English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 12/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured
“Letter to the Hebrews 12/28-29//13/01-09: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire. Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them.””

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 11-12/2022
President Aoun meets newly appointed Information Minister, discusses general affairs with UN Development Program representative
Aoun welcomes newly appointed UNDP resident representative in Lebanon
Mikati meets newly appointed Information Minister
Speaker Berri to hold press conference upcoming Monday
Judge Ghada Aoun issues travel ban against chairmen of 5 banks
Report: Lebanon Inclined to Reject Hochstein's Proposal
Russia-Ukraine Crisis Compels Lebanon Hotels to Shut Down or Raise Prices
Miqati, Saniora Won't Run in Elections, Will Back Electoral Lists
FPM to Seek Parliament Ruling on Megacenters as Cabinet Vote Avoided
Lebanon Asks U.S. for Wheat and Cooking Oil Donations
Hariri Slams Hizbullah after STL Reverses Acquittals of Merhi and Oneissi
Franjieh Slams 'Idiotic Thinking' of 'Christian Officials'
Ministry of Environment opens doors of nature reserves free of charge on March 19 instead of March 12
Boujikian, Ambassador of Japan discuss means to boost industrial exchange
Oil prices edge up across Lebanon

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 11-12/2022
Saudi Oil Refinery Attacked by Drone
'Other Options' Possible if Russia Blocks Iran Nuclear Deal
Iran Nuclear Talks Paused after Russian Demands
Russian Demands Leave Iran Talks in Limbo as Negotiations Pause
US, France Say Iran Nuclear Deal Close
US Lawmakers: Iran Nuclear Deal Will Be a Massive Win for Putin
Zelensky says Ukraine has 'reached a strategic turning point' in its fight against Russia
Putin Says Russia to Use Volunteer Fighters against Ukraine
Biden Says U.S. and Allies Will End Normal Trade Relations with Russia
Biden Warns Direct NATO-Russia Clash Would Trigger 'World War III'
Premier Li Offers China’s Help for 'Grave' Ukraine Situation
UK Sanctions Russian Lawmakers Who Supported Ukraine Breakaway Regions
UN Agency Warns Ukraine War Could Trigger 20% Food Price Rise
US, Russia Build up Reinforcements in Northeast Syria
Turkey, Israel to Form Crisis Cell
US Says North Korea Testing New ICBM System

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 11-12/2022
Question: "How can we store up treasures in heaven?"/GotQuestions.org?/March 11/2022
Ukraine and the Dynamics of a Resurgent Totalitarianism/Charles Elias Chartouni/March 11/2022
How Iran is Making Inroads in South America/Emanuele Ottolenghi/The Dispatch/March 11/2022
Turkey: Occupies Northern Cyprus, Goes for the Rest/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 11, 2022
Putin and His One-Man War/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March, 11/2022
China’s Smart Move Would Be to Push Putin to Peace/Robert Zoellick/Bloomberg/March, 11/2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 11-12/2022
President Aoun meets newly appointed Information Minister, discusses general affairs with UN Development Program representative
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
The newly appointed Information Minister, Engineer Ziad Al-Makari, indicated that the difficult circumstances the country is going through “Require upgrading the ministerial work in order to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese, as well as prioritizing the national interest over narrow calculations, to the scope of the comprehensive national action”.Minister Makari's positions came after meeting President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, on the occasion of his appointment as Minister of Information to succeed former Minister George Qordahi.
President Aoun wished the Information Minister success in his new duties, and stressed the importance of the media of all kinds at this delicate stage in Lebanon's history.
Statement:
After the meeting, Minister Makari made the following statement:
"It is not possible to start my ministerial duty without having the honor to visit His Excellency President Michel Aoun and listen to his directives. The meeting was an occasion to thank everyone who gave me confidence, and I wish cooperation between everyone for the good of Lebanon and the Lebanese. Undoubtedly, the delicate and sensitive stage, as well as the circumstances require upgrading the ministerial work in order to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese, as well as prioritizing the national interest over narrow calculations, to the scope of the comprehensive national action. I chose at this point not to speak before I took up my duties, and I am close to everyone. The country is suffering from a major crisis that requires us to act rather than speak”.
UNDP Representative:
The President met the new resident United Nations Development Program representative, Mrs. Melanie Hoenstein, after assuming her duties in Lebanon. President Aoun wished Mrs. Hoenstein success in her new responsibilities, and asserted the importance of cooperation between Lebanon and UNDP, and the joint projects that are being implemented at various levels.
For her part, Mrs. Hoenstein confirmed that the program will continue its activity in Lebanon with momentum to achieve its goals.Signing the decrees of membership of the Supreme Defense Council and the Military Council:
President Aoun signed Decree No. 8923 appointing Brigadier General Pierre Saab as a member of the Military Council at the Ministry of National Defense. The President also signed Decree No. 8924 appointing Brigadier General Mohamed Al-Mustafa as Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council.
Now, the six-member Military Council is completed.-- Presidency Press Office

Aoun welcomes newly appointed UNDP resident representative in Lebanon
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, on Friday welcomed at Baabda Palace the newly appointed resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Lebanon, Melanie Hauenstein, upon assuming her new mission in Lebanon.

Mikati meets newly appointed Information Minister
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Friday received at the Grand Serail the new Minister of Information, Ziad Al Makari.
On emerging, Minister Al-Makari said: "I visited Premier Mikati to thank him for his trust,” hoping that he would be up to this trust and responsibility. “The current situation is very difficult and two delicate months await us before the legislative elections and we will try to spread positive atmosphere as much as possible,” he said.
The new Minister also pledged to abide by the principle “work more, speak less." “Next Monday, I will take over the duties of the Ministry of Information from Minister Abbas Al-Halabi, and we will study the files and we will be close to all media professionals with full transparency.”

Speaker Berri to hold press conference upcoming Monday
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, will hold a press conference at 3.00 pm upcoming Monday at the Second Presidency in Ain El-Tineh, over the parliamentary elections’ dossier.

Judge Ghada Aoun issues travel ban against chairmen of 5 banks
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
Mount Lebanon Appeals Public Prosecutor, Judge Ghada Aoun, on Friday informed Lebanon’s General Security about a travel ban decision against the chairmen of the boards of directors of 5 banks, including:
Salim George Sfeir and his mother, Munira (born in 1944, Lebanese).
Samir Nicolas Hanna and his mother, Rene (born in 1944, Lebanese).
Raya Muhammad Ali Haffar and her mother, Bushra (born in 1967, Lebanese).
Saad Noaman Azhari and his mother (born in 1961, Lebanese).
Antoine Mikhael Sehnaoui (born in 1958, Lebanese).

Report: Lebanon Inclined to Reject Hochstein's Proposal
Naharnet/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Lebanon seems to be inclined to reject U.S. envoy Amon Hochstein’s proposal regarding the demarcation of the sea border with Israel, a media report said on Friday. “There is an inclination to reject the proposal in a polite way that does not infuriate the American side,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported. According to the daily, President Michel Aoun has recently presided over a technical meeting that was attended by his adviser Salim Jreissati, Presidency Director General Antoine Choucair, Prime Minister Najib Miqati’s representative Butros Assaker, the head of the army’s hydrographic dept. Afif Ghayth, Lebanese Petroleum Administration member Wissam Chbat and the lawyer Maroun Zein. “The committee studied the proposal without reaching a decision, but it left its meetings open to further consultations,” sources from the meeting told al-Akhbar. “The dominant inclination within the committee is to reject Hochstein’s proposal, seeing as it does not fully grant the possible Qana field to Lebanon and rather leaves a pocket under the Israeli enemy’s sovereignty, which would create a problem between the state and some domestic forces that totally reject any form of engagement in what they consider to be normalization platforms,” the sources added. Informed sources meanwhile warned that accepting the U.S. proposal would represent a “scandal.”“It is like a maritime ambush aimed at preoccupying the Lebanese side with studying proposals whose unviability is known by the Americans,” the sources said.

Russia-Ukraine Crisis Compels Lebanon Hotels to Shut Down or Raise Prices
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
The tourism sector in Lebanon has been highly affected by the Russian-Ukrainian war and its resulting surge in oil prices, said the president of the country’s Hotel Federation for Tourism. Pierre Achkar, also head of the Lebanese Hotel Association, said the war has negatively impacted Lebanon’s hotel sector, its operational cost, food, and transportation. The main problem facing the sector is its lack of access to sources of energy, which it needs more than any other sector, Achkar explained. Hotels cannot operate without electricity, he warned, noting that they need it for lighting and heating water.
He said the cost of energy now constitutes 40% of the hotels’ operating cost, prompting many hotels to either close their doors or raise their prices. Achkar revealed that in the central Metn region, more than 20 hotels have closed down so far, expecting more hotels to shut their doors in areas outside the capital, Beirut. He pointed out that most of the hotels did not announce their closure to the public, which indicates they could reopen their doors in case the situation takes a better turn.

Miqati, Saniora Won't Run in Elections, Will Back Electoral Lists
Naharnet/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Prime Minister Najib Miqati and ex-PM Fouad Saniora will not run personally in the upcoming parliamentary elections but will sponsor a number of electoral lists, sources close to the club of prime ministers said. “Saniora insists that he does not want to present himself as being the political heir of the political Harirism represented in ex-PM (Saad) Hariri,” the sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Friday. “His nomination after Hariri’s withdrawal will provide an alibi to those seeking to fish in troubled waters in order to deepen the rift between them under the excuse that he wants to run in the same district (Beirut 2) that Hariri used to run in,” the sources said. Saniora is also distancing himself from the electoral battle in the Sidon-Jezzine district, although Sidon is his hometown, in order not to dismay the head of al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Bahia Hariri, who is stressing that al-Mustaqbal should stay out of the battle in line with Saad Hariri’s decision to withdraw from politics, the sources added. Media reports meanwhile said that the electoral list that Saniora will back in Beirut’s second district will comprise ex-ministers Khaled Qabbani and Hassan Mneimneh, American University of Beirut professor Lina Tannir and candidates who represent the main Beiruti families.

FPM to Seek Parliament Ruling on Megacenters as Cabinet Vote Avoided
Naharnet/Friday, 11 March, 2022 
The Free Patriotic Movement will not bow to Cabinet’s decision to postpone the megacenters plan to the 2026 elections and will rather escalate its steps in the coming hours and days, senior FPM sources said. “The Movement will hold a consultative meeting today under the chairmanship of MP Jebran Bassil to discuss the available options, which are plenty,” the sources told Nidaa al-Watan newspaper in remarks published Friday. The options include “submitting an urgent draft law to parliament over the megacenters mechanism, in order to push parliament to shoulders its responsibilities in light of the government’s reluctance to perform its duties in this regard,” the sources said. Informed sources meanwhile told ad-Diyar newspaper that President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Miqati had agreed not to put the megacenters plan to a Cabinet vote on Thursday in order “not to shake the government’s stability.”
They also agreed “not to throw the ball in parliament’s court, in order to avoid any confrontation with Speaker Nabih Berri on the eve of elections that would risk undermine the fragile agreements between the FPM and the Amal Movement,” the sources added. Although no vote was held, the Cabinet members agreed Thursday to postpone the megacenters plan to the 2026 elections.

Lebanon Asks U.S. for Wheat and Cooking Oil Donations
Naharnet/Friday, 11 March, 2022 
The government has asked Economy Minister Amin Salam to intensify his foreign contacts to secure essential food stocks in order to enable the country to face the food security crisis resulting from the war in Ukraine, media reports said on Friday. Prime Minister Najib Miqati has promised to help Salam in his endeavor to obtain wheat and cooking oil donations, especially from the United States, after other countries refrained from offering any promises in this regard due to their local markets’ need for these resources, ad-Diyar newspaper reported. “The Economy Minister has submitted a written request in this regard to U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea, who promised to follow up on the file without offering decisive pledges in this regard, pending a response from the U.S. administration to the Lebanese request,” the daily added. Ministerial sources meanwhile expected “food security and social chaos and turbulence in the country” should Lebanon’s importation capacity drop as a result of the failure to secure donations amid the scarcity of foreign currency reserves.

Hariri Slams Hizbullah after STL Reverses Acquittals of Merhi and Oneissi
Naharnet/Friday, 11 March, 2022 
Ex-PM Saad Hariri on Thursday lashed out at Hizbullah for “protecting the criminals,” after the Special Tribunal for Lebanon reversed the acquittals of Hizbullah operatives Hassan Merhi and Hussein Oneissi in the case of Rafik Hariri’s assassination. “Ex-PM Saad Hariri renews his full confidence and complete commitment to what the Special Tribunal for Lebanon issues in the case of the assassination of martyr premier Rafik Hariri and his companions as well as in the connected cases,” his press office said in a statement. “The Appeals Chamber’s decision to reverse the acquittals of the Accused Hassan Habib Merhi and Hussein Hassan Oneissi obligates the Lebanese state and all its military and security authorities and agencies to seek the arrest of the convicts to hand them over to the STL for the execution of the decided penalties,” the statement added. It said that Hariri also calls for the arrest of the third convict in the case – Hizbullah operative Salim Ayyash. Hariri “holds Hizbullah responsible for covering up for the crime, protecting the criminals who belong to it, and evading the rulings of international justice,” the statement added. “History will not be merciful on all the culprits and plotters who planned the assassination crime, and it will remain on the lookout for every party or leadership that fails to implement justice and penalize the criminal murderers,” the statement said.

Franjieh Slams 'Idiotic Thinking' of 'Christian Officials'
Naharnet/Friday, 11 March, 2022 
The Free Patriotic Movement will not
Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh has criticized what he described as the “idiotic thinking” of “Christian officials.”“The enemy today is idiotic thinking,” Franjieh said during a meeting with Marada’s engineers bureau. “The outsmarting attempts by some officials, especially Christian officials, will lead us to destruction, instead of being a bridge between all sects and a meeting and openness point, while preserving our dignity, faith and pride,” the Marada leader added. Separately, he stressed that his relation is good with “Syria and with President Bashar al-Assad in person, as well as with the Resistance.”“Our affiliation is clear and what differentiates us from others is our ability to communicate and talk to everyone while preserving our principles, constants and political stance,” Franjieh went on to say. Moreover, the Marada chief said he is against the arrest of Central Bank chief Riad Salameh. “Some are trying to deceive the people by saying that putting the central bank governor in jail would solve the problem. This is untrue, because imprisoning him may satisfy this group, but it won’t solve the problem of depositors’ funds,” Franjieh explained.

Ministry of Environment opens doors of nature reserves free of charge on March 19 instead of March 12
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
The Ministry of Environment on Friday said in a statement that due to the storm that’s currently hitting Lebanon, especially in mountainous heights, it will open the doors of nature reserves free of charge on March 19 instead of March 12 to enable citizens to enjoy the beauty of these protected areas, and the beautiful face of Lebanon.

Boujikian, Ambassador of Japan discuss means to boost industrial exchange
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Minister of Industry, George Boujikian, on Friday welcomed Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon, Takeshi Okubo, with whom he discussed bilateral relations between Lebanon and Japan, and the best means to develop them on the industrial exchange level.

Oil prices edge up across Lebanon
NNA/Friday, 11 March, 2022  
Oil prices in Lebanon have edged up on Wednesday as the price of gasoline (95 octanes) has increased by LBP 22,000 and (98 octanes) has increased by LBP 23,000. The price of diesel has increased by 29,000 LBP and the price of a gas canister has increased by LBP 9000.
Consequently, the new prices are as follows:
95 octanes: LBP 463,000
98 octanes: LBP 473,000
Diesel: LBP 489,000
Gas: LBP 311,000

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 11-12/2022
Saudi Oil Refinery Attacked by Drone
Associated Press/Friday, 11 March, 2022
An oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, was attacked by drone, causing a small fire that did not cause injuries or affect supplies, the energy ministry said Friday. The statement did not specify where the drone strike was launched from. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The kingdom's oil facilities have been a target of Yemen's Houthi rebels in the past. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a shocking attack in 2019 at the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Eastern Province, which temporarily knocked out half the kingdom's daily production. The ministry statement, published by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, was released shortly after midnight Friday and said the attack took place around 4:40 a.m. on Thursday. The ministry said such attacks not only target Saudi Arabia, but also the security and stability of energy supply to the world. Saudi Arabia has been involved in Yemen's civil war since 2015, fighting against the Houthis who overran the capital of Sanaa and ousted the government there from power. Despite seven years of fighting and war, the Houthis remain in control of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. The war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people, both fighters and civilians, and spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Many more have been internally displaced. Around 13 million Yemenis are headed for starvation due to a protracted civil conflict and a lack of funding for humanitarian aid, the U.N. food agency has warned.

'Other Options' Possible if Russia Blocks Iran Nuclear Deal
Agence France Presse/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Other options will have to be explored if Russia keeps blocking progress towards reviving the 2015 deal limiting Iran's nuclear program, a European diplomat said on Friday. "If the Russian block is confirmed to be definitive, we will be obliged to look at other options," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named, saying the parties did not want to be left in a situation where Russia is "taking the deal hostage."The EU on Friday announced a pause in the talks -- despite the final text of the deal essentially being ready. It came after Russia said it was demanding guarantees that the Western sanctions imposed on its economy following its invasion of Ukraine would not affect its trade with Iran. The diplomat said that the essential issues in the negotiations between world powers and Iran had been concluded when Russia issued its demands last week through a statement by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. "A failure of this deal... would be extremely damaging and it would be irresponsible for Russia to do so," said the diplomat from the so-called E3 of European powers negotiating the deal. The diplomat confirmed that the talks had been paused because of Russia's "blockage" so the parties could carry out talks in their capitals. "We all have an interest in agreeing a deal," said the diplomat, adding that China has a "very important role to play" at this moment. The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted that the pause was "due to external factors," despite the fact that "a final text is essentially ready and on the table." The current round of negotiations started in late November in the Austrian capital Vienna between Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran and Russia, with the U.S. taking part indirectly. They had progressed most of the way toward their aim -- the revival of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which began unravelling when former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018.

Iran Nuclear Talks Paused after Russian Demands
Agence France Presse/Friday, 11 March, 2022
The EU announced a pause Friday in the talks it is chairing on the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, days after fresh Russian demands complicated negotiations which had appeared close to completion.  The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted that the pause was "due to external factors," despite the fact that "a final text is essentially ready and on the table."The current round of negotiations started in late November in the Austrian capital Vienna between Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran and Russia, with the U.S. taking part indirectly.  They had progressed most of the way toward their aim -- the revival of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which began unravelling when former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. The EU diplomat who has been personally chairing the talks, Enrique Mora, told reporters that delegations had got to the point of "negotiating footnotes."He praised in particular the United States and Iran for to their "very constructive, very positive approach." However, last week Russia said it was demanding guarantees that the Western sanctions imposed on its economy following its invasion of Ukraine would not affect its trade with Iran.bAs with the original JCPOA in 2015, Moscow had been expected to play a role in the implementation of any fresh deal, for example by receiving shipments of enriched uranium from Iran.
Energy 'weapon'
After he withdrew from the JCPOA, Trump went on to reimpose swinging sanctions on the Iranian economy, including on its vital oil sector. That prompted Iran to start disregarding the curbs laid down in the deal on its nuclear activity, including its stockpile of enriched uranium -- now at more than 15 times the limit specified in the deal. The JCPOA's aim was to ensure Iran would not be able to develop a nuclear weapon, which it has always denied seeking."Russia's gambit may be to delay the revival of the deal in order to avoid a flood of Iranian oil on the market" and the subsequent fall in prices, Clement Therme, Iran specialist at France's Paul Valery University told AFP."In keeping prices high, the Kremlin can use energy as a weapon against the West," he added. As for Iran itself, "the Islamic Republic isn't in a position to counter the Russian strategy," Therme said. "Moscow is making use of Iran's weakness."
Russia rejects blame
Tehran itself has blamed the U.S. for "creating challenges" in the final stage of the talks. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Friday the pause in talks could create "momentum for resolving any remaining issue.""No external factor will affect our joint will to go forward for a collective agreement," he said in a tweet. Russia's ambassador to the U.N. in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, told reporters outside the talks venue that he rejected "attempts to put all the blame on the Russian Federation." "The conclusion of the deal does not depend on Russia only," he said, saying that other parties to the talks "need additional time."Borrell said on Friday that he would "continue to be in touch with all #JCPOA participants and the U.S. to overcome the current situation and to close the agreement."Mora said he hoped to see the talks resume "very, very soon."

Russian Demands Leave Iran Talks in Limbo as Negotiations Pause
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Friday faced the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text. Negotiators have reached the final stages of 11 months of discussions to restore the deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program, long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs. But last Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov unexpectedly demanded sweeping guarantees that Russian trade with Iran would not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine - a demand Western powers say is unacceptable and Washington has insisted it will not agree to. A collapse of the talks could result in Tehran getting within sprinting distance of developing nuclear weapons, a prospect that could ignite a fresh war in the Middle East. Tehran denies it has ever sought atomic bombs. Failure to reach a deal could also prompt the West to impose additional harsh sanctions on Iran, and further escalate world oil prices already strained by the Ukraine conflict. "A pause in #ViennaTalks is needed, due to external factors," European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on Twitter. "A final text is essentially ready and on the table."Tehran on Thursday suggested there were new obstacles to reviving the deal. Washington underlined that it had no intention of accommodating Russia's demands, which it has said have nothing to do with the Iran talks. A week ago preparations were being made in Vienna for a weekend meeting to conclude an agreement bringing Iran back into compliance with the deal's restrictions on its rapidly advancing nuclear activities and bringing the United States back into the accord it left in 2018 by re-imposing sanctions on Tehran.
Officials said they were hoping the talks would resume in the next days. A senior EU official said there were still two or three technical issues that needed to be resolved between Washington and Tehran, but those could be resolved quickly.
The official said the talks had to be paused to get a response from Moscow after it was told that its demands, which went beyond its nuclear commitments, could not be met. "They are thinking about that reaction and in the meantime we cannot advance in the sense that we cannot finalize the negotiation," the official said. Western officials say there is common interest in avoiding a nuclear nonproliferation crisis, and until now have been on the same page as Moscow, one of the core participants of the 2015 deal, which was rubber-stamped through a resolution at the UN Security Council. All the powers negotiating with Iran, with the exception of Germany, are permanent members of the Council. An E3 diplomat ruled out negotiating with Russia over a "broad exemption that would be extraneous" to the nuclear deal, adding that if Moscow definitively blocked the deal, other world powers would need to study alternative options. Accusing Russia of taking the Iran nuclear talks hostage, the diplomat said there was "critical urgency" to conclude the deal as further external factors could also threaten it. Bilateral talks between Iran, Russia and China are likely to take place to try and break the deadlock, diplomats said. "External factors must be resolved in next few days or agreement likely to unravel," Britain's envoy Stephanie al-Qaq wrote on Twitter.
Negotiating footnotes
Russia's envoy to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, dismissed suggestions that Moscow was the reason the talks had stalled. "The conclusion of the deal does not depend on Russia only," he told reporters after meeting EU coordinator Enrique Mora. "There are other actors who need additional time and who have additional concerns, and they are being discussed."Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said a pause in talks may create momentum for resolving any outstanding issues, but he insisted that external factors would not affect the will to move ahead with a collective agreement. Appearing to back Moscow, China's envoy Wang Qun said negotiations couldn't be conducted under a "political vacuum" and that all sides' demands needed to be considered. Russia's demand initially angered Tehran and appeared to help it and Washington move towards agreement on the few remaining thorny issues, diplomats said. But a sudden volley of public comments by Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday suggested the wind had turned. European negotiators from France, Britain and Germany had already left a week ago as they believed they had gone as far as they could and it was now up to the United States and Iran to agree on the outstanding issues. "We are at the level of negotiating footnotes," the EU official said. He said issues such as which sanctions the United States would lift had been agreed, although how they would lifted was still under discussion. The negotiations in Vienna have limped on with just a fraction of the number of daily meetings that were taking place in previous weeks. Four Western diplomats had said the talks were all but finalized until Russia made its demands. "I think there's still a clear path to reviving the deal given that the US and Iran appear to be on the same page," Henry Rome, Iran analyst at consultancy Eurasia group, said. "But it will require a healthy dose of creativity and flexibility from all parties to find a way to work with, or more likely around, Moscow."

US, France Say Iran Nuclear Deal Close
Asharq Al-Awsat/Fri, March 11, 2022
The White House said on Thursday the United States would continue to have diplomatic talks with Iran about a nuclear deal. "Our view is that we are close. We have been close for some time now," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said. "The end of negotiations is always when the difficult and challenging parts of the conversation typically take place."Earlier, France's foreign ministry said that the opportunity to reach a deal on reviving the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers was closing and called on all sides to take a responsible approach to reach an agreement. "We are very close to an agreement, but the window of opportunity is closing," foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters in a daily briefing.“We are concerned about the risks that additional delays pose to the possibility of concluding. Together with our E3 partners, we call on all parties to take a responsible approach and make the decisions necessary to conclude this agreement."

US Lawmakers: Iran Nuclear Deal Will Be a Massive Win for Putin
Washington - Rana AbtarAsharq Al-Awsat/Fri, March 11, 2022
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday slammed the Biden administration for its cooperation with Russia on Iran nuclear talks in Vienna in light of the ongoing Ukraine crisis. They urged US President Joe Biden to walk away from negotiations with Iran over a nuclear deal, emphasizing that it would help Russian President Vladimir Putin by providing “a massive subsidy” to Russia as his military invades Ukraine. “This Iran deal, if and when it is announced, will be a massive win for Vladimir Putin,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said at a news conference on Wednesday. “Putin will make billions in oil and gas transactions, in nuclear transactions, and weapons transactions.” Cruz added that the Biden administration is “incoherently” announcing sanctions on Russia while also “creating a massive subsidy” for Russia which “makes no sense.” Russia, which was sanctioned after it invaded Ukraine, demanded US guarantees that these measures would not affect its interests in the Iran nuclear deal. “This is not right, we should walk,” Republican Sen. Jim Risch emphatically stated during the press conference. “This doesn’t need to be done right now and particularly it doesn’t need to be done when we have the problems going on that we have in Ukraine. We should walk.”“Mr. President, you’re the only one in America doing business with the Russians, stop doing business with the Russians,” Risch added while slamming his hand on the podium. “Don’t have them negotiating for us, walk on this deal.”Republican Senator Joni Ernst said during the press conference that she doesn’t understand Biden’s foreign policy and referred to working with Russia on an Iran nuclear deal as “insane.”“Russia, this is the country with tanks running over Ukraine right now killing innocent civilians,” Ernst said. “Children, women, people that we care about, and yet they’re using those Russians to negotiate a deal with yet another one of our near-peer adversaries, Iran.”

Zelensky says Ukraine has 'reached a strategic turning point' in its fight against Russia
Dylan Stableford/Yahoo News/Fri, March 11, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday urged the people of his nation to be patient as they continue to defend their country against Russia's military invasion, which has now entered its 16th day.
"I know that many people have started to feel tired. I understand. Impatient. I understand," Zelensky said in a video posted online. "This is life. When we mobilize, when we see our victories and the loss of the enemy on the battlefield, we expect the struggle to end sooner. We expect the invaders to fall faster. But this is life, this is war. This is a struggle. Time is still needed. Patience is still needed." A defiant Zelensky insisted Ukraine will prevail despite reports of Russian forces striking near airports in the western part of Ukraine for the first time while its troops were attempting to encircle the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
"It is impossible to say for how many more days we must liberate our Ukrainian land. But it is possible to say we will do it," Zelensky said. "Because we have already reached a strategic turning point. We are already moving toward our goal, toward our victory."
"This is a patriotic war against an obstinate enemy which doesn't pay attention to thousands of their own soldiers dead," he added. Zelensky's comments came as Russian forces continued their siege on Mariupol, where civilians have now been without water, electricity and heat for more than a week.
"This is a humanitarian catastrophe," Zelensky said. "Humanitarian catastrophe — two words that have become fully synonymous with the other two words: the Russian Federation." On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said a Russian airstrike had destroyed a children's hospital and maternity ward in the city.
The attack was widely condemned by world leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who said the U.S. would work with its allies to investigate Russia for possible war crimes. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday that Russian forces invading Ukraine have killed more Ukrainian civilians than soldiers. At least 549 Ukrainian civilians, including 41 children, have been killed, according to the United Nations. But the agency believes the actual death toll is likely much higher. According to the U.N., more than 2.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Feb. 24, when Russia's invasion began.
Zelensky implored those who have stayed to "hold on.""Be sure to fight. Be sure to give your all strength," he said. "It will not be easy with such a neighbor. But with us, it will not be easy too."

Putin Says Russia to Use Volunteer Fighters against Ukraine
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the green light on Friday for up to 16,000 volunteers from the Middle East to be deployed alongside Russian-backed rebels to fight in Ukraine, doubling down an invasion that the West says has been losing momentum. The move, just over two weeks since Putin ordered the invasion, allows Russia to deploy battle-hardened mercenaries from conflicts such as Syria without risking additional Russian military casualties. At a meeting of Russia's Security Council, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East who were ready to come to fight alongside Russian-backed forces in the breakaway Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. "If you see that there are these people who want of their own accord, not for money, to come to help the people living in Donbas, then we need to give them what they want and help them get to the conflict zone," Putin said from the Kremlin. Shoigu also proposed that Western-made Javelin and Stinger missiles that were captured by the Russian army in Ukraine should be handed over to Donbas forces, along other weaponry such as man-portable air-defense systems, known as MANPADS, and anti-tank rocket complexes.
"As to the delivery of arms, especially Western-made ones which have fallen into the hands of the Russian army - of course I support the possibility of giving these to the military units of the Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics," Putin said. "Please do this," he told Shoigu. The exchange was shown on Russian state television. Putin says the "special military operation" in Ukraine is essential to ensure Russia's security after the United States expanded NATO up to its borders and supported pro-Western leaders in Kyiv. Ukraine says it is fighting for its existence while the United States, and its European and Asian allies have condemned the Russian invasion. China has called for calm. Shoigu said the operation was all going to plan before requesting Putin's approval for the use of fighters from the Middle East. US intelligence chiefs told lawmakers on Thursday that Russia had been surprised by the strength of Ukrainian resistance, which had deprived the Kremlin of a quick victory it thought would have prevented the United States and NATO from providing meaningful military aid. That was causing concern in Beijing, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said. "I do believe that the Chinese leadership, President Xi (Jinping) in particular, is unsettled," Burns said. "By what he's seen, partly because his own intelligence doesn't appear to have told him what was going to happen."Shoigu said Western arms were flowing into Ukraine in an "absolutely uncontrolled" way and that the Russian military planned to strengthen its Western border after what he said was a build up of Western military units on Russia's border. "The general staff is working on, and has almost finished, a plan to strengthen our Western borders, including, naturally, with new modern complexes," Shoigu said. Putin said the question of how to react to moves by NATO countries need a separate discussion.

Biden Says U.S. and Allies Will End Normal Trade Relations with Russia
Agence France Presse/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Washington and its allies moved Friday to end normal trade relations with Russia, as President Joe Biden vowed the West would make Vladimir Putin "pay the price" for his invasion of Ukraine. Biden announced the new step, which would enable Western nations to inflict steep tariff hikes on Moscow, in coordination with NATO allies, the Group of Seven and the European Union. On the US side, lawmakers -- who would have the final say -- have already indicated they support the step, which involves stripping Russia of the preferential status that ensures equal treatment between international trade partners. Warning in a speech at the White House that "Putin must pay the price" as the "aggressor" in its ex-Soviet neighbor, Biden said the U.S. move would be mirrored by similar steps in allied nations. And in a statement issued in Berlin, G7 leaders confirmed they would each "endeavor" to take action to deny Russia favored trade status. "The United States and our allies and partners continue in lockstep to ramp up the economic pressures on Putin and to further isolate Russia on the global stage," Biden said. "He cannot pursue a war that threatens the very foundation of international peace and stability and then ask for help from the international community." A key principle of the World Trade Organization, the so-called favored status known in the United States as permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) requires member countries to guarantee one another equal tariff and regulatory treatment.
Accorded by the United States to most countries in the world, with notable exceptions like Cuba and North Korea, the status grants imported goods from a country equal footing with other trading partners. Stripping Moscow of the designation, granted in December 2012, would allow Biden to impose steep tariffs on Russian goods or restrict imports of some products. The president also announced a ban on imports of Russian vodka, diamonds and seafood into the United States, while the Commerce Department said it would stop exports of American luxury goods to Russia and Belarus, which supported the invasion. The new trade sanction would cap several rounds of measures intended to sever Russia's economic and financial ties with the rest of the world over its invasion of the ex-Soviet nation. They have included banning Russian oil imports, seizing the assets of billionaires tied to President Vladimir Putin, and freezing the nation's stockpile of cash.Together, the moves have already pushed Moscow to the brink of a debt default.
Limited impact?
Those steps have also caused prices for key commodities, like gasoline and wheat, to soar, harming U.S. consumers already facing the highest inflation in four decades. And trade experts are dubious about whether new tariffs would be effective. "U.S. direct trade with Russia is relatively small, so higher tariffs would not do much damage to them but could raise costs for our manufacturers who rely on them for key raw materials," said William Reinsch of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "The additional damage this does to the trading system, while not immediate, could be significant," he said in an analysis. The United States imported just under $30 billion in goods from Russia last year, including $17.5 billion in crude oil. The IMF said Thursday that war and the sanctions will lead to a "sharp contraction" of the Russian economy, and slower global growth. The Washington-based crisis lender this week approved $1.4 billion in fast-disbursing aid for Ukraine, and the World Bank also released nearly $500 million of what is expected to be a $3 billion financing package to aid the war-wracked country. U.S. lawmakers meanwhile passed a huge spending bill on Thursday, including almost $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid for Kyiv as the Russian invasion entered its third week. The $13.6 billion relief package is more than double what the Biden administration initially requested, and includes aid for refugees, the military and support for NATO allies in eastern Europe.

Biden Warns Direct NATO-Russia Clash Would Trigger 'World War III'
Agence France Presse/Friday, 11 March, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden again ruled out any direct intervention by the United States to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday, warning that such conflict pitting the NATO alliance against the Kremlin "is World War III.""We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine," Biden said in a speech at the White House, refuting increasingly desperate calls from Kyiv for NATO to intervene against the Russian assault. The U.S. president also vowed that Russia would pay a "severe price" if it used chemical weapons in Ukraine, after U.S. intelligence reportedly suggested that Moscow was preparing such an attack. "I'm not going to speak about the intelligence, but Russia would pay a severe price if they used chemicals," Biden said, in response to reporters' questions.

Premier Li Offers China’s Help for 'Grave' Ukraine Situation
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
China’s Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called the situation in Ukraine "grave" and offered Beijing’s help in playing a "positive role" for peace while continuing to refuse to criticize Russia. China has largely sided with Russia in the conflict, which it has refused to refer to as a war or invasion. The US accuses Beijing of helping spread false news and disinformation coming out of Moscow. China has offered to serve as a facilitator of talks between the sides, although it has little experience in such a role and would not likely be viewed as a neutral party. "We support and encourage all efforts that are conducive to a peaceful settlement of the crisis," Li told reporters at an annual news conference. "The pressing task now is to prevent tension from escalating or even getting out of control."Beijing this week said it was sending humanitarian aid including food and daily necessities worth $791,000 to Ukraine while continuing to oppose sanctions against Russia over its invasion and pledging to continue normal trade and economic cooperation with Moscow. Li, who as China's No. 2 leader behind Xi Jinping is primarily responsible for overseeing the world’s second-largest economy, spoke following the close of the annual session of China’s rubber-stamp legislature. He said China was still opposed to sanctions because they would “hurt the world economic recovery." "It is in no one’s interest. China is ready to make its own constructive efforts in maintaining world peace and stability and promoting development and prosperity," Li said. He also repeated China's assertion that it follows an "independent foreign policy of peace," and "maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected.""The purposes and principles of the UN charter should be observed and the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously," Li said. "On that basis, China makes its own assessment and will work with the international community to play a positive role for the early return of peace."

UK Sanctions Russian Lawmakers Who Supported Ukraine Breakaway Regions
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Britain imposed sanctions on 386 members of Russia's lower house of parliament on Friday, to increase diplomatic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine. Friday's announcement - the latest in a series of punitive measures taken by Britain and international allies - said the sanctions targeted those who had voted to recognize the independence of Ukraine's largely Russian-speaking breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in the run-up to the invasion. The government had said on Feb. 22 that it would sanction the members of the Duma, and confirmed the process on Friday. "We’re targeting those complicit in Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and those who support this barbaric war," British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement. "We will not let up the pressure and will continue to tighten the screw on the Russian economy through sanctions." The listed Duma members will be banned from traveling to Britain, accessing assets held in Britain or doing business there, the Foreign Office said. The European Union has already sanctioned the same group of lawmakers. Russia has been pounding Ukraine's cities while its main attack force north of Kyiv has made only halting progress since the invasion's early days. Russia denies that it has attacked Ukraine, but says it is conducting a "special operation" to disarm and "de-Nazify" Ukraine, which it says is going to plan. On Thursday, Britain imposed sanctions on seven more Russian business people including Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich in an attempt to root out Russian assets parked in Britain and increase pressure on Putin and his allies. Britain has rejected criticism from opposition lawmakers and campaigners that it has been slower than international allies to impose sanctions, and thus given wealthy Russians time to transfer their assets elsewhere. But ministers have acknowledged that the existing sanctions regime was too cumbersome, and the government is passing emergency legislation to streamline that process.

UN Agency Warns Ukraine War Could Trigger 20% Food Price Rise
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
International food and feed prices could rise by between 8% and 20% as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, triggering a jump in global malnourishment, the UN food agency said on Friday. In a preliminary assessment of Russia's invasion of its neighbor, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said it was not clear if Ukraine would be able to harvest crops during a protracted conflict, while uncertainty also surrounded Russian food exports. FAO said Russia was the world's largest exporter of wheat, while Ukraine was the fifth largest. Together, they provide 19% of the world's barley supply, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports. Russia is also a world leader in fertilizer exports. "The likely disruptions to agricultural activities of these two major exporters of staple commodities could seriously escalate food insecurity globally," FAO's Director General Qu Dongyu said in a statement. The body's food price index hit a record high in February, and looks certain to climb further still in the months ahead as the consequences of the conflict reverberate around the world.Between 20% and 30% of fields used to grow winter cereals, maize and sunflower in Ukraine will not be planted or will remain unharvested during the 2022/23 season, FAO said, adding Russian exports might be disrupted by international sanctions. FAO said 50 countries, including many of the least developed nations, depend on Russia and Ukraine for 30% or more of their wheat supplies, leaving them especially vulnerable.
"The global number of undernourished people could increase by 8 to 13 million people in 2022/23," FAO said, adding that the most pronounced rises would be seen in the Asia-Pacific region followed by sub-Saharan Africa.

US, Russia Build up Reinforcements in Northeast Syria
Qamishli - Kamal Sheikho/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Three Russian military convoys arrived in northeastern Syria, only days after similar reinforcements were deployed in the area by the US-led International Coalition. Informed sources and locals said that 13 trucks loaded with materials and logistical equipment, five armored vehicles, large boxes loaded with ammunition and medium and heavy weapons had arrived at Qamishli Airport, which the Russian forces operate as their main base in Hasakah. The military reinforcements departed from the Russian-run Hmeimim airbase near the Tartus port. They were transported via the international M4 highway with helicopter protection. Sources confirmed that two planes had also landed at Qamishli Airport. At the same time, a military tanker carrying Russian police soldiers arrived at its base in the Talat al-Badaa area, west of the city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani). Eight trucks carrying logistical materials, weapons and ammunition arrived at Tabqa military airport in the western countryside of Raqqa. Russian fortifications coincided with the US-led International Coalition also deploying back up at outposts east of the Euphrates. Since the beginning of March, three military convoys and arms shipments had arrived at Coalition positions in Hasakah and the eastern countryside of Deir Ez-Zor. Russian forces and their Turkish counterparts conducted a new joint patrol along Syria’s southern border strip with Turkey. The patrol was coupled with Russian helicopters scaling the region’s skies. This patrol came 48 hours after a similar patrol was conducted in the countryside of Kobani, with two Russian helicopters flying over. Coalition forces and US soldiers, with the participation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), conducted a regular patrol in the Qarachokh oil-rich area in the countryside of Al-Malikiyah. The patrol consisted of five combat vehicles, three Bradley tanks and 2 armored vehicles. The soldiers were keen to stand with the residents of the area, salute and exchange conversations with the help of translators. This patrol came three days after conducting a similar patrol in the southern countryside of al-Darbasiyah.

Turkey, Israel to Form Crisis Cell
Ankara - Saeed Abdul Razzak/Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday concluded his visit to Turkey, where he received a warm welcome from his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who described the visit as a “historic step” and a turning point in relations between his country and Israel. While Erdogan welcomed the visit, opposition parties and civil organizations protested the visit against the backdrop of the 2010 MV Mavi Marmara incident. Israel had killed ten Turkish nationals in the Mediterranean for participating in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Sources from the delegation accompanying Herzog revealed that Ankara and Tel Aviv had agreed to form a “crisis cell,” headed by the Director-General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and chief adviser to the Turkish president and presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin. According to media reports, Turkey and Israel agreed to make contacts as soon as any crisis occurred that might negatively affect the relations of the two countries. This policy had proven successful in the incident of an Israeli couple who were detained in Turkey months ago on charges of espionage and photographing one of Erdogan’s residences in Istanbul. Herzog once again called for restricting the activity of the Palestinian Hamas movement on Turkish soil, sources revealed. The same sources said that the Israeli president found Erdogan open to a real dialogue and discussed with him a series of issues whose practical effects on the ground will be examined. The most feasible option for natural gas transmission from the East Mediterranean to Europe is through Turkey’s pipeline network, Oded Eran, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) at Tel Aviv University and Israel’s former Ambassador to Jordan and the EU told Anadolu Agency (AA). “The various conflicts, including the 12-year rift between Turkey and Israel, prevented the exploration of this option and made Israel look for alternatives,” Eran said in an exclusive interview with AA. Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Turkey on Wednesday, the first by an Israeli head of state in many years, is seen as a step towards moving from a period of strained ties to improved bilateral relations.

US Says North Korea Testing New ICBM System
Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 11 March, 2022
Two recent missile tests conducted by North Korea were of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, the Pentagon said Thursday, marking what one US official called a "serious escalation" that will be punished with fresh sanctions. According to North Korea, the February 26 and March 4 tests were focused on developing a reconnaissance satellite, but the Pentagon said rigorous analysis concluded they were actually experimental precursors to a likely full-range ICBM launch, AFP said. Any such launch would mark the end of a self-imposed moratorium Pyongyang has had in place since 2017 and send military tensions soaring on the Korean peninsula and beyond. The North has carried out three ICBM tests; the last in November 2017 of a Hwasong-15 -- deemed powerful enough to reach Washington and the rest of the continental United States. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the recent two tests "involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile system" that Pyongyang had first showcased at a military parade in October 2020. While neither launch displayed ICBM range or capability, they were clearly intended "to evaluate this new system before conducting a test at full range in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch," Kirby said. South Korea confirmed the US assessment, saying the two countries -- key security allies in the region -- "had decided to make the assessment public judging that the international community needs to make a united stance" against Pyongyang. Japan's defense ministry said it had also reached the same conclusion, adding that the February launch had an altitude of up to 600km (370 miles) and travelled about 300km, while the March launch had an altitude of up to 550km and also travelled about 300km. It called the tests a "threat to peace and security... that can never be tolerated."Prior to its ICBM tests in 2017, the North had carried out a series of powerful rocket launches that it insisted were part of a wider civilian space program. Those launches were made from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station on the northwest coast, and North Korea's official KCNA news agency reported Friday that leader Kim Jong Un visited the facility and ordered that it be expanded and modernized -– a move that will only fuel speculation of an imminent, disguised ICBM test.
Fresh sanctions
North Korea is already under biting international sanctions over its missile and nuclear weapons program. But a senior US official said that the latest tests were a "serious escalation" and the Treasury would announce fresh measures on Friday to help prevent Pyongyang accessing "foreign items and technology" to advance that program. Such measures underline that the North's "unlawful and destabilizing activities have consequences" and that diplomatic negotiations are the only viable path forward for Pyongyang, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Kirby said Washington "remains committed to a diplomatic approach" but "will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the United States and our allies."Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was asked about the possibility of further sanctions as he spoke to reporters following the US announcement. "As for future measures, (Japan) will consider them from the perspective of diplomacy and sanctions while cooperating with the US and South Korea," he said.
Nine weapons tests so far
When the new ICBM was unveiled at the 2020 parade, military analysts said it appeared to be the largest road-mobile, liquid-fueled missile anywhere in the world -- and likely designed to carry multiple warheads in independent re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). North Korea watchers regularly caution that the devices Pyongyang puts on show at its parades may be mock-ups or models, and there is no proof they work until they are tested. Pyongyang has been abiding by its moratorium on testing ICBMs and nuclear weapons since Kim embarked on a flurry of high-profile diplomatic engagement with then US president Donald Trump in 2017. Talks later collapsed and diplomacy has languished ever since, despite efforts by the administration of US President Joe Biden to offer fresh negotiations. The North started hinting in January that it might lift the moratorium, and it has conducted nine weapons tests this year, including of banned hypersonic and medium range ballistic missiles. Pyongyang has also carried out several rocket launches that were condemned by the United States and others as disguised long-range ballistic missile tests. A fresh ICBM launch would be an early challenge for South Korea's new president-elect, Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to take a hard line with the North's provocations. Yoon has not ruled out the possibility of dialogue with Pyongyang, but analysts say his hawkish position puts him on a completely different footing and significantly reduces the prospect of substantive engagement.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 11-12/2022
Question: "How can we store up treasures in heaven?"
GotQuestions.org?/March 11/2022
Answer: Jesus told us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). He linked this command to the desire of our hearts: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21; see also verses 10–20).
The Bible mentions rewards that await the believer who serves the Lord faithfully in this world (Matthew 10:41). A “great” reward is promised to those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake. Various crowns are mentioned (in 2 Timothy 4:8, e.g.). Jesus says that He will bring rewards with Him when He returns (Revelation 22:12).
We are to treasure the Lord Jesus most of all. When Jesus is our treasure, we will commit our resources—our money, our time, our talents—to His work in this world. Our motivation for what we do is important (1 Corinthians 10:31). Paul encourages servants that God has an eternal reward for those who are motivated to serve Christ: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23–24).
When we live sacrificially for Jesus’ sake or serve Him by serving the body of Christ, we store up treasure in heaven. Even seemingly small acts of service do not go unnoticed by God. “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward” (Matthew 10:42).
Some with more visible gifts (see 1 Corinthians 12) such as teaching, singing, or playing a musical instrument might be tempted to use their gift for their own glory. Those who use their talents or spiritual gifts coveting the praise of men rather than seeking God’s glory receive their “payment” in full here and now. The applause of men was the extent of the Pharisees’ reward (Matthew 6:16). Why should we work for worldly plaudits, however, when we can have so much more in heaven?
The Lord will be faithful to reward us for the service we give Him (Hebrews 6:10). Our ministries may differ, but the Lord we serve is the same. “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8).
The rich young man loved his money more than God in Matthew 19:16–30, a fact that Jesus incisively pointed out. The issue wasn’t that the young man was rich but that he “treasured” his riches and did not “treasure” what he could have in Christ. Jesus told the man to sell his possessions and give to the poor, “and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (verse 21). The young man left Jesus sad, because he was very rich. He chose this world’s treasure and so did not lay up treasure in heaven. He was unwilling to make Jesus his treasure. The young man was very religious, but Jesus exposed his heart of greed. We are warned not to lose our full reward by following after false teachers (2 John 1:8). This is why it is so important to be in God’s Word daily (2 Timothy 2:15). That way we can recognize false teaching when we hear it.
The treasures that await the child of God will far outweigh any trouble, inconvenience, or persecution we may face (Romans 8:18). We can serve the Lord wholeheartedly, knowing that God is the One keeping score, and His reward will be abundantly gracious. “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

شارل الياس شرتوني: اوكرانيا وديناميات التوتاليتارية المتجددة
Ukraine and the Dynamics of a Resurgent Totalitarianism
Charles Elias Chartouni/March 11/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/106959/106959/
The miscalculations of the Russian criminal autocrat manifested the real designs of neo-imperial Russia and its Chinese ally united in a common undertaking: destroy the post-Cold War equilibriums, the liberal narrative and democratic institutions, and the post WWII international order. The wanton destruction of Ukraine is the entry gate and the platform around which this new dynamic organizes and operates. When we listen to the post factual tale spinning of the Russian dictator: forcing Ukraine into joining NATO, fighting against Nazism, Labs preparing for chemical and biological warfare, ethnic cleansing targeting Russians in Crimea, Donbas, Louhsank, NATO’s threats to Russia and the attempt at Russia’s moral and territorial integrity, we are bound to deconstruct a wholesale culture of lies inherited from the Soviet times and their ideological fallacies.
A simple examination of facts is enough to undermine the implausibility of these fabrications to justify the bloodshed , the destruction of Ukraine, and the questioning of the post-Cold War geopolitics, under the spurious threats targeting Russia. Thirty two years after the implosion of Communism and its ideological imperium, we witnessed the recovery of self determination of countries subjugated to the “Prison of Peoples, Prison des Peuples” (Marquis de Custine, La Russie en 1839 published in 1843, recycled by Lenine in 1914) which applies to the imperial Russia, its Soviet successor and Putin’s legacy. Putin’s worldview is based on an inherent fallacy which impugns historical facts, predicates of international law (the right to self determination and its derivatives), and role of international institutions in arbitraging conflicts, achieving working political arrangements and setting the foundations of a lasting peace.
According to Putin, these nations have no right to decide for themselves, negotiate their geopolitics and engage the international life as independent moral and national actors, as plainly illustrated in the late failed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, whereby Ukrainians were denied national and political stature and assigned to unconditional capitulation. The late falsehoods related to biological warfare labs were fibs to justify and conceal the appalling brutality of war conduct and its cohort of crimes (carpet bombing of civilians, economic, medical, educational and civilian infrastructures, nuclear sites, airports, political assassinations ….) and its ultimate objective: transform Ukraine into a dysfunctional State governed by criminal subordinates appointed by the autocrat, and expand the list of “frozen conflicts” which aptly describe Putin’s strategy along different geopolitical spectrums (Chechnya, Georgia, Ukraine, Syria, Lybia, Mali …).
The staunch and heroic resistance displayed by the Ukrainians validated their entitlements as an independent nation, revived the unhealed wounds of the past (the Famine of the 1930’s which killed 3.900.000 Ukrainians, known under the label of Holodomor, 1932-1933), and the united stance of the splintered Orthodox Churches of Ukraine and their opposition to the endorsement of Putin’s war by the Moscow Patriarchate, and his failure to break the national opposition, account for the ferocity of the war course and the deplorable references to nuclear armaments, while combats reveal the mediocrity of the Russian army, its underperformance and pervasive corruption.
Undoubtedly, Putin’s blunders and Xi’s duplicity revealed their subversive intentions, and accounted for the unanimous stand of Western democracies which perceived the underlying connotations of this war and its ultimate objective: the destruction of the Western liberal democracy and its geo-political embedding, this conflict ushers a new era reminiscent of erstwhile times and conditions. The resurgence of NATO, the restoration of strategic demarcation lines, and the standoff between “open societies and their enemies” is once again, at the forefront of international politics and its renewed challenges.

إيمانويل أوتولينغي/الطرق والوسائل التي تستعملها إيران لدخول أميركا الجنوبية وفرض نفوذ مميز لها في العديد من دولها
How Iran is Making Inroads in South America
Emanuele Ottolenghi/The Dispatch/March 11/2022
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/106962/106962/
Al Mustafa International University in Qom caters to converts in their native language. Some of them come home to run for office.
Colombians will vote to elect a new parliament on Sunday, two months before they will choose a new president. That might not be a big story for most Americans, but it’s worth paying attention to because of what it says about Iran’s intentions in South America. This year, the mullahs have their own man on the legislative ballot.
Meet Marlon Cantillo Borrero, No. 82 on the Senate list for the Fuerza Ciudadana (or Citizen’s Force). Fuerza Ciudadana is a left-wing political party closely aligned with former Marxist guerrilla and left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro. The nature of the Colombian Senate’s electoral system—a combination of pure proportionality and the right to choose individual candidates—means that if Cantillo musters enough personal support, he could become senator. Getting a senator elected in Colombia, possibly the U.S. closest ally in the region, would be a game changer.
Cantillo is a graduate of Iran’s Al Mustafa International University, a religious seminar based in Iran’s city of Qom that opened its doors in 2007 with the specific mission of proselytizing the non-Shiite, non-Muslim world and catering to converts in their native language. If Cantillo were elected, the Tehran regime would have a loyal advocate in Colombia’s next parliament.
Al Mustafa is one of Iran’s main vectors to export its revolutionary brand of Shiite Islam. Its key role in regime efforts to indoctrinate and radicalize its pupils, alongside its active training of Shi’a militias Iran deployed in Syria, earned it U.S. sanctions in December 2020.
Thanks to robust state funding ($80 million per year) since Al Mustafa launched its operations, it has trained tens of thousands of students, including numerous Latin Americans. Many students go beyond basic indoctrination and become ordained Shiite clerics. Iran’s goal: train a cadre of native speaker propagandists with a deep understanding of the culture in which they operate.
Upon returning home, Al Mustafa’s graduates support Iran’s main political goal in Latin America: to turn the Western Hemisphere into a hotbed of anti-Americanism and a forward operating base for Iran.
Exporting the Islamic revolution has been a key goal of the Iranian regime ever since it toppled the shah in 1979. Latin America became an early target because Iran’s clerical leadership viewed the region as a fertile ground for the spread of anti-American ideology. During the past four decades, Iran has patiently pursued the goal of spreading its message across the Western Hemisphere and leveraged the resulting support in pursuit of its political goals, with Al Mustafa leading the way.
To expand its influence, Iran has developed a missionary network built on mosques, cultural centers, educational institutions, media outlets, and publishing houses, which it has sustained with both itinerant and resident clerics either from Iran or trained in Iran. This network has run in parallel with official diplomatic relations managed through embassies and other bilateral contacts. It has thrived both in countries whose governments, like the Maduro regime in Venezuela, are allies of Iran, and in places like Colombia where the government is closely aligned with the United States.
It would not be the first time Iran has tried to get a protégé elected—a sign that this is a strategy, not happenstance. In 2009, the Al Mustafa network recruited and converted a Peruvian national, Edwar Quiroga Vargas, who at the time was a radical left-wing, Castro-Chavista activist in southern Peru. Quiroga traveled to Iran, converted, returned to his native Apurimac region, and in 2010 sought to run for office as regional president. He failed. Nevertheless, Quiroga, a virulent antisemite, remains active in Peru’s politics and has established an Islamic Center in his native Abancay, radicalizing numerous local youth in the process.
Cantillo is no more moderate in his views—his most admired leader, as his electoral profile states, is Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Yet he appears more disciplined than Quiroga—Cantillo has mostly expunged his social media of blatant references to his Iranian sympathies and his campaign has focused on domestic social issues. He can also count on a more sophisticated Iranian support infrastructure, which the Iranians patiently laid out in Colombia over decades, than his mercurial Peruvian counterpart. As a result, Colombians have barely noticed that Iran is trying to insert one of its proselytized, radical converts into their Senate.
How did Cantillo make it so far? He studied in Iran and returned to lead the Casa Cultural Islamica Ahlul Bayt, an Iranian-backed cultural center and mosque in Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, a decade ago. Information available on the Iranian cultural center’s social media account shows Borrero to be frequently engaged in interfaith dialogue and outreach, all the while strongly identifying with Iran’s regime. His center, meanwhile, continues to act as a megaphone for Iranian propaganda, hosting Al Mustafa itinerant lecturers and clerics and giving them a base to continue their recruitment efforts in Latin America.
Regardless of whether Cantillo is elected, the Biden administration should begin paying more attention to Iranian influence operations in Latin America, including especially the ones run by Al Mustafa, and understand that Iran is now capable of fielding native politicians with a chance of getting elected. Washington has the power (though not always the will) to prevent Iranian officials from coming to the U.S. Barring an elected official from an allied country is a different story.
**Emanuele Ottolenghi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington, D.C., non-partisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy. Follow him on Twitter @eottolenghi. FDD is a nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2022/03/10/how-iran-is-making-inroads-in-south-america/

Turkey: Occupies Northern Cyprus, Goes for the Rest
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/March 11, 2022
"The air and sea invasion yesterday devastated the resort strip of tourist hotels on the north coast of Cyprus. Greek Cypriots and foreigners huddled under mattresses in the cellars of ruined buildings." — The New York Times, July 22, 1974.
"But back in Ankara today, the newspapers were full of photos of smiling Turkish troops clustered in front of tanks draped with the star and crescent flag, holding their weapons high, and of Greek Cypriot hostages being given water by Turkish soldiers." — The New York Times, July 28, 1974.
Currently, Turkey appears to be targeting the rest of the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union. The government of Cyprus is now dealing with an "illegal immigration crisis" which it says Turkey is orchestrating. Government authorities state that the majority of migrants entering the free part of Cyprus are being smuggled illegally through the Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.
Meanwhile, according to Turkish media, Turkey is planning to construct a military naval base in the Karpasia Peninsula in the Turkish-occupied north.
Despite the uncountable war crimes Turkey has committed in Cyprus, the Turkish government has condemned the UN for having its "peacekeeping forces" there.
The West, however, remains silent -- not merely empowering Turkey to commit further atrocities but rewarding it. The US recently killed, at Turkey's request, the EastMed natural gas pipeline project, which would have transported gas from US allies Israel and Cyprus, via Greece, to Western Europe. The EastMed pipeline would have been particularly important in light of Russia's ability, with the Nord Stream and other pipelines, to blackmail the continent in winter by cutting off much of its gas supplies.
Turkey will now be able to continue its crimes against the Yazidis in Iraq, the Kurds in Syria and the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh with no repercussions.
"Turkey's occupation of Cyprus has now become the first modern Islamist fundamentalist attempt to capture Western world territory and resources." — Philip Christopher, president of the International Coordinating Committee - Justice for Cyprus, Ekathimerini, May 20, 2018.
Aggression by Turkey's military appears to be on the rise in Cyprus -- in areas it does not yet occupy. According to the Cypriot media, on February 8, Turkish soldiers approached Greek Cypriot farmers working in fields near the village of Denia in the United Nations "Buffer Zone," and threatened to kill them if they did not leave. Pictured: Turkish Army soldiers and tanks on parade in Nicosia, in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, on July 20, 2021.
Aggression by Turkey's military appears to be on the rise in Cyprus -- in areas it does not yet occupy. According to the Cypriot media, on February 8, Turkish soldiers approached Greek Cypriot farmers working in fields near the village of Denia in the United Nations "Buffer Zone," and threatened to kill them if they did not leave.
The Turkish soldiers threatened the Greek Cypriot farmers about ten days after Turkey "slammed" the UN for extending its Cyprus peacekeeping mandate.
When the UN Security Council approved a six-month extension of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on January 27, 2022, the government of Turkey was not pleased. They condemned the UN decision on the grounds that the UN had not received "the consent of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)", an illegal entity recognized only by Turkey.
"Reiterating that Turkey supported the TRNC's condemnation of the U.N. resolution on the extension, the statement said that Ankara will fully back the steps the [TRNC] administration chooses to take in this regard," the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah reported.
To accompany its news report, Daily Sabah published an aerial photo of the "flag" of the TRNC next to a quote by the founder of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk that reads (in Turkish): "Happy is the one who says 'I am a Turk'". The "flag" had been painted on the Kyrenia mountain range, north of Nicosia, in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.
The Turkish presence in Cyprus dates back to 1570: Ottoman troops invaded and plundered the island. Thousands were murdered, many churches were converted into mosques, and some Muslims from Anatolia were transplanted to Cyprus. In 1878, Britain assumed administration of Cyprus; in 1914, it annexed Cyprus, which became an independent republic in 1960. Britain, Greece and Turkey became guarantors of the constitution and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus under the 1960 "Treaty of Alliance". Fourteen years later, however, Turkey would violate the treaty and commit an ethnic cleansing there.
So, how did that "Turkish flag" end up on the Kyrenia mountain range?
Noted for its historic harbor and castle, Kyrenia is a Greek Cypriot city built by the ancient Greeks, who were named Achaeans. Since the 1974 Turkish invasion, however, Kyrenia has been under unlawful Turkish occupation and the city's population consists now almost completely of illegal settlers from Turkey, who were allocated properties stolen from Greek Cypriots. The city -- like the rest of the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus -- is now controlled by the TRNC, which is not recognized by international law.
Turkey's massive military invasion against Cyprus in 1974 was purportedly meant to restore constitutional order after a Greek coup, which lasted for less than a week. Turkey's actions, on the other hand, indicated that their goal had actually been ethnic cleansing and colonization. Until the 1974 invasion, the northern part of Cyprus - like the rest of the island – had been majority-Greek. The Turkish invasion forcibly changed that. Today, more than 40,000 Turkish troops are illegally stationed in the occupied area. The indigenous Greek Cypriot residents have never been allowed to return and reclaim their homes and lands.
The democratically-elected mayoral officials of Kyrenia, who had to leave the city after the invasion, wrote:
"The Turkish invasion of July 20th 1974 destroys everything. The Greek residents of Kyrenia, terrified by the gunfire of the Turkish air force, scatter and seek shelter in basements. Three days after the invasion a cease fire agreement is achieved, but the Turkish troops violate it, invade and loot the city while many citizens are slaughtered. Most of the Kyrenians who choose to stay find themselves trapped and are transferred to the Dome hotel from where the Turks force them to gradually abandon the city along with the rest of the Greeks in the district."
The Turkish invasion, launched on July 20, 1974, was reported by The New York Times, which noted that that Turkish forces started bombing northern part of Cyprus indiscriminately:
"Striking at dawn, Turkish troops borne by transport ships and assault boats stormed ashore on the north coast near Kyrenia and on the south coast near Limassol. Simultaneously, hundreds of paratroopers dropped into the capital of Nicosia.
"Turkish jets bombed and strafed a variety of targets, including the Nicosia airport, a Greek Army encampment and other garrisons. Turkish Warships, meantime, pounded Greek‐Cypriot/shore installations on both coasts...
"A pooled dispatch said that Turkish fighter‐bombers had struck a mental hospital in Nicosia, killing at least 20 persons and wounding 60."
The next day, the New York Times continued:
"The air and sea invasion yesterday devastated the resort strip of tourist hotels on the north coast of Cyprus. Greek Cypriots and foreigners huddled under mattresses in the cellars of ruined buildings.
"Turkish warships shelled the northern port of Kyrenia and smaller communities to the west as American‐made A4 Skyhawks of the Turkish Air Force bombed roads, bridges, hotels and other buildings.
"The shelling and bombing seemed indiscriminate, with no regard for civilian areas or casualties."
On July 28, 1974, according to the New York Times:
"The reporters said that for many people being held by the Turks at the Kyrenia's Dome Hotel there was 'confusion, despair and terror.'
"One correspondent related the tale of one tourist, Margaret Gavrielides, a British citizen, who with her son Andreas was being held in the Dome Hotel .
"The Gavrielides family... crawled under beds. They heard an artillery shell explode in the backyard, and then voices.
"Mr. Gavrielides went to the door. A Turkish soldier fired, according to his wife.
"Her husband was taken to a medical station. She has not heard of or from him, since that day a week ago. The Turkish soldiers separated the men and threatened to rape the women, Mrs. Gavrielides said.
"But back in Ankara today, the newspapers were full of photos of smiling Turkish troops clustered in front of tanks draped with the star and crescent flag, holding their weapons high, and of Greek Cypriot hostages being given water by Turkish soldiers."
The Turkish military campaign was accompanied by murders, unlawful detention of both soldiers and civilians in what amounted to concentration camps, systematic execution of civilians, as well as the torture and mistreatment (including systematic rapes) of Greek Cypriots. These crimes were documented by the two volumes of a historic report by the then European Commission of Human Rights, adopted in 1976, initially covered up, but then leaked to the British Sunday Times in 1977 and eventually declassified in 1979.
On August 6, 1974, the New York Times reported:
"Greek Cypriots from small villages around Kyrenia told stories today of murder, rape and looting by the Turkish Army after its invasion of Cyprus. The villagers are among 20,000 civilians driven from their homes by the Turks along the northern coast of the island.
"One ashen-faced man told tearfully how his wife and two young children were shot before his eyes by Turkish soldiers who rounded up villagers before shooting them. A married woman whose husband was shot by the Turks and young girl who saw her fiancé shot told how they were then raped at gunpoint by Turkish soldiers...
"Eleni Andrea Mateidou, 28, who was married with two children, told of another mass shooting of able-bodied men at her village, Trimithi. Her husband Andreas, 27, and father-in-law were among them. Later she was among village women raped at gunpoint by the Turkish soldiers, she alleged. 'We went out with our hands raised but the Turks started beating us,' she said. 'They took off the top clothes of my husband and father-in-law and led them to the river bed in the village. Then they were shot. The women of the village were taken to the house of a British woman who had been evacuated. They were there raped at gunpoint.'
"'At one point another soldier came up with a baby in his arms. He asked who the mother was. I thought if I said it was mine it might save me. However, when I said I was the mother he threw it to the ground.'"
Despite the collapse of the coups in Greece and Cyprus by July 23, 1974, restoration of the legitimate government of Cyprus, and a ceasefire agreement, Turkey launched a second invasion of Cyprus three weeks later, on August 14, 1974. This time, Turkey gave no pretext but its second military campaign was even more violent, terrorizing more Greek Cypriot natives into fleeing their homes and lands. Those two invasions resulted in the Turkish occupation of 36% of the territory of Cyprus and 57% of its coastline.
On August 15, the New York Times reported:
"Turkish forces, which began a heavy air and ground attack early yesterday, appeared today to be on their way toward seizing control of much of northern Cyprus... A strong air strife [sic] on Nicosia sent thousands of Greek Cypriots fleeing southward.
"A psychiatric hospital close by a Greek Cypriot camp was hit for a second time in less than a month. Three bombs struck outbuildings, injuring 36 patients and 3 staff members. In the previous attack, a direct hit on a ward killed 27 patients and wounded nearly 100."
Despo Marango, a 17-year old from the village of Ashia in the Famagusta District, fled in her father's truck after Turkish tanks entered the town. "We took 20 people on the truck including old women," she recounted. "The Turkish troops came and fired on us and hurt four people. The Turks came into our homes and stole things."
On August 17, 1974, the New York Times wrote:
"Turkey's invasion forces completed the division of Cyprus into two areas yesterday and declared a ceasefire... on the 14th anniversary of the independence of Cyprus from Britain."
To this day, approximately 170,000 Greek Cypriot refugees are still denied by Turkey their right to return home. Over 160,000 illegal settlers or colonists have been transferred to the occupied area by Turkey (the exact number of the illegal settlers is not known; Turkey has not revealed the data). More than a thousand persons in Cyprus are still listed as missing.
Meanwhile, the ancient culture and history of the occupied north are being wiped out to perpetrate the myth that the area is Turkish. Geographical names have been Turkified and many Christian churches and monasteries have been destroyed or used for sacrilegious purposes.
The Archangelos Michael Church, built in Kyrenia in 1860, was converted into "an icon museum" in 1990 after its congregants had fled the invading Turkish soldiers in 1974. According to a 1994 report, icons were "stolen from the church". According to a 2021 news report:
"The church, which was closed for renovation years ago due to the crookedness of its minaret [tower], is kept in ruins despite the completion of the renovation. A shopkeeper said: 'Since the minaret of the icon museum was crooked, it was considered dangerous so the minaret was rebuilt. It took several years to build. They built it, and it has been 6-7 years since it's finished, but it [the museum/former church] is still waiting in ruins.'"
Currently, Turkey appears to be targeting the rest of the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union. The government of Cyprus is now dealing with an "illegal immigration crisis" which it says Turkey is orchestrating. Government authorities state that the majority of migrants entering the free part of Cyprus are being smuggled illegally through the Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. The Cypriot government added that Cyprus was facing "significant demographic change", "ghettoisation in urban areas" and "acute socio-economic effects" as a result of the illegal migrant crisis.
Meanwhile, according to Turkish media, Turkey is planning to construct a military naval base in the Karpasia Peninsula in the Turkish-occupied north.
Despite the uncountable war crimes Turkey has committed in Cyprus, the Turkish government has condemned the UN for having its "peacekeeping forces" there.
Turkey has also refused to comply with its obligations under the UN resolutions concerning Cyprus and many international conventions it has signed. In 2018, for instance, in response to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) demanding the release of Selahattin Demirtaş, former co-chair of Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said: "ECHR's rulings are not binding on us."
The West, however, remains silent -- not merely empowering Turkey to commit further atrocities but rewarding it. The US recently killed, at Turkey's request, the EastMed natural gas pipeline project, which would have transported gas from US allies Israel and Cyprus, via Greece, to Western Europe. The EastMed pipeline would have been particularly important in light of Russia's ability, with the Nord Stream and other pipelines, to blackmail the continent in winter by cutting off much of its gas supplies.
Turkey will now be able to continue its crimes against the Yazidis in Iraq, the Kurds in Syria and the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh with no repercussions.
Philip Christopher, president of the International Coordinating Committee - Justice for Cyprus, wrote: " Turkey's occupation of Cyprus has now become the first modern Islamist fundamentalist attempt to capture Western world territory and resources."
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.
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Putin and His One-Man War
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/March, 11/2022
When he launched his invasion of Ukraine over two weeks ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared like a man who knew what he was doing. In his televised session with the High Council of National Security, he gave the impression that he had a precise war plan with clear objectives.
Now, however, the possibility of that impression having been wrong cannot be dismissed. In other words: What if the Great Vladimir doesn’t know what he is doing or, worse still, doesn’t know what he wants?
To start with he refused to use the word “war” to create the impression that his brief “special operation” pursued the limited objective of consolidating the two breakaway enclaves of Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent republics”. Almost immediately, however, it became clear that he did not mean to limit himself to that ambition. He had been in control of the two enclaves for eight years most of which had passed fairly calmly thanks to the so-called Minsk Accords with the authorities in Kyiv. There was no need to assemble almost 200,000 troops, some of them in Belarus, to achieve what had already become a status quo.
The next step was to declare that he would not be satisfied with the chunks of the Donbas he already had and would seek control of the 60 percent that remained under Ukrainian control.
The fact that in the second week he launched attacks on Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south gave the impression that he wished to carve out the whole of Donbas across a north-south line. However, that pirouette was also abandoned as Putin’s troops started attacking west, including a two-pronged dash for Kyiv. Each time, the French President Emmanuel Macron phoned Putin he heard something different about Vladimir’s war aims. By the end of the second week, Putin said his aim was to dismantle Ukraine as a nation-state, reminding everyone of Hitler and his Anschluss of Austria.
But that aim, too, appeared fanciful. In 1938, Austria had been the last chunk of a once-great empire with no distinct national identity. Even Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Steffen Zweig regarded Austria as part of the German world. At the time a good part of the politically active Austrians were sympathetic to union with the Reich; after all little Adolf himself was an Austrian.
In today’s Ukraine, however, misguided or not, a strong sense of nationhood binds most, if not all, Ukrainians. There is hardly any pro-Russian constituency, even in the occupied parts of Donbas where the armed secessionists have failed to create effective civilian administrations and remain totally dependent on Russian power.When the invasion began some Western military analysts believed that the so-called Gerasimov Doctrine would be the guideline. Named after General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Chief of Staff, this doctrine is supposed to have been inspired by the methods used by US generals David Petraeus and James Mattis in Iraq and later codified as “hybrid warfare” by NATO planners. The key idea here is to use hard power in the service of hybrid forces consisting of local allies, units without official markings, and even private security outfits, all supported by large-scale bribing of actual or potential foes and the wooing of the people through cultural and economic attractiveness.
The past two weeks, however, have shown that Putin’s war has not been planned according to the Gerasimov Doctrine, if such a thing exists. In fact, Gerasimov’s surprised demeanor during the televised “security” session with Putin gave the impression that he had no idea what the “Big Boss” had planned.
It is hard to know what went on in Putin’s mind. But the past two weeks have shown that he has planned his war according to KGB rules rather than classical military strategy. He has relied on massive and indiscriminate use of force, and where Gerasimov and the professional military are concerned about losses among their men, he has been focused on wreaking as much havoc as he can.
Russian official figures for their losses, in the first week of the war, are given as over 100 a day which, compared with Afghanistan where Russian losses were six a day, makes one wonder what has gone wrong. In Ukraine Russian losses so far are twice higher than in the 2008 war against Georgia while in 2014 Crimea was annexed without significant losses. In Ukraine, Putin isn’t after the hearts-and-minds gymnastics that Mattis and possibly Gerasimov regarded as important for achieving victory. His model is Ivan the Awe-Inspiring (Grozny). He wants to terrorize people into abject submission as his forces did in parts of Syria where he and his allies hang on to an illusion of power.
To complicate matters further, Putin has started talking of reuniting the Orthodox churches of Moscow and Kyiv- a kind of jihad KGB-style.
In a classical war, the immediate aim is formulated with three words: conquer, cleanse, control. Putin’s idiosyncratic style of war, however, measures success by the size of debris created and the piles of civilian dead left behind.
Grozny in Chechnya, Homs, and Aleppo in Syria are just a few examples. In Syria Putin’s forces didn’t conquer anywhere, nor did they cleanse the areas where they are present, as testified by almost weekly urban attacks in Damascus itself. Nor are they in effective control of significant chunks of territory. Even the aero-naval bases that Putin has secured on the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean remain vulnerable.
No war is won by one side unless the opposite side admits defeat at least as the best of all bad options. This is, perhaps, why since 1945, no one has really won a war on a once-and-for-all basis.
One famous adage among military scholars is that war is too serious a matter to be left to generals. With Putin, we see that it is even worse to leave it to KGB operatives.
Putin may be able to continue producing his piles of fuming debris for a long time because he has a monopoly of airpower. His troops may one day even enter Kyiv, or what is left of it, and install Victor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian version of Bashar al-Assad, in the carcass of the presidential palace.
But what Putin cannot do is to rebuild Ukraine as he pleases. Over 2000 years ago historian Tacitus quoted the Celtic resistance leader fighting Roman invaders as saying: They make a desert and call it peace!

China’s Smart Move Would Be to Push Putin to Peace
Robert Zoellick/Bloomberg/March, 11/2022
No matter how Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine ends, China will determine whether the world freezes into a New Cold War. So far, Beijing — and its declared “no limits” partnership with Moscow — has failed to recognize the dangers that the Russian president’s wrecking-ball strategy poses to its own interests. The best chance to end the bloodshed in Ukraine may lie in China pushing its Russian ally toward the negotiating table. The Western allies, especially the European Union, should try to persuade Beijing to do so.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been Putin’s wingman in the assault on both Ukraine and the peaceful international system. Yet Beijing should realize that the Russians’ brutal invasion conflicts with its own aims in several significant ways.
First, Xi is hoping for a successful Communist Party Congress this fall, when he expects to win a third (and perpetual) term; surging energy and food prices amid global violence and sanctions won’t set a welcoming stage. Second, Moscow’s redrawing of borders in blood violates China’s traditional respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty — which underpins Beijing’s “one China” policy. Third, Putin’s invasion, instead of dividing the West as he and perhaps China seemed to hope, has unified America’s global alliances.
Finally, there are China’s adamant objections to a revival of what Xi calls “Cold War thinking.”
By doing Putin’s bidding, China is reverting to its subordinate role of the 1950s, something it has spent decades overcoming. Fifty years ago, Mao Zedong recognized China’s overlapping interests with the “imperialist” US; 30 years ago, Deng Xiaoping reminded George H.W. Bush that Russia had eaten away China’s territory, leaving a legacy of geopolitical distrust. Today, Beijing should want the world’s democracies to differentiate their policies toward authoritarian countries, depending on shared interests and behavior. Amid their frictions, China and the West should be able to find common ground on such issues as the resilience of the international economy, climate change, biological threats and deterring wars. Russia, a loser in the international system, wants to tear it down. China, as a winner, should want to co-exist, cooperate (and co-opt) where it can.
The EU is best positioned to prod the Chinese leader to reconsider his Ukraine strategy. There is a momentous EU-China summit just weeks away. Beijing will not want the Europeans to view it as the enabler of Russia’s obliteration of European security and of the continent’s worst humanitarian disaster since World War II. China does not want Europe to look at Moscow and Beijing as comrades in a new axis of aggressive autocracies. The US, in concert with Europe, should signal a constructive pathway for China. This is not the time for President Joe Biden’s administration to be discussing new assaults on China’s trade. Washington should have deferred its recent dispatch of former US national security officials, including ex-Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen, to Taiwan. Instead, it should have sought Beijing’s realignment on the Ukraine crisis.
The EU and the US could encourage Xi to convey to Putin, even if quietly, that a negotiated peace is superior to the interminable costs of war, occupation and insurgency. The destruction and capture of more Ukrainian cities will not make Russia more secure.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi could substantiate China’s offer of “necessary mediation” by proposing to cooperate with a Western partner, perhaps the EU, to forge a cease-fire. Then Ukraine and Russia could explore steps through which an independent, sovereign, neutral Ukraine could gradually re-establish economic ties with both Russia and the West.
Instead of watching Ukraine become a dividing line in a new Cold War, the EU, US and China could help it rebuild as a bridge between East and West. China will have to decide quickly whether its long-term strategy is to sustain Putin’s destructive chaos or to pursue Xi’s idea of a “new type of great power relations.” Great powers do not smash the peaceful global orders that enabled their rise without incurring unpredictable and unhappy consequences.