Peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties began under UN auspices on Tuesday at an undisclosed location in Switzerland, aimed at clinching a permanent ceasefire and a political transition. Representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi forces arrived in Switzerland with delegations of 18 people each. The United Nations released a statement regarding the talks saying, “These consultations seek to establish a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, secure improvements to the humanitarian situation, and a return to a peaceful and orderly political transition.” Meanwhile, a week-long ceasefire between the warring parties took effect also on Tuesday. However, there have been reports of Houthi shelling and fighting between the rebels and popular resistance fighters in Marib and Taiz. Two resistance fighters were killed and five wounded in the clashes. Meanwhile, Saudi air strikes have stopped for the week. [Al Masdar, NYT, UNOG, 12/15/2015]
EGYPT | LIBYA & THE MAGHREB | SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS | YEMEN & THE GULF | ECONOMICS
Renaissance Dam negotiations currently ‘difficult’ says Egypt’s Prime Minister
Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said Monday that negotiations are currently “difficult” over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, state-owned MENA news agency reported. Ismail said during a meeting with reporters that time is an important factor in the talks and Egypt is working towards ensuring its rights are protected. He added that Egypt’s focus at the talks is to preserve its historical share of water from the River Nile and to make sure that the dam will not be used for anything other than development or economic purposes. Ismail’s comments come after talks between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan ended Saturday without reaching an agreement. Those involved with the talks disagreed over whether the priority should be placed on discussing the technical aspects of the dam or the political and legal measures surrounding its construction. Meanwhile, the Chair in Water Resources at UNESCO’s regional office in Khartoum cited an unpublished study conducted by an Ethiopian team that details possible negative effects the dam may have on downstream countries like Egypt. Egypt is also reportedly actively searching for alternate Nile water resources to offset any potential negative effects that may result. [Ahram Online, 12/14/2015]
Egypt is second largest jailer of journalists says CPJ
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in its latest report that Egypt is second to China as the world’s worst jailer of journalists, with 23 journalists currently in jail, eight of whom were imprisoned in 2015. Most of the journalists jailed in Egypt, according to CPJ’s database, belong to news outlets owned by Islamists, after Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi was deposed in 2013 by the Armed Forces. CPJ said that the Egyptian government, under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, continues to “use the pretext of national security to clamp down on dissent.” “Perhaps nowhere has the climate for the press deteriorated more rapidly than in Egypt, now the second worst jailer of journalists worldwide,” the report stated. A similar report released by Reporters without Borders also ranked Egypt the second worst jailer of journalists after China, but with a tally of 22 journalists currently in jail. [DNE, AP, Mada Masr, The Guardian, 12/15/2015]
Police officer appeals verdict in Shaimaa al-Sabbagh’s murder case
The Cassation Court will look into the case of a police officer on February 14, who faced trial in June on charges of killing political activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh. Yassin Salah, a Central Security Forces (CSF) officer, appealed the final prison verdict, according to state-owned Al-Ahram. Salah was handed a 15-year jail sentence by the Cairo Criminal Court on June 11, five months after Sabbagh’s death. Responding to the news, Sabbagh’s aunt said, “He received a harsh sentence but the right punishment for that crime was retribution.” [DNE, 12/15/2015]
Assets of 1,345 Brotherhoods confiscated says Justice Ministry
A panel from the Justice Ministry has, to date, frozen the assets and confiscated property belonging to 1,345 Muslim Brotherhood members, including 103 schools run by the group. Ezzat Khamis, the panel’s chairman, said during a press conference at the Justice Ministry on Thursday that the confiscations include various financial, real estate, and movable properties. The supervision of the sequestered schools has been transferred to the Education and Technical Education Ministry. Meanwhile, a Sharqiya court adjourned on Tuesday the trial of 81 Muslim Brotherhood members to February 9, when a verdict will be issued. The defendants, which include the nephew of former president Mohamed Morsi, are charged with sabotaging public facilities, protesting without a permit, and joining a terrorist group. [AMAY, 12/15/2015]
For more in-depth Egypt news, please visit EgyptSource
Libyan local dispute results in escape of 250 prisoners
A local dispute in Tajoura, Libya on Monday resulted in more than a dozen deaths, the partial destruction of a prison, the escape of at least 250 inmates, and the burning of a courthouse and prosecutor’s office, security officials said. Speaking anonymously, officials said Monday’s dispute began when officers killed a man trying to steal a car near the facility. In retaliation, the dead man’s family stormed the prison and burned nearby state buildings, killing 13 people including Tajoura’s de-facto head of security and his deputy. A further seven people were wounded. Authorities managed to transfer 127 prisoners in the early stages of the trouble, the officials said. [AP, 12/14/2015]
Tunisian municipal elections bill to be submitted to cabinet before 2016
A sub-cabinet meeting on the regional and municipal elections draft organic law recommended submitting it to the full cabinet meeting before the end of 2015. The decision is motivated by the need to later submit the draft law to the House of People’s Representatives in early 2016, which would allow for the organization of municipal elections before the end of 2016, the Prime Ministry said in a statement Monday evening. Chafik Sarsar, head of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), said municipal elections should take place in November 2016 or early 2017. [TAP, Mosaique FM (French), 12/14/2015]
Mohsen Marzouk’s resignation rejected by Nidaa Tounes
Mohamed Ennacer, interim President of Nidaa Tounes, rejected the resignation of Mohsen Marzouk, who submitted his resignation as General Secretary of the party earlier this week. Ennacer said he is hoping to find a compromise between Marzouk and his rival, Hafedh Caid Essebsi. Marzouk has not yet made a statement reconsidering his decision. [Mosaique FM (French), TAP, 12/15/2015]
Tunisia signs cooperation agreements with Kuwait
A set of cooperation agreements, memoranda of understanding, and executive programs were signed on Sunday in Kuwait City at the end of the third session of the Tunisia-Kuwait High Joint Commission. Under these accords, holders of diplomatic and special passports are exempted from the visa obligation in the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. The two sides agreed to up cooperation in a wide array of sectors: planning, development, industrial exports, sports, higher education and scientific research, and standardization and quality control. [TAP, 12/14/2015]
Syria regime, allies recapture key air base near Damascus
Syrian troops recaptured a military airport and a nearby town east of Damascus on Monday, more than three years after they were overrun by rebel groups, a military source said. “The Syrian army has taken full control of the town of Marj al-Sultan and its airport in Eastern Ghouta,” the military source said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), government forces were backed by fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah. They fully secured the airport on Monday afternoon but “are still working to secure the town,” where some rebels remain, said SOHR’s head Rami Abdel Rahman. Monday’s advance “will be a step towards tightening the siege around Eastern Ghouta … and reinforcing the Damascus international airport and the road that leads to it,” Abdel Rahman said. [AFP, 12/14/2015]
Free Syrian Army rebels deny Russian support
Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad in western Syria denied receiving any support from the Russian air force, rejecting comments by a top Russian general on Monday. The groups were responding to comments made by a senior Russian army general who said the Russian air force was conducting dozens of air strikes in Syria on a daily basis to support Free Syrian Army fighters who he said were fighting alongside government troops against Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants. “Today our headquarters in Jabal Akrad were bombed by Russia. Yesterday our headquarters in rural northern Aleppo were destroyed. I have 10 wounded. This is Russian support,” said Hassan Haj Ali, head of a prominent FSA group who took part in a Syrian opposition meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia last week. “Putin and his generals are a bunch of liars,” said Haj Ali, who commands the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal group. Mohamed Rasheed, spokesman for Jaysh al-Nasr, another group represented at the opposition meeting in Riyadh, said, “This is totally untrue. On the contrary, the Russian warplanes are bombing our headquarters on a daily basis.” [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
Kerry calls for common ground with Russia on Syria
The United States and Russia need to find “common ground” to end Syria’s civil war and restore stability in eastern Ukraine, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. Kerry praised Moscow for having been “a significant contributor to the progress that we have been able to make” on Syria and said the United States and Russia both believe ISIS must be eliminated. Assad’s future and his potential role in the political transition will be prime topics of Kerry’s conversations with Putin and Lavrov. [AP, 12/15/2015]
Obama vows to hit ISIS harder, says commandos now in Syria
President Barack Obama implicitly acknowledged that progress against ISIS has been too slow as the extremist group expands its reach with deadly attacks beyond the Middle East. He vowed Monday to accelerate the US-led military campaign in both Syria and Iraq, and revealed that a group of American special operations commandos has begun working with local fighters in Syria to “tighten the squeeze” on Raqqa, the extremists’ nominal capital. Speaking at the Pentagon after meeting with his National Security Council, Obama cited this – in addition to intensified bombing of the oil infrastructure in Syria that provides much of the ISIS’s revenue – as an example of aggressive new action. [AP, 12/15/2015]
US Defense Secretary seeks more Turkish help against ISIS
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged Turkey on Tuesday to do more to help destroy ISIS militants as he kicked off a tour of the Middle East that aims to drum up regional support for the military campaign. Speaking to reporters while traveling to the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, Carter said Ankara needed to better control its border with Syria, particularly a roughly 60-mile stretch believed to be used by ISIS for illicit trade and for shuttling foreign fighters back and forth. “Turkey has an enormous role to play,” said Carter, on his first trip to Incirlik as Defense Secretary. “We appreciate what they’re doing. We want them to do more.” That includes Turkish forces joining “in the air and the ground as appropriate,” Carter said. “The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border.” [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
Turkey says to take fight to Kurdish militants as violence flares
Turkey will take the fight to Kurdish militants in the southeast to prevent them from “spreading the fire” from neighboring Syria and Iraq into the country, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Tuesday, as violence flared up again. Following Monday’s confrontations between protesters and the police, clashes broke out early on Tuesday in Diyarbakir and a policeman was injured, security sources said. Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist with the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper, sensed in Davutoglu’s recent comments that preparations were under way to step up anti-PKK operations. “This time, the emphasis in operations will be more on soldiers,” he said. “The prime minister has spoken quite decisively, saying all districts will be cleansed of terrorist elements, from street-to-street, house-to-house if necessary.” [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
Iraq demands ‘complete withdrawal’ of Turkish forces
On Tuesday, the Iraqi government demanded the “complete withdrawal” of Turkish forces from its territory, indicating that Ankara’s partial pullout the previous day was not enough. Turkish and Iraqi officials said Turkish forces and equipment were withdrawn from the camp early on Monday, but the trainers apparently remained, and Ankara has other military sites within northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. The cabinet “renewed its firm position on the necessity of a response from neighboring Turkey to the Iraqi demand for a complete withdrawal from Iraqi territory and respect for its national sovereignty,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said in a statement. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday, “There has been a shifting of the (military) forces, and that Ankara did what was necessary to do from a military point of view.” Iraqi MP Salem al-Shabaki said Turkey had removed forces from the site near the northern city of Mosul, the main hub of ISIS in Iraq and that it seemed only trainers had remained. The trainers have been working with anti-ISIS forces at the site for some time and their presence had not previously been an issue. [AFP, 12/15/2015]
For more in-depth Syria news and analysis, please visit SyriaSource.
Saudi Arabia announces counterterrorism alliance
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism, according to a joint statement published on state news agency SPA. The statement said, “The countries mentioned [in the statement] have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations.” Arab countries, including Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Gulf Arab and African states were mentioned. The United States has been increasingly outspoken about its view that Gulf Arab states should do more to aid the military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) based in Iraq and Syria. Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said the campaign would coordinate efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan, but offered few concrete indications of how military efforts might proceed. [NYT, 12/15/2015]
WHO tries to deliver medical supplies amid ceasefire
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it hopes a ceasefire in Yemen will allow deliveries of needed medical aid into the country. WHO spokesman Dr. Ahmed Shadoul said 19 supply trucks were ready to move in Sana’a and Aden to test whether WHO will be allowed full access to the area. Shadoul hoped 150 metric tons of supplies could be delivered across the Red Sea in Djibouti by next week. He added that both sides of the conflict confirmed permission for the “unconditional movement of supplies, personnel, and teams to all parts of the country” during the scheduled ceasefire. It is not immediately clear if deliveries were affected by reports of fighting during the ceasefire. [NYT, 12/15/2015]
IMF warns Gulf states to make major fiscal adjustments
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is warning Gulf states to speed up fiscal reforms. To counter sustained low oil prices, Gulf states and other major Middle East oil producers need to make “difficult decisions” and “major adjustments,” IMF Middle East Director Masood Ahmed said at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai. The IMF estimates that Middle East oil exporters have lost $300 billion in revenue this year due to the decline in oil prices. “The big challenge for the [Middle East] oil exporting countries for next year will be continue to adjust to the impact of low oil prices,”Ahmed said. He underlined the need to implement a value added tax, review the size of the public sector, and remove energy subsidies. He warned that the slowdown in the non-oil private sector would continue into 2016 because of heavy dependence on government spending. [Gulf News, 12/15/2015]
Turkey’s Davutoglu says debate over central bank independence overblown
The recent debate over the independence of the Turkish Central Bank is “overblown,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday. He said the bank would take “necessary steps” after an expected rate increase from the US Federal Reserve this week. “I don’t think the Fed’s impact on us will be too long-lasting or unsettling,” Davutoglu said. His comments did little to relieve pressure on the lira, which has lost 1.57 percent of its value against the dollar since late on Friday. Turkey’s current deficit account, which stood at around $130 million, remains fragile but is under control, Davutoglu said. The government has a wide reform plan to improve Turkey’s investment environment and will hold meetings next month and in February with foreign investors, governments and institutions, he added. [Reuters, 12/14/2015]
Egypt aims to reduce oil product subsidies
Egypt is relaxing a commitment made by the previous government to abolish subsidies on gasoline, diesel, and natural gas, following a slide in crude oil prices and the discovery of an offshore gas field. The previous government had committed to removing the subsidies, but Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said on Monday that Egypt now plans to reduce the subsidies to 30 percent of where they stood in July 2014. “We respect the previous government’s decisions and are committed to them, but there are changes we need to adhere to in the case of oil product subsidies, such as global energy prices and new discoveries,” Ismail said. Ismail is due to meet Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman today. They will discuss another Saudi Arabian deposit in Egypt’s central bank. The government is targeting close to 6 percent growth in gross domestic product a reduction in its budget deficit to 8.5 percent by the end of the 2017-2018 financial year, Ismail said. [Reuters, 12/14/2015]
ISIS extorts millions from captive residents in Syria and Iraq
The Islamic state (ISIS or ISIL) is extorting hundreds of millions of dollars from residents in Syria and Iraq using an army of tax collectors and informants, an investigation by the Financial Times has found. ISIS reportedly earns as much from taxation, extortion, and confiscation as it does from oil revenues oil, which brought in $450 million over the past year. People living in ISIS-controlled territory are forced to pay zakat, a religious tax, to fund salaries that attract recruits and pay for services such as street cleaning and bread subsidies. Taxes on government salaries in Mosul, Iraq alone probably netted the group $23 million this year, according to estimates based on employee counts by Iraqi officials. The amount of zakat on grain and cotton was worth over $20 million, according to estimates based on statistics provided by Iraqi officials and Syrian farmers. If seizures of government grain stores are included, the group controls $200 million. [FT, Daily Mail, 12/14/2015]
IMF to agree to Iraq monitoring program in coming days
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will finalize an agreement with Iraq in coming days for a program to monitor its economy, the fund’s Middle East Director Masood Ahmed said. The monitoring program would establish a track record of effective performance on the part of the Iraqi authorities, which could lead to a finance program being agreed to next year. Iraqi authorities agreed last month to have the IMF monitor Baghdad’s economic policies, with the program aimed at reining in spending and reducing Iraq’s budget deficit. [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
EGYPT
Renaissance Dam negotiations currently ‘difficult’ says Egypt’s Prime Minister
Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said Monday that negotiations are currently “difficult” over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, state-owned MENA news agency reported. Ismail said during a meeting with reporters that time is an important factor in the talks and Egypt is working towards ensuring its rights are protected. He added that Egypt’s focus at the talks is to preserve its historical share of water from the River Nile and to make sure that the dam will not be used for anything other than development or economic purposes. Ismail’s comments come after talks between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan ended Saturday without reaching an agreement. Those involved with the talks disagreed over whether the priority should be placed on discussing the technical aspects of the dam or the political and legal measures surrounding its construction. Meanwhile, the Chair in Water Resources at UNESCO’s regional office in Khartoum cited an unpublished study conducted by an Ethiopian team that details possible negative effects the dam may have on downstream countries like Egypt. Egypt is also reportedly actively searching for alternate Nile water resources to offset any potential negative effects that may result. [Ahram Online, 12/14/2015]
Egypt is second largest jailer of journalists says CPJ
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in its latest report that Egypt is second to China as the world’s worst jailer of journalists, with 23 journalists currently in jail, eight of whom were imprisoned in 2015. Most of the journalists jailed in Egypt, according to CPJ’s database, belong to news outlets owned by Islamists, after Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi was deposed in 2013 by the Armed Forces. CPJ said that the Egyptian government, under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, continues to “use the pretext of national security to clamp down on dissent.” “Perhaps nowhere has the climate for the press deteriorated more rapidly than in Egypt, now the second worst jailer of journalists worldwide,” the report stated. A similar report released by Reporters without Borders also ranked Egypt the second worst jailer of journalists after China, but with a tally of 22 journalists currently in jail. [DNE, AP, Mada Masr, The Guardian, 12/15/2015]
Police officer appeals verdict in Shaimaa al-Sabbagh’s murder case
The Cassation Court will look into the case of a police officer on February 14, who faced trial in June on charges of killing political activist Shaimaa al-Sabbagh. Yassin Salah, a Central Security Forces (CSF) officer, appealed the final prison verdict, according to state-owned Al-Ahram. Salah was handed a 15-year jail sentence by the Cairo Criminal Court on June 11, five months after Sabbagh’s death. Responding to the news, Sabbagh’s aunt said, “He received a harsh sentence but the right punishment for that crime was retribution.” [DNE, 12/15/2015]
Assets of 1,345 Brotherhoods confiscated says Justice Ministry
A panel from the Justice Ministry has, to date, frozen the assets and confiscated property belonging to 1,345 Muslim Brotherhood members, including 103 schools run by the group. Ezzat Khamis, the panel’s chairman, said during a press conference at the Justice Ministry on Thursday that the confiscations include various financial, real estate, and movable properties. The supervision of the sequestered schools has been transferred to the Education and Technical Education Ministry. Meanwhile, a Sharqiya court adjourned on Tuesday the trial of 81 Muslim Brotherhood members to February 9, when a verdict will be issued. The defendants, which include the nephew of former president Mohamed Morsi, are charged with sabotaging public facilities, protesting without a permit, and joining a terrorist group. [AMAY, 12/15/2015]
For more in-depth Egypt news, please visit EgyptSource
LIBYA & THE MAGHREB
Libyan local dispute results in escape of 250 prisoners
A local dispute in Tajoura, Libya on Monday resulted in more than a dozen deaths, the partial destruction of a prison, the escape of at least 250 inmates, and the burning of a courthouse and prosecutor’s office, security officials said. Speaking anonymously, officials said Monday’s dispute began when officers killed a man trying to steal a car near the facility. In retaliation, the dead man’s family stormed the prison and burned nearby state buildings, killing 13 people including Tajoura’s de-facto head of security and his deputy. A further seven people were wounded. Authorities managed to transfer 127 prisoners in the early stages of the trouble, the officials said. [AP, 12/14/2015]
Tunisian municipal elections bill to be submitted to cabinet before 2016
A sub-cabinet meeting on the regional and municipal elections draft organic law recommended submitting it to the full cabinet meeting before the end of 2015. The decision is motivated by the need to later submit the draft law to the House of People’s Representatives in early 2016, which would allow for the organization of municipal elections before the end of 2016, the Prime Ministry said in a statement Monday evening. Chafik Sarsar, head of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), said municipal elections should take place in November 2016 or early 2017. [TAP, Mosaique FM (French), 12/14/2015]
Mohsen Marzouk’s resignation rejected by Nidaa Tounes
Mohamed Ennacer, interim President of Nidaa Tounes, rejected the resignation of Mohsen Marzouk, who submitted his resignation as General Secretary of the party earlier this week. Ennacer said he is hoping to find a compromise between Marzouk and his rival, Hafedh Caid Essebsi. Marzouk has not yet made a statement reconsidering his decision. [Mosaique FM (French), TAP, 12/15/2015]
Tunisia signs cooperation agreements with Kuwait
A set of cooperation agreements, memoranda of understanding, and executive programs were signed on Sunday in Kuwait City at the end of the third session of the Tunisia-Kuwait High Joint Commission. Under these accords, holders of diplomatic and special passports are exempted from the visa obligation in the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release. The two sides agreed to up cooperation in a wide array of sectors: planning, development, industrial exports, sports, higher education and scientific research, and standardization and quality control. [TAP, 12/14/2015]
SYRIA & ITS NEIGHBORS
Syria regime, allies recapture key air base near Damascus
Syrian troops recaptured a military airport and a nearby town east of Damascus on Monday, more than three years after they were overrun by rebel groups, a military source said. “The Syrian army has taken full control of the town of Marj al-Sultan and its airport in Eastern Ghouta,” the military source said. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), government forces were backed by fighters from Lebanon’s Hezbollah. They fully secured the airport on Monday afternoon but “are still working to secure the town,” where some rebels remain, said SOHR’s head Rami Abdel Rahman. Monday’s advance “will be a step towards tightening the siege around Eastern Ghouta … and reinforcing the Damascus international airport and the road that leads to it,” Abdel Rahman said. [AFP, 12/14/2015]
Free Syrian Army rebels deny Russian support
Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad in western Syria denied receiving any support from the Russian air force, rejecting comments by a top Russian general on Monday. The groups were responding to comments made by a senior Russian army general who said the Russian air force was conducting dozens of air strikes in Syria on a daily basis to support Free Syrian Army fighters who he said were fighting alongside government troops against Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants. “Today our headquarters in Jabal Akrad were bombed by Russia. Yesterday our headquarters in rural northern Aleppo were destroyed. I have 10 wounded. This is Russian support,” said Hassan Haj Ali, head of a prominent FSA group who took part in a Syrian opposition meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia last week. “Putin and his generals are a bunch of liars,” said Haj Ali, who commands the Liwa Suqour al-Jabal group. Mohamed Rasheed, spokesman for Jaysh al-Nasr, another group represented at the opposition meeting in Riyadh, said, “This is totally untrue. On the contrary, the Russian warplanes are bombing our headquarters on a daily basis.” [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
Kerry calls for common ground with Russia on Syria
The United States and Russia need to find “common ground” to end Syria’s civil war and restore stability in eastern Ukraine, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday. Kerry praised Moscow for having been “a significant contributor to the progress that we have been able to make” on Syria and said the United States and Russia both believe ISIS must be eliminated. Assad’s future and his potential role in the political transition will be prime topics of Kerry’s conversations with Putin and Lavrov. [AP, 12/15/2015]
Obama vows to hit ISIS harder, says commandos now in Syria
President Barack Obama implicitly acknowledged that progress against ISIS has been too slow as the extremist group expands its reach with deadly attacks beyond the Middle East. He vowed Monday to accelerate the US-led military campaign in both Syria and Iraq, and revealed that a group of American special operations commandos has begun working with local fighters in Syria to “tighten the squeeze” on Raqqa, the extremists’ nominal capital. Speaking at the Pentagon after meeting with his National Security Council, Obama cited this – in addition to intensified bombing of the oil infrastructure in Syria that provides much of the ISIS’s revenue – as an example of aggressive new action. [AP, 12/15/2015]
US Defense Secretary seeks more Turkish help against ISIS
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter urged Turkey on Tuesday to do more to help destroy ISIS militants as he kicked off a tour of the Middle East that aims to drum up regional support for the military campaign. Speaking to reporters while traveling to the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, Carter said Ankara needed to better control its border with Syria, particularly a roughly 60-mile stretch believed to be used by ISIS for illicit trade and for shuttling foreign fighters back and forth. “Turkey has an enormous role to play,” said Carter, on his first trip to Incirlik as Defense Secretary. “We appreciate what they’re doing. We want them to do more.” That includes Turkish forces joining “in the air and the ground as appropriate,” Carter said. “The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border.” [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
Turkey says to take fight to Kurdish militants as violence flares
Turkey will take the fight to Kurdish militants in the southeast to prevent them from “spreading the fire” from neighboring Syria and Iraq into the country, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Tuesday, as violence flared up again. Following Monday’s confrontations between protesters and the police, clashes broke out early on Tuesday in Diyarbakir and a policeman was injured, security sources said. Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist with the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper, sensed in Davutoglu’s recent comments that preparations were under way to step up anti-PKK operations. “This time, the emphasis in operations will be more on soldiers,” he said. “The prime minister has spoken quite decisively, saying all districts will be cleansed of terrorist elements, from street-to-street, house-to-house if necessary.” [Reuters, 12/15/2015]
Iraq demands ‘complete withdrawal’ of Turkish forces
On Tuesday, the Iraqi government demanded the “complete withdrawal” of Turkish forces from its territory, indicating that Ankara’s partial pullout the previous day was not enough. Turkish and Iraqi officials said Turkish forces and equipment were withdrawn from the camp early on Monday, but the trainers apparently remained, and Ankara has other military sites within northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. The cabinet “renewed its firm position on the necessity of a response from neighboring Turkey to the Iraqi demand for a complete withdrawal from Iraqi territory and respect for its national sovereignty,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said in a statement. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday, “There has been a shifting of the (military) forces, and that Ankara did what was necessary to do from a military point of view.” Iraqi MP Salem al-Shabaki said Turkey had removed forces from the site near the northern city of Mosul, the main hub of ISIS in Iraq and that it seemed only trainers had remained. The trainers have been working with anti-ISIS forces at the site for some time and their presence had not previously been an issue. [AFP, 12/15/2015]
For more in-depth Syria news and analysis, please visit SyriaSource.
YEMEN & THE GULF
Saudi Arabia announces counterterrorism alliance
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the formation of a 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism, according to a joint statement published on state news agency SPA. The statement said, “The countries mentioned [in the statement] have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations.” Arab countries, including Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Gulf Arab and African states were mentioned. The United States has been increasingly outspoken about its view that Gulf Arab states should do more to aid the military campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) based in Iraq and Syria. Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman said the campaign would coordinate efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan, but offered few concrete indications of how military efforts might proceed. [NYT, 12/15/2015]
Yemen peace talks open in Switzerland, as some Houthis reportedly ignore ceasefire
Peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties began under UN auspices on Tuesday at an undisclosed location in Switzerland, aimed at clinching a permanent ceasefire and a political transition. Representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi forces arrived in Switzerland with delegations of 18 people each. The United Nations released a statement regarding the talks saying, “These consultations seek to establish a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, secure improvements to the humanitarian situation, and a return to a peaceful and orderly political transition.” Meanwhile, a week-long ceasefire between the warring parties took effect also on Tuesday. However, there have been reports of Houthi shelling and fighting between the rebels and popular resistance fighters in Marib and Taiz. Two resistance fighters were killed and five wounded in the clashes. Meanwhile, Saudi air strikes have stopped for the week. [Al Masdar, NYT, UNOG, 12/15/2015]
WHO tries to deliver medical supplies amid ceasefire
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it hopes a ceasefire in Yemen will allow deliveries of needed medical aid into the country. WHO spokesman Dr. Ahmed Shadoul said 19 supply trucks were ready to move in Sana’a and Aden to test whether WHO will be allowed full access to the area. Shadoul hoped 150 metric tons of supplies could be delivered across the Red Sea in Djibouti by next week. He added that both sides of the conflict confirmed permission for the “unconditional movement of supplies, personnel, and teams to all parts of the country” during the scheduled ceasefire. It is not immediately clear if deliveries were affected by reports of fighting during the ceasefire. [NYT, 12/15/2015]
ECONOMICS
IMF warns Gulf states to make major fiscal adjustments
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is warning Gulf states to speed up fiscal reforms. To counter sustained low oil prices, Gulf states and other major Middle East oil producers need to make “difficult decisions” and “major adjustments,” IMF Middle East Director Masood Ahmed said at the Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai. The IMF estimates that Middle East oil exporters have lost $300 billion in revenue this year due to the decline in oil prices. “The big challenge for the [Middle East] oil exporting countries for next year will be continue to adjust to the impact of low oil prices,”Ahmed said. He underlined the need to implement a value added tax, review the size of the public sector, and remove energy subsidies. He warned that the slowdown in the non-oil private sector would continue into 2016 because of heavy dependence on government spending. [Gulf News, 12/15/2015]
Turkey’s Davutoglu says debate over central bank independence overblown
The recent debate over the independence of the Turkish Central Bank is “overblown,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday. He said the bank would take “necessary steps” after an expected rate increase from the US Federal Reserve this week. “I don’t think the Fed’s impact on us will be too long-lasting or unsettling,” Davutoglu said. His comments did little to relieve pressure on the lira, which has lost 1.57 percent of its value against the dollar since late on Friday. Turkey’s current deficit account, which stood at around $130 million, remains fragile but is under control, Davutoglu said. The government has a wide reform plan to improve Turkey’s investment environment and will hold meetings next month and in February with foreign investors, governments and institutions, he added. [Reuters, 12/14/2015]
Egypt aims to reduce oil product subsidies
Egypt is relaxing a commitment made by the previous government to abolish subsidies on gasoline, diesel, and natural gas, following a slide in crude oil prices and the discovery of an offshore gas field. The previous government had committed to removing the subsidies, but Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said on Monday that Egypt now plans to reduce the subsidies to 30 percent of where they stood in July 2014. “We respect the previous government’s decisions and are committed to them, but there are changes we need to adhere to in the case of oil product subsidies, such as global energy prices and new discoveries,” Ismail said. Ismail is due to meet Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman today. They will discuss another Saudi Arabian deposit in Egypt’s central bank. The government is targeting close to 6 percent growth in gross domestic product a reduction in its budget deficit to 8.5 percent by the end of the 2017-2018 financial year, Ismail said. [Reuters, 12/14/2015]
ISIS extorts millions from captive residents in Syria and Iraq
The Islamic state (ISIS or ISIL) is extorting hundreds of millions of dollars from residents in Syria and Iraq using an army of tax collectors and informants, an investigation by the Financial Times has found. ISIS reportedly earns as much from taxation, extortion, and confiscation as it does from oil revenues oil, which brought in $450 million over the past year. People living in ISIS-controlled territory are forced to pay zakat, a religious tax, to fund salaries that attract recruits and pay for services such as street cleaning and bread subsidies. Taxes on government salaries in Mosul, Iraq alone probably netted the group $23 million this year, according to estimates based on employee counts by Iraqi officials. The amount of zakat on grain and cotton was worth over $20 million, according to estimates based on statistics provided by Iraqi officials and Syrian farmers. If seizures of government grain stores are included, the group controls $200 million. [FT, Daily Mail, 12/14/2015]
IMF to agree to Iraq monitoring program in coming days
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will finalize an agreement with Iraq in coming days for a program to monitor its economy, the fund’s Middle East Director Masood Ahmed said. The monitoring program would establish a track record of effective performance on the part of the Iraqi authorities, which could lead to a finance program being agreed to next year. Iraqi authorities agreed last month to have the IMF monitor Baghdad’s economic policies, with the program aimed at reining in spending and reducing Iraq’s budget deficit. [Reuters, 12/15/2015]