Spanish PM Visit to Algeria a Turning Point in Bilateral Tieshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5298356-spanish-pm-visit-algeria-turning-point-bilateral-ties
Spanish PM Visit to Algeria a Turning Point in Bilateral Ties
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune receiving the Spanish Prime Minister on Monday (Algerian Presidency)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in Algiers on Monday that he sought to deepen ties with Algeria, as the countries mend relations after a dispute over Western Sahara.
Sanchez told reporters that the visit, a first in four years, held "particular importance" for Spain, which views Algeria as "not only a neighboring country but also a strategic partner", reported AFP.
The premier, who was accompanied by senior Spanish energy executives, said Algeria was Spain's largest supplier of natural gas this year.
Ties between Algiers and Madrid deteriorated in 2022 when Spain backed Morocco's sovereignty claim over Western Sahara, reversing its decades-long neutral stance on the conflict over its former colony.
Spain's shift had angered Algeria, which backs the pro-independence Polisario Front in Western Sahara.
Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said at the news conference in Algiers that talks with Sanchez were "fruitful" and "frank", and the visit gave bilateral relations a "new impetus".
Tebboune added that they discussed energy and ways to encourage Spanish companies to invest in Algeria, as well as migration issues and Western Sahara.
Sanchez said it was "essential to strengthen the political dialogue between Spain and Algeria" and to "build a mutually beneficial economic partnership".
Algeria had suspended a 2002 friendship treaty with Spain in 2022, recalled its ambassador and froze banking operations linked to trade with Madrid after it backed Morocco's plan for Western Sahara.
Algeria and Spain began restoring commercial ties last year, and in March this year Algeria said it reactivated the friendship treaty.
Iraqi Factions Set Conditions for Laying Down Arms
A member of an Iraqi armed faction. (X)
Hadi al-Ameri, head of Iraq’s Badr organization, which is allied with Iran, laid “impossible” conditions for Iraqi armed factions to lay down their weapons.
Once appearing as a moderate to avoid incurring Washington’s anger, he has adopted a hard line over the disarmament of the factions. His previous positions allowed him to avoid the US imposing sanctions against him.
In a televised address, Ameri dismissed the possibility that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi would take a “radical” decision over the weapons of the “resistance” factions.
He echoed official statements that September 30 should be a day of celebration after the withdrawal of anti-ISIS coalition forces from the country.
He added, however, that full sovereignty can be achieved over land, sea and air with the pullout of all foreign troops, including the Americans and Turks, and with a pledge that they will not violate Iraqi sovereignty.
September 30 is the deadline for the withdrawal of anti-ISIS coalition forces and for the Iraqi armed factions to lay down their weapons.
Ameri spoke of the Iranian and Turkish armed groups deployed on Iraqi territory, demanding that they all lay down their weapons and saying that they are a threat to regional countries.
Their deployment violates the constitution, he remarked.
He also called on the parliament to ratify the law on the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) that the US had objected to and that led to the legislature abandoning the vote.
The law “grants the factions operating under the PMF legal guarantees”, sparking the American objections.
Ameri also praised the role of the “resistance” that have stood by Iraq whenever it was needed.
It was the “resistance that protected Iraq from the October strife,” he stressed, in reference to the October 2019 anti-government protests.
His remarks were the first implicit acknowledgement that the armed factions were responsible for the killing and torture of over 700 youths involved in the protests.
Activists and politicians close to Iran had at the time blamed a “third party” for the crimes.
Political activist Nizar Haidar said the previous conditions set by the factions and other political figures for the handover of weapons are aimed at “buying time” as the September deadline approaches.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said Ameri is implicating himself and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, which are in control of the country, its security and decision-making.
Haidar said September 30 will be a turning point that will test Iraq and its ability to implement its laws and constitution or whether the militias will come out on top by ignoring the government’s order for them to lay down their weapons.
Political science professor at the University of Mosul Firas Elias said Iraq is now being embroiled in a debate about defining the meaning of limiting of possession of weapons to the state, its timing and who should take the first step.
He said Ameri is aiming to set a very high ceiling for negotiations.
Other conditions that have been floated in Iraq include halting dealings with American companies, exporting oil in another currency, tackling the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Kurdish Iranian opposition groups, and expanding the authority of the Iraqi federal forces to the Kurdistan Region.
UN Report: Syria Was Building Nuclear Reactor in Deir Ezzor under Assadhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5313729-un-report-syria-was-building-nuclear-reactor-deir-ezzor-under-assad
An undated image released by the US Government shows the suspected Syrian nuclear reactor building under construction in Syria. US Government/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Report: Syria Was Building Nuclear Reactor in Deir Ezzor under Assad
An undated image released by the US Government shows the suspected Syrian nuclear reactor building under construction in Syria. US Government/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Syria was constructing a nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor under the leadership of former President Bashar Assad, according to a UN report seen Tuesday by The Associated Press.
Inspectors with the UN nuclear watchdog visited several sites in Syria in August and carried out verification work that confirmed the existence of a long-suspected nuclear site, according to the confidential report circulated to member states.
Based on this visit, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it is “able to establish that the former Syrian authorities had failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities as required under the NPT Safeguards Agreement.”
This information included a nuclear reactor under construction in Deir Ezzor, a fuel fabrication plant and another site used for fuel storage.
The UN nuclear watchdog said in a confidential report seen by AFP on Tuesday that the site at Deir Ezzor held infrastructure “consistent with a nuclear reactor.”
“Based on observations made by the agency at the Deir Ezzor site, the agency confirms that the cooling infrastructure which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor,” the IAEA said.
The agency said it would continue to monitor the activities at the site “as the excavation work progresses.”
Besides the “nuclear reactor under construction” at the Deir Ezzor site, the IAEA listed a fuel fabrication plant, where the nuclear fuel for the reactor was manufactured, and a location where the nuclear fuel, as well as uranium scrap and waste were stored.
UN nuclear inspectors have secured large quantities of long-concealed uranium stockpiles in Syria dating from the rule of Assad.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi recorded in a non-public report in Vienna on Tuesday that the cache amounted to 73 metric tons, including around 55 tons of fuel rods for a secret reactor project, according to dpa.
The report contained the first detailed inventory of the nuclear material, after Grossi and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced the existence of the uranium stockpiles in Damascus two weeks ago.
Grossi had warned in Damascus that the uranium could be misused.
The site in Deir Ezzor only became public knowledge after Israel launched airstrikes in 2007 that destroyed the facility.
Syria later leveled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA's questions about it.
China's Xi Arrives in Egypthttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5313576-chinas-xi-arrives-egypt
Chinese President Xi Jinping, with his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan, is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife First Lady Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt, which is his first state visit to the country in 10 years, in Cairo on September 1, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT
China's Xi Arrives in Egypt
Chinese President Xi Jinping, with his wife First Lady Peng Liyuan, is welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his wife First Lady Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt, which is his first state visit to the country in 10 years, in Cairo on September 1, 2026. (AFP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on Tuesday on a rare trip to the Middle East amid the regional conflict with Iran.
Xi and his wife were greeted on the tarmac by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the first lady, as well as a performance by an Egyptian folk dance troupe.
The two-day visit comes as both countries seek to manage the fallout of the months-long Middle East war, which began when the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, throwing the crucial trade region into crisis.
Washington vowed last month to destabilize Iran economically, warning of expanded sanctions against Tehran's backers and partners that could hit Chinese banks, among others.
Xi's visit "comes at a time when China's economic interests are directly exposed to the US-Iran war", said Gamal Salama, political science professor at Egypt's Suez University.
China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has presented itself as a neutral party in the Middle East conflict, repeatedly calling for a lasting ceasefire.
Egypt, a long-time recipient of US military aid, warned against regional escalation after a drone strike hit one of its ports in July.
China is "clearly seeking Egypt's cooperation in managing and shaping regional affairs", said Liu Jia, a research fellow at the Singapore-based Middle East Institute.
Beijing works closely with regional actors such as Egypt, which mediates between Israel and Palestinian groups, Liu added.
Both China and Egypt support an independent Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.
"China sees Cairo as a strategic power broker," said Salama.
Egypt's "relations with both Washington and regional actors give Beijing both political access and diplomatic leverage across a region where China wants a much greater say," he added.
China's President Xi Jinping walks with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport, Egypt, September 1, 2026. (Reuters)
- 'Renewing the friendship' -
As part of its economic pressure campaign targeting Iran, Washington last week said it would cut off the operations of Egypt's Banque Misr in the UAE from the US financial system.
China, in response to the US measures and threats, has vowed to safeguard its interests.
Beijing has also sought to shore up ties with US-friendly regional nations ahead of a meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump expected this month.
The Chinese and Egyptian militaries carried out joint air combat exercises in August that featured Beijing's powerful J-16 fighter jet.
Xi's meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sisi, scheduled for Wednesday, follows a visit to Beijing by Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose country has also been caught up in the US war with Iran.
Xi and Sisi are expected to discuss issues including the Gaza war, Iran, and shipping in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, according to Egyptian media.
"I look forward to renewing the friendship and working together with President Sisi to... map out a new blueprint for deepening the China-Egypt comprehensive strategic partnership," Xi wrote in an editorial published in Egyptian media on Tuesday.
The Chinese leader's first visit to Egypt in a decade comes as the two nations mark 70 years of diplomatic ties.
China is a major exporter to Egypt, with its trade surplus reaching $12 billion in the first seven months of 2026, according to Chinese customs data.
The leaders are expected to sign agreements on artificial intelligence, transport, energy and investment in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Egyptian media reported.
The meeting with Xi sets Cairo up to land Chinese investments in its local AI and electronics industries, political scientist Salama said.
"What Egypt is seeking is strategic autonomy: not breaking with Washington, not aligning completely with Beijing, but creating enough room to pursue its own national interests," he added.
لم تشترك بعد
انشئ حساباً خاصاً بك لتحصل على أخبار مخصصة لك ولتتمتع بخاصية حفظ المقالات وتتلقى نشراتنا البريدية المتنوعة
