-world-order/
Latest LCCC English Miscellaneous Reports & News published
on January 23-24/19
Islam, Judaism leaders to discuss interfaith ties with Pope
Francis in Abu Dhabi
Staff writer, Al Arabiya
English/January 23/19/Pope Francis’ upcoming historic visit to Abu Dhabi, which
will begin on February 5, will bring together many prominent leaders from Islam,
Christianity, and Judaism from various parts of the region. According to local
media reports, these leaders will discuss ways to improve interfaith relations
and promote dialogue. The meeting will be part of the series of events planned
on the sidelines of the Pope’s visit to the UAE, which would be his first to the
Gulf region.Pope Francis is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb
of Sheikh of al-Azhar, which organizes meetings of more than 600 spiritual
leaders representing different religions. Mansour al-Mansouri, Director General
of the National Media Council of the UAE, said that the Pope’s historic visit
“reflects the spirit of tolerance of the United Arab Emirates.”He said that
residents in the United Arab Emirates have embraced 76 churches and temples
belonging to different religious beliefs. Al-Mansouri said that the Pope’s visit
would attract great media attention, as this is the first visit of its kind to
the region. According to reports, the Pope will lead a mass in Abu Dhabi, which
is likely to be attended by 135,000 Catholics from the UAE and other parts of
the region. Secretary-General of the Council of Muslim Scholars, Dr. Sultan al-Rumaithi,
said that the meeting would include discussions on the principles of religions,
what they have in common, as well challenges and opportunities. He also
highlighted the importance of tolerance, which he said, is an integral part of
Islam. Al-Rumaithi also said that there would be significant Saudi participation
in the meeting. He said that this is not a political meeting and would instead
focus on interfaith participation and the importance of tolerance that the UAE
is trying to highlight.
House approves bill warning against U.S. NATO pullout
WASHINGTON (Reuters)/January
23/19 - In a warning
to President Donald Trump not to try to withdraw the United States from the NATO
military alliance, the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved
legislation aimed at preventing such a move.The Democratic-led House approved
the measure by a bipartisan 357-22 vote, with the only “no” votes coming from
Republicans. It now goes to the Republican-majority Senate, where its future is
unclear, although a similar measure has been introduced there.At a news
conference before the vote, Democratic lawmakers said they were alarmed by
reports of the Republican president’s low regard for the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, a 70-year-old military alliance that joins the United States and
Canada with allies in Europe. The New York Times said last week that several
times over the course of 2018, Trump privately told his advisers he wanted to
withdraw from NATO. Publicly, the president has rebuked NATO allies for spending
too little on defense. The legislation that passed the House Tuesday reaffirms
lawmakers’ support for NATO, and says no U.S. funds will be spent to withdraw
the United States from it. “This bill ... makes it clear that the United States
Congress still believes (in) the NATO mission and will prevent any short-sighted
efforts to undermine NATO or unilaterally withdraw our country,” House Majority
Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, said. “It is in a sense crazy that we have to be
doing this,” added freshman Democratic Representative Tom Malinowski, a former
assistant secretary at the State Department. “I take the President of the United
States seriously. He has made no secret of his disdain for the NATO alliance and
his willingness to consider leaving it ... Congress is now the only check we
have,” Malinowski said.
Last week a bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate to prohibit any U.S.
president from withdrawing from NATO without Senate approval.
Netanyahu warns of ‘lethal’ reaction to any Gaza escalation
AFP, Jerusalem/Wednesday, 23
January 2019/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday of a
“lethal” reaction if Palestinian armed groups resume hostilities as tensions
rise over Gaza. Netanyahu made the remarks after weeks of relative calm in the
Gaza Strip ended on Tuesday when Israeli soldiers came under fire along the
border in two separate incidents. “Maybe there is someone in Gaza who thinks he
can stick his head up; I suggest that they understand that the response will be
lethal and very painful,” Netanyahu said. “We are ready for any scenario and
escalation,” he said, quoted by his office, after attending a military exercise
at a base in Shizafon in southern Israel. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks struck two
Hamas positions in Gaza and killed a militant after an Israeli soldier was
lightly injured when a bullet hit his helmet. And overnight Israeli warplanes
struck a camp of Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Palestinian
enclave. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and fears of a
fourth round remain although violence has abated since November as a result of
an informal truce.
Russia Assures Arab Capitals of Curbing Iran Influence in
Syria Before Normalization
Beirut- Mohammed Shokair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January, 2019/Lebanese
parliamentarians quoted an Arab ambassador to Beirut as saying that his
government, along with other Arab governments, have received assurances from
senior authorities in Moscow that Russia was serious in curbing Iranian
influence in Syria. This comes as several Arab states are currently studying the
possibility to normalize relations with Damascus. The deputies told Asharq Al-Awsat
that the United Arab Emirates, which reopened its embassy in Damascus, would
only be appointing a Chargé d'Affaires at the current stage, instead of an
ambassador. The ambassador said that it was too early to upgrade the diplomatic
representation between the UAE and Syria and that the role of the UAE embassy
remained within the scope of providing humanitarian assistance and relief to
those in need, due to the deterioration of their living and social conditions as
a result of the war. In this context, a Lebanese politician, who took part in
the meetings held by US Under-Secretary of State David Hale with Lebanese state
officials, said that the US envoy spoke clearly about Washington’s position
towards the willingness of Arab countries to reopen their embassies in Damascus.
The politician quoted Hale as saying that the US administration did not
encourage Arab countries to reopen their embassies, because such a move could
lead the regime in Syria to decrease its support for international efforts to
find a solution to the crisis, hence delay the launching of the reconstruction
process. In other words, the same politician said that Washington did not
encourage steps to reopen embassies without any political price in return.
Quoting Hale, the politician said the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
to a number of countries in the region has resulted in the initiative of several
Arab countries to postpone the opening of embassies in Damascus at the present
time. The Lebanese politician said he did not believe that the normalization of
relations between Arab countries and Damascus would curb the Iranian political
and military influence, stressing that Moscow and Tehran would not be pushed
towards any clash in Syria.
Kurd-Led Forces Overrun Last IS-Held Village in Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 23/19/Kurdish-led fighters overran the
last village held by the Islamic State group in Syria on Wednesday, confining
its once vast cross-border "caliphate" to two small hamlets, a war monitor said.
It is the culmination of a broad offensive launched by the Syrian Democratic
Forces last September with US-led coalition support in which they have reduced
the jihadists' last enclave on the north bank of the Euphrates valley near the
Iraqi border to a tiny rump. The capture of the village of Baghouz leaves the
few remaining diehard IS fighters holed up in scattered farmhouses among the
irrigated fields and orchards on the north bank of the Euphrates River. "Search
operations are continuing in Baghouz to find any IS fighters who are still
hiding," the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami
Abdel Rahman, told AFP. "The SDF will now have to push on into the farmland
around Baghouz."The Observatory said late on Tuesday that around 4,900 people,
mostly women and children but including 470 IS fighters, had fled the jihadists'
fast dwindling enclave in two days. Of those 3,500 surrendered to the advancing
SDF on Tuesday alone. They were evacuated on dozens of trucks chartered by the
SDF.
Diehard fighters
The fall of Baghouz follows the SDF's capture of the enclave's sole town of
Hajin and the villages of Al-Shaafa and Sousa in recent weeks. The new wave of
departures means that nearly 27,000 people have left former IS areas since early
December, including almost 1,800 jihadists who have surrendered, the Observatory
said. The whereabouts of the ultra-elusive IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who
has made just one public appearance -- in Iraq's then IS-held second city Mosul
in 2014 -- are unknown. The US-led coalition declined to be drawn on when it
expected its SDF allies to overrun the final sliver of territory still under IS
control. It stressed the operation's bigger goal was to minimise the continuing
threat the jihadists could pose from underground. "It is difficult to say how
much longer, despite the progress," coalition spokesman Colonel Sean Ryan said.
"We try to stay away from timelines as it is more about degrading the enemy's
capabilities. "We are seeing a lot of enemy fighters fleeing. The Syrian forces
are less than 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Iraqi border but still fighting
against a resistance of diehard fighters." The remaining jihadists are well
within artillery range of Iraqi forces stationed along the border, who are
determined to prevent fugitive IS fighters from slipping across.On Saturday,
Iraqi shelling and air strikes on IS positions in an around Baghouz killed at
least 20 jihadists, according to the Observatory.
Trump controversy
up its own air strikes against IS since the jihadists killed four Americans and
15 other people in a suicide bombing on a restaurant in the flashpoint northern
town of Manbij on January 16. The US losses were the biggest since Washington
deployed troops in Syria in 2014 in support of the SDF. Previously it had
reported just two combat losses in separate incidents. The Manbij bombing
rekindled controversy triggered by President Donald Trump last month with his
surprise announcement of a full withdrawal from Syria. The US president
justified the order with the assertion that the jihadists had now been "largely
defeated" in Syria, a claim that the attack threw into renewed question. It is a
far cry from the jihadists' peak in 2014, when they overran large parts of Syria
and neighbouring Iraq, and IS proclaimed a "caliphate" in areas under their
control. The gains have come at the cost of heavy losses for the mainly Kurdish
fighters of the SDF and despite their sense of betrayal by their US ally after
Trump's withdrawal announcement. Neighbouring Turkey has threatened repeatedly
to launch a cross-border operation to crush the Kurdish fighters of the SDF and
the autonomous region they have set up in areas of northern and northeastern
Syria under their control. Turkish troops had been held at bay by the
intervention of US troops who set up observation posts along the border and
mounted joint patrols with Kurdish fighters.But with those troops gone, the
Kurds fear they will be exposed to the full might of the Turkish military.
Fire kills seven siblings in Syrian capital Damascus
The Associated Press, Syria/Wednesday, 23 January 2019/The deaths of seven young
members of a family in a fire at their Damascus apartment has sent shockwaves
through the Syrian capital. The siblings were asleep in their apartment in the
city's old quarter when the fire broke out on Tuesday and spread quickly. Six of
the children suffocated in their bedroom while the seventh, a girl, was stuck
under a false ceiling that collapsed and burnt to death as she tried to find a
place to flee. It was not immediately clear what caused the blaze late Tuesday
in the Arnous family apartment on the fourth floor of a building in the Amara
district in the city center. Short circuit could be a reason, family members
said, while state media said an electric heater, turned on during the cold
night, could have been the cause. The seven dead were three boys and four girls,
aged between three and 13 and identified by relatives as Fares, Sidra, Seif,
Mustafa, Hala, Hallah and Nadia. The seven dead were three boys and four girls,
aged between three and 13. The tragedy, which came amid an ongoing seven-year
civil war that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands, shook residents
of Damascus. The fire occurred at about 10 PM when the parents were visiting the
children’s maternal grandmother, who was recently discharged from a hospital. "A
burning ball"Relatives said the father was informed of the fire by his sister,
who lives in the opposite building. He arrived within 10 minutes but was unable
to do anything because of the ferocity of the fire. “The children were sleeping
and nobody was able to reach the apartment because the fire was spreading
quickly,” said the siblings’ paternal cousin Hadi Arnous, 35, standing outside
the charred apartment. On Wednesday, piles of rubble were being removed by
firefighters and the apartment made up of three rooms was totally burned. Stairs
leading to the burned apartments were charred. Two apartments on the fourth and
fifth floors were totally burned out. Construction material was brought by the
Damascus governorate to start renovating the building. State media said an
electric heater, turned on during the cold night, could have been the cause.
The children’s uncle, Yassin Arnous, who lives in the same building on the fifth
floor, said the fire reached his apartment and his children were rescued by
neighbors as he tried to reach his nephews and nieces. “I ran downstairs but
because of the raging fire, I could not do anything,” Arnous said. “We grieve
over the children. It’s a big loss.”The family’s apartment is in an area known
for its narrow alleys, which are usually crowded until late. Yassin Arnous said
that stands where vendors sell clothes and fruit probably delayed the arrival of
fire fighters. Mohammad Dalati, a neighbor who lives on the second floor, said
he wasn’t able to reach the apartment on fire because fire had reached the
building’s stairs. The fire “turned into a burning ball in less than three
minutes,” he said. The father of the seven children, Hassan Arnous, was at the
hospital Wednesday where the bodies of his seven children are kept. Two other
children, a soldier and a married daughter, were not at home when the fire
occurred.
Russia Likely to Operate 'S-300' in Syria by March
Moscow - Raed Jaber/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January, 2019/Russian media
reported that the S-300 missile system, delivered by Moscow to Syria in October
2018, will begin operating in March. It said that within two months Syrian
military personnel will have finished their training to use and control the
advanced missile system.The recent Israeli missile strike on Syria has sparked
many debates in Russian media due to widespread criticism of the ineffectiveness
of Russian-manufactured air defences, which are currently deployed in Syria. The
Syrian army has announced that its air defences dropped a large number of
missiles that targeted Syrian sites, which was also confirmed in a statement by
the Russian Defence Ministry. However, data reported by media in Syria and
Israel indicated that the air defences were ineffective and that Israel
succeeded in destroying the Pantsir missile launchers, which Moscow was boasting
that they were capable of countering any aerial targets. Meanwhile, Russian
media focused Tuesday on the reason behind the delay in operating “S-300”
system, three months after its transfer to Syria. Syrian S-300 crews are still
not ready to operate the S-300 air defence system on their own, Russia’s
Kommersant newspaper reported. The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying
that Syrians will be prepared to use those systems by March 2019 and not
earlier, after completing all necessary training. It pointed out that one
battalion of the S-300 air defence system batteries will be used to protect
Damascus and its surroundings. Member of the Defense and Security Committee of
Russia's Federation Council Frants Klintsevich said that Israeli warplanes can
still direct their attacks because they are out of reach of the Syrian Air
Defense system], but after the deployment of the S-300 no one will be able to
escape it. Kommersant also noted that Moscow ignored the Israeli strikes and
made no official comments on the attack. Citing sources, the newspaper stated
that Russia is not going to change its current attitude towards Israeli strikes
on Syria if no targets near Russian personnel are hit.
US Forces in Iraq Confuse Pro-Iran Factions
Baghdad- Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January, 2019/From the halls of
parliament to the lightning-fast rumor mills of social media, pro-Iran factions
are demanding US troops withdraw from Iraq in a challenge to the country’s
fragile government. The political wrangling is another indication of Iraq’s
precarious position as it tries to balance ties between two key allies — the
United States and Iran. Calls for a US pullout have intensified since President
Donald Trump’s shock decision last month to pull troops from neighboring Syria,
while keeping American forces in Iraq. In recent weeks, pro-Iran parties have
organized protests to demand an accelerated US troop withdrawal while affiliated
media outlets published footage of alleged US reinforcements in Iraq’s restive
west and north. The debate is heating up in parliament as well. Last week a
lawmaker demanded Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi provide a written explanation
for the ongoing US military presence in Iraq and a timeframe for their stay. MPs
are also drafting a law that would set a deadline for a US withdrawal, according
to Mahmud Al-Rubaie of the Sadiqun bloc, one of the political groups working on
the text.
“We categorically reject the presence of foreign troops in Iraq,” Rubaie told
AFP.But rather than a genuine, popularly-driven desire for a US withdrawal, the
draft is part of the wider race for influence between Washington and Tehran,
analysts said. “This talk is part of the power struggle between the US and
Iran,” said Iraqi security expert Hashem Al-Hashemi. Tensions between the two
countries have intensified since the US pulled out of the landmark 2015 nuclear
accord negotiated with Iran in May last year, and observers fear they could
destabilize Iraq. American troop numbers in Iraq peaked at some 170,000 during
the battle against Al-Qaeda and other insurgents that followed the US-led
invasion of 2003.
Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama ordered a withdrawal that was completed in
2011, but troops were redeployed in 2014 under a US-led coalition battling the
Daesh group. In December 2017, Iraq announced it had defeated Daesh. Since then
the number of foreign coalition troops has dropped from nearly 11,000 in January
2018 to 8,000 by December last year, according to the prime minister. Coalition
spokesman Sean Ryan says there are 5,200 US soldiers now stationed alongside
Iraqi forces in various bases across the country. Their presence angers the
Hashed Al-Shaabi, a paramilitary force that is dominated by pro-Iran factions
which played a key role alongside government forces in the fight against Daesh.
“The US has banned the Hashed from coming near the military bases where its
troops are stationed,” said Hashemi. “So the Hashed is now adopting a reciprocal
policy,” he said, by pushing for a US withdrawal. Trump’s surprise Christmas
visit to troops stationed in western Iraq has added fuel to the fire. Pro-Iran
parties seized on the fact that he did not meet with Iraqi officials to slam the
visit as insulting and a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty. Renad Mansour, a
researcher at the London-based Chatham House, told AFP the revived debate over
US troops was likely a swipe at Abdel Mahdi by hard-line pro-Iran factions. “If
Adel Abdel Mahdi fails in removing the US troops, his opponents will of course
use it to make him seem weak, just as they used the fact that Trump didn’t meet
with him when he came,” he said. Iraqis, meanwhile, are more concerned with
staggering unemployment, power cuts, and a political crisis that has left key
ministries unmanned for months. Very few showed up Friday at protests in Baghdad
demanding an American pull-out, while hundreds turned out for demonstrations in
the south of the country to protest a lack of public services. “If Abdel Mahdi
is unable to deliver services or jobs or water, or pick a defense or interior
minister, then he has way bigger problems,” said Mansour. “If he succeeds in
delivering in services, no one will care about US forces.”
Iraqi ‘Chemical’ Scientist Admits to Assisting ISIS
Washington - Mohammad Ali Salih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January,
2019/Iraqi scientist Suleiman al-Afari has admitted to manufacturing sulfur
mustard under the rule of ISIS in the city of Mosul. The militants seized Mosul
in 2014. Afari, then a 49-year-old geologist with Iraq’s Ministry of Industry
and Minerals, hoped his new bosses would simply let him keep his job, said The
Washington Post. But ISIS offered him to make chemical weapons. “Afari knew
little about the subject, but he accepted the assignment. And so began his
15-month stint supervising the manufacture of lethal toxins for the world’s
deadliest terrorist group,” said the report. “Do I regret it? I don’t know if
I’d use that word,” said Afari, who was captured by US and Kurdish fighters in
2016 and is now a prisoner in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous
Kurdish region. “They had become the government and we now worked for them,” he
said. “We wanted to work so we could get paid,” he told the newspaper. Afari was
in charge of acquisitions in the ministry’s metallurgical division, a unit that
held special appeal for the terrorists. In the interview with The Washington
Post, he described how ISIS officials visited his office a few weeks into the
occupation and presented him with a new assignment and a procurement list of
specialized metal equipment that he was to find and assemble. Included on the
list were stainless-steel tanks, pipes, valves and tubes, all designed to
withstand corrosive chemicals and high temperatures. Afari is among the few
known participants in the terrorist organization’s chemical weapons program to
be captured alive, said the newspaper.
Husband of jailed Iranian human rights lawyer gets six
years
AFP, Tehran/Wednesday, 23 January 2019/The husband of jailed Iranian human
rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, has been sentenced to six years for security
related charges, his lawyer told AFP on Wednesday. “Reza Khandan has been
sentenced to five years’ jail for conspiring against national security and one
year for propaganda against the system,” Mohammad Moghimi said. “He has also
been banned for two years from leaving the country, any activity in social media
or newspapers and membership of political groups,” Moghimi added. The sentence
was handed down by the Tehran revolutionary court, which also handed down an
identical sentence against fellow rights activist Farhad Meisami, the
semi-official ISNA news agency reported. Moghimi, who represents both
defendants, said they would appeal. Khandan, who was arrested at his home in
September, was released on bail last month. Meisami, who was arrested at his
workplace in July, is still awaiting a decision.Khandan’s wife is an
award-winning rights activist who was arrested in June and told she had already
been found guilty in absentia of espionage charges and sentenced to six years by
the Tehran revolutionary court. Before her arrest, Sotoudeh, 55, had taken on
the cases of several women arrested for appearing in public without headscarves
in protest at the mandatory dress code in force in Iran. Sotoudeh won the
European Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov human rights award in 2012 for her
work on high-profile cases, including those of convicts on death row for
offences committed as minors.She spent three years in prison after representing
dissidents arrested during mass protests in 2009 against the disputed
re-election of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Iranian Ministers Send ‘Warning Letter’ to Khamenei on FATF
London - Adil Al-Salmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January, 2019/Several
ministers in the government of President Hassan Rouhani have signed and sent a
letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei requesting his help to finalize
anti-corruption legislation related to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The ministers demanded the urgent discussion of the government proposal by the
Expediency Council, which has powers to approve Iranian bills. In their letter,
the ministers warned from the negative consequences of Iran’s delay in joining
the “Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime” or Palermo and the
“International Terrorist Financing Convention” known as CFT. Media reports
uncovered on Tuesday that the ministers could resign if the window for joining
the international task force combating terror funding and financial corruption
is closed down. The FATF has given Iran a February deadline to complete the
necessary reforms for its membership and to be removed from its blacklist. The
minister of labor and welfare, Mohammad Shariatmadari, confirmed on Tuesday that
several ministers have written a letter to Khamenei requesting his help in
speeding up the process of joining FATF. The Expediency Discernment Council,
which Iranian deputies hope will reassert its support for passing the CFT, is
also almost entirely molded by Khamenei, who once every five years elects 44 of
the body’s members. Last Monday, the Iranian parliament failed in gaining the
ultra-conservative Guardian Council’s approval for Iran joining the FATF,
leaving the dispute to be settled by Tehran’s Expediency Council. If Tehran
fails to secure its FATF membership, it risks stringent and suffocating
international measures striking the Iranian financial and banking sector. The
FATF is an international watchdog with objectives to set standards and promote
effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for
combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the
integrity of the international financial system.
Erdogan in Moscow for Talks with Putin on Syria Safe Zone
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 23/19/Russian President Vladimir Putin and
his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold Syria talks in Moscow on
Wednesday, with Turkey saying they will focus on Ankara's so-called "security
zone" in northern Syria. The two leaders are on opposite sides of the conflict:
Russia provides critical support to the Syrian government, while Turkey has
backed rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Despite this,
they have worked closely to find a political solution to the seven-year
conflict. Russia and Turkey have agreed to coordinate ground operations in Syria
following U.S. President Donald Trump's shock announcement last month about
pulling 2,000 American troops out of Syria. Erdogan said Monday he would discuss
with Putin the creation of a Turkish-controlled "security zone" in northern
Syria, suggested by Trump. The U.S.-allied Kurds, who control much of the north,
have rejected the idea, fearing a Turkish offensive against territory under
their control. Moscow, a long-term supporter of Assad, is likely to oppose the
plan, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week saying Damascus must
take control of the north. Nearly eight years into Syria's deadly conflict, the
U.S. pullout has led to another key step in Assad's Russian-backed drive to
reassert control. Kurdish forces who were left exposed by Trump's pledge to
withdraw have asked the Syrian regime for help to face a threatened Turkish
offensive. The Kremlin hailed the entry by Syrian forces into the key northern
city of Manbij for the first time in six years after Kurds opened the gates.
Moscow plans to organize a three-way summit with Turkey and Iran at the
beginning of this year as part of the Astana peace process, launched by the
three countries in 2017. "So far, no date has been set but after negotiations
with Erdogan, we will begin preparations for the trilateral summit," Putin's
foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told reporters last week. The last meeting
between Putin, Erdogan and Iran's Hassan Rouhani took place in Iran in September
last year with the fate of the rebel-held Idlib province dominating the agenda.
Serious concern
But in a separate briefing Wednesday, the Russian foreign ministry said the
situation in the province remained of "serious concern.""The situation in the (Idlib)
de-escalation zone is rapidly deteriorating. The territory has in fact been
taken under full control by militants," said ministry spokeswoman Maria
Zakharova. Ties between Russia and Turkey plunged to their lowest level in years
in November 2015 when Turkish forces shot down a Russian warplane over Syria.But
after a reconciliation deal in 2016, relations have recovered with remarkable
speed with Putin and Erdogan cooperating closely over Syria, Turkey buying
Russian-made air defense systems and Russia building Turkey's first nuclear
power plant.
Car bomb kills soldier near Iraq’s Kirkuk
Reuters, Kirkuk/Wednesday, 23 January 2019/A car bomb killed one soldier and
injured at least two in a northern Iraqi town near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk
on Wednesday, the military and a security source said. The military said in a
statement that a member of the security forces was killed. A security source
told Reuters that at least two others were wounded. A suicide bomber drove the
rigged car into a security checkpoint at the entrance of the town of Riyadh, 40
kilometers southwest of Kirkuk, the military said. There was no immediate claim
of responsibility for the attack, but ISIS extremists are active in the area.
Iraq declared victory over ISIS in December 2017 after two years of fighting.
However, the group has continued to carry out insurgent-style attacks on
security forces across the country. There have been at least two other car bomb
attacks in January so far
10 Days Will Decide Fate of Yemen Prisoner Exchange
Aden, Jeddah – Ali Rabih and Saeed al-Abyad/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23
January, 2019/The upcoming ten days are expected to be decisive in the prisoner
exchange expected between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed
Houthi militias. Head of the government delegation, Hadi Haig told Asharq Al-Awsat
that comments were exchanged on Tuesday on prisoner lists that have so far been
presented. The Houthis had delayed in submitting their observations to the
office of UN envoy Martin Griffiths. A response to the comments should be
submitted within seven to ten days at most, added Haig. An agreement has been
reached for the warring parties to make remarks on the lists according to a
sample that was agreed to with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The government had objected to Houthi comments on the prisoner file, saying they
violated an agreement reached in Amman last week. The militias had failed to
adhere to a “unified mechanism” that was demanded by the ICRC. The Houthis had
in turn accused the government of failing to respect its commitments to the swap
deal, Haig added. “Such maneuvering confirms to us that the militias are still”
adopting stalling tactics and they are reluctant to implement the exchange, he
said. The Houthis have for weeks been stalling in committing to the Sweden
ceasefire deal on Hodeidah that was reached in December. The prisoner exchange
was included in the deal. Government officials revealed that they had received
orders from President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to present all possible concessions
in order to ensure the success of the prisoner swap seeing as it is a strictly
humanitarian file. The government has presented a list of 9,000 detainees and
abductees held in Houthi jails. The militias have in turn submitted a list of
7,500 people its claims are being held by the government. The Houthis have also
refused to submit clarifications on the hundreds of names presented by the
government, including prominent leader in the Islah party Mohammed Qahtan.
Observers interpreted this move as an attempt to obstruct the exchange and
exploit the prisoners to achieve political purposes. Should the conditions for
the swap be met, then the ICRC will oversee its execution through transferring
prisoners between the Sanaa and Seiyun airports. The government says that the
majority of detainees in Houthi jails are activists and civilians, who were
kidnapped off the streets. The majority of prisoners held by the government are
Houthi fighters who have been detained on the battlefield.
Militias Agree to New Ceasefire in Libya Capital as LNA
Kills Terrorists in Derna
Cairo – Jamal Jawhar and Khaled Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23 January,
2019/Representatives of the Tripoli Protection Force and the Seventh Brigade
reached on Monday a ceasefire deal to end the clashes in the Libyan capital,
Tripoli. The deal was possible through efforts exerted by Bani Walid city
elders, led by Sheikh Mohammed al-Barghouthi. The forces will withdraw from the
capital, reopen roads, remove sand barricades and carry out a prisoner exchange.
Fighting between the armed groups erupted last week despite a truce deal four
months ago that had halted deadly battles in the city. Meanwhile, the Libyan
National Army (LNA), headed by Khalifa Haftar, announced that it had killed two
of the “most dangerous terrorists” during a “sophisticated operation” in eastern
Derna city. LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari identified the terrorists as Omar
Jomaa al-Shaalali and Mohammed al-Tashani. The army is currently waging an
operation to eliminate terrorist threats in Derna. Separately, UN envoy to Libya
Ghassan Salame sent on Tuesday several reassurances to local authorities in
order to contain the anger sparked over his briefing on the country before the
Security Council last week. He was widely criticized by LNA supporters for
“deliberately overlooking the army’s role in combating terrorism”. The Barca MPs
bloc in parliament accused the envoy of “disrespecting the victims of the
Tripoli clashes and the LNA in the South for liberating it from terrorist
groups.” Clarifying his remarks on the South, Salame said that they led to many
wrong interpretations. He stressed that the UN mission in Libya is unyielding in
its determination to combat terrorism and protect civilians. In Italy, Deputy
Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, stoking a war of words between Rome and Paris,
said on Tuesday that France did not want to bring calm to Libya because its
energy interests there clashed with those of Italy. Relations between Italy and
France, traditionally close allies, have grown frosty since the far-right League
and anti-establishment 5-Star Movement formed a coalition last year and took aim
at pro-EU French President Emmanuel Macron. A source in Macron’s office
dismissed the latest attack as “ludicrous”, while Italian Prime Minister
Giuseppe Conte sought to ease the escalating tensions, saying relations between
the two countries remained strong despite a string of recent rows. On Monday
France summoned Italy’s ambassador after Salvini’s fellow deputy prime minister,
Luigi Di Maio, accused Paris of creating poverty in Africa and generating mass
migration to Europe. Salvini backed up Di Maio, saying France was looking to
extract wealth from Africa rather than helping countries develop their own
economies, and pointed particularly to Libya, which has been in turmoil since a
NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that overthrew longtime ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi.
Griffiths’ Mission Faces New Houthi Obstacles, Sources
Aden, Jeddah- Ali Rabih and Saeed al-Abyad/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 23
January, 2019/The United Nations special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has
already confronted new Houthi impediments, sources with knowledge of the matter
told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday. “Houthis informed Griffiths they objected the
role of retired Dutch Maj. Gen. Patrick Cammaert,” the sources said, adding that
leaders from the militia group linked implementing the Sweden agreement with the
economic file and with paying the salaries of civil servants operating in areas
under their control. Griffiths has arrived Monday in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa,
in a new effort to convince Houthi leadership to implement the Sweden ceasefire
agreement and withdraw from the city of Hodeidah and its ports. Last month,
Yemen’s warring parties met in Sweden and agreed on a ceasefire in Hodeidah and
on a prisoner exchange deal. Houthis failed to comply with the Sweden deal and
to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Issa, as well as from the
city. They also expressed objection to the role of Cammaert, accusing him of
being biased toward the legitimate government, and requested his removal.
Cammaert is heading a UN mission charged with monitoring the ceasefire and with
ensuring other commitments agreed at peace talks in Sweden last month are
honored. Despite Griffiths’ presence during the last two days in Sanaa, Houthi-controlled
media outlets ignored mentioning any official meeting held between the UN envoy
and the insurgency, only shedding light on two separate meetings held by his
deputy, Maeen Sharim with the group’s leadership. Meanwhile, the Yemeni
legitimate government submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations over
Houthis’ dealing with the prisoner exchange file. It said the insurgency failed
to abide by a common list of names, which the International Committee of the Red
Cross had requested last week in Amman during a meeting between representatives
of the Yemeni government and Houthis on the implementation of a prisoner
exchange agreement. ICRC said it was ready to offer the two sides of Yemen's
conflict technical support in facilitating prisoner exchanges, upon agreement on
final lists of prisoners. Officials from the legitimate government expected the
next ten days to be decisive concerning the exchange file, hoping to reach final
lists of prisoners and to start implementation of the Sweden agreement.
U.S. Confirms Taliban Talks in Qatar
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 23/19/The United States confirmed Tuesday
that its envoy is meeting in Qatar with the Taliban, seeking to negotiate an end
to the Afghanistan war despite a new major attack claimed by the insurgents.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative on Afghan reconciliation, met
Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha with Taliban representatives, the State
Department said. "We can confirm that Special Representative Khalilzad and an
interagency team are in Doha today talking with representatives of the Taliban,"
a State Department spokeswoman said, adding that the talks were taking place
over two days.Khalilzad has sat down several times with the Taliban but it marks
the first time that the United States has confirmed his meetings so directly.
The meeting came even though the Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack
Tuesday against an Afghan intelligence base in central Wardak province. A local
official said that at least 65 people were killed, in the latest high-casualty
attack in Afghanistan.A Taliban spokesman announced the meeting with Khalilzad
on Monday, saying that the United States accepted an agenda of "ending the
occupation of Afghanistan and preventing Afghanistan from being used against
other countries in the future."President Donald Trump has ordered a halving of
the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan as he voices eagerness to end America's
longest-ever war, launched in 2001 after the September 11 attacks. The
Afghan-born Khalilzad, a key US policymaker under former president George W.
Bush, met the Taliban after talks in Afghanistan as well as stops in key
regional players China, India and Pakistan. In Kabul, Khalilzad spoke with
President Ashraf Ghani and vowed that the United States would maintain security
support to Afghan forces. "We agreed military pressure is essential while we
prepare to engage in negotiations for peace," he tweeted. He elaborated later:
"To achieve peace, we are ready to address legitimate concerns of all Afghan
sides in a process that ensures Afghan independence and sovereignty, and
accounts for legitimate interests of regional states."
"Urgent that fighting end. But pursuing peace still means we fight as needed,"
he tweeted. Khalilzad is last known to have met the Taliban last month in Abu
Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, which has jockeyed for influence
versus Gulf rival Qatar on spearheading diplomacy with the Taliban.
Qatar Emir Backs Sudan's 'Unity' in Meeting with al-Bashir
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 23/19/Naharnet/January 23/19/Qatar's ruler
said Wednesday the Gulf emirate backs the "unity and stability" of Sudan as he
met the country's President Omar al-Bashir in Doha, but there was no
announcement of a financial rescue package. The emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani,
hosted the Sudanese leader on his first trip abroad since widespread
demonstrations erupted last month against his 30-year rule. "The emir stressed
Qatar's commitment to the unity and stability of Sudan. The talks also focused
on developments of the peace process in Darfur," the Qatar News Agency reported.
It said the talks covered "bilateral ties," without giving details. There was no
announcement, however, of any financial assistance from wealthy Qatar for Bashir,
whose government faces huge protests over a looming economic crisis involving
rising food costs, soaring inflation and a shortage of foreign currency. The
Sudanese leader, 75, left Qatar and flew back to Khartoum late Wednesday.
Bashir's regime has been rocked by anti-government protests which erupted across
Sudan on December 19 after a government decision to triple the price of bread.
The protests are the biggest challenge yet to Bashir's authority, who swept to
power in 1989 in an Islamist-backed coup. Officials say 26 people have died so
far in the protests, while rights group Amnesty International has put the death
toll at more than 40. Qatar and Sudan are long-time allies. The Gulf state has
mediated between Khartoum and rebel groups involved in the conflict in the
Darfur region of western Sudan that erupted in 2003. Bashir's regime has been
accused of widespread human rights abuses and he has been charged by The
Hague-based International Criminal Court with genocide and crimes against
humanity in Darfur.
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on January 23-24/19
Syria bill to sanction regime backers passes US House of Representatives
Joyce Karam/The Natiional/January 23/19
The proposed law would punish any entity selling or enabling the sale of Syrian
oil
Even as the United States plans its military withdrawal from Syria, it has taken
a step towards increasing political and economic pressure on the regime of
Bashar Al Assad.
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill late on Tuesday night
that will allow the White House to sanction foreign persons and entities that
engage with the Assad regime or its supporters.
The legislation also requires the Treasury Department to decide within 180 days
whether “reasonable grounds exist for concluding that the Central Bank of Syria
is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern”.
The bill HR 31, officially called the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, was
introduced by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House, Eliott
Engel. The bill was named after Cesar, the pseudonym for a photographer with the
Syrian military police who documented those killed by the regime in prisons and
detention centres for death certificates before defecting to the West in 2013
with a trove of 53,275 images showing the scale of the Assad regime’s brutality.
HR 31 gives US President Donald Trump the green light to go after foreign
entities and persons that engage in prohibited business with, provide support
for or carry out a significant transaction with the Assad regime or senior
political figures. The bill also targets companies that work with foreign
military contractors, mercenaries or paramilitary organisations “knowingly
operating in a military capacity inside Syria for or on behalf of the Government
of Syria, the Government of the Russian Federation, or the Government of Iran”.
It requests the US president to impose sanctions on violators within six months
that include freezing US assets, blocking or revoking visas and barring entry
for those engaged in prohibited transactions.
The sanctions also target anyone who is selling or enabling the sale of Syrian
oil and gas, aircraft parts or providing construction and engineering services
for the regime.
Coming at a time when some Arab governments are considering resuming economic
relations with the Syrian government, HR 31 could give pause for thought.
On a recent call with reporters, a senior US official said “our position [is]
that political isolation and political pressure is the appropriate approach to
take to try to press the Syrian regime to make the kind of meaningful changes
necessary both to settle the Syrian conflict in a peaceful way and also to try
to achieve the other US objectives in Syria”.
Mr Engel, commenting on the passage of the bill, struck an emotional tone,
saying that “nothing can undo the horrors they have had to endure for nearly
eight years. Nothing can bring back those who have been lost. But the world owes
it to the living and the dead to try to bring this crisis to an end.”
He said the US’s role was to “to push for a political solution that allows the
Syrian people to choose their own future… we simply cannot look the other way
and allow Assad, Russia and Iran to steamroll over Syria.”
US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others watch as
the remains of Scott A. Wirtz, a Defense Intelligence Agency civilian and former
Navy Seal, are carried by during a dignified transfer for US personal killed in
a suicide bombing in Syria, at Dover Air Force Base January 19, 2019 in Dover,
Delaware. / AFP / Brendan Smialowski
US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others watch as
the remains of Scott A Wirtz who was killed in Syria are returned home. AFP
The Republican congressman Michael McCaul called for a “strategy that moves
beyond Assad’s debilitating stronghold to encourage negotiations and pursue a
political solution to end this conflict.
“This legislation provides the administration much-needed leverage,” he said.
If the Senate approves the same bill, it will be sent to the president’s desk to
be signed into law.
Turkey: The Price of Dissent
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/January 23/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13546/turkey-dissent
"This is how jihad is being taught at schools." — Title of the OdaTV article
that sparked threat of massacre.
"We are a news website that draws attention to the new [Islamic] organizations
whose members are being staffed in state institutions... We remind that illegal
structures are once again being formed within the state... Why do the Ministry
of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, and the Directorate of Religious Affairs
stay silent?" — Barış Pehlivan, the editor-in-chief of the threatened OdaTV.
"The point is not that these things are written in Islamic scripture, but that
people still live by them." — Bruce Bawer, author.
Although OdaTV has not denounced or criticized Islam, it does oppose the
indoctrination of school children with violent jihad. Apparently even this was
sufficient cause for the Turkish mufti to threaten the outlet's journalists with
death.
A mufti who works for Turkey's state religious authority, the Diyanet, recently
insinuated that a massacre of the employees of the opposition news site OdaTV
would be justified. Pictured: Barış Pehlivan, the editor-in-chief of OdaTV.
-- along the lines of the 2015 slaughter of the staff of the satirical
French magazine Charlie Hebdo -- would be justified.
Ahmet Altıok, mufti of the Siirt Province, made this veiled threat of mass
murder in an interview with the İLKHA news agency. ILKHA has ties to Turkey's
Hizbullah ("party of Allah" in Arabic; not connected to Hezbollah in Lebanon), a
Sunni terrorist organization responsible for many horrific murders in the
country.
In his interview, Altıok said, in part:
"Be it Charlie Hebdo or Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf [an ancient Jewish poet assassinated
for criticizing Mohammed] ... people who continually ridiculed, mocked and
insulted Muslims... will be once again convicted in the society's conscience. I
call on these gentlemen to apologize. For you know repentance before death is
accepted."
According to Barış Pehlivan, the editor-in-chief of OdaTV, Altıok's warning was
sparked by an article on the OdaTV website entitled "This is how jihad is being
taught at schools." Pehlivan said, however, that the article was "just an
excuse":
"We are a news website that draws attention to the new [Islamic] organizations
whose members are being staffed in state institutions... We remind that illegal
structures are once again being formed within the state... But how come a mufti
whose salary is paid by the state brings up the Charlie Hebdo massacre and
targets odaTV?
"The situation includes both terrorist propaganda and a call for a massacre. Why
do the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Justice, and the Directorate of
Religious Affairs stay silent?"
The answer lies, perhaps, in that since the 7th century, the brutal slaying of
anyone publicly critical of Mohammed has been widespread throughout the Muslim
world -- a practice that persists: the violent silencing of critics is
sanctioned by Islamic scriptures. According to the Quran and the recorded
sayings (hadith) and biographies (sira) of Islam's founder, "To leave Islam, to
insult Muhammad or Allah, to deny the existence of Allah, to be sarcastic about
Allah's name, to deny any verse of the Quran" or to commit other acts of
blasphemy are all punishable by death. Such teachings have not only have become
embedded in the culture of many Muslim communities, there are increasing
attempts to export them to the West. The latest instance is the capitulation to
Islam's blasphemy laws by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in
Strasbourg, France, in upholding a conviction against an Austrian woman,
Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, for having correctly noted to a small private group
that Mohammad "liked little girls" as he married Aisha when she was six years
old (Sahih-Bukhari, Vol. 5, Book 58, Nos. 234–236), although waited until she
was 9 years old to consummate the marriage.
As the author Bruce Bawer has noted, "The point is not that these things are
written in Islamic scripture, but that people still live by them."
Take the recent case of an 18-year-old Saudi woman, Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, who
fled her home country and barricaded herself inside an airport hotel room in
Thailand to avoid being deported. She declared that she had renounced Islam and
is fearful of her father's retaliation. "They will kill me," she said.
As the website The Religion of Peace puts it:
"While the rest of the world generally believes that if God wanted people dead
over their religious beliefs then he would do the job himself, apostasy is taken
so seriously by Muslims that it spawned the first of many serious internal wars.
"In 1400 years, there has never been a system of Islamic law that did not
prescribe the death penalty for Muslims choosing to leave Islam. Even in modern,
ostensibly secular Islamic countries with constitutions 'guaranteeing' freedom
of religion, there is de facto enforcement of this law with intimidation and the
vigilante murder of apostates.
"A sound philosophy never requires violence or threats to retain believers."
Many Muslim dissidents, ex-Muslims and non-Muslims who have engaged in
disagreement have paid with their lives. Although OdaTV has not denounced or
criticized Islam, it does oppose the indoctrination of school children with
violent jihad. Apparently even this was sufficient cause for the Turkish mufti
to threaten the outlet's journalists with death.
Is this what is coming to the West?
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone
Institute. She is currently based in Washington D.C. NOTE: Full disclosure:
odaTV has also targeted dissident Turkish journalists, including the present
author.
© 2019 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Palestinians: The 'Political Detainees' No One Talks About
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/January 23/19
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13595/palestinian-political-detainees
Palestinians say that Shaheen and Fattash are among dozens of "political
detainees" who are being held in Palestinian Authority (PA) prisons and
detention centers in various parts of the West Bank. According to some human
rights organizations, the Palestinians held in PA prisons are often subjected to
various forms of torture.
In a letter to Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
a number of Palestinian human rights organizations recently demanded that the
international agency speak out against the politically motivated arrests by the
PA in the West Bank. It is highly unlikely, however, that the human rights
organizations will receive any reply from the UN, whose various agencies
continue to be obsessed only with Israel.
The UN does not seem to care about human rights violations committed by the PA
against its own people. These are the type of stories that evidently do not
interest either the UN or the international media because they lack an
anti-Israel angle. The only "abuses" they see are those that can be blamed on
Israel.
What is happening in the PA-controlled territories and prisons in the West Bank
is a tiny taste of what life for the Palestinians would be like under a
totalitarian regime that does not tolerate any form of criticism. In both the
PA-controlled territories and Gaza, Palestinians must resort to the desperate
measure of closing their mouths to food because they cannot open their mouths to
demand decent treatment.
The Rome-based International Federation for Rights and Development last week
condemned the Palestinian Authority for its crackdown on political opponents and
said the detainees were being subjected to systematic physical and psychological
torture in Palestinian prisons. (Image source: iStock. Image is illustrative and
does not represent any person in the article.)
The mother and wife of a Palestinian man being held without trial in a
Palestinian Authority (PA) prison in the West Bank have gone on hunger strike as
part of a campaign to secure his release. Four days after they began their
hunger strike, the two women were rushed to hospital for medical treatment. The
women say they will not end their hunger strike unless the PA releases Abdel
Rahman Shaheen, who was detained in early January.
The mother of another Palestinian being held in PA prison, Murad Fattash, has
also gone on a hunger strike to protest the continued incarceration of her son,
who was also detained by the PA in early January.
Palestinians say that Shaheen and Fattash are among dozens of "political
detainees" who are being held in PA prisons and detention centers in various
parts of the West Bank.
Most of the detainees were taken into custody for criticizing the PA and its
leaders and policies. They include engineers, lawyers, university lecturers and
students, journalists and political activists affiliated with opposition groups
like Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PLO's Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
According to some human rights organizations, the Palestinians held in PA
prisons are often subjected to various forms of torture.
In a letter to Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
a number of Palestinian human rights organizations recently demanded that the
international agency speak out against the politically motivated arrests by the
PA in the West Bank.
"We wish to express our deep concern and condemnation over the increased arrest
campaigns carried out by the PA security forces against residents because of
their opinions and political affiliations," the organizations said in their
letter. They also expressed deep concern over the "systematic torture" of
Palestinians in PA prisons.
It is highly unlikely, however, that the human rights organizations will receive
any reply from the UN, whose various agencies continue to be obsessed only with
Israel.
Take, for example, the UN Human Rights Council, which in the last 12 years
passed 76 (out of 311) resolutions dealing with Israel. Only 27 resolutions
dealt with Syria, 20 with Myanmar, and 18 with Sudan. Other countries received
even less attention. Iran, for example, has only been censured eight times.
The UN does not seem to care about human rights violations committed by the PA
against its own people. These are the type of stories that evidently do not
interest the UN or the international media because they lack an anti-Israel
angle. The only "abuses" they see are those that can be blamed on Israel.
Palestinian sources said that at least 94 Palestinians were arrested or
"kidnapped" by the PA in recent weeks. Their "crime": Expressing views that are
critical of the PA or being affiliated with Palestinian opposition groups. The
voices of the women who are on a hunger strike will never reach the UN or any of
its human rights agencies.
The Rome-based International Federation for Rights and Development (IFRD) last
week condemned the PA for its crackdown on political opponents and said the
detainees were being subjected to systematic physical and psychological torture
in Palestinian prisons.
The IFRD said it has received testimony from the father of Bader Takatka, a
university student from the West Bank city of Tulkarem who was detained by the
PA security forces earlier this month. According to the father, his son has been
accused of "fomenting internal strife" among Palestinians -- a euphemism used
against Palestinians who criticize the PA or its leaders. The father said that
he has since been prevented from visiting his son in prison.
The IFRD quoted a lawyer for two other "political detainees," Qutaiba Azem and
Muntaser al-Nashar, as saying that the two men have also been subjected to
physical torture in Palestinian prison. They too are accused of "fomenting
internal strife" among Palestinians, according to the organization. Last week,
the PA security forces arrested a journalist , Yusef al-Faqeeh, of Hebron, on
the same charge.
"Practices of torture against political detainees are tantamount to crimes
against humanity that could be brought before the International Criminal Court,"
the IFRD warned. "Arbitrary arrests and systematic torture by the Palestinian
Authority's security forces are in violation of the most important international
human rights conventions, which the Palestinians recently joined as members."
Some of these detainees have also gone on a hunger strike to protest their
incarceration without trial. Mujahed Ashour, a student at An-Najah University in
the West Bank city of Nablus, has been on a hunger strike for the past two
weeks. He is being held without trial in the Palestinians' notorious Jericho
Prison.
The families of the detainees have formed a special committee to follow up on
the cases of their sons. Later this week, the committee is planning to hold a
sit-in strike in the center of the West Bank city of Ramallah to demand the
release of their sons. As in the past, the activities of this committee are
unlikely to gain the attention of the international community because the
detainees are not being held by Israel, but by Mahmoud Abbas's PA security
forces.
Abbas and the Palestinian Authority leadership in Ramallah can sit pretty, all
the same, despite their continued assault on public freedoms. The mainstream
media in the West has shown itself to be wholly indifferent to the torture
taking place inside Palestinian prisons. Revealingly, however, the daily
complaints made by Abbas and his staff about the conditions of Palestinians held
in Israeli prisons for security-related offenses do seem to garner the attention
of the international community and media.
The PA's crackdown on public freedoms in the West Bank is a generous gift to
Hamas and other Palestinian extremist groups. They are using it to discredit
Abbas and depict him as a traitor and dictator. The growing discontent among
Palestinians toward these human rights violations plays into the hands of
Abbas's rivals in Hamas. Abbas recently stated that he hopes to hold a free and
democratic election within the next six months. It is difficult to picture such
an election, nevertheless, with Abbas throwing his political opponents into
prison and subjecting them to various forms of torture.
What is happening in the PA-controlled territories and prisons in the West Bank
is a tiny taste of what life for the Palestinians would be like under a
totalitarian regime that does not tolerate any form of criticism. Of course, the
situation in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is no better. In both the PA-controlled
territories and Gaza, Palestinians must resort to the desperate measure of
closing their mouths to food because they cannot open their mouths to demand
decent treatment.
Khaled Abu Toameh, an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem, is a Shillman
Journalism Fellow at 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. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
As Taliban talks gather pace, Afghan women fear turning back clock
Reuters, Kabul/January 23/19
Eighteen years ago, at the height of the Taliban’s power in Afghanistan, Roshan
Mashal secretly taught her daughters to read and write alongside a dozen local
girls who smuggled school books to her house in potato sacks. Mashal’s daughters
have since gained university degrees in economics and medicine. But she now
fears the looming prospect that the hardline group, whose rule barred women from
education, could once again become part of the government. “They say they have
changed, but I have concerns,” she said in an interview in her office in Kabul.
“There is no trust ... we don’t want peace to come with women losing all the
achievements of the last 17 years.”As talks to end Afghanistan’s long war pick
up momentum, women such as Mashal fear the freedoms eked out since US-backed
Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001 are about to slide backwards, and
complain their voices are being sidelined. An aide to Rula Ghani, the wife of
Afghanistan’s president, said the first lady had launched a survey of women in
34 provinces in a bid to amplify their voices in the peace process, with a
report summarizing their views slated for February.
“The war was started by men, the war will be ended by men,” said the aide. “But
it’s the women and children who suffer the most and they have a right to define
peace.”Almost two decades of war have implicated both sides in the suffering of
women. The United Nations last year expressed alarm at the increased use of air
strikes by US and Afghan forces, which caused a rising death toll among women
and children.
Changed times
Afghanistan is still not an easy place to be a woman, with forced marriages,
domestic violence and high maternal mortality rates prevalent nationwide, and
particularly in rural areas, according to gender equality advocates. But access
to public life has improved, especially in cities such as the capital Kabul,
where many women work outside the home and more than a quarter of the parliament
is female. But women lawmakers and some foreign diplomats fear enshrining gender
equality may take a backseat in any peace deal to the intense international
focus on ending fighting and eliminating the country’s potential as a haven for
militants to launch attacks overseas. “That is the threshold. The question is
how much they will accept the position of women deteriorating in the process,”
said a senior Western diplomat in Kabul whose country funds projects to empower
women. “There may be some backsliding, but hopefully not all the way
back.”Between 1996 and 2001, under the Taliban government that called itself the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, women were banned from work, required to wear
the full-length burqa that covered their faces, and not allowed to leave the
house without a male relative.
The Taliban say they have changed, and that they would allow women to be
educated, though they say schools should be segregated by gender and women
required to wear loose clothing. “We want Afghanistan to move forward with its
present achievements and developments. But there are some reforms and changes
the Emirate will struggle for,” spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told Reuters last
month. That is not enough to assuage the fears of women such as Karima Rahimyaar.
She is the main provider for her family after her first husband was shot and
killed by the Taliban in Kunduz province in 1996 and her second was injured and
left unable to work after being imprisoned by them around three year ago.
She regularly comforts her university-aged daughters, who feel sick when they
hear gunshots or mention of the Taliban. “It is very difficult for me,” she
said. Like many Afghans, she is desperate for peace and wants an end to the
near-daily attacks across the country, which claimed the life of her 32-year-old
son, a police officer, in 2016.But not, she says, at the expense of women’s
rights. “If there are no agreements and commitments, women will be inside the
home and they will be deprived of everything,” she said.
Fighting for a voice
Wazhma Frogh, a member of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, tasked with
negotiating with the Taliban, said that she and the 11 other female members of
the group had to fight to have their perspective heard. “To get access is
difficult,” she said, saying that at times women had to raise their voices in
meetings to avoid being ignored and that gatherings were sometimes held late at
night in venues women did not feel comfortable travelling to. Though the Taliban
is refusing to include the Afghan government in formal talks, Frogh and other
members have informally met with the insurgent group and with US special envoy
Zalmay Khalilzad. Meanwhile young women such as Zuhal Babakarkhil, one of the
fast-growing segment of the population who have reached adulthood since the fall
of the Taliban, say Afghan society has changed.“In Afghanistan the women are no
more the women from 20 years back,” said the 28-year-old, who was in her first
year of school when the Taliban took power and whose family fled overseas. She
now lives in Kabul, plays cricket and promotes higher education among girls. She
says that social media such as Whatsapp and Facebook gives women access to
organizing networks at home and abroad that would be tough to curtail.She said
she has no intention to leave Afghanistan, despite her worries about the Taliban
returning. “We did it before ... but certainly this is not the way, to escape
anymore,” she said. “We are not leaving our home country. We will definitely
stand up for our rights.”
Ex-Iranian prisoner Hassan Karimi reveals secrets of regime’s jails
Lenah Hassaballah/ Al Arabiya English/January 23/19
“For days, my hand and feet were tied together so my body was arched forward in
that position,” he said.
“There are several pictures and videos showing the brutal treatment of citizens
in the form of beatings in public. So, you can imagine the extent of torture
that takes place in dark prison cells.”This is how Kurdish activist and media
personality, Hassan Karimi, explained his experience in Iranian prisons. Karimi
was unfortunate enough to be imprisoned three times by the Iranian regime for
the mere fact that he had a sectarian identity, as he put it. “The preservation
of national, religious, and sectarian identity in Iran is considered an
unforgivable charge. As both a Kurd and a Sunni, I already had good reason to be
imprisoned since birth,” Karimi told Al Arabiya. Karimi was a teacher who gave
private lessons teaching the Kurdish language in homes. But, although such a job
may seem pretty regular, Karimi said it was actually a very dangerous feat.
According to an Amnesty International report, Kurds in Iran have long suffered
deep-rooted discrimination. Their social, political and cultural rights have
been repressed, as have their economic aspirations. The report adds that Kurdish
regions have been economically neglected, resulting in entrenched poverty. “I
was at my colleague’s house who is a teaching assistant, and we were preparing
some content for a class. All of a sudden, people from the ministry of
intelligence came to the house and arrested us. They took us from Bukan to a
city called Urmia.”They were both charged with “endangering Iranian national
security” and “sympathy for Kurdish parties.”
Targeting minorities
In Urmia, Karimi said he was thrown in a cell, originally meant to accommodate
one person, with eight other men. “The toilet was right there in the cell so we
had to go in front of each other,” he said. Up to 50 people are imprisoned in
Iran every hour, the head of the Iranian Social Workers’ Association, Hassan
Mousavi Chelak, had told state-run IranianStudents News Agency (ISNA) in 2018.
According to many reports, minorities, intellectuals and politicians are a
favorite target for the regime’s forces. Most of those, like Karimi, are usually
taken to the notorious Evin prison. It is located in the Evin neighborhood of
Tehran, Iran. The infamous prison is known for housing Iran’s political
prisoners since 1972, before and after the Islamic Revolution, which won it its
nickname “Evin University” due to the number of intellectuals housed there. This
is where Karimi was taken in 2009 during protests known as the Green Movement,
following the Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the
removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office. “I was in the city of Saravan in the
Baluchistan Province, where I was arrested with a large number of protesters,
although I was not part of the Green Movement. Usually, however, when
disruptions such as protests occur, security services summon and detain those
who have been arrested before or imprisoned for political or civil activities as
a proactive measure to prevent the expansion of the protests. Therefore, I was
arrested without legal justification,” Karimi said.
Torture in Baluchistan ‘the worst’
Every time Karimi was arrested, he said they would take him to detention
facilities that belong to intelligence services where he was held for three to
ten months without being formally charged. But the worst torture Karimi
experienced was in Baluchistan, the second time he was arrested.
“For days, my hand and feet were tied together so my body was arched forward in
that position. I couldn’t even go to the bathroom while also being in solitary
confinement,” he said. “Because of being tied up for so long, and handcuffed,
the veins and arteries in my forearm were squeezed so tight and torn apart. I
couldn’t feel my left forearm. If you poked a knife through it, I wouldn’t feel
it. For over a year I went to several doctors.” Karimi had been in the city of
Zahedan, which is mostly Sunni. His translator said Karimi probably stood out
for being white with light brown hair, as most people in that city have a dark
complexion.Days before his arrival in 2008, the Iranian government had bulldozed
the Abu Hanifa Mosque and a religious school in Zabol. They beat and arrested
the students and staff, and rounded them up in security cars.
The incident sparked a Sunni campaign, which began protesting against the regime
forces’ use of violence, and the widening sectarian gap.
“The regime thought I was part of this campaign but they had no evidence or
charge whatsoever against me so they were forced to release me after 40 days of
solitary confinement. But they spent these 40 days vehemently looking for any
charge to place me in these protests and this campaign.”
Iran was condemned for the 65th time in the UN’s Third Committee for violation
of human rights on November 15, 2018. Passing such resolutions relating to this
in the highest international body every year is a constant reminder of the human
rights abuses of the republic.
Karimi said that torture methods in prison included putting prisoners under
strong and intense lighting continuously during the day and night, handcuffing
prisoners’ arms and legs to a bed known as ‘the bed of miracles’ for the large
amount of confessions extracted by using it, and making prisoners believe that
they will be executed. The prisoner is blindfolded, and taken to an unknown
place upon being told they will be executed, where they often have a rope
tightened around their neck in order to frighten them, Karimi said.
“I swear, I swear, I swear, one of them knocked so hard on my cell door one
night, and looked like he was about to beat me. I started saying ‘by God, please
don’t’, and the man replies ‘God? What God? Is he here, I don’t see him. There
is no God here’,” Karimi said.
The escape
Two incidents involving Karimi’s ex-prison mates made him want to escape from
Iran for good. “After they were released, they were running a small charity
where they used to collect money for the poor in Kurdish areas. When authorities
found out about this, they assassinated one of them, Idris Khademi, and
sentenced the other, Aram Mikhael, to nine years in jail because he had
witnessesd Idris’s assassination. And these were my friends so I was afraid they
would go after me next.”Karimi said that after these incidents, authorities
summoned him every week for interrogation, and forced him to sign documents so
they knew where he was at all times. Karimi said he couldn’t afford to escape
through Europe so he had to go through a longer, more complicated route. He did
not reveal the details of his escape route in order not to endanger anyone else
planning on taking this route. “After going through this, I’ve noticed that I
get very angry quickly, and very anxious. I get nightmares all the time of
someone torturing me. After I was released for the last time, for a while I was
not able to sleep in the dark as they used to torture us in the dark. I would
make my family keep all the lights on.”“Even now, living abroad, my car got
keyed twice. I am positive it is by someone sent by them to threaten me,” he
added. When asked about his childhood and if he wishes to go back someday,
Karimi’s eyes glisten and a smile immediately forms on his face. “Of course I
remember my childhood playing with my friends in the snow in the mountains. I
remember our culture, my family, my life, it was all there. I am like a tree
that was originally planted in one place, and was uprooted and placed in
another. It will never be the same as where it was originally planted.”
Karimi left Iran in 2012, and hasn’t gone back since.
Iran conference a crucial test for Poland
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Arab News/January 23/19
The Trump administration’s international summit for security and stability in
the Middle East, which is due to be held in Warsaw, Poland, next month is making
waves. For Warsaw, the US announcement is filled with implications for its
position in the Middle East, as well as its role in Europe. There are several
angles as to why Poland seeks this conference, with this move signaling its
emergence as a European leader, which has dramatic implications.
Warsaw is an important political and military ally of the US. Importantly,
Poland is tethered to the US because of liquefied natural gas (LNG). America
supplies Poland with its LNG requirements, which allows Warsaw latitude in
policy initiatives and pursuits that are tied to Washington. The Iran conference
is meant to further cement ties between the two nations in a transactional way.
The Poles, who have offered to host and pay for a “Fort Trump” military base,
are at the forefront of the US-Russia confrontation in Europe.
The idea of the conference is to address a range of critical issues, including
terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade
and security, and the threats posed by Iran’s proxy groups across the region. US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “We will gather around a number of
different topics ... fighting (Daesh) is part of that ... and address how we can
get the Islamic Republic of Iran to behave like a normal nation.”
The idea of Poland as host of the conference is also about how Iran behaves in
Europe. Iran has used its intelligence capabilities for nefarious means, thereby
spreading pro-Tehran propaganda. Iran is strong in Europe because of a lax EU
attitude. The recent ejection of Iranian spies from Western European countries
is illustrative of the infiltration, which includes planning terrorist attacks.
Thus, with some European countries balking at attending the conference, the
ability of Iran to divide Europe over the meeting’s rationale becomes an
important tactical achievement that will have a lasting impression. Much of this
type of action is similar to Russian means and methods to break European unity
by exacerbating negative social trends and thereby interfering in sovereign
affairs.
Poland is showing an assertiveness that is unique to Europe at this geopolitical
juncture by offering the US such a forward presence.
Warsaw is facing resistance from Iran for agreeing to host such an event.
Rhetoric about Iran halting the issuance of visas and canceling cultural
festivals is occurring as Tehran views the hosting as a deep insult. For Iran,
Poland is forgetting about when it hosted more than 120,000 Polish refugees
during the Second World War and other historical interludes. Iranian pressure
and anger will only continue to build against Poland’s hosting of the
conference.
To be sure, Poland wishes to enhance its international position and prestige,
having previously hosted a NATO summit in Warsaw in July 2016. Poland is looking
to the rest of Europe and sees France, Germany and Italy in the throes of change
and sees itself as a rising power in European affairs. With Russia’s actions in
Ukraine, the Balkans and Eastern Europe as a whole, Poland is deeply concerned
about the coming years. Warsaw is banking on Washington’s backing for years to
come.
The conference’s outcomes and associated optics will tell several stories. The
impact for Poland is going to be about being in the spotlight during this
perhaps unpopular event. Yet Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said that
Warsaw’s ambition is to find common ground on Iran and the perception of
sanctions against Tehran that differ sharply between the US and the EU.
Czaputowicz rejected the Iranian criticism of Poland and said he hoped the
conference would provide a new platform for international dialogue. Poland
supports EU efforts to preserve the nuclear agreement with Iran, but Czaputowicz
argued that the deal alone will not prevent Iran from “destabilizing” the
region. This attempt to bridge the differences between the US and Europe is a
significant development.
Many of the same issues that tear at the fabric of other European societies also
affect Poland. Warsaw’s nationalist government is increasingly at odds with the
EU. The ruling Law and Justice Party is seeking to create a new identity for the
country that is defying the trend lines of the rest of the EU by stepping
forward with bold initiatives that challenge the strategic environment Warsaw
finds itself in today, specifically with the Baltics and Ukraine.
The Iran conference’s results may very well have an effect on the outcome of the
national elections due in Poland this year. Upon joining the EU in 2004, the
former communist country of 38 million people was regarded as a model of
democratic and economic transformation. That perception ended several years ago.
Now, more than any other time, Poland is showing an assertiveness that is unique
to Europe at this geopolitical juncture by offering the US such a forward
presence.
Overall, Poland faces a test — a test that could cement it firmly as a nation to
watch for future initiatives, which further establishes a buttress against
Russia that becomes part of the security landscape as the Trump administration’s
anti-Iran campaign continues.
• Dr. Theodore Karasik is a non-resident senior fellow at the Lexington
Institute and a national security expert, specializing in Europe, Eurasia and
the Middle East. He worked for the RAND Corporation and publishes widely in the
US and international media.
Twitter: @tkarasik