English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese
Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 03/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.june03.20.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who
believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart
shall flow rivers of living water
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 07/37-39:”On
the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he
cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes
in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow
rivers of living water.” ’Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in
him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet
glorified.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 02-03/2020
Nine New Coronavirus Cases in Lebanon
Hasan Expects 2-Week Extension of 'General Mobilization'
Aoun chairs meeting on organ donation draft decree, meets MPs Traboulsi and
Rahme
Cabinet meets in session, reviews measures by Energy Ministry in coordination
with Ministries of Information and Environment to open dialogue on Bisri Dam
Diab meets gas station owners' delegation, Customs' successful candidates
Diab meets UN’s Kubis
Confusion Threatens International Trust In Lebanon's Government
Govt. Approves Contributions to Private Free Schools, Wheat Farmers
Israeli forces, armed Lebanese troops square off in rare border
confrontation/Incident occurs after IDF tanks and troops cross security fence,
while remaining on Israeli side of Blue Line; UN peacekeepers arrive on scene
Lebanese Troops Take Combat Positions in Border Standoff with Israelis
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Tuesday warned anti-government protesters
Strong Lebanon' bloc calls to speed up talks with IMF, finalize appointments
Mustaqbal Takes Swipe at Diab and 'Ruling Party' over Cabinet Powers
Fourth Stage of Repatriations Begins June 11
Hariri: Al-Akhbar Seeks to Sabotage Lebanon's Dialogue with IMF
Lebanese Plunges to Death in Belarus
MP from Lebanese Speaker Berri's Bloc Accuses Aoun of Violating Constitution
Syrian infiltrator injured by IDF fire returned to Lebanon
Japan seeks Lebanese cooperation in Carlos Ghosn case
Sheikh Akl meets US ambassador, receives phone call from Sleiman Tenenti to NNA:
UNIFIL facilitated crossing to Lebanon of Syrian who received treatment in
Israeli hospital
Hariri’s press office issues rebuttal against “Al-Akhbar”
Hoballah meets Sfeir over agreement with ABL to support industrial sector
Dr. Ghazi Zaatari receives prestigious World No Tobacco Day 2020 Award
The Sad Truth about the 'Resistance' is Exposed When it is Most Needed/Eyad Abu
Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/June 02/2020
Japan denies pressuring IMF to extradite Carlos Ghosn/Jacob Boswall, Al Arabiya/
EnglishTuesday 02 June 2020
"55 slightly sinister stories” by Racha Mourtada/Racha Mourtada/Annahar/June
02/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
June 02-03/2020
US court: Iran, Syria, Hamas, IJ can be liable for 'lone wolf' attackers
Plane Carrying Iran Scientist Jailed in US Has Taken off, Zarif Says
Iran Bemoans Ill-Discipline as Coronavirus Cases Swell Again
UN Welcomes Libyan Warring Parties' Agreement to Restart Talks
Syrian Stock Market Halts Trading for Makhlouf's Company
Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf says ‘coming days decisive’ amid ongoing spat with
regime
Airstrike in Eastern Syria Kills Five Iran-backed Fighters
Russia Looks to Expand Cultural Presence in Syria
Syria: Pro-Iranian Militias Launch Campaign Against 'Tiger Forces'
Norway urges Israel not to annex parts of the occupied West Bank
Netanyahu Files Police Complaint over Death Threats
Jordan Says Foiled Suicide Attacks against Israel
Turkey Continues Flights to Libya's Tripoli, Misrata
Baghdad, Erbil to Discuss Salaries Issue of Kurdistan Region Employees
U.N. Rights Chief Says U.S. Protests Expose Inequalities, Discrimination
New York Night-Time Curfew Extended to June 7 after Looting
Violence Spreads in U.S. as Trump Faces Anger for Ordering Force
Spain Records No Virus Deaths for Second Day Running
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on June 02-03/2020
Minneapolis, the Anatomy of Civil Unrest/Charles Elias Chartouni/June
02/2020
Prophecy is Action/Charles Elias Chartouni/June 02/2020
The European Union Is on the Brink of Historic Change/Ferdinando Giugliano/Bloomberg/Asharq
Al Awsat/June 02/2020
Coronavirus Hasn’t Killed the Global Balance of Power/Hal Brands//Asharq Al
Awsat/June 02/2020
EU: Trade with China Trumps Freedom for Hong Kong/Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/June 02/2020
Turkey: Where Criticizing Islam Can Land You in Prison/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone
Institute/June 02/2020
Turkey, Russia may repeat Syrian scenario in Libya/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab
News/June 02/2020
Germany’s Angela Merkel spearheading new push for European integration/Harold
James/Arab News/June 02/2020
China-US rivalry needs defusing to revive global economy/Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab
News/June 02/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published on June 02-03/2020
Nine New Coronavirus Cases in Lebanon
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Lebanon on Tuesday confirmed nine more COVID-19 coronavirus cases, which raises
the country's overall tally to 1,242, the Health Ministry said.
It said seven of those infected are repatriated expats and the other two are
residents. The northern area of al-Beddawi recorded two of the cases as the
areas of Shiyyah, Haret Hreik, Nahr al-Bared, Majdal Anjar, Nabatiyeh, Ain
Boswar and Shaqra recorded one each.The death till still stands at 27 while the
recoveries now number 719.
Hasan Expects 2-Week Extension of 'General Mobilization'
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Health Minister Hamad Hasan on Tuesday said he expects the government to extend
the so-called state of general mobilization in the face of the coronavirus
pandemic for another two weeks. “I expect the state of general mobilization to
be extended by two additional weeks, seeing as the World Health Organization
recommends continued precautions,” Hasan said in remarks to the National News
Agency. He added that the Ministry will carry on with its testing campaign
across the country as part of its plan to “contain the pandemic and prevent its
spread.”Hasan also lauded the drop in the numbers of infections among residents
over the past days. Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi meanwhile announced after a
Cabinet session that the odd-even rule for vehicles will continue in the coming
days. The government had imposed the state of general mobilization on March 15.
The measures include a nighttime curfew, the rationing of the movement of
vehicles and the banning of gatherings. The government has largely relaxed
lockdown measures in recent days, allowing most businesses and institutions to
reopen while observing precaution measures.
Aoun chairs meeting on organ donation draft decree, meets
MPs Traboulsi and Rahme
NNA/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, will chair a meeting, attended
by Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Nassif Hitti,
including Ambassadors of the five permanent members of the Security Council and
the representative of the UN Secretary-General, Jan Kubis, tomorrow, to discuss
the extension of the International Forces operating in South Lebanon.
President Aoun will inform the Ambassadors about the Lebanese position
concerning UNIFIL extension, as the date for deliberating this issue in New York
is near.
MP Edgar Traboulsi:
President Aoun received MP, Edgar Traboulsi, today at the Presidential Palace,
and discussed with him political and educational affairs.
After the meeting, Traboulsi said that he briefed the President on his
continuous follow-up on the course of the academic year and his interest in the
conditions of parents, in addition to teacher rights and preserving private and
public schools for the upcoming academic year.
Traboulsi also suggested that the state contributes to preserving the private
education sector, as done with the health sector, by paying grants for
ministries and allocating two million Lebanese Pounds to each student in the
private sector through the educational card, which was proposed by him and MP
Assaad Dergham. Then, Traboulsi put the President in the atmosphere of his
proposal to amend the Higher Education Law 285/2014 to allow distance education
according to the highest international standards, thus moving Lebanon to ride
the procession of academic digital progress, which were absent for more than two
decades ago. MP Traboulsi also indicated that he had asked President Aoun that
the advancement of the sectors of education, vocational and technical education
and agriculture to be the most prominent issue in the economic recovery plan.
Finally, Traboulsi reviewed the progress of his law proposal to introduce
courses of vocational education in the academic track so that the general trend
in to enter vocational schools which alone qualify young people to enter labor
markets and improve their economic and social conditions.
The meeting also tackled political, economic and social conditions, as well as
the file of the displaced and people rights in villages of Hailan, and Miye
Wmiyye.
MP Emile Rahme:
President Aoun received former MP, Emile Rahme, and discussed with him recent
developments.
Rahme indicated that current circumstances require careful monitoring by
officials, especially that economic and financial conditions have the priority.
“But it is not permissible for officials to forget to pay attention to social
conditions and the needs of people in light of the current financial hardship,
and the need to intensify the work of agencies that prevent sharp price rising,
in the absence of monitoring” Rahme stated. In addition, Rahme considered that
“Dealing with the political issue must be accompanied by keenness on the
importance of Lebanese unity in position towards external threats and regional
changes, so that Lebanon does not pay the price of any changes that the region
witnesses”.
Meeting for Organ Donation & Transplantation:
The President chaired a meeting, including Former Minister, Salim Jreisatti, the
Head of Shura State Council, Judge Fadi Elias, and Counselors: Dr. Walid Khoury,
and Brigadier, Paul Matar. The meeting was devoted to discuss the draft decree
related to organ and tissue donation and transplantation, in addition to the
criteria adopted in the decree. Congratulations to the Italian President:
President Aoun sent a telegram to Italian President, Sergio Mattarella,
congratulating him on the occasion of the Italian National Day.
President Aoun noted the strong relations which bring the two countries
together, and the existing cooperation in multiple fields.--Presidency Press
Office
Cabinet meets in session, reviews measures by Energy
Ministry in coordination with Ministries of Information and Environment to open
dialogue on Bisri Dam
NNA/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
The Council of Ministers took stock at economic measures that could contribute
to reducing the food and consumer goods’ prices, at its session headed by HE
Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
The Cabinet reviewed the measures taken by the Ministry of Energy in
coordination with the Ministries of Information and Environment to open a
dialogue with the civil society and relevant stakeholders regarding Bisri Dam.
The Minister of Information also informed the Council of Ministers about
launching panel discussions with media representatives in order to look into the
Lebanese media conditions, future and empowerment.
PM Diab started the session with a reference to the difficult social and living
conditions, which give some of the government's opponents an opportunity to
target the cabinet and incite demonstrations by pushing their supporters to go
back to blocking roads, organizingmovements aimed at provoking clashes between
people and the security forces, and exploiting every drop of blood to increase
incitement against the government.
Diab pointed out to the Ministry of Economy’s list ofbasic foodstuffs, for which
credit lines were opened for purchase from abroad, and which includes around 30
types of commodities, with encouraging indicators of a swift decrease in food
commodities prices. Prime Minister Diab called for the intensification
ofinspection patrols by the Ministry of Economy, with the support of the
Internal Security Forces in order to control price fluctuations.
Diab has stressed that this issue should stay on top of our daily agenda. All
ministries must contribute to this issue with inputs or field assistance.
The Prime Minister indicated that currency traders will resume operations
tomorrow, Wednesday, after ending their strike, according to a series of
measures and actions that will contribute to reducing the US dollarexchange
rate. He expected these measures to yieldquick results within days if they were
adhered to.
He also informed the cabinet that the second round of social assistance payments
to citizens will be launched within days, and that this assistance will continue
to be monthly disbursed until the end of the current year.
As for the Coronavirus epidemic, PM Diab explained that we are still at a
critical stage, but we can no longer continue the lockdown; there are
institutions that began to shutter; employees and workers have begun to lose
their jobs.
Diab called for strict measures to be taken, and there should be awareness among
people and commitment to measures and health protection. This is the safest way
to strike a balance between people's health and their jobs.
The Prime Minister indicated that, upon his request, the General Secretariat of
the Council of Ministers has senttoday a request to the ministries to prepare
draft ordersfor the promotion of employees from the third category to the second
category, based on the Civil Service Board’s approval.--PM Press Office
Diab meets gas station owners' delegation, Customs'
successful candidates
NNA/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab met, this afternoon at the Grand Serail, with a
delegation of the Gas Station Owners Syndicate headed by President Sami Brax.
PM Diab has also chaired a second meeting in the afternoon with the Syndicate's
delegation in the presence of the Ministers of Economy Raoul Nehme, Finance
Ghazi Wazni and Energy Raymond Ghajar, in addition to the General Director of
the General Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim.
After meeting with Prime Minister Diab, the representative of the Gas Station
Owners Syndicate George Brax assured the citizens that there will be no fuel
crisis, and that distribution to gas stations from private companies will resume
as of tomorrow, Wednesday, to fill the deficit. The meeting touched upon the
issue of cross-border smuggling, and the Syndicate's delegation detailed the
mechanism for prosecuting smugglers and holding them accountable. The meeting
took stock as well on the issue of gas stations subject to seizure reports for
hydrocarbons monopoly. The delegation reassured PM Diab that the Syndicate does
not cover any station that manipulates prices or dosage. The topic of oil
installations was brought up as well during the meeting and the delegation
requested the state's support to petroleum facilities, the increase of relevant
credit lines and needed quantities, in order to control the fuel market in the
country and prevent any monopoly of a cartel or certain companies. The Prime
Minister has also received today afternoon a delegation of successful candidates
in the customs entry competition who briefed PM Diab about their case. Prime
Minister Diab said he understood their demands and promised to take charge of
the situation. ----Grand Serail Press Office
Diab meets UN’s Kubis
NNA/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Prime Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab, met this Tuesday with UN Special Coordinator
for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, with whom he discussed the general situation in the
country as well as UNIFIL’s mandate renewal dossier.--PM Press Office
Confusion Threatens International Trust In Lebanon's
Government
Beirut - Mohammed Shukair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
A dispute over the implementation of the government’s electricity rehabilitation
plan has drawn local and international attention and criticism over the
Cabinet’s “inability to respect its decisions.”The government went back on an
earlier decision to annex the Salaata power plant project to the second phase of
the electricity rehabilitation program. President Michel Aoun had asked the
Cabinet Friday to reconsider a decision to postpone the building of a power
plant in the village of Salaata on the northern coast. To diffuse tension with
Aoun, Diab found an exit to reconsider his government’s decision, despite
rejections from the Amal Movement and the Marada Movement’s ministers. The plan
is also opposed by other political forces such as the Mustaqbal movement, the
Lebanese Forces, and the Progressive Socialist Party. Parties against the plan
said that building a third plant in Lebanon requires tens of millions of dollars
by the time the country is suffering from a dire economic and financial crisis.
A minister, who had voted in favor of the decision before the government
retracted it, stressed that Diab has “mismanaged his battle” against the head of
the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil. Speaking on condition of
anonymity, the minister told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was not aware of the
reasons behind Diab’s decision, which came after his meeting with Aoun, before
the Cabinet session that “politically harmed his government on the one hand, and
caused him international and Arab embarrassment, on the other.”A deputy also
commented on the government’s move, saying: “The government’s performance is
dominated by improvisation and confusion… which is hindering key financial,
banking and administrative appointments.” This would shake the government’s
credibility before the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the deputy noted,
especially as bold moves are required to implement the approved reform plans.
Govt. Approves Contributions to Private Free Schools, Wheat
Farmers
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni signed on Tuesday a draft decision to grant
financial contributions for private free schools for the 2015-2016 academic year
in various Lebanese governorates, the National News Agency reported on Tuesday.
The value is estimated at LBP 69,098,400,000, said NNA. Wazni also also approved
paying compensations to wheat and barley farmers for the 2018-2019 season at a
value of LBP 11 billion. Lebanon is battling its worst economic and financial
crises in decades that saw many sectors badly stricken, including its
educational sector.
Israeli forces, armed Lebanese troops square off in rare
border confrontation/Incident occurs after IDF tanks and troops cross security
fence, while remaining on Israeli side of Blue Line; UN peacekeepers arrive on
scene
The Times Of Israel/June 02/2020
Israeli soldiers and a pair of tanks squared off against armed Lebanese troops
on Tuesday while operating along the border between the countries.
The Israeli forces crossed the security fence near Kibbutz Misgav Am, but
remained on the Israeli side of the so-called Blue Line, an unofficial but
internationally recognized border. The security fence along the border is in
many areas located some distance into Israeli territory.
This appeared to be the first time that Israeli tanks crossed the fence since
the 2006 Second Lebanon War. According to Channel 12 news, this was meant to
serve as a show of control over the Israeli enclave on the other side of the
barrier.
The network later aired video showing the tanks moving back toward the fence. In
response to the crossing, a number of Lebanese troops armed with rifles and
rocket-propelled grenade launchers arrived at the scene, standing several meters
from the tanks. Peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
also came to the area to act as mediators and prevent violence. Lebanon’s
official National News Agency said the Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers were
mobilized after “Israeli enemy infantry troops, backed by two Merkava tanks…
crossed the technical fence” near the Lebanese village of Adaisseh. No shots
were fired, and no injuries were reported. In April, Israel Defense Forces
troops and Lebanese army soldiers also faced off in the same area, with photos
from that irregular incident showing the two sides raising weapons at each other
and UN personnel standing in between.
There has been a recent uptick in smuggling and infiltration attempts along the
Israeli-Lebanese security fence, which the IDF believes is the result of the
Hezbollah terror group either intentionally turning a blind eye to the area,
allowing crime to flourish, or losing its control over the border. Earlier
Tuesday, the IDF said a Syrian national who was shot after he crossed the border
into Israel from Lebanon last month, apparently to perform reconnaissance on
behalf of Hezbollah, was sent back to Lebanon. Israel has fought two wars in
Lebanon, one in 1982 against Palestinian terrorists and one in 2006 against the
Lebanese Hezbollah, as well as numerous operations against terror groups in the
country.
Lebanese Troops Take Combat Positions in Border Standoff
with Israelis
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Tensions surged Tuesday afternoon in the southern border area of Adaisseh after
an Israeli force advanced into an area claimed by Lebanon. “An Israeli Merkava
tank advanced into a disputed area without violating the Blue Line, as the
Lebanese Army, Lebanese security forces and UNIFIL peacekeepers deployed heavily
on the Lebanese side and prevented the Israeli tank from breaching the Blue
Line,” MTV reported. “Lebanese Army soldiers took combat positions and an
atmosphere of tension engulfed the area,” MTV added.
Al-Manar TV meanwhile said that “three Merkava tanks and a personnel carrier
carried out a significant maneuver in the occupied part of the Lebanese town of
Adaisseh near the Miskav Am settlement.”“Two tanks crossed the electronic fence
and staged provocations by stirring heavy smoke in the face of the Lebanese Army
and UNIFIL forces,” al-Manar added. Lebanon's National News Agency meanwhile
said an Israeli infantry force crossed the electronic fence through the metallic
gate at the al-Mahafer area in Adaisseh's outskirts, assisted by two Merkava
tanks. “The infantry force scoured and combed the aforementioned area without
breaching the Blue Line, as the Lebanese Army went on alert and brought a number
of military vehicles,” NNA said. The agency added that a UNIFIL-affiliated team
also arrived on the Israeli side of the border in a bid to diffuse the standoff.
“After strong explosions were heard echoing throughout the border towns, it
turned out that the enemy was carrying out a military drill along the border,”
NNA said.
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Tuesday warned
anti-government protesters
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Tuesday warned
anti-government protesters against insulting political leaders, the blocking of
roads and what he described as “provocation.”“Insults against the President and
the Parliament Speaker are unacceptable,” Fahmi said, commenting on the latest
protests outside the Baabda palace and the Ain el-Tineh palace. “I'm with
peaceful demonstrations, but the blocking of roads is prohibited,” the minister
added. “Let them be peaceful during protests and I'll be with them, but
provocation is prohibited,” Fahmi went on to say.Commenting on the attacks on
protesters' cars in Ain el-Tineh at the hands of members of Parliament Police,
the minister said: “These members don't belong to the Interior Ministry and have
no authority over them.”
Strong Lebanon' bloc calls to speed up talks with IMF,
finalize appointments
NNA/June 02/2020
The "Strong Lebanon" parliamentary bloc on Tuesday called the government to
speed up the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund in order
to determine Lebanon's need of funds. The bloc, which convened in a periodic
meeting under MP Gebran Bassil's chairmanship, also urged the government to
finalize appointments, especially within the central bank and the affiliated
institutions. "Time is pressing, and stalling will take a toll on the financial
and livelihood condition," the bloc said in a statement. On a different note,
the bloc renewed rejection of "lies" regarding the Selaata power plant,
reminding that the location was selected in 1978. Furthermore, conferees
highlighted the necessity to help private schools amid threats of closure due to
the ailing financial situation. Accordingly, the bloc indicated that it had
decided to submit a law proposal to support the sector with 300 billion L.L.
Moreover, the bloc upped calls upon the government and the Minister of Justice
to endorse a decree on the repatriation of "those who fled to occupied
Palestine."
Mustaqbal Takes Swipe at Diab and 'Ruling Party' over Cabinet
Powers
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc warned Tuesday against what it called “the
deliberate political and partisan hegemony over of the powers of the Council of
Ministers.”In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc said there
is an attempt to turn Cabinet into “an institution without constitutional
competence, whose goal is to implement the agendas of the ruling party and
accept its decisions, directives and orders.”“The last session of the Council of
Ministers and its statement regarding the electricity plan and the revival of
the Salaata plant, in opposition to a previous decision issued by the Council,
had a bad impact on the Lebanese public opinion,” Mustaqbal lamented. It added:
“The bloc holds the Prime Minister directly responsible for this negligence and
warns the political forces concerned with securing the political cover for the
government of the dangers of the policies that tend towards overthrowing the
Taef Acoord and turning the third presidency (premiership) into an insignificant
entity in the political system.”
Fourth Stage of Repatriations Begins June 11
Naharnet/June 02/2020
The fourth stage of a government plan to repatriate Lebanese, kicks off on June
11 and is expected to bring back around 2500 nationals wishing to return home
amid the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus, LBCI TV station reported on Tuesday.
The Middle East Airlines will operate flights for five consecutive days
beginning June 11 until June 15. Moreover on Tuesday, Lebanon completed the
fifth stage of repatriating nationals through its north border crossings with
Syria. Lebanese stranded in the neighboring country were repatriated based on a
government plan and in coordination with the ministry of health. The General
Security members on el-Abboudieh northern border crossing supervised the
process. Medical teams conducted PCR tests on the returnees.
Hariri: Al-Akhbar Seeks to Sabotage Lebanon's Dialogue with IMF
Naharnet/June 02/2020
Former PM Saad Hariri’s media office described as “false” the news published in
al-Akhbar newspaper allegedly urging the IMF not to provide assistance for
lebanon. “Al-Akhbar daily in its Tuesday edition published an article claiming
that figures and advisors close to Hariri have sent messages to the
International Monetary Fund inciting it not to help Lebanon,” Hariri’s media
office said in a statement. “The Press office confirms that this article is the
brainchild of alAkhbar newspaper that considers resorting to the (help) IMF a
conspiracy against the economy of Lebanon, while daily inciting to sabotage the
ongoing dialogue with it through various lies and allegations,” added the
statement.
Lebanese Plunges to Death in Belarus
Naharnet/June 02/2020
A Lebanese man died in Belarus after falling from the balcony of his residence,
the National News Agency reported on Tuesday. Abdullah Khodr Lzeiq , 23, from
the southern town of Dweir, was scheduled to return to Lebanon next Saturday
after completing his university studies in general medicine, NNA said. The
agency said that the body of the deceased will be flown into Lebanon later for
burial. It was reported that he had an accident and fell over from the balcony
of his residence. He was taken to one of the city's hospitals but succumbed to
his wounds shortly after, according to MTV station.
MP from Lebanese Speaker Berri's Bloc Accuses Aoun of
Violating Constitution
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Lebanese MP Anwar al-Khalil, a member of the Development and Liberation bloc
headed by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, launched an attack on President Michel
Aoun, saying that the Constitution and laws were “violated almost continuously”
during his tenure and stressing that the government was suffering from internal
divisions. While Khalil began his open letter by asserting that it represents
his personal opinion, presidential sources and a number of deputies of the Free
Patriotic Movement (FPM), which was founded by Aoun, refused to comment on his
remarks, while others replied by saying: “We did not read the message.”“This is
not the first time that Khalil launches accusations against Aoun,” FPM sources
told Asharq Al-Awsat, asking for evidence about constitutional violations.
“Berri had previously said that Khalil was expressing his own opinion, which was
clearly stated in the deputy’s message,” the sources added.
In his letter, Khalil pointed to “repeated words and deeds showing that the
government is not doing well, and the divisions within it from the top of the
pyramid to the last minister are clear and explicit.”The deputy spoke of
“matters that deeply affect the course of the nation’s unity and the process to
stop the continuous deterioration in the relationship between the components of
the country and its political parties and the horrific economic and financial
fragmentation.” Addressing Aoun, he said: “The Constitution, laws and national
partnership have been violated almost continuously since the beginning of your
tenure, and the examples are many...”What happened to your economic and social
reform? During your auspicious era, economic indicators in Lebanon have fallen
to the lowest levels to be only preceded by Venezuela, which occupies the worst
and last place.” he remarked. Khalil warned against “the social explosion that
has begun to materialize and will expand into boundless limits, because the
hungry and rightful will not let you live in peace.”
Syrian infiltrator injured by IDF fire returned to Lebanon
Jerusalem Post/June 02/2020
The suspect had been treated in Israel and was released after an investigation.
A Syrian national working as a shepherd in Lebanon who was shot by IDF soldiers
after he infiltrated over the Lebanese border into Israel was transferred to the
Red Cross in Lebanon through the Rosh Hanikra border crossing on Tuesday,
according to an IDF statement. The suspect had been treated in Israel and was
released after an investigation. "The IDF views every attempt to violate Israeli
sovereignty severely," said the IDF statement. Recommended by While Lebanese
media said that the shepherd, Mohammed Noureddine Abdul Azim, had been shot
while in Lebanon as his animals were grazing nearby, the IDF said he crossed
some 100 meters into Israel near Mount Dov, also known as Sheeba Farms.
According to Channel 12 news, troops from the IDF’s Golani brigade deployed to
the area identified Azim crossing the border and fired warning shots in the air
to stop him. Instead of returning to Lebanon, Azim began to run and hid between
rocks. A soldier then saw him put his hand into his pocket and fearing he was
drawing weapon, fired upon him. Just days before the incident on Mount Dov, a
senior IDF officer stationed in the area told The Jerusalem Post that many
shepherds in the area are known to collect intelligence on troop movement. The
officer said that the IDF has identified several locations along the Golan
Heights where they know Hezbollah collects intelligence on Israel and warned
that “whoever crosses the demilitarized zone into Israel is considered a threat
and the IDF will respond accordingly.”
On Friday evening, the Lebanese Army arrested five Sudanese nationals in
southern Lebanon as they attempted to cross the border fence into Israeli
territory, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA). Also, on Friday,
NNA reported that the IDF fired at a shepherd in Jabal Al-Shahl, north of Mount
Hermon. The shepherd was not injured in the incident. Three of the Sudanese were
arrested near Khalit Wardeh in Aita al-Shaab, north of the Galilee, and another
two were arrested in the town of Houla, east of Qiryat Shemona. Avichay Adraee,
the IDF Arabic language spokesman, posted a video on Twitter on Monday, pointing
out the increase in the number of infiltration attempts along the Israel-Lebanon
border and adding that the IDF had intensified its operations along the border
in response. "We expect the Lebanese government and the international forces
operating in southern Lebanon to impose their control and prevent these
attempts," tweeted Adraee.
*Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.
Japan seeks Lebanese cooperation in Carlos Ghosn case
Arab News/NNA/June 02/2020
Japan’s Deputy Justice Minister Hiroyuki Yoshiie said Monday he hoped Lebanon
would cooperate in the case of Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan boss who fled
house arrest in Tokyo for Beirut last year. Ghosn was awaiting trial in Japan,
where he faces multiple charges claiming he under-reported millions of dollars
in salary as Nissan chairman, when he made his secretive escape at the end of
December. He denies all charges. The 65-year-old businessman holds Brazilian,
French and Lebanese nationalities. Japan and Lebanon do not have an extradition
treaty. Japan has requested Ghosn’s return through Interpol and issued an arrest
warrant after his escape. "The Lebanese judiciary is sovereign and only Lebanese
citizens and those present on Lebanon’s territory fall under its jurisdiction,"
President Michel Aoun said during his meeting with Yoshiie. The meeting was also
attended by Lebanese Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najem and Japan’s Ambassador
to Lebanon Takeshi Okubo. "Lebanon and Japan do not have a judicial cooperation
agreement and have not signed an extradition treaty," Aoun told Yoshiie. "Ghosn
entered Lebanon through Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut legally,
with a French passport and a Lebanese identity card. The circumstances of his
departure from Japan and his move to Beirut are not yet known and he did not
disclose them during the press conference he held in Beirut." Presidential
spokesman Rafik Shalala told Arab News that the Japanese minister did not ask
for Ghosn’s extradition, but explained his country’s view on the issue and
reiterated his country’s desire to further develop relations with Lebanon.
"Lebanon is keen to develop the best relations with Japan and is reacting
positively in supporting the candidacy of Japanese nationals in international
forums and councils," Aoun said during the meeting. He also said that Lebanon
had sent correspondence to Japan about the Ghosn case but had yet to receive an
official response. The president thanked Japan for the cash grants to
international agencies operating in Lebanon and said these were communicated to
Lebanon in a letter from the Japanese ambassador in Beirut. Last week Japan’s
Justice Minister Masako Mori said the government would send a senior judicial
official to request Lebanon’s cooperation in collecting information about
Ghosn’s escape. "It is important to get Lebanon to understand the Japanese
criminal justice system correctly," Mori added. Ghosn has criticized Japan’s
legal system, telling a news conference earlier this year that he had fled
"injustice and political persecution" after he was left with no other choice but
to protect himself and his family. "The Japanese judicial system should not be
based on the idea of revenge," he added.Arab News has learned that the Lebanese
judiciary denied Ghosn’s request to remove the security guards from outside his
Beirut house because the property is owned by Nissan and is therefore private.
---
Sheikh Akl meets US ambassador, receives phone call from
Sleiman
NNA/June 02/2020
Druze Sheikh Akl, Naim Hassan, on Tuesday met at the House of the Druze
Community in Beirut, US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, accomapnied by the
Embassy's Political Attache. Talks reportedly touched on the general situation
and most recent developments. On emerging, Ambassador Shea said that this was
her first visit to the Druze community House since assuming her new mission in
Lebanon. The Ambassador underlined her country's keenness to strengthen
relations between the two countries. On the other hand, Sheikh Hassan recieved a
phone call from former President Michel Sleiman, wellwishing him on the occasion
of the holy Fitr Eid. The phone call was a chance to dwell on an array of
national matters.
Tenenti to NNA: UNIFIL facilitated crossing to Lebanon of
Syrian who received treatment in Israeli hospital
NNA/June 02/2020
UNIFIL spokesperson, Andre Tenenti, told the National News Agency on Tuesday
that the peacekeeping mission had facilitated the crossing of a Syrian national
into Lebanon after receiving medical treatment in an Israeli hospital.
He indicated that the operation was coordinated with the International Red Cross
Committee and the Lebanese Armed Forces. On May 17, Israeli enemy troops shot
and wounded a shepherd of Syrian nationality in the vicinity of Kfarshouba,
before they detained him and transported him into the occupied lands.
According to Tenenti, the shooting is still under investigation by the UNIFIL
and the concerned sides.
Hariri’s press office issues rebuttal against “Al-Akhbar”
NNA/June 02/2020
Former Prime Minister, Saad Hariri’s press office issued on Tuesday a rebuttal
against “Al-Akhbar” daily:
“Al-Akhbar” newspaper published today an article claiming that “people and
advisers close to Prime Minister Saad Hariri” have sent messages to the
International Monetary Fund inciting it not to help Lebanon.
The Press office underlines that this article is the brainchild of “Al-Akhbar”
that considers resorting to the IMF a conspiracy against the economy of Lebanon
and incites daily to sabotage the ongoing dialogue with IMF through various lies
and allegations.”
Hoballah meets Sfeir over agreement with ABL to support
industrial sector
NNA/June 02/2020
Industry Minister, Imad Hoballah, on Tuesday met with a delegation from the
Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) chaired by Salim Sfeir. Both sides mainly
discussed an agreement to support the industrial sector. According to this
agreement, the ABL will contribute to any initiative aimed at supporting the
industrial sector. Minister Hoballah, who read out the agreement between the two
parties, thanked the ABL for its cooperation,
Dr. Ghazi Zaatari receives prestigious World No Tobacco Day
2020 Award
NNA/June 02/2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced its 2020 awardees in each of
the six WHO regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control.
Dr. Ghazi Zaatari, interim dean of the Faculty of Medicine at AUB, professor of
pathology and laboratory medicine, has received the prestigious World No Tobacco
Day 2020 Award as one of the Eastern Mediterranean Region winners. The award
recognizes individuals or institutions based on their outstanding contribution
to the advancement of the policies and measures contained in the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control and its guidelines, particularly in relation to
the theme of World No Tobacco Day. "It is a great honor for the university and
for Dr. Zaatari to have him recognized with the 2020 WHO No Tobacco Award. Dr.
Zaatari is a distinguished and determined scholar, and an advocate for a
tobacco-free tomorrow like few others," said Dr. Fadlo Khuri, president of AUB.
"In organizing the working group around the waterpipe, he has collaborated with
stellar scholars from across the university, with the shared vision of making
this deadly form of inhalational tobacco a thing of the past. Despite the
tremendous efforts of our group, the waterpipe remains a major risk factor,
increasing in utilization in Lebanese and Arab society. It is great scholar
advocates like Dr. Zaatari and his colleagues including Drs. Alan Shihadeh,
Najat Saliba, and others at AUB who will help make tomorrow safer for the
youth."
Dr. Zaatari is a distinguished pathologist renowned for his investigative work
on tobacco control, tobacco product regulation, and health effects of tobacco
products, including novel products. He is actively involved with the
Geneva-based WHO Tobacco Free Initiative (currently No Tobacco Unit), and its
Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg). In 2008, he was appointed by
the WHO director general as chair of this study group, a position he continues
to hold to date.
He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Tobacco Laboratory Network (TobLabNet),
which establishes standard operating procedures and validates testing for
chemicals and toxicants in the contents and emissions of a variety of tobacco
products. The work of TobReg has culminated in publishing several WHO Technical
Reports on Tobacco Product Regulation, manuals such as The Basics of Tobacco
Product Regulation and Building Laboratory Testing Capacity, and advisories such
as Advisory on Waterpipe Smoking, Advisory on Global Nicotine Reduction
Strategy, Advisory on Banning Menthol in Tobacco Products, and Smokeless Tobacco
and Public Health: A Global Perspective. The latter was completed in
collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CD),
National Cancer Institute (NCI), and WHO. These references are used globally by
countries interested in tobacco product regulations based on scientific evidence
and data. In 2015, Dr. Zaatari was selected by WHO Convention Secretariat of the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to serve on a seven-member expert
team to conduct a global impact assessment of FCTC ten years after its adoption
as an international treaty to control worldwide tobacco use. He was instrumental
in bringing the FCTC Conference of Parties to make a landmark decision on
regulating waterpipe smoking. In 2016 and under his joint initiative with Dr.
Vera De Costa E. Silva, the Head of the Convention Secretariat of FCTC, AUB,
represented by President Fadlo Khuri, signed a memorandum of understanding to
have AUB designated as a global Knowledge Hub (KH) for Waterpipe Tobacco
Smoking. At present, Dr. Zaatari serves as its director. Dr. Zaatari has a
strong passion for tobacco control and over the years he has participated in
several civil society activities and served as an expert and speaker on tobacco
control and tobacco product regulations at numerous regional and international
meetings and congresses.--AUB
The Sad Truth about the 'Resistance' is Exposed When it is
Most Needed
أياد أبو شقرا: الحقيقة المحزنة عن المقاومة قج تعرت وفضحت وخيبت الأمال وانحرت عم
علة وجودها وخانت كل شعاراته
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al Awsat/June 02/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/86891/eyad-abu-shakra-the-sad-truth-about-the-resistance-is-exposed-when-it-is-most-needed-%d8%a3%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%af-%d8%a3%d8%a8%d9%88-%d8%b4%d9%82%d8%b1%d8%a7-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%82%d9%8a%d9%82/
Lebanon witnessed three significant events the “stars” of which were the current
premier, the Secretary general of Hezbollah, and a parliamentary deputy from the
president’s political party.
The premier, on the occasion of his cabinet completing 100 days in office,
boasted to the Lebanese that it has achieved 97 percent of what it had promised
to achieve. This is incredible news, given the political tension, the financial
and economic crises, the collapse of Lebanon’s Arab relations, and its failure
thus far to meet the conditions of the international community for the badly
needed cash. More incredible still, is that the same premier wrote in a major US
daily, within hours of his great news, that Lebanon was threatened by hunger!
The second event was the speech given by Hezbollah’s secretary general
commemorating Al-Quds Day. His speech was a repeat of his past stances and
slogans, which time has proven that they have nothing to do with liberating
Jerusalem (Al-Quds), preparing to win back Palestine, protecting Lebanon, saving
Syria, or preventing the US from fiddling with Islamic unity. Indeed, it has
become clear some time ago that “the Resistance” – meaning the Iranian regime –
has lost a lot its credibility in Lebanon. The October uprising’s mass protests
in Hezbollah’s southern Lebanon have shown that this is true even in its
traditional stronghold.
Before this development, the truth about Hezbollah came out in the Arab world,
after it fought in Syria alongside other militias run by Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards (IRGC), in order to implement Tehran’s bloody regional strategy. Despite
this, the secretary general’s continued to talk about the “victories” of
Tehran’s axis, and the Israeli “crises” and America’s “problems”. He even
boasted about the “disintegration of their projects”, while totally ignoring the
almost daily raids on Iranian positions inside Syria without reply, and the
continuation of the Israeli rightwing the policy of annexation of territories,
from Jerusalem to the Golan Heights… also without reply!
As regards to Lebanon, Hezbollah – through its secretary general – seems to be
satisfied to how its political puppet is running the show. It does not appear
unduly bothered about the people’s suffering from the systematic plundering,
destruction of institutions, the brain drain, the collapse of local currency,
the smuggling of cash and goods through illegal border crossings; not
forgetting, of course, the COVID-19 and its repercussions.
Finally, the third significant event, was a TV interview with a lawmaker from
President Michel Aoun’s party, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). During this
interview, the MP broke the taboo of saying that it was no more possible for
Hezbollah’s military arsenal and the people’s hunger to coexist! The MP, who
represents a South Lebanon constituency with Shiite villages, has thus touched
on an issue the pro-Iranian militia regards as its raison d’etre and the
indispensable means for building its future “state”. However, the significance
of what the MP (one of the parliament’s 128 members) does not stem from his
particular influence or political weight, but because it reflects a popular and
populist mood that even the Aounists cannot ignore any more. This is not a sign
of good will among the Aounists, who until now are indebted to Hezbollah for
making him president.
Such a development raises questions as to whether Hezbollah will now
automatically nominate Gibran Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law, the chairman of the
FPM, and until recently Iran’s favorite presidential candidate, to succeed his
father-in-law. Of course, figures from both sides were quick to play down the
significance of the rift, and rushed to reconfirm the steadfastness of the
Hezbollah – Aoun “alliance”. Leaders from both sides may well be hesitant about
a break up; however, this “alliance” was always a “marriage of convenience” and
an opportunistic coalition that brought together extremist Shiites and extremist
Christians for the following reasons:
1- The common animosity against the “Taif Accords: Hezbollah wants to undermine
the accords because they presented a formula upon which a proper “state” is
founded, but which the party does not believe in. As for the Aounists, they
opposed the accords because they claim they have weakened the Christians by
taking away some executive powers from the Presidency and giving them to the
cabinet.
2- The animosity both sides share against “political Sunnism”, which was made
easier as Iran’s expansionist project gained momentum and exploited the notion
of “the Alliance of Minorities” (i.e. against the Arab Sunni majority). Indeed,
the Iranian project was the main beneficiary from bringing down the
“Sunni-faced” rule of the Saddam Hussein in the strategically crucial Iraq, and
filling the vacuum there with Tehran’s henchmen.
3- The further expansion of Iran’s influence and military presence, the need
grew for a Christian “cover”, both locally and globally. Getting rid of ex-Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri – a true symbol of “Taif” – was always a major piece of
the jigsaw of the expansion map that included Bashar Assad’s Syria. However, the
international reactions to Hariri’s assassination led to ending direct Syrian
military presence in Lebanon; a presence that for a long time concealed the
“organic” relationship between the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Thus, no sooner
had the Syrian troops left that Tehran took over the de facto military and
security, welcomed the return of Aoun from exile, and entrusted him with
undermining the anti-Damascus-Tehran bloc… which he did. Within a short time of
Aoun’s return from France, he built his coalition with Hezbollah, which secured
him the Presidency and cemented his position by a suitable electoral system,
while Aoun provided the Christian cover the pro-Tehran militia needed for
fighting in Syria on the side of Assad regime.
The questions that are being asked now are: how long could this “marriage of
convenience” last while Lebanon sinks in its acute problems, noting that these
problems fueled the October 2019 uprising, made even worse by COVID-2019, and
the aftermath of Hezbollah’s drop in revenues as a result of US sanctions
against Iran, and sharp drop in oil prices?
Will the Aounists’ Christian “environment” tolerate the acute living conditions,
bankruptcy, and hemorrhage of emigration, if the only thing it shares with
Hezbollah’s “environment” is the hatred to others?
And, will Hezbollah’s supporters, whose leaders have long convinced them of
forgetting the past of the Christian “ally” – including its sympathy with
pro-Israel elements, forgive such “betrayal” ...or will it continue – along with
Iran – to bet on Bassil?
Japan denies pressuring IMF to extradite Carlos Ghosn
Jacob Boswall, Al Arabiya/ EnglishTuesday 02 June 2020
Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi Tuesday denied allegations that Japan
is using former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn’s extradition as a condition for
IMF support to Lebanon. Motegi claimed that Japan would never seek to further
destabilize Lebanon’s beleaguered economy, distancing himself from remarks made
by Nissan’s representative in Lebanon at the weekend. Late last year, Ghosn fled
to Lebanon from Japan, where he is wanted for allegedly committing financial
irregularities as Nissan’s chief. Ghosn was able to remain in Lebanon, his home
country, because it does not have a formal extradition treaty with Japan. Sakher
Hachem, who represents Nissan in Lebanon, recently told Arab News Japan that the
Lebanese authorities would have to deport Ghosn to Japan if they wish to receive
funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But Motegi denied Hachem’s allegations. “With the influx of Syrian refugees, the
economic crisis, and the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic facing Lebanon, as well
as given the general situation in the Middle East, we must avoid any situation
that would make Lebanon more unstable,” Motegi said during a press conference,
according to local Lebanese media. A legal source in Lebanon supported Motegi’s
claim that Japan has not sought to interfere in the IMF’s potential bail-out to
Lebanon. “There is nothing to suggest that Ghosn’s presence in Lebanon would
cause the IMF to withhold financial aid from Lebanon,” the source told Arabiya
English. “Until now, there has been nothing from the Japanese side about this
matter,” he added.
"55 slightly sinister stories” by Racha Mourtada
Racha Mourtada/Annahar/June 02/2020
Today marks the day Andrews McMeel Publishing will be releasing its edition of
‘55 slightly sinister stories’ by Lebanese author Racha Mourtada.
In this issue of Carpe Diem, and with permission from the original publishing
house, five of the stories included in Mourtada’s book will be shared with the
section’s readers, as a sneak peek into the world this talented Lebanese author
has designed within the pages of her writing.
Author’s Note: These stories are the product of a fascination with microfiction,
a love of eccentric tales, and a New Year’s resolution to write one 55-wordstory
a day (which lasted till May 5; I have a thing for tidy endings). I suggest two
or three stories as part of your recommended daily literary intake. Happy
reading!
Growing Pains
The spring before turning thirteen, they discovered a hole in the wall between
their two schools, big enough for a petite preteen or her gangly crush to
squeeze through. Puberty had other plans, though. Over the summer, her chest
filled out and his shoulders broadened, making the scramble through impossible.
They simply outgrew each other.
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (Part I)
He remembers her when it snows. That’s how they met forty years ago, two
clueless souls searching for a donut fix in a blizzard. They live in California
now, and he keeps looking at her with vacant eyes. She thumbs through the Alaska
brochures, contemplating a future where he smiles when she enters a room.
Deadly Detox
She had nightmares of choking on her food while her boyfriend was away, so she
switched to a liquid diet for a week. Woozy with hunger, she forgot to wipe up
the spill from her overzealous juicer. He found her prostrate body on the
kitchen floor, traces of a ginger-carrot concoction on her sticky soles.
Symbiosis
He was her rock—infallible—until he got sick. He started depending on her
completely, which she grew to enjoy. But he was getting better now, and soon he
wouldn’t need her. She noticed how much her aspirin tablets resembled his
medication. She felt guilty prolonging his illness, but at least he would be
headache-free.
Lovesick
She passed out at the sight of the beautiful bedouin boy. Who knew love lurked
in Sanaa, Yemen, at 7,382 feet? Together, they explored the country. Off the
coast of Aden, she felt her passion start to slip away with the tide. She
realized, too late, that she might have mistaken altitude sickness for love.
This book is written by Racha Mourtada, illustrated by Lynn Atme, and published
by Andrews Mcmeel Publishing
Racha Mourtada is the founder of Luqoom, a boutique publishing house for pretty
picture books based in Beirut. She has had a diverse career–working as a
biomedical engineer, a UN researcher, and a public policy analyst–throughout
which the one constant has been her love of writing. An alumnus of Faber
Academy's 'Novel Writing Course' and the inaugural 'Columbia Publishing Course'
at Oxford University, she decided to leave her corporate life in Dubai and move
back to her native Beirut in the summer of 2017 to set up her publishing house
and focus on her writing. Her first book of flash fiction, 55 slightly sinister
stories, has been published by Andrews McMeel Universal (out June 2nd, 2020).
She has also written a children's book, Swingers, Clingers and Other Amazing
Animals in Motion and had one of her short stories, Prelude, published by the
online literary journal, Sukoon.
Welcome to Carpe Diem, Annahar's new literary section featuring poetry- old and
new, published or hidden within the nooks of unveiled pages of Lebanese writers.
We welcome all contributions with the caveat that the section hopes to see
rawness and authenticity in thought and emotion. Please send inquiries to Carpe
Diem editor kantarjianperla@gmail.com
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
June 02-03/2020
US court: Iran, Syria, Hamas, IJ can
be liable for 'lone wolf' attackers
Jerusalem Post/June 02/2020
The court only decided liability, and could take years to decide actual damages
for certain Knife Intifada-era attacks.
A US federal court in Washington has set a new precedent with a default judgment
that Iran, Syria, Hamas and Islamic Jihad can be held liable for wrongful death
damages for the actions of certain “lone-wolf” attackers. The game-changing
decision means that terrorist groups and state sponsors of terrorism could be
hit with million- and even billion-dollar judgments for the 2015-2016 “Knife
Intifada” and for other lone-wolf attacks going forward, if there is proof
connecting them to specific attacks behind the scenes. Many lone-wolf attacks
still have no connection to any group and someone who spontaneously grabs a
kitchen knife to stab an Israeli soldier would not be included in this decision.
A default judgment means that none of the defendants in the case showed up to
defend against the charges. Sometimes in such cases, the parties make attempts
to frustrate collection of the judgment at a later stage.
Although the decision in the approximately five-year-old case in favor of NGO
Shurat Hadin and most of the 44 plaintiffs it represents was formally handed
down on Sunday, it was only publicized Tuesday morning. A few plaintiffs’ cases
were dismissed. Often in such cases, some plaintiffs are dismissed due to
questions about their US citizenship, minor status or foundational questions
about the damage alleged. The court only decided liability, and could take some
more years to decide actual damages for certain “Knife Intifada”-era attacks, as
well as some other attacks between 2008-2018.
Former COGAT official Aryeh Spitzen and anti-terrorism expert Noa Meridor were
instrumental in the case by explaining to the court how terrorist groups and
state sponsors of terrorism can work behind the scenes to facilitate terrorist
attacks, which then may seem to be spontaneous lone-wolf attacks. Their
explanation was that Iran and Syria gave training, arms, financial and
logistical support to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who then helped foment and direct
a range of the attacks during the 2015-2016 period under the guise of being lone
wolves. Shurat Hadin has won judgments against Iran, Syria, Hamas and terrorist
groups in the past, but this is the first time that anyone has won a US judgment
against such groups for sponsoring lone wolves. More specifically, the court
found that Hamas carried out the March 8, 2016, stabbing and murder of plaintiff
Taylor Force, the January 27, 2016, stabbing of plaintiff Menachem Mendel Rivkin,
the October 13, 2015, bus massacre, which killed plaintiff Richard Lakin, the
August 19, 2011, rocket attack on Schuel Brauner, the November 21, 2012, rocket
attack emotionally injuring plaintiffs Daniella Parnas, Noa Parnas, Dana Parnas,
and A.P. (a plaintiff whose name is under gag order) and the March 6, 2008,
shooting and killing of plaintiff Avraham David Moses and injuring plaintiff
Naftali Shitrit at the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva. The court also found that Islamic
Jihad carried out the October 28, 2014, shooting of former MK Yehudah Glick,
resulting in his severe physical injuries.
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Shurat Hadin’s president said, “this is a significant
and precedent-setting decision for terrorist victims. The court found that
behind each terrorist stands a terrorist organization, so this was not just a
spontaneous wave of attacks... but rather a directed and orchestrated move by
Hamas.”
She added the key to preventing such waves of violence is to go after the
terrorist groups behind the wave.
Plane Carrying Iran Scientist Jailed in US Has Taken off,
Zarif Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that a plane had
taken off from the United States carrying scientist Sirous Asgari after his
apparent release from a US prison. "Good news, a plane carrying Dr. Sirous
Asgari has taken off from America. Congratulations to his wife and family," he
wrote in a post on his Instagram account. In April 2016, the materials science
professor was indicted as US federal prosecutors accused him of stealing trade
secrets in violation of US sanctions on Iran. A federal judge in Ohio acquitted
Asgari in November and US authorities said earlier last month that the
59-year-old Asgari, who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in April, was
expected to be deported by the United States once he received medical clearance
to leave. Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy Homeland Security secretary, earlier
told The Associated Press that the DHS had started to try to deport Asgari on
Dec. 12 following his acquittal. However, he said, Iran refused to recognize him
as legitimately Iranian and provide him with a valid passport until late
February. Once Asgari received the passport, DHS made several attempts to fly
him back to Iran, purchasing tickets for flights on March 10, March 18, March
23, April 1 and May 1, according to Cuccinelli. Each of those flights was
cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, he said. Asgari’s supporters told The
Guardian newspaper in April he had contracted the coronavirus while imprisoned.
He had been held at Louisiana's Winn Correctional Center by US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement before his deportation, they said. Iran's deputy education
minister, Hossein Salar Amoli, recently said Asgari had recovered from the virus
and would be able to travel, IRNA reported. Both Iran and the United States hold
a number of each other's nationals and they have recently called for them to be
released amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Iran is battling what is the region’s
deadliest outbreak of the virus, while the US has reported the highest total
number of deaths worldwide from the disease. Iran is holding at least five
Americans and the US has 19 Iranians in detention, according to a list compiled
by AFP based on official statements and media reports.
Iran Bemoans Ill-Discipline as Coronavirus Cases Swell Again
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Iran on Tuesday lamented that people were ignoring social distancing rules as it
reported more than 3,000 new coronavirus infections in a second cresting wave.
"The fact that people have become completely careless regarding this disease"
was of great concern, said Health Minister Saeed Namaki, according to AFP. "They
either have total confidence in us or think the coronavirus has gone. The latter
is not true at all," the ISNA news agency quoted him as saying. His remarks came
as health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 3,117 new cases were
confirmed in Iran in the past 24 hours. This had brought the overall caseload to
157,562, he added. Infections have been on a rising trajectory in the country
since hitting a near two-month low on May 2. They were at their highest on March
30 after hitting 3,186. Jahanpour said the virus had claimed another 64 lives in
the past day, raising the overall death toll to 7,942.The latest caseload was
close to the highest daily count for the region's deadliest outbreak of
COVID-19. The government has largely lifted the restrictions it imposed to stem
the outbreak that first emerged in mid-February. Experts both at home and abroad
have voiced skepticism about Iran's official figures, saying the real toll could
be much higher.
UN Welcomes Libyan Warring Parties' Agreement to Restart
Talks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
The United Nations' Libya mission said Tuesday the country's warring parties had
agreed to restart talks aimed at reaching a lasting ceasefire, after a
three-month suspension. In a statement, UNSMIL "welcomed" moves by the Libyan
National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, and Government of National
Accord (GNA) to accept "restarting negotiations on a ceasefire and the related
security arrangements". A military commission made up of five Haftar delegates
and five GNA loyalists held talks in February, but the dialogue was suspended.A
January truce brokered by GNA backer Turkey and Russia has been repeatedly
violated. Neither side immediately commented on the UN statement. Haftar's rapid
advance on Tripoli last year stalled to a bloody stalemate on the edges of the
capital. In recent weeks, GNA forces buoyed by Turkish support have taken back a
string of coastal towns and a key airbase, The UN mission urged "states backing
either of the belligerents to respect what was agreed at the Berlin conference"
in late January, where world leaders committed to ending all foreign meddling in
Libya and to uphold a much-violated arms embargo. UNSMIL also voiced hopes that
the resumption of talks by the joint military commission would be "the start of
a truce on the ground and a humanitarian truce to provide the opportunity to
reach a final ceasefire deal."
Syrian Stock Market Halts Trading for Makhlouf's Company
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Syria´s stock market on Tuesday suspended trading for the largest cellular
company in the country, owned by a cousin of the president and one of Syria´s
richest businessmen. The decision by the Syrian Commission of Financial Markets
and Securities marked another development in a deepening financial dispute
within the Assad family, which has ruled Syria for five decades. The company,
Syriatel, is one of the country's largest employers, with thousands of staff and
11 million subscribers. The commission said its measure aims to protect
shareholders and that the suspension would last until further notice. It did not
elaborate. The businessman, Rami Makhlouf, a maternal cousin of President Bashar
Assad, said in an online posting after the decision late on Monday that the
situation was a "farce." He said that over the past 10 years, 70% of the
company´s profits were spent on charity. "No one will be able to prevent this
money from reaching" those in need, he vowed. Last month, a Syrian court imposed
a travel ban on Makhlouf until a dispute over outstanding financial dues is
settled. The ban was one in a recent quick succession of government measures
against Makhlouf, including confiscating his assets and those of his wife and
children, and warning that more financial claims would be made against the man
once believed to be at the heart of the economy of Syria. Makhlouf´s latest
posting is in line with what has been an unusually widely publicized family
rift. He has defiantly challenged the financial claims made against him, saying
they are unjust and called for Assad to be an arbiter. Assad has made no public
statements about the affair - the most visible split in the tight-knit family
since Assad succeeded his father in 2000. A telecommunications regulatory body
had said Makhlouf owes the government some $180 million in outstanding
operational fees. Makhlouf challenged the claims that Syriatel owed the state
any money in statements and videos posted online. Syria, already under Western
sanctions, is entering a new phase of economic hardship, its currency in a down
spiral that sent prices of basic commodities soaring. Economic activity is also
being hurt by restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus, following
austerity measures taken during the war that has displaced nearly half the
population.
Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf says ‘coming days decisive’
amid ongoing spat with regime
Ismaeel Naar, Al Arabiya English/Tuesday 02 June 2020
Embattled Syrian businessman Rami Makhlouf, who has claimed he is being unfairly
targeted by the regime headed by his cousin Bashar al-Assad, described his
situation as a “farce” and said that the coming days would be “decisive.”
Makhlouf released a new Facebook post on Sunday in which he revealed new
information surrounding his employees at Syriatel – Syria’s largest telecom
provider and one of the central pillars of Makhlouf’s sprawling business empire
– and that he hoped there would be a "divine intervention that will shake the
earth under the feet of the oppressors.”“There is no doubt that there is an
invisible hand of supernatural power that allows some people to dare to own
property and threaten to take serious measures against our actions if we do not
submit to their requests,” Makhlouf wrote. The Syrian tycoon said that two
threats were made against his company, the first of which was an amount levied
on Syriatel to pay 134,000,000,000,000 Syrian pounds by the Syrian
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. Makhlouf said the company accepted the
imposed amount. The second threat imposed on the company, according to Makhlouf,
was the authorities raising of the claims imposed on Syriatel to pay 50 percent
of the company’s revenues to the government. “This will lead to bankruptcy,
which we did not accept,” Makhlouf wrote. The Syrian government says Syriatel,
the largest mobile phone network in Syria, owes 134 billion pounds, around $77
million at the current exchange rate on the parallel market. A Syrian court
formally placed a temporary travel ban on Makhlouf, whose assets were also
seized by the government last month. The moves are the latest in the ongoing
feud between Makhlouf and al-Assad, in which Makhlouf has published several
videos criticizing the Syrian government.
Airstrike in Eastern Syria Kills Five Iran-backed Fighters
Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
An airstrike in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border on Sunday targeted three
military vehicles belonging to Iran-backed fighters, according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Five foreign fighters were killed in the
strike, for which “Israel was likely responsible,” said SOHR head Rami Abdul
Rahman. Israel has reportedly carried out airstrikes in Syria against Iranian
targets and its allies, including Lebanese-based Hezbollah. It further pledges
to defy the Iranian endeavors to cement its military presence in Syria and
dispatch developed arms to Hezbollah. Israel seldom claims responsibility for
operations in Syria but deems the Iranian presence that backs Assad’s regime a
threat, and it pledges to carry on with its operations in Syria until Iran
withdraws from there. Iranian and Iraqi forces – loyal to Syrian regime forces -
are deployed especially in Al-Mayadeen to Al-Bukamal. Around two weeks ago in
May, unidentified warplanes struck a base in eastern Syria, killing seven
Iran-backed militiamen, according to SOAR. Days before the attack,
reinforcements were dispatched while Israel didn’t comment on the offensive.
Russia Looks to Expand Cultural Presence in Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Flipping through the pages of a Russian book at a lobby in the Russian Cultural
Center in Damascus, a 19-year-old girl, Nermin, voiced her enthusiasm at the
reopening of the center and the resumption of its activities. Nermin is looking
to improve her Russian language but is also wishing that the center reboots
other activities she has grown to love. “Every summer, my mother used to bring
me all the way from west Damascus to the center to learn ballet and music,”
Nermin said, noting that with the reopening of the center she will get back some
of the joy she lost to war. On May 31, the Russian Cultural Center in Damascus
announced the opening of Russian language courses and the gradual return of its
activities. For his part, Director of the Russian Cultural Center Nikolai Sukhov
explained that the start of Russian language courses is a gradual return to the
full activity of the center with precautionary measures being taken to address
the coronavirus. He explained that there will be Russian language courses at
various levels and for all ages, in addition to courses in music, drawing, and
other fields. Announcing its gradual reopening, the Russian Cultural Center will
resume its activities after being shut down for some seven years. The reopening
of the center is a move to boost the Russian cultural presence in the war-torn
country, matching its political and military presence. The deputy head of
mission at the Russian Embassy Eldar Qurbanof highlighted the strength and depth
of the Russian-Syrian relations and the importance of resuming Russian language
courses. Speaking to Al-Watan Online, he expressed his hope that it would be a
first step towards developing educational and cultural work that contributes to
strengthening relations between the two peoples and fully resuming the work of
the center. Qurbanof pointed out that there are 19,000 students currently
studying the Russian language in Syria and that work is underway to raise that
figure.
Syria: Pro-Iranian Militias Launch Campaign Against 'Tiger
Forces'
Damascus, London - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Pro-Iranian Syrian militias intensified on Monday their campaign against the
commander of the elite “Tiger Forces,” Suheil Salman al-Hassan, who is backed by
Russia and had attended meetings with President Vladimir Putin at the Hmeimim
base in late 2018. The National Defense Forces, a pro-government militia formed
by Iran to fight in Syria during the past years, posted Monday on its Facebook
page a report entitled, “Tiger Forces Commander… the godfather of stealing.”The
page quoted the network “Nahno al-Balad” as saying that “one of the Tiger Forces
commanders has turned from a person who barely owns the price of one-bedroom
house to a millionaire and one of the most prominent warlords.”The NDF also
published another report about Rami al-Tabel, a commander affiliated with the
Tiger. It described al-Tabel as a truck driver who became a fuel warhead dealer.
The report explained that Fouad Adnan, the head of Tiger’s office is the
brother-in-law of al-Tabel. Last summer, the Tiger Forces have been renamed
Division 25 Special Mission Forces and placed under the command of the army’s
central command. Meanwhile, the Damascus Securities Exchange said Monday that
trading in Syriatel shares would be suspended from Tuesday until further notice.
The Syrian Telecommunications Ministry had demanded Syriatel to pay $180 million
as part of its measures against Rami Makhlouf, a maternal cousin of the Syrian
government President, Bashar Assad. Since the decision, disagreements between
Makhlouf and Syrian authorities have escalated. Last month, the Ministry of
Finance had also announced the seizure of Makhlouf’s assets. The Damascus
Securities Exchange froze $15.2 million shares owned by Makhlouf in 12 banks, in
addition to a court in Damascus issuing a travel ban against the business
tycoon. The decision affected his shares in Lebanon’s Audi Bank, Byblos Bank and
Fransabank, the Jordan-based Arab Bank, and others. The Syrian regime has also
stripped Makhlouf of his privileges, such as security detail, which protected
him and his palace.
Norway urges Israel not to annex parts of the occupied West
Bank
Reuters/Tuesday 02 June 2020
Norway, which chairs a group of international donors to the Palestinians, urged
Israel on Tuesday not to annex parts of the occupied West Bank. Norway heads the
Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), which met on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s plan
to extend its sovereignty to Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the
West Bank, occupied territory that Palestinians seek for a state. “Any
unilateral step would be detrimental to the (peace) process, and annexation
would be in direct violation and contravention of international law,” Foreign
Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide told Reuters after the meeting. For all the latest
headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Norway helped to
broker the 1993 and 1995 Oslo Accords, which provided for interim and limited
Palestinian self-rule in the occupied territories, and initiated a now-moribund
long-term peace process. Soereide said she had spoken on Tuesday with her
Israeli counterpart, GabiAshkenazi, to urge Israel to resume direct talks with
the Palestinians and avoid unilateral moves. “It would undermine the potential
for a two-state solution,” she said. The AHLC meeting also urged donors to
fulfil their financial commitments to the Palestinian Authority and the United
Nations’ Palestinian aid agency to help fight the spread of the new coronavirus.
West Bank health authorities reported 388 cases of coronavirus with two deaths
as of Monday, while in Gaza, 61 cases and one death were registered. Soereide
praised cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians on the issue, as well as
between the Palestinians and the United Nations, but cautioned that a lack of
testing meant the numbers could be higher.
Netanyahu Files Police Complaint over Death Threats
Tel Aviv- Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has filed a complaint with the police
for the third time this year about receiving death threats from Israeli Jews. A
senior police commander came to Netanyahu’s residence to take his testimony, and
the police said it is investigating three suspects.
In the complaint, Netanyahu indicated that a “lowlife” threatened to murder him
and his family. “Today, I regretfully was forced to file another complaint
against a lowlife who described how he plans to murder me and my family.”
Netanyahu included in his complaint a text from the person in question who
commented on an article published by Haaretz newspaper in November. It was not
known why the prime minister was so late in filing the complaint. Following the
complaint, Haaretz announced that the tweet had been removed from its website.
Two weeks ago, Netanyahu filed a complaint against protester Haim Shadmi for
inciting violence against him and his son Yair. Shadmi has been protesting in
front of the PM’s residence for several months, and Netanyahu said that Shadmi
called for an incendiary device to be thrown at the place and made other
threats. A Jewish citizen is on trial in Hadera Magistrate’s court for
threatening to kill Netanyahu, as well as the Minister of Economy and Labor
Party Leader Amir Peretz, and Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social
Services Itzik Shmuli. The accused was referred to psychiatric assessment to
determine whether he was fit for trial. He wrote on social media outlets that
killing Netanyahu is an Israeli national duty, and whoever does it must be
crowned as a hero.“Kill Benjamin Netanyahu and God will owe you. I’ll defend
you, just please do it already, it’s intolerable. Put an end to this story like
its beginning. You won’t be sent to prison for the rest of your life. On the
contrary: You’ll be heroes for future generations.”Netanyahu considered the post
a leftist threat against him, despite it including two left-wing ministers. He
said the left-wing incitement has crossed the red lines. “These are real threats
to the life of my son, threats that cannot be ignored.”
Jordan Says Foiled Suicide Attacks against Israel
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 02/2020
Five suspects are on trial in Jordan for allegedly plotting to carry out suicide
attacks against Israeli targets in the occupied West Bank, a judicial source
told AFP on Tuesday. The Jordanian source said the trial of the suspects, all
citizens of the kingdom, had begun recently at the state security court, a
military tribunal that usually deals with terrorism-related cases. "The state
security court recently began legal proceedings against five people accused of
involvement in a terrorist plot, which the intelligence unit foiled in
February," the source said. The suspects are accused of "planning to carry out
suicide attacks against Israeli targets in the occupied West Bank", the source
added. The suspects were arrested in February, according to the source, who did
not say why news of their detention was not made public then. There was no
immediate comment from Israel. Report of the alleged foiled plot comes amid
increased tensions over Israel's plans to annex part of the West Bank,
infuriating the Palestinians and eliciting a warning from Jordan it could review
ties with the Jewish state. According to the charge sheet, one of the suspects
had visited the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip in 2007, where he was trained to
make explosive vests and bombs. The suspect returned to Jordan in 2010 and seven
years later, recruited the four other suspects with whom he plotted to
infiltrate the West Bank and carry out attacks "with bombs against buses and
trains and with explosive vests against other Israeli targets". Jordan is the
only Arab state apart from Egypt to have a formal peace treaty with Israel.
Despite the 1994 agreement, relations have been tense in recent years, but
security and intelligence cooperation between the two neighbors remain tight.
Turkey Continues Flights to Libya's Tripoli, Misrata
Ankara - Saeed Abdulrazek/Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Italy's itamilradar website has continued to monitor military flights from
Turkey to Libya. The latest data showed Turkey sending a military cargo plane, a
Lockheed C-130E (63-3188), departing Istanbul and heading towards the Libyan
capital, Tripoli.nother Turkish Air Force Lockheed C-130E (71-01468) left
Istanbul southbound. The destination of both flights is Misrata, Libya, it said.
On Monday, a Turkish Air Force Boeing E-7T (reg. 13-0001 – callsign TURAF18) of
131st Filo, departed from Konya on a surveillance mission between Malta and
Libya, said itamilradar.
The website tracked at least 11 flights from Istanbul to Misrata in the last
nine days. Turkey has been directly offering military support to the
Tripoli-based Government of National Accord against an offensive by the Libyan
National Army to capture the capital. Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights revealed on Monday that the Turkish government had sent a new batch
of Syrian mercenaries to Libya to fight for the GNA. The latest 400 fighters
bring to 11,600 the total number of mercenaries sent by Ankara to Tripoli.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu telephoned on Sunday vice president of
the GNA's presidential council, Ahmed Maiteeq, to discuss the latest
developments in Libya, confirmed Turkish diplomatic sources without providing
further details. Separately, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin
stressed in televised remarks that his country would continue to back the GNA,
headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, calling on powers backing the LNA, commanded by
Khalifa Haftar, to cease their support. He said Ankara was committed to backing
the "legitimate" government until the crisis is over, adding that any project in
the Mediterranean region cannot be successful without Turkey.
Baghdad, Erbil to Discuss Salaries Issue of Kurdistan
Region Employees
Baghdad - Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 2 June, 2020
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi federal government continue to
negotiate the “pending issues” between Erbil and Baghdad, notably that of “oil
in exchange for salaries” that emerged four years ago. The current circumstances
in Iraq forced both governments to postpone discussing issues that were
described as “fateful” to the Kurds, such as the disputed areas under Article
140 of 2005 and the bill law of oil and gas of 2007. The two governments were
supposed to resume discussions on the salaries issue after Eid el-Fitr, however,
they have not started yet.
The cabinets also haven’t agreed on names for the vacant ministries in Mustafa
Kadhimi’s government, two of which are for the Kurds. They aim to reach a
binding agreement regarding Kurdistan’s pledge to pay the dues of 250 thousand
barrels of oil exported to Baghdad, in exchange for the latter paying the
salaries of the region's employees. However, the Finance Minister, Ali
Abdul-Amir Allawi, decided to pay $350 million to KRG creating controversy among
parliamentary and political circles in Baghdad. Basra governorate MP Uday Awad
called for supporting the demands of al-Basra region which has been
marginalized, while the Kurdistan region received unlimited support. Member of
the parliamentary integrity committee Yousef al-Kalabi announced in a statement
that the government granted Kurdistan the money without any rights. Kalabi,
representing the lawmakers who filed the complaint against the Finance Ministry,
said that while the country goes through the most difficult health, economic,
and political conditions, the government violates the law and grants KRG an
amount of $350 million. He called upon the public prosecutor to take action and
file a complaint against the Ministry, while obliging the central bank to
withhold the funds. In response to the allegations, the Finance Ministry said in
a statement that some media outlets published misleading information about the
funds, explaining that the amount is allocated for KRG’s expenses, including
April’s public salaries.
The Ministry asserted its commitment to laws, indicating that the money was
given according to the agreement with the Kurdistan region, which called for
intensive meetings between representatives of both governments in June to agree
on a final settlement. Meanwhile, KRG’s Finance Ministry denied receiving from
Baghdad’s federal government the funds allocated to pay the salaries of the
region’s public servants, despite the Prime Minister’s approval. The ministry
issued a statement saying that despite the difficult situation and the region's
revenues dropping significantly, KRG was able to pay the salaries from oil
revenues. Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) bloc, Vian Sabri,
indicated that due to the repercussions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic,
drop of oil prices, and lack of 2020 budget law, some illegal and
unconstitutional measures were taken. Sabri told Asharq Al-Awsat that KRG’s
delegation met in Baghdad with officials of the federal government and finance
ministry where it was agreed to send $350 million to the Kurdistan region for
April dues. The agreement stipulated that the two governments will enter into
intensive negotiations within one month of sending the funds to Kurdistan, she
announced, adding that they hope to reach a final settlement.Sabri announced
that KRG will visit the federal government next week, noting that it is a
positive indication of both cabinets aiming to agree on all unresolved issues
according to the constitution and without the employees’ pensions.
U.N. Rights Chief Says U.S. Protests Expose Inequalities,
Discrimination
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 02/2020
The U.N. rights chief said Tuesday the coronavirus pandemic's disproportionate
impact on ethnic minorities in the U.S. and protests triggered by George Floyd's
death had laid bare "endemic inequalities" that must be addressed.
Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, raised the situation
in the United States and a range of countries, saying data shows the COVID-19
crisis has had a worse impact on racial and ethnic minorities. "This virus is
exposing endemic inequalities that have too long been ignored," she said in a
statement. Similar inequalities were also fueling the widespread protests in
hundreds of U.S. cities over the police killing in Minneapolis last week of
Floyd, an unarmed black man. "In the United States, protests triggered by the
killing of George Floyd are highlighting not only police violence against people
of color, but also inequalities in health, education, employment and endemic
racial discrimination," Bachelet said. She noted the virus death rate for
African Americans is reported to be more than double that of other racial groups
in the United States. Her statement also highlighted the situation in Britain,
where government data for England and Wales shows a death rate for blacks,
ethnic Pakistanis and Bangladeshis that is nearly double that of whites. And she
pointed to Brazil, where people of color in Sao Paulo are 62 percent more likely
to die from the virus than whites, and in France's heavily minority-inhabited
Seine Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, which has reported higher excess mortality
than other areas.
'Urgent steps needed'
"The appalling impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minorities is much
discussed, but what is less clear is how much is being done to address it,"
Bachelet said. "Urgent steps need to be taken by states, such as prioritizing
health monitoring and testing, increasing access to healthcare, and providing
targeted information for these communities."She said the disparities likely
resulted from a range of factors linked to marginalization, discrimination and
access to healthcare, along with economic inequalities, overcrowded housing and
environmental risks. "People from racial and ethnic minorities are also found in
higher numbers in some jobs that carry increased risk, including in the
transport, health and cleaning sectors," the statement said. Bachelet stressed
that such factors were likely playing a devastating role in many countries, but
lamented that a vast majority of states do not disaggregate data by ethnicity,
making it difficult to get to the root of the problem. "Collection,
disaggregation and analysis of data by ethnicity or race, as well as gender, are
essential to identify and address inequalities and structural discrimination
that contribute to poor health outcomes, including for COVID-19. "The fight
against this pandemic cannot be won if governments refuse to acknowledge the
blatant inequalities that the virus is bringing to the fore," Bachelet warned.
New York Night-Time Curfew Extended to June 7 after Looting
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 02/2020
New York's mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday extended a night-time curfew for the
city until June 7 following outbreaks of violence and looting during anti-racism
protests gripping America. The mayor added that the deployment of National Guard
soldiers, seen in other protest-hit states and demanded by President Donald
Trump, was not necessary however. De Blasio told reporters that a 8:00 pm to
5:00 am curfew, due to come into force Tuesday, would now run until Sunday. It
comes after a curfew on Monday that began at the later time of 11:00 pm failed
to deter rioters from looting a number of luxury stores across Manhattan.Broken
glass and boarded up shops were seen across Midtown early Tuesday after a night
of carnage. The famous Macy's department store, Michael Kors on Fifth Avenue,
along with Nike, Lego and electronics shops were among upmarket shops to be
looted. Trump, whose New York home is near the stores, took to Twitter twice on
Tuesday morning to demand that local leaders "act fast" and call up the National
Guard. Several US cities have deployed the guard in the face of angry protests
against police brutality following the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd
by police during an arrest in Minneapolis last week. But De Blasio said the New
York Police Department's 36,000 officers could handle the unrest. "We will take
steps immediately to make sure there will be peace and order," said a visibly
angry mayor, as he announced the lengthened curfew. De Blasio added it was not
"wise" to bring in the National Guard. But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said
the guard stood ready if requested, adding that the NYPD and de Blasio "did not
do their job" in failing to stop the looting. He described the violence as "a
disgrace" and "inexcusable." New York's curfew will end just as the city
prepares to begin reopening its shattered economy on Monday following more than
two months of lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Violence Spreads in U.S. as Trump Faces Anger for Ordering
Force
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 02/2020
Violence and looting spread Tuesday to more U.S. cities as President Donald
Trump faced heated criticism for using force outside the White House to dispel
peaceful demonstrators against racial injustice. Once-in-a-generation protests
have brought a multiracial and overwhelmingly peaceful coalition into the
streets for the past week but each night has descended into mayhem, with both
activists and officials blaming rabble-rousers. Some of New York's most storied
shopping streets were ransacked late Monday, including the Macy's flagship,
while four police officers were shot in St. Louis, long a hotbed of racial
tensions. But there was relative calm in Minneapolis, where the uprising began
following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man who
was pinned down for nearly nine minutes under the knee of a white police
officer, who ignored his pleas for his life. In Washington, federal police on
Monday abruptly fired rubber bullets and tear gas into a peaceful crowd in
Lafayette Park outside the White House, permitting Trump to walk through for a
brief photo-op at a historic church that had suffered damage the night before.
In scenes reminiscent of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, military helicopters
hovered over crowds in downtown Washington, noisily blowing debris as terrified
protesters who had defied a curfew fled. Trump, who has rejected the traditional
presidential role of unifier during a national crisis, voiced glee on Twitter
over the response in Washington and accused the leadership of New York -- led by
the rival Democratic Party -- of succumbing to "Lowlife & Scum." "Overwhelming
force. Domination," wrote Trump, who a day earlier declared himself "your
president of law and order."
U.S. turned into 'battlefield'
But the strong-armed tactics near the White House triggered outrage as the
protesters had been peaceful and a citywide curfew had yet to take effect. Joe
Biden, Trump's presumptive Democratic rival in November 3 elections, accused
Trump of caring only about his own power and said that, if elected, he would
tackle the "systemic racism" in the country. "Donald Trump has turned this
country into a battlefield driven by old resentments and fresh fears," Biden
said in a speech in Philadelphia, also hit by violence. "He thinks division
helps him," Biden said. "His narcissism has become more important than the
nation's well-being." Trump on Tuesday visited another prominent religious site,
a shrine in honor of pope John Paul II, prompting the leader of the Roman
Catholic Church in Washington to say the space was being "egregiously misused
and manipulated." The late pontiff "certainly would not condone the use of tear
gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate (people) for a photo
opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace," Archbishop Wilton D.
Gregory said.The United States also faced unusual, if polite, criticism from
some of its international allies. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called the
anti-racism protests "understandable and more than legitimate." "I hope that
these peaceful protests won't slide further into violence, but even more than
that I hope that they will make a difference in the United States," Maas told
reporters. Germany, Britain and Australia all voiced concern about the safety of
the media after a number of journalists were roughed up by police or
occasionally by rioters.
Curfew extended in New York
In New York -- which has seen some of the fieriest of the dozens of protests
triggered nationwide -- Mayor Bill de Blasio extended a curfew through Sunday
that will start each night at 8 pm. It is the first curfew since World War II in
the "City that Never Sleeps" and comes just as the metropolis was emerging from
weeks under coronavirus lockdown. The curfew began Monday at 11 pm but New York
was already suffering widespread looting, with rioters smashing storefronts on
posh Fifth Avenue, pulling electronics from a Best Buy store and breaking into
Macy's, the department store known for its iconic Christmas displays.
Protests each day have begun peacefully. In the diverse Bedford-Stuyvesant
neighborhood of Brooklyn, at least 1,000 people marched Monday, symbolically
kneeling as an act of solidarity. "This is about making leaders listen," said
Cav Manning, 54, a black man originally from London who has lived in New York
for 25 years. "This isn't just about George Floyd, may he rest in peace. This is
about all the black men before, all the black women, all the black children, any
people feeling the knee of oppression." Mourners plan a service Thursday in
Minneapolis to mourn Floyd, who died after being accused of trying to buy
cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. An autopsy Monday called his death a
homicide, prompting renewed calls to arrest three fellow officers who assisted
Derek Chauvin, facing manslaughter charges over Floyd's death. Violence subsided
markedly overnight in Minneapolis, leading authorities to consider reducing the
number of National Guard forces on the ground.
- Gunfire in St. Louis -
But violence spread elsewhere with four officers shot overnight in St. Louis
near the police headquarters after a night of clashes and looting. None of the
injuries were life-threatening. St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden told
reporters that protesters were peaceful but that a separate group of 200 later
showed up who "obviously had no intention of protesting, doing anything
constructive" and threw fireworks and gasoline at officers. Seattle, the scene
of 1999 anti-globalization protests that remain emblematic for global
anarchists, also saw intense scuffles overnight with crowds throwing rocks,
bottles and fireworks at police, who responded with tear-gas. Louisville,
Kentucky, was comparatively quiet, a night after police dispersing a crowd shot
dead a black restaurant owner -- a rare fatality in nationwide unrest that has
targeted property. Louisville is among numerous U.S. cities that had already
been seething over the killing of African-Americans. In March, 26-year-old
Breonna Taylor was shot dead in her own apartment in Louisville by police who
barged in, alleging her home had been used by drug dealers.
Spain Records No Virus Deaths for Second Day Running
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 02/2020
Spain recorded no deaths from the coronavirus for the second day running, the
health ministry reported Tuesday, while acknowledging some "discrepancies" in
the reported daily figures. The ministry's daily report recorded 34 deaths over
the previous week, but none over the previous 24 hours. It was Monday's report
on the previous 24 hours that first broke a run of daily reported deaths dating
back to March 3. To date, Spain has recorded a total of 27,127 deaths from the
virus, making it one of the worst-hit countries in the world.But Fernando Simon,
head of the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies, also told
journalists of the ongoing concern at "day-to-day discrepancies" in the data --
divergences that would be "verified", he said. Since the health ministry
introduced a new method of tracking cases, inconsistencies have appeared in the
data. But Simon stressed that the priority now was to remain vigilant and to
detect new cases as quickly as possible -- which they were managing to do, he
added. So far Spain has detected nearly 240,000 cases of the virus. Step by
step, it is gradually easing what was one of the world's strictest lockdowns
imposed to slow the spread of the virus.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on June 02-03/2020
Minneapolis, the Anatomy of Civil Unrest
Charles Elias Chartouni/June 02/2020
شارل الياس الشرتوني: مينيابوليس... تشريح الاضطرابات المدنية
The tragic death of George Floyd is a timely warning on the deepening crises of
civility tearing at the seams of a divided national community. The ongoing
effects of a rumbling pandemic, its unleashed anxieties and overall deleterious
effects are running across the political and social landscapes, and rekindling
tensions of all kind: political, racial, ethnic, religious and social. The
violence we have witnessed in Minneapolis and throughout the Nation are quite
reminiscent of previous troubles caused by police disproportionate use of
violence which turned awry and elicited major civil riots ( Los Angeles 1992,
Ferguson 2014, Baltimore 2015, New York 2019, Minneapolis, 2020 ), and the rise
of a new breed of radical politics structured around systemic cleavages in the
US ( Black lives Matter, 2013 ). Whatever legal, political and operational
measures have been enacted at both Federal and State levels, they have not come
up with the awaited results, and the unabated course of systemic marginality and
delinquency, violence, unrestrained security measures, and ideological
extremism, continued their erratic digression.
The “ Boogaloo movement “ ( Variants of radical Right Wing libertarians ) and
the radical fringes of the Democratic Party and their acolytes on the anarchist
hems ( the Antifa ) are forging ahead with their radicalism and fueling
extremism all across the political spectrum. The reforms of policing regimes (
community policing, codification of restraining orders, Civic Boards and
Committees ... ) have been quite operational addressing security issues,
defusing racial, ethnic, religious and social tensions, but still have not been
able to eradicate the recurrent pattern of violence. Therefore, we are
inevitably left with the structural problems of inter-generational poverty among
African-Americans ( 17.7 / 100, 2020 ), the destructive effects of unregulated
globalization on middle classes ( ie. WASP and rural America ), by and large,
inegalitarian dynamics and skewed power configurations based on transnational
financial elitism, and the equivocations elicited by large scale migration,
politicized ethnicity and Islamist terrorism which created the congenial terrain
for radicalization and conflictive identity politics.The pandemic configuration
might be the opportunity to address the manifold challenges spawned by this new
era, and deal with the hidden injuries of a monumental transition which has been
questioning our intellectual, moral and political certainties in the last three
decades.
The actual ideological framing which prevails over the political dynamics is
what accounts for the current volatility and its incidence on civility, security
and overall political stability. I recall a discussion between two homeless
boarding a bus in Northern Miami ( one is white and one is black ) in the
aftermath of the OJ. Simpson trial ( the assassination of his wife Nicole Brown,
1995 ), on how skewed was the jury’s verdict which acquitted him. The black guy
answering his white partner said plainly, “ it wasn’t about making justice, it
was about beating the system ”, since the majority of the jury was black.
Justice must be served in the repeated tragedy of George Floyd, but what matters
most is how to tackle the overdue polarization that prevails over national
politics and keeps us under the spell of its extreme ends. The Nation is
definitely in need of an iconic figure and a stature which likens the one of
Abraham Lincoln, “ I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true, I am not
bound to succeed but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand
with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part
with him when he goes wrong. “
City officials on Friday were urging calm the day after protests turned violent
and a police precinct went up in flames.
Prophecy is Action
Charles Elias Chartouni/June 02/2020
شارل الياس شرتوني/النبوءة عمل
" Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a broken contrite heart...,
Deliver me from bloodshed God..., create in me a clean heart and renew within me
a resolute spirit ..." ( King David, Psalm, 51/19, 10, 16 )
" Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with
every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
other, just as in Christ God forgave you. " ( Paul, Letter to the Ephesians 4/
31-32 )
" These shoes I wear are gospel shoes, Oh! my Lord. " ( He’s the Lily of the
Valley, Gospel Song )
The prophetic and pentocastal gesture of the Miami Police Department is an
outstanding testimony to the power of the Biblical narrative in the life of the
American society, its ethics and the centrality of forgiveness as a healing
ministry, and as a major predicate in a process of moral rehabilitation and
political reconciliation. The theological predicate of forgiveness is part of
the intellectual, ethical and political repertoire of contemporary Western
Democracy, and a major tool to address moral, political and social grievances.
The American Black Churches, and the Gospel song tradition testify to the
paramountcy of spiritual and moral atonement in their theological vision, and
the Civil Rights movements they elicited throughout history, " none but the
righteous shall see God “ ( Take me to the Water, Gospel Song ).
This powerful imagery should serve as a lever for major reformist undertakings
in the domains of security, community service and policing ethics and
developmental policies. The residual effects of urban and rural poverty among
Afro-American communities, the destructive impact of decontextualized
globalization all across, and the rampant delinquency developing at their heels,
have come to the foreground of the public agenda. They must elicit joint
undertakings, at both Federal and State levels, with the different civic and
community actors that have featured throughout history the power of the American
Civil society and its elaborate associational life and institutions. This
prophetic gesture should impel politicians, Civic and Church leaders to pursue
the exemplary legacy set by Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement
which laid down the ideals and modus operandi that none of the subsequent
movements was able to relay or match. Political, Civic and Church leaders and
institutional actors have to live up to the challenges and overcome the
deadlocks set by ideological extremism, their congery of systemic economic and
social dislocations, and defense mechanisms triggered by social anomy,
generalized anxiety, prejudice, pent up resentments and existential
uncertainties.
The European Union Is on the Brink of Historic Change
Ferdinando Giugliano/Bloomberg/Asharq Al Awsat/June 02/2020
The European Union has a habit of disappointing when trying to design a joint
response to an economic crisis. However, Ursula von der Leyen’s speech at the
European Parliament on Wednesday about a pandemic recovery fund could well be
one for the history books.
The Commission president outlined a 750 billion-euro ($825 billion) rescue
program to help the bloc cope with the fallout from Covid-19. EU governments
still have to agree to the plan, and some northern member states — especially
the Netherlands and Austria — are likely opponents. But if the final deal looks
even close to Von der Leyen’s proposal, it will mark a radical transformation of
Europe.
The Commission plans to borrow the hefty sum on the financial markets and then
distribute it to member states between 2021 and 2024, with those who’ve suffered
the most economically getting the bigger share. The fund is the sum of many
parts. Some 560 billion euros will pay for a “Recovery and Resilience Facility”
that will go directly to governments. There will also be a 31 billion-euro
scheme to support solvent companies that need temporary state aid, and 9.4
billion euros to prepare for future health crises.
Italy and Spain will be the biggest beneficiaries, while Germany will receive
relatively little. The EU will pay back investors via its own budget over a long
period — as much as four decades.
The fund breaks a number of EU taboos. First, it raises significantly the amount
the Commission can borrow on the financial markets. These are not “euro bonds”
in the classic sense of the word, since individual member states will still have
to pay their individual contributions to the EU budget, to be calculated by the
relative size of their gross domestic product. The vehicle is also expected to
be a “one-off” for the pandemic. However, it will be a very useful blueprint if
the euro zone ever chooses to move closer to a much-needed fiscal union.
The second big change is that two-thirds of the money would given away as
grants. This is the most controversial part of the plan, and it risks being
watered down in the forthcoming negotiations between member states. There will
be strings attached too, since governments will have to present reform programs
to receive support. The extra spending will need to comply with EU-wide
priorities such as technology investments and tackling climate change. But the
generous provision of grants is a step change from the European Stability
Mechanism, the euro area’s rescue fund, which only offers loans.
The final taboo to be possibly broken is on EU-wide taxation. The Commission has
an eye on setting up new revenue streams, which could help to pay back
investors, including environmental taxes and levies on multinational companies.
This is the vaguest part of the plan, but potentially one of the most profound.
It would create the seed of an EU Treasury, which could disburse its money where
it sees fit.
Von der Leyen will have a tough time selling all of this to the so-called
“frugal four,” which includes Sweden and Denmark as well as Austria and the
Netherlands. They prefer loans because they fear some of this money will be
misspent.
Countries in Eastern Europe have traditionally benefited from the bulk of the
EU’s cohesion fund, but they’ve have had a relatively good pandemic so won’t
receive much of this new support. It will be interesting to see which way they
lean. The proposal needs unanimous support, which will be hard to secure.
At least the Commission president can rely on France and Germany, the EU’s
biggest beasts, who struck the breakthrough deal that paved the way for Von der
Leyen’s proposal. Spain, Italy and other southern countries are obviously in
favor since they’d get most of the money. For once, the political stars may be
aligned. If so, 2020 might be remembered in Europe as more than just the year of
the pandemic.
Coronavirus Hasn’t Killed the Global Balance of Power
Hal Brands//Asharq Al Awsat/June 02/2020
Is the global balance of power passe after Covid-19? It’s easy to see why smart
observers might think so. The pandemic has rendered some of the world’s largest
countries more helpless than some of the smallest. It has shown that some
threats cannot be contained without cooperation across geopolitical and
ideological lines. And so the coronavirus has tapped into a longstanding
American hope that the grim realities of geopolitics might give way to something
better.
Alas, such hopes are going to be dashed. The current crisis is not an argument
for getting over geopolitics. It’s a reminder that preserving a favorable
balance, in which the ambitions of predatory actors are checked by the power of
more benign actors, is the only way of getting international cooperation, and
international stability, on terms Americans will find appealing.
The argument that the concept of a balance of power is becoming an anachronism
runs as follows: Military might can’t save countries from transnational scourges
such as pandemics. There are an increasing number of issues — terrorism,
disease, climate change — that threaten countries around the world. And given
that Covid-19 has disrupted the everyday lives of Americans to a greater degree
than any hard security threat since World War II, it makes sense to put the
pursuit of international cooperation over the imperatives of geopolitical
competition.
“Today and for the century ahead,” writes Richard Haass, the president on the
Council on Foreign Relations, “the most significant threats we face are less
other states than a range of transnational problems.” In the coming decades,
agrees former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, “security depends more on
exceeding a threshold of cooperation with allies and adversaries alike than on
maintaining a balance of power.” Peter Beinart of the Atlantic argues that the
coronavirus pandemic shows “the safety of ordinary Americans is often better
protected by intensifying global cooperation than by buttressing national
sovereignty.”It may seem like a bold new argument, but it’s actually the echo of
an old one. Americans have long been ambivalent about the global balance. They
have been skillful, even ruthless, practitioners of power politics; The US has
amassed, over its history, more influence than any other country. Yet after
every great global trauma of the last 100 years, prominent Americans have hoped
that the old ways of statecraft could be left behind.
Amid World War I, President Woodrow Wilson argued that a balance of power that
had buckled catastrophically in 1914 must be replaced by a “community of power”
on behalf of peace and cooperation. In 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
(somewhat disingenuously) hailed the advent of the United Nations as “the end of
the system of unilateral action, the exclusive alliances, the spheres of
influence, the balances of power, and all the other expedients that have been
tried for centuries.”
When the Cold War ended, it was President George H.W. Bush’s turn to promise a
“new world order” in which “the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle.”
After the Sept. 11 attacks, and again after the 2008-2009 financial crisis,
there was hope that shared dangers — whether terrorism or economic collapse —
would bring the great powers together rather than driving them apart.
This tendency reflects a certain utopian strain in American thinking. It also
recognizes that geopolitical struggle has, in many cases, led to disaster. But
in the end it’s unrealistic and even naive: There’s no escaping a
balance-of-power world, and trying to do so would produce neither security nor
cooperation.
For one thing, the major countries of the world do not all fear the same threats
or want more or less the same things. It should be obvious by now that the US
and China have fundamentally divergent aspirations and worldviews, which reflect
their vastly different national interests and systems of government. The only
way to ensure that America’s vision of personal liberty and rule of law prevails
is to ensure that the configuration of geopolitical forces favors Washington
rather than Beijing’s autocratic model. Put differently, those who decide that
competition is irrelevant will soon find themselves at the mercy of those who
take competition seriously.
The period after World War I is the classic example. The international system
created at Versailles was, at the time of its founding, the most progressive
ever designed. It featured creative new mechanisms, such as the League of
Nations, for tackling matters of shared concern. Yet the system collapsed within
a generation, taking with it hopes for international cooperation as well as
basic international security. The reason is because the system was challenged by
revisionist powers — Germany, Japan and Italy, primarily — that wanted radical
changes in the status quo. Those who had the most to lose from such changes were
slow to react.
The lesson is not that we are once again on the brink of global war. Not every
crisis is the 1930s all over again. But conflict and rivalry are endemic to
international affairs, and we forget that at our peril.
We also do ourselves a disservice when we frame a balance of power as the
antithesis of international cooperation. After all, virtually nothing is truly
apolitical in world affairs. The institutions through which countries organize
for collective action are shaped by geopolitical power dynamics. The World Bank
and International Monetary Fund are often considered tools of US policy, not
because they always do America’s bidding, but because they are pillars in a
global structure that favors Washington. And all things equal, the country or
countries that have the better part of the balance of power will be better able
to negotiate the terms on which they cooperate with others.
The Covid-19 crisis makes this quite clear. China has used its growing influence
to bully institutions such as the World Health Organization and to win the
silence or acquiescence of countries that rely on its money and goodwill. The
crisis is thus a warning that if the US neglects the balance of power, the
contours of international action to address global problems will increasingly be
set by others.
That we can even talk seriously about de-emphasizing the balance of power is an
ironic testament to just how much the global environment has favored the US The
geopolitical dominance Washington and its allies have long enjoyed gives them
the luxury of not knowing what it is like to live in a world shaped by someone
else’s dominance. Deciding that the balance of power is an anachronism is
probably the best way of re-discovering, sooner or later, just how critical it
truly is.
EU: Trade with China Trumps Freedom for Hong Kong
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/June 02/2020
The British government announced that it was considering granting citizenship to
the nearly three million residents of Hong Kong. The move infuriated China,
which fears a massive brain drain from Hong Kong that would jeopardize the
city's role as a global financial and trading hub.
Germany, which takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency on July 1, has
announced that it will prioritize relations with China. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel is particularly determined to proceed with a major EU-China summit to be
held in the German city of Leipzig in September. She is reportedly under intense
pressure from German automobile manufacturers, who are concerned about
maintaining their access to the Chinese market.
"Europe can and should respond more forcefully than it has so far.... [If
Germany cancelled] its looming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in
Leipzig in September 2020 unless Beijing withdraws its national security
legislation.... That would send a strong signal that it will not be business as
usual..." — Noah Barkin, a senior fellow in Berlin at the German Marshall Fund
of the United States.
"German Chancellor Merkel does not seem to fully appreciate how continued
Communist Party rule endangers peace, security and public health, not just in
China, but around the world." — Andreas Fulda, a senior fellow at the University
of Nottingham's Asia Research Institute.
"The European Union... has the choice. Should we make a pact with an
authoritarian regime or should we work to strengthen a community of free,
constitutionally governed market economies with liberal societies? It is
remarkable that German politics, with its love of moralizing, seems to throw its
values out the window when dealing with China.... If current... policy on China
continues, this will lead to a gradual decoupling from America and a
step-by-step infiltration and subjugation by China. Economic dependence will
only be the first step. Political influence will follow. In the end, it is quite
simple. What kind of future do we want for Europe? An alliance with an imperfect
democracy or with a perfect dictatorship? It should be an easy decision for us
to make. It is about more than just money. It is about our freedom..." — Mathias
Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, Europe's largest publishing company.
The EU has issued a predictably weak and equivocal declaration on China's
growing interference in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the British government announced
that it was considering granting citizenship to the nearly three million
residents of Hong Kong. The move infuriated China, which fears a massive brain
drain from Hong Kong that would jeopardize the city's role as a global financial
and trading hub. Pictured: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Photo by No 10
Downing Street via Getty Images)
The European Union has issued a predictably weak and equivocal declaration on
China's growing interference in Hong Kong. European leaders, apparently fearful
of retaliation by Beijing, have signaled that economic interests will take
priority over the EU's much-trumpeted founding values of human rights, democracy
and the rule of law.
Europe's continued appeasement of China indicates that the EU will be a weak
link in efforts by Western democracies to confront the leadership in Beijing.
On May 29, the foreign ministers of EU member states met by video conference to
discuss a common European response to China's plans to impose a sweeping law
that would ban all activities in Hong Kong that are deemed to endanger China's
national security.
Pro-democracy activists and lawmakers say the law, aimed at crushing political
dissent, would effectively end the autonomy the city enjoys from Beijing under
the "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement.
The unilateral move by China violates an international treaty — The Sino-British
Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong — an agreement signed in 1984 by
which the United Kingdom, on July 1, 1997, transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong
to China in exchange for a promise that the city would enjoy 50 years of limited
autonomy under Chinese rule. Under the treaty, China is required to guarantee
Hong Kong's autonomy for another 27 years.
On May 28, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada issued a
joint statement that reprimanded China over its approach to Hong Kong:
"China's decision to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong lies in
direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the
legally-binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration. The proposed law
would undermine the One Country, Two Systems framework. It also raises the
prospect of prosecution in Hong Kong for political crimes and undermines
existing commitments to protect the rights of Hong Kong people — including those
set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights."
The British government also announced that it was considering granting
citizenship to the nearly three million residents of Hong Kong. The move
infuriated China, which fears a massive brain drain from Hong Kong that would
jeopardize the city's role as a global financial and trading hub.
On May 29, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced sanctions on China:
"China claims it is protecting national security. But the truth is that Hong
Kong was secure and prosperous as a free society. Beijing's decision reverses
all of that. It extends the reach of China's invasive state security apparatus
into what was formerly a bastion of liberty.
"China's latest incursion, along with other recent developments that degraded
the territory's freedoms, makes clear that Hong Kong is no longer sufficiently
autonomous to warrant the special treatment that we have afforded the territory
since the handover.
"China has replaced its promised formula of 'one country, two systems' with 'one
country, one system.' Therefore, I am directing my administration to begin the
process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and
special treatment. "My announcement today will affect the full range of
agreements we have with Hong Kong, from our extradition treaty to our export
controls on dual-use technologies and more, with few exceptions.
"We will be revising the State Department's travel advisory for Hong Kong to
reflect the increased danger of surveillance and punishment by the Chinese state
security apparatus. "We will take action to revoke Hong Kong's preferential
treatment as a separate customs and travel territory from the rest of China.
"The United States will also take necessary steps to sanction PRC and Hong Kong
officials directly or indirectly involved in eroding Hong Kong's autonomy and —
just if you take a look, smothering — absolutely smothering Hong Kong's freedom.
Our actions will be strong. Our actions will be meaningful."
Trump also announced restrictions on Chinese nationals coming to study at
American universities, and measures to prevent China from stealing technology
and intellectual property.
Under U.S. law, Hong Kong enjoys special trade privileges. In November 2019,
however, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and
Democracy Act of 2019, which places new conditions on this status. The U.S.
Secretary of State is now required to certify, annually, that Hong Kong
maintains autonomy from mainland China. If this cannot be certified, the U.S.
Congress can revoke Hong Kong's special trade status. This could jeopardize
massive amounts of trade between Hong Kong and the United States and dissuade
international investments there in the future.
On May 27, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that "no reasonable
person can assert today that Hong Kong maintains a high degree of autonomy from
China, given facts on the ground." He added:
"After careful study of developments over the reporting period, I certified to
Congress today that Hong Kong does not continue to warrant treatment under
United States laws in the same manner as U.S. laws were applied to Hong Kong
before July 1997."
In stark contrast to the measures announced by the United States and the United
Kingdom, EU foreign ministers, under heavy pressure from Germany, have decided
not to take any action against China. In a statement issued after the May 29
video conference of EU foreign ministers, the EU expressed "grave concern" about
China's actions in Hong Kong but added that "EU relations with China are based
on mutual respect and trust."
EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Josep Borrell added that the bloc has no plans
for sanctions on either Beijing or Hong Kong:
"We will continue discussing and we will continue to reach out to Beijing. Our
reaction has to be commensurate with the steps that have already been taken. We
will continue trying to put pressure on the Chinese authorities in order to make
them aware that this issue will affect the way we deal with some of the issues
of mutual interest. But there is nothing more on the agenda."
When asked why the EU refused to sign the UK-US joint statement, Borrell
replied: "We have our own statements. We do not need to join other people's
statements." German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that the best way to
influence China on the Hong Kong dispute was for the EU to maintain "dialogue"
with Beijing: "I think the past has shown that it is, above all, important to
have a dialogue with China in which the EU very cohesively brings both its
issues and principles to the fore, and then we will see where this dialogue
leads."
Germany, which takes over the six-month rotating EU presidency on July 1, has
announced that it will prioritize relations with China. German Chancellor Angela
Merkel is particularly determined to proceed with a major EU-China summit to be
held in the German city of Leipzig in September. She is reportedly under intense
pressure from German automobile manufacturers, who are concerned about
maintaining their access to the Chinese market.
The continued cowardice of European leaders is a reflection not only of Europe's
geopolitical weakness and economic overdependence on China, but also of a moral
vacuum in which they refuse to stand up for Western values.
In April, European officials caved in to pressure from China and watered down an
EU report on Chinese efforts to deflect blame for the coronavirus pandemic. A
few weeks later, the EU Ambassador to China, Nicolas Chapuis, allowed the
Chinese government to edit an op-ed article signed by him and the 27 Ambassadors
of EU member states, to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations with
China.
The EU authorized the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remove references
to the origins and the spread of the coronavirus from the article, published in
China Daily, an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Communist Party of
China.
An EU spokesperson said that the EU allowed China to revise the op-ed because
Brussels "considered it important to communicate EU policy priorities, notably
on climate change and sustainability..." Borrell later pledged that the EU will
never again give in to Chinese censorship.
The head of the Bundestag foreign affairs committee, Norbert Röttgen, tweeted
that Europe's credibility is on the line over its response to China:
"China aims to repress freedom, democracy & the rule of law in #HongKong.
#Europe has to condemn such acts of wrongdoing & stand up for the freedoms of
Hong Kong's citizens. It would be disastrous & a huge blow for Europe's
credibility, if #China could rely on us keeping silent."
Noah Barkin, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States in
Berlin, said that the EU should better use the leverage that it has over China:
"Europe can and should respond more forcefully than it has so far. German Greens
co-leader Annalena Baerbock has suggested that the EU—and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel, the host—cancel its looming summit with Chinese President Xi
Jinping in Leipzig in September 2020 unless Beijing withdraws its national
security legislation. "That would send a strong signal that it will not be
business as usual as long as China is violating the spirit of 'one country, two
systems' in Hong Kong.
"Another step, which is reportedly being considered by British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson, is to grant Hong Kong residents asylum in Europe. Germany
welcomed two Hong Kong pro-democracy activists in 2019, so such a step would not
be unprecedented.
"In an environment where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) faces global outcry
over its handling of the new coronavirus, is under acute political and economic
pressure from Washington, and needs foreign investors to help revive its
suddenly sputtering economy, the EU has more leverage with Beijing than it has
had in quite a while. Using it would help counter the narrative—following two
embarrassing recent incidents of self-censorship in the face of pressure from
Beijing—that Europe is impotent and weak when it comes to China."
Theresa Fallon, Director of the Brussels-based Center for Russia Europe Asia
Studies, added:
"The uncomfortable truth is that business elites, European bureaucrats, and many
European politicians are out of touch with the public's sentiment on Hong Kong.
"The EU's anemic statement on Hong Kong is not going to keep anyone at
Zhongnanhai, the seat of China's leadership, awake at night. EU High
Representative Josep Borrell didn't even bother to tweet it. Beijing has taken
Brussels's measure and does not fear their statements, which declare that they
'will continue to follow developments closely.'
"There has been a concerning culture of complacency and self-censorship in EU
diplomacy with the People's Republic of China which has left the EU neutralized
since 2016. If we turn to EU member states, the story is not much better. Merkel
embraced trade with China in the hope that it would change China. But the
reality is that contact with Beijing has eroded European values.
"Beijing understands that economic issues are paramount. Few European leaders
pretend to even care about basic human rights in Hong Kong, and it will be
difficult to get unanimity on this issue across Europe due to Beijing's economic
statecraft.
"To paraphrase Edmund Burke, all that is needed for Hong Kong's 'one country,
two systems' principle to perish is for good people to do nothing."
Andreas Fulda, a senior fellow at the University of Nottingham's Asia Research
Institute, launched a petition calling for an end to Germany's appeasement of
China. The petition, titled, "Europe can no longer afford Germany's failed China
policy of 'change through trade,'" states:
"We need to talk about Germany. Let's start with an inconvenient truth: German
governments, both past and present, have consistently prioritized trade with
China over other enlightened German national interests, for example democracy
and human rights. Such a commercially-driven China engagement, however, is not a
value-free proposition.
"Whether it is the incarceration of 1.5 million Uyghurs and Kazakhs in mainland
Chinese internment and labor camps, the suppression of Hong Kong's democracy
movement, or the cover-up of Covid-19: German Chancellor Merkel does not seem to
fully appreciate how continued Communist Party rule endangers peace, security
and public health, not just in China, but around the world.
"On Monday, May 25, 2020, Europe's top diplomat Josep Borrell addressed a
gathering of German Ambassadors. He told them that the European Union and its
member states need to develop a 'more robust strategy' toward China. It is
self-evident that the EU will struggle to develop a more assertive European
China policy without the backing of Germany.
"But how can German diplomats change tack if Chancellor Merkel is unwilling to
give directions? It is understandable that a nation which is guilty of the
horrors of the Holocaust is wary of playing an assertive global leadership role.
But there is also a real danger of an 'oblivion of power,' where Germany in fact
underutilizes existing leverage in global affairs.
"Germany is often praised for facing up to its Nazi past. Never again has long
been a guiding principle of an ethical German foreign policy. But how then can
the German government remain silent when Uyghurs and Kazakhs are incarcerated,
Hong Kongers have their civil and political liberties stripped away and
Taiwanese are threatened with military annexation?
"China under General Secretary Xi Jinping is regressing on all fronts: human
rights violations are now systemic and endemic, even criticism by Chinese
academics are no longer tolerated, and the Chinese Communist Party is
increasingly aping Russian disinformation strategies in Europe. Germany must now
ask if it will continue to actively support such a regime.
"So far Chancellor Merkel has failed to answer this question. She has been
unable to articulate what enlightened German ideational and material national
interests look like beyond trade and investment. This is a serious shortcoming
which not only undermines German foreign policy towards China but also makes it
harder to develop a new European strategy towards China.
"At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and
Communist Party-led China, Europe can no longer afford Germany's unprincipled
and failed China policy of 'change through trade.' In 2020 it is abundantly
clear that China didn't liberalize and democratize as a result of German car
manufacturers enriching themselves by selling cars to China.
"We need a Europe-wide approach which repositions the EU in light of Xi's
increasing totalitarianism. While trade clearly matters, European values need to
be defended, too. I ask you to sign this petition to put pressure on the German
government. Chancellor Merkel should abandon her failed China policy and join
Europe's search for a more principled approach towards China."
Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, Europe's largest publishing company,
recently argued that the time has come for Europe to reevaluate its relationship
with China: "Economic relations with China might seem harmless to many Europeans
today, but they could soon lead to political dependence and ultimately to the
end of a free and liberal Europe. The European Union has the choice. But above
all Germany, Europe's economic motor, has the choice.
"Should we make a pact with an authoritarian regime or should we work to
strengthen a community of free, constitutionally governed market economies with
liberal societies? It is remarkable that German politics, with its love of
moralizing, seems to throw its values out the window when dealing with China.
What is at stake here is nothing less than what kind of society we want to live
in and our concept of humanity....
"If current European and, above all, German policy on China continues, this will
lead to a gradual decoupling from America and a step-by-step infiltration and
subjugation by China. Economic dependence will only be the first step. Political
influence will follow.
"In the end, it is quite simple. What kind of future do we want for Europe? An
alliance with an imperfect democracy or with a perfect dictatorship? It should
be an easy decision for us to make. It is about more than just money. It is
about our freedom, about Article 1 of Germany's Basic Law, the greatest legal
term that ever existed: human dignity."
*Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Turkey: Where Criticizing Islam Can Land You in Prison
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/June 02/2020
According to the Koran and the recorded sayings (hadith) and biographies (sira)
of Islam's founder, "To leave Islam, to insult Muhammad or Allah, to deny the
existence of Allah, to be sarcastic about Allah's name, to deny any verse of the
Koran" or to commit other acts of blasphemy are all punishable by death.
More alarming is that these pressures and bans come not only from governments.
Many of the people in the countries mentioned above also appear enthusiastically
to support strict or even deadly blasphemy and apostasy laws.
According to a 2013 Pew survey, overwhelming percentages of Muslims in many
regions -- Southeast Asia (84%), South Asia (78%), the Middle East and North
Africa (78%), and Central Asia (62%) -- favor making sharia, or Islamic law, the
official law of the land. According to sharia, blasphemy and apostasy are
punishable by death.
Critics of Turkey's government and Islam continue being targeting by the
country's authorities.
Critics of Turkey's government and Islam continue being targeting by the
country's authorities. On May 17, Turkish photographer Fırat Erez, a former
supporter of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AKP) Party, was arrested
in the city of Antalya after saying "Islam is immoral" on his Twitter account.
"This is not hate. It is a decision," he wrote. "Islam is immoral. His Prophet,
Allah, his disciples could not protect it. Islam has not overcome the moral
barrier. It cannot. You cannot find the truth by bending over five times a day.
Plain, clear and painful." Erez was detained by Antalya police for "insulting
religious values" and "provoking hatred or hostility in one section of the
public against another section".
Twitter has since suspended Erez's account, and those who visit his Twitter feed
today only see the following notification: "Twitter suspends accounts which
violate the Twitter Rules".
Many people who commented on Erez's Twitter post called on authorities to arrest
and punish him. One openly called on the "special operations unit" to torture
Erez and "not to leave a single rib in his body that is unbroken, a tooth that
is not pulled out, and a nail that is unextracted."
The journalist Hakan Aygün, former chief editor of the left-wing
opposition-linked Halk TV, was also recently arrested for allegedly "humiliating
religious values." Aygün was accused of "provoking hatred or hostility" by
"insulting the Koran", the pro-government newspaper Sabah reported on April 3.
On March 31, Aygün had posted a tweet that criticized Turkey's "national
donation campaign" to fight the coronavirus outbreak, announced by Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with wordplay over a verse in the Koran. Many
social media users have criticized the government for asking citizens to donate
to the campaign when many citizens themselves are financially struggling after
the government has mismanaged or irresponsibly wasted much of its budget.
Aygün criticized the donation campaign by referring to the Koran, which uses the
term "iman" (religious belief) several times particularly in the expression "O
you who believe! [who have faith]". Aygün replaced the word "iman" with "IBAN"
[International Bank Account Number] and wrote:
"Iban surah, verse 1:
"O you who have IBAN! We gave you IBAN numbers from separate banks so that you
will engage in IBAN. Undoubtedly, in the afterlife, those do IBAN will be
separated from those who don't!"
Turkey's official Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), launched a
criminal complaint against Aygün.
"The humiliation and attrition of Muslims before society," Diyanet said, "is
never acceptable in any legal system."Mustafa Doğan Inal, one of Erdoğan's
lawyers, also launched a criminal complaint against Aygün. It said, in part:
"The words of the suspect containing insults and accusations based on false
claims that are impossible to be tolerated have reached more than one person,
and have led to the insulting, degradation and demoralization of a particular
section of the society." Inal also said in the criminal complaint that Aygün's
Twitter post "insulted the Koran, the holy book of Muslims, in a country where
almost the entire population is Muslim and lives as Muslims.
"Degrading the book and its verses, which is one of the top priorities of the
Muslims, by changing the places of letters and words through some word games is
an unacceptable, ugly and presumptuous attack. Our book, Koran, clearly makes
known the end [fate] of such people."
Indeed, laws criminalizing blasphemy or any criticism of the Islamic religion is
deeply rooted in Islamic scriptures. According to the Koran and the recorded
sayings (hadith) and biographies (sira) of Islam's founder, "To leave Islam, to
insult Muhammad or Allah, to deny the existence of Allah, to be sarcastic about
Allah's name, to deny any verse of the Koran" or to commit other acts of
blasphemy are all punishable by death.
Such teachings have become embedded in the culture of many Muslim communities.
Blasphemy is punishable by death in six countries: Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Brunei, Mauritania and Saudi Arabia.
Turkey does not have a separate law on blasphemy, but critics of Islam can be
exposed to physical violence and death. Turan Dursun, an ex-Muslim imam and
author who spoke about his atheism and publicly criticized Islam, and professor
Bahriye Üçok, who said the use of headscarf was not obligatory in Islam, were
both murdered in Turkey in 1990. Certain laws in the criminal code are
specifically cited to punish people for offenses related to "disrespecting" or
"insulting" Islam. Article 216 of the Turkish criminal code, for instance,
outlaws "insulting religious belief": "Any person who openly disrespects the
religious belief of group is punished with imprisonment from six months to one
year if such act causes potential risk for public peace."
Bans on, or pressure against, any criticism of religion appear to be commonplace
across the Muslim world. According to a report by the United States Library of
Congress: "Most jurisdictions in the Middle East and North Africa have laws
prohibiting insulting Islam or religion generally. Many of them have recently
applied such laws, including in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait,
Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and the
West Bank. "In South Asia, the Islamic states of Afghanistan and Pakistan have
blasphemy laws that are actively enforced.
"Islamic countries in East Asia and the Pacific, including Brunei, Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Myanmar, have blasphemy-related laws that are actively enforced."
Apostasy is often charged along with blasphemy. According to a 2016 report by
Pew Survey: "Laws restricting apostasy and blasphemy are most common in the
Middle East and North Africa, where 18 of the region's 20 countries (90%)
criminalize blasphemy and 14 (70%) criminalize apostasy."
More alarming is that these pressures and bans come not only from governments.
Many of the people in the countries mentioned above also appear enthusiastically
to support strict or even deadly blasphemy and apostasy laws. According to a
2013 Pew survey, overwhelming percentages of Muslims in many regions --
Southeast Asia (84%), South Asia (78%), the Middle East and North Africa (78%),
and Central Asia (62%) -- favor making sharia, or Islamic law, the official law
of the land. And according to sharia, blasphemy and apostasy are punishable by
death.
The "End Blasphemy Laws Campaign", run by the International Coalition Against
Blasphemy Laws, has been trying to repeal blasphemy and related laws worldwide.
According to its official website:
"While freedom of thought and belief, including religious belief, must be
protected, it is equally important to guarantee an environment in which a
critical discussion about religion can be held.
"Countries which prosecute 'blasphemy' and 'insult to religion' tend to suffer
disproportionately many incidents of intercommunal and mob violence, vigilantism
against individuals, and the general silencing and persecution of minorities.
"Criminalizing 'insult to religion in the penal code lends... legitimacy to the
social persecution of individuals and groups who are said to 'offend' mainstream
religious sensibilities, sometimes with their speech acts or writing, often just
through their existence, or based on rumours spread with the intention of
whipping up violence."
Hakan Aygün was released on May 6, pending trial. His next hearing will be held
on July 14. Fırat Erez, however, is still in jail. The way these two individuals
have been targeted appears to be a warning by the government to other potential
dissidents who might consider criticizing some aspects of Islam or a government
policy. Even if criticizing Islam might be offensive to some Muslims, all ideas,
religions and ideologies should be open to criticism so long as one does not
incite violence. "If liberty means anything at all," the author George Orwell
wrote, "it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." Sadly,
however, a philosophy that is for liberty seems a million years away from
Erdoğan's government.
In Turkey, where at least 103 journalists and media workers are in prison,
Orwell could probably write another book about the government's tyranny against
minorities and dissidents.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the
Gatestone Institute.
© 2020 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Turkey, Russia may repeat Syrian scenario in Libya
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/June 02/2020
The protracted nine-year-old Libyan conflict is quickly turning into another
Syria — ironically with the same two main state actors, Russia and Turkey,
holding the balance of power and supporting opposite sides. Turkish-supported
fighters of the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) have scored
several gains recently against forces fighting under the banner of the Libyan
National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar. The most important
victory was the capture of the strategic Al-Watiya airbase on the outskirts of
Tripoli more than two weeks ago.
The fall of the airbase signaled a reversal in the fortunes of Haftar, who a
year ago launched a military campaign to “liberate” western Libya from the GNA
after talks to implement a political deal had collapsed. Before Turkey’s direct
intervention in January, the GNA appeared to be on the brink of defeat, as
Haftar’s forces had broken through the southern districts of the capital.
Turkey has dispatched thousands of Syrian mercenaries to Libya, as well as
drones and armored vehicles — thus violating UN sanctions. On the other hand,
Russia has been backing Haftar through military contractors, and last week
Moscow sent 14 MiG-29 and Su-24 fighter jets to the LNA’s Jufra airbase in
central Libya. This could be crucial in keeping Haftar in the game, as Turkish
drones have been instrumental in destroying the LNA’s air defenses. The Libyan
quagmire has seen many foreign players taking sides, with Egypt and the UAE
supporting Haftar, and Turkey, with the hesitant backing of Tunisia and Algeria,
defending the GNA under Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.
But Haftar may have undermined his own position years after emerging as the
uncontested ruler of eastern Libya. In April, he absolved himself of the Skhirat
Agreement of 2015 and declared himself sole ruler of Libya — a move that was
condemned by key international players as well as members of the Tobruk-based
parliament. Instead, Speaker Aguila Saleh proposed an initiative to reach a
political solution to the crisis.
With UN mediation failing to implement the Skhirat Agreement and end the deep
rift between Tripoli and Benghazi, Turkey and now Russia have used the vacuum to
bolster their own positions in the key North African country. The
“Syrianization” of the Libyan crisis is not far-fetched. Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and Vladimir Putin previously clashed in Syria before reaching a deal to jointly
manage that crisis, at least in the north of the country. Now a similar scenario
is unfolding in Libya and it underlines the new geopolitical reality, which is
marked by the lack of a US strategy and European divisions.
The possibility of Turkish-Russian collaboration in Libya, where both sides
create a foothold and jointly benefit from the country’s riches, is cause for
concern, especially for Egypt. Turkey has been challenging Greece, Cyprus and
Egypt over the Eastern Mediterranean gas fields and Erdogan has been condemned
for signing a maritime demarcation accord with Libya. It is clear that Turkey’s
objectives in Libya are long term.
The US, which has expressed concern over Russia’s deployment of fighter jets in
Libya, appears to be content with Turkey’s role so far. Last week, a statement
by the US Embassy in Tripoli said: “The United States is proud to partner with
the legitimate, UN-recognized government of Libya.” It also slammed “forces
seeking to impose a new political order by military means or terrorism.” Such a
position strengthens Turkey’s mission in Libya.
The scenario unfolding in Libya underlines the new geopolitical reality, which
is marked by the lack of a US strategy and European divisions.
That leaves the EU, which, as is to be expected, is divided over the Libyan
crisis. France, unlike Italy, finds itself in alignment with Russia in backing
Haftar, but is unable to embrace a clear policy other than to underline the
threat chaos in Libya poses to European interests. The failure of Libyan parties
to implement the understandings reached at the Berlin conference in January has,
for now, crippled any credible political process. For Washington, backing Ankara
is one way of offsetting the rising Russian influence in eastern Libya. On the
other hand, Cairo’s qualms about the GNA’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood will
not be eased by Erdogan’s increasing presence in the neighboring country.
For now, the possibility of Turkey and Russia clashing directly in Libya seems
remote. The more plausible scenario is that the two powers will find a way to
impose a cease-fire, backed by almost all regional and international players, by
controlling their proxies while seeking to reach an understanding on reviving
political efforts. Saleh’s initiative may provide the basis for renewed
political efforts if Haftar reaches the conclusion that his ambition of ruling
over all of Libya is no longer plausible. It is Russia and Turkey that appear to
be in the driving seat now, and each is able to implement its own self-serving
agenda.
*Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
Twitter: @plato010
Germany’s Angela Merkel spearheading new push for European
integration
Harold James/Arab News/June 02/2020
Throughout her long chancellorship in Germany, Angela Merkel has repeatedly
shown that she is good for a surprise. Now, she’s outdone herself.
In 2010, Merkel bucked expectations by insisting that the International Monetary
Fund be included in the effort to rescue Greece. In 2011, she announced a plan
to phase out Germany’s nuclear power plants following the Fukushima disaster in
Japan. Then, in 2015, she opened Germany’s borders to more than a million Syrian
refugees. Now she has agreed to a proposal for a joint €500 billion ($556
billion) recovery fund to help the EU’s hardest-hit national economies through
the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.
Every one of these policy decisions has provoked howls of outrage in Germany, as
well as hand-wringing by other Europeans, who are reluctant to allow Germany an
outsize leadership role. But, each time, Merkel has insisted that there was no
alternative. Still, this latest surprise is by far her boldest. “The nation
state on its own has no future,” she declared during a press conference with
French President Emmanuel Macron last month.
The prospect of a recovery fund has led many observers to wonder if the EU is
finally approaching its “Hamiltonian moment.” In the early years of the American
republic, first US Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton argued that the
federal government should “assume” the debts incurred by the states during the
War of Independence. He won the debate because debt mutualization seemed
necessary to resolve the emergency at hand.
But it would be a mistake to think that just any crisis can remove obstacles to
deeper integration. When the euro crisis erupted a decade ago, federalists hoped
it would lend momentum to the European project. Instead, northern and southern
member states became more deeply divided over debt. In the ensuing years, both
Russia and China have lured individual EU member states into their orbits, the
UK has formally withdrawn from the bloc, and US President Donald Trump has all
but abandoned the transatlantic alliance.
Like the debt and refugee crises, these geopolitical developments have all
deepened Europe’s north-south and east-west divisions. The key historical
conditions that would have allowed for a bold push beyond the nation state were
always missing. The question, then, is why should COVID-19 be expected to do
what Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump, Brexit, and earlier debt feuds
could not? There are two reasons to think that the current crisis is indeed
different. For starters, the pandemic is fundamentally a crisis born of
globalization, requiring a cooperative global response. Second, comparisons of
mortality and infection rates between countries and regions, and the terrifying
depth and scale of the pandemic’s economic fallout, have put a premium on
competent governance for much of the public. It is no secret why the US, the UK
and Brazil have such high case numbers and death tolls. Each has an incompetent,
ideological and uncoordinated government.
Unlike Trump or Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Merkel and Macron are not
inclined to deploy the politics of emotion. On the contrary, both pride
themselves on being skillful managers who make evidence-based decisions. And the
evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that the nation state is indeed
ill-equipped for the crisis at hand — the most immediate needs are either highly
local or supranational.
The question of “necessary responses” is especially poignant in Germany, which,
like Italy, was a creation of 19th-century nationalism. Before Otto von Bismarck
(and his Italian equivalent, Count Camillo Benso), what we now call Germany was
composed of multiple small states. Each had its own rich sense of local
identity, but none was particularly good at meeting the technical and economic
challenges posed by a world of growing markets, trade, and new forms of
communication and transportation. When these smaller entities unified, the
liberal journalist August Ludwig von Rochau observed that it was not out of a
“sympathy of souls,” but purely as a “matter of business.”
In other words, the nation state was driven forward as a practical matter.
Before the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, there were 3,000 to 4,000 independent
territorial units to account for — most subject to only a loose imperial
jurisdiction. By the 18th century, that number had been reduced to 300 to 400;
and, after 1815, all were members of the German Confederation. By the end of the
19th century, there were just three states with large German-speaking
populations: The German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Swiss
Confederation.
The evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that the nation state is indeed
ill-equipped for the crisis at hand.
So the number of states in central Europe fell by a factor of 10 every century
or so. This is not to suggest that there will soon be just 0.3 states in Central
Europe. Nonetheless, it is clear that old-style nation states are being forced
to reconsider where they stand in the world.
In fact, the recent ruling against the European Central Bank (ECB) by Germany’s
Federal Constitutional Court represents the final push toward a deeper level of
EU integration. Though it nominally imposes a limit on the Bundesbank’s
participation in the ECB’s bond-buying programs, its effect will not be to
arrest the European project, but rather to force the creation of a legal and
political foundation upon which that project can be sustained.
Moreover, no European country’s constitution places a greater emphasis on the
idea of Europe than Germany’s. The 1949 Basic Law states that the German people
are “inspired by the determination to promote world peace as an equal partner in
a united Europe.” Even more to the point, Article 24 of that document explicitly
provides for the abdication of sovereign rights for the sake of “a peaceful and
permanent order” in Europe.
In the 19th century, nation states were forged from blood and iron. Today,
something new is being created out of medicine and economic policy.
Harold James is Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton
University and a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance
Innovation. A specialist on German economic history and on globalization, he is
a co-author of “The Euro and The Battle of Ideas,” and the author of “The
Creation and Destruction of Value: The Globalization Cycle,” “Krupp: A History
of the Legendary German Firm,” and “Making the European Monetary Union.”
Copyright: Project Syndicate
China-US rivalry needs defusing to revive global economy
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/June 02/2020
President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping arrive at a state dinner
at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, November 9, 2017. (Reuters)
China-US tensions have been on the rise over the past few years. Trade wars and
the controversy over how China handled the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
outbreak have added a sharp tone to the heated rhetoric between Beijing and
Washington, and made the saber-rattling more ominous. There is much speculation
about what the next steps in the China-US rivalry will look like, with some
analysts already warning of an impending military confrontation accompanied by
firm alignments to one side or the other.
While a full-fledged war is still far-fetched, these developments could be the
warning shots of a new cold war. If that is the case, what should the rest of
the world do? How can another devastating cold war be avoided? The EU, Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) and others are considering their next steps.
We should remember that the US-Soviet Cold War came with tremendous human,
economic, security and political costs, and we should try to avoid repeating
that history. That war lasted more than 40 years, ending with the dissolution of
the Soviet Union in 1991, and was devastating: Millions were killed in different
proxy wars, in addition to millions more injured or displaced. The US alone lost
about 100,000 people, from the military mostly, and the financial cost was
estimated at $8 trillion. Important legacies remain today, including the
enduring political instability and intractable economic mess in countries such
as Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Congo, to name just a few.
The US survived the Cold War and became the undisputed leader of a unipolar
world — until recently, when its leadership was challenged. In an important
address on May 25, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy Josep Borrell went as far as saying that “we live in a leaderless world.”
He added: “Analysts have long talked about the end of an American-led system and
the arrival of an Asian century. This is now happening in front of our eyes.”
Borrell’s predictions about the end of American leadership may be disputed, but
he is right in saying that Asia is now an increasingly important factor — in
economic, security and technological terms.
COVID-19 is probably the first major crisis in decades where the US is not
leading the international response, and neither for that matter is Europe. The
bright spots are in Asia, such as Japan and South Korea.
China is claiming the mantle of leadership, while the US is preoccupied with the
fiercely contested 2020 presidential election, the crippling, rapid spread of
COVID-19 and rising racial tensions — issues that have raised questions about
the leadership and trust within the US.
But leadership of the world order has its price: While China is gaining ground
and getting more powerful and assertive, its quick rise has sparked fears and
jealousies. Many are asking questions about its readiness for a leadership role.
For example, as the world’s second-largest economy, how much is it willing to
provide in assistance to poor countries and international organizations compared
to the US, which has been the largest aid donor and funder of international
organizations? Some question China’s trade and investment policies in developing
countries. Others question China’s adherence to international conventions on
human rights. Beijing needs to address these questions and apprehensions.
The China-US rivalry is also having a major effect on the multilateral system.
There are now many more divisions and fewer agreements on major issues.
With this rivalry, there is growing direct and indirect pressure on others to
choose sides. The biggest prize may be the EU, the largest trading bloc in the
world. While in the Cold War most of Europe was solidly in the US camp, now the
EU as a group and some of its members are at odds with the Trump administration
over important issues, including Iran. But will they side with China?
At last Friday’s EU foreign ministers meeting, China was the main topic. After
the meeting, Borrell said those present concluded that China is “a competitor,
yes. It is a competitor, a partner, an ally, a rival. Everything at the same
time. So it is a complex relationship that cannot be reduced to a single
dimension.” Borrell indicated that the EU’s China policy is still evolving, but
outlined some of the elements that need to be addressed in terms of interests
and values. What is clear is that the EU is trying not to be drawn into the
China-US rivalry for global leadership. For example, the EU is not following
America’s approach and imposing sanctions on China, but nevertheless it is
challenging Beijing on many contentious issues. While China is gaining ground
and getting more powerful and assertive, its quick rise has sparked fears and
jealousies.
Once completed, the EU’s China policy will have important implications on the
new world order and China-US rivalry. Let us hope that the EU will emphasize
cooperation instead of rivalry. The GCC is also considering its approach to this
growing dilemma. COVID-19 has made it imperative to do so, with its devastating
effects on the world economy and disruption of supply chains.
The GCC does not need to choose sides because it is close to both: The US has
been a security and strategic ally for decades, as well as an economic and
cultural partner. China is the GCC’s top trading partner, with increasing
political and security ties. Both sides also need the GCC as a source of energy
and a thriving market for their products. As such, the GCC should be working to
enhance its partnership with both countries.
Because the China-US rivalry and trade wars have contributed to the global
economic slowdown, and hence harmed the economies of the GCC and EU, they need
to do more by trying to bridge the growing divide between Beijing and Washington
and encouraging a more cooperative approach.
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