Qatar Emir Meets With Biden, UAE Intercepts Third Missile Attack By Yemen's Houthis
Good day from REEDNEWSARABWORLD for Monday, January 31, 2022! Qatar's emir is in Washington for a meeting with President Joe Biden on gas for Europe, Afghanistan, and the war in Yemen. The United Arab Emirates foiled another ballistic missile attack, the third from Yemen's Houthis. Kurdish-led forces have retaken full control of the embattled prison in Syria, and the fighting was the heaviest for U.S. units in urban combat since ISIS was defeated in Iraq and Syria.
Lebanon delivered its answer to Kuwait on the Gulf state initiative for settlement of an ongoing dispute, but said it won't disarm Hezbollah. France's President Emmanuel Macron tells Iran to hurry the nuclear negotiations in Vienna, and Iran's supreme leader said it's not only sanctions that have hurt Iran's economy, but his own governments’ "wrong decisions and shortcomings" for years.
News from Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Sudan, Morocco, the UN, and More.
Qatar's emir will visit the White House Monday for his first in-person meeting with President Joe Biden, as Qatar again finds itself playing a critical role in U.S. foreign policy. Topping the agenda will be new avenues for Europe to get natural gas supplies if Russia invades Ukraine. Qatar is the world's second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). and has an outsized influence on the market.
Qatar has its gas tied up in long-term contracts and is expected to ask the United States for help in convincing its customers to divert their supply to Europe, if necessary. The White House meeting also is expected to focus on Afghanistan, where Qatar serves as diplomatic representative for the United States, and discuss a range of issues including salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and Yemen's civil war.
Al Jazeera, Qatar's emir set for first White House meeting with Biden.
Qatar officials have asked the European Union to restrict resales of gas outside the bloc if it wants Qatar to provide supplies in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Qatar also wants resolved an EU resolution from a 2018 investigation of its long-term contracts. The new emphasis by Qatar on its relations with Europe comes as the Qatari emir meets at the White House with President Joe Biden on Monday.
Reuters: Exclusive - Qatar seeks EU guarantees emergency gas stays within EU.
The United Arab Emirates early Monday shot down a ballistic missile from a third attack by Yemen's Houthis and destroyed the launch site. The attack came as Israel's president was visiting Abu Dhabi. The UAE did not specify where the attack was aimed, but said debris from the interception fell in unpopulated areas, with no damage. Two earlier missile attacks had targeted Abu Dhabi and the Al Dhafra air base where U.S. forces are stationed.
Following Monday's missile interception, UAE planes destroyed missile launching sites in Yemen's Al Jawf governate. A statement said UAE planes worked with the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.
The missile attack came hours after Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, arrived in the UAE on an official visit. Herzog spent the night in Abu Dhabi and will continue his visit despite the Houthi attack, his office said.
Arab News, UAE foils new Houthi ballistic missile attack.
Alarabiya, UAE says intercepted and destroyed Houthi ballistic missiles, no resulting damage.
Kurdish -led forces regained control the prison in Syria where they have been fighting an invasion by the Islamic State that freed prisoners. Heavy combat spread to surrounding neighborhoods, and U.S. units fought alongside the Syrian Democratic Forces, marking the most intense urban combat for American troops since ISIS fell in 2019.
The Kurdish militia said in a statement: "We announce the end of the sweep campaign on al-Sinaa prison in Ghweran neighborhood in Hasaka and the end of the last pockets in which ISIS mercenaries were holed up."
New York Times, U.S., allies retake control of prison in Syria, subduing ISIS fighters.
Iraqi air strikes killed nine suspected ISIS terrorists who earlier had staged a deadly attack on an army base. The January 21 attack killed 11 Iraqi soldiers in the eastern province of Diyala. Iraq's military said it had identified the exact whereabouts of the ISIS group, and three precision air strikes by Iraqi F-16s killed the nine attackers.
AFP, Iraq air strikes kill nine suspects in deadly ISIS attack.
France's President Emmanuel Macron told Iran's president that a nuclear deal is still possible but talks need to accelerate. After a telephone call with Iran's Ebrahim Raisi, the Elysee palace said in a statement: "The President of the Republic reiterated his conviction that a diplomatic solution is possible and imperative... He insisted on the need to accelerate in order to quickly achieve tangible progress in this framework."
France, along with Germany and Britain, known as the E3, are working with the United States in Vienna to save the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. Talks have been in their eighth round for more than a month.
Reuters, Macron tells Iran's Raisi nuclear talks need to speed up.
The Vienna nuclear talks were paused temporarily, allowing negotiators to go home and consult with their governments. The talks are scheduled to reconvene this week, and Enrique Mora of the European Union said "Political decisions are needed now."
China Daily, Iran nuke talks in Vienna paused, 'Political decisions' needed: EU.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the country's poor economic condition was not only due to sanctions but also government mismanagement -- "wrong decisions and shortcomings." Khamenei criticized his governments' records for about a decade, from March 2011 to last year. He said "GDP growth, capital formation, inflation, housing, and liquidity growth were not satisfactory."
"The main cause of these problems is not only sanctions, but also wrong decisions and shortcomings," Khamenei told a meeting of economic officials.
AFP, Iran supreme leader says 'wrong decisions' have hurt economy.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized a ship in the Gulf, the third in recent weeks. State media said the vessel was carrying about 185,000 gallons of smuggled fuel from Iran. The ship was reported seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is situated. Seven crew members were detained. No details about the ship or the nationalities of the crew were given.
Associated Press, Report: Iran seizes tanker in Persian Gulf.
The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman let Israel use Saudi air space in exchange for licensing of the Pegasus spyware. The Pegasus agreement had expired in 2020, and when aides failed to work out an arrangement, the crown prince called then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu ordered the Saudi systems switched back on, and the crown prince in turn opened Saudi air space, allowing all flights to and from Israel for the first time.
The Israeli surveillance company NSO has exported its Pegasus spyware to 45 countries around the world, and the United States has blacklisted NSO. The spyware is used to infect smartphones and turn them into a listening device. It also allows the user to read the target's messages, look through photos, track locations, and turn on cameras without the the smartphone owner's knowledge.
Israel first approved the use of Pegasus in Saudi Arabia in 2017, for a Saudi security agency supervised by the crown prince. Then a year later the Pegasus system was shut off after reports it had been used to spy on the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Kashmir Observer, MBS allowed Israel to use Saudi airspace for Pegasus spyware: NYT.
Egypt's President Al Sisi had a strategy for human rights and released some political prisoners. But it didn't go far enough, and now the United States is withholding $130 million in military financing aid. The blocked funding is just a fraction of the $1.3 billion the U.S. gives Egypt each year. Congress set a requirement, and the $130 million was the maximum the U.S. State Department could withhold.
Military sales are unrelated to financial assistance, and Egypt continues to buy billions of dollars worth of military aircraft, ships, and other equipment from the United States. Last week the U.S. approved $2.5 billion in sales to Egypt of C-130 cargo jets and radar.
New York Times, U.S. blocks $130 million in aid for Egypt over rights abuses.
Associated Press, US halts Egypt military aid over rights after huge arms sale.
Reuters, Biden administration set to deny $130 mln in military aid to Egypt, U.S. officials say.
CNN, US to block millions for Egypt over human rights.
Lebanon responded to Kuwait's terms but said it won't stop Hezbollah or hand over its weapons. Kuwait, acting for several Gulf states, had sent terms to Lebanon for ending a dispute with the states. Lebanon's foreign minister brought the country's answer to a meeting of Arab foreign ministers, and Kuwait's minister, Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al Sabah, said the response will be studied to determine the next step. Before the meeting, Lebanon’s Abdallah Bou Habib said: "I am not going to Kuwait to hand over Hezbollah's weapons. I am not going to end Hezbollah's existence. It is out of the question."
Alarabiya, Lebanon's answer to Gulf terms for thawing relations will be studied: Kuwait
Al Jazeera, Lebanon will not 'hand over' Hezbollah weapons: Foreign minister.
Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab foreign ministers hold consultative meeting in Kuwait.
The former speaker of the Arab Parliament criticized Lebanon's response to a Kuwaiti initiative and said "Lebanon must decide whether it is Arab or Persian," a reference to Iran. Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami said "Lebanon is paying the price of a captive state held by Hezbollah." On the Lebanese response to terms offered by Kuwait to settle a dispute with Gulf nations, Salami said "The Lebanese people want and demand everything that was demanded in the Gulf initiative."
Ya Libnan, "Lebanon must decide whether it is Arab or Persian": A-Salami.
The U.S. will reroute $67 million of aid to Lebanon and earmark it to support the livelihoods of Lebanon's armed forces. The U.S. State Department said it is changing the content of military funding for Lebanon to include "livelihood support" for members of the Lebanese military, citing economic turmoil as well as social unrest. The news was praised in Washington, and a Democratic senator, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said the funding helps "these servicemen make ends meet."
Reuters, U.S. plans to reroute $67 million in aid towards Lebanon's armed forces.
Lebanon's Maronite Christian patriarch said he was surprised by the decision of Saad al-Hariri to quit Lebanese politic, but that’s no excuse to delay the parliamentary election in May. Cardinal Bechara Boutros Al-Rai said he still hoped Lebanon's Sunni voters, who had been led by Hariri, would take part in the election so that it would express "the position of all Lebanese."
Reuters, Lebanese patriarch warns against calls for postponing vote.
Lebanon's powerful Shiite group Hezbollah said it expected the parliamentary election to be held on time in May. "All indications are that the parliamentary elections will take place on time," Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a speech. "There is no development that prevents these elections from taking place."
Reuters, Lebanon's Hezbollah says expects parliamentary election on time.
Jordan has more than a million Syrian refugees, and Jordan's foreign minister wants a sea change in how nations work with Syria. "The truth is we have not seen a comprehensive strategy to deal with the Syrian crisis for years," Ayman Safadi said. "There has to be a political solution to the crisis." Safadi has an ongoing conversation with the United States about Syria, recently visiting Washington and meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. U.S. policy on Syria is to impose economic sanctions against the regime of President Bashar Assad.
Asahi Shimbun, Jordan calls for a new approach by Arab nations to Syrian crisis.
France is calling for the release of a French-Iranian anthropologist jailed in Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron called Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and also raised the case of Benjamin Briere, a French tourist sentenced in Iran to eight years in prison on espionage charges. The anthropologist, Fariba Adelkhah, is French-Iranian and is serving a five-year sentence on security charges that the French government called "purely political and arbitrary."
The National, Emmanuel Macron demands release of French-Iranian researcher in Iran
Israel's President Isaac Herzog was greeted in the United Arab Emirates with a 21-gun salute as he arrived for an official visit, the first by an Israeli president. The Abu Dhabi crown prince and UAE's de facto ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, met with Herzog for two hours and expressed appreciation for Israel's support after missile attacks on Abu Dhabi by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The UAE leader then invited Herzog for an unscheduled personal meeting at his private palace. Later, the UAE intercepted a third missile attack.
Asharaq Al-Awsat, Abu Dhabi crown prince meets with Israeli president.
Times of Israel, In 'message to the region," Herzog meets UAE crown prince in Abu Dhabi.
Nearly 2,000 recruited children died in battle with Yemen's Houthi rebels, and the Houthis continue to run camps and encourage the youngsters to fight. A United Nations report detailed Houthi exploitation of children, and the 2,000 were reported dead on battlefields between January 2020 and May 2021. UN experts visited schools and camps and said the children were instructed to shout Houthi slogans, including "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."
In one camp, children as young as seven years of age were taught to clean weapons and evade rockets, the four-member panel of experts said in the report.
Associated Press, UN: 2,000 children recruited by Yemen's rebels died fighting.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that OPEC oil production will increase almost 2.7 million barrels a day in 2022, the largest year-over-year production increase by OPEC since 2004. "We expect that recent production disruptions in Libya will be more than offset by production increases from other OPEC members," a report said.
EIA, EIA forecasts OPEC production will grow in 2022 despite recent production outages in Libya.
Morocco will reopen a consulate in Libya after eight years. A Moroccan delegation arrived in Tripoli to reopen its diplomatic office, following agreements on visas and direct flights between the two countries.
Xinhua, Morocco to reopen consulate in Libya after years of closure.
Sudan's army signaled a tougher line against United Nations efforts to resolve the crisis in the country. The deputy head of Sudan's military-led Sovereign Council said the UN mission of special envoy Volker Perthes should be working as a "facilitator and not a mediator." Earlier, the Sovereign Council had welcomed the UN initiative, and Perthes had said the army had no objections to his presence.
Reuters, Sudan army-led council signals tougher line on U.N. mediation.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacked his head of statistics after data showed a high inflation rate. The 2021 inflation figure released by Erdal Dincer showed that last year's inflation rate at 36.1 percent, highest in 19 years. Dincer's sacking was the latest of a series of economic dismissals by Erdogan, who has fired three central bank governors since 2019.
Al Jazeera, Erdogan sacks statistics chief after record annual inflation.
MORE: Saudi wealth fund rakes in $5 billion as demand for stocks booms, Bloomberg... Oman's population crosses 4.5 million, Times of Oman... Morocco plans 11 bn high-speed lines between Casablanca and Agadir, Global Construction Review... Tunisia thwarts alleged terrorist attack targeting tourist areas, Reuters... Egypt pushes to revive stalled negotiations over Nile dam, Al Monitor... Security of Gulf states is indivisible: Secretary General Al-Hajraf, Gulf Today... Egypt court sentences 10 to death on charges of planning attacks, Al Jazeera.
News You Missed
The fight between Yemen's rebel Houthis and the Saudi Arabia coalition is a battle of the drones: the Houthis' low-tech weapons with over-the-counter parts against the Saudi coalition's billion-dollar defense. The Houthi Sammad-3 drones are domestically assembled, have a range of about 1,500 kilometers, and can target Saudi Arabia. James Rogers at the London School of Economics said "It is notoriously difficult to counter drone and missile attacks, especially when used in a 'swarm tactic' where multiple weapons are sent at once to overwhelm existing defenses."
Jordan Times, UK - Yemen Houthi rebels, Saudi-led coalition in high stakes drone feud.
Qatar, with a prolific fighter procurement program, is now buying high-end jet fighters from three different sources, adding advanced jet trainers to its fleet. A mixed fleet of trainers is demonstrated by the appearance of the Italian-made Leonardo M-346 Masters with the QEAF markings, for Qatar Emiri Air Force, the first in the Middle East.
The Drive, Qatar surprises with a second advanced jet trainer being added to its expanding air force.
Syria is involved in Vladimir Putin's tactics of building up Russian troops near Ukraine, making impossible security demands in Europe, and launching military exercises. In Syria, Russia has started winter training for its troops. Maneuvers include Russian military and Syrian regime units in different provinces of Syria, including the north of the country.
Al Monitor, How Russian moves in Syria are linked to Moscow's Ukraine strategy.