English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 22/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come
John08/21-27Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?” And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. herefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” Then they said to Him, “Who are You?”And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 21-22/2021
Lebanon leaders at odds as UN chief makes solidarity visit
Lebanese religious leaders stress unity after meeting with U.N. chief
Guterres: Hizbullah Must Become Political Party, Lebanon Needs New Social Contract
U.N. Chief Calls for Impartial Probe into Beirut Port Blast
UN chief warns Lebanon Cabinet paralysis may dampen international support
U.N. Secretary-General Visits UNIFIL
Lebanon: ready for indirect border talks with Israel
Baabda Laments Constitutional Council's 'Flop'
Bassil Slams 'Shiite Duo', Decries 'New Four-Party Alliance'
Plan to Resolve Lebanese Govt. Crisis Is 'Dead on Arrival'; Mikati Won't Resign
Lebanon Central Bank chief says country needs $12-15 bln to kickstart economy
LF Hails Constitutional Council for 'Staying Out of Deals'
It is time for Lebanon’s people to choose their side in the war against HezbollahظHanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/December 21/2021
Et la série continue… La série des mensonges/Jean-Marie Kessab/21 Decembre, 2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 21-22/2021
Former intelligence chief confirms Israel role in Soleimani’s killing
Iran’s trying to build leverage for better nuclear deal, but it won’t work: US envoy
IRGC Fires Cruise Missiles in Military Exercise
Lenderking Accuses Iran of Playing 'Very Detrimental Role' in Yemen
Tehran Responds to Sullivan: We Did Not Negotiate Directly with Washington
Ex-intel Chief Confirms Israel’s Role in Soleimani Killing
Death of evacuated Iran envoy to Houthis raises questions
Iran's Ambassador to Houthis Dies of COVID-19
Jake Sullivan to Visit Israel for Iran Talks
Egypt Jails Alaa Abdel Fattah for 5 Years
US Denies Links with Efforts to Postpone Libyan Elections
Pedersen Says he Believes there are Possibilities for Progress on Syria
Religious Parties' Force Suspension of Music Concerts in Iraq
Gunmen shut four Libya oil fields in big blow to production
Facing crisis, Britain seeks support of Arab Gulf allies
Putin Blames West for Tensions, Demands Security Guarantees

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 21-22/2021
China Planning the Ultimate Genocide; Biden Responding with Empty Words/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/December 21, 2021
America is Offering its Allies to China/Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 21/2021
UAE balances Israel ties with Iran detente, sits out conflict/Hussain Abdul-Hussain/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
The reason for Iran's stalling/Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 21-22/2021
Lebanon leaders at odds as UN chief makes solidarity visit
The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
BEIRUT – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for an impartial and transparent investigation into last year’s massive Beirut port explosion to ensure justice, after paying tribute to the victims of the blast. This came as a new bid to convene Lebanon’s paralysed government hit a wall on Monday with ruling politicians at odds over the terms of a potential deal even as visiting UN chief urged them to come together in the national interest. Guterres arrived on Sunday to rally international support for the troubled country and urge its leaders to address a financial meltdown caused by decades of graft and misgovernment, which many of them oversaw. The crisis, in its third year, has left four in five people poor, according to a UN agency. But despite expressions of goodwill by Guterres on Monday following meetings with parliament speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a fresh attempt to call the cabinet together faltered.
Row over blast probe
Lebanon’s cabinet, which is focused on talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock much-needed foreign aid, has not met since October 12 amid a row over a probe into last year’s deadly Beirut port blast. The August 4, 2020 Beirut blast has been described as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world. It devastated the Lebanese capital, killing at least 216 people and injuring thousands. Standing in the rain, Guterres, who is visiting Lebanon, laid a wreath at a memorial bearing the names of the victims at the Beirut Port site of the explosion. The blast was caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port for years, apparently with the knowledge of senior politicians and security officials who did nothing about it. More than 16 months after the government launched a judicial investigation, nearly everything else remains unknown, from who ordered the shipment to why officials ignored repeated warnings of the danger. Families of the victims have been pressing for answers, accusing political parties of obstructing the national investigation. Later Monday, Guterres tweeted, urging for an impartial and transparent investigation: “The Lebanese people deserve the truth.” After meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, he reiterated his support for the families’ quest for justice. “I have been receiving messages from many victims claiming for the need of truth to be established, for the need of an independent investigation that is able to produce the truth,” he said. “I fully understand their concerns and I hope that the institutions will be able to guarantee that.”
Cabinet paralysis
The local probe, led by Judge Tarek Bitar, has been facing numerous challenges, including criticism by powerful politicians and lawsuits from defendants who have questioned its fairness. Disagreements over the judge’s work have paralysed the government. Iran-backed Hezbollah and its ally Amal, led by Berri, havemade their return to cabinet sessions conditional on the removal of Bitar, whom they accuse of bias. Bitar has sought to interrogate two senior Amal members charged over the blast as well as a host of senior politicians and security officials. Mikati visited Berri following separate meetings he and the speaker had with Guterres. Mikati left the short meeting with Berri apparently frustrated, swatting a reporter out of his way and answering: “We are not concerned (with this),” when asked about a potential deal to reconvene the cabinet by removing Bitar. A source close to Berri said without elaborating that proposals to reconvene cabinet had been discussed by the two men. In a statement issued later, Mikati acknowledged he was trying to call the cabinet but added that during his meeting with Berri he had declined to “interfere in the work of the judiciary in any way, or to consider cabinet an arena for settlements that directly or equivocally deal with interference in judicial affairs.”Mikati said he had conveyed his “unambiguous” position to both Berri and President Michel Aoun. A senior member of Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement denied media reports the party had agreed to a proposal to restore cabinet business that would see Bitar removed. Torpedoing Bitar would risk further harming Lebanon’s relationship with western donors as well as with the United Nations. Gutteres, who called for “proper accountability” for the blast that killed more than 215 people, urged Lebanon’s political leaders to come together to overcome the country’s multiple crises, particularly the economic meltdown that has sank the once middle-income nation into poverty.

Lebanese religious leaders stress unity after meeting with U.N. chief
Doreen Abi Raad, Catholic News /December 21, 2021
BEIRUT — Lebanon's religious leaders met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his visit to the crisis-stricken country.
Cardinal Bechara Rai, patriarch of Maronite Catholics, was among the six leaders meeting with the U.N. leader. Others attending the meeting were Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi, Armenian Apostolic Catholicos Aram of Cilicia and representatives from the Sunni, Shiite and Druze communities.
Upon his arrival in Lebanon Dec. 19, Guterres said that "the time has come for all of us, in the world, to express ... solidarity with the people of Lebanon."Lebanon's economic meltdown, which began in late 2019, has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the world since 1850. U.N. estimates show that 78% of Lebanese now live below the poverty line in the formerly middle-class country. The religious leaders, in their joint statement with Guterres Dec. 20, confirmed "their commitment to openness, tolerance and coexistence as the essence of Lebanon's identity and stability."
They stressed "the importance of safeguarding these values, which are at the core of faith, especially at this difficult time of grave financial and socioeconomic crisis that is heavily impacting the population."
Meeting participants expressed their determination "to focus on what unites Lebanon and brings its people together." They encouraged their communities "to do the same and to adopt dialogue as a means of resolving differences in a spirit of consensus and togetherness.""Participants emphasized a shared desire across all religions and confessions to see Lebanon recover and prosper, and they are committed to doing all they can to restore hope to its people," the statement added. Following his visit with Lebanese President Michel Aoun Dec. 19, Guterres said, "I told the president that I have come with one simple message: the United Nations stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon." "I urge the country's politicians to work together to resolve this crisis. And I call on the international community to strengthen its support to Lebanon," Guterres said. "The Lebanese people expect their political leaders to restore the economy, provide a functioning government and state institutions, end corruption and safeguard human rights," he stressed. "Seeing the suffering of the people of Lebanon, Lebanese political leaders do not have the right to be divided and paralyze the country," Guterres said.
Lebanon's new government, formed Sept. 10, has not met since Oct. 12. Also on Dec. 20, Guterres visited the port of Beirut, which was devastated by the deadly explosions of Aug. 4, 2020, and laid a wreath on the victims' memorial. The disaster left more than 200 dead and 6,500 injured. The investigation into those responsible continues to stall. Guterres' visit to Lebanon concludes Dec. 22.

Guterres: Hizbullah Must Become Political Party, Lebanon Needs New Social Contract
Naharnet/December 21/2021
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that Hizbullah must become a political party, while noting that Lebanon needs a “new social contract” that would lead to the rebuilding of the middle class that has been ravaged by the country’s brutal economic and financial crisis. Guterres, who is on a four-day visit to Lebanon, voiced his remarks in an interview with Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat that was published Tuesday evening. Describing the situation in Lebanon as saddening and heartbreaking, the U.N. chief called on the Lebanese political leaders to show unity in order to carry out fundamental reforms. He added that Hizbullah, which has a powerful Iran-backed armed wing, must transform into a political party to become like the rest of the political forces in the country. Noting that the Lebanese Army requires huge investments in equipment and advanced assets, Guterres emphasized that “extremist” groups, be them “Shiite or Sunni,” should not be an alternative to the state.And urging Gulf countries to be part of Lebanon’s revival, the U.N. chief said the small country needs a new social contract that would allow for the rebuilding of the middle case which has been destroyed. He also said that he has received clear pledges from President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Miqati that free and fair legislative elections will be held in early May.

U.N. Chief Calls for Impartial Probe into Beirut Port Blast
Associated Press/December 21/2021
The U.N. chief, who is visiting Lebanon, has called for an impartial and transparent investigation into last year's massive Beirut port explosion to ensure justice. The Aug. 4, 2020 blast has been described as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world. It devastated parts of the Lebanese capital, killing at least 216 people and injuring thousands. The blast was caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port for years, apparently with the knowledge of senior politicians and security officials who did nothing about it. More than 16 months after the government launched a judicial investigation, nearly everything else remains unknown -- from who ordered the shipment to why officials ignored repeated warnings of the danger. Families of the victims have been pressing for answers, accusing political parties of obstructing the national investigation. In a tweet, Guterres urged for an impartial and transparent investigation: "The Lebanese people deserve the truth." And after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati, he reiterated his support for the families' quest for justice. "I have been receiving messages from many victims claiming for the need of truth to be established, for the need of an independent investigation that is able to produce the truth," he said. "I fully understand their concerns and I hope that the institutions will be able to guarantee that."The local probe, led by Judge Tarek Bitar, has been facing numerous challenges, including criticism by powerful politicians and lawsuits from defendants who have questioned its fairness. Disagreements over the judge's work have paralyzed the government, which has not met since Oct. 12 despite the country's huge economic, financial and political problems. Lebanon's powerful Hizbullah and two allied groups have demanded that Bitar be replaced. Guterres urged Lebanon's political leaders to come together to overcome the country's multiple crises, particularly the economic meltdown that has sank the once middle-income nation into poverty. The U.N. chief arrived in Lebanon on Sunday for a three-day visit. He said he is here to express solidarity with the Lebanese people and urged the international community to offer more financial assistance to the country in need of humanitarian assistance.

UN chief warns Lebanon Cabinet paralysis may dampen international support
The Associated Press/21 December ,2021
The UN chief warned Tuesday that the international community is unlikely to come forth with much-needed support for Lebanon amid its persistent government paralysis and as the country struggles through a “very dramatic” crisis. Antonio Guterres’ remarks came at the end of his three-day visit during which he repeatedly urged Lebanon’s political leadership to work together to resolve the economic and financial crisis. He also met with members of civil society groups and the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. The crisis has pushed more than three quarters of Lebanon’s population of 6 million into poverty; the national currency is in perpetual collapse while the Lebanese blame the political leadership for years of corruption and mismanagement. Guterres said several initiatives were in the works to help Lebanon deal with the crisis, including holding an international conference, but that the government’s paralysis bodes ill for international support. “The international community will probably... not be responding as we need to respond if they see the country paralyzed and if they do not see a number of clear reforms in relation to the economic, social and the political life of the country, guaranteeing that the Lebanese institutions are putting the country on the right track,” Guterres told reporters. Lebanon’s Cabinet has not met since mid-October amid a disagreement over the course of a domestic probe into the massive August 2020 explosion in Beirut’s port that killed over 200 and injured thousands. Powerful political groups accuse the judge leading the investigation of bias and demand he be removed. Prime Minister Najib Mikati insists the probe is in the hands of the judiciary and refuses to interfere. Mikati himself came to office after a deadlock that lasted over a year as politicians haggled over the distribution of power within the Cabinet. Lebanon’s political system is based on a delicately balanced sectarian power-sharing agreement that often holds decision-making hostage to backroom deals. The current paralysis has also impacted negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for a much-needed recovery plan. The international community has declined to offer help until Lebanon’s government implements major reforms. Humanitarian aid has been dispersed to deal with worsening living conditions while the government struggles with empty coffers, dwindling foreign reserves and revenues, and an increasingly desperate population. Guterres called for an independent and impartial investigation into the port explosion, saying the people “deserve answers.” Three UN staffers lost family members in the blast, including two children. Asked if he would call for an international probe, Guterres said that if an impartial and fully independent Lebanese investigation cannot be guaranteed, then “I believe it would be important for the international community to act.”Lebanon’s government has previously dismissed an international probe, calling it a waste of resources and time.

U.N. Secretary-General Visits UNIFIL

Naharnet/December 21/2021
As part of his visit to Lebanon to show the United Nations’ "solidarity with the country and its people," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday visited UNIFIL Headquarters in south Lebanon and met with peacekeepers, UNIFIL said. Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col received the U.N. chief and briefed him on the mission’s work in the South. During the visit, Guterres noted that the parties’ commitment to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and maintaining the cessation of hostilities across the Blue Line is essential.
“It is very important that the parties understand that any conflict in this situation could be a tragedy with unpredictable consequences,” the U.N. chief warned. “The parties must have good faith and must commit themselves to maintain the stability in the Blue Line," he added. “At the same time, it would be important for the parties to negotiate some aspects in which there are still some doubts about the exact position of the Blue Line together with the negotiation about the maritime border, and it is essential that both sides abstain in relation to any violation of the agreements," Guterres urged.
Major General Del Col took the Secretary-General to U.N. Position 1-32A, the site of the regular Tripartite meetings with senior Lebanese Army and Israeli army officials. He was briefed on UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination mechanisms and the role they play in de-confliction and confidence-building.
The Secretary-General reiterated his call for continued international support to the Lebanese Army, which is "essential for the stability of Lebanon," UNIFIL said. Hailing UNIFIL’s role in south Lebanon as “the symbol of stability in an unstable region,” he commended peacekeepers for their work there.
“The role that UNIFIL has been playing is largely responsible for the fact that no major confrontation has taken place in the border between Israel and Lebanon,” he added. “And that is to the credit of the work of the men and women that serve U.N. and serve peace in UNIFIL.”
While in south Lebanon, Guterres also held meetings with young peacekeepers, women, and civil society leaders. He also toured a section of the Blue Line and saw first-hand the work UNIFIL peacekeepers do, in coordination with the LAF, to maintain stability in the U.N. mission’s area of operations and along the 120-km Line. Accompanying the U.N. chief were Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Rosemary DiCarlo, and U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka.

Lebanon: ready for indirect border talks with Israel
i24NEWS/December 21, 202
US mediator to reportedly step down if agreement not reached by March 2022 parliamentary elections Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Monday that Beirut is committed to continuing indirect talks with Israel over demarcating the maritime borders of the Mediterranean neighbors. Aoun made the remarks during a joint press conference with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut. "When it comes to the situation with Israel, I reiterated to his excellency [Guterres] the commitment of Lebanon to continue the resolution 1701 [UN Security Council resolution intended to resolve the 2006 Lebanon War] and all of its aspects — maintain stability on the southern border and the cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon]," Aoun said. "I also emphasized the Israeli violations on land, air and sea and primarily the use of Lebanese air space to target Syria," Aoun added. Guterres also met Monday with Prime Minister Najib Mikati as he reaffirmed the world body's support for the crisis-hit country, while urging that the parliamentary elections take place on time — legislators voted in October to bump up next year's elections from May 8 to March 27. At stake in the maritime talks are potentially lucrative natural gas reserves that Lebanon wants to tap as the country endures a devastating economic and fiscal crisis that the World Bank calls one of the worst in a century. The United States is organizing the indirect maritime border talks. The current American mediator, Amos Hochstein, reportedly told both sides that he will give up on seeking a resolution to the dispute if a deal is not reached by the March parliamentary elections.

Baabda Laments Constitutional Council's 'Flop'
Naharnet/December 21, 202
Baabda sources on Tuesday described as a “flop” the Constitutional Council’s failure to issue a ruling on the Free Patriotic Movement’s appeal against the electoral law’s amendments. “President Michel Aoun had not requested anything” from the Council, the sources told LBCI television. “There are forces that are paralyzing the judiciary, the Constitutional Council, the executive authority and the forensic audit,” the sources added. Judge Tannous Meshleb, the Council’s chief, has also said that the no-ruling can be considered a “flop” for the Council, in response to a reporter’s question. The 10-member Council’s failure to secure seven votes to issue a ruling means that the electoral law’s latest amendments will go into effect. The amendments bring forward the date of the elections and suspend the introduction of six seats dedicated for expats. Expats will now be eligible to vote for the current 128 seats, as they did in the previous elections.

Bassil Slams 'Shiite Duo', Decries 'New Four-Party Alliance'
Naharnet/December 21/2021
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday lashed out at Hizbullah and the Amal Movement over the Constitutional Council’s failure to issue a ruling on an appeal filed by the FPM against the electoral law’s amendments. “The Constitutional Council has committed suicide,” Bassil said in a televised address.“The Council was toppled and paralyzed today,” he lamented, describing what happened as “a sign of the disintegration of the state.”“What happened undermines the National Pact and the President's jurisdiction as to Article 57, and it is an additional fall of the constitution which we are trying to preserve,” Bassil said. He added that what happened took place based on a “clear political decision by a system that is allied with each other during President Aoun’s term.”“It was led today by the Shiite duo in the Constitutional Council, which will have political consequences,” Bassil went on to say. Lamenting that the Constitutional Council “decided to remain silent over a host of issues, including the manipulation of deadlines and the addition of articles to a legislative text related to the powers of the justice and foreign ministers without a discussion nor a vote,” Bassil decried the no-ruling as the result of a "new four-party alliance" in the face of the FPM. He was referring to the 2005 parliamentary elections, when the FPM’s lists competed in some districts against candidates backed by Hizbullah, the Amal Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party. Bassil also revealed that he received a phone call and a proposal prior to the Constitutional Council’s decision. “We were asked to accept voting in parliament in favor of the (formation of the) Higher Council (for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers), in return for the Constitutional Council accepting our appeal. I told them that they already know the answer and to stop these ploys. The bargain proposal was not accepted two months ago and it will not be accepted today,” the FPM chief added. “We are seeking a solution, not a bargain, and we tell the Shiite duo that there is no justification for the failure to hold Cabinet sessions. I also tell this to the premier, because it doesn’t seem that he is in a hurry regarding this,” Bassil said.

Plan to Resolve Lebanese Govt. Crisis Is 'Dead on Arrival'; Mikati Won't Resign
Beirut - Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Media leaks that a settlement is being concocted to resolve the government crisis has created a stir in Lebanon. Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday. The normally calm premier left the meeting angrily without speaking to reporters, signaling that no end is in sight to the government crisis. The cabinet hasn't convened in almost two months after the Amal movement - headed by Berri - and Hezbollah objected to the investigations carried out by Judge Tarek Bitar in the August 2020 Beirut Port explosion. The Amal and Hezbollah ministers have since been boycotting government meetings and are demanding that course of the investigations be "rectified". No sooner had leaks of the alleged "settlement" emerged on Monday, that political parties distanced themselves from it. So quick were they abandon the plan that it was not clear who came up with it in the first place.
Berri, meanwhile, told Asharq Al-Awsat that no dispute had erupted between him and Mikati. My relationship with him is "good", he stressed. He also dismissed the settlement, details of which had circulated on social media on Monday. The plan had called for the resignation of four judges as a condition for any solution to resolving the government crisis. Berri dismissed the reports, saying: "This old idea was dropped a long time ago."He revealed that he did not have information about any settlement. Later, Mikati's office issued a statement saying that he had expressed to Berri his rejection of any meddling in the work of the judiciary. He also expressed his adamant rejection of the exploitation of government to interfere in judicial affairs. His stance has been conveyed to Berri and President Michel Aoun. Moreover, his office denied reports that Mikati was intending to resign. The premier will forge ahead with his duties and efforts to resolve the government crisis, it added. "Any position he takes later will be tied to his national and personal convictions," it said. The PM had expressed on Monday his support for trying presidents and ministers before the Supreme Council, not the judiciary. On the port probe, he said that "the government position is clear. Just as we do not meddle in the judiciary, it should respect constitutional frameworks as well" - a reference to his support for presidents and ministers to be tried before the Supreme Council. "Just as officer are tried before the Military Court, then so should a minister be tried before a special tribunal," he explained. The port investigations have stalled with ministers and former ministers refusing Bitar's summons. The officials have accused the judge of political bias. Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said that the "situation of the judiciary is the worst it has been since the founding of Lebanon." He accused some judges of seeking to destroy the judiciary. Amal's Development and Liberation bloc MP Hani Qobeissi said: "So many judges are not seeking justice in our country .. they are instead seeking politics and gains through arbitrary decisions."
He added that they are ignoring forensic evidence in the port blast.

Lebanon Central Bank chief says country needs $12-15 bln to kickstart economy
AFP, Beirut/21 December ,2021
Lebanon needs to receive 12 to 15 billion dollars from its partners to kickstart its economic recovery and shore up fast-diminishing foreign currency reserves, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said in an interview with AFPon Tuesday. Lebanon is grappling with an unprecedented economic crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the planet’s worst in modern times. More than 80 percent of the population lives in poverty and the currency has lost more than 90 percent of its black market value amid political squabbling that has delayed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.
“Our quota in the International Monetary Fund is 4 billion,” Salameh said in an AFP interview. “If countries add to it, we could reach 12 to 15 billion, an amount that could help start Lebanon's recovery and restore confidence,” he said. Lebanon defaulted on its debt for the first time last year but political leaders have continued to resist key reforms demanded by donors to unlock necessary funds. Meanwhile, the central bank's mandatory dollar reserves have been slashed by more than half. “The mandatory reserves are down to 12.5 billion dollars,” said Salameh who is widely viewed as a key culprit behind an economic crash they say is caused partially by central bank policies. The mandatory reserves stood at $32 billion before the start of the economic crisis in 2019. The fast-diminishing reserves are threatening a subsidy program that had initially covered fuel, medicine, flour, and other key imports before it petered out. The central bank can afford to finance partial subsidies on a few remaining key imports for “around six to nine months,” if no additional measures are taken to combat the depreciation of the Lebanese pound, Salameh said. Officially pegged at 1,507 to the greenback since 1997, the Lebanese pound sold for nearly 30,000 to the dollar on the black market earlier this month in a record low.
Official fixed rate obsolete
The official fixed rate is “no longer realistic”, Salameh said, while explaining that a unified exchange rate would be unlikely in the absence of an IMF agreement and political stability. Lebanon last year started IMF talks that have relaunched in recent weeks during which Lebanese officials have agreed that financial sector losses amount to around $69 billion. “Lebanon is still in the stage of crushing numbers,” Salameh said. “The Lebanese side hasn't yet presented a plan to the IMF for discussion.”

LF Hails Constitutional Council for 'Staying Out of Deals'
Naharnet/December 21/2021
MP George Adwan of the Lebanese Forces on Tuesday lauded the Constitutional Council for “staying out of (political) deals,” shortly after the Council announced that it failed to issue a ruling on an appeal filed by the Free Patriotic Movement against the electoral law’s amendments.
“The (Council’s) members maintained their stance,” Adwan added, noting that “the constitutional and legal right of non-residents to vote for 128 seats has triumphed.”“The attempted deal will remain in the minds of non-residents, who will hold accountable the domineering system that displaced them from their homeland and kept trying to exclude them until the last moment,” the MP went on to say. MP Imad Wakim, also of the LF bloc, for his part tweeted that “the will of Lebanese expats to take part in parliamentary elections in their (electoral) districts has triumphed.” They “will not be isolated from their homeland and they will hold you accountable,” he added. Former deputy PM Ghassan Hasbani also tweeted that “the Constitutional Council remained safe from political deals.”“The right of expats to vote from their places of residence has been consolidated. This is an additional positive step towards the parliamentary elections,” he added. A major political deal among several parties had been reached on Monday, but it failed to materialize due to the rejection of some parties, most notably Prime Minister Najib Miqati, media reports said. According to reports, the deal had called for the Constitutional Council to accept the FPM’s appeal in return for preventing Judge Tarek Bitar from questioning ex-ministers, securing the resumption of Cabinet sessions and replacing the head of the Higher Judicial Council, the state prosecutor, the financial prosecutor and the head of judicial inspection.

حنين غدار: حان الوقت ليتخار شعب لبنان الجهة التي يساندها في الحرب ضد حزب الله
It is time for Lebanon’s people to choose their side in the war against Hezbollah
Hanin Ghaddar/Al Arabiya/December 21/2021
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/104962/104962/

The Lebanon-Gulf crisis took a new turn last week when Hezbollah held a press conference in Beirut, hosting Bahrain’s Shia al-Wefaq opposition party. The event pushed the Bahraini foreign ministry to submit a formal protest to the Lebanese government, denouncing Lebanon for hosting an event for individuals it described as “hostile personnel” on terror lists.
The foreign ministry was clear in its assertion that the purpose of the media conference was intended to promote abusive and malicious allegations against the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Gulf Cooperation Council reiterated Bahrain’s statement and voiced support for Bahrain’s security. The press conference happened a few days after French president Emmanuel Macron visited Saudi Arabia, and announced a Saudi-French initiative to solve the diplomatic row between several Gulf states and Lebanon.
Hopes for a resolution vanished when the Hezbollah al-Wefaq incident was seen as a message against attempts to find a solution to the Gulf-Lebanon issue. The Mikati government had hoped that the resignation of Information Minister George Kordahi would offer a good start, but he was faced with protecting Lebanon’s interests in the Gulf without upsetting Hezbollah. It’s an ongoing dilemma that has never been resolved.
In this phase of the crisis, Mikati’s interior minister, Bassam al-Mawlawi, ordered the country’s General Security to deport all members of the al-Wefaq opposition party. This might have stopped Bahrain from taking further punitive measures against Lebanon, but it did not address the main issue: the GCC isn’t resuming diplomatic relations.
Deporting the Bahraini group was the worst decision Mikati made, sending a negative message to Lebanon’s civil activists and international human rights groups, who saw it as an anti-freedom of speech move. It opened the door for other political leaders to ask for the deportation of any international visitor they don’t like. It is not wrong for a prime minister to take sides in the best interests of the public. No one expects this weak government to stand up to Hezbollah, but there are measures to follow that can make sure the terrorist group doesn’t capitalize on the next opportunity to insult other countries.
Diplomatic efforts between the French and Hezbollah’s allies might create an agreement, but if that fails, Mikati’s government could drop its policy of compromise and take a bolder stance against the Iranian proxy. If his government continues to compromise it will only exacerbate the situation. Instead, the prime minister should have foreseen Hezbollah’s actions, and stopped them before they happened. The deportation was probably seen as necessary but based on the precedent set, Hezbollah is probably planning its next anti-Gulf action.
Hezbollah has made it clear that it will not compromise and will continue targeting Gulf states, but the escalating situation is not limited only to Mikati’s approach but is also an indication that the Lebanese people will sooner or later need to choose a side. Will they choose Lebanon’s rich Arab heritage and become a true part of the region or will they surrender to Iranian hegemony and allow Hezbollah to dictate how they live their lives? If Lebanon decides to become part of the Iranian axis the international community will offer no help to allow the country to overcome its crises. Unfortunately, this is not a decision that can wait, or be muddled with guarded narratives that focus on economy and corruption.
It is now time to talk politics and to find out who is responsible, and who is benefiting. It’s essential to hold accountable those implicated in the demise of a quickly disintegrating state. A unified narrative against Hezbollah is desperately needed otherwise, ultimately, no elections or protests will lead to a solution.
This is a decision that can no longer be made using the traditional political tools of compromise to build reforms and bring stability. It requires a clear policy that tackles Iran and Hezbollah, but ones made by the Lebanese people themselves. Any new vision for the country that does not integrate a clear mandate to deal with Hezbollah will see the terrorist group win, and Lebanon lose.

Et la série continue… La série des mensonges.
Jean-Marie Kessab/21 Decembre, 2021
Guteres a déclaré avoir reçu des assurances des dirigeants Libanais quant aux reformes.
Tous les représentants des pays influents du monde entier ont reçu de telles assurances le long de très nombreuses années.
La plus flagrante de cette série de mensonges étant celle de la réunion des leaders du pays, en présence de Macron durant sa première visite. Ahurissant !
Mais, “That is not the question.”
The question is : Guteres et ses collègues, ont-ils jamais cru cette série énorme de mensonges ?
Une question de plus : Guteres a-t-il le choix de ne pas y croire ? Après tous ces individus rencontrés représentent officiellement l’Etat Libanais. Sauf que cet Etat est occupé et ces mêmes individus sont corrompus jusqu’ aux os. Ils sont des collaborateurs a la solde de l’occupant.
Sauf que le cher Antonio n’y peut rien : Le Liban est réellement occupé par l’Iran mais officiellement souverain. Sauf que Guteres le sait mais n’y peut rien tant que les Libanais ne se mettent d’accord à l’unanimité que leur pays est occupé par l’Iran. Guteres le sait mais n’y pourra rien avant que la communauté internationale ne reconnaisse l’occupation du Liban et agisse en fonction. Sauf que Guteres n’y pourra rien tant que les collaborateurs demeurent au pouvoir. Beaucoup de « sauf que » .
Que faire ? Redoubler d’effort pour prouver que le Liban est en fait occupé par l’Iran. Résister à cette occupation sournoise. Multiplier les contacts à l’internationale. Exposer au grand public cette occupation. Refuser l’autorité de cette classe qui collabore avec l’occupant. Agir. Bouger. S’entêter. Donner des coups de pied. Lutter lutter et encore lutter afin que Libération advienne.
Vive le Liban
Vive la Résistance
Task Force Lebanon

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 21-22/2021
Former intelligence chief confirms Israel role in Soleimani’s killing
The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
JERUSALEM - Israel’s former military intelligence chief says the country was involved in the American airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. It was the first public acknowledgement of Israel’s role in the operation. Soleimani headed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force and helped orchestrate Iran’s involvement with paramilitary groups abroad. He was killed in a US drone strike at the Baghdad airport in January 2020, an incident that threatened to pull the countries into full-blown conflict. A week after the airstrike, NBC News reported that Israeli intelligence helped confirm the details of Soleimani’s flight from Damascus to Baghdad. Earlier this year, a Yahoo News reported that Israel “had access to Soleimani’s numbers” and gave that intelligence to the United States. But Major General Tamir Heyman, the now-retired general who headed military intelligence until October, appears to be the first official to confirm Israel’s involvement. Heyman’s comments were published in the November issue of a Hebrew-language magazine closely affiliated with Israel’s intelligence services. The interview was held in late September, a couple weeks before his retirement from the military. The authors wrote that Heyman opened the interview by talking about the American airstrike that killed Soleimani, but in which Israeli intelligence played a part. “Assassinating Soleimani was an achievement, since our main enemy, in my eyes, are the Iranians,” Heyman told the magazine. He said there were “two significant and important assassinations during my term” as head of army intelligence. “The first, as I’ve already recalled, is that of Qassem Soleimani, it’s rare to locate someone so senior, who is the architect of the fighting force, the strategist and the operator, it’s rare,” he said.
Heyman called Soleimani “the engine of the train of Iranian entrenchment” in neighbouring Syria. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in the past decade, but rarely publicly comments on them. Israel has said, however, that it has targeted bases of Iranian-backed force and arms shipments bound for Iran’s proxy, the Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah. Heyman said that Israeli strikes had succeeded in “preventing the attempt by Iran to put down roots in Syria.” The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Heyman’s remarks. The interview was published as world powers and Iran were engaged in negotiations to reach a new agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme. The previous deal, struck in 2015, unravelled after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran. On Wednesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett this week in Jerusalem to discuss “a range of issues of strategic importance to the US-Israel bilateral relationship, including the threat posed by Iran,” National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said. Israel considers Iran its regional arch-foe and says it will take any steps needed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Iran’s trying to build leverage for better nuclear deal, but it won’t work: US envoy
Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English/21 December ,2021
US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said Tuesday that there are only “some weeks left” before there will no longer be a nuclear deal to revive. Malley’s comments during an interview on CNN came on the heels of the end of the seventh round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran in Vienna. US officials were optimistic after the first six rounds, which ended before the summer due to the election of a new government in Iran. Since then, Iran has increased the enrichment of its uranium to unprecedented levels, and fears continue to grow over the breakout time needed for Tehran to develop a nuclear weapon. They deny that their nuclear program is for military purposes.“If they continue at their current pace, we have some weeks left but not much more than that, at which point, I think, the conclusion will be that there’s no deal to be revived,” Malley said on Tuesday. He added that it was “very clear” what Iran was trying to do in stalling talks, which is to try to build leverage for a better deal. “It won’t work,” Malley said. “At some point in the not-so-distant future, we will have to conclude that the JCPOA is no more, and we’d have to negotiate a wholly new different deal, and of course, we’d go through a period of escalating crisis,” he told CNN. After the latest round of talks in Vienna, Iran asked to adjourn. This drew the ire of the US and European diplomats who are mediating. No date has been set for resuming the talks, but US officials have said publicly and privately that plans are being devised for life without a deal. Read more: Iran vows sweeping response against any Israeli attacks on nuclear program

IRGC Fires Cruise Missiles in Military Exercise
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps on Tuesday fired cruise missiles during a major military exercise across the country’s south, media reported. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, believed to be close to the Guard, did not specify the type and range of the missiles. But it said five cruise missiles and an unspecified number of attack drones successfully hit their targets. The Guard in the past has said it has cruise missiles with ranges of 1,000 kilometers. It also has missiles that range up to 2,000 kilometers, more than enough to reach Israel. The five-day annual exercise that began on Monday came days after the breakup of talks to revive Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Iran has accelerated its nuclear advances as negotiations to return to the accord struggle to make headway. From time to time, Iran holds military exercises, saying they are aimed at improving the readiness of its forces and testing new weapons.

Lenderking Accuses Iran of Playing 'Very Detrimental Role' in Yemen
Washington - Muath Alamri/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
The United States' envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, accused Iran of playing a "very detrimental role" in the conflict. In remarks to The World website, he said Tehran continues to arm, train, equip the Houthi militias. "They continue to try to smuggle weapons into Yemen in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. This is very, very troubling, of course," he added. He noted that just over two years ago the Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia itself, setting its oil platforms aflame. "So, the key factor that really plays the most detrimental influence, I think, in our view, is Iran," stressed Lenderking.
The envoy believes that the war in Yemen is "basically a civil conflict, but it's been complicated by the presence of outside actors" - a reference to Iran. "And so, one of the first principles that we approach in the United States is to get outside actors out of the conflict," he explained.
"That's a priority for this administration and certainly part of the solution that the president, the secretary of state, has asked me to push on. So, it's a matter of getting enough leverage and pressure on the warring parties to realize that their aims will be better achieved through negotiation rather than continuing to fight, which does lead to the world's worst humanitarian crisis," he stressed. Asked if he was in contact with the Houthis, Lenderking replied that he was in touch with "all the parties in Yemen.""There's no restraint placed on my ability to conduct the kind of engagement that I need to do with the Yemeni parties," he went on to say. Moreover, he remarked that the Houthis are in control of the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country, "but they're not in control of the whole country. Nor is it clear that they would be able to or even wish to." "So, we have to, first of all, deal with the reality that they are a strong military power (...) And for any negotiation that we would support happening, it's clear that the Houthis would enjoy that level of recognition," Lenderking said. "The Houthis are responsive to US engagement, and I think despite the fact that they don't like everything we do, everything we say, and that's the same for us with regard to them. They do see that we have an important role to play," he added. "They realize that the US plays an indispensable role," he stated. "There's nobody else who can play the role that we play in terms of guaranteeing any type of ceasefire or any type of political settlement that will come out of this."
The Saudi-led Arab coalition and Washington have accused the Iranian regime of supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles and armed drones, training members and providing them with military experts. UN inspectors have often found evidence that rockets and drones used by the Houthis in attacks against Saudi Arabia were manufactured by Iran. Iran has denied arming the militias. The US has previously said that the Houthis were an obstacle in resolving the conflict in Yemen. Their terrorist attacks against the Yemeni people and Saudi Arabia have united the world against them, it added. It also said the militias were not interested in diplomacy and peace. Washington has vowed that it will sanction Houthi members and entities, revealing that they have carried out some 375 cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia in 2021. It renewed its support to its Saudi partners, who are being targeted by terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthis in Yemen.

Tehran Responds to Sullivan: We Did Not Negotiate Directly with Washington

London, Tehran/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday said no direct messages or talks had been exchanged between Iran and the United States during the Vienna talks that were launched last April. The spokesman further clarified that any messages concerning the negotiation have been delivered to Iran through European Union deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that talks for Iran to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal are “not going well,” offering a blunt assessment as European negotiators warn time is running out on negotiations.
“It’s not going well in the sense that we do not yet have a pathway back into the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA],” Sullivan said at an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations. “Getting that program back into a box through a return to mutual compliance with the JCPOA has proven more difficult through the course of this year than we would have liked to see,” Sullivan said, adding that Iran was racing in its nuclear program. Last week, Iran's Fars News Agency quoted a source close to the negotiations as saying that the talks were “ongoing despite the slow negotiation process.”The source revealed that the US delegation “presented two papers through European mediators, and the Iranian delegation responded to them in 12 pages.”Moreover, the source denied Iran having intentions for enriching uranium to a level of 90%. “Iran is a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that abides by its commitments stipulated in the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” it said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Everything Iran has done is in line with international agreements,” it added. “The IAEA was informed of all of our steps,” the source confirmed. For his part, Khatibzadeh said that Iran’s enrichment of uranium is based on the country’s “peaceful” activities.

Ex-intel Chief Confirms Israel’s Role in Soleimani Killing

Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Israel's former military intelligence chief says the country was involved in the American airstrike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. It was the first public acknowledgement of Israel's role in the operation. Soleimani headed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force and helped orchestrate Iran's involvement with paramilitary groups abroad. He was killed in a US drone strike at the Baghdad airport in January 2020, an incident that threatened to pull the countries into full-blown conflict. A week after the airstrike, NBC News reported that Israeli intelligence helped confirm the details of Soleimani’s flight from Damascus to Baghdad. Earlier this year, a Yahoo News reported that Israel “had access to Soleimani’s numbers” and gave that intelligence to the United States. But Maj. Gen. Tamir Heyman, the now-retired general who headed military intelligence until October, appears to be the first official to confirm Israel's involvement. Heyman's comments were published in the November issue of a Hebrew-language magazine closely affiliated with Israel’s intelligence services. The interview was held in late September, a couple weeks before his retirement from the military. The authors wrote that Heyman opened the interview by talking about the American airstrike that killed Soleimani, but in which Israeli intelligence played a part. “Assassinating Soleimani was an an achievement, since our main enemy, in my eyes, are the Iranians," Heyman told the magazine. He said there were “two significant and important assassinations during my term” as head of army intelligence. “The first, as I’ve already recalled, is that of Qassem Soleimani -- it’s rare to locate someone so senior, who is the architect of the fighting force, the strategist and the operator -- it’s rare,” he said. Heyman called Soleimani “the engine of the train of Iranian entrenchment" in neighboring Syria. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in the past decade, but rarely publicly comments on them. Israel has said, however, that it has targeted bases of Iranian-backed force and arms shipments bound for Iran's proxy, the Lebanese Hezbollah party. Heyman said that Israeli strikes had succeeded in “preventing the attempt by Iran to put down roots in Syria.”The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Heyman's remarks. The interview was published as world powers and Iran were engaged in negotiations to reach a new agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program. The previous deal, struck in 2015, unraveled after the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran. On Wednesday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was scheduled to meet this week in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to discuss “a range of issues of strategic importance to the US-Israel bilateral relationship, including the threat posed by Iran," National Security Council Spokesperson Emily Horne said. Israel considers Iran its regional arch-foe, and says it will take any steps needed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Death of evacuated Iran envoy to Houthis raises questions
The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
ADEN - Iran's top diplomat to Yemen died on Tuesday after reportedly contracting the coronavirus, the country's state TV said. But the official version of the circumstances surrounding his evacuation and death was disputed by experts in the region. The death of Ambassador Hassan Irloo came after he was recalled from war-torn Yemen for what Iran described as medical treatment. State-run media in Iran said he had become infected with the virus in Yemen. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Irloo was being removed from his post over growing strains between Iran and the Houthis, who hold Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.The report quoted anonymous officials from the Mideast and Western officials saying Irloo showed no signs of having COVID-19. The US State Department under then-President Donald Trump had described Irloo as a member of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards. There have been doubts, however, expressed by Gulf region experts over the reports of “strains” between the Houthis and Tehran, leading to Irloo’s evacuation. The experts see the ties between Iran and its Yemen proxy as a one-way relationship of “vassaldom” leaving no room for conflict. These experts see as more likely a fatal injury incurred by Irloo as he advised Houthis on the battlefield. War between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led military coalition has raged for six years. The Saudi-led coalition entered the Yemen conflict in March 2015 to back the internationally-recognised government against the Houthis, who continue to receive arms and training from Tehran.

Iran's Ambassador to Houthis Dies of COVID-19

Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Iran's ambassador to the Houthi militias in Yemen and leading members of the Quds Force, Hassan Irlu, has died after contracting COVID-19, announced Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced on Tuesday. Irlu departed Yemen's Sanaa on Saturday through an Omani-Iraqi mediation and headed to Baghdad, sources had told Asharq Al-Awsat. Iranian television reported that Irlu had arrived in Tehran to receive treatment to his COVID-19 infection. Yemeni officials had said that Irlu had been smuggled into Yemen. Iran announced in October 2020 that its envoy had arrived in Sanaa. It did not provide the date of his arrival and how he had entered the country. Sanaa International Airport is closed to trips, except UN and aid agency flights. Yemeni media had reported that Irlu had left the country and the majority of them had blamed his departure on health reasons. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Irlu was being removed from his post over growing strains between Iran and the Houthis. Anonymous Middle Eastern and Western officials told the Journal that Irlu had shown no signs of serious illness from COVID-19.

Jake Sullivan to Visit Israel for Iran Talks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan will visit Israel this week for detailed discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Iran's nuclear program, a senior Biden administration official said on Monday. Sullivan, joined by the National Security Council's Middle East director Brett McGurk and other US officials, are expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Sullivan will also meet with Palestinian President Mohammed Abbas in Ramallah on the West Bank to discuss strengthening US relations with the Palestinians, the official said. But the trip is likely to be dominated by the perceived threat from Iran as negotiators report slow going in talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The Biden administration official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the US and Israeli officials will talk about how they see the coming weeks unfolding with Iran.
"We will talk about where we see the state of Iran's nuclear program and some of the timelines," the official said. "It will be a good opportunity to sit down face-to-face and talk about the state of the talks, the timeframe in which we are working and to re-emphasize that we don't have much time."
The United States believes Iran's breakout time to producing enough highly enriched uranium for one nuclear weapon is now "really short" and alarming, a senior US official said last week. Iran denies trying to develop a nuclear weapon. The United States and Israel are in total agreement that Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, the Biden administration official said. Talks between Iran and world powers have been put on pause until next week. In his talks with the Israelis, Sullivan will reaffirm the US commitment to Israel’s security, the White House said in a statement. In Ramallah, Sullivan will discuss with Abbas ongoing efforts to strengthen US-Palestinian ties and advance peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike, the statement said.

Egypt Jails Alaa Abdel Fattah for 5 Years
Cairo /Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Egypt on Monday sentenced Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent activist, to five years in jail, with two others receiving four years. Abdel Fattah, his lawyer Mohamed al-Baqer and blogger Mohamed "Oxygen" Ibrahim were convicted of "broadcasting false news" in their trial in Cairo. Abdel Fattah was sentenced to five years, and Baqer and Ibrahim four years. Rulings in the court cannot be appealed. They require final approval by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The three have been detained since September 2019. Abdel Fattah, a leading activist in the 2011 uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak after three decades in power, had previously been imprisoned for five years in 2014 and released in 2019. He was arrested again a few months after his release and had been placed in pretrial detention. Ahead of the trial session, Egypt's foreign ministry lambasted the German government on Saturday for a statement calling for a "fair trial" and the release of the three men. Cairo described the German foreign ministry's call as "a blatant and unjustified meddling in Egyptian internal affairs."

US Denies Links with Efforts to Postpone Libyan Elections
Cairo - Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
The United States has denied any intervention in Libya’s affairs, affirming that the country’s fate and its elections is a matter only Libyans get to decide. Spokesman for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) had refuted what was attributed to UN Special Advisor for Libya Stephanie Williams about a road map related to the elections, scheduled for December 24. He pointed out that her mission is to lead the mediation efforts between the Libyans to help them implement the three-point-plan emanating from the Berlin conference, including supporting the elections not deciding its outcomes.
Williams is currently conducting consultations and listening to the point of views of involved Libyan parties from various political, social and security spectrums, the spokesman affirmed, noting that only Libyans get to have decisions on the upcoming elections.
The US Special Envoy and Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, arrived in Tripoli on Monday for discussions on providing support for the electoral process. “The US continues to support the vast majority of Libyans who want elections and to cast a vote for their country’s future,” Norland said.
“A major takeaway from our visit is that Libyans, and numerous Libyan institutions and organizations, are working toward this goal.” He pointed out that the US is working to be a partner in this process, allowing Libyans to make the choice, adding that it does not support any particular candidate, but rather the process. “The US will continue to engage with Libyan institutions and leaders with the goal of peaceful, free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections that will pave the way for a unified and stable future for Libya.,” Norland asserted. The ambassador met with Head of Libya’ss Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah for a discussion of key Libyan issues in the context of the electoral campaign. He also met with Williams and several Libyan officials and civil society activists.

Pedersen Says he Believes there are Possibilities for Progress on Syria
Washington - Muath Alamri/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said Monday he believed there are possibilities for progress in the Syrian conflict that need to be explored in 2022, adding all parties confront a “strategic stalemate” amid “grave risks and costs to all by simply trying to muddle through with the unacceptable status quo.”
“Despite no shift in front lines, we have seen continuing violence against civilians and systematic human rights abuses -- including against women and girls,” Pedersen told the UN Security Council in a briefing. “Levels of hunger and poverty have escalated as the economy has continued to implode, with 14 million people in need, the highest number since the conflict began,” he said. Many tens of thousands remain detained, abducted or missing,” he added. The envoy told the Council that “13 million Syrians remain displaced inside and outside the country – many of their children not knowing their homeland – their prospects for safe, dignified and voluntary return not improving – and a continuing challenge for Syria’s neighbors.” He stated that Syria remains fragmented into several areas as de facto authorities entrench their control on the ground, “and five foreign armies continue to jostle in the theater.”
“Syria continues to radiate instability -- a haven for mercenaries, drug trafficking and terrorism.” “Six years since its adoption, we are regrettably a long way from implementing Security Council resolution 2254,” he said.
“But I do believe there are possibilities for progress that need to be explored in 2022. Why do I say this? There are two main reasons for this. First: because all parties confront what I call a strategic stalemate on the ground that has now continued for 21 months, with no shifts in front-lines – making it increasingly clear that no existing actor or group of actors can determine the outcome of the conflict, and that a military solution remains an illusion. And second: because there are grave risks and costs to all by simply trying to muddle through with the unacceptable status quo -- especially given the humanitarian suffering, the continuing displacement crisis, the collapse of the economy, the de facto division of the country, the dangers of renewed escalation, and the continued threat of terrorism,” Pedersen stated.
“I have been highlighting these dynamics in all my engagements. With each passing month, I have sensed a wider realization than before that political and economic steps are needed -- and that these can really only happen together – step-by-step, step-for-step.”
He said that his sense from engagements with regional countries and Syrian stakeholders is that there is still great mistrust on all sides. A common message that he hears from many is that “we have made steps, but those on the other sides have not.” “I have begun consulting senior officials from key stakeholders – Syrian and international – in bilateral consultations with me in Geneva. These are now underway and will continue in January. This is a first set of consultations in what I believe needs to be a rolling process,” said Pedersen.
He hailed that so far, Russia, the European Union, Turkey and Qatar have participated in bilateral consultations with him in Geneva, saying he looked forward to engaging further participants in the New Year. He asked each stakeholder not only their priorities and demands, but also what they are prepared to put on the table in that context, to help move the process forward.
He stressed that while the political solution in Syria must be Syrian-owned and Syrian-led, many issues are not solely in the hands of the Syrians. “We have seen that when key stakeholders work together with mutual steps on issues of common concern, at least some progress has been possible,” he said.
“US-Russian channels helped lay the groundwork for Security Council resolution 2585, and it is important that we maintain and build on this. As the Secretary-General has stated in his recent report: ‘We must continue to take every opportunity to address humanitarian needs, including through further increasing access and further expanding early recovery efforts’.” He revealed that while in Nur-Sultan, his team will attend a meeting of the Working Group on the Release of Detainees/Abductees, the Handover of Bodies and the Identification of Missing Persons, “where we continue to urge meaningful progress on the various aspects of the file.”“They will also review the most recent release operation under the Working Group’s umbrella when, on 16 December – in an operation observed by my office – five persons from each side were simultaneously released in northern Syria.” “As I work to advance a broader process, I am actively engaged in seeking to reconvene the Syrian-led, Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee. In October and November, Deputy Special Envoy Mattar went twice to Damascus for consultations regarding a new session and also met in Istanbul with the Syrian Negotiations Commission and the Co-Chair it nominated. Just over a week ago, as I have mentioned, I travelled to Damascus, where I met with the Foreign Minister and the Co-Chair nominated by the Syrian Government.” He said it was important that the delegations not only table constitutional texts but that they all – including the delegation that has not yet done so – are ready to commit to revising them in light of the discussions. “We need a productive drafting process according to the Committee’s mandate. The Committee must work, as its Terms of Reference outline, ‘expeditiously and continuously to produce results and continued progress’.”

Religious Parties' Force Suspension of Music Concerts in Iraq
Baghdad /Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 21 December, 2021
Facing intense pressure from religious parties in Iraq, a local entertainment company was forced to freeze and cancel several concerts in Baghdad. The parties argued that the music performances were immoral and went against religion. The Iraqi company was also compelled to end contracts with other Arab companies organizing shows for Arab artists. Over the last week, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of Baghdad’s Sindbad Land theme park to demonstrate against a live concerts program that was set to feature a line-up of Arab performers, including Egypt’s Mohamed Ramadan.
“The concert is part of a Zionist scheme to destroy Iraqi society,” claimed one of the protesters. “The parties are rejected year-long, not just because they coincide with the observance of religious occasions,” another demonstrator explained, adding that if the protesters had it their way, concerts would never take place in the country. Several sources clarified that influential figures in Iraq had threatened concert organizers that they would shut down Sindbad Land altogether if the program wasn’t canceled. This forced the company to terminate contracts with performers who were supposed to sing during the final days leading up to New Year’s Eve. One of the artists that was scheduled to perform is Lebanon’s Assi El Hallani. “We apologize to the Iraqi public. All concerts have been canceled,” said the entertainment company in a statement. The cancellation sparked nationwide controversy about public freedoms in Iraq. Iraqi activists fear that forcing the Iraqi company to cancel its concerts would intimidate others from organizing similar artistic activities in the country. The Imtidad opposition movement voiced its strong condemnation and said that “no party has the right to confiscate rights granted by the constitution.”Iraqi authorities avoided the incident with the Iraqi Culture Ministry releasing a statement saying that the ministry does not finance festivals organized by private companies.

Gunmen shut four Libya oil fields in big blow to production
The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
TRIPOLI, LIBYA - Gunmen linked to Libya’s oil facilities guard force have shut down four key fields in a major blow to production, the National Oil Corporation said.
The NOC reported that output was slashed by “more than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to individuals from the Petroleum Facilities Guard” shutting the Sharara, al-Fil, al-Wafa and al-Hamada fields, all in the west of the country. The major producing fields eastern Libya have thus far been unaffected.
A spokesperson for the guards said, Monday, the closure was because of a pay dispute. “Meeting our engagements towards refineries is therefore impossible and we are obliged to declare force majeure,” NOC chief Mustafa Sanalla said in the statement. Declaring force majeure is a legal move allowing parties to free themselves from contractual obligations when factors such as fighting or natural disasters make meeting them impossible. The NOC has repeatedly been forced to do this when armed groups have seized or blockaded oil infrastructure during Libya’s conflict over the past decade. The repeated disruptions have cost the country, which has Africa’s largest reserves of crude, billions in revenues.
A spokesperson for the PFG, which usually employs local men to guard oil facilities, told AFP the latest move was because of a delay in salary payments to its personnel. The spokesperson also said the group had blocked pipelines from the Sharara and al-Wafa fields to their respective export terminals at the western end of Libya’s coast. The Mellitah complex, close to the border with Tunisia, is the start of a natural pipeline through which Libyan natural gas, partly from al-Wafa, is pumped under the Mediterranean to Italy. It is jointly managed by the NOC and Italian petrochemicals major ENI. The al-Sharara field, in the desert 900 kilometres south of Tripoli, is operated by a joint venture between the NOC and four European companies. Libya’s electricity firm GECOL said the latest blockade would “cause a shortfall of some 2,500 megawatts”, meaning longer hours of Libya’s chronic power shortages.
The latest blockade comes just days ahead of presidential elections intended to help turn a page on a decade of lawlessness in Libya since the 2011 fall of dictator Muammar Gadhafi. They are widely expected to be postponed because of deep divisions over their legality and bids by controversial figures.
One is eastern military chief Khalifa Haftar, whose Libyan National Army forces in early 2020 blockaded a string of oil facilities to demand a larger share of revenues managed by Tripoli, which he was trying to seize by force.
His year-long assault on the capital failed, leading to a landmark ceasefire in October 2020.
In recent months, Libya has produced some 1.2 million bpd, compared with up to 1.6 million bpd prior to Gadhafi’s fall. This is far from the first time that the PFG has disrupted the flow of oil and gas to export terminals. In 2017, NOC’s Sanalla said that a three year blockade of the four main eastern “Oil Crescent” terminals, Zuetina Brega, Ras Lanuf and Sidra, had cost the country $100 billion. The leader of that particular group of the PFG, Ibrahim Jadhran later fled the country when a warrant was issued for his arrest when his blockade was finally broken.
Though wages are often hugely delayed, PFG units throughout the country have often shut down production fields, pipelines or refineries demanding payola or jobs for others or local investments. Though deploring such interruptions, Sanalla has at times gone out of his way to travel to disaffected communities and their local PFG units, promising to pay for welfare and local projects. The problem that he and the whole NOC face is that the National Oil Corporation is not in direct control of a single petrodollar. All hydrocarbon revenues pass to the Libyan Central Bank through the Libyan Foreign Bank. NOC and its subsidiaries must every year seek all their funding from the government. Such disbursements have often been long delayed, so that the state oil company has at times effectively been broke and unable even to pay salaries, let alone invest in the maintenance and repair of a generally decayed production and transport infrastructure.

Facing crisis, Britain seeks support of Arab Gulf allies
The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
LONDON - Foreign ministers from Arab Gulf countries and Britain agreed on Monday to strengthen security and economic ties, setting the stage for closer cooperation in areas including trade, cyber security and green infrastructure investment into low and middle-income countries.
This came after Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss convened the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, the UAE Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General at Chevening House.
The meeting comes asthe government of Boris Johnson faces an escalating crisis, which has exacerbated by the resignation of Brexit Minister David Frost. The British prime minister is reportedly reeling under the weight of divisions within his party, as almost 100 Conservative MPs voted against the latest restrictions imposed to counter the spread of coronavirus. The conservative party also suffered a crushing defeat in a parliamentary by-election that took place Thursday. A statement by the British government said the foreign ministers agreed to work towards increasing trade between the UK and the GCC, which is currently worth more than £30 billion per year. The British government is hoping the expansion of cooperation with Arab Gulf countries will help achieve economic recovery. Five years after the Brexit referendum, Britain is still struggling to absorb economic shocks, witnessed after its breakaway from the European Union. Britain is also grappling with the repercussions of the health crisis, which is still casting a shadow with the country facing a new epidemic wave. Coping with all these challenges, Britain is seeking a free trade agreement with the GCC that will strengthen ties in areas such as investment and services and negotiations are expected to begin next year. According to the British government’s statement, Gulf foreign ministers welcomed on Monday the relaunch of the British International Investment (BII) body, which will increase investments in infrastructure, technology and clean energy projects across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Last October, British International Investment (BII), then called the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), announced a new deal with DP World to modernise three ports in Senegal, Somalia and Egypt, as part of a broader programme to support African trade around the world.
Monday’s meeting also discussed the conflict in Yemen, Iran's destabilising role in the region and the crisis in Afghanistan. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Oman's Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al-Busaidi, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani and Kuwait's Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser al-Mohammed al-Sabah participated in the meeting. The Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf also attended. Hajraf said earlier on Monday that the Gulf-British relations are based “on historical and strategic relations that serve the common interests of both sides.”He added that the Gulf-British ministerial meeting aimed at discussing issues of common interest such as "security, stability and economic and trade relations between the two sides."

Putin Blames West for Tensions, Demands Security Guarantees
Associated Press/December 21, 2021
The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for "tensions that are building up in Europe." Russian President Vladimir Putin's speech at a meeting with Russia's top military brass came just days after Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance's military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe — bold ultimatums that are almost certain to be rejected.
The demands — contained in a proposed Russia-U.S. security treaty and a security agreement between Moscow and NATO — were drafted amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. Russia has denied it has plans to attack its neighbor but pressed for legal guarantees that would rule out NATO expansion and weapons deployment there. Putin charged Tuesday that if U.S. and NATO missile systems appear in Ukraine, it will take those missiles only minutes to reach Moscow. "For us, it is the most serious challenge — a challenge to our security," he said, adding that this is why the Kremlin needs "long-term, legally binding guarantees" from the West, as opposed to "verbal assurances, words and promises" that Moscow can't trust. Putin noted that NATO has expanded eastward since the late 1990s while giving assurances that Russia's worries were groundless. "What is happening now, tensions that are building up in Europe, is their (U.S. and NATO's) fault every step of the way," the Russian leader said. "Russia has been forced to respond at every step. The situation kept worsening and worsening, deteriorating and deteriorating. And here we are today, in a situation when we're forced to resolve it somehow." Russia's relations with the U.S. sank to post-Cold War lows after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 — gaining control over long coastlines of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov — and backed a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine that still controls territory there. Tensions reignited in recent weeks after Moscow massed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's border. Putin has pressed the West for guarantees that NATO will not expand to Ukraine or deploy its forces there and raised the issue during a video call with U.S. President Joe Biden two weeks ago. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu charged Tuesday that more than 120 staff of U.S. private military companies are currently operating in two villages in war-torn eastern Ukraine, training Ukrainian troops and setting up firing positions in residential buildings and different facilities.
Putin said the U.S. "should understand we have nowhere to retreat." "What they are now trying to do and plan to do at Ukraine's territory, it's not thousands of kilometers away, it's happening right at the doorstep of our house," he said. Putin added that Moscow hopes "constructive, meaningful talks with a visible end result — and within a certain time frame — that would ensure equal security for all." "Armed conflicts, bloodshed is not our choice, and we don't want such developments. We want to resolve issues by political and diplomatic means," Putin said.

The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 21-22/2021
China Planning the Ultimate Genocide; Biden Responding with Empty Words
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/December 21, 2021
China's coronavirus has now killed more than 806,400 Americans, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Biden these days sees China merely as a "competitor," not, more appropriately, as an adversary or enemy.
There are Chinese business links with Biden's family and with members of his administration and doubtless he wants to accommodate campaign donors wishing to do business in China, but most fundamentally the President, despite everything, speaks as if he has never let go of his decades-old benign view of the nature of Chinese communism.
America is a far stronger society than China, which at the moment is especially fragile because of its debt crisis, but the Communist Party can destroy the U.S. simply because Biden is not adequately defending it from malicious—and unrelenting — Chinese attacks. Strength means nothing if America does not have the determination to defend itself.
The next disease from China could be a civilization-killer. China's military is working on the next generation of pathogens, a new kind of biological warfare of "specific ethnic genetic attacks." In other words, Chinese researchers are developing viruses, microbes, and germs that leave China's people immune but kill everyone else.
Biden, like many Americans, likes to think that co-existence with the Chinese regime is both possible and desirable, and he has a hard time comprehending the ruthlessness of the Chinese regime or the comprehensive nature of its assault on the international system.
Furthermore, the Party is trying to destroy America. China's ruling organization knows that the inspirational impact of American values poses an existential threat to its totalitarian pretensions. What Biden fails to understand is that Chinese communism is in a fight to the finish with the U.S. — whether the U.S. thinks so or not.
Biden in a November 17 statement marked the overdose deaths of more than 100,000 Americans in the 12 months ended April 30. Not once did he mention China. Of that toll, approximately 64,000 deaths were attributable to fentanyl. Of that 64,000, almost all were the result of Chinese fentanyl.
Today, Biden is scheduled to speak about what America can do to protect itself from the spread of COVID-19, but he will not talk about the most important thing the nation must do: impose the greatest of costs on China to make sure the Communist Party will not create another pandemic.
Biden's failure to confront China, whether on coronavirus or fentanyl deaths, means he is derelict in discharging his most fundamental constitutional duty: protecting the American people from foreign attack.
China's coronavirus has now killed more than 806,400 Americans. The spread of the disease outside the People's Republic was the inevitable result of Chinese policies. In other words, China's leaders have now deliberately killed more than 5.3 million people outside their country. Chinese researchers are now developing viruses, microbes, and germs that leave China's people immune but kill everyone else. (Image source: iStock)
President Joe Biden on December 15 "smirked and walked away" when a reporter wanted to know why he has not asked Beijing "to do more to be transparent on the origins" of COVID-19.
China's coronavirus has now killed more than 806,400 Americans, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
China lied about the contagiousness of COVID-19 and then, while locking down China, pressured other countries to take arrivals from its soil without restrictions or quarantines.
The spread of the disease outside the People's Republic, therefore, was the inevitable result of Chinese policies. In other words, China's leaders have now deliberately killed more than 5.3 million people outside their country.
The President did not raise the issue of the disease's origins during his two-hour phone call with Chinese ruler Xi Jinping in February. Nor did he talk about it during their three-and-a-half-hour "virtual meeting" in November. It does not appear Biden discussed the matter during a 90-minute phone call in September with Xi.
"The world deserves answers, and I will not rest until we get them," Biden said in an August 27 statement, as he released a summary of the findings of the U.S. intelligence community on the disease's origins.
The American president evidently understands that China's Communist Party is a bad actor when it comes to the coronavirus. "Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the People's Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it," he also stated August 27.
Yet Biden is apparently not interested in getting to the bottom of the matter. When it comes to China, he has become a master of empty words.
Why? There are Chinese business links with Biden's family and with members of his administration and doubtless he wants to accommodate campaign donors wishing to do business in China, but most fundamentally the President, despite everything, speaks as if he has never let go of his decades-old benign view of the nature of Chinese communism.
In May 2019, he infamously proclaimed "they're not bad folks," referring to China's leaders who were then busy committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and other Third Reich-scale acts of barbarism. At the same time, Biden said this about China: "they're not competition for us."
Biden these days sees China merely as a "competitor," not, more appropriately, as an adversary or enemy. The competitor label implicitly assumes that the Chinese party-state accepts the current Westphalian international system, which recognizes the sovereignty of states that compete within its framework.
China, however, no longer accepts American sovereignty — or the sovereignty of any other society. In his speech on July 1, marking the centennial of China's ruling organization, Xi Jinping promised in a much-publicized phrase to "crack skulls and spill blood," but in more chilling words he said this: "The Communist Party of China and the Chinese people, with their bravery and tenacity, solemnly proclaim to the world that the Chinese people are not only good at taking down the old world but also good at building a new one."
This is Xi-speak for the Chinese imperial-era system in which emperors believed they not only had the Mandate of Heaven to rule tianxia — all under Heaven — but they were also compelled by Heaven to do so.
Biden, like many Americans, likes to think that co-existence with the Chinese regime is both possible and desirable, and he has a hard time comprehending the ruthlessness of the Chinese regime or the comprehensive nature of its assault on the international system. The Communist Party, among other things, is breaking apart its neighbors, proliferating the world's most dangerous weapons, supporting terrorists, and stealing hundreds of billions of dollars of intellectual property a year.
Furthermore, the Party is trying to destroy America. China's ruling organization knows that the inspirational impact of American values poses an existential threat to its totalitarian pretensions. What Biden fails to understand is that Chinese communism is in a fight to the finish with the U.S. — whether the U.S. thinks so or not.
America is a far stronger society than China, which at the moment is especially fragile because of its debt crisis, but the Communist Party can destroy the U.S. simply because Biden is not adequately defending it from malicious — and unrelenting — Chinese attacks. Strength means nothing if America does not have the determination to defend itself.
"Whether you think China deliberately or mistakenly released its coronavirus on the world, its collective reactions have fantastically educated the People's Liberation Army on how to make a possible future bio-attack a deadly success," Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center told American Consequences.
That "deadly success" could result in the ultimate genocide.
How so?
The next disease from China could be a civilization-killer. China's military is working on the next generation of pathogens, a new kind of biological warfare of "specific ethnic genetic attacks." In other words, Chinese researchers are developing viruses, microbes, and germs that leave China's people immune but kill everyone else.
The world, therefore, urgently needs to deter Xi Jinping from spreading the next disease. Biden's failure so far to hold Xi accountable has given the Chinese a big green light to launch attacks that could kill Americans in unprecedented numbers.
The coronavirus is not the only Chinese weapon targeting Americans. China also kills tens of thousands of Americans a year by supporting criminal gangs designing, making, transporting, and selling fentanyl, one of dozens of synthetic opioids cooked in Chinese laboratories.
Biden in a November 17 statement marked the overdose deaths of more than 100,000 Americans in the 12 months ended April 30. Not once did he mention China. Of that toll, approximately 64,000 deaths were attributable to fentanyl. Of that 64,000, almost all were the result of Chinese fentanyl.
Chinese leaders know exactly what is going on, given their near-total surveillance state. The working assumption is that Beijing knows about the far-flung and highly organized gangs, approves of them, and profits from their operations. The profits are laundered by other Chinese gangs through China's state banks.
Yet Biden does not care about either coronavirus or fentanyl deaths. He is allowing a foreign power to murder Americans with no penalty whatsoever.
Today, Biden is scheduled to speak about what America can do to protect itself from the spread of COVID-19, but he will not talk about the most important thing the nation must do: impose the greatest of costs on China to make sure the Communist Party will not create another pandemic.
Biden's failure to confront China, whether on coronavirus or fentanyl deaths, means he is derelict in discharging his most fundamental constitutional duty: protecting the American people from foreign attack.
*Gordon G. Chang is the author of The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

America is Offering its Allies to China
Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al-Awsat/December, 21/2021
The Middle East will not witness another Sadat moment. Washington will not wake up to a sudden shift of its Middle Eastern allies from the Western camp to the Chinese side, just as Egypt moved with the late President Anwar Sadat from the East to the West camp.
However, the American “obsession” about heading east - which began with former President Barack Obama, continued during the term of ex-President Donald Trump and gained intensity under President Joe Biden - produced political tracks in the Middle East and among Washington’s allies in particular. Consequently, profound changes in the positioning and calculations of these capitals seem to be occurring daily, and the transformation is taking place slowly but surely.
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the way it was carried out constituted a worrying message to all those concerned with the relationship with Washington, allies and adversaries alike. The step was placed in the context of abandoning files that distract America and hinder its focus on confronting China.
In addition, all of Washington’s allies, from the Gulf to Israel to Europe, felt the consequences of the “obsession” with confronting China, which is expanding in the entire areas of traditional American influence.
Much has been written and will be written about the “deficiencies” of the Chinese model, and that the next century is American par excellence… that China’s expansionist dreams are incompatible with Beijing’s weak financial solvency, and that influence alone is not sufficient for China to have the same cosmic fascination with the American model and its multiple soft powers... All of this is true, or has a good share of veracity.
However, what I call the American “obsession” with China, coupled with the messages about the US withdrawal from the Middle East, is paving the way for more rapprochement between Washington’s classic allies and Beijing.
In more direct terms, if “obsession” with China means America facing Beijing’s influence, then whoever seeks such confrontation should guarantee his Middle Eastern allies on his side, not the other way around.
China, in its new version, is not the leading country of an alliance that includes Iran, North Korea and Russia.
China has become a major trading partner for several countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel, while Iran does not appear on the list of the first five trading allies. Beijing is also expanding strategic partnerships with these countries in the sectors of infrastructure, technology and armament.
China occupies a strategic position in Saudi Vision 2030, through which Prince Mohammed bin Salman is implementing an ambitious plan to diversify the economy and free it from dependence on oil.
Moreover, the personal relations, as revealed by The Wall Street Journal, between the young prince and the Chinese president are characterized by “harmony”, in a world where the personal factor plays many roles.
Amid the campaigns against the Kingdom, the visit of the Crown Prince to Beijing in 2019 was remarkable, and saw bilateral talks with President Xi and an oil agreement worth USD10 billion.
As for the Israeli-Chinese relations, for example, they have raised public disagreements between Washington and Tel Aviv, even amid harmonious relations between the two predecessors, Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. Similar divergences emerged in correspondence and meetings between Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his US counterpart Anthony Blinken.
A Chinese company runs the Haifa port, and another builds the Red Line on the Tel Aviv Light rail. The Chinese are also participating in the Sorek desalination project, as well as in other infrastructure and transportation developments.
Similarly, concerns with Chinese backgrounds have recently emerged between the US and the UAE. At the bottom of Abu Dhabi’s threat to withdraw from the F-35 deal, which was revealed by The Wall Street Journal, lies “sovereignty” differences caused by US conditions on the UAE to reduce dependence on 5G technology through the Chinese Huawei, under the pretext that the network may be a back door to Chinese spying on the secrets of the US military industry.
In the same period, the political and diplomatic advisor to the President of the UAE, Dr. Anwar Gargash, confirmed that his country’s authorities had suspended work on a Chinese facility, after pressure from the United States, due to Washington’s suspicions that Beijing wanted to use the port for military purposes, which Abu Dhabi categorically denied.
Politically, bets are growing on China to assume a more active role on Iran, the most important file for Washington’s allies in the region. In this context, former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy said in a recent lecture that China was the only player, who can be efficient in making progress in the Vienna Talks.
“I will not be exaggerating if I say that the Iranian economy is mainly dependent on China. The influence of China on Iran’s politics is perhaps the greatest influence of a foreign power on Iran. Never, in history, has China had the opportunity to make a decisive contribution to world stability as it has today in Vienna,” he added.
Many analysts agree with Halevy’s assessment.
Leaving the Middle East to confront China provides, in fact, an opportunity for Beijing. As for the argument about America’s liberation from dependence on Middle Eastern oil, it holds a great degree of naivety.
The coronavirus pandemic has revealed the extent of the imbalance in the production chains in the world due to their concentration in China.
The US depends on China’s factories, which in turn operate with Middle Eastern oil, especially the oil of Washington’s allies. This means that America’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil may be greater than ever, as confirmed by a number of senior strategists in the US capital.

UAE balances Israel ties with Iran detente, sits out conflict

Hussain Abdul-Hussain/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
The policies of three of the Middle East’s top players have been outlined in a flurry of diplomacy, joint statements and budget announcements over the past two weeks.
The United Arab Emirates sent its National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed to Iran while also receiving Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Israel deployed its Defence Minister Benny Gantz to Washington, as Iran doubled its military budget. As the UAE minimises tensions with regional capitals and endorses peace, Israel and Iran engage in military build-up and seem to be banging the drums of war.
Bennett made a historic visit, the first of its kind for an Israeli premier to the UAE, where he met Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed and held one-on-one meetings with ministers.
Bilateral trade between the UAE and Israel stood at near $800 million, for the first nine months of 2021. Direct Emirati investment in Israel has also been on the rise, as cooperation surges between the region’s third and fourth biggest economies, with equal-sized GDPs at around $400 billion each.
Such cooperation would guarantee substantial economic growth between Israel, a nation focused on start-ups and the UAE, a country with highly developed sectors in the financing, marketing and other monetisation tools.
Despite the dizzying pace at which the UAE and Israel are coming closer together, the UAE signalled that peace with the Jewish state was economic and cultural, rather than one against Iran. Along these lines, Bennett did not hold a one-on-one with any defence or security official while in the UAE, including with Sheikh Tahnoun, the official who had just returned from Tehran.
With nuclear talks between the world and Iran seemingly going nowhere, the UAE seems to be aware that regional war is closer than ever. Yet, Abu Dhabi’s message is clear: it intends to sit out military entanglements in the region, including between Iran and Israel. Emirati neutrality does not mean it has no favourites, but if it does have one, it was not giving it a hand.
Israel, for its part, is drawing a line in the sand: the Jewish state will not tolerate a nuclear Iran and is willing to use military force to stop Tehran from making a bomb. Hence why Gantz visited Washington and asked for the acceleration of the delivery of two air refuelling tankers that Israel had earlier purchased from the US. Such technology is required when fighter jets fly long distance missions, exactly like when Israel decides to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
Meanwhile, Iran announced that for the year 2022 it would double its military budget to $30 billion. Despite the increase, Iranian access to the superior Western military technology will remain limited, which suggests that Tehran will likely increase the money it allocates to its regional terrorist militias with which it threatens and often blackmails regional powers, first and foremost Israel.
Former President Donald Trump’s policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran could not force Iran to come back to the negotiating table, but Trump’s policy certainly put Iranian uranium enrichment on hold. Had Trump been elected to a second term, it would have been unlikely that Tehran would have resumed enrichment at full speed.
But with President Joe Biden, diplomacy has taken an ideological tilt, with the foreign policy team seemingly more interested in the ambiguous concept of decolonisation than in maintaining regional and world peace. Making things even worse, to the Biden team, ending the age of empires means rolling back American power while simultaneously allowing Iran to expand and build its own regional empire.
With America under Biden withdrawn and restricting its foreign policy to irrelevant diplomacy, regional powers are jockeying to fill the void. Israel and Iran are preparing for war, each reinforcing their own points of strength. The UAE, however, wants to minimise the effects of whatever war may have on its economy and prosperity, a prudent policy that countries with similar profiles might be well advised to follow.
What unfolds in the coming months and years remains to be seen. What is certain is that the main players are bracing for drastic change and that the superpower that once used to steady the regional ship is not interested in playing its role anymore, leaving the ship to sail leaderless through a lot of turbulence.
Syndication Bureau/www.syndicationbureau.com

The reason for Iran's stalling

Khairallah Khairallah/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2021
Iran's moves in Vienna indicate the belief it can outsmart the world while it seeks a specific goal by stalling. That goal is to impose a fait accompli on the international community by becoming a nuclear power. The world should deal with Tehran from that perspective. The "Islamic Republic" believes that negotiating from the position of a nuclear power would allow it to dictate conditions that it has not been able to impose since Joe Biden entered the White House eleven months ago. Foremost among these conditions is the separation of its the nuclear programme from its behaviour in the region.
This behaviour, of course, includes ballistic missiles and drones that were used in several countries, including Iraq and Yemen and in attacking Saudi Arabia and its oil infrastructure, as happened in the fall of 2019, when Iran targeted Aramco's facilities. Iran thought a fundamental change had come over US policy once it was rid of the Donald Trump administration, which understood very well the meaning of the policies of the “Islamic Republic”.
In the end, the Trump administration made it possible to discover that the “Islamic Republic” is nothing but a paper tiger. Iran could not react to America’s killing of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the “Quds Force” in the “Revolutionary Guards” on January 3, 2020, as he left Baghdad airport. It turned out that Iran is unable to respond when a US administration takes a tough stance against it. On the other hand, Tehran goes very far in provoking the US when it is certain that the Americans will not respond.
Since the beginning of the Joe Biden era, Iran has dreamed of returning to the days of Barack Obama. It discovered, belatedly, that this was not possible, despite the inclination of the US president to accommodate it.
Iran will agree to return to compliance with the nuclear agreement if sanctions are lifted. It wants the funds it could obtain if the Trump administration's sanctions are lifted, although this is unlikely to happen. It wants to use those funds to support its expansionist project, which is based on sectarian militias that are working to destroy a number of Arab countries from within, as is happening in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
There is no indication that the Biden administration will give in to Iran. Among the factors that are preventing American yielding to Tehran are the differences within Biden's own Democratic Party. There is a majority in Congress, including most of the Republican congressmen and senators and a section of Democrats that refuses to surrender to the Iranians. There is also the Israeli lobby, which is wary of any US accommodation of Iran's goals. Naftali Bennett's government has avoided engaging in a public confrontation with the US administration, but has exerted pressure on Washington to prevent an American surrender to the “Islamic Republic.”
In light of these facts, Iran finds itself forced to work a fundamental change in its approach to the issue of the nuclear negotiations in Vienna. This change means hurrying to become a nuclear state. The danger of such a development lies in the fact that the countries of the region are aware that such a transformation does means not only a direct threat to them and an additional means of blackmail, but also signals the start of an arms race that Gulf states, in addition to Egypt and Turkey, could live without. More likely than not, there will be a return to the indirect US-Iranian negotiations in Vienna, but this return will raise, before anything else, a basic question: What does Iran want?
Despite all the weaknesses and setbacks of the Joe Biden administration, the "Islamic Republic" will not be able to impose its terms. One of the most prominent factors that hinders the Iranian expansionist project is the internal situation in the “Islamic Republic,” where most people face poverty, hunger and underdevelopment. Not a day goes by without the Iranian regime demonstrating its failure to export any part of its model with the exception of it successful export of the expanding footprint of sectarian militias throughout the region. The Islamic Republic seeks to acquire a nuclear weapon to protect these sectarian militias and nothing more. What has happened in Vienna between America and Iran in the presence of the Europeans, in addition to Russia and China, is a return to square one ... that is, to the Iranian role in the region. Will Iran be allowed to play a dominant role in the Middle East and the Gulf?
Related questions include Iran's behaviour outside its borders and its ballistic missiles and drones, which are far more dangerous than its possessing a nuclear weapon. Iran cannot fool the world, despite the Chinese and Russian complicity with it in many cases. The world knows where the problem lies. It knows that Iran wants the nuclear weapons that could provide it with the cover it needs for its behaviour outside its borders.