English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 01/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith
Letter to the Corinthians 01/12-24/:”Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God and all the more towards you. For we write to you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end as you have already understood us in part that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast. Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double favour; I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on to Judea. Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been ‘Yes and No.’For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not ‘Yes and No’; but in him it is always ‘Yes.’For in him every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first instalment. But I call on God as witness against me: it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth. I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2023
World Bank: Lebanon Tops World’s Food Price Inflation Rate
Israel Bombs Syria Hezbollah Depot
Lebanon: General Security Prepares Mechanism on Return of Syrian Refugees
Syrian Opposition Proposes Transfer of Refugees in Lebanon to ‘Liberated Regions’
Syrian refugee presence ‘a conspiracy against Lebanon,’ former president claims
Al-Rahi: Our country is collapsing and our people are migrating towards countries that respect people because of bad governance
Al-Rahi: Poor governance by political leaders forcing Lebanese citizens to flee
Bishop Aoudi: Our leaders are creating obstacles to prevent the resurrection of the country!
Counting the displaced: Lebanon seeks data on Syrian refugees
Did Hezbollah abandon Franjieh after Abdollahian's visit?
BDL introduces new circular allowing check payments and transfers
Former Lebanese president Aoun accuses Europe of pressuring Lebanon to accept Syrian refugees
Ex-Lebanese President Aoun: Those funding war against Syria must rebuild it
Import goods prices to increase due to customs tariff adjustments
EDL takes steps to address electricity theft in Syrian refugee camps
BDL introduces new circular allowing check payments and transfers
Bassil: Let no one threaten us with 'me or chaos' equation
Hamieh: Our vision stems from the political and geopolitical changes in the region and the world
Mawlawi’s office comments on the circulation of a photo of a Syrian policeman’s card in the municipality of Laqlouq: We instructed the security...
The Iranian ‘Spider Strategy’ Behind Abdollahian’s Visit to Lebanon/Raghida Dergham/April 30/2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 30-May 01/2023
Pope, meeting refugees, says better future possible
Iran’s Hardline Parliament Votes to Dismiss Industry Minister
US Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo on Tanker
Iranian Cleric Stabbed in Apparent Road Rage Incident in Qom
Iran’s Raisi Slams US Presence in Middle East
Raisi to Begin Damascus Visit on Wednesday
Cairo, Juba Discuss Efforts for Permanent Ceasefire in Sudan
GCC chief calls for calm in Sudan
Britain plans extra evacuation flight from Port Sudan
Sudan sides trade blame, fight on despite cease-fire
Clashes Rock Sudan Despite Truce as Ex-PM Warns of ‘Nightmare’
US conducts 1st evacuation of its citizens from Sudan war
Turkey nears referendum on Erdogan's two-decade rule
Erdogan overcomes ill health as Turkish elections set to go to the wire
Jordan to host Arab foreign ministers’ meeting to tackle Syria crisis
Crimea fuel depot on fire, Russian-held towns shelled in Ukraine

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2023
The Lesson from Sudan/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/30 April, 2023
The BBC in the Cross Hairs from the Left and Right/Mark Landler/The New York Times/30 April, 2023
They Refused to Fight for Russia. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly/Neil MacFarquhar/The New York Times Company/April 30, 2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 30-May 01/2023
World Bank: Lebanon Tops World’s Food Price Inflation Rate
Beirut - Ali Zeinddine/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
In its latest reports on food security around the world, the World Bank said that Lebanon recorded the highest nominal food price inflation rate in the world during the February 2022 – February 2023 period.
The country registered 261% annual change in the food Consumer Price Index (CPI), followed by Zimbabwe (128%). With regard to the real inflation rate, the report monitored an increase in the annual change in food prices in Lebanon by 71 percent during the comparison period, followed by Zimbabwe by 40 percent, Rwanda by 32 percent, and Egypt by 30 percent. In a separate report on poverty, the World Bank warned that the economic situation in Lebanon was rapidly deteriorating, noting that the exchange rate of the national currency against the US dollar was trading at about LBP 100,000 to the dollar, which means that the national currency has lost 98 percent of its value since the economic crisis started in the last quarter of 2019. The World Bank also said the failure to address the financial sector losses, estimated at about $72 billion, more than three times the gross domestic product, deepens the impact of the crisis. Recent field surveys have shown that the poverty rate continues to rise, as three out of five families classify themselves as poor or very poor, especially among those who do not receive remittances from abroad. While unemployment levels have decreased, the majority of people are now working in low-quality jobs. In the updated forecasts, the World Bank estimated that the economy in Lebanon would contract by 0.5 percent at the end of this year, contrary to previous expectations of a decline in growth by 5.4 percent, as a result of a better-than-expected performance for some economic indicators, such as the tourism sector. According to the World Food Program (WFP), and with the continued rise in food prices, food insecurity is expected to affect about 1.46 million Lebanese people and about 800,000 refugees by the end of this month.

Israel Bombs Syria Hezbollah Depot
Damascus - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Three civilians were wounded Saturday in Israeli airstrikes near the Syrian city of Homs, Syrian state media reported, with a war monitor saying a Hezbollah munitions depot was hit. "At around 00:50 (2150 GMT)... the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack with a number of missiles, from the direction of north Lebanon, targeting several positions in the vicinity of the city of Homs," state news agency SANA reported. "Three civilians were wounded and a civilian petrol station caught fire and a number of fuel tanks and trucks were burned," it said, adding that Syrian air defenses had intercepted some of the missiles.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israel "destroyed a munitions depot belonging to Lebanon's Hezbollah at the Dabaa military airport" in the countryside of Homs province. Without reporting any casualties, it said there were "loud explosions as the munitions in the depot blew up, with fires seen burning at the site." On April 2, Israel carried out similar strikes targeting a Hezbollah depot in the Dabaa airport area, the Observatory had said, killing two pro-Iran fighters and wounding five soldiers. The same day, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant repeated Israel's often repeated charge that Iranians are "attempting to entrench themselves in Syria and Lebanon." "We will not allow the Iranians and Hezbollah to harm us. We have not allowed it in the past, we won’t allow it now, or anytime in the future. When necessary -- we will push them out of Syria to where they belong -- and that is Iran," he told troops in the occupied West Bank.

Lebanon: General Security Prepares Mechanism on Return of Syrian Refugees
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Lebanon’s Acting Director General of General Security, Brigadier General Elias Baissari, has exerted efforts to adopt a mechanism for the return of Syrian refugees, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. On Thursday, Baissari was assigned by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to follow up on the issue of returning the displaced Syrians to their country. According to official data, as many as 540,000 Syrians voluntarily returned to Syria from Lebanon since 2017. The security sources said that in 2017, Lebanon launched a campaign to deport Syrians who entered illegally. mThey said the campaign was based on a decision taken by the Higher Defense Council to start deporting refugees who entered Lebanon illegally. The sources also pointed out that the recent meeting of the ministerial committee concerned with refugee affairs gave security forces the green light for a broader effort to deport undocumented Syrian nationals. “The situation is no longer bearable. Lebanon’s prisons no longer accommodate more detainees. Therefore, every Syrian who has no official documents allowing him to stay on Lebanese soil, will be immediately returned to Syria,” the sources confirmed. In a related development, Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib met Saturday with the Deputy Director General and Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Sophie Baker, requesting an official clarification regarding the statements circulated in videos on social media by Swedish citizen, Kamal al-Labwani, in which he calls on the displaced Syrians in Lebanon to violate Lebanese laws and to take up arms in the country. The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said it continues to follow up on developments in the case “which impacts national security,” until it obtains the desired clarifications from the concerned authorities. Meanwhile, the Parliament’s Administration and Justice Committee Chair, MP George Adwan, discussed Saturday with UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon Joanna Wronica the crisis of the Syrian refugees. Adwan stressed “the need to immediately implement practical steps for their return to their country, and for the international community to cooperate with the Lebanese authorities and provide assistance to the refugees in their country to encourage them to return.”

Syrian Opposition Proposes Transfer of Refugees in Lebanon to ‘Liberated Regions’
Idlib - Firas Karam/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Opposition civilian and political groups in Syria’s northwest announced their complete readiness to receive Syrian refugees from Lebanon in liberated Syrian regions in wake of the violations and forced deportation they are facing in the neighboring country. The “Political Affairs Administration” in the opposition-held Idlib region and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group said on Friday that they were prepared to welcome over two million refugees in Lebanon who are threatened with forced deportation to regime-held regions where their lives could be at risk. In a statement, they urged Lebanese authorities to return to reason and their humanitarian and moral duties towards civilian refugees in line with international laws and norms that ensure their protection. They added that the Syrians were initially forced to leave their country given the violence of President Bashar al-Assad's regime against them. Nearly two million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon to escape imprisonment or death. Now, the refugees in Lebanon are coming under systematic verbal and physical violence. They are victims of government decisions of forced deportation that have not taken into account the consequences they will face by the Assad regime once they return, they continued. The groups said they are “fully prepared” to receive the refugees in liberated Syrian regions in the north.m The practices of the Lebanese authorities prompted popular protests and rallies in the cities of Azaz, al-Bab and Afrin in the Idlib countryside and in Idlib city.
Seif Hammoud, who was displaced from the Homs countryside to Azaz, said he fears for the life of his parents and siblings, who are living in a refugee camp in Lebanon’s Baalbek region, should they be deported to regime-controlled regions. Syria’s northwest is home to tens of thousands of Syrians who have been displaced from across the war-torn country. Hammoud spoke of the fears of other families over their loved ones in Lebanon. He criticized the United Nations for failing to come up with a mechanism that protects the refugees in Lebanon from the violations, detentions and insults they are facing.
The regime has arrested dozens of Syrians who had previously been forcibly deported, he revealed. Syrian activists on social media discussed the refugee crisis, with the majority agreeing that the best solution lies in their return to opposition-held regions. In recent weeks, the Lebanese army had carried out a campaign against Syrian refugees throughout the country, arresting 450 people and deporting over 60 to Syria, revealed informed sources.

Syrian refugee presence ‘a conspiracy against Lebanon,’ former president claims
Najia Houssari/April 30, 2023
BEIRUT: Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Sunday that the continued presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was “a conspiracy against Lebanon.”He described them as “security refugees and not political refugees,” at an event held by the Free Patriotic Movement in the southern town of Jezzine. He also said that many countries were behind the Syrian refugees’ entry into Lebanon after pressuring Beirut. “I am not ashamed of saying that the majority of European countries don’t want to receive the refugees and are forcing us to keep them here,” he said. “What is even more dangerous is that friendly European countries are imposing illegal things on us. They want to integrate the Syrian refugees into the Lebanese society.”
Given the political divergence seen in Lebanon regarding the Syrian revolution back in 2011, Lebanon had dealt with the Syrian refugee case with denial through its official state institutions.
Following Hezbollah’s participation in the Syrian war in 2012, the number of Syrian refugees increased in Lebanon, namely refugees coming from the regions of Al-Qusayr and Qalamoun, and the role of international organizations assisting the refugees also grew.
The Lebanese state, however, refused to allocate specific camps to host refugees, prompting them to reside in areas with welcoming environments.
The Lebanese government estimates that Lebanon currently hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
It has been 18 years since Syrian military troops withdrew from Lebanon, ending a 30-year presence. Aoun said that “we were able to repatriate 500,000 Syrian refugees in coordination and agreement with (Syria).” During his mandate, Aoun and the FPM carried out a campaign to repatriate Syrian refugees. However, international organizations had refused any “forced and unsafe return.”Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, there are no reasons for Syrian refugees to remain in Lebanon.
He believes that a similar scenario to the Palestinian refugees’ naturalization was being repeated with Syrian refugees. “However, some international, governmental and non-governmental organizations are highly benefitting from the refugees’ stay through a web of money and benefits,” said Bassil.
“There’s a scheme aiming to create a new strife between the Lebanese and the Syrians, the result of which serves the partition project,” he said.
Sunday’s remarks from Aoun and Bassil came as Lebanon witnesses a new campaign against Syrian refugees, amid ongoing political paralysis.
Many municipalities issued in the past few days additional decisions limiting the movement of refugees at night. Last month, it was reported that around 50 Syrians were sent back to Syria after entering Lebanon illegally.
Moreover, inaccurate statistics indicate that around 40 percent of inmates in Lebanese prisons are Syrian detainees who committed theft, murder and kidnapping. Ali, a refugee from Idlib, said that his 20-year-old relative was able to return to Syria a month ago through illegal crossings between Lebanon and Syria. Ali claimed that he had to pay significant amounts of money in dollars to Lebanese and Syrian brokers, some of whom were security personnel. Ahmad, a Syrian refugee from Idlib registered by the UNHCR, told Arab News that “not all refugees should be held accountable for the crimes committed by some Syrians in Lebanon.”Ahmad acknowledged that the Lebanese state has the right to impose its order and that refugees should abide by the laws. “However, everyone is benefitting from the illegal border crossings, including Lebanese and Syrian smugglers,” he added.
In 2019, former Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab clarified that “the list of the Lebanese State Security body includes 136 illegal crossings and a significant number of crossings allocated for walking or animal crossing.”
A ministerial meeting held last week to discuss the Syrian refugee file ordered security personnel to “strictly prosecute violators and prevent illegal entry of Syrians.” Against the background of the tension happening in Lebanon due to the repatriation of Syrian refugees, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced that it is ready to receive Syrian refugees from Lebanon and different regions of the world. It called on the UN to “provide the adequate environments.” Badran Chiya Kurd, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said that “the Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living in very difficult conditions.”The official urged the UN to play its “responsible role and open a humanitarian corridor between Lebanon and our region to facilitate the refugees’ return, as it is a humanitarian cause.”

Al-Rahi: Our country is collapsing and our people are migrating towards countries that respect people because of bad governance
Al-Rahi: Poor governance by political leaders forcing Lebanese citizens to flee
LBCI/April 30/2023
Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi led Sunday's mass at the Church in the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke. In his sermon, al-Rahi highlighted that our people are becoming poorer and forced to migrate to countries that respect human rights due to poor governance by corrupt, destructive, and failed political leaders without moral or patriotic conscience. In addition, he praised all Christians in Lebanon for their constructive contributions in various fields, combining development projects of all kinds with ethics and transparency in performance. He also praised their innovations, sacrifices, and service to the common good, noting that they compensate for the political leaders' neglect, incapacity, obstruction, and failure to utilize the state's capabilities. In his Sunday Mass sermon, at the Patriarchal Church in Bkerke, that “The Lebanese state is collapsing, and the people are migrating to a country that respects people, and all this is due to the misrule of a corrupt, destructive and failed political group without an iota of moral and patriotic conscience."

Bishop Aoudi: Our leaders are creating obstacles to prevent the resurrection of the country!
National News Agency/April 30/2023
The Metropolitan of Beirut and its dependencies indicated to the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Odeh, that “for months our country has been in a deadly vacuum, and no one has shown willingness to push for any progress, or to make any concessions. The love of the homeland died in the hearts of those who were entrusted with the responsibility of reviving the homeland and the entire people, so they blurred the facts, suspended the work of the institutions, ignored the entitlements, and distorted democracy, and none of them carried a single good news that would be like spilled perfume to remove something from the rotten smell of rampant corruption. The Lebanese are prevented from knowing the truth about the Beirut port bombing and the victims and tragedies that left it, and they are prevented from knowing the truth about the state’s financial situation, the truth about the economic collapse and the failure to start reform. And Odeh asked in the Sunday Mass sermon: “Do the leaders not create obstacles in order to prevent the resurrection of the country from the great abyss in which they buried it?” He said: “The absence of honesty and transparency in the state’s dealings with its citizens, the ambiguity of deals and contracts, the failure to identify those responsible for the financial disaster, the wrong practices that led to the economic collapse, ignoring those who harmed the country and collecting wealth at the expense of the people, and the slowness in dealing with matters and in reform and rescue, The failure to elect a president for the country is all matters that further bury the hopes of the people, and tighten the closure of the stone on their lives and the future of their children. As for the solution, it is to hear the voice of conscience and not to close the heart and mind from comprehending mistakes, acknowledging them and apologizing for them, and taking a new path that leads to the resurrection.”

Counting the displaced: Lebanon seeks data on Syrian refugees
LBCI/April 30/2023
At the beginning of the week, the Lebanese government was awaiting data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), including the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which it had requested within a week. Until then, all eyes are on the expected plan the government will put forward in coordination with those involved in the file. According to LBCI's sources, there is no clear or official data among the official Lebanese authorities on the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which delays the start of the plan. However, the numbers in possession of the General Security, the latest of which was announced by Major General Abbas Ibrahim in November last year, totaling two million and 80 thousand displaced, remain unstable due to the movement of entry and exit to and from Syria, as well as the recent displacement after the February earthquake. Nevertheless, the Interior and Municipalities Minister, Bassam Mawlawi, will begin a series of meetings starting Tuesday with Brigadier General Bassam al-Baisseri and others involved. He will also meet with governors and mayors to begin the plan's first phase to count the number of displaced persons.
Can Lebanon put the file of displacement in its proper framework and then begin to take practical steps to return them to their country?

Did Hezbollah abandon Franjieh after Abdollahian's visit?
Naharnet/April 30/2023
Observers have made a link between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s visit to Lebanon and remarks about the presidential file by top Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad. Abdollahian met with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and relayed Iranian directions related to the new era ushered in by the Iranian-Saudi agreement, media reports said. “There is no way to finalize the presidential election except through everyone’s agreement, and we have backed a presidential candidate but we have not closed the doors,” Raad said on Saturday. “We have said let’s engage in discussions, which means that the doors to understanding and dialogue are still open,” Raad added. His remarks apparently contradict with an earlier statement by Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, who said that “the country is before two candidates: one of them is serious (Suleiman Franjieh) and the other is vacuum.” Informed sources meanwhile told the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal that Abdollahian had likely asked Hezbollah to help elect a new president and not to “cling to candidates who would aggravate the rift between the Lebanese.” France meanwhile told Lebanese officials that it intends to activate its efforts regarding the presidential file and that it will carry out more steps in early May, ad-Diyar newspaper reported.

BDL introduces new circular allowing check payments and transfers
LBCI/April 30/2023
The Banque du Liban (BDL) has released a new circular with the number 165, which allows depositors to pay by check from their account, make transfers from one bank to another, and use their debit cards. This will be effective starting June 1, provided the account is in US dollars or Lebanese lira. To facilitate these transactions, the BDL will establish a new clearing system, separate from the existing one reserved for deposits held in the bank before the crisis. According to banking sources, the purpose of this circular is to regulate banking activities and revive the economy. On the one hand, it encourages opening new accounts in both Lebanese lira and US dollars to inject liquidity into the banks. On the other hand, it helps reduce reliance on cash in the country. However, some experts have criticized this initiative, arguing that it is illegal because it legitimizes the distinction between newly deposited funds and old funds without legal obligations. They are also questioning the fate of old deposits. Given the lack of trust in banks, what guarantees that the newly injected funds will not evaporate and that the same scenario will not be repeated? In conclusion, this is a patchwork solution added to previous measures, as the state has failed to implement any radical plan for the recovery of the banking sector. The state has not passed banking restructuring or capital controls laws, leaving citizens' trapped funds at risk of disappearing.

Former Lebanese president Aoun accuses Europe of pressuring Lebanon to accept Syrian refugees
LBCI/April 30/2023
Former Lebanese President Michel Aoun has accused European countries of pressuring Lebanon to accept Syrian refugees and forcing them to stay there, indicating that he warned successive governments of the displacement's dangers. Still, they were not sufficiently aware to take necessary political or humanitarian measures. Speaking at a public meeting with the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, in Jezzine, Aoun stated, "we have realized recently that the game is big, and it is a conspiracy against Lebanon." However, Aoun revealed that he once asked an ambassador why European countries requested Lebanon to guard their coasts to prevent Syrian refugees from reaching Europe but, simultaneously, were forcing Lebanon to keep them in the country. He stressed that most European countries do not want refugees and are imposing them on Lebanon. According to Aoun, most European countries do not want refugees and want them to stay here, clarifying that Syrian refugees came to Lebanon and found safety, but they are not political refugees. He argued that European countries are imposing on Lebanon the idea that political refugees are the same as security refugees, which is an unacceptable lie.

Ex-Lebanese President Aoun: Those funding war against Syria must rebuild it
Al Mayadeen English/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Aoun says that the process of integrating displaced Syrians into the Lebanese society is "a dangerous matter."
Lebanese Former President Michel Aoun said that Lebanon, in coordination and agreement with Syria, returned 500,000 displaced Syrians to their homes, indicating that the Syrians breaking Lebanese law are not considered political refugees. Aoun stressed that "most European countries do not want to return the displaced Syrians to their country," pointing out that the attempts made by some countries to integrate them into Lebanese society is "a dangerous matter." Likewise, Aoun believed that "whoever destroyed Syria and funded the war against it must start rebuilding it." An estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees currently reside in Lebanon, while only 900 thousand are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, most of whom suffer from difficult living conditions. In turn, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement in Lebanon, Gebran Bassil, called for "benefiting from the Saudi-Iranian-Syrian understanding to secure a decent and dignified return for the displaced Syrians." Bassil pointed out that "one of the goals of the Israeli project, with its Western extensions and racist essence, was displacing the Palestinians, sowing divisions and fragmentation." Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs in the caretaker government, Hector Hajjar, said earlier this week that the government "will ask the High Commissioner for Displaced Affairs, and within a maximum period of one week from its date, to provide the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities with all the data it possesses regarding displaced Syrians...provided that the status of a displaced person is revoked from Syrians leaving the Lebanese territory and that security services be requested to strictly pursue violators and prevent the entry of Syrians through illegal means." Hajjar requested that security services be strict in pursuing violators and prevent the entry of Syrians through illegal means. He also asked the Ministries of Interior and Municipalities and Social Affairs to carry out their legal requirements in terms of registering the births of Syrians on Lebanese territory, in coordination with the High Commissioner for Displaced Affairs, calling the presence of displaced Syrians in Lebanon a ticking time bomb.

Import goods prices to increase due to customs tariff adjustments
LBCI/April 30/2023
Starting from May 1st, the prices of imported goods in Lebanon will increase due to adjustments in customs tariffs. The government's decision to increase the customs dollar according to the Sayrafa exchange rate will cause the prices of many goods to rise. The percentage of customs duty applied to each item is calculated based on a fixed exchange rate of 60,000 LBP per US dollar, but with the new adjustments, it will be based on the current rate of Sayrafa. For example, an imported cheese mold with a 25% customs duty will increase by approximately 10%. However, the percentage increase will vary according to the customs duty rate of each item. Some affected imported goods include canned vegetables and fruits, chocolate, biscuits, candies, cheeses, and dairy products. Additionally, prices of clothing, electrical appliances, household items, and others will be impacted even more significantly. But some goods will remain exempt from customs duties, so their prices will not be affected. However, will the Lebanese authorities be able to prevent prices from going up on all items?

EDL takes steps to address electricity theft in Syrian refugee camps
LBCI/April 30/2023
Electricité du Liban (EDL) has installed 400 meters on electrical outlets that can power 400 camps or refugee settlements in northern Lebanon in order to bill those who are benefiting from government electricity for an hour or less or more. However, EDL is expected to install 494 meters of outlets to power Syrian refugee camps and settlements in the Bekaa region by May 18. EDL expects an increase in the total number of meters installed on outlets that can power Syrian refugee camps and settlements to a thousand. Moreover, this step comes as EDL believes that there are illegal connections to the electricity network by refugees. Therefore the meters will allow the company to determine the amount of electricity consumed by these camps and settlements by sending bills to the entities providing care and funding for Syrian refugees, requiring them to pay what they owe. This will take place at the end of August, and those responsible will have four months to find solutions and funding, and if it does not happen, the electricity supply to these camps and settlements will be cut off. The Chairman of the Board of EDL, Kamal Hayek, spoke clearly about this issue at a press conference on April 13, stating that in the Mount Lebanon, South, and Beirut regions, there are limited camps and settlements for Syrian refugees that this initiative will cover. However, most refugees live in rented houses or buildings or work as laborers in these areas. Therefore they are expected to pay electricity bills which also applies to Syrian refugees who rent homes and buildings in the north and Bekaa regions. It should be noted that some camps are committed to paying bills, such as in Zahle, where there are meters belonging to Electricity of Zahle, a private institution in the city.

BDL introduces new circular allowing check payments and transfers
LBCI/April 30/2023
The Banque du Liban (BDL) has released a new circular with the number 165, which allows depositors to pay by check from their account, make transfers from one bank to another, and use their debit cards. This will be effective starting June 1, provided the account is in US dollars or Lebanese lira. To facilitate these transactions, the BDL will establish a new clearing system, separate from the existing one reserved for deposits held in the bank before the crisis. According to banking sources, the purpose of this circular is to regulate banking activities and revive the economy. On the one hand, it encourages opening new accounts in both Lebanese lira and US dollars to inject liquidity into the banks. On the other hand, it helps reduce reliance on cash in the country. However, some experts have criticized this initiative, arguing that it is illegal because it legitimizes the distinction between newly deposited funds and old funds without legal obligations. They are also questioning the fate of old deposits. Given the lack of trust in banks, what guarantees that the newly injected funds will not evaporate and that the same scenario will not be repeated? In conclusion, this is a patchwork solution added to previous measures, as the state has failed to implement any radical plan for the recovery of the banking sector. The state has not passed banking restructuring or capital controls laws, leaving citizens' trapped funds at risk of disappearing.

Bassil: Let no one threaten us with 'me or chaos' equation
Naharnet/April 30/2023
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Sunday urged a Christian agreement on a new president.“As Christians, we have a historic and major responsibility to agree, in order not to give an excuse to local and foreign forces to impose a president on us,” Bassil said during a visit to Jezzine. “We want to propose candidates on whom we can agree at the Christian level at first and secondly at the national level,” Bassil added, stressing that the FPM “will not cover any marginalization of Christians.” Referring to political rivals who are nominated for the presidency, the FPM chief said: “Let no one threaten us with the ‘me or chaos’ equation and think that he can impose it.” “Let no one lecture us about learning from the past, because he’s the one who has to learn and not act in an inferior way or accept any settlement only because it leads to his election, even if that comes at the expense of his environment, society and country,” Bassil went on to say. He added: “Let no one bet on foreign settlements, because no matter how strong they cannot continue if they are not immunized and covered with domestic consensus.” -

Hamieh: Our vision stems from the political and geopolitical changes in the region and the world
NNA/April 30/2023
Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Ali Hamieh, stressed, during his participation in a workshop held by the Arab League in Cairo on preparing a study for the development and interconnection of Arab ports, that "the importance of integration and interdependence among them stems from a realistic vision of the maritime transport sector worldwide." He stressed "the need for the interdependence and integration of Arab ports with each other, through the preparation of an analytical study on this level, based on an objective view of reality and the accelerating political and geopolitical changes in the region and the world," adding that this vital sector today lies between the ruthless globalization of those who not ready to confront it on the one hand, and between a desirable globalism, which may not embrace those who remain on its margins. Minister Hamieh's words came during his participation in the workshop of the League of Arab States to discuss the mechanism for preparing an analysis of the status of the Arab seaports sector, branch of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Cairo - Smart Village, with the participation of representatives from the Arab League and many Arab countries, including Lebanon, Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan, Oman, Algeria, Mauritania, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and Djibouti.

Mawlawi’s office comments on the circulation of a photo of a Syrian policeman’s card in the municipality of Laqlouq: We instructed the security...
NNA/April 30/2023
Caretaker Interior and Municipalities Minister, Judge Bassam Mawlawi’s press office issued a statement this afternoon, commenting on the circulation of a photo of a card issued by the municipality of Laqlouq to a Syrian policeman. "Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, directed the security services affiliated with the ministry to immediately investigate the validity of issuing the municipality mentioned for the card, and the extent to which the municipality applies the laws, as well as the identity papers of the Syrian person," the statement read. The statement added that "the necessary legal measures will be taken against the violators in light of the investigation's outcome."

The Iranian ‘Spider Strategy’ Behind Abdollahian’s Visit to Lebanon
Raghida Dergham/April 30/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/117805/117805/
A new trend in Iranian policy following the Chinese-sponsored agreement with Saudi Arabia is its adoption of a ‘spider strategy’, weaving hidden and agile predatory webs that appear flimsy but have the strength of steel. The visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s visit to Lebanon this week left indications of an Iranian determination to continue propping up its allegiant ally Hezbollah, while deploying a political tactic that suggests Tehran is engaging with the Lebanese state, leading parties, and members of parliament in recognition of the democratic process. Abdollahian’s visit included a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and concluded with a visit to the Lebanese-Israeli border without prior clearance from the authorities. In doing so, he demonstrated the continuation of the same Iranian policy vis-à-vis Lebanon based on: non-recognition of Lebanese sovereignty; retaining the formula of “Army, People, and Resistance”; preserving Hezbollah’s weapons and doctrine as they are, being Iran’s military, regional, and strategic ally, and the main arm of the Iranian regime and its regional projects.
Iranian officials do not ask for permission when they visit Lebanon. They arrive without invitation and inform officials in the Lebanese government when they are on their way. This is what happened when the Iranian foreign minister decided to visit Lebanon for the first time since his meetings with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, to implement the bilateral agreement with the kingdom guaranteed by China. Worth noting that one of the most prominent provisions of that agreement is a commitment not to interfere in the internal affairs of the countries in the region and to respect their sovereignty.
The Iranian logic adopted an expanded scope of the agreement with an emphasis on resolving the crisis in Yemen first. During his meetings with Lebanese officials, Abdollahian conveyed that Tehran is ready to help solve the Yemeni crisis, sending a message that Saudi Arabia has priorities that Iran is responding to in Yemen. For other issues, such as Lebanon, the Iranian minister did not offer any indication that Iran will provide real assistance in solving its problems, which are mainly the result of the positions of its ally, Hezbollah, whether in terms of the group's insistence on maintaining Iranian arms and acting as a state within a state, taking orders from Tehran; or in terms of influencing its other ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to commit to the safe return of Syrian refugees to their country instead of using some of them as a tool for incitement and tension in Lebanon.
The Iranian minister came to peddle his country's willingness to provide Lebanon with oil grants and assistance in electricity generation, but he knows fully well that Lebanon cannot and does not want to expose itself to US sanctions that could be imposed on Beirut if it violates the Iranian sanctions regime. Abdollahian tried to incite Lebanese officials to violate US sanctions, taking advantage of their country’s catastrophic economic situation resulting from the total corruption of its ruling despotic class, which includes - but is not limited to - Iran's allies, the Shia duo Hezbollah and Amal.
The Lebanese stop in the Iranian minister's tour of Arab countries was meant to emphasize Iran as a prominent regional actor that decides freely who to help and when to do so. For this reason, he reiterated in his meetings that if the dialogue between the Houthis and the Saudis fails to solve the Yemeni crisis, then Iran is ready to intervene to persuade the Houthis to do what is necessary.
Regarding the Lebanese question, Abdollahian feigned respect for the independence of Hezbollah and the Shia duo's decision to nominate former minister Suleiman Frangieh for the Lebanese presidency, despite widespread disapproval of him and of the Shia duo's insistence on imposing a Christian president against major Christian opposition. Officially, Abdollahian informed Lebanese officials that what matters to Iran is that the Lebanese elect a president, appoint a prime minister, and form a government to restore normality in Lebanon. Practically, the Iranian minister did not reveal his cards or the cards of his ally about whether the presidency card is negotiable. Indeed, for Iran, the most important card is how to reinforce Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon and Syria amid negotiations with Saudi Arabia about Hezbollah's regional roles.
One of the noteworthy events during the visit of the Iranian foreign minister was the meeting he convened at the Iranian embassy, which included certain parliamentary blocs and excluded others, to show that Iran's new diplomatic approach is to engage with the Lebanese on parliamentary, social, and grassroots levels. However, the meeting was a flop and revealed deep-rooted weakness, particularly as Abdollahian affirmed upon his arrival in Beirut that Tehran will continue to impose the formula of "the Army, the People, and the Resistance," which effectively abolishes the state's authority over its entire territory and eliminates its legislators' right to object to Iran's dictate of involving the Resistance in the state's sovereignty and the people's affairs.
On the surface, the regime in Tehran wants to appear moderate when it comes to its influence on its proxies, including by softening their revolutionary tone and threatening rhetoric while deepening their political integration, even if just superficially. Hezbollah is an important example of a new thinking in Tehran, that adopts the strategy of the spider, which ensnares its prey by spinning its webs around it, keeping it alive and fresh for later consumption.
But those who are betting that the Islamic Republic of Iran could choose to disengage from Hezbollah or dismantling its internal and external networks are rushing to false conclusions and are fundamentally mistaken in reading the regime's strategic thinking. The same can be said about the assumptions regarding Syria and the strong relations between the Iranian and Syrian regime. Some hope these relations will break down for logical reasons, including Assad's need to assert his influence and power in his country instead of submitting to Iranian control and dominance, and to benefit from Arab financing of reconstruction if he decides to break these ties. However, breaking ties with Iran or Hezbollah is not easy because it may be costly for Bashar al-Assad himself, as a president, a regime, and a person. These are real and serious matters that must be taken into consideration.
The Syrian president is a very cunning man who has benefited from the lessons of Iranian shrewdness, his experience with Hezbollah, and the military expertise of Russia, which entered directly as an ally in his long war. Bashar al-Assad does not forgive easily, and he does not adapt until he secures a high price. He does not compromise when he has ammunition in his hands.
Ammunition like the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, whose issue should be examined closely and monitored for how to deal with them in light of the Arab reconciliations with the regime in Damascus. Assad is comfortable as long as what is called the "international community," meaning Western countries, UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations, continue to rehabilitate refugees in Lebanon and relieve him of the cost of their return to the Syrian economy.
Bashar al-Assad does not want the return of the two million Syrians who are now supported by the international community, relieving him of their political burden. Moreover, the Syrian president is adept at causing strife and security explosions in Lebanon - and it is regrettable that some of the Syrian refugees or displaced persons in Lebanon are being mobilized to play a malicious game and turn into a "fifth column" for Assad’s schemes in Lebanon.
The responsibility for the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon lies not only with the Syrian president but also with Hezbollah, which played a key role in displacing them and destroying their villages, preventing their return while transforming their communities into Shia-dominated ones. The United Nations is also responsible because of its bureaucratic fecklessness, instead of being alert to the dangers of what its agencies are doing in Lebanon, especially the UNHCR and the WFP.
European countries continue to insist on not allowing Syrian refugees to return to their homeland unless through ‘safe’ returns, but they have not lifted a finger to pressure the Syrian government to ensure this safe return. This is because European countries do not want to inherit the influx of Syrian refugees. Europe claims it is providing money to the Syrian refugees on humanitarian grounds, while in reality the Europeans do not welcome Syrian, nor Sudanese, nor Libyan refugees. It is European racism that is blatant, not Lebanese racism.
The United Nations, its agencies, non-governmental organizations, and European countries must return to the drawing board to assess the cost of Syrian refugees on the Lebanese people to avoid contributing to a civil war and security explosion in their country that they would then do little more than condemn. It is time for an awakening, in their thinking and conscience.
All of this does not hide the dismal failure of Lebanon, its government, parties, and leaders, in dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis. Lebanon has decided to designate them as displaced people, although a displaced person usually flees within the borders of his/her country, and a refugee crosses its borders into another country, according to the United Nations' definition.
The Lebanese people have hosted the Syrian refugees with incredible hospitality, as recognized by the United Nations and international organizations, whose employees benefit from the refugee crisis to earn exorbitant wealth compared to the Lebanese with their meagre income. The reputation of those working in these organizations is extremely bad due to their refusal to listen to the grievances of the Lebanese people regarding the funds given to, and practices of those refugees benefiting from aid, exploiting communal land, engaging in smuggling, and abusing the status of the internally displaced or refugees. Some even bear children only to exploit them, subjecting them to humiliation and danger by turning them into beggars.
What is happening in Lebanon today requires Arab vigilance so that Syrians in Lebanon do not become like Palestinian refugees, whose return to Palestine has become nearly impossible. The return of Syrians to their country could prove even more difficult unless a comprehensive regional and international strategy is developed to address the various elements of this crisis.
The Lebanese-Syrian frontier is of utmost importance too, not only in terms of the need to control smuggling but also to demarcate the land and sea borders between Lebanon and Syria. Closing the border is a measure rejected by many Lebanese parties, including Hezbollah which is still present militarily inside Syria - and here is the surreal paradox that brings us back to the contributions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in both the Syrian and Lebanese crises.
The Saudi-Iranian understandings guaranteed by China must quickly address Iran's harmful policies towards Lebanon and Syria before the tension turns into a catastrophic war in the Lebanese arena. The issue of Yemen is a security priority for Saudi Arabia and it is for this reason that Tehran is touting it as the focus of its cooperation that proves its good regional behavior. But this is not enough, and Tehran is actually pursuing a "spider strategy, weaving a hidden web.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 30-May 01/2023
Pope, meeting refugees, says better future possible
Reuters/April 30, 2023
BUDAPEST: Pope Francis on Saturday met Ukrainians who fled the war on Hungary’s eastern border, telling the refugees that a different future is possible. Francis met with about 600 refugees, poor and homeless people in a visit to St. Elizabeth’s church in Budapest on the second day of his visit, which began on Friday when he pointedly warned of the dangers of rising nationalism in Europe. Pope Francis thanked Hungarians for welcoming Ukrainian refugees and urged them to help anyone in need, as he begged for a culture of charity. Francis was serenaded by a singing band of Hungarian Roma wearing flower-patterned clothing and seemed to enjoy the music as they hovered around him as he sat in his wheelchair. But what Francis heard earlier was much more sober. Oleg Yakovlev told of he and his wife Lyudmila and their five children had to leave Dnipro a year ago after Russian bombings. “We were welcomed here and we have found a new home (but) many have suffered and suffer still because of the war,” Yakovlev told the pope. Sitting in the first row of the church with his family, the youngest of the Yakovlev children, a boy of about four, was amused by the attention he was getting, making faces at reporters as his father spoke of missiles, crumbled buildings and a 1,500 km trip to safety.
FASTFACT
Pope Francis said that expressing compassion for those suffering from poverty and tragedy is an integral part of being a Christian, even if those in need are non-believers. Since Feb. 24, 2022, millions of refugees have fled through Central Europe, including Hungary, and moved to other countries. About 35,000 have applied for temporary protection status in Hungary. Francis said expressing compassion for those suffering from poverty and tragedy is an integral part of being a Christian, even if those in need are non-believers. “Even amid pain and suffering, once we have received the balm of love, we find the courage needed to keep moving forward: We find the strength to believe that all is not lost, and that a different future is possible,” he said. Later the pontiff met with Metropolitan (bishop) Hilarion, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest. Hilarion was effectively ousted from the number two post at the ROC headquarters in Moscow last year, a decision seen as indicating discord at the top of the Russian Patriarchate over the war. The Russian Orthodox Church is by far the biggest of the churches in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which split with Western Christianity in the Great Schism of 1054. The Russian invasion of Ukraine divided world Orthodoxy and strained relations between the Vatican and the ROC. ROC Patriarch, Kirill, is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kirill fully backs the war as a bulwark against a West he describes as decadent. The EU tried to put Kirill on its sanctions list last year but member states failed to find unanimity on the issue as Hungary opposed his inclusion.Relations between the Vatican and the ROC have been frosty since Francis said last year that Kirill should not be “Putin’s altar boy.”

Iran’s Hardline Parliament Votes to Dismiss Industry Minister
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Iran's parliament on Sunday voted to dismiss the country’s industry minister, the first member of hardline President Ebrahim Raisi's cabinet to be impeached since his election in 2020 amid growing economic resentment across the country. Parliamentarians, who voted to remove Industry, Mines and Trade Minister Reza Fatemi-Amin, accused him of failing to control "skyrocketing prices of automobiles and the rising costs of industrial production" and lambasted him for mismanagement. “162 of the 272 parliamentarians present voted to unseat the minister,” parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on a state television broadcast.

US Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo on Tanker
Washington - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
The US confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm. The cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by the US over Iran's nuclear program. Iran does not recognize the sanctions, and its oil exports have been rising. Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while Washington suspects Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb. According to Reuters, Maritime security company Ambrey said the US confiscation took place at least five days before Iran's action on Thursday. "Ambrey has assessed the seizure by the Iranian Navy to be in response to the US action," it said in an advisory to clients. "Both tankers were Suezmax-sized. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo." The sources familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Washington took control of the oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after securing an earlier court order. The tanker's last reported position was near southern Africa on April 22, ship tracking data showed. The US Navy said Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the latest seizure or attack by Tehran on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters. Iranian state TV said on Friday the tanker ignored radio calls for eight hours following a collision with an Iranian boat, which left several crewmen injured and three missing. "Before using force, we tried to call the vessel ...to stop but they did not cooperate," Iranian deputy navy commander Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajodini told the broadcaster. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was aware of the Gulf of Oman seizure and reaffirmed support for international maritime law, a UN spokesperson said on Friday. Last year the US tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil near Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf. Greece’s supreme court ordered the cargo returned to Iran. The two Greek tankers were later released. In a step likely to exacerbate tensions, 12 US senators on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to remove Treasury Department policy hurdles that have prevented the Department of Homeland Security from seizing Iranian oil shipments for more than a year. In 2020, Washington confiscated four cargoes of Iranian fuel aboard foreign ships that were bound for Venezuela and transferred them with the help of undisclosed foreign partners onto two other ships which then sailed to the US.

Iranian Cleric Stabbed in Apparent Road Rage Incident in Qom
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
An Iranian cleric was stabbed Saturday during an apparent road rage incident in the city of Qom, state media said, days after the fatal shooting of a leading cleric. After crashing and injuring two pedestrians, the driver jumped out of his car and attacked “one of the victims who was a cleric” with a knife, Qom police chief Amir Mokhtari said, quoted by the official news agency IRNA. The three, including the driver who had injured himself with the knife, were rushed to hospital, where the cleric remained in intensive care, Mokhtari said, adding the motive for the attack was unclear. It comes days after Abbas Ali Soleimani, member of the Assembly of Experts that selects Iran’s supreme leader, was shot dead at a bank in Babolsar city, in the northern province of Mazandaran. The assailant was arrested and interrogated after Wednesday’s fatal shooting, officials said at the time, adding that it was not considered a “security or terrorist” incident. Soleimani, 75, was previously a representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He had also been the imam who led the weekly Friday prayers in the cities of Kashan, in Isfahan province, and Zahedan in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. Under the constitution, the 88-strong Assembly of Experts is mandated with supervising, dismissing and electing the supreme leader. Also on Wednesday, another cleric was targeted in a car-ramming in the capital, according to police who said the driver was being pursued by security forces. No more details have been made available about the attack.

Iran’s Raisi Slams US Presence in Middle East
Asharq Al-Awsat/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday slammed the United States' presence in the Middle East, as he hosted his counterpart from neighboring Iraq for wide-ranging talks. Decades-old arch enemies the United States and Iran have vied for influence in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein. Both helped Iraq to defeat the ISIS group, and the United States still has 2,500 non-combat troops in the country to provide it with advice and training. About 900 US troops remain in Syria, most in the Kurdish-administered northeast, as part of a US-led coalition battling remnants of IS. And the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is based in the Gulf state of Bahrain. "We do not consider the presence of foreign forces and foreigners in the region to be useful," Raisi told a joint news conference in Tehran with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid. "The presence of the US disturbs the security of the region," said the Iranian president. "Our relationship with Iraq is based on common interests," he said, adding the "Americans think about their interests, not the interests of the countries in the region". Although Iraq and Iran fought an eight-year war in the 1980s, relations between the neighbors have warmed considerably since the 2003 invasion ousted Saddam and his regime. Iraq has become a key economic lifeline for the sanctions-hit Iran, while Tehran provides Iraq with gas and electricity as well as consumer goods. At the news conference, Raisi stressed the importance of Iran's cooperation with Iraq in security and other matters. "Relations between Iran and Iraq will continue in the field of water and electricity infrastructure," he said. "A security understanding has been established between the two countries, and the security of Iraq and its borders is very important to us," Raisi added.

Raisi to Begin Damascus Visit on Wednesday
Damascus/- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Damascus next week, a senior regional source close to the Syrian government told Reuters on Friday. The visit will be the first by an Iranian president to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since war broke out in Syria in 2011. Syrian newspaper “Al-Watan” confirmed that Raisi would visit Damascus next Wednesday in the first official visit by an Iranian president since 2010. The newspaper cited informed sources as saying that during a two-day visit, Raisi and Assad will hold official talks aimed at enhancing strategic cooperation between the two countries, “especially in the economic field.” According to Al-Watan, a significant number of agreements and MoUs on economic cooperation between the two countries will be signed during the visit. The visit by the Iranian president comes just days after Assad received Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash, and accepted the credentials of Hossein Akbari, Iran’s new ambassador to Syria. Assad has visited Tehran twice since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. Iran is a key supporter of Assad's regime, having provided it with weapons, thousands of military advisers, and armed militia members from various countries who are now deployed in military bases spread across Syria. Israeli strikes have repeatedly targeted Iranian and affiliated militia presence in Syria to prevent the arrival of advanced weapons. The proliferation of Iranian militias in Syria also created tension with the US and the international coalition it is leading to fight ISIS in the east of the country. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “Iranian militias” have brought in howitzers and Grad rocket launchers loaded on four-wheel drive vehicles, towards the “Soleimani” base located near the fields in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour. The move aims to reinforce their military power and establish their presence in the area.

Cairo, Juba Discuss Efforts for Permanent Ceasefire in Sudan
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has discussed with South Sudan’s Acting Foreign Minister, Deng Dau, efforts to promote and support a permanent ceasefire in Sudan. In a telephone call, Shoukry and Dau reviewed the efforts the two sides exert towards reaching a permanent ceasefire in Sudan, based on the Egyptian-South Sudanese initiative that was agreed upon during the phone call of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and President Salva Kiir on April 16. During the call, Shoukry emphasized that Egypt and South Sudan are among the most affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan, especially that they share long borders with Sudan, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid. “The FM also stressed that the interests of the brotherly Sudanese people remain the primary concern and goal behind the two countries' efforts,” the spokesperson added. Both sides agreed to intensify communication and coordination in the coming period. Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry updated the list of assembly points where Egyptian citizens are evacuated from Sudan. It said the new assembly points are the Egyptian Consulate General in Port Sudan and the border crossings of Qastal and Arqin. The Ministry announced the end of the evacuations from the Wadi Seidna Air Base, north of Khartoum, for security reasons. It called upon those who are currently in the base to leave as early as possible and to head to one of the three following areas: the Egyptian Consulate in Port Sudan and the Qastal and Arqin border crossings. On Friday, Abu Zaid said in a statement that 454 Egyptian nationals were evacuated. A total of 1,072 Egyptians returned to Egypt from Sudan on Friday, bringing the figure to 6,399 since the beginning of the crisis in the southern neighbor. He said Egypt operated four flights on April 28 as part of the ongoing airlift operation to transport Egyptian nationals from Sudan.

GCC chief calls for calm in Sudan
Arab News/April 30, 2023
RIYADH: The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council called for calm in Sudan and an end to all military escalation in the country on Sunday. During a meeting with Dafallah Al-Haj Ali, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jasem Al-Budaiwi stressed the GCC’s keenness on Sudan’s security, safety and stability, preserving the cohesion of the state and its institutions, and supporting it to face all challenges to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people. Al-Budaiwi praised the humanitarian role played by Saudi Arabia and all GCC countries in the current crisis in Sudan. He also praised all international and regional efforts aimed at reaching consensus among political forces, ending the crisis in Sudan, and achieving security and stability in the country. A humanitarian truce in Sudan was extended on Sunday and will last for three days starting from midnight, according to a statement released by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) spokesman. “In response to international, regional and local calls, we announce the extension of the humanitarian truce for 72 hours, starting from midnight tonight, in order to open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the movement of citizens and residents and enable them to fulfil their needs and reach safe areas,” the statement said. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted into conflict on April 15.

Britain plans extra evacuation flight from Port Sudan
LBCI/April 30, 2023
Britain has arranged an extra evacuation flight from Port Sudan in eastern Sudan which will depart on Monday, the government said on Sunday, adding that it has evacuated 2,122 people so far from the country. The government confirmed that it was no longer running evacuation flights from Wadi Saeedna airfield, near Khartoum, due to a decline in demand by British nationals, and as the situation on the ground remains volatile. "Our rescue efforts continue from Port Sudan. We continue to do everything in our power to secure a long-term ceasefire, a stable transition to civilian rule and an end to the violence in Sudan," foreign minister James Cleverly said in the statement. Western countries have been rushing to get their citizens out of Sudan where a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15, leaving hundreds dead and stranding foreigners. The British government, which last week estimated that around 4,000 Britons were stuck in Sudan, said on Sunday that the final evacuation flight from Wadi Saeedna airfield departed on Saturday evening. The extra flight planned from Port Sudan, which the government has called an "exceptional" one, will facilitate the evacuation of a limited number of British nationals remaining in Sudan who wish to leave, the statement said.

Sudan sides trade blame, fight on despite cease-fire
AFP/April 30, 2023
KHARTOUM: Sudan’s rival military forces accused each other of fresh violations of a cease-fire on Sunday as their deadly conflict rumbled on for a third week despite warnings of a slide toward civil war. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. Both sides said a formal cease-fire agreement which was due to expire at midnight would be extended for a further 72 hours, in a move the RSF said was “in response to international, regional and local calls.”The army said it hoped what it called the “rebels” would abide by the deal but it believed they had intended to keep up attacks. The parties have kept fighting through a series of cease-fires secured by mediators including the United States. The situation in Khartoum, where the army has been battling RSF forces entrenched in residential areas, was relatively calm on Sunday morning, a Reuters journalist said, after heavy clashes were heard on Saturday evening near the city center. The army said on Sunday it had destroyed RSF convoys moving toward Khartoum from the west. The RSF said the army had used artillery and warplanes to attack its positions in a number of areas in Khartoum province. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. In an apparent bid to boost its forces, the army said on Saturday that the Central Reserve Police had begun to deploy in southern Khartoum and would be deployed gradually in other areas of the capital. Sudan’s police said that the force had been deployed to protect markets and property that had been subjected to looting. The RSF on Saturday warned it against becoming involved in fighting. The force is a large and heavily armed division of Sudan’s police force that has fighting experience from conflicts in the western region of Darfur and in the Nuba Mountains in southern Sudan. In March 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the reserve police force, accusing it of using excessive force against protesters who were demonstrating against a 2021 military coup.
‘NO DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS’
The fighting in Khartoum has so far seen RSF forces fan out across the city as the army tries to target them largely by using air strikes from drones and fighter jets. The conflict has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing across Sudan’s borders and prompted warnings the country could disintegrate, destabilising a volatile region and prompting foreign governments to scramble to evacuate their nationals. The United States has sent a navy ship to take its citizens, two US officials said, as Britain announced it had arranged an extra evacuation flight from Port Sudan on the eastern Red Sea coast on Monday.
But, underlining the extent of the instability, Canada said it was ending its evacuation flights because of “dangerous conditions.” The prospects for negotiations have appeared bleak. “There are no direct negotiations, there are preparations for talks,” UN special representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes, told journalists in Port Sudan, adding that regional and international countries were working with the two sides. Perthes, who told Reuters on Saturday the sides were more open to negotiations than before, said he hoped a direct meeting between representatives of the sides would be held as soon as possible aimed at “achieving an organized cease-fire with a monitoring mechanism.” Army leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has said he would never sit down with RSF chief General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who in turn said he would talk only after the army ceased hostilities.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, whose government has played a part in mediating the cease-fires, met Burhan envoy Daffalla Al-Hajj Ali in Riyadh and called for calm, the Saudi foreign ministry said. Adding to the diplomatic pressure, United Arab Emirates’ Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed had phoned Burhan, state news agency WAM reported. With the United Nations reporting only 16 percent of health facilities in Khartoum operating as normal, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivered 8 tons of medical aid. “Health-care workers in Sudan have been doing the impossible, caring for the wounded without water, electricity, and basic medical supplies,” said Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa. But while approval had been given for the supplies to go to Khartoum, negotiations were ongoing with the sides to facilitate delivery within the city, where hospitals, convoys and ambulances have been attacked, he said. At least five aid workers have been killed in the fighting. A third of Sudan’s 46 million people needed humanitarian aid before the fighting began. The conflict has derailed an internationally backed political transition aimed at establishing democratic government in Sudan, where former autocratic President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir was toppled in 2019 after three decades in power. “This war will not lead to a singular army or to a democratic transition, and there is no guarantee that the deposed regime will not return to power once more,” prominent civilian politician Khalid Omar Yousif said on Twitter. At least 528 people have been killed and 4,599 wounded, the health ministry said. The United Nations has reported a similar number of dead but believes the real toll is much higher.

Clashes Rock Sudan Despite Truce as Ex-PM Warns of ‘Nightmare’
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Heavy fighting again rocked Sudan's capital Sunday as tens of thousands have fled the bloody turmoil and a former prime minister warned of the "nightmare" risk of a descent into full-scale civil war. Army forces clashed with paramilitaries in downtown Khartoum as deadly hostilities have entered a third week despite the latest ceasefire, which was formally set to expire at the end of Sunday. "There has been very heavy fighting and loud gunfire every few minutes since the early morning on my street," one southern Khartoum resident told AFP by phone. Clashes were reported around the army headquarters in central Khartoum, and the army also carried out airstrikes in the capital's twin city of Omdurman across the Nile River. Foreign nations have scrambled to evacuate thousands of their citizens by air, road and sea since the fighting plunged the poverty-stricken country into deadly turmoil on April 15. Millions of Sudanese have endured crippling shortages of water, food and other basic supplies, while tens of thousands have fled to neighboring countries, with more on their way. Satellite images showed long bus convoys at the Egyptian border, while the UN said tens of thousands had escaped to Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic. The turmoil could deepen further in the power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudan's former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok warned that the conflict could deteriorate into one of the world's worst civil wars if not stopped early. "God forbid if Sudan is to reach a point of civil war proper... Syria, Yemen, Libya will be a small play," Hamdok told an event in Nairobi. "I think it would be a nightmare for the world."
Risk of famine
The violence has killed at least 528 people and wounded about 4,600, the health ministry said Saturday, but those figures are likely to be incomplete. The fighting has affected 12 out 18 states across Sudan, including the Darfur region, the ministry said. The UN World Food Program has warned the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people already need aid to stave off famine. The warring sides have agreed to multiple truces but none has taken hold, as chaos and lawlessness have gripped Khartoum, a city of five million, and other regions. The latest three-day ceasefire -- due to expire at midnight (2200 GMT) Sunday -- was agreed Thursday after mediation led by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the United Nations. As the battles have raged regardless, the rival generals have taken aim at each other in the media. Burhan again branded the RSF a militia that aims "to destroy Sudan" while Daglo called the army chief "a traitor". Sudan was ruled for decades by President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted by the military in 2019 after mass pro-democracy protests. The coup brought Burhan and Daglo to power, and they seized full control in another coup, in 2021, before turning on each other three weeks ago.
Tens of thousands flee
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged negotiations to end the bloodshed. "There is no right to go on fighting for power when the country is falling apart," he told Al Arabiya television on Saturday. "My appeal is for everything to be done to support an African-led initiative for peace in Sudan." Guterres also said on Twitter that "the UN is scaling up efforts to help people seeking safety in neighboring countries". About 75,000 have been displaced by the fighting, the UN said. At least 20,000 have escaped to Chad, 4,000 to South Sudan, 3,500 to Ethiopia and 3,000 to the Central African Republic, it said. The fighting has also triggered a mass exodus of foreigners and international staff. Saudi Arabia said it had taken almost 4,880 people to safety on ships across the Red Sea. A US-organized road convoy arrived in Port Sudan Saturday to join the exodus, the State Department said. And the UK Foreign Office said just under 1,900 Britons had been taken out on 21 flights, following similar mass airlifts by France, Germany and other nations. Fighting, looting and lawlessness have raged in the Darfur region. In West Darfur state, at least 96 people were reported killed in the city of El Geneina, the UN said. "What's happening in Darfur is terrible, the society is falling apart, we see tribes that now try to arm themselves," Guterres said. Darfur is still scarred by a war that erupted in 2003 when then Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militia. The scorched-earth campaign left at least 300,000 people dead and close to 2.5 million displaced, according to UN figures. Bashir was charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by the International Criminal Court.

US conducts 1st evacuation of its citizens from Sudan war
Associated Press/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Hundreds of Americans fleeing two weeks of deadly fighting in Sudan reached the east African nation's port Saturday in the first U.S.-run evacuation, completing a dangerous land journey under escort of armed drones.
American unmanned aircraft, which have been keeping an eye on overland evacuation routes for days, provided armed overwatch for a bus convoy carrying 200 to 300 Americans over 500 miles, or 800 kilometers, to Port Sudan, a place of relative safety, U.S. officials said.
The U.S., which had none of its officials on the ground for the evacuation, has been criticized by families of trapped Americans in Sudan for initially ruling out any U.S.-run evacuation for Americans who wanted out, calling it too dangerous. U.S. special operations troops briefly flew to the capital, Khartoum, on April 22 to airlift out American staffers at the embassy and other American government personnel. Several thousand U.S. citizens were left behind, many of them dual-nationals. More than a dozen other nations had already been carrying out evacuations for their citizens, using a mix of military planes, navy vessels and on the ground personnel. A wide-ranging group of international mediators — including African and Arab nations, the United Nations and the United States — has only managed to achieve a series of fragile temporary cease-fires that failed to stop clashes but created enough of a lull for tens of thousands of Sudanese to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate thousands of their citizens by land, air and sea. Since the conflict between two rival generals broke out April 15, the U.S. has warned its citizens that they needed to find their own way out of the country, though U.S. officials have tried to link up Americans with other nations' evacuation efforts. But that changed as U.S. officials exploited a relative lull in the fighting and, from afar, organized their own convoy for Americans, officials said. Without the evacuation flights near the capital that other countries have been offering their citizens, many U.S. citizens have been left to make the dangerous overland journey from Khartoum to the country's main Red Sea port, Port Sudan. One Sudanese-American family that made the trip earlier described passing through numerous checkpoints manned by armed men and passing bodies lying in the street and vehicles of other fleeing families who had been killed along the way. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the convoy carried U.S. citizens, local people employed by the U.S. and citizens of allied countries. "We reiterate our warning to Americans not to travel to Sudan," he said. From Port Sudan, away from the fighting, the Americans in the convoy can seek spots on vessels crossing the Red Sea to the Saudi port city of Jeddah. U.S. officials also are working with Saudi Arabia to see if one of the kingdom's naval vessels can carry a larger number of Americans to Jeddah. U.S. consular officials will be waiting for the Americans once they reach the dock in Jeddah, but there are no U.S. personnel in Port Sudan, officials said. Two Americans are confirmed killed in the fighting that erupted April 15. One was a U.S. civilian whom officials said was caught in crossfire. The other was an Iowa City, Iowa, doctor, who was stabbed to death in front of his house and family in Khartoum, in the lawless violence that has accompanied the fighting. In all, the fighting in the east African country has killed more than 500 people.

Turkey nears referendum on Erdogan's two-decade rule
Agence France Presse/April 30, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dives Sunday into the final two-week stretch before a momentous election that has turned into a referendum on his two decades of divisive but transformative rule. The 69-year-old leader looked fighting fit as he strutted back on stage after a three-day illness and tossed flowers to rapturous crowds at an Istanbul aviation fest on Saturday. It was the perfect venue for reminding Turks of all they had gained since his Islamic-rooted party ended years of secular rule and launched an era of economic revival and military might. He was flanked by the president of Azerbaijan and the Ankara-backed premier of Libya -- two countries where drones built by his son-in-law's company helped swing the outcome of wars. Istanbul itself has become a modern and chaotic megalopolis that has nearly doubled in size since Erdogan came to power in 2003. But hiding beneath the surface are a more recent economic crisis and fierce social divisions that have given the May 14 parliamentary and presidential polls a powder keg feel.
'Political coup attempt'
The nation of 85 million appears as splintered as ever about whether Erdogan has done more harm than good in the only Muslim-majority country of the NATO defence bloc. Polls show him running neck-and-neck against secular opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and his alliance of six disparate parties.
The entry of two minor candidates means that Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu will likely face each other again in a runoff on May 28. But some of Erdogan's more hawkish ministers are sounding warnings about Washington leading Western efforts to undermine Turkey's might through the polls. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu referred Friday to US President Joe Biden's 2019 suggestion that Washington should embolden the opposition "to take on and defeat Erdogan". "July 15 was their actual coup attempt," Soylu said of a failed 2016 military putsch that Erdogan blamed on a US-based Muslim preacher. "And May 14 is their political coup attempt."
Splintered society
Erdogan continues to be lionised across more conservative swathes of Turkey for unshackling religious restrictions and bringing modern homes and jobs to millions of people through construction and state investment. Turkey is now filled with hospitals and interconnected with airports and highways that stimulate trade and give the vast country a more inclusive feel. He empowered conservative women by enabling them to stay veiled in school and in civil service -- a right that did not exist in the secular state created from the Ottoman Empire's ashes in 1923. And he won early support from Turkey's long-repressed Kurdish minority by seeking a political solution to their armed struggle for an independent state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. But his equally passionate detractors point to a more authoritarian streak that emerged with the violent clampdown on protests in 2013 -- and became even more apparent with sweeping purges he unleashed after the failed 2016 coup attempt. Erdogan turned against the Kurds and jailed or stripped tens of thousands of people of their state jobs on oblique "terror" charges that sent chills through Turkish society. His penchant for campaigning and gift for public speaking enabled him to keep winning at the polls. But the current vote is turning into his toughest because of a huge economic crisis that erupted in late 2021.
Democratic traditions
Erdogan's biggest problems started when he decided to defy the rules of economics by slashing interest rates to fight inflation. The lira lost more than half its value and inflation hit an eye-popping 85 percent since his experiment began. Millions lost their savings and fell into deep debt.
Polls show the economy worrying Turks more than any other issue -- a point not lost on Kilicdaroglu. The 74-year-old former civil servant pledges to restore economic order and bring in vast sums from Western investors who fled the chaos of Erdogan's more recent rule. Kilicdaroglu's party will send out 300,000 monitors to Turkey's 50,000 polling stations to guarantee a fair outcome on election day. Opposition security pointman Oguz Kaan Salici sounded certain about a smooth transition should Erdogan lose. "Power will change hands the way it did in 2002," he said of the year Erdogan's party first won. A Western diplomatic source pointed to Turkey's strong tradition of respecting election results. Erdogan's own supporters turned against him when the Turkish leader tried to annul the opposition's victory in 2019 mayoral elections in Istanbul. But the source observed a note of worry among Erdogan's rank and file. "For the first time, (ruling party) deputies are openly evoking the possibility of defeat," the source said.

Erdogan overcomes ill health as Turkish elections set to go to the wire
Arab News/April 30, 2023
ANKARA: Turkiye is facing one of the most competitive elections in its political history with both presidential and parliamentary polls set to be held on May 14. After President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced to postpone his campaigning last week due to a reported intestinal infection — he fell ill during a live interview — questions were raised as to how his health might affect his popularity among voters. Since undergoing intestinal surgery in 2011, the 69-year-old’s health has been often subject to false reporting. The latest upset meant Erdogan was forced to inaugurate the activation of a Russian-built nuclear power plant on Thursday via a video link. But after a few days’ rest, he was back on the scene on Friday at Teknofest, a major aerospace and technology event, alongside Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. Erdogan’s main opposition in the election is 74-year-old Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Both men have campaigned hard in recent weeks, holding daily rallies across the country. “Erdogan’s voters have probably lost their morale a little, since he’s a charismatic leader who easily gathers people around him,” Hurcan Asli Aksoy, deputy head of the Berlin-based Center for Applied Turkey Studies at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told Arab News. “(But) Erdogan will try to attend and organize big and attractive meetings to regain their attention,” she added. Erdogan has been in power for two decades and is seeking a third presidential term but the latest polls give Kilicdaroglu a narrow lead. The challenger’s campaign has focused on the public’s discontent at Turkiye’s “one-man” rule and proposes to replace it with a more democratic system. He has also promised to bring wealth and prosperity to Turkey amid an economic recession. Kilicdaroglu recently pledged to introduce a five-year ban on foreigners buying property in Turkiye to help ease a long-running housing crisis. “Within a year, rent prices increased by 197 percent. The minimum wage is 8,500 lira ($437) while the average rent for a house is 7,400 lira,” he said. According to a survey by Turkish firm Konda that was leaked on social media, Erdogan won 43 percent of the votes in the first round against Kilicdaroglu’s 42 percent. But in the second round, the challenger secured 51 percent to Erdogan’s 49 percent. During his campaign rallies, which drew large crowds even in conservative strongholds, Kilicdaroglu was accompanied by potential vice presidents Ekrem Imamoglu and Mansur Yavas, the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara respectively. Osman Sert, research director of polling firm Panoramatr, said Kilicdaroglu was showing he had wide appeal among voters, from the center-left to the center and nationalist groups, as well as those with Islamist tendencies. “Both Imamoglu and Yavas have helped him during his electoral campaign and they appeal to large crowds because they represent the center and nationalistic tendencies within Turkish society,” he told Arab News. “As the opposition conducts his campaign with several actors under the same bloc, they have been able to hold rallies across 10 cities on the same day. But, their campaign still lacks a main message.”In contrast, the Erdogan camp was using identity politics to win over voters, but the leader’s absence had hampered this approach, Sert said. “As the three-day sickness of Erdogan revealed, the government, in contrast to the opposition bloc, does not have any backup actors who can overcome the short-term absences of the leader,” he said. “The only political actor who could generate rhetoric during the campaign is Erdogan and when he is not on the campaign field, the void can’t be filled, because in Turkiye political power has become extremely centralized around Erdogan.” While Erdogan was recuperating, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu attracted criticism by referring to the upcoming elections as the “West’s political coup attempt” against the current regime. But Sert said the president’s brief absence was unlikely to have had a major effect on his ratings. “Such short-term disappearances can happen in any country and it is totally understandable that it can fuel some speculations and concerns,” he said. “But this time it was not for a long duration and it did not change voter preferences to a significant degree.”The race was still neck and neck, he said. Erdogan on Saturday delivered a 40-minute speech to voters in the western province of Izmir — an opposition stronghold — helping dispel concerns about the state of his health.

Jordan to host Arab foreign ministers’ meeting to tackle Syria crisis
Arab News/April 30, 2023
AMMAN: Jordan will host a meeting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria on Monday to continue their talks on formulating a solution to the Syrian crisis. Sinan Al-Majali, a spokesperson for Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday that the meeting in Amman “comes in continuation of the consultative meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on April 14.” The latest talks were aimed at “building on the outcomes of the communications these countries made with the Syrian government within their proposals and the Jordanian initiative to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” he said. Following the meeting in Jeddah, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the diplomats discussed the efforts underway to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that would preserve its stability and territorial unity.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan hosted the meeting. It was also attended by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, Anwar Gargash. The Saudi statement said the ministers discussed work mechanisms and stressed the need for intensified consultations between Arab countries to ensure the success of the peace efforts. They also called for immediate measures to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria and create a suitable environment for aid to reach all regions of the country. Meanwhile, Jordan has been working on a joint Arab peace plan that could end the crisis in Syria and bring the country back into the Arab fold. Syria’s membership of the Arab League was suspended in 2011 over its crackdown on protests. Although Jordan has yet to announce any details of the plan, Amman is reported to be in talks with its Arab allies and key international players in Syria, including the US, Russia, the UK, EU and UN. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the matter, but an official source, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that the peace plan entailed forming an Arab consultation group that would discuss with the Syrian government a road map for resolving the crisis, which is now in its 13th year. The plan was based on relevant UN resolutions on Syria, including Resolution 2254, which demands that all parties cease fire and engage in formal negotiations, and Resolution 642, which allows for life-saving humanitarian aid to be delivered into the country, the source said. “The Syrian government’s adherence to these resolutions, openness for constructive negotiation with other Syrian parties, release of prisoners, opening corridors for humanitarian aid, creating the suitable atmosphere to encourage refugees to return home, and tackling the illicit drug industry and trafficking are the major components of the Jordanian-proposed plan,” the person said.

Crimea fuel depot on fire, Russian-held towns shelled in Ukraine
Agence France Presse/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
A huge fire erupted in Moscow-annexed Crimea after a suspected drone attack hit an oil depot, as fighting intensified on the southern Ukrainian front and shelling deprived Russian border villages of power. The attacks came one day after Kyiv said preparations for a long-awaited counteroffensive were nearly complete, having vowed to expel Russian forces from territory they seized in the east and south following their 2022 invasion. On Friday, a Russian strike on a block of flats in the central Ukrainian city of Uman killed 23 people, including a baby boy. On Saturday, officials in Moscow-controlled Crimea, towns under Russian occupation in southern Ukraine reported attacks. The governor of a Russian region near the border with Ukraine also said two people were killed when a Ukrainian missile hit a village. "As a result of the strike inflicted by Ukrainian nationalists, unfortunately, two civilians were killed," Alexander Bogomaz, governor of Bryansk oblast, said in a message posted on Telegram, reporting an attack on Suzemka. Fears of Ukrainian reprisals more than a year into Moscow's offensive have grown in Russia, where a range of cities have cancelled traditional May 9 celebrations to mark the Soviet victory over the Nazis at the end of World War II in 1945. In Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, clouds of smoke rose high into the sky as fuel reserves burned. The Crimean port city has been hit by a series of drone attacks since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began more than a year ago.
'God's punishment' -
Russian-installed authorities said the fire was caused by a suspected drone but sought to play down the incident, amid rising security fears on the peninsula. The Kremlin said nothing about the attack. It came less than 24 hours after Russia struck a typical Soviet-era housing block in the historic city of Uman, killing more than two dozen residents. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his evening address on Saturday, said six children had been killed in the attack -- the previous figure given by the authorities had been five. "We will do everything possible to ensure that the terrorist state is held accountable for its actions as soon as possible," he added. "Anyone who prepares such rocket attacks cannot but know that they will become an accomplice to murder." The Ukraine leader said that next week would be important in terms of "our struggle for justice". He stressed that Kyiv was preparing "several important, powerful steps to consolidate our partners and give more energy to the creation of a tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression. And to accelerate the defeat of the terrorist state". Earlier Kyiv had identified an 18-month-old baby boy as among the victims. "One woman is considered missing. The search continues," Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said. Ukraine did not claim the Crimea attack, but military intelligence implied it was revenge for Uman. Andriy Yusov, from the defence ministry's intelligence unit, said it was "God's punishment, in particular for the civilians killed in Uman". He warned people in Crimea to "avoid being near military facilities and facilities providing the aggressor's army in the near future".
'Intense shelling' -
On the Russian-annexed peninsula, the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, urged Crimeans to "remain calm" and said "nobody was hurt". He estimated the fire was "around 1,000 square metres" (11,000 square feet). Razvozhayev insisted that the peninsula's reserves had not been impacted and that authorities had enough fuel for all civilian needs. Earlier this week, Moscow said it had repelled a drone strike on Crimea -- annexed by Russia in 2014 and used as a launchpad for its invasion. In southern Ukraine, Russian occupation authorities said a key city they control -- Novaya Kakhovka -- had come under "intense shelling" and had been cut off from power. The city fell to Russian forces on the first day of their invasion on February 24, 2022. It lies in the part of the Kherson region that Moscow still controls, having withdrawn from the eponymous regional capital last November. Russian forces urged people in the city "to keep calm", saying work to restore power would start "after the shelling ends".
Russian border villages shelled -
The shelling of Novaya Kakhovka came a day after Russian shelling killed a 57-year-old woman in a southern Ukrainian village. Zelensky had promised a response. Inside Russia there are fears of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive. The governor of the border Belgorod region -- also hit by several attacks during the course of the war -- said Saturday that five frontier villages were without power after Ukrainian shelling. "The power lines are damaged," Gladkov said, adding that there had been no victims. Elsewhere, Russia accused Poland -- with whom it has historically poor relations -- of a "blatant violation" of international norms after Warsaw impounded a school run by the Russian embassy in the Polish capital. Moscow called the move an "illegal act" and promised "harsh" consequences.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 30-May 01/2023
The Lesson from Sudan
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/Sunday, 30 April, 2023 -
Three weeks into the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, it is clear that Sudan is the only loser, as there are no real signs of an imminent political solution to resolve this crisis, in which five armistice agreements have already been broken.
Despite the scale of the crisis in Sudan, it offers an array of lessons for the region, its states, parties, and factions, as well as the international community. We must reflect deeply on these lessons, some of which are patently evident and others that we must constantly reiterate, though they are fundamental and obvious. One lesson is that wherever there are armed groups who are not controlled by the state, they gravely undermine the state. Indeed, the Arab countries in which such non-state actors operate will inevitably see new conflicts erupt so long as armed groups operate outside the purview of the state or even in parallel to it. This is what happened in Yemen, and now we see the same thing unfolding in Sudan. Other Arab states could well have to contend with this threat soon. Unfortunately, the list includes Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, if we can really call them states at all. The scenes from Sudan, which we had previously seen in Yemen, suggest that this fate is inevitable so long as non-state actors are active in a given country. The other lesson is that what has falsely been dubbed the Arab Spring (Syria is an exception in terms of the circumstances) demonstrates that none of those who had cheered for this so-called “Spring” succeeded. Nonetheless, not everyone who had been enthusiastic about them at the time has understood the lessons it taught us. Here, I am addressing the forces who expected the winds of democracy to blow as soon as the leader of their country’s regime was changed. Some of them were genuine, but they were dreamers. Others were well aware that this would not happen but had ulterior motives. The most prominent of these motives was a pure drive for power, as was the case for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some expected the mere fact of protesters taking to the streets to generate enough momentum to compel the military to return to their barracks, and this did not happen. Others bet on the support of neighboring countries, as was the case for many of the Syrian opposition groups that put their hopes on Turkey, specifically those tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. This also failed. One lesson that should be noted by the international community, both its states and its institutions, is that it has failed to grasp the extent of the imbalance in our region. Here, war is easier than peace, rivalry is the foundation of the relationships, and rifts are always seen as the solution. Indeed, our region has not learned from all of its experiences with war and crisis.
Indeed, it is not only the region but also the West that is to blame. In fact, the West has no real vision for the region; here, I am talking about strategy. I am not talking about tactics and maneuvers embarked upon to further electoral interests, but a vision that accounts for the fragility of peace and stability in this part of the world. The mistake that the international community made is that it continues to address crises, like that currently raging in Sudan and the one that preceded it in Syria, with extreme naivete. Its approach is far removed from reality. I do not see, for example, how the West or the United Nations could possibly manage to bring the army and Rapid Support Forces back to the negotiating table through statements at this point. I do not see how these statements could bring the belligerents in Sudan an inch closer to returning to their barracks or push them to hand power over to civil society. It is difficult to understand how anyone could expect to see such a scenario unfolding. Sudanese civil society is equally puzzling; it has yet to understand that the soldiers in battle know they will end up in either a palace or a grave! In conclusion, there is a real threat to the Sudanese state that demands unequivocal positions.

The BBC in the Cross Hairs from the Left and Right
Mark Landler/The New York Times/Sunday, 30 April, 2023
Deepening the political turmoil that has engulfed Britain’s public broadcaster, the chairman of the BBC, Richard Sharp, resigned on Friday after an investigation concluded that he failed to disclose his involvement in arranging a nearly $1 million loan for Boris Johnson while he was prime minister.
Mr. Sharp, a former banker at Goldman Sachs and major donor to Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party, said in a video statement before the report’s release that the omission was “inadvertent and not material,” but that he had decided to step down from the broadcaster’s board to “prioritize the interests of the BBC.”His departure intensifies the pressure on the BBC, a revered institution that once anchored Britain’s media with its reliable public funding and commitment to impartial journalism, but now seems to lurch from crisis to crisis. In an era of polarized politics and freewheeling social media, the broadcaster has found itself in the cross hairs from both the left and right — whether for its news coverage, which Conservatives say violates its credo of political impartiality, or for its recent internal decision-making, which some on the left say is influenced by not wanting to offend the Conservative lawmakers in power. Last month, the BBC ignited a national firestorm by suspending Gary Lineker, a former soccer star and its most prominent broadcaster, after he went on Twitter to liken the government’s immigration policy to that of Germany in the 1930s. His suspension triggered a walkout of much of the BBC’s sports staff in solidarity with Mr. Lineker, and forced it to broadcast “Match of the Day,” its flagship weekly soccer program, without commentary.
The BBC settled the dispute by vowing to review its policies governing the use of social media by its on-air personalities. But the episode threw a harsh spotlight on Mr. Sharp because he refused to step down from his post, even though he was being investigated over his role in the loan to Mr. Johnson.
His compromised position also meant he could not defend the BBC at a time when it was coming under fierce criticism — both for the haphazard enforcement of its social media guidelines, as well as for the settlement with Mr. Lineker, which many Conservatives derided as a capitulation.
That Mr. Sharp, 67, played a role in shoring up the personal finances of a prime minister has added to the perception of a conflict of interest in the governance of Britain’s most important media institution.
In the 25-page report, Adam Heppinstall, a barrister, identified two cases that he said “gave rise” to potential perceived conflicts. In one, he said Mr. Sharp told Mr. Johnson of his plan to apply for the post of BBC chairman before he submitted a formal application in November 2020.
In the other, more serious case, Mr. Sharp told Mr. Johnson that he planned to introduce a wealthy Canadian businessman, Sam Blyth, to a senior government official, who could help arrange a loan for Mr. Johnson. Mr. Blyth, a distant cousin of Mr. Johnson, had volunteered to act as guarantor for the loan of 800,000 pounds ($996,000) to the prime minister, whose finances were being strained by a recent divorce and a new family.
Mr. Sharp’s involvement did not extend further than that. But Mr. Heppinstall concluded there was a risk that his selection for the chairman’s post would be perceived as a reward for his assistance to Mr. Johnson. Mr. Heppinstall also cited the risk that Mr. Sharp would not be viewed as independent once in the job. His investigation did not assess the propriety of Mr. Johnson seeking the loan while in office. Mr. Johnson’s finances were frequently under scrutiny during his turbulent three years in Downing Street. He paid for a lavish refurbishment of his official apartment with funds from another party donor, prompting an outcry that motivated him to pick up the tab himself.
In an interview with Sky News in January, Mr. Johnson said Mr. Sharp “knows absolutely nothing about my personal finances.” Mr. Johnson, who has long derided the BBC for its political correctness, dismissed the matter as “just another example of the BBC disappearing up its own fundament.”
Still, the reports of Mr. Sharp’s involvement in the loan prompted calls by the opposition Labour Party for his resignation. The current prime minister, Rishi Sunak, distanced himself from Mr. Sharp, even though the two had once worked together at Goldman, where Mr. Sunak was a young banker before going into politics. On Friday, a spokesman for Downing Street said Mr. Sharp’s decision to resign was “a matter for him and the BBC.”
In his statement, Mr. Sharp said he was gratified that the report confirmed the limited nature of his involvement in the loan. But he said he regretted not raising it with an appointments panel before he took the post of chairman.
“I wish, with the benefit of hindsight, this potential perceived conflict of interest was something I had considered to mention,” Mr. Sharp said. “I would like once again to apologize for that oversight — inadvertent though it was — and for the distraction these events have caused the BBC.”
For the broadcaster, the resignation is the latest in a string of episodes that, depending on one’s political vantage point, raise questions about its impartiality or its determination not to antagonize an already hostile government.
In 2020, the BBC announced it would strip lyrics from two well-known patriotic songs during an annual televised concert, drawing outrage from Mr. Johnson. The lyrics, some said, evoked a British colonial past and were at odds with the Black Lives Matter movement then sweeping the Western nations. The BBC later reversed the decision. In 2021, the government assailed the BBC after one of its hosts mocked a cabinet minister for appearing in an interview with a large Union Jack behind him. A few days later, the government decreed that the flag should fly on all public buildings every day of the year, rather than simply on designated days.

They Refused to Fight for Russia. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly.
Neil MacFarquhar/The New York Times Company/April 30, 2023
An officer in the Federal Guard Service, which is responsible for protecting Russian President Vladimir Putin, decided last fall to avoid fighting in Ukraine by sneaking across the southern border into Kazakhstan.
The officer, Maj. Mikhail Zhilin, disguised himself as a mushroom picker, wearing camouflage and carrying a couple of small bottles of cognac so that he could douse himself and then act drunk and disoriented if he encountered the Russian border patrol.
In the dark, the lean, fit major navigated across the forested frontier without incident, but he was arrested on the other side.
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“Freedom is not given to people that easily,” he told his wife, Ekaterina Zhilina, months later, after Kazakhstan rejected his bid for political asylum and handed him back to Russia to face trial for desertion.
“He had these romantic notions when he first began his military-academic studies,” Zhilina said in a recent interview, describing perceptions drawn from Russian literature about the honor and pride inherent in defending your homeland. “But everything soured when the war started.”
Zhilin is among the hundreds of Russian men who faced criminal charges for becoming war refuseniks since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Some dodge the draft, while those already serving desert or refuse orders to redeploy on the bloody, chaotic battlefields of Ukraine.
In 2022, 1,121 people were convicted of evading mandatory military conscription, according to statistics from Russia’s Supreme Court, compared with an average of around 600 in more recent years. Before the war, a vast majority were fined, not imprisoned. Russia recently passed a measure making it much harder to avoid a draft summons.
In addition, criminal cases have been initiated against more than 1,000 soldiers, mostly for abandoning their units, according to a broad court survey by Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet. Anticipating the problem in September, when several hundred thousand civilians were mobilized, Russia toughened the penalties for being AWOL. The maximum sentence was doubled to 10 years for what is euphemistically called “Leaving for Sochi.” (SOCH is the Russian acronym for AWOL, but the expression is a play on the name of Sochi, a Black Sea getaway for the country’s elite and site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.) Refusing an order to participate in combat carries a sentence of three to 10 years. That has not stopped Russian men from going to unusual lengths to avoid fighting. One officer said he took a bullet in the leg as part of a pact among several soldiers to shoot one another and then claim that they were wounded in a firefight. Hailed as a hero for various battlefield events, it took him six months to recover, at which point he decided to flee.
The Kremlin has shrouded in secrecy an increasing amount of information about the military, including new statistics about crimes involving military service, so the numbers are undoubtedly higher than what is available. But the number of AWOL cases accelerated after the general mobilization, according to Mediazona. Many criminal cases involve soldiers who refused orders to enter battle, leading to confrontations with their commanders, according to several lawyers who defend soldiers.
One lawyer, Dmitri Kovalenko, was retained by the families of more than 10 soldiers who said they were thrown into pits, called “zindans,” near the front line after refusing to fight. “People realize that they are not ready — that their commanders are not ready, that they have to go in blind, not knowing where or why,” he said. Intimidation is the first response of commanders, he said, so treatment can be harsh. Two soldiers whom he defended were locked into a container last summer without food or water, he said. At one point, about 300 conscripts who refused to fight last year were held in a basement in eastern Ukraine, where they were threatened, called “pigs,” not fed and not allowed to go to the toilet or to bathe, according to Astra, an independent news outlet, and other Russian news media organizations, quoting relatives. The Wagner mercenary group has threatened to execute its refuseniks, and there have been scattered reports of them being shot.
In theory, Russian law allows for conscientious objectors performing alternative service, but it is rarely granted. Sometimes those charged with refusing to fight are given suspended sentences, which means they can be redeployed. The officer who was shot in the leg by his colleague had pursued a military career since he was 9 and a cadet, he said, but he wanted it to be over the minute he was ordered into Ukraine. He ended up staying about three months, appalled by the very idea of the war as well as by the terrible state of the Russian military. Soldiers were not provided basic items like underwear, he said, and few knew how to navigate and got themselves killed. “There are no saints on either side,” said the officer, who spoke on the condition that he not be named, nor his location published, out of concern that Russia might seek his extradition. “The locals were actively partisan. I shot back. I didn’t want to die.”
After he recovered, and the military ordered him back to Ukraine, he decided to run. “I’m ready to die for Russia, but I don’t want to fight, to risk my life for the criminals who sit in the government,” said the officer, who is now on a wanted list in Russia.
Another Russian, a member of the Sakha ethnic group concentrated in the Siberian region of Yakutia, also deserted. Five days among the drunken, newly mobilized soldiers at an army camp convinced him to leave.
The man, who also insisted on anonymity, was fired from his construction job so that he could go fight. Packed onto an airplane, the draftees discovered their destination for training by looking at their phones when they landed. Most soldiers drank constantly, he said in an interview. One night in another barracks, he said, a soldier stabbed another to death.
The conscript said that the racist attitude of his Russian officers when he did his military service a decade earlier had soured him on the military — they called him “reindeer herder” because of his ethnic Siberian background. He said he was subjected to similar comments as soon as he mobilized. Things deteriorated further after he tried to bribe his lieutenant to leave. The officer mocked him openly as a coward. His mother flew in to extract him, directing a taxi to a hole in the base’s fence. After he fled the country and was charged with desertion, he faced fierce criticism from home, he said, with authorities saying that he had disgraced the Sakha people. Even a close friend threatened to beat him up. Some Russian courts still publicize military cases to create a chilling deterrent to potential deserters. In the spring, for example, a court announced that a sailor who had gone AWOL twice had been sentenced to nine years in a prison colony. The Krasnoyarsk Garrison Military Court released a photograph and a statement in December showing dozens of soldiers crowding a courtroom to watch an AWOL case. The sentence was pronounced before that audience “for preventive purposes,” the statement said.
In the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border, two soldiers were detained on a parade ground in November and charged with refusing to obey a deployment order. They were called out of the ranks, handcuffed and thrown into a paddy wagon in front of their unit, all shown on a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. Earlier this month, both were sentenced to three years in prison, according to Russian news media reports. Well before the war, Zhilin, 36, the soldier who left for Kazakhstan, had become disenchanted with the very administration he was assigned to protect. An engineer, he worked in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk for the presidential security service, supervising the Kremlin’s communications lines with the eastern parts of Russia.
The assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in 2015 and the poisoning of Alexei Navalny in 2020 had drawn his attention, his wife said. He started following political news more closely.
He weighed quitting, but decided he could endure the two years until he received a pension. Then came the war. “‘It is one thing to suppress human rights,’” his wife quoted him as saying, “‘it is quite another to kill people.’”
In the fall, before the mobilization, he had visited the cemetery where his mother is buried. He found 30 new graves of riot police officers who had fought in the war. The ribbon on one small wreath said just “Daddy.”
Two colleagues had already died in Ukraine, and he wondered if his son, 11, and daughter, 8, might one day make a similar wreath. When the mobilization was announced, he quickly decided to leave the country.
Since his security clearance gave him access to state secrets, leaving was prohibited. He decided to cross on foot while his family drove into Kazakhstan legally. But the plan went awry. Lacking a cell signal, he could not find their car. He was arrested after stumbling upon a Kazakh border officer. He requested political asylum, but in December, he was deported.
In March, he was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in a penal colony and stripped of his rank. Right after he was deported, his wife, fearing that she and the children would also be sent back, sought and received political asylum in France.
So far, her husband has not been mistreated, she said. The couple, although bitter toward Kazakh authorities, consider the sentence a far better alternative than dying in Ukraine. “Mikhail wrote me that he feels morally freer than he was,” she said, adding that he told her, “‘I guess you have to pay a certain price for the freedom to think and to say what you want.’”
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