English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese
Related, Global News & Editorials
For June 22/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews19/english.june22.20.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven
Matthew 18/01-05: “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked,
‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put
among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble
like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.Whoever welcomes one
such child in my name welcomes me.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese &
Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 21-22/2020
Fathers’ Day: The Holy Gift Of Fatherhood/Fathers on Earth are God’s/servantsElias
Bejjani
Lebanon Sees Major One-Day Surge in COVID-19 Cases
Strict measures in tents of displaced Syrians in AlWazzani
UNRWA: The epidemic no longer threatens our camps
Report: Bassil Remarks to Push Many to Boycott Baabda Talks
ISF Intelligence Branch Arrests 11 over Central Beirut Riots
Al-Rahi Urges 'National Paper, Unified Stance' from Baabda Talks
Israeli Jets Fly at Low, Medium Altitudes over Beirut, Regions
Lebanese Mogul Gets 20 Years for Graft in DR Congo
Beirut Plans Discussing with Washington Waiver from Caesar Act
Yammine: The government will not escape its responsibility
MIT Lebanon Challenge seeks solutions to country’s crises/Tarek Ali Ahmad/Arab
News/June 21/2020
Bassil: I Don’t Want to Become President of Lebanon, I Want to Fight Corruption
Amin Gemayel: My Commitment to an Agreement With Israel Was Tied to Its
Withdrawal From Lebanon/London- Asharq Al-Awsat
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on
June 21-22/2020
Egypt’s army, the biggest in Middle East, stands ready amid escalating Libya
tensions
Libyan National Army: Will never give up Sirte to Turkey ‘no matter the
sacrifice
US sanctions have made currency transfers difficult for Iran: Rouhani
Canadian families of Ukrainian plane shot down in Iran vow ‘not to remain
silent’
Evidence shows Iran responsible for migrant deaths: Afghanistan foreign ministry
Negotiations with US ‘harmful and forbidden’: Iranian Parliament Speaker
Iranian Kurdish activist survives assassination attempt in the Netherlands
Iraq PM Vows to Continue Economic, Financial Reform
‘Renaissance Dam’ Crisis Brought to the UN
PA Ready to Discuss Maps after Ruling out Annexation
Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on June 21-22/2020
When Everyone Kneels, Who Will Stand Up for Western History and Culture/Giulio
Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 21/2020
With annexation, the Israeli game continues/Ali Shihabi/Al Arabiya/21 June/2020
Europe is in Danger of Another Sovereign Debt Doom Loop/Marcus Ashworth and
Elisa Martinuzzi/Asharq Al Awsat/June 21/2020
Iranian opposition boosted by US lawmakers’ support/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/June 21/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published
on June 21-22/2020
Fathers’ Day: The Holy Gift Of Fatherhood/Fathers on Earth are God’s servants
Elias Bejjani/June 21/2020
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/65390/elias-bejjani-fathers-day-the-holy-gift-of-fatherhood/
“Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!” (Lydia
M. Child, U.S. Author)
Canadians observe Father’s Day on the third Sunday of June. It is a day for
people to show their appreciation for fathers, grandfathers, godfathers and
fatherly figures. Father figures may include stepfathers, fathers-in-law,
guardians, foster parent, and family friends. Hopefully, all men will have the
blessed grace of being fathers. Being a father is a heavenly endowment, a great
satisfaction, and a fulfilling Godly obligation as the Holy Bible teaches us:
“Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill
the earth, and subdue it.”
Almighty God has blessed both parents, fathers and mothers and recommended that
they be honored, respected, cared for, and obeyed by their children. God’s fifth
commandment delineates this heavenly obligation and duty: “”Honor your father
and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which The Lord your God
gives you.” (Exodus 20:12 ).
God is our Holy Father, and we all, men and women, are His beloved children.
Fathers on Earth are God’s servants who are entrusted by Him to safeguard,
raise, embrace, support, provide and teach their children. Meanwhile fathers are
required to carry their holy duties in raising their children in the fear of
God, with the best of their knowledge, all their resource and means, full
devotion and with all required sacrifices.
Fathers are the cornerstone of their families upon which children depend, learn,
nurture, hold fast and shape their lives. Caring, devoted and righteous fathers
are always given a hand by God and blessed for their rearing and erection of
boundaries. Today we are celebrating “Fathers’ Day”, with all those who cherish
fathers, appreciate their sacrifices and honor their Godly role. Best wishes to
all fathers hoping they will be shown today all the due gratitude from their
sons and daughters. On this very special day our deceased fathers’ and mothers’
spirits are roaming around sharing with us our joy and happiness, God bless
their souls.
Attitudes of gratitude or ingratitude towards fathers on Fathers’ Day, are very
sensitive issues that affect and touch the hearts and minds of many people.
These two contradicting attitudes exhibit how much a person is either
appreciative or ungrateful. The majority of people hold on dear to their fathers
and do all that they can to always show them their great and deeply felt
gratitude, while sadly there are those odd ones out who show no gratitude,
abandon them and even at times endeavour to ruin their lives and inflict harm
and pain on them. By doing so and negating God’s commandments that stress an
utmost respect for parents, these people make themselves enemies of Christ
Himself. Definitely God will be angry about such condemned conduct. This
deviation from all human norms occur because of ignorance, selfishness, lack of
faith and hope. These people fall into temptation, become proud of what they
should be ashamed of, worship things that belong to this world and forget all
about “Judgment Day”.
Colossians 3/20: “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases
the Lord”.
Leviticus 20/09: “For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be
put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him”
Fathers no matter what must be loved, honored, dignified and respected. God
Himself is a Father and He will not bless those who deny their fathers’ heavenly
right of fatherhood and respect. In this context, Billy Graham says: “A good
father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most
valuable assets in our society.” The Holy Bible in tens of its verses warns and
puts on notice all those with callous hearts and numbed conscience who show no
gratitude to their fathers and break their hearts.
Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”
Even when fathers are abandoned by their children and denied their heavenly
rights, they never ever hold any grudges, feelings of hatred or hostility
against them. No matter what, fathers always wish their children health,
prosperity and success. One of our Lebanese deeply rooted sayings portray how
fathers constantly feel towards their ungrateful children: ” My heart beats for
my son no matter what, while my son’s heart is callous like a rock”. Many verses
in the Holy Bible overtly call on the children to treat their parents with love,
endurance, affection and utmost care. At the same time the Bible instructs
parents to value the Godly delegation to them to raise their children with all
means of righteous, protection and provision.
Proverbs 23/22: “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise
your mother when she is old”.
Ephesians 06/01-02: “Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents,
for this is the right thing to do. Respect your father and mother is the first
commandment that has a promise added: so that all may go well with you, and you
may live a long time in the land”.
Many grown-up men and women do not appreciate their parents’ sacrifices unless
they themselves have become parents. Back home in Lebanon where the family has
always been sacred, we have a saying that shows how important it is in the eyes
of the God that parents are always to be respected, honored and loved. “God will
not bless or facilitate the life of those who mistreat their parents and He will
reply to the parents’ wrath when they ask for punishment for their ungrateful
children”. Good, loving , faithful and God-fearing fathers know no hatred,
grudges or despair. They remain, always, hopeful and keep on praying to Almighty
God that their children, (grateful or ungrateful ) are constantly healthy,
prosperous, happy, and successful .
Philippians 04/04-07: “May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I
say it again: rejoice! Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is
coming soon. Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for
what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which
is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union
with Christ Jesus.”.
Happy Fathers’ Day to all Fathers.
N.B: This above piece is from the 2015 archive and republished with minor
changes
Lebanon Sees Major One-Day Surge in COVID-19 Cases
Naharnet/June 21/2020
Lebanon recorded 51 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, the Health
Ministry said on Sunday. In its daily statement, the Ministry said 32 of the
cases were confirmed among repatriated expats and 19 among residents.
The 32 expats have been repatriated from Qatar, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast,
Nigeria and Ghana. Eighteen of the local cases have been meanwhile traced to
known sources. The cases raise the country’s overall tally to 1,587 -- including
32 deaths and 1,068 recoveries.
Strict measures in tents of displaced Syrians in AlWazzani
NNA/June 21/2020
The Ministry of Public Health, under the supervision of Marjayoun District
public health physician, Dr. Anis Wanna, implemented several strict measures in
the Syrian refugee settlement in Marjayoun's Wazzani in south Lebanon, in
coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and health
organizations to stem the spread of the Coronavirus. In this context, all tents
have been isolated from their surroundings, and PCR tests will be conducted for
refugees.
As for the leisure park mentioned in the media, it has been closed and will be
sterilized, knowing that it is isolated from the resorts located on the banks of
the Wazzani River and from agricultural projects in the region.
UNRWA: The epidemic no longer threatens our camps
NNA/June 21/2020
"The coronavirus no longer poses a threat to the Palestinian camps, but it is
now present in some camps," said Abdel-Hakim Shanaa, head of UNRWA's health
department, calling on all refugees to adhere to health guidelines and respect
social distancing, while avoiding large gatherings. He stressed that "the
department is doing its best to preserve the dignity and health of our people,
and will spare no effort to protect the health of refugees." He also announced
that "a team affiliated with the Ministry of Health will enter the Ain El-Hilweh
and Beddawi Camps tomorrow to conduct PCR examinations."
Report: Bassil Remarks to Push Many to Boycott Baabda Talks
Naharnet/June 21/2020
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil’s bellicose speech on Saturday will
make it “difficult” for ex-PMs Saad Hariri, Fouad Saniora, Najib Miqati and
Tammam Salam to attend the broad national meeting in Baabda, highly informed
sources said. In remarks to Kuwait’s al-Rai newspaper published Sunday, the
sources said such indications had surfaced over the past hours. Bassil’s
“targeting of Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh signals that there will be
further complications to the efforts seeking to protect the dialogue meeting,”
the sources added, referring to Speaker Nabih Berri’s efforts to convince Hariri
and Franjieh to attend. Parliamentary sources informed on the preparations
meanwhile told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that President Michel Aoun will not put
the Caesar Act on the meeting’s agenda. The sources, however, noted that some
participants might raise the topic during the talks.
ISF Intelligence Branch Arrests 11 over Central Beirut Riots
Naharnet/June 21/2020
The Internal Security Forces on Sunday announced that its Intelligence Branch
has arrested eleven suspects accused of taking part in the rioting that rocked
downtown Beirut on June 11 and 12. In a statement, the ISF said the suspects
were identified through “the pictures and footage broadcast by the various media
outlets, which clearly showed the aforementioned individuals carrying out acts
of vandalization against public and private property.”The ISF added that the
eleven suspects were arrested on Friday and Saturday following authorization
from the relevant judicial authorities, and are currently being interrogated.
Noting that the rioting had drawn “the condemnation of all Lebanese, especially
those taking part in peaceful protests,” the ISF emphasized that it is keen on
“guaranteeing and protecting the freedom of peaceful expression.” But it
stressed that “freedom of expression does not at all stand for the freedom to
vandalize and attack public and private property,” warning that it will not be
“lenient” with such individuals.
Al-Rahi Urges 'National Paper, Unified Stance' from Baabda
Talks
Naharnet/June 21/2020
The all-party talks that President Michel Aoun will host in Baabda on Thursday
must result in a “national document” and a “unified stance,” Maronite Patriarch
Beshara al-Rahi urged on Sunday. He described the president’s call for the
meeting as “a national duty that his conscience dictated to him as a president
of the nation who took an oath to protect the constitution and protect people’s
unity and the public interest.” “The invitation honors whoever receives it,” al-Rahi
added in his Sunday Mass sermon. Calling on participants to “address the core of
the problem and propose a real solution, without reticence, settlements or
bargaining,” the patriarch said the meeting should produce “a national document
that would be at the level of the current dangerous events.”He said such a
documents should “devise a firm roadmap including a unified stance on the issues
that led to political, financial, economic and social collapse as well as to
security and military threats.”“The document must rectify choices and courses,
guide governance, launch reforms and return Lebanon to its position and prestige
so that it can reconcile with its Arab neighbourhood and regain the world’s
confidence,” al-Rahi added.
Participants must seek to “emphasize Lebanon’s unity and neutrality; achieve
broad administrative decentralization; preserve the state’s legitimate
authority, especially that of its security and military agencies; and truly
acknowledge the state’s exclusive authority over its entire territory,” the
patriarch said.
They must also “abide by the resolutions of international legitimacy, combat
corruption in all its dens and liberate the judiciary of any interference or
political and partisan influence.”Addressing political leaders, al-Rahi said
Lebanon’s young protesters on the streets want the Baabda meeting to provide
answers to their “needs, concerns and fears over their future and the fate of
their country.”
“Do not let them down,” he urged.
Israeli Jets Fly at Low, Medium Altitudes over Beirut, Regions
Naharnet/June 21/2020
Israeli warplanes on Sunday violated Lebanon’s airspace at low and medium
altitudes over the capital Beirut and several regions across the country.
According to the National News Agency, the jets flew at low altitude over Beirut
and at medium altitude over Metn.Israeli warplanes also overflew Sidon, Hasbaya,
al-Orqoub, Mount Hermon and the occupied Shebaa Farms and Golan Heights at low
altitude and staged mock raids at low altitude over Nabatiyeh and Iqlim al-Tuffah.Israeli
overflights were also recorded over Tyre and its Palestinian refugee camps and
over the western and central sectors of South Lebanon.
Lebanese Mogul Gets 20 Years for Graft in DR Congo
Naharnet/June 21/2020
A top aide to DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and a Lebanese businessman
were each handed 20 years hard labor for corruption in a case that has tested
the government's anti-graft credentials. Vital Kamerhe, 61, who served as the
president's chief of staff, was convicted of diverting more than $50 million of
public funds, the court in Kinshasa said. Kamerhe's co-accused, Lebanese
businessman Samih Jammal, 79, was also convicted and given 20 years hard labor.
Much of the money was earmarked for building 1,500 social housing units under a
program announced by Tshisekedi after his inauguration in January 2019. The case
marks the first time a figure considered untouchable in Congolese political life
-- Kamerhe was also a key ally of former president Joseph Kabila -- has been
tried and convicted for corruption.
Kamerhe's French lawyer, Pierre-Olivier Sur, denounced what he called a "show
trial" and an "expedited process broadcast direct on television."Sur and his
Congolese counterpart said on June 11 they would call Kamerhe's situation to the
attention of a U.N. panel probing cases of arbitrary detention.
Campaign group Unis welcomed Saturday's ruling as "a jolt for the rule of law"
but said "other key players" including a commercial bank had not been brought to
justice. "Some key players in the mechanisms for misappropriation appear to have
been spared. It is difficult to understand," said Floribert Anzulini of the
citizens' movement Filimbi, also citing a bank at the heart of the case.
'Under attack'
Kamerhe's lawyers said they would appeal as forced labour is banned under the
country's constitution. His sentence included other penalties including
disqualification from holding public office for 10 years. "It is not me under
attack, it is the president of the republic," Kamerhe told the prosecutor, who
reproached him for his "tendency to hide behind the head of state." Kamerhe
claimed that nothing was done "without the knowledge" of Tshisekedi, adding that
he was not in office when the contract at the centre of the allegations was
signed in 2018.
Judge's death
The televised trial, held in the courtyard of the capital's main jail, came
during a campaign for the "renewal" of the justice system to help root out
entrenched corruption. The trial faced twists and turns right up until the last
minute -- the Constitutional Court intervening on Friday on a legal technicality
that threatened to delay the case. That came weeks after the sudden death of the
presiding judge last month. Police declared he died from cardiac arrest but the
justice ministry later said he had been murdered. Former ministers, the current
governor of the central bank and several government officials testified about
their share of responsibility in the disbursement of funds and the role played
by Kamerhe.
Presidential ambitions
Once a pillar of Kabila's rule, Kamerhe initially stood in the 2018 presidential
poll but bowed out to team up with Tshisekedi, who took office in January 2019
in the first ever peaceful transfer of power in the country. Kamerhe's
supporters have said the trial was a plot to prevent him from securing the
presidency in the next election in 2023 -- the quid pro quo in the 2018
deal.Supporters in his home province of South Kivu took to the streets after the
sentencing on Saturday. Other senior officials and a businessman are also on
trial for alleged embezzlement of public funds related to the same
social-housing scheme, with a verdict expected on June 23.
Beirut Plans Discussing with Washington Waiver from Caesar
Act
Beirut - Mohamed Choucair/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 21 June, 2020
The “comprehensive national meeting” called for by Lebanese President Michel
Aoun on June 25 could be cancelled over a decision by former prime ministers to
snub the invitation for talk. The items on the meeting’s agenda are not
divisive. They include the preservation of civil peace and boosting coexistence
with the reduction of sectarian tensions in the country. Some of the invitees
have phoned officials at the Baabda presidential palace seeking a clarification
on the meeting’s agenda, parliamentary sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. As for the
Lebanese government’s reaction to the Caesar Act, a US legislation that
sanctions the regime in Syria, Asharq Al-Awsat was informed that Aoun has no
intentions of discussing it in the upcoming meeting in Baabda. Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Hassan Diab, in their latest talks,
tackled the Caesar Act and its repercussions on Lebanon.
The two leaders discussed ways of reaching out to Washington to get a waiver for
Lebanon to obtain 220 Megawatts from Syria to make up for the country’s power
shortage. The exception will also include allowing Lebanese agricultural and
industrial goods to pass through Syria to neighboring countries. Washington had
already approved Iraq’s waiver for obtaining its electricity from Iran, which is
on a US sanctions list. Jordan has approved Lebanon’s request to share the
electricity it obtains from Syria in case the US does not approve the waiver,
but Syria said it refuses to allow the power to be transferred from Jordan to
Lebanon through its territory. Parliamentary sources said that Lebanon’s
position from sanctions on the Syrian regime will not make a difference and
therefore the country must maintain a policy of distancing Lebanon from the
region’s crises.
Yammine: The government will not escape its responsibility
NNA/Sunday, 21 June, 2020
Minister of Labor, Lamia Yammine, stressed on Sunday that "the government is
focused on addressing the financial situation, although it is not responsible
for what the dollar exchange rate against the lira reached, and will not evade
its responsibilities."The minister added that the economic and financial plan
focuses on foreign aid, hence the importance of any dialogue to unify the points
of view and move forward in negotiations to achieve a better result. Yammine
also indicated that "Marada leader Sleiman Franjieh is with every initiative
that is in the interest of the country and his participation in the national
dialogue in Baabda will depend on the items meeting's agenda and the
recommendations that will result from it."The minister explained that "the
government is working to take decisions to protect Lebanon from the
repercussions of Caesar's Act, and may go to negotiations for some
exceptions."Finally, she confirmed the existence of political interference in
the work of the government, calling for the formation of a government that
includes the opposition and the loyalists, if the current government is toppled
under street pressure.
MIT Lebanon Challenge seeks solutions to country’s crises
Tarek Ali Ahmad/Arab News/June 21/2020
Global initiative seeks to gather diaspora, locals from various backgrounds,
specialties
When Jad Ojjeh started his MBA at the Sloan School of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) two years ago, he never expected to find himself
leading an initiative to try and find ways to save his home country Lebanon from
collapse. Today, he and a team of compatriots and colleagues from all over the
world have organized the MIT Lebanon Challenge, an event that brings together
Lebanese from different backgrounds and specialties to focus on finding
solutions to the country’s biggest problems. “There are thousands of Lebanese
abroad who are skilled, have time and resources, and who want to help, but they
don’t know how to. There’s no single place where they can all get together and
help,” Ojjeh, 27, told Arab News. “Another side is that there are a lot of
Lebanese in Lebanon who are skilled, who have time, but don’t have the resources
to put something together and who haven’t done it before and need a little bit
of help,” he said.
“So the problem really was how to get the diaspora to collaborate with each
other and with the locals to set up businesses for themselves.”The past year has
proved to be catastrophic for Lebanon, which is in the midst of an economic
crisis. While the country has fared better than others in the region in tackling
the coronavirus outbreak, the enforced lockdown and curfew have taken a
significant toll on the economy. The MIT Lebanon Challenge aims to split 600
applicants, 20-30 percent of whom are from the diaspora, into groups of seven
that try to find solutions to problems arising from one of three main tracks:
Basic needs, the industrial economy and the knowledge economy. Teams will have
access to expert mentors and a repository of resources throughout the event to
“set them up for success,” Ojjeh said. These include more than 30 how-to guides
on such things as pitching and using Zoom.
“We’re making an additional effort to reach the northern and southern areas (of
Lebanon), where a lot of these problems exist. The issue of agriculture isn’t
prevalent in Beirut, for example. We can’t work on agriculture solutions without
involving the communities that are going to be implementing them,” Ojjeh said.
“At the same time, issues of food, shelter and water exist in Beirut and a lot
of other communities, so they have intimate knowledge of what’s happening on the
ground, what it takes to implement the project … We need them to be part of the
solution,” he added. “We want more non-business, non-engineering, lawyers,
artists, designers. It’s all about bringing this different perspective to the
table and looking at the problem from a different angle. If we continue looking
at it from the same angle, we’re going to end up in the same place we
started.”The MIT Lebanon Challenge is set to kick off on June 26 and run for 48
hours. The teams will present to a panel of judges whose expertise is in the
field for which they are finding a solution. Proposals that make the cut will be
given support from the MIT Lebanon Challenge organizers and partners. Ojjeh said
the focus will be on solutions that the teams can implement themselves rather
than rely on heavy public sector intervention. “This is an apolitical,
non-sectarian, independent event working toward a better Lebanon for everyone in
Lebanon,” he added.
Bassil: I Don’t Want to Become President of Lebanon, I Want
to Fight Corruption
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 21 June, 2020
President of the Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil asserted
that he does not want to become President, but wants to fight corruption. Bassil
held a press conference on Saturday, during which he discussed Lebanon’s
political options in light of regional developments, saying his party is being
subjected to “mass political assassination attempts,” vowing to expose them all.
“We are being subject to mass political assassinations because of liars. I can
sense the anger of our supporters and I apologize to them and urge them to calm
down and have patience.”
He urged the government to stay ready to “prevent the fall of change. We will
not withdraw our confidence from the government as long as the alternative is
not available, and as long as it gets things done,” vowing to strike anyone who
causes strife. Bassil indicated that the goal of the Baabda meeting on June 25
is to prevent strife. He admitted that the government and the presidency are in
crisis, as well as protesters and supporters of the government, however
everybody can help in the salvation process. “Counting on the outside for power
is a wrong bet,” Bassil said, adding that waiting for a solution from outside
the country is like slow death. Days after his ally, Hezbollah, called for
resorting to the East and China to help manage the situation in Lebanon, Bassil
said that terminating the International Monetary Fund (IMF) options means the
country will have to head East. He explained that such an option is only
possible if it were the only alternative, however, that doesn’t mean “we do not
want to deal with the East.”Basil also addressed the issue of Caesar's Law,
asserting that “we do not want confrontation with the US. We want to preserve
friendship.” He indicated that though it is not an international law, the United
States has the power to enforce it. If implemented, Ceasar’s Law means closing
the borders with Damascus and increasing the burden of the refugees, according
to Bassil, who warned that it might even lead to a greater influx from Syria due
to the deteriorating economic conditions. Lebanon has a special status and
Washington should allow it special waivers that will not restrain the economy or
affect the intended goal of the Law, even if we do not agree to its purpose if
it were "meant to stifle Syria.”Bassil stressed that Lebanon must take serious
measures to control the borders and close illegitimate crossings. He also
reiterated that funds should not be smuggled to Syria because Lebanon is in
greater need. Soon after Bassil's press conference, the leader of Marada
Movement, Suleiman Frangieh, tweeted a poetry stanza that appeared to be in
response to Bassil without naming him. Also, Democratic Gathering MP Faisal al-Sayegh
criticized Bassil's attack on Lebanese factions, saying as President Michel Aoun
calls for dialogue in Baabda between all political forces, FPM head attacked the
parties. Sayegh wondered if Bassil was annoyed by the Baabda meeting and wanted
it to fail. Former Minister May Chidiac criticized Bassil saying it is not
acceptable to intentionally turn the appointment mechanism into a law that
contradicts with the constitution. Chidiac noted that jurists and all lawmakers
agreed to the mechanism, but the FPM voted against it. She wondered if Bassil's
position was to respect transparency or insist on favoritism.
Amin Gemayel: My Commitment to an Agreement With Israel Was
Tied to Its Withdrawal From Lebanon
London- Asharq Al-Awsat/June 12/2020
The third episode of the memoirs of former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel,
published by Asharq Al-Awsat, touches on the circumstances of signing the May
17, 1983 agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which sparked great controversy
at that time.
“This was supposed to be the main event of my tenure," Gemayel says.
Lebanon was seeking, through the agreement, to guarantee the exit of the Israeli
forces that entered the country after the 1982 invasion. But Israel tried to
link its withdrawal to that of the Syrian forces, which Gemayel rejected,
telling the United States: “Our negotiations are for the withdrawal of the
Israeli army; as for the problem of the Syrian army, we solve it in cooperation
with Arab countries.”
He recounts in his memoirs: “We almost concluded the final clauses of the May 17
agreement and prepared for it to be signed the next day, until a sudden event
changed the whole situation at the last minute.”
“On May 16, the chairman of the US negotiating team, Maurice Draper, requested
an urgent meeting. He informed me of the presence of an attached side letter,
which the Israeli envoy asked the Americans to hand over to us. He said it was
an integral part of the agreement. The letter, dated May 17, stipulated three
new conditions that were not included in the agreed text,” Gemayel says.
The first condition was obtaining information about the Israeli soldiers who
were missing during the Israeli operation in Lebanon, returning the captured
soldiers held by Syria, as well as by the Palestine Liberation Organization (who
were war prisoners), and recovering the remains of the soldiers who had fallen
since the fourth of June 1982.
As for the second condition, Gemayel said it was about the withdrawal of all
armed Palestinian elements from Lebanon, as well as that of the Syrian forces,
in parallel with the exit of the Israeli forces. It should be noted that the
withdrawal of armed Palestinian elements from Lebanon came in accordance with
the references mentioned in this regard in Article 204 of the Treaty.
The third condition said that if the return of the captured soldiers and the
forces’ withdrawal did not happen at the specified time, Israel reserved the
right to suspend the implementation of the provisions of the treaty.
Gemayel recounts: “Maurice Draper told me: “I understand the frustration you
feel, but we will not give up. Secretary [George] Schultz assures you of his
support, and Washington will make every effort in Israel and Syria to resolve
the situation. The positions of these two countries are not final. We have every
reason to believe this.”
He continues: “I replied: “So I cannot move forward with the agreement. Our
negotiations are for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, then the
Arab countries will help us solve the problem of the Syrian army in our country
with Damascus. ””
In light of this “side message”, one of the parties - Israel - granted itself in
advance, the right to refrain from signing the treaty.
However, this legal heresy did not go unnoticed by the US Secretary of Defense
Caspar Weinberger, who went so far as to suspect the hypocrisy of his colleague,
the Secretary of State. He will reveal, later, that, once he was informed of the
existence of the attached secret letter, which was “accepted by Secretary of
State George Shultz and apparently unknown to Amin Gemayel,” he understood the
reasons for failure.
“The agreement, with its side message, gives President al-Assad the power to
veto any withdrawal and any kind of good relations that Israel might establish
with one of its Arab neighbors, Lebanon. In retrospect, this veto affected all
US policy in the Middle East. Moreover, Syria will immediately benefit from it
by not withdrawing from Lebanon,” he says.
Gemayel notes that shutting the door to the agreement meant deepening the
country’s crisis and losing Washington’s support.
“Therefore, I once again opted for the adoption of a solution ‘on the Lebanese
way’, which allows preserving our relations with the Americans while adhering to
our basic rights: to give the Lebanese delegation permission to sign the
agreement without conviction, of course, but with specific reservations
formulated clearly in a strict Lebanese letter (side letter), also dated May 17,
signed by Foreign Minister Elie Salem and addressed to the American
‘godfather’.”
The attached Lebanese letter stated the following: “Lebanon affirms that unless
Israel withdraws [from the country] in line with the terms of the agreement,
that it will dissolve it and suspend all of its obligations. Accordingly,
Lebanon, the United States, and Israel will consult in this regard. If the
matter remains unresolved, Lebanon considers itself free to consider the
agreement as void. It will continue to seek the restoration of its sovereignty
and the withdrawal of foreign powers from its lands in full by the available
means.”
Gemayel recounts: “Upon our insistence, the United States agreed to the Lebanese
position. President [Ronald] Reagan sent a third side message, also dated May
17.”
It read: “Based on the long relationship and friendship with Lebanon, the United
States participated fully in reaching an agreement between it and Israel, and
signed it as a witness. The United States will take all necessary measures to
fully monitor the implementation of the agreement, and it supports the
sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity of Lebanon. The
United States will continue to support the goal of the Lebanese Republic in
securing the withdrawal of all foreign forces. In the event that foreign forces
fail to withdraw, the United States will conduct emergency consultations and
take other steps that will properly lead to the exit of all these forces from
Lebanon.”
The United States further recognized that Lebanon entered this agreement
provided it was free to suspend the implementation of its obligations, in the
event that the Israeli armed forces did not withdraw.
At the end of his letter, Reagan asserted that his administration would “push
forward economic and military assistance at the request of Lebanon, and would
support by appropriate means economic reconstruction in Lebanon and the
development of its military forces in order to support the Lebanese government
in carrying out its responsibilities.”
Despite all of that, the agreement was signed by the negotiating delegation on
May 17, 1983, Gemayel said.
On June 13 and 14, Parliament convened in a session, during which a high degree
of consensus and feeling of optimism manifested against all odds. The parliament
ratified the agreement and approved it by a majority of 64 votes, against two
opposing votes, four deputies abstaining, and one deputy expressing
reservations.
“I was hoping that the agreement would win not only the overwhelming majority,
but also the consensus so that our position would become stronger and safer
towards the Arab countries, not to mention its national and constitutional
dimensions,” he underlined.
“I realized the size of the obstacles ahead of me, and I have expressed my
concerns openly to President Ronald Reagan through his representatives
participating in signing the agreement. I was afraid, especially after being
notified of the Israeli side message, that I had a poisoned document in my
hands, and I wanted to anticipate the future at any cost.”
He continued: “I was wondering what causes the Hebrew state to put such pressure
on us, and why the American administration would conclude an agreement that is
born dead because of its side message. Israel buried this agreement before any
other party on May 17 in particular, contrary to what some opponents of the
treaty claimed… Israel dropped it through the side message, and I canceled it by
not signing it.”
French Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson attributed the failure to Israel itself.
“When I asked him, when he visited Beirut on March 4, 1984, months after the
Lebanese-Israeli agreement was frozen, how did he explain the behavior of the
Hebrew state, he laughed and said: “According to our information, from the first
day, Israel did not want the agreement. I also knew that we were a victim of
Israeli maneuvers and scheme in which it used Lebanon for further purposes.”
The French minister explained: “Prior to the launch of Operation Peace of
Galilee in June 1982, Israel informed Washington that the military invasion
would be limited to 40 kilometers from the border between the two countries. But
its army penetrated the capital, Beirut, which caused great anger in the
American capital. By a very rare decision in the history of US-Israeli
relations, Congress imposed heavy financial and military sanctions against it,
including freezing an agreement between the two countries; so Israel needed an
agreement with Lebanon, whatever it was, in order to justify the lifting of
these sanctions by Congress… It announced the agreement in order to confirm its
exit from Lebanon and then move away from those sanctions.”
Cheysson continued: “Indeed, after the signing, the sanctions were lifted, and
that was probably the reason why the Jewish state first clung to it, and was
careful to prevent us from abolishing it before Congress decided to lift the
sanctions.”
The French minister also told Gemayel: “The Israelis are indifferent to what is
happening to the Lebanese, and I hope your citizens will realize this. No one in
Lebanon can count on Israel.”
Gemayel says: “The May 17, 1983 agreement was supposed to be the main event of
my tenure, and I did my best to avoid traps, but could it have been otherwise?
Could this failure have been avoided? I still ask myself this question more than
ever, and more than anyone else. In any case, I refrained from giving the
agreement an executive status, and it remained without the signature of the
country’s president, that is, without an effect, as if it never happened.”
He concluded: “Over time, I realized that I took the right position by refusing
to sign. Despite the slander campaigns against me, my conscience is relieved
that I served my country at this critical stage in history, and saved it from
devastating dangers.”
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published on June 21-22/2020
Egypt’s army, the biggest in Middle East, stands ready amid escalating Libya
tensions
Matthew Amlôt, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered his army on Saturday to stand
ready carry out any mission outside the country, if necessary, amid high
tensions over Turkey's intervention in Libya, Reuters reported. Earlier this
year, the Global Firepower (GFP) 2020 index ranked the Egyptian army as the
strongest in the Middle East region, overtaking the Turkish army. Al-Sisi's
comments come amid worsening conditions in next-door Libya, where Egypt backs
the forces of the Libyan National Army in the country's ongoing civil war. The
LNA has recently lost ground to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord,
backed by Turkey, which has refused to accept the Egyptian-brokered Cairo
Initiative ceasefire deal. On Sunday, Egypt’s foreign minister told Al Arabiya
that any threat to Egyptian or Arab security will receive a response. Foreign
Minister Sameh Shukri said Egypt is coordinating with regional and international
powers active in Libya, stressing that a “military solution is the last option
for Egypt to defend its security.”“We refuse Turkey’s attempt to expand in
Libya,” Shukri told Al Arabiya. “Ankara’s expansion in Syria, Iraq and Libya is
in violation of international legitimacy.”The foreign minister also said that
Egypt is coordinating with Tunisia and Algeria and the countries have a “shared
vision” for Libya. “The time has come for serious efforts to stabilize Libya,”
Shukri said. The Egyptian army’s ranking in the GFP 2020 index takes into
consideration manpower, airpower, land forces and natural resources in addition
to others. Egypt is ranked 9 out of 138 out of the global countries considered
for the annual GFP review, according to its website. Both Egypt and Turkey are
considered regional powers, according to the index, in addition to 13 other
countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Israel. Earlier this month, Egypt
called for a ceasefire in Libya as part of an initiative that also proposed an
elected leadership council for the country.While the United States, Russia and
the UAE welcomed the plan, Turkey dismissed the proposal. With Reuters
Libyan National Army: Will never give up Sirte to Turkey
‘no matter the sacrifice’
Tuqa Khalid, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, told Al Arabiya on
Sunday that it will never leave the coastal city of Sirte to Turkey, “no matter
the sacrifice”.Khaled al-Mahjoub, an LNA official, told Al-Arabiya: "We will not
leave Sirte for Turkey, no matter the sacrifices. Sirte is a key coastal city in
Libya, close to major energy export terminals on the Mediterranean seaboard. The
LNA and the Government of National Accord (GNA) have been fighting for control
of Libya, including Sirte. Clashes between both sides over Sirte have
intensified since early June. Turkey, which backs the GNA led by Fayez al-Serraj,
has been ramping up its military intervention in Libya. on Saturday, Turkey told
AFP that Sirte and Al-Jufra need to be evacuated by Haftar’s forces for a
“sustainable ceasefire.”In November, Turkey signed a military cooperation pact
with the GNA. The two parties also signed a maritime demarcation deal, which
gives Ankara exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean. The maritime deal
was rejected as “illegal” by many Mediterranean countries such Greece and
Cyprus. In early in June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his
country’s support for the GNA “will increasingly continue.”Turkey’s intervention
in Libya would give it a foothold in the natural-resources-rich Middle East,
where its international ties to many countries are strained. This is especially
significant for Egypt, since it shares a long border with Libya, backs Haftar’s
LNA and its relationship with Turkey has been tense for years. On Saturday,
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that his country has a legitimate
right to intervene in Libya and ordered the army to be prepared to carry out
missions if necessary. He said: “Any direct intervention from the Egyptian state
has now acquired international legitimacy,” adding that Egypt had received
“direct threats” from “terrorist militias and mercenaries” supported by foreign
countries. Earlier in June, Egypt had called for a ceasefire in Libya, however,
in his recent speech Sisi said that Egypt has always been reluctant to intervene
in Libya but “the situation now is different.”“If some people think that they
can cross the Sirte-Jufra frontline, this is a red line for us,” he said.
Ex-Turkish PM Davutoglu criticizes Erdogan’s policies,
questions ‘missing’ $16 bln
Joanne Serrieh, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu continued his criticism of current
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and called on him to disclose the whereabouts of
110 billion Turkish liras (more than $16 billion) that have allegedly gone
missing, Davutoglu said during his latest television appearance.
He has previously accused the President of corruption and failing to manage the
economy. The former prime minister has also blamed Erdogan for for the
deterioration of freedom as well as the decline of democracy in the country.
During his appearance on Karar TV, Davutoglu also said this is the first time
the country has seen such a large deficit since 2002, adding that coronavirus is
not to blame for the current economic crisis. Erdogan in May accused Davutoglu
and other former allies of defrauding state-owned bank, Halkbank, by allocating
loans toward the establishment of Istanbul’s Sehir University, which was founded
by Davutoglu. Davutoglu hit back, calling on parliament to launch investigations
into the wealth of Erdogan, his family members as well as current and past
high-ranking officials, including himself. Davutoglu resigned from the AK Party
in September 2019, days after the ruling party began proceedings to expel him
from the party for breach of discipline after he issued a manifesto critical of
Erdogan’s policies. He then established a new political party in a move that
represents a challenge to Erdogan’s ruling party. The politician had served as
foreign minister between 2009 and 2014 and later as prime minister until 2016,
when he was sacked by Erdogan and replaced by Binali Yildirim, reportedly over
his reluctance to support Erdogan’s efforts to increase the powers of the
president. Turkey switched to a system that vastly expanded the president’s
powers following a referendum in 2017.- With AP
US sanctions have made currency transfers difficult for
Iran: Rouhani
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
US sanctions have made the transfer of currency difficult for Iran, President
Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying by state media on Sunday. Rouhani said it is
important to understand Iran’s “difficult conditions” and the limitations
imposed on the country’s oil exports due to US sanctions.
“Due to [US] sanctions, the transfer of currency has been made difficult and the
conditions imposed by the coronavirus outbreak, including the closure of some
borders, has also hampered imports,” the official IRNA news agency reported
Rouhani as saying. Iran has been known to support its vast network of proxies in
the region using cash. In a visit to Baghdad earlier this year, the new head of
the Quds Force Esmail Ghaani brought Iran-backed Iraqi militias silver rings
instead of the usual cash handouts, a sign of Iran's economic crisis, according
to AP. US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and
launched a “maximum pressure” campaign against the regime in Tehran, saying he
wanted a more comprehensive deal that would cover nuclear issues, Iran’s
ballistic missile program and Iranian activities in the Middle East. Trump’s
sanctions on Tehran have devastated the Iranian economy. Iran’s first VP Eshaq
Jahangiri said last week that the country’s oil revenues fell by more than 90
percent last year, blaming the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel for the fall in
revenue. The coronavirus pandemic has also deepened Iran’s economic woes.
Iran’s parliament urges government to halt UN nuclear
agency’s Additional Protocol
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
Condemning a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy
Association (IAEA) calling on Iran to stop denying the agency access to two
sites, Iran’s parliament urged the government on Sunday to halt the
implementation of the Additional Protocol in response.
The Additional Protocol is an expanded set of requirements for information and
access to assist the IAEA in its task of confirming that states are using
nuclear material for solely peaceful purposes, according to the Center for Arms
Control and Non-Proliferation. “The parliament would like the government to stop
the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol and make supervisions
offline,” a statement signed by 240 Iranian lawmakers said, according to the
semi-official Mehr news agency. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s
35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Friday in which it increased
pressure on Iran to allow inspectors into the sites mentioned in two of its
reports because they could still host undeclared nuclear material or traces of
it. The resolution is a sign of “structural discrimination” within the IAEA, the
Iranian statement said. The lawmakers criticized Britain, France and Germany who
drafted the resolution, saying the three countries “have once again fallen into
the trap of America and the Zionist regime (Israel), aligning themselves with
their efforts to implement the failed maximum pressure policy against Iran and
dealing another blow to international multilateralism.”Iranian Speaker of
Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on the same day that the Islamic
Republic will not allow the IAEA to “trample Iran’s rights and violate the legal
frameworks.”“We do not oppose diplomacy and negotiations, but we believe that
negotiations with America are strictly harmful and forbidden,” he said, adding
that if Iran was to hold talks with European countries, it must do so with
“utmost mistrust.”
Canadian families of Ukrainian plane shot down in Iran vow
‘not to remain silent’
Rafah al-Saad and Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English /Sunday 21
June 2020
Families of victims of the Ukrainian civilian airliner downed by Iranian
missiles in January will meet with Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe
Champagne to urge Canada to press Iran to hand over the plane’s black boxes,
according to a relative of one of the victims. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 on
January 8, killing all 176 onboard. After days of denying responsibility and
insisting the plane crashed due to a “technical failure,” Iran acknowledged
shooting the plane down claiming it had done so by mistake.
“Next week, we have a meeting with Foreign Minister Champagne,” Mehrzad Zarei,
whose 17-year-old son Arad was killed in the crash, told Al Arabiya’s
correspondent in Canada on Saturday. Iran has failed to be sufficiently
transparent about the downing of the plane, according to Zarei. “The Iranian
government is not truthful and cannot be trusted,” he said. Families of the
victims will call on the Canadian government to press Iran to hand over the
plane’s black boxes to a third party capable of decoding them, Zarei said. Iran
is yet to hand over the plane’s black boxes which has frustrated the families of
the victims who accuse Tehran of deliberately delaying the process. “It has been
over three months since the regime said it is going to send the black boxes … we
need to know the truth, we need to get justice for our loved ones, we want to
know why they used them as human shields,” said Zarei.
The families will also urge the Canadian government to take Iran to the
International Court of Justice in their meeting with Champagne, he said.
Relatives of some of the plane crash victims recently announced the launch of
the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims and its website at a virtual
press conference. The victims’ relatives revealed at the press conference that
their loved ones’ belongings were “looted” at the crash site. The association is
a way for the victims’ families to “speak out,” Ardeshir Zarezadeh, the
president of the Toronto-based International Center of Human Rights, told Al
Arabiya’s correspondent.
Evidence shows Iran responsible for migrant deaths:
Afghanistan foreign ministry
Joanne Serrieh, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
New evidence from an investigation showed that Iran is responsible for the death
of several migrants who were allegedly forced into a river by Iranian border
guards and drowned, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday. The
ministry also objected Iran’s refusal to take responsibility for the deaths of
the migrants who officials claim died while they were illegally crossing into
neighboring Iran from Herat province in May, according to AFP. Eighteen bodies
were reportedly recovered from the Harirud river as of May 11, Gulran district
governor Abdul Ghani Noori told AFP. Noori had said 55 migrants were forced into
the river, according to the report. Shortly after the incident, Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani ordered a “thorough” probe into incident and formed a new 10-member
team for the investigation after some of the bodies which were recovered showed
signs of torture, according to AFP. Iranian authorities have dismissed the
claims, saying the incident occurred inside Afghanistan’s territory, AFP
reported.
Negotiations with US ‘harmful and forbidden’: Iranian
Parliament Speaker
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Sunday 21 June 2020
Criticizing the UN unclear watchdog IAEA for a recent resolution calling on Iran
to stop denying the agency access to two suspected former sites, Iranian Speaker
of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday Tehran will not allow the
agency to “violate its legal frameworks.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a
resolution on Friday in which it raised pressure on Iran to let inspectors into
the sites mentioned in two of its reports because they could still host
undeclared nuclear material or traces of it. The Islamic Republic will not allow
the IAEA to “trample Iran’s rights and violate the legal frameworks,” said
Ghalibaf. While the resolution was put forth by Britain, France, and Germany,
Ghalibaf accused the US and “the Zionists” of being behind it. “They are looking
to force Iran to enter talks so that maybe they could cover up their internal
problems as well as find a way to slow down our progress in the defense and
military sector,” the semi-official Mehr news agency quoted him as saying. “We
do not oppose diplomacy and negotiations, but we believe that negotiations with
America are strictly harmful and forbidden,” said Ghalibaf. He added that if
Iran was to hold talks with European countries, it must do so with “utmost
mistrust.”“Some major powers and many other countries openly opposed the
resolution. We also have information that many of the countries that voted in
favor of the resolution did so under heavy American pressure,” Ghalibaf said.
The resolution was passed with 25 votes in favor. China and Russia voted
against, and seven countries abstained. Ghalibaf expressed gratitude to China
and Russia for voting against the resolution.
Iranian Kurdish activist survives assassination attempt in
the Netherlands
Yaghoub Fazeli, Al Arabiya English/Saturday 20 June 2020
An Iranian Kurdish activist has survived an assassination attempt after he was
“seriously injured” in a knife attack on Friday in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden,
local media reported on Saturday. Sadegh Zarza, 64, who is a member of
opposition group the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), was
reportedly stabbed at least 15 times by a 38-year-old Iranian national in broad
daylight in Leeuwarden, the Leeuwarden Courant newspaper said citing
eyewitnesses. Zarza survived, “but he has been hit very badly,” Zarza’s brother
told the newspaper, adding that he has injuries in the head, neck, stomach, and
chest. Zarza’s family, who says he has received death threats in the past,
believe that Friday’s assassination attempt on the activist was “politically
motivated.” Even abroad, the opposition is not safe from the Iranian regime,
Zarza’s brother said.
Giving details of the assassination attempt, Zarza’s brother said that an old
friend had called Zarza asking him to meet with his son who had supposedly come
to study in the Netherlands. Zarza had recognized his friend’s voice and agreed
to meet his son, but the meeting was a set-up, Zarza’s brother said.
The suspect was waiting for the victim with a bouquet of flowers in his hands,
according to an eyewitness. “When the victim arrived, the attacker walked over
to his car and began stabbing him through the passenger seat window not having
exchanged any words,” the eyewitness told the Leeuwarden Courant.
The suspect then walked around Zarza’s car to continue stabbing him and to not
allow him to flee, according to eyewitnesses. Once the police arrived, the
suspect surrendered without any resistance, the newspaper said.
History of targeting Kurdish activists
Iran has a long history of targeting opposition figures abroad, especially in
Europe. Zarza is the nephew of prominent Iranian Kurdish political leader
Abdulrahman Ghassemlou, who headed the PDKI from 1973 until his assassination in
1989 in Vienna. Ghassemlou’s successor, Sadegh Sharafkandi, was also
assassinated in 1992 in Berlin. The Iranian regime is widely believed to have
ordered both assassinations. Tehran denies the allegations.
Iraq PM Vows to Continue Economic, Financial Reform
Baghdad - Fadhel al-Nashmi/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 21 June, 2020
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi considered that the state budget relying
by 95 percent on oil revenues is evidence of the failure of former
administration policies. He vowed to seek the support of non-oil resources and
to carry forward the mantle of economic reform to face the growing financial
crisis.
Kadhimi’s statements came during a visit to the oil ministry in Baghdad where he
held a meeting with the acting oil minister and high-ranking officials.
According to a statement issued by the PM’s office, Kadhimi was keen to visit
the ministry because of "its importance and role in sustaining the Iraqi
economy."
“The public budget depends on oil revenues at 95 percent, in evidence of
previous policy failures. The government is working to maximize other revenues,
and to turn oil revenues into development work projects that serve the Iraqi
economy,” Kadhimi said. The prime minister pointed out that his government is
studying the possibility of establishing an investment fund that gives a better
future for coming Iraqi generations. The fund aims at equally distributing oil
revenues across generations. Iraq suffers from chronic mismanagement of
resources, made even worse by plummeting oil prices and the coronavirus
pandemic.
Kadhimi stressed that he will “not back down from financial and economic reform
in the country.”“There are ongoing discussions on the expected reforms, despite
political attempts to disrupt them.”Iraq's newly appointed oil minister, Ihsan
Abdul Jabbar, considered Kadhimi’s visit to the ministry as a display of great
interest in developing and supporting the energy sector. “The oil ministry is
working to achieve the government program which contributes to effective
investment in national resources and boosting revenues,” Jabbar said, stressing
that the ministry is adopting robust mechanisms to market Iraqi oil.
‘Renaissance Dam’ Crisis Brought to the UN
Cairo- Waleed Abdurrahman/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 21 June, 2020
Egypt on Friday called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene to
restart talks on Ethiopia’s giant hydroelectric dam being built on the Blue
Nile. Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi asserted his commitment
to following a diplomatic and political path to find a fair solution for all.
Talks over the dam were halted once again earlier this week without a deal.
Notably, Egypt is almost entirely dependent on the Nile for its fresh water. Its
letter to the Security Council on Friday was based on Article 35 of the UN
Charter, which allows members to alert the council about any issue that could
threaten international peace and security. "The Arab Republic of Egypt took this
decision in light of the stalled negotiations that took place recently on the
Renaissance Dam as a result of Ethiopian stances that are not positive," Egypt’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Among these talks were many tripartite negotiations and the talks that were held
in Washington with the mediation of the United States and the World Bank, which
resulted in reaching a balanced agreement for all three countries; however, it
was rejected by Ethiopia. The Ministry revealed that the most recent talks were
arranged by Sudan, but still all efforts have gone in vain due to “Ethiopia’s
lack of political will, and its insistence on continuing to fill the Dam
unilaterally in violation of the Declaration of Principles Agreement signed by
the three countries on March 23, 2015.”Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu
Andargachew told the Associated Press on Friday that "we want to make it clear
that Ethiopia will not beg Egypt and Sudan to use its own water resource for its
development."
PA Ready to Discuss Maps after Ruling out Annexation
Ramallah - Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 21 June, 2020
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, has stated that the
Palestinian Authority is willing to discuss maps when a unilateral Israeli
annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank is ruled out. Speaking after a
meeting for the Fatah Central Committee held in Ramallah and chaired by Abbas,
Rudeineh stated: "We refuse to talk about the maps except on the negotiating
table, if the basic conditions are met; negotiations on the basis of Palestinian
and international legitimacy and the decisions of the National and Central
Councils of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which will lead to the
establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, and not on the basis
of (US President Donald) Trump’s plan and Israeli annexation plans." "The United
States and Israel should fully understand that the message of the Palestinian
people is clear: We will not accept annexation of even one centimeter (of
Palestinian land). There will either be a Palestinian state on the borders of
June 4, 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital or there will be no security, no
peace, and no stability in the region," he said. Reliable sources told Asharq
Al-Awsat newspaper that the Palestinian leadership accepts exchanging lands and
amending the border but not based on the Deal of the Century proposed by
Trump.There is almost full Arab and international consensus on rejecting the
Israeli plan, which is based on Trump's proposal.This rejection is mounting as
prominent allies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu join those who are
not in favor of annexation. US Senators Chuck Schumer, Bob Menendez, and Ben
Cardin are joining the growing opposition to the Israeli annexation plans. “As
strong and dedicated supporters of the US-Israel relationship, we are compelled
to express opposition to the proposed unilateral annexation of territory in the
West Bank,” they said in a joint statement.
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published on June 21-22/2020
When Everyone Kneels, Who Will Stand Up for Western History
and Culture?
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 21/2020
"We are afraid that anything we do is colonial. There's plenty of countries
willing to step into that global governance gap: China, Iran, Russia, Turkey". —
Bruce Gilley, The Times, May 10, 2018.
British post-colonial guilt is, however, having repercussions far larger than
statues. There is, for instance, still total silence about persecuted
Christians, according to a UK bishop leading a government review into their
suffering.
Western history is seemingly being remade to portray all of Western civilization
as just one big apartheid. It is as if we should not only pull down statues but
also pull down ourselves. A successful democracy, however, cannot be built on
just erasing the past.
"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every
picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed,
every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute
by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in
which the Party is always right". — George Orwell, 1984.
What is this macabre ideological game aimed at accomplishing?... It is a
power-grab to create a cultural revolution, to prevent anyone from saying that
cultures are not all the same; to put Europe's past on trial; to instill
perennial remorse into consciences, and to spread intellectual terror to advance
multiculturalism.
The statue in London of Winston Churchill -- who stood against the Nazis during
the Second World War and saved Europe from barbarism -- was covered up by the
city authorities during recent protests. Its visual erasure reminds one of the
nude statues in Rome covered up to please Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, or
the "disappearance" of portraits in the former Soviet Union.
"Antiracism is no longer the defense of the equal dignity of people, but an
ideology, a vision of the world," said the French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut,
son of Holocaust survivors.
"Antiracism has been transformed... At the time of the great migration, it is no
longer a question of welcoming newcomers by integrating them into European
civilization, but exposing the faults of this civilization".
He referred to "self-racism" as "the most dismaying and grotesque pathology of
our time".
Its capital is London.
"Topple the racists" consists of a map with 60 statues in 30 British cities. The
removal of the statues is being requested to support a movement born in the
United States after a white policeman, Derek Chauvin, killed a black man, George
Floyd, by kneeling on his neck.
In Bristol, a crowd pushed the statue of philanthropist and slave-owner Edward
Colston into the harbor. The act was followed in London by protests vandalizing
statues of Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln. London's Mayor
Sadiq Khan, after removing the monument to Robert Milligan, a Scottish slave
trader, from outside the Museum of London Docklands, announced the creation of
commission to review tearing down statues that do not reflect "the city's
diversity". Two more statues were ordered to be removed from two London
hospitals.
Vandalism and self-hatred are quickly gaining ground. The epic of great
discoveries associated with British Empire has become shameful. The protests are
not about slavery. No one in the UK today would cheer that period. It is rather
a call for cultural cleansing of all the works contradicting the new mantra:
"diversity".
"A new form of Taliban was born in the UK today", wrote Nigel Farage, referring
to two giant ancient Buddha statue that were blown up by the Taliban in
Afghanistan in 2001. "Unless we get moral leadership quickly our cities won't be
worth living in".
The list of statues to be removed includes the names of Oliver Cromwell and
Horatio Nelson, two major figures in British history, as well as Nancy Astor,
the first woman to be elected to the British Parliament and take a seat in 1919.
Also on the list were the names of Sir Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus and
Charles Gray (the prime minister whose government supervised the abolition of
slavery in 1833).
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, expressing opposition to the removal
campaign, said:
"We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a
different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous
generations. They had different perspectives, different understandings of right
and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To
tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education
of generations to come."
British post-colonial guilt is, however, having repercussions far larger than
statues. There is, for instance, still total silence about persecuted
Christians, according to a UK bishop leading a government review into their
suffering. There is also, notably, a retreat from the world's stage. "When the
West loses confidence in itself, because of excessive or misplaced guilt over
colonialism, it turns to isolationism", noted Bruce Gilley, a professor of
political science. "We are afraid that anything we do is colonial. There's
plenty of countries willing to step into that global governance gap: China,
Iran, Russia, Turkey".
Post-colonial guilt is also suffocating freedom of speech in the UK. The former
British "equality watchdog" chief, Trevor Phillips, was suspended from the
Labour Party after allegations of "Islamophobia". Phillips' guilt? Being
critical of multiculturalism. According to Phillips:
"In my view, squeamishness about addressing diversity and its discontents risks
allowing our country to sleepwalk to a catastrophe that will set community
against community, endorse sexist aggression, suppress freedom of expression,
reverse hard-won civil liberties, and undermine the liberal democracy that has
served this country so well for so long."
Phillips also claimed that British politicians and journalists are "terrified"
of discussing race, thereby leaving multiculturalism to become a "racket"
exploited by some to entrench segregation. A man of Guyanese origin, a Labour
Party veteran and an equality commissioner spoke the truth to the
multiculturalists.
The activists who campaign to remove the statues want radically to change the
look of the British capital. The clash seems to consist of, on one side, violent
censors who bully everyone, and on the other side, cowardly, appeasing
politicians, who are afraid and bow to the vandals. Monuments are a vital and
visible part of a global city; they embody their place in the history of a city,
otherwise only bus stops and Burger Kings would remain there. These protestors
appear to wish for a revised, sanitized history. If we do not quickly understand
that, if we erase our past, as the former Soviet Union tried to do, it will be
easier for people to create their vision of our future with no rudder to anchor
us or our values. We will be left with nothing in our hands but shattered pieces
of our history and culture.
This movement of hating the West -- which has, as all of us do, an imperfect
history -- seems to have begun in British universities. In Cambridge, professors
of literature asked to replace white authors with representatives from
minorities to "decolonize" the curriculum. The student union of London's
prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) asked to remove Plato,
Kant, Descartes, Hegel and others from the curriculum, because they were "all
white" -- as if the color of our skin should be the sole determinant of our
thoughts. In Manchester, students painted over a mural based on Kipling's poem
"If".
A scholar of colonialism, Nigel Biggar, said that a "climate of fear" has
returned to British universities. The University of Liverpool recently agreed to
rename a building honoring former prime minister William Gladstone. At Oxford,
meanwhile, the statue of Cecil Rhodes, philanthropist and founder of Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe), risks being the next to go.
"There is a bit of hypocrisy," Lord Patten, the chancellor of Oxford, commented,
"in Oxford taking money for 100 scholars a year, about a fifth of them from
Africa, to come to Oxford, and then saying we want to throw the Rhodes statue...
in the Thames". He said that his own view remained the same as one "expressed by
Nelson Mandela at a celebration of the Rhodes Trust in 2003": that despite the
"problems associated with Cecil Rhodes in history, if it was alright for
Mandela, then I have to say it's pretty well alright for me". But not for the
revisionists.
Western history is seemingly being remade to portray all of Western civilization
as just one big apartheid. It is as if we should not only pull down statues but
also pull down ourselves. But a successful democracy, cannot be built on just
erasing the past.
The statue in London of Churchill -- who stood against the Nazis during the
Second World War and saved Europe from barbarism -- was covered up by the city
authorities during recent protests. Its visual erasure reminds one of the nude
statues in Rome covered up by authorities to please Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani, or the "disappearance" of portraits in the former Soviet Union, of
people whom the Politburo decided had fallen out of favor. There is a falsity in
erasing one's history. One may not have a perfect history, but it is one's
history, nevertheless. As the historian Victor Davis Hanson wrote, a country
"does not have to be perfect to be good." Excising the distasteful parts does
not change what happened; they may even be replaced with parts that are more
distasteful.
Some London museums already adopted this covering-up and self-censorship a while
ago. The Tate Gallery in London banned a work by John Latham that displayed a
Koran embedded in glass. The Victoria and Albert Museum showed, then withdrew, a
devotional art image of Muhammad. The Saatchi Gallery featured two works of
nudes overlaid with Arabic script, which prompted complaints from Muslim
visitors; the museum covered the works. The Whitechapel Art Gallery purged an
exhibit containing nude dolls.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary just revised the definition of "racism" to
include "systemic racism", presumably meaning that the entire society is guilty
and unjust.
The censors seem to want to control our mental universe, as in George Orwell's
novel, 1984:
"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every
picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed,
every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute
by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in
which the Party is always right".
This process of Western self-abasement began long ago. The Labour Party councils
in the UK, for example, began to examine all the statues under their
jurisdiction. The mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, instead of defending the rule
of law, called the violent removal of the statue of Colston an act of
"historical poetry". When vandals started to destroy statues, many applauded.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it "politically correct iconoclasm".
A week before the statues row, people in the UK knelt in the name of George
Floyd. It was as if there was a collective claim that Western society as a whole
had to repent. It seemed a form of ideological hysteria, not so distant from
that of the Inquisition or the Salem Witch Trials: those who knelt were
presumably supposed appear as if they were more moral, on the "right side" of
justice. There were even British policemen kneeling, as, in the US, Speaker of
the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats knelt to their
overlords. Both were acts of irresponsibility and capitulation. A few days
later, the British establishment kowtowed to the new Taliban.
What is this macabre ideological game aimed at accomplishing? Not taking down
monuments as such, like the statues of Christopher Columbus which have been torn
down or beheaded. It is more than that. It is a power-grab to create a cultural
revolution, to prevent anyone from saying that cultures are not all the same; to
put Europe's past on trial; to instill perennial remorse into consciences, and
to spread intellectual terror to advance multiculturalism.
How many people will refuse to go along with this coerced suppression of
history? If many kneel to this new totalitarianism, who will have the courage to
stand up for Western history and culture?
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and
author.
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With annexation, the Israeli game continues
Ali Shihabi/Al Arabiya/21 June/2020
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel appears poised to annex large parts
of the West Bank. This annexation is being driven, as usual, by short-term
Israeli political goals and not by any strategic vision that would see the end
to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict and normalization of relations
with the countries of the region. As warnings pour into Israel, Netanyahu will
probably ignore them as he always has.
It is easy for him to dismiss such warnings. Israeli leaders have done so for
decades, always avoiding any serious consequences for their actions. Today, with
Israel at the peak of its military, economic, and political power and influence,
both in the region and in the United States, many Israeli leaders will see no
reason not to continue with this strategy. After all, Israel has effectively won
the conflict and the Arab world continues to be weak and ineffectual.
Consequently, Israel takes those Arabs who have signed a “peace” deal with
Israel, namely, Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, totally for
granted and will continue to do so as Israeli leaders focus exclusively on their
own short-term domestic political priorities while ignoring the domestic
political imperatives of their “partners” in peace, current or prospective.
Yet, it would be a historic mistake to continue in this vein, since Israel is
well on its way to sinking deeper into a toxic demographic hole with no clear
exit strategy in sight.
Israel is stuck with millions of disenfranchised, bitter, disgruntled, and angry
Palestinians in its midst. Depending on how you classify them (e.g., as Arab
Israelis, West Bankers, Gazans), they encompass a growing youthful population of
over seven million people living around and among a Jewish population of an
equal size on that thin strip of land between the river Jordan and the sea. To
imagine that they can continue to be controlled as they have been in perpetuity
is simply delusional.
Without the realistic prospect of a Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority
will implode as it comes to be seen for what many already accuse it of being,
which is as a tool for Israel to camouflage its dominance over its Arabs,
forever denying them full and equal rights, rather than as the stepping-stone to
statehood that the authority was allegedly supposed to be.
By way of analogy, say that 95 percent of Native Americans had not been slain by
the white man or had not died of diseases brought to the New World by European
settlers.
In such a scenario, and assuming that governments had attempted to maintain some
form of enduring coercive control over these native people without granting them
citizenship and equal rights, there would have been hundreds of millions of
disgruntled and belligerent Native Americans living with an ambiguous legal
status and being subjugated to varying degrees of control by the US government.
The United States could not have survived long had it allowed such conditions to
fester.
What will Mr. Netanyahu or any of his successors do with this population of
disenfranchised Arabs living among and around their Jewish people? Continuing to
make the lives of the Palestinians miserable will not lead enough of them to
leave, since today they simply have no realistic exit options. In this
anti-immigrant era, it is unlikely that any countries will voluntarily welcome
more Arab refugees and asylum seekers. Mass expulsion is presumed to be out of
the question, although for an influential element of the Israeli right, it is an
option that is unfortunately not completely off the table.
Aside from the big picture of what it would mean for Israel to continue to
dominate such a large population, annexation may also lead to more costs,
although probably not instantly. It may mean greater loss of political support
in the US (beyond Israel’s hard right and evangelical core), not to mention in
Europe, where Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands is universally condemned.
Palestinian protesters from the village of Haris in the occupied West Bank argue
with Israeli soldiers, on May 29, 2020, during a protest against the
expropriation of )
Calls for treating Israel like apartheid South Africa will increase and will
resonate with a younger generation of Americans whose support for Israel can no
longer be counted on, particularly young Jewish Americans. In the Middle East
and in the wider Muslim world, rejectionist forces will be reinforced and
reenergized.
Annexation will become another propaganda gift to Iran and other forces who seek
Israel’s destruction – empowering them at the moment when they are at their
weakest. Claiming the cause of Palestine since the days of Nasser’s Egypt has
always been the one powerful and very effective tool to mobilize angry Arab
masses.
Israel is in perpetual denial as its leaders kick the proverbial can
continuously down the road, believing that time is on their side. In fact, time
is surely not on Israel’s side. Israel’s ideal time to sort out, finally and
sustainably, its position as a secure and permanent member of the Middle Eastern
community of states is now, when it is at the peak of its powers with virtually
all the cards in its hand.
This is the time to be strategic for once, rather than tactical as usual, and to
design a permanent and sustainable formula that would meet minimum Palestinian
and Arab demands and also open the door to the powerful forces, both regional
and global, that want to put this perennial problem to bed.
In turn, it would secure for the Jewish people (in Israel and even in the
Diaspora, where this sore continues to stoke anti-Semitism) the security,
stability, and peace of mind that they have been craving for millennia.
*Ali Shihabi is an author and commentator on Middle Eastern politics and
economics with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia. His website is
www.alishihabi.com.
Europe is in Danger of Another Sovereign Debt Doom Loop
Marcus Ashworth and Elisa Martinuzzi/Asharq Al Awsat/June 21/2020
The European Union has been relaxing its rule book for banks — painstakingly
built up in the decade or so since the financial crisis — as it tries to manage
the impact of coronavirus. Unfortunately, the move might create big problems if
economic activity fails to recover.
That’s because the regulations are being eased just as the European Central Bank
is about to inject a huge amount of liquidity into the euro-zone monetary
system. This will lead almost certainly to commercial lenders acquiring more
sovereign debt through what are known as “carry trades” — where they borrow
cheaply from the ECB and seek to make a safe profit by buying investment-grade
bonds that yield more than their borrowing cost.
So banks will be snapping up more debt from their national governments,
potentially creating an infernal “doom loop,” where a bank will struggle if the
value of its government bondholdings plunge in a market rout (say if the economy
tanks again) — and the lender’s and the sovereign’s fate would be locked
together. This became a systemic threat early in the last decade, stoking the
2012 euro crisis.
Europe’s financial response to the pandemic has been admirable, and it makes
sense to loosen banking rules to ensure the wheels of the economy can turn
again. But the latest relaxation is risky. It will temporarily free lenders from
taking a hit to their capital ratios should their portfolios of government debt
shrink in value, in essence removing part of the requirements to mark-to-market
(in other words, mark down any market losses).
This is a bold move as the ECB is simultaneously pump-priming the banking sector
with as much liquidity as it wants, to spend however it wants. The past three
months have already seen a record jump of 200 billion euros ($225 billion) in EU
banks’ holdings of euro sovereign debt, according to analysts from Jefferies
International Ltd. Looser capital rules will just add to the attraction.
This week’s main event will be a new round of ultra-cheap ECB loans to banks,
known as targeted long-term refinancing operations (TLTROs), with rates as
generous as minus 100 basis points. The central bank is literally paying banks
to borrow. Frederik Ducrozet, a strategist at Pictet Wealth Management,
estimates that lenders will take up 1.2 trillion euros. Inevitably some will be
parked in liquid government debt, at least in the short term.
Much of this extra money will end up being used by bankers in those carry
trades. In this case, banks will borrow at -1% in the TLTRO scheme, then invest
in government bonds and investment-grade corporate debt that provide a juicy
return. This might improve lackluster bank profitability, but at what cost if it
means lenders are then holding too much government debt?
It’s one thing for the ECB to own as much as 450 billion euros of Italian
government bonds, and quite another for commercial lenders to be so exposed to
one nation. Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo SpA is already that country’s second-largest
creditor, with about 100 billion euros of its national debt. Piling yet more
government borrowings into the Italian banking system, which holds a higher
percentage of its country’s bonds than any other euro-area nation, might not be
a good idea.
The impetus to push more money into the finance system and to encourage
government borrowing is entirely understandable right now. But it risks leaving
the euro zone exposed again to its Achilles heel of having a banking system that
funds sovereign debt. This may all be necessary to reinvigorate the European
economy but danger lurks.
Iranian opposition boosted by US lawmakers’ support
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/June 21/2020
Bipartisan agreement in US politics is extremely rare these days. But support
for democracy in Iran is one cause that effortlessly unites the left and the
right in unprecedented ways. For example, senior lawmakers from both parties
last month joined the leaders of Iranian-American communities in a congressional
briefing to introduce House Resolution 374.
This resolution has now been endorsed by a majority in the House of
Representatives. It condemns Iranian state-sponsored terrorism and expresses
unambiguous support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular,
and non-nuclear republic. House Resolution 374 has a growing list of Democratic
and Republican co-sponsors, reaching 221 — including representatives from 41
states and 12 committees — before it was presented to Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo.
The resolution lines up equally well with the Democratic Party’s principles and
with the Trump administration’s strategy of “maximum pressure” on the Iranian
regime. It outlines an assertive policy against a brutal regime but stops well
short of endorsing US boots on the ground; instead supporting the homegrown
organized opposition.
To pressure the Iranian regime and support the Iranian people, members of
Congress have been communicating with domestic Iranian-American communities. One
group of senior congressmen, including Republican Tom McClintock and Democrat
Brad Sherman, last week spoke to Iranian-Americans and lent their support to
their cause in an online video conference. Rep. McClintock said: “The regime’s
destabilizing behavior has continued, and acts of terrorism will be addressed.
The Iranian resistance has been a target of Iranian terrorism. We condemn these
terror acts.”
One of the reasons that the regime in Tehran fears the National Council of
Resistance of Iran (NCRI) is that it is currently considered the largest Iranian
opposition group in exile and has connections with people on the ground in Iran.
Many believe that this gives the opposition the crucial resources it needs to
play a significant role in counterbalancing the power of the ruling ayatollahs,
pushing for a democratic system of governance in Iran, and preserving the US’
national and economic interests.
This represents the endorsement of a grassroots Iranian movement to emulate
democratic principles in the heart of the Middle East.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also fears that foreign governments may cooperate
with the opposition, magnifying its power to inspire disaffected youths in Iran
into protesting against the regime. In other words, when it comes to confronting
the regime, the view of Khamenei and the senior cadres of the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps is that the soft power of Iran’s ordinary people and
opposition is much more potent than the military capacities of foreign powers.
This is why, following the 2018 and 2019 mass protests against the theocracy,
regime officials, including Khamenei, blamed the NCRI for organizing and leading
the demonstrations. The largest series of protests broke out in 2018 — the year
that NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi had predicted would be “full of
uprisings.”
Rajavi last week commended the representatives of the American people for
co-sponsoring House Resolution 374. She told the members of Congress: “The
Iranian people have struggled against two dictatorships and for freedom. They
overthrew the shah and will continue their struggle to overthrow the mullahs’
regime and to achieve freedom. They are encouraged that this resolution supports
one of their goals for a republic based on the separation of religion and state.
The Iranian people will be inspired to know that the representatives of the
American people hear their voice.”
Previously, House Resolution 4744 of 2018 condemned the Iranian regime’s
crackdown on dissidents, including the massacre of some 30,000 political
prisoners in the summer of 1988. Significantly, the new resolution makes it
clear that such incidents are part of the DNA of the regime and that they give
Iran’s organized resistance movement an undeniable right to pursue the ouster of
the theocracy.
House Resolution 374’s recognition of the Iranian people’s struggle “to
establish a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic of Iran” is a clear
expression of values that are shared across the political spectrum in the US.
And it represents the endorsement of a grassroots Iranian movement to emulate
democratic principles in the heart of the Middle East. That vision has been laid
out in some detail by Rajavi in the form of a 10-point plan for the future of
the country.
If put into place with support from the American people and the rest of the
international community, that plan would establish free and fair elections, the
separation of religion from the state, equal protection under the law for women
and minorities, and a commitment to nonaggression and nonintervention with
neighboring countries, which are currently reeling under the destructive
influence of the mullahs’ regime.
The moral impact of this support for Iran’s democratic movement is immeasurably
encouraging for a people facing a ruined economy and political injustices, as
well as a fatal pandemic.
At a time when the Iranian people have an overwhelming appetite for overthrow
and democratic change, they can see that people around the world, especially in
the US, are cheering for their cause.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist.
Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh