Fire burns tents, structures in Greek refugee camp

November 11, 2020

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A fire has burnt through tents and some structures in a refugee camp on the eastern Greek island of Samos. There were no immediate reports of any injuries. The fire department said the blaze, which broke out Wednesday morning, was limited in size and was tackled by 18 firefighters using nine vehicles. There was no immediate information on how many tents were destroyed.

Many of the tents are packed closely together in the overcrowded camp, and camping gas cannisters the residents use for cooking caused small explosions. It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire. More than 3,800 people live in and around the Samos camp, a facility originally built to house just under 650.

In September, a series of fires destroyed Greece’s largest refugee camp, Moria, on the nearby island of Lesbos, leaving more than 10,000 people in need of emergency shelter. Greek authorities had said those blazes had been deliberately set by a small group of the camp’s residents protesting isolation and lockdown orders imposed after a coronavirus outbreak in the camp.

Greece is one of the main routes into the European Union of people fleeing poverty and conflict in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The vast majority head to eastern Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast.

Egypt's president in Greece on 1st visit since maritime deal

November 11, 2020

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Egypt’s president is meeting with Greek officials in Athens on Wednesday, in his first visit to the southern European nation since the two countries signed a deal demarcating maritime boundaries between them in the eastern Mediterranean.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi was holding talks with the Greek president and prime minister in the morning, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will sit down with Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in the evening.

In August, Greece and Egypt signed a maritime deal demarcating the two countries’ maritime boundaries and setting out respective exclusive economic zones for the exploitation of resources such as oil and gas drilling. The agreement angered Turkey, which has accused Greece of trying to grab an unfair share of resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

Tension has been high between Greece and Turkey, both NATO members, with Ankara sending a seismic research vessel into areas that Athens claims is over its own continental shelf. The dispute has led to both countries’ warships facing off in the eastern Mediterranean, and raised fears it could lead to open conflict.

The Greece-Egypt deal was widely seen as a response to a disputed agreement reached earlier between Turkey and Libya’s Tripoli-based administration that increased tension in the region. Greece, Cyprus and Egypt widely criticized the deal between Ankara and Tripoli, saying it infringed on their economic rights.

SPA opposes new Sudan parliamentary structure

November 7, 2020

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) revealed on Friday the new parliamentary structure under negotiation within the framework of the transitional phase led by the Sovereignty Council and the Ministerial Council, in which power is shared between the army and the Forces of Freedom and Change alliance (FFC).

In a statement posted on Facebook, the SPA indicated that it had received an invitation from the Central Council of the FFC to discuss the distribution of the parliamentary quota, explaining: “The new percentages (55 per cent for the FFC, 25 per cent for the Revolutionary Front and 20 per cent for the military component of the Council Sovereignty) contravene the constitutional document.”

The statement emphasized that these new ratios were set “after consultation between the FFC and the military components of the (transitional) Sovereignty Council,” stressing the SPA’s refusal of domination of the FFC’s Central Council over the discussions, which must be shared and collective.

The SPA believes that: “The new ratios will lead to the formation of an ineffective and quarrelsome parliament.”

The constitutional document signed on 17 August 2019, stipulated the formation of a parliament of 300 members. Thus, the FFC was granted two-thirds of the seats, and the rest were distributed to other forces that participated in the popular movement and did not sign the Declaration of Freedom.

On Thursday, the “resistance” committees in Sudan announced their refusal of the FFC’s invitation to discuss the formation of the Legislative Council.

The committees confirmed in a statement: “This call came after the internal arrangements for quotas and distribution of seats were already made, as what happened when forming the Political Councils, selecting the ministers and appointing the governors.”

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201107-spa-opposes-new-sudan-parliamentary-structure/.

Turkey's Erdogan ousts central bank governor as lira slides

November 7, 2020

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan fired central bank governor Murat Uysal on Saturday and replaced him with ex-finance minister Naci Agbal, acting after a 30% plunge in the lira currency’s value to record lows this year.

The decision to replace Murat Uysal gives Turkey its fourth central bank governor in five years and could stoke longstanding criticism about political interference in monetary policy.

The presidential decree was announced in the early hours Saturday in Turkey’s Official Gazette and gave no reason for the surprise move. A senior official in Erdogan’s AK Party said Uysal was held responsible for the nosedive of the lira, the worst performer in emerging markets this year.

Analysts said that while Agbal is a close Erdogan ally, he is seen as a capable manager who could take a more orthodox approach to policy. That could ease concerns that have driven Turks to snap up hard currencies at record levels.

“Uysal’s leadership had been utterly disastrous. Agbal cannot be worse, surely. He had a reputation as a decent technocrat,” Timothy Ash at BlueBay Asset Management said on Twitter. “Agbal is actually qualified for the job.”

The lira closed at 8.5445 against the dollar on Friday after touching a record low of 8.58, despite dollar weakness as votes were still being counted in the US election.

Erdogan had appointed then-deputy governor Uysal to head the central bank in July 2019 after sacking predecessor Murat Cetinkaya amid the president’s frustration that the bank had not cut interest rates to boost the economy.

Erdogan, a self-described enemy of high-interest rates, has repeatedly called for lower borrowing costs. Last weekend, he said Turkey was fighting an economic war against those squeezing it in “the devil’s triangle of interest and exchange rates and inflation”.

Agbal had been finance minister from 2015 until 2018 when he was appointed to head the directorate of presidential strategy and budget.

The AK Party official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Agbal faced a “difficult test” at his new post, but that he was a “strong name” who could help alleviate some of the pressure on the lira.

“We will see a stronger central bank governor,” the official said. “The steps taken were unable to stop the rise in the exchange rate. Uysal was removed from his post… He received the bill, in a sense,” the official said.

Agbal “will act smart” and is not seen as someone who would accept political direction, the person added. “It is a difficult post, but steps to stop the rapid rise in the exchange rate must be taken.”

Turkey, a G20 country and the largest economy in the Middle East, roared back from a recession last year on the back of surging domestic lending and state support for the lira – until the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201107-turkeys-erdogan-ousts-central-bank-governor-as-lira-slides/.

US Indiana elect first Muslim State Senator of Palestinian descent

November 7, 2020

Fady Qaddoura, an American citizen of Palestinian origins, won the membership of the Senate of Indiana, becoming the first Arab Muslim in the state legislature, and the third Palestinian to win the US elections 2020, after defeating his rival John Ruckelchaus.

Democrat Qaddoura beat John Ruklchaus by 52% to 48%. He won by over 3,800 votes after 98% of the votes were counted, according to Sputnik.

“We did it! Only in America can someone immigrate to this country, work hard, and earn the trust of tens of thousands of voters to become the first Muslim State Senator in Indiana’s history. I will work hard every day to represent all Hoosiers – including the ones who did not vote for me,” he posted on Facebook...

Fady Qaddoura, an American citizen of Arab descent, immigrated from Palestine 19 years ago to study computer science. He lost his home and lived a difficult period with his family after Hurricane Katrina that struck the United States.

Social and charitable societies helped him and his family to overcome this ordeal, and today he is the first Muslim member of Arab origin to support the Democratic Party.

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201107-us-indiana-elect-first-muslim-state-senator-of-palestinian-descent/.

Ex-Kosovo president Hashim Thaci to appear in court Monday

November 06, 2020

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Hashim Thaci, who resigned as Kosovo's president to face charges including murder, torture and persecution, will make his first courtroom appearance before a judge at a special court in the Netherlands on Monday, the court announced Friday.

Thaci, 52, served as a guerrilla leader during Kosovo’s war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s, before rising to political prominence in the aftermath of the conflict that killed more than 10,000 people.

An international prosecutor has indicted Thaci and other former guerrilla leaders on 10 charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his leadership of fighters with the Kosovo Liberation Army who are accused of illegally imprisoning, abusing and murdering captured opponents and perceived traitors during the war.

Thaci insists he is innocent. Back in Kosovo officials of the Special Prosecutor's Office raided his house near the capital Pristina and those of the other people indicted. At the court appearance Monday, a pre-trial judge will make sure Thaci's rights are respected and that he understands the charges, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers court said in a statement.

Thaci stood down as Kosovo's president on Thursday before being flown to the court's detention unit. He said he wanted to protect against what he called attempts to rewrite history. "Kosovo has been the victim. Serbia has been the aggressor,” he said.

Most of the people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians, and 1,641 people are still unaccounted for. A 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbian troops ended the fighting. The formation of the court and prosecutor’s office followed a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations are not included in the indictment against Thaci.

In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, a move that Serbia refuses to recognize. Ties between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, despite nine years of negotiations mediated by the European Union and supported by the United States.

The indictment was announced in June when Thaci was en route to a meeting at the White House with Serb counterpart Aleksandar Vucic. That meeting was held with Kosovo’s prime minister instead in September.

The European Union mission in Kosovo and member states’ representatives welcomed Thaci’s resignation and the cooperation that he and the other indicted leaders showed with the court. “We have strongly supported the establishment of the Specialist Chambers, an integral part of Kosovo’s Rule of Law system, and will continue to do so until the Chambers’ mission, which Kosovo has also committed to, is fulfilled," the mission said in a statement. “This is essential for the consolidation of Kosovo’s European perspective.”

Associated Press writer Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, contributed to this report.

Sudan closes border with Ethiopia amid Tigray clashes

November 6, 2020

Sudan’s eastern al-Qadarif state closed its border Friday with Ethiopia amid heightened tensions in the Tigray region, according to local media, Anadolu Agency reports.

Clashes are ongoing between the Ethiopian army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the region’s ruling party.

Sudan’s army has deployed reinforcements at the border to stop any potential infiltration of fighters into the country.

Ethiopia has accused the TPLF of attacking a military camp in the region. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has ordered the army to counter the attack.

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201106-sudan-closes-border-with-ethiopia-amid-tigray-clashes/.

US elects second Muslim, Palestinian congresswoman

November 5, 2020

Democratic party candidate Iman Jodeh has been selected as the congresswoman for the Colorado House of Representatives beating Republican candidate Robert Andrews in the polls yesterday.

Commenting on the news on Twitter, Jodeh wrote: “We did it! I ran to make the #AmericanDream a reality for Everyone. I am a proud #Muslim, #PalestinianAmerican, & #firstgeneration American. And I am proud to be able to represent my communities & the people of #hd41 in the #Colorado state legislature! Now, let’s get to work.”

One of her supporters wrote on Twitter: “Iman Jodeh, a Democrat in Colorado’s House District 41, will be the first Muslim state legislator in state history.”

Jodeh was born in Colorado to two Palestinian parents who immigrated to the US in 1974. She holds an MA in General Administration.

Fellow Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib was re-elected to her seat in Michigan, while progressive Muslims congresswoman Ilhan Omar also regained her position in Minnesota following the election.

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201105-us-elects-second-muslim-palestinian-congresswoman/.

Turkey evacuates largest military base in Syria

November 3, 2020

Turkish forces have evacuated their largest military base in Syria’s north-eastern province of Idlib, Germany’s DPA reported on Monday.

“Convoys carrying military personnel and equipment were seen leaving the Morek base in the northern Hama countryside,” explained the agency.

Morek was one of 12 Turkish posts established in the region to monitor a fragile ceasefire in the nine-year-old conflict. Last year, the base was encircled by Russian-backed forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

According to Reuters, Turkish forces have been consolidating their positions in the remaining posts across the region.

Under May’s ceasefire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia, the forces were meant to create a security corridor on both sides of the M4 highway, which runs east-west through Idlib. Turkish and Russian troops have been involved in joint patrols along the road.

Source: Middle East Monitor.

Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201103-turkey-evacuates-largest-military-base-in-syria/.