The United States does not appear to have clear-cut legal authority to protect Syrian rebels it trains from attack by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even under new war powers, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday. The remarks underscore the uncertainty surrounding a US military-led training program expected to get under way in the coming weeks, first in Jordan, then at training sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and, later, Qatar, with the goal of training upward of 5,000 fighters a year in a three-year period to fight ISIS. Focusing solely on ISIS in Syria does not take into account the threat to US-backed fighters from forces loyal to Assad, once they’re deployed on the battlefield. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey warned that the United States would need to give some assurances of protection to the new recruits it is injecting into Syria. [The National, Reuters, 3/12/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Transitional justice minister examines three options to restructure districts
Transitional Justice Minister and head of the Electoral Law Amendments Committee Ibrahim al-Heneidy said that his committee is examining three options to divide electoral districts for the individual system to make representation more proportional. Options include increasing the number of total parliamentary members or enlarging some districts without increasing the number of representatives. The committee has been divided into three subcommittees; each assigned to draft a specific option in a bid to achieve fair representation. Al-Heneidy said that the amendments will only affect the individual list system, not the party lists, adding that the committee is discussing the elimination of Nubia and new urban communities as additional districts. [Aswat Masriya (Arabic), 3/12/2015]
Explosions hit Mansoura, Sharqeya, and Luxor
On Wednesday, three policemen were injured in a minor bombing in Mansoura, north of Cairo. Unknown assailants placed a bomb under a police vehicle targeting a nearby police station. Unknown assailants in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura placed a bomb under a police vehicle targeting a police station in the vicinity. The vehicle and another private car were damaged and shop fronts smashed in the blast, provincial security chief Said Shalaby said. Another improvised bomb was found meters away from the blast and later defused. In Cairo, a senior security official said a crude bomb near the cabinet building in downtown was also defused. Meanwhile, four electricity pylons collapsed following several blasts in Sharqiya governorate, northeast of Cairo on Thursday. No casualties were reported, but power outages hit some areas supplied by these units. An improvised explosive device near the court complex in Luxor also injured two people on Thursday. [Ahram Online, 3/12/2015]
Egyptian newspaper censored over report that state institutions fail to pay tax
Censors have forced a regime-friendly Egyptian newspaper to rewrite its front page after it claimed on Wednesday key state institutions owe billions of Egyptian pounds in taxes. Al-Watan tried to publish documents that alleged the Egyptian presidency, army, police and intelligence agencies had collectively avoided tax worth 7.9billion Egyptian pounds. After censors pulled the piece, Al-Watan’s editors replaced it with an article about an upcoming investment conference that Egypt hopes will convince foreign businesses to pump billions of dollars into the country’s ailing economy. According to sources inside the newspaper, the first edition was confiscated as it was printed at Ahram Print Press. The HRDO Center, an Egypt-based NGO advocating media freedom and human rights, said the measure violates Egypt’s constitution and called on authorities to investigate the newspaper’s claims and to hold the alleged tax evaders accountable. [Ahram Online, Mada Masr, The Guardian, 3/11/2015]
Le Figaro reports Egypt to receive three Rafale jets in summer
The French daily newspaper Le Figaro reported that Egypt will receive the first three Rafale jet fighters from France this summer. The Rafale deal with Egypt entered into force after the company received the first check at the beginning of this week, said Éric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of the Rafale jets, during a speech about the company’s achievements in 2014, as reported by Le Figaro website on Wednesday. Trappier mentioned that the three jets would take part in the inauguration of the Suez Canal project on August 5. In total, the company will dispatch twenty-four Rafale jets to Cairo; one plane per month in accordance with the agreement concluded between the two countries. [Egypt Independent, 3/12/2015]
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European Union broadens scope for Libya asset freezes and visa bans
The European Union (EU) has issued a resolution that broadens the criteria under which it can impose asset freezes and visa bans on Libyan citizens in an effort to decrease the violence and spillover effects from the North African country. The resolution now specifies that the EU can impose the measures on those it deems to be engaged in or providing support for acts that threaten peace, stability, or security in Libya, or obstruct or undermine the successful completion of Libya’s political transition. The move is seen as a push for the rival Tobruk-based and Tripoli-based governments to reach an agreement on a unity government quickly. [Libya Monitor (subscription), 3/11/2015]
Libya’s Algiers talks end with support for dialogue; GNC returns to Morocco for negotiations
The two-day meeting of party leaders and political activists held in Algiers linked to the UN-brokered dialogue process ended with general support for the dialogue and the way it is being pursued but nothing more substantial. Meanwhile, the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC) delegation flew back to Morocco for the second round of the UN-brokered dialogue talks. Delegates from the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (House) have not returned and asked that the meeting be delayed so that the House can further discuss the unity government. The GNC delegates’ move is seen as a bid to win favor with the international community. [Libya Herald, 3/11/2015]
Libya Dawn aircraft reportedly strike Zintan; ISIS destroys Sufi shrines
Zintan was hit three times by airstrikes from the Libya Dawn militia, which is allied to the Tripoli-based General National Congress. The attacks are the latest in the tit-for-tat airstrikes between Libya Dawn and the Libyan National Army. Meanwhile, the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) has destroyed a number of Sufi shrines in Libya. Photographs were posted to a website run by a Tripoli-based branch of ISIS and show the militants using a bulldozer and sledgehammers to destroy the shrines. [Libya Herald, ANSAmed, 3/11/2015]
OECD report calls youth unemployment in Tunisia ‘true social tragedy’
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released a report on Tunisia’s high youth unemployment and lays out a series of proposals to solve the issue and modernize the economy. Tunisia’s youth unemployment is at around 40 percent, and the report characterizes it as a true social tragedy that urgently needs to be addressed. The report argues that the Tunisian government must combat challenges facing young people looking for work by improving services to help prospective workers find jobs and by offering more vocational training. [Tunisia Live, 3/12/2015]
Negotiations for public sector wage increases progress in Tunisia
Tunisian Minister of Social Affairs Ammar Younbai reported on the progress of labor negotiations between the government and the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) on general wage increases of personnel in public service. The government expressed a desire to improve the material condition of public officials while taking into account the difficult economic situation Tunisia currently faces. [L’Economiste Maghrebin (French), 3/12/2015]
Aid agencies criticize UN Security Council over Syria
Twenty-one international aid groups sharply criticized the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, saying it has failed to implement three resolutions passed last year seeking to boost humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians. The humanitarian and human rights organizations delivered a “failing grade” for world powers and the broader international community as Syria’s uprising against President Bashar al-Assad entered its fifth year. The spiraling crisis spurred the Security Council to pass three resolutions last year, including a resolution to extend cross-border aid deliveries without approval from Damascus. But the aid groups say diplomacy has not translated into action on the ground. On Wednesday, another aid group, Physicians for Human Rights, said Syrian government forces are responsible for killing nearly 600 medical workers during the four-year war. Another UN-backed report released on Wednesday by the Syrian Center for Policy Research said the war had plunged 80 percent of Syrian people into poverty, reduced life expectancy by twenty years, and led to massive economic losses estimated at over $200 billion. [The National, BBC, AFP, NY Times, AP, Al-Arabiya, al-Jazeera 3/12/2015]
Iraqi troops with ISIS in Tikrit
Rockets and mortars echoed across the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Thursday as Iraqi security forces and Shia militias clashed with Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants a day after sweeping into the predominantly Sunni city north of Baghdad. The head of the military operation said that troops would launch phase two of the offensive later in the day as they try to reach the city center. Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said he expected security forces to reach the center of Tikrit within three to four days. The operation to retake Tikrit is “essential to opening a corridor for security forces to move from the south to Mosul.” Iraqi Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi said Thursday that around 50,000 voluntary fighters from Mosul are ready to take part in the liberation of their city from ISIS, but suffer from an extreme shortage of weapons. [AP, WSJ, 3/12/2015]
The United States cannot defend its Syria recruits against Assad forces
The United States does not appear to have clear-cut legal authority to protect Syrian rebels it trains from attack by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even under new war powers, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Wednesday. The remarks underscore the uncertainty surrounding a US military-led training program expected to get under way in the coming weeks, first in Jordan, then at training sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and, later, Qatar, with the goal of training upward of 5,000 fighters a year in a three-year period to fight ISIS. Focusing solely on ISIS in Syria does not take into account the threat to US-backed fighters from forces loyal to Assad, once they’re deployed on the battlefield. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey warned that the United States would need to give some assurances of protection to the new recruits it is injecting into Syria. [The National, Reuters, 3/12/2015]
Syrian army repels attack in Lattakia; Syrian, Kurdish groups fight ISIS in al-Hasakah
Syrian government forces and allied militia have repelled an insurgent attack on the village of Doreen twenty miles east of the Mediterranean coast. The army recaptured Doreen a week ago from rebel groups including the Nusra Front. Doreen offers an elevated strategic location on the coast, seen as a priority for Damascus as the government tries to consolidate its control over territory stretching north from the capital through Homs and Hama and west in Lattakia to the Mediterranean. In the northeast, Kurdish and Syrian rebel forces clashed with ISIS in al-Hasakah province on Wednesday. The battles came after the US-led coalition announced Tuesday that the anti-ISIS fighters have cut critical communication and supply lines used by the extremists between Syria and Iraq after a two-week operation. ISIS has since launched a large offensive against Tal Khanzir, near the Iraqi border, and Ras al-Ain, on the Turkish border at the western end of al-Hasakah province. [Reuters, 3/12/2015]
Yemen’s Houthis in military exercises near Saudi border
Thousands of Houthis are holding military exercises in the northern part of the country near the border with Saudi Arabia, local tribal and Houthi sources said on Thursday. The drill in al-Buqa area, which lies in the Houthis’ home province of Saada, involves using different kinds of weaponry, including heavy weapons acquired from the Yemeni army. The commander, Muhammad al-Bukheiti, said that it was a joint operation between popular committees and the army. [Reuters, 3/12/2015]
Houthis fire on protesters in southern Yemen killing one
Houthi militia opened fire on hundreds of people protesting their presence in the southern city of al-Beida on Thursday, killing at least one and wounding eight others. The province of al-Beida, a mostly Sunni Muslim area, is one of several that the Houthis have effectively taken over since September by sending gunmen and forcing local officials to cooperate. [Reuters, Al Masdar, Aden al-Ghad, 3/12/2015]
Southern Movement suspends all protest activities
Members of the Southern Movement announced a suspension to the group’s civil disobedience campaigns on Tuesday. The decision comes following the arrival of Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi in Aden on February 21. Radfan al-Dubais, official spokesperson for protesters at Aden’s al-Arood Square, confirmed that activities were suspended saying, “Civil disobedience works when there is a government, but it doesn’t make sense to continue our campaign at the moment,” he said. [Yemen Times, 3/11/2015]
Saudi Arabia jails another rights activist
Mohammad al-Bajadi, the founding member of one of the few independent human rights groups in Saudi Arabia, has been sentenced to ten years in prison. The Special Criminal Court in Riyadh, which takes cases related to terrorism, sentenced al-Bajadi last Thursday. He is a founder of the Association for Civil and Political Rights (ACPRA), which has offices in Beirut and Copenhagen. He was ordered to serve five years of the sentence, with the other five suspended. According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia has targeted ACPRA since 2011 in an attempt to dismantle the organization and silence members. [Reuters, 3/12/2014]
World Bank suspends Yemen projects
A World Bank official in Yemen said, “As of Thursday, the World Bank will suspend funding projects in Yemen due to the dangerous political and security situation.” The World Bank only recently pledged $400 million to support three new development projects in Yemen. The decision came after a thorough review of the impact on programs of recent political and security developments, which concluded that the situation in Yemen had deteriorated to the degree that the World Bank was unable to exercise effective management over its projects. [World Bulletin, The Financial, 3/12/2015]
Egypt gears up for economic conference; Attendance signals investment interest
As Egypt gears up for the Economic Development Conference (EDC) due to start March 13, attendance figures from around the world are set to exceed expectations, signaling interest in the country’s investment opportunities. A total of 112 countries will be represented in the conference in Sharm al-Sheikh, of which thirty heads of state are expected. High-level delegations from the Gulf have begun arriving in Sharm al-Sheikh, including Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdel-Aziz, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Nahyyan, Kuwait’s Emir Sabah al-Jaber al-Sabah and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa. Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab arrived on Wednesday, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arriving Thursday. IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Egypt is on the right track after the government set a plan to meet the country’s economic needs. [Ahram Online, AFP, WSJ, 3/12/2015]
Libya exports three oil tankers from western Mellitah port
Oil and condensate has been exported at least three times from the Libyan port of Mellitah since the start of March – a surprising development given that many other terminals in the west of the country are shut down. The Mellitah port, jointly operated by Italian energy major ENI and the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), lies in territory controlled by the Tripoli-based General National Congress. Meanwhile, the firm managing the al-Ghani oilfield that was attacked last week by Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants listed the nationalities of abducted foreigners as four Filipinos, two Bangladeshis, one Austrian, one Czech, and one Ghanaian. [Reuters, 3/11/2015]
Saudi Arabia construction boom ‘driving growth, creating jobs’
According to experts, Saudi Arabia is undergoing one of the world’s largest construction booms, which would drive economic growth, boost local businesses, and create jobs for citizens. In 2014, construction showed the highest growth in the non-oil sector (6.7 percent). With an estimated SR750 billion spent in construction planned over the next two years, Saudi Arabia is likely to remain the dominant construction market in the Gulf Cooperation Council. [Arab News, 3/12/2015]
Qatar most attractive for doing business
According to International Bank of Qatar (IBQ), Qatar’s “sizeable” investment opportunities make it one of the most attractive markets for doing business and the government is committed to developing infrastructure despite the falling crude. Reportedly, Qatar’s banking sector has also become the fastest growing in the region and has continued to show strength. [Gulf Times, 3/12/2015]