LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
March 10/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today
The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23/01-12:”Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 09-10/2020
Nine new cases of the Coronavirus in Lebanon, raising total to 41
Nine new coronavirus cases detected in Lebanon, total 41
Hasan Says Coronavirus Spread in Lebanon Still Limited
Coronavirus Fears Shuts Parliament Building for a Week
Batroun Public Hospital denies news of Coronavirus case
Lebanon Receives Coronavirus Medical Aid from France
Lebanon Coronavirus Cases Surge to 41 after Nine More Confirmed
Coronavirus Suspect Returned to Hospital after 'Escaping' to Airport
MEA Suspends KSA, Kuwait and Qatar Flights
Tenenti to NNA: UNIFIL soldier tests negative for coronavirus
Jumblat Criticizes Diab and His Govt. after Default Speech
Global Health Institute at AUB and "Epic" celebrate Sijilli cloudbased electronic health records for 10,000 refugees in Lebanon
Berri tackles overall situation with Yammine, Najjar
Rebuttal of meeting with Nasrallah
Abdel Samad, Lazzarini broach media projects
MEA suspends flights to and from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar until further notice
Hitti receives medical protection equipment from France
Man Threatens to Blow Himself on South Highway
Lebanese Opposition Fears Govt. Move to Normalize Relations with Syrian Regime
Rai Warns Against Tampering With Lebanon’s Fate
Beirut on the brink: Eurobonds are just the tip of the iceberg
Lebanese protesters relieved and anxious after the government’s decision to default on debt
The Impossibility of Perceiving the Lebanese Revolution as though Hezbollah Does not Exist/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 09-10/2020
Iran Releases 70,000 Prisoners Amid More Deaths, Infections
Coronavirus kills 237 in Iran, 7,161 infected: Health Ministry
Spotlight Returns to Iran's Nuclear Program
UN nuclear watchdog urges Iran to ‘immediately’ cooperate
Turkey's Babacan registers new political party to challenge Erdogan
EU considers taking in 1,500 refugee children living in Greek camps: Germany
Kurds to Assad: We Are Syrians, Our Roots Are Here
Pentagon says two US service members killed in Iraq on anti-ISIS mission
Hamas New Base in Turkey After Limiting Presence in Lebanon, Qatar
Libyan Army Hits Turkish Military Targets
Israel confirms 39 cases of coronavirus, tightens measures to contain spread, tests new arrivals
ISIS claims attack targeting Afghan inauguration
Two US service members killed in Iraq/Deaths occurred Sunday during counter-ISIS mission.
Two blasts hit Kabul amid parallel Afghan presidential inauguration ceremonies
Rockets Mar Afghan President's Swearing-In as Rival Inaugurates Self
UK police shoot dead man brandishing knives near parliament
Sudan’s prime minister survives assassination attempt in Khartoum
US Treasury: Removing Sudan from Terror List a Matter of Time
London police shoot dead man brandishing knives near UK Parliament
Statement by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Commonwealth Day
WHO: Virus Pandemic Threat Now 'Very Real', 70% Heal in China

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 09-10/2020
Iran's journalists are under siege/Tzvi Kahn/The Hill/March 09/2020
Analysis As Iran's Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, There's One Thing Its Regime Can Be Grateful For/Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/March 09/2020
Benjamin Baird on Islamist Influence in the 2020 Elections/Marilyn Stern/Middle East Forum Radio/March 09/2020
Coronavirus in the Time of Tweeters/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020
A Strong Reminder of Iranian Women’s Resilience/Noor Pahlavi/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020
Turkey-Russia ceasefire deal has failed the Syrian refugees/Raghida Dergham/The National/March 09/2020
Iran’s expansionist plans pose real danger to Europe/Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/March 09/2020
Afghan deal shows Qatar is no mediator, but works for America’s enemies/Jordan Schachtel/Al Arabiya/March 09/2020

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 09-10/2020
Nine new cases of the Coronavirus in Lebanon, raising total to 41
The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23/01-12:”Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Nine new coronavirus cases detected in Lebanon, total 41
Souad El Skaf, Al Arabiya English/Monday, 9 March 2020
Lebanon reported nine new confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus on Monday, raising the total number of cases in the country to 41, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) citing a daily report issued by Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. “During the past 24 hours, 132 cases in the emergency unit designated to receive cases suspected of being infected with the disease, and 23 of them had to be admitted to the quarantine section while the rest adhered to home quarantine,” read the hospital’s statement carried by the news agency. “Laboratory tests were conducted for over 122 cases, 113 of which were negative and nine positive,” the hospital report indicated. It also disclosed that “16 cases that were held in quarantine were released,” on Monday after the test results came out negative. On Sunday, the hospital reported four new cases of the COVID-19 virus.Check out our dedicated coronavirus site here.

Hasan Says Coronavirus Spread in Lebanon Still Limited
Naharnet/March 09/2020
Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced Monday that the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon is still “limited,” days after he declared that the country was no longer in the containment phase.
In an interview with Radio Voice of All Lebanon, Hasan said the virus is in “a limited and not a general outbreak phase.”“Despite all the pressure and the talk about the virus, Lebanon is still among the countries in which the infections number is medium and this is good,” Hasan added, attributing the reported medium level of cases to “the rise in the awareness of the Lebanese.”“This greatly helps in stemming the spread of this virus,” he said. Lebanon has so far confirmed 32 coronavirus cases and an emergency ward has been opened at the state-run Rafik Hariri hospital in Beirut to receive suspected cases and quarantine confirmed ones. The country has closed educational institutions, sports clubs, nightclubs, pubs, fairs and other venues and urged against all gatherings as a precaution against the virus.

Coronavirus Fears Shuts Parliament Building for a Week

Naharnet/March 09/2020
The General Secretariat of the Lebanese Parliament on Monday announced in a statement that all the offices at the parliament building will be shut for a week over coronavirus concerns.
The statement said because of the general public health conditions and out of keenness for the health of lawmakers and their visitors and based on Speaker Nabih Berri’s instructions, it has been decided to:
1-Postpone the weekly Wednesday meetings usually held at the Speakership headquarters in Ain el-Tineh.
2- Postpone for one week the meetings of the parliamentary committees.
3-The lawmakers’ offices at the parliament building will be shut for one week to conduct sterilization procedures.
Lebanon on Sunday confirmed four new coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally to 32, according to the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital. A statement issued by the hospital said it received 100 cases at its coronavirus section over the past 24 hours.
Lebanon has closed schools, sport clubs, nightclubs, fairs and other venues and urged against gatherings, after Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced that the country is no longer in the containment phase regarding the virus. The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide has crossed 110,000 people in 100 countries and territories with more than 3,800 dead, according to an AFP tally on Monday.

Batroun Public Hospital denies news of Coronavirus case
NNA/March 09/2020
The General Secretariat o
The Batroun Government Hospital administration denied, in an issued statement on Monday, the presence of a coronavirus infected case in the hospital, contrary to rumors "which are only intended to create confusion and an atmosphere of fear and terror among the citizens."

Lebanon Receives Coronavirus Medical Aid from France
Naharnet/March 09/2020
Lebanon on Monday received a French medical shipment aimed at assisting the country in confronting the COVID-19 coronavirus. Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti and French Embassy Charge d'Affaires Salina Grenet-Catalano attended the handover ceremony at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport. In a statement, the French Embassy said the shipment was sent following “an official request from Lebanese authorities.”“In solidarity with Lebanon, France sent around 500 kilograms of medical protection equipment to the Rafik Hariri hospital,” the statement said. It said the shipment includes 500 personal protection suits, 1,000 gloves, 50 pairs of protective shoes and 50 fever thermometers. “France will continue to support the global efforts in the face of this pandemic,” the statement added. Lebanon has so far confirmed 32 coronavirus cases and an emergency ward has been opened at the state-run Rafik Hariri hospital in Beirut to receive suspected cases and quarantine confirmed ones. The country closed educational institutions, sport clubs, nightclubs, fairs and other venues and urged against gatherings, after Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced that Lebanon is no longer in the containment phase regarding the virus. On Monday the minister clarified that there is “a limited and not a general spread of the virus.”

Lebanon Coronavirus Cases Surge to 41 after Nine More Confirmed
Naharnet/March 09/2020
Lebanon’s coronavirus cases rose to 41 on Monday following the confirmation of nine more infections, the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital said. In a statement, it said it received 132 individuals at its special coronavirus section of whom 23 were kept in quarantine and the rest were told to observe home isolation. MTV later identified the nine cases confirmed Monday as five employees of a Jbeil hospital, two employees of a Beirut hospital, a person who was in Dubai and a passenger of an Iranian plane that landed in Beirut on February 24. The Rafik Hariri hospital said it conducted 122 lab tests of which 113 tested negative and nine tested positive. “Sixteen people left hospital after their lab tests came out negative and 26 people remain in quarantine,” the hospital added. Noting that its labs have so far confirmed 41 coronavirus cases, RHUH said 30 of the patients are being isolated at the hospital while the others will be transferred to it from other hospitals. It added that the patients are all in a stable condition except for four who are critical. Lebanon closed educational institutions, sports clubs, nightclubs, pubs, fairs and other venues and urged against all gatherings after Health Minister Hasan Hamad said the virus was no longer contained in Lebanon. The minister clarified Monday that the outbreak in the country is still “limited,” lauding the “awareness” of citizens.

Coronavirus Suspect Returned to Hospital after 'Escaping' to Airport
Naharnet/March 09/2020
A man suspected of being infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus was apprehended at Beirut’s airport and returned to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital after he refused to remain in hospital pending the results of the virus test. Media reports had said that a “coronavirus patient” had escaped from the hospital overnight and headed to the airport where he was “arrested.”But the director of the airport’s health office, Dr. Hasan Mallah, told An-Nahar newspaper that the man is not a patient but rather a suspected case. “We were notified of his issue and we circulated his name to General Security, which apprehended him before he was transferred to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital via the Red Cross,” Mallah added. “His fate will be determined based on the result of the coronavirus test. If it comes out negative, he will be allowed to travel to the country he was heading to, Canada, and if it comes out positive he will have to stay in hospital pending his recovery, as is the case of the other patients,” the official said. Fearing that he would be isolated for 14 days, the man had left hospital, packed his suitcases and headed at dawn to the airport, LBCI TV said. An official at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital refused to label what happened as an “escape.”“The person headed to the emergency room showing the symptoms but his infection was not confirmed,” the RHUH official told LBCI. “He refused to stay in quarantine but this does not mean that he escaped from the hospital,” he added. “After he was arrested at the airport, the Red Cross transferred him to the hospital where the coronavirus test was conducted for him and he is still in hospital pending the result,” the official said. Lebanon has so far confirmed 41 coronavirus cases and an emergency ward has been opened at the state-run Rafik Hariri hospital in Beirut to receive suspected cases and quarantine confirmed ones. The country has closed educational institutions, sports clubs, nightclubs, pubs, fairs and other venues and urged against all gatherings as a precaution against the virus.

MEA Suspends KSA, Kuwait and Qatar Flights

Naharnet/March 09/2020
Lebanon’s national carrier MEA on Monday announced the temporary suspension of its flights from and to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar until further announcement.MEA said it took its decision “in light of the resolutions taken by a number of countries on halting travel with the aim of countering the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.”The airline also said that its customers will be exempted from any fines and restrictions related to cancelation, rebooking and non-appearance until March 31, adding that this decision applies to all destinations.

Tenenti to NNA: UNIFIL soldier tests negative for coronavirus
NNA/March 09/2020
Responding to a question by the National News Agency, UNIFIL Spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said: "In view of the global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) following the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, UNIFIL from the very beginning has been taking all the necessary precautionary measures in coordination with our medical unit in order to prevent any infection of the virus among the Mission's more than 11,000 military and civilian peacekeepers." He added that "On 7 March, one of our peacekeepers based in a UNIFIL position in the village of Maraka showed some of the symptoms after returning from a trip to Egypt. As soon as our medical unit detected the symptoms, we were in touch with Lebanese authorities and coordinated the transportation to the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in coordination with the Lebanese Red Cross, as per national health policy." Tenenti stressed that UNIFIL has taken all necessary precautionary measures including putting in quarantine those who had been in contact with the peacekeeper. He further added that "This evening, the results of the test conducted in the Rafic Hariri Hospital came out negative. Nonetheless we have been putting in place very strict rules and medical procedures for all our personnel - both military and civilian - in order to prevent or minimize any spread of the virus." The UNIFIL spokesperson added that "Health advisories have been sent to all military and civilian personnel to ensure that they all abide by the WHO guidelines and national policies. UNIFIL continues to cooperate and work with national authorities as well as UNIFIL's troop-contributing countries in containing the potential spread of the virus in Lebanon." "UNIFIL continues to carry out its operational activities 24/7," added Tenenti.

Jumblat Criticizes Diab and His Govt. after Default Speech

Naharnet/March 09/2020
Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat on Monday criticized the government and its premier Hassan Diab in connection with the latter’s latest speech. “What does this government have in store? Its premier did not mention a word about reform, the electricity sector, the protection of industry and the control of legal and illegal border crossings,” Jumblat tweeted. “He overlooked the coronavirus, the judicial appointments and other issues and voiced ambiguous remarks about debt. The truth is they are trying to spread bankruptcy and take vengeance on a political class through the tools of spite and totalitarianism,” the PSP leader charged. Diab announced Saturday that Lebanon “will seek to restructure its debts in a manner consistent with the national interest" through negotiations with creditors. He said that debt restructuring is part of a wider economic rescue plan that seeks to cut state spending and save more than $350 million annually.Diab also said that downsizing the banking sector is part of the reform plan, assuring foreign donors of Lebanon's commitment to reforms pledged at a conference dubbed CEDRE in Paris in April 2018.

Global Health Institute at AUB and "Epic" celebrate Sijilli cloudbased electronic health records for 10,000 refugees in Lebanon
NNA/March 09/2020
In an attempt to facilitate the access of refugees to health services in refugee-hosting countries, the Global Health Institute (GHI) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), through its E-Sahha Program (ESP), launched the 'Sijilli' project in July 2018. The project was launched as a response to the increasing need for an innovation that allows refugees and their health providers to access their health information, wherever they are in the world, in a highly secure manner.
Sijilli is a cloud-based mobile electronic health record (EHR) characterized by its contextualized design, applicability in low-resource settings, and potential for upscaling. It aims to serve as a model to securely collect and maintain health data of displaced individuals throughout their displacement journey. The Sijilli EHR can be accessible globally by both refugee patients and their health providers.
The project is a partnership between AUB's GHI - an academic institution based in a low-income country leading on the project's operational management and implementation; Epic as a private healthcare software company based in a high-income country providing technical infrastructure; and a network of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) facilitating access to the target population in all areas across Lebanon including Beirut, South Lebanon, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley.
March 3, 2020 marked the celebration of the completion of the first phase of the Sijilli project whereby to date, more than 10,000 refugees are Sijilli holders. The event took place in the Halim and Aida Daniel Academic and Clinical Center (ACC) in the presence of AUB President Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri, GHI Founding Director Dr. Shadi Saleh, and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Epic Systems Judith R. Faulkner. The event was also attended by AUB leadership, faculty members from AUB and AUBMC, representatives from the Epic team, local and international NGOs, donor agencies, among others.
"Sijilli is envisioned as a much-needed model to enhance access of refugees to health services throughout their migration journey," said Shadi Saleh. "We, at the Global Health Institute, are proud to streamline eHealth solutions in low- and middle-income countries," he added.
President Khuri stressed on the role of the university in the humanitarian sector. "Since it was founded over a century and a half ago, it has always put humanity first, while playing its role as a provider of excellence in education and a contributor in the advancement of knowledge through research. It has been at our core."Khuri's point was shared by Faulkner who stated "I visited a refugee camp today and it was a memorable experience both hopeful and sad. Thank you AUB and GHI for having the heart to help people in need."
The event also featured presentations on the technical development of the cloud-based EHR Sijilli presented by Amlan Dasgupta, Epic development lead for Sijilli, and Joe Max Wakim, the IT director of the AUBMC processes and systems department. Nour El Arnaout and Jeff Harman, the project's coordinators at both GHI and Epic, shared their presentation on the field-based implementation of Sijilli. The role of NGOs in the implementation of Sijilli was also shared during the event by Malaak NGO's Founder Asma Rasamny, followed by the perspective of one of Sijilli's volunteers on the invaluable field-based experience offered by the Sijilli project that engaged more than 50 volunteers from different universities across Lebanon.
The celebration was followed by a live webinar on the global state of digital health in 2020, focusing on opportunities and challenges of implementation in low to middle-income countries, delivered by Dr. Patricia Michael, co-founder and policy lead of HealthEnabled in South Africa.--AUB

Berri tackles overall situation with Yammine, Najjar
NNA/March 09/2020 
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, received this Monday at his Ain Tineh residence Minister of Labor, Lamia Yammine, who briefed him on the Ministry's work program.
Speaker Berri also met with Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Dr. Michel Najjar, with whom he discussed the general situation.

Rebuttal of meeting with Nasrallah
NNA/March 09/2020 
The Press Office of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri categorically denies that Premier Hariri met recently with Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, as claimed by Mr Wiam Wahhab on OTV channel. The press office points out that the fabrication of such news is an intelligence services method that does not fool the Lebanese anymore, since a long time. It also accentuates that all the meetings of Premier Hariri are announced and his office issues statements about them.

Abdel Samad, Lazzarini broach media projects
NNA/March 09/2020 
Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad Najd, on Monday welcomed at her ministerial office UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Philippe Lazzarini.
Talks between the pair reportedly touched on the work of the international organizations in Lebanon and the important role of media at this stage. Minister Abdel Samad also briefed him on the media projects she is currently working on, soliciting the support of the UN.
On the other hand, Abdel Samad met with the Ambassador of Jordan to Lebanon, Walid Al-Hadid, with whom she discussed the bilateral relations and the general conditions. The Minister also received in her office the Ambassador of Argentina to Lebanon, Mauricio Alice, with the current economic situation featuring on their discussions, given that Argentina has gone through the same conditions.
Both sides also stressed the importance of fighting corruption.

MEA suspends flights to and from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar until further notice
NNA/March 09/2020
Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA) on Monday has announced that it will temporarily suspend flights "to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, until further notice, as part of decisions made by several countries concerning measures to limit the spread of novel coronavirus (Covid-19)."
MEA said in a statement "With the aim of providing maximum support and comfort to passengers, the Company has decided to exempt all tickets from restrictions and fines related to ME (Middle East Airlines) tickets, which include: refund/ new booking/absence," noting that "this exemption applies to ME (Middle East Airlines) tickets to all destinations until March 31, 2020 inclusive."For inquiries, MEA asked passengers to contact the call center: 01 629999 or the hotline: 1330 or the airline's travel agencies for more information.

Hitti receives medical protection equipment from France
NNA/March 09/2020 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Nassif Hitti, received Monday at Rafic Hariri International Airport-Beirut, a set of medical protection equipment for the Rafic Hariri Hospital, provided by the French authorities to Lebanon, currently countering the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The delivery ceremony took place in the presence of the French Embassy's Chargé d'affaires to Lebanon, Salina Grenet-Catalano, Public Health Ministry Director General Dr. Walid Ammar, Airport Security Apparatuse Commander General George Dumit, and a number of doctors on duty at the Health ministry's Bureau at the airport and supervising the precautionary and concerned figures.
Grenet-Catalano hailed the "solid relations between Lebanon and France", pointing otu that her country always stands by Lebanon, especially in these difficult economic and social circumstances.
She also noted that Lebanon is facing multiple obstacles and has taken encouraging and bold political decisions regarding debts.
Grenet-Catalano explained that today's aid came following the meetings between Minister Hitti and French officials during his recent visit to France, adding that this medical aid comes in support of the Lebanese people in the face of the global health crisis.
Minister Hitti, in turn, thanked the French authorities via the Chargé d'affaires for "this essential medical and humanitarian aid at this stage", bringing to attention that he has contacted the French authorities during his recent visit to Paris to this effect.
He also called for raising public awareness so that we can better resist and defeat this virus, hailing the historic friendship and the ongoing cooperation between Lebanon and France, "which we look forward to strengthening between the two countries and in all areas."

Man Threatens to Blow Himself on South Highway
Naharnet/March 09/2020
Security Forces arrested a man who opened random gunfire and threatened to blow himself up on Lebanon’s South highway, the National News Agency reported on Monday. NNA said the man whose name was not identified stood on the southern highway, near Prophet Sari shrine, and threatened to blow himself. Security forces cordoned off the area, said NNA. The suspect was also spotted firing gunshots at passers by in Abou al-Aswad neighborhood, said the agency.
Police arrested him and confiscated weapons in his possession and a Volvo vehicle that belonged to him.

Lebanese Opposition Fears Govt. Move to Normalize Relations with Syrian Regime
Paula Astih/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
The visit by Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism, Ramzi al-Musharafieh, to Damascus last week raised fears among opposition factions that the new government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab intends to normalize relations with the Syrian regime. “It would come as no a surprise if this government plans to normalize relations with the regime in Damascus, particularly after Diab had welcomed the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon,” MP Rola Tabsh, a member of the Mustaqbal Movement of former PM Saad Hariri, told Asharq Al-Awsat. The Mustaqbal Movement, the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) expressed fears this week that Musharafieh’s visit could be a prelude to normalizing relations with Damascus. Tabsh said that as long as Syria's membership at the Arab League is suspended, then the regime is illegitimate and therefore, Lebanon should not have any relations with it.
The Mustaqbal Movement supports the Syrian people, but not the regime, she stressed. A source accompanying the Lebanese delegation to Syria was surprised that some parties here were still using the term “normalizing relations with Syria,” noting that this issue would have been subject to discussions five years ago. “Today, relations between the two countries are more than normal,” the source said, adding that the government alone is responsible for political affairs. “The Lebanese delegation did not discuss political issues in Damascus. We only tackled the file of the Syrian refugees. I don’t believe there is any Lebanese force that refuses the return of refugees to their homeland,” he said. Member of the Democratic Gathering MP Bilal Abdullah told Asharq Al-Awsat that the PSP rejects the visit of the Lebanese minister to Syria. “Lebanon should not distance itself from the decisions of the Arab League,” he said. Syria's membership at the League has been suspended since 2011 and the issue of bringing it back to the organization has been discussed several times, however, officials said none of the members have requested it.

Rai Warns Against Tampering With Lebanon’s Fate
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai warned against meddling with Lebanon’s fate. “A free economy is at the heart of the constitution, but the Church wants it with a social dimension that guarantees justice, solidarity, human dignity, and rights,” Rai said during the Sunday mass in Bkerki. "We need to build our internal unity so that all political parties join forces for the survival of the country…” The patriarch said, adding: “This requires loyalty to Lebanon above all everything else.” Rai stressed that the current priority should be focused on structural reforms based on the promises made by the previous government at the CEDRE Conference, beginning with addressing the electricity, fighting corruption, improving management, and promoting the independence of the judiciary from all political interference. He also reminded that the free financial and economic system, of which the banking sector is an essential part, “is one of the pillars of the Lebanese entity founded by the honored patriarch Elias Al-Houwayek a hundred years ago.” He underlined the government’s duty to address the causes of the financial collapse without delay and punish those manipulating with the national currency.

Beirut on the brink: Eurobonds are just the tip of the iceberg
The National/March 09/2020
Since October, the streets of Lebanon’s capital have been overwhelmed by protests against political disarray, economic crisis and – most recently – the government’s handling of coronavirus. It has become a country on the brink. In the words of its own Prime Minister, Hasan Diab, the country is “drowning in debt,” too. On Saturday, Mr Diab formally announced that Lebanon will default on a Eurobond payment of $1.2 billion worth of Eurobonds, due today.
The news marks the first time in Lebanon’s history that the once-booming seaside nation, now the third-most indebted country in the world, has failed to pay back its creditors. Yet in a country where half of all government expenditure is driven towards debt repayment, Mr Diab’s announcement has caught few by surprise. Lebanon’s economy continues to reach unprecedented levels of crisis each week, and since November, a shortage of foreign currency has devalued the Lebanese pound on the black market by more than 60 per cent. It is estimated, moreover, that poverty could rise to 50 per cent, should the country continue on its present course. Lebanon’s so-called “national rescue” government – backed by the militant party Hezbollah – has framed the failure to pay the debt as a defiant measure to save the Lebanese people.
In reality, it is the failure of responsible leadership from Hezbollah that has contributed more than anything else in backing Lebanon into the corner in which it now finds itself. Beirut has no choice but to default. But it has had made many choices that led to this point, including over-borrowing, failures to crack down on rampant corruption, acceptance of Hezbollah’s hegemony and incompetence. The latter decision is especially grievous, as Hezbollah – even when it is in power – continues to compete with the state for authority, and a reluctance to support the party any further is the primary reason for Western nations’ hesitation to provide Lebanon with any additional aid.
Meanwhile, very little effort has been put into diversifying a shrinking economy that is highly dependent on services and remittances. The default will also tarnish Lebanon’s reputation as a borrower even further. It is the failure of responsible leadership from Hezbollah that has contributed more than anything else in backing Lebanon into the corner in which it now finds itself. As the crises continue, popular anger is mounting, with people taking to the streets to express their deep dissatisfaction. The prime minister and his new government have proven themselves to be nonplussed by the mess its backers have created. While Mr Diab did promise to launch a wide-ranging programme of reforms to put Lebanon on the path to economic recovery, his Cabinet failed to include any measures to address the crisis in its annual budget or to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund – an option that Hezbollah rejects.
Lebanon needs sweeping reforms, as well as non-corrupt and competent leaders that can stand up to Hezbollah and others in order to save the country. Mr Diab has yet to prove that he and his Cabinet can fit those criteria. The prime minister himself admitted last week that the state has “lost the trust of the Lebanese people” and is “no longer capable of protecting them”. These are dispiriting words for citizens to hear from their own leaders. What they fail to capture, however, is that for as long as Lebanon’s system is held hostage by a force as damaging as Hezbollah, the state itself is under threat and incapable of moving forward.

Lebanese protesters relieved and anxious after the government’s decision to default on debt
The National/March 09/2020
The country’s future is increasingly uncertain as political parties fail to agree on next steps
Lebanese protesters expressed wary relief after the government announced on Saturday that it will default on its debt for the first time in the country’s history, arguing that it needed to “secure the basic needs for people” before paying back creditors. “This is the correct decision, because the people should come first,” said activist Mohammad Herz. Since last summer, Lebanese importers have been struggling to secure the necessary dollars to settle their debts because of a liquidity shortage.
“Default should have happened a long time ago as our system has failed,” agreed lawyer and activist Hussein El Achi. “We have been living in a fictional economy solely based on attracting non-productive foreign funds.”Since the end of its bloody 15-year long civil war in 1990, the Lebanese economy has relied on its banking sector to attract high-yield deposits from the diaspora while its industry and agriculture declined steadily. Despite multiple crises over the past decades, Lebanon was always bailed out by international donors and foreign countries.
But after consistently failing to implement reforms to increase transparency and fight corruption, few are willing to help today, and the latest economic crisis pushed hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to the street in mid-October. In a much-anticipated speech on Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab halted a March 9 bond payment of $1.2 billion, setting the heavily indebted state on course for a sovereign default and heightening fear among the Lebanese of social and economic collapse.
Mr Diab said that Lebanon will enter negotiations with creditors, but protesters have little trust in their leaders, which they widely view as corrupt and reliant on distributing public money to their followers to cement their loyalty. “Will the government actually do something to help the people or will they continue stealing money? We must remain on the street and keep fighting corruption,” said Mr Herz.
Mr Diab promised to restructure Lebanon’s banking sector and protect the savings of small depositors, but protesters bemoaned the lack of visibility. "The choice to default on its debt with all its consequences was mandatory since we need the remaining currency reserves to order basic needs from gas, to wheat, to medical equipment and so on," said protester Ali Noureddine. "However, it did not come simultaneously with an economic vision or plans for reform that the government can work with," he added. “If political parties reform, they lose power. If they don’t, we lose the country,” summed up Mr El Achi.
Like some Lebanese economists, Mr El Achi believes that Lebanon should request a bail-out from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the international community is reluctant to help the country once again.
Last summer, then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri had expressed reservations over IMF proposals such as an increase in fuel taxes and VAT, which are expected to be extremely unpopular among the Lebanese. Already, one third of the country lives in poverty, a number which is expected to rise in the coming months. The idea of turning to the IMF still faces stiff resistance from several political parties, including Lebanon’s influential, Iran-backed Hezbollah, which described the institution as a US tool.
“We are in an impossible situation,” lamented Mr El Achi, warning that Lebanon could end up resembling Venezuela, which has witnessed hyperinflation and severe shortages of consumer goods and medicine.
“The Lebanese will eventually have to pay for the mistakes of the political class. We will suffer.”

The Impossibility of Perceiving the Lebanese Revolution as though Hezbollah Does not Exist
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020
A third wave of the Lebanese revolution. With that, the essential problem remains the same: a large religious sect, through force and coercion, is excluded from participating in it. The sit-ins that took place in Beirut’s southern suburbs have been described as timid and weak; this, despite the fact that the socio-economic situation of its residents calls for bold and strong sit-ins.
This has many consequences with regard to the ability to constantly stifle the social and the class dimension of the revolt. Even a decision like the most recent one regarding banks, whatever one thinks of it, could not present itself as an economic decision. It was recycled politically, which, in the Lebanese sense means sectarianly. The decision was then quickly annulled.
Time after time, then, it seems impossible to contemplate the Lebanese revolution as though Hezbollah is a contingent detail, or as though it does not exist. When it succeeds at putting one of the county’s larger sects outside the revolution, it succeeds at thwarting the revolution’s plan, creating a cross-sectarian bloc as an alternative to the powers that be or, in the meantime, as a strong and critical faction from within the government.
For with October 17, a process of rough-hewing the sects’ edges and identifying with the nation from outside the sectarian narrative began. The revolution did not propose “abolishing” sectarianism, which no rational person would think of doing, neither did it suggest the abolition of the particularities of sectarian groups, because such a declaration would be tantamount to adopting an authoritarian and despotic strategy. Its demands are far less radical and far more modest.
It was clear, with the eruption of the revolution, that sectarianism and its system were in a crisis of their economy, political services, management of the political process and its representation. This is what facilitated the explosion on October 17. Nevertheless, Hezbollah, as a sectarian (and religious) faction, was not in crisis, and it went on bragging about rockets, fighting in Idlib, and threatening enemies and foes. The economy of the party depends on Iran and is thus affected little by what happens to the Lebanese economy. Hassan Nassrallah has been clear about this since the early days of the revolution.
More importantly, it is the only party within Lebanon's ruling configuration that is armed. If the army were unable, for an internal or external reason, to repress, the party would proceed to do the job. It is a party fighting wars on two fronts, so it cannot avoid thinking of an internal political and economic situation that suit its wars, or at least, adapts to them. On the other hand, it is futile to bet on division within the party based on social issues or a clash over class representation. Potential talk of such a scenario are forbidden, and they cost blood.
Thus, it is possible to speak of two sectarianisms in Lebanon. One is soft and has been softened by its defeats, making it open to compromise and even submission and susceptible to the defection of some of its elements. The other is rough and armed; it boasts of its victories, or what it perceives to be victories, and sees that Lebanon cannot accommodate two revolutions.
Only it is the revolution. This has been evident since 2015, that daring to denounce the figures of soft sectarianism, including Aounist figures, is possible, while it is forbidden to dare to similarly denounce the figures of rough sectarianism. Consequently, the revolutionary promise to create the new cross-sectarian bloc could not be kept, and a long historic project is now entrusted with keeping it. But what are the details of this project, given that the passage of time is not neutral and does not mean much in itself?
It is, in addition to raising a more refined awareness of the unitary nature of the Lebanese’s interests and continuing to agitate against their impoverishment and against the banks, waiting for Hezbollah to weaken and pushing, within the boundaries available to us, towards this solemn end.
The issue is not one of "blind hatred" for the party. The issue stems from its position as the last protector of the governance of thieves (kleptocracy) as a result of the degree of success of its adaptation to kleptocracy. It is true that the American sanctions led to some tension between them, but one nighttime bomb on a closed bank was enough to restore most of the mutual trust. After that, things were subsequently restored, though with a little bit of tension, which is part of any relationship between any two allies.
Let us note, for example, that the party is preventing the economic anesthesia that is traditionally begged for Lebanon from countries in its region and in the world. Could one who does not tolerate anesthesia tolerate more radical remedies? Thus, the desperate Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, is left to announce "the state's inability to protect its citizens''.
Indeed, waiting for the party's weakening and the push in this direction brings in another factor that, given the Lebanese situation, does not receive much attention: the balance of power outside Lebanon. In light of Iran's strength (and that of the regime of Bashar al-Assad), it is impossible for a revolution in Lebanon to succeed; rather it is impossible even for major achievements to be made against the rule of thieves. Sporadic riots and thoughtless violence may appear in response to impoverishment policies. Courageous voices may provide us with new evidence of the regime’s scandals, and despite its improbability, the ruling elite may offer some of the banks crumbs of what they had stolen. But this is one thing and change is another. The case of Iraq may not differ much.
Here, a brief revision of what happened in Central and Eastern Europe could be useful: in 1953 former East Germany rose up. In 1956 Hungary rose up. In 1968 the former Czechoslovakia rose up. In 1980-81 Poland rose up. But all those revolutions were defeated, and those countries did not change until the Soviet Union itself collapsed later that decade.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 09-10/2020
Iran Releases 70,000 Prisoners Amid More Deaths, Infections
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
Iran has released approximately 70,000 prisoners because of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Iranian judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday, as the country announced new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. "The release of the prisoners, to the point where it doesn't create insecurity in society ... will continue," Raisi said, according to Mizan, the news site of the judiciary. He did not specify if or when those released would need to return to jail. Iran has had 237 deaths from coronavirus and 7,161 infections, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpour said on state TV on Monday. The figures included 595 new infections and 43 new deaths within the past 24 hours.Jahanpour said the rate of new infections was dropping "but it is still too early to judge" when the outbreak could be brought under control.
With 1,945 cases, the capital Tehran remains the province with the most cases, according to the official. Iran has had one of the highest death rates from the illness outside of China, where the virus originated in December.

Coronavirus kills 237 in Iran, 7,161 infected: Health Ministry
NNA/Monday, 9 March, 2020
Iran has had 237 deaths from coronavirus and 7,161 infections, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV on Monday.
The figures included 595 new infections and 43 new deaths within the past 24 hours. Iran has had one of the highest death rates from the illness outside of China, where the virus originated. ----Reuters

Spotlight Returns to Iran's Nuclear Program
Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
Tehran's nuclear program is back under the spotlight after the UN's nuclear watchdog revealed the extent of Iran's uranium enrichment drive and reprimanded it for denying access to two locations. The revelations may lead to heated exchanges at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) latest quarterly board of governors meeting which starts on Monday in Vienna.
- Which limits is Iran breaking? -
Since May 2019, Iran has announced successive breaches of the deal struck four years earlier with world powers which restricted its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The breaches were in reaction to US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and reimposition of harsh sanctions on Iran. The latest announcement came in January, when Iran said it was no longer bound by any restrictions on its nuclear program. An IAEA report issued on 3 March said that the announcement itself did not lead to any noticeable changes, but also revealed the cumulative effect of Iran's previous breaches. There has been a dramatic increase in Iran's uranium stockpile, which now stands at over 1,000 kilograms -- more than five times the limit fixed in the deal. The centrifuges being used for enrichment are also more numerous and more advanced than foreseen under the deal.
Experts say the latest developments mean Iran's so-called "breakout time" (the period needed to acquire the weapons-grade fissile material for a bomb) may well have fallen to a matter of months. The 2015 deal was meant to ensure the breakout time was at least a year. However, diplomats caution that none of the current stockpile is enriched beyond 4.5 percent, with much of it at a lower level than that. It would need to be enriched to roughly 90 percent for use in a bomb, not to mention all the other work required to produce a weapon. Moreover, the IAEA's extensive monitoring of Iran's current nuclear activities -- often cited as an achievement of the 2015 deal -- is continuing. Iran insists its nuclear program is purely for civilian ends.
- Why were two inspections refused? -
In a second report, the IAEA issued last week it reprimanded Iran for barring inspections at two sites. They are among three locations about which the IAEA said it had questions over "possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities". However, diplomatic sources say these activities date back to the 2000s and do not directly relate to Iran's current program. The amounts of material concerned are not significant and the agency's queries should not be difficult to answer, diplomats say. "I'm sure that if they got access to these sites, they wouldn't find much," France's former ambassador to Tehran Francois Nicoullaud told AFP. "The IAEA is a technical agency so it has the obligation to clear up this question," he added, saying the agency "doesn't have much room for maneuver". Nevertheless, Iran reacted sharply, telling the IAEA that it does "not recognize any allegation on past activities". In a subsequent statement, Iran said "intelligence services' fabricated information... creates no obligation for Iran to consider such requests" and accused the US and Israel of trying to pressure the watchdog. Israel has claimed that a trove of information obtained by its intelligence services contains new detail on a previous Iranian nuclear weapons program.
- Have there been other tensions? -
In October an IAEA inspector was briefly prevented from leaving Iran after authorities said she triggered an alarm at the Natanz uranium enrichment plant. The IAEA said the incident was "not acceptable".The rows over the inspector and the agency's unanswered questions have highlighted potential friction between the IAEA and Iran. At a special IAEA board meeting in November, Iran warned the agency -- and unnamed member states -- to avoid "aggrandizing" issues unnecessarily, adding that this could "have a detrimental effect on ongoing cooperation". And in a January move which added to the already strained atmosphere, the European parties to the 2015 accord -- France, Germany, and the UK -- launched the deal's dispute resolution mechanism in protest at Iran's breaches.

UN nuclear watchdog urges Iran to ‘immediately’ cooperate
AFP, Vienna/Monday, 9 March 2020
The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog on Monday urged Iran to “cooperate immediately and fully” with a landmark nuclear agreement with world powers that is hanging by a thread. The agency called on Iran to provide access to two locations, and said Tehran had failed to engage “in substantive discussions” to clarify the agency’s questions, said Rafael Grossi, the new chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Grossi said the IAEA had raised questions “related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three locations that have not been declared by Iran.”He added that the lack of access to two of the three sites and Iran’s failure to engage in talks was “adversely affecting the agency’s ability... to provide credible assurance of the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.”

Turkey's Babacan registers new political party to challenge Erdogan
Reuters, Istanbul/Monday, 9 March 2020
A former close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan applied on Monday to register a new political party to challenge his ruling AK Party, saying Turkey needed a “fresh start” and calling for reforms to strengthen the rule of law and democracy. Ali Babacan, a 52-year-old former deputy prime minister, announced last July he was resigning from the AKP over “deep differences” about its direction, and his announcement has been long-awaited. Babacan a founding member of the AKP, which has ruled Turkey since 2002, served as economy and then foreign minister before becoming deputy prime minister, a role he held from 2009 to 2015. He was well regarded by foreign investors during his time in charge of the economy. “The need has emerged for a fresh start in Turkey,” Babacan said in an interview broadcast live on Turkey’s Fox TV. “Nearly 20 years have passed (since the AKP was founded)... Turkey has changed and unfortunately the political party of which I was a member began to do things very contrary to its founding principles,” he said. Babacan’s supporters submitted an official request to the Interior Ministry on Monday to establish the new party. Its name will be confirmed at a launch event on Wednesday. “There is a powerful need to create a more prosperous and livable Turkey and this is not possible with the current political order,” Babacan said, stressing the importance of democracy, rule of law and human rights.
Criticism
Opposition politicians, human rights groups and the European Union have long accused Erdogan and his party of trampling on basic freedoms, jailing critics, and undermining democracy, especially since a failed 2016 military coup. In December another one-time close ally of Erdogan, former prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, established the Future Party to rival the AKP. Turkey’s poor economic performance since a 2018 currency crisis has also eaten into support for Erdogan and his party. Last week, closely followed pollster Metropoll published a report showing Erdogan’s job approval in Turkey had fallen to 41.1 percent, down from 48 percent around October when a military operation launched in northeast Syria gave the president a boost.
The latest survey was carried out before Turkey’s ramped up a separate army operation in northwest Syria’s Idlib region.
However polls also show limited support for his emerging political rivals. A Metropoll survey last month put support for Davutoglu’s party at 1.2 percent and for Babacan’s prospective party at 0.8 percent. The poll put AKP support on 40 percent, down from 42.6 percent at a 2018 general election.

EU considers taking in 1,500 refugee children living in Greek camps: Germany

AFP, Berlin/Monday, 9 March 2020
The European Union is considering taking in up to 1,500 migrant children who are currently housed in Greek camps, Germany said Monday. “A humanitarian solution is being negotiated at the European level for a ‘coalition of the willing’ to take in these children,” said the government in a statement. Berlin was ready to take in an “appropriate” share, it added. “We want to support Greece in the difficult humanitarian situation of about 1,000 to 1,500 children on the Greek islands,” added the government in a statement after more than seven hours of talks between leaders of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s right-left coalition.
Concern over the plight of the minors have grown as they either require urgent medical treatment or are unaccompanied by adults. Calls have grown in recent days for other European nations to take them in, as Greece came under intense pressure after. Turkey stopped preventing migrants from leaving for EU territory. Over the last week, migrants have repeatedly sought to storm the Greek border, with clashes erupting as Greek police used tear gas and water cannon to push them back. Amid the crisis, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due in Brussels Monday for talks with the EU. Ankara and the EU agreed in 2016 a deal in which Brussels would provide billions of euros in aid in exchange for Turkish authorities curbing the flow of migrants. But Ankara has repeatedly accused the bloc of not fulfilling its promises.

Kurds to Assad: We Are Syrians, Our Roots Are Here
Qamishli – Kamal Sheikho/ Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020
Head of Syria's regime Bashar al-Assad said there was no Kurdish issue in the country, sparking a wave of widespread condemnation among Kurdish officials and citizens. The issue went viral on social media pushing many individuals to share documents and evidence to prove their origin. “Regarding the so-called ‘Kurdish issue’, there is nothing called a ‘Kurdish issue’ in Syria for a simple reason: Kurds have been living in Syria throughout history but some Kurdish groups who live in the north came to Syria during the last century due to Turkish government oppression,” Assad told Rossiya-24 in an interview aired earlier on Thursday. The Kurdish Progressive Party in Syria denounced Assad's statements, saying the Kurdish issue is historic and no one has the right to deny it because it affects the lives of 3 million citizens. For its part, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria also criticized Assad's approach and language against the Kurds. "Assad's most recent statements testify to the regime's lack of interest in dialogue and hamper the search for a solution to the crisis," it said in an official statement. Also, in response to the accusations of separatism raised by Assad, it added: "The autonomous administration calls on the regime to take a look at the recent past and see how areas of the North and East Syria fought for the country's unity and diversity."Ahmed Suleiman, a senior member of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party said Assad's statements were widely rejected by Kurds and have made Russian-mediated political negotiations between the regime and the Kurds more complicated after it witnessed some progress. Last month, Damascus agreed to political dialogue with guarantees from Moscow to hold negotiations with Kurds. However, no formal talks were held between the regime and Kurdish officials.
Commenting on the issue, Head of the Democratic Union Party Anwar Muslim said: "While we affirm that our people never posed a threat to Syria's unity, we call on the regime to look more thoroughly and see who's dividing and messing with Syria's geography."

Pentagon says two US service members killed in Iraq on anti-ISIS mission
Reuters/Monday, 9 March 2020
Two US service members were killed in north central Iraq on Sunday while accompanying Iraqi security forces on a mission targeting ISIS, US Central Command said in a statement on Monday attributing the deaths to “enemy forces.”The two US military members were not being publicly identified until their families could be notified, the Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve said in the statement released by the command.

Hamas New Base in Turkey After Limiting Presence in Lebanon, Qatar
London- Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
The Hamas leadership is currently based in Ankara and Doha, however, it has been frequently conducting its operations from Turkey, after Qatar and Lebanon asking the movement to reduce its public presence on their territories, sources from the movement told Asharq Al-Awsat. The sources indicated that Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and his deputy Saleh al-Arouri are settling in Turkey at this stage, while others are settling in Qatar and Lebanon. They pointed out that Haniyeh moves between Turkey and Qatar, depending on the situation, and that others stay between the two countries. Haniyeh chose Turkey despite the strong ties he has with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad. In 2017, Qatar asked Hamas not to use its territories in any way that could be interpreted as an attack or aggression directed against Israel, due to political developments in the region. The decision came shortly after US President Donald Trump's attacked Hamas, describing it as a terrorist organization, and criticizing everyone who provided cover to the movement. About a year ago, Hamas received a similar request from Turkey, when Israel launched a media campaign against Arouri. He was accused of directing activities against Israel from the West Bank, which forced Ankara to ask him to leave the country. Sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that, since then, Hamas has been facing difficulties in finding a permanent headquarters for its leadership. Hamas had several options, including Malaysia, Lebanon, and Gaza, but it finally settled on Turkey, which once again opened its territory to leaders of the movement that were previously asked to leave. In 2012, Hamas resorted to Qatar when it left Syria, and the leadership had limited options at the time, represented in Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Sudan, or Qatar. In principle, chief of Hamas politburo should reside abroad so that he could move freely, collect financial aid, and obtain political support for the movement. The aim is also to maintain the security of the chief and keep him safe from Israeli attacks. However, in 2017, the movement risked choosing Haniyeh from within the Strip. He remained in the Strip for two years, after which the movement discovered that the chief could not be imprisoned in the enclave, prompting Haniyeh to leave. Most of his time, Haniyeh resides in Turkey, along with Arouri, Zahir Jabareen, Mousa Abu Marzouk, and Nizar Awadallah. His wife and two children are expected to join him soon. Husam Badran, Izzat al-Rishq, Mohammed Nasr, Sami Khater, and Maher Obeid are staying in Qatar, sometimes visiting Turkey or Lebanon. Hamas excluded Lebanon as an option because of Israeli threats, in addition to the unstable situation there. Arouri moved to Lebanon in 2017, along with other senior Hamas officials, but then-Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused him of plotting attacks against Israel, saying: “Lebanon is responsible for what happens inside it and for terror activity that will emerge from it. “Lebanon is a sovereign state that maintains ties with the US – ties that include bilateral meetings at the highest levels both in Beirut and in Washington... That why it's important that the US work with the Lebanese government with the aim of expelling the three senior Hamas figures and preventing the establishment of another terrorist headquarters in its territory,” said Lieberman. Ousama Hamdan is the only top official residing in Lebanon, while other well-known members, including Yahya Sinwar, Khalil al-Hayya, and Fathi Hamad, live in Gaza. The current leadership, especially Haniyeh, want to rectify what they consider past mistakes, namely the relationship with Iran, according to the sources.

Libyan Army Hits Turkish Military Targets
Cairo - Khalid Mahmoud/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has continued targeting Turkish forces in the country by bombing the military base inside Mitiga International Airport. For the second consecutive day, violent explosions were heard on Sunday in the vicinity of the base, east of Tripoli.
LNA artillery targeted on Saturday evening an air defense system, destroying a warehouse for military equipment belonging to Fayez al-Sarraj’s Special Deterrence Force. According to the LNA, Turkish forces fighting alongside Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) and their armed militias are using Mitiga as a permanent base for military operations. The LNA’s Military Information Division released video footage showing civilian homes in Tripoli destroyed in militia attacks. “After failing to win the battle and losing their bases, the militias once again violated the international ceasefire and targeted residential areas and neighborhoods in Qasr bin Ghashir, breaching human rights laws,” the Division explained. It pointed out that the militias seek to hold the LNA accountable for its actions, which are punishable by international law. The LNA information office has released footage of what appeared to be an announcement of the participation of Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade in the battle to liberate Tripoli. It pointed to the “LNA forces’ ability to carry out all the tasks assigned to them in a highly efficient and professional manner to defend the country and its sovereignty, and preserve its capabilities and gains.”Meanwhile, local residents and eyewitnesses said Sunday four buses carrying mercenaries loyal to Turkey passed near Tajura neighborhood, east of Tripoli. Brigadier General Khaled al-Mahjoub, an LNA official, announced Saturday in televised remarks that “about 142 pro-Turkey mercenaries were killed in Tripoli battles.” He said Sarraj’s GNA and Turkey are being secretive. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported that the number of pro-Turkish factions killed in the Libyan battles rose to 117. It quoted sources as saying that they were killed in the clashes on several fronts in Tripoli, indicating that about 150 fighters among those who headed to Libya, are now in Europe. The SOHR also announced a rise in the number of those arriving in the capital to take part in the battles.

Israel confirms 39 cases of coronavirus, tightens measures to contain spread, tests new arrivals
DebkaFile/March 09/2020
Israel plans to announce on Monday, March 9 that arrivals from any country at all will be subjected to 14 days of isolation. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave notice of this at a joint news conference with Health Minister Yakov Litzman. They were undoubtedly preparing the public for stronger measures to counter the spread of the disease which jumped from 15 to 39 victims since Friday. Economic damage is biting and will become more painful before the coronavirus epidemic is over at some unknown future date. A context was also needed to explain the health authorities’ decision to apply restrictions to three US states, Washington, New York and California, and place them on the list of 97 world countries afflicted by the virus. Before the news conference, Netanyahu talked to US Vice President Mike Pence, whom the president has placed in charge of combating the outbreak in America, to discuss cooperative measures. The political, economic and military ties between the US and Israel are highly complex and of paramount importance. The prime minister heeded to make sure that supply lines remain open. Hence the formula for subjecting arrivals from any country to isolation and tests, including the US, without spelling this out.
The prime minister and health minister said that decisions on this and other measures for countering the virus would be thrashed out overnight Sunday by the health and national security council led by the two ministers and released on Monday. Litzman added that, although the measures his ministry had enforced to contain the spread of the virus has been criticized as too extreme, “we now see that we were right. We were accused of playing election politics. But our policy paid off and we are in a much better position than other places,” the minister said. “We made hard decisions and took heed of the economic aspect, but in the final reckoning, public health must always trump economic considerations. We hope the public will show understanding.” Moshe Bar Simantov, Director-General of the Health Ministry, stressed that while other countries health care systems were beginning to break down under the numbers of infected patients, Israel had managed to slow down the rate of infection substantially to keep pace with the country’s medical capacity. The words of Netanyahu and Litzman were imbued with the the grave message that the worst was still to come. While large sections of the population are likely to be infected, probably with a mild version of covid-19, lockdowns on the most affected areas are to be expected, together with tight restrictions on community events or even synagogue services, depending on how far and how fast the disease spreads across the country. The prime minister on Saturday night indicated that closing schools was on the cards.

ISIS claims attack targeting Afghan inauguration
Reuters, Cairo/Monday, 9 March 2020
ISIS has claimed responsibility for a rocket attack targeting the inauguration of Ashraf Ghani as the Afghan president in Kabul on Monday, the group said in a statement on an affiliated Telegram channel without giving evidence. Ghani’s ceremony was disrupted by the sound of two rockets hitting the edge of the compound of the presidential palace compound in the capital Kabul, Reuters witnesses said, but there was no word of any casualties and he continued his speech.

Two US service members killed in Iraq/Deaths occurred Sunday during counter-ISIS mission.
Reuters/Monday 09 March/2020
Two US service members were killed in north central Iraq while accompanying Iraqi security forces on an mission targeting Islamic State (ISIS), the US military said in a statement on Monday attributing the deaths to "enemy forces." The two US military members, killed on Sunday, were not being publicly identified until their families could be notified, the Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve said in the statement released by the command. The deaths highlight that despite losing its territorial caliphate in Iraq and Syria, ISIS remnant fighters and sleeper cells can still pose a threat.
An Inspector General report published earlier this year said that despite the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the militant group continued low-level attacks and while it did not appear to grow stronger, it did not "lose its freedom of movement or ability to hide and transport fighters and supplies in Iraq’s desert and mountainous terrain." "ISIS in Iraq retains enough manpower and planning capabilities to conduct regular small-scale attacks ... and occasionally infiltrates urban centres, but has not tried to hold territory," the Inspector General said it was told by Combined Joint Task Force for Operation Inherent Resolve.There are about 5,200 US troops in Iraq. Their presence is challenged by pro-Iranian militias and other Iraqi political groups.

Two blasts hit Kabul amid parallel Afghan presidential inauguration ceremonies
Reuters, Kabul/Monday, 9 March 2020
Two blasts were reported in Afghanistan's capital city of Kabul on Monday during parallel presidential inauguration ceremonies. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term on Monday but his main rival for the top job refused to recognise the inauguration, holding his own swearing-in ceremony as a rival president.Television footage showed Ghani taking an oath at the Presidential palace in Kabul at a ceremony attended by a number of foreign diplomats, including US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Presidential candidate and rival in a disputed election Abdullah Abdullah held his own ceremony at a similar time, suggesting talks between the two camps and Khalilzad aimed at brokering an agreement had not been successful.

Rockets Mar Afghan President's Swearing-In as Rival Inaugurates Self
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 09/2020
Rocket fire interrupted the swearing-in ceremony Monday for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, whose second-term win has been undercut by his rival simultaneously claiming the premiership ahead of critical peace talks with the Taliban. The bitter feud between Ghani and his former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah has raised fresh fears for Afghanistan's fragile democracy just as the U.S. prepares to leave the country following an agreement last month with a resurgent Taliban.
Polls were held in September, but repeated delays and accusations of widespread voter fraud meant that Ghani, the incumbent, was only narrowly declared the winner in February -- sparking a furious response from Abdullah, who vowed to form his own parallel government.
On Monday Ghani, dressed in traditional Afghan clothing and white turban, arrived at the presidential palace to be sworn in, surrounded by supporters, senior political figures and foreign dignitaries including U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and General Scott Miller, who heads U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Minutes later, in another corner of the sprawling palace compound, a suit-clad Abdullah inaugurated himself as president, vowing to "safeguard the independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity" of Afghanistan. As hundreds of people watched Ghani's ceremony, at least two loud explosions were heard, prompting some to flee.
The interior ministry later said the blasts were caused by four rockets that struck downtown Kabul including the wall of the Serena luxury hotel located near the presidential palace. No deaths were reported but "one police officer was slightly injured", ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. The Islamic State group claimed the blasts, which mirrored a similar incident targeting a Ghani speech in August 2018 that injured six civilians. "I have no bulletproof vest on, only my shirt," Ghani told those who stayed behind as sirens wailed."I will stay even if I have to sacrifice my head." An AFP reporter saw many of those who fled return to their seats after Ghani's refusal to leave the podium prompted cheers and applause.
Game of thrones
The game of thrones has strained the patience of the international community and Afghans alike, with Washington warning earlier that the bickering posed a risk to the US withdrawal deal, which requires the Taliban to hold talks with Kabul. Widening divisions among Afghan politicians would leave the insurgents with the upper hand in those negotiations. The intra-Afghan talks were due to begin on Tuesday but Ghani's government has not released any details of the negotiating team and it is unclear when they may start. Abdullah said Monday that he would send a separate group to talk to the Taliban. "One of the first priorities of our government would be to create political consensus, and appoint a negotiating team," he said. The row has left many Afghans despairing for their country's future. "It is impossible to have two presidents in one country," said Ahmad Jawed, 22, who urged the men "to put their personal interests aside and only think of their country instead of fighting for power". "Instead of holding oath-taking ceremonies they should talk to each other to find a solution," he told AFP. During Monday's speech, Ghani appeared to extend an olive branch to his opponents, saying: "Today is the day for unity, we have to think about the future.""I call on... (past) political rivals to lend me a hand and a shoulder to serve this country. Our mission is peace and ending the 40 years of war," he added.
'Only way forward'
Afghans have shown little enthusiasm for Abdullah, Ghani or the election process in general, with most abstaining in last year's lackluster poll that saw candidates pitch few ideas or policies. Violence has continued unabated, except for during a week-long partial truce ahead of the US-Taliban deal. In the deadliest attack to hit Afghanistan in weeks, IS gunmen shot dead 32 people and wounded dozens of others at a political rally in Kabul on Friday. The Taliban, who have slammed the electoral process as "a fake and foreign-run" affair, have also ramped up attacks on Afghan forces and civilians. The insurgents' spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP the competing ceremonies showed that "nothing is more important to the slaves than their personal interests". Experts say the infighting is likely to cost the government, which is already under pressure after being shut out of the Doha negotiations for the US-Taliban deal. According to the agreement signed in Qatar, foreign troops will withdraw from Afghanistan in 14 months, in return for various security commitments from the Taliban and a pledge to hold talks with Kabul. Political analyst Atta Noori said the squabbling would "gravely affect the government's position in the upcoming intra-Afghan talks"."Unity is the only way (forward) if they want to win on the negotiating table," he told AFP.

UK police shoot dead man brandishing knives near parliament

AFP, London/Monday, 9 March 2020
British police shot dead a man brandishing two knives near parliament in central London, officers said on Monday, adding that the incident was not terror-related. The Metropolitan Police said officers on patrol at about 11:25 pm (2325 GMT) on Sunday noticed a man they believed was behaving suspiciously. “Officers challenged the man who produced two knives. Armed officers responded. Taser and a police firearm were discharged during the incident,” it said in a statement. “London Ambulance Service attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene... The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
The police said the shooting took place near Great Scotland Yard, an area housing government departments. Britain has been in the grip of a debate about rising knife crime, particularly in London, and two recent attacks in the capital had raised fears of terror attacks. In February, two people were stabbed on a busy high street in the Streatham area of south London. In November last year, two people were killed in the London Bridge area. On both occasions, the attackers were wearing fake suicide vests. Security has also been tightened around Britain’s parliament at Westminster after an attack in 2017 that killed five people on Westminster Bridge.

Sudan’s prime minister survives assassination attempt in Khartoum
AP, Cairo/Monday, 9 March 2020
Sudan’s prime minister survived an assassination attempt on Monday after a blast in the capital, Khartoum, Sudanese state media said. Abdalla Hamdok’s family confirmed he was safe following the explosion, which targeted his convoy. Sudanese state TV said Hamdok was heading to his office when the blast took place, and that he was taken to a “safe place.”No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Police gather around the scene where an attempted assassination was carried out on the Sudanese Prime Minister in Khartoum. (Supplied) The scene where an attempted assassination was carried out on the Sudanese Prime Minister in Khartoum. (Supplied). Footage posted online showed two white, Japanese-made SUVs vehicles used Sudan’s top officials parked on a street, damaged with widows broken. Another vehicle was badly damaged in the blast. Hamdok was appointed prime minister last August, after pro-democracy protests forced the military to remove the autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April and replace it with a civilian-led government. After months of negotiations, the military and the pro-democracy movement reached a power-sharing deal in August. The deal established a joint military-civilian, 11-member sovereign council that will govern Sudan for the next three years. Military generals remain the de facto rulers of the country and have shown little willingness to hand over power to the civilian-led administration. Hamdok has also confirmed the government will cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s efforts to prosecute those wanted for war crimes and genocide in connection with the Darfur conflict in Sudan in the 2000s. Transitional authorities announced in February that they agreed to hand over al-Bashir to the ICC along with other former officials wanted by the ICC

US Treasury: Removing Sudan from Terror List a Matter of Time
Khartoum - Mohammed Amin Yassine/Asharq Al-Awsat/Monday, 9 March, 2020
The US Treasury Department has said that removing Sudan from a list of state sponsors of terrorism is only a matter of time, a statement from Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s office said Sunday. Hamdok held talks with a delegation from the US Treasury in Khartoum.
The statement said the PM stressed that the US is a strategic partner, and reiterated the keenness of Sudan’s transitional authorities to achieve comprehensive peace and improve the country’s economic situation. Marshall Billingslea, the US Treasury’s Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, told Hamdok that removing Sudan from the terrorism list is a matter of time, said the statement. Sudanese Foreign Minister Asma Abdalla also urged the US delegation to remove Sudan from the list to enable it to deal with funding institutions and help it make financial transfers. The Treasury delegation's visit came as foreign affairs committee leaders at the US Congress introduced legislation to support Sudan’s democratic transition. Representatives Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Michael McCaul, the Committee’s Ranking Member; Karen Bass, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations; and Chris Smith, the Subcommittee’s Ranking Member, introduced legislation to help foster a successful democratic transition in Sudan. The Sudan Democratic Transition, Accountability, and Financial Transparency Act of 2020 (H.R.6094) would support a civilian-led democratic transition, promote accountability for human-rights abuses, and encourage fiscal transparency in Sudan.

London police shoot dead man brandishing knives near UK Parliament
NNA/Monday, 9 March, 2020
British police shot dead a man brandishing two knives near Parliament in central London, officers said on Monday, adding that the incident was not terror-related. The Metropolitan Police said officers on patrol at about 11:25 pm (2325 GMT) on Sunday noticed a man they believed was behaving suspiciously. "Officers challenged the man who produced two knives. Armed officers responded. Taser and a police firearm were discharged during the incident," it said in a statement. "London Ambulance Service attended and the man was pronounced dead at the scene... The incident is not being treated as terrorism." The police said the shooting took place near Great Scotland Yard, an area housing government departments. Britain has been in the grip of a debate about rising knife crime, particularly in London, and two recent attacks in the capital had raised fears of terror attacks. In February, two people were stabbed on a busy high street in the Streatham area of south London. In November last year, two people were killed in the London Bridge area. On both occasions, the attackers were wearing fake suicide vests. Security has also been tightened around Britain's Parliament at Westminster after an attack in 2017 that killed five people on Westminster Bridge.--AFP

Statement by Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs on Commonwealth Day
March 9, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:
“Together, with more than 2 billion people in 54 countries around the world, Canada celebrates our shared history and strong bonds of friendship embodied in the Commonwealth.
“As a proud and engaged partner in the Commonwealth, we continue to promote peace, democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law and gender equality for the benefit of the diverse countries and peoples that make up our Commonwealth family. These common values are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter, as well as in the Affirmation adopted last year by Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth on its 70th Anniversary.
“Building on recent Commonwealth heads of government meetings, Canada will continue to advocate global action on climate change and oceans protection, respect for LGBTQ2 rights and the empowerment of women and youth.
“On this day, we celebrate our family of nations’ collective objective in promoting democracy around the world. We commit to continuing to work alongside member states to uphold our shared values and create a more just and prosperous future for all.”
Quick facts
The modern Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 countries, most with historic links to the United Kingdom.
Canada joined the modern Commonwealth in 1949 and has played an important role in its evolution into the Commonwealth of today.

WHO: Virus Pandemic Threat Now 'Very Real', 70% Heal in China
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 09/2020
The World Health Organization warned Monday there was now a "very real" threat that the global outbreak of the new deadly coronavirus will become a pandemic, but stressed the virus could still be controlled.
"The threat of a pandemic has become very real," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters, while stressing that "it would be the first pandemic in history that can be controlled... we are not at the mercy of the virus."He also noted that over 70% of people infected with the virus in its epicenter China have recovered.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 09-10/2020
Iran's journalists are under siege
Tzvi Kahn/The Hill/March 09/2020
Iran’s journalists are under siege. The Center for Human Rights in Iran reported earlier this month that the regime in Tehran was “summoning journalists, raiding their homes and confiscating their electronic devices in a renewed campaign to silence criticism of state policies ahead of Iran’s parliamentary elections” on Feb. 21.
It’s only one of the latest outrages in a lengthy list of recent Iranian misconduct against journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, a total of 24 journalists and citizen-journalists currently languish in Iranian jails, making it the world’s seventh-largest jailer of journalists. Since 1979, the organization states, Tehran has imprisoned or executed at least 860 journalists and citizen-journalists. Reporters Without Borders has ranked Iran 170th out of 180 countries in its 2019 World Press Freedom Index.
In September 2019, four journalists — Amirhossein Mohammadifard, Sanaz Alahyari, Asal Mohammadi, and Amir Amirgholi — received prison sentences of 18 years each following convictions on charges that included “membership of a group with the purpose of disrupting national security.” The group in question: Gam, an online magazine that reports on social justice issues. An appeals court later reduced the sentences to five years each.
But it’s not only domestic outlets that feel the wrath of the Islamic Republic. The BBC is a favorite target of the regime. Tehran has persecuted and intimidated BBC Persian journalists and their families, arbitrarily arresting them, publicly smearing them, and freezing their assets. In November 2019, as nationwide protests consumed Iran and elicited a bloody response from the regime, Tehran threatened to snatch BBC journalists off the streets of London, where BBC is based, if they failed to resign their posts.
“Over the last few weeks,” stated BBC World Service Director Jamie Angus in December, “family members of BBC staff have been called in for questioning, had their passports confiscated and told that they must ask their relatives to stop working for the BBC or face the consequences. At the same time, the Iranian media has cited BBC Persian television as allegedly encouraging unrest and violence in Iran.”
Tehran has issued similar threats against Iran International, a Persian news channel also based in London. The website of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence stated that it has “monitored and identified all movements and actions” of the channel’s employees, and will punish those who “serve foreigners” and “betray the country.” The ministry “strongly condemns the activities of this network … as collaborating with enemies … in terrorist acts,” the website said.
Similarly, after Iran’s accidental downing of a Ukrainian plane in early January, killing all 176 people on board, Hesameddin Ashena, the media advisor for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that Persian-language media should not “participate in the psychological warfare regarding the Ukrainian airliner [crash] and stop cooperating with those who are at war with Iran.” In effect, the advisor attempted to intimidate journalists from reporting the truth lest it damage Iran’s reputation.
Reporters Without Borders now notes that Iran’s intelligence organs summoned at least 21 Iranian journalists, warning them not to speak about government efforts to conceal its culpability for the Ukrainian plane crash. When the truth became known, several journalists for Iranian state media, which generally toe the government’s line, abruptly resigned, publicly apologizing for reporting falsehoods. “Forgive me for the 13 years I told you lies,” said one of them, Gelare Jabbari, in an Instagram post.
Iran’s intimidation of journalists has extended even to the cyber realm. In early February, Reuters reported that Iranian hackers impersonated Azadeh Shafiee, an anchor for Iran International, “in attempts to break into the accounts of a relative of hers in London and Prague-based Iranian filmmaker Hassan Sarbakhshian.” In another incident, hackers impersonated Farnaz Fassihi, a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal who currently works for The New York Times, in an attempt to break into the email account of German academic Erfan Kasraie.
The latest crackdown comes at a particularly precarious moment for the regime. The Ukrainian plane downing is just one challenge to the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic. In recent months, the regime has also faced nationwide protests, the U.S. killing of senior military commander Qassem Soleimani, a Coronavirus crisis, and increasingly crippling American sanctions. Tehran is on the defensive, with no clear exit strategy for regaining equilibrium.
Rather than taking steps to stabilize the country, it has chosen to lash out at the one profession tasked with reporting the truth. In a sense, Tehran’s conduct not only reflects its disdain for impartial journalists at home, but also reflects the regime’s fear of international opprobrium as criticism mounts. This provides an opportunity for the Trump administration.
Washington should sanction Mahmoud Alavi, Iran’s minister of intelligence, who presides over much of Tehran’s repression of reporters. It should also sanction Abbas Salehi, who heads the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which is also responsible for censoring the press. In so doing, the Trump administration not only can signal that it considers Iran’s conduct unacceptable, but also can express solidarity with the long-suffering Iranian people.
*Tzvi Kahn is a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @TzviKahn. FDD is a Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Analysis As Iran's Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, There's One Thing Its Regime Can Be Grateful For
Zvi Bar'el/Haaretz/March 09/2020
As the death toll from the novel coronavirus and number of those infected with the disease in Iran on the rise, the government has officially confirmed 237 deaths and additional 7,161 infected with COVID-19 so far. However, members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq, who operate outside Iran, reported much higher numbers Saturday, claiming over 1,800 Iranian deaths from the virus, while tens of thousands have contracted it.
Already with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the Middle East, Iranian government officials have warned over the weekend that the number could spike to over 450,000, warning that many of the patients might die. Iran's worsening situation has isolated the country far beyond what the American sanctions against Tehran sought to achieve, as Iranian nationals are barred from entering Turkey and Gulf states, and are subject to harsh restrictions upon their entry to Iraq.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the police, and the Iranian military have imposed a closure on the holy city of Qom, where the first cases of the virus in the republic began in January before spreading to the rest of the country, and where many prominent Shi’ite seminaries operate. All Qom residents who seek to leave must pass through checkpoints set up at all city entrances and undergo a medical examination in a sealed, military vehicle before they are permitted to leave. Shortly after the rapid spread in Qom, hospitals in the city were overflowing with patients, causing a shortage of beds, according to Iranian reports.
Several days ago the Iranian regime announced that it would establish 14 mobile hospitals that could absorb some 2,000 coronavirus patients. The government, however, added that it has encountered difficulties in recruiting the necessary staff to man these hospitals.
The government also has to confront clerics who claim that the virus is “biological terror” controlled by Iran’s enemies, and that worshipers should pray at mosques for the eradication of the scourge “which is intended to drive a wedge between the people of faith and God and isolate the country.” Many religious people have begun posting videos of themselves licking and kissing mosque decorations as a cure and a preventive measure against the disease, while authorities are warning against large gatherings, and schools and universities have already been shuttered.
Iran is also the country in which the largest number of government officials and members of political elite have been stricken by the virus. At least 23 Iranian lawmakers have caught the disease, and two have died. The Islamic Republic's deputy health minister, a senior adviser to the supreme leader Ali Khamenei, and President Hassan Rohani’s two advisers are among those who contracted the disease. In addition, Hossein Sheikholeslam, who served as former ambassador to Syria and advisor to Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, as well as adviser to Khamenei on Middle Eastern affairs, died from the disease over the weekend.
The death of Sheikholeslam sparked particular interest as he was among those who planned and carried out the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover that led to the 444-day hostage crisis of American diplomats. At the time he was the familiar face of the student movement that seized the diplomatic compound and frequently appeared at press conferences to report on the condition of the 52 diplomats held in the embassy, conveying the students’ demands.
Alongside him was usually a young woman, Masuma Avtakar, who now serves as Rohani’s deputy for women’s and environmental affairs, but cannot come to her office because she is infected with coronavirus. Sheikholeslam, who before the revolution studied at the University of California Berkeley, stopped his studies to take part in the revolution and became the senior expert for successive Iranian governments on Middle Eastern affairs.
In the 1980s, together with four Iranian activists, including Freidon Wardi-njad, current head of Iran’s official news agency, Hossein Dehghan and Ahmed Wahidi, both former defense ministers, and Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, laid the groundwork for the establishment of Hezbollah. Sheikholeslam was then subsequently appointed Iran’s ambassador to Damascus, and from there oversaw Hezbollah’s activities. When he concluded six years of service in Damascus he returned to Iran and among other posts was put in charge of Iranian policy toward Arab countries, alongside the Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a bombing in early January by a U.S. attack. One may assume that Sheikholeslam’s name was erased over the weekend from the most-wanted list of many intelligence services.
The sparse reports coming from the Iranian government and the unsubstantiated information on social media show that Iran is having difficulty dealing with the spread of the virus, which has become a threatening political issue. Ordinary citizens and experts have accused the regime not only of concealing information and a shortage of beds and medications, but also of a failure to prevent the spread of the virus in the first days after the contagion became known.
According to a key claim, the government could have limited the extent of the damage, isolated the city of Qom earlier, and warned people against the virus in time. But the government feared that such a warning would impact the number of voters going to the polls and thus would damage the government’s image and political legitimacy, which relies on a high voter turnout. Another claim is directed against the decision to export more than a million face masks to China, which resulted in a shortage of masks locally, and now the lack of medicine is sparking controversy among ordinary citizens and doctors, who blame the shortage on the regime’s policy toward sanctions.
In the face of the government’s argument that the sanctions are the direct reason for the shortage, Iranian experts say that Iran’s policy of “standing strong” against sanctions is what could lead to a high number of deaths. It seems that the regime can now only thank the virus for preventing the masses from taking to the streets.

Benjamin Baird on Islamist Influence in the 2020 Elections
Marilyn Stern/Middle East Forum Radio/March 09/2020
Benjamin Baird, deputy director of the Middle East Forum's Islamist Watch project and head of the Counter-Islamist Grid, spoke to Middle East Forum Radio host Gregg Roman on March 4 about American Islamist influence in the 2020 election cycle.
Although large numbers of Muslim Americans once supported the Republican party on the basis of its social and fiscal conservatism (George W. Bush reportedly won a majority of their votes in 2000), Baird recounted how Islamist organizations have led this constituency to overwhelmingly favor the progressive left in recent years.
This shift has much to do with foreign policy. Progressive support for the Palestinians in the Arab-Israeli conflict, smearing of Israel's government as "racist and supremacist," and vocal opposition to America's so-called "forever wars in the Middle East" resonate strongly with Muslims, particularly in the Arab American community.
Moreover, younger-generation Islamists, dubbed "theo-progressives" by Islamist Watch director Sam Westrop, have come to "simultaneously embrace social liberalism and religious orthodoxy" and many advocate "redistributive policies." They attempt theological justifications for this ideological fusion by citing Islamic tithing as a redistributive tool and even claiming the prophet Mohammed "oversaw a state welfare project and believed in minimum wage."
Islamists also embrace the progressive movement's emphasis on "grievance politics" and "identity politics." Progressive candidate Elizabeth Warren pandered to this victim mentality last month by releasing an 8,000-word document titled "Honoring the Strength and Diversity of Muslim Communities" which cast her policies on immigration and race as benefiting Muslims. "[W]e know that looking at raw black or immigrant statistics doesn't really match up or mesh with that of the Muslim American community ... [I]t really took things out of context," said Baird.
According to Baird, Islamists are largely responsible for achieving a 20% increase in Muslim voter registration since 2016 through well-organized get-out-the-vote campaigns and had high hopes of impacting the 2020 elections, initially by helping secure the Democratic presidential nomination for Bernie Sanders, their "candidate of choice." The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) launched robo-calls and public service announcements in states with sizable Muslim populations emphasizing "the importance of voting in primaries and caucuses."
U.S. Muslims can "flip the way that [a] state votes" if they come out to the polls in force.
However, Islamist hopes of delivering a decisive swing vote to Sanders in what was thought to be a tight contest were dashed by Pete Buttigieg's withdrawal from the race, which led centrists to unite behind Joe Biden. Nevertheless, Islamists may well have a decisive impact on the general election. In some states, Muslims make up 1-2% of the population and can "flip the way that the state votes if it ends up being a razor thin margin" should they come out in force and vote.
Although there is little organized outreach to court the Muslim vote by the Republican party, Baird said the GOP can and should appeal to this constituency. It is important to convince Muslim Americans that "Islamists do not have their best interest in mind," that "they ... do not have to look at America with an anti-Western, anti-American lens," and that "they do not have to be treated as victims and ... looked at within the lens of grievance politics."
Within the Muslim American community, Baird noted, there are "a few state level candidates ... grasping onto the same narrative. ... [T]hey don't want to make the religion the number one issue of their candidacy, and they don't want to make their identity the number one issue at all." The best-known is Dalia Al-Aqidi, who is running as a Republican to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
*Marilyn Stern is the producer of Middle East Forum Radio.

Coronavirus in the Time of Tweeters
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020
The politician said he does not recall a time when one issue had taken up so much of the world’s headlines and for such a long period of time like the coronavirus. It has become the main concern of governments, companies and people. It is the main headline across television screens, websites and newspapers and the main concern for scientists. Most alarming is that the virus has not finished claiming victims and damaging the global economy.
We recall how the world held its breath in the 1960s during the Cuban missile crisis that left the United States and Soviet Union on the verge of nuclear war. Many countries at the time felt that they would not have been affected by the conflict. The world again came to attention with the fall of the Berlin wall, but many countries also felt unaffected by any of the repercussions of the development. In 2001, the world was gripped by hours or days of shock when al-Qaeda took its war to American soil on September 11. The concern, however, abated when the world recovered from its shock.
We are now facing a different problem in a different world. It is the first time that we can confirm that social media has truly turned the world into a “global village” where interests, fates and neighborhoods are connected despite their differences.
The politician noted that the problem is both dangerous and comprehensive because it has directly affected 90 countries and counting. Moreover, the virus is having a shocking impact on stocks, the oil market, trade, imports, aviation, tourism and the industry sector. This pushed the International Monetary Fund to announce it was dedicating 50 billion dollars to affected countries, especially after the global economic growth dropped by 1 percent. The situation has led to discussions about worst case scenarios and that the global economy could lose up to 2.7 trillion dollars in the fourth quarter of this year or what amounts to nearly Britain’s GDP.
He did not rule out the possibility that the world was headed towards a new global economic crisis that will inevitably impact development plans, exacerbate problems of unemployment and fuel instability, especially in countries that lack effective institutions that can absorb such shocks. The politician stressed at the same time that we are not headed towards the end of the world, which has already witnessed epidemics that have claimed a massive number of victims and caused major economic damage. He hailed the decisive way in which China handled the outbreak when it isolated some 56 million people to avoid the uncontrollable spread of the virus.
He noted that a major part of the panic can be attributed to the initial shock that such a virus could spread at a time of such scientific and technological advancement and that given this advancement, the world has been helpless to quickly come up with a decisive solution.
He added that another part of the problem is the way the media has covered the virus. We are living in a time of competitive media that seeks scoops often while wading into sensationalist reporting all for the sake of garnering more viewers and readers. The media must, therefore, act responsibility and realize that creating panic will leave a costly impact on the stability of the people and economies. There is a difference in reporting the truth as it is and between exaggeration and sensationalism through various headlines and tweets.
Another politician offered a different view. He said that every virus death is unfortunate, but we must remember that the coronavirus victims are so far much less than the numbers claimed by conflicts, traffic accidents or drug addiction. He noted that the virus victims are much less than those claimed by ISIS or the Halabja massacre, committed by the Saddam Hussein regime with the use of chemical weapons. He remarked that Iran’s current deaths are less than those registered during the crackdown on recent protests and that the global deaths are less than a single day of heavy fighting in the Syrian war.
He said the world knows these facts, but its major fear is attributed to the mysterious nature of this killer that has spread throughout the world, which in turn has yet to come up with a cure. The problem is that the coronavirus emerged during the time of tweeters and the race to come first in reporting deaths, new infections and potential losses.
It would be too much to hold the media responsible for sparking the panic. There is no doubt that some media lacks guidelines that are necessary during the time when reporting has rid itself of the restrictions that used to keep it in line. The truth should be told, however, that the media also played a major role in warning about the new killer. Serious media also played a role in promoting awareness campaigns and preventative measures aimed at limiting the risk of infection. Most importantly, the media’s obsession with the coronavirus has prompted governments to prepare for seriously confronting the outbreak.
It is clear that the media wants to be present in covering news about the coronavirus. The truth is that the scale of the problem has imposed itself on television screens, online platforms and newspapers. We are living in the age of the coronavirus and nothing can compete with it generating such concern, attention, headlines and tweets. The unprecedented scenes, the rapid spread, fear of the unknown and lack of a cure. We should blame the coronavirus, not the tweeters.

A Strong Reminder of Iranian Women’s Resilience
Noor Pahlavi/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 09/2020
There have been many victims of the Islamic regime. Untold numbers of people have been persecuted, arrested, tortured, and killed. Innocent people have been targeted for their faith, their race, their sexuality, their politics, and any number of other characteristics. But from its very outset, this regime has had no greater focus and target than Iran’s women. Khomeini’s earliest writings were diatribes against the progress for women that my grandfather ushered in. Khomeini never got over the equality that Iranian women had. His mission was to destroy it and for forty-one years, his regime has looked to silence Iranian women. It will never succeed.
Iranian women have always been lionesses who have stood up for their rights and refused to stay silent in the face of oppression wherever they see it. This year has served as a strong reminder of the resilience and strength of Iranian women and today, on International Women’s Day, I want to honor their sacrifices and thank them for their leadership. These women are heroes.
For years, Atena Daemi has languished in Evin prison. Her “crime” was advocating for women and children’s rights. In jail, she has been denied proper medical treatment. Despite this unjust treatment she has bravely persisted in her activism. She has written from prison that her struggle for justice for Iran’s women and other oppressed groups will not cease.
After losing her son, Mostafa KarimBeigi, in the 2009 protests Shahnaz Akmali used her pain and grief as fuel for action. She has rallied other mothers whose children have been murdered by the regime and has been a source of companionship and solace for them. Despite imprisonment and threats, she has never let up the fight.
After saying goodbye to her friends at her Quran study class, Fatemeh Sepehri was arrested for being a signatory of the “14-person letter” calling for an end to the regime’s gender apartheid and to the regime itself. Today, she remains imprisoned for having had the bravery to stand up for the rights of all Iranian women. Having lost her son Sattar Beheshti in a regime torture cell, Gohar Eshghi has become a mother to so many more grieving families who share in her pain of a child stolen far too early. She has shown the nation what true courage and unmatched empathy look like.
These are the brave women whose names we know. Yet there are too many, thousands, of other mothers, sisters, and daughters struggling whose names we do not. These women whose loved ones were slain in the Aban (October) -month massacre have kept on in silence. Their pain and anger are unimaginable and their bravery to continue the fight has empowered us all. These women should never have had to be in this position. I wish they weren’t. I can only imagine that they wish the same. But they have taken the pain and used it to try to end our national tragedy, to end this gender apartheid. They are our nation’s heroines and on International Women’s Day they should know that the Iranian people look to them for inspiration.
We see this remarkable strength in Iranian women everywhere. On my mother’s travels to Greece to meet with Iranian refugees she met with women who had been through unthinkable tragedy. She met women who had survived abuse, mental health struggles, drug addiction, and so much else. They sat, talked, laughed, and cried together as Iranian women. The stories my mother shares with me from these women are astounding and the strength they possess to keep standing is remarkable.
To me, this show’s the regime’s abject failure. They have tried to silence Iranian women for four decades. But Iranian women of all stripes have only become stronger and more united in their demand for justice, equality and freedom. One day soon in tomorrow’s free Iran we will celebrate this great day, together, across Iran and honor the immense bravery and achievements of Iranian women. That day is not far.
*This article was syndicated in the Independent Persian

Turkey-Russia ceasefire deal has failed the Syrian refugees
Raghida Dergham/The National/March 09/2020
Missing in Moscow was a longer-term view on ending the war. This is a problem, as the quagmire will only expand in the country
If there is one takeaway from Thursday’s meeting between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, it is that their ceasefire deal will not bring long-term stability to Syria. The summit in Moscow might have offered some face-saving measures for both leaders, but it did not revive the political process or offer a roadmap for a lasting ceasefire.
For sure, the summit did not provide either leader with a win. Mr Erdogan received none of what he demanded – neither the withdrawal of Syrian regime forces back to the lines stipulated by an agreement made between Turkey and Russia last year, nor the end of Russian support for the regime’s offensives. Mr Putin, too, failed to receive what he was after – namely, a commitment from his Turkish counterpart to take action against groups in north-western Syria that Russia considers to be terrorists.
Missing from Moscow was longer-term view to ending the Syrian conflict that began in 2011. This is a problem because, absent this, any ceasefire is bound to be short-lived and the quagmire will only expand in Syria with all the stakeholders further digging in their heels
If the meeting had any positive outcome, it was that Russia’s foreign ministry had succeeded in urging Mr Putin to seek a diplomatic resolution rather than military confrontation with Turkey. That said, the joint news conference that followed the meeting did not inspire confidence. For his part, Mr Erdogan made it clear that if the Assad regime continued to attack Turkish forces, Ankara’s response would be even harsher than it has been so far.
In other words, the ceasefire might amount to a mere temporary cessation of hostilities. Even the safe corridor under discussion between the Turkish and Russian defence ministers holds little significance beyond keeping a channel open between their forces.
Missing from Moscow was a longer-term view on ending the Syrian conflict that began in 2011. This is a problem because, absent this, any ceasefire is bound to be short-lived and the quagmire will only expand in Syria with all the stakeholders further digging in their heels.
For Mr Erdogan in particular, this is a deepening crisis. Problems between Ankara and Moscow could deprive the Turkish president of an important bargaining chip in his ongoing negotiations with the US and Nato, of which Turkey is a member. Second, insistence upon Turkish dominance in northern Syria will inevitably lead to a confrontation with Russia, because Moscow will not cease its support for Syrian regime forces. In the absence of any sign of an imminent political settlement – and with Mr Erdogan’s public opposition to elections in Syria until the country’s refugees are repatriated – the Turkish president will struggle to resolve the many challenges facing his political career.
Turkish-backed Syrian fighter loads ammunition at a frontline near the town of Saraqib in Idlib province, Syria. AP Photo
The fact that Mr Erdogan had to go to Moscow, and could not convince the Russian leadership to hold the meeting in Ankara is further evidence of the pressure Mr Erdogan is under. Adding to the voices against him are several from the European continent, where leaders are accusing him of blackmail: Mr Erdogan is currently encouraging the travel of large numbers of Syrian refugees from Turkey to Europe.
It has also not helped that Mr Erdogan’s position inside Nato is at an especially low point. Indeed, the US – the leading member of the alliance – does not trust Mr Erdogan and was unimpressed by his policy directions in recent times – including Ankara’s purchase of the Russian-made S-400 missile system, despite strong American and Nato opposition. The system is not yet operational in Turkey, with Washington considering the possibility of helping Ankara to replace it with the Patriot Missile system – although the idea is likely to fall through.
Meanwhile, a notable absentee from the Moscow summit – aside from Mr Al Assad himself – was Iran. The regime in Tehran and Hezbollah, its ally in Lebanon, are knee-deep in Syria’s troubles for a variety of reasons. But both Iran and Lebanon are struggling through deepening crises in their own countries. Their choice today is between staying in Syria and participating in the conflict in a mere auxiliary role, or withdrawing to attend to their domestic problems, ranging from economic crises to mass popular discontent to the outbreak of coronavirus.
Indeed, coronavirus could threaten the fate of Iran’s regime, not only because the ruling clerics there have obstructed the measures necessary to prevent an epidemic, but also because authorities seem to have no system in place to measure how much the virus has spread. As one Iranian told me, the bazaar culture cannot be stopped and quarantines are a strange concept to their culture. So far, controlling the outbreak has proved extremely difficult, and the Iranian leadership might not be able to avert a larger disaster.
It is therefore possible that Iran’s external agenda, especially in Syria but also Iraq and Lebanon, could increasingly take a backseat. However, this does not mean that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – the regime’s militia – will suspend their operations in the various theatres across the Middle East. And it will not necessarily mean that Iran’s woes could force it to reconsider its policies and respond to US and European calls to renegotiate the nuclear deal and abandon its expansionist ambitions. As I have been told, flexibility is out of the question despite the regime being weighed down by sanctions.
Unfortunately, the policies pursued by all the stakeholders in Syria’s future do not take into consideration the humanitarian crisis. What is distressing about it is, there seems no light at the end of the tunnel for the millions of ordinary civilians.
*Raghida Dergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute

Iran’s expansionist plans pose real danger to Europe
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami/Arab News/March 09/2020
Ever since 1979, Europe has held a pivotal position in the Iranian regime’s plans due to its geopolitical, economic and historical importance to Iran. In Tehran’s view, Europe plays a central role in enabling the regime to expand the Islamic Republic under the leadership of the Guardian Jurist — currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In Europe, Iran’s regime has already launched the first phase of its expansionism via proselytizing and religious indoctrination. Once this stage is complete, the second phase involving politicization will begin. In this first phase, the regime relies on soft power tools, such as establishing cultural centers and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), holding conferences and events in European capitals, and deploying missionaries to help in indoctrination and sectarian mobilization. The regime’s use of soft power in Europe, rather than its usual military tools, is attributable to Europe’s relative geographic remoteness from Iran, the small number of Shiites currently present there, and the region’s stable political systems, which are barriers to creating the appropriate conditions for expanding Iranian influence via hard power. The same barriers are not present in Iran’s immediate vital spheres, such as in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, thanks to geographical proximity and weak political systems, the latter often already undermined by Iranian proxies and sectarian infighting.
Iran’s regime has exploited several facets of European life to infiltrate the continent and increase its influence there, including Europe’s atmosphere of religious tolerance and openness.
The regime has also taken advantage of European openness in allowing minorities to practice their religious rituals, as well as the availability of financial havens offering tax loopholes to establish cultural centers and NGOs, and laundering massive sums of money, with Europe’s ignorance of the regime’s agenda making it easier for Tehran to disguise its objectives.
By spreading its hard-line brand of Shiism to Europe, Iran’s regime seeks to influence European intellectual, political and economic spheres. The Tehran regime has aimed to increase its leverage by creating lobby groups in Europe to guide and shape political decisions in favor of Iran.
This is a prelude to the second phase of the regime’s expansionism, which involves military mobilization, among other factors. This will be enabled and assisted by the regime’s utilization of Shiites in Europe to serve its expansionist project and achieve its security and intelligence objectives.
Tehran has established relations with Shiite centers in Europe. The role of these centers now exceeds their traditional Da’wa and spiritual objectives, with the regime exploiting its relations with them to serve its foreign policy agenda and boost its soft power. Iran also uses these centers to present its fundamentalist Velayat-e Faqih doctrine as an inspirational political project and to carry out security, intelligence and terrorist missions inside some European countries, in addition to building international networks to thwart US sanctions.
Iran’s impact on these centers has been so profound that they have enabled the regime to penetrate Europe’s Arab and Islamic communities to recruit Muslims to its extremist interpretation of Shiism. These recruits have been used by the Iranian regime as fundamentalist missionary tools in their homelands.
Iran’s regime has arguably refined its strategy through its massively destructive policies in the Middle East, where it has initiated or exploited the chaos unleashed by civil wars in which it is a key player to unleash unimaginable terror and sectarian strife via its network of sectarian militias. The resulting state of anarchy, in which normal rule is impossible, allows the regime to intensify its agenda of indoctrination while governments are too busy struggling to survive. The miserable conditions now prevalent in parts of the Middle East indicate the results of the regime’s ruinous interventions, annihilating the potential of the region, destroying infrastructure, and displacing millions of citizens. This military intervention was preceded by the regime’s soft power phase of engaging in missionary work in order to create a popular base in the region to gain loyalty and support, with this base then politicized, militarized and integrated into national ruling regimes.
This soft power phase, during which the Iranian regime disseminates its fundamentalist ideology, is a vital period. But Tehran and its proxies can be stopped before phase two is initiated. Doing so is essential to halt the regime’s extremely well-planned schemes aimed at sabotaging, dividing and weakening countries. The financial and political costs of intervening to thwart the regime at this early phase are far less than the costs when the regime has moved to its advanced expansionist phase, as can be seen in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, not to mention Iran itself, with the world proving incapable of resisting and expelling the Iranian regime’s forces and proxy militias in Iraq, Syria and other nations.
It is no secret that Iran’s regime, represented by its proxies and tools, whether the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah or others, has committed various terrorist operations in the European arena (in Greece, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany and Belgium) since the 1980s. These terror operations include the Iranian-backed Hezbollah hijacking of TWA flight 847 and the killing of a US navy diver in June 1985, and the assassination of Iranian dissidents in exile. It was also discovered that the regime plotted to plant a bomb targeting an Iranian opposition conference in Paris in 2018.
Europe’s ignorance of the regime’s agenda makes it easier for Tehran to disguise its objectives.
While European countries have already begun a long overdue crackdown on the operations of some Shiite centers, this action should be accompanied by the introduction of legislation restricting the scope of their work. European authorities should also insist on these centers cutting their links with the Iranian regime and ending their suspicious sources of funding. In addition, European authorities should deprive them of their tax-exempt status and other privileges. Denmark and France have already taken steps in this respect.
The Iranian regime’s relations with these Shiite centers provide it with loyalists who can be employed to serve the so-called Islamic Republic’s malign influence and expansionist project worldwide. Such relations also give Tehran room for circumventing US sanctions and setting up transnational networks for trading weapons and nuclear materials, as well as hidden channels to engage in other illegal activities.
*Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is Head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami

Afghan deal shows Qatar is no mediator, but works for America’s enemies
Jordan Schachtel/Al Arabiya/March 09/2020
Given the news that the highly-touted US-Taliban peace deal is already collapsing, mere days after its signing, it’s time to take a closer look at the common thread uniting poorly brokered accords in the 21st century of US foreign policy. That common thread involves the United States and its allies utilizing Qatar as a mediator in facilitating international agreements.
Qatar has for years now assuaged critics of its extremist-friendly regime by proclaiming that it is a necessary intermediary for groups like the Taliban, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Republic of Iran and other extremist entities that consider themselves enemies of the West.
But it seems every time the United States and its allies rely on Qatar to mediate talks or an agreement with our adversaries, it’s our adversaries that come out on top. Qatar is a poor intermediary largely because it has a bias in favor of America’s enemies.
And history proves it.
Qatar played a prominent role in mediating between the many parties involved in the Arab Spring. This resulted in the toppling of US allied governments and the empowering of Islamists. Qatar played intermediary to the deal that saw the “Taliban Five” released in exchange for a US soldier. Once the Taliban Five made it to Qatar, the Taliban reneged on their commitment, brokered through Doha, not to take up activities against the United States. That’s just two of the many times in which the US got the short end of the deal.
As for the Taliban, ever since Doha became home to the Taliban’s political enterprise, the Qatari government has consistently treated the group like royalty. Taliban leaders live a lavish lifestyle in Doha, with free homes and an open checkbook from the ruling family. Qatar, as opposed to US allies elsewhere in the region, was the Taliban’s preferred destination for its political enterprise. Somehow, this raised no red flags, and the extremist group was accommodated with its base of operations in Qatar.
Now we can fast forward to February 29, the day of the US-Taliban agreement. Immediately thereafter, Taliban members took to the streets of Doha in celebration. They seemed to be declaring victory, while confused US diplomats looked on.
“This sense of celebration and victory spilled into the open Saturday as Taliban leaders and members staged a small parade in the streets of Qatar before the signing ceremony,” NBC reported from Doha.
The State Department lavished praise upon Qatar for its role in mediating the agreement.
“Left Qatar knowing that the world is a safer place, with solid progress towards a political settlement that will end the war in Afghanistan,” read a statement from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Twitter account. “Thank you to Qatar and our allies and partners for their support of peace in Afghanistan.”
“Extremely grateful for Qatar’s support for Afghan peace and for facilitating talks,” read part of another statement from the secretary.
But what is it exactly that Qatar accomplished for the US side? Other than once again bamboozling US foreign policy makers, that remains unclear.
The agreement is perceived by the Taliban as a declaration of US surrender. The group seems to have entirely dismissed the fine points it has signed up to. There are many items in the deal that sound good on paper, such as its pledge to no longer do business with Al Qaeda. However, to the Taliban, it simply isn’t worth the weight of the paper it is written on. There will be no distancing itself from Al Qaeda, because they negotiated in bad faith, and the Qataris, well aware of this, were happy to play along. Signatures simply don’t matter to extremist regimes, and their current actions prove it.
More important to the Taliban was the signing ceremony, which included photos and videos of high-ranking US officials shaking hands with the same extremist leaders who had commanded armies responsible for the deaths of countless American soldiers. The photo-op was a priceless, propaganda coup for the Taliban.
Again, the agreement looks decent on paper. It includes a pledge to reduce violence over the long term, and a continuing ceasefire with Afghan government forces. Mere hours after signing the accord, news reports emerged of Taliban military units targeting Afghan army positions throughout the country. Moreover, the Taliban has released public statements that seem to contradict the agreement. It has become clear that the extremist outfit interprets the US-Taliban agreement as both a blank check to do whatever it wants and as a propaganda tool it can utilize to declare victory against the West.
The United States leaves Doha with little to show for these highly touted Afghanistan “peace talks” and agreements. The Qataris will continue to perpetuate the myth that it can play a role as an international intermediary, the Taliban got its propaganda victory and international legitimacy, and the State Department leaves Qatar empty handed, but for an agreement that is already being dismissed by the longtime Afghan warlords.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why we continue to come up short when Qatar facilitates our agreements. The rulers in Doha have an ideological bias in favor of our enemies.
*Jordan Schachtel is an investigative journalist and foreign policy analyst based in Washington, D.C. You can follow him on Twitter @JordanSchachtel.