English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 01/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2023/english.June01.23.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to enter the LCCC Arabic/English news bulletins Achieves since 2006 

Click On The Below Link To Join Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group so you get the LCCC Daily A/E Bulletins every day
https://chat.whatsapp.com/FPF0N7lE5S484LNaSm0MjW
اضغط على الرابط في أعلى للإنضمام لكروب Eliasbejjaninews whatsapp group وذلك لإستلام نشراتي العربية والإنكليزية اليومية بانتظام

Elias Bejjani/Click on the below link to subscribe to my youtube channel
الياس بجاني/اضغط على الرابط في أسفل للإشتراك في موقعي ع اليوتيوب
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOOSioLh1GE3C1hp63Camw
15 آذار/2023

Bible Quotations For today
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also
Saint John 14/01-06:”‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 31-June 01/2023
US House Leaders urge Blinken to enforce targeted sanctions on Lebanon's politicians amid escalating crisis
US Assistant Secretary Leaf indicates administration’s consideration of sanctions on Lebanese leaders over presidential election stalemate
French leader urges Lebanese parties to urgently elect new president, save country from ‘drowning’
Macron, al-Rahi agree on 'need to elect president without delay'
Macron and Al-Rahi discuss Christian participation in political and constitutional matters
FPM bloc backs agreement with opposition, stops short of endorsing Azour
MP says all of FPM votes will go to Azour
Report: FPM MPs warn Bassil over replacing Hezbollah with LF
Geagea says Azour can get more than 65 votes
Lebanese judiciary requests Salameh’s file from the German judiciary
Qabalan questions Salameh over German arrest warrant
Kreidieh: Riad El-Solh Telecommunications Central is out of service because it has run out of fuel
Mikati holds series of ministerial meetings over health, educational and economic affairs, meets Caretaker Ministers of Trade and Economy, Public...
Political shift: National Consensus Bloc emerges with five Sunni MPs
Spectacular nights of art: The Beiteddine Festival unveil dazzling performances
Lebanese Officials: Kidnapping of Saudi National Won’t Affect Relations with Riyadh
Blast in East Lebanon Kills 5 in Base Controlled by Palestinian Faction, Israel Denies Role
Israel denies bombing Lebanon after blast kills 5 Palestinians
Can the new Christian consensus reshuffle Lebanon's presidential deck?
Syrian Refugees and Demographic Ideology/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 31-June 01/2023
Iran Starts Trial of Female Journalist Who Covered Amini’s Death
Israel’s Mossad Confirms Ex-Agent Was One of 4 Who Died When Boat Sank in Italy
Putin slams Ukraine after attack drones hit Moscow high-rises
UN Nuclear Chief Urges Russia, Ukraine to Ban Attacks at Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant
Medvedev: UK Officials Helping Ukraine War Are 'Legitimate Target'
Seven Arrested as Part of ISIS Financing Probe in Germany
Iraq Anticipates Iranian Strike against Kurdish Opposition
The Complete Tale of Mashari al-Mutairi's Abduction from Beirut and Release Near Syrian Border
UN: Nearly 70% of Syria’s Population Needs Aid
Russia Says It Destroys Ukraine’s ‘Last Warship’
Burhan: Sudanese Army Ready to ‘Fight until Victory’
Sudan Army Suspends Truce Talks with RSF
Turkish Lira Trades Near Record Low Against Dollar
UAE withdraws from US-led maritime coalition
Qatari PM meets with Taliban's supreme leader in Afghanistan
UN urges Iraq to deliver on reforms and combat corruption
Yemen rebels, govt. in largest exchange of corpses
Tensions high in north Kosovo as Serbs gather again
EU plans for company human rights, environment checks face new hurdle
Raging wildfire empties homes in eastern Canada, pollutes air in US

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 31-June 01/2023
US Public Opinion Divided on Arming Ukraine/Anushka Patil/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Mohammed bin Salman… From Ideology to Technology/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Ukraine’s recovery must be a priority for the civilized world/Anatolii Petrenko/Arab News/May 31, 2023
The No-State Solution/Robert Satloff/The Washington Institute./May 31, 2023
UAE Public Opinion: Still Friendly to United States, Split on Israel, Hostile to Iran/David Pollock/The Washington Institute/May 31, 2023
Arab-Iranian dialogue makes strides in Doha/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/May 31, 2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on May 31-June 01/2023
US House Leaders urge Blinken to enforce targeted sanctions on Lebanon's politicians amid escalating crisis
LBCI/31 May 2023
In a united front, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael T. McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken today expressing grave concern about Lebanon's escalating political and economic crisis. The bipartisan letter underscores the urgent need for U.S. action, including the implementation of targeted sanctions. Lebanon is currently plagued by a devastating political and economic crisis, marked by hyperinflation, record levels of poverty, and a power vacuum in the presidency. The crisis has been aggravated by the ongoing influence of Hezbollah, Iran's terrorist proxy, which continues to strengthen its grip on the country. "Lebanon's political class must urgently overcome their differences and commit to advancing the interests of Lebanon's people," wrote McCaul and Meeks. They appealed for an immediate election of a new president who is free from corruption and undue external influence, and committed to upholding the state's authority and initiating long overdue reforms. The lawmakers further emphasized the necessity of economic reforms as mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They also appealed to the U.S. and its European partners to use a united voice in calling for urgent action from Lebanon's parliament. Additionally, the House leaders called on the U.S. Administration to enforce additional targeted sanctions on individuals contributing to corruption and impeding progress in Lebanon. They emphasized the unacceptability of the current status quo and urged for continued efforts to hold those responsible for the August 2020 Beirut Port Blast accountable. The bipartisan leaders affirmed their commitment to supporting Lebanon in its quest for an independent, sovereign, peaceful, and prosperous future. They concluded, "We must not allow Lebanon to be held hostage by those looking to advance their own selfish interests." This bipartisan effort highlights the increasingly dire situation in Lebanon and the need for urgent international intervention to avert further deterioration.

US Assistant Secretary Leaf indicates administration’s consideration of sanctions on Lebanese leaders over presidential election stalemate
LBCI/31 May 2023
Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, has indicated that the administration is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions on Lebanese leaders due to the ongoing failure to elect a new President in Lebanon. During a recent exchange with Senator Shaheen during a committee session, Leaf responded to the question of whether sanctions should be contemplated, saying, “We are looking at it. Yes, we are.” Her statement confirms the administration’s active consideration of sanctions as a response to the prolonged political stalemate and the perceived failure of Lebanese leaders to prioritize the best interests of their citizens. Leaf also addressed the critical situation in Lebanon and voiced her apprehension regarding the escalating economic and political crisis in the country, emphasizing the potential spillover effects on regional security. Speaking at the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, Leaf stated, “In Lebanon, a spiraling economic and political crisis threatens to spill over into security threats to our closest partners in the region.” Her remarks underscore the urgent need to address the crisis to safeguard stability and security in neighboring countries. In light of this challenging situation, Leaf also disclosed the administration’s consideration of imposing sanctions on Lebanese leaders. The potential sanctions aim to hold accountable individuals responsible for obstructing the electoral process and impeding progress towards a resolution to the presidential election impasse.
Simultaneously, the budget request for 2024 includes a $150 million allocation in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to continue supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Leaf highlighted the LAF’s crucial role as a national security institution, enjoying broad support across sectarian lines, and being the true defender of Lebanon and its people.

French leader urges Lebanese parties to urgently elect new president, save country from ‘drowning’
Najia Houssari/Arab News/May 31, 2023
Emmanuel Macron made his plea following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi
French judiciary has accused the central bank chief, his brother Raja Salameh, and his assistant Marianne Hoayek, of amassing a huge fortune in Europe
BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Lebanon’s divided politicians to save the country from “drowning in crises” by immediately electing a new president.
The French leader made his plea following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi.
A French presidency statement, issued on Wednesday, said: “Macron and Al-Rahi expressed their deep concerns about the crisis in Lebanon and the paralysis of institutions, which has been exacerbated by the presidential vacuum for the past seven months.
“They agreed on the necessity of electing a president for the republic without delay.”
The statement quoted Macron as highlighting, “the need to keep Lebanon’s Christians at the heart of the sectarian and institutional balance of the Lebanese state.”
The president described Lebanon as a country “drowning in crises” adding that “the political deadlock has been an obstacle to the reforms without which there can be no recovery and lasting stability in Lebanon.”
Lebanon has entered its eighth month without being able to elect a president. Hezbollah and its allies support the Marada Movement leader, Suleiman Frangieh, who is close to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but the largest parliamentary blocs oppose him in favor of their own candidate, former minister Jihad Azour, currently the director of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia department.
Agence France-Presse quoted sources in Paris as saying that, “Al-Rahi and Macron discussed bridging the gap between Lebanese parties to agree on a presidential candidate and complete the electoral process.”
No political party has the necessary majority to elect its presidential candidate in parliamentary elections. Other parties refuse to bring a compromise candidate and because of the impasse, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has not set a date for what would be the 12th attempt to elect a president.
The country is struggling with economic, financial, and administrative crises that the caretaker government has been unable to resolve due to its inability to authorize decisions except in exceptional cases.
When the term of Lebanon’s central bank governor, Riad Salameh, is due to terminate at the end of July, another key vacancy will appear in the country.
Salameh is being investigated by several European countries and the Lebanese judiciary over allegations of corruption.
He appeared before the public prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Judge Imad Qabalan, on Wednesday at the Palace of Justice in Beirut to be questioned about an arrest warrant recently issued against him by the German public prosecutor on charges of money laundering, forgery, and embezzlement.
Salameh’s son, Nadi, and Marwan Issa Al-Khoury, were also named in the German arrest warrant without any demand for their arrest, but rather a request that Salameh be held accountable for them.
The French judiciary has accused the central bank chief, his brother Raja Salameh, and his assistant Marianne Hoayek, of amassing a huge fortune in Europe, including money and real estate, through complex financial arrangements and embezzlement of large sums of Lebanese public funds. Salameh’s lawyers have filed an appeal against the charges. The Lebanese judiciary is still awaiting a response from their French counterparts over the possibility of merging the European and Lebanese files on Salameh and prosecuting him in Lebanon, to avoid extradition.
Meanwhile, Raja Salameh failed to appear before a Paris court on Wednesday, citing through his legal representative in Lebanon medical reasons for his absence.

Macron, al-Rahi agree on 'need to elect president without delay'
Naharnet/31 May 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed his support for the “efforts” that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is exerting to pull Lebanon out of the “political crisis,” calling on all forces in the country to elect a president “without delay.”In a statement issued after a Paris meeting between Macron and al-Rahi, the French presidency said the two men “expressed their deep concerns over the crisis” in Lebanon and “the institutional paralysis that has been aggravated by the vacancy in the presidency since more than seven months.”Accordingly, Macron and al-Rahi “agreed on then need to elect a president without delay,” the statement said. Macron also underscored the “need” for Lebanon’s Christians to remain “at the heart of the Lebanese state’s confessional and institutional balance.”The French leader also warned that the current “deadlock” in Lebanon represents an “obstacle” to reforms, “without which there can be no sustainable rise and stability in Lebanon.”Sources close to the patriarch meanwhile said that the one-hour talks tackled “means to reconcile viewpoints” between the Lebanese parties.

Macron and Al-Rahi discuss Christian participation in political and constitutional matters
LBCI/31 May 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron has emphasized to Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi that France is keen on keeping Christians at the heart of the national equation and their participation in political and constitutional decisions. According to French sources, the meeting at the Elysée Palace did not witness the presentation of candidates, and France is not insisting on any candidate or holding a veto on any candidate. However, its presidential initiative continues due to the lack of national consensus on a specific candidate. In this regard, France encourages the necessary constitutional work in the presidential elections by calling for a session in which competition between candidates takes place. Whoever wins, we will cooperate with them as we have the ability to communicate with everyone. French sources confirmed that Macron stressed to the patriarch the importance of electing a president as soon as possible as a first step in the journey of salvation.

FPM bloc backs agreement with opposition, stops short of endorsing Azour
Naharnet/31 May 2023
The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc has “extensively” discussed the “proposed choices” regarding the presidential vote, in a meeting held in the presence of ex-president Michel Aoun, a statement said. The conferees backed “the bloc chief’s efforts regarding agreeing with the opposition on a presidential candidate whose name will be declared after specifying the choices and completing the consultations as to the program and the election mechanism,” the statement added. The supposed candidate “should win the broadest parliamentary support on the basis of consensus and not imposition,” the statement said. “Should that approach fail to materialize, there should be a democratic competition through voting in parliament, and the bloc stresses its belief that the election and success of a president during this period requires consensus and not challenge from anyone against anyone,” the FPM statement added. Media reports had said that FPM chief Jebran Bassil would seek to convince five MPs of his bloc with endorsing Jihad Azour for the presidency. The reports identified the five lawmakers as Alain Aoun, Elias Bou Saab, Ibrahim Kanaan, Simon Abi Ramia and Asaad Dergham.

MP says all of FPM votes will go to Azour
Naharnet/31 May 2023
MP Salim Aoun of the Free Patriotic Movement has said that the FPM has not officially endorsed Jihad Azour for the presidency in order to “secure the appropriate circumstances for his success.”“He should not presented as a confrontation candidate,” Aoun added, in an interview with Radio All of Lebanon. “If we get invited today to a session, all of the FPM’s votes will go to Azour and rumors that there are divisions among our ranks are baseless, but it is normal to have internal discussions,” Aoun said. The lawmaker also expected the presidential vacuum to protract despite the current rapprochement with the opposition, throwing the ball in the Shiite Duo’s court and calling on it to “stop clinging to its candidate and allow discussions over another candidate.”“If we have managed to reach an intersection with the Lebanese Forces, what prevents reaching rapprochement with the FPM’s ally Hezbollah?” Aoun wondered.

Report: FPM MPs warn Bassil over replacing Hezbollah with LF
Naharnet/31 May 2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil failed to prove that he has the upper hand in the FPM in yesterday’s meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday. “He accompanied his father-in-law, ex-president Michel Aoun, to the meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc in order to impose his plan which is based on agreeing with the rest of the parties on nominating ex-minister Jihad Azour, but a statement issued by the bloc after a relatively lengthy meeting came out empty of a public and outright nomination of Azour,” the daily said. “This reflects the triumph of the viewpoint of the five MPs Elias Bou Saab, Alain Aoun, Ibrahim Kanaan, Simon Abi Ramia and Asaad Dergham, which says that wasting the alliance with Hezbollah and starting a relation with the Lebanese Forces would be dangerous, seeing as the result will be the loss of a strong ally and the failure to compete with LF leader Samir Geagea in the Christian arena,” al-Joumhouria added.

Geagea says Azour can get more than 65 votes
Naharnet/31 May 2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has confirmed that an agreement has been reached between the opposition and the Free Patriotic Movement on Jihad Azour’s presidential nomination, noting that “the negotiations are moving forward.”“He is a consensual, neutral candidate and not a confrontation candidate against Hezbollah,” Geagea added, in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper. Noting that the Progressive Socialist Party is also “supposed to vote for him,” Geagea noted that Speaker Nabih Berri will only call for an electoral session when 65 votes are secured for Suleiman Franjieh. “Without that we will spend 300 years without an electoral session,” Geagea added. Asked whether the opposition is confident that FPM chief Jebran Bassil will manage to compel all of his bloc’s members to vote for Azour, the LF leader said a recent vote count gave Azour more than 65 votes. “I will not delve into electoral details and reveal the identities of the MPs who will support him, but according to this count, Speaker Berri will not call for a session,” Geagea went on to say. And noting that Azour is “carrying on with his nomination and does not consider himself to be in a confrontation with anyone,” Geagea lamented that “according to the behavior of the Axis of Defiance, it seems that we are headed for a lengthy vacuum.”

Lebanese judiciary requests Salameh’s file from the German judiciary
LBCI/31 May 2023
The Lebanese judiciary has interrogated the Governor of the Central Bank, Riad Salameh, based on an arrest warrant issued against him in Munich for several crimes, including money laundering and embezzlement. Salameh underwent an investigative session before the Public Prosecutor of Cassation, Judge Imad Kabalan, who questioned him regarding the contents of the Interpol red notice, which was circulated based on an in-absentia arrest warrant issued by the Public Prosecutor in Munich for crimes of money laundering, fraud, embezzlement, and illicit enrichment. At the end of the session, Kabalan decided to keep Salameh under investigation and impose a travel ban on him after verifying that he does not possess any passport other than his Lebanese and French passports, which were seized last week after his hearing, pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the French judge against him. According to the same source, Kabalan has requested the German judiciary through a letter sent via the Interpol General Secretariat and included a transcript of the proceedings.

Qabalan questions Salameh over German arrest warrant
Naharnet/31 May 2023
Attorney General Judge Imad Qabalan on Wednesday heard the testimony of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh over the German arrest warrant that has been issued for him on charges of falsification and money laundering. At the end of the session, Qabalan decided to release Salameh pending further investigations and to ban him from travel while keeping his two passports confiscated. He also asked the German judiciary to provide him with Salameh’s extradition file. A German delegation had visited the Lebanese’s judiciary headquarters in Beirut last week and handed over five arrest warrants issued in Germany for Salameh and four others, officials told the Associated Press. They did not reveal the name of the four others. A Lebanese judge has banned Salameh from traveling, days after Beirut received an Interpol red notice following a French arrest warrant. The judge questioned Salameh on Wednesday and "decided to release him pending investigation, ban him from traveling, and confiscate his Lebanese and French passports," an official told AFP. Salameh, Lebanon's long-serving central bank chief, has been the target of a series of judicial investigations both at home and abroad on allegations including fraud, money laundering and illicit enrichment. The Lebanese judge also asked the French judiciary to refer Salameh's file to Beirut in order to "determine whether the Lebanese judiciary will prosecute him for the crimes he is accused of in France or not," the official added. Interpol circulated the red notice after a French magistrate issued a warrant for Salameh, who failed to appear for questioning in Paris before investigators probing his sizable assets across Europe. An Interpol red notice is not an international arrest warrant but asks authorities worldwide to provisionally detain people pending possible extradition or other legal actions. Lebanon does not extradite its nationals.

Kreidieh: Riad El-Solh Telecommunications Central is out of service because it has run out of fuel
NNA/31 May 2023
The Director General of OGERO, Imad Kreidieh, on Wednesday announced via his Twitter account: "Riad El-Solh Telecommunications Central is out of service because it has run out of fuel."

Mikati holds series of ministerial meetings over health, educational and economic affairs, meets Caretaker Ministers of Trade and Economy, Public...
NNA/31 May 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Wednesday held a series of ministerial meetings at the Grand Serail, devoted to an array of health, economic and educational dossiers. In this context, Caretaker PM Mikati met with Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, who said on emerging: "I briefed the PM on the positive atmosphere that we are building on for the next season in the country, and our keenness on giving a glimpse of positive hope." Caretaker Minister Amin also urged the Lebanese private sector, including restaurants and hotels, and every merchant in Lebanon, “to reflect a good image of Lebanon, and not to exploit the tourist season to raise prices."Caretaker Premier Mikati then met with Caretaker Minister of Health, Dr. Firas Al-Abiad, and MP Ahmed Al-Khair. Discussions reportedly touched on the current conditions of the country’s healthcare sector. On emerging, asked about the information about the increase of the prices of chronic diseases medicines, Al-Abiad denied such info, considering it baseless. Separately, Mikati also received respectively MP Bilal Abdullah, and former MP Naamtallah Abi Nasr, over an array of relevant affairs. The Prime Minister also met with Head of the General Labor Confederation, Beshara Asmar, the Director General of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Mohammad Karaki, and the Head of the Syndicate of Workers and Employees at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Hassan Houmani.
The meeting took stock of the current conditions of the NSSF. Among Premier Mikati’s visitors for today had been a delegation from the International Initiative to Lift the Siege on Gaza.

Political shift: National Consensus Bloc emerges with five Sunni MPs
LBCI/31 May 2023
Five Sunni MPs, known as allies of Hezbollah and close to the Syrian regime, have formed a parliamentary bloc titled "National Consensus."
Faisal Karami represents the Sunni seat in the Tripoli-Minieh- Donnieh district, Adnan Traboulsi holds the Sunni seat in the Beirut Second district, Mohammad Yahya represents the Sunni seat in the Akkar district, Taha Naji has a Sunni seat in the Tripoli-Minieh-Donnieh district. Hassan Mourad represents the Sunni seat in the Western Bekaa and Rashaya districts. A year after the parliamentary elections and with an attempt to limit Sunni representation in the Parliament to the National Moderation Bloc and some Change MPs, according to sources from the National Consensus bloc, the five MPs believed that it was time for the Bloc to voice another Sunni political faction. However, the first real challenge for the National Consensus Bloc lies in the upcoming presidential elections. Although the Bloc's MPs have not officially declared their support for the Hezbollah-backed candidate, Sleiman Frangieh, all indications point towards it. This raises the question of who the Bloc will nominate for the position of Prime Minister after the presidential elections and whether Faisal Karami will face other Sunni candidates. Will the Bloc be an extension of the consultative gathering, whose members were allies of Hezbollah and close to the Syrian regime and Iran, mainly since the new Bloc includes several former members of the previous consultative gathering, such as Faisal Karami, Adnan Traboulsi, and the father of MP Hassan Mourad, Abdul Rahim Mourad? The National Consensus Bloc, consisting of five MPs, has failed to attract MP Jihad Samad, who refuses to abide by the decisions of any bloc, and it has not succeeded in expanding its sectarian base by including the Alawite MP Haidar Nasser, considering the Bloc to be of a single sect.

Spectacular nights of art: The Beiteddine Festival unveil dazzling performances
LBCI/31 May 2023
The international Beiteddine Festival, which is the most prominent Lebanese and global artists gathered and performed, turned this location into a symbol of a cultural and artistic interface that contributed to defining Lebanon's civilized identity. After 40 years since the launch of the Beiteddine Festival, this year is different. The theater has been dedicated to the creations of young talents from Lebanon, the Arab world, and beyond. From July 20th to August 5th, we will be treated to seven nights of artistic performances at Salamlek Square, according to the program announced by the president of the Beiteddine Festival. The opening will feature soprano Farrah El Dibany accompanied by Maestro Lubnan Baalbaki. The second night will showcase flamenco with Juan Gomez and Guy Manoukian, followed by jazz with Donna Khalife and Arthur Satyan. The fourth night will feature Mayssa Karaa and then the play "Chicago." This year, the musical concerts will add to a history that has already recorded over 500 performances with 6,600 artists and musicians, attracting more than 700,000 spectators. The Beiteddine Festival will become an additional destination on this year's tourism calendar as one of the 82 anticipated tourist events registered with the Ministry of Tourism for the promising summer season.

Lebanese Officials: Kidnapping of Saudi National Won’t Affect Relations with Riyadh
Beirut: Caroline Akoum/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
The Lebanese army succeeded on Monday in freeing abducted Saudi national Mashari al-Mutairi hours after the news of his kidnapping broke out. The military arrested the majority of his captors, garnering praise for their efforts to uncover the perpetrators. Military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the majority of the suspects were detained. They denied information that notorious drug dealer Monzer Zoaiter, also known as Abou Salleh, was behind the kidnapping. The sources confirmed however, that al-Mutairi’s captors were part of the most dangerous robbery, kidnapping and drug gangs in Lebanon.
A judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the case will be referred to the military judiciary for several reasons. Among them is that the kidnappers had disguised themselves as members of the army by donning military outfits. They had also kitted their vehicle to make it appear as if it were a military car.
Al-Mutairi was freed after the military intelligence directorate carried out a “sophisticated raid on the Lebanese-Syrian border”. His kidnappers had demanded a ransom of $400,000 for his release. He was reported missing overnight on Saturday, kicking off contacts on the highest levels for his release.
The military carried out another raid after the release. It targeted the houses of suspected kidnappers in the Sharawineh neighborhood in the eastern city of Baalbek. They also raided a captagon narcotic pills factory that belongs to the kidnappers. A clash between the military and suspects ensued during the raid. No one was injured. After al-Mutairi's release, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared that Lebanon was keen on deterring any threat against Arabs visiting the country. Lebanon will not be used as a platform to threaten the security of Arab countries, he added.
He strongly condemned the abduction, congratulating the military on its major success in freeing the hostage and arresting the perpetrators. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri praised the military command and all security forces for their role in freeing al-Mutairi. He called on the security agencies to continue their efforts in pursuing everyone involved in the case. Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi met with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari on Monday. The ambassador hailed the efforts that led to the release of the captive, who had headed to the Saudi embassy soon after he was freed.
Mawlawi stressed that the abduction will not affect Lebanon’s relations with Saudi Arabia, which he described as “deep and firm”. “No one can threaten or undermine them,” he added, revealing that nine people have been arrested in connection to the crime. “The independent Lebanese judiciary will look into this dangerous crime,” he went on to say. “We will confront anyone who tries to harm our relations with Arab brothers. We thank them for their constant support to Lebanon,” stated the minister. For his part, Bukhari praised the security and military forces in freeing the captive. Al-Mutairi is well, he confirmed, saying he had endured a “trying 48-hour ordeal before he was freed.” The security forces and Saudi authorities were in constant communication to ensure his release. The Kingdom, he remarked, is very keen on every Saudi abroad. Praise poured in for the army after the release. The Progressive Socialist Party hailed the military, stressing that it “rejects all attempts aimed at harming Lebanon’s relations with Saudi Arabia.” It demanded that all suspects in the case be arrested and brought to justice. Kataeb party leader MP Sami Gemayel saluted the army and security forces on their professional work. He called for laying down the harshest of punishments against the perpetrators and their backers so that others would be deterred from committing a similar crime in the future, significantly as Lebanon approaches its usually lucrative summer season. “We have complete trust in the military institutions that alone work diligently in protecting the Lebanese people and all visitors to the country,” Gemayel tweeted. MP Tony Franjieh warned that the abduction was an attempt to harm Lebanon’s security, economy and tourist season. He demanded that the necessary measures be taken against the perpetrators to restore the authority of the state, put an end to kidnapping, drug and robbery gangs and protect Lebanon’s relations with Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia.

Blast in East Lebanon Kills 5 in Base Controlled by Palestinian Faction, Israel Denies Role
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
A blast early Wednesday at a military base controlled by a Syria-backed Palestinian faction in eastern Lebanon killed five Palestinian militants and wounded 10 others, according to two Palestinian officials with the group. The faction said an Israeli airstrike caused the blast, but that account was disputed by an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, who denied the country had any role in the incident. Israel does not typically respond to foreign reports. In Beirut, a Lebanese military official said the explosion was the result of a blast within the base, adding that there was no airstrike. An official with a regional group allied with the Syrian government, said the explosion was the result of a “human error” that occurred when militants were handling ammunition. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity. Anwar Raja of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, told The Associated Press in Damascus that the Israeli strike hit positions in the eastern Lebanese town of Qusaya near the border with Syria. He said two of the wounded were in critical condition. Another PFLP-GC official, Lebanon-based Abu Wael Issam, told the AP that his group will retaliate “at the suitable time.” He added that the strike will not deter his group from “escalating the fight against the Israeli enemy.” The Lebanese army and Lebanon's Hezbollah party also had no immediate official comment on the airstrike. Raja attributed Israel’s denial to “the sensitivity of the situation in Lebanon,” a suggestion that any acknowledgement of a strike by Israel would push Hezbollah to retaliate. It has been rare for Israel to carry out airstrikes on Lebanon in recent years. Israel launched strikes in southern Lebanon in April, a day after gunmen fired nearly three dozen rockets at Israel, wounding two Syrian workers and causing some property damage. The Israeli military said at the time that it had targeted installations of Hamas, the Palestinian movement, in southern Lebanon. The PFLP-GC has positions along the Lebanon-Syria border as well as military presence in both countries. The group had carried out attacks against Israel in the past. The group is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western countries.

Israel denies bombing Lebanon after blast kills 5 Palestinians
Agence France Presse/Associated Press
Five fighters from a pro-Syrian Palestinian militant group were killed in an accidental explosion at a base in eastern Lebanon, a Lebanese security source said Wednesday. A spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) instead accused Israel of carrying out "overnight raids" at the base in Qusaya, near the Syrian border. Israel denied any involvement. "An old rocket exploded in an arms depot on the base and five fighters were killed," the security source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The Damascus-based group has close ties with the Syrian government and its main Lebanese ally Hezbollah, and has bases in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. PFLP-GC spokesman Anwar Raja said Israel had carried out "overnight raids" on the base. "Five fighters were killed," he told AFP, adding that "for now we do not have more detailed information on the operation." The Israeli military, however, denied any involvement in the deadly blast. "This is not IDF (Israeli army) activity," a spokeswoman told AFP. Asked about the Israeli response, Raja attributed Israel's denial to "the sensitivity of the situation in Lebanon," a suggestion that any acknowledgement of a strike by Israel would push Hezbollah to retaliate. In Beirut, a Lebanese military official said the explosion was the result of a blast within the base, adding that there was no airstrike. An official with a regional group allied with the Syrian government, said the explosion was the result of a “human error” that occurred when militants were handling ammunition. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity. It has been rare for Israel to carry out airstrikes on Lebanon in recent years. In August 2019, suspected Israeli strikes targeted the PFLP-GC in Qusaya. In July 2015, a security official said a blast at a PFLP-GC base in Qusaya wounded seven people, while the Palestinian group blamed it on an Israeli strike. The PFLP-GC is the only Palestinian faction to maintain bases outside Lebanon's official Palestinian refugee camps. By longstanding convention, the Lebanese army does not enter those camps, leaving Palestinian militant groups to handle security.

Can the new Christian consensus reshuffle Lebanon's presidential deck?
Nada Maucourant Atallah/The National/May 31, 2023
If his support is confirmed, Jihad Azour could challenge Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Frangieh
Although it is not definite, all the indicators seem to be green: Lebanon's main Christian parties, including the rival Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), are reported to have reached a consensus on former finance minister Jihad Azour to be their candidate for president.
Lebanon is grappling with a presidential vacuum since the departure of former President Michel Aoun from office in October, as the divided parliament has failed to reach a consensus on his successor. From the Lebanese Forces' perspective, the statements are unequivocal. Their leader Samir Geagea said in an interview with the pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al Akhbar on Wednesday that an agreement had been reached with the FPM on the candidacy of Mr Azour, whom Mr Geagea described as the “consensual” and “neutral” candidate. On the FPM's side, the approach is more cautious. If FPM leader Gebran Bassil acknowledged an “agreement” on Tuesday between his party and the opposition, he did not specify the name of the candidate. The FPM meeting held on the same day continued to build suspense. The party said in a statement that the candidate will be disclosed after “completing the consultations as to the programme and the election mechanism”. A spokeswoman for FPM told The National that there was a preliminary agreement on Mr Azour as a candidate but that a "program", on which the parties would agree, is more important than a name.
'A distinct DNA'
Observers have highlighted that Mr Azour, who is currently a director at the International Monetary Fund and has a long career in international institutions, stands out in the Lebanese sectarian political landscape. “His candidacy carries a distinct DNA compared to the parties currently endorsing him. He comes from a non-sectarian background, advocates for preserving Lebanon's national unity, and favours Lebanon's Arab identity,” political analyst Karim Emile Bitar said in an interview with The National. If his candidacy is confirmed, Mr Azour would be the candidate opposing Hezbollah-backed Suleiman Frangieh.
Mr Frangieh is the head of the Marada Movement, a Lebanese political party and a former Christian militia active during the Lebanese Civil War. He is considered to be a close friend of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. Hezbollah, the powerful pro-Iranian political party and militant group, has firmly opposed Mr Azour's candidacy as “a manoeuvre … for the Christian parties to agree among themselves to nominate a person for the presidency”. “While it is true that a consensus has been reached among the Christian parties around the name of Jihad Azour, this does not mean that there is an official announcement,” Mr Bitar said. Mr Azour is an “analyst and technician (...) It is not sure he will be willing to go into a frontal one-to-one confrontation with Suleiman Frangieh,” he added. Mr Azour has not responded officially to the latest developments regarding his candidacy. Mr Bitar sees the agreement as a way for the FPM and the opposition camp, made up of the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb party and a coalition of independent MPs, to show there is “an alternative” to Mr Frangieh and “to pave the road for further discussion”.This is also a significant move, he said, as it is “the first time in a while” that the FPM, which has had a long-standing alliance with Hezbollah, and the Lebanese Forces have demonstrated clear co-ordination. “It means the FPM has merely started to distance itself from Hezbollah,” Mr Bitar said.
French presses reforms
The international community has consistently called for a presidential election, stressing that the absence of a leader at the head of the state is hindering the implementation of vital reforms needed to address a deepening economic crisis. France has been particularly engaged for months in pursuing a formula to address the political impasse, advocating for Mr Frangieh as President and someone from the opposition as Prime Minister. The recent developments within the Christian parties have not seemed to change France's position on the presidential issue. “The formula is still relevant, as there hasn't been any substantial change yet. Our stance will not change regarding the urgency of meeting constitutional deadlines and moving to implement the needed economic and social reforms," a French diplomatic source told The National. "If there is more than one option during a parliamentary session dedicated to the election of a president, this will represent a genuine democratic debate. France has no veto on any candidate, we are open to other scenarios," they added.
“But the choice will ultimately be up to Lebanese MPs”.
The local press reported that Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al Rahi, Lebanon’s most senior Christian cleric, presented the name of Jihad Azour as the candidate representing Lebanese Christian parties during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Tuesday.
The diplomatic source told The National that the conversation did not revolve around this particular topic. Mr Macron released a statement after the meeting calling on all forces in the country to elect a president “without delay.”For this to happen, parliament will need to convene. Mr Geagea said that based on his vote count Mr Azour could get more than 65 votes his favour in the 128-member legislative assembly. Reports said that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the leader of the Amal Movement, a Shiite party aligned with Hezbollah, had decided against another “folkloric” parliamentary session, that might fail for the 12th time to elect a president, which could yet present another barrier to electing a president. In remarks published on Tuesday in Asharq Al Awsat newspaper, Berri said that based on the current circumstances, it is not possible to call for a session "with no real competition".

Syrian Refugees and Demographic Ideology
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
As some Lebanese were busy publicly outbidding one another: There are two million Syrians in Lebanon, even three million, and in some popular talk, there are four... We saw the emergence of figures that aroused envy put forward by some Turks: There are ten million Syrians in Türkiye, Erdogan’s presidential rival Kilicdaroglu claimed. “Zaffar Party” chief Umit Ozdag raised the figure even higher: actually, there are 13 million. The numbers ball has been shot so high that it is difficult to reach. The fact is that it is unclear whether the astronomical figures put forward by Turkish politicians will encourage their Lebanese counterparts to press forward, despite everything, with what they had started, or frustrate and alert them to the scurrilous nature of this game that exposes those who play it. One certainty is that the language of figures is a coherent ideological system in itself and that its first modern emergence and expansive application came with the Industrial Revolution. As rural people arrived in the cities searching for work in industry, living in crowded slums, they ignited various fears among those astounded by the formidable shift that had penetrated their lives and that they failed to soundly interpret.
In 1798, the English economist and demographer Thomas Robert Malthus transformed his fear of this population into a theory: population increased geometrically (1-2-4) while the quantity of food increased arithmetically (1-2-3). Thus, humanity had to choose between a global famine and drastic measures to reduce population growth.
However, as the industrial revolution bore its fruits, ameliorating the living conditions of citizens and increasing life expectancy, food began to increase exponentially while the number of residents increased arithmetically. The Malthusian scenario went down in history as an error marred by bad intentions.
Less than a century later, “Social Darwinism” espoused hatred of population increases. This time, “science” was used instead of the economy. The laws developed by Charles Darwin to explain how animals and plants evolved over millions of years were applied to human evolution over a short and compressed time frame. The “survival of the fittest,” according to the British philosopher and scientist Herbert Spencer, meant that the weakest members of the population would pay the price of the “struggle for existence”, as life is nothing but this struggle. On a broader scale, “Social Darwinism” was used to justify social disparities, military expansion, and racism. The myth that would be called “eugenics” was founded on its ideas.
This same era also saw many writers and novelists running wild with claims about the threats presented by the spikes in population that raging and erratic nature had been bombarding us with. The French writer Gustave Le Bon attributed destructiveness to “the crowd,” arguing that it was governed by emotions and lacked the capacity to think. In opposition to the tendency to organize within trade unions and political parties to defend the interests of the poorest and the weakest segments of society, which had been prevalent during the industrial era, Le Bon argued that crowd psychology numbed consciousness and replaced the mind with collective instincts. While the major dictators of the twentieth century read and admired Le Bon in the 1930s, the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, who was terrified of “the rule of the masses,” made his contribution. He contrasted the “life of the common people,” with the barbarism and primitiveness that comes with it, and the “noble life,” while social and cultural panic only began with the demographic explosion that followed the industrial revolution.
It is revealing the English writer and novelist H.G. Wells (1866-1946), who came to be known as the “Father of science fiction,” influenced a young Mustafa Kemal Ataturk more than anyone else. In Wells’ works, population growth ascends to the level of a fully-fledged calamity that overwhelms civilization and threatens a dictatorship of the masses. Wells’ most prominent work of science fiction may have been his writings that advocated social engineering to create another virtuous republic in which engineers and technicians are tasked with reducing population figures.
After the Industrial Revolution, demagogic politicians took it upon themselves to awaken wicked imaginations by adding zeros to the figures. Reinforced by the depth of the impact that this myth continues to have on us, comparisons of the masses with insects, pests, bacteria, and contagious illnesses became popular. These analogies were similar to Hitler and his partisans' depictions of Jews. They multiply, spread, and become octopuses, expanding and occupying space, gnawing at resources, gushing out like water, and hardening like stone - always and forever proliferating like mice. However, the mouse within them can easily coexist with snakes, foxes, and hyenas, as well as countless creatures that emerge from beneath the ground and descend from above before swooping down on us with fangs dripping blood.
This school of thought, which reduces human beings to figures, is also used for self-aggrandizement, turning this adulation into deprecation. The “million martyrs” slogan that arose in Algeria was fertile ground on which other sick ideas and images grew. The Lebanese will remember another example; in the 1980s, the leader of the Lebanese “Amal Movement,” Nabih Berri, claimed that Muslims had always been secretly waging a “reproductive war” against “Maronite hegemony.” For decades, Arab poets threatened the world with “the nation of seventy million strong,” with the figure later rising to ninety million. However, since the number of Arabs exceeded one hundred million, poetic performances and their resonance could no longer accommodate the figures. Human life, in the end, is not a bureaucratic statistics office, nor is it a hospital that treats the feelings of failure felt by a politician here and a segment of the population or political group there. In all cases, reducing bodies and souls to figures, and perhaps corpses, cannot be ethical. Of course, it cannot be sound. However, it cannot be wrong either, as the matter goes beyond human right and wrong.
Today, these atrocities target Syrian communities more than they do any other group.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on May 31-June 01/2023
Iran Starts Trial of Female Journalist Who Covered Amini’s Death
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
A Revolutionary Court in Iran on Tuesday began the trial of a female journalist behind closed doors on charges linked to her coverage of a Kurdish-Iranian woman whose death in custody last year sparked months of unrest, her husband said on Twitter. Mahsa Amini's death while held by the morality police for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code unleashed a wave of mass anti-government protests for months, posing one of the boldest challenges to the country's clerical leaders in decades. A photo taken by Niloofar Hamedi for the pro-reform Sharq daily showing Amini’s parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital where their daughter was lying in a coma was the first sign to the world that all was not well with 22-year-old Amini. Tuesday's trial session "ended in less than two hours while her lawyers did not get a chance to defend her and her family members were not allowed to attend the court," Hamedi's husband, Mohammad Hossein Ajorlou, said on Twitter. "She denied all the charges against her and emphasized that she had performed her duty as a journalist based on the law." Hamedi, along with another female journalist, Elaheh Mohammadi, who went on trial on Monday, face several charges including "colluding with hostile powers" for their coverage of Amini's death. Iran's intelligence ministry in October accused Mohammadi and Hamedi, both imprisoned for over eight months, of being CIA foreign agents. Iran's clerical rulers have blamed the protests on an array of enemies, including the United States, aimed at destabilizing the country.

Israel’s Mossad Confirms Ex-Agent Was One of 4 Who Died When Boat Sank in Italy
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Israel's intelligence agency confirmed on Wednesday that a retired agent was among four people killed in Italy when a sudden storm sank a houseboat hired for a pleasure cruise over the weekend. The former agent was on the houseboat, with 22 other people, on a northern Italian lake near the town of Lisanza. Two Italian intelligence agents and a Russian woman — part of the two-person crew — of the boat also died in the incident. The Israeli prime minister's office issued a statement on behalf of the Mossad saying the unnamed agent's remains had been returned to Israel for burial. The Foreign Ministry had previously confirmed that a retiree from the Israeli security forces was killed but didn’t provide a name or age or give details on his professional background. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that because of the agent's work in the agency, further details could not be disclosed and extended condolences to his family. Police said Tuesday they had no further information on the identities or professions of the 19 other people on board who survived. Some managed to swim to shore, while others were picked up by other boats. Italian media reported that a private plane had picked up the other Israeli survivors and flown them out of Italy.

Putin slams Ukraine after attack drones hit Moscow high-rises
Agence France Presse/31 May 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Kyiv of seeking to "frighten" Russians after drones hit Moscow high-rises in the first such attack since the beginning of the Kremlin's assault on Ukraine. As drones struck in and around Moscow, Russian drones targeted Kyiv for a third straight day while Ukraine gears up for a major offensive against Russian forces. Officials said no one was seriously injured in Moscow and there was only "minor" damage to residential buildings, but some locals said they never thought the Russian capital could be hit in this way. "I somehow thought that all of this was somewhere far away, that this would not affect us, and suddenly this has become very close," pensioner Tatyana Kalinina told AFP in southwest Moscow near one of the damaged residential buildings. Putin said that Moscow's air defense had worked, referring to the attacks as Kyiv's "response" to a Russian strike on Ukraine's army intelligence headquarters. "The Kyiv regime chose a different path to frighten Russians," Putin said. The Russian defense ministry said that eight drones were used in the attack, adding that five of them were downed and three disabled. The foreign ministry blamed the West, saying its "support for the Kyiv regime is pushing the Ukrainian leadership towards increasingly reckless acts, including terrorism." One person was also killed Tuesday in a Ukrainian bombardment on a centre for displaced people in the border region of Belgorod, the regional governor said. The Belgorod region has in recent weeks been hit by dozens strikes from across the border and seen attempted incursions from armed groups.
Major embarrassment -
The United States said it did not support attacks inside Russia.
"We have been focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training they need to retake their own sovereign territory," a State Department spokesperson said. Two drones crashed into high-rise residential buildings in Moscow's affluent southwest, while a third damaged a residential building in a suburb. The other drones fell outside Moscow. Some of the debris was found around 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo residence. One video shared on social media showed an explosion followed by a column of smoke rising into the sky. This month two drones were intercepted over the Kremlin, but Tuesday's attacks were the first time that unmanned aerial vehicles hit residential areas of Moscow, hundreds of kilometres from the front lines in Ukraine. The raids are likely to be seen as a major embarrassment for the Kremlin, which has gone to great lengths to say the protracted conflict in Ukraine does not pose a threat to Russians.
'Not surprised' -
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Kyiv had "no direct relation" to the attacks. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people had sought medical assistance but "no one has suffered serious injuries". The residents of buildings damaged in the strikes were briefly evacuated. On Profsoyuznaya Street, a residential building with a blown-out window was cordoned off by police but the atmosphere was calm, with children playing outside and people walking their dogs, an AFP correspondent said. Some of the residents were moved to a nearby school, where they drank tea and watched a Soviet-era movie. Muscovites told Russian journalists that a drone had also crashed into an apartment on the 14th floor of a high-rise on Leninsky Prospekt but did not explode. Ukraine said it had downed 29 out of 31 drones, mainly over Kyiv and the Kyiv region in the latest Russian barrage -- the third on the Ukrainian capital in 24 hours. On Monday, Russia fired a barrage of missiles at Kyiv, sending panicked residents running for shelter in an unusual daytime attack following overnight strikes. Predictably, many in Ukraine gloated over the drone attacks in Moscow. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Muscovites should feel "what it means to live in the conditions that Kyiv has lived in for the past one and a half years."
- Nuclear fears -
Also on Tuesday, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi urged Ukraine and Russia to adhere to "concrete principles" to prevent catastrophe at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The safety of Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia has been a concern since Russian forces seized it over a year ago. Ahead of Ukraine's expected counteroffensive, fears have increased that a nuclear disaster could occur amid increased military activity. Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), briefed the UN Security Council in New York on his proposals including that there should no attacks near the plant and no storage of arms. None of its six Soviet-era reactors now generates electricity, but the facility remains connected to the Ukrainian power grid for its own needs, notably to cool the reactors.

UN Nuclear Chief Urges Russia, Ukraine to Ban Attacks at Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
The UN nuclear chief stressed Tuesday that the world is fortunate a nuclear accident hasn’t happened in Ukraine and asked Moscow and Kyiv to commit to preventing any attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and make other pledges "to avoid the danger of a catastrophic incident."
Rafael Grossi reiterated to the UN Security Council what he told the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors in March: "We are rolling a dice and if this continues then one day our luck will run out." The IAEA director general said avoiding a nuclear accident is possible if five principles are observed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where fighting on seven occasions, most recently last week, disrupted critical power supplies, "the last line of defense against a nuclear accident." Grossi "respectfully and solemnly" asked Ukraine and Russia to observe the principles, saying IAEA experts at Zaporizhzhia will start monitoring and he will publicly report on any violations:
— Ban attacks from or against the plant, especially targeting reactors and spent fuel storage areas.
— Ban the storage of heavy weapons or presence of military personnel that could be used for an attack.
— Ensure the security of an uninterrupted off-site power supply to the plant.
— Protect "all structures, systems and components" essential to the plant’s operation from attacks or acts of sabotage.
— Take no action to undermine these principles.
Grossi asked the 15 Security Council members to support the five principles, stressing that they are "to no one’s detriment and to everyone’s benefit."
The Kremlin’s forces took over the plant after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposes any proposal that would legitimize Russia’s control.
Neither the Russian nor Ukrainian ambassador gave a commitment to support the principles. Ukraine’s UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya accused Russia of continuing "to actively use the nuclear plant for military purposes." He said Russia has mined its perimeter and is responsible for shelling that has inflicted "serious damage" on parts of the plant, undermining its safety. He claimed 500 Russian military personnel are at the plant along with heavy weapons, munitions and explosives.
"The threat of dangerous accident as a result of these irresponsible and criminal actions hangs over us," he said. Kyslytsya said Ukraine takes "note" of Grossi’s five principles but urges him to add several more, starting with the withdrawal of all Russian personnel from the Zaporizhzhia plant, guarantees of uninterrupted power to the plant from Ukraine, and a humanitarian corridor to ensure that Ukrainian and IAEA personnel at the plant can be rotated safely. Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia denied that Russia has ever attacked the Zaporizhzhia plant, placed heavy weapons there or stationed military personnel at the plant to carry out an attack from its territory. He accused Ukraine of shelling the plant and said "Russia will take the most severe measures" to respond to any Ukraine attack. Nebenzia insisted that nuclear safety remains a priority for Russia and urged the IAEA to "openly condemn Ukraine’s actions, which have repeatedly brought the world to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe." Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said an IAEA report in February confirmed the continuing presence of Russian military troops, equipment and land mines. "New imagery shows Russian forces have established sandbag fighting positions on the roofs of several of the six reactor buildings," she said. "This indicates that they have integrated the actual reactor buildings of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant into tactical defense planning."US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged council members to support the five principles, but accused Russia of demonstrating "flagrant disregard" for them. "To make matters worse, recent news reports indicate that Moscow has disconnected Zaporizhzhia's vital radiation monitoring sensors, which means the plant’s data is now being sent to the Russian nuclear regulator," she said, "This is a clear escalation of Russia’s efforts to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty and authority over the Zaporizhzhia plant," Thomas-Greenfield said. "And this undermines our ability to have confidence in the level of nuclear safety at the plant." Grossi, asked whether he felt he had received commitments from Russia and Ukraine to the five principles, replied that the council meeting showed "there is a consensus on the fact that no nuclear accident should happen." "The important thing is that the minimum common denominator, which are these basic five principles, have been widely supported and there was no voice opposing them," he said. "This indicates that what we are saying is something no one has a contradictory view upon."

Medvedev: UK Officials Helping Ukraine War Are 'Legitimate Target'
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday that Britain was Moscow's "eternal enemy" and that any British officials who facilitated the war in Ukraine could be considered legitimate military targets. Medvedev, responding to British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's remark that Ukraine had a right to project force beyond its own borders, said Britain's "goofy officials" should remember that Britain could be "qualified as being at war". "The UK acts as Ukraine's ally providing it with military aid in the form of equipment and specialists, i.e., de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia," Medvedev said on Twitter. "That being the case, any of its public officials (either military, or civil, who facilitate the war) can be considered as a legitimate military target."

Seven Arrested as Part of ISIS Financing Probe in Germany
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
German authorities have arrested seven suspected supporters of the ISIS terrorist group as part of an investigation into terrorist financing, prosecutors said on Wednesday. At the same time, authorities conducted 19 raids in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as in one property in the Netherlands, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement. The individuals arrested are suspected of belonging to an international network that solicited financial donations for ISIS in Syria through platforms including Telegram and subsequently transferred them to the group or its intermediaries. At least 65,000 euros ($71,552.00) were transferred in this manner, prosecutors said, adding that the money was used to support ISIS members imprisoned in Syria, in some cases allowing them to escape from prison camps. The seven suspects are to appear on Wednesday and Thursday before a magistrate who will decide whether they are to remain in pre-trial detention.

Iraq Anticipates Iranian Strike against Kurdish Opposition
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Iraq anticipated a potential Iranian strike against the Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan region, through tours conducted by National Security Advisor Qasim Al-Araji to Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah and Tehran. In March, Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani’s government signed a security protocol for cooperation and coordination with Iran, on the sidelines of a visit by the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, to Baghdad. Since then and until the beginning of May, the Iraqi Border Guard forces set up more than 30 surveillance towers in the Kurdistan region, on the Iraqi-Iranian border, to prevent smuggling from both sides, according to a security report. Last week, Al-Araji discussed with the military attaché at the Tehran embassy in Baghdad, measures to secure the borders between the two countries. Al-Araji’s office reported that he had “received a directive from Sudani to travel to the Kurdistan region to discuss the same issue with officials there.” Meanwhile, Iranian officials who visited Iraq, since the beginning of 2023, focused on the matter of “armed Kurdish groups opposing Tehran, which are active in areas of the Kurdistan region.” Tehran has always repeated that it “will not, under any circumstances, accept threats from Iraqi soil.” During a meeting earlier this month, Al-Araji discussed with the Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Region, Rebar Ahmed, securing the borders with Iran, before the Iraqi official traveled to Sulaymaniyah to meet the leader of the Patriotic Union, Bafel Talabani. The two Kurdish officials said, in separate statements, that the security authorities in the region were working to complete the procedures stipulated in the “security report”.Various Kurdish sources noted that the Kurdish parties were facing difficulties in dealing with the Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. In fact, a number of those belong to leftist currents that have historical ties and interests with local groups. Other sources said that the issue “goes beyond historical national ties, and involves political maneuvers related to the internal conflict in the Kurdistan region.”In Iran, Al-Araji met on Monday with the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian. According to Iraqi sources, the latter received Iraqi pledges to control the borders, and messages from Kurdish parties about “guarantees not to allow any opposition group to target Iran’s interests.”However, Kurdish sources stressed that Iran wanted to “expel these groups from Iraqi territory.”Ahmadian told the Iraqi delegation that Tehran wanted “to end the presence of the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan region.”He described the security protocol signed between the two countries as “a road map that guarantees the security and stability of the common borders.”

The Complete Tale of Mashari al-Mutairi's Abduction from Beirut and Release Near Syrian Border
Beirut: Thaer Abbas/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
The release of abducted Saudi national Mashari al-Mutairi is a remarkable success by Lebanese military intelligence against organized crime gangs because – in a first – it witnessed the arrest of several of the kidnappers. Previously, the majority of abductions were resolved but the perpetrators often remained at large. The latest kidnapping exposed an organized crime network, which targets “lone foreigners”, that stretches from Beirut to the Syrian border region. Mutairi’s ordeal began at a café in the Khaldeh region south of Beirut on Saturday. After spending a couple of hours there, he continued his night out at the Zaintuna Bay waterfront area in central Beirut at around midnight. Investigators believe that he was being watched in Khaldeh by some locals whose task is to determine a “target” and that night it was al-Mutairi. The information was relayed to five people affiliated with the gang that monitored the target. They contacted the leader, Moussa Jaafar, who is wanted by authorities on kidnapping, extortion and drug-related charges. They agreed on the target and as al-Mutairi was leaving Zaituna Bay in his vehicle at 3 am on Sunday, they pounced. They first followed him in their car before ramming into him in a secluded area. They quickly hauled him into their vehicle and headed east towards the Bekaa region. They stopped at the Chtoura region to switch vehicles and made their way to the Sharawineh area in the Bekaa. They turned the hostage over to a group affiliated with Jaafar and received payment for their work.
Al-Mutairi was threatened and intimidated. The kidnappers seized his bank card and forced the hostage to give them his pin number. He deliberately gave them the wrong one, and after more physical and verbal threats, he gave them the right number. The kidnappers managed to withdraw a few thousand dollars, which, of course, was not enough for them. They next sent a text message from his phone demanding a ransom of $400,000. In the meantime, the security forces were looking for clues. They tried to narrow down who the kidnappers may be given the long list of wanted fugitives operating in the east. The withdrawal of money gave them their first clue and later, the text message became a lead. The security forces questioned people at the Khaldeh café. They followed the lead to the Sid al-Bouchrieh area where they arrested a suspect, who revealed information about the kidnappers. The information he provided led the army intelligence to the town of Jarmash in Syria. Its inhabitants are predominantly Lebanese from the Jaafar family. Moussa Jaafar, like many other residents there, make a living out of kidnapping. A security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Moussa is wanted by Lebanon for several crimes, including the abduction of an Iraqi and a Syrian. He is also wanted on drug-related charges. With the suspect in sight, the army began pressuring his businesses in Lebanon and his family in Sharawineh. It raided the area and arrested some of his relatives. They made sure that Moussa was aware that they were on to him. Seven kidnappers linked to al-Mutairi's case were eventually arrested. On Monday, the pressure mounted with the army raiding an area on the Lebanese-Syrian border. It reached more kidnappers and a clash ensued. The kidnappers abandoned the hostage and fled towards Syrian territory.
The army is now searching for more suspects, including an individual who opened fire at an army position after a military raid on a captagon warehouse in Sharawineh. The captagon dealers are also involved in the kidnapping.

UN: Nearly 70% of Syria’s Population Needs Aid
New York/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
For the first time in Syria’s 12-year war, people in every district are experiencing some degree of “humanitarian stress,” and a staggering 15.3 million — nearly 70% of the population — need humanitarian aid, the United Nations said Tuesday. A UN appeal for $5.4 billion to help over 14 million people in Syria is less than 10% funded and the UN World Food Program has warned that without additional money, 2.5 million people are at risk of losing food or cash assistance from July. The dire humanitarian situation, compounded by the February earthquake that devastated the opposition-held northwest, was spelled out to the Security Council by the UN humanitarian office’s operations director Edem Wosornu. The Syrian people “are more and more reliant on humanitarian assistance as basic services and critical infrastructure are on the brink of collapse," she said. According to The Associated Press, Wosornu urged generous pledges and the swift release of funds at a European Union hosted conference in Brussels on June 14-15. She said “Syrians need the support of the international community now more than at any time in the past 12 years.” She said the need to maintain the delivery of humanitarian aid to the northwest is even more critical after the earthquake. She said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a 12-month extension of the UN mandate, which expires in July, saying the assistance is “indispensable” and “a matter of life and death for millions of people” in the region. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States will seek a council resolution to extend aid deliveries through the three border crossings currently operating: Bab Al-Hawa, which was the single crossing Russia would allow to remain open in January, as well as Bab Al-Salam and Al Raée, which Syria’s President Bashar Assad agreed to open after the quake, which killed over 6,000 in Syria and has displaced over 330,000. Assad has agreed to keep the two additional crossings open through Aug. 13.

Russia Says It Destroys Ukraine’s ‘Last Warship’
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had destroyed what it described as Ukraine's "last warship" two days ago in the port of Odesa in a missile strike. Ukraine's navy declined to comment. "The last warship of the Ukrainian navy, the Yuriy Olefirenko, was destroyed at a warship mooring in the port of Odesa," Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a daily briefing on the war. He said the vessel had been hit with "high-precision weapons" - a phrase he uses to mean missiles - on May 29, but gave no further details. Oleh Chalyk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian navy, said he would not respond to any assertions made by Russia. The Ukrainian navy will not disclose any information about losses during the war, he added. Ukrainian officials said on Monday that Russia had put five aircraft out of action in an attack on a military target in western Ukraine and caused a fire at the Black Sea port of Odesa in heavy air strikes early on Monday. Reuters was unable to independently verify the battlefield accounts of either side. The Russian defense ministry also said on Wednesday that its forces had pushed Ukrainian units out of positions around the settlements of Krasnohorivka and Yasynuvata in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, which Moscow claims to have annexed. The ministry said "fierce fighting" was continuing around Avdiivka, a large town located between the two settlements, which has been largely razed to the ground during months of fighting.

Burhan: Sudanese Army Ready to ‘Fight until Victory’
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
The head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, visited on Tuesday the bases of his forces, praising the loyalty of the entire Sudanese people to the army. In a speech on the occasion, Al-Burhan said that that the armed forces “have not yet exploited their full power so as not to destroy the country.” “But if the enemy does not obey or comply, we will be forced to use our utmost powers,” he added. Al-Burhan noted that that the armed forces agreed to a ceasefire to facilitate the flow of services to citizens, who were exhausted by the violations of the rebels. He described the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a “rebel militia”, which he said “plundered the people’s property, violated their sanctities, and tortured and killed them.”Al-Burhan stressed that the armed forces would remain “ready to fight until victory,” adding that they fully controlled all military sites in Sudan.
Fighting renewed between the army and the RSF and clashes broke out in separate areas of the capital, despite an agreement reached on Monday over the renewal of a short-term ceasefire for an additional five days. Othman Jaafar, from the Haj Yusuf area, east of Khartoum, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “We hear the heavy exchange of bullets near our area.” The forces of Freedom and Change – the former ruling coalition - called on the leaders of the army and the RSF to abide by the ceasefire agreement, to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The coalition strongly condemned the continued armed presence in residential areas and service facilities, as well as attacks on civilians, and urged the two sides to stop the clashes immediately, hold the perpetrators accountable, and return the looted property. For its part, the United Nations said that fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF in Khartoum and other parts of the country, despite the ceasefire, which took effect on May 22. The UN reported that the fighting since April 15 has forced nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes, inside and outside the country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 345,000 Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, Central Africa, and Ethiopia.

Sudan Army Suspends Truce Talks with RSF
Reuters/31 May 2023
The Sudanese army has suspended its participation in US- and Saudi-brokered ceasefire talks with its paramilitary foes, a government official told AFP on Wednesday. The army took the decision "because the rebels have never implemented a single one of the provisions of a short-term ceasefire which required their withdrawal from hospitals and residential buildings, and have repeatedly violated the truce", the Sudanese official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in early May, had produced a declaration of commitments to protect civilians and two short-term ceasefire deals, although those deals were repeatedly violated. Residents reported heavy clashes in southern Khartoum and in Omdurman across the River Nile until late on Tuesday. The army, which relies on airpower and artillery, and the RSF, a more lightly armed force but a tough adversary in Khartoum street battles, had agreed to extend a week-long ceasefire deal by five days just before its Monday expiry. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a career military officer, and RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a former militia commander known as Hemedti, have been locked in a battle for power since April 15. Neither side seems to have an edge. The RSF said in a statement late on Tuesday it was committed to the ceasefire "despite repeated violations" by the army. Before the ceasefire deal was renewed, an army source said the army had demanded the RSF withdraw from civilian homes and hospitals as a condition for an extension. After the five-day extension was agreed, talks continued on the terms of the truce. The truce was brokered and is being remotely monitored by Saudi Arabia and the United States. They say it has been violated by both sides but has nonetheless allowed the delivery of aid to an estimated 2 million people. The war has killed hundreds of people and forced nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes, with more than 350,000 of those heading to neighbouring countries. Khartoum and the capital area have been the site of the heaviest fighting, although clashes have erupted in other regions, including Darfur, a region in Sudan's far west. The capital has seen widespread looting and frequent power and water supply cuts. Most hospitals have stopped functioning.  The United Nations, some aid agencies, embassies and parts of Sudan's central government have moved operations to Port Sudan, the main shipping hub on the Red Sea which has seen little unrest. After long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was toppled in an popular uprising in 2019, the army and RSF leaders staged a coup in 2021 before they due to hand leadership to civilians. They fell out over the chain of command and restructuring of the RSF under the planned transition.

Turkish Lira Trades Near Record Low Against Dollar
Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
Türkiye’s lira tumbled on Wednesday to a fresh record low against the dollar as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepared to decide the shape of his new cabinet and the direction of economic policy after an election triumph. In its third successive day of losses, the lira weakened nearly 1.5% to a record of 20.75 against the US currency, taking its losses this year to nearly 10%. Investors have been concerned about the sustainability of Türkiye’s unorthodox economic policies as it followed a low-rate program championed by Erdogan. The focus is now on whom he will appoint to top economic policymaking roles and if there will be a course change towards economic orthodoxy. A meeting this week between Erdogan and Mehmet Simsek, a former economy chief respected by investors for his orthodox policy credentials, fueled speculation over a possible pivot to more conventional policies. "I don't know whether he will be the new finance minister or not, but any credible name is important to give a signal to the market that there will be change. Action speaks more than intention," said Cagri Kutman of KNG Securities. "If you have Mehmet Simsek or a similar person in charge that is a big move. But then the market will be curious about the first move of the economic team – will there be more orthodox policies or will they do something worse or will they do something to buy time and see how it goes?" First-quarter economic growth stayed buoyant despite the impact of southern earthquakes, high inflation and a cost of living crisis.
Türkiye’s economy expanded 4.0% in the first quarter of the year, just above expectations, official data showed on Wednesday, despite the impact of February's earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 and left millions homeless. First-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3% from the previous quarter on a seasonally and calendar-adjusted basis, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed. A Reuters poll forecast the economy to have expanded 3.9% in the first quarter, with growth of 2.8% in 2023.

UAE withdraws from US-led maritime coalition
Agence France Presse/31 May 2023
The United Arab Emirates has withdrawn from a US-led maritime coalition tasked with securing tense Gulf waterways that are vital to the global oil trade, it said Wednesday. The UAE "withdrew its participation" in the 38-nation Combined Maritime Forces two months ago, a foreign ministry statement said, without giving reasons for the move. "As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces," said the statement carried by the official WAM news agency. The Bahrain-headquartered CMF was established in 2001, initially as a partnership between 12 nations. It is active in crucial but troubled Gulf waters where tankers have been seized and attacked in recent months. A spokesperson for the Combined Maritime Forces said the UAE remains a partner nation, despite putting its participation on hold.
"The CMF still includes 38 partner nations, of which the UAE is one," Commander Timothy Hawkins told AFP. Iran seized two tankers in a week in late April and early May, including one empty ship that was travelling between the UAE ports of Dubai and Fujairah. Iran was also accused of launching a drone attack against an Israeli-owned tanker in November 2022, stoking tensions with the United States. Earlier this month, the U.S. said it was sending reinforcements to the Gulf, which carries at least a third of the world's sea-borne oil, after what it called increasing harassment by Iran. The commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, Vice-Admiral Brad Cooper, later transited through the Strait of Hormuz in a guided-missile destroyer along with British and French naval commanders. Iran responded by saying it is capable of ensuring the safety of Gulf waters in cooperation with neighboring countries. "The UAE remains committed to responsibly ensuring the safety of navigation in its seas," the UAE statement said, adding that the major oil exporter is "committed to peaceful dialogue and diplomatic engagement."

Qatari PM meets with Taliban's supreme leader in Afghanistan
Associated Press/31 May 2023
The supreme leader of the Taliban met in Afghanistan with Qatar's prime minister this month, the first-such publicly known meeting between the Taliban's reclusive leader and a foreign official, the Al Jazeera satellite news network reported Wednesday. Haibatullah Akhunzada met Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on May 12 in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the Taliban, Al Jazeera English said. Sheikh Mohammed also is the foreign minister of Qatar, an energy-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula. The state-owned broadcaster did not specifically discuss what the two officials spoke about, though it described the meeting as aimed at ways to end the Taliban's international isolation. Qatari government officials declined to discuss the meeting, which Reuters first reported. The Taliban did not respond to requests for comment regarding the meeting. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It's unclear, however, what effect such a meeting will have. The Taliban seized Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. In the time since, Afghanistan has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, depriving them of virtually all their basic rights, according to the U.N. Hunger remains endemic. Taliban fighters also exchanged gunfire with Iranian border guards on Saturday. Qatar, which hosts a major U.S. military base in the region, served as a crucial point for those fleeing the Taliban in the chaotic days of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Qatar also hosts a diplomatic post for the Taliban and hosted talks between the group and then-President Donald Trump's administration.

UN urges Iraq to deliver on reforms and combat corruption
Associated Press/31 May 2023
The U.N. Security Council encouraged Iraq's recently formed government to deliver on reforms and combat corruption in a resolution adopted unanimously that backs the country's ongoing fight against the Islamic State, al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.The resolution, which extends the U.N. political mission in Iraq for a year, welcomes last October's confirmation by Iraq's Council of Representatives of a new government and Cabinet led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani after a more than year-long political stalemate that was punctuated by outbreaks of street violence. Twenty years after the U.S. invasion toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein and divided the unified country in the heart of the Arab world, Iraq is still seeking stability. In 2014, lslamic State fighters seized Iraqi cities and declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of territory in Syria and Iraq. The group was formally declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year bloody battle that left tens of thousands dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells continue to stage attacks in different parts of the country. The upheaval between 2003 and 2023 killed about 300,000 Iraqis along with more than 8,000 U.S. military, contractors and civilians. The resolution supports Iraq "in addressing the challenges it faces as it continues its stabilization efforts" including in fighting the Islamic State, al-Qaida and their affiliates and ensuring that international human rights and humanitarian law are observed. It also backs Iraq's continuing recovery, reconstruction and reconciliation. The council encouraged al-Sudani's government not only to deliver on reforms and tackle corruption but to protect and respect the human rights of all Iraqis, promote accountability for rights violations, deliver essential services, diversify the oil-dependent economy, create jobs, improve governance, combat climate change and strengthen the security sector. U.N. special envoy for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the council on May 18 that the past 20 years have been "a very rough road," but the new government has shown resolve to tackle a number of pressing issues. "That said, it is early days, and we do not have a crystal ball to predict the unknowns, which could include the rise of potential disrupters," she said. "Any government in this position needs time" but "the harsh reality is that there is no time to lose."Hennis-Plasschaert emphasized the need for all political actors to put national interests ahead of individual or party interests, and to support independent state institutions and "an active, empowered and protected civic space." She stressed that "the healthy interplay of opposition and coalition must be allowed to function" and urged passage of a federal budget to provide funds to turn some government goals into realities including delivering public services. "The good news is that the government has taken an express stance against the adverse effects of corruption, which stem from the system as constructed over the past two decades," she said. "And, yes, vested interests will make the required systemic reform undoubtedly an uphill struggle. But it must be done." The resolution, adopted by a 15-0 vote, extends the political mission known as UNAMI that Hennis-Plasschaert heads until May 31, 2024. It says her top priority is to provide advice, support and assistance to the Iraqi government on advancing political dialogue that is inclusive, and reconciliation at the national and community level. UNAMI should also advise, support and assist Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission and other institutions to strengthen electoral preparations, including for provincial elections and parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan region — and it should help the government's review of the constitution and security sector reform efforts.

Yemen rebels, govt. in largest exchange of corpses
Agence France Presse/31 May 2023
Huthi rebels and Yemen's government have exchanged the corpses of dozens of fighters, in the largest such handover since their war began more than eight years ago, a government official said on Tuesday. The transfer took place Monday in Al-Jawf province with the help of mediation by local authorities.
"A total of 43 bodies were exchanged, including 21 belonging to the Yemeni army killed in the south of Marib more than a year ago," the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. The bodies were buried on Tuesday in Marib, he added. A six-month truce brokered by the United Nations expired in October last year, but fighting has largely remained on hold as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict intensified. In April Riyadh's ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, travelled to Sanaa as part of a plan to "stabilise" the truce. Although no deal was struck, Jaber later said warring parties are serious about ending the conflict. The Iran-backed Huthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention months later. Hundreds of thousands have died in the war, which triggered a major humanitarian crisis. Marib governorate, an oil-rich region, saw some of the most bitter fighting in the past two years. The city of Marib is the last northern bastion of the government, which is now based in the southern city of Aden. In April the rebels and government forces freed nearly 900 prisoners under a deal agreed in Switzerland. The push for peace in Yemen appeared to be revived by a surprise rapprochement deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March.

Tensions high in north Kosovo as Serbs gather again
Agence France Presse/31 May 2023
Tensions remained high in northern Kosovo on Wednesday, as hundreds of ethnic Serbs again gathered outside a town hall after clashing with NATO-led peacekeepers (KFOR) earlier this week. KFOR soldiers formed a ring around the municipal building in Zvecan and additionally secured the perimeter with a metal fence and barbed wire, an AFP journalist said. Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority boycotted local elections in the north in April, allowing ethnic Albanians to take control of the local councils despite a tiny turnout of less than 3.5 percent. Many Serbs are demanding the withdrawal of Kosovo special police forces, as well as the ethnic Albanian mayors they do not consider their true representatives. The protesters, who were calm on Wednesday, displayed a huge Serbian flag that stretched over 200 meters (660 feet) from the town hall to the center of Zvecan, according to an AFP journalist. Three vehicles of ethnic Albanian Kosovo special police -- whose presence sparks controversy in Serb-majority northern areas -- remained parked outside the building. NATO said Tuesday it was deploying more forces to northern Kosovo after 30 of its peacekeepers were injured in clashes with ethnic Serb protesters. The European Union called for an urgent de-escalation of tensions. On Monday, NATO-led peacekeepers used shields and batons in a bid to disperse the crowd but were met by a hail of rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails. A total of 30 peacekeepers -- 11 Italians and 19 Hungarians -- were wounded in Monday's clashes, according to KFOR. Fifty-two protesters were also injured, three of them "seriously", while five Serbs were arrested for taking part in the clashes. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken criticized ally Kosovo, blaming Prime Minister Albin Kurti's government for "sharply and unnecessarily escalated tensions" by installing ethnic Albanian mayors. The United States also suspended Kosovo from an ongoing military exercise. Kosovo declared independence from Belgrade after a U.S.-led NATO military intervention in 1999 effectively ended a bitter war between Serb forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas. Belgrade -- along with its key allies China and Russia -- still does not recognize the move, preventing Pristina from having a seat at the United Nations. Kosovo is mainly populated by ethnic Albanians, but the Serbs who make up around six percent of the population have remained largely loyal to Belgrade, especially in the north where they are a majority.

EU plans for company human rights, environment checks face new hurdle
LBCI/31 May 2023
Lawmakers in the European Parliament sought on Wednesday to water down groundbreaking European Union rules that would require large companies to check whether their suppliers abuse human rights or damage the environment. Parliament is due on Thursday to vote on a cross-party compromise agreed in April on the draft EU corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD). Large companies selling products in the EU - even those headquartered outside the bloc - would have to check on their suppliers and take mitigating action if abuses or environmental damage are found. Retailers, for example, would have to check whether the fruit and vegetables they sell in the EU were not picked by people working under squalid conditions or using child labor. "It's impossible to say we didn't know," said Lara Wolters, the center left lawmaker sponsoring the legislation. Companies would also have to publish plans showing how they would transition to a net zero economy. But lawmakers from center right and right wing parties said in a debate on Wednesday that the rules would impose red tape on companies, and harm their competitiveness as they face increased competition from China. "They cannot be held responsible for everything their suppliers do," Ivan Stefanec, a member of the European People's Party (EPP), the assembly's biggest political grouping, told the debate. Didier Reynders, EU Justice Commissioner, said the CSDDD creates a level playing field among companies, replacing differing voluntary checks across countries. The European Commission was already facing increased political resistance to new EU laws to protect the environment. Separately on Wednesday, EPP walked out of negotiations on a landmark EU law to protect nature. Supporters of the CSDDD compromise say opponents are unlikely to muster enough votes to block or amend the draft law on Thursday. A green light would open negotiations with EU states next month on a final deal. EU states approved a position among themselves in December, which includes a national option to exclude financial services - parliament's compromise wants them included.

Raging wildfire empties homes in eastern Canada, pollutes air in US
LBCI/31 May 2023
Canadian fire officials warned on Wednesday gusty winds and low humidity could fuel a raging wildfire in Halifax that has forced thousands to evacuate while causing poor air quality hundreds of miles away in the US. The blaze, dubbed the Tantallon Fire, in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax, grew by 49 hectares (121 acres) to 837 hectares (2,068 acres) since Tuesday, David Steeves of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources said in a news conference. "Today could possibly be a very difficult day," he said on Wednesday morning, noting forecasts for 25 kilometers (16 miles) an hour wind gusts out of the south and low humidity. "Today could be a day that is very dangerous for the folks on the ground." The fire, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of downtown Halifax, has already forced 18,000 people to evacuate their homes. No fatalities have been reported but about 200 homes, structures have been damaged, the CBC reported, citing the Halifax Regional Municipality. Forest fires also led to evacuations of about 400 homes in the province of New Brunswick over the weekend, officials said. "The stories and the images we're seeing coming out of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are heartbreaking," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa, pledging federal support for the Atlantic provinces. "We know people are extremely, extremely distressed by what's going on. As a federal government we are there, we will be there to support," he said. On Tuesday, Canadian emergency officials also issued a mandatory evacuation order for parts of Bedford, Nova Scotia, after authorities noted a new wildfire and the potential for an ammonia leak in the area, CBC News reported. A light fog of smoke blanketed the area on Wednesday where families packed vehicles, causing gridlock in normally quiet residential neighborhoods in West Bedford. Earlier this month, the western province of Alberta declared a state of emergency after tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes as unprecedented wildfires raged. The Halifax wildfire was expected to cause poor air quality hundreds of miles to the south in parts of the US East Coast and Midwest as smoke drifts across the regions. Air quality alerts were in effect for eastern and western parts of Michigan, northern Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York where a high concentration of pollutants were in the forecast, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. "Sensitive groups should minimize strenuous outdoor activities," the NWS in Philadelphia said in a Facebook post along with a photograph of a hazing orange sun.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on May 31-June 01/2023
US Public Opinion Divided on Arming Ukraine
Anushka Patil/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
While a bipartisan majority of the American public believes Russia’s war in Ukraine is unjustified, support for providing Ukraine with weapons has dropped over the past 12 months, according to a new poll released this week by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and NORC at the University of Chicago. The poll, which was conducted in mid-April and released on Wednesday, adds to findings from earlier this year that showed public support for arming Ukraine weakening. In the most recent poll, 50 percent of Americans strongly favored or somewhat favored the United States’ sending weapons, down from 61 percent in mid-April 2022. Public support for imposing economic sanctions on Russia and accepting Ukrainian refugees into the United States has also declined, the poll found. Only support for sending government funds to Ukraine, as opposed to weapons, has remained largely unchanged since roughly a year ago.
Still, a strong majority of Americans — some 70 percent — disapproved of Russia’s invasion. There are partisan differences: 82 percent of Democrats said they believed that Russia’s actions were an unjustified attempt to gain territory, versus 69 percent of Republicans, the Harris School of Public Policy said.
The findings reflect a difference between Americans’ principles and what they are willing to pay for, said Sibel Oktay, a nonresident senior fellow of public opinion and foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Though a “huge majority” of the public said they felt that Russia’s actions were unjustified, the crucial question is whether they are “willing to send the tax dollars or send significant portions of U.S. resources to the Ukrainians to undermine these Russian efforts,” she said. The results also suggested that Americans might not feel their country has as much of a stake in the war today as it did a year ago, Dr. Oktay said. She added that these were important signals for the Biden administration to heed in its domestic messaging about the United States’ interests in the conflict. While a small group of congressional Republicans has been clamoring against sending further aid to Kyiv, the Biden administration has repeatedly vowed to back Ukraine for the long haul. On Sunday, at the Group of 7 summit in Japan, President Biden announced a new $375 million military aid package that includes ammunition and artillery for Ukraine’s armed forces. He also told Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that “together with the entire G7, we have Ukraine’s back, and I promise we’re not going anywhere.”

Mohammed bin Salman… From Ideology to Technology
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al Awsat/31 May 2023
The findings of a Gallup poll released in April revealed that the ruler of Saudi Arabia is more popular than those of Iran and Türkiye in 13 Islamic countries. This affirms that the administration of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has managed to win hearts and minds and turned the Kingdom into a leading soft power during the “Salman reign.”
The Crown Prince succeeded in enhancing Saudi Arabia’s standing in a region ripped apart by conflicts and wars. How did he do it? How did he take Vision 2030 from an unexpected step to the new mission of the Kingdom under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the direct supervision of the Crown Prince? The questions have been mounting since Saudi Arabia hosted summits, with the US to China, and recently the Arab League, over the past year, as well as the AlUla Summit that preceded it. The most important question here is: How did this broadly adored leader open the door to reconciliation with Iran and Russia? Is this a paradox or flexibility? Indeed, how did he convince the Ukrainian president to attend?
Those who have believed in the Crown Prince’s leadership and administration since the beginning reply: Vision 2030 is a comprehensive project aimed at giving precedence to interests and making use of opportunities. The Crown Prince has taken the region from “the phase of ideology to the phase of technology,” which demands stability, investment and young minds that believe that their country is the future. It can only be achieved through education, not ideological fervor. Here is an example: Saudi women have made it to space after decades spent arguing over their right to drive.
The moves Crown Prince Mohammed has already made, as well as those he is currently making, seek to “take the region from the stage of mass destruction to a stage of mass construction.” Nothing can be built by conflicts and crises. Construction cannot be achieved amid estrangement; it needs clear air and communication. It can only succeed through the enhancement of investment opportunities and by replacing the security coordination prevalent in the region with economic cooperation. Partnership must also replace suspicion, and competition must replace conflict.
What the Crown Prince has done is present two options: either join the shift “from ideology to technology” or choose between “mass destruction and mass construction” (through partnership, not gifts, grants, and tricks). Thus, the region has a choice to make. Whoever hesitates or refuses will end up like the European states that rebuffed the Marshall Plan before eventually begging for entry into the European Union. It is this reading of the Saudi project that has won hearts and begun to convince minds.
In fact, this view drove NYU International Relations Professor Alon Ben-Meir to write that the Crown Prince “has emerged as the undisputed leader of the Middle East. He seeks prosperity, security, and stability.” “The Saudis have created a promising geostrategic environment in the region” in order to “achieve three distinct objectives: maximum stability in a region being torn apart by conflict, enhancing its influence and standing in the region and around the world, and guaranteeing stable exports,” he added.
Alright, how did that happen? Here, you could be told: this is construction in the “Salman style”. However, the more important thing is that this is the “Salman reign,” and it is being administered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Ukraine’s recovery must be a priority for the civilized world
Anatolii Petrenko/Arab News/May 31, 2023
In an address to Ukrainians last year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The recovery of Ukraine is not only about what needs to be done later, after our victory, but also about what needs to be done at this time. And we have to do it together with our partners. Do now.”
More than 450 days have passed since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The scale of destruction caused by Russian troops is unprecedented. Ukrainian land is subject to appalling cruelty. The shelling, missile attacks and drone strikes are constant. Some areas are on the brink of ecological catastrophe. Almost 50 percent of our energy infrastructure system has been destroyed. The number of civilian infrastructure facilities damaged or destroyed by Russia has exceeded 100,000 assets. Ukraine is also one of the most mined countries in the world today.
The most prominent example of Russia’s poisonous and destructive footprint is Bakhmut. A once marvelous and blooming place has been turned into a ghost town. It became a symbol of resilience not only for Ukrainians, but for the whole world. Here comes the understanding that today no place is safe and secure. But Ukraine — a brave nation and its courageous warriors — will continue standing up against evil, liberating our territories and expelling Russian troops from our hometowns.
Along with combating the enemy by force, we are attaching great importance to our economic recovery. And our intention, expressed many times by the political and economic leadership, remains firm and clear: We have to start it now. Time is priceless and people living through hundreds of days in a state of war feel it way more sensibly and painfully.
The government has already designed the National Recovery and Development Plan. It encompasses a strategic route to the future postwar economy and provides opportunities for others to have an input.
The Ukraine Recovery Plan is founded on five key principles: Start now and ramp up gradually; grow prosperity in an equitable way; integrate into the EU; build back better at national and regional scales; and enable private investments.
Taking into account the scale of the destruction, Ukraine will need to involve both states and the private sector to make the process as comprehensive as possible. It is important to keep in mind that support of Ukraine now is a solid investment in the strength of the global economic system for the coming years and decades. The UK, together with Ukraine, will be holding the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference in London on June 21-22. The conference is going to focus the attention of the wider international community on the extensive action plan for Ukraine’s economic recovery and the restoration of its investment potential. Along with combating the enemy by force, we are attaching great importance to our economic recovery.
A joint assessment conducted by the government of Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Commission and the UN, which was released on March 23, indicated that the cost of reconstruction and recovery in Ukraine had grown to $411 billion. It covered a one-year period from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In 2023, Ukraine will be in particular need of $14.1 billion for critical and priority reconstruction and recovery investments. Ukraine’s key recovery needs for the current year that require that sum relate to energy infrastructure, humanitarian demining, critical and social infrastructure, the private sector and housing. The scope of the financial sources that Ukraine will rely upon are as follows: Confiscated Russian funds, direct allocations from the Ukrainian state budget, funding from international partners, and donor funds from around the world.
The whole process should be conducted under international standards, together with a complex of economic, social and legal reforms securing Ukraine’s smooth movement toward the EU.
The recovery of Ukraine must become a priority for the civilized world. It is a chance for the international community to show the supremacy of international law, its principles and the ultimate rule of the UN Charter. It is an opportunity to show the strength of values and of the institutions of modern civilized nations.
Our honor and most sincere pleasure will be to see Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries participating in the upcoming London conference, while sharing their invaluable capacities within the grand Ukraine recovery process.
In the final outcome, Ukraine must shine in the brightest way possible in order to showcase the power of international solidarity and justice. Our prosperous future depends on us. Our coherence and devotion should be an example for others to follow.
• Anatolii Petrenko is Ukraine’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Twitter: @AmbUkraineKSA

The No-State Solution
Robert Satloff/The Washington Institute./May 31, 2023
A recent essay touting a “one-state” approach to Israel-Palestinian issues is more about eliminating the world’s only Jewish state than offering real solutions to complex regional problems.
Last month, Foreign Affairs published an article titled "Israel’s One-State Reality: It’s Time to Give Up on the Two-State Solution" and asked several experts for their responses. Here is Robert Satloff’s contribution, which just appeared in the new issue.
Foreign Affairs should be congratulated for publishing this breathtakingly tendentious essay by Michael Barnett, Nathan Brown, Marc Lynch, and Shibley Telhami because it exposes the authors’ pseudo-academic argument as little more than political advocacy.
Why is this advocacy and not scholarship? Because in its eagerness to market the catchphrase “one-state reality,” it neglects to mention the hard borders between Israel, Hamas-controlled Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority-controlled urban areas of the West Bank, which make it impossible for anyone—Israeli, Palestinian, or third-country national—to traverse the length and breadth of this supposedly single state and quite dangerous for anyone even to try. Because to make its case, it avoids inconvenient facts, such as the impressive advance of Arab Israelis within Israeli society in recent decades and the rejection of the “apartheid” label by many leading Arab figures on both sides of the Green Line, including the Knesset Member Mansour Abbas, the rights activist Bassem Eid, and the peace activist Mohammed Dajani. Because it disparages the state of Israel’s democracy, which is older than those of about half the countries in the European Union, and makes only passing reference to the remarkable vitality of the country’s civil society, underscored by the huge nationwide protests against proposed judicial reforms that began in early 2023. And because, without a single reference to Hezbollah missiles, Hamas rockets, or a potential Iranian nuclear bomb, it leaves the unsuspecting reader to wonder whether Israel’s neighbors are Andorra, Lichtenstein, and Switzerland.
There is much in the essay about the regression of peace diplomacy since the failed Camp David summit in 2000, including the rightward turn of Israeli politics in response to the suicide bombings of the second Palestinian intifada, the expansion of Israeli settlements, and the apparent effect these developments have had on American attitudes toward Israel. But on closer inspection, the article is not really about the Palestinian issue at all. In the tall tale the authors tell, Palestinians make little more than cameo appearances, bearing responsibility for neither their decisions nor their fates.
The real point of this essay is to target Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, a status established not just by events in British-controlled Palestine in the early decades of the twentieth century but also by a UN General Assembly resolution approved in November 1947 by a large majority of the world’s independent countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union. “Israel’s commitment to liberalism has always been shaky,” the authors write in the article’s most revealing passage. “As a Jewish state, it fosters a form of ethnic nationalism rather than a civic one.” That argument flows easily into this policy advice: “A better U.S. policy would advocate for equality, citizenship, and human rights for all Jews and Palestinians living within the single state dominated by Israel.”
Strip away the outrage at Israel’s policy toward the Palestinians—about which there is plenty to critique—and the authors’ goal becomes clear: to paint Israel itself as illegitimate, a country born in colonial sin and raised to maturity as an illiberal, ethnonationalist state that deserves not just to be condemned but also to be replaced. As much as the authors dress up their alternative with the language of human and civil rights, there is no getting around the perversity of advocating a solution that does away with the world’s lone Jewish state.
Thankfully, the American people do not support the destruction of Israel and consistently elect presidents, senators, and representatives from both parties who support a thriving Jewish state. Indeed, the authors seem almost apoplectic that U.S. President Joe Biden, who is proud to call himself a Zionist, appears “fully committed to the status quo,” which includes support for a strong Jewish state and an eventual negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It bears noting that “the deal of the century” put forward by his Republican predecessor—although flawed in many ways—still proposed the creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel on most of the territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
The fact that the authors’ views were rejected by Washington and Moscow 75 years ago, were rejected by the once unthinkable number of Arab states now at peace with Israel, and would be rejected by both Biden and former U.S. President Donald Trump—two leaders who do not agree on much—says something about how far out on the fringe these views are. Yet they are still worrying. After all, the authors teach at major American universities.
They are right that Israel’s current government includes some radicals with hateful ideas, that Israeli society is still grappling with fundamental issues of identity, and that Israelis (like Palestinians) suffer from a paucity of effective leadership. But as Americans well know, those last two issues are not unique to the Middle East, and solutions to them are likely to evolve over many years. As for the first issue, after 37 Israeli governments in 75 years, a version of Mark Twain’s quip about New England weather seems apt: if you don’t like Israel’s coalition, wait a few months. But the authors have a very different diagnosis and a very different cure. In their view, the Jewish state itself is the problem, and getting rid of it is the answer. Let’s call their proposal what it is: the No Israel Solution.
*Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director and Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy at The Washington Institute.

UAE Public Opinion: Still Friendly to United States, Split on Israel, Hostile to Iran
David Pollock/The Washington Institute/May 31, 2023
A fresh opinion poll of UAE citizens, commissioned by the Washington Institute and conducted by a reliable independent regional firm in April 2023, reveals some of the most pro-American and anti-Iranian attitudes of any Arab country surveyed lately. On normalization with Israel, views are more mixed—yet surprisingly moderate, given this poll’s timing during Ramadan.
Most Say the United States Is the UAE’s Partner or Friend; Specific Priorities Vary
The large majority of Emirati citizens today say the United States is either a “friend” (17%), a “security partner” (30%), or an “economic partner” (35%) of their country. Asked more specifically about their top priority for American policy in the region, responses divide as follows: “Do more to help resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict” gets 31%, slightly more than in recent years. Next comes “do more to help counter the threats we face from Iran” (26%), followed closely by “do more to help promote democracy and human rights in Arab countries (21%) and then “provide more economic aid and investment in Arab countries” (19%).
China and Russia also Rate High; Three-Fourths even Prefer Russian Victory over Ukraine
At the same time, most Emiratis now see both China and Russia in an even more favorable light. China is perceived mainly as an economic partner (62%), more so than a security partner (just 10%) or a friend (18%). The comparable figures for Russia are divided somewhat more evenly: economic partner, 42%; security partner, 32%; friend, 21%.
Still more unexpected is that three-fourths (77%) of Emiratis agree at least “somewhat” with this purposely provocative proposition: “In the war going on now between Russia and Ukraine, the best outcome would be a Russian victory, including the annexation of significant Ukrainian territory to Russia.” It should be noted, however, that this survey was conducted well before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was invited, with great publicity, to address the latest Arab Summit meeting in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Three-Fourths Oppose Fire Against Israel from Gaza; Nearly Half Accept Economic Ties
A striking finding from this poll is that the solid majority (76%) of UAE citizens say that “firing missiles or rockets against Israel from Gaza”—as in fact occurred a few weeks after the survey was taken—would have “negative effects on the region.” And on a different yet possibly related question, an almost equally large majority (65%) foresee positive effects from “the mass protests by some Israelis against the new Netanyahu government there.”
Attitudes toward economic relations with Israel are more mixed, but still relatively favorable. Almost half of Emiratis (45%), about the same as on similar questions in previous polls, agree that “if it would help our economy, it would be acceptable to have some business deals with Israeli companies.” Along the same lines, 41% predict some positive effects from “the agreement on a maritime boundary between Israel and Lebanon.”
But Most Remain Skeptical on Cooperation with Israel Against Iran
However, on some other, apparently more controversial or emotional normalization questions, Emirati public opinion is notably less positive. Contrary to common outside misconception about the Abraham Accords, only a small minority (21%) agree with this proposition: “Despite our differences with Israel on other issues, some Arab states should cooperate with Israel against the threats we face from Iran.” Three-fourths (74%) agree at least “somewhat” with this deliberately pointed assertion: “In case of an earthquake or other natural disaster, as we just saw in Syria and Turkey, Arab states should reject any humanitarian aid from Israel.” And most broadly, asked about the regional effects of the Abraham Accords, just one-quarter (27%) now view that as positive—about the same as in previous polls over the past two years.
Iran Seen as Adversary by Large Majority, Though Fewer Want War or Matching Nukes
In sharp contrast, Emiratis overwhelmingly view Iran as either a “competitor” (30%) or even an
“enemy” (55%) of their own country. This is one of the few questions on which a statistically significant sectarian divergence appears. While a mere 9% of Sunni Emiratis say Iran is a friend or partner, the corresponding figure among the UAE small minority of Shia citizens is, at 34%, considerably higher.
Along similar lines, just one-third (35%) of Emiratis overall predict positive effects from “the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.” By comparison, a somewhat larger proportion (46%), though still a minority, expect positive effects from “the moves by some Arab governments”–including the UAE– “to restore relations with Assad in Syria.”
Nevertheless, these heavily negative opinions of Iran do not mean a widespread popular desire to confront it militarily, either by outside powers or by Arab states themselves. On the contrary; Emiratis overwhelmingly agree–including nearly half who “strongly agree”–with this judgment: “A major American or Israeli military strike against Iran would be too dangerous, and so a bad idea for our country.” Conversely, only a minority (39%) of Emirati citizens, whether Sunni or Shiite, agree with the following assertion: “Since Iran is now getting so close to having a nuclear bomb, it’s time for an Arab country to get one too.”
Methodological Notes
This analysis is based on findings from a survey among a representative national sample of 1,000 adult citizens in the UAE, selected by standard probability procedures Out of a total country population of around 10 million, only about 1 million are citizens. The rest are mostly guest workers (and sometimes their families) from other Arab, Asian or European countries, with temporary residence permits. Most other Arab polls, unlike this one, do not distinguish between citizens and expatriates.
Strict quality controls and assurances of confidentiality were provided throughout by the highly qualified, experienced, and entirely apolitical regional commercial company that conducted the fieldwork. As for demographics, it should be noted that two-thirds of UAE citizens reside in just two of the seven emirates: Abu Dhabi (approximately 40%) and Dubai (25%); sampling reflected those proportions. However, statistical analysis shows only very modest attitudinal differences by emirate, or even by age (under or over 30 years old).
The margin of error for a sample of this size and nature is approximately 3 percent. However, the proportional subsample of Shiite citizens is so small (N = 88) that those figures should be considered indicative, rather than statistically precise. Additional methodological details are readily available on The Washington Institute’s interactive polling data platform.

Arab-Iranian dialogue makes strides in Doha
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/May 31, 2023
Doha this week hosted three days of informal Arab-Iranian dialogue. The conference, held largely behind closed doors, acquired a special significance as it came shortly after new developments indicated that we may be on the cusp of a new beginning.
Iranian participants included former officials and high-level representatives from universities and semiofficial institutions. They offered varied perspectives on Tehran’s regional policy. Most expressed a fresh desire for engagement, reconciliation and cooperation. For the first time, they accepted the idea of having talks with the GCC on Iran’s nuclear program. On some regional issues, they offered flexibility, which was even more evident during talks on the sidelines of the main event. Some of the others appeared to dwell on the past and did not offer new ideas.
Relations with Iran have been difficult for most of the time since the revolution in 1979, when it declared its goal of exporting that revolution. Since then, Tehran has managed to export a version of its model to parts of the region, but with disastrous results for both Iran and its neighbors. Militarizing Iran’s economy and its external entanglements have impoverished its people and reduced a once-thriving country to the verge of collapse. The countries where Iran has been involved, such as Syria and Yemen, have fared even worse.
The Arab League Summit, held in Jeddah on May 18, took the initiative toward regional de-escalation. For that purpose, it revisited its positions on Iran, attempting to defuse some of the regional crises where Tehran has been involved, including Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, encouraging dialogue and reconciliation. Inviting Bashar Assad, a close Tehran ally, was part of that effort. Saudi Arabia chaired the summit and will lead the Arab League until the next summit is convened in 2024, which will give it a chance to shape the implementation of the decisions made in Jeddah.
In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed, with China’s help, to resume diplomatic relations after seven years of rupture. This diplomatic breakthrough sent shockwaves through the region and paved the way toward the reconciliatory positions adopted at the Arab League Summit. Going beyond the mere resumption of diplomatic relations, the two countries stressed in a joint statement issued in Beijing their commitment to the “sovereignty of states and noninterference in their internal affairs,” referencing two important principles underpinning the conflict with Iran. The fact that Iran agreed to make this commitment was another breakthrough.
On both shores of the Gulf, there is great yearning to go back in history to when the region lived in relative peace, security and stability. Over the centuries, the same tribes and families lived on both banks of the Gulf and enjoyed rich cultural and thriving economic ties.
However, things have gotten complicated over the past four decades. There are significant disagreements between the two sides. At the same time, they share the same space and have equally significant shared economic and strategic interests, making it imperative to deal with those disagreements. On those issues where concurrence is elusive, there should be a clear way to manage them politically and peacefully, according to international standards and norms for relations between states.
The Arab summit stressed that Arab regional security is indivisible. Gulf security is an integral and important part of Arab security, and the security of Arab states is equally important to the Gulf. Iran is uncomfortable with this fact. It does not understand why GCC states are concerned about Iran’s domination of Arab states such as Syria, Lebanon or Yemen. It also does not see the need to refrain from forming, funding or arming militias in Arab countries, even when they use force to seize power and engage in serious human rights violations.
There is also a serious disagreement between Iran and its Gulf neighbors over international security cooperation. GCC states are active members of important security partnerships, including the Combined Maritime Forces, which coordinates the work of 38 countries to combat illicit activities by nonstate actors, such as piracy and smuggling.
On both shores of the Gulf, there is great yearning to go back in history to when the region lived in relative peace, security and stability.
Conversely, Iran is strenuously opposed to any foreign security presence, employing populist discourses about ending colonialism and foreign domination.
The stage must be prepared well for the success of substantive talks on the issues of pressing concern, by agreeing on the rules governing relations between the states of the region and confidence-building measures, with a view to maintaining de-escalation. Those issues can be discussed along five interconnected tracks.
The political and diplomatic track covers discussing regional issues, such as Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, to encourage political solutions according to UN resolutions, without the use of force or threats to achieve political goals. It also covers nuclear, missile and drone proliferation, especially to nonstate actors.
The security track covers terrorism, sectarian militias and other armed groups operating outside the law.
The economic track explores trade and investment opportunities, including in renewables.
The sustainability track explores possible cooperation in efforts to reverse climate change and rehabilitate the Gulf marine environment.
Finally, reviving the historically rich Arab-Iranian cultural exchanges could be discussed in the cultural track.
To ensure the success of this engagement, discussions should include both official and nongovernmental channels, including business groups, universities and research centers.
The great strides achieved by GCC countries over past decades in terms of the economy, social development, education, culture and the arts can be made more robust, comprehensive and sustainable once Iran and its neighbors are able to restore the requisite confidence and spirit of collaboration and integration. Iran could then attain the same benefits of integration that the GCC states have already gained.
• Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent GCC views.
Twitter: @abuhamad1