LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 09/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also
reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us
Second Letter to Timothy 02/08-13:”Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead,
a descendant of David that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to
the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also
obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is
sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we
will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; if we are
faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese
& Lebanese Related News published on June 08-09/2019
Report: Israeli Measures on Lebanon Border 'Don’t Signal' Imminent Aggression
Lebanese Emigration Reduces Unemployment, Strengthens Economy
Syrian Refugees Leave Lebanon’s Deir Al-Ahmar after Decision to Dismantle their
Camp
Aoun: No Laxity with Terrorism, Security Agencies and Judiciary in Perfect
Coordination
Aoun congratulates ISF on its 158 anniversary
Hariri: We bow before the Judiciary's higher cause
Miqati Says Tripoli Incidents ‘Painful’
Bou Saab Tours Military Positions in Tripoli in Wake of Attack, Meets Shaar,
Karami
Israeli Troops Cross Barbed Wire in Kfarshuba
Heavy showers cut off public roads in Hermel, residents fear floods
Frem says recent rain showers are very harmful and damaging to wheat, barley
crops
Daher denies news of noncomplaint rice entry into Lebanon
Safadi at Diaspora Energy Conference: To create a communication network between
young people in Lebanon and abroad that is beneficial to both sides
Fadi Hassan: US military aircraft took off from Kuwait to Beirut, did not at all
take route from Tel Aviv Airport
Lebanese Alain Sayegh elected as Francophone Tennis Association Boad of
Directors' ViceChair
Amy Commander meets with Education Minister
Kouyoumjian calls for immediate release of state dues to social welfare
institutions to avoid worse conditions
World Bank Projects 'Subdued' Growth in Middle East and North Africa
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 08-09/2019
Iran has no plans of leaving OPEC, says Iran’s oil minister
Iran says selling oil through ‘unconventional’ means
Fire breaks out at facility for storing oil products in Iran
Saudi energy minister says OPEC close to agreement on extending oil deal
Exxon’s foreign staff to return to Iraqi oilfield with extra security
US Envoy Says Israel Has 'Right' to Annex West Bank Land
Syria Uses Familiar Tactic in Rebel Idlib: Bombing Civilians
Syria Flare-Up Leaves 83 Fighters Dead
Egypt Says 4 Suspected Islamists Killed in Sinai
Algeria Interim Leader Calls for 'Dialogue' over Election
Netanyahu Fails to Get Postponement of Corruption Court Hearing
Sudan forces arrest protest leaders who met Ethiopia PM
Egyptian Lawmakers Push for Online Censorship of False Imams
Litles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on June 08-09/2019
Tehran regime has lost its Tehran regime has lost its legitimacy/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 08/2019
Analysis/There's a New Alliance in the Middle East/Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/June 08
Jun 08/2019
UK will need more than pomp to woo Trump/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/June 08/2019
Three years of failure, now it’s the end of May/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/June
08/2019 China should take lead in tackling rising air pollution/Hartley Kris and
Asit K. Biswas/Arab News/June 08/2019
Is the Trump Plan dead for now/Herb Keinon/Jerusalem Post/June 08/2019
Two Years into Blockading Qatar/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/June 08/2019
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News published on June 08-09/2019
Report: Israeli Measures on Lebanon Border 'Don’t Signal'
Imminent Aggression
Naharnet/June 08/2019/The Israeli security measures on the border with Lebanon
“do not indicate an imminent military operation,” but may be part of
precautionary security measures adopted by the occupation forces, the Saudi
Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported on Saturday. “The Lebanese army and UNIFIL
forces are coordinating efforts in southern Lebanon and the situation is being
closely monitored. The Israeli measures do not indicate an imminent military
operation but fall within the framework of precautionary measures,” a security
source told the daily on condition of anonymity. The Israeli army has cranked up
the operational readiness of its armed forces on the northern border with
Lebanon, and Mount Hermon (Jabal Sheikh) on the Lebanese-Syrian border declaring
them as closed military zones, said the daily. Israel has also transferred
control units to the Shebaa farms to monitor the movement of Hizbullah members
in anticipation of any aggression against Israel in response to Israeli bombings
at Iranian and Hizbullah positions inside Syrian territory, it added. Lebanon’s
National News Agency said Israeli bulldozers have created mounds of dirt in the
occupied part of Abbasieh, and that Israeli troops conducted intensive patrols
along the dirt road from Ain el-Tineh area within the occupied Shebaa Farms to
the occupied town of Ghajar. Lebanon's southern border has been secure since the
end of July 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah, which led to the destruction
of large areas of Lebanon. The area remains under the influence of UN Security
Council Resolution 1701, which prohibits any military Hizbullah presence south
of the Litani River.
Lebanese Emigration Reduces Unemployment, Strengthens
Economy
Beirut- Sanaa Al-Jack/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 8 June, 2019/The number of
Lebanese emigrants under the age of 40 is expected to reach 56,000 by the end of
2019, according to a study by Lebanon-based Information International. The same
study said that 34,502 Lebanese have left their country in 2018 and did not
return. While some studies link emigration to the spread of corruption and the
looting of public funds, most politicians’ statements bear a warning about the
dangers of this phenomenon, not only on the country’s economic and social
conditions, but also on the political level, in terms of demographic imbalances.
In a follow-up to the file of Lebanese emigrants, the US Department of State has
classified Lebanon since 2011 in the “very high alert” circle. External
migration is the most important social issue in the Lebanese society, especially
since about 30 percent of its residents are non-Lebanese, a level unknown to any
other country. “The number of Lebanese migrants is normal due to the conditions
in their country,” said Haitham Jomaa, the former director-general of the
Expatriates Department at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry and the head of the
Lebanese Forum for Development and Migration. In this regard, Jomaa pointed to
the lack of employment opportunities in state facilities, the absence of a
national plan to direct human resources, and the growth of the number of
university graduates in parallel with a decline in the number of institutions in
the productive sectors and the closure of companies because of economic
recession. “But this situation might not continue until the end of the year,
after the adoption of the state budget and the implementation of the CEDRE
recommendations, which will encourage production and hence reduce the pace of
emigration,” he added. Jomaa also explained that political tensions in the
region have affected job opportunities in Lebanon, in addition to international
sanctions, which he said also curbed the desire for investment and shook the
labor market. Jomaa, on the other hand, underlined the positive aspects of
migration. He said that a study carried out in cooperation between the General
Directorate of Emigrants, the Saint Joseph University and the United Nations
showed that 51 percent of the Lebanese people live on expats’ transfers, 25
percent of which goes to education. However, Economic Expert Kamel Wazni told
Asharq Al-Awsat that the funds transferred to Lebanon were affected by the
recent US conditions and sanctions, which prevented remittances from reaching
Lebanese banks, sometimes without any legal justification. He emphasized that
expatriation limits the spread of unemployment among the Lebanese youth. Wazni
also pointed to the surplus of highly-educated people in Lebanon, saying: “When
the Lebanese University posted a vacancy for a professor who holds a Doctorate
in Sciences, 1,500 eligible doctors applied for the position.”
Syrian Refugees Leave Lebanon’s Deir Al-Ahmar after Decision to Dismantle their
Camp
Bekaa (Lebanon) - Hussein Darwish/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 8 June, 2019/The
tents of Syrian refugees were quickly removed on Friday from the Caritas camp in
Baalbek’s Deir al-Ahmar, after three tents were set on fire overnight by
unidentified men. “More than 700 refugees were given a deadline until Friday
night to remove their belongings from the tents before the camp’s closure,”
refugees told Asharq Al-Awsat. Syrians at the camp were seen on Friday moving
their belongings to vacant areas in the plains. Reports said most refugees
decided to later head to the town of Iaat, east of Deir al-Ahmar. “If we don’t
follow the restrictions, then they are going to burn down all the tents, the
same way the three first tents were burnt last Thursday,” a woman told Asharq
Al-Awsat. A decision to close the camp was taken by local authorities after a
Lebanese civil defense member was attacked by a number of Syrian youths who
threw stones at him and at his vehicle as he was trying to extinguish a fire
near their camp at the entrance of Deir al-Ahmar on Wednesday. The town’s mayor,
Latif Al Kuzah, and other officials had given the refugees until Friday night to
leave the camp, which included 120 tents of refugees who had fled Raqqa, Deir
Ezzor and Aleppo in northern Syria. Immediately, the army raided the camp and
arrested 33 Syrians. On Friday, Baalbeck-Hermel Governor Bashir Khodr toured the
camp. “It is true that unidentified people threw at night a grenade that set two
tents on fire, however, our priority is to keep security, safeguard civil peace
and implement the law,” he said. The governor praised the wisdom of Deir al-Ahmar
residents who allowed the refugees to remove their belongings and take them
elsewhere. “We will launch an investigation into what happened,” Khodr added.
Last Wednesday, the governor banned all movement of Syrian refugees in the area.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that residents rejected a proposal to replace the
camp by another.
Aoun: No Laxity with Terrorism, Security Agencies and Judiciary in Perfect
Coordination
Naharnet/June 08/2019/President Michel Aoun on Saturday stressed there should be
“no compromise and no leniency with terrorism” or with any party that finds
justifications for those who attack the sovereignty of the state, its security
institutions and innocent people. Aoun, marking the 158th establishment
anniversary of the Internal Security Forces which takes place Sunday, hailed the
“sacrifices of security members, who together with comrades of arms in the
Lebanese army and other security forces, preserve civil peace, stability and
provide reassurance to citizens.”Also marking the Day of Martyrs of the
Judiciary, President Aoun emphasized “interdependence between the security
services and the judiciary in order to achieve justice.”On the other hand, in
the framework of his meetings with participants in Saturday’s Lebanese Diaspora
Energy Conference, Aoun met at Baabda Palace, MP of the Central American
Parliament (which includes deputies from Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua,
El Salvador and the Dominican Republic) Antoine Raffoul and MP in the Dominican
Parliament, Frida Raffoul. Aoun stressed that communication between Lebanese
residents and Lebanese immigrants will be further enhanced by the
recommendations of the LDE, mainly after granting the right for immigrants to
vote in various countries of deployment. The President encouraged Lebanese
expatriates and descendants of Lebanese origin to regain their nationality after
the adoption of the law issued for that, pointing out that he signed dozens of
decrees restoring nationality to those who demanded it in pursuant to the
provisions of this law.
Aoun congratulates ISF on its 158 anniversary
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, saluted the
Internal Security Forces (ISF) on its 158th foundation anniversary which falls
tomorrow, lauding ISF officers' immense sacrifices and key role in maintaining
the country's security. Aoun eulogized the ISF fallen martyrs who lost their
lives while carrying out their military duties on the eve of Eid El-Fitr,
addressing ISF members by saying: "Their sacrifice alongside the army is an
incentive to insist that Lebanon rejects terrorism in all its forms...and does
not tolerate those who attack the sovereignty of the state and its security
institutions, or target innocent people and stability in the country."President
Aoun also stressed the importance of the interdependence between the work of the
security services and the judiciary, emphasizing that "the independence of the
judiciary is not only achieved in texts, but through the cooperation of judges
with each other."
Hariri: We bow before the Judiciary's higher cause
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - "On the Day of the Martyrs of the Judiciary, we remember
all the fallen martyrs for justice, and we bow before the supreme message and
cause of the Judiciary to achieve the rights of our society and to establish a
state of law, without which there is no freedom nor democracy," said Prime
Minister Saad Hariri via his Twitter account on Saturday.
Miqati Says Tripoli Incidents ‘Painful’
Naharnet/June 08/2019/Former PM Najib Miqati described the latest bombing
incident in the northern city of Tripoli as “painful and offensive,” the
National News Agency reported on Saturday. “What Tripoli witnessed on the eve of
Eid el-Fitr is excruciatingly painful, and the most hurtful part is the
persistence of some in offending the city, its people, history, roots and
culture by accusing it of being an incubator of extremism and terrorism,"
regretted Miqati in a tweet on Saturday. He added: "What happened in Tripoli
will be an opportunity for us all to emphasize fulfillment of commitments made
towards the city and to achieve the development agreed upon with PM Saad
Hariri." "We hope that those who expressed solidarity with Tripoli would reflect
that through supporting its essential and vital projects," Miqati concluded. A
lone gunman using a motorcycle fired on police and army vehicles in different
parts of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers
and wounding several others before blowing himself up later when confronted by
troops. Eight people have been arrested in the wake of the attack, as new
details have emerged about the assailant’s activities over the past few months.
Bou Saab Tours Military Positions in Tripoli in Wake of
Attack, Meets Shaar, Karami
Naharnet/June 08/2019/Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab toured the northern
military zone in Tripoli’s al-Qobbeh where he met with senior officers, Mufti of
Tripoli and senior political figures, the National News Agency reported on
Saturday. Bou Saab’s tour came as part of his visit to military positions in
Tripoli and a number of illegal crossings after the deadly Tripoli attack on
security forces early this week. Bou Saab held a meeting with Mufti of Tripoli
and the North, Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, he said: “Terrorism has no religion. We
must distinguish between terrorism and religiousness, and we won’t accept
permissiveness.”“Tripoli is a city of peace and coexistence, we hope it will
recover wellness,” said Shaar. The Minister earlier met with Tripoli MP Faisal
Karami, he told reporters after the meeting: “Investigations are ongoing until
the truth is revealed. We are closely coordinating efforts with Interior
Minister Raya al-Hassan in order to reveal the truth. “We have to stay united in
order to preserve security,” he added. For his part, Karami stated: “We wish the
blood of the martyrs in Tripoli would not go in vain. The truth must be
revealed. Investigation into the whole course of the terrorist operation must be
made.”
Earlier, Bou Saad had met with army officers and said: “Most of those who were
fighting in Syria are potential terrorists and the danger exists. Lebanon
depends on you. We do not want your morale to be affected by what is happening
in politics."Bou Saab listened to a detailed video explanation about the
terrorist operation carried out by Abdul Rahman Mabsout in Tripoli, NNA said. A
lone gunman using a motorcycle fired on police and army vehicles in different
parts of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers
and wounding several others before blowing himself up later when confronted by
troops. Eight people have been arrested in the wake of the attack, as new
details have emerged about the assailant’s activities over the past few months.
Israeli Troops Cross Barbed Wire in Kfarshuba
Naharnet/June 08/2019/Israeli troops crossed the barbed wire fence in the
Kfarshuba area on Saturday and stayed for fifteen minutes before withdrawing to
Israeli territories, the National News Agency reported. NNA said an 7-member
patrol crossed the fence and advanced into the outskirts of Kfarshuba near the
neighborhood of Berket Baathail. Patrols of the Lebanese Armed Forces and the
UNIFIL peacekeepers were on the Lebanese side.
Heavy showers cut off public roads in Hermel, residents
fear floods
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Heavy rainfall has hit Hermel and its surrounding region
on Saturday, accompanied by snow balls and thunderstorms, which led to the rise
of the Assi River and flooding of streets within the vicinity, thus cutting off
public roads, NNA correspondent in Hermel reported this evening. The prevailing
weather conditions triggered concern among the region's inhabitants, who feared
floods in the coming hours and damages to fruit trees.
Meanwhile, rescue teams, ambulances and the Red Cross are in a state of alert
and full readiness for any arising emergency.
Frem says recent rain showers are very harmful and damaging
to wheat, barley crops
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Board of Directors Chair at the Agricultural Scientific
Research Department in Tel Amara, Michel Frem, indicated Saturday that the
recent fluctuating weather in Lebanon is "due to the arrival of moist western
winds, which led to the formation of clouds and scattered rains with high
temperatures that remained within the limits of 30 degrees. Frem explained that
these sporadic rain showers "are very harmful since they trigger an increase of
insects and fungal diseases, and destroy crops especially wheat and barley."He
disclosed that this weather condition would end on Sunday evening, returning to
normal warm summer temperatures.
Daher denies news of noncomplaint rice entry into Lebanon
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Lebanese Customs Director-General, Badri Daher,
categorically denied Saturday the recent circulated news about the entry of
non-compliant rice containers into the Lebanese market.
In a phone call with the National News Agency earlier today, Daher assured that
"there is no validity to everything that is being circulated through the media
and social networking sites about the entry of 23 tons of Basmati rice to the
Lebanese market."He confirmed that the rice containers are still in Tripoli Port
awaiting appropriate action.
Safadi at Diaspora Energy Conference: To create a
communication network between young people in Lebanon and abroad that is
beneficial to both sides
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - State Minister for Economic Empowerment for Women and
Youth, Violet Khairallah Safadi, highlighted Saturday the need for creating a
network of communication between Lebanese youth residing in Lebanon and abroad,
one that would prove to be beneficial to both parties. "The situation of young
people in Lebanon is worrisome. Statistics on unemployment rates point to 18%,
coupled with brain drain in search of work opportunities abroad," Safadi said.
She added that "45% of young immigrants are university graduates, which confirms
the existence of a brain drain crisis in the country."
Safadi's words came in her opening speech at the workshop organized by her
Ministry on "Lebanese Women and Youth: The Power of Change" within the framework
of the 2019 Diaspora Energy Conference currently convening in Lebanon. The
workshop brought together expatriate men and women who are active in their
respective work fields, in addition to economic attachés and students from
various schools and universities. "The youth's presence here today in the
workshop is to express their wishes, fears and dreams, because they still hope
for a better future," affirmed Safadi. "The aim of the workshop is to create a
series that transcends geographical boundaries, creating a road map that will
enhance the empowerment of Lebanese youth around the world on the long term, by
putting young people in Lebanon in touch with their fellow youth abroad, and
creating a network that will benefit both parties," she maintained. Touching on
the status of Lebanese women, Minister Safadi said: "Women in Lebanon do not
enjoy the same rights as men, even though Lebanon has exceeded various countries
in the Middle East in granting women their political rights in 1953, yet women
are still absent from the political arena."She noted that "Lebanon ranks 135th
in the political empowerment index issued by the World Economic Forum, with a
sole 5% of Lebanese women being members of Parliament."Safadi also indicated
that "income between the sexes is not equal in Lebanon, because for every dollar
earned by men, women earn 25 cents in the same business.""We support the
National Commission for Lebanese Women in its undertaken efforts to grant
Lebanese women the right to pass on their nationality to their children," she
corroborated, adding, "We are still discussing this fundamental human right
while the list of discrimination against women continues."Safadi concluded by
emphasizing the need for working to bring about change, calling for "building a
better society full of future opportunities for our youth."It is to note that
Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Minister, Gebran Bassil, who had a quick
intervention at the workshop, expressed his enthusiasm "for the establishment of
a network of contacts for Lebanese youth around the world, thanks to the efforts
of Minister Safadi." The workshop's opening session also featured an address by
Lebanese American University President, Dr. Joseph Jabbra, in which he disclosed
that "the aim of the University's participation in the workshop is to contribute
positively to building a society of values for all."Jabbra spoke of the history
of the University, which was first established in 1935 to educate women in
Lebanon and the region, and to ensure gender equality through the creation of
women's institutes and research centers. "The most prominent reason for
participation is to advocate the change of laws in Lebanon to ensure gender
equality," stated Jabbra, noting that "the percentage of women in the Faculty of
Engineering at the Lebanese American University reaches 50%."
Following the opening speeches, around 25 participants spoke about their
professional experiences in their respective work domains and competencies, in
addition to their future aspirations for Lebanon and ways of contributing to
finding solutions for young people in Lebanon and in countries of the Diaspora.
Fadi Hassan: US military aircraft took off from Kuwait to Beirut, did not at all
take route from Tel Aviv Airport
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Head of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Fadi
Hassan, categorically denied in a statement Saturday that the American military
aircraft that landed before noon today at Beirut Airport took off from Tel Aviv
Airport. Hassan told the National News Agency that the plane in question
received a landing permit at Beirut Airport via diplomatic channels. "The
aircraft took off from Kuwait City, flew through the Saudi, Egyptian and Cypriot
airspace, and then landed at Hamat Airport and later at Rafic Hariri Airport,"
he indicated. Hassan stated that the Beirut Airport Presidency has re-recorded
the flight course details of the US military aircraft, "which never took path
from Tel Aviv Airport."
Lebanese Alain Sayegh elected as Francophone Tennis
Association Boad of Directors' ViceChair
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Secretary-General of the Lebanese Tennis Federation, Alain
Sayegh, was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Union of
Francophone States for Tennis during the recent elections held at the
headquarters of the French Federation in Roland Garros in the French capital,
Paris. The Francophone Union's general assembly was held in the presence of
associations from 38 Francophone countries, including Lebanon. The Union's new
executive office will serve for a four-year mandate, comprising two
representatives from Europe, two from Africa and one from the remaining parts of
the world.
Amy Commander meets with Education Minister
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Army Chief, General Joseph Aoun, met this afternoon at his
Yarzeh office with Higher Education Minister, Akram Shehayeb, with talks
centering on ways of cooperation and coordination between the Army command and
the Ministry of Education to ensure the success and smooth running of the
upcoming official state examinations.
Kouyoumjian calls for immediate release of state dues to
social welfare institutions to avoid worse conditions
Sat 08 Jun 2019/NNA - Social Affairs Minister, Richard Kouyoumjian, Saturday,
urged the government to pay the state's dues to social welfare associations for
fear of a worsening situation. He said via his Twitter account: "To those who
doubt our pressing demands to pay the accumulating dues to welfare associations
and institutions that form a social safety net for our community, we say that
Sesobel's decision cuts all uncertainty. I refuse to turn the Ministry of Social
Affairs into a mere witness to the collapse of welfare institutions. Hence, I
call for the release of state dues; otherwise the worst is yet to come!"
World Bank Projects 'Subdued' Growth in Middle East and
North Africa
Kataeb.org/June 08/2019/Growth in the Middle East and North Africa is projected
to remain subdued in 2019, at 1.3 percent, the World Bank said in its latest
June report. Regional growth is projected to pick up to around 3 percent a year
in 2020-21, supported by capital investment and policy reforms. Risks to the
outlook are tilted to the downside, including geopolitical tensions, reform
setbacks, and a further escalation of global trade tensions. Growth in the
region is projected to decrease to 1.3 percent in 2019 and to pick up to about 3
percent in 2020-21, according to the report. "The projected pickup over the next
two years is largely driven by an assumed rebound in activity in Iran as the
impact of recent U.S. sanctions wanes, and by an expected ramping up of
infrastructure investment in GCC economies," the World Bank said. "Growth in the
rest of the region is projected to remain stable, with broadly resilient
domestic demand in key economies partly offset by slowing external demand
growth. Medium term growth prospects are contingent on geopolitical tensions
remaining contained and regional spillovers from conflict-ridden economies
remaining limited." For oil exporters, growth in 2019 is expected to decrease
slightly to 0.7 percent, with strengthening non oil activity only partly
offsetting constraints on oil sector activity. Growth is projected to pick up to
2.9 percent in 2020 before tapering slightly in 2021. The rebound in 2020 is
partly driven by rising growth in Iraq as oil production increases. Growth in
oil importers is expected to rise steadily from 3.9 percent in 2018 to 4.7
percent in 2021, led by expansions in the larger economies. Growth prospects in
smaller oil importers (Jordan, Lebanon, West Bank and Gaza) are highly
uncertain, however, as business and consumer confidences are contingent on
anticipated reforms or foreign financial assistance. Banking sector weakness and
high public debt form significant constraints on growth in smaller oil
importers. Risks remain tilted to the downside for both oil exporters and
importers, but for different reasons. Geopolitical risks are elevated in some
oil exporters, while political challenges remain high in oil importers. Peace
remains fragile in conflict affected economies (e.g., uncertainty over the UN
coordinated truce in the Yemen war), and economic and social mobility of
refugees (e.g.,Syria) are still highly constrained.Further amplification of
U.S.-Iran tensions would pose risks for the region’s economies other than Iran,
the report warned. Concerning Lebanon, economic prospects are contingent upon
successful policy resolution in the newly-formed government, with a slight
growth increase in 2019 from 0.2 to 0.9 percent. Growth in Lebanon is expected
to rise to 1.3 and 1.5 percent in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 08-09/2019
Iran has no plans of leaving OPEC, says Iran’s oil minister
Reuters, Geneva/Saturday, 8 June 2019/Iran has no plans to leave the
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh
said in an interview published by the Iranian parliament news site ICANA on
Saturday.“Iran has no plans to leave OPEC...and regrets that some members of
OPEC have turned this organization into a political forum for confronting two
founding members of OPEC, meaning Iran and Venezuela,” Zanganeh told ICANA. “And
two regional countries are showing enmity towards us in this organization. We
are not their enemy but they are showing enmity towards us...and (they) use oil
as a weapon against us in the global market and world,” he added. Zanganeh did
not name the two countries. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates have spiked this year after the two said they would
increase oil production to make up for Iranian crude cut from the market by US
sanctions. On Friday, US President Donald Trump’s administration added Iran’s
largest petrochemical holding group to its sanctions list, accusing it of
indirectly supporting Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards. Washington said the move
aimed to dry up revenues to the elite Iranian military force but analysts called
it largely symbolic. The Trump administration is seeking to intensify economic
and military pressure against Iran because of its nuclear and missile programs
as well as its support for proxy groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.
Iran says selling oil through ‘unconventional’ means
AFP, Tehran/Saturday, 8 June 2019/Iran is keeping up oil sales through
“unconventional” means to circumvent US sanctions, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar
Zanganeh said in an interview published Saturday. “We have unofficial or
unconventional sales, all of which are secret, because if they are made known
America would immediately stop them,” he said, quoted by the oil ministry’s
SHANA news agency. Zanganeh declined to give details on Iran’s oil exports,
saying he would not disclose figures until sanctions were lifted. In May 2018,
Washington withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that granted
Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its atomic program. Washington
re-imposed oil sanctions on Iran last November, but initially gave eight
countries, including several allies such as China, six-month waivers. Iran’s oil
shipments tumbled to 750,000 barrels per day in April compared to 1.5 million in
October, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The White House in May ended
all the waivers as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
According to Zanganeh, the US has reached an “evil maturity” in tightening the
noose on Iran’s economy using “smart sanctions.”“The most severe organized
sanctions in history are currently being imposed on Iran,” he said. Earlier on
Saturday, Zanganeh said in an interview published by the Iranian parliament news
site ICANA that Iran has no plans to leave the Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries.
Fire breaks out at facility for storing oil products in
Iran
Reuters, Geneva/Wednesday, 5 June 2019/A fire broke out at a facility used for
storing oil products at the Bandar Rajaee port on Iran’s Gulf coast on
Wednesday, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. Firefighters were
on the scene combating the blaze, which was accompanied by explosions, according
to IRNA. IRNA did not provide any information on possible casualties. A picture
posted by IRNA showed a cloud of black smoke forming above palm trees. The fire
started at a machine used to lift containers at the port and spread to an area
used for storing oil products, IRNA reported.
Saudi energy minister says OPEC close to agreement on
extending oil deal
Reuters, St Petersburg/Friday, 7 June 2019/OPEC is close to agreeing to extend
an oil supply-cutting agreement beyond June, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said
on Friday, though the question is how to accommodate participating non-OPEC
countries. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia, and
other non-members agreed in December to reduce supply by 1.2 million barrels per
day from Jan. 1 until the end of this month. They meet in coming weeks to decide
their next move. “On the OPEC side, a rollover is almost in the bag. The
question is to calibrate with non-OPEC,” Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih
said at an economic forum in St Petersburg, Russia. “I’m hoping it will be an
easy decision and that we'll roll over, but if it's not, we will be flexible in
terms of our position in the kingdom.” He said that he saw no need to deepen the
supply cut. The minister earlier said he was unwilling to engage in a race to
increase oil output to compensate for lower prices, saying a return to the
price-crash environment of 2014-15 would be unacceptable. Falih said perfect
stability on the oil market had not been achieved and that prices were being
influenced by factors outside OPEC's control.
Exxon’s foreign staff to return to Iraqi oilfield with extra security
Reuters, Basra/Friday, 31 May 2019/Exxon Mobil employees will start returning to
Iraq’s West Qurna-1 oilfield on Sunday after the government agreed to provide
extra security, two senior Iraqi oil officials told Reuters on Friday.
Senior company management and essential engineers would be among the first
employees to return, the Iraqi officials said, two weeks after Exxon pulled its
60 or so foreign staff from the oilfield and flew them to Dubai. The evacuation
came just days after the United States withdrew non-essential staff from its
embassy in Baghdad, citing a threat from neighboring Iran, which has close ties
to Iraqi Shiite militia. Exxon asked for extra security from the police and army
at work sites and residences and Iraq agreed, the officials said. The company
has received letters of assurance from the Iraqi oil ministry and Basra Oil
Company. Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban at the time called the evacuation
“unacceptable and unjustified,” saying it was a political move, rather than
borne out of genuine security concerns. He said he had sent a letter to Exxon
Mobil after the staff left asking for the company to immediately return to work
at the southern oilfield. Exxon Mobil is the lead contractor in a long-term deal
with Iraq’s South Oil Company to develop and rehabilitate the oil field and
increase production. Production was not affected by the evacuation and work
continued normally, overseen by Iraqi engineers, Iraqi officials said at the
time. Production remained at 440,000 barrels per day (bpd) and Iraqi officials
later said they would increase it to 490,000 bpd shortly.
US Envoy Says Israel Has 'Right' to Annex West Bank Land
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 08/2019/The US ambassador has said Israel has
the right to annex at least "some" of the occupied West Bank, in comments likely
to deepen Palestinian opposition to a long-awaited US peace plan. The
Palestinians have rejected the plan before it has even been unveiled, citing a
string of moves by US President Donald Trump that they say show his
administration is irredeemably biased. They are likely to see the latest
comments by US ambassador to Israel David Friedman as new nail in the coffin of
a peace process that is already on life support. In the interview published by
the New York Times on Saturday, Friedman said that some degree of annexation of
the West Bank would be legitimate. "Under certain circumstances, I think Israel
has the right to retain some, but unlikely all, of the West Bank," he said.
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat has said any such policy would be
tantamount to "US complicity with Israeli colonial plans." The establishment of
a Palestinian state in territories, including the West Bank, that Israel
occupied in the Six-Day War of 1967, has been the focus of all past Middle East
peace plans. No firm date has yet been set for the unveiling of the Trump
administration's plan although a conference is to be held in Bahrain later this
month on its economic aspects.
Failed state helps nobody
The public comments made by administation officials so far suggest the plan will
lean heavily on substantial financial support for the Palestinian economy, much
of it funded by the Gulf Arab states, in return for concessions on territory and
statehood. "The absolute last thing the world needs is a failed Palestinian
state between Israel and Jordan," Friedman said in the Times interview. "Maybe
they won’t take it, maybe it doesn't meet their minimums. "We're relying upon
the fact that the right plan, for the right time, will get the right reaction
over time." Friedman, a staunch supporter of the Israeli settlements, told the
Times that the Trump plan was aimed at improving the quality of life for
Palestinians but would fall well short of a "permanent resolution to the
conflict."He said he did not believe the plan would trigger Palestinian
violence. But he said the United States would coordinate closely with Arab ally
Jordan, which could face unrest among its large Palestinian population over a
plan perceived as overly favourable to Israel. Publication of the plan looks set
to be further delayed after the Israeli paraliament called a snap general
election for September, the second this year. The plan is regarded as too
sensitive to release during the campaign.
During campaigning for the first general election in April, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to annex West Bank Jewish settlements, a move long
supported by nearly all lawmakers in his alliance of right-wing and religious
parties. Earlier, in February, Netanyahu told lawmakers he had been discussing
with Washington a plan that would effectively annex settlements. In a rare
public show of disunity between the close allies, the White House then flatly
denied any such discussion. Following persistent expansion of the settlements by
successive Netanyahu governments, more than 600,000 Jewish settlers now live in
the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, among some three million
Palestinians. The international community regards the settlements as illegal and
the biggest obstacle to peace.
Syria Uses Familiar Tactic in Rebel Idlib: Bombing
Civilians
Associated Press/Naharnet/June 08/2019/The father could hardly bear seeing his
18-month-old daughter's panic every time the Syrian government warplanes flew
over their home. Every day for a month, she ran to him to hide in his arms,
tearful and breathless.
Abdurrahim had refused to flee his hometown throughout years of violence, and he
was determined to hold out through the new, intensified government offensive
launched in April against Idlib province, the last significant territory held by
Syria's rebels. But now he had his first child, Ruwaida, to think about. "That
look on my daughter's face ... is really what is going to kill me," said the
25-year-old Abdurrahim, who asked that his last name not be published for
security reasons.
His determination collapsed when an airstrike on May 30 pulverized the house
next door, crushing to death three children, one of them a girl Ruwaida's age.
He whisked his daughter and wife to a nearby village, hoping it would be safe.
The Syrian government and its Russian backer have turned to a familiar tactic in
their assault on Idlib — relentlessly and systematically striking residential
areas, hospitals, markets, crops and infrastructure to break the will of the
population and pressure people to flee, according to observers, rights groups
and residents.
It's a tried-and-true method that worked for President Bashar Assad's forces in
their previous, destructive campaigns that retook the city of Aleppo in 2016 and
other strategic territories.
Striking civilians with impunity has been so characteristic of the 8-year civil
war that it rarely even raises much international outrage or attention. Monitors
say the pattern of strikes clearly show that, far from being collateral damage,
civilian homes, businesses and infrastructure are intentional targets of the
government.
"Even wars have rules," said Misty Buswell, the Middle East advocacy director
for the International Rescue Committee, adding that two hospitals it supports
were hit by airstrikes. In this war, she said, attacks on civilians "have
happened with absolute impunity."
The impact has been brutal in the rebel enclave centered on Idlib in northwest
Syria on the border with Turkey. Some 3 million people are bottled up there,
more than half of them displaced from other parts of the country recaptured by
the military. The Syrian military launched its assault in April, backed by
government and Russian airstrikes. It has focused on the enclave's southern
edges, taking a few villages and bombarding deeper into Idlib.
Bombing "targets everything: bakeries, hospitals, markets. The aim is to stop
all services to civilians. Everything," said Wasel Aljirk, a surgeon whose
hospital was blasted by strikes. Five weeks of violence has driven nearly
300,000 people from their homes. Many are living under olive trees, in tents or
unfinished buildings, cramming in overcrowded shared rooms. Aid groups fear that
figure could spiral to 700,000 displaced.
More than 300 civilians have been killed, according to opposition activists and
war monitors. At least 61 children are among those killed since April, according
to Save the Children, though Idlib health authorities put the figure at 75
children killed in May alone.
Diana Samaan, a Syria researcher with Amnesty International, said homes are
targeted as a "tactic to pressure civilians to succumb." Sara Kayyali, a Syria
researcher with Human Rights Watch, said her group and others have "documented
enough strikes on residential buildings to at least indicate an appearance of
unlawful approach." Hospitals and clinics have been systematically bombarded,
some of them hit more than once even though the U.N. identifies many to the
Syrian government as health centers. At least 32 hospitals and health facilities
around the enclave have been put out of service, either because they were struck
or suspended their operations for fear of being hit, Mustafa al-Eido from the
Idlib health authority said Thursday.
The south Idlib region most directly under attack does not have a single health
facility left, after all 16 there were hit by airstrikes or stopped working, al-Eido
said. That has put an extra burden on those in other parts of Idlib and forced
long journeys on patients, said Mohamad Katoub of the Syrian-American Medical
Society, which supports services in the area. Bombings are so frequent that many
hospitals are built buried into the sides of hills for protection, known as
"cave hospitals." One such cave hospital, a major trauma facility in southern
Idlib, called Pulse of Life, was hit by airstrikes three times in the past two
years, each time moving to a new location. Every month, it served 5,000 patients
and performed 500 operations.
The fourth and final strike came May 5 when at least seven rockets pounded the
hospital. Direct hits raised massive clouds of earth, gravel, stone and concrete
dust into the sky, seen in video posted online. No one was hurt because the
staff had evacuated after being tipped of an imminent strike, said Aljirk, the
surgeon. But Pulse of Life was virtually destroyed and has not been able to
reopen since. In general, the government has a blanket justification for
indiscriminate bombing of rebel-held areas, describing the entire population as
"terrorists and their families." It further backs its pretext by pointing to the
fact that al-Qaida linked militants and other jihadi groups have come to
dominate the Idlib enclave, which first fell under rebel control in 2015. Najat
Rochdi, senior humanitarian adviser to the United Nations Special Envoy for
Syria, said in a statement Friday that combatting terrorism "does not absolve"
any party and warned that the attacks against civilians and civilian
infrastructure may amount to war crimes.
"We have a collective responsibility to the victims of this conflict, many of
whom are too young to try to make sense of this senseless war," she said.
Physicians for Human Rights has said the war in Syria has seen the most
widespread and systematic assault on health care documented in the world to
date. It has counted at least 566 attacks on health facilities since the start
of the war, mostly by government forces or their allies. The strike on the house
of Abdurrahim's neighbors, the Qasheet family, was part of a major barrage that
rained down on residential areas on the town of Maarat al-Numan, destroying six
houses in a single day. Dust was still in the air when the team of first
responders known as the White Helmets arrived, said Obada Zakra, a leader of the
team. They first focused on survivors in a nearby house while neighbors worked
to dig out the Qasheets' two-story home. The father, mother and one son emerged
alive though a gap in the debris. Another son was pulled out hours later,
bloodied but alive. But the building was pancaked on top of 14-year old Abboudi
Qasheet, his two sisters, and younger brother. Neighbors say Abboudi was a local
celebrity because of his sweet voice, which he used to call for prayer. He was
pinned face down, blood under his nose, with the weight of the house's wreckage
on his back. His father wailed as the rescuers tried to free the body.
Abdurrahim said when he saw the children under the rubble, "I imagined my
daughter there." "We say we get used to the sound of the warplanes — to console
ourselves," he said. "But no one gets used to death." He and his family fled,
but within two days they came back in Maarat al-Numan, after the village where
they took refuge was also struck by warplanes. "To be displaced and leave your
home is not an easy matter," he said. "Those who remain here prefer to die than
that humiliation."
Syria Flare-Up Leaves 83 Fighters Dead
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 08/2019/Fierce clashes between Russia-backed
government forces and jihadists have left 83 combatants dead in northwestern
Syria in the past 24 hours, a Britain-based war monitor said Friday. The clashes
on the edge of the jihadist-controlled Idlib region have killed 44 government
loyalists and 39 jihadists and Islamist fighters since Thursday, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said. The region of some three million people --
almost half of them displaced from other parts of the country -- is dominated by
the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by al-Qaida's former Syrian affiliate. The
alliance administers a region that spans most of Idlib province as well as
adjacent slivers of the neighboring Latakia, Aleppo, and Hama provinces. The
region has seen a spike in bombardment since late April, with regime forces
seizing several towns on the region's southwestern flank. Late Thursday, the
jihadists and allied rebels launched a counterattack against regime forces in
the northwest of Hama province. They have since seized the villages of Tal Maleh
and Jibeen there, the Observatory said. "Violent clashes are ongoing,
accompanied by regime and Russian air strikes," Observatory chief Rami Abdel
Rahman said. The fighting is raging near Christian and Alawite areas under
regime control, he said. In the Idlib province, two children were killed
overnight -- one in regime rocket fire in the village of Frike and another in an
airstrike in the town of Khan Sheikhun, the Observatory said.
The jihadists who took part in the counterattack include some from the
Al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen and Turkistan Islamic Party. Idlib is supposed to
be protected from a massive regime offensive by a September buffer zone deal
signed between regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey. But it was never
fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw from the planned
demilitarised zone. The government and Russia have upped their bombardment of
the region since late April, killing more than 300 civilians, according to the
Observatory. The United Nations say more than 270,000 people have fled their
homes. A total of 24 health facilities and 35 schools have been hit in the
latest escalation, according to the UN's humanitarian office. Analysts predict
that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies will continue to chip away
at the area, but not unleash a major assault that would create chaos on Turkey's
doorstep. Eight years into Syria's civil war, two regions largely remain beyond
regime control: a large northeastern swathe held by the country's Kurds, and
Idlib. The war, which started in 2011 with the brutal repression of
anti-government demonstrations, has killed more than 370,000 people and
displaced millions.
Egypt Says 4 Suspected Islamists Killed in Sinai
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 08/2019/Egyptian security forces killed four
suspected jihadists in restive North Sinai allegedly involved in a deadly attack
this week on a police checkpoint, the interior ministry said Saturday. It said
the suspects were killed in a shootout as security forces raided a building used
as a hideout in the town of El-Arish, and three assault rifles and a explosive
vest were seized. Since Wednesday's attack claimed by the Islamic State group on
a checkpoint, southwest of El-Arish, the capital of North Sinai, in which eight
policemen died, operations by security forces have killed a total of 26
"terrorists", according to the ministry. The hotspot of North Sinai in eastern
Egypt has long been a centre of insurgents affiliated with IS. In February 2018,
the army launched a nationwide offensive against the militants. According to
official figures, around 650 militants have been killed since the start of the
operation, while the army has lost some 50 soldiers. No independent statistics
are available and the region is largely cut off to journalists, making
verification of casualty figures extremely difficult.
Algeria Interim Leader Calls for 'Dialogue' over Election
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 08/2019/Interim Algerian president Abdelkader
Bensalah has called for "dialogue" after the authorities ruled out holding a
planned election on July 4. Bensalah urged the political class and civil society
in the North African country to hold an "inclusive dialogue" aimed at fixing a
new date for elections "as soon as possible" in a televised address. Algeria's
constitutional council said Sunday it was impossible to stage the poll to choose
a successor to ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika early next month, after the
only two candidates were rejected. The move comes after weeks of demonstrations
intended to pressure political leaders into postponing the vote. Bensalah, the
former upper house speaker, was appointed on April 9 under constitutional rules
which deem a presidential election must then be held within 90 days. With that
deadline certain to be missed, the constitutional council has suggested his
mandate be extended. The planned vote had drawn widespread protests, with
Algerian demonstrators demanding Bouteflika allies step aside to make way for a
broader political overhaul before any elections are held. Army chief Ahmed Gaid
Salah has emerged as a key powerbroker since Bouteflika stepped down on April 2
in the face of mass protests against his bid for a fifth term. Gaid Salah had
been an ally of the ailing president, but as pressure from demonstrators mounted
he ultimately called for the long-time leader's impeachment. Protesters have
since called for Gaid Salah to step down, along with other top figures they
argue are tainted by their allegiance to Bouteflika during his 20-year rule.
While Gaid Salah had pushed for polls, July 4 looked increasingly implausible as
no major party nominated a candidate. A major obstacle emerged when some mayors
and magistrates said they would not take part in organizing the polls. The two
unknown figures who put themselves forward -- Abdelhakim Hamadi and Hamid
Touahri -- had not been expected to gather the necessary 60,000 voter signatures
to validate their bid for office.
Netanyahu Fails to Get Postponement of Corruption Court
Hearing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 08/2019Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June
08/2019/Israel's attorney general on Thursday rejected Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's request to postpone a court hearing over corruption allegations
against him, media reports said. The prosecutor's office said Netanyahu had
requested "that the hearing be delayed due to the dissolution of the Knesset and
the elections due on September 17" to a date after the polls, the Ynet news site
said. After considering the matter, the prosecutor's office said "nothing
justified agreeing to the request to change the dates fixed for the hearing", it
added. Netanyahu is facing possible indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of
trust in the months ahead and is reportedly seeking legislation in the new
parliament that would result in him being granted immunity. Last month, Attorney
General Avichai Mandelblit pushed back to October the date by which Netanyahu
needed to respond to the allegations against him. The prosecutor's office
stressed that the hearing scheduled for October 2 and 3 would not be delayed
"not even for one day". "The new elections constitute exceptional circumstances
to which exceptional attention must be accorded," Netanyahu responded on
Thursday. Netanyahu called new elections late last month after failing to form a
coalition. Israel will now head to the polls again in September, just over five
months after an April election that saw Netanyahu and his right-wing and
religious allies win a majority. Netanyahu is also on track to become Israel's
longest-serving prime minister in July, surpassing founding father David
Ben-Gurion.
Sudan forces arrest protest leaders who met Ethiopia PM
AFP/June 08, 2019/KHARTOUM: Sudanese security forces have arrested two prominent
rebels and an opposition leader, a day after they met the Ethiopian premier
during his reconciliation mission to Khartoum, their aides said Saturday. Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has emerged as a key regional leader, met
representatives of both sides on Friday in a bid to revive talks between Sudan’s
ruling generals and protest leaders after a deadly crackdown left dozens of
people dead in the capital this week. Among the protest movement delegates he
met were opposition politician Mohamed Esmat and a leader of the rebel Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Ismail Jalab. Sudanese security
forces later arrested both men without giving any reason, their aides told AFP
on Saturday. Esmat was arrested on Friday soon after his meeting with Abiy.
Jalab was arrested from his residence early on Saturday. “A group of armed men
came in vehicles at 3:00 am (1:00 GMT) and took away Ismail Jalab .. without
giving any reason,” Jalab aide Rashid Anwar told AFP, adding that SPLM-N
spokesman Mubarak Ardol was also detained. “We don’t know where they are being
held,” he added. Esmat and Jalab are both leading members of the Alliance for
Freedom and Change, which brings together opposition parties and rebel groups
with the organizers of the mass protests which have gripped Sudan since December
last year. The arrest of Jalab comes just days after the SPLM-N’s deputy leader,
Yasir Arman, was seized from his home in Khartoum. The rebel number two had only
returned to Khartoum from exile late last month. The SPLM-N has led uprisings
among non-Arab ethnic minorities in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states since
2011, that Sudan’s military rulers had vowed to end peacefully after their
overthrow of longtime president Omar Al-Bashir in April. Meanwhile, Sudan’s
National Umma Party condemned the detention of politicians and demanded that
they all be released. A key protest group on Saturday announced a nationwide
"civil disobedience" campaign it said would run until Sudan's ruling generals
transfer power to a civilian government. The call by the Sudanese Professionals
Association, which first launched protests against longtime ruler Omar Al-Bashir,
came days after a bloody crackdown on demonstrators left dozens dead in Khartoum
and crushed hopes for a swift democratic transition. "The civil disobedience
movement will begin Sunday and end only when a civilian government announces
itself in power on state television," the SPA said in a statement. "Disobedience
is a peaceful act capable of bringing to its knees the most powerful weapons
arsenal in the world."
Egyptian Lawmakers Push for Online Censorship of False
Imams
Cairo - Waleed Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 8 June, 2019/A group of
Egyptian lawmakers have come together to push for ratifying measures that would
censor unauthorized clerics online, in a move which is being championed for
seeing to reign in self-proclaimed religious figures who often spread extremist
ideology and edicts. “A number of deputies will submit urgent requests to take
immediate decisions about these online spaces,” a parliamentarian, speaking
under the conditions of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat. “These sites are
platforms exploited to address citizens, and promote terrorism,” the official
added. Col. Hatem Abdul Fatah Saber, a counterterrorism expert dubbed as the
Unknown Commander, told Asharq Al-Awsat that snipping these ideologues’ online
outreach will curb recruitment and radicalization of Egyptian youth. Egypt
remains plagued with impostors posing as Imams on social media and recruiting
hardliners on propagating violence and extremism. These self-declared Imams have
been using online and social media platforms to engage their audience, who are
mostly Muslim Brotherhood (MB) supporters and prone to radicalization. They
often offer Q&A segments whereby they independently dish out religious fatwas,
misleading viewers. Prominent Egyptian journalist and author Makram Mohammad
Ahmed, who is also president of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR),
had previously reaffirmed that none of the publishing websites linked with
Islamist groups has been licensed.
Speaking on regulation measures, Ahmed said that only professional websites will
be authorized, not extremism-provoking platforms. With many sites being managed
and operated from abroad, experts highlighted that “since the ousting of former
president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, hundreds of the outlawed group’s leaders
and supporters fled to other countries, where they were given asylum, and are
permitted to continue conspiring against the Egyptian government by working to
sway and radicalize the Egyptian public from a distance.”
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published
on June 08-09/2019
Tehran regime has lost its Tehran regime has lost its legitimacy
مجيد رافيزادا/النظام الإيراني قد فقد شرعيته
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 08/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/75625/%d9%85%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%86%d8%b8%d8%a7%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d9%8a%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a-%d9%82%d8%af-%d9%81%d9%82%d8%af-%d8%b4/
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, holds a rifle as
he delivers the Eid al-Fitr sermon during prayers at the Imam Khomeini mosque in
Tehran on une 5, 2019, with a portrait of his predecessor, the late Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini hanging on the wall behind him.
Iran’s politicians and state-owned news outlets will dedicate significant
coverage this week to the commemoration of the founder of the Islamic Republic,
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who died on June 3, 1989.
These ceremonies are part of the regime’s propaganda machine, an attempt to show
that the theocratic establishment still enjoys legitimacy not only inside Iran
but also in other countries 40 years after its establishment. Many who take part
are either members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or government
employees forced to attend or run the risk of losing their job, income and
livelihood.
As they do every year, the regime will try to show that Khomeini still enjoys
significant respect. Ceremonies are organized and broadcast in countries such as
Lebanon, Iraq, Spain, India and even China, although the regime is always the
paymaster.
The ruling clerics aim to show their loyalists that their system of governance
enjoys popularity in Iran and abroad. But the reality on the ground is that the
Islamic revolution of 1979 has gone bankrupt, as protests continue against high
inflation, rising food prices and economic mismanagement. The economic situation
is dire for most Iranians.
This misalignment between the fortunes of the ruling mullahs and the ordinary
population has contributed to frequent demonstrations.
Many people blame government corruption for a significant portion of the
hardships they face.
Khomeini’s theocratic establishment damaged the clergy’s popularity and
reputation in society as well as the image of Islam as Tehran became the top
sponsor and supporter for terror, radical and militia groups across the region
Many ordinary Iranians are also frustrated with the regime’s foreign policies,
demanding that it stop squandering the nation’s wealth of the nation on
terrorist and militia groups, and other dictators, in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and
Yemen.
Without a doubt, the founding father of the Islamic Republic created a
fundamental transformation in the political system, from a secular,
Western-friendly state to a system of governance that combines constitutional
and theocratic attributes.
This not only significantly altered the social, political, and domestic affairs
of the nation, but has also had significant impact on the geopolitical and
strategic chessboard of the Middle East.
Khomeini also significantly changed the traditional Shiite theology, which
called for a separation of religion and state.
Although the Iranian regime attempts to show that Khomeini’s rise to power had a
positive impact on Shia Islam, it actually had a detrimental effect. His
policies, paradoxically, reduced religiosity among the next generation of
Iranians. While before Khomeini came to power, the clergy were generally
respected in Iran as spiritual and holy men, Khomeini’s theocratic establishment
damaged the clergy’s popularity and reputation in society as well as the image
of Islam as Tehran became the top sponsor and supporter for terror, radical and
militia groups across the region.
Currently, many Iranian people have a negative view of the Shiite clergy and
blame them for the political, social and economic crisis.
In a nutshell, the Iranian regime is using the commemoration of its founder to
advance its propaganda. But, the regime has lost legitimacy and popularity in
Iran and abroad.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political
scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman
and president of the International American Council. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Analysis/There's a New Alliance in the Middle East
زفي برئيل/هآرتس: تحالف شرقي أوسطي جديد قوامه أميركا وروسيا وإسرائيل
Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/June 08 Jun 08/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/75623/%d8%b2%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a6%d9%8a%d9%84-%d9%87%d8%a2%d8%b1%d8%aa%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%82%d9%8a-%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%b3%d8%b7%d9%8a-%d8%ac%d8%af%d9%8a%d8%af-%d9%82/
Russia, the United States and Israel are uniting against Iran, making it clear
to Bashar Assad who will determine the future of the region.
“The world is watching this butchery. What is the purpose, what will it get you?
STOP!” tweeted President Trump, as though he were a human rights activist or a
frustrated neutral observer, rather than the leader of the world’s most powerful
superpower.
By “butchery,” Trump meant the increasing Syrian and Russian attacks on the
Idlib province in Syria, where at least 232 people, some 60 of them children,
were killed in recent weeks. Hundreds were wounded, dozens of clinics and
hospitals were wiped out and hundreds of houses were pulverized. More than 3,000
people fled the area in May alone.
In Syrian terms, this is a local battle and the number of victims pales in
comparison with the horrendous, total numbers. But the campaign in Idlib, home
to 3 million people, developed into an international conflict involving Russia
and Turkey as well as Syria.
This is the rebels’ last significant bastion and its capture is necessary to
complete Assad’s control of the state. Pockets of resistance remain in Hama and
the south of Syria, but the most difficult challenge is the rebels’ main force,
some 50,000 combatants affiliated with dozens of militias, the largest of which
is a descendant of the Islamist Jabhat al-Nusra.
The big campaign against Idlib, already planned a year ago, hasn’t actually
begun. In the last few days, Syrian army forces have taken over villages while
Russian planes struck intensively, but these are just the opening shots,
intended to pressure rebels, along with Turkey, to choose negotiations over mass
killing. If the battles continue, a new mass wave of refugees is expected to
enter Turkey and join the 3.5 million refugees already there.
Turkey and Russia agreed in September 2018 that Turkey would drive out the armed
rebels and clear the region of heavy weapons, effectively handing over the
province to Assad’s control, or at least turning it into a kind of security zone
under Turkish and Russian supervision. But Turkey failed in its mission, and the
rebel militias refused to lay down their arms.
The campaign on Idlib is holding up Russia’s plans to draft a new constitution
for Syria, hold elections, stabilize the government and begin the country’s
rehabilitation.
But Russia has no intention of simply returning Syria to Assad’s control. It
sees Syria as leverage to furthering its hold in the Middle East. This consists
of building bridges with Saudi Arabia and the United Emirates, forging an
economic alliance with Egypt while giving it military assistance, getting rid of
American and European sanctions and bolstering its status in the world.
These Russian aspirations, however, are not compatible with Iran’s. Iran sees
Syria not only as a strategic outpost that will preserve Iran’s influence in
Lebanon, but as a regional outpost to counterbalance Saudi Arabia’s ambitions.
This outpost will open pathways for Iran into the Mediterranean and complement
the alliances it has forged with Iraq and Turkey. This is viewed as a strategic
threat not only to Israel and the United States, but to Russia as well.
Recent local clashes between pro-Iranian militias and Russian-sponsored militias
indicate that Russia is acting to thwart the Iranian threat. On the face of it,
these are local incidents, but on a bigger scale, Russia is training and arming
local militias through private Russian companies. The combatants wear Russian
uniforms and use Russian weapons. Russia has also ordered Assad to fire
pro-Iranian officers and soldiers while Russian officers have taken command of
some Syrian army units.
Iran was painfully slapped in the face twice by Russia. Once, when Russia turned
down its request to buy S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, and a second time when
Russia continues to enable Israel to attack Iranian targets in Syria.
The Kremlin spokesman declared that the “distorted reports on the issue” must be
treated cautiously, but Russian research analysts told journalists that Russia
sees selling S-400 missile systems to Iran as “a threat to the region’s
stability.”
For Iran, this is a message that Russia will not stand by its side if it is
attacked by the United States or Israel, and moreover, that Russia has an
interest in keeping Iran in isolation. This assumption is shared by Western
observers, who say Russia’s support for Iran’s decision to reduce its commitment
to the nuclear agreement stems from its desire to keep up tensions between Iran
and the United States, as part of its strategic game as Europe’s exclusive oil
provider.
Two days after Iran notified the signatory states of its decision to reduce
commitments to the agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared
that the move was “inconceivable.” But a few days later, Lavrov justified Iran’s
decision in a joint news conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
and said that the United States had made Iran take this step.
Recently, when Trump spoke again of his desire to negotiate with Iran with no
preconditions, Iran rejected the overture while Russia remained silent. Removing
the sanctions from Iran or alleviating them is not in Moscow’s interest, because
when the nuclear agreement came into effect, they worriedly watched how European
countries set to diversify their oil sources away from Russia.
There were plans at the time to build an oil pipeline from Iran to Europe via
Turkey, and part of it was already built. At the same time, a gas pipeline was
completed between Russia and Turkey, meaning Russia was leading in the race. If
the sanctions are lifted and Iran becomes a player in the oil market again,
Russia may lose a chunk of the European market.
The meeting of Israel’s, Russia’s and the United States’ interests regarding
Iran generated the idea for a summit of national security advisors, to take
place in Israel this month. According to unconfirmed sources, Russia expects the
United States to recognize Assad’s regime and lift sanctions. In exchange,
Russia will act to drive Iran out of Syria.
This is an unusual meeting, in which the three national security advisors, Meir
Ben-Shabbat, John Bolton and Nikolai Patrushev, will discuss regional
developments as equal partners. Such a summit, even if it doesn’t yield
immediate concrete results, conveys to Iran and the region that the
Russian-American-Israeli axis could be the one to draft the new Middle East
roadmap.
But immediate military and diplomatic results could be overambitious. Lavrov
made it clear recently that expecting Russia to bloc Iran’s forces in Syria was
“unrealistic.” Russia also failed to keep its promise to keep Iran’s forces more
than 80 kilometers away from Israel’s border in the Golan Heights, and there are
doubts whether it can make Iran withdraw at this stage.
About six months ago, journalist Barak Ravid reported on Channel 13 that
Patrushev had proposed to Ben Shabbat, in an unofficial document, that Russia
will bring about Iran’s withdrawal from Syria in exchange for lifting of
sanctions by the United States. Israel rejected the proposal and the sanctions
were imposed in full.
If the United States decides to alleviate or revoke sanctions, it will do so in
exchange for renewed negotiations with Iran and a new nuclear agreement. It will
not settle for an Iranian withdrawal from Syria.
Another option is to pressure Assad to get Iran’s forces out of Syria, because
he’s the one who invited them in, and Iran will find it hard to stay if they’re
unwelcomed. In return, Assad may receive American recognition of his regime and
an Israeli promise not to attack in Syria after the Iranian forces’ departure.
He may also receive a Saudi commitment to take part in funding Syria’s
rehabilitation along with Russian strategic backing. These are much more than
Iran can give him.
Assad’s problem is that if he agrees to drive Iran’s forces out he will have to
explain to Iran why it’s them and not Russia. Assad will also have to rely on
the United States, Israel and Russia, which have repeatedly stated that their
interest in Syria is not reserved for one person. In other words, Assad can also
go.
Iran, on the other hand, supported him all the way, gave him credit lines and
$6-8 billion in assistance. Iran was there for Assad long before the war
started. But he doesn’t have to decide who to choose yet. The war isn’t over and
no American temptation has yet been offered. But the moment is approaching, and
Assad will have to decide.
UK will need more than pomp to woo Trump
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/June 08/2019
Donald Trump’s attention turns to Eastern Europe on Tuesday when he meets Polish
President Andrzej Duda. However, it is was his landmark trip to Western Europe
last week, configured around the 75th anniversary of D-Day, that set the recent
international political agenda.
The highlight of the US president’s visit — last Thursday’s Normandy anniversary
ceremony aside — was a three-day trip to the UK at the beginning of a transition
of power in Britain in which kindred spirit Boris Johnson could soon become
prime minister.
Despite significant public protests, Trump’s tour was not the diplomatic
disaster of last year, and both governments hope it may breathe new life into
the “special relationship” after his tricky ties with Theresa May, who resigned
on Friday as leader of the UK’s governing Conservative Party.
May was the first world leader to meet Trump in 2017 after he was sworn into
office. At that time, Trump called her “my Maggie,” drawing comparisons with the
intense political bond forged between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
Nevertheless, Trump and May have significant differences of political and
personal approach, much larger than those between Reagan and Thatcher.
While both leaders made efforts to seek a constructive partnership building on
the traditional ties between the two nations founded on demographics, religion,
culture, law, politics and economics, this ultimately fell flat and Trump spent
more energy last week engaging May’s potential successors — especially Johnson,
who he effectively endorsed in just one of several breaches of diplomatic
protocol.
Given Trump’s love of pomp and circumstance, the UK launched a charm offensive
with the government and royal family, building on the events of last year when
he visited Blenheim Palace (Winston Churchill’s birthplace), Chequers (the
countryside home of the UK prime minister) and Windsor Castle, where he saw
Queen Elizabeth.
The president, whose mother was born in Scotland, appears to value the close
historical ties between the two nations, and appeared to especially enjoy seeing
the queen again, and other royal family members.
It is clear that Trump sees a post-Brexit US-UK trade deal as the cornerstone of
a renewed “special relationship,” and this could also be a boon for him
personally, since he is criticized in many quarters as being an
anti-globalization, protectionist president.
From the standpoint of Brexiteers, too — including Johnson, who is the current
favorite to replace May — this would also represent a win in their own battle to
show that the nation can swiftly secure trade deals with key non-European
partners.
It is clear that Trump sees a post-Brexit US-UK trade deal as the cornerstone of
a renewed “special relationship,” and this could also be a boon for him
personally, since he is criticized in many quarters as being an
anti-globalization, protectionist president.
There are key areas ripe for agreement here, including lowering or eliminating
tariffs on goods. Equally, however, potential icebergs lie on the horizon, not
least given the president’s “America First” agenda.
Specific areas of likely disagreement on trade include the prospect that
harmonizing financial regulations between the two countries, with the
international dominance of Wall Street and the City of London, will not
necessarily be straightforward.
Meanwhile, securing agreement in other sectors, including agriculture, where
there are divergences of views and strong interest groups, will not be easy.
Another key agenda item last week was security and defense, which has long been
at the core of the special relationship, as last week’s D-Day anniversary
highlighted, given the very close postwar partnership between the two nations.
So while this is a terrain in which there will be much agreement, tensions
surfaced.
Take the example of Huawei; Trump told UK officials that Washington may limit
intelligence sharing if London allows the Chinese technology company to build
part of its 5G high speed mobile network given the security concerns he has
about them.
This decision, which will be a key one for May’s successor, is a high-stakes
diplomatic balancing act for London in the light of its desire to form closer
post-Brexit economic ties with Beijing.
While last week’s trip featured many diplomatic gaffes from Trump, including his
description of Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle as “nasty” (later withdrawn),
both sides are relieved it was not the disaster of last year’s trip. Even by his
own standards of disruptive diplomacy, that summer 2018 UK tour was almost
completely off-message with the US president seemingly undermining May at
virtually every turn, including declaring the nation in “turmoil” following
several Cabinet resignations in the week in question.
In the future, given the many uncertainties ahead in the Trump presidency, which
could extend until 2025, the next UK prime minister is likely to seek to play
the role of a trusted, albeit candid, friend in a bid to get close to the
president to try to make the relationship work as smoothly as possible. This may
provide some protections for bilateral ties in what could be a rocky few years
of international relations to come, even if strong personal chemistry again
fails to take root between the two leaders. However, while this may be a
sensible strategy, at least initially, it is not without risk, especially given
Trump’s erratic nature and polarized standing in UK opinion.
While seeking the potential upside in the new relationship, May’s successor
would be wise not to overestimate the UK’s ability to shape US power, nor be
blind to the fact that Trump’s “America First” outlook may ultimately care
little for core UK interests, despite his avowed Anglophilia.
* Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics
Three years of failure, now it’s the end of May
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/June 08/2019
It is a truism that all political careers end in failure, yet some are more
distinguished by their failure than others. This is no doubt that British prime
minister Theresa May’s premiership has been abysmal and torturous, for her and
for most who live in the UK, and that her early departure was inevitable. She
leaves office with no major accomplishment to her name.
To be sure, for all her personal and political failures one must have some
sympathy for her, and wonder if anyone else would have done a better job under
the impossible circumstances she was thrown into, mainly the debacle of Brexit.
Ultimately, she was dealt a bad hand that made it virtually impossible to
accomplish the UK’s exit from the European Union. Yet, her negotiations with
Brussels were characterized by overtures rather than substance, and by rigidity
rather than the necessary flexibility that this rather poor political operator
sorely lacks. As soon as the 2016 Brexit referendum result was announced, the
premiership became a poisoned chalice. May exacerbated the problem with her
style of leadership and personal characteristics, both utterly unsuitable for
such a complex and divisive issue. Yet though her leadership was weak and
unimaginative, the entire political system must also shoulder much of the blame.
Brexit is not to blame for the fragmentation of British society; it merely
exposed it at its worst. It was David Cameron who opened this Pandora’s box and
bequeathed to his successor what now looks like the almost impossible task of
bringing the country together again.
May faced an unprecedented situation from her first day in office.
There were too many bruised egos within her party that would not accept her
leadership or grant her the benefit of the doubt. Boris Johnson led the pack,
but Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom and their ilk were never far behind, piling up
the misery on her time in 10 Downing Street, constantly vying to replace her.
Her apparent distress in front of one of the most famous doors in the world as
she announced her intention to resign was no doubt genuine, but no tears could
disguise that this prime minister lacks any human capacity to express regret, or
to admit to of her mistakes. Perhaps the moment was too soon and raw for her,
but at least a hint of self-reflection would have given the emotions that
overcame her some meaning for the rest of the country.
Brexit is not to blame for the fragmentation of British society; it merely
exposed it at its worst.
Not only has May failed the country, but she also leaves behind a Conservative
party at one of its lowest ebbs, having just lost more than a thousand seats in
local elections, and been almost wiped out in the recent European elections —
and in doing so helping the most populist of Brexiteers to gain more seats in
the European Parliament than any other party.
She inherited a parliament in which she enjoyed a majority, only to misguidedly
call a snap election in 2017 that wiped out that majority and left her at the
mercy of an uncompromising Northern Ireland sectarian party. This further calls
into question her political instincts and understanding.
Moreover, to wait until way beyond the 11th hour to invite the main opposition,
Labour, to look for common ground over Brexit, was too little and much too late
to create a national consensus. It was more of a public relations stunt than a
genuine effort to get the country out of the mess that her predecessor had got
it into.
Brexit dominated the May administration’s agenda. However, as much as she tried
to paint herself as a one-nation Conservative, she was anything but. She paid
nothing but lip service to public health and education services, and did next to
nothing to help the young in their struggle to get on the housing ladder,
leaving them to either suffer the burden of high rents, or be enslaved to
equally punishing mortgage rates.
The country’s high employment levels are only a thin veil over the ongoing
predicament of young and old who work in low-paid and insecure jobs, let alone
those who live in poverty or the lower middle classes who must struggle every
day to make ends meet.
While May, in announcing her intention to resign, mentioned a few abstract
achievements, when it comes to tangible accomplishments hardly any can be found.
Whether she is a Brexiteer at heart or not, we may never know, but her hostility
to migrants, which is closely correlated with Brexit, is well documented from
her days as Home Secretary, when she showed no understanding either of the UK
economy’s need for migrant labor, nor of the of positive, though challenging,
contribution that diversity has brought to the country.
The Windrush scandal and antagonism toward migrants will forever be associated
with May’s time in government, along with her contribution to the spread of
division in the UK, and with it anti-European sentiment.
Few will be upset at Theresa May’s abrupt departure, but when one looks at who
might replace her, it is not beyond reasonable doubt that in a short while we
might miss her. This, in a nutshell, represents the tragedy of contemporary
British politics.
*Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations at Regent’s University
London, where he is head of the International Relations and Social Sciences
Program. He is also an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He
is a regular contributor to the international written and electronic media.
Twitter: @YMekelberg
China should take lead in tackling rising air pollution
Hartley Kris and Asit K. Biswas/Arab News/June 08/2019
The UN expects 68 percent of the world’s population to live in urban areas by
2050. As governments scramble to manage this flood of urban migration, they must
address not only basic needs such as housing and employment, but also issues
impacting liveability and public health, including air pollution. Nowhere is
this challenge more urgent than in Asia.
In recent months, cities including Bangkok, Seoul, Katmandu and Dhaka have faced
major pollution events. But even at their usual levels, 99 percent of cities in
South Asia and 89 percent in East Asia exceed World Health Organization (WHO)
exposure guidelines. In 2018, Asia was home to all of the world’s 30 most
polluted cities — 22 in India, five in China, two in Pakistan and one in
Bangladesh.
According to the WHO, polluted air is responsible for 7 million premature deaths
each year, roughly one-third of which occur in the Asia-Pacific region. In China
alone, air pollution causes more than 1 million premature deaths annually,
according to a 2018 study conducted at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In
less-developed areas of the region, severe indoor pollution caused by outdated
heating and cooking systems poses a particularly severe threat. WHO data
indicate that the highest number of deaths per capita from indoor pollution in
the Asia-Pacific are in Laos, the Philippines, China and Cambodia.
But polluted air is only one by-product of industrialization. Pollution,
absorbed into soil and groundwater, and eventually pumped through household
taps, is seeping into the food chain. Rising levels of industrial discharge and
agricultural runoff, together with over-exploitation of already-depleted
aquifers, are especially alarming in water-stressed regions such as northern
China.
Urbanization cannot be stopped, but this does not excuse governments for failing
to address air pollution. With considerable resources and capacity for
nationwide policy coordination, China should be leading the way in developing a
sustainable approach to urbanization that can serve as a regional and even
global example. China has already shown initiative on pollution reduction, which
President Xi Jinping has declared one of his signature policy priorities. The
authorities regulate car ownership, and have earned global praise for
electrification of urban bus systems.
After a multiyear campaign to reduce the coal industry’s emissions, China
recently imposed stricter emissions targets on the steel industry. In May 2019,
the government deployed almost 1,000 inspectors to 25 cities, targeting rules
violations on issues such as water quality and waste management.
Despite evident progress, however, serious challenges persist. Last year, 33 of
39 northern Chinese cities prone to smog missed their government-imposed
pollution-abatement targets for the winter.
Measurements of PM2.5 (particulate matter) in those cities rose by 13 percent on
average over a five-month period beginning in late 2018. Tackling China’s
persistent pollution problem will require stronger action on three fronts:
Policy, innovation and awareness. From a policy perspective, China has a
significant advantage: Its central government can quickly enact and enforce
policies and regulations.
Tackling China’s persistent pollution problem will require stronger action on
three fronts: Policy, innovation and awareness. From a policy perspective, China
has a significant advantage: Its central government can quickly enact and
enforce policies and regulations.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) is reportedly leveraging that
advantage to pursue a range of actions such as restricting imports of
high-polluting vehicles, encouraging supply-chain restructuring based on
lower-emission modes of transport, and boosting pollution-monitoring capacity
through satellite technology. But implementing such policies poses challenges
and raises the risk of unintended consequences. For example, while relocating
high-polluting industrial facilities has helped reduce pollution in major urban
centers, it has increased pollution in new host locations. More fundamentally,
most policies support only pollution abatement, without confronting the urgent
need for structural transformation in energy systems and demand patterns.
Such transformation requires decisive action from business. Yet according to the
MEE, schemes to hide regulatory infractions by high-polluting firms are endemic
in China, and often entail collusion with local governments.
By adding environmental protection to the list of factors considered in
promoting local and provincial leadership — a worthwhile initiative — China’s
government may have inadvertently strengthened the incentive to evade monitoring
systems.
Beyond establishing the right policies, China’s government needs to enforce them
more effectively. Among other things, this means closer monitoring of regulatory
compliance and ensuring prosecution of violations. This will be costly and
politically challenging, but anything less amounts to prioritizing profits over
human health. Innovation can also drive pollution abatement. For example,
Shenzhen’s urban air mobility project, which provides on-demand helicopter
transport, leverages the city’s well-known innovative capacities while
addressing congestion. Initiatives that advance pollution-abatement goals while
providing fair access to services among residents should be subsidized by
central government.
Awareness is the third pillar of a strategy to tackle air pollution. This does
not necessarily mean inundating people with news stories about global
environmental devastation; on the contrary, that approach can lead to
desensitization. Instead, awareness means ensuring that people understand the
consequences of air pollution for their health and that of their families. Armed
with a new awareness of the risks they face, people can take advantage of online
resources such as the World Air Quality Index and the State of Global Air to
monitor conditions in their cities.
According to the WHO, a staggering 91 percent of the world’s population is
exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution. With traditional global powers
such as the US and Australia now largely scoffing at environmental concerns,
alternative global leadership is badly needed. If China aims to fill this role,
it must not only mobilize its formidable resources and innovative capacity, but
also strengthen its commitment to enforcing the rule of law.
Kris Hartley is an assistant professor of public policy at the Education
University of Hong Kong. Asit K. Biswas is distinguished visiting professor of
engineering at the University of Glasgow, and chairman of Water Management
International Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. Copyright: Project Syndicate
Is the Trump Plan dead for now?
Herb Keinon/Jerusalem Post/June 08/2019
But that doesn’t mean all is lost. As I have always maintained, what matters is
excuting the Jordan Option and not tabling the Plan. I went so far as to say
that the Jordan Option is the plan and that is very much on the table. In fact
disenfranchising and defunding UNRWA and the PA were the first moves in
executing the Jordan Option.
The US administration decided it did not want to release the plan during the
campaign so as not to make the election a referendum on the plan, or to hurt
Netanyahu’s chances of reelection.
The US is “not happy” about Israel going back to the polls in September,
President Donald Trump said this week in no uncertain terms.
“Israel is all messed up with their election,” he told reporters, mincing no
words, as he was just about to take off for Britain on Sunday.
“I mean, that came out of the blue three days ago. So that’s all messed up. They
ought to get their act together. I mean, Bibi got elected. Now, all of a sudden,
they’re going to have to go through the process again until September? That’s
ridiculous. So we’re not happy about that.”
And why isn’t the United States happy? Because the decision to go to elections
probably means that the clock will have run out on the Trump administration’s
ability to unfurl its much hyped peace initiative until after the US
presidential election in 2020, if at all.
Trump himself downgraded the plan during his comments before boarding the plane
for London.
Asked by reporters to comment on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s downbeat
remarks about the plan in comments he made to Jewish leaders that were leaked to
the press, Trump said, “Let’s see what happens,” which is a very long step back
from calling it the “Deal of the Century.”
Since it is Trump himself who hyped up the plan so heavily, it is Trump himself
who – as his remarks about an Israel that needs to “get its act together”
attests – is among those most frustrated by the sudden turn of events.
And, indeed, Trump has himself taken the lead in trumpeting this plan.
On November 11, 2016, just three days after his election, Trump discussed his
hope to secure a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal, something he talked about on
and off during the campaign.
“That’s the ultimate deal,” he said in an interview with The Wall Street
Journal. “As a deal maker, I’d like to do… the deal that can’t be made. And do
it for humanity’s sake.”
Speaking to The New York Times a few days later, Trump said he “would love to be
the one who made peace with Israel and the Palestinians.”
The ultimate deal then morphed into the “Deal of the Century,” and as recently
as September 2018, he expressed the hope of getting the deal done during his
first term.
“It is a dream of mine to be able to get that done prior to the end of my first
term,” Trump said after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Asked when to expect the deal,
he said, “over the next two to three to four months.”
But the deal wasn’t rolled out two, three or even four months later, though not
because the plan itself was not ready – it has reportedly been ready for months
– but because it was overtaken by events in Israel.
In November Avigdor Liberman quit the government, and in December the Knesset
dissolved itself and sent the country to early elections. The US administration
decided it did not want to release the plan during the campaign so as not to
make the election a referendum on the plan, or to hurt Netanyahu’s chances of
reelection by alienating the Right. The widespread assumption is that the plan
will call for concessions from both the Palestinians and Israel, and that the
Right would be opposed to the concessions that will be asked of Israel.
In April Israel went to the polls, and the administration made clear that it
would not release the plan during the coalition-building process, so as not to
make it even more complicated for Netanyahu to build a coalition.
In mid-May two of the plan’s main architects – Jared Kushner and Jason
Greenblatt – said the plan would be presented in mid-June. They then surprised
many by announcing that the plan would not be released as one package, but,
rather, that the first part of the plan – the economic chapter – would be rolled
out in Bahrain at the end of June.
But then Netanyahu failed to form a government, Israel called new elections for
September, and all the best laid plans of the Trump administration went awry.
If the administration did not want to bring out the plan during the election
campaign five months ago, there is no reason to believe it will want to do so as
the country enters another election campaign now.
Israel will go to the elections in September 17. Add on to that another two
months for a new government – hopefully – to be formed, and the calendar reads
mid-November. By then the US will already be in its own election cycle, gearing
up for the party primaries that will begin in early 2020 – not a good time for
Trump to bring out a Mideast peace plan.
Why not?
First, because any plan that calls for Israeli concessions will not be popular
with a core constituency making up Trump’s base: the Evangelicals. And Trump
will need that base enthused and active if he is to win again.
Second, because a plan calling for Israeli concessions may be unpopular with key
Republican donors, such as Sheldon Adelson.
Third, because Arab leaders are unlikely to take a risk on the plan – something
that will be necessary for it to succeed – not knowing whether Trump will be
returned to office. If they do back the plan, they will be labeled by their
detractors as traitors and sellouts to the Palestinian cause, and what leader
wants to subject himself to that, if he does not know whether Trump will even be
around in 2021?
And, finally, because the plan may fail, not something a president wants on his
résumé just months before facing an election.
As one Israeli official put it, “The administration should have brought it out
last summer. But they didn’t want to, because it was too close to the [US]
midterms [elections]. Now it’s too late.”
Trump’s frustration at Israel’s political process – “all messed up” – is
understandable in light of the realization that the new elections make it all
but impossible for him to present the plan before the US votes in November 2020.
BUT THEN what? If Trump loses the election, he still could present the plan
before leaving office, hoping that by so doing he would create new parameters
and set a new marker for Mideast peacemaking.
There is precedent for this, as previous administrations took substantial steps
on the Middle East as lame duck administrations. Ronald Reagan initiated
“substantive dialogue’’ with the PLO in December 1988, as he was about to leave
office, to break that taboo for his successor, George H.W. Bush.
Bill Clinton presented his Mideast parameters in December 2000, just after
George W. Bush won the election and just a few weeks before vacating his office.
And Barack Obama enabled a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel for
the settlements in late December 2016, just a month shy of his vacating the
White House, and in stark contrast to what he knew full well would be the
incoming administration’s position.
Yet, there would sure to be opposition to Trump presenting his plan in the
waning days of his term – even by some who would like to see new Mideast
parameters set – out of the concern that since the environment in Washington is
so toxic, any successor to Trump will be unlikely to adopt his ideas – even if
they are good ones – simply because he is the one who presented them.
But if Trump wins reelection, then the plan will get a new lease on life. First
of all, it will be difficult for the Palestinians to continue to ignore this
administration for another four years, hoping that it will somehow disappear.
Secondly, other Arab leaders are likely to conclude that Trump is not just a
passing phenomenon, and that his ideas need to be heeded. Trump’s peace plan
might seem dead now, but it is something that will be taken much more seriously
by everyone – most significantly the Palestinians and the Arab world – if he
retains his office in 2020. But that, of course, is at this time a very big
“if.”
Two Years into Blockading Qatar
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/June 08/2019
Logging two years into a regional blockade, Qatar chose to revamp its media
campaign. But failing to see that reinventing its rhetoric will not impact
change, Doha remains unable to bridge the divide that has left it at odds with
its neighbors.
When addressing the global community, it decries the blockade and plays the
victim. But when speaking to its audience at home, the Qatari administration
touts itself as stronger and ever-more prosperous, flaunting independence from
neighboring states.
It is hard to level being an “isolated prey” with also being a standalone
independent state. It is also laughable to think the blockading countries were
merely concerned with Doha’s ability to import livestock.
For the states that severed ties with Qatar, stopping the rogue nation from
meddling in their internal affairs, reducing its support of terror groups and
preventing its exploitation of its Gulf Cooperation Council membership to
advance enemy state agendas, especially Iran’s, are all well-achieved goals of
the blockade.
Qatar’s recent backtracking on the Makkah summits declarations, despite
initially endorsing the Arab and GCC final communiques, proves that the decision
to isolate the small country is not only valid, but also necessary.
Authorities in Doha, after having secretly pushed for Iranian interests in the
region, are now openly representing the terror-funding state in global summits.
This places Qatar in a league of its own in terms of blatant support for Iran--
other states that maintain lukewarm relations with the cleric-led Tehran regime
are generally reserved when it comes to standing for Iran in international
arenas. Doha had gone out of its way to reject the declarations which condemned
Iran’s escalatory aggressions in the region. Whilst the Qatari foreign minister
justified the refusal by saying the declarations failed to find a moderate
policy to speak with the foe state, the Qatari Emir went an extra mile and chose
to draw parallels between stances upheld by the cleric-led regime in Iran and
the government in Doha. Even more, in a phone call with Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani, Qatar's Emir emphasized that Doha and Tehran agree on many regional
issues.
Rouhani, for his part, welcomed Qatar's stances, saying they are based on the
policy of “good” neighborliness. But in reality, all Qatar had done was expose
where its allegiances have truly been placed for the past two decades. Today,
the only difference is Doha’s decision to publicly side with Iran against its
neighboring Arab states.
For years, authorities in Qatar have been the epitome of a wayward shipmate
which repeatedly punches holes that could sink the ship. And each time, fellow
states work to patch these holes with the hope that Doha will have a serious
policy rethink.
But two years into the blockade, there are no signs on a regional desire to
welcome Doha, a self-proven mutineer, back on board. At this point, no one knows
when exactly the gaps will be mended with Qatar—reconciliation could take five
to ten years. But it goes without saying that boycotting neighbors have, since
imposing the blockade, been enjoying better security and are more focused on
personal affairs rather than keeping a lookout for the next harmful action their
small state neighbor lobs their way.