English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 15/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
The centurion’s Slave Healing Miracle
Luke 07/01-10/: “After Jesus had finished all his
sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there
had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he
heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and
heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying,
‘He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is
he who built our synagogue for us. ’And Jesus went with them, but when he was
not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not
trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore
I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be
healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I
say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my
slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard this he was amazed at
him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even
in Israel have I found such faith.’When those who had been sent returned to the
house, they found the slave in good health.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 14-15/2023
May The Curse Be Upon Political parties & Officials Who betrayed the Cedar
Revolution and sold out the March 14 Coalition/Elias Bejjani/March 14/2023
Lebanese pound hits historic low of 100,000 to dollar: dealers
French President Emmanuel Macron meets Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati in
Paris
Amid ongoing Lebanese stalemate, France renews sanctions threat
US Assistant Secretary of State to visit Lebanon
Report: Monaco's probe into Mikati's alleged money laundering underway
What did Berri, Bukhari discuss in Ain el-Tineh?
Arab League’s Aboul Gheit visits Mikati, says regional implications of
Saudi-Iranian deal not clear yet
Abul Gheit meets Berri, says Lebanon 'will have a president'
Salameh summoned to appear before European investigators on Wednesday
Bukhari-Jumblat meeting reportedly described as 'positive'
Jumblat hopes Iran-KSA deal leads to Lebanese president before June
Banks to reportedly suspend their strike as of Monday
Bassil says freedom, independence and sovereignty are incomplete
Frangieh broaches latest developments with Egyptian Ambassador
Makary discusses media relations with Kuwaiti counterpart
Bou Habib meets American Task Force for Lebanon delegation, Czech Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Berri: Franjieh can be president who would talk to Syria, tackle defense
strategy
Education Minister welcomes EU’s Tarraf, Iraqi delegation
Army chief meets MIDEL delegation, Reform and Unity Movement head
Army chief meets American Task Force for Lebanon delegation
British Embassy celebrates sixth anniversary of Alumni Association for Lebanese
Graduates of UK Universities and 40th anniversary of Chevening...
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 14-15/2023
Syrian president Assad arrives
in Moscow, will meet Putin
Teenagers in Iran danced to a Selena Gomez song in a viral TikTok. They
were detained and forced to record an apology video in the same spot.
Iran’s IRGC branded ‘clerical fascists and homicidal maniacs’ in Commons
France says Iran breaching international treaty with prisoner detentions
Putin says Russia is fighting for its very existence
Frontline City Braces for ‘Decisive’ Attack on Putin’s Army
Russia has been forced to issue old ammunition that was previously declared
unfit for use, says UK intel, deepening its struggles in Ukraine
Ukraine says it caught a Russian soldier who had been hiding in abandoned
buildings for 6 months after being separated from his unit
Kremlin: for now, goals in Ukraine can only be achieved by military force
Kremlin says AUKUS submarine deal raises proliferation questions
Ukraine starts producing shells for Soviet-era tanks
Putin Pardons Wife of Russia’s ‘Walter White’ After Hubby Joins Wagner
Learning from Ukraine, Taiwan shows off its drones as key to 'asymmetric
warfare'
Russian fighter jet collides with US Air Force drone over Black Sea
Keys to Europe must not be in the hands of people traffickers - minister
Armenian PM: We have 'problems' with Russia, but no crisis
Titles For
The Latest
English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 14-15/2023
Iran, China and the Panama Canal: Is the US Being Encircled?/Lawrence A.
Franklin/Gatestone Institute./March 14, 2023
Facebook: Where Jihadist Hate Thrives/Raymond Ibrahim/American Thinker/March
14/20232
Could Saudi-Iran agreement augur a new era?/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab
News/March 14, 2023
Saudi Arabia-Iran detente is good news for a troubled region/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab
News/March 14, 2023
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on March 14-15/2023
May The Curse Be Upon Political parties & Officials Who betrayed the Cedar
Revolution and sold out the March 14 Coalition
Elias Bejjani/March 14/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/116550/116550/
On the 18 anniversary of the March 14 uprising, we pray reverently for the souls
of all the righteous, sovereign and patriotic heroic martyrs.
Definitely, it was a deadly sin committed by the all the mercenary Lebanese
leaders, officials and politicians who betrayed the Cedar’s Revolution, and sold
out the March 14 Coalition.
These mercenaries belittled the martyrs sacrifices by their low and despicable
entry into the Trojan presidential deal with the occupier, the terrorist Iranian
Hezbollah Armed Militia.
History will not remember those dwarfs who sold the Cedar’s Revolution, and the
March 14 coalition, without humiliation, contempt, if it mentions them. They we
be remembered with shame, they surely will rest for ever in history’s dustbin.
These foolish traitors fell into the traps and instinctive Satan’s temptations
and drowned themselves in greed. They sold the March 14 Sovereign-patriotic
Coalition with national myopia and blindness of insight.
They exchanged the people’s revolution, sovereignty, and the blood of martyrs,
with authority and personal benefits. They ungratefully stepped over the
sacrifices and blood of Lebanon’s righteous martyrs.
As a result of their greed, shortsightedness, narcissism, and worshipping of
authority, the terrorist Iranian Hezbollah armed militia managed to entirely
control and occupy Lebanon.
Because of this patriotic deviation and sin, Lebanon has lost its role and
message, and fell under the Hezbollah hegemony and occupation.
Meanwhile, we affirm with peace of conscience that the sovereign and patriotic
spirit of March 14 coalition is alive and active in the souls, hearts and
consciences of our free sovereign Lebanese people, while it is completely dead
in the hearts and minds of all political parties, politicians and puppet
officials who betrayed it and traded sovereignty with personal benefits and
authority.
Hence, in times of misery and unhappiness, the people of March 14 Coalition are
a national necessity.
In times of servility and surrender, the popular spirit of March 14 Coalition is
the answer.
And in a time of deceit, heresy, outrageous, and the lie of what was falsely and
cowardly called “political realism,” the people of March 14 Coalition have
knocked down the Trojans’ masks and exposed them.
At a time when personal interests prevail over public and national ones,
people’s support to the culture and values of March 14 Coalition continues to
prevail.
And at a time when belittling the blood of the martyrs and forgetting their
sacrifices, the March 14th Coalition of consciences will not forget the
sacrifices of its heroes, and will not trade in their blood.
And in a miserable and betrayal time where the Trojans, scribes and Pharisees
dominate our Lebanon’s official Decision Making process, and dragging the
country and its people into astray and alien paths, the people of March 14
Coalition is a must.
And at a time when politicians have lost the compass of freedom, dignity and
self respect, the goals and struggles, of March 14 Coalition remain the
solution, the foundation and the cornerstone.
In conclusion, the spirit of March 14, remains an urgent need for the
continuation of struggle and strengthening the ranks of the liberals..
Lebanese pound hits historic low of 100,000 to
dollar: dealers
AFP/March 14, 2023
Beirut: The Lebanese pound sank to a historic low against the dollar on the
parallel market Tuesday, foreign exchange dealers said, as banks in the
crisis-hit country resumed an open-ended strike. The Lebanese pound, officially
pegged at 15,000 to the dollar, was trading at 100,000 against the greenback,
dealers said — a dizzying plunge from 1,507 before the economic crisis hit in
2019. The currency’s market value was at around 60,000 to the dollar in late
January. Tuesday’s low marked another somber milestone in an economic meltdown
that has pushed most of the population into poverty. Despite the gravity of the
crisis, the country has no president and only a caretaker government amid
persistent deadlock between rival alliances in parliament. Lebanese banks that
have long imposed draconian withdrawal restrictions — essentially locking
depositors out of their life savings — were closed on Tuesday as they resumed an
open-ended strike. The strike began early last month to protest what the
Association of Banks in Lebanon described as “arbitrary” judicial measures
against lenders, after depositors filed lawsuits to retrieve savings. Over the
past three years, bank withdrawal limits have sparked public outrage that has
seen some Lebanese resort to armed hold-ups in a bid to lay hands on their own
money. Following lawsuits, some judges sought to seize the funds of bank
directors or board members, or to force lenders to pay out customers’ dollar
deposits in pounds at the old 1,507 exchange rate. Customers had a two-week
reprieve from the strike after caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati intervened
late last month to impede the work of one of the judges investigating banks.
Lebanon has had no president since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October. Repeated
sessions of parliament convened to elect a successor have all failed to reach
agreement on a consensus candidate.
French President Emmanuel Macron meets
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Paris
PARIS (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
France's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it was exploring with allies whether
the time had come for those spoiling efforts to break the constitutional
deadlock in Lebanon to face consequences. Lebanon has had no head of state since
former President Michel Aoun's term ended at the end of October, deepening
institutional paralysis in a country where one of the world's worst economic
crises has been festering for years. Foreign states have historically played a
part in determining the presidency's fate in a country that has been a theatre
for international rivalries. Last month, representatives from France, the United
States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris to discuss how to end the
political stalemate in Lebanon, though the meeting did not result in the clear
backing of any one presidential candidate, according to people briefed on the
meeting. Two diplomats aware of the talks said Paris had brought up the issue of
imposing EU sanctions targeting Lebanese leaders, although they cautioned the
idea did not seem to be top of the agenda. "We call on the Lebanese authorities,
Lebanese leaders, all the political leaders to get out of this constitutional
impasse," foreign ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters in a
daily briefing. "We have underlined that those who block ... could be exposed to
consequences."The European Union adopted a legal framework for a sanctions
regime targeting Lebanese individuals and entities in 2021 in an attempt to put
pressure on the Lebanese, but it has not used it and the political and economic
crisis has worsened. When asked whether Paris was willing to use this stick now
or whether there was nothing really concrete, Legendre said there were
consultations with partners. "We are currently examining the situation to see
how we can work on these consequences," she said.
Amid ongoing Lebanese stalemate, France renews sanctions
threat
PARIS (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
France's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it was exploring with allies whether
the time had come for those spoiling efforts to break the constitutional
deadlock in Lebanon to face consequences. Lebanon has had no head of state since
former President Michel Aoun's term ended at the end of October, deepening
institutional paralysis in a country where one of the world's worst economic
crises has been festering for years. Foreign states have historically played a
part in determining the presidency's fate in a country that has been a theatre
for international rivalries. Last month, representatives from France, the United
States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar met in Paris to discuss how to end the
political stalemate in Lebanon, though the meeting did not result in the clear
backing of any one presidential candidate, according to people briefed on the
meeting. Two diplomats aware of the talks said Paris had brought up the issue of
imposing EU sanctions targeting Lebanese leaders, although they cautioned the
idea did not seem to be top of the agenda. "We call on the Lebanese authorities,
Lebanese leaders, all the political leaders to get out of this constitutional
impasse," foreign ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters in a
daily briefing. "We have underlined that those who block ... could be exposed to
consequences."The European Union adopted a legal framework for a sanctions
regime targeting Lebanese individuals and entities in 2021 in an attempt to put
pressure on the Lebanese, but it has not used it and the political and economic
crisis has worsened. When asked whether Paris was willing to use this stick now
or whether there was nothing really concrete, Legendre said there were
consultations with partners. "We are currently examining the situation to see
how we can work on these consequences," she said.
US Assistant Secretary of State to visit
Lebanon
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf will
visit Lebanon in the last week of March as part of a tour of a number of
countries in the region, a Lebanese official source said. The source told
Russia’s Sputnik news agency that Leaf is scheduled to meet with Speaker Nabih
Berri, caretaker PM Najib Mikati, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib
and a number of Lebanese political leaders. She will “follow up on the results
of the five-party meeting that was held in February in the French capital, which
saw the participation of the U.S., France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and
discussed the Lebanese file with all its political, economic, financial and
humanitarian aspects,” the source added.
Report: Monaco's probe into Mikati's alleged money
laundering underway
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Monaco is continuing its investigation into suspected money laundering by
caretaker Prime minister Najib Mikati, a newspaper published in Abu Dhabi
reported. The National said Tuesday it has learned from Monaco's public
prosecutor that the investigation, currently ongoing in Monaco, has been
entrusted to the judicial police division of the Public Security. Two years ago,
the Pandora Papers -- a massive trove of leaked documents showing how the
world's elite is using tax havens and offshore and shell companies to stash
assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars -- said that Mikati owns a
Panama-based offshore company that he used to buy property in Monaco in 2008
worth more than $10 million. In 2019 Mikati was charged for illicit enrichment
in relation to subsidized housing loans but the Lebanese judiciary dropped the
case in 2022.
What did Berri, Bukhari discuss in Ain el-Tineh?
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari has reiterated the qualifications that KSA thinks
a president should have during his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri,
media reports said. Sources told al-Joumhouria, in remarks published Tuesday,
that Bukhari has reasserted that the presidential election is a Lebanese affair.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had said Friday that “Lebanon
needs Lebanese rapprochement, not Iranian-Saudi rapprochement,” a few hours
after Tehran and Riyadh announced a reconciliation agreement. “When this happens
and when a decision is taken in Lebanon to put the Lebanese interest first and
work on building the Lebanese state, Lebanon will certainly prosper and the
kingdom will be by its side,” the Saudi FM added. Last week, Bukhari met with
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and discussed with him the president’s
qualifications. On Monday, he met with Berri and Progressive Socialist Party
leader walid Jumblat. As he left Ain el-Tineh on Monday, Bukhari told reporters
that there is "certainly" something positive for Lebanon.
Arab League’s Aboul Gheit visits Mikati, says regional
implications of Saudi-Iranian deal not clear yet
NNA/March 14, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Tuesday welcomed at the Grand Serail,
Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who visited him in the company
of Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, and
Ambassador Abdel Rahman Al-Solh, in the presence of Caretaker Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib. During his meeting with
Mikati, Aboul Gheit said that the regional implications of the recently
announced Saudi-Iranian deal were "not yet clear yet”. "The
Saudi-Chinese-Iranian summit is very positive, and its initial effects are to
establish a kind of political and security stability between Saudi Arabia and
Iran, but its implications for all the issues in the region are not yet clear,"
Aboul Gheit said. The Arab League Secretary-General further noted that the
Arab summit conference will be held in May, 2023 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“The main topic of the summit will most likely be the economy, and how to help
the needy Arab regions,” he added. For his part, Mikati stressed "the importance
of having the summit adopt economic projects and initiatives that contribute to
achieving development goals in Arab countries.”
Abul Gheit meets Berri, says Lebanon 'will have a
president'
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit on Tuesday held talks in Ain el-Tineh with
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Abul
Gheit said: “There will be a president but the matter is a matter of time.”“We
must speed up this step because things are dangerous,” the Arab League chief
added. Abul Gheit met later in the day with caretaker Prime Minister Najib
Mikati. "The Saudi-Chinese-Iranian summit is very positive and its preliminary
impact is establishing some sort of political and security stability between
Saudi Arabia and Iran, but its effect on the various files in the region is
still unclear," the Arab official said during the meeting.
Salameh summoned to appear before European investigators on
Wednesday
Agence France Presse/March 14, 2023
A Lebanese judge has asked central bank chief Riad Salameh to appear before
visiting European investigators, a judicial official said, part of a
multinational probe into his personal wealth. Salameh "has been summoned to
appear at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday" before investigators from France,
Luxembourg and Belgium, the Lebanese judicial official told AFP on condition of
anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media. The embattled
central bank chief faces embezzlement accusations in sperate investigations in
Lebanon and abroad, looking into the fortune he has amassed in a country mired
in financial crisis.He denies all accusations against him and has rarely
appeared before the judiciary, despite numerous complaints and summonses.Salameh
had been summoned for questioning on Wednesday in the domestic case, but that
session has been postponed to make way for the European investigators, according
to the judicial official. If he shows up, it would be the first time Salameh,
72, appears before European investigators probing suspected financial
misconduct, including possible money laundering and embezzlement.For procedural
reasons, Lebanese judge Charbel Abu Samra would question Salameh in the presence
of the European investigators, the official said. France, Germany and Luxembourg
in March last year seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in a
move linked to a French probe into Salameh's personal wealth. Lebanese
authorities last month charged the three-decade central bank chief, who remains
in his post, with embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion. In January,
the European investigators interviewed banking officials in Beirut about the
transfer of funds to countries where Salameh has significant assets. They also
examined the central bank's ties to Forry Associates Ltd, a British Virgin
Islands-registered company that listed Salameh's brother as its beneficiary.
Forry is suspected of having brokered Lebanese treasury bonds and Eurobonds at a
commission, which was then allegedly transferred to his bank accounts abroad.
Swiss media reported last month that 12 banks in the European country had
received a large part of the money Salameh is alleged to have embezzled --
estimated at up to $500 million.Head of the central bank since 1993, Salameh is
part of the Lebanese political class widely blamed for a crushing economic
crisis in Lebanon that began in late 2019.
Bukhari-Jumblat meeting reportedly described as 'positive'
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has hailed the Saudi-Iranian
rapprochement, as he discussed the presidential file with Saudi Ambassador Walid
Bukhari, Nidaa al-Watan newspaper said Tuesday. The daily learned from
high-level sources that the meeting between Jumblat and Bukhari was positive and
that Jumblat has reiterated his objection to the election of a one-sided
president. Before meeting Jumblat, Bukhari had met with Parliament Speaker Nabih
Berri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. He told al-Rahi that his country
urges for the election of an uncorrupt president who can save the country, and
told reporters after his meeting with Berri that there is "certainly" something
positive for Lebanon.
Jumblat hopes Iran-KSA deal leads to Lebanese president
before June
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on Tuesday described the
Iranian-Saudi reconciliation agreement as a “major event,” hoping it will lead
to a “settlement” in Lebanon and the “election of a president before June.”“No
camp can impose a provocation candidate on the other,” Jumblat said in an
interview with Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5-100.3), saying he prefers “a
consensual president who has an economic aspect.”As for the list of candidates
that he raised with Speaker Nabih Berri, Jumblat said: “I had proposed three
names -- General Joseph Aoun, Jihad Azour and Salah Honein -- and in the list I
proposed to Speaker Berri I added the name of the candidate May Rihani.”“The
regional Saudi-Iranian consensus is a major event that surpasses my proposal and
the proposal of Speaker Berri and (Hezbollah chief) Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah),”
Jumblat added, noting that the KSA-Iran deal will have a “huge impact on the
region.”“I don’t have any answer about the date of the president’s election, but
let the (Saudi-Iranian) agreement be a motive for ending major analyses and
attempting to reconcile viewpoints. Enough with the wars of elimination from all
sides,” the PSP leader went on to say. Noting that “boycotting dialogue would be
a mistake,” Jumblat pointed out that dialogue would “contribute to a common
nomination of a president, similarly to a Doha 2 scenario, but in Lebanon and
not anywhere else.”MTV meanwhile reported that Jumblat will travel to Kuwait on
Wednesday for a political visit.
Banks to reportedly suspend their strike as of Monday
Associated Press/March 14, 2023
The Association of Banks in Lebanon is inclined to suspend its strike at the end
of this week and operations will resume on Monday, al-Jadeed TV reported on
Tuesday. Lebanon's embattled currency hit a new low Tuesday, trading at an
unprecedented 100,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar on the black market, as the
strike prevented clients and citizens from benefiting from the Sayrafa platform
rate. The unofficial dollar exchange rate dropped from LBP 100,500 to LBP 99,300
later in the day, after media reports said banks intend to suspend their strike
as of Monday. In late 2019, Lebanese banks imposed informal capital controls,
restricting cash withdrawals from accounts to avoid folding amid currency
shortages. People with dollar accounts could only to withdraw small sums in
Lebanese pounds, at an exchange rate far lower than that of the black market.
This effectively evaporated the savings of many across the country. Angry
depositors resorted to armed bank heists, demanding their own money. Others have
filed lawsuits from abroad to retrieve their money in hard currency. Last month,
Lebanese commercial banks went on an open-ended strike and angry protesters took
to the streets, smashing windows and setting tires on fire outside two of the
country's biggest banks in Beirut. The banks reopened their doors in late
February following caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati's request to do so for
people to retrieve their salaries. On Tuesday, the banks shuttered doors again
to customers and slammed Lebanon's judiciary for not "correcting flaws" in a
recent lawsuits against them. "The banks' cautious position unfortunately has
been the right one, as the judiciary has issued more arbitrary decisions in
recent days," the Association of Banks said in a statement last week announcing
the renewal of the strike.
Bassil says freedom, independence and sovereignty are
incomplete
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday tweeted that the date of
March 14, 1989 marked “the beginning for regaining freedom, sovereignty and
independence,” in reference to the day on which General Michel Aoun declared a
“war of liberation” against Syrian forces stationed in Lebanon. “In 2005, we
regained them after a difficult struggle, but it turned out that keeping them is
more difficult!” Bassil added. “Because freedom is incomplete when you accept
that someone impose something on you, independence is incomplete when your
finances are mortgaged, and sovereignty is incomplete when the free decision is
missing,” the FPM chief explained.
Frangieh broaches latest developments with Egyptian
Ambassador
NNA/March 14, 2023
"Marada" Movement leader, Sleiman Frangieh, on Tuesday welcomed at his Bnachaii
residence Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Yasser Alawi. The pair had an in-depth
discussion on the latest political developments in Lebanon and the region,
according to a statement by Frangieh's office.
Makary discusses media relations with Kuwaiti counterpart
NNA/March 14, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Information, Eng. Ziyad Al-Makary, on Tuesday met in
Kuwait with his counterpart, Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Culture, and
Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Abdul Rahman Al-Mutairi. The pair discussed
bilateral relations, especially media-related ones, between the Ministries of
Information of both countries and their affiliated institutions. Both men saw
eye-to-eye on the need to activate said relations for the interest of both
countries.
Bou Habib meets American Task Force for Lebanon delegation,
Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
NNA/March 14, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdallah Bou Habib, on
Tuesday welcomed a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL),
headed by former Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel. Speaking in the wake of the
meeting, Caretaker Minister Bou Habib said that "the delegation's visit to
Lebanon aims to encourage the Lebanese and officials to elect a president for
the republic, form a government, and endorse the agreement with the
International Monetary Fund, so that Lebanon can return to its previous
state."Bou Habib added, "We also discussed issues related to the presidential
election, government formation, and the IMF, as well as the Syrian displacement
file, because they are a strong support to us in this file."Ambassador Gabriel,
in turn, described the meeting with Minister Bou Habib as "very good", saying:
“We had very solid talks about the importance of converging efforts for the
benefit of this country, securing the needs of the people, putting aside
differences and moving towards electing a president for the republic. This
requires a settlement between all parties and finding a candidate who serves the
interest of Lebanon. The situation also requires that state institutions and
parliament put in place appropriate reforms.”He concluded: "We also talked about
the importance of developing the public sector in parallel with the education
sector, so that they can carry out their tasks to the fullest."On the other
hand, Caretaker Minister Bou Habib received the First Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jiří Kozák, with whom he discussed the bilateral
relations and regional developments. Bou Habib thanked the Czech Republic for
its assistance to Lebanon, especially the Czech aid to the Rafic Hariri
University Hospital. Discussions also touched on the displaced Syrians’ issue.
Berri: Franjieh can be president who would talk to Syria,
tackle defense strategy
Naharnet/March 14, 2023
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday defended the Shiite Duo’s nomination of
Suleiman Franjieh for the president post. In a meeting with a delegation from
the Press Syndicate and the Press Editors Syndicate, Berri reminded that
Franjieh had also been a candidate “when the term of president Emile Lahoud was
extended.”“Wasn’t he nominated by (then-U.S.) Ambassador David Hale? Wasn’t he a
candidate when General Michel Aoun was nominated?” Berri added. He also reminded
that Franjieh was one of the top four Christian leaders who met in Bkirki in
2011 after which it was agreed to elect one of them as president. “What do we
want from a president? We need a president who would talk to Syria over the
issue of border demarcation and resolving the refugee crisis, because if we want
to rely on the Europeans and Americans, they don’t care at all about this issue.
We want a president who would be able to tackle the defense strategy and who
believes in the Taif Accord, and based on all of this we have nominated Mr.
Suleiman Franjieh,” Berri added. As for his meeting with the Saudi ambassador
earlier in the day, Berri noted that there had been “communication” prior to the
meeting and that it would continue. “Several meetings were held prior to this
meeting,” he pointed out. He added: “The political solution begins with the
presidency and Suleiman Franjieh has extended his hand to everyone and has
reconciled with everyone. If Suleiman Franjieh is not unifying, who else can
be?”And noting that “there can be no salvation for Lebanon without a civil
state,” Berri lashed out at “the voices calling for partitioning and federalism
under the veiled slogans of broad administrative and financial
decentralization.”“Lebanon is like an atom: if partitioned it would blow up,”
Berri warned.
Education Minister welcomes EU’s Tarraf, Iraqi delegation
NNA/March 14, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Education, Dr. Abbas Al-Halabi, on Tuesday met with Head
of the European Union Delegation to Lebanon, Ambassador Ralph Tarraf, who
visited him with an accompanying delegation. Discussions reportedly touched on
the preparations underway for the minister's visit to the EU’s headquarters in
Brussels. The Education Minister separately welcomed a delegation from the Iraqi
Ministry of Education. Al-Halabi then signed in front of the Iraqi delegation a
protocol of cooperation between the Lebanese and Iraqi ministries, which
constitutes a framework agreement to organize and speed up the services of
granting authentications and equivalencies to Iraqi students studying in
Lebanese universities. The Iraqi delegation duly transferred both copies of the
agreement to Baghdad so that they would be signed by the Iraqi minister,
provided that an original copy would be returned to Lebanon and signed by both
sides for implementation.
Army chief meets MIDEL delegation, Reform and Unity
Movement head
NNA/March 14, 2023
Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on Tuesday received respectively at his
Yarzeh office, a delegation from the International Confederation of Lebanese
Businesspeople (MIDEL), headed by Dr. Fouad Zmokhol, and then Head of the
“Reform and Unity” Movement, Sheikh Dr. Maher Abdel Razzaq.
Discussions reportedly touched on an array of various issues.
Army chief meets American Task Force for Lebanon delegation
NNA/March 14, 2023
Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on Tuesday received at his Yarzeh office a
delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), headed by former
Ambassador Edward Gabriel. The delegation was briefed on the tasks carried out
by the army to maintain Lebanon's security and stability, the difficulties it is
going through in light of the current crisis, and ways to help it overcome it.
The delegation hailed "the military institution’s steadfastness and its
continued implementation of its tasks professionally despite the challenges,"
stressing "the need to continue supporting and cooperating with it to surpass
the current stage.”Major General Aoun valued "the American aid to the army and
its primary role in mitigating the crisis repercussions on the institution,"
stressing "his continuation in assuming his national responsibilities."
British Embassy celebrates sixth anniversary of Alumni
Association for Lebanese Graduates of UK Universities and 40th anniversary of
Chevening...
NNA/March 14, 2023
British Ambassador to Lebanon, Hamish Cowell CMG, hosted a reception at his
residence last night to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Alumni
Association for Lebanese Graduates of UK Universities. It also marked the 40th
Anniversary of Chevening, the UK government’s international scholarships and
fellowships programme. It’s a one year fully funded scholarship for individuals
with ideas to create a positive change. Guests included some of the most
talented and successful Lebanese graduates of UK universities and Lebanese Army
officers who attended UK staff colleges and military academies were present.
Amongst them were lawyers, human rights activists, economists, entrepreneurs and
politicians, some of whom graduated from amongst the UK’s most prestigious
universities.British Ambassador Hamish Cowell said: “Tonight we have a lot to
celebrate.We are proud that you chose the UK as a place to study and more proud
still of how you are contributing to the Lebanon you aspire to in your
respective fields, in extremely difficult times. You are this country’s human
potential and the UK will remain a strong supporter of the Lebanese people.I’m
pleased to announce a new online platform ‘Alumni UK’ which was developed by the
British Council to support former international higher education students who
studied in the UK or completed UK courses through online or transnational
education’’. -- UK Embassy in Lebanon
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 14-15/2023
Syrian president Assad arrives
in Moscow, will meet Putin
(Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow on Tuesday on his first
official visit outside the Middle East since last month's devastating
earthquake, according to a statement from the Syrian Presidency via the Telegram
messaging app. Assad would hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin
during his visit, alongside a large Syrian ministerial delegation, the statement
said. A Kremlin statement said the two leaders would discuss cooperation in the
political, trade and humanitarian spheres "as well as prospects for an overall
settlement of the situation in and around Syria".Russia launched a military
campaign in Syria in 2015 that helped to turn the tide in a civil war in favour
of Assad with massive aerial bombardment of opposition-held areas. It helped
Assad to regain much of the territory he lost to rebels who sought to topple
him. Moscow has since expanded its military facilities in the country with a
permanent air base at Hmeymim in Syria's Latakia province. Russia's naval base
in the Mediterranean coastal city of Tartous is the Russian navy's only
permanent warm water port outside the former Soviet Union. Western intelligence
sources say Russia's costly war in Ukraine has forced it to push some assets
from Syria although the country remains Moscow's firmest foothold on the
southern flank of NATO. The visit coincides with the 12th anniversary of the
uprising in Syria that began with peaceful demonstrations in March 2011. The
protests turned into an armed revolt after Assad used force to crush the
opposition. It spiralled into a multi-sided conflict that has sucked in
neighbours and world powers and caused the largest displacement crisis since
World War Two.
Teenagers in Iran danced to a
Selena Gomez song in a viral TikTok. They were detained and forced to record an
apology video in the same spot.
Joshua Zitser/Insider/March 14, 2023
Five Iranian teenage girls recorded themselves dancing to a Selena Gomez song
and posted it on TikTok. Iranian authorities arrested the girls and detained
them for 48 hours, per la Repubblica. The girls were then forced to record a
video repenting of their actions, with their heads covered. In most countries, a
group of teenage girls publicly recording a TikTok dance to a Selena Gomez song
would be unremarkable. But in Iran, where it is illegal for women to dance in
public, and where wearing hijabs is compulsory, it was seen as an act of
defiance. Authorities certainly saw it that way, detaining the five teenagers
and coercing them into filming a video repenting their actions, according to the
Italian newspaper la Repubblica. The girls recorded a video of themselves on
March 8 — International Women's Day — dancing to "Calm Down" by Selena Gomez and
Nigerian singer Rema in front of a tower block in a suburb of Tehran.
In the video they are wearing crop tops and none are wearing hijabs — both of
which is illegal under Iranian law. The clip quickly went viral, which led to
police using CCTV footage and interrogating guards at the tower block in order
to find them, Fox News reported. According to la Repubblica, authorities
eventually identified and arrested the girls. They were detained for some 48
hours, the newspaper said. The teenagers were forced to return to the same spot
where they recorded their first video, in order to record a second video of
themselves repenting, with their heads covered. But rather than acting as a
deterrent, the incident has led to a wave of others replicating the original
video, dancing to the Gomez song without their traditional head coverings. The
incident follows large-scale protests in Iran last year, following the
suspicious death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for
allegedly violating the country's mandatory hijab law. In the aftermath of
Amini's death, women burned their hijabs in the streets or removed their
headscarves in protest at Iran's theocratic and authoritarian regime. Many
others marched in the streets. Tens of thousands of protesters were arrested.
The Iranian government cracked down on protests by using fear, intimidation, and
internet blackouts.
Iran’s IRGC branded ‘clerical fascists and homicidal maniacs’ in Commons
Ben Hatton, PA Political Staff/Tue, March 14, 2023
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were branded “clerical fascists
and homicidal maniacs” in the Commons as ministers came under renewed pressure
to proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation. The IRGC is a special branch
of Iran’s armed forces which has been sanctioned by the UK Government. Speaking
during a session Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office questions in the
Commons, Labour MP John Cryer (Leyton and Wanstead) renewed calls to go further
and ban it as a terror group. He said: “(The IRGC) are widely recognised on both
sides of the House as a bunch of clerical fascists and homicidal maniacs who
particularly enjoy torturing and murdering women. “I suspect the Foreign
Secretary agrees with us – as I said on both sides of the House – why doesn’t he
make that final step and just proscribe them?”Conservative MP Greg Smith
(Buckingham) said: “The evidence of the IRGC’s brutality in Iran, particularly
towards women, is clear. “The evidence of their wider malign influence in the
region is clear. Likewise their links to supporting Russia, and their reach to
Europe, including threats on these own shores. “So how much more evidence does
(the Foreign Secretary) and the Government need to see before the Government
does what I’ve asked many, many times in this chamber to do and proscribe the
IRGC?”Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The IRGC is already sanctioned in
its entirety. Where it is involved with illegal activity our security forces and
police forces take action. And I commend the actions that they take. “We don’t
routinely discuss future designations and sanctions, but we will always take
actions which protect British people, British interests, and deter their malign
activity.”He added: “The actions this Government take with regards to the IRGC
are to deter their malign activity – both within their own borders within the
region and here in the UK – to protect British citizens, including dual
nationals, and British interests overseas.”On Monday, Labour MP for Halifax,
Holly Lynch, told the Commons: “The Foreign Office is widely understood to be
blocking attempts to prescribe the IRGC. Can the Foreign Secretary confirm if
that is true? “And can he explain, given the seriousness of the threat, why we
haven’t yet proscribed the IRGC?”Mr Cleverly replied: “The decision about
whether we sanction, proscribe, is always one that we discuss across Government
and any decisions on future designations or sanctions will be made across
Government. I’m not going to speculate on what the future actions may be taken
by this Government.” In January, the House of Commons unanimously supported a
non-binding motion urging the Government to make it a criminal offence to be a
member of or invite support for the IRGC.
France says Iran breaching international treaty with
prisoner detentions
PARIS (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
France accused Iran on Tuesday of breaking an international treaty defining
consular relations between states and said Tehran had demonstrated publicly that
it was holding foreign nationals arbitrarily. Relations between France and Iran
have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals
in what Paris has said is state hostage taking. One of those, Iranian-French
academic Fariba Adelkhah, was released, but it is still unclear how much longer
she will have to stay in Iran before returning to France. Speaking to reporters
on Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the French government had
interfered and taken "destructive" positions regarding events in Iran.
"Obviously, these positions and the measures taken by France will not help in
the negotiations for the prisoners," Nasser Kanani told reporters. French
foreign ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre said Kanani's remarks were
extremely worrying and openly highlighted the "arbitrary character" of the
detention of French citizens. "This is an acknowledgement from the Iranian
authorities that they are in breach of the Vienna convention on consular
relations which constitutes the foundation of diplomatic relations between
states," she said, calling for the French citizens to be released immediately.
In recent years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual
nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.
Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other
countries through such arrests. Iran, which does not recognise dual nationality,
denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.
Putin says Russia is fighting for its very
existence
MOSCOW (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that what was at stake in Ukraine was
Russia's very existence as a state. Speaking at length to workers at an aviation
factory in Buryatia, some 4,400 km (2,750 miles) east of Moscow, Putin expanded
on his familiar argument that the West was bent on pulling Russia apart. "So for
us this is not a geopolitical task, but a task of the survival of Russian
statehood, creating conditions for the future development of the country and our
children," he said. Putin has accused the West of using Ukraine as an tool to
wage war against Russia and inflict on it a "strategic defeat". The United
States and its allies say they are helping Ukraine to defend itself from an
imperial-style invasion that has destroyed Ukrainian cities, killed thousands of
civilians and forced millions to flee their homes. Putin said in a response to a
question that he had been worried about the economy when the West imposed
unprecedented waves of sanctions last year but it had proved stronger than
expected. "We have increased our economic sovereignty many times over. After
all, what did our enemy count on? That we would collapse in 2-3 weeks or in a
month," he said. He said the enemy had been expecting that factories would grind
to a halt, the financial system would collapse, unemployment would rise,
protesters would take to the streets, and Russia would "sway from within and
collapse". "This did not happen," Putin said. "It turned out, for many of us,
and even more so for Western countries, that the fundamental foundations of
Russia's stability are much stronger than anyone thought."
Frontline City Braces for ‘Decisive’ Attack on Putin’s Army
Sam Skove/The Daily Beast./Tue, March 14, 2023
HULIAIPOLE, Ukraine/The lightning crack of shellfire has long replaced the hum
of traffic on the streets of Huliaipole, a historic farming city on Ukraine’s
front line.
On a February morning blanketed by the first snow of the year, though, the only
sound on the nearly deserted streets was the whine of tires on fresh snow. “No
one knows why,” the Russians stopped firing two days ago, said the city’s mayor,
42-year-old Serhey Yermak, standing near the massive crater left by a Russian
missile strike that killed his deputy in October. “Maybe the Russians are
rotating their forces.” The town’s near-yearlong ordeal of Russian shelling
shows what’s at stake for Ukraine’s much-heralded spring counteroffensive, which
media report will likely happen nearby.
Western tanks—the first batch of which were delivered to Ukraine roughly two
weeks ago—will likely be key to the assault. While they’ve yet to be seen in
combat, Ukrainian troops are busy training on them in preparation. If Ukraine
successfully breaks Russian lines, the town can finally recover from one of the
longest periods of sustained shelling in Ukraine. If it fails, the town, already
tattered, will face yet further disintegration under Russian fire. While Ukraine
has been tight-lipped about where its next thrust might be, experts have said
that southern Ukraine is a prime target. “The south is the place where an
offensive could be most decisive,” John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to
Ukraine now at the Atlantic Council, told The Daily Beast. A counteroffensive
there would break Russia’s land route to the occupied Crimean peninsula,
possibly setting the stage for Russian forces there to “wither on the vine,”
Herbst added. U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that the
counteroffensive will happen this spring, without stating exactly where such an
offensive might occur.
Major Blitz on Putin’s ‘Mightily Struggling’ Army Just ‘Weeks Away’
Not so long ago, Mayor Yermak sported a blue suit and white shirt to work. He
first entered the town’s administration in 2006 and in 2017 was elected mayor,
presiding over the mundane work of building parks, remodeling schools and trash
removal.
Huliaipole, founded in 1777, is a small town clustered around historic brick
buildings in the center, including a 113-year-old synagogue. It’s famous
throughout Ukraine as the base of Nestor Makhnko, a military leader who used the
chaos following the end of World War I to establish one of the only anarchist
states to ever exist. Huliaipole’s ordeal began almost immediately after Russia
launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 of last year. Two days
later, Ukrainian media reported a loss of electricity in the town due to
shelling, and on March 5, Russian troops briefly entered Huliaipole. The front
line eventually settled just outside the town, with the closest Russian
positions less than two miles away.
“Be afraid of hell and the guy from Makhno-city.”
Yermak’s first task when the war began was evacuating the city. Around 12,000
residents eventually left the town, some on school buses provided by the city.
Around 3,000 mostly elderly residents remain. Despite Yermak’s dismay, at least
93 children are also still in the city. He then had to learn how to run a city
in wartime. “Not a single thing prepared me” for the war, he said, reflecting on
his 16 years in the city administration. Still, municipal tasks continue on. The
hospital functions, although its patients are treated in the basement. The
police still patrol, with their chief task being the prevention of looting and
stopping soldiers from buying alcohol. The city still arranges trash, but its
garbage collectors now dress in body armor and helmets. Yermak himself ditched
his suit for camouflage and body armor. A patch on the camouflage fatigues that
Yermak now favors is a tribute to Makhno: “Be afraid of hell and the guy from
Makhno-city.”
The town’s residents have been living without electricity, water, and heat since
March. In one of the town’s Soviet-built seven-story buildings, Avhustyna
Psevdaklyayeva, 67, and Lyudmyla Zhovnyrenko, 52, live with five others in a
cramped, chilly apartment. It’s “very, very cold” Psevdaklyayeva said.
Psevdaklyayeva is staying there due to the expense of moving on her small
pension. There is not much to do but cook food and tend to the cats and dog that
also live there. At night, the residents sit at their one table and reminisce,
said Psevdaklyayeva. “Each one talks about their memories and so the time passes
a little faster,” she told The Daily Beast. Thrown together in the war, the
group are now friends. On one wall hangs a Ukrainian flag with their names
signed on it, in commemoration of their still-ongoing ordeal. Not all
relationships survived the war. “The war showed who was who,” said Zhovnyrenko.
The two women said they keep an eye out for looters who visit the area,
questioning any unknown faces. Until Jan. 13, Psevdaklyayeva's husband lived
there too. He had a heart attack and lost consciousness, but when they called
the hospital, they were advised to come on foot. They called the mayor who
cajoled the hospital into sending an ambulance. It came too late, and her
husband died. On a drive around the town after leaving Psevdaklyayeva and
Zhovnyrenko, it’s clear that the city is gradually fraying apart. The former
city cultural center, a once-massive concrete building, is entirely smashed. In
the downtown, flurries of snow drifted in through shell holes in stately old
brick buildings. As terrible as the situation is, it could get even worse if
Russia ever launches a sustained assault. If that occurs, the town would more
likely resemble other ruined communities across Ukraine that endured street
fighting, like Soledar, Izyum, or Bucha.
Such an assault is unlikely in the near term, the American think tank the
Institute for the Study of War reported in December. City officials, though,
spoke of an intensification of shelling in December and January. “We’re all for
our counteroffensive coming soon,” Yermak said. “To tell you from a patriotic
viewpoint, of course we’re not afraid. But of course everyone is
worried.”Several miles on the road away from Huliaipole, 37-year-old Alina
Kovaleva and her 5-year-old son Gordei were celebrating the first day of the
snow the way many families might: they made a snowman.
About 3 feet tall and with a carrot for a nose, the snowman stood on as Gordei,
giggling furiously, hurled larger and larger snowballs at Alina, both of them
wearing heavy winter coats. Kovaleva said her village has Russian shells fall in
it occasionally. When there’s shelling at night, she and her husband take their
three children down into the cellar. She wasn’t considering relocating, however.
“All of Ukraine’s dangerous,” she told The Daily Beast with a shrug, returning
to the snowball fight with her son.
Russia has been forced to issue old ammunition that was
previously declared unfit for use, says UK intel, deepening its struggles in
Ukraine
Sinéad Baker/Business Insider/Tue, March 14, 2023
Russia is issuing old military stock that was previously seen as unfit for use,
UK intelligence said.
It's so low on ammo that many places on the front now have "extremely punitive
shell-rationing."
This is likely a key reason why Russia's new offensive hasn't progressed, the
MOD said.
Russia has been forced to issue old ammunition that was previously categorised
as unfit for use, with its army dealing with major munition shortages in
Ukraine, according to UK intelligence. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an
intelligence update on Tuesday that Russia "has almost certainly already
resorted to issuing old munitions stock which were previously categorised as
unfit for use." It said that shortages in artillery ammunition over the last few
weeks "have likely worsened to the extent that extremely punitive
shell-rationing is in force on many parts of the front."This likely explains why
Russia has not made any significant gains since it started its long-awaited
offensive earlier this spring, the MOD said. It is also "almost certainly" a key
reason why no Russian formation has recently been able to generate operationally
significant offensive action, the MOD said. The UK ministry added that Russia's
government has been intervening with defense companies that are not meeting
their production quotas. This shows Russia is "increasingly applying the
principles of a command economy to its military industrial complex" because it
knows that its defence manufacturing capacity is a key vulnerability in its
efforts in Ukraine, it said. Russia has been using aged equipment throughout its
invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022, including some equipment
that dates back to the Soviet Union. This includes taking Soviet-era tanks out
of storage to fight, as it suffers heavy losses of its tanks, and using
less-accurate Soviet-era missiles. The UK MOD said earlier this month that
Russia has been showing off advanced military technology around the world, at
the same time that its soldiers in Ukraine are forced to rely on old equipment.
Ukraine says it caught a Russian soldier who had been
hiding in abandoned buildings for 6 months after being separated from his unit
Sophia Ankel/Business Insider/Tue, March 14, 2023
Ukrainian police said they arrested a Russian soldier who had been in hiding for
about six months. The soldier was left behind by his unit after they fled the
Ukrainian counteroffensive last year.Dressed in civilian clothes, the soldier
was hiding in abandoned buildings, police said. Ukrainian police said they
arrested a Russian soldier who was separated from his unit six months ago and
had been in hiding the entire time. The 42-year-old soldier, who was from the
27th Russian Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, was found by a police patrol
group in Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the police said in a
statement on Monday. He was not identified by name, though police said he was
from Moscow. The soldier, who was dressed in civilian clothes, had been hiding
out in abandoned buildings ever since his unit fled the Ukrainian
counteroffensive last September, the statement said. Police are now
investigating how he managed to stay on Ukrainian territory for half a year. In
September, Ukraine launched a rapid counteroffensive that recaptured swathes of
territory in the region that had previously been taken by Russian forces. The
move was so quick and sudden that it prompted Russian troops to flee as fast as
they could, leaving behind so much weaponry and ammunition that Ukraine
reportedly struggled to handle it all. Ukrainian officials had also conducted a
massive door-to-door search operation, finding Russian soldiers hiding in
cellars and nearby forests, The Guardian reported. Kharkiv continues to be under
attack by Russian forces. This week, officials ordered an evacuation of the city
of Kupiansk in the region after an uptick in missile strikes, according to The
Washington Post. More than 40 missiles have struck Kharkiv this year, Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on Saturday.
Kremlin: for now, goals in Ukraine can only be
achieved by military force
MOSCOW (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russia's goals in Ukraine could only be
achieved by military force at the moment, and that Kyiv needed to accept the
"new realities" on the ground before a peaceful settlement could be reached. "We
have to achieve our goals. Right now this is only possible by military means due
to the current position of the Kyiv regime," Russian state news agencies quoted
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. Russia claims it is fighting in
Ukraine to "liberate" Russian speakers in the eastern Donbas from what it has
called a neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv. Ukraine and the West say this is a baseless
pretext put forward to justify a war of aggression and Moscow's attempts to
seize swathes of Ukrainian land. Peskov later told reporters that Ukraine would
have to accept the "new realities" that have emerged since Moscow launched what
it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine last February. "All of
Moscow's requirements are well known. The de-facto situation and new realities
are also well known. Without taking into account this set of issues, the
transition to a peaceful settlement is impossible," he said. Moscow has
repeatedly said that Ukraine would need to accept Russia's claimed annexation -
rejected as illegal by Kyiv, the West and most countries at the United Nations -
of four regions of Ukraine that it partly occupies. Moscow has blamed Kyiv for a
breakdown in talks about a ceasefire, which stalled in the first weeks of the
conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he will only consider
peace settlements after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory.
Kremlin says AUKUS submarine deal raises proliferation questions
MOSCOW (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
Russia said on Tuesday that a joint plan by the United States, Britain and
Australia to create a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines raised questions
about nuclear proliferation. The leaders of the three countries on Monday
announced details of the plan as part of their "AUKUS" partnership pact. It
would provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early
2030s to counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov told reporters: "There are a lot of questions here related to the problem
of non-proliferation. Here we need special transparency, and we need to answer
the questions that arise."Peskov did not elaborate on the nature of Russia's
concerns, though China has previously argued that supplying Australia with the
submarines, which are conventionally armed but powered by very highly enriched
uranium, amounted to an act of nuclear proliferation.
U.S. President Joe Biden stressed at Monday's meeting with the British and
Australian prime ministers in San Diego that the submarines would be
nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed. "These boats will not have nuclear weapons
of any kind on them," he said. To date no party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) other than the five countries the treaty recognises as weapons
states - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has
nuclear-powered submarines. The vessels can stay underwater for longer than
conventional ones and are harder to detect. Russia's own Pacific Fleet has 17
submarines including three ballistic missile subs that are part of its strategic
nuclear deterrent, according to the latest annual report by the International
Institute for Strategic Studies. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been
critical of AUKUS since its inception in 2021, accusing it of fuelling regional
tensions by trying to counter China. Australia says it will be unable and
unwilling to use the fuel in its submarines to make nuclear weapons since the
vessels will have "welded power units" containing nuclear material that would
need chemical processing for use in an atom bomb, and Australia does not have or
want facilities that can do that. The AUKUS countries and the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say the NPT allows so-called marine nuclear
propulsion provided necessary arrangements are made with the IAEA.
Ukraine starts producing shells for Soviet-era tanks
Max Hunder/KYIV (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
A major Ukrainian arms manufacturer announced on Tuesday it had started making
125-mm rounds for Soviet-era tanks, as Kyiv seeks to boost its armour
capabilities for a counter-offensive against invading Russian forces. The
ammunition was being made outside Ukraine with the co-operation of an unnamed
NATO country, state-owned Ukroboronprom said. "The first batch of 125-mm
projectiles for T-64, T-72 and T-80 tanks, which the Security and Defense Forces
of Ukraine use to strike the invaders, has already been delivered," it said in a
post on the Telegram app. It said the shells had been made to fulfil an order
from Ukraine's defence ministry. Despite them being made abroad, Ukrainian
personnel participated in the manufacturing process, Ukroboronprom said. While
Western-made battle tanks donated by allies will soon enter service with
Ukraine's armed forces, the bulk of Kyiv's tank fleet will remain Soviet-made in
the short term. This creates an acute need for new sources of ammunition supply,
as most NATO tanks use a different calibre -- while the vast majority of 125-mm
round stocks are held by Russia and other countries who would not supply
Ukraine. Kyiv's wider drive to produce its own ammunition comes as many of its
Western allies feel the pinch in their own limited stockpiles after supplying
Ukraine for over a year as it fights off Russia's invasion. Ukroboronprom said
this is the second type of munition which it had started to make in co-operation
with a NATO member state. In February, it announced the start of joint
production of 120-mm mortar rounds, again with an unnamed NATO partner.
Putin Pardons Wife of Russia’s ‘Walter White’ After Hubby
Joins Wagner
Gary Cameron/Reuters/The Daily Beast/Tue, March 14, 2023
The wife of a convicted drug dealer dubbed Russia’s “Walter White” has received
a pardon from Vladimir Putin after her husband joined the mercenary Wagner
Group, according to a report.
St. Petersburg physics teacher Diana Gribovskaya and her veterinarian husband,
Dmitry Karavaichik, were convicted of manufacturing and distributing amphetamine
in 2018. Karavaichik insisted that the drugs found in his apartment had been
planted and that he had only sold fake narcotics in order to raise cash for
developing prosthetic limbs for cats and dogs. Russia Is Turning to Women
Prisoners to Boost Forces After Massive Losses, Ukraine Claims. At trial,
Karavaichik also claimed that police operatives had threatened him and his
elderly mother with electric shock torture, Meduza reports. But he was
nevertheless sentenced to 17 years in prison and Gribovskaya was handed a
16-year sentence, with their stories of seemingly leaving behind quiet lives to
peddle drugs drawing comparisons in the Russian press with the meth
manufacturing chemistry teacher protagonist of Breaking Bad. Reports had already
emerged in January that Karavaichik had joined Wagner after an image was
released showing the group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, alongside former
prisoners who had been cleared of their convictions after fighting in the war in
Ukraine. Independent Russian investigative group Agentstvo (The Agency)
identified Karavaichik as one of the ex-convicts in the photo. The BBC said the
group—which also allegedly included a murderer who had drowned his friend—were
also given medals “for courage” after completing a six-month stint on the
frontline. On Tuesday, a new report came out saying that Gribovskaya was also no
longer serving her sentence in prison. According to St. Petersburg’s Rotonda
Telegram channel, Gribovskaya’s father claimed that she was released thanks to a
“presidential pardon.”Her father, identified as “Captain 1st Rank Vladimir
Gribovsky,” said the pardon came thanks to “the totality of evidence.” The
channel also quoted him as saying that he didn’t want to discuss the details of
his daughter’s case until Karavaichik returned, explaining that Karavaichik
“came and went back to the front.”The convicted drug dealer’s apparent return to
the conflict would seemingly corroborate statements he made in January to the
pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. In an interview about his time in
Ukraine, he said he planned to “work further” in Wagner and said he was eager to
return to the frontline. “I've only been at home for 6 days, my eyes are still
not used to it,” Karavaichik said. “Yes, beautiful girls, flowers, shops, all
this lures. But still... it’s better there.”Russia has been accused of using
convicts to shore up dwindling troop numbers since the invasion of Ukraine began
last year, with Prigozhin’s Wagner Group leading the unorthodox recruitment
practice. Last month, the mercenary boss said he would no longer sign up
prisoners into his organization—sometimes called “Putin’s private army”–with
Russia’s Ministry of Defense instead allegedly taking over and allowing recruits
from jails into its own ranks for the first time since the end of World War II.
Learning from Ukraine, Taiwan shows off its drones as key to 'asymmetric
warfare'
Yimou Lee and Ann Wang/TAICHUNG, Taiwan (Reuters)/Tue, March 14, 2023
Taiwan showcased new models of its domestically produced military drones on
Tuesday, saying they are key to its "asymmetric warfare" capacity to make its
forces more agile if they have to face a far larger Chinese military. China,
which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control,
has ramped up military activity near the democratically governed island to force
it to accept Chinese sovereignty despite Taiwan's objections. The war in Ukraine
has lent new urgency to Taiwan military's efforts to bolster defence including a
push to develop drones. In a rare display of its drone capabilities, the
military-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST),
showed off its latest models, including the Albatross II surveillance drone, and
combat drones that operate with global positioning system satellites. NCSIST
head Art Chang said the war in Ukraine had focused attention on drones, and his
institution had teamed up with Taiwan companies to build a "national team" to
develop military drones. Taiwan's military has announced a partnership with
companies aimed at producing 3,000 drones next year. Chi Li-Pin, director of
Aeronautical Systems Research Division for NCSIST, said the armed forces should
increase their adoption of drones in their strategies. "I hope our national
troops can familiarise themselves with this weapon of asymmetric warfare and use
them boldly," he told reporters at an NCSIST facility in the central city of
Taichung. President Tsai Ing-wen has championed the idea of "asymmetric warfare"
to make Taiwan's forces more mobile and harder to attack. Taiwan's armed forces
are well-equipped but still dwarfed by China's. Among the drones on display was
an attack drone with loitering munitions that can cruise towards a target before
plummeting at velocity and detonating on impact. China has sent its drones to
areas close to Taiwan to test its responses, the island's defence ministry has
said. Last year, Taiwan shot down a civilian drone that entered its airspace
near an islet off the Chinese coast. The island's defence ministry said in a
report to parliament this week, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, that
China was quickly building up its combat capacity with drones, including swarms
of flying robots. In response, Taiwan will focus on developing its combat and
surveillance drones, as well as anti-drone systems, the ministry said.
Russian fighter jet collides with US Air Force
drone over Black Sea
Tom Vanden Brook and Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY/Tue, March 14, 2023
Multiple dead, wounded in Ukraine after Russian missile attack strikes multiple
citiesScroll back up to restore default view.
WASHINGTON – A Russian jet collided with a U.S. Air Force drone over the Black
Sea on Tuesday, causing the drone to crash after an "unsafe and unprofessional
intercept," the U.S. military reported. The incident occurred Tuesday morning
when two Russian SU-27 fighters conducted an intercept of the MQ-9 Reaper drone
that demonstrated the pilots' "lack of competence," according to a statement
from U.S. European Command. One of the fighters clipped the propeller of the
drone, forcing U.S. operators to bring it down in international waters. National
security adviser Jake Sullivan briefed President Joe Biden on the incident, John
Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters Tuesday.
Russian pilots have intercepted U.S. warplanes in recent weeks but not in such a
"reckless" manner, Kirby said. "It is the first time that an intercept resulted
in the splashing of one of our drones," Kirby said. Kirby and military officials
stressed that the Reaper drone was operating in international airspace when it
was knocked down. The Russian fighters dumped fuel on the drone and flew in
front of it before the collision. “Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine
operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a
Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9,” Air Force
Gen. James Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa, said
in a statement. “In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians
nearly caused both aircraft to crash.”“U.S. and Allied aircraft will continue to
operate in international airspace and we call on the Russians to conduct
themselves professionally and safely,” Hecker added. Russian pilots have engaged
in "a pattern of dangerous activity" that led up to Tuesday's crash, according
to European Command. "These aggressive actions by Russian aircrew are dangerous
and could lead to miscalculation and unintended escalation," the statement said.
State Department officials plan to speak directly with their Russian
counterparts to express concern about this unsafe and unprofessional intercept,
Kirby said. The crash of the drone comes amid heightened tensions with Russia
over the war in Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022, the United
States has sent more than $30 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
Keys to Europe must not be in the hands of people
traffickers - minister
Camilleri says 'Cham Wings' involved in human trafficking
Times Of Malta/Tue, March 14, 2023
Malta has asked the European Commission to act against people smugglers who send
migrants from Bangladesh to Libya for onward passage to Europe, including an
airline named 'Cham Wings' involved in the business, Home Affairs Minister Byron
Camilleri said in parliament. Replying to questions a day after more than 30
migrants drowned when their boat capsized in rough seas in the Libyan search and
rescue zone, the minister insisted that the people traffickers must be stopped.
He was replying to a question by Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar who asked how long
were people to continue to witness migrant tragedies, especially after two
shipwrecks off Calabria, Italy and Libya. The minister said Malta was continuing
to insist that people traffickers must be countered and the sea must be more
intensively patrolled. "The first question we as Europeans need to ask ourselves
is: how many people need to die before all of us agree to fight the people
traffickers?" he said. Camilleri said he was concerned that the tragedies off
Libya almost did not matter. The latest tragedy, he said, was an example
which proved that assistance should continue to be given to the Libyan Coast
Guard, which in this case could not arrive on time.
Secondly, there should be legal pathways to migration. Recently, he added, Malta
had asked the European Commission to take direct action over people trafficking
from Dhaka in Bangladesh to Libya and on to Europe, in which a private Syrian
airline called Cham Wings was involved. Action was needed in this case, he
insisted, pointing out that Bangladeshis were also involved in Sunday's tragedy.
If people trafficking continued to appear to be encouraged by some, such
tragedies would unfortunately continue, Camilleri warned. The minister also
spoke on the recent meeting in Malta of the Med 5 countries and insisted that
migrants who did not deserve protection under the law should be sent back to
their country of origin. It was important to build strong and comprehensive
agreements with countries of origin with a view to repatriating those who are
not eligible for protection. Similarly, more needed to be done to prevent
migrant crossings in the first place. That saved lives. "The keys for entry to
Europe must not be in the hands of the people traffickers," the minister
insisted.
Armenian PM: We have 'problems' with Russia, but no crisis
TBILISI (Reuters) /Tue, March 14, 2023
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday there were "problems" in
his country's relations with Russia, but no crisis, Russian news agencies
reported. Armenia and Russia are formal allies through a mutual self-defence
treaty, but Yerevan has been disgruntled by Russia's unwillingness to provide
stronger support in its long-running conflict with Azerbaijan. "There is no
crisis in the relationship. We talk, discuss things, state that there are
problems - which is objective," Interfax quoted Pashinyan as telling a news
conference. In 2020 Russia deployed peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh - an
Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan that the two sides have contested for
decades - to end weeks of fighting which saw thousands killed and Azerbaijan
make significant territorial gains. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was in
Germany on Tuesday to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz as Europe vies to take a
larger role in settling the dispute between Baku and Yerevan. Pashinyan visited
Berlin for a similar meeting earlier this month. Following Pashinyan's comments,
Russia's foreign ministry said it was planning a meeting with the Azerbaijani
and Armenian foreign ministers in Moscow as Russia tries to maintain its role as
the traditional regional power broker. In the latest stand-off over
Nagorno-Karabakh, Azeris claiming to be environmental protesters have been
blocking the Lachin corridor - the only road route between Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh - since December, triggering food and medicine shortages in the
region. Yerevan says they are agitators backed by Azerbaijan, while Baku says
they have legitimate grievances over illegal mining by Armenians. The two sides
have been locked in diplomacy over an attempt to broker a lasting peace
settlement since Azerbaijan staged large-scale cross-border attacks inside
Armenia last September that Yerevan described as unprovoked aggression.
Azerbaijan said its soldiers responded after Armenian sabotage units tried to
mine its positions. More than 200 Armenian troops and around 80 Azerbaijanis
were killed.
The Latest LCCC English analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on March 14-15/2023
Iran, China and the Panama Canal: Is the US Being
Encircled?
Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute./March 14, 2023
Iran and China are on the move again. Last Friday, to the apparent surprise of
the Biden Administration, China asserted its influence in the Middle East by
entering the vacuum created by US President Joe Biden, and brokering a deal
between Iran and its threatened neighbor, Saudi Arabia, which Biden had vowed to
make a "pariah," and "end the sale of material" to it. The Saudis heard.
Iran, meanwhile, has not been shy about its mission to "export the revolution"
to the Western hemisphere. Most recently, in February, two Iranian warships
docked in Brazil, under its recently elected socialist President Luis Inácio
Lula da Silva. From there, the ships will reportedly proceed to the Panama
Canal, already controlled at both ends by Iran's newish ally -- the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP).
The Chinese Communist Party officially declared a "people's war" on the US on
May 14, 2019, in flagship news[paper, the People's Daily, as well as before
that, on January 29, 2017, even if the US was not listening.
Iran has high praise for da Silva. He has refused to join the US-led sanctions
regime against Tehran, and has stated repeatedly that Iran has the right to
develop peaceful nuclear programs and that the Islamic Republic should be taken
at its word until proven otherwise by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to the IAEA, however, Iran seems to have been cheating the "whole
time."
Now according to reports, Iran is just days away from being able to create its
nuclear bombs, just as the 2015 JCPOA "nuclear deal" allowed it to do, anyway.
The Biden Administration, like the Obama Administration, is most likely just
trying to avoid having Iran going full nuclear "on my watch," as Obama let slip
in 2015. In a visible challenge to US dominance in the Western Hemisphere, the
Iranian ships will proceed to the Panama Canal, at both ends of which sits --
China.
"It's no secret that China has been pouring resources into South America this
century, chipping away at the United States' historic dominance." — Buenos Aires
Times, February 18, 2022.
Is the US being encircled?
Iran has not been shy about its mission to "export the revolution" to the
Western hemisphere. Most recently, in February, two Iranian warships docked in
Brazil.
Iran and China are on the move again. Last Friday, to the apparent surprise of
the Biden Administration, China asserted its influence in the Middle East by
entering the vacuum created by US President Joe Biden, and brokering a deal
between Iran and its threatened neighbor, Saudi Arabia, which Biden had vowed to
make a "pariah," and "end the sale of material" to it. The Saudis heard.
Iran, meanwhile, has not been shy about its mission to "export the revolution"
to the Western hemisphere. Most recently, in February, two Iranian warships
docked in Brazil, under its recently elected socialist President Luis Inácio
Lula da Silva. From there, the ships will reportedly proceed to the Panama
Canal, already controlled at both ends by Iran's newish ally -- the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP).
The CCP officially declared a "people's war" on the United States on May 14,
2019, in its flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, as well as before that, on
January 29, 2017, even if the US was not listening.
Iran has been openly infiltrating South America for decades. In 1994, it
famously blew up a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing
85 people. Recently, while the Biden Administration has been pursuing a "nuclear
deal" with Iran -- one that will enable it soon to have as many nuclear weapons
as it likes -- Iran has been expanding its already sizeable foothold south of
the US border. The militant Islamic theocracy already has a significant presence
-- and presumably influence -- in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua. It
is now targeting Brazil and the Panama Canal.
Brazilian President da Silva has a history of welcoming Iran. In 2009, during
his previous presidential term, he warmly greeted then Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad during his state visit to Brazil. Da Silva will decidedly shift from
the pro-US and pro-Israel foreign policy of his predecessor, President Jair
Bolsonaro, to one that favors friendly ties with Iran.
Da Silva, who served as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010, barely defeated
Bolsonaro in a runoff election last October. A left-wing populist, da Silva drew
support from Brazilians who benefited by his liberal welfare policies,
particularly access to affordable health care, during his previous terms as
president.
Under the Bolsonaro administration (2019-2022), diplomatic links between Iran
and Brazil were chilly. His investigation of Hezbollah and its activities in the
tri-border zone of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina resulted in the 2018 arrest of
the terrorist group's regional financier Assad Ahmad Barakat. Bolsonaro's
support for Israel, on the other hand, was shown by the first visit ever by an
Israeli Prime Minister to Brazil: Benjamin Netanyahu attended Bolsonaro's
inauguration in 2019.
Iran welcomed da Silva's election and the warming of relations with Brazil it
expects will ensue. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, was quick
to congratulate da Silva on his election. The congratulatory message from Hamas
politburo member Basir Naim, was, not surprisingly, that Hamas "looks forward to
President Lula mitigating all the effects of the unlimited support [from
Bolsonaro] for the Israeli Occupation State."
Brazilians do not necessarily support da Silva's shift to the left on foreign
policy. A Pew poll conducted in 2015 revealed that the great majority of
Brazilians had an unfavorable view of Iran. Brazil had warm relations with Iran
during da Silva's earlier terms. He visited Iran in 2010, following
Ahmadinejad's visit to Brazil in 2009. Brazil is also Iran's largest trading
partner in Latin America. Brazilians ship large amounts of meat (mostly beef),
medicines and cars to Iran. Brazil's oil giant Petrobras has invested heavily in
Iran's oil industry.
Da Silva's turn away from the West was recently underscored by his granting
permission for two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro immediately after
his visit to the White House late last month. The US Department of State and the
US Ambassador to Brazil Elizabeth Bagley were unsuccessful in their efforts to
persuade da Silva to deny Iran's warships permission to dock.
Iran has high praise for da Silva. He has refused to join the US-led sanctions
regime against Tehran, and has criticized Western suspicions of Iran's
intentions concerning nuclear weapons. Da Silva has stated repeatedly that Iran
has the right to develop peaceful nuclear programs and that the Islamic Republic
should be taken at its word until proven otherwise by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA). According to the IAEA, however, Iran seems to have been
cheating the "whole time."
In 2004, the IAEA accused Iran of violating the agency's "Safeguards Agreement":
the regime failed to notify the IAEA of increased enrichment activities. The
IAEA also noted that Iran prematurely deployed advanced uranium enrichment
centrifuges. In still another accusation leveled by the IAEA against Iran, the
agency declared that Tehran processed uranium gas necessary for the production
of the uranium metal needed for the core of a nuclear weapon. These are but a
few of the violations which underscore Iran's duplicity regarding its nuclear
program. What is needed for peaceful nuclear use is uranium enriched to 3% to
20%. Iran has now enriched uranium to 84%, close to the 90% needed for use in
nuclear bombs, and, according to reports, is just "days away" from being able to
build its nuclear weapons, as the 2015 JCOA nuclear deal allows it to do,
anyway.
The Biden Administration, like the Obama Administration, is most likely just
trying to avoid having Iran going full nuclear "on my watch," as Obama let slip
in 2015.
The Iranian vessels that docked in Brazil, were the Iris Makran (the largest
Iranian warship) and the Iris Dena, a frigate. They are part of Iran's 86th
Flotilla and its newly established Atlantic Ocean Command. In a visible
challenge to US dominance in the Western Hemisphere, the ships will proceed to
the Panama Canal.
This visit to Latin America is the second such naval deployment to the
hemisphere since Iran's Atlantic maritime tour in 2021. There is every reason to
expect Tehran to attempt to expand its diplomatic and military profile in this
region.
As Brazil is the largest, most populous, and militarily strongest nation in
South America, other Latin American countries might be emboldened to also seek
better ties with adversaries of the US. How did "China Beat Out the U.S. to
Dominate South America"? According to Bloomberg:
"China has bought up so much copper, pork, and soy—and constructed so many
roads, trains, power grids, and bridges—that it's surpassed the U.S. as South
America's largest trade partner and is now the single biggest trader with
Brazil, Chile, and Peru."
"It's no secret that China has been pouring resources into South America this
century, chipping away at the United States' historic dominance," noted the
Buenos Aires Times.
Seven South American countries – Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile,
Argentina and Uruguay -- are already part of the China's Belt and Road
Initiative; the only country with diplomatic ties to Taiwan is Paraguay. Add to
this that China is also apparently eager to increase its economic and military
presence in the Caribbean.
Is the US being encircled?
*Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense
Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in
the Air Force Reserve.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Facebook: Where Jihadist Hate Thrives
Raymond Ibrahim/American Thinker/March 14/20232
More evidence on how social media works to promote Islamic radicalization—while
suppressing its victims—recently emerged. According to a Feb. 20, 2023 report,
“bombshell findings” by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) allege that
Facebook created over 100 pages for ISIS (Islamic State), as well as pages for
other terror organizations, including the group behind the 9/11 attacks on the
U.S., Al-Qaeda.
TTP reported that Facebook creates the pages based on its algorithm,
automatically generating them when users add the terror groups to their
profiles. The platform’s so-called ban on the groups apparently did little to
prevent the automatic process that generated the terror group pages.
“Some of these automatically generated pages have been living on Facebook for
years, racking up likes and posts with terrorist propaganda and imagery,”
reported the Jerusalem Post in its coverage of the TTP’s findings. “The company
could potentially be held responsible for these pages as Facebook not just
hosting but actually creating them.”
This is only the latest chapter in Facebook’s struggles to keep hate off its
platform.
Indeed it is. For example, according to a Jun. 14, 2022 report,
A new study has found that Facebook has failed to catch Islamic State group and
al-Shabab extremist content in posts aimed at East Africa as the region remains
under threat from violent attacks…. [Facebook] repeatedly failed to act on
sensitive content including hate speech in many places around the world.
Posts calling for violence and murder “in languages including Swahili, Somali
and Arabic — were allowed to be widely shared.”
Responding to these, at the time, shocking findings, Leah Kimathi, a Kenyan
consultant in governance, peace and security, said: “The least they [Facebook]
can do is ensure that something they’re selling to us is not going to kill us.”
Similarly, “Why are they not acting on rampant content put up by [the Islamic
terrorist group] al-Shabab?” asked Moustafa Ayad, who worked on the report.
“You’d think that after 20 years of dealing with al-Qaida, they’d have a good
understanding of the language they [jihadists] use, the symbolism.”
Yes, you’d think.
Another report, from Dec. 2021, found that
Facebook allowed photos of beheadings and violent hate speech from ISIS and the
Taliban to be tagged as “insightful” and “engaging”… Extremists have turned to
the social media platform as a weapon “to promote their hate-filled agenda and
rally supporters” on hundreds of groups… These groups have sprouted up across
the platform over the last 18 months and vary in size from a few hundred to tens
of thousands of members, the review found. One pro-Taliban group created in
spring this year and had grown to 107,000 members before it was deleted…
Overall, extremist content is “routinely getting through the net,” despite
claims from Meta – the company that owns Facebook – that it’s cracking down on
extremists. There were reportedly “scores of groups” allowed to operate on
Facebook that were supportive of either Islamic State or the Taliban, according
to a new report.
In the summer of 2022, a Muslim man in the UK was found guilty of sharing
propaganda videos that glorified Islamic terrorists, including videos made by
the Islamic State. Where did he share them with impunity? On Facebook and other
social media.
Needless to say, this issue is significantly worse when one considers
non-English or European language content. Over the years, I’ve personally seen
countless Arabic-language content on Facebook and other social media giants that
amounts to nothing less than terroristic incitement. Usually, these posts remain
on social media platforms for years—until, of course, I or others draw attention
to them in English-language articles, at which point they are conveniently
removed.
In other words, as long as only Muslims see—and are radicalized by—these posts
full of hatred and incitement for violence against non-Muslims, social media
tend to leave them up. Once a Western audience learns about these posts, which
make both Islam and social media look bad, they are taken down.
This, of course is not always the case. For example, in December, 2021, I
translated an immensely profane and hate-filled Arabic-language tirade from a
New York-based Muslim man against two Christian men from Egypt—a rant that
culminates with him loudly threatening decapitation to anyone who “hurts the
reputation of Muhammad.” This video, which currently has nearly 115,000 views,
is, apparently because it’s only in Arabic, still up on YouTube, though the
“warning” that “this video may be inappropriate for some users” now accompanies
it.
On the other hand, and despite the leniency shown to Islamic terrorist content,
social media, especially Facebook, are notoriously quick to censor content that
exposes the jihadists. This it calls “hate speech” or “offensive content.” In
one especially stark example, Facebook censored the campaign of a charity that
sought to draw attention to the plight of Christian women in Muslim nations.
I too have been censored by Facebook—and am constantly “shadow banned”—for
posting on the Muslim persecution of Christians.
And while Islamic extremist groups managed to get away with posting
“pornographic images” on social media, some U.S. Wi-Fi networks ban my website,
which is devoted to the Islamic question, on grounds that it is “pornography.”
Such is the true extent of the problem posed by the social media giants: not
only do they, as many already know, censor those who say anything that goes
against the narrative, in this case by exposing Islamic hate and violence; they
also allow Islamic hate and violence to proliferate and radicalize Muslims, who
go on to murder “infidels.”
Could Saudi-Iran agreement augur a new era?
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/March 14, 2023
The agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations after
seven years of severed ties and many more years of conflict has raised hopes
throughout the region and beyond. Many expect that restoring diplomatic
relations is the first step toward de-escalation and resolving conflicts through
dialogue and diplomacy. But how likely is it that the resumption of diplomatic
ties between the two main regional powers will lead to material changes in
Iran’s regional policies? How different is this agreement from previous
understandings that eventually failed to change Iran's regional conduct?
Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries have
consistently stressed that diplomacy is their preferred way to address conflicts
with Iran, most recently in a statement issued on Feb. 15 following a meeting of
the GCC-US Working Group on Iran at the GCC headquarters in Riyadh. This group
was set up in 2015 to coordinate the US and GCC approaches toward Iran,
including its nuclear program, ballistic missiles and drones, and its regional
activity.
There have been several previous attempts at diplomacy between Saudi Arabia, and
the GCC at large, and Iran. Some were more sustained and successful than others.
During Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s presidency (1989-1997), Saudi Arabia and Iran
engaged in extensive diplomacy, which established a common ground for dialogue
and led to regional de-escalation and bilateral goodwill.
Building on that progress, two agreements were concluded between Saudi Arabia
and Iran during Mohammed Khatami’s presidency (1997-2005): the General Agreement
for Cooperation in the Fields of Economy, Trade, Investment, Technology,
Science, Culture, Sports, and Youth, which was signed in May 1998, and the
Security Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in April 2001.
In December 2007, the GCC invited President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend its
annual summit, where he gave a reconciliatory speech followed by several rounds
of diplomacy during his first term of office. However, Iran’s regional policy
changed significantly during Ahmadinejad’s second term, which started in 2009,
becoming more aggressive and meddling. His second term started with bloody
protests and accusations of a rigged election, in what was known as the Green
Revolution. Many were killed, injured or arrested, including the two opposition
candidates.
Faced with stiff opposition at home and challenges to its legitimacy,
Ahmadinejad’s hard-line government at the time took advantage of the so-called
Arab Spring uprisings in early 2011. In Syria, it supported the Assad regime in
suppressing peaceful dissent with force, mobilizing sectarian militias from
Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iran itself, working under the guidance of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, especially its Quds Force. It adopted similar tactics
elsewhere, boasting at some point that it had control of four Arab capitals.
China’s role is the new element that could contribute to the success of the next
steps after the restoration of diplomatic ties.
During Hassan Rouhani’s presidency (2013-2021), the GCC nevertheless continued
its attempts at diplomacy, engaging with Iran in substantive correspondence and
meetings aimed at establishing new and more reliable rules for engagement,
including an emphasis on international law and the UN Charter as a basis for
dialogue.
Under current President Ebrahim Raisi, the GCC member states have continued
discussions with the same aim, including meetings between Saudi Arabia and Iran
in Oman and Iraq, paving the way to the announcement in Beijing on Friday.
Statements made after the announcement by the Saudi representative to the
Beijing talks, National Security Adviser Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban,
expressed hope that the agreement would lead to good neighborly relations with
Iran, enhanced security and stability in the region and the world, and the
adoption of the “principle of dialogue and diplomacy” to resolve disagreements.
Saudi Arabia clearly hopes that the agreement will signal the turning of a new
page based on a commitment to the “principles and objectives of the Charters of
the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and
international conventions and norms,” including respect for the sovereignty of
states and noninterference in their internal affairs.
There is, as such, clear continuity in the messages delivered earlier by the GCC
and other member states, placing special emphasis on international law and the
conventions and customs of relations between states of the region.
Saudi Arabia has expressed hope that the agreement will help maintain a
constructive dialogue.
There are many reasons why Iran has suddenly shifted to diplomacy with Saudi
Arabia, after years of aggression both directly and through its regional proxies
and collaborators. The Kingdom has been on the receiving end of hundreds of
missile and drone attacks over the past few years. Its cities, airports and oil
installations have been frequent targets of those attacks. Western sanctions
have contributed to limiting Iran’s ability to expand indefinitely and local
unrest is also a factor in that change of heart, as the hard-liners found
themselves spread too thin and unable to provide for Iran’s population, which
has been battered and impoverished by Tehran’s policies.
GCC defense forces and the extensive military presence of many nations in the
Gulf, including the US Fifth Fleet, the Combined Maritime Forces and others,
have also reduced Iran’s military options.
Diplomatic efforts by other GCC countries and Iraq have also helped the two
sides get to this point. However, China’s role has been instrumental in bringing
about this breakthrough, through the personal involvement of President Xi
Jinping and his top advisers, including Wang Yi.
The two sides expressed their desire for China’s “continuous and positive” role
in the future. That role is the new element that could contribute to the success
of the next steps after the restoration of diplomatic ties. It enjoys close
relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran and it has put its diplomatic prestige
on the line in a very visible way.
Success over the coming weeks and months will be measured by how much Iran
changes its regional policies in accordance with the internationally accepted
principles of state conduct. For example, will Tehran stop sending weapons to
Yemen and allow Yemenis to settle their differences at the negotiating table
according to Yemen’s law and constitution and according to UN resolutions?
In Lebanon, will Tehran finally allow the parliament to elect a new consensus
president after months of delays and attempts to install by force and
intimidation a partisan of Iran and Hezbollah as president?
In Iraq, will Tehran stop its missile and drone attacks on Iraqi territory and
against the Global Coalition Against Daesh?
The list is long, but observers and key players will be watching whether the
Iranian government delivers on the promises made in Beijing last week.
• Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC 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
Saudi Arabia-Iran detente is good news for a troubled
region
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/March 14, 2023
Friday’s Chinese-mediated rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran came as a
pleasant surprise to most countries in the Middle East and beyond. Such a
diplomatic breakthrough is a rare event in a region plagued by endemic crises.
It is a deal between two major regional players that promises to impact, in a
positive way, on a number of conflicts.
The fact that China brought the two countries together carries a number of key
messages. Beijing can be described as an honest and neutral broker. It has no
colonial history in the region and its contribution to the region’s development
and growth cannot be discounted. While Iran and China have been forging an
economic and political alliance for years, it is Riyadh’s outreach to China,
India and Russia that has distinguished Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy in recent
years. That outreach is paying dividends.
It is also normal and expected that China is looking to bolster its political
influence in this region to match its economic presence. The agreement between
Saudi Arabia and Iran under its sponsorship underlines the need for this region
to have a multipolar presence.
Iraq and Oman have also played a key role in bringing the two Gulf powerhouses
to the negotiation table after a seven-year rift. Saudi Arabia and Iran held at
least six rounds of talks in Baghdad over the last two years. Few expected a
breakthrough to happen so soon. To say that Riyadh and Tehran had a tense
relationship over the last few decades is an understatement. But in recent
years, it was Iran’s controversial meddling in the affairs of its neighbors, as
well as other countries in the region, that forced Saudi Arabia to sever
diplomatic ties in 2016.
Now, the two have agreed to reopen embassies and normalize ties in all sectors.
The agreement will have a positive impact on the region’s security and
stability.
The new-found detente has shocked the Israeli political establishment, which has
been working on two related fronts: bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham
Accords and further isolating Iran, while threatening to launch an airstrike
against its nuclear sites. Both objectives have suffered as a result of Friday’s
agreement. Israeli politicians traded accusations over what they saw as a major
setback for their country.
The deal sends a strong message that no country in the region, aside from
Israel, wants to see a new military conflict erupt
The agreement will deepen Israel’s internal political crisis over its
government’s proposed judicial overhaul and will also add to its growing
isolation as its far-right coalition carries out an open war against the
Palestinians while rejecting a political settlement.
Certainly, the agreement undermines Israeli-US efforts to build a regional
security alliance against Iran. The deal sends a strong message that no country
in the region, aside from Israel, wants to see a new military conflict erupt.
The deal could encourage other countries to seek to normalize ties with Tehran.
Such an occurrence would limit Iran’s appetite to pursue its regional agenda.
Washington, which cautiously welcomed the deal, has also been taken aback by the
fact that China, of all countries, took credit for scoring what can only be
described as a major diplomatic victory for Beijing and its leader Xi Jinping,
who has built strong ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. The timing of the
deal is yet another indicator that the US’ role and influence in the region is
under threat. Washington only has itself to blame. Its policies in the region,
especially in the last two decades, have brought misery to the people of the
Middle East.
Even the Abraham Accords, which the Trump administration regarded as its most
prominent foreign policy achievement, have failed to end the core of the
region’s instability, which is the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Now, the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is expected to set in
motion a number of processes to end or at least de-escalate regional conflicts
and proxy wars. Iranian media outlets have said that the agreement will help
bring a political settlement to Yemen’s long war. Ending that war, which has
turned Yemen into a failed state and displaced millions, would be the most
important outcome of the detente between the two regional rivals. That alone
would be seen as a major factor in bringing peace and stability to the Gulf
region.
But the path toward full normalization and cooperation will be long and
difficult. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the agreement
underscores the joint desire by both sides to “resolve disputes through
communication and dialogue.” However, he added: “This does not mean that an
agreement has been reached to resolve all pending disputes between them.” Much
will depend on Iran’s readiness to negotiate in good faith. Any breakthrough
will pave the way for further discussions that could include Lebanon, Syria and
Iraq.
China’s success in mediating the agreement will be welcomed by the region’s
leaders and people. The Middle East has seen its worst conflicts festering as
the US boasted about the region being its sphere of influence. Today, its
leaders are looking elsewhere for inspiration and help in conflict resolution.
*Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
Twitter: @plato010