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Lebanon: CEDRE Donors Reduce Funding Pledges

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes then-Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri as he arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes then-Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri as he arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
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Lebanon: CEDRE Donors Reduce Funding Pledges

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes then-Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri as he arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes then-Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri as he arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

The first coordination meeting between the ambassadors of the CEDRE donor conference held in Paris in 2018 and Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s cabinet ended with a deal to reduce the value of the projects agreed between Lebanon and the international donors.

During the meeting, which was held at the Grand Serail on Tuesday, Diab emphasized that his cabinet was committed to implementing the reform program which was put forward by the previous government of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Some Arab ambassadors, whose countries had pledged to finance a number of projects, did not attend the meeting, but were represented by diplomats, as happened in talks held by the Friends of Lebanon Group at the invitation of Diab earlier this month.

While the French envoy in charge of following up on the reforms pledged by Lebanon at the CEDRE conference, Pierre Duquesne, stressed that the 2018 plan was “still valid”, other participants reminded the government that the approved administrative and financial reforms were closely tied with the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The ambassadors underlined that the reforms were mandatory to revive the CEDRE decisions and to obtain from the IMF a loan to finance Lebanon’s recovery plan.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, political sources questioned the reason behind the donors’ decision to reduce the funding value of the projects.

“Is it because the world is preoccupied with combating the outbreak of the coronavirus, or because Lebanon is not adhering to the policy of dissociation?” the sources asked.

The country is currently paying the price for obstructing the approval of reforms adopted during the international conference, according to the sources.

They pointed to a distorted relationship with a number of Arab countries, in particular Gulf states, which had agreed to finance projects included in the CEDRE reform plan.

“The government has not taken any initiative towards these countries, even though it is hinging on the Fund’s approval to finance the recovery plan to pave way for financial support to Lebanon,” the sources remarked.

Diab’s government is still extremely responsive to Hezbollah, and has not demonstrated its commitment to the policy of dissociation, they added.

Lebanon had won aid pledges exceeding $11 billion at the CEDRE conference.

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Arab World

16 Dead in Bus Crash in Egypt's Sinai

Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
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16 Dead in Bus Crash in Egypt's Sinai

Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)

A bus crash in Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday killed 16 people and injured 28 others, the health ministry reported.

Twenty ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident, which occurred on the road between the popular tourist towns of Dahab and Nuweiba on South Sinai's eastern coast, the ministry said.

Authorities said the injured were receiving medical care but did not say what caused the crash, according to AFP.

The area is a popular tourist destination, known for its marine biodiversity, natural beauty and mountain hiking trails.

Car crashes are common in Egypt, and often blamed on reckless driving, poor maintenance and uneven law enforcement.

Last year, nearly 6,000 people died in road accidents across the country, according to Egypt's state statistics agency.

Arab World

Yemen Announces Killing of ISIS Spokesman

Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)
Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)
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Yemen Announces Killing of ISIS Spokesman

Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)
Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)

Yemen announced on Tuesday the killing of the spokesman of the ISIS terrorist group Abou Huzayfah al-Ansari during an operation carried out by the Arab coalition special forces, with the support of Yemen's counter-terrorism force, "Force 22" in Seiyun city.

Informed Yemeni sources told Asharq Al-Awsat said the spokesman’s original name is Mithaq Thabet Haitham al-Hujaili, a Yemeni who hails from the Hajjah province.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said he was the spokesman of the entire terrorist organization, underlining the significance of the operation and his position in the group.

State security media in Yemen said the operation was carried out on Tuesday as part of the cooperation and exchange of intelligence between the State Security Service and Arab coalition joint command.

The forces were able to eliminate the target while he was hiding in a home in Seiyun, it added in a statement.

It said he was with eight civilians at the time, including a man, two women and five children. The forces managed to escort the women and children to a safe place. They were not harmed in the operation.

The other man was arrested. He was injured while resisting arrest.

The statement said that no one else was harmed and no property was damaged in the operation.

The forces discovered an explosives belt, which was detonated to avoid harming civilians, at the house. Also discovered were a laptop and five mobile phones.

The operation was declared a success. The statement did not provide more information about Abou Huzayfah or the details about how the forces were able to locate his whereabouts.

The operation took place as ISIS has lost its ability to maintain control over areas in Yemen following years of security and military operations against it.

The terrorist group had first emerged in the country in 2014, exploiting the collapse of state institutions in wake of the Houthi coup and the expansion of the war.

It managed to establish a presence in several regions, including al-Bayda, Hadramawt and Shabwa, before being dealt successive defeats that diminished its power.

The group then resorted to operating through limited cells and hiding in remote or residential areas and carrying out sporadic attacks using explosives.

The State Security Service vowed that the Yemeni government will continue to crack down on wanted terrorists and bring them to justice in cooperation with the Saudi-led Arab coalition and international partners.

Arab World

Iraqi Factions Set Conditions for Laying Down Arms

A member of an Iraqi armed faction. (X)
A member of an Iraqi armed faction. (X)
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Iraqi Factions Set Conditions for Laying Down Arms

A member of an Iraqi armed faction. (X)
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.