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Arab World

Egypt Supports a Political Solution that Preserves Syria’s Unity

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry - AAAWSAT AR
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry - AAAWSAT AR
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Egypt Supports a Political Solution that Preserves Syria’s Unity

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry - AAAWSAT AR
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry - AAAWSAT AR

Cairo is moving forward with its diplomatic efforts to boost the political process in Damascus through its membership in the "Small Group" on Syria that includes several Western and Arab countries.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held extensive international calls with various parties to resume the political track in Syria and activate the work of the Constitutional Committee, which would lead to presidential elections in June 2021, an Egyptian diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Shoukry discussed in a telephone call Wednesday the latest developments in Syria with the UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen.

Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Hafez, stated that the call comes within the coordination between Cairo and the UN to support a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country.

The FM asserted Egypt will continue to call for ending the war and reaching a reconciliation under UN Security Council Resolution 2254. He hoped this would be done in a way that preserves the unity of Syrian territories and achieves the aspirations of the Syrian people, which brings the country back to its natural position in the regional and international arenas.

The talks also addressed Cairo’s evaluation of the latest developments in Syria as well as its efforts to push forward the political process in the country through Egypt’s membership in the Small Group, including its talks with the moderate Syrian opposition groups.

The statement noted that both officials asserted that terrorist and radical organizations and their regional supporters must be stopped, adding that Syria should be supported during the coronavirus pandemic.

For his part, Pedersen was briefed on the latest developments in Syria and the continuous efforts with the Syrian parties to move forward with the political process.

The Special envoy expressed his appreciation for the balanced Egyptian role in supporting the reconciliation efforts and restoring security and stability in Syria.

On Tuesday, Shoukry met with representatives of the Syrian Opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) in Cairo, to discuss recent developments and ways to boost the political reconciliation process.

The HNC delegation expressed their appreciation of the Egyptian role to reach out to all Syrian parties and political powers to end the Syrian crisis as soon as possible.

In exclusive statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, HNC member Jamal Soleiman explained that the meeting with the FM was aimed at coordinating measures on recent developments in Syria, the situation of the Syrians abroad, and efforts to activate the Constitutional Committee.

Soleiman said opposition forces would consult with the Syrian government through written messages exchanged via UN mediator or Egypt itself.

He believes the remaining six-months period is not enough for drafting the constitution, stressing that if the constitution was not drafted before the elections, the conflict will continue and no solution will be reached.

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Arab World

Algerian Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Arson, Child Abduction

Lawmakers vote on a bill to amend the penal code. (Algerian Parliament)
Lawmakers vote on a bill to amend the penal code. (Algerian Parliament)
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Algerian Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Arson, Child Abduction

Lawmakers vote on a bill to amend the penal code. (Algerian Parliament)
Lawmakers vote on a bill to amend the penal code. (Algerian Parliament)

Algeria’s National People’s Assembly approved a bill on Thursday expanding the death penalty for arson and crimes against children, drawing opposition warnings about the irreversible consequences of judicial error.

The amendments to the penal code, passed by a large majority, provide for capital punishment for deliberately setting fire to forests and property, and for child abductions followed by murder or brutal abuse.

The measures aim to strengthen legal deterrence and protect society.

The government secured passage with support from lawmakers in the “presidential majority” — parties that back President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s policies: the National Liberation Front, the Democratic National Rally, the Future Front and the National Construction Movement.

Islamist lawmakers from the Movement of Society for Peace, the Ennahda Movement and the Justice and Development Front also backed the bill on religious grounds, despite being in opposition.

Lawmakers from the Workers’ Party, the Socialist Forces Front and the Rally for Culture and Democracy voted against it. Their small numbers gave them little sway over the outcome.

Justice Minister Lotfi Boudjemaa attended the vote after presenting the bill to the assembly last Monday.

Tougher penalties, renewed debate

The bill, which has stirred considerable controversy in Algeria, contains eight articles, including new provisions on arson, attacks on property and child abduction.

Among the toughest is Article 395 bis, which prescribes the death penalty for “anyone who deliberately sets fire to forests, scrubland, fields, whether cultivated or uncultivated, trees or sections of forest.”

It also covers timber stored in piles or bundles within forest areas.

Article 396 bis 1 extends capital punishment to “the deliberate burning of any property, public or private” when committed “for the benefit of a foreign state or foreign entity, in connection with treason, collusion with the enemy or membership in an organized criminal group.”

Article 396 bis 2 targets anyone who “incites, encourages, finances, organizes or facilitates these acts,” including acts committed or incited through social media.

For crimes against children, Article 291 prescribes the death penalty for “anyone who abducts a child, tortures a child, sexually assaults a child or amputates one of a child’s limbs,” notwithstanding any conflicting penalty under existing legislation.

Those convicted of any of these crimes cannot benefit from mitigating circumstances, further tightening the penalties.

The government proposed the amendments in direct response to devastating fires that swept through parts of eastern Algeria this summer, killing dozens of people. The killing of children after their abduction has also become alarmingly more prevalent in recent years.

“Justice should not respond to death with death”

The opposition warned that the law could turn the judiciary into “an instrument of revenge,” instead of protecting victims’ rights and helping them secure redress while safeguarding defendants’ rights and guaranteeing a fair trial.

“We believe that true justice should not respond to death with death,” said Mohammed Abdoussi, a lawmaker from the Rally for Culture and Democracy.

“No one has the right to take another person’s life, and the state and the judiciary are no exception to this principle,” he told parliament in remarks reported by the media.

“Our position on the death penalty is therefore clear and rooted in principle, and we have expressed it on many occasions.”

He said his parliamentary group had proposed abolishing the death penalty and replacing it with life imprisonment in 2008.

During debate on the bill, the group raised the tragedy of the 2021 fires in Kabylie and the killing of Djamel Ben Ismail, who was brutally attacked after local residents wrongly accused him of starting the fires.

“Following this crime, 48 people were sentenced to death, before the number of death sentences was reduced to 38 on appeal,” Abdoussi said.

“This raises a crucial question: Had the initial sentences been carried out, 10 additional people could have lost their lives on the basis of rulings that were subsequently changed.”

“This example demonstrates the danger of a punishment that cannot be reversed once carried out,” he added. “Human justice, however accurate, remains susceptible to error, while a death sentence cannot be corrected after it has been carried out.”

Arab World

Syria, Hezbollah Exchange Messages to Ease Security Tensions through Turkish Mediation

Hezbollah supporters carry Lebanese and Hezbollah flags during a commemoration marking the second anniversary of the assassination of the group’s former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah (EPA)
Hezbollah supporters carry Lebanese and Hezbollah flags during a commemoration marking the second anniversary of the assassination of the group’s former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah (EPA)
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Syria, Hezbollah Exchange Messages to Ease Security Tensions through Turkish Mediation

Hezbollah supporters carry Lebanese and Hezbollah flags during a commemoration marking the second anniversary of the assassination of the group’s former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah (EPA)
Hezbollah supporters carry Lebanese and Hezbollah flags during a commemoration marking the second anniversary of the assassination of the group’s former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah (EPA)

Security issues dominated secret Turkish-mediated talks between Hezbollah and Syria, during which the two sides exchanged messages aimed at easing tensions.

Hezbollah offered assurances that it would stay out of Syria’s security and military affairs and refrain from supporting groups affiliated with the former government, in return for a Syrian pledge not to intervene militarily in Lebanon as part of any plan to disarm the group there.

Reuters cited six sources familiar with the matter as saying representatives of the Syrian government and Lebanon’s Hezbollah held direct talks in Türkiye in an effort to ease tensions.

It described the meeting as the first known encounter of its kind between the two longtime adversaries.

While Hezbollah has kept silent on the matter, Lebanese sources familiar with the group’s activities told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was the second meeting.

An initial encounter to “break the ice” took place in Istanbul on the sidelines of the “Pledge for Jerusalem Conference,” hosted by Türkiye last December.

Hezbollah’s delegation was led by Ammar al-Moussawi, the group’s official responsible for Arab and international relations.

“Türkiye is continuing to mediate between the two sides, and contacts through Türkiye intensified after US President Donald Trump’s threats that Damascus could carry out the task of disarming Hezbollah,” the sources said, referring to remarks in which he said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa could accomplish the task.

The sources said the second meeting, reported by Reuters, took place in Türkiye during the first 10 days of September. No Hezbollah security or military officials attended, they added.

The two meetings “do not amount to negotiations or understandings, but fall within the framework of messages exchanged between the two sides through Turkish mediation,” the sources said.

Security priorities

Security issues top both sides’ priorities amid concerns, including Syrian fears that Hezbollah could support remnants of the former government or seek to reactivate the southern Syrian front against Israel.

Hezbollah has repeatedly denied in statements that it intervenes in Syrian affairs or supports any groups in southern Syria.

The sources said Türkiye “worked to address the fears previously raised by President Trump’s remarks about Syrian intervention inside Lebanon against Hezbollah, and provided assurances of no interference whatsoever in Lebanese affairs, in return for assurances from Hezbollah that it would stay entirely out of the Syrian arena, refrain from obstructing security measures along the border with Lebanon, and pledge not to provide support of any kind to groups affiliated with the former government.”

They said Hezbollah “publicly affirms that it is staying entirely out of the Syrian arena and is not intervening there in any way, maintaining its focus on Lebanon.”

Effort to ease tensions

Those accounts align with what Reuters reported from its sources, who included two Syrian officials, a US official and a senior Lebanese security source close to Hezbollah.

The six sources said the meeting took place last month at the invitation of Türkiye’s security and intelligence services in an effort to reduce tensions.

It brought together Hezbollah representatives and officials from Syria’s intelligence services and Foreign Ministry.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry, Türkiye’s foreign and defense ministries, and the US State Department did not respond to Reuters’ questions about the meeting. Hezbollah’s media office declined to comment.

Both Hezbollah and the Syrian government had signaled openness to talks.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said in July that Damascus was open to meeting the group. A month later, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said in a televised address that the group had no objection to meeting Syria’s leadership.

Resolving points of tension

The US official, the two Syrian officials and the Lebanese source said the meeting focused on resolving points of tension between the two sides and went well.

One Syrian official said the two sides agreed there was no hostility between them, and Syria assured Hezbollah it would not intervene militarily in Lebanon to disarm the group.

The official said Syrian representatives, in turn, asked Hezbollah to help halt cross-border smuggling attempts and dismantle its remaining sleeper cells, particularly in southern Syria.

According to Reuters, the Syrian official said Hezbollah’s representatives did not directly respond to the request to halt arms smuggling and dismantle its cells in Syria, but pledged not to interfere in Syrian affairs.

The Lebanese source, who had direct knowledge of the meeting and its outcome, said the two sides “made significant progress on security issues.”

“Hezbollah wants to protect its rear,” the source said, referring to fears of a Syrian attack on the group inside Lebanon.

Both the Syrian official and the Lebanese source said no final agreement was reached and there was no plan to issue an announcement. The Lebanese source said contacts between the two sides through Türkiye began about two months ago.

Iran absent from meeting

Three of the sources said Türkiye, a key ally of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, pushed for the meeting because it wanted to be directly involved in those efforts. Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, was absent from the meetings.

The Lebanese security source said Hezbollah attended with Iran’s knowledge, but Tehran was disappointed that it was not directly involved and that Sharaa has so far rejected the idea of establishing any direct relations with it.

That disappointment was the main reason no final agreement was reached and no announcement was made about the meeting, the source said.

Arab World

Egypt Warns of Israeli Attempts to Impose New Reality at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Egypt stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque’s religious standing (Reuters)
Egypt stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque’s religious standing (Reuters)
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Egypt Warns of Israeli Attempts to Impose New Reality at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Egypt stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque’s religious standing (Reuters)
Egypt stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque’s religious standing (Reuters)

Egypt warned that repeated Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque “aim to change the status quo and impose a new reality within the holy site.”

In a Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday, Egypt condemned the entry of hundreds of Israeli settlers into the mosque and the accompanying provocative acts and religious rituals in its courtyards, saying they violated its historical and legal status quo.

Egypt stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque’s religious standing.

It said maintaining existing arrangements governing the holy sites was crucial to preventing escalation, warning that repeated violations were fueling tensions.

Cairo said “these practices are part of a systematic policy that evades all forms of deterrence or accountability,” warning of consequences for security and stability in the occupied Palestinian territories and across the region.

The Arab League on Thursday condemned the entry of more than 1,300 Israeli settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque on the fifth day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

It also condemned the accompanying public religious rituals and prayers in the mosque’s courtyards under Israeli police protection, as well as restrictions on Palestinian worshippers and obstruction of their access.

It said: “The growing scale and frequency of these incursions, and the accompanying attempts to impose religious rituals inside the mosque, constitute a flagrant assault on its sanctity and a systematic effort to change its historical and legal status quo, imposing facts on the ground that pave the way for dividing it by time and space.”