LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 27/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
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http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.june27.18.htm
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Bible
Quotations
Speaking the truth in
love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together
Letter to the Ephesians 04/10-16.: "He who descended is the same one who
ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The
gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of
ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to
the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children,
tossed to and from and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s
trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth
in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with
which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s
growth in building itself up in love."
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Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
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No One can Help a
Person Who Does Not Want To Help Himself
Elias Bejjani/June 25/18
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/65564/elias-bejjani-no-one-can-help-a-person-who-does-not-want-to-help-himself/
At times we might find ourselves crippled, frustrated and
helpless while witnessing serious but trivial problems taking place between
people whom we love and care much about them. We know we can give them a
hand and help in solving their problems or at least preventing their
altercations from becoming more deep and more complicated, But sadly they
(those who are having the problem) block all our efforts and abort them
stupidly while making their difficulties worse and worse. By the end no one
can help any person no matter what if this person does not wish to help
himself. In summary, life in general is a set of choices and when we take
any choice no matter big or small we have to carry the consequences. All
what we can do in such a situation is to pray for those who are not helping
themselves and at the same time not allowing any body else to help them
Suspected Israeli Missiles Target Position near
Damascus Airport
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 26 June, 2018/Two Israeli militias targeted on
early Tuesday a position near Damascus international airport, said the
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The strike “targeted weapons depots and
warehouses belonging to non-Syrian militias loyal to the (Syrian) regime,”
the Britian-based monitor said, adding it had no information about
casualties or damage. Observatory director, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP that
"the Israeli missiles hit arms depots for ‘Hezbollah’ near the airport".
Syrian air defense systems failed to intercept the missiles, it added. The
war monitor said an explosion heard at 1 a.m. near the airport was caused by
missiles fired by Israeli planes from the direction of the Golan Heights.
Syrian state news agency SANA confirmed the strike without giving more
details, Israel, concerned that Iran’s growing presence in Syria is a threat
to its safety, has struck dozens of Iranian and Iran-backed positions in
Syria over the course of the seven-year conflict. Asked about the report, an
Israeli military spokesman said: “We do not comment on foreign reports.”
Hariri to visit Aoun in 'next two days'
Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrives for a Cabinet session in Baabda, Monday,
May 21, 2018. The Daily Star/June 26/18/BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate
Saad Hariri told local media Tuesday that he will visit the president in the
next couple of days to discuss the formation of a new government.Hariri was
quoted as saying by news outlet LBCI that progress will not be impeded by
the absence of Speaker Nabi Berri, who is away with his family on vacation.
"Berri traveling doesn’t mean communications to form a government are
suspended, because I am staying in constant contact with him and I will
visit the president in the next two days," Hariri said. The prime
minister-designate also responded to reported demands from his longtime
rival in the Sunni community, MP Abdel Rahim Murad. The MP has reportedly
said that 40 percent of Sunnis in the country would be ignored if Hariri
does not appoint a Sunni minister from the opposition to Cabinet. “I am the
prime minister-designate and I form the government,” Hariri told LBCI.
Lebanon’s President: Israel Refuses to Agree on
Maritime Borders
Reuters/June 26/18/Dispute is over 860-square-kilometer triangle with
potential gas, oil reserves
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Tuesday that Israel was refusing to
agree a final maritime border between the two countries, a month after
Lebanon began exploring for its first offshore oil and gas reserves. Lebanon
has an unresolved maritime border with Israel that involves a triangular
area of sea of around 860 square kilometers extending along the edge of
three of its 10 offshore energy blocks.In February, Lebanon signed its first
exploration and production agreements for offshore Blocks 4 and 9 with a
consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek. Block 9
contains an area of water claimed by both Israel and Lebanon, but the
consortium has said it has no plans to drill in the disputed part. “Israel
still refuses the demarcation of the maritime borders near the Exclusive
Economic Zone where exploration for oil and gas has begun,” Aoun said on
Twitter. He did not specify the nature of what he called Israel’s refusal.
Lebanon, which began its first offshore exploration in May, is on the Levant
Basin in the eastern Mediterranean, where a number of big undersea gas
fields have been discovered since 2009 in Cypriot, Israeli and Egyptian
waters. U.S. officials have been mediating between Lebanon and Israel about
the maritime border dispute. Keep updated: Sign up to our newsletter.
Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said earlier this month that new
ideas proposed in the U.S. back-channel mediation raise the prospect of a
partial deal this year.
Syrian Media: Two
Israeli Missiles Strike Near Damascus Airport
Jerusalem Post/Reuters/June 26/18/Syrian state TV said late Monday night
that two Israeli missiles struck near Damascus international airport,
without giving further details. The pro-Syrian regime online newspaper Al-Masdar
News (AMN) cited reports stating that missiles targeted an Iranian cargo
plane being unloaded at the airport. According to the reports, regime
forces' air defense systems subsequently intercepted an Israeli drone in
south-western Syrian airspace. The head of the British-based monitoring
group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdulrahman, told AFP that
"Israeli missiles hit arms depots for Hezbollah near the airport," adding
that Syrian air defense systems failed to prevent the alleged Israeli
strikes. Israel has regularly refused to confirm or deny mounting overnight
raids in Syria, but has repeatedly stated that it is unwilling to accept
Iranian military presence in Syria. In May, however, Israel said it struck
50 Iranian targets in Syria after 20 rockets were fired towards Israel’s
front defensive line in the Golan Heights by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corp’s Quds Force. The targets all belonged to the Quds Force and included
intelligence sites, logistics headquarters, a military compound and
logistics complex in Kiswah near Damascus; weapons-storage sites at Damascus
International Airport; and intelligence systems and installations, as well
as observation, military posts and military hardware in the buffer zone.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least
11 Iranians were among the 46 killed in Israel’s strikes. In April, Syria,
Iran and Russia all said Israel was responsible for carrying out an attack
at the T-4 air base near Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
reported that at least 14 people were killed in the strike, with Iran's
semi-official Fars news agency saying that four Iranian soldiers were among
the casualties. The Israeli military last February accused Iranian-backed
militias of operating at the base, from where it said an Iranian drone that
was shot down over northern Israel had been launched.
President Aoun marks
World Drug Day
The Daily Star/June. 26/2018/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun called on the
Lebanese public to turn away from drugs and help those who are struggling
with drug addiction, as he marked International Day against Drug Abuse and
Illicit Trafficking on Tuesday. "There is no salvation [in drugs], but hell
for the individual, their family, surroundings and homeland," Aoun wrote in
a tweet posted to his personal account, using the hashtags #WorldDrugDay and
#ListenFirst. "Let us transform ... and become a society that fights drugs
instead of its victims. The fight is everyone's responsibility, and the duty
of every citizen and security official." The United Nations international
day, also known as World Drug Day, has been observed on June 26 annually
since 1989. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime also launched the Listen
First initiative, under the slogan, “Listening to children and youth is the
first step to help them grow healthy and safe," in its fight to prevent drug
use and support youth well being.
Lebanon’s New Cabinet Falls Victim to LF-FPM Tension
Beirut - Paula Astih/Ashgarq Al Awsat/June 26/18/Cabinet formation efforts
stumbled on Monday after President Michel Aoun rejected a draft lineup
presented by PM-designate Saad Hariri last week, considering that the
proposal would offer the Lebanese Forces a share from his ministers and that
of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). FPM parliamentary sources warmed from
any “attempt to hold President Aoun responsible for the delay in cabinet
formation.” The sources said some parties are trying to benefit from the
FPM’s efforts to speed up the cabinet formation which is required in light
of the dire economic situation in the country. “We will not abandon our
rights and we will not surrender to some parties that are trying to enforce
new regulations in the government formation process,” the sources told
Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday. Leading sources from the Mustaqbal Movement said
the version presented by Hariri to Aoun last Friday was not a final
proposal, rather a draft aimed at testing the reaction of all parties.
“Cabinet formation is still paralyzed by the struggle between the two
Christian parties- the LF and the FPM - from one side, and Aoun on the other
side, the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. They added that Hariri is responding
to the LF demands in his attempts to form an efficient and balanced
government, which guarantees a successful presidential term. The cabinet
seat allocated to the deputy Prime Minister constitutes another obstacle to
the birth of the new government. Also, Hezbollah insists that the 10 Sunni
MPs who are close to the party get a ministerial seat in the new government.
Sources from the “Shi’ite duo” (Hezbollah and Amal Movement) told Asharq Al-Awsat
that no government could be formed if one side is isolated, particularly
that the last parliamentary elections proved that the Sunni representation
is not restricted to Hariri.
Report: U.S. Prepares
‘Unprecedented’ Sanctions on Iran, Hizbullah
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/A new batch of “unprecedented” U.S.
sanctions on Iran and Hizbullah is underway as part of efforts to take a
tough line against Tehran and the Iran-backed party, media reports said on
Tuesday. “Western diplomats revealed to Lebanese officials that the
sanctions have gone a long way in Congress and will hit Iran and Hizbullah
mainly,” al-Joumhouria daily reported. Describing the sanctions as
“unprecedented,” they noted that “ it will be issued in parallel with a
batch of harsh sanctions against Iran,” said the daily. In May, US Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo warned Tehran would be hit with the "strongest
sanctions in history" and cautioned European firms against continuing to do
business with it, toughening up Washington's policy line after its
withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Instead of suggesting a
re-negotiation of the Iran deal, Pompeo outlined 12 tough conditions from
Washington for any "new deal" with Tehran to make sure it "will never again
have carte blanche to dominate the Middle East." These essentially address
every aspect of Iran's missile program and what the US calls its "malign
influence" across the region, including support for Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, Hizbullah and Huthi rebels in Yemen.
Hariri, Al-Sayyed, clash over Cabinet formation delay
Al-Sayyed, a close ally of Hezbollah, accused the PM-designate of delaying
the Cabinet formation under pressure from Saudi Arabia.
Annahar Staff/June 26/18/BEIRUT: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri lashed
out at the former head of Lebanon's General Security agency, MP Jamil Al-Sayyed,
after the latter called for the nomination of a new Prime Minister.
Al-Sayyed, a close ally of Hezbollah, who was detained in 2005 for his
alleged role in the assassination of Hariri's late father former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri, accused the PM-designate of delaying the Cabinet
formation under pressure from Saudi Arabia.
"(Lebanese Forces Samir) Geagea previously failed in detaining Hariri in
Saudi Arabia to force his Cabinet's collapse, today Geagea and (Progressive
Socialist Party leader Walid) Jumblatt, with the support of Saudi Arabia has
succeeded in detaining Hariri in Lebanon to obstruct the formation of the
Cabinet," Al-Sayyed tweeted in reference to Hariri's abrupt resignation from
Saudi Arabia last November, reportedly orchestrated by the Gulf Kingdom.
Hariri was also alleged to have been detained during his ordeal in the
Kingdom. Both Geagea and Joumblatt have recently visited Saudi Arabia, and
met with high ranking officials. Negotiations over the makeup of the new
Cabinet are ongoing, with the Lebanese Forces and Progressive Socialist
Party demanding a sizeable chunk of ministerial posts, a claim continuously
rebuked by Aoun and his son-in-law and current Free Patriotic Movement
leader Gebran Bassil. Hariri, who was designated PM after the recent
parliamentary election, had rescinded his resignation upon his return to
Beirut a few weeks later after the intervention of French President Emmanuel
Macron. "Till when will the second detention last," All Sayyed asked, adding
that "we represent the majority, maybe a petition from 65 MPs to the
President could end Hariri's designation, in light of the alternatives
(candidates)." Al-Sayyed's remarks prompted Hariri to hit back, telling Al-Sayyed
that his statement has no impact whatsoever. Hariri was designated by a
sweeping majority of lawmakers including allies of Hezbollah, whose
parliamentary bloc abstained from nominating a candidate.
Presidency Says Aoun 'Has Right to Pick Deputy PM,
Several Ministers'
Naharnet/June 26/18/President Michel Aoun has “the right to pick the deputy
prime minister and several ministers” in the new government, the
Presidency's press office stressed on Tuesday. “Although he is not
interfering in the formation mechanism, the president does not intend to
ignore the powers vested in him by the Constitution and the norms that have
been in force since the adoption of the Taef Accord, especially in terms of
the president's right to pick the deputy premier and several ministers
through whom he can follow up on the Cabinet's work and performance,” the
Presidency's press office said in a statement. “Those seeking privately and
publicly to usurp the president's enshrined right must review their
calculations, correct their bets and refresh their memories,” the office
added. It noted that the latest parliamentary elections had “defined the
political weights of the political forces.” “These forces must respect these
weights in order to facilitate the government formation process,” the
Presidency urged. It added: “Those claiming to be keen on the Taef Accord
and warning against 'the threat of toppling it' are asked to stop spreading
falsehoods.”And stressing that President Aoun “has always reiterated his
commitment to the Taef Accord,” the Presidency urged other parties to
“respect this Accord and all its stipulations instead of being selective in
approaching it according to their personal calculations, partisan interests
and ambiguous bets.”
Mustaqbal Says Aoun Has 'Key Role' to Play in
Expediting Govt. Formation
Naharnet/June 26/18/President Michel Aoun has a “key role” to play in
expediting the stalled government formation process, al-Mustaqbal
parliamentary bloc said on Tuesday. “The bloc is looking forward to
President Michel Aoun's key role in overcoming the state of anticipation and
waiting, in order to devise the final format of the government's line-up, in
coordination with the premier-designate,” the bloc said in a statement
issued after its weekly meeting. The meeting was presided over by
PM-designate Saad Hariri. Mustaqbal also called on all forces to facilitate
the efforts of Aoun and Hariri and denied the presence of any “foreign
pressures or preconditions” that are delaying the formation process. Hariri
was tasked with forming a new government on May 24.
Gen. Aoun Laments that Some are 'Questioning Army's
Role'
Naharnet/June 26/18/Army Commander General Joseph Aoun has lamented that
some Lebanese parties are “questioning” the army's role and performance.
“The army will continue to perform its missions in protecting the border and
internal stability although some are unfortunately questioning its role and
performance,” Aoun said. “We are carrying on with our mission, armed with
our faith in our cause and our people's admiration of us, which are the most
important weapons,” the army commander added, at a reception in the United
States organized by Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Gabriel Issa.
Army Launches Security Plan in Baalbek, North Bekaa
Naharnet/June 26/18/The Lebanese army kicked off a long-awaited security
plan in Baalbek and North Bekaa region as it tightened security measures in
a bid to control rampant chaos escalating since May, the National News
Agency reported on Tuesday. Military and security reinforcements were called
in to Sheikh Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, said NNA. The army conducted
patrolling missions along the main highway in Baalbek-Hermel district and
North Bekaa and inside several towns, coupling them with strict security
measures at checkpoints erected around the area, added NNA. Security
conditions occasionally deteriorate in Baalbek-Hermel where reports of
crime, theft and gunfire are not uncommon. Residents of the area have long
demanded a solution for the rampant chaos in their city. Conditions
deteriorated further in May and reports of shootouts, and revenge operations
--a phenomenon that tribes cling to as one of the old customs-- were
reported.
Report: Attempts to Convince PSP, LF Waiver Govt. Demands
Naharnet/June 26/18/Efforts are reportedly being exerted in order to
persuade the Lebanese Forces and Progressive Socialist Party “to give up
part of their demands in the new government,” in order to facilitate the
formation process, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.
Sources close to the Presidential Palace said negotiations are focusing on
“prompting the Lebanese Forces to agree on allocating only four portfolios
instead of five, and to give up a demand for the deputy premiership
post.”The sources said shall the LF insist on five portfolios it would make
its Strong Republic bloc get at least 9 or 10 seats. The LF insists on
“proper representation in the new Cabinet in light of the parliamentary
elections outcome,” which produced dramatic success for the party almost
doubling its national seats. Meanwhile, talks are aiming to solve the
controversy over the Druze share in the government in light of PSP chief
Walid Jumblat’s insistence to get the whole three seats for his party. They
are trying to persuade the former MP to waive the nomination of the third
Druze minister, adding that “an understanding would be reached on the
identity afterwards shall he agrees.” The new government to be formed by
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri faces three obstacles. The first is the
representation of the Sunni opposition within the government, second is the
LF share which demands five ministries in addition to the deputy prime
minister, and the third is Jumblat’s adherence to three Druze ministerial
portfolios amid Druze MP Talal Arslan’s demands to get a seat.
Bassil Says Maarab
Agreement No Longer Exists
Naharnet/June 26/18/Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on
Tuesday said that the FPM's landmark agreement with the Lebanese Forces “no
longer exists.”The distribution of shares in the new government “should be
proportional in order to form a national unity cabinet and if a party wants
to voluntarily give up seats they are free to do so,” said Bassil after the
weekly meeting of the Strong Lebanon bloc. “But if there is a party that
does not want to give up seats because a political agreement no longer
exists, no one can force it to do so,” Bassil added, in an apparent
reference to the deputy PM post that was given to the LF in the previous
government. The FPM and President Michel Aoun argue that there is a norm
that allocates the deputy premier post to the president in any government.
“Our bloc won 55% of the popular vote as the LF got 31%, Kataeb 7% and
Marada 6%. People's will must be respected,” Bassil added.
Geagea Expects Govt. to be Formed within 'a Few Weeks'
Naharnet/June 26/18/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Tuesday said he
expects the new government to be formed within “a few weeks.”“In a
pluralistic country that resembles a mosaic, the formation of governments
takes some time,” Geagea noted in an interview with al-Arabiya al-Hadath TV.
“According to my estimation, the formation of the government will not be
delayed for more than a few weeks,” Geagea added. He also pointed out that
all obstacles can be resolved. “We're not dealing with an impossible to
resolve problem but the obstacles are also not very easy to resolve,” Geagea
noted. The political parties are still wrangling over the shares that will
be allocated to every party, especially the Christian shares. There are also
other obstacles related to Druze and Sunni representation. Saad Hariri was
tasked with forming a new government on May 24.
Shorter Meets Osman, Discusses British Policing Support
Project
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/U.S. Ambassador Hugo Shorter and
Director General of the ISF Major General Imad Osman discussed the British
Policing Support Project (BPSP) within the framework of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) for £13 million agreed in June 2016, a press release
said. The Strategic Project Management Committee formed of Ambassador
Shorter, Major General Imad Osman, Head of ISF Academy General Ahmad Hajjar,
Head of Mobile Forces General Fouad Khoury, Head of Beirut Police General
Mohamad Ayoubi, and Inspector General Joseph Kallas aims to ensure effective
strategic governance and oversight of British Embassy/ISF project
implementation. Shorter highlighted the full endorsement by the President,
Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, and the High Council of Defence of the
ISF Strategic Plan 2018-2022 representing a major milestone to the ISF and
to Lebanon. In March 2018, the Strategic Plan was presented to the
international community at the Rome II Conference. Further, the Director
General made the public launch on ISF Day in June 2018. The UK is supporting
the ISF to lead and implement its Strategic Plan, to improve Human Rights
compliance and to respond to the security needs of Lebanon. As well as an
update on ISF activity, Osman and Shorter discussed the ISF’s community
policing strategy. The roll out of the model to Raouche and Ramleh El Bayda
Police stations is gaining momentum as officers are being recruited for the
police stations to become operational in October 2018. These along with Ras
Beirut Police and Ashrafieh Police stations will allow the ISF to better
deliver policing services that complies with human rights standards in
Beirut and gain the trust of the Lebanese people. Gender and Human Rights
are central elements of the UK’s support mainstreamed across all activities
with Inspector General, Mobile Forces, ISF Academy, Police of Beirut. After
the meeting Ambassador Shorter said: ‘I am very pleased to meet with Major
General Osman and discuss our continuing support to the Internal Security
Forces. The UK is working closely with this institution that is striving to
become a modern, professional and accountable police force that has the
trust of the community it serves. General Osman is committed to implement
the ISF Strategic Plan and ensure internal security is properly delivered to
all Lebanese. We fully support the plan and we are providing the necessary
support to help in its implementation. The roll out of community policing
covering a third of Beirut by the end of summer will allow the ISF to
demonstrate a higher level of professionalism and engagement with the
community, and is great news for many Beirutis.”
Lebanon: FPM Confronts West over 'Displaced' File
Beirut - Youssef Diab/Ashgarq Al Awsat/June 26/18/The Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM) accused US President Donald Trump and western countries of
punishing Lebanon economically because of the crisis of the displaced. FPM
official and former MP Nabil Nicolas said the Lebanese were “now facing two
options: either accept the Syrian displaced in Lebanon until the achievement
of a political solution, alike the Palestinian way with financial
enticements, or allow their return to safe areas in Syria and help them in
their country.” The former deputy noted, however, that Trump and western
countries were against the second solution, and were “punishing Lebanon
economically.”This position indicates that the FPM, which is considered to
be affiliated with President Michel Aoun, chose to resort to a political
confrontation with the West over the issue of the displaced, which would
entail negative repercussions on the economic situation and the aid that was
approved for Lebanon during the Cedre Conference held in Paris. Nicolas’
remarks followed a campaign launched by the head of the FPM, Foreign
Minister in the caretaker government Gebran Bassil, against the UNHCR, in
response to what he described as the international agency’s attempts to
“discourage the displaced Syrians to return to their homeland.”In remarks to
Asharq Al-Awsat, FPM member and deputy in Strong Lebanon bloc Mario Aoun,
said that the FPM separated “between the US and foreign aid to Lebanon and
its firm stance towards the return of the displaced to Syria.” “Lebanon
cannot regain its health if this amount of displaced remained on its
territories. We are dealing with this file based on the country’s higher
interests,” Aoun said, noting that the Lebanese government would deal with
this file and not solely the FPM.
Despite the sharp tone used by the FPM, MP Mario Aoun stressed that Lebanon
would not challenge the international community, “which is helping us
economically through the Cedre Conference and other.”Director of the Middle
East Institute for Strategic Affairs and Economic Expert Dr. Sami Nader
warned that Lebanon “does not have the economic and strategic capabilities
to enter into a confrontation with the West.”“It’s like a political and
economic suicide,” he said. Nader told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon “cannot
launch a campaign against the West over the issue of the displaced, because
the country knows that the only way for their return is through the Russian
side, which has the political decision in Syria.”He stressed that the return
of the displaced would only be achieved through a Russian-US plan.
Lebanon’s Army
Commander Conducts Third Visit to US since His Appointment
Beirut - Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat/June 26/18/The visit of Lebanese Army
Commander General Joseph Aoun to the United States reflected a US commitment
to empower the Lebanese Army and develop its military capabilities, as a
strategic partner of the US military in the region to fight terrorism. Aoun
began on Monday an official visit to the United States, during which he will
meet with a number of military and civilian officials to discuss ways of
enhancing cooperation between the armies of the two countries. This is the
third visit of the LAF commander to Washington since taking office in the
spring of 2017. Aoun made his first visit after taking command of the army
and the second when he was honored after the successful battle against
terrorist organizations on the eastern border with Syria. Well-informed
sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the recent visit “confirmed that
there was no change in the US policy towards Lebanon, contrary to claims
that emerged over the past months that Washington was reviewing its support
to the Lebanese army.” “The US army regards the Lebanese military as a
strategic partner in the region and in the efforts to fight terrorism and
consolidate stability,” the sources said. “Washington believes that
investing in Lebanon’s security is made through the army because it
represents the first line of defense against terrorism,” the sources added.
Military sources said the visit was aimed to review and evaluate the US
assistance to Lebanon, determine its effectiveness and the need for future
additional aid to the army.
Angie hits Jordan and Lebanon
Thierry Meyssan/Voltaire Network/June 26/18
http://www.voltairenet.org/article201681.html
Throughout her voyage of the Levant, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel
(Angie), is presenting herself as a person with a good heart, who wants
Germany to play its part to helping the Syrian refugees. But the people that
she is speaking see her as a fallen angel, who is masking her true
intentions which are to wage war against Syria.
he German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (Angie), is making an official visit to
Jordan and Lebanon. Officially, she intends to prevent a fresh round of
refugees arriving in Europe by helping Jordan and Lebanon respond to the
Syrian crisis.
This visit is taking place while the US plan is being drawn up to unlock the
Israeli-Arab conflict.
Angie was accompanied by a delegation of CEOs of German companies that hope
to negotiate contracts, in particular, for the “reconstruction” of Lebanon.
In Amman, the Chancellor was received by King Abdallah II. His concern was
that the pro-Iranian Hezbollah might lay down roots in South Lebanon which
would threaten both Israel and Jordan. Angie released a 100 million dollar
loan to help the Kingdom address its economic crisis, attributable in part
to its welcoming 650 000 Syrian refugees and its responding to IMF demands.
It appears that Angie supported the US Plan to establish a New Jordan that
would bring together all the Palestinian territories (Cisjordan and Gaza).
The Chancellor also visited the German troops based at Al-Asrak after they
withdrew from Turkey.
Whilst Jordan is an authoritarian monarchy, Lebanon is a State whose
governance is divided into three:
• the President of the Republic (Christian),
• the President of the government (Sunni Muslim) and
• the President of the Assembly (Shiite Muslim).
When she got to Beirut, Angie was received by the following dignitaries, one
after the other: Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the President of the Assembly
Nabih Berry and the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun. During their
first meeting, she stressed the burden that the influx of Syrian refugees
has for little Lebanon, pledged to help stabilize this population and to
develop the Lebanese economy. Saad Hariri thanked Germany for participating
in the Special Tribunal tasked with trying those that masterminded the
assassination of his father, Rafiq Hariri (this tribunal with its vague
mandate had been initially established to inculpate the Lebanese and Syrian
presidents, Émile Lahoud and Bashar al-Assad respectively).
The President of the Assembly, Nabih Berry, a pedagogue, petitioned for
improved coordination with the Syrian government in order to organize for
the refugees to return.
You cannot compare the arrival of Syrians in Lebanon with the influx of
Syrian in Germany. This is because Lebanon and Syria were historically the
same country until the Second World War. If you must make a comparison, it
is with German reunification, although today, noone is making any attempt to
reunify Great Syria. Today the number of Syrians in Lebanon is well over a
million. However not all are refugees.
The third meeting did not prove nearly so fruitful. President Aoun stressed
the burden that the refugees presented for his country and requested their
return to Syria, to areas which have now been liberated. The issue is that
Germany, does not consider that the liberated zones are controlled by
democratically elected authorities but by “moderate opposition” that
President Aoun classes as jihadists. Michel Aoun’s position is that by
proposing to help Libya welcome the Syrians, Berlin is seeking to make
Lebanon participate in Germany’s anti-Syrian policy.
During the CEDRE conference, in April at Paris, Germany had promised to
donate 61 million dollars to Lebanon. At the time, the same polemic had
arisen and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gebran Bassil (son-in-law of
President Aoun) had threatened to refuse this money if it was conditioned on
the naturalization of refugees.
The German Ambassador, Martin Huth, has assured the Lebanese media that his
country had never envisaged forcing Lebanon to naturalize anyone. However,
Angie stressed that, in her opinion, the refugees could only return to
Lebanon under the responsibility of the United Nations (thus not the
democratically elected authorities).
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on June 26-27/18
King of Jordan, US
President Discuss Middle East Peace Plan
Washington - Heba El Koudsy/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/18/US President Donald
Trump and First Lady Melania received Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen
Rania at the White House on Monday, where they held talks focused on
bilateral relations, regional and international issues, and the US-Israeli
peace plan. Following the meeting, Trump said that significant progress has
been made in the Middle East, but he declined to say when the White House
would propose his peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians. When asked
by reporters about the release date of the plan, Trump replied: “We’re doing
very well in the Middle East. A lot of progress has been made in the Middle
East. A lot. And it really started with the end of the horrible Iran deal.
That deal was a disaster, and things are a lot different since we ended
that. A lot different.”The US president praised Jordan's efforts to host
refugees and push forward peace efforts. He told the King Abdullah: “You
have done an incredible job on the refugees and the camps and taking care of
people.”For his part, King Abdullah expressed Amman’s appreciation for the
United States’ support in economic and military areas. US and Jordanian
officials held closed-door talks on fighting terrorism, Iranian threats and
the Syrian crisis, as well as pushing for lasting peace between Palestinians
and Israelis, said White House officials. King Abdullah II's visit to
Washington comes after he received Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared
Kushner and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt in Amman last week. Talks
centered on Washington’s Middle East peace plan, known as the "Deal of the
Century", which the US administration is yet to reveal. Following his
meeting with Kushner, the Jordanian King received Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, who made a rare visit to Amman. The two leaders stressed
the need to make progress in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on
the basis of the two-state solution and in accordance with international
law, relevant UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative. Kushner met
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi
and Netanyahu during his five-day regional tour. The visit did not include
meetings with Palestinian officials, who have boycotted the US
administration after it declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in
December and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv in May. According to US
reports, Kushner received the same assurance during his meetings with Arab
leaders, who insisted on a two-state solution and the establishment of a
Palestinian state as a basis for peace between the two sides. King Abdullah
aims to convince the Trump administration to support the two-state solution
and put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but the administration
does not seem to embrace this approach, and it is not clear whether a
Palestinian state will be part of Trump's plan. King Abdullah II had arrived
in Washington on Friday where he met with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Defense
Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser John Bolton.
In Israel, Prince
William Tastes Somber and Lighter Sides
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/Britain's Prince William paid a
somber visit to Israel's Holocaust memorial on Tuesday then took part in a
seaside soccer game, tasting two of the country's many faces. Wearing an
open-necked shirt and sunglasses, he strolled along the sunny Mediterranean
shoreline in Tel Aviv chatting with surfers about marine pollution.
"Beautiful beach, I should have brought my swimsuit," he remarked. In the
mixed Jaffa neighborhood, he joined Arab and Jewish youngsters in a football
kick-about organized by the Peres Center for Peace in a program to encourage
inter-communal understanding, scoring penalties against a 13-year-old
goalkeeper. He waved to a group of women outside the sports ground who
called through the fence, "Prince William we love you, we love Diana,"
referring to his late mother. Coming at the start of the first official trip
by a British royal to both Israel and the Palestinian territories, it was in
striking contrast to his earlier visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial
in western Jerusalem. There, he wore a dark suit and a black Jewish skullcap
as he rekindled the eternal flame and laid a wreath at the memorial as a
youth choir sang. The 36-year-old, who is the second in line to the British
throne, also toured the museum at the site perched on a forested hillside.
His visit comes at a particularly sensitive time after U.S. President Donald
Trump recognized Jerusalem as capital of Israel, outraging Palestinians and
sparking deadly clashes on the border with Gaza. Britain governed the region
under a League of Nations mandate for almost three decades until Israel's
independence 70 years ago, and is still blamed by both sides for sowing the
seeds of the ongoing conflict. William met with two Holocaust survivors,
Paul Alexander and Henry Foner, who as children had escaped from Nazi
Germany to Britain as part of the "Kindertransport" program. "We must never
forget the Holocaust," the prince wrote in the visitors' book in neat italic
script.
'True horrors' of Holocaust -
"We all have a responsibility to remember and to teach future generations
about the horrors of the past so that they can never reoccur."While in
Jerusalem, William will also visit the grave of his great grandmother,
Princess Alice, who was honoured as among the "Righteous among the Nations"
by Yad Vashem in 1993 for sheltering Jews in Greece from the Nazis during
World War II. "I am honored that my own great-grandmother is one of these
Righteous among the Nations," he wrote in the book. He later met Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara and then called on President
Reuven Rivlin, where he spoke of the deep impression his visit to the
Holocaust memorial had made upon him. "I had a very moving tour round Yad
Vashem this morning which really taught me quite a lot more than I thought I
already knew about the true horrors of what happened to the Jews in the
war," he told Rivlin in front of journalists.
William arrived in Israel from Jordan on Monday evening without his wife
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who gave birth to their third child two
months ago. He is staying in Jerusalem at the King David Hotel, former
headquarters of the British administration during the mandate in Palestine
before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. On Wednesday he is
scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West
Bank city of Ramallah, before meeting Palestinian refugees and young people.
"I know that you are going to be meeting president Abbas," Rivlin told him.
"I'd like to send him a message of peace and tell him that we have to find a
way together to build confidence as a way to build understanding."
- 'Not a political visit' -
On Thursday, he is to complete his stay by visiting historical and religious
sites in Jerusalem.
"We know this is not a time when we can celebrate progress in the Middle
East peace progress, but we believe that engagement is just as important in
challenging times as it is in good times," Philip Hall, Britain's consul
general in Jerusalem, said on Monday. "We know some of the politics are
difficult, but this is not a political visit." Israel defines Jerusalem as
its "eternal and indivisible" capital, while the Palestinians see east
Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The Israelis seized the West
Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Some right-wing
Israeli politicians have criticized the fact that William's visit to east
Jerusalem is being organized by the British consulate-general, which deals
with the Palestinians. But as the prince arrived at Rivlin's official
residence in a limousine flying the royal standard, residents of apartment
buildings opposite crowded their balconies, cheering and applauding
enthusiastically.
Israel May Reconsider
UNESCO Exit
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/Israel's ambassador to UNESCO said
Tuesday he was urging his government to reconsider its decision to quit the
U.N. cultural body, saying it had halted its "anti-Israeli resolutions" over
the past year. Israel and the United States both announced on October 12
that they would leave the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization over resolutions critical of the Jewish state. But
ambassador Carmel Shama-Hacohen said there had been a change of tone under
the Paris-based agency's new chief Audrey Azoulay, a former French culture
minister who was elected last year. "What I'm going to recommend to my
ministry and my government is at least to reconsider our decision,"
Shama-Hacohen told journalists by telephone. "It could be postponing the
date of leaving for one year or something like that," he suggested, which
would delay the scheduled departure until at least December 2019. He spoke
as Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian officials adopted amended versions of
last year's decisions by UNESCO's world heritage committee to list the Old
City of Jerusalem and its walls, as well as Hebron in the West Bank, as
endangered sites. The new resolutions -- adopted through a rare consensus --
keep the two sites on the list, but remove phrasing which Israel had
considered aggressive. Shama-Hacohen said that under Azoulay's leadership
there had been a "new spirit and new energy," noting: "We haven't had any
anti-Israeli resolutions at UNESCO for one year."Staying put would be "a
miracle", he added, "but there is an option for it."Azoulay welcomed
Tuesday's consensus between the usually feuding parties, calling it "a
win-win situation".She said she hoped it would "allow a period with less
tension that should open the way for more UNESCO work on the ground."
Tensions have bubbled since UNESCO controversially admitted Palestine as a
member state in 2011 -- a move opposed by the U.S. and Israel, who argue
that any recognition of Palestinian statehood must await a negotiated Middle
East peace deal. The U.S. cut funding to UNESCO over the decision, before
announcing its departure last year in a move that underlined a drift away
from multilateral institutions under President Donald Trump.
Hamas Sparks Battle over Abbas's Interim Succession
Ramallah - Kifah Ziboun/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/18/Hamas sparked the battle
over the successor of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas by declaring that
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Aziz Duwaik will succeed him
in case of his absence, in accordance with the Basic Law of the Palestinian
Authority. Abbas’ Fatah movement responded by saying that Duwaik is no
longer at the head of the “illegal” council, hinting that it will take firm
decisions over the matter. Duwaik, himself, argued that in case the
president was unable to carry out his duties or was absent under any excuse
or circumstance or in case of his death, the next president shall be the
head of the Legislative Council, in accordance with the law and the
constitution. “I am now the speaker of the Legislative Council, and,
therefore, I or anyone else holding this position will be the next
president,” he told SAMA local news agency. Duwaik warned that chaos will
prevail if the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its constituents bypass the
Palestinian constitution and the Basic Law. He called on all the parties to
respect the law and constitution and avoid violating them otherwise chaos
will prevail. According to the Basic Law, the president of the Legislative
Council shall assume the presidency of the PA temporarily, in case of any
compulsory absence by the president, for a period not exceeding 60 days
during which presidential elections will be held.
In 2004, when former President Yasser Arafat died, his successor, Rawhi
Fattouh, replaced him before the Palestinians voted for Abbas to become
president of the PA. However, a legal and political dispute persists between
Fatah and Hamas over the dissolved Legislative Council and its presidency.
Hamas insists that Duwaik is the head of the council, while Fatah says that
his tenure had ended and that a new president must be elected. Moreover, the
council has been inactive for some 10 years now and its fate must be decided
through the Palestinian Central Council. Head of Fatah’s Information
Department in the Office of Mobilization and Organization Munir al-Jaghoub
told Asharq Al-Awsat that Duwaik is fully aware that he is no longer Speaker
of the Legislative Council. “His term ended in 2007 and has not been
renewed.” “The matter of the presidency of the Legislative Council is
currently legally void because a new session of the Council is required at
the invitation of the president. The Council did not convene, and its
chairmanship was not renewed,” he explained.
Rouhani Says Iran Will Not Give In To Pressure From
Trump
Jerusalem Post/June 26/18
On Monday, police patrolled Tehran’s Grand Bazaar as security forces
struggled to restore normality after clashes with protesters angered by the
rial's collapse.
LONDON - President Hassan Rouhani promised
Iranians the government would be able to handle the economic pressure of new
US sanctions, a day after traders massed outside parliament to protest
against a sharp fall in the value of the national currency. Washington is to
start reimposing economic penalties on Tehran in coming months after US
President Donald Trump quit an agreement between major world powers and Iran
in which sanctions were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
This may cut Iran's hard currency earnings from oil exports, and the
prospect is triggering a panicked flight of Iranians' savings from the rial
into dollars. On Monday, police patrolled Tehran’s Grand Bazaar as security
forces struggled to restore normality after clashes with protesters angered
by the rial's collapse, which is disrupting business by driving up the cost
of imports. Defending his economic record, Rouhani said the government’s
income had not been affected in recent months, and the fall in the rial was
the result of "foreign media propaganda."
"Even in the worst case, I promise that the basic needs of Iranians will be
provided. We have enough sugar, wheat, and cooking oil. We have enough
foreign currency to inject into the market," Rouhani said in a speech
broadcast live on state television. The International Monetary Fund
estimated in March that the government held $112 billion of foreign assets
and reserves, and that Iran was running a current account surplus. These
figures suggested Iran might withstand the sanctions without an external
payments crisis. Iran's judiciary chief warned on Tuesday that the "economic
saboteurs," who he said were behind the fall of rial, would face severe
punishment, including execution or 20 years in jail.
"The enemy is now trying to disrupt our economy through a psychological
operation. In recent days some tried to shut down the Bazaar, but their plot
was thwarted by the police," Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani was quoted as saying
by Fars news agency.
The Iranian government is implementing new plans to control rising prices,
including banning imports of over 1,300 products, preparing its economy to
resist threatened US sanctions. Rouhani said the fresh US sanctions were
part of a "psychological, economic and political war," adding that
Washington would pay a high price for its actions. "Withdrawal was the worst
decision he (Trump) could make. It was appalling. It hurt America's global
reputation," he said. In late December, demonstrations which began over
economic hardship spread to more than 80 Iranian cities and towns. At least
25 people died in the ensuing unrest, the biggest expression of public
discontent in almost a decade. Demonstrators initially vented their anger
over high prices and alleged corruption, but the protests took on a rare
political dimension, with a growing number of people calling on Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step down.
Egypt Studying Preemptive Strategy to Deter Terrorists
Cairo - Mohammed Abdo Hassanein/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/18/Egypt’s newly
appointed Minister of Interior, Major General Mahmoud Tawfiq, held an
expanded meeting with all the country’s security leaders on Monday to
“review the security strategy in light of regional changes.”Tawfiq
underlined the adoption of a new strategy aimed at deterring terrorists by
intensifying preemptive strikes. He noted that the security services have
made great strides in the war against terrorism and have succeeded during
the past period in aborting many hostile schemes. Egypt has been witnessing,
for years, sporadic terrorist acts, especially in the province of North
Sinai, which has become a terrorist hub since the ousting of former
President Mohammed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood. Since February 9, army
and police have been waging a major security operation in northern and
central Sinai to purge the region of ISIS militants. Tawfiq said the
country’s police and armed forces were dealing with such threats with a high
level of readiness, in an effort to protect the country from terrorism. “We
have come a long way in our war against terrorism, especially during the
national operation, in which the ministry’s agencies partnered with the
armed forces to combat terrorists in Sinai,” he said, calling for a periodic
review of the security strategy to meet national interests in wake of
regional changes. Tawfiq also called for the development of the ministry’s
abilities to collect and analyze data and for the integration an information
exchange system for state bodies, in order to dismantle the terrorist
networks.
Russia, Syria Clash with West on Boosting Chemical Watchdog
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/In a bitter diplomatic battle,
Russia, backed by Iran and Syria, Tuesday sought to head off a Western push
to endow the world's global chemical watchdog with new powers to identify
those behind toxic arms attacks. Delegates from 143 countries gathered in
The Hague for a special meeting of the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) called by Britain and other allies, including France
and the United States. It comes as the body is expected to unveil soon its
report into an alleged sarin and chlorine gas attack in April in the Syrian
town of Douma. Medics and rescuers say 40 people were killed, blaming the
attack on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. British Foreign Secretary
Boris Johnson was expected to address the rare special session of the OPCW's
top policy-making body later, as London seeks to overcome the lack of an
effective way of holding perpetrators to account. "We want to strengthen the
Organization entrusted with overseeing the ban on chemical weapons," the
British delegation said in a tweet. "We want to empower the @OPCW to
identify those responsible for chemical weapons attacks."The talks come in
the wake of the nerve agent attack in March on former Russian double agent
Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury, which
Britain and its allies have blamed on Russia. There has been growing
international concern about repeated allegations of the use of poison gases
in the Iraq and Syria conflicts, as well as alarm at the 2017 assassination
of the North Korean leader's half-brother in a rare nerve agent attack in
Kuala Lumpur airport.
Need for accountability
"If accountability is avoided the potential re-emergence and acceptance of
chemicals as weapons of war and terror will not be deterred," outgoing OPCW
head Ahmet Uzumcu warned. Speaking for the EU, Bulgarian delegate Judit
Koromi said: "We firmly believe that it is the international community's
task ... and responsibility to identify and hold accountable individuals,
entities, groups or governments responsible for the use of chemical
weapons.""The question of attribution can and should be addressed by the
OPCW," she added, stressing "there can be no impunity and those responsible
for such acts must be held accountable."But tensions ran high from the
start. It took three hours of a heated back-and-forth between the delegates
of Russia, Syria and Iran in a three-pronged attack on the ambassadors from
the United States and Canada just to adopt the agenda. There was no early
consensus on the British draft decision, meaning the delegates have to wait
24 hours before voting on it behind closed doors on Wednesday. Russia's
delegation head, Georgy Kalamanov, said Moscow would not support the draft
and will unveil its own, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. "We believe
that the powers that Britain wants to give to the OPCW are the powers of the
U.N. Security Council and this is the only body which has a right to make
such decisions," he said. Backed by Iran and Syria, Russian ambassador to
the Netherlands Alexander Shulgin sought time after time Tuesday to bog down
the debate in procedural matters.
- Eliminating toxic arms -
But opening the session, the conference chairman, Abdelouahab Bellouki,
argued those responsible for chemical weapons attacks "need to be punished
on the basis of true and strong evidence.""In spite of different and
divergent positions and opinions, we are all committed to constructive
cooperation... in order to rid once and for all the world of chemical
weapons."A two-thirds majority, minus any abstentions, is needed for
Britain's draft to pass. But Russia was reportedly working hard behind the
scenes to try to defeat Britain's proposal. "We are quietly confident that
the vote will go through," a Western diplomat told reporters on the
sidelines of the talks, adding it was not an East-West battle but about
"broader reform" of the OPCW. Moscow has already wielded its veto power at
the U.N. Security Council to effectively kill off a previous joint U.N.-OPCW
panel aimed at identifying those behind attacks in Syria.
Before its mandate expired in December, the panel known as the JIM (Joint
Investigative Mechanism) had determined that the Syrian government used
chlorine or sarin gas at least four times against its own civilians. The
Islamic State group used mustard gas in 2015.
Syria Army Begins Assault on Daraa City
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/Syria's army is launching its
assault on rebel districts of the flashpoint southern city of Daraa, state
media said on Tuesday, following a week of escalating operations in the
countryside. Russian-backed Syrian troops have been ramping up their
bombardment and ground operations against rebels during the past week in
eastern parts of Daraa province. On Tuesday, state media said the army was
launching an "operation" on the city itself. "Syria's army is carrying out
targeted air strikes against terrorist positions and fortifications in Daraa,"
state television reported. Government news agency SANA said the strikes were
a prelude "before military units advance into the southeastern quarter of
the city." Rebel groups mainly hold the southern half of the city while
loyalists control the north. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war
monitor said also reported bombing and clashes in the city on Tuesday.
"Russian and Syrian air strikes, as well as barrel bombs, targeted rebel
areas in Daraa city," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. The monitor
said it was the first ground operation inside the city since the escalation
began. Syria's army is pursuing a divide-and-conquer strategy against rebels
in the south, seeking to chop up the horseshoe-shaped territory that the
opposition holds. "The regime is seeking to take control of a military base
south of the city, which will allow it to cut the route between Daraa city
and the Jordanian border, as well as further divide the rebel areas," said
Abdel Rahman.
Algerian President Sacks Influential Police Chief
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/Algerian President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika on Tuesday sacked the country's police chief, Abdelghani Hamel,
until now seen as a likely successor to the head of state. Bouteflika "today
signed two decrees, the first putting an end to the duties of Abdelghani
Hamel, as director general of national security forces (DGSN), and the
second on the nomination of Mustapha el-Habiri as the head of the DGSN," the
president's office said in a statement published by APS news agency. The
unexpected decision comes against the backdrop of a cocaine trafficking
scandal which has tarnished numerous officials including magistrates. The
DGSN has denied media reports of Hamel's personal chauffeur being embroiled
in the affair, instead pointing the finger at "a driver from the
management's fleet." Hamel has gained influence in recent years as Algeria's
police chief and was seen as a possible contender for Algeria's presidency.
Originally trained as a computer engineer, he joined Algeria's gendarmerie
-- a police force that is part of the army -- and rose through the ranks to
become general and head of the Republican Guard in 2008. Two years later he
was named head of the national security service, after his predecessor was
shot dead during a row with a subordinate in his office.
Cocaine Scandal Rocks Algeria’s Government
Algiers- Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/18/The Algerian government was forced to
break its silence after nearly a month of media speculation and political
controversy over allegations of senior government officials being involved
in smuggling of over 700 kilograms of cocaine, a shipment seized by the
Coast Guard on May 29 at sea. The shipment was seized en route from the port
of Valencia, Spain, to the port of Oran in western Algeria. Justice Minister
Tayeb Louh told journalists that prosecution ordered the arrest of 12
suspects in the drug case. It is worth noting that drugs were boarded on
back of a Liberian ship from Brazil, which also transported tons of red
meat, imported by a well-known Algerian businessman. Among those arrested in
the case are the cargo owner, Kamal Shekhi, as well as two of his brothers
and one of his partners in large real estate projects. The Justice Minister
threatened legal action against media outlets publishing rumors on judges
assigned to the case being compromised, receiving bribes and exploiting
their positions to win over Shekhi’s favor. “They are innocent and have been
slandered because of the publication of their names in the press, which has
caused them and their families moral harm, and they have the right to launch
legal proceedings against those who insulted them, namely journalists,” the
minister said. Louh also made a case on a money laundering scandal being a
part of the case, revealing that the value of cocaine seized stands at a
whopping 70 million dollars. Among those suspected of involvement in the
second part of the case were the son of a former housing minister and a
security man who worked as a personal driver for a senior police official.
The Minister of Justice stressed that Algeria’s president “will not accept
impunity of anyone who is found involved in this case.” “As minister, I will
ensure that the law takes its course in this case,” Louh said.
Coalition-forming Fever Grips Iraq’s Sunni Blocs
Baghdad – Hamza Mustapha/Asharq Al Awsat/June 26/18/At a time Iraq’s three
top Shiite blocs Sairoon, Nasr and Fatah successfully formed a coalition
claiming to be nationally open to other Iraqi components, Sunni and Kurdish
parties are still discussing options on involvement in the next government’s
decision-making process. Despite deep differences driving a wedge between
main parties in the past four years, Kurds began considering chances of
forming a unified Kurdish position on Baghdad. The Iraqi capital and
government has continuously failed Kurdish people over the years in several
crucial issues such as the referendum and budget allocation to run the
Kurdistan autonomous region. Sunnis, after demanding several times to
postpone parliamentary elections held against their will on May 12, have now
become the victims of accusations of fraud exploitation of large-scale
displacements at home and abroad. Sunni leaders from various blocs said
Iraq’s Sunni movement aims at forming a unified Sunni bloc whose goal is not
to merely “participate in the upcoming government,” but to participate in
Baghdad’s political decision-making, Baghdad Alliance’s winning lawmaker
Mohammed Karbouli told Asharq Al-Awsat. Karbouli, who won over Anbar
province Sunni seat, said that a Sunni movement has existed for some time
even before election results were announced. “Our vision stems from the fact
that Sunnis suffered most from atrocities carried out by ISIS in
Sunni-majority provinces and therefore must stand unified to prevent
tragedies that cost us greatly from reoccurring,” he said. As for when a
Sunni parties’ alliance will be announced, Karbouli said that “it is
imminent and can be announced at any moment.”He pointed out that “the new
Sunni alliance includes more than 45 deputies from all the Sunni blocs,
including the current parliament speaker Salim al-Jubouri and head of the
National Movement for Development and Reform party Jamal Al-Karboli.”For his
part, former Nineveh governor Atheel al-Nujaifi said the chief theme of
discussions on programs set on countering corruption is still a stumbling
block for dialogue between winning blocs. “We are keen not to have any Sunni
gathering in a sectarian sense, because we are confident that the strength
of our society, even in Sunni areas, depends on rebuilding state,” said
Nujaifi. “It is regrettable that this understanding is not clear to
everyone,” he added.
U.S. Supreme Court
Upholds Trump Travel Ban
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday
upheld Donald Trump's controversial travel ban restricting entry to people
from five Muslim-majority countries, delivering the president a major
victory in a tortuous legal battle. The win follows two embarrassing
climbdowns for the administration's "zero tolerance" policy on migrants
crossing the Mexico border and with Trump under mounting pressure to
legislate a solution to the immigration crisis, one of the most polarizing
debates in U.S. politics. Conservative jurists prevailed over liberals in
Tuesday's majority opinion from America's highest court. The 5-4 ruling
validated the most recent version of the ban, which the Trump administration
claims is driven by national security. Trump pounced on the decision as a
victory for his authority to defend national security. "Wow!" he tweeted
just minutes after the ruling. "The proclamation does not exceed any textual
limit on the president's authority," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts in the
majority opinion, capping a battle that began just days after Trump took
office in January 2017. "The government has set forth a sufficient national
security justification to survive rational basis review. We express no view
on the soundness of the policy."In a statement, Trump called the ruling "a
moment of profound vindication following months of hysterical commentary
from the media and Democratic politicians who refuse to do what it takes to
secure our border and our country."The decision relates to Trump's third
travel ban, which applies to travelers from North Korea and five mainly
Muslim nations -- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen -- or about 150
million people. A week into his presidency, Trump enacted a campaign promise
and announced a 90-day ban on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia,
Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Discriminatory policy'
He had repeatedly questioned the loyalty of Muslim immigrants and after a
2015 terror attack in San Bernardino, California, used his campaign to
propose a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United
States."Prepared in secret, the sudden order created chaos as hundreds of
travelers were blocked at airports. Tens of thousands of visas were canceled
and protesters took to the streets saying the president was banning Muslims
in violation of the constitution's religious freedom protections. Courts in
several states ruled the measure illegal, and did so again in March 2017
after the administration slightly amended the original order, dropping Iraq
from the list. The U.S. president was angered, but was forced to recast the
ban again. Issued in September, the latest version was open-ended, dropped
Sudan, and added North Korea and a selection of Venezuelan officials.
Opponents -- and the court's liberal-leaning justices -- decried what they
saw as a measure targeting Muslim countries, and referred back to Trump's
anti-Muslim statements during his election campaign. The worst attacks in
the United States since the al-Qaida hijackings on September 11, 2001 have
been committed either by Americans or immigrants from countries not affected
by the travel ban. In a scathing dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor
wrote: "Based on the evidence in the record, a reasonable observer would
conclude that the Proclamation was motivated by anti-Muslim animus."She
accused her colleagues of "blindly accepting the government's misguided
invitation to sanction a discriminatory policy motivated by animosity toward
a disfavored group, all in the name of a superficial claim of national
security."
'History will judge harshly'
The American Civil Liberties Union, which has been at the forefront of the
fight against the ban, led an avalanche of criticism from liberals as
activists rallied supporters for planned protests later on Tuesday. "This is
not the first time the court has been wrong, or has allowed official racism
and xenophobia to continue rather than standing up to it. History has its
eyes on us -- and will judge today's decision harshly," it tweeted. Omar
Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project, said the ruling
would "go down in history as one of the Supreme Court's great failures."
"This is a backward and un-American policy that fails to improve our
national security," said top Democrat, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.
Immigration has been one of the thorniest issues in American politics for
decades and the Trump administration has rolled back its "zero tolerance"
border policy that had triggered international outcries over family
separations. Five days after halting the separation of children from their
parents, on Monday it suspended its policy of automatically arresting and
prosecuting every adult who crosses the border from Mexico without
authorization. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was scheduled to address
a criminal justice foundation in Los Angeles on Tuesday, with rights groups
planning protests. Sessions, who announced the "zero tolerance" policy in
May, has said violent Central American gangs send children across the border
illegally. The House of Representatives intends to vote Wednesday on a broad
immigration bill to end family separations, but its fate is in doubt. Should
the bill fail, it would be a dramatic embarrassment for Republicans, who
control Congress.
Cyprus Mulls Israeli Request of Port for Gaza
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 26/18/Cyprus said Tuesday it is examining
an Israeli request to build a port facility on the island for the delivery
of goods to Palestinians of the blockaded Gaza Strip. "There is no agreement
on this issue" but "there is a relevant request that is under
consideration", deputy government spokeswoman Klelia Vassiliou told
reporters. According to Israeli media, Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor
Lieberman made the proposal for the Palestinian territory during a visit
last week to the eastern Mediterranean island. Under the plan, a special
pier would be constructed for cargo ships carrying goods bound for Gaza,
around 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Cyprus. "They would be checked with
the help of an Israeli monitoring mechanism to ensure that no weapons were
being smuggled" into Gaza, controlled by the Islamist movement Hamas, the
Jerusalem Post newspaper said. It said the cargo would then likely be sent
to Gaza directly by ferry since the enclave lacks a port large enough for
the docking of cargo ships. Lieberman's office commented on the proposal on
Tuesday. "The defense minister and security establishment, along with
elements in the international community, are leading many initiatives aimed
at changing the reality in the Gaza Strip," a spokesman for his office told
AFP. "Any idea presented to improve the humanitarian situation would be
conditioned on solving the issue of the captives (Israelis held in Gaza) and
MIAs," or soldiers gone missing there since 2014.
"Beyond that we can’t provide details."Israel controls two land crossings
into Gaza and Egypt controls a third. The Rafah crossing on the Egyptian
border is often closed, and it is not designed for the passage of cargo as
most commercial and humanitarian goods enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom
post with Israel. Goods that arrive by ship travel by truck from Israeli
ports to the Strip. The international community has heavily criticized the
restrictions, including security curbs that Israel has imposed on Gaza since
Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on June 26-27/18
Government Phone
Tracking Scares Justice Roberts, Too
Noah Feldman/Bloomberg/June 26/18
The U.S. Supreme Court has taken an important step away from the
“1984”-style surveillance state — barely. The court held, 5-4, on Friday
that the government can’t use your mobile-phone-location data to figure out
where you have been unless it gets a warrant first.
The big surprise is that Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s four
liberals to preserve us from a world where the government could track you
wherever and whenever it wanted, without probable cause to suspect you of a
crime. Most of Roberts’s moments of high moderation have come in decisions
that exercise judicial restraint. This one came in the form of judicial
activism, interpreting the Fourth Amendment privacy right to extend to a new
form of technology, as it should.
Carpenter v. U.S. was so close, legally speaking, because existing judicial
doctrine paved the way for courts to permit government access to cell-site
location data. Historically, the court has long held that if you share
information with a third party, you can’t demand that the information be
treated as private.
Thus, the records of which numbers you have called, which are necessarily in
the hands of your phone provider, aren’t constitutionally private. (The
content of your calls is, though.) That means the government can “pull your
LUDs” without a warrant, to use the classic jargon of “Law & Order.”
In the Carpenter case, the government used the data that the defendant’s
phone sent to cell towers to triangulate his location, without a warrant. As
it turned out, he was close to the location of four robberies at the time
they occurred.
The government’s theory was that if your calling information isn’t private,
neither is the location your phone sends to your carrier’s cell towers.
Roberts’s opinion rejected that conclusion, holding instead that you have a
“reasonable expectation of privacy” in where you are at any given time. He
pointed out that five justices had previously taken the view that GPS data
could not be acquired without a warrant.
But the truth is that judicial precedent isn’t the key to Roberts’s
decision. Social policy is.
Roberts understands that a government allowed to keep track of your location
without a warrant probably will. Thus, even law-abiding citizens could
effectively find themselves under surveillance, at low or even near-zero
cost. The government might start by tracking people it finds vaguely
suspicious but cannot track via warrant. But it might easily end up keeping
tabs on us all.
It’s striking that Justice Anthony Kennedy didn’t join the opinion. His
dissenting opinion fretted that the court’s judgment might endanger other
instances in which the government obtains business records without a
warrant. And he argued that cell-site location data isn’t geographically
precise enough to count as a privacy violation, because it doesn’t track as
closely as GPS data. He reasoned, too, that mobile-phone users wouldn’t
assume that they “owned or controlled” location data.
That view would be reasonable enough if everyone understood the law of
“third-party” privacy or if everyone actually thought through what privacy
we have from corporations. But as recent months have shown us, the public is
still new at understanding what privacy we have online, and from whom.
Above all, privacy from the government isn’t and shouldn’t be the same as
privacy from the providers or platforms we use. Otherwise the privacy
compromises we make with Apple and Facebook and Google would lead us to give
up privacy from the state.
So why did Roberts make the progressive decision here? One possible, and
possibly cynical, reading would be that Roberts is, as usual, deeply
concerned about the public reputation and perception of the court.
Had the justices held that we lack privacy in our phone location data, there
could have been a public backlash against the court. So when Kennedy
wouldn’t provide the fifth vote to the liberals, Roberts stepped in to save
the day.
This theory compares Roberts to his predecessor as chief justice (also his
old boss as a law clerk) William Rehnquist. A statist conservative,
Rehnquist nevertheless famously balked at rolling back the Miranda warnings,
reasoning that “Miranda has become embedded in routine police practice to
the point where the warnings have become part of our national culture.”
That was a kind of concession to TV norms of defendants being told, “You
have the right to remain silent.” Rehnquist didn’t want it said that his
court had taken away Miranda rights.
In parallel, Roberts may not have wanted his court to be seen as violating
mobile-phone privacy.
The other possibility — not incompatible with the first — is that the
conservative Roberts is looking ahead to a post-Kennedy era when the court
will have a solid five-vote conservative majority. He might then have to
become the court’s most centrist swing voter.
That role tends to move its occupant leftward. It did so for Kennedy and for
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor before him. If it ends up having the same effect
on Roberts, the Carpenter case may have been the harbinger.
Who Doesn’t Love a Trade War?
Mihir Sharma/Bloomberg/June 26/18
US President Donald Trump rode to power declaring that China had twisted the
world trading system out of shape -- and plenty of people around the world
murmured in agreement, if very quietly. The first shots in Trump’s trade
war, however, have been indiscriminate. His steel and aluminium tariffs are
the equivalent of firing into a curious crowd of onlookers. This is a
terrible idea for many reasons, not least because every member of the crowd
is armed.
On Thursday, it was India’s turn to shoot back. Tariffs were raised on the
usual complicated list of imports from the US, such as walnuts, phosphoric
acid and apples (but not, as initially feared, Harley-Davidson motorcycles).
The move underscores a key truth about trade wars: Everybody loses. In India
as in many countries, responsible economists in the government were already
fighting a losing battle against the ruling party’s protectionist instincts.
Last year, India and the US imposed more new trade restrictions than any
other countries. In the last federal budget, tariffs were raised across the
board for the first time in decades. One of the unspoken dangers of Trump’s
actions is that protectionists everywhere have been emboldened – and now
have the alibi that they’re acting in self-defense.
The truth is that India needs trade with America, and on favorable terms. If
it’s to increase its current, abysmally low share of world trade, it needs
to export more to the US, as well as to Europe and China.
Unfortunately, Indian officials have been remarkably cavalier about the
diplomacy required to keep trade going. They’ve been particularly dismissive
about US concerns. Last year, for example, they introduced a populist and
counter-productive set of restrictions on the sale of cardiac stents and
knee implants in India. Medical equipment isn’t the largest sector, but it
is influential. Even worse, the restrictions and price caps came across as
completely arbitrary. In fact, US commercial groups have complained to
Congress that they were misled by senior Indian government officials about
their intentions.
These tensions have arisen, too, just when India’s membership in the
Generalized System of Preferences program is threatened. GSP allows India to
export about 3,500 different products to the US at low tariffs. It accounts
for a quarter of Indian exports to America, a proportion that’s been growing
over the years. India can’t afford to see those exports dwindle to nothing.
Yet its trade diplomats appear to be losing no sleep over that possibility
-- literally. One of them told lobbyists in the US that “in the grand scheme
of things, GSP is not a big deal,” and so he “wasn’t going to lose sleep
over it.” I wonder how grand your “scheme of things” has to be to dismiss $6
billion worth of exports as irrelevant. The diplomat was, I suppose, just
mirroring the politicians at home who openly and inaccurately claim India’s
vast size means its domestic market is large enough for its manufacturers to
prosper.
This is the larger problem with Trump’s provocations: The US has for so long
tried to be the grown-up in the room when it comes to world trade, things
might well fall apart when it behaves like a toddler. Right now, Trump’s
counterparts around the world are still saying all the right things; even
Modi has defended globalization at Davos. But, in most countries,
protectionist impulses lie very close to the surface. All it will take for
them to emerge is a few more wild shots and poorly aimed tariffs from Trump.
The truth is that, if there is discontent with how world trade is organized,
then there’s only one fair target. It isn’t India, it isn’t the US and it
definitely isn’t Canada. The problem is and has always been the People’s
Republic of China, which has prospered off the great expansion of world
trade while simultaneously keeping large and profitable sections of its own
economy off-limits. There needs to be a civilized and careful discussion of
how greater openness is in China’s interests as well as the world’s.
Instead, we’re learning again how easily a trade war can spread, leaving the
fundamental imbalances in world trade untouched and all of us a lot poorer.
Canada Supports, Infantilizes Jihadis
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/June 26/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12522/canada-jihadis
The Canadian government is willing to go to great (and presumably costly)
lengths to "facilitate" the return of Canadian jihadists, unlike the UK, for
example, which has revoked the citizenship of ISIS fighters so they cannot
return.
Attempts at deradicalization elsewhere have frequently turned out to be
ineffective. In the UK, for example, a new government report shows that the
vast majority of deradicalization programs are not only ineffective, but
even counterproductive, and that those tasked with executing the programs
"...would refuse to engage in topics over fears of bringing up matters of
race and religion without appearing discriminatory"
In France, the country's first and only deradicalization center closed in
September 2017 after just one year, without having "deradicalized" a single
individual. On the contrary, three participants reportedly behaved as if the
center were a "Jihad academy".
Canadians who go abroad to commit terrorism – predominantly jihadists, in
other words – have a "right to return" according to government documents
obtained by Global News. They not only have a right of return, but "... even
if a Canadian engaged in terrorist activity abroad, the government must
facilitate their return to Canada," as one document says.
According to the government, there are still around 190 Canadian citizens
volunteering as terrorists abroad. The majority are in Syria and Iraq, and
60 have returned. Police are reportedly expecting a new influx of returnees
over the next couple of months.
The Canadian government is willing to go to great (and presumably costly)
lengths to "facilitate" the return of Canadian jihadists, unlike the UK, for
example, which has revoked the citizenship of ISIS fighters so they cannot
return. The Canadian government has established a taskforce, the High Risk
Returnee Interdepartmental Taskforce, that, according to government
documents:
"... allows us to collectively identify what measures can mitigate the
threat these individuals may pose during their return to Canada. This could
include sending officers overseas to collect evidence before they depart, or
their detention by police upon arrival in Canada."
Undercover officers may also be used "to engage with the HRT [High Risk
Traveler] to collect evidence, or monitor them during their flight home."
In the sanitizing Orwellian newspeak employed by the Canadian government,
the terrorists are not jihadis who left Canada to commit the most heinous
crimes, such as torture, rape and murder, while fighting for ISIS in Syria
and Iraq, but "High Risk Travelers" and "High Risk Returnees".
The government is fully aware of the security risk to which it is subjecting
Canadians: According to the documents, "HRRs [High Risk Returnees] can pose
a significant threat to the national security of Canada". This fact raises
the question of why the government of Canada is keen to facilitate these
people's "right of return" -- when presumably the primary obligation of the
government is to safeguard the security of law-abiding Canadian citizens.
The government also does not appear hopeful that the returning terrorists
will face criminal charges. By the end of 2017, the Trudeau government had
only charged two returned ISIS fighters, and Public Safety Minister Ralph
Goodale said at the time, "This is an issue that is bedeviling countries
around the world in terms of how you actually... move from intelligence to
evidence and make a case stick".
The documents describe terrorism cases as "complex and resource intensive,"
citing the difficulties of terrorism investigations and caution that "there
may not be sufficient evidence for charges", and that, therefore, the
government will have to "mitigate the threat through efforts outside the
criminal justice system."
Such efforts might include sending an "intervention team" that can "engage
with the returnee and the returnee's family to open up dialogue with the
individual and to help support the returnee's disengagement from their
radical ideology and past behavior... While they may have engaged in
terrorism abroad and broken the law, not all returnees continue to post
[sic] a threat — they may now be disillusioned with the cause" or "...may no
longer be interested in violence."
How comforting for Canadians that their government is pandering to
terrorists while pretending that there is a chance that returning jihadis
will suddenly change their ways.
Attempts at deradicalization elsewhere have frequently turned out to be
ineffective. In the UK, for example, a new government report shows that the
vast majority of deradicalization programs are not only ineffective, but
even counterproductive, and that those tasked with executing the programs
"...would refuse to engage in topics over fears of bringing up matters of
race and religion without appearing discriminatory". In France, the
country's first and only deradicalization center closed in September 2017
after just one year, without having "deradicalized" a single individual. On
the contrary, three participants reportedly behaved as if the center were a
"Jihad academy".
The Canadian government is willing to go to great lengths to "facilitate"
the return of Canadian jihadists. But attempts at deradicalization in
Western countries have frequently turned out to be ineffective. In France,
the country's first and only deradicalization center (pictured) closed in
September 2017 without having "deradicalized" a single individual. (Image
source: 28 minutes - ARTE video screenshot)
Some members of the Canadian government are evidently aware of the
near-futility of such deradicalization efforts. In November 2017, Public
Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said "You have to prevent the problem before
it exists. Once a person has been in a war zone, once they've been actively
engaged in terrorist-related activities, the capacity to turn them around is
pretty remote."
These facts, however, are unlikely to bother Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
who appears to compare returning ISIS fighters to Italian and Greek
immigrants who settled in Montreal in the post war years. Trudeau has said,
"We know that actually someone who has engaged and turned away from ...
hateful ideology can be an extraordinarily powerful voice for preventing
radicalization" -- but he appears to disregard the evidence that few
actually turn away from jihadism.
Perhaps the Trudeau government simply cares more for jihadists and Islamists
than for Canada. In early May, the Toronto Sun revealed that the Muslim
Association of Canada (MAC), which has ties to terrorist organizations,
would receive 10 grants from the government's Canada Summer Jobs Grant[1] to
fund its activities across Ontario.
According to the Toronto Sun, "MAC provided $296,514 between 2001 and 2010"
to IRFAN-Canada. Within that period, from 2005 and 2009, "IRFAN-Canada
transferred approximately $14.6 million worth of resources to various
organizations associated with Hamas". Both MAC and IRFAN-Canada are
considered linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2014, Canada's government
under Prime Minister Stephen Harper designated IRFAN-Canada a terrorist
entity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is facilitating the return of
ISIS terrorists and granting government funds to Islamist organizations who
end up funding banned terrorist groups. So, whose interests is the Canadian
government really looking out for?
**Judith Bergman is a columnist, lawyer and political analyst.
[1] Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ), according to the government website, provides
wage subsidies to employers to create employment for secondary and
post-secondary students. It welcomes applications from small businesses,
not-for-profit employers, public sector and faith-based organizations that
provide quality summer jobs for students.
© 2018 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.
Will Iran's economy collapse?
Bijan Khajehpour/Al-Monitor/June 25, 2018
Article Summary
The best remedy for Iran to solve its economic crisis is greater
transparency and a focus on technocratic remedies.
Iranian shops were closed at the ancient Grand Bazaar in Tehran, Iran, June
25, 2018.
Turbulent developments in the past few months on the foreign exchange and
gold markets in Iran and the government’s failure to manage runaway prices
has compelled some economists to start using the term “bubble economy.”
The interrelationship among various markets within the country’s economy was
explained in a June 14 Al-Monitor piece. In this article, however, we will
focus on the root causes and complexities of behaviors by economic players.
Regardless of whether these acts are driven by economic, psychological or
political factors, they are damaging to the economy as a whole and compound
the government's challenges in managing the economy. At the same time, it is
clear that a continuation of the current conditions will increase the
likelihood of an economic crisis with unprecedented social and political
consequences. The current wave of strikes and demonstrations by traders and
other economic actors is an example of how the problem will be amplified if
the authorities do not develop proper responses.
It is not a secret that in the past few decades the country’s economy has
continuously been undermined by internal factors such as mismanagement and
corruption and external uncertainties such as sanctions, threat of war and
regional insecurity. However, the intensity of the recent events supersedes
the collapse of the Iranian rial in 2012, when a similar confluence of
internal and external challenges was faced under the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
administration, including the threat of war over the collapse of the then
nuclear negotiations. In trying to explain the price hikes, Iranian
officials have also referred to “bubbles” extensively and have stated that
the price developments could not be explained by economic fundamentals.
An economic bubble is usually generated if there is optimism about the
future value of a specific commodity such as property, gold, oil, etc.
However, in the case of Iran, the driving force for various bubbles in the
economy is a confluence of different factors, including an anticipation of
inflation, unsustainable financing practices and misguided government
policies. The best description of the current situation is that the economy
is in a state of limbo. Some may even argue that the whole country is in a
state of limbo more than it was in 2012. This is very damaging and confuses
the society at large, in particular economic players. The recent actions of
the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) are a good indication why key stakeholders
distrust the CBI and other relevant authorities. In response to the rial
devaluation on the open market in March and April, the CBI announced the
unification of exchange rates, clamped down on foreign exchange bureaus, but
then failed to provide the needed hard currency to satisfy the market. In
the meantime, a three-tiered exchange rate system is emerging — an
embarrassing outcome, considering the process started as a path to unify the
previous two-tiered system.
While economic analysis always focuses on visible markets, such as hard
currency, gold or the stock exchange, the key shortcoming in the Iranian
economy is the nonexistence of a proper capital market. This forces economic
players to use financing approaches that are harmful to the economy as a
whole. For example, property developers pre-sell their housing units and
build in an anticipated inflation into their pre-sale price. The same
approach happens in the automotive market with liquidity being absorbed by
companies from nonbanking sources. Furthermore, an established method of
financing internal trade is delayed payments by bank checks — sometimes
postdated by 10-12 months — here again with a built-in inflation. These
financing gaps are then hedged against through speculation in the
hard-currency and gold markets. In the meantime, banking liquidity is being
invested in other markets, pushing up prices. In other words, there is a
chain of ill-structured interdependency among economic players that can
collapse if the economy experiences high levels of volatility.
Economic expert Albert Baghzian believes that the key responsibility of the
current distortions in the market lies with the CBI. He says that as long as
Iranian society feels as it is in a crisis mode, there will be a push toward
parallel markets.
In the meantime, the government is also incapable of managing the
uncertainties and volatilities. Instead of taking responsibility and being a
regulator to calm key actors, the government blames other authorities and
corrupt networks, while being accused of protecting its own proteges. Other
institutions, such as the judiciary and the intelligence apparatus, also do
not employ initiatives to calm the situation, but rather engage in factional
and institutional blame games. A recent high-profile case of smuggling of
5,000 expensive cars into the country serves as an example to see how
different players act and how corrupt practices have made governance
structures dysfunctional. In this case, the state prosecutor has admitted
the existence of corrupt networks and has announced that the responsible
persons will be prosecuted. However, a long host of similar past promises
and lack of action on behalf of the authorities has eroded even the minimal
level of confidence in the state structures.
Though one can identify many reasons for the current economic ills in the
country, it is valid to argue that political instability and the consequent
short-termism in economic decision-making are key problems. The push for
quick gains and short-term economic cycles creates bubbles in the various
markets and does not allow for medium- to long-term economic stability. It
is a vicious cycle that none of the governments has managed to address
effectively. Some experts put the blame on the government, but the roots are
deeper and probably in the prevalent win-lose mentality in Iranian culture
that leads to tensions in the political as well as economic spheres.
Clearly, the best remedy against such economic crises is greater
transparency and a focus on technocratic remedies. This would mean that the
government and CBI should start exposing the elements and networks that
benefit from artificial price developments and corrupt practices. For
example, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology on June
24 announced the names of those entities that imported mobile phones at the
official exchange rate, assuming that most of them sold their items at the
unofficial free market rate. It is this type of windfall that has financed a
number of corrupt networks in Iran.
Furthermore, the regime as a whole has to stop its passivity and go after
the corrupt interests. Recently, prominent financial auditor Abbas Hoshi
correctly opined that the only way to fix the country’s economic crisis is
to fight the underground economy, which is out of government control, and to
let the CBI become truly independent.
There is also increasing pressure on President Hassan Rouhani to reshuffle
his economic team. However, past experiences have shown that such shifts
won’t address the core issue. If an economic collapse is to be prevented,
the government has to stop playing the role of the victim and start
regulating various markets based on a clear economic doctrine along the
provisions in the various state strategy documents, including Vision 2025
and the sixth five-year development plan.
Found in: Economy and trade
**Bijan Khajehpour is an economist and a managing partner at Atieh
International, a Vienna-based international strategic consulting firm.
Turkey's Election: Stockholm Syndrome at Its Worst
Burak Bekdil/Gatestone Institute/June 26/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12599/turkey-election-results
Despite Erdoğan's clear victory, his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)
performed worse than expected.
Erdoğan may not be too happy having to share power.
The national joy over the re-election of a man known best to the rest of the
world for his authoritarian, sometimes despotic rule, is not surprising in a
country where average schooling is a mere 6.5 years.
Millions of anti-Erdoğan Turks are now terrified of the prospect of further
torment under an Islamist-nationalist coalition show run by a president with
effectively no checks and balances.
Nothing could have better explained the Turks' joy over their president's
election victory on June 24 than a cartoon that depicts a cheering crowd
with three lines in speech balloons: "It was a near thing," one says. "We
would almost become free." And the last one says: "Down with freedoms!"
Turkey's Islamist strongman, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, won 52.5% of
the national vote in presidential elections on June 24. That marks a slight
rise from 51.8% he won in presidential elections of August 2014. More than
25 million Turks voted for Erdoğan's presidency. His closest rival, social
democrat Muharrem Ince, an energetic former schoolteacher, won less than 16
million votes, or nearly 31% of the national vote.
The opposition candidate admitted that the election was fair. There have
been no reports of fraud from international observers, at least so far.
Despite the defeat, Ince was one of the many winners of Election 2018. For
the first time since 1977 a social democrat politician won more than 30% of
the vote in Turkey. Ince's party, the Republican People's Party (CHP) won
only 22.6% of the vote in the parliamentary race.
Despite Erdoğan's clear victory, his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)
performed worse than expected: It won 42.4% of the vote in parliamentary
elections, down eight percentage points from the 49.5% it won in the
previous parliamentary race in November 2015.
That decline deprived the AKP of winning parliamentary majority, with 295
seats in Turkey's 300-member house. Instead, AKP's right-wing partners, the
National Movement Party (MHP) unexpectedly won 49 seats, bringing the total
number of seats controlled by the governing bloc up to 344, a comfortable
majority.
The AKP-MHP alliance marks the official birth of Turkey's new ruling
ideology: A bloc of Islamists and nationalists that traditionally represent
Turkey's lowest educated rural population. Erdoğan may not be too happy
having to share power with a party that was last in a coalition alliance in
2002 but with his AKP lacking a parliamentary majority he will have to keep
the nationalists in partnership. He may also have to give them high-profile
seats like vice-president and/or ministerial positions.
After election results on June 24 Turkey will be further dragged into
authoritarian politics with the blend of Islamism and nationalism emerging
as the new state ideology. Deep polarization in the Turkish society will
probably get deeper. There are already signs. In a victory speech in the
evening hours of June 24 Erdoğan's foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said
that the losers of the election were the "terrorists". In this
politically-divisive, pathetic logic, 47.5% of Turks are terrorists: that
makes about 38.5 million people.
The national joy over the re-election of a man known best to the rest of the
world for his authoritarian, sometimes despotic rule, is not surprising in a
country where average schooling is a mere 6.5 years. As recently as April
2017, the Turks had already given up the remaining pieces of their democracy
when they voted in favor of constitutional amendments that made Erdoğan head
of the state, head of government and head of the ruling party all at the
same time. The amendments gave the president almost unchecked powers and the
authority to rule by decree.
In its "Freedom in the World 2018" report, Freedom House categorizes Turkey
as a "not free" country due to "due to a deeply flawed constitutional
referendum that centralized power in the presidency, the mass replacement of
elected mayors with government appointees, arbitrary prosecutions of rights
activists and other perceived enemies of the state, and continued purges of
state employees, all of which have left citizens hesitant to express their
views on sensitive topics". Turkey also tops Freedom house's list of
countries where democracy has been on decline for the past decade.
Ironically, even civil war-torn Syria is at the bottom of the list (meaning
its democracy has declined the least among the countries surveyed).
Erdoğan's Turkey was galloping toward dictatorship even before the Turks
gave him the powers he wanted in the April 2017 referendum. Millions of
anti-Erdoğan Turks are now terrified of the prospect of further torment
under an Islamist-nationalist coalition show run by a president with
effectively no checks and balances. Ince, the opposition candidate against
Erdoğan has vowed to fight back. Let us hope he does not have to fight back
from where many Erdoğan opponents have been locked up.
Burak Bekdil, one of Turkey's leading journalists, was recently 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.
© 2018 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.
Palestinians: The Only Acceptable Peace Plan
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/June 26/18
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12586/palestinians-peace-plan
The Palestinians want nothing to do with President Trump's plan: they know
it will never satisfy their demands. The Palestinians are not opposed to the
peace plan because of a dispute over a border or a settlement or a
checkpoint or the status of Jerusalem. They are against Trump's plan -- and
any other peace initiative -- because the Palestinians have something else
in mind.
The two Palestinian parties, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, may
disagree on everything -- except the elimination of Israel. The only peace
plan acceptable to current Palestinian leaders would be one that facilitated
their mission of pursuing jihad against Israel to obliterate it.
If Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt wish to learn more about the true
ambitions of the Palestinians, they would do well to take in a sermon at a
mosque on some Friday or stop into a school in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Perhaps then they would see for themselves that no peace plan in the world
can, at the moment, counter the poison that is injected daily into the
hearts and minds of the Palestinians and their children.
The Palestinians have never laid eyes on US President Donald Trump's plan
for peace in the Middle East. The Palestinians know nothing about the plan,
which still has not been made public.
That fact, however, has not stopped them from categorically rejecting the
yet-to-be-announced plan -- a stance the Palestinians repeated this week as
US Middle East envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt visited Israel and
a number of Arab countries to discuss the plan.
The Trump plan has not even been finalized and, as such, has not officially
been presented to any of the parties to the Israeli-Arab conflict. Kushner
and Greenblatt have been working on the plan for several months; their
current tour of the region comes in the context of Jordan and Egypt.
It is only the Palestinians who are boycotting the US administration. In the
past six months, the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership has refused to
have any dealings with the US administration -- except, of course, when it
comes to receiving financial aid from the US. Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas and his senior associates in Ramallah have not only
refused to meet with any official from the US administration, they have also
been waging a smear campaign of hate and incitement against President Trump
and top US administration representatives and officials.
Most of the Palestinian attacks have thus far been directed against Trump's
"Jewish and Zionist" advisors, including Kushner, Greenblatt and US
Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.
In the past six months, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and
his senior associates have not only refused to meet with any official from
the US administration, they have also been waging a smear campaign of hate
and incitement against President Trump and top US officials. Pictured: US
presidential envoys Jason Greenblatt (left) and Jared Kushner (center) speak
with Abbas (right) on June 22, 2017 in Ramallah. At the meeting, Abbas
rejected their demand that he halt payments to terrorists and their
families. (Photo by Thaer Ghanaim/PPO via Getty Images)
The vicious attacks on Trump and the senior US administration officials have
also been accompanied by statements from Abbas and other Palestinian
officials concerning the US president's Middle East peace plan. In these
statements, the Palestinians have not only voiced their rejection of the
plan that does not yet exist, but have also, on almost a daily basis, been
condemning it, dubbing it a "conspiracy" designed to eliminate Palestinian
rights. In the most recent Palestinian attack on the plan, Palestinian
Authority leaders are now claiming that it is actually aimed at "dividing
the Palestinian people" by establishing two separate Palestinian entities --
one in the West Bank and another in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian position regarding this unseen Trump plan, is largely based
on rumors and media speculation. Palestinian officials have admitted that
they get their information mostly from the media.
So, the Palestinians have rejected something they know nothing about. What,
then, is bothering the Palestinians about the Trump plan or any other peace
initiative? Attempts by the US administration to arrange meetings with PA
leaders in Ramallah to consult with them about the proposed plan have fallen
on deaf ears. The Palestinians express zero interest in even seeing if they
might find something good in the plan.
The Palestinians want nothing to do with Trump's plan: they know it will
never satisfy their demands. The Palestinians are not opposed to the peace
plan because of a dispute over a border or a settlement or a checkpoint or
the status of Jerusalem. They are against Trump's plan -- and any other
peace initiative -- because the Palestinians have something else in mind.
The kind of "peace" that the Palestinians are seeking is one that no peace
initiative would ever provide. The Palestinians want a peace without, not
with, Israel. The reason the Palestinians have a problem with the Trump plan
is that they see it as an obstacle to their plan to eliminate Israel. The
Palestinians know that the Trump plan -- regardless of its details -- will
not facilitate their mission to destroy Israel. The Palestinians, in fact,
see any peace plan presented to them - whether by Trump or anyone else - as
an obstacle hindering their effort and dream to continue the jihad (holy
war) against Israel and Jews. They do not want to have to say "No" to the
Trump Administration; it is safer just to duck the issue, stall and buy time
until a friendlier US administration comes along.
When the Palestinians denounce the Trump plan as a "conspiracy," they mean
that this is a US conspiracy to thwart their efforts to annihilate Israel.
What the Palestinians are saying is: "Who are these Americans to come and
preach to us about peace with the Jews living here when our real goal is to
drive the Jews out of this land?"
In the summer of 2000, Yasser Arafat walked out of the Camp David summit
(with President William Jefferson Clinton and then-Prime Minister Ehud
Barak) after realizing that the proposals on the table did not satisfy the
Palestinian aspirations and dreams – of destroying Israel. What Arafat
wanted was Israel to give him control over the entire West Bank, Gaza Strip
and east Jerusalem. What he wanted was to establish a Palestinian state on
these territories so that the Palestinians could use it as a launching pad
to "liberate the rest of Palestine" – that is, to destroy Israel. When a
furious Arafat realized that he would not get what he wanted, he returned to
Ramallah and incited Palestinians to wage against Israel another wave of
terrorism, called the Second Intifada.
Now Mahmoud Abbas is sitting in Arafat's seat. Abbas does not like the Trump
peace plan, sight unseen: he knows that it will not advance his goal of
fulfilling the "phased solution," in which Palestinians would take land bit
by bit of and use it as launching pads to pursue the jihad against Israel.
The Palestinian position is and has been very clear: Israel must give us as
much land as possible so that we can continue to build our power, force and
energies to continue the struggle to achieve our ultimate goal – eliminating
Israel. The Trump plan, as far as Abbas and his associates are concerned, is
a bad deal because it does not require Israel to surrender completely and
abandon territories that would be later occupied by Hamas, Islamic State,
Iran and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
There is only one peace plan that the Palestinians will accept; it is the
plan that enables them to achieve the "phased solution" of wiping Israel off
the face of the earth.
Abbas is opposed to Trump's plan because Abbas wants a temporary Palestinian
state that would be used in the future as a launching pad for Arab armies
and Palestinian and Islamist terror groups to wage attacks on Israel. The
Trump plan, as far as he is concerned, does not take into consideration the
Palestinian dream of eliminating Israel -- and this omission goes way over
his red lines.
The world already saw what happened the last time Israel gave Abbas land.
That was in 2005, when Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip and handed it
over to Abbas and his security forces.
Within a few months, Abbas and his cronies fled the Gaza Strip after Hamas
and had thrown Palestinian Authority members to their deaths from the top
floors of tall buildings, and handed the entire area over to Hamas. The
rest, as they say, is history. If Israel withdraws from the West Bank, the
same scenario would likely repeat itself there. This time, however, Hamas
would take over the West Bank not within months, but days or weeks.
In addition, no Palestinian leader is in a position to accept any peace
agreement with Israel -- especially not after both Abbas in the West bank
and Hamas in the Gaza Strip have spent an entire lifetime radicalizing their
people against Israel through incitement and indoctrination.
Decades of incitement in mosques and in the media have turned Israel, in the
eyes of most Palestinians, into one large settlement that needs to be
uprooted. Consequently, the Palestinian public is not prepared to hear about
any peace plan, not from Trump and not even from Prophet Mohammed.
The Palestinians have a problem with Israel's presence in the Middle East:
most of them have still not come to terms with the Jews' right to live in a
secure and sovereign state of their own anywhere in the Middle East.
Undoubtedly, Trump and his envoys come with the best intentions about making
peace between Arabs and Jews in our part of the world. However, what they do
not seem to see, however, is that as things stand today, there is no partner
on the Palestinian side for any deal with Israel.
The Palestinians are divided into camps -- one that openly states that it
does not want to make peace with Israel because its goal is to destroy
Israel and replace it with an Islamic state, and a second camp that, even if
it wanted to make peace with Israel – and it does not – could never do it
because it has trained its own people to accept only a mandate for murder.
The first camp is called the "radical camp." This is the camp that is
opposed to Israel's presence in the Middle East.
The second camp is what the Palestinians call the "Abbas camp," which is
corrupt and weak and sends conflicting messages to its people and speaks in
more than one voice.
The two Palestinian parties, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, may
disagree on everything -- except the elimination of Israel. The only peace
plan acceptable to current Palestinian leaders would be one that facilitated
their mission of pursuing jihad against Israel to obliterate it.
If Kushner and Greenblatt wish to learn more about the true ambitions of the
Palestinians, they would do well to take in a sermon at a mosque on some
Friday or stop into a school in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Perhaps then
they would see for themselves that no peace plan in the world can, at the
moment, counter the poison that is injected daily into the hearts and minds
of the Palestinians and their children.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
© 2018 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.
The defeated Houthis and the chance to end the war
Mohammed Al-Hammadi/Al Arabiya/June 26/18
The Houthi militias have been sipping from the cup of defeat like they never
have for days now. The liberation of the Hodeidah Airport by Al Amalaqah Brigade
aided by the Arab coalition revealed to the Houthis the reality of their
situation and made them see the power of the Yemeni army and the coalition.
The airport fell within days and the Houthis fled and scattered everywhere but
given their cowardice they hid behind innocent civilians. They thus stationed
their tanks in residential neighborhoods and between people’s houses because
they know that the coalition forces and the joint Yemeni forces avoid hitting
civilians as they’ve come together to save them and protect them.
This exposes the truth which the world must realize and it is that those
besieging Hodeidah are the Houthis by using civilians as human shields, planting
mines everywhere and closing the cities’ exits to implement their threats of a
humanitarian tragedy.
During these few weeks, the world has a huge opportunity to change the course of
the war in Yemen and put an actual end to the crisis there as liberating the
city of Hodeidah and its airport and completing this with liberation the port
are strategically important and will push the Houthis to submit to international
decisions and go back to serious and practical negotiations.
The international community must stand with the legitimate government of Yemen
and with the Arab coalition in their advance towards liberating Hodeidah which
also means liberating the port, ending Houthis’ threats to international
navigation and ending the Houthis’ smuggling of weapons and looting of
humanitarian aid.
The world can then begin helping the Yemeni people in Hodeidah and other areas
through Hodeidah’s airport and port. This is what must be focused on during the
current phase. International and regional efforts must be focused on ending the
state of war not its continuation.
As for international reports demanding to stop the advance towards Hodeidah
under the pretext that the humanitarian situation is affected and by claiming
they want to protect civilians then it must be clarified that meeting these
demands means prolonging the duration of the fighting in the city and around it.
This worsens people’s suffering and creates a real humanitarian catastrophe that
is caused by UN agencies and not the opposite.
Therefore, the international community must stand with the legitimate government
and with the Arab coalition in their advance towards liberating Hodeidah which
also means liberating the port, ending Houthis’ threats to international
navigation and ending the Houthis’ smuggling of weapons and looting of
humanitarian aid that’s supposed to be delivered to citizens.
Finally, the world must not overlook two important things about Yemen. First of
all it is important to implement the UN Security Council decisions which aim to
liberate the areas that the Houthis control in order to end the people’s
suffering and open international relief passages for international organizations
and UN agencies through Hodeidah’s airport and port. The second thing is to
affirm the right of the local Tihamah resistance to expel the Houthis from their
areas considering they are illegitimate occupation forces that the entire city
rejects.