France Begins Terrorism Investigation Into Jeddah Auto Explosion Ahead of Dakar Rally, Saudi Coverup Claimed
Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Friday, January 7, 2022! France and Saudi Arabia are at odds over an explosion in Jeddah last week that seriously injured a French Dakar rally driver. Saudi Arabia called it an accident. France says it was terrorism and is investigating. And now there are claims that Saudi Arabia tried to cover up the attack.
The massacre in Iraq of 20 members of the same family is being attributed to "inaccurate intelligence." But witnesses say a brother-in-law in Iraq's intelligence service was feuding with the family and instigated the attack by Iraqi security forces. Iraq's Prime Minister went to the scene and vowed that no one can "hide under the cover of the state institutions to commit a terrible crime."
Iran says the fifth round of talks with Saudi Arabia will begin soon in Baghdad. Lebanon's president calls for a special session of parliament as the country's prime minister readies the first cabinet meeting in almost three months. Joe Biden nominates a new commander for U.S. Central Command. Veteran State Department diplomat David Satterfield will become the new U.S. envoy for the Horn of Africa. Donald Trump friend Thomas Barrack will go on trial, charged with illegal lobbying for the United Arab Emirates.
News from the UAE, Libya, France, Turkey, Ukraine, Morocco, and More.
French Secret Service agents are investigating claims that Saudi Arabian authorities tried to cover up a terrorist attack in Jeddah last week just before the Dakar rally when a rally car exploded and a French driver was seriously injured. Saudi Arabia's interior ministry described the incident as an accident. France says the driver was victim of a terrorist attack.
Philippe Boutron was repatriated to France with severe wounds to both legs after his car exploded two days before the rally, a French-run motor sport event held in Saudi Arabia. Boutron was at the wheel of a support vehicle when it exploded as he drove to a technical inspection point in Jeddah two days before the start of the race. One passenger who was unhurt said an explosive device had been placed under the auto's chassis. "I saw everything," Richard Gonzalez, the rally team's chairman, said. "It was a deliberate act. There's no doubt about it." France's investigation is being carried out by the Direction Generale de la Securite Interieure.
BBC, Dakar Rally: France opens terrorism probe into Saudi Arabia blast.
CNN, France begins terrorism probe into Saudi Arabia blast ahead of Dakar rally.
Times of London, Saudi Arabia 'covered up' terrorist attack on Dakar rally.
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon said Hezbollah is a threat to Arab security. Waleed al Bukhari said Riyadh hopes that Lebanon's political parties will give priority to Lebanon's "supreme interest," and he called for an end of Hezbollah's "terrorist hegemony over every aspect of the state."
AFP, Saudi envoy: Hezbollah poses a threat to Arab security.
Saudi Arabia's relations with Lebanon are "too deep to be affected with irresponsible and absurd statements." The Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Waleed al Bukhari, made his first comments after a verbal attack by Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrullah, against King Salman and Saudi Arabia.
Reuters, Saudi envoy says relations with Beirut 'too deep to be affected with irresponsible statements' - Saudi media.
Lebanon President Michel Aoun has signed a decree for the country's parliament to hold an "exceptional session" until March 21. Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the 2022 budget would be ready Friday and that the cabinet will reconvene to discuss it. Lebanon hasn't had a cabinet meeting for almost three months.
Jerusalem Post, Lebanese president signs decree calling special session of parliament.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq says the fifth round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia will begin soon in Baghdad. Baghdad hosted the first four rounds. Iraj Masjedi said countries in the region can resolve issues themselves without paying attention to the United States.
Tasnin News Agency, Baghdad to host new round of Iran-Saudi talks soon: Envoy.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian of Iraq said the ongoing dialogue with Saud Arabia is "positive and constructive." He said Iran is ready to restore relations with the Saudis at any time.
Business Recorder, Iran foreign minister says ready to restore relations at any time.
Iran's foreign minister says an agreement can be reached with world powers in a nuclear deal if Western parties have the will and intention to do so - - and if all sanctions are lifted. An eighth round of talks on restoration of the 2015 nuclear agreement is under way in Vienna, and Iran wants a guarantee that sanctions will be removed..
Al Jazeera, Iran says nuclear deal can be reached if US sanctions lifted.
U.S. President Joe Biden is nominating a new chief of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees United States defense operations in a large part of the world, including the Middle East. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla will be the next commander, replacing Gen. Frank McKenzie who has commanded CENTCOM since 2019.
CNN, Biden nominates a new general to oversee military operations in Middle East.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced the appointment of David Satterfield as U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa. Satterfield is currently U.S. ambassador to Turkey and will take over from Jeffrey Feltman. Satterfield, a veteran State Department diplomat, has "decades of diplomatic experience and work amidst some of the world's most challenging conflicts," Blinken said.
The Hill, Blinken appoints new special envoy Satterfield to Horn of Africa.
The slaughter of 20 members of the same family in Iraq was caused by "inaccurate intelligence." Rahim Kazem Al-Ghurairi and his family, mostly women and children, were gunned down by Iraqi security forces in his home in the town of Jabla. Now it's learned that Al-Ghurairi's brother-in-law, who works for Iraqi intelligence services, had a feud with the family, was present at the deadly raid, and has since gone into hiding.
The brother-in-law is blamed for steering the security forces to arrest Al-Ghurairi, and Iraq's prime minister said an investigation will determine how a "transfer of inaccurate intelligence information for personal purposes" came about. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited the site, called it a "heart-breaking massacre," and vowed that criminals won't be permitted to hide "under the cover of the state institutions to commit a terrible crime."
CBS News, "Inaccurate intelligence" leads to the massacre of 20 members of a family in Iraq.
A train from Pakistan is restarting a route after 10 years, traversing 3,666 miles from Pakistan through Iran to Turkey in 13 days. The cargo ITI (Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul) train aims to boost trade and save time and cost, compared to sea transportation of 35 days. The train is comprised of eight loaded 20-foot wagons, each with a capacity of 22 tons.
Express Tribune, Pakistan-Iran-Turkiye cargo train reaches Ankara, restarting route after 10 years.
Ukraine and other countries are quitting negotiations to get Iran to pay for shooting down a passenger airliner that killed all 176 people on board. The plane shot down by Iran's military in 2020 was a Ukrainian civil aircraft. Ukraine, Britain, Canada, and Sweden have tried for two years to get reparations from Iran, but "further attempts to negotiate with Iran are...futile." The countries had given Iran three weeks to reverse its refusal to address reparation demands, but Iran failed to act. A statement said the four countries will take a new tack "in accordance with international law," but did not specify what steps will be taken.
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Ukraine, U.K., Canada, Sweden announce new tack on reparations over airliner downed by Iran.
American billionaire and Donald Trump friend Thomas Barrack will go on trial for illegally lobbying for the United Arab Emirates. A U.S. judge said jury selection will start in a Brooklyn federal court on September 7, and the trial will begin soon after. Prosecutors expect the trial to last three weeks. Barrack, who was chairman of Trump's 2017 inaugural fund and was a frequent White House guest, has pleaded not guilty to seven criminal counts. The charges are that he secretly lobbied the Trump administration for the UAE and lied to investigators about his ties to the country.
Reuters, Judge sets September date for Trump ally Barrack's UAE lobbying trial.
A Libyan group is proposing that the postponed elections be restarted, but with parliamentary polls first. Representatives of Libya's National Forces for Change met with the United Nations special adviser, Stephanie Williams, and recommended that fresh elections be conducted in a sequence. Presidential elections were scheduled for December 24 but were postponed. Libya's election commission is proposing a one-month delay, but parliament wants a six-one postponement.
Anadolu Agency, Libyan group proposes holding elections in sequence.
France says some 300 foreign mercenaries have left eastern Libya. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said "this first withdrawal has taken place" and called it a "positive first signal." She didn't say when the mercenaries left or where they were from, but diplomats said they were from neighboring Chad. A withdrawal plan is part of efforts to lead Libya into elections, but a presidential election scheduled for December was postponed.
Reuters, France says 300 mercenaries have left eastern Libya.
The United Arab Emirates is at increased risk of being added to a "gray list" for money laundering and terrorist financing. The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is leaning toward designating the UAE, which would be among the body's most significant steps,, given the UAE's position as a main financial hub in the Middle East. Twenty-three countries are on the gray list. Only two countries, Iran and North Korea, are on the task's force black list. The UAE is reported conducting a government push to stamp out illicit transactions.
Bloomberg, UAE faces risk of inclusion on global watchlist over dirty money.
Satellite images show Morocco is building a new air defense base northeast of the capital Rabat. "The facility is definitely an air defense base," a non-proliferation specialist said. Morocco has received 24 medium-range surface-to-air missiles from China, and it also has a short-range missile defense system from France.
Defense News, Satellite images show Morocco has built an air defense base near its capital.
Turkey's central bank posted an extraordinary daily profit of $10 billion on the last day of 2021, raising questions on what caused the overnight boon. The monetary authority had penciled in an annual loss of 70 billion liras, or $5.2 billion, on December 30 but ended the years with 60 billion liras of profit, an unprecedented change of fortunes in a single day. The abrupt turnaround came after Turkey's president, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, unveiled measures meant to compensate lira investors for losses.
Al Jazeera, Mystery surrounds end-of-year windfall for Turkey's central bank.
OPEC is allowing Libya to keep its exemption from cutting oil production. This week's meeting of OPEC members agreed to continue a policy of permitting Libya to avoid any OPEC output reductions, with the right to recover production lost through conflict. Libya's production has fallen from a 1.14 million barrels a day level to a current 727,000.
Libya Observer, OPEC retains Libya exemption from oil output cuts.
More: Saudi Aramco to produce hydrogen vehicles locally, Saudi Gazette... Tensions flare as Morocco and Algeria consider new fighter jets, Shephard Media... U.S., Europe warn Sudan's military as democratic transition unravels, ABC News... Jordan's MPs back constitutional reforms to revitalize politics, Reuters... FBI arrests man who allegedly spied on Egyptian president's opponents, ABC News... Saudi authorities foil drug smuggling bids, Arab News.
News You Missed:
Militants linked to the Islamic State are planning more terror attacks in Syria. Colin Clarke, senior research fellow at the Soufan Center in New York, cited a recent spate of attacks and said "This could be a slow buildup" by a group he described as highly opportunistic. "They're going to look to exploit the missteps and mistakes of other governments in the region."
Voice of America, Analysts: Islamic State poised for more attacks in Syria in 2022.
Over the past year, there have been some small steps forward on Yemen. But as diplomatic efforts continue in 2022, there will be no quick fix to end the war.
Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Yemen: Diplomats redouble efforts but lack of leverage on Houthis undermines impact.