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Excerpts: Status of Trump’s pledge over safe zones in Syria. Sisi says
Excerpts: Status of Trump’s pledge over safe zones in Syria. Sisi says Egypt
‘on Right Track’. Mexican leader re Trump meeting. PLO official ‘shocked’ by
U.S. silence re settlements. Jordan’s King summit meeting with Putin
January 26, 2017
+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 26 Jan.’17:”Turkey:Waiting for outcome of Syria
safe zones call”,by Reuters
SUBJECT: Status of Trump’s pledge over safe zones in Syria
QUOTE:”Trump said on Wednesday[25 Jan] he ‘will absolutely do safe zones in
Syria’ “
FULL TEXT:Turkey is waiting to see the outcome of United States President
Donald Trump’s pledge to order safe zones in Syria, but has long advocated
such a plan, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said on
Thursday[26 Jan].
Trump said on Wednesday[25 Jan] he “will absolutely do safe zones in Syria”
for refugees fleeing violence. According to a document seen by Reuters,
Trump is expected to order the Pentagon and the State Department in the
coming days to craft such a plan.
“We have seen the US President’s request for conducting a study. What’s
important is the results of this study and what kind of recommendation will
come out,” Muftuoglu told reporters at a briefing in Ankara.
He also said some elements in Syria may be frustrated by progress made at
peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana and may seek to disrupt a
ceasefire. It was incumbent on guarantor countries, which include Turkey,
Russia and Iran, to prevent that from happening, Muftuoglu said.
+++SOURCE:Naharnet (Lebanon)26Jan.’17:”Six Years After Uprising,Sisi Says
Egypt ‘on Right Track’“,by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Sisi says Egypt’on Right Track’
FULL TEXT:Egyptian President Abdel Fattath al-Sisi said on Wednesday[25 Jan]
that Egypt was “on the right track” six years after the uprising that
overthrew Hosni Mubarak.
Speaking in a televised address commemorating the revolution, Sisi called on
young activists who took part in mass protests in 2011 to work for the
country’s future.
“An objective assessment of developments in Egypt in recent years makes
clear that we are moving on the right track,” Sisi said.
Addressing young people who took part in the uprising, Sisi said Egypt
needed their “efforts” to continue on the “road of reform, construction and
development.”
January 25 marks the anniversary of the day in 2011 when protesters began to
gather in Cairo’s Tahrir Square demanding an end to longtime president
Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
For 18 days hundreds of thousands demonstrated in a makeshift tent camp,
denouncing social inequalities, government corruption and police abuse, and
calling for democratic reforms.
Under increasing pressure, Mubarak resigned on February 11 and continues to
be held at a military hospital on the outskirts of Cairo.
As on previous anniversaries, police were out in Cairo on Wednesday[25 Jan]
to prevent any gatherings during the national holiday, which before the
revolution was the country’s national police day.
Critics have accused Sisi of cracking down on freedoms won during the revolt
since the former army chief toppled Islamist Mohamed Morsi, who was elected
as president following the revolution, in 2013.
Years of political turmoil — and an Islamist insurgency that has killed
hundreds of soldiers and police since Morsi’s overthrow — have taken a toll
on Egypt’s economy.
Sisi, whose government last year secured a $12 billion loan from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Wednesday[25 Jan] promised further
efforts to revive the economy.
“We will continue to reform the economy, build massive development projects
throughout Egypt, support small and medium projects, and improve the
domestic and foreign investment climate,” Sisi said.
+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 26 Jan.’17:”Mexican Leader Mulls Cancelling
Trump Meeting”, by Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Mexican leader re Trump meeting
QUOTE:”President Nieto weighed on Wednesday[25 Jan]” whether to cancel a
meeting with Donald Trump next week as he condemned the U.S. president’s
decision to build a massive border wall.”
FULL TEXT:President Enrique Pena Nieto weighed on Wednesday[25] Jan whether
to cancel a meeting with Donald Trump next week as he condemned the US
president’s decision to build a massive border wall.
Lawmakers are pressuring Pena Nieto to scrap Tuesday’s[31 Jan] talks in
Washington after Trump made good on his campaign pledge to quickly order the
construction of the barrier.
“I regret and condemn the decision of the United States to continue
construction of a wall that, for years, has divided us instead of uniting
us,” Pena Nieto said in a nationally televised message.
“I have said it time and again: Mexico will not pay for any wall,” he said,
referring to Trump’s vow to make the southern neighbor pay for the barrier.
“Mexico gives and demands respect as the completely sovereign nation that we
are,” Pena Nieto said.
Pena Nieto said he would wait for a report from a high-level Mexican
delegation holding meetings in the US capital this week and consult with
governors and lawmakers before deciding on “the next steps to take.”
Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who was in Washington, told the Televisa
network that Pena Nieto will weigh whether to travel to Washington but that
“the meeting stands for now.”
- Bad meeting -The last time Pena Nieto met with Trump, things did not go
well for the Mexican leader.
Pena Nieto came under massive criticism at home for hosting the Republican
billionaire during the US presidential election in August even though Trump
had called Mexican migrants “rapists” and drug runners.
Videgaray resigned his post as finance minister at the time after it emerged
that he had orchestrated the trip, but he was named chief diplomat after
Trump was elected.
Now, Pena Nieto is under pressure to avoid meeting Trump again, with Senator
Miguel Barbosa, of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), saying
Pena Nieto should not let Trump “impose his conditions” in negotiations.
Barbosa described the wall and measures against “sanctuary” US cities that
protect migrants from deportation as “acts of aggression against Mexico,
against Latin America, against the world, against freedom.”
Margarita Zavala, a potential 2018 presidential candidate of the
conservative National Action Party (PAN), wrote on Twitter that Trump’s
announcement was “an affront to Mexico” and that Pena Nieto must reconsider
his trip.
Other political stalwarts urged Pena Nieto to stand up to Trump during his
visit.
Two-time presidential election runner-up Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
exhorted Pena Nieto to lodge a complaint against the US government at the
United Nations for “violation of human rights and racial discrimination.”
He said Pena Nieto should go to Washington to deliver the complaint to Trump
and to “fight for freedom, not beg for it.”
Trump ordered work to begin on designing and building the wall just as
Mexico’s foreign and economy ministers were in Washington to prepare Pena
Nieto’s trip. Their meetings continue on Thursday[26 Jan].
Videgaray said US officials insisted that Trump’s wall announcement was not
meant to coincide with the Mexican delegation’s visit.
“They reiterated the willingness to work to reach agreements that are good
for the United States and Mexico,” he said.
- Mexicans worry about tighter border -At the busy border crossing in the
northwestern city of Tijuana, Julian Tamayo was sitting in a long line of
cars with his wife and daughter to go to the US city of San Diego, where he
works.
“Many of the (border) guards are very despotic and arrogant, and Trump is
giving them carte blanche to be even more so,” Tamayo, 49, told AFP.
Hector Renteria, a 29-year-old architecture student who was also waiting to
cross the border, said the wall is not useful because migrants will “find
other ways to cross” illegally.
Renteria worried that the wall will “affect traffic more and (border) checks
will be stricter.”
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 26 Jan.’17:”PLO official ‘shocked’ by US silence on
Israeli settlements”,by Agence Fance Presse
SUBJECT:PLO official ‘shocked’ by U.S. silence re settlements
RAMALLAH — A senior Palestinian official said Wednesday[25 Jan] he was
“shocked” by the White House’s silence on Israeli settlement expansion and
called on US President Donald Trump’s administration to clarify its policy.
“We used to hear condemnations, we used to hear American positions saying
‘[Israel] should stop settlement activities, it’s an obstacle to peace’,”
Palestine Liberation Organisation Secretary General Saeb Erekat told AFP.
“Not commenting, does that mean that President Trump is encouraging…
settlement activities? We need an answer from the American administration,”
he said.
Since Trump’s inauguration last week, Israel has approved some 3,000 settler
housing units in the occupied West Bank and in annexed East Jerusalem,
signalling a sharp change of pace from such projects during the Barack Obama
years.
In a telling break with the previous administration, the Trump White House
did not condemn Israel’s latest settlement announcements.
Erekat said he was “shocked” that the White House did not comment on the
settlement announcements.
Settlements are viewed by much of the world as illegal and major stumbling
blocks to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians see as
part of their future state.
Speaking in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, on Wednesday[25 Jan], Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the latest spate of building decisions are
just the start of a new wave made possible by the changing of the guard in
Washington.
“We have seen eight not easy years,” he said in response to lawmakers’
questions, recalling that on his first visit with Obama in Washington he was
told bluntly to halt all settlement expansion.
“Not a brick,” he said, switching from Hebrew to English.
“We have left that era,” he said. “There has been one round [of new
construction] and there will be more rounds.”
Following Israel’s approval on Tuesday[24 Jan] of plans for 2,500 settler
units in the West Bank, the United Nations expressed “grave concern” and the
European Union said the move would “further seriously undermine” prospects
for a two-state solution.
+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 26 Jan.’17:”King holds summit meeting with Putin,by
JT
SUBJECT:Jordan’s King summit meeting wuth Putin
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and Russian President Vladimir Putin held
in Moscow on Wednesday [25 Jan]
a summit meeting that focused on ways to improve bilateral ties and covered
recent global and regional developments.
The King first held a one-on-one meeting with Putin, followed by expanded
talks attended by officials from the two sides, according to a Royal Court
statement.
In remarks to the press ahead of the talks, the King said he was delighted
to be back in Moscow and was “looking very much forward to our bilateral
relations and discussions this evening on many issues that Russia plays such
a pivotal role [in], not only internationally but specifically in our
region”.
The King said that Amman endorsed and supported the Astana Syrian peace
process, adding that Jordan was “very grateful for Russia’s role in being
able to do this because this will bring, I hope, an inclusive future to all
Syrian people. And, again, we will work very closely with you as we progress
to Geneva talks and other talks”.
His Majesty stressed the significance of Russia’s role in regional issues.
“Without Russia, we will not be able to find solutions to not only the
Syrian problem, but other regional problems in the Middle East,” he told
reporters.
King Abdullah said the challenge the two countries and the entire world face
is the war on international terrorism.
“We have been speaking to many in the world that have not listened to your
views and our views, but I am glad that I am here today in Moscow to share
not only the friendship but the same vision of bringing stability to our
region.”
For his part, Putin said he was “pleased to know that our dialogue, our
engagement is that of a positive and constant context”, adding that during
the King’s visit, “I am sure we will talk about the bilateral relations of
ours and definitely we will discuss the regional situation with a special
focus on the hotbeds of tension and emphasis on the Syrian settlement”.
He thanked Jordan for “backing the start of the [Syrian peace] process in
Astana. Thanks to our joint efforts, there is progress in this process
basing and building on the ceasefire, a very important agreement to end
hostilities between the governmental and oppositional forces on the ground”.
Putin added: “Let me note and make a special point that the Astana process
participants emphasise that there may and there can be no military solution
to the Syrian crisis. We definitely count that the Astana talks will become
a solid and good foundation for the talks to continue including in Geneva.”
Talks during the meeting covered the outcomes of the Astana conference on
Syria and measures to achieve progress in the peace process, and Geneva
conference.
The two sides stressed the importance of Jordanian-Russian cooperation to
sustain the halt of hostilities in all of Syria, highlighting the role of
the moderate opposition in the peace process and fighting terrorist groups.
Discussions also covered the need to include all Syrian segments to reach a
peaceful solution.
The King and Putin highlighted the need to prepare for rebuilding the
war-torn country, sustain peace and stability, and help refugees return to
their country.
The two leaders also outlined the situation in Iraq and means of supporting
Baghdad to reach national reconciliation, in addition to discussing regional
developments and the Libyan issue.
His Majesty said that it is not possible to deal with the Syrian conflict
away from ensuring the stability of Iraq.
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, National Security Adviser and General
Intelligence Department Director Gen. Faisal Shobaki, King’s Office Director
Jaafar Hassan, National Policies Council Rapporteur Abdullah Wreikat, and
Jordan’s ambassador in Moscow attended the meeting.
On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov, and a number of senior officials.
In Amman, HRH Prince Feisal was sworn in as Regent during the King’s
absence.
======================
Sue Lerner – Associate, IMRA
Source: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=72091
