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Iraq Warns Against Dangerous Violations of Precautionary Measures

A photo released by the Iraqi Health Ministry on its Twitter account to promote the vaccination campaign
A photo released by the Iraqi Health Ministry on its Twitter account to promote the vaccination campaign
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Iraq Warns Against Dangerous Violations of Precautionary Measures

A photo released by the Iraqi Health Ministry on its Twitter account to promote the vaccination campaign
A photo released by the Iraqi Health Ministry on its Twitter account to promote the vaccination campaign

The Iraqi Health Ministry warned on Thursday people posing as doctors were treating COVID-19 patients in illegal medical centers, putting the lives of Iraqis under threat.

“In the past few months, we have documented violations that threaten the lives of citizens. Some unauthorized persons are treating COVID-19 patients in illegitimate medical centers, and are promoting their practices through social media websites,” the Ministry said in a statement carried by the official news agency, nina.

It also accused the fake doctors of spreading misleading information about the pandemic, saying they are urging citizens not to wear masks and not to be vaccinated.

“Such practices are punished by Article 368 of the Iraqi Penal Code 111 of 1969,” the Ministry said, adding that coordination with the judicial and security authorities is necessary to follow up on the matter.

“We are keen to follow up the implementation of all preventive measures to confront the pandemic based on the recommendations of the Supreme Committee for National Health and Safety in order to maintain health security,” the Ministry statement added.

Iraq recorded 4,512 COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths in the past 24 hours, the Ministry said Thursday.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Iraq, 1,132,092 patients have contracted the disease, 1,028,627 of whom have recovered and 15,883 have died.

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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Resolution 1701 Only Tangible Proposal to End Lebanon Conflict

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut. (AFP file)

Politicians in Beirut said they have not received any credible information about Washington resuming its mediation efforts towards reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon despite reports to the contrary.

Efforts came to a halt after US envoy Amos Hochstein’s last visit to Beirut three weeks ago.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri dismissed the reports as media fodder, saying nothing official has been received.

Lebanon is awaiting tangible proposals on which it can build its position, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The only credible proposal on the table is United Nations Security Council resolution 1701, whose articles must be implemented in full by Lebanon and Israel, “not just Lebanon alone,” he stressed.

Resolution 1701 was issued to end the 2006 July war between Hezbollah and Israel and calls for removing all weapons from southern Lebanon and that the only armed presence there be restricted to the army and UN peacekeepers.

Western diplomatic sources in Beirut told Asharq Al-Awsat that Berri opposes one of the most important articles of the proposed solution to end the current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

He is opposed to the German and British participation in the proposed mechanism to monitor the implementation of resolution 1701. The other participants are the United States and France.

Other sources said Berri is opposed to the mechanism itself since one is already available and it is embodied in the UN peacekeepers, whom the US and France can join.

The sources revealed that the solution to the conflict has a foreign and internal aspect. The foreign one includes Israel, the US and Russia and seeks guarantees that would prevent Hezbollah from rearming itself. The second covers Lebanese guarantees on the implementation of resolution 1701.

Berri refused to comment on the media reports, but told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was the first time that discussions are being held about guarantees.

He added that “Israel is now in crisis because it has failed to achieve its military objectives, so it has resorted to more killing and destruction undeterred.”

He highlighted the “steadfastness of the UN peacekeepers in the South who have refused to leave their positions despite the repeated Israeli attacks.”