English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 31/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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15 آذار/2023
Bible Quotations For today
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the
one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s
heart shall flow rivers of living water
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 07/37-39:”On the last day of
the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let
anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As
the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living
water.” ’Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to
receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 30-31/2023
French President reaffirms
support for Lebanon in a meeting with Maronite Patriarch
Saudi citizen kidnapped in Beirut released in Army 'special operation'
More details about the abduction of Saudi citizen in Lebanon
Army Commander: Lebanese Army has successfully freed kidnapped Saudi citizen,
arrested kidnappers
Berri hails Army efforts freeing kidnapped Saudi national
Mikati commends Army’s dauntless efforts freeing abducted Saudi national
Mawlawi congratulates Army Commander on freeing kidnapped Saudi national
Sami Gemayel Commends Army, Security Forces Efforts Freeing Abducted Saudi
National
Berri won't call for election session as FPM, opposition claim presidential
agreement
Bassil asks Hezbollah for 'national consensus' or 'democratic competition'
UNIFIL marks International Peacekeepers’ Day and 75 years of UN peacekeeping
Mikati adjourns Wednesday’s cabinet session, holds Justice Minister liable for
any detriment to state’s supreme interests
Khoury insists on lawyers named to represent Lebanon in French Salameh case
Constitutional Council dismisses appeals against municipal vote postponement
German Ambassador informs Justice Minister about issuance of red notice against
Salameh
UK donates Land Rover spares worth over £400k to Lebanese Army
Hotels syndicate says tourism won't be affected by Saudi's kidnap
Is Rafic Hariri International Airport ready to welcome 1.5 million visitors?
Makary holds press conference to set record straight about Tele Liban after
inaccurate info by local media
Environment Day: UfM calls for urgent action on plastic litter to protect the
Mediterranean
Rebirth Beirut Presents "Colors in Transition": A Captivating Exhibition by
Nayla Kai Saroufim
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 30-31/2023
Israel 'not really aware'
about progress of Saudi-U.S. talks on normalisation deal
Israeli army says Palestinian gunmen kills Israeli civilian in West Bank
shooting
Iran's state media claims UN watchdog closes two lines of inquiry on nuclear
program
Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini's death
Overthrowing Putin is a legitimate war aim
Ukrainian minister urges Britain, Germany to send Eurofighter jets
Russia's Lavrov accuses West of 'supporting genocide' in Ukraine
Kyiv seeks guarantees Black Sea grain deal will work if it allows Russian
ammonia transit
Russia has lost two-thirds of its tanks since it invaded Ukraine as its military
struggles with obsolete Soviet-era weapons, analyst says
Prigozhin furious at drone attack on Moscow’s ‘Beverly Hills’
Russia and Saudi Arabia are at odds after a flood
of Russian oil supply pushed the commodity's price below a key break-even level
needed to fund Saudi projects
Russia launches pre-dawn air raid on Kyiv; Moscow attacked by drones
US says ‘the time is now’ for Sweden to join NATO and for Turkiye to get new
F-16s
US Treasury imposes sanctions on Syrian financial facilitators enabling regime,
Hezbollah, and IRGC access to international financial system
UN: Staggering 15.3 million Syrians, nearly 70% of population, need aid
Teenagers from IS families undergo rehabilitation in Syria
Serbs gather again in northern Kosovo after clashes
Celebrations in Jordan ahead of kingdom's first major royal wedding in years
Iraq top court invalidates decisions of Kurdish parliament
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published
on May 30-31/2023
Arab-Iranian dialogue makes strides in Doha/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab
News/May 30, 2023
What Erdogan’s win might mean for the rest of the world/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab
News/May 30, 2023
The militarization of Iranian politics in the context of regional detente/Dr.
Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 30, 2023
Third-party US presidential campaigns extremely unlikely to win/Kerry Boyd
Anderson/Arab News/May 30, 2023
Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 30-31/2023
French President reaffirms support for Lebanon in a
meeting with Maronite Patriarch
LBCI/Tue, May 30, 2023
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Bechara
al-Rai on Tuesday afternoon, underscoring France's commitment to Lebanon's
unity, integrity, and socio-economic stability amidst the current political
crisis. President Macron recognized the historical role of Lebanon's Christians
and stressed the need for their active and responsible involvement in the
current political process. This meeting reinforced France's historical ties with
the Christian community of Lebanon, emphasizing its centrality in the Lebanese
state's confessional and institutional balance. The French President reiterated
that the country's interventions in Lebanon are solely intended to safeguard the
nation's unity and mitigate the social and economic implications arising from
the ongoing political deadlock. Macron expressed his dedication to preserving
the unique cohabitation model in Lebanon. Macron and Patriarch Bechara al-Rai
voiced their grave concerns about the crisis in Lebanon, which has been
compounded by institutional paralysis and a presidential vacuum that has
persisted for over seven months. They concurred on the urgency of electing a
President of the Republic without further delay. Macron warned that the existing
political and institutional standstill impedes the implementation of critical
reforms. These reforms, eagerly anticipated by the Lebanese and the
international community, are essential for Lebanon's sustainable recovery and
stability. The President underlined the high stakes: the survival of Lebanon as
a peaceful, unified nation supported by the international community. He backed
the ongoing efforts of Patriarch al-Rai and encouraged all political factions to
work collaboratively to break the current political impasse without further
delay. Macron highlighted France's ongoing mobilization in the past three years
in support of Lebanon and its people. This includes providing consistent aid to
Lebanese security forces, preserving the education system — particularly
Francophone and Christian schools — and ensuring access to basic services such
as health, water, and food for the most vulnerable populations. He also pledged
to continue to protect spaces of freedom, dialogue, culture, and heritage in
Lebanon. Concluding his statement, Macron reiterated his commitment to justice,
particularly in relation to the explosion at the port of Beirut.
Saudi citizen kidnapped in Beirut released in Army 'special
operation'
Associated Press/Tue, May 30, 2023
Lebanese Army intelligence agents liberated Tuesday near the Syrian border a
Saudi citizen who had been kidnapped Saturday from Beirut. The man reportedly
had been held for ransom. A statement by the Lebanese military said Mushari al-Mutairi
was released in a “special operation” along the Lebanon-Syria border, where the
kidnappers held him hostage. Some of the involved in the kidnapping were
arrested, the statement said. Local Lebanese media reported that al-Mutairi was
released in the northeastern district of Hermel.
State-run Saudi TV station Al-Ekhbariya had reported that the kidnapped man
works for Saudi national airlines Saudia and that the kidnappers demanded a
$400,000 ransom. The man was kidnapped around midnight Saturday on the road
leading to Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport. Members of the
intelligence department had been searching for the Saudi citizen since Sunday
and authorities were following the case with the Saudi ambassador to Beirut. “We
are working with an iron fist” to liberate the kidnapped person, Caretaker
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi tweeted. He said that those behind the
kidnapping will be punished. On Tuesday Mawlawi congratulated the armed forces
on the operation's success. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati also
congratulated the army and called on Arab tourists to visit the crisis-hit
country adding that Lebanon will not be used for any attack against Arab
countries.
More details about the abduction of Saudi citizen in
Lebanon
LBCI/Tue, May 30, 2023
In a shocking incident on Saturday night, Saudi citizen Mushari Al-Mutairi spent
his evening at a restaurant in the Biel area. However, on the way back to his
home in Aramoun, masked men intercepted his vehicle and abducted him.
Subsequently, they transferred him to another car, swiftly transporting him to
the border region between Lebanon and Syria, near the town of Al-Qasr, along
with his vehicle. Security forces took action as soon as contact with Al-Mutairi
was lost. Furthermore, the military intelligence conducted a comprehensive
survey of the cameras in and around the restaurant where he had spent the
evening and his phone communications. They also managed to identify some
individuals who had either spent time with him or had been in contact with him
that night. Additionally, they intensified the efforts and arrested nine
individuals between Mount Lebanon and Bekaa. These detainees were subjected to
hours of relentless questioning to extract any detail related to the kidnapping
operation. Meanwhile, the kidnappers initiated communication with Al-Mutairi's
employer, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and others to demand a hefty ransom. Moreover,
with the interrogation of the detainees and the technical survey completed, the
Directorate of General Security, along with special forces and helicopters,
launched raids in Sharawneh neighborhood and other Bekaa Valley locations to
locate the abductee. They aimed to tighten the noose around the kidnappers, led
by Moussa Ali and Wajih Jaafar, resulting in the arrest of several
individuals.Swiftly and with a remarkable operation at the intersecting
Lebanese-Syrian border, a special force from the Directorate of General Security
managed to rescue Al-Mutairi. They transported him to their headquarters in
Hermel, where they listened to his testimony regarding the harrowing events
since his abduction. While not all the detainees are necessarily directly
involved in the operation, their arrests were made to gather every piece of
information related to the kidnapping. However, three of them are directly
implicated in the operation. But the mastermind behind the abduction is believed
to be in Syria, like many other leaders of kidnapping, theft, and robbery gangs.
Army Commander: Lebanese Army has successfully freed
kidnapped Saudi citizen, arrested kidnappers
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Lebanese Army Commander, Joseph Aoun, on Tuesday confirmed in a statement that
the Army’s Intelligence Directorate has successfully rescued a kidnapped Saudi
citizen and arrested the individuals responsible for the abduction.“The Army’s
Intelligence Directorate has successfully freed the kidnapped Saudi citizen and
arrested his abductors,” Aoun said. Following the successful operation, the
rescued Saudi citizen is now under the care of the Army’s Intelligence office in
Hermel. Moreover, several other wanted individuals have been arrested. The
kidnapped individual, an employee of Saudi Arabian Airlines in Beirut, was
recently reported missing. The case was handled diligently by Caretaker Lebanese
Interior and Municipalities Minister, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, and the Information
Branch of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces. The minister also stayed in
close contact with Saudi Ambassador, Walid Al-Bukhari.
Berri hails Army efforts freeing kidnapped Saudi national
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Tuesday hailed in a statement the efforts made by
the Lebanese Army and all the Lebanese law enforcement apparatuses to free the
abducted Saudi national, calling on the security apparatuses to "continue their
efforts to arrest all the abductors.”
Mikati commends Army’s dauntless efforts freeing abducted Saudi national
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Tuesday reaffirmed an adamant will to
control the security situation in Lebanon. "The kidnapping of the Saudi national
is condemned by all standards,” Mikati added, congratulating the Lebanese army
on the great effort it exercised to free him and arrest those involved in the
kidnapping. "We are keen on the return of all Arab brothers to Lebanon and the
prevention of any threat to them; we absolutely refuse the use of Lebanese
territory as a springboard for any action that threatens the security and safety
of Arab countries,” Mikati added.
Mawlawi congratulates Army Commander on freeing kidnapped Saudi national
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassam Mawlawi, on visited
the Ministry of Defense in Yarzeh, where he met with Lebanese Army Commander,
General Joseph Aoun. The Interior Minister congratulated the Army Commander on
freeing kidnapped Saudi national, Mashari Al-Mutairi, lauding the Army’s
"relentless efforts to preserve Lebanon's security and civil peace." Mawalawi
also praised the "good coordination among security apparatuses for the Lebanon’s
best interest and stability.”
Sami Gemayel Commends Army, Security Forces Efforts Freeing Abducted Saudi
National
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Kataeb Leader Samy Gemayel congratulated the Lebanese army and the security
forces for the great effort they made to release Saudi national Mashari Al-Mutairi
and arrest those involved in the kidnapping. “We call for the imposition of
sanctions on all those involved in the kidnapping to prevent the recurrence of
such incident and to cut off any intention to drag the country into any kind of
security chaos,” Gemayel wrote on twitter.
“We have full confidence in the military institutions that keep a watchful eye
on the Lebanese people and foreign visitors throughout the Lebanese territory,”
he noted.
Berri won't call for election session as FPM, opposition claim presidential
agreement
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri will not call for a "folkloric" session that
might fail for the 12th time to elect a president. In remarks published Tuesday
in Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Berri said that based on the current
circumstances, it is not possible to call for a session "with no real
competition".
He added that he hasn't been informed about a western deadline for the election
of Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh. Lebanon, in the throes of a crushing
economic crisis, has been without a president for almost seven months, as
Parliament failed 11 times to elect a successor for former president Michel Aoun.
Berri hasn't called for a session since January, claiming that the opposition
has no serious competitor to Franjieh, the Shiite Duo's candidate. The
opposition, the Free Patriotic Movement, and some Change and independent MPs say
they have agreed on a presidential candidate who could compete with Franjieh in
a parliamentary voting session.
Bassil asks Hezbollah for 'national consensus' or 'democratic competition'
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
The Free Patriotic Movement has agreed with the opposition on a presidential
candidate, FPM chief Jebran Bassil said, adding that "the political project has
not yet been completed."Bassil told Kuwait's al-Qabas newspaper that is it
necessary to reach an agreement with all parties, including Hezbollah.
He asked Hezbollah not to impose a confrontational president and to go instead
to an acceptable national consensus, or to democratic competition in Parliament
through voting."the communication with Hezbollah is not severed, but there is no
meeting soon," Bassil added.
UNIFIL marks International Peacekeepers’ Day and 75 years of UN peacekeeping
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
UNIFIL has marked the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers and the
75th anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping, alongside members of the
Lebanese Armed Forces, security services, political and religious authorities,
ambassadors, and U.N. officials. Head of Mission and Force Commander Major
General Lázaro emphasized the important role of all of those represented at the
event. “We rely on our partners in government, civil society, religious orders,
and communities to support us,” he told he assembled crowd. “And we rely on our
strong relationship with the Lebanese Armed Forces and security agencies, with
whom we work each and every day, the maintain the calm and stability necessary
for the success of our mandate.”Turning to the theme of this year’s
International Day of U.N. Peacekeeping, “Peace Begins with Me,” Lázaro noted
that peace is not something that can be imposed from outside.
“As peacekeepers, our role is to create the space for a political solution
between the parties to emerge,” Lázaro told the assembled crowd. “Our role is to
reduce tensions and prevent the kind of physical conflict that would interfere
with resolving the very real political disputes.”
During the ceremony, Lázaro and Brigadier General Rodolph Haykal of the Lebanese
Armed Forces (LAF) laid wreaths in tribute to fallen peacekeepers. Over 4,000
U.N. peacekeepers have lost their lives on missions around the world since 1948,
including more than 320 since UNIFIL was established in 1978. The UNIIFL head
mourned the loss of Private Seán Rooney of Ireland, who was killed in an attack
in December, as well as Corporal Pedro Serrano Arjona of Spain and Second
Warrant Officer John Nartey Angmor of Ghana, who also passed away in service.
“Today, we remember their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of those we lost
before,” said the UNIFIL head. “Every one of them matters Every one of them made
a difference. We mourn them, but we celebrate their contributions, and we will
never forget them.”During the ceremony, guests also enjoyed a musical
performance by children of the Foundation of Martyr Lieutenant Colonel Sobhi al-Akouri
and the Italian military band Folgore. "In 2002, 29 May was designated as the
International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers to pay tribute to the professionalism,
dedication, and courage of the military and civilian peacekeepers serving in
U.N. peacekeeping operations, and to remember those who lost their lives for the
cause of peace," UNIFIL said in a statement. The date was chosen to commemorate
the establishment of the first peacekeeping mission, the U.N. Truce Supervision
Organization (UNTSO), whose more than 50 observers currently work with UNIFIL
for peace and stability in south Lebanon.
Mikati adjourns Wednesday’s cabinet session, holds Justice
Minister liable for any detriment to state’s supreme interests
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday announced the postponement of a
council meeting which had been initially scheduled for Wednesday. Mikati urged
Khoury to rethink his position, asserting that public posturing in the media
could not replace definitive decision-making within the Council of Ministers. In
response to Khoury’s recent statements in a press conference, Mikati’s office
issued a detailed statement. It emphasized Mikati’s commitment to Lebanon’s
supreme interests and preserving its rights, especially regarding the case
currently before the French courts. The statement further referred to Decree No.
2252 issued on 1-8-1992, which stipulates the operational protocol of the
Council of Ministers, notably Article 9, granting the Prime Minister the
authority to summon relevant individuals for hearing during a session. The bone
of contention during Khoury’s press conference was his claim that the issue
necessitated thorough scrutiny within the Council of Ministers. Mikati asserted
that Khoury’s obligation was to attend the proposed session to discuss the
matter, present his standpoint, and share his reasons. Given Khoury’s
announcement about his non-attendance at the scheduled meeting, Mikati declared
the postponement of the session to a future date. He called on the Justice
Minister to reassess his position, emphasizing that media sound bites cannot
replace decisive discussions within the Council of Ministers. In light of the
current stalemate, Mikati stressed that Khoury’s obstructionist approach could
lead to personal liability for any detriment to the state’s supreme interests.
He highlighted that there was still an opportunity for making an appropriate
decision, away from fruitless disputes.—agencies
Khoury insists on lawyers named to represent Lebanon in French Salameh case
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
Caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury on Tuesday stressed that he did what’s
needed to “preserve the Lebanese state’s rights,” amid a row with caretaker PM
Najib Mikati over hiring lawyers to represent the Lebanese state in the case of
the Paris-held assets of Central Bank chief Riad Salameh.
Speaking at a press conference, Khoury denied that there is a lack of
information surrounding the lawyers. “This is incorrect and we have sent the
information to the Premiership,” the minister said. “The lawyer Emmanuel Daoud
is not a Jew but rather a Catholic from an Algerian father and a French mother.
He had been hired in a lawsuit against Israel to the benefit of Palestinian
activist Salah Hammouri and he had previously filed a lawsuit against the CIA
for bombing Iraq,” Khoury said. “We are ready to submit information regarding
the CVs of the lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Buffet,” the minister added.
“The CVs of the two lawyers have been deliberately distorted and the aim is to
delay the files that the French courts are looking into,” Khoury went on to say.
“We have signed the contracts and they are still in effect. I’m clinging to them
and will not back down,” he emphasized. Informed sources have told Asharq al-Awsat
newspaper that Mikati was dismayed after “the justice minister unilaterally
hired the lawyers Emmanuel Daoud and Pascal Buffet without following the legal
channels that are used in such cases.”The procedures “should have started with a
suggestion with the names of the lawyers from Justice Ministry Director General
Judge Mohammed al-Masri to get the minister’s approval before referring the file
to Cabinet to issue an appointment decree,” the source said. Mikati had invited
Khoury and the rest of ministers to a Cabinet session on Wednesday to discuss
the appointment of the lawyers as a sole topic. Khoury, however, said that he
would continue to boycott Cabinet sessions in line with the Free Patriotic
Movement’s decision and the premier announced a postponement of the session in
the wake of Khoury’s press conference. In a statement, Mikati stressed that no
one is keener than him on Lebanon’s higher interest, while reiterating that
Khoury has “violated the norms in approaching this file.”“The final opinion
should be taken in Cabinet,” Mikati stressed, noting that he has decided to
postpone the Cabinet session to allow Khoury to “reconsider his stance.”“The
Minister’s decision to impede the work of state institutions will make him
personally liable at the constitutional, legal and ethical levels for any harm
that may target the state’s higher interest,” Mikati warned.
Constitutional Council dismisses appeals against municipal
vote postponement
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
The Constitutional Council on Tuesday dismissed the appeals filed against the
law that extended the terms of municipalities and local officials. At a press
conference, Council chief Judge Tannous Meshleb said the decision is aimed at
“preserving the continuity of the work of public institution,” arguing that “the
constitution was created for the sake of the public interest.” “We are not
protecting anyone,” he added. The Kataeb, Tajaddod and Lebanese Forces blocs and
a number of Change MPs had filed two appeals against the law, after parliament
voted to extend the terms of municipalities and local officials, paving the way
to postpone municipal elections for up to a year for a second time. Lebanon’s
municipal elections were originally slated for May last year but were postponed
for a year because they coincided with parliamentary elections, which brought in
a dozen reformist lawmakers running on anti-establishment platforms. Opposition
and reformist groups would likely continue this momentum and win additional
seats if local elections were held, as living conditions across the country
continue to deteriorate.
German Ambassador informs Justice Minister about issuance
of red notice against Salameh
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Caretaker Minister of Justice, Henry Khoury, on Tuesday welcomed German
Ambassador to Lebanon, Andreas Kindl, who informed him about the issuance of a
red notice against Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, and his companions by
the German judiciary. Moreover, the pair discussed Lebanon’s representation
before the German judiciary in this case.
UK donates Land Rover spares worth over £400k to Lebanese
Army
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell has announced the donation of
additional Land Rover spares worth over £400K to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
“This is part of our continuing partnership with the LAF through the UK’s
Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF). The spare parts will improve the
Land Border Regiments’ Land Rovers recce capability and support the LAF in its
mission to defend the security and stability of Lebanon and on the borders,” a
British embassy statement said. Ambassador Cowell gifted the Land Rover spare
parts at a handover ceremony at the Lebanese Army Logistical base in Kfarshima
on Tuesday. In attendance was Brigadier General Johnny Akl, Head of the
Logistical Branch representing the Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun and
senior Lebanese officers.
After the ceremony, Ambassador Cowell said: ''I am proud to be able to gift
spare Land Rover parts worth £400k to contribute to the Lebanese Armed Forces’
resilience and operational readiness on the frontlines amidst a dire economic
crisis.” “Land Rover Defender vehicles form the backbone of the LAF’s mobility.
Our UK teams with the Army’s leadership will continue to develop servicing,
maintenance and equipment care procedures for the vehicles. The role of the LAF
remains fundamental to safeguarding Lebanon and its people, particularly in
these increasingly challenging times,” the ambassador added. Since 2010, the UK
has committed over £9 million, through its Conflict, Stability and Security
fund, allowing the LAF to “optimize its capabilities, and develop and modernize
to become a respected, professional armed forces able to defend Lebanon and
provide security along its border with Syria,” the statement said.
Hotels syndicate says tourism won't be affected by Saudi's
kidnap
Naharnet/Tue, May 30, 2023
The brief kidnap of a Saudi man in Lebanon will not affect the “promising”
summer tourism season, the head of the Syndicate of Hotel Owners in Lebanon,
Pierre Achkar, said. Congratulating security forces on the “swift liberation” of
the Saudi citizen, Achkar said such prompt action “sends a clear and firm
message to anyone who dares to temper with security.”“It also reassures the
Lebanese and all Arab brothers and foreign visitors,” he added. And calling on
everyone to “remain calm and refrain from circulating pessimistic rumors about
the summer season,” Achkar reassured that “the summer tourism season is
promising and will not be affected by such a security incident.”
Is Rafic Hariri International Airport ready to welcome 1.5
million visitors?
LBCI/Tue, May 30, 2023
Between tourists and expatriates, the airport started to crowd with its visitors
and those who are waiting for its visitors. In this regard, we are waiting for a
promising tourist season in Lebanon, and in numbers, it will reach about 15
thousand arrivals every day. One million and 500 thousand people are coming to
Lebanon this season, but is Rafic Hariri International Airport ready to meet
them? When you arrive at the airport, the main concern will be looking at
stamping the passports, but do not worry about it because 16 members of the
Lebanese General Security will be added, quickly stamping the passports.
After you have stamped your passport, the main problem is with the conveyor
belts that carry the bag after getting off the plane, so what is the solution?
This is logistical, but what is the electricity situation? Until now, the
state's electrification will continue to be secured at the airport 24/24. If you
used to feel hot in the past years because the air conditioner stopped, this
issue has been solved, as an additional generator has been secured to keep the
air conditioners running in the event of any electrical failure. Additionally,
because all expatriates will return to leave after the end of their vacations
and visits, there are also procedures that will help when leaving. Sixty
percent of the hassle was due to the scanners that check the bags upon
departure. To avoid "crowding," 8 X-ray scanners were received as a German aid
to Lebanon and will be operational before the summer season.
Additionally, on the internal security inspection plan, the number will be
increased according to the development of traffic, including emergency numbers,
traffic, inspection, and investigation. This is on the ground, but Rafic Hariri
International Airport is also working "in the air" on a plan to develop air
navigation equipment, which has been going on for more than 16 years.
Three-hundred thousand expatriates, an increase from last summer, will arrive in
Lebanon, and the expected total arrivals for 2023 will be approximately 6
million and 300 thousand people, and we tell them," Ahla bhal talleh, ahla!"
Makary holds press conference to set record straight about Tele Liban after
inaccurate info by local media
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Caretaker Information Minister, Ziad Makary, on Tuesday said via his Twitter
account that he will be holding a press conference at 3:00 pm on Wednesday to
set the record straight about “Tele Liban’s administrative and financial file
after several inaccuracies have been disseminated by a number of local media
outlets.”
Environment Day: UfM calls for urgent action on plastic litter to protect the
Mediterranean
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
As the world celebrates the Environment Day on 5th of June, the UfM calls for
urgent action from all stakeholders to safeguard the delicate ecosystem of the
Mediterranean. The Mediterranean, a sea that holds 1% of the worlds waters but
concentrates 7% of all global microplastics, is estimated to be polluted by
570,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year. This is equivalent to over 50 Eiffel
Towers’ weight of plastic debris being thrown into our sea each year. The annual
leakage of plastic is projected to quadruple by 2050, under a business-as-usual
scenario. The scale of the problem requires urgent commitments and actions at a
regional level, and from source to sea, to achieve the necessary long-term
reduction of waste produced on land. In recent days, the UfM has endorsed the
project, TouMaLi, which contributes to the reduction of waste flows into the sea
caused by tourism while promoting circular economy solutions such as the
reduction and reuse of unavoidable waste in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The UfM-supported
project, Plastic Busters, has been active since 2013 and aims to enhance the
knowledge about the origins of marine plastics to provide policy recommendations
to UfM countries while raising awareness among civil society. The project
emphasizes the need to urgently tackle single-use plastics, which represent 8
out 10 plastic debris found in the Mediterranean. The project has analyzed 4
protected marine areas in the Mediterranean and 40 species, finding traces of
these debris not only on the surface and seabed but also in the digestive
systems of many aquatic organisms, from marine turtle species to whales and
mollusks. Additionally, the project has created a digital platform for sharing
data on marine litter across the Mediterranean. It has trained 250 professionals
and individuals in marine litter management, involving 30 municipalities in a
network of coastal cities against marine litter. It has also published reports
with policy recommendations and good practices to improve marine litter
management and governance. Currently, 50 civil society organisations are
involved in beach clean-up campaigns. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel,
highlights that fighting plastic pollution shall be at the centre of the
political agenda in the region as “it kills aquatic wildlife, damages natural
systems, and contaminates marine food chains. Since the Mediterranean is a
closed sea, any environmental impact in the North has consequences for the
South, and vice versa. The UfM firmly believes that effective reduction of
marine litter in the Mediterranean can only be achieved through collective
efforts and cooperation among all Mediterranean countries and civil society.”
UfM Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment and Blue Economy, Almotaz
Abadi, states: “The UfM operates on three levels to combat plastic litter and
protect the Mediterranean. Firstly, as a political platform through its member
states, which adopted two ambitious ministerial declarations on environment and
climate action and on sustainable Blue Economy in 2021. Secondly, by promoting a
Mediterranean policy dialogue to harmonize and strengthen environmental
regulations and actions. And thirdly, by establishing operational partnerships
as well as supporting and providing technical assistance to regional projects
such as the Plastic Busters initiative or the TouMali project.”—UfM
Rebirth Beirut Presents "Colors in Transition": A Captivating Exhibition by
Nayla Kai Saroufim
NNA/Tue, May 30, 2023
Rebirth Beirut, dedicated to lighting the city and preserving Beirut as a
capital of love and culture, proudly announces "Colors in Transition," a solo
exhibition by Nayla Kai Saroufim. This show explores the stages of life,
capturing the beauty and complexity of human experiences.
Renowned Lebanese artist Nayla Kai Saroufim's unique blend of mixed media,
inspired by pop art and different cultures, brings a personalized and
distinctive style to her captivating installations. "Colors in Transition"
invites viewers on a thought-provoking journey of the different stages of life
and the experiences that shape each individual. Mr. Gaby Fernaine, founder and
president of Rebirth Beirut, said: “We are thrilled to host the exhibition
'Colors in Transition,' as we illuminate Beirut's artistic spirit and support
our city's development projects. We will continue to support Lebanese talents
and light up our streets.”
The opening night will be on June 1st from 5 PM to 8 PM at Rebirth Beirut
headquarters in Gemmayzeh. The exhibition will remain open from June 2nd till
June 7th from 11 AM to 8 PM. Part of the proceeds from the exhibition will go
towards supporting Rebirth Beirut's initiatives, including the rehabilitation of
traffic lights, street lighting, and other development projects that serve the
beautiful capital of Beirut. Rebirth Beirut invites the media, art enthusiasts
and the public to the opening reception for an immersive experience of Nayla's
evocative work.
Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And
News published
on May 30-31/2023
Israel 'not really aware'
about progress of Saudi-U.S. talks on normalisation deal
JERUSALEM (Reuters) /Tue, May 30, 2023
A top Israeli official played down prospects for a U.S.-brokered diplomatic
breakthrough with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, describing Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's government as "in a fog" on any progress in related talks between
Riyadh and Washington. Deeming the forging of formal Israeli-Saudi ties a U.S.
interest, President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, made a
May 6-8 shuttle trip to the two countries.
That followed a New York Times report in March that Riyadh - whose relationship
with the Biden administration is strained - was conditioning normalisation with
Israel on boosted U.S. defence sales and assent for a Saudi civilian nuclear
programme. Saudi officials have not confirmed this. Sullivan's Israeli
counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, appeared to do so on Tuesday, saying in a interview
that the Saudis had raised terms with the United States as part of a
"triangular" diplomacy. Yet Hanegbi hedged on how Israel might respond, saying
such Saudi requests were, for now, "an American dilemma". "I say this to be as
clear as I can within the framework of the fog that exists for us, too," he told
Israel's Army Radio. "We are not really aware, right now, of what is happening
in the Saudi-American corridors."Any new U.S. weaponry supplied to Saudi Arabia
could have to comply with Washington's commitment to preserving an Israeli
"qualitative military edge" (QME) in the region, Hanegbi said. "This is a
subject that will be discussed, but only if and when relevant, meaning if indeed
the Saudis and Americans reach a breakthrough in their relations," he said.
Hanegbi predicted any Saudi plans for civilian nuclear projects would first have
to clear U.S. counter-proliferation regulations meant to prevent any covert push
for nuclear arms."When the subject becomes relevant to the security of Israel,
the Americans will certainly not make progress on it without close contacts"
with the Israeli government, he added. Saudi Arabia, a Middle East powerhouse
and home to Islam's two holiest shrines, gave its blessing to Gulf neighbours
United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establishing relations with Israel in 2020
under the previous U.S. administration of Donald Trump. Riyadh has not followed
suit, saying Palestinian statehood goals should be addressed first. In April,
Saudi Arabia restored ties with Iran, a regional rival and Israel's arch-foe.
Israeli and U.S. officials have voiced hope that, as a stop-gap goodwill
measure, the Saudis will admit the first direct commercial flights for Muslims
from Israel making the haj pilgrimage next month. Hanegbi sounded circumspect
about that. "We would like for it to happen (but) it is not clear whether, under
this schedule, it can happen," he said.
Israeli army says Palestinian gunmen kills Israeli civilian
in West Bank shooting
JERUSALEM (AP)/Tue, May 30, 2023
Palestinian gunmen shot and killed an Israeli man on Tuesday near the entrance
to a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army said. The
Israeli military said the man was shot near the settlement of Hermesh, in the
northern West Bank. Local officials identified the man as Meir Tamari, a
32-year-old resident of the settlement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu sent his condolences to the family and said forces were pursuing the
gunmen “ in order to settle accounts with them.” Dimiter Tzantchev, the European
Union's ambassador to Israel, condemned the attack, calling it a "cowardly and
brutal act of violence."The incident came a day after Jewish settlers erected a
religious seminary in a nearby dismantled settlement outpost and was the latest
in more than a year-long surge of violence that has wracked the West Bank.
During that time, Israel has expanded near-nightly military raids throughout the
area in response to an increase in Palestinian attacks. The fighting has picked
up since Israel's new far-right government took office in late December. At
least 117 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this
year, with nearly half of them members of armed militant groups, according to an
Associated Press tally. But stone-throwing youths and people uninvolved in
violence have also been killed. The Israeli army said the number of Palestinian
militants killed is much higher. Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks targeting
Israelis in those areas have killed at least 21 people. Israel captured the West
Bank and east Jerusalem, along with the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war.
Palestinians seek these territories for a future state. Some 700,000 Israelis
now live in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Most of the
international community considers these settlements illegal or obstacles to
peace. The new Israeli government includes several prominent settler leaders in
top positions. It has made the expansion of the settlements a top priority. On
Monday, Jewish settlers erected a religious school in a dismantled outpost in
the northern West Bank after Israel’s government lifted a ban on settlements in
several areas evacuated as part of Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
In March, Israel repealed the act that barred Israelis from entering the areas.
Iran's state media claims UN watchdog closes two lines of
inquiry on nuclear program
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)/Tue, May 30, 2023
Iran's state-run news agency claimed Tuesday that international inspectors had
closed off two lines of inquiry they had over Tehran's nuclear program ahead of
a scheduled quarterly report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. The
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, however, did not respond to
questions over the report published by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency. Citing
“knowledgeable sources,” IRNA said that the IAEA had closed off its inquiry over
the recent discovery of traces of uranium enriched up to 83.7% purity. A
quarterly IAEA report in March said inspectors found the particles in Iran’s
underground Fordo nuclear site, further raising nonproliferation concerns as
weapons-grade material is enriched to 90%. Iran had blamed “unintended
fluctuations” for the discovery at Fordo nuclear site. The Islamic Republic has
been producing uranium enriched to 60% purity — a level which nonproliferation
experts say Tehran does not need for civilian use. Meanwhile, IRNA reported that
the IAEA had also closed off its investigation of traces of man-made uranium
found at Marivan, near the city of Abadeh, some 525 kilometers (325 miles)
southeast of Tehran. Analysts had repeatedly linked Marivan to Iran's secret
military nuclear program and accused Iran of conducting high-explosives tests
there in the early 2000s. The U.S., the IAEA and experts had said Iran gave up
its military nuclear program in 2003. Iran has long insisted its atomic program
is for peaceful purposes. In June 2022, Iran alleged the uranium traces found at
Marivan came from “sabotage” by a third country. The IAEA said in its report at
the time that Tehran offered no evidence to support. The IRNA report offered no
details on what Iran did to satisfy IAEA inspectors' concerns. “In the opinion
of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, goodwill brings goodwill, and
the International Atomic Energy Agency should have a reciprocal and constructive
approach to Iran’s cooperation,” the IRNA report said.
Iran starts trial of female journalist who covered Amini's
death
DUBAI (Reuters)/Tue, May 30, 2023
A Revolutionary Court in Iran on Tuesday began the trial of a female journalist
behind closed doors on charges linked to her coverage of a Kurdish-Iranian woman
whose death in custody last year sparked months of unrest, her husband said on
Twitter. Mahsa Amini's death while held by the morality police for allegedly
violating Iran's strict dress code unleashed a wave of mass anti-government
protests for months, posing one of the boldest challenges to the country's
clerical leaders in decades. A photo taken by Niloofar Hamedi for the pro-reform
Sharq daily showing Amini’s parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital
where their daughter was lying in a coma was the first sign to the world that
all was not well with 22-year-old Amini. Tuesday's trial session "ended in less
than two hours while her lawyers did not get a chance to defend her and her
family members were not allowed to attend the court," Hamedi's husband, Mohammad
Hossein Ajorlou, said on Twitter. "She denied all the charges against her and
emphasized that she had performed her duty as a journalist based on the
law."Hamedi, along with another female journalist, Elaheh Mohammadi, who went on
trial on Monday, face several charges including "colluding with hostile powers"
for their coverage of Amini's death. Iran's intelligence ministry in October
accused Mohammadi and Hamedi, both imprisoned for over eight months, of being
CIA foreign agents.Iran's clerical rulers have blamed the protests on an array
of enemies, including the United States, aimed at destabilising the Islamic
Republic.
Overthrowing Putin is a legitimate war aim
The Telegraph/Tue, May 30, 2023
Despite appearances, Moscow is a fragile city: burned down in 1812, overthrown
by the Bolsheviks in 1917, and almost falling to the Wehrmacht in 1941-2. It was
so vulnerable during the Second World War that German soldiers claimed to see
the city’s spires glinting in the distance. It is the soft underbelly of whoever
is occupying the Kremlin. Which is why yesterday’s drone attacks on wealthy
neighbourhoods in the Russian capital – home to official government residences
and mansions of tycoons – are so embarrassing for Vladimir Putin, over 12 months
since his “special operation” in Ukraine was supposed to be over.Historically,
whoever can protect Moscow from attack, even if everything else is going
horribly wrong, has been shown to be safe from being overthrown. That’s what
Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky knew during the Russian Civil War. Yet now the
war is coming to the people of Moscow, and all bets are off. It is a volatile
place; this could be what tips certain elites over the edge.
There’s much we don’t know about these attacks: they could have been organised
by Ukraine, or by pro-Ukrainian partisans in Russia operating independently of
Kyiv. It could even have been a false flag operation designed by a desperate
Russian intelligence service to persuade men to sign up and fight.
But the idea that, if Ukraine is behind this attack, Moscow is somehow an
illegitimate target is bizarre. Kyiv is experiencing abject barbarity almost
every day: strikes against civilian targets, often killing women and children
while their men are fighting. We hear again and again how people in Moscow care
little about the distant war; it would be understandable if president Volodymyr
Zelensky’s government wants to ensure that the Russian people are aware of what
being under constant bombardment feels like. If Ukraine sees it as worthwhile to
bring the war home, who are we to judge? This was driven home to me on a recent
trip to the Mediterranean, where I saw what appeared to be lots of wealthy
Russians, many of fighting age, sipping champagne rather than digging trenches
in the Donbas. For these people – Putin’s enablers – the war is largely
irrelevant to their daily lives: the least fortunate Russians are doing the
heavy lifting. Perhaps these attacks on the properties of the elite will start
to change that. By Kyiv’s calculations, it may be strategically necessary –
given that Western sanctions have not yet brought the reality of this war home
to many Russians – to tighten the screws as the Ukrainian army prepares for its
counter-offensive. Better to try to topple the Russian government by
destabilising it at home than to fight a war destined to last for years and
which may end in stalemate. Kyiv knows that it does not have infinite time to
win: every month that passes threatens war fatigue among its Western allies.
Even more dangerous is the upcoming presidential election in the United States.
If the Republicans win, especially Donald Trump, then Kyiv cannot expect the
same degree of vital support that it has have received under Joe Biden. Trump
will not even say who he wants to win this conflict. Zelensky must know he needs
to crank up the pressure on Putin, and soon. We forget, too, that Putin sought
to kill Zelensky and decapitate his government. Strikes that are designed to
remind Putin he is not invulnerable would make logical sense. Putin must feel
the noose is tightening, wanted as he is by the International Criminal Court,
and with men like Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, raving almost
daily about how useless the Kremlin is. The Russian army has failed on the
ground decisively; Nato has expanded. All fertile soil for doubt to grow.
Fundamentally, many in Moscow may now be asking if Putin cannot even protect the
capital from drone attacks, just how strong is he? The elite who aren’t bobbing
around in the Med may be reviewing, for the first time, how much war they will
put up with. Tyrants rarely last long when the flame of success begins to dim.
For Putin, that flame is now smoke in Moscow’s skies. There can be no greater
symbol of his failure. Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a former commander of the
1st Royal Tank Regiment. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a regular contributor to
the Telegraph’s ‘Ukraine: The Latest’ podcast. With over 30 million downloads,
it is your go-to source for live reaction and correspondents reporting on the
ground. You can listen here. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British
journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9
with our US-exclusive offer.
Ukrainian minister urges Britain, Germany to send
Eurofighter jets
BERLIN (Reuters)/Tue, May 30, 2023
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov wants Germany and Britain to send
his country Eurofighter Typhoon jets to combat Russian air attacks, he said in
an interview published on Tuesday by the Funke media group. Ukraine has been
campaigning for its Western allies to provide it with fighter jets, in
particular the U.S.-built F-16s flown by several NATO nations. Germany and
Britain have so far declined to send jets, saying they do not have the F-16s
that Ukraine wants. They say the time required to train pilots and the
substantial support crews needed to send their Eurofighter Typhoon jets meant
they would be of little immediate use. Reznikov, however, said these could also
be helpful in Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion. "If Britain and Germany
were to combine their Eurofighter supply capabilities, that would be an
important step," he was quoted as saying. A spokesperson for the German defence
ministry said Berlin's stance still stood. Britain's defence ministry did not
immediately respond. So far, no Western-designed jets have been donated. Poland
and Slovakia have supplied 27 MiG-29s to supplement Ukraine's Soviet-era fleet.
(Reporting by Katharina Loesche; Additional Reporting by Sabine Siebold and
Sachin Ravikumar; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Giles Elgood)
Russia's Lavrov accuses West of 'supporting genocide' in
Ukraine
(Reuters)Tue, May 30, 2023
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the West was
"supporting genocide" in Ukraine through its backing for President Volodymyr
Zelenskiy's peace plan, which he claimed would "destroy everything Russian" in
east Ukraine and Crimea.Lavrov, speaking during a trip to Africa, did not offer
evidence to support his claim. Russia has long accused the West of ignoring what
it says is Ukrainian persecution of Russian language speakers in the eastern
Donbas region and elsewhere. "The conclusion is very simple - the West directly
supports genocide," Lavrov said during a press conference with his Burundian
counterpart. Zelenskiy's peace plan envisages the withdrawal of Russian forces
from all Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow
forcibly annexed in 2014. Speaking on the day when Russia accused Ukraine of
launching its biggest ever drone attack on Moscow, Lavrov said the West was
directly helping Kyiv to carry out such "terrorist" strikes by providing it with
weapons and military equipment. "The statement of the West that the weapons it
is supplying (to Ukraine) must not be used against the territory of the Russian
Federation is just another lie," he said. Lavrov also took aim at comments by
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, saying they could be understood as encouraging the
killing of Russians. In an edited video released by Zelenskiy's office last
Friday, Graham was shown saying during a meeting with the Ukrainian president in
Kyiv that "the Russians are dying" and then saying U.S. support was the "best
money we've ever spent". After Russia criticised the remarks, Ukraine released a
full video of the meeting on Sunday which showed the two remarks were not
directly linked. Graham said he had simply praised the spirit of Ukrainians in
resisting a Russian invasion with assistance provided by Washington.
Kyiv seeks guarantees Black Sea grain deal will work if it allows Russian
ammonia transit
KYIV (Reuters)/Tue, May 30, 2023
Ukraine is seeking guarantees from Moscow and the U.N. that a deal on the safe
export of Black Sea grain will work normally if Kyiv allows Russian ammonia to
transit Ukrainian territory, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. The United
Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Moscow and
Kyiv last July to help tackle a global food crisis aggravated by Russia's
invasion of Ukraine, a leading global grain exporter. Russia agreed to a
two-month extension of the deal this month but has said the initiative will
cease unless an agreement aimed at overcoming obstacles to Russian grain and
fertiliser exports is fulfilled. The demands set out by Moscow include the
resumption of the transit of ammonia from Russia via Ukrainian territory to
Pivdennyi port in Odesa, from where it is exported. Transit of ammonia, an
important part of nitrogen-based fertilisers, was halted via the pipeline after
Russia's invasion. "We do not understand now - does the ammonia pipeline itself
solve something or not? If it does not solve anything by itself, then there is
no dialogue," Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine's deputy renovation minister, told a grain
conference. "If it (ammonia) is a key issue, then they, the U.N., must clearly
say that if the ammonia pipeline resumes working, then Ukraine will have such
opportunities (to export grain in a normal way) and then our top political
leadership will decide whether it is in our interests or not." he grain deal has
not yet resumed full operations since it was extended, and no ships have been
authorised to travel to Pivdennyi port since April 29, the U.N. said last week.
Russia's demands to improve its grain and fertiliser exports include the
reconnection of Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the SWIFT
international payment system. They also include the resumption of supplies of
agricultural machinery and parts; a lifting of restrictions on insurance and
reinsurance; and the unblocking of assets and accounts of Russian companies
involved in food and fertiliser exports. Ukrainian officials have said that
since mid-April, Russia has "unreasonably restricted" the work of the Black Sea
grain deal. Russia has denied this.
A senior government source told Reuters this month that Kyiv would consider
allowing Russian ammonia to transit its territory for export on condition that
the Black Sea grain deal is expanded to include more Ukrainian ports and a wider
range of commodities.
Russia has lost two-thirds of its tanks since it invaded Ukraine as its military
struggles with obsolete Soviet-era weapons, analyst says
Tom Porter/Business Insider/Tue, May 30, 2023
Russia has lost two-thirds of its tanks amid the stalled Ukraine invasion, a
blog said. The figures confirm reports that Russia's armored vehicles have been
decimated during the war. The country's military has had to take Soviet-era
tanks out of storage to fight. The Russian military has lost at least two-thirds
of its tanks since it began its war on Ukraine, according to analysts. Oryx, a
Netherlands-based open source intelligence website, said that the Kremlin's
total tank loss in Ukraine now stands at around 2,000. The website, which
publishes a running tally of Russian military weapons and equipment losses based
on pictures and other battlefield data, said 1,239 of the tanks had been
destroyed, 106 damaged, 113 abandoned, and 544 captured. Jakub Janovsky, a
military analyst who contributes to the website, told Insider that Russia had
started the war with around 3,000 operational tanks.
He said though that despite the high losses, Russia was "reactivating" tanks
from the 4,000 it has in reserve to be deployed to the front line. Many of these
tanks are from the Soviet-era. "This list only includes destroyed vehicles and
equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available," according to
Oryx. "Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than
recorded here." Janovsky said that a number of factors were behind the losses,
including Russia's "reckless initial invasion plan," effective Ukrainian use of
anti-tank weapons, and Ukrainian use of minefields and artillery. "The ratio of
equipment losses is still very favorable to Ukraine, but less so than it was in
autumn last year," said Janovsky. During the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow,
when Russia marked its victory in World War II, analysts noted that the scaled
back event was an indication of the equipment losses Russia has suffered in
Ukraine. While Russian President Vladimir Putin usually uses the parade to
highlight Russia's military resurgence and show off the latest Russian tanks,
this year the only tank taking part was a single Stalin-era tank.
In face of the steep losses, Russia has sought to adapt its battlefield use of
tanks, according to a recent report by the UK-based Royal United Services
Institute. The losses have even forced Russia to pull old Soviet-era tanks out
of storage and deploy them on the battlefield, Insider reported last year.
Despite the equipment shortages suffered by the Russian military on the front
line, Russia continues to showcase advanced military technology at global arms
fairs, the UK's military intelligence said.
Russia and Saudi Arabia are at odds after a
flood of Russian oil supply pushed the commodity's price below a key break-even
level needed to fund Saudi projects
Matthew Fox/Business Insider/Tue, May 30, 2023
Saudi Arabia is growing annoyed with Russia as Moscow continues to pump cheap
crude oil into the market. The increased supply of oil from Russia is helping
push oil prices below levels Saudi Arabia needs to fund its megaprojects. Saudi
Arabia's massive budget needs oil prices to be above $81 per barrel, according
to The Wall Street Journal. Russia's pumping of cheap oil into the market is
helping put downward pressure on prices for the commodity, and Saudi Arabia
isn't happy as oil prices stay below a key break-even level, according to a
report from The Wall Street Journal. The report found that Saudi Arabia's
efforts to curtail production and push oil prices higher earlier this year have
been undermined by Moscow's flood of cheap oil supply, and that the oil-rich
nation has expressed its anger at Russia for not following through on its pledge
to throttle production, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
"Saudi officials have complained to senior Russian officials and asked them to
respect the agreed cuts," the report said. Members of OPEC+ said in early April
that they would reduce oil output to help prop up oil prices. But recent data
suggests Russia isn't following through on its side of the deal as it seeks to
generate revenue to help fund its struggling economy and war effort. Oil prices
have been in a solid downtrend since they peaked in March 2022, right after
Russia invaded Ukraine, which set off a slew of supply-chain related problems
and helped push oil prices above $120 per barrel. WTI Crude oil fell 4% on
Tuesday to just under $70 per barrel, while Brent Crude oil fell 4% to $74.07
per barrel. Saudi Arabia needs oil above a key break-even level of $81 per
barrel to help fund its massive budget of so-called gigaprojects, which include
a 110-mile long city in the desert called "The Line" and a resort in the Red Sea
that's the size of Belgium. Economic advisors have privately warned Saudi senior
policy makers that the kingdom needs higher oil prices for the next five years
in order to keep funding billions of dollars of projects, according to the
report. That's in part because the projects have failed to attract a lot of
investment from abroad. Saudi Arabia will have another chance to convince Russia
to implement oil production cuts at an upcoming OPEC+ meeting in early June.
Prigozhin furious at drone attack on Moscow’s ‘Beverly
Hills’
Genevieve Holl-Allen/The Telegraph/May 30, 2023
Intense clashes could be heard in Sudan's capital on Tuesday, residents said,
after military factions battling for more than six weeks agreed to extend a
ceasefire aimed at allowing aid to reach civilians.
The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend a
week-long ceasefire deal by five days just before it was due to expire late on
Monday. The truce was brokered and is being remotely monitored by Saudi Arabia
and the United States, which say it has been violated by both sides but has
still allowed for the delivery of aid to an estimated 2 million people.
"We hope this truce succeeds even if only to stop the war a little and that we
can return to our normal lives. We have hope in the truce and we don't have
other options," said Hind Saber, a 53-year-old resident of Khartoum.
Hours before the ceasefire extension was signed, residents reported intensive
fighting in all three of the adjoining cities that make up Sudan's greater
capital around the confluence of the Nile - Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri.
Clashes resumed late on Tuesday on the outskirts of the cities.
In a statement the RSF accused the army of violating the ceasefire, saying that
it defended itself against an attack and took over an army base.
The war has caused nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes, including more
than 350,000 that have crossed into neighbouring countries.
Areas of the capital have been hit by widespread looting and frequent cuts to
power and water supplies. Most hospitals have been put out of service.
The United Nations, some aid agencies, embassies and parts of Sudan's central
government have moved operations to Port Sudan, in Sudan's Red Sea state, the
main shipping hub which has seen little unrest.
PORT SUDAN CURFEW
On Tuesday, the state's security committee said it had caught several
"rebellious" sleeper cells that it said had sneaked in from outside and warned
that they were planning activities. "We thank the citizens of Red Sea state for
their total cooperation and for immediately reporting the presence of these
rebellious elements and their agents within their neighbourhoods," it said,
without specifying their identity. The committee later extended a state of
emergency and declared a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m in Port Sudan. The
conflict erupted on April 15 over internationally backed plans for a transition
to elections under a civilian government. Leaders of the army and the RSF had
held the top positions on Sudan's ruling council since former leader Omar al-Bashir
was toppled during a popular uprising in 2019. They staged a coup in 2021 as
they were due to hand leadership of the council to civilians, before falling out
over the chain of command and restructuring of the RSF under the planned
transition. Army leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appeared in a video on
Tuesday greeting troops. He said that the army had agreed to the ceasefire
extension to ease citizens' access to services. "The army hasn't used its full
deadly power, but it will be forced to do so if the enemy does not obey or
listen to the voice of reason," he said in a statement. U.N. children's agency
UNICEF said more than 13.6 million children in Sudan, a country of 49 million
people, were in urgent need of lifesaving humanitarian support. The U.N. World
Food Programme, which expects up to 2.5 million people in Sudan to slip into
hunger in coming months, said that 17,000 metric tonnes of food had been looted
since the conflict began. WFP said on Monday that it had begun to distribute
food in parts of the capital for the first time since the outbreak of fighting.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk warned on Tuesday that fighting in Khartoum,
which has spread to the war-weary Darfur region, could take on an "inter-ethnic
dimension which would be terrible".
Russia launches pre-dawn air raid on Kyiv; Moscow attacked
by drones
Associated Press/Tue, May 30, 2023
Russia launched a pre-dawn air raid on Ukraine's capital Tuesday, killing at
least one person and sending Kyiv's residents again scrambling into shelters to
escape a relentless wave of daylight and nighttime bombardments, while Moscow
authorities said the Russian capital was attacked by drones.
At least 20 Shahed explosive drones were destroyed by air defense forces in
Kyiv's airspace in Russia's third attack on the capital in the past 24 hours,
according to early information from the Kyiv Military Administration. Overall,
Ukraine shot down 29 of 31 drones fired into the country, most in the Kyiv area,
the air force later added. Before daylight, the buzzing of drones could be heard
over the city, followed by loud explosions as they were taken down by air
defense systems. In Moscow, residents reported hearing explosions and the
Defense Ministry later said that eight drones had been fired at the city in what
it called a "terrorist attack" by the "Kyiv regime." It said five had been shot
down and the systems of three were jammed, causing them to veer off course.
Ukraine has not commented on the Moscow attack, which would be one of its
deepest strikes into Russia so far since Russia invaded Ukraine more than 15
months ago. Since the war began, Moscow has launched unrelenting drone and
missile attacks at Ukraine's cities, frequently killing civilians. Moscow Mayor
Sergei Sobyanin said in a Telegram post that the attack caused "insignificant
damage" to several buildings. Two people received medical attention for
unspecified injuries but did not need hospitalization, he said. Residents of two
buildings damaged in the attack were evacuated, Sobyanin said. Andrei Vorobyov,
governor of the wider Moscow region, later said several drones were "shot down
on the approach to Moscow."
It was the second reported an attack on Moscow, after authorities said two
drones targeted the Kremlin earlier this month in what was labeled an attempt on
President Vladimir Putin's life. In the attacks overnight on Kyiv, one person
died and seven were injured, according to the municipal military administration.
A high-rise building in the Holosiiv district caught fire after being hit by
debris either from from drones being hit or interceptor missiles. The building's
upper two floors were destroyed, and there may be people under the rubble, the
Kyiv Military Administration said. More than 20 people were evacuated. Resident
Valeriya Oreshko told The Associated Press in the aftermath that even though the
immediate threat was over, the attacks had everyone on edge. "You are happy that
you are alive, but think about what will happen next," the 39-year-old said.
Oksana, who only gave her first name, said the whole building shook when it was
hit. "Go to shelters, because you really do not know where it (the drone) will
fly," she advised others. "We hold on." Elsewhere in the capital, falling debris
caused a fire in a private house in the Darnytskyi district and three cars were
set alight in the Pechersky district, according to the military administration.
The series of attacks that began Sunday included a rare daylight attack Monday
that left puffs of white smoke in the blue skies. On that day, Russian forces
fired 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv at about 11:30 a.m., according to
Ukraine's chief of staff, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. All of them were shot down, he
said. Debris from the intercepted missiles fell in Kyiv's central and northern
districts during the morning, landing in the middle of traffic on a city road
and also starting a fire on the roof of a building, the Kyiv military
administration said. At least one civilian was reported hurt. The Russian
Defense Ministry said it launched a series of strikes early Monday targeting
Ukrainian air bases with precision long-range air-launched missiles. The strikes
destroyed command posts, radars, aircraft and ammunition stockpiles, it claimed.
It didn't say anything about hitting cities or other civilian areas.
US says ‘the time is now’ for Sweden to join NATO and for
Turkiye to get new F-16s
AP/May 30, 2023
OSLO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday the “time is now” for
Turkiye to drop its objections to Sweden joining NATO but said the Biden
administration also believed that Turkiye should be provided with upgraded F-16
fighters “as soon as possible.”Blinken maintained that the administration had
not linked the two issues but acknowledged that some US lawmakers had. President
Joe Biden implicitly linked the two issues in a phone call to Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday. “I spoke to Erdogan and he still wants to work
on something on the F-16s. I told him we wanted a deal with Sweden. So let’s get
that done,” Biden said. Still, Blinken insisted the two issues were distinct.
However, he stressed that the completion of both would dramatically strengthen
European security. “Both of these are vital, in our judgment, to European
security,” Blinken told reporters at a joint news conference in the northern
Swedish city of Lulea with Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. “We believe
that both should go forward as quickly as possible; that is to say Sweden’s
accession and moving forward on the F-16 package more broadly.” “We believe the
time is now,” Blinken said. He declined to predict when Turkiye and Hungary, the
only other NATO member not yet to have ratified Sweden’s membership, would grant
their approval. But, he said, “we have no doubt that it can be, it should be,
and we expect it to be” completed by the time alliance leaders meet in Vilnius,
Lithuania in July at an annual summit.
Fresh from a strong re-election victory over the weekend, Erdogan may be willing
to ease his objections to Sweden’s membership. Erdogan accuses Sweden of being
too soft on groups Ankara considers to be terrorists, and a series of Qur’an-burning
protests in Stockholm angered his religious support base — making his tough
stance even more popular. Kristersson said the two sides had been in contact
since Sunday’s vote and voiced no hesitancy in speaking about the benefits
Sweden would bring to NATO “when we join the alliance.” Blinken is in Sweden
attending a meeting of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council and will travel to
Oslo, Norway on Wednesday for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers, before
going on to newly admitted alliance member Finland on Friday. Speaking in Oslo
ahead of the foreign ministers’ meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
said the goal was to have Sweden inside the grouping before the leaders’ summit
in July. “There are no guarantees, but it’s absolutely possible to reach a
solution and enable the decision on full membership for Sweden by the Vilnius
summit,” Stoltenberg said.
US Treasury imposes sanctions on Syrian financial
facilitators enabling regime, Hezbollah, and IRGC access to international
financial system
LBCI/Tue, May 30, 2023
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has
imposed sanctions on Syrian financial facilitators who have been instrumental in
enabling the Syrian regime, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to maintain access to the international financial
system in violation of sanctions. Of particular concern is the role played by
the US-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah, a key ally of the Syrian
regime and Iran’s IRGC-QF. Hezbollah, along with the Syrian government, has
utilized Al-Fadel Exchange and Al-Adham Exchange, Syrian money service
businesses, to transfer funds from other countries in the region to Syria. The
Syrian government and Hezbollah collect hard currency outside of Syria,
employing these exchanges to channel these funds to the Central Bank of Syria.
Additionally, it has come to light that Al-Fadel Exchange has facilitated
payments from the Assad regime to U.S.-designated Hizballah financial official
Muhammad Qasim al-Bazzal, in exchange for shipments of Iranian oil. Similarly,
Al-Adham Exchange has been implicated in facilitating transfers benefiting the
Syrian government.
The Treasury’s sanctions aim to target Al-Fadel Exchange, Al-Adham Exchange, and
their respective owners for their roles in materially assisting the Central Bank
of Syria, knowingly providing significant financial, material, or technological
support to the Syrian government, and facilitating transactions benefiting
Hezbollah and the IRGC-QF. The three brothers who own and operate Al-Fadel
Exchange—Fadel Ma’ruf Balwi, Mut’i Ma’ruf Balwi, and Muhammad Ma’ruf Balwi—have
been designated for their complicity in these activities. Al-Adham Exchange,
headquartered in Damascus, has also been sanctioned for its role in supporting
the Syrian government.
UN: Staggering 15.3 million Syrians, nearly 70% of
population, need aid
UNITED NATIONS (AP)/Tue, May 30, 2023
For the first time in Syria’s 12-year war, people in every district are
experiencing some degree of “humanitarian stress,” and a staggering 15.3 million
— nearly 70% of the population — need humanitarian aid, the United Nations said
Tuesday. A U.N. appeal for $5.4 billion to help over 14 million people in Syria
is less than 10% funded and the U.N. World Food Program has warned that without
additional money, 2.5 million people are at risk of losing food or cash
assistance from July. The dire humanitarian situation, compounded by the
February earthquake that devastated the rebel-held northwest, was spelled out to
the Security Council by the U.N. humanitarian office’s operations director Edem
Wosornu. The Syrian people “are more and more reliant on humanitarian assistance
as basic services and critical infrastructure are on the brink of collapse," she
said.Wosornu urged generous pledges and the swift release of funds at a European
Union hosted conference in Brussels on June 14-15. She said “Syrians need the
support of the international community now more than at any time in the past 12
years.”She said the need to maintain the delivery of humanitarian aid to the
northwest is even more critical after the earthquake. She said U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a 12-month extension of the
U.N. mandate, which expires in July, saying the assistance is “indispensable”
and “a matter of life and death for millions of people” in the region.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, whose country is a close ally of
Syria, said Moscow shares concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian
situation. But he said cross-border aid delivery “has outlived its usefulness”
and “we see no reason at all to extend it.”Nebenzia expressed concern that while
cross-border aid was flowing and funded, the appeal to help millions of others
in acute need in Syria is only 9% funded. It's “a very odd moral imperative,” if
aid “only applies to the terrorists in Idlib and it does not apply to the
country as a whole.”U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United
States will seek a council resolution to extend aid deliveries through the three
border crossings currently operating: Bab Al-Hawa, which was the single crossing
Russia would allow to remain open in January, as well as Bab Al-Salam and Al
Raée, which Syria’s President Bashar Assad agreed to open after the quake, which
killed over 6,000 in Syria and has displaced over 330,000. Assad has agreed to
keep the two additional crossings open through Aug. 13. The U.S. envoy accused
Assad of “cynically” trying “to seize on the outpouring of international support
following the earthquakes to reclaim its place on the world stage,” stressing
that “merely sitting at the same table as other regional leaders does nothing to
help the people of Syria.” “If the Assad regime wants to help the Syrian people,
it should act immediately and announce that it will keep the Bab Al-Salam and Al
Raée crossings open through at least August 2024, or as long as it takes,”
Thomas-Greenfield said. “And even if the Assad regime does the right thing, it
is frankly no substitute for actions by this council, which has a responsibility
to respond to the dire humanitarian needs of the Syrian people.”Assad was
welcomed back to the Arab League this month after a 12-year suspension. Geir
Pedersen, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, told the Security Council that this
meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia along with others in Moscow and Amman that
included Syrian officials could create new momentum in long-stalled efforts to
end the conflict. He reiterated that new diplomatic activity “could act as a
circuit breaker in the search for a political solution in Syria – if there is
constructive Syria engagement, and indeed if key regional and international
groups and players can work together.”
Teenagers from IS families undergo rehabilitation in Syria
Associated Press/Tue, May 30, 2023
For at least four years, thousands of children have been growing up in a camp in
northeast Syria housing families of Islamic State group militants, raised in an
atmosphere where the group's radical ideology still circulates and where they
have almost no chance for an education. Fearing that a new generation of
militants will emerge from al-Hol Camp, the Kurdish officials who govern eastern
and northern Syria are experimenting with a rehabilitation program aimed at
pulling children out of extremist thought. It means, however, removing them from
their mothers and families for an unknown period of time, a practice that has
raised concerns among rights groups. And even if they are deemed rehabilitated,
the childrens' future remains in limbo with their home countries reluctant to
take them back. "If these children stay in the camp, this will lead to the rise
of a new generation of extremists who could be more fanatic(al) than those who
were before," said Khaled Remo, co-chair of the Kurdish-led administration's
office of justice and reform affairs.
Recently, an Associated Press team was allowed to visit the Orkesh Center, a
rehabilitation facility that opened late last year. It's home to dozens of young
boys taken from al-Hol. Ranging in age between 11 and 18, they represent about
15 different nationalities, including France and Germany.
At Orkesh, boys are taught drawing and music, all with the theme of tolerance.
They also learn skills for future jobs like a tailor or a barber. They wake up
early and have breakfast at 7 a.m., then have classes until 3 p.m., after which
they can play soccer and basketball. They live in dormitory-type rooms, where
they are expected to keep order and their beds made. They are allowed contact
with parents and siblings.
Authorities did not permit the AP to speak to the boys at the center, citing
privacy concerns. During a separate visit to al-Hol, residents were hostile, and
none agreed to be interviewed. The AP also approached families that were
released from al-Hol, but none responded to requests for comment. The newness of
the program makes it difficult to assess its effectiveness.
Still, the center underscores how U.S.-backed Kurdish authorities are wrestling
with the legacy of Islamic State, years after the group was defeated in a brutal
war in Syria and Iraq that ended in 2019.
Al-Hol Camp is an open wound left by that conflict. The camp holds about 51,000
people, the vast majority women and children, including the wives, widows and
other family members of IS militants. Most are Syrians and Iraqis. But there are
also around 8,000 women and children from 60 other nationalities who live in a
part of the camp known as the Annex. They are generally considered the most
die-hard IS supporters among the camp residents.
The camp population is down from its height of 73,000 people, mostly because of
Syrians and Iraqis who were allowed to go home. But other countries have largely
balked at taking back their nationals, who traveled to join IS after the radical
group seized large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Though Kurdish-led security forces run the camp, they have struggled to keep
control. IS radicalism remains rife, with fervent followers intimidating others,
particularly in the Annex, home to more than 5,000 children.
Children in al-Hol have little to do and little chance for education. Fewer than
half the 25,000 children in the camp attend reading and writing classes at its
teaching centers. During a recent tour by the AP inside al-Hol, some young boys
threw stones at the reporters. One drew a finger across his throat in a
beheading motion as he looked at the journalists.
"Those kids once they reach the age of 12, they could become dangerous and could
kill and beat up others," the camp's director Jihan Hanan told the AP.
"So we had a choice, which is to put them at rehabilitation centers and keep
them away from the extreme ideology that their mothers carry," she said.
Sheikhmous Ahmad, a Kurdish official overseeing camps for displaced people, said
that once the boys turn 13, IS loyalists make them get married to young girls —
another reason for removing them.
So far, the number of children going through rehabilitation is small, around
300, all of them boys from the Annex. Ninety-seven are at the recently-launched
Orkesh Center, near the border town of Qamishli about a two-hour drive from al-Hol.
The rest are at al-Houri, another center that began taking in boys for
rehabilitation in 2017, as U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces took back territory
from IS in Syria. Al-Houri underscores the long-term problem: Some of the boys
have been at the center for years since there is nowhere else to go. The only
alternative would be to send them back to al-Hol. Only four children have been
repatriated from al-Houri, administrators said.
"While the transfer of these boys to separate detention centers may be
well-intentioned, this is not rehabilitation. This is indefinite detention
without charge of children, who are themselves victims of ISIS," said Letta
Tayler, associate director of the Crisis and Conflict Division at Human Rights
Watch.
She said removal from the family may be appropriate if the mother or another
relative is victimizing the child. Otherwise, separation could cause further
trauma. "For many of these children, who have survived unimaginable horrors
under ISIS and in the camps where they have been held since the fall of ISIS,
the mother and other family members are their only source of stability," she
said.
Kathryn Achilles, media director of the Syria Response Office at Save the
Children International, said separation from the mother "should only ever be as
a last resort, addressed by individual countries after families return, in line
with their laws." Hanan, the administrator of al-Hol, said they had few other
options. One proposal is to set up rehabilitation centers in or near the camp,
she said.
"Maybe in the future we can agree on something with international organizations
regarding such centers as they are the best solution for these children," Hanan
said. But Kurdish officials and humanitarian agencies agree that the only real
solution is for home countries to take back their citizens.
"Once home, children and other victims of ISIS can be offered rehabilitation and
reintegration. Adults can be monitored or prosecuted as appropriate," said
Tayler of Human Rights Watch. The U.N.-backed Independent International
Commission of Inquiry on Syria called in March for repatriation to be sped up.
It added that the suffering inflicted on the camp's residents "may amount to the
war crime of committing outrages on personal dignity."
Until a solution is found, the centers create "an environment that is suitable
to pave the way for mental change for these children," said Remo, the Kurdish
official.
Serbs gather again in northern Kosovo after clashes
Agence France Presse/Tue, May 30, 2023
The situation in northern Kosovo remained tense Tuesday as ethnic Serbs
continued to gather in front of a town hall in Zvecan after violent clashes with
NATO-led peacekeepers left 30 soldiers injured. The NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR)
soldiers wearing full riot gear have put a metal barrier around the municipal
building in Zvecan and are stopping several hundred Serbs from entering, an AFP
journalist at the scene said. Three armoured vehicles of the ethnic Albanian
Kosovo police -- whose presence always stirs controversy in Serb-majority
northern areas -- remained parked in front of the town hall.
Serbs -- who account for about six percent of Kosovo's population -- boycotted
last month's elections in northern towns where they are in a majority, allowing
ethnic Albanians to take control of local councils despite a minuscule turnout
of under 3.5 percent of voters. Many Serbs are demanding the withdrawal of
Kosovo police forces, as well as the ethnic Albanian mayors they do not consider
their true representatives. Tensions flared after Serbs tried to force their way
into the Zvecan town hall on Monday, but were repelled as Kosovo police fired
tear gas to disperse the crowd. KFOR at first tried to separate protesters from
the police, but later started to disperse the crowd using shields and batons.
Protesters responded by hurling rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails at the
soldiers. A total of 30 peacekeepers were wounded in the clashes, including
"fractures and burns from improvised explosive incendiary devices", KFOR said in
a statement. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic said 52 demonstrators were hurt,
three of them "seriously". Five Serbs were arrested for taking part in the
clashes, according to Kosovo police. KFOR said the
soldiers responded "to the unprovoked attacks of a violent and dangerous crowd"
whilst carrying out its mandate in an impartial manner.
"To avoid the clashes between the parties and to minimise the risk of the
escalation, KFOR peace-keepers prevented threats to the lives of Kosovo Serbs
and Kosovo Albanians," KFOR said. "Both parties need
to take full responsibility for what happened and prevent any further
escalation, rather than hide behind false narratives."NATO strongly condemned
the "unprovoked" attacks against KFOR troops, adding that such actions were
"totally unacceptable".Belgrade placed its army on high alert last week when
tensions flared, and ordered forces towards the frontier with Kosovo.
Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic announced Tuesday meetings in Belgrade with
ambassadors of the so-called Quint -- five powerful NATO members that focus on
the Western Balkans -- but also with representatives of Russia and China. Kosovo
declared independence from Serbia in 2008, and Belgrade and its key allies
Beijing and Moscow have refused to recognise it, effectively preventing Kosovo
from having a seat at the United Nations. Serbs in
Kosovo remained largely loyal to Belgrade, especially in the north, where they
make up a majority and reject every move by Pristina to consolidate its control
over the region.
Celebrations in Jordan ahead of kingdom's first major royal
wedding in years
Associated Press/Tue, May 30, 2023
Several thousand cheering and flag-waving Jordanians packed a sports stadium for
a free concert in the capital of Amman as part of celebrations leading up the
kingdom's first major royal wedding in years. Crown Prince Hussein, 28, is to
marry Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif, 29, on Thursday at Zahran Palace in downtown
Amman, the same wedding venue previously chosen by the prince's father, King
Abdullah II, and his grandfather, the late King Hussein. The nuptials come after
a rough patch for the royals, including a public rift between the king and his
half-brother, and are seen as a way of shoring up public support at a time of
persistent economic difficulties. Designed to convey a sense of continuity,
Thursday's ceremony is expected to include some of the same features as previous
royal weddings, including a motorcade of red Land Rover jeeps escorting the
couple through the streets of Amman after the ceremony. Palace officials have
been tight-lipped about other elements of the wedding, including the complete
guest list and details about the bride's dress. U.S. first lady Jill Biden and
several royals from around the world have confirmed attendance, among them the
king and queen of the Netherlands. Celebrations kicked off last week with a
henna party for Alseif, hosted by Jordan's Queen Rania and attended by several
hundred women. Alseif has a degree in architecture, and has lived and worked in
Los Angeles. Her father is a founder of one of Saudi Arabia's largest
engineering firms, and her mother is a relative of Saudi King Salman. On Monday
evening, several thousand young Jordanians attended a free concert at Amman
International Stadium. Performers included well-known Arab singers, including
Egypt's Tamer Hosny. Midway through his set, Hosny took his performance offstage
and walked while singing towards the stands. With call and response, he
encouraged the crowd to sing along. "For his excellency the beloved crown prince
let's hear a huge round of applause," Hosny said while surrounded by a roving
entourage in the stadium. Friends Rahma Beljas and Shireen Shirbati, both 18,
were all smiles during the concert in the stadium where they both train as
competitive runners. Beljas said that while they were enjoying the night's
festivities, more was to come. "This Thursday we'll celebrate even more."One of
the last attention-generating royal weddings in Jordan took place in June 1993
when Abdullah married Rania, who was born to a Palestinian family in Kuwait.
They had met in Amman earlier that year, when he was not yet crown prince and
she worked in marketing. The couple's trajectory changed in January 1999 when
Abdullah's father, who was near death at the time, awarded the title of crown
prince to Abdullah, his eldest son. After Hussein died on Feb. 7, 1999, Abdullah
became king.
Iraq top court invalidates decisions of Kurdish parliament
AFP/May 30, 2023
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s supreme court on Tuesday ruled as unconstitutional the extended
mandate of autonomous Kurdistan’s parliament, rendering invalid votes taken by
the chamber since last year. It is the latest controversy between Iraq’s federal
authorities and Kurdistan whose leaders had on Saturday denounced amendments in
the federal budget affecting oil sales from the region in Iraq’s north.
Elections in Iraqi Kurdistan had been scheduled for late 2022, but disputes
between its two main parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), forced the assembly to extend its mandate
for another year. Fresh elections were scheduled for November this year. In his
ruling Judge Jassem Mohammed Aboud, president of the top federal court in
Baghdad, found unconstitutional the year-long extension of the chamber’s
mandate. As a result, decisions taken by the Kurdistan parliament since October
2022 “are constitutionally invalid,” Aboud said. His ruling came after some
Kurdistan opposition legislators who were upset with the mandate extension took
their case to the court. Last week, deputies in Kurdistan’s parliament came to
blows after the KDP scheduled a late vote to activate the commission organizing
the elections. PUK lawmakers wanted the vote postponed. The KDP currently holds
the largest bloc of 45 seats, trailed by the PUK with 21 in the 111-seat
chamber. Shivan Fazil, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute, said the court’s ruling “is unprecedented” because it also
nullifies “the government that has been sworn in” before the regional
parliament.
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Arab-Iranian dialogue makes strides in Doha
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/May 30, 2023
Doha this week hosted three days of informal Arab-Iranian dialogue. The
conference, held largely behind closed doors, acquired a special significance as
it came shortly after new developments indicated that we may be on the cusp of a
new beginning.
Iranian participants included former officials and high-level representatives
from universities and semiofficial institutions. They offered varied
perspectives on Tehran’s regional policy. Most expressed a fresh desire for
engagement, reconciliation and cooperation. For the first time, they accepted
the idea of having talks with the GCC on Iran’s nuclear program. On some
regional issues, they offered flexibility, which was even more evident during
talks on the sidelines of the main event. Some of the others appeared to dwell
on the past and did not offer new ideas.
Relations with Iran have been difficult for most of the time since the
revolution in 1979, when it declared its goal of exporting that revolution.
Since then, Tehran has managed to export a version of its model to parts of the
region, but with disastrous results for both Iran and its neighbors.
Militarizing Iran’s economy and its external entanglements have impoverished its
people and reduced a once-thriving country to the verge of collapse. The
countries where Iran has been involved, such as Syria and Yemen, have fared even
worse.
The Arab League Summit, held in Jeddah on May 18, took the initiative toward
regional de-escalation. For that purpose, it revisited its positions on Iran,
attempting to defuse some of the regional crises where Tehran has been involved,
including Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, encouraging dialogue and
reconciliation. Inviting Bashar Assad, a close Tehran ally, was part of that
effort. Saudi Arabia chaired the summit and will lead the Arab League until the
next summit is convened in 2024, which will give it a chance to shape the
implementation of the decisions made in Jeddah.
In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed, with China’s help, to resume diplomatic
relations after seven years of rupture. This diplomatic breakthrough sent
shockwaves through the region and paved the way toward the reconciliatory
positions adopted at the Arab League Summit. Going beyond the mere resumption of
diplomatic relations, the two countries stressed in a joint statement issued in
Beijing their commitment to the “sovereignty of states and noninterference in
their internal affairs,” referencing two important principles underpinning the
conflict with Iran. The fact that Iran agreed to make this commitment was
another breakthrough.
On both shores of the Gulf, there is great yearning to go back in history to
when the region lived in relative peace, security and stability. Over the
centuries, the same tribes and families lived on both banks of the Gulf and
enjoyed rich cultural and thriving economic ties.
However, things have gotten complicated over the past four decades. There are
significant disagreements between the two sides. At the same time, they share
the same space and have equally significant shared economic and strategic
interests, making it imperative to deal with those disagreements. On those
issues where concurrence is elusive, there should be a clear way to manage them
politically and peacefully, according to international standards and norms for
relations between states.
The Arab summit stressed that Arab regional security is indivisible. Gulf
security is an integral and important part of Arab security, and the security of
Arab states is equally important to the Gulf. Iran is uncomfortable with this
fact. It does not understand why GCC states are concerned about Iran’s
domination of Arab states such as Syria, Lebanon or Yemen. It also does not see
the need to refrain from forming, funding or arming militias in Arab countries,
even when they use force to seize power and engage in serious human rights
violations.
There is also a serious disagreement between Iran and its Gulf neighbors over
international security cooperation. GCC states are active members of important
security partnerships, including the Combined Maritime Forces, which coordinates
the work of 38 countries to combat illicit activities by nonstate actors, such
as piracy and smuggling.
On both shores of the Gulf, there is great yearning to go back in history to
when the region lived in relative peace, security and stability. Conversely,
Iran is strenuously opposed to any foreign security presence, employing populist
discourses about ending colonialism and foreign domination.
The stage must be prepared well for the success of substantive talks on the
issues of pressing concern, by agreeing on the rules governing relations between
the states of the region and confidence-building measures, with a view to
maintaining de-escalation. Those issues can be discussed along five
interconnected tracks. The political and diplomatic track covers discussing
regional issues, such as Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, to encourage
political solutions according to UN resolutions, without the use of force or
threats to achieve political goals. It also covers nuclear, missile and drone
proliferation, especially to nonstate actors. The security track covers
terrorism, sectarian militias and other armed groups operating outside the law.
The economic track explores trade and investment opportunities, including in
renewables. The sustainability track explores possible cooperation in efforts to
reverse climate change and rehabilitate the Gulf marine environment. Finally,
reviving the historically rich Arab-Iranian cultural exchanges could be
discussed in the cultural track. To ensure the success of this engagement,
discussions should include both official and nongovernmental channels, including
business groups, universities and research centers. The great strides achieved
by GCC countries over past decades in terms of the economy, social development,
education, culture and the arts can be made more robust, comprehensive and
sustainable once Iran and its neighbors are able to restore the requisite
confidence and spirit of collaboration and integration. Iran could then attain
the same benefits of integration that the GCC states have already gained.
• Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant
secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for
Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily
represent GCC views.
Twitter: @abuhamad1
What Erdogan’s win might mean for the rest of the world
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/May 30, 2023
As many pundits expected, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a historic third
term as he overcame his opponent in Turkiye’s presidential runoff on Sunday. His
triumph, after a tough first round, is being celebrated by his supporters both
at home and abroad, but at 69 the populist Islamist leader, who has ruled for
two decades, has plenty to contend with as he begins a new five-year term.
His opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, may have failed to play his cards right in the
last round. Xenophobic rhetoric, primarily against the more than 3.5 million
Syrian refugees in the country, may have backfired and limited his chances. At
least 200,000 Syrians now have Turkish nationality and, for the business sector,
their contribution to the economy is important. As of 2020, it was estimated
that Syrians had invested more than $500 million in capital into the country
through the establishment of commercial activities, especially small and
medium-sized enterprises.
Kilicdaroglu’s fealty to the West has also not worked for him. Erdogan is
admired for his maverick nature when dealing with what many Turks see as a
patronizing and pretentious Europe. Still, Kilicdaroglu got more than 47 percent
of the votes, which means that millions of voters turned their back on the
incumbent. One challenge facing Erdogan at home is dealing with Turkiye’s 14
million Kurds, who make up about 18 percent of the population. The issue of
Kurdish rights was central in this month’s elections and it was interesting that
the pro-Kurdish parties voted for his rival. Will Erdogan, who lifted linguistic
and cultural restrictions on the community, be in the mood for revenge?
The Turkish elections got much international media coverage, especially in the
West, simply because the outcome of the poll will decide what this important
country, with vast influence across the Middle East and Central Asia, will look
like in the coming years. It is no secret that a majority of leaders in Europe
and the US would have liked to see the demise of Erdogan, but not for the
obvious reasons. It is not because of his brand of political Islam. Rather, it
is because of his politics; the fact that, under Erdogan, Turkiye has become not
only a rising economic power, but also a regional and a geopolitical player with
controversial ties and alliances. As Turkiye is a founding member of NATO,
Erdogan has raised eyebrows because of his special relations with Russia’s
Vladimir Putin, especially over Syria and Ukraine. Ankara is also yet to give
the green light to Sweden’s admittance to the North Atlantic military alliance.
Early in his tenure, Erdogan embraced the “zero problems with neighbors”
philosophy, but he soon steered away from that path and Turkiye began to make
trouble in northern Syria, Iraq’s Kurdistan, Armenia, Libya, Egypt and Israel.
He later shifted again, at least on Syria, Israel and Egypt, and is now showing
a more pragmatic approach toward the Gulf countries. His alliance with Moscow is
also paying off as he tries to make his country a global hub for liquefied gas
distribution. The amazing thing is that, despite his closeness to Russia and
Iran, he has managed to keep relations with the US alive despite periods of
tension. Erdogan also has a complex relationship with Iran. While the two have
cooperated in areas such as trade and infrastructure development, tensions over
their differing views on Syria have also surfaced.
One thing that is for sure is that he will not turn against his friend in the
Kremlin any time soon. It will be interesting to see if he is willing to change
course on Syria and make up with the now-rehabilitated — at least within the
Arab League — Bashar Assad. He is expected to push for a final reconciliation
with Egypt’s Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He has already distanced himself from Egypt’s
Muslim Brotherhood leadership in exile, but Ankara’s backing of the Islamists in
Libya remains an issue.
In fact, despite showing signs of adopting a more moderate line, Erdogan’s brand
of conservative Islamist politics continues to attract supporters and loyalists
from outside Turkiye as well. His victory was celebrated with much fanfare in
Libya’s Tripoli and in Gaza City.
But all is not well in Turkiye’s relations with its Arab neighbors. Aside from
Erdogan’s support for anti-regime rebel groups in Syria, relations with Baghdad
are not good either. Turkiye has made several incursions into Iraqi territory
and its ambitious policy of building several dams across the Euphrates and its
tributaries has created an environmental catastrophe for Iraq and many parts of
Syria. It is no secret that a majority of leaders in Europe and the US would
have liked to see the demise of Erdogan. Erdogan is a strict nationalist with
ambitions of resurrecting the glories of the Ottoman sultanate. It is important
to see the world from his perspective in order to begin to understand him.
With this latest victory, Erdogan is likely to continue his signature policies,
which could further strain Turkiye’s relations with Western democracies. Even
then, he has become a crucial geopolitical player, which means that neither the
US nor Europe can afford to confront him head-on.
Domestically, Erdogan has to reckon with the fact that almost half the voters
turned against him. A polarized country, with a deepening economic crisis, will
not be easy to rule. Again, for the rest of the world, what matters is how
Erdogan’s foreign policy will look and if it is likely to change.
*Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
Twitter: @plato010
The militarization of Iranian politics in the context of
regional detente
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/May 30, 2023
At a time of renewed regional dialogue and an apparent opening between Iran and
its neighbors, one could be surprised by the appointment of Ali Akbar Ahmadian,
a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a member of the
Expediency Council, as the new secretary of the Supreme National Security
Council. Even if this position is under the supreme leader’s control, this is a
central post in the decision-making process of Iran.
Ahmadian’s profile has similarities with his predecessor, Ali Shamkhani. Both
have experience in the navy, but Ahmadian has not been politically active since
his retirement from the military. On the contrary, ex-Supreme National Security
Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani is a former defense minister and presidential
candidate. Ahmadian’s lack of political experience is a confirmation of the
militarization of the Iranian political dynamic since the end of the 2000s.
The departure of Shamkhani seems to have been accelerated by the arrest of his
former colleague Alireza Akbari and his execution in January, following an
accusation of espionage by Iran’s security apparatus. The link between Shamkhani
and Akbari, a dual British and Iranian citizen, and the elimination of the
latter was a message sent to all members of the political elite: Presenting an
alternative to the dominant view of Iranian hard-liners is a risky move, even
for the insiders (khodi) of the system (nezam). At a time of popular discontent
inside the country, the political establishment must be unified and support the
views of the supreme leader.
The removal of Shamkhani is also a reminder of the political instrumentalization
of the accusations of corruption inside the Iranian establishment. He is a
political survivor of Iranian factional politics and he served under both
reformist and conservative presidents, from Hassan Rouhani to Ebrahim Raisi.
In the context of the social and political tensions inside Iran, it is not that
surprising that the reshaping of the decision-making process took place in favor
of a military figure with no political past. Indeed, Shamkhani could have been
an alternative to President Raisi’s political project and his diplomatic
achievement — the rapprochement with Saudi Arabia — has been a striking reminder
of the late former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s policy of detente toward
Iran’s neighbors.
Shamkhani, with an ethnic Arab background, was not only a member of the Iranian
political elite who was at the forefront of dialogue with Iran’s Arab neighbors,
but he was also a key interlocutor for Western diplomats seeking to engage the
Iranian security establishment. His removal is therefore a clear message for the
reformist and pragmatic factions ahead of the parliamentary elections that are
scheduled for February 2024. The system is ready to accept a very low turnout
rather than political infighting at home amid rising social discontent and a
looming economic crisis.
His marginalization from the Iranian daily decision-making process is also
happening at the same time as the appointment of the Iranian ambassador to Saudi
Arabia, Alireza Enayati — the first ambassador to the Kingdom in seven years.
The timing of Shamkhani’s removal could be interpreted as a political
clarification: Tehran’s decision to find a modus vivendi with Saudi Arabia is
not the strategy of any political faction (and not a win for the
pragmatist/reformist groupings) but the choice of the system.
Last but not least, the securitization of Iranian politics and the removal of
Shamkhani could be the result of two complementary dynamics. Firstly, the
absolute domination of the supreme leader of the Iranian political system and
his refusal to accept the emergence of any alternative political views from
inside the security establishment at the time of his succession process.
Secondly, the need to find a regional solution for Iranian domestic
sociopolitical problems. In other words, Iran’s political system is losing
legitimacy at home and its foreign policy is no longer designed to seek regional
hegemony at any price, but rather to seek a new balance between the objective of
strengthening Iranian security and ideological partnerships beyond Iranian
borders and ensuring the survival of the Iranian political system at home.
The departure of Shamkhani seems to have been accelerated by the arrest of his
former colleague Alireza Akbari.
This does not mean an ideological change for Iran’s foreign policy, but rather a
pragmatic implementation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s political and
ideological objectives. In the end, the removal of Shamkhani is a message to
Iran’s neighbors: The opening will be pursued if it serves Iranian security
interests. The appointment of one of the military theoreticians of the concept
of asymmetric defense, Ahmadian, means that the new Iranian foreign policy will
be based on the same ideological framework. What is new is that Tehran’s
regional behavior is not, first and foremost, for the sake of regional
domination, but rather it aims to manage the internal security crisis of the
Iranian political system.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is president of the International Institute for Iranian
Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami
Third-party US presidential campaigns extremely unlikely to win
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/May 30, 2023
The No Labels group is gaining attention in the US as it takes steps to
potentially mount a third-party presidential campaign. The group is considering
a “unity ticket” that includes a Democratic and a Republican candidate for
president and vice president, though it is not yet clear who the candidates
would be. However, the No Labels movement faces blistering criticism from
political scientists, strategists and Democrats, who argue that a third party
has no chance of winning the presidential election and would likely benefit the
Republican candidate.
The structure of the US political system makes it very difficult for a third
party to successfully compete for the presidency. The US president is not
elected by a majority of the nationwide vote (known as the popular vote).
Rather, the president is chosen through the Electoral College process. Each
state receives a specific number of “electors” in the Electoral College, based
on that state’s number of representatives and senators in Congress. All the
states except for two allocate all of their votes in the Electoral College to
whichever candidate wins the most votes in that state’s election. For example,
Virginia has 13 electoral votes; in 2020, Joe Biden won a majority of votes in
Virginia, so he received all 13 of Virginia’s votes in the Electoral College.
Whichever candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College becomes president.
This system has many implications, including that a candidate can lose the
popular vote and still win the presidency through the Electoral College. Another
consequence is that the system naturally benefits a two-party structure.
Third-party candidates have run for president many times, but no third party has
won a presidential election in the post-Civil War era. Alternative candidates
often have little impact. However, in some elections, third-party candidates
played a significant role by siphoning off votes from the Republican or
Democratic candidate. In the very tight 2000 election, left-wing candidate Ralph
Nader won votes from Democratic candidate Al Gore in the crucial state of
Florida, thus helping to hand the presidency to Republican George W. Bush. In
1992, third-party candidate Ross Perot arguably chipped away at votes for
Republican George H.W. Bush to the benefit of Democrat Bill Clinton. In 1912,
former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt formed a third party to challenge
Republican President William Taft; his campaign split the Republican vote,
allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win.
The structure of the US political system makes it very difficult for a third
party to successfully compete for the presidency
Critics of third-party efforts point to this history. The Electoral College
makes it extremely difficult for a third party to win. For example, in 1992,
Perot won 19 percent of the popular vote but did not win any Electoral College
votes. A successful third party would have to win the most votes in enough
states to win a majority in the Electoral College — an extremely tall order.
Furthermore, many voters are aware that the odds are against a third party and
would rather use their vote to support a candidate who might win, so even many
voters who might prefer the third-party candidate will vote for a Republican or
a Democrat.
Some political figures argue that now is the time to challenge the two-party
trend. Polls show that many Americans are disillusioned with their options. A
2021 Gallup poll found that 62 percent of respondents said that “parties do such
a poor job representing the American people that a third party is needed.”
Recent polling has found that a majority of Americans do not want Biden or
Donald Trump to run again.
The No Labels group and other third-party advocates point to these views and
argue that there is room for a third party to win the presidency. No Labels adds
that a centrist candidate would take votes away from both parties rather than
acting as a spoiler.
However, many critics — including many associated with centrist movements —
argue that a No Labels campaign would benefit the Republican candidate.
Historical precedent provides much of the evidence that a third party cannot win
but can damage one of the primary party candidates, often the candidate that is
politically closest to the third party.
No Labels is also far too optimistic about the number of Americans who would
abandon the Republicans or Democrats. Third-party advocates often note that many
Americans identify as independent voters, but polling experts counter that most
of those independents lean heavily toward Republicans or Democrats when voting.
For example, the Pew Research Center has reported that 38 percent of Americans
say they are independents, but only 7 percent actually do not lean toward a
party when voting. Furthermore, not all independents are centrists.
Historical precedent provides much of the evidence that a third party cannot win
but can damage one of the primary party candidates
Critics of No Labels’ potential campaign point to other problems, including
questions about the group’s strategy. Many of the critics argue that No Labels
is presenting a false equivalency by suggesting that a second Biden or Trump
presidency is equally concerning and warn that a No Labels campaign would aid
Trump, should he win the Republican nomination. Indeed, given today’s makeup of
the Republican and Democratic parties and Electoral College realities, a No
Labels campaign would likely pull votes away from Biden. Modern presidential
races tend to be tight, so damaging Biden in only one or two key states could be
very consequential.
A while ago, some Republican leaders were concerned that Trump might launch his
own third-party bid. If he did, it would likely divide the Republican
constituency to the Democrats’ benefit.
The reality is that any third-party presidential campaign is extremely unlikely
to win and very likely to damage one of the primary candidates. It would be a
huge gamble with incredibly deep consequences.
*Kerry Boyd Anderson is a writer and political risk consultant with more than 18
years of experience as a professional analyst of international security issues
and Middle East political and business risk. Her previous positions include
deputy director for advisory with Oxford Analytica. Twitter: @KBAresearch