English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 22/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus said to Nicodemus: For God so loved the world that he gave
his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have
eternal life.
John 03/03-21: There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews. 2 The same came to Jesus by night and said unto Him, “Rabbi, we know that
thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou
doest, unless God be with him.”Jesus answered and said unto him, “‘Very truly, I
tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do
not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do
not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has
ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of
Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him may not perish but may have eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son
into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved
through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not
believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the
only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the
world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were
evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that
their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light,
so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 21-22/2023
Etienne Saqr-Abu Arz: Prosecuting Ibrahim Murad, falls within the framework of
suppressing freedom of opinion and expression
Oueidat positively evaluates 1st round of European investigations
Bankers make 'confessions' to European investigators as 'wildcard witness'
emerges
European delegation ends 1st round of questioning in Lebanon
European investigators to quiz Salameh next month
More MPs join sit-in inside Lebanon’s parliament amid political crisis
Lebanese Interior Minister: No Room for Agendas Promoting Division
Egypt Says Nasrallah’s Statements About Economy Are 'Nonsense'
Lebanon to pay UN $1.8m arrears after losing voting rights
'Lebanese Forces' Party denies organizing training camps in some areas, calls
for taking urgent measures against Fadi Boudia
Foreign Affairs Ministry responds to media reports holding it responsible for
failure to pay Lebanon's contributions to the UN
Mawlawi calls for keeping any cabinet meeting away from sectarian competition &
bickering, says municipal elections will take place on time
Lebanon participates in Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran in February
'Russian House' in Beirut initiates application process to Russian universities
Meeting between Economy Minister & ESCWA Executive Secretary to review trade
policies for Lebanon
Lahoud appeals from Berlin to world agricultural ministers & organizations to
embrace Lebanese farmers & their agricultural produce
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 21-22/2023
Iranian currency falls to record low amid isolation and sanctions
Iran Guards warn EU terror label would be 'mistake'
EU to Expand Sanctions on Iran Next Week
Iranians Protest in Zahedan Despite Tight Security
Saudi Arabia just said they are now 'open' to the idea of trading in currencies
besides the US dollar — does this spell doom for the greenback? 3 reasons not to
worry
Protests in Stockholm, including Koran-burning, draw strong condemnation from
Turkey
Ukraine Adviser Tells Allies 'Think Faster' on Military Support
The NATO Alliance Is Holding Strong on Ukraine. But Fractures Are Emerging.
The company used by Putin to put 50,000 Russian mercenaries in Ukraine will be
deemed a 'transnational criminal organization' by the US
Turkiye cancels Sweden minister visit over planned protest
Israeli films face state funding cut for covering West Bank occupation
Israeli settler shoots Palestinian dead in land dispute
Palestinian Man Killed by Israeli Forces in West Bank
Canada to repatriate 23 citizens detained in north-east Syria camps
In message to Iran, Jordan boosts military deterrence
Titles For The
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on January 21-22/2023
EU’s Double-Standards on Iran’s Human Rights: Business First/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone
Institute/January 21, 2023
Tunisia’s Stability is Libya’s Stability/Gabriel al-Obaidi/Asharq Al Awsat/January,
21/2023
The Not-So-Great News About Lower Inflation/Peter Coy/The New York
Times/January, 21/2023
US-Israeli dilemma as window for diplomacy with Iran closes swiftly/Yossi
Mekelberg/Arab News/January 21, 2023
on January 21-22/2023
Etienne Saqr-Abu Arz: Prosecuting Ibrahim Murad, falls within the
framework of suppressing freedom of opinion and expression
January 21/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/115124/%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b5%d9%82%d8%b1-%d9%80-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%a3%d8%b1%d8%b2-%d9%85%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad%d9%82%d8%a9-%d8%a7%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d9%87%d9%8a%d9%85-%d9%85%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%af/
Press Release: The Guardians of the Cedar Party – the Lebanese National
Movement: Lebanon’s lung is freedom
The corrupt regime that controls power in Lebanon continues to practice a policy
of repression, muffling free voices, and intimidating opinion-holders and free
speech.
In this context we strongly believe that the judicial persecution of Mr. Ibrahim
Murad, falls within the framework of suppressing freedom of opinion and
expression, the freedom upon which the Lebanese have lived, and for which they
have sacrificed for thousands of years and until today, martyrs and tears to
preserve and defend its values.
Within the frames of these patriotic values, and in the name of the honorable
Lebanese people, we strongly denounce in the strongest terms any security or
judicial prosecution against Mr. Ibrahim Murad, and stand with him and with all
the free fighters who call for the liberation of Lebanon from all foreign
occupations, especially the Iranian one, through its armed proxy that has been
perching on the chest of the Lebanese since four decades.
Finally, we affirm to the Lebanese immoral regime that policies of repression
and intimidation does not work, and will not discourage the honorable Lebanese
from demanding the liberation of their country, or defending their freedom and
dignity, no matter what the at any cost.
We finally remind all those concerned, that freedom has been the lung of Lebanon
through which it breathes, and will have no life without it.
Long live Free Lebanon.
Etienne Saqr – Abu Arz
(Free Translation by Elias Bejjani)
Oueidat positively evaluates 1st round of
European investigations
Naharnet/January 21, 2023
State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat has described as “positive” the first round of
investigations that was carried out in Beirut by three European judicial
delegations probing the wealth of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. “Our
evaluation of the first round of investigations in positive and it can be
capitalized on for future cooperation that serves the Lebanese investigation,”
Oueidat told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper in remarks published Saturday. “The
investigation conduct respected the international treaty for combating
corruption,” Oueidat added. “We also respected the
Lebanese law through cooperating with the Europeans and our participation in the
investigations and the management of sessions in the presence of Lebanese
judges,” Oueidat went on to say, noting that the judiciary was keen on
“preserving national sovereignty.”
Bankers make 'confessions' to European investigators as
'wildcard witness' emerges
Naharnet/January 21, 2023
Lebanese bankers are giving testimonies that have started nearing the extent of
“confessions” in the investigations that are being carried out in Lebanon by
three European delegations as part of a probe into Riad Salameh’s wealth, a
media report said. “The Lebanese investigation, from which the Europeans want
documents for their own investigation, included preliminary information and
significant inquiries about transfers made from Raja Salameh’s accounts to his
brother Riad and close associates,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on
Friday. “The investigations have determined that $70
million were transferred from a bank owned by a defaulting political family,”
the daily added. “The interrogation of Al-Mawarid Bank
CEO Marwan Kheireddine tackled those transfers as well as accounts for Raja
Salameh whose deposits swelled from $15 million to $150 million between 1993 and
2019 before being withdrawn on the eve of the crisis,” Nidaa al-Watan said. One
of the witnesses, the president of a well-known brokerage company, meanwhile
“left for Luxembourg to be interrogated by investigators there and it is
possible that he might turn into a protected ‘wildcard witness’ in return for
valuable confessions related to Raja and Riad Salameh that might be in his
possession,” the newspaper added. Informed sources meanwhile said that the
Lebanese judiciary is relatively cooperating with the European investigators,
after reports said that “sanctions might be imposed on any judge who does not
cooperate, in line with the U.N. anti-corruption treaty that Lebanon signed in
2008.”
European delegation ends 1st round of questioning in
Lebanon
Associated Press/January 21, 2023
A European legal team has wrapped up the first round of questioning of Lebanese
bankers and current and former Central Bank officials in Beirut. The questioning
is part of a probe on money laundering linked to Lebanon's Central Bank Governor
Riad Salameh. The European judicial delegation -- with representatives from
France, Germany, and Luxembourg -- questioned nine people this week, including
current and former central bank officials as well as the heads of several
commercial banks, several Lebanese judicial officials told The Associated Press.
The delegation arrived in Beirut earlier this month to interrogate embattled
Central Bank Governor Salameh and more than two dozen other people, some of them
his close associates, in a European money laundering investigation of some $330
million. In March last year, authorities in France,
Germany and Luxembourg froze more than $130 million in assets linked to the
investigation. There have been reports that a
brokerage firm, Forry Associates Ltd., owned by Raja Salameh -- the brother of
the Central Bank governor -- was hired by the Central Bank to handle government
bond sales in which the firm received $330 million in commissions.
The governor, who has denied all charges of corruption, calling them
politicized, said earlier that "not a single penny of public money" was used to
pay the brokerage firm. Switzerland and Liechtenstein have also opened probes
against Riad Salameh on money laundering allegations. The Lebanese chief
prosecutor's office on Friday said Lebanese judicial officials helped the
European delegation in the investigation regarding money transfers in the three
countries. It did not provide any further details.
European investigators to quiz Salameh next month
Agence France Presse/January 21, 2023
European investigators will question Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh
next month as part of a probe into his and his brother's affairs, a judicial
official told AFP. Investigators from France, Germany and Luxembourg heard
witnesses in Beirut this week as part of the case of suspected financial
misconduct including possible money laundering and embezzlement. Salameh and his
brother Raja both deny any wrongdoing. The central bank chief, in office for
three decades, is widely blamed for monetary policies that contributed to an
unprecedented economic crisis in Lebanon, but he has dismissed such criticism.
"The European judges will return next month to complete their investigations
with 18 financial and banking figures... including Salameh and people close to
him," said the official on condition of anonymity. On
Friday, the investigators heard former interior minister Raya El Hassan, who
also chairs the board of directors of Lebanese lender Bankmed. They had already
heard evidence for more than eight hours Tuesday from Ahmad Jachi, a central
bank vice governor from 2003 to 2008, as well as Marwan Kheireddine, who heads
Al Mawarid Bank. They also questioned former vice
governor Saad Andary on Monday.
The bankers were asked about accounts held by Raja Salameh, as well as "money
transfers to the brothers' accounts abroad," a judicial official told AFP
earlier this week. Investigators also examined the
central bank's ties to Forry Associates Ltd, a British Virgin Islands-registered
company that listed Raja Salameh as its beneficiary. Forry is suspected of
having brokered Lebanese treasury bonds and Eurobonds at a commission, which was
then allegedly transferred to Raja Salameh's bank accounts abroad. France,
Germany and Luxembourg last March seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130
million) in a move linked to a probe by French investigators into 72-year-old
Salameh's personal wealth. Lebanon opened its own probe into Salameh's affairs
last year, after the office of Switzerland's top prosecutor requested assistance
with an investigation into more than $300 million allegedly embezzled from the
central bank with the help of his brother.
More MPs join sit-in inside Lebanon’s
parliament amid political crisis
Najia Houssari/Arab News/January 21, 2023
BEIRUT: More MPs have joined independent lawmakers staging a sit-in inside
Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament to protest at the ongoing vacuum of power.
Protesters held their own sit-in outside parliament in solidarity with MPs angry
at the failure to elect a new president.
Reformist MPs Najat Saliba and Melhem Khalaf launched their protest in the
plenary hall of parliament last Thursday to put pressure on factions to elect a
president, nearly three months on from the post falling vacant. Reformist MPs
Halima Kaakour and Firas Hamdan joined the protesters on Friday night, in
addition to George Okais and Razi Al-Hajj from Lebanese Forces. Khalaf told Arab
News: “We are not protesting; we are applying the law. “We don’t have the right
to complain, as the Lebanese people have been living for months without
electricity and services. “Our presence in the plenary hall shows the people
that patience results in a functional country. “We
don’t want to convey helplessness to the people.
“Our legal duties compel us, pursuant to article 74 of the constitution, to be
present in the parliament without invitation and elect a president without any
conditions.”The MP added that article 75 stipulated that the deputies had turned
into an electoral body and “we don’t have the right to perform any other role.”
He added: “Some 26 deputies have arrived in the plenary hall to confirm the
eligibility of the step we took.”Independent deputy Abdel Rahman Al-Bizri said:
“There should be a democratic political breakthrough inside parliament. It is
the only solution for the crisis.
“The deputies inside the parliament are not staging a protest, but carrying out
their duties. “The parliament has a real chance to carry out its role and elect
a president away from any foreign and regional considerations.” Al-Bizri
believes that the action initiated by Khalaf and Saliba may have helped bring
matters to a head after 11 failed electoral sessions. He emphasized that the
main purpose of the move was to protect the Lebanese presidential and
parliamentary system. Okais said: “What’s needed is to
unify the opposition against Hezbollah and its allies and turn the presidential
elections into a purely Lebanese process, if the intentions are good.
“We don’t mind holding a dialogue to discuss a presidential candidate
other than Michel Moawad, provided he’s a reformist and sovereign
candidate.”Okais added that he had told the protesting deputies in the hall that
what they were doing was “a noble act,” but added he had questioned what was to
follow. He highlighted what he termed a strategic and ideological divergence
between the protesting MPs. He said: “If the
opposition does not agree on one name, then the protest will be in vain and
similar to climbing up a tree without knowing how to get down.”Progressive
Socialist Party MP Bilal Abdallah said it was necessary to “follow a new dynamic
when tackling the presidential election.” He added: “We don’t boycott nor
disrupt the process, but we urge everyone to hold more dialogue that actually
generates effective results, rather than futile ones.”Regarding the results of
dialogue between Hezbollah and the Progressive Socialist Party on the
presidential elections, Abdallah said: “It revolved around the need to keep
elections away from current political alignments and confrontations, and avoid
repeating the scenario of the former mandate. “Dialogue with other political
parties continues in order to reach an internal settlement and turn the
presidential election into a purely Lebanese process. “It seems that foreign
countries do not care about Lebanon today, and solutions and follow-ups are not
their priority. That’s why we took this step and we won’t stop.” Lebanon has had
neither a president nor a fully empowered Cabinet since Michel Aoun’s term ended
in October.
Lebanese Interior Minister: No Room for
Agendas Promoting Division
Beirut - Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanon’s caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Judge Bassam Mawlawi
on Saturday affirmed that the Lebanese have put fighting in the past and that
any bet on its resurfacing will fail. Speaking to
Asharq Al-Awsat, Mawlawi stressed that there is no room for political agendas
intending to undermine the unity of Lebanon, lead to its division and revert the
country to the chaos it experienced prior to the Taif agreement. Mawlawi said
that whoever tries to ignite sectarian strife will face resistance from all the
Lebanese. The minister insisted that Lebanon’s
Christians and Muslims insist on adhering to the state project.
Mawlawi pointed out that there is no political background to security problems
that occur from time to time in more than one of Lebanon’s regions. According to
the minister, most of Lebanon’s security problems are restricted to incidents of
looting, burglary, and individual disputes that security and military forces
deal with firmly. Lebanon’s security forces have been
able to arrest dozens of perpetrators and refer them to the judiciary for trial,
affirmed Mawlawi. He emphasized that the local and
external conditions that were behind the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in
the spring of 1975 have now disappeared, although its tragic effects still echo
in the minds of the Lebanese. Mawlawi believed that the solution to the crisis
experienced by Lebanon today begins with electing a president for the republic.
Asserting that electing a president is the gateway to reorganizing the
constitutional institutions, Mawlawi pointed to the vote being the
responsibility of parliament solely. “I hope that
favorable conditions will ripen to end the presidential vacuum. Because the
government does not replace the president,” Mawlawi told Asharq Al-Awsat. The
minister also supported Lebanese cabinet meetings that he said are handling
urgent and pressing needs that cannot be postponed. “Those criticizing cabinet
meetings contribute to emptying institutions and paralyzing their ability to
respond to the suffering of the Lebanese,” said Mawlawi.
He emphasized that the crisis in Lebanon cannot be resolved by resorting
to populist bidding, exploiting the suffering of citizens, and returning to
fighting. Condemning sectarian discourse, Mawlawi stressed the importance of
moderation in politics to reduce tensions and incitement. He stated that any
elected president should address Christians and Muslims without distinction. He
emphasized that the Lebanese should help themselves as a condition for seeking
help from the international community.
Egypt Says Nasrallah’s Statements About
Economy Are 'Nonsense'
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 21 January, 2023
Spokesman for Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Abu Zeid on Friday
called remarks by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah about the
economic situation in Egypt “nonsense” and “an attempt to recall fake
heroism.”Nasrallah’s statements are likely linked to Egypt snubbing Iranian
attempts to open channels for communication between Cairo and Tehran, an
informed source who requested anonymity told Asharq Al-Awsat. “There are
repeated requests and contacts on the part of Tehran to try to advance relations
with Egypt,” the source said, adding that Iran believed that ties would warm up
after its delegation attended the COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Nevertheless, Egypt has not yet reacted to Iran’s attempts, the source
explained. Almost a week ago, Nasrallah had received Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beirut, and they discussed developments and
political situations in Lebanon, Palestine, and the region. “Egypt's
calculations regarding Iran are accurate and linked to regional and Arab
relations, and Cairo is committed to a comprehensive vision, not momentary
changes,” the source affirmed. The past months
witnessed repeated Iranian signals regarding “strengthening relations with
Egypt.”Amir-Abdollahian confirmed, last July, that “strengthening relations
between Tehran and Cairo is in the interest of the countries of the region and
the peoples of the two countries.”In a speech on the anniversary of the launch
of Hezbollah’s affiliated Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation,
Nasrallah invited attendees to examine the economic situation in Egypt, the
first country to sign a peace agreement with Israel. Nasrallah said that Egypt’s
commitment to peace with Israel did not prevent its economy from needing loans
from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He also reviewed the situation in
Jordan and other countries. Ties between Egypt and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah
have witnessed sharp and rare turns during the past two decades. Egypt had
previously arrested a Hezbollah cell that was operating on its soil. It
convicted the members of the cell in 2010 with court rulings ranging from six
months to life imprisonment, but cell leader, Sami Shehab, managed to escape
prison in 2011. In 2015, Shehab received a new sentence in absentia of two years
in prison.
Lebanon to pay UN $1.8m arrears after losing
voting rights
Ismaeel Naar/The National/January 21, 2023
Lebanon vowed to pay the $1.8m it owes to the UN's operating budget on Friday
after losing its voting rights in the 193-member UN General Assembly. Lebanon is
among six countries to lose its right to vote after not meeting minimum
contributions, along with Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Venezuela, South Sudan
and Gabon, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday.
In response to the suspension, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday
that the payment process would take place immediately.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants would like to clarify that all
the payment stages of the required amount have been completed,” the ministry
said. “After the necessary contacts with each of the Lebanese Prime Minister and
Minister of Finance, it has been confirmed that the final payment process will
take place immediately in a manner that preserves Lebanon's rights in the United
Nations.”Lebanon previously lost voting rights temporarily in 2020 for failing
to pay its share with the UN saying at the time that "we fully recognise that
the recent events in Lebanon have challenged the banking system, delaying part
of this money.”Gabon is serving a two-year term on the UN Security Council,
although its voting rights there are not affected. The
UN Charter says members with arrears that equal or exceed the amount of their
contributions for the preceding two full years lose their voting rights. It also
gives the General Assembly the authority to decide if failure to pay is "due to
conditions beyond the control of the member". In that case, a country can
continue to vote. According to the secretary general’s letter, the minimum
payments needed to restore voting rights are $76,244,991 for Venezuela,
$1,835,303 for Lebanon, $619,103 for Equatorial Guinea, $196,130 for South
Sudan, $61,686 for Gabon and $20,580 for Dominica. The General Assembly decided
that three African countries on the list of nations in arrears ― Comoros, Sao
Tome and Principe and Somalia ― can keep their voting rights. It granted the
three countries the same exemption last year.
*AP contributed to this report
'Lebanese Forces' Party denies organizing
training camps in some areas, calls for taking urgent measures against Fadi
Boudia
NNA/January 21, 2023
"Lebanese Forces" Party categorically denied in an issued statement today what
was reported by the so-called Fadi Boudia about LF’s opening of training camps
in some areas and sending several members to Jordan to be trained by Jordanian
and British officers.
The statement asserted that “in parallel with the Party’s legal department’s
intention to file a lawsuit for the third time against Boudia, LF urges the
concerned judiciary to take the necessary and immediate measures to put an end
to this person’s practices and false fabrications, which must not continue due
to their negative repercussions on more than one level.”
Foreign Affairs Ministry responds to media reports holding
it responsible for failure to pay Lebanon's contributions to the UN
NNA/January 21, 2023
The media office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants responded, in
an issued statement today, to "several media reports that unjustly held the
Ministry responsible for Lebanon's failure to pay its contributions to the
United Nations and thus depriving it of the right to vote."
In this context, the statement clarified the following:
1- The Ministry has been following-up for several months on the issue of paying
the dues and unpaid contributions to-date by Lebanon to several international
and regional organizations, including the United Nations, which affects
Lebanon's right to vote.
2- For this purpose, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates conducted
several contacts, reviews and meetings with the concerned official authorities,
to assist in transferring the necessary funds to Lebanese missions abroad to pay
contributions and arrears. In this connection, Minister Abdallah Bou Babib
received promises to resolve the issue of transferring the necessary funds as
soon as possible.
The statement concluded by stressing that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Emigrants has previously cautioned about this matter, and continues to stress
the necessity of immediate handling of this dossier due to its importance and
Lebanon's role in international and regional institutions.
Mawlawi calls for keeping any cabinet meeting away from
sectarian competition & bickering, says municipal elections will take place on
time
NNA/January 21, 2023
In an exclusive interview with Radio Free Lebanon, caretaker Minister of
Interior and Municipalities Bassam al-Mawlawi reassured all Lebanese that "the
security situation is under control", stressing that the security services are
carrying out their duties to the fullest. The minister
called for distancing any government meeting devoted to addressing people's
urgent issues from sectarian rivalry and strife, declaring that "Muslims in
Lebanon are more keen on the presence and role of Christians than the Christians
themselves."Commenting on whether the municipal and optional elections will take
place on time, the Minister of the Interior indicated that the ministry insists
on achieving the constitutional and legal entitlements on time.
He stressed that "there are 110 municipalities out of the total number of
dissolved municipalities in Lebanon, and preparations in the Ministry of
Interior are ready, and on the first of February, the electoral lists will be
announced."
Lebanon participates in Fajr International Film Festival in
Tehran in February
NNA/January 21, 2023
The Fajr International Film Festival has revealed an invitation to participate
in the activities of its forty-first session in its national and international
branches, which are run by the Iranian Mojtaba Amini, with wide local and
international participation. According to a statement,
the festival starts from February 1 to 11, with the aim of presenting and
honoring the selected works of Iranian and international cinema in the local and
international sections. The organizers of the festival
announced the submission of 578 films to participate in the international
section of the 41st International Film Festival, and according to the public
relations report of this prominent international film event, a total of 578
films from 72 countries submitted to participate in the international section of
the festival, including the sections "Saadat Cinema" and "East Face"
(Asian-Islamic). Among the most prominent countries that applied to participate
in the festival in addition to Iran are: Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Portugal,
Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina, India, Chile, Tajikistan, Estonia, Latvia,
the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada , Poland,
England, Turkey, Myanmar, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Indonesia, Romania,
Ukraine, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, Iraq, Hong Kong, Moldova, Armenia, Greece,
Mongolia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan Republic, Mexico,
America, Spain, Bulgaria, Brazil, Belarus, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Georgia, Serbia,
Dominica, South Korea, Lithuania, Egypt, Syria, Oman, Taiwan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Finland, Kuwait, Macedonia, Cambodia, Qatar, Norway, Austria, Vietnam, Thailand
and Iceland. The international section of the Fajr
International Film Festival aims to recognize the valuable works of Iranian and
international cinema and to promote and encourage the production of works
compatible with Iranian cinema. The 41st edition of the Fajr International Film
Festival will start from the next 1st to 11th, and the international section of
the festival will be held in two competitive sections (Saadat Cinema and the
Orient Facade) and the non-competitive part of the World Cup section (Festival
Festival) will be held in the capital Tehran.
'Russian House' in Beirut initiates application process to
Russian universities
NNA/January 21, 2023
The Russian House in Beirut is in the process of selecting Lebanese students who
wish to study in Russian universities at the expense of the Russian Federation
government for the year 2023-2024, noting that the Russian government has
allocated 145 scholarships for the Lebanese this year. Applicants from all
levels of university education and majors are accepted. Those wishing to
participate in the selection must register on the official website:
https://education-in-russia.com, until February 20, 2023. Additional information
about registration and required documents can also be obtained by visiting the
Russian House in Beirut in person or via their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/StudyInRussiaForLebanese
Or call: +961-7169730.
Meeting between Economy Minister & ESCWA Executive
Secretary to review trade policies for Lebanon
NNA/January 21, 2023
The Ministry of Economy and Trade announced, in an issued statement on Saturday,
that it is analyzing and reviewing, in cooperation with ESCWA, trade policies
for Lebanon and bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, in collaboration
with the relevant ministries. In this context, a meeting was held on January 19,
2023, attended by Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, and the
Secretary Executive Director of the Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA), Dr. Rola Dashti, in the presence of senior officials from the
Ministries of Economy, Trade, Industry, Agriculture and Finance in the ESCWA
building in central Beirut. It was decided to form a technical committee to
submit proposals for what should be amended to these agreements, in addition to
issuing recommendations in the field of restructuring customs duties. Minister
Salam stressed "the need to work seriously to develop policies that are
compatible with the current stage at the local and regional levels, and to
advance the Lebanese economy from an economy that relies on imports to a
diversified and competitive economy capable of exporting and attracting
foreign."He added: "Despite the different trends and opinions, everyone agrees
that the time has come not only to develop trade agreements and create new
visions, but to employ them in building a new economic reality for Lebanon on
the economic map of the Mediterranean." For its part,
"ESCWA" indicated in a statement that "over the past two decades, the cumulative
deficit in the Lebanese trade balance amounted to more than 250 billion US
dollars, and in the same context, Lebanon recorded a low performance in terms of
the trade returns of the two free trade agreements it concluded with European
Union and with the Arab countries.”
Lahoud appeals from Berlin to world agricultural ministers & organizations to
embrace Lebanese farmers & their agricultural produce
NNA/January 21, 2023
Ministry of Agriculture’s Director-General Louis Lahoud, representing Caretaker
Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan, participated in the meetings of the
world's ministers of agriculture in Berlin - Germany, within the framework of
the 15th World Forum for Food and Agriculture and the International Green Week
for the year 2023, in the presence of 83 ministers of agriculture from around
the world and general managers of international organizations.
Lahoud headed Lebanon’s delegation that included the economic attaché at
the Lebanese Embassy in Germany, Abdo Medlej, and the advisor to the Minister of
Agriculture, Salem Darwish. Discussions during the
ministerial meeting at the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin touched on the
conditions of the agricultural sector, food and food security, combating hunger
in the countries of the world, food systems that are resistant to crises,
climate and biodiversity-friendly, and improving cooperation between countries
for global food sustainability.Lahoud conveyed to the attendees the greetings of
the Minister of Agriculture, and presented the conditions of the agricultural
sector in Lebanon and the repercussions of displacement on agriculture and food
security in Lebanon, as well as the repercussions of the economic crisis on
farmers, the rise in energy prices, and agricultural production requirements
such as medicines, veterinary vaccines, fertilizers, seeds, and fodder
materials. He also presented the projects carried out
by the Lebanese Agriculture Ministry, especially in the field of plants and
animals, agricultural processing and forest wealth. In
this context, Lahoud appealed to world ministers of agriculture and general
directors of international organizations to embrace the agricultural sector in
Lebanon, support agricultural infrastructure, programs and projects, and open
markets to Lebanese agricultural products, in order to help farmers remain
steadfast and introduce hard currency into the sector.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 21-22/2023
Iranian currency falls to record low amid isolation
and sanctions
DUBAI (Reuters)/January 21, 2023
Iran's troubled currency fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar on
Saturday amid the country's increasing isolation and possible Europe Union
sanctions against Tehran's Revolutionary Guards or some of its members. Ties
between the EU and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months as efforts to
revive nuclear talks have stalled. Iran has detained several European nationals
and the bloc has become increasingly critical of the violent treatment of
protesters and the use of executions. The EU is
discussing a fourth round of sanctions against Iran and diplomatic sources have
said members of the Revolutionary Guards will be added to the bloc's sanctions
list next week. But some EU member states want to go further and classify the
Guards as a whole as a terrorist organisation. The dollar was selling for as
much as 447,000 rials on Iran's unofficial market on Saturday, compared with
430,500 the previous day, according to the foreign exchange site Bonbast.com.
The rial has lost 29% of its value since nationwide protests following
the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini,
on Sept. 16. The unrest has posed one of the biggest challenges to theocratic
rule in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The economic Ecoiran website blamed the continued fall of the rial on an
apparent "global consensus" against Iran. "Increasing
political pressures, such as placing the Revolutionary Guards on a list of
terrorist organisations, and imposing restrictions on Iran-linked ships and oil
tankers... are factors pointing to a global consensus against Iran, (which may
affect) the dollar's rate in Tehran," Ecoiran said. The European Parliament
called on Wednesday for the EU to list Iran's Guards as a terrorist group,
blaming the powerful force for the repression of protesters and the supply of
drones to Russia. The assembly cannot compel the EU to add the force to its
list, but the text was a clear political message to Tehran.
Panama's vessel registry, the world's largest, has withdrawn its flag
from 136 ships linked to Iran's state oil company in the last four years, the
country's maritime authority said this week. Iran's
central bank governor Mohammad Reza Farzin on Saturday blamed the fall of the
rial on "psychological operations" which Tehran says its enemies are organising
to destabilise the Islamic Republic. "Today, the
central bank faces no restrictions in terms of foreign currency and gold
resources and reserves, and media deceit and psychological operations are the
main factors behind the fluctuation in the free exchange rate," state
broadcaster IRIB cited Farzin as saying. Facing an
inflation rate of about 50%, Iranians seeking safe havens for their savings have
been trying to buy dollars, other hard currencies or gold.
Iran Guards warn EU terror label would be
'mistake'
Agence France Presse/January 21, 2023
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday warned the European Union
against making a "mistake" by listing it as a terror group, after the bloc's
parliament called for the measure. Members of the
European Parliament voted on Wednesday to include the IRGC on the 27-nation
bloc's terror list in "light of its terrorist activity, the repression of
protesters and its supplying of drones to Russia". The vote is non-binding but
comes with EU foreign ministers already due to discuss tightening sanctions on
the Islamic republic next week. "If the Europeans make a mistake, they must
accept the consequences," IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami said,
according to the Guards' Sepah News website, in his first remarks on the EU
move. The European Union "thinks that with such statements it can shake this
huge army," Salami said. "We are never worried about such threats or even acting
on them, because as much as our enemies give us a chance to act, we act
stronger," he added. The Guards oversee the volunteer Basij paramilitary force,
which has been deployed against protests since mid-September triggered by the
death of Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest for allegedly violating Iran's dress
code for women. Authorities in Iran say hundreds of people, including members of
the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested in the unrest.
The Guards, formed shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, answer to
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and boast their own ground, naval
and air forces. The United States has already placed both the IRGC and its
foreign arm, the Quds Force, on its list of "foreign terrorist
organizations."Salami's comments came as he received Iran's parliament speaker
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a former commander of the Guards air force. "We in the
parliament are ready to deal firmly with any action that tries to harm the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and distort the truth," Ghalibaf was quoted as
saying by Sepah News.
EU to Expand Sanctions on Iran Next Week
Brussels - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 21 January, 2023
The European Union will add 37 individual entries to its sanctions against Iran
on Monday, two European diplomats told Reuters, as the bloc works on listing
Tehran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Foreign
ministers from the bloc are to agree to adopt the fourth package of sanctions on
Tehran over its repression of demonstrators at an already-scheduled meeting in
Brussels on Monday. Demonstrations have swept Iran since the September 16 death
of Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly failing to adhere
to the strict dress rules. Iran has arrested at least 14,000 people in the wave
of protests, according to the United Nations.Authorities have executed four
people for their role in the unrest and imposed the death penalty on a total of
18, triggering widespread international outrage. The EU has already imposed
asset freezes and visa bans on more than 60 Iranian officials and entities over
the crackdown on protestors, including targeting Tehran’s morality police,
Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, and state media.
But the 27-nation EU has so far stopped short of blacklisting the Revolutionary
Guard itself as a terror group despite calls from Germany and other member
states to take the step.
Iran has warned the bloc against taking the move and EU officials are wary that
it could kill off stalled attempts to revive the 2015 deal on Tehran’s nuclear
program being mediated by Brussels.“I think it’s not a good idea because it
prevents you from going ahead in other issues,” a senior EU official said.
Iranians Protest in Zahedan Despite Tight Security
Tehran, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 21 January, 2023
Thousands took to the streets in Zahedan Friday despite the checkpoints and
roadblocks established by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces
and police officers. Videos from the march showed
protesters carrying banners and chanting against the Iranian government.
The military forces designated checkpoints in different areas of Zahedan and
outside the homes of Baloch citizens in anticipation of these protests.
Residents complained about the treatment of the military forces, as
everyone was interrogated, searched, and forced to show their identity cards.
According to the Iran International website, military forces were also present
at some schools, noting that they had been converted into what resembled
military bases. Iran has been witnessing massive protests for months, after the
death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, on September 16, 2022, at the hands of
the "morality police."
Despite pressures and threats, anti-regime Friday protests continued for the
fifteenth week in Zahedan. According to the United Nations, Iran arrested at
least 14,000 people during the protests. The authorities executed four people
for their role in the unrest and imposed death sentences on 18 people, sparking
widespread international outrage.The EU will impose new sanctions on 37 Iranian
officials and organizations over the crackdown on protests but is still debating
listing the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group, diplomats said Friday.
Foreign ministers from the bloc will agree to adopt the fourth package of
sanctions against Tehran due to its repression of the demonstrators at a
scheduled meeting on Monday in Brussels. The EU
imposed sanctions, including freezing assets and a visa ban on more than 60
Iranian officials and entities over the suppression of protests, including the
morality police, IRGC commanders, and state media. However, the EU is still
discussing adding the IRGC to the blacklist of terrorist organizations despite
calls from Germany and other member states to take this step. For its part, Iran
warned the EU against this move, and European officials fear that it could
hinder attempts to revive the 2015 agreement on Tehran's nuclear program,
mediated by Brussels. "I think it's not a good idea because it prevents you from
going ahead in other issues," a senior EU official said. Meanwhile, a spokesman
for the German Foreign Ministry said that the EU foreign ministers are expected
to agree to impose more sanctions targeting IRGC commanders at their meeting in
Brussels on Monday. Asked at a regular government news conference in Berlin
whether sanctions could hamper diplomatic efforts to prevent Tehran from
developing nuclear weapons, the spokesperson said: "The focus of our policy
currently is increasing pressure on the Iranian regime."
Saudi Arabia just said they are now 'open' to the idea of
trading in currencies besides the US dollar — does this spell doom for the
greenback? 3 reasons not to worry
Vishesh Raisinghani/MoneyWise/January 21, 2023
The 2023 World Economic Forum has been going on for just a few days and we’re
already getting a glimpse of the future the global elites envision for us all.
Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan, stunned reporters in Davos
when he expressed that the oil-rich nation was open to trading in currencies
beside the U.S. dollar for the first time in 48 years. “There are no issues with
discussing how we settle our trade arrangements, whether it’s in the U.S.
dollar, the euro, or the Saudi riyal,” Al-Jadaan said. His comments are the
latest signal that powerful nations across the world are plotting a
“de-dollarization” of the global economy. Here’s why replacing the dollar is
gaining popularity and why dethroning the greenback is easier said than done.
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Rebellion against the dollar
The dollar’s dominance of global trade and capital flows dates back at least 80
years. Over the last eight decades, the U.S. has been the world’s largest
economy, most influential political entity and most powerful military force.
However, economists from other countries are increasingly worried that the
country has “weaponized” this position of power in recent years, according to
the CBC. The U.S. implements sanctions to punish countries in conflict,
threatens to devalue its own currency to win trade wars and leverages it to
support its own economy at the expense of the rest of the world. Unsurprisingly,
these moves have inspired a backlash from China, Russia and other prominent
countries.
At the 14th BRICS Summit last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced
measures to create a new “international currency standard.” Meanwhile, China has
been urging oil producers and major exporters to accept yuan for payments. This
rebellion against the U.S. dollar could erode some of its influence, but there
are reasons to believe the greenback’s dominance will be sustained.
Replacing the dollar would be hard
The U.S. dollar’s dominance is underappreciated. As of late-2022, the greenback
accounts for 59.79% of total foreign reserves. In comparison, the Euro accounts
for 19.66%, while the Chinese renminbi accounts for just 2.76% of global
reserves.
China could expand its market share by twenty-fold and still lag the U.S. dollar
by a wide margin. Put simply, replacing the U.S. dollar in foreign reserves is
easier said than done.
Other countries have a lot of catching up
Reserve currency status is closely correlated with the size of the issuing
country’s economy. In other words, the largest economy usually has the reserve
currency status.
During the 19th century, the British pound was the world’s reserve currency
because the British Empire’s colonies needed it for trade and commerce. For the
past century, the U.S. dollar has dominated because the American economy is the
largest by far.
China’s growth has slowed down in recent years and some believe it will never
overtake the U.S. Meanwhile, Russia was the 11th largest economy before it
invaded Ukraine, despite being economically smaller in size than California or
Texas alone.
And India is growing rapidly, but it would need to grow 628% to match the U.S.’s
GDP today. That could take 25 years.
America’s economic lead is simply insurmountable.
The U.S. will still be OK
The final reason Americans shouldn’t be worried about the dollar losing
influence is that the worst-case scenario isn’t so bad. Some analysts believe
that the future could be more multilateral.
The U.S. may lose influence in some segments of the global economy but not lose
dominance everywhere. For instance, the Chinese yuan could become more important
for trade and cross-border payments, but the dollar could remain the preferred
reserve currency for central banks of developed nations. That’s far from an
economic nightmare for Americans.
Protests in Stockholm, including Koran-burning, draw strong
condemnation from Turkey
STOCKHOLM (Reuters)/January 21, 2023
Protests in Stockholm on Saturday against Turkey and Sweden's bid to join NATO,
including the burning of a copy of the Koran, sharply heightened tensions with
Turkey at a time when the Nordic country needs Ankara's backing to gain entry to
the military alliance. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile
attack on our holy book ... Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets
Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of freedom of expression
is completely unacceptable," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Its statement
was issued after an anti-immigrant politician from the far-right fringe burned a
copy of the Koran near the Turkish Embassy. The Turkish ministry urged Sweden to
take necessary actions against the perpetrators and invited all countries to
take concrete steps against Islamophobia. A separate
protest took place in the city supporting Kurds and against Sweden's bid to join
NATO. A group of pro-Turkish demonstrators also held a rally outside the
embassy. All three events had police permits. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias
Billstrom said that Islamophobic provocations were appalling. "Sweden has a
far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish
Government, or myself, support the opinions expressed," Billstrom said on
Twitter. The Koran-burning was carried out by Rasmus
Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line. Paludan, who also
has Swedish citizenship, has held a number of demonstrations in the past where
he has burned the Koran. Paludan could not immediately be reached by email for a
comment. In the permit he obtained from police, it says his protest was held
against Islam and what it called Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's attempt to
influence freedom of expression in Sweden.
Several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait denounced the
Koran-burning. "Saudi Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue,
tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism," the Saudi Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.
Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of
Ukraine but all 30 member states must approve their bids. Turkey has said Sweden
in particular must first take a clearer stance against what it sees as
terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for a 2016 coup
attempt. At the demonstration to protest Sweden's NATO bid and to show support
for Kurds, speakers stood in front of a large red banner reading "We are all
PKK", referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party that is outlawed in Turkey,
Sweden, and the United States among other countries, and addressed several
hundred pro-Kurdish and left-wing supporters. "We will
continue our opposition to the Swedish NATO application," Thomas Pettersson,
spokesperson for Alliance Against NATO and one of organizers of the
demonstration, told Reuters.
Police said the situation was calm at all three demonstrations.
DEFENCE MINISTER'S VISIT CANCELLED
Earlier on Saturday, Turkey said that due to lack of measures to restrict
protests, it had cancelled a planned visit to Ankara by the Swedish defence
minister. "At this point, the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson to
Turkey on January 27 has become meaningless. So we cancelled the visit," Defence
Minister Hulusi Akar said. Jonson said separately that
he and Akar had met on Friday during a gathering of Western allies in Germany
and had decided to postpone the planned meeting. Akar said he had discussed with
Erdogan the lack of measures to restrict protests in Sweden against Turkey and
had conveyed Ankara's reaction to Jonson on the sidelines of a meeting of the
Ukraine Defence Contact Group. "It is unacceptable not to make a move or react
to these (protests). The necessary things needed to be done, measures should
have been taken," Akar said, according to a statement by Turkish Defence
Ministry. Turkey's Foreign Ministry had already summoned Sweden's ambassador on
Friday over the planned protests. Finland and Sweden signed a three-way
agreement with Turkey in 2022 aimed at overcoming Ankara's objections to their
membership of NATO. Sweden says it has fulfilled its part of the memorandum but
Turkey is demanding more, including extradition of 130 people it deems to be
terrorists.
Ukraine Adviser Tells Allies 'Think Faster' on Military
Support
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 21 January, 2023
A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Kyiv's allies
on Saturday to "think faster" about stepping up their military support, a day
after they failed to agree on sending battle tanks coveted by Kyiv. "You'll help
Ukraine with the necessary weapons anyway and realize that there is no other
option to end the war except the defeat of Russia," Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on
Twitter. "But today's indecision is killing more of
our people. Every day of delay is the death of Ukrainians. Think
faster."Ukraine's partners this week pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in
new military aid but were unable to agree on sending the German-made Leopard 2
tanks Kyiv has long sought during a conference at the Ramstein Air Base on
Friday, Reuters said.
The NATO Alliance Is Holding Strong on Ukraine. But
Fractures Are Emerging.
David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt/The New York Times/January 21, 2023
WASHINGTON — The billions of dollars in new arms for Ukraine announced this
month — including British tanks, American fighting vehicles, and howitzers from
Denmark and Sweden — are testament to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure
to split the NATO allies after nearly a year of war. But small yet significant
fractures are getting too big to hide. The differences are over strategy for the
coming year and the more immediate question of what Ukraine needs in the next
few months, as both sides in the war prepare for major offensives in the spring.
And although most of those debates take place behind closed doors, Britain’s
impatience with the current pace of aid and Germany’s refusal to provide Leopard
2 tanks to Ukraine broke out into public view this week.
When the new British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, visited
Washington this week, he gathered reporters for lunch and made the case that it
is possible for Ukraine to score a “victory” in the war this year if the allies
move fast to exploit Russia’s weaknesses. Officials in Poland, the Baltic States
and Finland have largely agreed with the British assessment.
American officials pushed back, saying it is critical to pace the aid,
and not flood Ukraine with equipment its troops cannot yet operate. And they
argue that in a world of limited resources, it would be wise to keep something
in reserve for what the Pentagon believes will probably be a drawn-out conflict,
in which Russia will try to wear Ukraine down with relentless barrages and
tactics reminiscent of World War I and World War II.
On Friday, at the conclusion of a meeting in Germany of the dozens of nations
supplying the war effort, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark
Milley, repeated the assessment he has offered since the fall. “For this year,
it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces,” he
said. The best that could be hoped for is pressing Russia into a diplomatic
negotiation — the way most wars end — although senior American diplomats say
they have low expectations that Putin will enter serious talks.
Then came the more immediate blowup with the German government of Chancellor
Olaf Scholz, over his refusal to send what many military experts believe could
be a decisive weapon in Ukrainian hands: German-built Leopard 2 tanks.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spent several days trying to persuade the
Germans to ship them, or at least allow Poland and other nations that use the
tanks to reexport them. But by the time the meeting with scores of allies ended,
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reported that no agreement had been
reached, although he said they would make a decision “as soon as possible.” He
and Austin tried to focus on the unity of the effort to confront Russia, rather
than the obvious rift over arms.
Differences of strategy among wartime allies is the norm, not the exception. In
World War II, there were major debates about whether to focus on defeating Nazi
Germany first and turn to Japan — which had actually attacked American territory
— second. Similar debates happened during the Korean War, Vietnam and the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because the United States was providing the bulk of the
fighting force, it usually prevailed. But in
interviews with U.S., British and other European officials, including senior
military leaders, it is clear that Ukraine is different. Only the Ukrainians are
on the line, and no one wants to tell them how to fight a battle in which their
forces, the only ones engaged in the daily brutality, have shown both grit and
determination. But with both Russia and Ukraine planning fresh offensives, the
debate over strategy and arms has reached what the NATO secretary-general has
called “an inflection point.”The Ukrainians have made no secret that much as
they appreciate the support of their allies, what they are getting is not
enough. When Britain announced this week that it was sending Challenger 2 tanks,
Ukraine’s foreign minister and defense minister issued a joint statement
thanking the British government but adding that “it is not sufficient to achieve
operational goals.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was typically blunt.
After thanking the United States for a $2.5 billion contribution of arms, atop
$3 billion announced several weeks ago, he said: “Hundreds of thank yous are not
hundreds of tanks.” In an appearance on German
television, he said: “If you have Leopards, then give them to us.”
American officials were clearly frustrated after their negotiations with the
German government this week. Germany had begun by saying that it would send
Leopard tanks, and authorize others to, if the United States sent its M-1 Abrams
tank as well. The United States declined, saying the tank is such a gas guzzler
— it employs a jet engine — and requires such a supply line to keep running that
it would not be useful in Ukraine’s environment. (The officials dodged questions
about why a tank so difficult to operate on European battlefields is in the
American arsenal.) The British Challengers and German Leopards are more flexible
and easier to run. But in public, Austin and others avoided criticizing Scholz,
who in their view has managed the biggest reversal of German foreign policy —
starting with the suspension of two pipelines bringing gas from Russia — quite
skillfully.
Scholz’s real concern, they suspect, is that he does not believe the world is
ready to see German tanks near the borders of Russia, a reminder of the Nazi
invasion in World War II. One senior American official said this week that if
Scholz and the German public are worried about that, in these circumstances
“they are the only ones who are.”
Although Germany did not say yes to sending Leopard tanks this week, it didn’t
say no, either — at least not yet. But Ukraine has a very narrow window of time
in which to launch a potentially decisive spring offensive before the Russians
do, and the tanks are a key part of that effort. Before that launch, Ukraine has
to muster thousands of combat-ready troops, receive new advanced weapons from
the West, and train their soldiers in how to use and maintain those arms.
Getting all that done would be, according to Milley, “a very, very heavy
lift.”That’s why Germany’s delay on approving tanks was so frustrating to Austin
and other top Western officials who had been trying all week to reach an
agreement with their German counterparts to provide what Ukraine needs now to
wrest back territory. “If we stop now or limit or
diminish it, it will all have been in vain,” Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister
Wopke Hoekstra said in an interview. “We have to double down. There is no
substitute for victory on the battlefield.”Speaking about the current German
position, a British official said that London’s commitment to send Challenger
tanks was intended to encourage other nations to do likewise, and that the
British government still hoped it would. At a news conference after Friday’s
meeting, Austin sought to play down the importance of the Leopard tanks and
highlight what Germany has provided — fighting vehicles, air defenses and
training ranges for Ukrainian soldiers — no doubt hoping Berlin eventually would
come around on Ukraine’s main request. “This isn’t
really about one single platform,” Austin said, quickly pivoting to note that
Ukraine was still getting more than 100 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and nearly 90
Stryker combat vehicles from the United States, the equivalent of “two brigades
of combat power.” Still, Austin signaled the calendar
is not on Ukraine’s side. “We have a window of opportunity here, between now and
the spring,” he said. “That’s not a long time.”
© 2023 The New York Times Company
The company used by Putin to put 50,000 Russian mercenaries in Ukraine will be
deemed a 'transnational criminal organization' by the US
Stephanie Stacey/Business Insider/January 21, 2023
The US will designate Russia's Wagner Group a "transnational criminal
organization."
This opens "additional avenues" to pursue Wagner's weapons supplies, the White
House said.
The military contractor has committed "atrocities and human rights abuses" in
Ukraine, it added.
The military contractor that Vladimir Putin is increasingly dependent on to
fight Ukrainian forces will be designated as a "transnational criminal
organization," the White House announced on Friday.
The Wagner Group, which is closely linked to the Kremlin, has about 10,000
mercenaries and 40,000 former prisoners deployed in Ukraine. Its forces were
responsible for "atrocities and human rights abuses," according to National
Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
The new designation puts the Wagner Group in the same category as international
drug cartels, organized crime syndicates and human traffickers, but stops short
of deeming it to be a "foreign terrorist organization." It comes alongside a
fresh package of sanctions and will open up "additional avenues" for the US to
target the contractor's global business network that supplies weapons and cash
to its mercenaries, Kirby told a press briefing. "We will work relentlessly to
identify, disrupt, expose and target those who are assisting Wagner," he said.
US officials also released an image, dated November 18, which they say showed
rail cars travelling between Russia and North Korea to supply rockets and
missiles for the Wagner Group. "The arms transfers
from are in direct violation of United Nations security council resolution,"
said Kirby. Russia has become increasingly reliant on Wagner's mercenaries in
Ukraine as more of its own forces are killed. On Friday the chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, said at a briefing in Germany that
Russian casualties now totalled "well over 100,000" and had become an "absolute
catastrophe for Russia." The Wagner Group's leader, longtime Putin ally Yevgeny
Prigozhin, has become increasingly powerful since Russia invaded its neighbor
last February. He recently demanded credit for some of Russia's advances in
Ukraine, signalling growing tensions between Wagner and the Russian defence
ministry. Wagner has been notoriously brutal in Ukraine, both toward Ukrainian
forces and civilians, as well as its own fighters. Russian prisoners sent to
fight in Ukraine for Wagner say they've witnessed public executions of deserters
and those who failed to obey orders. Wagner mercenaries have also been accused
by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch of committing human rights abuses
in a number of African nations, including the Central African Republic, Libya
and Mali.
Turkiye cancels Sweden minister visit over
planned protest
AFP/January 21, 2023
ISTANBUL: Turkiye said on Saturday that it had called off a visit by Sweden’s
defense minister over a planned anti-Turkiye protest in Stockholm. “At this
point, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson’s visit to Turkiye on January 27 has
lost its significance and meaning, so we canceled the visit,” Turkish Defense
Minister Hulusi Akar said. The Swedish minister visit
was aimed at overcoming Ankara’s objections to Sweden’s bid to join the NATO
military alliance. Turkiye has been angered by
permission obtained by a right-wing extremist to demonstrate later on Saturday
in front of the Turkish embassy in the Swedish capital. The Danish-Swedish
politician, Rasmus Paludan, whose anti-Islamist actions sparked riots across
Sweden last year, has expressed his intention to “burn the Qur'an,” Islam’s holy
book, during his protest on Saturday. Turkiye had on
Friday summoned Sweden’s ambassador to “condemn this provocative action which is
clearly a hate crime — in strongest terms,” a diplomatic source said.
This is the second time in more than a week that Sweden’s ambassador to
Turkiye was summoned. Last week, he was called to answer for a video posted by a
Kurdish group in Stockholm that depicted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan swinging
by his legs from a rope. Sweden, along with neighboring Finland, needs Turkiye’s
consent to join NATO. Both countries dropped decades of military non-alignment
last year when they applied to join the Western defense alliance in response to
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ankara says any progress depends on Swedish steps to extradite people it accuses
of terrorism or of having played a part in the 2016 coup attempt against
Erdogan. Turkiye argues that Sweden has not done
enough to crack down on Kurdish groups that Ankara views as “terrorist.”
Israeli films face state funding cut for covering West Bank
occupation
Arab News/January 21, 2023
LONDON: Two documentaries covering different aspects of the occupation of the
West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces could have their funding from the Israeli
government retrospectively revoked. The films, “H2:
The Occupation Lab” and “Two Kids a Day,” tackle the themes of Israel’s control
of the city of Hebron and the arrests of Palestinian children by IDF soldiers
and their subsequent treatment in Israeli custody.
Miki Zohar, Israel’s culture minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s Likud party, wants state grants awarded to help make the films to be
returned, and said he will “revoke funding” for films and cultural activities
“that promote our enemy’s narrative” and “present Israeli soldiers as
murderers,” requiring creators in future to pledge not to harm “the state of
Israel or IDF soldiers.”The move comes after the documentaries were targeted by
Betsalmo, an Israeli pressure group run by right-wing cultural activist Shai
Glick, in order to have public screenings of them canceled.
It is not the first time the film industry in Israel, which is heavily
reliant on state grants, has faced pressure from the government over depictions
and documentation of the treatment of Palestinians.
In 2015 Miri Regev, the then culture minister, introduced a bill that was later
defeated in the Knesset to make film funding dependent on “loyalty” to the
state, and created the Samaria Film Fund to counter negative portrayals of
Jewish settlers. The current government, roundly considered the most right wing
in Israel’s history, has also seen proposals to radically reform the country’s
judiciary and dismantle the state broadcaster, a vital source of funding and
support for documentary filmmaking. “H2: The Occupation Lab” covers the history
of Hebron and the interactions between local Palestinians, the IDF and Israeli
settlers, and the impact that has had on the once prosperous city. Its
co-director, Noam Sheizaf, said that “Israel has decided to turn culture into
propaganda,” having denounced Israel’s activities in Hebron as “Jewish supremacy
in its most blatant and unapologetic form.”He added: “Our film argues that not
only the [Palestinian] territories, but also Israel is going through a process
of ‘Hebronization.’ What’s crazy is that the process that’s at the heart of the
film happened to the film itself. “The feeling is that
this is happening in the context of a watershed moment. If all of these things
come to pass, this will be a very different country, overnight.”“Two Kids a Day”
follows the experiences of four children from the Aida refugee camp accused of
throwing stones at IDF soldiers — one of whom was detained for four years.
Hundreds of children have been arrested for such offenses, often taken from
their homes in the middle of the night. David Wachsmann, the director of “Two
Kids a Day,” said: “These two films are in the eye of the storm, but this is an
attack on freedom of expression in Israel, on culture and on every Israeli
artist.”
Israeli settler shoots Palestinian dead in
land dispute
Mohammed Najib/Arab News/January 21, 2023
RAMALLAH: A 42-year-old Palestinian was gunned down and killed by an Israeli
settler near Ramallah on Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has said.
The accused claimed that he opened fire after Tariq Ma’ali tried to stab him on
Al-Raisan mountain, near Kufur Ni’ama town, northwest of Ramallah. Palestinian
sources told Arab News that Ma’ali was seeking to reclaim his land adjacent to
the plot where the settler took control three years ago. There was a verbal
dispute that developed into a quarrel, during which the settler shot Ma’ali,
killing him. His death takes to 18 the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis
since the start of the year, a total which includes four children. Ma’ali is the
second victim of settler violence during that time.
Observers say there has been a significant increase in attacks on Palestinians
by the settlers since the formation of a right-wing government in Tel Aviv.
Ibrahim Melhem, a spokesman for the Palestinian government, told Arab News that
the rise reflected “the features of the extremist government’s program and
policy, which relies on killing Palestinians and seizing their land.”He added:
“There is no way to confront this killing, except with an international judicial
decision to protect Palestinian civilians from the terror of the Israeli army
and settlers. “We are heading for worse, more dangerous, and deteriorating
conditions in the coming days.”Political analyst Riyad Qadriya told Arab News:
“The current Israeli government supports settlements, which encourages settlers
to seize more Palestinian land and continue physically attacking Palestinian
citizens and destroying their properties.”He added that the killings and the
deduction of funds from the Palestinian Authority “lead to frustration among the
citizens and officers of the Palestinian security services, some of whom may
join resistance forces.”
Hamas said the Palestinian people “will continue their struggle against the
Israeli occupation and respond to continuous crimes through more qualitative
attacks until its removal from the Palestinian lands.”Meanwhile, Israeli armed
forces stormed several villages in the West Bank at dawn on Saturday. They
arrested a person from the town of Ajja, near Jenin, who had been shot a few
days earlier. Eyal Alima, an Israeli military analyst,
told Arab News that the country’s leadership believes that “a dangerous
deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank is
inevitable.”High-ranking Israeli military sources said that the incursions into
Palestinian cities will continue until the beginning of the fasting month of
Ramadan on March 23. An Israeli security official, who
chose to remain anonymous, told Arab News: “We want to remove all elements and
nutrients of tension before Ramadan, which is a sensitive period for security
because of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich earlier
this month took the decision to deduct $40.85 million from the PA’s funds and
transfer them to Israeli families of “terror victims.”National Security Minister
Itamar Ben-Gvir believes the amount deducted should be increased, reducing the
fund available for Palestinian prisoners’ families.Melhem said: “What else can
we expect from Ben-Gvir and Smotrich other than measures of their terrorism and
corruption?”
Palestinian Man Killed by Israeli Forces in
West Bank
Asharq Al-Awsat/Saturday, 21 January, 2023
Israeli fire killed a Palestinian Saturday, the Palestinian health ministry
said, after he allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli in a West Bank settler
outpost, according to the Israeli military. The Palestinian health ministry
identified the man as Tariq Maali, 42, saying only that he was shot northwest of
the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military
said the man arrived at the outpost and tried to stab an Israeli civilian.
Israeli media reported he was armed with a knife and that the settler shot him,
The Associated Press reported. Palestinians and rights groups accuse Israel of
using excessive force against the Palestinians, who have in recent years carried
out a spate of shooting, stabbing and car-ramming attacks. The military says
soldiers, and in some cases civilians, face complex, life-threatening
situations. Saturday’s death was the latest in months
of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Tensions have soared in the West
Bank, where the Israeli military has been conducting near-nightly arrest raids
since last spring after a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis killed 19
people. Another 10 Israelis were killed in a second string of attacks later last
year. Israel says the raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart
future attacks. The Palestinians see them as further entrenchment of Israel’s
open-ended, 55-year occupation of lands they seek for their future state.
Saturday’s death put at 18 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in
the West Bank since the beginning of 2023. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed
by Israel in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, according to figures by
the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, making it the deadliest year since 2004.
Israel says most of the dead were militants. But Palestinian
stone-throwers, youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in
confrontations also have been killed.
Canada to repatriate 23 citizens detained in
north-east Syria camps
The National/January 21, 2023
Canada will repatriate 23 citizens who have been detained in north-east Syria in
camps for family members of ISIS fighters, officials and a lawyer have said. It
would be the largest such repatriation of ISIS family members yet for Canada,
and it comes after the families challenged the government in court, arguing
Ottawa was obliged to repatriate the group under the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms. Earlier on Friday, the foreign ministry announced its decision to
repatriate six Canadian women and 13 infants. And a court later ruled that four
men seeking repatriation as part of the group must also be sent back to Canada,
said lawyer Barbara Jackman, who is representing one of the men.
"I've spoken to the parents and they're really, really happy," Jackman
said of the court decision, adding that the judge requested that the men be
repatriated "as soon as reasonably possible."The foreign ministry said: "The
safety and security of Canadians is our government's top priority. "We continue
to evaluate the provision of extraordinary assistance on a case-by-case basis,
including repatriation to Canada, in line with the policy framework adopted in
2021," it said. Up until now the government of Justin Trudeau has treated the
detained IS families on a case-by-case basis, and in four years only a handful
of women and children have been repatriated. Since the destruction of the
so-called Islamic State "caliphate" across Syria and Iraq in 2019, more than
42,400 foreign adults and children with alleged ties to the Islamic State group
have been held in camps in Syria, according to Human Rights Watch. Repatriating
them is a highly sensitive issue for many countries, but rights groups have
denounced their reluctance to bring back their own nationals from the camps,
controlled mostly by Syrian Kurds. Human Rights Watch said around 30 Canadian
citizens, including 10 infants, remain in the camps.
Farida Deif, the group's head in Canada, said that Global Affairs Canada has
informed a number of them by letter that they fulfil the requirements for
repatriation. However, she said, "none of the men have been notified of anything
or have been part of any agreements thus far". The authorities did not say when
the 19 would come to Canada or whether any of them would face legal proceedings
for their association with Islamic State. Last October, Canada brought back two
women and two children from Syria. In 2020, Ottawa allowed the return of a five
year old orphan girl from Syria after her uncle initiated a legal action against
the Canadian government.
In message to Iran, Jordan boosts military
deterrence
The Arab Weekly/January 21/2023
The United States’ sale of F-16 fighter jets to Jordan reflects Washington’s
commitment to the security of its traditional allies in the region and to
strengthening deterrence in the face of Iran’s aggressive behaviour in the
region, analysts said late Friday. The Royal Jordanian
Air Force Command has signed a deal to buy 12 F-16 fighter jets in a bid to help
modernise its aging air force, the armed forces’ official website reported.
The deal was signed Thursday by Royal Air Force Commander Brigadier
General Pilot Muhammad Fathi Hiasat and US Deputy Chief of mission in Amman
Rohit Nepal. According to the Jordanian statement, the deal comes within the
framework of boosting defense capabilities and military deterrence, to increase
the level of combat readiness. It will also strengthen joint cooperation between
Jordan and the US, including in combating terrorism and enhancing stability in
the region, the air force said. In February 2022, the US State Department
approved the sale of s with an estimated cost of $4.21 billion — a deal that
also included radios, targeting pods and associated munitions components like
guided missile tail kits. In the event of a US-Iran conflict, Jordan could be
pulled in, and in that case Jordanian F-16s would likely be part of a coalition
targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq. The F-16 is the backbone of
the Royal Jordanian Air Force, which operates 43 F-16As as the primary combat
aircraft and 18 F-16Bs. Jordan operates 230 aircraft in total, which is a
relatively large but ageing fleet. Last year, Jordan’s King Abdullah II revealed
in an interview with CNN that his country had been “attacked by Iranian-made
drones.”It was not the first time that the Jordanian king has warned of an
Iranian threat looming over his country. A decade ago, King Abdullah warned of
the emergence of a “Shia crescent” in the Middle East, that Iran would create
between its borders and the Mediterranean Sea, as it would comprise Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, and perhaps Jordan. What the Jordanian
king referred to was a network of militias affiliated with the Iranian regime
under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards. Dr. Nabil al-Atoum, Head of
the Iranian Studies Unit at the Umayya Centre for Research and Strategic
Studies, confirmed the presence of an Iranian threat to Jordan, especially after
Iran and the Shia militias reinforced their positions on the southern borders of
the Kingdom.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on January 21-22/2023
د. ماجد رفي
زاده من معهد جيتستون: معايير الاتحاد الأوروبي المزدوجة بشأن حقوق الإنسان في
إيران لأن الأولولية هي للمصالح التجارية
EU’s Double-Standards on Iran’s Human Rights: Business First
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/January 21, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/115132/majid-rafizadeh-gatestone-institute-eus-double-standards-on-irans-human-rights-business-first-%d8%af-%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%ac%d8%af-%d8%b1%d9%81%d9%8a-%d8%b2%d8%a7%d8%af%d9%87-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%85/
The European Union’s charter stresses that “Human rights are at the heart of EU
relations with other countries and regions. The European Union is based on a
strong commitment to promoting and protecting human rights, democracy and the
rule of law worldwide”. This is clearly not the case when it comes to the EU’s
appeasing relationship with the ruling mullahs of Iran.
Meanwhile, Germany, which preaches about human rights and its “feminist foreign
policy”, has actually increased its business with the Iranian regime.
If the EU truly desires to stand with the women of Iran and human rights, it can
halt its business dealings and trade with Iran. Other reasons for the EU to
cease enriching this toxic regime include its delivery of weapons to Russia and
support for militia and terror groups. These include the Houthis fighting a war
in Yemen; Hizballah, close to wrecking Lebanon; and Hamas, torturing the people
of Gaza and crushing dissent for more than a decade.
By prioritizing its business and trade with Iran over promoting human rights and
countering terrorism, the EU is emboldening and empowering the expansionist
regime of Iran to suppress and kill more of its citizens, stamp out the
women-led revolution for freedom, supply Russia with more weapons, and sponsor
more terrorist groups worldwide.
By prioritizing its business and trade with Iran over promoting human rights and
countering terrorism, the European Union is emboldening and empowering the
expansionist regime of Iran to suppress and kill more of its citizens, stamp out
the women-led revolution for freedom, supply Russia with more weapons, and
sponsor more terrorist groups worldwide.
The European Union’s charter stresses that “Human rights are at the heart of EU
relations with other countries and regions. The European Union is based on a
strong commitment to promoting and protecting human rights, democracy and the
rule of law worldwide”. This is clearly not the case when it comes to the EU’s
appeasing relationship with the ruling mullahs of Iran.
The Iranian regime is ramping up its killing spree, torture and arrests.
Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa,
Diana Eltahawy, said on January 11, regarding the regime’s suppression: “It is
abhorrent that the Iranian authorities persist in their state-sanctioned killing
spree as they desperately seek to end the protests and cling to power by
instilling fear among the public. The arbitrary executions of Mohammad Mehdi
Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, just days after their death sentences were
upheld, reveal how the Iranian authorities continue to wield the death penalty
as a weapon of repression, and serve as a chilling reminder that scores of
others remain at risk of execution.”
Meanwhile, Germany, which preaches about human rights and its “feminist foreign
policy”, has actually increased its business with the Iranian regime, even as
the mullahs are brutally crushing women who are fighting tyranny and risking
their lives to have freedom. According to Fox News: “Germany’s longstanding
efforts to conduct business with the Islamic Republic of Iran include a robust
trade relationship at a time when the regime has reportedly killed at least 700
protesters and arrested as many as 19,000. Berlin is facing intense criticism
for placating Tehran. The protests across Iran in response to the murder of
22-year-old Mahsa Amini have pushed Germany’s so-called ‘feminist foreign
policy’ into the spotlight. The regime’s notorious morality police allegedly
tortured Amini to death for failing to ‘properly’ wear her mandatory hijab.
Germany has consistently been the Islamic Republic’s most important trade
partner.”
Some of Iran’s major trading partners are in fact among members of the European
Union. According to Mehr News Agency: “Iran and the European Union’s 27 member
states traded €4.36 billion worth of goods during the first 10 months of 2022,
registering a 14.28% rise compared with last year’s corresponding period…
“Germany was the top trading partner of Iran in the EU region during the period,
as the two countries exchanged over €1.6 billion worth of goods, 15.44% more
than in a similar period of the year before.
“Italy came next with €555.39 million worth of trade with Iran to register an
11.14% year-on-year rise, Finacial [sic] Tribune reported.
“The Netherlands with €351.94 million (down 10.76%) and Spain with €296.06
million (up 13.12%) were Iran’s other major European trade partners.”
Instead of issuing superficial verbal condemnations while doing business with
the mullahs, the European countries need to recall their representatives and
ambassadors from Tehran, and sever diplomatic ties with Iran. In fact, during a
conference at the Press Club Brussels, organized by the International Committee
in Search of Justice, several former members of the European parliament called
for all European countries to “end their hypocrisy” and shut down their
embassies in Iran. Ingrid Betancourt said: “This is the first revolution
conducted by women … and while women are fighting for their rights, men are
being attacked and persecuted by the regime, too — everyone. These women, at
this moment, are putting their lives at stake and they are doing this for all of
us, all of the women in the world … if we don’t get this right, we won’t be able
to get any other issues right…. This is about mankind, humankind…. We are not
doing anything. I am offended by the lack of action our governments are having
with what is going on in Iran”.
If the EU truly desires to stand with the women of Iran and human rights instead
of doing business with the regime, it can take collective action to halt its
business dealings and trade with the Iranian regime. Other reasons for the EU to
cease enriching this toxic regime include its delivery of weapons to Russia and
support for militia and terror groups. These include the Houthis fighting a war
in Yemen; Hizballah, close to wrecking Lebanon; and Hamas, torturing the people
of Gaza and crushing dissent for more than a decade.
By prioritizing its business and trade with Iran over promoting human rights and
countering terrorism, the EU is emboldening and empowering the expansionist
regime of Iran to suppress and kill more of its citizens, stamp out the
women-led revolution for freedom, supply Russia with more weapons, and sponsor
more terrorist groups worldwide.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated
scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and
president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has
authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at
Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Picture enclosed: Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) meets
with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Tehran on June 25, 2022. (Photo by
Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19324/iran-eu-double-standard
Tunisia’s Stability is Libya’s Stability
Gabriel al-Obaidi/Asharq Al Awsat/January, 21/2023
The interconnectedness of Libya and Tunisia did not emerge recently. Their link
is historical, and Libya’s instability is thus impacted by the economic - and
even the political - conditions of Tunisia. They share a 460 km-long border,
which is significant for mobility and economic exchange between the two. It
bears witness to the movement of people and migration throughout the two
countries’ history- before this mobility was constrained by travel manuals
called “passports,” borders, and customs.
The ties between Libya and Tunisia go beyond their shared dialect, the
similarity of which is particularly pronounced in Western Libya, and their
shared cultural customs. This delicious cuisine that is common to both gave us
couscous, which is its most prominent dish. Despite the fact that the French had
colonized Tunisia while the Italians were in Libya, they share a national
history through their struggle against colonialism.
This connection goes back to the era of the Carthaginian Empire, and it extends
to the period of Islamic conquest, then Ottoman colonialism, and finally, the
reigns of Gaddafi and Bourguiba. These two leaders announced that the two
countries would unite at one point, but it was the shortest unification in
history (48 hours). The two countries’ economic ties were maintained even when
there were tensions between Gaddafi and Bourguiba. The two men clashed although
Bourguiba is of Libyan origin, as are many other Tunisians. This is the case
because, before they gained their independence, no borders curtailed movement
and migration between them because of their kinship ties.
Even the political situation of the two countries does not differ. The only
difference is that Libya was subjected to an assault that did not merely bring
down the regime but also brought down the state and drained the army. This led
to the emergence of armed militias. Meanwhile, in Tunisia, the regime fell, but
the state remained. Thus, we will not see a
politically or economically stable Tunisia until the political and security
problems of Libya, which have led to a political deadlock, are resolved. While
Tunisia Beji Caid Essebsi’s Tunisia distanced itself from the events in Libya,
choosing not to play an active role in resolving the crisis, the Ennahda
government blatantly interfered, siding with the militia government and
political Islam against the Libyan National Army. The Ennahda government’s
decision had negative repercussions for Tunisia’s economy, as the Ennahda
government, when it was in power, did not address the crisis in Libya by working
to ensure reconciliation between the conflicting parties.
Indeed, the exact opposite happened. The godfather of Ennahda and its leader,
Rashid Ghannouchi, intervened in favor of his fellow political Islamists. In
fact, he and his former prime minister are accused of sending Tunisian youths,
male and female, to Libya and Syria, deceiving them and pushing them to fight
there in the name of religion under the slogan of “Jihad and Nikah” through
preachers associated with Ennahda.
The miscalculations that the Ennahda government made throughout the dark decade
of Libya and Tunisia, during which Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers ruled both
countries, destabilized both Libya and Tunisia.
The Gate to Africa could well be the first toward economic integration between
Libya and Tunisia. It is an extremely significant and consequential step towards
fortifying relations and seeing them translate into improved economic ties and
industrial cooperation between the two countries that are Africa’s gateway to
the European Union.
Tunisian diplomacy has always managed to absorb Libya’s anger. This has been the
case since the era of Gaddafi, the Gafsa Uprising, and the dispute between him
and Bourguiba. It remains true today after the dispute stirred by political
Islam, which prompted the head of the national unity government, Abdelhamid
Dabaiba, in an unprecedented move for a head of government, to respond to a
Tunisian newspaper that was described as “provocative.” The newspaper said Libya
is “a haven for terrorists.” Dabaiba’s response broke with diplomacy, “Tunisia
is where the terrorists came to Libya from over the past few years, and it is
the country of terrorism.”However, the truth is that both Libya and Tunisia were
victims of political Islam, which utilized violence to ascend to power and moved
terrorists and weapons between the two countries. This resulted in tragedy for
both sides. Libya and Tunisia both underwent a dark decade, which both managed
to overcome today. Despite the fleeting summer clouds
in Libyan-Tunisian relations, the strongly rooted historical, geographical, and
human relations the two countries share are stronger and more robust. These ties
mean the countries’ national security and economy are intertwined. Thus, no
country can have any stability in isolation of the state of affairs in the other
one. The same is true for the prospects of economic growth and the development
of industry in both countries.
The Not-So-Great News About Lower Inflation
Peter Coy/The New York Times/January, 21/2023
The news that consumer prices fell in December from November — yes, monthly
inflation was negative — was not as wonderful for the Federal Reserve as you
might expect. Fed officials are trying to persuade the financial markets and the
public that the fight against high inflation is far from over, and this data
point doesn’t help make its case.
These convolutions require a bit of explanation. But first, take a look at this
remarkable chart of the Adjusted National Financial Conditions Index, which is
maintained by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
Look at what’s actually happening, though. Back in early July, financial
conditions were more restrictive than the long-term average. Now they’re less
restrictive than average — even though in the interim the Fed has raised its
target range for the federal funds rate by nearly 3 percentage points. (The zero
line in the Chicago Fed’s adjusted index represents average financial conditions
given the current level of economic activity and inflation.)
Why aren’t the markets doing what the Fed wants? Investors seem to have
concluded that although the Fed is raising interest rates now, it’s going to
start cutting them by the end of the year — either because it has won the war on
inflation or because the economy is in trouble, or some combination of the two.
Judging from futures trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, traders expect
the federal funds rate to peak in June and be back around where it is now by
December. (Complicating matters: December’s slight price decline was fully
expected, and many traders had bet on an even bigger slowdown in inflation.)
So here’s the paradox for the Fed: It has managed to persuade the financial
markets that it really will lower inflation. But the more credible its promise
is, the more investors start looking past the current tightening cycle to the
subsequent loosening cycle. Fed officials worry that the resulting easy
financial conditions will keep the labor market tight and wage pressures strong,
preventing them from hitting their inflation target. So they’re forging ahead
with rate hikes even as inflation declines. It’s a strange pas de deux that
could wind up being very bad for the US economy.
The clearest evidence that something is wrong is that short-term interest rates
are high (signaling the market’s belief that the Fed is determined to keep
raising them) while long-term interest rates are low (signaling the market’s
belief that rates will be lower in the future, either because of low inflation
or a recession or both). This is the inverse of the usual pattern, in which
long-term rates are higher than short ones. It’s known as an inversion of the
yield curve, and as I wrote last month, it’s a reliable recession signal.
The alarm bell that was ringing loudly last month is ringing even more loudly
now. In December, the yield on three-month Treasury bills was 0.8 percentage
point higher than the yield on 10-year Treasury notes, which at the time seemed
huge. Now the spread has grown to 1.2 percentage points. That’s bigger than any
previous gap in records maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
going back to 1982.
Jerome Powell and other Fed officials worry that if they stop raising rates now,
or even slow the rate of increase too much, they won’t manage to get inflation
back down to their target of 2 percent a year. It’s true that the monthly
decline in prices in December was a one-off, caused mostly by a big decline in
gasoline prices and airfares that won’t be repeated every month. Prices
excluding food and energy rose 0.3 percent in December from November. Duy, the
Fed watcher at SGH Macro Advisors, points out that while goods price inflation
has tapered off, services inflation and wage pressures remain.
But the opposite risk is that the Fed will tighten too much. Fed officials are
starting to take that risk into account. After making four consecutive
giant-size increases in the federal funds rate last year, the Federal Open
Market Committee put through a smaller hike in December and may go even smaller
at its next meeting in February, judging from recent statements by committee
members.
On the other hand, while Fed officials may be talking about slowing the rate of
increases, they still seem more or less united about eventually getting the
federal funds rate a bit above 5 percent, which is three-quarters of a
percentage point higher than it is now. “The Fed needs to see clear, clear
evidence that inflation has left the system in its entirety,” James Knightley,
chief international economist for ING, told me.
Perhaps in part in reaction to the Fed’s hawkishness, the confidence of US chief
executives has collapsed. According to a Conference Board quarterly survey, in
the spring of 2021 its aggregate measure of confidence was the highest since
records began in 1976. By the fourth quarter of last year it had plunged to the
lowest since the global financial crisis in 2009 — worse even than during the
pandemic recession in 2020. If the chief executives act on their bearishness —
not a certainty — they could start to cut back on advertising, equipment
purchases and hiring, making their forecasts into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Christina Romer, the outgoing president of the American Economic Association,
said at the big economics conference in New Orleans this past weekend that based
on her research with her husband, David Romer, Fed policymakers should not be
surprised or frustrated that the interest-rate increases they’ve already put
through have failed to slow the underlying inflation rate. Judging from
experience, those past increases are likely to start slowing inflation — and
raising unemployment — right around now.
“Policymakers are going to need to dial back” on raising rates before the
problem of inflation is “completely solved,” said Romer, an economist at the
University of California, Berkeley, who was chair of the President’s Council of
Economic Advisers in the Obama administration. If instead they keep raising
rates until inflation is utterly vanquished, she said, “they almost surely will
have gone too far.”
US-Israeli dilemma as window for diplomacy
with Iran closes swiftly
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/January 21, 2023
At the beginning of this month, the US and Israeli air forces conducted a joint
drill at the Nevatim air force base in southern Israel. US F-15 fighter jets,
together with Israel’s F-35 stealth fighter jets, simulated what were described
as strikes on targets deep in enemy territory. In light of the stalemate in
reviving the Iran nuclear deal, this phrase is nothing more than a euphemism for
both air forces practicing an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and other
strategic sites in that country.
In recent months, tensions between Iran and other sectors of the international
community, especially the US and Europe, have been accelerating, and not only
around the nuclear issue. This leads to the conclusion, a dangerous one, that
the window for diplomatic negotiations is closing swiftly and is being replaced
by a trajectory of continuous collision. The only question that remains concerns
the magnitude of the conflict, and whether it will end with a direct military
confrontation.
In a recent press conference, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was
categorical in stating that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or Iran
nuclear deal, is not a priority for Washington in terms of timing or context.
But there was also a warning to Tehran that the Washington administration’s
position is clear — “that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.” To underline
Biden’s determination to stop Iran’s march toward a nuclear military capability,
Sullivan visited Israel last week and met with the country’s political and
military leadership to discuss strategies to not only avert Tehran’s evolving
nuclear threat, but also counter its other menacing activities in the region.
Iran is increasingly positioning itself as a pariah state, with brutality at
home against its own people, the supply of “kamikaze drones” to Russia for use
against Ukraine, and its damaging role in places such as Yemen, Syria and
Lebanon, and in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A central factor in settling
international conflicts through negotiation is the establishment of mutual trust
and goodwill. During the years of the more pragmatic presidencies of Mohammed
Khatami and especially Hassan Rouhani, when the nuclear deal was agreed, the
international community, especially the West, was prepared to take risks with
its Iranian interlocutors, as it was assessed that in the complex political
realities in Tehran the agreement had also received the blessing of the more
radical elements in the leadership, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
There was also a subtext among the UN Security Council’s P5+1 that for the
regime in Tehran the deal not only supplied the bait of removing the
international sanctions against it, but also that such a development was another
step in empowering the more pragmatic elements within the regime, as the removal
of sanctions and the resulting improvement in the country’s economic situation
would be credited to them.
The US and Israel would like to see the current demonstrations across Iran
develop into a full-blown revolution that ends in toppling the regime.
This second assumption is hard to either corroborate or disprove, because
America’s short-sighted withdrawal from the JCPOA during the Trump
administration changed the dynamic of this agreement and led to the acceleration
of Iran’s nuclear project. This sorry saga left both the US and Israel with a
crucial dilemma: Did their commitment to preventing Iran from developing nuclear
weapons merit the use of direct military force, or could it be achieved by
sanctions, diplomatic pressure and clandestine operations?
In Israel there is a new government, the most hawkish in its history, which is
already facing a deep constitutional crisis. With the exception of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Middle East outlook concentrates on
containing Iran and especially its nuclear ambitions, the rest of the government
is more interested in Israel’s domestic politics and its relations with the
Palestinians. This should allow Netanyahu more freedom to set the strategy
vis-a-vis Iran, and not only on the nuclear issue. Israel is very likely to
confront Iran and its Hezbollah ally in Syria and Lebanon in order to prevent
them from further strengthening their stronghold in Syria and continuing to arm
their Lebanese ally with more sophisticated weapons, which is a source of grave
concern that it will encounter these weapons in due course in a confrontation
with Hezbollah with the encouragement of Tehran.
Similarly, the “war between the wars,” which entails a wide range of covert
operations, including assassinations and cyberattacks, is expected to continue,
but the question is whether these are expected to intensify, not only as Iran
gets closer to a nuclear military capability, but also as a result of
Netanyahu’s efforts to deflect from his own domestic difficulties, in particular
his corruption trial. Biden and his administration
have little trust in Netanyahu. The president was Obama’s deputy when the JCPOA
was signed, and as Netanyahu, then Israel’s prime minister, made a blunt
intervention in US domestic politics in an attempt to stop that 2015 nuclear
deal. Yet, if the US decides to sanction a military operation against Iran,
Israel’s capabilities in the air and in intelligence could be very useful.
However, this might also complicate the regional political scene, especially if
the anti-democratic elements in Israel should further strengthen their hold on
the society and politics of the country, and their government moves closer
toward the annexation, albeit de facto, of the West Bank.
Tehran at the same time is underestimating the antagonism it is creating by
supporting Moscow in its unjustified and brutal war against Ukraine and by its
own brutality against those who participate in legitimate protests over the
death of Mahsa Amini, hundreds of whom have been already killed by the security
forces or executed after summary trials. The hanging earlier this week of
Iranian-British dual national Ali Reza Akbari — labelled by British Foreign
Secretary James Cleverly as “a barbaric act that deserves condemnation in the
strongest possible terms” — is a further push for the international community to
respond decisively. The US and Israel would like to
see the current demonstrations across Iran develop into a full-blown revolution
that ends in toppling the regime. But this is unlikely to happen soon, as the
protests have failed to gather sufficient momentum and critical mass. This
leaves the US and Israel, and many others, wondering how to deal with the
regime, and not only on the nuclear issue. For now, it remains unclear whether
either or both have an adequate answer beyond a few tweaks at the margins that
might not be enough.
• Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. He is a regular contributor to the
international written and electronic media.
Twitter: @YMekelberg