NIA Books Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik And Two Hardline Preachers of Pakistan Origin In 'Love Jihad' Case Involving Top Bangladesh Politician
New Age Islam
News Bureau
02 September
2020
NIA books Zakir Naik in 'love jihad' case
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• Pakistan's
House of Cards May Be Failing, With Gulf States Openly Moving Closer to India
• French
Magazine, Charlie Hebdo, Reprints Sketches Of Prophet Muhammad That Sparked
Protests When They Were First Published
• Facebook
Removes Network of Accounts, Pages ‘Operated from Pakistan’
• Video Shows
Israeli Kneels on Palestinian’s Neck in West Bank Protest
• Qatar Backed
'Terrorism and Extremism', UAE Tells UN Court
• Libya And
Nigeria Discuss Repatriation of Progeny of ISIS Fighters
• Afghan
Legislation Approves Inclusion of Mother Name on Tazkira
India
• NIA Books
Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik And Two Hardline Preachers of Pakistan Origin In
'Love Jihad' Case Involving Top Bangladesh Politician
• Mosque Will
Bridge Divide, Will Have an Amalgamation of Indo-Islamic Architecture Says
Architect, SM Akhtar Of Jamia Millia
• India calls
out Pakistan for motivating false propaganda on social media
• Army personnel
killed in firing by Pakistani troops
• Lashkar duo
arrested for J&K grenade attacks
• Pak firing
along LoC kills another army officer in Jammu’s Rajouri district
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Pakistan
• Pakistan's
House of Cards May Be Failing, With Gulf States Openly Moving Closer to India
• Judge Asked to
Re-Examine Cynthia’s Plea for Registration of FIR Against Malik
• Pakistan
condemns French magazine’s decision to reprint offensive caricatures
• Minorities
enjoy complete freedom, says minister
• Pakistan bans
5 dating, live streaming apps for uploading 'immoral' content
• Former spy
chief sees no Saudi role in Pakistan-Afghan end-game
• Pakistan urges
UNSC to reform counter-terrorism work
--------
Europe
• French
Magazine, Charlie Hebdo, Reprints Sketches Of Prophet Muhammad That Sparked
Protests When They Were First Published
• Risk Of Terror
Attacks In France Remains Extremely High, Says Interior Minister
• Erdogan
adviser accuses Germany’s Merkel of calling ‘Crusaders’ to the Mediterranean
• French
President Macron says the next six weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon
• In video,
envoy acknowledges US ‘pushed Germans hard’ to blacklist Hezbollah
• Austria to
file charges against Turkish spy — interior minister
--------
North America
• Facebook
Removes Network of Accounts, Pages ‘Operated from Pakistan’
• US vetoes UN
resolution over Islamic State fighters’ return
• Pompeo says US
will lift arms embargo on Cyprus, Turkey furious
• US isolated
again as it vetoes UN resolution on terrorists’ fate
--------
Mideast
• Video Shows
Israeli Kneels on Palestinian’s Neck in West Bank Protest
• Hezbollah Says
Will Kill an Israeli Soldier for Each Combatant Slain
• Turkey says it
has arrested ISIS leader with ‘important plans’
• Israel and UAE
agree to cooperate on financial services: Israeli statement
• Rouhani Voices
Confidence on Niger’s Opposition to US Unilateralism at UNSC
• G4+1 Rule Out
Recognition of US as JCPOA Member
• Saudi Arabia,
UAE used cluster bombs in military offensives against Yemen’s Hudaydah: UN
official
• Houthi attacks
on Saudi Arabia ‘aimed at stopping coalition airstrikes’
--------
Arab world
• Qatar Backed
'Terrorism and Extremism', UAE Tells UN Court
• People in Arab
World Strongly Blast S. Arabia for Opening Airspace to Israeli Plane
• Beirut
explosion: Victim’s daughter gifts French President Macron a pin, gets hug
• Lebanese
leaders promise new govt in two weeks; Macron threatens sanctions
• Peace with
Israel makes UAE ‘more connected’ to region: Emirati official
• UAE’s Gargash
meets in Abu Dhabi with Israel’s head of the National Security Council
• Saudi Arabia’s
crown prince and Kushner discuss resuming Palestinian-Israeli talks
--------
Africa
• Libya And
Nigeria Discuss Repatriation of Progeny of ISIS Fighters
• Somalia:
Al-Shabaab's Supreme Leader Replaced Due to Sickness, Somalia Spy Agency Says
• What does the
coup mean for Mali's spiralling security crisis?
• Tunisia’s
Parliament Approves Technocratic Government Of PM-Designate Mechichi
• GCC welcomes
Sudan peace deal in statement
• Boko Haram
killed 13 district heads, other leaders – Shehu of Borno
• Somalia: Six
Militants Killed in Southern Somalia Clash
--------
South Asia
• Afghan
Legislation Approves Inclusion of Mother Name on Tazkira
• U.S. Official
Stresses Need for Quick Launch of Intra-Afghan Talks
• ‘Leaning tower
of Herat’ worries Afghans and historians
--------
Southeast Asia
• Religious
Fanaticism Will Divide Malaysia, Says Opposition Leader Anwar
• Nordic Quran
desecrations spark call for calm in Indonesia
• Don’t
entertain ‘sudden’ Philippine claim on Sabah, says Najib
• Philippines to
resurrect Sabah claim office, says foreign secretary
• Human Rights
Groups Slam Malaysian Police-Conduct Bill
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/nia-books-islamic-preacher-zakir/d/122777
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NIA Books Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik And Two Hardline Preachers of Pakistan Origin In 'Love Jihad' Case Involving Top Bangladesh Politician
Sep 1, 2020
NIA books Zakir Naik in
'love jihad' case
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NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and two hardline preachers of Pakistan origin as accused in an FIR pertaining to a high-profile "love jihad" case.
The high-profile
case involves the daughter of a Chennai-based businessman and the son of a top
Bangladesh politician, belonging to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's
Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The NIA is
probing the Indian businessman's daughter and Bangladesh politician son's
marriage in London. Zakir Naik, who is wanted by Indian enforcement agencies,
and the hardline preachers of Pakistani-origin based in the US have been named
as accused in the case, according to information accessed by IANS.
The girl's
father had initially lodged a complaint with the Chennai Central Crime Branch
in May, alleging his daughter who was studying in London was radicalised and
was forced to covert to Islam.
He had also
alleged that his daughter was abducted from London and taken to Bangladesh by
some Bangladeshis.
"The matter
involved investigation in foreign countries. And hence the case was transferred
to National Investigation Agency (NIA)," Chennai Police Commissioner
Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal told IANS. He said it is not possible to share further
details on the case.
The persons
named in the NIA's FIR are Zakir Naik, as well as Yasir Qadhi and Nauman Ali
Khan, both US-based Islamic preachers.
Qadhi had put a
video of Naik where he was seen making sensational claims on safe passage from
India when he was being pursued by Indian enforcement agencies.
The prime
accused is Nafees, son of Shakhawat Hossain Bakul, a BNP leader and former
Member of
Parliament. Bakul was elected to parliament from Narsingdi-4 as a BNP candidate
in 1991 and 2001.
Bakul had been
arrested from Khaleda Zia's residence in December 2013 and in June 2017, he was
sued by a businessman for extortion.
As per the
summary of allegations being investigated by NIA, the Central government had
received information from the Tamil Nadu government of regarding the
registration of case on May 28, 2020, under various sections of the Indian
Penal Code, relating to the
complaint filed
against Nafees, a Bangladeshi citizen, who had allegedly indulged in kidnapping
and trafficking of an Indian citizen.
The case
revealed the commission of offence specified under the scheduled offences in
the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nia-books-zakir-naik-in-love-jihad-case-involving-top-bdesh-politician/articleshow/77878558.cms
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Pakistan's house
of cards may be failing, with Gulf states openly moving closer to India
Sep 2, 2020
Pakistan's strategy to
maintain diplomatic ties with countries in the Middle East is no longer
working.
-----
DOHA: Amid an
increasingly polarised Muslim world, Pakistan's strategy to maintain diplomatic
ties with countries in the Middle East is no longer working.
In a break from
the past where the Gulf countries balanced their relations with Pakistan and
India, they are now seen moving towards New Delhi and distancing from
Islamabad, according to a report in the Al Jazeera.
Pakistan, on the
other hand, is seen moving closer to Turkey and Malaysia - two countries that
Saudi Arabia sees as challengers to its stronghold within the Muslim world,
according to foreign policy analysts Abdul Basit and Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed
writing in the Al Jazeera.
The relationship
between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, went haywire last month when Pakistan's
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi openly rebuked the kingdom for its lack
of support for Islamabad's interests on the Kashmir issue.
During a
television talk-show, the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi made a
statement that irked the Saudi "big brother", where he said that
Pakistan would be "compelled" to "call a meeting of the Islamic
countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir."
In Basit and
Shahab Ahmed's article, the remark by Pakistani Foreign Minister was not taken
well by Riyadh and was seen as a veiled threat to concoct a new side against
the Saudi-dominated Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
In retaliation,
the kingdom was quick to request the sudden repayment of a billion-dollar loan
extended to Pakistan in November 2018, which was renegotiated just six months
ago. Besides this, it also refused to renew a deferred oil payments scheme that
was part of the same loan which was given to Islamabad when the country was
trying to avoid a possible sovereign default.
After Riyadh
raised the bar, Pakistan was forced on a back foot. Thereafter, Qureshi, trying
to save face, refuted reports that ties have strained between Pakistan and
Saudi Arabia in the past few weeks. "The kingdom has neither asked
Islamabad to return its loan nor has it suspended oil supply to Pakistan,"
Qureshi was quoted as saying by The News International.
As a result of
Qureshi's backtracking, Pakistani journalists slammed the Foreign Minister saying
it contradicted the comments he made earlier.
Soon after,
Pakistan went into damage-control mode and had to send Pakistan's Chief of Army
Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to Riyadh. However, the visit turned out be
futile as the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) did not meet Bajwa,
and they were left to meet with Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman
bin Abdulaziz.
According to the
Al Jazeera report, "the latest diplomatic spat between Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan should be seen in the broader context of recent strategic realignments
in the Middle East and the Muslim world."
"For some
time, Pakistan has been struggling to keep to its traditional policy of
maintaining neutral relations with rival Muslim powers. While Islamabad is
concerned about the deepening strategic and economic cooperation between its
arch-rival India and a group of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is
equally frustrated by Pakistan's overtures towards Muslim-majority states it
views as hostile, such as Turkey, Malaysia and Qatar," it said.
The Gulf
countries are now visibly seen moving towards India and distancing from
Pakistan. The tides are turning in India's favour. One such example is MBS's
February 2019 visit of South Asia.
During his tour,
the Saudi Crown Prince made the unprecedented move of visiting India directly
after Pakistan. After signing agreements worth $20 billion with Pakistan, MBS
said he expects Riyadh's investments in India "to exceed $100 billion in
the coming two years".
Saudi Arabia is
not the only one. After India's August 2019 move to revoke article 370,
Pakistan called Arab states to raise their voices. However, its Gulf partners
including Saudi Arabia failed to put a front against India. Riyadh even told
India that it understands "India's approach and actions in Jammu and
Kashmir".
Amid the
strategic readjustment in the Middle East, political analysts say that
relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is bound to get bumpy as it appears
that the former will continue to move closer to New Delhi. Islamabad, on the
other hand, will have to retain its partnerships with several countries in the
Middle East and return to Saudi Arabia's sphere.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pakistans-house-of-cards-may-be-failing-with-gulf-states-openly-moving-closer-to-india/articleshow/77883861.cms
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French Magazine,
Charlie Hebdo, Reprints Sketches Of Prophet Muhammad That Sparked Protests When
They Were First Published
02 Sep 2020
A woman walks past a
painting by French street artist and painter Christian Guemy, known as C215, in
tribute to members of Charlie Hebdo newspaper who were killed by jihadist
gunmen in January 2015, in Paris.
-----
PARIS: French
satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the target of a massacre by gunmen in 2015,
said on Tuesday it was republishing hugely controversial sketches of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to mark this week’s start of the trial of
alleged accomplices to the attack.
The cover of the
new issue has a dozen sketches of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him),
reproducing images that sparked protests when they were first published and a
debate about the limits of freedom of speech.
“We will never
lie down. We will never give up,” director Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau wrote in
an editorial to go with the blasphemous sketches.
Twelve people,
including some of France’s most famous cartoonists, were killed on January 7,
2015, when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi went on a gun rampage at the
paper’s offices in Paris.
The assailants
were killed in the wake of the massacre but 14 alleged accomplices in the
attacks, which also targeted a Jewish supermarket, will go on trial in Paris on
Wednesday.
FO spokesman
says the act cannot be justified as an exercise in press freedom or freedom of
expression
The latest
Charlie Hebdo cover shows a dozen sketches first published by the Danish daily
Jyllands-Posten in 2005 — and then reprinted by the French weekly in 2006,
unleashing a storm of anger across the Muslim world.
In the centre of
the cover is a sketch drawn by cartoonist Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, who lost
his life in the massacre.
“All of this,
just for that,” the front-page headline says.
The issue will
be available from French newsstands just as the trial gets underway on
Wednesday morning and can already be read by subscribers online.
In a nuanced
response, the president of the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM),
Mohammed Moussaoui, urged people to “ignore” the sketches, while condemning
violence.
“The freedom to
caricature is guaranteed for all, the freedom to love or not to love (the
caricatures) as well. Nothing can justify violence,” he said.
The suspects,
who go on trial on Wednesday, are accused of providing various degrees of
logistical support to the killers.
The trial had
been delayed several months with most French courtrooms closed over the
coronavirus epidemic.
The court in
Paris will sit until November 10 and, in a first for a terror trial,
proceedings will be filmed for archival purposes given public interest.
Pakistan’s
stance
Pakistan on
Tuesday “condemned in the strongest terms” the decision by the French magazine
to re-publish the controversial and offensive sketches, added our staff
reporter in Islamabad.
Foreign Office
spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in two different tweets on his official social
media account stated that the decision of the French magazine would amount to
undermining the global desire for peaceful co-existence and a threat to social
and interfaith harmony.
“Pakistan
condemns in the strongest terms the decision by the French magazine, Charlie
Hebdo, to re-publish deeply offensive carricature of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),”
the FO spokesman tweeted.
“Such a
deliberate act to offend the sentiments of billions of Muslims cannot be justified
as an exercise in press freedom or freedom of expression,” said Mr Chaudhri in
another tweet.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577455/french-magazine-reprints-sketches-of-prophet-muhammad
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Video shows
Israeli kneels on Palestinian’s neck in West Bank protest
02 September
2020
New footage has
emerged from the occupied West Bank, showing Israeli forces brutally confront
an elderly Palestinian man during a protest held near the city of Tulkarm.
The video shows
an Israeli soldier push the old man to the ground and kneel on his neck — a
grim reminder of the US police violence and racial injustice that led to the
murder of unarmed African American George Floyd in May.
The 46-year-old
died after a white officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground for
nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dozens of
protesters were also injured in clashes in Tulkarm on Tuesday, with Israeli
forces firing tear gas and live rounds to disperse the demonstrators.
The protests
come against the Israeli regime’s plans to build new illegal settlements in a
number of Palestinian villages near the northern West Bank city.
Tulkarm Governor
Issam Abu Bakr, who participated in the protest, said the rallies would
continue until the settlement project, which is a threat to Tulkarm, was
halted.
US President
Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan on the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian
conflict envisions Jerusalem al-Quds as “Israel’s undivided capital” and allows
the Tel Aviv regime to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank and the
Jordan Valley. The plan also denies Palestinian refugees the right of return to
their homeland, among other controversial terms.
The plan was
immediately rejected by all Palestinians. It has triggered waves of protest
rallies around the globe as well.
About 600,000
Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlements built since the 1967 occupation
of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/02/633122/West-Bank-footage-Israeli-forces-Palestinian-Tulkarm-
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Qatar backed
'terrorism and extremism', UAE tells UN court
Charlotte Van
Ouwerkerk
September 1,
2020
The United Arab
Emirates accused Qatar on Monday of backing "terrorism and extremism"
as the three-year-old Gulf diplomatic crisis returned to the UN's top court.
Abu Dhabi urged the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) to throw
out a case brought by Doha claiming measures taken against Qatar amounted to
racial discrimination. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and several other allies
severed ties with Qatar in a shock move in 2017, accusing Doha of backing
terrorism and siding with their regional rival Iran. They imposed an effective
blockade by land, air and sea, and ordered the expulsion of Qatari nationals.
Qatar dragged the UAE to the ICJ a year later seeking to get the measures
lifted. The allies faced a "grave threat brought by Qatar's support for
terrorism and extremism," Abdallah al-Naqbi, director of the international
law department at the UAE foreign ministry, told the court via videolink.
"This has nothing to do with racial discrimination." Qatar's case at
the ICJ says that the UAE's actions breached the 1965 International Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
'Gulf rift'
Qatar is due to
give its response on Wednesday, with the rest of the hearings -- which are all
taking place by videolink due to the coronavirus pandemic -- due on Friday and
Monday. But a final ruling by the ICJ, which was set up in 1946 after World War
II to rule in disputes between member states of the United Nations, could take
years. The court issues binding judgments but has no means of enforcing them.
The crisis between Qatar and the Saudi-led blockading nations shows no sign of
relenting despite rising international pressure to end the feud. The alliance
has issued a raft of terms Qatar must accept before it will lift the embargo
that includes a ban on direct air, land or sea trade. Doha strongly denies the
allegations and has refused to meet the demands that also stipulate the closure
of its flagship state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera. The UAE's Al-Naqbi said
that his country and Qatar "share historical bonds dating back to ancient
times", and that Abu Dhabi was "open to close the Gulf rift"
with the help of third parties.
'Build bridges'
Doha had already
acted to address "imperfections" in its initial response, such as
holding off any deportations and allowing Qataris to enter the UAE
"subject only to an application process and security screening," he
said. In an apparent reference to the UAE's historic normalization of ties with
Israel, al-Naqbi said that "as the court will have noted from other recent
events, the UAE's aspiration as a nation is to be open and to build bridges."
The case has gone Qatar's way so far, with the ICJ in 2018 ordering the UAE to
take emergency measures to protect the rights of Qatari citizens, pending the
start of full hearings in the case. In that year Qatar accused the UAE of
creating a "climate of fear" for Qataris living there. The legal
ping-pong continued when the United Arab Emirates last year filed its own case
seeking emergency measures to stop Qatar "aggravating" the dispute,
only to have the court reject it. Qatar then won a separate but related case at
the ICJ in July that is specifically about the air blockade. Its rivals had
appealed a decision by the world civil aviation body in favor of Qatar over
sovereign airspace.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/09/01/qatar-backed-terrorism-and-extremism-uae-tells-un-court.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
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Libya and
Nigeria discuss repatriation of progeny of ISIS fighters
August 31, 2020
The Minister of
Justice of the Government of National Accord (GNA) Mohamed Lamlum, held
discussions with the Charge d’Affairs of the Nigerian Embassy in Libya, Abu
Bakr Musa, on a number of important issues relating to the offspring of the
defeated ISIS fighters, whose bodies were found in Sirte, subsequent to its
liberation in the Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous Operation.
Both sides
discussed methods for arranging the return of the offspring to Nigeria. They
also covered a number of topics of great interest to the Nigerian community in
Libya, which include the conditions of Nigerian inmates in correction and
rehabilitation institutions and methods of facilitating visiting rights for
them.
https://www.libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/libya-and-nigeria-discuss-repatriation-progeny-isis-fighters?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
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Afghan
Legislation Approves Inclusion of Mother Name on Tazkira
By Mohammad
Haroon Alim
01 Sep 2020
The Afghan
legislation committee has approved the inclusion of the mother’s name on
national identity cards upon the request of Civil Society activists.
In a meeting led
by second Vice President Sarwar Danish, the Afghan legislation has approved
mother’s name on national identity cards (also Tazkira), as a group of civil society
activists requested the government to consider their suggestion.
In order for the
decision to be implemented, it must first be approved by the cabinet and then
by the parliament.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-legislation-approves-inclusion-of-mother-name-on-tazkira-987987/
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India
Mosque Will
Bridge Divide, Will Have an Amalgamation of Indo-Islamic Architecture Says
Architect, SM Akhtar Of Jamia Millia
Oliver Fredrick
and Fareeha Iftikhar
Sep 02, 2020
A mosque coming
up outside Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya town will be designed in the Indo-Islamic
style and aim to bridge communal differences, said the project’s main architect
whose name was announced on Tuesday.
SM Akhtar, a
Lucknow architect-cum-town planner and founder dean, faculty of architecture,
Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, will design the whole complex being built on five
acres of land in Dhannipur village -- in compliance with the Supreme Court
order in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit last year.
“We have
appointed professor SM Akhtar as consultant architect and hence he will design
the entire masjid complex that would come up on the five-acre land in
Dhannipur,” said Athar Hussian, spokesperson of Indo-Islamic Cultural
Foundation (IICF), the trust overseeing the construction of the complex.
Other than the
mosque, Akhtar will also design public utility establishments, including a
hospital, an Indo-Islamic Research Centre, community kitchen and a museum.
Akhtar,64, said
the mosque will come up on around 15,000 square feet land and have an
amalgamation of Indo-Islamic architecture.
“Through this
project we have immense opportunities to reunite communities. The Masjid will
just be a part of the complex. We can come up with holistic ideas to achieve
three values ie human values, Indianness and Islamic,” he said. “We do not want
it to become a complex for just one community,” he said.
Akhtar said
because of the coronavirus pandemic, no tentative date has been decided for
construction to start. “We can’t replicate anything . But we are planning to go
for the contemporary form of architecture,” he said.
The Uttar
Pradesh government handed the plot, currently occupied by rice fields 20km from
Ayodhya town, to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) last month in
accordance with the Supreme Court’s November 2019 verdict that cleared the way for
the construction of a Ram temple at the 2.77 acre site in Ayodhya. The court
also ordered the government to award five acres of land at an alternative site
for the construction of a mosque.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mosque-will-bridge-divide-says-architect/story-O7OgqOuJ4v8PJ9i58qtZcM.html
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India calls out
Pakistan for motivating false propaganda on social media
Posted by
Kanishka Sarkar
Sep 02, 2020
India on Tuesday
called out Pakistan for propagating fake news through social media platforms
like Facebook and Instagram.
“Malicious
propaganda, misinformation, #infodemic, fake news. Call it what you may. Do
read this report from the @stanfordio on motivated false propaganda from
Pakistan. The truth is out for the world to see,” Permanent Mission of India to
the United Nations (New York) tweeted.
This follows a
report by Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) on its investigation exposing a
network of Pakistan-based Facebook and Instagram accounts that leveraged mass
reporting to silence critics of Islamabad.
“On August 31,
2020, Facebook suspended 103 Pages, 78 Groups, 453 Facebook accounts, and 107
Instagram accounts for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour. As it
notes in its takedown report, Facebook attributed this network to individuals
in Pakistan,” the SIO report reads.
Facebook shared
a portion of this network on August 28 with the SIO which then conducted its
own investigation and brought out its report.
The report
highlights how a network of social media accounts originating in Pakistan
posted Pakistani nationalist messages and criticized the Indian government. It
also highlighted how the mass reporting networks operated, with Group and Page
administrators mobilizing social media users to report accounts that were
critical of Islam or the Pakistani military/government.
Moreover, many
pages and Groups posted Pakistani nationalist content, praising ISI, the
Pakistan’s intelligence agency and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
party.
It further said
this is not the first public suspension of coordinated activity in Pakistan and
that in April 2019 Facebook suspended a network of accounts linked to the
InterServices Public Relations wing of the Pakistani military.
According to
Digital Forensic Research Lab, that network “represented a significant
influence operation, apparently aimed at boosting support for the army inside
Pakistan and boosting support for Pakistan abroad.”
Additionally,
reporting shows that Pakistani politicians work directly with prominent social
media trolls to get pro-Pakistan hashtags trending on Twitter.
The SIO report
also noted “the repeated invoking of duty towards religion and nation for mass
reporting”.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-calls-out-pakistan-for-motivating-false-propaganda-on-social-media/story-gpcxIq1jzYlGKxz3KZ0I0L.html
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Army personnel
killed in firing by Pakistani troops
Sep 2, 2020
JAMMU: A Junior
Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Army was killed on Wednesday in firing by
Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu
and Kashmir, defence sources said.
Pakistani troops
violated the ceasefire and opened fire at forward posts in Keri sector, drawing
retaliation from the Indian Army, the sources said.
The JCO was
critically injured in the Pakistani firing and later succumbed to injuries, the
sources said, adding Pakistan also suffered casualties in the retaliatory
action but the exact details are awaited.
This was the
second such incident in the past four days.
On August 30, a
JCO was killed in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-personnel-killed-in-firing-by-pakistani-troops/articleshow/77883375.cms
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Lashkar duo
arrested for J&K grenade attacks
Sep 1, 2020
SRINAGAR/JAMMU:
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were arrested a day after six civilians were
injured in one of the twin grenade attacks that rocked north Kashmir’s
Baramulla district on Monday. Meanwhile, security forces since Monday also
busted three terrorist hideouts across J&K — two along the LoC in
Baramulla’s Rampur sector and another in Poonch district — and recovered a huge
cache of arms and ammunition including AK-47 rifles and UBGL grenades.
The Lashkar
ultras arrested on Tuesday were identified as Baramulla residents Fayaz Ahmad
Kumar — who has 37 FIRs registered against his name and has been detained seven
times under the Public Safety Act — and Aqib Shafi Bhat who is wanted in three
cases, Baramulla SSP Abdul Qayoom said. “The two were arrested during night
time raids late Monday. They were tasked with reviving terrorism in Baramulla
town by their Pakistan-based mentors,” Qayoom said, adding that their arrest
was a “big success” in maintaining peace in the district.
On Monday
morning, six people were injured in Azadgunj area when a hand grenade lobbed by
terrorists at a vehicle carrying security personnel landed in a marketplace
across the road and exploded on shoppers. Later that evening, suspected
terrorists hurled grenades and fired a few rounds at a police post adjoining a
bus stand in Sopore, but none was killed or injured in the attack.
On August 30
(Sunday), suspicious movement was detected along the LoC in Rampur sector,
defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said. The terrorists had crossed into the
Indian side of Kashmir and were moving from a village close to the border.
“Their move was kept under constant surveillance,” he added.
Around 5am on
Monday, a search was launched. “After an extensive search for around seven
hours, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from two
well-concealed locations in two hideouts in Rampur sector, which include five
AK-series rifles along with six magazines and two sealed boxes of 1,254 rounds
of AK ammunition, six pistols with nine magazines and six rounds, 21 grenades,
two UBGL grenades and two Kenwood radio sets,” the spokesperson said.
In a similar
anti-terror operation on Tuesday morning, a joint team of Army, BSF and J&K
Police busted a terrorist hideout in Poonch’s Khenatar village and seized a
stash of arms and ammunition. “The team recovered two Chinese pistols with five
pistol magazines, 50 rounds of ammunition, five AK magazines, 270 AK rounds,
two wireless sets, four Chinese grenades, a pair of Japanese binoculars and a
bag,” Poonch SSP Ramesh Angral said, adding that this was the fifth terrorist
hideout busted in the frontier district since April 22.
Col Kalia said
the suspected modus operandi of terrorists is to drop “war-like stores in
caches” near the LoC following which overground workers or terrorists pick up
the same for further transportation to the hinterlands for terror activities.
“Similar attempts were made on July 22 when inputs were received regarding a
possible weapon drop along the LoC in Rampur ahead of the anti-infiltration
fence. During a subsequent search operation, one AKS-74U with magazines, five
pistols (one with Chinese markings) and magazines, 24 grenades and other
war-like stores were recovered,” he said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/lashkar-duo-arrested-for-jk-grenade-attacks/articleshow/77878116.cms
--------
Pak firing along
LoC kills another army officer in Jammu’s Rajouri district
Sep 02, 2020
A Junior
Commissioned Officer (JCO) was killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in the
intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday at Keri area of the Nowshera sector
in Jammu’s Rajouri district.
“A Naib Subedar
posted at a forward location in Keri sector sacrificed his life in the line of
duty, when Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing from across the LoC,” said a
defence official.
The Indian Army
has retaliated to Pakistani firing, he added.
“We are awaiting
more details,” said the official.
On August 30, a
JCO was killed in Pakistani shelling along the LoC in the Nowshera sector. The
martyred JCO is identified as Naib Subedar Rajwinder Singh, who belonged to
Khadur Sahib tehsil of Punjab’s Amritsar district.
Last Saturday,
the Border Security Force (BSF) had detected a trans-border tunnel, which
originated from Pakistan and went 150 metres into the Samba sector of the union
territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
Pakistan has
been regularly opening unprovoked heavy fire on the LoC and the international
border (IB) since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pak-firing-along-loc-kills-another-army-officer-in-jammu-s-rajouri-district/story-8DAWHOQuaHJZxSMocNq1cO.html
--------
Pakistan
Judge asked to
re-examine Cynthia’s plea for registration of FIR against Malik
02 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Former interior minister Rehman Malik is still in hot water as on Tuesday the
Islamabad High Court (IHC) referred back for review the matter related to
registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against him over alleged rape
of US blogger Cynthia Dawn Ritchie.
Additional
District and Sessions Judge Nasir Javed Rana, in his capacity as Justice of
Peace, had dismissed a petition filed by Ms Ritchie under sections 22-A and
22-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (CrPC), seeking a directive for
police to register a criminal case against Rehman Malik.
The counsel for
Mr Malik contended that the ADSJ was competent to direct the in-charge of the
police station concerned to investigate the allegations. He further contended
that on the basis of such investigations, the ex-officio Justice of Peace was
empowered to record his findings and dismiss the petition.
IHC Chief
Justice Athar Minallah observed that the arguments advanced by the counsel for
Rehman Malik were not in consonance with the principles and law enunciated by
the Supreme Court.
The court noted
that the Supreme Court had elaborately highlighted the law regarding scope of
jurisdiction vested in an ex-officio Justice of Peace.
According to
Justice Minallah, “the functions were quasi-judicial in nature because the
ex-officio Justice of Peace is required to entertain applications, examine
record and after hearing the parties pass orders and issue directions with due
application of mind”.
The scope of
jurisdiction and powers of the Justice of Peace are confined to issuing
appropriate directives for registration of a criminal case and to check
neglect, failure or excesses committed by police, he pointed out.
The court order
states: “It appears that the learned Ex-Officio Justice of Peace, while passing
the impugned order, had not taken to consideration the principles and law
enunciated by the august Supreme Court.”
Subsequently,
Justice Minallah set aside the ADSJ’s order and referred the matter back to
him.
The court asked
the district and sessions judge “to assign the matter to a designated
Ex-Officio Justice of Peace, other than the judicial officer who had passed the
impugned order dated Aug 5, 2020”.
Justice Minallah
set a three-week deadline for a decision on the matter.
Taking up another
matter related to the validity of Cynthia Ritchie’s visa, the court read out a
recent order of the interior ministry.
The deputy
attorney general submitted a copy of a recent order passed by the interior
ministry’s secretary. The court noted that the secretary had not made reference
to any law or policy and appeared to have solely relied on the statement of Ms
Ritchie.
The order is
self-contradictory and in conflict with the previous order, the IHC observed.
The secretary
conceded in his order that Cynthia Ritchie was granted a work visa in violation
of policy and laws.
The court
observed that the interior secretary had been evasive in recording his findings
regarding the crucial question: whether a foreign national visiting Pakistan on
the basis of a business visa was entitled to give statements of a political
nature.
The official was
asked about the legal standpoint if the statements were made against a holder
of public office, eg the prime minister or any state institution.
He candidly
answered that it would have been illegal and such a person would have been
taken into custody and deported.
The official was
unable to justify the inability of the federal government to inquire whether
Cynthia Ritchie was genuinely engaged in pursuing business interests
permissible under the law, the court order noted.
An official of
the interior ministry, in reply to a query, unambiguously stated that the order
passed by the secretary in this case could not become a precedent because of
its adverse consequences regarding similar cases in future.
The manner in
which the interior ministry has been assisting the court is not in consonance
with the principles of good governance. The order passed by the secretary
raises serious questions. It appears that either the ministry is not aware of
the law and policy or for reasons known to it only is ignoring them in this
case. Laws and policies must be certain and demonstrably applied in each case
fairly and without discrimination, the court order stated.
The court gave a
final opportunity to the federal government to render proper assistance, noting
that its conduct so far had raised questions of public importance having
consequences relating to enforcement of fundamental rights.
“In case an
officer conversant with the applicable laws/policy does not appear on the date
fixed, then this court will consider summoning the Secretary, Ministry of
Interior, in person,” the order said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577467/judge-asked-to-re-examine-cynthias-plea-for-registration-of-fir-against-malik
--------
Pakistan
condemns French magazine’s decision to reprint offensive caricatures
02 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Tuesday condemned in strongest terms the decision by a French
magazine, Charlie Hebdo, to republish deeply offensive caricature of Holy
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).
“Such a
deliberate act to offend the sentiments of billions of Muslims cannot be
justified as an exercise in press freedom or freedom of expression,” the
Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.
The FO said that
such actions undermined the global aspirations for peaceful co-existence as
well as social and inter-faith harmony.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/09/01/pakistan-condemns-french-magazines-decision-to-reprint-offensive-caricatures/
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Minorities enjoy
complete freedom, says minister
Kalbe Ali
02 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri claimed during a meeting with
the European Union ambassador on Tuesday that negative propaganda was being
spread against Pakistan on the matter of forced conversions. He also claimed
Pakistan was at the forefront in the region in providing religious minorities
rights and freedom to exercise their faith.
EU Ambassador
Androulla Kaminara visited Mr Qadri at the Ministry of Religious Affairs along
with a delegation to discuss a positive image of Pakistan at the international
level and matters of mutual interest.
She said the EU
would always support Pakistan’s efforts to promote interfaith harmony and
praised the government’s Kartarpur Corridor initiative, calling it an example
of interfaith harmony.
She added that
the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all human beings, but life is slowly
returning to normal.
Mr Qadri praised
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policies to tackle the pandemic, and thanked the
ambassador for the EU’s support during the crisis.
He said:
“Recently, a National Commission for Minorities has been established with the
aim to protect as well as provide welfare to the members of various religious
minorities in Pakistan.”
“For the first
time, the minorities commission has been headed by a member of the Hindu
community and the aim is to represent minorities in a better way and make all
the reporting process more transparent and trustworthy,” he added.
He said the
commission would be strengthened further through an act of parliament, and
interfaith harmony committees are being organised up to the district level.
The religious
affairs ministry notified the National Commission for Minorities this May. It
is headed by Chela Ram Kewlani, and includes 12 members that include
representatives of the Parsi, Kalash, Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Sikh
communities.
The parliament
has also formed a committee to protect religious minorities from forced
conversations, led by Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577427/minorities-enjoy-complete-freedom-says-minister
--------
Pakistan bans 5
dating, live streaming apps for uploading 'immoral' content
Sep 1, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's telecom watchdog on Tuesday blocked five online dating and live
streaming applications, including Tinder, for allegedly showing
"immoral" content.
The Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement that the action was taken
against Tinder, Tagged, Skout, Grindr and SayHi after they failed to take down
the improper material.
It said that the
apps were asked to remove "dating services" and moderate live
streaming content "in accordance with the local laws of Pakistan" but
they ignored the warning.
"Since the
platforms did not respond to the notices within the stipulated time, therefore
the authority issued orders for blocking of the said applications," the
regulator said.
However, the PTA
said it would reconsider blocking of the apps if their companies committed to
follow the laws of the country and moderated the "indecent" content.
The PTA
regularly takes action against sites for showing "immoral" content.
It also takes action on complaints by the public against apps and websites.
Two month ago,
it banned live streaming application Bigo and issued a "final
warning" to video-sharing service TikTok over obscene material.
It also banned
PlayerUnknown's Battle Ground (PUBG) game on June 1 on complaints that it was
addictive and students were wasting a lot of time playing the game.
But the ban was
revoked in July after the watchdog was given assurance that laws will be
followed and parents' concerns would be addressed.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-bans-5-dating-live-streaming-apps-for-uploading-immoral-content/articleshow/77877317.cms
--------
Former spy chief
sees no Saudi role in Pakistan-Afghan end-game
02 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general Lt Gen (r) Asad
Durrani has said that Pakistan had planned ten years back to oust the United
States forces from Afghanistan but it does not have a major role to play in the
Afghan end-game and the Afghans have to decide their rulers in future.
In an interview
with a web-television, Durrani said that Pakistan had understood 10 years ago
that the US troops would have to be ousted from Afghanistan in the Afghan
end-game.
“Now they [US
troops] are going out, Pakistan as a country has little role and Taliban,
already have a dominant role in war-ravaged Afghanistan, have a major role to
play. Besides the Afghan Taliban, other players like Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Dr
Mohaqiq and other local [ethnic] leaders have a future role too,” he said.
“But Dr Ashraf
Ghani has no role in Afghanistan in the future as he has been imposed [as a
foreign puppet]. There would be tough negotiations between local players and
then future dispensation would be decided.”
He also said
that Pakistan had formed a regional cooperation bloc which would play a key
role in the Afghan end-game and along with Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and
Turkey would have a role to play.
“This bloc will
also help resolve issues in the Middle East and India too. In Afghanistan, our
main objective has already been met and we have facilitated the peace process
in Afghanistan between the US and Afghan Taliban. We have to ensure that
intra-Afghan talks also succeed and future dispensation is decided by Afghans
themselves,” he added.
“We are not
worried for Afghanistan future. Taliban have a dominant position and they have
won a war against the US forces. Pakistan does not have a major role to play
and this is in our interest not to get involved in Afghanistan’s future role,”
he further said.
Durrani said
that the US had wasted billions of dollars each year on the “useless” Afghan
Army. He accused the US of bribing the Taliban by secretly paying them $500
million annually. He said that after defeating the world (NATO), the Taliban
are now unstoppable.
He also said
that Afghan tribes had defeated the Russians and other invaders. Taliban have a
role to play in Afghanistan. “President Obama wanted to pull out US troops ten
years back but could not do as US military-industrial complex who wanted to
sell their weapons to Afghans,” he added.
The former ISI
chief said that the role of Saudi Arabia in Afghanistan has also come to an
end. He said that Saudi Arabia’s role in Pakistan is also coming to an end and
after Pakistan’s refusal to enter the Yemen war.
“Our plan to
attend the Kuala Lumpur Summit also pushed Pakistan-Saudi relations into a new
phase. After the refusal of the kingdom to support Pakistan on the Kashmir
issue has ultimately changed the paradigm of bilateral relations. There is a
clear division between Pakistan’s interests and the Saudi interests,” he added.
Terming the
state narrative on fifth-generation war, he said that states always use
gimmicks to peddle their narrative against critics. He said that the state was
trying to peddle its narrative through gimmicks like hybrid war and
fifth-generation war. He added that at times gags would be introduced and also
people may be put behind bars too.
“This is how
states navigate through issues but this is being done much these days in
Pakistan. But this is always damaging as states have to carry along people
willingly to build narratives. Arm twisting would only lead towards a
disaster,” he further said.
Durrani said
that political engineering never benefitted Pakistan and it always backfired.
He said that it leads to creating confusion as no one is ready to take
responsibility. He added that the past experiences have proved a fact that
whenever anyone does political engineering, those kept out of the government
always came back with a vengeance.
Durrani,
however, defended his own political engineering of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad
(IJI) in the late 1980s and said that he never regretted his engineering
despite some mistakes committed.
“Decisions are
taken in a specific environment and in some background. I may have made some
mistakes but I don’t regret those,” he added.
Asked about his
court-martial trial with the military headquarters, a hesitant Durrani said
that any comment would be inappropriate till a decision is taken.
“I would only
say that those who read my book, say that there is nothing controversial in my
book. Then there are few who ask why a media campaign was launched against me,”
he asserted. He said that there was no restriction under the law against him to
speak to media and many, including former president Pervez Musharraf, had also
written books.
“So, it is
proved that allegation against me is not due to the publishing of a book. There
may be other reasons,” he concluded.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/09/01/former-spy-chief-sees-no-saudi-role-in-pakistan-afghan-end-game/
--------
Pakistan urges
UNSC to reform counter-terrorism work
02 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD: A top
Pakistani diplomat has called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to
shift some of its focus on combating al-Qaeda and ISIS/Da’esh to Hindutva
extremists in India terrorising Muslims, as he stressed the need for the
15-member body to reform its counter-terrorism work.
“Terrorism has
proliferated across the world,” Ambassador Munir Akram told a virtual meeting
of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which discussed the annual report
of the Security Council on its actions to maintain international peace and
security.
Pointing out
deficiencies in the council’s work, the Pakistani envoy said that while keeping
focus on al-Qaeda and Da’esh, it had “ignored terrorism by extremist and
fascist organizations, including the Hindutva groups terrorising Muslims”.
“It has allowed
the labels of terrorism to compromise the legitimate struggles of peoples under
colonial and alien domination for self-determination. It has also ignored state
terrorism which is used for oppressing and brutalising peoples under
occupation,” he said.
The Council,
Ambassador Akram said, has also failed to implement its own resolutions and
decisions, including on the decade-old Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
“For over
seventy years, India has illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in blatant
violation of the resolutions of the Security Council; it is perpetrating a
reign of terror in a territory occupied with 900,000 troops; it has imposed a
complete siege on 8 million Kashmiris in the valley and it is perpetrating
massive violations of human rights against them and against its own minority
communities, he told the council.
“In the wake of
its illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, the BJP-RSS government is
putting in place what they have themselves called the ‘final solution’ for
Jammu and Kashmir – demographic flooding of occupied Kashmir by settler
communities to completely disempower and disenfranchise the Kashmiri people and
to obliterate their Muslim identity and that of the occupied territory,” he
said.
In this regard,
the Pakistani envoy said that the Council met thrice in one year on the situation
in Jammu and Kashmir, reaffirming its disputed status and that a final
settlement based on UNSC resolutions.
In his comments,
Ambassador Akram also underscored the need to improve transparency as much of
the Council’s real work and decision-making takes place behind closed doors.
The role of the
non-members, he said, has been reduced amid the coronavirus pandemic to the
‘perfunctory’ submission of written statements to the few open meetings held by
the Council
The Pakistan
envoy also called for a comprehensive reform of the UNSC to provide it greater
legitimacy and credibility.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/09/01/pakistan-urges-unsc-to-reform-counter-terrorism-work/
--------
Europe
Risk of terror
attacks in France remains extremely high, says interior minister
31/08/2020
The risk of
terror attacks in France remains extremely high, the interior minister said on
Monday, adding that over 8,000 people were on a national warning list of
Islamist radicalisation.
The comments by
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin came two days before 14 people are due to go
on trial over alleged involvement in attacks in January 2015 including on the
Charlie Hebdo weekly that heralded a wave of militant strikes in France.
The threat
"remains extremely high in the country," Darmanin said in a speech
during a visit to France's internal security service the DGSI.
"The risk
of terror of Sunni origin is the main threat that our country is facing,"
he added, promising a fight "without let-up".
He said 8,132
individuals had been registered on France's database of suspected Islamist
radicals considered to be a potential security threat.
Fourteen alleged
accomplices in the January 7-9, 2015 jihadist attacks on the Charlie Hebdo
satirical weekly, a French policewoman and a Jewish supermarket go on trial in
Paris on Wednesday.
All of the
perpetrators were killed in the aftermath of the assaults but lawyers for the
victims and prosecutors insist the trial will be a hugely important if
potentially traumatic moment.
Speaking on
France Info radio Monday, national anti-terror prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard
dismissed the idea that it was just "little helpers" going on trial.
"It is
about individuals who are involved in the logistics, the preparation of the
events, who provided means of financing, operational material, weapons, a
residence.
"All this
is essential to the terrorist action," he said.
The January 2015
attacks heralded a wave of Islamist violence that left 258 people dead and
raised unsettling questions about modern France's ability to preserve security
and harmony for a multicultural society.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200831-risk-of-terror-attacks-in-france-remains-extremely-high-interior-minister?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
--------
Erdogan adviser
accuses Germany’s Merkel of calling ‘Crusaders’ to the Mediterranean
Ismaeel Naar
02 September
2020
Yasin Aktay, who
advises Turkey’s Erdogan in his ruling AK Party, has accused German Chancellor
Angela Merkel of calling in “Crusaders” in the eastern Mediterranean, in
reference to her call for all EU countries to support Greece.
“Despite the
mediator role she has assumed, by calling EU countries to almost
unconditionally stand with Greece, listen to and support it, she is openly
stating with whom she stands,” Aktay, a deputy chairman of Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, said in an op-ed article published on Monday under
the title “Merkel calls the Crusaders to solidarity in the Mediterranean.”
Turkey on
Tuesday said it is open to dialogue with Greece to solve disagreements over
Mediterranean rights and resources as long as Athens is too, according to
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
The NATO allies
vehemently disagree over claims to potential hydrocarbon resources in the
eastern Mediterranean Sea based on conflicting views on the extent of their
continental shelves.
Greece has been
at odds with neighboring Turkey over a range of issues including overlapping
claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region, based on conflicting claims
over the extent of their continental shelves.
Tensions
escalated last month after Ankara dispatched the Oruc Reis seismic survey
vessel in a disputed area following a pact between Athens and Cairo ratifying
maritime boundaries.
The latest
comments from Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu offering to sit down with
Greece over their dispute in the eastern Mediterranean are at odds with Aktay’s
latest op-ed, published in Turkish, English and Arabic.
“If EU countries
stopped for a second and gave Turkey a hearing, even if not as much as they
listen to Greece, they would clearly see the injustice. The greed displayed by
Greece in efforts to deprive Turkey of all its territorial waters due to the
islands and take over them itself is very obvious,” Aktay said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/02/Erdogan-adviser-accuses-Germany-s-Merkel-of-calling-Crusaders-to-the-Mediterranean
--------
French President
Macron says the next six weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon
01 September
2020
The coming six
weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron
told reporters in Beirut during an official visit to the country reeling from
last month's deadly port blast and rising sectarian tensions.
Macron said he
was ready to host an international conference on how to help Lebanon in
mid-October.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Lebanese
politicians, some former warlords who have overseen decades of industrial-scale
state corruption, face a daunting task with an economy in crisis, a swathe of
Beirut in tatters after the August 4 port blast and sectarian tensions rising.
French President
Emmanuel Macron also said the “truth of the numbers” in the Lebanese banking
system needed to be known so that judicial action could be taken, saying the
country was suffering a banking and central banking crisis.
“There is today
a Lebanese central banking crisis, a Lebanese banking system in crisis. A lot
of funds were likely taken out,” Macron said in comments while on the visit.
“Today
everything is blocked and Lebanon can no longer finance itself, so there needs
to be an audit ... there is likely money that has been diverted. So we need to
know the truth of the numbers and then that judicial actions are taken,” he
said.
Macron visits
Lebanon
Macron's visit
is his second since the colossal August 4 blast in Beirut port killed more than
180 people, wounded at least 6,500, and ravaged swathes of the capital.
The explosion
compounded Lebanon's worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, with
a UN agency warning on Sunday that more than half of the population risk a food
crisis by the end of the year.
On August 9, the
international community pledged 252.7 million euros (around $300 million) in
emergency aid at a video conference jointly organised by France and the United
Nations.
The
international community promised to stand by Lebanon but demanded that its aid
be distributed directly to the needy instead of through the government.
"We have to
focus in the next six weeks on the emergency," Macron said on Tuesday of
the port blast which caused up to $4.6 billion worth of damage and a blow to
economic activity of up to $3.5 billion, according to a World Bank assessment.
He said work
going forward would be "under very firm coordination with the United
Nations, so we can again ask for support from all the different states."
Protesters call
out corrupt political elite
Protesters who
have taken to the streets since October last year regard Lebanon's entire
political class as inept and corrupt.
They blame it
for the explosion, which was caused by a stockpile of ammonium nitrate
fertiliser that had languished in the port for years.
Antoine Zoghbi,
president of the Lebanese Red Cross, told Macron on Tuesday that international
assistance to Lebanon needed to be improved.
"We see
planes arriving but we do not know where the aid is going," Zoghbi said.
"Eighty per cent of the medication arriving in Lebanon is not suited"
to needs on the ground.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/01/French-President-Macron-says-the-next-six-weeks-are-crucial-for-the-future-of-Lebanon
--------
In video, envoy
acknowledges US ‘pushed Germans hard’ to blacklist Hezbollah
01 September
2020
US Ambassador to
Germany Richard Grenell has acknowledged in video footage that Washington
“pushed” Berlin “hard” to blacklist the Lebanese resistance movement of
Hezbollah.
Marwa Osman, a
journalist and political commentator from Beirut, revealed in a tweet on
Tuesday that Grenell had “openly” declared in a video posted on August 18 that
the US pressured Germany to ban Hezbollah.
“We pushed the
Germans very hard — they were not happy, but we pushed them to ban Hezb. We
think the French should do it, and EU,” the US ambassador to Germany admits in
the footage.
Exclusive
footage of @richardgrenell US ambassador to #Germany via Zoom on Aug 18 openly
declaring: US pressured Germany to ban #Hezbollah and demonize it.
"We pushed
the Germans very hard, they were not happy but we pushed them to ban Hezb, we
think the French should do it & EU" pic.twitter.com/q6daVsn9jT
— Marwa Osman ||
مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) September 1, 2020
Last December,
Germany’s parliament approved a motion urging Chancellor Angela Merkel’s
government to ban all activities by Hezbollah on German soil. The motion came
after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on a trip to Berlin that he hoped
Germany would follow Britain in banning Hezbollah.
On April 30, the
German Interior Ministry designated the Lebanese resistance group a “terrorist
organization” and banned all of Hezbollah’s activities in the country.
The ministry
also ordered raids on sites police said were linked to the group, with reports
emerging that four mosques and cultural associations had been searched, as well
as the private houses of Hezbollah’s board members, treasurers, and tax
advisers.
Most member
states of the European Union (EU) have so far refrained from labeling the
Lebanese resistance movement a “terrorist organization.”
Last year, the
British government broke with the rest of Europe to do that.
Hezbollah was
established following the 1982 Israeli invasion and occupation of southern
Lebanon.
Since then, the
resistance movement has grown into a powerful military force, dealing repeated
blows to the Israeli military, including during a 33-day war in July 2006.
Hezbollah has
also helped fight terrorist groups in Syria.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/01/633104/Germany-blacklist-Hezbollah-US-ambassador-push-hard
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Austria to file
charges against Turkish spy — interior minister
September 01,
2020
VIENNA: Austria
will file charges against a person who has confessed to spying for Turkey’s
secret service, and authorities are investigating more suspected espionage
activities, its interior minister said, warning Turkey this would not be
tolerated.
“This is about
an exertion of influence by a foreign power in Austria and this will in no way
be accepted,” Karl Nehammer told a news conference on Tuesday.
There were clear
indications of Turkish influence in Austria, said the director general for
public safety, Franz Ruf. The new findings came following extensive
investigations by Austrian police after violent clashes between Turkish and Kurdish
groups in Vienna in June.
One person has
fully confessed to having been “recruited by the Turkish secret service to spy
on other Turkish citizens or Austrian citizens with a Turkish migration
background to then report them to the Turkish security authorities,” Nehammer
said, adding that the judiciary will file charges on suspicion of espionage. He
did not give any details about the person.
Austria has
found that more than 30 Austrians were detained in Turkey between 2018 and 2020
after entering the country and has indications that the Turkish secret service
tried to recruit them, the interior minister said.
“Turkish
espionage has no place in Austria. There is no place for Turkish influence on
liberty and fundamental rights in Austria. We will fight against it
vehemently,” Nehammer said, adding that Europol and the Presidency of the
European Council had been informed.
Turkey’s foreign
ministry did not immediately comment.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1727896/world
--------
North America
US vetoes UN
resolution over Islamic State fighters’ return
By Edith M.
Lederer
August 31, 2020
UNITED NATIONS —
The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution Monday calling for the prosecution,
rehabilitation and reintegration of all those engaged in terrorism-related
activities, saying it didn’t call for the repatriation from Syria and Iraq of
foreign fighters for the Islamic State extremist group and their families which
is “the crucial first step.”
U.S. Ambassador
Kelly Craft said the resolution, ”supposedly designed to reinforce
international action on counter-terrorism, was worse than no resolution at
all.” She dismissed it as “a cynical and willfully oblivious farce.”
Because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the 15-member Security Council voted by email. The result
was 14 countries in favor and only the U.S. opposed. It was announced by the
current council president, Indonesia’s U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani,
whose country sponsored the resolution.
In her statement
explaining the U.S. veto, Craft pointed to her comments at a council meeting on
counter-terrorism last week. She sstressed then that repatriation and
accountability for crimes by fighters for the Islamic State extremist group,
also known as ISIS, and their family members are essential so they “do not
become the nucleus of an ISIS 2.0.”
“It is
incomprehensible that other members of this council were satisfied with a
resolution that ignores the security implications of leaving foreign terrorist
fighters to plot their escape from limited detention facilities and abandoning
their family members to suffer in camps without recourse, opportunities, or
hope,” she said on Monday.
Craft said last
week the Trump administration was disappointed that Indonesian efforts to draft
“a meaningful resolution ... were stymied by council members’ refusal to
include repatriation.”
That was a
reference to Western Europeans, especially, including Britain and France, who
have opposed the return of IS fighters and their families, except in the case
of orphans and some children. The British government says those who are in
custody in Syria and Iraq should face justice there rather than going on trial
in the U.K.
Craft said the
U.S. brings its citizens home and prosecutes them when appropriate. She quoted
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as saying: “We want every country to take
their citizens back. That’s step one. It’s imperative that they do so.”
A UK Foreign
Office spokesperson, speaking with customary anonymity, said after the vote:
“We regret the resolution was not adopted. We are working closely with
international partners to reduce the risk posed to us collectively by foreign
fighters.”
Indonesia’s
Djani expressed regret that the resolution wasn’t adopted, saying it addressed
important issues related to the prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration
of alleged terrorists.
“It sends a
signal that the council is not united in the fight against terrorism, and
certainly I regret that this happened,” he said.
The defeated
resolution did support the return of children, but not fighters of families.
It encouraged
all countries to cooperate in addressing the threat from “foreign terrorist
fighters” or FTFs, “including by bringing them to justice, preventing the
radicalization to terrorism and recruitment of FTFs and accompanying family
members, particularly accompanying children, including by facilitating the
return of the children to their countries of origin, as appropriate and on a
case by case basis.”
The Islamic
State group, which once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria, lost its
last Syrian strongholds in early 2019. But despite the loss of its self-styled
caliphate, U.N. experts said earlier this year that the extremist group is
mounting increasingly bold attacks in Syria and Iraq and is planning for the breakout
of its fighters in detention facilities.
U.N.
counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov said in July that his office had
received information that 700 people died recently in two camps in northeast
Syria — al-Hol and Roj — where more than 70,000 mainly women and children
connected to Islamic State fighters are detained in “very dire conditions.”
The camps are
overseen by Kurdish-led forces who allied with the United States and
spearheaded the fight against Islamic State fighters.
The International
Crisis Group reported on April 7 that there are 66,000 women and children in
al-Hol and 4,000 in Roj, most of them relatives of IS extremists, “but some
former affiliates of the group themselves.” The Brussels-based think tank said
that the majority are either Syrians or Iraqis, with the numbers roughly split,
and around 13,500 are from other countries.
The group said
humanitarian workers described the detention sites “as ridden with tuberculosis
and perilously overcrowded, with one speaking of `dramatic mortality rates.’”
This has since been compounded by the COVID-19 crisis.
In addition to
the al-Hol and Roj camps, the Kurdish fighters are guarding thousands of IS
fighters and boys in prisons.
Voronkov urged
the international community to tackle “the huge problem” of what to do with
these people, saying keeping them in camps “is very dangerous.”
He warned that
“they could create very explosive materials that could be very helpful for
terrorists to restart their activities” in Syria and Iraq.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/diplomats-say-us-veto-likely-on-un-anti-terrorism-resolution/2020/08/31/0a11e308-ebb7-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
--------
Pompeo says US
will lift arms embargo on Cyprus, Turkey furious
01 September
2020
The United
States will lift a 33-year arms embargo on Cyprus and deepen its security
cooperation with Nicosia, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday,
prompting an angry response from Turkey.
The island was
divided in 1974 following a Turkish invasion triggered by a Greek-inspired
coup. Turkey recognizes the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,
which is not recognized by other countries. Several peacemaking efforts have
collapsed.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Washington
placed restrictions on the transfer of arms to Cyprus in 1987 to encourage
reunification efforts and avoid an arms race on the island.
“Cyprus is a key
partner in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said on Twitter. “We will waive
restrictions on the sale of non-lethal defense articles and services to the
Republic of Cyprus for the coming fiscal year.”
The decision
comes amid escalating tensions in the eastern Mediterranean between NATO allies
Turkey and Greece over claims to potential hydrocarbon resources in the eastern
Mediterranean based on conflicting views on the extent of their continental
shelves.
Cypriot
President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter after a phone call with Pompeo
that he welcomed the move.
Turkey’s foreign
ministry said the decision “disregards the equality and balance” on the island
and that Ankara expects its NATO ally to “review” it.
“Otherwise,
Turkey, as a guarantor country, will take the necessary reciprocal steps in
line with its legal and historical responsibility to guarantee the security of
the Turkish Cypriot people,” it said in a statement.
Ankara and
Athens both say they are ready to solve the dispute through dialogue, while
insisting on upholding their own rights. They each held military exercises in
the region, highlighting the potential for the dispute to escalate.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/09/02/Pompeo-says-US-will-lift-arms-embargo-on-Cyprus-Turkey-furious
--------
US isolated
again as it vetoes UN resolution on terrorists’ fate
01 September
2020
The United
States has once again become isolated as it vetoed a UN Security Council
resolution on foreign Daesh terrorists, while the other 14 council members
voted in favor of the resolution.
Washington said
the resolution did not address “repatriation”, with US ambassador to the United
Nations, Kelly Craft, claiming the draft text aiming to reinforce international
action on counter-terrorism "was worse than no resolution at all."
The US veto
highlighted the growing divide between Washington and its European allies, as
well as Arab countries, who have refused to commit to taking back their
terrorists since the Daesh group was vanquished in Syria and Iraq over a year
ago.
The United
States wants foreign terrorists sent home to be either prosecuted or rehabilitated
there.
Washington’s
insistence on including the word "repatriation" in the text was
originally backed by Moscow.
European states,
which have had many nationals fighting for groups like Daesh, have been
reluctant to try them at home, citing concerns about a public backlash and the
risk of fresh attacks on European soil.
Some European
countries, including France and Belgium, have adopted a case-by-case approach
to repatriating the children or even wives of terrorists held in the Middle
East, AFP said.
Kelly said that,
"It (the resolution) fails to even include reference to the crucial first
step – repatriation to countries of origin or nationality."
Thousands of
foreign terrorist from dozens of countries are being held in Iraq and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Syrian and foreign women and children – family members of
suspected terrorists – are also held in squalid camps.
The US veto
comes after the Europeans, last month, rejected a US draft resolution that
aimed to extend an arms embargo on Iran as part of US efforts to re-establish
sanctions on Tehran.
Also last week,
Indonesia, the UN Security Council president, dismissed Washington's attempt to
trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran because 13 members expressed their
opposition.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/01/633069/US-isolated-veto-UN-resolution-terrorists-Daesh
--------
Mideast
Hezbollah Says
Will Kill an Israeli Soldier for Each Combatant Slain
AUGUST 31, 2020
Lebanese Shiite
movement Hezbollah Sunday threatened to kill an Israeli soldier for every one
of its fighters slain by its archfoe Israel, after a combatant was killed in
Syria in July.
“The Israeli
needs to understand: When you kill one of our fighters, we will kill one of
your soldiers,” Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
Referring to
several incidents at the border with Israel in recent weeks, he said: “All this
has been taken into account and the time for settling accounts will come.”
He spoke after a
July 20 Israeli missile attack on Syrian government and allied positions in
Syria that killed five people. Damascus regime ally Hezbollah said one of its
own was among the dead.
Nasrallah on
Sunday said a “decisive decision” had been taken but that Hezbollah was “not in
a hurry.”
Israel said Wednesday
it had launched air strikes against Hezbollah observation posts in Lebanon
after shots were fired from across the border.
The incident
also comes after Hezbollah announced at the weekend it had brought down an
Israeli drone flying over the border.
Israel has
carried out dozens of air strikes on Hezbollah targets in neighboring Syria
where the group is fighting alongside the government of President Bashar
al-Assad.
Hezbollah wields
considerable political influence in Lebanon and its allies dominate the
caretaker government.
Nasrallah spoke
after the UN Security Council on Friday renewed its mission on the
Lebanese-Israeli border, though officially reducing its numbers and pressing
Beirut to grant access to tunnels under the border with Israel.
Israel has
accused Hezbollah of building the tunnels to infiltrate its territory.
The
10,500-strong UNIFIL peacekeeping force, in coordination with the Lebanese
army, is tasked guaranteeing a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from a
demilitarized zone on the border.
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/08/31/hezbollah-israel-soldiers/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
--------
Turkey says it
has arrested ISIS leader with ‘important plans’
01 September
2020
Turkey has
arrested the leader of the terrorist organization ISIS in the country,
announced the Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu on Tuesday.
"Turkey's
so-called leader of [ISIS] was caught and arrested with important plans ...
Thank you, congratulations to the Police Department," tweeted Soylu on
Tuesday.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
ISIS has claimed
responsibility for a series of attacks on Turkey in 2013 and 2015, prompting
air strikes against ISIS positions in Syria before the organization's so-called
caliphate was defeated by Kurdish-led forces.
However, Ankara
has also been accused of sending ISIS affiliates to Libya to fight as
mercenaries in support of the Government of National Accord.
In July, Saudi
Arabia and the US designated individuals in Turkey and Syria as terrorist
funders for financing ISIS.
Turkey is also
embroiled in the conflict in Syria, where it backs opposition organizations
based in northern Syria against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/01/Turkey-says-it-has-arrested-ISIS-leader-in-the-country
--------
Israel and UAE
agree to cooperate on financial services: Israeli statement
01 September
2020
Israel and the
United Arab Emirates agreed on Tuesday to set up a joint committee on financial
services cooperation with the aim of promoting investment between the two
countries, an Israeli statement said.
Israeli and UAE
officials meeting in Abu Dhabi signed the understanding, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said in the statement.
One focus,
Netanyahu said, would be on "cooperation in the field of financial
services and removing financial barriers for making investments between the
countries, as well as promoting joint investments in the capital markets."
The countries
will also collaborate in banking services and payment regulations, he said.
Israeli
officials have been quick to play up the economic benefits of the accord, which
once formalised would also include agreements on tourism, technology, energy,
healthcare and
security, among
other areas.
A number of
Israeli and Emirati businesses have already signed deals since the
normalisation deal was announced.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/01/Israel-and-UAE-agree-to-cooperate-on-financial-services-Israeli-statement
--------
Rouhani Voices
Confidence on Niger’s Opposition to US Unilateralism at UNSC
Sep 01, 2020
"I am sure
that an independent and professional Niger will prevent misusing the UN Security
Council for US unilateralism," President Rouhani said in a phone contact
with his Nigerien counterpart Mahamadou Issoufou, whose country has just
started to chair the UN Security Council for this month.
Rouhani thanked
Niger for its continuous supports for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) and the UN Security Council's Resolution 2231, and added, "I am
very happy that Iran and Niger have common view that the international
relations should be based on justice, righteousness and noble human
values."
He also said
that Iran is ready to share its experiences with Niger in fighting terrorism.
He congratulated
Niger on rotating chairmanship of the UN Security Council in September, and
said that both countries have always had constructive and positive cooperation
on international issues and bodies, including at the UN, the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Issoufou, for
his part, welcomed sharing Iran's experiences in different fields, including fighting
the coronavirus.
Issoufou pointed
to the two countries good cooperation in international bodies, and expressed
pleasure in the two countries' common viewpoints on international issues.
"The two
countries' relations over the past four decades have been very good and
friendly, and Niger is ready to expand such relations in all fields," he
added.
"The
Republic of Niger has always tried to promote its international cooperation on
the basis of important human values and it will also arrange its measures at
the UNSC on this basis,” he noted.
In relevant
remarks in July 2017, Senior Advisor to the Iranian Parliament Speaker Hossein
Amir Abdollahian lauded Nigerien government's stance towards the Palestinian
cause.
"We welcome
Niger's constructive stance against Israel's occupation of the Palestinian
lands," Amir Abdollahian said in a meeting with Head of Niger-Iran
Parliamentary Friendship Group Masani Couroni in Tehran on Monday July 10,
2017.
Couroni, for his
part, called for using Iranian Majlis’ experience and its support to help boost
bilateral relations.
He also urged
promotion of ties in all fields, particularly in parliamentary and health
sectors.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990611000761
--------
G4+1 Rule Out
Recognition of US as JCPOA Member
Sep 02, 2020
“In light of
recent discussions in the United Nations Security Council in New York
concerning the issue of the attempted reinstatement of previously lifted UN
sanctions, the participants reaffirmed that the United States unilaterally
announced its cessation of participation in the JCPOA on 8 May 2018 and that it
had not participated in any JCPOA-related activities subsequently. Participants
reconfirmed that it therefore could not be considered as a participant State,”
said a part of the statement issued after a meeting of the Joint Commission to
the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), which was co-chaired by Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi
and European External Action Service Secretary-General Helga Maria Schmid late
on Tuesday.
“A meeting of
the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) took
place in Vienna on 1st September, 2020. Under the terms of the JCPOA, the Joint
Commission is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the agreement.
The Joint Commission was chaired, on behalf of EU High Representative Josep
Borrell, by EEAS Secretary General Helga-Maria Schmid and was attended by
representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran
at the level of Political Directors/Deputy Foreign Ministers,” it added.
The statement
underlined that all participants reaffirmed the importance of preserving the
agreement recalling that it is a key element of the global nuclear
non-proliferation architecture, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution
2231 (2015), noting, “Full implementation of the agreement by all sides remains
crucial.”
“In light of
recent discussions in the United Nations Security Council in New York
concerning the issue of the attempted reinstatement of previously lifted UN
sanctions, the participants reaffirmed that the United States unilaterally
announced its cessation of participation in the JCPOA on 8 May 2018 and that it
had not participated in any JCPOA-related activities subsequently. Participants
reconfirmed that it therefore could not be considered as a participant State.
In this regard, participants also reaffirmed their various statements and
communications made previously at the Security Council including that of the
High Representative of 20 August as Co-ordinator of the JCPOA to the effect that
the US cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions under UNSC
resolution 2231,” it said.
According to the
statement, the participants welcomed the Joint Statement of Iran and the IAEA
dated 26 August the implementation of which has already started, adding, “In
this context they recalled the important role of the IAEA as the sole impartial
and independent international organisation responsible for the monitoring and
verification of nuclear non-proliferation commitments.”
“The Joint
Commission addressed nuclear as well as sanctions lifting issues under the
agreement. Experts will continue discussions on all issues of concern,” it
stated.
“Participants
reiterated the importance of nuclear non-proliferation projects, in particular
the Arak Modernisation Project and the stable isotope project in Fordow. Taking
into account the potential consequences of the US decision in May to end the
Arak waiver, participants reiterated their strong support and collective
responsibility for the continuation of the project,” the statement said.
It noted that
the meeting took place against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding,
“Participants expressed their solidarity with all countries affected in their
efforts to address the outbreak. The Joint Commission had not been able to
convene recently due to relevant travel restrictions.”
US President
Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally pulled
Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever”
sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in an
attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade, but to no avail since its
"so-called maximum pressure policy" has failed to push Tehran to the
negotiating table.
In response to
the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear
commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but
stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe
finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.
Tehran has
particularly been disappointed with failure of the three European signatories
to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- to protect its business
interests under the deal after the United States' withdrawal.
On January 5,
Iran took a final step in reducing its commitments, and said it would no longer
observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry, whether concerning
the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium
or research and development.
Now the US has
stepped up attempts aimed at extending the UN arms ban on Iran that is set to
expire as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has
been endorsed by Security Council Resolution 2231.
The US first
sought to extend the Iran's arms embargo in a fresh UNSC resolution in
contradiction to the contents of the Resolution 2231 in two attempts within a
month, but failed.
The United
Nations Security Council resoundingly rejected last month the second US bid to
extend an arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October.
The resolution
needed support from nine of 15 votes to pass. Eleven members abstained,
including France, Germany and Britain, while the US and the Dominican Republic
were the only “yes” votes.
The United States
has become isolated over Iran at the Security Council following President
Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal 2018.
Iran had said
that the US resolution would fail to gain the required support at the Security
Council, pointing out that Washington has no legal right to invoke a snapback
mechanism to reinstate sanctions against Tehran under the 2015 nuclear deal
that the US unilaterally left in May 2018.
In relevant
remarks last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said it is by
no means justifiable for the US to use Dispute Resolution Mechanism with regard
to UNSC Resolution 2231.
"US
recourse to Dispute Resolution Mechanism in 2231 has NO LEG TO STAND ON,"
Zarif wrote on his Twitter page.
"AmbJohnBolton
has repeated today what he said on May 8, 2018, while National Security Advisor
in the Trump administration," he noted, adding, "At least he is
consistent—a trait notably absent in this US administration."
Zarif' tweet
came in reaction to former US National Security Advisor John Bolton's article
in Wall Street Journal where he criticized US' decision to trigger ‘snapback
mechanism’ against Iran, saying, "The agreement [Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action]’s backers argue that Washington, having withdrawn from the deal, has
no standing to invoke its provisions. They’re right. It’s too cute by half to
say we’re in the nuclear deal for purposes we want but not for those we
don’t."
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990612000145
--------
Saudi Arabia,
UAE used cluster bombs in military offensives against Yemen’s Hudaydah: UN
official
02 September
2020
A United Nations
official says Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the key members
of a coalition waging war on Yemen, have deployed cluster bombs against a
residential neighborhood in the country’s coastal western province of Hudaydah.
The Head of the
UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) in Yemen, Lieutenant
General Abhijit Guha, said in a statement on Tuesday that he is concerned about
repeated Saudi-UAE airstrikes in the al-Arj area of the province between August
16 and 23, the Yemeni al-Mahrah Post website reported.
Guha noted that
the heavy fighting that broke out around the city of Hudaydah on August 27 in
addition to “reports of the use of cluster weapons during one of these
airstrikes” are of “special concern.”
The senior UN
official then called on parties to the Yemen conflict to “desist from any
measures that harm the implementation of Hudaydah agreement.”
Delegates from
the Houthi Ansarullah movement and representatives loyal to former Yemeni
president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi held a round of peace negotiations in Rimbo,
north of the Swedish capital city of Stockholm, in December 2018.
The talks
resulted in the announcement of an agreement, which included a ceasefire along
the Hudaydah front and the redeployment of armed forces out of the city and its
port. The deal also mandated the UN to oversee the truce.
Guha further
urged all warring parties in Yemen to “refrain from any other activities that
put the lives of civilians in Hudaydah province in danger.”
Back on 23
August, an official source from the Ansarullah movement said the Saudi-led
military coalition had used a cluster bomb on a farm in al-Arj area of the Bajil
district.
Yemen’s Ministry
of Human Rights, in a statement released by the official SABA news agency on
June 10, warned that cluster munitions pose a serious danger to the lives of
civilians, especially women and children, if they come in close contact with
them.
The statement
added that the Saudi-led alliance has used thousands of cluster bombs on
residential areas, leaving many civilians dead or injured. Unexploded
submunitions risk the lives of locals in the targeted areas as well.
Yemen raps UN envoy’s
‘bias in favor of Riyadh, allies’
Also on Tuesday,
the Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population censured latest remarks by
the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, in which he
apparently overlooked the disastrous effects of the Saudi-led coalition’s
continued siege and detention of fuel tankers off the coast of Yemen.
“After nearly
four months that the Saudi-led coalition has been preventing fuel vessels from
mooring in Hudaydah port and affecting vital sectors and service facilities,
the UN envoy surprised us” with his statement, the spokesman for the ministry,
Dr. Yousef al-Hadhiri said.
“Griffiths
utterly disregards the Yemeni health sector and the immediate impacts on it in
the statement. The statement neither helps reveal the truth nor conceals the
falsehood,” Hadhiri added.
He emphasized,
“Such neglect did not take place by mistake, but was rather deliberate in order
to cover up the humanitarian gap that could draw the attention of the
international community to the humanitarian catastrophe that Yemen suffers
from.”
The top Yemeni
official argued that “Griffiths, in his statement, has not pointed to the fact
that the continued detention of fuel tankers affects 80% of patients with
chronic diseases and those injured in accidents, who are in the countryside and
have no access to necessary health services in city centers.”
“We in the
Ministry of Public Health and Population condemn the UN envoy’s clear and
scandalous bias towards murderous criminals committed by the Saudi-led
coalition and its mercenaries,” Hadhiri said.
“Griffiths’
tenure as the UN special envoy for Yemen has not witnessed any improvement or
progress in the living standards of Yemenis in the face of the siege and
aggression they have been suffering for more than 65 months.”
Saudi Arabia and
a number of its regional allies launched the campaign against Yemen in March
2015, with the goal of bringing Hadi’s government back to power.
The US-based
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit
conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than
100,000 lives for more than the past five years.
The Houthi
movement, backed by the armed forces, has been defending Yemen against the
Saudi-led alliance, preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the objectives of
their deadly campaign.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/02/633131/Saudi-Arabia-UAE-used-cluster-bombs-in-military-offensives-against-Yemen-Hudaydah-UN-
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Houthi attacks
on Saudi Arabia ‘aimed at stopping coalition airstrikes’
September 02,
2020
AL-MUKALLA: A
surge in drone, missile and explosive-laden boat attacks on Saudi Arabia by the
Houthi militia is seeking to pressure the Kingdom into stopping airstrikes that
have killed dozens of their senior commanders in Yemen, Yemeni military
officials and experts said on Tuesday.
The Arab
coalition has announced intercepting explosive-laden drones and boats and
ballistic missiles fired by the rebels at Saudi civilian and military targets
in the Kingdom and Yemen.
Airstrikes by
coalition warplanes have targeted senior Houthi commanders mainly in the
central provinces of Marib and Al-Bayda, and in the northern province of Jawf.
The Houthis also want to force the Kingdom to stop its massive military
logistics with the Yemeni army, the experts said.
“The coalition
(warplanes) targeted their fortifications, military equipment, trenches,
gatherings, command rooms as well as military reinforcements,” Brig. Gen. Abdu
Abdullah Majili, a Yemeni army spokesman, told Arab News.
He said that the
Houthis had suffered heavy losses over the last couple of weeks as a result of
counterattacks by government forces and allied tribesmen under heavy air cover
from coalition warplanes.
Houthi official
media broadcast images of long convoys carrying bodies of rebel fighters. Local
military officers told Arab News that many of those Houthis were killed in
smart airstrikes by Saudi-led coalition warplanes in Jawf and Marib.
The Houthis,
after failing to make a major military breakthrough with ground assaults, have
turned to attacking Saudi Arabia to end their rising death count.
“The Houthis
suffered fatal blows and a huge depletion of fighters during the current raging
battles,” Majili added.
Coalition
warplanes have been credited for tilting the balance of the war in favor of
government forces and curbing the Houthis’ military expansion.
Houthi deaths
have risen since the militia’s push to take control of the central city of
Marib in the last couple of months, one Yemeni army officer said.
“The Houthis put
their entire eggs in Marib’s basket, it is a ‘To be or not to be’ battle for
them,” Col. Abdul Basit Al-Baher, a Yemeni army spokesman in the southern city
of Taiz, told Arab News. “The Houthis are hungry for money and resources so
they keep escalating pressure on Marib. Due to land and air surveillance, the
coalition’s airstrikes have become more precise and can locate and target
Houthi commanders on the battlefields.”
The
internationally recognized government of Yemen said that hundreds of attacks by
Houthis in the western province of Hodeidah killed almost 100 civilians and
wounded dozens of others in July, as the rebels continue to obstruct the
movement of UN monitors.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1728216/middle-east
--------
Arab world
People in Arab
World Strongly Blast S. Arabia for Opening Airspace to Israeli Plane
Sep 01, 2020
The El Al flight
was carrying an Israeli delegation headed by national security adviser Meir
Ben-Shabat and US diplomats led by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law
and special adviser.
The flight came
as a shock to the Palestinians, with Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh saying
that "It is very painful for Palestinians to see Israeli plane landing at
Emirati airport".
Immediately
after the flight, people in the Arab world rushed to leave thousands of post on
social media platforms to condemn Riyadh, saying Saudi Arabia has prevented
trips to the country by Muslims for Hajj rituals and has closed its airspace to
Qatari flights, but has opened its airspace to an Israeli plane.
Taj al-Sar
Othman, a Sudanese journalist and writer, wrote on his twitter page that
history will never forget that Riyadh blocked its Muslim neighbors' travelling
to Mecca for Hajj pilgrimage, but allowed an Israeli plane to fly over its sky.
Also, Issa bin
Rabi’ah, an Arab activists, wrote on his twitter page that “the Zionist regime
has started its move towards a second country as the Israeli plane flew from
Tel Aviv to the UAE through Saudi Arabia”.
The recent
US-mediated agreement for the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel
has already drawn stern reactions from the Muslim world, Palestinians in
particular, and has been described as an act of treason and betrayal of the
cause of Palestine by Palestinians and other Muslims nations.
Riyadh has no
formal relations with Tel Aviv, but the two regimes have long had clandestine
contacts. Under bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, the kingdom has
stepped up its overtures towards Israel.
Saudi Arabia
reacted cautiously to the Israel-UAE deal, saying it will stand by a 2002 Arab
peace initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, without condemning the
agreement that has angered supporters of the Palestinian cause.
In a recent
interview with CNBC, Kushner, however, said it was inevitable that the Riyadh
regime would follow suit in forging ties with Israel.
“I do think that
we have other countries that are very interested in moving forward,” he said,
adding, “And then, as that progresses, I do think it is an inevitability that
Saudi Arabia and Israel will have fully normalized relations.”
In highly
controversial comments during an April 2018 visit to the US, Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman told the Atlantic that he recognized Israel’s “right to
exist”, distancing himself from the kingdom’s longtime policy of opposing
Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990611000226
--------
Beirut
explosion: Victim’s daughter gifts French President Macron a pin, gets hug
02 September
2020
“Keep Lebanon
close to your heart.” That’s the concept behind a golden pin given to French
President Emmanuel Macron by an 11-year-old Beirut girl that adorned his lapel
during meetings with Lebanese officials Tuesday.
The pin was a gift
from the daughter of Hala Tayah, one of 190 victims of the Beirut explosion
that pulverized the Port of Beirut, destroyed parts of the city and hurt more
than 6,000.
Tamara Tayah was
one of a few relatives of victims of the blast to meet Macron. She met him
during a ceremony to plant a cedar tree in a forest outside of Beirut to mark
100 years since the creation of the State of Greater Lebanon.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Her mother, a
jeweler, created the pendant shaped like the map of Lebanon. She created 10,452
golden maps, a reference to the size of the country in square kilometres. Her
“keep Lebanon close to your heart” collection was a tribute to Lebanon, a
country plagued by crises. Her opening show in 2006 for instance was postponed
because it coincided with Israel’s attack on Lebanon that summer.
Hala Tayah
dedicated profits from the collection to the education of disadvantaged
children in a country often plagued with crisis, and another part to children
with special needs.
Tayah, 49, was
in an apartment close to the port at the time of the explosion that was badly
destroyed.
French actress
Isabelle Adjani mourned Tayah on her social media, posting a picture of them
hugging. “I am devastated for my Lebanese friends,” Adjani posted on her
Instagram page after the August 4 explosion.
In a visit big
on gestures, Macron wore the pin to his meetings with the Lebanese officials he
is pressing for radical changes to save Lebanon as it faces some of its most
complex challenges since independence all at once.
At the cedar
planting ceremony, Tamara Tayah also handed Macron a letter which she said she
penned on behalf of her mother and other victims of the tragedy, her father
said.
In the letter,
the younger Tayah said that on Lebanon’s centenary, she would like to have
peace and prosperity back. One hundred years ago on Sept. 1, France created the
State of Greater Lebanon, the country’s original name, after the fall of the
Ottoman Empire. It remained under a French mandate for some two decades before
the Republic of Lebanon declared its independence.
Tarek Tayah said
he discussed the letter with his daughter, but she wrote it. In it, she said
that those killed in the explosion are victims who would only be considered
martyrs if a new Lebanon develops from the tragedy.
It is an
expression of hope that they “won’t be lost for nothing,” said Tarek Tayah. He
said Macron was emotional and he reached over and hugged Tamara.
“Hala is
definitely proud, even from above, she is making things possible for her
children, and for her country,” said Twiggy Tayah, the jeweler’s best friend
who is also a distant relative.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/02/Beirut-explosion-Victim-s-daughter-gifts-Macron-a-pin-gets-hug
--------
Lebanese leaders
promise new govt in two weeks; Macron threatens sanctions
Joseph Haboush
01 September
2020
Lebanese leaders
vowed to form a new government in the next two weeks, French President Emmanuel
Macron said Tuesday after meeting the country’s top officials and political
parties.
“We demand
progress in the next few weeks,” Macron said during a press conference from
Beirut during his second visit in less than a month.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The French
president said business would not “be as usual” among Lebanese leaders and that
they promised to implement badly needed reforms to allow the country to begin
crawling out of its unprecedented economic and financial crisis.
As for the new
government, Macron said he expected reforms to materialize within four weeks
after its formation. If this does not occur, the international community will
not release any aid and there will be “consequences,” he said.
Elaborating,
Macron raised the possibility of sanctions on Lebanese leaders accused of
corruption. This will be coordinated with the European Union he said.
France will host
another donor conference to garner aid for Lebanon’s reconstruction in October.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/01/France-s-Macron-says-Lebanese-leaders-promised-new-government-within-two-weeks
--------
Peace with
Israel makes UAE ‘more connected’ to region: Emirati official
Emily Judd
01 September
2020
Peace with Israel
makes the UAE “more connected to the region,” an Emirati official told Al
Arabiya English on Tuesday amid criticism from its neighbor Iran that the
normalization of relations is treasonous.
“This peace is a
hopeful, exciting change, that makes us feel more connected to the region and
less constrained,” said Hend Al Otaiba, director of strategic communications at
the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We have a
feeling here in the UAE of moving forward, making change on our own terms
rather than waiting for change to come to us,” she added.
The remarks came
as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that the UAE will be
“disgraced forever” for making peace with Israel.
“They allowed
the Zionist regime to enter the region…I hope they wake up and compensate for
what they did,” said Khamenei in a speech, according to Iranian state news.
The condemnation
follows the first direct flight from Israel to the UAE in history on Monday and
the meeting of American, Israeli, and Emirati representatives in the capital
city Abu Dhabi.
Iranian
leadership, which routinely calls for the destruction of the “Zionist regime”
in Israel, has repeatedly voiced its disapproval of the agreement between
Israel and the UAE.
Iran’s President
Hassan Rouhani called the deal “a huge mistake, a treacherous act,” following
the announcement of peace.
“They [the UAE]
better be mindful,” Rouhani said in a speech.
In response, the
UAE government summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi on August 16 and
called Rouhani’s statements “inflammatory and carrying serious repercussions
for the security and stability of the Arabian Gulf region,” according to state
news agency WAM.
Other Gulf
neighbors, Bahrain and Oman, have welcomed the UAE-Israel agreement, and both
said the accord will contribute to regional security.
Al Otaiba said a
“new dimension” has opened for the UAE since the agreement, known as the
Abraham Accord, was first announced on August 13.
“I believe the
adjustment to relations will be quite natural. Both the UAE and Israel are
ready for it, and both countries are dynamic, forward looking global societies
eager to make positive change in so many areas,” said Al Otaiba.
“The biggest
changes are not the day to day interactions, but what we will achieve together
for the future,” she added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/09/01/Peace-with-Israel-makes-UAE-more-connected-to-region-Emirati-official
--------
UAE’s Gargash
meets in Abu Dhabi with Israel’s head of the National Security Council
Ismaeel Naar
01 September
2020
The UAE’s
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash has met with Israeli
Adviser and Head of the Israeli National Security Council Meir Ben-Shabbat on
Tuesday to discuss opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
During the talks
that took place in both also discussed enhancing opportunities for peace and
stability in the region.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“His Excellency
stressed that the UAE-Israeli Peace Treaty represents a positive step in
advancing peace opportunities in the region and will establish solid bilateral
relations in several areas: economic, scientific, technological, developmental
and cultural and tourism,” a statement on the Emirates News Agency (WAM) read.
Israel and the
United Arab Emirates agreed on Tuesday to set up a joint committee on financial
services cooperation with the aim of promoting investment between the two
countries, an Israeli statement said.
American and
Israeli officials landed in Abu Dhabi on Monday, becoming the first passengers
in history to fly directly from Israel to the United Arab Emirates. The flight
was the latest development in the normalization of relations between the two
countries following the bilateral historic agreement announced August 13.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/01/UAE-s-Gargash-meets-in-Abu-Dhabi-with-Israel-s-head-of-the-National-Security-Council
--------
Saudi Arabia’s
crown prince and Kushner discuss resuming Palestinian-Israeli talks
September 01,
2020
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met on Tuesday with senior adviser to
the US president, Jared Kushner, to discuss regional stability.
The talks
covered the prospects for the peace process in the region and the need to
resume negotiaations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides “to achieve a
just and lasting peace,” the SPA state news agency reported.
During the
meeting, they also discussed ways of strengthening bilateral partnership in all
fields, “especially in a way that achieves security and stability in the region
and what guarantees strengthening international peace and security.”
The meeting was
also attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Kushner was in
Saudi Arabia after holding talks with Bahrain’s king in Manama and earlier
concluding a visit to the UAE.
Kushner is
visiting Gulf countries following an Aug. 13 accord between the UAE and Israel
to normalize relations.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1728086/saudi-arabia
--------
Africa
Somalia:
Al-Shabaab's Supreme Leader Replaced Due to Sickness, Somalia Spy Agency Says
30 AUGUST 2020
By Abdulkadir
Khalif
Mogadishu —
Somalia's spy agency says Al-Shabaab has made changes to its top leadership
amid internal wrangles in the militant group with divided allegiance to global
jihadist movements.
The National
Intelligence and Security Agency (Nisa) reported on Friday that Al-Shabaab's
Emir (supreme leader) Ahmed Diriye Abu Ubaidah had been replaced due to ill
health.
Nisa's statement
on its Twitter page said, "Because of health concerns, the power of
militant group Al-Shabaab has been temporarily transferred to Abukar Adan, his
deputy leader."
"There has
been a bitter power struggle between a section led by Mahad Karate and
supporters of Abu Ubaidah on the nomination of a new leader," Nisa added.
It did not give
details of the leader's illness.
Virus effects
A study released
early in August, by Nairobi-based think-tank Africa Policy Institute, indicated
the Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group may have been overwhelmed by Covid-19.
The report said
the terror group's leadership and expansion plans were affected as members
haggled on how to handle the pandemic.
Some members
reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, a terror group that arose from
Iraq and Syria before spreading its evil around the world.
Other analysts
like Rashid Abdi, a Kenyan researcher on the Horn of Africa and the Gulf, have
indicated that reports of bhang fields in areas Al-Shabaab controls mean the
militant group may be departing from its jihadist stance and using crime to
advance its cause.
Bounty
Despite his
departure, there is a bounty on Ubaidah's head.
In 2015, the US
offered a $6 million reward for any information leading to his capture.
He had replaced
Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US drone strike in September 2014.
The offer of the
reward also mentioned Mahad Karate, also known as Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame,
who is believed to have played a key role in the April 2, 2015 attack on
Garissa University College that killed 148 people.
Al-Shabaab is
bitterly fighting against the internationally recognized secular Somalia
government with the intention of ruling the Horn of Africa country by means of
a Sharia (Islamic laws).
https://allafrica.com/stories/202008310158.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
--------
What does the
coup mean for Mali's spiralling security crisis?
by Joseph
Stepansky
1 Sept 2020
What began with
reports of gunshots at an army barracks just outside Bamako in the morning of
August 18 ended hours later with a group of mutinous soldiers arresting and
forcing the resignation of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Mali's embattled president.
The coup leaders
swiftly declared their intervention was meant to prevent the country from
plunging into chaos, which they blamed on the government's failure to tackle a
series of overlapping crises.
In the weeks
leading up to the coup, tens of thousands of opposition supporters had taken to
the streets to protest against a disputed parliamentary election, persistent
economic woes and a spiralling security crisis that erupted in 2012, when a
previous coup allowed northern Tuareg separatists, allied with an al-Qaeda
offshoot, to take advantage of the political instability and briefly seize large
swaths of land in the north.
That loss of
territory precipitated the currently devolving situation, with armed groups
linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda capitalising on intercommunal tensions as
they jockey for control of Mali's semi-arid centre.
But along with
the hope of the social and political reforms demanded during the mass
anti-Keita protests, the reality of the continuing conflicts in the country's
vast north and central regions remains. And while the coup has cast into
uncertainty Mali's political future, it has also raised fears the effects of
the upheaval could further spill beyond the country's borders and threaten the
wider region.
The military
officers now in charge, calling themselves the National Committee for the
Salvation of the People (CNSP), have promised to include the opposition and
civil society in a transition back to civilian rule, which they have pledged
will happen within a "reasonable" timeframe.
But two weeks
since the coup, little has been made clear about who will lead the transition
and how long it will last.
The Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc has been negotiating
the details of the transfer of power, but the two parties remain at odds -
ECOWAS has called for it to happen within a year, and has stemmed money flows
to the country to pressure the military's hand.
France, which
has for years been militarily the most active international power in its former
colony, has also called for a truncated timeline, with Defence Minister
Florence Parly saying the transition should take place within "a matter of
months".
"If this
does not happen, the risk is that all this benefits terrorists first and
foremost," she told Europe-1 radio on Sunday. "Terrorists feed on the
weakness of states."
2012 coup
Despite the
increased presence of international forces - including the French-led Operation
Barkhane and the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) - violence has
continued to increase in Mali in recent years.
Attacks have
grown fivefold since 2016, while the vast majority of the almost 2,000
documented fatalities related to the conflict in the country this year took
place in the central Mopti region, according to the International Crisis Group.
Meanwhile, about 1.7 million people have been displaced by the violence,
according to the UN.
The first seven
months of this year have proven deadlier than any year since Mali was thrown
into turmoil in 2012.
Despite early
comparisons, however, armed groups in Mali are not likely to benefit as
"significantly" as they did from the political instability eight
years ago, said Flore Berger, a Sahel research analyst at the International
Institute for Strategic Studies.
"It's not
gonna be like 2012 where they can actually take vast parts of the
country," she said. "First of all, they're already there. They don't
control the entire areas where they attack, but they're still there, they have
quite a big presence."
"They also
have changed their tactics. They're not aiming at controlling major town
centres. Now they aim at attacking and going south towards coastal West
Africa," Berger added.
Still, armed
groups may increase attacks in the coming weeks in response to the upheaval,
said Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies (CSIS).
"My
expectation is that they would look to continue to do attacks in the early
period to demonstrate that this military government is weak," he added.
"And to persuade, or to undermine any local Malians' views that maybe
there's a new dispensation on the horizon."
Another
difference from 2012 is that that coup was more of "a mutiny of the
low-ranking officers and soldiers" motivated by "troops complaining
about their military conditions" in operations against armed groups in the
north, said Virginie Baudais, a senior Sahel researcher at the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
"There was
not a really high-ranking officer implicated in the coup in 2012. And now it's
a high ranking officer and the coup appears to be well organised," she
said, referring to Assimi Goita, a colonel in the Malian special forces who is
leading the CNSP.
"It was
much more complicated to negotiate with the junta in 2012 than this one,"
she said.
More than two
weeks after the 2012 coup, the then-military rulers folded to international
pressure amid crippling ECOWAS sanctions, international travel bans, aid
withholdings, and the declaration of an autonomous state by northern
separatists who had seized key northern cities.
The military
ceded power to a transitional authority led by the speaker of parliament,
ushered in a 2013 election that was won by Keita, who got re-elected five years
later.
'Thinly
stretched'
This time, the
international community has walked a careful line in condemning the
unconstitutional transfer of power, which several regional leaders fear may set
an example for their countries, while refraining from doing anything that could
jeopardise the coordination that they see as essential to slowing the spreading
of violence in the region.
CNSP leaders
have also said they will continue to cooperate with the international forces
currently based in the country in an array of missions aimed at routing out
armed groups, while continuing a languishing 2015 peace agreement reached with
rebel groups in the country's north.
To date, France
and other European powers, as well as MINUSMA, have said they will continue
their operations during the transitional period, while the United States and
the European Union have temporarily paused training activities in the wake of
the coup.
"I would
frame all of this as being really fluid," said CSIS's Devermont, "in
terms of the way these international partners are legally able to work with the
military government and operate in Mali, and what the military government's
ultimate partnership and position towards these actors will be."
Many regional
and international leaders, while perhaps not publicly, had viewed the
75-year-old Keita as a flawed intermediary, analysts said.
Devermont said
Mali's military during Keita's rule has been historically inept at
"consolidating control" and "backfilling" security gains
made by international forces operating in the country.
However, a
transition in power could tax the already overstretched Malian forces across
the country.
"If it
becomes a military-led government, we would have to expect they would start
pulling more military off the battlefield and into Bamako. So there could be
some direct disruption to the limited capacity that the military already
has," Devermont said.
Jose Luengo
Cabrera, a Sahel researcher at the International Crisis Group, said it remains
"unclear whether the junta will respond more effectively to the broiling
rural insurgency in central Mali, where military outposts and gendarmeries
continue to be primary targets of jihadi attacks - at a time when security
forces are evidently thinly stretched".
He added that
there have been increasing reports leading up to the coup highlighting
"levels of demoralisation, barriers to promotion within military
hierarchy, and, worst, growing disenchantment towards insufficient
resources" within the military ranks.
It also remains
unclear to what degree the Malian military will be motivated to enact needed
reforms, including reckoning with abuses committed by security forces that have
increased the enmity between the government and some communities,
"especially now that the military is poised to become a principal political
actor and likely to be resistant to certain changes requiring it to concede
powers and be willing to be more accountable to the civilian justice
system", Luengo Cabrera said.
The UN's human
rights agency, as of June, had documented 230 "extrajudicial, summary or
arbitrary executions" attributed to Mali's security forces in 2020,
including some that allegedly occurred under the control of the G5 Sahel Joint
Force - a French-backed multinational military force in the Sahel composed of
troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
The agency has
also documented "instances of enforced disappearances, torture and other
cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrest and the destruction of
several properties".
Security forces
have also been accused of using excessive force during the protests that
preceded the coup, with sources describing to Human Rights Watch at least 14
deaths of protesters and bystanders "allegedly as a result of gunfire by
the security forces in Bamako on July 10 and 11".
With more
questions than answers, many analysts agree that any transition will need to
holistically contend the country's myriad issues, with the primary focus on the
underlying problems that plague citizens across its far-flung reaches.
"The root
causes of the security situation are not security in itself, but they are
mostly the economic situation," said Gregory Chauzal, a senior researcher
and director of the SIPRI's Sahel West Africa programme.
"If you
want to improve the situation in the long run, to have sustainable peace ...
you need to address what makes this conflict happen in first place," he
said, citing Mali's "political and economic factors".
Added SIPRI's
Baudais: "With MINUSMA, Barkhane, the G5 Sahel, Takuba, and every military
intervention, the situation is still deteriorating since 2012. So we can see
that the military solution is not the most effective."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/coup-mali-spiralling-security-crisis-200830123003087.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
--------
Tunisia’s
parliament approves technocratic government of PM-designate Mechichi
01 September
2020
Tunisia’s
parliament voted to approve on Tuesday the technocratic government of
PM-designate Hichem Mechichi by a 134-majority vote.
Tunisian
President Kais Saied’s pick for prime minister faced a confidence vote that
could have forced fresh elections if it MPs did not vote in his favor.
Saied has
designated as premier the former interior minister Mechichi, who has promised
to revitalize the tourism-reliant economy that has been hit hard by the
coronavirus pandemic.
Mechichi, 46,
was named in July to lead the small North African country’s third designated
government in less than a year, replacing Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned over
claims of conflict of interest.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
His chances rose
hours before the crucial vote as the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the
biggest bloc in parliament, said it would grudgingly back him “despite
reservations.”
Political
scientist Chokri Bahria, from the think tank Jossour, said “it seems clear that
the government vote will pass, with a support base that should allow it a few
months of stability.”
Tunisia has been
praised as a rare success story for the Arab Spring uprisings that swept the
region in 2011, bringing down its long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
But it is now
mired in social and economic crisis, with the official unemployment rate at 18
percent, and in need of new assistance from the International Monetary Fund.
Parliament is
deeply divided and many lawmakers, even in the president’s camp, are angry that
Mechichi bypassed the major political factions in building his cabinet.
Mechichi, a
lawyer by training, has named judges, academics, public servants and business executives
for what the local media has dubbed “the president’s government.”
Ennahdha and
others have instead demanded a “political” government that reflects the balance
of parties and factions in parliament.
If Mechichi
fails to win the minimum 109 out of 217 votes, Saied could dissolve the
assembly and call new elections for early next year.
The chairman of
Ennahdha’s advisory board, Abdelkarim Harouni, said the party would back
Mechichi “given the difficult situation of the country” but would then seek to
“develop and reform this government.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/09/01/Tunisia-lawmakers-to-hold-confidence-vote-on-Hichem-Mechichi-new-government
--------
GCC welcomes
Sudan peace deal in statement
Tommy Hilton
01 September 2020
The Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) welcomed the recent peace agreement signed between
the Transitional Government of Sudan and five armed rebel movements on Tuesday.
Sudan’s
power-sharing government signed a peace agreement with key rebel groups on Monday,
a significant step towards resolving deep-rooted conflicts from the long rule
of ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.
The agreement
has been welcomed internationally, with the US, UK, and Norway praising it in a
joint statement on Monday.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
On Tuesday, a
statement by GCC Secretary-General Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al Hajraf also welcomed
the statement, stressing that it was an important step to realizing the
ambitions of the Sudanese people for stability, development, and prosperity,
reported the UAE's official Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Dr. Al Hajraf
also affirmed the GCC's continuous support for Sudan's security and stability
based on historic relations between the GCC and Sudan, according to WAM.
The GCC is made
up of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan peace deal
The leaders of
five Sudanese groups signed the deal, including four from Darfur, where more
than 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed and 2.5 million displaced
since 2003, and one from southern regions which say they were also
marginalized.
But two major
factions, one from Darfur and one from the south, did not sign and the
cash-strapped transitional government will struggle to pay for the return of
millions of displaced people and regional development promised in the deal.
“The main
challenge facing us now is the implementation of the peace agreement, and
finding donations to do that,” Jibril Ibrahim, leader of Darfur’s Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM), said after he and the other rebel leaders signed the
agreement.
Corruption and
brutal state repression meant Sudan, a nation of 42 million people, has been
riven by regional conflicts for decades. The crisis intensified after its
oil-rich south became independent in 2011, beginning a slow economic decline
that fueled the protests which pushed Bashir from power last year.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/09/01/GCC-welcomes-Sudan-peace-deal-in-statement
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Boko Haram
killed 13 district heads, other leaders – Shehu of Borno
September 1,
2020
The Shehu of
Borno, Alhaji Garbai Elkanemi, has lamented that 13 district heads and several
ward heads (Bulamas) have been killed in his emirate at the peak of the ongoing
crisis by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The monarch made
the disclosure in Maiduguri during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the
Senate Committee on Special Duties, led by Senator Abubakar Yusuf, who were in
Borno State to assess the performance of the North-East Development Commission.
Elkanemi
lamented that the decade-old crisis had also displaced thousands of people, who
were now taking refuge in displaced persons’ camps across the state.
He claimed that
the crisis started in the state in July 2009 following a disagreement between
the Izala and Yusufiya Islamic sects.
Elkanemi
lamented that the crisis later snowballed into attacks on police stations and
stealing of ammunition from police formations.
He said,
“Gradually, they moved their operations from Maiduguri to local government
headquarters and other towns within Borno. In the course of their operations,
the emirate council lost about 13 district heads in addition to many ward
heads, who were killed in their respective domains.
“The activities
of the criminal elements have not deterred our district and village heads from
being proactive in reporting their activities to the security agencies.”
The monarch
called on the Federal Government to channel more funds to the NEDC, considering
the huge humanitarian crisis created by Boko Haram terrorists, who destroyed
private and public structures across the state.
“I want to call
for more funding for the commission to enable it facilitate the reconstruction
of destroyed communities and intervention programmes toward empowering all
IDPs. The call became necessary in view of the huge destruction and losses
incurred in the state as a result of the crises in the last 11 years,” he
stated.
Elkanemi
commended the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.,) and members of
the National Assembly for establishing the NEDC to address the massive
humanitarian crises in the North-East. Yusuf commended the state government for
prioritising the welfare of displaced persons as well as other peace building
efforts aimed at bringing lasting peace to the state.
He gave an
assurance that with the current efforts in the military’s counter insurgency
operation, the crises would soon become a thing of the past.
He explained
that the delegation was in the state for an on-the-spot assessment of the
activities of the NEDC within the last one year.
https://punchng.com/bharam-killed-13-district-heads-other-leaders-shehu-of-borno/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
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Somalia: Six Militants
Killed in Southern Somalia Clash
30 AUGUST 2020
Somali National
Army (SNA) backed by Jubaland state forces on Saturday killed six al-Shabab
extremists in a fierce clash in the southern region of Lower Juba, an officer
confirmed.
Aden Mohamed
Ibrahim, commander of Jubaland forces, told journalists that members of
al-Shabab militants launched an attack on a base run by the regional state's
forces in Bar Sanguni neighborhood, but they were overpowered. "The forces
prevented the militants' attempt to overrun the base and the militants suffered
severe casualties during the confrontation between the army and the
attackers," Ibrahim said, adding that a government soldier was killed and
two others injured during the gun battle.
Government
forces have intensified operations against al-Shabab militants in the southern
and central regions in recent months, but the militants are still hiding in the
rural areas of those regions, conducting ambushes and planting landmines.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202008310432.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487463_
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South Asia
U.S. Official
Stresses Need for Quick Launch of Intra-Afghan Talks
By Mohammad
Haroon Alim
01 Sep 2020
In a telephone
conversation with President Ghani, Trump’s National Security Adviser stressed
the need for an early start to inter-Afghan talks and a reduction in post-peace
violence.
The press office
for United States National Security Advisory stated in a press release that
Robert O’Brien, Trump’s national Security Advisory, in a late-night phone call
with President Ghani said that Intra-Afghan Talks should begin as soon as
possible, adding the violence should be eliminated beyond the establishment of
the peace process.
According to the
statement, O’Brien emphasized supporting Peace dialogues and the Afghans need
to remove obstacles affecting the process.
Meanwhile, he
expressed US support to the Afghan defense forces, saying Afghan army has
sacrificed their lives for their country and does not want the country to
become a terrorist haven again.
https://www.khaama.com/u-s-official-stresses-need-for-quick-launch-of-intra-afghan-talks-7675543/
--------
‘Leaning tower
of Herat’ worries Afghans and historians
SAYED SALAHUDDIN
September 02,
2020
KABUL: It has
survived 40 years of war, but an iconic tower in Afghanistan’s Herat province,
one of the five known as the Musalla Minarets, could soon topple over due to
natural wear and tear and lack of restoration efforts.
“The minaret has
bent nearly 60 degrees because of natural changes such as floods, earthquakes
and other disasters. It needs urgent attention,” Arya Rawoufyan, head of
Herat’s Information and Culture Department, told Arab News.
Built in the
15th century by Timurid Queen Gawhar Shad Begum, the minaret measures 100 feet
in height and nearly 3 meters in width. Cars were allowed to drive between the
minarets until as recently as 2007.
“When it started
to damage the structure, authorities placed a ban and built a blockade, but
some cars still drive through,” Rahima Jami, a lawmaker from Herat, told Arab
News. Historians credit Queen Gawhar’s keen interest in art and culture for the
construction of the site’s original madrassa complex which, at its height,
housed 20 minarets.
That was until
1885, when most were destroyed by British forces during the conflict with
Russia.
Herat would
later bear the brunt of the Soviet occupation of region and the subsequent wars
that followed, until the Red Army’s departure in the 1980s.
Today, only five
minarets remain from what was once a “shining example” of Mughal architecture.
“The minarets
are part of what was once a brilliantly decorated complex of Islamic learning
and devotion in the region, along the Silk Road in western Herat,” Rawoufyan
said. Considered a cradle of art and
culture in Afghanistan, Herat is its second-largest city and borders Iran and
Turkmenistan.
Famous for a
wide variety of foods, such as grapes and saffron, and local handicrafts
including exquisitely designed carpets, Herat has long been a hub for trade
activities within the region and other parts of the world.
It gained
prominence after Genghis Khan conquered several Afghan cities, including Kabul
and Herat, and from there moved on to Iran in the 13th century. Once his army
left Afghanistan, Herat remained under Mughal rule for years and eventually
became home to prominent Persian poets, scholars and artists.
The minarets
which once “stood out on the dry expanse of land in the area” are today
punctuated by old and new houses and shops that have sprung up in recent years.
For years,
authorities have tried to get the remnants listed as a World Heritage Site by
the United Nations’ cultural agency, UNESCO, but have failed due to the
deteriorating condition and a lack of resources to restore the minarets back to
their former glory.
To facilitate
the restoration efforts, former President Hamid Karzai had asked Germany,
France, Italy and India, through UNESCO, to help prevent the minarets’
destruction.
“So far, none of
the nations has come forward, but UNESCO paid more than $250,000 for the
fortification of the five minarets’ foundations and for building a wall sealing
a road that passes through the minarets complex, where traffic was once a major
threat,” Rawoufyan said.
And while UNESCO
rose to the occasion, and Kabul is willing to cover restoration expenses,
authorities said they would be able to evaluate the total cost involved only
after a “technical assessment” of the site.
“It is beyond
the ability of Afghan engineers to rebuild it from a technical and resource
point of view,” Rawoufyan said.
However, even if
officials succeed in restoring the worst-affected minaret, Rawoufyan said
Afghanistan might not be able to meet UNESCO’s criteria for the World Heritage
List as “several boxes” remain.
“Unchecked
developments, new high-rise buildings near the minarets, red tape and the
municipality’s inability to stop their construction has changed the character
of the area from being old and historical, which are key criteria,” Rawoufyan
said.
Jami added that
some vehicles still use the road that goes through the minarets and blamed
Kabul for “not paying attention” to the destruction of a world treasure.
“This is our
national asset and part of Islamic civilization and must be protected under any
cost,” she told Arab News.
Haji Rafiq
Shaheer, a historian and civil society activist, agreed, and questioned why
“despite technological advances,” the government was unable to restore the
structure.
“How come in the
past, with limited resources, we managed to build over a dozen such minarets?
But today, with so much advancement and progress in all fields we cannot? It’s
a shame that we cannot protect this icon which depicts our history, authority
and honor,” he told Arab News.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1728201/world
--------
Southeast Asia
Religious
Fanaticism Will Divide Malaysia, Says Opposition leader Anwar
September 1,
2020
PETALING JAYA:
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says there is no excuse for religious
fanaticism as such ideology will be disruptive to unity.
This comes after
Pasir Puteh MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh of PAS made comments on the Christian
holy book.
Anwar described
remarks by Zawawi as unwise, insensitive and reflecting a low understanding of
Islamic ethics when debating with followers of other religions.
“In this
context, it refers to the Christian religion,” he said in a statement.
He said if
Zawawi’s intention was for people to understand Islam better, he should use
wisdom and ensure there is mutual respect for each other.
Anwar said if
Zawawi’s comment had caused any misunderstanding, the best way to solve the
issue would be to acknowledge the mistake.
He said the
right attitude is important to safeguard the principles of justice, equality
and compassion for everyone.
“There should be
no exception to the law and justice must be upheld,” the PKR president said.
Zawawi had made
the remark in the Dewan Rakyat last week in response to Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham
who had said Christians were allowed to drink alcohol and that the Bible only
advocated against drunkenness.
Zawawi insisted
that alcohol had been forbidden but that the Bible had been distorted or
altered.
The exchange
came during a debate on proposed amendments to the Road Transport Act to
provide heavier penalties for drink driving offenders.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/09/01/religious-fanaticism-will-divide-the-country-says-anwar/
--------
Nordic Quran
desecrations spark call for calm in Indonesia
Konradus Epa
September 02,
2020
Muslim clerics
in Indonesia have called on followers across the archipelago to remain calm
following incidents in Sweden and Norway in which copies of the Quran were
desecrated.
An anti-Islam
activist in Oslo, Norway, ripped out pages of the Muslim holy book while
supporters of a right-wing politician burned copies of the Quran during a
protest in Malmo, Sweden, last week.
The Swedish
protest took place on Aug. 29 after right-wing Danish politician and lawyer
Rasmus Paludan — known for being anti-Muslim — was banned from attending a
meeting on the “Islamization of Nordic countries” in Malmo the previous day.
Copies of the Quran were trampled on and burned.
The Oslo
incident took place the same day at a rally organized by a far-right group
outside the Norwegian parliament.
The Indonesian
Ulama Council (MUI) condemned the incidents but appealed to Muslims to not be
provoked or take out their anger on members of the country’s Christian
community.
"Muslims in
Indonesia denounce these barbaric acts," Nadjamuddin Ramly, deputy general
secretary of the MUI’s interreligious harmony department, told reporters.
"These
actions can cause conflict among believers, but Indonesian Muslims are called
upon to maintain solidity, solidarity, harmony and peace with other
religions," he told UCA News.
Father Antonius
Benny Susetyo, a member of a presidential unit promoting communal tolerance,
also condemned the incidents for “hurting and insulting the sacred symbol of
Islam.”
“This can’t be
justified because it destroys society,” Father Susetyo told UCA News. “We hope
countries that uphold democracy, law and human rights do not attack the sacred
values of all religions and faiths.”
Bonar Tigor
Naipospos, deputy chairman of Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace,
welcomed the Muslim clerics’ call for calm.
“We hope
Indonesian people show a maturity of faith, which is needed in a society where
people of different religions live side by side,” Naipospos said.
Indonesia’s
foreign minister met the Swedish and Norwegian ambassadors on Sept. 1 to
protest the Koran desecrations.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/nordic-quran-desecrations-spark-call-for-calm-in-indonesia/89379#
--------
Don’t entertain
‘sudden’ Philippine claim on Sabah, says Najib
September 1,
2020
PETALING JAYA:
Former prime minister Najib Razak had some strong advice for the Perikatan
Nasional (PN) government over the latest claims on Sabah by the Philippines.
Taking to
Facebook, he said the government should not entertain this “sudden” claim,
suggesting it had never happened under his watch.
Saying it had been
decades since Manila raised its Sabah claim when Barisan Nasional was in power,
Najib added: “When I was the prime minister, the Philippines had never brought
this issue to me.”
In assuring that
Sabah is a part of Malaysia, he said: “We must not submit to and entertain
other countries’ claims.”
The latest salvo
from the Philippines on the issue came after its foreign affairs secretary
Teodoro Locsin Jr said he will revive an office in his department dedicated to
efforts to reclaim Sabah.
It was a move seen
as reigniting a long-standing diplomatic row with Malaysia that had been put to
bed decades ago.
Locsin, who
revived the controversy by saying in July that Sabah “is not in Malaysia”, also
claimed that offers of “huge” bribes had been made by Philippine presidential
candidates to officials over the years to drop their claim on Sabah.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/09/01/manila-never-raised-sabah-claim-when-bn-in-power-says-najib/
--------
Philippines to
resurrect Sabah claim office, says foreign secretary
September 1,
2020
PETALING JAYA:
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr has said he will revive
an office in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) dedicated to efforts to
reclaim Sabah, a move seen as further reigniting a long-standing diplomatic row
with Malaysia.
Locsin tweeted yesterday
that there is “an old bureau within the DFA exclusively devoted to the issue”,
referring to the Office of North Borneo Affairs.
“Wonder if it’s
still up. Will resurrect or revitalise it,” he said.
Locson, who
revived the controversy by saying in July that Sabah “is not in Malaysia”, also
claimed that offers of “huge” bribes had been made by Philippine presidential
candidates to officials over the years to drop their claim on Sabah.
“The Filipino
public must know that what is on offer is huge so the temptation to betray is
commensurately humongous,” he said.
In a series of
tweets, he claimed that there have been repeated offers from aspiring
presidential candidates since the late 1970s to abandon the Philippine claim on
Sabah, adding that these candidates were usually from the opposition and in
need of campaign funds.
This comes after
the Philippines’ house foreign affairs committee last week called for the
Philippine map, showing a 200-mile exclusive economic zone which included
Sabah, to be printed on Philippine passports.
The Philippines
has a long-standing claim on Sabah based on the historical ownership of the
Sultan of Sulu over what used to be North Borneo.
On its part,
Malaysia has said it does not recognise and will never entertain any claim by
any party to Sabah, which officially became a part of Malaysia during the
country’s formation in 1963.
The Malaysian
permanent mission to the United Nations submitted a note last Friday which
stated that Kuala Lumpur “has never recognised the Republic of the Philippines’
claim to the Malaysian state of Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo”.
Following
Locsin’s tweet in July that Sabah is not in Malaysia, Foreign Affairs Minister
Hishammuddin Hussein said the statement was “irresponsible” and would affect bilateral
ties.
While Locsin
told Filipino media last Thursday he did not want to spoil diplomatic relations
with Malaysia, he insisted the Philippines would not give up its claim on
Sabah.
“While we have
always endeavoured not to let it affect our relations with Malaysia, well, it’s
up to them. But we will certainly never give it up,” he said.
“As the
successor in sovereignty of the sultanate of Sulu, the Philippines has legal
ownership and sovereignty over Northern Borneo, or what I call the tropical
island of Borneo.”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/09/01/opposition-candidates-offered-huge-bribes-to-drop-sabah-claim-says-philippine-minister/
--------
Human Rights
Groups Slam Malaysian Police-Conduct Bill
2020-09-01
A proposal by
Malaysia’s new government for an independent body to probe complaints of police
misconduct is toothless and lacks enforcement power, human rights groups say.
Prime Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin’s government last week submitted a bill in parliament that
would establish an Independent Police Conduct Commission, and withdrew similar
legislation advanced by the previous government in 2019.
The move has
drawn fire from rights advocates at home and abroad, including Human Rights
Watch, which described the new bill as a “major step backward from existing
law.”
The proposed
commission “would have no powers to punish rights-abusing police,” the New
York-based organization said in a statement, calling on Muhyiddin’s government
to withdraw and significantly revise its bill “to ensure genuine accountability
of police.”
Human Rights
Watch described the previous bill introduced in July 2019 as “flawed” but said
it would have given the proposed commission more power to discipline police
misconduct.
The Human Rights
Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) also criticized the new bill. Suhakam, a
parliament-backed commission, said it was “especially concerned with the lack
of independence and the weakened functions” of the proposed police conduct
commission.
The law
introduced by Muhyiddin’s government, which came to power unelected in March,
did not capture the spirit of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, Suhakam added.
In 2005, the
royal commission recommended that an independent body be set up to investigate
allegations of police misconduct, in the wake of public complaints about
alleged police brutality, bad behavior by cops, and the deaths of people in
police custody.
In 2009, acting
on that recommendation, the government established the Enforcement Agency
Integrity Commission.
Although that
commission is empowered to investigate complaints of misconduct against police
officers, it does not have the power to prosecute wrong doers and can only
recommend disciplinary action against them.
The government
of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad introduced its police oversight bill
in July 2019, amid allegations that law enforcement was involved in the
disappearances of Christian clergyman Raymond Koh in February 2017 and Shia
Muslim activist Amri Che Mat in November 2016. In April 2019, investigations by
Suhakam into the disappearances of both men concluded that “state agents” were
probably behind their abductions.
Malaysia’s
police chief declined to comment on the latest version of the proposed law,
which would directly affect the 130,000-strong federal force.
“We will wait
for further developments,” Police Inspector-General Abdul Hamid Bador told
BenarNews on Tuesday, without elaborating.
Other officials
in the current government did not respond to BenarNews’ requests for comments
about the controversial bill.
An association
representing retired police officers voiced their strong objections to the 2019
version of the bill, saying the police force did not need an “outside body” to
monitor the conduct of the men and women in blue.
The new bill
allows police to refuse to answer questions or disclose sensitive documents.
The commission would also have to notify police before making a visit to
lock-ups or detention centers, according to a copy of the bill seen by
BenarNews.
“With the
inclusion of this sections in the IPCC Bill, the Commission will be worse than
the existing mechanisms,” said Suaram, a Malaysian human rights group.
“[P]olice officers can refuse to answer [questions] based on a subjective and
arbitrary excuse.”
The commission
would also lack power to ensure that its recommendations are enforced or
implemented, the group said.
Cynthia Gabriel,
director of the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (the C4 Center), a
Malaysian NGO, said that new bill’s introduction suggested that integrity,
fighting off impunity and tackling corruption in the police force was not part
of the government’s agenda.
“Prime Minister
Muhyiddin Yassin’s pledge to fight corruption could end up as merely paying lip
service without meaningful and structural systemic change to our institutions
and law enforcement agencies,” she told BenarNews.
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/police-conduct-09012020184721.html
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