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Arab World

US Withholds $65 Million from UNRWA

Palestinians protest, calling for better living conditions, outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
Palestinians protest, calling for better living conditions, outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
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US Withholds $65 Million from UNRWA

Palestinians protest, calling for better living conditions, outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
Palestinians protest, calling for better living conditions, outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

The United States held back $65 million that had been destined for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Tuesday, two weeks after President Donald Trump threatened future payments.

The State Department said $60 million of what had been a planned $125 million package would go through to keep the agency running, but the rest will be withheld for now.

"This is not aimed at punishing anyone," spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters.

"The United States government, and the Trump administration, believe that there should be more so-called burden-sharing to go around," she said.

"We would like other countries, in fact other countries that criticize the United States for what they believe to be our position vis-a-vis the Palestinians... to step forward."

The head of UNRWA, Pierre Krahenbuhl, expressed alarm and immediately called on other UN members to contribute.

He said the $60 million would keep schools and hospitals open for now, but noted that it was dramatically lower than the $350 million Washington paid over the course of 2017.  

"Funding UNRWA or any humanitarian agency is the discretion of any sovereign member state of the United Nations," he said, in a statement.

"At the same time, given the long, trusted, and historic relationship between the United States and UNRWA, this reduced contribution threatens one of the most successful and innovative human development endeavors in the Middle East."

Palestine Liberation Organization official Wasel Abu Youssef also immediately criticized the move, casting it as a deliberate US effort to deny the Palestinians their rights and linking it to Trump's widely criticized Dec. 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The State Department's position raised skepticism in the light of a tweet sent by Trump on January 2, at the time when the $125 million contribution had been due to be paid.
"We pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect," Trump wrote.

"They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel," he protested, adding: "Why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?"

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Arab World

After Erdogan’s Elections Victory, Türkiye Holds Back on Assad Meeting

A view shows a roundabout with a sculpture featuring the Turkish flag and the Syrian opposition flag, in the opposition-held city of Azaz, Syria May 15, 2023.(Reuters)
A view shows a roundabout with a sculpture featuring the Turkish flag and the Syrian opposition flag, in the opposition-held city of Azaz, Syria May 15, 2023.(Reuters)
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After Erdogan’s Elections Victory, Türkiye Holds Back on Assad Meeting

A view shows a roundabout with a sculpture featuring the Turkish flag and the Syrian opposition flag, in the opposition-held city of Azaz, Syria May 15, 2023.(Reuters)
A view shows a roundabout with a sculpture featuring the Turkish flag and the Syrian opposition flag, in the opposition-held city of Azaz, Syria May 15, 2023.(Reuters)

Türkiye has slowed down the pace of its efforts to normalize ties with Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has no plans to hold talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in the first presidential statement following Erdogan’s reelection for a third five-year term on Sunday.

"So far, there is no date for such a meeting... We need to see what steps the Syrian side will take," he said in a televised interview on Monday.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Syria and Iran had met in Moscow on May 10 to push forward normalization between Ankara and Damascus.

At the time, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said intense efforts will be made to normalize relations, hinting that a meeting between Erdogan and Assad may be held this year.

The only obstacle to the meeting was the Turkish military deployment in northern Syria.

Assad had said that he would not meet his Turkish counterpart before the complete troop withdrawal.

For his part, Erdogan had stressed that Türkiye will not pull out its forces and that they would continue their mission to combat “terrorist organizations” - a reference to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that Ankara views as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Cavusoglu had warned that the withdrawal will allow such groups to fill the void left by the Turkish troops.

Arab World

Egypt is Open to ‘Positive Iranian Signals’ on Developing Relations

Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his reception of the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, and his accompanying delegation (Khamenei website)
Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his reception of the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, and his accompanying delegation (Khamenei website)
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Egypt is Open to ‘Positive Iranian Signals’ on Developing Relations

Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his reception of the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, and his accompanying delegation (Khamenei website)
Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his reception of the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, and his accompanying delegation (Khamenei website)

Iran has displayed several signs about its willingness to boost bilateral relations with Egypt, according to well-informed Egyptian sources on Tuesday.

 

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo is open to developing bilateral ties with Tehran in a manner consistent with the main political determinants that govern Egypt's regional policies.

 

Relations between Egypt and Iran have often been fraught in recent decades, although the two countries have maintained diplomatic contacts.

 

The sources pointed out that the repeated Iranian signals regarding developing relations with Egypt "were welcomed."

 

They recalled Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's statement last July, who said that the "development of relations between Tehran and Cairo is in the interest of both nations."

 

It was followed by a tweet by the head of Iran's Interests Section Office in Cairo, Mohammad Hossein Soltanifar, praising what he said is Egyptian rejection of an American alliance project against Iran.

 

Soltanifar continued to hint at the improvement of relations between Cairo and Tehran through an article he published in the Iran Daily newspaper and reported by the Iranian News Agency on Saturday.

 

He said the current developments "require raising the bilateral relations between the two countries... to the desired political level."

 

In December, the Iranian foreign minister welcomed a proposal by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani aimed at "launching a dialogue between Cairo and Tehran."

 

During their meeting in Jordan, Amir-Abdollahian said the Iraqi prime minister expressed the desire to launch Iranian-Egyptian talks on the security and political levels, which leads to improving ties between the two nations.

 

On March 06, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Tehran hoped relations with Cairo would be restored, adding that Iran is taking advantage of all opportunities to improve foreign relations, including with Egypt.

 

Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei received Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said during his visit to Iran.

 

During the meeting, the Sultan of Oman pointed to Egypt's willingness to resume relations with Iran, and Khamenei emphasized that Iran welcomes this position and has no problems in this regard.

 

Former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy told Asharq Al-Awsat that recent reports about Cairo's desire to improve its ties are a "principled position," noting that both sides are interested in developing relations.

 

Fahmy added that over the past years, during his position as a minister, he had maintained contacts with Iranian authorities, adding that officials discussed the importance of developing the bilateral relations and "favored that."

 

Observers believe the Iranian signals, including Khamenei's statements, coincide with changes to ease regional tensions.

 

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations under a deal brokered by China.

 

Fahmy pointed out that after the death of the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in Cairo, Iran pursued a harsh policy towards the Arab world in general, including Egypt, with an attempt to export the "revolution" at a particular stage.

 

He indicated that with the change in Iranian policy, it was logical for Arab countries to test the waters to see if this reflects a strategic shift towards the Middle East.

 

The diplomat believes there is a shift in the Iranian position, hoping that improving relations with regional countries will be a priority and primary concern.

 

Fahmy referred to the Saudi-Iranian agreement and the Egyptian-Iranian contacts, which he considered a prelude to discussing the restoration of relations, especially after the visit of the Omani leaders to Cairo and Tehran.

 

Member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Nourhan al-Sheikh, believes that fundamental determinants regulate the normalization of relations between Cairo and Tehran.

 

Sheikh explained that some of these determinants have already been achieved, such as the Gulf acceptance and reassurances regarding the security of the Gulf countries.

 

She told Asharq Al-Awsat that the second determinant is Iran's position on supporting Islamic movements, asserting the importance of this issue which requires reassurances that Tehran would not interfere in Egypt's domestic affairs.

 

 

 

Arab World

UN Warns More Than One Million May Flee Sudan Fighting by October

Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reacts during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt May 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reacts during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt May 29, 2023. (Reuters)
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UN Warns More Than One Million May Flee Sudan Fighting by October

Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reacts during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt May 29, 2023. (Reuters)
Filippo Grandi, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reacts during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt May 29, 2023. (Reuters)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi warned on Monday that estimates that about a million people might flee Sudan by October may be conservative and conflict there risks increasing people trafficking and spreading weapons across a fragile region

More than 350,000 people have already fled across Sudan's borders since war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15, with most heading to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

Furthermore, within Sudan itself, more than one million people have been displaced due to heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum and violence in Darfur.

The UNHCR initially predicted that around 800,000 Sudanese and 200,000 foreigners would leave Sudan in six months, but Grandi now believes these figures may be an underestimation.

Speaking during an interview in Cairo, Grandi said: “This projection, that in the next few months we'll reach these high figures, may even be conservative.”

“At the beginning, I didn't believe it would be, but now I'm beginning to be worried,” he said, according to Reuters.

Sudan's neighbors, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Libya have faced political upheaval or conflicts themselves.

Grandi expressed concern about the collapse of law and order in Sudan and said that with “a lot of people desperate to move on” the situation is ripe for creating conditions for human trafficking. He also said that the circulation of arms across borders could fuel the violence.

“We've seen it in Libya with the Sahel. We don't want a repeat of that because that will be a multiplier of crisis and of humanitarian problems,” he added.

The United Nations has appealed for $470 million for its refugee response to the Sudan crisis over six months, an amount that Grandi said was just 1% funded, adding that a donor pledging conference was “very much needed” and that an international community preoccupied by Ukraine was not paying enough attention.

“You can clearly sense a disparity which is very dangerous. This crisis has the potential to destabilize an entire region and beyond as much as Ukraine does in Europe,” he warned.

Grandi said the UNHCR was trying to establish a presence in the northern Sudanese town of Wadi Halfa, where many Sudanese men aged 16-50 have become stuck applying for visas to enter Egypt, but that he was not sure when this would be possible. Women, children and the elderly do not need visas.

He said aid needed to be delivered into a buffer zone between the Egyptian and Sudanese border posts where those fleeing have also faced long waits.

Arab World

Tehran Seeks to Upgrade Syria’s Air Defenses

International affairs official at the Ministry of Defense Hamzah Kalandari. (websites)
International affairs official at the Ministry of Defense Hamzah Kalandari. (websites)
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Tehran Seeks to Upgrade Syria’s Air Defenses

International affairs official at the Ministry of Defense Hamzah Kalandari. (websites)
International affairs official at the Ministry of Defense Hamzah Kalandari. (websites)

Iran wants to boost the Syrian military by upgrading the country's air-defense with medium and long-range systems to confront threats, an Iranian official in the Defense Ministry said Monday according to the Fars news agency.

 

Deputy Defense Minister for International Affairs Brigadier General Hamzeh Ghalandari told the news agency that although Syria possesses air-defense capabilities, the country is witnessing a wide range of threats.

 

“We have declared openly and publicly that we, along with our Syrian brothers, seek to strengthen the Syrian air defense in various ways,” Ghalandari said.

 

He affirmed that Iran will support Syria with equipment and tactical upgrades.

 

“In light of the air threats against Syria, efforts are underway to strengthen its air defense capabilities by using medium and long ranges systems,” he noted, adding that the type of systems will be announced in due course.

 

On Monday, Syrian news outlets said Syrian army air defenses confronted an Israeli missile.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said government air defense sites near Damascus where fighters from the Iran-backed Hezbollah group are present were targeted.

 

Meanwhile, the official Syrian news agency, SANA, said Syrian air defenses have shot down incoming Israeli missiles.

 

It quoted a military source as saying that the attack took place at about 23:45 pm local time on Sunday.

 

The source added that the missile strike targeted some areas in the vicinity of Damascus.

 

“Our air defenses intercepted the [Israeli] aggression’s missiles and shot down some of them,” the source said, adding that the attack only led to material damages.

 

SOHR reported that one site north of the capital lying around 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Lebanese border was also a target. Five Hezbollah fighters were reportedly wounded.

 

Another site between the airport and the Sayyida Zeinab area southeast of the capital where Iran-backed forces are present was also targeted, the Britain-based war-monitor, which has a vast network of sources on the ground in Syria.

 

Since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against regime positions as well as Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces, allies of Damascus and arch-foes of Israel.

 

Israel rarely comments on the strikes on a case-by-case basis, but says it seeks to prevent Iran establishing a foothold on its doorstep.

 

 

Arab World

Iraqi National Security Adviser Visits Iran to Discuss Border Issues

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Akbar Ahmadian receives Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qasim al-Araji in Tehran on Monday. (Mehr)
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Akbar Ahmadian receives Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qasim al-Araji in Tehran on Monday. (Mehr)
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Iraqi National Security Adviser Visits Iran to Discuss Border Issues

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Akbar Ahmadian receives Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qasim al-Araji in Tehran on Monday. (Mehr)
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Akbar Ahmadian receives Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qasim al-Araji in Tehran on Monday. (Mehr)

Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji arrived in Iran on Monday at the head of a high-ranking security delegation to discuss tightening security measures on the border between the two countries.

The visit comes at the directives of Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said Araji's press office.

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Akbar Ahmadian met with Araji, calling for the quick activation of a recent security agreement between their countries, reported Iranian media.

Ahmadian said the agreement underscores the role of the Iraqi government in ending the presence of "dissident" elements on the border, a reference to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.

The meeting was Ahmadian's first official appearance after his appointment to his post. He succeeded Ali Shamkhani, whose last foreign visit was to Baghdad in March where he signed the border agreement.

Araji's visit comes two days after extensive meetings with security and political leaders in Sulaymaniyah and Erbil in the Kurdistan region, during which he met head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Talabani.

Araji’s talks in Kurdistan and Tehran likely focused on the activities of the Iranian Kurdish parties that have used Kurdish regions to launch attacks against Iran.

On March 19, Iraqi PM Sudani sponsored the joint security agreement between Baghdad and Tehran.

The agreement calls for coordination in "protecting the common borders" and "consolidating cooperation in several security fields."

A source close to the PUK said the security arrangements aim to protect the Iranian borders from the movements of the opposition parties and prevent Iraqi regions, especially Kurdish ones, from coming under Iranian retaliatory bombardment.

The source, who preferred not to be named, noted that even though the border stretches 1,200 kilometers, the focus is really on a few kms between Iran and the Sulaymaniyah and Erbil provinces.

He remarked that the governments in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah and the federal government in Baghdad have been unable to rein in the Iranian opposition groups, some of which have been deployed in the rugged joint border for nearly three decades.

All parties want to avoid angering Tehran, he stated.

Tehran has for years been calling on the Kurdish authorities to control the borders and expel Kurdish militants and party headquarters, especially in the town of Koysanjak, located 60 kilometers east of Erbil, and in the Zirkuiz region.

The source said over six Kurdish opposition parties have headquarters in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. The majority of them usually mobilize their supporters in Iran to hold protests and other activities in opposition to the authorities, most notably in regions that are predominantly Kurdish.

Arab World

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: No New Developments Related to Election of Lebanese President

01 October 2020, Lebanon, Beirut: Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri speaks during a press conference. (Lebanese parliament/dpa)
01 October 2020, Lebanon, Beirut: Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri speaks during a press conference. (Lebanese parliament/dpa)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: No New Developments Related to Election of Lebanese President

01 October 2020, Lebanon, Beirut: Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri speaks during a press conference. (Lebanese parliament/dpa)
01 October 2020, Lebanon, Beirut: Speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri speaks during a press conference. (Lebanese parliament/dpa)

Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is unlikely to call the legislature to convene to elect a new president given the lack of “real competition” that would yield a result from a vote.

Lebanon has held eleven sessions to elect a president. The country’s top post has been vacant since late October and political rivals have since then been squabbling over a candidate.

A western diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat that regional and international powers “don’t mind” the election of former minister Suleiman Franjieh, but their patience has an “expiration date”.

Lebanese officials have been informed by the powers that the Arab and international community “doesn't mind” the election of any figure, including Franjieh, but that the election should be done within a deadline.

There is a pressing need to elect a president given the dire state of affairs in Lebanon, they went on to say. They also cited the instability on the international scene, which makes Lebanon the least of concerns for global powers if Lebanese officials don’t seize the initiative and reach an agreement over a president.

Such an agreement is a priority, but so is the need for Lebanon to launch real reforms that would restore the international community’s trust in the country.

The new president must be able to kick off the reform process, said the source.

The patience the international community has shown may end if the local powers continue to stumble in electing a president, it warned.

An agreement over a candidate appears unlikely given the “sectarian vetoes” over the two current nominees: Franjieh and former minister Jihad Azour. If the dispute persists, then Lebanese officials are better off coming up with a third candidate that is accepted by all parties.

Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had received no information about any “expiration date”, stressing that he will not call for a parliament session to elect a president knowing that it would end in failure like the eleven others.

The speaker had previously underlined the need to elect a president before June 15, before the term of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh ends in July. Failure to elect a president by then will lead to monetary instability in Lebanon, he warned.

Berri added that he wants the election of a president as soon as possible, but at the same time, he refuses to call for an electoral session that would end in failure.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah, which backs Franjieh’s nomination, has continued its attack on the opposition and its possible agreement on Azour as a presidential candidate.

Hezbollah deputy secretary general Sheikh Naim Qassem said a “national Christian president is a better option for Lebanon than a president coming from a sectarian background.”

“Abandon petty interests and let’s elect a free president who would save the country and would not be hostage to those who elected him,” he tweeted.

Head of the Kataeb Party MP Sami Gemayel criticized Qassem’s statement, saying: “Does this mean we have to either agree to your challenging candidate or always succumb to your dictates?”

“Don’t you have any other options besides destructive ones? Your confusion is both laughable and lamentable,” he tweeted.

Arab World

Arab League Calls for Strengthening Stability of Global Food Market

A joint civilian inspection team comprising officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations visited the merchant vessel Razoni on 3 August 2022. (UNOCHA/Levent Kulu)
A joint civilian inspection team comprising officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations visited the merchant vessel Razoni on 3 August 2022. (UNOCHA/Levent Kulu)
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Arab League Calls for Strengthening Stability of Global Food Market

A joint civilian inspection team comprising officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations visited the merchant vessel Razoni on 3 August 2022. (UNOCHA/Levent Kulu)
A joint civilian inspection team comprising officials from the Russian Federation, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Nations visited the merchant vessel Razoni on 3 August 2022. (UNOCHA/Levent Kulu)

The Arab League (AL) on Monday called for strengthening the stability of the global food market and reducing the food gap at the global level, affirming its support for all efforts in this regard, an AL statement said.

 

The statement came following a meeting between AL Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative Abdullah Dashti.

 

The spokesman for the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Jamal Rushdi, said that during the meeting, Aboul Gheit expressed his support for the Initiative that provides the needed grains to most consuming countries, including Arab countries.

 

The AL Chief hoped the Initiative would receive support from all parties to ensure its continuation.

 

Meanwhile, the UN coordinator explained the Initiative’s mechanisms of action and its implementation in coordination with the two warring parties, Russia and Ukraine.

 

“Since its announcement in July 2022, the Initiative provided more than 50 million tons of commodities and grains to the global market. Arab countries benefited from a third of this quantity,” Dashti said.

 

Rushdi thanked the UN coordinator for his efforts and his team to implement the Initiative, despite the difficult security and political circumstances.

 

He then stressed the importance of the Initiative’s continuation to enhance the stability of the global food market, which is witnessing alarming rises in the prices of basic materials.

 

Arab World

Erbil Accuses Iraq Parliament of Violating Political Agreement

In this picture taken on April 15, 2023, people row traditional "meshhouf" boats in the Tigris river in Baghdad. (AFP)
In this picture taken on April 15, 2023, people row traditional "meshhouf" boats in the Tigris river in Baghdad. (AFP)
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Erbil Accuses Iraq Parliament of Violating Political Agreement

In this picture taken on April 15, 2023, people row traditional "meshhouf" boats in the Tigris river in Baghdad. (AFP)
In this picture taken on April 15, 2023, people row traditional "meshhouf" boats in the Tigris river in Baghdad. (AFP)

Kurdish forces accused the Iraqi parliament of violating the political agreement reached between Baghdad and Erbil over the federal budget.

Parliament had introduced amendments over oil in the draft budget, delaying a parliamentary vote more than two months after legislators received the budget plan.

Oil has been a source of recurrent tension between Kurdistan's autonomous regional government and federal authorities in Baghdad. Kurdish leaders see the budget amendments as contradictory to an agreement concluded in April over oil exports.

Iraqi Kurdistan's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said Saturday the changes amounted to "treason" and an affront to Iraqi Kurdish rights, while Nechirvan Barzani, the Iraqi Kurdistan president, said he was "deeply concerned" about the changes.

The federal government in mid-March sent the draft three-year budget to parliament, where changes were introduced to the original text.

The Kurdish regional government had for years earned billions of dollars in revenues exporting 475,000 barrels of oil daily to Türkiye without the Iraqi federal government's approval.

But in March the region was forced to halt its lucrative sales following international arbitration ruling in favor of Baghdad's exclusive rights over exports.

The April deal cleared the way for resuming exports, and stipulated that Baghdad's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) would manage the oil sales.

Revenues from the sales would be paid into a bank account overseen by Baghdad, and the Kurdish autonomous region would also receive a share of the federal budget, it said.

But Iraqi deputies changed the original budget text.

It now says the Kurdish region must first deliver 400,000 barrels of oil daily to the federal authorities, along with non-oil revenues, before it can receive its federal budget allocation, according to Kurdish Iraqi economist Govand Sherwani Sherwani.

The original draft, he said, had guaranteed that Kurdistan "would receive its share of the budget without condition, as a constitutional right".

Furthermore, the changes stipulate that Kurdish oil revenues would be deposited "in an account belonging to the Iraqi Finance Ministry, at the Iraqi Central Bank", instead of an international bank account as previously agreed, Sherwani said.

In a country where political agreements are concluded after endless negotiations between political parties, the objection of the Kurds is delaying a parliamentary vote on the budget.

Iraq's oil dependent economy has traditionally been plagued by budget delays, which the government's three-year proposal aimed to avoid.

Arab World

Sudan Factions Agree to Extend Ceasefire Deal Amid Clashes 

Smoke billows over buildings in southern Khartoum on May 29, 2023, amid ongoing fighting between the forces of two rival generals. (AFP)
Smoke billows over buildings in southern Khartoum on May 29, 2023, amid ongoing fighting between the forces of two rival generals. (AFP)
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Sudan Factions Agree to Extend Ceasefire Deal Amid Clashes 

Smoke billows over buildings in southern Khartoum on May 29, 2023, amid ongoing fighting between the forces of two rival generals. (AFP)
Smoke billows over buildings in southern Khartoum on May 29, 2023, amid ongoing fighting between the forces of two rival generals. (AFP)

Sudan's warring military factions agreed on Monday to a five-day extension of a ceasefire agreement, after renewed heavy clashes and air strikes in the capital threw fresh doubts on the effectiveness of a truce designed to ease a humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and the United States, which brokered a week-long ceasefire deal and have been monitoring it remotely, announced shortly before it was due to expire on Monday evening the parties had agreed to extend it.

Although the ceasefire had been imperfectly observed, it had allowed the delivery of aid to an estimated two million people, the two countries said in a joint statement.

"The extension will provide time for further humanitarian assistance, restoration of essential services, and discussion of a potential longer-term extension," the statement said.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) said starting on Saturday it had been able to make its first food distributions in Khartoum since the beginning of the conflict.

Sources with knowledge of the new deal said discussions on amendments to make the truce more effective were continuing.

Hours before it was signed, residents reported battles in all three of the adjoining cities that make up Sudan's greater capital around the confluence of the Nile - Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri. The intensity of the fighting was greater than over the past three days, they said.

Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a power struggle that erupted into conflict on April 15, killing hundreds and driving nearly 1.4 million people from their homes.

Air strikes, which the army has been using to target RSF forces embedded in neighborhoods across the capital, could be heard in Omdurman on Monday afternoon, residents said.

"Since yesterday evening there has been bombardment with all types of weapons between the army and the Rapid Support," Hassan Othman, a 55-year-old resident of Omdurman, told Reuters by phone. "We're in a state of great fear. Where's the truce?"

On past days, the truce deal had brought some respite from heavy fighting, though sporadic clashes and air strikes have continued.

Saudi Arabia and the United States have previously said both sides had committed various violations of the truce, as well as impeding humanitarian access and restoration of essential services.

Orphanage deaths

Sudan's health ministry has said more than 700 people have died as a result of the fighting, though the true figure is likely much higher because of the difficulty health and aid workers have had in accessing conflict zones.

The government has separately recorded up to 510 deaths in El Geneina, one of the main cities in Darfur, a western region already scarred by conflict and displacement.

In Khartoum, factories, offices, homes and banks have been looted or destroyed. Power, water and telecommunications are often cut, there are acute shortages of medicines and medical equipment, and food supplies have been running low.

At Sudan's largest orphanage, Reuters reported how dozens of babies have died since the start of the conflict, which one Khartoum State official attributed mainly to staff shortages and recurrent power outages caused by the fighting.

The United Nations and aid groups say that despite the truce, they have struggled to get bureaucratic approvals and security guarantees to transport aid and staff to Khartoum and other places of need.

The WFP said it had begun three days of distributions in the capital on Saturday and had reached more than 12,000 people in Omdurman in areas controlled by the army as well as the RSF. It said it plans to reach at least 500,000 people in Khartoum.

The WFP expects up to 2.5 million people in Sudan to slip into hunger in the coming months, raising the number of people affected by acute food security to more than 19 million, or 40% of the population.

The head of the UN refugee agency told Reuters that a projection that one million people could flee Sudan by October may prove a conservative estimate.

More than 350,000 people have already fled into neighboring countries, with most heading to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

Arab World

Palestinian PM to Visit Egypt, Promote Cooperation and Trade

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (Wafa news agency)
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (Wafa news agency)
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Palestinian PM to Visit Egypt, Promote Cooperation and Trade

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (Wafa news agency)
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (Wafa news agency)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh will arrive in Egypt on Monday at the head of a high-level ministerial delegation, mainly for talks on increasing trade.

Shtayyeh will meet with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly. Palestinian ministers accompanying him will meet with their Egyptian counterparts and will sign joint cooperation agreements.

The visit is part of the Palestinian government efforts to encourage the Economic Disengagement Plan (EDP) from Israel, a strategy that never saw light due to Israeli obstacles.

The EDP aims to separate the Palestinian economy from Israel’s by opening to Arab markets. The strategy is based on calls by the Palestinian National and Central Councils to amend the Paris Protocol.

Signed in 1994, the Paris Protocol is an annex to the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, stipulates that Israel will collect and pay tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority on goods entering the Palestinian markets. In addition, it sets customs duties and a quota for goods that can be imported.

In February, Shtayyeh met with his Libyan counterpart Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah in the Libyan capital where he signed economic agreements and understandings.

Prior to his trip to Libya, the Palestinian PM had visited Iraq and Jordan also to push for economic agreements and discuss the possibility of relying on Iraqi and Jordanian oil instead of Israeli fuel.

Shtayyeh had met with Madbouly at the Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh last November. He had called for raising trade between the Palestinians and Egypt and benefiting from Egyptian expertise in modernizing industries, training, and developing new industrial ideas.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that trade exchange and joint cooperation will be at the core of the Palestinian delegation’s talks in Cairo. Meetings will also discuss bilateral relations, the political situation, Palestinian reconciliation and issues of common interest.