English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 05/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do
John 14/08-14: “Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 04-05/2020
Audio/Lebanon's Bumpy Road to an IMF Deal: Implications for U.S. Policy: Maroun Hitti, Jessica Obeid, and Sami Nader
The Washington Institute/June 04/2020
50 New Virus Cases in Lebanon as Hasan Says One Infected 42
Repatriated woman with coronavirus infects 42 in Barja, says Health Minister
President Aoun chairs meeting devoted to discuss track of negotiations with International Monetary Fund
Cabinet convenes in Baabda, extends public mobilization until July 5
Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks
Lebanon provides shelter to 35 homeless Ethiopian migrant workers
Returning expat causes new coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon
Banker found dead inside car
Report: EU Ambassador Sets ‘Rescue’ Roadmap for Lebanon
Money Changers Set Exchange Rate
Labor Ministry Provides Shelter to 35 Homeless Ethiopian Migrants
'Mobilization' Extended to July 5, Aoun and Diab Slam Attacks on Govt.
Record Virus Deaths in Brazil, Mexico Spur Defence Efforts
Roche Wins US Clearance for Virus Treatment Test
Higher Defense Council Recommends Lockdown Extension
Loyalty to Resistance' bloc: Obstacles to government productivity fabricated
Lebanese-Americans reflect on two uprisings
Watch: Lebanon's unprecedented crisis, challenges and paths forward
Hezbollah is much weaker than it seems/Michael Young/The National/June 04/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 04-05/2020
Iran Quds Force head Ghaani arrives in Iraq
Rouhani oversaw smuggling of over $30 bln to Iraqi Kurdistan, says Iranian MP
Iranian professor jailed in US for stealing trade secrets returns home to Iran
Kadhimi’s Orders Require Ghaani to Obtain Visa to Visit Baghdad
Religious Leaders and the Challenges of COVID-19
Russia sends second batch of advanced MiG-29 fighter jets to Syria: Embassy
Syria's Assad Seeks to Control Economy, Goes after Cousin
Russian Frustration After Iranian Return to Syria Sites
Haftar Visits Cairo Ahead of 3rd Round of Geneva Talks
Israelis fear West Bank annexation will spark Palestinian uprising: Poll
Netanyahu and Settlers Clash Over West Bank Annexation Plans
Palestinian PM Urges Int'l Recognition of Palestine
Grilling of Tunisia's Ghannouchi Raises Questions over his Political Future
Minister Champagne reaffirms Canada’s commitment to the Global Coalition against Daesh
Record Virus Deaths in Brazil, Mexico Spur Defence Efforts
Roche Wins US Clearance for Virus Treatment Test

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 04-05/2020
Iran regime won’t negotiate with US until after 2020 presidential election/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 04/2020
Am I a Republican-Leaning Journalist/Camelia Entekhabifard/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/2020
Iran's New Terror Network in Latin America/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/June 04/2020
India to Lead Efforts to Cure the World Health Organization/Jagdish N. Singh//Gatestone Institute/June 04/2020
New US sanctions on Syria mean no leniency for business with Assad/David Adesnik/Wednesday 4 June 2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 04-05/2020
Audio/Lebanon's Bumpy Road to an IMF Deal: Implications for U.S. Policy: Maroun Hitti, Jessica Obeid, and Sami Nader
The Washington Institute/June 04/2020
Maroun Hitti, Jessica Obeid, and Sami Nader
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=687084871869070
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/lebanons-bumpy-road-to-an-imf-deal-implications-for-u.s.-policy
Watch an expert conversation on the growing financial crisis in Lebanon, prospects for IMF intervention, and what the situation in Beirut means for U.S. interests.
Amid increased dollar shortages, a debt default, and a virus-induced lockdown, the Lebanese economy is expected to deteriorate further in the coming months. In response, Beirut has opened negotiations with the International Monetary Fund in the hope of receiving an aid deal. Yet these negotiations might fail without serious reforms in major sectors, since Hezbollah has refused to compromise its access to state institutions even under international sanctions. Meanwhile, a potentially more violent wave of protests is underway, raising concerns about what role the Lebanese Armed Forces may play in the standoff. To discuss these developments, The Washington hosted a virtual Policy Forum with three guests from Beirut: military expert Maroun Hitti, energy expert Jessica Obeid, and economist Sami Nader.
Brig. Gen. Maroun Hitti served until recently as special defense and military advisor to the president of Lebanon's Council of Ministers. Previously, he held various positions within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), including director of operations and deputy chief of staff for planning.
Jessica Obeid is a policy consultant focusing on electricity and energy transition in the Middle East. She currently works as an academy associate in Chatham House's energy, environment, and resources department in London, and as a nonresident fellow at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies.
Sami Nader directs the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, focusing on economics and public policy in the region. A former advisor to Lebanon's minister of labor, he has led international assistance efforts in Iraq as part of the Local Area Development Programme and other initiatives.
The Policy Forum series is made possible through the generosity of the Florence and Robert Kaufman Family.

50 New Virus Cases in Lebanon as Hasan Says One Infected 42
Naharnet/June 04/2020
Lebanon recorded a significant uptick of 50 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, as Health Minister Hamad Hasan said a woman repatriated from abroad has infected 42 people in the Iqlim al-Kharroub town of Barja.
In its daily statement, the Ministry said 42 of the cases were recorded among residents and that 33 of them have been traced to known infected individuals. The other eight were recorded among repatriated Lebanese expats.
One more death was also recorded over the past 24 hours, raising the country's death toll to 28. The Ministry said 36 of the new cases were recorded in Barja, six in nearby Jadra, five in Ghobeiri, one in Ras al-Nabeh, one in Aramoun and one in Majdal Anjar. The new cases raise the country's tally to 1,306.
The Health Minister meanwhile said that he will meet Friday with governors to “take the appropriate decision on those coming from abroad.”
“We either enforce compulsory home quarantine with signed pledges from the repatriated expats or we refer the positive cases to government hospitals,” he added. “When people and expats stay home and do not create a situation, as happened in Barja, we will then be able to talk about reopening the airport, especially that a repatriated woman carrying the virus had transferred it to 42 people in Barja,” Hasan went on to say. The Minister also noted that he has signed an order to reopen nurseries with a capacity of 25% each as of June 8.

Repatriated woman with coronavirus infects 42 in Barja, says Health Minister
NNA/June 04/2020
Minister of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, revealed Thursday that an incoming woman infected with Covid-19 had recently transmitted virus to 42 individuals in the Chouf town of Barja. In remarks made following the Cabinet session at Baabda palace, Hassan indicated that a meeting will be held tomorrow with the district governors to discussion possible solutions to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases imported by the repatriated citizens. He also said that reopening the airport was related to people's commitment to quarantine and self-isolation. "When people and [returning] emigrants stay home (...) -- unlike what happened in Barja--, then we can talk about reopening the airport," he said. On a different note, Hassan announced that he had signed a decision to reopen day care centers as of June 8 at 25% capacity.

President Aoun chairs meeting devoted to discuss track of negotiations with International Monetary Fund
NNA/June 04/2020
President Michel Aoun chaired a financial meeting devoted to discuss the path of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund regarding the Government’s plan for financial recovery, today at Baabda Palace.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, Finance Minister, Ghazi Wazny, BDL Governor, Riad Salameh, General-Director of the Presidency, Dr. Antoine Choucair, Finance Ministry General-Director, Alain Biffany, and advisors: Charbel Kordahi, George Chalhoub and Henry Chaoul.
The outcome of negotiations with the IMF, the explanations provided by the Lebanese side and steps which must be taken to accelerate the process, were deliberated in the meeting.
After the meeting, the Director General of the Presidency, Dr. Antoine Choucair, read the following statement:
“President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, chaired a financial meeting devoted to discuss the path of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund regarding the Government’s plan for financial recovery, in the presence of Prime Minister, Dr. Hassan Diab. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister, Ghazi Wazni, Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, Director General of the Presidency, Dr. Antoine Choucair, Director General of the Finance Ministry, Alain Biffany, and advisers, Charbel Kordahi, George Chalhoub, and Henry Chaoul.
The numbers mentioned in reports issued by the Finance Ministry, during the ongoing negotiations between the Ministry and IMF teams, were discussed based on the recovery plan, approved by the Cabinet.
After deliberation, and based on comparative tables, it was agreed that mandatory numbers are standardized according to one approach, and a meeting will be held next Monday to decide on the numbers in order to facilitate negotiations with the IMF”. -- Presidency Media Office

Cabinet convenes in Baabda, extends public mobilization until July 5
NNA/June 04/2020
The Council of Ministers decided during its session held today in Baabda Palace, to extend the state of public mobilization until July 5, included. The council also asked the Council for Development and Reconstruction, to prepare an evaluation report within 15 days on the wast sorting and treatment contracts in the governorates of Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and Keserwan from 2019 until today.
The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, pointed out during the session to the campaigns that are blaming “the authority and the government for the causes of the current crisis, at a time when everyone knows that neither I ( the president) nor you ( cabinet ) are the cause of this crisis.
He said : "It is a very unfortunate and cannot be tolerated to keep bearing these accusations against us. Yesterday I explained in a statement of my position and asked when was my approach unconstitutional? I exercise my full powers and know the powers of everyone, especially the Council of Ministers.”
He called on the ministers for solidarity and response in an "objective, reflective and highly professional manner."
As for Prime Minister Hassan Diab, he touched on the political targeting of the government, while it is daily monitors the living conditions. He confirmed that the second batch of financial aid had started to be distributed after the number of the beneficiaries was expanded. He added that "people are supposed to witness within days, a noticeable decline in food prices, and a gradual return to the economic cycle."
He stressed his support to the right of protesting and understanding the cry of people, but “ there is fear of attempts to invest this action in politics, and the demands and concerns of the people turn into a means that causes the return to blocking roads, cutting the country’s communications , closing institutions and disrupting people's activities, and thus, dismissing employees and workers from their jobs.
He called for practicing the democratic right with calm and without riot, while taking health protection measures from Coronavirus pandemic that is still spreading until today.
The session was preceded by a meeting between the Presidents of the Republic and the Cabinet members, during which the topics on the agenda were discussed.
Minister Abdul Samad
Following the session, Minister of Information Manal Abdel Samad, addressed the reporters saying:
"The Council of Ministers held its weekly session at 11:15 am, headed by the President of the Republic, in the presence of the Prime Minister, and the ministers. Minister Tariq Al-Majzoub was absent.
The session was opened by the President of the Republic, focusing on the need to follow up the economic, financial and monetary conditions to show dawn the situation that the country is currently experiencing.
Addressing the ministers, he said: "It is regrettable that the public opinion listens daily to campaigns against us about the causes of the current crisis, at a time when everyone knows that neither I nor you are the cause of this crisis. No-one of us stole public money and no one can accuse us of such actions. I read the newspapers and follow television stations, the accusation are very unfortunate and cannot be tolerated, bearing the accusations directed against us. You should be in solidarity with one another and respond to all accusations leveled against you. You are not responsible for what happened in the country as a result of years of chaos, waste, and neglect, and your responses should be objective and reflect high moral and professional levels "
The Prime minister said: From the first day this government was formed, I was targeted, and judged in advance. Unfortunately, this targeting was political, although we said that we do not want to drown in politics, and that we have come to work on the country's accumulated files, and we have huge and tough mission, and its goal is to save the country and reduce the speed of the collapse and the extent of its repercussions on the people. Certainly we understand the demands of the Lebanese, and we know the size of social and living pressures on them. Therefore, we work day and night to alleviate the suffering of the people. The government monitors the daily developments of the livelihood issues. Financial assistance bases of the beneficiaries has been expanded according to field studies carried out by the Lebanese army, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior across the municipalities and the mayors. People are supposed to notice within days, a decline in food prices, and a gradual return to the economic cycle after we allowed the opening of a large number of institutions in order to preserve the attendance of work to their jobs.
We understand the cry of people, who are feeling the brunt of their social situation. But the fear is that attempts will be made to employ this cry into politics, and the people's demands and concerns will turn into a means that will once again lead to road blocking, dismemberment of the country, closure of institutions, disrupting people's activities and thus the dismissal of employees and workers from their jobs. We are with the right to demonstrate, but this right Should not turn into chaos by blocking roads and vandalizing public and private property. I do not think that any Lebanese accepts these practices that do not resemble a democratic expression. We have no problem getting people off the street, but there must be a commitment to 5 conditions:
1- No roads are blocked.
2- No violations of state property and people's property.
3- No clash with the lebanese army, security forces, and the military and security services.
4- No clash with people who want to go to work.
5- Masks are obligatory to protect people and their families from the Coronavirus.
We can exercise our democratic right In a calm manner without riot, even if this expression carries political dimensions, and it is absolutely necessary that health protection measures are taken from the pandemic that is still spreading until today. We are today extending the state of public mobilization, in the hope that we will reach the stage where we can be assured that people have become safe away from negligence that may lead to a new wave of spreading.
The cabinet studied its agenda, and took the appropriate decisions, which included:
1- Approving the Supreme Defense Council on extending the mobilization from June 8 to July 5, 2020
2- Maintaining the economic activities that were allowed to gradually return within its scope and in accordance with the time stages referred to in Article 2 of Decree No. 6251/2020 and within specific conditions based on the following criteria: distancing, number of mixing, possibility of adjustment, level of priority and potential risks.
3- Demanding all military and security forces to be strictly deterrent, in order to suppress violations, which prevent the spreading of the virus.
4- The media, is thanked for its cooperation with the security and health services and local authorities, is asked to continue the positive awareness and prevention campaigns.
The Council of Ministers listened to a presentation by the Minister of Industry on the plan for industrial advancement and strategic axes for the development of the industrial sector. The Council also listened to a presentation by the Minister of Environment on the road map 2020-2025 for Integrated Solid Waste Management. The Council decided to request from the Council for Development and Reconstruction to prepare an evaluation report within a Period of 15-day on sorting and treatment contracts in the governorates of Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and Keserwan from 2019 until today.
The Minister of Social Affairs gave a presentation on the National Social Solidarity Program NSSP, the ESSNP Emergency Safety Program, and the NPTP Program targeting the poorest families.
The Council of Ministers appointed the Secretary-General of the Council, Judge Mahmoud Makiye, to chair the Civil Service Council, until the appointment of a president.--Presidency Press Office

Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks
Beirut/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/2020
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun affirmed the country’s insistence on the presence of the international forces operating in the South (UNIFIL), pointing out that the Cabinet has taken a decision to “resort to the Security Council to request an extension of its mission for an additional year without modifying its mandate, concept of operations and special rules of engagement.”Aoun was speaking during a meeting in Baabda on Wednesday with the ambassadors of the five permanent Security Council members, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Representative, Jan Kubis.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab emphasized that “the continued presence of (UNIFIL) forces in southern Lebanon is an international need.”“The continued work of UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon is an international need, before being a Lebanese demand. The presence of these forces, according to the role assigned to them, is now necessary to prevent tension and redress any danger looming at the borders as a result of Israeli violations,” he said.However, the Lebanese position seems to be heading towards a clash with the US Administration. Aoun asserted that the Lebanese Constitution stipulates the respect of private properties, in reference to Washington’s request to expand UNIFIL’s scope of operations to include searching homes in southern villages and towns. “Our adherence to it is only surpassed by our attachment to public freedoms and full Lebanese sovereignty”, Aoun remarked.
US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea replied by saying that the effectiveness of UNIFIL should be increased. “We need to consider increasing the effectiveness of UNIFIL to its maximum extent and if it is not able to achieve its mandate fully, we must ask questions about whether the current number is the best,” she told the meeting. Shea then noted that the private property could not be implemented by UNIFIL, stressing that the issue should be addressed openly and without any hesitation. Kubis, for his part, confirmed UN readiness to assist and support Lebanon. He also underlined the consolidation and development of partnership between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.

Lebanon provides shelter to 35 homeless Ethiopian migrant workers
AFP/Thursday 04 June 2020
Lebanon has provided temporary shelter for 35 homeless Ethiopian domestic workers who had camped outside their consulate after being abandoned by employers hit by the country’s worsening economic crisis, the labor ministry said Thursday. “We provided this shelter to get them off the street and we are now in touch with international agencies and the Ethiopian consulate to look for a long-term solution,” ministry spokesman Hussein Zalghout told AFP. Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, compounded by a lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Some Lebanese families have started paying their home help in depreciating local currency, while others have stopped paying at all, with increasing reports of domestic workers being thrown onto the street. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. In recent weeks, dozens of Ethiopian women have camped outside their consulate in Beirut. They include those who were abandoned by their employers, without pay or passports, as well as undocumented migrants and day laborers who have been unable to find work, according to Amnesty International. Labor Minister Lamia Yammine Douaihy had on Wednesday condemned the “unfortunate scene” outside the consulate and pledged to take necessary measures against employers. Employers “who left migrant workers stranded in front of the consulate will be punished by law and will be placed on a blacklist that prevents them from hiring foreign domestic workers again,” the ministry spokesman said. He said the ministry would press employers to settle all outstanding payments they owe their domestic workers before they are repatriated, otherwise they will be punished by law. Last month, the General Security agency said it had started organizing repatriation flights for those who wished to return home. On May 21, dozens of Ethiopians workers were repatriated, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. A quarter of a million migrants are employed as domestic workers in Lebanon, the large majority of them Ethiopian and many in conditions that have been condemned by human rights groups and their own governments. A sponsorship system known as “kafala” leaves maids, nannies and carers outside the remit of Lebanese labor law and at the mercy of their employers, some paid as little as $150 a month before the downturn.

Returning expat causes new coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon
Jacob Boswall, Al Arabiya English/Thursday 04 June 2020
An outbreak of 42 new coronavirus cases in a single Lebanese town has raised questions about the reopening of the country’s only international airport. The new breakout of cases in Barja, a town in Lebanon’s Chouf Mountains, was caused by a woman returning from Saudi Arabia, Health Minister Hamad Hasan told local media. “When expatriates stay at home and don’t cause a situation like what happened in Barja, then we can talk about reopening the airport,” Hasan continued.He added that governors would meet tomorrow to decide how to deal with repatriation. Two options being considered are compulsory home quarantine and immediate transfer to government hospitals. Earlier this week, the government earmarked June 21 for the reopening of Beirut’s airport. But following the outbreak in Barja, Firas Abiad, director-general of Beirut’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital, expressed his criticism of the proposed reopening. “Locally, a spike in positive cases in Barja, related to repatriation, was reported yesterday. Internationally, the Swedish model is being scrutinized due to a higher death toll compared to neighbors. With Covid19, there are no black or white, just different shades of grey,” he tweeted.

Banker found dead inside car
Maysaa Ajjan/Annahar/4 June 2020
Dagher was head of group ethics and fraud risk management at Byblos Bank, as confirmed by the latter.
BEIRUT: An investigation by the ISF is underway after the body of banker Antoine Dagher was found Thursday noon in Hazmieh in the parking lot of his residence. Dagher was head of group ethics and fraud risk management at Byblos Bank, as confirmed by the latter. In a statement released hours ago, Byblos Bank confirmed the death of Dagher and offered condolences to his family and loved ones. “It is with great sorrow that we received the news of the death of Antoine Dagher, head of group ethics and fraud risk management, and we offer our sincerest condolences to his family, colleagues and loved ones,” the statement of the bank read. “We await the results of the investigation by the internal security forces and what it will reveal regarding the circumstances of his death.”Al Jadeed News reported that the victim had left his apartment at seven in the morning with the intention of going to work, only to be found stabbed in the parking lot at 10:00 am by his wife. Al Jadeed news also stated that Dagher was stabbed in the neck and the stomach. No sign of robbery was found. As for cameras, the closest camera to the parking is located on a building facing Dagher’s residence. It is not yet known if the camera was functional during the murder. News of Dagher’s death went viral on social media with so many users expressing their condolences and others questioning the motives behind his death. Dagher’s family are awaiting the autopsy results. He was reportedly in his sixties when he died.

Report: EU Ambassador Sets ‘Rescue’ Roadmap for Lebanon
Naharnet/June 04/2020
Despite the international community’s dismay with the reluctance of Lebanon’s authority to carry out concrete rescue and reform initiatives, a new international opportunity arose on the horizon and is based on a “rescue” road map set by the European Union’s Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. Tarraf reportedly said that Lebanon still has an opportunity to benefit from international aid for its crisis-hit economy. “We as an international support group for Lebanon, have clearly informed the Lebanese government that our backing for the country and its government is mainly based on several major issues that need urgent implementation in order for Lebanon to start receiving the aid it needs,” the daily quoted Tarraf as saying. Tarraf said Lebanon must first embark on “urgently and necessarily address its energy sector, approving the law on independence of the judiciary, issuing the public procurement law, and finally restore credibility and confidence.”

Money Changers Set Exchange Rate
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 04/2020
The Syndicate of Money Changers in Lebanon on Thursday and agreed to buy the US dollar for a minimum of 3,950 Lebanese pounds and sell at a top rate of 3,970 pounds. The money dealers returned to work on Wednesday after a one month strike agreeing to buy dollars at a minimum of 3,950 and sell them at a maximum of 4,000 pounds. Banks have gradually stopped all dollar withdrawals in recent months, and the local currency has lost more than half its value on the black market in recent months, from the official rate of 1,507 to more than 4,000 pounds to the dollar. In May, a Lebanese prosecutor charged a bank manager and money changers with manipulating the exchange rate and money laundering in an ongoing currency crisis probe. Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crunch in decades, compounded by a coronavirus lockdown.
Lebanon has detained dozens of foreign exchange office employees in recent weeks over the fast depreciating pound, including the head of the money changers' union Mahmoud Mrad in May. The investigation has also seen the first charges against a senior central bank employee in the case.

Labor Ministry Provides Shelter to 35 Homeless Ethiopian Migrants
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 04/2020
Lebanon has provided temporary shelter for 35 homeless Ethiopian domestic workers who had camped outside their consulate after being abandoned by employers hit by the country's worsening economic crisis, the labor ministry said Thursday. "We provided this shelter to get them off the street and we are now in touch with international agencies and the Ethiopian consulate to look for a long-term solution," ministry spokesman Hussein Zalghout told AFP. Lebanon is in the midst of its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, compounded by a lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Some Lebanese families have started paying their home help in depreciating local currency, while others have stopped paying at all, with increasing reports of domestic workers being thrown onto the street.
In recent weeks, dozens of Ethiopian women have camped outside their consulate in Beirut. They include those who were abandoned by their employers, without pay or passports, as well as undocumented migrants and day laborers who have been unable to find work, according to Amnesty International.
Labor Minister Lamia Yammine Douaihy had on Wednesday condemned the "unfortunate scene" outside the consulate and pledged to take necessary measures against employers.
Employers "who left migrant workers stranded in front of the consulate will be punished by law and will be placed on a blacklist that prevents them from hiring foreign domestic workers again," the ministry spokesman said.
He said the ministry would press employers to settle all outstanding payments they owe their domestic workers before they are repatriated, otherwise they will be punished by law. Last month, the General Security agency said it had started organizing repatriation flights for those who wished to return home.
On May 21, dozens of Ethiopians workers were repatriated, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported. A quarter of a million migrants are employed as domestic workers in Lebanon, the large majority of them Ethiopian and many in conditions that have been condemned by human rights groups and their own governments. A sponsorship system known as "kafala" leaves maids, nannies and carers outside the remit of Lebanese labor law and at the mercy of their employers, some paid as little as $150 a month before the downturn.

'Mobilization' Extended to July 5, Aoun and Diab Slam Attacks on Govt.
Naharnet/June 04/2020
The Cabinet on Thursday extended the so-called state of general mobilization over coronavirus to July 5, as President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab hit back at what they called political “campaigns” against the government. The Cabinet decided to extend mobilization following a recommendation from the Higher Defense Council which had convened earlier in the day. Separately, Aoun told Cabinet that there are “campaigns” targeting the government and the presidential tenure in connection with the current economic and financial crisis. “But everyone knows that neither I nor you are behind this crisis,” the president added. “This is a very regrettable issue and we cannot remain silent about it or continue to bear the accusations that are being launched against it. Yesterday I clarified my stance in a statement and asked when my approach has been unconstitutional. I'm practicing my powers to the fullest and I know everyone's jurisdiction, especially that of the Council of Ministers,” Aoun added, in reaction to accusations launched Tuesday by al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc. The president also asked the ministers to “show solidarity and respond in an objective manner that reflects high professionalism.”Diab for his part decried the “political attacks” on the government and reassured that citizens will soon be able to sense decreases in the prices of foodstuffs and “a gradual return of the economic cycle.”Expressing his support for “the right to protest” and his “appreciation of people's scream,” the premier voiced concern that “there could be attempts to politically exploit this scream.” “People's demands and concerns might be transformed again and turned into a tool to block roads anew, sever the country's arteries, shut down institutions and impede people's businesses, which would consequently result in the laying off of employees and workers,” Diab warned. He also called for “practicing the democratic right calmly and without rioting while taking health measures against the coronavirus pandemic which is still spreading until today.”

Record Virus Deaths in Brazil, Mexico Spur Defence Efforts
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 04/2020
Brazil and Mexico reported record daily coronavirus death tolls as governments in Latin America battled to fortify defenses against the accelerating pandemic with fresh lockdown orders and curfews.
European nations are emerging from months of devastation with some borders re-opening, but South and Central America have become the new hotspots in a crisis that has claimed at least 385,000 lives worldwide. Mexico on Wednesday announced more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths in a day for the first time, while Brazil reported a record 1,349 daily deaths. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has staunchly opposed lockdowns but many local authorities have defied him and, with the crisis deepening, a vast section of Bahia state was on Wednesday placed under curfew. There was more cause for concern in Chile, where the government said it was extending a three-week shutdown of the capital Santiago after a new record for daily deaths. And in more evidence of the scale of the crisis in Latin America, the journalists' union in Peru said at least 20 reporters had died from the coronavirus.
The outbreak in Peru has been so intense that oxygen tanks needed in hospitals have become scarce, with many lining up to buy them for their loved ones. "We haven't found oxygen yet," said Lady Savalla in the capital Lima. "I'm worried about my mom more than anything else, because she's going to need a lot of oxygen and the hospital doesn't have enough."
Vaccine push
Experts have warned that travel restrictions will be needed around the world in some form until a vaccine is found -- and efforts to develop one are gathering pace. Britain is set to host a major meeting on Thursday, with more than 50 countries as well as powerful individuals such as Bill Gates taking part, to raise money for Gavi, the global vaccine alliance. Gavi and its partners will launch a financing drive to purchase potential COVID-19 vaccines, scale up their production and support delivery to developing nations. Tests on one potential vaccine, being developed by Oxford University, will begin on 2,000 health services volunteers in Brazil next week. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, said Wednesday that it would resume trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment after doubts were cast on the study that prompted the suspension over safety fears.
US President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro have touted the drug, with Washington sending Brazil two million doses earlier this week. But a separate study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, however, suggested taking the drug shortly after exposure to the coronavirus does not help prevent infection in a statistically meaningful way. Many governments are desperate to revive businesses after the economic destruction unleashed by the lockdowns, despite the lack of a viable treatment. Italy reopened its borders to European travelers on Wednesday, hoping to revive tourism, but a full recovery appeared a long way off for some. "I don't think we'll see any foreign tourists really until the end of August or even September," said Mimmo Burgio, a cafe owner near Rome's Colosseum. "Who's going to come?"
- Risk of spread at protests -
The United States remains the hardest-hit nation in the world, with 1.85 million infections and more than 107,000 deaths, and there are fears that the ongoing wave of protests in the country over racism and police brutality could fuel the spread of the virus. Many have said that while they were aware of the danger of infection at the big rallies, the cause was important enough to take the risk. Cav Manning, a 52-year-old emcee from New York, was among the tens of thousands across America willing to risk infection as he joined a protest in Brooklyn earlier this week."What we saw is so disturbing that we've got to be out here right now," he told AFP. "Despite COVID, despite the fact that you might get infected."

Roche Wins US Clearance for Virus Treatment Test
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 04/2020
Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche said Thursday the US authorities had given it emergency clearance for a test identifying patients most at risk of a dangerous immune response to coronavirus infection.
Some of those worst affected display a very severe inflammatory response to COVID-19 as the body tries to combat the infection but ends up also destroying healthy tissue and even organs such as the kidneys with life-threatening implications. Very ill patients require mechanical ventilation, putting a huge burden on medical teams and resources over many weeks. Roche said its test will help doctors get a head start before COVID-19 inflammation takes hold as they assess their caseloads to identify priority patients and their treatment options. "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the Elecsys® IL-6 test," Roche said in a statement. "This test measures levels of the biomarker interleukin 6 (IL-6) and can be used to help identify patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease who could be at high risk of intubation with mechanical ventilation.""The test can support physicians, in combination with other examinations and vital signs, to decide early on if a patient with confirmed COVID-19 illness requires mechanical ventilation," it said. Tobias Herold, with the Emergency Department at LMU University Hospital, in Munich said the tests can be carried out on existing, widely available Roche systems and can provide "results in approximately 18 minutes, with a test throughout of up to 300 tests/hour, depending on the analyser."

Higher Defense Council Recommends Lockdown Extension
Naharnet/June 04/2020
The Higher Defense Council suggested on Thursday an extension of the general mobilization period over the coronavirus pandemic, urging the media to continue to spread awareness so as to limit the number of infections. The Council suggested the lockdown extension until July 5. Prime Minister Hassan Diab stressed that "the danger remains imminent, and [precautionary] measures and procedures are still urgent." Minister of Health Hamad Hasan, underlined "the necessity to adhere to the quarantine period, especially for expatriates coming from abroad."
Lebanon on Wednesday recorded 14 more COVID-19 coronavirus cases, according to official data. Eight of those who tested positive for the virus are repatriated Lebanese expats and the other six are residents who came in contact with identified infected individuals, the Health Ministry said in its daily statement.
The new cases raise the country's tally to 1,256.

Loyalty to Resistance' bloc: Obstacles to government productivity fabricated
NNA/Thursday 04 June 2020
The "Loyalty to the Resistance" parliamentary bloc said Thursday that the impediments hindering the sought productivity of the government are "fabricated" and aiming to make Lebanon bow to the U.S. administration. "Obstacles hurdling the needed productivity amid this juncture are mostly fabricated with the intention of trading their elimination with the surrender to the U.S. administration policies which only sponsor the interest of the Zionist entity," the bloc said in a statement issued following its weekly meeting. "Blackmailing the Lebanese over their daily bread and their stability is the worst model that does not encourage anybody to back it," it added. Accordingly, conferees warned of falling in such traps which only seek to serve the Israeli enemy. Furthermore, it considered that the "unilateral sanctions' weapon" used by the U.S. administration only proved that the US had lost its influence in the region and worldwide. Also, the bloc berated the U.S. Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, deeming it as a "dictatorial procedure that unveils the impertinence of the false democracy in the USA."

Lebanese-Americans reflect on two uprisings
Abby Sewell, Al Arabiya English/Thursday 04 June 2020
Some Lebanese-American activists who took part in Lebanon’s October Revolution protests are now joining the mass protests that have spread across the United States calling for an end to racism and police brutality.
Sarah Aoun, a Lebanese-American activist living in New Work, was in Lebanon last October and November and was active in the antigovernment protests that began October 17. She was back in New York when the protests kicked off in cities throughout the US last week, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, a black man, died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes despite Floyd’s pleas of, “I can’t breathe.” Police were trying to arrest him for allegedly buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill.
Aoun works in the digital security field, training journalists and human rights activists in the Middle East and elsewhere on how to protect their communications from surveillance. She and some friends in Lebanon combined that knowledge with their experience in the streets to put together a guide on protest safety for US protesters, which she posted on Twitter Friday. “It was basically just our way of contributing in any meaningful way and showing solidarity with the protests that are happening here,” Aoun told Al Arabiya English.
In a preface to the guide, the Lebanese activists wrote, “We recognize that our experiences and lived realities are different, but in the same way that we’ve found solidarity with Hong Kong and Chile protesters, we wanted to extend ours to others.”Aoun also joined a protest in Brooklyn Saturday along with a group of friends acting as volunteer medics. In Lebanon, Aoun said, the protests targeting political corruption and sectarianism were distinctly personal. “It’s my people, it’s where I grew up, it’s what I identify first and foremost as.” On the other hand, in New York, where she has lived for the past 10 years, she said, “I definitely see my role here more as support, because I’m not the main concern or the main target group of what’s going on. We’re talking here about racism against black communities.”
Lebanese Americans are estimated to make up about one third of the estimated 3 million Americans of Arab descent. Many of them have maintained strong ties to Lebanon and felt invested in the Lebanese uprising.
Two revolutions
“The truth is that both revolutions speak to my heart a lot, because I’ve been part of the problems and what they’re trying to resolve in two different ways,” said Afeef Nessouli, a Lebanese-American journalist who grew up in Atlanta but spent his summers in Lebanon.
Nessouli was living in Lebanon and working on a journalistic project when the October Revolution broke out.
He returned to the United States in March and was the when the anti-racism protests began. Since then, he has been hitting the streets to document the protests with his camera, as he did in Lebanon. In both cases, Nessouli said he sees his role as “supporting and documenting.”
Isis al-Alam, who was born in south Lebanon but moved to Michigan with her family in 2006 after the war between Israel and Hezbollah, was not able to travel back to Lebanon when the October Revolution began.
Instead, she became actively involved in organizing and joining solidarity protests by the diaspora in New York, where she now lives. Like many Lebanese expats, Alam dreams of one day going back to live in Lebanon and saw the protests as a way to push for a country she would want to return to.
At the same time, when the protests started in the US, she joined them because, she said, “I want to see a more just America.”
But like Aoun, she sees her role as supporting.
A supporting role
“I can’t claim to share the same amount of anger with black folks in these protests, not even close,” she said. The protests in the US have differed from those in Lebanon both in the issues at stake and the level of violence. While in Lebanon, there have been instances of vandalism and property destruction and confrontations between protesters and security forces or between protesters and counter-protesters connected to the Hezbollah and Amal parties, the demonstrations remained overwhelmingly peaceful during their first two months.
In the US, more protesters have resorted to looting and vandalism, while the police response in the US has been considerably more aggressive. “There are a lot of similarities in the police tactics … but I would say overall the US has a much more violent response than Lebanon, and I’ve definitely felt safer in Lebanese protests than I’ve felt in American protests,” Aoun said. She noted that during the protest she attended with the medic group, police charged at them while they were on the ground treating protesters who had been pepper sprayed and arrested one of her fellow medics.
Nessouli speculated that the relatively lower level of conflict between protesters and security forces in Lebanon was a result of the fact that there, security forces generally come from the same communities as the protesters, while in the US the two groups tend to be disconnected.
In Lebanon, it’s personal
“The distance between people makes it easier for violence to feel so impersonal – in Lebanon, everything felt personal,” he said. For some of the Lebanese-American activists, the increasing tensions in the US call to mind uncomfortable thoughts of Lebanon’s many years of civil war and other conflicts. “This is probably the most polarized I’ve ever seen this country, and honestly it brings back a lot of memories, and it’s a little triggering,” Alam said. While she plans to keep protesting, she said she’s not very hopeful about the prospects for change in either of her two countries.
“I’m normally a very optimistic person...I just don’t think we’re close to any true reforms in this country, or in Lebanon,” she said. Ramsey Nasser, a Lebanese-American who grew up between the two countries, said that his parents, came to the US to give him and his sister a life in a stable and peaceful country.
Now, he said, “So much of what is happening here (in the US) is familiar in a way that makes me very sad.” Nasser traveled back to Lebanon in December and January and joined the protests there. Now he, too, is joining the protests in New York.
Although, like Alam, he is not optimistic about the prospects for change in either country, he said, “To the best of my ability, I want to continue showing up for this uprising and the Lebanese uprising and all the uprisings to come.”
Nessouli, for his part, said he sees reform as a long game. “These things do not change overnight, and I’m not hopeful that they will change overnight,” he said. “I think that there are a lot of very stressful times ahead in both countries – but I don’t think that that means that progress isn’t being made.”

Watch: Lebanon's unprecedented crisis, challenges and paths forward
Lauren Holtmeier, Al Arabiya English/June 04/2020
Lebanese activists and analysts agree that the country is going through an unprecedented economic cum sociopolitical crisis.
In a webinar, “Lebanon's unprecedented crisis: Challenges and paths forward,” hosted by Al Arabiya English, Alia Moubayed, Ziad Abdel Samad, Nasser Yassin and Albert Kostanian met to discuss Lebanon’s challenges and what lies on the path ahead for the slowly unraveling state.
Moubayed, managing director at Jefferies, an American multinational independent investment bank and financial services company, noted the complicated geopolitical environment in which Lebanon must operate, and acknowledged that the country faces concurrent debt, balance of payments and banking crises.
“You have the symptoms of a full-blown crisis,” she said. The crisis could continue to deepen she said as the country’s ruling elite are yet to take any concrete policy action to agree on a diagnosis of the country’s problems or a path toward a solution. They also have yet to define a strategy for negotiating with the International Monetary Fund and ensure that those in charge of reform will be able to do so. Lebanon is currently in negotiations with the IMF for financial assistance. The government passed an economic reform plan in a bid to receive $10 billion from the IMF with an eye also to unlock $11 billion made available in soft loans at the 2018 Paris CEDRE conference on condition of reforms that are yet to materialize.
Samad, who is the co-founder and executive director of the Beirut-based Arab NGO Network for Development, said Lebanon approached the IMF only as a last resort, but the way negotiations have gone so far with the IMF raises questions about the level of political will in the country.
Referencing the 2018 conference, he said “It was clear the reforms that were suggested, and now we’re witnessing the same plan… This raises real doubts about the political will.”“They’re directly ignoring the political and social issues and focusing only on the economic [issues],” he said.
While Lebanon slides closer to a point of no return, Yassin, the interim director at the American University of Beirut’s Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, said Lebanon is experiencing a “low-intensity collapse.”
“[The political elite are] going to adapt to this and make us adapt; they are going to continue to gather what they can from the collapsing state,” he said. For decades, Lebanon has suffered from chronic mismanagement of state funds that has led to a broad gap between the wealthy ruling elite and the poor at the bottom of society.
For Yassin, donors aren’t going to save Lebanon, but they’ll “ease the collapse.”Lebanon’s political bedrock is shaky, built on a sectarian power-sharing system that has contributed to years of looting and redistribution that has finally caught up with the country. “This system was built around a system of a central state where warlords give back to their people,” said Albert Kostanian, television host and content producer for Lebanon’s LBCI “Vision 2030” program. For Kostanian, what Lebanon faces is a meltdown of the current system predicated on three myths, the first is that the country can function alone through a strong private sector in the absence of a viable public sector. “There’s not really a single sector that functions,” Kostanian said, referring to the electricity, telecom, transportation and waste management sectors.
Lebanon for a long time attracted banking deposits from other Arab states. Those deposits drying up in part helped spur the acute economic pain felt now in the country. He noted there is a large gap between the potential of the local agriculture sector and what it currently produces.
The third myth he said, is that the country can live with such a wide income gap that won’t pose a threat to societal continuity.
“But this has been proven wrong, because people are angry and there’s no fiscal policy, no redistribution, no access to public goods, like schools or hospitals,” he said. “The whole system has fallen apart, and it will be a slow disintegration.”
Finally, Kostanian pointed to the problem of armed militias in the country. While he did not specifically name Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group is the largest armed militia and political party in the country and wields enormous amounts of political and military power.
“We can’t ignore that because there is no sovereignty,” he said. “This problem completely hinders the future of Lebanon and the prospect for investment.” The US, and most recently Germany, has designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization, and many fear the group’s presence in the country will hinder Lebanon’s ability to attract foreign aid. With talks ongoing with the IMF and no clear signs yet of political will to make painful structural reforms, the country is at a tipping point. “Lebanese are resilient, and they always find a way to emerge from crisis, but this time will be pretty tough,” he concluded.

Hezbollah is much weaker than it seems
Michael Young/The National/June 04/2020
مايكل ينغ/حزب الله أضعف بكثير مما هو ظاهر وجلي
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/86945/michael-young-hezbollah-is-much-weaker-than-it-seems-%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%84-%d9%8a%d9%86%d8%ba-%d8%ad%d8%b2%d8%a8-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%84%d9%87-%d8%a3%d8%b6%d8%b9%d9%81-%d8%a8%d9%83%d8%ab%d9%8a/
The militant political party cannot survive all of the battles it intends to fight
Some would say that, given the crisis Lebanon is facing today, Hezbollah’s project for the country is dead. Such statements, however, go too far.
With thousands of men under arms, a missile arsenal, Iranian backing and much of the Shiite religious community behind the party, Hezbollah remains a potent force in
What is Hezbollah’s plan? Principally, it is to turn the country into a so-called “resistance state” that acts as an outpost for Iranian influence, and another counterweight to Israel and the United States. The common assumption is that the militant party has succeeded in that effort.
But has it?
Hezbollah has power over the Lebanese state, but its sway has also helped to bankrupt and undermine Lebanon, negatively affecting the party’s capacities.
There are several reasons for this. In protecting a corrupt political class and allowing it to pursue its looting of the state, Hezbollah was partly responsible for the collapse last October of Lebanon’s financial order. At the time, the party’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, had understood the risks of popular protests against the ruling class and tried to neutralise public anger. He failed.
For weeks Hezbollah sought to retain some control over a system that had lost all legitimacy, and in January it thought it had succeeded when a government formed by the party and its allies came to power.
But something was definitely broken. Lebanon was insolvent, hundreds of thousands of people were out of work and all of the political parties were forced to recalculate.
This lost Hezbollah two of the essential prerequisites needed to conduct a war against Israel, were Iran to demand it. The first is Lebanon’s ability to absorb Israeli retaliation and rebuild, as happened in 2006. The second is a minimum level of consensus nationally behind Hezbollah’s “resistance” agenda.
Iran leaves countries so debilitated that its proxies end up controlling volatile and vulnerable sandcastles
Lebanon’s bankruptcy means that if there were a war against Israel, the country would be unable to bounce back from the destruction the Israelis would cause. Worse, because of Hezbollah, Lebanon has isolated itself from most of the Arab countries that might once have been willing to finance its reconstruction, so this time the damage would be enduring.
Nor could Beirut call upon Iran, Hezbollah’s economically strangled sponsor, to help, as it simply lacks the means to do so.
The rifts in the political class as a result of the popular protest movement mean that there is no discernible consensus to back Hezbollah in going to war.
Today, the party’s harshest critics come from its erstwhile allies in the Aounist movement, a predominantly Christian faction led by former foreign minister Gebran Bassil. Their criticisms may be linked to domestic disagreements, but when Ziad Aswad, a prominent Aounist, declares that Lebanon “cannot continue to hold a rifle when its people are hungry,” he expresses a widespread view.
Without domestic backing, Hezbollah’s ability to wage war would be greatly hampered. The party would be blamed for sacrificing Lebanon for Iran. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Shiites would have to find refuge in areas hostile to the party, further stoking divisions and potentially leading to strife. This is a nightmare scenario for Hezbollah, as it could plunge the party into a civil conflict that it could not hope to win, nullifying its usefulness to Iran.
Yet that usefulness is questionable even today. Hezbollah has hubristically assumed that Lebanon is solidly in the Iranian camp. Its command of the state may be assured to an extent to an extent, but its command over society is not. And even then, key outposts of the state, such as the army, merely play along with Hezbollah but remain autonomous and would manoeuvre away from the party if the power balance shifted.
Another factor fundamental in determining Hezbollah’s latitude to engage in war with Israel is the situation in Syria. Until the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Damascus provided Hezbollah with potential strategic depth in any war. Weapons and men could be moved through Syrian territory to reinforce the party in Lebanon. But today, much of Syria’s airspace is controlled by Russia and Israel, both of whom would oppose, by action or omission, Syria’s transformation into an Iranian forward base.
Iran’s regional strategy involves feeding off the weaknesses of institutions in many Arab countries to advance its own interests. Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen and Syria have all paid a price. In each, Tehran built up autonomous armed groups that counterbalanced state structures, eroding the state. Indeed, Iran gains influence by destroying its host.
Today, Hezbollah’s ability to carry the Lebanese state and society in the direction of its own regional preferences, strong-arm Lebanon’s sects into approving its actions and secure legitimacy from the country’s leaders has been crippled. The party remains powerful, but the foundations on which it built its order in Lebanon have collapsed. Perhaps that’s the problem in Iran’s approach: it leaves countries so debilitated that its proxies end up controlling volatile and vulnerable sandcastles.
As Iran looks at Lebanon, what does it see? It sees its local ally presiding over a state in ruin whose population is angry and refuses to suffer for Tehran. Nor can Hezbollah go to war against Israel without potentially destroying its own domestic standing. All of that won’t make the Iranians alter their strategy, but it does raise real questions about the value of that strategy today.
*Michael Young is editor of Diwan, the blog of the Carnegie Middle East programme, in Beirut

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 04-05/2020
Iran Quds Force head Ghaani arrives in Iraq
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya EnglishThursday 04 June 2020
The head of Iran’s Quds Force Esmail Ghaani arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday as part of an Iranian delegation after receiving an entry visa from Iraq, according to reports. Ghaani accompanied an Iranian delegation to Baghdad on Wednesday in his second visit to Iraq since succeeding slain general Qassem Soleimani. A delegation heaed by Iran’s energy minister Reza Ardakanian met with Iraqi officials on Wednesday to discuss cooperation between the two countries in the electricity sector, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. While Mehr did not mention Ghaani, some Iraqi media outlets reported that he was part of the delegation visiting Baghdad on Wednesday. If true, this is Ghaani’s second visit to Iraq since succeeding Soleimani and his first since Mustafa al-Kadhimi was appointed as prime minister in May. Ghaani was allowed entry after obtaining a visa from the Iraqi foreign ministry, Iraqi news website Baghdad Today reported citing sources. This is due to al-Kadhimi’s “insistence” that all foreign military and political officials arrive in Iraq as part of formal delegations, the sources said. Ghaani’s predecessor Soleimani visited Iraq frequently without having his movement regulated in the country. Soleimani, along with Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed January 3 in a Washington-directed airstrike outside Baghdad airport. Ghaani also reportedly met with the leader of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) militia group Abu Fadak al-Mohammadawi. Many doubt Ghaani can have the same level of influence in Iraq as Soleimani, given his poor command of Arabic and lack of personal relationships with key officials.

Rouhani oversaw smuggling of over $30 bln to Iraqi Kurdistan, says Iranian MP
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya EnglishThursday 04 June 2020
President Hassan Rouhani ordered the transfer of more than $30 billion through “smuggling gangs” to Iraqi Kurdistan in 2017, an Iranian lawmaker claimed on Tuesday. Rouhani oversaw the transfer of $36.1 billion to the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan through "smuggling gangs" in 2017, MP Javad Karimi Ghodoosi said at a parliament session. “During a meeting at the parliament’s national security committee in 2017, it was revealed that President Rouhani ordered $36.1 billion of treasury currency to be injected into the market over three years,” the semi-official Mehr news agency reported Ghodoosi as saying. “The money, which was given to three gangs working in the smuggling of currency, goods, drugs, ended up in Sulaymaniyah,” said Ghodoosi. “Iran also sent 80 tons of gold to Sulaymaniyah,” added Ghodoosi. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Ghodoosi did not give details of who the money and gold sent to Iraqi Kurdistan were intended for. Iran uses a variety of unconventional methods to fund and arm its militias in the region, primarily due to US sanctions. Ghodoosi also referred to last November’s anti-government protests as the “gasoline conspiracy,” blaming Rouhani for the unrest, despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly backing the gasoline price rises that caused nationwide protests. The Rouhani administration has to promise to not create another “gasoline conspiracy” this year, said Ghodoosi. Anti-government protests erupted across Iran last November after the government announced gasoline price hikes of at least 50 percent. Security forces killed about 1,500 people during less than two weeks of unrest that started on November 15, according to Reuters.
Parliament convenes amid COVID-19
Iran’s new parliament convened last week after February elections that registered record low turnouts in the Islamic Republic. President Rouhani expressed hope that the new parliament and his government would “cooperate” for the remaining one year of his administration. The Rouhani administration fears that the new hard-line dominated parliament will go out of its way to challenge the government.

Iranian professor jailed in US for stealing trade secrets returns home to Iran
The Associated Press/June 04/2020
An Iranian scientist imprisoned in the US and acquitted in a federal trade secrets case returned to his homeland on Wednesday morning, a semi-official Iranian news agency reported. The report by the ISNA news agency included an image of Sirous Asgari, wearing a face mask and being welcomed by relatives. A professor at Iran’s Sharif University of Technology, Asgari was indicted in April 2016, accused by US federal prosecutors of trying to steal secret research from Case Western Reserve University. The Cleveland school had been working on a project for the US Navy Office of Naval Research to create and produce anti-corrosive stainless steel. Asgari was ultimately acquitted in November after US District Judge James Gwin tossed out the case by the prosecutors. Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy Homeland Security secretary, earlier told The Associated Press that the DHS had started to try to deport Asgari last December, following his acquittal. However, he said, Iran refused to recognize him as legitimately Iranian and provide him with a valid passport until late February. His return was then postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on international flights. Additionally, Asgari contracted the virus but was later reported to have fully recovered. Iranian officials had associated Asgari’s release with US prisoners held in Iran potentially being freed, something Cuccinelli strongly disputed. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif first said in an Instagram post that Asgari was on his way back to Iran. The ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, rejected speculation of a prisoner swap. Last year, Iran freed US citizen Xiyue Wang, who had been held for three years on spying charges, and the US released Iranian Massoud Soleimani, who faced charges of violating US sanctions on Iran.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led Iran, the worst-hit country in the region, to temporarily release some prisoners in a bid to curb the spread of infections. In mid-March, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tehran was considering freeing some US citizens as Michael White, a US navy veteran who has been detained in Iran since 2018, was released from prison on medical furlough. He remains in Iran.

Kadhimi’s Orders Require Ghaani to Obtain Visa to Visit Baghdad
Baghdad- Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 June, 2020
According to Iraqi sources, Ghaani’s visit was the first announced upon an official visa he had obtained from Iraq’s Foreign Ministry due to “strict orders” by Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Iranian figures, especially leaders of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, used to make unannounced visits to Iraq. However, Kadhimi issued orders stipulating that all foreign officials, including political and military figures from all countries, should obtain official visas and visit Baghdad as official delegations, sources affirmed. An Iranian delegation arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, headed by Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, and met with senior Iraqi officials, including President Barham Salih. Salih stressed during his meeting with Ardakanian on the importance of joint coordination and bilateral cooperation, especially in the electricity and water sectors. This would “attain development and prosperity for the two neighboring peoples,” a presidential statement read. According to the statement, Salih also highlighted joint efforts among all to address the complex situations in the region and achieve security and stability for the peoples. Ardakanian, for his part, reiterated his country's readiness to continue to cooperate and support Iraq in all fields. He said Iran is highly interested in investing in the energy sector, expanding electricity networks and exchanging experiences. Meanwhile, Baghdad is preparing to hold the first comprehensive strategic dialogue with the United States after signing the security and strategic framework agreements in 2008. Talks are expected to take place by teleconference between both delegations and at the level of ambassadors, under the supervision of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Member of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee MP Alaa Talabani said in press statements that the proposal to define bilateral relations was submitted after killing the Iranian General, Qassem Soleimani, in a US raid on January 3 and Iraqi parliament’s decision to withdraw US troops from its territory. “US-Iraqi talks will discuss defining relations in the field of security, trade, and the US presence in Iraq.” She also affirmed that the Kurdistan region will participate in these crucial negotiations that will determine Iraq’s national security path. “Baghdad and Washington will hold preliminary discussions led by the Undersecretary of the US State Department from the US side and Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Abdul Karim Hashem from the Iraqi side,” Chairman of Iraq’s Advisory Council Farhad Alaaldin told Asharq Al-Awsat. The US negotiating delegation will include representatives of the departments of defense, energy, economy, and other US institutions, while the Iraqi premier’s advisers and security and military figures will take part in the scheduled talks, he noted. Alaaldin pointed out that talks will focus in general on bilateral ties, and each side will determine the subjects of discussion to be scheduled for another meeting after Kadhimi completes his government formation.

Religious Leaders and the Challenges of COVID-19
Abdallah Yahya Al-Mouallimi/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/2020
Today, the world's stockpile of weapons and ammunitions, both nuclear and conventional, have proven to be impotent in the face of a small virus that has penetrated the entire world. This must give us a cause for reflection, as we realize that confrontation and building weapons is not going to get us anywhere, neither in terms of combating this virus nor in terms of establishing peace and stability throughout the world. Furthermore, this pandemic has proven to be an equal of opportunity attacker. It has attacked all countries, all races, all religions and people from different ways of life. And if anything, it has brought to us a sense of humility and it should bring to us a sense of fraternity and common purpose. As we speak, faith is helping billions of people get through this difficult time. All the more important is to give religious leaders the tools they need to assist in this effort. I will propose a few concrete steps that will hopefully aid in that process. First, we must call out and address xenophobia and racism in any manifestation or form. We are seeing increased attacks against people of Asian and African descent, many of whom are Muslims. Addressing xenophobia is not only the right thing to do, it is the correct public health policy. Xenophobia victims are afraid to come forward for testing or treatment if they have COVID-19 symptoms, allowing the virus to spread further. Second, we must encourage religious leaders to follow the guidance of public health experts. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman took the extraordinary and painful decision of suspending prayers in the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah for the first time in centuries and during the holiest month of Ramadan, based on the advice of public health experts. This confirms what we all know, that Islam promotes life rather than death. It promotes the preservation of human health and well-being, as a first priority. This was a very difficult decision as many people were looking to be in their house of worship. Religious leaders need to be that bridge for their congregation during this difficult time. It should be noted that this decision was supported by the Council of Senior Scholars in Saudi Arabia, and by many similar councils throughout the world. Third, religious leaders can help identify the most vulnerable groups for non-governmental organizations, non-profits and non-government organizations to get help to. Since faith promotes serving at risk parts of society, religious leaders are in a unique position to identify homelessness, food insecurity, economic insecurity and health challenges. Fourth, we must be weary of conspiracy theories. During times of stress, conspiracy theories abound from the claims that some foundations want to insert microchips into people, to COVID-19 being a hoax. People trust their local imam, pastor and rabbi. It is important to use this platform of confidence to disseminate public health experts' advice and to defuse notions of unfounded theories and accusations. Religious leaders can have substantial influence on individuals and communities. They should use their moral authority in order to raise awareness, encourage people to follow precautionary measures that are put in place for the containment and overcome the multitude of challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic we, the peoples of the world, are facing.

Russia sends second batch of advanced MiG-29 fighter jets to Syria: Embassy
ReutersThursday 04 June 2020
Russia flew a batch of advanced MiG-29 fighter jets to Syria, Moscow’s embassy in Damascus said, with Syrian pilots already using the planes to conduct missions within the country’s airspace. President Vladimir Putin last week ordered Russia’s foreign and defense ministries to hold talks with its close ally, Syria, to obtain more facilities and maritime access there, in addition to the two military bases it has already. Russia’s Embassy in Syria said on Twitter late on Wednesday that the latest batch of planes was for the Syrian military. “Syrian Arab Army received the second batch of advanced MiG-29 fighter jets from #Russia - in the framework of military & technical cooperation between our countries. Syrian(s) already begin to carry out missions on those planes,” it said. It shared a link to a May 30 report by the Syrian Arab News Agency, which cited a Syrian military source as saying the fighters were more effective that their previous generation and would be used in Syrian airspace from June 1. The United States in late May accused Russia of deploying fighter aircraft via Syria to Libya to support Russian mercenaries fighting for the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA). It said aircraft had arrived in Libya after being repainted to conceal their Russian origin in Syria, stating that the aircraft would likely provide close air support and offensive fire. Reuters sent a request for comment to the Russian defense ministry last week. It did not respond. On Thursday, a military source with the eastern forces told Reuters that the LNA is withdrawing from Tripoli districts, while forces fighting for Libya’s UN-recognized government said they had regained control over Tripoli.The United Nations said its top envoy in Libya held talks on Wednesday with a delegation from the LNA to follow up on the agreement by the country’s warring parties to resume cease-fire negotiations, calling it “a positive step. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gaddafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gaddafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.Eastern-based forces under Hafter launched an offensive trying to take Tripoli in April 2019, and the turmoil in the country has steadily worsened as foreign backers increasingly intervened despite pledges to the contrary at a high-profile peace summit in Berlin earlier this year.

Syria's Assad Seeks to Control Economy, Goes after Cousin
Associated Press//Naharnet/June 04/2020
On a summer day last year, presidential guards drove out of the charity organization founded by Syria's wealthiest businessman and a close cousin of President Bashar Assad, carting away boxes of documents and computers. At the same time, the charity's director was being questioned at the palace on suspicion of corruption. The confiscated data included names of thousands of militia fighters who have supported the government in the 9-year-old civil war, including salaries they received from Al-Bustan, the charity group founded by Rami Makhlouf. The incident last August was the opening salvo in a crackdown on Makhlouf's power, signaling the beginning of the end of his role as the Assad family's top financier. The unprecedented crackdown burst into the public with a series of Facebook videos Makhlouf posted contesting the measures. It revealed a new fragility of the embattled president — and gave a rare glimpse into the intrigues of an opaque inner circle involving a powerful first lady and business rivalries. Assad, who marks 20 years in power this month, has survived nearly a decade of war with the backing of Russia and Iran and a loyal class of businessmen. A number of those businessmen helped protect the state and economic interests by also forming their own militias. Now the war-ravaged country faces a new level of hardship. The Syrian pound has fallen to 1,800 to the dollar, from 50 before the war. Prices have soared, and electricity and fuel shortages are recurrent. More than 80% of the population lives in poverty. Once an oil exporter, Syria now lives on a credit line from Iran, which faces its own economic troubles. Sanctions in place before the war mean Syria can hardly export anything, and new U.S. sanctions threaten to further choke the country. With the crackdown, Assad seems set on bringing the economy more firmly under his control and bolstering the state's empty coffers.
"Rami's potential demise is mostly a reflection of a change at the helm of the regime" — in players, not policy, said Jihad Yazigi, editor-in-chief of the Syria Report. New actors are competing with traditional powers within the family over the shrinking resources, he said. For instance, first lady Asmaa Assad has increasingly sought to centralize all charity work under her aegis. She heads the Syria Trust for Development, where most foreign aid for post-war reconstruction is channeled. The Makhloufs have been the Assad family's longtime partners. Makhlouf's father, Mohammad, was the brother-in-law of Assad's father Hafez and a mentor to the younger Assad. Notably, he too now appears to have been sidelined. Rami Makhlouf rose alongside Bashar Assad, who succeeded his father in 2000. Benefiting economic liberalization, Makhlouf became an overwhelming figure in Syrian business, most importantly controlling the largest telecommunications company, Syriatel.
His name became synonymous with Assad's power. Early in the conflict, protesters torched his companies — and Makhlouf moved out of the public eye. Some Syria watchers compare the current crackdown to Saudi Arabia's Ritz-Carlton moment. Seeking to consolidate power, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman arrested dozens of royals and key business figures, locking many in the five-star hotel, in a 2017 anti-corruption campaign. Signs of cracks emerged last year. Last spring, a paper owned by Makhlouf criticized a rival businessman, Samer Foz, considered close to the first lady. Soon after, an audit was launched against Makhlouf's Al-Bustan charity — with the raid on its offices and interrogation of its staff, details of which were reported in Arab media and confirmed by an emigre Syrian businessman, Firas Tlass. Tlass said the crackdown was driven by the first lady. A career investment banker, Asmaa Assad is trying to secure her three children's future, fearing consolidation of the family wealth in the hands of Makhlouf and his sons, who live in Dubai, said Tlass. He estimates Makhlouf's fortune at $13 billion. The audit was the final rupture between Makhlouf and Assad, said Tlass. After it, Al-Bustan's director and accountant were replaced by figures close to the palace, and the affiliated militia was integrated into the armed forces. This year, Makhlouf's assets were temporarily seized and he was banned from travel. Makhlouf, who almost never makes public comments, responded with his Facebook videos, which shocked the country, turning the family dispute into a serialized drama.
He appeared to be banking on support from the Alawite community, from which he and the president hail, and which make the bulk of the pro-government militias he has long supported. "It is the weakness of the regime that made it possible for such divisions to be aired in public," said Tlass, who is the son of a former defense minister and lives in exile but keeps ties with Syria. By year's end, the government openly named Makhlouf and other businessmen or officials in a campaign against corruption. State media, which once called them the "nationalist business class," now branded them "war profiteers." Officials spoke of billions of Syrian pounds embezzled. The government said Makhlouf owed it $180 million. Assets were temporarily seized from Ayman Jaber, a steel and oil trader married to an Assad cousin. Also hit was Hossam Qaterji, a powerful oil trader, who facilitated oil smuggling from eastern Syria and has a militia. The first lady's uncle, Tarif al-Akhras, a food trader, was also named. Reports suggest most of those businessmen settled with the government and paid their dues. Meanwhile, Russia, keen on translating its military role in Syria into economic and political gains, appears to be losing patience with the chaotic, corruption-ridden state. So it would welcome Damascus moves to tighten control on the economy, said Vitaly Naumkin, a prominent Moscow-based Middle East expert. Kirill Semyonov, a Syria expert with the Russian International Affairs Council, described the crackdown as a re-distribution of assets among the Assad entourage's "military-criminal economy." "Makhlouf has become a weak link in the chain," he told Russia's leading business daily Kommersant. "Assad needs funds or his regime will crumble, so why not take the money from someone who can pay."

Russian Frustration After Iranian Return to Syria Sites
Moscow – Raed Jabr//Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/2020
Tension surfaced between Moscow and Damascus on Wednesday on the backdrop of the Syrian government disregarding the decision on the return of Iranian forces to important sites. Earlier, Russia and Syria agreed on limiting the access of these forces to such zones. Sources stated that Moscow has once again found itself in front of a Syrian failure to meet its previous pledges and agreements. They noted that Iranian forces and Tehran-affiliated groups showed up in a compound near Damascus International Airport—this zone is dubbed “The Glass House” and consists of 180 rooms. Moscow requested earlier that Syria curbs Iran's presence in the region, especially after Israel’s airstrikes against the Airport. The Glass House was formerly used as a center to manage the Iranian forces’ operations, then was evacuated upon a Russian-Syrian agreement. Later on, Moscow pledged to reconstruct the compound and was planning on investing in this field. Following the Russian-Syrian agreement, forces loyal to Iran held several meetings at this compound. They continued to use it for various purposes including providing treatment for the COVID-19 cases in a field hospital that was built there.
Moscow had laid plans to invest in the Damascus International Airport along with the surrounding areas. From here, Russia was keen that the Iranian forces exited the zone to avoid it being a target for Israeli airstrikes.
Yet, the Iranian presence near the airport isn’t the only reason behind Moscow’s frustration from Syria. Sources reported that Russia criticized Damascus's violation of a former agreement regarding arrangements to ensure security in the southern region. Russia, Jordan, and Israel signed this agreement that stipulates the withdrawal of Iran and its loyal forces to a minimum of 80 km from the border region in the south. Syria also breached this agreement, and therefore allowed the return of Iranian forces to the region, the sources added.

Haftar Visits Cairo Ahead of 3rd Round of Geneva Talks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 June, 2020 - 08:30
Fierce clashes erupted Wednesday in the Libyan capital Tripoli, expanding to strategic military zones, only hours before the launch of the third round of talks in Geneva among Libya’s rivals. Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar has embarked on a visit to Cairo to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and defense officials, a source close to Haftar told Reuters. This is his first visit this year and the fifth since his operation to ‘liberate’ Tripoli on April 4 of last year. His trip to Cairo comes amid an expected visit by head of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj to Ankara for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Neither the Egyptian president nor Haftar’s office have announced the visit. However, Egyptian and Libyan sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Haftar’s talks in Cairo focus on foreign meddling in the Libyan crisis, mainly political and military support by Qatar and Turkey to the GNA. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the UN’s announcement that the LNA and the GNA have agreed to resume ceasefire talks. Further, Shoukry and his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio, held a video call on Wednesday on the latest developments in the Libyan crisis. The two sides stressed the importance of a comprehensive political settlement to the Libyan war. They also rejected foreign interference in Libya, whilst lending support to counterterrorism efforts in the North African nation.

Israelis fear West Bank annexation will spark Palestinian uprising: Poll
AFP/Thursday 04 June 2020
Most Israelis think their government’s plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank will spark a Palestinian uprising, but around half favor going ahead anyway, a poll showed Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to take steps towards annexation as soon as July 1, despite widespread international condemnation. The move forms part of a broader peace plan published by the United States, although Washington has not publicly backed Netanyahu’s timetable. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Fifty percent of Israelis support annexation, half of whom only with US support, according to a new poll published by the Israel Democracy Institute. Nearly 31 percent oppose annexation, while the remainder were undecided. Despite the majority voicing support for Netanyahu’s proposal, implementing his plan would very likely lead to an uprising, according to 58 percent of Israelis surveyed. The most recent Palestinian uprising, known as the Second Intifada, erupted in the early 2000s and included waves of suicide bombings and deadly Israeli responses. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the army to speed up “military preparedness ahead of political steps on the agenda in the Palestinian arena”. The latest poll, which surveyed 771 adults in late May, followed warnings by neighbor Jordan and other countries against annexation. The United Nations on Sunday said the move would breach international law and “most likely trigger conflict and instability” in the Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu and Settlers Clash Over West Bank Annexation Plans
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 June, 2020
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has harshly criticized Jewish West Bank settler leaders for disparaging President Donald Trump over what they perceive to be his less than adequate plan allowing Israel to annex parts of the West Bank.
Despite what is widely viewed as a pro-Israel peace plan, settler leaders have voiced concern that the maps they have seen leave many settlements as isolated enclaves. They also reject any recognition of a Palestinian state, as outlined in the American plan, and have pressed Netanyahu to make changes.
On Wednesday, David Elhayani, chairman of the umbrella Yesha Council representing the settlers, told the Haaretz daily that the plan proved Trump was "not a friend of Israel."Netanyahu, having just met settler leaders to hear their grievances, lashed back.
"President Trump is a great friend of Israel's. He has led historic moves for Israel´s benefit," Netanyahu said in a statement Wednesday. "It is regrettable that instead of showing gratitude, there are those who are denying his friendship."
Speaker of Parliament Yariv Levin, who has been involved in implementing the plan, went even further, calling Elhayani´s remarks "rude and irresponsible." He said they exhibited an ungratefulness that was particularly damaging at a time when there was "an important effort to advance the historic process of applying sovereignty" to parts of the West Bank. Netanyahu has announced that he will annex parts of the West Bank, including the strategic Jordan Valley and dozens of Jewish settlements, in line with Trump´s Mideast plan. He has signaled he will begin moving forward with annexation next month.
The US plan envisions leaving about one third of the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967, under permanent Israeli control, while granting the Palestinians expanded autonomy in the remainder of the territory. The Palestinians, who seek all of the West Bank as part of an independent state, have rejected the plan, saying it unfairly favors Israel. They have already cut off key security ties with Israel and say they are no longer bound to agreements signed. On Thursday, the Palestinians announced they would refuse to accept the tax money Israel routinely collects for them. The moves have raised concerns of a return to violence if the plan is actually carried out. The annexation plan has also come under harsh criticism from some of Israel´s closest allies, who say that unilaterally redrawing the Mideast map would destroy any lingering hopes for establishing a Palestinian state and reaching a two-state peace agreement.

Palestinian PM Urges Int'l Recognition of Palestine
Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 June, 2020
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has urged the international community to recognize the Palestinian state and to put an end to Israel's annexation plans. His statement was made during the meeting of Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee for Palestine, which was attended by more than 40 states and international institutions, including European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell. The PM said: “The issue of annexation is no more an issue of announcement. Implementation measures have already started on the ground.”
“Israel started to send electricity and water bills to our villages in the Jordan Valley.”The Israeli move is “in contravention of international law” and would “undermine peace and security in the region”, he said, adding that “annexation, if implemented, will be a grave violation of international law, UN resolutions, and the bilateral agreements we signed with Israel.”The plans of annexation are in full harmony with the peace plan presented by the US, he said. “Israel is not committed to the agreements that have been signed with us. Consequently, the Palestinian leadership has decided that we are no more bound to these agreements,” Shtayyeh stated. He also called the meeting’s attendees to recognize the state of Palestine based on the borders of 1967 with Jerusalem as the capital, stressing that this state should be viable, sovereign and independent.

Grilling of Tunisia's Ghannouchi Raises Questions over his Political Future
Tunis - Mongi Saidani/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 4 June, 2020
The Tunisian parliament session to question Speaker Rashid Al Ghannouchi, who is also the head of Ennahda movement, kickstarted on Wednesday morning, lasting until late at night. Ghannouchi’s questioning raised doubts about his political future should his opponents succeed in gathering enough votes - 109 out of a total of 217 - to withdraw confidence in him. The grilling session focused its discussions on two main points: opposition demands for questioning and voting to withdraw confidence from Ghannouchi and parliamentary diplomacy regarding Libya.
The opposition has criticized Ghannouchi for his errors, the latest of which was his telephone call with head of the Libyan Government of National Accord Fayez al-Sarraj. In his call, Ghannouchi congratulated Sarraj for taking over al-Watiya airbase from the Libyan National Army.
Abir Moussa, head of the Free Destourian Party (PDL) bloc, accused Ennahda lawmakers of trying to drag the grilling session so that a vote of confidence is not taken late at night. Ennahda leader Imad al-Khamiri, for his part, said that the governing coalition considered the hearing just a ‘discussion’ with the parliament speaker about parliamentary diplomacy. Opponents insist that it be considered a session for grilling Ghannouchi on his political stances, and accuse him of using his position in parliament to validate stances that are not approved by the rest of the parties represented in the parliament. According to Ghannouchi’s rivals, his errors have warranted a withdrawal of confidence in him. People's Movement lawmaker Haykal Makki said that Ghannouchi committed grave mistakes and has infringed on Tunisian diplomacy, parliament and the people. He also accused him of meddling in the affairs of a neighboring state.
“Ghannouchi must be held accountable for his partial involvement in the conflict in Libya,” Makki said, stressing that the People’s Movement was against all foreign involvement in Libya.

Minister Champagne reaffirms Canada’s commitment to the Global Coalition against Daesh
June 4, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today reiterated Canada’s commitment to the Global Coalition against Daesh, during a virtual meeting with foreign ministers of the Coalition.
The Minister outlined Canada’s contributions to the Coalition across all five lines of the Coalition’s efforts to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria including preventing the flow of foreign terrorist fighters across borders and tackling Daesh’s financing and economic infrastructure.
Minister Champagne also took the opportunity to welcome the confirmation of Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and pledged Canada’s commitment to working with the new Iraqi government.
Canada provides humanitarian assistance to the people most impacted by the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, including refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon.
Quotes
“Canada is steadfast in its commitment to the Global Coalition and efforts to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh. While the terrorist group no longer controls territory, it remains a potent threat. We will continue coordinating efforts with our partners to promote security and stability in the region.”
- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Canada, in collaboration with its partners, is committed to the creation of a peaceful and prosperous world that benefits Canadians and citizens of all countries alike. We know that combating threats to global stability reinforces security and prosperity at home and abroad. The Canadian Armed Forces have consistently contributed to multinational operations and will continue to do their part to help bring more peace around the globe.”
- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence
Quick facts
Canada is investing up to $3.5 billion from 2016 to 2021 to respond to crises in Iraq and Syria and address their impact on the region.
Part of Canada’s overall funding includes up to $1.4 billion in life-saving, gender-responsive humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable populations in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Canada is one of the top humanitarian donors to the region.
Canada is contributing military personnel to the Coalition and NATO Mission in Iraq, which is led by Canadian Major-General Jennie Carignan until November 2020. Some of these personnel are currently temporarily re-positioned due to Covid-19.

Record Virus Deaths in Brazil, Mexico Spur Defence Efforts
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 04/2020
Brazil and Mexico reported record daily coronavirus death tolls as governments in Latin America battled to fortify defenses against the accelerating pandemic with fresh lockdown orders and curfews. European nations are emerging from months of devastation with some borders re-opening, but South and Central America have become the new hotspots in a crisis that has claimed at least 385,000 lives worldwide. Mexico on Wednesday announced more than 1,000 coronavirus deaths in a day for the first time, while Brazil reported a record 1,349 daily deaths. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has staunchly opposed lockdowns but many local authorities have defied him and, with the crisis deepening, a vast section of Bahia state was on Wednesday placed under curfew. There was more cause for concern in Chile, where the government said it was extending a three-week shutdown of the capital Santiago after a new record for daily deaths. And in more evidence of the scale of the crisis in Latin America, the journalists' union in Peru said at least 20 reporters had died from the coronavirus. The outbreak in Peru has been so intense that oxygen tanks needed in hospitals have become scarce, with many lining up to buy them for their loved ones. "We haven't found oxygen yet," said Lady Savalla in the capital Lima. "I'm worried about my mom more than anything else, because she's going to need a lot of oxygen and the hospital doesn't have enough."
Vaccine push
Experts have warned that travel restrictions will be needed around the world in some form until a vaccine is found -- and efforts to develop one are gathering pace. Britain is set to host a major meeting on Thursday, with more than 50 countries as well as powerful individuals such as Bill Gates taking part, to raise money for Gavi, the global vaccine alliance. Gavi and its partners will launch a financing drive to purchase potential COVID-19 vaccines, scale up their production and support delivery to developing nations. Tests on one potential vaccine, being developed by Oxford University, will begin on 2,000 health services volunteers in Brazil next week. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, said Wednesday that it would resume trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment after doubts were cast on the study that prompted the suspension over safety fears. US President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro have touted the drug, with Washington sending Brazil two million doses earlier this week. But a separate study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, however, suggested taking the drug shortly after exposure to the coronavirus does not help prevent infection in a statistically meaningful way. Many governments are desperate to revive businesses after the economic destruction unleashed by the lockdowns, despite the lack of a viable treatment. Italy reopened its borders to European travelers on Wednesday, hoping to revive tourism, but a full recovery appeared a long way off for some.
"I don't think we'll see any foreign tourists really until the end of August or even September," said Mimmo Burgio, a cafe owner near Rome's Colosseum. "Who's going to come?"
- Risk of spread at protests -
The United States remains the hardest-hit nation in the world, with 1.85 million infections and more than 107,000 deaths, and there are fears that the ongoing wave of protests in the country over racism and police brutality could fuel the spread of the virus. Many have said that while they were aware of the danger of infection at the big rallies, the cause was important enough to take the risk. Cav Manning, a 52-year-old emcee from New York, was among the tens of thousands across America willing to risk infection as he joined a protest in Brooklyn earlier this week."What we saw is so disturbing that we've got to be out here right now," he told AFP. "Despite COVID, despite the fact that you might get infected."

Roche Wins US Clearance for Virus Treatment Test
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 04/2020
Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche said Thursday the US authorities had given it emergency clearance for a test identifying patients most at risk of a dangerous immune response to coronavirus infection.
Some of those worst affected display a very severe inflammatory response to COVID-19 as the body tries to combat the infection but ends up also destroying healthy tissue and even organs such as the kidneys with life-threatening implications. Very ill patients require mechanical ventilation, putting a huge burden on medical teams and resources over many weeks. Roche said its test will help doctors get a head start before COVID-19 inflammation takes hold as they assess their caseloads to identify priority patients and their treatment options. "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the Elecsys® IL-6 test," Roche said in a statement. "This test measures levels of the biomarker interleukin 6 (IL-6) and can be used to help identify patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease who could be at high risk of intubation with mechanical ventilation.""The test can support physicians, in combination with other examinations and vital signs, to decide early on if a patient with confirmed COVID-19 illness requires mechanical ventilation," it said. Tobias Herold, with the Emergency Department at LMU University Hospital, in Munich said the tests can be carried out on existing, widely available Roche systems and can provide "results in approximately 18 minutes, with a test throughout of up to 300 tests/hour, depending on the analyser."

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 04-05/2020'
Iran regime won’t negotiate with US until after 2020 presidential election
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 04/2020
The Islamic Republic is experiencing one of its worst financial situations since its establishment more than four decades ago. This could bring about the collapse of Iran’s economy and endanger the hold on power of the ruling clerics.
After US President Donald Trump assumed office in January 2017, his administration began imposing a “maximum pressure” policy on the Iranian regime. Several allies, including Germany, France and the UK, expressed opposition to this strategy. And, since the US took this tougher position against Tehran unilaterally, some scholars, policy analysts and politicians believed it would be unlikely to have a significant impact. However, they underestimated its effects.
Those who initially underestimated the US maximum pressure policy, including the Iranian leaders, failed to comprehend the leverage that Washington still has over the global financial system. For example, although many countries such as China sided with Iran when the Trump administration reimposed sanctions on its energy sector, they ultimately succumbed and reduced their oil imports from Iran. Before the US Treasury Department leveled secondary sanctions against Iran’s oil and gas sectors in November 2018, Tehran was exporting more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd). In just a year, its oil exports went down to less than 200,000 bpd — a decline of roughly 90 percent.
In addition, despite the EU’s efforts to circumvent the US sanctions through its INSTEX mechanism, Iran’s revenues continued to decline. This is largely due to the fact that European companies did not want to risk their business with the US or be denied access to America’s financial systems by dealing with the Iranian regime. The Trump administration has been insistent that any move to bypass US sanctions would have severe consequences. That is why many European firms and corporations, including French energy giant Total, immediately abandoned plans to invest in Iran.
In one of the latest decisions aimed at tightening the maximum pressure policy against the theocratic establishment, Washington last week announced that it will terminate the sanctions waivers that permit Russian, Chinese and European companies to work at Iranian nuclear sites when they expire in July. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo justified the decision by pointing out: “The Iranian regime has continued its nuclear brinkmanship by expanding proliferation-sensitive activities.” He added that this “will lead to increased pressure on Iran.”
With this mounting pressure and with its economy on the verge of collapse, will the Iranian authorities finally come to the negotiating table? The history of the Islamic Republic teaches us that, whenever it has been under significant pressure economically and geopolitically, it has agreed to negotiate with the West because it realizes financial austerity could pose a threat to the power of the political establishment. Furthermore, the loss of revenue due to the US sanctions makes it extremely difficult for Tehran to continue supporting, training, sponsoring, funding and arming its proxies and militias across the Middle East.
In 2012, UN and US economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic reached their peak and, ultimately, the Iranian leaders negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with the P5+1 world powers. As a result, the Iranian government received billions of dollars thanks to sanctions relief, joined the global financial system, gained legitimacy, and secured and ensured its hold on power.
Nevertheless, at this critical time, although the Iranian regime is cash-stripped and facing an unprecedented level of pressure domestically, it will most likely wait to negotiate until the US presidential elections are held in November and the outcome becomes clear.
This is due to the fact that any negotiation with the Trump administration would be a severe blow to the ruling mullahs. The regime has endured several years of economic austerity and it can wait another six months. From the Iranian leaders’ perspective, if they negotiate with Washington now, they are basically admitting defeat and, more importantly, handing Trump a significant foreign policy achievement, which he could capitalize on in the upcoming campaign. He would be able to state that his maximum pressure policy succeeded in bringing the Iranian leaders to the negotiating table.
If they negotiate now, they are basically admitting defeat and handing Trump a significant foreign policy achievement.
As a result, Tehran will wait another six months in the hope that former Vice President Joe Biden wins the election and reverses America’s policy on Iran to what it was under Barack Obama.
In a nutshell, it is unlikely the Iranian regime will negotiate with the Trump administration before the presidential election. But, if Trump does win in November, Iran will either have to negotiate or face a total collapse of its economy and political establishment.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

Am I a Republican-Leaning Journalist?
Camelia Entekhabifard/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 04/2020
To be a Democrat or a Republican in the US is neither good, nor bad. It is a choice that shouldn’t bring either shame or honor either way. All those who are qualified to vote can either pick a party or register as independent.
It is very easy to change parties and it doesn’t lead to ethical or political troubles for anyone. The current US President Donald Trump was an independent until 1999, registered as a Democrat in 2001 and in 2009 changed over to the Republicans.
The other presidential candidate, Michael Bloomberg, was an active member of the Democratic Party for decades. In 2001 he changed to independent. In 2018, because he wanted to run in 2020, he changed back to Democrats.
You can be a Democrat and believe in some of the principles of the Republicans; you can also be a moderate Republican and be closer to Democrats on some points. The beauty and credibility of the US constitution comes from the fact that you are able to express yourself and enjoy individual, religious, ethnic and racial freedoms. Belonging to a party, group, race or religion doesn’t limit these freedoms. So long as one is not an active member of a political party or doesn’t register in a party organization or attend a convention, tendency toward a party doesn’t give you any legal identity.
We Iranians who have come to the US in the past few decades are free in expressing our political tendencies in a society that is racially, linguistically and religiously diverse.
What takes place in the US today is a demonstration related to racism followed by the killing of a black man by the Minneapolis police. It has nothing to do with Trump’s presidency or any of the two main parties.
The American society, with a population of over 300 million people, boasts a racial, religious and ethnic diversity that makes it one of the most diverse in the world. The black people in this country have come a long way to achieve equal citizenship rights and freedoms. The election of Barack Obama was a turning point in the struggle for equal rights.
Those who consider the recent demonstrations in America a violation of democracy or who consider countering of the looters a violation of human rights and individual rights are either biased or are intentionally lying.
Iran’s human rights record is one of the worst in the world.
Those outside Iran who help spread around the Islamic Republic’s propaganda are victims of the same massive human rights violation that bans them from entering their own country or even conducting transactions there.
Those of us who have migrated to the West in the last few decades, escaping the tyranny and oppression brought along by the rulers of the Islamic Republic have forgotten all that the second country has given us. Iranians are a successful migrant community in the United States. They have used the opportunities given to them and today Iranian-Americans range from many successful businesspeople to scientists.
It is good for us to worry about the rights of other minorities such as Black Americans. But should we also worry for looting, chaos and destruction of property? What about peaceful demonstration in support of citizenship rights?
In the US, 40 million have lost jobs due to coronavirus. Mostly from low-wage minorities and people with low skills and education. As predicted by experts, the three-months quarantine period has had an adverse mental effect on people, including Americans. To loot, burn and destruct private property is not to demonstrate. The constitution stipulates punishment for such actions. The media of the far left invert the truth, blow fire on the rage of the people and incite them.
Should I remind you of the suppression and killing of protesters in Iran from 1999 protests to the ones in the last few months. Has justice been done for the victims of the 2009 or 2019 protests in Iran?
Neda Agha Soltan was killed on June 20, 2009 by Basiji forces (according to eye-witnesses.) According to the Time magazine, the moment of Neda’s passing is one of the most watched moments` of death of a human in history. Has justice been done for Neda and dozens of others killed in peaceful protests following the disputed 2009 elections?
No country can enforce justice 100 percent. But in America the voice of dissent is not silenced. No one is tried or arrested because they insult the president or the government. Opponents are not tortured or tried on fabricated charges.
In my opinion, what has dashed the relationship between the current US president with the big media bosses is his new ways in dealing with mainstream media who are too proud and set in their own ways. We saw this in a White House press conference where, instead of going to high-name reporters of big media, he went to a reporter of Rudaw named Majid. He didn’t know his name and called him Mr. Kurd. This was an important step in valuing small media who lack fame.
In the US more than 110 people have received 1,200 dollars in their bank accounts. Twenty million more have received the same amount in a cheque. What other country has done this for the unemployed? The families of those New York subway staff who lost their lives due to coronavirus have received half a million dollars in compensation. What have people in Iran received?
In Mashhad, they did a candlelight vigil for George Floyd. Do they know he was a porn star? The Shiite Ayatollahs and Mr. Khamenei speak of Floyd’s citizenship rights being violated. In Iran, he could have been executed and buried in an unmarked grave long ago.
According to polls, 43 percent of people in Tehran oppose Afghan citizens living the capital and demand segregation of their schools. If this is not open racism, what is?
In the United States, following three to five years of permanent residency you become a citizen and you can even start working for the goals of the Islamic Republic here (for those still belonging to political groups inside Iran.) But the people of Afghanistan, fleeing war and Taliban oppression, come to Iran, are born there, grow up there and still lack Iranian citizenship. Many Afghans grew up in Iran and now work for the Persian-language media abroad. They speak Tehran’s Persian dialect as well as those of us from Tehran. But they still lack Iranian citizenship.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not a journalist close to the Republicans. I am a Democrat who can see the chaos-making Democrats are ready to invert the truth just because they are anti-Trump. Should I also be called a Republican-leaning journalist?
*This article originally written for the Independent Persian.

Iran's New Terror Network in Latin America
كون كوكلن/معهد كايتستون: شبكة إيران الإرهابية الجديدة في أميركا اللاتينية
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/June 04/2020
The recent upsurge in Iranian activity in Venezuela certainly needs to be taken seriously by the Trump administration if Tehran is to be prevented from strengthening its terrorist activities on America's southern flank.
To date Mr Trump, having last year threatened to launch military action in support of Juan Guaido, the country's charismatic opposition leader, now appears to have backed away from any further entanglement with Caracas, a move that might explain Washington's disinclination to act over Iran's recent oil shipments.
But that could change if, as now seems likely, the White House comes to realise that Iran's real intention is to expand its terrorist network in Latin America rather than simply offering economic help to another rogue regime.
The recent upsurge in Iranian activity in Venezuela certainly needs to be taken seriously by the Trump administration if Tehran is to be prevented from strengthening its terrorist activities on America's southern flank. Pictured: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visits Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Iran on October 22, 2016. (Image source: Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran)
The arrival in Venezuela this week of the last of five Iranian tankers carrying gasoline to the oil-starved socialist state is not just about Iran seeking to help a fellow nation stricken by the effects of U.S. sanctions.
It is all about strengthening Tehran's long-standing terrorist infrastructure in Latin America so that it can be used to expand Iran's terror operations throughout the globe.
Of particular concern is the possibility that Tehran may be tempted to use groups such as Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group that has been operating in Venezuela for many years, to conduct missions against the U.S. and its allies at Iran's behest.
There are deepening concerns in U.S military and security circles, for example, that Iran may be planning to use such groups to carry out revenge attacks in retaliation for the assassination of the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in January by an American drone strike authorised by U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to Admiral Craig Faller, commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Iran's current objective by shipping oil to support the regime of Venezuela's socialist dictator, Nicolas Maduro, is to "gain positional advantage in our neighborhood in a way that would counter U.S. interests." Speaking in a video briefing with Florida International University shortly after the first Iranian tanker docked in Venezuela last week, Adm. Fuller commented:
"We have seen an uptick in Iranian state-sponsored activity and liaison with Venezuela that has included (the) Quds Force, and it has included other elements of support to the illegitimate Maduro regime cronies."
Iran's oil shipments to Venezuela have certainly helped to give the country's regime a boost at a time when decades of corruption and economic mismanagement have brought the country to its knees. Mr Maduro celebrated the arrival of the first Iranian tanker by posting a tweet that read: "Thanks Iran - only the brotherhood of free peoples will save us."
To underline the importance of the shipments for Venezuela's ailing economy, which Tehran has compared with the Berlin airlift conducted by the Allies during the Cold War, Caracas ordered Venezuelan fighter jets to escort the Iranian convoy on the last leg of its journey, to protect it against any possible military intervention on the part of the U.S..
In all, the five Iranian ships are estimated to have delivered 1.5 million barrels of Iranian fuel, with the deliveries, according to U.S. reports, being paid for with Venezuelan gold.
For Mr Maduro, though, the tankers' arrival represents a hollow victory. An OPEC state, Venezuela sits on the world's biggest oil reserves and was once a major oil producer. Nowadays the national oil refineries have become so dilapidated that they are no longer able to produce gasoline for domestic consumption. This has left Caracas in the humiliating position of having to import oil from other rogue states such as Iran.
Indeed, the trading relationship between Caracas and Tehran was best summed up by Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special representative to Venezuela, who remarked, "You have two pariah states finding that they are able to exchange things they need for things they have."
The issue that does concern Washington, though, is the effect Iran's trade ties with Venezuela will have on its terrorist operations in Latin America.
Iran's trading relationship dates back to the era of Hugo Chavez, Mr Maduro's predecessor. It was during this period that Hezbollah began constructing its terrorist infrastructure in Venezuela, where the Shiite terrorist group has been accused of being involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and illicit smuggling.
In addition, Hezbollah maintains a presence in the infamous Tri-Border Area, a semi-lawless region where Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil converge. It is from here that Iran is understood to have planned its most terrorist attack in Latin America, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.Now there are fears Iran may be planning to use Venezuela as a base from which to launch similar attacks. This concern has been heightened in Washington by reports that Mahan Air, the Iranian airline with close links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and which is subject to U.S. Treasury sanctions, is making weekly flights to Caracas.
The recent upsurge in Iranian activity in Venezuela certainly needs to be taken seriously by the Trump administration if Tehran is to be prevented from strengthening its terrorist activities on America's southern flank. To date Mr Trump, having last year threatened to launch military action in support of Juan Guaido, the country's charismatic opposition leader, now appears to have backed away from any further entanglement with Caracas, a move that might explain Washington's disinclination to act over Iran's recent oil shipments.
But that could change if, as now seems likely, the White House comes to realise that Iran's real intention is to expand its terrorist network in Latin America rather than simply offering economic help to another rogue regime.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.

India to Lead Efforts to Cure the World Health Organization
Jagdish N. Singh//Gatestone Institute/June 04/2020
Fortunately, India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, a physician, is the new chairman of the 34-member World Health Organization Executive Board. He and his colleagues on the board could prevail upon the WHO Director General to take steps aimed at implementing the resolution of the World Health Assembly.
One, however, is not sure if and when [WHO Director General] Tedros will pay attention to implementing this resolution. He does not seem enthusiastic about the probe. He would, he said in his opening remarks at the WHA, "initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment."
Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the WHA any inquiry should wait until the virus was contained -- an outcome that could, of course, take years, if ever. Xi also pledged $2 billion over two years to the WHO, to control the spread of Covid-19, presumably including control of the WHO along with it.
Vardhan and others in the WHO executive board cannot procrastinate. All serious allegations against China and the WHO must be investigated and made transparent to the world without delay.
India is positioned to play a leadership role in seeing to the implementation of the World Health Assembly resolution calling for an independent inquiry into the current pandemic outbreak. Fortunately, India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan (pictured) is the new chairman of the 34-member World Health Organization Executive Board. (Photo by Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images)
It is heartening to note the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly (May 18-19, 2020) approved a resolution calling for an independent inquiry into the current pandemic outbreak and the World Health Organization's role in responding to it.
The resolution -- brought forward by the European Union, moved by Australia and supported by more than 116 nations -- including India and Japan -- demands that WHO's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population..." The resolution also calls for an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation into the WHO-coordinated international health response to the pandemic.
The importance of these requests hardly needs to be stressed. There is evidence that the WHO's suppression of the news related to the pandemic outbreak in China overlooked went a long way in the spread of the disease and caused immense loss of life and damage to economies the world over. The feeling goes that the WHO must develop an appropriate mechanism to prevent such pandemics in the future.
One, however, is not sure if and when Tedros will pay attention to implementing this resolution. He does not seem enthusiastic about the probe. He would, he said in his opening remarks at the WHA, "initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment."
It seems Tedros would prefer, as in the past, to follow his masters in Beijing. According to reports, Beijing knew of the coronavirus outbreak as early as November 2019. But Chinese President Xi Jinping admitted to the virus on January 20, 2020 when more than 3,000 people had already been infected. The WHO did nothing to find out the truth. It waited for China to confirm the outbreak. It labelled the epidemic a public-health emergency on January 30. It declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11.
In mid-January, the WHO said there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus. As late as on January 10, the WHO advised "against the application of any travel or trade restrictions on China." When Australia, India, Indonesia, Italy, and the US imposed restrictions on travel from China, Tedros criticized the actions, saying it would increase "fear and stigma, with little public-health benefit."
At the WHA session, China supported a comprehensive review of the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic only after the pandemic was brought under control. Xi said at the WHA that any inquiry should wait until the virus was contained -- an outcome that could, of course, take years, if ever. Xi also pledged $2 billion over two years to the WHO, to control the spread of Covid-19, presumably including control of the WHO along with it.
India, the world's largest democracy, is positioned to play a leadership role in seeing to it that the WHA resolution is implemented and that a strong WHO emerges. Fortunately, India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, a physician, is the new chairman of the 34-member World Health Organization Executive Board. He and his colleagues on the board could prevail upon the WHO Director General to take steps aimed at implementing the resolution of the World Health Assembly.
Vardhan and his colleagues might consider that there is no other option to implementing the WHA resolution and reforming the WHO today, or else replacing it with another, responsible, organization. Vardhan, after taking over as WHO Executive Board chairman, said that the Covid-generated challenges "demand a shared response." He now needs to move forward in this direction. The global health watchdog today needs to provide transparency, assist in the search for a vaccine, if one is even possible, and in efforts to eliminating the Covid-19 pandemic completely.
Vardhan will undoubtedly have deep interaction with all members of the executive board, who are all technically qualified in the field of health. He could particularly focus on interacting with the board members from democratic nations such as US Assistant Secretary of Health Admiral Brett Giroir, Austria's Special Envoy for Health Clemens Martin Auer, Finland's Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Health) Päivi Sillanaukee, Germany's Deputy Head (Division Global Health) Björn Kümmel, Israel's Associate Director General (Ministry of Health) Itamar Grotto, Britain's Chief Medical Officer (Department of Health and Social Care) Chris Whitty, Australia's Deputy Secretary (Department of Health) Lisa Studdert, and South Korea's Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Ganglip Kim.
Recently, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC's "This Week" there is "enormous evidence" that the novel coronavirus originated in a lab in Wuhan, and a recent report from the US Department of Homeland Security has faulted Beijing for downplaying the threat.
In a May 18 letter to Tedros, US President Donald J. Trump recounted the missteps in the WHO's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and gave him 30 days to make fundamental reforms. If the WHO does not do what is needed, Trump warned, the he would "make my temporary freeze of United States funding to the WHO permanent." Trump has also said that under such circumstances, the US will "reconsider our membership" in the WHO.
Vardhan and others in the WHO executive board cannot procrastinate. All serious allegations against China and the WHO must be investigated and made transparent to the world without delay.
*Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi.

New US sanctions on Syria mean no leniency for business with Assad
David Adesnik/Wednesday 4 June 2020
The toughest sanctions yet on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are set to take effect in just two weeks. No firm that wants to stay off the US Treasury’s blacklist should plan on doing business with the regime, especially in the construction, petroleum, and aviation sectors.
US President Donald Trump signed the sanctions into law last December, but they are just now taking effect after a six-month waiting period. The sanctions bear the codename of a Syrian military photographer who fled the country with 55,000 images of the corpses left behind by Assad’s interrogators. The FBI Digital Evidence Laboratory examined the images to ensure Caesar had not manipulated them.
Sanctions analysts describe the restrictions in the Caesar law as “secondary” sanctions because they apply to non-US citizens and companies, whereas “primary” sanctions apply to American individuals and entities. While this distinction is not ironclad, the bottom line for foreign investors is that secondary sanctions make them far more vulnerable than they were previously.
In addition, Congress made the sanctions mandatory rather than giving the president discretion when applying them. The mandatory nature of the sanctions puts violators in jeopardy regardless of who is in the White House. Under President Trump, the US Treasury has only intensified its enforcement of sanctions on Syria, so there is no reason to expect leniency for those who do business with Assad.
Firms should not expect the coronavirus epidemic to soften the application of US sanctions on the Syrian regime. Despite Iran’s emergence as the regional epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration has rebuffed calls by Democratic senators and a coalition of senior European statesmen to ease sanctions on Tehran.
Easing sanctions would put hard currency in the hands of Iran’s clerical regime, which it could use just as easily to fund terrorist organizations like Hamas or Lebanese Hezbollah, rather than investing in public health.
A similar logic applies to Syria. There is deep concern in the US for the people of Syria, but there is negligible support for sanctions relief since no one expects a regime that bombs hospitals and uses chemical weapons to spend any new income on fighting COVID-19.
There are ways to help the people of Iran and Syria without lifting sanctions, however. In the case of Iran, the administration has emphasized that Tehran can purchase Western medical equipment through a special channel for humanitarian trade the US set up in tandem with Swiss partners last year.
Syria has little need for a special trade channel, since it can barely afford any imports. Rather, the UN’s multi-billion-dollar aid program is the relevant channel for assistance, whether to fight COVID-19 or for other purposes; the US already contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to that effort each year.
If Tehran has any hope for sanctions relief, it is for Democrats to retake the White House in elections this coming November. The Democratic candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, has said he would resume US participation in the nuclear deal with Iran from which Trump withdrew in 2018; the terms of the deal include extensive sanctions relief for Tehran.
Assad may be an Iranian client, but he should not expect American pressure to diminish if Biden revives the nuclear deal. The Caesar law passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Procedural delays held up its passage for three years, yet a single isolationist senator, Rand Paul, put up most of the roadblocks. The battle in Washington is over now, and the Caesar law won.
The Assad regime has avoided collapse so far thanks to Russian and Iranian military intervention, but the Caesar law reflects Washington’s determination to hold accountable those who seek to help Assad rebuild the country he reduced to rubble.
*David Adesnik is a senior fellow and director of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on twitter @Adesnik.