English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For March 25/2020
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

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Bible Quotations For today

The angel Gabriel Delivers the Godly Message To Virgin Mary
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 01/26-38/:”In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
 

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 24-25/2021

Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
Arab League expresses ‘readiness’ to intervene in forming Lebanese government
France 'Optimistic' on Govt Formation Despite Leaders’ Spat
Hezbollah, Iran’s control of Syrian areas helps them transport weapons: Tlass
Diab Says Up to Parliament to Find Constitutional Interpretation for Caretaker Powers
Report: Salameh Facing 'Difficulties' to Reduce Dollar Rates
Bread Prices Increase for Third Time in Nine Months
Syria Sends Oxygen Aid to Lebanon as Hassan Visits
Bitar Questions Four Beirut Port Officials
Gunmen Open Fire at Syrian Encampments in Baalbek
FPM Bloc Accuses Hariri of Seeking 'One-Half-Plus-One' Govt. Share
Wehbe meets British Chargé d'Affaires over 5th Brussels Conference
Hariri on Annunciation: The priority of preserving national unity
Berri meets Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General, calls for general parliament session Monday
President receives credentials of Ambassadors of Netherlands, Czech Republic, Norway, Romania, Chile and Turkey
Michel Aoun and Saad Hariri Have Failed to Agree Over a New Government in Lebanon/Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/March 24/2021

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 24-25/2021

Deadlock Once again after Israeli Elections
Netanyahu: Master Politician Fighting for Survival
Israeli Strikes Hit Hamas Positions in Gaza, Military Says
Massive Cargo Ship Becomes Wedged, Blocks Egypt's Suez Canal
U.N. Chief Calls Anew for Foreign 'Elements' to Leave Libya
Armenia Lifts Martial Law Months after Karabakh War
Signs of discord between Dbeibah and Haftar dim prospects of Libyan reunification
Iraq to resume strategic dialogue with US in April
Macron meets Menfi, voices support for new Libyan government
Macron denounces Turkish ‘lies’ via Qatar-owned media
Dubai deputy ruler, UAE finance minister Sheikh Hamdan dies at age 75
Row erupts in France over state funding for mosque backed by leading Turkish group

Titles For The Latest The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 24-25/2021

Alexei Navalny: "Prepared to Lose Everything"/Jiri Valenta and Leni Friedman Valenta/Gatestone Institute/March 24, 2021
Turkey on tenterhooks for Biden’s decision on Armenian genocide recognition/Caline Malek and Arnab Neil Sengupta/Arab News/March 24/2021
Lack of understanding underpins world’s water crisis/Martha Rojas Urrego/Arab News/March 24, 2021
US, Chinese commitment to rules-based order offers hope/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/March 24, 2021

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 23-24/2021

Elias Bejjani/Visit My LCCC Web site/All That you need to know on Lebanese unfolding news and events in Arabic and English/http://eliasbejjaninews.com/
 

Arab League expresses ‘readiness’ to intervene in forming Lebanese government
Arab News/March 24/2021
CAIRO: The Arab League has said it is ready to intervene to solve the crisis of forming the Lebanese government between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. The bloc urged Lebanese politicians to work quickly to end a political deadlock and offered to help Lebanon overcome the crisis. Ambassador Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general, said that Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit feels great concern due to debates in the political field that suggest the country is sliding into a severe crisis, the signs of which are now clearly visible. Zaki said: “I renew the Arab League’s readiness to do whatever it takes to heal the current rift in order to reach an agreed-upon equation that enables the premier-designate to form his government without obstruction, in accordance with the French initiative, which was endorsed by the League Council in its last meeting on March 3.”The French initiative calls for the formation of a “mission” government of nonpartisan specialists to enact reforms in order to save Lebanon from multiple crises. Zaki stressed the need for a government of technocrats to save Lebanon from collapsing by implementing necessary reforms that meet the demands of the Lebanese people. The political crisis has persisted with Hariri announcing on Monday that no agreement was reached with Aoun after the latter stuck to his conditions. “I put my government formation in his hands 100 days ago, and I am ready for any modifications. I facilitated a solution for him with regard to the Ministry of the Interior, but he insists on the blocking third,” Hariri said after a meeting with Aoun at the presidential palace. The blocking third refers to the demand allegedly made by Aoun and his allies for control of a third of cabinet portfolios, allowing them to block any proposal that requires a two-thirds majority. Hariri explained that the list Aoun sent him is “unacceptable” because it is “not the designated president’s job to prepare a piece of paper dictated to him by anyone.”

France 'Optimistic' on Govt Formation Despite Leaders’ Spat
Naharnet/25 March ,2021
France reportedly is still “optimistic” that a formation of a government in Lebanon is still possible despite the latest row between the President and PM-designate, LBCI television station reported on Wednesday. “The French have not lost hope on a government formation, considering that the "deep" disagreement between President Michel Aoun and President-designate Saad Hariri is not more than an "extra complicating" event,” Randa Takieddine, a Lebanese journalist based in France, told LBCI. She said the “Elysse is still optimistic on the formation,” adding that there could be “French pressure on Lebanese officials,” that do not fall in the category of sanctions.There are constant contacts between the Elysee, Baabda and Hariri, she added. Lebanon's prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and President Michel Aoun failed Monday to agree on a new government line-up after months of deadlock, as the country sinks deeper into economic crisis. Hariri and Aoun failed Monday to agree on a new government line-up after months of deadlock, as the country sinks deeper into economic crisis. Despite public outrage and international pressure to form a government so as to enact reforms needed to unlock aid pledges, wrangling over cabinet posts persists seven months after the outgoing government resigned in the wake of a devastating explosion in Beirut, widely blamed on official negligence.The failure on Monday to agree a cabinet line-up crushed hopes for a breakthrough, with public barbs exchanged between the two leaders raising fears of a total impasse. No new meeting has been announced.

Hezbollah, Iran’s control of Syrian areas helps them transport weapons: Tlass
Rawad Taha, Al Arabiya English/25 March ,2021
Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran “completely control” Syrian borders near Lebanon, Hama airport and surrounding areas which aids them in transporting weapons, Syrian opposition figure Firas Tlass tells Al Arabiya in an interview. “Hama airport is the main transport hub for Iranian weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon and southern Syria,” according to Tlass, who also said Iranians “established an intelligence base for the revolutionary guard that is now as strong as the Syrian intelligence in the Damascus airport.”This reportedly happened after the assassination of IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani, whose plane took off from that same airport, before he was killed in Iraq upon arrival.
Hezbollah loses trust in Syrian regime
The mistrust between Hezbollah and the Syrian regime began after Hezbollah’s Chief of Staff Imad Mugnieh was assassinated, according to Tlass. Syrian Army General Muhammad Suleiman was allegedly responsible for communication between Assad and Hezbollah, but it is speculated that he had relations with the Americans and Israelis, Tlass said. “After Mughniyeh’s assassination, Hezbollah concluded that Mohammad Suleiman had a hand in the assassination. Noting that Mohammad Suleiman was the main point of contact between the Syrian regime and Hezbollah. He was killed in Tartous by Hezbollah after Hezbollah met with Assad,” Tlass added.
Iranians expanding influence
According to the opposition figure, the Iranians continue to expand their influence in Syria in multiple ways. “They are conducting a wide-mass Shia campaign targeting the youth, they are buying land and maintaining ground influence, and the Arabs should be aware,” Tlass said.
Shortly after the start of the Syrian uprising, Hezbollah members were sent by Iran to sabotage protests in Syria through infiltration to create chaos and instability. Tlass, the son of former defense minister Mustafa Tlass, said that the Iranians were present in Syria even before the uprising, adding that there had been continuous security and military cooperation due to the relations with Hezbollah. After having good relations with Hezbollah before the conflicts in Syria erupted, Tlass fled his home country following the start of the civil war in March 2011. This is thought to be around the same time his father left the country as well. Tlass revealed that in April of 2011, Iran informed Hezbollah they would be supporting Bashar al-Assad whether “he was right or wrong” till the end of the crisis. This is when Hezbollah lost its value “in the eyes of all Arabs,” according to Tlass. “They [Hezbollah] thought what they were doing was right, but crime is never right,” Tlass added.
Syrian regime had upper hand
During Bashar’s father Hafez al-Assad’s era, the Iranians were a Syrian ally, but the Syrian regime had the upper hand in that relation, Tlass told Al Arabiya. “When Hezbollah crossed the limits, Hafez al-Assad used to draw the red line. Hafez had the idea that Lebanon is his and that he gives space to Hezbollah to maneuver,” Tlass said. Meanwhile, according to Tlass, Bashar was “fascinated” by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s character and figure. “This is when Iran started having the upper hand in Syria because Bashar was so influenced by Nasrallah. Because of that relation between Hezbollah and Bashar, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started having their major influence especially after 2007,” Tlass told Al Arabiya. Nasrallah was reportedly astonished by what was happening in Syria when the crisis began, according to Tlass. “Nasrallah had the idea that corruption was apart from Bashar al-Assad, but in fact, Bashar was the head of corruption,” Tlass added.
Hafez regime uses of Palestinian, Lebanese militias
He also said that whenever Hafez’s regime had to conduct an operation, it created a Palestinian militia or a Lebanese militia that would kill or abduct. Shortly afterward, that militia would be dissolved. “This regime was rogue. It was a regime that is not powerful in terms of building an economy for the people; rather, it is a regime based on power and chaos,” Tlass said. “The Syrian regime is a cancerous knife in the body of Syria and a lot of blood will shed when it is removed. The regime stayed, but it stayed as a man, sitting on a chair on the hill of those displaced, but does [the regime] rule Syria?” Tlass asked.
According to Tlass, Bashar al-Assad does not want to give in to 10 percent of the Syrians’ reform demands. However, he is always “willing to give 99 percent” of Syria to the Iranians, Russians, or even Americans if he can stay in power.

Diab Says Up to Parliament to Find Constitutional Interpretation for Caretaker Powers
Naharnet/25 March ,2021
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Wednesday that parliament needs to find a “constitutional interpretation” that defines the limit of Cabinet's caretaker jurisdiction and role, days after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah called for reactivating the resigned government.
“Instead of cooperation among everyone to push for the formation of a new government, demands for reactivating the resigned government have increased, amid warnings against violating the constitution and some accusations that we have been lax in acting in our caretaker capacity,” Diab said in a statement.He added that the ongoing debate over the jurisdiction of the caretaker government highlights the need for “a constitutional interpretation” that defines the limit of Cabinet's caretaker jurisdiction and role. “This interpretation is in the hands of parliament, which has this exclusive right, as the legislature itself has already announced,” Diab went on to say. He also emphasized that the caretaker cabinet “has not hesitated to perform its duties to the highest levels of its caretaker capacity” and that “work at all ministries and the Premiership has not stopped.”
“The formation of a government remains the top priority and no task is more important today, and all those concerned must cooperate to achieve this national mission,” Diab added.

Report: Salameh Facing 'Difficulties' to Reduce Dollar Rates
Naharnet/25 March ,2021
Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh is reportedly facing a "difficult" task to control the currency depreciation after a decision that banks are to conduct currency transactions to control dollar exchange rates, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.The daily said that Salameh is “working hard” to control the currency depreciation and decrease the exchange rate of the dollar to 10,000 Lebanese pounds or less. The Lebanese pound is currently trading at about 11,000 to the dollar on the black market, compared with the official rate pegged at 1,507. Last week, Salameh said during talks with caretaker finance minister Ghazi Wazni that new proposals were studied to reduce dollar rates. The presidency also said that the Central Bank will allow local banks to conduct currency transactions similar to exchange dealers to control the exchange rate. According to the al-Joumhouria, Salameh informed the concerned parties that his task is currently difficult because there are counter pressures pressing in the opposite direction as a result of the crisis situation the country is going through.The rapid currency plunge -- the pound fell as far as 15,000 at one stage last week -- has reignited street protests that started in 2019 before they were temporarily snuffed out last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bread Prices Increase for Third Time in Nine Months
Agence France Presse/25 March ,2021
Lebanese authorities announced late Tuesday a bread price hike, the third in nine months, a move the government blames on a plunge in the value of the local currency. The economy ministry announced that the price of 960 grams of bread would be set at 3,000 Lebanese pounds, up from 2,500 pounds, the state-run National News Agency reported. The move means the price of bread has more than doubled since May last year, as the country grapples with an unrelenting economic and political crisis that predates the coronavirus pandemic. In justifying the latest hike, the ministry pointed to an ongoing failure to form a new government driving a "sharp fall in the Lebanese pound against the dollar".The pound is currently trading at about 11,000 to the dollar on the black market, compared with the official rate pegged at 1,507. The consequent erosion of purchasing power has fanned anger in a population that has long viewed the ruling elite as irretrievably corrupt. The rapid currency plunge -- the pound fell as far as 15,000 at one stage last week -- has reignited street protests that started in 2019 before they were temporarily snuffed out last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than half the population lives in poverty, according to the UN. The latest bread price hike comes the day after a crucial meeting between President Michel Aoun and prime minister-designate Saad Hariri in which the two failed to agree a new government line-up after months of deadlock. At the end of last year, inflation was running at annual 145.8 percent, according to official statistics.

Syria Sends Oxygen Aid to Lebanon as Hassan Visits
Agence France Presse/Associated Press/25 March ,2021
The Syrian government Wednesday offered 75 tons of oxygen to neighboring Lebanon during a visit by its caretaker health minister in response to a request for Covid-19 assistance. "We will supply Lebanon with 75 tons of oxygen in instalments of 25 tons a day for a period of three days," Syrian Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart, Hamad Hassan. The oxygen shipment, which will be delivered "immediately", will not strain Syria's supplies, Ghabbash said, adding the first instalment was being handed over to Hassan on Wednesday. For his part, Hassan said his ministry requested the aid to save hundreds of Lebanese lives threatened by an oxygen shortage. "We have around 1,000 patients on breathing aid in Lebanon's emergency rooms" and oxygen supplies "that honestly are only enough to last for today," he said. Lebanon was expecting to receive new oxygen shipments from abroad but stormy weather conditions have delayed arrivals, Hamad said. "In spite of high need and rising demand for oxygen in Syria, authorities granted us our request," he added, praising Damascus for its swift assistance. Hassan also told al-Manar TV that the oxygen was a "direct gift" from Syrian President Bashar Assad, who responded to Lebanon's humanitarian request for the oxygen. Official dealings between Damascus and the Lebanese government have been limited since the early days of the Syrian conflict which erupted in 2011. Lebanon is grappling with a coronavirus outbreak that compounded its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. The country of more than six million has recorded a total of 444,865 Covid-19 cases, including 5,858 deaths since last year. The outbreak has overwhelmed a medical sector already grappling with a drastic depreciation of the Lebanese pound against the U.S. dollar. The currency plunge has made medical imports, including oxygen, more expensive, leading to limited supplies. War-battered Syria too is grappling with its own virus outbreak on top of an economic crisis aggravated by the financial crunch in Lebanon. A health ministry official warned last week that hospital beds for Covid-19 patients in intensive care units have run out across Damascus. Syria has recorded 17,743 cases, among them 1,183 deaths, in government-held areas.

Bitar Questions Four Beirut Port Officials
Naharnet/25 March ,2021
Lead investigative judge into the Beirut port blast, Tarek al-Bitar, on Wednesday interrogated four detained port officials. The National News Agency identified them as the port’s Director General Hassan Qureitem, Operations Director Samer Raad, cargo department head and hangars officer Mustafa Farshoukh, and guard chief Mohammed al-Aouf. The move raises the number of detainees questioned by Bitar to 18 out of 25. Bitar will continue his interrogations on Friday and the questioned detainees will include Customs chief Badri Daher, NNA added.

Gunmen Open Fire at Syrian Encampments in Baalbek
Naharnet/25 March ,2021
Unknown assailants opened gunfire overnight at the encampments of Syrian refugees in Baalbek’s town of al-Safri and injured a woman, the National News Agency reported on Wednesday. NNA said the assailants opened fire from inside their vehicle while passing by the encampment and drove quickly off to an unknown destination. A Syrian woman was injured in the assault and was transferred to a hospital. Security forces opened investigation into the incident.

FPM Bloc Accuses Hariri of Seeking 'One-Half-Plus-One' Govt. Share
Naharnet/25 March ,2021
The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc on Tuesday accused PM-designate Saad Hariri of seeking a “one-half-plus-one” share in the new government. “Hariri’s main objective is to get, along with his supporters, a one-half-plus-one share in the government, and the problem is not in the ‘Guaranteeing One-Third’, which no one has asked for in the first place,” the bloc said in a statement issued after its weekly e-meeting. “What is the main reason behind Hariri’s insistence on this majority in the government and is it for approving reform, topped by the forensic audit?” the bloc asked. Moreover, Strong Lebanon stressed the need for the formation of a government that “respects the rules of the National Pact and specialty,” noting that a line-up submitted by Hariri in December did not respect the National Pact nor the constitution. “This is why the president rejected it when he received it more than three months ago,” the bloc added. “What prevents the formation of a government of 20, 22 or 24 ministers if that would grant it the condition of specialty?” Strong Lebanon asked. “According to what logic is the PM-designate granting all sects the right to name ministers while withholding it from Christians and the president?” it added.

Wehbe meets British Chargé d'Affaires over 5th Brussels Conference
NNA/March 23/2021
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Charbel Wehbe, met Wednesday with British Chargé d'Affaires Martin Longden, with whom he discussed the imminent 5th Brussels Conference, in addition to the bilateral relations between Lebanon and the UK. During the meeting, Longden reportedly underlined his country's permanent support for Lebanon.

Hariri on Annunciation: The priority of preserving national unity
NNA/March 23/2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri issued the following:
Tomorrow marks the eleventh anniversary of the government's decision on February 18, 2010 to declare the Feast of the Annunciation a national holiday. We wanted that day, through this declaration, to focus on the common denominators between Christianity and Islam, so our Lady Mary was the one that gathered us all. The Blessed Virgin Mary unites, not only the people of the two religions, but also the Lebanese who presented and are still presenting a model for the good reunion between those who believe in the same God and the same human values.
This was consecrated on February 4, 2019 during the historic meeting in the United Arab Emirates between His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, by the announcement of the “Document on human fraternity for world peace and coexistence". It was also repeated in the last meeting in Najaf a few days ago between His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. I hope that this inclusive occasion will remain a guide for all the Lebanese, by ensuring the priority of preserving their national unity, and by sincerely remembering the justifications that necessitated the emergence of this distinctive entity, which over the past hundred years surpassed all kinds of challenges and remained steadfast. I hope that it will remain as late Pope John Paul II described it, “more than a country, Lebanon is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for East and West.”--Hariri Press Office

Berri meets Francophonie Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General, calls for general parliament session Monday
NNA/March 23/2021
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Wednesday received at his Ain el-Tineh residence, the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie, French MP Jacques Karbal, accompanied by the Assembly's Administrative Secretary General, Middle East and Africa Official. The meeting touched on the latest developments and the general situation in Lebanon and the region, in addition to means to enhance cooperation and coordination between the Assembly and the Parliament in the various domains, especially at the legislative level.
Speaker Berri also received Uruguay's Ambassador to Lebanon, Ricardo Narío, who came on a farewell visit upon the end of his diplomatic mission in the country. The visit was an occasion to discuss the general situation and the bilateral relations between the two countries. On the other hand, Berri called for a general parliamentary session to be held at 11:00 am on Monday, March 29, at the UNESCO palace, to discuss and approve draft laws and proposals on the parliament's agenda. Speaker Berri also received a cable from Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, expressing condolences on the passing of the Director General of Foreign Affairs at the Parliament, Bilal Sharara.

President receives credentials of Ambassadors of Netherlands, Czech Republic, Norway, Romania, Chile and Turkey
NNA/March 23/2021
Baabda Presidential Palace witnessed the President’s reception of credentials of six new accredited Ambassadors to Lebanon. Ambassadors are: Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, HANS PETER VAN DER WOUDE, Ambassador of the Czech Republic, JIRI DOLEZEL, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Martin YTTERVIK, Ambassador of the Republic of Romania, Radu CATALIN MARDARE, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, Carlos MORAN LEON, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, ALI BARIS ULUSOY.
The credential-presentation was attended by Foreign Minister, Charbel Wehbe, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Hani Shmeitly, Director General of Protocol at the Presidential Palace, Dr. Nabil Chedid, and the Director of Protocol at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mrs. Abeer Ali.
As the Ambassadors arrived, the approved ceremonies were held where the Army’s music played the anthem of each Ambassador’s country, while the flags of each country were also raised at the mast of the Presidential Palace, alongside the Lebanese flag.
Then, each Ambassador greeted the flag, before a company from the Republican Guard Brigade displayed, then the Ambassadors entered the October 22 Salon from there to the Salon of Ambassadors, where the credentials and members of the diplomatic mission were presented to President Aoun.
Upon the Ambassadors’ departure, the Lebanese Army Music played the Lebanese National Anthem. The Ambassadors conveyed to the President the greetings and condolences from their President’s for the victims of the Beirut Port explosion, and wished him success in his national responsibilities, assuring the President of their work to strengthen bilateral relations between Lebanon and their countries.
For his part, the President conveyed his greetings the Ambassadors’ heads of state, wishing them success in their new diplomatic missions.
The following is a summary of the biographies of the Ambassadors who submitted their credentials today:
Ambassador of the Netherlands, Hans Peter van der Woude:
-Holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Law from the University of Amsterdam and a Post-Doctorate in Integration Laws from the Amsterdam Higher Institute of International Affairs.
-Held several administrative positions, especially in his country’s mission to the European Union.
-Worked as a consultant at his country’s embassy in Beirut between 2009-2013.
-Headed the Cooperation and Development Department of his country’s embassy in Uganda.
-Worked as assistant director at the Trade Policy Directorate of his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ambassador of the Czech Republic JIŘI DOLEŽEL:
-Graduate of the National Institute of Administration in Strasbourg and the European Institute of Higher International Studies in France.
-Holds a BA in Literature from the University of Prague.
-Assumed many administrative positions and worked in journalism before entering the diplomatic corps.
-Appointed second secretary at his country’s embassy in Brussels.
-Appointed as a first secretary at his country’s embassy in France.
-Appointed an advisor assigned to a mission, alongside the political director in his country's foreign ministry.
-Appointed as his country’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and then to Kosovo, and extraordinary ambassador for his country to Tunisia.
-Headed the Morocco unit of his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 2018-2020.
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Martin YTTERVIK:
-Holds a BA in Arts from the University of Oslo, and specializes in the study of comparative religions.
-Fluent in English, French, and Arabic.
-Assumed several administrative positions and also held the position of observer in several missions.
-Held the position of first secretary at his country’s embassy in Damascus, and the same position at his country’s embassy in Baghdad.
-Worked as a consultant for his country’s embassy in Amman and held the same position in Beirut as well.
-Appointed Chargé affairs to his country’s embassy in Tripoli.
-Appointed as a senior advisor in the Middle East and North Africa division of his country’s foreign ministry.
Ambassador of the Republic of Romania, RADU CATALIN MARDARE:
-Holds a degree from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Bucharest.
-Followed several courses in various specializations, in addition to following a specialized program in international relations from the Romanian Institute for Diplomatic Studies.
-Holds a degree in Spanish from the Cervantes Institute in Bucharest.
-Assumed several administrative positions, where he was Vice President of the Red Cross in Romania.
-Held the position of head of his country’s consular mission in Castellon, Spain, and then a general consul at his country’s general consulate in Seville.
-Elected as a Senator in the Romanian Parliament from 2004 to 2012.
Ambassador of the Republic of Chile, CARLOS MORÁN LEÓN:
-Holds a BA in Historical Sciences and Geography from the Catholic University of Val Paraiso, Chile.
-Pursued his studies in diplomatic sciences in the Academy of Diplomatic Sciences in Chile.
-Assumed several administrative positions, as he was appointed to each of his country’s embassy in Finland, his country’s consulate in Barcelona and his country’s embassy in Australia.
-Appointed Director of cultural affairs in his country’s foreign ministry, and Director of the North America, Central American and Caribbean countries division.
-While he was in Barcelona, he helped coordinate the establishment of the Joint Chamber of Commerce between Chile and Catalonia.
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey, ALI BARIŞ ULUSOY:
-Holds a BA in political science from the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations of the University of Ankara, and a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago.
-Assumed several administrative positions, as he was appointed deputy director general in his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Syria and Lebanon Affairs, and then head of the Syria and Lebanon Department in the same ministry.
-Appointed consul general for his country in Brussels and head of the Middle East section in his country’s foreign ministry.
-Appointed advisor to his country’s permanent mission to the European Council. ----Presidency Press Office

Michel Aoun and Saad Hariri Have Failed to Agree Over a New Government in Lebanon
Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/March 23/2021
What Happened?
Lebanese President Michel Aoun and prime minister-designate Saad Hariri have again failed to reach an accord on a new government. Each side blames the other, strongly suggesting that their relationship has reached a point of no return, making the formation of a new government improbable in the foreseeable future.Under the post-1990 constitution, the president and the prime minister-designate must sign the decree forming the cabinet. On March 22, Hariri presented Aoun with a draft list of ministers for a government of politically-backed specialists that could implement economic reforms. However, shortly thereafter Hariri emerged from the meeting saying the president was still demanding veto power over the government—meaning a third of ministers plus one—which would allow him and his son in law Gebran Bassil to control the cabinet’s agenda. Hariri also said Aoun had sent him a framework structure for the cabinet, so that the prime minister-designate could fill out the names of ministers and their political patrons. He angrily added it was not his role to fill out documents sent to him, and left.
Coming after five months of disagreement over a government, the breakdown this week occurs as Lebanon is collapsing financially, heightening the threats to the country’s security and stability.
Why Is It Important?
Lebanon has been mired in a serious financial and economic crisis since late 2019, with the Lebanese pound having lost almost 90 percent of its value. The country’s political leaders and parties have done nothing to address this dire situation. Not only do they fear that a genuine reform process would undermine their political power, but the cartel of sectarian leaders ruling the country has lost all cohesiveness since it can no longer agree over how to collectively divide the spoils of the now-bankrupt Lebanese state.
The caretaker government of Hassan Diab, which resigned after the horrific explosion in Beirut Port last August, has limited prerogatives, so its ability to govern effectively is doubtful. That is unless the always practical political class can find a way of providing it with enhanced executive power to do more than merely run current affairs. However, that would require a political consensus, which is lacking today.
What this means is that at the worst moment in Lebanon’s postwar history, the country could face a multifaceted collapse—of its financial system, its economy, and its security situation—with no effort being made to prevent this. Given that over 55 percent of the population “is now trapped in poverty and struggling for bare necessities,” according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the domestic and regional repercussions could be exceptionally severe.
What Are the Implications for the Future?
Expectations for a new government should remain low. Aoun and Hariri entered the government-formation process with irreconcilable aims, even as the main power broker in Lebanon, Hezbollah, appears not to want a government today. While the party has called repeatedly for one, nothing shows that it ever pushed for such an outcome. Indeed, last week Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, took a position opposed to Hariri’s vision for the government. This ensured that Aoun would toughen his stance in his talks with Hariri, undermining an accord.
This is not the first time that Hezbollah acts in a way that contradicts its declared position, and to many observers in Beirut the party is delaying a government while awaiting negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. In effect, Lebanon is a hostage, ensuring that Washington accepts Tehran’s and Hezbollah’s domination there in any broader regional agreement.
Yet Hezbollah does not seem to be the only culprit. Hariri’s method of negotiating with Aoun, or rather not negotiating, underscored that the prime minister-designate is unwilling to lead a government that does not meet his conditions. Hariri has rejected giving Aoun and Bassil a blocking third, while also refusing to give them the interior and justice ministries. Yet he agreed to give the finance portfolio to Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, suggesting double standards.
It is understandable that Hariri did not want to concede a blocking third, however it is unclear why he refused to discuss other tradeoffs. The cabinet lineup he presented on March 22 was the same one presented on December 9, showing no willingness to compromise. Hariri’s intransigence may have been due to the Saudis’ opposition to his heading a cabinet, as they do not want him to cover for Hezbollah. Therefore, unless he can form one that embraces the exacting terms of his regional patron, Hariri prefers no government at all, knowing Riyadh would block Arab economic aid to Lebanon.
Worse, Hariri cannot afford to step down now as prime minister-designate, because this would only confirm his miscalculation in trying to form a government. That could prove fatal for his ties with Riyadh, which are already strained, and it could push the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates to favor Hariri’s older brother Bahaa. Yet this creates a dilemma for Hariri. If he does nothing in the coming weeks, the pressure will build on him to try to form a government again, or to step down and allow someone else to do so.
When he first announced that he would be a candidate for the post of prime minister in October 2020, Hariri implied that if he could come to an understanding with Hezbollah and Amal, he could push through a program aimed at implementing a French-backed economic reform plan for Lebanon. The implied message was that if there was Sunni-Shi‘a cooperation, other sectarian leaders would have to follow the flow. But it was up to Hezbollah to choose whether it would take his side or that of Aoun and Bassil, Hariri had declared. Last week Nasrallah replied: Hezbollah would not be forced into choosing. In the process he guaranteed an open-ended disagreement over a new government. Lebanon needs change urgently, but the outcome is certain to be more stalemate, with possibly dramatic consequences for the country and perhaps the region.
 

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 24-25/2021

Deadlock Once again after Israeli Elections
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2021
Israelis awoke on Wednesday to find that, after their fourth general election in less than two years, there was still no clear indication of who would form the next government. Veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party won the most votes, boosting his chances of building a coalition with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. But a rival "Anyone but Netanyahu" camp of parties was running neck-and-neck, spelling more uncertainty ahead as the official vote count continues and parties engage in intense horse-trading. Netanyahu, 71, Israel's longest serving premier after 12 years in power, had hoped that Tuesday's election would finally allow him to unite a stable right-wing coalition behind him, after three inconclusive elections since 2019. He campaigned on a world-leading coronavirus vaccination effort that has inoculated roughly half of Israel's nine million people, a pace envied by much of the world. Netanyahu, known as Bibi, also ran on his credentials as a hawkish guarantor of Israeli security who scored the diplomatic coup of establishing relations with several Arab states late last year.But, once more, Netanyahu was denied a clear-cut victory, even through his Likud scored more than 24 percent of the vote and handily beat its closest rival, the centrist Yesh Atid, at about 14 percent.
Horse-trading
Analysis by state broadcaster Kan showed that, with close to 90 percent of ballots counted, the combined strength of the declared pro-Netanyahu parties was 52 seats while those seeking to end his long reign commanded 56. This leaves both camps short of the 61 seats required to build a government and in search of more partners. The kingmaker, down the road, could be the hard-right Yamina party led by Netanyahu's estranged former protege Naftali Bennett, which by Kan's projection won seven seats.
Bennett, a multi-millionaire former high-tech entrepreneur who made a name in politics with hardline religious-nationalist rhetoric, has so far not declared which way he will jump. Netanyahu on election night hailed a "huge win for the right" and said he would welcome all comers to a future coalition. "I will reach out to all elected officials who share our principles," he told supporters. "I will not exclude anyone." That meant Netanyahu would now also be headhunting individual defectors from the opposing bloc, said political analyst Yaron Dekel. The premier effectively declared that "from this night onwards I'm starting to look for deserters from the other blocs to bring them to my bloc," said Dekel. A Netanyahu coalition would also require alignment with a new far-right extremist alliance called Religious Zionism, which is projected to win six seats. Among its most controversial figures is Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has voiced admiration for Baruch Goldstein, the murderer of 29 Palestinian worshippers in Hebron in 1994.
'Sane government'
The anti-Netanyahu camp, meanwhile, also remained hopeful in its quest to form what it called a "sane government". Former television personality Yair Lapid, the opposition leader running Yesh Atid, insisted the anti-Netanyahu bloc had a path to a majority. "At the moment, Netanyahu doesn't have 61 seats," he told supporters in Tel Aviv. Lapid said he had "started speaking to (other) party leaders and we'll wait for the results but we'll do everything to create a sane government in Israel." Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister to be indicted in office after being formally charged last year with corruption, an allegation he denies. He has said he will not block the trial and looks forward to being exonerated, but critics suspect that if he forms a majority, he may seek parliamentary action to delay or end the process.
Tuesday's vote was forced on Israelis after Netanyahu triggered the collapse of a unity government he had formed last year with former military chief Benny Gantz, his main challenger in three previous, inconclusive elections. Gantz, currently the defence minister, is projected to win eight seats -- beating expectations but still a sharp fall from a year ago when he was Netanyahu's main challenger. Gantz said last year he only agreed to a unity government to give Israel stability amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
But now Israel's political scene is, once more, in turmoil. If Netanyahu can't reach a deal with Bennett and his opponents cannot unite, a fifth election is possible.

Netanyahu: Master Politician Fighting for Survival
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2021
Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled as Israel's prime minister for a record 12 consecutive years, partly by convincing many voters that only he can keep the Jewish state safe while defending it on the world stage. But on Tuesday, the wily 71-year-old failed to achieve a conclusive result in his fourth re-election contest in less than two years, according to exit polls published by Israel's leading three broadcasters. The polls indicated that this master political survivor, widely known as Bibi, was between seven to eight seats short of the necessary 61-seat parliamentary majority. If the exit polls reflect the final results, support for Netanyahu's Likud has dipped from its previous result of 36 seats despite his clinching historic normalisation agreements with four Arab states and unrolling a world-beating Covid-19 vaccination campaign. One reason Netanyahu's political standing remains fragile is that his dealings with coalition partners are so often undermined by mistrust, said Colin Shindler, a leading Israel scholar at London's SOAS University. Netanyahu has a tendency to "pretend to forge friendships and alliances" with partners only as long as they are useful to him, said Shindler, author of "The Rise of the Israel Right: from Odessa to Hebron".
Yet -- despite being the first sitting Israeli premier indicted while in office over corruption allegations, which he denies -- Netanyahu may well survive the ballot box again. That is because part of the electorate still sees him as the safest pair of hands to guide the nation, Shindler said. "That's the reason he's still in power. He's the national goalkeeper and he doesn't let in any goals."
- Shaped by father and brother -
Netanyahu is the son of a historian who was active in right-wing Zionist groups, an ideological inheritance that helped shape the premier's political career. Addressing the World Holocaust Forum last year, Netanyahu said the Jewish people must "always take seriously the threats of those who seek our destruction". He warned Israelis "to confront threats even when they are small and, above all, to always have the power to defend ourselves by ourselves". An occasional cigar smoker with a husky voice and greying comb-over, the broad, burly and square-jawed Netanyahu has two sons with his wife Sara and a daughter from a previous marriage.
His brother, Yonatan, was the only Israeli soldier killed in a 1976 commando raid to free hostages at Uganda's Entebbe airport. Netanyahu called the event, which marked him deeply, "a very dramatic national experience" and "one of great personal consequence". He was raised partly in the United States and graduated from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His fluent English made him a fixture on US television, defending Israeli policies through the late 1980s and early 1990s, exposure that raised his profile both at home and abroad. A sceptic of the Oslo Peace Accords, Netanyahu became Likud's leader in 1993 and led the party to victory as Israel's youngest-ever prime minister in 1996, aged 46. He lost power in 1999, but regained it 10 years later and has not relinquished it since.
Jewish people's 'chief defender'
Netanyahu has not engaged in substantive peace talks with the Palestinians while overseeing a boom of Jewish settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. He frequently cites the risks Israel faces from the Lebanese Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah and has called Iran's regime the greatest threat to the Jewish people since Nazi Germany. Thwarting Iran's alleged nuclear weapons programme has become a centrepiece of his foreign policy. In one of the most controversial diplomatic episodes of his tenure, Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the US Congress in 2015 without having been invited by then-president Barack Obama to condemn Obama's nuclear negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu's "vision of himself as the chief defender of the Jewish people against calamity allowed him to justify almost anything that would keep him in power," Obama wrote in his presidential memoir, "A Promised Land". Following three inconclusive elections in 2019 and 2020, Netanyahu agreed to a unity government with his rival, the centrist Gantz. The three-year coalition formed in May called for Netanyahu to hand power to Gantz after 18 months. But experts on Netanyahu widely predicted he would find a way to sink the coalition before allowing Gantz to become prime minister. And, as a deadline approached to either pass a government-saving budget or let it collapse, forcing a fourth election, Netanyahu baulked. By Tuesday, Gantz's party was predicted to shrink to between seven and eight seats.

Israeli Strikes Hit Hamas Positions in Gaza, Military Says
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2021
The Israeli military said it conducted night-time strikes against Hamas positions in the Gaza strip early on Wednesday, after a rocket strike from the Palestinian enclave hit southern Israel. A little after 2:30 am local time (0030 GMT), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) hit Hamas positions in southern Gaza, witnesses in the enclave told AFP. "In response to the rocket fired from Gaza into Israel tonight, IDF fighter jets and attack helicopters struck a Hamas rocket manufacturing site and military post," the military said. A military spokesperson told AFP the earlier rocket from Gaza hit an open field in southern Israel. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties caused by the rocket, the first fired from the Palestinian enclave since January, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The IDF strikes came shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the southern city of Beersheba as part of his efforts to whip up support among voters, as the country was holding the fourth election in less than two years.

Massive Cargo Ship Becomes Wedged, Blocks Egypt's Suez Canal
Associated Press/March 24, 2021
A skyscraper-sized container ship has become wedged across Egypt's Suez Canal and blocked all traffic in the vital waterway, officials said Wednesday, threatening to disrupt a global shipping system already strained by the coronavirus pandemic. The MV Ever Given, a Panama-flagged ship that carries cargo between Asia and Europe, ran aground Tuesday in the narrow, man-made canal dividing continental Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. Images showed the ship's bow was touching the eastern wall, while its stern looked lodged against the western wall — an extraordinary event that experts said they had never heard of happening before in the canal's 150-year history. Tugboats strained Wednesday to try to nudge the obstruction out of the way as ships hoping to enter the waterway began lining up in the Mediterranean and Red Seas. But it remained unclear when the route, through which around 10% of world trade flows and which is particularly crucial for the transport of oil, would reopen. One official warned it could take at least two days. In the meantime, there were concerns that idling ships could become targets for attacks. "The Suez Canal will not spare any efforts to ensure the restoration of navigation and to serve the movement of global trade," vowed Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, which manages the Ever Given, said all 20 members of the crew were safe and that there had been "no reports of injuries or pollution."
It wasn't immediately clear what caused the Ever Given to become wedged on Tuesday morning. GAC, a global shipping and logistics company, said the ship had experience a blackout without elaborating. Bernhard Schulte, however, denied the ship ever lost power.
Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the ship, said in a statement that the Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the canal from the Red Sea but none of its containers had sunk. An Egyptian official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief journalists, similarly blamed a strong wind. Egyptian forecasters said high winds and a sandstorm plagued the area Tuesday, with winds gusting as much as 50 kph (30 mph). However, it remained unclear how wind alone would have been able to push a fully laden vessel weighing some 220,000 tons. A pilot from Egypt's canal authority typically boards a ship to guide it through the waterway, though the ship's captain retains ultimate authority over the vessel, said Ranjith Raja, a lead analyst at the data firm Refinitiv. The vessel entered the canal some 45 minutes before it became stuck, moving at 12.8 knots (about 24 kph, 15 mph) just before the crash, he said. An image posted to Instagram by a user on another waiting cargo ship appeared to show the Ever Given wedged across the canal as shown in satellite images and data. A backhoe appeared to be digging into the sand bank under its bow in an effort to free it.
The Egyptian official said tugboats hoped to refloat the ship and that the operation would take at least two days. The ship ran aground some 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southernly mouth of the canal near the city of Suez, an area of the canal that's a single lane. That could have a major knock-on effect for global shipping moving between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, warned Salvatore R. Mercogliano, a former merchant mariner and associate professor of history at North Carolina's Campbell University. "Every day, 50 vessels on average go through that canal, so the closing of the canal means no vessels are transiting north and south," Mercogliano told the AP. "Every day the canal is closed ... container ships and tankers are not delivering food, fuel and manufactured goods to Europe and goods are not being exported from Europe to the Far East."
Already, some 30 vessels waited at Egypt's Great Bitter Lake midway on the canal, while some 40 idled in the Mediterranean near Port Said and another 30 at Suez in the Red Sea, according to canal service provider Leth Agencies. That included seven vessels carrying some 5 million barrels of crude oil, Refinitiv said. In addition to the economic implications, security experts warned that idling ships in the Red Sea could be targets after a series of attacks against shipping in the Mideast amid tensions between Iran and the U.S. "All vessels should consider adopting a heightened posture of alertness if forced to remain static within the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden," warned private marine intelligence firm Dryad Global.
The closure also could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Mideast. The price of international benchmark Brent crude jumped nearly 2.9% to $62.52 a barrel Wednesday. The Ever Given, built in 2018 with a length of nearly 400 meters (a quarter mile) and a width of 59 meters (193 feet), is among the largest cargo ships in the world. It can carry some 20,000 containers at a time. It previously had been at ports in China before heading toward Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Opened in 1869, the Suez Canal provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo. It also remains one of Egypt's top foreign currency earners. In 2015, the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi completed a major expansion of the canal, allowing it to accommodate the world's largest vessels. However, the Ever Given ran aground south of that new portion of the canal. The stranding Tuesday marks just the latest to affect mariners amid the pandemic. Hundreds of thousands have been stuck aboard vessels due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, demands on shipping have increased, adding to the pressure on tired sailors, Mercogliano said. "It's because of the breakneck pace of global shipping right now and shipping is on a very tight schedule," he said. "Add to it that mariners have not been able to get on and off vessels because of COVID restrictions."

U.N. Chief Calls Anew for Foreign 'Elements' to Leave Libya
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2021
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "remains deeply concerned" that "foreign elements" continue to operate in Libya, he wrote in a report to the Security Council. The document, obtained by AFP and discussed Wednesday by Council members, notes some mercenaries have withdrawn, but considers the amount insufficient. It indicates that foreign forces left the center and west of the coastal city of Sirte on February 28 to Wadi Harawa, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east, to help secure the city and allow the reopening of the Al-Ghardabiya airport. But "there has reportedly been no reduction of foreign forces or their activities in central Libya," Guterres said in his report. Oil-rich Libya descended into chaos after strongman Moammar Gadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, resulting in multiple forces vying for power.
The U.N. had estimated in December that 20,000 foreign troops and mercenaries were active in Libya. "I reiterate my call on all national, regional and international actors to respect the provisions of the ceasefire agreement in order to ensure its full implementation without delay. This includes complete and unconditional respect for and compliance with the United Nations arms embargo," Guterres wrote. Several previous U.N. reports -- one of which called the arms embargo "totally ineffective" -- have highlighted the presence in Libya of Russian, Chadian, Sudanese and Syrian mercenaries, among others, as well as Turkish military units."Their withdrawal from Libya will go a long way in reconstituting the unity and sovereignty of the country and healing the deep wounds caused by many years of internal strife, active conflict and foreign interference," its new envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, told the Security Council.
- 'A stab in our back' -
In his report Guterres details his proposal for a gradual deployment of a ceasefire observation mission and the departure of mercenaries and foreign troops. However, he does not specify the number of observers, who will be unarmed civilians in agreement with the Libyan parties.
The observers must include women and young people, Kubis stated.  Initially the observers, integrated into the UN Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), will focus on the coastal road, then extend their activities to a triangle between Abu Grein, Bin Jawad and Sawknah before a possible third stage extended to other locations. "The reopening of the coastal road remains a critical step for the steady and sustainable, if gradual implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement" reached in October, noted Kubis. He welcomed the fact that "significant progress has been made on clearing the coastal road connecting Misrata with eastern Libya from explosive remnants of war." At its last meeting in Sirte on March 15, the joint military commission with representatives from the east and west agreed to open the road within 15 days, the envoy said. Several countries, such as the United Kingdom, Mexico, Kenya, Niger and France, also called for mercenaries to leave, including those from the Russian private security company Wagner, which is reputed to be close to Moscow. The foreign forces should have left no later than three months after the conclusion of an October 23 ceasefire agreement, but it is now "more than 150 days later," said French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere. Earlier this month Libya's then prime minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, speaking in Sirte, called the mercenaries "a stab in our back" and said they must leave. According to diplomats, a Security Council resolution being prepared by the UK is expected to specify the mandate of the monitoring mechanism and give a green light for its formal activation.

Armenia Lifts Martial Law Months after Karabakh War
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2021
Armenia lifted martial law on Wednesday, five months after the end of its brutal war with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The decision to lift the order came as part of a deal between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the opposition to defuse a political crisis sparked by Armenia's crushing defeat in the six-week conflict. Pashinyan's critics have staged regular protests calling on him to resign for his handling of the war since November when he agreed a ceasefire and ceded swathes of territory to Azerbaijan. Armenian law says a sitting prime minister cannot be removed during martial law and the move to lift it came after Pashinyan agreed with the opposition to hold fresh parliamentary elections in June to end the protests. Parliament, which is controlled by Pashinyan's allies voted Wednesday 118 to 1 with one abstention to lift martial law, which was declared September 27, the day clashes erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh. Parliament speaker and Pashinyan ally Ararat Mirzoyan said Tuesday that the ruling party would back the move "since a deal has been reached between political forces on defusing the internal political situation through snap polls."Armenia's simmering territorial conflict with Azerbaijan ignited in September into an all-out war that left more than 6,000 people dead. The ceasefire brokered by Russia saw Pashinyan hand over large parts of Azerbaijan that had been controlled for several decades by Armenian separatists. They had controlled the ethnic-Armenian region since they broke away from Baku during a war in the early 1990s.

Signs of discord between Dbeibah and Haftar dim prospects of Libyan reunification
The Arab Weekly/March 24/2021
TRIPOLI--Signs of discord between the head of Libya’s new Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel Hamid Dbeibah and the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, have raised fears for the peace process and a final settlement of the eight-year civil Libyan conflict. The recent parliamentary vote of confidence in the new government had raised hopes of an end to divisions in the country. Dbeibah’s conspicuous absence from the Benghazi ceremony during which the interim government headed by Abdullah Thinni handed over power to the GNU was duly noted. It sparked speculation of an emerging rift between new premier and Haftar. Further indications of such a rift began to emerge after Dbeibah tweeted his plan to open an investigation into the discovery of at least a dozen bodies in Benghazi, which is under Haftar’s control. Dbeibah wrote, “It is not possible to allow the recurrence of these events or to cover them up”. He stressed that he had given “direct instructions to the minister of interior to deal with this incident, and I asked the public prosecutor to open an investigation into the matter.”Media outlets close to the LNA’s general command criticised the prime minister’s decision. Their attacks on the Dbeibah government have checked the momentum which had marked the first days of the GNU taking office. The new prime minister’s relations with Haftar appear to have broken down even before they had really began. Although the developments are unlikely to spark a new outbreak of violence, the emerging discord could very well limit Dbeibah’s control over the eastern region. During the last few months, Benghazi has witnessed a growing climate of insecurity. A number of activists has been assassinated or kidnapped, in addition to the repeated discovery of dead bodies dumped into the streets. This is ironically a grim echo of the anarchy that gripped Benghazi in 2012 when the Islamist group Ansar Sharia murdered scores of police, former army officers and civilians who opposed them. It was in crushing Ansar Sharia in the tortuous ‘Operation Dignity’ campaign that took more than five years, that Haftar and the LNA came to prominence and a position of power. Now there are signs of increasing domination in Benghazi of Salafist elements who are are said to be close to the LNA. The murders and seizures have prompted tribal elders to condemn the deteriorating security situation within the city.
Their protest earlier this month coincided with the new government assuming power. They appeared to echo a more general popular discontent with Haftar. This was quickly picked up and used by Dbeibah against the field marshal. At the same time, a mood of anger lingers in Cyrenaica (the eastern region) after the debacle suffered by the LNA when it attempted last year to advance on and seize the capital Tripoli. Haftar’s defeat and the withdrawal of his forces from the west of the country toward Sirte have reduced his political influence. The military strongman has since seemed to be under some kind of political siege, as his political contacts with foreign actors nearly stopped . He has had to limit himself to local meetings aimed at calming popular unrest in the east. Observers believe that Dbeibah’s decision not to visit Benghazi for the Thinni power handover can be seen as an attempt to ignore Haftar, whom he sees as one of the main obstacles to his complete control of Libya.
This however goes against the tacit understanding between both men, which was reflected in the vote of LNA-affiliated MPs in favour of Dbeibah and for the President of the Presidency Council Muhammad al-Manfi. Observers suspect that the delay by Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the parliament in convening a session to discuss and vote on a Dbeibah’s new budget is linked to the current cold spell between Haftar and the premier. “It is regrettable that the issue of discussing the unified general budget has turned into a tool for political blackmail,” said Sulaiman al-Bayoudi, a political activist. Bayoudi added in a post on his Facebook account, “What is happening now does not bode well. Either (members) of parliament meet and carry out their duties, or the presidency council and the GNU should reject blackmail and opt instead for the implementation the financial arrangements according to Paragraph 2 of Article 9 of the Libyan Political Agreement.”He added, “If the speaker of the parliament and the deputies do not act with a sense of responsibility and patriotism, they will be the first and only people to blame for the continuing difficult economic conditions, by stalling the budget debate.”The GNU, made up of twenty-six ministers and six state ministers, won the unanimous confidence of the Libyan parliament on March 10. On Tuesday, the parallel government in eastern Libya handed over its powers to the GNU, a week after the latter officially assumed its duties from the capital, Tripoli. The handover ceremony took place at the headquarters of the parallel government in Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya, in the presence of its outgoing premier, Abdullah al-Thinni. The GNU was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Gatrani, Minister of Interior Khaled Mazen and a number of other ministers. Gatrani asserted that the stage of division “has ended,” and said in a press statement, “The government of national unity is there to serve all citizens.”The new executive authority is responsible for unifying state institutions and overseeing the transitional phase until the December 24 elections, when their term expires according to the approved roadmap. However, the UN-demanded departure of the Syrian mercenaries and elements of the Russian Wagner Group from the west and east of the country remains one of the thorniest issues confronting Dbeibah. Achieving it will close coordination between all parties to the conflict, including Haftar.

Iraq to resume strategic dialogue with US in April
The Arab Weekly/March 24/2021
BAGHDAD--The administration of US President Joe Biden is set to resume strategic talks with Iraqi officials next month on the withdrawal of the remaining US combat forces in the country and other matters related to the bilateral relationship. “This will be an important opportunity to discuss our mutual interests across a range of fields from security to culture, trade and climate,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “The meetings will further clarify that coalition forces are in Iraq solely for the purpose of training and advising Iraqi forces to ensure that ISIS cannot reconstitute,” she added. The talks, which originally began last June under the Trump administration, would be the first under Biden, who assumed office in January. The discussions are meant to shape the future of the US-Iraq relationship. Iraqi officials confirmed Tuesday they had sent a formal request to President Joe Biden’s administration for a date to resume the talks. Relations between the two countries have been fraught with tension, particularly following the US airstrike in January 2020 that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis just outside Baghdad airport.
Outraged by the attack, Iraqi lawmakers, spurred by Shia political factions, passed a non-binding resolution to oust US-led coalition forces from the country. Relations have improved since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took over the helm of Iraq’s government in May. However, some parties, notably parliament’s Iran-backed Fatah bloc, continue to call for US forces to quit. So far, two sessions of strategic talks have been held — last June and August. Among the issues discussed were the presence of US troops, militia groups acting outside of state authority and Iraq’s dire economic crisis. The US blames Iran-backed Shia Iraqi militias for numerous attacks targeting US personnel and interests in Iraq. Iraq recently sent an official memo to the US requesting a date for a new round of discussions on bilateral relations and specifically, the departure of remaining American combat forces. The memo was given to US Ambassador to Iraq Mathew Tueller earlier this month. Iraqi and US officials have said they support a scheduled withdrawal of American forces , but questions remain over the time-frame and the extent of the threat posed by the ISIS group.
According to the Pentagon, in recent months the number of US troops in Iraq has dropped to around 2,500.

Macron meets Menfi, voices support for new Libyan government
The Arab Weekly/March 24/2021
PARIS--France will reopen its embassy in Libya’s capital Tripoli next week in a gesture of support to the conflict-ravaged country’s interim government, President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday. Macron said that France owes “a debt to Libya and the Libyans, after a decade of disorder.”
Libya was plunged into chaos when an uprising in 2011 — with support from a NATO military operation initially led by France — toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. Macron spoke after a meeting in Paris with Mohammad Younes Menfi and Musa al-Koni, president and vice-president of Libya’s Presidency Council. The transitional government took power last week. “There will be no peace” in the broader region “if we can’t get peace and stability in Libya, if we do not succeed in eradicating the terrorist groups and all kinds of smugglers,” Macron said.
He added that priority should be given to maintaining the ceasefire, leading the country towards elections scheduled for December and unifying Libyan armed forces in order to support the transition. The oil-rich country was in recent years split between rival east and west administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Macron also said France and its allies want to make sure that all foreign fighters, especially those coming from Russia and Turkey, leave Libya “as soon as possible.”Earlier this month, the UN Security Council called for countries with troops and mercenaries in Libya to withdraw them “without delay.” The UN has estimated that there are 20,000 foreign fighters in Libya, including Syrians, Turks, Sudanese and Russians. Menfi thanked France for its “remarkable” support to reach a peaceful settlement to Libya’s civil war. The French embassy in Tripoli is set to reopen Monday, with the Béatrice Le Fraper du Hellen moving from France’s temporary Libyan embassy in Tunis. Libya’s interim government, which includes a three-member presidency council and a cabinet, took power amid international pressure to implement a UN-brokered political roadmap. That roadmap, agreed by a UN-picked Libyan political forum last year, set December 24 for general elections.

Macron denounces Turkish ‘lies’ via Qatar-owned media
The Arab Weekly/March 24/2021
PARIS--President Emmanuel Macron warned against Turkish meddling in France’s presidential elections next year and accused Ankara of spreading “lies” through state-controlled media. Macron told France 5 television Tuesday that he had noted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to improve relations, which have been battered by disputes over the conflicts on Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh and Turkish accusations of Islamophobia in France. But Macron said that improving ties would be difficult unless Ankara’s behaviour changed. “There will be attempts at interference in the next (French) presidential elections” in 2022, Macron said, elections in which he is expected to seek a second mandate. “I consider this to be unacceptable. It’s written down — the threats are not veiled.”Macron said such interference would take the form of “playing on public opinion”. He lashed out at Turkey for distorting his comments on Islam last October after a spate of attacks in France by extremists. “Very clearly last autumn there was a politics of lies. Lies of the state, lies spread by media controlled by the Turkish state, spread by certain large channels controlled by Qatar,” he said, a reference to Doha-based broadcaster Al-Jazeera. Macron also said he had raised this with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, a close ally of Erdogan. “My comments were falsified and France was presented as a country with a problem with Islam,” he said. The relationship between Macron and Erdogan hit a low last year when the Turkish leader said his French counterpart needed “mental checks” as tensions rose over a new French law clamping down on radical Islam. Erdogan in December then expressed hope that France would “get rid of” Macron as soon as possible, describing the president as “trouble” for the country.
“A lot of pressure”
The Turkish leader has taken a softer tone towards France and the EU this year, but Macron indicated much more was needed. “I have noted since the start of the year a desire by President Erdogan to re-engage. I want to believe that this path is possible,” he said. “But we cannot re-engage when there are ambiguities. I do not want to re-engage with a better relationship when there are such manoeuvres.”Macron insisted that France would never give in to “blackmail” but acknowledged Europe had to work with Ankara on migration policy, with Turkey hosting millions of Syrian refugees. “If one day we say we are not working and discussing with them anymore, they will open their doors and you will have three million Syrian refugees in Europe,” he said. The French president reaffirmed his belief that “we need to clarify” the behaviour of Turkey within NATO and was particularly critical of its actions in the conflict in Libya. “Turkey did not keep its word, it sent foreign fighters, it sent its army (into Libya). I am applying a lot of pressure so that we now have a withdrawal,” he said.

Dubai deputy ruler, UAE finance minister Sheikh Hamdan dies at age 75
Reuters, Dubai/24 March ,2021
The United Arab Emirates finance minister and the deputy ruler of the emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has died, Dubai’s ruler said on Twitter on Wednesday. Sheikh Hamdan, aged 75, was the brother of the current ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Finance minister since 1971, he had been unwell for some months and had surgery abroad in October. “Funeral prayers will be restricted to family members due to the (COVID) pandemic,” Dubai Media Office tweeted. Dubai announced 10 days of mourning with flags to be flown at half-mast as of Wednesday and a closure of government institutions in the emirate for three days as of Thursday. In 2008, Dubai’s ruler established the line of succession in the emirate by naming his son Hamdan, 38, as crown prince. His other son Sheikh Maktoum is also a deputy ruler of Dubai. The emirate, part of the UAE federation, is the Middle East’s business, trade, and tourism hub.

Row erupts in France over state funding for mosque backed by leading Turkish group
AFP/24 March ,2021
A row has erupted in France over plans to build a mosque in Strasbourg, with the interior ministry on Wednesday accusing the municipal authorities there of using public money to fund “foreign meddling” on French soil. While President Emmanuel Macron wants to crack down on extremism, which he blames for a series of deadly terror attacks in France since 2015, the planned mosque in the eastern French city has found itself in the government’s crosshairs because it is backed by a leading Turkish Muslim group. On Monday, municipal officials in Strasbourg, run by a Green mayor, approved a grant of 2.5 million euros (nearly $3 million) to the Milli Gorus Islamic Confederation (CMIG), a pan-European movement for the Turkish diaspora. But the CMIG is one of three Muslim confederations in France that have refused to sign a new anti-extremism charter championed by Macron. Macron wants the groups to commit in writing to renouncing “political Islam” and to respecting French law, as he seeks to combat “radical Islam” which he sees as a threat to the country’s secular system. The government has also drafted legislation which would force Muslim groups to declare major foreign funding and would give the state increased powers to shut down speech judged to spread hate or violence. “We believe that this association is no longer able to be among the representatives of Islam in France,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said of the Milli Gorus group on BFM television. “We believe that this municipal authority should not be financing foreign meddling on our soil,” he added. Macron warned against Turkish meddling in France’s presidential elections next year, in an interview broadcast Tuesday. Relations between France and Turkey have been battered by disputes over the conflicts on Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh, and Turkish accusations of Islamophobia in France. Darmanin said he had asked the government’s top regional representative to file an administrative court complaint to stop the subsidy. Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian has said the mosque project has been in the works since 2017, before she was elected, and that the funds are contingent on Milli Gorus presenting both a solid financing plan and “a reaffirmation of the values of the Republic.” A CMIG official, Eyup Sahin, told AFP that his association was refusing to sign the charter because it had not been allowed to fully participate in its elaboration. “It was done by two or three people,” Sahin said. “If we sign a charter, it will be one that we have all worked on together.” Darmanin is set to meet again in the coming days with the president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), an umbrella group of Muslim organizations, to try to hammer out an accord.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 24-25/2021

Alexei Navalny: "Prepared to Lose Everything"
Jiri Valenta and Leni Friedman Valenta/Gatestone Institute/March 24, 2021
"I think that the ban of Donald Trump on Twitter is an unacceptable act of censorship... Don't tell me he was banned for violating Twitter rules. I get death threats here every day for many years, and Twitter doesn't ban anyone ...." — Alexei Navalny, Twitter, November 9, 2020.
Among the people who have Twitter accounts are cold-blooded murderers (Putin or Maduro) and liars and thieves (Medvedev)... Of course, Twitter is a private company, but we have seen many examples in Russian and China of such private companies becoming the state's best friends and the enablers when it comes to censorship. — Alexei Navalny, Twitter, November 9, 2020.
"If you replace 'Trump' with 'Navalny' in today's discussion, you will get an 80% accurate Kremlin's answer as to why my name can't be mentioned on Russian TV and I shouldn't be allowed to participate in any elections." — Alexei Navalny, Twitter, November 9, 2020.
"This precedent will be exploited by the enemies of freedom of speech around the world. In Russia as well. Every time when they need to silence someone, they will say: 'this is just common practice, even Trump got blocked on Twitter'." — Alexei Navalny, Twitter, November 9, 2020.
"The election is a straightforward and competitive process. You can participate in it, you can appeal against the results, they're being monitored by millions of people. The ban on Twitter is a decision of people we don't know in accordance with a procedure we don't know..." . — Alexei Navalny, Twitter, November 9, 2020.
"This [imprisonment] is happening to intimidate large numbers of people. They're imprisoning one person to frighten millions. This isn't a demonstration of strength — it's a show of weakness." — Alexei Navalny, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, February 3, 2021.
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was nearly murdered in August by poisoning with the nerve-agent novichok, and on February 2 was sentenced to two and a half years in a penal colony for an alleged parole violation. The resultant protests in support of Navalny have been attended by tens of thousands of citizens in more than a hundred Russian cities. Pictured: Navalny attends a hearing inside a glass cell at the Babushkinsky District Court in Moscow on February 20, 2021.
The near-murder of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny by the nerve-agent novichok last August, his return to Moscow in January, and the resultant protests attended by tens of thousands of citizens in more than a hundred Russian cities, raise the question of how long the Russian people will continue to tolerate President Vladimir Putin's repressive acts against political enemies and rivals.
The crowds were rallying in support of Navalny after his return to Moscow on January17, 2021 from medical treatment in Germany, some in temperatures of -60 degrees Fahrenheit. The police, attacking the protestors with batons, arrested more than 3,300 people.
While recuperating in Germany, Navalny, aided by an investigative organization, filmed himself calling Konstantin Kudryatsev, a toxins expert in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Using a disguised telephone number, Navalny posed as an aide to the chairman of Russia's Security Council. He asked Kudryatsev for the details of his poisoning. In the 49-minute conversation that followed, Kudryatsev divulged full details of the poisoning, including how the novichok poison had been placed in Navalny's underpants in a hotel in Tomsk.
In December, Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) released the video of the telephone call.
After his January arrest in Moscow, Navalny released a nearly two-hour documentary entitled, "Putin's palace. History of world's largest bribe," that has drawn more than 100 million views on YouTube. The billion dollar plus residence was financed, claims FBK, through a corruption scheme run by oligarchs in Putin's inner circle.
On January 23, Navalny was arrested for allegedly violating the terms of his parole -- which was imposed in 2014 under a suspended sentence for what he calls a "fabricated" charge of embezzlement. The European Court of Human Rights in 2016 had already ruled that the 2014 conviction was unlawful.
According to the BBC:
"The case against Navalny was based on his failure to report regularly to police during 2020 - an absurdity, his legal team argued, as the authorities knew full well that he was getting emergency treatment in Berlin for the Novichok nerve agent attack. He reminded the court that for part of that time he was in a coma."
In a speech to the court on February 2, when the judge sentenced him to two and a half years in a penal colony for the parole violation, Navalny said:
"[Putin's] main gripe with me is that he'll go down in history as a poisoner. We had Alexander the Liberator, Yaroslav the Wise, and we will have Vladimir the Underpants Poisoner."
In the courtroom, Navalny drew a heart with his finger on the glass wall of his enclosure for his wife, Yulia.
Navalny, the next week, was hauled back to court for allegedly "slandering a World War II veteran who took part in the promotional video in support of last year's constitutional amendments that cleared the way for President Vladimir Putin to run for two more terms in office..." Navalny had "described those in the video as 'traitors,' 'people with no conscience,' and 'corrupt lackeys.'"
Meanwhile, nationwide protests continued. In the freezing winter, Russians gathered in groups and held up their mobile phone flashlights in a display of support for Navalny.
Why is this outpouring of support for Navalny significant?
Since 2018 he has headed a political party, "Progress," also known as "Russia of the Future." Its platform stands for, among other things, the decentralization of power; the rule of law; ending censorship; reducing government interference in the economy, and partnering with Western countries.
It is also no secret that Putin has a history of allegedly taking revenge on journalists -- such as Anna Politkovskaya, Paul Klebnikov or Natalia Estemirova -- as well as enemies or opponents.
In 2004, Viktor Yushchenko, a pro-Western candidate for president of Ukraine was left with his face pock-marked and disfigured by a poisoning attack.
In 2006, Russian double agent Alexander Litvinenko was killed with radioactive polonium. Popular political reformer Boris Nemtsov was assassinated in 2015. His friend, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was poisoned twice, in 2015 and 2017, but survived. Sergei Skripal, a former Colonel in Russian military intelligence and allegedly a double-agent working for Britain, was also poisoned with novichok, along with his daughter Yulia, while living in the UK, presumably to underscore that no one was out of reach.
How did Navalny to rise to prominence in Russia? In 2007, holding a small number of shares in Russian state-owned oil and gas companies, Navalny obtained information on their corruption and misuse of funds, which he then publicized on his widely-read LiveJournal blog.
In 2011, he founded his Anti-Corruption Foundation. He also ran for mayor of Moscow but lost. The same year, he led a series of protests against election fraud. In addition, his organization created a "smart" voting platform, which advises the public of alternatives to Putin's candidates.
In the 2012 parliamentary elections, Navalny's party lost out to Putin's United Russia Party by a large margin. In 2020, however, thanks to Navalny's growing influence, Putin's party lost seats in Moscow, Khabarovsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk.
In 2018, Navalny campaigned and sought to run against Putin in the presidential election. Navalny obtained 200,000 signatures and opened 81 campaign offices nationwide. But unlike less well-known candidates, he was barred from running against Putin because of his 2014 conviction for embezzlement and money-laundering, a case he called "trumped up."
Since then, waves of protests have swept Russia, along with growing admiration for Navalny worldwide.
Navalny has made some telling comments about former President Donald J. Trump and censorship. Indeed, comparisons between underdogs Trump and Navalny are hard to avoid, particularly as both are censored. Navalny tweeted on January 9:
"I think that the ban of Donald Trump on Twitter is an unacceptable act of censorship...
"The election is a straightforward and competitive process. You can participate in it, you can appeal against the results, they're being monitored by millions of people. The ban on Twitter is a decision of people we don't know in accordance with a procedure we don't know...
Don't tell me he was banned for violating Twitter rules. I get death threats here every day for many years, and Twitter doesn't ban anyone (not that I ask for it)...
"Among the people who have Twitter accounts are cold-blooded murderers (Putin or Maduro) and liars and thieves (Medvedev). For many years, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been used as a base for Putin's "troll factory" and similar groups from other authoritarian countries.
"Of course, Twitter is a private company, but we have seen many examples in Russian and China of such private companies becoming the state's best friends and the enablers when it comes to censorship.
"If you replace 'Trump' with 'Navalny' in today's discussion, you will get an 80% accurate Kremlin's answer as to why my name can't be mentioned on Russian TV and I shouldn't be allowed to participate in any elections.
"This precedent will be exploited by the enemies of freedom of speech around the world. In Russia as well. Every time when they need to silence someone, they will say: 'this is just common practice, even Trump got blocked on Twitter'."
Navalny had previously commented on the fact that unlike many other world leaders, Trump was unusually quiet about his poisoning. According to CNN:
Speaking to CBS on Sunday, Navalny said "I think it's extremely important -- that everyone, of course, including and maybe in the first of all, President of United States, to be very against using chemical weapons in the 21st Century."
In 2018, President Trump expelled 60 Russian diplomats from the US days after the British government positively identified the nerve agent used in the Skripal poisonings as novichok. He also ordered the closure of the Russian Consulate in Seattle. European Union countries, Canada and Ukraine followed suit in expelling Russian diplomats.
The use of novichok is banned by the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty of which Russia is a state party.
Before Navalny, opposition figures who survived attacks have retreated or fled. Navalny, physically attacked, jailed and released many times, has refused flight, emigration and silence.
So far, Navalny, now in the IK-2 penitentiary in the city of Pokrov, said "he had seen no violence in his new surroundings," which he called a "friendly concentration camp," in a message posted to his Instagram account on March 15.
"I have not yet seen any violence or even a hint of it, although due to the stiff posture of the convicts, standing at attention and afraid to turn their heads, I easily believe the numerous stories that here, in IK-2 'Pokrov', quite recently people were beaten half to death with wooden hammers. Now the methods have changed, and, to be honest, I don't even remember a place where everyone speaks so politely and in a way, kindly."
"He is prepared to lose everything," said the economist Sergei M. Guriev, a Navalny confidant who in 2013 fled to France after coming under pressure from the Kremlin. "That makes him different from everyone else."
On March 2, 2021, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Russian officials and companies and are presently considering further steps. According to The Guardian:
"Senior administration officials described the measures taken, which are also a response to Navalny's continued imprisonment, as catching up with sanctions imposed on Moscow by the EU in October..."
They are not likely to be sufficient. Russia has already imposed sanctions of its own against European officials in reprisal.
Voices worldwide need to continue to call for Navalny's release.
Putin, of course, is still popular with much of Russia. Polls show his approval rating in the mid-60s. Russian media are portraying Navalny's supporters in a negative light amidst footage of violence directed against the police. Crackdowns on supporters are anticipated.
Yet Navalny has hope that his movement can carry on without him. Reacting to his sentencing, he addressed his followers in the courtroom:
"This [imprisonment] is happening to intimidate large numbers of people. They're imprisoning one person to frighten millions. This isn't a demonstration of strength — it's a show of weakness."
*Dr. Jiri Valenta is a senior research associate at the BESA Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan. A former tenured associate professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, he also served as coordinator of Soviet and East European Studies for the Master's program for intelligence officers of all armed forces. A member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, he is the recipient of the Jan Masaryk Silver Medal for his directorship of a post-revolutionary think tank in the Czech Republic. A recipient of several distinguished fellowships, he is the author of several books, some based on on-site research and covering Grenada, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Syria and Cambodia. For the last decade, he has worked with his wife, Leni, who holds a 3-year Masters from the Yale School of Drama in playwriting.
© 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.

Turkey on tenterhooks for Biden’s decision on Armenian genocide recognition
Caline Malek and Arnab Neil Sengupta/Arab News/March 24/2021
كالين مالك وأرنب نيل سنغوبتا/عرب نيوز: تركيا في حالة قلق شديد بشأن قرار بايدن الاعتراف بالإبادة الجماعية للأرمن
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/97260/turkey-on-tenterhooks-for-bidens-decision-on-armenian-genocide-recognition-%d9%83%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%86-%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%83-%d9%88%d8%a3%d8%b1%d9%86%d8%a8-%d9%86%d9%8a%d9%84-%d8%b3/
Acknowledgment of 1915-1923 mass killing of Christian Armenians by Ottoman Turks would be the first by a US president
Decision would be a setback for Turkish President Erdogan at a time of continuing friction in US-Turkey relations
DUBAI: The Biden administration is considering acknowledging the genocide of ethnic Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, Ian Bremmer of GZero Media has reported in the lead-up to Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, April 24.
In the event, Joe Biden would become the first US president to recognize the systematic killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 onwards in modern-day Turkey as a “genocide,” a step already taken by the Senate and the House of Representatives in 2019.
The adoption of that measure by the two US chambers of Congress came at a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s military intervention in northern Syria had strained already tense relations between his government and the US political establishment. This time around, in addition to continuing friction in US-Turkish relations, some 38 senators have sent a letter urging the president to recognize the genocide.
The atrocities started with the arrest of Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople in 1915 and continued with a centralized program of deportations, murder, pillage and rape until 1923. Ordinary Armenians were then driven from their homes and sent on death marches through the Mesopotamian desert without food or water.
Ottoman death squads massacred Armenians, with only 388,000 left in the empire by 1923 from 2 million in 1914. (Turkey estimates the total number of deaths to be 300,000.)
Many Armenians were deported to Syria and the Iraqi city of Mosul. Today descendants of the survivors are scattered across the world, with large diasporas in Russia, the US, France, Argentina and Lebanon.
Turkey admits that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during the First World War, but disputes the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide.
Getting access to vital Ottoman sources is a daunting challenge, while the language barrier makes access to Armenian sources hard for Ottomanists and comparativists alike.
Consequently, some scholars argue, Armenians have often been depicted as passive victims of violence, ignoring their active resistance during the genocide.
“This misrepresentation is due to a combination of political realities, methodological challenges, and the inaccessibility of crucial primary sources. The Turkish state’s denial of the Armenian genocide was a major hurdle,” Khatchig Mouradian, a lecturer in Columbia University’s Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, told the website Columbia News in a recent interview.
In a new book, Mouradian has challenged depictions of Armenians as passive victims of violence and mere objects of Western humanitarianism. “The Resistance Network” is a history of an underground network of humanitarians, missionaries and diplomats in Ottoman Syria who helped to save the lives of thousands during the Armenian genocide.
“I weave together the stories of hundreds of survivors and resisters as they pushed back against the genocidal machine in Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and in concentration camps stretching along the lower Euphrates,” Mouradian said. “In doing so, I place survivor accounts in conversation with—and sometimes in rebellion against—the scholarship and accepted wisdom on mass violence, humanitarianism and resistance.”
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN NUMBERS
* 2m Armenians living in Turkey in 1914, when genocide started.
* 1.5m Highest estimate of deaths, by massacre, starvation or exhaustion.
* 3,000 Years since Armenians made their home in the Caucasus.
* 30 Countries whose parliaments have recognized the genocide.
He said the Armenian case demonstrates how much is suppressed from the narrative when the actions and words of the targeted groups are relegated to the margins.
When historians use the term “Seferberlik” — the Ottoman word for “mobilization” — it is often assumed they are discussing the Armenian genocide. But it is also used to refer to another smaller but significant episode of mass displacement that occurred around the same time in what is today Saudi Arabia.
“Seferberlik: A century on from the Ottoman crime in Madinah” — by Saudi author Mohammad Al-Saeed — tells the story of the deportation of the holy city’s population by Ottoman General Fakhri Pasha.
History books tell of Fakhri Pasha’s “heroic defense” of the city in the 1918 Siege of Madinah, fending off repeated attacks by the British-backed Arab fighters of Hussein bin Ali, the Sharif of Makkah. However, the books prefer to gloss over what happened in 1915, prior to the siege, when Fakhri Pasha forced Madinah’s population onto trains and sent them north into present-day Syria, Turkey, the Balkans and the Caucasus.
“The Seferberlik crime was an attempt to transform Madinah into a military outpost,” Al-Saeed told Arab News in a recent interview. “The Turks tried to separate the city from its Arab surroundings and annex it to the Ottoman Empire to justify ruling what remained of the Arab world.”
He said history should not forget what happened in Madinah, particularly since the few historical sources that documented the events are in the Ottoman, English and French archives.
“Moreover, the sources of information are very limited and the grandchildren of those who were in Madinah at the time do not have many documents. A lot of the city’s inhabitants were displaced. Many of them did not return,” Al-Saeed said.
Speaking to Arab News in 2019 on the Armenians’ displacement experience, Joseph Kechichian, senior fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, said: “My own paternal grandmother was among the victims. Imagine how growing up without a grandmother — and in my orphaned father’s case, a mother — affects you.
“We never kissed her hand, not even once. She was always missed, and we spoke about her all the time. My late father had teary eyes each and every time he thought of his mother.”
Every Armenian family has similar stories, said Kechichian. “We pray for the souls of those lost, and we beseech the Almighty to grant them eternal rest,” he added.
According to genocide scholars, denial is the final stage of genocide. Levon Avedanian, coordinator of the Armenian National Committee of Lebanon (ANCL) and professor at Haigazian University in Beirut, said that for Armenians, the denial of the Armenian genocide by Turkey is a continuation of the genocidal policies. “In that sense, recognition by Turkey and by members of the international community is an essential step on the long path of restoring justice, which would inevitably include, in addition to recognition, reparations and restitution,” he said.
As a Democratic presidential candidate, Biden tweeted on April 24 last year: “If elected, I pledge to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide and will make universal human rights a top priority.”
In his “quick take” of March 22 on the possibility of Biden making good on his campaign promise next month, GZero’s Bremmer summed up the situation this way: “A lot of things going wrong for Turkey right now. They just pulled their country out of the Istanbul Conventions, European agreement that meant to protect women. And (Erdogan) also just sacked his new central bank governor. … The economy is not doing well. … he’s cracking down on the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, the HDP. … But the big news, is that Erdogan is about to face another diplomatic challenge.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1830636/middle-east

Lack of understanding underpins world’s water crisis
Martha Rojas Urrego/Arab News/March 24, 2021
Humanity’s consumption of fresh water has long exceeded the rate of replenishment. Now, researchers are warning that this essential natural resource is running out. If we are to reverse this trend, investing in natural solutions is our best hope.
Less than 1 percent of all water on Earth is accessible or usable fresh water. Most is held in inland wetlands, including rivers, lakes, marshes, peatlands and underground aquifers. These wetlands are nature’s water harvesters, cleaners and bankers. By capturing, purifying and storing rain and floodwater before releasing it when needed, they enable the global water cycle that ensures a constant supply.
Worldwide, wetlands’ full integration into water planning and management across all economic sectors would bring far-reaching benefits. Sufficient water supplies could stimulate economic growth, reduce conflict and relieve environmental stress. But that requires significant sustained investment to meet surging demand. Consumption of fresh water has increased sixfold over the last 100 years, and demand is still rising, with agriculture, industry and energy accounting for 90 percent of the total. At least 55 percent more water will be required by 2050 to meet the demand created by economic growth, urbanization and a global population of nearly 10 billion people. Already, there is considerably less water per person now than there was just two decades ago. As a result, more than 3 billion people face severe water shortages, which often fuel violent conflict. By 2050, more than half the world’s people will be water insecure; in dry regions, climate change will aggravate scarcity.
Climate change is only one threat. Pollution is also exacerbating the water crisis. Unsafe drinking water is a potentially fatal reality for people around the world. Virtually all freshwater sources are now contaminated to some extent; not even Mount Everest’s snowcaps have been spared.
So why aren’t we saving and protecting wetlands? Their versatility is especially relevant when considering that water crisis ranks among the World Economic Forum’s Top 5 global risks in terms of impact. Their water-harnessing capacities above and below ground — counteracting droughts, floods and the impact of melting glaciers — are particularly important. And yet, although they provide most of our fresh water, nearly 90 percent of all wetlands have disappeared since the Industrial Revolution, and the loss is accelerating in tandem with globalization. Many remaining wetlands are critically endangered.
Wetlands are particularly vulnerable because they are frequently considered wasteland to be converted for farming and development or disease-ridden areas to be reclaimed. This tendency highlights the lack of understanding of wetlands’ critical role that underpins the world’s water crisis. To ensure safe, secure and adequate water supplies, we must focus on the connection between human dependence on water and what we do to wetlands.
Yes, there are other options for increasing our water supply, but none is ideal. Seawater desalination creates more problems than it solves. Cloud seeding raises troubling questions. And mass construction of water capture plants requires considerable investment and often disrupts local economies and ways of life. Moreover, unlike wetlands, these options cannot simultaneously provide food, medicine, income for one in seven people, a home for countless species and mitigate climate change.
With half of global gross domestic product dependent on ecosystem services, saving wetlands should be a top priority in crafting a green recovery from the coronavirus disease crisis. Chennai’s revitalization of ancient wetlands in India to prevent another “day zero” — like the one in 2019, when the city’s water ran out — offers a blueprint for others.
To ensure safe, secure and adequate water supplies, we must focus on the connection between human dependence on water and what we do to wetlands. Importantly, we must rethink and overhaul agriculture, which is by far the biggest consumer of water, to get more “crop per drop.” Incentives for intensive production that disregards wetlands, water pollution and biodiversity should be phased out quickly. The UK’s new Environmental Land Management initiative is one example of a program rewarding farmers who focus on water stewardship and wetland conservation as pillars of their land management. Similar schemes should be scaled globally.
Industry, too, must step up as an equal partner in conservation and efficient use. Ecosystem protection and an attractive business environment might once have seemed incompatible. Today, businesses’ very survival depends on a healthy natural environment. Recognizing this, Danone and other companies have committed to water stewardship and watershed protection, while many firms are engaging globally in multi-partner water funds to use sustainable wetland management to meet the needs stemming from rapid urbanization. Thanks to this type of water fund, Nairobi’s River Tana has generated an extra 27 million liters of water daily in just three years.
Water-stressed countries like South Africa no longer need to be persuaded. More than half the country’s people and two-thirds of the economy are supported by just a small group of wetlands. Policymakers there know that wetland protection and its integration into water management are central to ensuring the secure supplies on which economic development depends.
Wetlands are the planet’s best solutions to the existential issue of freshwater supply. We can have enough here without needing to search beyond Earth for it. All we must do is protect the natural solutions we already have and use them wisely.
*Martha Rojas Urrego is Secretary-General of the Ramsar Co
nvention on Wetlands. Copyright: Project Syndicate

US, Chinese commitment to rules-based order offers hope
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/March 24, 2021
Rising tensions between the US and China publicly demonstrate that the new cold war is in full swing. The two countries’ renewed contest for power and influence has put many other nations, including friends of both such as the Gulf states, in a tough position. On the one hand, the US is the main strategic partner for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in a multifaceted relationship that includes close security, trade and cultural ties. On the other, China is the GCC’s top trading partner and most important energy client, not to mention its growing political, security and cultural engagement.
The US last week hosted a high-level strategic dialogue with China in Anchorage, Alaska. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan represented the US. China was represented by Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign affairs chief, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Yang also served as foreign minister between 2007 and 2013.
Beijing described the talks as “candid, in-depth, long-time and constructive communication on domestic and foreign policies, China-US relations and major international and regional issues of common concern.” It also expressed its belief that “the dialogue is timely and helpful and deepens mutual understanding.” From the US side, Sullivan said: “We expected to have tough and direct talks on a wide range of issues, and that’s exactly what we had.”
Beyond this diplomatic phraseology, however, the public part of the dialogue was testy and unusual for its open display of disagreement, which is usually hidden away from the media.
Blinken set the tone in his opening remarks, expressing “deep concerns with actions by China, including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyberattacks on the United States and economic coercion toward our allies.” He dismissed the notion that they are purely internal matters, as “each of these actions threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability.”
Yang responded to Blinken’s brief remarks with a 15-minute, all-encompassing rebuttal that also addressed earlier American and European criticisms, especially those related to Xinjiang. According to an official Chinese report, the Chinese side pointed out that “the claim that there is genocide in China’s Xinjiang is the biggest lie of the century.” It added, however, that “the Chinese side is ready to engage in exchanges with the US side on the basis of mutual respect, and the door of Xinjiang is wide open to the world. However, China will not accept any investigation in Xinjiang based on the presumption of guilt by those who are biased and condescending, and who want to lecture China. It is hoped that the US side can respect facts, call off attacks against and the smearing of China’s Xinjiang policy, and abandon double standards on counterterrorism.” While expressing staunch opposition to US interference in Xinjiang and promising that it will “take firm actions in response,” it appeared from the Chinese delegation’s comments that it was not closing the door on a joint investigation of the facts.
The media relished the theatrical nature of those exchanges. By contrast, the public part of the last China-US strategic dialogue, held during the Obama administration, consisted of mutually supportive and conciliatory messages from both sides and ended with an upbeat declaration about more than 100 areas of cooperation. Activists welcomed the candor and public display of emotions, and likely felt vindicated. However, it is not clear whether this new public conduct in diplomacy will continue. A lot will depend on the assessments of its impact.
China stressed its commitment to “follow and uphold” the “UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law.” Although they disagree on some of the details and precise mechanisms, China and the US appeared to accept in principle the universally agreed rules of state conduct and UN institutions that are dedicated to upholding international law, including international human rights law, which appeared to be the most contentious issue.
Beijing appears to object to what it describes as a unilateral approach by Western nations, instead of referring the matter — in this case the situation in Xinjiang — to an impartial investigation. For example, the US, EU, UK and Canada this week imposed sanctions on several Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, prompting retaliation from China, which in turn sanctioned a number of Western officials.
The Chinese side also implied there are ulterior motives for raising human rights issues. In Alaska, it said that China-US competition should be focused on the “economic aspect,” suggesting that “for frictions in our economic engagement, it is important to respond to them in a rational way and seek win-win results.” Compartmentalizing human rights concerns may not be accepted by all, but there appears to be agreement that they may be raised in international forums.
There are international institutions that can serve as a platform for addressing concerns and resolving disputes.
The GCC and like-minded nations and blocs could work with both sides to search for common ground, address their legitimate concerns, and work to defuse the new conflict. The US-Soviet Cold War was devastating to small countries, which frequently served as fodder in a conflict that lasted more than 40 years. Fortunately, this time around there are international institutions that can serve as a platform for addressing concerns and resolving disputes. Most were set up following the Second World War and were not in a position to stave off the start of the Cold War or deal with some of the superpower rivalry at the time. Now we have a chance, as those international entities have developed useful tools to adjudicate on such differences.
There are many candidates to blame for the recent erosion of the rules-based international political and trading systems. It is important to reverse that erosion, capitalizing on the fact that the two major powers, China and the US, have made a firm commitment to those systems, while disagreeing on who is at fault.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the GCC assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent GCC views. Twitter: @abuhamad1