LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 01/2019
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Those with Faith are to be the heirs, So the inheritance is
a grace From God
Letter to the Romans 04/13-25: “If it is the adherents of the law who are to be
the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but
where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on
faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his
descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share
the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I
have made you the father of many nations’) in the presence of the God in whom he
believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do
not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of
many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants
be.’He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was
already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he
considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning
the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore
his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was
reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It
will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the
dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our
justification.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese
& Lebanese Related News published on March 01/2019
Berri: Parliament Will Fully Assume Monitoring Role
Aoun Calls For Confronting Extremism, Protecting Spiritual Wealth in the Region
UK Parliament Approves Proscription of Hezbollah
KSA Hails UK Move on Hizbullah, Urges World to Follow Suit
Report: Opening Corruption Files Could Trigger New Political Conflict
Hariri Urges 'Governmental Solidarity', Dismisses Claims of Rift with Aoun
Fadlallah Submits Documents on ‘Missing’ State Funds to Public Prosecutor
Geagea Slams Ruling on LBCI Ownership as 'Unjust, Political'
Report: Refugee Repatriation File 'Ground to a Halt'
Samy Gemayel: Lebanese Republic Witnessing Most Difficult and Critical Phase
Saba Blames Lebanon's Political System for Absence of Accountability
2019 Bank Deposits Seen Growing a `Conservative' $7-$8 Billion
Ex-Nissan Chief Carlos Ghosn Makes Fresh Bail Request
Litles For The Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on March 01/2019
Iran's Zarif Returns to His Post, Receives Invitation to Visit Damascus
UN Says Israel Committed War Crimes While Responding to Gaza Protests, Israel
Rejects Report
Israel Arrests Leaders in Jerusalem, West Bank
Netanyahu Meets Putin, Vows to Prevent Iran's Entrenchment in Syria
Israel Lost Between Targeting Hamas, Striking a Deal
Facing bribery charges, Netanyahu decries 'political plot' to topple him from
power
Netanyahu Says Graft Allegations a 'Witch Hunt' to Topple Him
Syria Force Poised for Final Assault on IS
U.N. Envoy Proposes New International Forum for Syria
Damascus Calls on Syrians to Leave Camp near Jordan Border
Trump 'Walks' as North Korea Talks End Abruptly without Deal
Guaido Vows to Return to Venezuela Soon 'despite Threats'
Dozen Journalists Arrested at Algiers Censorship Protest
Libya Rivals Agree to Hold Polls, Says UN
Titles For The Latest
LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on March 01/2019
Trump 'Walks' as North Korea Talks End Abruptly without Deal/Agence France
Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19
Analysis: Trump Walking Away From N.Korea Increases Pressure On Iran/Yonah
Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/February 28/19
Iran's Diligent Investment In Empire/Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/February 28/19
The Hodeida Redeployment Plan: A Slow Start in Yemen/Elana DeLozier/The
Washington Institute/February 28/2019
Assad Needs the United States and Its Allies for Reconstruction/Jomana Qaddour/The
Washington Institute/February 28/2019
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese
Related News published on March 01/2019
Berri: Parliament Will Fully Assume Monitoring Role
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 February, 2019/Speaker Nabih Berri said the
Parliament would exercise its monitoring role in full. Berri will call for two
parliamentary sessions in the first half of March, one to elect the Supreme
Council for the trial of presidents and ministers, and another legislative
session to ratify stringent laws, MPs, who met with the speaker on Wednesday,
quoted him as saying.They said that his decision came after consulting Prime
Minister Saad al-Hariri. Berri added that he would hold a “monitoring session”
in the second half of March as part of monthly monitoring sessions. “There is no
insult at all in summoning any minister for accountability or investigation into
any file,” the speaker said, according to the deputies.On the issue of arbitrary
appointments in public authorities, Berri stressed that the government must
adopt the mechanisms followed in the past, highlighting the need for law
enforcement in this
Aoun Calls For Confronting Extremism, Protecting Spiritual
Wealth in the Region
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 February, 2019/Lebanese President Michel
Aoun said that the Levant was a “unique example that embodies Lebanon’s
spiritual and cultural richness, stressing that it must not be emptied of its
components.”Speaking at the inauguration of the Caritas Middle East and North
Africa Conference on Wednesday, the president said: “There is no doubt that one
of the major objectives of all the incidents that have unfolded over the past
years is to make the societies of our Levant racist, unilateral, conflicting,
and belligerent.”
He warned that the forced migration of some components, the attempts to change
the demographics, the partition of Palestine and the displacement of its people…
“all pave the way for a new Levant that is different from the religious, social
and cultural diversity that characterizes it.”
“This is what we should reject and resist, with all our determination and
tenacity,” he stressed. “The land of the Levant must not be emptied of its
people; the cradle of the Christ, the Road to Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher
cannot be without Christians, just as Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Al-Aqsa Mosque
cannot be without Muslims, for no water can flow if its springs dry out,” he
added. Addressing the same event, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros Rai urged
the international community to dissociate the political solution in Syria from
the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland. “The international community
must separate the political solution from the refugees’ repatriation. There is a
pressing necessity that the displaced Syrians return to their country,” Rai
said. “We should not forget the economic, social, developmental, cultural and,
security impact created by 1.5 million displaced people from Syria, as well as
half a million Palestinian refugees... This constitutes half the Lebanese
population,” he stressed. Rai said Lebanon must be protected from the dangers of
“this exhausting presence, with one-third of its population below the poverty
level and 40 percent of its youth facing unemployment.”
UK Parliament Approves Proscription of Hezbollah
Kataeb.org/Thursday 28th February 2019/The United Kingdom's Parliament has
officially approved the government's decision to proscribe Hezbollah's political
wing and add the party in its entirety to its terror list, after its two main
chambers have endorsed this move, Al-Hurra news channel reported on Thursday.
The decision, now passed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords,
has officially become a law. Once in force, membership of Hezbollah will be a
criminal offense carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years.
KSA Hails UK Move on Hizbullah, Urges World to Follow Suit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on
Thursday lauded Britain's decision to outlaw Hizbullah's political wing under
its anti-terror laws. In a statement, the official spokesman of Saudi Arabia's
State Security agency welcomed “the UK's intention to label the so-called
Hizbullah militia as a terrorist group with its political and military
wings.”“In partnership with its allies, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will
continue working on curbing Hizbullah and Iran's destabilizing influence in the
region in order to preserve international peace and security,” the statement
said. Saudi Arabia also urged the international community and organizations to
take a similar step and to “intensify joint cooperation and coordination to
eradicate all forms of terrorism.”Britain said Monday it will ban the political
wing of Hizbullah, making membership of the movement or inviting support for it
a crime.
The European Union put the armed wing of Hizbullah on its terrorism blacklist in
2013, due to Hizbullah's alleged role in blowing up an Israeli tour bus in
Bulgaria. But unlike the United States, the EU differentiates between the
group's military and political wings.
Report: Opening Corruption Files Could Trigger New
Political Conflict
Naharnet/February 28/19/The course of political events in the past few days and
the campaign launched against corruption, illegal employment in state
institutions and financial spending over the last ten years could bring new
political clashes to Lebanon’s political arena, media reports said Thursday.
Hizbullah parliamentary bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah, tasked with following on the
file of corruption and government spending, has called for a probe in missing
state funds between 1993 and 2013. Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora (of al-Mustaqbal
Movement), who was previously accused of spending $11 billion in extra budgetary
spending during his premiership between 2005 and 2009, has called for a press
conference on Friday to detail the “facts.”Moreover, Speaker Nabih Berri has
called for electing members of the Higher Council to try presidents and
ministers, a move that al-Mustaqbal Movement circles and other political parties
said aims at embarrassing mainly Mustaqbal officials in governance then. Berri
and Hizbullah circles say by raising these issues they have no ill intention to
trigger political conflict, but more aim to “stop the financial and
administrative collapse.”Al-Mustabql sources however have questioned the “timing
and the ends,” particularly the funds spent during the premiership of Siniora
which he affirms were legal in their entirety and registered at the finance
ministry. Siniora said he will detail all the facts and figures during his press
conference. Unnamed parliamentary sources assured that opening financial records
does not target any political party. They said the files were raised currently
simply because the Finance Ministry has completed study of the financial
accounts between 1993 and 2017 and has raised the report to Berri. "The file is
simply taking its legal course," they said. Also on Wednesday, Head of the
Budget and Finance parliamentary committee MP Ibrahim Kanaan, emphasized that
the follow-up on the file of illegal hiring in the state’s administrations and
institutions was serious and that the results will be colossal. Lebanon’s
government has imposed a freeze to hiring since the adoption of a wage scale law
in 2017 that raised the wages of the public sector. Kanaan said the committee
has found that 15,200 public sector employees and contract workers were hired
for “unexplained, superfluous positions.”In October, the committee kicked off
investigation after accusations that illegal state hiring had taken place in
line with the May 2018 parliamentary elections as a method of buying votes.
Hariri Urges 'Governmental Solidarity', Dismisses Claims of
Rift with Aoun
Naharnet/February 28/19/Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Thursday stressed the
importance of “solidarity” among the government's components as he dismissed
reports about a dispute between him and President Michel Aoun. “PM Hariri called
for refraining from betting on a dispute between him and President Aoun,” acting
information minister Wael Abu Faour said after a cabinet session at the Grand
Serail that was chaired by Hariri. “We are partners with the president and with
parliament at the beginning of our mission and this is the spirit that will
govern our work,” Abu Faour quoted Hariri as saying. The premier also called for
focusing on the decisions of the CEDRE Lebanon support conference. Separately,
the Cabinet approved a request from the Finance Ministry to issue treasury bonds
in foreign currencies, as Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil stressed the need
to “finalize the budget law as soon as possible and conduct a drastic debate
over the financial situations.”The Council of Ministers meanwhile opted not to
discuss the issue of appointments due to the absence of a full agreement in this
regard, Abu Faour said. An agenda of 52 items was meanwhile approved. Before the
meeting, Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab said he intended to raise the detention
of former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn in Japan. “It is not normal that he stays in
prison without trial,” said Bou Saab.Abu Faour said the issue was briefly
discussed at the end of the session. Social Affairs Minister Richard Kouyoumjian
said he would put forward an initiative on the repatriation of Syrian refugees.
Fadlallah Submits Documents on ‘Missing’ State Funds to
Public Prosecutor
Naharnet/February 28/19/Hizbullah MP Hassan Fadlallah of the Loyalty to the
Resistance parliamentary bloc said he submitted documents to the Public
Prosecution Judge Ali Ibrahim that he claims showing missing government funds.
“I hope the judiciary takes up its role to unveil the truth about this matter,”
he told reporters. On remarks made by ex-PM Fouad Siniora in that regard,
Fadlallah said: “I am not concerned with that nor with any remarks made here and
there. We did not accuse anyone, the party authorized for accusation is the
judiciary.”Judge Ibrahim for his part told LBCI in remarks that “investigations
into the case have begun,” and that an employee at the Finance Ministry was
summoned for interrogation. Siniora (of al-Mustaqbal Movement) who served as
Premier between 2005 and 2009 has called for a press conference on Friday to
“detail the facts” during his tenure.Siniora was previously accused of spending
$11 billion in extra budgetary spending during his premiership.
Geagea Slams Ruling on LBCI Ownership as 'Unjust,
Political'
Naharnet/February 28/19/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday slammed
a judge's ruling on the ownership of LBCI television as “unjust” and “political.”Earlier
in the day, Judge Fatima Jouni ruled in favor of LBCI and its chairman Pierre
Daher in the lawsuit filed against them by the LF and Geagea.
In her ruling, Jouni said the TV network had been initially funded by a
“disbanded militia” and consequently by “revenues and bank loans granted to a
company whose stakes are largely owned by Pierre Daher.”“It has not been proved
that Dr. Geagea and the LF had contributed any of their money in the
establishment of that firm, seeing as they are not the owners of the money of
disbanded militias,” Jouni said, noting that Geagea and the LF also did not play
a role in obtaining the license that the TV network was granted after civil war.
“Only the Lebanese state has the right to share Daher in his stakes,” Jouni
added, arguing that the state is the owner of any funds belonging to civil war
militias. Geagea hit back in an interview on MTV, calling on the Higher Judicial
Council to "take this case into consideration in light of the contradictions
that have marred it.”“A large number of political parties do not prefer that we
win the case, but I don't believe that a certain political party has interfered
in the case but rather the judge's personal political orientation,” the LF
leader added. “The judge gave us our right under the law before stealing it from
us in politics, when she said that a militia does not have ownership rights
whereas this militia had a president (Bashir Gemayel) elected and was among the
main supporters of the Taef Accord,” Geagea said. He added: “I don't know where
the judge was living between the years 1975 and 1990 and she does not
acknowledge everything that happened during that period. Had my comrades and I
refrained from doing what we did during that period, we would have been living
today under an alternative state and the judge would not have been able to
become a judge paid by the state.”“If the LF had established the TV network and
no selling process eventually occurred, then to whom does this television
belong?” Geagea wondered, noting that “the answer is clear.”Geagea also argued
that “a lot of the current media outlets had been owned by military
organizations during the war and are still like this until the moment,”
lamenting that “only the LF is being deprived of this right.”And pointing out
that “political and not legal reasons” are behind Jouni's verdict, the LF leader
announced that his party will appeal the ruling.
Report: Refugee Repatriation File 'Ground to a Halt'
Naharnet/February 28/19/Despite a Russian initiative that vowed to help
repatriate the Syrian refugees to their homeland, genuine efforts to ease that
return are “disrupted,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. Official
sources who spoke on condition of anonymity told the daily the file is currently
“totally disrupted,” and that Lebanese officials have no signs of any Arab or
international efforts in that direction. Although “Moscow confirms it has not
stopped to secure the return of Syrian refugees, but nothing tangible has yet
emerged,” added the sources. Moreover, the “shy” voluntary return of some of the
refugees that is being coordinated with Lebanon’s General Security apparatus is
“not compatible with the magnitude of this file,” said the daily. Last year,
Russia has put forward plans to the United States to cooperate for the safe
return of refugees to Syria. It proposed the establishment of working groups in
Lebanon and Jordan, to where many refugees have fled. Seven years into Syria's
war, Lebanon hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, compared with a local
population of 4.5 million. Several hundred Syrians have willingly returned to
their hometowns in Syria in the past few months.
Samy Gemayel: Lebanese Republic Witnessing Most Difficult
and Critical Phase
Kataeb.org/Thursday 28th February 2019/Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel warned that
the Lebanese Republic is going through "the most difficult and critical" phase
in its history, adding that leaders and officials keep proving their failure in
managing the State's affairs. In an article he wrote on the 8th foundation
anniversary of Al-Joumhouria newspaper, Gemayel praised the role that the daily
is playing at a time when the political life in Lebanon is lacking democracy,
sovereignty is incomplete, correctitude is lost, transparency has only become
about mere words, and pluralism is being dashed by sectarian unilateralism and
bipartite alliances. The Kataeb chief hailed the newspaper for serving as
platform for a futuristic vision for a people who in part is still stuck in the
past while the rest of it is tampering with the present and destroying the
future of the next generations.The newspaper, Gemayel added, serves as a daily
call for hope amid a world prevailed by personal interests and selfishness, and
a rescue project which the Lebanese need today more than ever.
Saba Blames Lebanon's Political System for Absence of
Accountability
Kataeb.org/Thursday 28th February 2019/Kataeb politburo member Charles Saba on
Thursday criticized political factions for claiming that they want to fight
corruption and trading the blame while they are the same ones that have been
involved in dubious practices over the past years. In an interview on MTV
channel, Saba deplored the absence of accountability in Lebanon, noting that the
political system protects officials and prevents the enforcement of said
concept. "Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim himself admitted that politicians and
officials are protected by the law and the Constitution," he said. Saba voiced
support of the recent questioning that has been launched over allegedly missing
State funds, casting doubt, however, on the real motives behind bringing up
these issues. "The main problem in Lebanon is that issues are brought to the
forefront only to be used as a card in the political bickering, and then would
be dropped again without holding anyone to account," he said. “People must know
if there is really a sum of $11 billion in public funds that has disappeared.
Those responsible for this should be held accountable, be it former PM Fouad
Saniora or anyone else. If this allegation turns out to be false, then let those
who spread it also be put to account for defamation," he noted. "No State
budgets were set out between 2005 and 2017; and when we finally managed to
approve one, the audit of previous years' accounts was not finalized as
stipulated by the Constitution."Saba also shed the light on the rampant
corruption that is plaguing the Beirut Port, adding that the funds being
squandered at said facility can easily cover the pay hike for civil servants.
"Why is the monthly salary of the Port's director higher than that received by
the president of the Republic, the prime minister and the Central Bank
governor?" he asked.
2019 Bank Deposits Seen Growing a `Conservative' $7-$8
Billion
Reuters/Thursday 28th February 2019/Lebanon’s domestic bank deposits are
forecast to grow by a “conservative” $7 billion to $8 billion in 2019 compared
with $5.6 billion in 2018, a senior Lebanese banker said on Wednesday. Freddie
Baz, a top executive at Bank Audi, said sentiment had improved in Lebanon since
Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri formed a new national unity government in January,
saying this “by itself triggers increased inflows”.“So we assumed a conservative
$8 billion increase in the deposit base is reasonable (for 2019) - around $7
billion to $8 billion,” Baz told Reuters. Lebanon’s private-sector deposit
growth is closely watched. The country, which has one of the largest public-debt
burdens in the world, depends on financial transfers from its diaspora to
finance its budget and current account deficits. “The forecasted growth in
deposits is beyond what is needed to cope with the additional financing needs of
the domestic economy,” Baz said. Those needs were around $6 billion in total for
both the public and private sectors, he said. Baz, who is Bank Audi’s
vice-chairman of the board of directors and group strategy director, said
inflows would increase further if the government follows through on promised
economic reforms. Implementation of long-stalled reforms, including in Lebanon’s
power sector, would “definitely translate into increased private inflows towards
Lebanon”, he said. “We are in a wait-and-see mode. We believe in (giving the new
government) the grace period of the first 100 days.”The government’s policy
statement has committed to fast and effective reforms needed to put the public
finances on a sustainable path. International donor institutions and foreign
governments want to see reforms before releasing some $11 billion in financial
assistance pledged at a Paris conference last year. Net profits at Bank Audi,
which has subsidiaries in countries including Egypt, Turkey and Jordan, climbed
by 8 percent in 2018 to $501 million. Baz attributed that to factors including a
de-risking strategy that had limited credit costs and significant savings from
rationalisation measures including a recruitment freeze. “In 2019, we will
follow suit on the same principles,” he said. Bank Audi is targeting higher
profits for this year, he said, but added “it is going to be a difficult year
because there is still persisting volatility”.
Ex-Nissan Chief Carlos Ghosn Makes Fresh
Bail Request
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/Lawyers for former Nissan chief
Carlos Ghosn on Thursday filed a fresh bail request for the auto titan after
more than three months of detention, the Tokyo District Court said. It is the
first bail request filed by the 64-year-old since he shook up his legal team as
he crafts his defence on three charges of financial misconduct. The former
high-flying executive has been in detention since his shock November 19 arrest,
and has tried repeatedly without success to secure bail. Ghosn's legal team was
not immediately available for comment on the new bail request. His previous
legal team deployed a rarely-used article of the Japanese constitution to force
the court to explain why the Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian remained in detention. A
judge said Ghosn's continued detention was justified because he posed a flight
risk and there was a possibility he would conceal evidence.
Ghosn and his lawyers have argued that neither of those is the case, and he even
offered to wear a tracking bracelet and hire guards to monitor his whereabouts,
pledging to stay in Japan. But so far the courts have shown no inclination to
end his lengthy pre-trial detention, which has drawn some criticism
internationally and from rights groups. Prosecutors have defended his detention
while they investigate three charges of financial misconduct, two involving
alleged under-reporting of his salary and a third over a complex scheme in which
Ghosn allegedly sought to transfer his losses to Nissan's books. Ghosn has
denied all the allegations against him, and in an interview with AFP from his
Tokyo detention he slammed his continued detention. "Why am I being punished
before being found guilty?" Ghosn asked, speaking to AFP and the Les Echos daily
in January. The refusal to grant him bail "would not be normal in any other
democracy," he said. Ghosn earlier this month shook up his legal team, replacing
his previous lead lawyer -- a former prosecutor -- with hot-shot lawyer
Junichiro Hironaka, who has a history of taking on high-profile cases.
Latest LCCC English
Miscellaneous Reports & News published on March 01/2019
Iran's Zarif Returns to His Post, Receives Invitation to
Visit Damascus
Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat /Thursday, 28 February, 2019/Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani officially rejected the resignation of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif, which he submitted earlier this week. “Accepting your resignation would
be against the benefit of the country, so I reject it,” Rouhani said in a letter
to Zarif published on the government’s website. Zarif spoke on the phone on
Wednesday with his Syrian counterpart, Walid al-Moualem, Fars news agency
reported. He also received an invitation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
to visit Damascus.
The Iranian minister also held a phone discussion with his Pakistani counterpart
Shah Mahmood Qureshi and offered mediation between India and Pakistan after the
tension between the two countries intensified. He took part in the reception of
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who arrived in the Iranian capital on
Wednesday morning.In response to Rouhani’s rejection of his resignation, Zarif
said: “I have had no concern other than elevating [our] foreign policy and the
credibility of the Foreign Ministry as the person in charge of advancing foreign
policy and protecting national interests and people's rights in the
international arena.” His comments appeared on his Instagram page, as reported
by Mehr news agency. A senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards said
on Wednesday that Zarif was the main figure responsible for Iran’s foreign
policy, adding that he enjoyed the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei. Although Zarif did not give specific reasons for his sudden
resignation two days ago, Iranian media reports indicated that he took this step
as he was not invited to a meeting between Rouhani and Assad in Tehran on
Monday.
“The absence of Zarif was the result of a bureaucratic error,” said Qassem
Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. “There is
evidence that there was no intention to exclude Mr. Zarif from this meeting, and
I should emphasize that he is the main official of the country's foreign policy
as the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he remarked.
UN Says Israel Committed War Crimes While Responding to Gaza Protests, Israel
Rejects Report
Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 February, 2019/United Nations investigators said on
Thursday Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes and crimes
against humanity in killing 189 Palestinians and wounding more than 6,100 at
weekly protests in Gaza last year, Reuters reported. The independent panel said
it had confidential information about those it believes to be responsible for
the killings, including snipers and commanders. “The Israeli security forces
killed and maimed Palestinian demonstrators who did not pose an imminent threat
of death or serious injury to others when they were shot, nor were they directly
participating in hostilities,” it said in its report. For its part, Israel
rejected what the report stated, as acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz
described it “another hostile, mendacious and slanted report against the State
of Israel ... No one can deny Israel the right of self-defense and the
obligation to defend its citizens and borders from violent attacks.” According
to Reuters, the panel, led by Argentine legal expert Santiago Canton, said
individual members of the Israeli security forces killed and gravely injured
civilians who were “neither directly participating in hostilities nor posing an
imminent threat”. “Some of these violations may constitute war crimes or crimes
against humanity and must be immediately investigated by Israel,” Canton said.
Thirty-five children, two journalists and three “clearly-marked” paramedics were
among those killed by Israeli forces, in violation of international humanitarian
law, it said. In the ongoing border protests dubbed ‘The Great March of Return’,
Gazans are calling for the right to return to lands from which their ancestors
fled or were forced to flee.
Israel Arrests Leaders in Jerusalem, West Bank
Ramallah- Kifah Zboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 February, 2019/Israel
arrested the governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, as part of a large campaign in
the city and the West Bank, which also targeted members of the Revolutionary
Council of Fatah movement, in addition to cadres and activists.
Occupation forces and intelligence members stormed the house of the governor,
arrested him, and took him to the police station for investigations. Israel
accuses Ghaith of “threatening state security and carrying out illegal
activities,” referring to his role as the representative of the Palestinian
president in Jerusalem. The occupation forces prohibit the authority to work in
the city. Ghaith was detained along with 21 Palestinians in the city. Israel
arrested about 100 Palestinians before it decided to remove religious figures
from Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the head of the Awqaf Council, Sheikh Abdelazim
Salhab.
Palestinians said the arrests came in the wake of events in the Old City of
Jerusalem after Palestinians managed to open the Gate of Mercy prayer hall on
Friday after a 16-year closure. The Islamic Awqaf Council held an emergency
meeting on Wednesday at Al-Aqsa Mosque to discuss the latest developments
concerning the Gate of Mercy, after members of the special unit of the Israeli
occupation police stormed the prayer hall and began filming the worshippers
inside it. The Israeli occupation police chief and intelligence officers took
part in the raid. Recent developments at the Gate of Mercy caused tension
between Israel and Jordan. Israeli sources said the events in the Al-Aqsa Mosque
could lead to a diplomatic crisis with Jordan.
Netanyahu Meets Putin, Vows to Prevent Iran's Entrenchment in Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 February, 2019/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to prevent Iran from entrenching itself in Syria as he
visited Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin focusing on regional
security. For Netanyahu, it's the first trip to Moscow since September's downing
of a Russian warplane by Syrian forces that were responding to an Israeli air
strike. The incident left 15 Russian crew dead and threatened to derail close
security ties between Russia and Israel, reported the Associated Press. Putin
said at the start of Wednesday's talks that "it's very important to discuss the
situation in the region and security issues." He added that the high-level
consultations are essential in view of the evolving situation. Netanyahu began
the talks by reaffirming Israel's strong determination to block attempts by Iran
to establish a foothold in Syria. "The greatest threat to stability and security
in the region comes from Iran and its satellites," he said. "We are determined
to continue with our aggressive action against the efforts of Iran, which calls
for our destruction, and against its attempts to entrench militarily in Syria."
Moscow has played a delicate diplomatic game of maintaining friendly ties with
both Israel and Iran. Last summer, Moscow struck a deal with Tehran to keep its
fighters away from the Golan Heights to accommodate Israeli concerns about the
Iranian presence in Syria. Netanyahu noted that he and Putin have had 11
meetings since September 2015 and hailed "the direct, open and true way in which
we maintain the relationship between Russia and Israel." "The direct connection
between us has been an essential element that has prevented risks and conflicts
between our militaries, and that has contributed to regional security and
stability," the Israeli leader said.
Israel Lost Between Targeting Hamas, Striking a Deal
Tel Aviv – Nazir Magally/Asharq Al-Awsat/Thursday, 28 February, 2019/Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides can’t decide whether to conduct
a harsh military strike against Hamas movement in Gaza Strip or reach a
comprehensive deal with the movement, including a prisoner swap and a long-term
truce, according to political sources in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu's aides went on to
examine which option would be most effective for him in the general elections
scheduled for April 9. Sources said that Netanyahu is facing strong criticism
from his opponents in Israel, the West, and the Arab world, because he agreed to
transfer funds to Hamas and at the same time cut funds from the Palestinian
Authority (PA). Opposition groups in Israel accuse him of supporting and
encouraging Hamas, while running a campaign to incite Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas, who declared his willingness to negotiate unconditionally for a
peace settlement, as well as a crackdown on Fatah in Jerusalem and the West
Bank. Others are pressuring Netanyahu to wage a war against Hamas or at least a
limited strike hard to dispel and refute charges of collusion with hardline
forces against moderates. While some parties believe a deal with Hamas serves
Netanyahu more, given that it will include bringing back the remains of two
Israeli soldiers and the release of two Israeli prisoners with Hamas, which will
bring him great electoral gains.
Hamas announced that the prisoners' lists, which they intend to request for
release in a new exchange deal, were "ready" stressing the issue is determined
by approving its conditions. Israeli right-wing circles uncovered that the two
sides are “secretly holding talks” brokered by Egypt, and Netanyahu began to
soften his opposition to a number of Hamas conditions, such as the release of
the captives of the Gilad Shalit deal that Israel re-arrested. Israeli Channel
7, pro-extremist settlers, reported that a new exchange deal may be held soon,
and specifically ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. Journalist Yoni Ben-Menachem,
known for his close links to the ruling right, quoted sources, including Hamas
sources, that Israel is seeking a new exchange deal, and Netanyahu wants to use
this deal in his electoral campaign. Menachem pointed out that Shin Bet
officials met 30 prisoners of the executors of Shalit deal in order to arrange
for their release. “Hamas demanded the release of 1500 prisoners, including 500
sentenced to life imprisonment in exchange for the release of soldiers held in
their custody.”Observers do not rule out that Netanyahu is using “carrot and
stick policy” with Hamas only within the framework of his electoral
calculations. On one hand, Netanyahu urges Hamas to achieve a deal and on the
other threatens to wage a war. In both cases, the decision will only be based on
the development of his electoral campaign and the interests of his position in
the government and defeating his opponents from the party of generals led by
Benny Gantz.
Facing bribery charges, Netanyahu decries 'political plot'
to topple him from power
Ynetnews/Ynet, News Agencies/February 28/19/Prime minister lashes out at
'unprecedented witch hunt' in national TV address, says he is victim of 'blood
libel' in campaign whose sole purpose is to replace him with Gantz and Lapid;
vows to refute all charges. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out
Thursday after Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit called for him to be indicted
on multiple corruption charges, accusing the country's most senior judicial and
law enforcement officials of being part of a witch hunt designed to bring him
down.
In an appearance on national television, shortly after Mandelblit's
recommendations were released, Netanyahu called the timing of the announcement,
six weeks ahead of elections, "outrageous" and accused his political opponents
of carrying out an "unprecedented witch hunt." "The pressure of the left
worked," Netanyahu said, saying the attorney general's recommendations
threatened the country's democracy. He called the accusations lies and a "blood
libel" and said he would debunk all charges against him. "There is nothing,
because there was nothing," Netanyahu said, invoking a mantra he frequently uses
to proclaim his innocence. Mandelblit, who was once Netanyahu's cabinet
secretary, recommended bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges in Case 4000,
in which Netanyahu is suspected of receiving favorable coverage on the Walla!
News website in return for regulatory benefits to telecommunications giant Bezeq,
which owns the site.
The attorney general also called for charges of fraud and breach of trust in
both Case 1000, in which Netanyahu and his family are suspected of receiving
illicit gifts from wealthy donors, and Case 2000, in which Netanyahu allegedly
tried to negotiate favorable coverage in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily (Ynetnews'
sister publication) in return for promoting legislation against rival paper
Israel Hayom. "For three years they have been engaged in political persecution
against us, an unprecedented witch hunt with the sole purpose of overthrowing
the right-wing government under my leadership and bringing (Yair) Lapid and
(Benny) Gantz's left-wing party to power," said Netanyahu, referring to the
leaders of the party that poses the greatest threat to his political survival on
April 9. "They exerted constant, inhumane pressure on the attorney general to
say that he was considering filing an indictment against me, subject to a
hearing, even when it was clear that there is nothing (there). "The main thing
is to influence the elections, even when we know that this house of cards will
collapse completely afterwards. And given that the attorney general is only
flesh and blood, the pressure of the left worked. Today happened something of
the utmost seriousness to harm Israeli democracy," he said."Every citizen
understands that the timing is scandalous and is meant to topple the right from
power and bring in the left. There is no other explanation for the insistence on
this timing, so close to the elections. And this is their goal - to inundate the
public with ridiculous and vicious plots against me, so that I will not have the
opportunity to refute these claims now, but rather only after the elections. But
be in no doubt - I will refute them all, from start to finish.
Netanyahu Says Graft Allegations a 'Witch Hunt' to Topple
Him
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu on Thursday called corruption allegations a "witch hunt" meant to
topple him after the attorney general announced plans to indict him. Speaking in
a televised statement a couple of hours after the attorney general's
announcement, Netanyahu said he planned on being prime minister for a long time
to come despite the allegations.
The announcement comes ahead of April 9 elections.
Syria Force Poised for Final Assault on IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/Kurdish-led fighters readied
Thursday for a final onslaught against jihadist fighters who have been defending
the last patch of their "caliphate" in eastern Syria. The Syrian Democratic
Forces were still struggling however to cope with the influx of families pouring
out of Baghouz, the Islamic State group's last bastion. The thousands of
famished and often wounded women and children filling the Al-Hol camp, a
six-hour drive to the north, has raised fears of an outbreak of dysentery. "We
want the evacuation operations to finish as soon as possible so we can move to
the next phase: an assault or the surrender" of the jihadists still inside, SDF
spokesman Adnan Afrin told AFP. The SDF estimates the number of people inside
the last IS redoubt, a patch of half a square kilometre on the banks of the
Euphrates river, at anything from a few hundred to several thousand. "We're not
sure about the number of civilians still inside but everyday we're astonished by
the number of people coming out. We didn't expect that," Afrin said. The SDF
also announced Thursday its forces had secured the release of 24 of their
comrades who had been captured by the jihadists but did not specify how.
Foreigners
There has been little fighting recently, with the use of human shields by the
jihadists preventing major air raids to prepare for a ground assault. The
US-backed SDF is ready to move from the west and north of Baghouz while the
Syrian regime fighters and Iraqi paramilitaries sealing the siege are stationed
across the river and border. Accounts from women who have left the enclave in
recent days suggest IS is allowing many families to go, sending them to a hill
from which they can walk to an assembly point and hand themselves over. "We have
been waiting here a long time for the vehicles that will take us out," said
Nadia al-Hamid, a woman from the nearby city of Mayadin. "Some of the Islamic
State fighters say they want to die there," she said, claiming only foreign
jihadists are left inside. Thousands of women like Nadia, usually veiled in
black from head to toe and their arms loaded with scruffy infants and bulging
bags, have been trucked to the camp of Al-Hol in recent days. The wave of
arrivals has overwhelmed the Kurdish authorities, who have urged the world to
step up the aid effort.
Sleeping rough
Many of the civilians who spent months holed up in the last dreg of the
"caliphate" proclaimed almost five years ago, are in bad physical and mental
health. "There have been more than 100 cases of diarrhoea among new arrivals and
efforts are ongoing to prevent an outbreak of dysentery," the International
Rescue Committee said. "We are now seeing thousands of people sleeping rough in
the arrivals area at the camp, where they are exposed to the cold, wind and
rain," said Misty Buswell, the IRC's Middle East advocacy director. "Many of the
children are having to cope without shoes or coats," she added. Save the
Children has also said much more should be done to treat the trauma suffered by
the hundreds of children emerging from the ruins of the IS "caliphate". Many of
them have witnessed atrocities such as beheadings and stonings, experienced
hunger and lived through daily bombardment, the British charity said. Among the
men suspected of being IS fighters, some are sent to different camps in the
northeastern region of Syria administered by the Kurds. Detained jihadists'
countries of origin are reluctant to repatriate them, fearing a public backlash
and security threats.
U.N. Envoy Proposes New International Forum for Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/The new United Nations envoy for
Syria proposed Thursday that major powers create a common international forum to
move the war-battered country toward peace. Geir Pedersen, who took up his post
in January, made the proposal during his first appearance before the U.N.
Security Council, which remains deeply divided over the way forward in Syria.
"There is a shared sense that battlefield developments might be winding down,"
Pedersen told the council. "Nevertheless, the conflict is far from over." "If we
are to see how issues can be unblocked and how to help the parties move in a
Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process, a common forum where key states engage
seriously on those issues may be needed," he said. Russia, a veto-wielding
council power whose backing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been a
decisive factor in the war, has taken a lead role in diplomatic efforts through
the Astana group with Iran and Turkey. U.N. diplomacy on Syria has been largely
sidelined by the Astana group, while the United States has shifted its attention
away from the Syria conflict. President Donald Trump has announced that he is
pulling out the bulk of U.S. forces sent to battle Islamic State
jihadists.Pedersen noted that five international armies operate across Syria's
land and air space, creating daily risks for escalation and pledged to focus on
improving international dialogue and cooperation. Addressing the council, Russia
appeared to welcome the proposal, even if it questioned the West's motives in
Syria. "We are open to cooperation with all interested parties that want
sincerely -- and I underscore that word sincerely -- to facilitate stabilization
and progress on a political settlement in Syria," said Russian Ambassador
Vassily Nebenzia. Pedersen, a Norwegian diplomat who took over the Syria file
from Swedish-Italian envoy Staffan de Mistura, has traveled to Damascus for
talks and worked hard to establish good relations over the past few weeks. The
envoy said a much-discussed constitutional committee to pave the way to
elections in Syria should be convened as soon as possible, although disputes
continue over lists of participants. "I am conscious of the need to end this
conflict for the sake of Syria, the region and the world," Pedersen told the
council. "I know you all understand the scale and the difficulty of my task."The
war in Syria will enter its ninth year in March, with more than 360,000 people
dead and half of the country's pre-war population displaced.
Damascus Calls on Syrians to Leave Camp near Jordan Border
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/Syria's government on Thursday
called on thousands of displaced Syrians stranded near their country's southern
border with Jordan to return to their homes, as the U.N. appealed for protection
guarantees. Nearly 50,000 Syrians are living in squalid conditions in Rukban, an
isolated desert camp located near the Al-Tanf base used by the U.S.-led
coalition fighting the Islamic State group. The Syrian government and
regime-ally Russia said on February 19 that they have opened corridors from
Rukban, calling on residents to leave the settlement. Damascus renewed the call
on Thursday, SANA state news agency said, citing an unnamed foreign ministry
source. "Out of concern for the interest of its citizens, Syria renews its call
to our people in the Rukban camp to leave this settlement and return to their
cities and villages," the source said. "The Syrian government will do everything
it can to facilitate the transfer of these citizens from the camp to their place
of residence," he added. No civilians are believed to have left Rukban in the
two weeks since Russia and Syria announced the opening of corridors, Panos
Moumtzis, the U.N. regional coordinator for Syria told AFP on Thursday. "So far,
as far as we know, there has not been any movement of civilians outside of
Rukban," he said. The official said the U.N. is not involved in the opening of
the corridors but noted that most Syrians are seeking protection guarantees
before deciding to leave. "Most of the people from Rukban, more than 95 percent,
want to leave and most of them actually want to go back to government-held
areas," Moumtzis said. "But they have expressed concerns on issues related to
protection... basically they want to know that they will be safe," he added.
Conditions inside the settlement are dire, with many surviving on just one
simple meal a day, often bread and olive oil or yoghurt, according to one
resident. Severe weather has hit the region in recent weeks, including heavy and
sustained rainfall that flooded the settlement. Earlier this month, a
humanitarian convoy of 133 trucks delivered food, clothes, healthcare items and
medical supplies to the camp's residents. The February 6 delivery was the second
delivery in three months. Syria's civil war has killed more than 360,000 people
and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of
anti-government protests in 2011.
Trump 'Walks' as North Korea Talks End Abruptly without
Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19
The U.S.-North Korea nuclear summit in Hanoi ended abruptly without a deal
Thursday, with President Donald Trump saying he had decided to "walk" in the
face of Kim Jong Un's demands to drop sanctions. The much-anticipated second
meeting between the two leaders was supposed to build on their historic first
summit in Singapore, but they failed to sign a joint statement as initially
scheduled and the talks ended in deadlock. "Sometimes you have to walk and this
was just one of those times," an unusually downbeat Trump told reporters.
"Basically they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn't do
that," Trump said before leaving Vietnam aboard Air Force One to head back to
Washington. In an exceptionally rare midnight press conference in Hanoi, North
Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho hit back, saying Pyongyang had made a
"realistic proposal" at the summit and that the North was seeking partial, not
total, sanctions relief. Pyongyang had offered to "permanently and completely
dismantle all the nuclear production facilities" at its Yongbyon nuclear complex
if the U.S. dropped sanctions "that hamper the civilian economy and the
livelihood of our people," he said.The North Koreans appeared to be looking to
make their case to the world after Trump held a press conference to insist that
progress had been made and boded well for the future, despite the failure to
reach an agreement in Hanoi. "I'd much rather do it right than do it fast," the
U.S. president said, reiterating his "close relationship" with Kim. "We just
like each other... there's a warmth that we have and I hope that stays, I think
it will," he said.
'Major failure'
The outcome in Hanoi fell far short of the pre-meeting expectations and hopes,
after critics said their initial historic meeting in Singapore was more style
over substance. The leaders walked away with no set plans for a third meeting,
though Trump said he hopes to see Kim again soon. U.S. Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo, who accompanied Trump to Vietnam, said both sides "need to regroup"
before agreeing to another meeting, adding: "My sense is it will take a little
while." Pompeo, who flew to the Philippines after leaving Vietnam, said there
was much goodwill between Trump and Kim, and "there's still a basis for
believing that we can move forward" even though the Hanoi talks had fallen
short. Ankit Panda, from the Federation of American Scientists, warned on
Twitter that "Kim may have left irate, for all we know. He may have no intention
of continuing this."In the original White House program, a "Joint Agreement
Signing Ceremony" had been scheduled with a working lunch. Instead both men left
the summit venue without signing anything and Trump moved up his news conference
by two hours. "This is a major failure," tweeted Joe Cirincione, president of
the Ploughshares Fund peace foundation, saying it showed the limit of summitry,
with "not enough time or staff" to work out a deal. Trump flew around the world
for the meeting and Kim undertook a mammoth two-and-a-half-day trek through
China in his olive green train, traveling 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles). Kim
will stay on in Vietnam for a state visit, which will include a wreath-laying
ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, before his expected departure Saturday.
The U.S. president, who touted his "special relationship" with Kim, frequently
dangled the prospect of a brighter economic future for a nuclear-free North
Korea, at one point saying there was "AWESOME" potential. But Harry Kazianis,
Director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, said that no
agreement was better than a bad one. "The challenge is North Korea's nuclear
weapons are already a reality," he said. "Getting a deal that does little to
nothing to remove that threat would be far worse than a flawed deal."In a phone
call to South Korean President Moon Jae-in soon after the meeting ended, Trump
"expressed regret" at not striking a deal with Kim, Seoul's presidential office
said.
'Rocket man'
In Singapore Kim and Trump signed a vague document in which Kim pledged to "work
toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."Progress subsequently
stalled, with the two sides disagreeing on what that means, as the North sought
relief from sanctions and Washington pressed for concrete steps towards it
giving up its weapons. As in Singapore, the two men put on a show of bonhomie in
Vietnam, appearing to share jokes in front of reporters. Looking relaxed but
appearing to say little, they indulged in a poolside stroll Thursday around the
gardens of the luxury Metropole Hotel. It was a far cry from the height of
missile-testing tensions in 2017 when Trump slammed Kim as "rocket man" and the
younger man branded the American president a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard."In
apparently unprecedented scenes, Kim answered unscripted questions from foreign
reporters, saying he would welcome the establishment of a U.S. liaison office in
Pyongyang, which would be a step on the way to diplomatic normalization. Before
the summit, there was talk that there could be a political declaration ending
the 1950-53 Korean War which finished technically with an armistice rather than
a peace treaty. There were also hopes Kim could pledge to destroy North Korea's
decades-old Yongbyon nuclear complex, which has long been at the heart of
Pyongyang's atomic development but remains shrouded in secrecy.
Guaido Vows to Return to Venezuela Soon 'despite Threats'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/Venezuela's opposition leader Juan
Guaido said on Thursday he will return home "in the coming days... despite the
threats," as Paraguay's president Mario Abdo announced the pair would meet in
Asuncion on Friday. Guaido, recognized as Venezuela's interim leader by around
50 countries, was speaking after a meeting with Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro
in Brasilia as he attempts to shore up regional support for his bid to oust
socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. Maduro has said Guaido will face charges upon
his return for having flouted a travel ban when he left for Colombia on Friday.
Dozen Journalists Arrested at Algiers Censorship Protest
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/Algerian police arrested Thursday a
dozen journalists protesting "censorship" of coverage of demonstrations against
a fifth term for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, as the prime minister compared
the rallies to those that sparked Syria's war. A police official later said the
journalists had been released. Around 100 print and broadcast journalists,
working for both state-owned and private outlets, joined the demonstration in
central Algiers against reporting restrictions they say have been imposed by
media bosses on the protests that broke out last Friday. They shouted "No to
censorship" and "Fourth estate, not a press that follows orders."As the
demonstration got underway police arrested a dozen journalists, an AFP reporter
said, sparking angry reactions from their colleagues who banged on the police
vans that drove them away.
"Free our colleagues," the remaining demonstrators shouted. Motorists who
witnessed the arrests honked their horns in solidarity and shouted "Free press".
Two hours later police, including some in anti-riot gear, broke up the protest
which had gathered at the "Place de la liberte de la presse" (Press Freedom
Square) in central Algiers. The demonstrators tried to regroup at the Tahar
Djaout Press House where several private newspapers have their offices, but they
were again dispersed by the police. Hakim Belouar, spokesman for the Directorate
General for National Security (DGSN) later told AFP that "no journalists"
remained in police custody. Algeria has been hit by a wave of protests over
81-year-old Bouteflika's announcement he will seek a fifth term at an April 18
election.The veteran leader, who took power in 1999, has used a wheelchair since
suffering a stroke in 2013 and is rarely seen in public. Tens of thousands took
part in the first protests last Friday, and there have further demonstrations
daily since, both in the provinces and in the capital, where the rallies are
illegal. On Thursday Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia compared the growing protest
movement to the peaceful demonstrations that erupted in Syria and sparked a war
which is now nearing its ninth year.
Syria 'began with roses'
Speaking in parliament Ouyahia said some "demonstrators offered roses to the
policemen. But we should recall that in Syria it also began with roses," he
said. His remarks sparked ire from a number of lawmakers who stormed out of
parliament, while others applauded the prime minister. "I am not trying to scare
the people," Ouyahia said in his defense. Syria's war broke out in March 2011
after the brutal repression of nationwide anti-regime protests that demanded
civil liberties and the release of political prisoners. It has since evolved
into a complex conflict involving world powers, regional factions and jihadists
that has left more than 360,000 people dead, according to a war monitor, and
millions displaced. Ouyahia told parliament peaceful protests are among the
rights enshrined in the Algerian constitution but he warned against the
possibility that outside forces he did not name could "manipulate"
demonstrators.
The scale of the protests have taken many by surprise and since last Friday
students and lawyers have also demonstrated against Bouteflika's bid for a fifth
term. At the same time both the state broadcaster and private channels owned by
media magnates close to the government have kept silent about the protests.
State radio journalists said they had been ordered by management not to cover
them. Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders -- which ranks Algeria 136th out
of 180 in its World Press Freedom Index -- earlier accused the authorities of
seeking to "muzzle" the media. On Thursday the group called for the immediate
release of "all the journalists who were violently arrested." Bouteflika flew to
Switzerland on Sunday for what the presidency called "routine medical checks"
ahead of the election.
Libya Rivals Agree to Hold Polls, Says UN
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/February 28/19/The head of Libya's internationally
recognised government and a military strongman who backs a rival administration
in the country's east have met and agreed to hold elections, the United Nations
said Thursday. Unity government leader Fayez al-Sarraj met Khalifa Haftar on
Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, where they agreed "on the need to end the transitional
phase through general elections and on ways to preserve the stability of #Libya
and unify its institutions," the UN's Libya mission UNSMIL tweeted. Libya has
been torn between rival administrations and a myriad of militias since the
NATO-backed overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Chief
among them are Sarraj's Government of National Accord, based in Tripoli, and an
administration based in the east and backed by Haftar's self-styled Libyan
National Army. The leaders had agreed to a Paris-brokered deal in May 2018 to
hold a nationwide election by the end of the year. But instability, territorial
disputes and divisions in the oil-rich country delayed those plans. Talks in
Italy in November laid bare deep divisions between the key power brokers, with
some delegates refusing to sit side by side and Haftar snubbing the main
conference to organise separate talks with international leaders. United Nations
envoy Ghassan Salame told the UN Security Council last month that he was
planning to organise a national conference inside Libya within weeks to pave the
way for elections. But analysts have warned that the UN's efforts could be
threatened after Haftar's forces launched an offensive into the south in
mid-January, aimed at rooting out "terrorists" and foreign fighters. The LNA
already controls vital oil installations in Libya's east. Powerful Tripoli-based
militias have condemned Haftar's operation as a power grab, although the GNA
itself has not been as explicit in its opposition.
Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
on March 01/2019
Analysis: Trump Walking Away From N.Korea Increases Pressure On Iran
Yonah Jeremy Bob/Jerusalem Post/February 28/19
From Trump’s press conference, it appears that even with no deal, the two sides
are still talking and there is no immediate danger of deterioration or
escalation into a conflict. Everyone would have been thrilled if US President
Donald Trump had reached a historic deal getting North Korea to denuclearize.
But in the absence of that, the result could turn out to be very positive from
the Israeli perspective, since it could put more pressure on Iran. From Trump’s
press conference, it appears that even with no deal, the two sides are still
talking and there is no immediate danger of a deterioration or escalation into a
conflict. Just as importantly, Trump said that one always needs to be ready to
walk away from a half deal which will not solve the overall problem. Many
thought going into the summit that Trump was so desperate for a deal that he
would sign almost anything and make major concessions to North Korea in exchange
for only partial denuclearization. That was clearly what North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un wanted. From Trump’s press conference, it appears clear that part of the
sticking point was North Korea was offering to dismantle its YongByon nuclear
facility and possibly others in exchange for a full removal of US sanctions. But
as Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pointed out, signing that deal
would have left the North without a declaration that it will give up all of its
nuclear weapons stock and a large number of other facilities. If Trump had cut
such a deal, Iran could have pushed back against US sanctions and asked why it
needs to make more concessions when Pyongyang got a deal without even giving up
its nuclear weapons. Israel has strong hopes that the current US pressure
campaign will lead to Iran rolling back its ballistic missile testing and
reducing its footprint in Syria. All of that might have been put into question
by a premature deal with chairman Kim. Just wait out Trump and eventually he
will crack for a face-saving partial deal, they may have thought in Tehran. None
of this means that the final result of US-North Korea negotiations will have a
good impact on the nuclear standoff with the Islamic Republic. Either blown
negotiations, which leads to a conflict, or a premature deal could still be
negative. But it does mean a win for Israel since, at this particular stage, the
Trump administration and those forces looking to send a message to Tehran that
it cannot wear down the US pressure, are holding their ground.
Iran's Diligent Investment In Empire
البرتو م. فرنانديز/ميمري: الاستثمار الإيراني الدؤوب في الإمبراطورية
Alberto M. Fernandez/MEMRI/February 28/19
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72588/alberto-m-fernandez-memri-irans-diligent-investment-in-empire-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%88-%D9%85-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B2-%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A7/
The Iranian revolutionary regime, that just celebrated its 40th anniversary is
undergoing a deep, continuing domestic crisis. Demonstrations that began in
December 2017 in the city of Mashhad over economic conditions and corruption
spread across the country and continued into 2018. In some cities, protests
centered on the lack of potable water. Iranian Sufis and members of the
country's restive Arab minority have also staged demonstrations. This unrest has
continued even into 2019.
This turmoil preceded the Trump administration's withdrawal in May 2018 from the
Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the imposition of new American sanctions in
November 2018 targeting Iranian regional adventurism and development of
ballistic missiles.
By most standards, the Iranian regime inside Iran is in trouble, although the
mullahs have faced similar challenges in the past 40 years. But while
domestically Iran is struggling, regionally it is pursuing an ambitious
generational agenda, which seeks to reshape much of the region in its own image.
Much has been written about Iranian subversion and expeditionary militarism in
Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, and indeed, about Iranian terrorism throughout
the world. The ties with groups like Hamas and its full partner Hizbullah are
historic, and pro-Iran militias in Syria and Iraq are an ongoing years-long
story. The military-security-intelligence relationship between Iran and its
regional proxies is the heart of its power projection.
Somewhat less known are Iranian "soft-power," political, or non-military efforts
from Iraq to Beirut, which seek to create facts on the ground and extend Iran's
influence. Indeed, as Iranian power seems shaky at home, it is working to
establish deep and permanent roots in the region outside of its own political
borders.
As the great Shia Muslim power in a mostly Sunni region, Iran has, of course,
often worked through non-Iranian co-religionists who serve as foot soldiers
ensuring the supremacy of Iranian proxies. These populations are rewarded with
land and housing in a wide swath of territory stretching from Lebanon to
Mesopotamia. While Sunnis are the losers in population exchanges and demographic
shifts in places like Southern Syria and Damascus, in Northern Iraq's Nineveh
Plains it is the country's ancient Christian population that is slowly but
surely being pushed out by Shabak militia armed and supported by Iran. Iran also
brazenly seeks to divide Iraqi provinces like Salahiddin on a sectarian basis.
However, the IRGC is nothing if not pragmatic. Iran does not just rely on
pro-Iran Shi'ites but seeks to forge ties with non-Shia and even non-Muslims who
are amenable to different types of persuasion. Iran's support for various
Palestinian groups is nothing new, and, in fact, the relationship between the
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Iranian revolutionaries predated
the fall of the Shah. Iranian support for Sunni Islamist Hamas is nothing new,
as is its "tactical cooperation" with the supposedly anti-Iran Salafi-jihadis of
Al-Qaeda, which has found safe haven among the Iranian national security
apparatus for almost two decades.
Far from pursuing a solely Shi'a policy, in Lebanon Iran has its own pro-Hizbullah
Maronites or Druze, and the introduction of pro-Hizbullah (and anti-Sa'ad
Hariri) Sunni Muslims was a major sticking point in the 2018 formation of the
new Lebanese cabinet.
In the key future battlefield bordering Israel that is Southern Syria, Iran and
Hizbullah are steadily at work in cultivating productive ties with Sunni Arab
rebels who had actually been fighting the Assad regime.
In the field of media, Iran can count on a wide variety of proxies in Lebanon,
Syria, Yemen and Iraq, which can be used to promote Iranian talking points and
used in influence operations. And pro-Iranian media proxies are not limited to
the Arabic language.
Iran also seeks to promote greater influence through cultural and educational
ties in the Arab Middle East. These are generally similar to the work done by
diplomatic cultural centers belonging to other countries, including Western
ones. Iranian universities outside Iran, seen as important centers of
educational influence for the regime, are now found in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and
the United Arab Emirates. A key figure in Iran's university outreach (as well as
in diplomacy and religious propaganda) is former foreign minister Ali Akbar
Velayati. Of course, this Arab university outreach effort by Iran is rich in
irony, given the role that Iranian university students play in confronting the
regime back home.
Iran and its allies today seek to promote Twelver Shi'ism among Sunni Eastern
Syrian tribes and even among heterodox religious groups like Druze and Alawites.
Of course, treating syncretic Alawites as mainstream Shia goes back to at least
the 1970s and has always been more motivated by the politics of convenience
rather than actual religious faith. Iranian missionaries have been working with
some success to convert Syrian Alawites and Ismailis to Twelver Shi'ism for
years well before the Syrian Civil War but the religious ambitions go much
further.
Perhaps even more important than the success to date Iran has had in its
"soft-power" non-military mode is the way it works. If Americans are the global
masters at an "air game," reaching out from afar to effect change either by a
drone strike or a presidential phone call, Iran in the Arab Middle East has
worked diligently on a "ground game" of patient and gradual work. By building
relationships, cultivating proxies and allies, Iran embeds itself in the fabric
of local societies and excels in the retail politics of diplomacy.
Of course, taking over non-military parts of governments that can be monetized
and directed towards building those relationships, as Iran's principal surrogate
in Lebanon did recently by acquiring the Health Ministry, makes retail diplomacy
and empire building more cost effective.
In contrast with those ponderous motorcades of senior American diplomats, IRGC
Qods Force commander Qassem Suleimani and other senior Iranian leaders travel
simply and modestly, building local networks, diligently working multiple
channels of influence, whether it comes through visiting Jalal Talabani's tomb
or sitting and drinking tea with local Iraqi tribes.
Neither the U.S. nor any Western state can match Iran's imperial ground game in
the Fertile Crescent states. Only the U.S. has the ability to do so, but such an
expansive and intrusive footprint is now beyond American aspirations.
But certainly a new American policy that seeks to seriously challenge Iranian
hegemony in this region must factor in not only Iran's nuclear and missile
ambitions, and its substantial military proxies on the ground, but also the full
range of Iranian power projection throughout society as a whole. Such a policy
would point out how Iran is building a regional empire while its people at home
struggle to find water and electricity.
*Alberto M. Fernandez is President of Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the official views of the U.S. Government.
https://www.memri.org/reports/irans-diligent-investment-empire
The Hodeida Redeployment Plan: A Slow Start
in Yemen
Elana DeLozier/The Washington Institute/February 28/2019
Even as it nudges the parties to make good on their initial withdrawal
agreements, Washington should counsel patience on what will likely be a long,
bumpy road toward full peace talks.
Nearly two months after signing the Stockholm Agreement, the internationally
recognized government of Yemen and the Houthi rebel group agreed to terms for
implementing a narrow but critical part of that accord: the “redeployment” of
their forces in certain parts of Hodeida province. The terms were agreed after
talks on February 16-17 led by Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, the newly appointed
head of the UN Mission in Support of the Hodeida Agreement and chair of the
Redeployment Coordination Committee. Although these steps represent only a piece
of an already-narrow agreement, the UN is cautiously hopeful that they will be
the first in a series of confidence-building measures ultimately leading to full
peace talks.
SLOW START
Signed on December 13, the Stockholm Agreement focused on three issues: (1)
redeploying forces in Hodeida, (2) creating a mechanism for prisoner exchanges,
and (3) beginning discussions on implementing a ceasefire and opening
humanitarian corridors in Taizz province. Despite its limited focus, the
document was significant because it was the first agreement between the parties
in two-and-a-half years. At the same time, its deliberately vague language bred
little confidence that the parties had actually agreed to anything of substance.
Nevertheless, the UN framed it as a positive statement of intent and indicated
the parties would continue discussing its three areas of focus via committees.
As the weeks passed and the parties met, the UN continued its hopeful narrative
that the Hodeida ceasefire was holding and talks were progressing. Yet media
outlets on all sides were painting a different picture. Houthi spokesman
Mohammed Abdulsalam blamed the government for evading its obligations.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting on the government’s side released
data on Houthi ceasefire violations—numbering 1,400 by February 14—and suggested
that the rebels were “intentionally hindering the implementation to gain time to
build their military capabilities.”
As a result, talks have been fraught, deadlines have repeatedly passed with no
agreement, and even finding secure meeting locations acceptable to both parties
has been difficult. On one occasion, after the Houthis refused to cross into
government-controlled territory for a meeting, the UN creatively found neutral
territory: a boat. Such examples underscore the severe lack of trust between the
parties, though UN special envoy Martin Griffiths insists that both Yemeni
parties have the “political will” to reach agreements.
WHAT THEY AGREED TO
Despite the delays, the parties managed to come to a narrow agreement on what
the UN is calling “Phase 1” of the Hodeida withdrawal. This latest agreement
does not cover the second phase of the withdrawal, prisoner exchange mechanisms,
or Taizz.
In a recent interview on Al-Arabiya, Griffiths explained the two steps involved
in Phase 1. First, the Houthis will redeploy from the ports of al-Salif and Ras
Issa, which are north of Hodeida port, and remove the large number of landmines
they have laid. Second, the Houthis will redeploy from Hodeida port itself, and
both parties will move to agreed locations north and south to facilitate access
to Red Sea Mills and other critical sites. Red Sea Mills is the World Food
Programme’s main distribution facility for wheat and flour; according to
Griffiths, it has enough storage to provide subsistence provisions for 3.7
million Yemenis for a month. This week, as part of the latest agreement, UN
personnel were able to access the site for the first time since September, amid
concerns that its wheat stocks might rot.
Under Phase 2, the terms of which have yet to be agreed, another set of
redeployments will take place. Griffiths has indicated they will lead to the
“demilitarization” of Hodeida city and allow for a humanitarian corridor.
Several issues remain unresolved. First, no one has specified the “local forces”
that are supposed to assume responsibility for security in Hodeida port and city
as the parties withdraw. The government worries that that Houthis will leave
behind “local” personnel that are secretly loyal to them, as they have done in
the past.
Second, the exact timing of the redeployments remains unclear. Initial reports
suggested they should begin early this week. Access to Red Sea Mills is a start,
but the port withdrawals appear delayed. Predictably, both sides are blaming
each other. Some of the holdup may be logistical; for example, it is unclear how
quickly the Houthis can clear the heavily mined al-Salif peninsula even if they
put forth maximal effort toward that end. Other delays may be more political.
Whenever implementation finally occurs, the UN will be in charge of verifying
compliance. If the Houthis do not comply in a reasonable amount of time, the
patience of the Yemeni government, its coalition backers, and conceivably other
international actors will wear thin, and the already fragile UN process may need
U.S. intercession to ensure it survives. Toward that end, Washington should urge
the coalition to remain patient and avoid publicly lambasting the UN process or
undertaking further military campaigns.
WHAT’S NEXT?
If the UN deems Phase 1 of the Hodeida agreement a success, then negotiating
Phase 2 will become the priority. If implementation fails, however, Phase 1
talks will reconvene with further erosion of trust.
Griffiths and his team are simultaneously focused on the two other major aspects
of the Stockholm Agreement: prisoner releases and a Taizz humanitarian corridor.
On the former, the Supervisory Committee on the Implementation of the Prisoner
Exchange Agreement—made up of Houthi and Yemeni government representatives with
participation by the International Committee of the Red Cross—has met several
times in Amman, Jordan. The plan is to release prisoners in batches, with a
large first batch to breed confidence in the process. Separately, the parties
may conduct humanitarian releases, as occurred a few weeks ago when the Houthis
freed an ill Saudi prisoner and Riyadh released seven Houthis in return.
Progress on the Taizz corridor has been slower. Since Stockholm, the parties
have nominated members for a committee on the issue, but Griffiths stated that
it has not met because the parties have not determined a safe location to do so.
Once the committee convenes, its main goals will be opening humanitarian
corridors through Taizz city (which has been under a crippling siege for much of
the war) and implementing a local ceasefire. Such arrangements would also allow
the key road between Sana and Aden to be used more freely, including by
humanitarian agencies.
In the meantime, the UN convened its third High-Level Pledging Event for the
Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen this week in Geneva. The organization asked for
$4.2 billion—its largest appeal ever—for the 24 million people suffering there,
and initial reports suggest it raised at least $2.6 billion. Yet money is only
part of what is needed. Humanitarian corridors, port access, safe passage on key
roads, and significant demining efforts are necessary to actually get aid to the
people who need it, and each of these measures hinges on the parties reaching
and implementing agreements regarding Hodeida and Taizz.
More broadly, all of the players need to keep in mind that the narrowly focused
Stockholm process is only the opening act to full peace negotiations. Griffiths
has purposefully referred to any discussions between the parties as
“consultations” rather than “peace talks,” likely hoping that these
confidence-building measures will enable the parties to address the war itself
in a future round of discussions. When asked by Al-Arabiya if he believes
another set of major talks can convene by this summer, he responded
enthusiastically, implying that they may be possible even sooner.
The United States should back the special envoy’s efforts, but with a dash of
caution. If the latest Hodeida agreement is implemented satisfactorily, progress
toward wider talks should of course accelerate. Yet if the fraught efforts thus
far are any indicator, genuine peace talks are still a long way off. What is
needed above all from the United States, Britain, and other like-minded
international partners is political will, unrelenting engagement, and an
emphasis on patience, including within the Saudi-led coalition. These
ingredients are crucial to sustaining what will inevitably be a slow, uncertain,
and difficult process to end this complex conflict.
*Elana DeLozier is a research fellow in The Washington Institute’s Bernstein
Program on Gulf and Energy Policy.
Assad Needs the United States and Its
Allies for Reconstruction
جمانا قدور/معهد واشنطن/الأسد بحاجة إلى الولايات المتحدة وحلفائها لإعادة الإعمار
Jomana Qaddour/The Washington Institute/February 28/2019
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/72600/jomana-qaddour-the-washington-institute-assad-needs-the-united-states-and-its-allies-for-reconstruction-%d8%ac%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%a7-%d9%82%d8%af%d9%88%d8%b1-%d9%85%d8%b9%d9%87%d8%af-%d9%88%d8%a7/
Damascus and its partners can’t rebuild the country by themselves amid their
growing budget crunch, so Washington has leverage on key transition issues even
if Assad keeps stalling.
Since December, several Arab states have reopened their embassies in Syria,
generating speculation about whether the Assad regime will participate in the
Arab League’s upcoming summit after being excluded from the organization for
more than seven years. As Damascus continues making incremental progress toward
full regional integration, its biggest challenge will be securing the hundreds
of billions of dollars required for postwar reconstruction. The Trump
administration should therefore work with regional allies to decelerate this
reintegration and leverage reconstruction funding to press U.S. interests.
SYRIA CANNOT FUND ITS RECONSTRUCTION ALONE
After years of destructive war, the Syrian economy is a shadow of what it once
was. According to the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics, the GDP shrunk by
four-fifths between 2010 and 2016. The World Bank determined that public revenue
dropped from 23 percent of GDP in 2010 to less than 3 percent in 2015, and the
lira depreciated by 459 percent during that same period due to lost oil
revenues, a trade collapse fueled by sanctions, the emergence of a robust
informal economy, a lack of local capacity to collect taxes, and other factors.
The UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia estimates the cost of
reconstruction to be almost $400 billion, 65 percent of it in the housing sector
according to IMF data.
Meanwhile, much of Syria’s business community has fled, with the World Bank
reporting that private investors’ share of GDP dropped from 12 percent in 2010
to 4 percent in 2015. The remaining business community is largely affiliated
with Bashar al-Assad’s oligarchy: at least 270 individuals and 72
regime-connected businesses have been placed on U.S. Treasury lists, EU
sanctions lists, or both, including prominent pro-regime figures Rami Makhlouf,
Samer Foz, and Muhammad Hamsho.
LEGALIZING DISPOSSESSION
In short, Syria’s public and private sectors are not prepared to take on the
challenge of nationwide reconstruction. Instead, they seem more focused on
rewarding elites in the capital and other metropolitan areas while redrawing the
country’s communal map. For example, rather than addressing the crucial task of
providing housing to the nearly five million refugees still stuck abroad,
current construction efforts center on pro-regime businessmen launching major
luxury housing and entertainment projects in Damascus-area municipalities such
as Marota City, Jobar, and al-Qabun, with more to come in Aleppo and Homs.
According to local contractors, apartments in such developments will list at
$3,500 per square meter ($300 per square foot), or nearly $500,000 for a
three-bedroom unit, well beyond the reach of returning refugees.
At the same time, the government has been steadily appropriating as much
property as it can, in part by issuing over twenty new property laws during the
war. The controversial Law No. 10 (2018) created redevelopment zones across
Syria and gave existing owners of property therein only one year to register
their claims in person to government officials—an impossible condition to meet
for many political dissidents, refugees, and other owners. This policy is also
deeply problematic because only 50 percent of Syrian property was officially
registered before the war, according to Human Rights Watch. Similarly, Law No. 3
(2018) permits governors to demolish private buildings on certain lands, while
Legislative Decree No. 63 (2012) allows the government to seize property from
“terrorists”—meaning any of the regime’s political opponents—without due
process. Anecdotal reporting tells the same story, with some owners complaining
that they have been dispossessed of lucrative property and paid as little as 10
percent of its value in return.
LIMITED FUNDING OPTIONS ABROAD
Despite the allure of lucrative new projects in a financially stagnant region,
investors are not biting—not even Assad’s closest allies. Iran has signed
several memorandums of understanding with Damascus on issues such as combatting
money laundering and encouraging joint investment, but these agreements are more
symbolic than financially significant. The uptick in sanctions since Washington
withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal last year have limited the Islamic
Republic’s spending power in Syria—though Tehran remains an important source of
credit for Damascus, lending it $6-7 billion worth of crude oil since 2013.
Another ally, Moscow, has publicly insisted on being the primary broker of
reconstruction after spending around $1.2 billion per year on military
operations in Syria, according to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti. Yet the
Kremlin faces its own financial challenges and cannot afford to subsidize such
large-scale redevelopment. Instead, Russian firms have signed numerous contracts
focused on extracting Syria’s resources, including a fifty-year deal by
Stroytransgaz to monopolize phosphate production and various deals to liberate,
defend, and/or develop oil and gas fields (e.g., with the company Evro Polis).
In contrast, EU member states have insisted that they will not commit
reconstruction funds to Syria without tangible political progress. Indeed, they
have gone further than the United States in sanctioning many of the corrupt
Syrian businessmen on whom the regime is counting to secure foreign funding. In
late January, the EU added 11 such businessmen and 5 entities to its burgeoning
sanctions list, which now includes 270 Syrians and 70 entities total.
The prospect of securing funds from international financial institutions is
currently unrealistic as well. In addition to the fact that Washington and
Europe oppose such measures, the Assad regime has bitterly resisted making even
modest economic reforms of the type that these institutions typically require,
in terms of minimizing corruption and increasing transparency and
accountability.
As for Arab states, their views on reconstruction are not monolithic. Egypt is
in no position to invest, but it hosted Assad’s security advisor Ali Mamlouk in
December and aspires to capitalize on new projects in Syria by sending laborers
and state-owned companies to work there.
In Jordan and Lebanon, statistics are not yet available on the impact of
reopening the Nasib border crossing, but any macroeconomic benefits would be
marginal—according to the World Bank, trade with Syria constituted only 4
percent or less of each country’s overall foreign trade even before the war. To
be sure, the crossing remains economically significant as part of a longtime
transport route for Jordanian goods. Yet the Assad regime is exploiting the
situation by charging massive customs fees—Jordanian and Lebanese trucks are now
charged around $800 and $700, respectively, just to cross the frontier,
according to the Jordan Truck Owners Association.
Among the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia remains hostile to the Assad regime and is
therefore uninterested in reconstruction investment. Yet Riyadh’s close allies
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are exploring the possibility of
rehabilitating their relations with Damascus. In late January, the UAE hosted a
high-profile meeting between a Syrian trade delegation and the Abu Dhabi Chamber
of Commerce regarding private-sector cooperation. Since that meeting, however,
any ambitious plans have been put on hold, apparently due to U.S. pressure.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
The Trump administration’s stated policy objectives in Syria were reaffirmed at
the February 6 meeting of the “Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS”: namely, to push
back against Iranian hegemony, destroy the Islamic State, and condition
reconstruction on real political progress outlined in UN Security Council
Resolution 2254. Now that the administration intends to relinquish most of its
military leverage inside Syria, however, it will need to strategically
coordinate with regional allies even more to achieve these objectives. Its last,
best leverage in this regard is reconstruction.
Therefore, Washington should firmly condition the unlocking of financial and
reconstruction assistance on Syrian political progress. Among other measures, it
should require Damascus to take the following steps:
End forced conscription.
Acquiesce to the provisions of Resolution 2254, including national elections by
2021.
Distance all sanctioned regime figures from reconstruction projects.
Refrain from interfering with registered humanitarian organizations, including
the United Nations.
Release the estimated 100,000 Syrian political prisoners it is holding.
Free all American prisoners, including Austin Tice and Majd Kamalmaz.
While Russia and Iran may have won the military phase of the war, they cannot
win the peace so long as they are unable to rebuild Syria. More than ever, Assad
and his allies desperately need international assistance. Yet even this glaring
need may not be enough to compel regime action on any of the above steps. As
Assad’s conduct during the war suggests, he cares little about the plight of the
Syrian people and is unlikely to prioritize reconstruction over his own
political survival. In the short term, he will likely try to wait out Washington
and the EU while consolidating his grip on the country.
To make progress, then, Washington should not only leverage reconstruction
dollars, but also increase Assad’s budgetary costs—for example, keeping oil and
gas beyond his reach, which would create an acute necessity to make concessions.
By bringing regional allies on board and further pressuring the regime, the
United States may yet be able to achieve some of its objectives in Syria.
*Jomana Qaddour is a Syrian American analyst and doctoral student at Georgetown
University Law Center, where she is focusing on Syrian constitutional issues.
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/assad-needs-the-united-states-and-its-allies-for-reconstruction?fbclid=IwAR1uy0YJdEvknP5jrcsf7ZhHUNkLjIwPgGU2dKOqTaKeDxmyq_clKHGYluw