An association of judges in Poland published a report Saturday listing dozens of judges and prosecutors who face reprisals and disciplinary measures for having criticized or questioned changes the country’s right-wing government has made to the judicial system. The 200-page report issued by the Polish judges’ association Iustitia named judges and prosecutors who were called before disciplinary bodies, moved to lower courts or had cases taken away from them. The actions took place after the lawyers and jurists commented on the reorganization of the judiciary or issued rulings that seemed to deviate from government policy. Among those listed in the report as being subject to reprisals are Warsaw District Court Judge Igor Tuleya; Olsztyn District Court Judge Pawel Juszczyszyn; and Iustitia’s president, Judge Krystian Markiewicz of the District Court in Katowice. Markiewicz has urged the European Union to act in defense of judicial independence in Poland. Some 4,000 out of Poland’s 10,000 judges are Iustitia members. “As judges we stand guard over the civil rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution,” said the English-language version of the report. “We do not and will not agree to politicize the courts,” it said. ‘Slandering’ judges, prosecutorsThe report also names and quotes government and judiciary officials who, it says, have been publicly “slandering” the judges and prosecutors in Poland and internationally. The government says the changes it has introduced since 2016 were designed to make the justice system more efficient and free of jurists left over from Poland’s communist era. In response to criticism coming from newer judges, the government said it is taking steps to prevent “anarchy” in the court system. The EU, international judicial bodies and critics in Poland have said the changes could undercut judicial independence, the rule of law, and the democratic system of checks and balances. One recent law allows politicians to fine and fire judges who are considered biased because of their group affiliations or who take actions regarded by the government as harmful to the Polish court system. Candidate’s promiseAt a political convention Saturday, the main opposition candidate in Poland’s May 10 presidential election said that if elected, she would make right “all wrongs done to independent judges” by the ruling Law and Justice party. “Poland’s judges are persecuted,” Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, who is running for the pro-EU Civic Platform party, said. Kidawa-Blonska is among several candidates challenging Poland’s incumbent president, Andrzej Duda. Opinion polls suggest she may provide competition for Duda, who is backed by the ruling party. Kidawa-Blonska said that as president, she would work to regain Poland’s place as a respected European Union member and to unify the country after what she described as divisions created by the conservative Law and Justice government. She said her guiding values would be “mutual respect, trust and honesty.”
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Month: February 2020
Poll: Sinn Fein Would Easily Win Repeat Irish Election
The pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein party would easily win a repeat Irish election if ongoing government talks fail, with an opinion poll on Saturday showing it has almost twice as much support as its two nearest rivals. The left-wing party’s support jumped to 35%, ahead of Fianna Fail at 20% and acting Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s Fine Gael at 18% in a Sunday Times/Behaviour & Attitudes poll that may influence early talks between the two center-right rivals. Sinn Fein shocked the political establishment in an election earlier this month by securing more votes than any other party for the first time, almost doubling its vote to 24.5%, ahead of Fianna Fail at 22.2% and Fine Gael at 20.9%. But it has been frozen out of government talks by its two rivals, who refuse to contemplate sharing power because of policy differences and Sinn Fein’s history as the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, the militant group that fought against British rule in Northern Ireland. The conflict, in which 3,600 people were killed, was resolved in a 1998 peace deal. Too few candidatesCaught by surprise themselves, Sinn Fein ran too few candidates to emerge with the most seats — a mistake it will not make next time around. It has already begun a series of packed national rallies to shore up its support. Both Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail have 37 seats in the fractured 160-seat parliament, with Fine Gael at 35, meaning some sort of combination of two of the three largest parties is required to form a government. Bruised by its election defeat, Fine Gael will reluctantly hold a “one-day policy exchange” with Fianna Fail next week as well as similar talks with the Green Party, whose 12 seats would be needed for the two historic rivals to reach a majority. If Ireland’s two dominant parties cannot agree to lead the next government while also maintaining their steadfast opposition to governing with Sinn Fein, a second election would be the only way to break the deadlock. All sides predict talks will take several weeks before such a choice has to be made.
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Socialist Hardliners Aim Guns on Guaido March in Venezuela
Socialist hardliners in Venezuela opened fire during a march headed by Juan Guaido, injuring a 16-year-old demonstrator and adding to tensions in the country as the opposition leader seeks to revive his campaign to oust Nicolas Maduro. A photo of the confrontation provided exclusively to The Associated Press shows a masked man brandishing a pistol pointed toward a group of opposition activists, including Guaido, who can be seen staring down the unidentified man. The confusing incident Saturday in the central city of Barquisimeto was believed to be the first time pro-government vigilantes known as colectivos had aimed a weapon at Guaido, whom the U.S. and more than 50 other countries recognize as Venezuela’s rightful leader following Maduro’s re-election in 2018 in a race marred by irregularities. The city’s former mayor and opposition activist Alfredo Ramos said the marchers led by Guaido were “ambushed” by about 200 colectivo members and government security forces loyal to Maduro. Ramos said worse bloodshed was avoided because the unidentified man did not open fire at that moment. Marchers scatterBut later, as the crowd swelled, a 16-year-old demonstrator was shot in the leg and several others were roughed up as the colectivos harassed participants, in some cases stealing their cellphones. Amid the sound of bullets firing into the air, the marchers quickly scattered. “Courage and strength,” Guaido said in a conversation with the injured activist that was videotaped by his aides while their caravan headed back to Caracas. “We’re going to achieve freedom for our country.” The AP was not present at the rally and was unable to verify the lawmakers’ account. There was no immediate comment from the Maduro government. Dimitris Pantoulas, a Caracas political analyst, said the incident underscored the forceful role being played in Venezuela by the colectivos. As political turmoil has swept over Venezuela the past year, armed groups loyal to Maduro have been increasingly deployed by a government determined to resist domestic opposition and mounting international pressure, Pantoulas said. Trouble ahead?”This is a tactic by the government to use violence by colectivos to intimidate its opponents,” said Pantoulas. “Every day the collectivos are feeling stronger inside the Maduro government. One day, the situation could easily get out of hand and lead to bloodshed.” While colectivos in the past have been subordinate to Maduro, Pantoulas cautioned that as the embattled leader’s grip on power has weakened, some have strayed and operate independently or are aligned with other Chavista revolution bosses. Saturday’s event marked Guaido’s first public trip outside Caracas since he returned from an international tour to rally support, including a White House meeting with President Donald Trump, who invited Guaido as a special guest to his annual State of the Union address. Guaido was met by rowdy Maduro supporters when he returned to Venezuela. Guaido, surrounded by security, pushed his way through the crowd as it pounded on his departing vehicle. His uncle, who returned on the same flight, was jailed on suspicion of bringing explosives into the country, charges Guaido called a threat against him.
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Ecuador Reports 1st Coronavirus Case; Mexico Reports 2 More
Officials in Ecuador on Saturday confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the South American nation, while Mexico reported two more cases and Brazil one more.
Ecuador’s Health Minister Catalina Andramuno Zeballos said a more-than-70-year-old Ecuadoran woman who lives in Spain arrived in the country on Feb. 14 showing no symptoms of illness.
“In the following days she began to feel badly with a fever,” Andramuno said at a news conference, adding that she was taken to a medical center. The National Institute of Public Health and Investigation in Ecuador confirmed the virus.
The deputy minister of health, Julio Lopez said that the patient’s condition was “critical.”
It was the second case in South America, following a Brazilian case reported on Wednesday. The Sao Paulo state health department reported another Brazilian case later on Saturday _ a person who had recently visited Italy.
Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno sent out a tweet urging people to stay calm, and the Interior Ministry announced it was barring mass gatherings in the cities of Guayaquil – where the infected woman was located – and Babahoyo.People wearing face masks wearing masks wait for the arrival of their relatives at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, in Quito, Ecuador, Feb. 29, 2020.Mexico’s Health Department said late Friday that a new case had been confirmed in Mexico City, adding to the first two confirmed cases announced earlier that day. One of those was also in the capital, and the other in the northwestern state of Sinaloa.
Miguel Riquelme Solis, the governor of the northern border state of Coahuila, said Saturday that federal health officials had confirmed a fourth case, in the city of Torreon: a 20-year-old woman who traveled to Europe, including Milan, Italy, in January and February and returned to Mexico in recent days.
“Two days later she began to have symptoms,” Riquelme told Milenio television.
State Health Secretary Roberto Bernal said the woman was in good health. She and family members were under a 14-day quarantine, and two other young people who traveled with her had been in contact with authorities.
Mexican health officials said the country is not currently facing a national emergency over the virus.
Assistant Health Secretary Hugo Lopez-Gatell said that as long as the country is seeing only isolated cases there’s no need to take “extreme measures such as canceling mass events.”
Mexico was ground zero for the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 virus, also called swine flu, and many in the country have vivid memories of that time.
Back then many stayed home as much as possible and avoided gatherings out of fear. Shops, restaurants and other businesses closed. In the capital, streets were eerily quiet compared with the usual chaotic traffic.
So far there has been no repeat of that sort of fear.
There were reports of increased purchases of items like face masks and hand sanitizer, and the National Alliance of Small Businesses said shortages of those items would likely cause prices to rise.
The Roman Catholic Bishops Conference in Mexico said parishioners should avoid physical contact during the ritual exchange of wishes for peace and said communion wafers should be placed in Mass-goers’ hands instead of their mouths.
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Deal With Taliban Paves Way for Start of US Pullout From Afghanistan
In a historic deal signed with the Taliban on Saturday in Doha, the United States promised to bring its troops home from Afghanistan in 14 months, with the first reduction, down to 8,600 from 13,000, to take place in the first 135 days. Full withdrawal will depend on the Taliban sticking to their end of the bargain — making sure they prevent anyone in areas under their control, including al-Qaida, from posing a threat to the U.S. or its allies, and successfully negotiating with other Afghans on the future road map of the country. “We will closely watch the Taliban’s compliance with their commitments and calibrate the pace of our withdrawal to their actions,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in his statement at the deal-signing ceremony. The agreement also details some of the steps required to start the intra-Afghan negotiations. “The United States is committed to start immediately to work with all relevant sides on a plan to expeditiously release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides,” the text of the deal reads. Up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners and up to 1,000 Afghan security forces members will be released by March 10, the first scheduled day of intra-Afghan negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news conference after a signing ceremony between members of Afghanistan’s Taliban delegation and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar, Feb. 29, 2020.Afghans’ fate in Afghans’ handsWhile the U.S. would facilitate negotiations between the two sides, Pompeo emphasized that his country would let Afghans decide their own fate. “When it comes down to it, the future of Afghanistan is for the Afghans to determine. The U.S.-Taliban deal creates the conditions for Afghans to do just that,” he said. The head of the Taliban delegation, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who signed the agreement on behalf of the insurgent group, said negotiations should be based on Islamic values. “I call on all Afghan sides to come to the table of negotiations with honesty to form an independent and strong Islamic system, thus we may all gather around Islamic values and national interest,” he said in his statement. Once the intra-Afghan negotiations start, the U.S. would also review sanctions against members of the Taliban “with the goal of removing these sanctions by August 27, 2020.” Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu are among those attending a signing ceremony between members of Afghanistan’s Taliban and the U.S. in Doha, Qatar, Feb. 29, 2020.The Saturday ceremony was attended by representatives of 19 countries and four international organizations. Campaign promiseA statement issued by the White House said the deal fulfilled one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises. “President Trump promised to bring our troops home from overseas and is following through on that promise,” it said. Trump later spoke to reporters to thank U.S. allies for approving his Afghan peace plan, saying he believed the Taliban would deliver on their commitments. He warned that U.S. troops would go back if “bad things happen,” though Trump appeared confident it would not be necessary. “I will be meeting personally with the Taliban leaders in the not too distant future and we will be very much hoping that they will be doing what they say they are going to be doing; they will be killing terrorists, they will keep that fighting going,” the U.S. president said. FILE – A photo circulated by the Taliban of Hibatullah Akhundzada.A message from Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada categorized the agreement as a victory. “This victory is a collective victory of the entire Muslim and Mujahid nation,” he said in a written statement, adding that “the accord about the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan and never intervening in its affairs in the future is undoubtedly a great achievement.” Taliban spokesman Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai said that after the United States withdraws its forces, the Taliban would like it to return and participate in Afghanistan’s rehabilitation. The signing was preceded by a week of reduction in violence in which all sides — the Taliban, the U.S., NATO forces in Afghanistan and the Afghan government — agreed not to initiate an attack. The war, which has lasted 19 years, has cost more than 100,000 lives and more than $1 trillion.
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French Film Awards Held Amid Calls for More Diversity
France’s annual Cesar Award film ceremony Friday is already clouded in controversy, with a shake-up of its board, sexual assault accusations against top director Roman Polanski, and now, fresh calls for more diversity on screen.After Hollywood, French cinema is having its own introspective moment. The latest hashtag trending this week is #BlackCesars, after some 30 leading members of France’s film industry denounced its lack of diversity. In an open letter published in a French newspaper this week, they claimed actors, directors and producers of ethnic African and Asian origin, and those from France’s overseas territories, are essentially invisible. They mostly get insignificant roles, the group claimed, that would never allow them to be nominated for Cesars or other awards. Many of the signatories are from minority backgrounds. Hermann Ebongue, secretary general of anti-discrimination group SOS Racisme, notes calls for more diversity in the industry are not new. Although this year’s Academy Awards faced similar criticism, he believes minority artists in the United States still have more opportunities to become stars than in France. The #BlackCesars petition also points to what it calls a paradox of American film director Spike Lee becoming the first black head of the Cannes Film Festival’s jury in May. The diversity criticism here comes amid a shake-up of the Cesar’s management. Its board resigned en masse earlier this month, after film industry members accused it of being undemocratic and dysfunctional.Women’s rights activists protest against multiple nominations for Roman Polanski at the Cesar Awards ceremony, in Paris, France, Feb. 28, 2020.Meanwhile, another crisis is part of the backdrop of the awards ceremony. Franco-Polish film director Roman Polanski, whose movie An Officer and a Spy tops the list of nominations, faces accusations of rape and sexual harassment. He denies the accusations and said he would not attend following a storm of protest. Some minority actors and directors have broken the glass ceiling here. Among them: film star Omar Sy, and director Ladj Ly, whose movie Les Miserables — set in France’s rough, multi-ethnic banlieues, or suburbs, — is another leading Cesar contender. Ly was also France’s first black film director to be nominated for an Oscar this year. But activists say these stars remain the exceptions. Their box-office success, they say, proves French audiences also want more diversity onscreen. Ebongue, of SOS Racisme, says real change will come when the industry as a whole signs on to petitions like #BlackCesars — and not just a minority of members.
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US, Taliban Sign Historic Afghan Peace Deal
The United States and the Taliban signed a landmark agreement Saturday in Doha, Qatar, setting the stage for ending a nearly 19-year-old war in Afghanistan and bringing back home thousands of American troops deployed there. U.S. chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban deputy chief for political affairs, inked the pact at a ceremony at a hotel in the Qatari capital where Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the foreign ministers of a number of countries were in attendance.In a statement issued after the deal with the Taliban was signed, the White House noted President Donald Trump is making good on his promise to bring U.S. troops home from endless wars overseas by working toward peace in Afghanistan.”An agreement has been reached with the Taliban that secures important commitments that are necessary to finally end the conflict in Afghanistan. While work remains, this progress provides a historic opportunity for peace,” the statement reads. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a signing ceremony of the U.S.-Taliban agreement in the Qatari capital Doha, Feb. 29, 2020.Under the agreement, Washington and its allies are committed to immediately begin withdrawal of all military forces from Afghanistan within 14 months from five bases there in return for guarantees Afghan soil will not harbor transnational terrorist groups. Within the first 135 days, the number of American forces would be brought down to 8,600 from roughly 13,000 currently stationed in the country.The Taliban also is committed to engage in peace negotiations with Afghan stakeholders on a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing in post-war Afghanistan. The intra-Afghan talks are supposed to begin within 10 days. In the days leading up to the those negotiations, the Afghan government is to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners while the insurgents have to free around 1,000 detainees from its custody.”This agreement will mean nothing and today’s good feelings will not last if we don’t take concrete action on commitments and promises that have been made,” Pompeo told the signing ceremony in Doha. He stressed that ultimately it will be up to Afghans to determine their future through intra-Afghan talks. “The U.S.-Taliban deal creates the conditions for Afghans to do just that.”The reclusive Taliban chief, Haibatullah Akhundzada, who allegedly is living in Pakistan, urged his fighters to honor the peace, declaring it a victory for the insurgent group.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Afghan opposition presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper pose for a photo at the presidential palace in Kabul, Feb. 29, 2020.Esper told a news conference Saturday during his visit to Kabul that a lack of commitment on the part of the Taliban could force Washington to pull out of the agreement. He said the U.S. will closely watch the Taliban’s actions in terms of further reducing insurgent violence and showing progress in intra-Afghan negotiations to demonstrate their efforts toward peace are being made in good faith. “Should the Taliban fail to honor their commitments, they will forfeit their chance to sit with fellow Afghans and deliberate on the future of their country. Moreover, the United States would not hesitate to nullify the agreement,” Esper warned. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, while speaking along with Esper and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said his government is ready to engage with the Taliban on a wider agenda to promote peace in the country.”They should be ready to discuss their relationship with their state and non-state sponsors, a verifiable system for cutting off their ties with all transnational terrorist groups, their dependence and involvement narcotics and other transnational criminal organizations positively,” Ghani said.The Taliban has consistently refused to engage in peace talks with Ghani and his government, however, dismissing it as an American puppet. The insurgent group says, though, it would not oppose participation of government officials in their individual capacity in intra-Afghan talks with an inclusive delegation comprising representatives of other Afghan political, as well as civil society, groups. A reduction of violence agreement between the U.S. and Taliban went into effect seven days ago, and its success paved the way for Saturday’s signing.FILE – Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2019.Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai told VOA’s Afghan service, “We are very happy to see the signing taking place on Saturday. It’s a welcomed thing. And from that point on, we hope that the intra-Afghan dialogue will start as soon as possible so Afghans can sit together and bringing lasting peace to our beloved country.”The head of strategic relations at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Peace Affairs, Najiyah Anwari, said, “The delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan government will be inclusive … in a way that it is able to represent Afghanistan well and to keep the achievements of Afghan people and their demands in the past two decades and fight for it.”U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, which started nearly 19 years ago, after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has cost Washington almost $1 trillion and the lives of about American 2,400 military personnel.
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Somalia’s Sufi Muslim Leaders Surrender to Government
The leaders of a Sufi Muslim group turned themselves into the custody of the Somali government Saturday after fighting left 22 people dead in central Somalia.Moallim Mohamud Sheikh, the spiritual leader, and Sheikh Mohamed Shakir, the chief of Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jamaa (ASWJ), are in the custody of the Somali national army in the town of Dhusamareb after the group’s militias were overpowered in a battle with government forces. Dhusamareb is the administrative capital of Galmudug state.”Our security forces have ended the standoff and disarmed all ASWJ militias,” Osman Isse Nur, the spokesperson of the newly elected president, told VOA.Speaking in a video posted online, ASWJ chief Sheikh Shakir said his group ceded power to the Somali national army.”We agreed to end the fighting for the sake of the civilians. We agreed to hand over ASWJ militias to the commander general who will, in return, take responsibility for the safety of all our members, including the leader,” Shakir said in the video.At least 22 people were killed in clashes that broke out Thursday night after ASWJ militias fired on a government checkpoint in Dhusamareeb.The fighting continued Friday morning before spreading to the nearby town of Guricel in the Galgadud region.
Reports say normalcy returned to Dhusamareb Saturday as residents, who were forced to flee, came back and reopened their businesses.Three rival politicians are claiming to be the leader of Galmudug state. Early this month, the parliament of Galmudug elected Ahmed Abdi Kariye as president. He is a former minister backed by the government. ASWJ chief Sheikh Shakir rejected the action, however, and declared himself president, while former president Ahmed Duale refused to cede power.The Sufi group ASWJ played a pivotal role in the fight against al-Shabab militants, and early this week, a U.S. diplomat said in remarks at the U.N. Security Council briefing that internal rivalries among allies in Somalia could derail the effort to combat al-Qaida-linked insurgents.
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Coronavirus Threatening Europe’s Open-Border Goals
In another one of its many fallouts, the coronavirus is creating new strains for Europe’s 26-nation Schengen zone that allows for the free movement of people among member states. European officials say, for now, there is no reason to close borders, but the spread of the virus seems to bolster nationalist arguments for the zone to be scrapped altogether. Like in most places these days, the coronavirus outbreak is topping the French news. Several dozen cases have been reported so far. The government is advising precautionary measures like not shaking hands and forgoing the traditional kiss on both cheeks. The post office has suspended link with China. The bigger worry, for now, lies in neighboring Italy. For the moment, the borders between France and Italy remain open. However, a recent decision to allow 3,000 Italian fans to travel to the French city of Lyon for a football match sparked controversy. That’s just one example testing Europe’s decades-old Schengen zone. The concept of open internal borders is a cornerstone of European Union goals for closer integration—although Schengen includes several non-EU members, such as Switzerland. Europe Races to Ready Hospitals for Coronavirus Break OutWith public health experts warning a tipping point for coronavirus is getting closer, European authorities are racing to ready their health systems to cope with a flood of sick and highly contagious patientsAs yet, the EU has not called for closing Schengen borders. However, its top official for communicable diseases, Andrea Ammon, said Europe must prepare for more serious outbreaks, like Italy’s. “Our assessment is that we will likely see similar situations in other countries in Europe, and that the picture may, in the coming weeks, vary from country to country,” Ammon said.Experts say closing borders won’t prevent the virus from crossing them but that hasn’t stopped nationalist parties from pushing this move. Here’sAmong them is Marine Le Pen, head of France’s main opposition National Rally party. But speaking on French radio this week, she wrongly claimed the EU has not said a word about the coronavirus outbreak. She said the bloc has only condemned those who want more border control — proving an open-border ideology that is almost a religion. Nationalist politicians in Austria, Italy and Switzerland have made similar remarks. They have long lobbied for closed borders to stop migration. The coronavirus has reinforced these arguments. At the same time, Schengen has also been weakened by member states. A few years ago some, such as Hungary, closed their borders to counter the migration crisis. France closed its borders after the 2015 terrorist attacks on its soil.While the Schengen system allows for temporary closures, experts say in practice some countries are turning “temporary” into a more permanent state of affairs.
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UN-Mediated Political Talks on Libya End in Disarray
U.N.-mediated political talks aimed at resolving the crisis in Libya have ended in disarray, with nothing accomplished except an agreement to meet again next month. The talks got off to a shambolic start. Before the first round of Libyan political negotiations even began, members of opposition warring groups suspended their participation. U.N. envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame acknowledged that this caught him off guard.”We were surprised the day the meeting was supposed to start that some people had to leave because they were asked to. However, those who stayed decided that the occasion was too rare and precious and therefore that the political track should start with those who stayed in Geneva,” Salame said.Libya has been in a state of crisis ever since rebel military commander Khalifa Haftar attacked Tripoli last April. The military assault on the capital and seat of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.Boys stand near a damaged house after shells fell on a residential area, in Abu Slim district, south of Tripoli, Libya, Feb. 28, 2020.The U.N. has been pursuing three parallel negotiations. The resolution of Libya’s crisis hangs on the continuation and outcome of those military, economic and political tracks. Salame said the economic-financial track is going well. But the military track is in trouble because the warring parties continue to violate a temporary cease-fire. That, he said, is having a serious effect on the political negotiations. During the past week, he said, many areas have been hit by shelling, including the Tripoli airport.
“Many areas of the capital have been also shelled. It is clear that neither one of the three tracks can move positively while the cannon is doing what it is doing right now,” he said.Salame is calling on the two sides to respect the truce they had accepted last month during a summit in Berlin. He also is calling on countries of influence, including those that are intervening in Libyan affairs, to put pressure on those that violate the cease-fire and on those that violate the U.N. arms embargo on Libya.A United Nations report names Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as chief offenders.
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Europe Races to Ready Hospitals for Coronavirus Break Out
With public health experts warning a tipping point for coronavirus is getting closer, European authorities are racing to try to ready their health systems to cope with a flood of sick and highly contagious patients.European countries are still in containment mode but they’re also trying simultaneously to prepare their health services and hospitals for a possible pandemic and to delay any patient surge within their borders. They acknowledge that with some evidence emerging, as yet unconfirmed, that the virus can be spread by asymptomatic people, infection control — from containment to delaying a spread — is becoming harder.Ukraine, which has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19, has stepped up what it calls “sanitary controls” on its borders, now that neighboring countries are reporting cases. Those entering the country are meant to have their temperatures checked and officials are urging Ukrainians to refrain from travel to European Union countries. Anyone who has, especially to countries affected by the virus, is being asked to isolate themselves.In the meantime, Ukrainian authorities are preparing to reorganize the country’s hospital network and have advised medical centers to consider postponing scheduled operations to leave beds free for a possible outbreak. Local authorities have been ordered to pick two hospitals in their area to be designated to handle suspected coronavirus patients. World Health Organization specialists have started to train Ukrainian medical personnel on how to handle patients who test positive.“We are ready to brace for the coronavirus. At the same time, we are doing everything to prevent it from getting into the country,” Deputy Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said Friday.Ukrainian National Guard servicemen patrol by the gate of a military medical facility where evacuees from coronavirus-hit China are quarantined, in the town of Novi Sanzhary, Poltava region, Ukraine, Feb. 21, 2020.EU public health officials say the continent is better prepared to cope with a pandemic than others, thanks to the development over many years of Europe-wide medical networks able to quickly disseminate the latest clinical research and to collate data. Herman Goossens, director of a network known as the Platform for European Preparedness Against Emerging Epidemics, told reporters last week that acting fast and taking proactive action is critical in managing viral outbreaks.In Britain, where 20 have tested positive for the virus out of nearly 8,000 people tested, the rapid spread in some parts of Europe, especially Italy, is dispelling hopes that containment alone can help the country escape the virus unscathed.On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will chair a meeting of the country’s COBRA emergency committee of ministers to discuss preparations. The British strategy so far, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, is “contain, delay, research and mitigate.”Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, said midweek the hope is that Britain can avoid an epidemic until later in the year, when more may be known about the virus and how to combat it. Also, the country’s winter will be over and the demands on the National Health Service reduced. Infection-control and containment measures appear to be working currently. Britons returning from affected countries are being asked to isolate themselves, and those who are sick are being treated in specialist units with anyone they had contact with prior to diagnosis traced and ordered to isolate themselves.Officials say, though, that it is “only a matter of time” before there’s a spread in Britain, and there are worries about whether the hard-pressed National Health Service, which is short of staff and capacity after years of reduced funding, will be able to cope in the face of a full-throttle emergency. The agency’s telephone advice service has been overwhelmed by a high volume of calls and there have been complaints that anxious callers are being given contradictory advice.A general view shows Burbage Primary School in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, Feb. 27, 2020. The school has been closed after a student’s parent tested positive for the coronavirus.Health officials have dusted off a 2009 battle plan drawn up to cope with a possible swine flu pandemic. Under that plan the National Health Service would prioritize access, postpone non-emergency operations and possibly treat only emergency patients. Most controversially of all, lifesaving care during a severe coronavirus outbreak could be denied to those deemed most likely not to survive. Ventilators and beds, if intensive care units are struggling to cope, would be rationed.
British officials say that single-payer health systems such as the National Health Service may have an advantages over countries with privately financed health systems as they have clearer command-and-control structures. In Britain, as elsewhere though, the big question is whether sheer numbers could be overwhelming for a service that many complain has been inadequate since funding cuts were imposed in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.Ministers are drafting emergency legislation ready for a serious upsurge and, under the plans, medical staff and other armed forces and British Red Cross personnel could be drafted to help the health service cope and to replace sick hospital staff.However, some British doctors say government ministers are being dishonest in suggesting the NHS is well prepared. They say the country’s critical-care capacity is already overstretched and would buckle in the face of a pandemic.A critical care consultant from a major London hospital told Britain’s Independent newspaper Saturday, “There isn’t any slack in the system. We are grossly under resourced. I hear them say the NHS is well prepared. We are not well prepared, it is media spin. As an NHS, we would crumble under the weight of those who need critical care.” The British Thoracic Society warned Saturday that respiratory wards are already “understaffed and overstretched” just coping with the winter season of flu and bronchitis cases.A government spokesman, though, said in a statement, “The UK is a world leader in preparing for and managing disease outbreaks, and our approach will always be led by medical experts. We have been clear from the outset that we expect coronavirus to have some impact on the UK and a global pandemic could have a pronounced effect on the NHS, which is why we are planning for every eventuality.”French lab scientists in protective suits work on developing a quick test for detecting the coronavirus, at Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, Feb. 6, 2020.In France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has been convening emergency meetings in an effort to increase the French medical system’s readiness. An extra 70 hospitals are now being prepared to receive coronavirus patients, bringing to 108 the number of hospitals being readied for an outbreak. Each mainland departement of France has a designated coronavirus hospital.France had 57 confirmed cases as of Friday, with all but a dozen having been diagnosed since the major outbreak in neighboring Italy a week before. The country is boosting its testing capacity for the virus. Health Minister Olivier Veran said this week, “I have called the head of the University Hospital Institute of Infectious Diseases in Marseille, it is able to perform 1,000 tests per day in the area of Marseille alone. In the hospitals of Paris we are at 400 tests per day. We are going to be able to amplify the screening to be able to answer all the requests at that scale across France.” Like other European countries, France is scrambling to obtain high-quality protective masks and clothing for health workers. French ministers, like their counterparts in Germany, say they’re ready to follow Italy’s example and to lock down villages or towns that witness a cluster of cases. “We are preparing for an epidemic. We are now moving to stage 2. The virus is circulating in our country and we must stop its spread,” Veran said Friday.However, with cases now in Italy, France and Britain of people contracting the virus with no identifiable link to overseas travel, time may be running out, public health officials admit.
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US, Afghan Taliban Peace Deal Set for Signing
After nearly 19 years of fighting, representatives of the United States and Afghan Taliban are expected to sign a peace deal Saturday in Doha, Qatar.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be among those witnessing the signing of the agreement, which is intended to lead to talks between the Taliban and Afghan government officials on ending their conflict, and at drawing down the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 8,600 from 13,000.U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Taliban and the Afghan government to “seize this opportunity for peace,” and said if they live up to the commitments, “we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home.”Defense Secretary Mark Esper will also issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan, according to Trump’s Friday statement.A reduction of violence agreement between the U.S. and Taliban went into effect seven days ago, and its success paved the way for Saturday’s signing.FILE – Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2019.Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai told VOA’s Afghan service “We are very happy to see the signing taking place on Saturday. It’s a welcomed thing. And from that point on, we hope that the intra-Afghan dialogue will start as soon as possible so Afghans can sit together and bringing lasting peace to our beloved country.”The talks between the Taliban and Afghan officials are supposed to begin with in 10 days.The head of strategic relations at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Peace Affairs, Najiyah Anwari, said, “The delegation of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan government will be inclusive … in a way that it is able to represent Afghanistan well and to keep the achievements of Afghan people and their demands in past two decades and fight for it.”Former Taliban attorney general and deputy minister of justice Mawlavi Jalaluddin Shinwari told VOA that for their part, “The Taliban in the intra-Afghan talks want the participation of influential individuals in other words, the anti-Taliban leaders who have fought against the Taliban before.”Under the agreement, Afghanistan is to release 5,000 Taliban from government jails, while the Taliban agree to not allow extremists use Afghanistan to plot attacks against the United States or its allies.The U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, which started nearly 19 years ago, after the September 11, 2001, attacks, has cost Washington almost $1 trillion and the lives of about 2,400 military personnel.VOA’s Eunjung Cho and Bezhan Hamdard contributed to this report.
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No Deal from US-Brokered Nile Dam Talks
The Trump administration has concluded two days of what was supposed to be the final round of talks on the Grand Ethiopian Dam without reaching a deal and without the presence of Ethiopia after that country said Wednesday that it is walking away from negotiations on the project.Addis Ababa and Cairo have been at odds in a water war on the issue of the filling and operation of the giant Ethiopian dam that Egypt worries could threaten its supply of water from the Nile.Instead of meeting with the three countries involved in the conflict, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, host of the negotiations, participated in bilateral meetings with ministers of foreign affairs and ministers of water resources of Egypt and Sudan.Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill, Feb. 12, 2020, in Washington.Treasury statementAccording to a Treasury statement late Friday, the United States “facilitated the preparation of an agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) based on provisions proposed by the legal and technical teams of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and with the technical input of the World Bank.”“The United States believes that the work completed over the last four months has resulted in an agreement that addresses all issues in a balanced and equitable manner, taking into account the interests of the three countries,” the statement said, adding that the final testing and filling of the dam “should not take place without an agreement.”The statement noted “the readiness of the government of Egypt to sign the agreement” and recognized that “Ethiopia continues its national consultations.”Ethiopia leavesOn Wednesday Ethiopia said it would not participate in the latest rounds of negotiations. The country’s ambassador to the United States, Fitsum Arega, said on Twitter that, “Ethiopia will not sign any agreement that gives up its rights on how to use its own Nile water.”በታላቁ የኢትዮጵያ ህዳሴ ግድብ ዙሪያ ከባለድርሻ አካላት ጋር በመደረግ ላይ ያለው ውይይት ባለማጠናቀቁ የአሜሪካ ትሬዥሪ ዲፓርትመንት እ.ኤ.አ ፌብሩዋሪ 27-28/2020 በዋሽንግተን ዲ.ሲ. በቀጠረው መድረክ ላይ ኢትዮጵያ መገኘት እንደማትችል አስታወቀች::— Fitsum Arega (@fitsumaregaa) February 26, 2020A second statement by Ethiopia’s Water, Irrigation and Energy Ministry, published by Ethiopia’s state-owned media, said it would not take part in this week’s meetings because it has not completed internal consultations.“They aren’t really talks without Ethiopia,” said Bronwyn Bruton, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center.Sources tell VOA that Ethiopia has been urging Mnuchin since Feb. 13 to postpone the talks, as well as remind the U.S. of its “neutral observer status.” Mnuchin responded that the U.S. will continue talks as planned.Mnuchin also disputed Ethiopia’s characterization of his role, saying that the observer status the U.S. agreed to is limited to regional technical negotiations and does not include Washington talks.Despite the setback, the process may not be entirely lost.Ethiopia is calling this a postponement, said William Davison, senior Ethiopia analyst at the International Crisis Group.“They’re not suggesting that the meeting has been canceled forever, but only that they need more time to prepare for it,” he said.THREAD #Ethiopia decision to skip #GERD meeting is latest twist in windy decade-long process It indicates U.S. attempts to push parties into filling and operation deal failed – but it’s unlikely to be end of attempts to strike agreementhttps://t.co/0jJdFyQ64O1/12— William Davison (@wdavison10) February 27, 2020Final negotiations among Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the guidelines and rules of filling and operation of the $4.5 billion mega dam were scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Mnuchin, whom U.S. President Donald Trump had appointed to lead on the matter has hosted several rounds of talks since November, with ministers from the countries and the World Bank.The Treasury Department has not responded to VOA’s requests for additional comments.U.S. pressureThere has been widespread concern in Ethiopia that its delegation is being pressured by the U.S. to accept a deal it cannot live with.On Thursday, a few dozen Ethiopians in Washington protested in front of the U.S. Department of State building, urging the U.S. to stop its pressure campaign against Addis Ababa.Ethiopian-American Protesters: ‘President Trump, Stop Pressuring Ethiopia’Ethiopians in Washington express anger over US mediators allegedly favoring Egypt in negotiations over Grand Renaissance DamThe dam is the centerpiece of Addis Ababa’s bid to increase domestic energy production for its growing population. Ethiopia and Egypt have been negotiating for years, but one sticking point remains the rate at which Ethiopia will draw water out of the Nile to fill the dam’s reservoir. Cairo fears Ethiopia’s plans to rapidly fill the reservoir could threaten Egypt’s source of fresh water.“It is a hugely important and sensitive issue,” said Mirette Mabrouk, director of the Middle East Institute’s Egypt Studies program. “It’s a matter of life and death for a lot of people, certainly for more than a million Egyptians.”In the last round of Washington talks last month, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed on a schedule for staged filling of the dam and mitigation mechanisms to adjust its filling and operation during dry periods and drought.The parties said at the time that they would sign a final agreement by the end of February. It is unclear whether there will be any follow-up talks after this week’s negotiations broke down.Trump’s interestTrump has been interested in the project since he agreed to intervene based on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s request in September. He has since invited officials from the countries in the dispute to at least two Oval Office meetings, and called Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to discuss the matter.Just had a meeting with top representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to help solve their long running dispute on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, one of the largest in the world, currently being built. The meeting went well and discussions will continue during the day! pic.twitter.com/MsWuEBgZxK— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2019An administration official told VOA that Trump prides himself in his deal-making abilities and wants to see this agreement achieved. No one from the administration, though, has elaborated on what the U.S. interest is in this deal.In November, the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington held a press conference during which officials gave a detailed account of their U.S.-brokered meeting and said Trump was planning to “cut the ribbon” after the completion of the dam.America’s significant leverage over Ethiopia could provide Trump with a chance to push for a treaty to prove his deal-making prowess, said Addisu Lashitew, the Rubinstein Fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution. “In the wake of his controversial peace plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, President Trump might be keen to strengthen his friendship with Egypt by resolving his thorny issue,” Lashitew said. Egypt has been a key player in the Middle East peace talks. Last month the Trump administration released its plan to resolve the conflict between Palestine and Israel, without buy-in from the Palestinians.VOA’s Salem Solomon, Habtamu Seyoum contributed to this report.
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Malaysian Turmoil Takes Twist: Mahathir, Anwar Allies Again
Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad will stand for the premiership on behalf of the former ruling coalition, the interim prime minister said Saturday, less than a week after he quit and plunged the country into turmoil.“I am now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support,” Mahathir said in a statement.That meant that Mahathir, who is the world’s oldest government leader at 94, would reunite with on-off ally and long-term rival Anwar Ibrahim, 72, resuming a pact that swept the coalition to a surprise election victory in 2018.Pact appears to be back“Pakatan Harapan states its full support towards Dr. Mahathir as candidate for prime minister,” said a statement from the coalition formed by the two men whose struggle has shaped Malaysian politics for two decades.Mahathir has thus secured the likely support he needs to return as prime minister full-time, less than a week after he resigned and was appointed as interim leader.The political futures of both Mahathir and Anwar had appeared in doubt Friday, with Anwar competing as a candidate in his own right and Mahathir finding little support for a unity government that would have strengthened his power.A new alliance had formed behind former interior minister Muhyiddin Yassin, 72, who had the backing of the old ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).Promise not mentionedIt was that party, tarnished by corruption, that Mahathir and Anwar united to drive from power in 2018 under then prime minister Najib Razak, who now faces graft charges.Tension had persisted between Mahathir and Anwar over the prime minister’s promise to one day hand power to the younger man. No date for that was ever set, however.Neither Mahathir nor Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) made any mention of that promise in Saturday’s statements.
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Hundreds of Indonesian Former IS Members, Families Could Become Stateless
A recent decision by the government in Jakarta not to repatriate hundreds of its citizens suspected of membership in the Islamic State (IS) terror group has set off a debate over the fate of the Indonesians, with some experts warning it could become an international dilemma if their citizenship is revoked.Indonesian officials in the past reported that there were 689 former IS Indonesians detained mainly in northeast Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan. However, the country’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights earlier this week said the number was as high as 1,276.President Joko Widodo on Feb.12 said his government was no longer responsible for them “because it was their decision” to abandon their country to join IS. A day later, the presidential chief of staff, Moeldoko, told media the former IS members were considered stateless — people who have lost their nationality “automatically” without having to go through the country’s legal procedures.FILE – Foreign prisoners, suspected of being part of the Islamic State terror group, lie in a prison cell in Hasaka, Syria, Jan. 7, 2020.Rising threat of statelessnessCitizenship and international law experts said Jakarta’s decision not to take home its citizens adds more complication to a rising threat of statelessness that is facing thousands of IS fighters and their families.“There are serious global implications of states adopting citizenship deprivation laws, or temporary or permanent exclusion orders or practices, to deal with foreign fighters,” said Michelle Foster, the director of Peter McMullin Center on Statelessness at Melbourne Law School in Victoria, Australia.By refusing to take home their citizens, countries like Indonesia are essentially transferring the problem to other countries, Foster said.“Indonesia has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects the right of everyone to return to his or her own country,” she said. “Hence, if Indonesia prevents foreign fighters from returning, whether or not they retain Indonesian citizenship, it may be in breach of its obligations under this treaty.”Stateless definedThe United Nations considers a person who lacks nationality of any country as stateless. About 10 million people around the world are believed to be stateless, most of them minorities residing in different countries.The U.N.’s 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness is the main instrument setting rules for citizenship withdrawal and the rights of stateless people. Other than in limited circumstances, the treaty prohibits deprivation of nationality that could result in statelessness. Indonesia has not ratified that treaty, however.Indonesia is not the first country to deny the return of its citizens accused of IS membership.In northeastern Syria, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have held nearly 2,000 foreign IS jihadists, as well as thousands of their wives and children from about 40 countries. Kurdish authorities have complained their facilities are overwhelmed and criticized those countries for refusing to repatriate their nationals. FILE – In this three image combo of stills taken from CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police in London, Feb. 23, 2015, Kadiza Sultana, 16, left, Shamima Begum, 15, center and 15-year-old Amira Abase go through security at Gatwick airport.Citizenship revocation of former IS members has been particularly controversial among the European countries, which, according to U.S. officials, have an estimated 800 of their nationals held in Syria. The British government last year stripped the citizenship of a Briton, Shamima Begum, who left the U.K. to join IS in Syria when she was 15 years old. Germany and Denmark later in 2019 enacted laws that allowed revoking the citizenship of their dual nationals who have fought with IS.In the U.S., where American officials have repeatedly asked European Union allies to take responsibility for their IS citizens, a federal judge last November ruled that Hoda Muthana, a New Jersey-born woman who joined IS in Syria in 2014, was no longer an American citizen.Fair trialWatchdog organizations say the detained foreign fighters and their family members live in dire conditions, with children reportedly dying from preventable diseases. Additionally, those organizations warn that the detention facilities are at risk of IS prison break attempts. They say efforts by local authorities to try the foreigners are likely to fail as they lack legal infrastructure to ensure fair trails.“All persons most responsible for the most serious crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, should be prosecuted in a fair trial,” Clive Baldwin, a senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch, told VOA. He added that all countries should ensure their nationals can return home.FILE – Indonesian police show scores of notebooks inscribed with Islamic State propaganda seized during a raid on the home of suspected militant during a press conference at police headquarters in Jakarta, June 30, 2017.Indonesia’s stanceIndonesian officials said their decision to strip the citizenship of the former IS members is based on the country’s citizenship law enacted in 2006. The law said a person can voluntarily relinquish his or her citizenship or could lose it in cases such as voluntarily pledging allegiance to a foreign country.Law experts said joining IS is not considered voluntary allegiance to a foreign entity because the group is an illegal terrorist organization. However, the experts are divided on whether the former IS members chose to end their Indonesian nationality by traveling to Syria.Hikmahanto Juwana, an international law expert at the University of Indonesia in Depok, told VOA Indonesian that authorities were likely to invoke the country’s Government Regulation No. 2 of 2007, regarding citizenship to deal with ex-IS members. If the government uses that law, “in my opinion, they (former IS members) automatically lose their citizenship,” Juwana said.However, this interpretation has been challenged by other Indonesian legal experts, particularly those concerned about the fate of IS children. Susanto, the head of Indonesian Child Protection Commission, told VOA that Jakarta was required by Law No. 25 of 2014 to give special protection to children victimized by terrorist networks.She said the government was to ensure the children maintained their citizenship, while at the same time providing them with education and deradicalization programs.FILE – Women line up for aid supplies at Al-Hol camp, home to Islamic State-affiliated families near Hasakeh, Syria, March 31, 2019.Indonesian officials have not disclosed the number of children among the former IS Indonesians at risk of losing their citizenship. However, they have announced that the decision to abandon IS members excluded children younger than 10.Some international law experts said it is difficult for countries to justify depriving the families of the IS foreign fighters, particularly children who are protected by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Indonesia is a party. The convention defines children as “every human being below the age of 18 years unless, under the law applicable, majority is attained earlier.”“Wives and children should not lose their nationality on account of the actions of their husbands or fathers,” said Brad Blitz, a professor of international politics and policy at the UCL Institute of Education at University College London.“Given that protracted displacement is a fact for millions of refugees, and that in many refugee hosting states there is no opportunity for integration, it is highly likely that the women and children affected will spend many years in camplike settings,” Blitz said.Threat remainsKhairul Ghazali, an Indonesian former extremist, said the government decision to keep the former IS fighters and their families abroad was unlikely to eliminate the direct threat they pose to Indonesia. Regardless of the decision, the fighters could still reach back home and inspire militant activities.Ghazali was arrested in 2010 in relation to a bank robbery and recruitment for an al-Qaida-linked organization. He has since denounced jihadist groups and dedicated his work to deradicalization among young people.“The government has instruments including the TNI [Indonesian military], Polri [the national police], Densus 88 [special anti-terror force], and the National Agency and Counter Terrorism (BNPT) which is the front line in eradicating terrorism. When there is an act of terror, there are laws on terrorism,” he told VOA, adding that Jakarta will be safer by taking the former fighters home.Anugrah Andriansyah contributed to this story from Medan, North Sumatera.
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Russia, Turkey Are on the Edge in Syria
Tensions between Russia and Turkey over their sometimes allied and often dueling military campaigns in Syria broke into the open Friday, with Moscow blaming Ankara for the deaths of 33 Turkish troops in Syria’s Idlib region during airstrikes. While Russia denied any role in the deaths of the Turkish soldiers, the Kremlin accused Turkish forces of operating unannounced in the region — and of providing support to terrorist groups subsequently targeted by Moscow’s ally, the Syrian government. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had met with his Security Council in the wake of the attacks, with Russian generals informing Putin that raids by terrorist groups against Syrian forces in Idlib had prompted airstrikes. FILE – Smoke billows over the town of Saraqeb in the eastern part of the Idlib province in northwestern Syria, following bombardment by Syrian government forces, Feb. 27, 2020.The Syrian government’s bombing campaign, carried out with Russian support, has caused a humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 900,000 residents fleeing the fighting for the Syrian-Turkish border. It also has prompted a standoff with Turkey, which has insisted that Syria respect a Russian-negotiated buffer zone agreed to in 2018. Though Turkey has stopped short of blaming Russia for direct involvement in the latest attack, Ankara has often been critical of Moscow’s inability — or, perhaps unwillingness — to control its ally in Damascus. Cease-fire demandedAmid a visit by a Russian delegation to Ankara to discuss the crisis in Idlib on Friday, Turkish officials demanded that Russia force the Syrian government to immediately agree to a sustainable cease-fire. Turkey’s allies in NATO joined those calls, with the alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, expressing condolences to families of Turks killed in the attack and placing blame squarely on Moscow and Damascus:FILE – The Russian flag-covered coffin of Russian pilot Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov is shown inside a Russian air force transport plane at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Nov. 30, 2015. He was killed when Turkish F-16s shot his plane down.Early clashRussia and Turkey clashed early after Moscow’s entry into the war, with Turkey shooting down and killing a Russian pilot along the Turkish border in 2015. At the time, Putin called the death of the pilot “a stab in the back” and ordered Russian sanctions on Turkish products and a ban on Russian tourism to the country. Yet the two sides bridged differences as Russia switched the brunt of its air power from what the West called Syria’s “moderate opposition” to widely recognized terrorist groups, such as Islamic State, that were waging attacks in Turkey proper. And for all the sparring over the events in Idlib, there seemed consensus in Moscow that Russia was interested in maintaining a working relationship with Turkey that has since expanded beyond the Syrian front into agreements involving trade, tourism and energy. “A wider war between Turkey and Russia? Never!” said Alexei Malashenko, a longtime regional observer currently with the Institute for the Dialogue of Civilizations. “It’s very dangerous, of course. But we are dealing with a new kind of Middle East.” “I don’t think that either Russia or Turkey is willing to sacrifice bilateral ties just for Idlib,” concurred the Russian International Affairs Council’s Alexei Khlebnikov. Be that as it may, it was clear all sides were hedging their bets as they took stock of growing tensions in Idlib. The Interfax news agency reported that Russian and U.S. officials discussed the situation in Syria by phone Friday. Meanwhile, the Kremlin dispatched two warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles to the Middle East on Friday. Their destination? The coast of Syria.
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