LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 28/2018
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias
Bejjani
The Bulletin's Link on the
lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias18/english.june27.18.htm
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Bible
Quotations
We speak, not to
please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts
First Letter to the Thessalonians 02/01-12: "You yourselves know, brothers
and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had
already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we
had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great
opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or
trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the
message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to
please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we
never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we
seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might
have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like
a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you
that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also
our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. You remember our
labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we
might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our
conduct was towards you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of
you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading
that you should lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own
kingdom and glory."
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published on June 27-28/18
Is Lebanon on its own, or with Iran/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/June 27/18
Wings of Lebanon blames tight timeframe for EU license suspension/Annahar
Staff/June 27/18
Cabinet held up as Aoun hardens stance on LF posts/Hussein Dakroub/The Daily
Star/ June 27/18
LibanPost Issues Special Stamp Honoring BDL Governor Riad Salameh/Naharnet/June
27/18/
Lieberman asks Iranians: 'Where's your money going/Ynetnews/Yoav Zitun/June
26/18
European Terrorism: The 'Batman Syndrome/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone
Institute/June 27/18
Canada Supports, Infantilizes Jihadis/Judith Bergman/Gatestone
Institute/June 27/18
Years after Genocide, Yazidis Urgently Need Help/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone
Institute/June 27/18
Women Can Drive … What Has Changed/Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/June
27/18
Steering Saudis Toward a Brighter Future/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al
Awsat/June 27/18
Iran, Turkey and Qatar divide their dubious roles in region/Abdullah bin
Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/June 27/18
Titles For The
Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on
June 27-28/18
Press Release: OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
Aoun Inaugurates 30th Ministerial Session of the UN ESCWA
Syrian war, regional crisis too costly for Lebanon: President Aoun
Machnouk: Security plan in Baalbeck so far successful
Aoun says deputy PM is his right to appoint
Lebanon Cabinet Bid Falters over Presidential Share, Christian
Representation
Protesters In Tehran Shout: Our Enemies Are Right Here! America Is Not Our
Enemy! No To Gaza, No To Lebanon!
Hariri, Aoun to Hold Talks Thursday on Cabinet Line-Up
Ibrahim Completes Review of Naturalization Decree, 'Decision in Political
Authority’s Hands'
Israel and Lebanon refuse to agree on maritime border
Jumblat Slams Int'l Community, Arabs for 'Handing Over Daraa' to Regime
Bukhari Meets Mufti, Says KSA Keen on Lebanon Stability
Kanaan, Riachi Say Maarab Agreement Alive after Bassil Mourns It
Is Lebanon on its own, or with Iran?
Wings of Lebanon blames tight timeframe for EU license suspension
Cabinet held up as Aoun hardens stance on LF posts
LibanPost Issues Special Stamp Honoring BDL Governor Riad Salameh
Gallagher & Moulton Remember 1983 USMC Barracks Bombing
Titles For Latest LCCC
Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on June 27-28/18
Kurdish Government Imposes Discriminatory Regulation on Assyrians in North
Iraq
Israel Reaches Understanding with Cyprus on Gaza Port Plan
PA Accuses Hamas of 'Making Deals' in Gaza
Regime, Russian Strikes on Daraa Put 3 Hospitals out of Service
U.S., Russia Agree to Putin-Trump Summit in '3rd Country'
OPCW Granted Power to Lay Blame in Chemical Attacks
Britain, US Urge Expanded Power for OPCW to Lay Blame
North Korea Carrying out Activity near Nuclear Facility, Says Monitor
Over 200 Killed in Central Nigeria Violence
US Judge Orders Separated Families Reunited Within 30 Days
Prince William Meets Palestinian President, Hopes for Lasting Middle East
Peace
Egypt Blacklists 187 Muslim Brotherhood Members
Aboul Gheit Stresses Support for Iraq’s Unity, Stability
The Latest LCCC Lebanese Related News published on June 27-28/18
OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
WASHINGTON, D.C.
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2018
Readout of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dunford's Meeting with
Commander, Lebanese Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Joseph Awn
Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Patrick S. Ryder provided the following
readout:
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. spoke with
the Commander, Lebanese Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Joseph Awn during a meeting
today.
The two leaders discussed challenges and security concerns in the region,
including combating terrorism. They also discussed continued U.S.-Lebanese
military cooperation.
The partnership between the United States and Lebanon is a crucial element
to peace and security in the Middle East region.
Aoun Inaugurates 30th
Ministerial Session of the UN ESCWA
Annahar Staff/June 27/18/President Michel Aoun inaugurated the 30th
Ministerial Session of the UNESCWA at its headquarters in Beirut where he
highlighted the crisis of Syrian refugees saying it is “bigger than
Lebanon’s ability to tolerate,” and stressed that corruption will no longer
be neglected. Lebanon “understands the humanitarian dimension of the
suffering of the displaced, but it is a problem that exceeds our financial,
economic and social ability to tolerate,” said Aoun. “We are determined to
find the necessary solutions and we hope that the Arab and international
communities will help us achieve this goal and help the displaced return,”
he added. On the other hand, Aoun said although Lebanon is facing several
challenges but corruption must be put to an end, he said, “let it be known
that the time has come for punishment for corruption. There will be no more
negligence regarding achievements made through illegal gains,” he added.
Furthermore, he stressed that Lebanon recognizes the importance of
technology and its role in economic development. “It is very reliable in the
programs that we intend to formulate and implement in the next period of
time within the framework of economic and social planning.”
He added that sustainable development aims at saving societies from their
current problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and disease, while at the
same time providing a decent life for future generations. Aoun explained
that Lebanon is facing challenges that are very similar to the challenges of
sustainable development in terms of the need to address the problems of the
present and prepare for the future. “We are determined to confront the
accumulated crises that began half a century ago and continued over the
years and decades and particularly reflected in the chronic gap between the
State revenues and expenditures and the growing public debt,” he said
stressing the corruption will no longer be tolerated.
Syrian war, regional crisis too costly for
Lebanon: President Aoun
Arab News/June 27/18/Lebanese President Michel Aoun spoke of Lebanon's woes during the 30th
session of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the Syrian war and regional turmoil were
forcing his country to pay more than it can afford. President Aoun
inaugurated the 30th session of the Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA) under the slogan “Technology for Sustainable
Development in the Arab Region,” in the presence of Charge d’Affaires of the
Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon Walid Bukhari;
Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit; ESCWA Executive
Secretary Dr. Mohamed Ali Al-Hakim; Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Emigrants Gebran Bassil; representatives and delegations of the ESCWA member
countries; and ambassadors of Arab and foreign countries.
In his speech, Aoun noted: “Lebanon is facing difficult and exceptional
circumstances. It has been forced to pay a large share of that which exceeds
its economic, financial and social capabilities in the human tragedy caused
by the Syrian war and the regional turmoil in general.
“We understand the human dimension of the suffering of displaced people, but
this is a problem that Lebanon cannot afford to bear with its financial,
economic and security burdens. We are determined to find the necessary
solutions, hoping that the Arab and international communities will help us
to achieve this goal and help the displaced persons to return to their homes
as soon as possible,” he added.
Machnouk: Security
plan in Baalbeck so far successful
The Daily Star/June. 27, 2018/BEIRUT: A wide-scale security operation
launched in Baalbeck-Hermel has thus far been successful, Lebanon’s
caretaker interior minister announced Tuesday after discussing the area’s
security measures with President Michel Aoun. After the meeting at Baabda
Palace, Nouhad Machnouk said he “spoke with the president about the success
of the security plan in the Bekaa area that was launched.”Earlier in the
day, the Lebanese Army chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Hatem Mallak – who is
acting Army commander while Gen. Joseph Aoun is in the United States –
confirmed that the Army began implementing ramped up security measures in
the area Monday. The Army is now heavily patrolling the main roads in
northern Bekaa and its surrounding municipalities and carrying out arrests.
Measures at checkpoints, both fixed and flexible, have also intensified.
Machnouk also announced the suspension of permits for tinted windows in
Baalbeck-Hermel, with an exception for officials and security. “This is in
keeping with the work of the military and security apparatuses in
consolidating the maintenance of security and order in the province,” a
statement from Machnouk’s office said. Vehicles without license plates are
prevalent in the area, often making it difficult to track down owners. Malak
visited Baalbeck and toured its commercial market after meeting with Army
officers and personnel stationed in the area.
The meeting reviewed the new security plan for the province. The security
situation in Baalbeck-Hermel has been under increased scrutiny in recent
weeks, following a series of shootouts and other security incidents between
clans that caused an outcry among residents and lawmakers. Malak confirmed
the area is like any other part of the country and under the sovereignty of
the state and the rule of law. He noted that the Bekaa area, specifically
Baalbek-Hermel, “in terms of tribal and family ties, often calls for contact
with the concerned parties to find solutions to some of the differences or
problems, but this does not mean at all that there is cover for any
violation.” Toward the end of his visit, Malak urged the area’s residents to
stand by the Army in its mission. During a meeting with Baalbeck-Hermel MPs
Monday, President Aoun said the measures taken to strengthen security and
stability in the area would be linked to development efforts. “There will be
no tolerance for those who cause chaos and worry among the residents and
inflict damage to the economic life through their practices,” Aoun told
visitors to the presidential palace. Separately, Gen. Aoun Tuesday discussed
the Army’s continued efforts to protect the country’s borders and stability.
Speaking during an event hosted by Lebanon’s Ambassador to the U.S., Aoun
thanked his hosts for their aid to the Army. “The [United States] is a close
country for Lebanon, and is concerned about [our] stability,” Aoun said.
“[The U.S.] is the main supporter of the Army ... as the sole side capable
of ensuring this stability.” He noted that 90 percent of the aid received by
the Army comes from the U.S.
Aoun says deputy PM is his right to appoint
The Daily Star/June. 27, 2018/BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun indirectly hit
back at the Future Movement and Lebanese Forces Tuesday, saying it is his
right to appoint the deputy prime minister and some ministers in order to
monitor the work of Cabinet. “President Aoun is dealing with the formation
of the Cabinet on the basis of his powers and does not ignore what the
Constitution and customs have established since the Taif Accord,” the
president’s office said in a statement. Referencing the Taif agreement, the
statement added that Aoun is required to “protect national partnership” with
the broadest possible government. The president called on all political
parties to respect the outcome of the recent parliamentary elections, which
determine the size of representation in government. Aoun also fired back at
those claiming he is “endangering” the Taif Accord. “Those who are keen on
the Taif agreement must stop the falsifications and distorting the facts,
because President Aoun is committed to the Taif agreement, which has become
constitutional and others must respect it,” the statement said.
Lebanon Cabinet Bid Falters over Presidential Share, Christian
Representation
Wednesday, 27 June, 2018//Beirut - Youssef Diab/Asharq Al Awsat/June
27/18/Discussions on the Lebanese government formation were back to square
one on Tuesday after PM-designate Saad Hariri faced a new obstacle following
attempts to increase the ministerial share of President Michel Aoun. The new
demand was fiercely rejected by Hariri, whose close aides said conditions
placed by Free Patriotic Movement leader FM Jebran Bassil not to grant the
Lebanese Forces more than three portfolios, and the request for adding the
president’s share aimed to pressure the PM-designate to offer one-sided
concessions.
Other sources said observers would think that the tension is directly linked
to cabinet formation, however in reality it is a prelude to the next
presidential race. While acknowledging that the government would not see the
light in the coming days and even weeks, and pending the return of Speaker
Nabih Berri from his private visit abroad, Hariri kicked off a new round of
talks with his allies, mainly LF leader Samir Geagea, who visited the Center
House in Beirut on Monday night. Sources close to Hariri said the obstacle
to the government formation lies in the level of the LF representation.
“Bassil insists on rejecting most solutions offered in this regard,” they
said. LF sources denied in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat that cabinet formation
efforts are back to square one. Concessions should not be offered by one
party, but by all political sides, they said. However, an FPM lawmaker said
accusations that his party is trying to exclude the LF or the Progressive
Socialist Party are “nothing but an attempt to throw the ball of
responsibility in the other team’s court.”The MP told Asharq Al-Awsat that
Aoun and Bassil are eager to guarantee the representation of all parties in
the next government, but each according to its size. “We will not offer
gifts” to anyone, the source said. However, observers believe that the main
reason for the stalemate lies in the next presidential elections. Informed
sources said that “Bassil is trying to weaken all other Christian parties,
particularly the Lebanese Forces, to prove he is the strongest in his sect,”
the sources added. Such a move would guarantee that the presidential post is
kept by the FPM, which has been founded by Aoun.
Protesters In Tehran Shout: Our Enemies Are Right Here! America Is Not Our
Enemy! No To Gaza, No To Lebanon!
MEMRI/June 27/18/Footage posted on social
media on June 25 showed protesters in various locations in Tehran marching
and shouting slogans like “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon! I will give my life to
Iran!" and "Death to the dictator." In one demonstration, the protesters
shouted "Our enemy is here! It is a lie that America is our
enemy!"Protesters: "No to Gaza, no to Lebanon! I will give my life to Iran!
No to Gaza, no to Lebanon! I will give my life to Iran! "No to Gaza, no to
Lebanon! I will give my life to Iran! No to Gaza, no to Lebanon! I will give
my life to Iran! Death to the dictator! Death to the dictator! Death to the
dictator! Death to the dictator! Death to the dictator! Death to the
dictator!"Palestine and Syria make us miserable! Palestine and Syria make us
miserable! Palestine and Syria make us miserable! "Our enemy is here! It is
a lie that America is our enemy! Our enemy is here! It is a lie that America
is our enemy! Our enemy is here! It is a lie that America is our enemy!"
Hariri, Aoun to Hold Talks Thursday on Cabinet Line-Up
Naharnet/June 27/18/Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and President
Michel agreed to meet on Thursday to discuss the Cabinet formation process,
the National News Agency reported on Wednesday. Hariri made a phone call
this morning to Aoun, during which he agreed on a visit to the presidential
palace on Thursday to follow up consultations on the formation of the
government, NNA said. Later on Wednesday, Aoun held talks in Baabda with
caretaker Information Minister Melhem Riachi, who was delegated by Lebanese
Forces leader Samir Geagea. The Presidency said talks tackled "the Cabinet
formation process." Riachi for his part described the meeting as "very
positive." Hariri on Friday submitted a Cabinet line-up format which Speaker
Nabih Berri agreed to and Aoun reportedly rejected. According to reports,
the line-up included three ministers for Aoun including a Christian loyal to
MP Talal Arslan and a Sunni from outside Hariri’s al-Mustaqbal Movement. It
also allocated the three Druze seats to Progressive Socialist Party chief
Walid Jumblat. The line-up also reportedly involved giving the defense
portfolio to the Lebanese Forces. All these formulas were however rejected
by Baabda and the parties were informed of this on Sunday evening.
Ibrahim Completes Review of Naturalization
Decree, 'Decision in Political Authority’s Hands'
Naharnet/June 27/18/18/General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said
the Directorate has completed the task entrusted to it regarding a
controversial naturalization decree review, as he noted that a new batch of
Syrian refugees will be returning to Syria on Thursday. “We have completed
the task entrusted to us regarding the citizenship decree,” he said pointing
out that the political authority will have to decide on the next step. “I
don’t think the report will be submitted to the State Shura Council,” added
Ibrahim. He refused to tell the names included the report and upon which
reservations were made as for a right to be granted the Lebanese
nationality. Early in June, President Michel Aoun’s office submitted the
names of individuals included in a controversial naturalization decree to
the General Security agency to verify they all have "the right" to become
Lebanese. The decree was reportedly issued on May 11 after being signed by
Aoun, but news of its existence only emerged late after that when dozens of
names allegedly included in the edict were leaked to the media. Lebanese
media reported it has included as many as 300 people, including businessmen
known to be close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It prompted a wave of
public outrage, with Lebanese officials scrambling to defend themselves or
defect blame. On the crisis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Ibrahim noted
that around “400 displaced will leave the northeastern town of Arsal and
head back to Syria on Thursday.”
Israel and Lebanon refuse to agree on maritime
border
By Staff reporter/27 June 2018/Israel has refused to agree a final maritime
border with Lebanon, according to Lebanese President Michel Aoun. The two
countries were seeking a solution to their long-running dispute, and were
using the United States as an intermediary. Lebanon had awarded a contract
to explore Block 9, which includes part of the disputed maritime area, to a
group of companies including Novatek.
Jumblat Slams Int'l
Community, Arabs for 'Handing Over Daraa' to Regime
Naharnet/June 27/18/Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on
Wednesday accused the international community and the Arab League of
“handing over” the southern Syrian province of Daraa to the Syrian regime.
“What a sad and tragic coincidence. After the peaceful uprising that Daraa's
children staged seven years ago, and after legendary resilience in the face
of the regime of brutality, the so-called international community and the
futile Arab League are handing over Daraa to the jailer of torture, arrests,
disappearances and murder,” Jumblat tweeted. “Long live the resilience of
Daraa's children,” he added. Deadly air strikes pounded rebel-held towns
across southern Syria on Wednesday, as relief groups sounded the alarm over
a Russian-backed push for the region and its main city Daraa. The south is
meant to be protected by a ceasefire put in place last year by Russia,
Jordan, and the United States, but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has set
his sights on retaking the area. After a week of air strikes and artillery
fire on rebel towns across Daraa province, his troops turned to the
opposition-held half of the provincial capital on Tuesday. The bombing
continued into Wednesday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights.Rebels hold a horseshoe-shaped band of territory in the south, and
government troops have already isolated one end of it by capturing two
strategic villages. In that encircled zone, around 1,000 people have
"regularized" their status with the government, according to state news
agency SANA, including several hundred rebels who laid down their arms.But
in the nearby town of al-Nahta, captured Wednesday by the regime, rebels
appeared to be resisting. A car bomb killed 12 regime forces there Wednesday
afternoon, the Observatory said.
The U.N. has warned that more than 750,000 lives are at risk in the south,
with more than 45,000 people already displaced.
Bukhari Meets Mufti, Says KSA Keen on Lebanon Stability
Naharnet/June 27/18/Saudi charge d'affaires in Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari held
talks Wednesday with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan and stressed that
Saudi Arabia is “keen on Lebanon's stability.”“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's
leadership and people support Lebanon and the Lebanese,” Bukhari said.
“There are ongoing and firm efforts to strengthen the relations between the
two countries and we hope Lebanon will witness a breakthrough at all the
political, economic and developmental levels,” the envoy added. Emphasizing
that Riyadh is “keen on Lebanon's stability, sovereignty, security and
prosperity,” Bukhari said the kingdom wishes success for efforts to achieve
“Lebanon's rise” and “reinforce its national and Arab role.”Daryan for his
part lauded “KSA's pioneering role and its support for the government in
Lebanon and the welfare of all Lebanese.”
Kanaan, Riachi Say Maarab Agreement Alive after Bassil
Mourns It
Naharnet/June 27/18/Strong Lebanon bloc secretary MP Ibrahim
Kanaan and caretaker Information Minister Melhem Riachi of the Lebanese
Forces insisted Wednesday that the landmark Maarab Agreement is still alive,
after Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil hinted that the
agreement is dead. “The Christian reconciliation was not born on a certain
day, it rather belongs to history and to the coming generations,” Kanaan
tweeted. “In light of its symbolism and depth, it cannot be erased by a
political or governmental dispute, after we achieved an influential
Christian presence in state institutions,” he added.
Riachi meanwhile told al-Jadeed television that the Maarab Agreement was “an
agreement between three parties: President (Michel) Aoun, LF leader (Samir)
Geagea and Christians, from the last hut in Lebanon's mountains to the last
home in the diaspora.”“These three parties are holding onto the Maarab
Agreement and the reconciliation, that's why it (the agreement) has not and
will not fall,” Riachi added. Bassil had hinted Tuesday that the Maarab
Agreement “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.
Jarrah’s’s speech was followed by the unveiling of a [commemorative plaque]
engraving the Governor’s stamp. Upon receiving his plaque, Salameh expressed
his gratitude for this honoring reception, considering this recognition as
significant “because honoring someone in his homeland is always something
important, this is why we thank H.E Minister Jarrah for attending and
representing Prime Minister Hariri, as well as LibanPost and Khalil Daoud
for their initiative”. Salameh also said that “the Central Bank always look
at the situation calmly, because during times like those we are currently
experiencing, the monetary situation becomes the center of opinions and
analysis from all sides, but with all due respect to all, we have to state
that Lebanon is not bankrupt and has the ability to evolve because the main
economic and financial criteria remains the trust that is based on
experience. We have overcome wars and crisis, and we have always been
confident and able to protect our stability by which I mean our national
currency value and our credit capacity. The Central Bank confirms that our
monetary stability is ongoing, this is proven, without counting the gold
value, by a currency reserve of 45 billion dollars, as well as a 5% deposits
increase in our banking system. All this data means that there is still
confidence in Lebanon and that money has not stopped flowing into our
system, and this is again demonstrated through our latest Eurobonds issuance
for the value of 3 billion dollars that have all been subscribed into, a
value covers our financial needs for 2018”. “We have to be aware of
everything said and written” concluded Salameh who also stressed the
“necessity to draw conclusions based on realistic facts and data, as for the
political controversies, this is something both we and the markets are now
used to”..
The ceremony was followed by a cocktail reception held on the Banque du
Liban’s steps.
Is Lebanon on its own, or with Iran?
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/June 27/18
Among the promises which the venerable Lebanese government and presidency
made was guarantee that Lebanon will “dissociate itself” from the region’s
wars, and of course including Yemen’s war. However all these promises are
“like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water.”We all know
that fighters of the Lebanese Hezbollah group are an organic part of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and that Hassan Nasrallah is a
soldier in Velayat-e Faqih and a follower of “the ruler of Muslims”, all
Muslims, Ayatollah Khamenei.We all know about the role, which Lebanese
fighters from the South, Baalbeck and Hermel are playing in Aleppo and its
countryside and in Damascus’ countryside, Sayyida Zaynab neighborhood, the
Qalamoun mountains and Wadi Barada and its villages.Even in Bahrain, Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia, you will always find a role for the trainers of this
Khomeini party. The coalition in support of legitimacy in Yemen recently
announced it killed eight Hezbollah members, including a field commander,
during a military operation that targeted Houthi militias in Maran in the
Houthis’ stronghold in Saada. AFP quoted spokesman for the Arab coalition
Colonel Turki al-Malki as saying that this is “not the first time” Hezbollah
members are killed in Yemen. In a press conference in Riyadh, Malki said the
killed Hezbollah fighters were with a group “heading to (an area) near the
Saudi borders, and their (activity) was detected by surveillance of
intelligence systems.” How does Lebanon want to be a normal state with a
secure banking and financial system when there is this terrorist
organization within its core?
‘Most honorable war’
What’s the Lebanese government’s position from this incident which is only
one example of Hezbollah’s involvement in terrorism and war on Saudi Arabia,
the UAE and other countries – a war which Nasrallah said it was the most
honorable war he’s fought in his life? I do not know the secret of this
coldness or this approach of turning a deaf ear adopted by the Lebanese
state towards this so-called Hezbollah, which is involved in international
terrorism. How does Lebanon want to be a normal state with a secure banking
and financial system when there is this terrorist organization within its
core? The US administration led by Trump is very serious about confronting
Iran’s activities and those who follow Iran, unlike the policy of the former
“kind and nice” Barack Obama. The issue is very serious, and the tender
mother the Khomeini republic itself is “ahead of difficult and dangerous
days” as Ali Khoram, the advisor of Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif, told the Iranian Aram daily on Sunday. The Lebanese state must choose
between the interest of Lebanon and its people and the interest of Iran and
its affiliate in Lebanon, Hezbollah. It’s not possible to combine the two.
There is a proverb that says: You cannot eat your cake and have it, too!
Wings of Lebanon blames tight timeframe for EU license
suspension
Annahar Staff/June 27/18
The airline was given six days to implement "immediate mitigating measures
and corrective action plans," and were "considered insufficient" by the
European civil aviation agency.
BEIRUT: Following the uproar in the wake of the European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) suspending Wings of Lebanon's EU license for a lack of
"compliance with the applicable requirements" of the European agency's
standards, the private airline issued a statement Wednesday blaming the
discrepancies on "the tight timeframe" afforded to it to address the
numerous violations.
EASA suspended Wings of Lebanon's Third Country Operator (TCO) Authorization
on June 14 for "seven level (1) findings and nine level (2) findings,"
concluding that the charter airline failed to "ensure that all of its
aircraft and flights operated under their TCO Authorization."
The airline was given six days to implement "immediate mitigating measures
and corrective action plans," but were "considered insufficient" by the
European civil aviation agency.
Instead, EASA reclassified two of the level (2) findings to level (1)
findings, which pertain to the "Minimum Equipment List and Approved
Maintenance Programme," given that Wings of Lebanon "did not propose a
corrective action plan but offered additional explanations."
The statement released by Wings of Lebanon maintains that it possesses since
2007 the "Air Operator Certificate by the Lebanese Directorate General of
Civil Aviation," while arguing that it "underwent a check by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) some time ago," which
showed that everything was in order.
Yet, the letter sent to Wings of Lebanon by EASA clearly states that the
airline failed to address the "Maintance of Aircraft" violation, given that
the "operator did not provide all maintance records requested for review by
EASA in the ambit of assessing compliance with applicable ICAO Standards."
The letter also states that the "Approved Maintanace Program" vioaltion,
which was upped to a level (1) finding, "is not in compliance with
corresponding ICAO Standards."
Wings of Lebanon's TCO Authorization is now suspended for a maximum period
of six months before possibly being revoked if it fails to implement
"successful corrective actions." The airline can submit its appeal within
two months.
The TCO Authorization is required for any third-country operator intending
to perform commercial air transport operations into, within, or out of the
28 member states of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland,
as well as Gibraltar, Åland Islands, Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands,
Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Saint-Martin, Mayotte.
Cabinet held up as Aoun hardens stance on LF posts
Hussein Dakroub/The Daily Star/ June 27/18
/BEIRUT: The
monthlong Cabinet formation standoff hit a serious impasse Tuesday when
President Michel Aoun toughened his position on the Lebanese Forces’ demand
for key ministerial posts in the new government, by declaring that it is his
constitutional right to choose the deputy prime minister and some ministers
in order to monitor the Cabinet’s performance. Aoun’s hard-line stance on
the LF’s Cabinet share, also seen as targeting Prime Minister-designate Saad
Hariri for reportedly supporting the LF’s push for a significant
representation in the new government based on the results of last month’s
parliamentary elections, was bound to further complicate Hariri’s attempts
to form an all-embracing national unity Cabinet. “The Cabinet formation
efforts have been put on hold for a couple of weeks as a result of remaining
complications over the Lebanese Forces and Druze representation,” a
ministerial source familiar with the government formation process The Daily
Star Tuesday night.
Aoun entered the fray over the Cabinet formation crisis with an
unprecedented statement released by his media office.
“The president is dealing with the issue of the formation of a new Cabinet
on the basis of his powers stipulated in the Constitution ... in addition to
laws in force. Although the president does not interfere in the formation
mechanism, he will not ignore the powers granted to him by the Constitution
and the norms adopted since the [1989] Taif Accord, particularly with regard
to the president’s right to choose the deputy prime minister and a number of
ministers through whom he monitors the Cabinet’s work and performance in
general, based on his constitutional oath to safeguard laws,” the statement
said.Aoun urged those seeking to deprive the president from “this
consecrated right to review their calculations, correct their bets and
revive their memories.”The president is required by the Constitution to
“protect national partnership with a government reflecting the broadest
possible national representation based on the results of parliamentary
elections conducted under a proportional law,” the statement said. “These
elections determined the sizes of [representation] of political forces.
Therefore, these forces must respect these sizes in order to facilitate the
Cabinet formation process,” it added.
Aoun’s position came amid a fierce struggle between the Free Patriotic
Movement and the LF over Christian representation in the new government
casting gloom over the entire Cabinet formation process. It came a day after
LF chief Samir Geagea insisted following a meeting with Hariri that his
party be represented in the new government based on the results of the May 6
elections in which the LF boosted its parliamentary representation from
eight to 15 MPs.
A ministerial source sounded pessimistic about an early solution to the
Cabinet crisis.
“The main problem stems from the LF representation. During last night’s
meeting, the LF accepted four ministers, including the position of the
deputy prime minister,” the source told The Daily Star, referring to
Geagea’s meeting with Hariri at the latter’s Downtown Beirut residence
Monday night. “But Aoun is insisting on allotting the deputy prime
minister’s post to a minister loyal to him. The dispute is over the deputy
prime minister’s post rather than over the number of ministers the LF should
get,” he added. “Once the problem of the deputy prime minister’s position is
solved, there remains the problem of the Druze representation,” the source
said: “The obstacles facing the Cabinet formation are internal ... We are
facing two difficult, but not insurmountable problems. This will take time
to be solved.”Walid Joumblatt, the leader of the Progressive Socialist
Party, has insisted that the PSP’s parliamentary Democratic Gathering bloc
be allocated the three ministerial posts reserved for the Druze in a
30-member Cabinet. Joumblatt’s demand was apparently aimed at preventing his
Druze rival, MP Talal Arslan, from being named as a minister. Earlier in the
day, Hariri said he will visit Aoun 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 would not be impeded by the absence of Speaker
Nabih Berri, who left Tuesday for Italy with his family on vacation.
Hariri Tuesday also chaired the weekly meeting of the Future Movement’s
parliamentary bloc, which called on political parties to facilitate the
Cabinet formation.
“The bloc stresses that the task of forming the government is among the
constitutional responsibilities entrusted exclusively to the prime
minister-designate, in full cooperation and coordination with the president
of the republic,” the bloc said in a statement after the meeting. “The
ongoing consultations with parliamentary blocs fall within these
responsibilities, which are supposed to take into account in this stage of
the history of Lebanon, the necessity of reaching a national entente
government whose all its political components cooperate to achieve the
required reforms and address the economic, financial and administrative
challenges that cannot wait to be solved.” The bloc called on Aoun to play a
“pivotal role” in moving away from the circle of waiting and acting with
Hariri toward shaping the final formula of the government’s components.
Reaffirming its confidence in Hariri’s ability to overcome the obstacles
hindering the Cabinet formation, the bloc noted that the prime
minister-designate considers that “monetary stability in Lebanon is
preserved and that the economic situation will witness a definite start
immediately after the formation of the government, which will put CEDRE
reforms and its consultative program at the top of its
priorities.”Responding to the LF’s demand for key ministerial posts, Bassil
said each party would be represented in the new government according to its
parliamentary size. “The distribution of rights among groups that will
participate in the government is clear. According to the results of
elections held under a proportional law, representation in the national
unity government will be proportional. This means that each party will be
represented in the government according to its size in Parliament,” Bassil
told a news conference after chairing the weekly meeting of the FPM’s
parliamentary Strong Lebanon bloc.
LibanPost Issues
Special Stamp Honoring BDL Governor Riad Salameh
Naharnet/June 27/18/
Under the High Patronage of President of the Council of Ministers Saad
Hariri represented by Minister of Communications Jamal Jarrah, LibanPost
honored the Governor of the Banque du Liban Riad Salameh with a special
stamp unveiled during a ceremony that took place at the Banque du Liban
Museum, and attended by a crowd of business leaders as well as government
officials, international and local media, and public figures, a press
release said.
This leading initiative by LibanPost comes as a Lebanese tribute to the
Governor whose actions, efforts and dedication have preserved the economic
and financial stability in Lebanon despite a highly critical local and
regional context.
The unveiling of the special stamp honoring Governor Salameh also follows
the edition by LibanPost of a series of collectable stamps paying tribute to
the Lebanese international businessman Carlos Ghosn and most recently the
Lebanese international fashion designer Elie Saab.Following the Lebanese
anthem and a welcome note by Rony Alfa, LibanPost’s Chairman Khalil Daoud
started his speech saying that “a stamp and a celebration are never enough
to honor Riad Salameh. For the last 25 years, the Governor’s focus was and
is still is Lebanon’s financial stability, the support of SMEs and the
liberal professions, the productive economy and all kind of initiatives
targeting and encouraging the Lebanese youth. This has been achieved during
times of high risks and tremendous challenges. Salameh’s excellence has been
remarkable and he succeeded in his missions through working silently, with
humility, armed with an extraordinary strong will and a great ability to
plan and achieve”.
Daoud concluded addressing Salameh saying: “During difficult times, you have
always been the synonym of the needed stability for Lebanon, and here you
are as always, showing the way that leads the country towards more
security”.
Minister of Telecommunications Jamal Jarrah congratulated Salameh “on behalf
of his (Salameh’s) friend Prime Minister Hariri for all the efforts made by
the Governor”. Jarrah also mentioned that “Salameh’s decision to leave very
high international spheres and come back to Lebanon to walk the path of
reconstruction by the side of assassinated Prime Minister Rafic Hariri has
brought the country to life”.
“We all know the impact of the local and international crisis that have
affected Lebanon and the world, and without your wisdom, your will, your
patriotism and all your great efforts, Lebanon would have never been able to
overcome all those challenges”, said Jarrah who concluded by emphasizing the
role played by the Governor “during times of crisis where a simple statement
from Salameh would bring back the confidence of the Lebanese in their
savings and their currency despite all the financial and monetary
complications”, this is why, Jarrah said, “we thank Riad Salameh for
preserving the Lebanese banking sector and for the great efforts made to
maintain the country’s stability”.
Gallagher & Moulton Remember 1983 USMC Barracks Bombing
June 26, 2018 Press Release
Introduce Resolution Calling for National Day of Remembrance
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Seth
Moulton (D-MA) introduced a House resolution calling for a national day of
remembrance for service members killed or injured by the terrorist attack on
the United States Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon on October 23,
1983. The bombing killed 241 American service members, including 220
Marines. "Hezbollah’s bombing of the U.S. Marine Barracks was the deadliest
day for the Marine Corps since Iwo Jima. Yet 35 years later, Hezbollah and
other terrorist organizations remain a threat to our national security,"
said Rep. Mike Gallagher. "The service and sacrifices of those lost or
injured on this day should never be forgotten. I hope that with this
resolution we can honor their memory by renewing our commitment to
eliminating terrorist organizations that threaten our way of life."
“I always found inspiration and solace in the quote on the walls of The
Memorial Church in Cambridge that reads, ‘While a bright future beckoned,
they freely gave their lives and fondest hopes for us and our allies that we
might learn from them courage in peace to spend our lives making a better
world for others,’” said Rep. Seth Moulton. “The Marines who died at the
Beirut Barracks bombing in 1983 lost lives full of hope and potential.
Establishing a National Day of Remembrance allows us to commemorate their
lives, honor the sacrifice they made, and reflect on how we can answer the
call to serve in our own ways.”Reps. Gallagher and Moulton previously worked
together to enact into law bipartisan legislation allowing for the
establishment of the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington
D.C.
The Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on June 27-28/18
Kurdish Government
Imposes Discriminatory Regulation on Assyrians in North Iraq
Assyrian International News Agency/June 27/18/The Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) has imposed a discriminatory new regulation
requiring all business owners from the Assyrian-majority city of Ankawa,
located in the Erbil Province, to renew their business licenses with the
Director of the Erbil Center District for a fee. This new regulation applies
exclusively to Ankawa, despite the fact that a total of ten districts are
under the Erbil Center District's jurisdiction. Previously, business owners
from Ankawa were able to renew their licenses free of charge at the mayor's
office in Ankawa. The new order was issued on January 23, 2018, yet those
interviewed by API representatives claim that locals only became aware of
its existence earlier today. "People didn't know about it until someone went
to the mayor's office to renew his license, and then he was told to go to
the Erbil Center District," a resident of Ankawa said to the API. "The
application process is now much longer and unnecessary," a local business
owner explained. "Usually, attorneys handle these renewals. I spoke to my
attorney this morning and he said he's already heard that the officials at
the Erbil Center District expect bribes in exchange for processing."
Ankawa, also known as Ainkawa, is a predominantly Assyrian-populated suburb
of Erbil. Its population is now estimated to be approximately 60,000.
Roughly 80% of the town's population is Christian; the majority of its
Christian residents are adherents to the Chaldean Catholic Church. Located
just outside Erbil, the town is considered to be the last Christian Assyrian
stronghold in the Kurdistan Region.
The new order targeting Assyrian shop owners is the latest form of
discrimination targeting Assyrians in Ankawa. January 2018 order requiring
business owners in Ankawa to renew licenses with the Erbil Center District.
Ankawa's capital gains tax on property sales are the highest in the
Kurdistan Region. KRG officials justify the tax difference by pointing to
Ankawa's growing tourism, as many foreigners elect to stay in Ankawa when
visiting the region. An unlawful tax amount is collected from Ankawa
residents when they sell their property. According to residents and
representatives, this tax rate for Ankawa is ten percent of the sale,
whereas in all other parts of the KRI, the tax is only six percent.
Complaints have been filed with KRG officials about the excess taxes. One
Assyrian politician interviewed by the API was told by a KRG official that
this was a form of jizya tax, justified because Ankawa is a Christian town.
Business owners in Ankawa also expressed fears and frustrations regarding
various discriminatory practices, including denial of permits based on
political affiliation, required display of KRG/KDP memorabilia, and
harassment from the KDP political police, the Asayish. In October of 2015,
thousands of Ankawa residents took to the streets to protest discriminatory
laws and practices, including the preferential tax rate, and demanded the
resignation of the city's KDP mayor Jalal Habib, appointed to office by the
Governor of Erbil. The official protest statement read: "We demand that
unjust tax rates in Ankawa be reduced to match the tax rates in other
regions." Read the full statement here. The protest statement was delivered
to the Governor of Erbil and the KRG Minister of Interior, as well as the
U.S. Consulate. Residents say all of their demands went unanswered, and
Habib remains the city's mayor.
© 2018, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of
Use.
Israel Reaches Understanding with Cyprus
on Gaza Port Plan
Tel Aviv - Nazir Majli/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/Israeli
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman has reached an understanding with the
Cypriot government on the establishment of a special pier for the Gaza Strip
in Cyprus.
Lieberman struck the agreement with Cypriot officials during his visit to
the island, but stressed that the project’s implementation requires “Hamas”
to hand over Israel’s soldiers, who have been held by the Qassam Brigades,
the group's military wing, a source close to Lieberman said.
The source noted that the Israeli defense minister has received a
preliminary approval from the Cypriot president, whom he met two days ago.
Under the plan, a special pier would be constructed for cargo ships carrying
goods bound for Gaza, around 400 kilometers from Cyprus. Any Cyprus idea
would involve an Israeli monitoring system to ensure that weapons were not
smuggled into Gaza. On the other hand, Israel has approved a plan to build a
solar field in Israel to pump power into the Gaza Strip and ease the
electricity crisis in the Palestinian enclave. The panels would be set up
near the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel as a unilateral measure,
without the involvement of “Hamas”, according to unnamed sources in Israel’s
defense ministry. The step could change the situation in the power-starved
territory, the sources said, adding that it was discussed this week with
visiting US envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, who toured the Middle
East ahead of the unveiling of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan. The
original plan was to put the field in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, but
Cairo rejected the initiative. Officials in Israel and elsewhere have been
scrambling to find ways to ease the humanitarian situation in the Strip and
possibly fund new infrastructure projects, seen as a key to reducing
violence in the beleaguered enclave. Another reported plan to ease Gaza
economic woes was to allow 6,000 residents to work in Israeli communities
near the enclave. However, that plan was said to have been shot down by Shin
Bet security agency, which regards workers exiting Gaza as a security
threat. It said such a measure could provide “Hamas” with intelligence and
be used to smuggle money into the Strip for “terror” purposes.
PA Accuses Hamas of
'Making Deals' in Gaza
Ramallah - Kifah Ziboun/Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/The
Palestinian presidency accused Washington of scrapping its peace plan known
as the “deal of the century” by concluding a deal in Gaza based on turning
the Palestinian cause into a humanitarian matter. Nabil Abou Rudeineh, the
Palestinian president’s official spokesperson, said that the US
administration believed that removing Jerusalem from the peace talks and
withdrawing from Iran’s nuclear agreement would allow it to make a deal with
Gaza that is rejected at the Palestinian, regional and international levels.
Abou Rudeineh reiterated President Mahmoud Abbas’ stance on the need to
establish an international and multilateral mechanism to manage the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, instead of the US monopoly that perpetuates
the Israeli occupation. “The Palestinians’ steadfast position and their
adherence to their national principles as well as the Arab rejection to
override the issue of Jerusalem and Arab legitimacy have aborted the
so-called deal of the century because it was originally based on the idea of
a deal for Gaza to turning the Palestinian cause into a humanitarian issue,”
the spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday. He also called for “courageous
national positions to preserve Jerusalem, the identity and the land, not
through contacts or messages that give up our right to establish an
independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.” Abu Rudeineh
was hinting at a Hamas-led approach to a long-term truce in Gaza that would
strengthen the US plan to separate the Strip from the Palestinian file, but
Hamas responded by reiterating its firm position towards the century deal.
“There is no change in the position of Hamas that rejects the deal of the
century,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the movement. “The
responsibility for the US exploitation of Gaza’s conditions lies in the PA
sanctions that are no less horrifying than the Israeli siege.”
Regime, Russian Strikes on Daraa Put 3 Hospitals out of
Service
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/Overnight strikes on the southern
province of Daraa have left three hospitals out of service, the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday. The bombing raids, including
by Russian warplanes, had damaged medical centers in the
opposition-controlled towns of Saida, al-Mseifra and al-Jiza in Daraa, said
the Britain-based monitor. The regime has defied American warnings and
pressed ahead, with Russian backing, with an offensive to recapture the
southern Daraa province that neighbors Jordan and Israel. The area is part
of a de-escalation ceasefire deal agreed between Jordan, Russia and the US.
"The Saida hospital was put out of service after midnight, because of
unidentified air strikes near the facility," said Observatory head Rami
Abdel Rahman. Air strikes by planes identified as Russian then hit near the
medical center in al-Mseifra, damaging it and forcing it to close, he said.
"The hospital in al-Jiza was damaged this morning. There were Russian air
strikes close to the hospital, which damaged it and put it out of service,"
Abdel Rahman added. He had no immediate information on the fate of medical
staff or the patients inside the facilities. Ahmad al-Dbis, safety and
security manager at UOSSM, a medical charity that works in opposition parts
of Syria, said the bombardment had caused "material damage" to the three
hospitals on Wednesday. "In addition, a civil defense center in al-Mseifra
was struck and damaged," added Dbis, who is based in northern Syria. The
recent closures bring to five the number of hospitals that have been put out
of service by the Syrian regime’s week-long military push on the South. The
regime has previously denied targeting medical facilities in the
seven-year-long war. Troops began ramping up air strikes, rocket fire and
the dropping of barrel bombs on opposition territory in Daraa and
neighboring Quneitra province on June 19. Some 47 civilians have been killed
since then, said the Observatory. Russian warplanes then began striking, and
troops launched an assault on the opposition-held half of Daraa city on
Tuesday. The Observatory said heavy Russian and Syrian raids, rockets
and barrel bombs were still hitting opposition-held neighborhoods on
Wednesday morning. The United Nations said the offensive has so far forced
up to 50,000 people to flee towards the Jordanian border. Jordan, which
already hosts some 650,000 Syrian refugees, has said it will not open the
border.
U.S., Russia Agree to
Putin-Trump Summit in '3rd Country'
Agence France Presse/June 27/18/Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to
hold a summit with Donald Trump in a third country at talks on Wednesday
with the US leader's hawkish national security advisor, voicing hope for an
easing of tensions between the two nations. Adviser John Bolton was received
in Moscow with top honours: a lunch hosted by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
followed by a markedly courteous meeting with Putin at the Kremlin.
U.S.-Russian relations have been strained by disagreement over the Syrian
conflict, Russia's annexation of Crimea, its involvement in eastern Ukraine
and allegations of political meddling. The Kremlin's top foreign policy aide
said Putin and Bolton agreed that the two presidents would meet at a place
and time to be announced on Thursday. "Your visit to Moscow gives us hope
that we can at least take the first step to reviving full-blown ties between
our states," Putin told Bolton at the Kremlin after the two smiled and shook
hands for the cameras. "We never sought confrontation," Putin said, adding
he regretted that the Russia-U.S. ties were not "on top form". Bolton, known
for his hawkish reputation and tough stance on Moscow, said it was important
to keep talking and complimented Putin on his handling of the football World
Cup, currently taking place in Russia. "Even in earlier days when our
countries had differences our leaders and their advisors met and I think
that was good for both countries, good for stability in the world and
President Trump feels very strongly on that subject," he said.
U.S.-Russian disagreements
Recently ties have been strained by a probe into alleged Russian meddling in
the 2016 U.S. presidential election and suspected collusion with the Trump
campaign, as well as by the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. "A
lot of people have said or implied over time that a meeting between
President Trump and President Putin would somehow prove some nexus between
the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, which is complete nonsense," Bolton told
a news conference later. "What must guide his (Trump's) conduct of American
foreign policy is the pursuit of American national interests... He will do
this regardless of political criticism at home."Putin's foreign policy aide
Yury Ushakov said the two presidents would focus on relations between their
two countries, Syria and nuclear arms control and could adopt a joint
statement to help improve ties as well as global security. "I think (Trump)
is going to raise the full range of issues between the two countries,"
Bolton said. He added there were areas for cooperation despite the major
points of disagreement.
Reaching out to Russia
Since coming to power last year, Trump has sought to improve relations with
Putin amid tensions between Moscow and the West. Trump said this month that
Russia should be re-admitted to the G7 group of industrialised democracies,
from which it was suspended for its annexation of Crimea in 2014. That
comment came at a summit which ended in sharp disagreement between Trump and
his G7 allies. The last, brief meeting between Putin and Trump took place in
November 2017 in Vietnam during an APEC summit. Trump is due to participate
in the July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels before heading to Britain to meet
with Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II on July 13.
U.S.-based news website Politico reported this week that Trump and Putin
could meet in the Finnish capital Helsinki. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto
said Helsinki is "always ready to offer its good services if asked." He did
not provide further details. Kremlin-connected analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said
the summit would be a milestone of sorts given the dismal state of ties but
stressed that any breakthroughs would be unlikely. "The question is about
finding some new approaches because the old ones no longer work," he told
AFP. Putin is unlikely to make any major concessions on the Ukraine crisis
or other sensitive issues, giving Washington little incentive to review its
sanctions, observers say. "A Trump-Putin meeting would temporarily ease
US-Russia tensions, but new U.S. sanctions are still likely later this
year," said the Eurasia Group think tank.
OPCW Granted Power to Lay Blame in Chemical Attacks
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/World powers voted on Wednesday to
grant the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the
authority to assign blame in chemical attacks in Syria. After two days of
tense talks, the British delegation to the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) rejoiced on Twitter that its proposal "has passed
with votes 82 in favor. 24 No."The office of British Foreign Secretary Boris
Johnson, who traveled to OPCW headquarters in The Hague on Tuesday to push
for the proposal, said the organization "will immediately start work to help
identify those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria." "It fills a
crucial gap left when the United Nations Security Council was prevented from
renewing its own investigation in November," a statement from Johnson's
office said, referring to objections Russia raised last fall to the OPCW
work in Syria.
Other delegates said applause broke out at the rare special session of the
OPCW's top policy-making body, held in The Hague which had been addressed by
Johnson on Tuesday. "It's passed! Australia proud to cosponsor with @UK_OPCW
decision to attribute chemical weapons attack," Canberra's ambassador Brett
Mason said in a tweet. Norway tweeted that the British-led proposal had been
"overwhelmingly" adopted, with ambassador Martin Soerby praising OPCW
members for taking "a decisive and necessary decision to expose the
perpetrators of chemical attacks."
According to the text, seen by AFP, the OPCW's secretariat "shall put in
place arrangements to identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical
weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic."British ambassador to The Hague, Peter
Wilson hailed "an important day" saying the move was "a critical step
forward in ensuring the chemical weapons abuse stops." OPCW director general
Ahmet Uzumcu and his successor, who takes over in July, were also mandated
to draw up proposals to give the body broader powers to identify those
unleashing chemical weapons in any other country, if governments ask for
help.
Those proposals will go to the next meeting of state parties in November for
a vote, Wilson told reporters. "The principle has been established that
there should be a general attribution arrangement as well as a clear flick
of the switch which allows the director general to proceed with attribution
in Syria," he said.
Both Moscow, the main ally of Syrian regime chief Bashar Assad, and
Damascus, had vehemently opposed the move. They stand accused by the
international community of using chemical weapons in recent months. Moscow
accused Britain of manipulating its allies, saying earlier Wednesday that
"deception is perhaps the word of the day". Britain had failed to provide
any evidence that Moscow was behind the nerve agent attack on Russian ex-spy
Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury in March, the Russian embassy
said in a tweet. The vote comes as the OPCW is also due to publish a
highly-anticipated report into a chlorine and sarin gas attack in the Syrian
town of Douma. Wilson confirmed the OPCW now had the power to identify who
could be behind the April attack in Douma in which medics and rescuers said
40 people were killed. Late last year, Russia had wielded its veto power at
the UN Security Council to effectively kill off a joint UN-OPCW panel aimed
at identifying those behind suspected chemical attacks in Syria.
Britain, US Urge Expanded Power for OPCW to Lay Blame
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 27 June, 2018/Britain and the United States urged
on Tuesday for expanding the powers of the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to ensure that blame is pinned on perpetrators of
chemical attacks. "We all hoped that these terrible instruments of death
would never be used again," British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told a
special session of the OPCW's top policy-making body in The Hague. "But the
tragic reality is that chemical weapons have been used and are being used
all over again." In the absence of any mechanism to identify who is behind
any such attacks, Britain supported by its allies has put forward a proposal
that the OPCW should be mandated to "attribute responsibility for chemical
weapons attacks". Both Moscow and Damascus have vehemently denied using
poison gases and a rare nerve agent in recent months and years, and argued
there should be no change to the mandate of the OPCW. The talks called by
London come as the OPCW is expected to unveil soon its report into a 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
Bashar al-Assad.
Johnson also highlighted the "appalling" nerve agent attack in March on
former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury,
blamed by London on Moscow, saying areas in the town were still being
decontaminated. In 2017, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother
was assassinated with a nerve agent in an attack in Kuala Lumpur airport.
"We in the international community cannot ignore these breaches of the
Chemical Weapons Convention," Johnson said. "None of us wants our children
to grow up in a world where the use of chemical weapons becomes normalized.
And I think today we all have the responsibility to act." US Deputy
Secretary of State John Sullivan agreed, saying "state and non-state actors
are challenging the international norm against chemical weapons use".
"Allowing chemical weapons use to continue with impunity threatens our
rules-based order and all nations around the world."But Moscow hit back that
changing the OPCW's mandate was a "destructive idea" which would undermine
the body's legal basis.Late last year, Russia wielded its veto power at the
UN Security Council to effectively kill off a joint UN-OPCW panel aimed at
identifying those behind attacks in Syria. Tensions ran high from the start
at the London meeting. It took three hours of a heated debate just to adopt
the agenda. And there was no early consensus on the British draft, meaning
delegates have to wait 24 hours before voting on it behind closed doors on
Wednesday. "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, saying his body was ready and able
to carry out a new mission. Speaking for the EU, Judit Koromi said: "The
question of attribution can and should be addressed by the OPCW." "There can
be no impunity and those responsible for such acts must be held
accountable," she added. A two-thirds majority, minus any abstentions, is
needed for Britain's draft to pass. Before its mandate expired in December,
the panel known as the JIM (Joint Investigative Mechanism) had determined
that the Syrian regime used chlorine or sarin gas at least four times
against its own civilians.
North Korea Carrying out Activity near Nuclear Facility, Says Monitor
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/Satellite imagery revealed that
North Korea was still operating its main nuclear site, despite pledges to
denuclearize, a monitor said on Wednesday. Pyongyang is carrying out rapid
improvements to its Yongbyon nuclear site and infrastructure works, said the
respected 38 North website. During a historic Singapore summit with US
President Donald Trump earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
declared a commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Kim
promised to "work toward" the goal, but the Singapore meeting failed to
clearly define denuclearization or produce a specific timeline towards
dismantling the North's atomic weapons arsenal. Trump claimed the process
would start quickly, saying last week that "it will be a total
denuclearization, which is already taking place". The satellite imagery
revealed on Wednesday contradict these pledges. "Commercial satellite
imagery from June 21 indicates that improvements to the infrastructure at...
Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center are continuing at a rapid pace,"
it said. It noted "continued operations" at the North's uranium
enrichment plant and several new installations at the site -- including an
engineering office and a driveway to a building housing a nuclear reactor.
But continued operations at the site "should not be seen as having any
relationship with North Korea's pledge to denuclearize", it added.
Nuclear officials could be "expected to proceed with business as usual until
specific orders are issued from Pyongyang", it said. The North last month
blew up its aged but only nuclear test site at Punggye-ri -- where it had
staged six atomic tests -- in a show of goodwill before the summit. But
Pyongyang has kept its counsel on the denuclearization issue since the
meeting, although state media have dialed down propaganda against the US,
long dubbed the "imperialist enemy".North Korea was addressed during talks
held between US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and his Chinese
counterpart Wei Fenghe in Beijing on Wednesday. The two officials tackled
the thorny issue of how to get North Korea to fulfill its vow to abandon its
nuclear program. Mattis is set to travel to Seoul on Thursday and later
Japan as part of an Asian tour.
Over 200 Killed in Central Nigeria Violence
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/More than 200 people were killed in
violence against farming communities last weekend in Plateau state, central
Nigeria, the state governor has said. Simon Lalong said after a closed-door
meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in the state capital Jos on Tuesday
night that the clashes had left "the painful loss of over 200 people". The
police, who blame suspected cattle herders, have said 86 people were killed.
However, multiple local sources from the communities affected maintained
more than 100 people died. The main association representing the largely
nomadic herders has denied its community had any involvement in the
killings. The violence is the latest bout in months of bloodletting in
Nigeria's so-called "Middle Belt". The clashes are rooted in tensions over
access to land between pastoral herders and sedentary farmers, but have
generated sectarian friction. Lalong suggested "criminal elements" were
exacerbating tensions, including "conflict merchants" involved in "cattle
rustling, theft, banditry, gun running" and other crimes. Buhari came to
power in 2015 on a promise to curb insecurity across the country, in
particular Boko Haram, whose insurgency has killed at least 20,000 since
2009. But a resurgence of violence in the long-running conflict between
herders and farmers has put that under scrutiny as elections approach in
February next year. Lalong said the latest attacks in Plateau were carried
out with "sophisticated weapons" that were "reflective of a terrorist
invasion". "It (the bloodshed) therefore demands a justified response like
that which was undertaken to address the Boko Haram insurgency," he added.
Lawmakers earlier this month threatened Buhari with impeachment because his
security chiefs had repeatedly failed to protect lives and property.
US Judge Orders Separated Families Reunited Within 30
Days
Asharq Al-Awsat/A US federal judge ordered that immigrant parents and
children separated at the border with Mexico under President Donald Trump's
"zero tolerance" policy be reunited within 30 days. For children under five,
reunification must take place within two weeks of the order, issued Tuesday
by US District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego. Sabraw issued the ruling in
response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of
a seven-year-old girl who was separated from her Congolese mother and a
14-year-old boy who was separated from his Brazilian mother. The judge also
issued an injunction against any more family separations. US federal
authorities have 10 days to allow parents to call their children if they are
not already in touch with them. Trump signed an executive order last week
halting his government's practice of taking children away from parents who
cross the border without papers, even to seek asylum. Many are fleeing
violence in Central America. But the order made no specific provisions for
families already separated under the policy, which drew scorn as inhumane
and even a form of child abuse in heated criticism in America and around the
world. More than 2,000 children taken from their families remain under the
care of federal authorities. The judge was scathing in his criticism of the
Trump policy of taking kids away from their parents. "The facts set forth
before the court portray reactive governance -- responses to address a
chaotic circumstance of the government's own making," Sabraw wrote in the
24-page ruling. "They belie measured and ordered governance, which is
central to the concept of due process enshrined in our Constitution," the
judge added. Before the preliminary injunction ruling, the US government
urged Sabraw not to require that it stop separating and quickly reunite
migrant families after they illegally cross the US-Mexico border, saying
Trump's executive order last week "largely" addressed those goals. Sabraw,
who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, had on June 6
rejected the government's bid to dismiss the case, saying forced separations
could "shock the conscience" and amount to a violation of constitutional due
process.
Prince William Meets Palestinian President, Hopes for
Lasting Middle East Peace
Asharq Al-Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/Britain's Prince William met on
Wednesday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Israeli-occupied
West Bank, hoping for “lasting peace” to be achieved in the Middle East. The
British royal is on a four-day tour of the region that has taken him to
Jordan and Israel. His talks in the West Bank made him the first official
British royal to visit the Palestinian territories. William, second in line
to the throne, received a red-carpet welcome to the Muqata, the Palestinian
government headquarters in the city of Ramallah, that included an honor
guard and band. “I’m very glad our two countries work so closely together
and have had success stories with education and relief work in the past, so,
long may that continue,” William told Abbas at the start of their meeting.
“My sentiments are the same as yours in hoping that there is a lasting peace
in the region,” the prince said. “The Palestinian side is committed to the
peace process with the Israelis, so both states could live peacefully
together within the borders of 1967,” Abbas said in his public remarks at
his meeting with William. Though the trip is being billed as non-political,
the prince is meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and visiting
sites at the heart of the century-old conflict. The Palestinians have been
eager to welcome the prince, hoping his visit will give them a boost as they
struggle with an American administration that is biased in favor of Israel.
On Tuesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin publicly asked the prince to
bring Abbas “a message of peace” and tell him it is time to find a way to
“build confidence” between Israel and the Palestinians. Rivlin’s position is
largely ceremonial and in remarks released to the media after his own
meeting with William earlier that day Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made
no such request.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014 and a divide has widened
since US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in
December and moved the US Embassy to the city. Palestinians want East
Jerusalem, captured by Israel along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the
1967 Middle East war, as the capital of a state they seek to establish in
the two territories. After meeting Abbas, William was scheduled to meet
Palestinian youngsters. Until now it had been British policy not to make an
official royal visit to Israel and the occupied territories until the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict was resolved. “It’s not a time when he can come
and celebrate success in the Middle East peace process or anything of that
sort, but it is a time when we can show our interest in the region,” Philip
Hall, Britain’s consul-general in Jerusalem, told Reuters before William
flew to the Middle East. William’s tour, which ends on Thursday with a visit
to holy sites, also marks the first time a member of the British royal
family has paid an official visit to Israel. On Tuesday, he had focused in
his first engagements in Israel on honoring the memory of victims of the
Nazi Holocaust.
Egypt Blacklists 187 Muslim Brotherhood Members
Cairo/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June, 2018/The Cairo Criminal Court
blacklisted 187 members and supporters of the banned Muslim Brotherhood
group for five years, including hardline cleric Wagdy Ghunaim Wagdy Ghoneim,
TV hosts Moataz Matar, and Mohamed Nasser who fled Egypt to Qatar and
Turkey. The court also ordered to put the Brotherhood and its affiliate
“Hasm Vanguards” militant group on the list of terrorist entities. According
to Egypt’s regulations on terror activities issued in 2015, blacklisting any
group or person for terror activities is automatically followed by freezing
belonging assets and funds and a travel ban. Persons listed by criminal
courts on the list of terrorists are entitled to challenge the decision
before the Court of Cassation, the country's highest civil court. On the
other hand, the Criminal Court of Cairo decided yesterday to postpone the
trial of 213 defendants accused of belonging to terror organizations. The
defendants face charges of over 54 terrorist crimes, including the killing
of police officers, an assassination attempt on the former Interior Minister
Mohamed Ibrahim Moustafa, and bombing security installations in a number of
provinces, particularly the buildings of the directorates of security Cairo,
Dakahlia and South Sinai. The decision to postpone came in order to hold
further hearing and testimonial sessions. Egyptian prosecution explained
that the blacklisted figures and entities were involved in plans for
toppling the regime through anti-state campaigns, blasts and assassinations
as well as attacks against policemen, soldiers and vital institutions inside
the country. Morsi was removed by the army in July 2013 in response to mass
protests against his one-year rule. Later, a security crackdown on his
supporters left hundreds dead and thousands arrested. Since Morsi's ouster
and detention, Egypt has faced a wave of terror activities that left
hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians dead. A Sinai-based group
affiliated with ISIS claimed responsibility for most of the terror attacks
in Egypt. Meanwhile, the Egyptian military and police killed hundreds of
militants and arrested thousands of suspects as part of the country's
anti-terror war declared by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, following
Morsi's removal.
Aboul Gheit Stresses Support for Iraq’s
Unity, Stability
Cairo - Sawsan Abu Hussein/Asharq Al Awsat/Wednesday, 27 June,
2018/Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL) Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed
Tuesday his support for all efforts to achieve unity and stability in Iraq,
maintain Iraqi territorial integrity and reject any foreign intervention in
its internal affairs. His remarks were made during his meeting with Iraqi
Vice President Ayad Allawi at the AL headquarters in Cairo. The meeting
tackled the most important developments in Iraq, especially with regard to
the repercussions of the recent parliamentary elections and the dimensions
of ongoing contacts to form a new Iraqi government, according to a statement
issued by AL spokesman Mahmoud Afifi. Both parties also discussed ongoing
efforts to completely eliminate all forms of terrorism and extremism in
Iraq, ending all the years of sufferings of the Iraqi people from terrorism
and violence. Afifi stressed that Aboul Gheit was keen to ensure that the
elements of the democratic political process were complemented, the unity of
the Iraqi people in all its communities was upheld and that the interests of
all groups and sects were respected without distinction or discrimination.
The AL secretary general also emphasized, according to Afifi, the great
importance of Iraq within the framework of the joint Arab action system
based on the positive contributions of Iraqis in the various fields of work
in this system, “bearing in mind that Iraq is one of the founding countries
of the Arab League, and it represents the eastern gateway to the Arab
world.”For his part, the Iraqi vice president expressed keenness on regular
consultation with the AL chief "whether on the ongoing developments in Iraq
or the Arab scene in general."Allawi described the AL as "the mother
institution for the Arab world that expresses the collective Arab will,"
Afifi said. Allawi also pointed out to his full support for Aboul Gheit’s
efforts to revitalize the role of the AL in addressing various Arab
priorities in the political, economic and social fields. On Monday, Allawi
met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Cairo and Foreign
Minister Sameh Shoukry. He also met with Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El Tayyeb,
who affirmed Al-Azhar's support for the unity of Iraq and its support in
facing terrorism and division. He said al-Azhar is ready to provide all what
would achieve unity and stability of the Iraqi people.
The Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources published
on June 27-28/18
Lieberman asks Iranians: 'Where's your money going?'
Ynetnews/Yoav Zitun/June 26/18
Capitalizing on Iranian displays of frustration as demonstrators protest outside
parliament over economic downturn, defense minister seeks to galvanize public
into more action as he accuses the regime in Tehran, in a Farsi post on his
Facebook page, of diverting millions of dollars for terror activities.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman addressed the Iranian people in Farsi on
Tuesday, asking them “where your money is going” while accusing the regime in
Tehran of diverting badly-needed funds for terror activities.
“Where is your money going? To this day, despite the economic difficulties at
home, the Iranian regime continues to invest billions in Syria, in Hezbollah, in
Islamic Jihad, in Houthis in Yemen, in Shi’ite militias in Iraq,” the defense
minister wrote on his Facebook in Farsi
In 2018, Iran committed to paying each organization $2.5 million. Until the
present day, Iran has invested $14 million in Syria alone,” the message
continued, a day after Iranians took to the streets and protested outside
parliament against the economic downturn caused by looming US sanctions since
President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal.
“Even last month, when you were fighting for your bread in the streets of
Tehran, (Iranian senior officer) Qasem Soleimani took a series of measures,
including logistical operations intended for Syria at the cost of $70 million,”
Lieberman added.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that against the background of the rare wave
of protest in Iran, the regime banned imports of more than 1,300 products and
prepared its economy for the return of US sanctions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani promised his citizens on Tuesday that the
government would be able to handle the economic pressure of new US sanctions, a
day after traders massed outside parliament, protesting against a sharp fall in
the value of the national currency
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.
His country, he added, is in a "fight" with the US. In a televised speech,
Rouhani blamed the US for Iran's woes.
"The US cannot defeat our nation, our enemies are not able to get us to their
knees," he said.
"SEVERE PUNISHMENT"
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.
Tehran's prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi said some protesters near the bazaar
were arrested on Monday and would not be released before going to trial.
The Iranian government is implementing new plans to control rising prices,
including banning, as mentioned, imports of over 1,300 products, preparing its
economy to resist threatened US sanctions.
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.
Reuters contributed to this report.
European Terrorism: The 'Batman Syndrome'
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/June 27, 2018/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12567/european-terrorism-batman-syndrome
"It is the 'Batman syndrome': the hero
refuses to kill, he systematically saves his enemy who escapes and kills new
victims until the hero catches up with him, and so on". — Causeur magazine.
"These crimes will continue so long as the Republic leaves the enemy in
peace". — Ivan Riofoul, Le Figaro.
In the end, there might be still a region called "Europe", but it may no
longer enfold European culture.
The European Union lost €180 billion (USD $210 billion) in GDP due to
terrorism between 2004 and 2016. The United Kingdom (€43.7 billion) and
France (€43 billion) suffered the highest losses, followed by Spain (€40.8
billion) and Germany (€19.2 billion), according to a Rand Corporation study.
"Beyond those who have been directly physically affected by terrorist
attacks, the extensive coverage of terrorist attacks through multiple media
and social media channels has substantially increased the amount of people
and companies that could be psychologically affected. This subsequently
affects their economic behaviour".
New statistics have also come from the Britain's anti-terrorism office. 441
people have been arrested in the UK for terrorism in the last year alone,
and 4,182 since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The threat of terrorism
is exhausting Europe.
According to the Spanish "black book" of terrorism, 658 Europeans have been
murdered in terror attacks on European soil, while 1,029 Europeans have been
killed by them abroad. Half of the French army has been deployed within the
French Republic to protect the civilian targets, such as schools, monuments,
and religious sites. Europe's armies are exhausted from patrolling the
streets, to the point that NATO planners now fear that, over time, European
armies "may get better at guarding railway stations and airports than
fighting wars". An officer who recently returned from Afghanistan for guard
duty in Belgium said: "We are standing around like flowers pots, just
waiting to be smashed". Germany also sent troops into the streets for the
first time since the Second World War.
One has to ask: Is Europe really serious about its war on terror? The French
magazine Causeur just called it "the Batman Syndrome":
"How can we respect a society that is too cowardly to fight those who
threaten its citizens, and that demonstrates its weakness by systematically
seeking appeasement at the price of the most unreasonable accommodations? It
is the 'Batman syndrome': the hero refuses to kill, he systematically saves
his enemy who escapes and kills new victims until the hero catches up with
him, and so on."
France is now close to freeing at least 50 terrorists from prison. The UK is
also due to free 80 Islamic fundamentalists from prison. According to a new
French report, nearly 10% of the 512 prisoners incarcerated for terrorism
are likely to be released by the end of 2018. Their release may well pose a
major threat. Khamzat Azimov, a terrorist who stabbed a man to death and
injured four other people with a knife in central Paris, was known to
counter-terrorism forces. Belgium released from prison a terrorist who had
gone on a "bloody rampage" in the city of Liege two days before he killed
two policewomen and a passerby.
Unless it gets serious about arresting not only the terrorists but also
their deadly ideology, Europe will not see the end of the jihadist siege. A
few days after the attacks in Liege, France thwarted another jihadist plot
"with either explosives or ricin, this very powerful poison". After that,
there was another terror attempt to strike the French gay community.
"France is the priority target of the terrorism unleashed in Europe by
conquering Islam" wrote Ivan Rioufol in Le Figaro.
"Since 2015, 247 people have been killed in France in attacks by Islamists.
The 'knife intifada' is no longer reserved just for Israel. In Magnanville,
a couple of policemen, Jean-Baptiste Salvaing and Jessica Schneider, were
stabbed in front of their three-year-old child. Father Jacques Hamel was
slaughtered in his church. In Marseille, Laura and Maurane had their throats
slashed. These crimes will continue so long as the Republic leaves the enemy
in peace".
The level of threat in France remains alarmingly high. "9,157 people were
subjected to at least one surveillance measure by the intelligence services
in 2017 in the name of the prevention of terrorism", an official French
report recently revealed. In 2017, 20 major terror attacks in France were
foiled.
Regarding the West's current "war on terror," American historian Victor
Davis Hanson wrote:
"The result is the present age of serial Punic conflict, perhaps intolerable
to the psyche, but in amoral terms tolerable as long as casualties are kept
to a minimum and defeat is redefined as acceptable strategic wisdom. In the
past, such periods of enervating war have gone on for a century and more.
Ultimately, they too end — and with consequences."
In the end, there might be still a region called "Europe", but it may no
longer enfold European culture.
*Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and
author.
© 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.
Canada Supports, Infantilizes Jihadis
Judith Bergman/Gatestone Institute/June 27, 2018/
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.
Years after Genocide, Yazidis Urgently Need Help
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/June 27, 2018/
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12590/yazidis-need-help
There are two types of aid urgently needed by Yazidis at Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in northern Iraq, according to Saad Babir,
media director of Yazda: psychological support for the victims of genocide,
and basic services such as healthcare, food, water, electricity, heat, new
tents -- and even firetrucks and ambulances. Many Yazidis have died in IDP
camps due to a lack of the latter two.
"When I was in the camps, I noticed that when UN officials came in to do an
assessment, the Yazidi people were not able to tell them the truth about
what was happening for fear of retaliation from the country's leaders." —
Dawood Saleh, Yazidi author and activist.
"We wrote many reports to the UN, for it to consider Yazidis in the camps
refugees, due to their dangerous situation, but our pleas were rejected. The
UN has not reported on the situation accurately and sufficiently to enable
Western countries to help Yazidis more." — Dawood Saleh.
On June 13, Mark Green, administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), finally offered some good news for the
persecuted Christians and Yazidis in Iraq. In an op-ed in the Wall Street
Journal entitled: "Help Is on the Way for Middle Eastern Christians," he
wrote: "Every day of delay brings persecuted communities that much closer to
extinction. In Iraq alone, nearly 90% of Christians have fled in the past 15
years, emptying entire villages that had stood for more than a thousand
years. The Yazidi population has been similarly decimated. Without immediate
additional support, these groups may be forced to continue their
unprecedented exodus, perhaps never to return to their ancient homes.
"The time to act is now. Christians, Yazidis and other persecuted religious
communities in the Middle East have suffered unspeakable harm for too long.
Their plight has touched the hearts of the American people and stirred this
nation to step up with compassion and conviction. President Trump promised
to provide them with the help they need to rebuild their communities and
restore their hope, and we will work tirelessly to break down any barrier
that stands in the way."
The 2014 invasion of the region of Sinjar (or Shingal) in Iraq by the
Islamic State (ISIS) brought a mostly forgotten community to the attention
of the world: the Yazidis, one of the world's most persecuted
ethno-religious groups. A peaceful, non-Muslim people who oppose bloodshed,
Yazidis have for centuries been targeted for their faith. Their native lands
contain parts of Iraq, Turkey and Syria. Yazidis say that they have been
subjected to 74 genocidal campaigns and severe oppression throughout their
history at the hands of Islamists.
When ISIS invaded Sinjar in August 2014, hundreds of defenseless Yazidi men
and elderly women were murdered. Yazidi girls and women became the victims
of widespread abduction and slavery. ISIS "deliberately tormented the
relatives of Yazidis who were forced to witness or listen over the phone as
their daughters and sisters were abused," according to a 2017 report by
Yazda, a Yazidi advocacy organization. The report also reveals that Yazidi
boys were kidnapped and recruited to undergo forced conversion and military
training:
"In these camps, young Yazidi children are taught IS's extremist ideology
and Quranic interpretations, and brainwashed to hate Yazidism, their own
families and their community. They are trained to use weapons, including
firearms and knives, and made to watch videos depicting decapitations of
hostages and to practice this over dummies, or even human beings."
Since the genocide, according to the Yazda report,
"Women and girls have suffered ongoing sexual violence and trafficking. They
have been dehumanized and sold in slave markers (souk sabaya) organized by
IS's Committee for the Buying and Selling of Slaves or traded among
militants through online auctions. In addition to sex trafficking, some
Yazidi women and girls have been forcibly married to ISIS fighters, and
subjected to forced pregnancy in some cases, and forced contraception or
abortion in other cases. All of these tactics were accompanied by forced
conversion, the forced abandonment of Yazidi customs, and name changes.
Yazidi women and girls in captivity are subjected to constant verbal and
psychological abuse, with severe punishments for speaking their own language
or practicing Yazidi traditions. Insults are particularly directed at their
faith – captives are accused of being 'devil worshippers' and referred to
derogatorily as 'kuffar' [infidels] and told to forget their families and
their God."
Speaking with Gatestone about the situation of Yazidis, Saad Babir, Yazda's
media director, said that there are two types of aid urgently needed by
Yazidis at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in northern Iraq:
psychological support for the victims of genocide, and basic services such
as healthcare, food, water, electricity, heat, new tents -- and even
firetrucks and ambulances. Babir explained that many Yazidis have died in
IDP camps due to a lack of the latter two. On May 25, for example, a
17-year-old Yazidi girl burned to death, while three of her siblings were
severely injured, when the family's tent caught fire in one of the camps.
Dawood Saleh, a Yazidi author and activist who fled, was in Sinjar when ISIS
launched the genocide there in 2014. "Yazidis have lived in the camps in
Iraq for four years now," he told Gatestone. "Most of the tents they live in
are temporary and could not last for more than one or two seasons. These
tents could be fully burned in 30 seconds," he said.
He prioritized the need for psychological support and post-trauma care:
"War and genocide, which Yazidis have recently experienced once again, cause
the destruction of the human soul. Yazidis in general suffer from an
unprecedented psychological crisis. They have lost hope of living a decent
life. I call for providing healthcare and psychological treatment facilities
to help all Yazidis, especially women and children survivors, who have
managed to escape from the ISIS slavery."
Both Babir and Saleh emphasized that Yazidi camps are not getting sufficient
support. "To the best of our knowledge," said Babir, "although the UN
Refugee Agency and some other international NGOs are providing some funding,
the camps are not receiving any financial support from the Iraqi or
Kurdistan regional governments, except in rare cases."
According to Saleh: "When I was in the camps, I noticed that when UN
officials came in to do an assessment, the Yazidi people were not able to
tell them the truth about what was happening for fear of retaliation from
the country's leaders. I personally know many friends who were taken to
prison by Kurdish authorities for speaking the truth. Also, we wrote many
reports to the UN, for it to consider Yazidis in the camps refugees, due to
their dangerous situation, but our pleas were rejected. The UN has not
reported on the situation accurately and sufficiently to enable Western
countries to help Yazidis more."
Pari Ibrahim, founder and executive director of the Free Yezidi Foundation,
also noted that not enough Yazidis have been recommended by the UN for
resettlement in Western countries.
Babir suggested that the US help Yazidi victims through resettlement
programs similar to those undertaken by Canada, Australia and Germany. He
also stressed the service Yazidis have loyally provided for the American
military:
"The US government should help Yazidis because many Yazidis have been
kidnapped and murdered by ISIS because of their work for the US army as
interpreters. We think that it is time for the US to help us now, when we
need it the most."
"They are all in need of urgent psychological treatment," Saleh added. "The
US should help Yazidi families to get out of Iraq. For them to have to live
in Iraq is like suicide."
As one Yazidi displaced person from Iraq said in an interview with the Ezidi
Press in 2015: "No matter what we do, this country is our grave."
A Yazda report states: "Survivors of the genocide, including those who were
able to flee before being captured, yearn to return to their homeland with
assurances of security, peace and stability... However, there are still
serious obstacles to return, including the lack of inhabitable homes and
suitable infrastructure, with entire villages and towns having been
flattened... According to the Mayor of Sinjar, Mahama Khalil, about 80-85%
of Sinjar District has been destroyed by ISIS and rebuilding the district
will require significant investment... a dedicated fund, which would be
administered and supervised efficiently and transparently."
Ibrahim told Gatestone:
"It is not clear that the US will be capable of ensuring that Shingal will
be a safe and secure place for Yazidis to live. If not, the US should not
pressure Yazidis to return there, but rather it should support the Yazidi
community through providing skills, training, and opportunities for them to
improve their lives."
As for the Iraqi parliamentary elections that were held on May 12, Saleh
said to Gatestone that Yazidis' "votes were burned or stolen. None of the
Yazidi parties were able to enter the Iraqi parliament, although the Yazidi
votes amounted to more than 100,000. The Yazidis in the camps are still
being marginalized, even after the genocide."
Saleh's comments are supported by the Yazda report, which says:
"The discrimination against Yazidis in every aspect of life is exacerbated
by the fact that Yazidis are underrepresented in all key institutions in
both Iraq and the KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq], as they have little
opportunity to make changes to government policy or programs."
For a long-term solution, Yazda's Babir proposes a protected enclave for
Yazidis in Sinjar and the recognition of the Yazidi right to self-rule. "We
suggest international protection for the Yazidi and other vulnerable
minorities in Iraq, because both the Iraqi and Kurdish governments have
failed to protect us," he concluded. "Also, Yazidis need self-administration
in our territories and security to be provided by our own armed forces. To
be able to survive and live in safety as honorable people, we need to have
the right to self-rule."
Uzay Bulut, a journalist from Turkey, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at
Gatestone Institute. She is currently based in Washington D.C.
© 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.
Women Can Drive … What Has Changed?
Salman Al-dossary/Asharq Al Awsat/June 27/18
When the clock struck midnight on June 24, the Saudi woman put her hand on
the car steering wheeling, marking a landmark moment in the Kingdom’s
history. Saudis woke up the next morning to a day similar to any other. They
headed to work and went about their daily lives very normally. The same
streets that have been driven on by men for decades are now being driven on
by women and nothing has changed.
The drivers quickly grew accustomed to the situation, exceeding
expectations. Observers would be led to believe that women have been driving
for years, not a mere number of days or hours. Women got behind the wheel
and drove themselves to work and went about their daily lives. It is as if
the day that preceded the end of the driving ban was the same as the one
after it. Matters progressed very smoothly and the Saudis proved that they
are able to accept landmark decisions, whether on the social or economic
levels, should the timing be right.
The Saudi government was always a step ahead of the society. It knows its
needs and demands. It waits a long time, but in the end, it meets those
demands according to critical balances and equations. The secret always lay
in the timing.
Of course, there will always be someone who will claim that since women’s
introduction to driving took place so smoothly, why wasn’t this decision
taken two or ten years ago? The answer will be: Who said that had such a
decision been taken in the past, it would have been so positively received
as it is now? Of course, no one can make such a guarantee and we reiterate
that the secret lies in the timing.
Certainly, women being allowed to drive is not an insignificant development
for them in a country such as Saudi Arabia. It is not so much a luxury as it
is a deep need that was confirmed by the submission of over 120,000 driver’s
license requests when the announcement was made that the ban would end.
The majority of Saudi society proved that it was open to change and that the
current phase was the right time for it. At this point, we must not overlook
the fact that women being able to drive is only a part of a grander project
that falls within Vision 2030 that aims to increase the number of women in
the workforce from 22 to 30 percent in 2030. The same plans hopes to ensure
that women contribute to 30 percent of the income in their families. The
economic diversification that Saudi Arabia is working on and the national
transformation program both rely on the full participation of women. All
those programs and plans could not be executed if they are not allowed to
drive.
Sunday was a historic day for the entire Saudi society, not just its women.
When the government allowed them to drive, it gave them a choice and did not
dictate an order. Nearly half of Saudi society is comprised of women, who
now have the complete right to drive. Women have the choice to either get
behind the wheel or not. We should point out that all the historic decisions
issued by King Salman bin Abdulaziz over the past three-and-a-half years,
and which have been closely followed up on by Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, are part of a package of a greater project. They are not small plans
that are separate from one another and perhaps what sets them apart, besides
their historic significance, is that after their implementation, they were
positively received by society in a way that no one predicted. This is an
equation that rarely succeeds in the world and Saudi Arabia set itself apart
when it achieved this feat.
Steering Saudis Toward a Brighter Future
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat/June 27/18
To say that the Kingdom is a nation of a million Saudi drivers is not far
from the truth. Add to that the number of drivers along with domestic
helpers employed by Saudis and the number exceeds 1.5 million, with most of
them working for families and draining their income. With the end of the ban
on women driving, however, there are no compelling reasons to continue
employing them.
As soon as the driving ban was lifted, 120,000 women applied for a driver’s
license. This number suggests a high level of popular support, something
nobody was sure of before given that the issue of allowing women to drive
was a religious and social problem.
Reforming the social and economic situation of Saudi families is in the
interests of the local economy, since the financial wastage that results
from a lack of such reforms is huge. Due to the ban on celebrations, parties
and cinema, for example, hundreds of thousands of families were forced to
travel abroad in search of entertainment. Meanwhile, due to strict
government regulations on the employment of women, tens of thousands of
qualified women have been sitting without jobs and no source of income.
All of this is changing gradually. Two years ago, only a few shops in the
Red Sea Mall in Jeddah allowed women to work there. Today, female employees
are the majority at the mall and men are the minority. Their employment was
often at the expense of foreign workers.
This year, female employment featured in a wide range of governmental jobs,
including the police, traffic, insurance and accident companies, and
passport offices, as well as those Saudi women who can now work driving
private taxis and so forth.
In recent months, we have also seen Saudi women working for the first time
in airports, hotels and restaurants, although their numbers are still
limited. The government’s Social Development Bank offered women cheap loans
to buy private cars for use with hire companies such as Uber and Careem,
while auto dealerships have been competing to offer similar deals, and have
started hiring women in their showrooms.
We can see that this government's valor in deciding to break social taboos,
which is rare in the history of Saudi Arabia, has been achieving quick and
amazing results and leading society, in general, toward change.
Everything we have seen so far, as a result, has been positive, peaceful and
smoothly accomplished.
Saudi authorities must have taken into account many possibilities and taken
many precautions in anticipation of the potential for negative reactions and
rejection of the reforms; and have undoubtedly deployed thousands of
uniformed and undercover policemen across the country to maintain peace and
ensure the respect of law and order.
In the event, change has passed peacefully. Moreover, it was preceded by the
introduction, under the guidance of King Salman, of a harassment law that
protects everyone, women in particular, and punishes violators harshly.
“We were waiting for any harassment violations to apply the immediate
punishment, in order to make the perpetrator an example to others, but we
did not observe even a single case,” said one police official.
As for those who have been observing the ongoing change with cynicism, aside
from their ignorance of the historical circumstances and local traditions of
inherited wrong practices, they do not actually realize that it is not easy
to confront these issues.
This is similar to what US authorities faced after they had allowed racial
discrimination, which for a long time prevented non-whites from studying,
traveling, working and even eating in the same places as white people.
As a civilized country, America suffered from a bad social legacy in terms
of racial discrimination; and this somehow has also been the case in Saudi
Arabia in regards to women.
However, the difference remains huge. There still are significant pockets of
Saudi citizens who continue to reject the idea of hiring women to work in
mixed public places, and denounce the idea of women driving, but despite
these deep feelings we have seen those who hold them dealing respectfully
with royal decisions on reform in the past two years.
This reminds us of the widespread social protests organized by conservatives
against women’s education in Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s. When they met
King Faisal, he replied with a statement that has lingered until today: “You
are not forced to send your daughters to schools, but we will open schools
anyway.” Within a few years, women were fully integrated into the education
system, and now there are more female students in Saudi universities than
males.
The progress of positive social change stopped with the rise of the
religious ‘awakening’ movement in Saudi Arabia during the early 1980s, and
the extremist and conservative groups were not confronted until recently.
Finally, in addition to correcting social malformations and strengthening
the local economy, these changes also end the suffering of women.
Iran, Turkey and Qatar divide their dubious roles in
region
Abdullah bin Bijad Al-Otaibi/Al Arabiya/June 27/18
Humanity has gone through different stages, had different centers of power
and produced various scientific innovations and breakthroughs.
The rise and fall of these development, crises, big conflicts, clashes and
revolutions have had a crucial impact in molding the world today.
Deriving right lessons
Complexities have been present in all stages of history. The realistic
assessment of all these dimensions has had an important role to play in
providing the right lessons that have helped the victorious and the wrong
interpretations that have disappointed the defeated.
Regarding the conflict with Iran, the right characterization helps
countries, leaders and researchers reach facts based on accurate information
and analysis and to take stances and make decisions accordingly.
Some information can be false and some interpretations can be unsound due to
certain political orientations or wrong visions or personal opinions thus
making the characterizations flawed and imperfect. As such, certain stands,
policies and decisions would be built on an unrealistic basis, which results
in their failure.
Al-Banna and his group established strong ties with Iranian religious groups
opposed to the Shah’s regime, and this was the moment of their convergence
in contemporary history
Terrorism in its contemporary understanding covers a wide range of
ideologies — including a diversity of theories and ideas, religious
political groups, and paramilitary organizations characterized by hierarchy,
secrecy and obedience. It’s one of the most important challenges facing the
world since the end of the 1970s as a result of its wide range of
repercussions.
Nevertheless many Western researchers, officials or politicians prefer to
present a superficial reading of what is going on in the Middle East — from
Pakistan and Afghanistan in the east, to the Arab Maghreb in the west —
pointing to conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites.
Some of these researchers and politicians have been influenced by the
western model represented in the conflict between the Catholics and the
Protestants and said the Sunnis represent the majority while the Shiites
represent the minority.
Thus they make false conclusions because they’re seeking an easy way to
build their perceptions instead of basing the latter on accuracy, knowledge
and reason.
Origins of terror
To explain this misperception it is important to understand the past.
Contemporary groups of political Islam that started with Hassan al-Banna
when he established the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 and which began to
proliferate, multiply and diversify are an idea that was originally derived
from the political opposition groups in Islamic history like the Shiites and
Khawarij and the likes of these two groups.
This also led to different branches such as Isma’ilism and others, or in the
highly organized Sufi schools or through the influence of some European
movements, groups and parties such as Nazism and Fascism or others. However,
in this it is important to clarify how the ideas developed within Sunnism
and Shiism alike.
Banna and his group established strong ties with Iranian religious groups
opposed to the Shah’s regime at the time, and this was a moment of their
convergence in contemporary history.
Banna and his group leaders had to take some elements of Shiism as did their
mullahs counterparts who opposed the Shah regime at the time and adopted
some parts of Sunnism. This attempt to harmonize and exchange experiences is
what governs the entire contemporary terrorist scene today.
US’ right assessment
In brief, the Shiite version evolved from Abol-Ghasem Kashani and Fada’iyan-e
Islam to Khomeini and later manifested in the form of the Islamic Revolution
in Iran, the Lebanese Hezbollah, the Houthi militia in Yemen and Shiite
terrorist militias in Iraq as well as in Syria.
The Sunni path developed from the secret Muslim Brotherhood organization to
Sayyad Qutb’s organization in the 1950s and 1960s, to the violent religious
group of the 1970s and 1980s in Egypt and Syria, and then to al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya
in the 1990s, Al-Qaeda and then finally ISIS.
The greatest international power, the United States, has risen to the threat
posed by Iran and has decided to confront it, instead of making concessions
to it, as Obama did. This is in addition to the great influence the US has
on European countries that are still hesitant to confront this Iranian
threat. During this historical moment, it is important to rebuild the right
perspective again and display the right characterization with the
seriousness it deserves.
The biggest heirs of this history of contemporary terrorism are two
countries in the region, Iran and Qatar. Turkey has also become involved. In
fact, these three countries have started dividing roles and they are working
to manipulate the world’s perceptions and distort any deep and accurate
descriptions.
The supporter of Shiite militias and parties is Iran, and sometimes Qatar,
while the supporter of terrorist groups and organizations are Qatar and
Turkey which coordinate their supporting roles as after the so-called Arab
Spring, they (Qatar and Turkey) became the centers of fundamentalism in the
region and the world.
We must take into consideration that all information, facts and documents
prove an organic relation between the Sunni organization Al Qaeda and the
Iranian Khamenei regime, and the same can be said about the relation between
ISIS and Iran on one hand and ISIS and Turkey on another.
The clearest examples of this close harmonization of roles can be witnessed
in the ongoing rapprochement in Yemen between the Muslim Brotherhood there.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been cunningly waiting and lurking ever since
Operation Decisive Storm was launched and has started to take sides with the
Houthi militia, after the great advances of the Yemeni army and resistance
in the western coast and in the Battle of Hodeidah and the battles towards
Saada, towards the east and west of Taiz and in the direction of Sanaa.
Ben Rhodes, a former aide of Barack Obama and an advisor on the nuclear deal
during Obama’s term, presents an example of the dysfunctional
characterization, perception and the personal bias of Obama.
In his book The World As it Is, Rhodes said Obama “blindly adored Iran and
its civilization” and despised Arabs in such a strange way. The writer
recounts various details, information, figures and decisions about Obama’s
submission to Iranian blackmail and providing huge financial aid to the
country and allowing Tehran to expand and gain influence while overlooking
its relations with ISIS. These are some of the facts that narrate important
details of Obama’s eight lean years.
At last, though, thanks to the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the
world has become more familiar with Iran’s destructive roles.