English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese,
Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 07/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/eliasnews21/english.january07.21.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man
John 01/47-51: “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming
towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no
deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered,
‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. ’Nathanael replied,
‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’Jesus answered, ‘Do
you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see
greater things than these.’And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will
see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
Man.’”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials
published on January
06-07/2020
Coronavirus: Lebanon reports 3,620
cases, highest to date, prepares for full lockdown
Egypt seizes $39 mln worth of Captagon, hashish, in boxes labelled ‘made in
Lebanon’
Hezbollah municipality erects Soleimani statue in Beirut suburbs sparking
controversy
Aoun congratulates Catholicos Aram I, Armenian communities on Christmas occasion
Al-Rahi Urges Aoun, Hariri to Hold 'Personal Reconciliation Meeting'
Report: Interior Portfolio Main Obstacle, Hizbullah Backs Govt. Formation
Report: Hariri Didn't Hold Talks while Abroad, His Stance Unchanged
Strong Lebanon welcomes Gulf reconciliation, urges Hariri to stop fabricating
internal excuses to delay government formation
Rebuttal of “Strong Lebanon Bloc” allegations: The problem lies in the
impossible conditions that torpedo the French initiative
Berri reviews hour issues with Siniora, Arslan, Akar and Wehbeh at Ain El-Tineh
Palace
Bronze Bust of Soleimani Sparks Controversy in Lebanon
Geagea Says GCC Reconciliation in Interest of All Arabs, Especially Lebanon
Hassan, Nehme meet with Baalbek’s dignitaries, listen to their concerns and
demands
Ghajar: Consortium of companies continues its oil activities in Lebanon
Military Court decision to tighten rulings against shooters during holidays,
special occasions
Cedar Oxygen, the trade-finance platform to Industry in Lebanon, signs MoU with
Association of Lebanese Industrialists
Abdel Samad in response to Al-Akhbar Newspaper: Keen on the safety of staff,
taking all preventive measures
Iranian statements put southern Lebanon in the line of fire
Titles For The
Latest
English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on
January
06-07/2020
Israel strikes area south of Syrian capital Damascus
GCC summit is short on reconciliation details despite positive tone
U.S. hits Iran with fresh sanctions as Trump term nears end
Text of Treasury Department press release on new sanctions against key actors in
Iran’s steel sector
30 years since Gulf War: Defense Ministry releases archives
Iran parliament debates bill calling to destroy Israel by 2041
Canada Announces appointment of new special envoy to the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation
Session to Certify Biden Win Halted after Trump Supporters Storm Congress
Guns Out, Windows Smashed: Trump Crowd Turns Congress into Battlefield
Trump Tells Supporters to 'Go Home' after Storming of U.S. Capitol
U.S. Lawmakers Denounce 'Coup' as Trump Supporters Storm Congress
Biden Brands Congress Violence 'Insurrection,' Demands Trump Call Off Siege
NATO Chief Decries 'Shocking Scenes in Washington'
EU Slams 'Assault on U.S. Democracy' after Congress Stormed
UK, Ireland Slam Capitol Unrest by Trump Supporters
Stop Trampling Democracy, German FM Tells U.S. Protesters
Syria Responds to 'Israeli Aggression' in South
Tunisia Pushes for U.N. Monitors for Libya's Frail Ceasefire
Greek Church Defies Virus Advice to Mark Epiphany
British judiciary refuses to release Assange on bail
Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on January 06-07/2020
Turkey and Israel: Premature Optimism for Normalization/Burak
Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/January 06/2021
Sudan signs Abraham Accord to establish ties with Israel/Nada AlTaher/The
National/January 06/2021
Iran claims it's installing 1,000 centrifuges after announcing expanded uranium
enrichment/Zachary Halaschak/The Washington Examiner/January 06/2021
Assad’s desperate attempt to revive reputation destined to fail/Dr. Dania
Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/January 06/2021
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on January 06-07/2020
Coronavirus: Lebanon reports 3,620 cases, highest to date,
prepares for full lockdown
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday 06
January 2021
Lebanon is preparing for a total lockdown starting on Thursday after detecting
its highest daily number of new coronavirus cases since the outbreak began in
December 2019, with the health ministry reporting 3,620 new infections in the
past 24 hours. The total number of confirmed cases in the country is now
195,759. Lebanon announced a full lockdown for three weeks, including a night
curfew, to stem a rise in COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm
hospitals in a country already facing financial meltdown. First responders say
they have been transporting nearly 100 patients a day while hospitals report
near-full occupancy in beds and ICUs. Nurses say they are overwhelmed, and
private hospitals have been roped into the national response despite complaints
that the cash-strapped government owes them large sums of outstanding debt.
Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hasan said the lockdown would start on Thursday
and run until Feb. 1, with further details on Tuesday on which sectors would be
exempt. The lockdown will include a curfew from 6 pm to 5 am. “It has become
clear that the pandemic challenge has reached a stage that is seriously
threatening Lebanese lives as hospitals are not capable of providing beds,”
Hasan told reporters after a meeting of the ministerial committee on COVID-19.
The new lockdown comes amid concerns over soaring unemployment, inflation and
poverty.(With Agencies)
Egypt seizes $39 mln worth of Captagon, hashish, in boxes
labelled ‘made in Lebanon’
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday 06
January 2021
Egypt has seized drugs worth $39 million after intercepting a container
transiting from one Arab country to another, state-owned online newspaper Al-Ahram
Gate reported on Wednesday. The container, which was transiting through the
Egyptian port, had eight million super-strength “Captagon” amphetamine pills and
nine tons of hashish. The General Administration for Narcotics Control seized
the container which had carton boxes labelled “Made in Lebanon” containing the
narcotics. There were no immediate details on who had been trying to transport
them, but the statement said an investigation into the smuggling attempt was
continuing. Consumption of “Captagon” outside the Middle East is negligible, the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said last year, but it is a
significant drug in the Gulf. Lebanon and neighboring Syria are conduit routes
for the drug. Scientists say “Captagon” is a super-boosted amphetamine with
unique chemical complexities allowing it to induce potent psychoactive effects
far more rapidly than amphetamines alone. - With Reuters
Hezbollah municipality erects Soleimani statue in Beirut
suburbs sparking controversy
The Associated Press/Wednesday 06 January 2021
The unveiling of a large statue in Beirut of an Iranian commander killed by the
US last year has sparked indignation among many in Lebanon — the latest
manifestation of a growing schism between supporters and opponents of the
Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
The bronze bust of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was erected Tuesday by the Ghobeiry
municipality in a Hezbollah stronghold near Beirut's airport to commemorate the
slain general's supportive role in Lebanon's wars with Israel. Soleimani, the
architect of Iran’s proxy militias in the Middle East, was killed in a US drone
strike near Baghdad airport a year ago. Many Lebanese, mostly critics of
Hezbollah, took to social media to lambast the celebration of a foreign military
leader in Lebanon's capital. “Occupied Beirut,” tweeted one Lebanese, Amin Abou
Mansour, who posted it with the hashtag #BeirutFree_IranOut.
Others lamented what they described as the cultural hegemony of the militant
Hezbollah and its ally, Iran. Wael Attallah, a Lebanese Canadian, tweeted: “This
is a cultural aggression being imposed on Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of
Lebanese today feel violated and powerless. The Schism is getting wider day by
day, little by little.”One Lebanese media personality said she received death
threats after her criticism on social media of the new statue. The criticism has
triggered a backlash from supporters, who started a Twitter storm with the
hashtag: #Soleimani-is-one-of-us. The killing of Soleimani and a top Iraqi
militia leader last year at Baghdad’s airport significantly ratcheted up
tensions in the region, sparking outrage among their supporters and bringing
Iran and its allies and the US close to an all-out conflict. Iraq and Hezbollah,
Iran’s closest allies in the region, have called for the expulsion of US troops
from the region and threatened to retaliate for the killing of the two
commanders. The fallout over the Soleimani statue reflected deepening divisions
in the small country that has become increasingly aligned with Iran, alienating
traditional Arab and Western backers.
A report in the online site Al-Modon called the bust in southern Beirut a
“symbol of (an) Iranian mandate” in Lebanon that replaces symbols of a bygone
era when pictures or statues of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdul-Nasser and Syrian
President Hafez Assad were prevalent. The bronze bust about 3 meters (10 feet)
high is located in a roundabout on a street named for the Iranian general and is
linked to a highway named after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini — a
reflection of growing Iranian influence in Lebanon. Giant posters of Soleimani
were also installed along the airport highway and in streets and neighborhoods
allied with Hezbollah, in some instances sparking angry reactions from locals.
In the eastern Bekaa highway to the Brital area, unidentified men torched a
billboard of Soleimani on Sunday, according to the local LBC TV channel. The
following day, other portraits of Soleimani were burned north of Beirut in Nahr
al-Kalb by men who brandished the portraits of Christian leader Bachir Gemayl,
who was assassinated in 1982.
Aoun congratulates Catholicos Aram I, Armenian communities
on Christmas occasion
NNA/January 06/2021
President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, contacted, Wednesday, Armenian
Orthodox Catholicos Aram I, congratulating him on Christmas for Armenian
communities, hoping that God would bless Lebanon and the Lebanese Armenians in
celebrating this feast under better conditions in the future. In turn,
Catholicos Aram I thanked President Aoun for his well-wishes, hoping for
goodness and better fortune for Lebanon and the Lebanese in these difficult
circumstances. – {Presidency Press Office}
Al-Rahi Urges Aoun, Hariri to Hold 'Personal
Reconciliation Meeting'
Naharnet/January 06/2021
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Wednesday called on President Michel Aoun
and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to hold what he called a “personal
reconciliation meeting.”“I urge them to hold a contemplative meeting, a personal
reconciliation meeting, a meeting responsible for pulling the country out of
collapse, through the formation of a salvation government liberated from
political and partisan bickering and quotas,” al-Rahi said in a sermon during a
mass marking the Christian feast of Epiphany. “I call on all the political
forces concerned to facilitate this formation,” the patriarch added.
Report: Interior Portfolio Main Obstacle, Hizbullah Backs Govt. Formation
Naharnet/January 06/2021
The dispute over who gets the interior portfolio is still the main obstacle
delaying the formation of the new government, a media report said. “Should it be
resolved, all the other obstacles will disappear,” informed sources told al-Joumhouria
newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri
“will not give it up and will not back down from his stance, seeing as he
considered that he made a confessional and Sunni concession when he allotted it
to the Greek Orthodox sect and thought that the candidate who will assume it
might be a centrist,” the sources said. “He proposed for it Beirut prosecutor
Judge Ziad Abu Haidar, while the President is insisting on Adel Yammine, who
officially belongs to the Free Patriotic Movement,” the sources added. As for
Hizbullah’s role in the current deliberations, the sources said the party’s
rivals might say that it does not want a government but noted that “the party
backs the government formation as soon as possible to halt the country’s
deterioration.” “But it will not engage in a battle against its allies and it
does not want to pressure (President Michel) Aoun or (FPM chief Jebran) Bassil,”
the sources went on to say.
Report: Hariri Didn't Hold Talks while Abroad, His Stance Unchanged
Naharnet/January 06/2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who returns to Lebanon today, did not make
any contacts from abroad with any of the Lebanese political parties regarding
the stalled cabinet formation process, media reports said. “Talk that the course
will become clearer after (U.S. President-elect Joe) Biden assumes power on
January 20 is childish,” informed sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in
remarks published Wednesday. As for the “real reason” that is delaying the
government’s formation, the sources said: “The story is clear: Free Patriotic
Movement chief Jebran Bassil wants the government to be as he wishes and he
still has the same monopolization mentality, as if nothing has changed.” “Hariri
for his part will not accept to give up the framework he has announced to the
Lebanese and the world for the formation of a government with standards that are
totally different than the previous ones,” the sources added.
Strong Lebanon welcomes Gulf reconciliation, urges
Hariri to stop fabricating internal excuses to delay government formation
NNA/January 06/2021
The "Strong Lebanon" bloc held its periodic meeting headed by MP Gebran Bassil,
and issued a statement in which it called on "Prime Minister-designate Saad
Hariri to assume his responsibilities and carry out his national and
constitutional duties," urging him to "stop stalling, return from his travels,
and do what is required of him, and not to fabricate internal obstacles to hide
the real reasons behind delaying the formation process."The bloc welcomed "the
Gulf reconciliation, and wished harmony would prevail between all Arab brothers,
instead of discord and conflict."
Rebuttal of “Strong Lebanon Bloc” allegations: The
problem lies in the impossible conditions that torpedo the French initiative
NNA/January 06/2021
The Press office of Prime Minister-designate, Saad Hariri, issued the following:
The “Strong Lebanon Bloc” returns to its preferred policy of holding others
responsible for the obstacles that it intentionally creates. Today it called on
the Prime Minister-designate "to assume his responsibilities, carry out his
national and constitutional duties, stop consuming time and return from travel
in order to focus on what is required of him, and not fabricate internal
obstacles to hide the real reasons behind the delay in the formation process."
The bloc and its president did not notice that the prime minister-designate
performed his national and constitutional duties to the fullest, and presented
the president of the republic with a lineup of non-partisan specialists known
for their competence and success, which awaits that the president finishes
studying it. The bloc did not notice that the party that blocked the country for
more than two and a half years is the last entitled to teach lessons about not
consuming time and creating obstacles. The bloc and its president also missed
the fact that the problem is clear and known to everyone. It is internal, and
linked to the adherence to impossible conditions that torpedo everything
stipulated in the French initiative and eliminate any hope of dealing with the
crisis, from stopping the collapse to rebuilding what the port explosion
destroyed. – [PM-designate Saad Hariri’s Press Office]
Berri reviews hour issues with Siniora, Arslan, Akar
and Wehbeh at Ain El-Tineh Palace
NNA/January 06/2021
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, met today with former Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora who visited him Ain al-Tineh Palace, with talks centering on the
general conditions in the country and the latest political developments. On
emerging, Siniora spoke to attending press, hoping that “with the onset of 2021,
Lebanon and the Lebanese would witness better days and circumstances, and that
all officials and citizens would have a real awareness of the extent of the
problems at stake and the need to take the right initiatives that would place
the country back on the proper track to overcoming its sufferings and
burdens.”Siniora considered that this would naturally entail that everyone rises
above the differences and begin to make a real contribution to the formation of
a rescue government, comprised of non-partisan, independent and competent
figures who can form, along with the cabinet’s head, a solidarity and harmonious
group capable of taking the first step and moving forward towards getting out of
this huge impasse and regaining the confidence of the Arab and international
communities in the Lebanese state. Siniora also highlighted the importance of
returning to respecting the Lebanese Constitution, the protector of the Lebanese
and their solidarity. He added that his visit to the House Speaker was a chance
to dwell on numerous topics and hour issues, most prominently the need to
restore the role of the Lebanese state, its authority, respect and capabilities.
The Speaker later conferred with "Democratic Party” Chief, MP Talal Arslan, who
visited him accompanied by former Minister Saleh al-Gharib in the presence of MP
Ali Hassan Khalil. Following the meeting, Arslan indicated that talks touched on
various matters of concern on the national, regional and international arenas,
and the need to accelerate the formation of the new government, in light of the
huge difficulties witnessed in Lebanon at all levels, especially the economic,
financial and daily-living situation. Arslan emphasized the need to have a
well-balanced cabinet, providing the largest possible representation to ensure
that the country is saved; an inclusive government that brings the Lebanese
together and devotes itself to dealing with the major issues facing the country
under these difficult circumstances. The MP commended the national stances of
House Speaker Berri, deeming him as “the constant guardian of national unity,
continuously working to bring the Lebanese together, and making every effort to
help the country emerge from its painful situation the soonest possible.”Later
in the afternoon, the House Speaker met with Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Defense, Zeina Akar, Caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Charbel
Wehbeh, and Head of the Lebanese delegation commissioned with the border
demarcation negotiations, Brigadier General Bassam Yassine, in the presence of
MP Khalil. Within the context of their talks over border negotiations, Berri
affirmed "the previously announced framework agreement and the principle of
delineating maritime borders, in order to preserve Lebanon’s rights to its
sovereignty and investing in its wealth."
Bronze Bust of Soleimani Sparks Controversy in
Lebanon
Associated Press/January 06/2021
The unveiling of a large statue in a Beirut suburb of an Iranian commander
killed by the U.S. last year has sparked indignation among many in Lebanon --
the latest manifestation of a growing schism between supporters and opponents of
Iran-backed Hizbullah. The bronze bust of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was erected
Tuesday by the Ghobeiry municipality in a Hizbullah stronghold near Beirut's
airport to commemorate the slain general's supportive role in Lebanon's wars
with Israel. Soleimani, the architect of Iran's proxy militias in the Middle
East, was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad airport a year ago. Many
Lebanese, mostly critics of Hizbullah, took to social media to lambast the
celebration of a foreign military leader in Lebanon's capital. "Occupied
Beirut," tweeted one Lebanese, Amin Abou Mansour, who posted it with the hashtag
#BeirutFree_IranOut. Others lamented what they described as the cultural
hegemony of the militant Hizbullah and its ally, Iran. Wael Attallah, a Lebanese
Canadian, tweeted: "This is a cultural aggression being imposed on Lebanon.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese today feel violated and powerless. The Schism
is getting wider day by day, little by little."One Lebanese media personality
said she received death threats after her criticism on social media of the new
statue. The criticism has triggered a backlash from supporters, who started a
Twitter storm with the hashtag: #Soleimani_is_one_of_us. The killing of
Soleimani and a top Iraqi militia leader last year at Baghdad's airport
significantly ratcheted up tensions in the region, sparking outrage among their
supporters and bringing Iran and its allies and the U.S. close to an all-out
conflict. Iraq and Hizbullah, Iran's closest allies in the region, have called
for the expulsion of U.S. troops from the region and threatened to retaliate for
the killing of the two commanders. The fallout over the Soleimani statue
reflected deepening divisions in the small country that has become increasingly
aligned with Iran, alienating traditional Arab and Western backers. A report in
the online site Al-Modon called the bust in southern Beirut a "symbol of (an)
Iranian mandate" in Lebanon that replaces symbols of a bygone era when pictures
or statues of Egyptian leader Gamal Abdul-Nasser and Syrian President Hafez
Assad were prevalent. The bronze bust about 3 meters high is located in a
roundabout on a street named for the Iranian general and is linked to a highway
named after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini -- a reflection of growing
Iranian influence in Lebanon. Giant posters of Soleimani were also installed
along streets and in neighborhoods allied with Hizbullah, in some instances
sparking angry reactions from locals.
In the eastern Bekaa highway to the Brital area, unidentified men torched a
billboard of Soleimani on Sunday, according to the local LBC TV channel. The
following day, other portraits of Soleimani were burned north of Beirut in Nahr
al-Kalb by men who brandished the portraits of slain Christian leader and
president-elect Bashir Gemayel, who was assassinated in 1982.
Geagea Says GCC Reconciliation in Interest of All
Arabs, Especially Lebanon
Naharnet/January 06/2021
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Wednesday that “the Gulf reconciliation
that happened at Al-UlA summit represents a gain for the Gulf Cooperation
Council countries and all Arab nations, especially Lebanon.”In a statement,
Geagea noted that “Lebanon used to resort to the Gulf states during its crises
and they would always help it.”“If today it is reeling under the burden of the
major crisis that is engulfing it, that is because the Gulf nations are away
from it due to the sabotage of Lebanon’s relations with them as a result of some
known domestic Lebanese alignments,” Geagea added. “If the current government in
Lebanon was serious, it would have sought to pull the people from their current
plight and would have rushed to restore the Lebanese-Gulf ties,” the LF leader
went on to say, lamenting that his call will fall on deaf ears.
Hassan, Nehme meet with Baalbek’s dignitaries,
listen to their concerns and demands
NNA/January 06/2021
Caretaker Ministers of Public Health, Hamad Hassan, and Economy and Trade, Raoul
Nehme, and the Director General of the Ministry of Economy, Mohammad Abu Haidar,
met on Wednesday with representatives of the economic, commercial, agricultural,
tourism and trade union organizations in Baalbek, in the presence of the Roman
Melkite Catholic Archbishop Elias Rahhal, Baalbek Mayor Fouad Blouq, and Baalbek
Mayors Association Head, Ali Othman. The encounter was a chance to listen to the
demands and concerns of the people of Baalbek region. Touching on the issue of
subsidies, Nehme emphasized that "what is required is not stopping the subsidy,
but rather changing its direction.” He added: “Even at the World Bank program,
they do not only care about the required reforms, but always ask how we are
helping the poor and needy…International standards currently rely on citizen
support, i.e. support for all Lebanese except the rich classes." Nehme disclosed
that his Ministry has completed a study with the World Bank, which has been
forwarded to the Parliament Council, stipulating support for each Lebanese
family with a certain amount according to its financial condition, which will be
indicated by the form prepared upon submitting the request, according to the
plan to stop subsidizing goods and materials and move on to support the
underprivileged citizen instead. In turn, Hassan expressed his gladness to be
among the people of Baalbek and to listen to their concerns and worries and to
try to alleviate their burdens.
He deemed that the Governorate of Baalbek-Hermel must receive its rights, and
its needs must be addressed officially on the basis of this criterion, noting
that the people of this region are most in need due to their long years of
deprivation and the absence of the state. “Therefore, the state should have a
central interest in Baalbek, so that the merchant, farmer, supermarket and
industrial owner, unions, cooperatives, tourism centers and institutions do not
feel that they are away from the state’s care and attention,” he corroborated.
"All state apparatuses must bear responsibility for what is happening, and not
the citizen who thrives in these difficult circumstances with the hope of living
in a decent and dignified life,” Hassan concluded.
Ghajar: Consortium of companies continues its oil
activities in Lebanon
NNA/January 06/2021
Caretaker Minister of Energy and Water, Raymond Ghajar, said in a statement on
Wednesday that the consortium of companies made up of Total, Eni and Novatech,
is continuing its oil activities in Lebanon under the leadership of the
operating company, Total, particularly in the implementation of the amended law
160/2020 (suspension of deadlines), with the first exploration period being
extended in Blocks 4 and 9 of Lebanese territorial waters until August 13, 2022.
Ghajar recalled that with the start of 2021, the repercussions of the
Coronavirus pandemic continue on the oil industry, forcing international oil
companies to reduce exploration activities in most countries of the world. He
added that the consortium has presented the work programs and budgets for Blocks
4 and 9 for the year 2021, which include studies and data analysis to complete
the activities in Block 4 in which an exploration well has been drilled, and to
drill the first exploration well in block 9, bearing in mind that the Beirut
Port explosion of August 4 has impacted the logistical base of oil activities in
Lebanese waters. “The Ministry of Energy and Water and the Petroleum Sector
Administration are following-up with the companies’ consortium on the
implementation of the work programs for the two blocks,” Ghajar concluded.
Military Court decision to tighten rulings against shooters during holidays,
special occasions
NNA/January 06/2021
The Permanent Military Court, headed by Brigadier General Mounir Shehadeh, has
decided to strictly enforce the rulings that will be issued successively against
the defendants involved in shooting incidents, including rejoicing during
holidays and wedding ceremonies, coinciding with the widespread of weapons in
the hands of citizens and the frequent shooting during social events,
particularly what occurred on New Year's Eve across the various Lebanese
regions, NNA correspondent reported on Wednesday.
It is hoped that the Court’s decision would act as a deterrent to the
perpetrators and others not to repeat such shooting acts and to put a firm end
to this condemned phenomenon. The severity of penalties will include raising the
period of detention and fines together, as of December 31, 2020, implicitly to
incorporate the provisions of the shooters on New Year's Eve.
Cedar Oxygen, the trade-finance platform to Industry in Lebanon, signs MoU with
Association of Lebanese Industrialists
NNA/January 06/2021
Cedar Oxygen (Cedar O2), a Luxembourg domiciled, economic
recovery platform for Lebanon, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), the national association
representing industrialists in Lebanon, to offer financing and financial
services to Lebanese Industrialists. In a ceremony held at the ALI headquarters
the MOU was signed opening several avenues of cooperation and allowing
industrialists opportunities to survive and flourish, in a time they are most in
need of trade& supply chain finance facilities to import necessary raw materials
and export finished products. Both parties agreed to collaborate on several
avenues including: matching industrialists with suitable financing solutions,
sharing of market intelligence and data, mutual support in communication &
marketing within the umbrella of promoting the "Made in Lebanon" initiative and
the navigation of Economic, Social, and Governance challenges. Beyond offering
financing to industrialists, Cedar O2 and ALI aim together to make a real impact
by supporting Lebanon's economy recovery by increasing the sector contribution
to GDP.
Founded by expat Lebanese business leaders, Cedar Oxygen is seeking, with the
help of international DFIs, to address the US$2bn short-term finance shortfall
faced by Lebanese manufacturers and industrialists. Cedar O2is actively reviving
and digitalizing trade finance in Lebanon, and thus set-up a fintech platform
for financing credit-worthy industrialists. Itwill make finance available to net
exporters, net importers and to those who solely import goods; and assure that
fair access be afforded to all types of Lebanese industrialists/manufacturers.
Alexandre J. Harkous, Chairman & Managing Partner of Cedar Oxygen said:"We could
not watch from afar and sit idle knowing that our financial expertise could save
jobs, families, companiesand contribute to easing the pressure due to the crisis
in Lebanon. We initiated the world's most critical impact investment
opportunityas a private initiative with the hope to work closely with
international DFIs. Transparency, Trust, Sustainability, Corporate Governance
and Resilience are the key foundations of our mission"
Since inception, with the critical support of the Association of Lebanese
Industrialists, Cedar O2has developed a partnership with Lebanese industrialists
conducting needs assessment, extensive due diligence on financial requirements,
export capabilities as well as market dynamics given the current crisis.
Dr. Fady Gemayel, President of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists said:
"In these difficult times, we all can help and we need to cooperate together.
Industrialists can provide many of the needs of the Lebanese citizens with the
expertise and quality of what we produce, further more we are an engine to
export and bring jobs and hard currency to Lebanon. Our partnership with Cedar
Oxygen will provide a breath of fresh air and will create a social, economic and
financial impact in Lebanon all in the right direction, thus our partnership is
for the benefit of all those involved particularly the industrialists."
Cedar Oxygen secured a $175 million as an anchor investment and is now seeking
additional investment from DFIs (Development Finance Institutions) and other
impact-focused institutions, the successful partnership with industrialists will
allow the Cedar O2 initiative to gain economies of scale thus attracting more
investors to plug in the $2Billion dollar gap created due to the current
financial crisis and that is required by industrialists manufacture at capacity
and export. Lebanon has 4,700 industrial firms generating around 14% of GDP and
one of the biggest employers in the country. Industrialists account for 93% of
Lebanese exports, generating around $3.17 billion in finished goods sales per
annum. In addition, the sector accounts for around $1.8 billion in raw material
imports into Lebanon. With a well-financed industry Lebanon will be able to
increase exports and supply local demand in a sustainable manner thus limiting
the impact of the crisis on the economy and the country.
Abdel Samad in response to Al-Akhbar Newspaper: Keen
on the safety of staff, taking all preventive measures
NNA/January 06/2021
The media office of Caretaker Minister of Information, Dr. Manal Abdel Samad
Najd, responded to an article published by Al-Akhbar newspaper, entitled "The
minister refuses to be quarantined," saying: "The Minister of Information is
very keen on the safety of employees, as she takes all necessary precautions to
preserve her health and the health of her small family, as well as the health of
the employees and those working with her in the Ministry of Information, which
she considers her larger family."
The press office categorically denied the content of the published article and
deemed that "its purpose is to undermine the reputation of the minister who
works with conscience and responsibility.""We hope that the aforementioned
newspaper will be keen on transmitting the correct news in order to preserve its
credibility," it concluded.
Iranian statements put southern Lebanon in the line of fire
The Arab Weekly/January 06/2021
BEIRUT – In light of mutual threats between Iran and the United States, heated
debates have broken out over the fate of the region during the transitional
period in Washington, during which the Trump administration will leave
President-elect Biden with many challenges. Amid uncertainty, experts are
increasingly concerned over the possibility of Iran moving its arms in the
region, including the Lebanese Hezbollah group, in order to attack Israel. Eyes
are specifically turning towards southern Lebanon, with fears of Lebanese
retaliation against the Israeli north or vice versa.
These fears come particularly after the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard’s Air Force Ali Haji Zadeh said in statements to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar
channel, last Saturday, that “all the missile capabilities that Gaza and Lebanon
possess were provided by Iran,” noting that both Gaza and Lebanon “are the two
main frontlines for confrontation.” Though quite serious, Zadeh’s statements
were deemed pointless and divorced from reality. In an implicit response to
Zadeh and in apparent warning to Hezbollah, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said
on Sunday that “Lebanon’s independence, its sovereignty, and the decisions it
takes are the responsibility of the Lebanese alone,” which means that Iran will
bear full responsibility for any provocative act.
Media war
Each time Iran finds a taker for its conventional weapons, it creates a voice
for itself in the region. The taker this time is Hezbollah. This creates a
threat to Tel Aviv amid expectations of a military escalation between Iran and
Israel, with Syria being the field for such a confrontation and Lebanon
functioning as the operation room. However, some experts take lightly the
seriousness of the Iranian threats. Wahbi Qatisha, a retired brigadier general
with the Lebanese Army and a representative of the Forces Bloc, denied that the
threats of the commander of the air forces in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corps were military or serious. “Iran is using Hezbollah to make threats, but it
is just an information and rhetoric war,” he said. Hezbollah seems aware that
the international community’s concern about the disruption of the political
process in Lebanon is more serious than its desire to contain Iranian influence
there. In this context, the Iran-backed group can work to benefit from
international support for Beirut, especially from France, in order to prepare
for its next step. Political observers consider that Iranian threats to Israel
are nothing more than media venting. They argue there is no indication that
Hezbollah wants to carry out any attacks against Israel on the anniversary of
the killing of Iran’s revered commander Qasem Soleimani. All the threats issued
by the Israeli side are pre-emptive warnings, they said. Qatisha noted Hezbollah
remains aware that the response to any military action will be devastating for
the Shia group and Lebanon.
“The Israeli response will be cruel and unpredictable, and any wrong move will
cost Hezbollah a heavy price,” he said. The retired brigadier general predicted
that the US policy will remain unchanged towards Iran and its proxies, whether
with Trump in the White House or Biden. Lebanese officials, including Muhammad
al-Hajjar, a deputy with the Future Movement bloc, led by Prime
Minister-designate Saad Hariri, denounced the recent Iranian statements. He said
Tehran apparently wants to use its regional proxies to improve its position and
expand its influence. Certainly, the decision for war and peace in Lebanon
should not be in the hands of Hezbollah or Iran, but rather in the hands of the
state, and this gives new momentum to the officials’ call for the Shia group to
abandon its weapons. Hezbollah is in possession of advanced weapons, including
missiles, and this has led to divisions in Lebanon, with some parties supporting
the group’s right to keep its arsenal under the pretext of “confronting Israel”
that occupies Lebanese lands. Others, however, consider these weapons illegal
and argue that the decision to declare war or peace should be left only with the
state. Although the assassination of the scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was a
devastating blow to Iran’s nuclear project, Tehran only pursued a policy of
idleness coupled with media provocation, avoiding any action that could provoke
the United States, an ally of Israel.
A strategic advantage
During the 1990s, the Israelis became accustomed, during the war in southern
Lebanon, to an Iranian policy based on achieving media victories to shift the
balance on the ground. This policy enabled the Lebanese Hezbollah group, during
the July 2006 war with Israel, to achieve a morale “victory,” that is still
exploited until today to threaten Israel. Iran achieved a similar media victory
in February 2018, when the shooting down of an Israeli F-16 jet received more
media attention than the brief confrontation between the two sides. Despite all
the hype about the targeting of the Israeli jet, the brief confrontation also
saw the downing of an Iranian drone, the destruction of Syrian military bases,
control towers, military centres, and an Iranian base under construction near
Palmyra, in central Syria.
Israel is trying to preserve a strategic advantage that has allowed it, since
2012, to move freely in the skies of Syria, pick targets and strike them,
without provoking any response from Iran, the Syrian Army, or the Russian forces
stationed in Syria.
However, the advantage that Israel has enjoyed over the past years seems to be
at stake. There is already a large Israeli mobilisation on the northern front
extending between Lebanon and Syria, amid concerns that Tehran might launch
attacks. An intense presence of the Israeli air force was recorded in Lebanon’s
airspace, while a show of strength appeared to deliver a warning message,
especially to the Lebanese Hezbollah group, Tehran’s strong arm in the region,
about the consequences of any military misadventure. Over the past weeks, local
and Western reports revealed that Israeli warplanes have flown intensively over
various regions in Lebanon, especially over the skies of Nabatiyeh, reaching the
Iqlim al-Tuffah, where they carried out mock raids at low altitude. These
flights were also recorded over the Litani River, Qalaat al-Shaqif, Hammar,
Arnoun, Kafr Nabet, Ad-Duwair, Sharqiya, and Qaaqaait Al Jisr.
Intense overflights of Israeli aircraft were also recorded over Beirut and its
suburbs last November, as well as in the airspace of Sidon, its east, and
Jezzine, and this was repeated in the areas of Hasbaya and Arqoub, up to the
heights of Mount Hermon and the occupied Syrian Golan.
A researcher in security and political affairs, Brigadier-General Khaled Hamadeh,
does not consider the Iranian threats to be serious or realistic. “Iran is going
through a difficult situation, and is currently unable to enter into an armed
confrontation with the United States,” he said. “The result of a confrontation
is not guaranteed. Israel, too, seems unwilling to launch a limited military
campaign in the Lebanese interior,” Hamadeh added. He noted that Israel has been
destroying the Iranian infrastructure in Syria, and “this happens every week.”
With these factors in mind, Hamadeh does not believe that a military operation
will be launched from Lebanese territory against Israel, especially since there
is no objective that Tehran could achieve from such an attack. Members of the
Lebanese Shia Hezbollah movement, take part in a parade under a large poster of
slain Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (L) and Iranian Revolutionary Guards
commander Qasem Soleimani
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 06-07/2020
Israel strikes area south of Syrian capital Damascus
Reuters/Thursday 07 January 2021
Israel struck targets in southern Syria on Wednesday in the third such attack in
nearly 10 days, state TV reported as military defectors said the missiles
targeted Iranian revolutionary guard bases. A military spokesman said missiles
flying over the Golan Heights targeted several locations and air defenses downed
several missiles. Live coverage showed a multi-storey building on fire. There
was no immediate comment from an Israeli military spokesman on the reported
Syria strike. The bases in eastern, central and southern Syria which Israel had
hit in recent months are believed to have a strong presence of Iranian-backed
militias, according to intelligence sources and military defectors familiar with
the locations. Western intelligence sources say Israel’s stepped up strikes on
Syria in the last few months are part of a shadow war approved by the US and
part of the anti-Iran policy that has undermined in the last two years Iran’s
extensive military power without triggering a major increase in
hostilities.Israeli defense officials have said in recent months that Israel
would step up its campaign against Iran in Syria where, with the help of its
proxy militias, Tehran has expanded its presence.
GCC summit is short on reconciliation details despite
positive tone
The Arab Weekly/January 06/2021
Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia) – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit did not go
beyond stressing “solidarity and stability” in the Gulf, and a “complete
resumption of diplomatic relations” between the boycotting Arab quartet and
Qatar.
The warm welcome and optimistic words about the future, spoken by the leaders,
overshadowed the issue of reconciliation for which the summit was held as well
as the substance of this reconciliation, its conditions and implementation
mechanisms.
The closing statement of the summit, delivered by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Faisal bin Farhan, announced a set of general provisions for “non-interference
in internal affairs,” commitment to “strengthening cooperation in combating
terrorist entities, currents and organisations,” and “jointly confronting any
threats to Gulf security”.But did not reflect any direct practical steps by any
of the concerned parties towards this end. The Saudi Foreign Minister announced
the restoration of full formal relations between the boycotting countries and
Qatar.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz made sure the summit was chaired by Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman to confirm that reconciliation is also Prince Muhammad’s
choice not just his.
The Saudi crown prince opened the summit with remarks in which he said that the
efforts of Kuwait and the United States led “to the cooperation of all, in order
to reach the Al-Ula statement agreement.”
Prince Mohammed bin Salman made mention of the security challenge posed by
Tehran, which has close ties to Qatar, and the need to unite efforts to confront
“the threats posed by the Iranian regime’s nuclear program and its ballistic
missile program”. But he refrained from talking about Turkey or referring to it
even if the disputed relations between Ankara and Doha were on the list of
demands by the Arab quartet.
Saudi media reported, in detail, about the crown prince’s welcome of the Emir of
Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, their meetings and their touring of Al-Ula,
to confirm that the relationship between the two countries has entered a new
phase.
The summit statement omitted any reference to the demands of the boycotting
countries and how Qatar would commit to implementing them, while Egypt was
referred to very briefly. Gulf analysts said that the summit aimed to achieve a
moral rather than a political reconciliation that would take place after
discussion of the roots of the crisis and the way out of it, and identifying the
type of concessions that are to be expected and the party that is supposed to
undertake the first step in this process.
These analysts did not rule out that the intent of the summit was in fact to
achieve “an expedient and rapid reconciliation” in response to the challenges
posed by the administration of the new US President Joe Biden, amid talk that
the important concern in the Gulf is to allay fears of forthcoming pressures,
provided that this reconciliation is later fleshed out in detail after the
different parties have enough time to balance their positions based on their
calculations and taking into consideration their own relations with other
countries.
As he expressed his country’s satisfaction with the results of the Al-Ula
summit, Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, stressed
that “there is need to rebuild confidence in order to establish transparent and
strong relations between the Gulf states.”Observers say that the moral authority
of Saudi Arabia and that of King Salman has contributed to the summit gaining a
collective momentum. The approach was seen as making it possible to remove
obstacles from the Gulf summit’s path but not guaranteeing a permanent and
comprehensive solution to the contentious issues at hand. “It seems that
confidence-building measures have begun to be put in place between Saudi Arabia
and Qatar. Others will join later,” said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor at
Kuwait University. He added, “Any step towards reconciliation is better than no
step at all,” considering that “the Gulf Cooperation Council requires a new
start and can offer much more than it has.” He continued, “as with every
reconciliation, this may be strewn with obstacles, and it could eventually face
dead ends and tensions.” He expected the upcoming talks between the countries
concerned to be “difficult” considering the “conflicting interests.”
The Gulf countries will wait till after the summit to find out what was agreed
upon regarding reconciliation, and whether the matter stopped at personal
commitments from leaders or whether agreements were reached but were kept secret
to avoid embarrassing any one on concessions and mutual guarantees, as it
happened with the Riyadh Agreement in 2013 and 2014, When the documents, which
were signed between the various parties, appeared only during the boycott
crisis.
Observers say the Qataris would accept to some extent to rein in Al Jazeera, and
they might make Doha a less hospitable place for the Muslim Brotherhood.
But they are unlikely to accept anything beyond that, which could raise concerns
in the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. It could also revive he type of Gulf tensions
that have prevailed for more than three years.
The challenge for the Saudis will be to extract enough concessions from both
sides in order to show that everyone is ready to engage a meaningful dialogue.
Observers of Gulf affairs believe that the silence that accompanied the summit
on the issue of Qatari concessions cannot be evidence that the boycotting
countries, including Saudi Arabia, have accepted a vague settlement allowing
Qatar to come out of the summit without offering any guarantees.
Egypt’s considerations
This would not be acceptable to countries such as Egypt, which is uncomfortable
dealing with this kind of ambiguity.
Cairo did not present a clear position on the issues of subtance at the Gulf
summit, limiting itself to loose phrases and seemingly positive statements whose
final meaning lends itself to different political interpretations. Its stance
implies keenness on making sure that the reconciliation satisfies the demands of
the four countries, and does not end up to be just a bilateral reconciliation.
Egyptian sources told The Arab Weekly, that Cairo deals with the issue of
reconciliation with Qatar in a “very complex diplomatic way, which conceals more
than what is reveals”. “For regional and international considerations, Cairo has
taken a coyly supportive stance, so as not to be accused of standing against
reconciliation.”
The participation of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in the summit reflected
Cairo’s approach, after previous media leaks had speculated that President Abdel
Fattah Al-Sisi’s might attend the Gulf summit.
This was corroborated by a number of statements in which Cairo seemed to be
holding the political stick in the middle, “neither expressing clear acceptance
nor categorical rejection.”
The Arab Weekly has learned that until the morning of the summit, the attendance
of the Egyptian foreign minister, or any other high-ranking official, was not
confirmed.
The position changed at the last minute, to avoid giving the impression that
Egypt is against a reconciliation formula that it knows, much more than others,
will not change much in Qatar’s behaviour.
Qatar gave the impression through the visit of Finance Minister Ali Shareef Al
Emadi to Egypt crossing Saudi airspace before the end of the Gulf summit in
order to attend the opening of a hotel owned by the Qatari Diar Real Estate
Investment Company, that there are hidden understandings between Doha and Cairo,
which put Egypt in a slightly awkward situation.
U.S. hits Iran with fresh sanctions as Trump
term nears end
Reuters/January 06/2021
The United States on Tuesday blacklisted a Chinese company that makes elements
for steel production, 12 Iranian steel and metals makers and three foreign-based
sales agents of an Iranian metals and mining holding company, seeking to deprive
Iran of revenues as U.S. President Donald Trump’s term winds down. The U.S.
Treasury Department, in a statement, named the China-based company as Kaifeng
Pingmei New Carbon Materials Technology Co Ltd. (KFCC), saying it specialized in
the manufacture of carbon materials and provided thousands of metric tonnes of
materials to Iranian steel companies between December 2019 and June 2020. No one
at KFCC, which makes graphite electrodes, was available for comment on
Wednesday. Filings show the company is owned by Henan Yicheng New Energy, which
said it was unaware of the situation. Shares in Yicheng, which is ultimately
controlled by China’s Henan province, fell as much as 6.7% to a two-week low on
Wednesday. When Yicheng was buying KFCC in 2019, it said exports - to Southeast
Asia, the Middle East and Europe - accounted for about half of KFCC’s core
business.
Among the 12 Iranian companies blacklisted are the Pasargad Steel Complex and
the Gilan Steel Complex Co, both of which were designated under Executive Order
13871 for operating in the Iranian steel sector.
The others are: Iran-based Middle East Mines and Mineral Industries Development
Holding Co (MIDHCO), Khazar Steel Co, Vian Steel Complex, South Rouhina Steel
Complex, Yazd Industrial Constructional Steel Rolling Mill, West Alborz Steel
Complex, Esfarayen Industrial Complex, Bonab Steel Industry Complex, Sirjan
Iranian Steel and Zarand Iranian Steel Co. The Treasury said it was also
designating MIDHCO’s Germany-based subsidiary GMI Projects Hamburg GmbH, its
China-based World Mining Industry Co Ltd and U.K.-based GMI Projects Ltd for
being owned or controlled by MIDHCO.
“The Trump Administration remains committed to denying revenue flowing to the
Iranian regime as it continues to sponsor terrorist groups, support oppressive
regimes, and seek weapons of mass destruction,” Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said in the statement.
Trump’s term ends on Jan. 20, when Democrat President-elect Joe Biden is to be
sworn in to succeed him. *Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Daphne Psaledakis and
Doina Chiacu; additional reporting by Zhang Min and Tom Daly; writing by Arshad
Mohammed; editing by Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Oatis
Text of Treasury Department press release on new sanctions
against key actors in Iran’s steel sector
Treasury Sanctions Key Actors in Iran’s Steel Sector
WASHINGTON/January 5, 2021
Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
designated a China-based supplier of graphite electrodes, a key element in steel
production, as well as twelve Iranian producers of steel and other metals
products, and three foreign-based sales agents of a major Iranian metals and
mining holding company. The Iranian metals sector is an important revenue source
for the Iranian regime, generating wealth for its corrupt leaders and financing
a range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their means of delivery, support for foreign terrorist groups,
and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad. “The Trump
Administration remains committed to denying revenue flowing to the Iranian
regime as it continues to sponsor terrorist groups, support oppressive regimes,
and seek weapons of mass destruction,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. Today’s
action was taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13871, which imposes
sanctions on several sectors of the Iranian economy, including Iran’s steel
sector, that continue to generate significant revenue for the Iranian regime.
Chinese Supplier of Materials Critical to Iranian Steel Production. Chinese
company Kaifeng Pingmei New Carbon Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (KFCC)
specializes in the manufacture of carbon materials, key elements in steel
production. Between December 2019 and June 2020, KFCC fulfilled orders totaling
thousands of metric tons of materials for several Iranian steel companies. In
mid-2020, KFCC, working with an Iranian trading firm, sold 300 metric tons of
graphite electrodes and miscellaneous equipment to Pasargad Steel Complex in
Iran.
KFCC is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13871 for having materially assisted,
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or
goods or services in support of, Iranian steelmaker Pasargad Steel Complex, an
entity designated pursuant to E.O. 13871 for operating in the steel sector of
Iran.
Iranian Steel Companies and Foreign-based Sales Agents
OFAC is designating 12 Iranian steel manufacturers or holding companies, whose
combined annual output capacity reaches millions of metric tons of steel
product.
The Pasargad Steel Complex is an Iranian steel manufacturer, operating a complex
capable of producing 1.5 million tons of steel billets per year. The Gilan Steel
Complex Company maintains a hot rolling mill with a 2.5-million-ton capacity and
a cold rolling mill with an annual capacity of 500,000 tons. Both entities are
being designated pursuant to E.O. 13871 for operating in the steel sector of
Iran.
Iran-based Middle East Mines and Mineral Industries Development Holding Company
(MIDHCO), a metals and mining holding company that includes steelmakers Sirjan
Iranian Steel and Zarand Iranian Steel Company, has a collective production
capacity of over 19 million tons of steel, iron, and copper products. MIDHCO
encompasses seventeen subsidiaries, including fully owned companies in Germany,
China, and the United Kingdom. MIDHCO’s Germany-based subsidiary GMI Projects
Hamburg GmbH paid foreign companies for procurement of parts and machinery on
behalf of Sirjan Iranian Steel and Zarand Iranian Steel Company. MIDHCO’s
China-based subsidiary World Mining Industry Co., Ltd. seeks to develop business
relationships with Chinese suppliers in the industry.
MIDHCO is being designated for owning, controlling, or operating Sirjan Iranian
Steel and Zarand Iranian Steel Company, entities that are part of the steel
sector of Iran.
GMI Projects Hamburg GmbH, World Mining Industry Co., Ltd., and U.K.-based GMI
Projects Ltd. are being designated for being owned or controlled by MIDHCO.
OFAC is also designating Iranian steelmakers Khazar Steel Co., Vian Steel
Complex, South Rouhina Steel Complex, Yazd Industrial Constructional Steel
Rolling Mill, West Alborz Steel Complex, Esfarayen Industrial Complex, Bonab
Steel Industry Complex, Sirjan Iranian Steel, and Zarand Iranian Steel Company
pursuant to E.O. 13871 for operating in the steel sector of Iran.
Concurrent with this action, the State Department is sanctioning KFCC and the
Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) subsidiary Hafez Darya Arya
Shipping Company pursuant to Section 1245(a)(1)(C)(II) of the Iran Freedom and
Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (IFCA) for having knowingly sold, supplied, or
transferred, directly or indirectly, graphite to or from Iran, and such graphite
was sold, supplied, or transferred to or from an Iranian person on the SDN List.
The State Department is also sanctioning Majid Sajdeh, a principal executive
officer of Hafez Darya Arya Shipping Company, pursuant to IFCA Section
1245(a)(1)(C)(II).
Sanctions Implications
All property and interests in property of these persons that are in the United
States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and
reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S.
persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or
interests in property of blocked or designated persons.
In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the persons
designated today by OFAC may themselves be exposed to sanctions. Furthermore,
any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates a
significant transaction for or on behalf of the persons designated by OFAC today
could be subject to U.S. correspondent or payable-through account sanctions.
View identifying information on today’s designations.
30 years since Gulf War: Defense Ministry releases archives
Arutz Sheva/January 06/2021
Videos from sites where Scud missiles struck Israel, statistics from war
revealed for first time from IDF archives. On the 30th anniversary of the Gulf
War, the IDF archives at the Defense Ministry revealed rare materials: videos
from sites where missiles struck, the war operations log and military research
that reveals how many Patriot missiles were fired at Iraqi Scud missiles and how
many Israeli civilians injected atropine, a medicine which treats nerve agent
poisoning. Dozens of Iraqi Scud missiles were launched into the Israeli home
front from January 17 to February 25, 1991. Videos taken at the missile impact
sites across the country, some of which are being revealed to the public for the
first time, were re-edited into one film showing the war story that changed the
Israeli home front. missile volleys and all casualties by region, number of
Patriot missiles fired at each volley, total number of casualties in each volley
of missiles, number of false atropine injections, average time Israeli citizens
sat in sealed rooms, and more.
Iran parliament debates bill calling to destroy Israel by
2041
Gary Willig/Arutz Sheva/January 06/2021
Bill detailing how Iran should respond to killing of Qassem Soleimani contains
provision obligating government to 'eliminate' Israel. Iranian parliament
members submitted a bill last week which would obligate the government of the
Islamic Republic to destroy the State of Israel in the next 20 years, the
Iranian news agency ISNA reported. The bill, dubbed “Iran reciprocates,”
features 16 points detailing how Iran should retaliate for the assassination of
Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani a year ago. One of the provisions
would obligate the government to to take steps to bring about “elimination of
Israel by March 2041.”The only specific steps the bill calls for with regards to
Israel are efforts to break the partial Israeli blockade of the Hamas-controlled
Gaza Strip "by sending basic goods from official naval bases to Gaza in exchange
for money or free of charge" and efforts to promote the "right of return" by
which descendants of Palestinian Arab refugees would destroy Israel
demographically. The timetable set out by the bill largely coincides with
Iranian predictions for when the destruction of Israel would take place. In
2015, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted that there would be
"nothing" left of Israel by 2040. Two years later, anti-Israel protesters in
Tehran unveiled a "digital clock" counting down to Israel's destruction in 2040.
Other provisions in the bill call on the regime to send aid to the Houthi rebels
in Yemen, to expel all American forces from the Middle East, and not to
negotiate with the US on any issue besides the nuclear issue until the US
apologizes for the killing of Soleimani.
Canada Announces appointment of new special envoy to the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
January 6, 2021 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today
announced that Jamal Khokhar, Canada’s Ambassador to Turkey, will concurrently
assume the role of Canada’s special envoy to the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC).
Since 2013, Canada has pursued its engagement with the OIC to facilitate
cooperation on priorities such as good governance, human rights, diversity and
inclusion, women’s economic empowerment, sustainability and the challenges faced
by refugees.
Ambassador Khokhar, who will be the third to take on the special envoy role, is
a respected diplomat with a broad range of experience both inside and outside
government. He will continue to strengthen engagement with OIC partners and
advance Canada’s commitment to building a more peaceful, inclusive and
sustainable world.
Quotes
“Canada deeply values its relationships with the diverse members and peoples
represented in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. We are committed to
continuing to deepen our collaboration with the OIC and to working together to
advance our shared values.”
- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the OIC’s membership represents over 1.8 billion
people. The OIC endeavours to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, to protect
the interests of Muslims the world over and to promote international
understanding and peace.
Canada is home to more than a million Muslims of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
Associated links
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Contacts
Syrine Khoury
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Syrine.Khoury@international.gc.ca
Session to Certify Biden Win Halted after Trump Supporters
Storm Congress
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
Donald Trump's supporters on Wednesday stormed a session of Congress held to
certify Joe Biden's win, as a desperate last-minute bid by the president to
overturn his election loss sparked chaos and accusations of a "coup" attempt.
Hours after an extraordinary rally by Trump challenging his defeat, his
flag-waving backers broke down barricades outside the Capitol and swarmed
inside, with the special session going into an emergency recess as protesters
entered the chambers. The chaos at the Capitol, which was put under lockdown,
came one day after Biden enjoyed a new triumph as his Democratic Party looked
set to win two Senate runoff seats, handing full control of Congress. Police
fired tear gas as they struggled to remove a sea of protesters who took aim, at
Trump's urging, at what for more than two centuries had been a quiet, ceremonial
session to confirm the election's winner. "The President of the United States is
inciting a coup. We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred," tweeted
Democratic Representative Karen ass. Representative Val Demings likewise
denounced the storming of the Capitol as evidence of "a coup in progress" -- in
words echoed by half a dozen lawmakers. Representative Elaine Luria said she had
to evacuate because of a report of a pipe bomb and said she believed she heard
gunshots. "I don't recognize our country today and the members of Congress who
have supported this anarchy do not deserve to represent their fellow Americans,"
she said.
'Damage our republic forever' Biden is certain to become president, with
Democrats already controlling the House of Representatives, but more than 140
Republican House members and a dozen Republican senators have sided with Trump
in challenging the results even though no evidence of fraud has been proven in
court. Republican Senate leader Senator Mitch McConnell, for four years a
staunch backer of Trump, denounced the challenge in an impassioned address,
noting that the results of the November 3 vote were not even close. "The voters,
the courts and the states have all spoken. If we overrule them, it will damage
our republic forever," said McConnell, who is set to lose his position of
majority leader after Democrats' Senate wins. "If this election were overturned
by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death
spiral," said McConnell, who also accused Democrats of not accepting Trump's
surprise 2016 victory. Senator Chuck Schumer voiced alarm moments before
protesters entered the Capitol, saying: "An element of the Republican Party
believes their political viability hinges on the endorsement of an attempted
coup."
'We will never concede' As scenes of chaos spread, Trump took to Twitter to call
on his supporters to be peaceful and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a 6
pm curfew in the city. But in his rally near the White House, Trump urged them
to head to the Capitol. Rambling angrily, the president warned "weak"
Republicans not to certify Biden's victory and put direct pressure on Vice
President Mike Pence, who ceremonially presided over the session. "We will never
give up. We will never concede," Trump told the cheering crowd, few wearing
masks despite a spike in Covid cases.
"I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do," Trump said, describing
the US election as less honest than those of "Third World countries." As Trump
was still speaking and Congress opened the session, Pence -- dutifully loyal to
Trump over four years and quiet since the election -- said he would not
intervene. "The Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to
determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not," Pence
said in a statement. Thousands of Trump supporters had headed to Washington at
his urging in recent days, with downtown businesses boarding up in fear of
violence. "I can't say I respect our election process anymore," said Gail Shaw,
76, who drove down from New Jersey. "We will take our nation back." Biden won
more than seven million votes more than Trump in the November 3 election and
leads him 306-232 in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines
elections. Trump has repeatedly alleged without no evidence that there was
vote-rigging but his team has not been able to prove a single case in court.
New mandate for Democrats.
The session of Congress comes one day after voters went to the polls in Georgia
and appear to have handed a pair of stunning victories to the Democratic Senate
candidates over Republican incumbents. A Democratic sweep would result in a
50-50 split in the Senate with Democrats holding the tie-breaking vote in Vice
President Kamala Harris. Biden is due to be sworn in on January 20 and control
of the Senate would give his Democrats the levers of power in the executive
branch and both chambers of Congress and allow him to push through his
legislative agenda. "After the past four years, after the election, and after
today's election certification proceedings on the Hill, it's time to turn the
page," Biden said in a statement. "The American people demand action and they
want unity. I am more optimistic than I ever have been that we can deliver
both," he said. In Georgia, Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock, the pastor at
the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King once preached, was projected to
defeat Republican Kelly Loeffler, a 50-year-old businesswoman appointed to the
Senate in December 2019. Warnock, 51, would be just the third African-American
to win a Senate seat from the South. In the other Georgia race, Democrat Jon
Ossoff, a 33-year-old video producer, claimed victory on Wednesday over
Republican David Perdue.
Guns Out, Windows Smashed: Trump Crowd Turns Congress into
Battlefield
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
Tense officers pointing guns, lawmakers with gas masks, camouflaged protesters
smashing windows -- this was the day that President Donald Trump's bid to
overturn the U.S. election went "wild." Inside the great domed U.S. Capitol
building, initially out of view of the cameras, images emerged of a scene that
resembled something from a coup d'etat. Trump supporters, waving his blue flags
and wearing his red campaign hats, stormed through the building, making it right
into the debating chamber. A viral photo on Twitter showed plainclothes security
men aiming pistols point blank through the smashed window of a door to stop
anyone else getting in. Legislators were given gas masks to protect themselves
against tear gas as they rushed to safety. For those fleeing, it was a race
against time: Protestors were getting in as quickly as members of Congress could
get out. Some protestors even occupied the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
sitting mockingly at a desk. "I've not seen anything like this since I deployed
to Iraq," Mike Gallagher, a Republican lawmaker and military veteran, told CNN.
Trump had said all along he wanted to stop Congress from officially certifying
Democrat Joe Biden's election victory on Wednesday. There was no way he could do
it legally. Trump tried. He threatened his vice president, Mike Pence, who was
meant to preside over the ceremony. But Pence retorted that he had no
constitutional leeway: The rules were clear. So Trump's supporters intervened,
at least temporarily derailing the proceedings -- literally bringing democracy
to a halt. The mobs went on their mission after a final pep talk from their
leader. Trump addressed them for more than an hour on the National Mall,
delivering a torrent of false claims and conspiracy theories about why he should
remain president despite losing the November election. Then he encouraged them
to march on Congress. Within minutes the mob was pouring up the Capitol steps.
Violent small groups then fought with police, pushing ever further and
eventually getting inside. Television footage showed men, some in military gear,
smashing a window and climbing through. Other groups clambered up on the roofs
of black official vehicles parked outside Congress, abandoned by their drivers.
Trump had promised his supporters that Wednesday would be a "wild" day for the
nation's capital.
Trump Tells Supporters to 'Go Home' after Storming
of U.S. Capitol
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
President Donald Trump told his supporters on Wednesday to "go home" after they
stormed the U.S. Capitol following a rally during which he repeated his spurious
claims of election fraud. At the same time as he told his supporters to go home,
Trump repeated his incendiary allegations that the November 3 election won by
Democrat Joe Biden was "stolen." "I know your pain," Trump said in a one-minute
video on Twitter. ""We had an election that was stolen from us. "But you have to
go home now," he said. "We have to have peace. We have to have law and
order."Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol after his nearby rally,
disrupting a joint session of Congress being held to confirm Biden's victory.
U.S. Lawmakers Denounce 'Coup' as Trump Supporters
Storm Congress
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
U.S. lawmakers decried an attempted "coup" Wednesday as supporters of President
Donald Trump smashed into the U.S. Congress and shut down legislative sessions.
"A mob storming the U.S. Capitol to overturn an election. A coup in progress,"
said Representative Val Demings in a tweet. "This is anarchy. This is an
attempted coup. And it's happening in America because of lawless lawmakers,"
added another congressman, Seth Moulton. Others also characterizing the assault
as a coup attempt blamed Trump for inciting the protesters, who halted the
confirmation by Congress of Joe Biden as the winner of the November 3 election.
"The president is inciting domestic terrorism," said Representative Mark Pocan.
Biden Brands Congress Violence 'Insurrection,'
Demands Trump Call Off Siege
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday denounced the storming of the U.S.
Capitol as an "insurrection" and demanded President Donald Trump go on
television to call an end to the violent "siege." "At this hour, our democracy
is under unprecedented assault," the veteran Democrat said in Wilmington, after
hundreds of Trump supporters protesting his election defeat swarmed the Capitol
building and put the nation's lawmakers at risk. "I call on President Trump to
go on national television now to... demand an end to this siege," Biden said.
"To storm the Capitol, to smash windows, to occupy offices, the floor of the
United States Senate... threatening the safety of duly elected officials? It's
not a protest, it's insurrection."
NATO Chief Decries 'Shocking Scenes in Washington'
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
"Shocking scenes in Washington, DC," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg tweeted on
Wednesday, as images of protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump
storming the U.S. Capitol sped around the world. "The outcome of this democratic
election must be respected," he said, referring to the U.S. presidential
election that saw Joe Biden beat Trump.
EU Slams 'Assault on U.S. Democracy' after Congress
Stormed
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
The EU's foreign policy chief condemned as an "assault on U.S. democracy" the
storming of the U.S. Congress on Wednesday by thousands of supporters of
President Donald Trump. "In the eyes of the world, American democracy tonight
appears under siege," the official, Josep Borrell, tweeted. "This is an unseen
assault on U.S. democracy, its institutions and the rule of law. This is not
America. The election results of 3 November must be fully respected."
UK, Ireland Slam Capitol Unrest by Trump Supporters
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday condemned the "disgraceful
scenes" at the U.S. Congress by Donald Trump supporters, as Ireland's government
attacked the outgoing president for his "assault" on democracy. "Disgraceful
scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world
and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of
power," Johnson said on Twitter. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab added in
his own tweet: "The US rightly takes great pride in its democracy, and there can
be no justification for these violent attempts to frustrate the lawful and
proper transition of power." Irish premier Micheal Martin, who has invited the
Irish-American Biden to visit his ancestral homeland early in his presidency,
tweeted his condemnation. "The Irish people have a deep connection with the
United States of America, built up over many generations. I know that many, like
me, will be watching the scenes unfolding in Washington DC with great concern
and dismay," Martin said. Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney went further in
directly rebuking Trump. "Shocking & deeply sad scenes in Washington DC -- we
must call this out for what it is: a deliberate assault on Democracy by a
sitting President & his supporters, attempting to overturn a free & fair
election!" he tweeted. "The world is watching! We hope for restoration of calm."
Stop Trampling Democracy, German FM Tells U.S. Protesters
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday called on supporters of
President Donald Trump to "stop trampling on democracy" after they smashed into
the U.S. Congress and shut down legislative sessions. "Trump and his supporters
should finally accept the decision of American voters and stop trampling on
democracy," he tweeted. "The enemies of democracy will be pleased to see these
incredible images from Washington DC," he added. "Inflammatory words turn into
violent actions."
Syria Responds to 'Israeli Aggression' in South
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
Syrian air defense forces responded late Wednesday to "Israeli aggression" in
the south of the country, state news agency SANA said. The agency reported Sana
reported heavy blasts in southern Syria, indicating that "our air defenses have
responded to Israeli aggression," without providing further details.
Tunisia Pushes for U.N. Monitors for Libya's Frail Ceasefire
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
Tunisia, the current president of the U.N. Security Council, called Monday for a
resolution sending international monitors to support Libya's brittle ceasefire
to be adopted as soon as possible. "We hope that it will be adopted as soon as
possible" because "there is a momentum, yet it's a little bit fragile," said
Tunisian ambassador to the U.N. Tarek Ladeb, referring to the negotiations
between Libyan parties and the U.N. mission there. At the end of last year, U.N.
chief Antonio Guterres proposed using international monitors in Libya amid hopes
that foreign fighters will soon leave and the country can turn the page on a
decade of war. The warring sides reached a ceasefire on October 23 in Geneva
under which all foreign forces are to leave within three months -- that is, by
January 23. The international observers would monitor their departure. Guterres
asked for a group that would include civilians and retired soldiers from
regional groups such as the African Union, European Union and Arab League. He
called in particular for all nations to respect the U.N. arms embargo on Libya,
which has been flagrantly violated. Khalifa Haftar, a warlord in eastern Libya,
has enjoyed backing from Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi
Arabia. Haftar reached the truce after being driven back in an offensive by the
U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord, which enjoys strong support from
Turkey. In early December, U.N. envoy Stephanie Williams estimated that 20,000
foreign troops and mercenaries remained in the country in a "shocking violation
of Libyan sovereignty." And while October's ceasefire has largely held, Haftar
last month vowed to "drive out the occupier by faith, will and weapons," leading
Turkey to warn of retaliation to any attack by the "war criminal." Under
Guterres' proposal, monitors would initially operate in a triangular section of
Libya around Sirte -- the birthplace of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi, whose
Western-supported overthrow in 2011 set off a decade of turmoil. The observers
would expand to other parts of the country until they can be replaced by a
unified Libyan national force. Tunisia, a non-permanent member of the Security
Council, assumed its rotating presidency in early January. Its work program does
not at this stage include a meeting on Libya until the end of the month.
Greek Church Defies Virus Advice to Mark Epiphany
Agence France Presse/January 06/2021
Christians flocked to churches in Greece to celebrate the Epiphany on Wednesday,
after the Orthodox Church rejected government coronavirus restrictions.
Ministers had urged places of worship to stay shut but the Church refused and
instead agreed only to curtail some of its rituals. Worshippers seen by AFP
photographers broadly respected social distance and wore masks but many queued
to receive communion, a practice experts have warned could be a crucial way of
spreading the virus. Greeks have been living under tight restrictions since
November but the virus has continued to circulate -- most of the country's 5,000
deaths have occurred in the past two months. The government had slightly relaxed
some rules over Christmas but shut non-essential shops and places of worship
again last week. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday urged the
Orthodox Church to "assume its responsibilities" by closing places of worship.
But his failure to impose an outright ban on religious services sparked
criticism from opponents. While left-wing Syriza accused the government of
giving in to the Church and called its management of virus restrictions "a
theatre of the absurd", center-left Kinal said ministers were in retreat and the
Church was "endangering people's lives".Priests have faced repeated criticism
for failing to respect health restrictions, being seen in public not wearing
masks or ignoring social distancing rules. However, Father Maximos, a priest in
an Athens suburb, told AFP the Church was not trying to provoke conflicts and
blamed the controversy on "the media, which are at the origin of
disinformation". The Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the three kings to see
baby Jesus in western tradition, but eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate it as
the baptism of Jesus.It is one of the three major feast days in the Orthodox
Church's calendar.
British judiciary refuses to release Assange on bail
NNA/AFP/January 06/2021
Today, the British judiciary decided to keep the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian
Assange, in detention, pending consideration of the appeal submitted by the
United States against the decision not to extradite him, according to "France
Press" news agency. Judge Vanessa Barritzer said that there are "serious reasons
to believe that if Mr. Assange is released today, he will not appear before the
court to face the appeal mechanism." {AFP}
The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published
on January
06-07/2020
Turkey and Israel: Premature Optimism for Normalization
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/January 06/2021
It would be childish to believe that the man whose political formation was based
on a militant expanse of anti-Zionism as raison d'être was not anti-Israeli, but
had merely been under the influence of advisors who no longer hold sway. Erdoğan
is anti-Israeli today as he was 40, 30, 20 and 10 years ago.
In August, The Telegraph revealed that Ankara had granted citizenship and
passports to "senior operatives of a Hamas terrorist cell" .... Also in August,
Erdoğan met in Istanbul with Hamas's senior military leader, Saleh al-Arouri,
and senior political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
These are not blurred memories from distant past.... They follow an ideological
pattern of hostility along religious lines. They do not make Erdoğan a reliable
partner for peace.
As a matter of fact, none of the reasons why Erdoğan preferred to steer
otherwise friendly relations between Turkey and Israel into where they stand
today has disappeared. Without their disappearing for good, a reset will remain
but a sweet wish.
The decade of animosity between Turkey and Israel, clearly a choice of Turkey's
Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In August, The Telegraph revealed that
Turkey had granted citizenship and passports to "senior operatives of a Hamas
terrorist cell," including Zacharia Najib, "the senior Hamas operative who
oversaw a plot to assassinate the [then] mayor of Jerusalem, as well as other
Israeli public figures." Pictured: Erdoğan (right) honors Hamas leader Ismail
Haniyeh at the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey on January 3, 2012.
It has been more than a decade since Turkey and Israel, once strategic partners,
broke up badly, with an angry Ankara passionately vowing to isolate Israel
internationally. It has also been exactly four years since the two countries
decided to give peace a chance once more and appointed ambassadors. They would
have to pack up and leave after 17 months of trying to put things back together
again.
The decade of animosity between Turkey and Israel, clearly a choice of Turkey's
Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has produced exactly the opposite of
what Ankara had hoped would happen: The Abraham Accords produced a landmark
opportunity for peace in the Middle East. Israel's former Arab foes have lined
up to end hostilities, one after the other, while Turkey, oddly, criticized the
establishment of diplomatic ties between the Arab world and Israel, having
apparently forgotten that it already had diplomatic relations with Israel since
1949.
The United States and seven other countries recognized Jerusalem as Israel's
capital, while Turkey campaigned for the "Palestinian capital Jerusalem." Israel
built a geostrategic alliance with Cyprus and Greece while Turkey's tensions
with the Hellenic states escalated exponentially. Turkey's ties with fellow
Muslim countries such as Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab
Emirates sank from one nadir to another. Eventually, Turkey became the first
country in the world that was officially sanctioned by Russia, the U.S. and the
European Union. Turkey's "isolate Israel" hysteria has practically turned Turkey
into a monument of self-isolation.
As Erdoğan feels more vulnerable than ever in view of his country's perilous
journey, there has been speculation that Turkey and Israel may actually be
normalizing their ties. According to Selin Nasi, an analyst:
"Turkish-American relations are expected to enter a tough period, at least in
the short run, considering the Biden administration's sensitivity toward issues
of democracy and human rights... Given the anti-Turkish opinion prevalent in the
US Congress, Turkey might be hoping that Israel can neutralize the opposition
and help Turkey win Washington's ear again."
Mesut Caşin, foreign policy adviser to Erdoğan, told Voice of America:
"If Israel comes one step, Turkey maybe can come two steps... If we see a green
light, Turkey will open the embassy again and return our ambassador. Maybe in
March, we can restore full diplomatic relations again. Why not ... Establishing
peace and security is very important to Israel and Turkey."
Axios reported on December 23 that Azerbaijan proposed to mediate between Turkey
and Israel to improve relations. The report said that aides to Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev had told Israeli officials that Erdoğan was in favor of improving
ties. According to Axios, the aides claimed that "Erdoğan was not anti-Israel,
but had merely been under the influence of advisers who no longer hold sway."
Finally Erdoğan spoke on the subject, saying that he wished to improve ties with
Israel:
"Our relations with Israel on intelligence have not ceased anyway, they are
still continuing," Erdogan said during a press conference. "We have some
difficulties with the people at the top."
He stressed that Ankara "cannot accept the attitude of Israel towards the
Palestinian lands," and that "we differ from Israel in terms of our
understanding of both justice and the territorial integrity of countries."
This picture only reflects a premature optimism for a pragmatic, transactional
Turkish-Israeli reset.
Erdoğan comes from the ranks of political Islam, which is "more Palestinian than
the Palestinians," and is ideologically pro-Hamas and pro-Muslim Brotherhood. He
once said that Zionism was a crime against humanity. He has, countless times,
called Israel a "state of terror."
It would be childish to believe that the man whose political formation was based
on a militant expanse of anti-Zionism as raison d'être was not anti-Israeli, but
had merely been under the influence of advisors who no longer hold sway. Erdoğan
is anti-Israeli today as he was 40, 30, 20 and 10 years ago.
Only a year ago, The Telegraph reported that Turkey was turning a "blind eye" to
Hamas members planning attacks on Israel from the safety of Turkey, and claimed
that operatives in Istanbul were seeking suicide-bombing recruits by offering to
pay their families around $20,000 for carrying out attacks in Jerusalem and the
West Bank. In August, The Telegraph revealed that Ankara had granted citizenship
and passports to "senior operatives of a Hamas terrorist cell," including
Zacharia Najib, "the senior Hamas operative who oversaw a plot to assassinate
the [then] mayor of Jerusalem, as well as other Israeli public figures." Also in
August, Erdoğan met in Istanbul with Hamas's senior military leader, Saleh al-Arouri,
and senior political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.
These are not blurred memories from distant past. They are not coincidental,
either. They follow an ideological pattern of hostility along religious lines.
They do not make Erdoğan a reliable partner for peace.
As a matter of fact, none of the reasons why Erdoğan preferred to steer
otherwise friendly relations between Turkey and Israel into where they stand
today has disappeared. Without their disappearing for good, a reset will remain
but a sweet wish.
*Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was recently fired from the
country's most noted newspaper after 29 years, for writing in Gatestone what is
taking place in Turkey. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2021 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Sudan signs Abraham Accord to establish ties with Israel
Nada AlTaher/The National/January 06/2021
African nation also signs deals worth $1 billion, settling its World Bank debt
Sudan has signed the Abraham Accord to normalise relations with Israel.
The African nation is the fourth nation in the Mena region to sign the accord
with Israel in the past year, following the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco.
The US embassy in Sudan said the move would "build mutual trust and increase
co-operation in the region". Sudan’s Justice Minister Nasreldin Abdelbari, who
signed the agreement on Wednesday with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin,
said: “The Abraham Accord signed today is based on an initiative by the US and
other regional states to reinforce peace, tolerance and respect among the
different nations in the region. “Through this we express our willingness to
reinforce our joint and mutual respect among Abrahamic faiths,” he told the
media in Khartoum. Sudan will also be granted access to $1 billion under another
agreement inked with Mr Mnuchin, settling its long-standing World Bank debt.
“The United States of America will pay Sudan’s arrears to the World Bank Group
which finally enables the country access sources of financing amounting to
$1.5bn annually to drive the country’s economy forward and help the government
implement infrastructure and development projects,” Sudan’s state news agency
reported. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo officially delisted
Sudan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism – a vital step in making Wednesday’s
agreements possible.
“After months of negotiations, I signed the order to remove Sudan from the list
of State Sponsors of Terrorism and ensure compensation for America victims of
terrorism and their families,” Mr Pompeo wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “Once in a
generation opportunity for freedom – huge benefits,” he said.
Sudan paid more than $330 million as a settlement to the victims of the 1998 US
embassy bombings in East Africa in exchange for its delisting. This puts the
African nation, which was under three decades of dictatorship until 2019, on a
path towards economic recovery after decades of state failure.
Still, a legislative council is yet to be formed, which has prevented the
process of legal reform from picking up full speed under its transitional
government. Sudan's economy is still reeling from decades of corruption and
untapped potential under regime of ousted dictator Omar Al Bashir.
In the meantime, talks with Ethiopia and Egypt of the Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam have stalled. Sudan's southern region of Darfur is also under a
watchful eye as the UN's mission there comes to an end, resulting in a complete
pull-out of its 'Blue Helmets' peacekeepers. This could reignite tensions in
Darfur between rebel groups and the transitional government even after they
signed a peace agreement in October last year.
Iran claims it's installing 1,000
centrifuges after announcing expanded uranium enrichment
Zachary Halaschak/The Washington Examiner/January 06/2021
The Iranian regime announced that it will be rolling out 1,000 additional
centrifuges after it said it would begin enriching uranium to levels far in
excess of the nuclear deal.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency, announced the expansion on
Tuesday, the Times of Israel reported. He also said that the country increased
its supply of yellowcake, a uranium concentrate powder that is used for
enrichment.
“One thousand centrifuges are being installed inside the country,” Salehi said,
according to Iranian media. “We are currently installing 1,000 IR-2m
centrifuges, but two cascades are installed and working.”
“Until three or four years ago, we used to produce an average of four to five
tons of yellowcake, but for the past two years, we have increased the production
of yellowcake to 30 tons,” Salehi said. “This year, the production of yellowcake
will be between 35 and 40 tons, which means that we have 8-folded the production
of yellowcake.”The regime told the International Atomic Energy Agency in a
weekend letter that it is planning to enrich uranium to 20%, in an apparent
violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear
deal, which mandated that Iran cannot enrich uranium by more than 3.67%,
although the regime has previously broken the pact by upping enrichment to 4.5%
purity.
On Tuesday, the United States hit back at Iran, which the State Department has
labeled the world’s “worst state sponsor” of terrorism, and imposed fresh
sanctions aimed at hurting the country’s steel industry.
The Iranian metals sector is an important revenue source for the Iranian regime,
generating wealth for its corrupt leaders and financing a range of nefarious
activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their
means of delivery, support for foreign terrorist groups, and a variety of human
rights abuses, at home and abroad,” the Treasury Department said in a statement
announcing the sanctions.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration “remains committed” to
stopping revenue flows to Iran “as it continues to sponsor terrorist groups,
support oppressive regimes, and seek weapons of mass destruction.”
This week’s tit-for-tat comes around the one-year anniversary of the successful
U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and
Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al Muhandis. There were fears of a reprisal
attack around the date, and the U.S. recently flew B-52 bombers off of Iran’s
coast in a show of force. Tensions further escalated on Monday when Tehran
confirmed it seized a South Korean oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and on
Tuesday when the regime asked Interpol a second time to issue a “red notice”
calling for President Trump’s arrest and that of dozens of other U.S. officials
it blames for Soleimani’s killing. Since the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear
deal in 2018, Iran has faced crippling U.S. sanctions as part of a “maximum
pressure” campaign by the Trump administration designed to squeeze Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei’s regime into submission.
Assad’s desperate attempt to revive reputation destined to
fail
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/Arab News/January 06/2021
Many people adopt new year’s resolutions. They usually involve quitting smoking,
losing weight, spending more time with family or just being more positive.
However, for Bashar Assad, his resolution seems to be to rebrand himself as a
man of peace.
As moronic as this might look, pro-regime university professors and retired
military officers have recently been inundating Syrian TV screens with
references to Assad being a man of peace. However, it was this “man of peace”
who tore Syria into pieces and plunged the country into a long and brutal
conflict, as he refused to gracefully leave the scene in order to prevent
bloodshed like the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak did. The half a million
dead, the children killed by poisonous Sarin gas, and the half of the population
that became either refugees or internally displaced do not seem to bother Assad,
who does not take any responsibility for the consequences of the war.
To add to the absurdity of the situation, local Syrian newspapers last month
announced the launch of a “national event” organized by a Syrian voyager. The
event will result in the “the longest love letter in the world” to “first man of
peace” Assad. The letter will be written on a 2,000-meter roll of fabric and
transported by a carriage accompanied by 14 female student athletes. The convoy
will depart from the presidential palace at Mount Qasioun and is supposed to
tour the different Syrian provinces before returning to Damascus to deliver the
letter to Assad. The aim is to gather 2.5 million signatures. One might think it
cannot get any cheesier than this, but it does: The organizer hopes the scheme
will break the Guinness World Record for the longest love letter. This would
make a nice addition to the records Assad has previously broken for criminality
and terror. The event is part of Assad’s campaign for the April 2021 pre-decided
presidential pseudo-election.
In September 2019, Assad agreed to the formation of a constitutional committee
that is supposed to decide on a new constitution and end the war in Syria.
However, so far the committee has not been able to achieve much due to the
regime’s continuous maneuvers to block any serious resolutions. After more than
a year of discussions with the regime, it is very obvious that the only
objective of Assad and his cronies is to waste time while giving the
international community the impression that he is ready to make concessions in
order to advance the well-being of Syria. Assad is using the constitutional
committee to appease the international community: He has no intention of making
any concessions or leaving power at any point in time.
It might be a mere coincidence, but at the same time that the “love letter” was
announced in Syrian newspapers, the opposition was provoked by the use of the
term “restorative justice” — rather than “transitional justice” — by UN Special
Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen. Pedersen later clarified that it was a
translation error after he faced an outcry from the opposition, which insisted
that Assad should be held accountable for his crimes. However, was it an
unintended error or was it a poison pill inserted by the regime delegation with
the aim of killing the idea of a political transition and, with it, Assad’s
departure? The so-called love letter and this rebranding could be another Assad
gimmick to bluff the international community and show that he is willing to make
peace with people he has been slaughtering for years.
Meanwhile, a member of the opposition, Ayman Abdel Nour, the president of
US-based nongovernmental organization Syrian Christians for Peace, said in his
weekly podcast that Assad might be using the term “man of peace” to send signals
to Israel. This is because normalization with Israel and a departure from the
“resistance axis” could be a way for Assad to reinvent himself as a leader the
world and the region can live with. In December, an Israeli analyst and former
security official also said that Tel Aviv could live with Assad if he broke off
from Iran and entered the Gulf fold. However, these scenarios are just
speculation.
Arab countries know deep in their hearts that the Syrian president is
treacherous and cannot be trusted.
Despite the fact that some Arab countries see Assad as a dam against Turkey’s
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, they know deep in their hearts that the Syrian president
is treacherous and cannot be trusted. They also know that it would be very
difficult for him to break free from Iran, or even to merely contain it inside
Syria. Despite several overtures by Gulf countries, Assad has not moved one inch
away from Iran; plus he has so much blood on his hands that dealing with him
would only result in a liability.
Despite the support and endorsements Assad gets from Iran, Russia, China and
some Arab countries, the world is quite united against him. The US’ Caesar Act
has been ratified by Congress and more sanctions are being imposed on his wife
Asma and her immediate family to make sure that Assad has no space to breathe.
As waning stars usually do — in a desperate attempt to revive what is left of
their glory — Assad is attempting to reinvent himself. However, he should
realize that he will not be able to recreate an audience for himself in order to
renew his legitimacy on the international scene, and that no one will buy into
the upcoming bogus elections.
*Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on
lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace
Building, a Lebanese NGO focused on Track II. She is also an affiliate scholar
with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at
the American University of Beirut.