Detailed
Lebanese & Lebanese Related LCCC English New Bulletin For September 14/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
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Bible
Quotations
The
Exaltation Of The Holy Cross Feast
Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians/01/17-25/:"17 For Christ sent me not
to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the
cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void. 18 For the word of the cross is
foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the
power of God. 19 For it is written,“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I
will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.” 20 Where is the
wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Hasn’t God
made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of
God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good
pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.
22 For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ
crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, 24 but to
those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and
the wisdom of God; 25 because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and
the weakness of God is stronger than men.
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy
Cross
Scott P. Richert
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated every year on
September 14, recalls three historical events: the finding of the True Cross
by Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine; the dedication of
churches built by Constantine on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount
Calvary; and the restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by the emperor
Heraclius II. But in a deeper sense, the feast also celebrates the Holy
Cross as the instrument of our salvation. This instrument of torture,
designed to degrade the worst of criminals, became the life-giving tree that
reversed Adam's Original Sin when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden.
Quick Facts
Date: September 14
Type of Feast: Feast
Readings: Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-87, 38; Philippians
2:6-11; John 3:13-17
Prayers: The Sign of the Cross
Other Names for the Feast: Triumph of the Cross, Elevation of the Cross,
Roodmas, Holy Cross
History of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
After the death and resurrection of Christ, both the Jewish and Roman
authorities in Jerusalem made efforts to obscure the Holy Sepulchre,
Christ's tomb in the garden near the site of His crucifixion. The earth had
been mounded up over the site, and pagan temples had been built on top of
it. The Cross on which Christ had died had been hidden (tradition said) by
the Jewish authorities somewhere in the vicinity.
Saint Helena and the Finding of the True Cross
According to tradition, first mentioned by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in 348,
Saint Helena, nearing the end of her life, decided under divine inspiration
to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to excavate the Holy Sepulchre and attempt to
locate the True Cross. A Jew by the name of Judas, aware of the tradition
concerning the hiding of the Cross, led those excavating the Holy Sepulchre
to the spot in which it was hidden. Three crosses were found on the spot.
According to one tradition, the inscription Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum
("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews") remained attached to the True Cross.
According to a more common tradition, however, the inscription was missing,
and Saint Helena and Saint Macarius, the bishop of Jerusalem, assuming that
one was the True Cross and the other two belonged to the thieves crucified
alongside Christ, devised an experiment to determine which was the True
Cross.
In one version of the latter tradition, the three crosses were taken to a
woman who was near death; when she touched the True Cross, she was healed.
In another, the body of a dead man was brought to the place where the three
crosses were found, and laid upon each cross. The True Cross restored the
dead man to life.
The Dedication of the Churches on Mount Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre
In celebration of the discovery of the Holy Cross, Constantine ordered the
construction of churches at the site of the Holy Sepulchre and on Mount
Calvary. Those churches were dedicated on September 13 and 14, 335, and
shortly thereafter the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began to be
celebrated on the latter date. The feast slowly spread from Jerusalem to
other churches, until, by the year 720, the celebration was universal.
The Restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem
In the early seventh century, the Persians conquered Jerusalem, and the
Persian king Khosrau II captured the True Cross and took it back to Persia.
After Khosrau's defeat by Emperor Heraclius II, Khosrau's own son had him
assassinated in 628 and returned the True Cross to Heraclius. In 629,
Heraclius, having initially taken the True Cross to Constantinople, decided
to restore it to Jerusalem. Tradition says that he carried the Cross on his
own back, but when he attempted to enter the church on Mount Calvary, a
strange force stopped him. Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem, seeing the
emperor struggling, advised him to take off his royal robes and crown and to
dress in a penitential robe instead. As soon as Heraclius took Zacharias'
advice, he was able to carry the True Cross into the church. For some
centuries, a second feast, the Invention of the Cross, was celebrated on May
3 in the Roman and Gallican churches, following a tradition that marked that
date as the day on which Saint Helena discovered the True Cross. In
Jerusalem, however, the finding of the Cross was celebrated from the
beginning on September 14.
Why Do We Celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross?
It's easy to understand that the Cross is special because Christ used it as
the instrument of our salvation. But after His Resurrection, why would
Christians continue to look to the Cross? Christ Himself offered us the
answer: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). The point of taking up our own
cross is not simply self-sacrifice; in doing so, we unite ourselves to the
sacrifice of Christ on His Cross. When we participate in the Mass, the Cross
is there, too. The "unbloody sacrifice" offered on the altar is the
re-presentation of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. When we receive the
Sacrament of Holy Communion, we do not simply unite ourselves to Christ; we
nail ourselves to the Cross, dying with Christ so that we might rise with
Him. "For the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we
preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto
the Gentiles foolishness . . . " (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). Today, more than
ever, non-Christians see the Cross as foolishness. What kind of Savior
triumphs through death? For Christians, however, the Cross is the crossroads
of history and the Tree of Life. Christianity without the Cross is
meaningless: Only by uniting ourselves to Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross
can we enter into eternal life.
https://www.thoughtco.com/feast-exaltation-of-the-holy-cross-542472
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Titles For The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on September 13-14/18
Hungary Defiant in the Face of EU CensureظSoeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/September 13/18
Germany: Stifling Dissent to Mass Migration/Vijeta Uniyal/Gatestone
Institute/September 13/18
UN Failure in Geneva/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/September 13/18
Basra best example of Iran’s defeat/Jameel al-Thiyabi/Al Arabiya/September
13/18
US-China trade war escalation: No going back anytime/Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al
Arabiya/September 13/18
We all wish the war in Yemen ends/Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al Arabiya/September
13/18
What is bigger and beyond the battle for Idlib/Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/September
13/18
Iran steps up quest to dominate Iraq with attack on Kurds/Dr. Majid
Rafizadeh/Arab News/September 13/18
Titles For The
Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
September 13-14/18
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel: Bachir Turned 'Strong Republic' Dream into Reality
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel : A New Page Turned Following Zgharta Visit
Kataeb's Secretary-General, Nazar Najarian, Recalls Comrade on Eve of
Assassination Anniversary
Former President Amine Gemayel: Independent Judiciary Is Key to National,
Administrative and Social Salvation
Hankache: Lebanon Witnessing Unprecedented Degradation of Ethics
STL Prosecution: DNA of Ahmad Abu Adass Was Not Found at the Crime Scene
Hariri Says Will 'Patiently' Pursue Efforts to Form Government
Former Trump aide warned of 'existential' Hezbollah threat to Israel
Saudi Arabia reportedly purchases Iron Dome missile system, Israel denies
Titles For The Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 13-14/18
Rival Iraqi factions make coalition deal and end Al-Abadi’s prime minister
hopes
Syria and Jordan begin talks on opening vital border crossing
UN report: 38,500 flee hostilities in Syria’s Idlib in two weeks
France warns against chemical attacks in last Syria rebel stronghold
Washington Calls for Unity to Counter Iranian Threats in Gulf
UN Report Stirs Fears of Future Chemical Attacks in Idlib
France Warns Against Chemical Attacks in Idlib
Israeli Forces Dismantle Protest Camp Near Khan Al-Ahmar
Libya’s UN Envoy Threatens to Reveal Identities of Tripoli Airport Attackers
Arab Foreign Ministers Affirm Support for Yemen's Legitimate Govt.
KDP Senior Official: Iranian Missile Attack Is a Message to the US
The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on September 13-14/18
Kataeb MP Nadim
Gemayel: Bachir Turned 'Strong Republic' Dream into Reality
Kataeb.org/Thursday 13th September 2018/Kataeb MP Nadim
Gemayel affirmed that the cause of the late President Bachir Gemayel will
never fade away, assuring that it will stay alive until a free, independent
and sovereign country is established.Speaking to the Kataeb website on the
eve of his father's assassination anniversary, Gemayel said that the
Lebanese wouldn't have been fragmented as they are today had they sought the
projects set out by Bachir."What we are witnessing today is the result of
selfishness and the pursuit of personal interests," he said.Gemayel stressed
that the martyr president had managed to turn the "strong republic" dream
into reality, adding that there was no place for partitioning and shares
splitting in his project.
Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel : A New Page Turned Following
Zgharta Visit
Kataeb.org/Thursday 13th September 2018/Kataeb MP Nadim Gemayel stressed
that his meeting with Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh and his MP son, Tony,
at their residence in Zgharta and his visit to the tomb of late politician
Tony Frangieh indicate that a new page has been turned and that past wounds
have been healed. "It is time for us to meet and unite because the nation
currently needs openness, not conflicts and bickering," he told Al-Joumhouria
newspaper. "Everyone should follow suit." Gemayel, however, noted that his
visit does not usher in a political alliance, pointing out that each of the
Kataeb Party and the Marada Movement has its own viewpoints and political
alignment. "Nonetheless, this doesn't not mean that we should allow the
political game to rupture communication between us," he said. In another
interview with Al-Markazia news agency, Gemayel stressed that the visit was
partially aimed at opening a new chapter of dialogue between the two
parties, as well as purifying the hearts of a new generation that has
nothing to do with the bitter past. “In politics, each one of us has a
different position as our history is well known by everyone. None of us is
expecting to change the other party's viewpoints and political positioning.
However, that does not mean that we can't open a new page to purify the
memory and pave the way for a large-scale reconciliation among all the
Lebanese,” Gemayel highlighted.
Kataeb's Secretary-General,
Nazar Najarian, Recalls
Comrade on Eve of Assassination Anniversary
Kataeb.org/Thursday 13th September 2018/Kataeb's Secretary-General Nazar
Najarian said that Lebanon would have witnessed a major change had the
martyr President Bachir Gemayel stayed alive to take the helm, stressing
that the cause that Gemayel had long defended is still glaring. "However,
the cause has slightly eroded. It takes time, faith, sacrifice and love to
remove this erosion," Najarian told the Kataeb website. "The cause has been
somehow distorted due to personal interests and selfishness that have become
widespread nowadays," he added. "Nonetheless, the dream will be fulfilled."
Najarian said that history has proved that a strong Kataeb is what unites
the Christians and brings them together, vowing unwavering commitment and
determination to keep the flame alive. "This mission is hard, but not
impossible. We have to derive inspiration from the martyr President Bachir,"
he affirmed. "We will bring back the Kataeb's splendour. When the Kataeb
Former President Amine Gemayel: Independent Judiciary
Is Key to National, Administrative and Social Salvation
Kataeb.org/Thursday 13th September 2018/Former President
Amine Gemayel stressed the need to consolidate the judicial system's
independence, deeming it as key to good governance anywhere and at all
times. "Good justice requires an independent Judiciary and judges," Gemayel
said in an interview with Monte Carlo Radio station. "A good and upright
judicial system is the gateway to any rescue plan on the national,
administrative and social levels," he stressed, outlining the importance of
steering also the diplomatic corps and the Army clear of political
influence.
Hankache: Lebanon Witnessing Unprecedented Degradation
of Ethics
Kataeb.org/Thursday 13th September 2018/Kataeb MP Elias Hankache on Thursday
deplored the "unprecedented" level of intransigence, arrogance and
authoritarianism that are today prevailing over Lebanon, saying that the
country is experiencing a dramatic degradation of ethics. In an interview on
Voice of Lebanon radio station, Hankache blamed greed and egotism for the
ongoing Cabinet formation stalemate, deeming it as unacceptable to form a
government that is a miniature replica of the Parliament. "If all
parliamentary blocs are represented in the government, then who will hold
who accountable?" he wondered. The lawmaker renewed his call for a
small-scale rescue government that will deal with the pressing challenges
that the country is facing, adding that it will be in charge until political
consensus is reached on a new large-scale Cabinet. "We are witnessing the
worst economic crisis in 30 years," he warned. "Knowing that all officials
are aware of this fact, they should make concessions to help form a
government." On the eve of the 36th assassination anniversary of President
Bachir Gemayel, Hankache said that the Lebanese have never lost hope in
their country despite all the setbacks and hardships, adding that everyone
is still aspiring to a real state where there is no place for favoritism.
“It is true that the dream the Lebanese lived 36 years ago has vanished, but
nothing is impossible as long as there are still people clinging to Bachir's
cause and walking in his footsteps," he affirmed.
STL Prosecution: DNA of Ahmad Abu Adass Was Not Found at the Crime Scene
Kataeb.org/Thursday 13th September 2018/The prosecution team at the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon on Thursday continued to present its closing arguments
in the assassination case of PM Rafik Hariri for the third day in a row. The
trial launched in January 2014 has entered the final phase on Tuesday, with
prosecutors and defense lawyers making their final statements until
September 21. The closing arguments are summaries of the case presented by
the parties in the proceedings. They do not constitute a judgement. In its
final brief, the prosecution stated that Ahmad Abu Adass was not the suicide
bomber and that his DNA was not found at the crime scene. Shortly after the
2005 bombing attack, Al-Jazeera channel aired a video showing the so-called
Abu Adass claiming responsibility on behalf of a fictitious group,
previously unknown and never heard of again. The STL prosecution team noted
that Abu Adass was selected based on his specific profile which made him a
credible scapegoat for the false claim of responsibility. It also added that
the suspects Hussein Oneissi and Assad Sabra had participated in the
selection and abduction of Ahmad Abu Adass and that they both participated
in disseminating the false claim of responsibility, along with Hassan Merhi.
Moreover, the Prosecution stated that Salim Ayyash co-ordinated and
participated in the surveillance of Hariri, and that he co-ordinated the
purchase of the Van used in the attack. The UN-backed tribunal indicted five
suspects in absentia: Mustafa Badereddine, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Oneissi,
Assad Sabra and Hassan Habib Merhi.
Hariri Says Will 'Patiently' Pursue Efforts to Form
Government
Naharnet/September 13/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced
Thursday that he would "patiently” continue his efforts to form the new
government. “Despite the differences between the political parties, we hope
through our calm, patient and responsible dealing with all parties to
finally form the government and start solving the problems facing the
country, because without patience and wisdom we cannot solve these problems
and advance the country," Hariri said during a meeting at the Center House
with around 70 students from Stanford University who are visiting Lebanon.
“What distinguishes Lebanon from other countries in the region is its
democratic system and diversity. As you notice, we are living in a region
marked by unrest and wars, but Lebanon, thanks to God and to the will of the
Lebanese and their keenness on its security and stability, distanced itself
from what is happening around it," the PM-designate added. Noting that
Lebanon "suffered a lot in the past from wars, Israeli aggressions and
assassinations," Hariri emphasized that "today we have a unique opportunity
to advance the country, revive the economy and solve the problems we are
facing, especially the problem of the displaced Syrians." "We also seek to
benefit from the opportunity that comes from the CEDRE Conference to rebuild
the infrastructure and advance the country," he added.
Former Trump aide
warned of 'existential' Hezbollah threat to Israel
Jerusalem Post/September 13/18
Israeli officials and defense contractors privately acknowledge that a war
with Hezbollah would likely lead to an overwhelming and indefensible barrage
of rocket fire deep into the country.
A former senior adviser on Middle East policy to US President Donald Trump
was preoccupied by the growth of Hezbollah and the threat it poses to
Israel, according to Bob Woodward, a veteran journalist whose book Fear:
Trump in the White House was released September 11.
The official, Derek Harvey, reportedly brought his concerns to Jared
Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser tasked with
jump-starting the Middle East peace process.
Harvey’s number-one worry in the Middle East was Hezbollah,” according to
Woodward, who noted Hezbollah’s massive stockpile of Iranian
precision-guided rockets amassed since its 2006 war with Israel. Should war
break out, Harvey warned that Israel’s airfields would be targeted, and that
“Israel’s defenses of Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow missiles would be
inadequate.”Israeli officials and defense contractors, which provide
batteries for the missile defense systems, privately acknowledge that a war
with Hezbollah would likely lead to an overwhelming and indefensible barrage
of rocket fire deep into the country. Such a war would escalate quickly,
they say, as Israel sought to destroy Hezbollah's missile stockpile.
Harvey was convinced that level of violence and destruction in such a
conflict would existentially challenge Israel, potentially compelling US
forces to intervene. “An Iranian-Israeli conflict would draw in the United
States and unhinge efforts to bring regional stability,” Woodward writes.
Harvey left the White House in the summer of 2017.
Saudi Arabia reportedly purchases Iron Dome missile
system, Israel denies
Jerusalem Post/September 13/18/Reportedly, the deal was mediated by the
United States, which included further plans to reach an agreement on broad
military cooperation between the two countries. Defense Ministry denied the
claims.
Saudi Arabia has purchased the Iron Dome
missile defense system from Israel to defend itself from missile attacks by
Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Emirati news website Al-Khaleej reported on
Thursday. Reportedly, the deal was mediated by the United States, which
included further plans to reach an agreement on broad military cooperation
between the two countries. Al-Khaleej Online mentioned that a "high-level
diplomatic source" told the news outlet that at first Israel refused to sell
the Iron Dome to an Arab nation; following US interventions and additional
guarantees of not posing security danger to Israel and the region, the deal
was reached. However, the Israeli Defense Ministry responded to the report
and denied the claims of an Iron Dome deal with Saudi Arabia, Ynet reported
Thursday.
Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman caused an uproar earlier this year
when he recognized Israel's right to exist, leaving open a possibility of
cooperation. The kingdom reportedly sought to purchase the defense system in
January, the Swiss paper Basler Zeitung reported then. “Both want to hold
back the regional ambitions of Iran,” wrote the Swiss paper’s journalist
Pierre Heumann, who is based in Tel Aviv, in the article on Saudi-Israeli
military ties. Iran’s proxy – the Houthis – have launched ballistic missiles
at Saudi Arabia’s capital, airport and at the king’s residence. Saudi Arabia
and the United States accuse Iran’s regime of arming the Houthis with
missiles and military aid to destabilize the region. Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems, which produces the Iron Dome system, has repeatedly denied reports
of the sale. Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report
The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on
September 13-14/18
Rival Iraqi factions
make coalition deal and end Al-Abadi’s prime minister hopes
Arab News/September 13, 2018/BAGHDAD: Pro-Iran parties in
Iraq reached a deal on Thursday to join a parliamentary coalition overseen
by anti-Tehran cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr that ends Haider Al-Abadi’s hopes of
hanging on as prime minister. The compromise means members of the ruling
Shiite Dawa Party will be excluded from competing for the post to lead the
next government, negotiators involved in the talks told Arab News. Al-Abadi,
the head of Dawa’s political bureau, who was looking to win a second term,
was the biggest loser in the deal. Nuri Al-Maliki, the former Iraqi prime
minister and head of the State of Law coalition, who was hoping to play a
key role in nominating the new head of government also lost out. Iraqi’s
Shiite rivals have been frantically competing to form the largest
parliamentary coalition, since elections in May. Muqtada Al-Sadr, one of the
most influential Shiite clerics, whose Sairoon list came first, formed a
154-seat coalition including Al-Abadi and his Al-Nassir list. At the same
time, Hadi Al-Amiri, who heads the pro-Iranian Al-Fattah list, formed a
coalition of 108 members, including Al-Maliki and his State of Law alliance.
Both Al-Sadr and Al-Amiri tried to register their coalitions in the first
session of parliament on Sept. 3. The federal court had been requested to
rule between them. Violent demonstrations broke out in Basra, Iraq’s main
oil hub, shortly afterwards. At least 15 demonstrators were shot dead,
scores wounded and dozens of government and political party buildings set on
fire, including the Iranian consulate. Some political leaders saw the
violence as an attempt to pressure negotiations in Baghdad, and Al-Sadr
agreed to resume negotiations with Al-Amiri. Several meetings were held
between the two men in the last week at Al-Sadr’s residency in the holy city
of Najaf, sources said. “We have reached preliminary understandings with Al-Sadr
and are working to turn them into agreements under the umbrella of Marjiyaa
(the highest Shiite clerics in Iraq),” a key Al-Fattah negotiator told Arab
News.
“Both Abadi and Maliki are out. Abadi is a part of the (new) coalition but
he is not a candidate for the prime minister post.“Amiri also is not a
nominee anymore. As long as Abadi will not be nominated (by Sadr or his
allies) then Amiri will not be nominated.”The offer, which was presented by
Al-Fattah through the UN delegation in Iraq, suggests that both Al-Sadr and
Al-Amiri had to make some concessions to form the coalition. Al-Abadi as a
candidate for prime minister and Al-Maliki and his alliance as part of the
coalition were sacrificed for the agreement, negotiators told Arab News.
Both men are cornerstones of the Dawa Party and have been the heads of
successive governments since 2005 but they had a bitter fall out in 2014.
Al-Abadi stood in as a compromise candidate for prime minister when Al-Maliki’s
nomination for a third term was widely rejected because of his sectarian
policies. Those policies were blamed for fueling the resentment that allowed
Daesh to seize a third of Iraqi territory. “Everyone is angry at the Dawa
Party and they blame its leaders for what happened in Iraq since 2005. So it
was not difficult to abandon it and its candidates,” a negotiator for Al-Sadr’s
alliance said. Al-Abadi’s nomination for the prime minister post had been
backed by Al-Sadr and Ammar Al-Hakim, the head of Hikma, who controls 22
seats and is one of Al-Sadr’s key allies. Both invested a large effort in
promoting Al-Abadi during negotiations with the other blocs. They said he
had not enough time to achieve his program in government because the first
three years of his last term were dominated by fighting Daesh, the sources
said.
“The problem of Abadi is he has not helped himself and has not helped us. He
was creative in making mistakes along the last six months and his
negotiating and media teams are weak,” a second Al-Sadr negotiator told Arab
News.
“Now we have to find a candidate who is acceptable for Iran, the US and
Najaf. “Najaf is deeply involved this time and they (the clerics) have been
using Sadr as their stick to pressure the political rivals.” Najaf is led by
Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani the most revered Shiite cleric. The city’s
clergymen are seen by Iraqis as the sponsor of the political process that
emerged after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and
allowed the majority Shiites to take the reins of power through elections.
Sistani has been reluctant to interfere directly in the political process,
but on Monday he made a rare intervention that changed the course of forming
the next government. Sistani’s office issued a statement saying he refused
the nomination for the post of prime minister any politician who had
previously exercised power. “Abadi is out. That’s it. None of us would
publically challenge the desire of Sistani,” a senior Shiite politician
involved in the talks told Arab News. “We have many other more important
things to worry about, so we moved on.”The final decision over all the
details related to the new ruling coalition and the nomination of the next
government, including the president, the speaker of the parliament and the
prime minister have to be concluded before Sept. 15. Iran and the United
States, the two main international players in Iraq’s political and security
scene since 2003, seem to have agreed on this scenario, three negotiators
from the various sides told Arab News. The US has backed Al-Abadi for a
second term while Iran saw him as a threat to its interests in Iraq
specifically after he announced his support for the economic sanctions
imposed on Iran since Donald Trump withdrew America from a nuclear deal
between Iran and world powers. “It becomes clear for the Iranians that going
without Sadr is not in their interest and that they have to deal with
reality,” a key Al-Sadr negotiator told Arab News. “The reality indicates
that Fattah cannot form a government, which would be accepted by local,
regional and international forces. The US would topple it within weeks. “The
Iranians do not have the ability to open a front against the Americans in
Iraq, so they are satisfied by the blow that they directed to the Americans
by burning Al-Abadi. “Now, they (the Iranians) have decided to step back to
let Sadr and the Americans to lead the negotiations and form the new
coalition.”
Syria and
Jordan begin talks on opening vital border crossing
Reuters, Amman
/Thursday, 13 September 2018/Jordan and Syria held their first technical
talks on opening a major border crossing in southern Syria that was
recaptured from the opposition last July, a Jordanian official source said
on Thursday. Damascus, which took back the crossing from the opposition,
hopes to reopen the Nassib route vital to its hopes of reviving Syria’s
shattered economy and rebuilding in territory under its control. Amman also
hopes the opening of the border crossing will reactivate billions of dollars
of annual transit trade between Europe and Gulf markets across Syria. The
source told Reuters a technical committee from the two countries held their
first meeting on the border crossing on Wednesday to begin discussions on
the practical arrangements from customs to security needed to reopen the
crossing. “The meetings will continue to put a complete view of all the
arrangements linked to reopening the crossings in the coming period,” the
source said. Another Jordanian official said the crossing could open by the
end of this year. The closure of the crossing has also weighted on Lebanese
exporters who used it to export hundreds of millions of dollars of produce
and goods to lucrative Gulf markets. Jordan’s private sector are also
pinning hopes of a revival in bilateral trade in a major neighboring market
where Jordanian business have long standing ties. The Syrian government has
recovered control of most of the country with help from its allies Russia
and Iran. With Russian air power, government forces have this year defeated
the armed opposition in the last remaining enclaves near the cities of Homs
and Damascus, and swept through the rebel-held southwest.
UN report: 38,500 flee hostilities in Syria’s Idlib in
two weeks
AFP, Geneva /Thursday, 13 September 2018/Violence in
northwest Syria has displaced more than 38,500 people in less than two weeks
amid increasing hostilities and a looming regime assault on the
opposition-held Idlib province, the UN said Thursday.The UN, which has
warned a full-fledged assault on Idlib could create the century’s “worst
humanitarian catastrophe”, has created a plan to help up to 900,000 people
who could flee the onslaught.And an exodus has already begun. During the
first 12 days of September, “available information indicates that a sharp
increase in hostilities and fears of further escalation has led to the
displacement of over 38,500 people,” the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) said.
That marks a hike of nearly 10,000 people from the figure provided by the UN
on Monday. However, OCHA said that 4,500 of those who had fled since
September 1 had “spontaneously returned” over the past three days amid a
relative decrease in hostilities in western and southern rural parts of
Idlib province. It said most of those who left their homes had fled towards
the north, towards the Turkish border. Others chose to flee into
agricultural lands near their original communities “with the hope that they
will be able to quickly return ... should the hostilities stop,” OCHA said.
The province and adjacent rural areas form the largest piece of territory
still held by Syria’s beleaguered rebels, worn down by a succession of
government victories in recent months. President Bashar al-Assad has now set
his sights on Idlib, and his forces and their Russian allies have since the
beginning of the month stepped up bombardment of the densely populated
province. Some three million people live in the zone now, about half of them
already displaced by the brutal seven-year war and others heavily dependent
on humanitarian aid to survive.A major military operation in Idlib is
expected to pose a humanitarian nightmare because there is no nearby
opposition territory left in Syria where people could be evacuated. “We are
in no way ready for the worst-case scenario,” the UN’s Regional Humanitarian
Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Panos Moumtzis, told reporters in Geneva.
“Should we see three million of the people headed to the Turkish border,
this is a scenario that by far outweighs the capacity of all the
humanitarian organisations put together,” he said. “At the moment as
humanitarians while we hope for the best, we are preparing for the worst.”
Of the UN response plan to help up to 900,000 people who could flee the
hostilities in Idlib, Moumtzis said: “We hope it won’t happen. We hope it
will not be needed.”
France warns against chemical attacks in last Syria rebel stronghold
AFP, Beijing/Thursday, 13 September 2018/Any chemical weapons attack on
Syria's last rebel stronghold would lead to "consequences" for the regime in
Damascus, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned in Beijing on
Thursday. Russia-backed regime forces have massed around Idlib in recent
weeks, sparking fears of an imminent air and ground attack to retake the
last major opposition bastion. Speaking at a joint press conference with his
Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Le Drian said the use of chemical weapons in
the assault would prompt a response from Paris. "France warns against the
use of chemical weapons," he said, calling it a "red line". The Assad regime
has twice been targeted by US air and missile strikes after previous alleged
chemical attacks, and US officials have in recent days said additional
action would follow if Assad uses the banned weapons in rebel-held Idlib.
The US launched a missile strike on a Syrian air base in April 2017 after an
alleged chemical attack in Idlib, while a second US-led strike, supported by
the British and French militaries, took place in April this year.Le Drian
said any regime chemical attack in Idlib would "have the same consequences
as we knew in April". UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned Syria
and its backers against a full-scale offensive in Idlib, saying it "must not
be transformed into a bloodbath". Throughout the seven-year war, which has
claimed more than 350,000 lives, Syrian regime forces have repeatedly been
accused of targeting rebel-held areas with chemical attacks -- mostly with
chlorine but also with deadly sarin nerve gas. The regime and Russia have
consistently denied the accusations, blaming opposition fighters instead.
But international investigators have found that on at least three occasions
the regime unleashed chemical weapons on civilians, while the so-called ISIS
group was also blamed for using mustard gas.
Washington Calls for Unity to Counter Iranian Threats in Gulf
Kuwait- Merza Alkhuwaldi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 13 September, 2018/US
Central Command chief General Joseph Votel urged on Wednesday Gulf Arab
states to unite against Iranian threats and extremist groups. Votel said it
was “imperative” to “enhance and integrate our capabilities for our mutual
national security interests” and “rise above all the other aspects”. "Two of
our enduring security threats are present in this region – the destabilizing
actions of Iran and violent extremist organizations," said Votel, who heads
US forces in the Middle East, at the beginning of a military summit in
Kuwait that brought together military leaders of the armies of the Gulf
States, Jordan and Egypt. "We are looking for a maritime agreement through
the initiative in this regard," he said, adding that the subject will be
tackled in the current summit in Kuwait. "Our priority as a US central
command is to confront the threats in the region," he said, referring to
remarks by US Secretary of State James Mattis, in which he said the dangers
in the region have "originated from Iran and extremist terrorist
organizations." He also stressed the importance of collective military
action, calling for "overcoming any differences so that we can face
terrorism." For his part, Kuwait’s Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General
Mohammed al-Khuder called on the Gulf Cooperation Council nations, Egypt and
Jordan to increase cooperation and boost relations to face the security
challenges in the region. "Our political leadership hopes that our meeting
will contribute to enhancing mutual cooperation and developing mutually
beneficial relations to ensure the achievement of common objectives,” Khuder
explained. “We hope the first steps of this joint coordination will lead to
a desired partnership and defense integration among all parties to develop
our military capabilities in the face of current and future challenges,” he
stressed. Earlier on Monday, heads of state of the GCC countries held a
meeting, in which they discussed means of bolstering military cooperation
and joint defense. The Kuwaiti army said in a statement that Wednesday’s
meeting has discussed many issues, including the fight against terrorism and
extremism.
UN Report Stirs Fears of Future Chemical Attacks in
Idlib
Moscow, Ankara - Raaed Jaber and Saeed Abdul Razak/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday,
13 September, 2018/United Nations human rights investigators concluded that
the Syrian regime has launched 33 chemical attacks since it announced plans
to dismantle its chemical weapons arsenal by the end of 2013, fueling
concerns about chemical attacks being used in the upcoming Idlib battle.
Regime forces fired chlorine, a banned chemical weapon, on an
opposition-held Damascus suburb and on Idlib province this year, in attacks
that constitute war crimes, UN human rights investigators said Wednesday.
The three incidents bring to 39 the number of chemical attacks which the
Commission of Inquiry on Syria has documented since 2013, including 33
attributed to the regime, a UN official told Reuters. “To recapture eastern
Ghouta in April, regime forces launched numerous indiscriminate attacks in
densely populated civilian areas, which included the use of chemical
weapons,” the UN report said. “The Commission concludes that, on these two
occasions, regime forces and or affiliated militias committed the war crimes
of using prohibited weapons and launching indiscriminate attacks in
civilian-populated areas in eastern Ghouta,” the UN report stated. In
Germany, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the past repeated
use of chemical weapons by the regime of Bashar Assad. In April, US, British
and French forces retaliated with airstrikes against regime chemical
facilities. Along with diplomacy, von der Leyen said, "credible deterrence"
is also needed to prevent the future use of chemical weapons. Germany
"cannot continue to act as if this doesn't affect us," she went to say,
adding that as part of the international community, the country "must be
prepared, because we do not know what concrete situation we will face."With
the drums of war rolling loud for Syria’s Idlib, the Turkish army continued
arming Syrian opposition forces and sending more reinforcements to units
along the border with Syria. Syrian opposition sources told Reuters that
Turkey has stepped up arms supplies to help them counter any future attack.
France Warns Against Chemical Attacks in Idlib
Paris/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 13 September, 2018/Any chemical weapons
attack on Syria's last opposition stronghold would lead to "consequences"
for the regime in Damascus, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
warned in Beijing Thursday. Russia-backed regime forces have massed around
Idlib in recent weeks, sparking fears of an imminent air and ground attack
to retake the last major opposition bastion. Speaking at a joint press
conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Le Drian said the use of
chemical weapons in the assault would prompt a response from Paris. "France
warns against the use of chemical weapons," he said, calling it a "red
line". The Assad regime has twice been targeted by US air and missile
strikes after previous chemical attacks, and US officials have in recent
days said additional action would follow if Assad uses the banned weapons in
Idlib. The US launched a missile strike on a Syrian air base in April 2017
after a chemical attack in Idlib, while a second US-led strike, supported by
the British and French militaries, took place in April this year. Le Drian
said any regime chemical attack in Idlib would "have the same consequences
as we knew in April". UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned Syria
and its backers against a full-scale offensive in Idlib, saying it "must not
be transformed into a bloodbath". Throughout the seven-year war, which has
claimed more than 350,000 lives, regime forces have repeatedly been accused
of targeting opposition-held areas with chemical attacks -- mostly with
chlorine but also with deadly sarin nerve gas. The regime and Russia have
consistently denied the accusations, blaming opposition fighters instead.
But international investigators have found that, on at least three
occasions, the regime unleashed chemical weapons on civilians.
Israeli Forces Dismantle Protest Camp Near Khan Al-Ahmar
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 13 September, 2018/Israeli security forces arrive
to the West Bank Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, Thursday, Sept. 13,
2018. Israeli forces have dismantled five corrugated metal shacks that had
been set up by Palestinian activists protesting the anticipated razing of a
nearby West Bank hamlet. Protest leader Abdullah Abu Rahmeh says about 200
soldiers converged on the area of the Khan al-Ahmar encampment before dawn
Thursday, dismantled the shacks and loaded the parts onto trucks. Israeli
border police removed caravans on Thursday from near a Bedouin village in
the occupied West Bank, which they have orders to demolish despite
international criticism, officials said. The pre-dawn operation on the
outskirts of Khan al-Ahmar raised fears among the village's 200 residents
that its demolition would occur soon. The border police took away five
caravans which had been pitched by activists campaigning against the
village's demolition. They blocked off access to the village during the
operation and there were no clashes, an AFP photographer said. The Israeli
defense ministry body which oversees civilian activities in the Palestinian
territories said the five caravans had been pitched illegally over the past
few days. "The erection of these structures was advanced by representatives
of the Palestinian Authority in protest and defiance of the decision of the
(Israeli) High Court of Justice, and in opposition to the enforcement of
Israeli law in Area C," COGAT said. It was referring to the 61 percent of
the West Bank where Israel exercises full civil as well as military
authority. On September 5, Israel's supreme court upheld an order to raze
the village on grounds that it was built without the proper permits. It is
however extremely rare for Palestinians to obtain Israeli permits to build
in Area C of the West Bank, where Khan al-Ahmar is situated. A temporary
stay against the village's demolition expired on Wednesday, meaning the army
can implement the court order when it sees fit. A village spokesman, Abu
Khamis, speculated that Israel may hold off on demolition for now to avoid
sparking international criticism ahead of the UN General Assembly later this
month. The village is located in a strategic spot near Israeli settlements
and along a road leading to the Dead Sea. There have been warnings that
continued settlement building in the area would eventually divide the West
Bank in two, dealing a death blow to any remaining hopes of a two-state
solution. "Over there, there are a number of settlements allowed to grow
naturally -- the number of residents naturally -- but here we are banned
from doing a single thing," Abu Khamis said. "That is racism, that is
apartheid." On Monday, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain issued a
renewed call for Israel not to demolish the village, warning of the
consequences for residents as well as "the prospects of the two-state
solution". Israeli authorities have offered alternative sites for Khan al-Ahmar
residents, but villagers say the first was near a rubbish dump and the
latest close to a sewage treatment plant.
Libya’s UN Envoy Threatens to Reveal Identities of
Tripoli Airport Attackers
Cairo- Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 13 September, 2018/
Violations of Tripoli’s already-fragile truce continued, with militias
firing missiles at the Libyan capital's vicinity and airport. Inbound and
outbound flights scheduled for the capital’s airport were redirected to the
Misrata International Airport. Reports warned against rising tensions
spreading south of the capital and the closure of vital infrastructure.
Expressing impatience with the militias’ violation of the ceasefire, United
Nations Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salamé said that the international
body knows the identity of attackers that targeted Tripoli’s Mitiga
International Airport. The UN Support Mission in Libya and the Government of
National Accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj sought to prevent the collapse of
the truce between militias. Sarraj and Salamé held a two-day meeting to
discuss security arrangements in Tripoli, in the presence of military
commanders from different parts of western Libya. Salamé hinted at imposing
international sanctions against those breaching the truce. "There is
readiness by the international community to deal firmly with those who
manipulate or violate the ceasefire," he said during the meeting. Salamé
also revealed that he will meet with foreign ambassadors to Libya to
"discuss the latest ceasefire violations and those behind them."Tripoli
recently witnessed violent clashes between government forces and the "7th
Brigade" militia from the city of Tarhuna, some 80 km southeast of the
capital, killing at least 78 and injuring 210 others. The UN Mission in
Libya last week brokered a ceasefire between the militias. However, the 7th
Brigade threatened to break the truce and resume fighting to "eliminate
crime and gangs in Tripoli." Separately, the United States, in coordination
with the UN Security Council’s Libya Sanctions Committee, imposed financial
sanctions on Libyan militia leader Ibrahim Jadhran. The statement said that
consequently, all of Jadhran’s assets within US jurisdiction are blocked,
and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with
him. In addition, the corresponding UN sanctions require all UN member
states to impose an asset freeze and travel ban. In June 2018, forces led by
Jadhran attacked and seized control of the Libyan oil ports of Ras Lanuf and
Al Sidra.
Arab Foreign Ministers Affirm Support for Yemen's
Legitimate Govt.
Cairo/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 13 September, 2018/ The Council of Arab
Ministers of Foreign Affairs affirmed its support for the constitutional
legitimacy in Yemen under the presidency of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the
procedures taken by his government to end the Houthi coup and restore
security and stability throughout the country. The council stressed the
importance of maintaining the unity of Yemen, its sovereignty and
independence and the rejection of any interference in its internal affairs.
The ministers voiced its commitment finding a solution to the country's
conflict based on the three references: the Gulf initiative and its
implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the national dialogue and the
relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, namely resolution
2216. The ministers lauded the cooperation of the Yemeni government and its
approval of the international proposals aimed at ensuring the safe and
smooth flow of the humanitarian aid. The council denounced the Iran-backed
Houthi militias' intransigence and refusal to attend last week's
UN-sponsored consultations in Geneva. The ministers decried the human rights
violations committed by the Houthis, in addition to the murder, abduction
and recruitment of children, their use of schools and hospitals for military
purposes and the ongoing siege of Taiz for more than three years. It also
condemned the arbitrary shelling of residential regions, killing of
civilians and looting of humanitarian aid. The Council of the Arab League
praised the humanitarian role of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief
Center (KSRelief) in Yemen and the adoption of the Masam project for
landmine clearance.
KDP Senior Official: Iranian Missile Attack Is a
Message to the US
Erbil- Ihsan Aziz/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 13 September, 2018/A few days
after an Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ missile attacks on the Iraqi
Kurdistan Region, Khaled Azizi, a senior official of the Kurdistan
Democratic Party (KDP), said that Tehran fired the rockets “to send a clear
message to the United States and the countries of the region.”Azizi, a
former secretary and leader of the KDP, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the regime
in Tehran “is currently facing severe political and economic problems and
crises at the internal and external levels, and will not emerge from them
easily and peacefully. “By targeting our headquarters, Iran sent an explicit
message to specific parties such as America and its allies in the region
that Tehran is able to hit all those sides if its interests were put at
risk. This means that the Iranian regime has made our area a field for
experiments,” Azizi stated. Iran said on Sunday it had targeted the KDP
leadership headquarters and training centers in the district of Koysinjaq
(70 km east of Erbil) last Saturday. Azizi was wounded in the attack, along
with the party’s current secretary Mustafa Mawloudi. The senior official
said the party lost 13 lives in the attack, while more than 45 people were
injured, including fighters, civilians and many women and children. Asked
whether Iran had made warnings ahead of the attack, Azizi said the strike
was “unexpected”, pointing out, however, that the party “has a security
committee that collects accurate information about the dangers that threaten
the party and is in constant contact with the party leadership.” He added
that the committee had repeatedly warned of “the regime’s intention to
strike us militarily.” Commenting on Tehran’s threats that it would repeat
its attacks on the Kurdistan region, Azizi said: “The possibility of further
Iranian attacks depends on the results of the upcoming US legislative and
presidential elections, the course of the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear
program and the seriousness of threats exchanged between Iran and the United
States.”“I can say that the repetition of Iranian attacks against us falls
entirely within the framework of Tehran’s relations with Baghdad, the
repercussions of burning the Iranian consulate in Basra and the orientation
of the new Iraqi government.”The KDP official pointed out that Iranian
drones flying over the Iraqi territory was something “ordinary”, noting that
the matter “concerns Iraq and its sovereignty, which the Iranian regime has
blatantly violated.”
The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on
September 13-14/18
Hungary
Defiant in the Face of EU Censure
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/September 13/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12998/hungary-eu-censure
"We need a new European Commission that is committed to the defense of
Europe's borders." — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
"A few months ago ... there was an election in Hungary. The Hungarian people
decided what should happen, and during the election campaign we discussed
all of the issues — including CEU, the NGOs, and all of the important
political issues. And the people decided on these issues. And now the
European Parliament is taking upon itself the task of overruling the
decision made by the people of Hungary and forcing the Hungarian government
to implement what they are attempting to impose on us in place of the
people's decision." — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
"Hungary and the Hungarian people have been convicted because we have proven
that migration is not needed and that it can be stopped." — Hungarian
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó.
"Hungary's decisions are made by the voters in parliamentary elections. What
you are claiming is no less than saying that the Hungarian people are not
sufficiently capable of being trusted to judge what is in their own
interests. You think that you know the needs of the Hungarian people better
than the Hungarian people themselves.... This report applies double
standards, it is an abuse of power, it oversteps the limits on spheres of
competence, and the method of its adoption is a treaty violation." —
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (standing), recently said: "We need a
new European Commission that is committed to the defense of Europe's
borders."
The European Parliament has voted to pursue unprecedented disciplinary
action against Hungary over alleged breaches of the European Union's
"fundamental values." The EU has accused the Hungarian government of attacks
against the media, minorities and the rule of law.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has denied the charges, and said they
are a retaliation for his government's refusal to take in migrants from the
Muslim world.
The censure represents another salvo in a showdown between pro- and anti-EU
forces over populism and nationalism ahead of European Parliament elections
in May 2019.
During a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on September 12,
MEPs voted 448-to-197 — by a margin of more than two-thirds — to trigger
Article 7 against Hungary. It was the first time that such parliamentary
action has been taken against an EU member state; the move can ultimately
lead to Hungary losing its voting rights in EU institutions.
Article 7, sometimes dubbed the "Nuclear Option," threatens sanctions
against EU member states deemed to be in violation of the EU's fundamental
values, which are defined as "liberty, democracy, respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law."
Orbán is accused of undermining the independence of Hungary's judiciary and
media; waging a legal battle against the Central European University (CEU),
founded by the Hungarian-born philanthropist George Soros; mistreating
asylum seekers and refugees and introducing a law that makes it a criminal
offense for lawyers and activists to help them.
Article 7 is a two-step process that moves from "preventive measures"
(Article 7.1) to "punitive measures" (Article 7.2); EU governments will now
have to decide whether to impose sanctions. Hungary is likely to escape the
most serious sanction of suspending the country's vote in the bloc because
that would require unanimity and Poland, which has had its own run-in with
the EU, has pledged to protect Orbán.
In January 2018, the European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution
urging EU countries to "swiftly determine" whether Poland is breaching EU
values over judicial reforms.
The threshold for enacting Article 7 is high — it requires a two-thirds
majority in the European Parliament to pass. Previous attempts to hold a
vote against Hungary failed because of a lack of support, in particular from
the European People's Party (EPP), the European Parliament's pan-European
center-right political group of which Orbán's party, Fidesz, is a member.
The vote to trigger Article 7 proceeded after EPP leader Manfred Weber
unexpectedly announced his support for the move. Weber's reversal came less
than two weeks after he announced his candidacy to succeed Jean-Claude
Juncker as President of the European Commission. Weber's about-face is
almost certainly part of an effort to garner cross-party support for his
candidacy.
Weber's decision will raise questions about Orbán's future with the EPP, the
largest bloc in the European Parliament, precisely at a time when he has
vowed to unite other nationalists to fight against the EU's open-door
migration policies.
In August, Orbán and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pledged to
seek a coordinated strategy ahead of the March 2019 European Parliament
elections to defeat the pro-immigration Party of European Socialists (PES),
a pan-European party representing national-level socialist parties from all
EU member states. The objective of the two men is to change the political
composition of European institutions, including the European Parliament and
the European Commission, to reverse the EU's open-door migration policies.
"We need a new European Commission that is committed to the defense of
Europe's borders," Orbán said. "We need a Commission after the European
elections that does not punish those countries — like Hungary — that protect
their borders."
Orbán attacked Weber and implored the EPP to "find its way back to the path
marked out by the founders ... and to the values, directions, courage and
character which will ensure that the Christian approach — the Christian
conservative approach — also has a party in European politics, and that
people who think this way are also represented in Europe. Because that is
not the case today." He added that the EPP was hamstrung by political
correctness:
"In recent years we have lost our character and abandoned the teachings of
our founding fathers. We have become a European political family with no
character, that has no independent will, that is constantly cautious and
measuring its own steps — while to all intents and purposes we are dancing
to the tune of the socialists and liberals. The European People's Party only
has one goal: to avoid, heaven forbid, being castigated in the European
press or in European forums."
The Article 7 proceedings against Hungary are the brainchild of a Dutch
member of the Greens party, Judith Sargentini, who steered the
recommendation through the European Parliament. "This is foremost about the
rights of Hungarian citizens," she tweeted after the vote in Strasbourg.
In April 2018, Sargentini published a 26-page report that raises concerns
about the judiciary, corruption, freedom of expression, and the rights of
migrants in Hungary. (It might be worth mentioning that the European
Parliament itself has repeatedly been accused of corruption and has
steadfastly refused to cooperate with external investigators.)
Orbán, who has referred to the so-called Sargentini Report as the "Soros
Report," charges that the report's authors failed to send even a single
fact-finding delegation to Hungary and that the document is riddled with
inaccuracies. He has accused Sargentini herself of acting in an
anti-democratic manner:
"A few months ago ... there was an election in Hungary. The Hungarian people
decided what should happen, and during the election campaign we discussed
all of the issues — including CEU, the NGOs, and all of the important
political issues. And the people decided on these issues. And now the
European Parliament is taking upon itself the task of overruling the
decision made by the people of Hungary and forcing the Hungarian government
to implement what they are attempting to impose on us in place of the
people's decision."
Ahead of the vote in the European Parliament, European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his 2018 "State of the Union" address —
entitled, "The Hour of European Sovereignty" — in which he warned of rising
nationalism and the threat it poses to the European Union. "Article 7 must
be applied whenever the rule of law is threatened," he warned.
Juncker later hailed the European Parliament's decision:
"If I was a member of the European Parliament, I would have voted in favor
of Article 7. The European Commission is using the tools we have, launching
infringement procedures against countries that don't respect EU law. I am in
harmony with today's decision."
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó ridiculed the vote. He called it
the "petty revenge" of "pro-immigration" politicians:
"Hungary and the Hungarian people have been convicted because we have proven
that migration is not needed and that it can be stopped."
Politicians from other EU countries defended Orbán's government. In Britain,
for example, pro-Brexit MEP Nigel Farage branded the European Parliament's
debate over Hungary as a "show trial" and added:
"Thank God there is at least one European leader prepared to stand up for
his principles, his nation, his culture and his people, in the face of such
extreme bullying."
After the vote, Farage tweeted that the European Parliament's decision
reflected "the authoritarian grip of the EU."
In the Netherlands, the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, Geert Wilders,
tweeted, "Hungary is the example for all EU countries and Orbán is a hero
and deserves the Nobel Prize."
Orbán, who has been in power since May 2010 and who was reelected by a
landslide in April 2018, is unlikely to be deterred by the European
Parliament's action. In a defiant speech to the European Parliament on
September 11, one day before the censure, Orbán delivered a stinging rebuke
of the Sargentini Report in general and of the European Union in particular:
"I know that you have already formed your opinions. I know that the majority
of you will vote in favor of the report. I also know that my contribution
now will not sway your opinions. Yet still I have come here [to Strasbourg]
because you are not about to denounce a government, but a country and a
people. You will denounce the Hungary, which has been a member of the family
of Europe's Christian peoples for a thousand years; the Hungary which has
contributed to the history of our great continent of Europe with its work
and, when needed, with its blood. You will denounce the Hungary which rose
and took up arms against the world's largest army, against the Soviets,
which made the highest sacrifice for freedom and democracy, and, when it was
needed, opened its borders to its East German brothers and sisters in
distress. Hungary has fought for its freedom and democracy. I stand here now
and I see that Hungary is being arraigned by people who inherited democracy,
not needing to assume any personal risk for the pursuit of freedom. And now
these people want to denounce the Hungarian freedom-fighters of the
anti-communist, democratic resistance.
"I stand here now and defend my homeland, because to Hungarians freedom,
democracy, independence and Europe are matters of honor. This is why I say
that the report before you is an affront to the honor of Hungary and the
Hungarian people. Hungary's decisions are made by the voters in
parliamentary elections. What you are claiming is no less than saying that
the Hungarian people are not sufficiently capable of being trusted to judge
what is in their own interests. You think that you know the needs of the
Hungarian people better than the Hungarian people themselves. Therefore, I
must say to you that this report does not show respect for the Hungarian
people. This report applies double standards, it is an abuse of power, it
oversteps the limits on spheres of competence, and the method of its
adoption is a treaty violation.
"To us in Hungary, democracy and freedom are not political questions, but
moral questions. You now seek to pass moral judgement and stigmatize a
country and a people on the basis of a numerical majority. You are assuming
a grave responsibility when — for the first time in the history of the
European Union — you seek to exclude a people from decision-making in
Europe. You would strip Hungary of its right to represent its own interests
within the European family that it is a member of. We have, and will
continue to have, disputes: we think differently about Europe's Christian
character, and the role of nations and national cultures; we interpret the
essence and mission of the family in different ways; and we have
diametrically opposed views on migration. If we truly want unity in
diversity, then our differences cannot be cause for the stigmatization of
any country, or for excluding it from the opportunity of engaging in joint
decision-making. We would never sink so low as to silence those with whom we
disagree....
"Every nation and Member State has the right to decide on how to organize
its life in its own country. We shall defend our borders, and we alone shall
decide who we want to live with. We have built a fence and have stopped the
entry of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants; we have defended
Hungary, and we have defended Europe. Today, for the first time in the
history of the European Union, we see a community denouncing its own border
guards.
"Let us speak plainly: you want to denounce Hungary because the Hungarian
people have decided that our homeland will not become an immigrant country.
With due respect, but in the strongest possible terms, I reject the threats,
the blackmail, the slander and fraudulent accusations levelled against
Hungary and the Hungarian people by the European Parliament's
pro-immigration and pro-migrant forces. I respectfully inform you that,
whatever decision you come to, Hungary shall not bow to blackmail: Hungary
shall continue to defend its borders, stop illegal immigration and defend
its rights – against you, too, if necessary. We Hungarians stand ready for
the elections next May, when the people will finally have the chance to
decide the future of Europe, and will have the opportunity to restore
democracy to European politics."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2018 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.
Germany: Stifling Dissent to Mass Migration
Vijeta Uniyal/Gatestone Institute/September 13/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12997/germany-migration-dissent
Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, BfV,
has dismissed claims that right-wing gangs chased non-Germans during the
late August demonstrations in Chemnitz after the fatal stabbing of a German
by a group of migrants. That news flew in the face of Chancellor Merkel's
repeated use of the charge of a "hunt on foreigners" in describing the
incidents.
According to the domestic affairs spokesperson for Merkel's Christian
Democratic party, Maassen "would answer parliamentarians' questions about
his comments at special meetings next week. In these "hearings," politicians
are expected to bring more pressure to bear on the intelligence chief, in an
apparent attempt to make him recant his statements.
Maassen is not the only one in the crosshairs of the mainstream politicians.
Rattled by the recent wave of protests against country's open-door
immigration policy, establishment parties across the political spectrum are
calling for the populist anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party (AfD)
to be placed under police surveillance.
In early September, authorities in the states of Lower Saxony and Bremen
placed their regional chapters of Young Alternative, the AfD's youth wing,
under surveillance citing "suspected ties to extremists."
Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, is
under political pressure to resign for stating inconvenient truths. (Photo
by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
In Communist East Germany, truth-telling involved risks. The penalty for it
was often loss of one's professional career and social status, if not more.
Today, challenging the state-approved narrative in Chancellor Angela
Merkel's Germany can sometimes have similar consequences.
Germany's intelligence chief now faces the risk of losing his job for
contradicting Merkel over what took place at recent demonstrations in the
eastern German city of Chemnitz.
Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency, BfV,
has dismissed claims that right-wing gangs chased non-Germans during the
late August demonstrations in Chemnitz, which were held after the fatal
stabbing of a German by a group of migrants. That news flew in the face of
Chancellor Merkel's repeated use of the charge of a "hunt on foreigners" in
describing the incidents.
"We have video recordings of [people] hunting down others, of unruly
assemblies, and hate in the streets, and that has nothing to do with our
constitutional state," Merkel initially claimed after residents of Chemnitz
took to the streets in reaction the deadly stabbing.
Merkel's statement echoed media reports that talked of demonstrators acting
as "mob" and carrying out a "pogrom" and "witch hunt" against foreigners.
The authenticity of those reports has now been questioned by Maassen, who
declared that there was "no reliable information that such pursuits had
taken place." Maassen went a step further, accusing mainstream politicians
and media of spreading misinformation to divert attention from the brutal
murder of a 35-year-old German man, Daniel Hillig, by a group of immigrants,
which spurred the demonstrations
"I share the skepticism towards media reports of right-wing extremists
chasing down [foreigners] in Chemnitz," Maassen told the German newspaper
Bild.
Maassen was not alone in his judgement. Michael Kretschmer, a member of
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and the
premier of Saxony state, where Chemnitz is located, sided with the
intelligence chief. "One thing is clear. There was no mob, there was no hunt
and there was no pogrom in Chemnitz," Kretschmer said.
Kretschmer criticized the biased way in which funeral march and
demonstrations in the eastern German city of Chemnitz had been portrayed by
the media. He said it was "astonishing that those who are so far away have
passed a particularly sweeping and harsh judgment on this city."
Since then, German media and politicians from mainstream parties have
attacked Maassen for daring to deviate from the narrative in which the
citizens of Chemnitz who protested the killing of a fellow resident at the
hands of armed migrants were perpetrators of crimes, and the immigrants were
somehow victims.
Stephan Weil, a Social Democrat and the premier of the state of Lower
Saxony, charged that the intelligence chief's "comments fuel suspicion that
he is protecting right-wing extremists."
Politicians from the Green Party and the Left Party are calling for Maassen
to be sacked. "I don't expect any trustworthy assessments from Mr. Maassen
any more," said Katrin Göring-Eckardt, the leader of the Green Party's
parliamentary group. Katja Kipping, the chairwoman of the Left Party
(successor of the East German Communist Party), said that Maassen was "not
tenable in this position."
According to the domestic affairs spokesperson for Merkel's CDU party, Armin
Schuster, Maassen "would answer parliamentarians' questions about his
comments at special meetings the third week of September, 2018, including in
front of a parliamentary committee that oversees Germany's spy agencies,"
Reuters reported. In these "hearings," politicians are expected to bring
more pressure to bear on the intelligence chief, in an apparent attempt to
make him recant his statements.
Maassen is not the only one in the crosshairs of politically-correct
mainstream politicians. Rattled by the recent wave of protests against
country's open-door immigration policy, establishment parties across the
political spectrum are calling for the populist anti-immigration Alternative
for Germany party (AfD) to be placed under police surveillance.
Thomas Oppermann, vice president of the German parliament, said "the refugee
question divides society, and the AfD is riding ever more radically on this
wave. That is why security services should be watching the collaboration
between the AfD and neo-Nazis very closely."
Oppermann is specifically referring to the presence of AfD leaders at recent
demonstrations in Chemnitz. According to German media reports, besides city
residents, members of the Germany's neo-Nazi movement also showed up at some
of those events.
The AfD distanced itself from the neo-Nazis present at the protests, many of
which were organized over social media by grassroots groups. "It is
naturally a problem with such events that the hooligans and right-wing
extremists ride along," said AfD co-leader Alexander Gauland. "This,
however, does not delegitimize the anger and the protest of the people of
Chemnitz with respect to this crime."
Patrick Sensburg, the security spokesperson for Merkel's CDU and Armin
Schuster, the homeland security expert for the party, similarly urged
government to take measures against the AfD.
For her part, Chancellor Merkel doubled down on her allegations against
protestors. "We saw pictures that very clearly revealed hate and thereby
also the persecution of innocent people. One must distance oneself from
that," Merkel said.
Apparently, the German public in large numbers disagrees. In the wake of the
incidents, according to a recent opinion poll, the AfD has emerged as the
third-strongest political force in Germany. With 17% popular support, the
party trails behind only Merkel's Christian Democrats (31%) and the Social
Democrats (18% .In early September, authorities in the states of Lower
Saxony and Bremen placed their regional chapters of Young Alternative, the
AfD's youth wing, under surveillance citing "suspected ties to extremists."
*Vijeta Uniyal, a journalist and news analyst, is based in Germany.
© 2018 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.
UN Failure in Geneva
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/September 13/18
United Nations efforts to get Yemeni consultations up and running have once
again been thwarted by Houthi militias’ intransigence and skipping of a
scheduled Geneva meeting.
Houthis dodging peace negotiations is a well-documented trend. Back in June
2015, a UN-sponsored Geneva conference was also abandoned after Houthi
coupists stalled with sending their negotiating delegation and finally
rejected holding dialogue.
Despite the unchanging Houthi attitude towards consultations and peace
talks, there are still those who believe that the Iran-backed group is
serious about finding peace. The UN --despite Houthis constantly and
embarrassingly rejecting all its arrangements, conferences and plans—tops
that list of believers. In 2016, both the peace roadmap drafted by the then
UN envoy and Kuwait-sponsored negotiations were trashed by Houthis
announcing the establishment of a self-empowered political council to govern
the country, a step that received UN condemnation.
Subsequent negotiations failing did not come across as surprising—Houthis,
time and time again, proved stubbornly inclined to thwart peace efforts.
Whether attending or abstaining from consultations, it is difficult to spot
a real desire among Houthis to move towards a functioning peace process.
Uncooperative Houthi behavior is predictable to UN envoys, and the
international body is unlikely to be convinced that coupists are committed
to peace, which raises the following question: Why is the UN still pursuing
dialogue, consultations and negotiations that are constantly foiled in the
same fashion and by the same party every single time?!
The answer is simple: UN efforts have been operating under the same
framework for the past four years. Despite swapping three different UN
envoys, the UN continues to treat both Yemen’s freely-elected government and
coupists as equals. For Houthis, this is a well-celebrated validation for
their war effort.
Knowing they are being accepted on the same playing field as the
constitutionally-empowered government, how can they voluntarily agree to
hand over weapons, state institutions and end their militia presence?
Houthi militias perceive such recognition as a historic opportunity that
cannot be missed. It is absurd for them to consider handing over or even
sharing power after having gotten away with violating international
resolutions and rejecting meaningful engagement. Despite ongoing
transgressions, they have managed to get off scot-free every single time.
It is inconceivable for a militia, armed to its teeth and free from
international pressure, to positively respond to peace callings. Especially
if demands for a political settlement are being made by an organization that
sees it in the same light it does legitimate Yemeni authorities.
On the other hand, the Yemeni government has always proven its support for
peace, starting with its positions upheld at the Geneva 1 peace talks, its
cooperation with Kuwaiti-sponsored consultations, and positive dealing with
all the proposals set forth by UN envoys. In 2016, opposite to Houthis, the
legitimate government signed the UN draft agreement in Kuwait.
Yemeni government negotiators left peace talks in Kuwait only after Houthi
militias rejected the UN proposal aimed to ending their country’s war.
Seeing that the UN does not have a clear and realistic vision or means to
place any valuable pressure on Houthis to stop the war and bring about
peace, makes the international body’s ability to implement its very own
resolutions questionable. The UN envoy is only focusing on one-sided
humanitarian aspects, and is inhibiting any military action that weakens
Houthi gunmen.Maintaining Houthis as an effective military force is, in
reality, the sole UN success in Yemen. Amidst a deafening UN silence,
Houthis pillaging relief aid sent by UN-affiliated agencies has been going
without probing.
This stands as great evidence that the international body is unable to
perform its smallest duties.
With an Iranian agenda still puppeteering Houthi decisions --combined with
UN inability to pressure Houthis into taking peace efforts seriously-- makes
talking of peace negotiations a media filler that is entertained with
meetings and conferences destined for failure. Had the Yemeni army not been
accomplishing continuous advances on battlefields, it is easy to see how the
current situation may stretch for another three decades. In that time,
dozens of UN envoys will come and go. And the international organization
will continue pushing for failing peace processes a fourth, fifth and tenth
time.
UN peace efforts will continue flopping so long that they rely on the
chances of Houthi militias –who openly push for a scenario of death and
destruction befalling a million Yemenis—to come around for sensible
negotiations.
Basra best example of Iran’s defeat
Jameel al-Thiyabi/Al Arabiya/September 13/18
Iran has no longer any more ways to pursue with its evil plots aimed at
destabilizing the countries in the region. The plans of the Mullahs to
undermine the security of the Latin American countries and Africa have
already been foiled.
Latin America is no longer a mine for smuggling cocaine to serve the
interests of the terrorist Hezbollah. The African governments did not allow
Iran to spread its Shi’ism and sectarianism that would have dealt a blow to
the national unity of the people of the Dark Continent.
In Yemen, the slaps are much louder to the extent that there are directives
for Houthis from Tehran not to send a delegation to attend the UN-sponsored
peace talks in Geneva. The Houthis have lost more maritime passages and
ports where they used to receive weapons and spare parts of missiles from
the Mullah regime. The Houthis have also started losing ground in the battle
for Yemen while the legitimate nationalist forces, with the support of the
Saudi-led Arab Coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen, have taken control
of more regions, cities and villages that were reeling under the Persian
colonial rule. In Syria, unlike in the past, Iran does not enjoy now a free
hand.
But the unexpected surprise came for Iran from the neighboring Iraqi city of
Basra. It had planned a total change in the demographic structure of Basra,
and even managed to have a hold on Iraqi oil supplies as well as on its
strategic port of Umm Qasr. It was also another surprise for Iran when the
people of Basra, both Sunnis and Shiites alike, stormed its consulate in
Basra and torched the premises of militias whom Tehran misused to expand its
influence so as to colonize Iraq and exploit its resources and capabilities.
Basra protests attain its significance mainly because of the fact that it is
the outcome of the first Iraqi popular consensus in confronting the Iranian
interference in their country
Arab identity
More than a year ago, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had decided
that the proper way to save Iraq from the disasters that virtually paralyzed
the country would be through restoration of the Arab identity for Iraq and
not turning again to the Persians.
Since then, Abadi made his historic visit to Riyadh in 2017 and concluded an
agreement with Saudi Arabia to establish a joint Arab committee to pinpoint
the pathways of bilateral cooperation, especially in investments and
infrastructure, while taking advantage of the Arab and Saudi prominence at
the regional and international arenas for the betterment of Iraq. Finally,
Abadi, in his capacity as the commander in chief of the Iraqi armed forces,
ordered the dismissal of the commander of the Hashad Al-Shaabi militias and
this further weakened the position of Iran. During the last Iraqi elections,
Iran made all attempts to lure in the voters to support the candidates in
its favor. However, the results have proved otherwise and it did not serve
the interests of Tehran so that it can exercise its influence in the Iraqi
affairs. It was not possible for Iran to influence the larger bloc in the
parliament to ensure the return of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to
head the new government, while getting a free hand for its another mercenary
Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Iran-backed Badr Shiite militia.
Popular consensus
The Basra protests attain its significance mainly because of the fact that
it is the outcome of the first Iraqi popular consensus in confronting the
Iranian interference in their country after the war with Iran led by the
deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 1980s for similar reasons. That
war ended with the defeat of the Mullah regime during which the role of its
agent Doha was also exposed. It seems that Iran is incapable of achieving
any of its goals with regard to its dreams to impose its hegemony over the
region after an exposure of its plots and the revelations of scandals of its
agents. Here comes the great role of the Decisive Saudi Arabia toward the
criminal interventions of Iran. It is also to be noted that Tehran’s dispute
with the United States has been doubled after assumption of office by Donald
Trump as president of US.
Iran is not in a position to confront Saudi Arabia unless through its spies
and mercenaries. It is also not possible for Tehran to incorporate Lebanon,
Syria and Gaza into its fold because of its inability to build a military
force, which is capable of facing the international forces that are prepared
to support these countries in the event of a military standoff. It is
certain that the demonstrators of Basra shout slogans at the squares and
streets and these slogans are meant what Iraq now intends to have: “Iran go
out: Basra free, free.” This is the same slogan that resounds the Arab will
in confronting the Persian influence; whatever may be the outcome of this
confrontation with the Mullahs of Tehran, Qum and their agents.
US-China trade war escalation: No going back anytime
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/September 13/18
Once again the favored tweet diplomacy was at work when President Donald
Trump tweeted from aboard Air Force One a threat of further tariffs on
another $267 billion of imports from China, behind the $200 billion list
that was about to hit.
This time the markets seemed more sanguine, having become accustomed to an
ever escalating tweet trade war but instead chose to focus instead on
comments by National Economic Director Larry Kudlow pointing to the good
relationship and dialogue between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping,
Trump’s willingness to meet with Xi at any time, and so on.This is more hope
than of any substance as the Chinese are running out of polite patience. In
the meantime, these escalating trade tariffs are the real cause on why oil
prices are still not going up sharply due to actual or forecasted reductions
in Iranian oil exports as the 4th November USA oil sanctions deadline looms.
Despite Mr Kudlows optimism, there is and has been no dialogue whatsoever at
a senior level, or of any substance to note at any level, between US and
Chinese officials since the low energy meeting between Treasury Under
Secretary for International Affairs David Malpass and China’s Vice Minister
of Commerce Wang Shouwen on August 22-23.
Indeed, that meeting, if anything was a tepid, final feeler by Beijing and
Washington to see if there was any low hanging fruit or a political window
for easy progress before the US midterm elections in November. The short
answer was, and appears to remain, for now at least, no.
Indeed, in response to Trump’s latest tweets , senior Chinese leadership now
believe they have no expectation the deadlocked bilateral trade talks can or
will be resolved at any time in the near future soon, and what’s more, there
has been no offer or expectation from either side of any high-level
telephone conversation, much less a bilateral call between the heads of
state, the usual favoured break through style of diplomacy favoured by the
transactional US President.
The Chinese have not been waiting for that telephone call either and have
been highlighting a conference being organized by Beijing to enlist
China-friendly former senior US officials and business leaders to its cause.
But officials in Beijing warn ominously, that were China and the US to
engage in a full-blown trade war, China’s multinationals, US companies in
China, or US companies with close trade ties with China would be forced to
make a strategic choice – continue development in China, or withdraw
completely.
The game plan from Washington for weeks now has been to seek victories on
trade elsewhere, with Mexico and even Canada, and in parallel to nudge the
still nascent EU auto and industrial tariff talks along
Bringing production home
This type of threat does not go down well with President Trump either and
lest need reminding, President Trump also suggested Apple should perhaps
consider bringing some of its production back “home” to the United States.
The enormity of that statement, even from a President known for rather bold,
and controversial, tweets, should perhaps not be dismissed. In public,
Chinese media outlets and experts continue to exhort patience and digging in
for the long game, while economic officials have been explicitly tasked by
the State Council with protecting potential downside risks to the domestic
economy.
The rhetoric in private meanwhile continues to express frustration, and
circle around potential avenues for retaliation and leverage against the US
in what they now expect will be a long, drawn out battle.
As such, officials in Beijing note they are not surprised by Trump’s latest
round of trade “intimidation and coercion” (preparing tariffs on further
$267 billion in Chinese goods), even while angrily repeating that China will
not be afraid or back down if a full-blown trade war with the US is
unavoidable.
And as to any specific negotiation or demands, the Trump administration,
they note, is well aware of Beijing’s position, and particularly of
President Xi’s vow not to make any concessions on China’s core interests -
such as “Made in China in 2025” and “the Belt and Road Initiative.”
Where does all this lead to? Timing wise, Beijing is now settled in to wait
talks out and see if a now widely predicted Democratic Party take-over of
the House of Representatives in the midterm elections will bring a more
moderated, chastised Trump back to the negotiating table.
That, some analysts believe, is a calculation in which they may be gravely
mistaken given the surprises seen in his election victory and continued
support from the presidents core base despite a cascade of revelations from
White House insiders and former disgruntled employees.
The game plan from Washington for weeks now has been to seek victories on
trade elsewhere, with Mexico and even Canada, and in parallel to nudge the
still nascent EU auto and industrial tariff talks along.
The China portfolio, for all practical purposes, is for now put on ice. This
will have major consequences on oil prices, Iran sanctions and long term
Chinese desire to unshackle itself from a US dominated financial system.
We all wish the war in Yemen ends
Mohammed Al Shaikh/Al Arabiya/September 13/18
All Saudis — from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the average
citizen — wish that the war in Yemen ends. However, they totally reject the
possibility of mullahs’ government establishing a party like Hezbollah near
the Saudi border in Yemen as this is going to be a flagrant threat to our
national security. Ignoring this aspect or marginalizing it, to be more
accurate, will be irresponsible toward Saudi Arabia’s future, security and
stability. Everyone should be fully aware of this fact.
There can be no peace in Yemen and the war will not end, unless the
Iran-backed Houthi militias hand over their heavy and medium-sized weapons
to the legitimate authorities in Yemen.
This condition is non-negotiable as this is an existential issue for us, the
Saudis. We are ready to fight for it no matter what the consequences or
losses may be. Any human or material loss does not justify compromising our
national security.
The Lebanese at the Taif conference made a huge mistake when the rival
parties made everyone hand over their weapons except the Iranian Hezbollah
militia, on the pretext that it was resisting Israel. This Iranian party now
dominates Lebanese decision making and sends its militias — in spite of the
Lebanese will — to fight in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, while the front with
Israel has remained completely quiet for more than 10 years.
In other words, Hezbollah is not concerned about confronting Israel, and it
is paving the way for Iranian expansion in the region. The Iranians want the
Houthis in Yemen to be another Hezbollah, and this makes our war and the
UAE’s war there, a war of existence.
The Iranians want the Houthis in Yemen to be another Hezbollah, and this
makes our war and the UAE’s war there, a war of existence
Political future
We and the UAE are not the only ones who benefit from defeating and crushing
these underdeveloped militias, but the Yemenis and the Yemeni political
future are the main beneficiaries, despite the deaths and the cost of this
war.
I have no doubt that defeating these militias and uprooting their ideologies
from Yemen would enable the Yemenis to establish a stable civil state.
I know that war is always disastrous, but uprooting this evil needs
sacrifices. Probably what is happening now in Iraq and the uprising of its
people is a good example for Yemenis to learn form. Iraq is rich in natural
resources, but the Iranian occupation has turned it into a weak
underdeveloped country whose people’s current hopes have been reduced to
having a sip of pure water. The case with Lebanon is similar as Hezbollah
has turned the country into a state without security or basic amenities and
whose debts, that are over $90 billion, restrain its economy. Therefore, the
war against the Houthis is essentially a war of independence and liberation.
What is bigger and beyond the battle for Idlib
Eyad Abu Shakra/Al Arabiya/September 13/18
There seems to a consensus that the battle for Idlib province in northwest
Syria will be the final one in the “Syrian War”, and the first step towards
Syria’s recovery.
That could be true, but about how wars end, I would like to revisit an
interesting true story I heard about the chauffeur of Field Marshall
Ferdinand Foch, the Commander General of the Allied forces during WW1. As
the story goes, the villagers where Emile, the chauffeur, lived were
suffering, like all the French, from the long devastating war. Counting the
days and praying for an imminent end, their only source of news was none but
the good old Emile. The poor villagers would wait for the day Emile arrived
in the village on a short leave granted by the great General – as his rank
was then. The moment he arrived, they would rush to his house and ask him
what became the usual question: “Please Emile, has the General uttered a
word about when this war would end?” To such question, Emile would give his
usual short answer: “No, he has said nothing!”
The days passed, without any dramatic news until one day, the villagers were
surprised when Emile replied: “Yes, yesterday the General spoke. He asked
me: ‘Emile, when will this damned war end!’”.Few, actually, can foresee how
wars end. Many wars went on and on, and became ever more complicated, when
conflicting interests intersected, alliances changed and the balance of
powers between the combatants’ backers shifted.
The end of “The Cold War” with the demise of the socialist Soviet
alternative, gave rise to two strong trends throughout the world: The
religious trend, and the nationalist – racist trend
Arab East
Indeed, most of the events that the Arab East witnessed since the birth of
its new entities in 1920, and more so since the end of WW2 in 1945 – when
most of these entities became independent states – have left problems and
causes for future conflicts.
The entities in what we call “The Fertile Crescent”, in particular, have
become easy prey to, and an open arena for three regional powers (Israel,
Iran and Turkey), behind which stand two global powers (the US and Russia).
Ironically, the only player absent from this scene is the “landowner,” who
should be the decision-maker. Yes. This absent player is the local people,
some of whom have chosen to be so, when they decided to serve the interests
of others, and put these interests above their own.
In the current critical period in the region’s history, political, military
and demographic wars are raging, all of which are legacies being brought
back from the past, when need be; either for emotional and combat
mobilization, or to accord fake legitimacy to resurrect animosities,
grudges, bloodshed, changing maps and displace populations.
In 1920, the borders were drawn for Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and within these
entities, the political classes strived to achieve two connected goals: the
first, to hold on to power; and the second, to build a “political culture”
that served the positions of power which would suit their interests.
The first dominant political classes were political and tribal feudalism,
which emerged since 1920. Political and tribal feudal lords maintained their
dominance up until the late 1930s, when the European political scene began
to change as a result of the challenge posed by Nazi Germany and Soviet
Russia to the two old mandatory powers in the region, i.e., Great Britain
and France.
Parallel to this changing scene in Europe, more so after the “Balfour
Declaration” became known, a new political “polarization” appeared in the
Arab East between pro-Nazi Germany and pro-British and French mandates, in
addition, to the beginnings of Leftist movements.
The aforementioned “polarization” ended only after crushing the Rashid Ali
Al-Gaylani in Iraq (1941), the defeat of Nazism (1945) and the creation of
Israel (1948). The latter development was bound to change the national
political landscape in the region, in favor of the military.
In fact, the series of military coups in Syria began in 1949 and in turn,
these ushered a marked shift in the balance of power in the West, too. The
US emerged as the Western “superpower” at the expense of Great Britain and
France, with the USSR, as a “rival pole” and heir to the old national and
Christian Orthodox “moskovism” in the region; something that was later
confirmed after the Suez Crisis in 1956.
Superpower politics
Thus, by the early 1960s, the whole Arab East; indeed, the whole world,
witnessed the birth of “Bi-Polar Superpower Politics” between the US and the
USSR. Between “capitalism” and its ideological adversary... “socialism”.
In the meantime, a lot had changed in the Middle East. Ataturk’s secular
Turkey, which became a full member of NATO was now confronting its old enemy
Russia, and being a member of CENTO (the former pro-West Baghdad Pact) it
was pitted against the project of Arab Nationalism.
The Pahlavi Shahs’ Iran, which was also secular and pro-West, was also a
member in CENTO. As for the previously “socialist” Israel, its political
power gradually slipped away from Zionist socialist parties and powerful
trade unions as broad coalitions of conservative biblical groups, former
army generals and “money mafias” of new immigrants.
The end of “The Cold War” with the demise of the socialist Soviet
alternative, gave rise to two strong trends throughout the world: The
religious trend, and the nationalist – racist trend. The Arab world and
Turkey were no exception, while Iran had witnessed that change earlier.
The same happened later even in India, the world’s largest democracy, and
the western democracies in Europe and the US, where voters rose against
“globalization”, and sometimes, even against “secularism”!
Today, it would be useful to keep this background in mind, when we look at
the stumbling “democratic” experiments in Iraq and Lebanon, which are
virtually living under the military and intelligence sway of Iran’s
“mullahs”, and the Russian-led “battle to finish off” Syria’s uprising.
It is also useful to notice Washington’s total silence towards what the
current Likud leadership is doing in Israel, the ongoing conspiracy
perpetrated against the Syrian people, the sinister and ambiguous relations
between Washington and the two “Islamist” leaderships in Tehran and Ankara,
and at the fragility of “Arab” entities which we had thought for a long time
were “independent” and “homogeneous” and with populations truly wishing to
peacefully coexist.
Iran steps up quest to
dominate Iraq with attack on Kurds
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/September 13/18
الدكتور ماجد ربيزاده: إيران تزيد من سعيها
للسيطرة على العراق بالهجوم على الأكراد
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Although Iran’s rising influence in the region is in the spotlight, Tehran’s
treatment of Kurds has been receiving less attention. Interactions between
the Iranian regime and the Kurdish population have been mainly subject to
political polemics rather than scholarly work.
Iran has ratcheted up its anti-Kurdish policy in recent months. Most
recently, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a Kurdish
base in Koysinjaq, located east of Irbil in northern Iraq, killing at least
12 people and wounding 50 others. According to a statement by the Democratic
Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), “Iran used long-range missiles in a
coordinated attack on PDKI’s bases and adjacent refugee camps.”
The Iranian regime strikes also hit the headquarters of a different Kurdish
group, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).
Such deadly assaults point to the regime’s hypocrisy and a double
standards-based policy toward the Kurds, as the Iranian leaders frequently
boast about their efforts to defend the Kurds and justify their military
presence in various parts of Iraq for the sake of protecting the Kurdish
population. Previously, President Hassan Rouhani famously pointed out: “Iran
protects Irbil and Baghdad just as it protects Iranian Kurdistan. Without
Iran’s help, Irbil and Baghdad would be in the hands of terrorist groups
right now. Just as we protect Sanandaj, we also protect Sulaimani and Duhok.”
Iran’s strikes also point to the regime’s increasing concerns. Domestic
pressure against the political establishment has increased to an
unprecedented level due to the failing economy and devaluation of Iran’s
currency, the rial.
Iranian leaders fear that Kurdish groups, such as the PDKI and KDPI, may
rally Iran’s Kurdistan against the ruling mullahs. The regime cannot afford
widespread protests in Tehran as well as in Kurdistan.
In addition, the large scope and intensity of Iran’s attacks, as well as the
use of drones in the assault, are the first of their kind against Kurds
residing outside of Iran.
For the Kurdish people, this is most likely also a reminder of Iran’s attack
against them in 1996, when Tehran dispatched 3,000 troops to enter Kurdish
territory in northern Iraq, killing dozens of people and displacing many
families. In addition, Iranian agents exploded a car-bomb close to KDPI
refugee camps.
Without a doubt, Iran’s missile assault against the Kurds was not
reactionary in nature, due to the fact that the Kurds have not launched any
attack against Tehran in recent months.
Attacking Sunni groups in Iraq and arming Iraqi Shiite militias is part of
Tehran’s larger strategy of firming up its arc of influence in the region.
Instead, the accuracy and characteristic of Tehran’s assault highlights the
notion that the senior cadre of the IRGC and the Quds Force — the elite
branch of the IRGC that operates in foreign territories to advance Iran’s
revolutionary ideals — had most likely planned, coordinated and organized
the missile and drone attack in advance.
From the Iranian leaders’ perspective, they have scored a victory not only
in terms of dealing a serious blow to the Kurdish opposition, but also in
terms of having enhanced their military capabilities to such an extent that
they can carry out ballistic missile attacks with great accuracy and
precision.
In addition, it is worth noting that the Iranian regime is pursuing
two-pronged policies in Iraq at the same time. On the one hand, Tehran is
undermining and weakening the Kurds by attacking their bases in northern
Iraq.
On the other, the theocratic establishment has recently been increasing its
efforts to arm the Iraqi Shiite militias with much more advanced weapons.
According to the latest information, Iran has sent ballistic missiles to
these militias. Based on intelligence from Iranian, Iraqi and Western
sources, Tehran is also “developing the capacity to build more (ballistic
missiles) there (Iraq) to deter attacks on its interests in the Middle East
and to give it the means to hit regional foes.”
Such a two-dimensional policy is extremely effective in tipping Iraq’s
balance of power further in favor of Iranian-backed militias, which would
subsequently advance Tehran’s geopolitical, economic and strategic interests
in Baghdad.
Attacking Sunni groups in Iraq and arming Iraqi Shiite militias is also part
of Tehran’s larger strategy of firming up its arc of influence in the region
by strengthening and expanding the “Shiite Crescent.” This is the reason
that the Iranian regime has also escalated its attempts to smuggle weapons
to other Shiite militia groups through new routes, such as using civilian
airlines.
In a nutshell, Iran’s recent missile assault against the Kurdish people in
Iraq points to Tehran’s relentless quest to dominate Iraq through any means,
including hard power. The Iranian leaders also appear determined to continue
showing defiance in the face of international and regional demands that it
must scale back on its military adventurism carried out through the IRGC,
the Quds Force, and local militia and terror groups. If the international
community has decided to disregard Iran’s latest belligerence against the
Kurds, it ought to realize that it is allowing the Iranian leaders to
further destabilize, radicalize and militarize the region.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political
scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a
businessman and president of the International American Council.