English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For April 04/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
You will search for me, but you will not find me; and
where I am, you cannot come
Saint John 07/32-36/:”The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering
such things about Jesus, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police
to arrest him. Jesus then said, ‘I will be with you a little while longer, and
then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not
find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’ The Jews said to one another, ‘Where
does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to
the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by
saying, “You will search for me and you will not find me” and, “Where I am, you
cannot come”?’
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News & Editorials published on April 03-04/2022
Faith, Hope And Persistence Do Miracles/Healing miracle of the blind
beggar/Elias Bejjani/April 03/2022
Lebanese Political Forces Fear Low Turnout in Upcoming Elections
Rochdi says U.N. making every effort to back Lebanon's education sector
Rahi presides over Mass service in Bkerki
Mufti urges Lebanese to vote as lists of Saniora, civil society announced
From Beirut to Baghdad: Lebanese flee crisis seeking jobs in Iraq
Australia PM denies having racially vilified Lebanese-origin rival in the past
Hamiyeh: The citizen is not a scapegoat
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 02-03/2022
Iran FM says agreement in Vienna nuclear talks ‘close’
US Administration Reluctant to Remove IRGC from Terror List
Missiles Hit Near Odesa in Ukraine as New Mariupol Evacuation Bid Planned
EU Accuses Russian Troops of Committing Atrocities in Ukrainian Town Bucha
Russia Says Peace Talks Not Ready for Leaders’ Meeting, Says Chief Negotiator
Ukraine says Russia 'verbally' agreed to its proposals
EU vows more sanctions as Russia accused of 'massacre' near Kyiv
Human Rights Watch Accuses Russian Forces of ‘Apparent War Crimes’ in Ukraine
Egypt, Cyprus Agree to Strengthen Military Cooperation
Canada/Minister Joly to travel to Finland, Germany and Belgium
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on April 02-03/2022
A Ukrainian Lesson to the Arabs?/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/April,
03/2022
The Biden administration’s contradictory approach to Iran/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/April 03, 2022
Ukraine crisis contributes to strategic shift in Middle East/Dr. Diana Galeeva/Arab
News/April 03, 2022
Consolidating fresh allegiances in Mideast reaches new summit/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab
News/April 03, 2022
Afghans continue to suffer as world is distracted/Luke Coffey/Arab News/April
03, 2022
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News
& Editorials published
on April 03-04/2022
Faith, Hope And Persistence Do Miracles/Healing miracle of the blind beggar
Elias Bejjani/April 03/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/73575/elias-bejjani-faith-and-persistence-do-miracles/
John 09:39: “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may
see; and that those who see may become blind.”
On the sixth Lenten Sunday, our Maronite Catholic Church cites and recalls with
great piety Jesus’ healing miracle of the blind beggar, the son of Timaeus,
Bartimaeus. This amazing miracle that took place in Jericho near the Pool of
Siloam is documented in three gospels:Mark 10/46-52. John 9/1-41 Matthew
20/:29-34.
Maronites in Lebanon and all over the world strongly believe that Jesus is the
holy and blessed light through which believers can see God’s paths of
righteousness. There is no doubt that without Jesus’ light, evil darkness will
prevail in peoples’ hearts, souls and minds. Without Jesus’ presence in our
lives we definitely will become preys to all kinds of evil temptations.John
09:5: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world”.In every community,
there are individuals from all walks of life who are spiritually blind, lacking
faith, have no hope, and live in dim darkness because they have distanced
themselves from Almighty God and from His Gospel, although their eyes are
physically perfectly functional and healthy.
Meanwhile the actual blindness is not in the eyes that can not see because of
physical ailments, but in the hearts that are hardened, in the consciences that
are numbed and in the spirits that are defiled with sin. John’s Gospel gives
important details about what has happened with Bartimaeus after the healing
miracle of his blindness. As we read in the below enclosed Biblical verses that
after his healing Bartimaeus and his parents were exposed to intimidation, fear,
threats, and terror. But he refused to succumb or to lie.He held verbatim to all
the course details of the miracle, bravely witnessed for the truth and loudly
proclaimed his strong belief that Jesus who cured him was The Son Of God.His
faith made him strong, fearless and courageous. The Holy Spirit came to his
rescue and spoke through him.Romans 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us
in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us through wordless groans”Sadly our contemporary world
hails atheism, brags about secularism and persecutes those who have faith in God
and believe in Him.Where ever we live, there are opportunists and hypocrites
like some of the conceited crowd members that initially rebuked Bartimaeus, and
tried with humiliation to keep him away from Jesus, but the moment Jesus called
on him they changed their attitude and let him go through.Meanwhile, at the
present time, Christian believers do suffer dire persecution in many countries
on the hands of ruthless oppressors, Jihadists and rulers who refuse to witness
for the truth.But despite of all the dim spiritual darkness, thanks God, there
are still too many meek believers like Bartimaeus who hold to their faith no
matters what the obstacles or hurdles are.Lord, enlighten our minds and hearts
with your light and open our eyes to realize that You are a loving and merciful
father.
Lord Help us to take Bartimaeus as a faith role model in our life.
Lord help us to defeat all kinds of sins that take us away from Your light, and
deliver us all from evil temptations.
Lebanese Political Forces Fear Low Turnout in Upcoming Elections
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Lebanon’s political forces fear a low turnout in the upcoming parliamentary
elections on May 15, as recent opinion polls published by statistics centers
have pointed to a lack of public enthusiasm over the elections. The situation
has prompted the country’s politicians to urge the voters to participate
massively in order to achieve the required change. Religious clerics, including
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rai, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, and
other prominent figures, have been repeatedly calling for a wide participation
in the elections, as a first step towards addressing the deteriorating economic
and social crises. In this regard, Lebanese Forces MP Pierre Bou Assi, said he
hoped that the voter turnout in Baabda constituency would reach one hundred
percent, stressing that boycotting the polls was “the worst option under these
circumstances.” In turn, member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Wael Abu
Faour, said that the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) was facing a major
electoral battle. “We are confident that the people of Rashaya and the Western
Bekaa have understood this challenge,” he stated. A member of the Liberation and
Development bloc, MP Ali Khreis, called for “a massive turnout in the
elections,” which he said must constitute a referendum “to prove commitment to
the principles of the Amal Movement.”Meanwhile, a delegation of observers and
experts from the European Union met on Saturday with the Electoral Supervision
Body, to discuss preparations for the elections, in line with a joint agreement
between Lebanon and the EU. Headed by Deputy Chief Observer Jaroslaw Domansky,
the delegation held talks with the Supervisory Commission for Elections, led by
Judge Nadim Abdel-Malik, to review the role entrusted to the EU delegation. The
turnout in the 2018 elections reached 49.2 percent across the country, with the
highest percentage registered in the districts of Jbeil-Kesrouan and northern
Bekaa, while the lowest was recorded in Beirut’s first constituency and Tripoli.
Rochdi says U.N. making every effort to back Lebanon's
education sector
Naharnet/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
“For the future of Lebanon and its children, it is critical that the Lebanese
Government and all stakeholders work together to rebuild the education system,”
U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi has said.
“With the vital support of international partners, U.N. agencies in Lebanon have
been providing significant support to the entire Education sector. We are aware
of the difficult situation that teachers are facing and are supporting the
Ministry of Education and Higher Education to improve the conditions in schools
for both teachers and children,” Rochdi said in a statement. She added: “We
acknowledge the dedication and commitment of teachers to their students. The
economic situation and the financial external environment are extremely
challenging, and along with UNICEF, we have been advocating for the best
interest of the teachers and the children.”Rochdi also noted that every day,
U.N. agencies are “working closely with the Ministry of Education and Higher
education and partners to ensure that the contracted teachers’ entitlements are
fully paid.” “However, we are still waiting for the documents and data to be
provided to UNICEF from the Ministry in order to pay the second shift teachers
for hours completed so far in School Year 21/22. As such, U.N. agencies and
International Community do not have any responsibility in the delay,” the U.N.
coordinator pointed out. She added that it is critically important that the
education of children “is not jeopardized, and that we keep schools
open.”“Together with UNICEF and through generous funding from the European Union
and Germany, we are supporting the enrolment of 336,000 Lebanese and
approximately 198,000 Non-Lebanese children in the formal public school system.
“During the 21/22 scholastic year and to support the safe school reopening,
UNICEF together with donor partners has provided School Fund top-ups for every
school, health and hygiene supplies, fuel, books and stationery benefitting all
children in public formal education, no matter who they are, or what their
nationality,” Rochdi went on to say. She added that the concerned U.N. agencies
and the international community are “committed to providing the support, so that
every vulnerable child living in Lebanon has access to quality education.”
Rahi presides over Mass service in Bkerki
NNA
/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
"I ask the government to embrace doctors we are losing. If we lose our
universities, doctors, and banks, what will remain of Lebanon, the Arab League,
Arab Bank, and Arab Hospital?", Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi
said. Rahi, who presided over Sunday mass sermon in Bkerki, considered the
elections an opportunity for people to change their reality for the better.
"Successful parliamentary elections are a guarantee of successful presidential
elections, and thus a president will come who is able to get the country out of
its crisis."
Commenting on the issue of capital control, he considered that the law should
have been passed in 2019
Mufti urges Lebanese to vote as lists of Saniora, civil
society announced
Naharnet/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, the country’s top Sunni Muslim religious
authority, has called on the Lebanese to turn out heavily in the May 15
parliamentary elections, despite a declared boycott by al-Mustaqbal Movement,
Lebanon’s biggest Sunni political party. “There is a remaining peaceful path and
the Lebanese must take it without hesitation. All Lebanese must head to polling
stations,” Daryan said in his annual Ramadan message. “A lot of old and new
candidates possess dynamism, uprightness and a will to change,” the mufti added.
“They want us to remain silent, stay in our homes or emigrate, but we don’t want
to do this or that. The era of submission and fear is over. The promise of
revolution against tyrants, oppressors and corrupts has kicked off,” Daryan
declared. “Let us go to elections together in order to produce alternatives
together,” he urged. An electoral list that will compete in Beirut’s second
district and is backed by ex-PM Fouad Saniora was meanwhile announced on Friday.
The list, named ‘Beirut Confronts’, is led by ex-minister Khaled Qabbani and
comprised of Bashir Itani, Majed Dimashqiyeh, Zeina al-Masri, Lina Tannir, Abdul
Rahman al-Mubashirr, Ahmed Ayyash, Faisal al-Sayegh, Michel Falah and George
Haddad. The list was announced at a rally at the Riviera Hotel in the presence
of Saniora and representatives of Beiruti families. The civil society groups
that took part in the Oct. 17, 2019 popular uprising meanwhile managed to agree
on a unified list for Beirut’s second electoral district. The list comprises
Ibrahim Mneimneh (Sunni, Beirut Tuqawem), Hasan Sinno (Sunni, Lana), Waddah al-Sadeq
(Sunni, Ana Khatt Ahmar), Sara Yassine (Sunni, Madinati), Iman Tabbara (Sunni,
National Bloc), Rushdi Qabbani (Sunni, Thuwwar Beirut), Ali Abbas (Shiite,
Popular Observatory for Combating Corruption), Mahmoud Fakih (Shiite, Watani
Alliance) and former Beirut Bar Association chief Melhem Khalaf (Greek Orthodox,
independent). The two lists will mainly compete against four other lists backed
respectively by the Shiite Duo, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, the Association of Islamic
Charitable Projects and Nabil Badr, who is the chairman of the Al Ansar Football
Club.
From Beirut to Baghdad: Lebanese flee crisis seeking jobs in Iraq
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Iraq, once synonymous with conflict and chaos, is becoming a land of opportunity
for Lebanese job-seekers fleeing a deep economic crisis back home. Akram Johari
is one of thousands who fled Lebanon's tumbling currency and skyrocketing
poverty rates. Last year, he packed his bags and boarded a plane from Beirut to
Baghdad, using social media to search for opportunities. "I didn't have enough
time to look for a job in the Gulf," the 42-year-old said, explaining why he
eschewed the more traditional path for those seeking economic opportunities in
the region. With its relative proximity and visas on arrival for Lebanese, the
Iraqi capital seemed a good option. "I had to take quick action, and so I came
to Baghdad and began searching for work on Instagram," Johari said, speaking in
a restaurant he has run for about a month. Lebanon is grappling with an
unprecedented financial crisis that the World Bank says is of a scale usually
associated with war. Beirut's crisis, driven by years of endemic corruption, has
seen Lebanon's currency lose more than 90 percent of its value against the
dollar. Lebanon's 675,000-pound monthly minimum wage now fetches around $30 on
the black market, and about 80 percent of the population now lives in poverty,
according to the U.N. When he left Beirut, Johari was earning the equivalent of
about $100 per month. In Iraq, he earns enough to support his family back home,
he said.
Thousands flock to Iraq
More than 20,000 Lebanese citizens arrived in Iraq between June 2021 and
February 2022, excluding pilgrims visiting the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and
Karbala, according to the Iraqi authorities. Lebanon's ambassador in Baghdad,
Ali Habhab, said that movement from Lebanon to Iraq "has recently multiplied."
There are more than 900 Lebanese businesses now operating in Iraq, the majority
of them in the restaurant trade, tourism and health, Habhab said. In particular,
there have been "dozens of Lebanese doctors who offer their services" in Iraqi
hospitals, he said. Iraq's decades of conflict -- from the Iran-Iraq war of the
1980s, to the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 and subsequent sectarian conflict, and
on to the rise of the Islamic State group in 2014 -- means that Baghdad might
appear to be an unlikely magnet for those seeking to build a new life. But since
the country declared victory over IS in 2017, Iraq has slowly begun to recover
its stability. Today, streets in Baghdad that once witnessed atrocities are
buzzing with shops lining main thoroughfares and cafes open late into the night.
According to Iraqi economic expert Ali al-Rawi, many Lebanese companies came to
Iraq because they "know the investment environment well," while many foreign
companies from other countries "fear investing" because of its violent past.
"There is a lot of space for Lebanese enterprises in the Iraqi economy," he
said. But Iraqis themselves have seen their fair share of economic hardship. In
a country where 90 percent of revenues come from oil sales, roughly a third of
the population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. In 2019,
nationwide protests erupted across Iraq, driven by anger over rampant
corruption, the absence of basic services and unemployment -- similar factors
behind protests in Lebanon that erupted around the same time.
- Lebanese firms flourish -
Lebanon was once a prime destination for medical tourism, as Iraqis flocked to
better equipped medical centers in Beirut and other cities. But, as with other
sectors, Lebanon's economic crisis has hit healthcare. The Beirut Eye & ENT
Specialist Hospital was once popular with Iraqi patients, but an official at the
hospital, Michael Cherfan, said that "many doctors had left Lebanon." The
hospital responded to the crisis in the way many Lebanese have -- by opening a
branch in Baghdad, sparing Iraqis the trip to Beirut. "Our doctors come on a
rotating basis," Cherfan said. "Every week, one or two doctors come and do
consultations and surgeries, earn some money and then return to Lebanon, which
helps offset some of their losses." For Johari, while the money he earns in Iraq
supports his family, it comes with a bitter taste. He flies home once a month,
but he misses his family. "It saddens me a lot that I can't watch my
two-month-old daughter grow up," he said.
Australia PM denies having racially vilified Lebanese-origin rival in the past
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday rejected claims he launched
his political career by vilifying a rival over his Lebanese heritage and stoking
rumors he was Muslim. Two members of Morrison's party signed legal declarations
stating he told them back in 2007 that his competitor in a local election,
Michael Towke, was too risky for the Liberals to back as their candidate. This
was due to his ethnic background, the pair claimed, and "a strong rumor" the
Lebanese Christian was actually Muslim, according to reports in The Saturday
Paper. "I could not reject this more fundamentally," Morrison told reporters
Sunday, adding that close to an election people "make all sorts of things up,
because they have other motivations."Morrison is expected to call an election
within days, seeking to capitalize on a recent budget stocked with sweeteners,
but he had little chance to sell it before the scandal erupted. The allegations
date from early in his political career, when he was battling to become a
candidate for the Sydney seat of Cook, where in 2005 white and Lebanese
Australians brawled on a beach during the racially-charged Cronulla riots. Towke
told newspapers on Sunday that among tactics used to unseat him from Cook in
2007, "racial vilification was front and center and (Morrison) was directly
involved." The 15-year-old claims surfaced after Morrison's Liberal party
colleague Concetta Fierravanti-Wells alluded to them on Tuesday during an
extraordinary attack on the prime minister in parliament. "In my public life, I
have met ruthless people. Morrison tops the list," she said, adding that he "is
not fit to be prime minister."The lashing by a member of his own party piled
further pressure on Morrison, who must close a 10-point gap between his
conservative government and the Labor opposition to hold on to power in the
election, which is due by mid-May.
Hamiyeh: The citizen is not a scapegoat
NNA/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
"The citizen is not a scapegoat and it is not from their pockets that we want to
cover the budget deficit. For this, we are working to activate the state's
public facilities through which we can earn money," tweeted Minister of Public
Works and Transportation, Ali Hamiyeh, this morning. "The optimal investment of
public state property provides the treasury with abundant money," the minister
went on, adding that taxes must be levied on the able, not on the exhausted.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
April 03-04/2022
Iran FM says agreement in Vienna nuclear
talks ‘close’
AFP, Tehran / 03 April ,2022
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Sunday an agreement is
“close” in paused negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran
and world powers. Iran has been engaged in negotiations to revive the deal,
known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with France,
Germany, Britain, Russia and China directly, and the United States indirectly.
“We are close to an agreement in the negotiations,” Amir-Abdollahian said during
a phone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to a
statement by the ministry. Iranian and US delegations in Vienna do not
communicate directly, but messages are passed through other participants and the
European Union, the talks’ coordinator. “We have passed on our proposals on the
remaining issues to the American side through the EU senior negotiator, and now
the ball is in US court,” Iran’s top diplomat added.
According to the Iranian statement, Guterres stressed the importance of the
Vienna talks and expressed hope that the parties would reach an agreement as
soon as possible. Nearly a year of negotiations brought the parties close to
renewing the landmark 2015 accord. But the talks were halted last month, after
Russia demanded guarantees that Western sanctions imposed following its invasion
of Ukraine would not damage its trade with Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov later said Moscow had received the necessary guarantees from Washington
on trade with Iran. The JCPOA gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs
on its nuclear program to guarantee that Tehran could not develop a nuclear
weapon -- something it has always denied wanting to do. But the US unilateral
withdrawal from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and the
reimposition of biting economic sanctions prompted Iran to begin rolling back on
its own commitments. The Vienna talks aim to return the US to the nuclear deal,
including through the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and to ensure Tehran’s full
compliance with its commitments. Among the key sticking points is Tehran's
demand to remove from the US terror list the Revolutionary Guards, the
ideological arm of Iran’s military. Washington recently confirmed sanctions on
the Guards would stay.
US Administration Reluctant to Remove IRGC
from Terror List
Elie Youssef - Washington/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
The region covered by the US Central Command “is where we protect waterways so
that global commerce can flow,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, in
remarks during a change of command ceremony at CENTCOM. “It is where we fight
terrorists who threaten our citizens. And it is where we work with our partners
to confront instability from Iran and its proxies,” he added. He continued: “And
so CENTCOM is central to our security. It is central to our readiness. And it is
central to our mission.” In his speech, Austin focused on the partnerships that
CENTCOM holds in the region, especially after Israel’s realignment. On Iran’s
destabilizing role in the region, he said: “Iran has been expanding its nuclear
program and investing in military capabilities, especially ballistic missiles.
It has cultivated dangerous proxies. And it’s using unmanned aerial systems to
threaten us and our partners.”He pointed to political difficulties faced by the
administration of US President Joe Biden in “marketing” a return to a nuclear
agreement with Iran, in light of its rejection to discuss its ballistic missile
program and its regional policies.
“The President has been clear: the United States is committed to preventing Iran
from gaining a nuclear weapon. And we’re still committed to a diplomatic outcome
on the nuclear issue. But regardless of the outcome of the nuclear talks, we’ll
keep working closely together with our many partners to confront the threats
from Iran,” Austin stated. He continued: “In the short term, we’ll increase
intelligence sharing and bolster regional air defense. And in the longer term,
we’ll work together to tackle Iran’s use of missiles and its proliferation of
unmanned aerial systems. And we’ll keep standing strong with our partners to
hold Iran and its proxies accountable.”US Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla
assumed the command of CENTCOM from his successor, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie. In
comments during the ceremony, Kurilla said: “The regions that comprise CENTCOM:
the Levant, the Middle East, South and Central Asia, are home to some of the
most important and extraordinary scientific, artistic and social contributions
to human history… Yet, they are home to violence, instability and conflict.
There are areas of great suffering, abuse and human misery.”
He added that the central leadership must be involved in ensuring that global
trade continues in the region, and must guarantee that threats there do not
develop the ability to harm the American homeland. Meanwhile, a US official said
that negotiations between the US and Iran were now suspended, because nothing at
this stage was acceptable to both parties. “At this point, nothing mutually
acceptable” has been proposed, according to a US official quoted by the
Washington Post. He explained that Tehran’s demand that the United States lift
its designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist
organization, and US refusal to do that, have brought the negotiations over
reviving the Iran nuclear deal to a halt. The official said the decision rests
with Biden. “The president hasn’t made a decision,” the official said.
“Politically, we know that it’s an extremely difficult step to take.”
Missiles Hit Near Odesa in Ukraine as New Mariupol Evacuation Bid Planned
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Missiles struck near Ukraine's southern port of Odesa on Sunday with Russia
saying it had destroyed an oil refinery used by the Ukrainian military, while
attempts to evacuate people from the devastated city of Mariupol were due to
continue.
There was little sign of a breakthrough in efforts to negotiate an end to the
five-week war, although Russia's chief negotiator said talks were due to resume
on Monday. In Odesa, the city council said "critical infrastructure facilities"
were hit by missiles. No casualties were reported. Russia's defense ministry
said strikes by its military destroyed an oil refinery and three fuel storage
facilities near Odesa. It said the facilities were used to supply Ukrainian
troops near the city of Mykolaiv. Odesa, on the Black Sea, is the main base for
Ukraine's navy. It has been targeted by Russian forces seeking a land corridor
to Transdniestria, a Russian-speaking breakaway province of Moldova which hosts
Russian troops. "Smoke is visible in some areas of the city. All relevant
systems and structures are working ... No casualties reported," Vladyslav
Nazarov, an officer of Ukraine's South Operational Command, said on Telegram.
Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, said the Kremenchug oil
refinery, 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Odesa, had been destroyed in a
separate rocket attack on Saturday. Evacuation efforts in Mariupol and nearby
Berdyansk, both also on Ukraine's southern shores, were due to continue with a
convoy of buses being prepared for the operation with help from the Red Cross.
"Seven buses will try to get closer to Mariupol, accompanied by the
International Committee of the Red Cross," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna
Vereshchuk said in an online video posting. The ICRC abandoned earlier attempts
due to security concerns. Russia blamed the ICRC for the delays. Mariupol is
Russia's main target in Ukraine's southeastern region of Donbas, and tens of
thousands of civilians there are trapped with scant access to food and water.
Peace talks
Russia's chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said a draft deal was not ready
for any meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskiy. On Saturday, Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia raised
hope for negotiations with Russia, saying enough progress had been made for
direct talks between the two. Medinsky said that while Ukraine was showing more
realism by agreeing to be neutral, renouncing nuclear weapons, not joining a
military bloc and refusing to host military bases, there had been no progress on
other key Russia demands. "I repeat again and again: Russia's position on Crimea
and Donbas remains UNCHANGED," he said on Telegram, adding talks via
video-conference would continue on Monday. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in
2014 and has recognized declarations of independence by the self-proclaimed
republics of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine which
rose up against Kyiv's rule.
Bucha Destruction
Ukraine said on Saturday its forces had retaken all areas around Kyiv, claiming
complete control of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched
its invasion on Feb 24. Russia has pulled back forces that had threatened Kyiv
from the north to regroup for battles in eastern Ukraine. There was no Russian
comment on the claim that the Kyiv region was entirely in Ukrainian hands, which
Reuters could not immediately verify. The mayor of Bucha, a liberated town 37 km
(23 miles) northwest of the capital, said 300 residents had been killed during a
month-long occupation by the Russian army, and victims were seen in a mass grave
and still lying on the streets. "The bastards!" Vasily, a 66-year-old man said,
weeping with rage as he looked at more than a dozen bodies in the road outside
his house. "I'm sorry. The tank behind me was shooting. Dogs!"The Kremlin and
the Russian defense ministry in Moscow did not immediately reply to requests for
comment when asked on Saturday about the bodies found in Bucha. Moscow denies
targeting civilians and rejects war crimes allegations. Among those killed near
Kyiv was Maksim Levin, a Ukrainian photographer and videographer who was working
for a news website and was a long-time contributor to Reuters. British Foreign
Secretary Liz Truss said she was appalled by atrocities in Bucha and voiced
support for the International Criminal Court's inquiry into potential war
crimes. Ukraine's emergencies service said more than 1,500 explosives had been
found in one day during a search of the village of Dmytrivka, west of the
capital.
Zelenskiy warned in a video address: "They are mining all this territory. Houses
are mined, equipment is mined, even the bodies of dead people." He did not cite
evidence. Russia's defense ministry did not reply to a request for comment on
the allegations about mines. Reuters could not independently verify them.
Since the launch of what Putin called a "special military operation" to
demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine, Russia has failed to capture a single major
city and has instead laid siege to urban areas, uprooting a quarter of the
country's population.
British military intelligence said Russian naval forces were maintaining a
blockade along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, but the option of amphibious
landings were becoming increasingly high-risk for Russia. It said reported
mines, the origin of which remained unclear and disputed, posed a serious risk
to shipping in the Black Sea.
EU Accuses Russian Troops of Committing Atrocities in
Ukrainian Town Bucha
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
The European Union on Sunday accused Russian troops of committing atrocities in
the Kyiv region after the mayor of the town of Bucha said 300 residents had been
killed during a month-long occupation by Russian forces. "Shocked by news of
atrocities committed by Russian forces. EU assists Ukraine in documenting war
crimes," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter, adding all cases
needed to be pursued by the International Court of Justice. Ukraine said on
Saturday its forces had retaken all areas around Kyiv, claiming complete control
of the capital region for the first time since Russia launched its invasion on
Feb 24. The mayor of Bucha, a liberated town 37 km (23 miles) northwest of the
capital, said 300 residents had been killed by the Russian army. "Shocked by
haunting images of atrocities committed by Russian army in Kyiv liberated
region," the president of the EU Council grouping the bloc's member states,
Charles Michel, commented on Twitter. Russia has previously denied targeting
civilians and rejected allegations of war crimes in what it calls a "special
military operation" in Ukraine. The Russian defense ministry in Moscow did not
immediately reply to a request for comment when asked on Sunday about bodies
found in Bucha. Michel said the EU was assisting Ukraine and non-governmental
organizations in gathering the necessary evidence for the prosecution of crimes
in international courts. "Further EU sanctions and support are on their way," he
added.
Russia Says Peace Talks Not Ready for Leaders’ Meeting, Says Chief Negotiator
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Russia said on Sunday that peace talks with Ukraine had not progressed enough
for a leaders' meeting and that Moscow's position on the status of Crimea and
Donbas remained unchanged. "The draft agreement is not ready for submission to a
meeting at the top," Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on
Telegram. "I repeat again and again: Russia's position on Crimea and Donbas
remains UNCHANGED."The two sides have held periodic talks since Russia launched
its invasion on Feb. 24 but there has been no breakthrough and they remain far
apart on the question of territory. Medinsky said that Ukraine had started to
show a more realistic approach to peace talks. He said Ukraine had agreed it
would be neutral, not have nuclear weapons, not join a military bloc and refuse
to host military bases. But on the questions of Crimea, which Russia annexed
from Ukraine in 2014, and two Russian-backed rebel regions in the eastern Donbas
that President Vladimir Putin recognized as independent in February, Medinsky
indicated there had been no progress. Medinsky said he did not share the
optimism of Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, who told Ukrainian television
on Saturday that the draft deal was advanced enough to allow consultations
between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "Unfortunately, I
don't share Arakhamia's optimism," Medinsky said. "Moreover, Ukrainian
diplomatic and military experts lag far behind on confirming even those
agreements which were already reached at the political level on the draft
text."Talks via video-conference would continue on Monday, he said. Putin has
said the "special military operation" in Ukraine is necessary because the United
States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to defend against the
persecution of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine.
Ukraine has dismissed Putin's claims of persecution and saysit is fighting an
unprovoked war of aggression.
Ukraine says Russia 'verbally' agreed to its proposals
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Ukraine's top negotiator in peace talks with Russia has said that Moscow has
"verbally" agreed to key Ukrainian proposals, raising hopes that talks to end
fighting are moving forward. Negotiator David Arakhamia told Ukrainian
television channels that any meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr
Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin would "with a high probability"
take place in Turkey. "The Russian Federation has given an official answer to
all positions, which is that they accept the (Ukrainian) position, except for
the issue of Crimea (annexed by Russia in 2014)," Arakhamia said. He said that
while there was "no official confirmation in writing," the Russian side said so
"verbally." The comments came as Ukraine said it had retaken control of the
whole Kyiv region. Arakhamia said Moscow had agreed in talks that a referendum
on the neutral status of Ukraine "will be the only way out of this
situation."Asked what would happen if Ukrainians voted against a neutral status
for the country, Arakhamia said "we will either return to a state of war,
perhaps, or return to new negotiations." The Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine
adopt a neutral status. Arakhamia said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
"called both us and Vladimir Putin" Friday, saying he would host the meeting.
"Neither the date nor the place is known, but we believe that the place will
most likely be Ankara or Istanbul," he said. Turkey, which has good relations
with both Russia and Ukraine, has sought to mediate the conflict. Since Putin
launched his invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky has repeatedly called for
face-to-face talks with the Kremlin chief.
EU vows more sanctions as Russia accused of 'massacre' near Kyiv
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
EU chief Charles Michel on Sunday condemned "atrocities" and pledged more
sanctions on Moscow, as Ukraine accused Russia's forces of killing civilians
near Kyiv in a "deliberate massacre.""Shocked by haunting images of atrocities
committed by Russian army in Kyiv liberated region #BuchaMassacre," European
Council head Michel wrote on Twitter. "EU is assisting Ukraine & NGO's in
gathering of necessary evidence for pursuit in international courts."
Human Rights Watch Accuses Russian Forces of ‘Apparent War
Crimes’ in Ukraine
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
A leading rights group said on Sunday it had documented what it described as
"apparent war crimes" committed by Russian military forces against civilians in
Ukraine. Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement saying it had found
"several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations" in
Russian-controlled regions such as Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv. The statement,
published in Warsaw, came one day after dead civilians were found lying
scattered through the streets of the Ukrainian country town of Bucha, three days
after the Russian army pulled back after a month-long occupation of the area 30
km (20 miles) northwest of Kyiv. The Russian defense ministry in Moscow did not
immediately reply to a request for comment when asked on Sunday about the bodies
found in Bucha and the HRW statement. The Kremlin says its "special military
operation" aims to degrade the Ukrainian armed forces and is targeting military
installations and not carrying out strikes on civilians. Asked about separate
war crime allegations on March 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a
conference call with reporters, "We categorically deny this". He dismissed
allegations of Russian strikes on civilian targets and the use of cluster bombs
and vacuum bombs as fakes. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on
March 21 that Russia's operation was being carried out by a professional and
well-armed forces and denied Ukrainian claims that Russian forces had hit any
civilian objects. The New York-based HRW referred to Bucha in its statement, for
which it said it had interviewed 10 people, including witnesses, victims, and
local residents, in person or by telephone and that some were to scared to give
their full names. “The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate
cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians,” said Hugh Williamson, HRW's
Europe and Central Asia director. “Rape, murder, and other violent acts against
people in the Russian forces’ custody should be investigated as war
crimes.”These, it said, included a case of repeated rape; two cases of summary
execution - one of six men - and other cases of unlawful violence and threats
against civilians between Feb. 27 and March 14, 2022. "Soldiers were also
implicated in looting civilian property, including food, clothing, and firewood.
Those who carried out these abuses are responsible for war crimes," the report
said. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the HRW evidence. Reuters
journalists visited Bucha on Saturday, after being given access by Ukrainian
forces who recaptured the area, and saw bodies wearing no military uniforms
scattered in the streets. HRW said on March 4 Russian forces in Bucha, "rounded
up five men and summarily executed one of them." Northeast of Kyiv in the
Chernihiv region, the report said, Russian forces in Staryi Bykiv rounded up at
least six men on Feb. 27, later executing them. It cited the mother of one of
the men, who said she was nearby when her son was captured and who later saw the
bodies of all six men. HRW said all parties to the armed conflict in Ukraine
were obligated to abide by international law and the laws of war. “Russia has an
international legal obligation to impartially investigate alleged war crimes by
its soldiers,” Williamson said.
Egypt, Cyprus Agree to Strengthen Military Cooperation
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 3 April, 2022
Lieutenant-General Osama Askar, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces,
concluded on Saturday an official visit to Cyprus, where he discussed the means
to consolidate military cooperation. The military spokesman for the Egyptian
Armed Forces said that Askar met Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in the
presence of the Cypriot Minister of Defense, the Commander of the Cyprus
National Guard, and a number of officials and senior leaders of the armed
forces. In a statement, the spokesman said that the Cypriot president praised
the relations with Egypt and the convergence of views between the two countries,
especially with regard to the development of bilateral military cooperation.
Anastasiades praised Egypt's influential and effective role, which he said aims
to achieve security and stability in the Middle East and the region. The
Egyptian military spokesman said that Askar met with Charalambos Petrides,
Minister of Defense of Cyprus. He stressed to him “the need to continue
coordination between Egypt and Cyprus to achieve more cooperation in the defense
and security fields, joint exercises, and exchange of experiences between the
two countries’ armed forces.”Petrides, for his part, pointed to the “importance
of coordination and joint action to face challenges, in order to achieve
stability in the region.”The visit saw a session of talks between the Egyptian
and Cypriot delegations, which touched on a number of issues of common interest.
Canada/Minister Joly to travel to Finland, Germany and
Belgium
April 2, 2022 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that
she will be travelling to Finland, Germany and Belgium to coordinate with
Canada’s partners on responses to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s
unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. Canada is unwavering in our support of
Ukraine and its people. We will continue to work together with our partners and
Allies to impose severe costs on those responsible for Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine, seek accountability for their illegal actions, and support Ukrainians
fleeing to safety and those who remain in Ukraine.
In Helsinki, Finland, Minister Joly will meet with her Finnish counterpart,
Minister Pekka Haavisto. As Transatlantic and Arctic partners, the Ministers
will work to strengthen the Canada-Finland bilateral relationship and discuss
ways to coordinate efforts on Arctic issues, support Ukraine in the face of
Russian aggression and combat disinformation.
In Berlin, Germany, Minister Joly will attend the conference of the Moldova
Support Platform, where she will exchange perspectives with partners on how to
effectively support Moldova, counter Russian disinformation, and assist refugees
forced out of Ukraine as a result of President Putin’s illegal war.
Finally, in Brussels, Belgium, Minister Joly will attend G7 and NATO foreign
ministers’ meetings, where she will discuss continued coordination to enhance
regional security in Eastern Europe.
Quotes
“The war in Ukraine affects us all, and we must work together with the
international community to respond to Vladimir Putin’s egregious acts. In
partnership with our allies, we will continue to hold the Russian regime to
account, provide humanitarian assistance where it is needed and reiterate our
strong support for Ukraine and its people. Ukraine’s security isn’t just
important for Ukraine, but for the world.
Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Since Russia’s illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014,
Canada has sanctioned more than 1,000 individuals and entities, with many of
those sanctions undertaken in coordination with allies and partners. Canada’s
sanctions will impose asset freezes and prohibitions on listed persons.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Canada has sanctioned
over 700 individuals and entities from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
Canada was a founding member of NATO in 1949. With its contributions to NATO
since then, Canada’s has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the Alliance
and to strengthening Allied capacity to respond to evolving security challenges.
On March 8, 2022, Canada announced it will renew of its multi-year commitment to
Operation REASSURANCE, the Canadian Armed Forces support to NATO’s assurance and
deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe, in response to the changing
security situation on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Canada has up to 3,400 troops pledged to the NATO Response Force who can be
deployed if directly requested by the alliance. This is a mix of army, air force
and naval capabilities.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
on April 03-04/2022
A Ukrainian Lesson to the Arabs?
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/April, 03/2022
Many traits have been attributed to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, with
views on the man ranging between extremely positive, deep appreciation to deeply
negative, sharp condemnation. One thing, however, is beyond doubt. He has put
and continues to put exceptional effort into winning the world’s hearts and
minds and influencing the governments that could play a role in shaping the
course of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
To this end, we have seen him, on an almost daily basis, appeal to the
governments and peoples of the countries that are assumed to have the ability to
make a difference. Through their parliaments, he addressed each of them
individually, as both states and peoples, emphasizing what they share,
referencing each countries’ particular experiences and positions, and citing
excerpts from their leaders’ speeches as he tries to convince them that giving
up on his country undermines their interests and contradicts the values they
claim to hold. From the US to Sweden, from Australia to Canada and from France
to Israel… He turned his attention to each of them individually, tailoring his
message to their sensitivities and particularities.
Other politicians, intellectuals, writers, and artists from his country did the
same, writing for global newspapers or speaking to international broadcasters to
make the case for supporting their country. They didn’t seem “servile” or
“undignified” as they told their audience that it is their duty, and in their
interest, to side with Ukraine. Like their president, they have criticized their
audience, but from within the prism they share, blaming them for what the
Ukrainians consider to be a failure on the part of these countries to fulfill
their duties, or their supposed duties.
Regardless of the degree to which Ukrainian appeals hit the mark or extent of
Ukrainian themselves believe them, these appeals have emphasized shared ethical
and humanist values, like rejecting oppression, fighting on the side of justice,
and condemning aggression, especially when the big prey on the small and the
strong on the weak.
In the Arab world, we have never doubted the impact that some countries around
the world have on the conflicts that concern us, especially the Palestinian
problem. Arabs never doubted in particular the significance of US influence, and
to a lesser degree that of Western Europe.
The October 1973 war, through which the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
hoped would push the “United States to pay attention to the region” is one
example. Many see the fight of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a
means to obtain the recognition of the US and other influential states. Even the
stupid idea of hijacking planes was, according to its authors, aimed at
“bringing our cause to the world’s attention.” The popular theory among Arabs of
"Western double standards" was, and still is, a testimony to this acknowledgment
in the grievance it expresses. Those who are fond of poetic citations kept
reminding us of the poet Al-Mutanabbi's description of his prince Sayf al-Dawla
as both a rival and arbiter at the same time. By that Hamadani prince, Arabs
meant exclusively the West.
At any rate, this recognition was not complemented by continuous, meticulously
prepared appeals to those assumed to carry influence. Except perhaps in the
narrow diplomatic circles, similarities in culture, values, or experience, and
shared interests were not emphasized. Even within these narrow diplomatic
circles, only leaders and politicians have been addressed, while those shaping
public opinion and civil society, in all its levels, have been ignored.
Moreover, there has always been a problem related to the language: for example,
some of the critics of the Camp David negotiations between Sadat and the then
Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin noted the former’s inability to speak in
political terms: During moments of accord, Sadat would address Begin “like a
brother,” and during moments of disaccord, he would threaten resumption of war.
There was a discourse for fraternity and another for war, with nothing else but
a void.
There is also a history of addressing, which we have not yet critiqued in any
sense, arguing that “imperialism and Zionism” are one and the same, meaning that
the West that we want to see intervene on our side and stop applying “double
standards” is in the same category as the enemy we are fighting. Acting on this
logic, those who hijacked planes chose to capture the West’s attention by
kidnapping its civilian passengers! We thus, in the best of cases, relieved the
West of having to worry about whether or not to intervene in our favor after
having expanded the front of our enemies. In the worst of cases, we were feeding
the West’s inclination to intervene in Israel’s favor.
Some have called upon the West to interfere to stop butchery in Syria or Libya
throughout the past decade. Nonetheless, they followed up on this demand very
timidly and inconsistently, with past experiences and fears of being accused of
treason weighing heavily. Today, some might say: there is no point. Ukraine is
European, and we are not. Westerners listen to Ukraine and don’t listen to us.
In all likelihood, there is some truth to this argument because of the differing
sentiments, interests, and degrees of being influenced by events. Nevertheless,
this is all the more reason to put more effort into being heard and appeal to
those capable of making an impact without necessarily agreeing with them on much
else.
Of course, doing so demands overcoming several obstacles:
We have a deep sense of belonging to the periphery of the world that feeds on
the conflicts of the past helping to undermine any universal awareness from
emerging. We also have a conception of politics that limits it to what happens
between a ruler and another, and very little discourse filling the gap between
fraternity and war, and of course there is this imperial notion about ourselves
that makes us believe that asking for help is begging, and the dignified don’t
beg.
Overall, these forms of consciousnesses reinforce each other, and they do
nothing for the defeated except deepening their defeat.
The Biden administration’s contradictory approach to
Iran
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 03, 2022
In order for the US to effectively confront the Iranian regime’s destabilizing
behavior and military adventurism in the Middle East, a coherent, robust and
informed policy, which is devoid of contradictions, ought to be enacted.
The Biden administration’s move last week to impose new sanctions on Iran’s
ballistic missile program is a step in the right direction. In response to
Iran’s missile attack on Irbil last month, the Treasury Department announced new
sanctions against the unit in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that is in
charge of the research and development of ballistic missiles, as well as against
Iran’s Parchin Chemical Industries.
Iran’s ballistic missile program has long been a threat to the security of the
region. Tehran’s missile capability is one of the most critical pillars of its
national security policy. Apart from managing Iran’s nuclear program and
supporting the regime’s proxies, the IRGC’s third important responsibility is
its ballistic missile program. Tehran’s missiles can hit any country in the
Middle East. The US Treasury statement also noted that: “The Iranian-enabled
Houthi missile attack against a Saudi Aramco facility on March 25, as well as
other missile attacks by Iranian proxies against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are a
reminder that Iran’s development and proliferation of ballistic missiles
continues to pose a serious threat to international security.”
Not only has the Iranian regime been emboldened to the extent that it is
violating the sovereignty of other states through its missile attacks, but the
regime’s expanding program and frequent test-fires are also intended to create
fear in the Middle East. This inevitably leads to further destabilization and
militarization of the region. Instead of restraining their ballistic missile
activities, the Iranian leaders are in fact proud of their advancements because
they can project power and show their hard-line base, along with militia and
terror groups, that the regime is a dominant power in the region.
For example, state-controlled Iranian newspaper Kayhan boasted in an article
entitled “Gen. McKenzie: Iran’s Missile Capabilities ‘Remarkable’” that “US
Central Command’s General Kenneth Franklin McKenzie told lawmakers that Iran now
has about 3,000 ballistic missiles capable of hitting the Israeli city of Tel
Aviv. McKenzie said over the last five to seven years, Iran has invested heavily
in its ballistic missile program.”
But in order for the US sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program to be
effective and send a strong message to the Iranian regime that its military
adventurism and destabilizing behavior will not be tolerated, the Biden
administration needs to show consistency. This means that it should not be
lifting sanctions on other sectors or entities.
No robust position has been taken toward the Iranian government’s expanding and
destabilizing roles in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.
To illustrate, here are some of the inconsistencies in the Biden
administration’s policy toward Iran. The White House last year told the Iranian
leaders that not only is it willing to lift nuclear-related sanctions, but also
that it is considering lifting other sanctions. This was followed by the first
concession to Iran’s proxy militia group, the Houthis. Even as the evidence —
including a report by the UN — showed that the Iranian regime was delivering
sophisticated weapons to the Houthis in Yemen, the Biden administration
suspended some of the anti-terrorism sanctions that the Trump administration had
imposed on the group. Soon after, the Biden administration revoked the Houthis’
designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Additionally, last June, the Biden administration lifted sanctions on three
former Iranian officials and several energy companies. Then, in a blow to the
Iranian people and advocates of democracy and human rights — a few days after
the Iranian regime had effectively hand-picked Ebrahim Raisi to be its next
president — the US announced that it was also considering lifting sanctions
against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Biden administration is now even considering removing the IRGC from
America’s terrorist list. How can the White House believe that it will impose
pressure on Iran’s ballistic missile program if it is simultaneously appeasing
the IRGC? In addition, no robust position has been taken toward the Iranian
government’s expanding and destabilizing roles in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and
Lebanon. Even Iran’s human rights violations have taken a back seat in the White
House’s Iran agenda.
Another policy contradiction is that the Biden administration appears to have
invested all its political capital in a renegotiated nuclear deal. The 2015
nuclear deal lifted all major economic sanctions against the Iranian regime.
Returning to it now would boost Tehran’s ballistic missile program and enhance
the regime’s legitimacy on the global stage. Subsequently, world powers would be
less reluctant to hold the theocratic establishment accountable for its
ballistic missile violations.
In summary, in order to address the Iranian regime’s threat, the US must show
consistency in its pressuring of the Tehran government.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political
scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh
Ukraine crisis contributes to strategic shift in Middle East
Dr. Diana Galeeva/Arab News/April 03, 2022
While there are some prospects of further Russia-Ukraine talks this week, there
are already signs that a month of conflict has contributed to a transformation
of the Middle East’s strategic architecture.
Firstly, it concerns the status of global players in the region. In most
analyses regarding the Middle East’s players and their links with the global
powers, there have been discussions about whether the Pax Americana in the
region has transformed into a more multifaceted arena. While it does not seem
that the US will withdraw entirely from the Middle East, which was perhaps
expected following last year’s exit from Afghanistan, the neutrality in the
Ukraine crisis shown by the region’s players, including US and NATO members and
allies, highlights the shift toward multipolarity.
Russia’s primary policies of recent years — which have consisted of anti-Western
policies and building a multipolar world — have been specifically geared toward
gaining great power status. The Ukraine conflict has demonstrated that the
region already considers the geopolitical importance of other global players, in
addition to the US (including the importance of the European powers, Russia,
China and India).
At the regional level, the Ukraine crisis has also contributed to an adaptation
of policies based on global circumstances. For example, the push last year by a
number of Arab states to normalize relations with the Bashar Assad regime was
primarily linked to the assumption that restoring ties would allow them to lobby
Syria to change its relations with Iran. However, recent global events have
arguably contributed to developing links with Moscow, as seen with Assad’s
historic visit to the UAE last month. In return, perhaps it is expected that
Russia will take a more active stance against Iran’s policies in the region,
especially while the Tehran-backed Houthis continue to attack Saudi Arabia and
the UAE. This might be possible in the short to medium term, as the Ukraine war
has challenged the already-complex relations between Tehran and Moscow.
In January, prior to Russia’s invasion, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited
Moscow. While there, he sought to establish stronger links through his
anti-Western rhetoric, supporting Russia’s discourses during its ongoing
tensions with the West. Raisi stated that the “strategy of domination” had
failed and that the US was “in its weakest position.” He also slammed NATO,
accusing it of “infiltrating various geographical areas with new coverings that
threaten the common interests of independent states.” Nevertheless, this visit
generated criticism back home, especially as Raisi left Moscow empty-handed.
Among the objectives that were not achieved was that the previous 20-year
cooperation agreement between Russia and Iran had ended and a renewal remains
yet to be finalized.
This conflict has demonstrated that the region already considers the
geopolitical importance of other global players, in addition to the US.
Another challenge in bilateral relations is the finalization of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal. When talks were seemingly close to a
conclusion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last month stressed new
demands for sanctions exemption, as “the avalanche of aggressive sanctions (on
Russia) that the West had started spewing out” meant Moscow had to ask the US
for guarantees, requiring a clear answer that the new sanctions would not affect
its rights under the nuclear deal.
Among the first official Iranian reactions to Russia’s new demand was a tweet
from Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, which stated:
“Vienna participants act and react based on interests and it’s understandable.
Our interactions… are also solely driven by our people’s interests. Thus, we’re
assessing new elements that bear on the negotiations and will accordingly seek
creative ways to expedite a solution.” Though Moscow walked back on its threat
to torpedo the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, reopening the way to an
agreement after nearly a year of talks, the world has not yet witnessed its
finalization. Additionally, the possibility of returning to the JCPOA might also
turn Tehran into an economic competitor to Moscow, similar to Qatar. Iran and
Qatar hold the second and third-largest gas reserves in the world, respectively.
At the same time, it seems that regional players — in an effort to counter Iran
and the militias it backs — are following similar policies to the Kremlin in the
Middle East by balancing adversaries. Russia, for example, has kept good
relations with all of its regional partners, including Israel, Iran and the Gulf
states. The region’s players are effectively balancing relations with the global
powers.
While keeping a largely neutral stance toward Russia’s actions, the first
multilateral Arab-Israel summit took place last week. This meeting of the top
diplomats of Israel, the US and four Arab countries — the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt
and Morocco — allowed them to collectively encourage America to remain engaged
in the region, despite its focus on Russia and China. It was also a chance to
lobby US Secretary of State Antony Blinken not to remove the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, a key Iranian military force, from the list of
Foreign Terrorist Organizations in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear
ambitions. This might suggest we will witness the emergence of a new regional
strategic architecture in the near future. *Dr. Diana Galeeva is an Academic
Visitor to St. Antony’s College, Oxford University. *Dr. Galeeva is the author
of two books: “Qatar: The Practice of Rented Power” (Routledge, 2022) and
“Russia and the GCC: The Case of Tatarstan’s Paradiplomacy” (I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury,
2022). She is also a co-editor of the collection “Post-Brexit Europe and UK:
Policy Challenges Towards Iran and the GCC States” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021).
Consolidating fresh allegiances in Mideast reaches new
summit
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/April 03, 2022
Not that long ago, the mere suggestion of Israel hosting a summit at which four
foreign ministers from Arab countries, together with the US secretary of state,
would sit around the table would have been treated as a sheer fantasy. Last
week, a year and a half after the signing of the Abraham Accords, such an event
took place, and it felt almost like a natural progression from the nascent and
behind-closed-doors relations of earlier times. It was a clear expression of the
growing mutual interests of Israel, Egypt, the UAE, Morocco and Bahrain that
sent their foreign ministers to this summit in the Negev desert kibbutz of Sde
Boker. This high-powered meeting followed on the heels of another summit last
week, in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where President Abdel
Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, the UAE’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met to discuss the main challenges the
region faces. The top of the agenda, as was the case at Sde Boker, was Iran. A
US secretary of state taking time away from the cauldron of the Ukraine crisis
to fly to the Middle East might not be an obvious course of action, but it has
become a priority for Washington to consolidate support for NATO’s front against
Russia and ensure there are no signs of cracks in it. Anthony Blinken was there
not only to give America’s blessing to this far-reaching change in the region’s
political architecture, but also to assuage the doubts of concerned allies who
are not only suspicious that the US is scaling down its interests in the Middle
East to concentrate on other areas, namely China and Russia, but even more
acutely concerned by what they perceive as Washington’s rush into a new nuclear
deal with Iran.
There is a common thread uniting all the participants in the Negev Summit, as
well as most other countries in the region: All of them view the return of the
US to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with grave misgivings. They harbor
little trust in Tehran’s intentions, and are extremely worried by the prospect
of the removal of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps from Washington’s list of
designated foreign terrorist organizations. The development of nuclear
capability by Iran is a major threat, but the IRGC is an immediate one that
manifests itself in too many parts of the region. If, as appears to be the case,
the US is prepared to make such a concession, it would take more than a summit
to allay the fears of the White House’s allies in the Middle East that it is
looking for quick fixes that will come to haunt the entire region in due course.
Iran has for some time provided a strong impetus for Israel and other regional
powers to put pressure on the international community to stop its nuclear
program, and equally contain the aggression of Tehran and its proxies’
aggression toward them. For instance, it was reported that Israel and its new
allies in the Middle East are developing a communications system that will allow
each of them to warn the others in real time about incoming drones, mainly to
curtail the actions of Iran and groups like Hezbollah and the Houthis. This, and
further close military and intelligence cooperation, signals a new security
architecture that is demarcating clear lines of alliances and enmities in the
region. Without progress on the Palestinian issue, regional cooperation will be
unable to reach its full potential.
In the midst of this summit’s celebratory mood, the news of a terrorist attack
by two Daesh-inspired gunmen in the town of Hadera, which left two Israeli
policemen dead and five others injured before the gunmen were shot dead
themselves, reached the participants and understandably dampened the mood. All
were quick to condemn the attack, demonstrating a united front in the face of
such indiscriminate violence. This high-profile meeting of foreign ministers in
the midst of what appears to be a nascent wave of terrorist attacks inside
Israel highlighted the threat emanating from extremism across the region and the
urgent need to unite in confronting it, and deal with its root causes.
For Israel, both summits were an opportunity for the Bennett/Lapid government to
come of age and assert itself as one playing a leading role in taking the
Abraham Accords to the next level of regional cooperation. It was also a move
aimed to bust the myth that only the former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,
could build close relations with the regional powers. The recent attacks will
also present it with an opportunity to assert itself on domestic security. If
Iran was one of the major topics that instinctively brought the participating
countries together, the major elephant in the room was, and will remain, the
Palestinian issue. Regrettably, it was the attacks in the heart of Israel that
brought home the fact that, as much as the Abraham Accords and the continuing
improvement in relations between Israel and other Arab countries has been a
welcome development, the dark cloud of the unresolved Israel-Palestinian
conflict still casts a long shadow over what is an important and positive change
in the region. All participants mentioned the importance of resolving the
conflict along the lines of a two-state solution. Nevertheless, this was not
accompanied by a concrete plan or timeline on how to advance this cause, which
lives as no more than an aspiration, if not mere lip service. Since President
Joe Biden entered the White House, the most obvious constructive gesture he
could make — reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem which served as a de facto
embassy for the Palestinians until Donald Trump closed it in 2019 — has remained
elusive. Without progress on the Palestinian issue, regional cooperation will be
unable to shift to a higher gear or reach its full potential. The decision to
convene this forum annually, with an alternating host country, and with the hope
of adding others to this alliance, is a very powerful declaration of intent in
terms of creating a different Middle East that is more collaborative and
progressive, partnering not only on hard security matters but also on economic
development and technology, while also promoting cultural and religious
tolerance.
• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the
international written and electronic media. Twitter: @YMekelberg
Afghans continue to suffer as world is distracted
Luke Coffey/Arab News/April 03, 2022
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is now in its second month. Europe is facing a
large-scale refugee and security crisis. Russia is coming under intense economic
pressure from sanctions. And countries in the Middle East and across much of
Africa are concerned about how the fighting will impact their imports of
Ukrainian food. But even with this focus on Ukraine, there is another
geopolitical matter that cannot be ignored: Afghanistan. Eight months after the
Taliban took power, Afghanistan still faces an acute humanitarian crisis. The
Taliban have been utterly incompetent when it comes to governing and they are
not capable of handling the humanitarian crisis facing the country. The UN
claims that 97 percent of Afghans could be living in poverty by the middle of
this year. According to a report published by the Observer Research Foundation
in India, 11 million people in Afghanistan are experiencing food insecurity.
It does not seem that the US, or the wider international community for that
matter, has a strategy to confront the humanitarian crisis. Among American
policy circles, it is as if Afghanistan barely exists. President Joe Biden did
not mention the country once during his recent State of the Union speech before
Congress, for example. Right now, all eyes are on Ukraine.
However, the situation for the international community is not straightforward.
If money and resources are given directly to the Taliban, it is likely that most
of it will be siphoned off. The US State Department announced this week that it
would provide $204 million in humanitarian aid “to help the people of
Afghanistan” and that this funding would be funneled through international aid
organizations, but it is not clear that any aid group has the freedom and
ability to operate effectively in Afghanistan.
Another crisis that will have a long-term impact on Afghanistan is the lack of
female education. When the Taliban swept back into power in August last year, it
banned girls over the age of 12 from attending school. They later relented and
announced that, by the Nowruz holiday on March 23, girls would be back in the
classroom. Girls across the country gathered their books and backpacks on that
date, only to be told they were not welcome. Now, two weeks after the Taliban’s
promised date for girls returning to school, they remain out of the classroom.
The deteriorating humanitarian situation and the pending food crisis will only
drive more people into the arms of extremists.
Finally, the threat from terrorism coming from Afghanistan has not declined. The
commander of US Central Command, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, last month told Congress
during his annual update that Daesh and Al-Qaeda “are seeking to exploit a
reduction of US counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan to reinvigorate their
adherents and increase their ability to plot and direct external attacks.” He
also stated that the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the pending food
crisis will only drive more people into the arms of extremists.
At the time of America’s retreat from Afghanistan last year, assurances were
made by the Biden administration that an “over the horizon” counterterrorism
capability could strike at emerging terrorist threats in the country from bases
outside the region. McKenzie told Congress that “conducting counterterrorism
operations in Afghanistan from ‘over the horizon’ remains difficult, but not
impossible.” However, since no details have been provided about how such a
capability could work in practice, his claim that it is “not impossible” raises
eyebrows.
Eight months since American forces left, there is no indication that the US has
the ability to launch these long-range strikes and there is every indication
that terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh are increasingly active in the
country.
As Afghanistan enters spring and then heads into summer, observers should keep
an eye out for moves made by the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan. The
NRF is led by the capable and astute Ahmad Massoud, the son of the former
resistance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who fought against Soviet forces and
the Taliban in the 1980s and 1990s. Immediately after the Taliban took Kabul
last year, thousands of fighters sought shelter in Afghanistan’s mountainous
Panjshir Valley, about 100 km north of the capital. The Taliban immediately
launched an attack on the region, but the resistance fighters were able to use
the winter weather conditions and the region’s topography as protection. Now
that the NRF has seemingly survived the winter, expect it to start making moves
against the Taliban in the predominantly Tajik regions in the north of the
country.
So as the world focuses on Ukraine, there is a lot happening in Afghanistan. As
the situation continues to deteriorate, the effects will be felt beyond its
border and even across the region. It seems unlikely that the international
community has the ability, or even the desire, to deal with more than one major
crisis at a time. As has been the case for more than 40 years, the Afghan people
will continue to be the ones that suffer.
*Luke Coffey is the director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign
Policy at the Heritage Foundation. Twitter: @LukeDCoffey