English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese,
Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For April 15/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.april15.21.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Matthew 28/16-20: “The eleven disciples went to
Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him,
they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have
commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on April 14-15/2021
Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
Hale Says Flexibility of Lebanese Leaders Only Way Out of Crisis
Report: UK Defense Official in Lebanon in Show of 'Firm' Support
Aoun Meets UK Defense Envoy
Hariri discusses with Hale latest developments
Hariri in Moscow to Meet Putin, Top Officials
Hale after meeting Berri: It is time to call on Lebanese leaders to show
sufficient flexibility to form government capable of fundamental reform.
Berri calls House committees to convene in joint session on April 21
Berri meets Salameh and Shawabkeh, receives Ramadan congratulatory cable
Berri’s Govt Initiative 'Still Valid,' Says Moussa
Adwan Urges Cabinet Session to Amend Decree 6433, or President Approval
Hale, Wehbe meeting winds up
Jumblatt discusses political developments with Hale
Report: UK Defense Official in Lebanon in Show of 'Firm' Support
Bitar Issues Local, Foreign Writs, Mulls Detainee Release Requests
Foreign Firms Vie to Rebuild Ravaged Beirut Port
Lebanon PM-designate to meet Pope
The Order of Malta Lebanon and Saint Joseph University join forces to raise
awareness on mental health and wellbeing “Tell Us…How You Really Feel?”
Ali Khatib meets new Norwegian ambassador
Bitar Issues Local, Foreign Writs, Mulls Detainee Release Requests
Leaving Hezbollah Hanging/In an interview, Frederic Hof recalls how Bashar
al-Assad undercut the party’s position on the Shebaa Farms./Michael Young/Carnrgie
MEC/April 14/2021
Titles For The
Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 14-15/2021
France Sticks to Plan to Give Johnson & Johnson Vaccine to
Over-55s
Blinken calls Iran’s uranium enrichment move ‘provocative’
Iranian media spreads report of attack on alleged Mossad center in Iraq
Iran: Grandson of first supreme leader drops presidential bid
Iran’s supreme leader says US offers on nuclear deal ‘not worth looking at’
Daughter of Iran’s ex-president Rafsanjani says she is boycotting upcoming
elections
Biden announces end of US troop deployment to Afghanistan
Ghani Says Afghanistan 'Fully Capable' of Defending Itself
Rocket hits near Erbil airport in northern Iraq: Kurdish security officials
Saudi Arabia says Iran uranium enrichment cannot be intended for ‘peaceful’
means
Report: Israel on Maximum Alert over Possible Iranian Attacks
Kremlin Says Will 'Study' U.S. Proposal for Putin-Biden Summit
Turkey Hails 'New Era' with Egypt after Tensions
Egypt Frees Journalist Couple
Suez Megaship Owner Haggles over $900m Release Demand
20 Killed, 3 Injured When Bus, Truck Crash in Southern Egypt
14 Killed As Minibus Hits Landmine In Somalia: Official
Azerbaijan says will begin returning Karabakh refugees In 2022
India’s Prime Minister at inaugural session of Raisina Dialogue 2021: To keep
humanity at centre of thoughts, action
Russia says US plan for Afghan withdrawal violates Taliban deal, risks
escalation
NATO forces will leave together from Afghanistan, US says
Kremlin coy on Putin-Biden summit, warns against U.S. sanctions
Canada issues advisory on doing business with Myanmar-related entities
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 14-15/2021
Nearly half of all women are denied their bodily autonomy,
says new UNFPA report, My Body is My Own/NNA/ UNIC/April 14/2021
Will Iran invent 'revenge' stories or actually attack Israel? - analysis/Sth J.
Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/April 14/2021
Ex-NSC chief to 'Post': Iran nuke maneuvering anticipates Khamenei death/Yonah
Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/April 14/2021
On Iran, Biden Administration Ready to Undo Former Administration’s Work,
whether It is Good for the World or Not?/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone
Institute/April 14/2021
Iran regime will ensure hard-liner wins presidential election/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 14/2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 14-15/2021
Hale Says Flexibility of Lebanese Leaders Only Way Out of
Crisis
Associated Press/Agence France Presse/April
14/2021
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Hale stressed on
Wednesday that the United States and the international community are ready to
help Lebanon but not without a “Lebanese partner.”“America and the international
community are ready to help but can do nothing meaningful without a Lebanese
partner,” Hale said from Ain el-Tineh where he met Speaker Nabih Berri. “It is
time that Lebanese leaders show sufficient flexibility to form a government that
is willing and capable of true and fundamental reform. That is the only way out
of the crisis. It is also only a first step,” he added. “Sustained cooperation
will be needed if we are going to see transparent reforms adopted and
implemented,” Hale said. "America and its international partners are gravely
concerned with the failure here to advance the critical reform agenda long
demanded by the Lebanese people," Hale added.
"Very little progress has been made," the U.S. official lamented.
The current crisis, he said, was the culmination of decades of mismanagement,
corruption and the failure of Lebanese leaders to put the interests of the
country first. Before meeting Berri, Hale met with caretaker Foreign Minister
Charbel Wehbe. He refrained from giving any statement to reporters after the
meeting. Hale arrived on Wednesday for a two-day trip during which he was
expected to meet several top officials, including President Michel Aoun on
Thursday. The U.S. diplomat also met Wednesday with PM-designate Saad Hariri and
Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat. A brief statement issued by
Hariri's press office said the talks tackled the latest political developments
in Lebanon and the region and the bilateral ties between the two countries. A
similar statement was issued by the PSP.
This is Hale's second visit to Lebanon since an enormous explosion at Beirut's
port on August 4 killed more than 200 people, laid waste to much of the capital
and forced the cabinet of outgoing premier Hassan Diab to resign. The
devastating blast compounded Lebanon's worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990
civil war, but political leaders have yet to agree on a new government despite
mounting financial woes. International donors have conditioned aid on the
implementation of a spate of reforms, including budget cuts, changes in the
banking and electricity sectors and the restructuring of the country's debt
pile. Half of the population is now living below the poverty line and people
have suffered amid rampant inflation. The Lebanese pound, officially pegged to
the dollar at 1,500 Lebanese pounds, sells for more than 12,000 to the greenback
on the black market. Nidaa al-Watan described Hale’s trip to Lebanon as
“exploratory,” and “unlikely to produce any solution for the controversial sea
border indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel.” At the government file, the
paper said Hale’s visit is expected to only carry “an American position that
does not differ from previous positions calling for the formation of a credible
government of specialists to begin implementing a reform program required of the
international community and the IMF.”
Report: UK Defense Official in Lebanon in Show of 'Firm'
Support
Naharnet/April 14/2021
The UK Chief of Defence Staff’s Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North
Africa (DSAME), Air Marshal Martin Sampson, begins his visit to Lebanon with
meeting President Michel Aoun on Wednesday in a show of Britain’s “continued
support” for the crisis-hit nation, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.
Sampson is set to meet with Lebanese officials, the army leader and other
security and military officials, the daily added. Leading a delegation of
prominent British officials, Sampson will reportedly relay the British
government’s continued support for Lebanon, especially in the areas of security
and defense, said the daily. Al-Joumhouria reported that the visit aims to renew
Britain’s commitment to firm support for the Lebanese army and other security
forces, to ensure effective monitoring on the north-eastern borders of Lebanon.
Aoun Meets UK Defense Envoy
Naharnet/April 14/2021
President Michel Aoun discussed Lebanon’s bilateral relations with the United
Kingdom with visiting UK Chief of Defence Staff’s Senior Advisor to the Middle
East and North Africa (DSAME), Air Marshal Martin Sampson, the National News
Agency reported on Wednesday. Leading a delegation of British officials to
Baabda Palace, Sampson highlighted cooperation with the Lebanese army. The UK
provides aid and assistance for Lebanon’s military as part of “ongoing support
to the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon.”In January, the UK provided 100
armored patrol vehicles (Land Rover RWMIK) donated by the British Government to
the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the British embassy had said.
Hariri discusses with Hale latest developments
NNA/April 14/2021
Prime Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, on Wednesday welcomed at his
Beit-al-Wasat residence, the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs,
David Hale, accompanied by US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy C. Shea, in the
presence of former Minister Dr. Ghattas Khoury and Advisor Bassem El-Shab.
Discussions reportedly touched on the latest political developments in Lebanon
and the region, as well as the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Hariri in Moscow to Meet Putin, Top Officials
Naharnet/April
14/2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri arrived Wednesday evening in Moscow for
talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin,
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other officials.
Hariri received an official welcome at Moscow’s airport, where he was met by
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle
East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian government’s head of protocol,
Lebanese Ambassador to Russia Shawki Abu Nassar and Hariri’s special envoy to
Russia, George Shaaban.
Hale after meeting Berri: It is time to call on Lebanese
leaders to show sufficient flexibility to form government capable of fundamental
reform.
NNA/April 14/2021
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Wednesday welcomed at his Ain El-Tineh residence,
the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, David Hale, accompanied
by US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy C. Shea. Following the meeting, Hale
delivered the following statement: " Good morning and Ramadan Kareem. I just met
the President of the Chamber of Deputies to discuss current events. I am in
Lebanon today at the request of Secretary Blinken to discuss the distressing
political and economic crisis facing Lebanon and to reaffirm America’s
commitment to the Lebanese people. America and its international partners are
greatly concerned with the failure here to advance the critical reform agenda
long demanded by the Lebanese people. I visited Lebanon in December 2019. I
visited again in August 2020. And I heard then widespread agreement among
Lebanese leaders on the need to implement long overdue financial, economic, and
governance reforms. Yet today, very little progress has been made. Meanwhile,
millions of Lebanese endure mounting economic and social hardships on top of the
pandemic. This is the culmination of decades of mismanagement, corruption, and
the failure of Lebanese leaders to put the interests of the country first. I’ll
have more to say upon the conclusion of my meetings tomorrow. But my message in
today’s meetings is simple: America and the international community are ready to
help. But we can do nothing meaningful without a Lebanese partner. It is time
now to call on Lebanese leaders to show sufficient flexibility to form a
government that is willing and capable of true and fundamental reform. That’s
the only path out of this crisis. It is also only a first step. Sustained
cooperation will be needed if we are going to see transparent reforms adopted
and implemented."
Berri calls House committees to convene in joint session on
April 21
NNA/April 14/2021
Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, has called the House committees of finance,
justice, foreign affairs, education, energy, and defense to convene in a joint
session on forthcoming Wednesday, April 21, at 10:30 am.
Berri meets Salameh and Shawabkeh, receives Ramadan
congratulatory cable
NNA/April 14/2021
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Wednesday received at his Ain El Tineh residence,
Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, with whom he discussed the current
financial and monetary situation. On emerging, Salameh left Ain El Tineh without
giving any statement. This afternoon, Speaker Berri welcomed the Secretary
General of the Arab Parliamentary Union, Fayez Al-Shawabkeh, who briefed him on
the Union’s current conditions and its future activities. On the other hand,
Berri received a congratulatory cable on the occasion of the holy month of
Ramadan from the Speaker of the Syrian People's Assembly, Hammouda Sabbagh.
Berri’s Govt Initiative 'Still Valid,' Says Moussa
Naharnet/April 14/2021
MP Michel Moussa of Amal Movement's Development and Liberation bloc on Wednesday
assured that Speaker Nabih Berri’s initiative to ease the government formation
deadlock “is still on the table.” “Speaker Nabih Berri's government initiative
has not been ignored. It is the only initiative currently on the table, but
political bickering and tensions prevent its discussion in depth,” said Moussa
in remarks to VDL radio station (93.5). Moussa emphasized the need for a
government in Lebanon, he said: “The formation of a new government is urgently
needed today to address sensitive issues, mainly the decree amending the
demarcation of Lebanon’s (maritime) border because the Council of Ministers is
the authority to decide on major issues.”Berri’s initiative suggests a
24-minister line-up based on the 8+8+8 formula without granting veto powers to
any political party. On Tuesday, President Michel Aoun put on hold a decree
expanding the sea area disputed with Israel, citing the need for a Cabinet
meeting. Lebanese leaders have so far failed at forming a much-needed government
in the crisis-wracked nation, amid bickering over government shares and
portfolios.
Adwan Urges Cabinet Session to Amend Decree 6433, or
President Approval
Naharnet/April 14/2021
MP Georges Adwan of the Lebanese Forces on Wednesday called for an emergency
cabinet session to approve the amendment of Decree 6433, which expands the sea
border area disputed with Israel.
“When we see the professionalism, technique and seriousness in which the Army
Command and its chief and officers worked, and the follow-up by the defense
minister, we realize that we have an army in which we can pride ourselves,”
Adwan said at a press conference in parliament.
“I tell the Lebanese: when you have a negotiating committee that is this
professional and responsible, it is our duty as Lebanese to stand behind them,
and this is an example to know that the Lebanese state and army are the keenest
and must be responsible for our sovereignty,” the LF lawmaker went on to say.
Explaining the technical details that support the new Lebanese stance, Adwan
noted that “endorsing Line 29 gives credibility to Lebanon in the negotiations,
because if we adopt it, we can defend it through all the legal articles and
international treaties, whereas we cannot defend Line 23.”“The importance of
endorsing Line 29 also lies in the fact that Israel is today working at the
Karish (offshore gas) field, and adopting Line 29 will prevent Israel from
working in this field because it will become disputed,” the lawmaker added.
“I address caretaker PM Hassan Diab, with his national responsibility, to ask
him to hold a cabinet session tomorrow, if not today, in order to amend Decree
6433 and send it immediately to the U.N., and I urge him to put all
considerations aside, regardless of their nature, when it comes to the higher
national interest,” Adwan went on to say. He added that should Diab refrain from
seeking a Cabinet session, President Michel Aoun should sign the decree in an
extraordinary manner because “he is entrusted with the higher national interest
and the constitution.”Addressing the Lebanese people, Adwan added: “I urge them
to stand by their state and the negotiating team, and I ask them to forget all
considerations and small calculations in the face of the national interest, so
that the Lebanese negotiators feel that the entire Lebanese people are standing
by them.”
Hale, Wehbe meeting winds up
NNA/April 14/2021
The meeting between Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Expatriates, Charbel Wehbe, and US Undersecretary of State, David Hill, has
ended. It is to note that Hale left without making any statement.
Jumblatt discusses political developments with Hale
NNA/April 14/2021
Progressive Socialist Party leader, Walid Jumblatt, on Wednesday welcomed at his
Clemenceau residence US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, David
Hale, accompanied by US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy C. Shea. Former MPs Ghazi
al-Aridi and Marwan Hamadeh were also present.Discussions reportedly touched on
the current general situation and the latest political developments.
Report: UK Defense Official in Lebanon in Show of 'Firm' Support
Naharnet/April 14/2021
The UK Chief of Defence Staff’s Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North
Africa (DSAME), Air Marshal Martin Sampson, begins his visit to Lebanon with
meeting President Michel Aoun on Wednesday in a show of Britain’s “continued
support” for the crisis-hit nation, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.
Sampson is set to meet with Lebanese officials, the army leader and other
security and military officials, the daily added. Leading a delegation of
prominent British officials, Sampson will reportedly relay the British
government’s continued support for Lebanon, especially in the areas of security
and defense, said the daily. Al-Joumhouria reported that the visit aims to renew
Britain’s commitment to firm support for the Lebanese army and other security
forces, to ensure effective monitoring on the north-eastern borders of Lebanon.
Bitar Issues Local, Foreign Writs, Mulls Detainee Release Requests
Naharnet/April 14/2021
The lead investigative judge into the Beirut port blast, Tarek al-Bitar,
continued his investigations on Wednesday by issuing domestic and foreign
judicial writs, the National News Agency said. NNA said the foreign writs were
sent to Georgia, Mozambique, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey – countries that were
“directly or indirectly involved in the course of the ammonium nitrate shipment
that reached the port” in 2013 and caused the catastrophic 2020 explosion – one
of the strongest non-nuclear blasts in history. The agency added that Bitar is
also awaiting a report from the French experts who inspected the port and the
damage and collected samples. Bitar is also looking into lawyers’ requests for
the release of the detainees who are held in the case, NNA said.
Foreign Firms Vie to Rebuild Ravaged Beirut Port
Naharnet/April 14/2021
Eight months after a massive blast ripped through Beirut port and nearby
districts of the Lebanese capital, a host of foreign companies with different
national interests are competing to rebuild it. "Everyone has their eyes on the
port: the Russians, the Chinese, the Turks, the French and now the Germans,"
interim port director Bassem al-Kaissi said. "But for the moment these are only
declarations of intent." The August 4 explosion of hundreds of tonnes of
ill-stored fertilisers devastated the dockside and large swathes of the capital,
killing more than 200 people. A German delegation last Friday unveiled a
spectacular $30-billion project to rebuild the port and adjacent areas, in the
presence of their ambassador. The ambitious plan, drawn up by companies
including Hamburg Port Consulting, seeks to move the port east, and remodel the
nearby area to include social housing, a "central park" and even beaches. Former
colonial power France has also been positioning itself to take on the port's
reconstruction. When French President Emmanuel Macron made a second visit to
Beirut in September after the monster explosion, the Lebanese-born head of
French shipping giant CMA-CGM, Rodolphe Saade, was in his delegation. During the
trip, his company presented Lebanon with a three-phase project to rebuild,
expand and modernise the seaside location to become a "smart port", its regional
director Joe Dakkak told AFP.
Geopolitical influence
The first two phases would cost between $400 million to $600 million and the
firm would fund half, while around 50 companies and international organisations
had also shown interest in participating, he said. CMA-CGM has already obtained
a concession to run the container terminal in Lebanon's second city Tripoli
until 2041, and hopes to soon win a bid for container operations in Beirut.
Beyond the commercial interests, political analyst Imad Salamey says
geopolitical influence is also at play. The appeal includes ongoing "offshore
gas exploration in the Mediterranean", "Russian expansionism" in the region, and
"future economic collaboration between Israel and Arab countries" in the wake of
several normalisation accords, he said. In 2018, Lebanon signed its first
contract for offshore oil and gas drilling in two blocks with a consortium
comprising French, Italian and Russian energy giants, Total, ENI and Novatek,
respectively.
And further north, Damascus ally Russia has started drilling off the coast of
war-torn Syria, Salamey said. The port is likely small fry for China, Salamey
said. But it could attract the Chinese "to strengthen their alliance with the
Iranians", who hold sway in Syria and Lebanon, where it sponsors the powerful
Hezbollah movement.
Gentrification?
The former US envoy for Near Eastern affairs, David Schenker, has warned against
China winning the bid. "Beijing's aversion to transparency and its ambivalence
toward Hezbollah would make a Chinese role in reconstruction a worst-case
outcome," he wrote. He said Washington should work closely with whichever
country wins the port bid to ensure the project is "bound to the principle of
reform". The international community is insisting on sweeping reforms, including
at the port, before pumping in foreign aid to rescue the country from its worst
economic crisis in decades. But for eight months, deeply divided politicians
have failed to agree on a new cabinet to launch them. Despite this, Kaissi said
port authorities were working on an action plan to reconstruct and revamp the
facility, to be submitted to any new government. There is an obstacle to the
German proposal. Lebanese activists fear its plan for a park and beaches could
spell a repeat of the Beirut centre's post-war transformation. The neighbourhood
was once a historic and vibrant commercial centre where people of all social and
religious backgrounds mixed. But Lebanese company Solidere privatised downtown
Beirut, converting it into grandiose real estate unaffordable to the average
Lebanese. "We will not accept a new Solidere with a foreign touch," civil
society group Nahnoo has said. Economist Jad Chaaban said that any project as
huge as the port would require "national consultation". "Foreign companies alone
should not decide. Neither should the Lebanese state."
Lebanon PM-designate to meet Pope
Rosabel Crean/The Tablet/April 14/2021
Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is to travel to the Vatican for a
meeting with Pope Francis on 22 April, a move that stands in contrast to the
deepening dispute between Hariri and Lebanon’s Maronite Christian President. The
Papal nuncio in Lebanon, Archbishop Joseph Spiteri, informed Hariri this week of
the arranged meeting, alongside a talk with the Vatican Secretary of State
Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Hariri reportedly requested to see the Pope two weeks
ago.
The meeting with Pope Francis comes at a significant time for Hariri, who has
been tasked with forming a government since the previous one resigned in the
wake of the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut last August.
But the process has hit the buffers, and the crisis-ridden country has been
without a government for eight months. Hariri and Lebanon’s President Michel
Aoun have been failing to agree on the number of seats in a cabinet made up of
nonpartisan specialists, as demanded by French President Emmanuel Macron,
despite meeting 18 times since Hariri was designated premier. Over the last few
months, the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, Patriarch Bechara Rai, has
attempted to mediate between the two factions, and urged the country’s
politicians to put aside their differences during his Easter sermon: “What can
we say about those who intentionally obstruct the formation of the government
and paralyse the state...We raise our voice with all the Lebanese about the need
to form a government...to bring in the promised Arab and international aid.”
Lebanon has been sinking under the weight of the worst economic crisis since the
1975-90 civil war. Decades of state corruption have seen the Lebanese pound lose
90 per cent of its value, skyrocketing inflation and more than half the 6.8
million population plunged into poverty and unemployment. Rai holds influence in
Lebanon as head of the Maronite church, from which the president is drawn as per
the terms of the country’s sectarian power-sharing system, while the country’s
prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim. Among Lebanon’s population nearly 40 per
cent are Christian, among Muslims and Druze. No information has been publicised
regarding the reason behind Hariri’s and the Pope’s meeting, but local
commentators have suggested it may be an indirect move to pressurise Aoun to
scale back his demands. Hariri’s trip to the Vatican also follows the Pope’s
successful April visit to Iraq, and the Pope’s message that “suffering” Lebanon
is the next country he would like to visit. Last month, Archbishop Spiteri also
met with Aoun, reportedly discussing the deteriorating state of the country and
the impact of Pope France’s Iraq visit on the region. Spiteri said that the Holy
See is invested in finding a solution to help dend Lebanon’s political
paralysis, and root out the systemic corruption that has plagued the country.
The Order of Malta Lebanon and Saint Joseph University join
forces to raise awareness on mental health and wellbeing “Tell Us…How You Really
Feel?”
NN/April 14/2021
Against the backdrop of the crisis-ridden situation in Lebanon and its
detrimental effects on the various societal strata, the Order of Malta Lebanon
has launched the “Tell Us.. How You Really Feel?” mental health campaign in
collaboration with Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ). Doctors and
psychiatrists from both the Order and USJ are taking part in this initiative,
which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ) and supported by Malteser International (MI). The campaign
aims to deconstruct social stigma associated with psychiatric and mental
illnesses and related stereotypes. It also aims to raise community awareness on
the importance of seeking professional mental health support when necessary, as
well as turning to the family doctor, the Order’s community health centers,
family and close friends to share our anxieties as means for emotional relief
and to alleviate the weight of our worries and fears. This is especially true
given the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) generated by the
spiraling crises that are currently plaguing Lebanon. Levels of stress and
anxiety are on the rise caused by the successive adversities hitting Lebanon,
particularly in the aftermath of the Beirut Port explosion and the sharp
economic downturn, not to mention the implications of the lockdown and
quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The campaign sheds the light on
the role of psychologists and psychiatrists as well as the importance of
consulting a physician before resorting to self-medicating with antidepressants
and sedatives. Adopting a proximity approach, the Order of Malta Lebanon went to
the streets and asked individuals of different socioeconomic and age groups
about the state of their mental wellbeing, in light of the deteriorating
economic, health and living conditions. These testimonies were later transferred
to mental health experts at USJ, and as a result, six conditions were
identified, representing the main disorders that the Lebanese complained about,
which became the campaign themes.
The themes are: depression, anxiety, insomnia, negative coping mechanisms, as
well as various behavioral and emotional disorders in children and adolescents
(hyperactivity, strained child/parent interactions, lack of concentration, lack
of communication with others as a result of remote learning and prolonged use of
technological devices, and disrupted daily routines).
The campaign’s objectives are showcased in six one minute awareness films that
voice people’s concerns and provide guidance and education on each of the
abovementioned subjects, their causes and how to address them. These topic are
followed by in-depth discussions during a television morning program where
mental health experts and doctors will offer advice and tips on how to manage
symptom-related challenges. The campaign goes beyond awareness-raising. It also
offers referrals to the Order of Malta Lebanon community health centers, which
are part of the National Primary Healthcare Program, or to any of their
partners’ centers. The Order is continuously scaling up its services to embrace
mental health thanks to the help of trained professionals. Patients will be able
to turn to nurses, social workers or general practitioners who are on hand to
determine symptoms and provide diagnosis. And if necessary, patients will be
referred to specialists.
“People have always been at the core of our efforts which seek to improve their
livelihoods and maintain their wellbeing. The Order has dedicated itself to
mitigating the suffering of all groups and catering to their evolving needs,
including mental health. Our partnership with USJ is crucial today in forging a
culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the face of the unprecedented
challenges,” said Oumayma Farah, PR & Communications Director at the Order of
Malta Lebanon.
“Mental health is part of a series of new services launched by the Order in its
centers to round out its health, social and humanitarian provisions, especially
in the context of the severe socioeconomic and healthcare pressures currently
experienced in Lebanon. Hospitals are buckling under the daily strain exerted on
their medical and nursing staff, amid an unprecedented wave of emigration of
medical professionals, rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, and the lifting of
subsidies on some medications while others have become unavailable. As for the
food sector, steadily increasing prices have threatened the population’s food
security, compounded by the soaring levels of poverty, unemployment and other
hardships, all of which have exacerbated the mental strain and distress of the
national and resident populations,” she noted, adding that “the campaign aspires
to enable and encourage individuals to speak up and seek mental health support
through our nine centers and their qualified medical teams, or to refer them to
our partners’.” USJ’s Head of Psychiatry Department, Prof. Sami Richa, lauded
“the knowledge-based partnership that links us as an active academic institution
with the Order of Malta Lebanon. This close collaboration constitutes a
cornerstone for intersectional efforts that cut across humanitarian, health and
social fieldwork on one hand and the specialized medical field on another,
towards educating the public on psychiatric and mental health as an integral
part of physical health.” He observed that the campaign aimed at society as a
whole “is a clear reflection of Saint Joseph University’s social commitment
manifested in investing its medical expertise and resources to supporting and
tending to the concerns of the Lebanese society suffering today from many
psychological pressures owing to the crises Lebanon is going through.”
Ali Khatib meets new Norwegian ambassador
NN/April 14/2021
Vice Head of the Islamic Supreme Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali Al Khatib, on
Wednesday received at the Council’s headquarters the new Norwegian Ambassador to
Lebanon, Martin Yttervik, accompanied by the Embassy’s Advisor. Discussions
reportedly touched on the means to bolster the bilateral relations between the
two countries. The general situation in Lebanon and the region also topped their
discussion.
Bitar Issues Local, Foreign Writs, Mulls Detainee Release
Requests
Naharnet/April 14/2021
The lead investigative judge into the Beirut port blast, Tarek al-Bitar,
continued his investigations on Wednesday by issuing domestic and foreign
judicial writs, the National News Agency said. NNA said the foreign writs were
sent to Georgia, Mozambique, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey – countries that were
“directly or indirectly involved in the course of the ammonium nitrate shipment
that reached the port” in 2013 and caused the catastrophic 2020 explosion – one
of the strongest non-nuclear blasts in history.
The agency added that Bitar is also awaiting a report from the French experts
who inspected the port and the damage and collected samples.
Bitar is also looking into lawyers’ requests for the release of the detainees
who are held in the case, NNA said.
مايكل يانك: مقابلة مع المبعوث الأميركي فريدرك هوف يؤكد من خلالها بأن الرئيس
الأسد قال له بأن مزارع شبعا هي سوريا مما يعري حزب الله من كذبة مقاومته
لإسترجاعها وتحريرها
Leaving Hezbollah Hanging/In an interview, Frederic Hof recalls how Bashar
al-Assad undercut the party’s position on the Shebaa Farms.
Michael Young/Carnrgie MEC/April 14/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/97885/michael-young-leaving-hezbollah-hanging-in-an-interview-frederic-hof-recalls-how-bashar-al-assad-undercut-the-partys-position-on-the-shebaa-farms-%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%84-%d9%8a/
In an interview, Frederic Hof recalls how Bashar al-Assad undercut the party’s
position on the Shebaa Farms.
Frederic Hof is a diplomat in residence at Bard College in New York. He is a
former U.S. envoy to Syria, and served as ambassador and special adviser for
transition in Syria under former president Barack Obama, with a distinguished
career in the United States Army and the State Department. Hof also served as
the director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic
Council. Recently, he wrote an article for Newlines magazine that received much
attention in Lebanon, in which he described meeting with Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad in February 2011 to discuss the possibility of a Syrian-Israeli
settlement. Hof’s book on his mediation efforts is forthcoming. Diwan
interviewed him to discuss what happened a decade ago.
Michael Young: Can you tell us the context in which you met with Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad in February 2011.
Frederic Hof: At the time I was trying to mediate peace between Syria and
Israel, and there were many challenges I faced in doing so. Among them, Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s deep skepticism of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad’s willingness to make peace under any circumstances stood out. Whenever
I would report to Netanyahu and his team some progress achieved in Damascus
during discussions with then foreign minister Walid al-Muallem, the prime
minister would respond skeptically or even dismissively, saying that anything
Muallem said or committed to could later be qualified or contradicted by Assad.
This was despite the fact that at a key meeting in Damascus in May 2010, Assad
himself had told then senator John Kerry that he was personally committed to a
full peace with Israel that would, among its provisions, guarantee the return to
Syria of all Syrian land occupied by Israel during the June 1967 war.
For whatever reason, Netanyahu declined to accept Kerry’s testimony, which
included an unsigned document agreed to by the Syrian side spelling out the
prerequisites and components of peace. For whatever reason too, Netanyahu and
the Syrians had some confidence in my role as mediator, so when I told the
Israeli prime minister that I could seek a one-on-one meeting with Assad to try
to draw him out on his personal commitment to meeting Israeli requirements for
peace, he readily agreed. With the assistance of then secretary of state Hillary
Clinton, I arranged a private meeting with the Syrian president for the last day
of February 2011. The meeting took place as scheduled.
MY: You’ve written that Assad’s attitude with regard to an area along the
Lebanese-Syrian border known as the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shouba hills
surprised you. Can you explain what these places represent, and why you were
surprised by Assad’s remarks?
FH: Lebanon’s claim to the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shouba Hills—the
northernmost strip of the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since June 1967—is
the key to Hezbollah’s claim that the Israeli occupation of Lebanese land
continues. By asserting ongoing occupation, Hezbollah justifies its armed status
in terms of “resistance” to that occupation, therefore claiming it is not an
illegal militia subject to disarmament.
Before the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war there were periodic discussions between
Lebanon and Syria about the land in question, as the boundary between the two
states established by France during the Mandate period was, in places,
ambiguous. Lebanon (as evidenced by its own maps) acknowledged Syrian
sovereignty, but sought boundary adjustments along the Golan Heights to
accommodate the apparent ownership of land by Lebanese citizens in territory
governed by Syria. But those talks did not produce agreement, and during the
June 1967 war the area in question was occupied by Israel, along with nearly all
the rest of the Golan Heights. For nearly 33 years after the war the Shebaa
Farms and the Kfar Shouba Hills were considered by Lebanon and Syria to be
Syrian territory and part of the occupied Golan.
This changed abruptly in 2000, when Hezbollah faced the threat of unilateral
Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. I say “threat” because the end of the Israeli
occupation would mean an end to Hezbollah’s resistance, which would logically
inspire demands for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Hezbollah, followed eventually by
the Lebanese government, therefore claimed that the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba
Hills were Lebanese territory, claims quickly rejected by the United Nations.
But Syria, eager to maintain an armed Hezbollah as a pressure point on Israel,
verbally supported Lebanon’s claim.
When Assad told me that the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills were, after all,
Syrian, I was not surprised by his statement of fact. What surprised me was his
unhesitating readiness to undermine the rationale for Hezbollah’s arms and
overrule the stated position of his own government.
MY: You’ve also revealed that Assad said he would be willing to make peace with
Israel under certain conditions. What were these, and how seriously did the
Israelis take such a commitment?
FH: In my meeting with Assad, he was careful to condition his willingness to
break military ties with Iran and Hezbollah on terms of peace that would return
to Syria all the land taken from it by Israel in June 1967. Syria’s position was
unchanged from the 1990s: Everything to the line of June 4, 1967—the largely
undemarcated “line” separating Syrian and Israeli forces in the Jordan Valley
before the outbreak of war—must revert to Syria during the implementation of a
treaty of peace with Israel.
After my meeting with Assad I discussed at great length his commitments and
conditions, as articulated to me, with Netanyahu and his team. Although
Netanyahu remained uncomfortable with Syria’s territorial price for peace—a
price with which he was long familiar—he deemed the mediation serious and
authorized his team to move forward. If his skepticism about Assad’s intentions
was not entirely erased, it seemed to be significantly mitigated.
On the U.S. side, we envisioned bringing the Syrian and Israeli teams together
in Eastern Europe, perhaps as early as April 2011. There they would work to
complete a peace treaty outlined in an American draft that had been under
discussion during my months of shuttling between Damascus and Jerusalem. Sadly,
a mediation that seemed quite promising—including significant progress on
territorial issues in addition to Assad’s security commitments—ended within
weeks of the key meetings in Damascus and Jerusalem, when Assad opted for a
policy of using deadly force on unarmed Syrian protestors.
MY: In light of the Syrian conflict since 2011, do you think that what you heard
from Assad remains significant for the future, particularly as Israel’s
annexation of the Golan Heights has since been recognized by the United States?
FH: I do not know if former president Donald Trump’s proclamation recognizing
the Golan Heights as Israeli territory remains U.S. policy under President Joe
Biden. But I suspect Assad’s decision to wage war on his own citizenry rather
than pursue a promising peace mediation amounted, in a practical sense, to him
deeding the Golan Heights to Israel in perpetuity.
Assad had told me in February 2011 that a Syrian-Israeli peace would be followed
automatically by a Lebanese-Israel peace, and that threats to Israeli security
from either country would not be consistent with peace. He assured me that Iran
and Hezbollah would accede to Syrian and Lebanese peace treaty commitments and
that Hezbollah would become a Lebanese political party. I doubted the validity
of those assurances. They may have been sincere, but I could not imagine Iran
and its Lebanese proxy passively agreeing to get out of the “resistance”
business.
Does any of this have ongoing relevance? If Assad was correct in his assessment
that Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was a genuine Lebanese
political actor and not a representative of Iran, there would be nothing to
prevent Nasrallah now from urging the Lebanese government to propose peace talks
with Israel. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Blue Line adjustments, a maritime
exclusive economic zone agreement, and even the Shebaa Farms-Kfar Shouba
Hills—notwithstanding Assad’s assertion of Syrian sovereignty—could all be part
of a Lebanese negotiating agenda.
Whether Assad’s claim to the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba Hills remains
significant—either in terms of the ongoing Israeli occupation or as the
justification for Hezbollah’s arms—probably has less to do now with Syria than
it does for Lebanon. But my purpose is not to recommend policy initiatives to
anyone. Ten years after the fact I am interested in filling a gap in the history
of U.S. efforts to bring about Arab-Israeli peace. I hope my forthcoming book
will do exactly that.
*Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the
views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
The Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 14-15/2021
France Sticks to Plan to Give Johnson & Johnson Vaccine to
Over-55s
NNA/April 14/2021
France is sticking to its plan to give over-55s the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
suspended in the US and South Africa over rare blood clots, a government
spokesman said Wednesday. Gabriel Attal also reaffirmed the government’s
confidence in the AstraZeneca jab as an “essential tool” in the fight against
Covid-19, hours after Denmark said it was stopping its use, also over rare
incidents of clots in people who received the vaccine. France has already been
using the AstraZeneca jab among over-55s and had been planning to boost its
campaign with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is similar to the AstraZeneca
shot. That plan appeared to be in jeopardy after Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday
it would delay rollout of the vaccine in Europe after it was suspended in the
US. But Attal said the government had received a first delivery of 200,000
doses, which “arrived on our territory at the start of the week and are being
delivered to GPs and pharmacies”. His remarks came as EU chief Ursula von der
Leyen warned the bloc was turning more heavily to BioNTech/Pfizer to make up for
suspended Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses and for the longer term. Her remarks
came as more and more EU countries limit the use of the adenovirus-type vaccines
produced by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson to older people, who have yet to
be affected by the clotting issue. Denmark on Wednesday became the first EU
country to abandon the AstraZeneca vaccine altogether, despite the World Health
Organization and European Medicines Agency deeming it safe. Reacting to the
Danish move, Attal said: “We have confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine as an
essential tool in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.
Blinken calls Iran’s uranium enrichment move ‘provocative’
Reuters/April 14, 2021 22:55
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called Iran’s
announcement of an intent to begin enriching uranium at 60 percent purity
“provocative,” saying the step raised questions about the seriousness of Tehran
over the nuclear talks in Vienna. Iran has said it will enrich uranium to 60
percent — a big step closer to the 90 percent that is weapons-grade from the 20
percent maximum it has reached so far — in response to what it says was an act
of sabotage by Israel against its key nuclear facility. “We take very seriously
its provocative announcement of an intent to begin enriching uranium at 60
percent,” Blinken told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels,
referring to Iran. The European countries party to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal
also told Tehran that the step was contrary to efforts to revive the accord. “I
have to tell you the step calls into question Iran’s seriousness with regard the
nuclear talks, just as it underscores the imperative of returning to mutual
compliance with the JCPOA,” Blinken said, referring to the nuclear deal, also
known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The nuclear deal has unraveled
as Iran has breached its limits on uranium enrichment in a graduated response to
US withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and Washington’s reinstatement of harsh
economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday Iran has “almost completed preparations” for 60
percent uranium enrichment. Last week, Iran and fellow signatories held what
they described as “constructive” talks to restore the deal ditched by the former
Trump administration. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday
that indirect talks in Vienna would reconvene on Thursday. “Our understanding is
they (the Iranians) plan to attend tomorrow. We are also very open-eyed about
how this will be a long process. It is happening through indirect negotiations
but we still feel that it is a step forward,” she added. Meanwhile, Iran’s
supreme leader on Wednesday dismissed initial offers at talks in Vienna to save
Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal as “not worth looking at.”The comments by
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in the Islamic
Republic, came after a day that saw Iran’s president similarly ratchet up
pressure over the accord. European powers meanwhile warned Tehran its actions
were “particularly regrettable” and “dangerous.”
(With Reuters, AFP and AP)
Iranian media spreads report of attack on alleged Mossad
center in Iraq
Jerusalem Post/April 14/2021
A spokesman for the Kurdistan Regional Government denied reports of an alleged
attack on a Mossad center in northern Iraq as "completely false" on Wednesday
morning, stating that this isn't the first time claims have been made that an
Israeli intelligence center is located in Kurdistan, according to Iraqi media.
"The purpose of publishing such reports is clearly a conspiracy against the
region and its political process," added the spokesman. On Tuesday night, a
number of semi-official and official Iranian media sources shared a report
claiming that an intelligence and special operations center in northern Iraq
allegedly belonging to the Mossad was attacked by an "unidentified group."The
Iranian reports claimed that "Israeli forces" were injured or killed in the
alleged attack and promised to release more details and footage "soon." As of
Wednesday morning, no further details nor footage has been released.
A report on the alleged incident shared by the semi-official Iranian Fars News
Agency claimed that "Iraqi media and sources have repeatedly warned about the
activities of Zionist elements" in the Iraqi Kurdistan area. The news came just
hours after Israel began commemorating Remembrance Day, when the country
remembers and honors fallen soldiers and victims of terror. The report was not
confirmed by any official sources, but has been published by the semi-official
Fars News Agency, Al-Alam News, which is owned by Iran's state media
corporation, and Press TV, an English-language news network run by the Iranian
government. The report seems to have originated from a news source called
Sabreen based on Telegram. The report cited an anonymous "security source." The
Iranian report comes as tensions rise after an alleged Israeli attack on Iran's
Natanz nuclear facility and reports of a number of strikes by Iran and Israel on
each other's maritime vessels in the Red Sea and near the Persian Gulf in recent
weeks. An Israeli ship called the Hyperion and owned by an Israeli company was
attacked near the shores of the Fujairah emirate in the United Arab Emirates on
Tuesday, according to reports in Lebanon. Iranian officials have warned in
recent days that they would respond to an alleged Israeli attack that hit an
electrical substation at an underground uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.
Tensions were already high between the two nations after the alleged Israeli
assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and reported
attempts by Iran to carry out revenge attacks on Israeli embassies around the
world.
Iran: Grandson of first supreme leader drops presidential
bid
Tzvi Joffre/Jerusalem Post/April 14/2021
This was reportedly at the request of current Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Hassan Khomeini, one of the grandchildren of the Iranian Revolution's founder
Ruhollah Khomeini, announced on Tuesday that he would not be running for
president, after months of speculation that he would attempt to run for the
position as a reformist candidate, according to Iranian media.
In an interview with the reformist Jamaran news, Yasser Khomeini, Hassan's
brother, said that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Hassan in a meeting that he
"did not consider it appropriate for Seyyed Hassan Khomeini to run in the
presidential election in the current situation and asked him not to enter the
arena."Hassan Khomeini reportedly agreed to Khamenei's request and said that he
will definitely not run. In Iran, potential candidates in all elections are
vetted by the Guardian Council, a 12-member body which reviews all candidates
and legislation whose members are directly and indirectly selected by Khamenei.
Iran's presidential election is set to take place on June 18th. This isn't the
first time that Hassan Khomeini has tried to run for office. In 2016, Khomeini
was blocked by the Guardian Council from running for the Assembly of Experts,
which has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader of Iran, based on
a technicality. Yasser stressed that many reformists believed that Hassan could
unite the country, as he received support from a large number of religious
authorities, politicians and academics, with the slogan "all together" used in
reference to him.
An analysis published by Jamaran referred to Khomeini as the most agreed-upon
option for a candidate among reformists, writing that his decision not to run
resulted in "the destruction of the reformist consensus."Other options for
reformist voters may include current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif,
current vice president, Eshaq Jahangiri, and former vice president Mohammad Reza
Aref, according to Jamaran. Whichever reformist ends up running may face Ebrahim
Raisi as the main hardliner candidate. A number of analyses published by Iranian
media claimed that reformists were trying to exploit Khomeini's connection to
his grandfather in order to further their political agenda. An analysis
published by the Fars News Agency claimed that reformists tried to use Khomeini
in his 2016 attempt to join the Assembly of Experts and that the reformists are
currently having difficulty finding candidates who can compete.
The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency published an analysis welcoming Hassan's
decision to not run. The analysis stated that the meeting between Hassan and
Khamenei helped "warn" Hassan from falling into two pitfalls; the "probable trap
of disqualification" Tasnim questioned what the motivation of the reformists was
to push Khomeini to run for the presidency, saying that it would be difficult
for him to comply with the conditions set by the law for presidential candidacy
as he does not have political experience. The analysis additionally claimed that
Khomeini would simply be a continuation of current President Hassan Rouhani,
adding that "public opinion is well aware of which group is to blame for the
difficult situation of these years." The IRGC-affiliated news source warned that
Khomeini's nomination would have created "many opportunities" for hardliners to
criticize him based on what they referred to as the "very flawed and
inefficient" reformists. Several former IRGC members are reportedly considering
running for president in June, according to Radio Farda, including parliamentary
speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former IRGC commander Saeed Dehghan.
Iran’s supreme leader says US offers on nuclear deal ‘not
worth looking at’
Reuters/13 April ,2021
Iran’s supreme leader on Wednesday dismissed initial offers being made at talks
in Vienna aimed at saving Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers. He
described them as “not worth looking at” after an attack on an atomic site in
his country. The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all
matters of state in the Islamic Republic, come as informal talks in Vienna
continue ahead of a planned formal round of negotiations. The talks already have
been thrown into disarray by a weekend attack on Iran’s main nuclear enrichment
site suspected to have been carried out by Israel. Tehran retaliated by
announcing it would enrich uranium up to 60 percent. “The offers they provide
are usually arrogant and humiliating (and) are not worth looking at,” Khamenei
said in an address marking the first day of Ramadan in Iran.While saying he
remained positive about Iran’s negotiators, he criticized the US and warned time
could be running out.“The talks shouldn’t become talks of attrition,” Khamenei
said. “They shouldn’t be in a way that parties drag on and prolong the talks.
This is harmful to the country.”
Daughter of Iran’s ex-president Rafsanjani says she is
boycotting upcoming elections
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/14 April ,2021
The daughter of one of the founding figures of Iran’s clerical establishment
said on Monday she intends to boycott the upcoming presidential elections,
citing her lack of faith in any reforms from within the establishment. Faezeh
Hashemi, a women’s rights advocate and a former lawmaker said during a virtual
conversation on the audio-chat app Clubhouse she would not vote in Iran’s
presidential elections even if her own brother – Tehran city council chairman
and potential presidential candidate Mohsen Hashemi-Rafsanjani – were to run.The
Clubhouse discussion with Hashemi lasted over six hours, with over 10,000
Iranians listening inside and outside the country. Hashemi’s father, former
president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, was one of the founding figures of Iran's
clerical regime. He played a key role in bringing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to
power. He died in 2017.
Hashemi said she will boycott the elections because the “reformist” movement in
Iran has “hit a dead end.” Hashemi also said that through this decision, she is
protesting reformists for abandoning reformist ideals in order to stay in power.
She added that she is open to changing her mind if a candidate committed to
those ideals were to run. Hashemi is an outspoken critic of the regime inside
Iran. She was jailed for six months in 2012 for “spreading anti-state
propaganda.”Iran is due to hold presidential elections on June 18, and several
senior Iranian officials have already expressed concern over potentially low
voter turnout. The regime considers turnout critical to its legitimacy on the
international stage. Khamenei has in the past gone as far as saying voting is a
“religious duty,” and that people should participate in elections out of “love”
for their country, even if they do not like the supreme leader personally.
The Iranian opposition typically urges Iranians to boycott elections, arguing
that they do not bring about change and only serve to legitimize the regime.
This belief is partially due to Iran’s vetting process for candidates, under
which only candidates who are approved by the regime can run for election.
Elections in Iran “fall short of democratic standards due in part to the
influence of the hard-line Guardian Council, an unelected body that disqualifies
all candidates it deems insufficiently loyal to the clerical establishment,” US
democracy watchdog group Freedom House said in its Iran report for 2021.
Iranians blame the regime
The Iranian people hold their own government, not the United States, responsible
for their problems, Hashemi said in another part of the virtual discussion,
adding that Tehran’s own policies are to blame for sanctions imposed on the
country. “We have sanctions because of our own aggressive policies ... Our money
is spent on missiles and helping [foreign militias] rather than on medicine that
our people need,” Hashemi said. “People don’t blame [former US President Donald]
Trump for sanctions, they blame their own government.”In January, Hashemi came
under attack, primarily from proponents of the regime, for saying a second term
for Trump would have been beneficial for Iran. “For Iran, I would have liked to
see Trump [re]-elected. But if I were an American, I wouldn’t vote for Trump,”
Hashemi said in an interview with an Iranian news website. Hashemi said she
supported the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the
regime in Tehran. “Maybe if Trump’s pressure would have continued, we would have
been forced to have change in some policies. And the change would have
definitely benefited the people,” she said.
Biden announces end of US troop deployment to Afghanistan
Reuters/April 14, 2021 21:35
“It is time to end America’s longest war. It is time for American troops to come
home,” Biden said
Blinken also spoke by phone with Pakistan’s army chief on Wednesday and
discussed the peace process
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden declared on Wednesday he plans to end the
longest US war and that it is “time for American troops to come home” from
Afghanistan, as he looks to close out 20 years of US military involvement there
even as critics warn that peace is not assured.
In a White House speech, Biden set a goal of withdrawing all 2,500 US troops
remaining in Afghanistan no later than Sept. 11, with the final withdrawal
beginning on May 1. By pulling out without a clear victory, the United States
opens itself to criticism that a withdrawal represents a de facto admission of
failure.
“I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop
presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” Biden said. “I will
not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.” “It is time to end America’s
longest war. It is time for American troops to come home,” he said. Sept. 11 is
a highly symbolic date, coming 20 years to the day of Al-Qaeda’s attacks on the
United States that prompted then-President George W. Bush to launch the
conflict. The war has cost the lives of 2,400 American service members and
consumed an estimated $2 trillion. US troop numbers in Afghanistan peaked at
more than 100,000 in 2011. Meeting NATO officials in Brussels earlier, Secretary
of State Antony Blinken said foreign troops under NATO command in Afghanistan
will leave the country in coordination with the US withdrawal by Sept. 11, after
Germany said it would match American plans. Blinken also spoke by phone with
Pakistan’s army chief on Wednesday and discussed the peace process, according to
a statement from the media wing of Pakistan’s military. Afghan President Ashraf
Ghani wrote on Twitter that he has spoken with Biden and he respects the US
decision. Ghani added that “we will work with our US partners to ensure a smooth
transition” and “we will continue to work with our US/NATO partners in the
ongoing peace efforts.” The Democratic president had faced a May 1 withdrawal
deadline, set by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who tried but failed
to pull the troops out before he left office. Biden’s decision will keep troops
in Afghanistan past that deadline, but officials suggested troops could fully
depart before Sept. 11. There is a summit planned about Afghanistan starting on
April 24 in Istanbul that is due to include the United Nations and Qatar. The
Taliban, ousted from power in 2001 by US-led forces, said it would not take part
in any meetings that would make decisions about Afghanistan until all foreign
forces had left the country. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Wednesday
called on the United States to adhere to the deal the group reached with Trump’s
administration. “If the agreement is committed to, the remaining problems will
also be solved,” Mujahid wrote on Twitter. “If the agreement is not committed to
... the problems will certainly increase.”
Ghani Says Afghanistan 'Fully Capable' of Defending Itself
Agence France Presse/April 14, 2021 21:35
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday said his forces were "fully capable"
of defending Afghanistan, as he revealed he had spoken with his U.S. counterpart
Joe Biden about the withdrawal of American soldiers. "Tonight, I had a call with
President Biden in which we discussed the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces
from Afghanistan by early September. The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
respects the U.S. decision and we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a
smooth transition," Ghani tweeted. "Afghanistan's proud security and defense
forces are fully capable of defending its people and country, which they have
been doing all along, and for which the Afghan nation will forever remain
grateful." Biden officially announced Wednesday the unconditional withdrawal of
troops from Afghanistan, where they have spent two decades in a bloody, largely
fruitless battle against the Taliban. Administration officials have said he
wants the withdrawal completed by September 11, 2021. U.S. intelligence warned
this week that the government in Kabul "will struggle" to hold the "confident"
Taliban off if the coalition withdraws. Many Afghans -- especially women, who
have been largely shut out of peace talks between the insurgents and Kabul --
have long feared a return to the Taliban's repressive Islamist regime if the
U.S. withdraws. Analysts also fear a descent into civil war if Kabul is left to
face the Taliban alone. The United Nations documented "extraordinary" violence
against civilians in a new report Wednesday, and said "urgent" action was needed
by all parties to stop the fighting. Dubbed the "forever war," the U.S. military
onslaught in Afghanistan began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks against the United States.
Rocket hits near Erbil airport in northern Iraq: Kurdish
security officials
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/14 April ,2021
An explosion has been heard in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous
region, a result of a rocket attack near Erbil’s airport, according to an Al
Arabiya correspondent. The US consulate had also sounded its emergency alarms
following the explosion, Al Arabiya’s correspondent in Erbil reported. A rocket
landed near Erbil airport in northern Iraq late on Wednesday, Kurdish security
officials confirmed in a statement, with no immediate reports of casualties.
Witnesses said they saw a plume of smoke rising from the area. A US-led military
base in the Erbil International Airport vicinity was hit by a barrage of rockets
in February that killed a military contractor. Explosives teams were deployed
inside Erbil airport to examine the missile that targeted the airport, Al
Arabiya’s reporter on the ground confirmed. Another attack on Wednesday night
targeted the Zelikan camp, which houses Turkish forces in Mosul, according to
sources, raising doubts that the rocket attacks were coordinated. (With
agencies)
Saudi Arabia says Iran uranium enrichment cannot be
intended for ‘peaceful’ means
Reem Krimly, Al Arabiya English/14 April ,2021
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it is following with
concern the current developments of Iran’s nuclear program, the most recent of
which was the Iranian announcement of raising the level of uranium enrichment to
60 percent, which cannot be considered a program intended for peaceful uses, the
Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday. “The Kingdom calls on Iran to
avoid escalation and not to subject the security and stability of the region to
further tension, and to engage seriously in the current ongoing negotiations, in
line with the expectations of the international community towards Iran’s
utilization of its nuclear program for peaceful purposes and under the
supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a manner that achieves
security and stability in the region and the world, and limits From the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” according to a statement on SPA.
Iran confirmed Wednesday it would start producing by next week uranium enriched
to 60 percent purity, days after a blast it blamed on Israel hit a key nuclear
facility in Natanz. “Modification of the process just started and we expect to
accumulate the product next week” from centrifuges at Natanz, tweeted Iran’s
envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kazem Gharibabadi. “The Kingdom
stresses the importance of the international community reaching an agreement
with stronger and longer determinants, in a way that strengthens monitoring and
control measures and ensures preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons or
developing the necessary capabilities for that, and takes into account the deep
concern of the countries of the region about the escalatory steps that Iran is
taking to destabilize regional security and stability, including Its nuclear
program,” the statement by the Kingdom’s foreign ministry added. Saudi Arabia
and its Gulf allies, who are also worried about Iran’s ballistic missiles and
regional network of proxies, had supported former US President Donald Trump’s
move to quit the accord in 2018 and re-impose harsh sanctions on Iran.
Ambassador Rayed Krimly, the head of policy planning at the Saudi foreign
ministry, told Reuters that any agreement that does not effectively address the
concerns of states in the region would not work. “We want to make sure at a
minimum that any financial resources made available to Iran via the nuclear deal
are not used ... to destabilize the region,” he said.
“We are going to do everything we can (so) that a nuclear deal is a starting
point not an end point in this process.”With Reuters
Report: Israel on Maximum Alert over Possible Iranian
Attacks
Naharnet/April 14/2021
Israel has entered into a state of maximum alert to confront Iranian threats
amid tensions linked to a suspected Israeli attack on an Iranian nuclear
facility and a suspected Iranian attack on an Israeli commercial ship, Al-Arabiya
TV reported on Tuesday. “Israeli media circles have said that the ship attack is
the beginning of a series of Iranian attacks,” Al-Arabiya’s correspondent in
Israel said. “The Israeli navy, including submarines, have been put on a state
of maximum alert,” the correspondent added. “Israel fears that Iranian missiles
could be fired from Syria or from ships and it also fears booby-trapped drones,”
the correspondent went on to say. The report came around an hour after Israeli
officials blamed Iran for an attack Tuesday on an Israeli commercial ship off
the UAE’s Fujairah. It also comes a day after Iran accused Israel of a bomb
attack on its Natanz nuclear facility and vowed retaliation.
Kremlin Says Will 'Study' U.S. Proposal for Putin-Biden
Summit
Agence France Presse/April 14/2021
The Kremlin said Wednesday it will consider US President Joe Biden's proposal to
hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call on
Tuesday, Biden proposed that the two leaders hold a summit "in the near future"
that would come at a time of heightened tensions between the former Cold War
rivals. "It is early to talk about this meeting in terms of specifics. This is a
new proposal and it will be studied," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told
reporters. He added that there is still no set agenda for the summit, but said
that "without a doubt bilateral ties are important" in areas of mutual interest.
Tensions between Moscow and Washington have escalated in recent weeks, with
Russia building up its troops on the border with Ukraine, where government
forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists since the annexation of Crimea
in 2014. The United States and its allies have called on Moscow to withdraw its
forces. "We consider the concerns of anyone -- including the United States --
regarding the movement of our armed forces on Russian territory to be
unfounded," Peskov said. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its involvement in
the long-simmering conflict and rejected claims that it props up the separatist
forces. Ties were already strained after Washington demanded the release of
jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and slapped sanctions on Moscow over his
poisoning in August last year. Peskov, however, said that Navalny was not
discussed in the Putin-Biden call. A Kremlin statement on Tuesday said that the
two leaders discussed Ukraine as well as the Iranian nuclear programme,
Afghanistan peace talks and climate change.
Turkey Hails 'New Era' with Egypt after Tensions
Agence France Presse/April 14/2021
Turkey's foreign minister hailed the start of "a new era" with Egypt as Ankara
pushes ahead with normalising relations with Cairo, local media reported on
Wednesday. Turkey and Egypt broke off relations after the 2013 overthrow of
ex-Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was supported by Turkish counterpart
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That year Turkey and Egypt expelled each others'
ambassadors and froze their relations. Turkish officials said last month Ankara
had established the first diplomatic contacts with Cairo since 2013 as part of
wider efforts to fix ties with other Middle Eastern rivals.
"A new era is beginning," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted
as saying by NTV broadcaster. He said there would be a meeting between the two
countries' deputy foreign ministers and diplomats but a date had not yet been
set. Cavusoglu told Turkish reporters that the appointment of ambassadors "will
come up on the agenda" during those talks. When asked, the minister also
indicated there would be meetings between himself and his Egyptian counterpart.
"Why not. There can be reciprocal visits and meetings, too," Cavusoglu said.
Last month, members of Egypt's Istanbul-based opposition media said Turkish
officials had asked them to "tone down" criticism of Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi. The request appeared to be an attempt by Turkey to curry favour
with Egypt in a bid to mend relations. An Egyptian broadcaster known for his
outspoken criticism of Cairo on an Istanbul-based channel, said on Saturday he
was going on "unlimited leave". Moataz Matar, 46, made the announcement during
his popular daily show "With Moataz", which he has presented for several years
on the liberal El-Sharq channel. Matar said he was not forced by Turkey or the
channel to leave but added he did not want to "embarrass" anyone. "I will come
back when I am able to tell the truth on El-Sharq again as I always have," he
added. After the Arab Spring, Istanbul became a capital of Arab media critical
of their governments back home, especially for Egyptian media linked to Morsi's
Muslim Brotherhood.
Egypt Frees Journalist Couple
Agence France Presse/April 14/2021
Egyptian photojournalist Hossam el-Sayed and his wife Solafa Magdy, an
independent journalist, have been released after spending the past year and a
half behind bars, their professional association said Wednesday. Solafa Magdy
and her husband Hossam el-Sayed were freed on Tuesday night, the association's
president, Diaa Rashwan, announced on Facebook, thanking judicial authorities.
They were arrested in a Cairo cafe in November 2019 and accused of belonging to
an unnamed "terrorist" group while Magdy also faced a fake news charge. They
were released without facing any formal charges in a courtroom. On Monday,
prominent dissident journalist and politician Khaled Dawoud also walked free
after more than 18 months in detention. A former head of the liberal opposition
Dostour party and senior journalist for the English-language edition of state
newspaper Al-Ahram, he had been arrested in September 2019 after rare
anti-government protests. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt's former army
chief, has overseen a massive, crackdown aimed at quashing dissent, jailing many
journalists, lawyers, academics and activists. Egypt ranks 166th out of 188
countries on Reporters Without Borders (RSF)'s Press Freedom Index.
Rights groups say some 60,000 prisoners of conscience are still languishing in
Egyptian jails.
Suez Megaship Owner Haggles over $900m Release Demand
Agence France Presse/April 14/2021
The Japanese owner of a megaship seized after blocking the Suez Canal has said
it is negotiating with Egyptian authorities after they demanded $900 million in
compensation for its release. The 200,000-tonne MV Ever Given got diagonally
stuck in the narrow but crucial global trade artery in a sandstorm on March 23,
triggering a mammoth six-day-long effort to dislodge it. Maritime data company
Lloyd's List said the blockage by the vessel, longer than four football fields,
held up an estimated $9.6 billion-worth of cargo between Asia and Europe each
day it was stuck. Egypt also lost between $12 and $15 million in revenues for
each day the waterway was closed, according to the canal authority. The MV Ever
Given was later seized "due to its failure to pay $900 million" compensation,
Suez Canal Authority chief Osama Rabie was quoted as saying by the state-run Al-Ahram
newspaper. Its fate is "now... in the legal arena," a spokeswoman for the ship's
owner Shoei Kisen Kaisha told AFP Wednesday. An unnamed spokesperson was also
quoted by Japan's Jiji Press agency as saying the firm was "at odds with the
canal authority in talks over the appropriate amount (of compensation)" but that
discussions were ongoing. The Japanese-owned, Taiwanese-operated and
Panama-flagged ship was moved to unobstructive anchorage in the canal after it
was freed on March 29, and tailbacks totalling 420 vessels at the northern and
southern entrances to the canal were cleared in early April. The compensation
figure was calculated based on "the losses incurred by the grounded vessel as
well as the flotation and maintenance costs" Rabie said, citing a ruling handed
down by the Ismailia Economic Court in Egypt. The grounding of the ship and the
intensive salvage efforts are also reported to have resulted in significant
damage to the canal. The Suez Canal earned Egypt just over $5.7 billion in the
2019/20 fiscal year, according to official figures -- little changed from the
$5.3 billion earned back in 2014.
20 Killed, 3 Injured When Bus, Truck Crash in Southern Egypt
Agence France Presse/April 14/2021
A bus overturned while trying to pass a truck on a highway in southern Egypt on
Tuesday, causing a collision that killed at least 20 people and injured three
others, authorities said. The bus was travelling from Cairo when it turned over
and was hit by the truck on a road in the southern province of Assiut, 320
kilometers (199 miles) south of Cairo, Assiut Gov. Essam Saad said in a
statement. Both vehicles caught fire, it added. Photos released by the
governor's office showed a burned out bus, with rescue teams looking for
survivors. The victims were taken to nearby hospitals, the statement said.
Traffic accidents kill thousands every year in Egypt, which has a poor
transportation safety record. Crashes are mostly caused by speeding, bad roads
or poor enforcement of traffic laws. The country's official statistics agency
says around 10,000 road accidents took place in 2019, the most recent year for
which statistics are available, leaving over 3,480 dead. In 2018, there were
8,480 car accidents, causing over 3,080 deaths.
14 Killed As Minibus Hits Landmine In Somalia: Official
NNA/ AFP/April 14/2021
Fourteen people died and four others were wounded Wednesday when the minibus
they were travelling in ran over a landmine on the outskirts of Somalia's
capital Mogadishu, a regional official said."We have confirmed that 14 people
died and four others were wounded after a minibus travelling along the road
between Mogadishu and Balcad ran over a landmine," said Andikarim Mohamed, a
government official from the south-central Hirshabelle region. --
Azerbaijan says will begin returning Karabakh refugees In
2022
NNA/AFP/April 14/2021
Azerbaijan said Wednesday it will begin in 2022 returning its refugees to the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding territories that were recaptured last
year from Armenian separatists. Some 750,000 Azerbaijanis were displaced after
Baku lost control of the majority Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh
and seven adjacent districts in a 1990's war with Armenian separatists that
followed the Soviet Union's breakup. The largely dormant territorial conflict
re-erupted in September, claiming the lives of some 6,000 people. The fighting
ended after six weeks with a Russian-brokered ceasefire that saw Yerevan cede
swathes of territories to Baku. On Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
said he was hoping that "the gradual return of the displaced to the liberated
territories will begin next year". He said work was currently under way to clear
the area of landmines and repair infrastructure destroyed in the fighting.
Addressing an international conference on the South Caucasus held in Baku,
Aliyev said a major obstacle for the refugees' return was Armenia's refusal to
provide Baku with the map of Karabakh minefields. He said more than 20
Azerbaijanis -- both military and civilians -- were killed in Nagorno-Karabakh
by landmine explosions after the ceasefire. Flush with revenues from oil and gas
in the Caspian Sea, Aliyev's government has said it will spend billions of
dollars on rebuilding the areas reclaimed in the war.-
India’s Prime Minister at inaugural session of Raisina
Dialogue 2021: To keep humanity at centre of thoughts, action
NNA/April 14/2021
India’s Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, delivered a video address at the
Inaugural Session of the Raisina Dialogue in virtual format, along with Chief
Guests H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda and H.E. Mette Frederiksen, Prime
Minister of Denmark. The 6th Edition of the prestigious Raisina Dialogue,
jointly organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research
Foundation, will be held virtually from 13-16 April, 2021. The theme for the
2021 Edition is "#ViralWorld: Outbreaks, Outliers and Out of Control”. Prime
Minister Modi observed that the current edition of the Raisina Dialogue was
taking place at a watershed moment in human history in the backdrop of COVID-19
pandemic which has been ravaging the world for more than a year. The Prime
Minister called upon the global community to introspect on some pertinent
questions in the present context.
The Prime Minister emphasized that global systems should adapt themselves, in
order to address the underlying causes and not just the symptoms. The Prime
Minister called for keeping humanity at the centre of our thoughts and action,
and creating systems that address the problems of today and the challenges of
tomorrow. The Prime Minister also elaborated upon India’s pandemic response
efforts, both domestically as well as in form of assistance to other countries.
He called for joint efforts to meet the varied challenges posed by the pandemic
and reiterated that India would share its strengths for global good.
Russia says US plan for Afghan withdrawal violates Taliban deal, risks
escalation
NNA/Reuters/April 14/2021
Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a U.S. plan to withdraw troops
from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 violated an agreement with the Taliban and could
lead to an escalation, the Interfax news agency reported. U.S. President Joe
Biden plans to withdraw his country's remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan by
Sept. 11 - 20 years to the day after the al Qaeda attacks on U.S.soil that
triggered America's longest war, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
NATO forces will leave together from Afghanistan, US says
NNA/Reuters/April 14/2021
A coalition of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan will leave the country in
coordination with a planned U.S. withdrawal by Sept. 11, Washington's top
diplomat said on Wednesday, ahead of a formal announcement of the end of two
decades of fighting. Around 7,000 non-U.S. forces from mainly NATO countries,
but also from Australia, New Zealand and Georgia, outnumber the 2,500 U.S.
troops in Afghanistan but still rely on U.S. air support, planning and
leadership for their training mission. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
said in Brussels that it was time for NATO allies to make good on its mantra
that allies went into Afghanistan together and would leave together. "I am here
to work closely with our allies, with the (NATO) secretary-general, on the
principle that we have established from the start: In together, adapt together
and out together," Blinken said in a televised statement at NATO headquarters.
"We will work very closely together in the months ahead on a safe, deliberate
and coordinated withdrawal of our forces from Afghanistan," Blinken said,
standing alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, NATO foreign and
defence ministers will discuss their plans later on Wednesday via video
conference. A senior NATO diplomat told Reuters that no ally was expected to
oppose U.S. President Joe Biden's formal announcement, expected later on
Wednesday, for a complete U.S. withdrawal of troops by Sept. 11.
Kremlin coy on Putin-Biden summit, warns against U.S.
sanctions
NNA/Reuters/April 14/2021
Russia said on Wednesday it was too early to talk tangibly about U.S. President
Joe Biden’s proposal to meet President Vladimir Putin, and the Kremlin told
Washington not to impose any new sanctions on Moscow, according to the RIA news
agency. Biden, in a phone call on Tuesday, proposed a summit of the estranged
leaders to tackle a raft of disputes and told Moscow to reduce tensions over
Ukraine triggered by a Russian military build-up. Moscow’s U.S. ties slumped to
a new post-Cold War low last month after Biden said he thought Putin was a
"killer" and Moscow recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations. The
envoy has still not returned almost a month later. "It’s still too early to talk
about this meeting in tangible terms. It’s a new proposal and it will be
studied," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that it would
be discussed further through diplomatic channels. “The sides are not yet
planning a range of topics to discuss, there isn’t yet any preparation for this
meeting,” he said. Separately, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov
invited John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, to talks on Wednesday, the
Russian foreign ministry said, according to the RIA and TASS news agencies.
Ushakov told the ambassador that Moscow would act decisively if the United
States undertook any new "unfriendly steps" such as imposing sanctions, RIA
reported. The U.S. embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request
for comment about those talks.
Russia has been preparing to be hit by new sanctions since Biden said last month
that Putin would pay a price for alleged Russian meddling in the November 2020
U.S. presidential election. Moscow denies interfering. The threat of sanctions
put pressure on the rouble for weeks, though new punitive measures have so far
not been imposed.The rouble rose sharply late on Tuesday after the Biden-Putin
call.
Canada issues advisory on doing business with
Myanmar-related entities
April 13, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Government of Canada today issued an advisory for Canadian companies doing
business with Myanmar-related entities.
The Government of Canada expects Canadian companies active abroad, in any market
or country, to respect human rights, operate lawfully, conduct their activities
in a responsible manner and adopt voluntary best practices and internationally
respected guidelines.
The coup initiated by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) on February 1, 2021,
against the democratically elected Government of Myanmar has led to a systemic
campaign of repression through the lethal use of force, including mass arbitrary
detentions, restrictions on access to information, and the right to freedom of
opinion and expression, association and assembly.
In response to the coup, the Government of Canada, in coordination with the
United Kingdom and following similar measures by the United States, announced
sanctions against 9 Myanmar military officials under the Special Economic
Measures (Burma) Regulations, which bring the total number of individuals
sanctioned by Canada to 54 and the total number of entities sanctioned to 44.
These measures send a clear signal that Canada unequivocally condemns the
overthrow of Myanmar’s democratically elected government by the military and the
egregious use of force against protestors. Canada underscores its commitment to
work with the international community to uphold human rights and democracy.
The Government of Canada recommends that companies active in Myanmar assess
their operations, take any appropriate action to comply with Canadian sanctions
measures and export controls, and uphold high standards of human rights and
responsible business conduct.
Further information is available in the advisory on the Global Affairs Canada
web page.
Quotes
“Our government stands with the people of Myanmar, and we expect Canadian
companies to uphold the highest standards of human rights and business conduct,
whether they are doing business at home or abroad. We strongly recommend to any
company operating in Myanmar or doing business with Myanmar-related entities to
assess its operations and take appropriate action to uphold these standards.”
- Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
“I am deeply disturbed by the increasing deadly violence against protestors; the
crackdown on freedom of expression, including through the Internet blackout and
draconian changes to the law that repress free speech; and the continuing
arbitrary detention of innocent civilians in Myanmar. I urge Canadian companies
active in Myanmar to take appropriate action to uphold human rights. These
measures will protect Canadian companies from becoming unknowingly complicit in
the gross repression by the Tatmadaw. Canada stands with the people of Myanmar
and their quest to restore democracy.”
- Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 14-15/2021
Nearly half of all women are denied their bodily autonomy,
says new UNFPA report, My Body is My Own
NNA/ UNIC/April 14/2021
Nearly half of women in 57 developing countries are denied the right to decide
whether to have sex with their partners, use contraception or seek health care,
according to UNFPA's 2021 flagship State of World Population report, released
today.
For the first time, a United Nations report focuses on bodily autonomy: the
power and agency to make choices about your body, without fear of violence or
having someone else decide for you.
This lack of bodily autonomy has massive implications beyond the profound harms
to individual women and girls: potentially depressing economic productivity,
undercutting skills, and resulting in extra costs to health care and judicial
systems.
Key findings: my body, but not my choice
Through this groundbreaking report, UNFPA is measuring both women’s power to
make their own decisions about their bodies and the extent to which countries’
laws support or interfere with a woman’s right to make these decisions. The data
show a strong link between decision-making power and higher levels of education.
The report shows that in countries where data are available:
● Only 55 per cent of women are fully empowered to make choices over health
care, contraception and the ability to say yes or no to sex.
● Only 71 per cent of countries guarantee access to overall maternity care.
● Only 75 per cent of countries legally ensure full, equal access to
contraception.
● Only about 80 per cent of countries have laws supporting sexual health and
well-being.
● Only about 56 per cent of countries have laws and policies supporting
comprehensive sexuality education.
“The fact that nearly half of women still cannot make their own decisions about
whether or not to have sex, use contraception or seek health care should outrage
us all,” says UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “In essence, hundreds
of millions of women and girls do not own their own bodies. Their lives are
governed by others.”
The report also documents many other ways that the bodily autonomy of women,
men, girls and boys is violated, revealing that:
● Twenty countries or territories have “marry-your-rapist” laws, where a man can
escape criminal prosecution if he marries the woman or girl he has raped.
● Forty-three countries have no legislation addressing the issue of marital rape
(rape by a spouse).
● More than 30 countries restrict women’s right to move around outside the home.
● Girls and boys with disabilities are nearly three times more likely to be
subjected to sexual violence, with girls at the greatest risk.
Solutions: the power to say yes, the right to say no
The report shows how efforts to address abuses can lead to further violations of
bodily autonomy. For example, to prosecute a case of rape, a criminal justice
system might require a survivor to undergo an invasive so-called virginity test.
Real solutions, the report finds, must take into account the needs and
experiences of those affected. In Mongolia, for example, persons with
disabilities organized to give direct input to the government about their sexual
and reproductive health needs. In Angola, young people educated about their
bodies, health and rights have been able to seek health care, use family
planning, decline sex and petition for justice after sexual violence. “The
denial of bodily autonomy is a violation of women and girls’ fundamental human
rights thatreinforces inequalities and perpetuates violence arising from gender
discrimination,” says Dr. Kanem “It is nothing less than an annihilation of the
spirit, and it must stop.
“By contrast,” Dr. Kanem says, “a woman who has control over her body is more
likely to be empowered in other spheres of her life. She gains not only in terms
of autonomy, but also through advances in health and education, income and
safety. She is more likely to thrive, and so is her family.”
The State of World Population report is UNFPA’s annual flagship publication.
Published yearly since 1978, it shines a light on emerging issues in the field
of sexual and reproductive health and rights, bringing them into the mainstream
and exploring the challenges and opportunities they present for international
development.-- UNIC
Will Iran invent 'revenge' stories or actually attack
Israel? - analysis
Sth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/April 14/2021
This would be the third alleged attack in the last month and a half on
Israeli-owned ships in that area.
In the absence of being able to actually strike at Israel, Iran’s regime may
invent stories of “successful” operations in the wake of the Natanz incident.
Tehran painted itself into a corner this week by claiming that it would take
action after an incident at its nuclear enrichment facility. A full-court press
was unleashed by Iran’s media. But then the question remained whether the
Islamic Republic has any real options to strike at the Jewish state without
escalating tensions too much. What we know is that Iran has said, at the foreign
ministry and government spokesperson level, that it wants revenge. It has also
said it will now enrich uranium to 60%. It then sent its government propaganda,
English language media Press TV to publish claims of an attack on an Israeli
ship off the coast of the UAE. The details have been downplayed in Israel. This
would be the third alleged attack in the last month-and-a-half on Israeli-owned
ships in that area. Since these are commercial ships, Iran’s attacks are a
flagrant violation of basic international laws. Iran’s Press TV says that Israel
“awaits” the Iranian response. It likely knows that Israel’s Memorial Day is on
April 13, so it is timing these news items for the solemn day.
A stranger story emerged on April 13 alleging that Iran was targeting “Israel”
in Iraq. Press TV claimed that “Israel's Mossad spy agency has come under attack
in Iraq, security sources say, with a number of Israeli forces killed or wounded
in what was described as a ‘heavy blow’ on the Zionist regime.”
The story actually began at Sabereen News, which claimed that the “resistance”
forces in Iraq struck at a “Mossad safe house” in northern Iraq. It said it
would show pictures. It said that Israeli “spies” were hit.
This is a generalized account because “northern Iraq” is a big place and an
“Israeli spy” could be a random person. A “safe house” can be any house that the
pro-Iran militias have identified. The wording is important here. The
“resistance” in Iraq is made up of pro-Iran militias such as Badr, Kataib
Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and others. They have threatened Israel before. UK
notes opposition to ICC probe into alleged Israeli war crimes
Iran has provided them ballistic missiles in 2018 and 2019. They have even
blamed Israel for a strike on a Kataib Hezbollah house in Albukamal in Syria in
the summer of 2018 and four airstrikes in Iraq in 2019. Asaib’s leader even went
to Lebanon in 2017 and met Hezbollah and vowed to help the terrorist group fight
Israel. Online accounts that track open-source intelligence, like Aurora Intel,
note that official “news agencies Arabic RT, Al-Alam News Agency, Fars News
Agency and Press TV are all reporting the story.” Their source is Sabereen news.
An account named Intel Sky was one of the early ones to publicize the report.
But many are skeptical. Nevertheless, Israeli radio picked up the Iranian
reports as well. The question that remains is whether Iran, along with its
widespread media network and militias that it uses as proxies from Yemen to Iraq
and Syria to Lebanon, will attempt retaliation against Israel, or merely claim
to have “retaliated” so they can say they did something. This has happened in
the past. In July 2020, Hezbollah vowed retaliation after a member was killed in
Syria. It claimed to keep Israel on alert and several incidents took place, but
nothing major actually happened. In another incident in 2020, Hezbollah
“retaliated” by cutting holes in a fence. In 2019 it even fired missiles but
ended up harming mannequins.
Ex-NSC chief to 'Post': Iran nuke maneuvering anticipates
Khamenei death
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/April 14/2021
Iran’s position in nuclear negotiations with the US and the world powers is
being heavily influenced by the expectation that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei will die soon, former Trump administration national security advisor
Lt.-Gen. H.R. McMaster told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
McMaster told the Post, “I don’t think they care about it,” referring to Iran’s
mentality regarding the current round of nuclear negotiations, saying that
decisive powers in the Islamic Republic are focused on the post-election period
and even the era “after Khamenei passes away.” More specifically, the former
national security advisor was explaining that Tehran would not make any major
moves until the post-election era and that hardliners were desperate to regain
the presidency in June from the pragmatists. This does not mean that there might
not be a deal at some point. But McMaster was saying that hardline power centers
believe that whoever controls the presidency will also have an upper-hand in the
battle over who will succeed Khamenei himself as Iran’s true leader. As such,
the current round of negotiations could be a mere prelude to what comes
post-June.
Another issue that came up with the former lieutenant-general was that Iran “is
not isolated at the same level” that it was leading into the 2015 nuclear deal
and that China is feeling freer to prop up Iran “because of Biden’s return to a
conciliatory policy” in addressing Tehran.
What is original about McMaster’s statement on this issue is that the Biden
administration to date has not removed any sanctions from Iran, first requiring
Khamenei to return the 2015 deal’s nuclear limitations. Recognizing that China
almost never fully stopped buying oil from the Islamic Republic even during
Trump’s term, he said the huge increase in Beijing’s purchases of Iranian oil
only came with Biden’s election.
In addition, McMaster said that India is also moving to restore ties with Iran
in anticipation of Biden’s desire to end the sanctions standoff with the
ayatollahs. Moreover, he said, Biden “could place secondary sanctions on Chinese
banks,” if he really did not approve of Beijing undermining the sanctions regime
which he himself has said he wants to end as part of a deal. In other words, he
described an informal process where the sanctions regime is starting to come
apart even before formal removal, simply by virtue of Biden’s intention to reach
a deal. Further, he said that moves to build on its partnership with Iran “fits
China’s pandemic era desire to capture a fleeting window of opportunity to
exercise greater influence [globally] since it views itself as having a
temporary position of advantage compared to the US,” while America has not yet
emerged as much as China from the pandemic quagmire. McMaster opposed Trump’s
exit from the nuclear deal in May 2018. But he explained that this was based on
a specific moment in time when he thought the deal could be used to pressure
Iran. In contrast, he is stridently against returning to the same 2015 deal now
when the Islamic Republic is under sanctions pressure.
A proponent of a long-term push to communicate with the Iranians to get them to
topple their oppressive government, McMaster advised that if the Biden
administration would go against advice to maintain sanctions pressure, any new
deal would need to be radically different. Adding on a mere 5-10 years to the
nuclear restrictions, some of which expire in 2025 and others in 2030, is
insufficient, he said, if there are not general behavioral benchmarks which Iran
must meet for removing the restrictions. He called returning to the deal with
its current sunset clause “ludicrous,” noting that 2025 is now only a few years
away – which in the life of a nation is practically no time at all. Other
changes he would require for a new deal with Iran would be to rope in the
Islamic Republic’s, “conventional missiles and other destructive weapons, end
its proxy wars and a [nuclear] verification system which gives everyone
confidence.” Regarding nuclear inspections, he recalled that in his 2020 book
Battlegrounds, he criticized the 2015 nuclear negotiations for leading to an
inspection regime in which, “before the ink was dry, Iran was announcing which
inspections it would not allow.”He also said it was a mistake for anyone in the
US to “underestimate the ideology of the revolution, of Iran’s forward defense
strategy and desire to restore Iran as an empire.”
On Iran, Biden Administration Ready to Undo Former
Administration’s Work, whether It is Good for the World or Not?
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/April 14/2021
مجيد رافيزادا/معهد كايتستون: حول إيران، إدارة بايدن مستعدة للتراجع عن عمل
الإدارة السابقة، هل هو مفيد للعالم أم لا؟
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/97888/majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-on-iran-biden-administration-ready-to-undo-former-administrations-work-whether-it-is-good-for-the-world-or-not-%d9%85%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%af-%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%81/
A basic rule in negotiations is to keep or gain leverage against the other
party. The Biden administration, mystifyingly, is doing exactly the opposite in
its negotiations with the regime of Iran.
Iran enriching uranium at any level — it is a negligibly small step to enrich
uranium from “acceptable levels” to “nuclear” levels — puts the world at risk,
especially as other countries in the region might well feel compelled to start
their nuclear programs as a deterrent.
The US and the UN Security Council also would do well to impose sanctions on
Tehran for its violation of Resolution 2231, which “calls upon Iran not to
undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of
delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile
technology.”
A basic rule in negotiations is to keep or gain leverage against the other
party. The Biden administration, mystifyingly, is doing exactly the opposite in
its negotiations with the regime of Iran.
Right before heading to Vienna to negotiate rejoining the disastrous 2015
nuclear deal, which, incidentally, Iran never signed, US State Department
spokesman Ned Price dropped a bombshell when he told reporters that the US is
prepared to lift sanctions against Iran:
“We are prepared to take the steps necessary to return to compliance with the
JCPOA, including by lifting sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA. I am
not in a position here to give you chapter and verse on what those might be”.
Why on earth would the administration tell the Iranian leaders before
negotiations that it is ready to lift sanctions while it has not yet received
anything in return from the mullahs? The Iranian regime, of course, immediately
scented weakness and desperation and began increasing its demands. The Biden
administration then offered $1 billion to the mullahs in exchange for the regime
freezing its production of 20% uranium enrichment. No, Iran wants more. Its
leaders demanded $30 billion for one month of freeze.
Presumably to gain additional leverage and extort more concessions, the regime
announced during those negotiations that it had begun testing its newest
advanced nuclear centrifuges.
The Biden administration does not seem to understand that it is the Iranian
regime that is desperate for the nuclear deal, not the US.
After the former administration began imposing pressure on the Iranian regime
during the last few years, the mullahs saw two major uprisings. Iran’s regime is
now bankrupt both politically and economically, and with a version of elections
— in which candidates are vetted and approved by Iran’s Supreme Guide Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei — are scheduled for June 18.
Currently, the regime appears to be finding it extremely difficult to maintain
funding for its militias and all its forces both inside and outside Iran. For
the first time in more than three decades, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of
Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy designated as a terrorist organization by the United
States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Arab League and Israel, among other
countries, made a public statement asking people to donate money to his group.
“The sanctions and terror lists,” he pointed out, “are a form of warfare against
the resistance and we must deal with them as such. I announce today that we are
in need of the support of our popular base. It is the responsibility of the
Lebanese resistance, its popular base, its milieu,” to battle these measures.
Iran’s currency, the rial, lost more than half its value just in 2020 – a
decline that makes it one of the world’s most worthless currencies. As of April
10, the rial traded on unofficial markets at 25,500 to the US dollar. The ruling
mullahs are also facing one of the worst budget deficits in the four decades
since they seized power. Iran’s regime is currently running a $200 million
budget deficit per week and it is estimated that if the pressure on Tehran
continues, the deficit will hit roughly $10 billion by March 2021. This deficit
will, in return, increase inflation and devalue the currency even further.
The regime has also signed a 25-year secret deal with China that grants China
significant rights over Iran’s resources. China will reportedly be investing
nearly $400 billion in Iran’s oil, gas and petrochemicals industries. In return,
China will receive priority to bid on any new project in Iran that is linked to
these sectors. China will also deploy 5,000 members of its security forces on
the ground in Iran. The deal — the terms of which have not been made public,
only leaked — will apparently include discounted Iranian oil and gas for China
for 25 years. The agreement, which also appears aimed at undermining US position
in the region, has drawn harsh protests from the Iranian public.
At the regional level, the regime is also extremely isolated as Israel and the
Arab states have become closer.
Iran’s leaders, possibly desperate, are currently attacking American bases in
Iraq and Afghanistan in a seeming attempt to force the U.S. to negotiate on
their terms.
The Biden administration, meanwhile, has been forging ahead with the failed
“nuclear deal” — which permits Iran to become a legitimate, full-blown nuclear
power in just a few years — in spite of massive opposition from the US Congress.
Some Republican lawmakers in the Congress have put forward eight plans to
prevent the U.S. government from returning to the JCPOA agreement. These
proposals include tightening sanctions against Iran, declaring non-support for
the JCPOA, and opposing the easing of sanctions — all part of an effort to
prevent the United States from rejoining an agreement they presumably consider
toxic, not just for the Middle East and Europe, but also for South America,
where, as in Venezuela, Hezbollah has been “creat[ing] mischief” on America’s
southern front.
The main criticism from congressional Republicans and Democrats in 2015 was
related to the nuclear deal’s deadlines. According to the agreement’s framework,
all restrictions imposed on Iran’s nuclear and missile program were to be lifted
in a few years. In 2030, Iran would be able to enrich uranium indefinitely and
increase the number and quality of its centrifuges indefinitely — as it is
already begun doing. Iran enriching uranium at any level — it is a negligibly
small step to enrich uranium from “acceptable levels” to “nuclear” levels — puts
the world at risk, especially as other countries in the region could
understandably feel compelled to start their nuclear programs as a deterrent.
The US and the UN Security Council also would do well to impose sanctions on
Tehran for its violation of Resolution 2231, which “calls upon Iran not to
undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of
delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile
technology.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s leaders are further enriching uranium to build their nuclear
bombs, fine-tuning ballistic missiles to carry them, and have continued to chant
“Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated
scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and
president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has
authored several books on Islam and US foreign policy. He can be reached at
Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2021 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.
Iran regime will ensure hard-liner wins presidential
election
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 14/2021
Iran’s 13th presidential election, scheduled for June, will be held at a
critical moment for Tehran due to the regime’s nuclear defiance, the
unprecedented level of isolation the regime is facing, the rising discontent
domestically, and the US sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy and
devalued its currency. These issues raise questions about whether the next
president will be capable of addressing the country’s economic problems, the
fury of Iranian citizens, and Tehran’s lowly regional and international
standing.
The list of potential candidates includes former Defense Minister Hossein
Dehghan, ex-parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, current speaker Mohammed Bagher
Qalibaf, former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Mohsen Rezaee
and Ebrahim Raisi, the head of Iran’s judiciary. All these candidates have
demonstrated strong loyalty to the supreme leader and Iran’s revolutionary
principles, and their main objective is ensuring that the regime survives.
Although the regime attempts to show that it has vibrant and democratic
elections, it is important to point out that all presidential candidates are
carefully selected by the Guardian Council based on their loyalty to the
revolutionary fundamentalists, particularly the supreme leader. As such, they do
not represent ordinary citizens’ ideals or the younger generation. Iran’s
presidential race is, in reality, a closed competition among those who share
fundamentalist principles, such as protecting velayat-e-faqih — the rule of
religious clerics according to Ayatollah Khomeini’s Shiite theology — and the
Islamist political structure. Their differences will only be in relation to
minor policies.
The 12 unelected members of the Guardian Council, six of whom are directly
appointed by the supreme leader, have a history of arbitrarily disqualifying
candidates, particularly women and those who are perceived as disloyal to the
principles of the state and the Islamic revolution. The authority to do so is
implicitly granted by Iran’s constitution, which gives the Guardian Council the
responsibility of “supervising” elections.
So who is likely to be the next president among these potential candidates?
Anyone who has studied Iran’s political system since the 1979 revolution will be
cognizant of the fact that it is wise not to jump the gun and predict who will
win the presidential election. While US presidential campaigns and election
processes unfold over a two-year period, Iran’s elections are only a two-month
process. Nevertheless, since the next president might be Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei’s last due to his old age and deteriorating health, he and the IRGC
will likely push for a president who has deep connections to the IRGC and is a
close confidant of the supreme leader. This will give the regime and the IRGC
greater control of the government in case Khamenei dies.
However, Seyed Mohammed Sadr, a member of the Expediency Council, last month
warned of the consequences of pushing for a specific candidate to be the next
president. He pointed out, according to the Etemad newspaper: “If such a thing
happens, it is a dangerous issue for the country and even a security risk,
because if the presidential election is like the previous parliamentary
elections, the legitimacy of the system will be questioned, and this will pave
the way for foreign greed to create a series of conspiracies against the Islamic
Republic.”
The presidential race is, in reality, a closed competition among those who share
fundamentalist principles.
In addition, the regime wants to project that it has legitimacy thanks to a high
voter turnout. But this might not occur this year, since the people’s
dissatisfaction with all factions of the regime’s political spectrum has grown.
Many young Iranians and other ordinary people with whom I have talked deeply
question the legitimacy of the election. Finding no hope in the vote, many
Iranians deem it as illegitimate, superficial and a sham. With regard to the
prospects of the winner shaping Tehran’s foreign policy, it is crucial to note
that this facet of Iranian politics will not be altered by the next president.
That is because Iran’s policies toward the West, Israel, Syria and the Gulf
states, as well as its nuclear enrichment, are closely guided by the supreme
leader. However, the president does have the ability to help set the tone in
regional and international circles.
The next president of Iran will fully support the regime’s revolutionary ideals,
thus eliminating any hope of a change for the better within the country.
Khamenei and the IRGC are attempting to orchestrate another sham presidential
election, with a hard-line loyalist of the regime sure to emerge victorious.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh