English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 14/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.june14.20.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006

Bible Quotations For today
Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 14/21-27/:”They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, ‘Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?’Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 13-14/2020
Lebanon Records 20 New Cases of Coronavirus
Fresh Protests Call on Government to Resign amid Crisis
Diab: State is the guarantee, people’s bank deposits are preserved, coup attempt has failed
Report: Warnings against 'Removing' Salameh
Protests escalate in Lebanon, clashes with security
Lebanon Protesters Call on Government to Resign amid Crisis
Kheir Inspects Damages in Downtown Beirut
Hariri Fires Sharp Remarks against Authority, 'Mopeds' Patrons'
Lebanese Fear Currency Will Further Tumble despite Promises
Lebanon protesters call on government to resign amid crisis
Protest in Jounieh demanding implementation of International resolutions
Clashes return to Bab al-Tabbaneh, several roads blocked to traffic
23 casualties so far in confrontations in Bab alTabbaneh
Sit-in at Al-Alam Square in Tyre
Two demonstrations denouncing Central Bank Governor, political class set out in downtown Beirut
Fahmy: Security forces will track down sabotage perpetrators, bring them to justice
Mortada calls for declaring 'state of emergency' over smuggling issue
"Reforms, then reforms, then reforms," underlines Geagea
Jumblatt: Why to undermine Beirut?
El-Machnouk urges Interior Minister to ban motorcycles in Beirut
Lebanon PM launches attack against his government’s opponents/Najia Houssari/Arab News/June 14/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 13-14/2020
Worldwide COVID-19 Cases Exceed 7.66 Million
Kadhimi Wins First Round of Strategic US-Iraqi Talks
Turkish Lira Notes Circulate in Northern Syria
Turkey Military Runs Drill in East Mediterranean
Turkey Slams Twitter after Removal of State-Linked Accounts
UAE: Israeli Annexation Plan Impedes Peace Process
Syrian Extremist Killed in Libya Drone Strike
US Prefers Wider UN Role in Resolving Libya Crisis
UN Requests Inquiry into 8 Mass Graves in Tarhouna
Ennahda Faces Challenges to Include Heart of Tunisia in Government
Egypt, Sudan Express Reservations on Ethiopia’s GERD Document

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 13-14/2020
Finally, a Good New Snap-Back Plan on Iran/Peter Huessy/Gatestone Institute/June 13/2020
Raymond Stock on Countering Russia's Increasing Involvement in Egypt/Marilyn Stern/Middle East Forum Radio/June 13/2020
Bibi's Brilliant Annexation Bluff?/Matthew Mainen/JNS/June 13/2020
China Takes Over Hong Kong: EU Shrugs/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 13/2020
Erdogan’s bewildering character/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/June 13/2020
Daesh’s reappearance puts fragility of Iraq and Syria in focus/Paul Iddon/Arab News/June 13/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 13-14/2020
Lebanon Records 20 New Cases of Coronavirus
Naharnet/June 13/2020
The Health Ministry said that twenty new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus were recorded on Saturday raising the tally to 1442. It said nine of the cases were recorded in Lebanese residents, while eleven were recorded in Lebanese expats repatriated recently to Lebanon during the outbreak of the virus.
The total number of deaths stands at 30. According to official data, 868 individuals have recovered from the virus since the first case was detected on February 21.

Fresh Protests Call on Government to Resign amid Crisis
Associated Press/Naharnet/June 13/2020
Lebanese protesters took to the streets in Beirut and other cities Saturday in mostly peaceful protests against the government, calling for its resignation as the small country sinks deeper into economic distress. The protests come after two days of rallies spurred by a dramatic collapse of the local currency against the dollar. Those rallies degenerated into violence, including attacks on private banks and shops. The local currency, pegged to the dollar for nearly 30 years, has been on a downward trajectory for weeks, losing over 60% of its value. But the dramatic collapse this week deepened public despair over the already troubled economy. Lebanon is heavily dependent on imports and the dollar and local currency have been used interchangeably for years. The unrivaled economic and financial crises are proving a major challenge to the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who took office earlier this year after his predecessor resigned amid nationwide protests. Diab was faced with handling the coronavirus pandemic soon after taking office. Lebanon's financial problems predate the coronavirus pandemic, which put the country in lockdown for months, further compounding the crisis.
Diab's government is supported by the powerful Hizbullah group and its allies, but has already been weakened by the economic crisis. He was due to address the nation later Saturday. For the protesters Saturday, many of them members of organized political parties, Diab's government has failed to handle the crisis. Neemat Badreddin, a political activist, described the government as captive to the interests of political groups and not the public. "This current government proved to be a failure," said Badreddin, wearing a face mask featuring the Lebanese flag with its green cedar tree in the center. "We want a new government ... we want stability and we want to be able to live without begging or without people having to migrate." Protesters in Beirut carried a banner that read "There is an alternative." In the southern city of Sidon, some directed their wrath at the central bank governor. One protester raised a banner called him the "protector of all thieves in Lebanon."In the northern city of Tripoli, army troops forcefully dispersed dozens of protesters who had blocked the road preventing trucks from moving forward, according to videos posted online. The protesters allege the trucks were smuggling goods to Syria — a common complaint in Lebanon as the neighboring country grapples with its own economic hardships.
After an emergency Cabinet meeting Friday to address the crisis, the government announced that the central bank would inject fresh dollars into the market to prop up the Lebanese pound — a measure that many everyday Lebanese and government critics say is likely to offer only temporary relief.
The dollar shortage, coupled with already negative economic growth, has crunched Lebanon's middle class and increased poverty in the small Mediterranean nation of over five million that's home to over 1 million Syrian refugees.
The heavily indebted government has been in talks for weeks with the International Monetary Fund after it asked for a financial rescue plan but there are no signs of an imminent deal.

Diab: State is the guarantee, people’s bank deposits are preserved, coup attempt has failed
NNA/June 13/2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab addressed the Lebanese in a speech this evening, in which he affirmed that "the state is not bankrupt, and people's deposits are preserved, but we must protect the state."
"I assure you that your rights are preserved, at the banks and at the Central Bank... and the State is the guarantee. Therefore, we must protect and defend the State, so that it can be a guarantee for all its citizens, their properties, their monies and their future," he said.
"The attempted coup has failed...and the deals made on and under the table, as well as the internal and joint operations orders have failed to overthrow the process of corruption detection," Diab underlined.
"The State must serve its entire people, with no distinction on the basis of regions, sects or confessional denominations. We want to build a State that protects the Lebanese people. We want national affiliation to be the only criterion. We want to carry a unified national identity, chant one anthem, raise one flag, defend one nation and protect one people," the Prime Minister underscored.
"There will come a day when this government will leave; it cannot stay forever. In fact, we do not want to remain in office without effectiveness and without achieving our plan to get the country out of the stalemate caused by corrupt people...We are not and won't be like them," he asserted.
"I assure you that change will inevitably come...no matter how much they try to derail it. Change is definitely coming, and I believe in our ability to make a positive change in people's lives, and in the country's path," pledged Diab.
In his detailed address, the Prime Minister said:
"Dear Fellow Lebanese,
When I was assigned to form this Cabinet, and when the government was formed, the Lebanese people's confidence in our ability to make achievements was weak. The Lebanese people had little hope in us. We acknowledge these facts.
We were surrounded by muffled cunning smiles, betting on our failure to address the deeply rooted aggressions and backlogs that took a toll on the State's entity and on Lebanon's economic and financial structure, labelled for many years as a miracle, while it was merely a colourful mask that covered the enormous distortions they caused without even flinching.
Less than a month after the Cabinet started working, Lebanese people have started to feel the seriousness, methodological work, determination, will and courage of the entire government and of every minister.
The people's mood has changed, and this government started enjoying a high level of citizens ' confidence, which seems to have dismayed many of those who have bet on its failure.
Since then, rumours, false news, lies, personal and political targeting have not stopped.
Nevertheless, we have faced all of this silently and with more work, although smear and prejudice campaigns have touched on silly issues.
There are many examples of the orchestrated campaign organized by well-known parties, whose name identity, image, background, and way of thinking are familiar and that are not deterred from resorting to any means to tarnish the image of others because they could not redeem theirs.
Yes, this government has achieved a lot, but they want to blur the facts.
Isn't it enough that we are trying to remove the rubble they left behind after having destroyed everything and left in haste?
Isn't it enough that we are still searching for Lebanese people's deposits that they have wasted with irresponsibility, so as not to say more?
Isn't it enough that they have drowned the country in huge debts that have caused the current great financial collapse?
Deals, waste, corruption and clientelism have persisted, funded by the people's accrued bank deposits; they have betrayed the confidence of the Lebanese people who trusted them.
For a long time we have kept silent, and we have heard a lot of accusations trying to evade the turpitudes they have committed, to throw it on this government whose head and ministers are seeking to rival their predecessors, neither in politics nor in performance, style, mentality and elections.
No, I am not one of them and will not be...
We did not want to enter into debates with the past whose results we are grappling with, but we will not remain silent about being held responsible for their policies that have brought the country to the disaster we are facing today.
Whatever the case, we are here today. Amidst the rubble and black smoke they have ignited in the country. A smoke that was about to rescind civil peace, after spreading despair in the hearts of the Lebanese who were witnessing the systematic destruction of public and private properties, and who were gazing with pain and sorrow at tire-burning that have blocked roads, taken their breath away, increased social and livelihood pressure, and destroyed their livelihoods.
Today we are here, amidst financial and livelihood concerns. Some have tried to exploit the situation again, without any national deterrent. They have thrown lies and rumours, have contributed to deepening the Lebanese pound crisis, have caused a major crisis and have pushed people onto the streets.
They were required to prevent the government from implementing its decision to remove the rubble hiding beneath it the secrets of the corruption structure.
They knew that we have begun to discover many rooms inside this structure, and that we have found the keys to many rooms forming that black structure stinking deals, brokerages and thefts covered under a power shell.
There is much to talk about today, and there is much more to be revealed soon, with documents and facts.
So wait until the process of rubble removal from the top of the corruption structure is finished, for this structure will fall on the heads of those who are hiding in its corners, believing that it was fortified and that it can protect them from the earthquake of popular will, which must triumph for its right to hold accountable those who have kidnapped the State and hypothecated the people's destiny by remaining in their positions that they thought were personal properties, disposing of its capabilities and authority, while forgetting that it thus passes worldly glory and that if it had lasted for their predecessors, it would not have passed to them.
Again, the coup attempt has failed.
All the secret and public meetings, the deals made on and under the table as well as the internal and joint operations orders have failed to overthrow the process of corruption detection. On the contrary, those persons have once again shown that people's lives do not matter for them, that the people's properties were their enemy and that their aim is to protect themselves, not to express the real pain they themselves caused to people.
We have enough data regarding the facts, and we will disclose appropriate data in due course.
Dear Fellow Lebanese,
Today, we are facing the challenge of either returning to the pre-October 17 uprising period, or completing the task.
Some want to return to the pre- October 17 era, because they believe that the time has come to pounce on the revolutionary uprising, take revenge and turn the clock back.
Some want to restore the corruption structure's keys in order to protect what is inside it, re-fortify its walls and renew its colours, so as to prepare a new trick to dispose of people's monies which they deposited and protected in banks, and which have been transferred, by decision, to the State treasury which was wide open to robbers.
Here lies the truth regarding the plan to manipulate the US dollar/Lebanese pound exchange rate, and here lies the secrets of the night of the coup against the October 17 uprising.
The coup was not against the government. There will come a day when this government will leave; it cannot stay forever.
In fact, we do not want to remain in office without effectiveness and without achieving our plan to get the country out of the stalemate caused by corrupt people.
We are not and won't be like them...
But, I can confidently say that we will not allow people's money to be wasted. Bank deposits are numbers today; however, I can assertively say that we will not allow such deposits to remain just numbers.
Have they impoverished the State? Yes.
Have they impoverished citizens? Yes.
Have they used people's monies? Yes.
But the State is not bankrupt. We are facing a financial distress, but the country draws its wealth from you, from its capabilities, its potential, its resources and the creative minds of its citizens.
I assure you that your rights are preserved, at the banks and at the Central Bank... and the State is the guarantee. Therefore, we must protect and defend the State, so that it can be a guarantee for all its citizens, their properties, their monies and their future.
Dear Fellow Lebanese,
We want to make, with you, the change you want. We want to advance the State's rationale. We want to fulfil, with you, our dream of a homeland for us, for our children and our grandchildren. We want to trust our State.
We seek to achieve too many things ... Sometimes, we achieve what we want, but we face reinforced walls that stand in the way of our dreams. We want to move to the safety zone, but political barriers are standing in the way.
But I assure you that change will inevitably come ... no matter how much they try to derail it. Change is definitely coming, and I believe in our ability to make positive change in people's lives, and in the country's path.
Over the last couple of days, in order to confront the conspiracy of the Lebanese pound's and people's livelihoods' manipulation, we have taken decisions to stop the series of blackmailing targeting the State and the people.
All Lebanese know what we want, but unfortunately, we cannot make change quickly from within the system's mechanisms. Managing the transition from the inside is too heavy. However, we will not refrain from imposing this change in the path, since we have no other option than saving the country, restoring people's trust in their homeland and confirming the State's reference as an option for all of us, which protects our future and that of our children.
Unfortunately, over the past months, I have found out that the State was oppressing its own citizens. It oppresses its youth. It deprives them of their rights. It undertakes job examinations that ultimately become just a folklore.
Dozens of examinations in the Civil Service Council ... Internal Security Forces, Customs, Forestry Guards and Civil Defence ... However, either no results are announced for unknown reasons, or the results are announced on paper without being implemented under the pretext of sectarian and confessional balances.
Promotion tables in the military and security services are frozen, either because of disputes within the administration, or under the pretext of financial means, or because of sectarian and confessional balances.
That is how trust is built between the State and its citizens?
That is how the State's rationale prevails, or is it the logic of federations disguised under a thin crust of the State's image?
Tens of thousands of Lebanese citizens have been side-lined for years, but the State has turned its back on them.
No ... this approach cannot continue. We are following up on all these files, and we will do justice to the Lebanese youth. This is their right and not a favour granted by the State.
The State must serve all its people, with no distinction on the basis of regions, sects or confessional denominations. We want to build a State that protects the Lebanese people. We want national affiliation to be the only criterion. We want to carry a unified national identity, chant one anthem, raise one flag, defend one nation, protect one people and shoutout to the country, not to a person, party, or confession.
A weakened State engenders strengthened chauvinism ... When the State retreats, petty states emerge.
When the security grip eases, chaos prevails ... and when stability is shaken, civil peace falls apart.
The absence of accountability leads to corruption ... and a politicized judiciary leads to the law of the jungle.
The judiciary needs no permission, reference, or instruction to act. We insist that the judiciary be independent and impartial.
Therefore, should we seek to build a State, we have to start from these pillars. This is what the government is working on, and it is mounting up pillars that can protect the State's structure from the storms.
Today, we are establishing the concepts of a safe, just and unified State.
Against this backdrop, I call on the Lebanese people to be more patient, because the fight against corruption is very fierce, for the corrupt will not surrender voluntarily and will not give up easily.
Dear Fellow Lebanese,
The confrontation is difficult, but I can say with a clear conscience that we have laid a solid foundation for your victorious fight against corruption, and we will embark together on a joint march to restore social security whose loss threatens your livelihoods taken away by corrupt people to accumulate their wealth and satisfy their greed.
Dear Fellow Lebanese,
Let the self-destruction instigated by those who fall out of national conscience and who want to satisfy their deep hatred be stopped.
Lebanon is for all of us, and every stone of its structure was built by the sweat of its people's brow, so let no one underestimate what the other has achieved. This is not a bidding yard. We need to stop this massive waste which is a crime as important as the waste of public money.
Dear Fellow Lebanese,
We are preparing to reopen the airport early next month, and this will give us the opportunity to restore some of our economic cycle that we desperately need. But the current incidents will lead to continued suffering, increased bleeding in the national economy, further closure of institutions and loss of employment opportunities.
I call on the Lebanese people to refrain from distorting the protests, and to contribute to the shift towards the State's rationale, which must only prevail, in order to cross this ordeal, and protect Lebanon and the future of our children.
I am confident that we will overcome the crisis, and that we are stronger than all challenges, because Lebanon was found to remain free, sovereign and independent. Its people's haughtiness is too difficult to break before the winds, no matter how strong.
Long Live Lebanon!" [PM Press Office]

Report: Warnings against 'Removing' Salameh
Naharnet/June 13/2020
The calls to remove the governor of the central bank Riad Salameh from his post will likely lead to “unfavorable” results, and could negatively affect the value of Lebanon’s already sagging currency, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Saturday. “Any void in the post, relations and role of Salameh will be reflected on the exchange rate,” political sources told the daily on condition of anonymity. They stated that Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi constitute a “safety net” for Salameh’s stay, they told the daily. Berri on Friday said there were “no compelling reasons for his dismissal,” while Rahi considered Salameh a red line during his talks with President Michel Aoun in Baabda a day earlier. “Removing Salameh from his post could have negative repercussions on the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund which Lebanon is asking for aid to overcome its economic crisis,” the sources emphasized. Adding to the above was the "American dissatisfaction reflected by the US ambassador to Lebanon with the recent financial appointments," they said. “The International community was not satisfied with the latest appointments, therefore we can not deepen the crisis by triggering a new clash by removing Salameh from his post,” they noted. Tensions have grown recently between the government, which is backed by Hizbullah, and the central bank's governor. Experts say the cabinet would like to see Salameh removed from the position he has held since 1993. Protesters accuse him of having encouraged state borrowing over the decades that they say benefited only the banking and political elite.

Protests escalate in Lebanon, clashes with security
The Arab Weekly/June 13/2020
BEIRUT--Hundreds of protesters filled, Saturday, the streets of Beirut and other cities over the spiraling cost of living and the government’s apparent impotence in the face of the worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war. Some also rallied against the governor of the central bank, Riad Salame. Protesters had initially taken to the streets after sundown on Thursday, and escalated their action on Saturday despite the government pledging on Friday to inject dollars into the market to bolster the sagging currency. Prime Minister Hassan Diab is excepted to deliver a live speech Saturday on the latest developments which could be worsening as the angry demonstrations devolved into violence. Protesters set fire to roadways and clashed with security forces, according to witnesses and Lebanese media.
“The demonstrators smashed the facades of shops, set fire to garbage containers, and threw rocks and Molotov cocktail at the army, which in turn fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters”, Lebanese news Agency (NNA) reported. Lebanese soldiers and riot policemen were deployed on major roads ahead of the protests, while protesters blocked major streets. Security forces fired tear gas to disperse them and some of the young men threw stones and fire crackers back. “A number of protesters blocked the Masnaa-Rashaya road at the Dar Al-Hanan triangle point this morning, against the dire economic and living conditions”, NNA correspondent reported.
In the northern city of Tripoli, the army dispersed hundreds shouting “revolution, revolution”. “Forty-nine people were injured as a result of renewed popular movements and violent protests yesterday evening in Tripoli”, the NNA said. Protests erupted again on Thursday after a crash in the pound currency, which has lost about 70% of its value since October, when Lebanon was plunged into a financial crisis that has brought mounting hardship. The Lebanese pound sank to a record low on the black market despite the authorities’ attempts to halt the plunge of the crisis-hit country’s currency, money changers said. Lebanon is in the grips of its worst economic turmoil in decades, and holding talks with the International Monetary Fund towards securing billions in aid to help overcome it
On Friday, President Michel Aoun announced that the central bank would implement measures from Monday including “feeding dollars into the market”, in a bid to support the Lebanese pound. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who attended Friday’s meeting with the president alongside Prime Minister Hassan Diab, said the government’s measures aimed to bring the exchange rate to stronger than 4,000 pounds to the dollar. Tensions have grown recently between the government, which is backed by pro-Iran Shia movement Hezbollah, and the central bank’s governor.
Anger against banks has risen in recent months, after they banned all transfers abroad and gradually restricted dollar withdrawals, forcing those in need to buy the greenback at unattractive rates on the black market. “Several currents taking part in the protests want to topple the central bank governor and hold him accountable for the financial” crisis, among them Hezbollah, Lebanese American University professor Imad Salamey said. “The economic situation has further deteriorated… The middle class has been obliterated,” said Hilal Khashan, a professor at the American University of Beirut, but he did not think that “the government will collapse”. the new wave of Lebanese anger comes as Beirut holds talks with the International Monetary Fund for a reform programme it hopes will secure billions of dollars in financing and put its economy back on track. The crisis, rooted in decades of corruption and waste, has brought soaring food prices, unemployment and capital controls that have severed Lebanese from their hard currency savings.

Lebanon Protesters Call on Government to Resign amid Crisis
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
Lebanese protesters took to the streets in Beirut and other cities Saturday in mostly peaceful protests against the government, calling for its resignation as the small country sinks deeper into economic distress.
Rallying against the surging cost of living and the government's apparent impotence in the face of the worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war, protesters gathered in central Beirut, brandishing flags and chanting slogans.
In the northern city of Tripoli, young men scuffled with security forces who fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
The stand-off began after young men blocked a highway to prevent a number of trucks carrying produce destined for Syria from passing through, according to the official National News Agency.
The protesters allege the trucks were smuggling goods to Syria — a common complaint in Lebanon as the neighboring country grapples with its own economic hardships. Later, Lebanon's customs authorities said in a statement that the trucks were transporting UN aid destined to Syria.
The Lebanese Red Cross said it treated nine people wounded in Tripoli.
The protests come after two days of rallies spurred by a dramatic collapse of the local currency against the dollar. Those rallies degenerated into violence, including attacks on private banks and shops.
The local currency, pegged to the dollar for nearly 30 years, has been on a downward trajectory for weeks, losing over 60% of its value. But the dramatic collapse this week deepened public despair over the already troubled economy. Lebanon is heavily dependent on imports, and the dollar and local currency have been used interchangeably for years.
The unparalleled economic and financial crises are proving a major challenge to the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who took office earlier this year after his predecessor resigned amid nationwide protests. Soon after taking office, Diab was faced with handling the coronavirus pandemic, which put the country in lockdown for months, further compounding the crisis.
In a speech Saturday, Diab urged the public to be patient, saying there were a great many political hurdles, including from rivals he said sought to undermine his government. Diab offered no solutions to the crisis, nor did he name his opponents, but said his government is working to fight corruption and uphold the power of the state. For the protesters Saturday, many of them members of organized political parties, Diab's government has failed to handle the crisis.
Neemat Badreddine, a political activist, described the government as captive to the interests of political groups and not the public.
“This current government proved to be a failure,” said Badreddine, wearing a face mask featuring the Lebanese flag with its green cedar tree in the center. “We want a new government ... we want stability and we want to be able to live without begging or without people having to migrate.”
Protesters in Beirut carried a banner that read “There is an alternative.”
In the southern city of Sidon, some directed their wrath at the central bank governor. One protester raised a banner called him the “protector of all thieves in Lebanon.”
After an emergency cabinet meeting Friday to address the crisis, the government announced that the central bank would inject fresh dollars into the market to prop up the Lebanese pound — a measure that many say is likely to offer only temporary relief.
The dollar shortage, coupled with already negative economic growth, has crunched Lebanon’s middle class and increased poverty in the small Mediterranean nation of over five million that's home to over 1 million Syrian refugees.
The heavily indebted government has been in talks for weeks with the International Monetary Fund after it asked for a financial rescue plan but there are no signs of an imminent deal.

Kheir Inspects Damages in Downtown Beirut
Naharnet/June 13/2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab has commissioned Head of the High Relief Committee Gen. Mohammed Kheir with conducting a field survey to assess the damages to commercial, public and private properties, the press office of PM Hassan Diab said on Saturday. Diab had contacted the chiefs of the military and security services to take appropriate measures aiming at stopping suspicious attacks on public and private properties in downtown Beirut, it said. Diab stressed on the fact that Friday riots in Beirut are “totally rejected by all standards,” highlighting the need for all necessary measures to be taken in order to protect people and institutions’ properties, and repress all sabotage operations. On Friday, protesters took the streets but tension petered out after midnight mainly in Beirut’s downtown area where shop fronts were defaced and burnt. In the northern city of Tripoli, hundreds of demonstrators shouting “revolution, revolution" had thrown stones and Molotov cocktails toward the soldiers and damaged the facades of several banks and shops. Soldiers responded with tear gas. Protesters had initially taken to the streets after sundown on Thursday, railing against the spiralling cost of living and the government's apparent impotence in the face of the worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Hariri Fires Sharp Remarks against Authority, 'Mopeds' Patrons'
Naharnet/June 13/2020
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Saturday waged sharp remarks against the ruling authority and AMAL and Hizbullah parties, without naming them, after Friday’s protests that turned into riots.
The presidential “term and its government undermine the independence of the judiciary and stand idle watching the Souks of Beirut being sabotaged and burnt, and Beirut’s role and dignity assaulted,” said Hariri in a tweet marking the assassaination anniversary of judge Walid Eido and his son Khaled.
“Those who orchestrated and carried out the sabotage and arson attacks in Beirut have no idea about the goals and values of the revolution. They are misguided groups drifting behind a cursed scheme that seeks sedition and further collapse,” said Hariri. He emphasized that Beirut violence was “deliberate” seeking to “infiltrate” the ranks of protesters and “topple the public opinion against the righteous demands of the revolution.”“To the young men and women of the revolution, we tell them that these attacks are aimed at stirring public opinion against popular movements and anticipating calls for gatherings and sit-ins ... Beware of infiltrators to your ranks,” said the former PM. He addressed the “ruling authority and parties who stand behind '' the packs of individuals on motorcycles who invade the protest squares usually raising flags of AMAL and Hizbullah parties. “To the people of the government, the government, and the motorcycle sponsors, we say Beirut is not a scapegoat ... Do not force the people to protect their properties and their livelihoods themselves. The responsibility is yours and we will not stand idly by watching the capital being sabotaged,” he warned.

Lebanese Fear Currency Will Further Tumble despite Promises
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
For months, Kamal Nasser, a successful plumbing contractor in Lebanon, has seen his business base erode. There are almost no new construction projects as people save for gloomier days, and with the local currency on a downward spiral, he has not been able to import his most basic materials — tubes or plumbing valves from Europe and Ukraine. Despite efforts to control the currency depreciation, the Lebanese pound sold for more than 6,000 to the dollar on Thursday on the black market, down from 4,000 in recent days. The dramatic tumble sparked raging protests overnight that targeted private banks and prompted an emergency government meeting Friday. Lebanon’s government and its central bank promised on Friday to inject fresh dollars into the market to control the fast deteriorating exchange rate that saw the local currency lose nearly 70% of its value in weeks. The pound had maintained a fixed rate of 1,500 to the dollar for nearly 30 years.
But the promise was met with skepticism from a public that has lost trust in officials they blame for the country’s unparalleled financial and economic crisis.
“This is madness," Nasser said. “People can’t take this economic situation anymore. It only keeps getting worse.”
Nasser said the government plan is meant to diffuse public anger but won't resolve the problem. “All those promises from the government or the presidents are meaningless," he said, according to The Associated Press. "It is all for them to hide their own theft ... and to calm people down.”
The dollar shortage, coupled with already negative economic growth, has crunched Lebanon's middle class and increased poverty in the small Mediterranean nation dependent on imports of basic goods.
The Lebanese have for years used the dollar and the Lebanese pound interchangeably. So with the drop, employees saw their income and savings lose over 60% in value in weeks. Parents have been unable to pay school or insurance fees charged in dollars, and many landlords are refusing to accept rent payment in pounds. Meanwhile, banks have stopped dispensing dollars altogether, except from new transfers from abroad.
President Michel Aoun blamed the currency plunge this week on “political manipulation,” intentionally aimed to create chaos to undermine the government he is allied with.
“This government will reassure the public and the dollar exchange rate will be reduced gradually,” Aoun said, according to a statement following the all-day emergency cabinet meeting. The meeting included Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Riad Salameh, the central bank governor who has been singled out by Diab for alleged mishandling of the situation.
Aoun vowed the new measures would take effect on Monday but it was unclear if there are enough dollars available to meet local demand.
The central bank said last month it has around $20 billion in reserves. The head of the money changers union, Mahmoud Halawa, said security forces would crack down on the black market or any money changers selling above a set rate of 3,940 to the dollar.
Lebanon's unrivaled economic and financial crisis has exposed deep mistrust of the government's crisis management and has also reflected panic over new US sanctions that will affect neighboring Syria in the coming days. Many suspect the major fluctuations resulted from dollars being smuggled into Syria.
Lebanon’s financial problems predate the coronavirus pandemic, which put the country in lockdown for months, further compounding the crisis. Years of corruption and mismanagement have left Lebanon with depleted resources, while shrinking investment in the war-riddled region. Falling remittances from Lebanese abroad only increased the shortage of foreign capital.
In an outpouring of anger, protesters took to the streets Thursday, shutting down roads in several parts of the country and burning tires. Some protesters pelted branch offices of private banks with stones while in central Beirut, one bank was set on fire.
After a raucous night that included volleys of tear gas, calm was restored Friday and security forces reopened blocked roads.
The renewed demonstrations represented a huge challenge for Diab, the prime minister, who took over after his predecessor, Saad Hariri, resigned amid nationwide protests late last year. Diab’s government is supported by the Hezbollah party and its allies but has already been weakened by the crisis.
The heavily indebted government has been in talks for weeks with the International Monetary Fund after it asked for a financial rescue plan but there are no signs of an imminent deal.
Mike Azar, a financial adviser and former lecturer at John Hopkins University, said the only way to control the exchange rate is to increase demand for the local currency while supplying sustainable dollars for example, by increasing exports.
“If they inject dollars into the exchange offices ... they would be flushing our remaining reserves down the drain. People will just go buy dollars and store them in their houses," Azar said.
Injecting dollars has been promised time and again, he said, but only offers temporary relief and adds to depositors' woes.
“Each dollar of reserves we spend increases the size of the losses because these reserves are owed to depositors so depositors are subsidizing this transaction,” Azar added. Nasser, the contractor, said he has few options.
“I am seriously thinking of leaving the country on the first plane out because we no longer have room here," he said. “This country is for people who are not good. They don’t want good people to stay.”

Lebanon protesters call on government to resign amid crisis
Associated Press/June 13/2020
Protesters in Beirut carried a banner that read “There is an alternative.”
BEIRUT: Lebanese protesters took to the streets in Beirut and other cities Saturday in mostly peaceful protests against the government, calling for its resignation as the small country sinks deeper into economic distress.
The protests come after two days of rallies spurred by a dramatic collapse of the local currency against the dollar. Those rallies degenerated into violence, including attacks on private banks and shops.
The local currency, pegged to the dollar for nearly 30 years, has been on a downward trajectory for weeks, losing over 60% of its value. But the dramatic collapse this week deepened public despair over the already troubled economy. Lebanon is heavily dependent on imports, and the dollar and local currency have been used interchangeably for years.
The unparalleled economic and financial crises are proving a major challenge to the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who took office earlier this year after his predecessor resigned amid nationwide protests. Soon after taking office, Diab was faced with handling the coronavirus pandemic, which put the country in lockdown for months, further compounding the crisis.
Diab’s government is supported by the powerful militant group Hezbollah and its allies, but has already been weakened by the economic crisis.
In a speech Saturday, Diab urged the public to be patient, saying there were a great many political hurdles, including from rivals he said sought to undermine his government. Diab offered no solutions to the crisis, nor did he name his opponents, but said his government is working to fight corruption and uphold the power of the state.
For the protesters Saturday, many of them members of organized political parties, Diab’s government has failed to handle the crisis.
Neemat Badreddin, a political activist, described the government as captive to the interests of political groups and not the public.
“This current government proved to be a failure,” said Badreddin, wearing a face mask featuring the Lebanese flag with its green cedar tree in the center. “We want a new government ... we want stability and we want to be able to live without begging or without people having to migrate.”
Protesters in Beirut carried a banner that read “There is an alternative.”
In the southern city of Sidon, some directed their wrath at the central bank governor. One protester raised a banner called him the “protector of all thieves in Lebanon.”
In the northern city of Tripoli, army troops forcefully dispersed dozens of protesters who had blocked the road preventing trucks from moving forward, according to videos posted online. The protesters allege the trucks were smuggling goods to Syria — a common complaint in Lebanon as the neighboring country grapples with its own economic hardships. Later, Lebanon’s customs authorities said in a statement that the trucks were transporting U.N. aid destined to Syria.
After an emergency Cabinet meeting Friday to address the crisis, the government announced that the central bank would inject fresh dollars into the market to prop up the Lebanese pound — a measure that many say is likely to offer only temporary relief.
The dollar shortage, coupled with already negative economic growth, has crunched Lebanon’s middle class and increased poverty in the small Mediterranean nation of over five million that’s home to over 1 million Syrian refugees.
The heavily indebted government has been in talks for weeks with the International Monetary Fund after it asked for a financial rescue plan but there are no signs of an imminent deal.

Protest in Jounieh demanding implementation of International resolutions
NNA/June 14/2020
A number of citizens staged a sit-in in the city of Jounieh, against illegal weapons under the slogan of "No to statelets within the state, not to illegal weapons," demanding those concerned to implement the Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1701 and 1680, NNA correspondent reported on Saturday.
Demonstrators also called for the demarcation of the border with Syria to stop the transfer of arms and smuggling.

Clashes return to Bab al-Tabbaneh, several roads blocked to traffic
NNA/June 14/2020
Tension has returned to the Tabbaneh area this evening, as its main and branching streets, especially Syria Street, are witnessing violent confrontations between Army units and young men protesting against the passage of trucks loaded with food to Syria, and against the deteriorating economic conditions, NNA correspondent in Tripoli reported. The protesters have also cut-off a number of the city's main roads using burning tires and waste containers, namely Al-Arz Street in al-Qobbeh, Al-Nour Square and the international road in Al-Beddawi, amid the heavy spread of Army units.

23 casualties so far in confrontations in Bab alTabbaneh
NNA/June 14/2020
The Bab al-Tabbaneh area witnessed confrontations between groups of young men and Army units this afternoon, which have resulted in the wounding of 23 persons so far, including 4 soldiers, NNA correspondent in Tripoli reported.
The Islamic Medical Association's Emergency and Relief paramedics have tended to all the casualties, transporting 9 of them to the Tripoli Governmental and Islamic Hospitals for treatment. These confrontations were triggered when a group of young men from Bab al-Tabbaneh intercepted large trucks loaded with food stuff as they were heading to Syria, on the pretext that the Lebanese are more entitled to these food products due to the hunger striking them and their deprived livelihood due to high unemployment. Clashes evolved into throwing stones at Army units who responded with tear gas at the demonstrators, while other protesters blocked the roads to Abdul Hamid Karami 'Al-Nour' Square, Al-Qobba Road, Al-Arz Street and Al-Tabbaneh Highway with burning tires, NNA correspondent indicated.

Sit-in at Al-Alam Square in Tyre
NNA/June 14/2020
Activists from the city of Tyre staged a sit-in at Al-Alam Square this evening, in protest against the high consumer prices and rising dollar exchange rate, and against the corrupt system, NNA correspondent in Tyre reported.
Protesters raised the Lebanese flags and banners calling for "early elections and a civil government that is not from the parties, but from the people, and far from quotas. Participants in the sit-in confirmed the continuation of their moves "until their rightful demands are met."

Two demonstrations denouncing Central Bank Governor, political class set out in downtown Beirut
NNA/June 14/2020
A demonstration set out this afternoon from Bechara El Khoury Square in downtown Beirut towards the Ministry of Finance-Directorate of Imports and the Association of Banks, then Riad El Solh Square, in protest against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, the financial policies and the existing political class.
Banners calling for "accountability" and "the recovery of looted money" were raised, as protesters denounced the "sectarian quotas system that can neither be rectified nor reformed, but must rather be changed to save society from bankruptcy." Meanwhile, Central Beirut's Ring Bridge is witnessing another demonstration heading towards the Association of Banks, to join those coming from Bechara El-Khoury, whereby both demonstrations will head together towards Riad El Solh Square.

Fahmy: Security forces will track down sabotage perpetrators, bring them to justice
NNA/June 14/2020
Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Brigadier General Mohamed Fahmy, affirmed via his Twitter account today: "As we have repeatedly stressed on protecting peaceful protesters and suppressing rioters and infiltrators, the security forces will work to track down security violators and those who have broken and destroyed public and private property in the heart of Beirut, and bring them before the concerned judiciary...The outrageous and vicious attack witnessed in Beirut and some areas yesterday is reprehensible and rejected."

Mortada calls for declaring 'state of emergency' over smuggling issue
NNA/June 14/2020
Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Mortada, called Saturday for declaring a "state of emergency" with regards to the issue of smuggling, and to monitor and control the borders and all crossings.
Speaking in an interview with "Radio Lebanon" this morning, Mortada said: "In Lebanon, we are accustomed to living day by day in light of the difficult circumstances and the successive and pressing economic, health and social crises in the country...and the government is carrying out its duties each day and is setting plans."He stressed that the most important thing is that the government performs its duties, whether it remains or leaves. He considered herein that the extreme efforts invested by the various cabinet ministers would have yielded more fruitful results had we been living under normal circumstances.
"Today's effort is taking place in light of an economic vacuum, extremely serious crises and a pressing atmosphere in the country. This government came in wake of an economic and social crisis that already existed," Mortada reminded.
He deemed that economic solutions require "more time, concerted efforts and cooperation to save the country from its crises."
Over the recent administrative appointments, Mortada affirmed that "they were passed according to the constitutional mechanism, with a difference in views which is normal in Lebanon." He denied that the appointments took place on the basis of quota sharing, stressing that "the people who were appointed are qualified and holders of good resumes and deserve to be in such positions."
Meanwhile, Mortada wished that the mechanism approved by the Parliament Council had been adopted. He hoped to reach a more transparent mechanism, taking into account the qualifications and capability factors.
At the agricultural level, the Minister pointed out that boosting Lebanon's economy and agriculture requires more effort, cooperation and capabilities.
"The Ministry of Agriculture has placed all strategic plans and opened up to all segments of society with high expertise and great potential for cooperation, within a strategic framework to be presented later in the government."
Mortada disclosed that his Ministry's strategic plan will see the light within a week, reiterating that this requires capabilities, while assuring that all offices at the Agriculture Ministry are working relentlessly on the ground for the development of the agricultural sector.
"Efforts are underway to enable farmers to benefit from the National Social Security Fund, to secure the future of everyone who wants to work in the agricultural sector," Mortada corroborated.
He appealed to the Lebanese citizens and all political forces "to support the Ministry of Agriculture, especially in light of the worsening economic and financial crises, since Lebanon is in need of food sovereignty that can only be achieved through relying on specific agricultural standards and specifications, and keeping pace with the modernization of agriculture in the world."

"Reforms, then reforms, then reforms," underlines Geagea
NNA/June 14/2020
Lebanese Forces Party Chief, Samir Geagea, tweeted Saturday on the rising US dollar exchange rate against the Lebanese Lira, saying: "Curbing the deterioration of the Lebanese pound's exchange rate cannot be through the loss of more US dollars from the Central Bank, which most likely will go to Syria...Controlling the Lira's exchange rate has only one solution: reforms, then reforms, then reforms, starting with the illegal crossings between Lebanon and Syria and far-reaching the electricity file, which constitutes a huge daily drainage of dollars in Lebanon."

Jumblatt: Why to undermine Beirut?
NNA/June 14/2020
"Why to enfeeble and infringe upon Beirut, the city of thought, diversity, literature, theater, and music; Beirut of convergence and dialogue; Beirut of steadfastness and revolutions; Beirut the refuge of the oppressed; Beirut the crossing of civilizations...Beirut Oh, Beirut!" tweeted Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, on Saturday.

El-Machnouk urges Interior Minister to ban motorcycles in Beirut
NNA/June 14/2020
MP Nohad El-Machnouk called Saturday via Twitter on the Interior Minister, Brigadier General Mohamed Fahmy, "to prevent motorbikes from roaming in the city of Beirut, exceptionally and for a specific period, in order to avoid frictions and attacks that seek strife through the 'alliance of motorcycles', and also to make way for the real revolutionaries to express their opinions."

Lebanon PM launches attack against his government’s opponents
Najia Houssari/Arab News/June 14/2020
BEIRUT: Prime Minister Hassan Diab responded to his government’s political opponents in a tough speech addressing the Lebanese on Saturday night.
As the protests continued and clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the city of Tripoli caused injuries, Diab spoke of “a programmed campaign organized by parties known by name and method of thinking that are not deterred from using any method to shatter the image of others.”
Diab said that his government “has a high percentage of citizens’ confidence, which has disturbed many of those who bet on its failure, and some have tried to invest without any national deterrent by pumping lies and rumors, to prevent the government from removing the rubble under which the secrets of corruption disappear.”
“Know that we have found many keys from that black structure. There is a lot to discover soon with documents and facts, and this structure will fall on those who hide in its corners,” he said.
Diab said that “the coup attempt fell and all secret and public meetings and orders of internal and joint operations to stop discovering of corruption failed too.”
“They revealed that people’s lives do not concern them and that their aim is to protect themselves.”
Diab said that “the state is not bankrupt, there is financial stumbling, but the country is rich in citizens and its resources.”
Addressing the people, he said: “Your rights are reserved with the banks and the Bank of Lebanon and the state is the guarantor.”
“There are those who want to go back to before Oct. 17 (the date of protests against the Saad Hariri government) and turn the clock back.”
Diab spoke of “political barriers that stand in the way of his government, but change is definitely coming.”
He said that “the state oppresses its children and youth and deprives them of their rights.”
“When the state weakens, the gangs are strengthened, and when the state retreats, small states appear, and when stability shakes, civil peace collapses, and when accountability stops, corruption prevails,” he said.
“The judiciary does not need to be instructed to move. We insist that the judiciary be independent and impartial. The confrontation is difficult, and I call on the Lebanese to be more patient because the battle with corruption is very fierce, because the corrupt will not give up so easily,” the prime minister said.
Diab said that “opening the airport on July 1 will allow us to restore part of the economic cycle, but what is happening today will increase suffering, and I call on the Lebanese to refrain from distorting the protests in order to cross the ordeal and protect Lebanon.”
The prime minister’s remarks came as the anger of groups of protesters who took to the squares of Beirut and Tripoli turned into deliberate sabotage of public and private property without indicating clear slogans for their movement. The riots led to angry reactions in the two cities.
This prompted former Prime Minister Saad Hariri to warn that “Beirut should not be targeted by anyone. Do not force people to protect their own properties and livelihoods. We will not stand by as spectators while the capital is destroyed.”
Both Amal Movement and Hezbollah later denied any relationship with the saboteurs.
Beirut awoke to painful scenes left by the riots, during which young men who arrived on motorbikes smashed and burned shops, pulled stones off buildings and threw them at security forces, and uprooted traffic signs. Stones and glass fragments covered the squares and the content of the shops were ruined.
The security forces responded to the rioters with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Anger was reignited mid-week with news circulating on social media that the exchange rate of the dollar on the black market had reached 7,000 Lebanese pounds.
On Friday, the government said that the news was incorrect. It took measures to curb the rise of the exchange rate, which exceeded 5,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar, by requesting the central bank to pump dollars into the market to money changers, starting on Monday, to gradually reduce the exchange rate to 3,200 Lebanese pounds.
Despite the government’s move to stop the collapse of the Lebanese pound, the protests continued in downtown Beirut in the absence of coordination between civil movement groups. Each protesting group seemed to have its own agenda.
The goal of these attacks is to turn public opinion against popular movements, so beware of infiltrators who climb over your demands.
Saad Hariri, Former prime minister of Lebanon
The Lebanese army and internal security forces accompanied the demonstrators, and Prime Minister Diab asked the leaders of the two security establishments to “take appropriate measures to prevent suspicious attacks on public and private property in downtown Beirut.”
In a statement, he said that what had happened in Beirut on Friday night was “unacceptable by all standards.”
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi described what happened as a “reprehensible, disgraceful and unacceptable attack.”
The scene of devastation in the heart of Beirut provoked the people and activists of the capital.
Hariri visited the damaged shops and spoke to their owners, one of whom raised a Lebanese flag over his burned shop and wrote under it: “Despite your madness, we love you, Lebanon.”
Hariri said that “those who organized and carried out sabotage and burning attacks in Beirut do not have an iota of the goals and values of the revolution. They are misguided groups drifting behind a cursed plot that seeks sedition and further collapse. The goal of these attacks is to turn public opinion against popular movements, so beware of infiltrators who climb over your demands.”
Hariri accused the Lebanese administration and “its government of ignoring the independence of the judiciary and watching the sabotage of Beirut’s markets, burning its heart and assaulting its role and dignity.”
The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, blamed the state for what had happened.
He warned: “If the state does not carry out its tasks, the jungle law that is not acceptable to any sane person will prevail, and we will no longer be silent about such actions that violate human morals and threaten security.”
Shop owners in the capital and other cities were busy fortifying the fronts of their shops, fearing that riots in the coming days could reach their stores.
Tony Eid, head of the Beirut Traders Association, told Arab News: “What happened, regardless of its causes, will harm traders and business owners. The commercial flow is built on trust, which has been lost, and people will be afraid to continue their declining business.”
“During the last three months, the percentage of business closure in the Beirut’s Achrafieh district alone reached between 50 percent to 70 percent, so everyone is obsessed with material damage as a result of riots that may take place and they no longer have hopes for the country,” he said.
Eid said: “Merchants are not the ones who stole the country, but rather those who are in power. Merchants put their savings, borrowed and risked to establish their businesses, so what is their fault?”
He said that merchants were now asking the association to help them find solutions “to close their businesses with the least possible harm.”
Riot scenes were repeated in the northern city of Tripoli, and the Al-Nour Square turned into a battlefield.
Some rioters arrived on motorbikes and clashed with soldiers, throwing stones and firecrackers at them. The army responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.
The riots caused 36 injuries in Tripoli and one injury in Beirut.
Tripoli MP Mohammed Kabbara said: “We will not be silent on sabotaging Tripoli, nor will we be silent on the increasing poverty in our city, and we will not be silent on some suspected mercenaries from outside Tripoli who target its reputation, image and economy.”
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah denounced “violence and attacks on public and private property in Beirut and Tripoli.”
“The true cry of hunger is not to attack others. Rather, it should be directed against the corrupt who looted public money and against the policy of American sabotage of our national economy,” he said.
Hezbollah MP Anwar Jumaa said: “Hezbollah is the only party in Lebanon now that pumps millions of dollars a month into the market, and this contributes to preventing the collapse of Lebanon now and moving the economic cycle.”
Amal Movement MP Ali Bazzi said: “The right of citizens to peacefully demonstrate and express their opinion is constitutionally guaranteed, but attacking public and private property is not different from the damage caused by those who looted and corrupted the country.”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 13-14/2020
Worldwide COVID-19 Cases Exceed 7.66 Million
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
More than 7.66 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally. Deaths caused by the virus worldwide reached a total of 424,757​ cases, according to a Reuters tally. More than 210 countries and territories reported infections since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. The outbreak of the pandemic has dealt a shock to the global economy with unprecedented speed. Meanwhile, a prominent US economist said there can be no real economic recovery in Europe unless governments “completely suppress” the virus, the Associated Press reported.

Kadhimi Wins First Round of Strategic US-Iraqi Talks
Baghdad- Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi won the first round of US-Iraqi strategic talks that kicked off last Wednesday to tackle the US military presence in Iraq. The talks came amid deep national and political division, mainly over members of the Iraqi delegation that participated in the meetings, the nature of the dialogue, in addition to a Katyusha missile that hit the Green Zone in Baghdad. However, a joint Iraqi-US statement and an announcement by the US Secretary of State came to prove a development in relations. Even the missile incident, launched to embarrass Kadhimi before the talks, was considered by Washington as benefiting to the dialogue between the two sides. In this regard, Washington’s Secretary of State said this rocket being fired at the United States, at the embassy in Baghdad, “highlights exactly why we have to have this strategic dialogue,” adding that agreements with the Kadhimi government suggest that Iraqis are committed to demonstrating – re-establishing sovereignty, exercising control of these – of rogue militias, and having a unified security service in the country. A joint Iraqi-US statement following the strategic talks said that Washington reiterated that it does not seek nor request permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq. The US also expressed its solidarity with the Republic of Iraq, not only through close bilateral cooperation on the security and political levels, but also through its support for Iraq and the new Iraqi government. Also, the joint statement said bot nations reiterated the importance of assisting Iraq in implementing its governmental program and reforms in a manner that reflects the aspirations of the Iraqi people, including carrying out humanitarian efforts, restoring stability, rebuilding the country, and organizing free, fair, and credible elections. “The United States, with its international partners, emphasized its continued support for Iraq’s electoral preparations, efforts to strengthen rule of law, human rights, and the return and reintegration of displaced people, especially the smaller components of Iraqi society that were targeted for genocide by ISIS,” the statement read.
On the security partnership, the two countries recognized that in light of significant progress towards eliminating the ISIS threat, over the coming months the US would continue reducing forces from Iraq and discuss with the Iraqi government the status of remaining forces as both countries turn their focus towards developing a bilateral security relationship based on strong mutual interests. In this regard, Iraqi militia expert Hisham al-Hashemi told Asharq Al-Awsat that “The Iraqi-US talks achieved the main document of principles that would be legally developed during the first round of talks expected next July.”
He said this document should offer Iraq a solid ground that would enable Baghdad to write the texts of the US-Iraqi agreement based on the national interest of Iraq ahead of signing an understanding with Washington during the next fall. “The results of the first round of talks are positive,” Saad al-Matlabi, a member of the State of Law Coalition, told Asharq Al-Awsat. “However,” he added, “we are still waiting to look at the details before reaching an agreement that protects the supreme interests of Iraq and that could keep Baghdad away from regional axes.”

Turkish Lira Notes Circulate in Northern Syria
Saturday, 13 June, 2020 - 06:15
Ankara, Damascus, Idlib- Saeed Abdulrazek, Firas Karam, and Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020.
The Turkish lira has started making its way to northern Syria following a decision by pro-Ankara military factions and local opposition councils to encourage its use instead of the Syrian pound, which has greatly decreased in value in the last days. During three military operations backed by loyal factions, the Turkish Army had recently controlled large swathes of territory in northern Syria. Ankara helped introduce Turkish services and government institutions and services to those areas, which host more than 3 million Syrians. Therefore, in order to protect citizens' savings due to the rapid depreciation of the Syrian pound, local military and civil institutions hurried to adopt the Turkish lira in the area. Mustafa Madi, the owner of an electrical tools shop in Saramand in the countryside of Idlib, told Asharq Al-Awsat, “Of course, it is safer to commercially deal with the Turkish lira instead of the Syrian lira, which is witnessing an unprecedented devaluation.” He said the rapid depreciation of the Syrian pound inflicts immense financial losses because merchants are forced to change to prices of products all the time. Human Rights activist Akram Junaid said: “the economic situation in northern Syria is now completely linked to the Turkish economy.” This week, the Syrian pound’s exchange rate to the dollar crashed, hitting a record low against the US dollar (USD). Economy and Finance in the Syrian Interim Government, Abdul Karim al-Masri said that all dealings at government institutions would be in the Turkish lira or the US dollar. “We will buy wheat and sell flour in the dollar and we will sell bread in the Turkish lira,” Masri said. In Damascus, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the slight amelioration in the value of the Syrian lira exchange rate in the past few days came after Syrian businessmen injected US dollars in the market, in addition to a decision by the Syrian Central Bank to control money transfers from outside the country. Such measures helped the Syrian pound to trade at 2,400 against the dollar after hitting a record low of 3,400 last Monday. Syria's economy has been battered by nine years of war, compounded by a financial crisis in neighboring Lebanon, which had served as a conduit for dollars into government-held areas under international sanctions. Big dealers told Asharq Al-Awsat that ATMs were currently not operating in Syria following an old dispute between the Central Bank of Syria and the Lebanese operating company, CSC Group, which is owned by Abdul-Qader Douweyk. They uncovered that the CB is planning to transfer the contract to a relative of Asmaa Assad, the wife of President Bashar Assad.

Turkey Military Runs Drill in East Mediterranean
Ankara - Saeed Abdul Razzak/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
Turkey’s military has conducted air and naval exercise in the eastern Mediterranean, its defense ministry said on Friday, affirming news by the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) forces in this regard. The drill, conducted by Turkey’s navy and air force, was dubbed an “Open Sea Training” exercise by the ministry. Eight frigates and corvettes participated, along with 17 warplanes based in the central Turkish airbase of Eskisehir, in a 2,000-km round trip, it said in a statement. The military said the drill was meant to test and develop Turkey’s ability to command and execute long-distance operations.
Turkey’s statement came 24 hours after the “Volcano of Rage” operation room announced that Turkish aerial and naval forces have conducted drills above the Mediterranean Sea, using E-7T airborne early warning and control aircraft. Fayez al-Sarraj's GNA room, backed by Turkey, also noted that Ankara launched an air bridge consisting of 17 aircraft between Istanbul and Misrata, as well as frigates carrying precision-guided missiles and armed drones. Itamilradar website, which monitors military aircraft movements over Italy and the Mediterranean Sea, said it detected on Thursday a new mission by the Turkish Air Force. Italian Flightradar24 site confirmed the claims, pointing out that three Turkish military cargo planes and a ship carrying weapons approached the airspace of western Libya. It said two of them took off from Istanbul airport, while the third flew from Konya military base in Misrata but returned without landing. The Turkish cargo ship (CIRKIN), which sailed from Istanbul, was intercepted by a Greek frigate, which follows the EU's military mission in Libya Operation, known as Irini, Flightradar24 reported. Turkish media also confirmed the Greek naval interception of a “Turkish commercial cargo ship,” which was accompanied by Turkish frigates heading to Libya. European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell confirmed that the incident occurred in international waters off the Libyan coast. He said Turkey opposed Irini’s inspection of the ship after it was suspected of violating the UN arms embargo on Libya.

Turkey Slams Twitter after Removal of State-Linked Accounts
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
Turkey fiercely criticized Twitter on Friday for suspending more than 7,000 accounts that had been set up to boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the company was smearing the government and trying to redesign Turkish politics. Twitter said it was taking down 7,340 accounts from a network detected early in 2020 that it said was being used to amplify political narratives favorable to Erdogan's ruling AK Party. They were among over 32,000 accounts removed by Twitter which said they were used by China, Russia and Turkey for propaganda, to sow misinformation or attack critics. "(This) has demonstrated yet again that Twitter is no mere social media company, but a propaganda machine with certain political and ideological inclinations," said Turkish presidency communications director Fahrettin Altun. In a written statement, he added that allegations these were "fake" profiles designed to support the president and were managed by a central authority were untrue. He also said documents cited to support Twitter's decision were unscientific, biased and politically motivated, and that it was scandalous to cite a report by individuals "peddling their ideological views". Those remarks appeared to refer to a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory, with which Twitter shared its information, that said the network posted some 37 million tweets, promoting the AKP and criticizing Turkey's main opposition parties. "We would like to remind the company (Twitter) of the eventual fate of a number of organizations which attempted to take similar steps in the past," Altun said. In the past, Turkey has blocked access to online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, YouTube and Twitter.

UAE: Israeli Annexation Plan Impedes Peace Process
Abu Dhabi - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
UAE’s ambassador to Washington Youssef Al Otaiba warned that Israel's plan to annex land in the occupied Palestinian West Bank would impede the peace process and “upend” Israel's efforts to improve ties with Arab countries. “Annexation would - certainly and immediately - upend all Israeli aspirations for improved security, economic and cultural ties with the Arab world and the UAE,” he said in an op-ed entitled “It’s Either Annexation or Normalization” that was published by Israel’s daily Yedioth Ahronoth. This came as the Israeli government intends to proceed with the US annexation plan on July 1 which allows Israel to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank, including illegal settlements, and the Jordan Valley. The plan also proposed the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state on the remaining patchwork of disjointed parts of the Palestinian territories without East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as the capital of their state. Earlier in May, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, also expressed his deep concern and rejection of the measures included in the Israeli plans to annex Palestinian lands. He warned that this unilateral move is illegal, undermines opportunities for peace, and contradicts all efforts made by the international community to reach a lasting political solution in accordance with relevant international resolutions. He also reiterated the UAE’s position that any action taken unilaterally impedes and hinders the chances of a lasting peace to which all parties aspire. For his part, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, called on Israel to end talks about annexing Palestinian lands, considering that any unilateral move by Tel Aviv would represent a strong blow to the peace process. “The continuous Israeli talk about annexing Palestinian lands must stop,” he said.

Syrian Extremist Killed in Libya Drone Strike
Cairo - Jamal Jawhar/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
A Syrian extremist identified as Samer al-Atrash has been killed in a drone strike in the Libyan city of Sirte, a Libyan military official said Friday. The official told Asharq Al-Awsat that in the past two days the Libyan National Army (LNA) has killed a large number of gunmen, mercenaries and terrorists fighting alongside the Government of National Accord (GNA). Social media pages belonging to Syrian mercenaries mourned al-Atrash, who is a former ISIS member and who had previously been in the ranks of al-Nusra Front. Al-Atrash travelled from Syria to Libya in January along with several companions, the official said. They took flights to Misrata’s airport to fight alongside the GNA. The Libyan Army has also killed terrorist Murad Abou Hammoud al-Azizi during clashes in the Libyan capital Tripoli. LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari has said that Mohamed Hindawi, another extremist commanding a pro-GNA factions, has also been killed in fighting near Tripoli.

US Prefers Wider UN Role in Resolving Libya Crisis
Washington - Elie Youssef/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker has said that parts of Cairo's proposal on Libya are helpful but that the UN mediation can make better progress. "We think there are parts of the initiative that are helpful. ... That said, we think that the UN-led process and the Berlin process are really ... the most productive frameworks ... to make progress on a ceasefire," Schenker said. On Saturday, Egypt called for a ceasefire starting on Monday, as part of an initiative that also proposed an elected leadership council. It also proposed "foreign mercenaries" to leave and militias be disbanded and disarmed. "We continue to call for de-escalation, a ceasefire, a return to political negotiation," Schenker said. "Now is a time for Libyans on all sides to act so neither Russia, nor any other country, can interfere in Libya." The UN mission to Libya on Thursday voiced "horror" at reports of at least eight mass graves. Schenker called the accounts of mass grounds "truly disturbing" and also warned that an advance of the Government of National Accord (GNA) on Sirte "could have serious humanitarian consequences."Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the resumption of talks led by the UN between the GNA and the Libyan National Army (LNA), and urged speedy negotiations to achieve a ceasefire. Their agreement “to re-enter UN security talks was a good first step, very positive,” Pompeo said in a news conference. “Quick and good-faith negotiations are now required to implement a ceasefire and relaunch the UN-led intra-Libyan political talks,” he added. UN chief Antonio Guterres has suggested that former Ghana foreign minister and current UN envoy to the African Union, Hanna Tetteh, head the UN Libya mission. Reuters quoted diplomats as saying that before agreeing to Tetteh's appointment, Washington wants Guterres to name a special envoy to focus on mediating peace in Libya and has proposed former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

UN Requests Inquiry into 8 Mass Graves in Tarhouna
Cairo- Jamal Jawhar/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
At least eight mass graves have been reportedly been discovered in Libya, according to the United Nations. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the United States embassy requested a prompt and transparent inquiry into this crime. The Mission “notes with horror reports on the discovery of at least eight mass graves in past days, the majority of them in Tarhouna,” it wrote on Twitter. “International law requires that the authorities conduct prompt, effective, and transparent investigations into all alleged cases of unlawful deaths.” It also welcomed a decision by the Tripoli-based Minister of Justice to establish a Committee with “wide ministerial powers and overseen by the Attorney General” to look into these mass graves. It called on its members to “promptly undertake the work aimed at securing the mass graves, identifying the victims, establishing the cause of death and returning the bodies to the next of kin.”The UNSMIL said it was ready to provide Libya with support as necessary. The US also stated that it shared UNSMIL’s “horror” and said it “supports immediate efforts by Libyan authorities and international bodies to investigate these intolerable abuses and bring perpetrators to justice.” Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, for his part, pledged that security forces “will look into these mass graves to determine the identity of the corps, hand them over to their families, and pursue perpetrators.”Some of these graves were found in areas between Tarhouna desert, its public hospital, and the headquarters of the General Directorate for Central Security in the city, as well as in an inoperative well in al-Awata area between Tarhouna and Suq al-Khamis. The LNA didn’t comment on the case, yet a military source in the LNA denied the army’s relation to any of these crimes.
“These crimes, if true, are surely perpetrated by militias and terrorist groups,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Ennahda Faces Challenges to Include Heart of Tunisia in Government
Tunis- Al Mongi Al Saidani/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
Tunisia’s Ennahda movement continues to rally support for its proposal to expand the government coalition to include the Heart of Tunisia movement, which is rejected by the People's Movement and Tahya Tounes. The Heart of Tunisia movement, chaired by Nabil Karoui, announced that it would participate in the government if it received seven ministries, which would affect negotiations with the rest of the parties of the government coalition led by Ennahda. Top official of Heart of Tunisia Iyadh Elloumi asserted that his party does not reject participating in the government, but asks for ministries of economy, finance, and industry, along with four others. Karoui previously announced in a televised interview that expanding the “government political belt” will have a positive impact on the parliamentary work and will ensure the smooth passing of bills and decrees in the parliament. He further affirmed that he has no problem with any political party in Tunisia. Observers believe that the movement's condition will suspend the negotiations on expanding the government coalition. They also noted that if Heart of Tunisia, with 29 parliamentary seats, joined the ruling coalition, it will be at the expense of the People’s Movement with 15 seats, and Tahya Tounes, which has 14 seats. Speaker Rachid Ghannouchi, and head of Ennahda movement, called upon all parties to agree on amending the ruling coalition that would create a balance between the government and parliament. Ghannouchi stressed that the coalition will be able to establish an economic and social rescue program, which would achieve social stability, national solidarity, and provide all guarantees and incentives to attract investment. President Kais Saied and Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh do not share Ennahda’s enthusiasm to include the Heart of Tunisia in the government.
The President called upon the Prime Minister to ensure the government maintains the same principles upon which it was established, namely not including a party suspected of corruption. Saied noted that there is no need to undertake a ministerial amendment to include some of the proposed figures of Karoui’s movement as ministers. Both the President and the Prime Minister agreed it was necessary to bring all parties of the government coalition together, but without expanding it to include people who are being prosecuted in cases of financial corruption.

Egypt, Sudan Express Reservations on Ethiopia’s GERD Document
Cairo - Waleed Abdul Rahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 13 June, 2020
Egypt and Sudan expressed reservations on Friday over a document submitted by Ethiopia on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Cairo and Khartoum stressed the need for an “acceptable agreement” before Addis Ababa starts filling the Nile dam’s reservoir next July.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan resume on Saturday the second round of virtual talks on GERD in the presence of observers from the European Union, the US and South Africa. Cairo is attached to the deal reached during talks held on February 21 in Washington, for being “an equitable and balanced agreement that enables Ethiopia to achieve its development goals while preserving the rights of Egypt and Sudan.” It said the Ethiopian paper on filling and operating GERD was inconsistent with the principles and rules previously agreed upon by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in the negotiations brokered by the US and the World Bank. In a statement issued Thursday, Cairo stressed the importance of Ethiopia to be negotiating with “good intentions” in order to sign a fair agreement that takes into account the interests of all three countries.
Sudan announced that the three parties started discussing GERD documents amid tension on several issues. It said the three concerned states agreed to exchange views on controversial issues to bridge the gap in their viewpoints. Sudanese Minister of Irrigation Yasser Abbas told a local television channel that his country believes in the rights of any state for development, but without harming others. Ethiopia has already planned to start filling the reservoir of the dam in July.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 13-14/2020
Finally, a Good New Snap-Back Plan on Iran
Peter Huessy/Gatestone Institute/June 13/2020
The RSC plan also advocates that Congress impose further new sanctions on "Iran's petrochemical, shipping, financial, construction and automotive sectors." Legislation would also target "Iran's human rights violations and regional aggression, including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. And it suggests sanctioning the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), a European mechanism that the United States has criticized as a way to evade US sanctions on Iran."
In an unprecedented but welcome manner, the RSC bill would for the first time place "new sanctions on the arms industries of countries like Russia and China that return to selling weapons to Iran, the banks facilitating any sale of weapons to Iran, and the companies shipping weapons."
Diplomacy will not stop Iran. Real pressure will.
With the new RSC strategy, the US and its allies have a real shot at taking down the regime in Iran. That would indeed signal the success of economic "maximum pressure."
Iran is dedicated not only to the destruction of Israel but also to the elimination of US influence and presence in the greater Middle East. Photo: Iran's Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) in the House of Representatives, proposed on June 10, 2020, an unprecedentedly strong new Iran policy. The package of proposed legislation would end all Iranian waivers, snap-back economic sanctions in place prior to the Iran nuclear deal, and set severe economic penalties on those seeking to sell advanced weaponry to Iran.
The new GOP plan also advocates that Congress impose further new sanctions on "Iran's petrochemical, shipping, financial, construction and automotive sectors." Legislation would also target "Iran's human rights violations and regional aggression, including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. And it suggests sanctioning the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), a European mechanism that the United States has criticized as a way to evade US sanctions on Iran."
It is true since the United States in 2018 ended its support for the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, (known as the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action (JCPOA)), it adopted a policy of "maximum economic pressure."
The hope was that such a policy would stop Iran from: (1) building nuclear weapons, (2) arming terrorists, (3) fielding ballistic missiles, and (4) expanding illicit business with Europe, Russia, China, Iraq and Venezuela. Illicit business would include both the purchase of advanced military weapons and the export of crude oil and electricity.
While the policy had some important aspects, there were, regrettably, extensive loopholes.
The diplomats at the State Department wanted training funds for Lebanon's military, so a waiver was granted, despite the circumstance that Iran's proxy, Hezbollah, now effectively controls much of the country.
The US Treasury Department, apparently hoping to secure European favor, waived sanctions to allow European nuclear reactor technology cooperative work with Iran.
The US Administration economists, evidently wishing to help Iraq, waived restrictions and gave the green light to Iran to sell $800 million in electricity to Iraq.
Unfortunately, even under existing sanctions, Iran was already expanding its nuclear weapons fuel project -- producing 400% of the allowable material -- supporting Hezbollah with new smuggling technologies, such as miniature submarines that can carry even more drugs more quickly in America's own South American backyard, selling crude oil to Venezuela, and arming and financing proxy terror groups.
Giving Iran waivers would hardly make things better.
If the UN arms embargo on Iran expires in October, the threat from Iran could worsen exponentially as Russia and China could sell Iran some most deadly new military weaponry.
What then are the prospects for the new strategy being adopted by Congress?
As Adam Kredo of the Washington Free Beacon has explained, the Congress may indeed adopt the new strategy through passage of a series of bills. Even some senior Democrats may support the plan. These include Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), Rep. Ted Deutch (D., Fla.), and Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), all of whom had expressed concerns about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and Tehran's regional ambitions. Key to their thinking seems to be that Iran without question regularly cheats on the nuclear deal.
The real problem may not be in Congress but with the waiver enthusiasts within the administration: they may try to derail the new push to universally crackdown on Iran as outlined here, and however inadvertently, again let Iran off the hook for its illegal nuclear work and support for terrorism.
One can understand the brief for diplomacy and a negotiated deal with Iran, but as Israel has shown the world, one does not negotiate deals with Iran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). They -- along with a number of other countries with which the US seems to wish it could negotiate – simply do not keep up their end of any bargain.
Israel has battled the IRGC in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, while having to bomb secretive Iraqi and Syrian nuclear reactors.
There are lessons here.
Iran is dedicated not only to the destruction of Israel but also to the elimination of US influence and presence in the greater Middle East.
Diplomacy will not stop Iran. Real pressure will.
The RSC policy proposal has learned such lessons and "includes more than 140 new initiatives." According to the RSC Chairman, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), and the Task Force Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), the Iran proposals include "the toughest sanctions that have ever been proposed by Congress on Iran."
Given that Iran remains in wholesale violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement, continues to support terror groups in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan and is building the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the entirety of the Middle East, one expert who welcomed the House effort told this author that Iran for too long has wriggled free of sanctions. The new strategy closes all the loopholes and augments the administration's maximum pressure campaign, giving the free world a real shot at ending Iran's threats to its interests.
In an unprecedented but welcome manner, the RSC bill would for the first time place "new sanctions on the arms industries of countries like Russia and China that return to selling weapons to Iran, the banks facilitating any sale of weapons to Iran, and the companies shipping weapons."
Finally, under the GOP's new plan, a key provision bars any administration from lifting sanctions without getting approval from Congress, which would help cement this sanctions law remaining in place as long as necessary.
With the new RSC strategy, the US and its allies have a real shot at taking down the regime in Iran. That would indeed signal the success of economic "maximum pressure."
Peter Huessy is Director of Strategic Deterrent Studies at the Mitchell Institute. He is also senior consulting analyst at Ravenna Associates, a strategic communications company.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Raymond Stock on Countering Russia's Increasing Involvement in Egypt
Marilyn Stern/Middle East Forum Radio/June 13/2020
https://www.meforum.org/61096/raymond-stock-on-russias-involvement-in-egypt
Audio Recording
Raymond Stock, a Middle East Forum Writing Fellow and instructor of Arabic at Louisiana State University, spoke to Middle East Forum Radio host Gregg Roman on June 3 about the warming of Russian-Egyptian relations.
Russian-Egyptian relations were moribund for four decades after Cairo abruptly switched its Cold War allegiance from the Soviet Union to the U.S. in the 1970s, after which Egypt became the world's second-largest non-NATO recipient of U.S. military aid (after Israel).
According to Stock, Russia saw an "opportune moment" to regain a foothold in Egypt in 2013 following the Obama administration's suspension of military aid to Egypt in response to the ouster of then-president Mohammed Morsi by the country's military following mass protests against his Islamist-led government. Although the suspension was temporary, both the Obama and Trump administrations have at times withheld portions of the roughly $1.3 billion in annual military aid the U.S. provides Egypt to pressure Morsi's successor, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on his human rights record. Russia, on the other hand, "was the first to congratulate" Sisi after he was elected president in 2014.
The Russians were quick to exploit the opening with Sisi, and the Egyptians have been eager to purchase Russian arms – most recently a $2 billion dollar deal for advanced Su-35 fighter jets – in violation of American sanctions on Russia's defense industry. Several factors are at play here.
First, Sisi and the masses of Egyptians who support him see American suspensions of aid as "interfering in Egypt's sovereignty" and "don't view the U.S. as a reliable ally," said Stock. Russian arms, though mostly purchased rather than granted outright, have no clear political strings attached.
Second, Egyptians complain that the U.S. is not providing the kind of military hardware required to meet their security needs. "Living in a dangerous neighborhood," chief among Egypt's concerns are the need to "project power against jihadi groups," counter the threat to Egypt's water resources posed by the building of the Greater Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and match the military power of Israel. While Egypt and Israel have close security cooperation, particularly in fighting jihadi groups in Sinai, popular opinion in Egypt does not see Israel as a friend. "Egyptian society as a whole has been so propagandized over the years against Israel," said Stock, "[that] it will take generations for a warm peace that they cannot bring themselves to at present."
Egyptians "don't view the U.S. as a reliable ally."
Third, Russia has skillfully exploited Egypt's water insecurity and energy vulnerabilities. In addition to helping Egypt prepare militarily for "any contingencies" should a "water war" erupt with Ethiopia in the future, the Russians are building a $28.75 billion nuclear power plant on the northwest coast of Egypt.
Sisi's justification for building the nuclear plant, which will leave Egypt heavily in debt to Russia, is ostensibly to solve the country's long-term energy consumption needs, but Stock noted that nuclear advancement is a matter of "pride and prestige" for many Egyptians because of Israel's (unofficial) possession of nuclear weapons. The plant "offers an opportunity" for Egypt to start a uranium enrichment program, "a first step towards a nuclear weapons program" which is of great concern to the West.
With the U.S. seeking to disengage from the Middle East and Russia expanding its presence in the region, stopping Egypt's gravitation into Russia's orbit won't be easy. U.S. policymakers who want to counter Russian influence in Egypt are hampered by the "amount of repression under the Sisi regime," which they cannot easily ignore. But aid conditionality can be paired with greater positive incentives. "We need to enhance our carrot and stick approach" when evaluating our criteria for aid to Egypt, said Stock, "otherwise, Egypt is going to disappear from our roster of allies."
*Marilyn Stern is the producer of Middle East Forum Radio.

Bibi's Brilliant Annexation Bluff?
Matthew Mainen/JNS/June 13/2020
I came out swinging last month in favor of Israel declaring sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. My position has evolved. Specifically, I am starting to think that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't plan on immediate, large-scale annexation, but instead has modified his gevalt strategy for the realm of international relations. If I'm right, then well-played, Bibi, well-played.
In domestic politics, Netanyahu has proven a master bluffer, convincing the Israeli public time and again that the Likud Party faces imminent electoral onslaught that can only be curbed by voting Likud instead of smaller right-wing parties. Here, the bluffed "catastrophe" is Israel taking drastic and unilateral actions counter to the flawed consensus on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
By making the world believe that he's serious about annexing vast portions of the West Bank—the Jordan Valley included—Israel has acquired unprecedented leverage as it seeks normalized relations with Arab countries and European acceptance that the settlements are here to stay.
By making the world believe annexation is imminent, Israel has acquired unprecedented leverage.
I proposed annexation when the world was on lockdown and preoccupied with combating COVID-19. In an idealized execution of my proposal, Israel would have quietly annexed territory while governments were still scrambling to contain a global health crisis. When all was said and done, annexation would have been long said and done. That window of opportunity has closed, and the international community's fixation on Israel has predictably re-emerged.
Under today's conditions, annexation might not be the smartest move, especially considering the alternative of inviting the Palestinians back to the negotiation table and letting them reject compromise for the millionth time, all the while spending what could be (and hopefully aren't) the final months of the Trump administration building settlements on every last square inch desired for eventual acquisition.
A Gulf Arab diplomat put it best: "Why doesn't Israel let the clock run?"
A Gulf Arab diplomat put it best: "Why doesn't Israel let the clock run and show that [Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud] Abbas isn't serious about peace. To pursue annexation will shift all the focus to Israel, which will be subject to global condemnation."
As aptly posed by Joel Rosenberg, who interviewed that diplomat, it's "the settlements or the Saudis?"
The wisest course of action is the Saudis today while temporarily leaving the settlements in legal limbo (but still building vigorously) for a little longer. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the Gulf monarchy, has made clear that his patience with the Palestinians has worn thin. If Israel can secure a commitment that the Saudis will not oppose annexation when the Palestinians refuse to accept a peace deal in a reasonable period of time, then it makes sense to pause on annexation.
Now is the time for Israel to consider cashing in on the leverage it has built over the past several months by making the world believe that massive annexation is imminent. In exchange for agreeing to slow the pace—something the Trump administration has already hinted it deems desirable—Israel should request immediate diplomatic recognition from the Arab Gulf.
UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba implored Netanyahu to back away from annexation in a June 12 op-ed in Yediot Achronot.
The United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the United States wrote op-ed on June 12 that was published in Yediot Achronot, Israel's most circulated Hebrew newspaper, imploring Netanyahu to back away from annexation. Israel should invite him, along with the Emirs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to make their case to the Israeli people in person, just as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat did in 1977.
Establishing formal ties should not be done quietly, and doing so out in the open, with the United States taking lead as the mediator, would be a smart move. Trump, a key proponent of Israeli-Gulf relations, could use a major diplomatic victory as he faces a tough re-election campaign, and the Israeli-Gulf alliance could use another four years of Trump.
Both know that a return to the Obama administration's Mideast policy, an inevitability if Joe Biden becomes president, will be a return to appeasing Iran at the expense of regional security.
Looking beyond the Gulf, Netanyahu deserves credit for getting Europe to nearly forget about its previous favorite boogeyman of Jews building homes on disputed soil. If Israel is to back away from formally incorporating all settlements, it should demand concessions such as a commitment from E.U. members to abstain on all resolutions related to Israel at the United Nations; a tangible plan to alter its discriminatory product-labeling for settlement goods; and a review of aid to the Palestinians that perpetually reaches the hands of terrorist-affiliated entities. Like in the Gulf, European perspectives on Israel are gradually shifting. Civilizationists, those fighting leftist attempts to erode European culture by rubbing their noses in diversity, have gained an irreversible foothold in European politics. Already, Israel has learned that it can rely on fellow nationalist governments like Hungary and Austria to oppose unfriendly E.U. action.
Just as Israel should exercise prudence in not placing undue pressure on its Gulf allies, so, too, should Israel make life easy for its European allies.
With the most recent reports suggesting that the Israeli prime minister will, at most, stick to annexing only the large settlement suburbs near Jerusalem, it would be wise to continue the facade of grander annexation in the background. When others prove willing to compromise, Israel will as well.
*Matthew Mainen is a Washington-resident fellow at the Middle East Forum and graduate of Stanford Law School. Follow him on Twitter.

China Takes Over Hong Kong: EU Shrugs
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 13/2020
"Germany is leading the whole Europe, they're so ambitious, they want to be leader but morally they are so collapsed." — Ai Weiwei, artist, La Repubblica, June 1, 2020
"China is a predator and Europe is its prey". — François Heisbourg, French scholar, Le Figaro, May 29, 2020.
There is no mediation with Chinese imperialism.
"Why die for Hong Kong?", the Europeans shortsightedly seem to say today.
During the last year of protests, Hong Kong's demonstrators have waved the American flag. China well knows the meaning of that small outpost on its doorstep, with its freedom of speech and rule of law. Have you seen the European flag being waved in Hong Kong? No, and with good reason.
During the last year of protests, Hong Kong's demonstrators have waved the American flag. China well knows the meaning of that small outpost on its doorstep, with its freedom of speech and rule of law. Have you seen the European flag being waved in Hong Kong? No, and with good reason. Pictured: Protesters, many waving American flags, attend a pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong on October 14, 2019.
In the aftermath of China's approval of a new national security law for Hong Kong, which de facto ends the autonomy of the former British colony guaranteed by an international treaty, two Anglo-Saxon democracies immediately protested very loudly.
The United States and the United Kingdom tried to convene a meeting of the UN Security Council to deal with the matter (China prevented it). Then the governments of the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada released a joint statement stressing that the international community has a lasting interest in the stability and autonomy of Hong Kong. The UK even announced that it will extend to more than three million residents of Hong Kong a renewable one-year visa and the eventual possibility of obtaining British citizenship. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the possibility of canceling the privileged commercial status that the US has so far given to Hong Kong, and President Donald Trump announced sanctions against Chinese leaders responsible for introducing the national security law in Hong Kong.
The last British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, said that China had "betrayed" Hong Kong. True, the Chinese regime has forsaken the commitment laid down in the treaty. But a greater betrayal is from Europe. What did the EU do on Hong Kong? Nothing. It is simply allowing China to overpower and crush its last bastion of freedom.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, ruled out sanctions against China for initiating the new Hong Kong law. "The EU's decision not to use its leverage as the world's biggest trade bloc comes in stark contrast to the U.S., which is threatening trade measures if Beijing proceeds with imposing national security laws", Politico related.
The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, at a hearing in the country's Senate, announced that Europe must not get carried away in a clash between US and China, and that "a new cold war" must be avoided. "A policy aimed at isolating China is not in Germany's or Europe's interests", noted Norbert Röttgen, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in German parliament.
These Europeans are implicitly saying that, as with turning over Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland to Nazi Germany roughly 80 years ago, that sacrificing Hong Kong is necessary to protect its investments in China. "At the end of the day, I fear that the economic relationship with China is just too important", a European diplomat confessed.
Europe's self-censorship over China is grotesque. Brussels already rewrote a report criticizing China for its handling of the coronavirus. To Jonathan Holslag, a Belgian professor of international politics, the crisis is just another indicator of the continued weakening of an opportunistic Europe in the face of a rising China. Nicole Gnesotto, who holds the EU chair at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, remarked: "Europe is immature: is it a childhood disease that will pass, or a genetic disease?".
"I very much hope Angela Merkel doesn't sacrifice Germany's fundamental values to support the economy and appease China", Joshua Wong, Hong Kong's heroic activist, said. "Being dependent on China will sooner or later do Germany serious harm".
Last year, China fumed over the meeting between Wong and Germany's foreign minister. Now that China has driven the final nail in the coffin of Hong Kong, Germany appeased Beijing and said that it wanted to "mediate" between China and US over Hong Kong. But there is no mediation with Chinese imperialism.
The Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei attacked German appeasement:
"France, England, especially Germany is the most dark, tricky one, they [Germany] also have a great strategic discipline, they're so identified with an authoritarian state, in their blood they have this, they love China so much, you can see all those [German] politicians, they go to China more than they go to see their grandma. Germany is leading the whole Europe, they're so ambitious, they want to be leader but morally they are so collapsed. It's so fake in Germany. That's why the European family don't trust Germany. They want to break away it because the Germans get the most benefits from China. German industrial leaders officially announced that German future belongs to China. German banks, German technology, they're really supporting this so well. And you can never see German leaders criticize China openly, even during this virus crisis, but you can say the same of every European nation. I am really worried. The West is going down so fast because doesn't uphold its beliefs".
Europe is deluding itself on China. As the French scholar François Heisbourg noted, "China is a predator and Europe is its prey".
"Around the world, voices have been raised in support of Hong Kong's brave pro-democracy demonstrators", US author George Weigel wrote. "Has the Holy See's voice been heard? If so, I missed it and so did many others".
The EU and the Vatican have stayed silent about China's takeover of Hong Kong. Criticism also came from Hong Kong's bishop, Joseph Zen: "I'm sorry to say that we have nothing to expect from the Vatican. In these past few years, they have never said anything to reproach China for their persecution". They have "surrendered the Church to the Chinese authority".
The journal Civiltà Cattolica, edited by Jesuits and is reviewed by the Vatican before publication, just launched a new Chinese edition. According to Vatican expert John L. Allen Jr., it is the proof of a "Vatican 'all in' on Chinese courtship". The Vatican's pact with China seems to have bought the Holy See's silence at the expense not only of millions of Catholics, but also of Hong Kong. "We are at the end of a long process of surrender", Cardinal Zen concluded.
Thanks to the alliance of democracies around the United States, the containment strategy, and the struggle for values ​​that allowed the delegitimization of the lies and terror that served as a cement to Soviet communism, the West managed to defeat the Soviet Empire and cause its collapse from within. The West today has all the resources it needs to stop Communist Chinese imperialism. The only thing missing is Europe's will to defend itself. There is still time to avoid the fatal mistake of the 1930s, when Europe's democracies were torn apart by abasement in front of the rise of totalitarianism. Europe needs to wake up and counter China.
Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, also urged Europe not to appease China: "During Chamberlain, just before the Second World War, too much appeasement failed", he said, referring to the misguided attempt of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to reach an accommodation with Hitler's Germany in the 1930s. As Churchill wrote to Chamberlain, "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war".
"Why die for Danzig?", asked the French pacifist Marcel Déat in 1939. He meant that the fate of the city of Danzig was not worth a confrontation. He argued in favor of appeasement with Nazi Germany, which demanded to annex the semi-autonomous Free City of Danzig.
"Why die for Hong Kong?", the Europeans now seem to say.
During the last year of protests, Hong Kong's demonstrators have waved the American flag. China well knows the meaning of that small outpost on its doorstep that refuses to yield, with its freedom of speech, rule of law and religious freedom unthinkable in mainland China.
Have you seen the European flag being waved in Hong Kong? No, and for good reason.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Erdogan’s bewildering character
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/June 13/2020
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a prominent figure in the region’s politics because of his involvement in the area’s problems and wars. Most Arabs have gradually become aware of his true identity, previously hidden by the propaganda spread by his allies, the extremist Islamist groups that moved to Turkey to live under his protection.
At one time Erdogan was welcomed in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Kuwait and Tunisia. However, now most capitals have shunned him, as his name has become inextricably linked to the region’s problems.
Furthermore, under his leadership Turkey is now facing a dire economic situation; while he incessantly promotes himself and his heroism, including the funding of films and TV series about leaders he believes reflect his own image, such as “Ertugrul” and a movie about the Ottoman Empire.
Erdogan has ruled Turkey since 2003. During those 17 years, he carried out arbitrary constitutional changes to ensure he remains in power. In my opinion, he will do anything he can to maintain his leadership position for the next decade, because he knows that if deposed he would be held accountable for his abuses of power and corruption.
This is why he is already working on winning the 2023 election, so that he can remain in power for a further five years. If he is successful, then by the end of that term he will be 74 years old, and once again do whatever he can to cling to power — or, failing that, bequeath it to a chosen successor. Thus, when he eventually does leave the presidential palace for the final time it will be only to his grave. Otherwise, his many opponents will be waiting for him.
Erdogan is extremely unpopular among Turkish youth because of his fanatical, insular approach.
Indeed, Erdogan has not build a solid, sustainable system of government. Rather, he is in a similar mold to Saddam Hussein or Muammar Qaddafi in that his power is based primarily on a strong personality. As a result, when he is gone the frameworks and policies he had established will collapse. Contrast this with the rule of Ali Khamenei in Iran, where there is an ideological system in place which will continue regardless of the identities of the supreme leader or the president.
Erdogan has been in conflict with almost everyone involved in Turkish politics, including party comrades and pillars of his government. Many have spoken out against him and threatened retribution. This is why he is now mostly surrounded by relatives and employees. He got rid of all those he relied on while climbing the political ladder during the past two decades to gain, and then hold on to, power. Most notable among them is Fethullah Gulen, a religious leader, who Erdogan accused of masterminding the failed July 2016 coup against him, in spite of all the facts that proved otherwise. The reason for the hostility was that Gulen began to disagree with him, criticize him on many issues, and talk about the corruption of Erdogan’s family members, especially with regards to gold sales to Iran and other countries. The coup, if there ever was one, would have been directed by a military establishment that has also turned against him.
In the space of two years, Erdogan arrested and imprisoned more than 150,000 people, including judges, university professors, army and police officers, and journalists. He also reorganized the security services, closed more than 200 media outlets and, in 2014, blocked social media and messaging sites such as Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook, among others, after messages spread on the platforms about his family’s involvement in the gold sales. The blocking attempts continued for years.
So, when Erdogan departs the political scene, he will not be succeeded by someone similar. For this reason, I disagree with those who say he is trying to revive the Ottoman caliphate — he is too small for that task, and the Ottoman empire is gone for ever. No one in Turkey would be prepared to preserve his legacy, not least because he is extremely unpopular among Turkish youth, who dislike his fanatical and insular approach.
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of Al-Arabiya news channel, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat. Twitter: @aalrashed

Daesh’s reappearance puts fragility of Iraq and Syria in focus
Paul Iddon/Arab News/June 13/2020
IRBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan: An uptick in attacks in Iraq by suspected Daesh militants since the beginning of this year is stoking fears that the militant outfit is regrouping and could again threaten the country’s stability.
On May 28, Daesh spokesperson Abu Hamza Al-Qurayshi released a recording on the messaging app Telegram, saying that the terror group’s fighters will “start to increase their attacks against the Crusaders since the US has withdrawn from Iraq.”
“Greater punishment against Crusaders is coming once the caliphate achieves the victory and is established once again,” Al-Qurayshi said, according to the Iraqi Kurdish news agency Rudaw.
Earlier in May, hundreds of acres of wheat and barley cropland in Iraq’s disputed Kirkuk province went up in flames.
Daesh claimed responsibility for some of the fires. Around the same time, it released a propaganda video vowing to free fellow members from Iraqi jails.
Since 2017, Daesh has taken advantage of security gaps in disputed regions between Iraq and the autonomous Kurdistan region, terrorizing and extorting locals, and mounting hit-and-run attacks against Iraqi and Kurdish forces.
Citing the US Central Command, the most recent Pentagon Inspector General report, which covers the period from Jan. 1 to March 31, warned that Daesh is “regrouping and reforming” in the mountains of Makhmur in northern Iraq, which is inside the disputed territories between Iraq and the Kurdistan region.
Since 2017, Daesh has taken advantage of security gaps in disputed regions between Iraq and the autonomous Kurdistan region, terrorizing and extorting locals, and mounting hit-and-run attacks against Iraqi and Kurdish forces. (Alamy)
According to the report, the US also expects Daesh “to seek to re-establish governance in northern and western areas of Iraq.”
On May 17 the Iraqi military launched an operation to force Daesh out of its sanctuaries. However, if past efforts of this kind are any indication, it is unlikely to inflict long-lasting damage on the group.
Since 2017, Daesh has reverted to the role of lethal non-state actor — as it was before it conquered one-third of northern Iraq in June 2014 and declared the establishment of a “caliphate.”
“Daesh has posed a threat to Iraq, in its various forms, since 2003 and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future,” Michael Knights, a military and security affairs specialist at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Arab News.
“It is now part of the Iraqi landscape, like a resilient weed or virus.”
Since 2017, Daesh has taken advantage of security gaps in disputed regions between Iraq and the autonomous Kurdistan region, terrorizing and extorting locals, and mounting hit-and-run attacks against Iraqi and Kurdish forces. (Alamy)
Knights and Alex Almeida, who monitor Daesh’s activities, have detected a 13 percent increase in the militants’ attacks in Iraq this year over the previous year — at least 566 in the first three months of 2020, compared with 1,669 during the entire 2019.
According to Knights, Daesh is again using strategies that worked in the past, including jailbreaks and extorting farmers by threatening to burn their crops.
“In terms of attack metrics, Daesh is back to 2012 levels, but is still only a third of 2013 levels, and it will take more than a year of growth at the current rate to reach 2013 levels of attacks,” he said.
“Also, the insurgency is different at a qualitative level. Today’s Daesh is not really present in the cities, and so far they have turned away from mass-casualty attacks on civilians.”
Nevertheless, the group still poses a threat after transferring its strength from Syria back into Iraq over the past 12-18 months.