Region

PARIS, France — France on Sunday slammed Turkey's "aggressive" intervention in the Libya conflict as unacceptable, accusing its fellow NATO member of violating a UN arms embargo and sending half a dozen ships to the war-torn country's coast.

Turkey, supported by its main regional ally Qatar, backs the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli in the conflict against the forces of eastern Libya strongman Khalifa Haftar.

France, despite public denials, has long been suspected of favouring Haftar, who has the backing of Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Paris is angered by an "even more aggressive and insistent stance from Turkey, with seven Turkish ships deployed off the Libyan coast and violations of the arms embargo", a senior presidential official said.

"The Turks are behaving in an unacceptable manner and are exploiting NATO. France cannot just stand by," added the official, who asked not to be named.

French President Emmanuel Macron has already held talks on the issue this week with US leader Donald Trump, and "exchanges will take place in the weeks to come on this subject with NATO partners", the official said.

The comments came after a Turkish warship on Wednesday prevented a new EU naval mission enforcing the Libya arms embargo from checking a suspect freighter off the Libyan coast.

Turkey has sent Syrian fighters, military advisers and drones in support of the GNA, in a deployment which has changed the course of the conflict, with Haftar’s forces enduring a string of defeats.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sunday urged international bodies as well as political and military leaders to stop the violence in Libya and to also end the plight of migrants, refugees and others trapped there.

Speaking from a window at his Vatican residence on St Peter’s Square, the Pope told the faithful he included his concerns in his prayers over recent days.

“I am following the dramatic situation in Libya with great apprehension,” he said.

“I urge international bodies and those who have political and military responsibilities to recommence with conviction and resolve the search for a path towards an end to the violence, leading to peace, stability and unity in the country.”

The Pope also said he prayed for “the thousands of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons in Libya”.

Alluding apparently to the coronavirus pandemic also hitting Libya, he said “the health situation has aggravated the already precarious conditions in which they find themselves, making them more vulnerable to forms of exploitation and violence”.

He added “there is cruelty”, urging the international community to take “their plight to heart” and find ways and means “to provide them with the protection they need, a dignified condition and a future of hope.”

CAIRO — Egypt said Saturday that tripartite talks with Ethiopia and Sudan over a controversial mega-dam on the River Nile were deadlocked because of Addis Ababa's "intransigence".

The Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it nearly a decade ago. 

Ethiopia sees the dam as essential for its electrification and development, while Sudan and Egypt view it as a threat to essential water supplies.

Mohamed Al Sebaie, spokesperson for Egypt's Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry, said he "is not optimistic about the prospects of achieving a breakthrough during the ongoing negotiations" on the dam in a press release posted to the ministry's Facebook page. 

This was due to "Ethiopia's intransigence which, once again, became abundantly clear during the ongoing meetings of the ministers of water resources of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan", he added.

The strongly worded statement follows days of negotiations over the project amid heightened urgency to reach a deal ahead of Addis Ababa's plans to start filling the dam in July.

“Ethiopia’s position is that Egypt and Sudan should either sign a text that would make them hostages to Ethiopia’s will and whim or accept Ethiopia’s decision to unilaterally fill the GERD,” Sebaie’s statement said.

Talks between the irrigation and water ministers from the three Nile basin countries resumed Tuesday after a four-month hiatus along with three observers from the United States, European Union and South Africa.

After several rounds of failed negotiations, the United States and the World Bank sponsored talks from November 2019 geared towards reaching a comprehensive agreement, after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi put in a request to his ally US President Donald Trump. 

But the process ran aground after the Treasury Department urged Ethiopia to sign a deal that Egypt backed as “fair and balanced”. 

Ethiopia denied a deal had been reached and accused Washington of being “undiplomatic” and playing favourites.

Ethiopia’s water ministry criticised Egypt on Thursday for detailing its grievances over the dam in a May letter to the UN Security Council.

The 6,600-kilometre-long Nile is a lifeline supplying water and powering electricity in the 10 countries it traverses.

Its main tributaries, the White and Blue Niles, converge in the Sudanese capital Khartoum before flowing north through Egypt to drain into the Mediterranean Sea.

BAGHDAD — The United States said Thursday it would reduce troops in Iraq in the coming months as friction between the two countries eased under a new US-friendly premier in Baghdad.

The United States also promised support to prop up the struggling Iraqi economy as the two nations held their first strategic dialogue in more than a decade.

Tensions skyrocketed following a US strike on Baghdad in January that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, with lawmakers in Baghdad demanding the expulsion of the roughly 5,200 US troops in the country.

President Donald Trump responded by threatening crippling sanctions and, according to US military sources, Washington began planning a vast bombing spree against groups blamed for the rockets.

In a joint statement, the United States said that the reason for its military's return to Iraq in 2014 — defeating Daesh extremists  — had made major headway.

"The two countries recognised that in light of significant progress towards eliminating [Daesh] threat, over the coming months the US would continue reducing forces from Iraq," a joint statement said.

"The United States reiterated that it does not seek nor request permanent bases or a permanent military presence in Iraq."

The coalition has already consolidated to just three bases in recent months, down from a dozen.

The joint statement, hashed out ahead of time, did not give figures and Thursday's dialogue was brief, with David Schenker, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, telling reporters the delegations did not discuss a timeline for reducing troops.

Due to coronavirus travel restrictions, top-level talks expected to take place in Baghdad were demoted to a brief online kick-off session. 

New PM changes tone 

Tensions have calmed substantially since Mustafa Kadhemi — an ex-spy chief with close ties to the US and its allies in the region — took the reins as Iraq’s premier in May.

Two Iraqi officials said Kadhemi has been invited to the White House this year, a diplomatic olive branch his predecessor Adel Abdel Mahdi had never received. 

“There was a lack of confidence in the relationship with the previous government,” one of the officials said. 

Iraq in the joint statement promised to protect US bases that have seen a barrage of rocket fire blamed on paramilitary groups tied to Iran, a top adversary for the Trump administration.

The United States said it would look to encourage investment and promote economic reform in Iraq, which was rocked last year by major protests against unemployment and corruption.

“We will support the new government through the international financial institutions to help it meet the challenge of COVID-19 and declining oil revenues,” Schenker said.

Iraq’s economy relies almost exclusively on oil exports, with faltering prices and low demand drastically shrinking the government’s ability to pay wages, pensions and welfare to eight million Iraqis.

After Kadhemi took charge, the United States extended a waiver from American sanctions to let Iraq keep importing needed gas from Iran, although the exemption runs out in September.

“The entire US-Iraq bilateral relationship will not be fixed in a single day,” said Robert Ford, an analyst at the Middle East Institute and a US diplomat in Baghdad during the last round of strategic talks in 2008, which ironed out the US drawdown from the occupation that began after the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. 

“But for once, we seem to have the right people in the right place at the right time,” he said. 

Eyes on troop future 

A dramatic or sudden drop could hamper the coalition’s efforts to back an Iraqi fightback against Daesh sleeper cells, which have escalated attacks in recent weeks.

“Whatever comes out of the dialogue is going to set the future of our strategic relationship”, a top American official from the coalition told AFP.

“Am I still going to fly surveillance drones or not? Do you still want our intelligence?” he added. 

Other coalition countries are watching closely.

“The ability of non-US members of the coalition to be in Iraq depends on whether the US can stay. We’re tied down by this dialogue, too,” a Western diplomat told AFP. 

The spokesman for the pro-Iran Fateh bloc, Ahmad Al Assadi, has insisted on a six-month deadline for foreign troops’ departure.

On Monday and Wednesday, two rockets hit near Baghdad airport and the American embassy, after weeks of calm.

But the rhetoric was more tempered than usual, with even the hardline Kataeb Hizbollah saying it would take a formal stance on the talks only after the first session. 

“These groups are retrenching, which gives Kadhemi some space with the Americans,” Ford said.

DAMASCUS — The novel coronavirus pandemic briefly gave Syrians a sense of belonging to the rest of the world after years of isolating war, Syrian author Khaled Khalifa said.

But the international community is too busy to look their way and the planet will continue to be as barbaric as ever, with no lessons on the value of nature learnt, said the award-winning writer of the novel “No Knives in the Kitchens of this City”.

Khalifa spoke to AFP in his home in the Syrian capital Damascus, where the government has announced 144 cases of the COVID-19 disease and six deaths in areas it controls.

What has the virus meant for Syrians? 

“For years during the war, Syrians were preoccupied with their limited world, a world of daily death.”

“But today their tragedy has become part of humankind’s as a whole. They shared in the meaning of fear and death with the rest of the world.”

“Today their fear has become communal, shared with others. It’s probably the first time that they feel they are part of humankind.”

“But despite this, we have remained on the margins and our problems interest no one.”

“The world is too busy with the coronavirus to hear Syrians. Tomorrow, there will be other reasons for it to be busy and unable to hear us. Nothing will change and the war will continue.”

What is a virus in war? 

“Syrians are those to least fear the coronavirus because they have been, and continue to be, bogged down in death, but... the virus has compounded the difficulties of their daily lives.”

“All burning issues in Syria have remained [burning issues] during the pandemic and will afterwards. We live in a tunnel of perpetual waiting.”

“One cannot compare the coronavirus to war, as it belittles [the suffering of] millions of human beings.”

“We are speaking of a huge human tragedy, 10 years of hardship for a huge group of human beings. What has happened in Syria remains unique in its production of collective suffering.”

What will the world 

look like afterwards? 

“The world will remain just as barbaric as before the battle against COVID-19 and become even more brutal. It will not change or learn from this lesson that came as final warning that we cannot defy nature.”

“In the battle against coronavirus, nature is not an enemy but the one attacked. All that it does is try to defend itself. The attacker are the large companies abandoning all principles in the quest of profit.”

“The third party afflicted along with nature are people who would like life to be more humane.”

Who will win this battle? 

“Some people say the conflict will intensify in the markets with even greater abandon of values and even more encroachment on nature.”

“In realistic stories, the good never prevails, it’s always evil that wins in the end. But this time we can’t let it, because it’s clear this will be a last stand.”

“For 30 years, we have not heard a politician in the world say: ‘These are our principles.’ They all say: ‘These are our interests.’”

“We need to produce new values to preserve humaneness, adapted to all humanity.”

How has the pandemic affected you? 

“The coronavirus allowed me to give wider rein to my imagination.”

“Years ago when I wanted to write something very imaginative, I was scared no one would believe it. But now everything will be easy to believe because what has happened was once unimaginable.”

“I think hundreds of screenwriters are thinking of making films about the coronavirus. But the virus in Syria is different to the virus in America. Even if it’s the same illness, its social consequences are totally different.”

“The coronavirus forced me to think more and ask myself questions we still have not answered.”

“How did these humans become so selfish? Why is there all this production and waste of resources today? Why is there no justice? Why are murderers living on, protected by bank owners and large companies?”

“Are we able to build a more humane, less criminal future?”

PARIS — The EU's diplomatic chief and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Italy urged Tuesday all parties fighting in Libya to stop military operations immediately and respect a ceasefire.

Signed by the EU's High Representative Josep Borrell and Foreign Ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian of France, Heiko Mass of Germany and Luigi Di Maio of Italy, a statement urged "all Libyan and International parties to effectively and immediately stop all military operations."

The European ministers also insisted on the need to "engage constructively in the 5+5 negotiations" in reference to a joint military commission that helped broker a ceasefire announced in Cairo earlier this month.

Meanwhile, international efforts must include "the withdrawal of all foreign forces, mercenaries and military equipment supplied in violation of the UN arms embargo from all regions of Libya", the joint statement said.

The Libyan ceasefire has been backed by strongman Khalifa Haftar and was to have taken effect on Monday.

But forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) have declared their aim to take Sirte, the hometown of slain dictator Muammar Qadhafi, and build upon a string of recent successes against Haftar's men.

The joint statement urged those fighting in Libya "to engage constructively in all strands of the UN-led intra-Libyan dialogue in order to pave the way for a comprehensive political agreement in accordance with the parameters agreed upon in Berlin."

On January 19, the main countries involved in the Libyan conflict agreed in Berlin to respect an arms embargo and to stop interfering in Libya's domestic affairs.

Libya has been mired in chaos since the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Muammar Qadhafi.

Eastern-based Haftar has since last year sought to regain control over the west, fighting the GNA in an abortive attempt to seize the capital Tripoli.

BEIRUT — Umm Ahmed and her family have survived years of war, but now the mother of five is terrified uncontrolled devaluation of the Syrian pound will prevent her from feeding her children.

"Since the war started, we've tasted all sorts of suffering," said the 39-year-old, displaced three times by fighting in the rebel stronghold of Idlib.

"I think hunger will be among the next."

The value of the Syrian pound has plummeted with dizzying speed in recent days on the informal market, sending prices skyrocketing, shuttering shops, and sparking unprecedented protests.

Umm Ahmed said she was so alarmed she was considering buying flour in bulk to start hoarding supplies.

"If the pound continues to collapse like this, we are facing a huge famine," said Umm Ahmed, who is relying on dwindling savings as her husband struggles to help with odd jobs.

"We sold some land we inherited and we have been living off that but I don't think it will last long with these obscene price hikes," she said in the town of Binnish.

In Idlib, the increase in the price of bread has sparked protests against Hayat Tahrir Al Sham extremists in charge of the region of three million people — around half displaced by the conflict and many dependent on aid.

Some shops have closed, an AFP correspondent reported.

Syria’s economy has been battered by nine years of war, compounded by a financial crisis in neighbouring Lebanon, which had served as a conduit for dollars into government-held areas under international sanctions.

But in recent days the value of the Syrian pound on the black market has started to tumble even faster from one record to the next.

From Saturday to Monday alone, the exchange rate soared from 2,300 to more than 3,000 pounds to the dollar, more than four times the official rate of around 700. It hovered close to 3,000 on Wednesday.

Before the conflict, it stood at 47.

Analysts say the recent spike is likely due to worries ahead of the introduction of new US sanctions from June 15, and the sudden fall from grace of tycoon Rami Makhlouf, which has set other top businessmen on edge.

Prices have risen across the country, though the Turkish lira is used in some parts of the rebel-held north.

The government has blamed the unofficial devaluation on US sanctions, and “manipulation” of the exchange rate.

But the rapid deterioration has sparked unprecedented criticism in government-held areas, including in the southern city of Sweida, where dozens have demonstrated for three days since Sunday.

In the capital Damascus, one lawmaker said on Sunday that part of the blame for the unofficial devaluation lay with the “wrong policies practised by the government”.

Another demanded action from the central bank, which increased the official exchange rate from 434 to 700 in March, but has since maintained that peg.

‘God help us’ 

In Damascus, 52-year-old Lamees Al Sheikh said she had started buying only the cheapest vegetables.

“Prices are through the roof. Every day... it’s more expensive than the day before,” the mother of five told AFP by phone.

“I’m scared one day I’ll... come back home empty handed.”

In a country where the vast majority lives in poverty, the World Food Programme says food prices have risen by 133 per cent since May 2019.

“WFP estimates that 9.3 million Syrians are food insecure — more than ever recorded,” spokeswoman Jessica Lawson said.

In the Kurdish-held northeast, prices too are soaring.

Just a few customers looked for bargains in the Qamishli city market, and many shops had closed.

Sitting inside his empty grocery shop, Rashed Umari pored over his accounts.

“There is one exchange rate in the morning, and another one in the afternoon,” he said.

“Everything we sell is at a loss.”

Analyst Zaki Mehchy said that, without a political solution to the war, the devaluation would likely continue, leaving the government scrambling to control the damage.

It would probably use “security and coercive measures to control speculators”, and give more economic privileges to allies Russia and Iran hoping to secure desperately needed hard currency.