LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
January 29.2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
God says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy on whomsoever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomsoever he chooses
Letter to the Romans 09/14-18/:”What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.’So then he has mercy on whomsoever he chooses, and he hardens the heart of whomsoever he chooses.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 28-29/2020
Exposure Of Iran's Big Lie Of Liberation & Resistance
Aoun follows up on financial situation with Wazni, receives invitation to St. Maroun mass
Demonstrators Rally to Prevent ISF from Dismantling Beirut Protest Camp
Kubis Talks 1701 with Hitti, Urges Govt. to 'Listen to People'
Hitti welcomes five foreign diplomats; UK confirms willingness to help Lebanon out of economic crisis
British Minister Tells Hitti UK Ready to Help Lebanon Economically
Diab chairs fifth meeting of ministerial statement drafting committee
Diab Orders Probe after Old Building Collapses in Ashrafieh
Fahmy's media office denies security decision to break up sit-in in Beirut DT tonight
Bkirki Summit Urges Int'l Aid, Says Give Govt. a Chance
Emir of Kuwait Wishes Diab Success in His Missions
Wazni, Salameh discuss monetary situation in Lebanon
Person Reportedly Crosses from Lebanon into Israel
Kanaan after bloc meeting: We adhered to competency in government lineup, anti-corruption laws before end of February
Othman welcomes Ambassador of Australia, Head of ICRC delegation
Makhzoumi tackles overall situation with Rampling
Minister of Information discusses means to revamp MoI with heads of divisions
Jumblatt tackles developments with US Ambassador
Lebanese newspapers' headlines for Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Failure of Diab’s government would be catastrophic for Lebanon/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/January 28/2020
Lebanon needs a long-term plans for its economy/The National/January 28/2020
Why is Lebanon's Gebran Bassil so controversial/Timour Azhari/Al Jazeera/January 28/2020
Poverty set to deepen with Lebanon's economic crisis/Michal Kranz/Al Jazeera/January 28/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 28-29/2020
Trump unveils ‘Deal of the Century’ Middle East peace plan
President Trump’s vision for Israel-Palestine: White House
Arab League to convene urgent meeting on Trump’s Middle East plan
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman affirms ‘steadfast’ support for Palestinian rights
Saudi Arabia says it backs all efforts toward ‘comprehensive’ Mideast solution
US Middle East peace plan prompts praise, reaction across the world
American embassy attack brings US presence in Iraq back to spotlight
Hamas to join Palestinian leadership meeting against Trump plan: Officials
Saudi FM says Israeli passport holders cannot visit Kingdom
Qatar Emir appoints new PM
Iranian singer’s life ‘in danger’ following arrest in Turkey at Tehran’s request
Iran’s IRGC commander: No US commander will be safe if Iranians are threatened
Current US government is the worst in America’s history: Iran’s
Republicans to honor US service members responsible for Soleimani’s killing
UAE says Barakah nuclear plant ready for operation phase
Turkey vows to retaliate if army posts in Idlib threatened
Violence in Sudan’s Darfu forces thousands to flee: UN
British minister attends ‘historic’ last European Union council
Trump discusses Syria, Libya with Turkey’s Erdogan: White House
EU slaps sanctions on seven more people in Russian-annexed Crimea
Second civil rights leader critical of army detained in Pakistan
WHO to send experts to China to study virus

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 28-29/2020
Could Trump’s Deal of the Century be a starting point for negotiations/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/January 28/2020
Market’s feverish response highlights fear of contagion/Clyde Russell/Arab News/January 28/2020
What to do if you’re on the wrong end of a lawsuit/Dimah Talal Alsharif/Arab News/January 28/2020
Sands of time brought Dakar back to its beginnings/Michael Reininger/Arab News/January 28/2020
Daunting challenges await incoming GCC secretary-general/Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/January 28/2020

Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorial published on January 28-29/2020
Exposure Of Iran's Big Lie Of Liberation & Resistance
In fact the Trump-Netanyahu official announcement of the "Deal of the Century", is a golden opportunity for Iran and Hezbollah to destroy Israel, if indeed their goal is to liberate ... but because the emblem of liberation is a lie, nothing will happen. Hezbollah and Iran were and still using and abusing the liberation cause to serve their own Iranization, terrorism and expansionism hostile-Evil agenda

Aoun follows up on financial situation with Wazni, receives invitation to St. Maroun mass
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, on Tuesday continued his follow-up to the work of ministries, and plans to activate them. In this context, President Aoun received Finance Minister, Ghazi Wazni, and deliberated with him the financial condition, and his ministry’s work plan.
Wazni briefed President Aoun on the results of meetings with officials at the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, who emphasized support for Lebanon, and assistance where needed.
The President met with former Minister, Gaby Leon, and discussed with him the general condition in the country, the needs of Zahle region, and the measures adopted after the increase in theft incidents in Zahle.
President Aoun met the Patron of the Maronite Diocese of Beirut, Archbishop Paul Abdel Sater, accompanied by Monsignor, Ignatius Al-Asmar, Father Raymond Kassis, and Father Salim Makhlouf.
Bishop Abdel Sater extended an invitation to the President, to attend the Mass organized by the Archdiocese, for the occasion of St. Maroon’s Day, on Sunday 9th of February, in St. Maroon’s Church Gemayzeh.—Presidency Press Office

Demonstrators Rally to Prevent ISF from Dismantling Beirut Protest Camp
Naharnet/January 28/2020
Anti-government demonstrators on Tuesday flocked to Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut to assist their comrades in re-blocking roads reopened by security forces. The roads that go through the protest camp had been closed by security forces since the first days of the October 17 uprising.
Some of the protesters arrived in a convoy from Zouk Mikail to help their comrades at the square. Security forces had removed the metallic barriers and reopened the road from An-Nahar newspaper’s building towards the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque. Protesters rejected the move and re-blocked the road with their bodies and returned the metal barriers to their place. They also parked a car in the middle of the street, waving Lebanese flags and chanting revolutionary slogans. The protesters decried that security forces were trying to dismantle their protest camp. The National News Agency meanwhile said that security forces have not removed any tent from the square. Later in the day, Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi issued a statement denying that he has ordered the removal of the protest camp and noting that the removal of metal barriers was aimed at "facilitating the flow of traffic." He also emphasized on "the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression," describing it as "a right enshrined in the constitution and applicable laws."

Kubis Talks 1701 with Hitti, Urges Govt. to 'Listen to People'
Naharnet/January 28/2020
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Tuesday held talks with Lebanon’s new Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti.
“We had a focused discussion on a number of areas and fields related to the work of the United Nations in the country. We talked about the UNSCR 1701 and other related resolutions and their implementation, including the forthcoming report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of UNSCR 1701, and a discussion of the Security Council on this that is due in March,” Kubis said after the meeting. He added: “We also talked about other areas and facets of the work of the United Nations in the country and the region, and about how we can support Lebanon and its people.”
“I have brought to the attention of His Excellency the Minister the message of the Secretary-General in his statement after the announcement of the formation of the government, including how important it is to listen to the voices of the people and try to work on addressing their pressing needs, and also how important it is to follow on the basic obligations of Lebanon related to the respective resolutions of the Security Council, including with regards to the disassociation policy and related issues,” Kubis went on to say.
He also described the talks as “a very professional discussion,” adding that he looks forward to working with the minister.

Hitti welcomes five foreign diplomats; UK confirms willingness to help Lebanon out of economic crisis
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Nassif Hitti, on Tuesday received a call from UK Secretary of State for Middle East and North Africa Affairs, Dr. Andrew Morrison, who congratulated him on assuming his new position and wished him success in his duties, especially amid the prevailing difficult circumstances. Morrison expressed the UK's readiness to help Lebanon out of the economic crisis. The pair also discussed the situation in the Middle East and its impact on Lebanon.
On the other hand, Minister Hitti welcomed United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jan Kubis, who said in the wake of the meeting that talks with the Minister touched on different issues, especially those related to the work of the United Nations in Lebanon, and the means by which the international organization can support the Lebanese government and people.
"I have reiterated to the Minister the content of the United Nations Secretary-General's post-cabinet formation statement, which stressed the importance of listening to people's demands, adherence to basic pledges, implementation of international resolutions, and Lebanon's adoption of the self-distancing policy," Kubis said, stressing the importance of fully adhering to International Security Council's Resolution 1701.
Separately, Hitti met with British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, who said on emerging that talks with the Minister touched on the internal Lebanese situation, as well as the government's next move.
"We touched on regional issues of concern to both countries. We hope that cooperation will continue in the future," Rampling added.
Hitti later received Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon, José Maria Ferré, who said in the wake of the meeting that talks with the Minister touched on the existing bilateral ties between Lebanon and Spain.
"We welcome the approval of the budget, which is an important step. We hope that additional steps will be taken by the new Lebanese government in order to carry out the necessary reforms, as well as to meet the aspirations of the people," Ferre said.
"We've discussed ways to cooperate in several bilateral fields, especially in the Spanish language, which is the most prevalent among Lebanese expatriates, as well as our country's participation in the international forces in south Lebanon," the Spanish diplomat added.
The Foreign Minister also met with Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon, Hakan Shakeel, with whom he discussed bilateral relations.
Among Hitti's visitors had also been Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon, Okubo Takeshi. He then met with Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Massimo Marotti, who paid him a farewell visit marking the end of his diplomatic mission in Lebanon.

British Minister Tells Hitti UK Ready to Help Lebanon Economically
Naharnet/January 28/2020
British Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Andrew Morrison on Tuesday held phone talks with Lebanon’s new Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti.
“He congratulated him on his new post and wished him success in his missions amid these difficult circumstances, expressing the United Kingdom’s readiness to help Lebanon overcome its economic crisis,” Lebanon’s National News Agency said. Hitti and Morrison also discussed the situations in the Middle East and their impact on Lebanon. Separately, Hitti held meetings on Tuesday with the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon and the ambassadors of Britain, Spain, Turkey, Japan and Italy.

Diab chairs fifth meeting of ministerial statement drafting committee
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Prime Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab, chaired this evening at the Grand Serail the fifth meeting by the committee tasked to draft the ministerial statement. Attending the meeting had been Vice Prime Minister, National Defense Minister Zeina Akar, and Ministers Damianos Kattar, Nassif Hitti, Ghazi Wazni, Raoul Neemeh, Imad Huballah, Ramzi Moucharafieh, Talal Hawat, Marie-Claude Najm, Dr Manal Abdel Samad, Vartine Ohanian, as well as Judge Mahmoud Makieh as Cabinet Secretary General Judge Mahmoud Makieh, Presidency Director General Antoine Choucair, and PM's Advisor Khodr Taleb. On the other hand, Premier Diab received this evening State Prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oueidat, in the presence of Cabinet Secretary General Judge Mahmoud Makieh.

Diab Orders Probe after Old Building Collapses in Ashrafieh
Naharnet/January 28/2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab followed up until the first hours of dawn on the issue of the collapse of the Merhej building in Ashrafieh to confirm that no casualties were recorded and inquire about the safety of the area’s residents, the National News Agency said.
The collapse of the old and uninhabited three-story building at around 1:00 am caused no casualties but damaged a number of parked cars as debris blocked the street. The ground floor houses an operating bakery.
“Crews from the Internal Security Forces and the Beirut Fire Brigade arrived on the scene to secure public safety due to the presence of gas canisters in the bakery,” NNA said. Engineering teams from Beirut Municipality meanwhile removed the debris and reopened the road. Diab had made a series of phone calls with Interior Minister Mohammed Diab, who in turn tasked the relevant security agencies with conducting the necessary investigations and determining the causes behind the building’s collapse. He also called High Relief Commission chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir to inquire about the damage extent, asking him to carry out an inspection ahead of taking further measures. Culture and Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada later visited the site in Ashrafieh, where he noted that "negligence of traditional buildings is unacceptable" and called for referring the file to the judiciary.

Fahmy's media office denies security decision to break up sit-in in Beirut DT tonight
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The Media Office of Minister of Interior Mohamed Fahmy issued a statement denying what is being said on social media of a security decision issued by the minister to break the sit-in in Beirut downtown tonight, indicating that the removal of iron barriers at the entrances to the Martyrs Square aimed at facilitating traffic in the capital. "The Minister affirms the freedom to demonstrate peacefully and express opinion, which is a right guaranteed by the constitution and the laws in force," the statement read.

Bkirki Summit Urges Int'l Aid, Says Give Govt. a Chance
Naharnet/January 28/2020
An emergency Christian spiritual summit was held Tuesday in Bkirki at an invitation from Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi with the aim of “discussing the dangerous situations that Lebanon has been going through for more than three months.”
Expressing relief that the new government comprises “ministers who have expertise,” the religious leaders called on the government to “gain the confidence of the Lebanese people, especially its young men and women who have staged a peaceful uprising.”
They also urged it to win the confidence of the international community and donors. “The fathers stress the need for quick efforts to combat corruption, recover the stolen funds and rein in the continued waste of public money,” they said in a statement. Emphasizing on the “right to peaceful protest,” the conferees strongly condemned “hooliganism on the streets and squares, especially in the capital Beirut,” saying they fear that the protest movement “might deviate from its noble goals.”Urging protesters to “act wisely” and “give the government a chance to shoulders its responsibilities,” the Christian leaders appealed to the international community and the Arab countries to “assist Lebanon in economic, financial and developmental reform so that Lebanon can regain its tolerant and peaceful role.”They also called on Lebanese expats to help their homeland at all levels.

Emir of Kuwait Wishes Diab Success in His Missions
Naharnet/January 28/2020
Comment1W460Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Tuesday received a congratulatory cable from Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, Lebanon’s National News Agency said. The emir congratulated Diab on the formation of the new government and wished him “success in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the brotherly Lebanese people,” NNA said.
Kuwait’s ruler also hailed “the good and firm relations between the State of Kuwait and brotherly Lebanon.”

Wazni, Salameh discuss monetary situation in Lebanon
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Finance Minister, Ghazi Wazni, on Tuesday discussed the country's monetary, financial, and banking situation with Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh.

Person Reportedly Crosses from Lebanon into Israel
Naharnet/January 28/2020
The Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers went on alert Tuesday evening in the outskirts of the southern border town of Yarin after a person reportedly crossed from Lebanon into Israel, MTV reported. “According to preliminary reports, the person is not Lebanese,” the TV network said. “He entered from the area of al-Aramsheh neighbourhood in Yarin’s outskirts,” MTV added.

Kanaan after bloc meeting: We adhered to competency in government lineup, anti-corruption laws before end of February
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The "Strong Lebanon" parliamentary bloc held its periodic meeting this Tuesday under the chairmanship of former Minister Gebran Bassil, whereby conferees maintained that the only criterion adopted when choosing the ministers to represent their political camp in the new government was competence. Speaking on behalf of the bloc, MP Ibrahim Kanaan said "we are ready for cooperation, support and accountability. Our priority as a bloc is to rescue, achieve and help our people and the country out of the current financial and economic impasse.""Having established austerity, started significant structural reform, and took measures to comfort people, it was imperative to approve the budget on its constitutional deadline, for the first time since the 1990s, so that Lebanon can start [its journey] with the new government with a budget -- in light of the current crisis," Kanaan affirmed. "We also discussed the laws submitted by the bloc, related to the entire system of fighting corruption, from recovering looted money, to lifting bank secrecy, lifting immunities, the illicit enrichment law, and the special investigation commission, all of which are laws demanded by the Lebanese people. We submitted those a while ago, and they will be the subject of discussion and approval in a sub-committee to start holding meetings in the next couple of days and implementing these laws before the end of February," MP Kanaan added. "This type of work is what leads to practical and serious results in terms of public finances, through the bailout plan that we will cooperate to achieve, and the advanced laws and legislation to combat corruption. What is required is to ditch populism and rejection simply for the purpose of rejection," he said, pushing for integration between the State and the civil society that wants to achieve change and truly desires to get out of the status quo, "unlike the segment that rejects absolutely everything, without allowing for the possibility of achieving anything."

Othman welcomes Ambassador of Australia, Head of ICRC delegation
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Director General of the Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman, received on Tuesday the Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Rebekah Grindlay, accompanied by the second secretary at the embassy, Angus Minns, on a visit that touched on relations between the two countries and ways of bolstering ties. Discussions also featured high on the overall situation in the country. Othman then met Head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon, accompanied by a delegation, with talks touching on cooperation prospects between the Internal Security Forces and the International Red Cross.

Makhzoumi tackles overall situation with Rampling
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
"National Dialogue" Party head, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, welcomed on Tuesday in his office in Downtown Beirut British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, accompanied by new UK Deputy Ambassador Alyson King. Discussions reportedly touched on the general situation in Lebanon and the broad region. On emerging, MP Makhzoumi underlined the importance of relations between Lebanon and Britain, hailing "its permanent support to Lebanon in the various domains." Makhzoumi also called for "benefiting from Britain's economic expertise, especially during these difficult circumstances the country is enduring."

Minister of Information discusses means to revamp MoI with heads of divisions
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Information Minister, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najad, on Tuesday held a meeting with heads of the Information Ministry's departments in presence of General Director, Dr. Hassan Falha, who gave her a briefing on the progress of the Ministry's work. Discussions featured high on a plan to revitalize the ministry's work in its different departments, as well as on the importance of cooperation and positive interaction so as to bolster media creativity in line with future challenges -- most particularly in the field of digital media. The meeting also reviewed the best means to strengthen and develop the work of local media so as to keep pace with regional and international progress. In addition, the minister inspected the directorates and departments of the ministry, giving employees instructions to develop their work skill and to ensure accuracy, reliability, and objectivity.
She also emphasized the national role played by the Ministry of Information.

Jumblatt tackles developments with US Ambassador
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Progressive Socialist Party leader, Walid Jumblatt, on Tuesday met at his Clemenceau residence with US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard, with whom he discussed general developments.

Lebanese newspapers' headlines for Tuesday, January 28, 2020
NNA/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
ANNAHAR: State budget: Record violations and government is held hostage
ASHARQ-AL-AWSAT: Lebanese Parliament endorses 2020 state budget amid key blocs' boycott and opposition
Future bloc secures quorum
ASHARQ: Army passes budget
AL-JOUMHOURIA: Christian summit in Bkekri today
THE DAILY STAR:
Parliament endorses 2020 budget in record session
Trump to unveil ‘peace plan’
Thousands flee northwest Syria
Gulf states seen shrugging off new Lebanese govt
Budget alone won’t attract foreign funds

Failure of Diab’s government would be catastrophic for Lebanon
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/January 28/2020
After more than 100 days of protests that have crossed sectarian and party lines, Lebanon has a new government under Sunni technocrat Hassan Diab. But it is not the government that protesters wanted. In fact, the 20-member Cabinet reflects the hegemony of the so-called March 8 Alliance and the axis of resistance — a coalition of Hezbollah, Amal and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Hezbollah had the final say over the composition of the Cabinet and can, through controlling a third of loyalist ministers, veto unwanted policies.
Diab was never embraced by the protesters, who wanted an independent Cabinet that would draft a new election law and call for early elections. They also wanted to oust President Michel Aoun, who is a key ally of Hezbollah. Mass anti-government protests had forced Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign last October. Protesters wanted to end the decades-old control of the political elite over the country’s institutions and resources. No one was to be spared as protesters denounced the sectarian system that had concentrated power in the hands of the few and resulted in blatant corruption, massive foreign debt, unemployment and poverty.
Violent protests broke out last week as the new government sought to present the 2020 budget to Parliament, even before winning a vote of confidence or presenting its program. With key political players like Hariri’s Future Movement, Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces and Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party sidelined, Diab’s government will have a tough time passing laws and launching its reform program. In fact, Diab is already running out of time as the country may soon default on bond payments. He has just a few weeks to convince key creditors like France and the US to provide much-needed funding to rescue the country’s ailing economy. Between $5 billion and $20 billion is needed to save Lebanon’s banks, which have been forced to restrict the ability of clients to withdraw their money, particularly in US dollars.
For the International Monetary Fund to step in, it needs Washington’s approval — something that is unlikely to happen for now. Only France appears to be willing to deal with Diab’s government, while the US views it as Hezbollah’s own. In fact, one wonders why Hezbollah has chosen to alienate its rivals and back a one-shade Cabinet that will certainly be rejected by Washington. The role played by discredited pro-Syria politician Jamil Al-Sayyed in the formation of the government has alarmed Lebanese politicians and ordinary citizens alike.
One explanation as to why Hezbollah has chosen to take a leading role in the new government lies in the fact that Lebanon has become another arena in the open US-Iran showdown. It goes without saying that Hezbollah’s main concern is not the immediate stability of Lebanon, but serving Iran’s regional agenda. Aoun’s only interest seems to be to stay as president, no matter the cost, and his controversial son-in-law Gebran Bassil, who heads the FPM, is bent on remaining a central figure in the Lebanese political landscape.
One threat that Hezbollah’s gambit may bring about is heightened sectarian tensions, as Sunnis and Druze, in particular, feel increasingly alienated. Does Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, now given additional responsibilities by Tehran following the killing of Qassem Soleimani, understand that the failure of Diab’s government would mean the collapse of Lebanon’s economy? More important is the fact that Diab’s failure will be pinned directly on Hezbollah and its allies, dragging the Shiite party to the forefront, when in the past it was satisfied to take a back seat and control from the shadows.
One wonders why Hezbollah has chosen to back a one-shade Cabinet that will certainly be rejected by Washington.
For the US — despite statements that it would want to see genuine reforms adopted as fast as possible in order for it to be convinced to offer credit — political priorities will affect its intentions. The showdown with Iran has reached new levels and Washington is hoping that the strangulation of the Iranian economy will unleash popular protests that will either force Tehran to negotiate a new nuclear deal or bring about the collapse of the regime. Putting pressure on Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Lebanon is part of that strategy.
Time is not on Diab’s side and his efforts to launch genuine reforms will be opposed by the elite political class that has a lot to lose. His failure and possible departure would be catastrophic for Lebanon. Hezbollah may be hoping that, if that happens, it can lure Hariri back to take over. But it forgets one thing: Lebanon, after Oct. 17 and the start of the protests, is a different country. The protesters are not going home anytime soon and their grievances will only increase as the political impasse lingers.
*Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman. Twitter: @plato010

Lebanon needs a long-term plans for its economy
The National/January 28/2020
The country passed a budget for this year that fails to take into account its financial crisis
One week ago, the Lebanese saw the arrival of prime minister Hassan Diab in the Grand Serail. Yesterday, they witnessed his first day in action. Mr Diab oversaw the passing of a new Lebanese budget in a half-empty Parliament building surrounded by angry protesters.
The budget vote was boycotted by most western-leaning parties, such as Lebanese Forces and Kataib, as well as former and current members of government, except for Mr Diab. It was difficult to avoid attaching any symbolism to the image of Mr Diab, alone amid rows of empty seats. In his solitude, he was defending a budget that his own Cabinet did not draft, and that was championed most eagerly by Hezbollah and its allies – the very political extremists from whom Mr Diab’s appointment was meant to represent a departure.
Lebanon’s new budget was designed by its previous government – that of prime minister Saad Hariri, who resigned in October, just before the country was hit with the full force of a financial crisis that risks throwing the Lebanese pound into freefall. The currency has already lost half of its value on the black market. Meanwhile, banks have imposed draconian capital controls on foreign currency withdrawals in the absence of any official guidelines from the Central Bank. The budget passed yesterday fails to address any of those problems.
The original draft was dated and drawn up in haste just before Mr Hariri left office. It simply listed the total sums of money allocated to 30 ministries, 10 of which, in Mr Diab’s new cabinet, no longer exist. Mr Diab’s iteration is an adaptation containing unrealistic projections of revenue and expenditure, and no plan for the country’s economic crisis.
Mr Hariri’s own Future Movement was among the parties to vote against the budget their leader helped to draft. The MPs who did cast a vote had to summon a certain amount of determination to do so; the entrance to parliament was blocked for a time by protesters, who shouted that their representatives in parliament no longer serve the very people they are supposed to represent. MPs are seen by Lebanon’s cross-religious protest movement as the perpetrators of a sectarian political elite, breaking faith with the population and eroding the population’s faith in the pound.
Mr Diab and his Cabinet do not belong to any party. They were ushered into government by Hezbollah and its allies in an attempt to appease the protest movement. But this tokenistic move is only drawing further rage. Furthermore, a government that is truly hamstrung from breaking with Hezbollah’s paradigm has little chance of attracting the foreign financial assistance that Lebanon so desperately needs.
Mr Hariri’s own Future Movement was among the parties to vote against the budget their leader helped to draft
Mr Diab has vowed to tackle Lebanon’s woes head-on with a “national rescue” cabinet, and announced that his first diplomatic visit will be to some of Lebanon’s traditional donors and allies in the Gulf. The country’s finance minister is also set to meet with a senior official at the International Monetary Fund. But, as donors have long pointed out to successive Lebanese governments, securing funds requires serious initiatives to get the economy back on track. It also means that Mr Diab must gain the trust of international institutions and friendly countries that Lebanon has failed before. At the 2018 Cedre conference for economic development, international donors including France and Saudi Arabia pledged $11 billion to Lebanon, conditional on sweeping reforms. These reforms have yet to materialise.
Mr Diab and his Cabinet now have a chance to make things right for Lebanon. But passing a budget without a long-term vision for the country’s embattled economy, and little support in the street as well as in Parliament, is an underwhelming achievement and will not be sufficient enough to secure the economy. Lebanon’s new cabinet would do well to remember that currencies are not the only things that operate on the basis of popular faith. Governments do, too.

Why is Lebanon's Gebran Bassil so controversial?
Timour Azhari/Al Jazeera/January 28/2020
Bassil, 49, has seen his fortunes shift since mass protests against corruption and nepotism erupted last year.
Beirut, Lebanon - A colourful mix of insults and allegations of nepotism, racism and corruption is how an average Lebanese protester would describe the country's former Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil.
He is not alone. Lebanon's entire ruling class has been targeted by protesters who took to the streets more than 100 days ago to demand an end to corruption and sectarian politics.
Bassil is one of the newer politicians on the bloc, having come to power after the country's 15-year civil war.
But he quickly rose to be a symbol of the cynical sectarian politics and mismanagement that have dominated the post-war era, critics say.
Protesters point to his last 10 years in the government where he moved through the telecommunication, energy and foreign ministries and assumed leadership of one of the country's biggest parties, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
Lebanon has some of the highest telecommunications costs in the world, and the FPM has held the energy portfolio for a decade while the country remains without uninterrupted electricity supply.
Still, Bassil enjoys unwavering support from his Christian base, who see him as a shrewd hard worker and a protector of their rights.
MP Mario Aoun, a member of Bassil's FPM parliamentary bloc, told Al Jazeera that Bassil was being "targeted because of his successes".
Insults from the crowd
When the protests against Lebanon's corrupt ruling elite broke out more than three months ago, crude chants were aimed at Bassil's mother. So severe were the insults that Bassil, in his first address after more than two weeks of uncharacteristic silence, apologised to his mother.
"I'm so sorry that you were attacked because of me and it wasn't your fault. You taught me to love Lebanon," he said, addressing her in front of crowds of supporters at an organised rally on the outskirts of the capital, Beirut.
Before the protests, Bassil was widely expected to remain a top minister in government for a long time and was thought to be a serious contender for the presidency, a post currently held by his 84-year-old father-in-law, Michel Aoun.
However, he was not named as a minister in Prime Minister Hassan Diab's new government announced earlier this week.
He was forced to go back on his initial demand to retain a cabinet post and instead name people not directly affiliated with his party.
Bassil's most recent trouble came when Lebanese people found out he had been invited to speak on a panel about the return of Arab unrest at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Before the interview on Thursday, 40,000 Lebanese people signed a petition saying he no longer represents them.
CNBC reporter Hadley Gamble asked Bassil how he arrived at the forum on a ministerial salary of about $5,000. Bassil responded that it had been offered to him, rather than paid for by the Lebanese treasury.
Family rule
Bassil's political career began in earnest after he married one of Aoun's three daughters, Chantelle, in 1999. This is not unusual in a country where many politicians inherit their posts or marry into power.
He first stood for elections with the FPM in 2005, failing to win a seat in his hometown of Batroun.
He lost again four years later, leading many in Lebanon to joke that he was not even welcome in his own town. But he finally managed to win a seat in his third election bid in 2018.
Despite the presence of other popular figures in the FPM, Aoun had handed Bassil the party's reigns in 2015 over fears that leadership elections could sow division.
"You really feel like he's that spoilt kid, because he's the president's son-in-law," Nidal Ayoub, an activist who has led chants on the streets throughout Lebanon's uprising, told Al Jazeera.
Family politics also plays a large role in the party Bassil leads. Three of the FPM bloc's 24 members - Salim, Mario and Alain - are all relatives of the president, and, by extension, Bassil.
Chamel Roukoz, one of Aoun's in-laws, is also an FPM member of parliament, though his relationship with Bassil is frayed over what Roukoz has previously put down to their "different ways of doing things".
Al Jazeera was unable to reach Bassil for comment while Roukoz and a former brother-in-law of Bassil declined to comment.
Charbel Nahhas, a two-time FPM minister who broke away from the party in 2012, told Al Jazeera that Bassil had been troubled by the impression among his peers that he was in his position because of nepotism. This, Nahhas said, translated into an overbearing approach to politics that led Bassil into chronic conflicts with other parties.
"He's a hyperactive person. He works on all the files and learns, which is a rare thing to find among politicians in Lebanon," Nahhas said. "Because he was so hyperactive, he would easily antagonise even those who are with him."
Bassil has, over the years, led the FPM into public spats with most of the country's major political parties, who have accused him of engaging in corruption, monopolising top-level appointments and violating the delicate power-sharing agreement that ended the civil war in 1990.
As an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Bassil also sought to normalise ties with Damascus despite half the country's political parties opposing the move.
Rhetoric on refugees
During a portion dedicated to Syrian refugee policy at a party event in 2017, Bassil told FPM supporters that, "Yes, we are Lebanese racists, but we know how to be Arab in our belonging, global in our [diaspora] and strong in our openness".
There are just less than a million Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations in Lebanon, though Lebanese officials including Bassil have said the number is much higher.
"The Syrians have one place to go: Back to their country," Bassil said during that same event. It is the rhetoric like this that has led many to accuse Bassil of incitement against refugees.
As the leader of the country's largest Christian party, Bassil has also repeatedly held up government work, including vital appointments, citing Christian representation.
This includes his years-long refusal to sign off on the appointment of forest rangers because most of them are Shia Muslims.
Is Bassil's career over?
In a recent four-hour interview with Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed, Bassil said all the pressure and insults he was facing would only make his resolve stronger.
There were calls to boycott the interview. The interviewers repeatedly alleged he was involved in corruption, as Bassil was forced to defend himself throughout.
It was a far cry from past white-glove treatment by local media, such as a glowing 2018 documentary by another local broadcaster about Bassil titled "The Man Who Doesn't Sleep", where he was portrayed as a hard-working family man.
But it is unlikely that Bassil's career is over. He still heads the biggest party in the Parliament and, importantly, enjoys Hezbollah's backing.
"I don't think those leading this campaign against him will be able to win - he's cunning and clear-headed and on a path, a struggle till the end," Mario Aoun, the MP, said.
Nahhas, however, believes Bassil will be brought down by the impending collapse of the country.
Lebanon is mired in an economic and financial crisis that new Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni said earlier this week was the worst in its history.
"If the whole system wasn't falling then he [Bassil] could digest it - lets not forget that the logic of these Zuama (sectarian leaders') is built on constant fighting and conflict and even if there are 10,000 deaths on both sides, they can reconcile and become national heroes again," he said.
"But the system is falling apart, and this is what threatens them all."

Poverty set to deepen with Lebanon's economic crisis
Michal Kranz/Al Jazeera/January 28/2020
Fear of what the future may hold is palpable, as economic crisis deepens and living standards plummet rapidly.
Beirut, Lebanon - Like many people in Lebanon, Mohammad Ibrahim, a butcher in Beirut's Aicha Bakkar area, has endured months of financial hardship.
And he sees nothing but more pain on the horizon.
Since nationwide protests broke out in October with thousands railing against government corruption and economic mismanagement, even Ibrahim's most loyal customers have cut their purchases by roughly half.
"The work is arriving at a rate of 50 percent, because those who have money are losing it," he told Al Jazeera.
Those losses stem from a host of related factors. Plummeting confidence in the country's banking sector has fed inflation, sending prices soaring. As faith in the economy falters, businesses close shop or lay off staff, throwing more and more people out of work.
Sara Daouk, a 34-year-old human resources professional in Beirut, said she received her pay cheque for November nearly a month late due to the banking crisis. Now, the mother of two is worried her company might slash salaries and cut back hours in the coming months, biting deeper into her income at a time when she can least afford it.
"The middle class will become wiped out," Daouk told Al Jazeera. "Where they will go, I don't know."
As the country's economic and political crisis deepens, it has fuelled fears that poverty levels will spike across Lebanon. And though some analysts believe the country can turn its financial fortunes around in the long-run, others are warning that violent demonstrations are likely to grow as living standards plummet.
Protests continue as poverty beckons
After being formally tasked with forming a government to address the economic crisis and the social unrest spawned in its wake, Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced a new cabinet on January 21.
But people continue to rail against the government's inability to act with the urgency many feel the crisis demands.
Earlier this month, protesters targeted financial institutions in a "week of rage" over government inaction and foot-dragging that had lasted for nearly three months.
On January 18 and 19, anti-government demonstrators in the capital Beirut clashed with security forces in some of the most violent confrontations since demonstrations broke out last October.
"People [are becoming] more poor, so they [are becoming] more angry," Hady Ezzeddin, a protester who clashed with security forces on January 18, told Al Jazeera. "I don't blame people, I blame the authorities that they didn't give any solution to solve the situation."
"People have no choice," he added. "Unfortunately it will become more violent."
On January 21 protesters hit the streets again to vent their distrust in the newly formed cabinet, which many believe maintains the power of the country's traditional party blocs.
All the while, fear of what the future holds is palpable on the nation's streets.
The Lebanese pound has been pegged to the United States dollar for 22 years. Officially, 1500 Lebanese pounds can buy $1. On black market exchanges, it now takes 2000 Lebanese pounds to buy one greenback.
"If you factor in the increase in prices, [people's] purchasing power has dwindled by 90 percent," Sami Nader, the director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, told Al Jazeera.
Compounding that pain is a sudden loss of income. Research company InfoPro estimates more than 160,000 workers were either temporarily or indefinitely laid off between mid-October and the end of November.
Many Lebanese are moving closer to the brink of poverty.
The World Bank warned in November that if confidence was not restored in Lebanon's economy, the poverty rate could rise to roughly half the population from about one-third in 2018. Youth unemployment - already high, could also see an even steeper rise.
"Thinking that the level of poverty may grow up to 50 percent is something very logical, and it may grow even higher," Adib Nehme, the former United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia told Al Jazeera.
Nehme says that although the absolute poverty rate will remain higher in Lebanon's north and in the Bekaa Valley, historically less depressed areas like Beirut and parts of Mount Lebanon will see a more noticeable increase, potentially bringing them to a poverty rate of 40 percent.
Uncertain future
"From the start, we in Lebanon had a high rate of poverty," Osama, a young man who works at a shisha shop, told Al Jazeera at a protest against Diab's nomination in Beirut.
"Now, if the lira continues to rise, and we don't bring it down, I don't know what we will do."
Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest and poorest major city, provides a window into what life in Lebanon may look like if Nehme and the World Bank's estimates come to pass.
Fifty-three percent of working-age people in Tripoli were unemployed in 2017 according to the World Bank, and 77 percent were "deprived" in terms of economic status, according to a 2015 United Nations study.
"We don't have homes, or any jobs, or anything," Bassem, an anti-government protester in Tripoli's Nour Square, told Al Jazeera last month. "I have children who want to eat
"In Tripoli, the situation is already dire for the last few years, and it's worsening," Mustafa Allouch, a former parliamentarian from Tripoli with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Future Movement party, told Al Jazeera. "Tripoli will probably suffer the most."
Nehme predicts the poverty rate in Tripoli may soon reach 80 percent and that nationwide participation in Lebanon's protests will likely increase in the coming weeks and months as access to basic goods and services falls. He even sees this in places where parties like Hezbollah have tried to control dissent through violent crackdowns, with mixed success.
Wadih Akl, a member of the political bureau of the Free Patriotic Movement - one of a handful of parties that backed Diab during consultations - told Al Jazeera that the battle against mounting poverty begins with recovering funds lost to corruption and facilitating the return of refugees to Syria - a controversial measure in Lebanese politics.
The path out of the crisis will also likely require a rescue plan, including reforms to unlock aid from abroad and possibly a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
But with so many members of the new government hand-picked by traditional political parties, some see little hope for meaningful change.
"The same system is in place," said Nader. "The system that was responsible for the crisis."

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 28-29/2020
Trump unveils ‘Deal of the Century’ Middle East peace plan
Al Arabiya English and agencies/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
President Donald Trump Tuesday unveiled long-awaited details of a US plan for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning it may represent the last chance at statehood for the Palestinians. “Today, Israel takes a big step towards peace,” Trump told a White House news conference, standing alongside visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he revealed key points of the plan already strongly rejected by the Palestinians. “My vision presents a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security,” Trump said.
The plan was warmly welcomed by Israel’s prime minister, who called it a “historic day” for the Jewish state. The plan, Trump said, proposes a four-year freeze of Israeli development in the area eyed for a future Palestinian state. “Jerusalem will remain Israel’s undivided, very important, undivided capital,” Trump stressed. But the plan would also provide the Palestinians with a capital in occupied East Jerusalem, he said, while indicating that the West Bank would not be cut in half under the plan. “We will also work to create a contiguous territory within the future Palestinian state, for when the conditions for statehood are met, including the firm rejection of terrorism,” Trump said as he called on the Palestinians to turn their back on the radical Hamas movement. Calling it a “historic opportunity” for the Palestinians to achieve an independent state, Trump said he had written Tuesday to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to enlist his support for the plan. No Palestinian official was present at the launch although the ambassadors from three Arab nations – Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain – were at the White House. “I explained to (Abbas) that the territory allocated for his new state will remain open and undeveloped for a period of four years,” Trump said. “This could be the last opportunity they will ever have.”“Palestinians are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism,” the president added.
“They deserve a far better life.”On Monday Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he would not agree to any deal that did not secure a two-state solution. That formula, the basis for many years of frustrated international peace efforts, envisages Israel co-existing with a Palestinian state.
Palestinians have refused to deal with the Trump administration in protest at such pro-Israeli policies as its moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, whose eastern half the Palestinians seek for a future capital.

President Trump’s vision for Israel-Palestine: White House
Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his complete Middle East peace plan, which aims to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Dubbed the ‘Deal of the Century’ by Trump, the plan includes a two-state solution - creating a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel - and a four-year freeze of Israeli development in area eyed for the future Palestinian state.
Here are the details of the plan, according to the White House:
BOLD VISION FOR PEACE: President Donald J. Trump recognizes it is time for a new approach to achieve peace, security, dignity, and opportunity for Israel and the Palestinian people
• This Vision is the most serious, realistic, and detailed plan ever presented, one that could make Israelis, Palestinians, and the region safer and more prosperous.
• This Vision is just the first step and provides the basis for historic progress toward peace. The United States hopes this Vision will lead to direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
• It will be up to Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take courageous and bold actions to end the political stalemate, resume negotiations on the basis of this Vision, and make lasting peace and economic prosperity a reality.
• If the Palestinians have concerns with this Vision, they should bring them forth in the context of good-faith negotiations with the Israelis and help make progress for the region.
• Mere opposition to this Vision is simply a declaration of support for the hopeless status quo that is the product of decades of stale thinking.
DIPLOMATIC ACCOMPLISHMENT: President Trump is bringing together Israeli political rivals in support of a detailed vision for peace and promoting normalized relations between Israel and its neighbors.
• President Trump secured agreement from both Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition leader Lieutenant General Benny Gantz to come to Washington, where they agreed to use this Vision as a basis for negotiation.
• For the first time in this conflict, President Trump has reached an understanding with Israel regarding a map setting forth borders for a two-state solution.
• President Trump has been bringing historic enemies in the region closer together, and his actions are promoting normalized relations between Israel and its neighbors.
MUTUAL RECOGNITION AND INDEPENDENCE: This Vision proposes a realistic two-state solution, offering a viable path to Palestinian statehood.
• Israel has now agreed to terms for a future Palestinian State.
• The Vision aims to achieve mutual recognition of the State of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and the future State of Palestine as the nation-state of the Palestinian people, with equal civil rights for all citizens within each state.
• The Vision creates a path for the Palestinian people to realize their legitimate aspirations for independence, self-governance, and national dignity.
• Under this Vision, neither Palestinians nor Israelis will be uprooted from their homes.
ISRAEL’S SECURITY: This Vision takes into account the realities on the ground and fully protects Israel’s security.
• The Vision fully addresses Israel’s security requirements, does not ask Israel to take additional security risks, and enables Israel to defend itself by itself against any threats.
• The Vision provides for a demilitarized Palestinian state living peacefully alongside Israel, with Israel retaining security responsibility west of the Jordan River.
• Over time, the Palestinians will work with United States and Israel to assume more security responsibility as Israel reduces its security footprint.
JERUSALEM AND HOLY SITES: Israel will continue to safeguard Jerusalem’s Holy Sites and will guarantee freedom of worship for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of all faiths.
• The status quo at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif will be preserved.
• The special and historic role of the King of Jordan with regard to the Muslim Holy Shrines in Jerusalem will be preserved.
• All Muslims are welcome to peacefully visit al-Aqsa Mosque.
FUTURE STATE OF PALESTINE: The Vision delivers significant territorial expansion for Palestinians and designates land reasonably comparable in size to the West Bank and Gaza for the establishment of the State of Palestine.
• Israel has agreed to a four-year land freeze to secure the possibility of a two-state solution.
• Jerusalem will stay united and remain the capital of Israel, while the capital of the State of Palestine will be Al-Quds and include areas of East Jerusalem.
• The Vision’s map will more than double the size of the land currently used by the Palestinians.
• Beyond territory, the Vision provides for Palestinian use and management of facilities at the Haifa and Ashdod ports, Palestinian development of a resort area on the north shore of the Dead Sea, and continued Palestinian agricultural activity in the Jordan Valley.
• The Vision proposes modern and efficient transportation links for easy travel and movement of goods throughout the future state of Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank.
NORMALIZATION: This Vision will end the refugee status quo and help put the region on a truly transformative path: one with stability, security, and abundant opportunities for prosperity.
• The Middle East needs strong regional partnerships to counter Iran and terrorism, strengthen security, and unlock vast opportunities for economic investment and regional prosperity.
• President Trump has cultivated these regional partnerships, helping historic enemies identify shared threats and mutually beneficial opportunities, facilitating the prospect of normalized relationships between Israel and its neighbors.
• This Vision will serve as a strong platform from which to further improve regional dynamics and strengthen regional partnerships.
• Under this Vision, Palestinian refugees will be given a choice to live within the future State of Palestine, integrate into the countries where they currently live, or resettle in a third country.
• The United States will work with the international community to establish a generous trust to aid in the process of resettling refugees.
PROSPERITY ACROSS THE REGION: This Vision, combined with the Peace to Prosperity economic framework, will unlock the potential of a region long held hostage by conflict.
• The Vision incorporates the massive $50 billion Peace to Prosperity economic plan, which will spur the Palestinian economy.
• When properly implemented, the Vision will:
Create more than 1 million new jobs;
More than double Palestinian GDP; and
Reduce unemployment below 10% and cut the poverty rate in half.

Arab League to convene urgent meeting on Trump’s Middle East plan
AFP/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The Arab League said it will convene an urgent meeting on Saturday in response to US President Donald Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Hossam Zaki, the pan-Arab body’s deputy secretary, told reporters Tuesday that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas would attend to discuss the “so-called Deal of the Century.”The extraordinary meeting comes on the back of a Palestinian request to the League, which is headquartered in Cairo. The controversial plan will be unveiled jointly by Trump and visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday.
The grand imam of Egypt’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and university lambasted the plan at a conference in Cairo in the presence of many of the Sunni world’s leading religious scholars. “Our identity as Arabs and Muslims is over... I felt totally ashamed watching Trump with the Israeli leader,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb said. “They’re the ones planning, talking, controlling and solving problems for us and there’s no Arab or Muslim,” Tayeb added. No Palestinian leaders have been invited to the much-touted White House event. Analysts expect Trump’s initiative will reaffirm many of his administration’s policies, which already align closely with Israeli objectives.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman affirms ‘steadfast’ support for Palestinian rights
Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Saudi Arabia's King Salman affirmed the kingdom's steadfast support for Palestinian rights in a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a statement by the Saudi Press Agency. King Salman said he stands by the Palestinian people and supports "their options and what achieves their hopes and aspirations," according to the SPA report. Another statement from Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry voiced appreciation for the new US peace plan for the Mideast. “The Kingdom appreciates the efforts made by the Trump administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and encourages the initiation and direct negotiations of peace between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,” the foreign ministry statement read.

Saudi Arabia says it backs all efforts toward ‘comprehensive’ Mideast solution
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya/English Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Saudi Arabia supports all efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry says in a statement after the White House announced its Middle East peace plan.
“The Kingdom appreciates the efforts made by the Trump administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and encourages the initiation and direct negotiations of peace between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,” the foreign ministry statement read.
The statement also urged both sides to address their differences on any aspects of US President Donald Trump’s administration’s plan through direct negotiations in order to push the peace process and move forward to reach an agreement that will fulfill the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.”Trump announced his plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace at a White House event with embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing at his side. It includes what Trump called a four-year freeze by Israel on new settlement activity. (With Reuters)

US Middle East peace plan prompts praise, reaction across the world
Al Arabiya English and AFP /Tuesday, 28 January 2020
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed the creation of a Palestinian state with a capital on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
Below are some of the reactions to the US plan for ending decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
Britain.
Britain on Tuesday gave a cautious welcome to US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, as he unveiled his proposal with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
Downing Street said Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Trump earlier.
“The leaders discussed the United States’ proposal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which could prove a positive step forwards,” a spokesman said.
US Senator Ted Cruz:
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pictured during a hearing session in Capital Hill, Washington. (AP)
“Today’s plan marks another important step by the Trump administration to undo the sad legacy of the Obama administration, specifically by rendering United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 null and void, and in doing so advances the cause of peace in the Middle East,” Senator Ted Cruz said in a statement.
“UNSCR 2234 shamefully denied Israel’s sovereignty over its territories, including the Jewish Quarter and Old City of Jerusalem, and called on all U.N. states to do the same. This plan represents a clear statement that the United States does not recognize the legitimacy of that resolution. This follows the Trump Administration’s recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, moving our embassy to Jerusalem, and establishing that we do not believe Israeli communities beyond the 1967 lines violate international law,” Cruz added.
“To have the public support of both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival Benny Gantz is significant, as are the early signs of support from the Arab world. Hopefully, the Palestinian Authority will come to the table and try to secure a lasting peace. By standing with our Israeli allies in this way, the Trump administration has also done much to advance the cause of peace. There is a virtue to clarity and to standing unshakably with our friends, which in turn will push our allies in the region closer together economically and diplomatically,” Cruz said.
UAE.
The UAE said it believes that the Palestinians and Israelis can achieve lasting peace and genuine coexistence with the support of the international community, according to a statement by UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef al-Otaiba on Twitter.
“The only way to guarantee a lasting solution is to reach an agreement between all concerned parties. The UAE believes that Palestinians and Israelis can achieve lasting peace and genuine coexistence with the support of the international community,” the ambassador said.
Egypt.
Egypt called on Tuesday on Palestinians and Israelis to carefully consider a peace plan announced by US President Donald Trump, with a view to resuming negotiations.
"Egypt calls on the two relevant parties to undertake a careful and thorough consideration of the US vision to achieve peace and open channels of dialogue, under US auspices, for the resumption of negotiations," a statement from the foreign ministry said.
European Union.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Royal Palace of El Pardo near Madrid on December 16, 2019. (AFP)
The European Union's top diplomat said Tuesday that the bloc remains "firm and united" behind the quest for a negotiated two-state peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. High representative Josep Borrell was speaking after President Donald Trump unveiled a "last opportunity" for the Palestinians to sign up to a plan drawn up by US officials.
"The European Union will study and assess the proposals put forward," Borrell said. But he added: "This will be done on the basis of the EU's established position and its firm and united commitment to a negotiated and viable two-state solution that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis, respecting all relevant UN resolutions and internationally agreed parameters."

American embassy attack brings US presence in Iraq back to spotlight
Finbar Anderson, Al Arabiya/English Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The US’ continued presence in Iraq was firmly under the spotlight the past weekend, with an attack on the American embassy in Baghdad on Sunday that left one injured, and a major demonstration calling for the expulsion of US troops in the city on Friday.
A senior American commander for the Middle East said on Monday that mortars had been used in the attack, rather than the Katushya rockets initially reported in the press. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters that the attack caused a fire at the embassy compound. Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi warned the attack could “drag Iraq into becoming a battlefield.”There was no immediate comment from US President Donald Trump on the attack, but his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for the Iraqi government to take “immediate steps” to protect the embassy. The US top diplomat called the attack a “flagrant attack on Iraq’s sovereignty.” The mortar attack was the third assault on the American embassy this month. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although the US has accused Iran-backed militias of targeting its assets. An attack on the embassy on December 31 by supporters of the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia led to spiralling tensions between Washington and Tehran. On January 3 a US drone strike killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, deputy leader of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units and the founder of Kata’ib Hezbollah. The US was acting in its “own legitimate self-defense,” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said in an interview with CNN on Monday, adding that the Kingdom was against any withdrawal of US troops. “The US has proven time and again to be a reliable ally of the Kingdom,” he said. Sunday’s attack came two days after a major rally in central Baghdad calling for the removal of US military personnel. The march, organized by prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, drew some thousands into the streets chanting anti-American slogans. Sadr, a populist and highly influential figure who leads Iraq’s largest parliamentary bloc, withdrew his support for Iraq’s months-long political protests on Saturday. Many of the cleric’s supporters dismantled their tents and left major protest sites around the country, sparking fears it could mean the end for the popular protest movement. The Sadrists had lent the movement political weight and a degree of protection, but said they were removing their support having been disappointed by the response of some of the protestors to Friday’s march. Protestors saw some of their key sites attacked after the withdrawal of the Sadrists. Security forces retook a major highway close to Tahrir Square in Baghdad on Saturday, while unidentified armed groups attacked protestors in Habubi Square in the southern city of Nasiriyah on Sunday. At least five were killed during the weekend’s violence. The response from protestors was defiant, however. Thousands of students marched past the Ministry of Education in Baghdad and on to Tahrir Square on Sunday. One young protestor, who had worn a necklace with Sadr’s image around his neck, proudly displayed a new pendant in the shape of Iraq.

Hamas to join Palestinian leadership meeting against Trump plan: Officials
AFP, Ramallah/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah will join forces Tuesday in a rare meeting in West Bank city Ramallah against US President Donald Trump’s long-awaited peace plan, officials said. “We invited the Hamas movement to attend the emergency meeting of the leadership and they will take part in the meeting,” senior Palestinian official Azzam al-Ahmed said. Hamas official Nasser al-Din al-Shaar confirmed he would attend the meeting, which all Palestinian factions were invited to. “The meeting will discuss the position that must be taken (against) Trump’s plan,” Shaar said. The Hamas organization, based in Gaza, have been at odds with President Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah movement for years, with Hamas representatives rarely taking part in meetings of the West Bank-based Palestinian leadership. Later in the day, Trump was set to unveil a peace plan he hoped would solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Palestinians reject the secret plan, accusing Trump of pro-Israel bias. A series of protests are planned in both the West Bank and Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Saudi FM says Israeli passport holders cannot visit Kingdom
Al Arabiya English Monday, 27 January 2020
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Israelis could not visit the Kingdom after Israel decreed that its citizens were permitted to visit Saudi Arabia under certain circumstances, CNN reported on Monday. “Our policy is fixed. We do not have relations with the state of Israel and Israeli passport holders cannot visit the kingdom at the current time,” the US broadcaster quoted Prince Faisal bin Farhan as saying. A statement from Israel’s interior minister on Sunday said Israelis - if invited and permitted by Saudi authorities - would be allowed to travel there for religious reasons on pilgrimage or for business reasons such as investment or meetings. “When a peace agreement is reached between the Palestinians and the Israelis, I believe the issue of Israel’s involvement in the region will be on the table,” Prince Faisal said. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the White House would release his long-delayed Middle East peace plan at noon (1700 GMT) on Tuesday.(With Reuters)

Qatar Emir appoints new PM
Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani appointed Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz al-Thani as the country's new prime minister, after accepting the resignation of former Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, reported the royal court. Qatar's new Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani will also hold the post of interior minister, the emir's office said on Tuesday. Key cabinet positions such as foreign, energy, finance, defense and trade ministries remained unchanged

Iranian singer’s life ‘in danger’ following arrest in Turkey at Tehran’s request
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Iranian singer Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, known as “Amir Tataloo,” was arrested in Turkey at Tehran’s request on Tuesday, and risks being extradited to Iran, according to his social media. “They said the Iranian government wants me,” Tataloo wrote in an Instagram post, after an earlier post showing him in handcuffs. Iran’s police spokesman confirmed Tataloo’s arrest by Turkish police at the regime’s request. “At the request of the judiciary, Iran requested an Interpol red notice on Tataloo which resulted in his arrest in Turkey,” Ahmad Nourian said, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. A “red notice” is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. Prior to his arrest, Tataloo was getting ready to leave Turkey for London, according to posts on his Instagram. His social media manager, known as Ronak, said that Tataloo had received a visa to go to the UK and was arrested as he was about to leave Turkey. “Amir’s life is currently in danger,” said Ronak, expressing concern over the possibility of Tataloo being extradited to Iran.

Iran’s IRGC commander: No US commander will be safe if Iranians are threatened
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Any US attempt to “assassinate” another Iranian military commander would put all US commander’s lives in jeopardy, said the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Hossein Salami on Monday. “The Americans ... and others should know that if they threaten our commanders, none of their commanders will find a safe spot, meaning that if they threaten to assassinate our commanders or carry out their threat, the lives of none of their commanders will be safe,” said Salami, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. This comes after US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said that if Esmail Ghaani, the new commander of the IRGC Quds Force, follows in the footsteps of his slain predecessor Qassem Soleimani, he will face the same fate. “If Ghaani follows the same path of killing Americans then he will meet the same fate,” Hook told the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday. IRGC commander Salami added on Monday: “If they intend to continue this game, our responses will be totally different from the past, and their scale will also be different, as they will be faced with quite new conditions which they will be unable to manage and control. So we warn them to retreat from this field.” Soleimani was killed by US airstrikes while he was in Baghdad on January 2. Ghaani was quickly assigned his post and he said he would “continue in this luminous path” taken by Soleimani and that the goal was to drive US forces out of the region, Iran’s long-standing policy.

Current US government is the worst in America’s history: Iran’s
Reuters, Dubai/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The current US government is the worst in the history of America, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV on Tuesday. Rouhani also said Iran’s upcoming parliamentary elections in February will have an effect on regional and international politics.

Republicans to honor US service members responsible for Soleimani’s killing
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
A group of 43 United States Republican senators put forth a resolution to honor the members of military and intelligence community responsible for the strikes that killed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) – Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani on January 2.
Republican senator Ted Cruz of Texas posted the resolution on his Twitter profile. The resolution identified Soleimani as “the architect of terrorist attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere that killed hundreds of United States personnel, including with weapons and improvised explosives provided directly by the IRGC-QF.”The US killed Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad on January 2. The Pentagon said in a statement the strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans, adding that the US would continue to take necessary action to protect Americans and interests around the world.
Soleimani helped Iran fight proxy wars across the Middle East by inspiring and training militias on the battlefield and negotiating with political leaders.

UAE says Barakah nuclear plant ready for operation phase
Reuters, Dubai/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The United Arab Emirates’ delayed Barakah nuclear power plant is fit to start its operation phase, state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday. An operational readiness assessment performed by the Atlanta Center of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) concluded that the first of four planned reactors was ready to start up, WAM reported. Operator Nawah Energy Company is concluding the final requirements before “commencing the loading of the first fuel assemblies safely into Unit 1 of the Barakah plant, scheduled for first quarter of 2020,” WAM said. Once the fuel assemblies are loaded into the reactor, Nawah will raise power generation levels over a number of months before commercial operation begins. The UAE’s nuclear regulator was in the final stages of issuing a license for Barakah’s first reactor, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said last month. Originally due to open in 2017, Barakah is the UAE’s first nuclear plant. The first of four 1,400-megawatt reactors has been completed. It is being built by Korea Electric Power Corporation.

Turkey vows to retaliate if army posts in Idlib threatened
AFP, Istanbul/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Turkey warned on Tuesday it will retaliate “in self-defense” if any of its army posts in northwest Syria are threatened amid increasing attacks by regime forces on the country’s last major opposition bastion. Ankara established 12 observation posts under a September 2018 deal with Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to prevent any onslaught in Idlib. The city is home to some three million people, around half of whom have been displaced by violence in other areas. But despite a ceasefire arranged by Damascus ally Moscow and Ankara, which backs the rebels, the regime’s deadly offensive has sparked an exodus of thousands of civilians toward the Turkish border. “The regime’s attacks on Idlib are massacring innocent civilians and causing humanitarian tragedy,” the Turkish defense ministry said on Twitter. “A response will be given in self-defense to any attempts that would jeopardize the security of our observation and control posts in the region,” the ministry added. In December, al-Assad’s forces surrounded one of the Turkish posts in Idlib. On an official visit to African country of Senegal, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said civilians were fleeing toward the Turkish border. “There is a movement toward our border. We have taken our measures,” he said, adding that Turkey was building homes inside Syria for people fleeing Idlib.“We are following the process with sensitivity. I hope we will reach peace in Idlib.”

Violence in Sudan’s Darfu forces thousands to flee: UN
AFP, Geneva/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Violence in Sudan’s West Darfur region has forced 57,000 people to flee their homes over the past month, including 11,000 who have crossed into Chad, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday. In Chad, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the refugees were scattered in several villages along the border.
“The conditions are dire. Most are staying in the open or under makeshift shelters, with little protection from the elements. Food and water are urgently needed,” he said. Baloch said that UNHCR and other organizations were providing some humanitarian assistance but added: “The rate of refugee arrivals risks outpacing our capacity.”UNHCR estimates that the number of refugees fleeing to Chad from West Darfur “could reach 30,000 in the coming weeks as tensions persist,” he said. The latest fighting in West Darfur was between an African tribe called Masalit and an Arab tribe called Rizeigat -- two groups which have often fought over the years since the Darfur conflict first erupted in 2003. The violence, which left dozens dead, is the latest example of fighting in Darfur between peasant farming tribes, which are mostly non-Arab, and nomadic pastoralists, who are mostly Arab.
“UNHCR teams on the ground are hearing accounts of people fleeing after their villages, houses and properties were attacked, many burnt to the ground,” Baloch said. He said UNHCR wanted “the international community’s support for the transitional government of Sudan in addressing the root causes of the conflict in Darfur.”Darfur - made up of five states - spiraled into conflict in 2003. The Darfur fighting broke out when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government of now ousted president Omar al-Bashir, whom they accused of marginalizing the region.
The conflict left around 300,000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million others, the UN says. Although the unrest has reduced greatly in recent years, there are still regular outbreaks of violence.

British minister attends ‘historic’ last European Union council
AFP/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
A British minister attended his country’s last high-level meeting as a European Union member on Tuesday, just days before Brexit puts an end to its half-century EU membership. Christopher Pincher, minister for Europe and the Americas in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government, took part in the regular meeting of the EU General Affairs Council. The United Kingdom will formally leave the bloc at midnight on Friday, Brussels time, and British ministers will no longer take part in internal meetings with those of the remaining 27 member states. “This is a historic week for the United Kingdom and for the European Union,” Pincher told reporters in Brussels after the otherwise unremarkable ministerial meeting. As is usual among UK officials, Pincher insisted that Britain is leaving the institutions of the European Union but wants to remain friends with the continent of Europe. “We are very clear we are an optimistic, outward looking free trading nation and we will look for friendly cooperation with the European Union based on a free trade agreement,” he said. He thanked Britain’s partners for their friendship over the years, but added: “We’re looking forward to a very different world and a very different relationship.”Some of the minister’s colleagues, however, were skeptical, warning that Britain would find itself exposed in trade talks with Washington and with the EU, far larger trading economies. France’s minister for Europe, Amelie de Montchalin, was pessimistic for Johnson’s ambition to forge new deals. “We lose a partner, we lose a member, and I also feel the UK will lose a lot of support in a lot of negotiations the UK has announced would be launched in the coming weeks,” she said. “With trade discussions with the US and others the UK will be alone now,” she said, casting doubt on whether there could be a full cross-Channel free trade deal by the end of the year. Her German counterpart Michael Roth, whose government will hold the EU presidency in the second half of the year, said there was too little time and a comprehensive deal “can’t be done.”“We don’t have much time,” he told reporters. “Everybody has to realize that the games have to come to an end now. We have wasted a lot of time in the past months.”

Trump discusses Syria, Libya with Turkey’s Erdogan: White House
Reuters, Washington/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
US President Donald Trump discussed developments in Syria and Libya in a phone call with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, a White House spokesman said on Twitter. “The two leaders discussed the need to eliminate foreign interference and maintain the ceasefire in Libya. The leaders agreed that the violence being carried out in Idlib, Syria must stop,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a tweet. A renewed drive by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to recapture rebel-held Idlib province in Syria’s northwest sparked a fresh exodus of many thousands of civilians toward Turkey’s border on Monday amid heavy air strikes, aid workers and witnesses said. In Libya, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar moved forces on Sunday toward the city of Misrata, which is allied to the country’s UN-recognized government, officials and residents said. The increase in fighting came a week after Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia agreed with Western powers at a summit in Berlin to push for a lasting ceasefire and uphold an arms embargo.

EU slaps sanctions on seven more people in Russian-annexed Crimea
Reuters, Brussels/Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The European Union added seven Russian-backed officials in Crimea to its sanctions blacklist on Tuesday for organizing local elections in the peninsula last year. The decision came after Cyprus came on board, as any EU move on sanctions requires unanimity. Nicosia had stalled the process in recent weeks, diplomats said, trying to push the bloc towards separate sanctions against Turkey for hydrocarbons drilling in eastern Mediterranean. The EU has maintained sanctions against Russia since Moscow seized and annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. They include a blacklist of firms and individuals associated with Russia’s administration of Crimea. The seven people added to the blacklist on Tuesday include Yuri Gotsanyuk, named prime minister of Crimea’s pro-Russian regional government after the 2019 election. Tuesday’s move raises the number of individuals on the blacklist to 177, along with 44 firms or other entities. Blacklisted people and firms have their assets in the EU frozen and individuals are barred from travel there. The bloc’s main economic sanctions targeting Russia’s energy, financial and arms industries are currently in place until the end of July, while a ban on doing business with Crimea holds until the end of June.

Second civil rights leader critical of army detained in Pakistan
AFP, Islamabad Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Pakistani authorities on Tuesday detained a senior member of a civil rights movement as he protested the detention of his group’s charismatic leader one day earlier, a police official said. Mohsin Dawar, a sitting parliamentarian, was leading a demonstration in Islamabad of around 100 members of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), which accuses the army of abuses. He along with around 25 of those with him “were taken into the custody,” a spokesman for the Islamabad police, Zia Bajwa, told AFP. Amnesty International issued a statement calling for them to be freed. “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, as recognized in Pakistan’s constitution and international law,” the group’s South Asia arm tweeted. The PTM had been protesting the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen, the former veterinary student who now leads the protest movement. In videos posted on social media police can be seen apparently dragging Dawar into a van outside the Islamabad Press Club. Dawar was also detained for months last year for allegedly inciting violent clashes with security forces during another protest. The PTM have pressured the military since 2018 with calls to end alleged abuses by security forces targeting ethnic Pashtuns in the restive tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. The area, once plagued by militancy and unrest, is where Washington believes Pakistan is providing safe haven to militant groups including the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network. The army has carried out many operations in the region, and security across Pakistan has dramatically improved in recent years. The military maintains a heavy presence there, however, and the PTM has tapped into festering anger over alleged abuses against Pashtuns - including enforced disappearances and targeted killings.

WHO to send experts to China to study virus
AFP, Geneva Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The World Health Organization on Tuesday said it would send international experts to China “as soon as possible” to help inform the global response against a deadly virus outbreak. China and the WHO agreed the experts will “work with Chinese counterparts on increasing understanding of the outbreak to guide global response efforts,” WHO said in a statement. The agreement follows talks in Beijing between WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Stopping the spread of this virus both in China and globally is WHO’s highest priority,” Tedros said, praising the “seriousness” of China’s response to the outbreak. The two also agreed that China would share biological material with WHO, the agency said, underlining the importance of continued data sharing and further studies. “These measures will advance scientific understanding of the virus and contribute to the development of medical countermeasures such as vaccines and treatments,” it said. A WHO team earlier this month visited Wuhan, the city of 11 million people at the epicenter of the outbreak. The SARS-like virus, which has killed more than 100 people, has infected thousands in China and reached more than a dozen other countries.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) killed hundreds across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. Some experts have praised Beijing for being more reactive and open about this crisis compared to SARS. But others say local cadres were more focused on projecting stability earlier in January than adequately responding to the outbreak during regional political meetings.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 28-29/2020
Could Trump’s Deal of the Century be a starting point for negotiations?
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/January 28/2020
Reactions to US President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” offered no surprises. The Israelis embraced it as a great step although stopped short of endorsing it pending further details. The Palestinian position was predictable, rejecting the plan out of hand before knowing the details, suspecting it could just be a ruse to save Benjamin Netanyahu from the threat of prison!
So many years have passed since Israel-Palestine peace talks started that the region is barely recognizable. Long-standing Arab regimes like Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Saddam Hussein of Iraq have fallen; Sudan has lost half its territory; and Syria has been destroyed. The region’s strategic value as the world’s primary source of energy has declined with the rise of US oil production and renewables. Some of the region’s leaders are still remnants of the old guard, which raises risks that they will not reflect the momentous changes sweeping the region.
The Israelis just want the Palestine case closed. If forced to negotiate, they will bet on the refusal of Palestinian side to sit at the table or, if talks do begin, a failure of the some Palestinian factions to reconcile the competing interests of Iran and Syria, for example.
Although the criticisms of previous peace deals were valid, it is undeniable that those treaties have partially served the Palestinian interest. The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 and 1995, helped Palestinians to gain international legitimacy as well as an administrative entity on the ground instead of having an organization based in exile, in Tunisia. It enabled more than 150,000 Palestinians to return to their country.
Right now, Israel’s best ally is Iran. By working through Palestinian factions influenced by Tehran, the Iranians have ensured that all previous attempts at peace have ended in failure. They worked tirelessly to undermine confidence in peace talks by placing bombs under cars, spreading chaos through proxy militias and questioning the legitimacy of the late President Yasser Arafat.
Palestinians are always the victims when peace talks fail, not the Iranians or Israelis. Without a deal in place, every day Israel expands into Palestinian land and the Palestinian territories shrink.
The argument behind refusing to negotiate is that US President Donald Trump is pro-Israel. But in fact, all of Trump’s predecessors were on Israel’s side, yet the Palestinian Authority dealt with them. Trump’s decisions related to Israel have recognized the reality on the ground to win voters in the US, but they remain illegitimate.
By International law, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem does not mean that all of Jerusalem belongs to Israel. Despite the announcement that Golan Heights are part of Israel; they are recognized as occupied Syrian territories on the UN’s maps. Trump is not the most dangerous threat to Palestine. The greatest danger to Palestinian interests now is to do nothing and continue waiting for a miracle.
The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is perhaps the only one who can fight the new battle to resume negotiations. He is the oldest and most rational among the historical leaders. If it was not for him, chaos would have spread within the Authority following the death of Arafat 16 years ago.
Does accepting Trump’s invitation to negotiations mean the Palestinian Authority is required to accept whatever is offered? The answer is, of course, no. What it does mean is sitting down, starting a constructive dialogue and no-one imposing a solution that the Palestinians do not want. Of course, the Israelis will be reluctant to change the status quo, which apparently gives them more land and power over Palestine. They regard Trump as one of theirs. A friend who might be re-elected and gain enormous power, which the Israelis may harness to their advantage or at least minimize harm.
So it is vital that Palestinians grasp this opportunity to begin talks and explore the opportunity that lies therein before the goal posts of history move once again, and not necessarily in their favor.
*Abdulrahman al-Rashed is the Chairman of Al Arabiya's Editorial Board and former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. A veteran and internationally acclaimed journalist, he is a former editor-in-chief of the London-based leading Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, where he still regularly writes a political column. He has also served as the editor of Asharq al-Awsat’s sister publication, al-Majalla. Throughout his career, Rashed has interviewed several world leaders, with his articles garnering worldwide recognition, and he has successfully led Al Arabiya to the highly regarded, thriving and influential position it is in today. He tweets @aalrashed.

Market’s feverish response highlights fear of contagion
Clyde Russell/Arab News/January 28/2020
A question for the crude oil market. Why is the potential loss of a few hundred thousand barrels per day (bpd) of demand from the coronavirus in China more important than the actual loss of about 1 million bpd of supply from Libya?
Benchmark Brent crude futures have slumped around 10 percent since Jan. 20, the last day prices rose before the current losing streak, with the contract ending at $59.32 a barrel on Monday, the weakest close in three months.
The hit to oil prices has come as the number of cases of the new coronavirus outbreak, centered around the Chinese city of Wuhan, has soared and the disease has spread to several other countries. At least 106 people have died and more than 2,800 have been infected with the virus.
The spread of the virus has pummelled the price of crude oil, and indeed other commodities, as the market fears it will lead to a slump in fuel demand as people cancel travel plans and economic activities are curtailed.
It is obviously hard to quantify what the exact hit to demand will be, with much depending on how quickly the virus is contained.
If the experience with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), another type of coronavirus that struck Asia in 2003, is any guide, there will be a short, sharp hit to fuel demand, particularly jet fuel, followed by a recovery.
Once SARS was contained, the overall hit to crude oil demand for the whole year was limited, suggesting that the market may be over-reacting to the current, admittedly concerning, headlines about the new coronavirus.
How much is Chinese crude oil demand likely to drop because of the virus?
The actual loss of supply to the world crude market from Libya and Nigeria is far higher than the potential loss from the new coronavirus.
The answer may be surprisingly little, especially immediately.
Translating the estimated SARS demand impact into 2020 volumes points to a potential negative shock to global oil demand of 260,000 barrels per day on average, Goldman Sachs has estimated.
In any case, Chinese refiners will have largely locked in crude purchases for as far out as April and May and are unlikely to try to sell distressed cargoes, even if domestic demand for fuel weakens.
What is more likely is that any surplus crude will find its way into commercial and strategic storages, especially if the current price slump is maintained.
Of course, if the new virus continues to spread and authorities struggle to deal with rising infection rates, then all bets are off.
But while dramatic media headlines help to drive sentiment-driven price swings, it’s interesting to note that the physical crude oil market has tightened considerably in recent weeks.
Civil conflict in Libya has knocked almost 1 million bpd of output offline, with the North African country’s state oil firm saying it was down to 262,000 bpd from 1.2 million previously.
Nigeria’s exports are also under a bit of a cloud, with major producer Royal Dutch Shell declaring force majeure on shipments of the Bonny Light grade on Jan. 22 after a pipeline was shut.
Kazakhstan suspended oil shipments to China on Jan. 16 after the discovery of excess levels of organic chloride, although some crude has since started flowing from the central Asian nation.
The point is that the actual loss of supply to the world crude market from Libya and Nigeria is far higher than the potential loss from the new coronavirus.
But such is the sentiment-driven nature of trading in futures that it is possible oil prices will continue to struggle as long as the media headlines paint a picture of a virus spreading, infecting more people and threatening economic growth across China and the rest of Asia.
However, assuming the virus is contained at some point in the next few weeks, the market may turn its attention to the physical supply-demand balance, which may not be quite as bearish as currently feared.
• Clyde Russell is a Reuters columnist.

What to do if you’re on the wrong end of a lawsuit
Dimah Talal Alsharif/Arab News/January 28/2020
Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This applies to almost all areas of life, including the law. Litigation, for example, is about more than a civil claim by a plaintiff or a criminal accusation by a prosecutor; the defendant, as the name suggests, may present a defense to refute or defeat the case against them, in whole or in part.
There are three basic types of defense. First, formal or procedural defenses; second, defenses based on the substance of the case; and third, an absolute defense that the case should never have been brought.
Procedural defenses relate to the validity of the litigation procedures, their form, and how to direct them, such as a submission that the court has no jurisdiction in the matter, or that summonses to attend are invalid. The main goal of such defenses is to end the case without a decision on its merits.
Substantive defenses relate to the facts of the case: For example, submitting that a debt being claimed by a plaintiff has in fact expired, or never existed.
An absolute defense is a submission by the defendant that the case should never have been brought in the first place, perhaps because the issue had previously been ruled on, or the claim was not legally permissible.
A key difference between a procedural defense and a substantive defense is that the former must be submitted, with legal arguments to support it, before there has been any consideration of the actual merits of the case. The right to lodge a procedural defense expires if the court has begun to consider the evidence. A ruling on procedure is independent of the case itself.
A substantive defense, on the other hand, may be submitted at any stage of the legal proceedings. Moreover, submitting one substantive defense does not remove the right to submit others later in the hearing.
Another key difference is that while a court’s upholding a procedural defense does not necessarily end the case, upholding a substantive defense brings the litigation to an end. Thus, a plaintiff whose case is ruled procedurally deficient in some way may correct the deficiencies and file the lawsuit again, but when a court rules against a plaintiff or prosecutor on the substance of the case, the same lawsuit or prosecution may not be filed again.
It is important for defendants in a lawsuit to understand all these possible defenses. Anyone unfortunate to find themselves sued or prosecuted should ensure that the case against them is procedurally sound, without defects, and that all possibilities for having the case dismissed are considered..
*Dimah Talal Alsharif is a Saudi legal consultant, head of the health law department at the law firm of Majed Garoub and a member of the International Association of Lawyers. Twitter: @dimah_alsharif

Sands of time brought Dakar back to its beginnings
Michael Reininger/Arab News/January 28/2020
With the Dakar Rally finishing recently in Saudi Arabia and the final podium being at the Qiddiya site, it did in a sense return to its roots: For it was in desert sands that the rally was born, and it is to desert sands that it has now reverted.
The story started 43 years ago, in 1977, when the French adventurer Thierry Sabine became lost in the Tenere desert of North Africa while racing his Yamaha XT 500 enduro motorcycle in a rally from Abidjan to Nice. Alone in the middle of this vast desert for three days, he ran out of food and water: A situation that for most would produce panic, but for him was the setting for inspiration. To settle his mind, he rubbed his “gri-gri” — a leather amulet that had been gifted to him by a Tuareg friend. By the time he was rescued and was being flown to safety, Sabine’s mind had settled on a bold vision.
His idea was like something out of “Mad Max” — a rally across the Saharan sands not just for motorcycles but for cars and trucks too, and not just for professional drivers but for amateurs as well. It came together quickly. The scene at the start of the first Paris-Dakar Rally on Dec. 26, 1978, was a motorsport menagerie, with 182 vehicles revving their engines at Place du Trocadero; the drivers giddy with eagerness to bid the arrondissements adieu and set off for the Sahara.
Seventy-four vehicles would reach Dakar; the other 108 could not conquer the challenge of the sands.
The race, photogenic to the extreme, captured popular imagination and Paris-Dakar became synonymous with adventure. But, after some difficult years — Sabine’s death in a helicopter crash during the 1986 rally, numerous accidents, and political and security concerns in North Africa — organizers decided that the race should take a lesson from its drivers and hit the open road.
And so began Dakar’s second era. In 2009, the race shifted camp (and continents) to South America. But even during this stint amid the pampas, it retained its connection with the desert. The route through Argentina and Chile included a section in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the driest spots on the planet. It was the Atacama that hosted a milestone for Saudi motorsports, when Yazeed Al-Rajhi of Riyadh, piloting a Toyota car, in 2015 became the first Saudi driver to win a Dakar stage. He crossed the stage’s finish line in Iquique in a time of 3 hours, 26 minutes and 49 seconds, ahead of his nearest competitor by 72 seconds.
We are currently building the new motorsports capital of the world, with an unparalleled range of attractions.
More recently, in November 2019, Al-Rajhi won the inaugural AlUla-Neom Cross-Country Rally in northern Saudi Arabia. Formula One veteran Fernando Alonso also competed, and came third. Alonso said afterwards: “It was a good four days’ preparation for the Dakar and discovering new terrain and new things here. To be third in the final two stages and to be third overall is the first podium of my life in rally. It is good that it happened now and gives us confidence for Dakar.”
Which brings us to the third era of the Dakar Rally. Forty-three years after Sabine’s vision in the desert, the race this year arrived in Saudi Arabia as part of a 10-year agreement with the General Sports Authority.
The 2020 edition started in Jeddah on Jan. 5, with Al-Rajhi, in his Toyota Hilux 4x4, among the 557 competitors taking part. The drivers crisscrossed the country, covering almost 7,900 km of dunes and tracks before finishing southwest of the capital Riyadh on Jan. 17, with Qiddiya hosting a special 20 km Qiddiya Grand Prix race as the last part of the event.
This grand finale at Qiddiya was a taste of things to come at the site. We are currently building the new motorsports capital of the world, with an unparalleled range of attractions. The launch of our first phase in 2023 will include a speed park with an FIA Grade 1 track as one of three anchors. Our long-term motorsports plans include a range of racing facilities, which will be revealed soon.
But back to a successful Dakar. Modern technology meant 2020’s drivers did not fear becoming as dreadfully lost as Sabine did during his long-ago sojourn in the Tenere. If any of them did find themselves even briefly alone on the sands, let’s hope they could comfort themselves with the thought that they were touching one of the constants of Dakar history: The majesty and inspiration of desert.
• Michael Reininger is CEO of Qiddiya.

Daunting challenges await incoming GCC secretary-general
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/January 28/2020
On Feb. 1, Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf will take over as the new secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at a time when the region and the organization face great challenges. The recent GCC summit, which appointed Al-Hajraf, also gave him directives for speedy movement on the political, security and economic tracks. The heads of state also stressed the need for reform of the organization itself.
The new secretary-general’s start coincides with a major change in the EU, the GCC’s role model and inspiration. On Jan. 31, the UK will leave the EU, 47 years after it joined the organization’s predecessor. Brexit may trigger additional defections from the EU, as some other member states chafe under Brussels’ tightening grip, which they see as intrusive. While the new EU leadership grapples with the repercussions of Brexit, it is expected to review some of the difficult issues its previous leaders dealt with, including EU policies in our region and especially its relationship with Iran.
The GCC-EU relationship is important for both sides. While there are differences over political issues, the two blocs would benefit greatly from a closer engagement during the new GCC secretary-general’s term. Without Britain, the EU will lose its privileged position as the GCC’s No. 1 trading partner, which it has enjoyed for decades. China will then be the GCC’s top trade partner and the two sides are about to conclude a free trade agreement, which would further bolster their economic ties. This development should prompt the EU to redouble its efforts to rejuvenate economic ties with the GCC. For that to happen, the EU in particular should demonstrate more flexibility in trade negotiations. Its previous one-size-fits-all, take-it-or-leave-it approach could delay trade integration with the GCC bloc.
The 40th GCC summit, which was held in Riyadh in December, charted in some detail the path its member states wanted the new secretary-general to follow to achieve the key objectives of the organization. In addition to dozens of internal directives, two key public documents came out of the gathering: The detailed 14-page joint communique, which spelled out the leaders’ positions on a wide range of issues, and the shorter four-page Riyadh Declaration, which focused on the governance of the organization and innovation in the marketplace.
Both documents stressed the need to preserve GCC unity and strength, and strengthen its leading role as an “oasis of stability, security, economic prosperity and social cohesion.” But they also acknowledged that “emerging and future challenges” required enhancing the roles of women and the private sector, and equipping the youth with the tools needed to face those challenges. The leaders also stressed that meeting those new challenges required the upgrading and reform of GCC integration implementation policies.
In a leading paragraph of the communique, the leaders directed the GCC Secretariat to speedily complete the implementation of King Salman’s GCC vision, which was adopted enthusiastically by other heads of state in December 2015. The slow pace of implementation of this vision and other integration projects has been at the root of popular frustration with the GCC. The sluggishness with which the GCC moved to implement this rather realistic vision can be attributed partially to external factors, but the inner workings of the organization are also to blame.
The Riyadh Declaration referred to this problem in its last section on “reform of joint action mechanisms.” It stated that achieving GCC objectives, as spelled out in the GCC Charter, required the organization to learn from successful integration models around the world and adopt instruments that have proven effective elsewhere. It also called for sticking to strict timetables for the implementation of all integration steps and candidly addressing the challenges facing them — something that the organization has not observed in recent years.
Then, in unprecedented fashion for the GCC, the Riyadh Declaration called for enhancing “the mechanisms of transparency, accountability, and administrative and financial governance,” to enable the Secretariat to shoulder its responsibility for implementing leaders’ directives. The instructions are clear: After nearly 40 years, reform is urgently needed to make the organization more agile, dynamic and capable of meeting renewed challenges. The reforms should include merit-based hiring and promotion, transparent financial and personnel decisions, as well more effective oversight, evaluation and monitoring mechanisms.
After nearly 40 years, reform is urgently needed to make the organization more agile, dynamic and capable of meeting renewed challenges.
The Riyadh Declaration also referred to another major source of bureaucratic inertia that has slowed the pace of GCC integration: The GCC system has about 30 specialized agencies spread out throughout the Gulf. Some of these organizations were established decades before the GCC itself was established in 1981 and may have outlived their usefulness. They today appear to duplicate what other GCC entities do. Repeated attempts by other summits to streamline the work and governance of these entities to make them consistent with King Salman’s vision of 2015 and other directives have not fully succeeded. Some of these organizations have complied, but others have resisted the attempts to improve governance. As the Riyadh Declaration made clear, the new governance structure for those remaining organizations, which was adopted in 2015 and 2016, needs to be fully implemented to reduce waste and improve performance.
The new GCC secretary-general’s orders were made clear in the December summit. The challenge now is how to effectively carry out those orders, given the state of affairs in the region and in the GCC bureaucracy.
**Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council’s assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the GCC. Twitter: @abuhamad1