Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan: Instead of Being Forced To Do Something Wrong Taliban Should Be Given Incentives to Run the Government in Afghanistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
16 September 2021
Clockwise from top left: Zabihullah
Mujahid, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Mohammad Hasan Akhund, Amir Khan Muttaqi,
Sirajuddin Haqqani, Hibatullah Akhundzada
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Pakistan
Pakistani clerics oppose anti-forced
conversion bill
Pakistan was a 'hired gun', says Imran Khan
on US war on terror in Afghanistan
Pakistan NSA criticises ‘wait and watch'
policy on recognising Taliban regime in Afghanistan
'He is a busy man': Imran Khan on no
phone call from Joe Biden
Pak-aided Khalistanis gaining ground in
US; India's appeals to curb them fall on deaf ears: Report
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South Asia
Taliban leader Mullah Baradar finds
place on Time Magazine's list of '100 Most Influential People of 2021'
UN envoy meets new Afghan interior
minister wanted by US
Amid mystery over whereabouts, Taliban
leader Mullah Baradar appears in an interview
Friction among Taliban pragmatists,
hard-liners intensifies
Afghan envoys marooned abroad after
Taliban's sudden return
UN refugee chief warns 'greater
suffering' likely in Afghanistan
Afghanistan to have regular army soon:
Taliban official
‘Baradar fled to Kandahar after brawl
with Khalil Haqqani’
Afghan diplomats urge world to deny
Taliban recognition
UN envoy meets Taliban government's
interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani
We impose no conditions on Taliban, they
declared their objective themselves: Russia
We will suppress those who defend gains
of past two decades: Taliban
Afghans themselves caused ongoing
situation in Afghanistan: Khalilzad
Taliban asks UN’s cooperation in
recognition, lifting sanctions
Over $12 million seized from former
officials given to central bank by Taliban
EU announces additional 100 million
euros in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
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India
TISS Students Who Shouted Pro-Sharjeel
Imam Slogans Granted Anticipatory Bail In Sedition Case
Delhi riots: Court frames charges
against 5 men for shooting Muslim man dead, burning his body
CSI, Muslim youth federation call for
ensuring communal harmony
India: Pakistan holding OIC hostage on
J&K issue
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Southeast Asia
Learn from Sabah, Sarawak on racial,
religious tolerance, says academic
Govt drafting law to enhance shariah
courts, says PM
Work with Unity Ministry not on bill
over restricting propagation of faiths, Bintulu MP tells religious affairs
minister
Perlis Islamic edict allows Muslim wives
to get Covid-19 vaccine without husbands’ agreement
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Arab World
Hezbollah brings Iranian fuel into
Lebanon: Reports
Egypt, Sudan back resumed controversial
Nile dam talks as UN urges deal
Lebanon to resume IMF negotiations,
begin reforms: Draft policy statement
Iraq election chief promises fair
elections despite concerns
GCC Ministerial Council to hold 149th
session in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh
Saudi Crown Prince launches ‘human
capability development’ program
--------
Mideast
Envoy: Origin of Contamination Declared
by IAEA Unknown to Iran
Iran Reiterates Support for Lebanon,
Readiness to Help
Iranian Fuel Reaches Lebanon
FM: Iran Interested in Further Expansion
of Economic Ties with S. Africa
Iranian Envoy Urges End to Looting
Syria's Oil
Iran Sends Humanitarian Aid to
Afghanistan
Iranian Security Forces Dismantle
Terrorist Team Affiliated to Foreign Spy Agencies
Iranian DM Praises IRGC, Army Navies for
Security in Persian Gulf
Palestinian activist twins featured in
Time’s 100 most influential people 2021
Iran’s Raisi to attend regional summit
in first official visit since taking office
Iran president selects hardline cabinet
to drive hard bargain with US
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
call off planned hunger strike
Iran admits to removing damaged IAEA
cameras from nuclear site
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Africa
Court Remands Father, Son, Others For
Alleged Killing Of Salawudeen In Mosque
Police arrests suspected killers of
Senator Na’Allah’s son
How Morocco's king dealt a blow to
political Islam
Haftar’s eastern forces and Chadian
rebels clash in southern Libya
Libya’s NOC says Es Sider and Ras Lanuf
oil terminals blockades have ended
Libya has ‘best opportunity’ for peace
in decade, US official says ahead of elections
Morocco names Lieutenant General Belkhir
El-Farouk as new army commander
Algerian journalist ordered held in
custody, accused of belonging to terrorist group
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North America
Ashraf Ghani’s abrupt exit scuttled deal
on power-sharing, says Zalmay Khalilzad
US envoy says Ghani exit scuttled Afghan
power-sharing
Biden top aides discouraged abrupt
Afghanistan pullout, book says
3 ex-US presidents unite to help Afghan
refugees
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Europe
French soldiers kill Islamic State
leader in Sahel, Macron says
French forces kill head of Islamic State
in Greater Sahara
Key actor of liberation of Azerbaijan's
capital: Caucasian Islamic Army
Macron says French forces killed
militant Islamic State leader in Greater Sahara
Joint agreement signed between Turkish,
Georgian justice ministries
Serbia hails Turkey's cooperation in
Balkan region
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Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan:
Instead of Being Forced To Do Something Wrong Taliban Should Be Given
Incentives to Run the Government in Afghanistan
Sep 15, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Khan on Wednesday suggested that the Taliban should be given incentives to
handle the current situation instead of being forced to do something and
claimed it would be a "fallacy" to think that Afghanistan could be
controlled from outside.
The Pak PM, in an interview to CNN's
Becky Anderson, asserted that the best way forward for peace and stability in
the war-torn country is to engage with the Taliban, which seized Kabul last
month.
"So rather than sitting here and
thinking that we can control them, we should incentivise them because this
current government in Afghanistan clearly feels that without international aid
and help they will not be able to stop this crisis. We should push them in the
right direction,” he said.
He recalled that history showed "no
puppet government in Afghanistan is supported by the people".
Imran said that Afghanistan was on a
historic crossroads as either it would gain lasting peace after 40 years of war
through an inclusive government or end up in chaos.
"Where Afghanistan goes from here,
I am afraid none of us can predict … We can hope and pray that there is peace
after 40 years," he said.
He was asked about apprehensions that
the Taliban will not protect human rights and the future of Afghanistan.
Khan said the Taliban have said that
they want an inclusive government and promised to give rights to their women
and also announced amnesty as part of efforts to gain international
acceptability.
"But if it goes wrong (in
Afghanistan), and which is what we are really worried about, it could go to
chaos, the biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem, unstable
Afghanistan and [...] the possibility of again terrorism from Afghanistan's
soil,” he said.
The Taliban seized control of
Afghanistan in mid-August, ousting the previous elected leadership which was
backed by the West. The interim Cabinet is consists of high-profile members of
the insurgent group.
At least 14 members of the Taliban's
interim government are on the UN Security Council's terrorism blacklist,
including acting Prime Minister Mullah Hasan and his both deputies.
The Taliban had promised an
"inclusive" government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic
makeup, but there is no Hazara member in the Cabinet. No woman has been named
in the interim Cabinet.
Talking about the issue of women rights
in Afghanistan, Khan said it was a mistake to think that rights of Afghan women
can be imposed from outside. “Afghan women are strong. Give them time, they
will get their rights," he said.
Imran reiterated that Pakistan suffered
a lot after joining the US war on terror and there was time about 50 militant
groups were attacking Pakistan.
To a question, the Pak PM said that he
had not spoken to US President Joe Biden since the collapse of the Afghan
government.
When asked why Biden hadn't called him
since coming into office, Imran curtly said: "He is a busy man" and
later said Biden should be asked "why he is too busy to call".
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Taliban Founder Mullah Baradar
Noticeably Absent From Key Functions, Dissent Rumoured
16 Sep 2021
Friction between pragmatists and ideologues
in the Taliban leadership has intensified since the group formed a hard-line
Cabinet last week that is more in line with their harsh rule in the 1990s than
their recent promises of inclusiveness, said two Afghans familiar with the
power struggle.
The wrangling has taken place behind the
scenes, but rumours quickly began circulating about a recent violent
confrontation between the two camps at the presidential palace, including
claims that the leader of the pragmatic faction, Abdul Ghani Baradar, was
killed.
The rumours reached such intensity that
an audio recording and handwritten statement, both purportedly by Baradar
himself, denied that he had been killed. Then on Wednesday, Baradar appeared in
an interview with the country's national TV.
“I was travelling from Kabul so had no
access to media in order to reject this news” Baradar said of the rumour.
Baradar served as the chief negotiator
during talks between the Taliban and the United States that paved the way for
the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was completed in late August,
two weeks after the Taliban overran the capital of Kabul.
Shortly after the Kabul takeover,
Baradar had been the first senior Taliban official to hold out the possibility
of an inclusive government, but such hopes were disappointed with the formation
of an all-male, all-Taliban lineup last week.
In a further sign that the hard-liners
had prevailed, the white Taliban flag was raised over the presidential palace,
replacing the Afghan national flag.
A Taliban official said the leadership
still hasn't made a final decision on the flag, with many leaning toward
eventually flying both banners side by side. He spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not allowed to discuss internal deliberations with the media.
The two Afghans familiar with the power
struggle also spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the confidentiality of
those who shared their discontent over the Cabinet lineup. They said one
Cabinet minister toyed with refusing his post, angered by the all-Taliban
government that shunned the country's ethnic and religious minorities.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has
denied rifts in the leadership. On Tuesday, the Taliban foreign minister, Amir
Khan Mutaqi, dismissed such reports as “propaganda.”
Baradar had been noticeably absent from
key functions. For instance he was not at the presidential palace earlier this
week to receive the deputy prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdur
Rahman Al-Thani, who is also foreign minister and was making the highest-level
foreign visit yet since the Taliban takeover. Baradar's absence was jarring
since Qatar had hosted him for years as head of the Taliban political office in
the Qatari capital of Doha.
But in the interview shown Wednesday,
Baradar said he did not participate in the meeting because he was not aware
about the foreign minister's visit to Kabul. “I had already left and was not
able to return back,” Baradar said.
Several officials and Afghans who are
familiar and in contact with Baradar told The Associated Press earlier that he
was in the southwestern provincial capital of Kandahar for a meeting with
Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhunzada. Another Taliban figure said Baradar was
visiting family he had not seen in 20 years of war.
Analysts say the friction may not amount
to a serious threat to the Taliban - for now.
“We've seen over the years that despite
disputes, the Taliban largely remains a cohesive institution and that major
decisions don't get serious pushback after the fact,” said Michael Kugelman,
Asia program deputy director at the Washington-based Wilson Center.
“I think the current internal dissension
can be managed," he said. “Still, the Taliban will be under a lot of
pressure as it tries to consolidate its power, gain legitimacy, and address
major policy challenges. If these efforts fail, a stressed organization could
well see more and increasingly serious infighting.”
However, Taliban divisions today will be
more difficult to resolve without the heavy-handed rule of the group's founder,
the late Mullah Omar, who demanded unquestioned loyalty.
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Court orders separate trials for Hindu,
Muslim accused
Soibam Rocky Singh
SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
‘Persons purportedly acting under 2
different conspiracies’
A Delhi court has ordered separation of
trial of five accused, arrested in connection with a north-east Delhi riots
case, based on their religion. Citing a 2002 Godhra riots case precedent,
Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav, who has been dealing with a majority of
Delhi riots cases, split the “Salman murder case” into separate chargesheets
for Kuldeep, Deepak Thakur and Deepak Yadav, and Mohd. Furkan and Mohd. Irshad.
This, the judge said, was prompted by a “peculiar situation” arising owing to
an “assortment of accused persons from different religions purportedly acting
under two different conspiracies and unlawful assemblies”.
The segregation, he concluded while
observing that there was enough material on record to allow framing of charges,
would avoid prejudicing the defence of the accused. While the police say CCTV
footage from the scene of crime at Shiv Vihar on February 27, 2020, captured
the presence of the five accused indulging in riotous activity, all of them had
pleaded “not guilty” and claimed trial.
The court directed DCP (Crime Branch)
Joy N. Tirkey to furnish a complete set of chargesheets in physical form within
two weeks while instructing the court staff to treat the existing chargesheet
as the one for Kuldeep, Thakur and Yadav. The other one shall be treated as
chargesheet for Furkan and Irshad.
The victim
The case FIR was registered on February
29, 2020 at Karawal Nagar police station after 24-year-old Salman died at the
Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital a couple of days earlier.
The deceased was admitted at the
hospital on February 24 after reportedly suffering physical assault earlier in
the day at Shiv Vihar during the north-east Delhi riots.
During investigation, it came to fore
that Salman had sustained a gunshot injury. A firearm projectile was extracted
from his head during post-mortem and seized as part of the investigation.
Both Yadav and Thakur were arrested in
connection with the FIR on November 5, 2020, and have been in judicial custody
since. Police say the duo were seen in two videos carrying sticks and actively
participating in the riots. Both say there is “no direct evidence” against them
pertaining to the murder and they have not been specifically named in the FIR
either.
Kuldeep was initially arrested in
another case, the Mohd. Anwar murder case, and arrested by the police for
Salman’s murder on the basis of his disclosure statement. While the police say
he could be clearly seen in CCTV footage amid a riotous mob, Kuldeep claims he
has nothing to do with the alleged offence. He has been in judicial custody
since March 21 last year.
Furkan and Irshad were also arrested in
connection with another riots case and charged with the Salman murder on the
basis of disclosure statements. The Delhi police say they were captured in CCTV
footage from the scene of crime actively participating in the riots.
As in the case of the other three, both
Furkan and Irshad claim they have been falsely implicated in the case merely on
the basis of suspicion and there is no direct evidence against him.
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Pakistan
Pakistani clerics oppose anti-forced
conversion bill
Kamran Chaudhry
September 16, 2021
Muslim clerics in Pakistan are voicing
opposition to a draft bill that would only allow "mature people" to
change their religion.
The top trend on Twitter in Pakistan on
Sept.15 was "#Islam mukhalif bill na manzoor [reject anti-Islam bill],” as
a debate on the bill aimed at stopping forced religious conversions raged in
the media.
Opponents of the bill seemed to direct
their ire at Naveed Amir Jeeva, a Christian legislator who has been pushing the
Prohibition of Forced Religious Conversion Bill, pending with the Standing
Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, since 2019.
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Some even shared the Pakistani
politician’s profile on social media, spewing hate and condemnation.
Human rights and minority groups have
been demanding the government resurrect and pass the bill that would
criminalize the kidnapping, forced religious conversion to Islam and
subsequently forced marriage of underage girls in Pakistan.
A parliamentary committee to protect
minorities from forced conversions recommended in February that only a
"mature person" (adult) may be allowed to change religion after
appearing before an additional sessions judge.
The committee suggested that the judge
set a date for an interview within seven days of receipt of the conversion
application. An additional clause empowered the judge with the option to grant
the person 90 days to undertake a comparative study of the religions concerned
before return to his office with a final decision.
The additional sessions judge may issue
the certificate of conversion only after being completely satisfied, the
committee recommended.
Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, a cleric
appointed as a special representative on religious harmony by Prime Minister
Imran Khan, said he rejected the passage of what he called the “anti-Quran
bill.”
“There is a bill to end complaints
against forced conversions in the Federal Ministry for Religious Affairs and
clerics are being consulted. I want to make it clear that no bill can be passed
against the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah [the way of the prophet] because
the Constitution of Pakistan is under the Quran,” he said in a statement.
According to Camillian Father Mushtaq
Anjum, the draft gives a ray of hope to the religious minorities.
“Such opposition from the [Muslim]
clerics is a matter of grave concern. Human rights must be upheld. The
international community looks at Pakistan and how it behaves towards minorities.
Such blatant refusal from the clerics is unacceptable. We reject this mindset,”
he told UCA News.
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Pakistan was a 'hired gun', says Imran
Khan on US war on terror in Afghanistan
Sep 16, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Khan has said the US war against terrorism was "disastrous" for
Pakistan as Washington used Islamabad like a "hired gun" during their
20-year presence in Afghanistan.
"We (Pakistan) were like a hired
gun," Khan said in an interview with CNN. "We were supposed to make
them (the US) win the war in Afghanistan, which we never could."
This comes two days after US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken on Monday said the US would reassess its ties with Pakistan
following the military drawdown from Afghanistan. Blinken told US Congress
during a hearing that Pakistan has a "multiplicity of interests some that
are in conflict with ours."
Pakistan has had deep ties with the
Taliban and other outfits in the region. Moreover, the country has been accused
of supporting the group during the US's war on terror.
Despite ample evidence presented by the
international community, Imran Khan, in the CNN interview, denied charges that
Pakistan harbours terrorists and has given them a safe haven.
"What are these safe havens?"
Khan asked. "The area of Pakistan along the border of Afghanistan had the
heaviest surveillance by the United States drones ... surely they would have
known if there were any safe havens?"
Digressing from the question, the
Pakistan PM said, "The question is, was Pakistan in a position to take
military action against the Afghan Taliban when it was already being attacked
from inside, from the Pakistani Taliban who were attacking the state of Pakistan?"
While staunchly defending the Taliban,
the Pakistan Prime Minister asked the international community to develop a
consensus that would lead to recognition of the new "caretaker
government" of the "Islamic Emirate".
Speaking to CNN, Khan said that the best
way forward for peace and stability in Afghanistan is to engage with the
Taliban and "incentivize" them on issues such as women's rights and
inclusive government.
"The Taliban hold all of
Afghanistan and if they can sort of now work towards an inclusive government,
get all the factions together, Afghanistan could have peace after 40 years. But
if it goes wrong and which is what we are really worried about, it could go to
chaos. The biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem," Khan
said.
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Pakistan NSA criticises ‘wait and watch'
policy on recognising Taliban regime in Afghanistan
Sep 16, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's National Security
Adviser Moeed Yusuf has said that the ‘wait and watch' policy on recognising
the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was flawed and could result in the economic
collapse of the conflict-torn country.
The Taliban seized control of
Afghanistan in mid-August, ousting the previous elected leadership which was
backed by the West. The interim Cabinet announced by the Taliban consists of
high-profile members of the insurgent group.
Several world leaders have announced
they would see whether the Taliban fulfils its promises to the international
community on issues like an inclusive Afghan government and human rights before
giving their regime diplomatic recognition.
“Wait and see (regarding Afghanistan's
new set up) means collapse,” Yusuf told the media on Wednesday, adding that a
similar mistake was made in the 1990s.
He also recalled that the Western
leaders had acknowledged the mistake and pledged not to repeat it.
Yusuf said the world in its own interest
should talk directly to the Taliban on their concerns, including
counterterrorism, human rights, inclusive government, or other issues.
“If the world is interested in this
conversation, it needs to happen directly with the new government. For
influencing and moulding governance in the way the world wants, it should have
a conversation with them. Without engagement that would not be possible,” he
said.
He warned that Afghanistan could become
a terrorist safe haven again as a consequence of abandoning it.
“If abandonment happens there would be a
security vacuum (in Afghanistan). You already know ISIS (the militant Islamic
State group) is already present there, Pakistani Taliban are there, Al Qaeda is
there. Why do we risk a security vacuum?” he said.
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'He is a busy man': Imran Khan on no
phone call from Joe Biden
Sep 16, 2021
NEW DELHI: It's been almost eight months
and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is yet to receive a courtesy phone call
from US President Joe Biden.
When asked about no phone call from
Biden during a CNN interview, the Pakistan PM replied: "He is a busy
man."
"But our relationship with the US
is not just dependent on a phone call, it needs to be a multidimensional
relationship," Khan added. However, putting the onus on the US president
for no telephonic exchange between the two leaders, Imran said Biden should be
asked "why he is too busy to call."
Meanwhile, Khan also commented on the
"terrible" relationship with the United States that has been
disastrous for Pakistan and how he is now seeking a more pragmatic approach in
dealing with Afghanistan's new leaders.
"We (Pakistan) were like a hired
gun," Khan said. "We were supposed to make them (the US) win the war
in Afghanistan, which we never could."
Khan said he repeatedly warned US
officials that America could not achieve its objectives militarily, and would
"be stuck there." He said the US should have attempted a political
settlement with the Taliban from a "position of strength," at the
height of its presence in Afghanistan, not as it was withdrawing.
Pakistan has other options
“The President of the United States
hasn’t spoken to the Prime Minister of such an important country who the US
itself says is make-or-break in some cases, in some ways, in Afghanistan — we
struggle to understand the signal, right?” Pakistan’s national security adviser
Moeed Yusuf had told the Financial Times in an interview last month.
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Pak-aided Khalistanis gaining ground in
US; India's appeals to curb them fall on deaf ears: Report
Sep 15, 2021
WASHINGTON: Pakistan-backed Khalistani
separatist groups, banned by the Indian government, are quietly gaining ground
in the US, a top American think tank has warned, ruing that Washington has so
far remained indifferent to the appeals made by New Delhi to curb their
destabilising anti-India activities.
The US-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is
a pro-Khalistan group. In 2019, the Indian government banned it for its alleged
anti-national activities.
The SFJ had pushed for Sikh Referendum
2020 as part of its separatist agenda. It openly espouses the cause of
Khalistan and in that process challenges the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of India. The outlawed group's primary objective is to establish an
"independent and sovereign country" in Punjab.
In its 'Pakistan's Destabilization
Playbook: Khalistani Activism in the US' report published on Tuesday, the Hudson
Institute examines the conduct of “Khalistan and Kashmir separatist groups
within the United States” to investigate their support by Pakistan.
The report looks at these groups' ties
to militant and terrorist outfits in India, and the possible detrimental
effects of their activities on US foreign policy in South Asia.
The report demonstrates that "like
Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist groups, the Khalistan groups can emerge under
new names.”
“Unfortunately, the United States
government has shown no interest in violence committed by Khalistan activists,
even though the Khalistan campaign's most ardent supporters are located in
western countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
“Unless the US government prioritises
oversight of Khalistan-related militancy and terrorism, it is unlikely to
identify groups that are currently engaged in violence in Punjab in India or
are preparing to do so. One seldom finds what one is not looking for," it
said.
Anticipation constitutes a crucial part of
national security planning and therefore investigating within the limits
prescribed by law, the activities of Khalistani groups located in North America
is important to preventing a reoccurrence of the violence orchestrated by the
Khalistan movement in the 1980s, it said.
Importantly, the recent increase in
Khalistan-related anti-India activism within the US is occurring as the United
States and India are collaborating to confront the rise of China, especially in
the Indo-Pacific, it said.
"The Khalistan movement's history
and recent mobilisation should serve as a reminder that, unless the threat it
poses is somehow preempted, it could expand to a level where action might be
too late to prevent large-scale loss of life," it said.
The report calls upon the US government
to take India's concerns seriously and dedicate the requisite intelligence and
law enforcement resources to help India address these concerns.
The report said the US government should
include all groups responsible for terrorist attacks in India in its list of
designated global terrorist groups and designate as terrorists the various
individuals that India and US intelligence and law enforcement have established
as being connected to designated terrorist entities.
“Apply terror financing laws and
regulations to the various groups espousing Kashmiri and Khalistan separatism;
Investigate US-based groups espousing Kashmiri and Khalistan separatism for
possible violations of US laws related to foreign funding.
“Use legal means established specifically
to combat terrorism, including FISA warrants, to monitor suspected Kashmiri and
Khalistan terrorism sympathisers and advocates," the report said.
Observing that Sikh radical groups are
active in New York and in California, the report said that in addition to
disseminating anti-India propaganda, the focus of these organisations is
advocating the Khalistan cause and to secure support they target local
politicians, US think tanks and human rights activists.
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South Asia
Taliban leader Mullah Baradar finds
place on Time Magazine's list of '100 Most Influential People of 2021'
September 16, 2021
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder
of the Taliban, found a place in Time Magazine's global list of '100 Most
Influential People of 2021'.
The head of the Taliban's political
office in Doha, Mullah Baradar, was credited with negotiating the Doha peace
deal between the Taliban and the US. He is a founding member of the Taliban and
was a close associate of the movement's founder Mullah Omar.
Baradar was appointed deputy to Mullah
Akhund, head of the Taliban's new interim government, earlier this month.
A profile on Mullah Baradar in the Time
Magazine by Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid describes him as the
"fulcrum for the future" of Afghanistan.
Ahmed Rashid goes on to write, "A
quiet, secretive man who rarely gives public statements or interviews, Baradar
nonetheless represents a more moderate current within the Taliban, the one that
will be thrust into the limelight to win Western support and desperately needed
financial aid.
"The question is whether the man
who coaxed the Americans out of Afghanistan can sway his own movement."
Baradar quells rumours of death
In what came as a surprise to most,
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar recently made an appearance on Afghan state
television to quell rumours about his death.
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UN envoy meets new Afghan interior
minister wanted by US
Sep 16, 2021
A UN envoy has met Afghanistan's new
interior minister who was for years was one of the world's most wanted Islamist
militants and is now part of a government trying to head off a humanitarian
crisis.
The meeting between Deborah Lyons, head
of the UN mission in Afghanistan, and Sirajuddin Haqqani focused on
humanitarian assistance, Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said in a
statement on Twitter on Thursday.
"(Haqqani) stressed that UN
personnel can conduct their work without any hurdle and deliver vital aid to
the Afghan people," he said.
Afghanistan was already facing chronic
poverty and drought
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/un-refugee-chief-warns-greate
r-suffering-likely-afghanistan-2021-09-16 but the situation has deteriorated
since the Taliban took over last month with the disruption of aid, the
departure of tens of thousands of people including government and aid workers
and the collapse of much economic activity.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
told an international aid conference this week that Afghans were facing
"perhaps their most perilous hour".
The UN mission in Afghanistan said that
in the Wednesday meeting Lyons had stressed the "absolute necessity for
all UN and humanitarian personnel in Afghanistan to be able to work without
intimidation or obstruction to deliver vital aid and conduct work for Afghan
people".
The Taliban repeatedly targeted the
United Nations during the two-decades-long US-led military mission in Afghanistan
that ended last month with the rout of the Western-backed government by the
Taliban.
In one of the bloodiest incidents,
Taliban militants killed five UN foreign staff in an attack on a guest-house in
Kabul in 2009.
More recently, gunmen attacked a UN
compound in the city of Herat in July with rocket-propelled grenades killing a
guard, while protesters in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 2011 killed
seven UN staff.
The Haqqani network, a faction within
the Taliban and for years based on the border with Pakistan, was held
responsible for some of the worst militant attacks in Afghanistan during the
Taliban insurgency. The United States designated the group a terrorist
organisation in 2012.
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Amid mystery over whereabouts, Taliban
leader Mullah Baradar appears in an interview
Geeta Mohan
September 15, 2021
Amid increasing questions over his
whereabouts, Taliban co-founder and now deputy prime minister of Afghanistan
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has reportedly appeared in an interview with Afghan
state television.
Taliban leader Ahmadullah Muttaqi, in a
tweet, said that the latest interview of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be
published today and added that "all the propaganda of the enemy will be
officially thwarted".
Earlier this week, Baradar released an
audio statement saying he was alive and well after news of his supposed demise
went viral on social media.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was last week
named as the number two to Mullah Mohammed Hassan Akhund.
He blamed "fake propaganda"
for the death rumours in an audio message posted by the Taliban.
Social media has been in a frenzy over
the speculation that he had been mortally wounded in a shootout between rival
Taliban factions at the presidential palace.
"There had been news in the media
about my death. Over the past few nights I have been away on trips. Wherever I
am at the moment, we are all fine, all my brothers and friends," Baradar
said in the clip.
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Afghan envoys marooned abroad after
Taliban's sudden return
Sep 16, 2021
The Taliban's abrupt return to power has
left hundreds of Afghan diplomats overseas in limbo: running out of money to
keep missions operating, fearful for families back home and desperate to secure
refuge abroad.
The Islamist militant movement, which
swiftly ousted Afghanistan's Western-backed government on August 15, said on
Tuesday that it had sent messages to all of its embassies telling diplomats to
continue their work.
But eight embassy staff who spoke to
Reuters on condition of anonymity, in countries including Canada, Germany and
Japan, described dysfunction and despair at their missions.
"My colleagues here and in many
countries are pleading with host nations to accept them," said an Afghan
diplomat in Berlin, who said he feared what might happen to his wife and four
daughters who remain in Kabul if he allowed his name to be used.
"I am literally begging. Diplomats
are willing to become refugees," he said, adding he would have to sell
everything, including a large house in Kabul, and "start all over
again".
Afghanistan's missions overseas face a
period of "prolonged limbo" as countries decide whether to recognise
the Taliban, said Afzal Ashraf, an international relations expert and visiting
fellow at Britain's University of Nottingham.
"What can those embassies do? They
don't represent a government. They don't have a policy to implement," he
said, adding that embassy staff would likely be granted political asylum due to
safety concerns if they returned to Afghanistan.
The Taliban, who enforced a strict
interpretation of Islamic law with punishments like amputations and stonings
during their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, have sought to show a more
conciliatory face since coming back to power.
Spokespeople have reassured Afghans that
they are not out for revenge and will respect people's rights, including
women's.
But reports of house-to-house searches
and reprisals against former officials and ethnic minorities have made people
wary. The Taliban have vowed to investigate any abuses.
A group of envoys from the deposed
government issued a first-of-its-kind joint statement, reported by Reuters on
Wednesday ahead of its public release, calling on world leaders to deny the
Taliban formal recognition.
'THERE IS NO MONEY'
Afghanistan's acting foreign minister
Amir Khan Muttaqi told a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday that the Taliban
had sent messages to all Afghan embassies telling them to continue work.
"Afghanistan invested in you a lot,
you are assets of Afghanistan," he said.
One senior Afghan diplomat estimated
there were around 3,000 people either working in the country's embassies or
directly dependent on them.
Ousted president Ashraf Ghani's toppled
administration also penned a letter to foreign missions on September 8 calling
the Taliban's new government "illegitimate" and urging embassies to
"continue their normal functions and duties".
But these calls for continuity do not
reflect the chaos on the ground, embassy staff said.
"There is no money. It is not
possible to operate in such circumstances. I am not being paid now," a
source at the Afghan embassy in Canada's capital Ottawa said.
Two Afghan embassy staffers in New Delhi
said they were also running out of cash for a mission serving thousands of
Afghans who are trying to find ways home to reunite with families or need help
applying for asylum in other countries.
Both staffers said they would not return
to Afghanistan for fear of being targeted due to their connections to the
previous government, but would also struggle to get asylum in India where
thousands of Afghans have spent years seeking refugee status.
"I have to just sit tight for now
in the embassy premises and wait to exit to any nation that is willing to
accept me and my family," one said.
GOVERNMENT IN EXILE
Some of Afghanistan's envoys have openly
criticised the Taliban.
Manizha Bakhtari, the country's Austria
ambassador, regularly posts allegations of human rights abuses by the Taliban
on Twitter while China envoy Javid Ahmad Qaem warned against believing Taliban
promises on extremist groups.
Others are lying low, hoping that their
host countries will not rush to recognise the group and put them at risk.
Several Afghan diplomats said they would
be closely watching the annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations
in New York next week where there is uncertainty over who will fill
Afghanistan's seat.
United Nations credentials give weight
to a government, and no one has yet formally claimed Afghanistan's seat. Any
move seen as legitimising the Taliban might empower the group to replace
embassy staff with their own, the diplomats said.
In Tajikistan, some embassy staff
managed to bring their families across the border in recent weeks and they are
considering converting the embassy into residential premises to house them, a
senior diplomat there said.
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UN refugee chief warns 'greater
suffering' likely in Afghanistan
Sep 16, 2021
AFGHANISTAN: Afghanistan needs urgent
and sustained support from the international community to prevent a larger
humanitarian crisis, the head of the UN refugee agency said, warning of global
implications if that were to happen.
"The humanitarian situation in
Afghanistan remains desperate," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo
Grandi said in a statement after a three-day visit to the South Asian nation.
"If public services and the economy
collapse, we will see even greater suffering, instability, and displacement
both within and outside the country," he added in Wednesday's statement.
"The international community must
therefore engage with Afghanistan – and quickly – in order to prevent a much
bigger humanitarian crisis that will have not only regional, but global
implications."
Even before the Taliban took over last
month, Grandi said, more than 18 million Afghans, or about half the population,
required humanitarian aid.
More than 3.5 million Afghans were
already displaced in a country that is battling drought and the COVID-19
pandemic.
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Afghanistan to have regular army soon:
Taliban official
Sep 16, 2021
KABUL: Afghanistan would soon have a
regular army to defend the country, Taliban's army chief of staff Qari
Fasihuddin has said.
"Afghanistan would have a regular,
disciplined and strong army in near future to defend and protect the country
and consultations in this field continue," Xinhua news agency quoted
Fasihuddin as saying to the Afghan radio service Salam Watandar.
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‘Baradar fled to Kandahar after brawl
with Khalil Haqqani’
Sep 16, 2021
A major row broke out between members of
the Taliban over the make-up of the new government in Afghanistan last week,
the BBC reported on Tuesday. The argument between the group’s co-founder Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar and minister for refugees Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani happened
at the presidential palace in Kabul, the report said. Unconfirmed reports of
disagreements have been circulating since Baradar disappeared from public view
in recent days.
One Taliban source told BBC Pashto that
Baradar and Haqqani — a key figure within the militant Haqqani network — had
exchanged strong words, as their followers brawled nearby. The Taliban sources
told the BBC that Baradar had left Kabul and travelled to the city of Kandahar
following the row. A senior Taliban member based in Qatar and a person
connected to those involved also confirmed that an argument had taken place
late last week.
The sources said the argument had broken
out because Baradar, the new deputy PM, was unhappy about the structure of
their interim government. It has been said that the row stemmed from divisions
over who in the Taliban should take credit for their victory in Afghanistan.
Baradar reportedly believes that the emphasis should be placed on diplomacy
carried out by people like him, while members of the Haqqani group and their
backers say it was achieved through fighting.
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Afghan diplomats urge world to deny Taliban
recognition
Sep 16, 2021
A group of Afghan diplomats from the
deposed government in Kabul has issued a first-of-its-kind joint statement
calling on world leaders to deny the Taliban formal recognition. The statement
was signed by two dozen officials operating in a kind of diplomatic twilight,
with no government to represent but still working from missions in the US,
Britain, France, Turkey and elsewhere.
The diplomats who signed the letter were
all below the rank of ambassador. “We are disheartened that after twenty years
of engagement, our allies are abandoning Afghanistan and leaving our people at
the mercy of a terrorist group,” the diplomats wrote. The letter also asked
world leaders to halt Taliban violence against women, activists and journalists.
“Taliban’s success in capturing power through illegal and violent means ...
emboldens terrorist and violent extremist groups around the world,” they wrote.
Jawad Raha, first secretary at the
embassy in Washington, said his outpost was still operating, with diplomats
there focusing on providing services for Afghans living in the US and drawing
attention to the situation in Afghanistan. He said the embassy had taken down
Ashraf Ghani’s photo. “We were all upset (over) the way he left the country,”
Raha said.
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UN envoy meets Taliban government's
interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani
September 16, 2021
A UN envoy has met Afghanistan's new
interior minister who was for years was one of the world's most wanted
militants and is now part of a government trying to head off a humanitarian
crisis.
The meeting between Deborah Lyons, head
of the UN mission in Afghanistan, and Sirajuddin Haqqani focused on
humanitarian assistance, Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said in a
statement on Twitter on Thursday.
"[Haqqani] stressed that UN
personnel can conduct their work without any hurdle and deliver vital aid to
the Afghan people," he said.
Afghanistan was already facing chronic
poverty and drought but the situation has deteriorated since the Taliban took
over last month with the disruption of aid, the departure of tens of thousands
of people including government and aid workers and the collapse of much
economic activity.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
told an international aid conference this week that Afghans were facing
"perhaps their most perilous hour".
The UN mission in Afghanistan said that
in the Wednesday meeting Lyons had stressed the "absolute necessity for
all UN and humanitarian personnel in Afghanistan to be able to work without
intimidation or obstruction to deliver vital aid and conduct work for Afghan
people".
The Taliban repeatedly targeted the
United Nations during the two-decades-long US-led military mission in
Afghanistan that ended last month with the rout of the Western-backed
government by the Taliban.
In one of the bloodiest incidents,
Taliban militants killed five UN foreign staff in an attack on a guest-house in
Kabul in 2009.
More recently, gunmen attacked a UN
compound in the city of Herat in July with rocket-propelled grenades killing a
guard, while protesters in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 2011 killed
seven UN staff.
The Haqqani network, a faction within
the Afghan Taliban, was held responsible for some of the worst militant attacks
in Afghanistan during the Taliban insurgency. The United States designated the
group a terrorist organisation in 2012.
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We impose no conditions on Taliban, they
declared their objective themselves: Russia
16 Sep 2021
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
said that they are not imposing any conditions on the Taliban and added that
they are declaring their objectives themselves which are fighting terrorism and
drug trafficking.
The Russian foreign minister arrived at
the collective security treaty organization (CSTO) meeting in Dushanbe,
Tajikistan on Wednesday, September 15.
Sergey Lavrov said that the Taliban’s
commitment to fighting terrorism and drug trafficking is welcomed by them as
other countries do.
“They (Taliban) assured everyone they
will do everything to prevent threats on neighboring countries. We support most
other countries and welcomed such an approach.” Said Lavrov.
The Russian foreign minister though did
not say anything about recognizing the Taliban, acknowledged they will observe
how the Taliban will implement their commitments.
In the meantime, the Chinese foreign
ministry said that their embassy in Kabul is operating as normal and they will
maintain engagement with the Taliban.
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We will suppress those who defend gains
of past two decades: Taliban
15 Sep 2021
Chief of Army Staff of the Taliban
Fasihudin said that they will suppress all who defend the gains of the past two
decades under the name of specific ethnic groups or resistance in Afghanistan.
Those who defend democracy in
Afghanistan and oppose the Taliban will also be suppressed.
Though he did not directly name any
group, he is probably meant the resistance front led by Ahmad Masoud in
Panjshir province.
The front which was finally defeated by
the Taliban after 15 days, was created by former vice-president Amrullah Saleh
and son of the slain Ahmad Shah Masoud.
The chief of Army staff said these
people are disturbing security and want bloodshed in Afghanistan.
Fasihudin who was talking to a gathering
in Kabul on Wednesday, September 15 said that consultations over creating an
Afghan national army are going on and will establish a potent army.
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Afghans themselves caused ongoing
situation in Afghanistan: Khalilzad
16 Sep 2021
US special representative to
Afghanistan’s peace Zalmay Khalilzad said the people of Afghanistan themselves
caused the ongoing situation and accused former president Ashraf Ghani of
disturbing peaceful transition.
Zalmay Khalilzad in his recent interview
said the escape of Ashraf Ghani failed the scheme of peaceful transition and
the entering of the Taliban to Kabul.
The special envoy has said that former
Afghanistan was not willing to the peace talks and added that the US should not
be blamed for the failure of the Afghan government.
“As per an established scheme, Ashraf
Ghani was supposed to stay in Afghanistan as the president of the country but
he did not do so.” Said, Khalilzad.
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Taliban asks UN’s cooperation in
recognition, lifting sanctions
16 Sep 2021
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan asked the
UN to help them in recognition of their government, removing names of the
Taliban leaders from the black list, and lifting all other sanctions imposed by
the international community.
The acting interior minister of the IEA
Sarajudin Haqqani met under the secretary-General of UN Gilles Michaud and
secretary-General’s special representative for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons on
Wednesday, September 15 in Kabul.
Spokesperson of the Taliban Zabiullah
Mujahid in a series of tweets said that
Sarajudin Haqqani asked the UN to be pragmatic in lifting sanctions from
the Taliban
As per Mujahid, Haqqani has told the UN
representatives that the Taliban want engagement with the international
community and added that an atmosphere of trust is needed in this regard which
is releasing the frozen asset of Afghanistan by the US and implementation of
the Doha agreement.
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Over $12 million seized from former
officials given to central bank by Taliban
15 Sep 2021
Taliban gave the total amount of
12368246 dollars in cash to the central bank-De Afghanistan bank-that were
seized from the residences of officials of the former government.
In addition to the cash, the Taliban has
also given the central bank gold bricks on Wednesday, September 15.
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EU announces additional 100 million
euros in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
15 Sep 2021
Head of the European Union Urela Von Der
Leyen said that the union of 27 European states is standing beside Afghanistan
and is announcing additional 100 million euros in humanitarian aid to the
people of Afghanistan.
Der Leyen said that we must do our best
to avert the looming humanitarian crisis and hunger in Afghanistan.
The additional amount of money is in
addition to 1.2 billion euros announced by the council in 2020. The latter
amount of money is planned to be provided to Afghanistan in the period of
2021-2025.
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India
TISS Students Who Shouted Pro-Sharjeel
Imam Slogans Granted Anticipatory Bail In Sedition Case
16 Sep 2021
A Mumbai court has granted pre-arrest
bail to two students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) here in a
sedition case registered against them for allegedly shouting slogans in support
of former JNU student Sharjeel Imam at an LGBTQ event here in February last
year.
The anticipatory bail of Ambadi B and
Amir Ali was allowed by additional sessions judge MG Deshpande. But a detailed
order of Ambadi was available on Wednesday.
The court noted that there was nothing
before it to show that he was part of the gathering and raised anti-national
slogans.
A careful perusal of the FIR indicates
that there is a clear mention that only one woman Urvashi Chudawala was giving
slogans and the group was responding to the same by clapping in chorus, the
court said.
"Main accused Urvashi Chudawala is
already enjoying the interim protection granted by the (Bombay) High Court.
Basically, there is nothing before the court to even hold that the present
applicant was part of the said assembly and gave anti-nation slogans
attributing sedition," it added.
"The accused is a 22-year-old and
his education is in progress. Arrest has far-reaching consequences as the same
may spoil the career of the student forever. If the application is rejected,
the same will cause irreparable loss to the applicant," the court said.
According to the police, around 300
people had gathered at a rally organised by
Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer (LGBTQ) community at Azad Maidan in
February last year. There were multiple small groups and many of them were
giving slogans, it said.
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Delhi riots: Court frames charges
against 5 men for shooting Muslim man dead, burning his body
by Anand Mohan J
September 16, 2021
A Delhi court Thursday framed charges of
murder against five men accused of killing a Muslim man and burning his body
during the northeast Delhi riots, taking note of his brother’s blow-by-blow
account.
Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav
framed charges against the accused — Lakhpat Rajora, Lalit, Yogesh and two men
both named Kuldeep under sections of murder, rioting, mischief by fire or
explosive substance with intent to destroy house and dacoity of the IPC and
sections of the Arms Act.
Mohd Anwar was murdered on February 25.
His brother Saleem Kassar had told the police that “a riotous mob after
breaking open the doors of his house with sarias and dandas, had looted the
same and thereafter set it on fire”.
He further stated that the “riotous mob
had also committed murder of his elder brother namely Mohd Anwar with gunshot
injury and thereafter burnt his body.” The mob also took away 17 goats from his
brother’s house.
The court in his order said that the
complainant in this case, Saleem Kassar, had “seen his elder brother being shot
dead and his house being burnt by the riotous mob, so it was natural for him to
get shattered and shocked”.
“However, by the passage of time, after
gaining some composure and confidence, he has not only given a blow-by-blow
account of the incident, but has also categorically identified accused Lakhpat
Rajora,” court said.
The court said Kassar’s statement was
also corroborated with that statement of his son and a protected witness. “At
this stage, their aforesaid statements cannot be brushed aside/discarded merely
because there has been some delay in recording thereof or that the complainant
did not specifically name/identify the accused persons in his initial written
complaint made to the police,” the court said.
The court acknowledged that “though,
there is some delay in recording the statements of public witnesses in the
matter, but at this stage, this Court cannot lose sight of the fact that on
account of prevailing communal tension in the area, it was very difficult for
the investigating agency to trace the eye/public witnesses promptly, because
the people were so shocked and traumatised that it took several days for them
to muster courage to come out and report the matter to the police.”
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India: Pakistan holding OIC hostage on
J&K issue
Sep 16, 2021
NEW DELHI: The government slammed
Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday saying that India doesn't
need lessons from a "failed state" which was the epicentre of
terrorism and "worst abuser of human rights". The government also hit
out at OIC for raising issues related to Jammu & Kashmir as it accused the
group of allowing itself to be held hostage by Pakistan.
"We once again regret and reject
the reference made by the OIC to J&K which is an integral part of India.
The OIC has no locus standi to comment on internal affairs of India. The OIC
has helplessly allowed itself to be held hostage by Pakistan, which holds the
chairmanship of their Geneva Chapter, to subserve its own agenda. It's for the
members of the OIC to decide if it is in their interest to allow Pakistan to do
so," said first secretary in Indian mission in Geneva Pawan Badhe.
He was exercising the right of reply
against comments by Pakistan and OIC. India said Pakistan was only seeking to
divert the council's attention from human rights violations being perpetrated
by its government, including in territories occupied by it.
"Pakistan has failed to protect the
rights of its minorities, including Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and Ahmadiyas.
Thousands of women and girls from minority communities have been subjected to
abductions, forced marriages and conversions in Pakistan," said the
official.
Badhe said Pakistan had been engaged in
systematic persecution, forced conversions, targeted killings, sectarian
violence and faith-based discrimination against its ethnic and religious
minorities. "Pakistan is a country which has been globally recognised as a
country openly supporting, training, financing and arming terrorists, including
UN proscribed terrorists, as a matter of state policy. The relevant multilateral
institutions have been raising serious concerns on its failure to stop terror
financing and lack of effective actions against terror entities," said the
official.
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Southeast Asia
Learn from Sabah, Sarawak on racial,
religious tolerance, says academic
Durie Rainer Fong
September 15, 2021
KOTA KINABALU: People in the peninsula
have much to learn from Sabah and Sarawak which are far superior in managing
their diverse cultures, says an academic.
Sarjit S Gill, a professor with
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s faculty of human ecology, said in his research
spanning 20 years, he found that the communities in Sabah had a high level of
tolerance in celebrating their cultures and religions in their daily lives.
Describing Sabah as his second home,
Sarjit said he made it a point to tell students during his lectures that both
Sabah and Sarawak are the models for ethnic relations in Malaysia.
“The reality is the communities in both
states place much importance on tolerance and celebrating their diversity so
that they can live collectively and in a harmonious environment,” he said
during a webinar today.
“They have managed this diversity well
and the question now is how the communities in the peninsula – the Malays,
Chinese and Indians – can learn from Sabah and Sarawak.”
Sarjit was one of the panellists in the
webinar hosted by Universiti Malaysia Sabah, entitled “Harmonious Ethnic
Relations in Sabah: Rhetoric or Reality?” The event was organised in
conjunction with Malaysia Day tomorrow.
Another panellist, Kadazan Dusun Murut
Muslim SeMalaysia Organisation chairman Nicholas Sylvester said earlier that
the harmony among the various ethnic groups in Sabah was a reality rather than
rhetorical, although he did not have scientific research to back up his claim.
Offering anecdotes from his personal
experiences, Nicholas, a Muslim convert, said he continued to have good
relations with his Christian family and friends despite embracing another
religion.
He said he was also close to his
grandmother who kept to Chinese traditions and held on to animism practices.
“We are living (in harmony) and there is
no issue in our daily lives because we tolerate each other,” he said.
He added that the uniqueness was not
limited to his personal experience but all of society in Sabah.
“My good friend, Masidi Manjun (a Sabah
minister) told me he was appreciative of a church offering parking facilities
during a previous gathering.
“This is also evident in the state
assembly and state administration where we can see leaders from various ethnic
backgrounds working together with no issues. NGOs also don’t care about who
they are helping.
“There are also many places in Sabah
where mosques are located next to churches. And there are also many
cross-marriages,” said Nicholas.
“To be fair, there are unhealthy things
happening on social media that counter the euphoria over the ethnic relations
in Sabah where people insult each other over religion and make racist remarks.
“But these are isolated incidents and,
in general, harmony is a reality in Sabah.”
Meanwhile, Sarjit said the government
had previously acknowledged Sabah and Sarawak as models of integration. It has,
however, not carried out equal social and economic development in both states
compared to states in the peninsula.
“When it comes to social and economic
development, we can see a gap. This must be given attention because we want the
people in Sabah and Sarawak to be as developed as those in Putrajaya, Kuala
Lumpur or Selangor.
“During my research on information and
communications technology (ICT) services adoption in Sabah, I found schools
without computers or science labs or labs with broken computers.
“In Putrajaya, people are discussing
using state-of-the-art computers while schools in interior areas are ignored,”
he said.
Sabah DAP’s Jannie Lasimbang, who also
spoke at the webinar, said the government must step in to aid in efforts aimed
at maintaining good ethnic relations by enacting laws to fight racial and
religious discrimination.
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Govt drafting law to enhance shariah
courts, says PM
September 15, 2021
PETALING JAYA: The government is
intensifying efforts to draft the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction)
(Amendment) Act, commonly known as RUU 355, to increase the criminal
jurisdiction powers of shariah courts.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaaob said
after the draft of RUU 355 is finalised, it would be presented to states for
discussion.
“Throughout 2020 and 2021, the
government, through the Syarak and Civil Law Technical Committee, under the
National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs, held a series of meetings to
discuss RUU 355.
“This is to look into various aspects,
especially the constitution and syarak law so that RUU 355 is more
comprehensive and further strengthens the criminal jurisdiction of the shariah
courts,” he said in a written reply posted on the Parliament website.
Ismail was responding to a question from
Khalid Abdul Samad (PH-Shah Alam), who asked the prime minister to state the
strategic plan to strengthen the shariah courts through the amendment of RUU
355 this year.
The proposed amendment to RUU 355 was
tabled by Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang) for the first reading in the Dewan
Rakyat on May 26, 2016 as a private member’s bill.
However, the debate on it was postponed
and a revised version was tabled in November 2016 and April 2017.
RUU 355 aims to increase the
jurisdiction of the shariah courts and punish shariah criminal offences without
involving the non-Muslim community.
Commenting further, Ismail said the
government would always take steps to strengthen the position of the shariah
courts for them to be on par with the civil courts.
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Work with Unity Ministry not on bill
over restricting propagation of faiths, Bintulu MP tells religious affairs
minister
11 Sep 2021
By Sulok Tawie
KUCHING, Sept 11 — Bintulu MP Datuk Seri
Tiong King today urged religious affairs minister Datuk Idris Ahmad to work
closely with the Ministry of National Unity by focusing on the unity and
integration of all Malaysians.
He stressed that the spirit of unity and
mutual understanding, acceptance and harmony among all races and religions must
be maintained to promote a true Malaysian Family concept for all.
“It is my solemn request, to all leaders
from both the governing and opposition parties and their supporters, to set
aside our ambitions using religious and ethnic lines at a time when all
Malaysians are struggling to get by during the pandemic,” Tiong said in a
statement in response for a proposal to draft a Bill on the control and
restrictions on the propagation of non-Muslim religions in Malaysia.
He said an announcement by Idris’ deputy
Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary had created a political storm in the country.
“During this severe pandemic, striving
along these religious and ethnic lines, does nothing to put Malaysia back to
economic and social recovery,” he said, adding that everyone has a right to
freedom of religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. It must not be
compromised now or in the future.
“Regardless of the status of this
proposed bill, my only position is that I firmly oppose it to the end. Our
country is a multi-racial one,” Tiong,who is also Progressive Democratic Party
(PDP) president, said.
He hoped all politicians in Malaysia
will be more sensitive when dealing with various issues and avoid making
remarks that incite and hurt the feelings of other religious groups.
He said creating emotionally-charged
rhetoric will only make interracial relationships more tense and it is not a
way to garner votes.
“It should be understood by all that
religious belief is a spiritual sustenance for human beings and a steadying
beacon in confusion and helplessness.
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Perlis Islamic edict allows Muslim wives
to get Covid-19 vaccine without husbands’ agreement
15 Sep 2021
BY DANIAL DZULKIFLY
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — The Perlis Fatwa
Committee has issued a religious edict or “fatwa” stating that Muslim wives can
go against their husbands if the latter try to deny them from getting
vaccinated against Covid-19.
The edict which was shared by Perlis
Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin on his social media explained that while
Muslims wives are obliged to obey their husbands, this does not include immoral
acts or causing harm to oneself or others.
“A wife who is confident that the usage
of certain medication that is able to cure of certain ailments or to protect
herself from harm based on expert advice, can consume them without the
agreement from the husband.
“Disobeying the husband’s objection on
the matter is not considered as ‘nusyuz’,’’ it said, referring to a religious
offence of disobeying one’s husband.
Last month, it was reported that a
Terengganu man had threatened to divorce his wife if she decides to get her
Covid-19 vaccine shot.
Last June, Shariah Lawyers Association
Malaysia president Musa Awang had pleaded for Shariah courts to remain
operational during the lockdown as there was a rise in domestic abuse cases and
divorces.
Back in 2017, the Perlis Fatwa Committee
was also lauded for its edict allowing Muslim wives to leave their marital home
without their husbands’ permission if their lives are in danger.
In his explanation of the edict then,
Mohd Asri explained the edict was to protect Muslim wives who had been
ill-treated by their husbands.
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Arab World
Hezbollah brings Iranian fuel into
Lebanon: Reports
16 September ,2021
Hezbollah began bringing Iranian fuel
into Lebanon via Syria on Thursday, a move the Shia group says aims to ease a
crippling energy crisis but which its opponents have said exposes the country
to the risk of US sanctions.
Quoting its correspondent, Lebanon’s
Aljadeed television said a convoy of around 20 tanker trucks carrying Iranian
fuel oil had entered Lebanon. The Iran-backed Hezbollah has said the ship
carrying the fuel docked in Syria on Sunday.
The trucks crossed into northeastern
Lebanon near the village of al-Ain, where a banner declared that Hezbollah had
broken a “siege” on Lebanon.
“Thank you Iran. Thank you Assad’s
Syria,” declared another banner, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Lebanon fuel crisis
The energy crisis is a result of a
financial meltdown that has devastated the Lebanese economy since 2019, sinking
the currency by some 90 percent and sending more than three quarters of the
population into poverty.
Fuel supplies have dried up because
Lebanon does not have enough hard currency to cover even vital imports, forcing
essential services including some hospitals to scale back or shut down and
sparking numerous security incidents.
The decision to import fuel marks an
expansion of the role played by the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where
critics have long accused the terrorist group that has fought wars with Israel
of acting as a state within the state.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said
on Monday the ship had docked in Syria to avoid harming Lebanon and to avoid
embarrassing some of its allies, an apparent reference to the sanctions risk.
US sanctions on Iran oil
Washington has reiterated that US
sanctions on Iranian oil sales remain in place, but it has not said whether it
is considering imposing measures against Lebanon over the move by Hezbollah.
Washington designates Hezbollah as a
terrorist group and has also targeted it with sanctions.
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Egypt, Sudan back resumed controversial
Nile dam talks as UN urges deal
16 September ,2021
Egypt and Sudan have expressed readiness
to resume talks with Ethiopia on its controversial Nile dam after the UN
Security Council urged the three governments to swiftly reach a binding deal.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, set
to be Africa’s largest hydroelectric project when completed, has sparked an
almost decade-long diplomatic stand-off between Ethiopia and downstream nations
Egypt and Sudan.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council
adopted a statement encouraging the three countries to resume negotiations
under the auspices of the African Union to swiftly conclude a binding deal.
The Egyptian foreign ministry welcomed
the Security Council statement as an “important impetus” for success in renewed
talks.
Sudan backed the resumption of AU-led
talks during a Wednesday visit by a delegation from the Democratic Republic of
Congo, the current AU chair.
The Sudanese foreign ministry said it
wanted changes to the “ineffective method that has characterized previous
rounds of negotiation.”
The DRC delegation, headed by Foreign
Minister Christophe Lutundula, is also visiting Egypt and Ethiopia on a tour
dedicated to resolving the long-running dispute.
It handed Sudan a document setting out
the remaining points of contention between the three governments.
Egypt and Sudan have been pressing
Ethiopia to sign a binding agreement on the filling and operation of its dam on
the Blue Nile ever since work first started on the project in 2011.
The three governments have held multiple
rounds of talks but so far there has been no sign of any breakthrough.
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Lebanon to resume IMF negotiations,
begin reforms: Draft policy statement
15 September ,2021
The Lebanese government will resume
negotiations with the International Monetary Fund while beginning reforms
demanded by donors, according to a draft policy program that aims to tackle one
of the worst financial meltdowns in history.
New Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s
government will also resume negotiations with creditors over a restructuring of
public debt on which Lebanon defaulted last year, the draft seen by Reuters on
Wednesday said.
The government was agreed on Friday
after more than a year of political conflict over seats in cabinet that left
the country rudderless as more than three-quarters of the population fell into
poverty and shortages crippled normal life.
The cabinet is due to meet on Thursday
to approve the draft, which will then go to a vote of confidence in parliament.
Underscoring the gravity of the
situation, the policy program was drawn up in a matter of days, much faster
than the weeks the process has taken in the past.
The draft said the government was
committed to resuming talks with the IMF for a short- and medium-term support
plan.
Donors want to see Lebanon enact
reforms, including measures to tackle the corruption and graft that led to the
economic collapse, before they will unlock billions of dollars of assistance
already earmarked for the country.
Talks with the IMF broke down last
summer when Lebanon’s political elite and banking sector objected to the scale
of financial losses set out in a recovery plan drawn up by the previous
government.
The draft program said the Mikati
government would renew and develop the previous financial recovery plan, which
set out a shortfall in the financial system of some $90 billion – a figure
endorsed by the IMF.
The government will also draw up a plan
to "correct the situation of (the) banking sector," which has been
paralyzed since late 2019, the draft said.
Lebanon”s financial system unraveled in
late 2019.
The root cause was decades of profligate
spending by the state and the unsustainable way in which it was financed.
As dollars dried up, depositors were
frozen out of their accounts. The value of hard currency savings has plummeted
by up to 80 percent since then, with the Lebanese pound collapsing by 90
percent from a peg that had existed for more than two decades.
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Iraq election chief promises fair
elections despite concerns
15 September ,2021
Iraq is taking measures to close
loopholes and conduct fair elections despite attempts to compromise the
upcoming polls, the head of Iraq’s electoral commission said.
Judge Jaleel Adnan Khalaf, chairman of
the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission overseeing the election on Oct.
10, told The Associated Press in an interview this week that it has identified
and thwarted attempts of voter fraud.
“What we hear here and there is that
citizens are selling their voter cards,” he said, referring to a way for
candidates to essentially buy votes. “The commission has set strict regulations
and strict rules.”
Next month’s vote is being held a year
before the elections were due, in line with a promise made by Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhimi when he assumed office in 2020. He is seeking to appease
anti-government protesters who rose up in October 2019 in Baghdad and Iraq's
south.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi youth took to
the streets to decry rampant corruption, poor services and unemployment.
Hundreds died as security forces used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse
crowds. The protests dwindled following restrictive measures to contain the
spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The elections are also being held under
a new reformed electoral law that divides Iraq into 83 constituencies, instead
of 18, which theoretically allows more independents to participate.
Khalaf said the commission has been
receiving complaints as Election Day nears, including incidents of parties
using weapons to intimidate voters in addition to the selling of voter cards.
The legitimacy and transparency of the
election has been questioned with incidents of violence against activists and
independent candidates on the rise, including a string of targeted killings in
the months leading to the polls. The death of Karbala-based activist Ehab
al-Wazni inspired many to declare a boycott of the election.
Despite Khalaf’s reassurances, Iraqis
remain highly disillusioned and many are not convinced the political
establishment can produce a fair vote.
Concerns are also mounting internally
within the commission. One official said they were aware that members of the
Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) militia, a state-sanctioned militia umbrella
group, will vote along with the general public on Oct. 10 and not on Oct. 8,
the day designated for members of the armed forces. The militia group has not
provided information to the commission about their fighters, the official said,
speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the
matter publicly.
The United Nations expanded its
electoral assistance to the commission to help promote electoral integrity in
the eyes of the public. The 2018 election was marked by severe voter apathy,
with only 44 percent of registered voters participating. There will also be 130
international experts monitoring the poll, along with 600 support staff.
There are 24 million registered voters,
Khalaf said, with 3,449 candidates running in the election for 329 parliament
seats. Khalaf said the commission will fulfill its legal obligation to announce
the results of the election within 24 hours of polls closing.
The introduction of biometric voting
cards is one way the commission hopes it can clamp down on voter fraud.
Electronic verification devices will also be used to identify voters and evade
double voting, which has occurred in past elections.
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GCC Ministerial Council to hold 149th
session in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh
16 September ,2021
The Ministerial Council of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to hold its 149th session in Saudi Arabia’s
capital Riyadh on Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The session will be headed by the current
chairman of the council, Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullatif bin
Rashid al-Zayani, and will witness the participation of GCC Secretary-General,
Nayef Falah al-Hajraf.
Al-Hajraf said the Ministerial Council
will discuss several topics, including a follow-up to the implementation of the
decisions of the Supreme Council that were issued in the summit of Sultan
Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla earlier this year.
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Saudi Crown Prince launches ‘human
capability development’ program
15 September ,2021
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman launched a new program on Wednesday as part of Saudi Vision 2030 plans
and a national strategy to “strengthen citizen’s capabilities locally and
globally.”
“The Human Capability Development
Program represents a national strategy to enhance the competitiveness of
national human capabilities locally and globally to be ready for the current
and future labor market with capabilities and ambitions that compete with the
world, and that is through: instilling and promoting values, developing basic
and future skills, and developing knowledge,” the Crown Prince said.
“Because of my confidence in every
citizen's capabilities, this program has been developed to meet the needs and
aspirations of all segments of society, beginning from childhood passing
through universities, colleges, technical and vocational institutes, and
reaching the labor market, with the goal of preparing citizens for the future,
as this contributes to building a solid economy based on skills and knowledge
and with human capital at its core,” HRH the Crown Prince added.
The Crown Prince announced that the
program will include 89 initiatives aimed at achieving 16 strategic objectives
of Saudi Vision 2030. The program's strategy will be built on three pillars:
Develop a resilient and strong educational base, prepare for the future labor
market locally and globally, and provide lifelong learning opportunities.
The program's initiatives will include
promoting the expansion of kindergartens, which will help to develop a
resilient and strong educational base for all children. Moreover, the career
guidance and counseling initiative which will provide citizens with the
capabilities and skills necessary to plan their career objectives. In addition,
a number of initiatives that target upskilling and reskilling citizens to
increase employability rate and enable entrepreneurs and innovators for the
future labor market locally and globally.
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Mideast
Envoy: Origin of Contamination Declared
by IAEA Unknown to Iran
2021-September-16
"It is regrettable that despite
Iran’s written explanations regarding the presence of depleted uranium
contamination, which were delivered to the Agency on 26 May 2021, the Agency
still keeps repeating that 'Iran had yet to provide an explanation'. The Agency
has to rectify this situation," Qaribabadi said, addressing the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s board of governors' meeting on
'Report of the IAEA Director General'.
"As it was explained by Iran, based
on our investigation into the background of the activities carried out in the
location, there was no precedent of any nuclear activity; therefore, the origin
of the contamination declared by the Agency is absolutely unknown to us.
Nevertheless, the depleted uranium contamination originating from commercially
available uranium-derived products is nothing unusual and is not a significant
issue," he added.
The full text of the Iranian envoy's
remarks are as follows:
In the Name of Allah, the Most
Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Madam Chairperson,
Director General,
Excellencies, Dear Colleagues,
At the outset, allow me to point out
that the Director General’s latest report under this agenda item includes some
aspects which I deem it necessary to elaborate them more for the sake of
establishing a better understanding about the work done and the future perspective
in this regard.
First and foremost, I would like to
reiterate the fact that, there is no safeguards related issue regarding Iran’s
ongoing nuclear activities and this important point has been confirmed, once
again consistent with the previous ones, in the current report of the Director
General. Likewise, Iran has voluntarily continued practical and constructive
interactions and working relations with the Agency to address questions about a
few immaterial and insignificant issues. Despite sincere efforts, it is
profoundly inadequate that, the Secretariat has taken a counterproductive and
hasty approach in reporting the matter at the expense of its own credibility.
Madam Chairperson,
While Iran has been positively
responding to different requests by the Director General, the current report of
the Agency is mostly, a repetition of the previous report without reflecting
appropriately the recent and ongoing developments and progress between the two
parties. Unfortunately such positive and constructive approach shown by Iran
was not reciprocated appropriately by the Agency, which could turn into an
obstacle for future good-will interactions between the two sides.
Having said this, allow me, Madam
Chairperson, to explain some of the outstanding aspects of the recent progress,
parts of which were also raised in the report of the Director General, as
follows:
1. Iran has already provided the Agency
with the complete background information on activities in Location 4, as the
Agency calls it, both orally and in writing, the supporting documents of which
have also been presented to the Agency on 24 August 2021. Iran has also
responded to the questions of the Agency on 24 August 2021, which were
delivered to it unofficially on 26 May 2021. In this context it is regrettable
that despite Iran’s written explanations regarding the presence of depleted
uranium contamination, which were delivered to the Agency on 26 May 2021, the
Agency still keeps repeating that “Iran had yet to provide an explanation”. The
Agency has to rectify this situation. As it was explained by Iran, based on our
investigation into the background of the activities carried out in the
location, there was no precedent of any nuclear activity; therefore, the origin
of the contamination declared by the Agency is absolutely unknown to us.
Nevertheless, the depleted uranium contamination originating from commercially
available uranium-derived products is nothing unusual and is not a significant
issue.
It is a source of serious concern that
after numerous communications and interactions on this subject and providing
information, explanations and complete set of documentation, the Agency sent a
letter on 2 September 2021, referencing to some commercial satellite imageries
for the period of 1994 till 2018, to claim that some of Iran’s explanations are
not consistent with the imageries. Firstly, some satellite imageries cannot
prove that activities in contradiction with Iran’s statement have occurred.
Secondly, a serious question is raised that why the Agency had not provided
Iran with these imageries before in order to be assessed and responded to.
Apparently this has become a malpractice by the Agency that every time that we
come close to concluding an issue, new questions are raised which prepares the
ground for an open and endless process. This practice is not acceptable and
contradicts the Agency’s professionalism. Considering all that was explained
above and also numerous meetings, communications and explanations provided by
Iran, we believe and highly expect that the Agency is able to conclude this
matter as resolved.
2. On the natural uranium in the form of
a metal disc at location 2, as the Agency calls it, I should remind and recall
that the Agency’s inspectors carried out in-field verification activity on this
matter at a declared facility twice during the second half of 2020. These were
in addition to the annual PIV which usually is carried out in the first half of
the year. In the May meeting in Tehran, we challenged the Agency’s claims on
this issue which are merely based on a few non-authentic and unsubstantiated
images without presenting any supporting evidence. We have stated vividly to
the Agency that it is not possible for Iran to take any action accordingly, and
it is upon the Agency to rectify this improper practice. Nevertheless, as a
sign of good-faith, Iran informed the Agency in May in Tehran that if an
additional verification activity, as requested by the Agency, would conclude
the matter, we are ready to voluntarily facilitate the implementation of the
request. Now, it is upon the Agency to take a professional and proper decision
in this regard.
3. Having different opinions on the
modified Code 3.1 is not a new issue between Iran and the Agency and dates back
to almost two decades ago. It should be reminded that in the new phase, Iran,
among the voluntary and transparency measures, accepted implementation of the
modified Code 3.1 based on paragraph 65 of the JCPOA.
Madam Chairperson,
I would like to seriously convey my
concerns over the aggrandizing of few insignificant old issues from the
secretariat. The Director General’s statement in his last report stating that
“the lack of progress in clarifying the Agency’s questions concerning the
correctness and completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations was seriously
affecting the ability of the Agency to provide assurance of the peaceful nature
of Iran’s nuclear programme”, is veritably a clear indication of exaggerations
on these issues. The Agency should avoid politicizing and maintain its
professionalism in its positions and reports. How is it possible that an
insignificant amount of material belonging to two decades ago affect the
peaceful nature of the nuclear program of a country, while that country is
hosting more than 20 percent of the Agency’s inspections at the global level
and has accepted, for more than 5 years, the most robust verification and
monitoring activities of the Agency?! The statement of the Agency in its report
is completely unprofessional, illusory and unfair. We really hope that the
Director General rectifies it because continuation of this path may negatively
affect Iran’s approach toward the Agency.
In this context, I would like to
reiterate that constructive engagement requires positive environment, avoiding
expressing any pre-judgment, raising artificial concerns or deadlines, as well
as unnecessary and disproportionate overstatement of the trivial issues.
Iran is committed to its obligations
under the CSA. It should be noted that all nuclear material and facilities
including LOF's in Iran are under the Agency’s safeguards in accordance with
the CSA and there is no indication of diversion in declared nuclear material
and activities in Iran.
Madam Chairperson,
Reacting to some points raised in this
meeting, I would like to reiterate that it is a bitter irony of the history
that, the Agency overlooks Israeli regime’s nuclear weapon program in the
volatile region of the Middle East.
Regrettably, this regime continues to
ignore the international community by downplaying the significance of the
Treaty, denying acceding to the Treaty and refusing to place all its nuclear
facilities and activities under the Agency's comprehensive safeguards regime.
Quite to the contrary, Israel is now even enjoying a more preferential
treatment as compared with that of the Nuclear Weapon States, who are members
to the NPT and have several obligations specifically under Articles I and VI of
the Treaty. While for being still out of the NPT, Israel is free from any
obligations under the Treaty, and enjoys all advantages of the IAEA Statute
which are interlinked with the NPT.
Such a situation has given this regime
the audacity to ridicule the authority and mandate of the Agency in preventing
the diversion of its nuclear materials and activities. Most importantly, this
regime has become so cynically bold as to manipulate the realities and
criticize other Members of the NPT on the account that they have obligations
due to their membership in the Treaty, but Israel has not. This is a very
serious shortcoming and failure in the work of the Agency, which should be
addressed properly.
In this situation, what is the advantage
of being both a NPT member and fully implementing the Agency’s safeguards? How
could the international community see the IAEA as a serious, professional and
impartial partner when it does not pursue evenly and justly the implementation
of its comprehensive safeguards regime for all its Members, and yet does not
seriously discuss the necessity of verification activities and inspections of,
for-instance, Israel's nuclear program? Doesn’t the policy of silence and
negligence about Israel’s nuclear program send a negative message to the
members of the NPT meaning that “being a member of the Treaty equals accepting
the most robust monitoring and verifications, while being outside the Treaty
means to be free from any obligation and criticism, and even be rewarded”?!
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Iran Reiterates Support for Lebanon,
Readiness to Help
2021-September-16
During the meeting in Tehran on
Wednesday, Amir Abdollahian underlined the need for the further expansion of
relations between Iran and Lebanon, voicing the country's readiness to meet
different needs of Lebanon.
He congratulated the Lebanese people on
the formation of a new government in the country, adding that the Iranian
government under President Ebrahim Rayeesi pays due attention to providing
support for the Axis of Resistance.
The honorable resistance of the Lebanese
people against the Zionist and Takfiri enemies is a source of honor and pride
for all the regional nations and the freedom-seekers across the world, Amir
Abdollahian said.
The Lebanese envoy, for his part,
congratulated the Iranian foreign minister on his appointment to the post.
Safieddin said that the Lebanese people
are grateful for the Iranian support for their country during tough times.
He also thanked the Islamic Republic of
Iran for selling the most needed fuel to Lebanon.
Tankers carrying Iran-sent fuel arrived
in the Lebanese territories on Thursday, bringing joy to people who have been
facing acute fuel shortage in the past few months.
A convoy of tankers loaded with Iranian
mazut had entered the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali in Lebanon’s Northeastern
Baalbek-Hermel province on Thursday, Lebanon 24 News reported.
The media director of the Lebanese
resistance movement Hezbollah said that the tankers will first stop between the
villages of Ain and Laboueh and that their last station would be the entrance
to Southern Baalbek.
Speaking on Wednesday night, Hezbollah
Secretary-General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah urged people not to gather to observe
the convoy both for their own safety and the movement of the tankers.
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Iranian Fuel Reaches Lebanon
2021-September-1
A convoy of tankers loaded with Iranian
mazut had entered the village of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali in Lebanon’s Northeastern
Baalbek-Hermel province on Thursday, Lebanon 24 News reported.
The media director of the Lebanese
resistance movement Hezbollah said that the tankers will first stop between the
villages of Ain and Laboueh and that their last station would be the entrance
to Southern Baalbek.
Speaking on Wednesday night, Hezbollah
Secretary-General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah urged people not to gather to observe
the convoy both for their own safety and the movement of the tankers.
Announcing that ships carrying Iranian
fuel would set sail for Lebanon last month, Nasrallah warned that the Israeli
regime and the US that the resistance group regarded the convoy as part of the
“Lebanese soil.”
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FM: Iran Interested in Further Expansion
of Economic Ties with S. Africa
2021-September-16
Amir Abdollahian in a meeting with South
African Ambassador Vika Mazwi Khumalo in Tehran on Wednesday underlined
significance of African countries in Iran’s foreign policy, asking for evermore
expansion of ties, and especially the economic relations with Pretoria.
He also stressed the importance of the
Ministerial Joint Economic Commission and its Ministerial Political Committee,
as well as its other side committees, in the two countries.
Amir Abdollahian also referred to the
South African president’s meeting with the Iranian president in November 2015
in Pretoria as a turning point in the two countries’ relations, remembering
that he was a deputy foreign minister at the time.
He also appreciated South Africa’s
supports for Iran during its rotating presidency of the UN Security Council,
and also that county’s support for the Palestinian nation.
During the meeting, the two officials
surveyed ways for expansion of comprehensive bilateral ties and mutual
cooperation.
Ambassador Khumaloa in the meeting conveyed
the South African Foreign Minister Ms. Naledi Pandor’s congratulation to his
Iranian counterpart.
She referred to the arrangement for
holding the 15th Session of the Iran-South Africa Joint Economic Commission,
expressing the hope that in the near future meeting of its Political Committee
would be held in Tehran and the Joint Commission in South Africa.
He repeated South Africa’s invitation of
President Ebrahim Rayeesi for a visit to Pretoria, expressing the hope that the
visit would take place during the next Christian year and after the Joint
Commission.
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Iranian Envoy Urges End to Looting
Syria's Oil
2021-September-16
The Syrian people have suffered greatly
from one of the gravest humanitarian situations in the world for over 10 years,
Ershadi said, addressing the UN Security Council on 'The situation in the
Middle East (Syria – Humanitarian)' on Wednesday.
She pointed out that unfortunately,
“people are suffering more now than they ever have” as USG Martin Griffiths has
been told by Syrians and humanitarian workers during his recent visit to Syria.
Ershadi said the international community
has a serious political, moral and ethical responsibility to address this dire
situation.
"The visit of the UN Emergency
Relief Coordinator to Syria, enabling him to collect firsthand information as
well as to assess actual situation on the ground, was a welcome act," the
Iranian envoy added.
She underscored that it is promising
that, according to his account, he was encouraged by his discussions with the
Syrian Government’s officials and by subsequent developments on the ground,
including the first humanitarian cross-line operation into Syria’s North West
since 2017.
"We value all efforts to make this
happen, including the preparations by the Syrian Government and the cooperation
of the humanitarian community," Ershadi said. "More importantly, we
salute the dedication of a Syrian soldier who lost his life while demining to
clear the road for humanitarian convoy."
The Iranian ambassador also said that
the transfer of humanitarian aid to Daraa, with the cooperation of the Syrian
Government, is also an important development.
She further pointed out that as the UN
Emergency Relief Coordinator has been notified by the humanitarian community,
the humanitarian and socioeconomic situation continues to deteriorate and there
is an “urgent need for recovery assistance and improved basic services”.
"This underlines the importance of
the full and effective implementation of resolution 2585, through which the
Security Council has called upon all Member States to respond with practical
steps to address the urgent needs of the Syrian people," Ershadi said.
She went on to assert that through that
resolution, the Council has also stressed that such efforts must include
supporting “essential services through water, sanitation, health, education,
and shelter early recovery projects”.
"In this context, we welcome the
statement of the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator that “we must dramatically
increase our early recovery assistance," Ershadi said.
The Iranian envoy reiterated that
however, it is disappointing that, according to him, “needs in Syria keep
growing while funding keeps shrinking”.
She said that this means financial
contributions for humanitarian activities in Syria must increase, but this
alone is not enough.
Ershadi further said that therefore,
efforts for early recovery projects and reconstruction must be redoubled and
expedited; unilateral sanctions, which have a devastating role in aggravating
the humanitarian situation, must be removed fully and immediately; the looting
of Syrian oil and wealth must stop; water must not be weaponized; and the
return of refugees and displaced persons must be facilitated.
"Further efforts must also be made
to ensure that Syrians no longer need to rely on humanitarian aid," she
added.
Ershadi underlined that the ultimate
solution is, of course, ending the conflict, full withdrawal of all uninvited
foreign forces, defeating terrorists, and ensuring Syria’s territorial
integrity, unity and political independence.
"We hope that the recent positive
developments as a result of the coordination and cooperation of the Syrian
Government and the humanitarian community will yield further results and
replace confrontational approaches with cooperation," she added.
The Iranian envoy concluded by saying
that the touching story told by USG Griffiths of a four-year-old Syrian boy
with leukemia, under treatment at a clinic in rural Aleppo, which “has no
electricity, running water, or access to medication”, is only one example of
the hardships faced daily by many Syrians.
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000625000297/Iranian-Envy-Urges-End-Ling-Syria's-Oil
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Iran Sends Humanitarian Aid to
Afghanistan
2021-September-16
The Mahan Air flight, which landed in
Kabul on Wednesday, was carrying over a dozen Iranian diplomats as well as
humanitarian supplies.
The flight took off from the
Northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad with 19 passengers on board.
The fight, the report added, would
return to Mashhad airport with 26 passengers.
Earlier this month, Afghanistan’s former
president Hamid Karzai and head of the country’s High Council for National
Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah had in a telephone conversations with Iran’s
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian asked for humanitarian aid.
Amir Abdollahian stressed that Iran
would maintain trade and keep its borders with Afghanistan open.
Afghanistan relies on Iran for transit
route and imports including fuel. According to customs officials, all Iranian
borders with Afghanistan have reopened and goods are transiting safely.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei stressed last month that Iran would continue to
support the Afghan people.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000625000309/Iran-Sends-Hmaniarian-Aid-Afghanisan
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Iranian Security Forces Dismantle
Terrorist Team Affiliated to Foreign Spy Agencies
2021-September-15
The security and intelligence forces
dismantled the terrorist team in an operation while it was attempting to carry
out acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks against Iran’s vital and sensitive
centers, the statement said.
It added that more information about the
terrorist team will be provided to people in the near future.
In a relevant development in July, the
Iranian security forces had also dismantled a terrorist group affiliated to the
Israeli spy agency, Mossad, and captured its members.
“A network of agents of the Zionist
regime (Mossad) has been dismantled and captured along with a large shipment of
weapons and ammunition after arriving at the western border posts of the
country,” the director-general of the Intelligence Ministry for
Counter-Espionage Operation said.
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Iranian DM Praises IRGC, Army Navies for
Security in Persian Gulf
2021-September-15
“We owe the strategic security of the
Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and the critical waterways of the country to
the defense preparations of the Navy of the Army and the IRGC,” General
Ashtiani said in a meeting with IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza
Tangsiri on Wednesday.
"Today, maritime trade and economic
and commercial activities at sea enjoy security," he added.
General Ashtiani also hailed the combat
readiness of the IRGC naval forces.
Rear Admiral Tangsiri, for his part,
said, "Today, the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoys authority,
capabilities and preparations, and these capabilities are owed to the wise
guidance and command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (Ayatollah
Khamenei)."
In relevant remarks in June, Rear
Admiral Tangsiri underlined his forces’ preparedness to safeguard Iran's
interests in the Persian Gulf and international waters.
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Palestinian activist twins featured in
Time’s 100 most influential people 2021
16 September ,2021
Prominent Palestinian activists and twins
Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd have been named among the world’s 100 most
influential people of 2021 by TIME magazine.
Featuring the likes of Britney Spears,
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Elon Musk and Tim Cook, TIME unveiled
its annual list on Wednesday with the sibling activists praised for having
provided the world with a window into living under Israeli occupation in East
Jerusalem.
They become the face of a campaign to
halt Palestinian evictions from a flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood and
helped prompt an international shift in rhetoric in regard to Israel and
Palestine.
For more than a decade, the El-Kurd
family, along with dozens of their neighbors in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood,
has been fighting against the possibility of forced removal from their homes by
Israeli settlers.
In May, tensions in Sheikh Jarrah
spilled into the nearby Old City, where Israeli forces attacked worshippers at
the al-Aqsa mosque; Hamas militants in Gaza responded with rocket fire into
Israel. Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd—who were temporarily detained by Israeli
authorities this summer—challenged existing narratives about Palestinian
resistance through viral posts and interviews, humanizing the experiences of
their neighbors and pushing back against suggestions that violence was being
predominantly carried out by Palestinians.
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Iran’s Raisi to attend regional summit
in first official visit since taking office
16 September ,2021
Tehran’s participation in a Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference demonstrates the importance it places
on regional cooperation, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said before leaving
for Tajikistan on Thursday on his first foreign trip since taking office last
month.
The summit in Dushanbe will discuss last
month’s takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban, a neighbouring country of the
SCO’s largely Central Asian members. Afghanistan itself is an observer at the
SCO, as is Iran.
The SCO was launched in 2001 to combat
radical Islam and other security concerns in China, Russia and four ex-Soviet
Central Asian republics.
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Iran president selects hardline cabinet
to drive hard bargain with US
15 September ,2021
Iran, emboldened by the messy US
withdrawal from Afghanistan, is betting that its new hardline cabinet --
including Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani -- can force concessions in
talks on Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Bagheri, a hardline senior diplomat, was
named on Tuesday to replace Abbas Araqchi, a seasoned pragmatist diplomat and
chief negotiator in the negotiations that Tehran hopes will lead to a lifting
of US sanctions.
Kani is an extension of the hardline
deep state that is now in charge across all institutions in Iran and can more
readily negotiate with the West as he is not just representing the government
but has the empowerment of the inner circle,” said Andreas Krieg, associate
professor at the School of Security at King's College in London.
“It (the US withdrawal from Afghanistan)
has given the regime in Tehran more confidence in their regional surrogate
warfare approach while showing that the US is on the backfoot in the region.”
Iran has alarmed Washington and its Gulf
Arab allies by relying on proxies in Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, to steadily
spread its influence across the Middle East.
Bagheri, who was named deputy foreign
minister for political affairs, had been a senior negotiator in the nuclear
talks under former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from 2007 to 2013. He
is a relative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran's parliament in late August
approved all but one of President Ebrahim Raisi's big-name nominees for a
cabinet of hardliners that will have the task of implementing his plans to ease
US sanctions and tackle worsening economic hardship.
Indirect talks between Iran and the
United States stopped in June, days after Raisi was elected president of Iran.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week said time was running out for
Iran to return to the nuclear accord.
An official involved in the talks said
Iran's enrichment with large numbers of advanced centrifuges is an unresolved
issue, as is Iran's demand that it “verify” US compliance before curbing its
nuclear program.
This official said verification meant
the easing of US sanctions, Iran's export of some of oil and its payment
through an international bank before Tehran would take steps to make its
program less capable of being used to make nuclear weapons
Western powers on Monday scrapped plans
for a resolution criticizing Iran at the U.N. atomic watchdog after Tehran
agreed to prolong monitoring of some nuclear activities, even though the
watchdog said Iran made no “promise” on another key issue.
During a last-minute visit to Tehran
this weekend by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, Iran agreed to grant his agency
overdue access to its equipment in Iran that monitors some sensitive areas of
its nuclear program. Inspectors will swap out memory cards more than two weeks
after they were due to be replaced. Grossi said on Sunday that the agreement
solved “the most urgent issue” between the IAEA and Iran.
He made clear on Monday, however, that
on another source of concern - Iran's failure to explain uranium traces found
at several old but undeclared sites - he had obtained no firm commitments.
Nicki Siamaki, analyst at Control Risks,
said Bagheri's appointment, particularly if he replaces Araqchi as chief
nuclear negotiator, could prolong the process of reaching a deal with the
United States as his masters would raise the stakes to reach a deal they see
meets their conditions.
The 2015 nuclear agreement imposed
restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of international
sanctions against Tehran.
Then-President Donald Trump pulled the
United States out of the deal in 2018, re-imposing tough economic sanctions on
Iran. Tehran responded as of a year later by breaching many of the agreement's
restrictions and later enriching uranium to purity levels much closer to
weapons-grade.
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https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/09/15/Iran-president-selects-hardline-cabinet-to-drive-hard-bargain-with-US
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Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
call off planned hunger strike
15 September ,2021
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
have called off a planned hunger strike later this week involving some 1,400
inmates after their demands were met, a Palestinian group said Wednesday.
Tensions have been running high since
six militants staged a dramatic escape from a high-security jail in northern
Israel on September 6, via a tunnel dug under a sink. Four of them have since
been recaptured.
Hundreds of their fellow inmates were
transferred to other jails, and personal items were confiscated, according to
the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.
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The Palestinian Authority’s commission
for prisoners had announced plans for a hunger strike from Friday.
Some 1,380 prisoners - out of more than
4,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails - were to start fasting on Friday, to
be joined by other inmates next week.
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Iran admits to removing damaged IAEA
cameras from nuclear site
15 September ,2021
Iran acknowledged on Wednesday that it
had removed several surveillance cameras installed by UN nuclear inspectors at
a centrifuge assembly site that came under a mysterious attack earlier this
year.
The chief of the country's nuclear
program, Mohammad Eslami, sought to portray the removal of cameras as Tehran's
response to world powers reneging on their commitments under the tattered 2015
nuclear deal.
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Google News channel online or via the app.
“The parties did not implement their commitments
so there were no necessity for the cameras’ existence,” Eslami said after a
meeting with lawmakers — remarks apparently aimed at his own domestic audience
under the country’s new hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi.
Eslami's comments come days after a
confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report that revealed the
nuclear watchdog found four surveillance cameras to be destroyed and damaged
after their removal from the centrifuge manufacturing site in Karaj, a city
about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Tehran.
In June, Iran accused Israel of mounting
a sabotage attack on the site, which makes components for machines used to
enrich uranium. Without disclosing details of the assault, Iranian authorities
acknowledged the strike had damaged the building.
Addressing swirling questions about the
agency's broken surveillance cameras, Eslami said Wednesday they were damaged
during recent “terrorist operations," without elaborating.
The attack on Karaj was just the latest
in a series of suspected assaults targeting Iran’s nuclear program that have
heightened regional hostilities in recent months, as world powers attempt to
salvage the now-collapsed nuclear deal. Israel is widely believed to have
carried out the sabotage, though it has not claimed responsibility.
Tensions eased slightly in the contest
over IAEA surveillance cameras at Iran's sensitive nuclear sites earlier this
week, when Iran agreed to allow international inspectors to install new memory
cards into surveillance cameras at its atomic facilities to continue filming.
Tehran holds all recordings at its sites
as negotiations over the US and Iran returning to the landmark nuclear deal
remain stalled in Vienna. As Tehran tries to ramp up pressure on the West to
grant sanctions relief, the country is now enriching small amounts of uranium
to its closest-ever levels to weapons-grade purity as its stockpile continues
to grow.
Tehran maintains its nuclear program is
peaceful, and Eslami on Wednesday hit back against those who accuse Iran of covertly
pursuing a nuclear bomb.
“What Iran has gained in the nuclear
field is based on domestic research and development, and nobody can stop this”
Eslami said, adding that he will travel to Vienna next week for a meeting with
the IAEA. “We should not allow ourselves to be accused of secrecy by the
world.”
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Africa
Court Remands Father, Son, Others For
Alleged Killing Of Salawudeen In Mosque
Sep 16, 2021
ILESA – Justice Ayo Oyebiyi of Osogbo
High Court in Osun State has ordered the remand of Kayode Esuleke, and his son,
Ifasola Esuleke, Kola Adeosun and Akeem Idowu at Ilesa Prison for alleged
killing of Moshood Salawudeen in a mosque at Osogbo, Osun State capital.
The accused persons were charged on 13
counts ranging from murder, attempted murder, malicious damage, Assault to
breach of public peace and fighting dirty in the public.
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https://independent.ng/court-remands-father-son-others-for-alleged-killing-of-salawudeen-in-mosque/
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Bauchi gov appoints new Head of Service,
22 Perm Secs
September 16, 2021
By Hafsat Abdulhamid
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala
Abdulkadir Mohammed, on Wednesday approved the appointment of a new Head of
Civil Service, Alhaji Yahuza Adamu Haruna and 22 Permanent Secretaries for the
state civil service.
This was revealed by the Special Adviser
Media to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado in a press release he signed and made
available to DAILY POST in Bauchi.
According to the governor’s media aide,
Haruna’s appointment came on the heel of the retirement of the immediate past
Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Aliyu Jibo, adding that prior to his retirement,
the governor had confirmed him as the state’s substantive Head of Civil
Service, effective from 1st April, 2021.
“His Excellency, Sen. Bala Abdulkadir
Mohammed, CON, Fnipr (Kauran Bauchi) the Executive Governor of Bauchi State has
approved the appointment of Alhaji Yahuza Adamu Haruna as the new Head of Civil
Service for Bauchi State.
“This followed the retirement of the
Head of Civil Service, Alh Aliyu Jibo, mni. Prior to Alh. Jibo’s retirement,
His Excellency, the Governor had approved his confirmation as the substantive
Head of Civil Service with effect from 1st April 2021,” Gidado stated.
He added that Governor Mohammed thanked
the outgoing Head of Civil Service for his invaluable contribution to the
development of the state’s civil service and wished him the very best in his
future endeavours.
The governor’s media aide informed that
the newly appointed Head of Civil Service hailed from Ningi Local Government
Area of the state and attended the famous Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria,
where he graduated with Bsc Economics.
“He also holds Msc Agric-economics from
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi and a Masters in Public Policy
and Administration from the Bayero University, Kano (BUK). He is currently
pursuing a doctorate programme in Economics at the Bauchi State University,
Gadau.
“Until his appointment, he was the
Permanent Secretary Ministry of Budget & Economic Planning, Bauchi State,”
Gidado informed.
In a similar development, he informed
that Governor Mohammed had approved the appointment of 22 new Permanent
Secretaries in the state civil service, adding that their appointment and that
of the new Head of Civil Service were with immediate effect.
According to him, the newly appointed
Permanent Secretaries are: Jibrin Moh’d Yusuf (Alkaleri LGA); Danjuma Garba
(Bauchi LGA); Babaji Mairiga Suleiman (Bauchi LGA); Saratu Musa Jibrin (Bogoro
LGA); Shehu Yahaya Jalam (Dambam LGA); Hannatu Iliya (Dass LGA); Isa Moh’d
Tahir (Gamawa LGA); Asma’u Muhammad Sunusi (Ganjuwa LGA); Idris Saleh Giade (Giade
LGA) and Bala Manu Gadau (Itas/Gadau LGA).
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https://dailypost.ng/2021/09/16/bauchi-gov-appoints-new-head-of-service-22-perm-secs/
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Police arrests suspected killers of
Senator Na’Allah’s son
15 September 2021
The Nigerian police has arrested the
suspected killers of Abdukareem Na’Allah, the eldest son of Senator Bala
Na’Allah.
Abdulkareem, a pilot, was killed in
August at his home in Kaduna.
An aide to Senator Na’Allah said in a
statement last month that the killers strangled the 36-year-old pilot to death
after entering his room through the roof.
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https://guardian.ng/news/police-arrests-suspected-killers-of-senator-naallahs-son/
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How Morocco's king dealt a blow to
political Islam
By Magdi Abdelhadi
Morocco's governing Islamist party has
suffered a shocking defeat in recent elections - a turn of events reverberating
across North Africa given its pioneering role for political Islam amid the Arab
Spring.
The Development and Justice Party (PJD),
which was the first Islamist party to come to power in an election in the
region and the wider Middle East, found its share of the vote was decimated
from 125 to a mere 12 seats.
Back in 2011 the sense of a new
beginning for many in Morocco was real.
The rise of the PJD chimed with the
times.
The protests that erupted first in
Tunisia, later known as the Arab Spring, were in full swing. Zine al-Abidine
Ben Ali of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya were
all toppled that year.
Islamists parties were poised to win
elections in Egypt and Tunisia and to change the course of history, as many had
hoped.
Morocco's King Mohammed VI saw where the
wind was blowing and acted swiftly to pre-empt any similar upheaval that could
threaten his throne.
He sacked the cabinet and dissolved
parliament. To stem the tide of rising protests he announced plans to draft a
new constitution to put Morocco on a new path.
'Cosmetic changes'
It was later approved by a resounding
98.5% of the vote, hailed as a game changer, and helped portray the king as a
benign autocrat willing to share power with the people.
But the reforms promised by the king
were dismissed as cosmetic by the February 20 Movement for Change, the banner
under which demonstrations were organised during the Arab Spring.
It had taken to the streets demanding
radical reform to turn Morocco into a constitutional monarchy, where the king
would "reign but not rule", a symbol of the nation - more in line
with European monarchies in the UK or Scandinavia.
In fact, the king had retained nearly
all the powers he had held in the past in the new constitution. He continued to
control foreign, defence and security policy.
He also retained his position as the
spiritual leader of the nation - he's officially the "Commander of the
Faithful", an historic description used nowhere else today, and is based
on a claim that his dynasty is a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
However, the new constitution held out
the promise of a new beginning to parts of the political class, including the
PJD.
The party seized the opportunity and
rode on the crest of the wave of widespread discontent with the old political
parties.
And the king and his courtiers - which
has reluctantly tolerated the Islamists - did not block their rise to complete
the democratic façade, while maintaining the strings of real power within its
grip.
The PJD further increased its share of
the vote in subsequent elections in 2016 to 125 seats to spend another five
years in power.
Poisoned chalice
Although almost everyone expected the
party to shed some votes in the election last week, no-one predicted this
crushing defeat - even the leader of the party and his deputy lost their seats,
prompting their immediate resignation.
It is perhaps too early to fully account
for the reasons of this dramatic fall. But observers concur that PJD has simply
failed to deliver on its electoral promises.
A party that has "justice" and
"development" in its name has failed to deliver either, they argue.
It had, for example, promised to lift
more Moroccans out of poverty, improve public education and health, but failed
to do any of that. On the contrary the gap between the rich and the poor has
simply widened.
Further, the party has alienated some of
its base when it endorsed a controversial law introducing two-year contracts
for teachers, robbing them of job security and is regarded by some as the first
step in privatising the education system.
On the question of the status of the
French language in education - a particularly sensitive topic for a party that
champions Arab-Islamic identity in the former French colony - it failed to
block a law that made French the language of teaching science in schools.
Critics of the party say once in power
it became more royalist than the king, taking the side of the
"makhzen" - the term Moroccans use to refer to the king and powerful
courtiers and security agencies - against the people in key rights and labour
disputes.
Some commentators believe that the
party's biggest mistake was assuming the responsibility of government without
actually having the real power, which rested with the king.
It was like a poisoned chalice.
All that said, the change to the
electoral law, not proposed by the PJD but which was passed by parliament in
March, also dealt a decisive blow to the party's chances of achieving another
big electoral win.
Lowering the benchmark for smaller
parties, and counting the votes on the basis of all eligible voters rather than
on only valid ballots, contributed to the party's loss.
The party had contested these changes,
saying they were unconstitutional, but had failed to block them in parliament.
On the face of it, the changes were
designed to allow for greater plurality, but in reality they further fragmented
the political landscape, a tactic that has long been used by the makhzen, say
analysts, to undermine political parties.
Election charade?
Regionally, the news of the failure was
greeted with jubilation.
In Egypt and the Gulf the party is
viewed as the Moroccan version of the Muslim Brotherhood, a national and
transnational political-religious movement that has been designated as
"terrorist" in some countries.
Commentators regarded the fall of PJD as
the final nail in the coffin of political Islam.
In Morocco, it is safe to argue that the
marginalisation of the PJD suggests that the makhzen has now completely
weathered the storm of the Arab Spring and its immediate aftermath.
But the underlying tensions rising from
the quest for truly representative and accountable government, or from the
desire to check the powers of the king - have not gone away.
The man nominated by the king to form
the new government, Aziz Akhannouch, the billionaire leader of the National
Rally of Independents (RNI), which won the largest number of votes, has said
that his government will work to "implement the strategy of the
king".
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58571178
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Haftar’s eastern forces and Chadian
rebels clash in southern Libya
15 September ,2021
The Libyan National Army (LNA) of
eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar clashed with Chadian rebel forces in the
south of Libya on Tuesday and Wednesday, both sides said.
The fighting underscores the risk of
further instability in the Sahel region, where an array of groups operate
across borders and where fighting has created space for militant organizations.
Statements from the LNA, which holds
most of eastern and southern Libya, said it was engaged in military operations
against what it called terrorist groups and the Chadian opposition.
The rebel group Front for Change and
Concord in Chad (FACT) said via social media that its positions on the frontier
had been attacked by Haftar’s forces, fighting alongside what it said were
Sudanese mercenaries and French troops.
The LNA said it had carried out air
strikes and was conducting aerial patrols. FACT said French air strikes had hit
its positions.
The French army said it had no forces on
the ground or in the air in that area.
FACT had been based in Libya and fought
alongside the LNA during periods of Libya’s civil war, receiving heavy arms
from Haftar, researchers say.
In April, FACT advanced into northern
Chad, battling the army there. Chadian authorities said president Idriss Deby,
who had ruled for 30 years, was killed in the clashes. His son has taken over
as transitional president.
The LNA, which was backed in the Libyan
conflict by the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt, also used fighters from
Sudan and Syria as well as those provided by the Russian Wagner Group, a UN
panel of experts has said.
The UAE deployed drone strikes in
support of the LNA during its foiled 14-month offensive to capture Tripoli,
which ended last year. The US military has said that Russia flew jets to Libya
last year to support LNA operations.
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Libya’s NOC says Es Sider and Ras Lanuf
oil terminals blockades have ended
16 September ,2021
Libya’s National Oil Corp (NOC) on
Thursday said that a blockade of the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil terminals had
ended and that export operations had returned to normal.
Protesters at those two ports and
another, Hariga, had been blocking exports since last week and demanding jobs
for local people. NOC said on Wednesday that operations had also resumed at
Hariga.
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A company statement said that NOC’s
chairman, Mustafa Sanalla, had held talks with local elders who had helped to
end the protests.
Security issues in Libya, where a
fragile peace process has installed a unity government, have repeatedly
threatened to undermine oil output that has topped 1.3 million barrels per day
(bpd) this year.
Last year eastern-based forces, which
control most of the oil production and export areas, blockaded terminals for
months and almost entirely halted Libyan oil output.
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Libya has ‘best opportunity’ for peace
in decade, US official says ahead of elections
15 September ,2021
War-torn Libya has its best chance for
peace since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a senior US diplomat said
Wednesday, urging rival sides to work together ahead of December elections.
“Libya now faces the best opportunity it
has had in a decade, to bring the conflict to closure, to move the economy
forward and to lay the foundation for a stable democratic society,” said
Department of State Counsellor Derek Chollet during a visit to Tripoli.
“The US will continue to support this
vital process,” he told journalists.
But speaking after meeting top figures
in the country’s transitional government including Prime Minister Abdulhamid
Dbeibah, he warned that “the moment is urgent.”
Chollet’s visit came days after
parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, a key backer of eastern military commander
Khalifa Haftar, ratified a law governing the upcoming presidential election,
sparking anger from MPs and politicians who say he failed to follow due
process.
Libya tumbled into chaos following the
US and NATO-backed 2011 revolt that toppled and killed Gaddafi, with rival
militias and foreign powers fighting for control.
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Morocco names Lieutenant General Belkhir
El-Farouk as new army commander
15 September ,2021
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Wednesday
appointed a prominent general in charge of operations in the disputed Western
Sahara as his deputy in command of the armed forces.
King Mohammed, who is supreme commander
of the North African country’s military, “named Lieutenant General Belkhir
El-Farouk as Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces,” said a statement
carried by the official MAP news agency.
El-Farouk “was selected for this post in
light of his professional abilities and the high level of responsibility he has
shown in the various missions with which he has been charged,” it said.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Wednesday
appointed a prominent general in charge of operations in the disputed Western
Sahara as his deputy in command of the armed forces.
King Mohammed, who is supreme commander
of the North African country’s military, “named Lieutenant General Belkhir
El-Farouk as Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces,” said a statement
carried by the official MAP news agency.
El-Farouk “was selected for this post in
light of his professional abilities and the high level of responsibility he has
shown in the various missions with which he has been charged,” it said.
Morocco sees the former Spanish colony
as an integral part of its territory, but the armed Polisario movement, backed
by the kingdom’s arch-rival Algeria, seeks an independence referendum there.
Tensions rose sharply in November after
the separatists blocked a key road in the Guerguerat area leading to
neighbouring Mauritania, arguing it violated a 1991 ceasefire deal.
El Farouk commanded an operation sending
troops in to reopen the road.
The Polisario responded by declaring the
UN-backed ceasefire null and void, and the two sides have traded fire
intermittently since.
The Western Sahara is the biggest bone of
contention between Rabat and Algiers, which last month broke ties with its
neighbour citing “hostile actions” – a claim dismissed by the kingdom.
Morocco controls 80 percent of the
desert territory and has offered autonomy there, but insists it must retain
sovereignty.
That position was endorsed by the US
administration of Donald Trump in the final months of his presidency, in
exchange for Rabat’s normalisation of ties with Israel.
The sparsely-populated desert territory
boasts significant phosphate resources and a long Atlantic coastline with
access to rich fishing waters.
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Algerian journalist ordered held in
custody, accused of belonging to terrorist group
15 September ,2021
An Algerian journalist from a local
French-language newspaper has been remanded in custody, accused of belonging to
a terrorist organization and spreading false information, a lawyer and rights
group said.
A judge in Sidi M’hamed district of
Algiers on Tuesday evening ordered Liberte journalist Mohamed Mouloudj to be
placed in provisional detention, according to the National Committee for the
Release of Detainees (CNLD).
Mouloudj is accused of “undermining
national unity, belonging to a terrorist organization and spreading false
information,” lawyer Abdelghani Badi said on Facebook.
The Algerian government last year
criminalized the dissemination of what it considers “false news” that harms
national unity.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly
accused Algerian authorities of resorting to criminal prosecutions against
journalists and others using vaguely worded offences in the penal code.
Mouloudj was arrested on Sunday and his
home searched, according to the Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights
(LADDH).
Six other people arrested in the same
case were also remanded in custody, the CNLD said.
On Monday, police announced the arrest
of 16 people suspected of belonging to the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie
(MAK), which the government says is a terrorist organization.
An unidentified journalist was said to
be among the 16 suspects.
They were detained in connection with an
investigation into recent forest fires in the northeastern Kabylie region, and
the lynching of a man after rumors spread that he had started deadly blazes in
the area.
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North America
Ashraf Ghani’s abrupt exit scuttled deal
on power-sharing, says Zalmay Khalilzad
September 16, 2021
WASHINGTON: Former president Ashraf
Ghani’s abrupt exit last month scuttled a deal under which the Taliban would
hold off entering Kabul and negotiate a political transition, the US negotiator
on Afghanistan said on Wednesday.
In his first interview since the
collapse of the 20-year Western-backed government, Zalmay Khalilzad, who
brokered a deal with the Taliban last year to withdraw US troops, told the
Financial Times that the insurgents had agreed to stay outside the capital for
two weeks and shape a future government.
“Even at the end, we had an agreement
with the Talibs for (them) not to enter Kabul,” he told the newspaper in the
interview.
But Ghani fled on Aug 15 and the
Taliban, in a previously arranged meeting that day with Gen Frank McKenzie,
chief of Central Command, asked if US troops would ensure security for Kabul as
government authority crumbled.
“And then you know what happened, we
weren’t going to take responsibility,” Khalilzad said.
President Joe Biden had insisted that US
troops would only work to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies and not extend
America’s longest war. Asked about Khalilzad’s remarks, State Department
spokesman Ned Price said it was not an option to stay “a moment longer” in
Kabul.
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US envoy says Ghani exit scuttled Afghan
power-sharing
16 September ,2021
The US negotiator on Afghanistan said
that President Ashraf Ghani’s abrupt exit scuttled a deal in which the Taliban
would hold off entering Kabul and negotiate a political transition.
In his first interview since the
collapse of the 20-year Western-backed government, Zalmay Khalilzad, who
brokered a 2020 deal with the Taliban to withdraw US troops, told the Financial
Times that the insurgents had agreed to stay outside the capital for two weeks
and shape a future government.
For the latest headlines, follow our
Google News channel online or via the app.
“Even at the end, we had an agreement
with the Talibs for (them) not to enter Kabul,” he told the newspaper in the
interview published Wednesday.
But Ghani fled on August 15 and the
Taliban, in a previously arranged meeting that day with General Frank McKenzie,
chief of Central Command, asked if US troops would ensure security for Kabul as
government authority crumbled.
“And then you know what happened, we
weren’t going to take responsibility,” Khalilzad said.
President Joe Biden had insisted that US
troops would only work to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies and not extend
America’s longest war.
Asked about Khalilzad’s remarks, State
Department spokesman Ned Price said it was not an option to stay “a moment
longer” in Kabul.
“There was never a realistic, there was
never a viable, there was never a practical option for the United States to
stay,” Price told reporters.
“We were left with a very clear and
stark impression that if the United States sought to prolong our presence on the
ground, our servicemembers... would again be targets of Taliban violence not to
mention terrorist attacks by groups like ISIS.”
Ghani, who sought safety in the United
Arab Emirates, has apologized for how the government ended but said he left on
the advice of palace security to avoid bloody street fighting.
The Taliban had been demanding the
resignation of Ghani as part of any transitional government. Ultimately, the
Islamists named a caretaker government with no non-Taliban nor women and that
includes US-designated terrorists.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken,
testifying before Congress this week, also said he spoke to Ghani on August 14
and that the Afghan leader agreed both to work on a transitional government
and, if the Taliban reneged, to “fight to the death.”
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Biden top aides discouraged abrupt
Afghanistan pullout, book says
15 September ,2021
President Joe Biden’s top cabinet
members unsuccessfully tried to dissuade him from pulling all US troops from
Afghanistan, hoping he would leverage the withdrawal to seek a political
settlement, a new book says.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pushed for a slower drawdown to encourage
negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government, according to “Peril,” a
forthcoming book by famed investigative journalist Bob Woodward co-authored
with his Washington Post colleague Robert Costa.
Blinken, a longtime aide to Biden who
had previously staunchly backed his plan to end the 20-year war, called the
president from Brussels after hearing concerns from NATO ministers in a March
meeting, the book says.
“His new recommendation was to extend
the mission with US troops for a while to see if it could yield a political settlement.
Buy time for negotiations,” it says, according to a passage published by CNN
ahead of the book’s release next week.
Biden, who advocated ending America’s
longest war a decade earlier as vice president, was undeterred and explained in
colorful language that he felt generals strong-armed former president Barack
Obama into staying in Afghanistan.
Biden ultimately said he would withdraw
remaining troops by August 31, saying that setting conditions would only
perpetuate an “endless war” in which the United States had achieved its
objectives.
Biden’s decision was popular with the
public, but he has since come under criticism as the Taliban -- ousted by a US
invasion 20 years earlier -- came back to power in a matter of days as the
Western-backed government and military folded.
Blinken, speaking to the House Foreign
Affairs Committee on Monday, said that NATO allies had brought “various
perspectives” in his meetings but ultimately backed the pullout.
The previous administration of Donald
Trump had set a May 1 withdrawal date in an agreement with the Taliban.
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3 ex-US presidents unite to help Afghan
refugees
Barry Ellsworth
15.09.2021
Three former US presidents joined with
businesses and other groups Tuesday to back the formation of Welcome.US, an
organization to support Afghan refugees coming to America.
George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack
Obama and their wives along with a collection of advocacy groups are members of
the organization that will aid thousands of Afghans who fled their country,
fearing retribution from the Taliban after helping US and allied forces during
their occupation.
US President Joe Biden evacuated
American troops as of Aug. 30, ending their nearly 20-year deployment in the
beleaguered country.
“Thousands of Afghans stood with us on
the front lines to push for a safer world, and now they need our help. We are
proud to support Welcome.US and the work to help Afghan families get settled
and build new lives,” George W. Bush and his wife Laura said in a statement
from the organization.
“We stand ready to show our new Afghan
neighbors and the rest of the world how a welcoming and generous spirit forms
the backbone of what makes our country so great.”
It was Bush who as president launched
the US invasion of Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The
war continued through Obama's presidency and that of Donald Trump, culminating
in Biden's decision to withdraw American forces at the end of last month. That
effectively meant that all allied forces had to leave.
Welcome.US is also backed by US
businesses, including coffee giant Starbucks and Microsoft, as well as
veterans' and non-profit associations. A number of US state leaders said they
would be happy to accept the Afghan refugees into their communities.
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Europe
French soldiers kill Islamic State
leader in Sahel, Macron says
16.09.2021
French President Emmanuel Macron said on
Thursday morning that French military forces had killed Adnan Abu Walid
al-Sahrawi, the leader of the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
(ISGS).
"It's another major success in our
fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel," Macron wrote in a tweet.
ISGS is active across large swathes of
the Sahel region, especially the tri-border region between Niger, Mali and
Burkina Faso known as Liptako-Gourma. The area has been ravaged by militant
violence that has also targeted children.
Aside from carrying out multiple attacks
on local civilians, ISGS was also responsible for the killing of US soldiers in
2017 and the execution of six French NGO workers in August of last year.
Increasing violence in the tri-border
region
There are currently around 5,100 French
troops present in the region as part of Operation Barkhane. They are joined by
soldiers from Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
Due to the increasing violence, France
has repeatedly pushed for support from other European countries. However, given
minimal successes and growing criticism at home, Macron has said that the
number of French soldiers in deployment will be halved by 2022.
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French forces kill head of Islamic State
in Greater Sahara
September 16, 2021
French President Emmanuel Macron
announced early on Thursday that French forces had killed Adnan Abu Walid
al-Sahrawi, the head of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara region.
Macron tweeted the killing of al-Sahrawi
was "another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the
Sahel". He did not give the location of the incident or any details of the
operation.
Macron tweeted, "The nation is
thinking tonight of all its heroes who died for France in the Sahel in the
Serval and Barkhane operations, of the bereaved families, of all of its
wounded. Their sacrifice is not in vain.”
French Defence Minister Florence Parly
tweeted the al-Sahrawi was killed in a strike by the French Barkhane force. She
called the killing a "decisive blow against this terrorist group",
but added "Our fight continues."
AFP reported, "Sahrawi in 2015
formed ISIS in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), which is blamed for most of the
jihadist attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso... The jihadist leader was
behind the killing of French aid workers in 2020 and was also wanted by the
United States over a deadly 2017 attack on US troops in Niger." The 2017
attack killed four US military personnel and four members of Niger's military.
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Key actor of liberation of Azerbaijan's
capital: Caucasian Islamic Army
Jeyhun Aliyev
15.09.2021
Some historians argue that Azerbaijan
would not exist without the Caucasian Islamic Army, which succored the
Azerbaijani people over a century ago.
Today, Azerbaijan marks the 103rd
anniversary of the liberation of Baku, the country's capital, under the
leadership of the Caucasian Islamic Army, which was headed by the 29-year-old Nuri
Pasha (Killigil).
The friendly political, legal, trade,
and military relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey were documented shortly
after the foundation of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic on May 28, 1918
with the Treaty of Batumi, signed between the newly established country and
then Ottoman Empire on June 4, 1918.
With the pact, the empire recognized the
independence of Azerbaijan, which could in return request its military help in
case of any threat.
After the republic's declaration of
independence in Georgia, Fatali Khan Khoyski, Azerbaijan's first prime
minister, formed the government in Ganja, now northwestern Azerbaijan, in June,
as he was not able to travel directly to Azerbaijan's current capital Baku
since the city was then controlled by Armenian militants and Bolsheviks, a
revolutionary party that was committed to the ideas of Karl Marx.
On Sept. 15, 1918, an elite Ottoman
force called the Caucasian Islamic Army under the leadership of Nuri Pasha
(Killigil) was sent by then Minister of War Enver Pasha to what is today
Azerbaijan in the closing months of the World War I following a plea from the
region's people.
The Caucasian Islamic Army, made up of
Turkish and Azerbaijani soldiers, completed its mission in September,
liberating Baku and thus laying the groundwork for the country's independence
decades later in 1991.
Over 1,100 Caucasian Islamic Army
members sacrificed their lives together with the Azerbaijani people for the
cause.
The Caucasian Islamic Army has an
irreplaceable role in Azerbaijan's life, ownership of Baku and turning the city
into the capital.
The liberation of Baku at the time paved
the way for the transfer of the capital from Ganja and ensured the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan, providing the basis for its modern day boundaries.
Enver Pasha – also an elder brother of
Ottoman Gen. Nuri Pasha – personally conveyed the message to the Ottoman
capital Istanbul that Baku had been liberated from Armenian gangs.
Situation in region one century ago
Emerging from the internal upheaval
brought by the fall of the Romanov Tzars in Russia, a Transcaucasian
parliament, known as the Seym or Supreme Power of the Transcaucasia, was formed
in Tbilisi, the capital current of Georgia, on Feb. 14, 1918, by
representatives from the Southern Caucasus.
The Muslim faction of the Seym comprised
of 44 delegates who were elected from the region to the Russian Constituent
Assembly formed after the 1917 Revolution and represented over a million Turkic
Muslims in Azerbaijan and the Southern Caucasus.
The Muslim faction, or Council of
Muslims, was functioning as a Muslim Parliament of Transcaucasia.
Following the persistent claims of the
Azerbaijani representatives, who were among the most consistent attendees in
the parliament, the Seym proclaimed the independence of Transcaucasia on April
9, 1918.
This led to the establishment of the
United Republic of Transcaucasia. However, serious contradictions and conflicts
among the disparate national interests hampered both the Transcaucasian Seym
and the Republic of Transcaucasia.
As a result, the Georgian delegation
left the Seym and announced the independence of Georgia on May 26, 1918.
Following Georgia, members of the Muslim
faction held a separate meeting one day later and decided to declare the
independence of Azerbaijan.
With this purpose, the Transcaucasian
Muslim Council proclaimed itself the National Council of Azerbaijan – the
country's lawmaking body.
During that meeting, a statesman and
prominent public figure, Mammad Amin Rasulzade, was elected chairman of the
National Council of Azerbaijan, though he was not present at the meeting, but
in Batumi, Georgia.
On May 28, 1918, a historic meeting in
Tbilisi adopted the Declaration of Independence of Azerbaijan, consisting of
six articles, making Azerbaijan the first Parliamentary Republic in the Muslim
East.
Being the beacon of hope for the
independence movement of Azerbaijan in the 20th century with his remarks,
"Once raised, the flag never falls!" Rasulzade played a key role in
the formation of the modern Azerbaijani identity.
The government led by Khoyski then came
to Ganja in June, and was not able to come directly to Baku because the city
was then controlled by Armenian and Bolshevik militants.
The newly founded state managed to form
the national army on June 26, 1918.
The Caucasian Islamic Army came to help
the Azerbaijani people in Ganja upon their appeal to the Ottoman Empire, and
completed its mission in September in Baku after liberating the city.
In December 1918, the first decision of
the newly established Azerbaijani Parliament was to place a monument for the
"martyred Ottoman soldiers and officers" at the highest location in
Baku.
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Macron says French forces killed
militant Islamic State leader in Greater Sahara
September 16, 2021
France’s president announced the death
of the leader of the militant Islamic State (IS) in the Greater Sahara late on
Wednesday, calling Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi’s killing “a major success” for
the French military after more than eight years fighting extremists in the
Sahel.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted
that al-Sahrawi “was neutralised by French forces” but gave no further details.
It was not announced where al-Sahrawi was killed, though the IS group is active
along the border between Mali and Niger.
“The nation is thinking tonight of all
its heroes who died for France in the Sahel in the Serval and Barkhane
operations, of the bereaved families, of all of its wounded,” Macron tweeted.
“Their sacrifice is not in vain.”
Rumours of the militant leader’s death
had circulated for weeks in Mali, though authorities in the region had not
confirmed it. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim
or to know how the remains had been identified.
“This is a decisive blow against this
terrorist group,” French Defence Minister Florence Parly tweeted. “Our fight
continues.”
Al-Sahrawi had claimed responsibility
for a 2017 attack in Niger that killed four US military personnel and four
people with Niger’s military. His group has also abducted foreigners in the
Sahel and is believed to still be holding American Jeffrey Woodke, who was
abducted from his home in Niger in 2016.
The extremist leader was born in the
disputed territory of Western Sahara and later joined the Polisario Front.
After spending time in Algeria, he made his way to northern Mali where he
became an important figure in the group known as MUJAO that controlled the
major northern town of Gao in 2012.
A French-led military operation the following
year ousted extremists from power in Gao and other northern cities, though
those elements later regrouped and again carried out attacks.
The Malian group MUJAO was loyal to the
regional Al Qaeda affiliate. But in 2015, al-Sahrawi released an audio message
pledging allegiance to the IS group in Iraq and Syria.
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Joint agreement signed between Turkish,
Georgian justice ministries
Davit Kachkachishvili
15.09.2021
A joint agreement was signed between
Turkish and Georgian justice ministries on Wednesday.
Turkey's Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul
first met his Georgian counterpart Rati Bregadze in the capital Tbilisi, where
he went to hold official talks.
During the meeting, it was stated that
the sharing of knowledge and experience in judicial matters would contribute
constructively to bilateral relations.
Gul conveyed the steps taken as part of
judicial reform and human rights action plan in Turkey during bilateral and
inter-delegation meetings, stressing the importance of judicial cooperation in
fighting terrorism.
Bregadze also said the priority of the
ministry is to improve the quality of justice services, strengthen human
rights, and review the legislative infrastructure.
After the meeting, which lasted about an
hour, Gul and Bregadze signed a joint agreement between the justice ministries
of the two countries.
Georgian prime minister thanks Turkey
for its support
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Serbia hails Turkey's cooperation in
Balkan region
Behlul Cetinkaya and Lejla
Biogradlija
15.09.2021
Serbia’s parliament speaker praised
Turkey’s cooperation in the Balkan region over various economic activities
including a landmark highway project which will connect the region.
“The highway project between Belgrade
and Sarajevo is one of the main focuses of our cooperation, and we have great
expectations from it,” Ivica Dacic told Anadolu Agency, during his official
visit to the Turkish capital Ankara.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic “support this great regional
project, which will undoubtedly raise the economic capacities of the entire
Balkans, and will also be a great symbol of connection in our region,” Dacic
added.
“We think that Turkey will be an
important partner of Serbia, as it used to be before, in the economy but as
well in all other areas because we still have a lot to offer to each other,” he
noted.
Serbia-Turkey ties are “very close these
days, our relations flourished in a couple of years,” Dacic said, adding: “We,
in Belgrade, are pleased because of it, so are our friends in Ankara. I am
convinced that citizens of our two countries desire constant growth of our
relations because we live in the same region and share a lot from mutual
culture and history.”
“Besides, our two countries recognize a
good chance for economic cooperation,” he also said.
“Turkey and Serbia are constantly
raising their mutual trade, it is now at the level of about 1.3 billion euros a
year, and we want to reach two billion,” he added.
“This is very achievable, because there
is still a lot of room for trade and investment on both sides, and our job as a
representative of the state is to help achieve those ambitions as much as
possible,” Dacic explained.
Investments in infrastructure,
agriculture, energy
Noting that in the past, “there were
only a couple of Turkish companies doing business in Serbia,” Dacic said: “A
lot of caution was present toward coming of Turkish investments to Serbia and
mostly it was the fault of us, in Serbia.”
“Fortunately, that has changed, because
we have done a lot to attract companies from Turkey and offer them good
business conditions,” he said.
“Since 2015, we have a rapid growth of
Turkish investments in Serbia, but also the growth of the participation of
Turkish companies in various projects, primarily in the field of
infrastructure, and all that together is measured in hundreds of millions of
dollars,” he explained.
Serbia is an “excellent investment
destination that can confirm all businessmen from Turkey operating in Serbia,”
Dacic stressed, saying: “There is a lot of possibilities for investments,
primarily, in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, energy and the field
of high technologies.”
Emphasizing those as the most dynamic
sectors in Serbia, he said he hopes that Turkish companies will recognize them
as a chance for their business development.
Dacic also said: “It is very important
that the issue of raising the economic cooperation is the most important topic
of the frequent meetings of our government officials, especially the ones
between presidents Vucic and Erdogan.”
“This guarantees that we will have more
and more good joint projects in the future,” he added.
On the TurkStream project, Dacic said
that from the beginning of the project, they were "interested to be a part
of it.”
“Not only because it is necessary for
securing the supply of our growing gas needs but because it would be a good
chance for a good profit for our country being a transit point.
“Unfortunately, in the past, there were
political obstacles for these kinds of projects, primarily the limitations
imposed by the EU. However, the Turkish Stream showed that bureaucratic
obstacles should not stand on the way of the economic interests,” he explained.
Noting that Serbia is a “European
transportation and energy hub, especially when we have in mind connecting
Turkey with Western Europe as the biggest economic entities in our
surroundings,” Dacic said, and added: “We must use this position as a chance to
multiply our capacities as well.”
The TurkStream project comprises two
lines with a total capacity of 31.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year. The
first line will carry 15.75 bcm of Russian gas to Turkish consumers every year,
and the second will carry another 15.75 bcm from Russia to Europe via Turkey.
‘No one can get everything’ on Kosovo
and Serbia talks
On the negotiations between Kosovo and
Serbia, Dacic said his country is “very interested for this process to succeed
and have been working patiently and responsibly on it for years.”
“Unfortunately, the other side, the
authorities in Pristina, does not relate in this way and thanks to their
obstructions, this process often comes to a standstill. That is still the case
now,” he added.
“We want the dialogue to result in a
comprehensive compromise and decisions that will not fully satisfy us or
Pristina,” he explained. “We are very well aware that no one can get everything
and that concessions are inevitable.”
“If we were not aware of this, there
would be no reason to talk. Only a compromise will resolve this issue in the
long run and will enable both Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo to turn to the
future and live in peace,” he said.
“I have been involved in these talks
from the beginning and as Prime Minister, I signed the Brussels Agreement eight
years ago, but unfortunately some of its articles have not been applied to this
day, primarily the agreement on the establishment of the Union of Serbian
Municipalities in Kosovo and Metohija.
“We are fulfilling everything we agreed
on, but you can see that the Pristina is not doing the same,” Dacic noted.
Dacic also called on Western mediators,
primarily the EU and the US, “to influence the Pristina`s authorities to
continue with this process, above all to be constructive towards finding a
solution, which is not the case now, but also to fulfill what it had been
signed.”
Serbia’s parliament speaker also
mentioned the “unsolved border issues with our neighbors, primarily with
Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Describing it as a “technical” issue
rather than a political one, Dacic said: “I am sure that these issues will be
solved through bilateral negotiations.”
“As far as Serbia is concerned and I
think our neighbors think the same, these issues do not burden our relations
and we are ready to solve them with our best intentions,” he explained.
Stressing that “the border crossing
regime on our border in the region is getting more loosening,” he said: “Our
citizens are crossing to other countries easier than before and we will keep on
working on this.”
“The Removal of border barriers, mostly
for goods and services, is the essence of the initiative `Open Balkans` which
was launched on Serbia`s initiative with Albania and North Macedonia.
“We desire our region to be a place
without any economic impediments because this is the only way we can encourage
our trade exchange and economic growth,” he added.
Touching on the Montenegro-Serbia
tension regarding the enthronement ceremony of the new metropolitan of the
Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, Dacic said: “Montenegro is having an
internal crisis and the turbulences that are present there have nothing to do
with Serbia, nor do we influence them.”
“This is exclusively an internal matter
of Montenegro and they must solve them on their own, not by violence, which was
the case recently, but only through dialogue and the political process,” he
added.
“The things that concern us, and no one
can blame us for this, is the situation of the Serbian people in Montenegro,
which makes up a third of the population, as well as the situation of the
Serbian Orthodox Church, which was severely threatened by some legal solutions,
which were changed after much effort and protest,” he also said.
Serbia wants Serbs in Montenegro to
“enjoy equality and completely the same rights with all other nations, but
unfortunately, that has not been the case for a long time,” the Serbian
politician added. “Serbs have been discriminated in various areas and this is
inadmissible in a country that wants to be democratic.”
“This includes the right to religion,
which is entirely endangered, by great pressure on the Serbian Orthodox Church,”
he said.
‘EU membership remains our priority’
On Serbia’s relations with the EU, Dacic
said his country “progressed on its way to EU membership, even more so in its
internal reforms than the official result shows through the number of open
negotiation chapters.”
“So, we can do it much faster, but the
problem is the EU, which resists the new enlargements for its own reasons,” he
added.
“We cannot have much influence on that,
but EU membership remains our priority and we continue to meet the criteria for
membership.
“But this does not mean that we will sit
still and wait for the EU to change its mind regarding the enlargement to the
Balkans,” he stressed.
Serbia continues to strengthen its
economy "to remove barriers" with its neighbors, Dacic said.
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