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Germany Mulling Total Ban on Hezbollah

Hezbollah fighters parade during the inauguration of a new cemetery for their fighters who died fighting against Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on November 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Hezbollah fighters parade during the inauguration of a new cemetery for their fighters who died fighting against Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on November 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
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Germany Mulling Total Ban on Hezbollah

Hezbollah fighters parade during the inauguration of a new cemetery for their fighters who died fighting against Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on November 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Hezbollah fighters parade during the inauguration of a new cemetery for their fighters who died fighting against Israel, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on November 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Five months after Germany’s Bundestag rejected a bill to outlaw the Lebanese Hezbollah in the federal republic, the government is now heading to fully ban the activities of the Iranian-backed group on its soil.

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Thursday that the foreign, interior and justice ministries in Berlin had agreed to move towards outlawing Hezbollah.

It said that the decision was to be announced at the German interior ministers' meeting next week.

The German government and the European Union only consider Hezbollah’s so-called military wing as a terrorist entity.

Hezbollah’s political wing operates in Germany by raising funds, recruiting new members and spreading its ideology.

According to Der Spiegel, the government decision would ban all Hezbollah activities on German soil, including the waving of its yellow flag, which has been shown during pro-Iranian and anti-Israeli demonstrations in Berlin.

Every year on Al-Quds Day, Hezbollah stages an anti-Israeli rally in Berlin during which protesters raise the yellow flag.

According to intelligence estimates, there are about 1,000 Hezbollah members and supporters in Germany alone.

There are concerns in Germany that Hezbollah supporters are sending money to Lebanon to finance the organization’s activities.

Der Speigel said Germany has granted the attorney general “more powers” to investigate Hezbollah-related activities without having to ask the justice ministry for permission each time.

When contacted by Asharq Al-Awsat, the three concerned German ministries refused to comment on the newspaper report.

“So far, there is no official decision taken in that regard,” the interior ministry responded.

However, Mustafa Ammar, a candidate for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany for the 2021 elections, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that secret talks took place during a congress held by the CDU last week in the city of Leipzig over the means to limit anti-Semitism in Germany, especially in schools.

“One of the measures included the total banning of Hezbollah and its activities,” Ammar said.

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Arab World

Libya's LNA Launches Operation Near Southern Border after Chad Clashes

Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari. (AFP file photo)
Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari. (AFP file photo)
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Libya's LNA Launches Operation Near Southern Border after Chad Clashes

Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari. (AFP file photo)
Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari. (AFP file photo)

Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) has launched a military operation to secure the southern border, it said on Friday, after fighting near the area resumed between the government of Chad and a rebel group trying to unseat it.

Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby said on Sunday that the army was again fighting the Libya-based Chadian Front for Change and Concord (FACT) group, which quit a ceasefire last week amid clashes.

LNA spokesperson Ahmed al-Mismari said the operation would involve land and air forces. An LNA media unit distributed photographs of Haftar's son, Saddam Haftar, overseeing the operation with other LNA officers.

The media unit said the LNA had expelled members of the Chadian opposition and their families from a residential area they were using in a desert town 300km (200 miles) north of the border with Chad.

Libya has had little internal peace or security since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Moammar al-Gaddafi, and its southern desert border has become a major transit route for trafficking networks.

Arab World

Lebanon’s Mikati Says Monaco Corruption Probe against Him Has Ended

27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanon’s Mikati Says Monaco Corruption Probe against Him Has Ended

27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)
27 March 2023, Lebanon, Beirut: Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during a press conference following a meeting of cabinet. (Dalati & Nohra)

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said on Friday that Monaco has ended a three-year investigation into him and his family over corruption allegations due to insufficient evidence.

The investigations were opened after some "Lebanese entities" submitted information about illicit enrichment and money laundering in regard to him and members of his family, Mikati's office said in a statement.

Monaco's deputy public prosecutor, Morgan Raymond, informed Mikati's team that the investigation "was closed due to the lack of evidence," the statement added.

Monaco's public prosecution was not immediately reachable for comment.

A Lebanese news organization, Daraj, had reported in 2021 on the "Pandora Papers", a set of leaked documents purporting to reveal offshore transactions involving global political and business figures.

As part of its reporting, Daraj said Mikati owned an offshore firm in Panama called Hessvile through which he bought a property in Monaco worth 7 million euros.

Mikati, one of Lebanon's richest men, had said in response that his family wealth comes from a communications business that has been audited in the past and is legal.

Arab World

Dutch Supreme Court Confirms Immunity of Former Israeli Officers over a Deadly 2014 Gaza Airstrike

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, speaks during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, at the Greek Ministry of Defence, in Athens, Greece, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, speaks during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, at the Greek Ministry of Defence, in Athens, Greece, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)
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Dutch Supreme Court Confirms Immunity of Former Israeli Officers over a Deadly 2014 Gaza Airstrike

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, speaks during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, at the Greek Ministry of Defence, in Athens, Greece, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, speaks during a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Panagiotopoulos, at the Greek Ministry of Defence, in Athens, Greece, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP)

The Dutch Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ruling that a Palestinian man cannot sue Israel's former defense minister and another former senior military officer over their roles in a deadly 2014 Gaza airstrike.

The highest Dutch court confirmed findings by judges in two lower courts that Benny Gantz and former Air Force Commander Amir Eshel are protected from civil proceedings in the Netherlands because they have “functional immunity.”

The long-running case was brought by Ismail Ziada, who lost six members of his family in the airstrike that lawyers for the two Israelis argued was part of an Israeli military operation during the 2014 Gaza conflict.

Ziada wanted the Dutch court to order Gantz and Eshel to pay damages. His legal team argued that the men didn’t have immunity because their actions amounted to war crimes.

In a written reaction, Ziada said he was “disappointed and angered” by the Supreme Court ruling and is considering appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.

“The Court has once again chosen to put politics over people and blocked access to justice. Today’s ruling only deepens the injustice we have suffered,” he added.

Israel’s Justice Ministry told a lower Dutch court that an internal Israeli military investigation determined the airstrike had killed four militants hiding in the house. It said the attack was permissible under international law. Gaza’s Hamas rulers themselves have said that two militants were in the building.

Gantz thanked his country's justice and foreign ministries for leading “the push that led to the dismissal of the lawsuit against me and against the former Air Force Commander Major General (ret.) Amir Eshel in the Netherlands.”

Gantz — who was military chief of staff at the time of the airstrike in Gaza — and Eshel had immunity because they were carrying out Israeli government policies, Dutch courts in The Hague ruled. The Supreme Court agreed in a short written ruling issued Friday.

Gantz is now head of the centrist opposition party National Unity in the Israeli Knesset. Eshel, a former director general of the Defense Ministry, was named this month as a senior fellow at the hawkish Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Gantz welcomed the dismissal of the lawsuit, crediting what he described as Israel’s “strong and independent judicial system” that protects Israeli soldiers and commanders “even in front of international courts.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative government is currently pushing to overhaul the country’s judicial system and weaken the Supreme Court, a move that the Israeli security establishment has worried could render the country more vulnerable to international prosecution.

“As the system protects us — it is our duty to protect it and preserve its strength and independence,” Gantz said.

Arab World

UN: War, Hunger Could Destroy Sudan

This picture taken on June 20, 2023, shows a charity kitchen providing food for the displaced at a camp in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan's al-Jazirah state. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken on June 20, 2023, shows a charity kitchen providing food for the displaced at a camp in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan's al-Jazirah state. (Photo by AFP)
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UN: War, Hunger Could Destroy Sudan

This picture taken on June 20, 2023, shows a charity kitchen providing food for the displaced at a camp in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan's al-Jazirah state. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken on June 20, 2023, shows a charity kitchen providing food for the displaced at a camp in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan's al-Jazirah state. (Photo by AFP)

War and hunger threaten to "consume" Sudan where hundreds of thousands of malnourished children are at risk of dying, as fighting between rival generals rages on, the United Nations warned Friday.

"The war in Sudan is fuelling a humanitarian emergency of epic proportions," said Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"This viral conflict –- and the hunger, disease and displacement left in its wake –- now threatens to consume the entire country."

"The longer the fighting continues, the more devastating its impact. Some places have already run out of food," Griffiths' statement said.

"Hundreds of thousands of children are severely malnourished and at imminent risk of death if left untreated."

The UN official said that in Kadugli, in South Kordofan state, "food stocks have been fully depleted, as clashes and road blockages prevent aid workers from reaching the hungry."

Arab World

Lebanon: Interim Central Bank Chief Vows Not to Lend Money to Government

Lebanon: Interim Central Bank Chief Vows Not to Lend Money to Government
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Lebanon: Interim Central Bank Chief Vows Not to Lend Money to Government

Lebanon: Interim Central Bank Chief Vows Not to Lend Money to Government

Lebanon’s interim central bank governor called on the country’s ruling class Friday to quickly implement economic and financial reforms warning that the central bank won’t offer loans to the state and does not plan on printing money to cover the huge budget deficit to avoid worsening inflation.

Wassim Mansouri’s comments came nearly a month after he took over the leadership at the central bank after the term of his predecessor, Riad Salameh, ended on July 31.

Lebanon is in the grips of the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. Since the financial meltdown began in October 2019, the country’s political class — blamed for decades of corruption and mismanagement — has been resisting economic and financial reforms requested by the international community.

Since taking office, Mansouri has been urging the government to pass some reforms, cautioning that the central bank cannot continue to spend money to fund the government’s budget deficit

“Every day we waste without drafting laws, losses increase as well as the possibility of a state collapse,” he said Friday.

Mansouri added that the 2023 budget that was approved by the government last week had a 24% deficit while the central bank had asked for a deficit-free budget.

“The central bank will for sure not cover the deficit by lending the government neither in U.S. dollars nor in Lebanese pounds,” Mansouri said. “Lebanese pounds will not be printed to cover the deficit because you know what this will lead to.”

He added that the state should pursue tax collection, reopen state institutions and put more control on what flows through its border for taxation, in an apparent reference to smuggling.

Mansouri said Lebanon’s economy has become cash-based since the crisis began, warning that this could have repercussions on the country in the future.

Two weeks ago, a forensic audit into Lebanon’s central bank by a New York-based company revealed yearslong misconduct by the bank’s former governor, Salameh, and $111 million in “illegitimate commissions.”

Alvarez & Marsal said the central bank’s “refusal to provide direct access to its systems and to allow work to be conducted” on its premises had “significantly delayed and slowed” the audit, The Associated Press reported.

Mansouri said Friday the central bank will cooperate with Alvarez & Marsal and hand over all documents needed to the international company as well as Lebanon judicial authorities.

In late 2019, Lebanon’s dollar shortages created a panic and run on the banks as they imposed strict withdrawal limits for depositors who kept their savings there. Under what some financial experts and the World Bank described as a Ponzi scheme, Lebanon’s central bank enticed commercial banks to lend dollars at high interest rates to stay flush with cash. The banks then attracted customers to deposit their savings in their accounts with even higher interest rates.

The Lebanese pound has lost more than 95% of its value, in the last four years, pushing more of the country’s 6 million people — including 1 million Syrian refugees — into poverty.

Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year career as governor under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country’s economic meltdown. He left his post as a wanted man in Europe and was accused by many in Lebanon of being responsible for the country’s financial downfall since late 2019.

Arab World

European Union Urges Libyan Leaders to ‘End Transitional Phase’

Continued security reinforcements in Tripoli in order to ensure security and avoid the return of clashes (EPA)
Continued security reinforcements in Tripoli in order to ensure security and avoid the return of clashes (EPA)
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European Union Urges Libyan Leaders to ‘End Transitional Phase’

Continued security reinforcements in Tripoli in order to ensure security and avoid the return of clashes (EPA)
Continued security reinforcements in Tripoli in order to ensure security and avoid the return of clashes (EPA)

The European Union urged Libya’s leaders on Thursday to end the “transitional phase” and overcome the country’s crisis.

Meanwhile, tribal leaders, during a meeting held in the city of Misurata, rejected the proposal to form a new government, and demanded that parliamentary elections be held first.

Jose Sabadell, the EU ambassador to Libya emphasized the European strategy towards resolving the Libyan crisis.

Sabadell met with Libyan leaders, prior to the end of his tenure in the country.

“I had the privilege to be received yesterday by the Prime Minister to say goodbye as EU Ambassador to Libya. I was very fortunate to attend the ceremony of his swearing in at the House of Representatives in Tobruk in March 2021,” he wrote on X social platform, previously Twitter.

He added: “The difficult regional situation makes it even more urgent to reinforce stability by consolidating positive trends, avoiding returns to the past, and ending the transitional period through elections.”

He also underlined the EU’s continued readiness to support Libya, pointing to the need to increase cooperation with the country, especially in the issue of irregular migration.

Sabadell met with Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh, head of the interim National Unity government on Thursday. He also held talks with Mohammad al-Menfi, Chairman of the Presidential Council, on Wednesday evening.

During his meeting with Abdullah Al-Lafi, a deputy in the Presidential Council, Sabadell called for a “historic settlement” regarding the future of Libya, as the “only path” for a comprehensive solution to the current crisis.

He added that national reconciliation was the only means to reach a solution in the country.

Arab World

Former US Secretary of Defense Calls for Fighting Drugs in Northeastern Syria

Miller (right) meeting with Jia Kurd (left) in northeastern Syria (Media Office of the Autonomous Administration)
Miller (right) meeting with Jia Kurd (left) in northeastern Syria (Media Office of the Autonomous Administration)
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Former US Secretary of Defense Calls for Fighting Drugs in Northeastern Syria

Miller (right) meeting with Jia Kurd (left) in northeastern Syria (Media Office of the Autonomous Administration)
Miller (right) meeting with Jia Kurd (left) in northeastern Syria (Media Office of the Autonomous Administration)

Former US Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller hoped the US and the global coalition would continue supporting the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in protecting prisons and detention centers containing ISIS members and supervising camps of ISIS families.

The former official said that the next step for these forces is to fight the drug empire, noting that there is an opportunity for the international coalition to change its tasks from fighting ISIS to supporting the war against drugs.

Miller discussed with Kurdish officials the challenges they face and the Turkish threats destabilizing the region.

He also commented on the deteriorating security situation in Afrin, under the control of armed factions loyal to Türkiye. He accused the Turkish government of using water as a weapon against civilians and residents of the administration areas in eastern Syria.

During his meetings with Kurdish officials, the US official discussed the role of the global coalition forces in combating terrorism and defeating ISIS cells.

In a press statement, Miller said that the US needs to support the Autonomous Administration, reiterating the need for regional stability.

He called on the countries and governments of the coalition to support stabilization operations in these areas, which witnessed, during the years of the Syrian war, the control of several military parties, namely the ISIS terrorist organization.

He addressed the Turkish threats, the need to achieve safety and prosperity, and the support for the civil Administration economically and politically.

He pointed out that the combat operations of the coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces are continuing in the east of the country and inside the camps and prisons.

The primary military campaign has ended, but the war continues, said Miller, adding that Washington and the coalition must support the SDF and the people of northeastern Syria.

Miller explained that Türkiye is waging an open war against the areas of Administration and its military wing and forcing people to leave their homeland, the residents of Afrin who left after the Turkish Operation Peace Spring in March 2018.

- General Kurilla

On Wednesday, the US Central Command Commander, General Michael Kurilla, visited al-Hol and Roj camps in the far north-east of Syria.

Kurilla assured officials that the ongoing multinational effort to repatriate the residents of the camps to their countries of origin not only enhances security and stability in the region but eases the humanitarian challenge.

Meanwhile, head of the foreign relations department at AANES, Badran Jia Kurd, said the discussions with Miller addressed ways to combat terrorism and the conditions of ISIS prisoners and their families in the camps.

The official told Asharq Al-Awsat that during his meeting with the US official, they stressed the need to continue international efforts to prevent ISIS’s re-emergence.

Jia Kurd stressed the need to find immediate and urgent solutions for the residents of the al-Hol and Roj camps and work to return them to their original countries, concluding that the meeting focused on preventing the organization's cells from remerging and eliminating the remaining active cells in eastern Syria.

Arab World

Lebanon: Palestinian Investigations into Ain al-Hilweh Clashes Conclude

A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)
A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)
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Lebanon: Palestinian Investigations into Ain al-Hilweh Clashes Conclude

A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)
A member of the "Fatah" movement in Ain al-Hilweh camp during the clashes last July (AP)

A committee that was formed at the beginning of August to investigate the recent armed incidents in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp has completed its work and submitted its report to the competent authorities.

The committee was in charge of investigating the assassination of the Palestinian National Security Commander, Major General Mohammad al-Armoushi (Abu Ashraf) and his companions, during the clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp, in addition to the killing of Abdell-Rahman Farhood, who was known for his affiliation with extremists.

The report was submitted to the Joint Palestinian Action Committee in Lebanon, which convened on Tuesday at the Palestinian Embassy in Beirut, in the presence of representatives of the Lebanese Army Command, the Amal Movement and other forces.

An official statement issued at the end of the meeting said that an agreement was reached on the follow-up mechanisms, which would begin with handing over the suspects to the Lebanese judiciary.

Ghassan Ayoub, a member of the Palestinian Joint Action Committee in Lebanon, said that the report included the names of the perpetrators, adding that the participants agreed to support efforts to hand them over to the competent judiciary.

In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ayoub explained that a deadline has been given to the forces concerned with communicating with extremist groups to persuade them to hand over the suspects.

In parallel, an explosion was heard inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, located in southern Lebanon, at dawn on Wednesday, caused by a hand grenade, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

While no injuries were reported, Fatah sources inside the camp told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bomb was thrown by the extremists, “with the aim of creating tension, as they feel that they are in an impasse, and that no one is ready to provide them with political cover.”

Ain al-Hilweh witnessed six days of violent fighting between the Fatah movement and extremist Islamist groups. The round of fighting resulted in 12 deaths and more than 65 wounded. Hundreds of families have escaped the camp, while many residents still fear the renewal of clashes at any moment.

Arab World

Washington: US Military Movements Are not Linked to the Iraqi Interior

US Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle south of Mosul (File photo: AP)
US Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle south of Mosul (File photo: AP)
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Washington: US Military Movements Are not Linked to the Iraqi Interior

US Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle south of Mosul (File photo: AP)
US Army soldiers stand outside their armored vehicle south of Mosul (File photo: AP)

 

United States Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski denied any possible action after news circulating about large-scale movements that US forces have been making in Iraq in recent weeks. 

The US official made the remarks on Wednesday following a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the Iraqi ministry’s headquarters.  

These movements were part of the exchange of existing forces, Romanowski said, denying that these military movements are linked to Iraq’s internal affairs. 

The US ambassador stressed the US government's keenness to continue cooperation and development of common interests with Iraq. 

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Wednesday that the two officials discussed the overall Iraqi-American relations, and ways to enhance joint cooperation in the economic and development fields, in light of the strategic framework agreement, and in a way that benefits the interests of the two friendly countries. 

The meeting also discussed the Al-Hol camp in Syria and the problems that face the transfer of some families from the camp to Iraq. 

Earlier, Khalid Al-Yaqoubi, the security affairs advisor to the premier, refuted claims about a US troop buildup in Iraq.  

However, in statements to the official Iraqi News Agency, he affirmed that “there is a rotation of American units present in Syria.” 

Iraq has witnessed nearly daily reports, images, and videos showing significant American military activity in the country. 

Kataib Hezbollah issued a statement on Thursday saying that the movement of the American occupation military convoys in some Iraqi cities is evidence of the enemy’s intransigence to keep its forces in the country.  

It added that if the resistance decided to fight then it would smack their malicious plots for the region. 

Dr. Ihsan Al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Political Thinking Center in Baghdad, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the talk about these movements is linked to several factors. 

Among these factors is the link between these rumors and the recent escalation between armed factions and the American forces, in addition to the US forces' movements and repositioning on the Iraqi-Syrian geographical level in order to tighten the grip on the armed militias.  

The talk about military build-up is linked to the Iraqi’s frustration with the political parties and forces and the current authority’s equation as well as the corruption and mismanagement resulting from it. 

These factors contributed to suggesting that an American military intervention in Iraq is likely. 

“I personally don’t rule out that the forces respond in case their interests were jeopardized in Iraq or were targeted by some factions,” added Al-Shammari. 

Arab World

Egypt Names New Prosecutor General

Sisi during his meeting with the minister of Justice (Egyptian Presidency)
Sisi during his meeting with the minister of Justice (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt Names New Prosecutor General

Sisi during his meeting with the minister of Justice (Egyptian Presidency)
Sisi during his meeting with the minister of Justice (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued a presidential decree appointing the head of Alexandria Appeals Court, Mohamed Shawqi Fathi, as the country’s new prosecutor general.

Fathi is succeeding incumbent Hamada Al-Sawi, who has served in the post since September 2019. The new top prosecutor will assume office as of Sept. 19, 2023.

Sisi also issued a decree appointing Tamer Fergany, head of the illicit gain department at the Ministry of Justice, as acting deputy chairman of the Administrative Control Authority (ACA), a presidential spokesman said. Fergany will assume his post starting Sept. 2.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian president met on Thursday with Minister of Justice Omar Marwan.

Spokesperson for the Presidency, Ahmed Fahmy, said that the meeting reviewed efforts to develop the judicial system, especially those related to improving the efficiency of the courts’ headquarters and buildings in all governorates.

Sisi directed that the latest electronic and technological means and techniques be used in the judicial system and litigation procedures, and the necessary financial resources be provided, in a way that achieves the speedy completion and the sound management of procedures, with the aim of providing distinctive and advanced services to citizens.

According to the statement of the Egyptian presidency, the meeting also focused on the latest plans to upgrade the real estate registry system.