The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday unanimously approved a statement backing intensive preparatory talks on key issues to restore peace to Syria, signaling a possible change in the UNSC, which has been deeply divided thus far over how to end Syria’s civil war. The statement demands that all parties in Syria “work urgently” toward fully implementing the roadmap to peace adopted by key nations in Geneva in June, 2012 which calls for the formation of a transitional government with full executive powers “on the basis of mutual consent.” The roadmap would also require Assad to relinquish power at some unspecified point. Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said just before council members approved the text, “[This statement] would be the first exclusively political document on the Syrian crisis adopted by consensus.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a joint press conference Monday that Syrian groups must decide the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Moscow opposed any pre-negotiated exit of the Syrian President as part of a peace deal. [AP, AFP, 8/18/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
High alert issued along Egypt-Libya borders
A high-level alert was ordered on Monday by Egyptian security forces at the Libyan-Egyptian border, after Libyan security forces based at the Musaid border crossing disappeared a few days ago. The reason for the disappearances is still unknown. Musaid is a major crossing between Libya and Egypt. Security chief Hisham Lotfy said that the Egyptian-Libyan border is completely secure and Egyptian forces are prepared to face any attempted breach of the borders. Lotfy also said that the state of security in Libya does not pose a threat to Egypt. [Ahram Online, 8/18/2015]
Families relocated in North Sinai to be assisted by government body
Families that have been relocated from their homes in North Sinai’s Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid towns will be granted assistance to provide for their “pressing” living needs. The National Council for Women, a governmental body, has pledged EGP100,000 (around $12,263) to assist the families who are currently living in shelters in the desert, said council chairwoman, Mervat al-Talawy. She said these families need “water, food, clothing, gas cylinders” and electricity, without providing a figure on the number of families. A committee from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) visited al-Arish earlier last week to investigate the living conditions of displaced Rafah residents due to the Gaza-Rafah buffer zone. Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid residents had complained that the NCHR did not visit their towns, where citizens suffer from a severe shortage of basic services. [Aswat Masriya, 8/17/2015]
Egyptian photographer arrested for alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties released on bail
The New Cairo prosecution released photographer Ahmed Ramadan on bail late Monday after fellow journalist Amani al-Akhras from Youm al-Saba newspaper reported him to security forces, accusing him of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. Ramadan, a photographer for the private Tahrir newspaper, was arrested at the Police Academy Court on Sunday. During his questioning, the photographer denied that he was a member of the Brotherhood and showed the prosecution that he had the necessary permits to enter the court. He was released on bail, but investigations into the accusation are ongoing. Akhras was banned from entering the Journalists’ Syndicate by its board of directors. The Youm al-Saba editorial board launched an investigation into her action, according to the paper’s website. [Ahram Online, DNE, Egypt Independent, 8/18/2015]
Rights groups condemn anti-terror law
The new anti-terrorism law was met with harsh criticism from international rights groups after being ratified by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Sunday night. “Egyptians are entering an Orwellian world in which only the government is allowed to say what is happening. Even in countries where freedom of information is highly restricted, laws rarely suppress pluralism so blatantly,” Reporters Without Borders Secretary General Christophe Deloire said in a Monday press statement. In another press release, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemned the law as a ”repressive move that would erode the rule of law and brush aside fundamental legal and human rights guarantees.” The law is “inconsistent with, and in numerous ways violates, Egypt’s obligations under international law,” the ICJ said. Among these violated principles are the rights to life, liberty, privacy, fair trials and freedom from arbitrary detention, the group claimed. Said Benarbia, Director of the ICJ’s Middle East and North Africa program, called on the government for a comprehensive revision of the law. [Mada Masr, 8/17/2015]
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Libya’s GNC warns against foreign intervention; UK ambassador hints at airstrikes
The General National Congress (GNC) says foreign intervention in Libyan affairs could complicate the situation and threaten UN-backed peace talks. Arab League member states will meet today to discuss regional affairs, including Libya. In a statement released yesterday, the GNC said any unilateral intervention to combat “terrorism” could further worsen the situation in the country. It claimed that some parties were “trying to use the counter-terrorism narrative to achieve political goals.” The statement comes days after the Tobruk government called on fellow Arab countries to launch airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants. Meanwhile, UK Ambassador to Libya Peter Millett said that western airstrikes “may” be unleashed against ISIS bases around Sirte, saying bombing could be part of a “global plan” to stop the terror group. Millett also called for regional players to come together to oppose ISIS. [Libya Monitor (Subscription), Libya Herald, 8/18/2015]
ISIS beheads suspected spy in Libya’s Derna
The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) beheaded Moutaz al-Sharie, a man from Derna it suspected of espionage. ISIS apprehended al-Sharie and accused him of giving information to the army, but it is not clear when his murder took place. Low-level fighting continued on the outskirts of Derna between ISIS forces and Shoura Council of Mujahideen who drove them out of town in June. [Libya Herald, 8/17/2015]
Libya to rebuild Tripoli international airport
Libya plans on renovating Tripoli International Airport and reconditioning one its terminals and other structures. The airport was destroyed by Libya Dawn rebels last year and has been closed since then. The internationally recognized government decided to rename the airport Idris International Airport, after King Idris who was removed from power by Muammar al-Qaddafi in 1969. Estimates suggest that almost $1 billion will be required to carry out the work. [Libya Business News, 8/17/2015]
Tunisia opens airspace for Libyan carriers
The Tunisian Transport Minister said Libyan carriers are now allowed to fly over the country’s airspace. An official at the Tunisian transport ministry al-Habib al-Makki said the country was now exploring the possibility of allowing Tunisian carriers to fly to Libyan airports. Tunisia imposed the ban a year ago due to insecurity at Libyan airports, but exceptions were made for Libyan carriers flying from the country’s eastern airports. Tunisia remains a vital gateway for Libyans seeking to travel aboard. [Reuters, Libya Monitor (Subscription), 8/18/2015]
UN Security Council approves statement aimed at restoring peace to Syria
The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday unanimously approved a statement backing intensive preparatory talks on key issues to restore peace to Syria, signaling a possible change in the UNSC, which has been deeply divided thus far over how to end Syria’s civil war. The statement demands that all parties in Syria “work urgently” toward fully implementing the roadmap to peace adopted by key nations in Geneva in June, 2012 which calls for the formation of a transitional government with full executive powers “on the basis of mutual consent.” The roadmap would also require Assad to relinquish power at some unspecified point. Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said just before council members approved the text, “[This statement] would be the first exclusively political document on the Syrian crisis adopted by consensus.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a joint press conference Monday that Syrian groups must decide the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Moscow opposed any pre-negotiated exit of the Syrian President as part of a peace deal. [AP, AFP, 8/18/2015]
United States says Patriot missile pullout from Turkey reflects weaker Syria
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said Monday that the United States decided to pull its Patriot missile defense system out of Turkey mainly because it sees a declining Syrian military threat, including a depleted stockpile of scud missiles capable of striking Turkish territory. US officials also said now that US F-16s are flying from Turkey’s Incirlik air base, the United States is considering deploying combat search-and-rescue aircraft and personnel to Turkey. The United States and Turkey are also discussing how to integrate Turkish warplanes into the US-led air campaign. US Department of State spokesman John Kirby rejected suggestions Monday that Turkish officials were angered by the US withdrawal. [AP, 8/17/2015]
Unites States condemns Syria strikes, ‘disregard for human life’
US Department of State spokesman John Kirby on Monday condemned Syrian government air strikes on the rebel-held town of Douma that left nearly 100 people dead. Kirby said, “Yesterday’s air strikes, following [the regime’s] recent market bombing and attacks on medical facilities, demonstrate the regime’s disregard for human life … Assad has no legitimacy to lead the Syrian people.” UN Humanitarian Chief Stephen O’Brien also condemned the strikes Monday, telling reporters after commencing his first visit to Syria on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening. “We need to have unimpeded access… [to] all people who are vulnerable and in need.” O’Brien also remarked on the cuts to Damascus’ water supply. “It is clear to me that those [who are] cutting water supplies [are doing so] as a weapon of war.” The Syrian government on Tuesday accused UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura of bias, saying his statements condemning government air strikes on a market in Douma lacked objectivity. [AFP, 8/17/2015]
Syrian government recaptures strategic villages
A monitoring group reported that Syrian government forces recaptured four northwestern villages in the Sahl al-Ghab plain Tuesday in a counterattack on insurgents threatening coastal strongholds of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Government warplanes launched dozens of air strikes beginning Monday night and lasting through Tuesday morning. A representative of the Ajnad al-Sham rebel group said that at least four people were killed in one village. The Syrian Air Force on Monday also bombarded an area northeast of Damascus, keeping up its attack on the rebel-held Douma district where close to 100 people were killed in a government strike on a market on Sunday. Meanwhile, an insurgent rocket attack on the government-held coastal city of Latakia on Monday killed at least three people, the second lethal attack there in four days. Syrian state television said the rockets fired at Latakia came from insurgent-held areas north of the city. [Reuters, 8/18/2015]
Syria rebels repel ISIS advances along Turkish border
A coalition of Syrian rebel groups including Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Shamiyah, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, repelled advances Monday by the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in a series of villages in Aleppo province near the towns of Azaz and Marea. They also cleared ISIS fighters from a gas factory being used as a base in the nearby village of Doudian. Fighting raged between the rebel coalition and ISIS on Monday in villages near the towns of Azaz and Marea in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo. The villages lie along the rebels’ supply line from Turkey, who is a major backer of Syrian opposition groups including Ahrar al-Sham. The ISIS losses come just days after several rebel groups including Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat al-Shamiyah agreed to support the international coalition against ISIS and announced a major military operation against ISIS in border villages. Further south, opposition fighters on Monday battled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops who were trying to advance into the rebel-held al-Rashdeen neighborhood in Aleppo city. [Al Jazeera, 8/17/2015]
US support to Saudi campaign in Yemen as al-Qaeda gains territory
The Saudi-led military offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen has scored major gains this month, after the Pentagon more than doubled the number of US advisors to provide enhanced intelligence for air strikes. Pentagon officials say forty-five US military and intelligence personnel help the coalition evaluate potential bombing targets and calculate blast areas of missiles and bombs in an effort to prevent civilian casualties. A spokesman for the US military in Bahrain clarified, however, that ultimately the coalition is responsible for the conduct of operations. The turmoil in Yemen has benefited al-Qaeda’s powerful local franchise, which remains resilient and continues to seize territory. Fighters loyal to the extremist group captured three towns in southern Yemen this month, adding to their control of Mukalla, a provincial capital and port where they patrol in looted military vehicles and run roadside checkpoints. The Saudi-led coalition, including ousted Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi, continue to push for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216. [LA Times, 8/18/2015]
Amnesty report on Yemen accuses Arab coalition and Houthis of targeting civilians
The human rights group Amnesty International released a report on Monday that accused both the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and the Houthi movement of potential war crimes. The report said the Saudi air campaign had left a “bloody trail of civilian death.” The report noted that the rights group had investigated eight coalition air strikes in Yemen that killed 141 civilians, including children. Evidence revealed a pattern of strikes against populated areas, where often no military target could be located nearby. Coalition officials could not immediately be reached for comment, but had previously denied targeting civilians. Amnesty also said it had investigated thirty attacks in Aden and Taiz by the Houthis that killed sixty-eight civilians, which may also amount to war crimes. [Reuters, 8/18/2015]
Coalition airstrikes hit Hodeida; fighting continues in Taiz
Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition hit the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeida on Tuesday, destroying cranes and warehouses in the main entry point for aid supplies to Yemen’s north. Hodeida, lying about ninety-five miles due west of Sana’a, has become a focal point of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Aid groups had previously complained that a coalition naval blockade impedes relief supplies entering Yemen. The coalition has accused the Houthis of commandeering aid shipments for war use. Rival factions also battled further south overnight in Taiz as local militias opposed to the Houthis attempted to consolidate recent advances on it. [Reuters, 8/18/2015]
UAE condemns occupation of its embassy in Sana’a by Houthi militants
The United Arab Emirates condemned the occupation of its embassy in Sana’a by Houthi rebels, the foreign ministry said in a statement demanding their immediate exit from the compound. The embassy takeover comes as Yemeni loyalists backed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue advances against rebels in several southern provinces. “This act is further evidence that the group that committed this attack does not show any regard or respect for international conventions and diplomatic norms, as it practices the law of the jungle,” said a statement published late Monday by the official WAM news agency. The UAE foreign ministry stressed that “the occupation of the embassy and the eviction of its staff will not deter the UAE’s support for the restoration of stability to sisterly Yemen.” [AFP, 8/18/2015]
IMF suggests Saudi Arabia cut spending, rely less on oil revenue
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday called on Saudi Arabia to undertake fiscal changes and diversify its economy in order to boost growth and create jobs. As oil prices fall and and high public spending erodes Saudi reserves, the IMF said the country should consider a “sizable multi-year fiscal adjustment.” Such an adjustment would include revising energy subsidies, controlling public sector wages, and expanding non-oil revenues. The IMF also proposed that Saudi Arabia implement a value-added tax and a land tax. Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product will grow by 2.8 percent this year and 2.4 percent in 2016, the IMF added, compared to 3.5 percent growth last year. The IMF warned that a large deficit caused by falling oil revenues and an increase in spending would “erode the fiscal buffers built up over the past decade.” [WSJ, Bloomberg, 8/18/2015]
Turkey’s central bank leaves rates unchanged
Turkey’s central bank left interest rates unchanged on Tuesday after a drop in food and energy prices eased inflationary pressures, maintaining a cautious stance as political uncertainty drives the lira to record lows. The lira has plunged more than 19 percent so far this year, making it one of the worst performing emerging market currencies and underscoring the need for a rate hike, according to economists. While the bank kept its benchmark one-week repo rate unchanged at 7.50 percent, it said it would implement a tighter liquidity policy and outlined plans to narrow its interest rate corridor as part of a road map to normalize its monetary policy. [Reuters, WSJ, Bloomberg, 8/18/2015]
Iraq hires banks for $6 billion international bond sale
Iraq has hired banks for its first international bond issue in almost a decade as it seeks $6 billion to help fill a widening fiscal deficit. The government appointed Citigroup Inc., Deutsche Bank AG, and JPMorgan Chase & Co., said Muneer Mohammed Omran, director general of the central bank’s investor department in Baghdad. The bond will be issued in tranches, with the first sale occurring this year, he said. The country plans to meet with international investors as soon as next month regarding the bond issuance. [Bloomberg, 8/18/2015]
Tunisia to create free-trade zone with Libya
Tunisian Minister of Trade Ridha Lahouel has confirmed that a free trade zone will be created in the in the area of Shousha on the border between Tunisia and Libya. Lahouel said that the zone would will be established as soon as possible. A second free trade zone would also be created on the Algerian border, he said. The establishment of the free trade zones marks an effort to control the large amount of illicit trade that takes place at the borders. [Libya Herald, Libya Monitor (subscription), 8/17/2015]
Preliminary estimates show 4.2 percent economic growth in Egypt
According to preliminary estimates, Egypt’s economy grew approximately 4.2 percent in the 2014/2015 fiscal year with positive indicators on unemployment and inflation, said Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab. Egypt is anticipating 5 percent economic growth during the current fiscal year. Mahlab said the government aims to overcome major economic challenges “through massive procedures to correct the economic track and achieve significant growth rates and development.” He referenced several mega-projects the government has undertaken, including the new Suez Canal and a housing project. [DNE, 8/18/2015]