LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
March 23/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
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Bible Quotations For Today
Martha, Martha,
you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10/38-42/:"Now as they went
on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed
him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and
listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so
she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to
do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’But the Lord answered her,
‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of
only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away
from her.’
God consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be
able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which
we ourselves are consoled by God
Second Letter to the Corinthians 01/01-07/:"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by
the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in
Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia: Grace to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who
consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who
are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled
by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our
consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for
your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your
consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings
that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as
you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation."
Titles For
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published
On March 22-23/17
Urgent Messages to the Muslim World/Nonie Darwish/Gatestone
Institute/March 22/17
Erdogan's War on the West/Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/March 22/17
Japan: Open Letter to the U.S./Amir George/Gatestone Institute/March 22/17
Fighting fundamentalism in a post-ISIS scenario/Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al
Arabiya/March 22/17
Of flights, electronic bans and social media addicts/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/March
22/17
A great Emirati woman/Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/March 22/17
Trump’s phone calls, state visits and back channel diplomacy/Dr. Mohamed A.
Ramady/Al Arabiya/March 22/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published
On March 22-23/17
Aoun calls for introducing necessary
amendments to domestic violence law
Aoun eulogizes late Baalbaki as 'pioneer of word'
Hizbullah Sec.-Gen. Nasrallah Warns Against Legalization Of Gay Marriage In
Lebanon, Defends 'Early Marriage
Bassil: U.S. Must Support Lebanese Army in its Fight against Terrorism
UK Bans Laptops, Tabs on Flights Coming from 6 Nations including Lebanon
Hariri-Sisi Talks Discuss Bolstering Ties Between Countries
Hariri's Statement at Arab Summit to Reflect Positions of 'Entire Lebanese'
Bassil: U.S. Must Support Lebanese Army in its Fight against Terrorism
Berri Warns of New Conflict with Israel over Maritime Borders
Beirut Airport Says UK Laptop-Tab Ban to be Enforced Saturday Midnight
Berri Says Wage Scale to be Approved in April at the Latest
Former Head of Press Federation, Baalbaki, Passes Away
Riachy welcomes citizens without appointment, says keen on listening to people's
needs
EU parliamentary delegation arrives in Beirut
Army Chief's itinerary
General Security arrests Syrian for belonging to Daesh
Merehbi, Al Meraikhi discuss preparations for Brussels Conference on Syria
Najib Khoury honors heads of Arab and international news agencies at dinner
banquet in Jbeil
Thirsting for a Future: Water and children in a changing climate
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published On
March 22-23/17
3 Dead, 20 Hurt in Knife and Car Attack
outside UK Parliament
Tillerson: US to set up zones for refugees in fight against ISIS
'Matter of Time' before IS Chief Baghdadi Killed, Says Tillerson
New Syria Peace Talks as Fight Comes to Damascus
Syrian rebels press major assault near Hama
US-led coalition air-drops forces in Raqqa province
ISIS shells recaptured areas in west Mosul
Kremlin Denies Fillon Took Money to Arrange 'Makhzoumi-Putin Meeting'
Turkish soldier killed by sniper fire from Kurdish-controlled Syria
33 dead in US-led raid on school in northern Syria
Palestinian killed by Israeli artillery fire in Gaza
Syrian army sends reinforcements as rebels press Hama attack
Sudden moment UK Parliament suspend sitting after shooting
Chaotic scenes at Westminster after UK Parliament shooting
John Bolton Participated in the Iranian Resistance New Year's Celebration
Maryam Rajavi: Let Us Turn the New Year Into the Year of Defeat for the Velayat-E
Faqih Religious Fascism in Iran and the Region
Iran Regime Supports Houthi Terrorists in Yemen's War
Senator Torricelli in the New Year's Celebration With the Iranian Resistance:
Take a Stand, Be Part of the Free Iran
Links From Jihad Watch Site for March
22-23/17
UK Home Secretary: British people will work to defeat those who would harm “our
shared values” of “tolerance”
UK’s Independent removes story identifying Abu Izzadeen as London jihadi
UK news sources withdraw claim that Abu Izzadeen was London jihad murderer
UK jihad murderer at Parliament possibly identified as well-known jihad preacher
Abu Izzadeen
Death toll now four in Islamic jihad attack at UK Parliament
First photo of London Parliament jihad attacker
UK death toll now at least two, several “catastrophically injured” in jihad
attack by “middle-aged” Muslim
Jihad in London: Scotland Yard says “we are treating this as a terrorist
incident until we know otherwise”
UK: “Asian” attacker crashed into pedestrians in his car before running into
Parliament with knife
UK: Witness saw Muslim with 8-inch knife heading toward Parliament building
UK: Two shot outside Parliament, man with knife or machete stabs policeman
inside Parliament, 12 injured
“Vicar of Baghdad” says Christianity in Iraq is finished
Robert Spencer in PJ Media: Meet Five Lethal American Converts to Islam
Iran’s Supremo: “Gender equality” is a “Zionist plot”
UN “Human Rights” top dog Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein: Nations have “legal obligation
to stop hate speech”
France: One-third of young Muslims hold “fundamentalist” religious views
UK government to “instruct universities” to defend free speech as “legal duty”
Palestinian Authority’s Abbas blames Israeli “occupation” for “all the disasters
in the world”
Links From Christian Today Site
For
March 22-23/17
#PrayForLondon plead religious leaders after 4 die, 20 injured in terror attack
BREAKING: Houses of Parliament terror attack: At least two died, including
police officer
Martin McGuinness: A 'courageous' and 'complex' peacemaker who turned away from
his violent IRA past
See where Jesus died and was buried - Tomb now restored in Jerusalem
Welsh MPs blast Church over 'homophobic' treatment of gay cleric Jeffrey John
Evangelicals rally around Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch as he
emerges unscathed from Senate hearing
East Africa famine crisis: Now cholera strikes people already weak from hunger
No evidence World Vision siphoned money to Hamas - government review
Princeton Seminary under fire for award to complementarian theologian Tim Keller
Worldwide Catholic Good Friday Collection to go to Christians in the Holy Land
US and UK 'laptop ban' on planes was sparked by terrorism threat from ISIS,
reports say
Archbishop of Canterbury to make high-level, 12 day trip to the Holy Land
Latest Lebanese Related News published
On March 22-23/17
Aoun calls for
introducing necessary amendments to domestic violence law
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - President of
the Republic Michel Aoun congratulated the Lebanese mother and child on their
Day, calling for introducing the necessary amendments to domestic violence law,
in protection of women.
"We pledge abundant actions to be undertaken in service of women and children
related affairs," President Aoun said on Wednesday during his meeting at Baabda
palace with a number of Lebanese associations and unions concerned in women and
children affairs. The President hailed their work in this walk of life, branding
their actions a "dignified matter which requires human qualities, ethics and
values." The President urged all to rally efforts to attain all actions needed
for the protection of children's innocence and as such the Lebanese human
aspect. Aoun said that attention should not be solely accorded to women and
children's affairs, but also to the family at large. On the other hand, Baabda
palace witnesses a series of syndical and developmental meetings, whereby he met
in this context with Free Professions Syndicates' deans, who took up with the
President the most important tax items included in the wage scale funding
project and the 2017 state budget project, notably those related to the proposed
amendments to some provisions of the Tax procedures Law #44/2008. Aoun pledged
to study these demands with the concerned authorities, stressing "the need to
achieve justice and equality in all matters related to the duties and rights of
citizens."
Aoun eulogizes late Baalbaki as 'pioneer of word'
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - President of
the Republic Michel Aoun, eulogized on Wednesday the late former Press Syndicate
Dean Mohammed Abdel Hafiz Baalbaki as "one of the pioneers of the word in
Lebanon," and one of the Arab and patriotic symbols advocating longstanding Arab
rights. President Aoun said that the late Dean has departed this world in body,
yet Baalbaki shall remain alive in the 'conscience of our press." Aoun extended
heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Baalbaki.
Hizbullah Sec.-Gen.
Nasrallah Warns Against Legalization Of Gay Marriage In Lebanon, Defends 'Early
Marriage
MEMRI/March 22/17/Hizbullah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah took a stand against efforts to legalize
same-sex marriage in Lebanon, saying that homosexuality "defies logic, human
nature, and the human mind." In his address, delivered on March 18, the "Muslim
Women's Day," and broadcast on Al-Manar TV, Nasrallah criticized the "culture of
opposition to early marriage," saying that proponents of this culture were
"unknowingly serving Satan and the devils." "The response should be the
spreading of the culture of early marriage."Hassan Nasrallah: "There are
societies abroad that were ruined by homosexuality, and now they are exporting
it to Lebanon and to the Arab and Islamic world. They want to legalize same-sex
marriage in the parliament. Homosexual relations defy logic, human nature, and
the human mind. These relations... Some people say: 'But this is about freedom
of choice. What's the problem?' No, this is a big problem. A big problem. In
Lebanon and elsewhere, everybody - the Muslims, the Christians, and the
non-religious... Anyone who cares about his society and about the purity of
humanity must take a stand against this kind of enterprise."[They] are trying to
spread - even in our own society - a culture of opposition to early marriage.
There was a time when early marriage was accepted. Now there are people who say
that early marriage is wrong, that early marriage has negative ramifications...
Do these people know better than Allah, who created Mankind, and demanded this,
through His prophets, culminating with the Prophet Muhammad? Do they know better
than the Creator of Man whether or not early marriage serves the interests of
Mankind? They may argue that there are cases of divorce following early
marriage. But I can present you with more cases of divorce, following marriage
at the age of 20, 30, or 40. This cannot serve as proof. This cannot serve as
proof. On the contrary, those who spread the culture of opposition to early
marriage in our society are unknowingly serving Satan and the devils. They are
also serving our enemy by causing the moral ruin of our society. The response
should be the spreading of the culture of early marriage.
Bassil: U.S. Must Support Lebanese Army in its Fight against Terrorism
Naharnet/March 22/17/Foreign
Minister Jebran Bassil said from Washington, there is a Lebanese consensus on
the role of the Resistance and Hizbullah in fighting the Israeli enemy and
defending Lebanon, but stressed that preserving stability and fighting terrorism
are the responsibility of the Lebanese Army, the National News Agency reported
on Wednesday. In an interview in Washington with Henri J. Barkey, Director of
the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
and replying to a question about Hizbullah's intervention in regional affairs,
Bassil said he does not “speak on behalf of Hizbullah.”“There is consensus in
Lebanon on the role of the Resistance and Hizbullah in fighting the Israeli
enemy and defending Lebanon. The Lebanese have to agree on a national strategy
based on dialogue. Preserving security, stability and combating terrorism are
the responsibility of the Lebanese Armed Forces, which was mentioned in
Lebanon's ministerial statement,” stated Bassil. “Lebanon is on the front lines
in its fight against terrorism and the Islamic State. The most powerful weapon
to combat terrorism is the diversity and cultural and religious pluralism
represented by the Lebanese model, which is an antithesis of the IS model,” he
said. “Lebanon is a natural ally of the United States in its fight against
terrorism,” he added, “If the U.S. administration is serious about fighting the
IS and terrorism, it must support the Lebanese army because it is defending
Lebanon and the world, its achievements in repelling and defeating IS attacks on
the border are a proof.” On the crisis of Syrian refugees in the country, the
Minister said “Lebanon is incomparable to any other country in terms of
absorbing more than it can take of refugees. There are more than 1.5 million
displaced people, that is around 200 individuals in a single square kilometer.”
Bassil also met Lebanese-American Congressman and head of the Lebanese-American
Friendship Committee Darrell Issa. Discussions between the two men focused on
displaced Syrians, terrorism and the aid to the Lebanese army. He invited Bassil
to attend the conference on energy and immigration, which will be held on May 4,
5 and 6 in Beirut. Issa supported Bassil on the need for the government’s plan
to return the displaced Syrians to safe zones in their homeland, said NNA.
UK Bans Laptops, Tabs on Flights Coming from 6 Nations including Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March
22/17/Britain tightened airline security on flights from Turkey, the Middle East
and North Africa on Tuesday, banning laptops and tablet computers from the plane
cabin following a U.S. security warning. Passengers flying directly to Britain
from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey will be required
to place those devices and large phones into hold luggage, a UK government
spokesman said. "The additional security measures may cause some disruption for
passengers and flights, and we understand the frustration that will cause, but
our top priority will always be to maintain the safety of British nationals," he
said in a statement. A statement issued by the British Embassy in Beirut said
the UK is seeking to “protect airplane passengers” with the new restrictions,
noting that the decision “will be enacted from March 25.”
“We are in close contact with the Lebanese authorities, the airport and affected
airlines to help ensure that the implementation of the new measures is as smooth
as possible for passengers,” a British Embassy spokesperson said. “Our aim is to
protect the safety of British nationals and travelers to the UK, while also
ensuring that the links between the UK and Lebanon remain open: these new
measures ensure both of these goals can be achieved. We understand the
frustration that these measures may cause and we are working with the aviation
industry to minimize any impact,” the spokesperson added.
The Embassy statement said passengers are advised to check with their airline
before traveling and to arrive at the airport early. The move came hours after
the U.S. government warned that extremists plan to target passenger jets with
bombs hidden in electronic devices, and banned carrying them in cabins on
flights from 10 airports in eight countries. The British ban only involves six
countries, two of which -- Lebanon and Tunisia -- do not feature on the U.S.
list. Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and United Arab Emirates are on the U.S. list, but
not the British one. "We have been in close touch with the Americans to fully
understand their position," the UK government spokesman said. British Prime
Minister Theresa May has chaired a number of meetings on aviation security over
the last few weeks, including on Tuesday morning, where the new measures were
agreed, he said. "Decisions to make changes to our aviation security regime are
never taken lightly," he added. "We will not hesitate to act in order to
maintain the safety of the traveling public and we will work closely with our
international partners to minimize any disruption these new measures may
cause."The change affects six British airlines, including British Airways and
EasyJet, and eight foreign carriers, including Turkish Airlines.Senior U.S.
officials told reporters that nine airlines from eight countries had been given
96 hours to ban devices bigger than a mobile phone from the cabin.
The British ban includes phones which are more than 16 centimeters long, 9.3cm
wide and 1.5cm deep.
Hariri-Sisi Talks Discuss Bolstering Ties Between Countries
Naharnet/March 22/17/Egyptian
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi received on Wednesday at al-Ittihadiyah Palace,
Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the presence of his Egyptian counterpart Prime
Minister Sharif Ismail, Hariri's press office said. Discussions focused on the
latest developments at the Arab and international arenas, in addition to the
means to bolster bilateral relations between the two countries at various
levels, added the statement. Hariri arrived on Tuesday in Cairo on a two-day
official visit. Hariri also met with Coptic Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and
Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar. Hariri is accompanied by an
official delegation comprising Deputy PM and Minister of Health Ghassan Hasbani
and the ministers Marwan Hamadeh (Education), Ghazi Zoaiter (Agriculture), Ali
Hassan Khalil (Finance), Nouhad al-Mashnouq (Interior), Ghattas Khoury
(Culture), Youssef Fenianos (Public Works and Transport), Cesar Abi Khalil
(Energy and Water, Raed Khoury (Economy and Trade), his chief of staff Nader
Hariri and the heads of press and editors syndicates Aouni Kaaki and Elias Aoun.
Hariri's Statement at Arab Summit to Reflect Positions of
'Entire Lebanese'
Naharnet/March 22/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri assured on Wednesday that he
will deliver a statement during the Arab League Summit in March that reflects
the view points of all the Lebanese. The PM, who spoke from Cairo, said he will
travel with President Michel Aoun to Jordan to partake in the Arab League Summit
set for March 29 where his speech will “represent entire Lebanon.”The PM arrived
in Cairo on Tuesday for a two-day official visit for talks with senior Egyptian
officials. The Arab Summit was held last year in the Mauritanian capital
Nouakchott and the subject of terrorism was a major item for discussion.
Lebanon's positions with regard to Hizbullah are critical. The country held
reservations against Arab resolutions that consider Hizbullah a "terrorist"
group. Former Prime Minister Tammam Salam had expressed during last year's Arab
Summit, solidarity with the Arab countries and keenness on the Arab interests,
but he told his accompanying delegation ahead of the meeting that should the
issue of Hizbullah be raised “Lebanon will respond by saying that it is one of
the country's main components and that it is represented in the government.”On
the controversial electoral law, Hariri said that he will fly back to Lebanon on
Thursday and the political efforts when he returns will focus on finding a new
electoral law, reports said. Hariri, who spoke after a meeting he held with
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, assured the Lebanese that a new law
will emerge soon. Political leaders in Lebanon are struggling to find a new
electoral law to govern the upcoming parliamentary polls. On his relations with
Saudi Arabia, Hariri stressed: “You will soon see me visiting the Kingdom.”
Bassil: U.S. Must Support Lebanese Army in its Fight against Terrorism
Naharnet/March 22/17/Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil said from Washington, there
is a Lebanese consensus on the role of the Resistance and Hizbullah in fighting
the Israeli enemy and defending Lebanon, but stressed that preserving stability
and fighting terrorism are the responsibility of the Lebanese Army, the National
News Agency reported on Wednesday. In an interview in Washington with Henri J.
Barkey, Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars, and replying to a question about Hizbullah's intervention
in regional affairs, Bassil said he does not “speak on behalf of Hizbullah.”“There
is consensus in Lebanon on the role of the Resistance and Hizbullah in fighting
the Israeli enemy and defending Lebanon. The Lebanese have to agree on a
national strategy based on dialogue. Preserving security, stability and
combating terrorism are the responsibility of the Lebanese Armed Forces, which
was mentioned in Lebanon's ministerial statement,” stated Bassil. “Lebanon is on
the front lines in its fight against terrorism and the Islamic State. The most
powerful weapon to combat terrorism is the diversity and cultural and religious
pluralism represented by the Lebanese model, which is an antithesis of the IS
model,” he said. “Lebanon is a natural ally of the United States in its fight
against terrorism,” he added, “If the U.S. administration is serious about
fighting the IS and terrorism, it must support the Lebanese army because it is
defending Lebanon and the world, its achievements in repelling and defeating IS
attacks on the border are a proof.”On the crisis of Syrian refugees in the
country, the Minister said “Lebanon is incomparable to any other country in
terms of absorbing more than it can take of refugees. There are more than 1.5
million displaced people, that is around 200 individuals in a single square
kilometer.”Bassil also met Lebanese-American Congressman and head of the
Lebanese-American Friendship Committee Darrell Issa. Discussions between the two
men focused on displaced Syrians, terrorism and the aid to the Lebanese army. He
invited Bassil to attend the conference on energy and immigration, which will be
held on May 4, 5 and 6 in Beirut. Issa supported Bassil on the need for the
government’s plan to return the displaced Syrians to safe zones in their
homeland, said NNA.
Berri Warns of New Conflict with Israel over Maritime
Borders
Naharnet/March 22/17/Speaker Nabih Berri warned on Wednesday of an Israeli
pretext to trigger a new war against Lebanon after the latest reports about
decisions made by the Israeli government and the Knesset to approve the
demarcation of the maritime-economic border with Lebanon, al-Joumhouria daily
reported on Wednesday. Berri voiced warnings of the “new Israeli assault against
Lebanon's sovereignty,” and said “what has been revealed by Israeli media was
not arbitrary, but rather reveals a path taken by Israel in a bid to control
Lebanon's gas and oil wealth within Lebanese economic borders.”Israeli media
revealed two days ago that the Israeli government and the Knesset had decided to
approve the demarcation of the sea-economic border, “with the aim of excavating
and extracting natural resources.” The most dangerous thing is that it aims to
annex a disputed area between Lebanon and Israel rich with oil and gas resources
and stretches over an area of about 860 square kilometers, the daily said. “I
have always voiced warning against arriving at such a reality,” said Berri,
“someone is responsible for placing the 860 square kilometers in the Israeli
circle.” “Anyway, if the Israeli disposition is correct, which I tend to
believe, it is tantamount to a war sparked by Israel. It is another maritime
Shebaa Farms Conflict which opens the situation to many dangerous
possibilities,” concluded Berri. Lebanon and Israel are bickering over a
maritime zone that consists of about 860 square kilometers and suspected energy
reserves that could generate billions of dollars. Lebanese officials have
continuously warned that Israel's exploration of new offshore gas fields near
Lebanese territorial waters means the Jewish state is siphoning some of
Lebanon's crude oil. In January, the Lebanese government has approved key
decrees that pave way for oil and gas extraction off Lebanon's coast, after more
than two years of political deadlock. The decrees authorize regulators to divide
the offshore areas into blocks for drilling and exploration and to issue
tenders. A portion of the reserves lies in territory disputed by the two
countries. Hizbullah has repeatedly warned Israel against tapping into Lebanon's
gas reserves. Earlier this decade, geologists discovered a bonanza of gas
reserves off the coasts of Lebanon and Israel, sparking a frenzy of development
on the Israeli side to tap into the fields.
Beirut Airport Says UK Laptop-Tab Ban to be Enforced
Saturday Midnight
Naharnet/March 22/17/The presidency of Beirut's Rafik Hariri International
Airport announced Wednesday that a British ban on laptops and tablets being
brought into airline cabins will go into effect at midnight Saturday. “Based on
a decision issued by the British Department for Transport, all passengers
departing to London on direct flights will be banned from carrying in their
handbags any electronic devices, tablets and smartphones whose dimensions exceed
16cm in length, 9.3cm in width and 1.5 cm in depth,” the airport's presidency
said in a statement. “Accordingly, all passengers are asked to abide by the
aforementioned instructions as of the midnight of March 25 and until further
notice,” it added. The British Department of Transport also confirmed Wednesday
that the ban must be put in place by Saturday. The timetable announced Wednesday
will affect travelers coming to Britain on direct flights from a number of
locations in the Middle East. It will apply to devices larger than a typical
smartphone. Larger electronic items will have to be put into checked baggage as
a precaution against the use of explosives on planes. The new measure will apply
to flights from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
British officials say travelers may find the regulations enforced earlier than
Saturday on some airlines. A statement issued by the British Embassy in Beirut
on Tuesday said the UK is seeking to “protect airplane passengers” with the new
restrictions. “We are in close contact with the Lebanese authorities, the
airport and affected airlines to help ensure that the implementation of the new
measures is as smooth as possible for passengers,” a British Embassy
spokesperson said. “Our aim is to protect the safety of British nationals and
travelers to the UK, while also ensuring that the links between the UK and
Lebanon remain open: these new measures ensure both of these goals can be
achieved. We understand the frustration that these measures may cause and we are
working with the aviation industry to minimize any impact,” the spokesperson
added. The Embassy statement said passengers are advised to check with their
airline before traveling and to arrive at the airport early. The British move
came hours after the U.S. government warned that extremists plan to target
passenger jets with bombs hidden in electronic devices, and banned carrying them
in cabins on flights from 10 airports in eight countries. Lebanon and Tunisia do
not feature on the U.S. list.
Berri Says Wage Scale to be Approved in April at the Latest
Naharnet/March 22/17/Speaker Nabih Berri announced Wednesday that the
long-stalled new wage scale will be approved next month at the latest. “If
failure to approve the wage scale impoverishes citizens, failure to approve an
electoral law will be suicide,” MPs quoted Berri as saying after his weekly
meeting with lawmakers in Ain el-Tineh. “The wage scale will be inevitably
approved and the month of April will not pass without its approval,” Berri added
according to the MPs. “We have two or three weeks to reach a new electoral law,
or else we would be heading into the unknown. And as I said before, the
government must shoulder its responsibility towards the electoral law and the
wage scale by approving them and referring them to parliament,” the speaker
said. He reminded that “this government was formed on the basis that it is an
elections government and that it would approve a state budget.”
Berri also reiterated the need to form the National Commission for Combating
Corruption.
Former Head of Press Federation, Baalbaki, Passes Away
Naharnet/March 22/17/Former head of the Press Federation, Mohammed Baalbaki
passed away on Wednesday at the age of 96. Baalbaki acted as head of the
Federation for 31 years before he resigned in 2013. Prime Minister Saad Hariri
mourned Baalbaki in a statement and said: “With the passing of former head of
the Press Federation Mohammed Baalbaki, the Lebanese and Arab press lose a
historic pillar who spent long years leading the Lebanese Press Federation. I
personally lost a loving and sincere friend who always gave me wise advice and
opinion.” For his part, Information Minister Melhem Riachi mourned Baalbaki
saying: “Today, Lebanon has lost one of its distinctive media figures. “His bold
positions echoed in all forums, defending the rights of journalists and the
introduction of rightful words.”
Riachy welcomes citizens
without appointment, says keen on listening to people's needs
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - Information Minister, Melhem Riachy, welcomed at his
ministerial office on Wednesday a number of citizens who visited him without
taking a prior appointment.Riachy said that the purpose of welcoming these
people was to give them the opportunity to listen to their needs and requests
and help them as much as possible. He also promised to welcome citizens without
a prior appointment the first Wednesday of every month.
EU parliamentary delegation arrives in Beirut
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - A delegation from the European Union arrived on Wednesday
afternoon in Beirut for talks with President of the Republic Michel Aoun and
Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The delegation will also meet with Minister of
Social Affairs Pierre Abu Assi. The delegation will also visit Maronite
Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi and a number of religious figures in
Lebanon. The EU delegation is also scheduled to visit the Syrian displaced
people's Bar Elias camp, to have firsthand look at their present conditions and
means of assisting Lebanon in this regard.
Army Chief's itinerary
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - The newly appointed Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun,
received at his office in Yarzeh, MP Sami Gemayel, former Minister Nicolas
Sahnawi and Secretary-General of the Future Movement, Ahmed Hariri, with whom he
discussed the latest developments in the country. He also met the Qatari
Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali bin Hamad Al-Marri, and discussed with him relations
between the armies of the two countries. Aoun later held a meeting with the
Personal Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Sigrid
Kaag, with talks featuring high on the general situation in Lebanon and the
region.
General Security arrests Syrian for belonging to Daesh
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - The General Security apprehended today one Syrian for
belonging to Daesh, a communiqué by the agency indicated on Wednesday.
The detained confessed that he had recruited individuals to operate within the
terrorist group, among whom two Lebanese brothers currently present in Arsal
outskirts.
Merehbi, Al Meraikhi discuss preparations for Brussels
Conference on Syria
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - Minister of State for Displaced Affairs, Mouin Merehbi,
discussed with the UN Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmed Al-Meraikhi,
and the Coordinator of UN Activities in Lebanon, Philippe Lazarini, the impact
of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon and what the international community can provide
of additional support to this country ahead of the Brussels International
conference to be held on April 5 on the Future of Syria. "We cannot rely on
Lebanon alone to respond to the displacement crisis, which is becoming more
burdensome. It [Lebanon] needs more support now that its resources are
depleted," Merehbi told a joint press conference with Al-Meraikhi in the
presence of Lazarini. "We have tackled the urgent needs that must be secured,
starting with water, sanitation, electricity, schools and hospitals, especially
in the communities hosting massive displacement, and in borders areas such as
Akkar, Baalbek and the Bekaa," Merehbi said, underlining the need to implement
the infrastructure development plan prepared by the Lebanese government led by
Premier Saad Hariri. For his part, Al-Meraikhi promised to "bring before the
international organization and donor countries the demands and needs of Lebanon,
which showed great generosity in welcoming the displaced Syrians, hoping that
Lebanon will succeed in taking advantage of the Brussels conference opportunity
to put its demands at the table of the international community.""The purpose of
my visit is to look at the situation of Syrian refugees and to recognize the
efforts of the United Nations and its agencies operating on the ground, and this
visit comes within the framework of a regional tour involving Turkey and
Jordan," he said, pointing out that he was briefed on "the needs and problems
raised by the crisis of Syrian displacement. "I will convey what I saw of the
work of the United Nations and the exceptional cooperation of the Lebanese
government and the care it gives to the Syrian refugees," he said, calling on
"Lebanon and specifically Prime Minister Saad Hariri to take advantage of the
important opportunity that the Brussels conference will provide to convey his
message and mobilize more support for Lebanon in this thorny issue."
Najib Khoury honors heads of Arab and international news
agencies at dinner banquet in Jbeil
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - Arab and international news agencies' directors partaking
in the National News Agency's international conference "Media spreading
Civilizations and Connecting Dialogues" visited a number of religious,
archaeological and historical landmarks in Lebanon, notably Jeita Grotto,
Harissa "Lady of Lebanon", the ancient Jbeil Castle and the city's old markets.
The delegation was accompanied by the National News Agency 'NNA' Director Laure
Sleiman Saab and heads of NNA various departments. The Chairman of the Board of
Trustees of the Lebanese Cultural University in the World, Jbeil's Tartah
Municipality Head, Najib Al-Khoury, gave a dinner banquet in honor of the
visiting delegation at "Al-Baher" Restaurant in the city of Jbeil. In his
delivered word, Al-Khoury hailed the role undertaken by the Information Ministry
in promoting the message of dialogue and communication, and commended the
unremitting efforts by NNA Director in developing the Agency to be at the helm
of upscale media. Sleiman, for her part, thanked all those who contributed to
the success of the international conference which was organized by NNA, urging
all mediamen and journalists to uphold objectivity in conveying and
disseminating news, as well as to abide by the code of profession ethics away
from insults or manipulation. The NNA Director also hoped that the delegation
members would convey the genuine, truthful message of Lebanon as they depicted
during their stay in Lebanon, a country enjoying stability and safety.
Thirsting for a Future: Water and children in a changing
climate
Wed 22 Mar 2017/NNA - Some 600 million children -- or 1 in 4 children worldwide
-- will be living in areas with extremely limited water resources by 2040,
according to a UNICEF report released on World Water Day. The report, Thirsting
for a Future: Water and children in a changing climate, looks at the threats to
children’s lives and wellbeing caused by depleted sources of safe water and the
ways climate change will intensify these risks in coming years. "Water is
elemental; without it, nothing can grow. But around the world, millions of
children lack access to safe water " endangering their lives, undermining their
health, and jeopardizing their futures. This crisis will only grow unless we
take collective action now," said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
According to the report, 36 countries are currently facing extremely high levels
of water stress, which occurs when demand for water far exceeds the renewable
supply available. Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, increased floods,
droughts and melting ice affect the quality and availability of water as well as
sanitation systems. Population growth, increased water consumption, and higher
demand for water largely due to industrialization and urbanization are draining
water resources worldwide. Conflicts in many parts of the world also threaten
children’s access to safe water. All of these factors force children to use
unsafe water, which exposes them to potentially deadly diseases like cholera and
diarrhoea. Many children in drought-affected areas spend hours every day
collecting water, missing out on a chance to go to school. Girls are especially
vulnerable to attack during these times. The poorest and most vulnerable
children will be most impacted by an increase in water stress, the report says,
as millions of them already live in areas with low access to safe water and
sanitation.
The report also notes that:
Up to 663 million people globally do not have access to adequate water sources
and 946 million people practice open defecation.
Over 800 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoea linked to
inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene;
Globally, women and girls spend 200 million hours collecting water every day.
The impact of climate change on water sources is not inevitable, UNICEF says.
The report concludes with a series of recommendations that can help curb the
impact of climate change on the lives of children. Such measures include:
Governments need to plan for changes in water availability and demand in the
coming years; Above all, it means prioritizing the most vulnerable children’s
access to safe water above other water needs to maximize social and health
outcomes.
Climate risks should be integrated into all water and sanitation-related
policies and services, and investments should to target high-risk populations.
Businesses need to work with communities to prevent contamination and depletion
of safe water sources.
Communities themselves should explore ways to diversify water sources and to
increase their capacity to store water safely.
"In a changing climate, we must change the way we work to reach those who are
most vulnerable. One of the most effective ways we can do that is safeguarding
their access to safe water," Lake said. -- UNICEF
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published On March 22-23/17
3 Dead, 20 Hurt in Knife and Car Attack outside UK Parliament
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 22/17/Three people were
killed and 20 injured in a "terrorist" attack outside the British parliament
Wednesday when a man mowed down pedestrians, then stabbed a police officer
before being shot dead. The car struck pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, a
popular spot with tourists because of its views of Big Ben, before crashing into
the railings outside the heavily guarded parliament building in the heart of the
British capital. "At least one man, armed with a knife, continued the attack and
tried to enter parliament," Britain's top counter-terror official Mark Rowley
told reporters.
Rowley said the three victims included the police officer and two people who
died on the bridge. "We are treating this as a terrorist incident," police said
in a statement. The attack comes with Europe on high alert after a series of
deadly assaults and a year to the day after Islamic State jihadists killed 32
people in two bomb attacks in Brussels. Britain's allies reacted with shock to
Wednesday's attack and vowed to stand with London in the fight against terror.
In July 2005, four British suicide bombers inspired by al-Qaida attacked
London's transport system during rush hour, killing 52 people. Prime Minister
Theresa May, who was in parliament at the time, was ushered away in a silver car
as what sounded like gunfire rang out, British media reported.
Her Downing Street office said she was "safe" and was due later to chair an
emergency meeting of top security ministers at her London residence. "The
thoughts of the prime minister and the government are with those killed and
injured in this appalling incident, and with their families," a Downing Street
spokeswoman said in a statement. "The prime minister is being kept
updated."Three French pupils on a school trip were among those injured and a
seriously injured woman was rescued from the Thames River following the
incident. Five South Korean tourists were also hurt, the Yonhap news agency
reported. A doctor at nearby St Thomas' Hospital said they were treating people
with "catastrophic" injuries. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said in a video
statement: "The government's top priority is the security of its people and I
urge everyone to remain calm."
Very shaken up
The parliament building was immediately sealed off and MPs and staff ordered to
remain inside. Hundreds of people were later evacuated from parliament to nearby
Westminster Abbey and the London Metropolitan Police headquarters, while the
local Westminster Underground station was closed.
Police cordoned off a large area in Westminster and tourists on the London Eye,
a popular tourist attraction, were stuck 135 meters (443 feet) in the air during
the incident. "I saw three bodies lying on the ground and a whole lot of police.
It was pretty terrifying," said Jack Hutchinson, 16, from Boston in the United
States who was stranded on the London Eye with his parents. In Edinburgh,
Scotland's parliament suspended a crucial debate and vote on whether to hold a
new referendum on independence, a move that has caused a headache for May as she
plans Britain's exit from the European Union.
British lawmaker Mary Creagh told AFP there was "a real sense of panic" as the
attack unfolded.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "There's a lot of people who feel very,
very shaken up." U.S. President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the
incident, describing it as "big news" and French President Francois Hollande and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed their condolences.
"Germany and its citizens stand firmly and resolutely alongside Britons in the
struggle against all forms of terrorism," Merkel said in a statement. Russia's
foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: "We believe this to be an
evil to which we must respond collectively."
- Attack at parliament gates
Polish former foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski was in a taxi on the bridge and
said a car "mowed down at least five people... one of them bleeding
profusely."Pictures of what happened next showed two people being attended to on
the ground inside the vehicle entrance gates of parliament. Three shots were
heard on video footage. A staff member in parliament, who did not want to be
named, told AFP: "I saw someone in dark clothing go down." Jason Groves, the
Daily Mail newspaper's political editor, said he witnessed a man coming through
the vehicle entrance wielding something, heading towards a police officer, who
then fell to the ground. Another officer then shot the man from around 10 meters
away "with a handgun, and then gets closer to him and shoots him again from over
him and he doesn't get up," he said. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood,
whose brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing, was pictured with
his face smeared with blood helping to give first aid to an injured police
officer.
Tillerson: US to set up zones for refugees in fight against
ISIS
Reuters, WashingtonWednesday, 22 March 2017/The United States will increase
pressure on ISIS and al-Qaeda and work to set up “interim zones of stability” to
help refugees return home in the next phase of the battle to defeat the groups,
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday. Addressing top officials
from an international coalition of 68 nations battling ISIS in Iraq and Syria,
Tillerson did not elaborate on where the United States planned to set up these
safety zones. “The United States will increase our pressure on ISIS and al-Qaeda
and will work to establish interim zones of stability, through ceasefires, to
allow refugees to return home,” he told the meeting at the State Department.
Tillerson also said that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will inevitably be
killed as coalition and local forces continue to pile pressure on the extremists
in Syria and Iraq. “Nearly all of Abu Bakr Baghdadi’s deputies are now dead,
including the mastermind behind the attacks in Brussels, Paris and elsewhere,”
he said. “It is only a matter of time before Baghdadi himself meets this same
fate.”
'Matter of Time' before IS Chief Baghdadi Killed, Says
Tillerson
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 22/17/U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
said Wednesday that Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will
inevitably be killed as coalition and local forces continue to pile pressure on
the jihadists in Syria and Iraq. "Nearly all of Abu Bakr Baghdadi's deputies are
now dead, including the mastermind behind the attacks in Brussels, Paris and
elsewhere," Tillerson said at the start of a Washington summit for coalition
members. "It is only a matter of time before Baghdadi himself meets this same
fate."
New Syria Peace Talks as Fight Comes to Damascus
A fifth round of UN-backed Syria peace talks begins Thursday in Geneva with
scant hope of a breakthrough against a backdrop of fighting in Damascus and no
sign of compromise. The last session in February may have produced a "clear
agenda", according to UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, but the regime and
rebels oppose each other on all its points. The talks aim to find a solution to
end a six-year conflict that has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced
millions since it started in 2011 with protests against President Bashar
al-Assad's regime. This round's agenda includes the issues of governance -- a
political transition -- the constitution and elections, as well as
counter-terrorism at the request of Damascus. The United Nations said on Tuesday
that all sides who had already attended the last round of negotiations in
February had confirmed their attendance for this week. "These will be 'proxy
talks', direct talks have been excluded," a Western source close to the
negotiations told AFP. De Mistura, who wants the three main topics to be
discussed "in parallel", will be in charge of mediating, the source said. But
his task will be tough as, according to analysts and diplomats, neither the
opposition nor the regime is likely to make concessions. The opposition has
since 2011 called for Assad to step down, but the president refuses. And the
Damascus regime, which describes the rebels as "terrorists", wants the issue of
"counter-terrorism" to be given priority at the negotiations.
- 'Tough' talks -"There's no hope in my view," Syria specialist Thomas Pierret
said.
"The regime continues to gain ground... There's no reason for it to make the
slightest concession."Since Russia's military intervention in support of Assad
in 2015, the regime has gained the upper hand, claiming a series of victories
against the rebels and jihadists. Noah Bonsey, an analyst with the International
Crisis Group, said this made Damascus unlikely to make concessions. "The regime,
unwilling to compromise when it was losing ground militarily, is even less
likely to do so now that it has momentum," he said. Regime troops retook the
whole of Syria's second city Aleppo in December, in a major blow to the rebels
and in what analysts described as a "turning point" in the war. "These
negotiations are tough," a French diplomatic source said.
"The opposition is fractured and over the past months we have seen a slow
deterioration of the balance of power to its disadvantage."
Both sides accuse each other of a lack of commitment to finding a solution.
Yehya Aridi, one of the advisers to the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) main
opposition group, said the regime was being "stubborn". "There's little hope due
to the stubbornness of the other side, which doesn't really want to find a
solution," he said. He accused the regime of using a strategy of years of
bombing and siege to obtain the surrender and "submission" of fighters in
rebel-held areas. But Bassam Abu Abdallah, an analyst who is close to the
regime, said the regional allies of the opposition were the ones hindering the
peace talks.
- No US involvement -"For the first time there is a clear agenda. But each time
there's any political progress, fighters linked to regional powers carry out new
attacks," the head of the Damascus Centre for Strategic Studies said. He was
referring to rebels and allied jihadists pressing an attack since Sunday in east
Damascus in one of the most violent offensives on the capital in two years.
Delegations from both sides are due to arrive in Switzerland on Wednesday, to be
welcomed by de Mistura's deputy, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy. The Syria envoy is
currently visiting key powers shaping the conflict -- including Saudi Arabia,
Russia and Turkey -- before returning to Geneva to lead the talks. Moscow and
Ankara brokered a fragile Syria ceasefire in force since December 30 last year.
During the last round, Russian pressure on the Syrian regime seemed to have paid
off when Damascus for the first time publicly announced it was prepared to
discuss de Mistura's three key talking points of governance, constitution and
elections. But on the opposition side, the new administration of US President
Donald Trump has so far not given any sign of being involved in seeking a
solution to the Syrian conflict.
"The vision of the United States is not yet clear... and a solution in Syria
will only happen on the back of a deal between Russia and the US," said Abu
Abdallah of the Damascus Centre.
Syrian rebels press major assault near Hama
Reuters, BeirutWednesday, 22 March 2017/Syrian rebels advanced to within
a few kilometers of the government-held city of Hama on Wednesday in a major
assault in the western region of Syria critically important to President Bashar
al-Assad, a war monitor reported. The offensive, spearheaded by Islamist
militants, was launched on Tuesday after an attack in the capital Damascus,
where heavy fighting persists, showing the lingering threat posed by rebels even
as Assad enjoys the military upper hand. The Hama offensive also includes Free
Syrian Army (FSA) rebels who had agreed to a truce in December brokered by
Russia and Turkey, underlining the bleak prospects for UN-backed peace talks
that are due to reconvene in Geneva on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights reported the latest rebel advance on Hama. The Syrian army could
not immediately be reached for comment. A Syrian military source told Reuters
the army was sending reinforcements against the rebel thrust, adding that the
insurgents had mobilized large numbers for the assault.
More fronts
A rebel commander told pro-opposition Orient TV that insurgents planned to open
yet more fronts. The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said insurgents
had captured the towns of Soran, 20 km north of Hama, Khattab, 10 km northwest
of Hama, and al-Majdal, 6 km west of Khattab. The assault on Soran began on
Tuesday with two suicide bombers being deployed in addition to rockets and
artillery. The areas of Hama province targeted in the latest assault form part
of Syria's pivotal western region where Assad has shored up his rule during the
six-year-long war with crucial military support from Russia and Iran. “There are
fierce battles between the two sides,” the military source said. The attack is
being led by Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of Islamist factions dominated by a
group that was formerly al-Qaeda's official affiliate in the Syrian war. “The
battle - praise God - has been prepared for a long time and all capacities have
been prepared for it so that we can wage a long battle,” an FSA commander
identified as a lieutenant in the Ezza Army group told Orient TV. The rebels
have been on the backfoot since Russia deployed its air force to Syria in 2015
to bolster Assad. They suffered their worst setback of the six-year war in
December when government forces seized eastern Aleppo from the opposition.
Syrian government forces, supported by Iranian-backed militias, have been
pressing their military edge despite the December truce, winning back more areas
including one near Damascus that is the source of the capital's water supply.
Damascus assault
The escalation in Hama province follows two rebel assaults on government-held
areas in Jobar in Damascus, launched by opposition fighters from Eastern Ghouta,
an opposition stronghold east of the capital. State media said on Wednesday the
army was waging fierce clashes with insurgents in northern Jobar and that the
air force was pounding insurgents and their supply lines in the area. The Ezza
Army commander said the rebel attack in Hama was coordinated with the one in
Damascus. He also said that more attacks would be launched “in a number of other
areas”.The increase in fighting between the rebels and the army came in the
run-up to new peace talks in Geneva. But the obstacles facing peacemaking were
on display last week when Turkey-backed rebel groups shunned talks in Kazakhstan
aimed at firming up the December ceasefire and criticized Russia for failing to
get its allies to adhere to the truce.
US-led coalition air-drops forces in Raqqa province
Reuters, BeirutWednesday, 22 March 2017 /The US-led coalition has
air-dropped US and allied Syrian forces near Tabqa in Raqqa province, expanding
a campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias against ISIS, the SDF
said on Wednesday. The operation aims both to capture the al-Tabqa area, across
the Euphrates from the SDF’s other main holdings, and to curb Syrian government
advances in that direction, the SDF’s Raqqa campaign said in a statement on
social media. The landing forces had seized four small villages in the area west
of al-Tabqa and cut a main highway that links the provinces of Raqqa, Deir al-Zor
and Aleppo, the SDF, a US-backed alliance of militias said. “American forces
have conducted a landing operation for US ground forces, along with special
forces” from the Raqqa campaign, it said. A local official familiar with SDF
operations told Reuters the air-drop operation aimed to secure a crossing point
for forces coming in boats across the Euphrates, which began arriving at dawn on
Wednesday. The official described it as “a pioneering step by the coalition and
SDF in the framework of the war against Daesh,” using the Arabic acronym for
ISIS. With the help of air strikes and special forces operations from the US-led
coalition, the SDF is waging a campaign to encircle Raqqa city, ISIS’s most
important holding in Syria. The SDF, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG
militia as well as Arab groups, is fighting to isolate Raqqa ahead of an
anticipated assault on the city, which ISIS has used as a command node to plan
attacks abroad. The Kurdish-led alliance cut the last main road out of Raqqa
earlier this month, narrowing in on the city from the north, east and west. The
only way out of Raqqa now is over the Euphrates that borders the city to the
south, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor has said.
ISIS is losing ground to three separate campaigns in northern Syria - by the SDF,
by the Russian-backed Syrian army and by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. The
Syrian army and allied forces have made rapid gains east of Aleppo in recent
weeks, edging towards the provincial border with Raqqa, close to al-Tabqa. The
head of the YPG militia said last week that the offensive to retake Raqqa would
begin in early April, but a spokesman for the US Pentagon said no decision had
yet been made.
ISIS shells recaptured areas in west Mosul
Reuters, MosulWednesday, 22 March 2017/ISIS militants shelled areas recaptured
by Iraqi forces in western Mosul, hitting civilians fleeing the fighting early
on Wednesday as troops edged their way through the narrow, dangerous streets of
the Old City.Heavy mortar fire killed at least five civilians and wounded more
than 20 in Mosul Jadida and Rifak districts - areas that the militants had
recently lost to Federal Police and Rapid Response brigades, military officials
said. The battle for Mosul, ISIS’s last stronghold in Iraq, is entering its
sixth month with Iraq forces backed by a US-led coalition air strikes and
advisers now controlling the east of the city and more than half of the west.
Fighting is focused on capturing the strategic Al Nuri mosque in the Old City,
where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his caliphate in July 2014 after
the militants had seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. As many as 600,000
civilians remain in the western sector of Mosul, complicating the battle.
Thousands escape daily to camps or areas in the government-controlled east.
Baghdadi and other leaders are believed to have left Mosul, but ISIS militants
are countering with snipers hiding among the population, car bombs and armored
suicide trucks smashing into Iraqi positions around the Old City. “Daesh shelled
liberated, populated areas to distract our troops. They have wounded dozens,” a
federal police spokesman said.
At federal police frontlines near the Old City, forces blocked off roads with
earthen barricades to stop suicide car bombers reaching their troops. Tanks and
rocket teams stood guard at barricades while troops with RPGs operated rooftops.
“We are clearing streets and buildings of booby-traps and roadside bombs,” a
federal police officer said. On another front, Counter Terrorism Service forces
advanced in Yabsaat district and the old industrial area in the west of the
city, Maan al-Saadi, a CTS officer told state television. Losing Mosul would be
a symbolic blow for ISIS whose forces are also coming under attack in the Syrian
city of Raqqa across the border. Aid agencies are rushing to cope with surging
numbers of displaced from the west, building new camps and supplying food and
water. The number displaced from both sides of Mosul since the start of the
offensive has reached 355,000, according to government figures. US officials
estimate around 2,000 militants remain inside the city.
Kremlin Denies Fillon Took Money to Arrange 'Makhzoumi-Putin
Meeting'
Associated Press/Naharnet/March 22/17/The Kremlin has dismissed a report that
French presidential candidate Francois Fillon was paid 50,000 euros ($54,000) to
arrange a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lebanese oil
magnate Fouad Makhzoumi. The report in investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine
said Fillon's consulting company arranged the meeting between Putin and
Makhzoumi at an economic forum in 2015. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov compared
the report to "fake news." He said Wednesday: "The president's meetings are
organized according to protocol" and the Kremlin "doesn't need any
intermediaries." Fillon is also the target of a newly enlarged investigation
into allegations that he gave his family government-funded jobs which they never
did. He denies wrongdoing, but the accusations have damaged his campaign for the
April-May election.
Turkish soldier killed by sniper fire from
Kurdish-controlled Syria
Reuters, Ankara Wednesday, 22 March 2017/ Turkish soldier was killed by a sniper
shot from across the border in a Kurdish-controlled part of northwestern Syria,
the Turkish military said on Wednesday. The soldier was killed in the Turkish
border province of Hatay. The shooting came two days after the Syrian Kurdish
YPG militia said Russia was setting up a military base in Syria bordering Hatay
and would help train its fighters. The Turkish military said in a statement that
it had returned fire in retaliation after the soldier was killed.
33 dead in US-led raid on school in northern Syria
AFP, BeirutWednesday, 22 March 2017/At least 33 people were killed in a US-led
coalition strike on a school used as a center for displaced people near a
militant-held Syrian town, a monitor said Wednesday. The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said the strike south of Al-Mansoura, a town held by ISIS in the
northern province of Raqqa, “took place in the early hours of Tuesday.” The
US-led coalition has been bombing ISIS since 2014 and is now backing a major
offensive to defeat the group in Raqqa city, the Syrian heart of ISIS. The
school-turned-shelter hit on Tuesday morning lies about 30 kilometers west of
Raqqa. “We can now confirm that 33 people were killed, and they were displaced
civilians from Raqa, Aleppo and Homs,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
“They’re still pulling bodies out of the rubble until now. Only two people were
pulled out alive,” Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The Britain-based monitor says it determines what planes carried out raids
according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.
“Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently,” an activist group that publishes news
from ISIS-held territory in Syria, also reported the strike. “The school that
was targeted hosts nearly 50 displaced families,” it said. Syrian state news
agency SANA also reported the air raid, accusing the US-led coalition of
inflicting “dozens” of casualties and almost completely destroying the school
site. Earlier this month, the coalition said its raids in Syria and Iraq and
unintentionally killed at least 220 civilians. But other monitors say the number
is far higher. Trump has ordered his top generals to craft an accelerated
strategy to “eradicate” ISIS’s so-called caliphate, and allied countries are
keen to learn more at Wednesday’s meeting.
Palestinian killed by Israeli artillery fire in Gaza
AFP, GazaWednesday, 22 March 2017/A Palestinian was killed and two others
injured before dawn on Wednesday by Israeli artillery fire in Gaza, according to
a Palestinian official. According to the Israeli army, the three men were in the
border area between the Palestinian enclave and Israeli territory, where
multiple exchanges of fire have taken place recently. “Youssef Abou Azra, 18,
was killed and two other Palestinians injured by artillery fire by the occupier
(Israel) to the east of Rafah,” the large city to the south of the Gaza Strip,
said Achraf al-Qodra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza. A
spokesperson for the Israeli army told AFP that the soldiers had spotted three
men “close to the security fence and opened fire in their direction,” without
giving further details. Several exchanges of fire have taken place in recent
weeks between Israel and the Gaza strip, which has been governed for a decade by
the militant group Hamas. Also read: Gazan calls for justice for daughters
killed in 2009 war . At the start of March, Israeli forces struck two Hamas
positions in the Gaza Strip after soldiers were fired at along the metal and
concrete barrier that seals off the Gaza Strip from Israel. In February, Israeli
warplanes and tanks pounded Gaza in response to a rocket fired from the Gaza
Strip into southern Israel, hitting Hamas military facilities and wounding four
Palestinians, none of them seriously.
Syrian army sends reinforcements as rebels press Hama
attack
Reuters, Beirut Wednesday, 22 March 2017/The Syrian army is sending
reinforcements to face a major rebel offensive in Hama province, a Syrian
military source told Reuters on Wednesday, as insurgents pressed an attack in a
western area critically important to President Bashar al-Assad. The assault
spearheaded by militant fighters got under way on Tuesday and follows two big
attacks on Assad’s seat of power in Damascus in recent days, showing the
lingering threat posed by rebels even as Assad enjoys the military upper hand in
the war. The areas of Hama province targeted in the latest assault form part of
the western region of Syria where Assad has shored up his rule during the
six-year-long conflict against an array of insurgents seeking to topple him. The
military source said insurgent groups had mobilised large numbers for the
assault that was targeting towns including Soran, some 20 km (12 miles) north of
Hama city, and Khattab, about 10 km northwest of it. Battles were ongoing in
both places, the military source said. “Reinforcements are now being sent,” the
source added. The attack is being led by Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance of Islamist
factions dominated by a group that was formerly al Qaeda’s official affiliate in
the Syrian civil war. Groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner are also
taking part. An FSA rebel commander, in an interview with the pro-opposition
Orient TV, said the assault that began on Tuesday had been long in the planning,
and insurgents were ready for a protracted fight. “The battle - praise God - has
been prepared for a long time and all capacities have been prepared for it so
that we can waged a long battle,” said the FSA commander identified as a
lieutenant in the Ezza Army group.
Sudden moment UK Parliament suspend sitting after shooting
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishWednesday, 22 March 2017/A video clip was shown
by the British Parliament at the moment of the attack near the House of Commons
in London. British police shot a suspected attacker after an officer was stabbed
in what police said was a “terrorist” incident. The building in the heart of the
British capital was immediately sealed off and MPs and staff ordered to remain
inside. David Lidington, the leader of parliament’s lower House of Commons who
is responsible for arranging government business, told MPs: “What I am able to
say to the house is there has been a serious incident. “It seems that a police
officer has been stabbed, that the alleged assailant was shot by armed police.
“There are also reports of further violent incidents in the vicinity of the
Palace of Westminster,” he said. A spokesman for the House of Commons told
AFP:”We can confirm that the sitting has been suspended in the Commons at the
moment. We are aware of a security incident that has taken place.”
Chaotic scenes at Westminster after UK Parliament shooting
Staff writer, Al Arabiya EnglishWednesday, 22 March 2017/One woman has died in
an attack that took place outside the Houses of Parliament in London on
Wednesday and dozens have been injured. British police shot a suspected attacker
after an officer was stabbed in what police said was a “terrorist” incident. The
building in the heart of the British capital was immediately sealed off and MPs
and staff ordered to remain inside.
John Bolton Participated in the Iranian Resistance New
Year's Celebration
NCRI/ Tuesday, 21 March 2017/ Making his address for Nowruz (the Iranian New
Year) in Tirana, Albania, John Bolton, the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
appeared on the stage and Speaking to members of the People's Mojahedin of Iran
(PMOI/MEK), the National Council of Resistance, and guests from Albania, France
and United States, he expressed delight to be among the Iranian opposition
members in the great country of Albania.He said: ’Glad to meet you here, I have
every confidence that one day we meet again in a free Iran.'Talking to a huge
crowd of jubilant combatants Bolton added; 'I have a few words to Mullahs in
Tehran. The golden era of relations with the United States is over. It is
vitally important that the whole world understands that American policy on
Mullahs’ regime in support of international terrorism and nuclear power program,
is fundamentally changed.'
He emphasized, 'There are details that remain to be worked out, but the notion
that this regime in Tehran has any legitimacy and can be trusted to honor its
commitments, those illusions has been swept aside.'Mr. Bolton also expressed
doubt about the nuclear deal with the regime of the mullahs and said: 'The idea
that a deal with the regime like that will either slow them down and certainly
stop their nuclear program was misguided from the beginning. That deal is if the
Ayatollahs are unnoticed, that deal has a limited life span. We have already
seen the change in our policy. Secretary of State Tillerson in the recent trip
to South Korea said: the past policy so called “Strategic Passion” is over and
finished.'
Maryam Rajavi: Let Us Turn the New Year Into the Year of
Defeat for the Velayat-E Faqih Religious Fascism in Iran and the Region
NCRI Statements/Tuesday, 21 March 2017/In a grand gathering on the occasion of
the Persian New Year, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi
congratulated all Iranians in Iran and abroad. She wished that the New Year
would be the year of breaking the chains of the Velayat-e Faqih regime, the
looming of the spring of freedom and national sovereignty, the failure of the
mullahs' belligerence in the region, and the year of emancipation of the
defenseless people of Syria from the clutches of that brutal regime.
John Bolton, former US Ambassador to UN; Robert Torricelli, former member of the
US Senate; former Prime Minister Pandeli Majko; Fatmir Mediu, Member of
Parliament and leader of the Republican Party;Jean-Pierre Muller, Mayor of Magny
en Vexin, member of Val d'Oise Provincial Council and co-president of the French
Mayors' Committee for a Democratic Iran; Bruno Macé, Mayor of Villiers Adam and
member of the Mayors' Committee for a Democratic Iran; as well as a considerable
as well as the NCRI Chair of Athletic Committee, Moslem Eskandar Filabi
addressed this great gathering convened in Tirana with thousands of PMOI members
participating.
Maryam Rajavi said, "The Iranian people's Nowruz comes the day when all sectors
of Iranian society including the Fars, Baluchis, Kurds, Arabs, Azeris, Shiites,
Sunnis, Christians, Jews, and followers of other religions and creeds could live
together in peace in a society based on separation of religion and state. This
would be a society where everyone can freely think and express their opinions,
elect and promote their political traditions, endeavor to change any government
they deem is against the people's interests, and a society where people can
choose their clothing and no compulsions are sanctioned."
She added, "The people of Iran and other countries in the region expect that the
US would consider a fundamental revision of its policy of the past 16 years. The
same policy that has handed Iraq to the religious fascism ruling Iran in a
silver platter and opened the path for the destruction of Syria, Yemen and other
countries in the region by the regime.Nothing has been more helpful to the
Velayat-e Faqih regime in Iran than the US appeasement. Every policy on Iran and
the Middle East which does not respect the Iranian people's struggle for freedom
and does not endorse the urgent demand of the peoples of the region to expel the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is doomed to fail. The overthrow of
the mullahs' religious tyranny is the responsibility of the Iranian people and
Resistance. But we expect an end to the concessions and assistances which have
contributed to the continued rule of the regime for years. To this end, all
commercial and diplomatic relations must be made contingent on end to executions
and torture, the regime's criminal and invasive forces must be expelled from the
region, the IRGC must be placed in the list of terrorist organizations, and the
Iranian people's struggle for freedom must be recognized."
Elaborating on the crises entangling the Iranian regime particularly in the
impasse of its upcoming elections, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect
pointed out, "Today, Khamenei faces three major predicaments in determining the
fate of the regime's election sham: First, fearing the Iranian people's
Resistance and uprising; second, the US policy in the region which has seriously
alarmed the regime; and third, the dilemma over Khamenei's succession which has
led to a deep crisis within the regime. The people of Iran do not heed the
regime's sham elections and will boycott it as they always have. Based on the
acknowledgements made by the regime's officials, various strata of the people of
Iran staged some 7 to 11 thousand protests last year against the regime's
policies. Beyond any protest, this is a daily drill for uprooting the regime's
injustice and oppression. Therefore, Western governments must not fall for the
regime's hoaxes and farcical elections and victimize the people of Iran. The
policy of overlooking the Iranian people's human rights, freedom and Resistance
can no longer be continued."
**The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/March 20, 2017
Iran Regime Supports Houthi Terrorists in Yemen's War
NCRI Iran News/Wednesday, 22 March 2017/According to Reuters on March 21, 2017.
Iran is sending advanced weapons and military advisers to Yemen's rebel Houthi
movement, stepping up support for its Shi'ite ally in a civil war whose outcome
could sway the balance of power in the Middle East, regional and Western sources
say. Iran's enemy Saudi Arabia is leading a Sunni Arab coalition fighting the
Houthis in the impoverished state on the tip of the Arabian peninsula - part of
the same regional power struggle that is fuelling the war in Syria. Sources with
knowledge of the military movements, who declined to be identified, say that in
recent months Iran has taken a greater role in the two-year-old conflict by
stepping up arms supplies and other support. This mirrors the strategy it has
used to support its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in Syria. A senior Iranian official
said Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Qods Force - the external
arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - met top IRGC officials in Tehran
last month to look at ways to "empower" the Houthis.
"At this meeting, they agreed to increase the amount of help, through training,
arms and financial support," the official said. "Yemen is where the real proxy
war is going on and winning the battle in Yemen will help define the balance of
power in the Middle East."Iran rejects accusations from Saudi Arabia that it is
giving financial and military support to the Houthis in the struggle for Yemen,
blaming the deepening crisis on Riyadh.But Iran's actions in Yemen seem to
reflect the growing influence of hardliners in Tehran, keen to pre-empt a
tougher policy toward Iran signaled by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri, spokesman for the Arab coalition fighting the
Houthis, told Reuters: "We don't lack information or evidence that the Iranians,
by various means, are smuggling weapons into the area. "We observe that the
Kornet anti-tank weapon is on the ground, whereas before it wasn't in the
arsenal of the Yemeni army or of the Houthis. It came later."
A Houthi leader said coalition accusations that Iran was smuggling weapons into
Yemen were an attempt to cover up Saudi Arabia's failure to prevail in an
intractable war in which at least 10,000 people have been killed. "The Saudis
don't want to admit their failings so they are searching for false
justifications ... after two years of the aggression that the United States and
Britain are involved in," the Houthi leader, who declined to be named, told
Reuters. Iran's activities have alarmed Sunni Muslim countries in the Middle
East, with one senior official from a neighboring country saying: "We want Iran
to stop exporting Shi'ism in the region, whether in Yemen or elsewhere." Saudi
Arabia intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 to back President Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Houthis.
Government forces in the south and east hold most of Yemen's territory, while
the Houthis control most population centers in the northwest, including Sanaa.
A former senior Iranian security official said Iran's hardline rulers planned to
empower Houthi militia in Yemen to "strengthen their hand in the region"."They
are planning to create a Hezbollah-like militia in Yemen. To confront Riyadh's
hostile policies ... Iran needs to use all its cards," the former official said.
A Western diplomat in the Middle East agreed: "Iran has long been trying to
cultivate portions of the Houthi militias as a disruptive force in Yemen. "This
is not to say that the Houthis are Hezbollah, but they do not need to be to
achieve Iran's goals, which is to encircle the Saudis, expand its influence and
power projection in the region and develop levers of unconventional pressure."
SHIPPING SUPPLIES
Sources say Iran is using ships to deliver supplies to Yemen either directly or
via Somalia, bypassing coalition efforts to intercept shipments.Western sources
say once the ships arrive in the region, the cargoes are transferred to small
fishing boats, which are hard to spot because they are so common in these
waters. Favored areas are believed to include fishing coves around the port of
Mukalla, even though that would require smuggled men or equipment to make a long
risky journey to the main Houthi-controlled districts. The coalition ejected al
Qaeda from the area last year, but still cannot prevent the smuggling of weapons
and people, according to sources familiar with the waters. The Arab coalition's
General Asseri acknowledged the difficulties of policing 2,700 km of coastline
around Yemen.
"You cannot observe this length of coast even if you bring in all the navies of
the world," he said. "If we stop movement of those small boats, this will affect
fishing by normal people."From September 2015 until March 2016, the French and
Australian navies frequently intercepted weapons which officials said were most
likely bound for the Houthis. A U.S. defense official said Iranian weapons
smuggling to the Houthis had continued apace since March last year, when the
seizures stopped. The equipment included long-range ballistic missiles capable
of reaching deep into Saudi Arabia.
"There is no plausible explanation for these weapons' appearance other than
outside assistance. We assess that assistance has likely come from Iran," the
U.S. official said.
Nic Jenzen-Jones, a military arms specialist and director of Armament Research
Services, which has tracked Iranian equipment ending up in Yemen, also said
quantities had increased.
"We have seen some more success in sea-based transfers over the last few months
and I suspect the general uptick in the frequency of Iranian arms that we are
documenting is partially a result of more successful deliveries by sea," Jenzen-Jones
said.
DEVASTATING IMPACT
Evidence of more sophisticated equipment suspected of being used by the Houthis
has emerged in recent attacks.
On Jan. 30, a Saudi frigate was attacked near the Houthi-controlled port of
Hodeidah, in an operation that Saudi official media blamed on the Houthis.
The U.S. Navy said an unmanned remote-controlled boat laden with explosives
rammed the Saudi vessel in the first known strike by a "drone" attack boat, and
the Houthis had likely used technology supplied by Iran.
In another development this month, a Yemeni government source told Reuters a
coast guard boat was destroyed near al-Mokha by mines laid by the Houthis.
Jenzen-Jones said the quality of Iranian munitions had improved of late.
"Recent transfers of arms and munitions have also included Iranian Ababil series
UAVs (drones), fitted with high explosive warheads and used by Houthis to engage
high-value targets, such as radar and Patriot missile batteries," he said.
Anti-ship and man-portable missiles were also suspected to have been
transferred, he said.In addition to the weapons, Iranian and regional sources
said Tehran was providing Afghan and Shi'ite Arab specialists to train Houthi
units and act as logistical advisers. These included Afghans who had fought in
Syria under Qods Force commanders.
Reuters has reported this same covert approach was used in Syria in 2014 before
Iran took a more open role in that war.
Senator Torricelli in the New Year's Celebration With the
Iranian Resistance: Take a Stand, Be Part of the Free Iran
NCRI / Monday, 20 March 2017/ March 20. 2017 - Senator Robert Torricelli spoke
at the Grand Gathering of the Iranian Resistance and its supporters celebrating
the Great Nowruz. Senator Torricelli said in part that with Maryam Rajavi,
Iranian people would have their freedom and the right to live a prosperous
life.The former U.S. Senator said: 'Everyone in Iran has a role… big or small,
take a stand, be part of the free Iran, make your decision today to end the
dictatorship, person by person, village by village, across Iran, take a stand
now.'He also said: 'It has been the honor of my life to be a soldier in your
struggle. And I could not be more proud that in the darkest hours of the Iranian
freedom my countrymen, Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives
have joined ranks with Mrs. Rajavi under her leadership.'
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
On March 22-23/17
Urgent Messages to the Muslim World
Nonie Darwish/Gatestone Institute/March 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10036/messages-to-muslim-world
A dangerous message is being sent to the Muslim world by the West: There is
nothing that moderate Muslims or anyone else should fear from radical Islamic
terrorism! Look at us Western governments! We are bringing in refugees who
cannot be vetted even if they are ISIS infiltrators. In fact, we in the West are
so goodhearted that we are encouraging many organizations to operate legally in
the West under the banner of the Muslim Brotherhood -- even organizations that
are sympathetic to the terrorist group Hamas and that are pledging to overthrow
us!
The West, by taking all the Syrian refugees, is emptying Syria of any kind of
resistance to the Caliphate (ISIS). The West's compassion, by taking in the
refugees escaping ISIS, will end up leaving only the radicals to rule unopposed
in Syria and Iraq. This, in US foreign policy, is not compassion; it is gross
negligence and reckless endangerment.
"Tough love" is badly needed when dealing with the Muslim world. We must say:
No, we cannot accept your jihadist aspirations. We cannot accept you forcing
your way of life on the world; your way of life is unacceptable to us. Before
you send your refugees, you must end your "us against them" jihadist culture.
The civilized world no longer finds your aspirations for an Islamic Caliphate
tolerable.
The first reaction of the U.S. after 9/11 should have been to stop visas from
all majority-Muslim countries, except for those of utmost importance. But our
politicians' hands were tied -- not by fear of a backlash from Islamic
countries, which probably expected a U.S. boycott, but by fear of a backlash
from the Western media and Western progressives.
The decision to keep Muslims, refugees and others pouring into the US after 9/11
was wrong and has not done Islam and Muslim reformers a favor. Here is why:
The chaos and bloodshed in the Muslim world, even in the most moderate of Muslim
nations, such as Turkey, is between Muslims who want to enforce Islamic sharia
law, totally and upon everyone by a theocratic government, and those who want
less sharia by installing military rule. The West does not understand that the
only form of government that can stand up to a totalitarian Islamic theocracy is
a military one and no other. Who could imagine that a military junta could be
considered the only savior from Islamic tyrannies that require everyone to live
totally, 100%, under the laws of sharia?
When former U.S. President Barack Obama honored the Muslim Brotherhood with his
first major speech as president, who were his guests of honor in the first rows?
Leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. The less-radical Islamist military form of
governments in the Middle East were left out and thus weakened. Then Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak, who had a murky relationship with the Muslim
Brotherhood, got the message. He did not attend. With Obama's move, the balance
of power between the two combative forces over control of government immediately
favored the Muslim Brotherhood. It officially, for the first time since its
founding in 1928, took control of the Egyptian government after the 2011 chaos
of the "Arab Spring." A year later, 22 million Egyptians had to undergo a bloody
counter-revolution to bring back the type of government Egyptians have always
favored over an Islamic theocracy.
When former U.S. President Barack Obama gave his first major Presidential speech
in Cairo, in 2009, his guests of honor in the first rows were leaders of the
Muslim Brotherhood. The less-radical Islamist military form of governments in
the Middle East were left out and thus weakened.
Now, another, dangerous, message is being sent to the ordinary citizens of the
Muslim world by the liberal West: There is nothing that moderate Muslims or
anyone else should fear from the possible infiltration of radical Islam! Look at
us, Western governments! We are bringing in refugees who cannot be vetted even
if they are ISIS infiltrators. Although the Muslim Brotherhood is illegal and
considered a terrorist organization in several Muslim countries, we in the West
do not mind them at all. In fact, we in the West are so kind-hearted and
welcoming that we are encouraging many organizations to operate legally in the
West under the banner of the Muslim Brotherhood -- even organizations that are
sympathetic to the terrorist group Hamas and that are pledging to overthrow us!
See how we are courageous, self-confident and free of "Islamophobia"!
By embracing the Muslim Brotherhood as not dangerous to free societies and by
bringing in refugees from terror-infested areas of the Middle East, we are
sending a message to moderate Muslims in the Middle East: Citizens in the West
are not even bothering to protect their free system from being conquered by
sharia-lovers, so perhaps the dreams of the Caliphate are not that bad after
all.
The West, by taking all the Syrian refugees, is not just sending the above
"unintended" message; it is also emptying Syria of any kind of resistance to the
Caliphate (ISIS). The West's compassion, by taking in the refugees escaping
ISIS, will end up leaving only the radicals to rule unopposed in Syria and Iraq.
A US foreign policy that recommends absorbing unvetted Muslim refugees has been
advocated as compassion, but in fact it is gross negligence and reckless
endangerment to U.S. citizens, Western freedoms and democracy.
There are unintended consequences to rescuing all Muslim refugees:
We are telling Muslim reformists, wrongly, especially in the Middle East, that
there is nothing to fear from ISIS infiltration.
By not declaring the Muslim Brotherhood a terror organization we are yet again
legitimizing and empowering it.
By not showing the proper angry response to Islamic terrorism, the West is not
perceived as gracious, but as weak.
By taking in Islam and its refugees without proper vetting, the West is not
doing either Islam or Muslims any favor: for the reformists, it is shutting out
any hope of reform.
Tough love is badly needed when dealing with the Muslim world. We must say: No,
we cannot accept your jihadist aspirations. We cannot accept you forcing your
way of life on the world; your way of life is unacceptable to us. Before you
send your refugees, you must end your "us against them" jihadist culture. The
civilized world no longer finds your aspirations for an Islamic Caliphate
tolerable.
If the West has the courage to do that, perhaps one day history will attribute
the reformation of Muslim world partly to strength and conviction of Western
resolve against tyranny and human suffering.
**Nonie Darwish, born and raised in Egypt, is the author of the new best-selling
book, "Wholly Different; Why I chose Biblical Values over Islamic Values".
© 2017 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.
Erdogan's War on the West
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/March 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10088/erdogan-war-west
"Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That
will be the best response to the injustices against you". — Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to the Muslims of Europe.
Turkey, instead of embracing Europe as an ally and future partner, seems to
think that it can tame Europe by blackmailing it.
The official rhetoric in Ankara unveils the irreversible incompatibility between
the democratic cultures of Europe and Turkey.
In 2005, the Turkish prime minister at the time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, along
with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, became the co-chairs
of a United Nations-sponsored global effort that went by the fancy name
"Alliance of Civilizations." Twelve years later, Zapatero is a retired
politician, the Western world faces different flavors of Islamist-to-jihadist
threats and Erdogan is at war with Western civilization.
Erdogan, who was labelled as the most virulent anti-Israeli leader in the world,
once likened Israel's operations in Gaza to Hitler's: ("Those who condemn Hitler
day and night have surpassed Hitler in barbarism.") Recently, Erdogan said that
today's German practices -- presumably Germany's blocking Turkish politicians
speaking at German rallies to support Erdogan's upcoming referendum in Turkey --
are "not different from the Nazi practices of the past." In another speech, he
complained that "Nazism is alive in the West." For Erdogan, the Dutch are
"spineless and ignoble" and "remnants of the Nazi past and fascists;" and the
Netherlands, which lost more than 200,000 of its citizens during the German
occupation in WWII, is a "banana republic."
To the European Union, which Turkey theoretically aspires to join, he said: "If
there are any Nazis, it is you who are the Nazis".
Ironically, the Turkish ire against the West, in a recent row between several
European capitals and Ankara (over Erdogan's ambitions to hold political rallies
across Europe to address millions of Turkish expats), reveals the unmistakable
and deep-rooted anti-Semitism among Erdogan's fans. Hundreds of Turkish
protesters in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam hurled stones at the police and
shouted "Allahu akbar" -- Arabic for "Allah is the greatest." Then, some in the
crowd, in a protest that was exclusively a dispute between Turkey and the
Netherlands, shouted "cancer Jews".
"We saw again that the word 'Jew' and 'homo' are curse words in these groups,"
said Esther Voet, the editor-in-chief of the Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad.
Someone tweeted an embarrassing curse at François Hollande, the French
president, mistaking his name for his nationality.
A gangster, who shot at a night club, defended himself by saying that he
actually wanted to shoot at the Dutch consulate building.
For the lighter side of the Turkish ire, in another Dutch protest, Erdogan's
fans cut, skewered and squeezed oranges -- orange is the color of the Dutch
royal family. The Turkish Association of Red Meat Producers "deported" 40 Dutch
Holstein cows back to Holland. In a similar move, a member of a district city
council in Istanbul said that he would butcher a cow that came from the
Netherlands in retaliation against the Dutch.
One could simply laugh and ignore the way the Turks express their anger at the
Dutch, who deported an uninvited Turkish minister who intended to make a speech
to the Turkish community in the Netherlands.
The official rhetoric in Ankara, however, unveils the irreversible
incompatibility between the democratic cultures of Europe and Turkey. For
Erdogan, "the spirit of fascism is running wild" in Europe. According to his
foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Europe is "heading toward an abyss". And it
is not just the rhetoric.
Hundreds of Turkish expatriates in Germany attend a political rally, addressed
by Turkey's Sports Minister Akif Cagatay Kilic, in March 2016. (Image Source:
Deutsche Welle video screenshot)
Not quite knowing where best to direct its anti-Western campaign Turkey blocked
some military training and other work with NATO-partner countries, thereby
obstructing NATO's 2017 rolling program of cooperation with non-EU countries.
"This is childishly hostile," said one NATO state diplomat in Ankara.
Meanwhile, Turkey, instead of embracing Europe as an ally and future partner,
seems to think that it can tame Europe by blackmailing it. Erdogan threatened to
terminate a controversial agreement with the EU, sealed in March 2016 to stem
the flow of tens of thousands of refugees from Turkey to Europe in return for
financial aid and visa-free travel for Turks. The EU could "forget about the
deal," Erdogan said half a year ago. Echoing Erdogan's threat, his interior
minister, Suleyman Soylu, threatened the EU that the rich club would be shocked
"if Ankara were to send 15,000 refugees to it every month. Minister Soylu said
that he would "blow the minds" of EU leaders by sparking a fresh refugee crisis.
Part of the inflammatory anti-Western Turkish rhetoric and exploits may be
aiming at luring an increasingly isolated and nationalistic voter base ahead of
a critical referendum on April 16 that aims significantly to broaden Erdogan's
presidential powers. But it is also about the fact that Erdogan views and
portrays himself as the global champion of an opaque "Muslim cause," under
Turkish [read: Erdogan's] caliphate-like leadership against the "hostile" West.
As Islamists know that they cannot defeat the West by using hard power, it is
about "soft jihad".
It was not without a reason that Turkey's Foreign Minister Cavusoglu did not
talk about a "dispute," or a "diplomatic crisis," or "negotiations for a
solution." He did talk about "religious wars."
"Soon religious wars will break out in Europe," he said. "That's the way it's
going". But how do Turkish (and other) Islamists think they can win future
religious wars? How do they think their primary warfare instrument, soft power,
would work for an ultimate Islamic victory over an "infidel" civilization?
Erdogan has the answer: He urged Muslims across Europe to have big families to
"fight the injustices of the West." And not just that:
"Go live in better neighbourhoods. Drive the best cars. Live in the best houses.
Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That
will be the best response to the injustices against you".
Islamists like Erdogan do not dream of "conquering" infidel lands with fighter
jets and tanks and bombs. In this "war of religion" their primary weaponry is
demographic change in favor of Muslims.
It is time to recall the poem Erdogan recited at a public rally back in 1999:
"The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets
and the faithful our soldiers".
***Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was just fired from
Turkey's leading newspaper after 29 years, for writing what was taking place in
Turkey for Gatestone. He is a Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
© 2017 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.
Japan: Open Letter to the U.S.
Amir George/Gatestone Institute/March 22/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10093/japan-open-letter
In return for abolishing the Japanese military, the United States guaranteed
peace and stability in Japan, Korea and, to a lesser degree, in various areas of
the Pacific, in place of a not-yet-functioning United Nations.
A new U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, perhaps unintentionally suggested
upsetting this arrangement, which has worked so well for so many years.
According to reports, Tillerson "refused to rule out increased weaponization and
even nuclearization of America's East Asian allies to deter North Korean
aggression."
Seventy years ago, a defeated and devastated Japan, fed and clothed by America,
organized itself to put together a new constitution that enshrined the famous
"Article 9":
"Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the
Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the
threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
"In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air
forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of
belligerency of the state will not be recognized."
Little known, but outlined in a recently published book in Japanese, The Special
Country, the Japanese constitution was written by a secret group of legal
scholars and lawyers, hidden during the war, and then adopted by the
administration of General Douglas McArthur as the new Japanese constitution.
Article 9 came about when the Japanese Prime Minister, Kijuro Shidehara,
arriving back by train through the utterly destroyed city of Tokyo, went
straight from the station to meet with General McArthur and requested that an
article be put in the Japanese Constitution forbidding not only a military but
war itself.
U.S. General Douglas McArthur signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on
board USS Missouri, on September 2, 1945.
Contrary to views that the concept of not having a standing army is foolish, the
Japanese constitution rested its future on a functioning United Nations to
fulfill its responsibility for collective defense; in other words, the UN would
provide the "force" needed to begin a new system in which nations meeting and
working together would be able to head off conflicts such as those that had led
to two world wars.
Japan, a warmonger of a nation that had trampled across much of Asia and the
Pacific rim, leaving up to 20 million dead, including an estimated two million
of its own, was transformed by an eight-year program.
The Japanese people fell in love with peace.
From cigarettes named "Peace" and "Hope" to a complete cultural change, Japan
rebuilt itself, and set an example to a war-weary world that, in fact, national
prosperity could be accomplished without violence.
In return, the United States guaranteed peace and stability in Japan, Korea and
to a lesser degree in various areas of the Pacific, in place of a
not-yet-functioning United Nations.
In each country, the host-nation pays the costs of the US military, and it is
less expensive for American taxpayers to have troops stationed overseas than in
the US. The rewards in trade have far outweighed the costs.
A new U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, perhaps unintentionally suggested
upsetting this arrangement, which has worked so well for so many years.
According to reports, Tillerson "refused to rule out increased weaponization and
even nuclearization of America's East Asian allies to deter North Korean
aggression."
The absolute worst possible thing to happen in a finally peaceful Asia would be
a nuclear arms race to rekindle the flames of the past.
Nearly a half million brave Americans and many Japanese gave their lives in
World War II: the world has had 70 years of peace and prosperity. It is to their
memory and the many who suffered so terribly that the world owes a debt of
gratitude.
On the 70th anniversary of the most precious gift America could give to Japan,
which she fed, clothed and rebuilt, is the time to reaffirm the role of America
as the guardian, the "United Nations", whose role is to keep alive freedom in
the world.
**Amir George, based in Japan, is author of the book, "Liberating Iraq."
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
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or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Fighting fundamentalism in a post-ISIS scenario
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/March 22/17
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militant group is equally dangerous as
al-Qaeda. However, concerning its global reputation, there are four factors that
have contributed to ISIS gaining popularity across the world through different
media outlets. Firstly, ISIS enjoys the support of Iran, as well as Bashar
al-Assad’s regime to expand. Second, there is the extent of its horrific acts.
Third, there is its advanced use of media outlets, developed production
techniques and social media. And the last and most important factor is the
failure of the former American administration to do anything useful to confront
and get rid of the organization. There are still some dark aspects regarding
ISIS, as little is known about the militant group’s relations with other
countries. However all this will become clear in the near future, especially
given the current American administration’s strong inclination to put an end to
Iran’s acts of tampering with the region via its militias and the Sunni
terrorist groups it sponsors. New international balances will contribute to
besieging Iran and forcing it to retreat and to keep away from all these
uncalculated adventures which aim to impose control and from ambitions to impose
its failed domination
A group of Sunni fundamentalists that will include representatives from the
Muslim Brotherhood and other Islam and terrorist organizations will cooperate
with Shiite fundamentalists from Iran and its militias in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen
and Syria. Together they will launch a campaign to attack Gulf countries.
Particularly criticizing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have
recently strengthened their alliance with America during Donald Trump’s
presidential term. These fundamentalist groups, which have been allied for a
long time now, will coordinate their efforts and enjoy unlimited support from
the Iranian regime. Therefore, regional countries who support Sunni
fundamentalism must figure out where they stand in all of this and make up their
mind whether they give their support to states or to groups. They must look
after their interests with Gulf countries instead of identifying with the
Brotherhood’s fundamental anti-Gulf project. Suspicious organizations, which
resemble Afghan Arab groups, have been present in Pakistan and have existed for
years now, but their time to take up arms has not come yet. However, this does
not mean that they are not freely preparing for that as they continue with their
gatherings and planning for an upraise. During the Afghan war, this was known as
“preparation” for “enablement” which is seizing control and reviving the dream
of the so-called caliphate.
Gradual weakening
This dream is what brings political Islam movements and violent religious groups
together. The Muslim Brotherhood is heading towards gradual weakening but this
does not necessarily mean its end as this requires mature and comprehensive
international efforts that address the sources of extremism and do not only
address the terrorist act. Meanwhile, the presence of other political Islam
groups such as Sururism and Qutbism is on the rise. These groups reflect an
integration between Salafism and the Brotherhood in some Arab, Islamic and even
western countries.
After ISIS’ gradual weakening, other organizations with different names will
emerge to play the same hideous terrorist role. This is what will happen unless
the causes of religious extremism are uprooted. The major priority will be
resolving the issue of armed sectarian groups. This sectarianism is sponsored by
Iran that uses an inflammatory rhetoric to export it to Arab countries in the
forms of militias. This is the case in Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and Sanaa,
which Iran claims to fully control, even if it does so via operating espionage
cells, spreading sectarianism and funding terrorism.
New international balances will contribute to besieging Iran and forcing it to
retreat and to keep away from all these uncalculated adventures which aim to
impose control and from ambitions to impose its failed domination. As a result,
Iran’s militias, parties and organizations will wear out due to their treason
and collaboration. Rearranging the region will facilitate the task of the Arab
coalition which is led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to support legitimacy in
Yemen and liberate it from Iran’s claws so it can return to its Arab roots. The
Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism will then be capable of playing
efficient and influential roles in the entire Islamic world.
*This article is also available in Arabic.
Of flights, electronic bans and social media addicts
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/March 22/17
American authorities have recently imposed restrictions on carrying electronic
devices on certain flights bound for the US. Passengers are thus not allowed to
carry i-Pads, tablets or laptops in the cabin and must put them in checked
baggage. This piece of news may come as a shock to some social media and
technology “addicts”. According to reports, the decision is imposed on 10
airports, which are mostly in the Middle East and North Africa and it comes “in
response to unspecified terrorism threats.”The Department of Homeland Security
will examine passengers’ electronic devices that are larger than cellular
phones, such as laptops, tablets, DVD players and cameras. The airports on which
these are restrictions are imposed are in Amman, Cairo, Kuwait, Doha, Dubai,
Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Casablanca, Riyadh and Jeddah. Civil aviation authorities
and airline passenger firms announced the decision following which people
started sharing this news via Whatsapp and Twitter. Reuters quoted American
officials as saying that the ban “had been under consideration since the US
government learned of a threat several weeks ago.”What if banning of tablets and
other electronic devices become common across all global airlines? What if these
measures are no longer limited to airports but also extend to trains and buses?
Precautionary measures
These are precautionary security measures, which we cannot argue about even if
some people think they reflect paranoia or deprive people of working on their
smart electronic devices. Security is above everything else but I will not
discuss the circumstances that have called for such strict measure. What caught
my attention is something else. What if banning of tablets and other electronic
devices become common across all global airlines? What if these measures are no
longer limited to airports but also extend to trains and buses? Who will be
harmed in this case? Social media companies and companies that manufacture these
electronic devices will certainly be the first to bear the brunt. These
companies make billions of dollars and their revenue model is based on expanding
the number of users and connecting them 24/7 no matter where they are, in land,
sea or in the air. This simply does not go well with recent American security
measures. These companies have great influence and power over global
decision-makers. Here is a question: What will travelers do if they don’t get to
work on their smart electronic devices and on social media apps to spend their
time on the flight? They will probably sleep, eat, communicate with real human
beings or read.
**The article was first published in Asharq Al-Awsat.
A great Emirati woman
Turki Aldakhil/Al Arabiya/March 22/17
“My feeling was indescribable when I was informed of my husband’s martyrdom.
When he left the last time, he told me to look after myself and after our son
and he told me he will be martyred. He felt it will happen and he hoped for it.
(My husband), the martyr was ethical and kind. He had memorized the Quran. I
hope our son will be like his father in the future, a hero who defends his
generous country.”These are the words of the wife of Zakaria al-Zaabi, the
United Arab Emirates’ martyr, who was killed few days ago in the line of duty.
Her words are full of honesty. She is a wife who just lost her beloved and
partner but she spoke of him as a hero who fought in battlefields.He is a proud
national icon. He has taught a lesson to this generation – a lesson that there
are heroes defending the stability, which their country enjoys. These are the
heroes who sacrifice themselves so you can enjoy stability at home and among
your family and so you can sleep safe and sound, fearful of no one else but God.
The coalition’s heroes have fought major battles and achieved great victories.
These wars, irrespective of their results, have awakened a general sense of
patriotism
War for peace
Wars are fought to create and establish different realities on the ground. No
one in the world loves or prefers wars. However, wars are eventually the “last
medicine” we would have to resort to. The war is the basis of peace. No peace in
the world has been achieved without war. The two World Wars led to the creation
of the League of Nations, the United Nations and the UN Security Council and
established for a new world order. The French have a famous proverb that says
“war is war,” meaning war definitely includes pain and we lose heroic soldiers
during it but war is part of history. It is through war that some models come to
an end and new ones replace them.The coalition’s heroes have fought major
battles and achieved great victories. These wars, irrespective of their results,
have awakened a general sense of patriotism and ended imaginary boundaries among
the sons of the one country. There were no more differences based on class or
regions among one citizen and another.
This is thanks to the concept of “martyrdom” which makes us feel ashamed at a
time when these heroes bravely fight on battlefronts. These heroes worry while
we rest reassured, they die so we live and suffer so we can be comfortable. This
is the concept of “martyrdom” which has truly awakened the sense of citizenship
and the feeling of belonging and pride in the nation. This is why the Martyr’s
Day signifies power, loyalty and harmony.
Sacrifice and valor
On his soldiers’ sacrifices and valor Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy
Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, said: “The
sacrifices of Emirati soldiers and martyrs will remain engraved in our memories
as slogans of pride and resistance. They are honorable models in generosity and
a beacon that lights the path of the future which carries prosperity to our
country. Their sacrifices will continue to teach deep morals that inspire the
upcoming generations and teach them the meaning of sacrifice, loyalty and
belonging to their homeland and the importance of protecting their country’s
security and stability and people’s dignity.”UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed Al Nahyan had ordered observing Martyr’s Day on November 30 of every year.
This day marks the date when the first Emirati soldier, Salem Suhail bin Khamis,
was martyred on November 30, 1971 during the battle of the Greater Tunb.On that
day, the horrific sound of Iranian military jets could be heard amid the night’s
complete darkness in the island of Tunb. The horrific sound increased after
Iranian warships equipped with the most modern arms arrived on the shores.
Khamis stood by the flagpole and refused to lower the flag. They opened fire at
him killing him while the five others who were with him surrendered. This is how
the story was narrated in this daily.
The eulogy by Zaabi’s wife is an eloquent reflection of the extent of patriotism
and sense of responsibility in Gulf societies, which are together in this fight
against terrorism and violence. Her eulogy deeply expresses love for one’s
homeland, even if a dear person sacrifices himself for its sake.
There are examples of this kind from other countries, particularly Europe. There
are examples of wars uniting societies and contributing to harmony and
cooperation to look after the country’s needs and interests. This is the effect
of the concept of “martyrdom.”
**This article was first published in Al-Bayan on March 22, 2016.
Trump’s phone calls, state visits and back channel diplomacy
Dr. Mohamed A. Ramady/Al Arabiya/March 22/17
President Trump’s style of communicating policy and interacting with world
leaders has left many scratching their heads and having to quickly adjust in how
to reach out to the new and unconventional President. These seem to involve
various degrees of perceived importance.
The most important, it seems, are the early personal visits by invited foreign
heads of state to the White House to assess where a country’s relationship is
heading, renewing “special undying bonds” and alliances such as the UK’s Premier
May. It could also end up being a diplomatic nightmare given the last minute
unscripted style of the new US president, as Netanyahu found out during his
joint press conference when he least expected to be told to “hold off for a
little bit more” on the settlement drive in occupied Palestine.
However, if managed properly, such visits can also go very well as evidenced by
the visit of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House.
The pitfall of this mode of diplomacy is the issue of “the handshake” between
the leaders: will it be long and vigorous (Japan’s Abe), deftly managed and
equal (Canada’s Trudeau) or none at all (Germany’s Merkel)?
The second mode is the Trump telephone call to heads of state, with importance
attached on which head of state he is dialling first in the queue. But again one
is not sure if the dialled party has got what was hoped for from the call, given
that a “great call” might soon be followed by off the cuff remarks that set
relations back to nil, with Mexico and “the wall” being a good example. The
third is the use of his immediate and extended family, particularly his daughter
Ivanka, his sons Eric and Don Jr, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to carry out
back channel diplomacy, something that has raised diplomatic eyebrows and
frantic catch up by the traditional diplomatic careerist in Foggy Bottom, as the
State Department is fondly called. This particular mode of passing backhand
messages seems to fit in well with a president who espouses the power of deal
making and business relations in solving corporate and inter-state problems, and
seems to be the favored mode for countries that are transactional oriented and
want to get close to Trump like China, Russia and the Middle East.
Given the rich and varied menu in approaching President Trump, why should anyone
be upset? It depends on the style and confidence level of foreign leaders. While
some will fawn over the US President, others welcome a person-to-person visit to
give them a chance to put, rather more forcefully, their opposing viewpoints,
but it takes a few brave souls to do this and Germany’s Angela Merkel is one.
The mode of passing backhand messages seems to fit in well with a president who
espouses the power of deal making and business relations in solving corporate
and inter-state problems
Merkel’s argument
In her recent visit to the White House, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel
warned US President Donald Trump that a proposed tax overhaul could spark
retaliatory measures, including higher tariffs for American companies, and that
the German government is reviewing its responses to a border-adjustment tax,
which would only tax US corporations’ imports and not their exports. Merkel
argues that this violates World Trade Organization rules, unless President Trump
does not care about this institution too, and adds it to those such as the
Climate Change pacts. Again, unlike Teresa May and Benjamin Netanyahu who
desperately sought US goodwill for their particular circumstances back home, a
few countries have some leverage in their discussions. Merkel riposte could
include incrementally higher duties on imports from America and allowing German
companies to make their US import tax deductible, thus compensating their
competitive disadvantage, according to the report. Germany could also consider
lowering corporate taxes and social contributions, making itself more attractive
to international companies.
For Merkel, defending Germany’s export-based economic model is key as she seeks
to boost her party’s poll numbers and win a fourth term in September, and
playing tough with Trump might go down well and set her apart from others as a
strong leader. The result, however, was the rather awkward and stiff poses of
the two leaders following their meetings, with their body language saying it
all.
The back door channel of reaching out is probably easier to explore, given that
the second approach – the telephone call – reveals little public information on
what was actually discussed, and often ends up having two different versions on
what took place, with some items “sexed up” and others omitted or downplayed for
the benefit of the respective domestic constituencies. However, sometimes a
modest call is better than none and could end up being a “very good call”.
Call to China
Chinese officials were pleasantly surprised by President Donald Trump’s decision
to reach out to President Xi Jinping with a personal call on February 9, a mere
two weeks after failing to reach an agreement in a previously undisclosed back
channel call on January 26 just before the start to the Chinese New Year.
In this first call, the two leaders mainly covered trade and economic
cooperation, though they did briefly touch on sensitive geopolitics issues,
including Taiwan, South and East China Sea tensions, and Sino-US security and
military cooperation and exchanges. The two leaders also touched briefly on
Iran, North Korea, and Syria, and stressed the need to work together on
terrorism, but did not touch on any thorny human rights issues. However, China
won an important battle on 9 February with this telephone diplomacy as President
Trump appeared to drop his threat to abandon Washington’s One China policy,
which would have meant recognition of Taiwan, a red line for Beijing. Awareness
that personal relationships hold more gravity than policy positions has only
made it more critical to get access, especially back channel. The priority for
every ambassador in Washington and every visiting minister seems to be seeking
an audience with either son-in-law Kushner, preferably daughter Ivanka, or Steve
Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist.
Some governments have sought to curry favor by doing business with the Trump
organization. Following the disastrous president-to-president Mexico telephone
call, the message has not been lost on the Mexicans to try the backhand channel.
The Mexican minister, Luis Videgarary, went straight to the unofficial and
unelected center of power bypassing Foggy Bottom and the new Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson, and reached out to the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Videgaray, and Kushner knew each other in the business world, a hallmark of the
Trump era, in which business networks have vied with national interests and the
personal has become geopolitical.
Rest of the world
The rest of the world has been quick to learn. Not to be outdone, the Chinese
embassy has played host to Kushner, Ivanka Trump and their children, celebrating
the Chinese New Year, at a time when the Kushner family business was pursuing
property dealings with a major Chinese corporation.
What followed was maybe coincidental, but China granted 38 new intellectual
property name trademarks to the Trump organization paving the way in theory for
the family business to enter – or stop others from entering – a wide array of
businesses, from insurance to hotels, bodyguards, and personal services.
Intellectual property experts were struck by how smoothly the whole process went
through the Chinese bureaucracy, and pointed to likely intervention from on high
in the Communist party hierarchy. In a sign of the times, a company owned by the
family of Jared Kushner, stands to receive more than $400 million from a
prominent Chinese company Anbang that is investing in the Kushners’ $4 billion
Manhattan office tower at 666 Fifth Ave.
Kushner has become something of a de facto envoy for the administration on
China, and was present for a meeting between Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat,
and his father-in-law at the end of February. There are discussions under way
between China and the US on a potential summit between Trump and Chinese
President Xi Jinping to take place as early as next month. In the Middle East,
the Trump family has been busy when on 17 February President Trump’s sons, Eric
and Don Jr, were the guests of honour to the launch of the Trump International
Golf Club in Dubai. It was the first opening of a Trump-branded property in the
Gulf since the president’s inauguration, illuminating how much his business
interests are thriving.
However, some have pointed out that there could be potential conflicts of
interests that could open the US President up to foreign influence, since while
he has given control of his global empire to his children, Trump has not
divested his ownership, which means he will benefit from any commercial success
of the golf resort. The Dubai development was built by DAMAC Properties, which
signed a multimillion-dollar branding and management contract with Trump’s
company to operate the golf resort. For Russia, the personal approach seems to
have backfired badly, at least for the time being, as every contact with the
Trump camp and any evidence of financial entanglement has become a threat to the
president’s legitimacy and his support among congressional Republicans.
Trump himself has been forced to backpedal from earlier suggestions he would
lift sanctions, go soft on Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine and find
common cause with Russia in Syria.
So which communication option will foreign heads of state opt for, given the
short and long-term positive and negative impact of each? The response to date
however, given the institutional and policy turmoil in Washington, has been one
of confusion but expect the same for the next four years.