LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
August 01/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18/01-05:”At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on August 01/2019
President Signs 2019 State Budget
President Aoun meets Jarrah, Foucher, Fahed
Aoun signs decree for byelections in Tyre on September 15
Hariri: Next stage will focus on encouraging and stimulating productive sectors in Lebanon
US Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources meets Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Officials Meet in Baabda as Deal Reportedly Reached on Convening
Bassil: Our diplomatic network contributes to strengthening Lebanese presence in the world
UNIFIL head meets with Lebanon's Foreign Minister
Jreissati: Sorting Waste at Source Compulsory to Resolve Crisis
Army Chief Says Fight Persists against Strife, Terrorism and Israeli Greed
Charges Filed against 21 Suspects over Qabrshmoun Incident
Sayegh: The Lebanese Are Subject to the Settlement's Venom
Mashrou' Leila Slams 'Deliberate Campaign' as Amnesty Sees 'Alarming Indicator'
English translation of Press Release by Mashrou’ Leila

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 01/2019
Iranians killed in Israel’s first attack in Iraq named, buried with military honors
Jared Kushner Meets With Netanyahu Is Israel As US. Doubles Down On Peace Plane
Kushner Visits after Israel Okays Homes for Palestinians, Settlers
UK warship commander says Iran trying ‘to test’ Britain in Gulf
Israel okays 700 Palestinian homes, 6,000 settler homes
Jared Kushner meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah for talks on Middle East peace plan
US imposes sanctions on Iranian FM Zarif
Zarif: Iran is ready for dialogue if Saudi Arabia is also ready
President Macron with President Rouhani at the UN headquarters in New York.
Iranian defense minister: Iran tests missiles on a ‘regular basis’
The commander of a British warship accompanying UK-flagged ships
Iran to reduce nuclear deal commitments more unless Europe protects it
Germany Nixes U.S. Request to Join Naval Mission Off Iran
Corruption Trial of Sudan's Bashir to Begin August 17
Tunisia prime minister to run for president following Essebsi's death

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 01/2019
Iranians killed in Israel’s first attack in Iraq named, buried with military honors/DEBKAfile/July 31/2019
Jared Kushner Meets With Netanyahu Is Israel As US. Doubles Down On Peace Plane/Jerusalem Post/July 31/2019
After ISIS, Both Minorities And Majorities Struggle In The Face Of Dysfunctional Governments/By: Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/July 31/2019
Iran’s military entrenchment in Iraq poses a threat to Israel, defense officials say./Yaniv Kubovich/Haaretz/July 31/2019
Opinion/On Iran, Trump Is Shoving Israel Out Into the Cold/Jonathan S. Tobin/Haaretz/July 31/2019
Europe far from united when it comes to Iran/Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/July 31/2019

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on August 01/2019
President Signs 2019 State Budget
Naharnet/July 31/2019
President Michel Aoun has signed on Wednesday the 2019 state budget following controversy over Article 80 related to state hires of Civil Service Council applicants, the National News Agency said. NNA said: “Aoun has signed law number 143 related to issuing the 2019 state budget, finalizing the closure of accounts and providing required resources to the Court of Audit. He also signed law number 144 which includes the state budget and auxiliary budgets for 2019.” The budget was sent to Aoun last week for signing but he abstained because of “confusion” over Article 80. The Article in question “preserves the employment right” of those who succeeded in Civil Service Council exams who have yet to be hired. The budget was sent to the President for signing it off after it was signed by Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Saad Hariri. If Aoun had refused to sign the budget, it would have been returned back to Parliament for further discussion. The Parliament endorsed the highly controversial budget last week that introduced austerity measures to cut a ballooning budget deficit.

Aoun Asks Parliament to Discuss Article 95 of Constitution after Sectarian Balance Row
Naharnet/July 31/2019
President Michel Aoun on Wednesday sent a letter to Speaker Nabih Berri in which he asked Parliament to “discuss Article 95 of the Constitution according to norms, especially Clause B.” Aoun said the move is aimed at “preserving our National Pact, national accord and coexistence.”Article 95 stipulates that “the Chamber of Deputies that is elected on the basis of equality between Muslims and Christians shall take the appropriate measures to bring about the abolition of political confessionalism according to a transitional plan.”In his letter, Aoun argues that the “transitional plan” has not started yet and, accordingly, sectarian balance cannot be overlooked in the appointment of public employees. A row erupted between the Free Patriotic Movement and the rest of the political parties after a controversial article was included in the text of the 2019 state budget that was sent to Aoun for approval. The FPM insists that an agreement had been reached on dropping the article during parliament’s debate of the state budget. The article “preserves the employment right” of those who succeeded in Civil Service Council exams for a period of six years. The FPM argues that the results lack sectarian balance.

President Aoun meets Jarrah, Foucher, Fahed
NNA - Wed 31 Jul 2019
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, met Wednesday at Baabda palace with Minister of Information, Jamal Jarrah, with whom he discussed the current general situation and latest political developments. Minister Jarrah said he discussed with President Aoun "a number of issues concerning the Ministry, including the situation of Télé Liban and the need to accelerate the appointment of a new board of administration to ensure regularity of work in said Station." Jarrah also said that discussions touched on the latest developments and the positions of the various parties, with the head of state stressing the need for the holding of the Cabinet's meeting as soon as possible to discuss the topics on its agenda and ensure the interests of the people. At the diplomatic level, Prseident Aoun met with French Ambassador to Lebanon, Bruno Foucher, in the presence of the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Salim Jreissati.
Discussions reportedly touched on bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them at all levels, as well as the post-adoption period of the 2019 state budget and the follow-up of the implementation of the recommendations of the CEDRE conference. Aoun then met with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Jean Fahed, with whom he discussed an array of judicial matters and the work of courts. He later met with representative of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council in Canada, Sayyed Nabil Abbas.

Aoun signs decree for byelections in Tyre on September 15
NNA - Wed 31 Jul 2019
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, has signed this Wednesday Decree #5396 dated July 31, 2019, calling for by-elections in the district of Tyre on Sunday, September 15, to choose a successor for resigned MP Nawaf al-Moussawi.

Hariri: Next stage will focus on encouraging and stimulating productive sectors in Lebanon
NNA - Wed 31 Jul 2019
The President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri expressed his belief in overcoming the existing problems, hoping that things will return to normal.
He said: "I am an optimistic person, and those who want to create problems in the country must take the responsibility for this because the citizens and the youth in Lebanon are fed up of politics. They don't want to hear our problems because they want job opportunities, medical care, electricity and infrastructure."
Premier Hariri launched today at the Grand Serail the "National Campaign to Support Lebanese Industry" organized by the Ministry of Industry in collaboration with the Association of Lebanese Industrialists entitled "with the national we support the nation".
The event was attended by Minister of Industry Wael Abou Faour and a number of ministers, MPs, former ministers and MPs, heads of diplomatic missions, representatives of military and security services, industrialists and businessmen.
The campaign included a fifty second promotional film highlighting the importance of national industry and the interaction of the Lebanese youth with it. The campaign will also organize educational dialogue programs and advertising campaigns on production and industry, in addition to specialized exhibitions in several Lebanese areas and support the participation of industrialists in foreign exhibitions.
Premier Hariri delivered the following speech on the occasion: "I am happy to be with you today in this meeting dedicated to promoting Lebanese industry and motivating the Lebanese citizen to "buy Lebanese production". I want to assure you that the main theme of the next stage will be "stimulating productive sectors". The campaign we are launching today ends the debate between those who say that we have industry in Lebanon and those who oppose this saying, and I say, "We have an industry in Lebanon". We have more than five thousand factories and we can increase this number and produce, manufacture and secure our local needs and even export. But what is important is to invest according to our production potentials. Today, the industry's share of the gross domestic product is close to $4.6 billion. Rest assured that we can double this number after five years and triple it after 15 years. We can also create more than 50 thousand new jobs through this sector in the next five years.
I want to be frank with you. To achieve this, we must focus on industries that have added value and competitive advantage in the local or foreign markets, like the food industry, pharmaceuticals, furniture, jewelry, fashion, handicrafts, light industries and other industries confirmed by the McKinsey report. We all know that the high cost of production is the main obstacle to the industrial sector today. Reducing this cost on the industrialist begins by addressing the problem of electricity and complete the implementation of the plan approved by the Council of Ministers, and hopefully we will feel the difference significantly next year.
In addition to addressing the high cost of production, our efforts will focus in the coming period on the following:
First: Complete the studies for the establishment and development of industrial zones capable of providing favorable environment to the Lebanese industrialists.
Second: Encourage joint ventures with the foreign private sector. Today we are working seriously with the Lebanese industrialists to team up with foreign investors to increase our exports to the Arab countries, Africa and the whole world.
Third: Open markets for Lebanese products and raise the value of Lebanese exports in terms of quantity and quality. We have recently appointed 20 economic attachés in the main countries with which Lebanon deals on the level of foreign trade, and we should benefit from their presence in coordination with the private sector.
Fourth: Invest in the vocational and technical education sector to be able to ensure and develop the specialized technical skills that we need to develop the industrial sector.
In conclusion, I want to emphasize a fundamental point: Productive sectors constitute an integrated and interdependent economic cycle. Reviving the industrial sector would lead to the revival of the agricultural sector and vice versa. Also, reviving tourism sector would lead to the revival of the industrial and agricultural sectors. And there won't be an industrial, agricultural or tourism sector without a sound and solid banking sector and developed financial services. All these cannot progress without keeping pace with the technological development. There is no priority for one sector over the other. All productive sectors are important and can increase the gross domestic product and create jobs.
As I told you at the beginning of my speech, will focus on encouraging and stimulating productive sectors.
In the end I want to thank Minister Wael Abou Faour for his efforts to develop the industrial sector. He cares about industry just as we care about the country, especially in these difficult circumstances that we are experiencing where we should not look at the empty half of the cup. I know that people are wondering what is happening in the country. "Let them play". We are working and will continue our work and we will produce and support the industrialists and develop the country. We are continuing our project which is in the interest of the citizen. It is true that there are political problems, but we will continue our work and these problems will be solved. But most importantly, the industrialists, merchants, farmers and producers should not lose hope. This is Lebanon's democracy, though sometimes it becomes the enemy of itself, and sometimes we are enemies of ourselves in approaching things in the country. What is important is to look at the interests of the citizens and the youth who are fed up of politics and don't want to hear our problems. They want job opportunities, medical care, electricity and infrastructure.
I am an optimistic person, and those who want to create problems in the country must take the responsibility for this. I believe that we will overcome all these problems and things will go back to normal as soon as possible."
For his part Minister Abou Faour talked about the McKinsey report, which said that 195 thousand Lebanese work in the industrial sector, adding that a 1% growth in industry would lead to the creation of 1500 new jobs according to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
He added: "Also in figures, the contribution of industry to the national income reached 14% in 2018, and this can be increased according to the World Bank, but the unfortunate thing is that this contribution was 20% in 2000 and 24% in 1990.
This campaign aims at raising the awareness of the Lebanese consumer about the quality and competitiveness of the Lebanese industry and motivating him to support it by giving priority to purchasing Lebanese products."
President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists Fady Gemayel also said that through industry Lebanon can reduce the trade balance deficit which exceeds $17 billion and which has become a serious threat to the national economy, finances and currency.
He said: "We also do not lose hope in Lebanon despite all the difficulties and challenges. We are really looking forward to the regularity of the government's work to start implementing the projects of CEDRE Conference and implementing the McKinsey plan, which constitute the salvation of our national economy and the main supporter of our industrial sector. The Lebanese industrialists, who have succeeded all over the world, are certainly a successful project for the national economy, and we will never hesitate to put all our capabilities at the service of our nation so that our young men and women can stay in the country."

US Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources meets Prime Minister Saad Hariri
NNA - Wed 31 Jul 2019
In a press release by the US Embassy in Beirut, it said: "U.S. Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources, Francis Fannon, met Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Grand Serail on July 31, 2019. In the meeting, Assistant Secretary Fannon learned more about Lebanon's plans for reforming its electricity sector and developing its energy resources and he conveyed U.S. support for Lebanon's responsible and transparent development of its natural resources. The Assistant Secretary is conducting a three-country tour, including Lebanon, Greece, and Jordan, with the goal of advancing energy diversification for shared prosperity and security throughout the broader region. The Assistant Secretary's three-day visit to Lebanon includes meetings with the World Bank, relevant ministries, and energy-sector professionals. Assistant Secretary Fannon, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, will also complete a tour of the Deir Ammar Power Station, after meeting with representatives from Primesouth. Primesouth, a U.S. company, operates the Deir Ammar plant, and provides employment for over 200 Lebanese, most of whom are engineers or highly qualified technicians."

Officials Meet in Baabda as Deal Reportedly Reached on Convening
Naharnet/July 31/2019
President Michel Aoun on Wednesday met with Lebanese Democratic Party chief Talal Arslan and State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib in Baabda, in the presence of State Minister for Presidency Affairs Salim Jreissati, Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab and General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim. Media reports meanwhile said that an agreement has been reached on resuming cabinet sessions. LBCI television said the session will be held next week before Eid al-Adha as OTV, which is affiliated with Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, said the Qabrshmoun case will be raised in the session and that a vote on referring it to the Judicial Council “might take place if necessary.” The Center House meanwhile witnessed a meeting between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and FPM chief Jebran Bassil. The Hariri-Bassil talks tackled “the developments and the need to resort to pacification in addressing the sensitive issues,” the Hariri-affiliated Mustaqbal Web news portal reported. A cabinet session was abruptly adjourned in the wake of the deadly Qabrshmoun incident and the council of ministers has not convened since that meeting. Two of Gharib’s bodyguards were killed in the incident and his party has insisted that the case should be referred to the Judicial Council, a demand opposed by the Progressive Socialist Party and its allies.

Hariri Says Lebanon Has Industry-Related Capabilities
Naharnet/July 31/2019
Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed on Wednesday that support for Lebanon’s industry will not stop despite the political differences lingering between its parties. “We care for our country, and we will continue supporting the Lebanese industry despite the political differences which will be solved eventually,” said Hariri at the inauguration of the national campaign to support Lebanese industry. “To all those sceptical about Lebanon’s industrial potentials we say: Yes Lebanon has industry-related capabilities that we are able to export abroad. We must also focus on industries that have added value,” said the PM. The Premier said: “The next stage will focus on encouraging and stimulating productive sectors in Lebanon.”

Bassil: Our diplomatic network contributes to strengthening Lebanese presence in the world
NNA - Wed 31 Jul 2019
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, on Wednesday hailed Lebanon's political system as "distinctive and unique" in its consensual democracy in light of the delicate configurations and balances. Minister Bassil was speaking at a roundtable held at Villa Boustros for Lebanese students residing abroad as part of the political tourism program, in the presence of the 45 diplomats who joined the diplomatic corps for the last three years. Minister Bassil hailed the Ministry's diplomatic network which contributes to bolstering Lebanon's presence in the world. In his delivered word, Bassil considered that the diplomat should strengthen ties and cooperation with host countries, including the creation of contacts and links with the embassy and the Lebanese, the regulation of their conditions and ensuring emigrants' protection.

UNIFIL head meets with Lebanon's Foreign Minister
NNA - Wed 31 Jul 2019
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col met with Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Gebran Bassil, in Beirut today, with discussions focusing on a wide range of issues concerning UNIFIL's work in south Lebanon and at sea in pursuance of UN Security Council resolution 1701, a press release by UNIFIL said. As per the statement, Major General Del Col briefed Minister Bassil on the situation in the UNIFIL area of operations and on his recent visit to New York and Washington D.C.
The UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander underlined "the need for a renewed impetus to negotiations for the demarcation of the Blue Line, through the UNIFIL-led Tripartite mechanism." He also stressed "the need for continued support to the Lebanese Armed Forces to help strengthen their capabilities to ensure security for South of Lebanon." Major General Del Col noted "the progress made in the implementation of UNIFIL's mandate together with Government institutions. He underlined the importance of ensuring that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is fully respected and violations thereof are duly investigated and acted upon in the best interests of security and stability along the Blue Line."

Jreissati: Sorting Waste at Source Compulsory to Resolve Crisis
Naharnet/July 31/2019
Environment Minister Fadi Jreissati on Wednesday stressed the need to sort garbage at source in order to resolve the waste management crisis, as he blamed the state for a looming crisis as the Jdeideh landfill is nearing full capacity. “Without sorting waste at source there can be no solution for the crisis,” said Jreissati during a dialogue on solid waste plan. “Waste burning is a crime and the State is responsible for the current situation we have come to in regarding the trash file,” he said. The solid waste plan is “based on decentralization,” said the Minister, pointing out that the municipal police will be trained to be an “environmental police.”

Army Chief Says Fight Persists against Strife, Terrorism and Israeli Greed
Naharnet/July 31/2019
Army chief General Joseph Aoun said marking the 74th Army Day on Wednesday that incitement and tense rhetoric won’t be allowed to awaken a sleeping sedition. “There will be no going back, and there is no place among the Lebanese for divisions,” said Aoun in his Order of the Day. "The rhetoric of incitement won't be allowed to awaken a sleeping sedition," he added. Addressing the military, Aoun went on to say: "You have always fulfilled the duties entrusted to you and complied with the constitutional entitlements, and you have been honest guardians of democracy seeking the sole goal of making the tasks entrusted to you succeed. “We learned that the major goal is to perform our duty without any considerations or personal benefits,” he said. The Army commander said the Israeli enemy continues to violate Lebanon's land, air and maritime sovereignty and that for decades, many soldiers and civilians have been killed by repeated Israeli attacks. He said the “efforts and sacrifices of the military will continue to confront Israel’s greed and combat terrorism.”

Charges Filed against 21 Suspects over Qabrshmoun Incident
Naharnet/July 31/2019
Assistant State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Claude Ghanem on Wednesday filed charges against 21 suspects in connection with the deadly Qabrshmoun incident. Among those charged only four are in custody according to the National News Agency. The suspects have been charged with “opening fire from unlicensed assault weapons and murdering and attempting to murder civilians.” Ghanem referred the file and the detainees to Acting First Examining Military Magistrate Fadi Sawwan, asking for the interrogation of the defendants and the issuance of the necessary judicial writs against them. Two bodyguards of State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib were killed in the incident and a third was injured. The minister escaped unharmed as a Progressive Socialist Party supporter was also wounded. Gharib and his party have described the incident as an “ambush” and an “assassination attempt” while the PSP has accused the minister’s bodyguards of forcing their way and opening fire on protesters.

Sayegh: The Lebanese Are Subject to the Settlement's Venom
Kataeb.org/July 31/2019
Kataeb's Deputy-President Salim Sayegh on Wednesday deemed the settlement as clinically dead, awaiting the declaration of death while the Lebanese are the ones to face its fallout and its repercussions. In an interview on NBN channel, Sayegh , he accused the Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil’s tours in Lebanon of igniting tensions in the Mountain, noting that the Qabr Shmoun incident was premeditated. “The performance of the political settlement’s representatives is breaking it further down. No one is 100% counted towards the settlement as every one of them has his own foreign protocol,” Sayegh pointed out. “This settlement is trying to poison the people and we must confront that with all the means possible,” Sayegh noted. “They claim to be fighting corruption when in fact they are taking advantage of the State’s capacities,” he said, questioning “Which party leader is allowed to consolidate between his position as the President’s son-in-law and his political responsibilities?” “Hezbollah is controlling FM Gebran Bassil and is the one managing major strategic decisions in Lebanon. This is a reality, not an accusation,” he blasted. “Hezbollah is more than a mere political party. Just one word from it can solve the Qabr Shmoun incident.” The Kataeb official affirmed that the party stayed out of the government so as not to lose its constants. “They started to take into account our opposition. Let them start enhancing their performance” “We must get used to have an opposition in Lebanon and a different opinion capable of influencing the game, but unfortunately, the majority of the government officials are obliged to adopt certain decisions even if they disagree with it,” he added. Sayegh called on the Prime Minister to exert his power and to shoulder his responsibilities because based on the Constitution, he embodies the executive authority. “He was entrusted by the majority of the lawmakers, including the opposition force, so he must acknowledge that the settlement no longer applies and that he is the primary powerful leader with no substitute,” Sayegh regarded. “Our main goal is to protect the Christian-Druze Reconciliation.”He warned that the Christians of the Chouf-Aley area will be the ones paying the price for the Druze division in the Mountain and that leaves an impact on co-existence and civil peace in Lebanon. He urged to hold back from using sectarian rhetoric as it would not serve the country’s best interest. “The main problem lies in putting their personal interests ahead of that of the country,” he stated. He highlighted the need to take on drastic measures, to stop putting off solutions and to hold early Parliamentary elections.

Mashrou' Leila Slams 'Deliberate Campaign' as Amnesty Sees 'Alarming Indicator'
Naharnet/Agence France Presse/Associated Press/July 31/2019
World famous Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila has condemned what it called "a deliberate campaign" against it, after the organizers of the Byblos International Festival called off its August 9 performance over “bloodshed” fears. In a statement, the band said the campaign was built on false accusations and a distortion of their lyrics. Mashrou' Leila said it "sincerely regrets causing offense to anyone's beliefs" but denied that any of its songs were religiously offensive. "Our respect for the beliefs of others is as solid as our respect for the right to be different," it said. "We have been tried on the streets, judged and convicted by anyone wishing. This is a departure from the logic of the state, one that strikes at the core of our sense of our safety and ability to be artistic and creative," the band added. Amnesty International said the decision to cancel the show was an "alarming indicator" of the deteriorating state of freedom of expression in Lebanon. "This is the direct result of the government's failure to take a strong stand against hatred and discrimination and to put in place the necessary measures to ensure the performance could go ahead," Amnesty's Middle East Research Director Lynn Maalouf said. On Tuesday, the festival’s organizers said they had cancelled the concert, apparently caving to pressure after weeklong calls by some Christian groups to pull the plug on the show, as well as online threats to stop it by force. The organizers released a statement saying the "unprecedented step" of canceling the performance by Mashrou' Leila was done "to prevent bloodshed and maintain peace and stability.""We apologize for what happened, and apologize to the public," they added. Some church leaders and conservative politicians set off a storm of indignation on social media this month when they demanded that the Mashrou' Leila concert be canceled, accusing the Lebanese group of blasphemy and saying some of its songs are an insult to Christianity. The band, known for its rousing music and lyrics challenging norms in the conservative Arab world, soon became the center of a heated debate about freedom of expression.
The cancellation triggered a storm of protests and a campaign of solidarity with the band on social media. The band has been a champion of LGBT rights in the Arab world and regularly sings about controversial subjects such as sectarianism, corruption and other social and political problems.
They have previously been banned from performing in Jordan and Egypt, but censorship demands in more liberal Lebanon — where it has performed on numerous occasions — are new. On Monday, dozens of Lebanese held a protest in downtown Beirut rejecting attempts by Christian clergymen and some right-wing groups to ban the ensemble. "Regardless of our opinion of the songs and the band, we need to defend freedom of expression, because freedom is for everyone and for everybody. The day it stops, it stops for everybody," said writer and director Lucien Bourjeily. The band, whose name translates as "Night Project," was founded 10 years ago by a group of architecture students at the American University of Beirut. Riding on the wave of Arab Spring uprisings that swept the Middle East, the band was embraced by Arab youth who saw it as part of a cultural and social revolution. The band members have gone on to gain worldwide acclaim, performing in front of sold-out crowds in the United States, Berlin, London and Paris.

English translation of Press Release by Mashrou’ Leila
Joanna Debbas/July 30, 2019
Who are we?
We are a Lebanese band that was founded ten years ago. One of our main sources of pride is our diversity. That is, we come from different sects and regions and identities in a country that abounds with monocultural projects. We carried our differences across Lebanon, participating in many of its festivals, and eventually across the world. Last week, alot was said about us, and about “secret projects” we are purportedly planning. All we want to say is that we belong to our country Lebanon and love its people dearly. And just like others, we have our own views of this country, of how it can be a better, more beautiful place. Our project was built on the right to be different and on reciprocated respect and tolerance. We will always be true to these values. This is our band Mashrou’ Leila: We strive for beauty and creativity. It is neither a satanic band, nor a band of Freemasons, nor do we have malicious secret agenda.
How have last week’s events evolved? Last week, we witnessed a wide-scale attack on our band. It all started with an online video that spread on social media. The video made horrible claims about us that are absolutely false. It was said that our name Leila points to the “night of eternal tyranny.” We inquired about the priest that made the video and we learned that the church had given him a disciplinary sentence to suspend all his ecclesiastical activities. Except, he did not comply. It took no time for numerous social media platforms to mobilize against us. The seriousness of the accusations was shocking as were the misinterpretation of our songs, the lies that were told, and the doctored pictures. The orchestrated campaign culminated in direct death threats. Hashtags circulated, translating to “your blood-letting is your responsibility,” “we won’t let it pass,” “if it doesn’t get canceled, we will cancel it.”
In response to the threats, rights-based organizations demanded that the Lebanese state intervene and put an end to the mob attack. For the first time in the band’s history, the authorities questioned us about two of our songs, and took no measures to protect us. Even though the investigation concluded we hadn’t committed any criminal offenses, the attack and threats kept growing. Very few listened, and often we were not allowed to speak for ourselves. We continued to be attacked, while everyone who wanted to turned into judge, jury, and executioner. This goes against the logic of a state in a way that strikes us at the core of our sense of security and ability to create art.
Clarification and correction
Attacks on us were launched, because we allegedly posted an image featuring the pop star Madonna, and people started alleging that we had fabricated the image. The band did not fabricate this image and did not publish it on any of its pages. What happened is that back in 2015, one of the band’s members published, on his personal Facebook page, an article by Scott Long that features the image. It was an article about how pop culture transforms certain figures into cultural icons. That was before that band member deleted the post from his page in 2016. All other pictures that were linked to the band and/or to its members are fabricated, forged, and false. As for the misinterpretation and twisting of lyrics from two songs out the band’s 50 song dossier, it is important to us that we clarify that we have been performing these two songs in Lebanon since 2015 without objections. Suffice it to say, and remind everyone, that works of art carry multiple meanings, especially when taken out of context, and that the nature of metaphor is to divert from words’ literal linguistic meanings. This is the reason for this uproar.
Our position
Our strong love of our country and community drives and motivates our work. From there we would like to clarify the following: - We feel true and genuine regret toward anyone who felt their creed and beliefs were targeted in our songs. We assure them and everyone that these songs do not breach sacraments or faiths, and that the offense was due mainly to smear campaigns, defamation, and false accusations. It is unfair to hold us responsible for what is said in campaigns of which we were the first victims. Our respect for the beliefs of others is as solid as our respect for the right to difference. What just transpired makes us even more committed to these values.- The turmoil we have been through and that culminated in the decision of the organizing committee of the Byblos International Festival to cancel the concert has been very harsh and taxing. Throughout, we felt the fragility of the situation in Lebanon. As we work hard to overcome these feelings, we thank our loyal audience and all those who have supported us from local and international human rights organizations, cultural and media organizations, activists, friends, and family in this difficult period. We hope to return to meet them all with our best, amidst a climate that is more tolerant and accepting of difference, in a country that lives up, in practice, to the reputation it has forged for itself.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 01/2019
Iranians killed in Israel’s first attack in Iraq named, buried with military honors
DEBKAfile/July 31/2019
Tehran on Wednesday, July 31, for the first time began naming Iranians killed in what were called “Israeli and United States attacks” in Iraq. The Iranians have never before identified the men killed in Israeli strikes – either in Syria or Iraq. Neither have they directly tied those attacks to the United States. One Iranian notice lists Abu Alfazi Sarabian, “a senior commander of the Al Qods Brigades of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps,” as having lost his life on July 19 in the Israeli attack on the pro-Iranian 52nd Brigade of the Hashd Shaabi Iraqi militia at a Badr Brigades base, near the town of Amerli in the province of Salahudin northwest of Baghdad. According to Western intelligence sources, the base was struck by three Israel Harop explosive drones, ferried by Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter bombers through Jordan’s air space up to the Iraqi town of Ar-Rutbah. From there, the drones were launched against their target.  Iraqi sources report that the Iranian officer Sarabian died in an explosion in an area used to store solid fuel for missiles, without explaining what a senior Iranian officer was doing there, or which missiles required solid fuel. DEBKAfile’s military sources interpret the Iraqi disclosure as tantamount to corroboration of the function of the Badr Brigades base as hosting IRGC Iranian ballistic missiles which are powered by solid fuel. All the Iranian victims of the Israeli attack were described as being granted full honors at military ceremonies in Tehran, before being flown for burial directly to their home towns. Abu Alfazi Sarabian’s remains were carried to Kermanshah.

Jared Kushner Meets With Netanyahu Is Israel As US. Doubles Down On Peace Plane
Jerusalem Post/July 31/2019
Kushner met with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday to discuss the details of the Mideast peace plan known as the "Deal of the Century," said an administration official, according to Al Arabiya. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Wednesday evening with senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is on a tour of five Middle East countries before Washington decides on the next step following June’s economic workshop in Bahrain. A senior White House official said before the meeting that Kushner and the Middle East negotiations team will report back to US President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the national security team to “discuss the many potential next steps to expand upon the success of the Bahrain workshop.” One question that needs to be resolved is whether the rollout of the 60-page political chapter of the peace framework the administration has been working on for some two years will take place before or after the September 17 election here. Yediot Aharonot reported on Wednesday that Trump was planning a summit with Arab leaders at Camp David before the election, where he would present the broad strokes of his Middle East peace plan.
The newspaper, which characterized this as an “election gift” to Netanyahu, asserted that the prime minister and Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer were involved in the planning, even though Netanyahu would not be invited, so as to make participation for the Arab leaders easier.
Dermer, along with US Ambassador David Friedman, took part in the Kushner-Netanyahu meeting, as did Middle East negotiator Jason Greenblatt and US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook. A senior White House official said that “no summit has currently been planned.”Kushner and his team arrived in Jerusalem from Jordan, where he held talks with King Abdullah II. Before meeting the US team, Abdullah met in Abu Dhabi on Saturday with UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and on Monday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, in an apparent effort to formulate a united position on the Trump plan.The US team is expected to leave on Thursday for Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia to discuss the next moves. Following the Kushner-Abdullah meeting in Amman, Jordan’s official news service reported that Abdullah reaffirmed “the need to achieve just, comprehensive and lasting peace on the basis of the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with east Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace and security, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative, international law and relevant UN resolutions.”
Kushner, Greenblatt and Friedman have declined in numerous interviews and speeches to say that the US plan calls for a two-state solution. Friedman said in a CNN interview on Tuesday that the administration has not used that language not because it is driving toward a one-state solution, but, rather, because “it is a disservice for us to use that phrase until we can have a complete exposition of all the rights, all the limitations that would go into Palestinian autonomy.” “We believe in Palestinian autonomy,” the ambassador continued. “We believe in Palestinian civilian self-governance. We believe that autonomy should be extended up until the point where it interferes with Israeli security. And it’s a very complicated needle to thread.” The “last thing” the world needs right now, Friedman said, “is a failed Palestinian state in between Jordan and Israel. And right now, the Palestinian government is so weak, they have no answer to Hamas. They leave that to Israel to take care of. They have no answer to Islamic Jihad. They leave that to Israel to take care of. And what can’t happen here? The one thing that can’t happen is the Palestinians obtain independence and, in short order, this becomes a failed state controlled by Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS or al-Qaeda.”
*Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.

Kushner Visits after Israel Okays Homes for Palestinians, Settlers
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 31/2019
Israel has given rare approval to Palestinian homes in the part of the occupied West Bank it fully controls while also backing a large settlement expansion, ahead of White House adviser Jared Kushner's key visit Wednesday. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity Wednesday, confirmed the approval by the country's security cabinet the previous day, ahead of the arrival by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser. The approval of 700 homes for Palestinians and 6,000 for Israeli settlers comes as the White House seeks to promote Kushner's long-awaited peace plan. It was not immediately clear if all of the homes would be new or if some already exist and are receiving retroactive approval. While the number of homes approved for Palestinians is relatively small and far outweighed by the number of settlement homes, the move could allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to argue he is making efforts to make Kushner's plan succeed.
Kushner visited Jordan on Wednesday and was later on his way to Israel as part of a Middle East tour. He has said his plan will not mention a two-state solution because "it means one thing to the Israelis, it means one thing to the Palestinians." Palestinians and many governments around the world warn that continued settlement construction by Israel in the West Bank is slowly eating away at hopes for a two-state solution to the conflict. But US ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who has been a backer of Israeli settlements, reiterated his stance in an interview with CNN late Tuesday. Friedman said the United States was in favor of Palestinian "autonomy," but signaled Washington was not ready for now to support full statehood -- similar to Netanyahu's position. "The issue we have is agreeing in advance to a state because the word state conjures up with it so many potential issues that we think it does a disservice for us to use that phrase," he said. "We believe in Palestinian autonomy. We believe in Palestinian civilian self-governance. We believe that that autonomy should be extended up until the point where it interferes with Israeli security, and it's a very complicated needle to thread."
He argued that the Palestinian Authority government may currently be too weak to prevent militant groups from overrunning it, resulting in a "failed state" that threatens Israel and neighboring Jordan.
Palestinian boycott
The White House unveiled economic aspects of its peace plan at a conference in Bahrain in June, but it was boycotted by the Palestinians. The Palestinians froze contacts with Trump's White House after his 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and have already dismissed the peace plan as blatantly biased in favor of Israel. In addition to the Jerusalem decision, Trump's administration has taken a series of moves against the Palestinians, including cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and shutting their de facto embassy in Washington. Tuesday's approvals are for housing in the part of the West Bank known as Area C, which is under Israeli security and civilian control and where most of its settlements are located. Area C accounts for more than 60 percent of the West Bank, the Palestinian territory that would form part of a future Palestinian state under the so-called two-state solution.
Israel rarely grants approvals for Palestinian construction in that area and frequently carries out demolitions of Palestinian buildings it considers illegally built. Walid Assaf, the Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israeli settlements, told AFP the approvals were "vague and incomprehensible." He said the approval of 700 Palestinian homes was partly a cover up "for the construction of 6,000 settlement units to complete the outer envelope of Jerusalem, isolating it from the Palestinian territories." The settlements are considered illegal under international law and are built on land that the Palestinians see as part of their future state. Israel says that Palestinian intransigence, violence and incitement are the main impediments to peace. Israel occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community, and sees the entire city as its undivided capital. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Some 600,000 Israeli settlers now live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, along with around 2.9 million Palestinians.

UK warship commander says Iran trying ‘to test’ Britain in Gulf
Israel okays 700 Palestinian homes, 6,000 settler homes
AFP, Jerusalem/Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Israeli ministers have given rare approval to 700 Palestinian homes in areas in the West Bank under the country’s full control, while also approving 6,000 homes for settlers, an Israeli official said on Wednesday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the approval by Israel’s security cabinet on Tuesday ahead of an expected visit by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
It was not immediately clear if all of the homes will be new construction or if some already exist and are receiving retroactive approval.
The approvals are for the part of the West Bank known as Area C, which is under Israeli security and civilian control and where its settlements are located. Area C accounts for more than 60 percent of the West Bank, the Palestinian territory that would form part of a future Palestinian state under the so-called two-state solution. Israel rarely grants approvals for Palestinian construction in that area. The plan for Palestinians, though relatively small and far outweighed by the new settlement homes, could allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to argue he is making efforts in favor of Kushner’s long-awaited peace plan.
Details on Kushner’s visit, expected this week, were not yet made available. He has said his plan will not mention a two-state solution because “it means one thing to the Israelis, it means one thing to the Palestinians.”

Jared Kushner meets with Jordan’s King Abdullah for talks on Middle East peace plan
AMMAN: Arab News/July 31/2019
US President Donald Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Wednesday, for talks on a controversial US plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The two discussed "efforts to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict", the royal court said in a statement, adding that Kushner was "visiting Jordan on a tour that includes a number of countries in the region". The initiative's economic aspects were launched in June by Kushner during a conference in Bahrain, dangling the prospect of $50 billion of investment into a stagnant Palestinian economy.But the plan so far fails to address key  issues such as an independent Palestinian state, Israeli occupation and the Palestinians' right to return to homes from which they fled or were expelled after Israel's creation in 1948. Trump has taken the landmark step of recognising disputed Jerusalem as Israel's capital and Kushner has suggested the peace plan would not mention a Palestinian state. During their meeting, King Abdullah stressed "the need to achieve a just and lasting peace to ensure the establishment of an independent Palestinian state... with east Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security alongside Israel", the court said.
He said any peace plan should be based on the internationally backed "two-state solution" and in accordance with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. The initiative called on Israel to withdraw from all land it occupied in 1967, in exchange for normalisation between all Arab states and Israel. Kushner was accompanied by Trump's Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, the royal court said. An official in Trump's administration said earlier this month that Kushner would return to the Middle East to further push the plan, but did not give details of his expected itinerary. On previous trips Kushner has visited Israel as well as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Jordan, one of only two Arab countries to have a peace treaty with Israel, is home to 9.5 million people -- more than half of them of Palestinian origin. Two thirds are Jordanian citizens, while the others are considered refugees who many Jordanians fear will be settled permanently and given citizenship if the Kushner plan goes through. More than two million Palestinians in Jordan are UN-registered refugees.

US imposes sanctions on Iranian FM Zarif
Agencies/Thursday, 01 August 2019
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said on its website. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in June that Zarif would be hit with sanctions. At the time, US President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Iran following Tehran's downing of an unmanned American drone and said the measures would target Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Trump administration wants to force Tehran to open talks on its nuclear and missile programs and its activities in the region.

Zarif: Iran is ready for dialogue if Saudi Arabia is also ready
Reuters/Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Iran is ready for dialogue if Saudi Arabia is also ready, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday, according to the IRIB news agency. “If Saudi Arabia is ready for dialogue, we are always ready for dialogue with our neighbors,” Zarif said. “We have never closed the door to dialogue with our neighbors and we will never close the door to dialogue with our neighbors.”

President Macron with President Rouhani at the UN headquarters in New York.
AFP, Paris/Wednesday, 31 July 2019
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani and reiterated his call for a de-escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States, the Elysee said. “It is France’s role to make every effort to ensure that all parties agree to a break and open negotiations,” the French presidency said. The 2015 deal over Iran’s nuclear program has begun to unravel since US President Donald Trump announced Washington was pulling out of the agreement last year and reimposed sanctions, to the dismay of European allies. France, Britain, and Germany were among the key players in the pact. Macron had a “long” discussion with Rouhani during the French leader’s annual holiday at his summer retreat, the medieval fort of Bregancon on France’s Mediterranean coast, the Elysee said. Macron “recalled the need to initiate a de-escalation of tensions,” it added. Paris has engaged in intense diplomacy seeking to solve the current tensions, with Macron’s foreign policy advisor Emmanuel Bonne twice visiting Tehran. Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit Macron in Bregancon in mid-August ahead of a G7 summit in Biarritz which will present “new opportunities to discuss the Iranian issue”, according to the Elysee.

Iranian defense minister: Iran tests missiles on a ‘regular basis’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Tehran carries out missile tests on a “regular basis,” said Iran’s defense minister Amir Hatami, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Wednesday. “The Iranian armed forces’ research programs are planned every year and executed on time,” said Hatami, addressing reports of Iran carrying out missile tests in recent days. A US defense official said on July 24 that Iran tested what appeared to be a medium-range ballistic missile which travelled about 1,000 kilometers. The test did not pose a threat to shipping or any US personnel in the region, the official added.
In response, an Iranian military source said that Iran’s missile tests are part of the country’s defensive needs and are not directed against any country, adding that Tehran does not need any power’s permission to conduct tests, the semi-official Fars agency reported on Saturday.
“These things are normal everywhere,” Hatami told reporters, adding: “The armed forces’ programs, including missile tests, are carried out on a regular basis.”Hatami also addressed rumoured joint military drills with Russia in the Arabian Gulf, saying: “Nothing has been finalised yet, but in any case, Russia is a friend of ours.”

The commander of a British warship accompanying UK-flagged ships
AFP, London /Wednesday, 31 July 2019
The commander of a British warship accompanying UK-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran said Wednesday that Tehran appeared to be testing the Royal Navy’s resolve. William King, commander of HMS Montrose, said during 27 days patrolling the flashpoint entrance to the Gulf he had had 85 “interactions with Iranian forces”, which had often led to “an exchange of warnings” over radio. “That gives you some idea of the intensity... (it) is perhaps more than we’ve seen of recent times,” he told BBC Radio in a phone interview from aboard the frigate. “The Iranians seem to be keen to test our resolve, test our reactions most of the time,” King added. “They’ll claim that perhaps our presence is illegitimate, even though we’re completely lawfully in international waters. “They may also run boats in at speed towards us, to test what warning levels we get to.”
Montrose, on a three-year deployment in the region since April based at a British naval hub opened in Bahrain last year, began the escorts through the world’s busiest oil shipping lane earlier this month. It followed Iranian threats of retribution for Royal Marines helping Gibraltar - a British Overseas Territory - seize one of its tankers on July 4 on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions. Despite Montrose’s presence in the Gulf, Iran intercepted the British-flagged tanker “Stena Impero” on July 19 as it made its way through the strait and has detained the ship at an Iranian port.
Britain on Monday ruled out swapping the tankers, and has proposed the formation of a European-led naval escort mission for global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. It comes as US President Donald Trump exerts a “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions and stepped-up military presence aimed at forcing Tehran to renegotiate a landmark 2015 nuclear pact he pulled out of last year. However, amid the escalating tensions King said contact with Iran remained “professional” and “cordial” on the choppy waters of the Gulf. “There’s a healthy understanding, shall I say a respect between mariners, which now seems to be established,” he added.Montrose will return to port later this week for pre-planned maintenance and crew changeover, and will be replaced by HMS Duncan, a destroyer which arrived in the region on Sunday.

Iran to reduce nuclear deal commitments more unless Europe protects it
Arab News/July 31/2019
DUBAI: Iran is set to further cut its commitments to its international nuclear deal unless its European partners move to protect it from US sanctions by ensuring it can sell oil and receive income, its foreign minister told state television on Wednesday. “Under current circumstances and if no action is taken (by the Europeans) we will take the next step (in cutting commitments),” Mohammad Javad Zarif said, adding that its European partners should guarantee Iran could sell its oil and collect the revenue. Iran has said it will reduce its commitment to the nuclear accord in stages and may even withdrew from the pact unless the Europeans find ways to shield its economy from the US sanctions. Iran also dismissed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s offer to visit and address the Iranian people as a “hypocritical gesture.” “You don’t need to come to Iran,” Zarif said. He suggested Pompeo instead grant visas for Iranian reporters to travel to the US and interview him, accusing him of having rejected their requests. On Monday, Pompeo tweeted: “We aren’t afraid of (Zarif) coming to America where he enjoys the right to speak freely.” “Are the facts of the (Khamenei) regime so bad he cannot let me do the same thing in Tehran?” he said, referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “What if his people heard the truth, unfiltered, unabridged?“ US-Iranian tensions have soared since the Trump administration withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers last year and imposed crippling sanctions on the country. In recent months, the US has boosted its military presence in the Arabian Gulf while Iran has begun openly exceeding limits on its nuclear activities, saying it can no longer fully abide by the 2015 deal unless European signatories to the agreement provide some kind of economic relief. The Trump administration has said its policies are aimed at changing Iran’s behavior in the region, not its government. Zarif, a relative moderate within Iran’s clerically-overseen political system, was an architect of the nuclear agreement. The US and Iran cut off all diplomatic relations after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but the US allows Iranian officials to visit the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Germany Nixes U.S. Request to Join Naval Mission Off Iran
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 31/2019
Germany poured cold water Wednesday on a U.S. demand it join a maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that it wants to focus on diplomacy to ease tensions with Iran. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government was responding to a U.S. demand made public a day earlier "to help secure" the world's busiest oil shipping lane and "combat Iranian aggression." Merkel's spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said Germany was "reluctant" to join such a U.S.-led mission and had "not offered a contribution, as the overall approach of our policy toward Iran differs significantly from the current U.S. approach."
Berlin was seeking an emphasis on "diplomacy and de-escalation", she said, as it also tries to save the Iran nuclear deal from which President Donald Trump withdrew last year. Demmer said that "participation in a US-led mission could complicate this issue, even as of course we share the goal of freedom of navigation." Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was even more direct, reflecting the position of his centre-left Social Democrats, who are junior coalition partners to Merkel's conservatives. Germany "will not participate in the maritime mission proposed and planned by the U.S.," said Maas, adding that "we are in close coordination with our French partners" on the issue. Berlin "considers the U.S. strategy of maximum pressure on Iran to be wrong," he said, speaking on a Warsaw visit. Britain last week ordered its navy to escort UK-flagged ships in the strait in response to Iranian soldiers seizing a tanker in the flashpoint entrance to the Gulf. Demmer said that Germany remained "in close coordination with France and Britain" on questions of maritime security, adding that Berlin believed the idea of a European naval mission was "worth considering."

Corruption Trial of Sudan's Bashir to Begin August 17
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/July 31/2019
The trial of ousted Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir on corruption charges will begin on August 17, his lawyer said, after the ex-president failed to appear in court Wednesday for the first session. "Today was the first session of his trial, but the authorities were unable to bring him due to security reasons, so the judge informed us that the trial will now start on August 17," Hashim al-Gaaly told AFP. The head of Bashir's defense team, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir, said the trial had no "political background." "It is an absolute criminal case with a baseless accusation." On June 16, a prosecutor had read out charges against the deposed leader in what was his first public appearance since his ouster on April 11. Bashir faces charges related to "possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally". Tahir said that one of the charges against Bashir was related to about seven million euros which were given as a "grant by a donor and was not included in the state budget". In April, Sudan's army ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said more than $113 million worth of cash in three currencies had been seized from Bashir's residence. He said a team of police, army and security agents found seven million euros ($7.8 million), $350,000 and five billion Sudanese pounds ($105 million). Bashir was ousted by the army after months of nationwide protests that erupted in December following his government's decision to triple the price of bread.

Tunisia prime minister to run for president following Essebsi's death
Arab News/July 31/2019
TUNIS: Tunisia's liberal prime minister, Youssef Chahed, will run for president in an early election expected on Sept. 15, his Tahaya Tounes party said on Wednesday, making him one of the likely frontrunners to succeed Beji Caid Essebsi, who died last week. Essebsi, 92, a secularist who helped guide the transition to democracy after a 2011 revolution, was buried at a state funeral on Saturday. The speaker of parliament has been sworn in as interim president to lead the country to a new election. Slim Azzabi, secretary-general of the Tahya Tounes party, said it would nominate Chahed as its presidential candidate.
The party, which split off from Essebsi's party this year, is now the biggest liberal group in Tunisia's parliament. It governs in coalition with the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party and a smaller liberal group. Ennahda has not yet named its candidate for the presidency.Other candidates who have announced their intention to stand include liberal former Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa, and Moncef Marzouki, who served as interim president for three years after autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled, until Essebsi was chosen in the first democratic presidential election in 2014. Tunisia was the birthplace of the "Arab Spring" protests that swept the Middle East and North Africa in 2011, and the only country where those revolts were followed by a peaceful transition to democracy. Nevertheless it remains mired in a severe economic crisis that has fuelled social discontent. A presidential election due in November this year will now be held two months early following the death of Essebsi. Tunisia's president mainly has authority over foreign and defense policy, governing alongside a prime minister chosen by parliament who has authority over domestic affairs.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on August 01/2019
After ISIS, Both Minorities And Majorities Struggle In The Face Of Dysfunctional Governments
By: Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/July 31/2019
Five years ago, Iraq's summer of ethnic cleansing and genocide unrolled between June 2014 and August 2014, as the Islamic State (ISIS) targeted religious minorities for destruction – first in the city of Mosul and then in Sinjar and Nineveh Plains. The situation of these Christian and Yazidi minorities five years later is an object lesson in the challenges of administration, reconstruction, and resilience in Iraq and the region. If the targeting of these groups was an object lesson in religious hatred five years ago, their fate today is a lesson in the importance of good governance for minorities and majorities.
After the stunning June fall of Mosul into the hands of a small group of ISIS fighters, the city's ancient Christian population was targeted, their property appropriated (marked with the Arabic letter N for Nasara, the Quranic term for Christian), with almost the entire population fleeing by July 2014. Many of these Mosul Christians would be displaced a second time when, a month later, ISIS overran the historic Christians villages on the Nineveh Plain and 100,000 fled, with hours to spare, as Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew from their defensive lines.
The ISIS assault on Yazidis in Sinjar beginning August 3, 2014 was much more horrific, with thousands killed on the spot and 6,000 women, girls and children kidnapped, enslaved, raped, and brainwashed.[1] There is no doubt that the ISIS goal was to exterminate Yazidis as a distinct people. In other words, genocide.
While these tiny religious-ethnic groups, Yazidis and Assyrian Christians, were selected for particularly harsh treatment, ISIS violence was nothing if not pervasive across all ethnic and religious groups. That bloody summer five years ago also saw the largest single ISIS massacre in Iraq – of mostly Shia Muslim Iraqi Air Force cadets at Camp Speicher in June 2014 – and the largest single ISIS massacre in Syria – of Sunni Muslim Shaitat tribesmen in Eastern Syria, in August 2014.
Five years later, what is the current situation of these groups ISIS sought to extinguish? Mosul was regained, after bitter fighting, in February 2017. While the eastern part of the city was captured relatively intact, ISIS fought fiercely in Mosul's old city, leaving much of that historic district devastated. Of the roughly 6,000 Christians in Mosul in 2014, fewer than 100 have returned home. Up to 1,000 Christians travel to Mosul on daily basis for work or school from neighboring villages.[2]
On the Nineveh Plain, retaken from ISIS in October 2016, about 46% of the pre-ISIS population has returned (41,000 out of an estimated 90,000). The destruction caused by ISIS occupation and the battle to liberate the region was massive.[3] Much of the reconstruction has come from international Catholic organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need and the Knights of Columbus. The governments of Hungary and the U.S. have also played a productive role.
Sinjar was partially retaken from ISIS in November 2015, with much of the city reduced to rubble (it had a pre-ISIS population of 80,000). The area was a bone of contention between Iraqi Kurdish forces and Baghdad until October 2017, when the Peshmerga surrendered the now fully liberated region to the Iraqi Army and PMF militias. There has been almost no reconstruction in Sinjar, and almost 300,000 people from the region are still displaced elsewhere in Iraq.[4] Of course, some of the missing population in Sinjar, Mosul, and Nineveh Plain is now in Europe or Australia, or died somewhere along the way fleeing Iraq.
In all three areas, lack of security is a double threat that inhibits both population returns and reconstruction: the danger of a return of ISIS elements who had enthusiastic support from the region's local Sunni Arab population and the depredations of Iranian supported militias who are a law unto themselves.[5] The lack of economic opportunity is a further obstacle.
Some Iraqi government support for reconstruction exists on paper and has been allocated in the federal budget, but inefficiency and corruption are major problems – throughout the country, not just in these devastated zones.[6] With hundreds of thousands of Nineveh Governorate's citizens still displaced, the former governor, now a fugitive from justice, was accused of embezzling more than $10 million intended for IDPs.[7] Almost 10% of the governorate's budget seems to have gone missing.
It would be easy to blame the struggles of Iraq's desperate Yazidis and marginalized Assyrian Christians on bigotry, religious extremism, or foreign machinations by Iran. All those factors are real.
There are also people and politicians of good will in Iraq, from its President Barham Saleh on down, who work hard to make things better for all of the country's citizens. The problem for Iraq's minorities is less bigotry or extremism than incompetence, corruption, and poor governance. This is a challenge that bedevils all citizens, and certainly is not unique to Iraq. Indeed, because there is still some political and media space in Iraq in comparison to many of its neighbors, and there are mechanisms which can expose at least some abuse.
Iraq has generated $1 trillion in oil revenues over the past 14 years, but some estimates suggest that at least one quarter of those funds may have been stolen. Massive amounts also had to be spent on defense and national security to protect the country from waves of jihadi terror. And victory against ISIS in 2017 was paid in heroic Iraqi blood, not just in national wealth.[8]
Poverty in Baghdad's slums and in its overwhelmingly Shia Arab southern governorates is endemic, with ongoing scarcity in electricity, water and jobs among that population. Clearly, these provinces have not shared in any largesse as a result of their ethnic or religious affinity with Iraq's ruling elite. Over 20% of the country's population lives on less than $2 a day.[9]
Some of these very same issues existing across the Middle East, from Algeria to Egypt to Sudan to Syria and Iraq – the larger Arab states with rapidly growing populations and unhappy, restive people – have been treated in very different ways. Actions have ranged from economic reform to peaceful revolution to, in the case of Syria, savage war waged by the state against many of its citizens.
Even before 2014, the fate of Iraq's religious minorities was a "canary in a coal mine," a harbinger of brutal hatred to come. Five years on, they are still harbingers of the future – of the question of whether these states can find real-world ways to heal themselves, to build up rather than to dissipate social capital, and to prepare their populations for future challenges. These are not solutions that can be provided by the West, and much less by regional bad actors looking to take advantage of Arab weakness. Those massive tasks on the horizon will range from climate change to renewed terrorist subversion to providing real economic opportunity, security, and social peace to rapidly growing populations. Like the fate of these tiny minorities in Northern Iraq, the region's future balances on a knife's edge.
*Alberto M. Fernandez is President of Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. government.
[1] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5423550, May 9, 2017.
[2] Churchinneed.org/iraq-two-years-after-the-liberation-of-mosul-many-christians-are-still-afraid-to-return/, July 22, 2019.
[3] Nrciraq.org.
[4] Ft.com/content/71416a70-508c-11e9-9c76-bf4a0ce37d49.
[5] The-american-interest.com/2017/12/21/irans-inroads-christian-iraq/, December 21, 2017.
[6] Washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/the-current-challenges-facing-reconstruction-in-mosul.
[7] France24.com/en/20190730-iraq-says-ex-governor-embezzled-10-mn-aid-displaced, July 30, 2019.
[8] Independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-iraq-golden-division-war-general-kinani-army-a9012241.html, July 28, 2019.
[9] Academia.edu/17107291/Poverty_eradication_in_Iraq, August 28, 2015.

Iran’s military entrenchment in Iraq poses a threat to Israel, defense officials say.
يانيف كوبوفيتش/هآرتس/خبراء من الجيش الإسرائيلي يعتبرون أن الوجود العسكري الإيراني في العراق هو تهديد لإسرائيل
Yaniv Kubovich/Haaretz/July 31/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77166/%d9%8a%d8%a7%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%81-%d9%83%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%88%d9%81%d9%8a%d8%aa%d8%b4-%d9%87%d8%a2%d8%b1%d8%aa%d8%b3-%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%a1-%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ac%d9%8a%d8%b4-%d8%a7%d9%84/
Iran Presence in Iraq Threatens Israel, Security Officials Say
Reports Tuesday credited Israel with earlier attacks on Iranian targets in Iraq ■ Israeli intelligence says Iran is providing Iraqi militias with missiles more accurate than Hezbollah's, capable of hitting anywhere in Israel.
Iran’s military entrenchment in Iraq poses a threat to Israel, defense officials say.
Iran began bolstering its presence in Iraq after Israel stepped up attacks on Iranian targets in Syria and Syrian President Bashar Assad regained control over most of his country. Israel’s efforts to thwart Iran’s attempts to bring sophisticated weaponry and air and naval forces into Syria led Tehran to revert to its old method of relying on local militias, which is harder for Israel to counter.
Israel’s intelligence assessment for 2019 states that despite Iran’s difficulties in entrenching itself militarily in Syria, it hasn’t given up on its ambition “to create regional hegemony for itself via alliances spreading from Iran through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon.” Nevertheless, the assessment continued: “Iran has been forced to recalculate the way it tries to realize its regional vision. This recalculation led Iran to realize that the domestic and international situation in Iraq created better opportunities for it to prepare its regional plans.”
Israeli defense officials say Iran has shifted the bulk of its deployment of missile systems outside the country to Iraq, which is harder for Israel to attack than Syria was. The latest airstrikes on Iraq, which the London-based paper Asharq Al-Awsat attributed to Israel on Tuesday, were aimed at such missile systems.
According to Israeli intelligence, Iran is currently providing Iraqi militias with missiles that have ranges of 200 to 700 kilometers and are capable of hitting anywhere in Israel. These missiles are more accurate than the ones in Hezbollah’s arsenal. Iran may use them either to hit Israel directly from northern Iraq or to transfer them as needed to Syria and Lebanon.
Iran’s regional deployment is largely based on missiles because it doesn’t think its aerial and ground forces are capable of standing up to Western armies. Consequently, it has focused on improving both the range and accuracy of its missiles in recent years.
According to media reports, the latest airstrikes attributed to Israel took place in northwestern Iraq. They targeted weapons storehouses and missiles at bases where Iranian advisers were present.
Two weeks ago, the media reported a drone strike in Iraq that killed members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah. Foreign media reports said the target that time was a base where missiles destined for Iranian-backed militias in Iraq were being stored.
Foreign media have also reported several other attacks on Iraq, some of which were attributed to Israel.
So far, however, Israel has kept mum about all these attacks, aside from a video clip published by the ruling Likud party that showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an old speech to the United Nations vowing to act against Iran anywhere, including in Iraq. This clip, reposted three days after the attack on the base where Iranian forces were killed, could be seen as a hint that Israel was behind that strike.
But Israel has much less freedom of action in Iraq than in Syria, because while it has the capability to strike Iraq, doing so could create problems with the United States administration.
U.S. President Donald Trump wants calm restored to Iraq as quickly as possible, and any airstrike on the country undermines its stability and deters foreign investors and donor states. Consequently, Iran is the one country whose trade with Iran has been exempted de facto from U.S. sanctions.
U.S. spy planes have recently intensified operations along the Iraq-Syria border. This may be a way of signaling to Israel that America will take care of preventing the smuggling of sophisticated arms to Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Alternatively, America may have started taking action against Iran’s entrenchment in Iraq for fear that Iranian-sponsored militias in Iraq will attack U.S. forces.
Shi’ite militias are the second cornerstone of Iran’s military entrenchment in Iraq, alongside its missile deployments. Economic problems and growing religious extremism in many Arab countries have enabled Iran to recruit volunteers for the militias it supports. And these militias let it carry out military operations without taking responsibility for them.
Iran had ties with militias in Iraq even back in the 1980s and 1990s. But these militias have become more powerful militarily as technology improved and as their political power grew.
Iran provides them with military, economic, logistical and religious support. In exchange, they will help Iran if it asks them – including, according to a senior Israeli defense official, by coming to the Lebanese or Syrian borders to participate in fighting against Israel. The Dado Center for Interdisciplinary Military Studies, which is part of the Israel Defense Forces, also said in recent reports that Israel must take these militias into account in future fighting.
The strongest Iranian-backed militia is Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the model Iran seeks to replicate in other countries. Since 2014, it has also supported a network of Shi’ite militias in Iraq. These militias, now known as the Popular Mobilization Units, are second only to Hezbollah in terms of their importance to Iran. They united under the Popular Mobilization Units umbrella at the urging of Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the Iranian-born cleric who is the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shi’ites.
The strongest militia in the PMU is the Badr Organization, which has both a political and a military wing. The latter is thought to have some 50,000 fighters. The Badr Organization is headed by Hadi al-Amiri, a former transportation minister who is close to Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. The organization also fought alongside America against the Islamic State.
Another important element of the PMU is Kata’ib Hezbollah. It was founded by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi Shi’ite trained in Iran to establish an Iraqi organization resembling the Quds Force. He is very close to Soleimani and has said in the past that he’s willing to fight alongside Iran.
The PMU also includes Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, which has perpetrated attacks on American forces in Iraq. Its leaders are very close to senior Hezbollah officials, and Hezbollah helps fund it. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq also gets millions of dollars each month from Iran.

Opinion/On Iran, Trump Is Shoving Israel Out Into the Cold
جوناثان س. توبين/هآرتس: في نطاق المواجهة مع إيران، ترامب يترك إسرائل في حيرة وعزلة
Jonathan S. Tobin/Haaretz/July 31/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/77169/%d8%ac%d9%88%d9%86%d8%a7%d8%ab%d8%a7%d9%86-%d8%b3-%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%87%d8%a2%d8%b1%d8%aa%d8%b3-%d9%81%d9%8a-%d9%86%d8%b7%d8%a7%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%ac%d9%87%d8%a9/
Trump's apparent pivot towards the 'America First' isolationism of Rand Paul and Tucker Carlson is a bitter shock for his Jewish and evangelical donors and supporters - and for Netanyahu
After months of mounting fears of an armed conflict between Iran and the United States, a different outcome may now be possible. The headlines have been screaming about Iran’s interference with shipping in the Gulf of Hormuz, its downing of a U.S. drone and controversial missile tests, as Tehran escalated tensions in reaction to America’s imposition of crippling sanctions.
Iran’s provocations have garnered the lion’s share of attention. But it’s also clear that it is exploring an alternative strategy: the possibility of new talks with the U.S. aimed at ending the confrontation.
That was made clear in a Guardian report earlier this month: Iran is interest in negotiations with the U.S. that would alter the 2015 nuclear deal. This contradicted Iran’s previous insistence that it would not talk unless President Donald Trump first rescinded the sanctions he had re-imposed on them after withdrawing from the pact last year.
But interest in this possibility really picked up when it became known that Trump had effectively appointed Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) as a mediator, and allowed him to speak with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to feel out about the prospects for bilateral negotiations.
While that’s as far as the two sides have reportedly gone to date, it raises the possibility that Trump’s "maximum pressure" policy may be working. Iran’s economy is tottering and, as The New York Times reported earlier this year, the regime’s terrorist auxiliaries are, along with the Iranian people, feeling the pain of Trump’s sanctions, leaving the regime with a difficult choice.
Both the Europeans and former secretary of state John Kerry have advised Zarif to wait out Trump, in the hope he will be defeated in 2020 and be replaced by a Democrat who will rejoin the nuclear deal and lift sanctions.
But it’s possible that the theocrats in Tehran are now calculating that waiting another 18 months for sanctions relief is a risky proposition, both in terms of their economy and keeping a lid on a restive population.
Iran’s leaders also know that Trump has a reasonable chance of being re-elected. They may have concluded that if they can’t scare the West into budging on sanctions, and will have to talk to the U.S. eventually anyway, they may get a better deal out of Trump now - rather than after he is re-elected.
Yet if the Paul-Zarif talks are just the start of a new diplomatic process, that raises the question of where these negotiations leave Israel and Trump’s ardent Jewish and evangelical supporters - who have cheered his Iran policy as lustily as his move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem - when the dust settles?
Up until now Trump has done no wrong in the eyes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and American Jewish right-wingers. But they also know that Trump has two factions fighting to gain his ear on Iran.
The "maximum pressure" policy has been enthusiastically implemented by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, and cheered on by Netanyahu.
But as much as Trump rightly derided the nuclear deal as a disaster, and heaped scorn on Obama’s bargaining skills, he shares neither the Iran hawks’ interest in regime change nor their willingness to risk war to halt Tehran’s quest for regional hegemony.
Right-wing critics of the tough Iran policy, like Senator Paul and Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson, can tap into Trump’s neo-isolationist "America First" instincts, as they compete to influence his choices. Reportedly, it was a conversation with Carlson that persuaded Trump to abort at the last minute a U.S. military response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone - ignoring Bolton’s advice.
An improved nuclear deal with Iran may not be possible. That why some Iran hawks believe toppling the Islamist regime is the only real end game.
International sanctions had imposed hardships on the Iranians when they were forced to negotiate with Obama and Kerry in 2013. But they put up a tough front, convincing U.S. officials that it would be impossible to ram through the nuclear and military restrictions Obama had promised in his 2012 re-election campaign. Eager for a deal at any price, Obama agreed to leaving Iran with a sophisticated nuclear program, as well as sunset clauses that kept open the future development of a nuclear weapon anyway.
But if Tehran has concluded that it must talk with Trump, it’s going to have to give him something in exchange for ending the sanctions. Trump would then tout any concessions as a triumph for his re-election campaign. And if the Iranians offer him something substantive, such as ending the sunset clauses, that would have to be considered a genuine achievement.
But even if Trump is able to substantially improve the nuclear deal, that wouldn’t come close to fulfilling the Iran wish list of Netanyahu and pro-Israel U.S. conservatives. That includes items like forcing them to end funding for terrorism, as well as ending their entire nuclear and missile development programs.
So any new Iran deal may turn out to be a bitter disappointment to Bolton and the Israelis, not to mention Trump’s Jewish and evangelical donors and supporters.
Could that endanger Trump’s support from these quarters?
A new nuclear deal that is perceived as a betrayal of Israel’s interests would undermine the argument for Trump among the pro-Israel community. That’s especially true if Paul and Carlson become more influential in determining Trump’s foreign policy than Pompeo and Bolton.
But most of the president’s supporters are not likely to think Israel would be better off with one of the Democrats currently running for president even if Trump turns out to be not quite the godsend some of them believe him to be.
Like some in the Netanyahu government - who may be deluding themselves into thinking that better relations with Russia or India will give Israel more diplomatic room to maneuver outside the alliance with the U.S. - Trump’s supporters have nowhere else to go, if he disappoints them on Iran.
In the meantime, in the battle for influence inside the White House, Netanyahu and his American friends and political allies will continue to cheer for the Iran hawks to prevail over the neo-isolationists.
But what they are learning is that the success of Trump’s sanctions brings with it the possibility of diplomacy that could bitterly disappoint them.
*Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS (the Jewish News Syndicate) and a contributing writer for National Review. Twitter: @jonathans_tobin

Europe far from united when it comes to Iran
Cornelia Meyer/Arab News/July 31/2019
There seems to be no limit to how far tensions in the Arabian Gulf can escalate. Over the last two months, ships have been sabotaged, US and Iranian drones shot down, and Saudi Aramco’s east-west pipeline attacked by drones. This all culminated in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confiscating the oil tanker Stena Impero, which was sailing under the British flag. This was in direct response to the Royal Navy having taken into custody the Iranian Grace 1 off the coast of Gibraltar on the suspicion that is was transporting oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions against the war-torn country.
The Stena Impero incident got everybody’s attention because the Strait of Hormuz is a critical waterway, with 20 percent of global oil production passing through it. The big economies in the East — China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan — in particular depend on oil production in the Arabian Gulf.
Europe has always been at loggerheads with US President Donald Trump’s policy of maximum pressure on Iran, which he applied after he unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal last year. The sanctions started to really bite after the US withdrew the waivers from oil sanctions it had granted to eight countries. Europe’s attitude to Iran is different from the US. It is near neighbors to the Middle East and its conflicts, and is directly impacted by the waves of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The last thing European countries therefore want is yet another armed conflict in the Middle East and yet more refugees. This and the desire to adhere to international agreements once they are ratified is the backdrop of the events that have unfolded over the last few months.
Norbert Roettgen, the head of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, has argued for some time that the UK, France and Germany should cooperate on foreign policy, particularly when it comes to Iran. On the face of it that would make sense, but it is not as easy as it sounds. The UK is about to leave the EU and France and Germany don’t quite see eye to eye when it comes to the future direction of the institution. The last weeks have clearly shown how European attitudes to Iran diverge.
Last weekend, the remaining signatories of the JCPOA — the UK, Germany, France, Russia, China and the EU — held a conference in Vienna to discuss what it would take to salvage the agreement.
As of last month, Iran had violated the nuclear deal by surpassing the agreed uranium stockpile and enrichment limits, which was verified by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. While this is bad news, the Islamic Republic has not yet crossed the red lines sufficiently to have reached the point of no return, according to some experts. The Europeans urged Iran to return to full compliance of the JCPOA. Iran seems open to full inspection.
The last thing European countries want is yet another armed conflict in the Middle East and yet more refugees.
The meetings in Vienna took place at the vice-ministerial level and were said to be constructive. They will be followed by a ministerial gathering. Iran is eager to find ways of keeping its stuttering economy ticking over and urged the European participants to look into exploring barter trade. China takes a less stringent view when it comes to trading with Iran. Many of its companies have little dealing with the US, as was the case with Zhuhai Zhenrong, an oil trader with links to the Chinese military. China condemned the US for issuing sanctions against the company. Beijing’s attitude also has to be seen in the context of the US-China trade dispute. It is possible China will take a firmer view on the US’ sanctions on Iran once it has reached a trade agreement with Washington.
As for Europe, the situation is complex. Ideally, the European signatories of the JCPOA would like to resurrect the agreement. However, the capture of the Stena Impero has clouded the picture. Europeans see the need for a military escort of their commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. While they may not agree with Trump’s policy of maximum pressure, securing the waterway has prime importance for many.
When he was foreign secretary, Boris Johnson made a trip to Washington to try and convince the president to remain in the JCPOA. But that was then. Now he wants to achieve Brexit “do or die” by Oct. 31 and therefore needs Trump as an ally. He has steered away from the recently replaced Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s attempt to have a European naval alliance escorting European commercial vessels through the strait in order to avoid the policy of maximum pressure. The UK has now asked for a meeting between the US, France and Britain to discuss cooperation. The US has by far the most naval firepower in the region, as its Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain.
The Pentagon issued a request to Germany for it to join its European and American allies, but Berlin has declined. For one, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which governs in coalition with the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union, is against it. The coalition is already on tenuous footing without added foreign policy pressure. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, of the SPD, questioned the wisdom of getting militarily involved in a region that could see further armed conflict down the road. The German constitution also imposes more stringent peacetime limitations than those of its European counterparts, limiting the options for when the country’s armed forces can get involved abroad. Lastly, it is the explicit policy of Germany to try and resurrect the JCPOA.
The Islamic Republic, the Stena Impero incident and the US policy of maximum pressure against Iran demonstrate that achieving a coordinated foreign policy in Europe may not be as easy as it looks.
*Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macro-economist and energy expert. Twitter: @MeyerResources